Ranma had taken down the 'girls only' sign as quickly as possible. And luck was with him for once, too. As soon as he had gotten Akane's things squared away, he got to meet another boy about his own age looking for a room.
***
After weeks of mounting frustration, tensions, and explosions, Tenchi had realized that his father's idea to move out and go back to the city had been a wise one. Oh, he adored Sasami. Ayeka was delightfully naive, in her own right. Ryouko was stalwart and admirable, in her ways, too. Mihoshi was a decent person, and good company most of the time (though, she really couldn't hold her alcohol; then again, he wasn't keen on that himself). Washuu was potentially a tiny terror, but well-behaved, and had saved him on more than one occasion.
But the only person he could talk to on a guy-to-guy basis was Yosho, and since he was Ayeka's older brother, Tenchi couldn't help but feel it was ... vaguely creepy, to say the least. And of course, he wasn't terribly unbiased; Ryouko had needed to be sealed away, and Yosho had fought him to do it.
Still, after mulling over all of the possibilities, he decided that he needed to end his 'playboy' lifestyle. For one thing, he wasn't actually sure he wanted to progress any of the relationships he had beyond more than 'sometimes frightfully intense friends'. Not yet, anyway. For another, all he really did was practice swordsmanship with Yosho, and grow carrots. Ryo-oh-ki was cute as a button, and well meaning ... but after a few months of that, Tenchi was confident that the creature could grow its own carrots -- he wanted to go back to school! It didn't hurt that Sasami had actually trained Ryo-oh-ki to use farming implements.
Of course, he had a mind for the other details, too. Namely, he needed to make sure that he kept his skills up, just in case some other enemy attacked. He was certain it would happen -- any day now. One of these times, it'd be up to him, and him alone to deal with it, and he was terrified that he'd come up short when the final confrontation came about.
That was the real reason he didn't want to cement things with Ryouko. Or Ayeka. Or....
"Decisions are hard," he told himself, hitching the pack with his clothes and a few scrapbooks higher. The Tenchi-ken itself was in a pocket. No way he'd forget _that_ again. The apartment complex he was looking at seemed nice enough. A boy about his own age, dressed in a red silk shirt and ... cape ... with the name 'Saotome Ranma' on it had just finished leaping up from the ground carrying a futon, and closed one of the apartment doors, dusting his hands together before he spun, and leapt down to land at Tenchi's feet on the lawn.
Tenchi blinked. "You're pretty good," he blurted out, before he could think of anything else to say.
"I know," Ranma agreed, smirking. "You looking for a place to stay?"
Tenchi chuckled and nodded. "As a matter of fact, I am," he replied, dithering for a moment before setting his pack down and bowing. "Masaki Tenchi," he introduced himself.
"Saotome Ranma," the boy replied, bowing just as deeply in return. "Though, I figure the freakin' sign I'm wearing gives that away." His rueful grin gave away an evident good mood, and Tenchi found himself grinning back.
"Right!" Tenchi exclaimed suddenly, smacking one fist into a palm. "I heard about you on the radio! You stopped that flying monster that destroyed Tokyo Tower!"
"Well.... Yeah, pretty much," Ranma admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Um, next time I hope I don't blow up the tower, though."
"I'll say," Tenchi said heartily. Well, if anyone could make the girls feel that he was safe, it would most likely be Ranma. An acknowledged hero. Tenchi began immediately thinking of him as a kindred spirit, though he realized he'd need to wait until they were in private before revealing his own story. "You live here?"
"I, uh, kind of own it," Ranma replied warily. "Well, I manage the property. Nabiki manages the paperwork -- she's my agent. You looking for a place?"
"Yes, actually. Um ... I'm looking to go to school. I've, uh, missed some time while I was in Okayama. I also need to ... um.... Well, I need to find someone to help me fight," he admitted, grimacing.
Ranma stepped backwards slightly and studied Tenchi up and down. "You move like you know how to do it," he assessed after a moment of study. "If you're just starting out, Tendo's got a dojo where he teaches classes. If you're more advanced, I could use a good sparring partner." He jerked his head towards what Tenchi thought was a painfully dilapidated building. "It'll take some work, but once we get that dojo fixed up, we'll be able to do it even in rain."
Tenchi glanced to one side, blinking at the sight of a panda hauling a cart down the street, laden with personal belongings and crates. A trio of girls led it; one had long purple hair, and was idly juggling a pair of huge heavy maces. One had hair almost as long, but a chestnut color, and was juggling a trio of tiny spatulas. The third had short, dark hair, and was carrying a naginata over one shoulder.
"Um," he began, frowning. "Are these friends?"
***
Ranma followed Tenchi's glance, but too late. Spatulas had already been flung towards him; he reacted by swirling his cape out to bat them from the air. That momentarily blinded him, and when the cloak wasn't blocking his view, Akane was charging him, though she'd reversed the naginata so that it was pointed blunt-end towards him.
He ducked that by rolling forward-- Directly into Shampoo's arms. She held him for a moment, and before he could struggle free, Akane and Ukyou tackled him. "Told you so," Shampoo chirped. "See? We work together, is all."
"Yep!" Ukyou enthused, rubbing her cheek against his in a brief cuddle, which Akane mirrored, before all three girls broke away and hopped to their feet. The panda stared blankly before sighing and slumping forward to lay on the ground.
"Yeah," Ranma said weakly, climbing shakily to his feet. "Friends," he agreed, nodding at Tenchi, who was staring with wide eyes. Ranma briefly considered praying that the kami would see fit to let the boy take it in stride -- he seemed like he'd be a good neighbor.
"T...three of them," Tenchi mumbled, frowning. "That's...." He grinned suddenly. "I think you may be the best teacher I could hope to find." He nodded quickly. "Where do I sign?"
Ranma blinked, and pointed to the office, where Nabiki had just peeked out, Nanami and Setsuna still furiously churning through reams of papers requiring signatures and deposits.
"Are you going to help us unpack?" Akane asked, tugging on the rope that held the majority of Nabiki's possessions in place. "Right," Ranma agreed. In short order, the cart was unloaded, and the girls had trundled off again. He had just finished moving all of Nabiki's things to her room, when he met a second man, this one older than him.
***
"You must be Saotome Ranma," he assessed, looking down at Ranma, though not intentionally. He happened to be slightly taller, was all, and he tried to keep his distance so Ranma wouldn't be self-conscious about it. "I'm Chiba Mamoru."
"Right," Ranma said tiredly. "Sorry, been feeling kind of drained all day. New girls moving in, and.... Whew. Anyway, you looking for an apartment?"
"As it so happens, I am," the young man agreed. "I need an apartment to stay in while I work my way through college. I'm majoring in geology, with a specialization in gemstones."
"That sound really interesting," Ranma said, though his expression belied that it sounded as boring as it actually was.
"It's a line to study," Mamoru said defensively, before deflating. "Yeah ... I don't quite get it. My guidance counselor told me it's what I should study, so that's what I'm working on. It's so boring, though!"
"I'll believe that," Ranma said earnestly, nodding. "Um, and I don't mind or nothing -- you should be able to stay here. Is it close to your school?"
"Close enough," Mamoru agreed.
At that moment, a girl who looked vaguely familiar to him stomped out of the office, her teeth clenched together as he held a pen in one hand, and a thick sheaf of papers in the other. Her long green hair was frizzed and her eyes ticked nervously. Her gaze locked with his for a heartbeat -- violet eyes filling with what he was sure was awe and adoration.
The papers slipped from her fingertips, and Ranma expertly snagged them. "Setsuna?" he asked, waving a hand before the girl's eyes.
She looked instantly at Ranma, and made an unintelligible noise before managing to get out, "A...are you moving here, too?"
"I'm sure thinking about it," Mamoru said, grinning. He wasn't certain, initially, but that green-haired girl was kind of cute. A lot like his guidance counselor, only, much younger, when he stopped to think about it.
Setsuna looked mournfully at the paperwork in her hand, as a boy with dark hair emerged from the office, whistling merrily and dusting his hands together. "I gotta sign all these before Nabiki will let me move in," she whimpered.
"It's not that bad," the dark-haired boy assured her, grinning. "I only had to sign five!"
"Totally unfair," Setsuna snarled, her eyes tracking to some invisible point. "Oooh, that Urd.... I'll get her!"
Ranma blinked, as the girl snatched the papers from his hands and stormed into the office. "Huh," he managed. "Um, Chiba Mamoru, this is Masaki Tenchi, he also just moved in."
The two bowed, and made introductions, Tenchi showing an equal lack of interest in geology. Mamoru was beginning to be annoyed. It wasn't their fault his line of study was boring and sounded weak -- it was his guidance counselor!
***
Mamoru and Tenchi chatted quietly in front of the ruined dojo as the next panda-load of goods arrived. This time, Ranma had the foresight to seize Hotaru from Nabiki's side and cuddle the girl as armor. That netted him a tight circle of girls who adored him from a distance, until Hotaru spontaneously hugged him.
That set off a chain reaction that left Tenchi and Mamoru snickering, before they released him. "Thanks," he said weakly, unloading all of Ukyou's things from the cart.
Genma looked at his son piteously, but Ranma reaffirmed his resolve. This would make things better.
Somehow.
Tenchi and Mamoru insisted on helping him move Ukyou's things, so it took almost no time at all, except for navigating the stairs. By that point, Mamoru had gone around to dojo to inspect the grounds more thoroughly before committing, and Ranma was left alone to meet a third potential new tenant, this one older than Mamoru or Tenchi.
***
After America, most of Japan was starting to seem rather tame. At least, that was what he had told himself. The truth of the matter was that he wasn't totally oblivious, and it was growing obvious that the girls at the Hinata-Sou were trying to ... get his attention.
He wanted to say he only had eyes for Naru, but the truth of the matter was that if he thought for a heartbeat she'd allow it, he'd leap to provide that attention. That was what had ultimately driven him away. Motoko had said she respected his warrior's spirit, or something like that.
He hated the idea of any of the girls liking him for something he wasn't. And even if it was only in his own heart, he didn't think trusted himself to be faithful to just Naru.
So to address that, he'd decided to spend some time away, hopefully making himself grow up a little and mature to the point where it wasn't going to be an issue. Ideally, he would have found an all-boy's dorm, but he settled on a co-ed one, glancing around idly.
A somewhat worn and battered looking boy in a cape greeted him. "Yo," he managed in a creaking voice, bowing. "I'm Saotome Ranma."
"Oh, right," Keitaro murmured, nodding. He introduced himself, and explained, "I'm going to college -- to Todai, actually. It's a train ride away, and ... I needed some space."
"Space we've got," Ranma agreed, nodding.
Two other figures rounded the dojo, chatting amiably. A dark-haired youth, and what Keitaro was certain was a student he'd seen at school before, older than the youth, but younger than he himself.
"So, Ranma," the man said amiably, not realizing he might have been intruding, "I hear you do martial arts?"
"I'm the best," Ranma said resolutely, seeming to recover from whatever had worn him out, shaking the dust off with a grin. "Did you want someone to spar against?"
"W...well, I'm not that good," the man replied modestly, seeming just then to see Keitaro. "Ah, I'm sorry. Um, I'm Chiba Mamoru...." Another round of introductions passed. "And I'm studying at Todai. I think I've seen you -- you're studying archaeology, right?"
"Yep! I'm studying with Noriyasu-sensei. What about you?"
"Er.... Geology," the young man mumbled, looking down.
"W...well, I guess you won't need to study martial arts, then," Keitaro offered.
"Like you would?" Mamoru retorted in annoyance. "Geology's plenty fine as a major! ...I think."
"Well, you can learn martial arts anyway," Ranma reasoned. "Like I said. Tendo's offering classes, and once you catch up with me and Tenchi-kun, I'm sure we can practice together."
"Oh, I'd like to spar, too," Keitaro said brightly. "I'm probably not as good as you, if you've been practicing a lot, but Noriyasu taught me how to use a sword and defend myself."
"Really?" Tenchi said brightening. "Well, I'm sure glad I moved here!"
"I'm going to stay here, too," Mamoru decided stubbornly. "And then I'll learn martial arts."
***
Ranma turned around as a low moan of despair sounded, Setsuna staring at Mamoru in horror. "You're going to give up geology?" she asked, near panic. "B...but...."
"Of course not!" Mamoru replied, giving her a bright grin. "I'm going to study geology, and become a martial artist, too." After a pause, he admitted, "I might not study gems so much, though."
"Great," Setsuna deadpanned, as Nanami emerged, looking equally worn out. "I'm going to my room."
Nanami grunted something that sounded like agreement, and then they shambled to their respective rooms on the first floor. "Is the room next to hers taken?" Mamoru asked Ranma quietly, waggling his eyebrows and shooting an appreciative glance after Setsuna's departing form.
"Um.... No," he offered hesitantly. "Tenchi-kun's next door to Ucchan, upstairs.
"I'm moving in, Mamoru declared.
"I think I will too," Keitaro agreed. "I have a good feeling about it. Like I might learn something."
"Swell," Ranma said with a grin, pointing the two older men into the office.
Then Ranma and Tenchi were left alone in the yard. "So.... Does anyone else know about you and the tower?" Tenchi asked cautiously.
"With my luck they just think I'm a freak in a cape," Ranma replied. "Anyway, any second now-"
He was right, of course, but had no way to defend himself from the combined attention of Ukyou, Shampoo, and Akane. Especially since they'd finished, and wouldn't be packing anything else for Genma to haul. For his part, Genma merely trudged back to the Tendo home alone, grumbling all the while.
Tenchi backed off and whistled innocently, while the girls each hugged and thanked him in turn, until all of Shampoo's things were unpacked, as well. Then there came a brief window of respite, while Nabiki came out with the last two tenants to sign, Hotaru trailing them.
"We're done," she declared quietly. "Three more rooms to let. How you holding up, Ranma?"
"Good," he said, nodding. "While everyone's unpacking, I'm going to take Hotaru-chan to see Mom. I think she's gonna take her shopping. I've got to get some things." He belatedly remembered that he had a date with Urd, but sunset was hours away.
"Sounds like a plan," Nabiki said, stretching. "Well, I'll hold down the fort here. If anything breaks, I'll leave you a note to fix it."
"Great," he said, nodding to Tenchi before taking Hotaru's hand in his own. "Let's go see Grandmother, okay, Hotaru-chan?"
"Gramma!" the endlessly enthusiastic girl cheered.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Sgt. Chibi De'Ohki
(Posted Thu, 13 Apr 2006 05:19)
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.