And none of it was done in haste. With the amount of times that she'd done this, she was long past any need to race through it, even though she'd never been one to rush anyway. This was something that she had done for a very long time, and she was certain that she'd be doing it for some time to come.
Well, there was one thing that was different, what with the fact that she was doing this with her husband living with her now. In her bag happened to be his letter, which she was planning on mailing for him, just as he'd asked her to. It was a simple task, but it was also a major shift in her life, as she was doing things for her husband. This was only the start of things that they'd be doing for each other, and she could easily see them settling into life together. Why, she could already see him coming in from work to find the hot meal that she would have cooked for him.
A deep blush hit her cheeks as she thought of the simple pleasure that such a meal would give her. Sure, they didn't have their own home, and weren't exactly going to be living a traditional sort of life where he'd go off to a corporate job while she took care of the home, but this was a good enough start for her. They were married, and doing simple things like this gave her a strong sense of the fact that she was a wife, even if she had to go shopping for groceries anyway.
She pushed her romantic daydreams off to a mental 'side', and focused on the task ahead of her. She was going to have to get what was on her list, and send the letter, both of which were very real chores. There were real responsibilities ahead for her, and she had duties towards her family and her husband that were important to handle.
But she still held a hint of color on her cheeks as she wondered what it would be like to greet her husband when he'd arrive home, and hoped that he was having a nice day at school.
Having made a circuit around the school grounds, Tatewaki Kuno was certain that the deviant Saotome was no doubt hiding from him. His sort would, given that such creatures tried to use trickery and cowardice to get what they wanted, rather than the honorable tactics of honesty and clear focus. So, it was up to him to go after the fool before he could start to try and spread his foul activities again.
As he came around a corner, he found that his assumptions were correct, not that he ever doubted them. Standing there in a place where students would not normally go was Ranma Saotome, which went to show that he was aiming to keep his activities hidden. What was worse was how he was talking to Akane Tendo, who he had professed to have no attraction towards. Well, that was now proven to be a lie, as he was showing clear interest in the fair damsel, and was obviously planning to try to corrupt her purity where no others could see. After all, no true man would sneak off with another's love if he did not intend to do something that should never see the light of day, especially as it looked like the deviant was removing his clothing in front of her!
That was something that Kuno could not allow, and he was not about to allow the deviancy to continue. "Saotome! Your foul activities stop here!"
"Kuno?!" Akane blurted, turning towards him with what he saw as eyes wide with wonder. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you, my own true love, from this disgusting fiend who would go forth and drag you into a secret spot to dishonor you!"
"You think that he's going to do WHAT?!"
"There is no other explanation, and your presence must be removed from this school before his virulent darkness spreads! Have at you, deviant!"
The pigtailed boy didn't seem able to move as Kuno barrelled down on him, with his weapon of choice held high. He stood there without a even a single flicker appearing in his eyes. Had things been different, the kendoist would have thought that the boy was acting with dignity and strength in taking what was coming to him. However, this was merely a coward that he was facing, as far as he was concerned, and he was certain that panic had frozen the fool's limbs. That would mean that all he'd have to do would be to take a single slice to take this cretin down.
Such a thing didn't happen.
When Kuno got close enough, Ranma let loose with a snap kick that went straight up, catching his foot on the older boy's chin. Kuno's head shot back as his forward momentum was not only stopped, but was reversed. He wound up flying backwards, with his bokuto being flung away from him as he went tumbling away from the pair until he landed in a heap a good ten meters from them. As he'd already been knocked senseless by the kick, the final time that his head hit the ground only pushed over the edge into full unconsciousness.
For a long moment, Akane scowled at the fallen figure. Had he been awake to see it, Kuno would have thought that it was over anger that he'd been struck as he had. But when she turned to look at her brother-in-law, she gave him a friendly, if a bit chagrined, smile. "Nice kick."
"Thanks," Ranma told her, and smirked. "Remember, it's not only the power that wins the fight, but how ya use it."
"True. You did take him down with one attack. But I could have taken him."
"Oh, I'm sure that ya could have beat him. There was just one thing problem with that."
"And that is...."
"Ya'd have ta stick around the idiot long enough ta do it," the pigtailed boy idly commented.
Akane thought about that for a moment before giggling heavily. "You're right about that."
"Sure I'm right. I'm always right 'bout this sorta stuff."
"Well then, let's see if we can get you, your smarts, and your ego back into the classroom all at once."
"Ha ha. Very funny."
"I thought so," she teased, with her companionable smile taking any real edge off of their friendly banter, as she gestured for them to walk.
Ranma nodded, and the two of them headed back towards the school building, leaving behind an unconscious wannabe samurai, while:
(Posted Sat, 29 Apr 2006 22:55)
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