Ranma was heading towards the stairs, when she finally heard Grandpa's voice. It sounded like he was at the phone. Perhaps she just didn't see him when she was downstairs earlier.
"Let's go," she said to Shampoo and approached the stairs. She walked slowly and carefully, balancing her whole body, so she wouldn't fall down left or right and plunge into the...
"Um, Ranma?" Shampoo asked curiously. "What are you doing?"
Ranma stared. She was right! What was she doing? She was walking as if there would be some bottomless pit to her left and right, not the solid floor... what was wrong with her?
"I guess this house is beginning to affect my sanity..." Ranma grumbled and walked normally, down the stairs.
When she heard Grandpa's voice coming out of the living room, she carefully slowed down. She wanted to know who he was talking with.
"...is certainly not my problem," he just said. He sounded very edgy. "I thought I could rely on you and your friends. But if things continue like this I'm afraid I have no choice but to change my ways of thinking about your little group."
Ranma frowned. Who was he talking to?
"Yes, but if you don't even manage to take care of a girl... Okay, okay, you're right. Maybe we should concentrate on more serious matters..."
What did he mean? Perhaps he was talking about her?
"Miss Mizuno, I hope you're right. I'm counting on you to do it. It's only a few days, for heaven's sake... Yes, exactly! At her birthday! The thirteenth! Afterwards, I don't mind if she comes back. Actually, I'm looking forward to have some company in this house."
Now Ranma was sure of it: He was talking to Miss Mizuno, and they were talking about herself. What was going on? Was Grandpa doing some weird business with the head of the youth welfare office?
"What about that boy...? What was his name, Mamoru? He won't make any trouble, will he? .... The Tsurugi Home, huh? Yes, I heard good things about it... Yes, I'm sure he will be in good hands there. But most important: Make sure he doesn't meet Amnar, at least not before her birthday! Yes, that's fine! Okay, goodbye!"
He put down the handset. Ranma decided it was time to get some answers and stepped into the room.
Grandpa turned around... and gasped when he saw her. His face turned pale. "Am... Amnar? For how long did you stand there?"
"Long enough," Ranma said coolly. "That was Miss Mizuno right now, right?"
"Well, no, she wasn't... Or yes, it was her! But it's not as you think!"
"Then how is it, huh?" Ranma said. She was furious. She thought she could have trusted him, even is there was something strange about him and his house. "You plan to get me out of the way a little longer? That's what you said to her, right? And what about my BIRTHDAY?"
His face grew even paler. "That's... that's nonsense," he stuttered. "I just thought it would be nice to... to surprise you on your birthday, that's all."
"Yeah? And where did you plan to put me? In this 'Tsurugi Home', perhaps?"
Grandpa gaped. Then he sighed. "I guess you really heard a lot," he murmured. "And I thought I could make it easy for you... Well, if you don't want to... Deimos!"
The dog appeared next to him, and Ranma could swear it was out of nowhere. Grandpa pointed at her. "Bring our guest to her room," he said. "And make sure she stays there, okay?"
"Oh no..." Ranma snarled. "I don't think so..."
Then she scooped up Shampoo, turned around and ran away, in the same moment Grandpa shouted something and Deimos let out a loud bark as he ran after her. As the front door was the opposite way, Ranma quickly ran up the stairs again.
When she was standing in the hallway of the second floor, she quickly looked around. Where to go, where to go...?
"NO!" Grandpa shouted from below. "Don't go in the attic!"
Ranma didn't really plan to go up there, but that was a good idea. The ladder was still extended, so she nimbly climbed up, just as Deimos appeared and lunged for her ankles.
"Climb faster," Shampoo urged. "I think they're coming closer."
Ranma nodded. But... where should she go now? There was really no way out of here... except for that little window up there! Perhaps they could climb outside and then... then she would see what would happen next.
"I only wanted to ask him about the house," Ranma muttered as she climbed up one of the beams. "But if he wants to put me back to nice Miss Mizuno, I'll have to say something about that."
When she reached the first crossbar, Grandpa and Deimos appeared below.
"Please, Amnar," he pleaded. "We'll talk about everything. But please, come back down here!"
Ranma didn't listen but started to balance carefully over to the little window. Deimos yelped like someone kicked him, and Grandpa shouted: "NO! It will destroy you!"
Ranma frowned, not really understanding, but continued her way. She was so concentrated on getting to the window that she didn't notice the dark shape that came swooping out of the darkness above her.
Grandpa screamed and Ranma looked up. Stunned, she stared at the giant bat that came diving upon her. She was that baffled that she didn't even scream as it rammed into her... and she fell down.
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:01)
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