Returning home for the night, Doctor Tofu Ono was feeling a bit worried about his impending departure from Nerima. While he had a lot of regular patients, it was Akane Tendou he worried the most about. Not only did the girl come in with lots of scrapes and injuries, but lately she'd gotten involved in some nonsense at school that seemed to make things worse. It was also a bit worrying that Nabiki seemed to be an instigator in that mess as well.
Once in his home he turned to lock the door, disappointed that his replacement had yet to arrive today. Hopefully it would only be a few more days until that replacement arrived. While he wasn't too happy about having to leave his post in Nerima, he realized it was just something that had to be done. The waiting for that end however was starting to wear on his nerves.
Which was why when he turned around to come face to face with a young man who had been standing right behind, the normally dignified doctor jumped back in fright while letting out a frightened yip.
The young man however shifted from his neutral expression into a friendly smile while raising one hand in a lazy wave. "Yo."
Getting his breathing back under control, the young shiatsu specialist leveled a frown at the young man. "It's good that you're here Ranma, but you can't let people know you're a ninja."
Putting his hands back in his pockets and adopting an indifferent expression, the young man turned on his heel and walked away until he reached a wall, his long ponytail streaming behind him. Then turning around and leaning against the wall, he regarded the young doctor with a lidded gaze. "I don't know what yer talking about. You were all zoned out and missed me saying hi, so I just came in with you. Not my fault if you weren't paying attention. Anyways, I'm here to watch over stuff while you're gone, so what do I gotta do?"
Blinking in shock, Tofu almost bought that story despite knowing the truth of the matter. While Ranma had indeed snuck up on him, he hadn't neglected to remain aware of his surroundings. He had heard that Ranma was quite the handful with his devil may care attitude, but the young man had come highly recommended. After their brief introduction he could see why the young man was described as someone that was unorthodox yet perfectly capable of getting results. That was why the young man had been recommended as his replacement after all.
"Ah, yes. Well then Ranma-kun, I guess I should tell you about the assignment. How much were you told?"
Shrugging, the young man waved the doctor off. "Eh, just give me the simple version, then tell me tha important stuff."
Unfazed by the young man's attitude, Tofu simply nodded and mentally prepared the simple version. "Alright, almost 20 years ago a young kunoichi retired from the clan to married life to raise a family. She had three girls, yet died when they were young. As such the clan is looking after the girls, but as they aren't ninja, such aid is in secret. They are not to know about the clan or be involved in clan affairs."
Waiting a moment for questions, yet only receiving an indifferent stare in return, the doctor self-consciously continued his instructions. "The oldest, Kasumi is out of high school. She takes care of the household since the death of their mother. Their father still suffers from the loss of his wife, so Kasumi has served as the parental figure. Nabiki is a second year in high school and quite manipulative. A small time schoolyard schemer, she's mostly small fry and stays out of real trouble. The youngest is Akane, a first year in high school. She's the martial artist of the bunch and a bit of a tomboy. She's recently had some trouble at school however."
Sighing in the face of such a one sided conversation, the young doctor steeled himself for dealing with the boy's nonchalant attitude. "The girl's aren't in any danger, and there's nothing specific you must do. There are some things I'd like to see done however so the girls can live happy lives. I'd like to see Kasumi get out of the house or find something of her own to enjoy. Nabiki needs to be watched to make sure she doesn't cross a line and get herself in trouble. Akane has the most direct trouble, a local boy by the name of Kuno has been causing her trouble. He's apparently arranged some sort of challenge where any boy that defeats Akane may 'date' her."
Stretching his arms, the young man stepped away from the wall, pacing the room to get active. "So, that's it, not even babysitting, just a little meddling with their lives?"
Hearing that made the doctor more than a little nervous, as Ranma had been described to him as about as subtle as a typhoon hitting Tokyo bay. While that was essentially why Ranma was replacing him as Tofu had been reluctant to interfere with their lives, he was more than a little uncomfortable with the idea of unleashing this boy on the girls. "Ah, well, I wouldn't quite put it that way. Just maybe a little nudge perhaps."
Frowning thoughtfully, the younger ninja seemed to consider the situation for a moment before posing a more serious question. "Alright, so what's the set-up going to be?"
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(Posted Fri, 22 Sep 2006 09:11)
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