“AGHHHH,” *SPLASH*
The kendoist’s scream outside served as a siren’s song to students eager to find out the outcome of the chase/fight between the young MLA member and the Captain of the Furinkan Kendo Team, in particular Akane’s classmates and her sister.
They reached the window and gazed out into the distance to see Kuno lying unconscious floating face-up on top of the school swimming pool, which was filled in order that the Swim Team could begin practice later in the week. Still everyone scrambled to look for the youngest of the Tendo sisters; however she was no where in sight.
As Sayuri leaned out the window at to get a better look she heard Akane shout, “Well don’t just stand there, somebody help me back up.” Immediately Sayuri looked down and saw Akane hanging on to the brick ledge, just below the window for dear life her legs spread wide so that she could hope to catch onto the edges of masonry framing the window row below her with her feet.
“Akane, what the heck,” Sayuri babbled before she reached down to try and start pulling her classmate up, grunting and struggling with the effort, “ugh, Akane you have got to take it easy on those free office do-nuts.”
“What are you talking about Sayuri,” Yuka chimed in behind her since she was unable to help due to her handicap, “we’re lucky to have a coffee-maker, and it took them two-years to replace the soda-machine after the refrigeration-coil in the old one broke and fried the thing.”
“How’s about I lend you a hand,” the new girl Ranma said as she pushed her way through the crowd around the window, as she moved next to Sayuri she reached out the window and grabbed Akane’s left-arm, “Okay now let’s do this on three, Akane is it? Please try to use your legs to push your way up. Now on the count of three, one...two...threeee!”
At the call of three Sayuri and Ranma pulled as hard as they can, and after three minutes of effort they finally pulled Akane back into the building. *HUFF* “Akane *HUFF* w-what *HUFF* the hell *HUFF* were you *HUFF* thinking?” Sayuri asked while gasping for breath.
“I though *huff* that an over-*HUFF*-ly drama-*HUFF*-tic idiotic like Kuno *HUFF* wouldn’t think twice about *HUFF* taking a flying leap out of a window.” Akane said trying to reign her adrenaline back in.
“Is it always this exciting around here,” Ranma asked the other two girls curious about her new school, “or have I just arrived on a weird day?”
“Well Kuno is always after my hide the day that I show back up after a full moon,” Akane stated clearly, “but usually he gives up after class begins. His sister must have forgotten to slip his little happy pills into his breakfast this morning.”
“Just why would he be after you like that?” Ranma asked trying to find out more information behind the ins and outs of her new school?”
“Look Homeroom is almost over, so we had better get back to class,” Akane said as she stood back up and helped Sayuri to her feet, “Look how about you join us for lunch and we can swap stories, I’m sure that Sayuri and Yuka will be just as curious to hear just what brings your family to Nerima.”
For a change of pace, and hopefully a little peace and quiet Akane and her friend’s decided to continue their discussion on the roof that thankfully unlike other areas of the school was considered the MLA friendly zone thanks in no part to the declaration of a now graduated senior and current full-time employee at the South Branch named Masaru Daimon. Akane only knew him from his reputation, he was supposed to be one of the toughest MLA agents since her mother, and was responsible for putting Kuno in his place when the kendoist first arrived last year as a freshman.”
Apparently Masaru was such a tough customer that even after he graduated Kuno didn’t dare breach most of Masaru’s declarations out of fear that the man everyone in Nerima called Bancho-Leo (despite the fact that he was never a part of a gang) would return and beat him like a kettle-drum. Still it did leave a nice sanctuary at Furinkan High for MLA agents along with their friend’s and boy/girl-friend’s to relax during Lunch.
However at the moment their minds were not on the history of the former alumni of Furinkan High, but rather on the massive bento that their new classmate had produced, “Sugoi,” Yuka looked on in awe, “how can anyone eat this much for lunch and not show it, it just isn’t fair!”
“Oh come-on Yuka it can’t be like that,” Sayuri stated, “its likely mostly steamed...rice...are those takoyaki?”
“Ranma what in the world are you doing carrying around all this food?” Akane asked out of concern, “Do your parents know that you are spending all this money at food stands?”
“Um, actually I have a confession to make; this isn’t so much a bento as a promotion box.” Ranma chuckled as she rubbed behind her head, “My ‘family’ will be running the stands at the new open-air food court, and they gave us these big bentos to give some of the students at the local classes a taste of our wares and use word of mouth to get some free advertising.”
“Sounds like something that my sister Nabiki would come up with.” Akane remarked as she turned to the girl who was currently spreading her family’s confections amongst the others on the roof, “Say you wouldn’t happen to be related to a Genma Saotome would you?”
“How do you know my dad’s name?” Ranma looked at Akane puzzled for a moment before she came to a realization, “Wait a minute, my dad said that we were going to visit an old family friend of his in a few days, you wouldn’t happen to be Soun Tendo’s daughter would you?”
“Yes,” Akane said with a smile, “you won’t believe what a relief this is, my dad had my sisters convinced that your father was coming to introduce his son for an omai to one of them.”
Ranma tried to hide a nervous smile as she asked, “Why only your sisters, are you actually for an arranged marriage?”
“You remember that mess earlier with that man in the kendo-ka?” Akane waited until she saw the girl’s acknowledgment, “Well the reason why he attacked me today is that I’m a MLA agent, a bareback, every full moon its the job of myself and hundreds of other’s throughout the city to round-up lunes who are caught breaking curfew before they cause too much damage, or worse seriously injure and kill each other.”
“So why would this make him attack you?” Ranma asked out of curiosity and concern.
“Kuno is a staunch traditionalist,” Akane replied, “and the MLA to him represent one of the many changes the west forced on his precious land after the war, but there’s more to it than that. I don’t know if your father ever told you the ins and out of Japan before you came here; however barebacks have always been seen as amongst the lowest of the low here in Japan we were seen as abominations and filth just as the lepers and the Ainu and later the Burukumin were, Kuno is the descendant of a Tokugawa samurai clan and a staunch traditionalist.”
“Of course since I’m not only an MLA dogcatcher, but also the daughter of an MLA dogcatcher makes me the vilest abomination possible. Speaking of which I should probably call mom and tell her about all this, she really hates it when dad leaves her out of the loop.”
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(Posted Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:48)
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