"Hey, you look like...!"
"Ataru Moroboshi?" the girl blinks, then smiles. "Good guess. I guess it's got to be the hair," she points up to her shaggy locks. With that, she offers her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranma-kun."
He stares at her, then reaches over to give her hand a firm squeeze. "Pleased to meetcha, ah..." he catches himself. "Well, I guess I can't really call you 'Ataru-chan' since you're a girl now...!" he sputters, then blinks. "Hey, I know! How'd you like to go by 'Atako' instead?!"
The girl blinks, then draws back her hand as she considers it before shaking her head. "No, it sounds really cliche to me. 'Sides, didn't you go by 'Ranko' when you changed into a girl, Ranma-kun?"
"Um, y-yeah, I di-...!" he stops. "Hey, how'd you...?!"
She laughs. "Oh, chill out, okay?!" she waves him down, then walks over to sit on the slab of metal she woke up from. "Tomobiki and Nerima aren't so far apart, remember? Believe me, where I come from, we know a lot about you and all the dorkheads who hung all over you, Ranma-kun. Lots of people at my school have friends attending Furinkan, you know."
Ranma watches her, then blinks on seeing her lips turn into a frown. "You okay?" he walks over to sit beside her, a comforting hand squeezing her shoulder. "Did something happen before you got brought here?"
She blinks, then stares at him for a moment before looking nowhere in particular. "Yeah, you could say that," she sighs. "You were at a wedding when you got snatched, right?" Seeing him nod, she takes a deep breath. "Well, it was a couple days after that tag race Lum forced on me came to an end when I got snatched. Everyone was at the Tarouzakura hill -- that's a plot of land Shutaro Mendou owns -- and people were trying to relax and have a good time when WHA-BOOM!! Out comes this black ball with the red eye to snare me and bring me here. And they..." she closes her eyes. "Lum and everyone else -- well, they tried to get me free, but then it..."
She falls silent. "It killed them," Ranma finishes.
"You got it!" she spits out, then hugs herself. "I..." she begins, then stares at him. "Please...! Don't think I'm being unkind to the dead and all that, but..." she shrugs. "For some weird reason, I can't seem to muster any sympathy for them! It's like..." she pulls away from him, then stands, walking to the window. "It's like any positive feelings for them I had as Ataru were just washed out of me when I became this!"
She turns to him, waving to herself. Ranma considers that, then hums for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Wait!"
"What?"
"I..." he stops, then sighs. "Damn, I wish there were some water..."
One section of the wall opposite the windows twirls around to reveal a vanity mirror, a Western-style toilet and a wash basin, complete with taps and a couple of plain cups! Both look at this, then Ranma walks over to test the water. "Okay, we got both hot and cold..." he fills a cup with cold water, then upends it over himself...
...to not change. "Didn't work," the girl notes.
Ranma blinks, then runs a hand through his hair. Yep. Cold water. No change. He fills the cup again with cold, then splashes himself again. No change. "I'm cured..." he whispers, staring at his hand, then he looks at the girl. "Unless..." his free hand squeezes into a fist, then he moves to fill the cup with very warm water. Once done, he walks over to her. "Would you mind...?" he indicates the cup in question.
She stares at him, then nods. The cup is turned over her head, splashing her. "Nothing," she shakes her head, staring at him.
Ranma considers that, then sighs. "But how?"
(Posted Sat, 11 Jan 2003 14:05)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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