"You are not an ordinary girl, are you?" the blackhaired girl asked.
"Well, no not really," Nabiki said, her usual eloquence failing her.
"Well good," Kodachi purred. "Because I do not treat girls with ordinary courtesy!" And then she was a blur, club in hand, charging not Nabiki but Ranma!
Ranma couldn't conceive of what she did. That wasn't like last time, when she was a passenger in Nabiki's body, she seized control of it. Violently, aggressively. It was too much to bear, to think of how...how violated Nabiki must be feeling. It was even enough to block out the fact that Nabiki wasn't feeling all that violated.
Kodachi struck at the confused, panicking spirit, already writing her gloating victory in her mind.
In another life, subject to another spring, Ranma eventually earned a reputation as one of the strongest martial artists in the world. His speed was incredible, his strength bizarre, his skills many and varied, his talent incredible, his resolve unshakable. To challenge him was akin to challenging the wind of a hurricane.
The confused martial artist sex spirit ducked under the blow so fast Kodashi thought her club and hand had passed through her head. She did not even have time to watch Ranma almost leisurely scythe her foot through Kodachi's ankle, sending the blackhaired girl flying into a trip. Reaching up, Ranma gently applied pressure to Kodachi's club arm.
To those watching, in the blink of an eye Kodachi had gone from charging an unprepared girl (or, to most, empty space) to auguring through the air and into the ground a good five meters away. Even so she recovered, flipping herself onto her feet like a professional gymnast.
Ranma adopted a simple combat stance and stared down Kodachi.
The blackhaired girl smiled nastily. "You are very good, creature," she said, reaching into her blouse. Ranma saw her pull a rose from the folds of her clothing; she flicked it at the spirit girl. She caught it reflexively. It was black, freshly cut, alive enough for her to hold. "I am Kodachi, the Black Rose. Do not forget me." And then she was gone, bouncing off the fence and away, laughing the most hideous noise ever heard by man or beast.
Nabiki recovered first, looking to the bandaged girls, who were in turn staring at the floating rose in Ranma's invisible hand. "Um, hi. Are you okay?"
"Tendo Nabiki," one of them replied bitterly. The bandages came off and Nabiki saw what Ranma knew all along -- they were his classmates. "How much to silence this humiliation?"
3000 yen each, the thought came. She shook her head. "Call it a hundred yen each and you tell us what happened?"
"Us?"
Nabiki waved at the rose. "Ranko."
Ranma found her voice. "Uh, yeah. Hi."
"We were ambushed!" they wailed. "You're the only one who can take over!"
"Me?" Akane asked, blinking. "Why me?"
"Because no one else has a chance at Rhythmic Gymnastic Martial Arts!"
Ranma had been floating over the bed for a while now. "What martial arts?"
All four human girls jumped, having quite forgotten their spiritual companion. "Rhythmic Gymnastics," one of the girls said, addressing an empty chair.
"Someone made gymnastics into a martial arts style?"
"We don't make the rules, we just play by 'em."
"Well, okay then," Akane said. "I guess I'll do it."
And there was much rejoicing.
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(Posted Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:58)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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