Ranma walked on the rolled metal top of the neatly installed chain link fence along the concrete lined drainage ditch as though he were walking on the sidewalk below. He could have flown to school in his dragon form but his mother reminded him that the people of the human Nerima were not to know about the existence of the magical Nerima if he wished to keep his abilities. The council would more than likely have words with his mother about the Tendo family knowing they were dragons but she assured him that it would not result in any severe punishments. Still, if Ranma could not do things the dragon way then he was going to do them the only other way he knew how, the Genma way.
“And why again must you insist on walking along the top of the fence.” Akane questioned Ranma the second time since they left the Tendo dojo.
Ranma let out a small chuckle as he smiled slightly at Akane, “Balance practice. If I can’t fly to school might as well get in some balance work.”
Akane shook her head and let out a small chuckle as she told herself the whole dragon situation was way too weird at the moment. She wasn’t certain if she would get used to it but if she did it was going to take quite a while before she did. Akane did not know if she could deal with the type of things Ranma dealt with in his life.
“Look Ranma I want to apologize again for yesterday. I didn’t mean to call you a pervert for what was an honest mistake,” Akane apologized for what felt like the tenth time that morning. Nodoka could tell things between Akane and her son would melt down into a huge argument if she did not talk to the youngest Tendo. After the discussion that morning Akane apologized twice before breakfast and once more on the way to school.
“It’s no big deal,” Ranma replied casually brushing off the incident as another in a long line of strange and wacky things that occurred in his life because of his heritage.
Akane was about to remark how the incident in the bath was a big deal because she got upset with Ranma over a mistake she made when a large black and white blur streaked through the neighborhood streets and knocked Ranma off the fence into the drainage ditch. The resulting fall caused Ranma to be wet and female. Looking up Ranma saw her father, in panda form, holding a sign that read, “Ha! I win!” Referencing their intense sparing session earlier that morning.
Letting out a small growl Ranma voiced her displeasure at her current situation, “Stupid old man now I’m going to have to stop off somewhere to get some water to heat up and not be late for school because I have to do things the human way.”
“Your problem, not mine,” Genma flashed to Ranma on another conveniently written wooden sign before leaving the two teens.
With a sigh Akane called down to Ranma offering a solution to her current situation, “Come on Ranma I know a place where we can get you some hot water.”
The building looked like every other typical Japanese home in the neighborhood. The design had a traditional Japanese style to it with white stucco walls instead of the wooden ones the Tendo Dojo had. The roof was made of western inspired clay tiles and the concrete wall around the small yard matched the home’s exterior. It was the sign outside the building that designated it was anything but the typical Japanese home. This was the Ono Chiropractic Clinic run by Ono family members since the early Nineteen Thirties when great grandfather Ono first opened the clinic.
Ranma took note of the clinic as she waited outside for Akane to return with the water. She could tell Akane was as anxious as she was to get to school on time and did not like having to make the side trip for the water. With a sigh Ranma leaned against the gate post with the clinic’s sign upon it not paying close attention to her surroundings. It was then she felt a rather boney hand touch her shoulder. Turning around Ranma was startled when she came face to face with a human skeleton.
“GAH,” Ranma cried out as she nearly jumped three feet into the air.
That was when she saw him. He was dressed in a navy blue kimono and hakama and had rounded wire rimmed glasses upon his face that was plastered with a kind smile. His hair was a dark brown shade, neatly trimmed, and had bangs that fell gently across his forehead. His eyes were a chestnut brown shade that, at his young age, had little laugh-lines forming at their corners. Ranma could tell he was older than Kasumi but not yet in his thirties. At first glance he seemed ordinary but upon closer inspection Ranma could tell there was almost something magical about the man.
“I hope Betty here didn’t startle you too much miss. She likes to make an unusual introduction when she meets someone new,” the man remarked with a slight chuckle as the smile remained upon his face.
Ranma continued to study the man closer trying to figure out what it was that made him different from ordinary men. That was when she saw it. At first she took him for a simple martial artist, which he was, but then she saw his true nature. Being a dragon Ranma had been taught to spot the tells of any person from the magical world. The man with the skeleton was a mage.
“You…you’re…you’re a mage aren’t you? I can practically smell the magical aura coming off of you,” Ranma stammered out in surprise.
The man chuckled once more and broadened his smile. Ranma had figured him out and he knew why when she mentioned smelling his magical aura. “And here I thought you’d just pick up on the fact that I’m also a martial artist to a degree young dragon. Oh yes, I can tell what you are by the way you carry yourself. You have your tells and I have mine. The name’s Tofu Ono local chiropractor and mage skilled in the healing arts,” the young doctor commented with an introduction.
Ranma was about to return the introduction in kind when Akane’s voice called out to him as she exited from Tofu’s family clinic, “Ranma, Ranma I have the water for you.” Akane stopped when she saw Tofu standing next to Ranma with his skeleton. “Oh, good morning Doctor Tofu,” Akane greeted with a blush as she handed the water to Ranma.
Ranma looked between Akane and Tofu as she poured the hot water over her head and went from female to male. The change caused Tofu to start slightly. He had heard of water based magic but he had considered it to be nothing more than wild tales passed around the circles from one mage and wizard to the next. Now those tales had been proven true by the girl, no boy, Ranma.
“Amazing, I had heard tales of water based magic but I thought them to be just that, tales. Akane you know this young dragon,” Tofu commented in slight awe.
“Ranma Saotome, dragon in training and martial artist. My family is staying with Akane’s family for a while. My mom will be quite surprised to know there’s a mage in the neighborhood skilled in healing,” Ranma said introducing himself to the chiropractor.
Akane looked at her watch and let out a small eep and grabbed Ranma by the arm. If they stayed any longer at Tofu’s clinic they would be late for school and Akane did not want to be late. “Come on Ranma or we’ll be late. You can talk shop with Doctor Tofu, who really should have told us about this, later.”
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(Posted Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:05)
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