She stopped when she reached the entrance to the living room. She saw her husband and the Armsmaster repairing a wall with a large hole in the center of it. They were cutting along and taken out broken parts of wood, so they could then replace it with the stack of extra wood that Ranma had brought in from the storage locker in the basement. Tanya listened in to what they were saying.
"You did THAT with Karia?" Julia asked Ranma, while using a saw to cut and flatten the broken end of one of the wood planks used to make up the wall.
Ranma, who was looking over the many gathered pieces of wood he had carried up from downstairs nodded his head. "Yeah. What can I say? I was courious, and Karia was more then interested..."
Tanya would have sworn she felt her heart jump up to her throat. Wasting no time, she walked into view of her husband and Julia. "Ranma! What are you talking about?"
Ranma froze, seeing his wife was there. "Tanya! well, you see..." Ranma trailed off. Ranma sighed and looked into Tanya's eyes and saw a hurt look to them. "Just don't get mad, I met her before I knew you."
Tanya froze and her body stiffened. "You were with another woman before me?"
Ranma nodded his head. "Yeah... Julia, I hope you don't mind if I repeat some of my story, but I want Tanya to know."
Julai nodded her head. "It's all right. You can sit down and explain to her. I'll continue working on the wall."
"Uh, thank you." Ranma said. He walked over to Tanya and hugged her reassuringly. "First off, Tanya, I want you to know that I love you and only you. You are the only woman I'll ever want."
Tanya sighed, and held Ranma back tightly. She was working hard to keep her emotions in check. She was expecting herself to get angry, but she was finding herself saddened greatly. "Just, what happened?"
Ranma lowered himself and Tanya down so they were sitting on a couch. "It's like this, Tanya... When I had first appeared on Jade, I was confused for a bit. My first experience was a fight with Ryoga, which sepertaed us, and caused me to take on my cursed form. It wasn't easy those first couple of days. Fortunately, around the second week, a group of thieves thought to make sport of my cursed form. I managed to kick their butts and take their goods. I felt better with some clothing and money. I walked, and, four days later, I made my way into Seer's Hamlet..."
Ranma began to chuckle lightly. "And it was here I got my first taste of humility in the longest time. I had made my way to the Brass Bone tavern, and hoped to get a good meal and some hot water. I did get both, and I felt pretty danged good. That Dragen makes a fine roasted lamb."
Seeing Tanya nod her head for Ranma to continue, Ranma sighed. "Well, I decided to stay at the Tavern for a bit, since I had no where to go. It wasn't long before a fight broke out, the reason why, I still don't know. Soon the whole tavern began a free-for-all, and I decided to go with the flow and fight." Smirking, he added, "And I did pretty well for myself. Beat up two lizard-like people and an ogre before I fought someone I should not have messed with. Karia."
Chuckling, Ranma said, "If I knew who she was, and what she was about, I would have just fought someone else. She was blocking and dodging some of my fastest moves. Quite impressive, might I say. Still, I worked my damnedest to fight, but, I found myself in over my head. She was strong, VERY strong. I didn't get a hit in on her until She overextended a punch with her right fist. I snuck in under it, and connected a good solid punch to Karia's jaw... And fractured my fist in the process..."
Ranma shivered a bit. "I knew I was in deep shit once I saw her reaction. She smiled and chuckled a bit. Before I knew it, I had a high amount of electricity coursing through my body, and I passed out."
Tanya's jaw dropped. "She tried to kill you!?"
"No." Ranma said. "Just felt like taking me down quickly so she could get me out of there. She knew very well that Edge Gaurd were going to come in sooner or later and break everything up and cart people off to jail to find out what happened. So, she got out before it happened and took me back to her home with her."
"She took you back home with her?" Tanya asked.
Ranma smirked. "Apparently I had impressed her by the fact that I actually hurt her. When I had awoken she had breakfast for me, a simple stew that was rather good. She was asking me all sorts of questions. Like who I was, what my fighting style was, why I had a curse, how did I even had the guts to attack a Weaponsmaster in a bar fight... The usual."
Letting out a sigh, Ranma said, "When I talked to Karia, and explained my story, and she told me a bit about herself, I had to admit, I think we found a kindred spirit in each other. True, she was a magic-user, but we were both martial arts buffs with little in the way of 'class' who stuck our foot in our mouths, and loved training more than anything."
Feeling his wife start to shiver, Ranma tightened his hug rubbed an area of her back with his hand. "She thought me interesting and offered me a place to stay. Naturally, I accepted, and the first month went very well. I especially liked her 'lab'. The place was more like a gym, and was quite open to the public. I tell you when she went to work, she was more like a martial artist than most of them I knew. Lived by a true martial artists code, as well as was good with magic."
Moving a hand through Tanya's hair, Ranma continued. "In that first month, she also got me started on the road to becoming 'popular' in Seer's Hamlet. She gave me an audience with Tsunami, and it was from him that I found out how Karia would take down a few thives every now and again, and she suggested I try to use some of my skills to take them down. She was even more adamant about it ever since she found out about the Umi Seiken and Yama Seiken. And apparently she was right, and it became rather easy for me to act as a 'hero'."
Sighing almost sadly, Ranma held Tanya closer to him. "It was around my second month here that things changed between Karia and I. I mean, I was really starting to get depressed about how I left things in Nerima the way I did, without tieing up loose ends, and not really knowing how I felt. I talked to Karia about it, and she decided to help me in the best way she knew how." Ranma blushed quite deeply. "We slept together."
Tanya's eye twitched. "HOW WAS SLEEPING WITH YOU SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU!?"
Ranma flinched at his wife's words, but understood she'd be upset. "Well, you see, I was really unsure of how I felt in my heart. And I had years of pent up sexual frustration... Although at the time, I didn't realize that is what it was. Karia explained it to me, and... Well... It seemed Karia had a thing for me and wanted to try me out outside of a sparring arena... So... We slept together... And, I know it will sound odd, but, I did feel much better after. I think I thought clearer afterwards than I had in my entire life."
Tanya was shaking slightly, she looked Ranma in the eye and asked, "How many times fo you and her... Do it?"
Blushing slightly, Ranma answered Tanya honestly. "Six times within the span of a month." Seeing Tanya glare, Ranma explained, "Like I said, it seemed Karia had a thing for me... Though she told me she could never bring herself to act more upon it. Seems it's considered taboo for a Dark Elf to love a human, and she admitted she had trouble seeing us as more than just 'friends with benefits'. So she honestly tried to get me to know more people, so I could have someone... We tried for a full month after, and... I met you."
"Huh?" Tanya asked. "You met me because of her?"
"Yeah." Ranma admitted. "She took me to a tavern one night that you happened to be there. She pointed you out to me, and practically pushed me in your direction."
Tanya blinked. "She did!?"
"Yep. And when I kept bumping into you after out 'one night stand', she encouraged me to persue you." Ranma said. He blinked and looked serious for a moment. "Though I will admit, she did sit me down and revealed to me you're a convict. She had noticed your bracelet once, and pointed out to me what it meant." Smiling he said, "Of course, I chose to stay with you. I told her you weren't a bad person, and she believed and continued to encourage me to see you more."
Ranma smirked. "You know, Tanya, Karia even gave us this house as an early wedding present."
"What!?" Tanya asked. Now THAT tidbit of information had surprised her.
"Yep. Before she moved into the city of Seer's Hamlet, this was a home of hers. She didn't use it anymore, and when I told her how you asked to see my place, she was more than happy to give me ownership." Ranma blushed. "She wanted me to make a good impression with you."
Tanya sighed and looked into her husband's eyes. She was miffed about finding out she was not his first time. However, it did make her feel better knowing that he did love her, and that he did have a good friend in Jade. A Weaponsmaster for crying out loud. Tanya smiled a little and said, "All right Ranma. I'll forgive you, this time." Her smile turned into a smirk and said, "You'll just have to give me six more extra bouts of loving to make up for those times you had with the Dark Elf."
Ranma nodded his head energetically. "Yes, dear!"
Julia shook her head and had to bite back her laughter. It seemed like Ranma really was popular. Friends with two Weaponsmasters, and a home-town hero to the people of Seer's Hamlet. Was there anything he hadn't done yet?
See other episodes by Red Priest of the 17th Order
(Posted Mon, 09 Jun 2003 00:35)
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