Ranma patted his stomach as he walked towards the Tendo’s. He loved buffets. Though the food wasn’t always good, there was plenty of it. It was a wonder he hadn’t been banned from buffets yet.
As he walked he noted the feeling that thing was different. The feeling had been there ever since he awoke on Bast’s lap. But as much as he looked around, he could not see what was so different. Everything seemed normal. There was Mrs. Yamaguchi sweeping in front of her grocery store. Mr. Takamaru was reading the paper on his front doorstep. A couple of cute girls in short skirts. Children were playing in the playground nearby. Nothing that was out of the ordinary.
That’s when he experienced an epiphany so blinding that he stopped for a moment.
Nothing had changed in the world, only his perception. Usually when he went anywhere, he would ignore his surroundings. All that occupied his time was getting from point A to point B. He never looked around, at least intentionally, unless it was highly unusual or he felt himself in danger. His subconscious, on the other hand, noticed since it was always alert for any signs of danger. Now though he saw everything around him. A little girl walking alongside her father. The three women chatting about their in-laws. The bunch of guys horsing around in front of manga store. The two girls staring at him from the small café.
He felt like a blind man who had seen light for the first time.
It left him stunned for a moment. “Damn….. Damn… Wonder what else had changed about me,” he muttered to himself. He shook his head. “Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.” He looked at the two girls in the café again and found them still staring at him. He flashed them a rather roguish loop-sided smile, gave a little wave and winked, before turning and striding off. He did note the faint blushes on their cheeks and distinctly heard the two breakout in a fit of giggles. Life was good.
+++++++++++
It was later that afternoon and the NWC was having an impromptu meeting in the Tendo dojo. Genma was in the backyard unconscious and still smoking after 20 lightning bolts slammed into him out of the clear blue sky. Moose was also unconscious after he had glomped Akane, yammering on about how they should consummate their love after facing death together. Moose met Akane’s fist and then the sole of her foot, repeatedly. Soun, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Ryouga and Nabiki were sitting in a semicircle around Cologne. Kasumi was making tea and getting some snacks ready. No one was insane enough to call the Kunos. The reason was of course Ranma, more specifically a berserk, were-cat Ranma. They had spent the last 3 hours hiding, a few people need to change their underwear, before finally convening together. So far nothing had come to pass, mostly because most of the people were still in shock and more than a little fear.
“I should have expected this to happen,” said Cologne calmly. “Everyone has a breaking point and I presume we pushed Ranma too far.”
The others nodded.
“Be that as it may, we still have to find son-in-law. Perhaps we may be able to calm him down.”
“How we do that great-grandmother. Shampoo no think Airen like get hit by cold water.”
“Maybe if we all gang-up on him……,” started Ryouga before Cologne interrupted.
“You would all die.” There was a cold certainty to her voice that stopped the others cold.
“But Ranma would never kill anyone,” said Akane.
“Yeah, there’s the whole ‘Martial Artists don’t kill’ thing to consider,” added Nabiki.
“Then why did you run? This is not Ranma we are dealing with. This is a berserker. A person filled with fury and hate. One whose only goal, is to destroy everyone that threatens him. In a way he is consumed by his rage. I saw his aura before he disappeared. Saffron, at full power would have died in minutes, if not seconds. Attack him and you will be ripped to shreds, literarily.”
The groups shivered at the thought, though some took it a little further.
“WHAAAAAA… Ranma turned into a berserker.” (guess who) Cologne’s eye twitched. “And then he tried to kill us… WHAAAAA.” A nerve popped on Cologne’s forehead. “Now he’s going to cut us to pieces and cook us and eat” *WHAM* Soun fell into the land of unconsciousness. There were more then one sigh of relief
Cologne hopped back to the front of the group.
“So, how do we bring him out of this state,” asked Ukyo.
“One of three ways. One: we could wait till the battle ends, either by him killing everyone he perceives as an enemy or dieing himself. Two: we find someone or something that can shock him out of the state. Three: prey to the Gods and hope for divine intervention.”
“You are joking about the last, right,” asked a nervous Akane.
“Not at all.”
As Akane sweat-dropped, or was that sweated, Ukyo spoke up. “So we need to find someone to calm him down, huh? Well I guess its up to me, as his friend and cute fiancée.”
“Spatula-girl in dream. Only one to calm Airen is wife. Shampoo know good calming massage technique.”
“Oh right. I bet all you are going to do is shoving your breasts into the perverts face.”
Things degraded from there. Cologne sighed and shook her head before heading out to find Kasumi. Nabiki had already left.
Ryouga watched the girls fighting and swore silently. ‘Damn you Ranma. Because of you Akane is getting ridiculed. I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!’
Meanwhile in the kitchen Kasumi hummed happily as she set about the task of preparing some snacks for the people. She was putting the finishing touches to her chocolate cake.
Just then she heard the front door open.
“I’m home,” said Ranma as he took off his shoes.
“Welcome back Ranma-kun,” said Kasumi as she stood at the kitchen door. “You are just in time. I just finished making a chocolate cake. Would you like some?”
“Would I ever. Your cakes are to die for Kasumi.”
“Thank you for saying so Ranma-kun,” smiled Kasumi. “Come along and sit down.” She cut off a slice of cake and placed it one a plate in front of a drooling Ranma.
She was a little surprised to see Ranma eat slowly for a change.
“I must say Ranma-kun, I’m a little surprised. I though you would have finished half the cake by now,” she said.
Ranma just raised an eyebrow. “There are exceptions to all rules. A cake as delicious as this one must be eaten slowly. Only then can one savor the exquisite taste to the utmost. Anything less would be rude and an insult, especially since it had been so lovingly prepared by a beautiful lady, such as yourself,” he said with a half-smile.
Kasumi’s cheeks colored. She had been given many compliments on her cooking, but never one so elaborate. Nor had she expected such from Ranma. “Th.. th.. Thanks you Ranma-kun. That was most kind of you to say so.”
Not for the first time that day Ranma found himself being surprised at himself. He noted that the compliment he had given was not his usual bumbled kind, but a very intricate one. ‘Guess this is part of Bast’s handiwork. Kinda feels good though,’ he though, ‘to see Kasumi blush like that.’ Not to mention she was really cute when she blushed. There it was again. All day, he had caught himself noticing girls more than usual. From the way their breasts bounces to their long smooth legs… ‘Gah I’m becoming a pervert,’ he chided himself.
That’s when Cologne entered the kitchen.
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(Posted Mon, 19 Apr 2004 10:20)
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