Second Chances
Chapter 12 - The Black Rose
By Lord Archive
Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Video, and several other
companies and are used without consent. I'll return them... I just need to
get Urd to send them back into time....
"Ranma!" Akane yelled and grabbed a man with red hair.
He looked at her, confused. "Oro?"
"Kenshin! Who is she?!"
"Oro!"
"You're not Ranma." Akane let go of him.
"Oops, over did it. Bye." Urd left 19th century Japan.
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She followed carefully, making sure no one could see her. What she was doing
was risky, but she had to make sure. Soon, she came upon a field where three
people faced off against one girl. The upcoming fight was no contest; the
girl would win easily.
"Damn it, where is Ranma?" Akane punched the wall. She felt guilty about not
warning them about Kodachi's ambushes, but she was afraid that any
information she gave would cast suspicion on her. Akane couldn't take it
anymore and went to stop Kodachi from hurting her classmates.
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"You sure I can have another one?" Ranma squealed in delight. He, or
currently she, convinced the food vendor to give her another bun.
The vendor smiled and nodded. The girl was too damned cute. "Are you doing
anything Saturday?" he asked.
Ranma gagged. "Ah, I'm going to be busy. Bye."
The vendor sighed. "Damn flirt."
Ranma ran with the buns she had bought plus the two extra ones she got for
free. She ran past an open field and then backtracked. Ranma blinked at what
she saw.
Akane stood before three guys while facing off against a girl with a
gymnastic ribbon. That ribbon was wrapped around Akane's arm.
"Interesting way of stopping my ribbon." Kodachi paused for a moment.
"You're my brother's girlfriend, aren't you?"
"I am NOT Kuno's girlfriend! I already have a fiance!" Akane snarled.
"Oh, really. So you are merely playing with Tatewaki's heart. I must teach
you a lesson." Kodachi pulled on the ribbon.
Akane didn't budge a centimeter.
"It seems that you are not a normal girl."
"Hardly," Akane scoffed.
Kodachi unraveled the ribbon off Akane's arm and prepared to strike with it.
Akane rushed forward as the ribbon snaked toward her. She grimaced as it cut
into her shoulder.
Kodachi was amazed that anyone would so foolish as to charge her directly.
She pulled the ribbon into a defensive barrier with a razor's edge.
Akane plowed through the ribbon, receiving numerous cuts all over her body.
She then struck a palm blow to Kodachi's gut.
The youngest Kuno was knocked several meters back. She clutched her stomach
protectively. "You have not seen the last of the Black Rose." She twirled
the ribbon around her and black rose petals filled the air as she retreated.
"Aw, geez, Akane are you stupid? Why did ya charge her like that?" Ranma
rushed toward Akane to check to make sure none of the cuts were serious.
"If I had enough speed, I would've been able to dodge her."
"Yeah, you move like a tub." Ranma turned towards the guys. "Are you all
right? Hey, guys don't cry! Akane took more hits than you and she ain't even
crying."
"Who says we're guys?"
Ranma backed away from the three 'guys' that he now recognized as girls from
his class.
One of the girls advanced towards Akane. "You've got to help us. Every
member of our rhythmic gymnastics martial arts team has been injured."
"Rhythmic gymnastics martial arts?" Ranma questioned.
The girl answered, "The school's champions fight with techniques of rhythmic
gymnastics. Akane, we need you to take our place!"
Akane glanced at Ranma. "I'll make sure you're avenged."
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The piglet stood at an open door with an odd expression on his face. He was
happy to find a place he recognized. He seethed with anger at the sight of
his hated foe. But that was dwarfed by the surprise he had watching a girl
practicing rhythmic gymnastic martial arts. Not many could tell, but what
she was clumsily doing was a kata with a ribbon. She probably hadn't done
those moves for years since he felt she had known it once. The thing that
bothered him was that the kata the girl was practicing was the same one his
mother had taught him.
Akane finished her movements, upset that she had made so many errors. She
knew it flawlessly two years ago, why couldn't she do it now? She looked up.
"Hello, Ryoga. Want some hot water?"
The piglet nodded.
"Ranma?" Akane looked at her fiance.
"Why should I give him the water?" Ranma stretched as he lay on the dojo
floor.
"Well, I would do it, but he's not wearing any clothes. Is he?" Akane stood
up. "Or don't you mind if I see other guys naked."
"Fine. Fine. I'll get him some water." Ranma picked up the piglet by his
bandanna and went to the bathing room. Once there he ignored Soun and tossed
the piglet into the bath. "Kasumi found some of your clothes after your last
visit. They're in the changing room."
Ryoga grumbled as he stepped out of the bath and walked past Ranma.
Soun looked at Ranma questioningly.
"Long story." Ranma went back to the dojo.
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"Where did you learn that kata?" Ryoga asked as he entered the dojo.
"What kata?"
"The one you just used for rhythmic gymnastics martial arts."
Akane paled slightly and thought for a second. "Ah, Hibiki-sensei taught me
a couple years ago for about a week before leaving unexpectedly."
Ryoga nodded. "Didn't think Mom taught anybody but me." He shrugged. "Oh,
well. I can show you where you were making mistakes."
"Why?" Akane looked at him suspiciously.
"I just want to do something to make up for the last time I was here."
Akane regarded him carefully, and nodded. He wasn't stammering or appeared
nervous in any way. Hopefully what he said was true, and that he wasn't
falling for her again. She'd have to be careful and make sure he knew that
she would never consider him as a boyfriend even if Ranma left her.
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"Mind telling me why you trained Akane?" Ranma demanded.
Ryoga looked toward the sky. "Why? Jealous?"
"No!" Ranma blushed. "Now tell me why!"
"There was something to her movements in the kata that bugged me. Actually
there's something about her. She's... I don't know how to put it. Not right,
I guess." Ryoga scratched his head.
"Well, there is something different about her, that's for sure. Though I
don't think 'not right' is a good way to say it."
"Be careful," Ryoga warned. "She may be more trouble than she's worth."
"Whatever." Ranma waved the comment off.
Both of their heads jerked at the sound of someone screaming.
"Akane!" Ranma was gone before Ryoga could blink.
--------------------
Akane flopped into bed. Ryoga may be a good teacher but he was a slave
driver. Something bugged her and then she remembered. She rolled out of bed
as Kodachi drove two spiked clubs into the mattress. Akane grimaced. Kodachi
was very serious about removing her this time.
"Is this what you consider a fair fight?" Akane snarled.
Kodachi laughed. "I believe in fighting in all fairness before the fight,
without any restriction of the rules of the match."
Akane ducked under Kodachi's double strike, but the Black Rose jumped over
her kick.
"You amuse me, but I can not have you tarnish St. Herberke's flawless
record." Kodachi's arms blurred as club after club seemed to strike toward
Akane.
Akane had no room to dodge, and one strike was aimed for her head. She
raised her arm and a spike pierced her flesh. A guttural scream escaped her
lips as the pain shot through her system.
"You are in no shape to fight now. Your team has lost." Kodachi moved to the
window. Her smirk was filled with malice, as she watched Akane hold her
bleeding arm. She then sensed someone behind her.
Ranma saw Akane holding one of her arms, and that there was a lot of blood.
He then saw the girl that Akane had fought the other day holding the bloody
weapon. "You bitch." Ranma launched a kick at her head.
Kodachi crashed into the wall from the blow and slumped to the floor
unconscious.
Ranma rushed to Akane. "Are you all right."
Akane looked at him weakly. "No."
The door to Akane's room opened.
"Call Dr. Tofu!" Ranma shouted.
"I'll do it." Nabiki said.
Kasumi moved to Akane. She took off her little sister's pajama shirt and
made it into a makeshift bandage.
Soun cried as he stood in the hall, while Genma tried to lead him away.
Ranma caught the scent of flowers and turned toward the window. He saw a
pair of predatory eyes look at him, and then Kodachi was gone.
--------------------
Dr. Tofu reset his glasses on his nose. "Well, that should do it. Your arm
was cut pretty good. You'll need to avoid lifting anything heavy, and
absolutely no fighting."
Akane punched the wall with her left arm. "But I have a match this weekend."
"You won't be able to fight without tearing open those stitches."
"Damn." Akane looked across the room. "Ranma, I hate to ask this...."
"You don't have to. Are you all right?" Ranma asked.
Akane nodded.
"Good." Ranma splashed water over his head. "Come on, Ryoga. I need some
training."
"Why should I train you?" Ryoga snarled.
"'Cause it gives you a good excuse to fight me. Now come on."
Ryoga blinked. Ranma had a good point.
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"Akane, are you all right?" Nabiki asked.
"No," Akane replied bitterly.
"Did you take that hit purposely?"
Akane shook her head. "I'm not used to being this damned slow. I should've
been able to dodge her."
"You've been in that body for a month now."
"I know, but I kept on thinking of the last fight I had with her. Ranma's
training had made me very fast and she could barely touch me. Now..." Akane
raised her wounded arm. "...I get badly hurt by one of her more basic
attacks."
"Well, it saved you from trying to manipulate things later for Ranma to
fight her."
Akane sighed and lay down onto her bed. "However, now we're clueless.
Kodachi never had the chance to attack Ranma because he was a last minute
change. Now it's days in advance. Not to mention that Kodachi didn't meet
Ranma the same way. Does she love him, hate him, or what?"
"You've been getting too used to your knowledge, oneechan. Time for you to
live like the rest of us."
Akane chuckled lightly. "Very funny. But what do we do now."
Nabiki paced the room. "We'll let the school know that you're withdrawing
and that we've found a replacement. However, we won't tell them who until
the last minute. And if Kodachi does show up, Ranma would love to have
another go at her, even with his 'I don't hit girls policy.'"
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Author's Notes:
'Ice Cream Chat' scenes has been pushed back to chapter 15.
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