Not much to it and I got distracted by Transfiguration Trouble before I could get more written on it, but I figure I'll post the next scene for Anything Goes Laundry Service as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get more of this written tomorrow. Work's been busy, so I haven't been writing much during the week. (Though far more than I used to before I started posting my stuff, so that's something.)
I'd like to get this next chapter out relatively soon though since I was hoping to post once a week until Chapter 5 originally and I'm way behind on that. We're at least getting closer to the end of the chapter now. Probably only two more Ranma scenes left, then bookend, and maybe a quick delve into finishing off the story of Kasumi and her bullies in the middle somewhere.
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Anything Goes Laundry Service
Chapter 4, Part 5
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Kasumi sighed as Ranma paused, her disappointment almost palpable. "--for a full month." She perked back up again, eyes widening as she realized that she would actually get it back. "And--" She was a little hesitant to take this step, but she thought the brunette had gotten the point. "I will give the whole..." Pausing again, the redhead tried to decide on a word and finally just kind of gestured towards the nightgown. "...thing, that you want some consideration, not just dismiss it out of hand."
Ranma gave Kasumi a crooked grin, wagging a finger at her. "That's not a hard and fast promise though. No deadlines!"
She had already done it once, after all, and it hadn't turned her into a girly girl. If she could pop into a dress to fool Ryoga just 'cause he was being an idiot, she could stand a little embarrassment for a friend. Kasumi did a lot for the Tendo household and if anyone deserved a reward, it was her. Though not as like... a regular thing. For special stuff maybe. Really special, like the equivalent of saving Akane from some nut job, whatever that would be in terms of household maintenance.
...
Standing in the dojo, Ranma took a deep breath and settled into a horse stance. Letting his hands rest on his knees, he concentrated upon his battle aura and slowly stoked it to a peak. It was hard when you weren't actually in a fight, or harder anyway.
Your battle aura was largely an involuntary reflex, which was part of the reason that even Akane pulled one up on a regular basis. In many ways, it was a lot simpler to maintain and utilize than accessing your chi directly. Half the work was done for you simply by being in a strong emotional state or having a bunch of adrenaline coursing through your body.
Of course, those strengths also made it a lot more difficult to practice or do things with it that were precise and measured. His old man had been moving with very exacting motions though and Ranma wanted to see whether he had really been completely suckered or if Genma had been about to pull out something he hadn't seen before. The martial artist had shown he was proficient at manipulating his battle aura in the past when he went toe to toe with Happosai after all.
Even if he had petered out like a damp candle in less than a minute.
Ranma had more than his fair share of experience with manipulating his own battle aura, most recently with the Hiryuu Shoten Ha training, but he had yet to pull off that giant trick that the old goat and his dad pulled out. Maybe this would actually give him a clue as to how they did it.
His battle aura finally in the visible spectrum, Ranma gradually pulled at it, trying to focus it around his hands like he had seen in the fight. All he was really doing was suppressing it everywhere but his hands though, the Soul of Ice almost reflex with this after his week in the mountains. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and released his control. Calm, but not complete--
"Trying to steal my techniques, boy?"
"Gaaah!" Ranma jumped up, seizing his chest and staring at his father with wide eyes. His old man just grinned at him, his glasses gleaming as he stepped forward out of the shadows. The young martial artist hated when he did that. He was such a putz most of the time when it came to sneaking around, but then every once in awhile he'd pull out all the stops and come out of nowhere.
Kasumi on the other hand just smiled and pulled her legs up under her as she bowed forward slightly from where she had been watching him against one of the dojo walls. "Hello, Uncle Saotome."
Ranma shot Kasumi a betrayed look. "You coulda warned me you know."
"You seemed very focused, I didn't want to interupt," she said serenely. Pushing herself to her feet, Kasumi added, "I'm going to go start dinner. I'll leave you to talk with your father."
Ranma nodded and waved her away, Genma nodding as she walked past him. As soon as she was out of the room, the pair leaped backwards to take their normal starting positions for sparring without needing to say a word.
Settling into one of the relaxed stances that were typical of the Saotome school, Ranma waited all of three seconds before surging forward towards his father. "Well, you were the one who wanted to talk, Pops. What did you want?"
"You know perfectly well, boy." A flurry of blows forced Ranma back across the polished wood floor of the dojo until he swept a leg out, forcing Genma to jump back. Neither combatant was really giving it their all, but they were providing their bodies something to do while their mouths worked. "You're falling into bad habits again. I've sacrificed too much towards preventing these destructive patterns of behavior to see you succumb to them now."
Ranma jabbed his father in the stomach. "Sacrificed? What did you sacrifice? A clean floor? You haven't missed nothin' you'd miss but a few meals you could afford. And a good bit less than myself."
"You wound me, Ranma. How often have I put my own stomach on the line to prevent you from suffering the worst effects of your own cooking?" Genma scowled at his son and swiped at the repeated attacks against his mid-section a bit more vigorously than they'd been bothering with so far. Taking the hint, the black haired boy jumped backwards and gave both of them some distance.
"Yeah, bout that, Pops." Ranma cracked his knuckles, his own expression getting a bit more grim. "Turns out Kasumi says I ain't half bad in the kitchen. And given how good her cooking is..."
"Ahh... no doubt a minor improvement now that you've had a good example to follow and the protection and guidance that I offered through your formative years." Genma sweated profusely. "A minor miracle given where you started!"
The sad thing was that Ranma couldn't even say for sure whether that was true or not. He could count on one hand the times he had ended up cooking only for himself and his father was always suspiciously attentive during the process when he was around. Something always seemed to go wrong. He thought it was a safe assumption his dad was up to something sneaky though. No one got that nervous when they had been up to anything good.
He finally decided to let it go. Kind of. "Yeah, you're a saint, Pops. Maybe we should see about having you apply your amazing talents to help Akane get over her little cookin' problems."
Genma blanched and Ranma grinned evilly. Their experiences with her cooking during the training trip to counter the Breaking Point had been born out a few times since. No need for insider knowledge on weird Shinto rituals to make that threat credible. His father finally stammered out, "No need for that boy-- ahh, perhaps we can overlook the cooking thing in the future. No need to get your wife up to par if you're a demon in the kitchen, ey? None of this constant cleaning though! You'll undo all the work we did on those ridiculous compulsions of yours."
"It ain't like that! I'm not doing this 'cause I want to or need to, so that stuff don't apply." Ranma flipped over his father, a quick kick sending the older man skidding across the room. He smirked briefly. That wasn't entirely accurate, but it was close enough to how it started. "'Sides, Kasumi says I don't have any oppressive compulsions anyway. And she'd know if anyone would, she's studied with tons of priests and monks and stuff." No point in mentioning the psych doctors, Genma didn't have much respect for them.
Genma charged, his blow bearing Ranma to the ground and initiating a grapple. "Aha! I knew it! The witch is forcing you into this and it's worse than I expected. Say the word, son, and I'll find a way to get you free of her clutches. Akane's the one for you!"
"Seriously, Pops? It's Kasumi! What the hell goes on in that head of yours?" Ranma tested his father's hold, then resorted to placing his feet on the man's chest and using main force to throw him up into the air. "Besides, if you're looking for a witch here, it's Nabiki. She's the reason I started this in the first place."
Genma frowned after he had landed, then moved back in for a few more blows. "What do you mean?"
"It's not like I started this out of the blue. I got a deal with Nabiki. I help Kasumi, she stops bugging me about money for rent and stuff or taking pictures to sell."
Genma paused, looking vaguely impressed. "And she actually bought into that? I didn't think you had it in you, boy. How long do you suppose you'll need to keep up the charade before she just assumes you're helping?"
Ranma didn't bother with a serious attack, he just smacked his father on the top of his head with a closed fist. "As long as we're here. No one really helps Kasumi out, Pops, and it ain't right. I ain't going to leave her high and dry now that I realized that. Not that she can't handle it, but it doesn't hurt nothing to help."
His father scowled, though he obviously wasn't phased by the actual attack. "That's where you're wrong, boy. And I'll prove it to you, just you wait." Genma stepped back towards the wall and pulled something from his gi, a second later it whipped towards Ranma and he inadvertantly turned his head to watch the ball fly past. When he turned back, Genma was gone.
"Crazy old man."
I'd like to get this next chapter out relatively soon though since I was hoping to post once a week until Chapter 5 originally and I'm way behind on that. We're at least getting closer to the end of the chapter now. Probably only two more Ranma scenes left, then bookend, and maybe a quick delve into finishing off the story of Kasumi and her bullies in the middle somewhere.
===================================================
Anything Goes Laundry Service
Chapter 4, Part 5
===================================================
Kasumi sighed as Ranma paused, her disappointment almost palpable. "--for a full month." She perked back up again, eyes widening as she realized that she would actually get it back. "And--" She was a little hesitant to take this step, but she thought the brunette had gotten the point. "I will give the whole..." Pausing again, the redhead tried to decide on a word and finally just kind of gestured towards the nightgown. "...thing, that you want some consideration, not just dismiss it out of hand."
Ranma gave Kasumi a crooked grin, wagging a finger at her. "That's not a hard and fast promise though. No deadlines!"
She had already done it once, after all, and it hadn't turned her into a girly girl. If she could pop into a dress to fool Ryoga just 'cause he was being an idiot, she could stand a little embarrassment for a friend. Kasumi did a lot for the Tendo household and if anyone deserved a reward, it was her. Though not as like... a regular thing. For special stuff maybe. Really special, like the equivalent of saving Akane from some nut job, whatever that would be in terms of household maintenance.
...
Standing in the dojo, Ranma took a deep breath and settled into a horse stance. Letting his hands rest on his knees, he concentrated upon his battle aura and slowly stoked it to a peak. It was hard when you weren't actually in a fight, or harder anyway.
Your battle aura was largely an involuntary reflex, which was part of the reason that even Akane pulled one up on a regular basis. In many ways, it was a lot simpler to maintain and utilize than accessing your chi directly. Half the work was done for you simply by being in a strong emotional state or having a bunch of adrenaline coursing through your body.
Of course, those strengths also made it a lot more difficult to practice or do things with it that were precise and measured. His old man had been moving with very exacting motions though and Ranma wanted to see whether he had really been completely suckered or if Genma had been about to pull out something he hadn't seen before. The martial artist had shown he was proficient at manipulating his battle aura in the past when he went toe to toe with Happosai after all.
Even if he had petered out like a damp candle in less than a minute.
Ranma had more than his fair share of experience with manipulating his own battle aura, most recently with the Hiryuu Shoten Ha training, but he had yet to pull off that giant trick that the old goat and his dad pulled out. Maybe this would actually give him a clue as to how they did it.
His battle aura finally in the visible spectrum, Ranma gradually pulled at it, trying to focus it around his hands like he had seen in the fight. All he was really doing was suppressing it everywhere but his hands though, the Soul of Ice almost reflex with this after his week in the mountains. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and released his control. Calm, but not complete--
"Trying to steal my techniques, boy?"
"Gaaah!" Ranma jumped up, seizing his chest and staring at his father with wide eyes. His old man just grinned at him, his glasses gleaming as he stepped forward out of the shadows. The young martial artist hated when he did that. He was such a putz most of the time when it came to sneaking around, but then every once in awhile he'd pull out all the stops and come out of nowhere.
Kasumi on the other hand just smiled and pulled her legs up under her as she bowed forward slightly from where she had been watching him against one of the dojo walls. "Hello, Uncle Saotome."
Ranma shot Kasumi a betrayed look. "You coulda warned me you know."
"You seemed very focused, I didn't want to interupt," she said serenely. Pushing herself to her feet, Kasumi added, "I'm going to go start dinner. I'll leave you to talk with your father."
Ranma nodded and waved her away, Genma nodding as she walked past him. As soon as she was out of the room, the pair leaped backwards to take their normal starting positions for sparring without needing to say a word.
Settling into one of the relaxed stances that were typical of the Saotome school, Ranma waited all of three seconds before surging forward towards his father. "Well, you were the one who wanted to talk, Pops. What did you want?"
"You know perfectly well, boy." A flurry of blows forced Ranma back across the polished wood floor of the dojo until he swept a leg out, forcing Genma to jump back. Neither combatant was really giving it their all, but they were providing their bodies something to do while their mouths worked. "You're falling into bad habits again. I've sacrificed too much towards preventing these destructive patterns of behavior to see you succumb to them now."
Ranma jabbed his father in the stomach. "Sacrificed? What did you sacrifice? A clean floor? You haven't missed nothin' you'd miss but a few meals you could afford. And a good bit less than myself."
"You wound me, Ranma. How often have I put my own stomach on the line to prevent you from suffering the worst effects of your own cooking?" Genma scowled at his son and swiped at the repeated attacks against his mid-section a bit more vigorously than they'd been bothering with so far. Taking the hint, the black haired boy jumped backwards and gave both of them some distance.
"Yeah, bout that, Pops." Ranma cracked his knuckles, his own expression getting a bit more grim. "Turns out Kasumi says I ain't half bad in the kitchen. And given how good her cooking is..."
"Ahh... no doubt a minor improvement now that you've had a good example to follow and the protection and guidance that I offered through your formative years." Genma sweated profusely. "A minor miracle given where you started!"
The sad thing was that Ranma couldn't even say for sure whether that was true or not. He could count on one hand the times he had ended up cooking only for himself and his father was always suspiciously attentive during the process when he was around. Something always seemed to go wrong. He thought it was a safe assumption his dad was up to something sneaky though. No one got that nervous when they had been up to anything good.
He finally decided to let it go. Kind of. "Yeah, you're a saint, Pops. Maybe we should see about having you apply your amazing talents to help Akane get over her little cookin' problems."
Genma blanched and Ranma grinned evilly. Their experiences with her cooking during the training trip to counter the Breaking Point had been born out a few times since. No need for insider knowledge on weird Shinto rituals to make that threat credible. His father finally stammered out, "No need for that boy-- ahh, perhaps we can overlook the cooking thing in the future. No need to get your wife up to par if you're a demon in the kitchen, ey? None of this constant cleaning though! You'll undo all the work we did on those ridiculous compulsions of yours."
"It ain't like that! I'm not doing this 'cause I want to or need to, so that stuff don't apply." Ranma flipped over his father, a quick kick sending the older man skidding across the room. He smirked briefly. That wasn't entirely accurate, but it was close enough to how it started. "'Sides, Kasumi says I don't have any oppressive compulsions anyway. And she'd know if anyone would, she's studied with tons of priests and monks and stuff." No point in mentioning the psych doctors, Genma didn't have much respect for them.
Genma charged, his blow bearing Ranma to the ground and initiating a grapple. "Aha! I knew it! The witch is forcing you into this and it's worse than I expected. Say the word, son, and I'll find a way to get you free of her clutches. Akane's the one for you!"
"Seriously, Pops? It's Kasumi! What the hell goes on in that head of yours?" Ranma tested his father's hold, then resorted to placing his feet on the man's chest and using main force to throw him up into the air. "Besides, if you're looking for a witch here, it's Nabiki. She's the reason I started this in the first place."
Genma frowned after he had landed, then moved back in for a few more blows. "What do you mean?"
"It's not like I started this out of the blue. I got a deal with Nabiki. I help Kasumi, she stops bugging me about money for rent and stuff or taking pictures to sell."
Genma paused, looking vaguely impressed. "And she actually bought into that? I didn't think you had it in you, boy. How long do you suppose you'll need to keep up the charade before she just assumes you're helping?"
Ranma didn't bother with a serious attack, he just smacked his father on the top of his head with a closed fist. "As long as we're here. No one really helps Kasumi out, Pops, and it ain't right. I ain't going to leave her high and dry now that I realized that. Not that she can't handle it, but it doesn't hurt nothing to help."
His father scowled, though he obviously wasn't phased by the actual attack. "That's where you're wrong, boy. And I'll prove it to you, just you wait." Genma stepped back towards the wall and pulled something from his gi, a second later it whipped towards Ranma and he inadvertantly turned his head to watch the ball fly past. When he turned back, Genma was gone.
"Crazy old man."