Disclaimer: I did not create any of the characters. They all belong to their respective owners. Please don’t sue me, I’m poor.
Ranma 1/2 Z Neo: Chapter 8
~...~ = emphasis on word *...* = actions (...) = thoughts ^ = author’s note
Meow ==@===@====@====@==+==@====@====@===@==
*It is very dark outside, but Team Akane doesn’t notice this. Why? Because they’re too busy stuffing their faces inside at Cap. Corp.*
Akane: Mmmm, this is good, Ukyou. *Takes another bite* I didn’t know you cooked anything other than okonomoyaki!
Ukyou: Of course I can. Want some more, Ran-chan?
Ranma: *male form* Sure. *takes some from the plate that Ukyou offers him.
Bulma: Gee, we don’t have macaroni and cheese now, either. We’re sure missing a lot, arn’t we, Trunks?
Trunks: *around a mouthful of macaroni* Dufintly.
P-chan: Bweee!!!! *gobbles more food from his plate on the floor beside Akane*
Ranma: Hey, P-chan, why don’t you go fetch us some ~hot water~? I think I’d like some hot tea to go with this.
P-chan: *alarmed* Bweee!
Akane: Why’re you talking to P-chan, Ranma? He’s a pig, he can’t understand you.
Ukyou/Ryouga/Ranma: *sweatdrop*
Trunks/Bulma: *question marks on their faces*
*outside, watching the antics going on through a window*
Piccolo: Hmmm. They’ve improved, but are they strong enough? That, we’ll just have to wait to see. *watches as group finishes eating and heads to bed*
*outer space*
*A small ship detaches from the one we know to contain Team Phalanx. It hurdles away towards Earth. Through a window, one can easily see two people: Syme and Tempo. View changes to inside the ship, focusing on the two.*
Syme: Do you know what you have to do?
Tempo: Of course. You’ve drilled me on it about a hundred times so far. Just leave it to me.
Syme: Alright. Just don’t mess up. *Smiles at his young friend. She grins back. The two are as close as a favorite uncle and his adored niece, and often treat each other as such.*
Tempo: *gently* Don’t worry so much about me, Syme. You know I can take care of myself now.
Syme: *shakes his head* No matter how much you grow, I still find I have to watch over you. Trouble finds you and your brother like ants find a picnic. *Tempo rolls her eyes*
Tempo: Don’t be silly. We just look for it, that’s all. It’s our job, remember?
Syme: *sighs* Yes, I know. (But I wish it wasn’t. Maybe when we’ve gotten rid of these Saiyajins, we’ll be free to do something else. Tempo, the minute I get the chance, I’ll take you and Jet away from this danger and get you someplace where you’ll both be safe. I promise you that.)
Tempo: *unaware of her faux-uncle’s thoughts* We’re coming in on the planet.
Syme: Alright. Prepare to land.
*a few minutes later, inside Capsule Corp; specifically, Ranma’s room*
Ranma: Zzzzzz....... hot water..... don’ wanna be a girl.... zzzz.....
*A thumping sound can be heard from the ventilation shafts.*
???: *girls voice hisses to herself* Kuso! Why are these things so (beep)ing narrow???
*Suddenly, the grate starts loosing it’s screws, one by one. The grate starts to fall, but a hand reaches out and catches it at the last second. Tempo lowers herself into the room, barely wriggling out of the narrow space. Her ki held low, she is virtually undetectable by any inside the building. She quietly places the grate under her entrance, which has now become her egress. She reaches back into it and draws out a small bag. From this bag she removes something that resembles a jellyfish, only with just two tentacles, one on each side. She walks up to the sleeping Ranma.*
Tempo: Sweet dreams, little saiajin-pretender. (Too bad he’s in league with them. He’s pretty cute.) *puts jellyfish-like thing over his nose and mouth. The tentacles automatically wrap around his ears, and the whole thing seems to disappear.*
Ranma: uhnnn.... *starts writhing around as his nightmares begin*
Tempo: *suddenly feels sorry for Ranma* It’s really to bad you’re on the wrong side. *guiltily takes a needle out of the bag* Now, the shot. *injects Ranma with something. Almost immediately, he curls up into the fetal position and starts whimpering. Tempo climbs back up through the shaft from which she entered, and disappears from the room. Slithering through the narrow tunnel, she absently imagines she’s leaving a trail of slime behind, feeling so rotten about attacking someone without even giving him a chance to fight back. She shakes the thought from her head.* (Team Phalanx must be the strongest. We cannot allow ourselves to be beaten by anyone. If that means resorting to trickery, so be it. Argos is right, we must be strong.)
*Tempo slithers out of the building, and finds Syme waiting for her.*
Syme: Did you get it done?
Tempo: Yes. You were right, you wouldn’t have been able to fit in there. It was a struggle for ~me~.
Syme: I thought it would be as such. *helps her stand up*
Tempo: I hate using deceit to win. It’s so much better to just fight to prove we’re better.
Syme: *gently* I know. I dislike it too. But it’s like Argos says-
Tempo: *cuts Syme off* Yeah, I know. ‘We must be the best. We ~must~ do honor to our race by being better than anyone else.’ *recites words she has heard for practically her whole life*
Syme: Come on, let’s go before we’re seen.
*from behind a tree*
Piccolo: *mutters to himself* Too late.
*the next morning*
Akane: *looks around the breakfast table* Where’s Ranma?
Ryouga: Probably lazing around while the rest of us work our buts off.
Bulma: The alarm clock I put in the room ought to have woken him up. Maybe he’s getting dressed.
Ukyou: Maybe I’d better go check on him. *She heads off to see if he’s alright. Moments later, a scream sounds.* EEEEEEE!!!!! RANCHAN!!!
*Everybody rushes to see what’s the matter. They enter the room to see Ranma curled up on the bed, smacking the alarm clock around- like a cat with a toy mouse. He looks up*
Ranma: *curiously* Mew? *Akane shakes her head sadly*
Akane: What happened, Ranma? Have a nightmare? *she walks over to the side of the bed and sits down. Ranma immediately abandons the alarm clock to sit in her lap.*
Ranma: *curling up* purrrrrrrr.....
Bulma: What’s going on? Why is he acting like a cat?
Trunks: Oh, no. *smacks his head with his palm, then leaves to get some cold water*
Bulma: Well? Isn’t anyone gonna answer me? *Trunks returns with a bucket of cold water*
*Splash*
Ranma-chan: Hissssss! *arches back at Trunks angrily, dripping water all over Akane*
Akane: Ranma!
Ukyou: Maybe we just need to try again. Go get some hot water, Trunks. *he goes*
Bulma: What’s going on???
*Trunks returns with hot water*
*Splash*
Ranma: *growls at Trunks, ~really~ angry* rowrrrrrrr........
Ukyou: ..... Try again?
Bulma: *shouts* WHAT’S GOING ON????
Akane: *finally notices Bulma* Oh, didn’t we tell you? Ranma acts like a cat when he sees them.
Bulma: Why???
*Bulma is filled in on the Neko-ken training*
Bulma: That’s terrible!!!
Ukyou: Well, Ranchan’s dad isn’t too reliable. *Trunks returns with more water, this time with both hot and cold*
*splash*
Trunks: YAHHHH!!!! *Ranma-chan chases him around the room, claws extended and very angry*
Akane: *sharply* Ranma, stop that! *Ranma-chan screeches to a halt and looks guiltily up at Akane* That’s better. Now come. *she pats her lap, and she jumps onto it. Soon, Ranma-chan is purring peacefully.*
Ukyou: Trunks-
Trunks: Nuh-uh! ~You~ splash him this time. *Ukyou sighs and dumps a little hot water onto Ranma-chan, just enough to change her back into a him. Ranma growls at her, and she offers him a fish as a peace symbol, not wanting him to be mad at her. He quickly grabs it and starts ripping into it.*
Ryouga: There he is, eating like the animal we all know him to be.
Ukyou: That was uncalled for! He can’t help it! *Ryouga just rolls his eyes*
Akane: So what are we going to do now? We have one more day until we can fight them, but what will we do if Ranma doesn’t change back?
Ukyou: *in a determined voice* we’ll just have to fight without him.
Ranma: *sensing that the others are talking about him* Mrow? *Ukyou scratches his chin absently, and he starts to purr*
Bulma: So, until you find a way to change him back, he’ll act like a cat. Should I just feed him tuna from now on? *everybody looks at her strangely* What? I ~have~ to know what to buy to eat. *everybody else sweatdrops*
*out in space, in Argos’s private room*
Argos: *watches tape of everything that’s been going on* Excellent. It’s all going according to plan. *Evil laugh that would put Kodachi to shame* BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
===@====@====@====@====@====@====@====@===
Okay, I know this is an incredibly short chapter for me, but due to the hassles of real life, I have to stop here. I’ll probably continue this chapter when I’m able to write again, but for the next month, I’m going to be away from my comp, so this’ll have to do for now. I figure all the poor readers don’t want to wait until I get back plus another couple of weeks or so until this is finished, so I’ll give you this to read. Hope you enjoyed it, and remember, I still need fanart! Well, gotta go (pack), so ‘Bye for now!
Send all C&C to Fanime_Lynn@hotmail.com -and remember, I won't say no to fanart!