Disclaimer time: Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications own Ranma 1/2. Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Gainax and ADV Films own Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'd like to thank my pre-readers, Dave Menard, Eric Oh and James Merritt, for their help with this. Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com) http://www.virtuallyjeannie.com/ranma.html * Previous chapters can also be found at: http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/index.htm http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/rfics.html http://ranmaxovers.tripod.com A Couple of Angels Chapter 8 "Are you feeling better?" Blinking her eyes a few times to adjust to the light inside the hospital room that she was in, Ranma answered, "I guess. Nothing like sleeping for a day after depleting your ki reserves." "Ki reserves?" Rei asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Yep. You know, when my heart stopped and my body was sort of dead? It all happened 'cause I've tapped into every reserve of my life force to beat Kodachi." Seeing Rei's questioning gaze, Ranma explained further, "Kodachi is a girl I once knew... Anyway, her soul was kinda trapped in the EVA, and she wanted to kill me." "Your... friend... wanted to kill you?" "And she wasn't the only one..." Ranma muttered darkly, before shaking her head. "Don't get me started. I had weird friends before I met you, Rei." "You believe that I am normal?" Rei asked with genuine surprise in her voice. "I guess so. What passes for one, in any case," Ranma replied, shrugging her shoulders. "A hell of a lot saner than all of my enemies, that's for sure!" "Your enemies?" Rei asked, looking at her friend's face intently. "Like the people you mentioned while you were asleep?" "Ack! I talked?!" Ranma shouted, bolting out of the bed to land on the floor in a heap. Pulling herself together, she asked, fidgeting, "Rei... did you happen to hear anything... weird?" "What do you mean?" Rei asked, blinking. "Doesn't matter," Ranma said, waving her hand dismissively. "In any case, whatever I said, I probably didn't mean it." "You said you cared for me." It was Ranma's turn to blink. "Um, except that. Anyway, I didn't mean anything distinctly bad that I've said, alright?" Rei consented, nodding slightly. "Great!" Ranma exclaimed, happy to avert a potential disaster. "Now, are you ready to go home?" "We cannot return home at the moment. Major Katsuragi ordered us to come to her party. It is starting in an hour," Rei softly informed the red- head. "Huh? When did she do that?" "Major Katsuragi gave the order while you were still unconscious. She felt it'd be better if I delivered the message to you." "Did she, now?" Ranma said, frowning. 'Why that sneaky, purple-haired, no good...' "Yes." "But I can't go to the party in a hospital gown, now can I?" Ranma argued, trying to find some excuse not to go to some stupid celebration. Standing up and walking over to an empty bed beside Ranma's own, Rei picked up up a wrapped bundle and handed it to her friend. "I went home and brought you a change of clothes." "Thanks, Rei," Ranma said in a defeated tone of voice. Unpacking the clothes, he looked at them intently for a few moments, before directing a questioning gaze at Rei. "This shirt... it's blue." "I like blue," Rei replied, unblinking. "Oh. That's ok, I guess." Shrugging, Ranma started to remove her hospital gown, when she felt uncomfortable. Cursing Ritsuko for being so thorough, Ranma asked hesitantly, "Um, Rei? Could you turn around for a moment?" When the blue-haired girl turned away from Ranma, the red-head quickly put on her boxers and pants. Spotting a hot water faucet, Ranma went over to it and splashed herself, sighing in relief. "Thank you," Ranma said, wringing the water out of his pigtail. "Now, how much time do we have left?" "Unless we depart during the next ten minutes, we'll be late to the party," Rei answered, turning towards him. "Ok, I gotcha. I'll just change back to a girl before we leave, alright?" "Why?" "Well, I just can't stand being a girl for so much time," Ranma explained uncomfortably, shuffling his feet. "I just have to be in my own body, if only for a little while." "Does being a girl bother you that much?" "Yeah," Ranma replied, nodding. "How would you like to be in another body that's been forced upon you, where everything feels so much different... every touch, every sensation..." The couple of pilots stood silently for a few minutes, looking at each other, before Ranma's internal clock reminded him of the time. "Oh, well, I guess it's time for me to change back," the pigtailed boy said dejectedly, walking over to the faucets to get some cold water. "Ranma..." Rei called out, stopping him in his tracks. "You don't have to go to the party as a girl, if you hate it so much." "I don't?" he asked confusedly. "No." "So, you'll just tell Misato that you didn't see me?" Ranma said, his eyes lighting in realization. "No." Confusion settled over Ranma features. "I... I don't think I follow you, Rei." "Major Katsuragi's order requires your presence at the party. However, the Major had not specified the form in which you are to attend." "I think I'm beginning to understand... But if I go as a guy, I'll have to explain what I'm doing there, and that would mean I'd have to reveal my curse to everyone." Ranma was about to frown, when he noticed that Rei was standing silently, watching him. "Wait... you have another idea, don't you?" "Major Katsuragi has also allowed me to invite any friends I might have," Rei said softly. "Rei, you're a life saver!" Ranma exclaimed, hugging the blue-haired girl in joy, before blushing and stepping away. "But... isn't this, like, lying to a superior officer?" "Major Katsuragi ordered me to make sure that the Fourth Child attends her party. I am only following her instructions," Rei answered, slowly starting to walk out of the room. Smirking, Ranma grabbed his shirt and put it on, following Rei. "Heh. I didn't know you had it in ya, Rei!" Stopping and turning back towards him, Rei gave Ranma a little smile and said, "Thank you." -------------------------------------------------- "Look who's here..." Kaji murmured, getting Misato's attention. "What are you talking about... Ranma! It's that little punk!" Before Misato could charge to the pigtailed boy and give him a piece of her mind for playing all those dirty tricks on her, Kaji's hand grabbed her shoulder gently, restraining the Major. "Now, now, Misato-chan. Let's not be hasty." Following Kaji's gaze, Misato saw Ranma move out of the way, depositing his slippers at the door, and revealing a certain blue-haired girl standing patiently behind him. Seeing that the purple-haired Major wasn't about to close her gaping mouth any time soon, Kaji helped her and guided her to a nearby couch, sitting down next to her. Nevertheless, his eyes never left Ranma. After Rei had neatly put her shoes next to Ranma's, she went to say hello to Shinji, Ranma tagging along and trying hard not to look bored. -------------------------------------------------- 'I guess I was wrong about him. He's not much of a pervert... just a spineless wimp. Pathetic, really.' Ranma nodded casually to Shinji's timid greeting, and paid him no more attention. Since neither Shinji nor Rei were willing to say anything beyond the normal greetings, the silence around the three was so uncomfortable that it made Ranma's hands itch. Fortunately, a cute brown-haired girl solved the problem. "Hi, Rei!" Hikari greeted her classmate warmly, before adding, "Hello... Ranma," while biting on her lower lip. Ranma gave his best smile in reply, which made Hikari lose her footing for a brief moment. Recovering quickly, she asked him, "So, what brings you here?" "Isn't it obvious?" Ranma replied sarcastically. "I'm here to congratulate our dear Major on her promotion." "Um... Do you have something against Misato-san?" Shinji asked, cringing slightly. "Not really," Ranma answered, shrugging. Trying to change the subject, he asked, rubbing his hands in anticipation, "Where's my dear Rit-chan?" "Rit-chan?" Hikari echoed his words, staring at Ranma with wide eyes. 'Isn't Rei enough for him?!' Calming down a bit, the class president realized that she had no right to think anything bad about Ranma. After all, Rei was dating him and Ranko at the same time... "Yo, class rep! Why are you blushing all of a sudden?" "Ah... I'm not blushing," Hikari denied, shaking her head furiously. "Yes you are," Ranma insisted, drawing his face closer to her own. The blush intensified tenfold. "You're as red as a tomato!" "Um... it's the heat?" Hikari offered desperately. "Riiight," Ranma drawled out, shrugging again. If the girl didn't want to tell him what her problem was, that was her business. He turned around and was about to walk away to get some punch, when a gorgeous red-head suddenly appeared right before him. "Hey, there!" Asuka cheerfully said, waving her hand. Ranma returned the gesture, smiling. Finally, he'd met another one of his friends. Asuka knew how to have fun, so between her and Rei, Ranma figured he had the party covered. When Asuka's smile turned ultra-sweet and she started asking him personal questions, Ranma finally saw the tiny flaw in his perfect plan. Asuka didn't know about his curse. -------------------------------------------------- "Um, I'm very flattered and everything, Asuka, but..." Ranma stammered, trying to defuse the situation. "You know my name!" Asuka exclaimed, latching onto Ranma's right arm. "Of course I know your name! Why shouldn't I..." Ranma replied confusedly, before being cut off. "Oh, I'm so happy! I bet Mr. Kaji looked just like you when he was younger," Asuka swooned. "Yeah, much younger," Ranma snorted. "Let's go and find out!" the red-head cried out excitedly, euphoric at the possibility of spending the party around her two loves. Before Ranma could react in any way, she was already dragging him towards the couch she'd spotted Kaji sitting on earlier. She'd even get to separate him and Misato before they do anything funny as a bonus! Life was good! "Oh, Mr. Kaji!" the red-head cried out cheerfully, waving at him. "Hello, Asuka. And who do we have here?" Kaji asked, smiling at the teenagers. "Gimme a break, old man," Ranma deadpanned, frowning. "This party just got a whole lotta worse." "Ah, you wound me!" Kaji exclaimed, putting his hands over his heart, to which Ranma only snorted disdainfully. "Come on, boys, play nicely," Asuka chided, stepping between the two. Flashing the guys a dashing smile, she added, "There's enough of me for both of you!" "Hello," Rei greeted, stepping up to Ranma. "Hey, Rei," Ranma answered, as Kaji and Asuka bowed their heads at the blue-haired girl. "So, are you having fun at the party?" "No." Completely unfazed by her answer, Ranma said, shrugging, "Well, neither am I. It's a crappy party." Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Kaji asked, "Why did you come then, Ranma?" "When it comes to it, this is all Misato's fault, I guess. To bad Rit- chan ain't here to make the party better." "Are you saying that Misato invited you, Ranma?" Kaji wondered, raising an eyebrow. "How about you answer one of my questions for a change, old man? How exactly did you come up with _your_ ingenious plan to defeat Israfel, eh?" Sweating slightly at the unexpected question, Kaji replied, "That... is a secret!" Then he decided to go for broke, and waggled a finger in front of Ranma's face, closing one of his eyes. The pigtailed boy muttered something unrecognizable, and scowled at Kaji's smiling face. "Let's go and grab us some beer, Rei," he finally said, taking her hand. "See ya around, Asuka." Torn between staying with her true love or following her new one, Asuka eventually decided on the former. Ranma was already with someone, and Kaji was available, and right next to her. Besides, who knew what kind of things Misato would try to do to poor Mr. Kaji after drinking enough beer to take out an entire battalion. It was her sworn duty to defend Mr. Kaji's virtue! Putting on a cute smile, Asuka looped her hand around Kaji's and started telling him once again about her last fight against the Seventh Angel... -------------------------------------------------- "So, what do ya wanna do now?" Ranma asked, spreading his right arm in a wide arc and gesturing at Misato's apartment. "I thought we were going to get beer," Rei replied quietly. "We don't have to, if you're not thirsty," Ranma said, scratching the back of his head. "Should you drink alcohol after all those drugs Dr. Akagi gave you?" "I really don't know..." the pigtailed boy answered, frowning slightly. "As a matter of fact, I don't care about that. What's the worst thing that can happen?" "You can lose control over yourself and get splashed by cold water in front of everyone." Getting a contemplative look on his face, Ranma said, "Hmm... you may be right 'bout drinking. So, what now? Wanna go and bug Shinji some more?" "Ikari-kun appears to be on a date with Horaki Hikari," Rei helpfully pointed out. "Oh, yeah!" Ranma exclaimed, smacking his right fist into his left palm. "It's the one I set up for him a few days ago! Well, since he's out, what next? "We can go and visit Dr. Akagi," the blue-haired girl commented. "But she's..." Ranma stopped in mid-sentence, upon spotting the blond Doctor. "...just entered. Thanks, Rei!" Smiling widely, he quickly made his way towards Ritsuko, Rei following closely behind. "Hello-o, Nurse!" Ranma greeted the Doctor, giving out a whistle. "R-Ranma? You're here?!" Dr. Akagi stuttered, shocked to see him at Misato's party. "Umm... is there any reason I shouldn't be here, Rit-chan?" Ranma asked, scrunching his nose. "B-But... how?" was all Dr. Akagi could say, still trying to get over the fact that Nerv's mysterious savior was standing right in front of her. "Rei sort of invited me," Ranma explained patiently, indicating the girl standing at his side. "If I'm bothering someone..." "No, not at all," Ritsuko assured him, shaking her head. "I've been waiting for a chance to meet you for some time now." "Really? Wow! All you had to do is say the word, Rit-chan!" Ranma exclaimed, smiling broadly. "My name is Ritsuko Akagi," she corrected him, noticing the nickname he gave her for the first time. "Yeah, I know, Rit-chan!" The smile on Ranma's face never wavered. In fact, it only seemed to get bigger, if that was possible. "Ooh, you're just as annoying as Ranko!" Dr. Akagi cried out in frustration. Starting to sweat, Ranma looked around frantically and chuckled nervously. "Umm... hehe... really? Gotta go now... to use the restroom! Yeah! Sorry." Grabbing Rei's hand in his, Ranma took off right into the crowd of guests, leaving the Doctor blinking in his wake. Finally getting over the fact that Ranma gave her the slip, she shouted, "Wait!" in hopes of stopping him, but it was too late. Dr. Akagi considered following him - after all, Misato's living room was rather small - but thought against it. If she pushed him too much, he'd just disappear like he always did at Nerv, according to security, and she didn't want to alienate him. 'But what did I do that made him run away?' On the other side of Misato's living room, Ranma wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, and sighed. "Whew, she was almost on to me." "Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to call Dr. Akagi Rit-chan," Rei commented. "I know... But I just can't help it! Whenever I see her, I just get this urge..." Ranma cried out in frustration, and grabbed his head. "Is this the point where your fiancees would hit you?" Rei asked him, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Well, one of them would. Not that she ever really needed an excuse for hitting me, since girls were always superior and stuff. She could be really nice and cute and even feminine at times, though." "As cute as I?" Rei asked, staring at him with her unblinking gaze. "I... you... I think I need a drink to answer that..." -------------------------------------------------- A dozen beer bottles later, Ranma was finally ready to answer Rei's question. Holding a nearby wall for support, he slurred, "See, Rei... she was cute an' all, very cute, not a lot of time, but sometimes..." Ranma took another swig from the beer bottle in his hand, getting a thoughtful expression on his face. "Now, I know I've said that you were cute an' everything, but on second thought, I take it back." "You ain't cute... no, you ain't cute at all." Ranma shook his head to emphasize the point, missing Rei's gaze harden. "Of course, it's not an easy choice to make, since there's lots of gorgeous girls around here... Misato's fine, and Asuka's really up there with the best... even Hikari has that very cute... something. Maybe it's the freckles..." Ranma tried to take another swig from the bottle, frowning when nothing came out. Turning the bottle upside down lazily, Ranma studied it, squinting his eyes, before shrugging and putting it on a nearby table. "You're different from them, though. Somehow... I dunno how, actually... but there's something special 'bout you. I can almost feel it, 'specially now, after all this beer loosened my senses." Waving his hands in the air wildly, Ranma continued, "You're... well, you're... what's the word I'm looking for? Yes! Beautiful. Beautiful's the word. Yep, that's right." Examining the pigtailed boy for a few long moments, Rei said softly, "I... I think you drank too much, Ranma." "Could be, Rei..." Ranma replied, nodding and putting his hand on her shoulder, more to keep himself upright than anything else. "Could be. Still, it's a perfectly good chance to tell ya... to tell ya... Damn, I forgot." "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed after a short pause, smacking his forehead. "To tell ya that I really like ya. You're the best possible friend anyone like me could have." "T-Thank you, Ranma." "Don't mention it, Rei. After all, we're best buddies, right? And I couldn't have wished for a cuter friend..." Rei stared at Ranma confusedly, before asking, "Didn't you tell me that I wasn't cute?" "Umm... I did?" Ranma said, scratching the back of his head. "Shit. What did I tell you were?" "B-Beautiful," Rei stammered, looking away. 'Maybe I should've had some beer as well.' "Oh." Ranma blinked. "That's true, you know. C'mon, let's go ask anyone you want. Hey, there's Misato! Let's go ask her." Grabbing Rei's hand before she could say anything, Ranma swiftly made his way over to the slightly intoxicated Major. "Hey there, M-Misato," he greeted, waving casually. "Say, ain't Rei b... beau... umm, very pretty and stuff?" Misato examined Ranma's face for a moment. Despite the toll her own consumed beverages were taking on her, she was able to notice that his gaze was unfocused, and kept moving around. "Ranma! You're drunk!" "Absofreakin'lutely, Misato! How did ya guess?" Ranma replied, grinning widely. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Ranma frowned, his eyes focusing on Misato's face. "Hey, what's up with ya? First you invite me, an' then you go me to get the hell out?" Putting a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to relax the intoxicated teenager, Misato said quickly, "No one's throwing you out, Ranma!" before looking at him curiously and asking, "What's this about an invitation? I never sent you one!" Ranma tried to think hard about it for several moments, before smiling in realization. "Umm, then Rei probably invited me. Oopsie. Anyway, what was I talkin' 'bout? Oh, yeah! 'S 'bout Rei, see?" Sighing, Misato asked, "Yes, Ranma?" "Like I was saying' before... she's like a real babe an' stuff, right?" "Well..." Misato drawled out, glancing at Rei, who was staring at the floor. "Are ya insulting my friend, here?!" Ranma asked with a hint of menace in his voice. Gulping, Misato put on a smile and agreed with Ranma that Rei was indeed the most beautiful girl in Tokyo-3. "Hear that, Rei? Do ya wanna ask anyone else?" Looking slightly flustered, Rei answered, "I think you should go home and rest. An Angel might attack and you should be sober." "Oh, man... you sound just like... well..." Ranma exclaimed, waving his hands in the air, "just like a really old person. Like her!" he added, poking Misato's chest with a finger. Misato's hands balled into fists and her face reddened, but before she could unleash the full extent of her righteous female fury on the unsuspecting and slightly intoxicated Ranma, she was stopped by a new arrival's words. "Don't you mean old like Nabiki?" Immediately sobering, Ranma whirled around to glare at Kaji, who was holding a beer and smiling at him. "Stay the fuck away from her!" "And why would I do that, Ranma-kun?" "If you try to drag her into your little spy games, I'll tear you apart!" the pigtailed boy snarled, taking a step towards Kaji. "My, my... such anger..." Kaji drawled out, smiling serenely all the while. "Is it possible that you care about Miss Tendo?" Feigning shock, he exclaimed, "But I thought that you were already taken!" "Nabiki is an old friend of mine. Come near her and they'll never find your damn body!" "Is this a threat, Ranma?" Kaji asked, the smile leaving his face. Boring holes into him with his intense gaze, Ranma barked, "Damn straight it is! I won't warn you again, shit for brains." "I'd like to go home, Major Katsuragi. Good night." With that, Rei started walking towards the door, not paying any attention to the glances that were thrown her way. Ranma stared at the blue-haired girl's retreating figure for a few moments, before muttering, "Yeah, it's probably 'bout time I head home myself." Turning towards Kaji for one last time and giving him the evil eye, the pigtailed boy added, "Don't make me come after you, old man!" Almost too fast for the human eye to see, Ranma bolted over to the exit, putting his slippers on in record time and running after Rei. "Kaji... did you see that?" Misato blurted out, when she regained her speech. "Yes... yes I did," Kaji replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Not liking the look she found on his face, Misato asked, "You'll leave this Nabiki alone now, right?" Nodding absentmindedly to her, Kaji thought, 'On the contrary... This just got a whole lot interesting...' -------------------------------------------------- "Miss Tendo? I believe we have a few things to discuss." Raising an eyebrow, Nabiki looked at the ponytailed man, and gestured to a vacant chair in front of her desk. "Mr. Ryoji, I presume? I've been expecting you..." -------------------------------------------------- End of Chapter 8.