"Sayonara, Oneesama," Tarre said cheerfully. "I hope the dinner was okay." Kasumi was shoulder her bags and getting ready to return to her apartment.
"You were fine, Tarre," Kasumi said. "Just keep up the hard work and you'll be as good as me someday."
"Oh, I never could," Tarre protested.
"Perhaps you'll be visiting more often, now?" Soun asked expectantly. Kasumi considered the request. She was already seeing them, briefly at times, three or four times a week.
"I shall try," Kasumi answered vaguely. She turned to Akane and Nabiki. "Now I expect you two to behave at school with Ranma-kun."
School!?! Akane and Ranma thought, their expressions plain to see.
"What do you mean school?" Ranma protested.
"Well, we will be staying here a long time," Genma said.
Oh damn! They'll expect me to lead him there! Akane gasped. Training me is one thing, but being seen together? Kasumi leveled a look at her sister, that half-motherly look that Akane didn't like to disappoint.
"I'll be civil," Nabiki said. "I don't know about Akane."
"Nabiki!?" Akane gasped as the Saotome "bickering" threatened to drown them out.
"Is bicker all you two can do?" Kasumi asked tiredly, shaking her head. "I'll see you all later. Tarre, don't let them run you ragged."
"Hai, oneesama," Tarre said, bowing and smiling cheerfully.
Akane passed through the near empty courtyard of Furinkan next to her sister. She felt odd not having to wade through the hentai hordes for once. Maybe she ought to come to school early for a little while, she could use a break.
"Isn't this early even for you?" Akane asked.
"I don't want to be seen walking in with him any more than you do," Nabiki answered back.
Ranma glanced around in the wake of the morning spar. He was holding a book bag with a sort of lost expression. He scratched his head and walked into another room.
"Good morning, Ranma," Soun said cheerfully. "I'm off to buy cigarettes."
"Hey Mr. Tendo do you know where..." Ranma tried to ask directions to the school, but Soun was already gone before he could say much. "A lot of help he was."
"Well boy," Genma said irritably. "Why aren't you off to school yet?"
"How do I get there, Pop?" Ranma asked irritably, the old man shrugged. He sighed, it looked as if he would have to ask on his way there.
"Oh, I can lead you," Tarre said cheerfully. "Just let me set this to the side here." She set aside the breakfast dishes neatly on the counter and untied her apron.
"Uh, okay," Ranma said. "Just curious, why ain't you going to school?"
"I have to work here," Tarre said, as if it wasn't a question. Then there was that test she had taken a few years ago that said she didn't have to. There was a reason that she wasn't supposed to go to school now, but it had slipped her mind in her urge to help the new guest.
"Just get to school, boy," Genma said. "You're late enough as it is. No time to ask questions."
"Right, right," Ranma said. "So, I guess you can lead me." Tarre nodded and walked past him to the genkan.
"This way Ranma-san," Tarre said.
"So how'd you get that name?" Ranma asked.
"It is English," Tarre said. "It is their word for tar."
"You mean that black gooey stuff they make the roads with," Ranma asked, perplexed.
"Hai," Tarre nodded. "Mother named me."
Who names their kids like that? Ranma wondered to himself, just barely missing getting splashed by an old woman. "Whoa, that was close."
"Ohayoo gozaimasu, Kanada-san," Tarre waved cheerfully to the old woman who nodded in response.
"I thought you went shopping yesterday, Tarre-chan," the woman said, still washing her walk.
"Yeah, she's just showing me to the school," Ranma said, before noticing that Tarre had been going to answer. "Oh, sorry."
"No problem, Ranma-san," Tarre said cheerfully, waving the old woman as they continued along the walk. "So you and Akane are planning to train each other in fighting?"
"In the Art, yeah," Ranma said. "So how about you, how good are you?"
"Oh, I don't fight, Ranma-san," Tarre said.
"Uhh, how did you get me away from my Pop then?" Ranma asked. She pointed at the lamp post that was still rammed into the ground.
"I'm afraid that I used that," Tarre explained, embarrassed. Ranma twitched as he realized what that said about Tarre's strength.
"Yeah," Ranma said nervously.
"Tarre," Soun shouted as he came home. He started to light a cigarette. "Tarre! The dishes. This is really unlike her."
"Oh, she just had to show Ranma to the school," Genma said. "She'll be back soon." He looked to his old friend and noted the cigarette falling out of Soun's mouth.
"She went to the school!!?" Soun shouted.
"Yeah, so what's the problem?" Genma asked. "You don't think they'll fall in love over a walk to school?" Genma began to pale as he began to consider that.
"Worse than that Genma," Soun gasped. "If we do not hurry, we may have to face a fate worse than death while Tarre recovers."
"Ehh?" Genma blinked.
"Akane's cooking," Soun whispered in dread tones.
"Just wait for it," a boy said to his neighbor. "Any moment now she's going to come around that gate. And this time I'll defeat her."
"You mean I'll defeat her," the boy he was talking to said.
"You are both fools," a third said. "Today shall be the day that I prove my love to Akane Tendo." Up above them three pairs of eyes watched, shaking their heads.
"Not a single one of them knows that Akane is already in the school," Nabiki said.
"Pathetic," her lieutenant agreed.
"Hey, someone's coming!" a boy down below shouted.
"That's not Akane," someone said. "It's....TARRE!!"
"Uhh, does the challenge extend to her?" someone else asked.
"What's this?" Kuno said from his hiding place. "Tis not the courageous Akane that comes to face my challenge but her lovely younger sister? And who is this cad that chats with her so freely."
"Go tell Akane to get downstairs," Nabiki calmly said to one of her lieutenants. "I we're going to lose some funds."
"Right boss!" the girl responded quickly, running out of the room.
"Why do you smell familiar?" Tarre asked an oblivious Ranma. He was apparently distracted by something ahead of him.
"Hey, what's with the big group of boys in sports gear in front of the school here?" Ranma asked. Tarre blinked and looked forward in confusion.
"Big group of...boys?" Tarre repeated, suddenly remembering why she wasn't supposed to go to the school. For a moment her dark grey skin seemed to turn a lighter shade as she looked at them all.
They were still deciding over whether the challenge applied to her when she started to turn away from the school and softly edge away from them all, trying not to attract attention. Someone noticed it.
"TARRE TENDO I LOVE YOU!!!" they shouted, charging forward. With the signal given the horde moved.
"AAHHHH!!!" Tarre cried out hiding behind Ranma and covering her eyes.
"What the..." Ranma said, surprised as the mass of uncoordinated and amateurish fighters came at them. He was aware of one thing, however, they weren't getting past him.
It was over almost before it began.
"Damn," Ranma said. "I hope this doesn't happen everyday, that could hamper my skills." Tarre was still huddled behind Ranma, just now peeking out to look around.
"Is it over?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah..." Ranma said glancing around at the semi-conscious bodies. He hadn't even had to take a step to beat him, they just kept coming. What idiots.
He was about to ask what that was about when someone interrupted him.
"Hold strange sir!" Kuno shouted. "Who are you to presume to interfere in this righteous proof of our love for the shadowy beauty of Tarre Tendo?" Unfortunately for Kuno he failed to notice someone coming out of the school behind him.
"I TOLD you!" Akane growled as she grabbed Kuno from behind. "My sister stays out of your sick little games!!" Ranma blinked as Akane proceeded to make Kuno look like a twistee doll.
"Arigato gozaimasu, Oneechan!" Tarre shouted as thankfully as Akane finished and rubbed her hands together.
"What are YOU doing here!" Akane snapped angrily. Tarre winced and looked down at her feet. "You could have been hurt! Are you crazy?"
"Hey!" Ranma said. "She was showing me how to get here okay! Lay off her! What was all that junk anyway?"
Akane looked embarrassed for a moment. Tarre opened her mouth to answer, which was when the roll of thunder above invoked Akane to pull Ranma into the school.
"Go home now, Tarre!" Akane shouted as she ran to beat the coming rain.
"Uh...hai...oneechan," Tarre said to the dust cloud.
She sighed and started on her way home, the rain began just a few moments later. Though at least she had the pleasure of seeing her father and a large panda running down the street in a fit of panic. A sight that would have been amusing to most people.
They passed her the first time. Then realized who they had passed, turned around and grabbed the confused girl from either side as they continued running home.
"I give you that information, it's going to cost Kuno-Baby," Nabiki said simply.
"Whatever the cost may be," Kuno growled. "I must know the identity of this cur that is hounding your sister."
"Fork it over, Kuno-baby," Nabiki said in a blase tone. After a moment she was handed a small wad of bills, she counted them eagerly before answering the question. "He's Ranma Saotome. There's some old agreement to unite our school of martial arts with his through a marriage. But since none of us want to marry him, and he doesn't want to marry any of us, we're just trading martial arts secrets instead."
"WHAT!!?" Kuno demanded, not having her heard much past "marriage." "Forcing your helpless sister into a marriage she cannot abide?! I shall smite the foul cur!!"
"Whatever, Kuno-Baby," Nabiki said as Kuno ran off. Well, first the teacher sent him to the hall, then he ran off.
"So, I understand that Akane was of some help to you today," Genma said. Both he and Ranma were meditating on their heads.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "Well it's her stupid fight that got me into the mess in the first place."
"Ranma!" Genma roared flipping himself the right way and then righting Ranma to sit and listen to his lecture. "You must give your in...sensai to be more respect than that!"
"It's the same respect I give you, you old fart," Ranma reminded his father.
"You will go back and say thank you to her right now!" Genma demanded.
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said, standing up.
"Really, Tarre," Akane said. "You should know better than that."
Tarre nodded.
"If I hadn't gotten down there, Kuno would have seriously hurt you," she said to Tarre's frightened nod. "I'll bet that jerk Ranma made you show him how to get to school, right?"
"Actually I offered..." Tarre started.
"Well, don't listen to anything that pervert has to say," Akane warned Tarre.
"Oneechan," Tarre said nervously, pointing at the door.
"What?" Akane asked.
"He's right outside the door," Tarre said.
Akane flinched and listened as footsteps turned away from the bedroom door along with a muttered "I'm supposed to thank that?"
"Well who cares about that anyway?" Akane demanded.