{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}
"Kuno-chan's a real sore loser."
"I can see... I hate this damn curse."
She plucked the object out of the air and stared in surprise as the rose petals drifted to the ground. "What the...? Flowers?" She looked at Kuno, still stunned.
"My pig-tailed goddess," he said in a husky voice. "I love you." He turned and walked away.
Ranma stared at his retreating back in complete disbelief and utter horror.
"He said WHAT?"
"You heard me. And I don't wanna say it again. I'm gonna have nightmares about this." Ranma was sitting on the floor of Akane's room sulking. He felt he had a right to.
Nabiki smirked. "I think it's cute. You're just his type, Ranma."
"Shut up, Nabiki."
"Aww, come on, Ranma. Can't you take a joke?"
Ranma glared at Nabiki. "No."
Akane was sitting on her bed, thinking. "He's gotten worse, hasn't he, sis?" she asked.
Nabiki's smile faltered. "What do you mean, Akane?"
"This thing with Ranma. It's not natural. And the speech contest. It's just not right."
Nabiki nodded, scowling a bit. It hadn't been that long ago that Kuno was completely normal. He had slowly deteriorated over the past few months and was acting completely irrational. "Maybe he's finally snapped."
Akane frowned. "I hope not. He could be dangerous."
"As far as I'm concerned, he's already dangerous," Ranma said, rising from the floor. "Next time he touches me, I'm sending him into another time zone." He smashed his fist into his palm, completely frustrated by being hit on by another guy (even if he was exceptionally sexy as a female... not that he'd ever noticed).
"I'm gonna check on dinner," he declared and left the room.
"He's starting to scare me, Nabiki," Akane said as soon as Ranma had shut her door. "He's getting closer every morning."
Nabiki nodded. "I don't know what to tell you, Akane. I just don't... know what to say."
Kodachi hummed happily to herself, checking on each of her plants. They were all so full and leafy. She was very proud of them, even if the only person that ever saw them was her brother. She changed one of the fluorescent bulbs and smiled at the bushy plant. They were all doing well.
She went to the little enclosure and shut the door tightly behind her. The de-humidifier was whirring happily in the corner, pulling all the moisture out of the air. Kodachi touched some of the leaves, judging how close they were to being done. At least three were ready and she picked up the plants.
Leaving the enclosure, she carried the dried plants over to one of her workbenches and began to work on them. It was a slow process; she was VERY careful.
Finally finished, she pushed aside the plastic bags. There were a group of them for the regulars, and another group for the spontaneous buyers. She also kept a small amount to take into the house.
She looked over at the beakers, flasks, dishes, scales and Bunsen burners set up on another bench. She still hadn't quite gotten that down; the resulting crystals still had strange affects on those that took them. She looked at the row of small vials and sighed. They would be hard to get rid of.
"Kodachi!" Her brother burst into the greenhouse like a bull chasing a cow.
"Yes, brother dear?" she asked sweetly.
"Is it not that time?" he asked imperiously. "I require my... my..."
"Your fix, brother dear?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
His eyes were wild momentarily. "Do not insinuate such lies about my person! I only require a... boost." His eyes lit up. "And then I shall destroy that cur Saotome, and have the pig-tailed goddess all to myself!"
"And Akane Tendo," Kodachi said, handing him one of the vials.
"And Akane Tendo!" He stormed out of the greenhouse, his form obscured by the frosted glass. "So says Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan!" Lightning broke across the sky and a peal of thunder shook the windows.
Kodachi looked at the baggie she had planned on taking with her and decided it was most definitely not enough.
What Happened to You? - The Offspring
Before you started tokin'
you used to have a brain
But now you don't get even the simplest of things
I can draw a little picture
Or even use my hands
I try to explain but you just don't understand
Man you're really losin' it
And you've really done a lot of junk now
But you keep on abusin' it
What in the world happened to you