Ranma 1/2

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma, Rumiko Takahashi does. I just borrowed some of the characters. Rated: NC-17

Shades of Home

Chapter 2

Ranma was shown to a room.

It had a bed, desk, two chairs and on the desk was a nice laptop. He didn't have to share a bathroom. It had a shower/tub, sink and necessary.

All in all it was beginning to look like things were definitely getting better. He was thinking about a shower when his stomach growled, reminding him that lunch hadn't made up for several days without food. It was almost 6:00pm and he was hungry again.

"Hey! Hi! Are you the new student? I'm Sun Yao. People call me Sunny. I'm a healer. What do you do?"

The girl who had stuck her head in the door was small, maybe 5", cute, and had orange hair and blue eyes.

"Come on. They told me to call you for super. You look like you could use some feeding up. You're too skinny."

After blasting him with a close look Sunny grabbed Ranma by the arm and dragged him down the hall.

"Here is the dinning room. Better hurry or Danny, Shuba, and Leela will eat all the good stuff and all we'll get is broccoli and liver. Yuck!"

Ranma hung back. Maybe he was supposed to wait until everyone else had their plates. He didn't want to start out on the wrong foot.

A tall brown-haired boy with gray eyes walked up to him and pushed him to the head of the line.

"I'm Senior student Shuba. You don't have to hang back. Headmaster told me about you. Don't be afraid. You won't be harmed here. You shouldn't be so shy." {Wow! He's so hesitant, like he's afraid to make a decision.}

Sr. Shuba grabbed a plate and some silverware. He dumped it all on a tray and pushed it at Ranma.

"Here dig in! Just tell the servers what you want. School rule: Take all you want, eat all you take."

Leela and Danny were obviously related. They both had silver hair and green eyes. They were slender but they had the bodies of runners, all whipcord and rawhide.

Leela frowned at Danny, who was whining, "How come he gets to go first. We were here before him!"

"Don't be such a sour puss. They starved him"

Danny sulked a little, but then he smiled. "All right, Little Sister. He can have your share."

Leela stuck out her tongue. "Ba-Da! Ba-da! You are such a fool! Ranma don't mind him, he's such a jerk!"

Leela looked at Ranma's red face. "Oh! I'm so sorry!. There is no excuse for me. Please don't be embarrassed. There aren't any secrets in this school. There aren't enough students."

Shuba snarled "We weren't supposed to let him know we all knew how he got here. You Juniors couldn't keep a secret if your lips were sewn shut. I'm glad I'm graduating next semester."

"Everybody get your plates and sit down."

"Here Ranma, don't let this bunch spoil your appetite."

Shuba chivvied them all into seats.

After they all got settled, Shuba took up his fork and started eating like he was afraid some one would take it away. Ranma followed suit, emptying his plate in less time than Shuba.

"Can I get you some more of anything? I'll wait on you this once. Kinda celebrate your freedom. After tonight, you're just another Junior Student." {Is he shy? or what}

Ranma just blinked for a second. No one had ever waited on him before, except Kasumi, but she waited on everyone.

"Yes, please I'd like more of anything there is. With my Pop you never knew what you would be eating so I'm not too particular. As long as it's dead, I'm OK."

Ranma decided he might like it here after all.

Sunny turned to Ranma and began to pelt him with questions.

"What do you do? Why did your Dad sell you? What is this necklace for? Why do you . . . Ow!!! That thing is just hateful"

Sunny stuck her stinging fingers in her mouth. She had pulled on the collar.

Ranma stiffened, waiting for the pain to start. Nothing happened. {Will it punish anyone who tries to remove it? How did the slavers trigger it? Find out!}

"Well! It obviously doesn't want to come off. Don't worry! Headmaster Steven Sensai will find a way to get it off. I'll help."

"What is it for? Why don't you answer me?"

Leela put her hand over Sunny's mouth.

"Well, Rachet Jaw. If you'd shut up for two seconds, he might answer one or two of your very impertinent questions."

Danny sniggered behind his hand. [She's really gonna' get it this time. Just look at his face]

"Oh, shut up! I know I'm dying to know too. But he maybe doesn't want to talk about it."

Ranma wished Shuba would come back with, or without, food. He was beginning to feel very out of his depth and somewhat cornered. Sunny wasn't trying to be unkind, he could tell. She was just one of those people who never met a stranger, liked everyone and couldn't imagine anyone not liking her. He took a deep breath and "took the bull by the horns".

"I'll start in order. I don't know what you mean by ‘What do I do.' My dad is an idiot. I don't think he really knew he was selling me. He let his greed get the best of him. The collar is a control collar, a slave collar. If I don't do as I'm told it . . . hurts me. A lot." {Now they won't want anything to do with me.} Ranma bit his lip.

Shuba, who had seen what was going on but had been too far away to interfere, slapped plates onto the table.

"That is really going too far. After all he has been through, you just have to pick a scab. Damn it, Sunny leave him alone. He doesn't need to be reminded of bad things now. He needs time to get a grip on his new life and deal with things.

"You will go to your room . . . now, and meditate on the need to think about people's feelings before you speak! Scat!"

Sunny teared up at the realization that she probably had hurt Ranma's feelings. "Oh! Ranma what must you think of me. I'm so sorry. I really didn't think. Were they really cruel to you? Did they beat you? Please don't be . . . mmmumpf . . . "

Dan ny and Leela both put hands over Sunny's mouth.

"She is never going to learn, Leela. I'll take her out."

Danny grabbed her arm and firmly escorted her out.

Ranma just stood with his mouth open.

"Well, this time I'm really going to have to tell Headmaster. She just will not learn." Shuba shook his head. "Ranma, I'm really sorry about Sunny. She has no governor on her mouth. Every thought that flits through her head just falls out it. She's going to be in real trouble this time. Her punishment will be severe." {Maybe a gag? I hope!}

"No! Don't punish her! Please . . . I don't mind. Really I don't. She's just trying to be friendly." Ranma turned white and started to sweat. { I can't let them beat her. I hate seeing my friends hurt!} "I don't want to be responsible for her being hurt!"

"Hurt! Who's going to hurt who? What's going on here? Senior Student Shuba, report!"

Headmaster Steven frowned at the kids, who were all suddenly in line and standing very straight.

"Ranma you don't have to fall in. In fact, no one has to. I want to know what is going on here! Where is Sunny?" Steven made a face. "Don't tell me. Her Everready Bunny mouth, . . . again."

He glowered at Shuba and Leela, who didn't look very scared. Instead they both nodded, vigorously.

"I had Danny take her to her room to meditate on the merits of silence, again. But she broke nearly every rule you set for Ranma. Asked him every stupid question in the book. And I think she really embarrassed him."

Steven sighed, he knew Sunny didn't mean to be unkind. She had been raised in a good home, by a parent who loved and spoiled her. One of the reasons she was called Sunny was that with her disposition she really couldn't understand "bad"; naughty was about as far as she got. Looking at Ranma he could see that the boy was embarrassed, looking at the floor with his head hanging, hair hiding his eyes.

"Danny. You're back. Good! Go get Sunny.

"I know you just took her to her room, but I'd like you to bring her here. I want Ranma to see her punishment. I think he deserves that. Don't you all?"

Nods from all three junior students.

"This time I think I'm going to have to really make it severe. I really . . . "

Ranma fisted his hands in front of him, knuckles white. "Please don't punish her! It's all right! I . . . I don't want to be responsible . . . If you have to punish someone. Punish me."

Steven gave Ranma a long look. {Kid's got some big ones. Doesn't even know what I'm going to do . . . Well. We'll just have to teach him something, too.}

"You are standing there telling me that you will take her punishment. You don't want to know what it is, you'll just take it?" Ranma nodded. "Well. Why don't you wait until you see what her
punishment is? Then we'll discuss it again."

Sunny sidled up to the Headmaster, head hanging.

"I'm really sorry. I just let my mouth run away with me again. I didn't mean to hurt Ranma's feelings."

"Sunny, I'm really angry with you this time. Ranma has gone through hell, almost literally. He needs time and support to cope with the things that happened. Not the third degree.

"I'll tell you something else.

"He has begged me not to punish you. He is willing to be your whipping-boy, take your punishment no matter what it is. So, here is your punishment."

Steven reached into his pocket and took out a small bag. Producing a small flat stone, he gave it to Sunny.

"Put this in your mouth and keep it there. Only spit it out if you have something to say that is worthwhile. I hope that having to spit out that stone will make you think before you speak."

Ranma nearly fell over. This was a severe punishment?

"Sir, I'm sorry. I . . . "

Steven waved his hand. "Did you really think that we would do her harm? The most severe punishment there is, is four swats of the "Rod of Knowledge" applied to your "Seat of Learning" Most punishments are in the form of meditations, extra training or extra lessons. We might be more severe with Advanced Students, but you're not advanced yet. Don't be afraid of us. We really do want to help you."

Steven looked at his watch. It was a little early to go to bed, but Steven ordered them all to their rooms anyway. Ranma was drooping with weariness, and everyone else was upset. Sunny in her own irrepressible way could be as devastating as a tornado.