Sunday, November 20, 2005

   Ranma fanfic

Author's note:

This is the first in a series of YAAH stories (Yet Another
Alternate History) based on Ranma 1/2. Although some elements
resemble several stories that have appeared (ie, "Curses", et al.)
the idea came to me independently.

I asked myself, "What would happen if there was _one_ difference
to the Jusenkyo curse? How differently could the story/series
evolve?" After much thinking and plotting, I began to write.
What follows is the product of this idea.

Because I don't have access to the manga, only the anime, as
likely as not this will be a limited series, on 10 to 20 parts
in length.

Since everyone else does it, I might as well also start giving
disclaimers to my stories:

"All rights to Ranma 1/2 and its characters belong to
Rumiko Takahashi. My use is intended solely for the
purpose of fan entertainment, and no profit is to be
derived from this story's posting to the Internet or
any other medium. If it becomes the case where this
story's existence violates copyright, the story is to
be deleted, destroyed, or removed from all sources
unless permission from RT is given."

Sound legal enough for everybody? Good. On with the story.

======================================================================

Ranma 1/2 : Half and half

Part 1: "Here's Ranma-chan!"

======================================================================

Nerima was a sleepy little part of Tokyo. It was a safe, clean,
and friendly place to live. But, oh lord, it was a strange place,
and never a dull moment. Especially when the newcomers arrived.

It happened to be a rainy day as from the distance, a large panda
galloped down a Nerima street on its four paws. Three things were
immediately noticeable about this event.

1) It was a panda. In downtown Tokyo.

2) The panda wore a backpack.

3) A young redheaded girl rode on its back, clinging to the
panda's pack.

Like I said, Nerima was strange.

"Hurry, Mr. Panda, this rain is so cold!" cried the girl as the
rain continued to fall. The panda was moving very fast, making
a real effort to reach their destination. "I wish you had told
me sooner just where we're going, before the rain changed you!"

The panda did not falter nor reply, simply continuing to run as
fast as he could. "Tendo dojo. Must reach Tendo dojo," thought
the panda.

*****

Inside an old well-established home, a man, Soun Tendo, sat
crying as he read a postcard bearing a picture of a panda on the
front. From his long lost friend and training partner, Genma
Saotome, it was written with a simple message: "Am bringing
Ranma from China. Will arrive soon."

"How long I have waited for this day, a day that will assure the
future of the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts," spoke Soun
Tendo. He stood up from the central room's table, and began to
search the house, calling for his daughters.

"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane! I have something to tell you!" he
said, first finding Kasumi in the kitchen.

"What is it, father?"

"I must see all of you at table, daughter." He went upstairs and
found his second daughter, Nabiki, in her bedroom reading a book.

"What is it, Daddy?" said Nabiki.

"Nabiki, please come downstairs, I have something to discuss."

Soun looked for his third daughter, Akane, first in her bedroom,
then the living room, and called through the door to the bath to
find her. "Where is that girl?"

Outside in the dojo, a young woman in a yellow gi was setting up
bricks. She slowly summoned her strength, and with a cry, brought
down a mighty blow upon them, shattering the concrete into rubble.

"Whew, that felt pretty good!" she remarked to herself as she wiped
her brow. Nabiki stood at the door, taking a picture of her sweat-
soaked younger sister, then chided her for her own amusement.

"Typical of you, Akane; no wonder the boys think you're weird."

"What do I care? Besides, Nabiki, not everyone thinks the world
revolves around...BOYS!" yelled an irritated Akane.

"Oh no? Then I guess this wouldn't interest you." Nabiki spoke
with a hint of mischievousness in her voice, to which Akane looked
at her sister in surprise.

Soon all three daughters were seated at the family table, listening
to what their father had to say.

"I've just received a postcard from a very good friend of mine,
named Genma Saotome. He has a son, Ranma, and if one of you girls
would marry him, our two families would be joined as the only ones
who practice the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts." Soun
looked at the postcard again. "They'll be here any minute!"

"You expect one of us to marry some guy we've never even met!?"
said an incredulous Akane, still in her gi. "I don't believe this!"

"Father, how old is this Ranma? Younger men are so...young." asked
Kasumi, wearing a comfortable dress with an apron overtop.

"Is he cute? Is he rich?" chirped Nabiki, wearing a formal kimono,
looking as if she were anticipating their arrival.

Soun stood from the table and walked to the edge of the engawa,
looking out into the rain. He let out a light laugh, then said,
"I don't know. I've never met him."

"You don't know?" Nabiki asked with a little anger in her voice.

All three daughters looked at their father with more than a little
concern over their joint situation.

At that moment, the front doorbell rang. Nabiki quickly jumped up
to answer it, Kasumi standing, ready to greet their visitor, and
Akane just sitting there, slowly stewing at the thought of a forced
engagement.

Nabiki returned from the front door, with a perplexed look on her
face. "Father, you must be kidding! Ranma's a girl! And with a
pet panda, no less!" she said, leading a soaked girl and her panda
into the room.

Soun turned to look at the visitors, shock on his face as he heard
his daughter's words.

"A...girl?" he spoke, near fainting as he saw the buxom redhead
in front of him. It was the panda barely able to walk on all fours
down the narrow hall that pushed Soun over the edge. He went down
like a sack of hammers.

*****

With a pillow under his head and a blanket over him, Soun Tendo
slowly woke from his shock-induced slumber. As he slowly opened
his eyes, he looked at those who surrounded him: his three
daughters and the girl who had just arrived.

"Oh, Father's awake," Kasumi noted.

"Some fiancee, Daddy! Ranma's a girl!" said an annoyed Nabiki,
poking at Ranma's breasts.

"Aah! Stop that!" cried Ranma, bringing both her arms to protect
her chest. "I'm not that kind of girl!"

"Nabiki! And you call me weird!" said Akane. "Leave her alone."

Nabiki turned to face her now sitting father, chastising him for
this mistake. "I would have thought you could tell the difference
between a boy and a girl, Daddy. Does _this_ look like a boy?"
said Nabiki, again poking at Ranma's chest.

Ranma was now very distraught and near tears, turning away from
Nabiki as Akane reached to comfort the redhead.

"Nabiki, that's not very nice!" said Akane, turning to Ranma.
"C'mon, let's get you warmed up, you've been out in the cold."

Ranma sniffled, happy for the friendly way Akane treated her.

"Do you want to take a bath, Ranma?"

"N-no, I don't want to inconvenience you or your family."

"Oh, don't worry! You look like you'll freeze to death in
those clothes. I'll let you borrow some of mine, okay?" Akane
offered with a smile. The two walked toward the bath, hearing
the argument between Nabiki and their father in the background.
"I'm Akane. Do you want to be friends?"

Ranma looked at her with a shy smile. "Mm hmm," she said nodding
as they walked.

After Akane had left Ranma to take her bath, she retrieved two
sets of her clothes and returned to the bath for her own scrubdown.
In the entry to the bath, she lay them on the washing machine and
began to undress herself, looking forward to talking to her new
friend. She opened the inner door to the bath.

The panda, whom no one was paying attention to, simply lay down to
sleep on the engawa.

*****

In the warm water of the bath sat a black haired teenage boy,
quietly talking to himself. "Hmm...what to do? I guess I'll have
to stay as a girl for now until I can explain things. Might as
well change back."

The boy got out of the hot bath and sat down on the stool he had
used before, filling a bucket with cold water. Just as he raised
the bucket above his head, the bath door opened, and in walked a
naked Akane.

She stood there for a second, looking at the back of the boy's
naked body, a scream building inside her. That scream was
released, however, when she saw the water fall on his head, and
he began to change into a girl.

Ranma had his back turned to the door and was in the motion of
dumping the bucket as Akane had entered, so he didn't know she
was there until she screamed. Quickly dropping the bucket, she
turned to face Akane.

"What's wrong, Akane? What happened?"

Akane stood with the small towel barely covering herself, and not
doing a very good job of it. With one hand pointing at a naked
Ranma, she stuttered out "Y-y-you! What's going on?"

Realizing she had been seen, Ranma stood to walk to Akane, trying
to explain, but Akane's fear talked louder than Ranma. Akane
jumped behind the door, slamming it shut and quickly put on her gi
before leaving the bath area.

Kasumi quickly came running to find a shaken Akane. "Akane, what's
wrong? Why are you so scared?"

"Ra-ranma's some sort of freak! I saw her...him...a boy turn into
Ranma when he dumped cold water on himself!"

"Akane, don't be silly! That's not possible! You must be
imagining things. Look, let's both go in and see how Ranma's
doing, okay?"

Akane trusted her sister, but still believed what she saw, and
stood behind Kasumi as she opened the door to the bath. There
they found Ranma nearly dressed, again in her still wet clothes,
much to Kasumi's dismay.

"Ranma, dear, you'll catch cold in those clothes, you should have
put on the ones Akane brought you!" said Kasumi.

Ranma looked very shy and embarassed, staring at the floor as she
replied, "I know, but...Akane saw me and my secret. I think it's
best I tell everyone right now, and set everything right." She was
quiet, almost apologetic in her words, unable to look Kasumi or
Akane in the eye. "Kasumi, could you please bring some hot water
to the table?"

"Certainly, Ranma," she smiled, leading away a still shaking Akane.

*****

With everone at the dinner table, Ranma sitting with her back to
the engawa where the panda lay, Akane on the opposite side, and
Soun and Akane's sisters seperating them, she began to explain
what happened.

"I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier, but I was afraid you'd reject
me," she said in a quiet voice. "Six weeks ago, my father and I
were on a training mission in China, at the Cursed Springs of
Jusenkyo. Father did not bother to find out all the details about
the place, so we were not prepared for what was to happen to us.
Despite warnings from our guide not to train there, we fought upon
the tops of poles that stood in the pools. After a while, I put a
good blow against my father, and he fell into one of the pools."

Akane still looked at Ranma with fear and shock, and even a little
anger, while Ranma evaded everyone's gaze, hoping to complete her
story.

"I had thought father would simply get out of the pool and continue
to spar with me, but what I saw coming out of the water was a large
panda crawling on the ground," said Ranma. "In my surprise, I lost
my balance and fell into the pool holding the pole I was standing
on. When I surfaced, I found that I was a girl."

"But you are a girl, Ranma...aren't you?" asked Kasumi.

"No, I'm not," she spoke, beginning to pour hot water upon herself.
The eyes of all Tendo family members reflected their shock upon
seeing Ranma's transformation. "I'm a guy. I never wanted to be
a girl. Like I don't got enough problems with the stupid old man
dragging me off to some cursed place." Ranma stood and walked to
the engawa.

"Nice going, old man! What's next, training in a rock avalanche?"
said Ranma with vitriol in his voice as he poured hot water onto
the panda.

Soun and his three daughters were shocked at the different tone in
Ranma's tone when he became a boy, but they lost all compusure when
they saw the sleeping panda turn into a naked, fortyish year old man;
thankfully, his back was to the table and the girls.

"My old friend..." began Soun.

"You had to go and drag me all the way to China, didn't you, even
though you couldn't speak a word of Chinese!" spat an angry Ranma,
kicking his father into the backyard koi pond. A now awake panda
emerged from the water, very wet and very angry and beginning to
charge at Ranma. With yet another well placed kick, the panda
ended up back in the pond, this time unconscious.

"So now you know. If I get hit with cold water, I turn into a girl;
I need hot water to change back." Ranma looked at Akane who was now
more angry than anything else. "Sorry about this," he said, then
looked down.

"You pervert! you saw me in the nude!"

"Hey, I didn't walk in on you, you walked in on me! Anyway, it's
not like I was a guy when I saw you. I was a girl!"

"Oh, like that makes all the difference!"

"It does! In my cursed form I like boys!"

Ranma immediately clamped his hands to his mouth, wishing he could
take back those words. It seemed everyone else did, too, their eyes
wide open in shock.

"Y-you're not one of those..." began Soun, pointing at Ranma when
Ranma grabbbed the collar of Soun's gi.

"*NO!*" yelled an angry Ranma into Soun's face. "I'M NOT! When I'm
in my cursed form, I am a girl, just like Pop's a panda when he's in
his cursed form. Right now, I'm a guy, and I don't wanna hear
anything about guys. Got it? I prefer *girls*."

Soun let out a laugh at this revelation.

"Well, now, your problem's not so bad after all. These are my three
daughters," said Soun, pointing to each in turn, "my eldest daughter
Kasumi, she's 19. My middle daughter, Nabiki, she's 17, and my
youngest, Akane, she's 16, pick anyone you want, she'll be your new
fiancee."

"Hey, don't we get some say in this?" shouted Akane.

"I think Akane would be the best choice." Kasumi said with a
little insistence.

"Couldn't agree more," said Nabiki with a little smile.

"Marry that-that freak? You must be joking!" said Akane with a
little panic.

"Oh, like you're that hot a marriage prospect yourself!" Ranma came
back with. "At least when I'm a girl I don't hate boys. And I'm
better built, to boot." With a look of defiance, Ranma turned his
back on his unwilling better half. A mistake.

With a look of fury on her face, Akane picked up the table and
slammed it down on Ranma's head. ....8, 9, 10, knockout.

*****

Ranma began to awaken, finding himself under a blanket in a
bedroom, with Kasumi tending to him, and Nabiki sitting as an
interested onlooker.

"Ooohh, my head...."

"Just lie down, Ranma, you've taken quite a knock. You know,
Akane's really a sweet girl. She's just...high spirited."

"Oh, good, Kasumi, like that explains everything."

"And she calls *me* a freak. It ain't normal for a girl to be
like that; even I'm not when I'm a girl. Jeez, what kind of tomboy
is she?"

"Ranma, I don't think you should say that around Akane, she doesn't
take too kindly to it. You should be nicer to your fiancee."

"Fiancee?! I'm nobody's fiancee, okay? This is no time for 'em,
I've gotta go back to China and change back for good. Just knowing
I'm starting to judge guys' looks makes my skin crawl." Ranma
shuddered.

Against better judgement, Ranma got up and went downstairs, passing
Akane who was on the way up. Each gave a look to the other that
would have killed a lesser person. As Ranma entered the dining area,
he found his father in a gi talking to Soun Tendo, both regaling in
old stories and drinking sake.

"Fun's over, old man, I'm going back to China, with or without you.
Just give me the rest of our money and I'm gone."

"I'm afraid not, boy, we'll be staying for a while. We ran out
of money getting here, so I'll need to earn some more."

"You?! *I'M* the one who was earning the money, you jerk! All you
did was spend it on booze! Now you're saying there's nothing left?
Stupid old man!"

In a sudden rage and before Genma could react, Ranma punted his
father back into the pond, with an incredulous Soun Tendo looking on.

"Suck on that, old man," said Ranma, walking back inside.

*****

Akane sat in her room, fuming at what had happened earlier. She
felt humiliated and disgusted at what Ranma had said to her. If
he would dare show his face to her again tonight...even she had
never considered what she was planning to do to him.

She started at the sound of a knock on the door, so lost in her
thoughts she was. She wasn't expecting anyone....

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Akane fumed for a few seconds, then stopped herself before yelling.
Onna-Ranma, she realized. Akane hesitated, debating with herself
over what to do, and finally came to a decision.

"Enter," she said firmly, with a touch of anger in her voice.

The door opened slowly, a shorter, and meeker, red-headed girl
first looking in cautiously, then opening the door fully to walk
in.

The two looked at each other in silence, Akane sitting on her bed
with an intense look on her face, and Ranma standing, fidgeting
with her fingers, trying to look Akane in the eye.

"Akane, I...I'm sorry for what I said earlier," she began softly.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, it's just when I'm a boy,
I'm very headstrong and selfish. I changed into a girl because I
knew it was the only way I could make myself apologize to you."
Ranma paused, a small smile growing on her face, "I also thought
you might not beat me up." Ranma then sat cross-legged on the
floor.

Akane looked down at the girl, mentally questioning what was going
on, whether Ranma was just making a fool of her, or if she was
truly sincere. Ranma began to speak again.

"Akane, it's been a long time since I settled down anywhere. I
haven't had much contact with people my own age, so I'm not very
good with my manners and behaviour. Even how I'm speaking to
you now is more a nature of the curse than any politeness or
guilt I really feel." She looked at Akane with pleading in her
eyes, and said "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'd like
to start again. We don't have to be fiancees, not if you don't
want to."

"Do you want to be someone's fiancee, Ranma?"

"Now's not really a good time to ask, Akane, you know I'm not
attracted to girls," she said with a laugh. "But we could play
along for now, keep our fathers happy, and get to know each
other. Tell you what, I'll promise to be as polite as I can
when I'm a boy, and you promise not to hit me if I sometimes
slip up. Deal?"

"You also promise not to insult me?" Akane asked, to which Ranma
nodded. Akane sat silently for a minute mulling it over.

"Deal. And you take back everything you said earlier?" Akane
asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not all of it," replied Ranma, a mischievous grin appearing on
her face, and continuing just as Akane started to get mad. "Not
the part about wanting to be friends." A once angry Akane now
wore a wide smile.

Ranma changed to a kneeling position, leaning on Akane's bed
with her elbow, and putting out her right pinkie finger.

"Friends?" she said with a smile.

"Friends." Akane's little finger linked with Ranma's.

======================================================================

E N D

Part 1

======================================================================

C&C welcome at:
shunsuke@mailcity.com
www.fortunecity.com/victorian/university/5/index.htm
www.fortunecity.com/victorian/university/5/a-fanfic.htm

Author's note:

This is yet another "Yet Another Alternate History" fic series,
this one base on the premise that anyone with the curse of
Jusenkyo actually *becomes* the creature or being they are in
their cursed forms.

What happened in part one:

Ranma and Genma arrived on the Tendo's doorstep in
their cursed forms: Genma, a big dumb panda that likes
to sleep, and Ranma, a sweet and shy teenage girl.
Eventually their curses are revealed, but not before
Akane accidentally saw Ranma naked in the bath.
(Enough review, now get on with it!)



"All rights to Ranma 1/2 and its characters belong to
Rumiko Takahashi. My use is intended solely for the
purpose of fan entertainment, and no profit is to be
derived from this story's posting to the Internet or
any other medium. If it becomes the case where this
story's existence violates copyright, the story is to
be deleted, destroyed, or removed from all sources
unless permission from RT is given."



======================================================================

Ranma 1/2 : Half and half

Part 2: "School is no place for perverts!"

======================================================================

It was a cool morning, but not so cold as to force Akane to wear
more than a shirt and shorts on her morning jog. She ran quickly
through the streets of the neighborhood, saying hello to everyone
out as early as she was. Soon enough she turned the corner toward
home, and entered the gate to the yard. She quickly turned back
and ran out when faced with what could only be loosely called a
sparring session.

"What's *your* problem, old man? Didn't sleep enough last night?
Nyaah!" Ranma leapt away from his father's attacks, jumping around
the tree the pool, the covered walkway to the dojo, all the while
evading Genma's attacks.

"Stay still, boy! I'll teach you some manners! You - hmph! - you
should respect your elders!"

"Why, you need me to take it easy on you, old man? Ha ha ha!"
Ranma dodged a sweeping kick from his father by jumping up, then
bouncing off his father's head to the other side of the pond.
Seeing an opportunity, Genma used a nearby pot to splash Ranma
as he landed, now unable to avoid the water.

"Aah!" she cried, "That's cold, father!"

"So! A true martial artist doesn't fear the elements, only his own
nature. Now to finish you!"

With that, Genma leapt to the attack, jumping right at a shivering
Ranma-chan who simply stood like a deer caught in the headlights.
Akane saw the attack coming and knew Ranma-chan wouldn't be able
to move in time, so she ran forward and sent Genma flying onto
the veranda. Ignoring the now fallen man, Akane tended to the
shaking girl.

"Ranma! Are you alright?"

Ranma still shivered and shook her head no as Akane led her back
into the house.

"Akane! Ranma and I are not finished. I won't let him cower out
of a training session like that."

"Mr. Saotome, let's just get Ranma changed and warm, then you can
continue, okay?" Akane knew Genma had no intention of waiting had
she not been there, nor was Ranma in any condition to fight right
now. Since it was getting on towards time for school, this seemed
to her like a good time to end the sparring session.

"Come in, everyone, breakfast," called Kasumi.

Everyone sat around the table for the first proper meal together
with both families. Kasumi sat with her father, their backs to the
kitchen, Nabiki to the left of them, Akane and a still wet Ranma-chan
opposite, and Genma alone to the right.

"So, Ranma, are you looking forward to your first day of school in
Nerima?"

"School, Kasumi?" said Ranma-chan, swallowing quickly. "Must I?"

"Of course, Ranma, it's not like you don't need it," added Akane.

"But I haven't gone in a while..." she said meekly, tailing off.

"All the more reason to go, Ranma dear" Kasumi smiled to her.
Ranma-chan looked back at Kasumi, and felt Akane gave her an
encourging hand on the elbow.

"Don't worry, Ranma, we'll be in the same class, so we can help
each other."

"Okay." Ranma said quietly, finally smiling and finishing off
her rice.

Soun sat with a smile on his face, happy to see the two got along
as fiancees; Nabiki sat quietly, considering the value of the
situation and whether she could make a profit; Genma just sat,
eating his breakfast with an intensity that almost broke the
bowl he held in his hand.

*****

"Aw, jeez, Akane, they're not gonna make me wear a uniform, are
they? It's bad enough I don't have a choice about going," whined
Ranma as they walked to the school, "I mean, what good is school
anyway? I'm a martial artist."

"Well, if you want to go to college, Ranma, you don't really have
a choice. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on just being
some man's housewife." The two walked alongside the canal, headed
toward the school with plenty of time to spare.

"Yeah, right, Akane, like anybody wo-"

<*SPLASH*>

"Oh no," Ranma-chan said quietly. "I'm doomed, I can't go to
school like this. Akane, you go on ahead, I'll go home and
change."

"Don't worry, Ranma, there's somewhere nearby we can get hot
water. Come on!" Akane began to run ahead, and Ranma-chan, not
wanting to be stranded or forced to walk to school, followed.

Soon enough they came to a clinic, the sign saying "Dr. Ono Tofu,
chiropractor and GP." Akane still led the way inside, nearly
dragging Ranma-chan along with her.

"Wait here, Ranma, I'll go get you some hot water," called Akane.
Ranma waited there just inside the door, hands folded together
and standing quietly as she looked around.

"Pardon me!" called a voice, and Ranma-chan turned to see who it
was. She screamed in horror at the sight of a skeleton waving
hello, her fear preventing her from noticing the man standing
behind the bones.

Ranma had jumped onto the door out of fear and near tears, which
the man quickly noticed.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss, I didn't mean to scare you, that was just
meant as joke," he said, helping her down from the door. "Hi,
I'm Dr. Tofu. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"We-e-ll," said Ranma-chan, still shivering from the shock as
much as the cold water, "I'm just waiting for a friend to bring
some...hot...water." Ranma looked up at the smiling man who
was gently holding her hand; his warm face made her smile too.

Akane returned shortly with a kettle, ready to help Ranma get
back to normal.

"Here you go, Ranma, one pot of wa- oh, hello Dr. Tofu!" Akane
said, a slight blush crossing her face. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, Akane, how are you, no new injuries, I hope?"

"N-no sir," she stammered, first looking at the ground, then
looking up into his face.

"So, what's the hot water for, Akane?"

"Ah - oh! Ranma, my new friend, has a bit of a problem..."

*****

The two left the clinic in a hurry after a brief explanation
and great surprise of the doctor. Ranma and Akane ran through
the streets towards the school, hoping they could make it in
time to beat the bell.

"So he's the family doctor, huh?" Ranma said.

"Yes, he always makes it better whenever I get hurt."

"You like him, huh?"

"Sure, he's a great doctor, Ranma?" Akane said.

"You know what I mean Akane, you're...'sweet' on him,"
Ranma grinned.

"Wh-what are you talking about??!"

"Come on, Akane, I saw the way you were looking at him. I don't
have much experience chasing girls, but even I can tell you've
got a thing for him."

"Oh really? You seemed to be drooling a bit yourself," she said
with a smirk, causing Ranma to nearly lose his balance. He
jumped down to the road, running beside her and his face bright
red.

"Hey! I was in my girl form!" Ranma was clearly flustered at
her comments, saying "I'm not a pervert, you know! There's no
*way* I like guys!"

"Well, neither do I!" she replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"HUH? What are you talking about, Akane?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Ranma..." she said with a grim face
as she outdistanced him.

Ranma looked on in surprise as Akane ran on ahead; as she neared
the gates of the school in front of him, a waiting throng of
teenage boys gathered inside the school grounds. As Akane
entered the yard, she waded into the group, throwing punches and
kicks in all directions, gradually one and two at a time putting
all the boys down for the count.

Ranma jumped to the top of the wall to watch the melee. He was
debating whether to jumped in and help his new friend, but she
was doing quite well without him. In watching the fight, Ranma
was surprised at how good she was, a natural, if a little slow.
He couldn't help but smile as he jumped down from the fence to
stand beside her.

"Hey, Akane, you're real popular with the guys, aren't you?"
smirked Ranma.

"Popular is not the word, Ranma. They all want to date me."

"Date you? They act more like a gang."

Before Akane could respond to Ranma, a voice arose, carried on
the wind from amongst a stand of trees; deep, older and in a
poetic manner, it spoke:

"None is so fortunate as I to witness the strength and beauty
of one such as thee, but to be the one true love of a lady so
fair as thee, Akane Tendo."

"Oh, no," Akane said quietly, her face falling into her hand.

"What's goin' on, Akane? Fight ain't over yet?"

From behind the trees a teenage boy appeared wearing a hakuma and
carrying a wooden sword. He strode out onto the path to where
Akane stood, a look of further dismay on her face.

"I can see by your expression that you welcome my presence, my love.
I, too, await the coming battle and the chance to shower you with
my affection once I defea-"

"Akane, who is this blowhard?" Ranma's interruption didnot go down
well with this new boy. The tip of the bokken was quickly pointing
toward Ranma in a threatening gesture and he spoke.

"Who are you to speak to the your betters in such a tone? Methinks
it would be prudent to teach you two lessons, one for your
disrespect toward me and one for your unwelcome advances toward
Akane Tendo."

"True love? Kuno, get a clue, I want nothing to do with you!"

"Stand aside, my dear, I shall quickly dispatch this cretin so that
we may be alone," Kuno said, pushing Akane behind himself as if to
protect her. "I am Tatewaki Kuno, the rising young star of the
fencing world, the bright light of the martial arts world. My
enemies tremble at the very mention of my name. I am known
throughout Japan as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"

Clouds that were lighter that morning were now dark and
threatening; just as Kuno finished his speech, a lightning strike
came from the sky and struck down a few miles away in Nerima.

"Yeah, well I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything-Goes-School-Of -"

<*klunk*>

"I've had enough! Ranma, hurry or you'll be late for class!"
Akane shouted to him as she ran for the school doors. At first
Ranma just stood there, looking at Kuno's prone form with the
clear mark of a mallet on his head, but quickly followed Akane
as soon as he realized that rain was beginning to fall.

"Akane, you didn't have to interfere, you know, I could've taken
him," Ranma said as he caught her; he was grateful that at least
he hadn't felt more than a few drops of rain.

"I didn't do it for you, Ranma, I don't want to be late! The
teacher makes you spend the rest of the half day holding water
buckets, something *I* don't like doing, though I don't know
about you."

The two barely made it into class as the bell rang, receiving
a dirty look from the teacher, but they took their seats without
incident.

From Akane's seat she could see out the window to the front gate
and saw that Kuno had recovered or been helped up; whichever it
was, Akane hoped that it was the end of Kuno for that day.

*****

Even though he arrived in the classroom a full half hour late,
Tatewaki sat in his seat without a reprimand from his teacher.
Nabiki, who had seen the events of the morning's battle, wrote a
quick note and passed it to her classmate, her mind swirling
with possibilities.

"I see your technique needs a little work, Kuno-baby. Wasn't
quite your usual performance outside today."

"Undoubtedly someone working for that cowardly cur struck me from
behind; an honorable warrior such as I would have no need for
assassins or conspirators."

"Actually, Kuno-baby, it was Akane that hit you."

"Akane, you say? Then mayhaps in her exuberance and joy at seeing
me as her champion, her affections took the better of me."

"Whatever you say. Oh, as for Ranma, here's the scoop on him: His
Daddy and mine are old friends. They'll be staying at the dojo;
our fathers decided he's going to marry Akane."

Kuno's reply was not written this time; no amount of ink could
have expressed his dismay at hearing this.

"HE'S HER...FIANCEE?!?!! NO!!! NOT RANMA!" In his fury and
shock Tatewaki had stood and spoken his displeasure so loud that
the class simply stopped until the teacher spoke.

"Kuno! Go stand in the hall!" A piece of chalk flew and caught
Kuno squarely on the forehead, quickly garnering his attention.

"Yes, sir." Kuno said quietly.

*****

Akane was shaking her head, wondering what she had gotten herself
into, becoming friends with a baka like Ranma. It was not even
10:00AM on his first day and Ranma was already standing in the
hall holding buckets.

"What a dolt. Falling asleep in class," she fumed.

Out in the hall, Ranma stood quietly, holding the buckets in
different positions, trying to turn the punishment into a martial
arts training session; certainly, avoiding the cold water helped
his contentration.

Ranma stood on his head with both buckets balanced on the soles
of his feet, when from down the hall he saw the figure of Tatewaki
Kuno carrying buckets of his own. Always prepared for any threat,
Ranma was quickly upright and ready to face Kuno.

"Ranma Saotome, I curse the day you were born! How dare you think
you can be an interloper and come between me and my beloved Akane
Tendo! I cannot tolerate the thought of you being her fiance!"

Ranma wore a look of panic, trying to signal Kuno to shush himself,
but it was too late. The door to Ranma's class was open, students
looking out and yelling their surprise at this news.

Ranma could only imagine what was happening to Akane inside.

Kuno flung one of his pails at Ranma which was redirected back at
him; Kuno promptly cut it into halves as Ranma jumped overhead and
landed further down the hall.

"This is no place to fight, Kuno. If you want a fight, follow
me," said Ranma, now running down the school halls.

"That I shall," exclaimed Kuno with no hesitation in his voice.
As the two ran down the hall Ranma's fellow classmate followed,
including a flustered Akane being pestered by her friends.

Ranma soon came upon an open window and decided it was a good
enough place to get outside.

"Here's a nice shortcut," he said jumping through it into the air.

"I follow, Saotome," shouted Kuno as he jumped through, but his
tone changed to one of "AAAIIIGGGHHHH!!!" as he realized it was
the third floor he had jumped from. Thankfully for Kuno, the
school swimming pool was below.

Now it was Ranma's turn to be distressed, because he realized
there was cold water below him and no way to avoid it. Akane
reached the window where Ranma and Kuno had jumped from and knew
what was about to happen. Leaving her friends behind, still
battering her with questions, she ran downstairs to find hot
water. Outside, Ranma braced himself for the change, trying to
think of a way to get out of this situation without his secret
being revealed.

Ranma broke the surface of the water, followed by Kuno less than
a second later; Ranma-chan's gender change, however, caused her
to panic and her lead time quickly evaporated. As she swam to
the surface and to the edge, Ranma-chan was grabbed by Kuno who
had sought to prevent his opponent from getting away.

Kuno latched onto Ranma, expecting to battle the cur, Saotome.
He was shocked to find he had touched the breasts of a girl; the
girl, upon feeling Kuno's touch, stuggled and began flailing at
Kuno who now let go. In his surprise at these events, Kuno
merely swam to the surface to see the retreating form of a girl
exit the pool in tears. It was only when he could no longer
breathe did he realize he had stopped swimming and had sunk to
the bottom of the pool.

*****

Akane was carrying a kettle of hot water and searching the school
grounds for Ranma, hoping she hadn't run far. Akane soon found
her by following Ranma-chan's sobs emanating from a nearby tree.
Circling the tree, Akane found Ranma-chan sitting against the
trunk rubbing her eyes and sobbing heavily.

Akane put down the kettle and knelt beside her friend, putting a
hand on her shoulder. Ranma-chan looked up to see Akane and threw
her arms around the girl.

"What happened, Ranma? What did Kuno do to you?"

"H-he," Ranma choked as she tried to speak, "He touched me! He
molested me!" Ranma broke down again, burying her head in
Akane's chest."

"It's alright, Ranma, it's alright. I'll fix you up so we can
go back to class." Akane held the redhead as she contemplated
what to do. She soon made up her mind as she heard the voice
of an approaching person.

"Ah, my love, Akane! Have you seen that honorless cur, Ranma
Saotome? Cowards die so many times before their deaths."

Akane was fuming as she stood up from Ranma, looking at Kuno
with an intense anger on her face.

"Kuno, you baka! Is fighting and dating all you think about?
You hurt my friend, don't you care at all about anyone feelings
but your own?"

"Fear not, Akane, I care greatly about you or any fair maiden.
I would not stoop to such a cowardly act against anyone."

"You don't get it, do you, Kuno? You *hurt* her, you touched
her without permission. She didn't like it, I don't like it,
nobody likes it."

"Come, Akane, surely it must have been the doing of Saotome,
leaving me to think it was he in the pool and leading me to
an unfortunate incident."

"You just don't get it, do you Kuno?" Akane thought to herself.
She grabbed the kettle just as Ranma-chan had gotten hold of
herself and bashed Kuno over the head with it, spilling the water
all over the ground. Akane then used Kuno's bokken on him, in
the process leaving him in a such a state that not even one such
so inured to pain as he could withstand it.

A "bloody pulp" would be an accurate term to describe Kuno when
Akane had finished with him. Ranma-chan sat shaking upon seeing
the violence Akane had perpetrated, only coming out of it when
Akane touched Ranma-chan's elbow.

"C'mon, Ranma, let's go home."

Ranma was still in shock, but stood and walked with Akane who
helped her stay balanced.

*****

In the infirmary, Nabiki Tendo sat watching over her classmate
with a look of concern, surprised at the level of injury her
little sister had caused to him.

The damage that covered Tatewaki Kuno's body was so bad it might
have killed other men, but he seemed to be surviving; he
definitely would be going to the hospital, but not for that
long, which was good news for Nabiki's pocketbook.

"Kuno-baby, you have got to work on your technique. I've never
seen you lose this badly."

Thankfully for him, Kuno was out cold and feeling no pain. As
the ambulance attendants came in and took away Kuno, Nabiki sat
thinking about whether there was any profit in Ranma's
appearance. Just by first impressions, it didn't look likely,
and that was bad for business.

She needed to do something about this.


======================================================================

E N D

Part 2

======================================================================

C&C welcome at:
shunsuke@mailcity.com
www.fortunecity.com/victorian/university/5/index.htm
www.fortunecity.com/victorian/university/5/a-fanfic.htm


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