Disclaimer: I don't own these series. If I did, I would make Motohama die a slow and painful death... preferably with fire
AN: So if you haven't noticed my anger at a certain character in the disclaimer, let me repeat myself. Motohama, DIE IN A FIRE! Why you ask? Research... This chapter was a pain because I had to do a bit of research. The simpler part was about the Japanese school system and working out which class Ranma would be in. The painful part was for me to have to do Motohama in character... I feel dirty. Why? because I had to go to a lot of trouble to get the measurements. It was easy to find bust and height (hip also fell into place after finding out about body types...). The pain here was figuring out the waist and making it believable. In the end, I set Ranma's height close to Koneko's (site provided two sets for all characters, one a base set and the other a modified to Japanese height average set, I used the modified one) and used her to help figure Ranma's. After all the things I had to type into google, I felt dirty. Burn in hell Motohama. Now in other news, I might have to put this on hold a little. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too long hopefully. I just want to read the Light novels so I don't screw this one up as my research brought several things to my attention. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Akane got home that day in a hurry. She had been shocked to find out that Hinako had put in her resignation from the school. She had bid farewell to the class saying that her work here was done. It was her duty to seek out and reform those who had fallen into delinquency. When her current target was expelled from the school, she had prepared her resignation while waiting to give a final goodbye to all her students. Being at school that day had felt wrong somehow. The principal had withdrawn from the public. Kuno was said to have gone missing in search of his pigtailed goddess to bring her the news. Ukyo had stopped her to know what was going on. She was not thrilled to find out and had asked Akane to send Ranma her condolences. It seemed she was keeping a distance for now since she had a part in the mess that had led to the loss of Ranma's cure. Not that she was sorry for the wedding itself that is. Strangely, school just wasn't the same. It was only the first day and there was this much of an impact. Sure, some of it would go back to normal like the Kunos, but even then, she knew it wouldn't be the same.
She was actually happy to have made it home where Ranma's presence could hopefully dispel the strange feeling. He may have been a jerk and a pervert, but he just made things seem so different when he was around. She found herself actually looking forward to being around Ranma again. Well, so long as he wasn't with one of the hussies, but that wasn't likely as it was right after school and they would have waylaid him on the way back with no way of knowing Ranma would already be home. Then again, Ranma could have run into Shampoo on the way back. She shook her head to try and rid herself of the anger that thought caused as she tried to listen for Ranma as she entered the house.
"Good afternoon Akane! How was school," Kasumi greeted her as she passed by to the kitchen.
"It was a bit strange without Ranma around," Akane answered as she looked about. She didn't hear the noise of combat from outside. So, she had expected to see him lounged on the couch watching something on TV or eating something at the table. She didn't see either and she started to get apprehensive. The anger from before was already returning. He better hope for his sake that I don't catch him with one of them! She thought darkly to herself.
"Oh? I would have thought that things would be normal for once since he always make things so exciting when he's around," Kasumi called back as she came out of the kitchen with some tea and snacks she had waiting for when Akane got back apparently. Akane paused for a moment in thought. Well, Ranma certainly was at the center in one way or another for such things.
"I guess I'm just used to it being like that," Akane said out loud in thought before refocusing as she decided to accept the invitation that was now setting on the dinner table," By the way, have you seen Ranma?"
"Yes, he came home so early that it gave me quite the surprise. It never occurred to me that Ranma would be expelled since they liked him so much over there," Kasumi answered with a smile as both she and her sister sat down at the table for this conversation. Akane then noticed there were places set at the table for more arrivals. Akane snorted at the thought. It made a sort of twisted sense with the principal, but it just never occurred to her with how much trouble there was. Then again, the school was the most peaceful place compared to anywhere else in Nerima when Ranma was around.
"So where is he now?" Akane asked as her mind came back to the matter at hand.
"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. There was a bit of an argument earlier until Auntie Saotome arrived. She had-"
Kasumi was cut off as someone else made their way into the house. It was their father. He did not look too happy as he loudly lamented," Blast the boy, I couldn't find them. If only my old friend were here to help!"
"Hello father!" Kasumi greeted as she poured him tea," What have you been up to?"
The stopped to look at them for a moment likely trying to think of a likely excuse for some reason Akane wasn't aware before settling on one and laughing suspiciously as he used it," Well, uh, I became worried about them and checked up on the dojo only to find it empty. I have been searching for them to ensure they were alright."
"Strange, I would have thought that Auntie wanted to be alone with her son to talk about his future," Kasumi thought aloud as she tilted her head and lay a single finger to her chin.
"I see," Akane commented," So she asked to be alone and you went to spy on them!"
"Wait! Don't judge your father so. I need to know certain things. He is to marry you and inherit the dojo. I have a right to know about my future son in law!" Soun tried to defend himself from the verbal onslaught. He found it a bit more difficult than usual without Saotome to back him up. He found himself giving in and hanging his head in shame from his Daughter's glare and fled the scene in tears. After that, Kasumi filled Akane in on what happened earlier that day. After a bit, Kasumi left the table to get a fresh pot of tea It was during this time time that someone else came in.
Nabiki was not having a good day. She had been so used to Ranma's usual antics that she had not considered the possibility that Ranma would be expelled. She really should have looking back on things. While a Kuno ran the school, it was still a public one and he still had to answer to higher ups. She should have realized it sooner that they would have taken noticed of the situation and pressed for action against the knucklehead. All that property damage had been repaired after all, and the money for said repairs had to come from somewhere. The school had likely been over budget for some time now with the Kuno household trying to pay up. Even so, they didn't have limitless funds and the school had suffered in other places. This had been a total failure on her part. She had not taken any of this into consideration and therefore had not had any of her contacts on the lookout. The worse part had been the blow to her reputation. Even the True Blunder knew about it before she did. That was not supposed to happen. At least she was able to make a profit off of him anyways by selling him some info on the whereabouts of Ranma's girl side. She didn't lie, but she fed him just the right amount of half truths to lead him on a wild goose hunt for the rest of the day just to get him out of her hair. She needed time to think on the matter at hand and had called a meeting with her usual friends to get things rolling. People were going to want to know some more details on what was going to happen to Ranma now. As such, she decided contact some of her more secretive associates to see if they had any idea about Ranma's transcripts. This had all been set up during lunch at school.
Sadly, her attempts to get something substantial in a timely manner had been met with failure. She had just finished another meeting with a contact. None of them had anything to go on. The best she got was a warning that whoever had handled it was not someone to be trifled with. No name or anything, she just got a warning that the matter was beyond her network's reach. This had put a serious damper on things since she had hoped to sell the intel to the members of the fiancé brigade on the way home. The more fresh the info the better after all. Well, she could probably fleece the Nekohanten a little if she hurried.
"Well hello there dear!" Nodoka greeted Akane as she came in.
"Hi Auntie!" Akane greeted in return.
"It's good to have you back," Kasumi called out from the kitchen as she was still preparing a new batch of tea. Akane waited patiently for Nodoka to take a seat at the table. Notably, she sat across from Akane.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, where's Ranma?" Akane questioned as she realized he wasn't coming in with his mother. It was a bit odd since they had left together and this was an important matter. Nodoka smiled and sat patiently waiting for Kasumi to bring a fresh batch of tea out. It wasn't too long of a wait.
After she had finally had a little tea, Nodoka looked to Akane," I'm afraid he won't be around for a while. I just got back from the Nekohanten after a long and somewhat heated discussion."
"What for?" Kasumi asked this time.
"Well, I decided to get started on solving some issues before coming back here since you would still be at school at the time," Nodoka began," I wanted to check in on the matter of Ranma's engagement with the foreign girl. It was a very… enlightening discussion to say the least," She paused for a moment as if to consider something," I'm afraid that we came to something of an impasse however. For right now, there is no solving the matter on my end."
Akane figured as much when it came to the amazons. They were never going to give up on Ranma. They would likely still try something even after he was married. Akane just shook her head at the Chinese headache and didn't press for details on that matter. Instead she waited patiently for Ranma's mother to continue.
"As for where my son is, He should be on his way to meet with the head of the school he will be attending from now on," Nodoka finished and took another drink from her cup.
"Oh my, you did manage to get him into another school. That's wonderful!" Kasumi chirped happily.
"So what school took that block- I mean-" Akane had accidently let her thoughts out. She was a bit flustered as she tried to recover from the slip only to stop as the mother giggled.
"Don't trouble yourself dear. He can be a little stubborn at times and I will admit it was a little difficult to make proper arrangements. Even now, I had to make a major compromise just to get him a chance at a proper education," Nodoka consoled the girl with a mirthful smile. Then she went on in a more serious tone," However, I'm afraid that it would be in my son's best interests if no one knew where he was for the time being. That being said, sadly, I'm afraid I came here to deliver less than palatable news. For the time being, my son will not be around Nerima and I will not be allowing others to find him until such a time as all the matters concerning him here are taken care of."
Ranma was not happy about the arrangements this Mr. Gremory guy had mentioned so far in the meeting. The problem was he couldn't argue the fact that it would be bad for him to attend that class even as a girl. It really was a pointless class to him, but he had always used it as a time to think about things during school since he was always either sleeping or going through one form of trouble or another. Then again, the current arrangements might mean he won't need to nap during class… Yeah right, still don't change the fact I'm so far behind that I won't get most of it! Ranma had to admit this would be good for him. Once Administrator Gremory saw he wasn't going to protest the arrangement, he continued," You will also be given a map to help you find the classroom for your tutoring as it won't be in the main building. Now on another note, there were a few other issues with your file. For example, I must insist that you where a proper school uniform-"
"Now wait just a minute! I get everything else so far, but that's crossing the line bud. I saw those things the girls were wearing on my way here. Ya ain't gonna be making me wear that girly getup for the next couple of years!" Ranma exploded. He was not going to budge on this issue. If Furinkan had failed to get him to wear a uniform, this place stood even less of a chance convincing him.
"Really now? I am trying to work with you here, but I need to have your cooperation. I've done quite a bit already. I can't have you be an exception to the rules here Ranma," The man tried to reason.
"Really? 'Cause ya already making me have ta come here as a girl, now you expect me to wear that!? Ain't happening," Ranma spat back stubbornly. The older man sighed.
"I can understand it can be a bit… emasculating, but you are supposed to be a girl around here. Is there any other reason?" Gremory offered a chance to the boy to make a case.
"Let me think… One, I get into a lot of fights quite often against my will. Not only do those outfits look like they'd get in the way, their expensive looking. As in I can't afford to keep replacing them expensive," Ranma started off only to stop when the guy laughed.
"Never heard anything like that from her," The man seemed to mutter. Ranma heard it anyways," Anyways, if you consider yourself a fighter of any sort, you should always be ready regardless of what you wear. Also, this school has a policy for such damage."
"Why would a school like this have a policy like that!?" Ranma demanded incredulously. Not even Furinkan, which was located in Nerima of all places, had such a policy. It never occurred to him that the budget that could have been used for such purposes was constantly being used for repairs.
"Ranma, there are reasons we accepted the fact you had a curse and even went this far to help you out. One of them is that I and certain others at this school are fully aware of the supernatural. Being that you're from Nerima, I'm sure you can understand why we would make something like that is necessary given those circumstances," Gremory explained.
"Great… So I get to look forward to dealing with more of that crap," Ranma groaned. True that he loved to fight, but that was mostly with martial artists. True that Herb and Saffron could be looked at as supernatural. Heck, there was the orochi as well, but most supernatural stuff he dealt with in the past weren't the kind of things he had enjoyed. A few examples of these would be getting cursed (still living with it…), doppelgangers (on multiple instances and not in a fight), time travel (never want to go through that crap again!), ghosts (shutter), and so much more. Supernatural did not mean exciting fights to Ranma. It meant annoying pains in the ass!
"Oh? " The man seemed a little taken back by that reaction. Ranma could understand. Too bad what he was thinking was off since Lord Gremory was taken by surprise for a different reason. He had thought the boy would be looking forward to the challenge. His decision to let Ranma in on this fact was supposed to be something to pique the boy's interest. After all if Ranma found something of interest here, he might be more willing to listen," Well, getting back to the reasons you are still fighting the dress code?"
"Well, I had other reasons, but you went and sunk them already. Still, I'm a guy and I refuse to go parading around in that uniform," Ranma replied in disgust. He really did not like the idea of having to do this.
"Well, I can see that now, but when you come here tomorrow, no one else will. Please understand that you're likely to get attention from others as it stands because of the PE exemption. I hate to have to play this card, you've left me know choice. We need you to follow the rules here. If you break them, I will be forced to expel you. I would hate to have to explain that to your mother. Wouldn't you?" Gremory blackmailed in a rather resigned tone. It was clear he didn't want to pull that card out. Ranma glared at the man anyways before finally nodding his head. After that, they went over other things in more detail before the meeting finally came to an end.
"Well, sucks that I have to deal with more rules than the others, but I guess I can deal with it," Ranma muttered more to himself as he got up to leave.
"Not really, you're following the same rules as the others for the most part. Well, except the PE thing. The only difference here is I had to tell you to follow those rules as others can't break them normally," Administrator Gremory called out to the retreating form of his newest student with a wry smile," Also, there's a pack in the next room for you. It has the essentials."
Issei Hyoudou was on the way to school. He was not in a particularly good mood that day. It was the spring semester of his second year at Kuoh Academy, and between him and his friends, none of them had even managed to get a girlfriend. It was not a pleasant thought to him. In fact, it had been plaguing him as of late. All he wanted was a harem. Was that too much to ask for!? Hell, he'd even settle for just one girl at the rate things were going. No Issei! Hang in there! Never give up on your dreams to become the harem king! He admonished himself within his head. He would not give up hope. After a minute of trying to bolster his hope, he let out a sigh. His hopes were just falling lower and lower as of late. He really needed something to happen. He made his way through the gates to find Matsuda and Motohama lingering around checking out the girls coming in.
"Yo, 'sup guys?" Issei called out as he approached his comrades in arms.
"Keep it quiet man, we don't want to break Motohama's concentration," Matsuda ordered as Issei joined them.
"Ok, so what gives?" Issei asked in a much lower voice. Matsuda smiled and had a superior look for a moment.
"Oh, you mean you didn't here? We got us a new transfer student coming in! Thought we'd get the drop on her before class. Who knows, maybe one of us might get lucky!" Matsuda declared happily with his face as lecherous as ever. Issei thought about it for a second before it sunk in and a matching look soon spread across his face. If she's new, she doesn't know about Kiba. This greatly upped their chances. It also didn't hurt she wouldn't know about them. He was already lost in his thoughts of how awesome this could be.
"Holy crap!" Motohama proclaimed," 87, 58, 86 at a height of 142 cm and I don't know her. She has to be the new girl!"
"What!?" Matsuda and Issei shouted in stereo.
"Over there with the red hair!" Motohama pointed her out. Issei could not believe it. True, there are babes with sizes that were bigger, but her petite frame sporting those measurements made them seem so much more. Even more amazing was the red hair that matched Rias Gremory's in shade and color. The pervert trio stood there and ogled her. She even seemed to take note of them and turned to look at them. This gave them a better view of her face and it was not disappointing either especially her blue eyes. Even they seemed to match Rias's. She looked like she could be her little sister. It was as they ogled her that the girl's expression changed to an angry glare as she drew a thumb across her neck before pointing at them and giving them a thumbs down. This startled the trio and caused them to stumble back as she turned away and made her way into the main building.
"D-did she just threaten us?!" Issei asked a little shaken.
"Yeah, she looked like she was going to rip my head off there," Matsuda agreed.
"But how did she know about us already!?" Motohama demanded as he tried to consider how she even knew they were looking at her. They were a good distance away and not the only ones looking!
As it turned out, the oversized pack had been stocked quite literally with the essential. Not only the books she needed, but also several school uniforms, a school swimsuit, gym clothes, and the literal necessities. There was a note included informing her that they should all fit based on the measurements provided by her mother. Now he she was standing out in the hall waiting to be introduced to the class.
"Ranko, you can come in now," the teacher directed. Ranma walked into the room with a resigned look on her face. She was not looking forward to this in the least," Now please introduce yourself."
"The name's Ranm-ko Saotome," she corrected herself and now looked a little embarrassed," Sorry 'bout that. I'm here to get away from some problems back home and to study," She started again as her eyes scanned over and locked onto the three from before. Her face became a stern one upon noting their presence. She had really hoped they weren't in her class," I should also mention I practice martial arts, but due to circumstances I am not allowed to join a sports club. However, I will ask that word gets out to not give me a reason to practice them."
"Ahem, I think that will do. Uh-please take a seat," the teacher asked. Ranma proceeded to do so and found one that was away from the three pervs. She really did not want to deal with idiots like them. Soon after, the class got underway. Just as expected, Ranma found herself having a hard time keeping up with the lesson. The fact was that she just lacked too much of the basics to really get anything out of the class. In spite of this, Ranma found she couldn't fall asleep for once. As it turns out, having a good night's sleep and not waking up to cold water or being thrown out a window for training left Ranma with more energy than usual. Sadly, she had slept in today and had only had enough time for a few kata and exercises before grabbing something to eat and heading to school. She was going to have to go grocery shopping later with the starting funds her mother had left her in the bundle. She can't stay healthy if she kept grabbing food from a convenience store. Plus it wasn't so good on the budget either. So it was that Ranma found herself jotting notes down on everything the teacher wrote or mentioned in the class. While she couldn't understand it at the time, the info from these lessons would come in handy later when the tutor got her caught up to speed.
It was lunchtime and Rias had decided to eat at the clubroom. She was waiting for Akeno to show up. They had decided to go separate ways to the old school building so as not to draw too much attention. As she waited for her queen, she considered some of the news going about the school. She hadn't believed it at first. Her father had managed to get one over on her this time. The new girl really did look like she could be a relative of hers. It was actually a little disquieting to say the least, but that was not the only thing about her that bothered the heiress of Gremory. The girl had the aura of a powerful curse embedded within her. There is no way something like that could have slipped by her father without notice. This was her family's territory and it wouldn't do for the current head of the family to overlook something like this. She wasn't sure about the details of the curse as it was since she only caught a glimpse of her in the hall as she left for lunch.
"My, what would be the occasion today?" Asked a very familiar voice as she entered the room and sat down at a table across from Rias.
"There are some matters that have come to my attention that I wanted to bring up with you in private," Rias answered as she finally popped her lunch box open," By the way, what took you Akeno?"
"Oh well, it was the strangest thing, I got flagged down by a little girl asking directions," Akeno replied bringing a thoughtful look to her king.
"Now why would that be strange? Kids get lost all the time," Rias answered.
"She was looking for this building. Since I knew you wanted some privacy, I sent her to the main building instead. I felt bad, but a teacher should have her straightened out easily," Akeno explained. Rias nodded to the statement in agreement.
"Yes, well this is of an important matter. I've been sensing something from the students as of late. I haven't figured out who, but I would like you to help keep an eye out for someone giving off a strange presence."
"You mean like your little sister?" Akeno asked playfully to which Rias smiled and shook her head in disapproval.
"She's of another matter entirely. I was feeling the other presence before she came here," Rias explained.
"Interesting, well I'll keep an eye out," Akeno agreed.
"Now, speaking of Ranko. I wasn't able to get a good look-" Rias began to go onto the next topic when suddenly the door slammed open.
Ranma was not having a good time at lunch. She had managed to keep the crowd at bay earlier, but now that they had free time, she found sitting under a tree swarmed by girls. They were asking various questions and trying to make friends with her.
"Girls, settle down, you're asking the wrong questions!" someone called from the back of the group. They stopped to look at the speaker and let her through. It was a brown haired girl with glasses. Her hair was tied up in two prominent braids, each resting on a shoulder with stray strands sticking out. She was standing proudly with a very dangerous smile," Got a boyfriend back home?" Ranma paled and shook her head. She did not like where this girl was going," Hmm, something smells fishy," She went on with a smirk," You had for first kiss?"
Ranma grew disgusted and was sadly put off by this strange and somewhat pushy girl. Especially because she was bringing back memories Ranma would sooner roll over and die than forget. She actually looked about ready to throw up," I don't want to remember ok!"
This seemed to take the girls back for a moment before the ring leader took charge once more," Oh, bad experience then? Well, there are other fish in the sea. Maybe I can help out with that. What kind of guy gets you going?" Ranma was backing up. Not that she feared the woman, oh no. It was just prudence so she could better flee any second now. She really did not want to deal with this. Too bad the other girls had her hedged in now sice they were curious about the answers," You like them big and strong since you're into martial arts?"
"I hate guys!" She finally snapped out. There was a silence that fell over the courtyard at that very loud declaration. It was then that Ranma realized what she had done. She had just outed herself as a lesbian in front of the entire school. Finally sound resumed as the girls began to talk among themselves. Some were breaking away while others were staying and watching with added interest. Even some of the very few guys present were looking her way now. The glasses girl stood there slumped for a moment. She seemed to be contemplating something before she suddenly reached out and grabbed now startled Ranma by the shoulders.
"Sorry," She spoke softly," I shouldn't have backed you into a corner like that. I'm Aika Kiriyuu. While I can't help you with that, I can still offer a hand in friendship."
Ranma just nodded. Once she was let go, she picked up her lunch and walked away. She was no longer being crowded. Too bad she didn't pay too close to what was going around or she would have been able to stop a future nuisance.
It was finally time for gym class. Well, for everyone else, Ranma had to take out a hand drawn map to find her way to the classroom where she would be tutored. As it turned out, it was in an out of the way woods that would be perfect for secret training later on. She soon found the old building. Once inside, she found her way to a door with a recently add sign that read "Ms. H's Special Studies" in a very familiar and sloppy hand writing. Ranma trembled in fear as she reached out to open the door. On the other side was a very adult Hinako ready to begin her reeducation.
"You didn't really think you escaped my hands, did you?" The dreaded teacher asked. Strangely enough, Hinako never turned back to normal for the duration of the class.