Chapter Two : School'n
"This is your fault you know," Akane said.
"What?" Ranma said, looking at her with an amazed and angry look, "How the hell is this my fault? The dude attacked me!"
"I defeat Kuno every morning and I've never been late before," Akane said.
"Well then Kuno must throw the fight," Ranma noted.
"No he doesn't!" Akane said, "I beat him fair and square!"
"With the skill I saw him use and the skill I saw you use last night," Ranma said, "There's no way you could beat him if he actually tried unless you managed to hit him with one of your gorilla punches."
Akane gritted her teeth and shivered with anger. Ranma looked like his mind was currently a complete blank.
If they weren't already in trouble, she would whoop his ass. Yeah, that's the ticket.
The silence prevailed for a good while. Ranma continued to stare off with a blank face, simply bidding his time until he was allowed back in class. Akane, however, continued to get angrier and angrier. Mainly because of Ranma's expression.
Smug asshole. That's it, at lunch his ass is grass! Yeah, that's the ticket.
We don't know why there's a sleazy old man from the sixties living in Akane's head that continuously says 'that's the ticket'.
To make things worse, for the past thirty seconds a repetitive noise was coming from down the hallway. A thump thump thump thump thump thump thumping. As it grew louder, Ranma glanced off to the side, looking down the hallway.
To see Kuno tear-assing towards them, water bucket akimbo.
"What's up with him?" Ranma asked no one in particular as his expression finally changed to one of slight confusion. It was still pretty obvious that he didn't really care.
"I will not allow it!" Kuno yelled as he ran towards them. He tossed one of his buckets towards them, causing both Ranma and Akane to step away as not to get splashed, "Akane! Tell me it is not true! Tell me you are not truly engaged to Ranma... what's his face!"
Akane instantly went into panic mode as the windows to the class instantly slid open, revealing at least six entire classes that had been listening.
Ranma, however, just looked confused.
"Ranma what's-his-face?" he asked himself.
"It's not true!" Akane yelled, "It was our parents idea! There's no way I'm engaged to that moron!"
"Yeah, I'd never want to get engaged to Miss Gorilla Fist over here," Ranma said.
"RANMA!" Akane yelled.
"What? Your punches could knock over a house," Ranma said, still emotionless, "You act like it wasn't a compliment."
"Insulting the fair Akane!?" Kuno yelled, drawing his bokken, "I shall not allow it!"
Ranma rolled his eyes.
"This is no place to fight," Ranma said, hopping back away from him before running off, "Follow me."
"I shall!" Kuno said bolting off towards him.
As they transversed the hallways, Kuno found himself hard pressed to keep up. This insolent whelp was running inhumanly fast. What made it worse was that he looked like he was just out jogging through the park and not tear-assing through the school.
"Hey! No running in the halls!" A teacher yelled.
"Yes, sir!" Akane answered as she blew past him with the entire third floor student body following after her.
Ranma checked around him as he neared the end of the hallway, scanning around for places where he could gain access outside.
Bingo, open window, dead ahead.
Leaping up onto the sill for a split second, he launched himself out the window. He glanced back to see Kuno following suit.
"You idiots!" Akane yelled, "This is the third floor!"
"That's okay," Ranma said back, "A fall from the third floor is..."
He then noticed that they were directly over a the school swimming pool.
"Ah, crap," He grumbled a split second before he found herself suddenly immersed in the cool, crisp, and clean pool water.
Mmmm, taste that chlorine goodness.
As she got reoriented under the water, she checked herself over quickly, seeing that she was indeed currently a she.
Damnit, I don't want everyone to know about the curse! I'd never see the end of it!
She floated there for a split second, thinking of how she could get out of this without letting everyone know of her... condition.
The answer presented itself as Kuno's body moved to blot out the light over her. Glancing up, she saw that he was floating face first with a goofy expression. His face was already starting to turn red from the third floor belly flop.
Mentally sighing; because actually sighing could kill her; she swam up to Kuno. She pulled him along with her so that no one would be able to see her.
Easily carting Kuno along with her, she lifted him up slightly so that she could bring her head above water. She draped his arms over her shoulders so she wouldn't have to hold onto him.
Sadly, this is where Kuno regains what little sense he has.
"I fight on!" He said loudly as he grabbed at Ranma.
Sadly for Ranma, in his grab, her managed to reach around her and place his hand directly onto her breasts; vigorously manhandling her for a few moments.
Ranma just twitched. And then she snapped.
"Pervert!" She cried out as her body tingled for a split second. She then hurled Kuno onto the concrete beside the pool hard enough to crack the concrete. She paused there for a split second before realizing what she looked like. She then made a break for the school wall, easily traveling the few hundred yards across the tarmac and field in nigh a few seconds. She them vaulted of the wall with plenty of feet below her to spare.
Akane just blinked, several of the other students followed suit.
Ranma had looked... different.
"Hey, didn't Saotome look taller for some reason?" One of the boys said.
"I think so," A girl answered, "And I don't remember him wearing a yellow belt either."
"A belt?" The boy asked.
"I dunno, it was trailing behind him."
"Man! That guy can run! He cleared the length of the soccer field in nothin' flat!"
Later, On Top of a Nearby Building
Ranma just sat there leaning up against an air vent, trying to dry herself off in the sun. That had been close. Too close for comfort. She grimaced at her lack of control back at the school. This curse was making it hard to focus.
Sighing, she looked down at her arms.
Her underarms were currently covered in a coat of silky white fur. The top of them covered in yellow fur with brown spots. She looked herself over, having not seen her female form like this before.
She had gotten a lot bigger, both in height and in bust. She didn't want to take off her shirt because it was barely big enough to fit her without having it look like it was skin tight. She didn't want it to rip or anything, so she unbuttoned the top button. This allowed her to breath better at the expense of showing off her ample chest cleavage, which was also covered in white fur.
She breathed deep for a few moments. Running like that had made her struggle for air.
Ranma's face was covered in the same white fur. Her ears had turned into car ears and her green eyes had become slitted like a cats. Two black marks were under her eyes.
In other words, she was a cheetah-girl.
She looked off. She hadn't been in her hybrid form since... damn. A long, long time ago. Maybe even half a year. She breathed in, taking in the scent around her. It felt good to finally stretch her tail after so long.
She was so absorbed in sitting there, she didn't hear someone approaching until they were right next to her.
Her eyes snapped open as she heard the gravel of the rooftop crunch. She flipped to her feet, getting into a low position on the opposite side of the air vent from the sound. Shit, shit! She had let someone see her like this!
"A-ha," The man said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
The man was tall for a Japanese man. His brown hair was cut short. He wore a small pair of glasses and what looked like a doctors white medical coat.
Ranma didn't respond, she just looked at him cautiously.
"I was simply coming up to see what it was that I kept hearing through the air vents," He said, "Never expected to see a were-cheetah though."
"You..." Ranma said cautiously, "Who are you?"
"Oh, excuse me," He bowed, "My name is Doctor Tofu Ono. I own the clinic that we're currently on top of. And what's your name?"
Ranma thought about that for a moment.
"Rhys," She said, "Sorry 'bout bothering you."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Tofu said, "Today has been a slow day anyway."
He then noticed something.
"You're completely drenched," He said, motioning towards a nearby stairwell, "Come inside, I'll let you have a towel. Heaven knows that fur takes a long time to dry."
"Um..." Rhys said, before walking from around the air vent, "Thanks."
What the hell did he mean by that?
Rhys caught the towel that Tofu had tossed to her. The smell of this place stung her nose slightly from all the chemicals used to keep everything sterile.
"Um..." She said, not yet toweling off, "Can I ask for a glass of warm water first?"
"Water?" Tofu asked, "Oh, yes, of course."
He walked over to a nearby sink and poured some warm water into a disposable cup that he grabbed from a nearby stack. He then gave Rhys the water, who proceeded to pour it onto her head.
The transformation back to male was achieved.
Tofu raised an eyebrow.
"I've never seen that transformation before," Tofu said.
"It's a curse," Rhys said, "I wish I could control it like my other transformation, but..."
He trailed off as he started to towel himself off.
"Now," Tofu said, leaning up against a counter, "What's a were-cheetah doing way out in Nerima?"
"Ugh," Rhys said, "The fool of my adopted father brought me here. I'd much rather leave both Nerima and Japan behind me."
"Surely Japan isn't that bad," Tofu asked, amused by that comment.
"Nah, there's nothin' wrong with Japan," Rhys said, "It's the people that I live with."
"And I take it they don't know," Tofu asked, motioning towards Rhys' current 'fuzzy' state.
"No, thank god," Rhys said, "I don't want to be there when that situation explodes."
"It's quite a sight to see," Tofu said, "A were-cheetah after the... incident, I mean."
"You know about that, huh?" Rhys looked down with a depressed look.
"Yes," Tofu said, "Some people are privy to that sort of thing. Not all of the more supernatural people fled from earth. They, and certain archaeological and arcanist groups, know about things such as that. Sadly none of them were able to stop it."
"Don't worry about it," Rhys said, shrugging, "I was only, like, two when it happened. I don't remember much..."
Rhys then looked down, deep in thought with a depressed look on his face.
"I'm sorry," Tofu said.
"What for?" Rhys asked, looking up.
"You said that you were living with your adopted father," Tofu said, before shrugging and leaving the sentence hanging there.
"Yeah, both my parents and my little sister," Rhys said, "Although I still have a little bit of hope my sister's alive."
"Really?" Tofu said, "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask."
"Huh?" Rhys said, "But... how could you...?"
"How could I help?" Tofu cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "As I said, certain people, myself included, are privy so those sort of things. And a sighting of a were-cheetah is 'a sight to see'. I have many connections, not all of them human. You'd be surprised how much mumbo jumbo you get caught up in a medical school."
Rhys laughed a small bit, shaking his head.
"Thanks, Doc," Rhys said, "I have ta admit, I don't know much about anything like that. No one to teach me I guess."
"I'm sure that several of the people I know would rather enjoy meeting a were-cheetah survivor and talking for a small while," Tofu said, "There's such a select few, they don't really have anyone to talk to that would really believe them very often."
"Sure," Rhys said, turning back to Tofu, "Anythin' that would help, I guess."
"Where might you be staying?" He asked, "In case I find anything?"
"Ugh," Rhys said, "The Tendo residence. The old fool is trying to get me to marry one of the daughters. Even though one of 'em's pretty nice, I've never really been into human girls."
"Th-the Tendo residence?" Tofu asked, getting nervous all of a sudden, "Well... I guess I'll call you there then."
Rhys nodded, before transforming back into human, shrinking almost a two feet in height. He dismissed the fact that Tofu had almost gone into panic mode for a moment. Knowing the Tendo's, especially Akane, a state of panic didn't seem too unlikely of a reaction.
"Ask to talk to Ranma Saotome, though," Rhys said as he walked towards the door.
"Who's that?" Tofu asked.
"Me," Rhys said, "It's the name that Genma, my adopted father gave to me. He gets really pissed off if I start usin' my real name."
Tofu nodded in agreement. Rhys nodded in return and started to walk outside.
"Rhys, one more question," Tofu asked.
"Yeah, Doc?" Rhys turned to him.
"Which...?" Tufo coughed, "Wh-which Tendo are you... engaged to?"
"Um... Akane," Rhys blinked, "Why?"
"Ah, n-no, it's n-nothing," he said, looking kinda relieved, "Have a nice day."
"You too, Doc," Rhys answered before leaving.
The walk back to the Tendo residence was, to say the least, probably one of those 'quiet before the storm' moments. Rhys planned to take full advantage of the fact that Akane and Nabiki wouldn't be out of school for hours. That was the benefit of bolting off school property while it was still homeroom period.
He felt better.
For the first time in a long while, he felt better. No panda getting on his case with his signs that defy logic, no crazy super strong gorilla fist chick with a anger problem...
A thought popped into his head.
Maybe Akane has a sugar imbalance. Something like that's supposed to make you flip out, right?
Nah, probably heard that on TV or something.
Actually getting to talk about the incident, however brief, made him feel better. Tofu was actually the first person he had ever told. He was sixteen. He had kept that a secret for almost fourteen years. Probably not healthy.
It was also rather nice to stretch his more 'furry' side. There are some things you can only really enjoy unless you're a cat. Plus, he had managed to catch a glimpse at his female hybrid form in a mirror at the clinic. He had to admit... when he was like that, he was pretty hot.
Oh right... Giggity giggity!
But what really lightened him up was that he might have found a way to find his sister. That alone made him feel like he could be happy even if Genma did another crazy ass stunt like the Neko-ken again.
And before he knew it, he found himself entering the Tendo home.
"Oh, Ranma," Kasumi's voice came, "Was today not a school day?"
Kasumi was currently sitting in the living room, facing the tv. The news was on.
"Uh..." Ranma said, "Nah, there was school today. I just... um... I just... left."
"Why would you do that?" Kasumi asked.
"There was a fight, I guess," Ranma answered, "Well, it couldn't really be called a fight, it was more like a chase. Long story short, I had to leave so that nobody would find out about my curse."
"Oh my," Kasumi said, "I hadn't though about that. That does make going to school a little hard."
"So... um..." Ranma said, "What 'cha watching?"
"Oh, just the news," Kasumi said, "I don't get to leave the house very much, so I make sure I'm up to date with what's going on outside."
"Uh..." Ranma said, glancing around confused for a moment, "What's keepin' ya' from goin' out?"
"Oh, the chores," Kasumi said, "Breakfast, washing, cleaning, then I go get the ingredients for dinner, then I make dinner, and after that I make sure the house is locked up before going to bed."
"You..." Ranma said, "You mean nobody helps you do the chores? That's kinda screwed up."
"Hmm, maybe," Kasumi said, sighed, "But ever since Mother died..."
She trailed off.
"They've shoved all tha responsibility 'bout tha house onto you," Ranma said, "Sounds ta me like they're just usin' ya."
"I guess so," Kasumi sighed, "But someone has got to do it."
"So you've accepted it?" Ranma asked.
"For the most part," Kasumi said, tilting her head slightly, "Father, Akane, and Nabiki changed so much after mother died..."
"Doesn't matter," Ranma said, "They shouldn't be doin' that. And I'm not gonna do that to ya myself. I'll help ya around the house."
"Oh, no," Kasumi said, looking up at him, "You really don't have to do that for me. I wouldn't want to be a burden."
"Ya got it all backwards," Ranma said, "If I didn't, I would be a burd'n ta you. I'll earn keep for both Genma and I because god knows that Genma never will. He may clean the floors once a month or somethin', but he's all about cut'n corners."
"You really shouldn't speak about you're father that way..." Kasumi said, kinda sheepishly, like she was afraid of his response, "Even if you are adopted..."
"Genma stopped being my adopted father a long time ago," Ranma said straitly, a sour expression coming to his face, "I can't stand him. He's the total opposite of my real father... well, from what little I remember of him. I only follow him around because he's my legal guardian and I don't wanna end up in jail or somethin'."
"I'm sorry," Kasumi said, still looking kinda sheepish, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"Don't worry 'bout it," Ranma smirked, "I know ya didn't mean no harm by it or nothin'."
Note: I love sarcastic characters, mainly because I'm just as sarcastic in real life. Heh heh heh heh heh. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Oh, and the sugar imbalance thing I got off of a performance of Titus, the comedian.
Oh, and HUZZAH!!!
