Disclaimer: I do not on Ranma. Enough said about that. This story is a collaboration effort between me and Drakuzz. I can be reached at while Drakuzz can be reached at We hope that you will enjoy this story of ours.
Twin Troubles
By David Knight and Drakuzz
Chapter Three: Fights
School had ended rather uneventfully. For Ranma it was boring. For Ranko it felt too easy. Neither of them saw Akane or Ukyo after classes. They thought both of them would be getting ready for the fight, something Ranma still didn't like.
The only thing of note was that Kuno was ever so much the idiot. Now for the third time he was trying to embrace Ranko, while denouncing Ranma.
He was rewarded by a double kick to the face, one foot belonging to each sibling.
"Doesn't he ever get tired of this?" Ranko asked, annoyed that the kendoist just wouldn't leave her alone. She stared at his twitching, unconscious form.
"Kuno? He's too stupid to get tired," Ranma said placed his hands in his pockets. "I've even showed him my curse a couple of times. He doesn't figure it out."
"You're joking," Ranko asked in disbelief. The moron couldn't be THAT stupid, could he?
Ranma shrugged and walked off, leaving the unconscious boy behind without a care.
Ranko followed right behind him. "So, what do you want to do until that fight? You are going to go there aren't you?"
"That stupid tomboy. There's no way she can beat Ucchan," Ranma muttered under his breath and turned to the smaller redhead. "So watcha do to pass the time?"
"Your town, not mine," Ranko shrugged. "I'll just follow your lead until I get my bearings here."
Ranma smirked and jumped over the fence again. "I just hang out till someone attacks me."
"'Until someone attacks you'?" Ranko asked, leaping over the fence with him. "Ranma, you make it sound as if you have someone whose out to kill you around every corner."
Ranma turned to face her, walking backwards, and smirked. "Some of them are also out to marry me."
Ranko shook her head. "Your life sounds rather... complex to say the least."
"If you want to be the best..." Whatever self-centered thing Ranma was going to saw was shot to hell as a volley of chains and knives came crashing down on the talking siblings.
"What the hell!" Ranko gasped, pulling out of her backpack her sword. She immediately unsheathed it and used it to deflect the bladed weapons.
Ranma barely managed to get out of the way, precariously balancing himself on the fence as he tried to get closer to his sister. "How's it going, Mousse?"
"Saotome!" Mousse cried out from his perch atop a telephone pole. As usual his glasses were on his forehead instead of his eyes.
"I take it this is one of the guys that tries to kill you," Ranko muttered.
"There you are!" Mousse shouted and launched his weapons Ranko's way.
"You moron!" Ranma bellowed.
Ranko simply smirked, knocking the weapons aside with her sword. "You missed."
Mousse frowned in confusion. "What are you playing at, Saotome?" He'd bet he could hear the voices of both his forms.
"No game. Put on your glasses and you'll see," Ranko said with a smirk.
The myopic Amazon did so and his eyes widened. "What!"
Ranma glared up at him. "You idiot! You could've hurt my sister!"
He's got a point, but I can take care of myself. Ranko thought.
Mousse recovered from his shock and managed to smirk at that. "So... you have a sister you care about, Saotome..."
The implied threat was not lost on Ranma, who growled angrily in return.
Nor was it lost on Ranko, who moved in front of Ranma. "Bro, don't get involved."
"Like hell I won't!" Ranma protested and pushed Ranko to the side. "He's my enemy."
Ranko then returned the favor. "In case you've forgotten, I'm also a martial artist! He just threatened me! And I don't need you to protect me!" Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of chains and used her sword to deflect. "I can take care of myself." She looked up to Mousse, keeping herself aware.
"MOUKO TAKABISHA!" Ranma bellowed and thrust his hands forward, sending a huge chi blast against his enemy for attacking them.
Mousse might not be able to see very well, but he instantly knew what was coming and didn't even have time to curse his rival before being sent flying away, already unconscious.
Ranko turned around, facing her brother. Half of her face was etched with anger, pissed off that her brother had decided to step into her own fight.
And then there was the surprise on her face as she let it known vocally. "When the hell did you learn to fire off your Chi!"
Ranma blinked. If anything that wasn't the kind of reaction he was expecting. "... Uh... a couple of weeks ago..."
Ranko stared for a moment before walking up to him. "Thanks." She then stomped on her brother's foot. "And I can't believe you did that!"
The pigtailed martial artist winced. "What did you do that for, you tomboy!"
"I don't need you to take care of my fights, damn it!" Ranko snapped. "What? Do you think I'll allow you to take out all of my foes yourself? I can take care of myself!"
Ranma glared right back at her. "That moron is my enemy, tomboy! Of course it was my fight!"
"And now he's my enemy too, or you forget about the implied threat!" Ranko reminded him. "You honestly think he's not going to try to come after me to get to you." Ranko let out an irritated sigh. "Honestly, what the hell is that jerk's problem with you?"
"He's an idiot. That's what," Ranma said and turned away, not wanting to be upset with his redheaded sibling.
Ranko sighed. We still got a ways to go. She cursed her father for this. To her, Genma was the source of all of her troubles. "Know any good Chinese restaurants. Right now I could really go for Chinese food."
Ranma sweatdropped heavily at that. "... Maybe that's not such a good idea..." He purposely aimed Mousse towards the Nekohanten.
"... let me guess. The best Chinese restaurant in town and the moron works there?" Ranko asked, sounded dejected.
Ranma nodded and sighed. "Look... Let's just go to the dojo to see if Kasumi's got something ready."
Ranko nodded. She was really wanting Chinese, though Kasumi's food sounded very good as well.
She just didn't feel like having a fight with that nearsighted fool right now.
----
Speaking of which...
Mousse felt pain like nothing else before it when he did wake up. Saotome... when has he ever hit 'that' hard?
"What stupid Mousse do to Aireen now!" An angry female voice was heard, with a familiar Chinese accent.
"Sh-Shampoo!" Mousse turned around, upon hearing the girl he so desperately loved.
The purple-haired Amazon girl stood near Mousse's landing site, which just happened to be in the alley behind the Nekohanten. She frowned. "Stupid Mousse answer question."
"Shampoo, he doesn't deserve you! I am trying to make sure that fact is clear," the nearsighted martial artist declared. "And now that I know he has a sister..." Oh he was sure going to play that to his advantage at getting after Ranma.
Shampoo perked up at that instantly. "You meet sister?"
"... what? You mean you already knew?" Mousse asked. "How?"
"That not Mousse business. Now what Aireen's sister like?" Shampoo asked, knowing that if she won this sister over before the other girls Ranma would be hers.
"She looks like Ranma as a girl. Has a sword..." Mousse then shut his mouth. "Wait. Why are you so interested in her?"
"That not stupid Mousse's concern!" Shampoo snapped and glared at him. "And don't attack Aireen!"
"But Shampoo... I..."
Shampoo didn't remain to listen to whatever he had to say and rushed back into the restaurant. She had to prepare for her first meeting with this Ranko girl
---
Sneaking around had never been hard for Saotome Genma. He was a natural-born thief, after all. One of the main reasons why he was at odds with his father and why he took so easily to Happosai's training. Even if it was torture it would've been far worse to live up to his old man's standards.
It was a sneaky Genma in panda form that reached for the fridge, wanting something to eat while Ranma was in school so he could take some more time to think how the hell to get out of this one. His father was one of the few people he truly feared and would never go openly against.
It was then he fell to the ground, something hitting him hard in the head.
"Oh my. Are you alright Saotome-san?"
Genma groaned in pain and looked up. He saw Kasumi leaning down to pick up a frying pan.
Kasumi stared at the frying pan for a moment. "Oh dear. How on earth did this fall down on your head Saotome-san?"
The elder Saotome looked at Kasumi in confusion. How indeed, since the frying pans were on the other side of the kitchen.
Kasumi stared at the fridge and saw it was open. She frowned at the panda. "You weren't trying to sneak some food for yourself now were you?"
"Would I do that?" Genma's sign read as he started to get up. He was, however, still a little dizzy from that blow to the head and stumbled slightly. His large bulk pushed Kasumi against the kitchen table.
"Tadaima!" Ranko called out. "We're..." The redhead's voice dropped as she and her brother saw the panda end up shoving Kasumi against the table and then when he moved to his right, he 'shoved her' to the ground.
Right in front of his children seeing it.
Ranma's eyes burned with an intensity that frightened Genma. "Now wait a minute, son!" He tried to say before Ranma punched him out of the house, through a wall, and started savagely beating the daylights out of him.
"Save some for me bro!" Ranko snapped, not pleased in the least at what her father had just did to Kasumi.
Kasumi stared at the sight for a bit, not sure of what to do for a moment. It was accident. He didn't mean to hurt me. I should stop them... but then, Ranko hasn't thanked her father yet, has she? She decided she'd let the twins have their 'talk' with their father. There wasn't anything bad about them talking now was there?
---
Genma gasped for breath as he tried to get away from Ranma. The boy wasn't holding his punches back. "It wasn't what it looked like!" Genma said with a sign vehemently, before having it kicked out of his paw.
"I have to say, that form suits you father!" Ranko snapped, giving a kick to the side of the panda. She didn't care that it was a two on one fight. As far as she was concerned, her father didn't have any honor what so ever. This was proper and honorable in her opinion.
For once Genma wasn't at fault, yet he received the worse beating he'd taken in years. Thankfully Ranma knocked him unconscious after five minutes. The boy was angry, but he wouldn't beat on an unconscious opponent.
Ranko also felt angry yet a little satisfied, which surprised her. It also surprised her with how angry her brother had gotten at their father. "You okay?"
Ranma was taking deep breaths to calm himself and turned to regard the redhead evenly. "Yeah. You?"
"Got some kicks in, which was more than I had yesterday," Ranko said, taking a breath in herself. She looked at her brother seriously. "So, does big brother have a thing for Kasumi-san?" she asked with a grin.
Ranma blinked in confusion. "A thing? What are you talking about?"
Ranko giggled. "Oh, never you mind."
"Ranma-kun. Ranko-chan. Are you two hungry?" Kasumi called from the dojo.
Ranma turned and rushed to Kasumi's side. "Are you okay, Kasumi? He didn't hurt you, did he?" His concern for her welfare was more than evident.
"No Ranma-kun, I am fine," Kasumi said in her normal, cheerful manner. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. I had just finished mopping the floor when he I found him in the kitchen trying to take some food. I told him to stop and then... well I think I scared him."
Ranma nodded, taking everything she said at face value. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Hey bro, I think we should get something to eat now," Ranko said seriously. "We don't have long until Akane and Ukyo have their fight."
Kasumi blinked. "Akane is fighting Ukyo?"
Ranma instantly looked uncomfortable at that. "Uh... she kinda... challenged Ucchan today..."
"Well, at least Akane is trying to improve her skills. She really doesn't learn anything by constantly breaking wood blocks," Kasumi mused. "I hope she'll be okay."
Ranma turned away. Of course Akane wouldn't be okay.
"Come on bro," Ranko said walking back to the dojo. "Food first, then we see how well things play out."
Ranma nodded and turned to Kasumi. "Kasumi... You okay with this?"
"Ranma. There are just some lessons you have to learn on your own," Kasumi said before walking back into the house.
The pigtailed martial artist sighed. Why did it seem like he was the only one concerned about Akane getting in way over her head? He shook his head and rushed into the house, wanting to fill his stomach before heading out.
---
Akane was waiting in the lot where she had mentioned in her challenge to Ukyo. She was waiting for the chef to arrive. She better not stand me up. Akane growled, feeling impatient.
To make matters worse, or so she thought, Ranma casually sat on top of a fence with the same effortless grace he displayed for everything athletic. Ranko stood more demurely under the fence, but the offense was still there regardless.
Ranma did sit casually on the fence, on the outside. Inside he was ready for action, knowing he might have to jump in and stop the fight. Akane was too stubborn for her own good.
Ranko was simply there to watch and right now she saw Akane becoming impatient.
Akane looked at her watch and saw it was exactly five o'clock. Where is she! She almost felt like screaming but knowing Ranko was there made her stop. She wanted to prove to the red head she was a martial artist. She wouldn't use words. She'd just use her fists and this fight.
Barely ten seconds after five Ukyo could be seen rounding a corner, dressed in her usual garb and carrying her battle spatula. She walked purposely towards the lot, but was nowhere near as tense as Akane.
"Glad you made it," Akane growled, getting into a fighting stance.
Ukyo approached Akane and stopped several feet away from her. "I have a business to attend, Akane. You know that."
"Yeah. I do. But I also have something I need from you," Akane responded. "I'll say just so we are clear. Do NOT toy with me. Be serious."
Ukyo's expression hardened slightly. "Have it your way, sugar." With that she assumed her own fighting stance, battle spatula at the ready.
Akane looked at Ukyo for a bit knowing she could use that weapon of hers but she had a lack of experience infighting her. Well, I am committed to this. Best to go it how I always do. She then charged at Ukyo, going on the offensive, throwing a punch at her stomach.
Ukyo dodged to the side, getting a good measure of Akane's reach would be important.
Akane saw it and tried again for a kick yet was avoided again. Does everyone have to play the dodging game with me at first! She asked herself in frustration. She leapt in the air to attempt a jump kick at her enemy.
Ukyo's eyes glinted and she rushed into Akane's defenses, using the flat of her spatula, to deliver a powerful blow to her sternum.
Akane felt that one hard and fell to the ground. She did however get right back up and lunged at Ukyo again, hoping she could get a hit on her before she had time to recover from striking her with that spatula
Ukyo reached into her pocket and threw some exploding powder at Akane's face. It wasn't meant to hurt her, but to distract the Tendo girl while she recovered from her swing and prepared another one.
"Argh!" Akane cried out as she was blinded. She tried to see out of the smoke but it was blinding her. "Where are you?"
Her answer came in the shape of a sweep and another blow from that damn spatula.
Akane got sent further back and out of the smoke. Her form made lines in the dirt as she skidded.
Ukyo, instead of pressing her advantage, turned to see Ranma scowling. She stopped from finishing the fight and gave Akane some time to recover.
Akane got up slowly on her feet and saw Ranma looking, scowling, at Ukyo. She glared back at the chef. "Don't you dare go soft on me now... do you hear me! How am I ever going to learn if you people keep babying me!"
"This won't teach you anything, sugar..." Ukyo said hesitantly.
"It will! It will for me!" Akane shouted. With a cry she went after Ukyo, determined to win this fight, despite how badly her body was protesting.
Ukyo stood her ground, determined to finish this fight as quickly as possible and without hurting Akane. Ranma would be angry enough with her as it was.
Akane went for a one-two punch combo to be followed by a kick. She saw her spatula coming and this time actually was quick enough to get under it. I have her now!
Too bad she misjudged Ukyo's actual strategy. She didn't even see the kick to her temple coming.
The kick connected and that was the last thing Akane felt.
---
Ranko watched for a bit before leaping up over the fence and checking on Akane. "Unconscious, but fine otherwise."
Ukyo looked dejectedly at Ranma, who looked rather upset, and sighed. She really shouldn't have accepted Akane's challenge. "I have to get going, Ranko-chan. Will you take care of her?"
"Sure," Ranko said. Ukyo was leaving but Ranko wanted to say something else. "Ukyo. Don't feel guilty. No matter what my brother may think, I think this was the right thing to do."
Ukyo smiled faintly. "Thanks, sugar." And with that she was gone, walking down the same street she came from.
It was only then that Ranma jumped down from the fence and walked over to his sister and Akane.
"She's fine. Actually showed something today," Ranko said to Ranma.
"She's hurt," Ranma said as he noticed the bruises on the youngest Tendo. "Let's take her to Tofu-sensei's."
"You lead the way. I don't know where that is."
---
"Stupid tomboy," Ranma grumbled as she dragged herself out of the canal. When Akane woke up they were a block from Tofu's clinic. She thanked him for carrying her with a punch that sent him, now her, flying to land right in the middle of the canal.
She was hurt, too. Ranma usually flew a lot more, now it was only a block. Akane was seriously weakened by that fight with Ukyo. "Stupid tomboy..." Ranma grumbled again.
"I didn't ask for your help," Akane grumbled, limping to Tofu's.
"No. But you were asking for a fight," Ranko stated. "And for what?"
"To prove what I am!" Akane snapped at Ranko.
"But to whom? To me?" Ranko replied calmly. "Or to yourself?"
Akane just stared a bit before turning around. "Go back to the dojo. I can get to Dr Tofu's on my own thank you very much."
"Just let the stupid tomboy go!" Ranma cried in annoyance as she wrung her shirt of the excess water.
"Who's stupid!" Akane snapped, wanting to hit Ranma gain but fell to one knee, feeling it give out.
Ranma almost took a step toward her but Ranko was right in front of her, at the moment, sister. She stared at Akane, who was looking back at her. "Can you get up on your own? Are you sure you are strong enough to stand on your own two feet?"
The words she said made Akane burn with anger, yet also there was something else about them, something she wasn't sure what. Slowly, and painfully she got up to her feet. She stared at Ranko for a bit before walking back the way and went into Dr. Tofu's office.
It was only when she had done that Ranko allowed a smile on her face. "She's not as bad as I first thought."
"She's stupid," Ranma groused and gave up, knowing she was wet to the bone again. That also served for two things. First Ranko could see Ranma's body, what with the silk clothes clinging to her like a second skin, was exactly like her own. Second was the fact Ranma didn't wear a bra and anyone that saw her sister would, in a way, be seeing her in a half-naked state.
"Let's just go back to the dojo now," Ranko said. "I think the last thing I would want would be for Kuno to see us both."
Ranma sighed and nodded. "I wouldn't mind kicking his head into the ground, but he'd probably think I'm expressing my love for him."
To Be Continued...
Author's note: Yes I know this chapter is kind of short in comparison to the rest of what we have done, however we thought that this was all that was needed in this chapter. Do not fret though. The fourth chapter will more than make up for the shortness of this one. Trust us.