DISCLAIMER: Hey, Takahashi-sensei? I'm borrowing the kids for a while. Don't worry, I'll have them dry-cleaned and folded neatly before I return them. Thanks.
"Adventures in Womanhood"
by Ranchan2k3
Chapter 8
Hey, you know how I said last time, "How bad could it be?" Do me a favor. Next time I say something like that, form a hand or something and slap me until I become sensible again.
So, yeah, I finally started classes at Furinkan High School. I was already dreading it just because I'll be attending as a girl, but once I arrived at the grounds, things went from bad to worse.
It started with the bizarre sight of a bunch of armed guys charging at this one girl while shouting declarations of undying love for her. I may not know much about girls, but I know that's not how ya get one to agree to a date. So I stepped in. In retrospect, that may not have been the best idea...
In the Nerima ward of Tokyo's Furinkan High School, there is one aspect of school life that had become daily routine over the last several months. Specifically, it was The Fight. This fight came about because of a girl. Akane Tendo, heir to the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. She was quite skilled in her Art, at least compared to her peers, and fairly attractive and nice, too. This had caught the attention of a kendoist, the captain of the school's kendo club, a boy in the grade above hers named Tatewaki Kuno. Unfortunately, he was rather delusional and egotistical, and so when he approached her to inquire about a date, using his usual flowery prose to illustrate his manliness, Akane had turned him down. His delusional pride had allowed him to convince himself that she was merely playing hard to get, and so he simply tried harder. Eventually, this escalated to her actually having to fight him. He convinced himself that she was just working through her maidenly shyness, and thus, at a special school assembly, he made a speech in which he said that only those who could defeat Akane in combat would be allowed to date her. He would permit absolutely no other terms.
Since Akane was quite popular and desired among the boys of the school, this led to The Fight. Every morning before classes, Akane would have to wade through at least thirty boys, ending with Kuno. Since Kuno's father happened to be the Principal, and something of a nutcase himself, nothing was done about it.
And this continued.
Every morning.
Leaving Akane with the firm conviction that all boys are perverts.
And so it was that, as happened every morning, Akane was charging towards the school, muttering a mantra of "hate boys, hate boys, hate boys" under her breath as a horde of boys armed with various weapons and sports equipment came rushing out to meet her.
Then the unexpected happened.
A black and red blur came darting out in front of Akane, resolving itself into a smallish red-haired girl in Chinese garb with a black gakuran jacket over it. She had her right hand brought back, glowing slightly with ki. With a mighty swing of her arm, she kicked up a gust of wind that knocked the whole horde off their feet, leaving a stunned Akane to stand there and gape.
An unearthly silence descended upon the grounds. Finally, the red-head spoke. "Excuse me. Could one of you explain just what the HELL you all think you're doing?"
Watching from the window of her classroom, Akane's older sister, Nabiki, was stunned. On the one hand, nobody had bet on someone butting in on the fight, so this had just become the most profitable morning for her in months. But on the other hand, this new girl had just put the entire Horde on their backs with a literal wave of her hand.
'I don't know who you are, Red, but I'm going to find out, you can bet on that,' Nabiki thinks to herself.
Back outside, Tatewaki Kuno stepped out from behind a tree, dressed in his usual kendo garb and with his bokken in hand. "What fair vision of loveliness is this...?"
The red-head interrupted. "Are you the one responsible for this reprehensibly dishonorable display?"
Kuno jerked, offended. "Dishonorable? By what right do you insult me so?"
A growl answered him. "By the right of common decency, jerkwad. Now answer the question."
The kendoist drew himself up proudly. "By your manner, I see that thou art lacking much in the way of education. Very well, permit me to open thine eyes and meet thy uncultured words with the answer you seek. Verily have I sought to date with the beauteous Akane Tendo, the fierce tigress that stands behind you. Alas, her maidenly shyness will not permit her to bask in the glory of my manliness as I know she desires to. Thus, I, Tatewaki Kuno, Captain of the Furinkan High School kendo club, the undefeated rising star of the high school fencing world, known to all as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, age 17, have stated that none may date her save he who defeats her. Not even a most fair pig-tailed goddess such as yourself may stand in the way of my fated union with my tigress."
The red-head raised an eyebrow. "Are ya finished? Good. Now, let me explain somethin' to you about girls, bub. And guys, too, while I'm at it. Ya see, if a girl says no, and uses her fists to do so, it ain't 'maidenly shyness.' It means she hates yer guts. Furthermore, what makes ya think any of these idiots would stop if they actually did manage to beat Akane? And why would Akane believe that you'd stop at just a date if you managed to beat her? As far as she knows, she's protecting herself from a giant group of potential molesters. And you're the organizer. The molester-in-chief, ya might say."
Kuno scowled. "You dare question the purity of my motives?"
"I dare question the purity of your intelligence," came the retort. "Look, man. You seem to think you're a samurai. Exactly what part of the samurai code says it's okay to attack a girl when she turns down a date with you?"
"Enough!" Kuno pointed his bokken at her. "I'll not stand here and permit you to besmirch me in public in such a fashion!" He charged forward with a mighty downward swing of his bokken...only to be surprised when she caught the wooden blade between both hands.
The red-head smirked. "I am Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, and I accept..." She jerked her hands to the side, breaking his blade, then lashed out with an upwards thrusting side-kick into the underside of his jaw, sending him flying back to land hard on his back. "...your challenge." She tossed the broken bokken blade aside, smiling at her fallen foe.
"I...fight on," croaked Kuno, just before he succumbed to unconsciousness.
Ranma exhaled, then turned to Akane. "You okay?" Akane just nodded dumbly, still shocked over what had just happened.
Then Ranma's words caught up to her. "Did you say...you practice Anything-Goes?"
Ranma tilted her head curiously. "Yeah, why?" She wasn't prepared for the excited squeal she got.
"No way! I do, too! I'm the heir to the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts!"
"The Tendo branch, huh?" Ranma looked Akane over. 'Hmm...doesn't seem to have all that much training under her belt, though I gotta admit she's light years ahead of these other jokers,' she mused. 'Maybe she's just got a lazy sensei.' Finally, Ranma nodded. "Funny coincidence, huh?"
"Yeah," agreed Akane. "Is this your first day of classes here?" At Ranma's nod, she continued, "Let me see your schedule. I can help you find your classroom." Ranma dug into her pants pocket and produced a folded up piece of paper, which she unfolded and showed to Akane. "Hey, we're in the same class! Come on, we can go together!"
Ranma chuckled, then proceeded inside with Akane.
I'd like to tell you that things with that Kuno idiot ended there, that he realized what he was doing was wrong, and that I never had to deal with him again.
I'd like to tell you that, but I can't lie that convincingly.
I didn't even go the whole day without seeing him again. Lunch time found us once again in the presence of the ol' True Blunder, much to my never-ending chagrin...
"Hold! Flame-haired Goddess, I would speak with thee!"
That voice. That hated voice brought what had up until then been a pleasant lunch between Ranma and Akane under the shade of a tree outside grinding to a halt. With a frustrated groan, Ranma turned to look back over her shoulder at the kendoist who was now approaching them. "Is there something I can help you with, Kuno?"
"Nay, for it is I who have come to assist you!"
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"
"Thy words this morning were harsh indeed, yet I know them for what they truly are. Verily, you, too, have become smitten with the Blue Thunder's presence, but thy maidenly shyness dost not allow you to bask in my magnificence as I know you wish to do. Therefore, I doth hereby decree that none may date you save those who defeat y-"
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" A ki blast cut his declaration off, smashing him into the wall surrounding the school. Several students screamed and dove for cover. By the time Kuno pulled himself free of the rubble, he looked up to find Ranma right in front of him, holding a ki blast ready in his face. Even through his delusions, he could guess what that would do to him. While he nervously sweated, Ranma spoke, her voice utterly devoid of emotion. "Listen and listen good, Kuno, 'cause I ain't gonna repeat myself. I am not now nor have I ever been 'smitten' with you. Akane is not now nor has she ever been 'smitten' with you, either. You are an annoyance, a blight, a boil on the backside of the dirtiest portion of this school. No one looks up to you, no one admires you, no one respects you. You are delusional. You are arrogant. You are a bully. Every time you call yourself a samurai, you spit on the legacy of the truly honorable samurai all throughout Japan's history. This morning was strike one. This is strike two. You do not wanna find out what happens on strike three. For your own sake, I suggest you steer clear of myself and Akane from now on. If you continue to harrass either one of us, I will shatter your wrists to the point that you cannot wield a sword ever again. This is your first, last, and only warning." She dismissed the ki ball, then turned and walked back to resume her lunch with Akane.
I don't know if he got the message, but I do know I didn't see him again for the rest of the day after that. I guess tomorrow will be the acid test.
For his own sake, I hope he listened.
Anyway, after school, Akane suggested I come to her home with her. I had to admit to some curiosity about the man my father trained with, so I agreed. The dojo was pretty much what I expected from my cursory examination of Akane's apparent fitness level: A nice enough training hall, but obviously not used very vigorously. A waste.
What I didn't expect was what I learned about what my father had arranged for me regarding the Tendo branch of the school...
"I'm home!" The call came from Akane as she stepped through the front door of the Tendo domicile.
"Pardon the intrusion," added Ranma as she followed Akane inside, the two of them removing their shoes and leaving them in the genkan.
"Oh my, we have a guest." The new voice had a gentle, maternal tone to it. In a moment, the owner of the voice came into view. It was a tall young woman with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and draped over her shoulder. She was dressed in a long, conservative dress, an apron tied on over her bottom half. The smile she directed at the two arriving girls was nothing short of angelic. "Welcome home, Akane. Who is your friend?"
"Hi, Kasumi. This is a new classmate of mine. She just started classes today." She nudged Ranma with an elbow.
Ranma cleared her throat. "I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. You must be Akane's older sister." She bowed to the older girl.
Kasumi blinked. "Anything-Goes...? Oh! You must be the daughter of Father's old training partner. It's so nice to finally meet you, Ranma. Come in, please. I'm certain Father will be delighted to see you." With a smile, Kasumi turned and escorted the two girls into the sitting room. Sitting there reading the newspaper was a tall man with long black hair and a black mustache, wearing a brown karate gi. A cigarette was dangling from his lips, a tendril of smoke drifting up from the tip.
The man looked up. "Hm? Well, now! I wasn't expecting my little girl to bring home company. Welcome, welcome. I am Soun Tendo. And you are...?"
"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
Soun's eyes widened. "Saotome...?" Suddenly, he surged to his feet, dropping the newspaper as he grabbed Ranma in a hug. "At last, you're here! Oh, it's so good of you to come! So good of you to-" He suddenly stopped, realizing that he was feeling something against his chest that he wasn't expecting. He squeezed her a couple of times to make sure, then grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from him, staring at her in shock.
Ranma sighed. Clearly the man had been expecting a son. 'I guess it was too much to hope for that he didn't know about me,' she thought to herself. "Um...sorry 'bout this."
"A...A girl...?" And with that, the man fainted.
Some time later, Soun returned to consciousness. He found himself gazing up at the ceiling of the sitting room, a pillow under his head and a blanket over him. A cold compress was on his forehead.
"Oh my, Father is awake." That was Kasumi, seated by Soun's head. Sitting at his side were Nabiki, Ranma, and Akane. Ranma was very carefully looking anywhere except at the others in the room.
Nabiki spoke up. "Care to explain that little fainting spell, Daddy?"
"My old friend, Genma Saotome, told me he had a son."
Nabiki reached over and grabbed one of Ranma's breasts. "Does this look like a boy to you, Daddy?"
Ranma closed her eyes. "I really wish you'd stop that." Remembering the events of this morning, Nabiki quickly retracted her hand.
Akane spoke up. "What's the big deal? Maybe you just heard him wrong, Dad."
Soun sighed. "No, I didn't. We had an agreement. We were going to join the schools by having Genma's son marry one of you three girls. That way, the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
Akane's temper exploded. "WHAT? You were going to make us marry someone we've never even met?"
"Oh, Father," chimed in Kasumi. "No wonder he was so disappointed."
Ranma spoke up. "I wasn't told about it, either. My Pop was...lost to a training accident in China."
Tears came quickly to Soun's eyes as he sat up. "I see. Then my old friend is gone...and his child is a girl..." Suddenly, he burst into a fountain of tears. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! SAOTOME IS DEAD! WAAAAAAAAAAH! HIS SON IS A DAUGHTER! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! NOW THE SCHOOLS WILL NEVER BE JOINED! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Ranma grimaced at the man's display. 'Good grief, no wonder Akane isn't up to par,' she thought to herself. 'With a man like this as her teacher, it's a miracle she's up to the level she is!'
Akane stood up. "Would you like to see the dojo, Ranma? Maybe you can teach me a few moves."
Ranma looked up at her, then smiled and nodded.
That was pretty much the one bright spot of the day: Akane. I ended up agreeing to teach her what I know, or at least as much of it as I think she can handle. I made sure to avoid all of Pop's teaching methods; all he would've done is dodge her and taunt her until she blew her top. That's not what she needs.
My lesson plan for her is to work on her emotional control while refining her skills as much as I possibly can. Once that's done, I intend to start teaching her the Saotome style. My family's branch specializes in aerial combat, and I mean for her to start hitting the mid-air as soon as possible. She's got a real talent for the Art, and loads of potential. Potential I never would've noticed if I hadn't had the example of Cologne and the Amazons to teach me that girls can be just as strong as boys. Telling her what she's doing wrong is a tricky proposition, though; the girl's got a temper that ranks somewhere between nitroglycerin and a freaking H-bomb.
Maybe I should get a cane like Cologne's. A few bonks to the head whenever she starts losing her temper might do the trick.
Anyway, that's my first day at Furinkan High School. If the days following it are anything like this one, I swear I'll snap.
No, Saotome. Calm down.
Soul of Ice.
Soul of Ice.
...
Crap.
End Chapter 8.
Author's Note: Phew! There was a lot I wanted to get done in this chapter, but there it is. Ranma's first day at Furinkan High School. I hope it lived up to expectations. See you all in Chapter 9! Bye! ^_^
