Ranma sat idly in class, as Mr. Muroto droned on. She looked over at Daisuke, who was fiddling with some type of device he had brought to school.
Ranma looked around the room with a glare, spotting several men looking at her.
"Hey Ranma, you look pretty good in a dress... want my phone-number?" Ranma leaned away from the student who was looking at her chest, not her face, as he spoke. A brick connected with the boys head and he fell over.
Mr. Muroto paused in his lecture and looked at the unconcious student on the ground.
Ranma looked at Daisuke, who didn't even seem as if he had made a move. Ranma knew Daisuke, though. Bricks were his trademark, they just seemed to appear in his hand... which reminded Ranma of a certain Hammer.
The bell rang, and Ranma groaned. She had to go to P.E., which would not be fun... with everything she was wearing, she knew she couldn't go into the boys locker room. *Chalk up another embarrassment from a Saotome promise,* Ranma grabbed her books and walked out the classroom door.
"Hey! Ranma! Wait up, bud!" Daisuke yelled, everyone looked at Daisuke and Ranma, and Ranma felt an uncomfortable silence spread over the hallway.
Ranma couldn't understand... not even _after_ everyone had found out about the curse did they treat her this badly. She felt like a bug from some of the looks people were giving her.
"Yeah, Dai?" Ranma said, trying to ignore the looks.
"Well, you know that water has been mysteriously vanishing in large quantities for the past 36 hours, right? Well... actually it's 35 hours, 47 minutes, 13 seconds-"
"DAI! Yes, I know, get on with it," Ranma tapped her foot and put one hand on her hip, the other hand held her books at her side.
"Uhm," Dai began, noticing the odd stance Ranma had decided upon, "Yes, well, as I was saying... I was at home, working on my Chaometer when this _huge_ blip started going back and forth over Nerima... here, take a look-see yourself, this electronic-notebook is patched right into the system," Daisuke thrust the notebook out at Ranma, and she took it after a moments hesitation.
"Chaowhatsathingy?" Ranma looked at the huge distorted blip flashing on the screen.
"It's a Chaometer, it measures levels of chaotic energy-sigs. I came up with the idea when I found out about your curse, I've been fine-tuning it ever since," Daisuke smirked, "You would be surprised how many people have a high energy-sig, and not _just_ Jusenkyo victims!"
"Wait, you mean this thingy can actually _track_ weird beings and Jusenkyo curses?" Ranma looked incredulous, which made her look cute.
"Yeah, and that thingy there is a _very_ erratic, and unfamiliar sig for these parts!" Daisuke folded his arms across his chest in a 'as-a-matter-of fact' pose.
"You mean this thing could track Ryouga?" Another thought passed Ranma's mind as she said those words, "Waitasec, this say's it's somewhere near Ucchan's classroom!" Ranma looked at the thing, a question playing in her head.
"Is this thing dangerous?" Ranma asked, a bit worried about her friend and the implications this odd discovery could mean.
"Well, by the oddly unstable fluctuations in it's pattern, as well as the random consumption of energy and how it seems to be emitting it..." Daisuke looked at the E-notebook, then back up at Ranma.
"It's a possibility," Daisuke caught his E-notebook as Ranma disappeared in a cloud of Smoke.
* * * * * *
Aquarius floated down the hallway, her blue hair streaming out behind her in a shimmering cascade of beauty. Her heart burned as she sensed a being who knew where her quarry was.
She slowly lowered herself down in front of the door and flung it open. All the students, as well as Akane and Ukyou looked up to see a beautiful girl surrounded by a fierce blue aura of a thousand shades.
"WHERE IS PRINCESS OF JOKETSUZOKU!?!?" Aquarius yelled. Hinako looked over at the girl, then put her hands on her hips.
"Well, there's no need to yell young lady. Besides, you are late... whoever you are. Take a seat!" Hinako pointed at an empty seat.
"I not here to learn, I here seek Princess of-"
"That's nice, TAKE A SEAT!!! NOW!!!" Hinako pulled out a coin and pointed it at Aquarius.
"You offer me? I no want coin, I want betrayer! I destroy!!!" Aquarius's chi glowed brightly as a shield of water began forming around the girl.
"HAPPO-FIVE-YEN-SATSU!!!" Hinako yelled, the beam hit the shield, crackled, and then returned twice as powerful as before.
Hinako yelled as she felt her own chi sucked out of her and given to the being of Water.
"I not seen that technique use for hundred of years... no matter. It not harm me a bit... and thank you for energy! AGH!" Someone kicked her in the back, sending her sprawling to the ground in Hinako's room.
"You sound a little cocky, let me soft'n you up a bit!" Ranma stood in a battle stance, her fists ready for a fight. She looked slightly silly in the school dress.
"Is that Ranma?"
"Yeah, she looks great in a dress!"
"Shutup you! You already have a girlfriend!"
"Yeah! Kick her butt Ranma!"
"Bets, please?" Nabiki started collecting money.
"NABIKI!?!? Are you crazy?! I can't fight in here, people would get Oof!" Ranma was drenched with cold water as Aquarius began floating again, her shield restored.
"I commend, you startle me... but not again. Now you suffer wrath! KIYAAA!" Aquarius lunged at Ranma, a blue sword in her hand glowing softly. Her movements fluid and natural.
Ranma dodged with ease, and the sword-hilt whacked into the side of her head.
"OW!" Ranma jumped back out into the hallway. "You can't FIGHT me here! If you wanna fight me, fight outside!" Ranma looked around at the innocent bystanders gathering to watch the fight.
"Why I care? They only humans. You only human... you all deceive, betray, capture, enslave! None of you different!" Aquarius thrust with her sword, Ranma dodged again, taking a step back. It continued like this, Ranma backing away with each thrust as Aquarius lunged over and over again, each thrust becoming more and more rapid with the blue-haired girl's frustration.
"Why you not fight?! You weak?! You AFRAID?!" Aquarius taunted the girl before her, seeing a glimmer of fire pass when fear was mentioned.
"No, I'm not afraid of nothin', I just don't fight girls!" Ranma stopped as Aquarius paused in her attack.
She began laughing. "You sound just like inferior man, what waste of true beauty of the art!" Ranma turned positively red at the comment. "But, man could likely fight better," Ranma turned even redder as his anger began to build. "Then again, you no man!"
Snap. Ranma burst into a flurry of movement, beginning with a Tenshin Amaguriken, followed with a blur of kicks and sweeps, mixed with dragon punches and ending with a Mouko Takabisha.
Aquarius was visually stunned as several attacks actually connected, flying _through_ her water-barrier. Then a strong blast completely obliterated her shield.
"How you... wait..." Aquarius looked at the aura, sensing a familiar presence she began to scan, dodging the attacks in the process. There it was, the taint of Jusenkyo.
Aquarius smiled, "You no man! I show," Aquarius began to glow, and Ranma paused as the goddess's words reached her.
"YOU A GIRL!!!" Aquarius yelled, sensing her prey's fear she began to charge the mystic energy's within her.
An image flashed in Ranma's mind of the Chiisuiton, and her mind froze. When it regained he saw a strange energy building between the girl's hands, and she ran with all her might.
* * * * * *
Ranma stopped, her chest heaving as she realized she was nowhere even near the school.
She had run, the disgrace fell upon her heart. She had run, because of a threat which she wasn't even sure had been what she thought it was.
Her hair dripped, reminding her how soaked she was. Where was she? She looked around. She was somewhere near the Dojo if she didn't miss her guess.
*Who was that girl? Somethin' about water...* Ranma dwelled on it as she leaned against the stone wall. She thought about the day, and picked at her dress. Several men had asked her out, an emphatic punch was her answer... as well as a deep blush.
Ranma was beginning to understand how Akane felt. She even had to turn down some of her friends, as well as some of the shy people who hadn't spoken a word to her or her male half all year... she couldn't punch _them_, so she let them down softly. The disappointment had been depressing.
Then there was the fact that those people not trying to ask her out were treating her like some kind of hideous monster, as if her wearing a dress and make-up had somehow changed her into a sicko of immense proportion.
That was the embarrasing thing, though, she had _promised_ to wear the dress. People either saw her as a girl, or saw her as a man trying his best to be a girl... which disgusted them.
Even the teachers treated her differently, gave her extra time on assignments that were due that day, as well as suggested home-ec and relationship classes... relationship classes!
*One day, and everyone's thinkin you're someone else, sheesh.* Hinako hadn't changed however. She could care less what Ranma wore or what form she was in, she still found excuses to 'Discipline' Her at any chance she got.
*Well, at least Akane hasn't started actin' funny... well, not more so than usual I guess.* Ranma took comfort in the fact that Akane hadn't started seeing her as a girl. It made her feel... It made her feel more comfortable.
Ranma thought about the fight that had been initiated minutes before, and wondered who the odd girl was and if she was responsible for the water disappearing... it seemed reasonable seeing as how she was using water based attacks.
*Nuts, I'm not gonna let some girl beat me. I guess I'll have to go find her and resume our battle...* Ranma thought about it, and groaned. Unfortunately, She _had_ to go back to the school and attend the rest of her classes. For one, her Mother thought that education was just as important as Martial Arts, and for two, Ranma had an absence problem in several of his evening classes... usually because weird competitors showed up in the evening and challenged him/her to a duel. Well, that and Ryouga was still appearing randomly to smash Ranma or attack him/her.
Ranma began jogging back to school, reluctant to continue the day.
