Disclaimer: The following is a fan-written parody. Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Studio Deen, Shogakukan, Viz Media, and Madman Entertainment. Support the official release.

Senpai
A Ranma ½ Story

|Darkness from Above|

The immediate fallout from the discovery in the Vault of Kolkhoz was not as swift or dramatic as one might think. In fact, one would likely find the pace at which Furinkan moved after finding their smoking gun glacial by comparison. This was because taking that news in was still a difficult thing.

"This is unbelievable," Akane said in quiet fury as she scanned the records taken from the school, looking over Nabiki's trembling shoulders.

Katie was like everyone else in the room in agreement, but the scope actually hadn't quite dawned to her. Hell, she wasn't even exactly sure what she was looking at presently. "So how bad is it?"

Kodachi fielded that one. "The truth of the abominable nature of clan Saginomiya is uglier than even I had expected. The tip of the iceberg, as it were, is that the students of Kolkhoz have been receiving the exam scores of students here at Furinkan, Tomobiki and even Butsumetsu."

Ranma snorted. "Tip of the iceberg nothing! I mean, look at that, they took Nabiki's entrance exam score and gave it to one of the Golden Pair!"

"Not surprising in the least," Katie muttered. "That idiot Shiratori couldn't get into a good school on a figure skating scholarship, I bet she failed the entrance exam flat out."

"Without question, as the actual test is your willingness to buy into the school or not." Kodachi intoned with a rueful shake of her head. "When entry is purchased, they take the buyer's failing grade and swap it with another student's."

Which only caused Nabiki's depth of fury to broaden. "They didn't even try to approach me about buying in, either."

She was pretty sure why at least, and that too stoked her anger: Azusa's family was fairly well-off, at least two income brackets higher than what the Tendos are nominally capable of on paper.

"They just took my score and gave it to her, and I had to go straight to my second choice school," Nabiki growled.

"That's fucked," Katie muttered.

Kodachi brought it home. "And yet the deeper we delve into this scandal, the more terrible it becomes. As these records show, once a customer buys into the school their grades are kept excellent as long as they are willing to pay the fees to keep a student there. Midterm examinations, final term examinations. Every important test that is taken has their underperforming grades swapped out for the excellent grades of students from other schools."

Katie recoiled a bit. "Holy shit."

"But why do this? Why not just fudge the numbers?" Akane asked. "Why swap grades entirely?"

Nabiki had the answer. "Because there are three awful schools with plenty of bright students to exploit; since those schools are shit, no one will really care if anyone there fails."

She thrust her hand at the screen of her laptop. "And this has been going on for years. Even before I went to school."

The implication was resoundingly clear to not only Katie but Akane as well. So clear, they said it at the same time, "They screwed Kasumi over too."

"I'm tagging out of Tomobiki." Ranma said, looking and sounding rather upset as much as everyone else was. "I can't leave it to anybody else."

"No offense taken my man." Katie was more surprised he was considerate enough to think about offending her. "If I went there, I might just kill someone. Besides, I just found out about my Uncle's job at Tomobiki so if anything I should make sure he's behaving."

"Oh not him again." Akane grumbled, remembering the Gambling King affair.

"I'm fairly certain he won't do shit but it's best to be safe." Katie said, before looking to Kodachi. "Well then."

"Yes?" Kodachi asked.

"Now that we have this cat in the bag, when are we gonna let it out?" Katie asked, cracking her knuckles. "Because we can't sit on it."

"By morning at the earliest." Kodachi replied. "We need to prepare a statement for our student body."

"I still can't believe this." Akane said, looking first at Nabiki and then in the direction of the Tendo home. "All of this... for what purpose?"

"The Saginomiya are no such great clan that possesses a long rich tapestry to their history." Kodachi answered as though she studied this information down to the finest detail. "They made the entirety of their wealth during the economic miracle, but act like much older money. In all ways, great pretenders compared to the storied clans that resides here in our ward such as the Mendou and the Kuno. That school, like the businesses of the Saginomiya Zaibatsu, are falsehoods to perpetuate a long history of power and prestige that does not exist!"

"So that's it: it's a money scheme." Ranma said, having been thinking of this since he first learned of it and adding what he learned in the Culinary arts building.

"Making people dance to their whims while glorifying themselves off the failure of the other schools." Nabiki said, her teeth gritted in anger. "It's a great scam, but you know what? I don't care, I'm gonna burn the place to the ground."

Akane nodded, her own furor pushing down her usual attempt at being the one to keep them from going overboard. "It doesn't deserve to exist anymore."

Katie shouldn't have laughed but she couldn't help herself. "Well that makes it official. The Saginomiya have fucked up if you're down for ultraviolence."

"I want to hold back, but thinking about everyone else who has gotten taken advantage of by them makes my blood boil." Akane admitted. "People like Kosaku-san and the other students who are really showing their worth! They're hurting them too and it's making me so mad I can't take it!"

"But control yourself you must!" Kodachi implored. "You should hold in that anger and unfurl it full force into our opponents in this little war game. But! Do not think I am dismissing your anger or am asking you to just to play along with my selfishness to satisfy my ego!"

Kodachi nodded, feeling something brewing inside her, a righteousness she never thought she'd know. "After this is over, I will remove the taint they have placed on everyone, even if I must declare war on the entire school system of Japan to do so! My beloved friends, I will move heaven, earth and all the assorted hells to make this right! I owe you no less than the full power of the clan Kuno to undo this travesty!"

Katie rubbed her chin. "And thus why she's the President, ne?"

Ranma snorted and smirked a bit. "As if we needed the reminder."

Akane gave Kodachi a grateful look. "Thanks, Kodachi-san."

"I'll be sure to videotape Asuka's beatdown." Nabiki promised, still looking pissed off. "I'll show them all…"

"Sis… you're going to go?" Akane murmured, looking concerned.

"Well," Katie said, thinking about all they had on Kolkhoz. "She'd pretty much be running the school tits to toes if they let her in so… it's only fitting she be the one to exact justice."

Ranma coughed to keep his thoughts pure. "We all have our pride."

Akane nodded, allowing her sister her rage. "Just make sure she stays safe."

"No one will touch her." Ranma said, not even needing to swear or promise it. Anybody who tried would be getting wrecked something fierce.

Nabiki resumed silently stewing, her fury unabated in the slightest. As someone who took pride in avoiding things that would dirty her hands, Nabiki was somewhat hard to really truly anger. Yet, everyone had a breaking point and Nabiki had reached hers.

For the first time in her life, she was ready to go to a place that she normally refused outright, and it was going to be messy.


A/N: Hell hath no fury like Nabiki scorned.