These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post them and make it easier to read. Just want to give his stuff the recognition it deserves.
Ranma 1/2 and the gang are from the fertile imagination of Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me. I'm poor, etc, etc
(" "): Chinese language
italics: Thoughts
Chapter 3
Blind Man's Bluff
A small group was making its way toward the gates of a high school in the district of Nerima. The group consisted of an extremely aged woman, three young girls, and a teenage boy. The aged woman, who happened to be hopping on a staff that was three times her height, addressed the group as they made their way to Furinkan High.
"Now I want you all to be on your best behavior while we are here. You have all earned the right to be here and given the opportunity to learn about the outside world. I will not tolerate any blood feuds or vendettas, save for challenges. The council had decided that any matter pertaining to our Amazon Laws would be interpreted at MY discretion. Since I am the highest authority of our tribe in Japan, I will have the final word on it. Is that understood?"
("Yes, Elder Cologne.") The group responded.
"Oh, and I would prefer if you would all speak Japanese, since we will be living here." Cologne gestured to Ranma. "Do not hesitate to ask Ranma or me about things you do not understand."
"Great-grandmother?"
"Yes, Shampoo?"
The purple-haired girl pointed to the school uniform she was wearing. "Do we have to wear these clothes? Shampoo feels that it does not suit an Amazon." Lilac and Perfume nodded. Ranma tugged at the collar of his dark blue outfit.
Cologne nodded. Shampoo's Japanese had gotten much better since Ranma had started tutoring her. She still had a habit of referring to herself in the third person, but her sentence structure was not as broken. "Yes, child. I'm afraid that your regular clothes are a bit too... revealing for such a place."
"Ranma never minded what I wore." Shampoo protested lightly with a smile.
Cologne snorted in amusement. "In Ranma's case, he wouldn't object to you in your birthday suit!"
The group snickered a bit at the private joke then continued on. As they came to the front gates, they were a bit surprised to see a mob of school boys begin to gather at the front of the main building. Normally, this wouldn't be an unusual sight. What was unusual was the fact that nearly all of them were brandishing various sports equipment, practice weapons, or some other kind of blunt or sharp object. Many of the boys belonged to the numerous sports teams or martial arts clubs. As the crowd grew, the Amazons stopped at the front gate to watch the spectacle.
In Ranma's case however, he was already assessing the situation with his enhanced senses. Cologne noted this and asked, "What is it, Ranma?"
Ranma did not answer for a long moment as he took in every bit of information his physical and metaphysical senses were collecting.
Finally, he responded. "Hmmm. I count about forty boys. Judging from their emotions, they're expecting to ambush someone. Either that or they intend to hit someone head on. Lots of them are breathing hard and are out of shape. The amount of ki energies I'm feeling is relatively low, almost nonexistent in just about everyone in that crowd. I think that the entire lot has very little to no skill in the martial arts. Except maybe for four of them near the back of the group."
Cologne looked over the rear of the mob and noted that two boys were dressed in white gi outfits, signifying that they were from the karate club. The other one was dressed in the practice outfit of the kendo club, complete with body pads and facemask. The last one was wearing the garb of a sumo wrestler. She could also sense that they had slightly higher ki levels than the rest. "Very good, Ranma. What else can you sense?"
"Whoops! My mistake! Make that five boys. There's one who's hiding behind a tree forty paces from the right side of the front of the main building. He's got the highest skill level of the lot. I sense arrogance and unbelievable confidence. Judging by his ki level, however, he wouldn't be able to beat a trained thirteen-year old in the village. Heck, I would say that even Ling Ling and Lung Lung could beat him."
Cologne then turned her gaze to where Ranma had indicated and sure enough, there was someone hiding behind the tree. The boy appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen and was dressed in samurai garb. He held a wooden bokken in one hand and a red rose in the other. She then gauged the boy's fighting potential and had to agree with Ranma's assessment.
Ranma then turned his head toward two approaching figures that were running toward the gates. He noted the increase in hormone activity in the mob of boys and decided that this was what they were waiting for.
"Step back, everybody. This is going to be messy."
As the Amazons watched in disbelief, the drama unfolded itself. To the newcomers, they were confused at the spectacle. To Akane Tendo, however, it was just merely part of the same old routine.
"Akane Tendo! I love you!" WHAM!
"Please go out with me!" POW!
"This is for you!" CRASH!
"Akane!" WHAP!
"Let me-" CLONG!
The youngest daughter of Soun Tendo blasted through her would-be suitors like a rhino on a rampage. The boys would only get one or two seconds to attack her before they were beaten into the pavement. As the battle raged, Ranma made a few sideline comments to Cologne as his senses gauged her fighting ability.
"Judging by the way she's exerting herself, she's relying more on brute strength than skill. I can feel her anger from here and it's making her sloppy." A big bruiser suddenly grabbed Akane from behind, but she gave him an uppercut to the jaw to get him to release her. "She left herself wide open for that one. Her defense is lousy." A tennis player swung his racket at her head. Akane barely managed to duck it and retaliate with a roundhouse kick. "Reflexes need work. Her reaction time is too slow." Akane then sidestepped the sumo wrestler and tripped him up. She then dodged several more attempts to beat her by members of the volleyball team. "Hmmm, the only reason why she's holding out is because those guys aren't attacking as a group. They're all getting in each other's way."
"Be that as it may, this does not concern us, Ranma." Cologne replied as she began leading her group toward the school. "Now come along. I need to speak with the registration office and it wouldn't do for the four of you to be late on your first day of class."
It was at this time that Akane beat off the last of her unwanted admirers. She stood amid a landscape of bruised and battered adolescents. As she wiped her brow, she said angrily to her sister, Nabiki, who happened to be standing nearby holding Akane's bookbag. "I wish that these jerks would just lay off!"
"I thought by now that you'd be used to this kind of thing, sis." Nabiki commented as she handed Akane back her bag. She noticed a small group heading toward them. "Well, looks like we got some new faces here."
Nabiki took in the group with her usual, calculating look. The three young girls were all dressed in the school uniforms for Furinkan High's female students. One girl had long purple hair and had a couple buns near the top of her head. The second girl had dark hair that was tied in a loose ponytail that went down to her waist. The third girl had red hair that was done up in an elaborate braid that was as long as the first girl's ponytail. The end of her hair was tied in a bright gold ribbon. At the front of the group, was an aged woman, only about two feet in height and was hopping along on a long, gnarled, wooden staff.
Nabiki noted that the three girls were quite beautiful and emanated an aura of intensity. Many of the boys who were sprawled on the ground became entranced by their looks. That is, those who could get their swollen eyes to open. However, what really caught her attention was the lone male member of the group. Nabiki wasn't the only one though. The handsome stranger who had just arrived also captivated the numerous female students who had been watching Akane beat up the daily mob. Living under the care of Jasmine had caused Ranma to grow up into a very attractive male. The problems of malnutrition and poor health care under Genma were nonexistent, thanks to his adopted mother's skills as a healer. Ranma was tall and his clothes seemed to mold over the lean, muscular frame that his master Koga had spent eight years in refining. The school uniform did little to hide the definition of his muscles, especially in his chest, arms, legs, and rear. His hair was also done up in a loose ponytail that went down to midback. The special herbal shampoo that he used made his hair luxuriant and silky. His unseeing eyes still reflected that unique shade of blue, which resembled twin pools of liquid sapphire. His face was well defined and contained sharp, angular lines that made him appear far older and wiser than his actual age. He walked with a casual grace that bespoke of a gentle nature, yet also one of confidence and power. There was no doubt in Nabiki's mind or the minds of the other girls. Ranma was a hunk.
Just as the group came to where Akane was standing, a small object came darting toward her. She deftly caught it, then frowned when she saw it was a rose. The group also stopped when they saw the boy that Ranma had detected earlier step out from his hiding place.
"Truly a boorish lot, these cretins who dare thought they could win thy hand, Akane Tendo."
Akane let off a depressed and disgusted sigh. "Kuno, I don't have time for this! I'm going to be late!" Akane then tried to step around the kendoist, but is stopped when Kuno holds out his bokken in front of her.
"Wouldst thou not spar with me, my love? Must I once again prove my worthiness to you? Should we not show all these peasants that I am the only one worthy to receive thy favors? Very well, if you can defeat me, then I will allow you to date with-" It was then that he noticed Shampoo, Perfume, and Lilac. "Hold! What loveliness do mine eyes see today? Ah! The gods have seen fit to reward the great and noble Kuno with not one, but four goddesses this day! What are thy names, beauteous ones? I would know them so that I may shower you with the glory that is my myself!"
By now, the Amazons were getting a little more than annoyed at the nonsense that this pompous kendoist was spouting out. The fact that he was making overtures toward them only irritated them even more. They already had their sights set on Ranma and in their minds, this wannabe samurai couldn't compare to the blind martial artist. They all gave him a look of disgust and ignored him completely as they started toward the main school building.
Kuno, of course, was too dense to see that he was being given the cold shoulder. He promptly put himself in front of the group and spread his arms. "Will you not give thy names to the greatness that you see before you? Perhaps an introduction is in order? Yes! It is proper to give one's own name first!" He then puffed out his chest and began his introduction. "I am the undefeated captain of this school's kendo club! The rising new star of the high school fencing world! My name alone strikes fear in those who hear of it! My peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" At this time, he raised his bokken to the heavens and a bolt of lightning crackled in the distance. He then finished his introduction. "Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen."
Hmpf! What a showoff! Cologne thought.
Behind the so-called Blue Thunder, crowds of students were watching out the second and third floor windows of the school. As soon as Kuno had finished his introduction, they began to gossip among themselves.
"Blue Thunder? That's a new one."
"Yeah. Last week, he was calling himself the Shooting Star."
"Who are those three babes?"
"Forget those girls. I want to know who that hunk is!"
"He's dreamy!"
Ranma sighed as he was also a bit put out by Kuno. To him, Kuno's mouth hurt him even worse, due to his enhanced hearing. Sensing the displeasure in his companions and in Akane, he decided to speak for all of them. Motioning for the others to step back, he came forward and addressed the insane kendoist.
"Listen up. It's kind of obvious that my cousin and her friends aren't interested. This girl here doesn't want you either." Ranma gestured to Akane.
"Hey! I can speak for myself!" Akane retorted angrily. Just who does this stupid boy think he is?
Ranma shrugged. "In any case, my friends and I are new here and we really don't want to be late, so if you'll just step aside-"
Unfortunately for Ranma, Kuno was about as blind, (no pun intended) to the truth as Mousse was. He of course denied all overwhelming evidence. "You there! How may a common peasant such as yourself, presume to know the feelings of a fair maiden when she is in the glorious presence of one such as I? I will not stand for this insinuation that I, Tatewaki Kuno, am not the greatest gift that the gods could bestow on the lovely Akane Tendo! Could it be that you wish to woo her yourself?"
"Excuse me?"
"So that's it! You insult my prowess as a great lover, as part of a dastardly plan to undermine my efforts to win Akane's heart. With myself out of the way, you hope to gain her affections! I will not stand for it! Have at thee!" With this form of logic, (if one could call it that) he swung his bokken at Ranma's head.
Ranma had long sensed Kuno's attack and backflipped out of the way. As he landed, he tossed his bookbag to Shampoo and reached behind him. He withdrew a small metal cylinder that was about eight inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter. He held it out in front of him and focused his ki into it. Instantly, the metal cylinder made a strange sound (vreet!) and extended into a fighting staff that was five feet long. Ranma took a stance while twirling the weapon.
"Now that was uncalled for, Kuno! I don't know how you came to that stupid conclusion, but I won't stand by and let you use my head for target practice!" He then gripped his staff in front of him. "I'm Ranma Saotome, formally of the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts! As a healer and warrior of the Nieuchiezu, as well as a representative of the Unseen Light Martial Arts, I accept your challenge!"
Akane's eyes widened as she heard this revelation. Anything Goes?
By this time, the boys in which Akane had defeated earlier had picked themselves up and headed into the school. They didn't want to be anywhere near the battle zone. Akane however was transfixed by the scene and didn't move. The revelation that someone else knew the Anything Goes Martial Arts, plus the fact that he was facing off against Kuno was too unbelievable.
Cologne's eyes narrowed as she looked at Ranma's weapon. She had expected him to bring out his usual wooden Bo Staff. The fact that she also detected a huge amount of controlled ki being emitted from him when he made the metal rod elongate only furthered her interest. To her eyes, the staff was made out of a single piece of metal that somehow grew in length as if it were alive. She did not see him press any hidden switches, nor did she hear any telltale sounds of anything mechanical. Her mouth turned up slightly in a small smile as she thought, Hmmm. Now that's interesting I'll have to ask Ranma about it after he dispatches this fool. That weapon may be another one of Koga's secrets.
Kuno smirked as he assessed his opponent. This fool doesn't know that he is up against the unparalleled might of the great Tatewaki Kuno. This will be too easy!
On the second and third floor, the students leaned forward at the windows to get a better view of the imminent battle between the newcomer and the best fighter of Furinkan High. Nabiki Tendo had already gotten inside of the school as was busy taking down bets. She was giving Ranma the odds of twenty to one. Many of the girls who thought Ranma was attractive moaned as they saw him face off against Kuno. The majorities of the male student population had become obsessed with defeating Akane Tendo and were therefore ignoring the rest of the girls. The females were hoping at a chance at this new boy, but if he was going up against Kuno, then all hope was lost. Or so they thought.
"So you assume to face off against the unmatched prowess of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High? You must have grown tired of living!"
"Shut up and fight, Kuno! Unless you intend to bore me into submission!"
"Then have at thee peasant!" Kuno charged at his adversary, his bokken raised high.
Ranma's seventh sense was already giving him an image of his foe and he reacted accordingly. It would have been a simple matter to quickly knock out his opponent with pressure points, but the Unseen Light martial artist wanted to test out his new battle staff in combat. Stepping back a foot, he swung his staff in a reverse arc, then crouched down low. Just as Kuno's bokken began its downswing, Ranma moved with amazing speed and got within his defenses. One end of his staff came up and knocked Kuno in the chin, causing him to stagger back. Before Kuno could recover, Ranma lashed out with his staff again and gave a hard jab to the kendoist's kidneys. Kuno went down. However, instead of pressing his advantage, he stepped back for a few feet and waited.
Kuno staggered back to his feet and snarled. "Why you low-bred cur!" He then slashed at his opponent, but Ranma simply jumped over the bokken and with one free hand, he pointed at Kuno's forehead. An instant later, he spun around and delivered a reverse spin kick that nailed his foe in the temple. Kuno was knocked down again.
Angrily, the self-centered egomaniac came back up and then delivered another series of slashes, thrusts and swings. The blind martial artist proved to be too agile for him to hit. His sixth sense warned him of each attack and his seventh sense gave him a detailed image in his mind of every maneuver. Ranma used a variety of sidestepping, ducking, and leaping moves to evade every technique used against him. As a result, the surrounding area was torn apart as Kuno's bokken split the pavement, sliced though a nearby tree, and punched holes in the front wall.
He's so fast! Akane thought. He's not bad! For a moment, she had the feeling that this newcomer might be even better than she might be, but she quickly dismissed the foolish notion. Of course, I could do that, too! This guy's just lucky! I'm the best martial artist here!
He's good! Kuno thought as he lashed out again only to miss. He may prove to be- errk! His train of thought was abruptly stopped when Ranma hopped up and delivered a snap kick to Kuno's face, causing his body to straighten up. The wannabe samurai barely realized what was happening when Ranma then delivered a blow to the top of his head with his staff, making him bend over. Ranma then pointed his staff at Kuno's stomach and focused his ki into it again.
"Extend."
Amazingly, the staff then grew to five times its length, driving into Kuno's belly and drove him back, slamming him against the school's wall. A large depression was formed as the cement crumbled, knocking the wind out of Kuno's sails. The blind martial artist then refocused his ki.
"Reduce."
The pole shortened itself back down to its five-foot length.
Great! It worked!
With it no longer pinning him to the wall, Kuno slumped down. He shook his head and staggered forward, unwilling to admit that this upstart was winning. Running on adrenaline, he made another series of sword techniques at his opponent, but Ranma dodged them all yet again.
As the battle raged on, Cologne became even more interested in Ranma's new weapon. Very impressive!
The other Amazons were also amazed and so was the rest of the Furinkan student population. After dodging the last of Kuno's attacks, Ranma retaliated by dropkicking his enemy's face and then followed through with another blow to the head with his staff. Kuno was soon bending over and just as he came down, Ranma did a roundhouse kick and sent him sprawling. As Kuno went down, Ranma held up his staff above his head with one hand and began focusing his senses on his surroundings. He smiled as he took in all the data and then focused his ki into his weapon, causing it to shorten into a baton of about a foot and a half in length.
Kuno was in major pain. No one had ever given him this much of a beating before, except for Akane. Just as he was getting up when he saw Ranma's staff suddenly lose more than three-quarters of its length. Thinking that this was an opportunity, he rushed forward, intending to give him a vicious slash to his head. Then Ranma did the unthinkable. He threw his weapon away, then just stood in a neutral stance with his arms crossed.
What's he doing?! Akane thought.
The blind master of the Unseen Light smiled as he sensed Kuno's charge. However, he wasn't the least bit worried as he used his seventh sense to track the flight path of his baton. He had hurled it forward, but he had not aimed it directly at Kuno. Instead, the metal projectile shot like a miniature missile and went by Kuno, missing him by more than three feet. However, it then ricocheted off the fallen tree that Kuno had cut down earlier, bounced off the school's flagpole, then rebounded off the main building's wall before its angle of trajectory sent it right back toward Kuno.
"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Kuno screamed as he raised his bokken over his head to deliver the final blow to end this fight. It was then that he felt something rush over him and heard the distinctive sound of something being sliced. It was then that he felt something hard hit the top of his head, then make a dull thud on the ground beside him. He froze in mid-strike as he looked down. His eyes widened as he saw what was lying near his feet. It was the wooden blade of his bokken! He then looked up and saw that he was now clutching a useless handgrip. His gaze then came toward his opponent who was absently twirling his baton, which he had deftly caught on its return trip.
"Well, Kuno, it seems that you have a LITTLE skill with that stupid sword of yours. Now let's find out if you have any skill without it."
Ranma then made his baton shorten back to original eight-inch length, put it away, then went into a stance. It was at that time that dark storm clouds began to form and the skies became darker. I guess it's time to end this. I really should have wrapped this up quicker!
Kuno was at bit of a loss of what to do next, as he had absolutely no training in unarmed combat. In fact, he was still in the same mid-strike position as Ranma rushed forward to finish the fight. With lightning speed, Ranma delivered a series of shiatsu pressure points to his upper arms, legs and torso. He even froze the muscles to his mouth as he no desire to hear any more of Kuno's stupidity. The kendoist became as rigid as a statue as his major skeletal muscles locked up.
Ranma smiled as he sensed the Kuno's battle aura die down. He then added insult to injury as he walked behind Kuno and gave a firm push with an index finger to the back of his head.
"Timber!"
Kuno fell flat on his face, still frozen in place. Even though he couldn't move his mouth, he still managed a slight, unintelligible sound that was a cross between a groan and a whimper.
It was then that there was a moment of silence. You could hear a pin drop in the schoolyard. Then a loud cheer, accompanied by applause was heard. The students began whooping and shouting as they had just witnessed the utter defeat of Kuno.
"All right! He did it!"
"Who is that guy?"
"He's cute!"
"Cute nothing! He's gorgeous!"
"Pay up, Nabiki!"
On the schoolyard, his fellow Amazons were congratulating Ranma.
"You did great, Ranma!" Shampoo smiled as she gave him a hug.
Cologne hopped up to him and said, "Very good, Ranma. You have defended the honor of our tribe. Although, I didn't expect the fight to last that long."
"Sorry about that. I wanted to test out my new battle staff. Now that I have, I don't have to worry about him any more." He gestured with a thumb to the fallen kendoist.
"By the way, Ranma, may I see that new weapon of yours?"
Ranma shrugged as he handed her the small metal rod. Cologne then scrutinized it, but could find nothing out of the ordinary about it. It appeared to be just a solid metal cylinder that weighed just less than six ounces. She could see no mechanical devices, no moving parts or hidden switches. She could however, detect the residual ki energies that Ranma had used to make it expand or shrink. She tried to focus her own ki into it, but could not make it change its length.
She then looked up at Ranma and said, "Very interesting. I take it that this was another one of Koga's secrets?"
Ranma nodded as he took back his weapon, focused his ki into it, and made it elongate into its five-foot length to demonstrate. He then shrunk it backdown to its eight-inch size and put it away. "Master Koga taught the technique to me a couple of weeks before he died. I made it during the trip to Japan. It does have some more uses than my old Bo Staff."
"We'll talk more about it later. For now, we must the four of you into class. I'm afraid that you three are going to be late because of this. Come along."
The group passed both Kuno and Akane, who was still standing in disbelief at what had occurred. As they entered the building, Shampoo turned to Ranma and said, "What about Kuno?"
"Don't worry. The pressure points I used will wear off in about an hour."
"He wasn't much of an opponent, was he?"
Ranma smirked as he said, "Nah! I could have taken him with my eyes closed!"
The Amazons all shared another chuckle at the private joke.
Outside the school, Akane finally snapped out of her shocked state and hurried her way into the school. As soon as she entered the hallway, the skies began to open up and the rains began to fall, drenching the still frozen Kuno.
Curse you Saotome! I, Tatewaki Kuno shall see to it that you will suffer the awesome wrath of the Blue Thunder!
A few meters away, a large form was hunched behind a tree that was near the front schoolyard. It was covered in black and white fur, which was being soaked by the falling rain. It, or rather he had witnessed the entire battle.
Hmmm. Getting that son of mine back may be trickier than I thought! The boy's always with those damned Amazons and it looks like he's gotten better, too! No matter! I'll just get Tendo! He'll help me after I've explained everything. Once we get Ranma to the dojo, then I can just kiss all of my worries goodbye, and be set for life! Nothing can go wrong!
Genma Saotome then made a beeline toward the Tendo Dojo. In the distance, a flash of lightning crackled, almost as if it was a sign for things to come.
In one of the classrooms, the attentions of the male and female students were fixated on the four newcomers who were standing at the front.
"Class, we have four new students at Furinkan High." The teacher gestured to the three girls. "This is Shampoo, Lilac, and Perfume." He then gestured to the one boy. "And this is Ranma Saotome. They have just come from China so let's give them all a 'Nihao' welcome."
The classroom began whispering among themselves.
"Wow! What a bunch of babes!"
"Man! Maybe I can get a date with that cute one at the end!"
"Oooh! Look at that hunk!"
"He's dreamy!"
"I wonder if he's attached?"
"Class, settle down." The teacher called out. The room was immediately silenced. "Even though they are new here, that does not excuse them for being late." He turned to the four. "You will go out with Miss Tendo and stand in the hall."
Near the front of the class, Akane growled as she heard her name. Darn! It's that Ranma's entire fault that I was late!
In another class, Nabiki Tendo was a bit irritated. Although most of the betters had placed their money on Kuno winning, the upset that Ranma had caused had ended in large payoffs for the few that wagered on him. The net result was that she and her factors had come out with only a slight profit margin.
Hmmmm there's more to this Ranma Saotome than meets the eye. I'm going to have to keep track of this one.
She turned to one of her flunkies and gave her the assignment to keep Ranma and the Amazons under surveillance.
It was then that she looked out the window and saw that Kuno was still lying on his face in the front school yard. Rain was coming down pretty hard and the middle Tendo daughter sighed as she asked the teacher to be excused to go drag Kuno in. It wouldn't do for her biggest income generator to drown.
Ranma and Shampoo were soon standing outside the class on one side while Lilac and Perfume stood with Akane on the other side. Each was holding a bucket of water in each hand. Outside the school, the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Akane was a bit miffed at having to stand outside with a boy and she didn't waste time in voicing out her displeasure.
"This is all your fault that I was late!"
The three Amazons girls looked at Akane with irritated expressions.
"What you talking about? Is not Ranma's fault you no go in." Lilac interjected.
"Is true." Perfume added. "No one stop you. Why you no go in?"
Akane became even more angrier as she replied, "Well, why didn't you three go in yourselves?"
Shampoo became very annoyed at this girl's hostility toward her cousin. "That's because we're Amazons. Ranma accepted that stupid boy's challenge and it is our duty to witness it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane said in a not so nice tone.
Meanwhile, Ranma was already sensing the hostility level rise and tried to settle things down. "Girls, please don't argue. You really didn't have to stay and see me fight that idiot Kuno. Cologne was already there and she acknowledged that I won." He then turned to Akane. "I'm really sorry that you got punished for being late, but I don't really see how getting mad at me is going to help."
"Oh go soak your head! " Akane then mumbled in a quiet but angry whisper. "Boys are nothing but perverts, especially Kuno!"
"Why you call Ranma pervert? He no do anything to you!" Lilac said as she tensed up.
"Because all boys are perverts!" Akane hissed back. "They all want the same thing and Kuno started this whole mess!"
Ranma didn't like to be called something without good reason, but the last statement caught his interest. "Excuse me, what was that? Kuno started what?"
Akane simmered down a bit as she replied, "Early on, Kuno made this dumb speech that if a boy wanted to date me, he'd have to defeat me in combat."
Ranma smirked as he remembered Amazon Law number forty-three, subsection five. "So that's the reason those boys were attacking you?"
Akane nodded. "Kuno also attacks me in the end. I beat him every time of course, since no one's better than me!" She said the last bit with pride, as she knew that she had no equal in the martial arts in all of Nerima.
Lilac and Perfume were about to disagree when Ranma interrupted. "I don't think so. Judging from my fight with him, and from what I saw of your fighting style, I'd say that he was better than you are. If you beat him every day, then I'd guess that he holds back a lot."
The three girls nodded in agreement as they, too, had come to the same conclusion.
Akane began to fume at this comment. "Oh yeah? Well don't underestimate me! Why don't one of you try me on for real sometime?"
Ranma shrugged as replied in a quiet tone. "Who knows? Maybe I will." Ranma had no qualms against fighting the opposite sex. Living with the Amazons for over eight years had taught him that calling women the 'weaker sex' was an easy way of getting into a heap of trouble. He had sparred with the warrior women and considered them as equals. If they were willing to dish out pain, then he had to respond in kind. They expected him to fight back. They demanded it. It made them respect him all the more when he did so. The Amazons were proud of their status as great warriors and treating them like they were weak was a sure-fire way of shortening one's lifespan.
Ranma was about to say something else when the hallway echoed with an angry shout. The Amazons and Akane turned their heads to the sound and saw Kuno rushing toward them with a full head of steam. He threw a bucketful of dirty mop water in Ranma's direction. The blind boy and the three Amazons nimbly jumped out of the way. Akane barely managed to evade as the water splashed over the floor.
"Ranma Saotome! Prepare to feel the wrath of the Blue Thunder!" Kuno yelled as he took out a fresh bokken from within his samurai robes.
The Amazons landed behind Ranma as Shampoo asked, "What is he so mad about?"
Ranma smirked as he pointed to Kuno's forehead. "I guess he finally noticed the little message I gave him during our fight."
"What message?" She looked up at Kuno's forehead and saw the words 'World's Biggest Dope' etched in Chinese. "When did that happen?" Shampoo thought back to the fight, then recalled the time when Ranma pointed a finger at him. "Oh, Shampoo remember now! Very funny!" She started laughing and a minute later, her fellow Amazons joined her.
Kuno was not amused. "You will pay for your insult against my personage!" Kuno then began swinging his sword at Ranma. It had been embarrassing enough that he had to pay Nabiki 5,000 yen to drag him into the school because he was paralyzed. He also had to pay her another 10,000 yen when he discovered the phrase on his forehead and Nabiki had a Chinese dictionary on hand. "Die, you low- bred cur!"
With Ranma's enhanced senses, Kuno's strikes were evaded with ease. Dropping his buckets to the floor, he began leading Kuno toward an open window near the end of the hallway. When he got near it, he smiled and stood with his hands behind his back.
"Come on, Kuno, take your best shot!"
"That I shall!" Kuno slashed at his foe, intending to split him in twain.
However, this was not to be as Ranma stabbed forth with a hand and extended a finger. As soon as the digit made contact with the wooden blade, it glowed for a brief moment, then exploded into a fine cloud of sawdust. Kuno yelped as his weapon was suddenly shortened and he found himself still moving forward. With that same hand, Ranma grabbed him by the front of his robes and tossed his poetry-spouting adversary out the window.
"Go soak your head!"
"Wait! This is the THIRD FLOOR!" Akane came running toward them.
Ranma shrugged as said, "Don't worry, the pool will break his fall."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
SPLASH!
Shampoo, Lilac, and Perfume all leaned out the window and sure enough, there was Kuno, floating face down in the water. A moment later, he came sputtering up and thrashed about, screaming "Curse you, Ranma Saotome!"
Shampoo looked at Ranma and asked. "How did you know there was a pool down there?" The blind martial artist simply grinned and said nothing. The purple-haired girl then realized that her question was a rhetorical one and said. "Never mind."
To be continued...
Author's Notes
Well, it was only expected that Genma wouldn't give up on his dream to marry Ranma off and live in luxury at the Tendo Dojo for the rest of his life. Of course, we don't really expect Ranma to go along with this notion and you can be pretty sure that the Amazons won't let him go either.
For those of you who are wondering, Ranma new battle staff is similar to the one used by Goku in Dragonball and is activated by his ki. I'll explain more about it in future chapters.
I wanted to make this rewrite a bit more expanded as the original chapter was a bit short. I also wanted to show how stuck up Akane is as she considers herself the best martial artist in Nerima. As you may have noticed, Ranma's personality is different from canon. Eight years with the Amazons can do that.
Well, this rewrite now begins Nabiki's suspicions about Ranma and will later reveal his little secret. Come on now you didn't expect Ranma to defeat the best fighter in the school and not catch Nabiki's attention, right?
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