Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://home.sprynet.com/~brenda02/Keith/Animeff.htm
--------
A Ranma ½ Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part two
"He's in your class, you show him to school," Nabiki called back to Akane as she ran out of the house.
"Hey Nabiki, that's not fair," Akane shouted as she ran down the hall, right into Ranma, who was wearing his red and black Chinese clothes and closing his schoolbag.
Ranma looked at her with an apologetic look on his face and said, "I do need someone to show me the way to school."
Akane took a deep breath and relaxed. "Ok, let me be your guide," she responded with a big smile.
"Thanks."
The pair walked to school, Akane on the sidewalk, Ranma striding on top of the fence, skimming the contents of a book as he went.
"Remember, don't say a word about any engagements. I don't want people getting the wrong idea," Akane said to Ranma.
Ranma looked at Akane over the top of his reading glasses and replied, "Don't worry, as I see it, the whole engagement thing is not to be considered for an entire year."
"Ok." Akane walked a few more feet in silence. Then she slowed down slightly and said quietly "You were serious, right? About calling the engagement off if we didn't want it?"
Ranma closed the book, put his glasses in a pocket, and looked at her. "Of course. That's the right thing to do."
"Good." She increased her pace again. Looking at Ranma she saw him effortlessly matching her on the fence. "Why are you up there anyway?"
"Dad always used to make me do a lot of balance exercises. It's . . . reassuring to know they're still second nature."
"You've been training for a long time?"
"Started before I could walk. And Pop's always trying to come up with different challenges to make sure I keep improving." He jumped off the fence and started walking next to Akane. "He sometimes shouts at me about my not devoting myself wholeheartedly to the Arts, but Mom knows how to calm him down. Besides I've always surpassed whatever standards he's tried to impose on me."
The two continued their trip quietly.
"Well there's the school," Akane said as they picked up the pace and started jogging down the final block. "Oh yeah, don't get in my way."
"Are you expecting something to happen?" Ranma said as he looked at the school. There seemed to be a large crowd standing in the courtyard, and all of them were looking their way.
"It's all that damn Kuno's fault!" Akane said as she broke into a run. The figures in the courtyard began running toward them as well. "When will you give up and leave me alone!" she screamed at the mob as she met it.
Ranma had held off on matching her last bit of acceleration, and when the mob reached Akane he recalled her request and jumped over the crowd landing on the wall around the school. He then looked over the two to three dozen male students in athletic outfits, all fighting Akane, and he could almost immediately see how the odds stacked up. The mob didn't stand a chance. A few seconds later Akane finished confirming his assessment.
"I wish they'd all give up one of these days," Akane said to herself as she looked at her opponents and caught her breath. She glanced at Ranma who was squatting on top of the wall looking at her with an analytical look on his face
She looked away from Ranma and started toward the door when she sensed something being thrown at her. She caught it and saw it was a red rose. With a little groan she turned and looked at the source of the projectile.
"Once again these churls fought for the chance to ask for your hand, what fools!" said a tall kid in a kendo outfit as he stepped from around the tree, holding a wooden practice sword in his hand. He continued "And now it is time for . . ." And his monologue stopped, as he saw Ranma Jump down to land at Akane's side.
"And who might you be who dares to stand so close to the fair Akane Tendo?"
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma replied as he looked Kuno over.
"Ranma Saotome, know that you address the greatest fighter of this school. I am the rising star of the high school kendo world, my opponents tremble at the sound of my name! My peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High! I am Tatewaki Kuno, age 17. And what, Ranma Saotome, grants you the courage to approach Akane Tendo."
"I'm the heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial arts," Ranma replied. "And I'm a guest of the Tendo's while I'm attending school."
"What! You think yourself worthy to share a dwelling with the Beauteous Akane!" Kuno shouted as he ran toward Ranma.
Ranma casually jumped out of the way as Kuno's downward slash with the wooden practice sword passed through the air where Ranma had stood and sliced a large gash in the wall. Ranma took off his schoolpack as he moved through the air and tossed it to Akane as he landed. "Hold this please."
"Is there any particular reason you're attacking me?" Ranma asked as he dodged another series of strikes by Kuno.
*He's good* thought Kuno as he contemplated Ranma's evasion of his attacks.
"My father is an old friend of her fathers from their training days. I'll be staying at the Dojo for a while. And why are you so concerned about Akane and who she associates with?"
"On the day I prove my worthiness by defeating her in combat she will be free to admit her love for me, and I will not allow you to put that day off by your interference!"
Ranma glanced ad Akane who was looking at Kuno with an increasingly angry look and said, "Have you ever considered what she'd say about that prediction?"
"Enough talk!" Kuno responded as he rushed Ranma sword swinging down. Ranma avoided the slash by jumping into the air.
Kuno looked up to see Ranma dropping from the height he had risen to, and swung his sword up in another attack. Ranma struck at Kuno with the first two fingers of his right hand. Both aimed for their opponent's heads.
It started to rain.
Ranma felt the change occur, and decided that the fight needed to be ended. As his feet touched the ground, he swung up his left leg in a fast circular kick which knocked Kuno across the schoolyard. Ranma immediately ran into the school.
"Hey didn't that new kid look a little different all of a sudden?"
"I could have sworn he shrank, but that's impossible."
"Yeah, must have been an illusion. Did you see the way he took out Kuno?"
"Damn, the rain wasn't due till around ten," Ranma commented as she took her pack back from Akane. Reaching into it she pulled out a thermos with which she shifted back to his original form.
"How would you know?" Akane asked as they walked to their classroom.
Ranma pulled out a small radio tuned to the weather channel and said "I've had a good motivation to learn about Meteorology."
"HE'S HER FIANCEE?!" Kuno screamed in the class.
"Kuno, that's not what I said," Nabiki responded.
"Then . . ." Kuno started but was cut short by an eraser thrown by the teacher.
"Kuno, stand in the hall!"
"yes sir"
"And so . . . Mr. Saotome, if this is so simple what do you think the answer is!?" the teacher said as he glared at Ranma's yawning face.
Ranma blinked in surprise a moment, then glanced at the equations on the board. Pulling out a calculator he punched a few keys and said, "935 units squared, right."
" . . . Uh, yes, but it's the process that's important."
Ranma silently stood and walked to the board. Pausing to put on a pair of reading glasses he wrote out a very quick and accurate solution to the extensive integral equations. "Any questions?"
At this moment the door of the room slammed open and Kuno stormed in dressed in the mornings kendo outfit again. "Ranma Saotome, I WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOUR ENGAGEMENT TO AKANE TENDO!!"
Immediately all the boys in class were shouting at Ranma for becoming engaged to Akane while all the girls were pestering Akane for details.
"HOLD IT!" Ranma called out, then he stepped backward to avoid a downward slash from Kuno's wooden practice sword. *Damn, I can't let this disrupt class! Hmm . . .* He dropped the piece of chalk he was holding onto his foot. With a sigh he closed his eyes, raised his left hand and rubbed his forehead as though trying to ease a headache.
*That's a Deception Stance,* Akane thought to herself. *If Ranma's fast enough to pull it off . . .*
With a cry of "I have you now!" Kuno stepped forward raising his boken in preparation for a fierce downward strike. With a quick motion of his foot Ranma tossed the chalk under Kuno's descending foot. Kuno was good enough not to stumble, but the distraction of keeping his balance kept him from noticing Ranma grabbing his boken with both hands while swinging up his right leg to kick him in the face. Kuno stumbled backward disarmed.
"Heh, no real challenge," said Ranma. *Damn, I shouldn't antagonize him!* he thought to himself. *Always try to avoid creating enemies unnecessarily.*
"You dare mock the Tatewaki Kuno! The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure, and I am the most favored warrior beneath the heavens!"
*Of course this moron's likely to see me as a rival no matter what I do. Well, maybe I can slow it down.* "Hold it! I was just trying to keep class from being too badly disrupted. Now as to your reason for barging in here, Akane and I are not engaged. I'm merely a guest of the family at this time."
"But Nabiki Tendo said . . ."
"When I arrived my father and hers wanted to engage us, but I talked them out of it. I'll stay there for one year, and then if there's any engagement to be made we'll be the ones to make it."
Kuno stood still trying to figure out what was going on. This ended when the teacher whacked him on the head with a ruler while stating "You have detention for the rest of the week! Now go stand in the hall!!"
"Yes sir."
After an otherwise quiet day Akane, Ranma and Nabiki started home, Ranma wringing water from her pigtail as she walked toward the gate. "Damn, why don't they look where their throwing that water," she sighed and added "If only I hadn't used up all my hot water this morning. I'll have to work on something to deal with that. Oh great." The final statement was a reference to Kuno's decision to stand in front of the gateway.
"Where is Ranma Saotome?" he called out.
Akane looked at Ranma and said, "He got called away."
"Ha, the cowardly cretin fled in fear of my invincible skill! Truly he is no real man!"
Ranma responded to this statement with a quick kick to Kuno's stomach. "If you want to fight me, tell me!" she added angrily.
Kuno shook his head and stepped back up to the trio. "How amusing," Kuno replied as he readied his boken. "Very well, I shall accept your challenge, and if you win I shall allow you to date with me!" he said as he stepped forward slashing at Ranma.
"I don't want to date with you!" Ranma replied as she jumped over the blow and landed on Kuno's sword with her left leg. As Kuno stared at her leg, she leaned forward and kicked him in the face with a hard blow by her right leg.
Kuno collapsed and just lay there as the trio walked past (and in Ranma and Akane's case, on) him. *She is formidable! And such beauty!* he thought just before passing out.
"Well, I hear you two had a full day," Nabiki said to Akane and Ranma as they walked together from school.
"Well, it was nice to see that even after a two year break the subjects are still so easy," Ranma said with a grin. "But I expect you're talking about Kuno's reaction when you told him that Akane and I are engaged?" he added with a serious look which was echoed by Akane.
Nabiki took a step back from the two glares and responded "Hey, I was just explaining why you were staying with us, and he ran off right after I mentioned that Daddy was thinking of engaging you and Akane."
"Actually that was you," Akane replied in an annoyed tone.
"Well I managed to explain the full story to Kuno later, and I think he's got it. Of course you can never tell with Kuno. And now he's yelling about you lacking honor, so I'd expect more challenges from him."
Ranma sighed. "Well Deception Stance's a bit of a cheap shot but he shouldn't have interrupted class like that."
Nabiki looked at him questioningly, "Deception Stance?"
Akane looked at her sister and responded, "You know, that's where you train so that you can adopt a defenseless looking position and when your opponent tries to take advantage of it you can attack them first."
Nabiki shrugged, "You're the martial artist, I'm just the financial artist."
Ranma glanced at her watch. "Excuse me, I've gotta drop by Noriko's school."
"Expecting trouble?" Nabiki asked.
"Noriko's a good kid!" Ranma said in an annoyed voice. "Although she does have a bit of a temper and a tendency to overreact. Anyway Mom wanted me to walk her home her first day."
"Well, do you need someone to show you the way?"
"Actually dad and I passed in on our way over yesterday."
"So what do you think?" Nabiki said as she and Akane continued on alone.
"What do you mean, Nabiki?" Akane responded.
"About Ranma! Are you sorry he messed up that engagement thing yesterday?"
"No way!" Akane responded angrily. Then she smiled and added, "He is a lot nicer than I was expecting, but I don't intend to marry anyone I don't want to."
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders and responded. "OK, no engagement talk. But I hope you don't mind if I take that as an invitation to see what he's like myself?"
"I thought you didn't want him?"
"I didn't want to be engaged to him. I don't mind getting to know him. I'd especially like to know if there's anything profitable in his future," Nabiki responded with a smirk and a wink.
"I might have guessed," responded Akane as she rolled her eyes.
*This is the place,* Ranma thought as she approached the elementary school. Hearing a loud kiah she thought *And that confirms it.* She ran along the street to the source of the little battle cry, a tight circle of school kids. Her six-year height advantage allowed her to see into the center of this circle, where Noriko was circling with a boy who was about a foot and a quarter higher than her. Noriko was smiling, the sun glistening off the faint sheen of perspiration from a workout. The boy had a very uncertain look on his face and seemed to be sweating enough to fill a bathtub. Ranma decided the older kid could use a way out.
"Hey sis!" she called out as she casually leaped over the crowd to land next to Noriko. Her opponent flinched away from Ranma's sudden appearance, Noriko turned her head at her and told her to butt out of the fight.
Her opponent took this opportunity to back up to the crowd, and pausing he said "You're lucky she showed up!"
Ranma didn't want to let some honor feud develop between Noriko and this kid, but she also knew how Norkio felt when she interrupted her fights. "Hey, when she tells me to back off, I back off," she said as she stepped back from Noriko.
The older kid regarded Noriko with a slightly alarmed expression which he quickly suppressed. "We'll finish this another time!" he shouted as he turned and made his way through the crowd and down the street as fast as he could without actually seeming to run. With his departure the crowd began to disperse and wander home
Noriko looked after him with a furious expression, which she quickly turned on her elder brother. "What's the idea of interfering Oneechan?!"
Ranma sighed and shook her head. "Noriko, you should always leave your opponent a way to retreat honorably unless you want to begin a blood feud. That kid knows you're better than he can handle, but you haven't beaten him up so he doesn't have to retaliate to save face. I don't think either of us want to deal with Mom learning that your grades are suffering because your too busy fighting your classmates."
Noriko still looked annoyed, but she deflated her anger and said "Ok, Oniichan." She then glared at her and added. "But if you interfere with a fight of mine again . . ."
"Don't worry I'm not that sort of brother," Ranma responded as the two of them set off for the Tendo home.
"Hello Mrs. Saotome," Nabiki and Akane said as they entered their home and saw her sipping tea with Kasumi.
"Ah hello, Nabiki, Akane," Nodoka responded to the pair with a smile. "But no need for the formality, just call me aunt." She looked past them and asked "Where's Ranma?"
"He went to walk Noriko home," Akane replied.
"Ah, I hope she hasn't gotten into any fights," Nodoka replied with a worried look on her face. "Maybe I should have been more firmly against her training with Genma."
"You didn't want her training?" said Nabiki in a curious voice.
"Noriko became interested in training when she was five. I thought the art wasn't appropriate for a young lady, but she refused to let go of the idea. I did teach her Kendo, and she showed definite talent, but she secretly asked Ranma for training and spied on his training with Genma." Nodoka smiled and shook her head. "After she tried to follow Ranma and Genma on one of their training trips I let her study with Genma, but the big trip to China was the first real training trip she's been on."
Akane looked down and said "I haven't been on any kind of training trips myself." In her mind she was replaying her match with Ranma, and considering all the small ways Ranma kept demonstrating how much better he was at Martial arts than she was.
"We're back!" cried Noriko from the front door.
"Welcome back!" called Nodoka as she rose and walked to meet her two children. Leaning over she asked Noriko "So, how was your first day of school?!" she said, then she frowned and looked closer at Noriko. "Noriko! you got into a fight again, didn't you?!"
"He started it! I was just minding my own business when this big bully started picking on this kid sitting next to me at lunch. What was I supposed to do, stand by and let him?"
"You're supposed to have a little more concern for your own welfare, young lady," Nodoka said, standing up straight and glaring down at Noriko.
"Well, from what I saw she totally outclassed him," Ranma commented.
Nodoka turned her gaze on him. "So you just stood by while your sister was assaulted by a pack of ruffians?"
"Ruffian, they were fighting one on one. And the first thing I did was disrupt the fight."
Noriko added "Don't worry mom, I've just shown everyone in class that I'm not one to be messed with, it should help discourage trouble."
"Unless the class has someone like Kuno," Akane muttered.
Nodoka turned and looked at Akane.
Akane's sister Kasumi had acquired quite a few skills after taking over keeping the house when their mother died. One of the less used skills was a way of looking at someone that left them almost paralyzed in fear. Akane and Nabiki had long since developed a strong desire to avoid provoking this glance. Now Nodoka looked at her, and Akane suddenly realized how much her sister could improve. "What was that Akane?" Nodoka asked.
"Uh, I . . . I was just mentioning a guy in Nabiki's class, she can tell you about him," Akane responded, provoking a quickly suppressed glare from Nabiki.
Nabiki looked at Nodoka, and started explaining "Well, his name's Tatewaki Kuno, and I guess he's got a bit of a martial arts fetish. He keeps pestering Akane for dates, challenging her to fights, and is absolutely convinced that she is interested in him despite being constantly told that's not the case." She shook her head "Plus there's the fact that last year he made this public announcement that no one could ask Akane out unless he could beat her in combat, so now she has to deal with a mob at school every morning."
Nodoka looked at Ranma and asked him "Were you sitting this fight out as well?"
"I was watching in case she needed help, she didn't. Of course when I tried to talk to her afterward Kuno took it as a personal insult and attacked me." Ranma thought a moment then added, "I'd say that in skill terms he's a little better than Akane, but definitely not up to my standards."
Akane glared at Ranma and retaliated "Excuse me?! I'll have you know that I fight Kuno every morning, and I have never lost!"
"He lets you win." Ranma stated bluntly.
For a second all Akane could see was the color red. Then she found herself looking into the backyard, at Ranma who she vaguely recalled throwing into the pool.
"Why'd you do that!" Ranma called as she jumped from the pool.
"All right, let's see if you're as good as you claim!" Akane shouted as she walked into the yard and dropped into a preparatory stance.
Ranma sighed and crossed her hands behind her back.
*Won't take me seriously, eh?* Akane thought as she started toward Ranma. Then a voice held her back.
"Akane, Ranma. This isn't the time," Nodoka said as she walked to the doorway. The pair looked at her.
"Uh, sorry Aunt Nodoka," Akane said, her face turning slightly red.
Ranma sighed and looked at Akane. *Yeah, she lost her mother a while ago,* he thought sadly to himself. Pushing the thought aside he said "Akane, we can talk in the dojo, OK?"
"Ranma," said his mother in a calm tone with a undertone of warning "We are guests in her house."
"Mom, I know the role of a guest." Ranma said looking at her. Then he turned to look at Akane and added "And I know that Akane's quite skilled at Anything Goes with a lot of untapped potential." He grinned and with a raised eyebrow at Akane while saying "So feel in the mood for a little practice?" Turning to his sister he said, "Noriko could use a little at least."
"Huh! I'm going to knock you flat today Sis!" said Noriko as she walked into the dojo.
"I keep telling you not to call me that!" responded Ranma as he walked in after her. He paused at the threshold and looked back. "Coming Akane?"
Akane looked at the siblings, then with a scowl she followed them into the dojo with the words "This time I won't hold back any Pervert! Wait, excuse me, Idiot!!"
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://home.sprynet.com/~brenda02/Keith/Animeff.htm
--------
A Ranma ½ Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part two
"He's in your class, you show him to school," Nabiki called back to Akane as she ran out of the house.
"Hey Nabiki, that's not fair," Akane shouted as she ran down the hall, right into Ranma, who was wearing his red and black Chinese clothes and closing his schoolbag.
Ranma looked at her with an apologetic look on his face and said, "I do need someone to show me the way to school."
Akane took a deep breath and relaxed. "Ok, let me be your guide," she responded with a big smile.
"Thanks."
The pair walked to school, Akane on the sidewalk, Ranma striding on top of the fence, skimming the contents of a book as he went.
"Remember, don't say a word about any engagements. I don't want people getting the wrong idea," Akane said to Ranma.
Ranma looked at Akane over the top of his reading glasses and replied, "Don't worry, as I see it, the whole engagement thing is not to be considered for an entire year."
"Ok." Akane walked a few more feet in silence. Then she slowed down slightly and said quietly "You were serious, right? About calling the engagement off if we didn't want it?"
Ranma closed the book, put his glasses in a pocket, and looked at her. "Of course. That's the right thing to do."
"Good." She increased her pace again. Looking at Ranma she saw him effortlessly matching her on the fence. "Why are you up there anyway?"
"Dad always used to make me do a lot of balance exercises. It's . . . reassuring to know they're still second nature."
"You've been training for a long time?"
"Started before I could walk. And Pop's always trying to come up with different challenges to make sure I keep improving." He jumped off the fence and started walking next to Akane. "He sometimes shouts at me about my not devoting myself wholeheartedly to the Arts, but Mom knows how to calm him down. Besides I've always surpassed whatever standards he's tried to impose on me."
The two continued their trip quietly.
"Well there's the school," Akane said as they picked up the pace and started jogging down the final block. "Oh yeah, don't get in my way."
"Are you expecting something to happen?" Ranma said as he looked at the school. There seemed to be a large crowd standing in the courtyard, and all of them were looking their way.
"It's all that damn Kuno's fault!" Akane said as she broke into a run. The figures in the courtyard began running toward them as well. "When will you give up and leave me alone!" she screamed at the mob as she met it.
Ranma had held off on matching her last bit of acceleration, and when the mob reached Akane he recalled her request and jumped over the crowd landing on the wall around the school. He then looked over the two to three dozen male students in athletic outfits, all fighting Akane, and he could almost immediately see how the odds stacked up. The mob didn't stand a chance. A few seconds later Akane finished confirming his assessment.
"I wish they'd all give up one of these days," Akane said to herself as she looked at her opponents and caught her breath. She glanced at Ranma who was squatting on top of the wall looking at her with an analytical look on his face
She looked away from Ranma and started toward the door when she sensed something being thrown at her. She caught it and saw it was a red rose. With a little groan she turned and looked at the source of the projectile.
"Once again these churls fought for the chance to ask for your hand, what fools!" said a tall kid in a kendo outfit as he stepped from around the tree, holding a wooden practice sword in his hand. He continued "And now it is time for . . ." And his monologue stopped, as he saw Ranma Jump down to land at Akane's side.
"And who might you be who dares to stand so close to the fair Akane Tendo?"
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma replied as he looked Kuno over.
"Ranma Saotome, know that you address the greatest fighter of this school. I am the rising star of the high school kendo world, my opponents tremble at the sound of my name! My peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High! I am Tatewaki Kuno, age 17. And what, Ranma Saotome, grants you the courage to approach Akane Tendo."
"I'm the heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial arts," Ranma replied. "And I'm a guest of the Tendo's while I'm attending school."
"What! You think yourself worthy to share a dwelling with the Beauteous Akane!" Kuno shouted as he ran toward Ranma.
Ranma casually jumped out of the way as Kuno's downward slash with the wooden practice sword passed through the air where Ranma had stood and sliced a large gash in the wall. Ranma took off his schoolpack as he moved through the air and tossed it to Akane as he landed. "Hold this please."
"Is there any particular reason you're attacking me?" Ranma asked as he dodged another series of strikes by Kuno.
*He's good* thought Kuno as he contemplated Ranma's evasion of his attacks.
"My father is an old friend of her fathers from their training days. I'll be staying at the Dojo for a while. And why are you so concerned about Akane and who she associates with?"
"On the day I prove my worthiness by defeating her in combat she will be free to admit her love for me, and I will not allow you to put that day off by your interference!"
Ranma glanced ad Akane who was looking at Kuno with an increasingly angry look and said, "Have you ever considered what she'd say about that prediction?"
"Enough talk!" Kuno responded as he rushed Ranma sword swinging down. Ranma avoided the slash by jumping into the air.
Kuno looked up to see Ranma dropping from the height he had risen to, and swung his sword up in another attack. Ranma struck at Kuno with the first two fingers of his right hand. Both aimed for their opponent's heads.
It started to rain.
Ranma felt the change occur, and decided that the fight needed to be ended. As his feet touched the ground, he swung up his left leg in a fast circular kick which knocked Kuno across the schoolyard. Ranma immediately ran into the school.
"Hey didn't that new kid look a little different all of a sudden?"
"I could have sworn he shrank, but that's impossible."
"Yeah, must have been an illusion. Did you see the way he took out Kuno?"
"Damn, the rain wasn't due till around ten," Ranma commented as she took her pack back from Akane. Reaching into it she pulled out a thermos with which she shifted back to his original form.
"How would you know?" Akane asked as they walked to their classroom.
Ranma pulled out a small radio tuned to the weather channel and said "I've had a good motivation to learn about Meteorology."
"HE'S HER FIANCEE?!" Kuno screamed in the class.
"Kuno, that's not what I said," Nabiki responded.
"Then . . ." Kuno started but was cut short by an eraser thrown by the teacher.
"Kuno, stand in the hall!"
"yes sir"
"And so . . . Mr. Saotome, if this is so simple what do you think the answer is!?" the teacher said as he glared at Ranma's yawning face.
Ranma blinked in surprise a moment, then glanced at the equations on the board. Pulling out a calculator he punched a few keys and said, "935 units squared, right."
" . . . Uh, yes, but it's the process that's important."
Ranma silently stood and walked to the board. Pausing to put on a pair of reading glasses he wrote out a very quick and accurate solution to the extensive integral equations. "Any questions?"
At this moment the door of the room slammed open and Kuno stormed in dressed in the mornings kendo outfit again. "Ranma Saotome, I WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOUR ENGAGEMENT TO AKANE TENDO!!"
Immediately all the boys in class were shouting at Ranma for becoming engaged to Akane while all the girls were pestering Akane for details.
"HOLD IT!" Ranma called out, then he stepped backward to avoid a downward slash from Kuno's wooden practice sword. *Damn, I can't let this disrupt class! Hmm . . .* He dropped the piece of chalk he was holding onto his foot. With a sigh he closed his eyes, raised his left hand and rubbed his forehead as though trying to ease a headache.
*That's a Deception Stance,* Akane thought to herself. *If Ranma's fast enough to pull it off . . .*
With a cry of "I have you now!" Kuno stepped forward raising his boken in preparation for a fierce downward strike. With a quick motion of his foot Ranma tossed the chalk under Kuno's descending foot. Kuno was good enough not to stumble, but the distraction of keeping his balance kept him from noticing Ranma grabbing his boken with both hands while swinging up his right leg to kick him in the face. Kuno stumbled backward disarmed.
"Heh, no real challenge," said Ranma. *Damn, I shouldn't antagonize him!* he thought to himself. *Always try to avoid creating enemies unnecessarily.*
"You dare mock the Tatewaki Kuno! The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure, and I am the most favored warrior beneath the heavens!"
*Of course this moron's likely to see me as a rival no matter what I do. Well, maybe I can slow it down.* "Hold it! I was just trying to keep class from being too badly disrupted. Now as to your reason for barging in here, Akane and I are not engaged. I'm merely a guest of the family at this time."
"But Nabiki Tendo said . . ."
"When I arrived my father and hers wanted to engage us, but I talked them out of it. I'll stay there for one year, and then if there's any engagement to be made we'll be the ones to make it."
Kuno stood still trying to figure out what was going on. This ended when the teacher whacked him on the head with a ruler while stating "You have detention for the rest of the week! Now go stand in the hall!!"
"Yes sir."
After an otherwise quiet day Akane, Ranma and Nabiki started home, Ranma wringing water from her pigtail as she walked toward the gate. "Damn, why don't they look where their throwing that water," she sighed and added "If only I hadn't used up all my hot water this morning. I'll have to work on something to deal with that. Oh great." The final statement was a reference to Kuno's decision to stand in front of the gateway.
"Where is Ranma Saotome?" he called out.
Akane looked at Ranma and said, "He got called away."
"Ha, the cowardly cretin fled in fear of my invincible skill! Truly he is no real man!"
Ranma responded to this statement with a quick kick to Kuno's stomach. "If you want to fight me, tell me!" she added angrily.
Kuno shook his head and stepped back up to the trio. "How amusing," Kuno replied as he readied his boken. "Very well, I shall accept your challenge, and if you win I shall allow you to date with me!" he said as he stepped forward slashing at Ranma.
"I don't want to date with you!" Ranma replied as she jumped over the blow and landed on Kuno's sword with her left leg. As Kuno stared at her leg, she leaned forward and kicked him in the face with a hard blow by her right leg.
Kuno collapsed and just lay there as the trio walked past (and in Ranma and Akane's case, on) him. *She is formidable! And such beauty!* he thought just before passing out.
"Well, I hear you two had a full day," Nabiki said to Akane and Ranma as they walked together from school.
"Well, it was nice to see that even after a two year break the subjects are still so easy," Ranma said with a grin. "But I expect you're talking about Kuno's reaction when you told him that Akane and I are engaged?" he added with a serious look which was echoed by Akane.
Nabiki took a step back from the two glares and responded "Hey, I was just explaining why you were staying with us, and he ran off right after I mentioned that Daddy was thinking of engaging you and Akane."
"Actually that was you," Akane replied in an annoyed tone.
"Well I managed to explain the full story to Kuno later, and I think he's got it. Of course you can never tell with Kuno. And now he's yelling about you lacking honor, so I'd expect more challenges from him."
Ranma sighed. "Well Deception Stance's a bit of a cheap shot but he shouldn't have interrupted class like that."
Nabiki looked at him questioningly, "Deception Stance?"
Akane looked at her sister and responded, "You know, that's where you train so that you can adopt a defenseless looking position and when your opponent tries to take advantage of it you can attack them first."
Nabiki shrugged, "You're the martial artist, I'm just the financial artist."
Ranma glanced at her watch. "Excuse me, I've gotta drop by Noriko's school."
"Expecting trouble?" Nabiki asked.
"Noriko's a good kid!" Ranma said in an annoyed voice. "Although she does have a bit of a temper and a tendency to overreact. Anyway Mom wanted me to walk her home her first day."
"Well, do you need someone to show you the way?"
"Actually dad and I passed in on our way over yesterday."
"So what do you think?" Nabiki said as she and Akane continued on alone.
"What do you mean, Nabiki?" Akane responded.
"About Ranma! Are you sorry he messed up that engagement thing yesterday?"
"No way!" Akane responded angrily. Then she smiled and added, "He is a lot nicer than I was expecting, but I don't intend to marry anyone I don't want to."
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders and responded. "OK, no engagement talk. But I hope you don't mind if I take that as an invitation to see what he's like myself?"
"I thought you didn't want him?"
"I didn't want to be engaged to him. I don't mind getting to know him. I'd especially like to know if there's anything profitable in his future," Nabiki responded with a smirk and a wink.
"I might have guessed," responded Akane as she rolled her eyes.
*This is the place,* Ranma thought as she approached the elementary school. Hearing a loud kiah she thought *And that confirms it.* She ran along the street to the source of the little battle cry, a tight circle of school kids. Her six-year height advantage allowed her to see into the center of this circle, where Noriko was circling with a boy who was about a foot and a quarter higher than her. Noriko was smiling, the sun glistening off the faint sheen of perspiration from a workout. The boy had a very uncertain look on his face and seemed to be sweating enough to fill a bathtub. Ranma decided the older kid could use a way out.
"Hey sis!" she called out as she casually leaped over the crowd to land next to Noriko. Her opponent flinched away from Ranma's sudden appearance, Noriko turned her head at her and told her to butt out of the fight.
Her opponent took this opportunity to back up to the crowd, and pausing he said "You're lucky she showed up!"
Ranma didn't want to let some honor feud develop between Noriko and this kid, but she also knew how Norkio felt when she interrupted her fights. "Hey, when she tells me to back off, I back off," she said as she stepped back from Noriko.
The older kid regarded Noriko with a slightly alarmed expression which he quickly suppressed. "We'll finish this another time!" he shouted as he turned and made his way through the crowd and down the street as fast as he could without actually seeming to run. With his departure the crowd began to disperse and wander home
Noriko looked after him with a furious expression, which she quickly turned on her elder brother. "What's the idea of interfering Oneechan?!"
Ranma sighed and shook her head. "Noriko, you should always leave your opponent a way to retreat honorably unless you want to begin a blood feud. That kid knows you're better than he can handle, but you haven't beaten him up so he doesn't have to retaliate to save face. I don't think either of us want to deal with Mom learning that your grades are suffering because your too busy fighting your classmates."
Noriko still looked annoyed, but she deflated her anger and said "Ok, Oniichan." She then glared at her and added. "But if you interfere with a fight of mine again . . ."
"Don't worry I'm not that sort of brother," Ranma responded as the two of them set off for the Tendo home.
"Hello Mrs. Saotome," Nabiki and Akane said as they entered their home and saw her sipping tea with Kasumi.
"Ah hello, Nabiki, Akane," Nodoka responded to the pair with a smile. "But no need for the formality, just call me aunt." She looked past them and asked "Where's Ranma?"
"He went to walk Noriko home," Akane replied.
"Ah, I hope she hasn't gotten into any fights," Nodoka replied with a worried look on her face. "Maybe I should have been more firmly against her training with Genma."
"You didn't want her training?" said Nabiki in a curious voice.
"Noriko became interested in training when she was five. I thought the art wasn't appropriate for a young lady, but she refused to let go of the idea. I did teach her Kendo, and she showed definite talent, but she secretly asked Ranma for training and spied on his training with Genma." Nodoka smiled and shook her head. "After she tried to follow Ranma and Genma on one of their training trips I let her study with Genma, but the big trip to China was the first real training trip she's been on."
Akane looked down and said "I haven't been on any kind of training trips myself." In her mind she was replaying her match with Ranma, and considering all the small ways Ranma kept demonstrating how much better he was at Martial arts than she was.
"We're back!" cried Noriko from the front door.
"Welcome back!" called Nodoka as she rose and walked to meet her two children. Leaning over she asked Noriko "So, how was your first day of school?!" she said, then she frowned and looked closer at Noriko. "Noriko! you got into a fight again, didn't you?!"
"He started it! I was just minding my own business when this big bully started picking on this kid sitting next to me at lunch. What was I supposed to do, stand by and let him?"
"You're supposed to have a little more concern for your own welfare, young lady," Nodoka said, standing up straight and glaring down at Noriko.
"Well, from what I saw she totally outclassed him," Ranma commented.
Nodoka turned her gaze on him. "So you just stood by while your sister was assaulted by a pack of ruffians?"
"Ruffian, they were fighting one on one. And the first thing I did was disrupt the fight."
Noriko added "Don't worry mom, I've just shown everyone in class that I'm not one to be messed with, it should help discourage trouble."
"Unless the class has someone like Kuno," Akane muttered.
Nodoka turned and looked at Akane.
Akane's sister Kasumi had acquired quite a few skills after taking over keeping the house when their mother died. One of the less used skills was a way of looking at someone that left them almost paralyzed in fear. Akane and Nabiki had long since developed a strong desire to avoid provoking this glance. Now Nodoka looked at her, and Akane suddenly realized how much her sister could improve. "What was that Akane?" Nodoka asked.
"Uh, I . . . I was just mentioning a guy in Nabiki's class, she can tell you about him," Akane responded, provoking a quickly suppressed glare from Nabiki.
Nabiki looked at Nodoka, and started explaining "Well, his name's Tatewaki Kuno, and I guess he's got a bit of a martial arts fetish. He keeps pestering Akane for dates, challenging her to fights, and is absolutely convinced that she is interested in him despite being constantly told that's not the case." She shook her head "Plus there's the fact that last year he made this public announcement that no one could ask Akane out unless he could beat her in combat, so now she has to deal with a mob at school every morning."
Nodoka looked at Ranma and asked him "Were you sitting this fight out as well?"
"I was watching in case she needed help, she didn't. Of course when I tried to talk to her afterward Kuno took it as a personal insult and attacked me." Ranma thought a moment then added, "I'd say that in skill terms he's a little better than Akane, but definitely not up to my standards."
Akane glared at Ranma and retaliated "Excuse me?! I'll have you know that I fight Kuno every morning, and I have never lost!"
"He lets you win." Ranma stated bluntly.
For a second all Akane could see was the color red. Then she found herself looking into the backyard, at Ranma who she vaguely recalled throwing into the pool.
"Why'd you do that!" Ranma called as she jumped from the pool.
"All right, let's see if you're as good as you claim!" Akane shouted as she walked into the yard and dropped into a preparatory stance.
Ranma sighed and crossed her hands behind her back.
*Won't take me seriously, eh?* Akane thought as she started toward Ranma. Then a voice held her back.
"Akane, Ranma. This isn't the time," Nodoka said as she walked to the doorway. The pair looked at her.
"Uh, sorry Aunt Nodoka," Akane said, her face turning slightly red.
Ranma sighed and looked at Akane. *Yeah, she lost her mother a while ago,* he thought sadly to himself. Pushing the thought aside he said "Akane, we can talk in the dojo, OK?"
"Ranma," said his mother in a calm tone with a undertone of warning "We are guests in her house."
"Mom, I know the role of a guest." Ranma said looking at her. Then he turned to look at Akane and added "And I know that Akane's quite skilled at Anything Goes with a lot of untapped potential." He grinned and with a raised eyebrow at Akane while saying "So feel in the mood for a little practice?" Turning to his sister he said, "Noriko could use a little at least."
"Huh! I'm going to knock you flat today Sis!" said Noriko as she walked into the dojo.
"I keep telling you not to call me that!" responded Ranma as he walked in after her. He paused at the threshold and looked back. "Coming Akane?"
Akane looked at the siblings, then with a scowl she followed them into the dojo with the words "This time I won't hold back any Pervert! Wait, excuse me, Idiot!!"
