Chapter # 6

Chapter # 6

Kyoto, mid 1800's-

The gumi plus Ranma made it through the gates of the dojo. Each member was either fully annoyed or confused. In some cases, both.

Ranma turned around to face the strangers before they entered even the hall. He smoothed his clothes and cleared his throat. He started speaking in a formal address, "Hey, I know I have a lot of explaining to do and-"

Sanosuke grabbed him by his wide open mouth and tugged him along. "Save it. I said, ' you and I had better talk' not 'you and the rest of us.'" Everyone else understood this friend thing and went inside though Kaoru lingered outside just a little longer before Megumi beckoned her in.

After Sanosuke had let go, Ranma followed him to the porch where he and the real Kenshin usually sat. Saying nothing, Sanosuke first walked in a circle in thought. When he came to face a pious looking Ranma again he declared, "You've got some explaining to do."

The tone in Sanosuke's voice made Ranma's nerves stand on end. He snorted back, "Hey, I know that! You don't know what hell I've endured the past few hours!" As Ranma spoke he paced towards the taller boy in a defiant manner.

The way that his "good friend" Kenshin was acting was ridiculous! What had happened that set him so totally out of character from his kind and wise conduct to this punk like attitude?! Sanosuke angrily spoke, "I've had about enough of this cocky behavior from you today. I normally beat the hell outta anyone else who gives me half as much trouble. So I'm warning you now, don't push me!" He stepped a boldly towards Ranma with fists clinched. He knew for a fact Kenshin could not even compare to him in a hand to hand combat. Even if it would be an unfair fight, Kenshin had no right to be acting the way he has: disrupting the emotions to those close to him.

The ground crunched beneath Ranma's foot as he met the challenge presented to him. He furrowed his black brows and barked, "Push you? I'll punch your lights out if you don't watch yourself!"

Sanosuke closed his eyes and bit his lower lip trying to maintain control. When he looked back up, Ranma's presumptuous face was staring straight at him. He couldn't take it anymore! Sanosuke socked Ranma a mean uppercut sending him flying--directly for the koi pond.

Sanosuke couldn't help but smirk at the release of his frustrations.

A noisy splash marked where Ranma landed. In the cool pond he could feel himself changing: the rest of him grew tighter and more compact while two spots became particularly larger. Ranma-chan came up gasping for air. She took a flopping fish off her head and looked crossly back at her aggressor. "What'cha do that for?!"

Sanosuke couldn't believe it. His eyes just bugged out while the rest of his face faulted in traditional manner. At first he thought he'd taken a wrong look at Kenshin's effeminate face, but then Ranma-chan got the rest of the way out of the water. He pointed in disbelief and uttered, "K-Ken-Kenshin you're a chick!" In such surprise, the pointy-haired boy couldn't move a muscle. Taking the opportunity, Ranma-chan walked up still, sopping wet, and stomped on Sanosuke's head.

By the time Sanosuke recovered, Ranma had already used hot water to change back to Ranma-kun. Seeing as how the former had lifted his head up again, Ranma took the liberty to smack him with the empty teapot one more time.

They both sat down now, Sanosuke rubbing his sore head and Ranma looking piqued. The latter opened one eye and said blankly, "So where should we begin?"

"We? You're the one who all of a sudden changes into a chick!" pausing, Sanosuke thought about it, "A hot one at that." A kick shortly landed on his face.

Taking the initiative, Ranma started out, "Ok, ok. Look, let's just get one thing straight, NO ONE learns about the girl thing."

"Right."

"Now I know everyone must be really confused, but so am I." Ranma twisted to look Sanosuke straight in the face. Sanosuke responded by being thoroughly attentive. "I've got something really disturbing to tell you, and then a better thing, and then I'll need some answers myself." Sanosuke nodded. "I've been acting the way I have because…I'm not Kenshin."

A serious look crossed Sanosuke's face. He said in utter monotone, "I know that. I can tell one ki from another."

Ranma fell over hitting the ground with a bump, legs extended in the air with one twitching. Sanosuke merely watched. When he got up, the pig-tailed martial artist questioned, "Well why the heck didn't you say so in the first place you baka?!"

Unphased, he came back, "I had to be sure. While there was something very different with your ki and your attitude, you still looked and sounded exactly like the Kenshin I know."

Ranma blinked. * There's someone out there that look exactly like me?* He couldn't trust this so easily. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you saying that this Kenshin guy looks exactly like I do right now. Down to everything?"

Sanosuke looked him up and down. "Yes." He then thought for a moment, "Except for the whole girl thing."

"But that's impossible! Do you realize where I'm even from? I'm from the freakin' 1990's, man! I don't even belong to this time line much less can I look like a guy I've never even met. I live in the Nerima District, not some quaint town!"

Sanosuke was astonished. He spoke as well as he could, "I hate to tell ya, but you're in the post-Meiji era in Kyoto."

"What! The 1800's?! This is insane!" Ranma paced about for a few more minutes. Finally the words came to him, "All right, I think I may know what's going on here. I want you, without looking at me, to describe exactly the way I am. From my facial features down to my clothes."

Sanosuke didn't understand the point of all this but went along anyway. He turned around and began speaking of how the real Kenshin looked, "You're twenty-eight, you've got long red hair, a cross scar on your left cheek, blue eyes, and wear a maroon and off-white kendoist uniform. Plus you carry that sakubattou sword with you everywhere." He apathetically turned back around, but when he did he saw the truth.

There Ranma stood. Hands on his hips he said, "Try again! I'm a sixteen year old with medium length black hair and wear a red and black kung fu uniform, with no weapon. Though the eyes were about the only thing right."

"Wha-what the heck? You're not Kenshin at all!"

"You are a smart one, aren't ya?"

Sanosuke looked outstounded. "I can't believe I couldn't see the differences before. How the heck did that happen?!"

Ranma took some time to reflect then answered, "Before I got here, I traveled through some light tunnel thing."

"Kenshin was sucked in by something like that!"

"And while I was in it, I passed by a man going the opposite direction. I think that was your Kenshin. So he must be all right, only in a different time."

"Hmp. Of course Kenshin will be able to take care of himself. But why couldn't the others and I not tell the difference between the two of you."

"My take is that the switch was so quick and instant, your brains must have just coped replacing Kenshin's image with mine."

Sanosuke laughed and leaned back on a banister. "Heh, think of that." He looked up to find Ranma with his right hand extended and a big smile on his face.

"Hi. The name's Ranma Saotome."

"Sanosuke Sagara." He took the offer and shook strongly.

When they had released. Ranma held his chin in consideration. "Doesn't that mean that everyone will take Kenshin for being me?"