***Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and her licensees. Used without permission for nonprofit entertainment. Go buy some copies of the manga and anime, it'll keep 'em out of my hair.***
Akane was glad to finally be done cleaning up her mess.
Honestly, she thought, how was I supposed to know that putting yeast and baking powder in a soufflé would make it explode? She scowled, grabbing her books from her locker. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't fall, so I could finally cook something right for a change. Her scowl lifted and she bit her lower lip nervously as she left Furinkan High's grounds. Well, she admitted to herself, my curry's not bad, even Ranma said so... Ranma... She began to daydream about her macho, arrogant, annoying fiancé, who insulted her looks, her cooking and her martial arts skills: her handsome fiancé who made her insides go all gooey when he smirked and who had killed a kami to save her life.
Shaking her head, as though to remove an unwanted thought, she sped up. I've got to get home soon; Kasumi was going to help me make dinner. Heartened by her older sister's kind determination to teach her to cook, Akane began to hum merrily to herself.
Yappa paa, yappa paa, don't know what to do,
My heart is not just a game; it's mah jongg to you...
She didn't know where she had heard the song before, but it was definitely catchy. Her good mood was shattered, however, as she sped past Mrs. Watanabe's house. She was caught in the face by a splash of cold water as the kind old lady watered her sidewalk in the traditional manner. That's the fifth time this week, Akane thought sullenly, why am I suddenly as much of a water magnet as Ranma? It can't have anything to do with what happened in China, can it? She frowned, remembering numerous incidents since the failed wedding. She really hadn't thought much about it at the time, because every time it had happened, she'd been with Ranma: the sudden broken sprinklers and sun showers, the clumsy waitresses with iced drinks, and the trucks running through puddles.
She put aside the thought as she reached her home. Smiling, she entered the genkan and yelled out, "I'm home!"
"Welcome home!" she heard Kasumi call from the kitchen. The ritual completed, Akane kicked off her shoes and set her book bag down in the hall. Turning back to the genkan, she straightened out her shoes and set them neatly beside the others. She saw her father's and Mister Saotome's geta sandals next to Kasumi's simple clogs and Nabiki's trendy sneakers. She also saw Ranma's Chinese slippers next to another pair that, from their travel-worn appearance, looked like they belonged to Ryoga and three pairs of unfamiliar men's shoes. We must have company, she thought as she walked into the kitchen.
Kasumi was chopping vegetables for dinner while humming a happy little tune. Akane was jealous. She wished she could cook as effortlessly as Kasumi seemed to.
"There you are, Akane!" Kasumi said cheerfully. "I was beginning to get worried."
"Gee, sis," Akane said, "you didn't have to. I was just cleaning up after school."
"Yes, that's what Ranma said," Kasumi said gently. "Oh! Ryoga is visiting again."
"I'd thought those were his shoes in the genkan. Has he been here long?"
"Well, he got here around noon and waited in the dojo for Ranma with his new friends."
"New friends?" Akane blinked. Knowing Kasumi, those "new friends" could have been ravening demons bent on kidnapping her or worse.
"My, yes! Three nice young men. They've been sparring with Ranma and Uncle Saotome. In fact," Kasumi said, pointing to the four kettles on the stove, "Uncle Saotome just finished sparring with one of them by the koi pond. Unfortunately, they'll be staying for dinner, so I've already started it. I know you were looking forward to helping me, but you were so late coming home..."
Akane sighed. "It's all right, sis. I'm sure whatever you cook will be wonderful." She was heartened by the sunny smile she got from Kasumi. "So, what are these guys like?"
Kasumi put a finger to her lips, thinking. "Well, two of them speak hardly any Japanese at all, so I couldn't really tell, but the third one speaks perfectly. He was so polite!"
"Well, that's good." Akane smiled. A polite martial artist in Nerima? she thought. And it wasn't Kuno? That was certainly a switch. "Was there anything else?"
"Well," Kasumi said gently, "could you bring one of the kettles out to the garden for Uncle Saotome and our guests? It seems they've all been to Jusenkyo, too, and one of them turns into a leopard..."
Akane paled. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if Ranma saw a leopard. It would probably involve a lot of property damage, whatever happened.
Grabbing one of the steaming kettles, she went into the garden from the main room of the house. She spotted her father playing go with Genma-panda while a large leopard in a blue gi watched with interest. Her gaze was drawn into the intricate black spotted pattern of his pelt. Wow, she thought. What beautiful fur. She watched nervously as the big cat yawned, exposing formidable fangs. Geez, I'm a little scared of him, and I know he's a Jusenkyo victim. It definitely would not do for Ranma to see this visitor like this. Shaking off her unease, she turned to her father and smiled slightly.
"Good afternoon, Daddy, Uncle Saotome," she said. They responded absently, each trying to take advantage of the momentary distraction to cheat. Turning to the leopard, she introduced herself. "Let's get acquainted. I am Akane Tendo. Pleased to meet you." She bowed politely, and noticed the confusion on the leopard's face.
"Oh, good one, sis," a smooth contralto said slyly behind her. "Russ-chan here doesn't speak Japanese."
"I didn't know that, Nabiki," Akane said to her sister. Nabiki merely smirked and pulled out her expensive Nikon camera and began taking pictures of "Russ-chan." Akane had to stifle a giggle as the leopard began to pose. Again, she noticed that Russ-chan seemed confused. Putting that aside for the moment, she remembered she had a kettle of hot water and two Jusenkyo victims to take care of. Deciding that Genma-panda wasn't a priority, she walked over to the leopard, held up the kettle and mimed pouring. Understanding dawned behind the golden eyes, and Russ-chan nodded frantically. Glad that charades seemed to transcend language, Akane poured just enough hot water to trigger the transformation.
She was impressed with the results. "Russ-chan" had turned into a tall, well-muscled Westerner with short, dark hair and green eyes. He's good-looking, but no match for Ranma or even Mousse, she thought. The gi that he had been wearing as a leopard seemed to fit much better now that it was on a human frame. I guess he's lucky that his cursed form is able to wear his clothes. Fighting down a latent urge to imagine the stranger in various states of undress, Akane turned to her sister.
"Could you introduce us, please, Nabiki?" she asked.
"Of course," Nabiki nearly purred. "Akane, this is Russell Wood, third dan in Jeet Kune Do." She smirked, turned to Russell and released a torrent of English too fast for Akane to follow. However, the English word for sister stood out as well as Akane's name.
Russell bowed and hesitantly said, "Pleased meet you." He looked uncomfortable and spoke rapidly with Nabiki.
"What did he say?" Akane asked.
"Russ-chan, here," Nabiki said, putting her arm around him possessively, "is worried that he sounds stupid because he only knows about six phrases in Japanese." She lightly traced a spiral pattern across his chest. Meanwhile, Russell's face was getting redder and redder. Akane noticed a trickle of blood from his nose as he passed out. "Hmm," Nabiki continued. "Who'd have thought an American could be so shy? Well, I'd better take care of him. Don't want my investment to bleed to death."
"Investment?" Akane asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mmm-hmm." Nabiki caressed Russ's face, turning his head from side to side. "This is A-one prime beefcake, and I'm going to make a fortune selling pictures and bio sheets of him." A mercenary gleam sparked in her eyes. "And I've got him under contract, to boot!"
Akane was taken aback. She hadn't seen Nabiki this worked up since her "dates" with Kinnosuke. Leaving Russ under the "tender" ministrations of her sister, she brought the kettle over to Genma. The game was just about finished, so she unceremoniously dumped the rest of the kettle on the lazy panda. She didn't know how Genma kept his clothes when he transformed back, but she was glad of it. She really didn't want to see him naked.
"Thank you, Akane," Genma said, adjusting his glasses. He turned towards the dojo. "Your turn, boy!" he bellowed, startling Akane. She was about to display her displeasure through judicious use of force (preferably a blunt object to the cranium), when the sound of the Dojo's sliding door drew her attention.
Ranma and Ryoga walked out followed by a stranger. The stranger must be Russ's friend, Akane thought. With a practiced eye, she gave him a quick examination. He was as tall as Ranma with wavy brown hair in a slightly moppish short style. His slightly disheveled appearance matched Ryoga's. He must have been on the road for a while. There's something familiar about the way he moves, but what? She noticed the cut of his stained gi. Perhaps he practices tae kwon do? Or maybe he got it in Korea... She supposed he could have been handsome, but Ranma outclassed him. Better not tell the Baka he's good looking or it will go to his head, she thought sourly.
The stranger was looking around casually, nodding to himself. Then, he saw her. A cheerful smile formed on his face as he and the others made their way towards the koi pond.
"Hello!" he said when he reached her. "Permit me to introduce myself. I am John Green, sole practitioner of Midori Ryu Anything Goes Martial Arts. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Akane was shocked. Another school of Anything Goes? she thought. Catching herself, she stammered out the proper response to his introduction.
"I-I'm Akane Tendo," she said. "Pleased to meet you, too. Who taught you Anything Goes?"
"He says the freak taught him," Ranma said casually. Behind him, Soun and Genma paled.
"It wasn't my choice," John said softly. "The pervert got me with some technique he stole from the Amazons. Long story short, I've got the skills, but I'm not going to claim the pervert's school as my own. That's the reason I claimed 'Midori Ryu' for my fighting style." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Though I may not claim it for long. I'm a little embarrassed to admit Happosai said my style is an awful lot like the Tendo Ryu."
Akane noticed her father's eyes narrowing in response. This could be bad, she thought. She watched nervously as her father rose to his full height and walked over to John. She relaxed a little as his scowl dissolved into a gentle grin. He reached around and patted John paternally on the back.
"Well, son," Soun said. "Why don't you spar with Ranma and I'll decide for myself if I'll let you claim Tendo Ryu as your school?"
"Thank you," John said, relief settling across his face. "That means a lot to me, Tendo-sensei."
"Think nothing of it!" Soun said cheerfully. "Now, how about that sparring match? I hope you'll give us a show at least as good as your friend, Russ."
"I'll try, sir. I just need something before I start." Reaching into his gi, John pulled out one of Ryoga's bandannas and tied it around his head.
"Whatcha doin' that for?" Ranma asked incredulously. Akane kept quiet, wondering the same thing.
"You'll see," John said softly. He looked around a bit and scratched his head. "Has anyone seen Ken?"
"Who?" Akane asked. She felt a tugging at her skirt. Looking down, she saw a red panda holding a sign with "Hello" written in English. "Is this him?" She pointed down. Seeing John nod she continued. "There's another kettle in the kitchen."
"Thank you, Akane," John said. He spoke to the little red-furred raccoonoid in quick English and it disappeared into the house, dragging a t-shirt and a pair of pants behind it. John looked up. "Ready to go, Ranma?"
"Feh," Ranma said. "I've been ready for a while." He leapt up on top of one of the rocks by the koi pond and took an exaggerated one-legged stance. "Let's go."
John grinned and performed an identical leap to a rock on the other side of the pond. He bobbled a bit on his landing, but kept his balance. "If you'll do the honors, Akane?" he asked.
Akane took up a position beside the koi pond equidistant from the two fighters and raised her right hand. She looked to Ranma, whose smirk widened as he nodded his head. She then turned to John, who smiled softly and also nodded. Seeing they were ready, Akane brought her hand down and shouted, "Begin!"
The two combatants leapt simultaneously and met in midair over the koi pond. After a quick flurry of punches and kicks, they landed on opposite sides of the pond. John quickly darted away from the pond and took up a Tiger stance. Ranma's ever-present grin widened fractionally as he leapt to close the distance between them.
Akane saw that Ranma was holding back, only using his physical skill. Well, she thought, it is a sparring match after all. Watching the match, she noticed something. Incredible! His style really is like the Tendo Ryu! There's something wrong with his form, though.
As Ranma's leap neared completion, John deflected the kick with a circular motion and launched Ranma skyward. Keeping his eye on Ranma's trajectory, he backed away from the pond and took a new stance. His left arm was in Snake style, his right arm was held in a low knife hand, and he was crouched low. He took slow, powerful steps as he watched Ranma's midair recovery.
"What kind of stance is that?" Akane asked.
"S-Southern Elephant style Kung Fu," Ryoga answered, blushing. "H-How are you doing, A-Akane?"
"I'm fine, Ryoga," she answered, smiling. Ryoga's grin got wider and he began to fidget nervously. Turning her attention back to the fight, Akane asked, "How is it supposed to help?"
"W-Well," Ryoga said, "it's a power style. John's left hand represents the trunk, and his right represents the tusks. The low stance keeps him grounded. He picked it up about a week ago, and has been using it in sparring matches with me and the others."
"I see," Akane said. Ranma had finally come back to earth. Wow, she thought, John's got the same hang time I do in my LEO kicks. I wonder how Ranma's going to handle his new stance.
"All right, Green," Ranma said, circling. "Looks like I've gotta take you seriously."
"If you say so," John said, smirking. He launched a powerful, twisting uppercut that Ranma dodged easily. Unfortunately for Ranma, it had been a feint, and John connected with a chop from his right hand. Ranma grunted, and launched a volley of near-Amaguriken-speed punches that John was hard pressed to block or counter. Fully half of the punches got past his guard.
"Not bad," Ranma commented. "Most people can't block those at all."
"Well," John said, breathing hard. "If I'd been in my cursed form, I would have blocked them all."
"I'd thought your form was a little off," Ranma said, dodging a punch. John had abandoned the Elephant style and was using pure Anything Goes. Throwing powerful punches, John drew closer to Ranma. Seeing this, Ranma began to dodge rapidly. He grinned as he realized John was getting frustrated.
Something about this fight was nagging at Akane's memory. What is it? she thought. Why does this look so familiar? Wait a minute; he said he fought better in his cursed form? She watched as the fight continued, power blows being dodged by Ranma and rapid blows being blocked or redirected by John. Watching John more closely, she began to analyze his style. I'm not as good at this as Ranma is, but I can try. Let's see... His form is good, but he seems to be aiming high. Could he be used to bigger opponents? Ranma was getting closer to John, seeming to taunt him by dodging in his face. He was driving John towards the koi pond. Sensing this, John threw a punch at Ranma's head. Wait! Akane thought. He's overextending, giving Ranma an opening! Ranma spotted the opening and threw a punch of his own, but gasped in surprise as John grabbed his arm and threw him into the koi pond.
Covered in a film of sweat, John stood panting and waited. Ranma-chan stood up, spitting out water as she climbed out of the pond.
"That's it!" Ranma growled. "Time to finish this! Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Her fists blurred as she used the technique, delivering hundreds of blows in seconds.
"Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!" John called as his hands blurred and he blocked most of the hits. Out of five hundred blows, only two hundred twenty-five connected. Panting, he held his side and smirked at the wide eyes around him. Then, his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out, falling into the koi pond.