First Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Love Hina, Ranma ½, Video Girl Ai or Sakura Diaries. This story is one of the many ideas I have in my brain. In this whole story, you will meet characters from other anime shows. However, with my limited knowledge of anime that I watch (it's about three or four other shows if you were wondering), I won't be putting a lot of characters. I will put disclaimers on them, but not in the first disclaimer of a chapter so you can be surprised about what characters show up! So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

New Faces And Dangers At The Hinata Sou: Tournament, part 1

It's a bright sunny afternoon as Motoko sits in a bus, going back to the Hinata Sou. The whole way there, she just stares at a orange flyer that was handed to her in the kendo club. When she gets to her stop, she grabs her stuff and leaves, still holding onto the flyer. She climbs up the stairs, just thinking about what to do.

'I don't want to do this, but I must. Even thought I hate your guts Ranma, you're the only one who can help with this.' Motoko goes inside and sees Moemi and Kitsune about leave. Just as she's about to enter the hallway, she hears a short scream. She rushes over to the noise. "Are you two all right?"

Moemi ignores her and grabs her shoe. She turns it upside down as tacks run out of her shoe. "Shoot! I forgot to check it again."

"Again?" Kitsune says. "You mean this isn't the first time that this happen?"

"Nope. This happen before when I was dating a boy that every girl liked. But it's the third time in the past two weeks that this happen and no one from my old school knows that I'm here."

"Are saying that someone here might be doing this?"

"Pretty much. No one else comes here."

"You know, I hate to imagine anyone here hating anyone else in this place," Kitsune says as Motoko thinks of Ranma. "Unless it's Keitaro."

"Why him?" Moemi asked. "He's one of the nicest people here."

"And the most perverted too," Motoko adds. "Before you two go, can you tell me if Ranma's around? I need to talk to her."

"Yes, Ranma's here," Kitsune tells her. "She's in her room with Mutsumi." They wave goodbye to each other and head off. Once she gets to her room, she opens the door and see the two of them eating watermelons.

"Hi Motoko," They both say.

"Hi Ranma. Mutsumi." She see plates of seeds and leftover watermelons near the two. "Huh... What are you two doing?"

"Well, we couldn't remember who's turn was it to do the dishes, so we're have a watermelon eating contest," Ranma tells her.

"Yeah. And I declare you the winner." Mutsumi slowly gets up and starts picking up plates. "I can't eat anymore."

"Well, that's what you get for going against someone who has a bottomless stomach." Mutsumi picks up the last of the dishes and heads out. Ranma slowly gets up, holding her stomach and walks towards Motoko. "So, what bring you by?"

"Well, I...I..."

"Huh?" Ranma sees the flyer in her hand and grabs it.

"HEY! That's mine! Give it back!" She takes a swing at her, but Ranma does a back flip and lands on Motoko's head as she reads the flyer out loud.

"Got what it takes to be a kendo champ? Well, come and fight in the first annual Hinata Kendo Tournament."

'Oh no!' Motoko thinks. 'I wanted to ask Ranma if she can help me train and maybe patch things up. But now, I think she may want to join in. I want to win this competition, but now...' Ranma jumps off her head and hands by the flyer.

"Sorry about that. It's force of habit. Anyway, you need my help in this or something?" Motoko looks stunned, not believe that Ranma would pass this up.

"Help me? Don't you want to fight in this?"

"For what? A trophy or medal? I'm not into that kind of stuff. Besides, this tournament seems more important to you. Is that why you came to see me?"

"Hmm...Well..." Her head isn't clear, full of mixed emotions. 'Damn! I been practicing without Ranma for over a month now and I don't think I got any better.' Starting to calm herself, she says "That and I miss practicing with you."

"Miss practicing with me? But I thought that you hated me for being a..."

"Look! Lesbian or not, you're still my friend." Pointing at Ranma. "Got it?" She nods as Motoko throws her a wooden sword. "Since this is a kendo tournament, you need to fight me with that. I know that you're a great fighter, so you should be able to learn it easily. I only have three weeks before the tournament starts, so give me everything you got before we spar in the morning." With that, Motoko walks away.

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Nearly three weeks have passed and the tournament is tomorrow. Both Ranma and Motoko spar together in front of the Hinata Sou in the warm afternoon sun. They would prefer to train on the smooth balcony floor instead of the rough dirt ground. But Motoko used one of her special moves on Ranma and accidentally blew it up like a nuclear bomb.

The two spar one another for a little over an hour, not giving the other a sign of being fatigue. Motoko isn't one bit surprised at Ranma's swordsmanship as she blocks her attack. Since no one from the kendo club can even match her fighting ability, she chose Ranma to help train her. She knew that she was always a great fighter from sparing together and figures she could learn kendo quickly. She didn't counter on how quickly Ranma pick it up. She struggle from the get go when the two fought from the first day of training for the tournament. She thought that she would have the advantage with the sword. She thought wrong. Angry with her progress, she asked to practice with real swords last week. Even thought she could tell that Ranma didn't believe she has it in her to spar with one, she agreed to it.

Motoko goes for an attack, thrusting her sword at Ranma. She ducks down and cartwheels out of the way. Ranma goes for an attack of her own and Motoko blocks it. As she's about to counter the attack, Ranma counters the block and quickly makes a 360 degree spin. She sticks out her sword and accidentally hits Motoko in the face. Realizing what she has done, she runs to her aid.

"Motoko! Are you all right? I didn't mean to hit you there." She checks her face. "OK. Good news is I must have used the back of the blade because there isn't a cut or blood coming out. Bad news is, I gave you a nice shiner."

As Motoko lays on the ground, all she thinks of doing is to cry. Cry her eyes out until she has no more tears to shed. Cry because she had disgraced herself by losing. By not beating Ranma. She slowly gets up and start to walk towards the door.

"Motoko! Where are you all right?"

"No."

"Well, I hope you feel better tomorrow for..."

"I'm not going to compete in the tournament anymore. I'm going to withdraw"

"WHAT?! Why?"

'Why!' She thinks to herself. 'Because I can't beat you. Not in kendo. Not when you have no weapons. Not even if I blindfold you and cast you in a block of cement or hogtie your ass! I don't deserve to fight in this tournament if I can't beat you. That's why!' Feeling overwhelmed, she covers her face and cries. Ranma walks up to her and grabs her by the shoulders.

"Oh no you don't." She yells. "Don't be giving me the water works and ignore the question. Now, answer me!"

"No!"

"What's wrong? Lost the heart to fight?"

Hearing those words making her enraged. All the training she endured over the years. The bruises she received when she was young. The torture she went through to become the best samurai out there. She knows that she has the heart to do anything she wants.

"Fight! You wanna fight?! I'll show you a fight!" Holding her sword up, she turns around and swings violently at Ranma. She tries to block it, but it doesn't help and screams. Realizing what she has done, Motoko stops halfway as she see Ranma on the ground, shaking all over. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to fight?" she says, trying not to show that she cares.

"Not like that!"

"Like what?"

"Look at your sword!" Motoko turns her head a bit and sees what Ranma was talking about as her sword cut Ramna's sword in half as they're stuck together. She looks at Ranma, who's slowly getting up, still shaking. "Look. I don't know why you want to withdraw from the tournament, but if it's lack of confidents, I think you just found it."

"Well...yeah. It was," she lied, knowing the real reason. "I wasn't confident at all."

"Glad I could help. Now, if you can do that in the tournament tomorrow, you'll win for sure." Ranma winks at her. "I'm going to take a nap now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"But Ranma. What about..." Just then, they hear an explosion. They rush into the house as most of the residents are gather in the dining room. "What happened?"

"We aren't sure Motoko," Kitsune tells her. "We all just heard something explode and headed towards the noise. Guess it happened in the kitchen." The kitchen door opens and out pops Urara, coughing as black smoke follows her. Immediately, Keitaro gets a fire extinguisher and goes in the kitchen. It takes him a few minutes to put out the what ever happened in there.

"Well," he comes out. "It's was a small fire on the stove. It's out, but the kitchen is a totally mess. It's covered in tomato sauce. What happened, Urara?"

"I was putting basil in the sauce for the pasta that I was cooking, but it started popping and then...boom!"

"Basil?" Shinobu goes in the kitchen. She searches around there for a minute, then see the basil bottle on the floor. She comes out, and show everyone. "You used this, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know what that happened. I mean, I brought the grocery myself."

Shinobu stares at the bottle and notice something. She being to peel off the label of the basil bottle and see another label behind it. "Huh? Gun powder?"

"Gun powder?!" Everyone goes to Shinobu and see the label. Everyone is convince when Su taste it and spits it out.

"What the? That store was selling gun powder as basil? Why I..."

"Urara!" Shinobu trying to calm her down. "Look, I'll go to the store after Motoko's tournament and see what can be done about this, OK?" She nods.

"Well, since no one can use the kitchen," Keitaro says. "We might as well order out. I'll call you all when the food is here." He heads towards the nearest phone and make the order.

"I'll start cleaning up. It's my mess after all." Urara goes back into the kitchen as everyone heads to their room, waiting for the food and feeling bad for Urara.

"Shinobu."

"Yes?!" Startle as she turns and sees Ranma.

"I'm going to take a nap. Can you wake me up when the food gets here?"

"Sure." Ranma heads to her room, but turns around and notices a huge smile on Shinobu's face as she stares at the gun powder bottle and goes in her room.

GOOD OR BAD, PLEASE REVIEW =)