As already stated, Deru had a grin on him when he entered the guest room.

"Fear not, oh fair and beauteous tiger." he declaimed with a sweeping bow. "Your salvation is at hand. The falling star of Furinkan High is ."

"You have a plan?" Ranma asked.

"You bet." He turned once again to Akane. "Your sister is an acute observer and an excellent strategist. Before the sun sets tomorrow, you shall be free!"

Ranma grins. "I've got good news too. Akane is willing to train with us."

"That's excellent!" He stops. "However, I suggest you keep this from our fathers. I suspect that they'd misinterpret it and have wedding invitations sent out before you could blink."

"Aww man, I hadn't thought of that." he turned to Akane. "I'd wanted you to join in our sparring session tomorrow morning, work on some of the pure physical stuff. But the old panda's going to be in on it, we're not going to get a chance."

"I'm sure that Akane can learn some of our style, just by watching. For now, we've got other things to discuss. Including ways to make our fathers think they don't stand a chance of getting you two together."

Since Akane's part in it was fairly simple, she soon excused herself. Her own bedroom seemed quiet after the lively entropy of the guest room. As she prepared for bed she looked back on the events of the day. 'Have I really found friends? A new sensei? People.' she paused at the automatic use of the word '.who are willing to accept me for what I am?' She hoped so. And for the first time in a long time, Akane Tendo fell asleep with a smile on her face.

In the guest bedroom things were less serene. Ranma and Deru continued to discuss the distressing of Kuno until Genma had wandered in, uttered a few words and dropped onto his futon, quickly taking up the sleep of the dead, or at least, the dead drunk. The other two were lying on their futons, talking over the day.

"Ya know Deru, you were right. Maybe our luck has changed. We did find new friends and someone to train with."

"You think Akane really has what it takes?"

"Sure of it. She's too much like me. Determined to be the best. How can I deny someone else the chance to try for that?"

"Hmm. I see what you mean."

Ranma's breathing slowed and deepened.

Deru lay awake. His mind turned to the problems he had to face tomorrow. Kuno was unlikely to be a problem. Ensuring Akane's honour was not in question was harder, but given Nabiki's info, not insurmountable. Nabiki, now there was a surprise, smarter than she let herself appear, and worried about her sisters problems, but clearly unable to do things to stop them. 'They both need our talents.' he subvocalised. Once that was over there was the trip home.

Ranma might be confident of a warm welcome, but he was less sanguine. Mum might understand, she must know that he was only human. Once the curse occurred, he had done everything in his power to fix it. That didn't reduce the sense of shame that Deru felt for allowing things to come to pass. And then there was Ucchan. Would she want a half man?

His thoughts took a darker turn. A vision of him revealing the curse to her and her shrinking away, a shocked look on her face. His mother standing behind her, sadly shaking her head. "I am so disappointed in you my son." Ukyo standing up and shouting "Get away from me you freak!" in Akane's voice, or was it his own. Deru sat up with a start, heart pounding. The two figures beside him slept on. 'I won't get to sleep like this.' he thought. His thoughts turned to the kitchen. 'I'll have a warm drink to calm me down. Ranma may find wisdom, or peace, on rooftops. With me it's kitchens.' With that he got up.

&&&

The morning in Nerima ward dawned exceptionally fine. This is not unusual, even with the Jyusenkyo cursed in residence, since they only get rained on at dramatically correct moments.

The three Saotomes had already washed and dressed and were now standing out on the garden, Genma, in his eternal off white gi, Ranma in a black sleeveless t-shirt, with 'Ranma' bleached into it in Roman characters, Deru in a blue t-shirt. He had a 3 foot sheath strapped across his back, and a 5 foot metal pole in his hands.

"Just because we return home today, doesn't mean we will slack off." roared Genma. "You will practice today as you do every day." His breath misted in the cold morning air.

"Yeah, yeah pops." yawned Ranma. "Let's go. I'm freezing!" He did some jumps and worked his shoulders.

"I'm ready." called Deru. He was doing some bone popping stretches, using the pole. [Jo staff warm up moves]. He pushed on the two ends and the pole collapsed on itself to form a 3 foot baton that slipped neatly into the sheath.

"Three way randori." Genma stated. They formed a rough triangle. "All attacks, begin!"

The three lit into the centre and attacks started cycling round, the fight travelling back and forth around the Tendo garden. The fight centred around Genma, who though fast was still less agile than the others. He made up for it in sneakiness. Several times he deflected attacks meant for him into the other opponent. The contacts between Deru and Ranma, if essentially friendly, were no less punishing than the bout they had the previous night.

Slowly the rest of the household woke up, aided by Genma's loud cries and imprecations. Akane in particular sat by the porch, waiting for breakfast, and watching the free for all. She was hardly able to make out anything at first, then she saw Ranma glance in her direction and the pattern of attacks changed.

The two brothers suddenly started double teaming Genma, dropping him, then worked on each other. These moves were much clearer, simpler and seemed slightly slower than the blinding speed she saw last night. They were usually placed sideways on to the window during the exchanges. Both started taking hits and locks that she was sure they should have been able to see coming. They even seemed to be repeating patterns.

'Lucky for me.' She thought, watching the two, drinking in the images and trying to understand them. She started to get annoyed each time Genma got back up and joined in ruining the demonstration. That's what it was, a lesson hidden in an ordinary sparring session. Of course their preoccupation with each other sometimes left them open to the revenge of the Genma. First Deru, then Ranma landed in the pool, and changed. "Whaddya do that for, old man!" yelled Ranma, shivering.

"I raised my sons to be fighters, not dance instructors. You are slow today, slow and weak. You fail to observe and evade attacks simple attacks, you cease to move around. Since you act as weak and foolishly as girls, it is fitting you should be girls." he pontificated, standing over them as they clambered out.

He failed to notice Ranma give Deru a glance and whisper in English, . As the two of them jumped forward, without looking they linked arms and catapulted Genma into the pond. "Now who's failing to spot simple moves old panda!" A panda dragged himself out the far side at the foot of an Akane, who was casting a nice warm glow from her crimson battle aura. "So you think girls are weak and foolish? Try this!"

There is an attack well known in Anime. It can penetrate Tektite, an AT field, a Mol shield, with equal ease. It doesn't waste energy on special effects, or time on power up sequences or fancy attack names. No matter how skilled the recipient at dodging, blocking or teleporting it will still strike with perfect accuracy, and will launch them into the air like a golf ball, or pound them into the ground like a stake. It does not have a name, but if it did, it would be called the Enraged Anime Heroine Strike.

Akane lifted 300 pounds of panda up by the scruff of the neck and proceeded to perform an Enraged Anime Heroine Strike on him. Of course her version was clearly called "Idiot Panda", or at least that was her attack cry. He flew through the air with the greatest of ease, in the Takahashi flight position, spinning slowly. [You know, the freefall equivalent of the promise pose, arms and legs at right angles] It was just as well he was unconscious at the time otherwise hitting the tree face first would have hurt, a lot. His limbs wrapped around the trunk, locking him there.

"Now he had that coming!" said a surprised Ranma.

[Yes!! I used the line in an original way.]

"Koala!" stated Deru, pointing at the tree borne ursine. The others smirked.

Akane was flushed, her aura fading away as quickly as it had come. "That fool just made me so mad. I know what you said last night Ranma but."

"Hey, don't sweat it Akane. You can't expect to change overnight."

Deru nudged the other two. "Parent alert! Soun Tendo in track. Ready you two?"

They nodded, and set into motion a diversionary tactic they had planned the previous night.

Ranma's voice changed. ". why'dya do that. We could have finished off the old panda ourselves."

Akane's voice took on an annoyed tone. "Idiot! Like I did it for you two. You should get inside and get decent before you freeze to death. Stop giving everyone in the neighbourhood a free show!"

True enough the combination of cold water and wet t-shirts was producing the expected fan service effects on the now females. Ranma looked down "Arrgh. I hate this. Well at least I've got something to show." He was not facing the screen door and indicated with his hands that he didn't mean it. Akane, shielded from the window by Ranma, indicated a fist. Ranma nodded. "Ranma you jerk!" came the cry. To everyone inside it appeared Ranma went flying backwards into the pond from another Enraged Anime Heroine strike. At least the splash cleared to reveal Akane there, head down, eyebrow atwitch, arm outstretched in a 'lunge punch of the gods' pose.

Deru went and peeled the panda off the tree and shoulder carried him through the front door while Ranma and Akane went in through the window, still in fine form. As Kasumi brought in the food, Akane sat down and exchanged one last "Macho moron" in response to Ranma's "Stupid tomboy" as he headed out into the hall. This had Soun weeping into his miso soup, so he completely missed Ranma turning in the doorway and giving an o.k sign, and Akane's smile and answering nod. Nabiki however did notice and gave Akane a quizzical look.

With everyone returned to their normal forms, the exodus began. First out the door was Nabiki, saying she had things to do before school started. She was joined by Akane, muttering something about idiot perverts.

Ranma and Deru had dried and changed into street clothes. They went into the kitchen, where Kasumi as usual was cleaning up. She looked sorrowfully at Ranma. "Don't think badly of Akane, she's a very sweet girl, but she just has these violent outbursts. However, remarking upon her chest was possibly less than wise. I thought you and Akane had made up."

Ranma looked over his shoulder. Deru was at the door and gave a quick look into the other room. He nodded. Ranma said, "We were faking, both of us. If our dads get wind of the fact that we're not deadly enemies, Akane's the one most likely to get 'engaged' to me, given any excuse. But she wants to train with me and I want to teach her. So we're going to do it in secret. In earshot of pop or your dad we'll pretend to hate each others guts. That should stop them. Actually I'm hoping you can help."

"Oh my. You wish me to keep it secret?"

"There's also a couple of things about today. We're going to meet up with Akane and deal with this Kuno guy who's giving her grief. Nabiki's in on it too. If you can give us a cover story and keep pop occupied for a couple of hours we'll be able to do it."

A few minutes later the Saotome brothers wandered back into the front room. "Don't worry Kasumi, we'll go get the stuff for ya." Ranma said, over his shoulder. Deru turned and bobbed his head in an abbreviated bow. "It's the least we can do after your hospitality." They headed out into the garden and eschewing gates they bounded onto the wall, and roof hopped away.

Akane and Nabiki were somewhat surprised when the two Saotome brothers raced along the wire fence that separated the road from the canal and dropped down a few feet ahead.

"Yo Akane, Nabiki. Ready for the action?" Ranma called.

"What were you doing?" asked Akane.

"Roof hopping. Fastest way to get anywhere. Good balance practice. Fun too!"

"I thought you had to get everything ready?" Deru asked Nabiki, who was being supported by Akane.

"Problem. I stumbled and twisted my foot. Looks like the whole plan's off. Damn it! I doubt we'll even make it there on time." Nabiki is scowling, and not just from the pain. 'The favours I called in, wasted! And paying off on the bets will hurt. My biggest score ruined.'

Ranma looked equally unhappy. "But it has to be today! Once we're back home it'll be too hard to get here."

Akane slumped. "So you're backing out?" 'They are like the others, all talk!' she thought bitterly.

"Ain't said that yet. Deru?" he turned to his elder brother.

"If I may see.? Deru is already kneeling down by Nabiki, and places his hands on her ankle. "Hmm. A sprain. Is there someone who can fix the leg?" He doesn't look up.

"Tofu-sensei. That's where we're going." Akane said.

"I'll get her there, you both continue the plan. My lady?" he stepped forward, towards Nabiki. "I can carry you there, a lot faster than you can walk." At her nod he scooped her up. Ranma called, "Wait a second bro." He came over and, after a few seconds of thought, pressed several points on Nabiki's lower leg. "Hey? What are you.", Nabiki's query is stopped by Ranma asking. "Does that feel better?" Nabiki found that the pain in her ankle had greatly diminished. "Yes, it does."

Deru nodded, "Pain block, I should have thought of it. Ready?" He ran off in a gliding movement that didn't jog her ankle. Ranma and Akane watched the retreating cloud of dust for a moment

"How did you do that?" Akane asked.

"Shiatsu technique. On the road you learn all sorts of stuff. I'm no healer, but you can't help learning a few things when you have to get fixed up as often as we do."

They started walking side by side, Akane still with a worried look that Ranma noticed.

"Don't sweat it. Deru will get her there." Ranma breezily stated.

"I'm just worried about something else going wrong."

"We've had our share of bad luck for today." A scoop full of water from the little old lady washing down her front step gave him a new hair colour.

"You were saying?" Akane inquired sarcastically.

Ranma still doesn't seem worried. "Foreseen, sorted." She pulls out a canteen. "Instant nanniichuaan. Just in case of such mishaps. Stand back or you'll need hot water."

"I thought you were saving those for emergencies." Akane said in not quite a question.

"Well, we figured helping you out was one." He pours some of the contents onto his head, and returns to normal. He tucks the canteen away in his chinese shirt. "Ready for act 2. That reminds me, you were pretty convincing this morning."

Akane smiled. "I've been a member of the Drama club since starting middle school. I like acting."

"Oho, a future movie star."

"You think so." She sighed. "I hadn't set my sights that high just yet."

"No, I can see it now." He started quoting, as if doing a voice over. 'Chapter 12. The Tendo strikes back! It is a time of turmoil in Nerima, as the evil Lord Kuno extends his grim hold over the fair school of Furinkan. But unbeknownst to him, a small band of rebels lead by the fearless princess Akane plans to defeat him and end his reign of terror."

Akane is smiling by the end of this. "What does that make you? Ran Solo?"

Ranma mock winced as they approached the gates of Furinkan. "Looks like some storm troopers want your autograph."

Akane's pleasant expression falls off her face. "I will deal with them myself! I despise. those. BOYS!" She started running at the gate, where a group of about forty boys in various sports gear were clustered. Ranma forced himself to hold back and not join her.

He jumped up on the wall and observed the cries and carnage below. "No Akane.." Crunch! "I'll stop you." Smack! "Date with meaaargh!" Thud! Akane proceeded to demolish the sports clubs of Furinkan under the expert eye of Ranma. As the last figure fell, Ranma dropped down. "Man, you are popular. Congrats on just knocking them out." He drops into a low horse stance and pokes the nearest with a twig.

"Truly a boorish lot. Evidently they each intend to ask you out."

"Oh! Upperclassman Kuno." Akane interrupted, with the tone of voice normally used to describe something you scrape off your shoe. She caught and crushed the rose he sent flying her way. 'Who does he think he is, Tuxedo Mask?'

"And now Akane Tendo, might you fight with me?" declaims Kuno. Overhead the sky darkened.

"Not today. It's a couple of minutes to the bell and I won't be made tardy by you. Ranma, sort him out for me?"

Ranma rose up. "You got it Akane. Se ya later." He waved casually.

Kuno's limited attention transferred to Ranma. "You there. You are being quite familiar with Akane." His bokken flicks out to point at Ranma. "Who are you boor? Ah, but it is the custom to give one's own name first. Very well then, mine I shall give!" While Kuno spouted off, Akane headed indoors, indicating her assessment of Kuno's mental state by tapping her finger to her head. The watching people on the balconies, variously looked shocked, agreed or sniggered.

"My name." Kuno struck a pose. "Is Upperclassman Kuno, junior group E. Captain of the Kendo club."

"I know. I know. undefeated fencing whatsit and Falling Star of Furinkan High." Thunder rolled. Ranma yawned.

"You mock me! Besides you are mistaken. I am now known as. the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" Thunder failed to roll. The balcony watchers increased in number. "Blue Thunder?" "News to me."

"Whatever. Looks like I stole your thunder, blue thunder."

Kuno is no longer calm. "My patience grows thin. Who are you cur?"

"Ohhh insults. Hardly worthy of a samurai. I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes school of martial arts. My father's a friend of Akane's so we stopped over." Thunder rolled again.

"What!" Kuno's bokken swept down. "Under the same roof as Akane?"

Ranma lazily avoided the slash. "Geeze! Don't get your hakama in a twist. I don't like your tone, stick boy. Akane told me there was this nutball who wouldn't leave her alone at school, no matter how often she pounded him, so I came along to see if it were true. Turns out you're even more fruity then she said." All the while he kept dodging, jumping and evading the bokken.

"So scoundrel, you hound Akane? I shall bring you to justice." Kuno roared.

"Looks like you're the puppy who's hounding her." said Ranma as he easily jumped sideways to avoid a blow that cut a hole in the wall, ending up on a tree trunk. [yeah, I know 'puppy' and 'hounding' may not work in Japanese. Blame the UT.] "Silence fool! Stand and fight!" Kuno's follow up blow sliced the tree in half. He suddenly found Ranma appearing face to face with him, so fast he couldn't see the move. Ranma grabbed his wrists and squeezed, causing him to drop the bokken in pain. He picked up the wooden sword and jumped back, resting it casually over his shoulder. "You could hurt someone, most likely yourself, with this thing." The third and final prelude thunderclap occurred.

"Sorcerer. Demon. You seek to make a fool of me?"

"Why should I, when your doing such a good job yourself?"

"Return my bokken and let us fight like men." The rain starts to fall. Fortunately the nannichuan maintained Ranma's masculinity. 'Time to finish this. Gotta get the wording right.' he thought. "Sure. But only on one condition. Swear on your honour as a samurai, that if I win, you will no longer annoy Akane Tendo, by her definition of annoyance, not yours, either in person or by proxy, such as these sad acts you had mob her."

"And leave her in your foul clutches? Never!"

Ranma laughed. "Feh! I don't make any claim on her. Of course I could always just walk away with this." He waved the bokken lazily. "But then, a samurai's honour is his sword ain't it? I take your honour anyway. Whatcha scared of. Reckon you'll loose?"

Kuno is enraged. "The Blue Thunder never looses!"

"Then swear the oath, in full." Kuno stumbles through the words, half incoherent with anger.

"Good enough for me. Catch." Ranma flicks the bokken at Kuno, who snatches it out of the air. He then raced straight at Ranma, in the best tradition of samurai films, sword held low and back for a cleaving blow. A split screen would show Ranma race similarly towards the idiot swordsman, hands held low. They meet and jump, Ranma flying over the top of Kuno's strike, and silhouetted by the storm light, striking down with his fingers at Kuno's unprotected forehead.

Ranma drops to the ground lightly, ducking under the reverse strike that went for him at head height. He sprung back up with an uppercut that caught the hapless kendoist under the chin and sent him flying, to crumple to the concrete some metres away.

He went over to the reviving figures of the sports club members. "Hey, guys." They glared at him. "You heard what stick boy.oh I'm sorry.'Upperclassman Kuno' said. He lost, your little battle is over."

"You claim Akane as your own?" another kendoist declaimed.

"What is with you people? What do you think she is. a plushie doll? Of course not! Just fellow martial artists helping each other out. Is this truly the way of Bushido? Beating up on girls? You're all a disgrace to the male half of the species."

A baseball player swung on him from behind. He casually ducked under it and caught the extended bat at the end of it's strike. "If you're going to blindside me, try being a bit quieter about it." The bat came free as he sprung up, out of the middle of the group. He handsprung off the baseball players head and landed by the wall, then doing a standing jump to perch on top of it. "Isn't this a misuse of school property?" He tossed the bat back.

There were various mutterings as the crowd turned to face him. Ranma looked down with a neutral expression. "It's just as well Akane can take care of herself. Otherwise I'd have to do something about it. You wouldn't enjoy that."

"You threatening us mister?" One of the hockey players rumbled.

"Nah. Like I said, Akane fights her own battles. She's holding back, way back when she fights you lot. I've sparred with her. She could have put you in hospital just as easily, no easier than just knocking you aside. Fortunately for your health insurance, she's a sweet girl, and a true martial artist, fighting only in self defense." By now some of the guys at the edge were leaving, looking slightly ashamed.

"One more thing. I may not be that up on the romance thing, but I'm guessing violent assaults on your would be girlfriends sorta kill the mood. If you gotta date someone, I read somewhere that giving flowers or chocolates is a more usual thing. It's gotta be less painful than what you're doing now. See ya!" He sprung backwards off the wall.

"Yo Deru, how'd I.", Deru isn't at their agreed meeting place. Instead, Ranma found the plastic bag, containing their waterproofs and a towel, duct taped to the wall at a height just reachable from the wall top. 'What's up?' he thought as he jumped and snagged the bag.

The answer to that question lies a few hundred metres away and a few minutes earlier. Tori Akahito was the best cameraman in the AV club at Furinkan, and in debt to Nabiki from loans to buy new and interesting gear. So when she had called him the previous night and offered to reduce his debt in return for a little extra curricular work he'd jumped at it. His best video recorder slung under his arm, he now strode towards the school doors. 'Yes! Got the fight, the speeches everything. Nabiki has got to be impressed. It's worth a tardy slip just to record stuff like that.' "Yes! I am a genius!" he cried out, unaware that three sports clad bruisers were coming up behind him.

"What you got, shrimp?" sneered one of them.

Tori quailed and turned to face them. "Uh. nothing.just late to school. oh migosh. is that the time.gotta go. bye!" A meaty hand grabbed his shoulder. The baseball player, smarting from Akane inflicted injuries and Ranma's humiliating speech growled, "You weren't recording that, were you?"

Tori, while an expert camera wielder, was not good at lying, "Recording what?" 'I'm dead, so dead.' he thought. "It's Nabiki's business." He quavered, holding up the name like a talisman.

One of the thugs, brighter than the other two, looked uncertain. "Hey, Tetsuo, maybe we should leave it. You don't mess with the ice queen." He was quoting from a saying that had become popular around Furinkan. 'Meddle not in the affairs of Nabiki Tendo, for she will make your life hell.'

Tetsuo growled. "Who cares! Stuck up ice bitch and her psycho sister need a lesson." He turned back to the struggling Tori. "Give us the camera and we don't hurt you too much."

A girls voice interrupted. "I'd listen to him, and you shouldn't call Nabiki-san or Akane-san names." They turned. A certain familiar blonde Caucasian female was observing them. As Tetsuo turned, Tori instinctively raised his camera.

"And what makes you think we shouldn't pound him, then take you somewhere and see if you're a natural blond?"

She put her hand to her chin. "Well for one thing, the element of surprise." She blurred towards them. We will skip the ensuing violence, to the point where all three are unconscious on the floor. "You alright?" she asked Tori. "You look a little stunned."

"That. was incredible." he replied, lowering the camera.

"No problem." The girl stated, in a more masculine speech mode than he'd expected. "Duty of a martial artist and all that. Anyhow you're working for Nabiki-san."

"You work for her too? Are you something to do with that Ranma guy?"

The girl grinned "Lots of questions. I'm working with Nabiki. Look, do you want me to get the tape to her, so's you can avoid any more encounters?"

Tori thought. 'She could take it easily.' He also couldn't help noticing the wet t-shirt effect and was only prevented from entering nosebleed territory from fear of what else would bleed if the girl noticed. "But Nabiki-san asked me to deliver it myself."

"Okay. Good luck." She turned to go and Tori suddenly realised some more sports guys were coming, having just changed.

"Wait. Please get it to her. " He unloaded the tape and handed it to her, then scurried away.

"Bye." The girl turned and jumped up, springing up to the first floor, via the side of the clock tower, out of sight of the oncoming horde.