Ranma & Kaneda
By Ron Dow75
From an idea by James M. Zema,
Unauthorized, but allowed.
04: Hot Water
A shirtless 'Akane Saotome' was standing in the rough
besides the empty sports fields behind Furinkan High. Her
hands were raised only in the position, to defend-or-
attack, not to hide her nude boobs. She tried to keep her
thoughts off of her bare boobs, which the stiff breeze
was making chilly. Her nipples were hard. But worst yet
was a guy was staring at them.
And not just any guy: "You would challenge Tatewaki
Kuno?" he said in amazement. The "Shooting Star of the
High School Kendo World", or whatever he was calling
himself this week, was in his gi and had his
bokken/wooden sword out. He was holding the hiltless
sword like a samurai, by both hands.
But the sight of half-naked girl had caused the bokken's
tip to dip almost to the ground.
Kane-chan answered, "Yes! I just said that. Are you going
to do something about it before I change my mind!?!"
"Akane Saotome," Kuno repeated the name of his opponent.
"Lest too light winning makes the prize light, I accept."
He raised his sword towards her. "If you should defeat
me, I shall allow you to date me. But beware. Should you
prove worthy of me, I am prepared to lose."
Kune-chan said, "Don't lose too easy, or YOU won't be
worthy of me!"
Kuno's eyes leaped fully off of her chest. It took him a
moment to deal with the affront. Then he smiled, "A woman
thinking ahead!" He paused to take a dashing pose, "But
can a Kuno NOT be the proper sire?"
It was Kane-chan's turn to let her weapons fall in
amazement. "What!!?!" -{Maybe this wasn't such a good
idea after all!}-
That's when Kuno charged, "HYAHH!!" He used a low-and-up
slash. But Kane-chan leaped and somersaulted off of his
tall shoulders. She landed behind him.
She didn't have time to tell herself how stupid she was
to do that without something that tied down her boobs:
Kuno came back to slashed at shoulder-height.
This time Kane-chan leaped high over and far from Kuno.
This time her abused boobs screamed too loudly to be
ignored, -{If only I'd practiced as a girl!!}-
Kuno turned in one fluid motion and charged, his bokken
raised over his head. He sends it down towards--
Kune-chan stopped it in her bare hands. The hurt was so
bad over her chest she couldn't make any comment.
Kuno's eyes fixed on the taut boobs. He used all his
manly strength to press his bokken down. The female was
being forced to lower herself. "You're mine!"
Kane-chan fell. The bokken was still between her palms.
She did a martial arts landing. She brought the foot that
had slipped on the damp grass up against Kuno's belly.
And tossed him with all her might. Only when he was
flying, did she allow herself to say, "Ow!" -{Momentum
means something different to a girl!}-
Ranma-chan could have let Kuno fall on his head, but what
would that prove? It had much more meaning to catch him
in her outstretched hands.
Kuno said, "We meet again." He was looking at the
cleavage exposed by her unfastened shirt.
The red-haired girl told him, "What kinda man ARE you,
fightin' girls!? You're not a man!!" And she let his head
continue to the ground.
Whang! He then toppled over onto his butt. "That hurt,
you know."
Kane-chan came hurrying over as fast as her sore boobs
would allow, "Ranma! You're a girl again!" -{Damn! There
goes THAT plan! I'll have to wait for another time!}-
Ranma-chan told her, "This is who he was fightin'! And I
DON'T like people fightin' my fights for me!" She threw
Kane-chan's shirt at her.
Kane-chan caught it, "I WASN'T fightin' YOUR fight! I
was--"
Ranma-chan ignored her to address Kuno, "I challenged you
first! You should be fightin' me!"
Kuno said, "But you just said--"
Ranma-chan took the position, "I'm different!"
Kuno rose, "That you are, My Maiden of Battle!!" (Kane-
chan cried, "Hey! What about me!?!) "Beauty doth
persuade: If you can defeat me--" And he reached for the
sword Kane-chan still held in her hands, "I shall allow
you to DATE with me!"
The bare foot girl landed on his out-thrust wooden sword,
slid forward as if it were a tightrope, and, "Who asked
for a DATE, anyway!?!!" kicked him solidly in the cheek.
She did two mid-air martial arts leg thrusts for
emphasis, and landed upright.
Kuno was lying on the ground in a daze. Ranma-chan strode
over to his disgraced bokken. She flipped it up using
just the tops of her toes. Then caught it. Putting it
over her shoulder, she said, "Guess what, Kuno. I ain't
goin' on any date with you."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm goin' home."
Kane-chan looked at Kuno, then at Ranma's back. She
followed her, buttoning her shirt, "It's not even lunch
yet. What about your father!?!"
Ranma-chan simply pointed high up into the leaves of a
tree. The panda's claws were embedded into the trunk. It
wasn't sure how well pandas could get down, and wasn't
ready yet to find out.
Kuno looked at the departing redhead, "She is formidable.
And the other..." And then he lost his struggle against
consciousness.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As they headed for the exit from the school grounds,
Ranma-chan frowned, "What was the idea challengin' him
like that!?!"
Kane-chan told her, "I was fightin' Kuno long before
you." -(Don't tell her the real reason.}-
Ranma-chan snorted, "Kaneda Tendou was fightin' him. Not
some worse-than-tomboy chick named 'Akane SAOTOME'."
Kane-chan said, "It's my fault you got into a fight with
the jerk. If you weren't a girl, he at least wouldn't
think about dating you."
Ranma-chan said, "Oh, so now that he's thinin' of datin'
me, you decide YOU want to date him."
Kane-chan cried, "No!! ...Well..." The thought of going out
on a triple date HAD crossed her mind. But JUST to so she
could step in case she had to help Ranma. Er, in anything
not having to do with martial arts. She had a very hard
time remembering Ranma wasn't a girl. Herself, on the
other hand, "Why would I want to date Kuno!?! He's a
guy!"
Ranma-chan said, "He's also tall, dark, handsome, rich,
and any number of other things. Remember the list you
made?" Ranma made another bid at getting her interested
in somebody besides her.
Kane-chan raised her voice, "I did NOT make a list!
Nabiki did."
Ranma-chan said, "Oh... So the only reason you didn't try
for him before was because of your sister!"
Kane-chan glared at her. She was deliberately insulting
her manhood. "ALSO on that list was one great big
deficit: Kuno's insane!!"
Ranma shrugged her shoulders, "So he's a little inbred.
That makes it a good thing for his clan to get some fresh
blood. ' May even explain WHY he lookin' to get a girl
who can 'knock down' the social barriers for him."
Kane-chan said, "Now look who sounds like she's
interested." She turned her nose up, "Is that how you
think...bloodlines, and class, or...whatever your idea of
eugenics is?"
Ranma-chan said, " "Eugenics"?? No!! I know a lot of
girls want to marry up, but I ain't--" She had a thought,
"A girl WOULD be marryin' up!"
Kane-chan said, "At the cost of having to LIVE with the
guy!"
Ranma-chan put her hands behind her head, "Not
necessarily. Kuno strikes me as a pretty traditional
samurai-type. That means his wife wouldn't hafta see him
much."
Kane-chan shuddered, "Except to...'procreate'."
Ranma-chan walked on, apparently not taking the thought
of having sex with a guy seriously.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It wasn't until they were nearing Dr. Tofu's clinic that
Kane-chan finally thought to mention, "You haven't
fastened your shirt, yet." They had been lucky. The only
people they'd come across were women and small children.
The women had kept their comments to themselves, and
Ranma was used to children staring at her.
Ranma-chan looked down. She sighed, and started
fastening. "What a bother. As a guy I don't have to think
much about how I look." She had a thought, "Why DID you
take your shirt off?"
Kane-chan looked at her close her shirt over the shifting
mounds. Her face reddened, "Because I EXPECTED you to
forget about your shirt, and, and..." she mumbled,
"...because I was competing against C cups." Her own boobs
seemed like giant (sore) nuisances, but they were only
B's.
Ranma-chan frowned, "When it comes to competin', SMALLER
are better. None is the best."
Kane-chan thought, -{She certainly doesn't THINK like a
girl.}- Then, -{Wait!!?! Does that mean *I* do!?!}-
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-
Dr. Tofu's patients at this time were elderly, and mostly
women. It wouldn't do just to walk into the infirmary,
now. Unless it was somebody like Mrs. Tanaka, the patient
in there with the doctor wouldn't want people to know
what their problem was.
Of course Ranma-chan couldn't just sit, so Kane-chan
stood, too. The whispered talk of the others became
centered on: "The girls these days!"/ "In MY day, a girl
knew how to dress like a girl."/ "Right, we'd never wear
pants."/ "If the gods had wanted girls to look like boys,
they'd wouldn't have given us hips."
The mention of hips took Kane-chan's mind away from her
boobs.
Ranma-chan said, "It'd be quicker and simpler just to go
back home."
Kane-chan said, "But we're supposed to be in school."
Then he remembered, "The lav! It has a sink."
Ranma-chan made sure Kane-chan was looking as she looked
around. "And what about them?"
Kane-chan smiled for the waiting room. -{My hair trick
would backfire here.}- "We could use another public lav."
Ranma-chan frowned at the idea, "Why didn't you think of
that before?"
Kane-chan got angry, "Why didn't YOU."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm goin'."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There were no public restrooms between the clinic and the
Tendous'. But there were puddles...and a bicycler who was
delivering barbequed eel and who wasn't paying attention.
Splash!
Ranma-chan accused, "You did that on purpose!"
Kaneda, ticked, replied, "No I didn't!" He would've liked
to have towered over her when he yelled, but she was up
walking a fence again. -{She won't even let a guy feel
like a guy.}-
Ranma-chan grumbled, "At least I didn't get wet."
Kaneda 'offered', "I could change that." He glanced at
another puddle.
Ranma-chan said, "But I wouldn't change!"
Kaneda said, "That's why *I* should be the guy, dummy!"
Ranma-chan stopped on top of a fence, "What!!?!"
Kaneda stopped to confront her, "There's always going to
be accidents with water. Hardly any of it is going to be
hot! It's just simpler if you stay a girl!!"
Ranma-chan's fists shot down and her toes curled up as
she yelled, "I'm a GUY!!"
Kaneda yelled back, "Look in the mirror!! AND inside: A
girl's brain has GOT to go with that body!"
Ranma-chan yelled, "You're the real girl!!" He got a look
in her eye, "And I think it's time YOU started using your
girl brain!"
Ranma jumped down to his level. For a second Kaneda
thought she saw a fiery red glow about her. A battlle aura!
Kaneda backed away, "What, what do you think you're going
to do?"
She smiled wickedly, "You're gonna be hit by hot water.
And it AIN'T gonna be by accident!!"
Kaneda believed that Ranma COULD put him in hot water!
He immediately swung his bookbag. Ranma was knocked
over the wire fence...and into the canal below.
Splatsch!
Ranma-chan rose from the water sputtering. Then yelled,
"This is a showdown!! If you have ANY honor, you'll meet
me in the dojo!!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda paced up and down the path to the front door...and
to the gate to the dojo. "What am I going to do!?! I
can't fight Ranma as a martial artist. She's out of my
class by several levels! The only way I can beat Ranma is
as a girl.
"But that's EXACTLY what she wants!" He looked at the
dojo over the wooden fence. "At least if I became a girl
it would neutralize her secret technique."
He bowed his head, "But I'd be living in fear of it until
I found out what it is. I would be a coward."
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Mad as a wet hornet, Ranma-chan came home to the Tendou
house. She stormed right into it. "Where is he!?!!"
Kasumi called out, "Oh, Ranma! You startled me. You're
home early."
She was in the garden hall so that's where Ranma-chan
went. "Where's Kaneda!?! We have a duel to straighten out
our dual roles!"
Kasumi called out, "He SHOULD be in school. Shouldn't he?
(Oh, it's times like these I do wish I had a watch.)"
When Ranma-chan could, she saw that Kasumi was carrying a
bucket of water. Ignoring that question for the moment,
Ranma rushed to the back hall, "Is he hiding back
here!?!"
Kasumi looked over her shoulder and said, "Kaneda's
hasn't been in the house!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma opened the door to bathroom, "I bet THIS is where
you are!! You like bein' a girl in here!" But Kaneda
wasn't in the bathroom.
But the bathroom wasn't normal. The plastic stool and
pail were tilted against the side of the tiled furo/tub.
And the bath mat was rolled and upended across the furo.
The sign on it read, [Do not fill!]
The taps each had a sign on them, [Do not turn!] and [Do
not touch!]. And the one on the tap you used before you
got in the furo read [Do not twist!].
Ranma-chan said, puzzled, "It has to be more than a
problem with the hot water."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan found Kasumi in the kitchen. She was headed
for the back door with the metal bucket. "What's goin'
on?" There were signs over the kitchen sink's taps, too.
Kasumi said, "I'm so sorry. We're getting the drains
fixed soon."
Ranma-chan went over to her, "Let me take care of that
bail water for you!"
Kasumi was about to protest, but didn't want to be
impolite. She smiled and let the girl take it. She bowed,
"Thank you! Too bad you hadn't skipped school earlier.
This is the last one."
As Ranma-chan headed out the door, Kasumi informed her,
"Poor it over the gravel beneath the faucet out there!"
But the strong, small girl was headed in the opposite
direction. Kasumi said to herself, "I guess she's going
to clean the dojo." She was smiling as she turned around,
"That's the one place I don't have to think about
cleaning."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan had taken four steps in the arena before she
started sinking in a spot of extra wet white sand.
"What!!?! Quicksand!?!!"
Before she had time to do anything but react, a fighting
staff came out and forced the bucket over. The water
spilled on top of Ranma-chan: Splash!
At the other end of the six-foot-long bo stick was
Kaneda. "So your secret technique DOESfirst need water
to heat."
Ranma-chan was still sinking; she was down to her hips
now, "How'd you pull this trick!!?!"
Kaneda flicked a lock of his long red hair back with his
thumb, "You're not the only one who knows special
techniques."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Three years earlier Dr. Tofu had had a day off. Kaneda
had invited to spend it at the Tendou's house. Kaneda had
wanted to him to do some coaching and had gotten him to
do a little bo sparing. Despite that it had been raining
earlier, they did it outside the dojo. "It'll be more of
a challenge to do it on wet sand, don't you think, Dr.
Tofu?! ANYbody can fight indoors!"
The mature accomplished martial artist had gone easy on
the boy, but it was still a workout. Kaneda was good; the
doctor was much better.
Then Kasumi had come out with a tray. "Would anybody like
some cold lemonade or tea?"
Tofu's glasses steamed up, and he dropped his defenses.
Kaneda knew that the match could not go on. Dejectedly,
he watched as Tofu stirred the sand with one end of his
bo stick while pouring the drinks on the ground, "Kasumi!
Would anybody like something made with your own hands?!
What a silly question! I don't see how..."
He sank down into the pit he'd bored.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-cha was down to where her hips were covered up.
Ranma-chan used her arms and legs to move through the
sand.
Kaneda realized, "If I knew how to swim I might've seen
that coming!"
He brought the bo down and started stirring and boring
the sand ahead of Ranma-chan.
He wasn't fast enough. Ranma-chan caught the stick with
her hand and pulled. She'd pull Kaneda in if he held on.
Kaneda held on. It was a nearly one-sided tug-of-war.
Ranma-chan was stronger and more skilled, despite her
having to swim; and his footing was sand. Again Kaneda
sensed the heat of her battle aura. Ranma smiled at the
taste of victory, "All I have to do is get you a little wet!
Just a little further..." Kaneda HAD been dragged to
within centimeters of his greatest phobia.
-{Phobia?}- Then he bent forward at the waist, "Kiss me,
my fiancee!"
Ranma-chan yelled, and pushed the staff and the guy back.
Kaneda landed on his feet further in the arena, the bo in
hand.
Ranma-chan was seriously creeped.
Kaneda said, "Get close enough, and I will kiss you!" -
{It WOULD have to sound like a threat.}-
Ranma-chan yelled, "Don't you dare! Not as a girl, and
not EVER as a guy!!"
Kaneda got into the stance, and started to experiment, "I
wonder if I can develop a martial arts kissing
technique?"
Determinedly Ranma-chan challenged herself, "All I have
to do is touch you once when you're wet!"
Kaneda nodded, "Something else your technique needs."
He turned his back on her, and walked away, "I would
rather kiss you as a guy. But if you want me to do it as
a girl..." He turned when he got near the door. He smiled a
challenge at her, "You said you wanted a showdown in the
dojo?"
Ranma-chan growled and glowered.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nabiki came home from school. As she was headed for the
front door, she heard noises and loud talk coming from
the dojo:
Kaneda said, "...Well, that is one of the things a towel in
a dojo is for!"
Ranma-chan said, "When I get my hands on it, I'm going to
wring it around your neck!!"
Kaneda said, "When you took gym at your other schools,
did you ever do martial arts towel snapping?"
There were a series of wet *Snaf!*, *Snaph!* that got
drier. Kaneda explained, "I had to learn it to keep the
guys away from my secret in the locker room."
Ranma cried, "Cut that out!! You're gonna hit something
sensitive!" The sound of bare feet running on the
floorboards followed and then were gone. She'd leaped.
Kaneda yelled, "Towel trampoline defense!!"
After a few seconds it sounded like Ranma-chan landed
lightly on a foot and a knee on the boards.
Kaneda was surprised, "It worked! You're light enough
that I can sling-shot you off of the towel."
Ranma roared, "ONLY in my girl-form!!" She charged this
time, "I have another source of water!!"
Kaneda answered, "And I've got the towel!!"
Nabiki shook her head, "Idiot," and went inside her home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nabiki changed, and went into the kitchen. Kasumi was
stir-frying dinner. Nabiki leaned against a counter and
watched, "Ranma, Kuno and Kaneda were all anybody could
talk about today, in that order."
Kasumi smiled, "It's good that a new girl is getting
known in her new school. I do hope she's getting a good
reputation."
Nabiki said, "It depends on how you define "good". At
least everybody knows she can take care of herself."
Then she smirked, "Physically, at least."
Kasumi sighed, "I guess that will take care of problems
with the boys."
Suddenly the kitchen door to the outside burst open, and
in stormed Ranma-chan. "How can I fight somebody I ain't
supposed to fight, and who don't' fight fair ANYWAY!!"
She went over to the kitchen sink and turned the hot
water tap.
Nothing.
She turned on the cold: Nothing!
Kasumi said, "I'm sorry, Ranma, but now there's no water
any where in the house. That's why I'm preparing this
type of meal."
While Ranma-chan tried not to scream in utter
frustration, Nabiki said, "I thought it was just the
drains!?"
Kasumi said, "That reminds me, I got the nice plumber to
send us a port-a-potty."
Ranma-chan opened the refrigerator door, looked inside,
and then slammed it shut. Ranma grumbled, "Maybe there's
a way I can use the quicksand despite all the grit." She
noticed a bucket.
She rushed out of the kitchen with the bucket, "I can use
the water from the koi pond!" Even Nabiki could sense
the battle aura coming from the girl.
Nabiki eyed her big sister for a while as she continued
happily preparing dinner. She finally came to the
conclusion, "You turned off the water, didn't you
Kasumi?"
Kasumi didn't look at her, "Me? Why would I do that?"
Nabiki said, "Oh, I don't know. It wouldn't have anything
to do with Kaneda, would it?"
Kasumi said, in a tone that suggested that it reminded
her of a different topic, "I've never seen Kaneda so
happy. Ranma makes an excellent sparing partner."
Nabiki didn't buy that as the complete story, "Unh,
hunh." She noted the can with water that Kasumi had used
to clean the vegetables; it was now nearly hidden. "She
even got rid of the used water she would've saved?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda ran in through the garden door and looked around
for a place to hide and rest. He forgot his great plan
when he saw his dad sitting at the family table.
He rushed over to him, "Now you're going to tell me the
whole story! Ranma knows how SHE got cursed, I want to
know...." His dad made no move to defend himself. He made
no movement at all.
Kasumi came in to set the table. "Father's been like that
all day, Kaneda. I do hope he comes back soon. He needs
to eat good home-cooked meals."
Suddenly from the foyer, Kaneda heard Mr. Saotome yell,
"Ranma! Why are you still a girl!? I've overlooked it
before. But that was BEFORE you got engaged to a guy!"
Ranma-chan yelled, "I ain't engaged to NO guy!! Or to the
GIRL she realy is!!"
Genma said, "End the farce and choose one of the Tendou
girls. Honor the decade old agreement between families
that the son--"
Splash!
Ranma-chan said, "Oops! I spilled this bucket of pond
water."
The panda said, "Burao! Bah-rah, bamuru!"
Ranma-chan laughed, "Sorry! I can't understand a word
you're sayin'."
Nabiki entered the family room just as Kaneda was
leaving, "I THOUGHT idea was not to fight Ranma with
martial arts?!!"
On his way back out into the garden, he told her, "And
it's hard not to! I'm trying to stay as unorthodox as I
can."
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Kasumi had enforced a truce within the house the next
morning. If anybody or anything got wet, there would be
no breakfast.
Ranma-chan ate sullenly while keeping her eyes on Kaneda.
Kaneda ate sullenly while keeping his eyes on his dad.
His dad just stared out into space.
Nabiki ate while looking bored at the whole situation.
Mr. Saotome remained a panda.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On their way to school Kaneda kept his eye on Ranma-chan.
The guy was walking the walls and fences again. "You
didn't attack me in my sleep."
Ranma-chan said, surly, "I don't do things like that."
Kaneda continued his thread, "You also played fair and
stayed within the Tendou compound."
Ranma-chan snorted, "I can't say the same for you!"
Kaneda got sore, "I did too! I never left the property!"
Ranma-chan accused, "Oh, yeah!?! Every couple a hours you
disappeared!"
Kaneda told her, "That's because I had to REST! I don't
have the stamina you have!"
Ranma-chan leaped down to confront him, "Some martial
artist! Some guy!!"
Though it hurt his pride, Kaneda was forced to say,
"That's right! Compared to you I'm not a guy! I'm as weak
and soft as a girl!"
Ranma-chan screamed in frustration. "Will you STOP
reminding me of that!"
Splash!
The old woman with the ladle had gotten Ranma wet again.
Ranma-chan reacted with a pure look of revenge, "I'm wet!
I've got water!!"
Kaneda ran! -{Not now! Not now! I can't be a girl now!!}-
he told himself. At least HE had rested and gotten enough
sleep yesterday and this morning.
Swerving and twisting as randomly as he could, Kaneda
made it to Dr. Tofu's clinic.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda went out a back exit. -{Ranma doesn't know the
streets like I do. I'll take a long way to school. Once I
get there, it'll be too late for Ranma.}-
He kept looking over his shoulder, or spinning around as
he hurried. He paused at each intersection and cautiously
looked both ways. He then dashed across.
He hid behind concrete poles, mailboxes, trash bags, and
just about anything that could give him cover.
All that remained at last was the long block with the
business district on one end and the high school on the
other.
He did some sprint and hide ninja tricks he'd seen on TV.
He came to the point where he could see the giant school
clock. "Only eight twenty-six?? I thought I was going to
be later than that." He left the little niche in a wall
its gate made, and hurried for the school's main gate.
Squirtch! Kaneda was hit by the high-powered water gun
he'd used on Ranma yesterday.
Ranma-kun jumped down from the wall in front of him. "Ha!
I thought you'd at least try and take another way in." He
pocketed the gun.
Kaneda looked behind the guy at the school gate, -{So
close!}- As he calculated how he was going to get by
Ranma-kun and those last few meters, he said, "Where's
your honor? You wouldn't let people know my secret?"
Ranma-kun rubbed his hands together, as he reminded him
of the debt, "Like you risked MY secret yesterday!?!
There were a whole lot of guys comin' and--"
PADDAPADDAPADDAPADDA! Came the rumble of tens of
feet out of the main school building.
Wet Kaneda said, "The lookout gave them the signal!" And
he lunged, ducked and managed to just get by the
distracted Ranma-kun. He told him, "Red hair calls
attention AWAY from the change! It HELPS you seem like
another person!"
His battle aura intense, Ranma leaped after him, "Good! You
have more of it! --Saotome Instant Hot Water Attack!!" His
amazingly quick reflexes caused his hands became a blur. With
the aura's power and protection, they built up enough friction to
heat the skin...AND water.
His hot hands shot out, and touched the top of Kaneda's
wet head and shoulder. He could FEEL the water get hot.
Kaneda shrank. Her long red hair became black.
She was standing in the way of the attacking school
athletes: "The game IS tennis, and I'm going to END your
racket!!"/ "You can't race away from this showdown!"/
"I'll push you out of the champion's circle!" / "I'll
prove dancers are athletes too!"
Kane-chan screamed--And leaped back into the surprised
Ranma's arms. "You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you!?!"
The 26 guys in uniforms, most of them not the same as
yesterday's, stopped to looked up and down the street.
"What happened to Tendou?!"/ "He finally ran out on a
fight??"/ "I thought you said her couldn't race away"?!"/
"He broke the 100 meter dash!"/ "He is a coward!"/ "Yeah!
After weeks of beating us up, he finally got tired of
it!"/ "That means we won, doesn't it?"
Meanwhile Ranma-kun was trying to get Kane-chan off of
him, "WHY did you do this, idiot! Can't you hear what
they're callin' Kaneda!?!"
Kane-chan 'whimpered', "I'm not Kaneda. You'll protect
me, won't you?! You are a much better than Kaneda!" And
she turned her head towards the crowd and yelled, "You're
the BEST ATHLETE around!!"
That got the attention of jocks hungry to prove
themselves. "What did that girl say?"/ "Are you sure
she's a girl? Look at how's she's dressed."/ "Oh, she's a
girl alright, dummy!"/ "I wouldn't mind going asking her
out."/ "You don't just ASK a girl like that out."
Kane-chan yelled, "I only go out with the best!!" She
stuck out her tongue, and then buried her face in Ranma-
kun's chest. -{Please! Give me the strength not to
puke!}-
PADDAPADDA! The horde of challengers charged at Ranma-
kun. "She says she's the one who can take her away from
her boyfriend!"/ "She's the PRIZE for the best athlete!"
Ranma-kun cried, "Now look what you did!!?!"
Kane-chan fought the urge to giggle, "You're the one who
wanted me to be a girl! And the Code says boys shouldn't
fight a girl!"
A tennis player was in the lead, his racket ready to
strike. Behind him was a rugby player...
Ranma-kun quickly tossed Kane-chan up towards the top of
the school wall. He had just enough time duck the racket,
elbow the guy in the gut and kick the rugby player at the
same time. After that came the ju jitsuist...
Standing on the wall Kane-chan looked down at the
fighting. He frowned, "That should be me. This stupid plan
better work." She turned to the school grounds.
"Nothing!" She looked at the people in the school windows
watching the brawl. She saw Nabiki, looking grumpy
because she'd only had a sponge bath.
The fight was almost over with and she was about to give
up on her plan when: "Hey!! Kuno!! It's ME!!" she waved
at the guy in the black-and-blue standing on top of the
clock's tower.
Kuno noticed, "The Girl with the Untamed Hair!"
Kane-chan called, "What are you doing up there!?!! I
challenged you!! If you don't hurry up to get beaten, I'm
leaving!!"
Kuno yelled back, "I'm coming My Diana of the Hunt!!" And
he leaped from the height.
A surprised Kane-chan said, "He really IS an idiot!"
Kuno crashed through the foliage of a tree near the
building.
Kane-chan turned away, "He'd better have had that
planned." Not caring to find out one way or another if
Kuno was going to escape serious injury, -{He's too much
of an idiot not to survive.}- she looked to the streetside of
the wall.
Down below the last guy to fall at Ranma-kun's feet
asked, "Who, are, you??!"
Cinching her belt, Kane-chan leaped down into Ranma-kun's
arms. "He's my fiance!"
The girl stuck to him again, Ranma-kun screamed, "I
ain't!! I ain't nobody's fiance!!"
Kane-chan leaned closer to him, "Oh, you'd rather be my
fiancée, as in "bride-to-be"?"
Ranma-kun tried to shake, toss, cast, and peel the girl-
form away from him. He even thought of putting her down
where he could get a foothold on her. "How are you doing
this!!?!"
Making sure her arm was wrapped around his one free arm,
she told him, "I learned it from a friend Nabiki once
had. She had a crush on me. I call the technique
Clinging-Vine-on-a-Statue."
Ranma-kun screamed, "I'm not a statue!! I'm--"
Kuno cried, "You are an obstacle to what should
rightfully belong to the Noble Kuno!" Twigs with leaves
were sticking out of his gi.
Kane-chan told him, "I haven't beaten you yet!!" She
squeezed Ranma to her, "But I HAVE beaten my fiance, Kei
Tendou!"
Ranma-kun cried, "You haven't beaten--" Ranma blinked, "
"Kei Tendou"??"
She smiled a challenge at him, "That's your name...as
surely as mine is Akane Saotome."
The End of this chapter
By Ron Dow75
From an idea by James M. Zema,
Unauthorized, but allowed.
04: Hot Water
A shirtless 'Akane Saotome' was standing in the rough
besides the empty sports fields behind Furinkan High. Her
hands were raised only in the position, to defend-or-
attack, not to hide her nude boobs. She tried to keep her
thoughts off of her bare boobs, which the stiff breeze
was making chilly. Her nipples were hard. But worst yet
was a guy was staring at them.
And not just any guy: "You would challenge Tatewaki
Kuno?" he said in amazement. The "Shooting Star of the
High School Kendo World", or whatever he was calling
himself this week, was in his gi and had his
bokken/wooden sword out. He was holding the hiltless
sword like a samurai, by both hands.
But the sight of half-naked girl had caused the bokken's
tip to dip almost to the ground.
Kane-chan answered, "Yes! I just said that. Are you going
to do something about it before I change my mind!?!"
"Akane Saotome," Kuno repeated the name of his opponent.
"Lest too light winning makes the prize light, I accept."
He raised his sword towards her. "If you should defeat
me, I shall allow you to date me. But beware. Should you
prove worthy of me, I am prepared to lose."
Kune-chan said, "Don't lose too easy, or YOU won't be
worthy of me!"
Kuno's eyes leaped fully off of her chest. It took him a
moment to deal with the affront. Then he smiled, "A woman
thinking ahead!" He paused to take a dashing pose, "But
can a Kuno NOT be the proper sire?"
It was Kane-chan's turn to let her weapons fall in
amazement. "What!!?!" -{Maybe this wasn't such a good
idea after all!}-
That's when Kuno charged, "HYAHH!!" He used a low-and-up
slash. But Kane-chan leaped and somersaulted off of his
tall shoulders. She landed behind him.
She didn't have time to tell herself how stupid she was
to do that without something that tied down her boobs:
Kuno came back to slashed at shoulder-height.
This time Kane-chan leaped high over and far from Kuno.
This time her abused boobs screamed too loudly to be
ignored, -{If only I'd practiced as a girl!!}-
Kuno turned in one fluid motion and charged, his bokken
raised over his head. He sends it down towards--
Kune-chan stopped it in her bare hands. The hurt was so
bad over her chest she couldn't make any comment.
Kuno's eyes fixed on the taut boobs. He used all his
manly strength to press his bokken down. The female was
being forced to lower herself. "You're mine!"
Kane-chan fell. The bokken was still between her palms.
She did a martial arts landing. She brought the foot that
had slipped on the damp grass up against Kuno's belly.
And tossed him with all her might. Only when he was
flying, did she allow herself to say, "Ow!" -{Momentum
means something different to a girl!}-
Ranma-chan could have let Kuno fall on his head, but what
would that prove? It had much more meaning to catch him
in her outstretched hands.
Kuno said, "We meet again." He was looking at the
cleavage exposed by her unfastened shirt.
The red-haired girl told him, "What kinda man ARE you,
fightin' girls!? You're not a man!!" And she let his head
continue to the ground.
Whang! He then toppled over onto his butt. "That hurt,
you know."
Kane-chan came hurrying over as fast as her sore boobs
would allow, "Ranma! You're a girl again!" -{Damn! There
goes THAT plan! I'll have to wait for another time!}-
Ranma-chan told her, "This is who he was fightin'! And I
DON'T like people fightin' my fights for me!" She threw
Kane-chan's shirt at her.
Kane-chan caught it, "I WASN'T fightin' YOUR fight! I
was--"
Ranma-chan ignored her to address Kuno, "I challenged you
first! You should be fightin' me!"
Kuno said, "But you just said--"
Ranma-chan took the position, "I'm different!"
Kuno rose, "That you are, My Maiden of Battle!!" (Kane-
chan cried, "Hey! What about me!?!) "Beauty doth
persuade: If you can defeat me--" And he reached for the
sword Kane-chan still held in her hands, "I shall allow
you to DATE with me!"
The bare foot girl landed on his out-thrust wooden sword,
slid forward as if it were a tightrope, and, "Who asked
for a DATE, anyway!?!!" kicked him solidly in the cheek.
She did two mid-air martial arts leg thrusts for
emphasis, and landed upright.
Kuno was lying on the ground in a daze. Ranma-chan strode
over to his disgraced bokken. She flipped it up using
just the tops of her toes. Then caught it. Putting it
over her shoulder, she said, "Guess what, Kuno. I ain't
goin' on any date with you."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm goin' home."
Kane-chan looked at Kuno, then at Ranma's back. She
followed her, buttoning her shirt, "It's not even lunch
yet. What about your father!?!"
Ranma-chan simply pointed high up into the leaves of a
tree. The panda's claws were embedded into the trunk. It
wasn't sure how well pandas could get down, and wasn't
ready yet to find out.
Kuno looked at the departing redhead, "She is formidable.
And the other..." And then he lost his struggle against
consciousness.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As they headed for the exit from the school grounds,
Ranma-chan frowned, "What was the idea challengin' him
like that!?!"
Kane-chan told her, "I was fightin' Kuno long before
you." -(Don't tell her the real reason.}-
Ranma-chan snorted, "Kaneda Tendou was fightin' him. Not
some worse-than-tomboy chick named 'Akane SAOTOME'."
Kane-chan said, "It's my fault you got into a fight with
the jerk. If you weren't a girl, he at least wouldn't
think about dating you."
Ranma-chan said, "Oh, so now that he's thinin' of datin'
me, you decide YOU want to date him."
Kane-chan cried, "No!! ...Well..." The thought of going out
on a triple date HAD crossed her mind. But JUST to so she
could step in case she had to help Ranma. Er, in anything
not having to do with martial arts. She had a very hard
time remembering Ranma wasn't a girl. Herself, on the
other hand, "Why would I want to date Kuno!?! He's a
guy!"
Ranma-chan said, "He's also tall, dark, handsome, rich,
and any number of other things. Remember the list you
made?" Ranma made another bid at getting her interested
in somebody besides her.
Kane-chan raised her voice, "I did NOT make a list!
Nabiki did."
Ranma-chan said, "Oh... So the only reason you didn't try
for him before was because of your sister!"
Kane-chan glared at her. She was deliberately insulting
her manhood. "ALSO on that list was one great big
deficit: Kuno's insane!!"
Ranma shrugged her shoulders, "So he's a little inbred.
That makes it a good thing for his clan to get some fresh
blood. ' May even explain WHY he lookin' to get a girl
who can 'knock down' the social barriers for him."
Kane-chan said, "Now look who sounds like she's
interested." She turned her nose up, "Is that how you
think...bloodlines, and class, or...whatever your idea of
eugenics is?"
Ranma-chan said, " "Eugenics"?? No!! I know a lot of
girls want to marry up, but I ain't--" She had a thought,
"A girl WOULD be marryin' up!"
Kane-chan said, "At the cost of having to LIVE with the
guy!"
Ranma-chan put her hands behind her head, "Not
necessarily. Kuno strikes me as a pretty traditional
samurai-type. That means his wife wouldn't hafta see him
much."
Kane-chan shuddered, "Except to...'procreate'."
Ranma-chan walked on, apparently not taking the thought
of having sex with a guy seriously.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It wasn't until they were nearing Dr. Tofu's clinic that
Kane-chan finally thought to mention, "You haven't
fastened your shirt, yet." They had been lucky. The only
people they'd come across were women and small children.
The women had kept their comments to themselves, and
Ranma was used to children staring at her.
Ranma-chan looked down. She sighed, and started
fastening. "What a bother. As a guy I don't have to think
much about how I look." She had a thought, "Why DID you
take your shirt off?"
Kane-chan looked at her close her shirt over the shifting
mounds. Her face reddened, "Because I EXPECTED you to
forget about your shirt, and, and..." she mumbled,
"...because I was competing against C cups." Her own boobs
seemed like giant (sore) nuisances, but they were only
B's.
Ranma-chan frowned, "When it comes to competin', SMALLER
are better. None is the best."
Kane-chan thought, -{She certainly doesn't THINK like a
girl.}- Then, -{Wait!!?! Does that mean *I* do!?!}-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
Dr. Tofu's patients at this time were elderly, and mostly
women. It wouldn't do just to walk into the infirmary,
now. Unless it was somebody like Mrs. Tanaka, the patient
in there with the doctor wouldn't want people to know
what their problem was.
Of course Ranma-chan couldn't just sit, so Kane-chan
stood, too. The whispered talk of the others became
centered on: "The girls these days!"/ "In MY day, a girl
knew how to dress like a girl."/ "Right, we'd never wear
pants."/ "If the gods had wanted girls to look like boys,
they'd wouldn't have given us hips."
The mention of hips took Kane-chan's mind away from her
boobs.
Ranma-chan said, "It'd be quicker and simpler just to go
back home."
Kane-chan said, "But we're supposed to be in school."
Then he remembered, "The lav! It has a sink."
Ranma-chan made sure Kane-chan was looking as she looked
around. "And what about them?"
Kane-chan smiled for the waiting room. -{My hair trick
would backfire here.}- "We could use another public lav."
Ranma-chan frowned at the idea, "Why didn't you think of
that before?"
Kane-chan got angry, "Why didn't YOU."
Ranma-chan said, "I'm goin'."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There were no public restrooms between the clinic and the
Tendous'. But there were puddles...and a bicycler who was
delivering barbequed eel and who wasn't paying attention.
Splash!
Ranma-chan accused, "You did that on purpose!"
Kaneda, ticked, replied, "No I didn't!" He would've liked
to have towered over her when he yelled, but she was up
walking a fence again. -{She won't even let a guy feel
like a guy.}-
Ranma-chan grumbled, "At least I didn't get wet."
Kaneda 'offered', "I could change that." He glanced at
another puddle.
Ranma-chan said, "But I wouldn't change!"
Kaneda said, "That's why *I* should be the guy, dummy!"
Ranma-chan stopped on top of a fence, "What!!?!"
Kaneda stopped to confront her, "There's always going to
be accidents with water. Hardly any of it is going to be
hot! It's just simpler if you stay a girl!!"
Ranma-chan's fists shot down and her toes curled up as
she yelled, "I'm a GUY!!"
Kaneda yelled back, "Look in the mirror!! AND inside: A
girl's brain has GOT to go with that body!"
Ranma-chan yelled, "You're the real girl!!" He got a look
in her eye, "And I think it's time YOU started using your
girl brain!"
Ranma jumped down to his level. For a second Kaneda
thought she saw a fiery red glow about her. A battlle aura!
Kaneda backed away, "What, what do you think you're going
to do?"
She smiled wickedly, "You're gonna be hit by hot water.
And it AIN'T gonna be by accident!!"
Kaneda believed that Ranma COULD put him in hot water!
He immediately swung his bookbag. Ranma was knocked
over the wire fence...and into the canal below.
Splatsch!
Ranma-chan rose from the water sputtering. Then yelled,
"This is a showdown!! If you have ANY honor, you'll meet
me in the dojo!!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda paced up and down the path to the front door...and
to the gate to the dojo. "What am I going to do!?! I
can't fight Ranma as a martial artist. She's out of my
class by several levels! The only way I can beat Ranma is
as a girl.
"But that's EXACTLY what she wants!" He looked at the
dojo over the wooden fence. "At least if I became a girl
it would neutralize her secret technique."
He bowed his head, "But I'd be living in fear of it until
I found out what it is. I would be a coward."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mad as a wet hornet, Ranma-chan came home to the Tendou
house. She stormed right into it. "Where is he!?!!"
Kasumi called out, "Oh, Ranma! You startled me. You're
home early."
She was in the garden hall so that's where Ranma-chan
went. "Where's Kaneda!?! We have a duel to straighten out
our dual roles!"
Kasumi called out, "He SHOULD be in school. Shouldn't he?
(Oh, it's times like these I do wish I had a watch.)"
When Ranma-chan could, she saw that Kasumi was carrying a
bucket of water. Ignoring that question for the moment,
Ranma rushed to the back hall, "Is he hiding back
here!?!"
Kasumi looked over her shoulder and said, "Kaneda's
hasn't been in the house!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma opened the door to bathroom, "I bet THIS is where
you are!! You like bein' a girl in here!" But Kaneda
wasn't in the bathroom.
But the bathroom wasn't normal. The plastic stool and
pail were tilted against the side of the tiled furo/tub.
And the bath mat was rolled and upended across the furo.
The sign on it read, [Do not fill!]
The taps each had a sign on them, [Do not turn!] and [Do
not touch!]. And the one on the tap you used before you
got in the furo read [Do not twist!].
Ranma-chan said, puzzled, "It has to be more than a
problem with the hot water."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan found Kasumi in the kitchen. She was headed
for the back door with the metal bucket. "What's goin'
on?" There were signs over the kitchen sink's taps, too.
Kasumi said, "I'm so sorry. We're getting the drains
fixed soon."
Ranma-chan went over to her, "Let me take care of that
bail water for you!"
Kasumi was about to protest, but didn't want to be
impolite. She smiled and let the girl take it. She bowed,
"Thank you! Too bad you hadn't skipped school earlier.
This is the last one."
As Ranma-chan headed out the door, Kasumi informed her,
"Poor it over the gravel beneath the faucet out there!"
But the strong, small girl was headed in the opposite
direction. Kasumi said to herself, "I guess she's going
to clean the dojo." She was smiling as she turned around,
"That's the one place I don't have to think about
cleaning."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-chan had taken four steps in the arena before she
started sinking in a spot of extra wet white sand.
"What!!?! Quicksand!?!!"
Before she had time to do anything but react, a fighting
staff came out and forced the bucket over. The water
spilled on top of Ranma-chan: Splash!
At the other end of the six-foot-long bo stick was
Kaneda. "So your secret technique DOESfirst need water
to heat."
Ranma-chan was still sinking; she was down to her hips
now, "How'd you pull this trick!!?!"
Kaneda flicked a lock of his long red hair back with his
thumb, "You're not the only one who knows special
techniques."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Three years earlier Dr. Tofu had had a day off. Kaneda
had invited to spend it at the Tendou's house. Kaneda had
wanted to him to do some coaching and had gotten him to
do a little bo sparing. Despite that it had been raining
earlier, they did it outside the dojo. "It'll be more of
a challenge to do it on wet sand, don't you think, Dr.
Tofu?! ANYbody can fight indoors!"
The mature accomplished martial artist had gone easy on
the boy, but it was still a workout. Kaneda was good; the
doctor was much better.
Then Kasumi had come out with a tray. "Would anybody like
some cold lemonade or tea?"
Tofu's glasses steamed up, and he dropped his defenses.
Kaneda knew that the match could not go on. Dejectedly,
he watched as Tofu stirred the sand with one end of his
bo stick while pouring the drinks on the ground, "Kasumi!
Would anybody like something made with your own hands?!
What a silly question! I don't see how..."
He sank down into the pit he'd bored.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ranma-cha was down to where her hips were covered up.
Ranma-chan used her arms and legs to move through the
sand.
Kaneda realized, "If I knew how to swim I might've seen
that coming!"
He brought the bo down and started stirring and boring
the sand ahead of Ranma-chan.
He wasn't fast enough. Ranma-chan caught the stick with
her hand and pulled. She'd pull Kaneda in if he held on.
Kaneda held on. It was a nearly one-sided tug-of-war.
Ranma-chan was stronger and more skilled, despite her
having to swim; and his footing was sand. Again Kaneda
sensed the heat of her battle aura. Ranma smiled at the
taste of victory, "All I have to do is get you a little wet!
Just a little further..." Kaneda HAD been dragged to
within centimeters of his greatest phobia.
-{Phobia?}- Then he bent forward at the waist, "Kiss me,
my fiancee!"
Ranma-chan yelled, and pushed the staff and the guy back.
Kaneda landed on his feet further in the arena, the bo in
hand.
Ranma-chan was seriously creeped.
Kaneda said, "Get close enough, and I will kiss you!" -
{It WOULD have to sound like a threat.}-
Ranma-chan yelled, "Don't you dare! Not as a girl, and
not EVER as a guy!!"
Kaneda got into the stance, and started to experiment, "I
wonder if I can develop a martial arts kissing
technique?"
Determinedly Ranma-chan challenged herself, "All I have
to do is touch you once when you're wet!"
Kaneda nodded, "Something else your technique needs."
He turned his back on her, and walked away, "I would
rather kiss you as a guy. But if you want me to do it as
a girl..." He turned when he got near the door. He smiled a
challenge at her, "You said you wanted a showdown in the
dojo?"
Ranma-chan growled and glowered.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nabiki came home from school. As she was headed for the
front door, she heard noises and loud talk coming from
the dojo:
Kaneda said, "...Well, that is one of the things a towel in
a dojo is for!"
Ranma-chan said, "When I get my hands on it, I'm going to
wring it around your neck!!"
Kaneda said, "When you took gym at your other schools,
did you ever do martial arts towel snapping?"
There were a series of wet *Snaf!*, *Snaph!* that got
drier. Kaneda explained, "I had to learn it to keep the
guys away from my secret in the locker room."
Ranma cried, "Cut that out!! You're gonna hit something
sensitive!" The sound of bare feet running on the
floorboards followed and then were gone. She'd leaped.
Kaneda yelled, "Towel trampoline defense!!"
After a few seconds it sounded like Ranma-chan landed
lightly on a foot and a knee on the boards.
Kaneda was surprised, "It worked! You're light enough
that I can sling-shot you off of the towel."
Ranma roared, "ONLY in my girl-form!!" She charged this
time, "I have another source of water!!"
Kaneda answered, "And I've got the towel!!"
Nabiki shook her head, "Idiot," and went inside her home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nabiki changed, and went into the kitchen. Kasumi was
stir-frying dinner. Nabiki leaned against a counter and
watched, "Ranma, Kuno and Kaneda were all anybody could
talk about today, in that order."
Kasumi smiled, "It's good that a new girl is getting
known in her new school. I do hope she's getting a good
reputation."
Nabiki said, "It depends on how you define "good". At
least everybody knows she can take care of herself."
Then she smirked, "Physically, at least."
Kasumi sighed, "I guess that will take care of problems
with the boys."
Suddenly the kitchen door to the outside burst open, and
in stormed Ranma-chan. "How can I fight somebody I ain't
supposed to fight, and who don't' fight fair ANYWAY!!"
She went over to the kitchen sink and turned the hot
water tap.
Nothing.
She turned on the cold: Nothing!
Kasumi said, "I'm sorry, Ranma, but now there's no water
any where in the house. That's why I'm preparing this
type of meal."
While Ranma-chan tried not to scream in utter
frustration, Nabiki said, "I thought it was just the
drains!?"
Kasumi said, "That reminds me, I got the nice plumber to
send us a port-a-potty."
Ranma-chan opened the refrigerator door, looked inside,
and then slammed it shut. Ranma grumbled, "Maybe there's
a way I can use the quicksand despite all the grit." She
noticed a bucket.
She rushed out of the kitchen with the bucket, "I can use
the water from the koi pond!" Even Nabiki could sense
the battle aura coming from the girl.
Nabiki eyed her big sister for a while as she continued
happily preparing dinner. She finally came to the
conclusion, "You turned off the water, didn't you
Kasumi?"
Kasumi didn't look at her, "Me? Why would I do that?"
Nabiki said, "Oh, I don't know. It wouldn't have anything
to do with Kaneda, would it?"
Kasumi said, in a tone that suggested that it reminded
her of a different topic, "I've never seen Kaneda so
happy. Ranma makes an excellent sparing partner."
Nabiki didn't buy that as the complete story, "Unh,
hunh." She noted the can with water that Kasumi had used
to clean the vegetables; it was now nearly hidden. "She
even got rid of the used water she would've saved?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda ran in through the garden door and looked around
for a place to hide and rest. He forgot his great plan
when he saw his dad sitting at the family table.
He rushed over to him, "Now you're going to tell me the
whole story! Ranma knows how SHE got cursed, I want to
know...." His dad made no move to defend himself. He made
no movement at all.
Kasumi came in to set the table. "Father's been like that
all day, Kaneda. I do hope he comes back soon. He needs
to eat good home-cooked meals."
Suddenly from the foyer, Kaneda heard Mr. Saotome yell,
"Ranma! Why are you still a girl!? I've overlooked it
before. But that was BEFORE you got engaged to a guy!"
Ranma-chan yelled, "I ain't engaged to NO guy!! Or to the
GIRL she realy is!!"
Genma said, "End the farce and choose one of the Tendou
girls. Honor the decade old agreement between families
that the son--"
Splash!
Ranma-chan said, "Oops! I spilled this bucket of pond
water."
The panda said, "Burao! Bah-rah, bamuru!"
Ranma-chan laughed, "Sorry! I can't understand a word
you're sayin'."
Nabiki entered the family room just as Kaneda was
leaving, "I THOUGHT idea was not to fight Ranma with
martial arts?!!"
On his way back out into the garden, he told her, "And
it's hard not to! I'm trying to stay as unorthodox as I
can."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kasumi had enforced a truce within the house the next
morning. If anybody or anything got wet, there would be
no breakfast.
Ranma-chan ate sullenly while keeping her eyes on Kaneda.
Kaneda ate sullenly while keeping his eyes on his dad.
His dad just stared out into space.
Nabiki ate while looking bored at the whole situation.
Mr. Saotome remained a panda.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On their way to school Kaneda kept his eye on Ranma-chan.
The guy was walking the walls and fences again. "You
didn't attack me in my sleep."
Ranma-chan said, surly, "I don't do things like that."
Kaneda continued his thread, "You also played fair and
stayed within the Tendou compound."
Ranma-chan snorted, "I can't say the same for you!"
Kaneda got sore, "I did too! I never left the property!"
Ranma-chan accused, "Oh, yeah!?! Every couple a hours you
disappeared!"
Kaneda told her, "That's because I had to REST! I don't
have the stamina you have!"
Ranma-chan leaped down to confront him, "Some martial
artist! Some guy!!"
Though it hurt his pride, Kaneda was forced to say,
"That's right! Compared to you I'm not a guy! I'm as weak
and soft as a girl!"
Ranma-chan screamed in frustration. "Will you STOP
reminding me of that!"
Splash!
The old woman with the ladle had gotten Ranma wet again.
Ranma-chan reacted with a pure look of revenge, "I'm wet!
I've got water!!"
Kaneda ran! -{Not now! Not now! I can't be a girl now!!}-
he told himself. At least HE had rested and gotten enough
sleep yesterday and this morning.
Swerving and twisting as randomly as he could, Kaneda
made it to Dr. Tofu's clinic.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kaneda went out a back exit. -{Ranma doesn't know the
streets like I do. I'll take a long way to school. Once I
get there, it'll be too late for Ranma.}-
He kept looking over his shoulder, or spinning around as
he hurried. He paused at each intersection and cautiously
looked both ways. He then dashed across.
He hid behind concrete poles, mailboxes, trash bags, and
just about anything that could give him cover.
All that remained at last was the long block with the
business district on one end and the high school on the
other.
He did some sprint and hide ninja tricks he'd seen on TV.
He came to the point where he could see the giant school
clock. "Only eight twenty-six?? I thought I was going to
be later than that." He left the little niche in a wall
its gate made, and hurried for the school's main gate.
Squirtch! Kaneda was hit by the high-powered water gun
he'd used on Ranma yesterday.
Ranma-kun jumped down from the wall in front of him. "Ha!
I thought you'd at least try and take another way in." He
pocketed the gun.
Kaneda looked behind the guy at the school gate, -{So
close!}- As he calculated how he was going to get by
Ranma-kun and those last few meters, he said, "Where's
your honor? You wouldn't let people know my secret?"
Ranma-kun rubbed his hands together, as he reminded him
of the debt, "Like you risked MY secret yesterday!?!
There were a whole lot of guys comin' and--"
PADDAPADDAPADDAPADDA! Came the rumble of tens of
feet out of the main school building.
Wet Kaneda said, "The lookout gave them the signal!" And
he lunged, ducked and managed to just get by the
distracted Ranma-kun. He told him, "Red hair calls
attention AWAY from the change! It HELPS you seem like
another person!"
His battle aura intense, Ranma leaped after him, "Good! You
have more of it! --Saotome Instant Hot Water Attack!!" His
amazingly quick reflexes caused his hands became a blur. With
the aura's power and protection, they built up enough friction to
heat the skin...AND water.
His hot hands shot out, and touched the top of Kaneda's
wet head and shoulder. He could FEEL the water get hot.
Kaneda shrank. Her long red hair became black.
She was standing in the way of the attacking school
athletes: "The game IS tennis, and I'm going to END your
racket!!"/ "You can't race away from this showdown!"/
"I'll push you out of the champion's circle!" / "I'll
prove dancers are athletes too!"
Kane-chan screamed--And leaped back into the surprised
Ranma's arms. "You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you!?!"
The 26 guys in uniforms, most of them not the same as
yesterday's, stopped to looked up and down the street.
"What happened to Tendou?!"/ "He finally ran out on a
fight??"/ "I thought you said her couldn't race away"?!"/
"He broke the 100 meter dash!"/ "He is a coward!"/ "Yeah!
After weeks of beating us up, he finally got tired of
it!"/ "That means we won, doesn't it?"
Meanwhile Ranma-kun was trying to get Kane-chan off of
him, "WHY did you do this, idiot! Can't you hear what
they're callin' Kaneda!?!"
Kane-chan 'whimpered', "I'm not Kaneda. You'll protect
me, won't you?! You are a much better than Kaneda!" And
she turned her head towards the crowd and yelled, "You're
the BEST ATHLETE around!!"
That got the attention of jocks hungry to prove
themselves. "What did that girl say?"/ "Are you sure
she's a girl? Look at how's she's dressed."/ "Oh, she's a
girl alright, dummy!"/ "I wouldn't mind going asking her
out."/ "You don't just ASK a girl like that out."
Kane-chan yelled, "I only go out with the best!!" She
stuck out her tongue, and then buried her face in Ranma-
kun's chest. -{Please! Give me the strength not to
puke!}-
PADDAPADDA! The horde of challengers charged at Ranma-
kun. "She says she's the one who can take her away from
her boyfriend!"/ "She's the PRIZE for the best athlete!"
Ranma-kun cried, "Now look what you did!!?!"
Kane-chan fought the urge to giggle, "You're the one who
wanted me to be a girl! And the Code says boys shouldn't
fight a girl!"
A tennis player was in the lead, his racket ready to
strike. Behind him was a rugby player...
Ranma-kun quickly tossed Kane-chan up towards the top of
the school wall. He had just enough time duck the racket,
elbow the guy in the gut and kick the rugby player at the
same time. After that came the ju jitsuist...
Standing on the wall Kane-chan looked down at the
fighting. He frowned, "That should be me. This stupid plan
better work." She turned to the school grounds.
"Nothing!" She looked at the people in the school windows
watching the brawl. She saw Nabiki, looking grumpy
because she'd only had a sponge bath.
The fight was almost over with and she was about to give
up on her plan when: "Hey!! Kuno!! It's ME!!" she waved
at the guy in the black-and-blue standing on top of the
clock's tower.
Kuno noticed, "The Girl with the Untamed Hair!"
Kane-chan called, "What are you doing up there!?!! I
challenged you!! If you don't hurry up to get beaten, I'm
leaving!!"
Kuno yelled back, "I'm coming My Diana of the Hunt!!" And
he leaped from the height.
A surprised Kane-chan said, "He really IS an idiot!"
Kuno crashed through the foliage of a tree near the
building.
Kane-chan turned away, "He'd better have had that
planned." Not caring to find out one way or another if
Kuno was going to escape serious injury, -{He's too much
of an idiot not to survive.}- she looked to the streetside of
the wall.
Down below the last guy to fall at Ranma-kun's feet
asked, "Who, are, you??!"
Cinching her belt, Kane-chan leaped down into Ranma-kun's
arms. "He's my fiance!"
The girl stuck to him again, Ranma-kun screamed, "I
ain't!! I ain't nobody's fiance!!"
Kane-chan leaned closer to him, "Oh, you'd rather be my
fiancée, as in "bride-to-be"?"
Ranma-kun tried to shake, toss, cast, and peel the girl-
form away from him. He even thought of putting her down
where he could get a foothold on her. "How are you doing
this!!?!"
Making sure her arm was wrapped around his one free arm,
she told him, "I learned it from a friend Nabiki once
had. She had a crush on me. I call the technique
Clinging-Vine-on-a-Statue."
Ranma-kun screamed, "I'm not a statue!! I'm--"
Kuno cried, "You are an obstacle to what should
rightfully belong to the Noble Kuno!" Twigs with leaves
were sticking out of his gi.
Kane-chan told him, "I haven't beaten you yet!!" She
squeezed Ranma to her, "But I HAVE beaten my fiance, Kei
Tendou!"
Ranma-kun cried, "You haven't beaten--" Ranma blinked, "
"Kei Tendou"??"
She smiled a challenge at him, "That's your name...as
surely as mine is Akane Saotome."
The End of this chapter