Disclaimer: All characters and places are the property of the one and only Rumiko Takahashi. Except for the original characters and places, that is.

Author's Notes: WHEE! Finally, school has officially ended and almost all distractions are over with. I'm immensely sorry about the late update! The Arts' Fest was a disaster, but yeah, to heck with it. Anyway, here's the newest chapter. Please give me any honest comments, criticism etc. so that I can really improve my work. Enjoy and review as much as possible! Oh, by the way, I think I should clarify something first...

krizue: Thanks for your review – I'm really pleased that you like it! However, to answer your question about making Akane more competent. To my regret, I can't, because I wanted to cut to the chase.

I didn't want to drag the plot too long (like this chapter, which is mostly talk. Hehe )

However, you may be rest assured that Shoken took roughly the same amount of time to defeat all three of the girls, as they're about the same level of skill, with Akane being slightly weaker. But you can't blame her – she's got lesser training than either of them, but she's still immensely powerful. Hope that settles your query ;)

It's Gonna Rain

A Ranma ½ Fan-fiction

Part IV: Drizzle

Shoken Koname looked on with cold eyes at the scene in front of her. A tall handsome boy with dark hair and eyes, dressed in a traditional kendo outfit had caught the girl, Akane, looking down at her with an utterly devoted, besotted expression.

"Tendou Akane, my love," He was saying. "So I have found you, but alas! Your spirit has soared away into the heavens!"

He shed mock tears of bitterness and regret, and continued. "But fear not now, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, aged 17, the Blue Lightning of Furinkan High, will now see to it that-"

A kick in the head caused him to fall towards the ground, as a voice resounded, "Get away from her, Kuno!"

The next moment, Ranma had scooped up Akane before Kuno smashed into the ground, eyes spinning, apparently unconscious. But Ranma didn't particularly care. All he was worried about was the unconscious girl lying in his arms.

Akane... AKANE!

There were few moments when he had ever felt this hopeless, and this was one of them. Staring at Akane's still face, he felt his heart wrench. Somehow, the worst of these moments were always, in some way or other, connected to Akane. The most recent was the time when he'd fought Saffron to rescue Akane, then thinking he was too late as Akane lay, in the same way, motionless in his arms. He felt the same familiar tears start to rise in his eyes before he even realized that he was going to cry...

All of a sudden, he felt someone's gaze on him. Someone he didn't know. And he knew, this was the girl that had defeated Ukyo and beat her up to a mess. Who had knocked Akane unconscious. And that made him more furious than anything. This girl had beaten up Ukyo and Akane with the knowledge that she could beat them both, but refused to spare them any mercy.

Gently, he set Akane on the ground. His gaze lingered sadly on her pale, still, inert form before turning around to face Shoken, his eyes hardening, grey-blue eyes blazing like fire.

"DAMN you... You're the girl who caused Akane to be- be in that state and beat U'chan unconscious, right?!"

"I don't know who is this 'U'chan', but if my guess is correct, you mean Kuonji Ukyo." She replied coldly, without a single trace of remorse. "I do not lie, and I will admit I defeated her, to the state of unconsciousness, but those are merely external wounds and will be healed quickly. As for Tendou Akane, her rashness resulted in her defeat. That is all I will say."

He clenched his fists tightly, jaw clenched. He knew Shoken was right, but he was still angry anyway. "Then why? Why did you do this? You knew that you could defeat them both from the very beginning, didn't you?" He received no reply, save a cold glare.

He gestured at Akane. "Then why? What would you gain from the defeat of Akane and Ukyo, and I suspect, many others, bastard?!"

Shoken smiled thinly. "I have said before, my ambition, is to be... The strongest martial artist of all Japan."

Ranma took a step back, shocked and confused, his anger diminished for a moment. The strongest...?

Arrggh... There's no need to think so much about it... Akane's the most important right now. This girl... I have a really bad feeling about this... What-what can I do? What should I do? To Doctor Tofu? But this girl seems damn merciless... And to hell will I leave her alone!

Mind made up, he got into battle stance, fists at the ready. "I'm warning you, girl or not, I'm showing you no mercy. To hell with what you said about being the strongest in Japan. There isn't any single need for you to be the strongest, anyway. Because of what you did to Akane, I won't forgive you. Ever."

Shoken looked startled, then her face contorted into an angry expression, eyes flashing dangerously. "Please address me by my name – it's Shoken Koname. And I don't care about your reason for wanting to defeat me. But there's a reason I want to be the strongest, and I will never ever reveal it to scum like you who don't even know what it feels like. I won't let anyone get in my way!"

"Omoshiroi," Ranma smirked.

I won't let anyone get in my way too, he thought silently to himself. I will not let you touch anyone else again, especially not Akane! Dare touch her, and I will kill you. That's what I said to that idiot Sanzenin Mikado during that darned ice-skating tournament, and I won't go back on it!

Shoken merely looked at him coolly. "Well, you did mention you didn't want to fight a girl, huh? Well, then I'll show you something else."

Ranma's eyes widened as curiosity took over him. Shoken coolly walked over to a stray backpack, much like, to Ranma's irony, Ryoga's very own, and removed a bottle of ice-water. Before Ranma could even speak, she had poured the contents over herself.

He gagged. For now, standing in front of him, was a guy.

At some point of time, Mousse'd been sprayed by an inconsiderate washer-woman with cold water, and so, as a result, had turned into a squealing duck, running - if it could even be called running – around flapping his wings angrily, thinking of nothing but what would happen when he finished off the attacker.

He pictured Shampoo's adoring face staring up at him earnestly, her eyes shining with admiration.

"Mousse-sama, you so heroic! I love you!"

"Oh, Shampoo! I'm so honoured. Come, fall into my arms, into my embrace, my lovely rose!"

Shampoo's lips suddenly found his, and they were in a second kissing passionately, arms locked around each other in that magical moment. He didn't want to stop...

A fist on his head suddenly broke him out of his reverie. He glared upwards, squawking angrily. Fortunately, his glasses still had not fallen off, and he could make out the brief outline of Hibiki Ryoga, looking pissed off.

Then he felt himself dragged inside an empty warehouse, and the resounding clatter of a kettle after a lot of hot water was poured over the still-squealing duck.

Mousse glared up at Ryoga, his skin boiling red from the hot water. "Did it have to be that hot?!"

Ryoga glanced down unconcernedly, and threw down Mousse's clothes. "Here, put them on. Anyway, have you seen that bastard Ranma anywhere? I seem to have gotten lost somewhere."

"That's not the main issue now!" Mousse replied hotly and aggressively, startling Ryoga. "Shampoo's been defeated by a mysterious attacker, and I need to get revenge for her!" He was silent for a while, and then an idea suddenly came into his head like a light-bulb. An idea for help, much as he disliked it. If Shampoo could always defeat him, he would never be able to defeat this mysterious attacker.

"I think whoever this person is might go after Akane too!"

This caught Ryoga's attention, who was originally unconcernedly fiddling around with his bandannas.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" He too paused for a moment, and sighed as he realized what Mousse was aiming at. After all, he still had brains to think, even if he hardly even knew north from south.

"Fine! I'll help you look for the mysterious attacker, and protect Akane-san. I don't trust that wimp of a Ranma!" He stood up, brushing off his pants impatiently.

"Let's go!"

Ranma stared at the guy. No... it isn't possible... She couldn't... She couldn't have-

"-Fallen into the Nanni-chuan in Japan?" He asked aloud, eyes goggling.

Shoken seemed slightly startled, but then smiled. "Heh, looks like you know of the Cursed Springs too, huh? Then obviously, you've fallen victim to one of them. Pathetic."

He continued smiling as he threw the bottle on the ground and walked over to Ranma, who was currently glaring at him with a kind of venomic hatred, until they were less than a metre apart.

"But I wasn't that way. I'd already known of the Cursed Springs and what they did. I wanted to fall into the Nanni-chuan so that I could gain the advantage of fighting as a guy. As a guy, there are less restrictions."

Ranma bristled but didn't argue. He – no, she – was right, of course. Guys were definitely more powerful than girls, Ranma knew. But there were even some advantages to girls that she probably never knew, and had no intention of knowing anyway. But that wasn't the main problem right now. Finish the fight quickly, and bring Akane over to Doctor Tofu...

He smirked, hiding the surprise he felt inside. There was obviously no reason to ask how did he find the Nanni-chuan, for he – no, she - he mentally corrected yet again, would never ever reveal it.

"Well, so that's that. Idiot, I really don't care right now. You're going down!"

Shoken smiled, and jumped into the air. "Be prepared, then! For you're going to meet your doom!"

Ranma smiled and jumped into the air. "Hehe... that's where you're wrong, idiot. I said you're the one going down!"

They exchanged blows in mid-air, neither managing to successfully hit the other, before landing back on the ground.

Shoken looked more serious when he was back on the ground. "I thought you were all talk and no action, but I guess you aren't after all. But I don't particularly feel like playing with you so I'd like to end this as quickly as possible."

He straightened, then fell into a battle stance.

"Illusion: Attack of clones."

Shoken seemed to split into two, then four, then eight, all with identical features, all eyeing him with hints of smugness. Ranma glared. He'd seen this trick before, when Cologne had done something similar to him. And he wasn't about to fall for it again.

But before he could even concentrate on the real with his mind's eye, they all seemed to attack him simultaneously, from different directions. And he continuously felt himself being attacked over and over again at different places in a random pattern, quite unlike Cologne.

Dammit... Looks like I have to catch him at it... Gotta grab his blow before he can move away, then pull him down and knock him off unconscious!

Through the rain of blows – almost as fast as his Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, or maybe just as fast – he gritted his teeth and caught the next blow with his bare hands.

Then he felt himself caught by an extraordinary number of ropes, and pulled some distance away, as the illusions cleared.

He saw Mousse standing over him as he released the ropes, and saw Ryoga standing in front of a fallen Shoken who was just getting to his feet.

"W-What the hell?!"

Ryoga turned back angrily, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Ranma, you moron! Letting Akane-san get into such a state. But get her to somewhere safe 'cause I have someone to take care of.

"I trust you. For this once."

Ranma understood. If he'd been faster... If he'd never even gone to meet the stupid teacher in the first place, he wouldn't have been late...

"Got it. He – no, she – is all yours until I return." He walked over to Akane, strides steady but not with his usual spirit, and picked Akane up, bridal-style, before leaping away.

Mousse smirked and fell beside Ryoga. "Count me in on it. I'll attack him first."

Ryoga nodded, falling back a little to let Mousse fight Shoken first, nevertheless still smiling grimly and a little savagely at Shoken.

Shoken didn't look the least bit intimidated. He merely looked at the both of them coolly with the slightest hint of boredom.

"If that's what you wish. Bring it on."

Author's Note: So, wow, was that long! Anyway, I hoped you all liked it, because there're less battles in here – most of it was talk... And you finally get to know which spring Shoken "fell" into!

Here are some translations to some of the Japanese I use, if you aren't familiar with them, since the first chapter, including the names of characters which I made up. There's only four, but well, heck!

Shoken Koname: The girl who wishes to be the strongest in the whole of Japan. Shoken, when broken apart, means Pearl (Sho) Sword (Ken). Likewise, Koname, when broken apart, means Blue (Kon) Rain (Ame). This is a name I pieced together, because I was bored. It sure took me a long time!

Dojo: Training hall

Tanaka: Tanaka is the name of the master of the dojo Shoken defeats when you first see her. It means "in the fields (or something like that) when broken apart, and is a common Japanese name.

Omoshiroi: Translates as "interesting", and is a favourite of Ranma's, besides "uncute" and other phrases along similar lines.

Ebonknave: Wow, thanks for your compliment! I'm really glad you like the story!

FreedomGundam: Is this story really that good? Hehe... Thanks for your compliment!

Yokai Cesia and Chi: Thanks, Cesia-san, I'm really glad you liked this chappie! As for her real reasons, it is to be the strongest martial artist in Japan, but as for why she wants to be the strongest martial artist, it'll be revealed later!

Gundum M: Again, thanks for your compliment! Really am honoured by your praise!