Once in a man's life, looking up at the skirts of young innocent looking females going up the escalator is considered as a goal to be achieved, a quest fulfilled, or simply a stroke of good luck.
Although a bit uncouth and perverted, it was understandable why such actions were being done, and for two reasons. First, males are males, and no matter what, they are what they are. Trying to prevent them from peeking is like asking them to eat Akane's cooking. The second reason is the way the skirt is designed. Although it was never much complained about, skirts have a tendency in inviting stares. Such low cut, such innocent looking, it would seem strange for a man to question that.
But the man we are studying right now is questioning it. He was squatting low, keeping his head down, to prevent looking up the skirt of two young lovely Japanese girls who were going up an escalator, he was making circular motions in the ground with his fingers. His mind was in turmoil, thinking about why skirts had to be that short, and what he was going to do today.
The man was had a white proper suit with matching necktie and black shoes. His wild dirty blonde hair was done in small simple pigtails, which seem to show that his hair was not that long. Maybe a few inches below his shoulders when untied. In his lips, a dangling lit cigarette, and producing white fine smoke.
After a minute or so, the man finally gave a tired sigh, and took a deep breath. When he breathed out, fine white smoke came out as well. His anxiousness was slowly going away. Today was a big day... no, scratch that. Today was 'the' day.
In the train of thoughts, the man didn't realize two punks in front of him. Judging by their clothes, it was clear they were from some newbies of some gang. The man finally looked up at them, his grayish blue eyes looking at them.
"What do we have here?" asked one of the punks.
GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka Ranma
Lesson 1a: What Ranma is Right Now
A figure, riding a bike in black leather and a black helmet with a somewhat skull design on it stopped the bike near the entrance of the subway, without closing the engine. Looking left and right, the figure frowned. Loosening the strap of the helmet, the figure let the whole world know that the person was not a 'he', but a 'she' as she freed her shoulder length brown hair.
"Ranma?" the woman called.
Down the entrance, Ranma looked up, and smiled. Cracking his knuckles as he reached down the pockets of the now beaten up punks.
"Yo, Akira, wait up, alright?!" Ranma called. Taking a look back at the punks, he gave an all annoying smirk. "Well, maybe next time, you stupid bullies can stop and check out who you will rob, ne? Next time, I won't be so merciful! Ja!"
Ranma ran and left the two beaten punks alone, taking their wallets with him. Sure, it was not nice to steal, but those idiots were asking for it. And he also needed the money. Climbing up the stairs, he waved at his long time friend.
"Hey Akira! Sorry if you waited long!" Ranma called.
"Nah, just got here," Akira replied. "What were you just doing a moment ago? I heard you talking to someone."
Ranma gave a small smile, and just shrugged. "Just some idiots, who were asking some money. So, can we go already?"
Akira smiled as she looked at her best friend. She put on her helmet, and said in a muffled voice, "Yeah, hop on the back, and hang on!"
Ranma and Akira had met 6 years ago, in Gedo High School. Thanks to his last trip that lasted two years, Ranma had to repeat second and third year high school, and thanks to the long talk Ranma had with his mom, he had changed his last name from Saotome to Onizuka.
Looking back, Ranma never really thought why he had picked Onizuka. The name had no relation with his mother's maiden name, or anyone he knew as a matter of fact. All Ranma knew at that time it sounded cool. Two years on high school, and another four years in a low-key university, Ranma had grown up to be a man he wanted to be. Free.
But reality had hit him hard in the face, as the Ranma was faced with a crisis. During his 6 years, he had secret financial help from his mother, but now that he was done studying, he knew that depending on his mom would be an abuse to her already. She had held him so he could stand on his own two feet. Now that he could, he should not depend on his mother for financial support anymore.
Akira had no such problems. She was a natural mechanic ever since high school, and the woman was able to fulfill her dream. She now had a shop, earning a steady income. Ranma on the other hand...
"Man, I can't be late!" Ranma shouted, mostly to himself as Akira drove skillfully through the traffic in his bike. Ranma held himself steady, as his arms encircled Akira's abdomen. "There is still..." Ranma took a quick glance at his battered watch... "15 minutes! I can make it!"
"Ranma, tell me again... after all we have been through, all the gang wars we had, why in the world do you want to be a teacher?" Akira asked, her face a bit heated. Ranma made a small, annoyed noise.
"Hey, come on, Akira, you know why," Ranma replied.
"Right... right... man among men... right," Akira replied. "Like Onee-san?"
"Well, partly..." Ranma replied sheepishly.
= + |Destination: Ranma's Working Place| + =
Ranma gave a last look at his friend. "Well, I'm going now," Ranma said to his friend. "Hey, take care of yourself, okay?"
"Go already," Akira replied, thankful that her helmet hid her blush. Through all the years Ranma and Akira had become friends, they experienced the most trying demands and problems. Yet, no matter how much Akira had filled up during the six years, Ranma had never considered her anymore than a friend. It drove Akira crazy sometimes!
"Akira, you look a bit tense..." Ranma noticed Akira's body changing. It either meant Akira was worried, or thinking about something heavily. The biker girl blushed even more heavily.
"Baka! You are late!" Akira admonished, and revved up her bike. "I'll see you later!" and before Ranma could say his good-bye, Akira sped up and left him alone. Ranma sighed.
Although friends for six years, Ranma never really understood her... maybe because she wa s a girl... then turned around... only to see females with short skirts going in the gate by groups.
Girls with beautiful long hair. Girls with pretty eyes. Girls with nice ample breasts. [Actually, there are guys, but they all seem to inside their classrooms] Ranma's face was a bit red, and his nose was threatening a bit to bleed.
Although six years of growing up in an environment filled with gang members, and some interesting girls, Ranma was still a bit nervous around sensual stuff like these. Kami-sama! I'm in Happosai's own version of heaven! Ranma thought nervously. His forehead suddenly began to sweat. No! I can't behave like a pervert! I'm no hentai! Not a hentai! Not a hentai!
While still repeating the same thoughts over and over again, Ranma didn't notice a flying ball towards him until the last minute his danger sense kicked in. Raising his arm a bit, he ducked low enough to bend his hips, and grabbed the volleyball that was about to hit him.
Ranma blinked as his mind finally realized what it had done, and looked blankly at the ball he had held. His body moved again by itself, sensing danger, and moved automatically unconsciously. Yet, there was a time where he would freeze, as his mind tried to catch up what the body had done, leaving him a bit vulnerable to other attacks... uh, flying things.
"Excuse me?" a female voice called, while Ranma was still staring at the ball. He paid no attention... yet. "Excuse me? Ex-CUSE ME!"
Ranma snapped up from his stupor, and looked at the girl calling him. He stared at her for a moment. The girl had somewhat long bangs, and black hair longer than her shoulder's length, and she had a smile on. Ranma couldn't think of anything else to do, so he smiled back. Then, he looked down a bit, [by accident] trying to asses her physical fitness [innocently]... "EEP!" Ranma suddenly lifted his chin as he caught up with himself.
"Hey, you are a sensei, huh?" the girl asked.
"Uh, yeah," Ranma replied, his face glowing a bit red. "Trainee..."
"Oh, that's great!" the girl said cheerfully. Ranma just nodded blankly, and the girl nodded as well. They stayed silent for a few moments, and finally, the girl raised her hand. "Ano, could you give me the ball?"
"Huh?" Ranma replied blankly. He looked at the ball he was holding, and the finally realized what she had wanted. "Oh! Sorry!!" and gave the ball to the girl's open arm, and he ran away, clutching his nose.
The girl blinked at the action, and stared at where the cute teacher ran. "What was that all about...?" and she shrugged. She still had PE to do... She adjusted her bloomers, and began to walk away. [For those that don't know what bloomers are, well... bloomers are what they call the uniforms of the girls in Japanese Anime wearing a shirt, and underpants. You can guess now why Ranma had to run... ^-^]
= + |Faculty| + =
"Panties... panties... panties..." Ranma whispered slowly as he tried to let the image of the young girl in her bloomers to magically disappear. Well, of course it didn't, so Ranma settled for slamming his head down his desk hard until the picture had disappeared. After a few moments, he realized it did not help him...
The other teachers looked at the cute hunk of a teacher slamming his head down his desk. Normally, they would follow chat to him, find out more about him, and introduce themselves. After all, Trainee teachers rarely see each other again after their two weeks. But then, Ranma kept muttering about panties for the past minute, and the girls naturally assumed he was a creep, and kept their distance from them.
"Mr. Onizuka," a voice called. Ranma was still hitting his head. "Mr. Onizuka... MR. ONIZUKA!"
Ranma's head stopped in mid-air, about a few inches from the table, and he slowly turned his head to face the person calling him. "Hai...?"
The man calling him had a somewhat bland feature, like he was not going to last at least three chapters [^-^ I am just lazy in describing him, I mean, he won't appear anymore from Lesson 2 and onwards]. But on the side note, he just had a hastily done hairstyle, and big square glasses.
"Come on, Onizuka-sensei," the man called. "You have to start teaching!" Ranma blinked, then checked his watch...
"OH MAN!" and he rushed out of the faculty room towards...
=Corridor=
"Next time, Onizuka-sensei, would you please calmly not run in the halls, and have your papers by your side as not to get lost?" the same man who had called Ranma a few moments ago was now accompanying him to his room.
Ranma had some bad days in his life, and once in a while, if something very important has happened, where he had learned a good lesson, he would write it in a journal. There were a few, like 'What not to do when you are drunk' or 'What and what you should never do when the girl you are with is drunk'. But right now, he would write a new chapter in his journal, entitled 'What not to do on your first day in the job teaching'. He will start on:
1. Don't rush out without knowing the place.
2. Have your papers, and your books with you.
3. Don't run on the halls like a mob if fiancées and rivals are chasing you.
Ranma sighed. Because of his actions, he was now a good 15 minutes late in teaching, even though he arrived at a good time. "Gomen..." Ranma bowed a bit.
The man stopped walking and looked back at Ranma, who was bowing at him. "It's okay, Onizuka-sensei. Right now, your concern is teaching this youngsters, okay?" I am sorry... the man silently thought.
Ranma smirked, and raised his arm. "Of course! I'm the best!" he has said proudly, only to suddenly think where he was. He suddenly had a nervous face as he remembered the short mini-skirts of the females he had seen outside. His face became red with nervousness.
The man opened the sliding door, and Ranma's face now had a tint of blue. He shut his eyes. Soul of Ice... Soul of Ice... Ranma silently thought repeatedly. Calming down, as he let his cold Ki envelope him, numbing his nervousness. With a sigh, Ranma took one big step forward... paused... then took another step, only to see...
"Huh?" Ranma looked around the room, to see... tough looking males. Ranma blinked. The males around the room were like the same ones Ranma had met during his own high school years. Tough looking, with tatoos, earrings, the works. Scanning around, he also saw some girls on the back, not with the same short skirts, but with long pants. They were playing cards.
Ranma sighed with relief. Now he can teach decently, without embarrassment...
"Good morning everyone," Ranma greeted with a loud voice, getting everyone's attention. Ranma smiled as he first made eye contact with his first students.
The students gave him a look for a few seconds, then just ignored him and continued doing what they were doing a few moments ago. Ranma looked blankly for a bit, then his fist started twitching. He was being ignored... He didn't like to be ignored.
One of the male students stood up, and approached Ranma carefully. Ranma smiled. He figured out that maybe not all the students in this class were assholes. "Hey, nice to meet you," Ranma said to the boy approaching him. Giving his hand, Ranma added confidently, "Its nice that not all of you are... unfriendly, huh?"
The boy didn't seem to do anything, but suddenly seem to lunge towards Ranma. Surprised, the former Saotome leaned back. The whole class laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" "THAT'S OUR MAN! SHOWING THE TRAINEE HIS PLACE!" Ranma twitched, his fist raised. His face was contorted with outmost anger.
There are many things that could tick Ranma off. Talk about his honor, his manhood, his friends being hurt, or insulting him.
"Oh look! Our new trainee teacher looks like he wants to fight!" one of the male students said.
"Hey," another one called, who put a finger in his cheek. "If you want to fight go ahead!"
"And we'll call the Board of Education at you!" another one taunted.
"Heck, we can also tell you to the media!" another one called. "We can see the headlines now! 'Trainee Teacher abusing his students!'" The whole class burst laughing again.
Soul of Ice... Soul of Ice... Ranma thought again repeatedly, trying to calm him down. Taking a book, opening it, he tried to smile. "Let's start the lesson, shall we?"
The students started throwing pieces of paper towards Ranma, angering him. He started reading a few lines in the book, while the rest of the class practically ignored him, and kept throwing paper balls at him. Or that is what he thought.
Unknown to him, one girl had been paying rapt attention to him. It was the same girl who Ranma had met in bloomers a few moments ago...
= + |Bar, a few hours later| + =
Akira giggled as Ranma had recalled what had happened the whole day. Ranma didn't find it as funny as his best friend did.
"I don't find it funny, Akira," Ranma growled, as he downed another mug of beer.
"Sorry, Ranma," Akira replied, her face still red with amusement. "I didn't mean to laugh about it. But really, I though you had much better luck than that! Heh, you landed on a zero class, huh?"
Ranma sighed. He signaled the waiter to bring another round, as he finished the mug of bitter liquid. Akira looked at her friend worriedly. "Hey, are you okay Ranma?"
"No, I am not!" Ranma replied shortly, his face narrowing. "Those little... bastards... don't give a damn about teachers!"
"Ranma, I thought you were used to those types of ignoramuses, especially when we both were from Gedo High," Akira said.
"FYI, Akira, the Gedo High Students had much more respect to the teachers!" Ranma replied. "Heck, I don't know how I can survive that class! I was reading the lessons, and all they do is throw papers at me, or talk loudly! In Gedo High, that never happens!"
"That's because most of the class goes to sleep!" Akira countered.
Ranma bowed his head down a bit. "Yes, but at least they respected the teacher. WAITER! ANOTHER ROUND!"
Akira shook her head. "Stop it Ranma, you have had your limit."
"Limit? What limit?" Ranma asked. "I can drink 2 liters more, and I won't feel anything but warmth."
"I know," Akira replied. "But it is still early. I only called you here for dinner, not for you to have a hangover next day."
"Maybe you are right," Ranma said. Taking a good luck at his plate, and Akira's he sighed. Standing up, Ranma fixed up his tie for a moment. "Since we are done eating, I'm going back to the apartment. You going, too Akira?"
Akira waved her hand. "Nah. Eiji called me a moment ago, telling me we I have an important client asking about new Turbo Engines."
"Street racers?" Ranma asked. Akira nodded. "Well, so you'll be back late, huh?"
Akira smirked. "My, my, my, Ranma. You sound like we are both married..."
Ranma blushed. "Hey now! That's hitting low! And if Edge heard you were calling him by his real name, he would flip!"
"Heh, only I can call his real name in front of his face," Akira said with a wave of her finger.
"Heh, you two sound close," Ranma teased.
"And you sound jealous," Akira countered.
"And I'm leaving," Ranma said with a small smile. Standing up, he turned on his back, and walked away, raising his left arm to wave good-bye. Akira giggled softly as she watched her best friend walk away. She knew that Ranma lost that round, and walked away.
= + |Park| + =
Ranma walked towards the park, the shortest route going back to his and Akira's apartment.
Both friends shared a flat with two rooms. It was both cozy and relaxing as far as space is concerned, and since the two friends get along so well, there hasn't been a problem. The only thing, which bothered Ranma [other than living alone with a very cute girl], was the fact that Akira was the one paying for the rent.
Ranma had contemplated many times in moving out, as he seem to be leeching Akira out of finances, but she had been stubborn in letting him stay. Although both had come to an agreement, Ranma had silently thought of ways of paying her back. One was getting a job in teaching.
Speaking of teaching, Ranma's fist twitched again as he thought of all those assholes that disrespected him. He had really wanted to knock their lights out.
Then, Ranma suddenly stopped as he found himself staring at a girl under the overhead light in the park.
"H-hey, you are that girl this morning," Ranma began.
It was the girl indeed from this morning, which Ranma had met in her bloomers. Thankfully, she was wearing her normal school girl uniform.
Ranma was not worried about her clothes. He was more worried about her tears. In the angle he was, he could see the light refract to some colors as her eyes sparkled with tears. She didn't seem to cry with happiness. She seem to cried with sadness.
"S-sensei..." she greeted, smiling, wiping her eyes with her left arm. Her right arm held a bag in her lap.
"What's wrong?" Ranma asked, worried. "Why are you here? The sun is down already. Don't you think your parents will get worried."
The girl bowed her head. "I... I had a fight... with my parents," the girl said, her sad smile now showing. "I ran away... so I have no where to go."
"You ran... away?" Ranma repeated stupidly. "But why?"
The girl bowed her head lower. "Sensei... please... let me spend the night at your home..."
Ranma was suddenly confronted with a crisis. One side showed him the cons and the other the pros of letting her stay with him.
Cons: The girl is cute... It is Akira's apartment... He will be involving himself, and he could smell trouble already... Something was off with the girl...
Pros: She has no where to go, and leaving her alone would be heartless... Letting her have shelter would be the right thing to do... She is cute...
What the hell am I thinking?!!! Ranma thought, as he slammed his fist towards his forehead.
The girl looked at Ranma curiously. "Sensei, what are you doing?"
Ranma stopped hitting his own head, and looked at the girl sheepishly. "Nothing..."
"You are weird, sensei," the girl replied.
= + |Akira's Apartment| + =
"Wow... this is a cozy apartment," the girl said, as she looked around Ranma's flat. The man blushed a bit.
"It's not really mine," Ranma replied. "I just stay with a friend."
"Wow, your friend must be doing well," the girl replied.
Ranma nodded. "Yup, good ol' Akira is doing much better than me... And by the way... who are you? I never got your name."
"I'm Nanako," the girl replied with a small smile. "I'm in your class."
Ranma blinked. "You are?"
The girl named Nanako just smiled mysteriously before taking her eyes to look around in the inside of the apartment again.
The apartment has a nice clean look around it. A counter was the only thing that separated the living room and the kitchen, there was a small TV on one part of the wall of the living room, and a small table used for eating. There were two doors, side by side, one having a sign 'Ranma' and the other 'Akira'.
"So tell me..." Ranma began, looking at the girl straight in the face. "Why did you run away..." The girl bowed her head, and her bangs hid her eyes. Ranma panicked as he felt he had done something wrong. "Uh, if you don't want to tell me, its okay..." Ranma added quickly.
The girl did something Ranma never expected her to do. Raising her head, her eyes were swamped with tears, and she lunged towards Ranma. "SENSEI!" she shouted, as she grabbed Ranma's slender frame, and hugged him hard, pressing her chest near his. Ranma's face suddenly became red, as he felt his blood pumping, and his nose threatening to spray. He wanted to get away from her for the moment, but the way she hugged him so... desperately.
Slowly, Ranma let his hand wander to the girl's hair, smoothening it a bit. "Hey, tell me what's wrong, Nanako-chan."
"I can't take it anymore..." she said, sobbing. Finally letting go of him, she stared at his eyes with sadness. "I can't take... everything in my house..."
"Why?" Ranma asked.
The girl bowed her head, and began to narrate her story... "My father is a manager of one of the respected Japanese Food Company... My mother is an importer of goods, running four shops in Tokyo. My father had betrothed me to another rich family... but I don't want to!"
Ranma bowed his own head with understanding. "Yes... I understand how you feel..."
Nanako raised her head. "You do?"
"Yes..." Ranma replied, looking up in the ceiling. "How to feel like you are nothing but property..."
Nanako smiled weakly, and the two stayed in silence for a moment. After what seem to be like hours, Nanko finally spoke. "I... really don't care anymore. Right now, I feel my family doesn't love me anymore... I just..." she sobbed a bit, her eyes threatening to spill again. "I just want to get away! Run away from that cold house!"
Nanako stood up, and a red tinge was very visible in her face. She dove her hands under her shirt, and in front of Ranma's extremely nervous face, she took her shirt off, revealing her underwear.
"Na... Nanako-chan... What are you DOING?!" Ranma panicked. Nanako didn't answer, as she dove towards her skirt, and removed it as well, revealing her panties. "NANAKO-CHAN...!"
"Please... sensei..." she said as she slid down to her knees. "I... think I love you... when I first saw you... I want to..."
Ranma swallowed. "Nanako-chan... don't...!"
The girl approached her head near his, then, there was a slight change in her demeanor that Ranma knew something came up. Unfortunately, he never knew what it was, until he heard her whisper... "I'm sorry, sensei..."
The door in the apartment suddenly opened, revealing three of Ranma's students, taking pictures of him and Nanako, together...
= + |A few minutes later...| + =
Akira sighed as she climbed up the stairs towards her flat. The business deal came so smoothly, that Akira made huge profits in just a few minutes.
The client knew what he was dealing with, giving detailed description of the car he had wanted. Akira concluded that with enough man power, it might take a good month to make it. The man agreed to pay half of the total cost today, and half after the job. Now with business done, Akira made her way back home...
"And did you see his face?" a voice suddenly spoke through the background. Akira leaned on the wall, near the edge of the stairs. Thankfully she wore black, so she melded easily in the shadows.
"Yeah, the way he had that dull look in his face! He really didn't expect that coming!" another male voice said. Footsteps came in, and Akira relaxed her breathing. After a few seconds, she saw three boys pass by the stairs, and she noted their features.
They were tough looking fellows, but she knew they were nothing compared to her or Ranma. They may be part of some gang, maybe independent gang. Besides the boys, there was a lone girl. Akira narrowed her eyes. The girl didn't seem to be enforced upon them, but still...
"But I have to admit, Nanko's acting was so fine, I almost believed her!" the third male said.
"Yeah," the first one replied. "Nanako, how did you cook up something so believable?!"
"Don't ask guys," a female voice called. "Just give me what we agreed, okay?"
TING!
"Yo, the elevator is here," the first male said.
"Heh, can't wait to see Onizuka's face tomorrow..." the third guy said, laughing.
Oni...?! Ranma! Akira thought. With the voices now fading away, maybe because they rode the elevator going down, Akira rushed towards her flat, and she gasped as she saw her friend.
Ranma was on all fours, his eyes closed in a cold constrained emotion. His eyes were moist, as rare tears suddenly came out of him, as he repeated the words over and over again: "How could you betray me...?"
| Flashback |
"Did you plan this... Nanako?" Ranma asked neutrally, his head down.
His four students are now on his flat. It seemed like a second ago when Ranma found himself on a tight spot as the males took pictures of him and Nanako together, and were now demanding a payment of 800,000 Yen by the end of the week. If those pictures came out, Ranma would be disgraced, and would never teach again.
Nanako stared at Ranma with a neutral face, contemplating on how to answer. "Why sensei, do you think I could depend on a teacher?"
It was either by accident, or fate, which those words struck Ranma deep in the heart, as his painful memories resurfaced, with a voice ringing in his head...
"Who can depend on a pervert like you!" Akane shouted. "I am really glad I got hooked up with Ryouga, and I had prayed so many times you will never come back! Heh! You are nothing! Nothing but a pervert!"
| End of Flashback |
"How could you betray me...?" Ranma repeated softly.
Who can depend on a pervert like you? Who can depend on a teacher like you? You are nothing! I am really glad I hooked up with Ryouga...
Ranma now had a green aura surrounding him, and Akira had an idea on what happened. It was like back in those days where Ranma was still new in Gedo High, and had been cold and aloof. Of many years trying to see through the emotional barrier Ranma erected, during their years together, Akira only knew one thing.
Someone hurt Ranma pretty badly... and it happened again.
"Ranma..." she silently whispered, and slowly approached the glowing man. She lifted her hand a bit and petted him. She closed her eyes, the aura of depression seeping in her very own body. She gritted her teeth. Anger was the only thing she felt. Letting Ranma go Akira now had a red aura around her. "I'll be back, Ranma..." she whispered.
Bolting to her room, she quickly removed her clothes, and dove for her closet. Opening it, she took out a leather outfit she only uses during extreme measures.
Snapping her shoulder pads with spikes and skull design, then fixing her black leather boots and put some red gloves, she grabbed her skull helmet, secured it around her head, and snapped the strap tight.
Looking back at her closed door, knowing full well Ranma was outside. Opening her window, she bent her legs fully before she launched herself in the air.
The night air was cool, but against Akira's tight leather clothes, she felt no breeze, but the heat of anger. Jumping from roof to roof, she went towards a place Edge had said was under Daigo's influence. She had some boys to get back...
To Be Continued...
Next: Akira confronts the boys... only to have Ranma come and rescue them?! And what about the girl, Nanako?