Tacchi 1/2 - A Rose of My Heart

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Alas.

Chapter Two: Starting Anew

Nabiki looked up at her new fiance. He seemed to prefer walking along the fence than down with her on the sidewalk. She couldn't figure out how he could keep his balance up there without even glancing down at his feet.

"I wish you'd come down from there," she suddenly called out, "You're giving me the creeps."

Ranma looked down at her in annoyance before letting out a long sigh. Then, with a casual leap into the air, he did a somersault and landed next to her, causing her heart beat rate to nearly double.

"Better?"

"Yes..." she squeaked, before clearing her throat.

"So. Where's that younger sister of yours?"

"Oh, she left a while ago. She has some business to attend to before school and she didn't want to be late."

"Okay."

As they rounded the corner that led to the school grounds they noticed a surprising number of unconcious bodies littering the area near the entrance. Ranma stared around in awe. "What in the world came through here!"

"Something with a very bad temper," Nabiki murmured as she pulled him along with her past the mess.

- --

(Confounded sprinkler!) Kuno thought as she stormed angrily towards the school grounds, carrying her little sister under one arm. (Damned pathetic curse!) She entered the grounds, noticing with much annoyance that she was already late. (Damn it all.)

She wasn't exactly in the best of moods.

Kuno looked around, wondering where she might be able to find some hot water. She began heading in the direction of the boys' shower room.

Then she stopped. She wouldn't be able to get in there, especially not if there were guys inside already. She paused for a moment. Then, with an annoyed sigh, she turned and headed for the girls' side.

The small furry animal in her arms began to make an interesting chittering noise when it realized where they were headed. Kuno frowned.

"Oh, shut up!" she growled, tightening her grip on the rabbit and causing it to choke, "I don't find this the least bit funny, so I don't want to hear anything out of you."

The girl took one final look around her, just to make sure that they were alone. Then she walked quietly into the shower room. Finding an empty stall, she set the rabbit down by her feet, unchanging so that she wouldn't get her clothes any more wet than they already were. She then turned on the shower, making sure it was as hot as it would go.

After Tatewaki had gotten rid of a certain side of himself he would much rather live without, he reluctantly walked out of the hot shower and rechanged, leaving the water running for his sister, who (no pun intended) hopped in and out at a much less leisurely rate. She dressed herself just as quickly, if not faster.

"We're already very late, brother dear," she scorned, "Do you wish to get us into more trouble than we're in already?"

Her brother merely shrugged at her remark. "Late is late. We should suffer no consequences worse than what we already will." He finished dressing, then picked up his bag and began walking out alongside his sister as she exited the showering area of the locker room. "I see no need to worry."

"Ah, but Tacchi dear, you've forgotten where we are."

"Eh?" Kuno missed his sister's hesitation at the exit to the shower stalls and turned the corner without pausing. A point he soon regretted.

The next few moments were filled with female cries of shock as he found himself being pounded into the floor by the girl's softball team.

"PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Trying to catch up on what you've been missing, Kuno?"

"No! Wait! AUGH Please! I beg you to OOF reconsider your actions ACK on this most ERG inappropriate intrusion into- GAAAHHH!"

"Oh, dear." Kodachi watched as her older brother went sailing out the window towards the school grounds. "He's going to need another shower after this. Thank goodness he's a guy this time! Ohohohohohohoho!" The high school gymnast bounded after her brother as her laugh caused several of the girls to hold their heads in pain.

The members of the girl's softball team looked around confusedly at the sudden appearance of an extraordinary amount of black rose petals.

- --

Akane and Ranma looked up from their desks simultaneously as a girl with a slightly off centered ponytail came strolling into the classroom. The teacher looked up from the roll sheet he was busy marking off. His eyes narrowed a bit and he stood up. "This would be our other new student, class." The girl paused and regarded him with a haughty, yet somewhat embarrased, expression. "You're late Miss Kuno. Once you've set your things down I'm going to have to ask you to stand in the hall."

"Is that really necessary, sir?" She asked with a bit of an edge in her voice. The teacher didn't argue with her, but produced two buckets of water, which he held out to her with a glare. She sighed and took them before marching back out to the hallway.

A quiet mumuring filled the classroom. Akane blinked in surprise and turned to Ranma. "Did he say Kuno?" she asked. Ranma shrugged.

"Something like that. Why? You know her?"

"I know a Kuno..." she muttered with a frown. They've GOT to be related, now that I think about it. They look too much alike not to be."

- --

Just down the hallway, Tatewaki was also entering his classroom behind schedule. His teacher also glared at him as he walked in, but when Kuno apologized for his lateness he was too stunned to send him out to the hallway.

Nabiki watched him with increasing interest. The boy had obviously run into some trouble before class, as he was sporting a recently given black eye and his clothes were a mess. She figured Akane must have gotten him pretty bad that morning.

Still... there was something else not quite right about him that she couldn't put her finger on. True, she hadn't seen him in months - not since his mother had suddenly shown up out of nowhere after seemingly abandoning her children through most of their childhood and whisked them off on some training trip to China. For the most part he looked the same, though it seemed he was growing his hair out a bit. He had it tied in a high, samurai-esque ponytail. No doubt another phase he was going through.

As she watched she began to realize she wasn't the only one staring. Several other of their classmates were giving him quick glances and murmuring to themselves. A couple of the boys her sister had beaten up that morning looked like they were trying to get his attention. One finally managed to get him to look his way by snapping his fingers in Kuno's face. When the kendo enthusiast turned with a disinterested gaze the other boy stuck a note out for him to take. Kuno looked a bit surprised and opened the note to read it. He frowned slightly and scribbled something at the bottom before handing it back. Nabiki made a mental note to ask him about it after class.

He looked dejected, she realized. That was what it was. He looked positively downtrodden and it was a look she had never seen on him. There had to be some way she could profit from this change in attitude... Perhaps the right photographs could cheer him up.

When the end of class bell rang, she was at his side so quickly he jumped back for a second, startled. "Nabiki Tendo... How can I help you?" He asked warily.

"Help me?" she asked innocently. "Kuno baby, I'm here to help you. The sad and angsty vibe doesn't become you."

Kuno swallowed. "I'm... afraid I don't know what you mean..."

Nabiki sighed dramatically. "Honestly, the things I do for you, hun." She pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. "Latest batch," she said smoothly. "Set of 5 for 3000 yen."

He opened the envelope and pulled out the photographs. They were of Akane, of course. The regular stock. Nabiki saw the usual perverted gleam rise in the kendoists eyes and his hands shook a bit. Then, to her astonishment and horror, he squeezed his eyes shut as though he was in pain and quickly handed the envelope back to her. "I can't take these," he said shakily.

"I don't do this for just anyone," she said carefully. "2000 yen, then, and you'll never find a better deal."

"No!" He said hurriedly. "I... I can't buy pictures of Akane from you."

"Whyever not, Kuno baby?" she asked with a genuinely concerned expression, if not for the right reasons.

"Because I... I..." it looked, to her surprise, that tears were about to well up in his eyes. Then he straightened up and his face hardened. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Nabiki Tendo. Thank you for your generous offer, but I am not interested!" He then stormed out of the room as quickly as he could. Nabiki watched after him, utterly stunned.

(The nerve of him!) she thought angrily. She'd have to find out what was wrong with him and soon, or she was bound to lose her largest source of income.

- --

Lunch found both Kuno siblings sitting under a tree in the courtyard. Neither one was talking to the other, but neither were interested in keeping the company of anyone else at the moment either. Tatewaki had been annoyed at first when his mother had demanded that his sister attend Furinkan with him so that they could assist each other when issues involving their curses arose, but now he was rather glad for it. He wasn't exactly sure how Kodachi felt, but he was sure she would adjust.

"I didn't see you in the hallway this morning, Tacchi," she asked suddenly. "Did you manage to bribe a teacher to get out of it?"

"Eh?" the elder Kuno blinked. "Oh... no. I guess he must have forgotten. And what have I told you about using that name at school?"

Kodachi smirked. "Come now, Tacchi dear. There's no one sitting close enough to hear us."

"That's besides the point!"

Not too far away, Ranma, Nabiki, and Akane sat watching the two of them. Nabiki was squinting, desperately trying to make out what they were saying. Ranma looked bored.

"So he has a sister," he muttered. "What's the big deal?"

"If she's anything like his brother then it's a very big deal!" Akane growled. "That JERK is the reason I have to beat off hordes of guys every morning!"

Ranma sweatdropped. "Uh... what? Oh! YOU did that this morning?" He scratched his head. "Why would guys want to attack you like that?"

Nabiki responded before Akane could. "He told them that no one would be allowed to date Akane unless they could defeat her. I suppose Mr. Ego believed he was the only one who could. Even after he went on his recent trip to China they kept it up. I suppose they all hoped to be able to beat her while he was gone for bragging rights when he returned."

"No such luck," Akane scowled.

"Not really surprising, seeing as Kuno was the best martial artist in the school and still couldn't make himself go all out on her," Nabiki added.

Ranma seemed to perk up at this. "He's the best in the school?"

Nabiki nodded, mind working quickly. From the gleam in Ranma's eyes she could nearly smell a lucrative opportunity.

"I've been needing to work off some steam," the boy grinned. "I wonder if he'd be up for a bit of one on one sparring."

He stood up before either girl could add anything and made his way over to where the two Kunos were getting up to leave. Kodachi saw him approaching and tapped her brother on the shoulder to get his attention. Tatewaki straightened up immediately and threw a superior glare at the newcomer.

"Yo!" Ranma called, by way of greeting. "Kuno, isn't it?"

"Upperclassman Tatewaki Kuno," the other boy responded. "And I do not believe we have met."

"Ranma Saotome," Ranma answered with a bow. "I hear you're a martial artist."

Kuno's eyes narrowed. "If you would like to put it that way, yes."

"All right then. I, Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, challenge you to a formal duel."

Kodachi looked surprised. "On what grounds?"

"Nothin' more than friendly competition," Ranma answered with a wink. "Unless Kuno isn't feeling up to the challenge."

The Kendoist in question bristled. "I back down from no man!" He said with a huff. "Name your time and place, Cur!"

"How about right now, and you can pick the place yourself."

"Done! And I have no qualms about fighting in this very yard."

Ranma nodded, backing up a bit and dropping into a fighting stance. Kuno drew out a bokken from where he'd had it strapped to his side and fell into a position of his own. Kodachi moved make several paces, and as other students noticed the goings on they followed suit.

"Kendoist, eh?" Ranma asked as the two of them sized each other up. "I hope you don't mind if I just use my bare fists."

"Only if you don't mind bruising them," came Kuno's reply before launching into a flurry of blows that Ranma quickly began to dodge.

Kodachi soon found herself standing next to the two girls that had been accompanying her brother's challenger. She eyed them suspiciously, fearing they may try something to help out their friend. After all, it wasn't like it was anything she wasn't prone to do herself. Instead, however, the two girls seemed more interested in her than the fight.

"So..." Akane began cautiously. "You're Kuno's sister, huh?"

"I am."

"Strange that we've never met you before," Nabiki asked innocently.

"I don't see how that's any of your concern."

The older Tendo waved her off with a grin. "Now, now. No need to be suspiscious. We're just interested in meeting the new student is all." And wondering what on EARTH you two did on that training trip of yours, Nabiki finished mentally. That was a question for another time.

A cry of pain brought their attention back to the match. Ranma had just fallen back with a hand on his side. Kuno gave a satisfied smirk and prepared to charge again. The pig-tailed martial artist looked ready to kill. "I LIKE this shirt!" He said furiously, hiding the fact that Kuno had actually hurt him a bit. "You'll pay for that!" The fight resumed.

Nabiki looked at her watch. "Oh, would you look at the time," she said simply. "Lunch is about over. HEY KUNO!" she shouted suddenly. "DON'T HURT MY FIANCE TOO MUCH, OKAY? WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE CLASSES TODAY!"

"Your WHAT?" Kuno cried, shocked and temporarily forgetting the match. Ranma took advantage of the distraction and knocked him out cold with a well placed foot to the skull.

"Oh come ON, Nabiki." Ranma seemed partially annoyed. "That doesn't really count as a fair match now."

"You took advantage of his lack of attention, not I," she cooed.

Ranma shrugged and the two of them began heading back inside. Kodachi just sighed and shook her head. She thought about getting upset with them, but it genuinely had been her brother's fault he lost the match. Walking over to his slowly reviving figure she gave him a small kick in the ribs. "Coming to class or not, Tacchi?"

Tatewaki moaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He looked around for a moment before realizing what happened. "That cheating fiend!" he scowled. "He is no man, I say!"

"So challenge him to a rematch! Just not right now. I don't want to be late again." With that, she turned and made her way back into the school. After a bit more grumbling, Kuno followed.

End of chapter two.