Author's Note: Sorry for the exceedingly long wait for this chapter seeing as how my silly muse had abandoned me. Also I am forced to write this installment in NotePad so forgive me for any errors. I am taking applications now for prereaders effective immediately. Thank you all for your patience and on with the show!
The New Girl on the Block
Chapter 3
School Daze
-or-
The Madness Begins
-Akane's POV-
Akane sat at her desk and stared at her former fiance sadly. It wasn't that she didn't love him, but her conditioning at the hands of Kuno and the Hentai Horde had left deep scars. Intellectually she knew he wasn't a pervert, but her rational mind took a back seat to the primal fear of being forced into a situation beyond her control. It just so happened that poor Ranma was left to feel the brunt of her displeasure. Her arm itched terribly, reminding her of what happened the night before and the painful thing that happened. Broken arms healed, but broken hearts didn't heal as fast. The sleeping pigtailed boy was oblivious to the world with a faint smile on his face. The young girl was entranced by a sight she would see for the rest of the year but be unable to do anything about. It was out of her hands now. With that distressing thought her eyes turned to Kat. She could admit to herself that it wasn't the girl's fault their parents were idiots but she could easily blame her for the injury. Her arm throbbed in response to her thoughts which instead of infuriating her, sobered her immensely.
"Miss Tendo, would you please pay attention?" the teacher asked before turning his back to the class. In her defense, she really did try to pay attention to the board, but her heart just wasn't in it. Her thoughts like a twisted Oroboros turning in a never ending circle. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to actually catch your own tail, the pain from the bite lingered. She could admit that the fault for last night's competition was hers alone. If she hadn't been so dead set on it she would have heard Kat saying she didn't want it which just made her more miserable.
-Kat's POV-
It was all so unbelievable to the neo-wolf. She smiled slightly as she realized that what she was avoiding had come to pass anyway. The girl hadn't wanted a fiance but here she was, sitting beside him and generally enjoying the day. Her eyes found their way way to Akane, catching her gaze briefly before the girl turned away. She shook her head at the errant thoughts running around wildly in her head. There was an interesting question that she needed answering. Why was Ranma afraid of cats? It didn't seem like a normal fear to her but she would wait to ask. She turned from inner contemplation to watching the man at the source of it all, sleep. She could be honest with herself that his girl form was incredibly cute, a devastating looker in either form. Could she just accept that part of him too? She wasn't like that, but did she really have to be? Her alternate form scared most people senseless even if she was the same person inside. If he could accept that then the least she could do is try to do the same for him. Her musings were interupted by the teacher scolding Akane for not paying attention causing her eyes to jump to the front of the room.
"That was close." she muttered as she sat perfectly straight in her chair, more than a little startled. Kat was inevitably drawn to contemplating her hands. The appendages were far more lethal than their seemingly fragile appearance just as she was. Rather than please her, it made her sad. She loved a good challenge but it just wasn't fair sometimes to fight others. The girl could admit that she hated being forced into anything but last night the confrontation had been her decision. With a single nod of her head she made her decision. If Akane wanted to be friends, then she could do her best to be.
-Ranma's POV-
He wasn't sleeping. Which was the truth as far as it went. What he was doing was an advanced form of mediation with his head on his desk. Why he was snoring occasionally was simply to provide effect. Of course the drool was a clever ruse to mask his true intentions. But even he could feel the war of wills swirling around him causing him to move upwards in consciousness as his brain geared up for war. Measures and countermeasures flashed through his brain at an impossible rate only to finally have his eyes open to evaluate the threat. So sudden was his waking...er...interupted meditation that he could have sworn he gave himself away but he was safe from observation so far. His mind turned back to the problem from yesterday when a huge Dire Wolf had entered his life bringing a whole new dimension of chaos with her. He remembered Ryoga with a soft growl subvocally. if the Lost Pig showed up maybe he'd splash his fiancee and him with cold water and see who would come out on top. No, he was martial artist and couldn't use someone's weakness against them like that. However, Kat's curse certainly wasn't a weakness. Out of all the animal cursed victims (aside from Taro) she was undoubtably the best equipped to handle herself.
With how wound up Ranma had gotten himself, perhaps it wasn't a good day for Kuno to dash into the classroom in full samurai regalia loudly proclaiming the smiting of the horrible gaijin witch that broke his fragile Akane's arm out of jealous envy. The Ranma Tactical OS (patent pending) kicked into overdrive assessing the scene. Kat was stunned into immobility at the declaration. Even Akane was surprised as he charged in full throttle slashing the obviously real sword down. Finely honed reflexes kicked into action as he leapt from his desk, snatched up his fiancee, and vaulted out the window in one smooth motion. The girl unresponsive against his chest, her eyes wide with fear. Crazy guys with swords was obviously something she wasn't ready to deal with yet, he thought with bitter humor as he landed softly. He turned to see Kuno mount the windowsill and leap down after them.
"No way..." Ranma murmured. If Kuno could make that jump in heavy armor unscathed then it might be better to wait to challenge the blockhead until he had evaluated his new potential. All such musings were rendered moot when he crashed down in the world's first aerial facefault, cracks spreading out from his landing site.
"I-is he okay...? Maybe we should check on him." Kat suggested doubtfully after she got over the shock of flying. She went to check on the deluded kendoist but Ranma pulled her back suddenly. Kat was about to ask why when suddenly the Foolish One was back on his feet with the sword held out, ready for battle.
"Truly the heavens themselves smile upon the Blue Thunder! The Foul Sorceror Saotome and the Wicked Gaijin are together! If this is true then it leaves my two loves free of his churlish machinations. The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure...and the gods themselves wish to see me remove such a black stain upon this fair nation...with that I strike!" he proclaimed to the sky as he charged forward at full velocity. Perhaps if he had been watching where he was going and not talking to God, he might not have run face first into Ranma's outstretched foot. Before he could do more than squawk in surprise, he took a spinning back kick to the left side of his face, propelling him into the air like a human whirligig.
"What a blowhard." the pigtailed protagonist sniffed in disdain. The Blue Thunder used to be a challenge (really) but lately he's been nothing more than an overdressed punching bag. It was the price of getting better. You outgrew playmates quickly it seemed. He turned to say something to Kat only to be grabbed in an improved Amazonian glomp and there were no Amazons nearby.
"That was scary! What kind of school lets people bring swords to school?" the poor girl demanded, sounding a bit edgy. Ranma didn't think about it before wrapping his arms around her gently. Both teens momentarily forgetting they were at school until an aggrieved voice called out.
"Why does he get all the cute ones?" which had a better effect than splashing them with cold water as the two jumped apart. He stole a glance at Kat noticing her intense blush. Her eyes sought out his before giving him a shy smile and running back into the building at top speed. The surprised boy quickly got control of his stray thoughts and ran back in as well.
-Lunchtime-
Akane sat in the classroom despite the beautiful day outside to eat her lunch. She wanted to talk to her former fiance but he and Kat had jumped out the window, laughing like children. The girl wished she could have seen his playful streak instead of his perverted streak. There was no doubt that he wasn't completely perverted but she still believed he was to a degree. Kat was just lucky she wasn't wearing the uniform and had opted for an outfit similar to yesterday's except the top was bergundy.
"Hey Akane!" Yuka caroled out as she sat to the right her friend, Sayuri flanking her on the other side. The two of them could be a lot like Hiroshi and Daisuke sometimes, she reflected.
"What's going on with you and Ranma? Your sister is selling information but we wanted to get it from the horse's mouth so to speak." Sayuri said as she opened her bento.
"You just didn't want to pay for it." Akane said, in a bit of a better mood with her friends there. With a world-weary sigh she told the tale of what happened. She was accurate actually since it really was a close fight. Mostly because Kat didn't want to fight, but also because of trying to hit her ex-fiance in sparring so often she had developed speed and an intense precision.
"Look at the bright side, you got rid of the pervert right?" the girl on her right said as she began eating. So engrossed in her meal was she that she didn't notice her companion suddenly go quiet.
"Yeah..." she whispered with her heart in her voice.
-Outside-
Ranma was telling Hiroshi and Daisuke the events of the previous day but to hear him tell it the match was a foregone conclusion. Kat sat quietly beside him picking at her lunch. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her face before looking to her new fiance. He was so bright and open, undoubtably rough around the edges, but he was a good sort. Without really thinking about it, she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to eat.
"Whoa...that's so cool...but why did ya pick her? She gave ya an out." Hiroshi asked his friend bluntly. Ranma bristled but the girl so at peace on his shoulder made him calm down, besides it wasn't like he had enough friends to alienate a couple.
"It was because she gave me a way out even at the expense of her own honor. What kind of man would I be if I didn't show my appreciation?" the pigtailed youth asked reasonably. Hiroshi seemed to consider it.
"Besides, she's not crazy like the other ones." Daisuke piped up. That was the biggest draw that both boys could see besides her being cute. She was sane. Now that Ranma thought about it, he had been surrounded by beautiful girls all vying for his attention but it was the sane girl he was attracted to.
"Sanity is sexy." he muttered with a snicker. His fiancee having picked up the soft whisper blushed and snickered as well.
"Ok guys, enough questions or we won't finish our lunch in time." Kat admonished only to find that Ranma was done first. He had the bigger portion but he was the first one done.
"Did you even taste that?" she asked him with amusement only to watch him blush sheepishly. When his stomach let everyone know it was still unsatisfied, she passed him her unfinished lunch with a roll of her eyes, but the smile let him know it was okay. As she opened her mouth to say more, a massive explosion rocked the schoolgrounds causing the underground pipes to burst, splashing the two of them with cold water triggering their transformations. An earthshattering "moo" was the only warning either martial artist had before everything went to hell...
-Earlier-
Taro smiled down at the quiet ward malevolently. He had a reason to celebrate. The old pervert had given him a new name Toidi Taro. He wasn't sure what it meant but he felt that it fit him perfectly. To commemorate this event he was going to make things hellish for the Femboy that was responsible for foiling him so often. Once again another super powered martial artist had entered the arena with what could be seen as a valid grievance, if the judge of said grievance was Ryoga.
"Time for you to bleed asshole." he said with a poorly concealed maniacal grin as he walked in the direction of Furinkan High. Upon noticing the look on his face many people chose to cross the street rather than be on the same side of the street as the obviously unhinged individual. It never mattered to the man of dragonhide that people were generally afraid of him, in fact it gave him a perverse pleasure. He wasn't one of the honorable rivals and refused to fight alongside Saotome no matter what the circumstance.
"Time to die Femboy." he said to himself out loud giving everyone a reason to back off even further. When he reached the gates he decided to test out something he picked up from the old freak. It was agreed that he would get his new name first as well as some new techniques as long as he signed a contract stating he would take care of Saotome. Simple matter really. It was with this thought in mind that he moved to the center of the front grounds and punched the earth, sending a powerful burst of ki into the point of impact sundering the ground clear down to the underground waterpipes which wasn't part of the plan, but as his own change occured he realized that it was too perfect to pass up as he watched the redhead bounce to her feet in surprise.
-Present-
"T-taro?" Ranma exclaimed in shock as she took in the figure before her. The terrible chimera shot forward at full speed for the startled neo-girl, but before the monster could reach her a huge wolf leapt out, tackling the redhead, and carrying her off on her back. Ranma is a master of adaptability so it was without hesitation that she grabbed hold of the thick fur of her fiancee's wolf form as the great beast ran for all she was worth. The startled creature watched this for all of a second before zooming off after them at his top speed.
The only reason Ranma had been able to keep up with her the day before was because she didn't want to leave the poor guy in the dust. The chimera was fast, but his speed was absolutely nothing compared to Kat's. The redhead on her back leaned over as far as she could to cut down on the drag, feeling the wolf's powerful muscles flowing smoothly. When she checked behind them to see where Taro was, it appeared as if he was gone. She managed to get her partner's attention and recieved a nod in response as the two of them ended up in a vacant lot quite a distance from the school. It was with some shock that she realized they were in the middle of Juuban.
"That was intense." the pigtailed girl whispered reverently. It had felt as if she had roped the wind and rode it. The wolf bent down so she could dismount easier. Once back on her own two feet, she threw her arms around the wolf's neck. Partly out of gratitude, but mostly because her legs are unsteady from the wild ride. Kat licked her cheek comfortingly.
"Thanks a lot...once we take a break, think we could get back to the school?" she asked. Kat nodded as she panted tiredly before laying down. Her fiance-turned-fiancee laid back against her side enjoying the peace that had sprung up.
"What was his problem?" Ranma asked no one in particular.
"I got a job to do, nothing personal Femboy." a voice informed her as he stepped into the makeshift arena, his pantyhose missing. With a smile, he amended his last statement.
"Actually...it has everything to do with you. Time to die."
-Furinkan-
Akane, like the rest of the student body, had witnessed what transpired with trepidation. Even if they weren't engaged anymore she didn't want to see him hurt (too much) and most certainly not by Taro. It was too bad Ukyou wasn't here to help out but she was determined to do her best. Upon reaching this decision she stood up suddenly and prepared to head out, too bad she made this decision in English class.
"Delinquent! Happo Five Yen Satsu!" cried out Hinako causing her to wilt back onto her desk.
"Perhaps...I'll help him after my nap..." she thought before succumbing to sleep.
-Elsewhere-
The battle had started out slowly and easily as each combatant strove to attain the highest honor through combat.
Oh wait, that was a different fight. This fight started out with brutal intensity as Taro abandoned any pretense at defense and went immediately on the offensive. Ranma was pretty sure she was ready for anything the dragonhide wearing freak had except for a marked increase in speed. Taro launched himself right through the redhead's guard, unleashing a storm of blows upon her exposed abdomen doubling her over before a snap kick sent her careening away like a redheaded projectile. Her violent motion was arrested by a quick snap and jerk from Kat that allowed her to regain her feet in time to stop Taro's next attack. After another flurry of blows the two broke apart. It was clear who was worse off as Ranma had a hard time standing straight while Taro merely smirked in superiority.
"Too bad your dog's not trained better, the bitch might be able to help you. If I was holding back." he said pompously. The "dog" snarled hatefully at the youth but a hand on her head calmed her.
"Better watch what you say Panythose cuz this wolf eats jerks for breakfast." Ranma warned while Kat snarled even more hatefully.
"It's not Panythose now Femboy, it's Toidi!" he declared as he planted his fists on his hips proudly. It took Kat all of a second to realize what he said and started laughing, her tongue lolling out in amusement. Even Ranma picked up on the joke Happosai played.
"Uhm...you do know that "Toidi" is "Idiot" the English word for "Baka", right?" the redhead managed between gasps of laughter. The newly christened "Toidi" stared in shock at the person before him as it gradually sank in just what had happened. Happosai had kept his end of the bargain, but the name was nothing like he was expecting. With a cry of inarticulate rage, he unleashed his full fury upon the girl before him. If he was difficult before, he was impossible now as his rage fuelled his speed and power to unbelievable heights. To Kat it was obvious that Ranma was holding back but for the life of her she didn't know why until she took notice of where she was. The neo-wolf was behind the neo-girl severly limiting her attack options. With that in mind, she turned tail and tried to run only to be stopped when she ran head first into a leg. Her eyes travelled upwards as she took in the figure before her. It was Taro. She quickly looked behind her to see what happened to Ranma only to find her engaged in desperate battle with a crazy boy in white robes and the samurai wannabe.
"At what point did we lose control here?" she thought frantically just before feeling the kick take her in the ribs and hurl her through the air. With a sharp twist, her feet hit the ground first much to Taro's amazement as he had been expecting a simple animal until the tremendous wolf shot forward suddenly reaching max speed. In his surprise he left his leg slightly extended which ended up proving a painful mistake as she snagged him by the meaty part of the calf and drove him into the ground, rolling her body to wrench the muscles out of alignment. However, despite the shock he is a superbly trained martial artist and he rolled with the takedown before launching her off from a prone position.
"Not bad mutt...but ya gotta do better than that!" he jeered as he leapt back to his feet only to end up with hundreds of pounds of pissed of wolf slamming into his chest before he even regained his footing. Several aerial kicks and retaliating punches missed as the nimble creature twisted and dodged in a bizarre mid-air ballet that could only happen in Nerima. Taro was pretty sure this was no ordinary beast as he found his martial arts being countered by blinding speed and unbelievable precision as she seemed to be reading his moves.
"Hold still so I can break you!" he growled in annoyance as he went to his waist for the canteen of cold water he kept there only to have his fingers nearly torn off as the creature stole his canteen and shattered it in her powerful jaws, the precious liquid running from her mouth as she hurled the now ruined item away. Now Taro felt fear. It was clear he badly miscalculated and this was the result. He either had to run and admit defeat at the paws of a wolf, Jusenkyo cursed or not, or continue to fight when he knew he was outclassed. The wolf's opening attacks had done a lot more damage due to his carelessness. With a slight smirk to unsettle the feral attacker, he suddenly vaulted over the fence and disappeared. Once she was satisfied he was gone, Kat rushed back to help Ranma.
After Ranma and Taro had broken off, the chimera cursed individual smirked annoyingly before pointing something out to Ranma. Kuno and Mousse had just arrived and neither one of them looked happy. Kuno's mask was on and he seemed to have as much trouble seeing as the blind master of Hidden Weapon or else he never would have attacked "his pigtailed goddess". Taro rushed off to keep Kat from pulling a Lassie and bringing help. The redhead was powerless to do anything which didn't sit well with her at all.
"Stop it! I don't have time to play with you jerks!" she cried as she dodged a volley of projectiles, unfortunately her dodge put her in the way of Kuno's downswing. If not for superior reflexes and luck that Vash the Stampede would envy she would have been beside herself, literally. After a few moments of frantic dodging she eventually got in the groove, using her naturally enhanced agility and dexterity, she swung out of the way as Kuno blindly swung his sword only to end up in the myopic master's crosshairs by accident. A few dozen chains and shuriken later, Mousse put his glasses on properly and began fighting for real.
"Saotome! Where is my darling Shampoo?" he cried out as he began the assault anew. Ranma growled in annoyance as it seemed the old bat hadn't told him they were leaving.
"Saotome! Release thy hold on the fierce tigress and my pigtailed goddess! Practice your heresy with gaijin wench!" Kuno cried as he stumbled about blindly, even more surprising was his unerring accuracy. With barely restrained fury she brought her hands together and unleashed her signature attack.
"Moko Takabisha!" the blast of confidence ki roared through Kuno's defenses, destroying his samurai helmet in the process at the same moment that Mousse experienced a wardrobe malfunction of a critical nature. It seems that his robes can't withstand direct assault by a pissed off wolf. Even without his torn robes he could still fight as he began hurling throwing knives at the tired redhead. Just as it looked as if he would finally be rid of his nemesis, finely honed instincts kicked in to save his life as he threw himself to the side of a decapitating swing. he looked up at Kuno and realized that the blinders were off.
"You would dare harm such a beauteous maiden? You must be taught a lesson ramen slinger!" the deluded kendoist shouted as he began to chase the blind duck down the street in earnest. In the aftermath of the battle, two lone figures stood staring in the direction that the chaos had gone. With a weary sigh, the redhead started to trudge back only to find herself slung onto the wolf's back. Rather than protest the treatment, she accepted the ride back gratefully.
"I hope tomorrow's not as crazy..." she mumbled sleepily, a low growl to the affirmative let her know her thoughts were seconded. With everything that happened, she didn't want to go to the Tendo's today, and it appeared that Kat was thinking the same thing as she set a course for home.
End Chapter 3
Author's Notes: I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Before anyone complains about Taro improving, he did have Happosai's help. As to the vengeance bit, that's normal Happosai trying to teach his student a lesson. Also, Kat's wolf form has enhanced agility, strength, endurance, stamina, and speed like a wolf has. Coupled with her intelligence it becomes a formidable weapon. I hope I took care of your concerns. Time to say goodnight everybody since it is now 2:30 in the morning and I need my beauty sleep (I should wake up in about six months).