-Ten-Faced Paladin
Ranma Revamped
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 5: To The Tree-Bourne Kettle-Girl
It was not looking good for Ranma right now. Earlier, she was in her male form and gotten into another fight with Kuno. She managed to get him to follow her and they both jumped out the third floor window. The only problem was that they both landed in the school pool. This led to Ranma's curse triggering. Kuno was apparently knocked out. Ranma decided that she had better save him, but while she was moving him, the kendo artist woke up and wrapped his arms around her.
"Ranma Saotome!" he shouted. "I fight on!"
Ranma thrashed wildly in Kuno's grip, "Let! Me! Go!"
Above them, the students were watching the battle with rapt interest. Among those people were Akane and Nabiki.
"Wow!" a student spoke. "They're still fighting after all!"
"Oh he's busted," Nabiki sighed.
"Can't you just cover it up Nabiki?" Akane asked urgently.
"Hmm. If it's just Kuno then sure," Nabiki shrugged. "If it's the rest of the school then there's nothing even I can do. You know how pervy the boys here are."
Akane looked back down to the fight. Her face revealed a large amount of worry.
As the studnets wathched, Kuno tried to ensure he still had a good grip on his opponent. He shofted his hands and they landed on something he wasn't expecting. Something soft which Kuno even knew a boy would never have.
Ranma felt Kuno's hands on her chest and she started trembling with rage. She looked back at Kuno with a fierce look of anger. She gripped Kuno's head with both hands, and with on movement, slammed him into the ground at the edge of the pool.
"Pervert!" she shrieked as Kuno hit the ground.
Kuno was momentarily stunned as Ranma climbed out of the pool. After taking a breath, she flipped over the fence and raced away from the scene. She needed a place to dry off and probably find some hot water.
Above them, the students were talking to each other about what they had just witnessed.
"Hey," one boy spoke. "Didn't Ranma's body look a little smaller all of a sudden?"
"Maybe," a girl shrugged. "I thought I saw a flash of red hair."
"Must have been an illusion," another boy reasoned.
While the other students talked among themselves, Akane and Nabiki silently creeped awayfrom everyone else. Nabiki pulled her younger sister closer and began whispering in her ear.
"I'll do damage control," she spoke. "You get some hot water and find Ranma. I don't think he could have gone far."
Akane nodded and she ran to the janitors closet. They usually had a kettle or two there and a hotplate that would easily heat up the water in no time.
Outside the school, Ranma was currently sitting in a tree. She was slipping off her pants and wringing themm out. A look of anger was still on her face.
"Geez," she sighed. "I knew he was a pervert, but he didn't have to squeeze that hard!"
"You really are an idiot sometimes," someone spoke.
Ranma looked down and saw Akane below him. She looked rather imapatient, but Ranma could see a tiny hint of worry in her eyes.
"Hey, I didn't know the pool was there," Ranma spoke in her defence. "I'll remember for next time though."
"You'd better," Akane sighed. "I don't want to have to hunt you down every time you end up changing in the middle of a fight."
"I can't help it," Ranma sighed. "I'm like a water magnet half the time. I think it may be another part of the curse."
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While the two of them talked, Kuno was still lying on the ground from the attack Ranma had placed on him. Only know he was in a meditative pose.
"A woman," he pondered. "Yes. That was indeed a woman. Which means..."
Kuno suddenly stood up. He face was the portrait of anger.
"Saotome!" he shouted. "You think you have escaped!"
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As Ranma and Akane talked, waiting for her clothes to dry, Ranma suddenly sneezed.
"Don't tell me you're catching a cold," Akane frowned.
"Hope not," Ranma sighed. "I think someone may be talking about me."
"I'm not surprised," Akane shrugged. "You did make some ripples when you got here."
"I do that a lot," Ranma shrugged.
Their conversation was stopped as Nabiki came over to them and took a seat next to them. She had been on damage control to try and squelch any rumors.
"Have I been found out?" Ranma asked impatiently.
"Actually, no," Nabiki smirked. "Everyone was asking questions when you seemed to get smaller and have red hair, but they were totally clueless to the real reason. I managed to convince everyone that it was just an illusion."
"Whew," Ranma sighed in relief. "Nabiki, I love you."
Ranma wasn't really paying attention, but Akane was. She almost facefaulted when she saw the red tinge come to her sister's face. She had never seen her sister blush over anything before.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno's voice rang.
The three girls turned and saw Kuno stomping along the soccer field. Akane stood up and handed the kettle to Ranma.
"Here!" she spoke quickly. "I'll distract him while you change back."
She then raced over to Kuno while Ranma and Nabiki blinked before turning to each other.
"Aren't your pants still in the tree?" asked Nabiki.
"Yeah," Ranma sighed. "Hold this for a sec."
After handing Nabiki the kettle, she began climbing up the tree. She had to change back as soon as possible before Akane beat Kuno like she always did. She didn't have much time at all.
While Ranma was climbing the tree, Kuno had just noticed Akane standing before him. He was somewhat surprised to find the fair Akane Tendo standing before him in a battle stance.
"Upperclassman!" she shouted. "I challenge you!"
"Oh Akane," Kuno sighed lovingly. "Never did I dream that you would challenge me. So be it! Should you win, I shall allow you to go out with me!"
"Who's asking to go out with you?" Akane grumbled.
As Kuno and Akane prepared to fight, Ranma had just finished climbing up the tree. She reached to the branch where her pants were hanging and she grabbed them. After slipping them on, despite them being still wet, she looked back down to Nabiki.
"Okay Nabiki," Ranma spoke. "Pass up the water!"
"Here it comes," Nabiki called as she threw the kettle up to her.
"Hyaaah!" Kuno roared as he prepared the strike Akane.
As his bokken came down upon Akane, she gripped it with both hands firmly. She then fell backwards and with a mighty kick, threw Kuno into the distance behind her.
Ranma gripped the kettle as Nabiki threw it up to her. She was about to bour it on herslf when out fo nowehre, Kuno came out of the sky and his head collided with the kettle.
"Wow," Nabiki smiled. "That's an all time record for her."
Kuno, who was still stuck to the kettle Ranma was holding, turned his gaze to her.
"Why, you're that girl from before!" he exclaimed.
Akane finally came back and she frowned to see Ranma as a girl.
"You're still a girl!" she shouted angrily.
"Yeah!" Ranma shouted back. "I wasn't gonna change back without pants!"
Kuno apparently didn't hear the little spat. He was still entranced by the girl who was holding him up with a kettle.
"Excuse me," he spoke. "Did you see where the boy with the pigtail went?"
"Uh-uh," Ranma replied as she shook her head.
"Bah," Kuno snorted. "Now doubt the coward feared my prowess. He is no man!"
Ranma growled at the thick-headed pervert. She gave a snort before promptly dropping the kettle to the ground, taking Kuno with it. His head crashed on the ground with a loud thud. He sighed before sitting up again. Ranma leaped to the ground.
"That hurt you know," Kuno remarked as if he got bonked on the head with a rubber mallet.
"I'm not going to just sit here and listen to this," Ranma spoke sternly. "I can take you anytime."
Nabiki watched with interest. Her only regret was that she was able to watch the fight but wasn't able to take bets on it. No one was around to see it.
"Very well," Kuno smirked as he retrieved his bokken from Akane. "Should you win, then I shall allow you to go out with me!"
Kuno lunged forward with his bokken, trying to hit Ranma. Unlike the battle in the morning, Ranma saw his moves easily and praticlally waited forever for it to get close.
'The pervert is actually letting up on me,' Ranma sighed inwardly. 'I was right'
Her mind returning to the fight, Ranma leaped above Kuno's attack easily. She looked down at the blue blunder with an annoyed frown.
"Just who is asking to go out with you anyway?" She shouted with a kick to Kuno's face to get the message through.
Kuno was taken aback by the ferocity of this girl. She was incredibly skilled in the art. She ha easily seen his move and countered it efficiently.
'She is as skilled as Akane!' he gasped inwardly. 'No, she is more skilled! Who is this tree-borne kettle-girl?'
His mind was in a whirl as he crashed to the ground. Partially from the concussion he probably got from the kick. Ranma landed on the ground and caught Kuno's bokken which he dropped when she kicked him in the face.
"And remember Kuno," she smirked. "Ranma Saotome is even stronger than me!"
She left Kunio in his concussion induced daze as she walked over to Nabiki and Akane. She picked up her pants and shoes and began heading for the edge of the school grounds.
"I'm heading home," she sighed. "I'll see you later."
"But school's not over yet," Akane objoected.
"I need hot water and a change of clothes," Ranma replied while turning to face them. "These things are soaked."
Ranma then turned around and headed away again. Nabiki shook her head as she turned to look at the fallen Kuno.
"Come one Akane," she sighed. "Let's get this idiot to the nurses office. I can charge him for it anyway."
"Helping Kuno like this even if to charge him for it," Akane smiled. "Not like you."
"Yeah well," Nabiki shrugged as she grabbed his right arm. "I have a feeling it's going to be a lucrative enterprise in the future."
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Later, when school had ended and everyone went home, Ranma was busy with a sort of meditation with his dad. They were both standing on their heads, but it was still a kind of mediation.
"I heard Nabiki and Akane helped you out in school today," Genma commented.
"Yeah," Ranma confirmed. "I really owe them. Glad they don't hate me though, otherwise I would be in real trouble."
Up in Akane's room, Nabiki and Akane were going about their own things while talking about the day. Akane was doing homework while Nabiki was doing some exercises she was reading from a magazine.
"Ranma's going to cause trouble in the future," Akane sighed. "I'm sure of it."
"Actually, this can be fun," Nabiki smiled. "It was pretty boring before and I can set up a ton of bets on his fights with Kuno. I can probably make more if you let him fight the hentai horde."
"Nnn," Akane growled. "By the way, what was with you earlier? When Ranmka said he loved you, you just broke out into the brightest blush I'd ever seen on your face. What brought that?"
Nabiki foze in mid-stretch, "Uh...Well...I-I,"
"Spit it out Nabiki," Akane insisted with a growing grin.
"Okay okay!" Nabi frowned, her face beginning to flush. "It's just...no one's said that to me since Mommy died okay? It...when Ranma said that to me...it made me feel relly nice. I know he didn't mean it literally, but it was still really nice to hear it said to me and meant for me."
"Nabiki," Akane whispered, surprised to hear that her sister felt that way. "I..I,"
"Save it," Nabiki smiled. "I'm not looking for sympathy. You wanted an answer, didn't you?"
Akane nodded and returned to her homework. Satisifed, Nabiki returned to her stretches. After a few moments silence, Nabiki decided to bring up a subject that none of the girls have talked about since Ranma arrived.
"What do you think about Ranma?" she asked. "Think he'd make a good boyfriend?"
"He's friendly enough I suppose," Akane replied after a moment of silence. "He's not a pervert like most the guys at school. He knows how to be nice to girls too. He said some really nice things to me at school too. I haven't been honestly compliemented for a while. So, I think Ranma might be a good boyfriend. What about you? Doesn't his curse bother you?"
"Not really," Nabiki replied with a shrug. "It bothered me at first since I'm such a literal person, but getting to know him kind of set any doubts to rest. I wouldn't mind getting to know him even better."
"What's this?" Nabiki asked with a smirk. "The ice queen is being thawed by the wild horse?"
"Maybe," Nabiki replied with a playful smile. "He is hot after all."
As the two girls conversed about their new friend/houseguest, the boy in question was leaning right next to Akane's door. He was going to thank them for helping, but he heard them talking about him and he decided to listen in. He was a little surprised to hear Nabiki's confession about why she had blushed earlier. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed her blushing. He broke into a blush of his own when he heard them talking abut how he might be a good boyfriend. When they started saying such nice things about him and accepting his cures, he tilted his down while tears began to collect in the corners of his eyes. He sighed before he stepped away from their room and slid down the banister and headed for the kitchen. He wordlessly stepped in and filled a galss of water and dunked it on himself, triggering his change into a girl. She leaned on the counter for a moment before more tears began trailing down her face.
'It's nice to have friends,' she smiled.
"Ranma?" Kasumi's voice called. "What are you doing here?"
Ranma looked to the door in surprise and saw the eldest Tendo girl stepping towards him. Ranma then tried to wipe her eyes and hide her tears. Her father had taught her that guys don't cry and even if it was easier to do so as a girl, she still didn't want anyone to see her doing it.
"N-nothing," Ranma sniffed.
Kasumi didn't seem fooled. She just walked closer to Ranma, examining her face.
"Are you crying?" she asked gently.
"N-no," Ranma denied before feeling her resolve breaking down when Kasumi looked at him with that soft gaze of hers. "Yes."
Kasumi smiled gently before she captured Ranma in a soft enbrace. A hug which Ranma eagerly returned.
"There there Ranma," Kasumi whispered. "Why were you crying?"
"I'm just really lucky," Ranma replied, tears coming to her eyes again. "I have friends like you and your sisters. You don't even think I'm a freak either."
Kasumi smiled as she held the quietly sobbing girl, "Don't worry Ranma. You aren't a freak and you'll always have us to lean on."
The two young women stood there in silence. The younger one sobbing onto the shirt of the older. Kasumi found herself rather happy. She liked to help others and she liked knowing Ranma felt this way about them. He was such a special boy.
'He's anything but boring,' Kasumi smiled. 'He's always surprising me.'
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The next day was yet another school day. Today Ranma managed to get to school without getting splashed. Nabiki even went with them. She thought it was a little wierd for Ranma to run on the fence, but to each their own. The guy was a martial-arts nut after all.
The hentai horde even came and went. Akane and Ranma had to fight them. Turned out that they heard about the whole engagement deal. The figured that if they could beat a guy who was 'engaged' to Akane then they could take his place. Nabiki didn't even have time to set up bets before the boys were on the ground. The only thing off was that Kuno wasn't there.
Nabiki was currently sitting in her classroom, reading one of her magazines. He attention was diverted when she noticed someone standing next to her desk. She looked up and saw none other than Kuno.
"Nabiki Tendo," he spoke. "I am in need of your services."
"So long as you can pay then let's hear it," Nabiki smiled.
"I have discovered a girl with a pigtail and who wears chinese clothes. Do you know her?" he asked.
"Yeah," Nabiki nodded. "I do."
"What!" Kuno cried. "Can this be the truth!"
He didn't even wait for her reply. He just went to his desk and began writing on paper with an ink brush. Nabiki only blinked as he returned to her desk with a letter of challenge. 'To the Tree-Borne Kettle-Girl' it read. Nabiki couldn't help but smirk.
"I wish for you to deliver this to that girl," Kuno spoke.
"Fair enough," Nabiki shrugged. "Give me two thousand Yen and this will get there."
"Your prices are steep, but fair," Kuno remarked as he forked over the money.
He then left the classroom. Nabiki looked at the letter before placing it in her bag and turning her attention back to her magazine.
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Ranma held the letter that Nabiki had delivered him. He read it carefully. Kuno had terrible handwriting in Ranma's opinion. Then again, he didn't have much time for fine arts.
"You sure this is for me?" Ranma asked skeptically.
"Your girl side anyway," Nabiki smiled. "I don't quite tink he's clued in that you're the same person."
Ranma shook his head as he went back to the letter, "On Sunday on the tenth hour, meet me on the second field of Furinkan High School."
"Sounds like a challenge," Akane commented as she read over Ranma's shoulder.
"Little Kuno just hate's to lose doesn't he?" Nabiki asked sarcastically
"Just how many times do I have to kick this guy's butt befor ehe leaves me alone?" Ranma growled in annoyance.
"I've punted him across the district and he still comes back for more," Akane laughed. "It makes me feel better though."
"There's that I suppose," Ranma smirked.
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Ranma waited at the sports field for Kuno. She had arrived early and had been waiting. The wind blew gently as she spied Kuno walking towards her. He stopped and their eyes met. He wasn't even carrying his bokken.
"You have arrived," he smiled.
"You just don't learn," Ranma sighed. "Where's your sword? Must be confident if you don't have it."
"Confident?" Kuno smirked. "Confident enough to give you this!"
He thre something at Ranma, which she caught. She looked at it to find a bouquet of roses. Her eys widened as she looked at it. She then turned her attention back to Kuno, who was turning to leave.
"I love you," he commented before walking away.
What he didn't see was Ranma's look of complete disbelief and a small amount of disgust.
'you've got to be kidding me,' she thought in amazement.
To Be Continued.
A/N: At long last, chapter five. Sorry it took so long, but I have other stories in the works too. I try to update them as fast as I can, but inspiration comes more for some than it does for others. I hope you guys like what you see so far. If anyone complains about Ranma being emotional, just remember, this Ranma is a nicer version. He recognises that his Pop is a moron and doesn't listen to everything he says for good reason.