Miss Ranma

!SOUND EFFECTS! "THOUGHTS"

Chapter Five

Dozens of boys came running out of the entrance of the school straight for Akane and Ranma! Each wore a different set of apparel, one dressed in a judo gi while another wore a karate gi. A large, rotund fellow was attired in a sumo loincloth, while some others wore sports-related uniforms, utilizing the equipment of their prospective activities as weapons.

"Time for another fight," Ranma said, cracking her knuckles.

"Stay out of this, Ranma! This is my fight!"

"Stay out of this?! They're gonna attack us. What do you want me to do?"

"Just fly up into the air and stay out of my fight!" Akane screamed in anger.

"All right, grouch!" Ranma leaped into the air. Hovering for a moment, she made her way to the top of the wall near the entrance of the school and sat down, making herself comfortable and watching the fight.

"Akane Tendo is here!" !POW! "Aargh!"

"I love you, Akane!" !SMASH! "Ungh!"

"Let me in. Let me love you!" !CRUNCH! "Ooh!"

"No, Akane. I won't let them beat you; I'll do it myself!" !THOK! "Aaah!"

"Akane!" !POW! "Yeow!"

"I want to be your boyfriend!" !BIFF! "Aagh!"

"You're mine, Akane!" !WHAM! "Waaagh!"

"Golly! Akane can fight after all."

"Ranma, get inside this school right now!" Nabiki called out from the fourth floor on the other side of the building.

"But what about..."

"Never mind that! Akane can take care of herself!" Ranma turned towards Nabiki who was yelling down at her from the fourth floor. Then Ranma turned back towards Akane.

"Akane's a lot more effective against a lot of weaker opponents than against stronger opponents on a one on one basis," Ranma said from her vantage point as Akane defeated the hentai horde, leaving her attackers on the ground.

"For Pete's sake. Does this have to happen every morning?" the blue-haired martial artist said, catching her breath.

"That was pretty good," Ranma said as she jumped off from the top of the wall, making her way right next to the victorious girl.

"You have what it takes to be a good sidekick, Akane. All you have to do is get dressed up in a yellow cape, black mask, green shorts and fairy boots with an orange vest, having an R with a black circle on it. Once you've done that, Robin eat your heart out."

"Shut up, Ranma."

"Gee, Akane. Here I am trying to be nice to you and you get mad."

"I said, shut up!"

"Truly, they are a boorish lot!" an aristocratic voice interjected.

"Who is that?" Ranma asked no one in particular.

"Evidently, each one of them intends to ask you out on the day he finally defeats you, Akane." The handsome young man holding a beautiful red rose to his nose spoke with a noble bearing, much like a samurai warrior of old. He was even wearing an archaic kendo outfit that seemed to work for him.

"Oh, it's you. Good morning, Upperclassman Kuno," Akane said politely, rolling her eyes.

"And now, Akane Tendo. Would you fight with me?" the wannabe samurai requested his bokken at the ready.

"You're popular with the fellas, aren't you, Akane?" Ranma said, stepping forward.

"Shut up!"

"Take it easy, Akane. But what's going on?" Ranma asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"You'll find out. Just stay out of the way and be quiet."

"You there!"

"What is it, bub?"

"You are being quite familiar with the beauteous Akane," Kuno accused, pointing at Ranma with his wooden bokken. "Who are you, fair maiden?"

"I'm..."

"Ah, yes. It is the custom to give one's name first. So be it then!"

"My name is..." Ranma gasped, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"I am Upperclassman Tatewake Kuno, junior group E. !KRAKADOOM! "Captain of the kendo club." !KRAKADOOM! "Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world!" !KRAKADOOM! "But my peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" !SHAKAKABOOMBOOM!

"Where's all that lightning coming from?" the pigtailed girl queried, looking up at the sky that became cloudy all of a sudden and just as quickly cleared up.

"Blue Thunder?"

"Have you heard that?" Nabiki's friends asked.

"Nope," the mercenary girl answered her cohorts. "That's news to me."

"Really? I'm Ranma Saotome, heir of Anything Goes!" the girl announced, tossing her pigtail to the side and shoving her shoulders back while sticking her chest out in mockery of Kuno.

"Hmm. You are a beautiful one. Would you fight with me? If you win I shall date with you. If you lose I will date you just the same. Therefore I win either way."

"Listen, stick boy. I'm not dating you. You're just not my type. Besides, I'm seeing someone. Anyway, I'm going to class now. Bye-bye." With that Ranma left, walking away with a switch of her hips that didn't go unnoticed by her would-be paramour.

!ZOOM! "Hold it there, pigtailed one!" the kendoist practitioner announced, appearing right in front of her at an inhuman speed.

"It's unseemly for you to leave my presence without permission. Therefore I shall teach thee the error of your ways. Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta!" !SWIPE!SWOOSH!

"Hey, watch it!" Ranma yelled as she dodged and weaved. "This is a nice new dress and I don't want it getting messed up!" Eventually, Ranma leaped up to a nearby tree, standing on a high branch.

"You cannot flee from me, pigtailed girl." !THWACK!CRASH!

"What the..." Ranma was shocked to see Kuno cut the medium-sized tree down to size, leaving a stump and forcing the redheaded girl to leap off the spot she was occupying. "What do you think you're doing?! Why do you insist on playing the fool? If you keep this up, I'm going to get really mad!"

"It matters not. Thou must date with me. Now have at thee. Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta!" !SWIPE!SWOOSH!WIFF! In the blink of an eye, Ranma had bypassed Kuno's attacks and zoomed right into him, her face being an inch from his.

"Let me make this clear. I am not interested in you at all. But if you want a violent chick like Akane, you can have her."

"Ranmaaa! You pervert!" Akane screamed, throwing her book bag at her.

"Why do you feel the need to keep calling me that, Akane..."

"Ah, an opening!" !SWIPE!

"Whoa! Watch it!" !SLASH! As Akane's book bag hit the floor, sliced in two pieces, the kendoist regarded Ranma.

"It is obvious Akane Tendo is jealous of our love. But there is no need for that. I can love you both."

"What is this? Can't make up your mind? Well, I'll make it up for you." !POW!SMASH!CRUNCH!POP!

"Ungh!" With that Kuno fell backward, becoming unconscious before he hit the ground.

"And that's that," Ranma said as she walked towards the entrance of the school with a spring in her step, having taken care of business.

XXX

"It does seem to be true that you were in China up until recently," the teacher in Akane's class said regarding Ranma who was standing right by the teacher's desk. "But it doesn't change the fact that you and Akane Tendo were late to class; so stand in the hall."

"This is all your fault," Akane said with a harsh glare at Ranma as they both stood in the hall, holding buckets of water.

"My fault? It was your fight, remember?"

"Yes, but every morning before school starts I finish my fights."

"Was this what you were telling me about earlier?"

"That's right. And Kuno is the main cause of it."

"How is that?"

"During a student forum, he told everyone that anybody who wanted to go out with me had to defeat me in hand to hand combat first," Akane explained dourly.

"So that's what this is about. How long has this been going on?" Ranma asked.

"For about four months now."

"That explains a lot."

"Explains what?"

"You hate boys because you fear what they will do to you."

"I don't fear them; I hate them!"

"You know an aged martial arts master once said to me?"

"What?"

"Fear often leads to anger which leads to hatred which leads to suffering."

"So?!"

"These guys have no right to do these things to you but you need to get over it and move on. There's a nice decent boy out there for you," Ranma said with a reassuring smile.

"Whatever."

"Anyway. So I guess after you beat all those guys up you fight Kuno afterward?"

"Yes, that happens too."

"I gotta tell you something else."

"What?" Akane said, giving her an impatient stare.

"These guys are holding back."

"No way! You're just jealous of my ability to take on dozens of fighters at the same time!"

"I know you have some skills and talent, Akane, but these guys are holding back, Kuno especially. The goal of these guys is to bed you down not beat you up."

"How dare you impugn my martial arts abilities?!"

"You have a lot to learn, Akane. You need to have more control over yourself. I can help you to..."

"I don't need your help! Just shut up!"

"Come on, Akane. I want to be your friend and help you. It would be great having someone I can spar with on equal terms," Ranma replied.

"So you think you're better than me?!"

"I am at this point but you can still improve. The girls I trained within that spring were a whole lot better than I am. And despite the long period of time, I didn't get to learn everything they could have taught me. It's too bad. Those two were such great girls. Sometimes I wish I could have just stayed with them in their world."

"You're out of this world, all right," Akane answered, holding her bucket and glaring at her.

XXX

"What happened?" Kuno asked no one in particular as he sat in class after having made his way there in a punch drunken stupor and finally recovering wits, his usual wits anyway.

"She laid you out, Kuno," Nabiki answered.

"Who is she? Where did she come from? She will be mine just like Akane," Kuno stated, staring off into space.

"500 yen," Nabiki said, holding her hand out. As soon as she was paid, the mercenary girl spoke. "She's living in my house, engaged to my brother, Kenji."

"What?! Engaged to that barbarian? I won't allow it!"

"There's nothing you can do about it. Our parents have already engaged them to be married, Joining of the schools and all that. They've already been naked in the furo together so it's pretty much a done deal."

"There's no way, I'll allow that ronin(1) to have my pigtailed goddess with her bright red hair and gorgeous pulchritude for his perverted desires," Kuno announced, staring off into space and practically drooling all over himself as he thought about the new object of his desire.

"Kuno, stand in the hall!" the teacher ordered.

Tatewake Kuno ran out of the classroom, noticing Ranma and Akane standing together. "I will not allow it!" he screamed, accidentally tripping and tossing the water in his pail in Ranma's direction.

"Look out!" Ranma got out of the way, but Akane wasn't so fortunate.

!SPLASH! "Ranma, this is your fault!" the drenched girl accused.

"I will not allow you to be married to that ronin, Kenji Tendo!" Kuno said to Ranma.

"Engagement?!" a bunch of students screamed, opening the windows of their classrooms and sticking their heads out in Ranma's direction.

"How could that be? You just got here. How could you?" a nerdy boy with coke bottle glasses called out.

"I'm engaged. Deal with it!" Ranma stated in a huff.

"I shall do whatever I can to sever those bonds," Kuno said, brandishing his bokken in Ranma's direction.

"Hey!" Ranma screamed as Kuno's blade sliced her bucket in half, almost hitting her as she tossed it in his direction, leaping out of the way backward.

"Stand your ground and fight me!" Kuno demanded as he pursued her.

"You have a strange way of showing affection, Kuno. But if you want to fight, let's take it outside," Ranma called out, running to a nearby open window, looking back as she prepared to leap out of it.

"Where you go I shall follow."

"Wow! I have to see this!" one of the boys said as many boys and girls ran after them.

"No running in the halls!" a P.E. teacher ordered.

"Yes sir!" the students answered, but they ignored the command and kept on running.

"Here we go. Alley-oop!" Ranma jumped out the window then she looked down. "Hmm."

"Kuno leaped right after her!"

"Sheesh! Didn't they know we're on the third floor?!"

"There's a pool down there. Maybe they'll fall into it."

"Whoa!" Ranma exclaimed as she came falling down. "No problem. I'll just fly myself towards the edge of the pool so that I don't get wet."

"You won't escape me, pigtailed girl! have at thee! Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta!" As Kuno loomed above her, the intensity of his bokken strikes was so great as to create so much air pressure that the string that held Ranma's pigtail came loose, allowing her long hair to cascade down her shoulders. And despite avoiding Kuno's initial attack, Ranma got hit by the force of the blow, the wide-area encompassing attack sending her flying into the water with Kuno falling in after her. They both came down with such power, the water looked like a mushroom cloud as it exploded upward.

"Glub! Glub!"

"Despite being an idiot, this guy has some serious power. There's no way Akane could beat this guy unless he was holding back on her as I thought he was. He's even holding back on me right now but not too much. Does he somehow realize that I'm strong enough to take him on so he gives me a lot more than Akane?"

"Where is the pigtailed girl? There she is!" Kuno thought, reaching out for Ranma and grabbing her dress. "Now that I got her I won't let her go!"

The samurai held so tightly to the water shrunken garment that when Ranma swam and flew upward in a burst of speed Kuno found himself holding the dress as Ranma came out of the water.

"I hope the dress isn't ruined." !SHUCK! "What was that?"

"She's escaped my grasp! I won't give up!" Kuno swam forward, catching up to the girl with the red tresses, holding on as if his life depended on it.

"Hey! He's squeezing me! Does he have to squeeze me so hard?!"

"Ow, my hands! She is a thing of steel, indeed!"

"That's it!" Ranma immediately broke free of Kuno's hold, grabbed him and threw the samurai out of the water, slamming against the concrete. Then she flew out of the pool herself.

"Ranmaa!"

"Oh, what is it now, Akane?" Ranma said lazily, rolling her eyes.

"You couldn't wait to expose yourself, could you? You exhibitionist!"

"You want to tell me what you're talking about?"

"All you are wearing is a bra and panties! Why do you feel the need to give all the girls here an inferiority complex?!"

"What?!" Ranma looked down and did a double-take. Then she looked over to Kuno who was holding her torn dress in his hands. "Shows what you know, Akane! I'm wearing a swimsuit! So there!"

Akane regarded Ranma wearing a white bikini that actually covered less than a bra and panties normally would. "Huge difference that is! I've seen strippers wear more! So you're still a pervert!"

Ranma ignored Akane and turned to Kuno. "What's the big idea of taking my dress off while we were under the water?!"

"I told you that you couldn't get away from me and I meant it." Kuno tried to be stoic as he explained himself graciously but he just couldn't keep his eyes off of the gorgeous redhead.

"That is the lamest reason to tear a girl's clothes off I've ever heard!" Ranma said, cracking her knuckles in anticipation as she gave Kuno an intimidating glare.

!POW! "Aaaaaah!" Kuno screamed after Ranma had run over to him at superhuman speed, snatched back her torn dress and knocked him into the atmosphere!

"The first day of school and my clothes get ruined," Ranma grumbled as she examined the torn piece of cloth. Then she noticed the boys staring at her, their noses bleeding profusely!

"What's wrong with them? I gotta get out of here." With that Ranma leaped into the air and took off.

"Did you see that?" Daisuke asked his friend, Hiroshi.

"Yeah, man. Ranma's a whole lot better looking than Akane ever was! I just wish she'd let me kiss her all over. God, she's wonderful!"

"I'll say. Her body practically stands at attention. There's not an ounce of flab on her. And she has such a nice rack," Daisuke swooned as his eyes were fixed on Ranma's departing form.

"She can leap pretty high too," another guy pointed out. "She's practically flying. Talk about defying gravity!"

"I'm gonna ask her out," a tall, big and muscular boy said out loud in a deep, scary voice.

"Didn't you hear the news? She's engaged to Kenji Tendo. I wouldn't want to mess with that guy. He's tougher than Akane," another boy opined.

"I'm the strongest one there is. No one can beat me. So I'm not worried about Kenji Tendo. His fighting skills are a joke just like Akane's."

"You have to be kidding," one of the boys said.

But the large boy continued as if he had not been interrupted. "I could have defeated Kuno too if I had wanted to, but I had no use for Akane. She's not that cute."

"What do you mean? Akane's the hottest girl in the school. Everybody wants her! And word is that Kenji's already returned from his training trip."

"That is of no concern of mine. I'll easily defeat the so-called mighty Kenji Tendo and Kuno as well if necessary while I make that red-headed starlet mine and mine alone."

"You sure about that, Hako?"

Hako Tanaka turned towards the one who had questioned him, looking down on him. "I'm sure." With that, the giant walked off with an agility that belied his huge size.

"If anybody could take Kuno on, it's Hako. He's like that cartoon character, the Incredible Hulk, minus the green skin," Daisuke said to no one in particular.

"Yes," Hiroshi replied. "I'm surprised Hako didn't become part of the hentai horde himself. He has mastered not only karate but jiu-jitsu, wrestling and street fighting. He's probably the toughest guy in the school."

"I'll say one thing," another boy commented. "He's huge! I bet he's over six and a half feet tall."

"He's all muscle as well. I hope I'm here to see the fight that breaks out."

XXX

"There you are, my love!" Kuno called out as he noticed Ranma on the outskirts of the school trying to salvage the dress he had ruined earlier.

"Get back, you idiot! You ruined my first day of school with your perversions. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Then Akane turned towards the true object of her ire. "Ranma! Why did you have to show off like that?!"

"I'm wearing a swimsuit, all right? What's your problem anyway?"

"Why weren't you wearing the underwear, Kasumi had bought for you?"

"I was wearing it earlier this morning but I changed into this swimsuit after your brawl because I figured something like this would happen. That was nice underwear and I didn't what it ruined, like this dress," Ranma answered, motioning to the torn garment.

"Oh, yeah?! You might as well have been wearing a bra and panties as far as the boys were concerned!" Akane replied harshly, getting in Ranma's face about it.

"Just shut up, Akane! It wasn't my fault Yojimbo here tore up the dress Kasumi sowed for me!" Ranma said with a little bit of sadness.

"Then why did you run outside to fight him? What did you think would happen when you fought Kuno? It's a miracle you're not totally naked."

Ranma glared angrily at Akane for a moment. "I figured he'd be easy to beat since you beat him up every day."

"What?! What did you say?!"

"This guy holds back on you, Akane. There's no way you could beat him otherwise."

"At least when I defeat him I can keep my clothes on. You're still prancing around in what looks like your underwear! Skimpier than a bra and panties at that. How do you explain that?"

"Kuno probably has no desire to see you in your underwear. If he had really wanted to do that he could have sliced off your clothes and even your underwear as well a long time ago."

"That's not true!"

"It is true, Akane. Since I'm a whole lot stronger than you are he felt the need to go all out. But as it was he still held back on some of his power. At full strength, he could give Kenji a run for his money."

"You insult me when I came out here to help you?"

"Help me? You've done nothing but bust my chops all day!"

"Here! It's a spare school uniform. It's not as form-fitting as the one you had on before but it should still fit," Akane answered, tossing Ranma the dress.

"Thanks, Akane. I..."

"Hold there! My fight with you is not yet finished! If I win I demand to date with thee, and if I lose I shall allow you to date with me." !SWIPE!WOOSH! "She is even more skilled than Akane! A thing of beauty she is. I must make this fiery redhead mine!"

!KAPOW! "And who wants to go out with you?!" Ranma screamed after having evaded the skillful thrusts of her opponent. Then she flew into his jaw foot first, knocking the samurai out cold. "It's it, and that's that."

As Ranma tried to put on the dress, she noticed something. "Is this one of your dresses, isn't it, Akane?"

"Yes. What about it?!" the girl said, getting a little perturbed.

"I figured that was the case."

"How did you know?"

"It's so tight on the top that I feel as if I'm going to come bursting out of this thing if I take a deep breath."

"What?!" Akane exclaimed in anger.

"But from the waist down there's so much room to spare. I can probably fit into it two times over."

"Grrrr! Will you just shut up and finish getting dressed?! School's still not even over yet. So try to stay in that thing."

"All right. I'll just have to maintain greater control over my body and breathing. Fortunately, I've trained in some techniques to do just that so that won't be a problem. Everything will be all right for the rest of the day. Thanks again, Akane."

"You can thank me by keeping your clothes on!"

XXX

Later that day, after school was over Ranma and her father were both standing on their heads in a martial arts training exercise, Ranma having gotten a new string for her pigtail. "I understand Akane looked out for you today, Ranma."

"Yeah, I suppose so, Daddy. But I think she just didn't want the boys comparing my body to hers."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm so much better looking than she is."

"Really, Ranma. You need to get over yourself. You've only been living as a full-fledged woman for a few days and you've already got delusions of grandeur."

"I'm telling it like it is, Daddy. I can't help it if Akane is so lacking in the bosom department with huge thighs. And to think about how you wanted to turn me into a boy so I could marry one of your friend's daughters. With my luck, I would have ended up with Akane. Yuck!" Ranma said, shuddering at the thought.

"Uh, yeah. Well, since we need to get along better with my friend and his family, you should go thank Akane for helping you when she lent you some of her clothes."

"All right."

Sometime later, Ranma showed up at the door of Akane's room. She was about to knock on the door when she heard Akane and Nabiki talking.

"Today wasn't too bad, Akane," Nabiki said, sitting on Akane's bed, reading a magazine.

"I made so much money taking pictures of Ranma in her little white bikini. I wonder where she got that from. Anyway, I even made a lot of money online selling pictures of Ranma when her shirt came open during her match with Kenji. Then there's the fortune I made on eBay with all the bidding that was done. I can't wait to see the money from Kenji's photoshoot. Things are looking good right now."

"Easy for you to say, Nabiki. Ranma does everything she can to embarrass me. She's such an exhibitionist with no modesty at all! And did you hear what the boys kept on saying? They went on and on how Ranma was so much better looking than me after she managed to get her clothes taken off yet again. The last thing we need is for those perverted boys to see something like that! And what does Kenji see in her?"

Upon hearing this, Ranma walked away upset. "Why that bitch! And to think I was going to thank her?"

"I don't know, Akane. Let's go over Ranma's good points. First of all, Ranma's drop-dead gorgeous. Second, she has long, gorgeous red hair, a sexy body with a great pair of assets, nice legs and a round, firm but. You're right, Akane. What does Kenji see in a package like that?"

The jealous girl glared at her sister in a rage for a moment. Then she calmed down. "Her bad points are a lack of modesty and the inability to keep her clothes on," Akane answered, turning around and giving her sister a look that said she had won the argument.

"I'm sure from Kenji's point of view those aren't bad points."

"Nabiki! Anyway..."

Then at that moment, the front door had opened and shut.

"That's Kenji! He's back. I have to go talk to him. See you later, Akane." As her older sister practically ran out of her room, Akane looked at the sunset from her open window and sighed.

"How did it go, Kenji?" Nabiki asked, enthused as her brother walked in.

"It went all right."

"What's in the box you're holding? That's Chef Aoki's food, isn't it? I can smell his work from here," Nabiki queried as she breathed in the tantalizing aromas.

"Yes. It's a box of desserts and some sandwiches. The producers were so happy with me that they let me keep some of the food. Hey! Get your hands out of there! I'm saving some of this for Ranma!" Kenji demanded as Nabiki began to open the box and help herself.

"Yum! Chef Aoki makes the best pastries in all of Japan. I'm sure you ate well at that photoshoot, Kenji. The least you can do is let me have a couple of danishes. Mmm. The cream cheese in this is simply delicious. Oh, before I forget, where is the money?"

"They gave me a check for it which I've already deposited in the bank. I have my own bank account, you know."

"What?" "I keep forgetting how smart Kenji is." "So where's my cut?"

"You mean your ten percent?"

"Ten percent?! I should get more than that! Don't you know how much it takes to keep this household afloat?"

"The going rate for an agent is ten percent, Nabiki. And as for the household expenses, I'll be sure to give Kasumi some of the money so she can keep doing what she does best. Your money's right here."

Nabiki took the money with her eyes wide open. "This is more than I expected."

"I told you they liked me there. When they wanted me to stay even longer I demanded more money. Now, where's Kasumi? I want her to have some of these pastries as well."

"Just one moment." !SWIPE!SWIPE!

"Nabiki! Won't you spoil your dinner?"

"We've had our dinner already. Besides, Chef Aoki's pastries are just too good to pass up. Can't eat just one." Then Nabiki walked away.

"I'm amazed at how much Kenji knows about business. Fortunately, his business sense is still nowhere near as good as mine."

"I better go find Kasumi and Ranma before you lose your girlish figure," Kenji said with a smile as he walked away from his sister who couldn't stop eating the treats with which her hands were filled.

"Hey, Kasumi! Did you save any dinner for me?!" Kenji called out.

"Oh, yes I did," Kasumi answered, appearing out of nowhere. "I'll go and reheat it for you. How was your photoshoot?"

"It was great. I made a lot of money so I wanted to help you out a little, big sister." Kenji handed Kasumi some currency bills as his sister had a look of shock on her face. "Now you have some extra money to pay for food in such. You'll need it since I'm living here again. And get something nice for yourself, too. You deserve it."

"Oh. Thanks, Kenji," Kasumi said with a blushing, sweet smile. "Let me go get your meal reheated."

"Kenji! You're back!" Ranma said, walking over to him and hugging him.

"Wow! I should go out on photo shoots more often if you're going to greet me like this," the young man said, happy to have Ranma in his arms as he caressed her back, working his way downward.

"I'm just happy to see you," Ranma replied, releasing herself of his hold. "Don't get the wrong idea, big boy. Anyway, what's that smell?"

"I brought you back some treats from the photoshoot." He then opened the pink box he had placed on the table, allowing the more of the aroma to come out. "Help yourself."

"Oh, thank you! This is good!" As Ranma sat down and ate, Akane walked into the room.

"Ranma! You've already eaten!"

"It's just some pastries, Akane."

"You can have some too, little sister," Kenji said with a smile at her. "And it's nice seeing you too."

"Oh, Kenji! You're back!" After giving her brother a hug she regarded him for a moment. "Why did you go on a photo shoot in the first place?"

"Nabiki set it up for me. Our family needed the money. So how was your day?"

Akane then gave a hard look in Ranma's direction. "Ranma practically ruined her first day of school by prancing around in a skimpy bikini."

"That's not what happened, Akane, and you know it! Some guy named Kuno used some lame-ass excuse to tear my clothes off after he knocked me into the school swimming pool."

"He did what?! Come to think of it, I've heard about that guy. I'm going to have to talk with him real soon," Kenji said with a look of anger and seriousness.

"That's sweet, Kenji. But I've already kicked that guy's ass all over the place. So I'm sure I'll never have to hear from him again," Ranma said as she stuffed her face.

"Can't you eat like a lady, Ranma?" Akane condemned, regarding her brother's fiancee as she also enjoyed the pastries.

"Like you're not stuffing yourself too, Akane."

!CHOMP! "I am not!"

Kenji smiled at both of them as he continued along with his dinner.

XXX

The next day at school. "Do you know the pigtailed girl?!" Kuno loomed over Nabiki's desk while the mercenary just sat there, not paying much attention to him as she read her Vogue magazine.

"Yes, I know her," Nabiki answered. "You're talking about the red-headed girl you practically stripped naked, right?"

"Yes! I have a message for her!" !SCRIBBLE!SCRIBBLE! "If she thinks she can defeat the mighty Kuno and walk away as if nothing happened, she thinketh wrongly." "Here. Make sure you give this to here."

"You want me to play messenger girl for you? 500 yen." As soon as Nabiki got her money, she said, "I'll be sure she gets this."

Later on, that day after school was over, Nabiki confronted Ranma with what happened earlier. "This is for you."

"Who is it from?"

"It's from Kuno."

Ranma opened up the letter and read it. "To the Bra and Panties Girl. He would have to call me that."

"What do you expect when you prance around half-naked the way you do?" Akane interjected.

"For the last time, I was wearing a swimsuit!" Ranma protested. Then she read the rest of the letter. "Meet me at the second field of Furinkan High Saturday at 3:00 pm."

"It sounds like a challenge letter," Akane piped in.

"Kuno just hates to lose. So are you going to see this guy or what?" Nabiki asked.

"Yes, I'll see him. It's best if I get all this over with."

"Wait, Ranma," Kenji stated, as he walked over to them. "I'll be there as well. I've found out that Kuno set things up so that anyone who defeated Akane in combat would get to have his way with her. For that reason, he has much to answer for."

"All right, Kenji, but let me do the talking, all right? I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

"All right, Ranma."

XXX

"So you have come, my bra and panties girl," Kuno said in greetings.

"Don't call me that! Besides, I was wearing a swimsuit under that dress you ruined! Have you showed up for another beating?" This time Ranma was wearing the usual outfit she wore that Kasumi had already fixed up for her along with the green pants she also wore.

"It matters not what you were wearing," Kuno answered.

"Where's the blade you normally play with?"

"I do not need a sword."

"Pretty confident, are we?"

"Confident enough to give you, this!" The kendo practitioner immediately made a bouquet of red roses appear out of thin air and tossed them towards Ranma who caught it.

"What gives?"

"I love you," Kuno said, walking away. But as he made his way towards the steps away from the field someone barred his path.

"You tear my fiancee's clothes off and then you tell her that you love her?! What kind of sick pervert are you, Kuno?!" Kenji interjected to the chagrin of the kendo practitioner.

Then a silver/white samurai blade made of pure ki appeared in Kuno's hands. "Who are you? And how dare you ruin the moment?!" Kuno demanded, pointing the blade at the Conan the Barbarian look-alike in an accusatory manner.

"I'm Kenji Tendo, Akane's Tendo's big brother! And I'm angry at what you've been doing to her as well. I think you're sick, disgusting and degrading!"

"Even if you are her relative, it is not for you to judge how I do things. Now begone lest I forget whose brother you are and deal with you according to your folly."

"I can handle things, Kenji," Ranma tried to interject in vain.

Then Kenji started walking menacingly towards the would-be samurai, his glowing ki hammer appearing in his hand. "I've been gone too long. It's time somebody gives you the beating you've had coming for a long time."

"Silence, knave! You are no match for the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" !BADOON!

"I'm going to send you back to the middle ages where you belong, you nut!" !BOOM! After having struck the ground with his ki hammer, Kenji ran towards the samurai.

"Knave! I shall smite thee! Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta!"

Ranma rolled her eyes as both young men came at each other and clashed, Kenji's ki hammer getting into a clinch with Kuno's ki sword. As the two warriors were locked in an embrace, Kenji began to gain ground, shoving the Kenshi back little by little until Kuno made his blade vanish and reappear.

!SLASH!HACK!RIP! "Aargh!" Kenji cried out in pain.

!KAPOW!SMASH!CRUNCH! "Ungh!" Kuno moaned.

"Kenji's not as good as I thought," a voice said a few feet from Ranma.

"What do you mean by that, Akane?"

"It's taking too long for Kenji to beat him. I would have beaten him by now."

"I told you that Kuno let up when he fought you. He's even fighting Kenji harder than he fought me. In fact. Look at what's happening now."

While the two fought, Kuno raised his ki sword and sent it crashing down towards his opponent who blocked the attack with his ki hammer. !CHCHING!

"So?! What does that matter?"

"Watch and learn, Akane. Watch and learn. Look at what Kuno is holding."

"What is that thing? Where's his wooden bokken?"

"It's a sword made of pure ki just like you and Kenji's hammers. Kuno's become so powerful it would even take me some time to defeat him right now. As it is, Kenji's having a hard time of it. I'm surprised that Kuno can hold down his ki like that. I'm telling you, Akane, if Kuno fought you like that he'd kick your ass in a matter of seconds."

!CLASH!PING!TEAR!SMASH! "No way!"

"I told you he was holding back, Akane. Now, will you start listening to me?"

"Why should I listen to an exhibitionist like you?"

"You'll never get better with an attitude like that, Akane. But until then let's watch this fight."

Once again the adversaries had clinched, their weapons connected. "Enough of this!" Faster than the untrained could follow, Kuno shuffled back, breaking the clinch.

"Backing off already, samurai?" Kenji taunted.

"No!" !ZZZZAAAPP! Kenji barely had time to swing his hammer in an arc, creating a reflective shield, sending the electrical discharge back to Kuno who was engulfed in the energy.

"It's over now!" Kenji said as he watched the events. "What the..."

"Did you think you could defeat me by giving me back my own power, you naked barbarian?!" Kuno said, walking over to him unhurt.

"Naked barbarian? What?!" Then Kenji looked down for a moment, realizing that Kuno's sword had shredded shirt and most of his pants, making it look as if he was only wearing a loincloth. "Do you know how expensive these clothes were? It's not easy being such a good dresser. Now I'll hurt you by giving you my own power," Kenji answered, swinging his hammer and flying towards him.

!KAPOW! "Oooooh!" Kuno went flying back as Kenji slammed into him. Then as the samurai was stunned, Kenji wound his hammer up. Then he struck Kuno with a powerful blow that knocked him into the sky.

"Pretty good, Kenji. But you didn't have to fight that battle for me," Ranma said, admiring her fiance with a look and a smile. "I guess it's your turn to have your clothes shredded."

"Ranma! Stop staring like that!" Akane demanded.

"That's all right, Akane. Ranma can't keep her eyes off of me. Huff! Huff!"

"Oh, please, Kenji. Try not to be such a ham all right? Anyway, why don't you tell Akane what kind of chance she'd have against Kuno if he fought her the same way he fought you just now?"

Kenji regarded his younger sister for a moment as his massive chest expanded and retracted with every breath, something Ranma didn't fail to notice. "Wow!"

"He probably would have killed you, Akane. He might have killed me too if I hadn't learned how to resist killing attacks like blades and the like. Huff! In addition to that, killing attacks also do a lot less stun damage than blunt attacks; so in an attrition battle like that my ki hammer provided the victory. Anyway, if Kuno gives either of you any more problems, let me know. I'll deal with him."

"I can take care of myself, Kenji!" Akane stammered.

"Anyway," Kenji said, walking over to Ranma. "Since I fought for your honor and all that, how's about a kiss, Ranma?"

"I didn't need for you to do that, Kenji, but since you got yourself practically naked for me and all..." But as Ranma reached for her fiance's body, a familiar voice stopped her.

"Ranma!"

The pigtailed girl turned to see, "Ryoga?!"

XXX

(1) A ronin is a master-less samurai. Kuno is referring to the fact that Kenji went from dojo to dojo rarely staying in one place for too long.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Next time Ranma deals with Ryoga. Now I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed the last chapter.

Poetheather1, Wolvenstrom, Spaceman, Julianmon, chm01, DrTempo, AshK, Ranma-Sama, sayalovesdiva, Sakura Lisel, Sir Thames, They call Me Bruce, Jazze, Radio Driver, Redzorin, luger 7