Miss Ranma

!SOUND EFFECTS! "THOUGHTS"

Chapter Seven

"Where are you going, Kenji?" Kasumi asked her brother on his way out. "You haven't had your breakfast yet."

"Has Akane and Ranma left for school already?" Kenji asked, having just woken up from a much-needed sleep after a long night of hard work. He was dressed wearing a denim vest and jeans as he carried his boots on his way out.

"Yes. They should have arrived at school at this time. Should I make you something?"

"I must have overslept. That demolition job took a lot longer than I thought it would have. Just keep my breakfast warm. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going, Kenji?" Soun asked, calling out to him.

"I'm going to Ranma and Akane's school. Kuno has been making Ranma and Akane's life miserable. And to top it off there's a rumor going around that a bunch of thugs is going to show up at the school sooner or later. Therefore Kuno has much to answer for!" With that, he ran outside, swung his ki hammer and threw himself into the air.

"That's my boy!" the Tendo patriarch stated with pride, seeing his son off.

Kenji touched down in front of the school, seeing both Ranma and Akane engaged in combat with a bunch of boys. However, while Ranma was doing pretty well, Akane was fighting a losing battle against an exceptionally large, intimidating and hulking boy who wore a black leather jacket and tie over his school uniform along with some jackboots; the dozen or so boys behind him were similarly dressed but without the school uniform as they didn't actually attend the school.

"You there! Let my sister go!" Kenji called out.

The giant-sized boy who had Akane by her neck after having yanked off her clothes leaving her only in her bra and panties turned away from his struggling victim for a moment and regarded the newcomer.

"So you're the mighty Kenji Tendo. Bah! You won't stop me. I do what I want when I want. I'm the strongest one there is; so don't think I'm afraid of you in the slightest, little man!" Hako sneered as he reached for Akane brassiere.

!RIIIP!SNAP! "Eeek!" Akane screamed in helpless rage, kicking the air as she fought even harder to break free of the giant's grip!

"Hmm. Not bad. She has bigger tits than I thought. Her small bra must have been strangling her, but despite all that, I'm sure Ranma's are a lot better. Am I right, boys?!"

"Yeah!"

"Rip off her panties!" some of his crew cheered on.

"That's it!" Kenji screamed in a rage.

!CRACK! "Aaarrggh!" the giant roared as the ki hammer struck his large hand, forcing him to let his victim go.

"Akane!" Kenji called out as he ran over to her.

"Kenji! Cough! Huff!" Akane cried out as her brother took hold of her, getting her away from the boy who had so violently stripped her.

"It's all right, Akane. Here." Kenji then took his shirt off and put it on his little sister, covering up the blushing girl who wasn't wearing a whole lot at the moment.

"How quaint. So you think an overrated pretty boy like you can take on a real man like me? What a laugh! You can't protect your sister nor fiancee from me. Their bodies belong to me!" the giant bellowed.

"What?! Who do you think you are?!" Kenji demanded.

"I'm Hako Tanaka!" the hulking guy announced, pointing his thumb to his face with pride. He was well over six and a half feet tall and much resembled the Incredible Hulk from marvel comics minus the green skin except that he had an evil look on his face.

"I've heard about you. Rumor has it you're in some kind of gang and that you work for Ryuji Yamazaki, a known member of the underworld. You're even dressed like a gangster. Why are you and your gang here brutalizing my sister?"

"Well, since Kuno has decided to make a rule about anyone defeating Akane or Ranma getting to have his way with them, my boys and I decided to partake in the festivities. Therefore, my crew wanted to see your sister and fiancee naked after I had taken all of their clothes off which I was almost finished doing until you so rudely interrupted me. But, of course, I'm reserving the busty Ranma for myself. My boys can have Akane."

"What?!"

"You know how it is. I have to let my boys in on the fun. Come to think of it, some of the other girls around here look rather ripe too. I don't see why we can't have a huge party as soon as I've kicked your sorry ass," Hako said with a huge smile on his hideous looking face. "Am I right, boys?!"

"Yeah!" his crew screamed.

"Kenji?" Ranma called out having defeated the usual members of the hentai horde.

"Here, Ranma. Take Akane and keep her out of the way. I have some unfinished business to take care of," Kenji ordered as he handed his rankled sister to his fiancee.

"So! The mighty Kenji Tendo wants to fight. I'm a whole lot more powerful than that fool Kuno. I didn't hold back on Akane and I won't hold back on you." That having been said, Hako put some black pounders on his hands that resembled brass knuckles but were capable of doing even more damage. "These have been specially made for a guy with the huge hands I have. You're finished, little man."

"Just bring it!" Kenji replied.

"Rrooooaarr!" Hako bounded at his opponent with a speed that belied his size. Despite all that, he wasn't fast enough as Kenji's hammer struck his stomach before he could get to him, making him skid back a few feet.

!CLAP! Hako struck his hands together, taking the shockwave he created and shoving it in Kenji's direction which struck his opponent, sending him back several feet which prompted Kenji to use his acrobatic skills to land on his feet. But before Kenji could do anything else, Hako fast leaped into him, slamming him into the wall near the gate entrance which cracked under the strain.

"Ungh!"

"You're weak, Kenji," Hako said as he repeatedly struck his embedded opponent. "You're as much of a bitch as your sister is. There's no way a pretty boy like you could ever beat me."

"Wrong!" Kenji rallied, breaking out of the wall and striking his opponent with a two-fisted attack in the solar plexus that stunned the big man. Then he cupped his hands and smacked the big man's ears.

"Aaargh!"

While this fight was going on, Hako's friends led by Hako's cousin who was his second in command, Riki Tanaka, came running towards Ranko and Akane. "Get them! Don't let them get away!" He was a rather tall, muscular guy with shoulder-length hair and a look of seriousness on his face.

"Here, Akane. I'm going to get you out of here," Ranma said calmly.

"No! I can take care of myself!" Akane stammered.

Ranma regarded their opponents for a moment. "There's no time to argue. But I'm going after the strongest guy there."

"Do what you want. But I don't need either you or Kenji protecting me!" Akane said as she kicked an assailant who had gotten too close.

"We're not trying to insult you, Akane," Ranma said, punching out two of Hako's boys as she made her way to Riki. "It's just that you overrate yourself sometimes. I've been trying to get you to up your game a little. But you keep fighting against..."

!POW!CRUNCH! "Shut up, Ranma! I was doing just fine before you got here!"

"Then you've been fortunate up until now. Maybe you'll let Kenji help you. But you need to learn some new skills," Ranma explained after taking out a few more thugs until she got to the number two.

"You think you're good enough take me on, little girl? Don't make me laugh I'm gonna beat the..." !CRACK!POW!CRUNCH! "Ungh!" At the end of Ranma's combination, Riki went falling, unconsciousness before he hit the ground with a thud.

At that point, Ranma turned around and noticed the last man standing sneaking up on her fiance's sister. "Akane, look out!"

!TEAR! "Heh, heh! Sweet!"

"You pervert!" Akane screamed, whipping out her hammer and sending her assailant into the sky!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"And you keep complaining about my clothes getting taken off," Ranma said with her arms folded on her chest in mock judgment of Akane.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Take a look at yourself," Ranma said with a smirk.

"Oh!" Akane exclaimed, her body blushing pink from head to toe as she covered herself up as best as she could.

"Wow!" The boys who had been watching the events looked upon Akane and sighed happily as Akane blushed beet red when she noticed their admiring gaze.

"I've been thinking, Akane," Ranma said, regarding the blue-haired girl's state of undress. "Either being embarrassed has increased the size of your bosom, or you need a larger bra. The size you've been wearing is probably too small for you. Your breasts have been held in for who knows how long. I think if you wore a larger, more comfortable bra you'd be more comfortable."

"Shut up!" the rankled girl demanded as her brother fought his larger than life opponent, going toe to toe with him, getting in three blows for every one he took.

"All right. But you can take off one of the jackets of one of the guys we beat up if you like, Akane," Ranma offered. As soon as Akane had done just that she turned angrily towards the redhead.

"Hey. You guys, all right?" Kenji called out after having defeated his giant opponent.

"I'm fine!" Akane yelled.

"You're not fine, Akane. Who knows what would have happened if Kenji hadn't have shown up? There were so many more guys than usual that I might not have gotten to you in time."

"I didn't need your help, Ranma!" Akane exclaimed harshly. "You should have stayed out of it the way I wanted you to do in the first place!"

"They attacked me as well, Akane. What did you want me to do, wait for one of them to tear my clothes off so you could call me names again? Come to think of it, you were the one who was practically naked this time out. Yet you constantly judge me. You'd probably be judging me right now for my dress being torn with my legs showing if you weren't more naked than I was, isn't that right, Akane?"

"Why you..."

"Truly such a boorish lot," an aristocratic voice called out.

"Kuno!" Kenji announced with menace. "This was all your doing, wasn't it?"

"To an extent, however, I have no regard for that brute who dared to touch my lovely goddesses. At any rate, I decide what happens and what doesn't happen here."

Then the samurai turned towards Akane and Ranma, smiling at their various states of undress. In seconds he was right behind them, grabbing the both of them and fondling them! "Such beautiful women. I shall have you both!"

"Enough!" Before anything else could happen Kenji grabbed the kendo practitioner and threw him on the ground away from the two girls.

"Who dares interrupt me?"

"I dare!" Kenji announced, raising his hammer in defiance against the Kenshi.

"Oh, wow!" some of the girls swooned as they regarded the long-haired martial artist who was not only shirtless but was wearing torn pants, making him look like a half-naked barbarian.

"Oh, he's so gorgeous!" another girl practically moaned as she admired Kenji's rippling muscles as he confronted the so-called Blue Thunder of Furinkan High.

"Who is that guy?!" a girl asked no one in particular.

"He's Ranma's fiance! She would have all the luck!" a rather attractive girl said jealously with a pout.

"You challenge me, knave?!" Kuno threatened.

"That's right. And I've had it with what you've put my sister and fiancee through. It ends now!"

"Nothing ends until the Blue Thunder says so!"

"Kenji, I don't need you fighting my battles for me!" Akane called out, getting in a stance that inadvertently caused the jacket she was wearing to open up, giving the boys another view of her body.

"Take it easy, Akane. Kenji wants to do this; so we should just let him," Ranma replied. "Besides, your top's coming open as it is."

"Huh? Oh!" Akane gasped as she covered up, blushing deeply.

"I've had it with you humiliating my fiancee and sister in front of all these guys, Kuno. I even blame you for what that Hako guy has done. Thus you have much to answer for!"

"No one makes Tatewake Kuno answer for anything! These women are mine. Even though the raiment of these beautiful women has departed from them, their bodies are mine to do with as I wish."

"No!"

At that moment Kuno put away his wooden bokken and made his ki blade appear. "Then we fight to the death! Ta ta ta ta ta ta!" !CLASH! Their weapons met as the two ran into each other. Then Kenji struck the ground with his foot, making an earthquake-like shockwave that sent Kuno high into the air.

"And now!" Kenji immediately swung his hammer hundreds of times for a couple of seconds and threw his hammer at Kuno while he came down to earth.

"Fool! Your attack missed!" Kuno called out as he landed on the ground and came running at his opponent, swinging his blade in Kenji's direction.

"Wait for it."

!SMASH! "Aargh!" As the ki hammer struck him in the back the swordsman fell forward to the ground with a thud. "I fight on! Ungh!"

"It's as I thought, Kuno. You haven't improved one bit since our last fight, while I'm constantly getting better and better as time goes on."

"Oh, wow!" some of the girls swooned.

"I could just lose myself in those arms!" one of the better-looking girls exclaimed with a gasp of air.

Then Kenji turned towards the hentai horde who had begun to get up from the beating Akane and Ranma had given them earlier. "Listen up, guys! There will be no more attacks on my sister and fiancee, got it?"

"You can't come in here and tell us what to do!" an unusually large boy said. !SMASH! "Oof!" !THUD!

"Any more questions?!" Kenji said as his hammer came back to him after having struck the offending boy down.

"And by the way, if any of you want to date my sister, you'll ask her politely. If she says no, you'll politely back off. But I strongly suggest you wait for my sister to cool off. What you guys have been trying to do here is revolting! If I have to come back here and deal with you, you won't like what I do to you. Understand?"

As all the boys nodded their heads under Kenji's hard gaze, the girls moaned excitedly, jumping up and down as they cheered for their new heartthrob.

"It's a good thing Kenji came when he did. Who knows what Hako and his gang would have done to us?" a smarter girl said.

"Good. Now I'll be leaving. And one more thing. Go to class."

Then Kenji turned to Ranma and Akane. "If you have any more problems with them, you can tell me and I'll..."

!SLAP! "I told you I didn't want you fighting my battles for me!" Akane screamed, having been humiliated over the day's events. "Thanks to you no one around here will take me seriously!"

"Will you get over yourself, Akane?! Kenji was only trying to help. You of all people should be grateful for his help, seeing what almost happened to you."

"Shut up, Ranma!"

!SLAP! "Ow!"

"No, Akane. You shut up! I know you've been through a lot but that doesn't excuse your behavior towards Kenji when he's tried to help you and me."

Then Akane stopped for a moment, touching her face where Ranma had struck her. Then she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Kenji," Akane said, reaching out for her brother and holding him. "This is the worst day of my life! I'm so humiliated! I've never been so ashamed!"

"It's all right, Akane," Kenji answered, kindly holding her. "But I would like to upgrade your martial arts abilities. OK, little sister?"

"All right," Akane answered with a bit of an embarrassed smile.

XXX

Next day...

"Haiyaaaaah!" Genma charged Ranma, coming at her with fists of fury!"

"Aiiyaaahhh!" Ranma flew at her father with punches and kicks. Eventually, the two of them were practically floating in the air right over the koi pond, going at it in a Dragonball Z manner.

"Mr. Saotome! Ranma! Breakfast is ready!" Kasumi called out to them.

"Thank you, Kasumi Dear," Genma said graciously.

"You're through, old man!" Ranma called out, getting ready to end the fight.

"Is that so?" Genma seemed to be losing the fight until he clipped one of Ranma's fast-moving legs, using his limber legs to restrain Ranma's foot as he pulled her forward and off-balance. "Tickle. Tickle. Tickle. Tickle."

"Ah-ha hahaha! Hehe hehe! Stop!" Ranma giggled.

"Make me stop, Ranma. Ever since you've gotten in touch with your feminine side you've won too many of your fights by wriggling your tits and ass instead of defeating your opponent with real martial arts maneuvers. So until then... Cootchie cootchie coo!"

"Hehehehehehehehe!" Ranma quickly removed her foot from Genma's grasp and counter attacked with helicopter kicks at a rapid speed, hitting her father in the stomach countless times.

"Oof!" !SPLASH!

"That real enough for ya, old man?!" Ranma called out, hovering in the air over the koi pond. !SPLASH! "What'd you do that for?!"

[You still need to pay attention, little girl!] Genma-Panda's sign showed.

"Little girl?!"

A few minutes later many of the members of the household were sitting at the breakfast table while Ranma was still sitting just outside on the porch, ringing her red Chinese shirt dry.

"You woke up early this morning, Ranma," Kenji said as he walked onto the porch. "I'm happy to see you're doing so well with your martial arts training."

"That's right. I always work hard to stay in shape," Ranma answered, still wringing her shirt dry.

"One of these days we should go out to the wilderness and... Gasp!" Kenji's eyes widened and mouth dropped, open as he regarded his fiancee who was working hard to get the water out of her shirt.

"What's the matter?" Ranma asked, looking up and putting her shirt down.

"Don't you have any feminine modesty at all, Ranma?!" Akane yelled with her hands on her hips while judging the pigtailed girl.

"What's your problem, Akane?"

"You've casually taken off your top and flaunted your body! What's wrong with you?!"

"I'm wearing a swimsuit top, all right? Gee, Akane, you're round up tighter than a Swiss watch. You still need to relax a little bit. You remember what I suggested the other day about getting a larger bra?" Ranma asked as Akane blushed, turning red.

"Why are you wearing a swimsuit top under your clothes?!" Akane demanded harshly.

"It's easier for me this way. For some reason, I keep getting splashed with water. There's even an old lady who keeps managing to splash me, and I hate the way a bra and panties feel on my skin when I'm drenched; so I just wear a bikini top and bottom under my clothes. In other words, I'm wearing bikini underwear," Ranma explained with a smile and a laugh.

"That's so ridiculous!"

"Not really. There's not a huge difference between a bikini and a bra and panties anyway. Besides, a guy from America who owns a bikini store that has larger bikini tops in my size gave me some good deals on swimsuits that fit me as if they were custom made. And if a bikini didn't fit me perfectly he measured me himself and made the modifications for me, "Ranma said with a smile.

"All right, already! Will you put your shirt back on?!" Akane demanded as opposed to requested.

"I was wondering, Ranma," Kenji piped in, his eyes still on his fiancee's body. "Did that guy have you model them for him first?"

"Yes. The more I modeled for him, the more the price went down. He was such a nice guy."

"He probably just wanted to see you wearing a swimsuit, Ranma," Kenji replied a little jealously. "Exactly how did he take measurements? Did he have his hands all over you?"

Ranma regarded her fiance for a moment. "Don't start on me, Kenji. You're starting to remind me of Akane. Anyway, the swimsuits I wear make me feel very comfortable, fitting me perfectly."

"You're comparing me to Akane? You wound me, Ranma," Kenji answered, feigning injury, making Ranma smile and giggle a little bit.

"Kenji!" Akane screamed. "And anyway, get your eyes back in your sockets!"

"Huh? Oh, that. Take it easy, Akane. So what if I like looking at Ranma? She is my fiancee after all. You need to relax, little sister," Kenji stated in a friendly manner.

"All right. But you're beginning to remind me of some of the guys at school," the blue-haired girl said, trying to calm herself down."

"Don't compare me to those guys, Akane. I don't even treat Ranma the way those guys tried to treat you two," Kenji answered, his face getting serious.

"That's true, Akane. Kenji's been pretty good to me. And it's not as if I don't like looking at him either," Ranma said, giving her fiance a once over.

"Now you're double-teaming me!" Akane stammered.

"Let's have a nice family breakfast," Kasumi interjected as she set the table and motioned everyone to get to their seats.

XXX

The next day during breakfast, Genma spoke up. "Starting today I have a new job."

"You got a job at the zoo, Pop?"

"No!" !CHOMP!CHOMP!

"By the way, Akane," Kasumi asked gently. "Could you stop by Dr. Tofu's clinic on your way home from school? I borrowed this book from him and I'd like you to return it to him."

"Um. Could you return it yourself, Kasumi? Today isn't a good day for me," Akane answered, looking downward.

"All right," Kasumi replied. "I'll have to return it myself."

"Who do you think you're kidding, Akane," Ranma interjected with a gentle elbow jab to Akane's side, giving the girl a wry look. "You know you can't wait to go there and meet your sweet..."

All of a sudden Akane grabbed Ranma by her pigtail and ran out of the house! "Come on, Ranma. We're gonna be late!"

"Hey, I'm not finished eating yet! What's your problem?!" Ranma demanded as Akane ran down with so much speed that in minutes they were blocks away from the house right where there was an old lady who was dumping some water outside her front door. !SPLASH!

"Oh, great. I'm wet again. Why does that old woman always manage to nail me with water?"

In record time the two arrived at their school. "Shut up, Ranma! Huff! Huff!"

"What?"

"Shut up and listen to me! Why don't you keep your big mouth shut?!" Akane demanded, grabbing Ranma by the front of her shirt and shaking her violently. !POP!POP!

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your snide remarks about Dr. Tofu." Then Akane looked down and noticed that Ranma's top was drenched, clinging to her and open a little bit.

!POP!POP! In shock over Ranma's wardrobe malfunction, Akane accidentally opened Ranma's top even further as she shook the redhead while taking an even stronger grip on Ranma's shirt.

"What the..."

"Kasumi hasn't had a chance to widen the bust-line of this particular shirt and I got hit by that old lady again. And oh yes I forgot to put on underwear today," Ranma explained.

"Oooooooh!" a bunch of boys behind Akane gasped as they stared wide-eyed at Ranma's wet T-shirt and wide open cleavage.

"Let me see!" a shorter boy called out, jumping up and down from behind the others.

Then Akane turned around, getting ready for a fight. "Who's next?!"

"We've learned our lesson; so we won't challenge you anymore," one of the hentai hordes explained.

"That's right. If Kenji Tendo can decisively defeat Hako Tanaka then the last thing we want to do is incur his wrath," another boy commented.

"That's good to hear. Maybe you guys should start looking at some of the other girls of this school, but don't force yourselves on them," Ranma stated, stepping forward unabashedly, prompting the boys to give her their undivided attention.

"Button your blouse!" Akane ordered, quickly turning to the redheaded girl then back towards the hentai horde.

"Anyway..." Ranma said fixing her top. "I think..."

"So then. You've all heard this falsehood about Kenji Tendo defeating me in combat. But hear this! Upperclassman Kuno does not accept defeat!"

"Kuno was the greatest fighter of Furinkan High!" a student said.

"Yes, that. And the biggest pervert," another commented.

"What?!"

"At any rate, we're giving up."

"They don't know a real pervert when they see one," Akane whispered to Ranma.

"Very funny."

"I, the mighty Kuno will never give up. It matters not how powerful the blows of Kenji Tendo are; his strength is as nothing," the kendoist stated, removing the bandages from his face.

"Look at the lumps on that guy!" a student noted.

"You lost, Kuno. Get over it," Ranma said, stepping forward.

"Watch it, Ranma."

"Ah. It's my pigtailed goddess!" Kuno exclaimed, his eyes lightening up at the sight of the redheaded girl.

"You just can't shut up, can you, Ranma?" Akane commented, her eyes turning to her brother's fiancee.

"How I have pined for you!" Kuno said, clasping his hands in Ranma's.

"Hold it, guy. I thought you were in love with Akane," Ranma stated, breaking herself free of his hold.

"Of course, I am."

"She's watching right now, you know." Ranma had an unimpressed look on her face as she regarded her unwanted paramour.

"Hmm?"

"Akane! Where are you going?!" Ranma called out.

"Please, Upperclassman Kuno. If Ranma is what you want then, by all means, I'll be sure to stay out of the way," Akane answered, looking back over her shoulder, indulging in the drama of the moment.

"Oh, Akane. So noble for you to bow out," Kuno said with a dreamy sigh. "Oh, sweet Akane. How can I discard you? I shall have you both." All of a sudden Kuno had both Ranma and Akane in his arms, holding them inwards to himself.

!PUNT! "Let go!" the girls demanded at the same time, sending Kuno into the sky.

"Anyway," one of the boys said. "We've said our piece. Give our congratulations to Kenji." With that, the boys walked off.

"That went well," Ranma said with a relaxed smile.

"Says you!"

XXX

Later that day during an outside session of P.E. class where most of the girls were playing baseball, Ranma was doing acrobatic feats on the parallel bars with shameless ease as she did a triple somersault ending the feat with deftly landing on the ground. That being done, Ranma walked over to where the other girls in her P.E. class were sitting.

"That was pretty good, Ranma!"

"Do I know you?" Ranma asked politely.

"My name is Sayuri!"

"And my name is Yuka," the other cute girl said.

"Hi, my name is Ranma."

"Yes. We know who you are, but we have a question."

"What's that?" Ranma queried as she sat down.

"How far have you gotten with Kenji?" Sayuri asked, practically whispering in her ear.

"Don't play innocent with us. We know you're his fiancee," Yuka commented.

"That's a very personal question, ladies."

"We want to know. When he took his shirt off to cover Akane's half-naked body I just sighed," Sayuri said, breathing heavily as she stared off into space.

"Was it because it was so sweet of Kenji to protect his sister's modesty?" Ranma asked, trying to slightly change the subject.

"Um. Yes. But it was great seeing Kenji with his shirt off," Sayuri answered with a wistful smile on her face.

"That body was to die for!" Yuri exclaimed, practically drooling all over herself.

"I could just put my hands all over his chest. I wonder if he's ticklish. Last night I dreamed that I had my hands all over him and that he was at my mercy as my love slave. Ooh!" Sayuri stated her bosom heaving.

"Can you girls calm down? You sound like a bunch of guys talking about women," Ranma replied.

"Well. That only happens if the guy is hot like Kenji is, Ranma. Do you know how much some of the girls at this school hate you?" Sayuri asked, her face getting more serious.

"Hate me?"

"Yes. There are a few girls here who have started a Kenji Tendo fan club. And let me tell you another thing."

"What's that?"

"Those girls will do anything to get their hands on that gorgeous body of his. Even if it means beating you up," Sayuri commented. "Yuka and I are satisfied with having nice dreams about him, but some of these girls are just ruthless. They might have attacked you already if they didn't fear your superior fighting skills."

"That's right," Yuka answered. "As it is a few girls in the Chemistry Club are cooking up something that will destroy you. Rumour has it they're even creating a concoction that will make anyone who drinks fall in love with the first person he sees."

"That's crazy!"

"It's true, Ranma," Sayuri answered after having calmed down.

At that moment what looked like a baseball came flying straight for Ranma. "Look out!" Ranma warned, shoving the other two girls out of the way. !BOOM! "Ungh!"

"You think that killed her?" a slight girl with coke-bottle glasses whispered to her cohorts from over a dozen yards away.

"No. She's still moving. We better make ourselves scarce." With that, the three girls left the scene with no one the wiser.

XXX

A little later both Ranma and Akane were on their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic. "Does it still hurt?"

"I'm all right, Akane," Ranma stated with confidence even though she was still a little dizzy.

"Well, we'd better have Dr. Tofu take a look at you just in case. That was an awfully powerful bomb. Do you know where it came from?"

"No, I don't. It practically came out of nowhere in the form of a baseball. Anyway, we're pretty much here. What's Pop doing there?" Ranma said, regarding the panda who was at work sweeping the front of the place.

[This is the new job I was telling you about.]

"Well, Well. It's Ranma and Akane," Dr. Tofu called out, sticking his head outside of the entrance. "Come on in. This is Mr. Saotome. He started working for me today. Do you know each other?"

"Yeah, he's my father." Then the doctor looked at Ranma incredulously. "It's a long story, Doctor," Ranma explained as they walked inside.

"Hmm. Not much of a resemblance, is there? Ooh!" the doctor exclaimed when he saw the all over bruises on the pigtailed girl. "What happened to you?"

"Someone dropped a bomb on me. Happens all the time," Ranma answered nervously.

"Hmm." After examining Ranma for a couple of minutes the doctor spoke up. "I have something to help fix that. I'll be right back."

!RING! "Could you get that, Mr. Saotome?!" Tofu called out from his backroom.

!KLIK! "Growr?"

"What was the point of answering it if you couldn't speak?" Ranma said, regarding her panda transformed father.

"Wait. I'll get it," Akane offered. "Hello? How can I help you? Oh, yes. I see. OK. Good-bye."

"So what happened there?"

"I'm leaving."

"Why's that, Akane?"

"Never mind!"

"Gee. What's the big hurry? I figured you'd want to spend time with the object of your desire."

"Shut up!" Akane slammed Ranma against the door, covering her mouth. "There's a girl Dr. Tofu likes. I was just on the phone with her."

"And?"

"She's on her way here right now."

!SHOOOP! "Oh," Ranma replied as the sliding door to the entrance came open. "That must be her now."

"Good afternoon," an old woman walking with a cane said in greetings.

Ranma had a wry smile on her face as the senior citizen seated herself in the lobby. "Likes them mature I see."

"That's not her!" Akane stated with a look of anger towards Ranma.

A couple blocks away a young woman was walking the streets. "Outdoing some shopping, Kasumi?"

"Not really. I'm actually on my way to Dr. Tofu's," the young woman answered.

"So who is Tofu in love with, Akane?"

Akane demurred for a moment as Ranma regarded her shrewdly. "He's in love with Kasumi."

"Kasumi?"

"Yes. It's not just the way Dr. Tofu looks at Kasumi. He's so in love with her that he goes bonkers whenever she's around. As it is his patients stay away from him whenever Kasumi shows up."

"Why is that?" Ranma asked.

"He goes so crazy whenever Kasumi's around that he's downright lethal to anyone he's dealing with at the time," Akane answered soberly.

"What are you two talking about?" the doctor asked. looking in on them.

"Nothing!" both girls stated at the same time.

The doctor looked at the girls for a moment. Then he got to work on Ranma's injuries. "All right. Now sit down here, Ranma; so I can take a good look at your wounds."

"I'm OK, Doc. It just a..."

"Wait. I see. You got some minor burns which are already healing rather quickly but to be on the safe side, I'm going to put this salve on your neck and face."

"All right."

"By the way, what happened? Were you playing with dynamite?"

"No. Someone threw an explosive baseball at me."

"Why did they do that?" the doctor asked

!SHOOOP! "Good afternoon, doctor," Kasumi greeted as she walked inside the clinic, the borrowed book and some food in hand.

"K-Kasumi!" Tofu exclaimed, twirling around. As the doctor went nuts, he was about to choke Ranma, practically snapping her neck until Ranma moved upward out of his grasp, but his hands kept on moving uncontrollably, sliding down her bosom.

"Ah, hahaha hahaha! That tickles! He hehe! Oh, stop!"

"K-Kasumi! K-Kasumi!" Tofu announced insanely, his hands trembling on Ranma.

"Hahahahaha! Mercy! Hehehehehe!" Ranma giggled, tears coming out of her eyes which had red under them.

"Oh, my!" Kasumi gasped, blushing red at what she was seeing. She then placed the borrowed book on a table, did an about-face and promptly left.

"Doctor Tofu, what exactly are you doing?" Ranma asked with some suspicion.

"I was just putting the salve on you and... Oh!" Tofu gasped when he saw where his hand was. "I'm so sorry, Ranma. Please forgive me!"

"Just remove your hand, doctor."

"I don't know what came over me! I..."

"Are you going to remove your hand or do you like me that much?" Ranma asked sarcastically.

"Oh. I like you as a friend, Ranma. You're such a nice person and all. Hopefully very forgiving," the young man answered blushing and sweating bullets as his glasses fogged up.

"Remove your hand already!"

"Oh, yes," the doctor responded. As soon as he had removed his hand, he put his hands on his face, realizing what he had done.

"Ranma!"

"This wasn't my fault, Akane."

"Did you have to enjoy having his hands all over you that much?"

"I'm very ticklish, all right?"

"That's not what I meant. Must you act like such a..."

"She's right, Akane," Tofu interjected, practically sobbing. "It was all my fault. I didn't mean to do that, but when Kasumi arrived here I went crazy. Now Kasumi will never talk to me again."

"You oughtta go after her and explain yourself while you beg her forgiveness. I honestly think she likes you," Ranma commented.

"I just can't do it!" the doctor announced pathetically with a sense of fear and dread.

Ranma looked on the man, pitying him. "Tell you what. I'll go out there and explain to Kasumi what just happened and how you couldn't help the fact that you go nuts whenever you see her."

"You'd do that for me, Ranma?" Tofu asked, giving Ranma a pleading look.

"For you and Kasumi. Both of you are nice people and deserve each other. But you need to control yourself, especially now."

"Will she believe you?" Tofu asked hopefully.

"I think so. But when I bring her back here, you have to apologize and beg for her forgiveness."

"I-I can't do that. You don't understand."

"Listen, Doc. We all know you're in love with her. But what happens when she shows up while you're with another patient and you kill that patient? And worse than that, suppose you end up feeling up another girl who isn't as forgiving as I am? Or maybe you'll end up feeling up a guy. You need to get a grip and get a grip fast!" Ranma explained, giving the doctor a hard look.

"Well. I..."

"She's right, Dr. Tofu," Akane piped in, restraining herself. "You should tell Kasumi how you feel before it's too late. I'll help you if I can, but it's now or never." Akane looked on the doctor with misty-eyed kindness, something Tofu didn't fail to notice.

Then Dr. Tofu nodded his head. "All right. Go ahead and bring her back if you can."

"Then it's settled. I'll be right back."

"Ranma!"

"What is it now, Akane?"

"Button your shirt up first!"

"Oops! Sorry." With that Ranma left the clinic, leaped into the air, hovering until she spotted Kasumi walking away distraught and disappointed.

"I knew Ono liked to be amusing at times but did he have to put his hands all over Ranma like that? And here I had this huge crush on him. I guess I'm going to have to go elsewhere to get married," Kasumi thought to herself as she made her way home.

"Hey, Kasumi!" Ranma called out to her as she touched down right next to her.

"Oh, Ranma. Hello. I..."

"Look, Kasumi. Dr. Tofu wasn't trying to come on to me when he had his hands down my..."

"You don't have to explain anything, Ranma. I was simply returning a book I had borrowed from him," Kasumi said, turning her face from the redheaded girl as she sped up her pace a little bit.

"I do have to explain!" Ranma interjected, keeping up with her. "Dr. Tofu is head over heels in love with you, all right? The reason you caught him in such a compromising position is that he always goes nuts when you're around. If I hadn't moved up when I did he might have snapped my neck! He simply didn't know what he was doing. Now if you have absolutely no feelings for him just say so. But if you're simply upset over what just happened a little while ago, you're misreading what happened and you're dead wrong."

"Um. Well."

"Haven't you noticed how silly he acts whenever you see him?"

"Yes. I always thought he was just clowning around."

"No. He was in love with you to the point you where he couldn't control himself! He's a nice guy." Then Ranma came closer to the matronly young woman and whispered to her. "You practically have him at your mercy. Now is the time to nab him for yourself."

Then the young woman turned towards Ranma with a look of seriousness. "But aren't you angry with him for putting his hands on you the way he did?"

"I was a little angry at first, but I know he didn't mean it and he did beg for forgiveness. If I can forgive him, surely you can," Ranma said gently.

"Why were you laughing and giggling during the whole time?" Kasumi asked, regarding Ranma shrewdly. "It seems as if you were enjoying all of that."

Ranma demurred for a moment. "Um."

"Well?" Kasumi asked, refusing to back down.

"I'm a little ticklish, OK?"

"A little?"

Ranma began to turn red with embarrassment for a moment. "All right. Maybe I'm a lot ticklish." Then Ranma noticed the stern smile on the older girl's face. "Oh, come on, Kasumi."

"You come on, Ranma. What should I think when the guy I'm in love with has his hands on another girl who's a whole lot better looking than I am and has a much better body? There's no competing with you, Ranma."

The pigtailed girl regarded the young woman for a moment. "I'm not competing with you, Kasumi. You have this guy hook, line, and sinker. And I can't help it if I'm ticklish."

"You seemed to be giggling an awful lot back there. Care to explain yourself little further?" the young woman asked pertly.

"All right. I tend to be a free spirit and very relaxed most of the time. And I probably wouldn't laugh and giggle like that if someone was being mean or hostile to me. I don't know what else to say."

"Hmm. OK, Ranma. You're only human, and it's nice to know you have a weakness after all. But what are you getting out of all this, hmm?"

"I believe what goes around comes around. Besides, I'd like to see you happy. And you're a wonderful person when you're not gloating over what you see as a weakness."

"All right, Ranma," Kasumi said with a reassuring laugh. "I'll return with you and allow Ono to explain himself."

XXX

In a few moments, Genma-Panda, Kasumi, Dr. Ono Tofu, Akane and Ranma were in Dr. Tofu's main office together. "Come on, Doc. Tell her how you feel. Go on," Ranma encouraged, motioning with her hands.

"I-I am..."

"Now or never, Doc."

"Shut up and let him say it, Ranma!" Akane shouted with anger that hid some sadness on her part.

Then Dr. Tofu fell on his hands and knees prostrate before the elder Tendo sister. "I c-can't control myself when you're around because I love you so much. Forgive me, please!" the doctor practically sobbed.

Kasumi looked down on the hapless man for a moment. "He does love me! Golly, I feel so guilty enjoying his cow-towing to me like this." "All right. But you need to learn how to control yourself. OK?"

"Yes. Yes. Anything you say."

"You can get up now. And another thing no more tickling young girls like Ranma, understand?"

"Yes! Yes!" Tofu said happily as he got up and looked on the young woman so lovingly that Kasumi melted and smiled, blushing.

!CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!CLAP! Tofu, Kasumi and the others turned to see many of the patients of the clinic standing there, cheering them on.

"Oh, my!" Kasumi exclaimed happily.

XXX

Later on...

"Where's Akane, Kenji? Have you seen her?"

"She's out training. She was distraught when she got home. She practically ran inside, covering her eyes like she was crying or something. What's going on, Ranma?"

"She had a crush on Dr. Tofu but he was interested in Kasumi. Anyway, it's a long story but I have to find her before she does something drastic to herself," Ranma explained. "But what have you been doing all day?"

"I've been working and training, using my martial arts and strength to clear some wooded areas for some real estate developers Nabiki has hooked up with. The job was hard and took all day but I managed to finish it."

"Is that why your clothes are all torn up?"

"Yes. I was going to go take a hot bath even though I 'washed up' at a nearby stream, but I'm curious as to why Akane is so upset. I vaguely remember how Akane would often take frightening risks to get to see Dr. Tofu. But for some reason, that guy would go nuts whenever he saw Kasumi. Thus I was afraid to see him whenever Kasumi was around," the young man explained.

"Your fears were justified, Kenji. When Dr. Tofu was examining me after some girls threw an explosive baseball at me, Kasumi showed up to drop something off."

"When happened after that?"

"The doctor almost killed me. But fortunately, things worked themselves out. Turns out Kasumi was interested in the good doctor herself all along. The only loser in all this is Akane."

"Shut up, Ranma!"

"Hi, Akane."

"I don't want you talking about me anymore. Just shut up!"

"Were you in love with Dr. Tofu, Akane?" Kenji asked with concern.

"Never mind!" Akane stammered, looking away.

"It's all right, to be in love, Akane," Kenji said calmly. "You're a nice girl. I'm sure a good person will fall in love with you and make you happy."

Akane stared at her brother for a moment. Then she threw herself in his arms and cried. "I was in love with him! Sniff! Oh, how I wish it was me he was in love with. But now he's in love with Kasumi! Waaagh!"

"It's all right, Akane," Kenji consoled as Ranma looked on.

"Sniff. It's not just Kasumi. He even thought Ranma was better than me!"

"What are you talking about?" the young man asked, giving the sheepishly smiling Ranma a look.

"When Kasumi showed up, Dr. Tofu went into his craziness."

"Oh. I know all about that, Akane. But what does that have to do with Ranma?"

"At the time Kasumi walked in he was placing a healing salve on her neck and face. As he went crazy his hands went downward, tickling Ranma. She laughed and giggled the whole time."

"Akane! That's not how it happened! Why must you always make me out to be some kind of pervert when things weren't my fault?!"

"You didn't have to giggle so much!"

"His hands were all over the place! I couldn't help it if his trembling hands tickled me so much! You're just determined to make me the bad guy, aren't you, Akane?"

"Why you..."

"Take it easy, ladies." Then Kenji turned towards Akane. "I know what will make you feel better."

"What's that, Kenji?" the blue-haired girl asked, looking at her brother with her arms folded on her chest.

"Some more training. Let's get to work on increasing your agility and reaction time."

"All right. Let's start right now."

"Good. I love your enthusiasm. But I'd like to test something out first." Kenji appeared right behind Ranma, gently and carefully touching her ribs.

"Haha hahaha! Stop!"

"You got the cutest giggle, Ranma. I simply can't stay mad at you for any length of time. And I just love hearing you laugh. Let's try up here."

"Hehehehehehe! Mercy, please! Whew! You can't you keep your hands off of me, can you?" Ranma asked, turning around and giving her fiance a pouting look.

"Not really, Ranma. You're just too irresistible. Not only are you cute and sexy, but you're also a strong martial artist with a good heart," Kenji said as he caressed her back, working his way down.

"Gosh, Kenji. That's so sweet of you," the girl responded, blushing. But as his powerful arms pulled her closer to himself to kiss the gushing girl... !SPLASH!

"Hey!" Ranma protested.

"I figured you two needed to cool off since you were in heat," Akane explained, looking askance innocently as she held a now empty pail of water.

XXX

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Next chapter Ryoga comes back with a vengeance! Now I'd like to give props to those who gave me reviews since the last chapter.

Wolvenstrom, Ranma-Sama, Sir Thames, DrTempo, Sayalovesdiva, They call me Bruce, Radio Driver, Luger 7, Redzorin, Son of Whitebeard