Chapter 2

Path of Thorns - Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story; Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takashi and Rozen Maiden is the property of Peach-PIT.

Kasumi woke up early as usual to perform various house chores for her family. It was another good day, although the sky was a little cloudy. However, today Kasumi wasn't the only one who was up early. It was 7:00am, and the sound of fighting could be heard. Or more precisely, the sound of flesh beating against flesh generated by a dark haired girl kicking on a panda's gut, while laughing sadistically, enjoying the pain she saw on the panda's face.

"Oh, my." Kasumi almost dropped the broom she used to brush the hallway.

Ranma noticed she wasn't alone and greeted Kasumi, "Greetings Kasumi. It is a fine day, isn't it?" Ranma looked at her handy work done to the panda and frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" Kasumi asked.

"Not really. Just making sure Panda-San here doesn't accidentally try to splash me with hot water again."

"Oh..." Kasumi realized after weeks of their home-stay, that Ranma really hate hot water because it would change "him". After Akane earned her defeat, Akane had been bugging Ranma to teach her the moves. Ranma aggreed on the condition that Akane would help her out on homework. Despite their claims that Ranma was really a boy, she hadn't been shown concrete proof yet. But if a man can turn into a panda, it isn't too hard to believe a girl can turn into a boy, right?

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you still in your cursed form?" Kasumi wondered aloud.

"Oh, I simply don't like to become someone who is raised with a twisted personality, thinking he is so great just because he is following some rules set by his father." Ranma replied.

It was true that Ranma was very graceful to have a father at the very least, but she wouldn't recognize this panda as one. A father should be someone gentler, someone who isn't a junk. Ranma looked downcast and walked out of scene without saying a word.

Ranma was sitting on the roof again as usual, it gave her a broader view of the city and her friends usually gathered at the roof. Her friends however didn't even have hands, they are birds afterall. Indeed, half a dozen of crows noticed her and gathered around her. Bird of a feather flocks together, and Ranma always felt safe around crows even though she didn't know why. Maybe she used to be a crow in her previous life? She continued her musing as she looked at the great blue sky. Even though it is day time, she could still see the faded moon on the horizon, giving up soft insignificiant glows. But this peacefulness was short-lived, as Akane stomped into her room and demanded her trainning lesson be started through the window.

It all started the next day since Ranma had arrived. It was a morning similar to today.

"Ranma, where are you?" Akane asked, searching through room after rooms, but Ranma was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, you meant Ranma-kun? She is up on the roof," Kasumi answered from downstair.

"Thanks, Kasumi Onee-san"

Akane adjusted the ladder and climbed onto the roof. Indeed, Ranma was laying on the roof, looking upon the sky in a strange calmness. Several crows was stationed near her to keep her company. Nasty crows, Akane groaned.

"Ran-ma-kun," Akane approached Ranma carefully on the roof. The crows had already departed at the sight the dark haired girl. She was bleaming brightly as she sat next to Ranma.

"What do you want?" Ranma questioned while still staring at the sky.

"How did you move that fast? I couldn't even see you move yesteraday during our sparring"

"I am not fast, you are just too slow," Ranma snickered and jumped down the roof onto the ground.

Akane was too shocked to react. People just don't jump off a second story building unless they are suicidual. She moved carefully to the edge of roof, expecting to see a broken Ranma if she wasn't splattered like a watermelon against the ground. She found nothing. Ranma was already moving to the dinning room.

"Wait up," Akane climbed down the ladder quickly and caught up with her.

"Ranma!" Akane patted, "Would you like to teach me martial arts. My father just wouldn't train me hard enough because he was overprotective. Even though I am the best in this town, it obviously wasn't good enough.

"No thanks. I don't like to play with children," Ranma dismissed Akane without a glances.

Akane's patience however was wearing thin. She tried to ask nicely, but this egoistic girl... "You are to train me."

"Why should I?"

Akane was already smirking. "That's because you are a freeloader. If you don't want to be one, the least you can do is to train me."

Ranma obviously wasn't very happy at this turn of event. She was no freeloader, that's her Pop's domain. She was implying she was a junk like her Pop.

Ranma looked at Akane in anger and said in low maniacly tone, "I am not a junk."

Akane was surprised, and Ranma knew she wasn't acting like herself. "Fine, I will teach you, but you better got up early because I wouldn't wait for you."

Akane bleamed, "Thank you, sensei."

"You are too slow," Ranma warned as she avoided another punches from Akane. Frankly, Ranma had no desire to train newbie like her, but she still need a place to stay especially if her Pop was staying. She may as well humour her.

Akane fumed but said nothing. She knew she was no match to this new girl in term of speed until she trained more. Yet, she still couldn't touch her even though she knew she had improved quite a bit. She just need another week.

"That's impossible, you could never get to my level at this rate," Ranma commented.

"What?" Akane stopped. Akane didn't remember saying her thought out loud. Ranma on the other hand just waved her hand and exited.

Meanwhile, Kasumi was preparing the table. While Soun was sitting next to the table already, reading newspaper as usual, her sisters were nowhere to be seen. Kasumi sighed and went to the stairway, "Akane, Nabiki, breakfast is ready."

"Hai," Nabiki answered came down with their school uniforms shortly thereafter. Akane on the other hand just got back from her workouts and was going upstair to change. Sometimes, Kasumi wondered if she was spoiling her sisters.

But where is Ranma?

Just as everyone were gathering around the breakfast table, Kasumi called out in concern, "Has anyone seen Ranma?"

"I am here."

Kasumi almost had a heart attack. She didn't notice Ranma behind her, how silly of her. It is good to see Ranma is doing well, Kasumi assured herself.

Ranma took the sit next to Kasumi and began to eat Kasumi's wonderful cooking. Meanwhile, Genma, now in human form, came wobbling to the table.

"Good morning Mr. Saotome," Kasumi greeted, "Are you doing okay?"

"I am sure he is fine. Panda-san is a martial artist after all," Ranma replied with snickering.

"Yeah," Genma eyed Ranma in anger and sat down to have his breakfast.

The meal went quietly and quickly. Nabiki was the first to finish her share. She picked up her schoolbag and hurried out of the house with an "I am off". Akane followed closely thereafter, earning a second place.

"Wait for me." Akane followed her sister after finishing off with the miso soup.

Ranma on the other hand was in no hurry, she didn't have school after all, so she savaged her meal bit by bit, enjoying the peacefulness that is rare on the road.

"Ranma, it is about time you go to school as well." Soun advised.

"Me?"

"Yes, since you are staying here, you should get some education as well." Soun replied and Genma handed his son-turned-daughter a schoolbags with supplies in it already.

Perhaps she did have school afterall.

"Why? thanks," Ranma finished her meals and helped Kasumi with cleaning up the table.

"You are great Kasumi," Ranma praised Kasumi when she placed the dishes into the sink, chuckling as if she was mocking her. But that's probably just the way Ranma was, Kasumi told herself. Ranma always seemed to find something funny to chuckle and laugh at.

And with that, Ranma walked out of the house to catch up with the younger Tendos sisters.

School, how nostagic. She remembered the last time she went to school, she got to meet interesting people, especially a idiot who got lose all the time. What is his name again? bump

"Oh sorry," a traveller wearing yellow and black headband apologized after he bumped into Ranma. "Excuse me miss, do you know of a Tendo Dojo?" The boy asked humbling.

"Of course, I lived there," Ranma looked at him curiously. Is he a friend of the sisters? Judging from his age, he should be in school, unless he was a wanderer.

"Do you happen to know of a Ranma Saotome?" the boy asked. So this boy was seeking her, probably for something Pop had done to him. At time like this...

"Oh? so you are looking for Ranma Saotome? What business do you have with him?" Ranma leaned toward to look at him in the eyes with a grin.

"Ah.. it is just something between me and him. Could you show me the way to the Tendo Dojo?" the boy sweatdropped. This girl was strange, he thought.

Since he didn't recognize me, I will let Pop have the fun. Fuhuhuhuhu. "It is just down the street," Ranma pointed him to the way she went from.

"Thanks a lot," the boy sketched his head and went down the street and made the wrong turn.

"Who is that?" Akane asked. Apparently, they were not really in hurry, if they are moving at slow pace like this.

"And what are you doing following us?" Nabiki asserted accusingly.

"I was told that I am starting school from today," Ranma looked Nabiki directly in the eyes. Nabiki sweated. What is this present she was giving off. She knew that there was more to this Ranma than meeting the eyes, and she probably didn't want to make an enemy out of her.

"Oh. That's nice," Akane smiled brightly. We can all go to the same school.

The three walked mostly in silence. However, occassionally, Nabiki would whisper to Akane and vice versa.

"I thought you hate boys," Nabiki remained Akane.

"You really think that's a boy, Nee-san. I know a boy when I saw one," Akane reassure her sister.

"If you said so..." Nabiki had to be very careful. Even after weeks, she still couldn't figure out Ranma. She didn't seem to very a need for money, she didn't care if she got no friends, and she certainly didn't care for her father. Just how can a person live in solitude like that? She didn't know whether to call her introverted or anti-social.

"Oh, so you think of a way to deal with the boys?" Nabiki said outloud. She didn't want Ranma to think they were talking about her in his back.

"What? Of course, I will just beat them up like always." Akane picked up her pace and began to run.

In front of the gates of their school Furikan, a horde of boys gathered with arsenal of sport equipments. They were not here for a sport club event, instead they were here to demonstrate the inappropriate use of their equipments. Their idling was soon shattered by a familiar mantra.

"I hate boys, I hate boys, I HATE BOYS." Akane chanted while charging toward the mob.

As if on clue, the mob charged Akane with their baseball bats, badminton rackets, lead balls, golf sticks, and ribbons. The resultant was like firework. Akane danced in a deathly arch, plowing them like weeds. Within 20 seconds, the mob laid wasted on the sacred school ground of Furikan. Even though their body had fallen, their spirits remained, for they will surely strike again in order to fulfill their dreams of going out with the star of the school.

"Honestly, doing something like that everyday. I am growing tired of it," Akane exclaimed.

Suddenly, a rose was darted across the fallen body and was intercepted by Akane's crushing fist. The rose faltered under pressure. "Kuno..." Akane growled in disgust.

The sky thundered ominously, as a figure emerged from the woods. A boy wearing a samurai garb with a bokken on his right hand announced, "A deep forest is a forest of lost, even if that forest is waived by the thorns of roses. Such boorish lot, so entranced in their dream that they have wondered unknowingly into a forest. Truly, each of them wish to date with you, if they can defeated you that is."

Akane started to walk away, but she was halted, "Akane, will you spar with me?"

The boy called Kuno was facing her confidently with his eyes closed. But before he opened his eyes, he was sent back into the wood via Akane's high kick.

As Kuno starred upon the dark sky semi-consciously, vaguely pondering over his defeat, black feathers began to rain on him.

Black feathers?

And he heard a faint voice mocking him, "Oh poor lad, even though your love for Akane is boundless, she is still unaware of your love."

"Who is there? Show thyself, woman."

He vision was suddenly replaced completely by the face of a black haired girl in a smirk. Her eyes glitered in pink hue among the darkness. But his thought can only go so far, because shortly afterward, he joined the mobs to the world of unconsciousness, completely unaware of the lunatic laugh that echo across the wood.

"Good morning class." the homeroom teacher greeted back after the class greeted him as instructed by the class representative.

"We have a new student today." a beautiful girl with black hair wearing a dark dress entered the classroom. Her beauty had captured most of the boys' eyes. "Please introduce yourself, Ranma." the teacher asked.

"Good morning everyone. I am Ranma, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have recently trained a panda from China, so if you like pandas, free feel to drop by the Tendos." Ranma introduced herself amused by the students look at her.

"Are you related to the Tendos?" one of the students raised his hand and asked. All too eager to learn more about this new girl.

"Not really, but that's where I am staying."

"Oh."

Everyone turned their attendion to Akane, who could only smile back in return. "What am I going to tell the others? Nabiki still need to sell this information. I guess I have to talk with Nabiki first, it is her fiancee afterall."

However, Akane's patience was wearing off. With the beginning of the first class, Akane began to receive secret notes in the form of garbled papers, erasers and pencils, thrown at her. Most of the question revolved around the new student. Is she living with you? Is she your relative? Can you introduce her to me? Can you ask her if she has boyfriend?

Is she engaged to you?

She almost got a heart attack at this last note. Is it possible that someone had gotten wind of her father's arrangement. But if it was Nabiki, perhaps she has sold that information out already. She would have sent the note back and asked who told her that, but that note has no name. Oh well, at least she don't have to hold out secret anymore out.

Akane took a look at Ranma. But Ranma just starred at the blackboard like any good students should do. As if on clue, Ranma glazed back at Akane, with a smirk that was always on her face as usual. Akane turned back to the blackboard in case Ranma thought she was starring at her.

"Akane, it is your turn to read," the teacher announced, catching the girl off guarded. She had no idea which page she was at. Akane looked frankly around, but no one is brave enough to hint her, except Ranma. Ranma silently said page 105 paragraph 2 by moving her mouth. Akane started to read the paragraph.

"Akane, that's the wrong page. Please pay attention next time," the teacher scowled and turned his attention to the new student. "Ranma, it seems you are very interested. Why don't you show us your literacy skill personally."

Ranma stood up and read the correct page in perfect pronunciation. She even translated the passage in modern Japanese without a glitch. "Well done. I knew that this school isn't some place where random people off the street can enter. But I am proud of your proficiency."

"Thank you." Ranma replied and sat back, showing a smirked face to Akane.

Did Ranma mouthed the wrong page on purpose? Akane wondered. But it wasn't good to doubt people, she probably read the message incorrectly. Akane concluded and sighed. She turned back to the teacher and tried to pay attention instead. It will be a long day.

At the sound of lunch bell, and with the class dismissed, Akane was swarmed by a number of people, all of them asking her similar questions to the one she received earlier.

"So she is staying at your house as a guest? Why?" one of the body asked.

"His father is a friend of mine. They made some promises about joining school so she will be staying at my place."

"His?" another student inquired.

"I meant her. But you should ask Nabiki for more information."

At the corner of Akane's eye, she spotted Ranma walking out of the classroom. Akane dismissed her friends and classmate and caught up with her.

"Wait up." Akane called, "Let's have lunch together."

Ranma stopped to look at Akane curiously, "Fine by me."

And they when to the front yard to have lunch picnic, carrying bentos prepared by Kasumi.

Under big oak tree, Akane was having lunch with Ranma and her two best friends, Yuki and Sakura joined them.

"Yuki, Sakura, meet Ranma," Akane introduced her friends to Ranma and vice-versa.

"It is nice to meet you," Sakura greeted.

"So are you staying with Akane, huh?" Yuki probed.

"Seems like it," Ranma didn't seem very talkative however.

"I heard that you travelled across China for martial art training. What is it like?" the other girl asked.

"Nothing special really, it is mostly about my Pop throwing me into pit of wild animals, walking on strings, trying to fight for foods, etc..."

"Wow, that's amazing. So who is a better fighter, you or Akane?" Sakura elbowed Yuki for starting a dangerous topic.

Surprisingly, Akane took the initiative and said rather calmly, "Ranma is a better fighter."

"Oh..." The rest of the lunch were spend in silence as Akane was in a deep thought and Ranma wasn't very sociable. Indeed, there are many thing I could learn from Ranma, maybe I should ask her to teach me when we go back.

Sakura attempted to break the ice however, "Akane, are you staring at Ranma." Akane almost choked the food down the wrong pipe.

"What? I was just thinking, that is," Akane tried to make out while coughing her lung her.

"But come on, she is a beautiful girl, isn't she," Yuki patted Ranma on the head. "She is tall and she is built like a model."

Ranma go up and packed her lunch, before hurrying back to the school building. "What is with her?"

And the bell rang, "Oh crap..."

End of Chapter 2

Author Note: Thanks for reading my chapters. This is the chapter two of the rewritten stories. Although there are many places I want to explore in this story, I will try to make it brief and story and have it completed instead. There could be sidestories afterward however. Thanks for the reviews.

Yes, Ranma's cursed form is taken from Suigintou from Rozen Maiden in case you haven't figure out yet, I made her hair black in the second version, but I have changed it back to silver since it got confusing for people. And she isn't a doll, but a real person.

Speical Thanks to SoulCry for proofreading this chapter.