Chapter 2: The First Rival
In the morning, Ranma awoke to unfamiliar surroundings. It took him a moment to remember that he was on a futon in the upstairs guest room of the Tendo home, (which was now also his home for the foreseeable future), but when he did, he smiled at the thought of the new friend he had made yesterday. He wasn't particularly thrilled about being expected to marry her after having only known her for a day, but it was worth it to have a friend like Akane. It wasn't like they were expected to get married anytime soon, leaving plenty of time to try and get out of it or maybe even decide they wanted to do it. After all, it wasn't like he had any other marriage prospects out there.
He went downstairs to the bathroom and found the bath all ready for him. He double-checked the sign to make sure nothing embarrassing would happen today. Although it had been confusion over his curse that had caused that accident rather than a misplaced sign, he was pretty sure Akane wouldn't forgive him again if it happened for a second time in two days. As his mind began to dwell on the beautiful sight that had walked in on him then, he immediately shook his head to clear it. 'She's my friend,' he thought. 'I can't be thinking about her like that.' Although, truth be told, she had featured prominently in one of his dreams that night, and it hadn't helped that he knew exactly what she looked like without any clothes.
Once he was finished, he left to find Akane waiting outside the changing room in a t-shirt and shorts. "Good morning, Ranma," she said with a smile. "I need to wash up after my morning jog, and then I'll join you for breakfast. Don't forget that we start school today, so don't take too long to get ready."
"Aww man, that's right," groaned Ranma. "I hate school and not just because of the schoolwork. It's always been so lonely without any real friends. Hopefully, it'll be better this year now that I will have a friend at school."
"Well," considered Akane, "I'll help you any way I can, particularly with that curse of yours, and I'd like to hang out with you sometimes, but you should really find some other guys to talk to instead of following me around all the time." She looked down and began tapping her index fingers together as a small blush spread across her cheeks. "I mean, it's not like I wouldn't enjoy your company, but it won't take long for Nabiki to spread the word about our, quote, engagement, and it will be really hard to convince everyone we're really just friends if you're always hanging around like you're my boyfriend or something."
Akane looked up at him. "By the way, what are you going to do about your curse? Are you going to just tell everyone or what? It'll be pretty hard to keep it a secret forever."
"Well," Ranma contemplated, "that's what I did in junior high, but I'm really starting things over in my life in more ways than one, so I'd like to keep it a secret as long as I can this time. Hopefully, my classmates will know me well enough when it does come out that it won't matter that much. Anyway, my mom always informs the teachers and other staff, so they'll be able to help settle things down when it happens."
"Alright, but make sure you tell Nabiki at breakfast," Akane warned, "and don't forget that she'll charge you quite a bit to keep the secret."
Despite Akane's warning, Ranma still found himself running a little late. Akane waited to show him the way to school, while Nabiki ran ahead.
As the newly engaged couple headed to school, Ranma told Akane a couple of jokes as he walked on top of the fences. Akane was curious about this behavior. "Why are you walking up there? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Nah," replied Ranma. "I do this sort of thing all the time. It's a nice way to train your balance when you don't have time to do any real training."
"Do you think you could teach me to do that?" asked Akane hopefully.
"Sure I could," replied Ranma as jumped down at the end of the fence. "You're really talented, so you shouldn't have much trouble at all with this. Of course, we'll have to start in the dojo before you're ready for any real fences, and when we do get to the fences, you'll have to wear shorts under your dress to make sure you don't reveal too much on a windy-"
SPLASH! Ranma was so focused on his conversation with Akane that he hadn't noticed the old woman with a ladle washing her sidewalk. Ranma was now a soaking wet female redhead, and the old lady had somehow missed the transformation as she just ignored them.
"Wow, that was unlucky." commented Akane.
Ranma shook her head. "You have no idea. Water just seems unnaturally drawn to me, and Pop says it's the same way with him. It must be part of the magic of Jusenkyo. Anyway, what'll I do now? I can't start school as a girl."
"But if we just pour hot water on you, you'll change back, right?" Akane pointed out. "C'mon, I know just the place."
Akane led Ranma to a small clinic nearby. Ranma waited outside while Akane asked for hot water from the old woman at the door.
"Hoooo boy," complained Ranma. "What a way to start the-" She was cut off as she felt a bony hand on her shoulder. She gave out a shout of surprise and jumped onto the side of the clinic sign. A man in glasses appeared behind her holding a skeleton. "Oh, pardon me," he apologized. "Nothing to worry about, dear. This is just Betty, my skeleton."
Ranma jumped down in relief as Akane came back out with a kettle. "Ranma, here's the hot-" she began only to cut herself off. "Well, Akane!" greeted the man with the skeleton. "Oh! Doctor!" Akane exclaimed. "Um...good morning." She politely bowed while placing the kettle on Ranma's head.
"Good morning to you," the doctor replied.
Akane was still glancing down nervously. Ranma had no trouble picking up what was going on here.
"Is your wrist feeling better since you had me look at it last week?" the doctor asked.
"Oh, yes. It's as good as new thanks to you," answered Akane.
"Interesting," said Ranma to himself as he poured the hot water while watching from around the corner.
"Who was that guy?" asked Ranma as the two teenagers continued on their way to school.
"Dr. Tofu, the chiropractor," answered Akane.
"Martial arts master, too, isn't he?" observed Ranma.
"Huh? How could you tell?" asked a surprised Akane.
"Sneaking up on me that way," explained Ranma. "He erased all sense of his presence."
"True, he's very good," confirmed Akane. "But he doesn't look like he'd be, does he? Ever since I was little, he's taken care of my injuries."
Ranma smirked as he looked down at his reluctant fiancée. "You've got a crush on him, doncha?"
Akane blushed and looked away. "You could tell?"
"It was pretty obvious." Ranma grinned. "So how are you going to break it to him that he's been dumped for that cute little redhead you showed up with this morning?"
"Raanmaaa!" complained Akane as she took a swipe at him with her school bag, which he easily jumped over and landed on the ground on her other side.
"Lighten up. It's just a joke." said Ranma. "You don't have to be so serious about everything, you know."
"Well, don't joke about that," growled Akane. "The engagement is bad enough as it is. I don't want people thinking I'm into girls like that.
Ranma grinned. "Well, maybe once we're married, I can use some cold water before bed and help you change your mind."
The glowing battle aura beside him provided Ranma some warning that he had once again stuck his foot in his mouth, seemingly as much a genetic curse in his family as a terrible sense of direction is for that Ryoga guy he once knew.
"Ranma, get back here, you jerk!" shouted Akane as she chased him through the school gate.
Akane managed to calm down once she caught up to Ranma at their classroom and merely hit him in the shoulder with her school bag. In response, Ranma stuck out his tongue at Akane as she picked a seat near two other girls she knew, and Ranma grabbed the one next to her.
"Akane, how do you know that guy?" asked one of the girls. "He's really cute. Have you been holding out on us?"
Akane sighed. "I'll tell you at lunch."
When lunchtime came, most of the class went outside to enjoy the nice weather. Remembering what Akane had said about giving her some space at school, Ranma was content to watch as Akane sat with her two friends, while he started inhaling his lunch.
Soon, two of the guys from his class approached him. "Hi, it's Ranma, right?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, Ranma Saotome," Ranma confirmed.
"I'm Hiroshi, and he's Daisuke," the boy introduced. "You weren't in junior high with us, so you must be new to the immediate area. How do you already know Akane Tendo? You were pretty familiar with her when the two of you came in this morning."
Ranma glanced over at where Akane was eating with her friends. In a rare occurrence for him, Ranma thought carefully about how to respond without revealing too much information. "Well, my pop and hers are old friends, and so my mom and I are staying with her family for a while for reasons I'd rather not discuss.
Daisuke grinned as he wrapped an arm around Ranma's shoulders. "You lucky dog, getting to live with a babe like Akane, not to mention her oldest sister."
Ranma shrugged off Daisuke's arm. "Hey, it's not like that. We're just friends." He couldn't help smiling, though, as he added, "Although, she is really cute." Hiroshi and Daisuke traded knowing glances.
"Just a word of advice, Ranma," warned Hiroshi. "It's best for your continued health not to try anything like peeping on her in the bath. Despite how cute she is, she's actually the best martial artist in Nerima. There are some rumors about some guy in another part of the ward considered good enough to take her, but she's never lost a fight as far as anyone remembers. She's also not afraid to use it and will pound any guy foolish enough to cross her."
Ranma chuckled inwardly at the continued irony of all of these comments but then grew annoyed as he realized what Hiroshi was suggesting. In a low growl, he asked, "Just what kind of guy do you think I am? I wouldn't do that to any girl and especially not a friend who's been kind enough to take me into her home."
At that point, Akane waved and called out to him. "Ranma, come over here and join us. My friends want to meet you." As Ranma walked over, Hiroshi turned to Daisuke and asked, "Do you get the feeling there's more going on here than he's saying?" "Maybe," answered Daisuke. "There's not enough time now, but after school we should see if Nabiki has any information to sell on Ranma."
As Akane sat down with her best friends Sayuri and Yuka, she could see how eager they were to talk about Ranma. "So spill, girl," began Sayuri. "Who is this Ranma guy you showed up with and who happens to be watching us right now." Akane resisted the urge to turn around and look for him as her cheeks turned slightly pink at learning that Ranma was watching her. "Yeah," piped in Yuka, "is he your boyfriend? I know it was school break and all, but you should tell your best friends when you start dating someone."
Akane nearly choked on her food. "It's not like that!" she insisted. "I only met him yesterday."
"Interesting," commented Sayuri. "It's not like you to warm up to a guy this quickly. How exactly did you meet?"
"Well..." began Akane slowly and nervously, "he and his mom are going to be living with my family for a while. His father and mine are old friends and martial arts training partners. However, Ranma's father abused him, and as a result of the trauma he's had trouble making any real friends. His mom thought it best to bring him to my family hoping my sisters and I could befriend him. He's actually a pretty nice guy and jumped at the chance to be friends with Kasumi and me, although he's understandably not too fond of Nabiki." Akane paused then added, "Don't tell anyone else what I told you about his father, and don't mention it to Ranma. He doesn't need any reminders of that."
Yuka nodded thoughtfully then asked, "So if his father and yours trained together, does that mean he's a martial artist, too? Is he anywhere near your level?"
Akane surprised them with her response. "Actually, he's a lot better than I am. He's even started teaching me a few things. While I'm disappointed that I'm no longer the best martial artist around, it's exciting to finally have someone to train with again."
"Well, call him over here," suggested Sayuri. "I want to meet this guy myself. If you're not interested in him, I may just ask him out myself. Besides, it looks like he could use an escape from Hiroshi and Daisuke over there. It looks like he's really getting uncomfortable."
Akane shook her head as she said, "I don't even want to think about what those two perverts are saying to him." She turned and quickly noticed Ranma unhappily talking to the two other boys. 'Yeah, I definitely need to get him out of there.' She began waving him over. "Ranma, come over here and join us. My friends want to meet you."
"Yo, what's up, Akane?" Ranma asked as he sat with the three girls. "Ranma, these are my best friends, Sayuri and Yuka," Akane introduced as she pointed them both out in turn.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ranma Saotome," responded Ranma with a smile. "I'm sort of a house guest of the Tendos for a while."
"Yeah, Akane was telling us some things about you. Are you really that good of a martial artist?" asked Yuka.
"Oh yeah, I'm the best," responded Ranma confidently. "Although, that's nothing against Akane's skills. She shows more potential than anyone I know other than myself."
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Sayuri suddenly blurted out with a huge blush on her face, having momentarily forgotten how Akane had mentioned that Ranma didn't really have any friends before now.
Ranma and Akane both sweatdropped with nervous looks on their faces. Akane leaned over to Ranma and whispered, "Can I tell them about you know what? They're my best friends, and everyone will find out soon enough, anyway." Ranma slowly nodded.
"Okay, what's this about?" asked Yuka with a grin. "What haven't you told us?"
"Well, you see," began Akane. She nervously gulped before continuing. "Our families have this agreement in place from before we were born, and so Ranma and I are...sort of...engaged to be married."
"WHAT?!" shouted Sayuri and Yuka in unison.
"Shhh!" cautioned Akane as other students were now staring at them. "I don't want the school to know about this yet. Give us a day of peace before everything goes to h***."
"Akane, are you okay with this?" asked Sayuri. "I don't know what I'd do if I were expected to eventually fulfill an arranged marriage to a guy I had just met."
Akane sighed. "No, neither of us are okay with it, but we've accepted that there's nothing we can do about it for now. I agreed to be Ranma's friend, and I'm not going back on that just because of this. At least I'm not stuck with some total jerk and pervert, and who knows how things will work out between us once we know each other better?"
After a few more minutes of lighter conversation, the warning bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Ranma got up and began walking back to class. As Akane began to follow, Yuka grabbed her arm to hold her back as Sayuri stood nearby. "Wait up, Akane," Yuka said. "I know you, and I think you're already starting to like Ranma as more than just a friend. Maybe this engagement won't be a problem for you after all."
Akane blushed. "Well, I don't know about that," she said, "but I do like him more than any other guy my own age. For one thing, after spending the day with us yesterday, he was given the choice of which Tendo daughter he wanted for his fiancée, and he actually picked me." As Akane ran off, her two friends followed behind, Yuka with a knowing smile and Sayuri pouting that the new school hunk was effectively already taken.
Later that afternoon, the whole school gathered in the gymnasium for an orientation assembly. As part of the assembly, there was a little speech contest.
Ranma was bored and tuned out most of the speeches, but then he couldn't help listening as a junior named Tatewaki Kuno, dressed in some strange kendo robes, began to speak. He started laughing quietly at how this guy was doing his best to mangle Shakespeare, but he no longer felt like laughing once Kuno got to the main point of his speech: "If you wish to take Akane out...defeat her! I will permit no other terms!"
Ranma's and Akane's jaws both hit the ground. Ranma turned to Akane and said, "Please tell me he's talking about a different Akane."
Akane had her forehead in her hand. "I wish he was," she responded. "He's been obsessed with me for a couple of years now. He's a delusional loon who doesn't take 'no' for an answer. It was so much better when we were in different schools this past year."
"Well, if he's such an idiot, then at least you won't have worry about anyone taking him seriously," observed Ranma.
Ranma had no idea just how mistaken he was. As they walked out the front doors of the school to go home, they found their way blocked by a few dozen boys in the front courtyard, most of them armed with some kind of sporting equipment. One of them shouted, "Akane Tendo, you can't beat all of us!"
Ranma facepalmed. "You have got to be kidding me! How the heck are you so popular with the boys?!"
Akane shrugged, "I really don't know. It's not like I'm 'easy' or anything. It's just always been that way for me ever since the guys my age started noticing girls." She settled into a fighting stance. "I can take them, though, and it'll be good practice. Don't help unless I get in trouble."
Ranma nodded and sat down to watch. He was impressed as she took them all down easily in less than a minute. 'At least that'll teach 'em to back off,' he thought.
Suddenly, a projectile was thrown at Akane. She dodged it instinctively only to discover it wasn't a weapon at all but a red rose. From behind a tree stepped the instigator himself holding a bokken. "What fools these mortals be!" he proclaimed. "Surely, they must know that only I, Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, captain of the kendo club and the Shooting Star of Furinkan High, can defeat thee. Come, Akane Tendo, let us spar."
Ranma watched as Akane and Kuno fought. 'Hmm, this Kuno guy's not bad. I can tell he's holding back. He might actually be a challenge for Akane if he fought seriously. I wish I had some popcorn right now.'
Before long, Kuno was disarmed and sent tumbling to the ground, conscious but no longer able to fight.
Ranma walked forward to join his victorious fiancée. "Good job, Akane. You really kept your focus there. I call dibs on him next if he's foolish enough to keep harassing you, though. Nobody treats my friends like that and gets away with it."
"Sure, you can have the next crack at him," Akane agreed. "Let's go home. Kasumi said she'd have cookies ready for us after our first day."
Still on the ground, Kuno pondered what he had just heard between his goddess Akane and this strange new boy with a pigtail. "Who is that man, and why is he so friendly with Akane?" he asked himself. "None must stand in the way of my pursuit of the fierce tigress. I must seek out her mercenary sister and find out who he is." Eventually, he managed to pull himself to his feet and went in search of Nabiki, who always stayed late to work on her various "businesses."
Nabiki was waving down the crowd of people around her, which included Hiroshi and Daisuke. When she finally got them settled down, she announced, "I know you're curious about Ranma, but we're going to do this in an orderly fashion. First of all, if anyone is here to see me about something else, please step aside, and I'll deal with you later." Nobody moved. "Now this is how it's going to work," Nabiki continued. "I will tell everyone everything I can but not until I get a pot of 100,000 yen. If you can't or won't combine your funds to reach that amount, then I'll say nothing and return the money."
The gathered students grumbled at the price but still began offering up as much as they were willing to add to the pot. By the time everyone had added to the pot, they were still well short of the goal, however. "C'mon people, only 67,500 more yen to hear the story of Ranma Saotome," Nabiki teased.
"I'll cover the balance, assuming this Ranma Saotome is the name of that pig-tailed boy the fair Akane Tendo suddenly seems fond of" said a disgusted voice as Kuno limped into the room. He quickly wrote out a check and handed it to Nabiki. Nabiki smiled a predator-like grin having known Kuno wouldn't be able to resist doing just as he had.
"What's the matter, Kuno-baby?" Nabiki asked sarcastically. "You look like you're hurt. Did my sister beat you up, or did Ranma get involved and do that to you?"
"It was indeed the fierce tigress Akane who defeated me, but surely you jest if you believe her pig-tailed companion could ever best a warrior such as I."
"Only you could proclaim such a stupid challenge, Kuno-baby," Nabiki remarked. "My sister won't agree to a date with you even if you or any of the others do eventually beat her."
"Enough of thy sharp tongue, vile mercenary. You have your money, so enlighten us," Kuno retorted.
"Well, first of all, let's make sure everyone is on the same page," Nabiki began. "You may or may not already be aware of the various bits I'm about to share. Ranma Saotome and his mother are currently house guests at my family's home. They arrived yesterday, and he and Akane already consider themselves to be friends. Ranma is the heir to the Saotome Style of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, the sister branch to my family's Tendo Style. He's actually even better than Akane and has been teaching her a few things." Murmurs went through the crowd at the revelation that he had surpassed an expert like Akane."
"Now the big secret is the true reason Ranma is staying with my family." Nabiki grinned. "My father and Ranma's mother have set up an arranged marriage between our families. Ranma is now Akane's fiancé."
"Fiancé!" shouted Kuno. "I shall never allow such a union to take place! I, Tatewaki Kuno, Shooting Star of Furinkan High, shall smite the foul Saotome when he arrives at school tomorrow!"
'Sure, you will,' thought Nabiki sarcastically. 'I should make a bundle gathering bets on that fight.' "Well, that's all I have to say," she said out loud as she started walking away. 'Of course, there's the whole thing about Ranma's curse, but he was smart enough to pay me to keep quiet about that. I wouldn't have accepted any hush money about the engagement, though, even if they had offered.'
The next morning, when Ranma and Akane got to school, they found to their disappointment that every single member of what they now called the "Hentai Horde" was waiting for Akane once again.
"Do you mind if I help out this time?" asked Ranma as they approached the front gate.
"You might as well," agreed Akane. "It's going to get really annoying if they keep doing this to me."
Ranma and Akane rushed through the crowd of admirers and quickly took them all out as they ran past. They came to a stop in front of Kuno, who was blocking the front entrance of the school. He once again threw a red rose at Akane, who caught it this time but then threw it down in disgust. "How many times do I have to tell you, Kuno?" Akane asked sarcastically. "I will never date you! You disgust me!"
"Fear not, Akane Tendo," proclaimed Kuno. "You will be able to express your true feelings of love for me once I have dealt with this vile wretch who doth invade your home and proclaim himself as your fiancé. You did say you wanted to fight me next, did you not, Saotome?"
The students who hadn't yet heard about the engagement started making a racket at the news. Ranma and Akane tried to explain that it was their parents who had decided on it, but the excitement refused to die down. Finally, Nabiki got everyone's attention and told them to settle down if they wanted to see Ranma and Kuno fight.
Ranma's face held a cocky grin. "Here, hold my bag," he said as he tossed said item to Akane. "My name is Ranma Saotome of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, and I accept your challenge." He shifted into a fighting stance.
"Hey, somebody's taking on Kuno," someone shouted. "Talk about dangerous," said another. Nabiki and her friends walked around quickly taking bets. While those who had heard that Ranma was a martial artist even more skilled than Akane were all placing bets in favor of Ranma, the story had yet to spread very far, therefore the large majority of the bets were in favor of Kuno.
Kuno rushed forward and swung his bokken with enough power to split the concrete wall of the school boundary, but Ranma had easily dodged. A nearby tree suddenly met its demise as well, but not before Ranma flipped over Kuno's head. Kuno turned and picked it up a notch as he continually thrust forward at near in-human speed. Somehow, Ranma avoided every single one of these thrusts so that the only damage done was to the crumbled and collapsed head of a nearby fox statue from the air pressure of the strikes.
Akane gasped in shock at witnessing Kuno's true skill level. She knew he had been holding back against her as he did against any female opponent, but she had no idea he was this good. Ranma was surprised as well. 'Man, I didn't think it was even possible to do these kinds of things with a wooden sword without ki manipulation,' he thought. 'Forget being a challenge. He could easily beat Akane if he really wanted to.'
As good as Kuno was, though, he still couldn't land a blow on Ranma, who now snuck inside Kuno's guard and struck his forehead with the fingers of one hand while he readied a punch with the other.
However, before Ranma could land his blow, rain began to fall, and Ranma was forced to quickly dash into the tress before anyone could get a good look at his transformation. Akane immediately began running for the equipment shed for a kettle of hot water to change Ranma back.
Kuno was perplexed at the sudden retreat and became even more confused when several of the gathered students laughed and pointed at him. "What? What is so amusing?" he asked menacingly.
Nabiki walked up and handed him her pocket mirror as she snickered. "Oh, Kuno-baby, Ranma already knows you just too well." Kuno looked in the mirror in shock as the word "buffoon" was bruised into his forehead. "I-I didn't even feel him d-do it," he stammered. He shook his head to reinforce some of his delusions. "No matter, Ranma Saotome is understandably a coward who would rather flee before my awesome might than suffer defeat. However, I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall draw out this scoundrel and finish him off." Kuno handed back Nabiki's mirror ran off in the same direction Ranma had left.
Nabiki smiled at this unexpected outcome. If Ranma could avoid encountering Kuno in his male form for the rest of the day, Nabiki's windfall would be much greater than if Ranma had won his expected victory. While there had been a few bets calling for the fight to be interrupted without a winner, it was clearly not an outcome most people had considered. With these thoughts, Nabiki entered the school and headed for class. While she would've loved to personally watch what would happen when Kuno caught up to female Ranma, her education was more important at the moment.
Luckily, Akane managed to spot Ranma hiding in a tree before Kuno could spot them, but Kuno wasn't far behind. Thankfully, the rain had stopped by this point. "I'll hold him off while you change back. Catch!" Akane tossed the kettle up to Ranma then went to confront Kuno.
Unfortunately, Akane's aim was slightly off, and Ranma barely managed to hang onto the tree branch with her feet in order to catch the handle of the kettle. With the kettle weighing her down, Ranma found it difficult to pull herself back upright.
Meanwhile, Akane had caught Kuno's bokken in her hands and performed a backwards rolling kick to launch Kuno behind her and straight at Ranma. Ranma had finally managed to pull herself up when Kuno landed head first on top of the kettle.
"You're still a girl?!" asked Akane in surprise.
Acting like this was a completely normal position, Kuno asked Ranma, "So, did you see where that boy in a pigtail went?"
Ranma shook her head and answered, "Uh-uh," which was technically the truth.
Not realizing to whom he was actually speaking, Kuno began spouting off. "That coward! Running away from a fight! No doubt he feared my prowess! He is no man! He is no man!"
As a particular sore spot for Ranma considering his curse, Ranma couldn't listen to him anymore and let go of the kettle, dropping Kuno to the ground. Kuno pulled his head out of the flattened kettle and stated the obvious. "That hurt, you know."
Losing the last of her patience, Ranma called out, "I'm not gonna hang there and take this! I can take you any time! Come on!" She settled into a fighting stance.
"Heh, amusing," Kuno responded. "Well, should you win, I will allow you to go out with me." He grabbed his bokken back from Akane and swung horizontally. Ranko jumped over the blow and landed balanced atop the wooden blade. "And who's asking to go out with you?" she complained as she took Kuno down with a single kick to the face. Too late, Kuno realized that this mysterious pig-tailed girl was even more skilled than Akane. 'Who on Earth...' he asked himself.
Ranma flipped the discarded bokken into the air with her foot and caught it easily. As a parting shot, she proclaimed, "And guess what, Kuno. Ranma Saotome's even better than me."
Once back inside, Akane guarded the door while Ranma entered the girls' bathroom and changed back into a boy once he confirmed the place was otherwise empty. They entered the classroom halfway through their first class and were immediately sent out for bucket duty.
Kuno ignored Ranma and Akane for the rest of the day while he thought about this new girl who had defeated him, this pig-tailed goddess. Akane was relieved to discover that the Hentai Horde had apparently decided on morning-only assaults and so likewise left her alone for the rest of the day.
That evening, Ranma went up to Akane's room to thank her for helping him out with Kuno once his curse had activated. He was about to knock on her bedroom door, when he heard Nabiki's voice. "So you really don't mind that he can turn into a girl?"
"It's not like it's his fault or he can do anything about it," replied Akane. "It's just this kind of attitude that makes him afraid to make friends."
"But aren't you afraid that he'll use that body to sneak into the girls' locker room or something? Aren't you the girl who's always complaining about boys being perverts?"
"Ranma's not like that," argued Akane. "When I accidentally walked in on him in the bath the other day, he was so scared and nervous as he explained his curse, it was actually kind of sweet. He was more worried that I was going to yell at him than he was interested in ogling me, although I can certainly confirm that he's not gay." She giggled before continuing. "Anyway, I believe him when he says he doesn't use his cursed form in any perverted ways."
"Whatever," replied Nabiki. "I do have to admit it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me as long as I had a hunk like Ranma to call my own. I don't suppose his gender-bending is actually a positive factor in your quick interest in your new fiancée, is it? Does my little sister actually swing from both sides of the plate?"
"NABIKI! That is not true! Get out!" Akane shouted.
As Nabiki left the room, Akane noticed Ranma standing just outside her room. "Um, Akane," Ranma began nervously as he looked down and twiddled his fingers, "I'm sorry about eavesdropping but I couldn't help but listen. Thank you for what you said to Nabiki just now, and thank you for helping me out with Kuno at school today. I really appreciate it."
"You don't have to thank me for that, Ranma," Akane replied. "What kind of friend would I be if I left you with Kuno in your female form?"
"Thanks all the same," insisted Ranma. "I'm glad my mom dragged me over here even with the engagement."
"Me too," replied Akane truthfully as she flashed one of her brilliant smiles.
The next day at school, Kuno decided to talk to Nabiki about this mysterious new girl who had defeated him the day before. "What?!" he shouted.
"Sure, I know her," Nabiki confirmed. "The girl with the pig-tail and Chinese clothes."
"Nabiki Tendo, can this be true?!" Kuno asked in amazement. He quickly wrote a note addressed to the "Tree-borne Kettle Girl" and gave it to Nabiki to deliver.
At home, Ranma read the note: "On Sunday, in the tenth hour, meet me in the second field of Furinkan High School."
"Sounds like a duel, huh?" observed Akane.
"Kuno-baby just hates to lose," added Nabiki.
Ranma met Kuno as invited in his girl form. As they were standing there, Ranma noticed something was missing. "Where's your sword, huh?" she asked.
"Heh, I have no need of a sword," Kuno replied.
"Yeah? Pretty confident, I guess," Ranma concluded.
"Confident enough to give you this." Kuno quickly tossed an item from behind his back, which Ranma easily caught with her great reflexes. To her surprise, it was a bouquet of red roses. "I love you," confessed Kuno. He turned his back and slowly walked away, while Ranma fell to her knees in shock.
The next morning, Ranma woke up screaming after having a nightmare about Kuno chasing his girl form while unable to change back. He shuddered as he remember Kuno's declaration of love the day before.
As usual, the Hentai Horde was waiting for them when Ranma and Akane got to school, and as usual they all fell easily.
Kuno came charging towards them as expected. "Together, this time?" Ranma asked Akane. Akane nodded. As one, they jumped into the air while still running and each delivered a flying kick to Kuno's face, taking him down for the count. They landed and kept running into the building.
In their classroom at lunch, Kuno gave Nabiki a panda stuffed animal for her to deliver to the pig-tailed girl, causing Nabiki to spit out her juice in Kuno's face in surprise. Knowing Kuno couldn't resist, she quickly became 3000 yen richer off a set of photos she had taken of girl type Ranma, somewhat risque due to the fact that Ranma only wore bras the rare times he would transform on purpose for a specific task (mooching free or extra food being her favorite).
Feeling less conflicted on sicing Kuno on her gender-swapped future brother-in-law (or is that sister-in-law?) than her own sister, she hinted that he might want to drop Akane for "her," but naturally Kuno was a big enough pervert to want to two-time them both. Assuaging her guilt with this minor attempt of persuasion, Nabiki then proceeded to double her take with pictures of Akane. She then told him how to deliver the stuffed panda.
As the final bell sounded, Akane was still a little miffed over the practical joke Ranma had played that morning. After breakfast, she had returned to her room to grab her schoolbag she had apparently forgotten to bring down (although in hindsight Ranma probably put it back up there). She had found her bedroom door ajar with a smooth wooden stick poking out and Kuno's voice proclaiming, "I would date with thee." She had screamed only for Ranma to come out laughing, holding a stick he had widdled himself and a tape recorder. Akane's response had been to grab the stick and smash it over Ranma's head.
She glanced over as Nabiki came in and told Ranma that Kuno wanted to see him. Naturally, she followed to see just what the fruitcake was up to this time.
At the meeting place, Ranma was surprised as Kuno dropped a stuffed panda in his arms. "Tell me why I must give this to you," he commanded.
"Say again?" Ranma asked, confused.
"'If you want to give her your panda, give it to Ranma Saotome,' quoth Nabiki Tendo," Kuno explained. "How do you know my pig-tailed goddess?!"
Ranma began walking away. "Forget her. Trust me, you're not her type. You'll probably never even see her again, anyway."
However, Murphy's Law of Jusenkyo Transformation struck once again as soon as Ranma rounded the corner, this time a dumped pail of water acting as the method of implementation, although the panda plush had thankfully been spared.
Kuno immediately gave chase, rounding the corner to find...absolutely nobody, as Ranma had been smart enough to immediately jump into a nearby tree. Unfortunately, that very tree immediately met an untimely end, as Kuno absentmindedly cut it down with his bokken.
As Ranma fell out, she was immediately besieged by Kuno. "How I've missed y-" He was cut off by a punch to the face.
"Back off!" complained Ranma. "And stop cutting down so many d*** trees. Do you want Greenpeace to come after you?" 'At least those branches are a good place to stash the panda toy for now.'
Kuno ignored her and proclaimed, "I shall never let you go!" as he glomped Ranma in a way that would later became a registered trademark of the Chinese Amazons.
Kuno didn't notice when a kettle of hot water was then poured over Ranma's head. "Too hot, Ranma?" asked Nabiki, who held the offending kettle. "Ranma?" questioned Kuno.
"Okay, honey, time to let go," complained Ranma as he broke away from the hug. "Do you get it now, idiot? So long."
"Hold, Saotome!" shouted Kuno. "Where have you hidden my goddess? Upperclassmen Kuno shall not be fooled by such trickery!"
Ranma and Nabiki both face-faulted. "Seriously, man, how the h*** did you ever get into 11th grade without ever flunking?" asked Ranma.
"Hmmm," Nabiki considered. "He just won't get it until we spell it out." She approached Kuno. "C'mere, Kuno-baby, listen. See, that girl there, her body, her soul, all his. You know what I mean, don't you?"
Kuno went ballistic. "Tyrant!" he cried as he swung (and missed) at Ranma once again. He then described a scene of sexual slavery that had Ranma about ready to hurl as Kuno was ignorantly describing how Ranma would be literally screwing himself. "You think you could rephrase that, Nibiki?" he asked sarcastically.
As the two alpha males continued to fight it out, Akane finally caught up. 'What is it now?" she thought.
Ranma landed a double-footed kick to Kuno's chest causing a bunch of pictures to spill out of his robe. Ranma snatched one to discover it was a photo of his own girl side. Distracted by the discovery, Ranma took a hit to the side from Kuno's bokken. Ranma recovered quickly and quickly snatched up the rest while dodging Kuno's blade. "You look elsewhere in the midst of battle," Kuno complained. "You do not take me seriously!"
Ranma barely avoided a quick thrust and did a series of backwards rolls to wind up on his head looking up at Akane. "I think you should know," informed Akane, "that when he battles a male opponent, Upperclassman Kuno is very skilled."
"Yeah, I already figured that one out," agreed Ranma. "By the way," continued Ranma in a voice quiet enough that only Akane could hear, "I think you should know that you should really remember to wear panties under your dresses. Although, thanks for the free view of the promised land."
Akane's face turned white as a sheet as she took a step back and crossed her thighs. "That was your fault, you pervert," she squeaked. "You scared me so badly this morning, I, uh, lost control of my bladder, and I only had time to take off the wet panties I was wearing."
"Heh, heh, sorry about that," Ranma apologized. "You can hit me later, but right now I've got an idiot to finish pounding." He charged back towards Kuno and once again dodged Kuno's "sticky" weapon as he performed what appeared to be an upwards arcing kick through a backflip. Kuno fell to the ground unconscious. Akane flipped his prone form over to discover several foot-shaped impressions each over a vulnerable spot on Kuno's body. Somehow, Ranma had kicked Kuno accurately six times so fast Nabiki couldn't see a single blow.
"Upperclassman Kuno didn't have much, did he?" proclaimed Ranma in victory.
"What do you mean? You took a hit too, didn't you?" observed Akane.
Ranma blew it off. "Oh that. Doesn't even itch." Akane tried patting it only for Ranma to double over in tears.
Akane smirked. "So he didn't have much, eh?" she teased. "Say, what was it that distracted you in the fight?" she asked.
"Kuno had these," he replied while showing her all the photos he snatched.
Akane knew where they must have come from. "My own sister!"
"Just making a little money on the side," Nabiki rationalized.
Akane growled and turned back to Ranma to see him looking at one of the photos of her.
Although somewhat flattered in his interest of her photo, she wasn't in the mood right now. "That reminds me," she growled. "You looked between my legs!" WHAP! POW! BONK! KRAK!
Once again at Dr. Tofu's clinic, where he never seems to get paid for his services, pretzel-Ranma was brought in by Akane. "Dr. Tofu, a patient for you," she called out in a eerily cheerful voice considering she had personally afflicted Ranma with his current pretzel shape.
"This is astounding!" concluded Dr. Tofu. "The wound from the sword is nothing compared to these other dislocations and contusions! This is brutal! What kind of thug did this?"
Dr. Tofu leaned in close as Ranma began to speak. "Not...not a thug. Went a little too far teasing a...a really cute friend."
"Just a little too far?" scoffed Akane as she blushed at being called "really cute."
Dr. Tofu slapped his knee and began laughing. "Well, it figures. I had a feeling." He then proceeded to describe Akane's signature style of physical brutality (joining the likes of Sakura Haruno, Makoto Kino, Naru Narusegawa, Kaoru Kamiya, and Kaname Chidori in the manga multiverse as really cute, completely human girls to have reached this level) as his popped Ranma's joints back into place as good as new.
As he was doing so, he commented, "You're Ranma, aren't you? I hear you're Akane's fiancé."
"That's what our parents decided, not us!" Akane argued.
"Well, it's too early isn't it? You're still children after all," commented Dr. Tofu.
Akane sighed. 'I'm just a little child,' she thought.
As they prepared to leave and return home, Dr. Tofu stopped Ranma as he was walking out. "Just a moment, Ranma. Fiancée or not, it's nice to see that you consider her a friend. She is a very sweet girl once you get past the rough edges, something I think the two of you have in common. If you can just be her friend, things will work out, and you may find yourselves wanting to be more than friends on your own terms."
"To tell you the truth, Doc, I do already kind of like her, but she likes someone else," Ranma confessed.
Dr. Tofu flashed a knowing smile. "Just be patient, and you'll get your chance. This guy she currently likes may not be very well suited for her, anyway." He gave Ranma a friendly pat on the rear as he pushed him out the door.
"What were you talking about?" asked Akane as they walked home.
"Oh, he was just saying that it's important for us to be friends, whether or not we eventually wind up married," answered Ranma.
"That's good advice," agreed Akane. "It's a good thing we're already friends. By the way, thanks for the panda, even if it did originally come from Kuno."
They walked in silence for the next half a minute or so until Ranma's legs inexplicably went out on him. He soon realized the good doctor had set him up, as they both enjoyed the close comfort of the piggyback ride the rest of the way home.
Author's Notes: I'm not happy with how close to the manga I had to make this chapter, but at this point of the story, I just couldn't think of any more reasonable deviations from it. Most of the chapters will have better twists than this.
I've pretty much decided to go with one story arc per chapter, so a lot of them will probably be pretty long, while some of them might end up quite a bit shorter. There will be some exceptions like combining smaller arcs or dividing up larger arcs such as the Cat's Tongue Arc. At this point, I've got a basic chapter outline (some parts more complete than others) up to the Sauce of 10 Years Arc.
Yes, I know the speech contest is only mentioned in the animé, but the manga doesn't really explain how Kuno made the challenge, so the speech contest explanation is just as good as anything I could invent.