It was on the way back from the snack bar on the third floor that trouble reared up it's ugly head. A blond pretty boy with blue eyes pinned Kiyone to the wall with a smirk she had seen too often in the other boys.
This was a playboy who wasn't shy about what he wanted...and from the look in his eyes she'd bet money that this idiot had heard of the Amazon tribal law.
Unfortunately he was in the same arena she had picked, which meant that she couldn't fight him off without getting kicked out. A fact this idiot apparently knew and took advantage of.
Fortunately, she did have one way of getting him to back off.
Xian Pu had a cell phone, and unlike Kiyone, she wasn't part of the tournament and had her sights set on someone else.
At the very least she could erase his memory of what Kiyone did next.
One minute the bracelet was on, the next she slid it off and hit a pressure point knocking this idiot out cold. Once the transformation reversed, she called Xian Pu.
This idiot had accosted her knowing she couldn't fight back without getting into trouble and thrown out. Odds were he was planning on it, hoping to score a little 'extra' in the process thinking she would have no way to defend herself.
He was just unlucky to pick the wrong victim with an extra perk.
Good thing Kiyone knew how to hold a grudge and had the perfect plan to put this bastard in his place.
"Hey Ranma, doesn't your Anything Goes specialize in aerial combat?"
"That and running away or stealing," agreed Ranma. His eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"That blond idiot in our next fight. He tried to pull something knowing I couldn't fight back without getting us kicked out. I want to send him a message reminding him that a martial artist doesn't use his skills to force himself on helpless women," said Kyo flatly.
Ranma's eyes darkened. He hated people like that, who used martial arts for their own gain and abused others with it.
"Here's what we'll do. I'll send that blond fool into the air where his fancy footwork won't save him, and you can use me as a launch pad to pummel the bastard. It won't be very high, so you'll have to work fast. In the meantime I'll deal with his partner unless you want both," said Kiyone.
"Both. His partner can't be that ignorant of that blond idiot's stunts, and if he is he's twice a fool," said Ranma. "You'll deal with them if they survive me and we'll be the tag-team to beat."
"You'll take the sky..." said Kyo, grinning.
"And you'll take the earth," said Ranma holding out his fist. Kyo bumped it with a grin.
"I think I have the perfect name for if we win the regionals," said Kyo.
"What?"
"Heaven and Earth. You do better in aerial combat, so I can send people flying into the air because of all the strength training exercises I do. And if they survive they have to deal with someone who regularly drags boulders around several times their own weight and knows shiatsu," said Kyo.
Ranma nodded. It was a vicious tag-team combination that would be difficult to beat, especially if they actually won the right to nationals.
Training to be the best was one thing, but it was entirely another to have actual proof you were the best. To have martial artists from around the world acknowledge you as an equal and not as some cocky bastard with not enough training under your belt.
His father claimed these competitions were worthless...but Kyo had needed a partner and felt they would have the best chance of winning if they did it together.
Kon Lon, who had listened outside the door, was furious. However she trusted her apprentice to restore the honor as much as she could while she was competing.
Kiyone could have killed the man if she wanted, instead she was determined to do it the Amazon way. Fighting the man fairly in the arena he dishonored with his actions. Even if he won there would be no prize gained. If Kiyone succeeded she would have gained the right to stand as a full member of the tribe...for the moment she was still just a probationary one considering she wasn't an actual woman.
Kiyone needed this.
Kiyone stared at her opponent with absolute disgust in her eyes, and Ranma wasn't much better. His partner, looked smug, as if to prove that women were lesser beasts.
They, along with the audience were in for a nasty shock once the fight was over. Kon Lon had agreed it would serve them right. Besides, there wasn't any rules about deliberately fighting while under a well known (if annoying) curse. It wasn't like people didn't know about Jusenkyo after all.
The blond fool, who she never bothered to learn the name of, actually dared to leer at her.
Unfortunately for him, she had something else in mind. And so did Ranma...who became a probationary member of the Amazon tribe with the agreement that if he did marry Shampoo he wouldn't be tied down the village...much like Kiyone was. It wasn't that unheard of for a warrior to travel and not be tied down, so long as he didn't dishonor the tribe.
Kiyone heard the names over the speaker, and the moment the match started she promptly pointed that blond fool and declared loudly for the entire stadium to hear "Hanamura Daisuke, I call you a disgrace and a dishonorable bastard. Let us see who's style is superior and restore the honor you tried to take from me when you attempted to accost me last night knowing that I couldn't fight back without being disqualified."
Almost immediately the entire stadium went dead silent. The other matches were paused after that declaration as every screen turned to the tag-team arena.
This was an honor duel, and it was well known Hanamura had a bad habit of going after the weaker opponents the night before to force them to forfeit or be disqualified for fighting outside the arena. And if the opponents were women...well. He wasn't very well liked for a reason. The fact someone was actually calling him out on it and willing to stake their school on it was pretty big...as Uotani explained it all to the other three, particularly Tohru.
If she lost she would have to live with the shame until she fought him again. Some people quit their school because of it.
"Bring it on Xia-long. I know about the Joketsukoku tribes. If I win you'll be mine," sneered Daisuke.
"Not in this duel sonny. This is a matter of honor, not of marriage. If you lose she'll have to pay the price of it until she can settle the debt," said Kon Lon from the area where the teacher sat. "Even if you did win you wouldn't earn her hand."
"Che. So she'd just end up cursed like every other weakling."
Kiyone said nothing. There was no point in revealing she was in fact a he cursed to become a woman. It would come out regardless of the outcome once this fight was over.
In the depths of her core, Kiyone could feel her chi gathering. She reinforced her body...women were not as durable as men when it came to taking a punch, but they were much quicker and far more flexible. And she needed the speed.
Without even a sound, she darted forward, catching the blond fool and his friend entirely off guard. She had little reason to reveal her full speed, but here she decided to put him in his place.
He guarded against her nimble fingers...he wasn't expecting her to launch the both of them several feet in the air, almost above the safety netting. Ranma used Kiyone's bent back as a launch pad to put proof of the Anything Goes style. In the air, she was like a falcon. Her punches left bruises and broken bones in their wake.
The two crashed, hard, onto the arena floor. Their faces were black and blue. And their bodies had clearly taken a nasty beating. And if they were even inclined to get up, then Kiyone would be there to remind them of what a bad idea it was.
The crowd was silent, but then those who knew of Hanamura's reputation in the circuit started roaring with approval.
Kon Lon lead Kiyone and Ranma to the room where Hanamura and his teacher were. It was time to disabuse these fools that the only reason Daisuke lost was because he took it easy on her.
The moment he saw her, he snarled. Then his fury turned to confusion and utter shock when Kiyone dumped water on herself and turned into a man.
"Next time you accost someone in a hallway, make sure you know what you're getting into. Because if I see you again I won't be so nice as to let you live," warned Kyo.
Realizing he had fought a man who was cursed to become a woman, Daisuke Hanamura never took up his art again. Kyo had broken him and forced him to think.
Kiyone and Ranma beat their next opponents, though without the fan fare of the beginning.
Though they did get more respect for how soundly they had beaten Hanamura, who wasn't well liked in the circuit for his habits.
Ranma actually flushed with the praise once the match was over. He wasn't used to being complimented for doing something any honorable martial artist would...or the fact his style hadn't been seen properly in years.
Despite their bellyaching, neither Soun Tendo or his father Genma had bothered to advertise the Anything Goes school like they were supposed to, for all they were supposed. Even if Soun had a dojo, it was rarely used and was costing them money.
Coming to the tournament at the request of Kiyone was sounding like a better and better idea the longer they fought.
"Now to announce the finalists of each arena!" said the cheerful announcer.
Tohru cheered along with everyone else when Ranma and Kiyone's name was called for the doubles arena...though Kagura cheered extra loud for someone named Ryoga.
Kon Lon had invited the girls for a quiet night of celebrating the fact Ranma and Kiyone had gotten into the finals. Along with the boy Kagura had been cheering for.
"Kampai!" said Uotani, her blond hair held back by a hair tie.
"Kampai!" said the others.
The only one drinking anything alcoholic was Kon Lon, as the others were either too young or had to fight in the finals tomorrow. Or in the case of Kagura, who wanted a clear head while she flirted with Ryoga. She was rather blunt in that way.
Tomorrow would be the best test of their skills. Win or lose, Ranma, Ryoga and Kiyone should be proud to make it this far on their first try. Especially Ryoga and Ranma, who never had a chance to compete for recognition instead of just fighting challengers who happened to be nuts...or in the case of Ranma, fiancees he didn't want.
Kiyone and Ranma were going to spend the day working on their 'heaven and earth' attack. It was pretty simple to explain.
Kiyone would throw the victim high enough to where Ranma would be waiting. Ranma would show off his skills in mid-air combat, and the victim would fall back to the earth where Kiyone would be waiting if they survived the first assault. The trick was that Ranma would use Kiyone as a launching platform just so their opponents wouldn't realize he didn't need one. That way if they tied Kiyone up so she couldn't act as a way for him to get up in the air, he could surprise them and reign hell from above.
It was a sneaky strategy, and one his pops would have approved of had he been told about it.
As it was, Kiyone was the closest thing to a real friend Ranma had.
However, because the fights were televised (along with the names of the fighters) they had a situation on their hands.
A ton of fiancees had come out of the woodwork claiming Genma had promised his son to them.
Thankfully for their sanity, Nabiki had come along with Ranma partly because Akane had refused, but mostly because Kiyone had mentioned there would be heavy betting at the arenas.
In exchange for a few side bets, Nabiki had more than quadrupled what she could have made in a year in Nerima off Ranma's fights.
And considering Nabiki was practically a lawyer already, just without the degree or the official papers, Kiyone had been quick to call her in to clear this mess up.
Nabiki all but crashed into the couch.
"That was a mess and a half. Thank kami that none of them had any official documents that would make the engagement ironclad," said Nabiki.
Kiyone handed her an ice pack, which she put on her head to stave off the headache Genma had caused them.
Fortunately she now had all the ammunition she would need to annul the engagement to her little sister. Genma had screwed up big time, either unaware or apathetic to the fact that there were actual laws about polygamy in Japan. There were only a set number of wives allowed, and he had far exceeded it with his actions.
The only legal marriage Ranma had in his name was the one to Shampoo, and that was because he had worked out an agreement with her grandmother that had a little wiggle room for extra females.
Besides, Akane was far too immature to marry her so-called fiancee right now. She had to get over her boy-hating phase and the fact she liked to abuse anyone stupid enough to date her first. And the less said about her cooking, the better.
"So does anyone have any objections to me beating the shit out of Genma when we get back? Or using him as a test subject for our Heaven and Earth attack?" asked Kiyone.
"No!" said Nabiki jokingly.
"The no's have it. Genma is going to get his ass kicked when we get back to Nerima," said Kiyone.
"Remind me to put that stupid panda under a pressure point for you and we can use him as a test dummy for your collaboration techniques," said Kon Lon.
The two fighters looked pleased at the idea.