Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Ranma1/2. I also don't own Sailor Moon which makes a small, not even actually a cameo, cameo...but hey, since I have several Sailor Moon fics it can't hurt to disclaim everywhere now can it!
Ranma-papa, Shampoo-mama
Chapter Nine
The weekend quickly passed and that Monday morning found Himeko, Shi, Shampoo and Ranma all at the front gates. Shampoo looked over Shi carefully, mentally cataloging what should be in her bag. Her uniform, a blue and white 'sailor suit' actually complemented the kitten-girls gray/brown/red hair which was done in a bun on the back of her head, with a long, loose tail spilling along her spine. "Shi behave for the teachers now."
"Yes mom."
Ranma glanced at Himeko and shrugged. Her own sailor suit looked horribly impractical to him. He didn't see how you were supposed to kick with any real height in something so short. Granted he was still trying to figure out why she had her hair done up in two odango-meatball-looking things but shrugged it off. Probably just something she saw in a magazine or something. "Have fun, and try not to sleep too much." Were his parting words of advice. The two girls then waved and entered the crowd of students entering the school, quickly finding the classroom.
"For it is written in the stars that I am the greatest, lest any were to doubt it!" They entered to find a girl posing dramatically, or melodramatically depending on your viewpoint, on a desktop. She held her psuedo-proud position until the crowd of boys and girls around her burst out laughing, at which point she grinned and bowed to her audience.
"He did not!" One girl, still giggling, exclaimed.
"He did! One kendo match and he's all pompous and stuff." The girl yelled, also giggling.
"Who?" Shi, confused and less tactful then Himeko, asked. The girl, brushing her straight black hair out of her face, glanced over.
"Hey! New people!" She jumped up, flipping over the crowd easily, and landed in front of the two new girls. "My brother, Tatiwaki. My names Amara Kuno, who are you?"
"My name's Shi." Shi replied, trying to remember where that name was familiar from.
Himeko recognized the last name, but shrugged it off figuring Amara didn't seem insane enough to be one of THEM. "I'm Himeko M.... Saotome." She blushed, having nearly forgotten the change to her new family name.
"Saotome... Saotome... Any relation to Ranma Saotome?"
"Um. He's my cousin... kinda..." Maybe she was related after all.
"It is GREAT to meet you! Your cousin drives my brother and sister both completely nuts!" she paused for a moment. "Not that that's much of a feat, mind you." She grinned then. "I'm buying you and your sister here lunches, okay!"
"Um... She's not my sister... actually." Himeko stuttered in the face of the open, happy aura Amara emanated, enervating to most and vaguely scary to an introvert like her.
"I almost am though." The kitten-girl was not inverted or introspective by nature so she liked the girl instantly. "Your 'Stick-boy' and 'crazy-girl's' sister?"
"Don't remind me. It's too painful to bear." She said, still grinning.
A boy came up behind her then. "Watch out, you're flirting with danger here girls." The boy said, winking a brown eye at them from under his glasses lens. "This here is the 'Prank Queen' of Nerima! Banished from three private schools and expert trap maker of the Kuno Mansion!"
"Shucks Kaji, you're embarrassing me." Amara said, through clenched teeth.
The brown haired boy chuckled. "But ignoring that, she's a great gal. I, by the way, am Kenji Jusahara. I'm the school papers star reporter!"
"And the schools premier hacker. If you need to know, he'll find the information for a price."
"Hey, I'm reasonable! I'm not Nabiki Tendo-sama, I just ask for favors!"
"I thought it was a million yen OR a favor."
"Naw, that's just for you, Kuno-chan."
Himeko and shi giggled as Amara stomped on his foot firmly. "So aren't you a little young to be here Shi?"
Shi just shrugged. "Probably."
When it was apparent Shi wasn't going to elaborate Amara shrugged her own slim shoulders. "Well then! You two can sit next to me since hacker-boy here decided to move."
"Hey! No I..."
She cut him off. "Let's be friends, cool?" She grinned. "I promise, any jokes I play are merely meant to entertain, and if anything bothers you I'll apologize through relentless use of ice cream...and I WON'T invite you to my house unless we become mortal enemies."
"Works for me." Shi replied while Himeko smiled and nodded. "Great. Here comes the teacher, we'll talk at lunch!"
_____________________________________________________________________________
Hiokai smiled when he saw his daughter along with the Chinese girl's brat and another girl. "Well it's about time." He muttered, getting ready to jump over the wall. A heavy hand falling on his shoulder brought him up short, though.
"Dishonored or not, you're my wife's brother so I'll give you the option of just leaving Genma Saotome said from behind the skinny man.
"Thanks brother-in-law, but... I'll pass!" Hiokai yelled the last part as he drove his foot back into Genma's stomach, knocking the bigger man back with a grunt. Genma growled like his cursed form and countered with a forward stomp kick to the little mans spine, driving him in to the brick wall. Never one to confuse a street fight with fair play, he followed up by driving a fist into Hiokai's kidney while he was still stunned.
Unfortunately for Genma, he was tougher then he looked, and drove a rough elbow into his brother-in-laws head. Genma stumbled down the length of the wall a few paces, but blocked the punch-punch-kick combo the small man delivered, retaliating with a foot sweep but missing when Hiokai hopped away.
"Razor Wind!" Hiokai yelled, swinging his open hand across and up as if slapping an invisible foe. Dozens of tiny ki blades flew out, nicking Genma in a dozen different places and shredding his gi.
"Nice trick!" Genma growled. "Now try mine!" He yelled, delivering twin Yama Sen Ken vacuum blades, the glowing planes of energy striking the ground to each side of the black clothed man, with dozens of jagged rocks.
Hiokai stumbled out of the dust, and searched for Genma shocked to find him apparently gone! He sensed the presence behind him only and instant before Genma's fist connected with his spine again, launching him into the sky. "Ha! Have to get up pretty early in the morning to top Genma!" He crowed.
That of course is when a section of sidewalk decided to give way, and to bust a water main.
Genma-panda looked at the sky and growlfed in an ursine plea to know what he did to deserve THAT, then he walked over and lifted the packages he'd been carrying before spotting Hiokai.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"... And not only does she have a giant alligator as a pet, but she calls it Mr. Green Turtle! Can you believe that?" Amara asked, then jumped in shock when a giant panda approached the three girls.
It held out two boxes and held up a sign in it's other paw. [Nodoka sent cookies...] it flipped over the sign [share them with your friends.]
"Thank you, Mr. Panda." The two new girls said as he gave each a box, then turned to lumber away.
"Um... I suppose you might..." Amara muttered.
AN: Ha! Thought I'd just have another crazy Kuno, din'cha! Nope! Amara's the 'sane' one, though she IS the real person to blame for a lot of the traps in Kuno mansion. Granted it's the family ninja's that make them lethal later, but I digress.
As for the Genma fight, what do ya think? And yes I know I 'said' Genma was weaker the Hiokai but that was Hiokai making the judgment. HE doesn't hold back while sparing, so it didn't occur to him that Genma WOULD. Genma is a martial artist capable of training someone like Ranma AND with a fair array of Ki techniques after all! Genma, for all his faults, is one hell of a fine fighter. As for using the sealed techniques, I don't really see Genma holding back when he just got Ki-whacked. He doesn't have that clearly defined a sense of honor.... No puns about what honor. He's the hero for once, so give him SOME credit! Just not too much.
As for the cookies, Nodoka informed him that she would give him cookies when he got home, but if she found out the girls didn't get their boxes, she'd put the hurt on him. She isn't STUPID folks!