Ranma and his twin sister Sakura, share in the curse that befalls Ranma and his father. The relationship between siblings is tested as Ranma and Sakura learn more about each other despite being twins. Can the schools be united under one banner when the Saotomes are in the equation?
I do not own Ranma ½, this is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi
Reviews would be appreciated since they will give me ideas on how to proceed with the story. I am trying to make this different, yet funny. I have read too many where the characters are at each other's throats. This is just a different point of view.
Chapter Four: Handling Challenges
I do not own Ranma ½, this is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi
Just began my bachelor's degree in college. Once I have caught up on the schoolwork, I'll finish the current chapter. Thank you for your patience.
Akane had a spring in her step as she led the way to Furinkan High School. Nabiki had left a few minutes earlier and Sakura and Ranma were walking alongside Akane. They were both walking on the fence next to Akane who was walking on the sidewalk below them.
"Why are you walking on the fence? Inquired Akane watching them.
"It helps us to maintain balance. As you know women have a better center of gravity than men do." Commenced Ranma.
"We're all about training so we never miss a chance to work on something that may need to be honed." Concluded Sakura.
"Why aren't you in the school uniform Sakura? I know Nabiki had one of her old dresses that could have fit you."
"True Akane, but as you know we have a problem when it comes to cold water and accidentally getting splashed." Looking around to see if anyone was listening. "I wouldn't want to be caught out in the rain wearing a dress, because when I change that would look really bad," Sakura stated as she was walking.
Ranma turned slightly, "Whereas I wear Chinese clothes, if I was to change, then I'd just be a girl in really loose clothing. My situation would be easier to explain."
"I can see the logic in both of your points of view." Noted Akane as they neared the school. "Okay guys, the boys should be waiting for me at the school. Sakura, when we get there, can you hold my bag while I deal with them?"
Sakura agreed. As she was speaking her attention was not on her but on the advancing group of boys.
"Sure, Akane anything you need. Are you going to need help with the group since you mentioned there'll be a bunch of them?" Queried Sakura jumping down from the fence and landing next to her.
"I should be okay, I usually beat them in time for class, since I have never been late since this has been going on."
Sakura noticed that Akane was confident yet nervous at the same time.
"Do you think she'll be fine Sakura?" Ranma thought to Sakura.
"I think she'll be fine, she was trained by her father, just like we were, she'll be fine," whispered Sakura not wanting to distract Akane from her prepared state.
The first of the group appeared and yelled out, "Akane, I will date you once I beat you."
Akane tensed as she heard this. She then threw her bag behind herself. Sakura watched as it flew straight for her. She was ready and caught it in midair.
The first boys, a member of the boxing team, and a boy from the Kendo team were the first to fall. The boxer ran right into a foot Akane nearly extended over her head.
"She's definitely flexible." Ranma thought as he watched the "fight."
The kendo kid, took a roundhouse kick to the stomach, nearly dislodging his spleen, as the wind shot out of him.
The rest were beaten just as quickly with a punch here, a kick there.
Ranma and Sakura noticed that she took a few liberties when it came to how she dispatched the boys. Since a few of them were checking themselves to make sure they were still intact. The unconscious ones fell holding themselves to ensure their nuts didn't wander off and abandon them since they lost so easily.
As the last one fell, Sakura and Ranma walked up to Akane and admired her work.
"Not bad, Akane," smiled Ranma. "However, you need to wear shorts under there if you're going to be kicking so high."
Akane blushed furiously as she looked at Sakura.
Sakura smiled but then said, "At least they were black today, and not a lighter color. If they were, some of the guys might have died from a severe nasal hemorrhage." She thought for a moment more and added, "Come to think of it, you could use that as a distraction the next time."
Akane laughed and so did Sakura. "I just might do that it'll save me some of the trouble of fighting them."
"Is that who I think it is?" Ranma asked getting the girls' attention.
Both girls turned and faced a tall young man, an upperclassman. He was dressed in the traditional uniform of kendo. "Upperclassman." Akane intoned.
"Akane Tendo, since you so easily dispatched this boorish lot, might you fight with me?" Akane kept her face impassive, but Ranma and Sakura both saw her posture change and become really tense.
"Akane, who the hell is this dumbass?" asked Ranma. He already knew the answer but was trying to get Kuno's attention.
"You. There! You are being quite familiar with Akane!" yelled Kuno pointing his bokken at Ranma.
"Mission accomplished." Thought Ranma. Sakura couldn't help but smile at her brother's ingenuity.
"It is customary for one to identify oneself, I shall begin then."
Akane sighed audibly and said for both to hear, "Here it comes."
"I am upperclassman Kuno. Captain of the Kendo Club."
Akane rolled her eyes as Kuno continued.
"Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. My peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"
"Have you ever heard of him being called that?" Asked Nabiki. "This is the first I'm hearing of it." Answered Kikuko. Nabiki shrugged her shoulders as she watched her sister and friends talking to Kuno.
"My family and I are staying at the Tendo's Practice Hall-"
"Under the same roof as Akane?!"
Ranma dodged as the Bokken swished through where he's been standing before. "It's a good thing I was ready for that strike."
Sakura just nodded as she watched her brother easily maneuver himself away from Kuno.
"Akane, is he normally this manic when presented with bad news?"
Akane nodded her head, "You want to see manic, tell him Ranma beat me, and he was a boy, then you'll see manic." Akane thought a moment. "On second thought I think you'll actually see him become unhinged and blow up taking half the school with him."
"I am Ranma Saotome, since you struck first, I accept your challenge."
Kuno's eyes widened as he saw Ranma landing away from him one moment and then he was in his face the next and he hadn't seen him move.
"Let me make this perfectly clear to you, asshole. Akane, Sakura, and I are friends of Soun Tendo."
Kuno tried to back away, but Ranma kept pace with him with every step he tried to take. "If you don't like that, the next few seconds are not going to be to your liking either." Ranma's face remained impassive as he spoke directly to Kuno's face.
"Holy shit! This guy is fast, I didn't even see him move." Kuno's mind quickly refocused and tried to regain his position of dominance, but Ranma was able to impede him with every step.
"Do you have a problem with this arrangement?" Ranma pointedly asked Kuno.
Even from the second-floor balcony, Nabiki could physically see the sweat appear on Kuno's forehead. Kuno feeling the sweat building up on his forehead, gulped loudly. Before he could think of what to do, he was hit away from Ranma and blacked out.
Ranma was so intent on Kuno that he didn't see Genma panda rush on by and knock out Kuno and grab him. He then noticed that his sister was also in his other hand as well as a kettle.
"Hey! They both exclaimed as they were taken into a janitor's room and placed on the floor.
"What the hell, are you thinking pop, that was a man-to-man confrontation you just interrupted."
Ranma and Sakura both did a double-take when they read the sign he was holding up. "Are you a man at the moment?"
"Of course, I'm a man, can't you see—"
Ranma's rantings were stopped when Sakura yelled into his mind, "No you're not, look down."
Ranma quickly looked down and noticed that he was sporting an ample set of cleavage, he didn't realize he had changed into. "The rain, I didn't notice it was raining."
"To be honest with you, bro I didn't even see it either."
Genma panda just held up his sign and audibly sighed. "You really need to pay attention to your surroundings, even during a fight."
Sakura and Ranma both nodded their heads since their father was right about this one.
"It's a good thing your father saved you two from having to explain to the school how come you changed in front of them from a boy to a girl?" Akane mentioned looking from Sakura to Ranma. As she walked into the janitor's room, she placed Ranma and Sakura's bags down on the floor next to the door.
"Hey bro, what's that mark on your neck?"
Ranma tried ridiculously hard to crane his neck to see the mark.
Sakura and Akane smirked as they both realized that somehow Ranma hadn't, that he couldn't see that part of his neck no matter how hard he tried to look.
"Ranma, you kind of look like a cat trying to find something it's looking for but can't." Ranma stopped looking and turned a blank stare at both his sister and fiancé. Sakura was still smiling but visibly flinched when Akane mentioned a cat.
"She's right bro, you really need to be more careful. Yes, you were quick out there, but Kuno must have accidentally hit you with his bokken."
Sakura walked over and looked at the mark, it was in the shape of the point of his bokken. "Another inch and Ranma probably wouldn't have a head." Thought Sakura examining if the skin had been broken.
"After school, we're going to have to have our local doctor look at that. The nurse here is just a hack, the only reason she knows what a bandage is because someone told her what it was." Akane said without much humor.
Ranma and Sakura just looked at each other. "I thought it was funny." They both thought.
Akane noticed the exchange and wished she could hear them when they did that.
"You really need to teach me how to hear thoughts so I can join your conversations." Sakura smiled and nodded.
"Aren't we late?" Asked Ranma looking around for a watch.
"Oh yeah, we are. Not bad for a first day huh," mentioned Akane as the twins changed back to their original genders.
Akane led the way from the janitor's room to the main entrance of the school. As they passed the courtyard, they noticed most of the group was still out from when Akane destroyed them earlier. Ranma looked around and found Kuno leaning up against a tree on the far side of the courtyard. He was being helped by a few kids that seemed to be part of his Kendo team.
"Kuno, you have to admit he is very good, to have been able to write that on your forehead with just his finger." Nabiki pointed out, as Kuno examined his head in her mirror.
"I don't even remember being touched, he can't even spell either." Kuno remarked, as he walked to the board and spelled out the word "dumb ass."
Nabiki casually walked over picked up the chalk and wrote the word "Dumbass," smirking as she did. "Kuno, this is actually how you spell it."
"I hate you, Nabiki Tendo."
"I am so glad, that saves me the trouble of having to care what you think of me," Nabiki said, as she walked back to her desk and placed her book bag onto the chair.
********** Meanwhile in Another Classroom **********
"My name is Ranma Saotome," He bowed and then indicated Sakura.
"I am Sakura Saotome. We are currently residing at the Tendo home, we just recently returned to Japan from China."
Both bowed again to the class, and then turned and bowed to their sensei.
"Thank you for that introduction, Mr. and Ms. Saotome, welcome to Furinkan High School. Despite this being your first day, you, as well as Ms. Tendo, will have to stand fire watch in the hall since you were all late in arriving to class this morning."
"If it wasn't for Kuno, we'd have been on time and wouldn't have to spend time in the freaking hall," grumbled Ranma.
Sakura just nodded her head. Akane watched them and became ever more envious of their "special" relationship.
"I know once you were cursed, you were able to hear each other's thoughts," Akane mentioned biting her lower lip. "Is there a way to teach someone else to be able to read, and project their thoughts?" I am really jealous when you two talk to each other." Sakura watched Akane and saw the pleading in her eyes.
"I believe that I could possibly teach both you and Ranma how to project your thoughts for me to hear and I can do the same for you guys as well." Sakura thought. "Since I can hear him, it makes sense that he should be able to hear mine. We just need to work on it." Sakura assured them out loud as they continued fire watch.
"How about this, before our workout this evening we'll all meditate and work on thought projection and reception. Is that okay with you two?" Sakura watched as Ranma and Akane glanced at each other before looking at Sakura.
"That would be great." They laughed again when they spoke simultaneously.
"I could grow to like this, it makes for a better relationship." Akane beamed as the Saotomes looked on. Ranma and Sakura joined in and laughed as well.
********** Nabiki's Classroom **********
"Why is this Ranma Saotome staying at the Tendo Practice Hall?" barked Kuno rubbing his forehead.
"My dad and their dad decided Akane's going to marry Ranma. By the way, Sakura is also staying at the dojo." Reminded Nabiki.
"Who is this Sakura you speak of?" Kuno asked getting a faraway look in his eyes. Nabiki noticed his change of expression and decided to play around with this one.
"She and Ranma are twins, they are both staying there, and she is currently single and available."
Kuno's eyes were slightly watered. "I need to meet this Sakura and make her and Akane date me, it would be only right for both of them to be on the arm of Tatewaki Kuno!" exclaimed Kuno disturbing the class.
Nabiki caught what he had said, "Don't you think you should ask one of them before assuming both will want to date you."
"Mr. Kuno, since you can't maintain your voice, go stand fire watch in the hall." Kuno sighed as he stood to leave the class.
"Remember Kuno dear, Ranma is engaged to Akane, and might not want you to date, my sister." Cooed Nabiki.
The rage that overcame his face was enough to cause a few of the students to clear a path for Kuno as he left the room at lightning speed.
"Fiancé, this is not possible, no one shall have her hand but Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School! I shall also have Sakura as my mistress to take care of my needs, it is only fair since I will allow her the privilege of dating me soon enough." Kuno intoned with a maniacal expression on his face as he raced down the hallway.
"Do you think Kuno will leave you alone now that I have his attention and he wants to fight me? Ranma asked.
Akane thought a moment. "I am not so sure, he doesn't usually give up that easily, when he wants something, he usually goes all out to get it."
"Define all out." Asked Sakura.
"Never Ranma Saotome!" Yelled Kuno as he started to throw the water in his bucket at Ranma and Sakura.
Everyone leaped away from the splash as they yelled back. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Ranma and Sakura and Akane all smiled as they heard themselves speaking simultaneously again.
"I shall not accept your engagement to Akane. That ripe flower is mine for the picking." As he walked forward, he noticed Sakura landing next to Ranma and his eyes sparkled as he turned on the charm. "You are the virtuous Sakura Saotome, I have heard about, when I am finished dispatching this ruffian, you shall have the pleasure of going out with me."
It took everything in Sakura not to hurl where she was standing as she heard Kuno speaking. "Why the hell would I want to go out with you, you perverted poor excuse for a man," Sakura screamed as she kicked Kuno in the gonads. Kuno clutched himself as he hit the floor.
"She is a spirited one." He thought as he fainted.
"Sakura you know how painful that is."
"I know brother dear, I said I wouldn't kick you again, I didn't say a thing about ruining the ability to reproduce in others now did I?"
"No sis, you never mentioned that, so I guess it's okay." Ranma looked from Kuno to his sister and noticed she had a satisfied grin on her face.
Akane could only watch as Kuno twitched slightly despite his being unconscious. "I think you may have caused him permanent damage, Sakura. I am not sure he'll find them ever again."
"Trust me Akane, they're in there somewhere he'll eventually find them."
Akane watched as some of the students in the Kendo club came out of the classroom and attended to the prone Kuno.
The rest of the school day passed without any major incidents. Most of the students that were male could sympathize with Kuno. Most of them had siblings and knew what it felt like to have their manhood kicked into their throats.
The girls were just dumbfounded someone hadn't done that sooner. They knew Kuno was usually an ass, but they never knew anyone that would put him in his place as Sakura and Ranma did just that morning.
Once school was complete for the day, Akane, Ranma, and Sakura walked away from the school and were talking about what had happened earlier in the day.
"Some of the boys were saying that you really should not have kicked Kuno so hard, he might not be able to have kids, ever," Akane remarked trying to hide her smile.
"I heard the same thing, but I let them know when a boy pushes them too far as he did, you can either push back or kick. Either one will get a result, but I picked the one that made my point clear to him." Smiled Sakura.
********** Nurse's Office, Furinken High School **********
"Mr. Kuno, have you recovered enough to go home? Asked the nurse as Kuno got dressed.
He took a deep breath before trying out his voice. "I hope it's deep like my usual voice and not high like a few seconds ago. Yes, I am sufficiently recovered. How long are they going to be swollen?"
"The swelling should recede by tomorrow morning, just please for the love of God, don't get hit again until they fully recover." mentioned the nurse as she put her equipment away.
"I will get my revenge on you Ranma Saotome, no one hurts Tatewaki Kuno as you did. As for your sister, I will have her, she will learn to worship my junk, and not kick it, I know she didn't mean it, so I forgive you female Saotome."
The nurse shook her head and wondered if she should refer him to a psychiatrist, since he may have had both the lower and upper brain hurt with that kick.
The kids returned to the Tendo training hall after a few minutes of walking.
Sakura turned to Ranma and Akane, "I'll get our meditation session prepared in the training hall."
0They watched as Sakura skipped up the stairs after leaving her shoes in the foyer.
"Does she seem especially happy today, or is it just me?
Akane nodded her head. "I was just thinking the same thing, I guess kicking Kuno put her in a good mood." Akane smiled looking at Ranma.
"The day she kicked me she did not seem happy afterward. I was a girl at the time, so I kicked her back and she fell like a ton of bricks." Ranma stated while suppressing the urge to smile.
"Ranma, you could have hurt her."
"Yes, I could have but I feel it was payback time for all of the times she had kicked me in the past. I at least had a chance to return the favor, and I took it like she did this morning."
Akane watched as he reminisced and cracked a smile before seeing her and changing his expression.
"I am curious, what was her reaction when she got kicked?"
"Reaction?! The only action she had was clutching her new nuts and hitting the floor. I laughed my ass off when she realized the pain she had caused me in the past."
Akane absorbed this as Sakura came back down the stairs dressed for their session.
"Get upstairs and change and then meet me in the training hall." Akane and Ranma nodded and headed up the stairs and changed into their workout clothes.
Sakura was setting up a small circle of candles in the training hall. There were three cushions set within the circle. Sakura was sitting on one of the cushions when Akane and Ranma arrived. She indicated each of the cushions and urged them to sit down. "I have no idea how long this is going to take, if necessary, we can do this over a few sessions if it doesn't work all right?"
Akane and Ranma shook their heads and muttered, "okay," as they sat down and assumed a lotus position, and prepared for the meditation session.
"Do you think that'll work tonight Sakura?" Thought Ranma.
"I think this will work for you before the night is out, but Akane might take a bit longer."
Akane opened her eyes, as she heard Sakura speak. "What did Ranma ask you Sakura?"
"He wanted to know if this will work and if he'll be able to hear me as I hear him."
"Oh, cool." Akane smiled. "You also said, it may take a little longer for me to hear both of you right?"
"Sakura frowned slightly, but looked at Akane as she said, "Yes, the good thing is once we get ourselves situated, we can both teach you to hear us." Sakura smiled as Akane brightened and smiled as well.
Sakura sat quietly for about half an hour and tried to send thoughts and afterthoughts back and forth to her brother.
Ranma was getting frustrated since he didn't seem to be picking up her thoughts as she was sending them to him. Akane sat nearby and watched patiently as they worked.
Akane could tell when Sakura was able to read Ranma's mind, she usually reacted and for her benefit, she said what he had said out loud.
Ranma on the other hand was visibly getting angrier and angrier with each passing minute. "I have never failed to accomplish anything martial arts related, I have ever attempted. Why am I having so much trouble with this? She was able to do this the moment she was cursed. What happened when she was cursed that I missed?"
Sakura nodded her head as she listened to her brother trying to psych himself up.
"Sakura?" Akane inquired watching Ranma's face turn beet red. Akane could see that he had sweat rolling down his face as he tried to concentrate. Before Sakura could answer her, Genma popped his head into the dojo and had been watching what been going on.
"Why are you not training? Just sitting around in the dojo like a bunch of cackling hens." Genma paced the floor as he berated the kids.
"Pop, we ARE training! We're working on something that happened when we were in China." Sakura mentioned.
Genma looked from Akane to Sakura and finally to Ranma. "All I see are a bunch of hens, around the table talking. The only thing missing is the tea." Genma laughed as he turned to walk out.
Before he could take a single step, Ranma jumped up and landed in front of his father and yelled in his face. "It's your fucking fault that we're cursed in the first place! If you could have read a single word of Chinese, this would not have happened to us!" Ranma fumed.
Sakura stood and was about to approach when she immediately stopped short.
"My god, he is the stupidest man I have ever had the displeasure to know. No one is that fucking dumb, nearly risking our lives, and our genders all because he couldn't read a fucking pamphlet." Ranted Ranma
"I know, I feel the same way bro." Thought Sakura.
Ranma stopped his rant when he looked from Genma to Sakura and immediately thought to her, "Thanks for backing me up, sis."
Akane watched as her expression changed from concern to surprise.
"Genma, can we please finish this, dinner will be ready soon." Called Soun from the other room. Genma again looked around the room before leaving in a huff.
"Sakura?" asked Akane looking from one to the other. "Did he hear you when you just thought something?"
Sakura nodded her head and slowly smiled. Holding up a finger to forestall any other questions from Akane, she thought, "Can you hear what I am thinking right now?"
Ranma smiled as he thought back, "Yes, I can. How? What happened that now I can hear you?"
Sakura thought for a moment. "I think it was your fury at pop for putting us through this that allowed your mind to open up. It is the only explanation I can think of." Both Saotomes smiled and walked up to Akane.
Despite not hearing a single word they had been exchanging, their optimism and happiness were contagious. Akane couldn't help but join in and smile with them.
"How is it he can now hear you?" Akane asked.
Sakura pointed at Ranma and told her, "His anger at our father must have opened up his mind and allowed my thoughts in. I have only heard thoughts since becoming cursed. Therefore, it makes sense that he should have been able to read my mind too. Well, now he can."
"Oh, so anger made him able to hear you. Will it only work while he's angry?" Akane wondered.
"I don't know Akane. Ranma are you still angry or are you happy right now." Sakura thought.
Ranma maintained his smile as he told her, "I am happy, and can you still hear me?"
Sakura nodded her head and Akane watching this smiled even more as they had unlocked their ability to communicate.
"I can't wait to unlock my ability to hear your thoughts as well Ranma and Sakura. I am aware that I was never cursed, but I hope we can do it. I just find it great that as twins you can be that close. Now in both mind and body."
"I hope so too." Was all the Saotomes could say as they echoed each other again.