Disclaimer: The following is a fan-written fiction, the views and opinions in this story are not intended to be viewed as those of the author. Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Inuyasha, and Five Pound Gospel are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi, property of their respective rights holders and publishers. Please support the official releases.

CW: This story will contain violence, strong language, sexual humor and situations, drug use, Moroboshi Ataru, and Happosai. You've been warned.

|Changes|

Golden Week had been, for Ataru, too short. It was for this reason that he was lumbering through the gates of Tomobiki High School with his hands in his pockets, lamenting how unusually peaceful it had been. Despite Mendō's stupid lunch-leaver plan, Ataru had expected the moronic little simp to still take Lum and the other girls on some adventure he could invite himself along. However, there had been no sign of him at all.

As Lum lazily floated overhead, Earth's Unlikely Savior ventured deeper into the schoolyard and scanned his peers for the other person who had been missing since that day.

Fujinami Ryūnosuke hadn't been seen since he'd seen her that evening outside of Tomobiki High School.

"Ataru," a very familiar female voice asked from behind him, causing said young man to abandon his musings and look to confirm it was Shinobu. "What are you up to now?"

"Nothing." The boy insisted, quickly looking around. "Just wondering where Ryū-chan's been."

"Ryūnosuke-kun? Why?" Shinobu didn't seem as aware of events as would be helpful. Her eyes narrowed as she suspected a motive of a less than savory nature afoot.

"Hadn't seen her around town at all during Golden Week," Ataru said, ignoring the suspicion cast his way. They were moving towards the school again after this, the girl measuring his words for her response. "Seemed pretty wound up too when I last saw her."

Shinobu's glare was not unlike a knife pointed at Ataru's soul. "What did you do?"

Defensively, Ataru turned his head away. "Nothing!"

Shinobu remained glaring at him, her head tilting slightly while he straightened and turned his nose up a bit. "You know full well I can have positive interactions with women. You're one, you dated me!"

"I remember, I was there," Shinobu said flatly.

With his nose still turned upward, Ataru's eyes gaze transfixed on the clear blue sky. Something, he realized, was off.

Floating into his field of view, Lum called down. "Hi, hi, Darling!"

Shinobu noticed his staring. "What is it?"

"Mendō usually starts dropping in by now," he mused aloud. "Don't tell me his stupid face is missing, too."

Lum looked around. "Oh, you're right!"

Her eyes had just finished rolling reflexively at Ataru's pettiness when she realized that he was right. In fact, there was a distinct lack of any craft overhead when the schoolyard would be overshadowed by it.

"Well… I hope he's all right," Shinobu murmured.

Lum floated down lower, nearly touching the ground as she hovered alongside Ataru. "Do you think we should call him?"

Ataru smirked at Shinobu. "Hey, yeah, don't you still have his number~?"

"No!" Shinobu quickly and vehemently denied. "I lost his number faster than it took me to lose yours, Ataru."

Ataru still took a semblance of pride from that. "Hah."

He kept walking to the building. "Well, with no Mendō today, I'm thinking about heading off campus for lunch. You in?"

"Absolutely not," Shinobu said as she followed. "We're officially banned from leaving, remember?"

Ataru scoffed at the idea. "What are they gonna do, send the army after us again? I think everyone is free and clear to just leave whenever, now."

"Not everyone is as much of a delinquent as you!" Shinobu rebuffed.

"Says the girl who helped lead the charge to fight for our lunch when the law came down," Ataru said smugly.

Lum took the opportunity to tease Shinobu. "Talking out of both sides of your mouth looks weird, Shinobu-cha."

Ataru held up a fist, and Lum bumped it with her own as Shinobu cringed from being called out.

Fuming, Shinobu lagged a little behind Ataru and Lum to glare daggers into the back of their heads. The hallway to their classroom had a very different atmosphere, with teachers avoiding eye contact with students who were openly glaring at them. The heaviness of the tension made it very clear that Golden Week's holidays had not lessened the bad blood between students and faculty.

Entering the classroom, Ataru was dismayed to find that all of Lum's Stormtroopers had survived the battle.

"And so we were there, cornered by the Black Sunglasses, being walked back to school… when divine providence shown from the heavens," Megane–leader of said Stormtroopers–explained to the other students. "Another group of students, including Natsuko-san from 3-7 were being taken back to school as well."

Kōsuke, seated behind a brooding Hokuto, joined his unusually large friend in staring unimpressed at the Stormtroopers.

Megane clenched a fist, holding it aloft, the light gleaming off his glasses. "It was in this decisive instant that I realized that between our trio and Natsuko's group, we had the manpower to overpower our oppressors. So! Taking command of the situation I boldly pushed a teacher over–!"

Ataru spoke over him. "And got tased by one of the Black Sunglasses before the tank we were riding rolled up and blasted the rest of the teachers with bean bags."

Megane turned to Ataru, furious. "I was getting to that!"

"Sure, Skorzeny, I'm sure the rest of the Letzte Battalion creamed their pants when you told them how awesome you were convulsing on the curb," Ataru said as he made his way over to his desk and sat down.

Megane prepared to haul off on Ataru, when Lum wafted by and his hateboner was overridden by his regular boner. "H-hey Lum-san! I'm glad to see you're up and about!"

Kōsuke was already done. "Boy, if you don't get your squiggly diddly simping head ass outta here, Megane."

"Monday was stupid and no one wants to hear about that shit," Hokuto agreed.

Megane bristled. "Talk shit all you like, but we should be sharing our stories of victory! The students triumphed over the teachers Monday, our day of revolution, and now they're ashamed to look at us."

Ataru, the very leader of the rebellion, rested his cheek on his upraised left palm and stared at Megane. "Can't steal Lum so you're gonna try to steal my thunder, right?"

Bringing a finger to his glasses, Megane adjusted them smartly. "No one's diminishing your contribution to victory–little as it was–but even you agree that this places us at a good position, right?"

Mulling over that point with closed eyes, Ataru could not help but agree. "Yeah, you're not wrong. The teachers actually being dumb enough to go along with Mendō's plan got a lot of us roughed up." He looked over at the people he considered his friends. "Oi, Hokuto, Kōsuke, you guys good?"

"My nose is still messed up," Kōsuke admitted.

Hokuto looked particularly annoyed. "My older brother chewed me out for skipping classes for lunch."

Ataru hummed. "Which one?"

"The biggest one," Hokuto revealed.

"Oof," Ataru clapped his hands together. "My condolences."

"Eh, what happens happens…" Hokuto then grinned before he spoke in a goofy, lighthearted tone. "My girlfriend comforted me after, and I got to spend the whole break with her."

Ataru sighed enviously. "Man, I wish I had a girlfriend."

Lum, who was at her seat, perked up and looked at him. "Ayo, what the fu–?"

Just as quickly, Ataru cut her off as he stood up. "Megane is right, though! We now have more leverage over the teachers than we ever had before, and I'm certain that in light of the complete failure of Mendō's nonsensical idea, that we will have more freedom–not less!"

The classroom looked at Ataru, a little more engaged than they were when Megane spoke. "This is our final year, the last waning days of our youth before we leave the shelter of these halls for the walled world that surrounds us, and its cruel and absurd expectations!"

He began walking backward, towards the front of the class, so he could address everyone. "Even now, some of you are lulled by the temptation of entrance exams, and career prospects… but I say take those notions and throw them out with the burnable trash! This is the twilight of freedom we will never know again, the last gasps of childhood that will only become a fading memory with the crushing march of time."

Ataru clenched his fists. "My brave fellow students! I'm pleased to report that Mendō's failure has reduced the teachers' morale to stardust. This brilliant victory is proof that our justice is served. With the massive embarrassment incurred, any authority the teachers may have left will be of no consequence. In other words: what remains of them is little more than debris. It is with confidence that I hereby declare it impossible for this weak host of faculty to force us to bend to their whims."

His electrifying words captured his audience, with Megane gawking as even Lum forgot about Ataru's smart girlfriend remark and was leaning in with interest. "Before us is the vibrance of spring, and a summer that promises fun, adventure, hope, and romance for all of us–except for you, Megane–"

Megane lit up in anger. "Ayo, what the fu–?"

"–And now we must use this time to teach the slow-witted faculty of Tomobiki High School a lesson they will always remember. Now is the time for us students to stand up for the future!"

Megane seethed. "Screw you, Moroboshi! You can't shit on my hobbies then straight up quote babby's first Hitler!"

Ataru smirked at Megane, who suddenly looked at him with gobsmacked fright. "Watch me."

The entire class jumped in fright as Ataru shot his fist to the ceiling. "SIEG TOMOBI–"

A hand clapped across the back of Ataru's head and down he went like a heap, a foreign-accented voice calling above him as he went down. "Man, shut your stupid ass up."

"Haaa-tatatacha….!" Gripping the back of his head as he hissed in pain, Ataru turned around, beholding the tall foreign man looking down on him with a feral air. "Who…?!"

The man was wearing a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt visible underneath the jacket with a yellow tie. His red hair didn't seem to want to stay in place, giving him a wild appearance while his dark green eyes pierced through the young man before him with a lupine hunger. "… You must be Moroboshi. You can go sit down now, the bell's already rung," he ordered.

Ataru got up, still rubbing the back of his head. "Oi! Who do you think you are?!"

The man gestured to himself. "One of them-there slow-witted faculty you were on about a second ago, Gihren-kun. Now, I'm going to say it one more time: go back to your desk and sit down."

Ataru looked the man over, bringing his fingers to his chin and thinking over the command. Looking the man over, sizing him up carefully… he pondered his odds of standing up to him before he closed his eyes. "Mmm… if you're not going to say it anymore, then I'm going to opt out of your request."

He pointed at Nick. "Checkmate, da."

The newcomer sighed. "Good grief."

The next thing Ataru knew, he was seated on the floor hard. The teacher had taken him by the shoulders and shoved him down until he was flat on his butt. He looked up at the man as violent tremors rocked through his body, throwing him off and paralyzing him momentarily.

"You can sit on the floor right there for the rest of class." He said before walking over behind the desk. "Oh right, time for introductions."

Grabbing a piece of chalk, he quickly wrote his name in Katakana on the board.

"I'm Nicholas Fontaine Sherman." The man introduced himself, blowing away the darkness looming around him with an amicable two finger salute. "I'm going to be teaching your class from now on."

Ataru blinked in surprise as murmurs spread across the classroom. Over them, Shinobu found her tongue to ask. "What happened to Onsen Mark-sensei?"

"Your previous teacher, Onsen Mark, recently received a job offer at a very prestigious private school back in Japan proper. He's taken it and already beyond the wall." Nick revealed, giving a rueful shake of his head.

Ataru still couldn't find his words, so Kōsuke spoke up next. "He just quit?"

"It was decided by everyone that he leave quietly as opposed to being publicly dismissed for his role in Monday's tomfoolery." Nick gave an innocent smile. "And that is where I come in. I'm replacing him as your homeroom and English teacher."

"Onsen Mark-sensei… gone?" Shinobu asked with a certain numbness, finding her breath grow a little faint as she tried to process it.

"Onsen Mark-sensei is gone," Nick corrected. "Goodness, you're a third year, use your words."

With that he turned to the board and began writing on it. "With introductions out of the way, I have a few more announcements to make. Hold onto yer seats and don't go makin' a racket because there's gonna be some changes 'round here."

Ataru could start to feel his legs again and quietly commanded himself to wiggle his big toe as Nick spoke.

"First and foremost, I will be choosing a new class representative—and no, there will be no election. I want to deal with a student I can work with, and I don't want you all gettin' ideas about spiking the spot with a problem child."

He turned to the class as Megane raised his hand. "Not to make life hard for you–"

"You already are," Nick noted.

"–But the class representative is Mendō Shūtaro, and as much as I would like to see him lose the spot… he's probably the only one you're gonna get along with," Megane finished.

Nick clapped his hands and briefly rubbed his palms together. "Is that a fact? Well, son, have I got some news you're gonna wanna hear: Shooter ain't coming back to school anymore, he's been expelled."

A pin falling through the air could be heard in the classroom as Nick finished speaking. The news needed a moment to sink in, be processed, and then met with disbelief, confusion, and denial. All of it exploding back at Nick as a singular, mighty.

"WHAT?!"

Ataru completely forgot about his inner Kill Bill referencing and was paralyzed with shock once more. His brain whirled as he tried to think of a response, even as his speaking faculties were still in the process of rebooting.

Mendō Shūtaro… Mendō… had been kicked out of Tomobiki for his crap? The richest guy in Japan, gone for something stupid he did…?

A girl stood up. "That's impossible! Mendō-sama can't be expelled, he's the–!"

The piece of chalk Nick had been holding smacked her between the eyes and she yelped in pain before dropping back into her seat.

"Mendō Shūtaro organized a mass gang assault on his fellow classmates, abusing the wealth and privilege afforded to him by his idiot parents! I don't give a rat's ass who he is or what he's got, you pull that kind of nonsense and yer gonna be thrown out on your backside with prejudice! This is a school, you got an education to be gettin', and if yer not too keen on that then the door's right there!"

He gestured to the door. "I don't mind havin' to teach a class with one student. As a matter o' fact, I'd be perfectly fine kicking my feet up on this here desk with no students. Y'all want to mess around and act like there ain't no repercussions? Then I implore you to drop out of school now. Y'all can figure it out on yer own from there."

Placing his hands on his desk, he leaned forward, looking down at Ataru, then up at the rest of them. "But if you're interested in learnin' and actually 'standing up for your future?' Well, shoot, I'm your huckleberry."

Ataru regained his faculties, but he remained still, his thoughts racing. Wait, wait… who is this guy? Who does he think he is coming in with that assertive attitude?!

He looked up at Nick, who met his gaze. No… you're not just gonna waltz in here and act like a cool adult. What's your real damage? Who are you really under this front you're putting up? You're too good to be true!

"You got something to say, son?" Nick challenged him.

Ataru slowly got up. "As a matter of fact, I do."

He pointed at Nick. "You're a fraud."

That prompted Nick to raise an eyebrow. "… I beg your pardon?"

Folding his arms, Ataru turned side on to him. "You're not the first teacher to come into this class, spouting pro-student fluff. If you think a forceful personality is going to deceive us into falling in line, then you've got another thing coming."

Nick pointed out the door. "Look son, I don't have patience for you. Either sit down or be on your way. There are plenty of combini and restaurants in Taian looking for workers and they'll hire dropouts."

Now Ataru was on the back foot. "Huh?"

The foreigner locked his glare with Moroboshi's gaze while his finger remained aimed out the door. "I'm not here to puff your ego or try to beat you into line. Either you are here because you want to learn… or you can get the fuck out of my school and stop wasting my time."

Ataru could suddenly feel the eyes of the other students on him. When he looked back… everyone was in their seat and staring either at him or the teacher. Even Megane was in his seat and silent; even Hokuto quietly had his hands on his desk. The only person who didn't look directly ahead was Lum–she was scanning the classroom in confusion, having never seen it like this before.

Quietly, cautiously, Ataru backed up and sat back at his desk.

Nick nodded to him. "You made the right call, son."

Ataru looked back at Lum and then at his classmates. The atmosphere was so different, like cold water had been poured on everything but it didn't feel refreshing or invigorating at all.

In just a few minutes the life had been stolen from the classroom.

This guy… Ataru thought. Just like that he's taken control! How are we supposed to fight back against someone like this?

The door slid open, and Nick looked towards it. He lit up with a smile. "You know… you are in past the bell."

"Sorry, teach… I had to take the long way around to get in," a familiar voice called from beyond the threshold, and Ataru perked up.

Ryū-chan! She's not gonna take this whole act sitting down! If there's anyone who can get fired up, it's this school's number one fighting girl, Fujinami Ryūno–!

Ataru's thought processes were abruptly cut to white noise, as a beautiful young woman in Tomobiki High School's dark blue girl's uniform carefully walked in and right up to the side of the desk. She was easily one of the prettiest girls that Ataru and every other male student in classroom 3-4 had ever seen in a Tomobiki uniform. The girl turned to look at everyone, her face flushing slightly as she endured the stare, but her lips curled into a joyous smile she was consciously fighting from turning into a stupid grin.

Nick called to her. "How's the uniform treating you, kiddo?"

Ryūnosuke let out a giggle, an honest to goodness giggle, as she turned to him, her skirt spinning with her movement. "Like a dream, teach! It's perfect!"

"All right, then," Nick said before shooing her towards the direction of her desk. "Go and siddown, we got class to catch up on–and we'll deal with you havin' to take the long way around soon enough."

Ryūnosuke practically floated to her desk, the new teacher deciding to take his foot off the gas and allow the rest of the class to behold her radiance. As she took a seat, a flabbergasted Shinobu leaned forward. "R-Ryū-chan! You… you've got a girl's uniform!"

Lum was amazed. "And you're wearing makeup… is that lipstick?"

Ryūnosuke brought her hand to her cheek. "Yeah, it's pretty crazy… the new teach got me this stuff."

Shinobu looked back and forth between her and Nick. "Ehh?! He did? Why?!"

Lum likewise looked back and forth. "Is this one of those… what is it…" She leaned close and spoke in a hushed voice. "… Candy father things…?"

Shinobu turned and looked at Lum in sheer horror, while Ryūnosuke just let out another giggle. "It's not like that at all! I'll tell you about it later but get this… get this…!"

She leaned close, brimming with joy. "He's a friend of my mother."

As Shinobu gasped and Lum brought her hands to her mouth in disbelief, Ataru was still staring at Ryūnosuke. In three days, Onsen Mark was gone, Mendō was gone, and Class 3-4 had a teacher who wasn't tolerating any crap. These were changes that under any other circumstance Ataru would be literally fighting on the side of the street to undo.

He didn't like change.

He didn't like losing the familiar.

He didn't like the dynamics in his life changing for anything, because it was NEVER for the better.

And yet… he finally got to see Fujinami Ryūnosuke in a girl's uniform, and smiling like it was the first time in her life she'd ever been happy.

Maybe this wasn't so bad.

Meet the one hundred percent overhauled Nicholas Fontaine Sherman, everybody.