Nabiki didn't see Ranma again until the end of the day. She had half expected to walk home on her own, but right on schedule he popped up, having switched back to male sometime during the day.
"You know, if you've got other stuff you need to take care of, you don't have to walk with me home." Nabiki said, not really wanting to tell him to take a hike, but at the same time not entirely comfortable with him transferring his usual observances from Akane to her.
"I can take off if you'd prefer." He said, not really looking at her.
Which was what I was trying to avoid implying. Nabiki thought crossly. Sometimes trying to get Ranma to not take things the wrong way had the exact opposite effect. You'd think growing up managing someone like Akane I'd be better at this. She mentally groused. "No, not at all. It's actually rather sweet of you. I just don't want you to do it because you feel obliged. I'm used to making the walk alone."
Ranma hopped up onto the fence, his hands folded behind his head. "Yeah, well…" He still wouldn't look in her direction. His voice kind of dropped. "... I'm not."
Nabiki smiled in spite of herself. You're paying attention to your own wants and needs for once Ranma? Glad to see not all of the progress we made is gone. "Well, then I'll try and be good company."
"Y'know, as long as you don't mind." Ranma added, scratching the back of his head self-consciously.
Seriously. Stop being adorable, Saotome. Nabiki thought, but she wasn't able to put any rancor behind the thought. "Well, you might have to put up with hearing about my boring day on the walk. I'm not much for walking in silence."
"Actually, I wouldn't mind that." Ranma replied. "You sorta already know about how my day went. I don't know much about what you have goin' on, y'know? Seeing as we're different years and all."
Nabiki felt a bit of blush rise to her cheeks. Being attractive to someone like Saotome she fully expected. She was rightfully proud of her looks, and confident enough to stack herself up against any of his usual girls. But being interesting to him… that caught her a little off-guard. "Not much to say. Beyond doing a little light research on our friend the Captain of the girl's volleyball team."
"I'm sure you meant 'Captain of the Girl's Championship Volleyball Team'" Ranma replied back in his best snooty voice.
Nabiki snerked, covering her mouth. "Ah, of course, my mistake." She rewarded him with a grin. "Seems she's trying to make good where her Dad failed. He was an Olympic hopeful who didn't make it."
Ranma blinked. "Oh? That's interestin'..." He said. "Rin said her Dad was an Olympian. Small world I guess, huh?"
"Rin's Dad is…" Nabiki stopped short. "Now it makes sense!"
"What?" Ranma turned.
"Oh please. You had to notice how she snubbed Rin!"
"Oh, sure. I just figured it was because she was stuck up or somethin'..." Ranma considered. "That makes sense though…"
"Consider it today's lesson in Social Arts, Saotome." Nabiki resumed walking. "When someone acts against what seems like their best interests… such as recruiting an amazing player for your team who really wants to play for you, when you're very obviously looking for amazing players? That's important information if you ever want to deal with that person. It'll not only help you if that particular topic comes up, but it'll tell you a lot about the person."
"Oh?" Ranma hopped down off the fence to walk next to her, suddenly very attentive. "What does it tell you about her?"
Nabiki felt another little flutter as his attention focused entirely on her, her traitorous mind dredging up a few memories of the last time he had been quite so focused on her. Stop that! She coughed, feigning clearing her throat to cover her reaction. "Well, in this case she's carrying a family grudge. She feels that Rin's father got something her father was entitled to, and even though Rin isn't even aware of the connection, she's decided to carry it over from their fathers to them. She feels strongly enough about something that happened before she was born and should have had no effect on her that she's willing to hamstring her own chances of success in order to deny success to someone she sees as an 'enemy', which is an irrational response. Tells me this was a very big deal in her family, enough that she's not thinking straight about the matter. Flags her as both arrogant and insecure, as she's full of herself to think she can get by without Rin, and insecure enough that she's not willing to take the chance of Rin showing her up."
Ranma blinked and whistled low. "Wow… I mean… I just got 'stuck up' out of that… But you're right. All of that makes sense when you think about it." He looked thoughtful. "So arrogant… insecure… family honor is a big deal… holds grudges… That sorta gives you an idea what to watch for when dealing with her, doesn't it?"
"Exactly." Nabiki grinned. "Now you see the difference between a beginner at this, and a pro." She smirked and gave him a sly look.
"Yeah." He said, completely without guile. "Honestly, I kinda wish I had started hanging out with you a lot sooner, Nabiki. This stuff would have made my life a lot easier."
Her sly look dissolved as she quickly schooled her expression. "*Ahem* well… circumstances were conducive to us hanging out right now, that's all."
"Yeah…" Ranma replied, and she could hear his heart drop.
Damnit, Nabiki… She sighed, wondering what it was about the boy that made his foot-in-mouth disease so contagious. "I don't think I would have been comfortable with it if I didn't know you as well as I do." She said, hoping to give him an alternate reason rather than just 'My little sister broke the engagement and dumped you on me.' "Spent almost two years figuring you out after all, Saotome. And you kind of have a prickly social life."
"I guess that's true." He replied, still a few notes lower than his tone should be. "Speaking of social lives… Don't you usually walk home with your friends?"
"They're not really my friends." Nabiki replied. "They're mostly my… associates. Usually we're walking together so they can give me reports on the goings on in Furinkan, or get instructions for the next day, or pass over the day's earnings. Keeps the truancy officers off our backs. They're a lot busier than normal with all the work I gave them towards defusing The Madness."
"Isn't… that kinda lonely?" He pressed, looking over at her.
She kept her eyes closed, refusing to let herself react any further to his interest in her. "Not any lonelier than spending ten years roaming across Asia with your Dad."
"Well, no. I mean, he's an idiot and a jerk, and always selling me off for breakfast or somethin', but Pops was always there, you know? But you… even when you're surrounded by people… it's just business, isn't it?"
She ground her teeth. "Saotome… stop."
"What? I'm just sayin'..."
She whirled on him, fixing him with a stern glare that stopped him in his tracks. "I know exactly what you're doing, Saotome!" She held her finger up under his chin threateningly. "You're trying to apply what I just taught you to me. Well, you know what? That's really not a good idea." She backed off a step and folded her arms. "Don't challenge the master until you're ready."
"I'm not!" Ranma held up his hands. "I'm just… I'm just tryin' to figure you out, Nabiki. That's all."
"Yeah? Well don't, Saotome." You're getting way too perceptive for my liking. She turned and stalked down the road, intent on continuing on her way without any further discussion.
"Is it… easier to be lonely?"
She stopped and turned to look at him. Her rancor bled away as she saw the look in his grey eyes. There was something familiar to her in them. It wasn't guile or inquisition or judgement. He was honestly lost.
She was silent a moment, the wind ruffling her hair and his as she tried to think of an answer. "It's better to learn to stand on your own." She finally decided. "If you're always leaning on others, then you'll never be able to stop falling over. You can't rely on someone else to prop you up, because someday they might not be there, and then that's your fault, not theirs. Lonely is better than broken." She turned and continued to walk away, finding for some reason Ranma's melancholy seemed to be infectious too.
000
"Ah, Nabiki!" Soun perked up as his middle daughter walked into the living room. "I have wonderful news! Your sister is coming home tomorrow!"
Nabiki paused, her eyes flicking over her shoulder at the boy who was just slipping off his shoes at the door. "Tomorrow? So soon?"
"Yes!" He rattled his newspaper. "Come now, I know you must have enjoyed being the baby again for a time, but you should be happy to have your sister home!"
"Akane is coming home?" Ranma asked, standing in the hallway.
"Ah, Ranma!" Sound said brightly. "Yes! And your parents are coming to stay for a few days as well. Isn't that wonderful? I'm sure Akane will announce that she's taking the engagement back, and then everything will go back to normal!"
Nabiki resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Yeah… sure…" Ranma said weakly. "I'm… I'm gonna go train in the dojo for a bit." He walked past Soun, his shoulders slumped as he slid the door closed behind him.
"Huh… I would have thought he'd be happier with the news." Soun said, concern knitting his brow.
Nabiki clenched her jaw a moment, then forced herself to smile. She walked over and hugged Soun from behind. "Daddy, I love you."
"Oh!" He smiled. "Well, I love you too Nabiki! What brought this on?" He chuckled, looking over his shoulder at her.
"I just wanted you to know that, Daddy," Nabiki said brightly. "That, and when I marry Ranma, I'm totally selling the dojo." She released him, stood, and casually sauntered away, heading up the stairs to her room.
Soun twitched, having managed to tear his newspaper in half.
"I'm afraid you deserved that, father." Kasumi said, settling down across from him at the table, setting a cup of tea in front of him.
000
Ranma moved through as complicated series of movements, arms weaving past each other as he pivoted on the balls of his feet, focusing on constant, smooth motions. The smooth continual motion of Tai Chi was good for clearing your mind; right now it was the best way he could think of to keep his mind from slipping back into the olds worn tracks he was tired of his thoughts running day in and out.
It's not like it's bad news. I mean… Akane has to come home sometime, right? He scowled, unable to keep his mind from going in that direction. He extended his arms into a wider, windmilling motion, his feet leaving the ground briefly as he pivoted and gyrated, and then back into calm motion, bending his knees and pausing before moving into another series of patterns. And she's had all this time for Mom and Pops to work on her about the engagement thing…
His brow knit. No… No way. Not again. I can't keep just… just sweeping it under the carpet. There's something really, really wrong with how Akane and I are around each other, and if I gotta figure it out… even if it means I can't ever be with her. Because if I don't… well… it ain't gonna happen anyway. He shifted a bit, moving to harder, more forceful forms, switching to a little Hung Ga kung fu.
Actually, something is wrong with how I deal with all of the girls. He thought, moving through punches and kicks, the forms keeping him grounded and centered. Why don't I feel attracted to them? It's the same thing with Akane, it's just… He slid into a triple set of side kicks, then back into his stance. It's like something is blocking me seeing 'em as… well… interestin'. Sometimes with Akane, whatever was in the way would slip, and… and there'd be a moment… maybe if I spent as much time with the others? But… I already know it doesn't WORK. Why was it so easy with Nabiki?
Ranma had always been secretly worried there was something wrong with him… He was always being accused of being a pervert, and had it as a kind of point of pride that he actually wasn't, but… why wasn't he? Here he had all the opportunities in the world… sure, some of it was because of his girl side, that he could empathize, and he knew how violating stuff like getting groped or peeped on was. But at the same time he didn't mind guys admiring his girl side. But he never really looked himself, even though he knew even a casual admiring glance would be welcomed by any of his fiancees… even Akane.
It wasn't that that kind of stuff didn't interest him. And then he was back to Nabiki. Alone together on the beach, Nabiki got real interesting real fast. Why? Nabiki was pretty… gorgeous, even, but objectively speaking so were the other girls. So why nothing?
He slipped into another stance, which should have gone to a rising uppercut, but feeling a bit cheeky he modified it, twisting around and pivoting his upper body to give extra strength to smashing an imaginary ball out of the air and onto the court on the other side of an imaginary net.
"Funny. I don't remember kung fu having a volleyball spike as part of any of the katas." A voice commented dryly from the side.
He started, losing his balance and nearly falling over, stumbling. "A-ah! Nabiki!" he hopped on one foot, arms windmilling as he tried to recover.
She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching him, usual smirk in place. What was unusual though as she was wearing a yellow gi, which was a little short in the arms and legs. "You might want to work on the dismount as well."
"Nabiki?" He repeated, gaping, eyes wide. He blinked, but she was still there. In a training gi. He felt the color rise in his cheeks, shook his head and stammered, looking away. "I d-didn't know you trained."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. Are you kidding me? He's seen me in swimsuits, eveningwear and I think he's even seen me in the altogether once or twice, and it's a training gi that does it?!
Tease him.
She smirked and pushed off the wall. "You offered to train me, remember?" She purred, taking a few steps forward. "Or did you forget?"
"No, I mean… i-it's been a long day… I just… you're right, I mean…" He babbled, stiffening as she took a couple more steps closer, his voice breaking a little like it did when he was feeling particularly cornered. "Areyousureyouwanttodothisnow?"
Holy cow, I think I've stumbled onto one of poor Ranma's fetishes. No wonder he could never bring himself to seriously train with Akane. She smirked, also feeling a bit of a warm flush. Or maybe not. Never seen him like this all the times he's watched Akane train.
Maybe it's just me.
"Why not? My evening is free." She took a few more steps towards him. "Why, did you have other plans?"
"Yes! I mean no! I mean… I was just…" He stammered, furiously rubbing the back of his head, eyes darting around nervously. What the hell is wrong with me!? It's just a gi!
Yeah, but it's Nabiki in a gi.
She stepped closer to him, enough that she had to look up at him. "Well? Then teach! This is part of the deal, right?" She half-lidded her eyes. "Unless you're too distracted by something?"
"No! I mean, I'm fine! I mean it's fine! I mean there is no 'it'!" He stammered.
"Good." She said. She settled into a lazy stance, half-remembered from when her father had briefly taught them all some basic self-defense. "So… how shall we start, sensei?"
Ranma grunted and quickly pinched his nose shut. No! I am NOT going to pull a Ryouga! It's just a gi! It doesn't matter who's in it! It's not sexy! WHY AM I BEING STUPID ABOUT THIS!? He gritted his teeth. She's here to learn the Art! Not for you to be stupid over! The Art comes first! "Okay… okay…" He took a deep breath, and forced himself to look, through the lense of the Art. "Your… stance isn't bad, but your balance is off." He stepped around her, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently readjusting her center of balance. "Too much weight on the…" He glanced down, seeing the front of her gi was loose and open… not enough to see anything, but something about the potential for accidents… "Nnnnnh… Too much weight on the back foot will make you slow."
She watched him as he moved around her, and felt something soften inside her. He's trying. He's really trying. The poor boy is so turned on he can barely talk straight, and he's still trying to be good and keep his promise. She sighed a bit, feeling a pang of guilt, and maybe a little something else. "Ranma."
"Mmmm?" He glanced at her, trying to look without looking.
"Would it be better if I worse something else?" She relaxed her stance and looked at him.
"No! Why!" He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head furiously again.
She crossed her arms. "Ranma, you're pretty obviously… distracted by me right now."
His hands immediately covered his groin and he backed up. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean… I can explain!"
Nabiki giggled and waved her hand. "Easy, easy! I didn't mean that!" She smirked. "But if that was the case… I'm kind of flattered. It's okay, Ranma. You're alone with a pretty girl and you're noticing the girl is pretty… and the pretty girl appreciates that you're trying so hard to be a gentleman about it." And that you think I'm pretty.
"I don't… I…" He trailed off and covered his face, beet red. "Uuuugh… Just kill me…"
She walked up to him and put her hands on either side of his head, forcing him to look at her. "Ranma? Beach Weekend Rules."
He blinked, for the moment unsure how to react, and too stunned to bolt. "Beach Weekend Rules?"
"Beach Weekend Rules." Nabiki repeated. "Whatever happens in the dojo stays in the dojo, starting with and especially this. No judgement or retribution. Okay?"
"O-okay." He said nervously, still blushing. He rubbed his palms on the sides of his slacks, not sure what to do with them, and realized his palms were sweating.
"Good." She let her grip on his head relax, but instead of releasing him she let her hands move down to his shoulders, loosely curled around the back of his neck as she leaned against him a little. "Ranma, I know you're attracted to me. I like that you're attracted to me. And I am attracted to you. And under different circumstances, I wouldn't be averse to acting on that attraction. But right now, if I did that, every trap waiting to spring in your life gets sprung, and every landmine gets stepped on, all at once… including the one hooked to my little sister's heart. And I can't do that."
"I know." He sighed. He tentatively let his hands rest on her hips. She unconscious smiled, and swayed with him a little, as if to music that no one could hear. Or that was only remembered. "I think… I think that's why I block it out so much. The girls, I mean. They're gorgeous… all of 'em. But I don't even think about it. I can't. Or… or I might do somethin'... or let them do somethin'... and then everything goes wrong. Doesn't matter who, or what."
"And I messed up that reflex because I made you relax it with me." Nabiki replied. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her forehead rest against his collarbone. "I'm sorry, Ranma."
"You couldn't have known." He replied. His breathing had slowed, and despite holding the most frustratingly arousing girl in his life, he felt oddly relaxed. Why can't it just be like this more? Why does my life gotta be full of bombs and traps?
"Yeah, I could have." She responded, looking up at him. "The Madness. It took me an afternoon to put it all together. I could have done that at any time. I could have figured all this out when it was manageable. I could have helped you fix the Shampoo thing the first time around. I could have helped you sort out the nonsense with Ryouga. I could have… I could have fixed you and Akane…" She felt a rebellious pang at that last statement.
"I don't think you could have. I would have had to be ready to listen, right?" Ranma replied. "I kinda… don't think I would have, if things hadn't gotten as bad as they did."
She chuckled softly. "You should have gone off and found yourself a girl at the beach, like I told you, Ranma."
"I did."
*Ba-DUMP*
"Don't be stupid, Ranma." She muttered, but her fingers started to toy with his pigtail, like she had that night. "If anything had happened that night… You needed something meaningless to blow off steam… unwind that dangerously coiled spring of yours. I couldn't have done that for you."
"Why not?" He asked, scowling in frustration. "You were there for something meaningless too."
"Not with you." She said softly. "How could I go back to just seeing you as a lousy freeloading houseguest after that? How could I escape this… this nightmare of a town and find the life I wanted if I had something that… that made me want to stay? Ranma… I'm halfway in love with you and all we did was kiss, and… if-if I let… if either of us lets… this go any further… I will end up dead… or worse… and you… You would never forgive yourself because you're you."
"I'd…" Ranma felt his breath hitch in his throat. Halfways in love… that's more than Akane even admitted to. "I'd protect you…"
"No you wouldn't." she said softly. "You'd try, but you said it yourself that time you caught me when I fell off the balcony. I'm just an ordinary girl. You had to let Akane fall to save me, and you could only do that because you trusted her to save herself. Whoever you're with has to be able to do that. They have to be able to save themselves sometimes. Especially with how things are in your life. If it goes bad, your hands will be full keeping yourself safe." She dropped her head. "And I can't live as a damsel in distress. And that's all I'd be in your world, Ranma. I can't live in The Madness with you and be anything but a porcelain doll. I want to be in my own world, where I can be more than just an 'ordinary girl'."
They were silent for a while. Nabiki knew she should let go of him, push him away, say something flippant. Just like he and Akane did to each other… Did they know that's what they were doing? She couldn't make her body obey, couldn't make her mouth form the words. Something defiantly wailed inside of her.
Mine! Please…
She licked her lips, which were suddenly dry. "When… when this is all over, Ranma… We'll talk, okay? If… if somehow things are different…"
"They won't be." He said bitterly.
She closed her eyes and hugged him more tightly for a moment, then released him, reluctantly stepping away. "It's okay if you don't think you can teach me…"
"No!" He said quickly. "No… I want to." He forced a weak smile. "Gotta hold up my end of the deal, right? Look, just try your stance again… I'll keep my mind on teaching."
She nodded, and moved back to the center of the room, resuming her stance. Things won't change, huh Saotome? Some small, defiant part of her thought. That almost sounds like a challenge…
000
Later that night, Nabiki was pouring over her corkboard map of The Madness. She had added in Rin, Riko, Sayuri and Yuka's pictures, clustering them with Hiroshi and Daisuke off to the side in a kind of 'normalcy' bin. She had refined her map of the gordian knot of Ranma's relationships, sectioning off the ones that were benign and even beneficial. There were sadly, very few in that section.
She had been forced to be honest, and not put her own picture there. I was never a benign influence on The Madness. I was strip mining it. She had set herself somewhat near Akane's picture.
The relationship lines were color coded. Blue for friendly, red for adversarial, green for romantic. Thanks to Ranma's efforts, she had been able to update Kuno's lines from Green and Red to Green and Blue, though she had tacked on a sticky with the word 'unstable' on it.
Her eyes flicked back to her own picture, and then down to the two pictures representing Ranma, and the blue line running between them.
Be honest.
She chewed her lower lip. Honesty is a dangerous thing, sometimes. She was pondering a dangerous decision.
She shifted another couple of photos around, then returned to her own. It's not just as simple as adding my name to a hat. To make this work, I'd literally have to smuggle him out of this world he's so tangled up in. I'd be committed, the potential for disaster increases EXPONENTIALLY, and I'd be in line for some serious repercussions if it falls apart. Is he really worth all of that?
Be honest.
She reached up for the board, hesitated, then pulled the pins holding the blue line between her and Ranma in place. She then quickly put a green string in it's place, pinning it in place, as if she was afraid it would slip away if she didn't secure it quickly.
She released the breath she hadn't known she was holding and stepped back. It was a small, almost unnoticeable change, but… it was terrifying. And thrilling. She was about to attempt the most dangerous theft in history: She was going to steal Ranma Saotome.
She felt a slight pang of guilt as her eyes flicked over to her sister. She paused, then walked back up to the corkboard, readjusting the pictures slightly. When she stepped back, hers was slightly closer to Ranma's pictures.
Sorry, sis. She thought. I know you love him. But you threw him away one time too many.
Her eyes flicked around the board. She knew she was essentially declaring war, and if any of the parties knew it before she had the whole time bomb defused, she was dead. There was a twinge of fear at that, as her eyes flicked over the trio of amazon pictures, but then her expression hardened.
No. Ranma and I have something in common. We don't back down from challenges. Her eyes flicked over to something else she had pinned to the corkboard - A pair of punched rail tickets, the ones they had used on their beach getaway. I don't want to live in your insane little world any longer than I have to. But when I go, I'm taking Ranma with me.
000
Martial Arts wasn't the only thing that the Saotome family was proficient in.
There was the Saotome School of Putting Your Foot In Your Mouth, which was always popular, The Saotome School of Poor Decision Making, which seemed to have taken on the whole of Furinkan Ward as students.
Today, Nabiki discovered she was now a proud student of the Saotome School of Waking Up Late.
"This is your fault, Saotome!" Nabiki growled. She hadn't had her coffee this morning, having to settle for grabbing a thermos Kasumi had thoughtfully prepared for her to take to school with her. Being late for school was not something Nabiki had ever had a problem with before. One had to get up early to make sure the day's business was well in hand before class started.
"How is this my fault!?" Ranma protested, running along the fence alongside her.
"I don't know, but it is!" Nabiki snarled.
The truth was, she knew exactly why she had missed her alarm. She had been up all night, pouring over her corkboard, rearranging photos and lines, and pondering angles of attack, trying to find a way to rebalance all of the forces to allow her to extract the two photographs in the middle without it all collapsing in on itself.
Ranma made a leap from the fence, up onto an arched doorway. Just below, an old woman was spreading water over the sidewalk to keep the dust down, narrowly missing Nabiki.
"Ha!" Ranma crowed, leaping down from the top of the arch…
… Right into the bucket of water.
Nabiki winced. She walked over and crouched next to the now sopping-wet and very female Ranma. "Maybe we should find another route to school at some point."
"That would be quitting…" Ranma muttered, lifting the bucket that was sitting on her head, pouting. Nabiki had to admit it made her look unreasonably adorable.
"Pick your battles, Saotome." Nabiki smirked and offered her a hand up. They apologized to the old woman (Who seemed to be completely unconcerned about Ranma's sudden transformation, and more amused by the whole proceeding) and resumed their run to the Furinkan gates, this time with even less chance of making it before the bell.
"We're not going to make it." Nabiki despaired. So far this year her attendance record had been perfect. A blemish now…
"No, don't give up!" Ranma called back over her shoulder. "We can make it! Just as long as…"
"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"
Ranma flipped out of the way as a yellow and black blur smashed the wall she was running on, sending bricks and mortar flying.
Nabiki came to a stop and scowled. "Yeah, we could have made it… if somehow this had magically stopped being Furinkan overnight." She folded her arms and leaned against the wall and scowled, preparing herself to wait out the epic Battle of the Bread Part 347.
Ranma landed a few meters away, squinting into the cloud of debris. "Oh come on…"
A familiar black-haired figure stepped out of the rubble, Yellow and black bandana and general aura of rage and malice making it pretty obvious who had decided to collect a pound of flesh from Ranma Saotome today. "Ranmaaaa!"
"Ryouga, why…" Ranma started as she heard the final bell ring from the Furinkan High Clock Tower. "Damnit! Ryouga, what did you do that for!? Now we'll get detention for sure!"
"How dare you just discard Akane like that, you heartless monster!" Ryouga pointed an accusing figure at the redhead, his aura already dangerously visible.
"She dumped me!" Ranma shot back.
"That's because you broke her heart!" Ryouga snarled. "And I'm going to make you pay for it!"
Ranma ground her teeth. "Look, Pig boy, this is really not a fight you want to start with me right now."
Ryouga's lips curled in a nasty grin, and he settled into a ready stance. "Oh, I've been wanting to start this fight with you-Ow!" He yelped, clapping a hand over his ear as something hit it. He turned to see a very angry Nabiki Tendo scowling at him, holding an armful of masonry chunks.
Normally Nabiki would never be so insane as to involve herself directly in the goings on of The Madness. But she was sleep deprived, and more importantly caffeine-deprived. Her rational, sensible side simply wasn't awake yet. "Look, if you want to pick a fight with Ranma, fine." She snarled, "Do it after class!" She threw another chunk at him.
"Ow!" Ryouga deflected the piece of rubble, then caught the next. "Hey!" He started stalking towards her, intent on taking away her pile of rocks so he could commit murder in peace.
Ranma leapt over his head, flipping in mid air, and landing nimbly in front of Nabiki. "Don't you dare touch her!" She snarled, causing Ryouga to pause a moment in surprise.
His face quickly settled back into a nasty grin. "Akane's tears aren't even dry, and you're already making moves on her sister? Well…" He cracked his knuckles. "... That just gives me even more reason to pound you!"
"HALT VILE BRIGAND!"
All three turned to the Furinkan gates, which were now open. Next to them stood The Rising Star of of the Kendo World, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan, the Bane of Watermelons,
Tatewaki Kuno. He was so furious he was visibly shaking as he glared at Ryouga with a purity of hatred that even Ranma had seldom earned. "Is it not enough that you have soiled the purity of Akane Tendo, and have bound the Pigtailed goddess to thyself through cruel contract? Now you seek to force yourself upon both her and Nabiki Tendo to slake your vile lusts!? On school grounds!? Is there no sanctity you would not defile!?"
"Wait…" Ryouga's eyes went wide. He glanced at Ranma and Nabiki, who were huddled together by the wall, as if… as if… He looked back at Kuno, realizing how it could look. "Look, there's been some kind of misunderstanding…!"
"Nay." Kuno straightened to his full height, raising his bokken above his head, his eyes closed. There was his signature crash of thunder behind him. He opened his eyes and glared at the Lost Boy coldly. "Do not dissemble with me, blackguard. Your fate was sealed the moment you dare set foot on these hallowed grounds! THUNDER BREAK!"
A second bolt of lightning struck the wooden sword. Kuno levelled the weapon at Ryouga, and the captured lightning leapt from the blade, arcing and striking Ryouga directly in the chest. The force of the bolt flung him backwards violently, slamming him into a tree nearly twenty yards away, the trunk cracking in half from the impact.
Ryouga wheezed, clutching his chest. His shirt had a large circular burn mark on it, and the tree itself seemed scorched, as if the bolt had gone right through him.
"Holy crap…" Ranma breathed, staring at Ryouga, then looking back at Kuno, who was advancing on the Lost Boy, his sword held above his head.
"When did he pick up that trick?" Nabiki pulled out her camera and snapped a quick couple of picks instinctively.
"I don't know, but Ryouga doesn't look good." Ranma watched, suddenly concerned. Normally Ryouga would shrug off the worst of attacks as if they were nothing, but he seemed to be struggling to stand, still holding his chest.
"He's using lightning, and he just hit Ryouga in the heart. He's probably lucky to be alive right now." Nabiki said. She kept behind Ranma, feeling a bit nervous as she realized there was some serious potential for consequences from Kuno's new attack.
"Now know the full power of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" Kuno raised his sword higher. "THUNDER BREAK!"
Ryouga dodged to the side. He wasn't as fast as Ranma, but his speed was still respectable, and should have been more than enough to dodge the bolt. But as he moved, Ranma could see the bolt curve, slamming into his side and flinging him away like a rag doll.
"Woah." Nabiki blinked, wondering if that picture would even develop from the intense flash. "It's tracking him."
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "No it's not…" Kuno wasn't following him with his eyes. Ryouga moved too fast, he lost track of him for a second. But the lightning didn't. Why? She glanced over, catching sight of Ryouga's bamboo umbrella. "Hey, Nabiki… does lead conduct electricity?"
"I think so. They use it to solder electronics, right?" Nabiki nodded. "Why?"
"Because Ryouga sews lead weights into his clothes." She started after the kendoist, knowing she needed to stop the fight now. That idiot Ryouga is a walking lightning rod! Kuno will hit him every time, no matter how he dodges! "Kuno senpai, wait!"
Ryouga was leaning against the wall on the far side of the street. He was already coughing up blood, twitching from the effects of electrocution. Kuno was already raising his sword for another blast, a confident smirk on his face. Electricity crackled around him.
She grabbed his arm. "Wait, Kuno senpai, please!"
He turned to her, and the crackle of electricity faded, though the stink of ozone lingered. The maniacal rage left his eyes almost immediately. "Pig-tailed girl! You've come to cheer me on in my victory against your oppressor?"
If by that ya mean tryin' ta keep ya from committing murder… "Kuno-senpai, please…" She swallowed hard. I can't believe I am about to beg for Ryouga's life… with Kuno! "... H-have mercy on him. I… uh… wouldn't… want you to… stain your hands with the blood of the unworthy?" She smiled weakly.
"Ah, my love…" He took her hands in his. "How I would love nothing more than to sweep you into my arms, and away to celebrate this new chapter in our lives. But… for that to begin, thy ungodly betrothal to this swine of a man must needs be put to rest. And so therefore so must he!" He released her hands, stepped back, then whirled, levelling his bokken once more. "DEFEND YOURSELF, BRIGAND! I WOULD HAVE A MAN DIE ON THE END OF MY BLADE THIS DAY, NOT A... Mewling piglet?"
Unfortunately for Kuno, the intended target of his ire was nowhere to be seen. In his place, weakly struggling in a small puddle of water was a little black piglet, wearing a yellow and black bandanna.
"P-chan!" Ranma darted forward and scooped the little animal up. The little piglet was shuddering slightly, and Ranma worried the damage Ryoga had suffered was more than the little piglet could bear. But he was breathing and making noise. Thank kami for cold water magnetism!
"You know this animal?" Kuno peered over her shoulder.
"It's P-chan, Akane's pet pig." Ranma said. The best cover stories were true ones, after all. "He's always wandering off and getting lost."
"He appears injured. Did that scoundrel Hibiki claim another victim?" He prodded Ryouga's pack with his bokken. "It appears it may have escaped along with the contents of whatever has made everything so wet."
She glanced over at his pack. Probably had a metal canteen fulla water in there, exploded when the lightning bolt hit. He's lucky it didn't end up hot. "Maybe I should take the pack with me. Uhh… in case… there's other stuff of Akane's in there?"
Kuno considered, and Ranma immediately knew she had made the wrong play. "No… your willingness to assist is most appreciated, Pig-tailed girl, but there is no telling what manner of perversion this filth has secreted away in here. I will call the Student Patrol to come and confiscate this for later thorough examination. Any items of Akane Tendo's we come across I shall return to her in person."
Well, so much for grabbing a kettle and getting Ryouga on his way. She cradled the piglet with unusual care, not liking how labored his breathing was. I really hope he'll be okay as a pig until I can find some clothes for him. She glanced over at Nabiki. I don't even know if Nabiki knows about the curse or not. She hasn't blackmailed Ryouga into next century so… I'm guessing not. She sighed and stood. "If… you think that's best, Senpai." She internally seethed at having to be deferential to the nutjob, but she couldn't afford to blow things now that she finally had a kind of peace with Kuno. At least not until she figured out that lightning bolt move of his.
"Ah, before you go!" He reached into his uwagi and pulled out an envelope.
Oh kami, please no poetry… Ranma wince. "Senpai, I-I don't think…"
"Here!" He proudly presented the envelope to her. "I realize your brother is not here to benefit from this, but given her admirable defense of you, I would not object to Nabiki Tendo benefitting from my generosity this day."
She opened the envelope, and pulled out two official-looking cards, rather than the flowery poetry she had expected. Both stamped with the principal's hanko.
"Hall passes!" She held them up, momentarily forgetting her previous trepidation. Nabiki came over and took one from her, whistling.
"Unlimited hall passes. You could use these to walk in and out of class however you pleased." Nabiki plucked one from Ranma's grasp. "Do you have any idea how much these would go for on the Furinkan High Black Market?"
"Not enough for us to not us 'em ourselves." Ranma hissed at her, reminding her of their current predicament. She could already see the School Truancy Officer glaring at them from the gate.
"Come, let me escort you to the gate and explain the matter to our good instructor, lest you be unjustly accused of delinquency." Kuno smiled and put a hand on each of their shoulders in a way that was far more familiar than Ranma was comfortable with. From how Nabiki squirmed next to her, she imagined the middle Tendo wasn't enjoying it much either.
"Caught a couple, did you Tatewaki?" The Truancy Officer smiled, shouldering the shinai he carried. He smirked when he recognized Ranma. "Been trying to catch this one for a while!"
"Nay, good sir!" Kuno glared at the man, enough to cause him to shrink back a bit. "These fair maidens are victims of the true delinquent, Ryouga Hibiki. I interrupted him attempting to force himself on the both of them just moments ago. He escaped my wrath, but…" He raised his bokken, displaying the damp yellow shirt he had hanging from it. "... It appears he is now adding public nudity to his list of crimes."
The Truancy Office adjusted his glasses and leaned forward. "Not one of our students? And assaulting two female students, right here on school grounds no less? I must admit, that is serious." He glanced at Ranma and Nabiki. "My apologies… uh… ladies." He looked a little uncertainly at Ranma, who did nothing to correct him this time.
"I would have you escort these two precious flowers to their classes. I would do so myself, but I needs must investigate further, lest that swine escapes righteous justice a moment longer than absolutely necessary."
The Truancy Officer cleared his throat. "I… uh… I see. While the sentiment is appreciated, Tatewaki, I can assure you that it isn't necessary for you to investigate…"
"Did I stutter, cur?"
This time the man practically leapt backwards, whimpering. "N-no! Of course any assistance you see fit to provide … I was merely trying to spare you any interruption of your own classes…" He withered under Kuno's continued glare. "Y-yes! I'll see to it right away, sir!"
"See that you do." Kuno said sternly. He released the two girls, almost reluctantly, then turned back to his task, his mind switching to the matter at hand. Forgive me, o divine pigtailed goddess, but before we can be together, I must rid the world of your foul suitor. I swear to you I shall gut him like the pig that he is!
P-chan sneezed weakly in Ranma's arms. She hoped that was a sign of improvement.
000
Ms. Hinako had been skeptical about the passes at first. Which is to say she had her coin out and would have drained Ranma dry had she not held out the thing like a ward again. Even then, she had been skeptical, and confiscated the pass, though she merely dropped it in the Drawer of No Return, where all of the confiscated cell phones, game systems, music players, manga, toys, and other confiscated items went, so at least she was reasonably sure Ms. Hinako was not going to investigate further.
"You know you're not supposed to bring pets to school, Mr. Saotome." She said, though without rancor as she peered at the piglet in Ranma's arms. Cute things tended to get a lot more leniency from the diminutive teacher.
"He's Akane's pet. I found him outside the school. He must have wandered off or something and gotten lost." Ranma said, which was truthful enough. "I'm just looking out for him until I can take him back home to Akane."
"Is he sick?" She peered at him, Normally she would be making a huge fuss over the adorable animal, but from the way he lay bonelessly in Ranma's arms, breathing shallowly, even her attenuated sense of tact alerted her that some discretion was advised.
"I think he got in the middle of the fight between Kuno-senpai and Ryouga." Ranma said Again, truthful enough. Ryouga was definitely in the middle of that fight. "I'm hoping he'll be okay. If… if it's not too much trouble, if he wakes up I'd like to be excused to the washroom to get him some water?"
"Oh! Of course!" She nodded. "Please, let me know if he does! Poor widdle guy." She bit her finger. Absently she reached into the Drawer of No Return and fished back out the hall pass, absently handing it back to Ranma. "If Akane doesn't want him for some reason…"
Ranma grinned, a bit of a wicked edge to her smile. "Oh, trust me teach, you will be the first person I call." She walked back to her desk and settled in.
After all the excitement of the morning, it was difficult to focus on the lesson. Ranma propped her chin on her fist and made an attempt to look attentive, but she was focused almost entirely on pondering Kuno's new trick. The thunderbolts aren't a new thing. Never really figured out how he did that during his crazy speeches, but then again, I never figured he'd learn how to weaponize it either!
Unconsciously she started to gently scratch P-chan behind the ears as the piglet stirred, slowly recovering from his ordeal.
Wha… what hit me? My chest hurts…. Musta got knocked out…. Ryouga's mind reluctantly returned to awareness of his surroundings. I'm on a desk? Must have… His thoughts trailed off a minute, finding it hard to string them together. There was something rubbing the back of his head, and it was making him feel sleepy and relaxed. … Must have gotten splashed. Is that Akane petting me? Feels nice… I think I'm safe for now… Still hurts… maybe I'll just sleep… The little black piglet started making soft grunting noises, the boneless slump becoming more of a relaxed sprawl.
Ranma didn't notice Ryouga reviving. Focused on pondering Kuno's new move, mentally probing weaknesses and counters, her fingers ran on autopilot, falling into the natural human instinct to pet cute things when they responded favorably. She ran her nails along the piglet's back, automatically responding to his contented grunts, allowing them to guide her fingers to the best spots.
The little piglet was somewhere between awake and asleep, mind lulled into a pleasant trance by the attention. Ryouga simply wasn't home anymore. When the fingers paused a moment, he grunted and nudged them with his head, wanting to stay in that contented floaty happy place longer.
That Ranma noticed. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she had been doing. And how Ryouga had been reacting. Oh my god… Ryouga, you pork-flavored SLUT! It's not just Akane, is it!? She felt bile rise in her throat, followed by a surge of anger. The piglet nudged her hand a bit, then grunted, sneezed, and opened his eyes slowly.
"Ms. Hinako?" She thrust her hand up in the air. "I think he's awake now, may I be excused?"
"Oh? Oh! Yes, Mr Saotome, you may!" Hinako clapped her hands in delight, seeing the little piglet moving around groggily. "Bring him back here as soon as you've gotten him some water please? I… I mean, I'm sure the class would find it instructional to… uhh… 'observe' him?"
"But Ms. Hinako, this is english class…" One of the students protested.
Hinako held up a coin and drained him in half a second, leaving his withered form to slump silently to his desk. As he was no martial artist it wasn't enough enough to cause her form to change. "Please Mr Saotome?"
"Oh, sure, no problem teach." Ranma nodded, scooping up the groggy piglet in her arms and making a dash for the bathroom.
She managed to get there before Ryouga was fully aware of his surroundings. She had to resist a mighty urge to spike him into the bathroom tile. "God, you are disgusting! She growled, dropping him into the sink and going to the other one, turning on the hot water to wash her hands, which felt soiled in the worst way. The water triggered the change, returning him to his natural form.
The piglet leapt for the sink but Ranma blocked him, sending him bouncing across the floor. "Not so fast, pork-butt. I ain't got a stitch of clothing for you to wear. So unless you wanna run around the school stark naked with a lightning-wielding psycho after you, you just stay put, got it?"
P-chan growled, bristling.
"No, I am not giving you my clothes. I ain't got anything to spare, neither. So just pipe down and put up with it until I can smuggle you back to the dojo, okay?" Ranma shook his hands dry before reaching for the air dryer. "Geez, no gratitude. You'd think you wouldn't mind bein' a pig a bit longer, what with you not bein' too particular about who's scratchin' your ears and all."
The piglet squealed, outraged.
"Shut up, shut up, I ain't tellin' Akane." Ranma waved off his outrage. "Look, Akane is coming home tonight. Just… be a good piglet, don't bite me or run off, and I promise I'll take ya to see her, okay?"
Normally Ranma wouldn't be so accommodating of his rival, especially where Akane was concerned. However, part of his subconscious was quite vocally reminding him that he was the one who had sicced Kuno on him, and guilt had merged with relief that his sometimes friend had recovered to the point where hand-delivering him to his ex fiancee was actually palatable. As annoying and frustrating and bafflingly stupid Ryouga was, on some level he was still that sullen, depressed kid Ranma had lead home from school every day, who for brief moments seemed like he just needed a friend.
The piglet squeaked, sitting down immediately, the picture of obedience.
Ranma chuckled softly. "Good. Now… you are feelin' okay, right?" He crouched down, reaching out to gently prod the piglet, checking the piglet's chest for damage. He was rewarded with a pained squeal and a snap. "Easy, easy… okay, so the ribs are still tender." He held up his hands. "D'ya want to stop at Tofu's on the way back?"
The piglet growled, then cautiously shook his head and sat back down. Why is he being… nice!? Ryouga thought, frustrated. 'Nice Ranma' always meant he wanted something, but usually that became obvious before now.
Ranma for his part, was considering, running through the options in Anything Goes Social Arts. Ryouga'll never ask for help unless he's totally down. But he'll accept it it seems. Doubt he's buying this nice routine though. I wouldn't. He snorted mentally. Actually I DON'T. Why am I bein' nice to pork butt? He scowled. He'll just go cuddlin' up to Akane and… His expression darkened further… And they'll TOTALLY deserve each other.
He plucked the piglet up by the bandana, then reconsidered and plopped the pig into the crook of his arm, earning a confused grunt from the piglet. "Yeah, this ain't exactly my first choice neither, Ryouga." Hey, at least I got to change back before lunch.
He stepped out of the bathroom, only to immediately trip over something. Whatever the object was upended, and he was soaked with grimy, soapy water.
"Oh! I'm sorry miss!" The janitor ran over. "I didn't know anyone was in there!" He righted his water bucket after making sure the redhead was alright. "But… what were you doing in the boy's bathroom?"
Ranma ground her teeth. "What indeed?" She grumbled, sitting cross-legged on the floor as she wring out her pigtail, staring daggers at the bone-dry little piglet on the floor a few feet away who was doing a tremendous impression of snickering.
000
"Ranma Saotome to the Principal's office…" The generic feminine voice of the school secretary came over the intercom. "Ranma Saotome, please come to the Principal's office."
"Awww what now!?" Ranma moaned, slumping in her desk. The rest of her classmates, lead by Ms. Hinako, were crowded around her desk making a big fuss over P-chan. This time the porky little attention whore at least had the decency to be shy and look suitably embarrassed by the attention. Ranma unconsciously flicked her fingers as if to get something unpleasant off them. I just wanted to make it until lunch at least without everything going horribly. I'm never gonna get the taste of floor dirt and Mr. Clean outta my mouth. She spat out a bit of errant grit as she stood up.
"Ms. Hinako, you don't mind watching P-chan here for me, do you?" She asked, not really wanted to be saddled with the piglet for whatever nonsense the Principal had cooked up.
"Oooh, aren't you the cutest widdly piggy-wiggy?" Hinako giggled as she play danced the poor mortified piglet around like a doll on the desk. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"
"I'll… take that for a yes." Ranma smirked, and made her way out to the Principal's Office.
000
Furinkan's Principal was a perfect example of Money over Madness.
Some years ago, as the story went, The head of the Board of Education, Tatsuyuki Kuno, had a nervous breakdown. Dark rumors abounded regarding his home life. He was put on indefinite leave, and sent to Hawaii to recuperate. His wife filed for divorce in absentia, though she left him custody of their two children.
After three years of unrestricted exposure to ultraviolet radiation and fancy drinks with umbrellas in them, his condition hadn't seemed to have improved significantly. In fact, his condition had worsened, his previous obsessive-compulsive behavior with regards to proper student dress code, (particularly hair style) having become entangled with an intoxication with Hawaiian culture that bordered on the psychotic. So, on the hook for his continuing disability benefits, the remaining members of the School Board did the only rational, moral thing they could think of.
They had him declared cured, flagged him as employable (and therefore no longer eligible for the benefits) and made him the principal of Furinkan High. They also dedicated a sizeable portion of the budget to remodel the school however Kuno wished, to ensure that he remained as Principal in their safe little containment zone.
In short, Principal Kuno was a dangerous nutjob with an obsession for shaving his students' hair, redecorating everything in a Hawaiian theme, and nursing a serious grudge against one Ranma Saotome.
Because of course he was.
Ranma knew all of this as she walked up the steps into Principal Kuno's 'Hawaii Zone'. The entire upper floor of the school had been converted into his little Hawaiian playground, like some kind of kitschy theme park ride, complete with fake palm trees, walls painted with beach scenery, tinny canned sound effects, and cheesy ukelele music.
Ranma unconsciously checked to make sure her pigtail was in place and attached. She wasn't ready to part with her pigtail, should the Principal make one of his regular attempts to snip it off.
She made it to the large oak desk at the far end of the Hawaiian diorama, where Principal Kuno sat, resplendent in his Hawaiian shirt, Shaded glasses, and palm-tree styled topknot. He had his hands clasped on the desk, and that massive, shit-eating grin that made Ranma want to punch something (Specifically, him.) "Eeeeeyyy Keiki! Or mebbe it be 'Wahine' today, eh?" His smile twisted into more of a smirk.
Ranma glared as she stepped past a palm tree. Before she could deliver a retort, she realized someone else was there and stopped short.
Kuno gestured to the figure on his left. "You be knowin' Ms. Hikmura Tanaka, ye?" The tall, blond haired girl smiled, that usual self-confident smirk that made Ranma uncomfortable.
There was something about the way the girl looked at her… predatory in a way, but unlike how Shampoo or even Ukyou sometimes looked at her, this wasn't some sort of interest in her as a person. This was detached, cold… like Ranma's whole existence was just a move on a chessboard. She shivered involuntarily. "We've met."
"Oh, we've more than met, Ranma." Himura adopted a mock hurt tone. "You've quite swept me off my feet with your prowess on the volleyball court." She fluttered her eyes at the girl.
"Yeah, don't even joke about that." Ranma growled, earning a cruel laugh from the girl.
"Ah, so many romantic problems." She said, crossing her arms. "It must be terribly distracting. I fail to understand why you tolerate it. But you needed worry, I am not some silly schoolgirl who has been smitten by your masculine wiles." She stalked forward a bit, walking up uncomfortably close to Ranma, forcing the much shorter redhead to look up at her. "I am far, far more interested in the woman I see before me right now."
Now Ranma saw something more like lust in her eyes. But it wasn't anything carnal. More like… for meat. "I'm not into that lady, sorry." Ranma said in a low voice.
"Oh of course you are." She scoffed. "Deep down you're male, after all. But that wasn't what I meant either. My interest in you lies purely in your remarkable potential. Untapped and raw though it might be."
"Look, I already told you, I'm not interested in playing volleyball for you." Ranma growled.
"And what sort of Captain would I be if I took 'no' for an answer so easily?" She leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Such a shame you had the poor graces to be born the wrong gender." She straightened and whirled away, sauntering back to the Principal's desk. "Thankfully you're halfway to correcting that grievous flaw. And the good Principal, at my urging, has agreed to help you to take the next step."
Images of hair shears and certain vulnerable parts of the male anatomy flickered through Ranma's mind, causing her to turn a little green. "What do you mean?" She asked, her voice cracking a little as a note of panic entered it.
Kuno's hand blurred, flicking something through the air at Ranma's head. Ranma snatched it out of the air defensively, crouching and ready to leap over the desk to pummel the crazed Kuno family patriarch. Then she glanced down at what she had caught.
"A… student ID?" She held it up. In fact, it was her student ID. With her name, picture, and basic information.
Her picture.
She blanched. The picture on the ID was of a smiling redhaired female Ranma Saotome. "What did you do?!" She demanded, nearly crushing the laminated card in her hand.
"Careful, wahine, is five dollah charge to replace those." The Principal commented.
"What did you do!?"
"It's quite simple, my dear." Himura said. "He corrected your gender on your registration."
Ranma blinked, then charged forward, slamming her hands on the desk, her eyes bright with fury. "YOU REGISTERED ME AS A GIRL!?"
"Of course he did." Himura replied. A cold tone of amusement entered her voice as the redhead glared at her. "Isn't that what your little stunt yesterday was about, Saotome? Attempting to gain acceptance from the female populace for your chosen gender? I was impressed and decided to support your efforts towards transition." She put her hands on her hips. "Or… was that merely the act of a male who was committing some form of fraud? Sneaking into the girl's change room while the vulnerable female students of Furinkan were present, misleading our new Gym Instructor about your gender… I understand you were even wearing the female gym uniform, is that not right? Now, while that is perfectly acceptable for a young female student of this school, for a male to do it... well, that would be…"
"Grounds fer da expulsions, ya?" Kuno finished for her, smirking.
Ranma's eyes were shaded by her bangs, her fist clenched. She was trembling with rage. "How… how dare you…"
"Tch, oh please." Himura sighed. "Don't bother with your threats or your impotent rage, Saotome." She leaned in closer to the girl. "Or do you intend to go back on your word and harm someone who is not a martial artist?" She smirked as the redhead raised her eyes to glare into hers. "Good…" She murmured, almost purring. "... That's the 'you' I want." She spun away, playing with a lock of her hair. "Now, before you try and protest, let me assure you we have ample photographic evidence to ensure that if you refuse, you will be shunned by every educational facility in Tokyo." She held up a number of photographs, some Ranma recognized. "Thanks to your little friend, Nabiki Tendo."
"Nabiki…" Ranma stared, feeling a cold knot in her stomach. She promised!
"Oh, I'm sure she wasn't aware that's what these were to be used for. She is so… singularly focused on feeding the baser urges of the student populace that I daresay she never bothered to check. But then… considering her breeding it's not surprising her business acumen doesn't extend further than the next sale." She leaned in, her finger lifting Ranma's chin. Ranma suddenly understood Ryouga's tendency to bite while in piglet form. "Oh, but I know you far too well to think you would just sit idly by and allow this to happen, hmmm? All wrapped up in your ideals of 'manliness' and such." She leaned back. "Therefore, I am willing to be sporting about this, and offer you an opportunity to recover your scholastic manhood… should you want it…" She smirked and looked the girl up and down. "Though given your recent propensity to attend school as a woman, I am beginning to wonder if your are in fact all that attached to it?"
"What. Are. Your. Terms." Ranma said tightly. Her aura was visible now, licks of red and gold curling around her, rather than her usual cool blue.
"Mmm, direct. Perhaps I could make a worthwhile woman of you yet." She chuckled dryly. "It's quite simple. The first half of the volleyball season is quite… dull. Competition for the regionals is weak and… uninspired. So, we will evenly split the games between myself and my team of elites, and yourself, and a team of… whatever is left over." She carelessly swirled her fingers in the air. "We will each play an equal number of games. If your team wins the most games, we will change your registration back immediately… if you truly wish, that is. However, if I win, your registration will remain as it is for the duration of the school year. You will join my team of elites, and if you are a good girl and play hard, and if we win the championship… then I may be able to convince Principal Kuno here to be merciful and change your registration back in time for the next school year." She smiled and held out her hands. "If we tie… which is unlikely… We will have a dead heat match between the two teams. Either way, you get what you want back… eventually. So long as you play our little game."
"And if I refuse?" Ranma asked tightly.
Himura smirked. "You wish to teach at the Tendo Dojo, yes? I imagine applying for a teaching license will be difficult with a sex offender charge on your record." She held up the photographs. "Even if you aren't convicted, there is enough here to make it very difficult for you to carry on your vaunted little school, hmm?"
Ranma didn't seem to move, but suddenly the photographs were gone, clutched in Ranma's hand, not Himura's.
Himura seemed completely unconcerned. "Help yourself. I have the negatives somewhere safe." She said airily. "Feel free to show those to Nabiki. Maybe ask her how much your manhood earned her?"
The pictures were mostly of her in male form. Usually taken just after being splashed with hot water. There was that one time in the girl's changeroom during the mess with the urns, another time where she had been splashed during the match with Kodachi, various other ones of her in male form in female clothing. Each one a humiliating memory. There was even a few from yesterday, showing her in female form changing with the other girls. Goddamnit…
"Well… what say you?" Himura replied. "If you decide you just want to play for my team, I would be happy to accept you at any point in the season; I only really need you for the finals. But I'm afraid this little challenge of mine is a time limited offer."
"One condition." Ranma said softly. "My team is the same as yesterday."
Himura blinked, then laughed. "You're hardly in any position to…"
"Deal." Principal Kuno said quickly.
Himura glared at him. He grinned back at her.
"It be no fun if dere be no challenge, ye?" The Principal clasped his hands in front of him. "I be overjoyed we be comin' to de accord. Da wahine will be havin' de big fun havin' Ranma Saotome on dere team… so to speak."
"Don't enjoy this too much." Ranma said darkly. "When I win this, I'm going to spike a volleyball right through that stupid coconut you call a head."
The Principal just chuckled. He reached under his desk, and pulled out a clear plastic wrapped package, tossing it to Ranma. "We be seein' 'bout that. Dat bein' said, bein' on da sports teams, dey be havin' stricter rules, ye? Can't have de school idols setting de bad example. So you be needin' t'wear th' proper school uniform from now on, or ye be off da team… and den you an de wahine here can't have de big showdown, ye?"
Ranma stared numbly at the package. It was a Furinkan High uniform. A girl's uniform.
"That wasn't the agreement." Himura said tightly.
"Dems da school regulations." The Principal replied back smugly. "Nuttin' I c'n do, wahine."
Ranma trembled, gripping the package. "You're going to pay for this." She said softly. "Both of you." She turned, and slowly walked back the way she came, pausing only to put her fist casually through a plaster palm tree as she walked past it.
Himura chuckled. "Oh, my dear sweet innocent little girl. You are going to be such fun!"
000
So, Himura got SCARY in my head.
I'm getting nicely ahead in my writing now, so I'm doing my best to do two or three edit passes before posting. Sorry for the gobbledygook that got appended to the last one., I will be more careful from now on.
I'm so glad so many people are enjoying this story. It's been a lot of years since I was in a place where I COULD write, which is probably why I came back to Ranma ½.
This isn't the only story idea I have, but I think I'll focus on finishing this before starting up a new one. How do you guys feel about a Sci Fi fusion fic, centered around a couple of OCs?
