See part one for an explanation.

  --------------------------------------------------------------

                         RANKO 1/2

                           Part 3

It is another fine day over Tokyo.  The birds are singing and the
sky is cloudless.  At the Tendou Dojo Ranma is sitting looking a
little forlorn.

Ranma:  So I hafta go to school?

Cut to a different angle.  Ranma is sitting in the guest room with
his father.

Genma:  Well, we *are* going to be staying a while.

Nabiki looks in from outside.

Nabiki:  It's the same school that Akane and I go to.  We'll see
         you there.

Akane who is wearing the same school uniform as Nabiki comes
running and calls out to her sister.

Akane:  Nabiki, wait!  I'll go with you.

Nabiki:  What are you talking about?  You should walk with Ranma.
         After all he's your fiance.

Akane:  Technically.

She and Ranma stare at each other.

Nevertheless the scene cuts to Akane and Ranma walking to school
together Ranma is walking alongside Akane on top of a fence that
separates the street from a canal.  Akane ignores this.

Akane:  We're not going to get married, you know!

Ranma:  You're tellin' *me*?

Akane:  So don't hang around me in school.

Ranma:  Jeez, you're acting as if this crazyness was *my* idea!
        We're in this together.  Don't worry;  If you keep up the
        "I hate you, I hate you" routine you won't see me coming
        near you.

Suddenly Genma appears.  He, too, is running along the top of the
fence and hits Ranma over the head.

Ranma:  Pop!  What're you...

Genma:  I went through a lot of pain to get you two together.  Now
        listen, Ranma, I'll tell you only once...

Ranma kicks Genma off the fence and into the water canal.  When he
resurfaces as a Panda Ranma taunts him.

Ranma:  You were *saying* something?

The angry Panda jumps out of the canal and over the fence forcing
Ranma and Akane to run.  Soon they leave the animal behind them.

Ranma:  Ha!  His legs're too short.

Exactly in that moment a stream of steaming water hits his head
from above.  Cut to a balcony above the street Ranma is in.  A
family is having breakfast inside.  A little child has apparently
kicked the tea-kettle outside and the water has emptied out to the
street below.  Cut to the inside, the balcony is visible on the
other end of the room.  The father scolds the little girl.

Father:  Chiya!  Don't be so wild!  The water in the kettle was
         *hot* - you could have hurt someone.

Cut back to a dejected-looking wet Ranko.  Akane comes up to her.

Akane:  Hey, Ranko, what's wrong?

Ranko:  I think I'll go take a cold shower.

Akane:  You'll be late.

Ranko:  Well, I can't go like this!

Akane:  [confused] Why not?

Ranko:  Pop has registered me with the school office as a *boy*!
        I don't wanna start school with problems right away.
        [quieter to herself]  Besides, I promised.

It's not clear whether Akane heard the last sentence.  She
responds.

Akane:  If you come late, you'll start school with problems, too.
        Come on, let's get some water for you.

Cut to the front of a private clinic.  The sign at the corner
advertises the doctor's skills in Acupuncture, Acupressure and
Moxibustion (BTW, what the hell *is* Moxibustion?).  Akane is at
the door speaking to a woman while Ranko leans against the wall at
the corner, out of sight..

Woman:  Just a bucket of cold Water?  Sure, just a moment, Akane
        dear.

Akane:  Thank you.

Ranko:  Hoo boy, whatta way to start the...

Suddenly a skeletal hand touches her shoulder.  Ranko turns around
and looks right into the face of a grinning human skull.  She
jumps clear out of her shoes and scampers up the advertising sign
pillar she was leaning against.  Behind her stands a tall
bespectacled man in plain black clothes.  He is carrying a medical
skeleton (it has to be, since *actual* skeletons don't hold
together like this :)

Man:  Oh.  Pardon me.  Nothing to worry about, dear.  This is just
      Betty my skeleton.

Without a word, but still staring, Ranko slides down the sign
pillar.  Just then Akane arrives with a bucket.

Akane:  Ranko, here's the cold...

Man:  Well, Akane!

Akane:  [quietly, blushing slightly]  Oh, Doctor!

She bows politely, forcing Ranko to do the same by putting the
water bucket upon her head.  The Doctor and Betty bow in response.

Akane:  Good morning!

Doctor:  Good morning to you.

Ranko notices Akane's blushed but happy face.

Ranko:  [thinks] Hmmm...?

Doctor:  You haven't been by, lately.  No new injuries?

Akane:  [a little flustered]  No, sir.  I mean...  I haven't been
        doing anything that would...

Ranko is standing around the corner turning into Ranma while
observing the conversation.

Ranma:  [thinks]  Interesting.

Cut to another street.  Ranma and Akane are running along at high
speed.  Ranma on a fence again.

Ranma:  Who was that guy?

Akane:  Dr. Tofuu, the chiropractor.

Ranma:  Martial arts master, too, isn't he?

Akane:  Huh?  How could you tell?

Ranma doesn't answer, but thinks back to his encounter with the
doctor and his skeleton.

Ranma:  [thinks]  Sneaking up on me that way...  He erased all
        sense of his presence.

Akane:  True, he is very good.  But he doesn't *look* like he'd
be, does he?  [lost in thought]  Ever since I was little he has
taken care of my injuries.

Ranma jumps down from the fence to run beside her.

Ranma:  So you're making an exception for him.

Akane:  Huh?

Ranma:  I thought you said you hate men.  And he looks pretty male
to me.

Akane:  [with clenched teeth]  That's right!  I...

They are reaching the gates of Fuurinkan High in that moment.

Akane:  ...*hate*...

A voice from the schoolyard shouts.

Voice:  Hey, there's Tendou Akane!

Akane:  ...*men*!!

Suddenly a storm breaks loose.  The doors of the School building
slam open and dozens over dozens of boys in fighting and sporting
outfits stampede out.  Many of the are shouting Akane's name.

Boy:  Come no closer, Akane!

Another Boy:  They all want to beat you!

Akane jumps high into the air landing right in the middle of the
crowd.

Akane:  Out of my way!  I'm *late*!

Without a moment's hesitation Akane begins to hack and slice her
way through the mob with incredible fierceness and precision.
None of the boys needs a second hit to go down.  Ranma who has
jumped onto the wall of the yard watches in amazement while the
boys keep attacking.

Boy:  I won't let another guy beat you!  I'll do it myself!

Nabiki and some classmates are standing on a balcony of the School
building.

Girl:  Your poor sister.  Every single day...!

Nabiki:  Oh!  Ranma!  [shouts]  Ranma!  Get moving and come in!

Ranma:  [pointing to the battlefield] But... But..

Nabiki:  Don't worry about Akane.

And really - when Ranma looks down again, there are lots of broken
weapons and their equally broken owners strewn around a slightly
dishevelled-looking Akane.  She flicks a strand of hair out of her
face.

Akane:  For Pete's sake!  Every morning.  What a drag.

Just then a voice speaks up and both Akane and Ranma turn to face
the speaker.

Voice:  Truly, such a boorish lot.

Tha camera cuts to the speaker.  It's a young man, somewhere
around Akane's and Ranma's age.  He is holding a rose in one hand
and a wooden Kendo sword in the other.

Boy:  It appears that each of them intends to ask you out, Akane,
      Should he be the lucky one to defeat you.

Akane:  [looking annoyed and somewhat bored]  Oh, Kunou-sempai.
        Good morning.

Kunou:  And now, Tendou Akane...

He flicks the rose toward Akane who catches it between her
fingers.

Kunou:  ... Will you grant me the honor of a fight with you?

Ranma jumps from the wall landing next to Akane.

Ranma:  Man, you are popular, aren't you?

Akane:  [still looking at Kunou]  Stay out of the way.  You'll get
hurt.

Ranma:  What's going on?

Akane:  You'll see.

Suddenly Kunou's sword swings to point at Ranma.

Kunou:  You there!  You are acting rather familiar with Akane!

Ranma and Akane look at each other.  They silently decide that the
word "fiance" is not going to appear in the explanation.

Ranma:  Err, ...

Kunou:  Who are you, boor?  Ah, but it is the custom to give one's
        own name first.  So I will give you mine.

Ranma:  Um, if you want to...

Kunou:  My name is Upperclassman Kunou Tatewaki.  Captain of the
        Kendo club.  My peers call me "The Blue Thunder" of
        Fuurinkan high.

The girls on the balcony are wispering to each other.

Girl 1:  "Blue Thunder"?

Girl 2:  Have *you* ever heard that?

Nabiki:  News to me.

Ranma:  [unsure of what is expected of him]  Um. Well, I'm staying
�       at the Tendou Dojo at the moment...

Kunou:  What?!  Under the same roof as Akane?

He swings his sword at Ranma who dodges and somersaults over the
swinging blade.  Ranma continues his introduction, taking his
school bag off in mid-air.

Ranma:  I'm heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial
        Arts.

He tosses his bag to Akane who stands watching.

Ranma:  Could you hold my bag for a sec, please?

He lands before Kunou in a fighting stance.

Ranma:  My name is Saotome... Ranma.  And I accept your challenge!

-- End of part 3.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------

Continued in part 4. (logically :)

Sebastian
--
       <http://enterprise.mathematik.uni-essen.de/~bastian/>
                         Comics reviewed
--
Bigamy is making the same mistake twice.