Yeesh! These parts keep getting longer and longer! Okay, here's 
chapter five of my first fanfiction. Again. C&C (or comments or even 
spam) are highly appreciated!

Scoop of the Day
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction

Disclaimer: The wonderful story of Ranma 1/2 and its too-too cool 
characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, here used without 
permission from the author. 

Thanks to Mike W. Loader for giving me so much support and ideas for this 
story.

Chapter Five: A Distant Blue Thunder

	Ranma arrived at school the next morning considerably earlier 
than normal. Normally he was loath to do so, preferring to spend as 
little time at Furinkan as possible, but Ranma decided that spending an 
extra twenty minutes in the morning at school was preferable to tangling 
with the ever-growing gauntlet of Ranma-haters that had been spawned by 
the recent article in the "Informer." Last afternoon had been 
particularly bothersome, with the entire Kendo Club chasing him around 
the school grounds with those ridiculous bokkens of theirs. 

	*Jerks, jerks, jerks!* Ranma thought vehemently, opening his 
locker. *Why do those losers believe everything they read? One Kuno is 
bad enough, but being chased by about fifteen Kuno-wannabe's... Still, it 
_was_ pretty funny when it started raining.* After the storm had hit, 
Kuno immediately jumped to his "osage-no-onna's" defense, easily beating 
off the confused kendoists who still insisted on trying to hit Ranma with 
their bokkens, after which Ranma thanked him by kicking him into the next 
district. *That curse of mine does comes in handy sometimes; still, I 
wouldn't have half the troubles I have now if I didn't have it in the 
first place.*

	Ranma suddenly froze upon seeing a note in his locker. Throughout 
his experience with school and notes, notes in lockers could generally be 
considered as a Bad Thing. Notes from males were almost always either 
death threats, ransom notes, or letters of challenge, resulting in a lot 
of hassle and headache. On the other hand, notes from females were almost 
invariably ones that asked for dates, which equally invariably resulted 
in a pounding from Akane when she would find out about it (and she always 
did), or at least the silent treatment. Both were equally undesirable in 
Ranma's view.

	*I guess I just can't get away.* Ranma stared at the note lying 
on top of his books. *Still, no use in delaying the inevitable, I guess.* 
He took the note and slowly unfolded it, reading its contents.


		Ranma Saotome,
		Please meet me at Ucchan's at 3:30 after school today. 
		Noriko Hirauchi


	Ranma frowned in irritation. *Doesn't that news-chick give up?* 
he thought. *I seriously doubt she's asking me for a date...not after the 
reception I got yesterday; that's for sure." He remembered the brief 
skirmish that had ensued, ending up with Noriko and Ranma being glued to 
the floor of the journalism room. He took a quick glance over to the next 
locker at Akane, still a bit miffed from discovering Noriko and Ranma 
"together" that afternoon. *Hmph. Like it was my fault anyway. _She_ was 
the one that attacked me, yelling all those things at me about the 
paper...* Ranma frowned once more, remembering more of what had 
transpired in the journalism room. *She kept yelling something about how 
the paper was doomed...and how it was my fault. How could I have had 
anything to do with it?*

	"Hey, Ranma, what's that note you've got there?" Ranma turned to 
see Hiroshi looking over his shoulder. "'Ranma Saotome, please meet me at 
Ucchan's...signed, Noriko Hirauchi...?'" he read.

	"Uh...it's really none of your business!" Ranma snapped, trying 
too late to conceal the note. 

	Daisuke joined in on the fun. "Noriko Hirauchi? Hey, she's the 
one that wrote that article about you! Think she's trying to do a bit of 
*follow up* on you?" He grinned lecherously.

	Hiroshi moved in for the kill. "Noriko...hey, I remember now; she 
was in my literature class last year!" He dug an elbow into Ranma's side. 
"Hey, she's a cute one with those glasses of hers...guess you prefer 
intellectual types, huh?"

	Ranma was livid. "It ain't like that! She tried to kill me 
yesterday in the journalism room!"

	"You were in the journalism room with her?" Daisuke asked. "What 
were you doing there?"

	Ranma cast a nervous glance over to Akane, who had obviously 
overheard the entire conversation and was *very* interested in how Ranma 
was about to respond to Daisuke's question.

	"Hey, I wasn't asking for a date or nothing like that, okay? She 
wrote a bunch of nasty stuff about me, remember? I wanted to ask her 
where she was coming from, writing stuff about me like that."

	"And she ended up attacking you? What happened, you tried to move 
in on her too fast? Too much man for her?"

	Ranma was just about to do something drastic to the two when 
Akane decided to intervene. "Excuse me, but Ranma and I have matters to 
discuss; do you mind??" she asked meaningfully.

	"Uh...sure thing, Akane! Sorry!" Hiroshi and Daisuke quickly 
walked away from the scene, still muttering to each other. "He's already 
got Akane, and two others besides; it just isn't right..."

	Ranma looked at Akane in surprise. "...Thanks, Akane."

	Akane still didn't look too pleased with her fiancee. "You're not 
off the hook, yet, Ranma. Let me see that note."

	Ranma sighed and handed the note to Akane, knowing it would be 
useless to do otherwise. Akane silently read its contents. "So, 
Ranma...what *really* happened in there yesterday?"

	"Before you threw me out the window?"

	Akane flinched a little. "Yeah. Everything up to then."

	"Well..." Ranma quickly outlined the events of that afternoon, 
ending with the accident that left Ranma and Noriko on the floor, glued. 
"She kept yelling about how everything was my fault; the paper, 
everything. It was almost as bad as Mousse, or Ryoga, or something."

	"Well, it's not like you never cause trouble or anything!" came 
Akane's reply.

	"Aw, shut up. It's not like it's always my fault, you know. 
Anyway, I don't want you coming with me this afternoon."

	Akane bristled. "Why not?? Because I might get in the way of you 
and Noriko??"

	"I told you, it ain't like that! It's just that...that it might 
come down to a fight or something, and I don't want you in the way. You 
might get hurt."

	"Get in the way? What, you think I don't know how to fight?"

	"Hey, I was just trying to look out for you! It's not my fault 
that you can't even kick, you're built like a brick, your thighs are too..."

	The blow came swift and sure, sending Ranma crumpled to the 
ground within the space of a second. "...thick...," Ranma feebly croaked 
before darkness enveloped him. *Sexless tomboy...*

	"Ranma no baka," Akane muttered darkly, stalking away. *And was 
worried about me! He cares!* she thought, smiling after a moment. 



	That afternoon, Noriko sat at her desk in the journalism room, 
stapling some packets for Mr. Watanabe and feeling more than a little 
depressed. She had made absolutely no progress in settling the internal 
dispute that had been waging within her since yesterday. *If I don't 
print the truth of what really happened, then all I stand for as a 
journalist will have gone to pot, and an innocent will have suffered from 
my actions...well, maybe not so innocent.* Noriko listlessly stapled a 
few more packets together before pausing again. *Still, if I do print a 
retraction, the "Informer" will almost certainly die! The students...my 
crew...they'll all suffer because of something I did.* <Ka-chunk, 
ka-chunk, ka-chunk,> went Noriko's stapler as she absentmindedly 
continued to staple papers together. *Then again, the paper was doomed 
from the start; it's only because of that article I did that there's even 
a chance that the "Informer" has a chance of surviving.* <Ka-chunk, 
ka-chunk.> *But now that the "Informer" has a chance; what kind of 
editor-in-chief would I be, letting the "Informer" die right in front of 
my eyes?* <Ka-chunk.>

	Noriko sighed once more. *Well, one thing is for sure: I 
definitely have to personally apologize Ranma for what I did, even if he 
did cause much of the damage at school.* <Ka-chunk, ka-chunk.> *I must 
have looked pretty stupid, attacking him with my half-baked martial arts 
training and winding up glued to him...* Noriko blushed at the memory and 
quickly tried to change her train of thought. *Setting the meeting at 
Ucchan's should help relax him a bit; he'll have the "home court 
advantage" there. I just hope he'll come; maybe I can get some answers 
out of him, too...* <Ka-chunk.>

	"HEY!" Noriko nearly jumped out of her seat in fright. Calming 
down slightly, she looked up to see Suzuki standing at her desk, looking 
slightly impatient. "I've been trying to get your attention for the last 
ten minutes!" 

	"Oh! Sorry! I guess I was a little distracted..."

	"Yeah, I guess so. You were pretty spaced out there for a moment. 
Do you know that you just stapled your sleeve to your desk?" 

	Noriko tugged her arm and found that Suzuki was telling the 
truth. "Ack! Boy, I must have been really out of it..." Noriko began to 
busy herself in freeing her arm, one staple at a time. 

	"Anyway, Watanabe-sensei sent this agenda over for next meeting. 
Here, let me help you with that." Suzuki laid the paper on the desk, 
knelt next to Noriko, and helped her pluck staples. "He says that he 
might be away again this meeting."

	"Thanks. You know, Suzuki, you're a real pal." Noriko pulled 
another staple out with some effort. "What would I do without you?"

	"Well, I..." Suzuki looked up briefly from the staple he was 
tugging at and suddenly realized that his face was very close to hers. He 
caught a faint scent of lilacs as Noriko redoubled her efforts on the 
offending office supply. Suzuki gulped nervously, trying not to blush as 
he continued to stare at her, trying to think of something intelligent to 
say. "I...I..."

	"Hmm?" Noriko turned and found herself face to face with her 
layout editor. The staple dropped forgotten from Noriko's fingers. 
"S-Suzuki?" she asked with some apprehension. *What're you doing?* What 
seemed like an eternity passed, with Noriko and Suzuki looked directly 
into the other's eyes.

	Finally, Suzuki quickly got up, now visibly blushing. "Um, I 
guess that's it, Chief. See you later! The meeting tomorrow, right?" he 
stammered, hastily moving towards the door. 

	"Y-yeah! The meeting! See you tomorrow! Ha, ha!" Noriko managed 
to reply. The door clicked shut behind Suzuki's retreating form. Noriko 
to her dismay began to blush furiously. *Good grief, what's wrong with 
me? I'm acting like some kind of adolescent schoolgirl!* She looked at 
the clock, trying to take her mind off the memory of Suzuki's face so 
close to her own. *Yikes! I'm going to be late with my appointment with 
Ranma!*


	
	Noriko quickly walked down the main sidewalk of Furinkan, trying 
to clear her head. *I haven't been getting enough sleep recently; yeah, 
that's got to be it,* she thought, trying to explain away her irrational 
behavior and the strange feelings coursing through her. Suddenly, she 
stopped. Standing in front of her path was a student in blue robes 
carrying a bokken, effectively barring her path.

	"Noriko Hirauchi; am I correct?" he asked, not giving the 
slightest intention of moving out of her way.

	"Yes, that's me. You...you're upperclassman Kuno, right?"

	"Indeed. You have the honor of addressing Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue 
Thunder of Furinkan High." He made a slight bow which managed to look 
both polite and inconceivably pompous at the same time. "However, let us 
dispense with the pleasantries. I have a quarrel with you regarding the 
article you printed regarding that villainous wretch, Ranma Saotome." 

	*Great, not another one,* Noriko thought. *What ever happened to 
just writing a simple letter to the editor?*

	"Your verbal assault on Ranma Saotome was a worthy one," Kuno 
continued, not really caring whether or not Noriko had anything to say to 
his previous statement. "However, your statements which questioned the 
honor of all martial artists at Furinkan were a direct affront to the 
integrity of myself and the fair Akane Tendo. This in itself is an 
unspeakable crime."

	*No self-esteem problem here.* "Well...I certainly meant no 
offense against you or Akane in particular. I'm sorry if the article came 
out that way," Noriko said as politely as she could, hoping to dispel 
whatever ire Kuno may have harbored against her. *Boy, am I ever sorry,* 
she added to herself.

	"Fear not, young Hirauchi. I have already forgiven the incident, 
knowing that no one of sound mind could ever question my honor."

	*This guy is unbelievable!* "Oh? Then what do you want to talk to 
me about?" Noriko asked, trying her best not to smile in amusement.

	"I wish to have a word with you regarding this...this travesty of 
justice!" Kuno whipped out a copy of Noriko's article and stabbed at the 
pictures of onna-Ranma on the top of the page. "How dare you implicate 
the pig-tailed girl in the vile misdeeds of Ranma Saotome?? Her 
innocence, her purity...you make her out to be no better than the 
miscreant who controls her!"

	*How stupid can someone be?* Noriko thought to herself. 
"Ah...er...Upperclassman Kuno," Noriko began as tactfully as possible. 
"What in the world are you talking about?"

	"For years I have tried to win the pig-tailed girl's heart, 
knowing if I could only break the hold Saotome has on her she would be 
free to properly choose me!" Kuno clutched his chest in anguish. "Many 
things have been said about her in the past, but I have been there to 
defend her honor every time. And now...this mockery of journalism comes 
to besmirch her honor! She may be held captive by Ranma Saotome, but she 
is no criminal! You will answer for your misdeeds!" Kuno flung the paper 
to the ground angrily. 

	*Pretty darn stupid, I guess.* "Kuno-sempai, how long have you 
been going to Furinkan? This "pig-tailed girl" you keep talking 
about...don't you know about Ranma's curse?"

	"Curse? The heavens are indeed just if a warlock miscreant such 
as Ranma Saotome must toil the earth under the burden of an onerous 
curse. What manner of curse do you speak of?"

	*Do I have to spell it out??* "You know!" Noriko said, losing her 
patience with the junior kendoist. "Ranma's body isn't normal. Water 
sometimes gives him a girl's body, one with a pig-tail. You know?"

	Kuno was aghast. "Wh-what you're saying, then, is..."

	"Yes!" Noriko was firm. *As a journalist, I have to tell him the 
truth and make him see reason for a change.* "Ranma Saotome and your 
'pig-tailed girl' are the same person. Do you get it now?" *Boy, what an 
idiot!*

	Kuno just stood there for a long time, trembling from Noriko's 
revelation. His mouth moved slightly, trying to form words. Noriko 
briefly considered turning around and taking a different path to 
Ucchan's. "G.....g......g......LIES!!!!" Kuno finally screamed, swinging 
his bokken in a wide arc, neatly cleaving a nearby tree in two. Noriko 
gave a small shriek at the unexpected outburst and reflexively dropped 
into a defensive stance, hopping clear of the swath Kuno's bokken carved 
in the air. Kuno was beyond fury. "So, you are capable of defending 
yourself," Kuno observed coldly, seeing the speed with which Noriko had 
reacted to his outburst. "Very well, a duel for honor it will be! You 
will fight for your own, and I will fight for both mine...and the 
pig-tailed girl." Kuno said evenly with a dangerous glint in his eyes. 

	*There's no talking my way out of this one,* Noriko sighed to 
herself, pulling out her fountain pen, the only thing she had that could 
possibly serve as a weapon. *One of these days, I'm going to _have_ to 
get myself a can of Mace.*



	"Hiya, Ranchan!" Ukyou waved from behind the counter of Ucchan's. 

	"Hey, Ucchan. How's it going?" Ranma asked, taking a seat at the 
counter.. An "Ukyou Special" was quickly flipped onto a plate in front of 
him, and Ranma eagerly took a large bite. 

	"Oh, pretty good, although business has been a bit slow. So, what 
brings you here? Just felt like seeing your favorite person again?" Ukyou 
lightly teased, getting a second "Ukyou Special" ready on the grill. 

	Ranma flinched slightly at the jibe. "No...actually, I'm supposed 
to meet someone here at three-thirty." He looked at the clock. "I guess 
I'm a couple of minutes late, but I don't see her around."

	*Meet somebody? "Her?"* Ukyou's face became less cheerful, but 
only for a moment. "Oh? Who are you meeting today?" Ukyou asked casually. 
*Hmph. You're mine, Ranchan; you just don't realize it yet. One of these 
days...*

	Ranma suddenly realized how his last remark must have sounded to 
his other fiancee. "Ulp! It's nothing like a date or nothing, Ucchan. 
Noriko Hirauchi, the chick from the 'Informer.' Actually, she asked me to 
meet her. Probably to apologize for her article and everything. Have you 
seen her around?"

	Ukyou relaxed a bit. "No, I haven't. Are you sure she said today?"

	"Positive. Maybe she got held up on the way, or something."



	Kuno swung his bokken again and again with lightning speed. It 
was all Noriko could do to dodge and parry each thrust as she desperately 
tried to come up with an escape plan. 

	*He's quick; very quick. It's been too long since I've trained; 
I'm all rusty!* As a child, Noriko had already showed interest in 
journalism, carring a notepad and pencil around and writing down 
everything interesting that happened around her. Her father noticed that 
her reports were beginning to consist more and more of "I got chased by 
the kids at school again," and decided to enroll her in martial arts, 
with the hopes that it would increase her self-esteem and 
self-confidence. Being an obedient child, she took part in the lessons 
and showed a real talent, easily outpacing other students at her level. 
However, as Noriko grew older, she began to focus more and more on her 
love for journalism, forgoing martial arts practice whenever the two 
activities conflicted. Finally, after witnessing a brutal fight in her 
old middle school, Noriko denounced martial arts altogether, calling it a 
violent and barbaric activity. 

	*Watanabe-sensei insisted on trying to continue my training at 
Furinkan, telling me that it would come in handy again. I never thought 
it would come to this, though!* Noriko thought frantically, blocking 
another swipe from Kuno with her pen. *I've got to get out of here! 
Ranma's probably already at Ucchan's and is waiting!*

	"HA!" Kuno shouted, thrusting forward. Noriko managed to step out 
of the way of the point of the blade, but only just barely. She felt a 
stinging sensation on her arm. 

	*A bruise!? From that? He didn't even touch me! I've got to get 
out of here!* Noriko tapped sharply on the end of her pen, hoping to 
blind Kuno with ink and escape while he was distracted. 

	Unfortunately, nothing came out. *Ack! Must have used the last of 
the ink yesterday afternoon with Ranma!* she thought. She saw Kuno 
already midway through another swing, but couldn't react fast enough to 
do any defensive action. She was wide open.

	"You're mine!" Kuno shouted. The bokken struck Noriko full force 
on her side.



	"So, Ranchan, what happened on the way here? You looked a bit out 
of breath when you first came in."

	"Oh, Hinako-sensei and Kuno-kouchou decided to have at me again. 
I had to take care of them before I could leave. Sure was a pain, 
though." Ranma looked at the clock again. "Hmmm. Still not here." Ranma 
took a bite out of his third "Ukyou Special." "Maybe she got stuck in 
traffic, or something. After all, she was the one that asked to meet me 
here."

	"Well, Ranchan," Ukyou slid over to where Ranma was sitting and 
brought her head very close to his. "I guess I could try and make time go 
by quicker for you." She batted her eyes cutely. 

	Ranma gulped.



	The blow hurt like all get out. Noriko clutched her side, 
desperately blinking back the tears of pain that threatened to cloud her 
vision. *Jerk! Hitting a girl! Ranma never swung once at me!* She tried 
to move away, but found the effort too painful. Somehow, Noriko remained 
on her feet, doubled over in agony.

	"So, young Hirauchi, do you yield?" Kuno pointed his bokken at 
Noriko, her eyes screwed tightly shut in pain.

	*Jerk! Yield, heck! All right, if this clown wants a fight, he's 
getting one!* Noriko managed to slowly straighten up, ignoring the 
throbbing pain at her side. "I tried to...reason with you, Kuno," Noriko 
spat, dropping the honorific "sempai" from his name. "And it looks as 
if...the only thing that will get through that...thick skull of yours is 
force! I'll never...yield to an insufferable idiot like you!" She 
tightened her grip on her pen. *Focus. Just like what Watanabe-sensei said.*

	Kuno regarded Noriko with a grudging admiration. "Your fortitude 
is most admirable, if not misguided. For no mortal has fairly defeated 
the Blue Thunder in single combat! However, I will be generous and grant 
your wish to continue this match to its completion."

	Noriko stood to her full height (which wasn't all that imposing, 
mind you) and held her pen out in front of her. The pain showed no sign 
of leaving, but it helped keep her focused on her target. "You are a 
pompous, egotistical *fool* and a pimple on the face of honor!" Noriko 
flew at Kuno, pen extended. Kuno parried the blow and countered with a 
strike Noriko that blocked. The two glared at each other over the points 
of their respective weapons, and the match was on.



	*Geez. Four-fifteen already and no sign of her. Akane's going to 
be ticked when I get home.* Ranma angrily began the first few steps of a 
kata in the corner of the restaurant, cursing himself for agreeing to 
meet her. *For all I know, this whole thing was a trick and she set up 
that ambush from Miss Hinako and Principal Kuno. If she doesn't show up 
in another fifteen minutes, I'm outta here!* Ranma followed through the 
next steps with a backfist followed by an elbow strike. Practicing his 
martial arts helped ward off Ukyou's advances, although it caused a few 
of the customers to stare. *She's probably sitting at that desk of hers, 
laughing her butt off at the trick she played on me.* Ranma growled 
angrily, causing curiosity seekers to quickly refocus their attention on 
their meals.


	
	Noriko's breathing was beginning to become ragged. The exertion 
was more than she was used to, and the wound to her side didn't help 
matters any. Kuno, on the other hand, looked a little winded, but no 
worse from the latest rounds of attacks and counter-attacks other than a 
few rips here and there in his robes. Noriko had managed to score a few 
blows, but they were mostly glancing ones that did little to jar Kuno. 
*Gaah! <huff, huff> I've got to <huff> finish this! Can't <huff> keep 
this up much longer! I'm too out of shape, too <huff> out of practice!*

	*She...she is good,* Kuno thought to himself. *Better than I had 
expected. However, she, too, will fall to the point of my sword!* "Strike 
strike strike strike strike strike strike!" he shouted, speeding up into 
his pattern strike. *No one...no one can withstand my rain of blows!*

	Noriko leaped back to give herself more space. *No, can't do 
that...he's more dangerous at far range. Got to get inside his strike 
zone!* She flung herself into the center of the storm of bokken thrusts, 
blocking each as best as she could. *The attacker is most vulnerable when 
executing his attack...if I can only get through...* A blow slipped 
through Noriko's defenses, but the strike lacked its full force at such 
close range. Another one got through, this time hitting near Noriko's 
wound. She bit her lip and pressed on, not bothering to resist the tears 
of pain that rolled down her cheeks. More and more blows buffeted Noriko, 
but they had considerably less power than Kuno's individual strikes. 

	*Eh? What is this? I must withdraw!* Kuno thought, befuddled by 
Noriko crowding his arms. He tried to move back, but Noriko would have 
none of it. She pressed in further, searching for the instant in Kuno's 
pattern when hisdefenses were wide open.

	"Jerk! Jerk!! Jerk!!!" Noriko shouted, thrusting forward with her 
pen past Kuno's bokken and scoring a solid blow to his body. Kuno gasped 
from the blow, the wind knocked out of him. He stumbled back, allowing 
Noriko to hook her foot behind his ankle, causing him to fall. Noriko 
struck once more with her pen as he fell on his behind, and kicked him 
once in the head for good measure. Kuno lay on the sidewalk, obviously 
out of action. "That's for calling me a mockery of journalism," Noriko 
gasped, out of breath and in tremendous pain. *I guess the pen really 
_is_ mightier than the sword...oh no! My appointment with Ranma!* Noriko 
thought. She began to limp slowly towards Ucchan's. *I hope he's still 
there...*

	Noriko never heard Kuno utter the words that sent chills of 
terror down the spines of female students everywhere in Furinkan. "Noriko 
Hirauchi..." he croaked, trying to move. "....I 
would.......date.......with you...."



	Ukyou finished wiping the countertop and sighed. Ranma had left 
about ten minutes ago, not heeding her hints for him to stay. This time 
of the day was always the worst part for Ukyou, just before the dinner 
crowd arrived and after the after-school regulars came. On most days, 
Ukyou spent the lonely hour daydreaming, usually about Ranma and her 
together. This afternoon was no exception. In today's daydream, Ukyou and 
Ranma were standing on a seashore, watching the sunset and hearing the 
surf pound the shore. Their hands touched, and Ranma took hers in his, 
looking over at her and smiling. *One day, you'll be all mine, Ranchan.*

	A knock on the door snapped Ukyou out of her reverie. *Funny; no 
one ever knocks before coming into the restaurant.* Ukyou grabbed her 
battle spatula from behind the counter, just in case, and went over to 
the door. 

	Ukyou saw a rather battered-looking brown-haired girl standing in 
front of her. She looked like she had gone through a major disaster; 
bruises and scrapes abounded, and her school uniform was a tattered 
version of what it was earlier that morning. She leaned heavily on the 
doorframe, as if she were about to collapse at any moment. "Is...is Ranma 
here?" she asked weakly. 

	"I'm sorry; he left about half an hour ago."

	"Okay," the girl said. Her knees began to give way. "You mind if 
I just lie down here a moment?" she asked, sinking to the ground.

	Ukyou managed to catch the shorter girl just before she hit the 
sidewalk. She stared intently at the girl lying unconscious in her arms. 
*So this is the infamous Noriko,* she thought. *Ranchan told me all about 
the grief she put him through, and here she is, fainted on my doorstep.* 
Ukyou furrowed her brow, trying to figure out what to do with her 
"guest." It was true that Noriko had printed some nasty things about her 
beloved Ranchan, and Ukyou would just have just as soon bar her from the 
restaurant a few hours ago. She looked so helpless lying there, though. 
Surely this sleeping girl wasn't the same Noriko who had tried to kill 
Ranma in the journalism room. 
	Ukyou sighed and began to pull the unconscious journalist into 
Ucchan's. *People may think a lot of things about me, but I'm no 
monster,* she thought grimly.



	Noriko lay on a futon in Ukyou's apartment just behind the 
restaurant. The okonomiyaki-chef had tended to Noriko's major injuries, 
and was working on cleaning her up a bit with a damp cloth. *It looks as 
if she went through some kind of fight or something. I'm no doctor, but 
I've been in enough fights to recognize the marks of wood on flesh.* 
Ukyou examined Noriko's side where Kuno had struck her with his bokken. 
*Boy, that's one nasty bruise, if that's all it is. Something like that 
might even end up scarring.,* Ukyou thought appreciatively, letting out a 
soft, low whistle.

	Noriko groaned slightly at the touch of the wet cloth on her 
forehead. "Uhh....where am I?" she asked groggily, shaking her head.

	"You're at Ucchan's where I live," replied Ukyou. "You were a 
real mess when you came here, so I tried cleaning you up as best I could."

	Noriko sat up slowly, testing her limbs. She was achy and sore 
all over, but there was nothing that felt like it needed greater 
attention, except for the blow on her side. Noriko winced as she lightly 
touched a finger there to test the injury. 

	"Yeah, you might want to see somebody about that blow you got. 
You might have bruised clear to the bone. What happened to you before you 
got here, anyway?" 

	"Kuno had a quarrel he harbored against me," Noriko said wearily. 
Slowly, she got up on her feet. "You're Ukyou Kuonji, right?"

	Nod. "Mmhmm. And you must be the Noriko Hirauchi my Ranchan has 
been telling me about."

	"Ranchan?"

	"Ranma Saotome," Ukyou explained. "It's what I called him when we 
were kids, before we got engaged." Ukyou put special emphasis on the word 
"engaged." *I don't know what you want with Ranchan, but he's _my_ fiancee!*

	Noriko didn't seem to notice. "Is...is Ranma here?"

	Ukyou shook her head. "I'm sorry, but he's been gone for quite a 
while. It's been about an hour since he left." 

	"I see." Noriko said. "Did he say anything?"

	Ukyou paused for a moment. "Well...he mentioned something about 
never wanting to deal with another newsperson in his life before he 
slammed the door." *Maybe she'll decide to leave,* Ukyou thought 
hopefully. 

	Noriko sighed. "Ukyou-san, thanks so much for cleaning me up and 
all. I really appreciate it. I really think I should get going, though." 
She took a step towards the door.

	"Are you sure?" Ukyou asked, catching Noriko as she toppled 
forward. "You look like you could use a bit more rest, and maybe a bite 
to eat. I cook a mean okonomiyaki, you know." *I guess I just can't let 
her out with her in this condition. Still, there's no point in being too 
nice,* Ukyou chided herself at her last statement.

	"Well, I suppose that might be a good idea...," Noriko replied, 
trying desperately to stop Ukyou's room from spinning around.



	Noriko took a small bite from the "Ukyou Special" sitting on the 
plate in front of her. "Wow, this is delicious!" Her stomach growled, 
asking for more. "I guess I've been hungry without realizing it."

	"Thanks!" Ukyou beamed from the compliment. The familiar task of 
preparing her specialty okonomiyaki helped remove the discomfort Ukyou 
felt at having Noriko in her restaurant. "Say, you said you were attacked 
by Kuno? It's not his style to just attack anyone that comes his way. 
What did you do to him?"

	Noriko swallowed. "Well, you know the feature I printed last 
issue of the 'Informer?' Kuno saw the pictures of Ranma in his female 
body and thought I was trying to slander his 'osage-no-onna,' or 
something crazy like that. Anyway, I tried to tell him that Ranma and her 
were the same person when he just went ballistic, swinging that stick of 
his around and hollering about an honor duel."

	Ukyou laughed softly, remembering how many times Kuno had stuck 
his foot in his mouth (or Ranma had stuck *his* foot in *Kuno's* mouth) 
regarding his obsession with Ranma's female side ,but quickly grew 
serious at the memory of Noriko passing out at her doorstep. "So, he beat 
you up? Not very honorable of him. What a jerk!" Ukyou's hand gripped her 
battle spatula at the thought.

	"Yeah, he was a jerk all right," Noriko agreed, nodding 
vigorously before she winced and stopped. "But I managed to get the 
better of him in the end. Not before he clocked me a few times, though." 

	"You beat Kuno? Even though he's a real jackass, he's actually 
pretty good. And to think I thought I knew all the martial artists at 
Furinkan, too." Ukyou said, visibly impressed.

	"Ah...I'm not really a martial artist. At least, not for the past 
couple of years." Noriko took a sip of water. "I gave up fighting a few 
years ago when I decided I wanted to be a journalist full-time. But it 
seems like recently with that feature I printed, fighting has been all 
I've been doing for the past couple of weeks," she said mournfully.

	Ukyou's face became serious upon being reminded about just who 
Noriko was. "Noriko. Do you really believe all those things about Ranchan 
that you printed?" she asked quietly.

	Noriko looked down at her plate. "Yes...I mean, no...not anymore, 
really. That feature was a mistake, I'll have to admit. I went off guns 
blazing without any regard to what really happened; just what I wanted to 
be the truth. I hated Ranma. I really did. Now...I don't know what to do 
with myself anymore."

	"Why do you hate Ranma so much?" Ukyou asked, temporarily using 
his real name instead of the cutesy "Ranchan" she knew him as.

	"It's a long story." Noriko explained.

	"I don't see any customers here yet," Ukyou replied, settling 
herself down on a stool.

	Noriko sighed deeply. She hadn't told anyone else the reason for 
her grudge against Ranma, and she was wondering why she was about to 
divulge it to some stranger she had just barely met. Noriko briefly 
studied Ukyou's face, all curiosity and not hostility, and decided that 
her secret would be safe with her. *At least she's not with the 
'Informer,' so she can't really tell anyone else.*

	Noriko took a deep breath, wondering where to begin. "Journalism 
has been my love since I was a kid. When I started going to Furinkan a 
year ago, I saw the 'Informer,' and how bad it was, and I just had to do 
something to change it. I worked my tail off, writing what stories I 
could and voicing my suggestions to anyone who would listen. Most people 
brushed me off as the 'new kid,' a freshman no less. But little by little 
more people started to listen to me, and the 'Informer' took a turn for 
the better. By the end of the year, we were commended as one of the 
outstanding school papers in the district!" Noriko paused for a moment, 
relishing the happy memory. "I was made editor-in-chief, even though I 
was so young, since I was the one most responsible for the paper's 
improvement. The paper became my own pet project, almost like having a 
child or something. It was what I was...what I am."

	Noriko took another sip of water. "Just a few weeks ago, though, 
my advisor brought me into his office. He showed me the budget for the 
next school year, and journalism was nowhere to be found. He told me that 
the school's maintenance and repair costs were extra-high this year and 
that Furinkan couldn't afford a newspaper anymore." Noriko shut her eyes 
for a moment. "I wasn't happy. After all the work I had put into the 
'Informer,' it was being snatched away from me, just like that. Another 
red slash on a ledger." She shook her head. 

	Noriko paused, watching an early customer enter the restaurant. 
Ukyou went and handed him a menu, telling him that it would be a moment 
before she returned. Noriko continued. "That afternoon, I went back to 
the journalism room to find out just what could have caused the costs to 
jump so high. Every incident of property damage, every time a wall was 
smashed, every time a floor was demolished, every time a ceiling caved 
in, it was because of something to do with Ranma. What could I do? I 
blamed him for everything. I blamed him for taking away that which I 
prized most. So I sent two of my reporters after him to get more details 
about him so I could better plan my revenge. They came back in bandages 
and crutches without the faintest memory of what had happened. Idid the 
natural thing, I guess: I hated Ranma even more, thinking him a brute and 
a bully. I printed all those bad things about him, hoping the world could 
join me in hating him."

	Ukyou nodded. She understood firsthand how it felt to have one's 
lifework snatched away in a blink. Ukyou noticed that hardly felt the 
irritation she had felt towards Noriko just twenty minutes ago. "Well, 
Ranchan is a bit of a walking disaster area, even though he really never 
asks for half the things that happen to him. Still, you don't believe all 
those things anymore?" she probed.

	"No. Not as much, at least. He told you about how I attacked him 
in the journalism room, right?" Noriko waited for Ukyou to finish 
nodding. "I wanted to hurt him; I really wanted to. Maybe I just wanted 
him to feel physically how I felt about losing the paper. But he never 
fought back. Not like Kuno," she made a face. "He could have really put 
me in my place if he had wanted to, but he didn't. And then I found some 
photos that pretty much proved that Ranma didn't attack my reporters. The 
damage, the costs...they're all still there, but somehow, I don't think 
Ranma really meant to cause most of them. I guess I can't really blame 
him too much for all that's happened."

	Ukyou digested this a bit. "So, what happens now? Are you going 
to print something taking back all you said?"

	Noriko gulped. She never could escape *that* issue, no matter how 
hard she tried. "I...really don't know what to do. I really should print 
a retraction; it's the only ethical thing to do. But the..." Noriko 
glanced nervously at Ukyou. "I'm sorry; I can't talk about that; not 
right now. I wish I could make things right; I really do. I'm sorta 
between a rock and a hard place, even though I hate the cliche."

	Ukyou nodded in understanding. "That's okay. The dinner crowd is 
coming in now, anyway, and I'll probably have to be on my feet in a 
moment anyway."

	*Dinner crowd? There's hardly anyone in here but us!* Noriko 
looked at the clock. It *was* kind of late. "Oh! I'm sorry. Thanks so 
much for helping me out back there and listening to me talk. Uh, how much 
do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her bag. 

	Ukyou dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about 
it. I'm just glad I could be of help. And," Ukyou continued, waving to 
another customer briefly, "if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right 
here. You might have done some nasty things to Ranchan before, but...I 
think you're for real." Ukyou got up from her seat. "Feel up to walking?"

	"Yeah, I think so." Noriko got up, feeling much better after the 
rest and meal. She slipped a few bills under her plate as Ukyou turned 
away to tend to her patrons. *From what you call a "dinner crowd," I 
don't think you can afford to give away too many free okonomiyaki,* 
Noriko thought, smiling to herself.



	The after-school journalism meeting arrived the next day, and 
Noriko went into the journalism room not feeling only a little dread. 
Today was the day she was to give her printed retraction of her feature 
editorial to Watanabe-sensei. Noriko had spent the past week or so 
agonizing over what course of action to take: to save the paper or to 
print the truth. *It's the only thing I can do for the paper,* she 
thought to herself, reviewing the exact words she was planning to tell 
her crew.

	The meeting itself passed swiftly enough, with assignments being 
doled out to various reporters, until the announcements portion of the 
agenda arrived. Mr. Watanabe stood up in front of the room. "If you may 
recall, I made an announcement earlier this month that the 'Informer's' 
financial standings were in jeopardy and could possibly be eliminated 
after this year." He paused for dramatic effect. "I have some rather good 
news for you. I was contacted by Principal Kuno this afternoon, and it 
seems that the 'Informer' will most likely receive its funding after 
all." Watanabe-sensei allowed the cheering and hubbub to subside before 
continuing. "Principal Kuno gave no indication of what had caused him to 
change his mind, for as you well know, the principal had been quite 
adverse to the paper's funding in the past. However, I think that the 
conventional wisdom of 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth' can be 
applied. Congratulations, crew. Unless something drastic happens in the 
near future, the 'Informer' is alive and well!" The crew clapped and 
cheered, turning to each other and giving 'high fives' and slaps on the 
back. Suzuki caught Noriko's attention for a moment and grinned at her, 
but Noriko turned away. 

	Suzuki frowned in puzzlement. *Shouldn't she be happy about the news?*

	Mr. Watanabe spoke. "All right, that's it for today, kids. Dismissed."

	"Wait!" Noriko said. "Could I make a special announcement?" A 
little surprised, Mr. Watanabe nodded and stepped down, allowing Noriko 
to take center stage.

	Noriko looked out at the faces of her crew, attentive and loyal. 
How could she let them down? "Fellow journalists. Before I say anything 
else, I must congratulate you all on this recent news. Your work has been 
a large part of what the 'Informer' is today. I wish I could take part in 
your happiness, but I'm afraid I can't."

	Puzzled murmurs went around the room. "A few weeks ago, I...did 
something directly against everything I and the 'Informer' stand for. I 
acted rashly, not paying any attention to professionalism or anything. I 
tried to make things right, but all my efforts have ended in disaster. I 
really tried; I.." Noriko fought the emotions churning within her stomach 
as she tried her best to continue. "I wish I could tell you all that's 
happened, everything about why I have to do what I am about to do. But I 
can't. I...this paper is so important to me, and so are you. That's why I 
have no choice but to make my final decision."

	Noriko took a deep breath. "I, Noriko Hirauchi..." Noriko's voice 
broke, but she managed to catch herself before she lost control. "I, 
Noriko Hirauchi am hereby resigning from my position of editor-in-chief 
and rescind all affiliation I have with the 'Furinkan Informer.'"

	Startled gasps and and outbursts erupted from the crew. 
"Noriko!!" Mr. Watanabe nearly shouted. Noriko waved a hand quickly to 
call for quiet.

	"I can't tell you why I'm doing this, or even what I did to force 
me to make this decision. Mr. Watanabe will appoint a new editor-in-chief 
in my stead, with your final approval. I would like to offer my 
endorsement of Toren Suzuki as my replacement. Suzuki has shown 
extraordinary dedication and vision for the 'Informer' for the three 
years he's been on the crew, as well as being an extremely supportive 
layout editor...and friend." Noriko looked over by Gosunkugi at Suzuki's 
shocked face and smiled shyly. "Please...don't tell anyone else outside 
of this room what I've done. Keep this inside of this room. No 
announcements; just change the masthead without any noise. Again, I wish 
I could tell you more, but you'll just have to trust me. The future of 
the 'Informer' could depend on how well you keep this secret."

	"I...I have to go," Noriko abruptly finished, grabbing her stuff 
and disappearing from the journalism room before anyone could react.The 
room turned into a mild scene of chaos, with everyone talking at once. 

	"Noriko Hirauchi!" Mr. Watanabe shouted ineffectually at the door 
through which Noriko had left. Suzuki sprang to his feet and tore out of 
the room after her.


	
	Noriko walked slowly down the hall, her head lowered in shame and 
sorrow. *It was the only thing I could do; the "Informer" will still get 
funding; at least for another year or so, and Suzuki will get the 
editor-in-chief like he deserves, and... it was just the only thing I 
could do! The only thing I could do...*

	Noriko felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Suzuki 
standing there, his face a mixture of sympathy and confusion. "Chief...do 
you want to talk about it? I mean, this is all pretty sudden and all..."

	Noriko looked up into Suzuki's face, her eyes wet. "Please, 
Suzuki... I'm not 'Chief' anymore. I'm just plain old Noriko now." She 
quickly turned and broke free of his touch, and then just as swiftly left 
out the door of Furinkan High School.

	Toren Suzuki stood there alone in the hallway, his mouth agape in 
shock.


End part five


    Okay, that's about it for now! A big "thank you" to everyone who 
replied to the previous installment, and please keep replying! These are 
really rough drafts I send out, so any comments only help make this thing 
better (which isn't all that hard).
    Some comments from me about this installment:

    Looong fight scene! I am not a particularly big fan of lengthy fight 
scenes in fanfiction, thinking them rather tiresome after a while. Still, 
the scene with Noriko and Kuno ended up being quite a large section. What 
do you think? Riveting? A yawner? More detail, less?
    The scene with Ukyou and Noriko also seems a bit forced and 
unnatural. I haven't read much of Ukyou (besides fanfics, and it seems 
from the spam that has propogated this ML that those portrayals might not 
be the most accurate) in the manga, and have seen even less of her in the 
anime. Am I OOC? IC? No character?
    Finally, I think I'm starting to hit a major wall here with this 
story. It's getting harder and harder to continue it as time goes on. I 
have some vague ideas on how to finish it (which I hope to do in the next 
chapter), but nothing terribly concrete. Any ideas (send ideas to me via 
private e-mail, please)?
  
    All right; thanks for bearing with my writing so long. Thanks for 
reading, and *please* send comments, even if they're just composed of 
"Scoop sucks and so do you." Bye for now!

---
Raphael See