Chapter 1: Here's Ranma

      "People, welcome to the Kendo Championship match.  On one side of this
arena sits the Furinken High School Kendo team, the current champions in
Japan.  The other side is an unexpected challenger, the St. Lawrence Boys
Academy Kendo team, who have surprisingly jumped from being last place for
the past decade!  Yes people, this will be the quickest victory for Furinken
High ever!"  

      Ryoga humphed as he scanned his Kendo team.  This was his first year,
and already promoted to captain.  Ryoga had been surprised when he was
drafted as captain, and not Ranma, but Ryoga reminded himself that he was
always dependable and got things done, unlike Ranma who only applied himself
to martial arts.  Unconsciously fingering his bandanna, Ryoga surveyed his
team.  Silently, he had been pleased with their phenomenal improvement from
the previous year, where the entire team had be beatened, except for one
match where the opponents were disqualified for laughing at the poor
performance of St. Lawrence's team.

      Ryoga calmly scanned his team from one side to the other, and was
proud of the determination that he could feel rising out of his comrades.
Somehow something seemed amiss, someone important was missing.  Ryoga not
knowing what to do, picked up his clipboard and tallied up his team members.
As soon as he reached, "Saotome, Ranma" he paused, and looked around wildly.
Ranma was not there.

* * *
 
      "Aw, mom!  I'm gonna be late for the Kendo match.  I don't even know
where is Furinken High."  Ranma complained politely to his mother.  Nodoka
continued to hum as she finished stirfrying brunch and chose to ignore
Ranma's protests.  

      "Ranma, you know how important a well balanced meal is!  You won't set
foot out of this house, until you eat brunch.  Right Genma dear?"  Genma
made no response, as he turned the page of his newspaper.  Nodoka, her face
as cheerful as ever walked up to Genma, and knocked Genma on the head.

      "Ahem!  Right GENMA DEAR?"

     Genma looked up at his object of affection, calmly folded up his
newspaper, and stood up.  "What do you mean you uncute woman!"  Genma
shouted back at his wife, with a small smile on his face.  Nodoka smiled back.

      "Well, you moron!  I wanted you to agree with me!"  Genma laughed, and
his get his wife a slap on the behind, which caused her to jump.

      "Of course!  Nodoka-chan!  I always agree with you!"

      "Hentai!"  Nodoka gasped, and she started to laugh.  Ranma looked
stupified at his parents.  'They never seem to hate each other even though
they constantly fight.'  Shaking his head, Ranma started to think about the
perfect girl for him.  As he ate, he thought about being in an boys school
and the lack of opportunities to meet any other girls.  His thoughts were
interrupted by his father's face, which popped right in front of him. 

      "Ranma my boy."  Ranma could detect a slight trail of drool that
slowly slid down from the corner of his father's lips.  "Perhaps, you are
right...  Sorry, Nodoka-chan!"  Genma turned back to Ranma.  "It is poor for
a martial artist to be late for his engagements....  Be off!"  

       Genma picked up Ranma, and heaved him out the back door.  Ranma cried
out in shock and anger as he landed in the backyard pond.  A very pissed off
teenaged boy broke to the surface.  "Hey OLD MAN, what did you do that for?"
Genma shrugged his shoulders, and as he finished his son's bowl of food.  

       Trying hard to speak, Genma frowned, and pulled out a sign, with
rough Japanese scrawled on the front.  "Well, I was getting hungry."  Ranma
muttered, "Baka," and he ran out of the yard, his clothing still soaked.  

* * *

       "Where's Ranma?  Where's Ranma?"  Ryoga screamed as he ripped the
armrests off of his chair.  Panicking, Ryoga scanned the audience, and the
huge crowds of people screaming "Go Furinken!  Woohooo!  Beat those
nobodies!!! Woohooo" didn't do much to help Ryoga's disposition.  He leaped
out of his seat, and grabbed a random member of his team.

       As he shook the terrified boy, Ryoga screamed.  "Where's Ranma?"  The
timid boy fainted and collapsed on the floor.  Ryoga took his umbrella, and
shoved its head into the concrete wall, making a large crater.  'If Ranma's
missing this on purpose, I'll...I'll...I'll kill him!'

* * *

      "Come on Akane, let's hurry, I don't want to miss the match!  I have a
lot of money on Furinken!"  Nabiki looked back at her sister Akane, with an
exasperated expression on her face.  Akane continued at her normal pace, and
she wasn't too happy.

      "Damn Kuno!  He's probably gonna start slobbering, as soon as he sees
me.  Bastard!"  Nabiki shook her head, as she looked at Akane.  Her sister
had it easy.  Akane had all of the boys fawning and pawing at her, and
Nabiki sighed at her predicament, not a single boy ever showed the slightest
interest in her at all.  Suddenly, destiny struck, and something happened
that changed Nabiki's life forever.

       Ranma was running on top of the fence, practicing his balance.
Smiling to himself, he recalled himself four years ago, trying to run on top
of a fence.  Back then, his balance wasn't that good, as he constantly fell,
and tripped.  Looking up ahead, he saw Furinken High School,  looming up
ahead, and he decided to take the low road instead of the high road.  He
leaped down, and collided into two girls who were walking calmly.

       "Look out!"  Ranma tucked his body, landed on his hands centimeters
behind both girls, and to avoid colliding into them, pushed himself from the
ground.  He flipped in the air, and landed in front of both girls.

      Nabiki took at step back, simply astounded by the boy's roguish looks,
and his obviously well-shaped body.  Nabiki couldn't tear her eyes off of
this boy, and after tugging with herself, she managed to keep a straight
face.  In fact it wasn't too hard, since Akane decided to take matters into
her own hands.

      "Idiot!  What were you trying to do?  Trying to kill us!"  Akane
lashed out viciously, and was surprised to only meet air.  "Stand still!"
Akane started punching, kicking, and otherwise going berserk trying to beat
this obviously rude and stupid boy.  He quickly circled around, and behind
him, Akane left a trail of destruction.  The fence that the boy had been
standing on was reduced to Swiss cheese, a lamp post had a huge dent in it.
As the boy passed Nabiki, Akane in her rage, lashed out.  Nabiki had been
watching the fight with interest.  No one usually could stand up to Akane's
anger and her attacks, but her was a boy who was easily dodging and evading
all of Akane's forms.  Suddenly, she noticed Akane's fist was blindly
targeted at her.

     Ranma's smile wiped off his face, as he quickly perceived the danger
that the nonviolent girl was in.  'Gosh, it'd be bad if she got hurt.'  With
that thought, Ranma's hand shot out, intercepting Akane's heavy punch.
Nabiki blinked, as she saw another hand flash in front of her, stopping
Akane's punch on a dime.  Akane momentarily broke out of her rage, and
noticed that she was about to beat the stuffing out of her own sister.

      Putting a hand to her mouth, she said, "Nabiki!  I'm sorry, did I hurt
you?"  Nabiki waved her hands.

      "No problem Akane, the boy saved me."  Akane looked back at the boy,
who was staring quizzically at the two.  Akane remembered the impudence of
this boy, his grins as he easily dodged her attacks, almost taunting her,
daring her.  A cry broke from the base of her throat, and this time, the boy
leaped at her.

       "Sorry, but I have to really go now."  Ranma almost laughed as he
thought about Ryoga panicking.  'Ryoga really needs to learn how to control
his stress.'  Ranma leaped upwards, avoiding Akane's punch, and he pivoted
on the top of her head with his index finger.  He reached down with his
other hand, and tapped Akane on the back of the head.  "...Anyways  I gotcha!"  

      Akane whirled around, and saw nothing, the boy had disappeared.

* * *
      Ryoga surveyed his team, bruised, battered, but they managed to put up
a good show.  However, this was the final battle, and since everyone on the
team already fought, they would have to forfeit if Ranma did not show up
soon.  In the center of the dueling ring, Tatewaki Kuno, captain of the
Furinken Team, stood with a bokken in his hands, and he laughed out loud,
his voice echoing in a megomaniacal laugh that scared the crap out of
everyone.  Kuno apparently claimed victory for himself.  Ryoga looked at the
score board, Furinken 5, St. Lawrence 5.  'If Ranma was here, then we can
win, otherwise we need to forfeit...'

      "I, the Blue Thunder of Furinken High, the Champion of Japan, shall
win!"  Kuno let out another laugh.

      "Yo Ryoga!"  Ranma walked casually into the St. Lawrence area.  Ryoga
forgetting all of his depression and despair for a moment, and he hugged
Ranma hard.

      "There is a god after all!  We're gonna win!"  Ranma struggled hard,
and he couldn't get his friend off of him.

      "Uh, Ryoga, I know we are friends and such, but isn't this a bit too
close?"  Ryoga released his bear hug, looked around, and started to laugh
nervously.

      "Ranma, it's your turn."  Ryoga pointed to the manic in the ring, who
was waving his sword around crazily.  Ranma looked at Tatewaki Kuno for a
moment, and grinned.  Cracking his knuckles, he walked into the ring.

* * *

      "Excuse me.  Pardon me."  Nabiki repeated, as she pulled Akane towards
the front rows.  As soon as people heard her voice, they withered away,
adding to Nabiki's underlying depression.  Nabiki fought off her depression
as she thought of the profit she was going to make.  'Who ever heard of the
St. Lawrence Kendo team.  They must be a bunch of incompetent people.
Furinken will win for certain.  I'm going to reap a huge profit off of this
one.'  Nabiki thought about the false information she had been planting
about the St. Lawrence team, and surprisingly she got a lot of people to bet
for a St. Lawrence victory.

      As she walked to the front, she noticed that the final match was about
to begin.  She looked and was shocked.  Kuno, the "Blue Thunder," was going
to fight that boy she met this morning.  Panicing, Nabiki looked at the
scoreboard, Furinken 5, St. Lawrence 5.  Considering how easily her sister
could pound Kuno, Nabiki felt another wave of depression hit her.  She was
going to suffer a loss after the match.

       Akane stared ahead, and saw the boy who had "beated" her a few
minutes earlier, without a bokken or any armor.  She turned to Nabiki.
"Nabiki!  He's not wearing any armor!"  Nabiki stared up, and realized that
she still had some hope of salvaging her money.  However she was also
surprised like Akane.

      "Akane, do you think that he will win?"  Akane shook her head, and
shrugged her shoulders.  She knew that if Kuno wasn't love sick with her, he
could easily beat her, if he put his mind to it.  But since Kuno was a bird
brained lunatic, he rarely was focused enough to make a lasting impression
in battle.  Suddenly, Akane wished that she had last row seats instead of
the front row.

      "Oh Akane!  My love goddess, my objet d'amor!"  Kuno, still in his
armor, had leaped off the ring, and forcefully hugged Akane.  "Perhaps you
will grant me a victory kiss and wish me luck."  Akane's right eye started
to twitch.

      She screamed, and lifted Kuno above her head, and hurled him back into
the ring.  "I wish you'd really break your leg!"  Kuno laid on stage, his
eyes glassed over as he swollowed Akane's words.

      "She told me to break a leg...."  Ranma looked puzzled at Kuno's
strange behaviour.  He nudged Kuno with his foot.  Nabiki shook her head.
'No no, you shouldn't do that.'

      "Hey, lover boy.  Gonna fight now?"  Ranma's foot did more than just
wake Kuno out of his trance.  It enraged him completely.

      "How dare thee, a commoner, treat me, one whose blood must be one with
the gods, like that!  I should be the one treading on you!"  At Kuno's
signa;, a member of the Furinken team, tossed a rock, causing the bell to
ping.  Kuno charged Ranma, who got hit since he was surprised.  Nabiki
recoiled backwards.  'So Kuno is going to win... and I get my money...  But
I really am attracted to that boy.'  Akane also recoiled backwards.  'Damn!
I was hoping that the boy grinds Kuno into a bloody pulp.'

      Ranma looked down at his torn shirt, and was surprised to see a long
but superficial cut.  Ranma took one look at the bokken in Kuno's hands, and
he saw the glint of light from the edge.  'That's not a normal bokken!
That's a really katana spray painted to look like wood!'  Gritting his
teeth, Ranma's mind started to boil over, for Kuno had ruined his favorite
shirt.  Both boys charged each other, and the battle was met.

     Kuno swung his bokken low, hoping to remove Ranma's leg or something.
Ranma already saw the attack coming, and he leaped up and disappeared out of
Kuno's sight.  Kuno rested his bokken on his shoulder, as he warily scanned
the ring.  Ranma was no where to be found.  Angered by his opponent's
obvious lack of respect.  Kuno called out.  "Coward!  Where are you?  If I
ever find you, I'll kill you.  You must fear the death aura of Kuno the Blue
Thunder."  He started to laugh again

     The audience started to laugh.  Kuno whirled around, and could not
comprehend why everyone was mocking him.  He felt a tap on the top of his
head.  "Ahem, looking for me?"  Kuno whipped his head, and noticed that the
boy had been standing on his bokken the whole time.

     The boy smiled grimly.  "My name is Ranma Saotome of the School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts.  And I'd like to say, good night."  Kuno stood
befuddled, as he saw a foot smash his faceguard into a million bits, and the
world around him faded.  Akane Tendo and Nabiki Tendo both turned to each
other.  

     "Akane, did he say the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts?"  Nabiki
asked.  Akane nodded.  "I think Father would be most interested to hear
about this."

      The two sisters couldn't continue their conversation as all of the St.
Lawrence fans, and girls from St. Lawrence's sister school St. Hebbeke,
charged the ring.  Well, most of the girls for St. Hebbeke charged the ring,
except one, a certain strange girl garbed in gymnasts apparel, and in her
hands was a razor sharp ribbon.

      "Ranma Saotome!  You flea bitten cur!  You've hurt my poor, insane
brother Tatewaki.  And for that, I am bounded by honor, to avenge his fall
by killing you."  She leaped at Ranma, and swung her lethal ribbon at him.
Ranma easily ducked the ribbon, and he adapted a fighting stance.  The
ribbon continued is arc, and it sliced the judges table in half.

      "Come on!  Give up!  I don't like to hit girls!"  Kodachi looked at
Ranma, and her respect for that black Ranma went up a whit.  "Well, defend
yourself, for honor dictates me to attack."  She swung her ribbon at Ranma
again.  This time, Ranma punched it, forcing everyone in the audience to
deeply inhale, expecting Ranma's hand to cloved into two.  Instead, Ranma,
drawing his experience, drove his hand like a blade, cracking a perfect
break through the ribbon.  The broken ribbon fell on the floor.  

     Kodachi stared at Ranma, and she pulled out her clubs and started to
swing them at Ranma.  Ranma flipped backwards, and landed away from Kodachi.
Kodachi shouted, "Come back you coward!".

     She openned her pouch, and pulled out many metal clubs.  She started to
hurl them rapidly at Ranma, like some sort of full blown hail storm.  Ranma
realized that dodging the clubs and using his arms to block them would be
counterproductive.  Ranma gasped, and he quickly reached behind him and drew
his dagger.  Acting quickly, his right arm flashed back and forth, using his
long knife to parry off the dangerous clubs.  As soon as the last club was
deflected, Ranma resheathed his knife and charged Kodachi.  'Damn it's a
good thing that my mom made me learn how to use that knife.'  Ranma always
kept his blade tied to his back.

      Kodachi gasped when she saw the boy turn back her storm of clubs.
However, simultaneously, she felt intrigued, somehow this boy had captured
her interest.  She pulled out her razor hoop, and sent it flying at Ranma.
Ranma barely got out of its way, and as it passed, he kicked it, sending it
spiraling up into the metal rafters in the ceiling, where it ricocheted
around, and came whizzing back down at Kodachi.

      Ranma despite this girl's attempts to hurt him, shouted.  "Look out!"
Kodachi looked up and instantly paled, when she saw her razor hoop coming
straight down at her.  She stood mesmorised as the hoop spun downwards,
singing its song of death.  Her trance was broken when she felt herself
pushed out of the way.  Her eyes refocused, and she found herself looking at
the boy, who just saved her life.  Immediately, she gave in to her
burgeoning respect for the boy.

      "Ranma, your skills are unparalleled, even better than my insane
brother over there."  She pointed at Kuno's prostrate form.  "I would like
to forgive you for being harsh, and I would like to give you a token of my
appreciation for saving me."  With that said, she gave Ranma the most
intense kiss he ever had in his entire life.  She broke off the kiss, looked
at him coyly, and walked off.  Ranma's eyes bulged as he watched her body,
effortlessly move in her gymnasts uniform.  

      "Hey Ranma!  Snap out of it!"  Ryoga sighed and he bonked Ranma on the
head with his umbrella.  Ranma shook a bit, and his brain returned from some
lost land.

      "What did you do that for?"  Ranma stared at Ryoga.

      Nabiki and Akane both stared critically at Ranma Saotome who was still
standing motionless after the kiss Kodachi.  Nabiki muttered.  "What a play
boy.  He must love to have tons of women gropping him."  Akane stared at her
sister.

      "You said it.  Sick pervert.  HE looks as bad as Kuno."

* * *

      As Nabiki and Akane left the gymnasium, they again bumped into Ranma.
This time, they were the ones who accidentally ran into him.  Ranma winced
as Akane accidentally elbowed him in the cut that Kuno gave him.

      "Hey what did you do that for, stupid girls."  Both Nabiki and Akane
turned around to see, Ranma on the floor clutching his wound.  Tears were
streaming down his face.  Ryoga looked bored.

      "Come on Ranma does it hurt that much?"

      "YES!!!!!!"  Akane thought a bit, and surpressed her anger.  And an
idea entered her mind.

       "Hey, Ranma I know a doctor nearby.  I'll help you go there.  He's
very good."  Akane shifted her backpack, and she shouldered Ranma.  Ryoga
did the same at the other side.  Nabiki was going to follow, when she felt a
hand land on her shoulder.  She calmly turned around, to see the grinning
face of a lot of boys.

      "Say Nabiki, do you have our money?"  Nabiki silently groaned, and she
thought to herself, 'Today's going to be a really bad day... I can already
feel it.'

* * *
  
     "Hmmmm.... Amazing."  Dr. Tofu carefully probed the cut that was on
Ranma's stomach.  "How long ago were you cut?"

     Akane looked at her watch, "About an hour ago.  Why Doctor Tofu?"
Akane blushed, and turned her head away as Dr. Tofu looked at her.  

      "Well, judging from this cut, this cut looks as if it occured a day
ago.  And based on the current healing speed, I'd say that Ranma would be
fine in a couple hours or so!"  Dr. Tofu shook his head.  "Well, I might as
well bandage the cut up."  He placed some gauze on top of the clotted wound,
and taped it down.  

      Ranma remembered his manners, since his mother constantly harped about
manners and etiquette, and such, and Ranma leaped out of bed, and bowed to
Dr. Tofu.

      "Thank you Dr. Tofu, I really need to go."  Ranma then turned to Akane
and bowed again.  "Thank you....um...What's your name?"

      "Akane Tendo."

      "Thank you Akane.  Well, I need to help my friend get home.  He always
gets lost."  
Ranma walked briskly out of the door, and he nodded to Ryoga, and both
immediately left.  Akane sighed, and she left the clinic, walking the
opposite direction.

* * *

       "Boy!  Why are you so late?"  Genma raised his voice ever so
slightly.  "You're ten minutes late!  Ten minutes late for your afternoon
training!  For a martial artist, training is his life!  And until now you've
had it easy."  Ranma yawned rather loudly, and turned around to walk into
the house.  Genma shrugged his shoulders, and he leaped at Ranma.

      Ranma spun around, and both started to spar.  Ranma and Genma leaped
around, fought in mid air, on land, and in the pond.  Ranma picked up
various objects, such as rocks, and statues and hurled them at his father.
His father in turn threw knives, swords, and other stuff back at Ranma.

       "Boy!  You sicken me!  As a member of the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts!  It is your duty to find every advantage for victory, and to
use it!"  Ranma grinned.

       "You mean like this.?  Ranma drew his blade, and charged Genma, but
at the last second, he pointed at the house.  "Wow, Dad?  Mom's really mad!"
Genma's attention was drawn away from battle as he nervously looked around
for his wife.  He found nothing.  Angered that his son had tricked him, he
looked back at his son, his face grim.

       "Ranma!  Why did you say that?"  Ranma gestured downwards with his
finger.  Genma looked down to see his gi cut perfectly at the waist line,
revealing his panda boxers to the whole world.  Ranma was rolling on the
ground laughing, as Genma maintaining his dignity, entered the house to
change his gi.

* * *
 
      Meanwhile, on a beach on some deserted shore.  A raft with a small
tent landed.  A withered old head poked out, and quickly surveyed the area.
It let loose and evil chuckle, and the old dimunative man lugged behind him
a giant urn, which was labeled. "Jusenkyo Water.  100% Natural and no
preservatives."  He looked at the darkening sky and laughed, "Soun Tendo,
Genma Saotome, prepare for my token of thanks."