[Note: I'm not saying who owns the copyright, just to see if 
I'll get an irate call from lawyers or not.  Oh..and there's 
no explanation for why Soun is so wacky, I just think he's too 
cool to be played straight.  The Entomorph gets credit as 
creative consultant or something similar, as this story is 
kinda based on something he wrote called Dizzy Japan.  Also, 
this isn't the first fanfic that I wrote.  It's the first good 
Ranma fic that I wrote, though.  One was a bad Ranma fic, the 
other was a good spamfic.]
 
[Story notes:  Parts 1 and 2 were released as Dizzy Japan.  
It's been heavily edited [a lot of the bad jokes were taken 
out] and given a new title.  Why?  Because I like this title 
more.  "Let the Wind Blow" is also the title of one of the 
best Beach Boys songs.]
 
[Opening Theme: "Let the Wind Blow", by The Beach Boys.  If 
you don't like reading songs, just skip past it.  Or buy the 
album so that it makes more sense.  I'd suppose that it 
doesn't translate well to text..  ie.  The 'ah' part spans 11 
notes and does a very good job of imitating the blowing wind.  
Unfortunately, the ASCII character set doesn't have anything 
that represents that.]
 
Let the wind blow   (ah)
Let the grass grow  (ah)
But don't let her go
 
Don't take her out of my life
Don't take her out of my life
 
Let the moon glow       (Let the moon glow on the fallen snow)
On the fallen snow      (Let the moon glow on the fallen snow)
 
But I just got to know  (Let me please know oh oh oh)
 
Know she'll be a part of my life
Know she'll be a part of my life
Forever
 
Let the bees make honey
Let the poor find money
Take away their sorrows
Give them sunshine tomorrow
 
But don't take her out of my life
Don't take her out of my life
What would I do without her tell me now
 
Let the bird sing
With the coming spring
Let the church bells ring
Let the rain fall
Let the grass grow
Let the moon glow
On the fallen snow
 
But don't take her out of my life
Please keep her a part of my life
 
@STORY: Let the Wind Blow
[part 1 of 3]
 
 
[It is 7:40 PM.  Ranma sitting on floor of the Tendo household, 
watching a news program.  Nabiki walks in and, ignoring Ranma 
entirely, changes the channel to some low-quality game show.  
Kasumi, Akane, Genma and Soun are out of the room.  Akane walks 
into the room from outside]
 
Akane: You know...it's getting really windy out there..
 
Ranma: Akane!  I didn't hear you come in.
 
Akane: Oh.  Looks like I'm just a bit more stealthy, then.
 
Ranma: [accusingly] Been training?  Or does sneaking around 
run in the family?
 
[Kasumi taps Ranma on the shoulder]
 
Kasumi: Maybe you haven't been paying close enough attention 
to your surroundings.
 
[Ranma is startled and runs out of the room.  Kasumi looks 
slightly puzzled, then walks back to the kitchen.]
 
Akane: You know...maybe it isn't just him.
 
Nabiki: Maybe it's the rest of the world?
 
Soun: Aren't you going to be late for school?
 
Akane: School ended hours ago.
 
Soun: Oh.
 
Ranma: And I heard you come in, Tendo.
 
[Kasumi and Ryouga enter from the hallway.]
 
Kasumi: There was quite a wind outside, so I let Ryouga in.
He was wandering around in the backyard again.
 
Ryouga: I'll be fine, honest.  I don't mind a little wind.
 
Akane: Are you sure?  It looks more like a full-strength gale.
 
Ryouga: I've faced worse.
 
Kasumi: And a nasty rainstorm too.
 
Ryouga: [pales] Umm....maybe I could stay here for a while.
 
Akane: You're almost as bad about rain as Ranma is.   You'd 
think you had a curse or something.
 
[Ryouga's eyes glaze over.  He has fainted but remains 
standing.  There's an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then 
Akane notices Ryouga's condition]
 
Akane: Are you all right?
 
Ryouga: [feeling slightly giddy over the fact that Akane is 
paying any attention at all to him] Yes...I'm fine [faints 
again.  This time he hits the ground]
 
Akane: Maybe we ought to take him to Dr. Tofu
 
[Ryouga snaps to attention and waffles around trying to think 
of some excuse not to go outside]
 
Nabiki: It's not a good idea to drive around in this weather.
 
[Ryouga relaxes slightly]
 
Kasumi: I'll take him once this storm clears up.
 
Akane: Drive?  I didn't know that we had a car.
 
Nabiki: Akane, there is *so* much that you don't know about 
around here.
 
[Ranma enters the room]
 
Nabiki: Odd.  I didn't think that there were tornadoes in Japan.
 
Akane: Are you sure that it's a tornado?
 
Nabiki: I know from tornadoes.
 
Ranma: Tornadoes?
[Ranma does that same sort of standing faint trick.  Akane 
shakes him out of it]
 
Akane: What's wrong?
 
Ranma: When I was little, Dad would always try and teach me new
techniques --
 
Akane: Like cat-fu?
 
Ranma: Exactly.  One day he took me to the Tornado Training 
Grounds.  I had to stay in this cabin for a week -- 
 
Akane: What happened?
 
Ranma: The last night I was there, a giant tornado ripped
everthing to shreds.  I barely made it out alive!
 
Soun: You were found the next day crying your eyes out.  Genma 
said that it wasn't even strong enough--
 
Ranma: Shut up! Where did you come from anyways??
 
Soun: You said you heard me come in.
 
Nabiki: Maybe he didn't really mean it.
 
Ranma: I meant it.  I just forgot.
 
[Genma enters the room]
 
Genma: Ah, the Seven Noble Cyclones Training Ground story?
 
Soun: Yes, they didn't seem that noble, though.  They seemed 
rather small, actually.
 
Genma: The brochure was in German.  Maybe it was the Seven 
Tolerable Cyclones.   Doesn't matter.  The brochures never say
anything worth reading anyways.
 
[Ranma pours water on Genma.  Instant Panda]
 
Ranma: [mockingly] You don't suppose that if you read a certain 
Jusenkyo Brochure correctly, we might have a few less problems?
 
Genma-panda: [sign] The brochures _almost_ never say anything 
worth reading.
 
Ranma: By chance...did the tornadoes look small because you 
were, say, far away?
 
[Genma and Soun think for a moment]
 
Soun: Well...you know..
 
Genma-panda: [sign] Maybe...Just maybe.
 
Soun: They looked puny enough from a mile away --
 
Genma-panda: [sign] Right.
 
Ranma: [points at Genma] And I heard you enter the room.
 
[Genma responds by wittily eating bamboo shoots]
 
Akane: Look!
 
[They all look up and there out from the opening.  There is a 
giant twister about 20 yards away.  Genma stands and makes a 
mad dash out of the dojo with Soun.  They are thrown through 
the air.  Ranma starts quivering in fear.  Ranma tries to do 
some very odd sort of kick, but fails.  Ryouga tries to do the 
same sort of kick and succeeds.  The tornado slows down.  
Ryouga repeats the technique, which text doesn't fully do 
justice to.  Ryouga shouts "Hibiki Wind Dissipation Kick!".  
The tornado slows to a gentle breeze, depositing its occupants 
onto the ground.  The house, mysteriously enough, is back to 
its normal, undamaged condition] 
 
Ranma: [grabs Ryouga] How'd you do that?  That was the 
Anything Goes Rising Tornado Kick.
 
Ryouga: No it isn't.  The wind dissipation technique has 
been in my family for generations.
 
Ranma: How can it be in your family for generations?  The 
training ground is thousands of miles away from your family.
 
Ryouga: Well, my great-great-grandfather found the place on 
the way to a picnic once.  The technique has been with us ever 
since.
 
Ranma: Pop, you told me that this had been in the Anything 
Goes school for generations.
 
Genma: [sign] Well...generation.
 
Ryouga: [to Genma] You would steal the time-honoured Hibiki 
techniques?
 
Genma: [sign] I didn't see a copyright.
 
Ranma: It was probably in the brochure.
 
[Genma smacks Ranma over the head with the sign.  Genma and 
Ranma start fighting.  The fight drifts over to outside the 
house.  Why?  So that the panda can dunk Ranma in the 
fishpond.  This is mandatory.  Must happen at least once every 
three episodes.  If Ranma was smart, he would have moved the 
fish into an aquarium and filled in the pond.  However, since 
the Pointless Gender Change is the main hook of the series...]
 
Ryouga: [sigh] First my lunch, then my love, and now my 
techniques.  [screaming] What of mine will he take next?
 
Kasumi: [pulls out a tray of food.  Miraculously, neither 
Soun, Ranma nor Genma grab it.] I could help you with lunch.
 
Akane: And I could help you with your tech--
 
Nabiki: And I could help you with your techniques. 
 
Akane: I didn't think you knew martial arts.
 
Nabiki: You can't help but pick up a few things around here.
 
[Ryouga stands there in a *very* uncomfortable silence.  Akane 
is entirely oblivious to this.  Akane thinks about what Ryouga 
says for a moment]
 
Ryouga: I'm sorry.  I just can't stand the way that he treats --
 
Akane: [angrily] That's just like Ranma to get between you and 
Ukyou.
 
Ryouga: [puzzled] What about Ukyou?
 
Akane: Oh.  Then between you and Shampoo.
 
Ryouga: No...Ranma's other fiance.
 
Akane: [surprised] You mean?
[Ryouga nods.]
 
Akane: How long has this been going on?
 
Ryouga: Ever since we've known each other.
 
Akane: And all this time I never knew?
 
Ryouga: I...I was afraid to tell you.
 
Akane: You have told her, haven't you?
 
Ryouga: Her?
 
Akane: Kodachi.  Right?
 
[Ryouga's world collapses around him, like it usually does.  
Akane is, of course, oblivious to this.]
 
Akane: Don't worry.  I'll help you win her back.
 
Ryouga: But I--
 
Akane: No excuses.  If you had faced up and told her how you 
felt, you would have never had this problem.  I'll think up 
some sort of plan.
 
Nabiki: Want help?
 
Akane: Sure.  All the help we can get.
 
Nabiki: Good.  15,000 yen and you've got a deal.
 
Akane: Tornado damage would have been about 200,000 yen.  Way 
I see it, help out and you only owe Ryouga 185,000.
 
Nabiki: I didn't agree to pay that.
 
[Ryouga sits around, watching the sisters use him as a 
bargaining chip]
 
Akane: He performed 200,000 worth of services, right?
 
Nabiki: All right.  I'll help you.
 
Akane: Good.
 
Nabiki: This reminds me.  I'm missing a book of mine, entitled 
"101 Fun Ways to Manipulate People".  Have you seen it?
 
Akane: Nope.
 
Nabiki: I don't believe you.
 
Akane: Nope.  Haven't seen it.
 
Nabiki: Maybe you can borrow it when I find it.  You could use 
help on chapter 57, "Lying".
 
Akane: "Lying" is chapter 58.  
 
Nabiki: Hah!
 
Akane: [looks around nervously]  Just a guess.  Honest.
 
Nabiki: Keep the book until you've gotten better at chapter 
32.  "Weaseling Out Of Situations".
 
[Nabiki hands Akane a folded piece of paper and leaves]
 
Akane: Maybe she's gotten nicer [looks at paper]
[Show paper:
[in red]
200,000 Yen             Credit: Dojo Maintenance
[in black] 
 10,000 Yen             Library Services
 20,000 Yen             General Plotting
 30,000 Yen             Family Discount
-------------------
140,000 Yen Credit      Total]
 
Akane: [glowering] She *charged* me for the family discount?!
 
Kasumi: [smiling] Well, at least you're getting a 
discount....whether or not you wind up paying more for it.
 
Soun: Well, ain't she the vampire of mixed blessings?
 
Ryouga: I didn't hear you come in.
 
                *       *       *
 
[Cut scenes.  Next morning.  Ryouga, Nabiki and Akane are 
sitting around a table and plotting.  Genma and Soun are 
playing shogi in the background.  Genma points at something.  
Soun looks.  Genma grabs two of Soun's pieces and eats them]
 
Nabiki: Their games don't seem to drag on so long, now that 
Kasumi started baking chocolate-flavoured shogi pieces.  
 
[Akane pulls out map of the Kunou estate and traces a path 
through to Kodachi's Training Gymnasium.]
 
Akane: What do you think of the idea?
 
Nabiki: Depends...Ryouga..is your health insurance paid up?
 
Ryouga: I think it is..[catches the drift of Nabiki's comment] 
Oh.  So you recomend against it?
 
Nabiki: If I wanted to kill you, I would send you out on a 
mission like this.
 
Ryouga: I don't want to do this.
 
Akane: You _ought_ to.   You can't just give up on Kodachi 
like this.
 
Ryouga: But I don't--
 
Akane: No excuses.
 
[Genma moves a piece.  Soun points at something.  Genma 
looks.  Soun takes the shogi board and replaces it with a 
checkerboard.  Soun moves a piece and jumps three of Genma's 
checkers.  Genma moves a piece onto the back row.  Genma pulls 
out a sign that says "King Me".  Soun grabs the sign from him]
 
Soun: You aren't a panda, Tendo.
 
Genma: Sorry, Saotome.  Force of habit.
 
[Ranma runs by and, for no particular reason, dumps a bucket 
of water on Genma.  Genma grabs the sign from Soun.   While 
grappling for the sign, Genma replaces the board with a 
Battleship set-up.  Genma flips the sign over to reveal that 
it now says "B 3"]
 
Soun: [crying] You sunk my battleship!
 
Genma: Give up, Tendo?
 
Soun: Never, Saotome!  C 5!
 
Nabiki: Well, the main problem with this plan is that everyone 
will be trying to kill you.
 
Akane: Kunou won't,
 
Nabiki: Right.  That isn't much better.  I could try to get 
him to help.
 
Ryouga: I don't want to do this.
 
Akane: It's ok.  Don't feel nervous.
 
Ryouga: I'm not nervous.
 
Akane: You can admit to being nervous.  This is a big thing.
 
Ryouga: I don't want to do this.
 
Akane: See.  You're nervous.  Why would Kunou help?
 
Nabiki: He has a vested interest in this.  Trying to keep 
Ranma away from his sister, you know.
 
Akane: But didn't he want to get Ranma with Kodachi?
 
Nabiki: Kunou-chan works in strange ways.
 
Akane: I'll help also.
 
Nabiki: But Kodachi wants to kill you.
 
Akane: Oh...Who else could help?
 
Ryouga: I don't need your help.
 
Akane: If you didn't need our help, you would have told her by 
now.  We need to help you get in and to make sure that you 
don't chicken out.
 
Nabiki: Well, Ranma would only make things worse.  Father and 
Saotome are too busy in their game of --
 
[Soun points at something.  Genma looks.  Soun removes the 
Battleship setup, and instantly gives himself and Genma five 
cards and a number of poker chips.  The panda is now wearing a 
green visor.]
 
Genma: [Sign] Raise five.
 
Soun: Match and raise ten more.
 
Nabiki: their game of poker to help.  Kasumi is out shopping.  
Anyone outside of the family is too big a risk.  Except for --
 
[Soun and Genma show their hands.  Soun has a full house, aces 
and threes.  Genma has three aces.]
 
Genma: [sign] Why are there five aces in this deck?
 
Soun: I don't know...isn't that Happosai behind you?
[Genma turns and looks.  Soun instantly replaces the cards and 
chips with a Sorry board.]
 
Soun: I'm gonna make you sorry!
 
Genma: [sign] Nani?
 
Soun: And take that ridiculous thing off of your head.
 
[Genma sheepishly removes the visor.]
 
Nabiki: We'll leave later this afternoon.
 
Akane: Ok.
 
Ryouga: I don't want to do this.
 
Akane: Ryouga, I can't let you just ignore your feelings like 
this.  I care about you.  It would just break my heart if you 
didn't go through with this.
 
[Genma grabs the Sorry board and throws it out the window.  He 
replaces it with a Twister mat.]
 
Soun: Hey.  I saw that!
 
Genma: [sign]  Oh..sorry...umm...something behind you?
 
Soun: Oh.  Ok.
 
                *       *       *

Terrence Marks
Second Student in the Tendo Kasumi School of Philosophy
-Seeking enlightenment through normalcy.
normal@grove.ufl.edu