And here's part three! :) Enjoy. C&C appreciated.


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Scoop of the Day
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
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Disclaimer. Yup.

Thanks to... well, a bunch of people on this part. I guess I'll wait 
until the last part is sent before I enumerate. 



Chapter Three: I'm Editor-In-Chief 

	

	The after-school meeting in the journalism room was starting to 
wind down, and Noriko was handing out the last of the assignments for the 
week. "So, we've got Wataru covering this week's damage and Takaya doing 
the rugby game, right? Right." Noriko paused for a moment, mentally 
checking to be sure that there wasn't anything else that needed to be 
taken care of. With Mr. Watanabe out of town for the week, Noriko was 
left with the job of conducting meetings for the paper, and she didn't 
want to forget anything important. "Okay, that's it for this week, then. 
Thanks for all of your hard work, and keep it up!" The meeting ended as 
the students got up and slowly trickled out the door. Noriko sat back 
down at her desk, grateful for another meeting gone smoothly without 
interruption from some disaster. 

	"Hey, Chief, some of us are going out to the Nekohanten for some 
ramen. Wanna come?" Suzuki called from the door. The bandages that 
covered his body a few days ago were gone now, and the major wounds were 
starting to disappear. 

	Noriko hesitated. "Um...no, thanks, I'm going to stay behind and 
work a bit on a special project for next edition." 

	Suzuki looked a little disappointed. "Okay, Chief; see you 
tomorrow, then," Suzuki waved as he disappeared out the door. 

	She returned the wave. "See you tomorrow!" She watched the last 
of her crew leave the room. *Okay, now to get down to the special payback 
I have in store for our resident disaster area,* she thought as she 
flexed her fingers. 

	

	Suzuki and his friends continued down the hall on their way to 
the Nekohanten. "Hey, Hikaru, this is the third day this week that 
Chief's stayed behind after school," he remarked to Hikaru Gosunkugi. 

	"Mmmhmm. So?" He absent-mindedly adjusted a bandage on his arm. 
"Ouch!" 

	"Well...," Suzuki scratched his head, not sure how to phrase what 
he was about to say. "I'm...a little worried about her, I guess. Chief 
hasn't been acting like herself lately, you know, writing all those 
things against violence and martial arts. And now she seems to be 
obsessed with getting some kind of scoop on Saotome. You think she might 
be getting in over her head?" 

	Gosunkugi thought for a moment, but another crew member had 
overheard Suzuki's comments and decided to answer for him. "Aaahhh, you 
know how touchy girls are," he remarked carelessly. "It's probably...you 
know...that time of the month or something," he snickered. A few of the 
others (all male, of course) laughed in response, but their laughter 
quickly died when Suzuki bopped the offender on the head. 

	"I wasn't talking to you, so mind your own business!" Suzuki 
snapped. He turned to Gosunkugi, who just shrugged impassively in 
response. *Next time, I'll keep my mouth shut,* he sighed to himself. 

	

	More than two and a half hours had passed since school had let 
out, and the halls of Furinkan High were devoid of students. The faculty 
had all gone home, and even the janitorial staff had decided to call it a 
day. However, in the journalism room, a light remained on as Noriko 
stayed hunched over her desk, hard at work. 

	*Hmmm...a little too crass,* she thought, frowning at the words 
on her paper. This feature article was going to be the culmination of her 
research and vendetta against Ranma Saotome, and Noriko wanted it to be 
one of the finest pieces of work she had ever done. She scratched out 
some choice words with a pencil and scribbled in some others. Noriko 
smiled inwardly and rewarded herself with a swig of cocoa, pleased with 
the change. *When this gets out on paper, you'll pay for what you've done 
to me...what you've done to the "Informer,"* she thought. 

	A nagging doubt crossed her mind again. Should she really go 
through with this? The ethics of what she was planning to do were 
questionable, to say the least, and it could be really bad for the 
"Informer" if things got out of control. Mr. Watanabe was out of town for 
the next week; maybe she should wait until the edition after and get his 
approval, or forget this crazy idea altogether, or... 

	Noriko shook her head again, chasing away her conscience. *It 
_is_ Ranma's fault, and he deserves this!* She clenched her fist without 
realizing it. *He's the one responsible for all the property damage and 
chaos that's happened in the past year, and he's always gotten away with 
it! I'm the only one that can show everyone the truth.* Her conscience 
jabbed her once more at the word "truth," and she tried once more to 
shake off her trepidation. 

	The door opened, and Noriko looked up to see Suzuki in the 
doorway. "S-Suzuki! What're you doing here?" she asked, surprised. 

	"I left my book bag here by mistake and came back to get it. Ah, 
there it is." Suzuki picked it up from where it lay and walked over to 
Noriko's desk. "So, Chief, what's this feature you're working on?" He 
looked down at the scratch layout before Noriko could cover it up and 
gulped at its contents. "Uh...Chief, you're going to print this?" 

	"Well...yes," Noriko responded uneasily. "Is there something 
wrong?" 

	Suzuki paused for quite a while before answering. "Well...it 
seems a bit harsh, doesn't it? I mean, you don't know for sure everything 
you've got down there, and, that is, um..." 

	Noriko felt her temper beginning to rise. That last comment had 
hit a bit _too_ close to home. "I _did_ go out and check out the things I 
could get facts on. Are you questioning my judgment as a journalist??" 
she asked, an edge of defensiveness beginning to color her voice. 

	Suzuki quailed a bit, fearful of what might come next. "Yes! I 
mean, no! I mean...maybe you should think about it a while before you go 
and do something you might regret...," Suzuki trailed off uneasily, 
hoping that he wouldn't have to dig any deeper than he was already 
getting. 

	"Regret? What's to regret??" she demanded. "Martial arts has done 
absolutely nothing for Furinkan but cause destruction, mayhem, and the 
injury of my friends! I think it's high time that the school find out 
about just what kind of people these martial artists are." 

	"You mean Ranma Saotome?" Suzuki asked carefully. 

	Noriko found herself taken aback at the sudden mentioning of her 
prey. "Y-yes, including Ranma Saotome. Of course," she replied defiantly, 
hoping to convey an air of confidence that she suddenly didn't feel. 

	"Chief...this isn't like you," Suzuki said, hoping for the world 
that Noriko wouldn't take what he had to say the wrong way. 
Unfortunately, he knew that it had to be said. "For the past week and a 
half, you've done nothing but blame everything that's wrong on Ranma. 
It's almost...," Suzuki searched for just the right words, "...it's 
almost as if...well...the news about the 'Informer' maybe losing funding 
and all, you're blaming _that_ on him, too. Maybe you should rethink 
printing this project. I mean, I know this has been really hard on you 
and everything, but..." 

	That did it. Noriko immediately stood up from her desk, fuming. 
"Just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean that you know 
everything, you know!!" Noriko realized in the back of her mind that she 
was probably making a grave mistake, but her temper had been triggered 
and there was no turning back. "I'm just a good a journalist as anyone 
else on the 'Informer,' including you! And furthermore, as 
editor-in-chief of the 'Informer,' I have final say on what gets printed 
when Mr. Watanabe's away, which means that really don't have to listen to 
anything you or anyone else has to say to me! It's my prerogative, and 
I'll be darned if anyone is going to stop me!!" She slammed her fist on 
the desk for emphasis. 

	Several tense moments passed before Suzuki slowly turned away and 
headed for the door, his expression unreadable. "All right, Chief, if 
that's the way you'll have it, then I guess I can't stand in the way," 
Suzuki said slowly, putting a slight emphasis on the word "Chief." He 
paused as the reached the door and sighed. "Still, I think you might be 
making a mistake on this," he said over his shoulder as the door clicked 
shut behind him. 

	Noriko slowly sank back to her seat, shocked at the way she had 
responded to Suzuki's obviously well-intended statements. He had, after 
all, been nothing but supportive the whole time she had known him, always 
willing to show "the new kid" the ropes at the "Informer." And when she 
got the editor-in-chief at the end of the year, which Suzuki was actually 
next-in-line for, he still stayed supportive as her layout editor, 
adopting the teasing moniker of "Chief" to subtly remind her of how 
things once were. 

	*You could have made a big mess, going to Mr. Watanabe to 
complain, but you didn't,* she thought. And now, she had just told him 
off, pulling rank and shoving his sacrifice back in his face... 

	Noriko held her head in her hands and sighed. *No use trying to 
undo what's been done, I guess,* she thought somewhat despondently. *I'd 
better get back to finishing this feature of mine; after all, I did say 
that I was going to print it. Darn it! If it weren't for all those 
martial artists, this wouldn't be happening to me.* 

	

	Deadline day arrived once again for the "Informer," and the crew 
was once again scrambling to turn in their assignments before it was time 
to send the final layout to the presses. 

	"Where's that rugby story I assigned??" Noriko hollered. 

	"Here it is, Noriko!" She snatched the paper up and quickly 
skimmed it. 

	"And who's got the pictures from the flower arrangement show from 
last week?" 

	"It's on your desk in a white envelope!" Noriko found the 
envelope underneath a stack of paperwork. *Gotta clean this desk of mine 
sometime...* 

	"Okay, what about the interview with Miss Hinako about 
disciplinary techniques?" 

	"Uhh...give me another minute or two to get it printed out! I'll 
have it soon, I swear!" 

	Noriko looked at her watch. Not bad at all. The "Informer" might 
even make it to the presses only a few minutes behind schedule at this 
rate,* Noriko thought, pleased at the efficiency of her crew as Suzuki 
approached her desk with the layout in hand. 

	"Okay, Chief, here's the layout so far. We've got the usual 
headline--" 

	"Student Brawl Causes Damage to School?" 

	"Yeah, something like that. And here's how the rest looks." 
Suzuki handed the layout to Noriko. 

	Noriko examined it. It was good as always. "Do you think...you've 
got room for a special feature?" she asked, trying to keep her tone 
neutral. 

	Suzuki's face fell. "Yeah...I think I can make room. How long is 
it?" She handed her layout of the feature to Suzuki, who slowly went back 
to work to find a spot for it in the "Informer." 

	*I'll have to make it up to him sometime,* she thought, 
remembering the argument she had with Suzuki just a few afternoons ago. 
*Still, it feels good to know that Ranma will finally get what's coming 
to him. I just wish the paper didn't have to go with it.* Noriko leaned 
back in her chair and exhaled in relief. *Maybe now I can start 
concentrating on how to save the paper instead of worrying myself with 
all this craziness.* 

	

	"What?" Ranma asked in disbelief. "My name's in the 'Informer?'" 

	"Yeah, it's a real doozy, too. What did you ever do to those two, 
anyway?" Hiroshi asked. 

	"I don't know what you're talking about," Ranma said, taking the 
paper away from Hiroshi to see for himself. "Student Brawl Causes Damage 
to School: Disagreement between martial artists becomes out of hand...big 
deal; that story's been in every issue of the paper anyway." 

	Daisuke shook his head. "No, not on the front page, in the 
special insert in the middle." He reached over and pulled out another 
sheet. "Here, read this." 

	Ranma glanced at the page. "WHAT?" he yelped in shocked surprise. 
In big bold letters on the top of the sheet were the words "MARTIAL ARTS: 
CRIME FODDER?" Directly underneath the headline were photos of Ranma in 
both male and female form from the front and from the side. 
"These...these look like mug shots or something!" Still in shock, Ranma 
read the first few sentences out loud. 

	"In the ancient days, practitioners of the martial arts adhered 
closely to the principles of bushido and budo, the ways of the warrior. 
Honor and integrity were valued above all, and the warrior code 
transcended any animalistic lusts for violence that a constant exposure 
to war and killing might cultivate. However, these values have gone into 
decline as time has progressed, and today, martial arts are less of a 
code of honor than simply a more efficient way of beating an opponent 
into submission." Ranma blinked for a few moments. "That's bull!" he 
protested. 

	"Keep reading," Hiroshi urged. "It gets better." 

	Reluctantly, Ranma turned his gaze back on the printed text and 
continued reading. "In the case of Furinkan High," Ranma paused and 
gulped. "In the case of Furinkan High, which houses a considerably large 
amount of proficient martial artists, countless cases of destruction and 
mayhem have occurred within the last two years, all in the name of 
martial arts. Property damage, truancy, insubordination, delinquency, and 
harassment are just a few of the offenses that can be found on the list 
of offenses committed by Furinkan's 'finest.' Just a few days ago, 
however, the latest and possibly most deplorable addition was made to 
this list in the form of assault and battery when sophomore Ranma Saotome 
brutally attacked two of the 'Informer's' reporters who were pursuing a 
story." Immediately after the paragraph was a recent photo of Suzuki and 
Gosunkugi after the incident with Ryoga. They looked terrible, with 
bandages all over and leaning on crutches. 

	"That's a lie!" Ranma nearly shouted. "I told them to haul their 
butts out of there, but they wouldn't listen! It's not my fault they 
stuck around to get caught in the blast!" 

	"So, you didn't attack them?" Daisuke asked. 

	"No!" Ranma snapped. "Why would I? They couldn't have defended 
themselves if their lives depended on it!" 

	"So what're you going to do about it?" asked Hiroshi. 

	Ranma thoughtfully folded the paper and stuffed it into his pants 
pocket. "Nothing, that's what. I mean, what's anyone going to do, huh? If 
anyone asks, I'll just tell 'em what happened. Who's gonna believe...," 
Ranma pulled out the article again and looked at the byline, "...some 
girl named Noriko Hirauchi, anyway?" 

	"Ranma Saotome, you vile miscreant and cur! Prepare to pay for 
your trespasses!" a voice shouted from the distance. Ranma sighed and 
followed the familiar voice to a student dressed in blue robes wielding a 
wooden bokken. Ranma's friends quickly scurried away, knowing what was 
coming next. 

	"Aw, man, Kuno, I'm not in the mood for this, okay?" Ranma said, 
slowly getting up to his feet. 

	"Silence, wretch!" Kuno pointed his bokken at Ranma. "So, your 
cowardice has driven you to prey on defenseless students for your 
pleasure!" Kuno held up a page from the "Informer" for emphasis. "It is 
apparent that I, Tatewaki Kuno, must bring you to justice!" He charged at 
Ranma, bokken pointed straight at Ranma's heart. 

	"I take it back," Ranma muttered to himself as he casually 
vaulted over the point of Kuno's bokken, delivering a kick to the back of 
his head on his descent. "Geez, Kuno! It's just a little newspaper 
article, for crying out loud! Do you believe everything you read?" 

	"Taste my divine retribution!" Kuno screamed as he recovered 
from the kick, falling into his blinding pattern strike. Without so much 
as batting an eye, Ranma stepped to one side, reached out and snapped the 
bokken in two with a powerful straight punch, following up by punting the 
disarmed kendoist into low earth orbit. 

	Ranma watched Kuno lazily arc into the sky, just below the 
clouds. "Geez. Well, if it's just Kuno that's worked up about that 
article, it ain't so bad, I guess." 

	"ALOHA, Ranma!" Ranma jerked his head and saw a Hawaiian-decked 
man on a skateboard hurtling towards him. "It be time to PUNISH you for 
your misconduct, kahuna!" Pineapple bombs began exploding around Ranma as 
he frantically dodged. 

	"Yow!" Ranma nimbly leaped another explosion only to narrowly 
miss having his ponytail snipped off by Principal Kuno's shears. "I am 
_definitely_ not in the mood for this," he muttered, swatting aside 
several giant nets that Principal Kuno had hurled along with the 
pineapple bombs. *I gotta get someplace without bystanders; those bombs 
could really hurt someone!* he thought quickly, remembering the incident 
with Ryoga. Ranma leaped another bomb and flipped behind a corner, 
intending to ambush the principal as he emerged from behind the wall. But 
then... 

	"Ranma Saotome, you are a naughty delinquent! Picking on 
defenseless reporters! You should be taught a lesson!" came a childish, 
female voice from behind him. Ranma whirled to see a short girl in a 
yellow dress holding a five-yen piece in front of her. "Yoiko no taizo, 
step one! Happo-go-yen-zatsu!" 

	"EEYAARGH!" Ranma howled in frustration, barely dodging the 
debilitating chi-absorbing blast. Principal Kuno emerged from behind the 
corner and started assailing Ranma with renewed fervor. Ranma frantically 
ran, dodging nets, pineapple bombs, and chi-drainers all at once. He saw 
a row of bushes and was nearly blown to bits by a set of hidden land 
mines when he tried to dive behind them. Ranma heard snickering from one 
side. 

	"At last, Akane Tendo will be ours!" cackled the Chem Club 
president as the Chem Club activated mine after mine, gleefully watching 
Ranma handle two assailants and a mine field all at once. 

	"Happo-go-yen-zatsu!" 

	"TIME for a TRIM!" 

	"And now, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High shall smite you!" 
Kuno had landed from his assisted flight and charged madly at Ranma with 
a new bokken supplied by Sasuke, who threw nets, snares, ropes, lines, 
and anything else the gopher-faced ninja could produce from the folds of 
his uniform. 

	*This could be bad,* Ranma thought. 


end part three 




    Part four coming tomorrow. :)

---
Raphael See