"Well . . . I mean, you're just doing it because your parents
want you to, right?  But Ranma . . . well, he's doing it 'cus he
_has_ to . . . just to stay alive!  I mean, you've seen the psychos
that keep popping up around here!  If he didn't know martial arts,
he'd've had the . . . the _kuso_ beat out of him."  He smiled,
pleased at his usage of an English word.  Sayuri just shook her
head.  "I mean, that's probably why he started taking all that martial
arts stuff in the first place: self-defense."
    Yuka frowned.  "I don't think so.  I think he started taking
it for the very same reason I'm taking ballet: his parents forced him
to.  And you know what?  I bet he doesn't even really like it, not
really, not deep down inside.  Everyone always assumes that
because he's so good at it, because he's been doing it so long, that
he loves the stuff, finds some kind of meaning or peace through it.
    "But you know what?  I bet you he doesn't.  I bet he's just
like me.  Deep down, he hates it [...]."  [Snip]

    "That's right!" burst out Ranma.  "I hate it!  I never wanted to
be a martial artist at all!  I always wanted to be --"  He ripped
open his chinese shirt, revealing a tartan shirt beneath.  "To be --"
He put on an odd-looking hat.  "To be -- a LUMBERJACK!
    "Leaping from tree to tree --"
    But at that moment, before he could start to sing, everybody hit
him, all at once.  And so the world was saved.


<Ahem>

I'm really, REALLY sorry about that.  It just slipped out.
Angus


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Angus MacSpon                                                Allen Gainsford
http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon/          http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon/