Chapter Two: The Second Chapter! Sorry, I couldn�t think of a very good 
title for this.

	Gosunkugi�s utter misanthropy had once again been supported. The other 
night, when he was unsure of his location, he had beseeched of a 
somewhat familiar boy , around his own age, adorned with a backpack and 
checkered yellow bandanna, the exact whereabouts of his street from 
where he was. The boy had given him a look of utter disgust and had 
walked off without a word. It was a miracle he had found his way home at 
all!
	Gosunkugi sighed in protest. It was Monday, the very beginning of a 
five day hell, known as high-school. Suppressing all of his desire, he 
put on his school uniform and left the house. Breakfast was not an 
option, he had slept too late. It wasn�t often he did that, but then, 
the other day had been especially strenuous on him.
	�Good-bye, Mom! Dad!� he hastily cried, rushing out too fast for his 
mother to implore him to eat something. It was true he didn�t eat enough 
as it was, but the last thing he needed was a tardy slip.
	He arrived at school, just before the late bell began to ring. Utterly 
exhausted, he fell in his chair and stared at his beloved, engaged in 
happy banter with her friends.

	It was lunch time, a practically religious event in Furinkan High 
School. And two of the most faithful attendees, were Hiroshi and 
Daisuke, who walked reverently to the field where they normally took 
their repast. Their devotion was broken, however, with a tap on the 
shoulder. Turning around, revealed the perpetrator to be none other, 
than the young man that Gosunkugi had purchased the �Woo Woo Ghost,� 
from the night previous.
	�<Hello there>,� he greeted in poorly accented English. �How would you 
two like a little betting tip, eh?�
	�What kind of �tip� do you mean, exactly?� asked Daisuke skeptically.
	�Why, about tomorrow�s inevitable battle between...,� the young man 
hastily glanced at a piece of paper in his hands, ��Ran-ma,� and 
�Ku-no.��
	�What�s to bet?� asked Hiroshi nonchalantly. �Ranma always wins. People 
stopped taking bets on that a long time ago.�
	�Ah, but this time is different!� the stranger assured. �This comes 
straight from,� he looked at the piece of paper again, ��Na-bik-i.��
	�Really?� the two boys gasped.
	�Heh heh, quite so! Now, I�m not really supposed to nose this around, 
but in your cases, I�ll make an exception. So, keep it to yourselves, 
got it?�
	The two nodded vigorously.
	�You see, it seems that,� the young man once again glanced at his 
paper, ��Ha-ppo-sai,� put a curse on �Ran-ma� that causes him to do a 
little tap dance, whenever he tries to fight. Obviously, this handicap 
will ensure his defeat at the hands of �Ku-no� and be the most 
unexpected outcome in history! Everyone will be placing their chances 
with �Ran-ma,� of course. So, the lucky few that know this little 
secret, will benefit greatly!� he concluded, with a sly wink.
	�Wow!� breathed Hiroshi. �Here! I�ll put everything on Kuno-sempai!�
	�Yeah! Me too!� declared Daisuke, not wanting to be left behind.
	�Very shrewd of you,� nodded the stranger, writing their names in a 
little black book. �I�ll need your addresses as well...�

	�I can�t believe they fell for that,� the young man mused, as he 
casually walked through the �lunch field.� �If every one here is as 
gullible as that, I oughta be rolling in it, soon enough! Though, I 
guess I�ll have to hire some muscle to collect...�
	Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar face. It was 
Gosunkugi, walking determinedly towards Ranma and Akane, who had not yet 
chosen a spot to sit in.
	�Hey, it�s that kid from before,� thought the young man. �I wonder what 
he�s up to...�

	Gosunkugi had had it. If he couldn�t even do away with his own life, he 
would have to improve it and that meant confessing his feelings to 
Akane! She might love Ranma at the moment, but she would at least have 
to recognize him as a suitor! It might actually give him some chance in 
hell! So, he walked past all the other students, who registered as 
little more than phantoms in his mind, and right up to where Akane and 
Ranma were standing and... stared blankly.
	�Hm?� said Akane, finally noticing him. �Oh, Gosunkugi-kun. Is there 
something you want to tell me?�
	�Ah-aba-aba-aduh...� he replied, thinking only, �Akane spoke to me! 
Akane spoke to me! She used my name! Akane spoke to me!�
	�You better not try anything, you freak,� warned Ranma, pulling Akane�s 
hand and walking away.
	�Ranma! That was rude!� shouted Akane, pulling her hand away, but 
continuing to walk after him. �What�s with you anyway? You baka!�
	�Better a baka than an uncute tomboy...� Ranma muttered, his voice 
fading away, as the two of them walked out of earshot. 
	Gosunkugi sighed and slouched away, his footfalls so heavy, that they 
actually made footprints for once!
	�Jeeze,� mumbled the onlooking stranger. �That was just pathetic...�

	�I am pathetic,� thought Gosunkugi, lying prone on his desk. He didn�t 
care if Hinako-sensei drained his energy for slouching, he didn�t have 
any left, anyway. 
	�Oh, Akane-san,� he thought. �Akane-san...�
	The bell woke him out of his reverie, soon every student in class had 
left, including his beloved goddess. He looked mournfully towards where 
she once sat, and saw that her book-bag was still there.
	�Oh, no!� the love struck boy cried. �Akane-san forgot her bag!� He 
quickly snatched it and rushed after her.

	The young man, acting as bookie, wandered through the halls of Furinkan 
High School, flipping through his now full little black book.
	�Not bad, not bad,� he thought. �Though, I wonder why the fellow with 
the bandanna and the guy with the spatula ran off so fast when I told 
them all that bullshit I made up...�
	�Akane-san!� cried Gosunkugi, rushing past the young man. �Akane-san!� 
But the  tiny silhouette of his goddess took no notice of him, as it 
faded into the distance. 
	He would have to go to her home.
	Akane�s home.
	He joyfully ran towards the direction he knew only too well.
	�Well, isn�t that sweet,� commented the red-headed young man. �I guess 
this might relieve some boredom, eh? You shameless voyeur you,� he 
ended, playfully knocking his own head.

	Gosunkugi ran as fast as he could, the effort causing him much physical 
distress, and propelling him at what for others might be a jogging pace. 
Suddenly, he collided with someone and fell to the ground. Stray rose 
petals fell all around him and a few landed on his head.
	�Cad!� screamed Kuno Tatewaki, getting up and collecting the flowers 
that had flown from his bouquet. �How dare thou hinder me in mine holy 
search for mine beloved pig-tailed girl!�
	�K-k-kuno-sempai,� Gosunkugi gulped. �A... a thousand p-pardons! I... I 
didn�t mean to...�
	�Quit thy incessant babbling, fool! And help collect mine flowers of 
love, lest I smite thee where thy stand!�
	�H-h-hai!� agreed Gosunkugi, scrambling to collect the stray roses. 
After handing them to Kuno, he bowed and ran off.
	�Hmph, cowardly naive,� spat the kendoist. He turned around, and was 
immediately knocked down by the red-haired young man, who was in pursuit 
of Gosunkugi.
	�Gomen nasai!� the young man cried pleasantly, stepping on Kuno�s face 
and running through the cloud of rose petals.
	The petals eventually fell and settled over the prone body of Kuno 
Tatewaki.

	Gosunkugi stood, panting in the street. At last! He had made it to the 
Tendo Dojo! The wraith-like boy carefully walked to the front porch, 
where he could hear Ranma practicing from inside the actual �dojo� 
portion of the house. Carefully, he slid opened the front door a crack 
and placed the book-bag inside. Then he carefully shut the door, looked 
around hesitantly, and ran off.
	�Ech, how disappointing,� moaned the strange young man, leaving his 
hiding place from behind a tree. �I was hoping for a big confrontation, 
and he just chickens out. Oh, well...�
	Suddenly, Gosunkugi halted in his flight, took out a small straw doll, 
a wooden spike and a hammer, and quickly nailed it to a nearbye tree.
	�Ranma, you bastard!� he cried and then ran out of view.
	�O-kay,� commented the young man, a large sweat drop appearing on his 
brow. �I think I�ll... go over here now...�
	The red-headed young man wandered to the dojo, where he began to hear 
the sounds of Ranma practicing.
	�Hmm, that sounds like karate or something,� he thought. �That gives me 
an idea!�
	Casually, he opened the door and walked in.

	�Heh,� smirked Ranma, wiping the sweat from his body with a small white 
towel. �I think I�ve earned myself a snack.�
	Sitting down, he picked up the leftovers from his bento and a pair of 
chopsticks. He was about to eat, when the red-headed young man tapped 
him on the shoulder.
	�Look,� said the stranger, pointing towards a hole in the ceiling, 
which happened to be in the shape of the nartial artist, �A UFO!�
	�Huh? Where?� asked Ranma, looking towards where the young man had 
pointed.
	The young red-head, immediately snatched the bento from Ranma�s hands. 
He was about to take a bite, when suddenly Genma-Panda leapt in out of 
nowhere, grabbed the boxed lunch and wolfed down the meager contents in 
one gulp.
	�Upstage me, will you?� growled the young man, staring at the panda 
with malice.
	�Growf!� Genma replied, taking a battle stance.
	�Hey,� mentioned a confused Ranma, looking away from the sky, �I don�t 
see a UFO... Say, who are you anyway?�
	The young stranger smiled and turned away from Genma. �Me? I�m just a 
traveler. Say,� he began to look Ranma up and down, �you seem like a 
pretty tough guy. How�d you like to do a little job for me?�
	�What are you doing here?!� replied Ranma. �You�re trespassing!�
	�What is it, Ranma?� asked Nabiki, as she and Soun entered the dojo. 
�What are you shouting about?�
	�Do you know this guy?� asked Ranma, pointing towards the young 
stranger.
	�No we don�t,� replied Soun. �Hey you! Get out of here!�
	�Yeah, we don�t like you!� added Nabiki.
	�But... I�m the lovable scoundrel,� pleaded the young man. �I�m... I�m 
lovable by definition!�
	�I said _beat it_,  you stupid new character!� shouted Ranma, punching 
the hapless young man in the head.
	Soon, the four were ganging up on the red-haired stranger. The noise of 
their beating on him, attracted Kasumi�s attention, and she peaked in.
	�What�s all the commotion?� she wondered.
	�I new character is trying to weasel in on our lives, oneesan!� 
exclaimed Nabiki.
	�Growf!� added Genma.
	�Oh my, not another one,� sighed Kasumi. �Here, I have just the thing.�
	Kasumi produced a frying pan and began to repeatedly hit the young man 
hard on the head.
	�Itei, itei, itei!� he shouted. �You... You�re acting out of 
character!�
	Kasumi steeled herself up, and hit him with a particularly strong 
swing, that sent the poor young man flying through the paper windows.
	�There, all better,� Kasumi sang, wiping her hands.
	�So much for the fourth wall,� the young man mused, as he lay bruised, 
in the middle of the street.
	Suddenly, he saw the boy with the bandanna, that he had met earlier, 
run up to the dojo.
	�Yes!� the boy cackled. �The gods themselves are on my side! For, I 
have fond the Tendo Dojo already!�
	The boy rushed into the rip that the young man had made, and the sounds 
of him screaming, �Ranma! I�m gonna make you dance!� could be heard from 
inside. Immediately, the guy with the spatula, except he didn�t look 
like a guy anymore, showed up with an, �I�ll save you, Ranchan! You can 
tap dance for me, any time!� She also ran into the hole, and the sounds 
of extreme violence could be heard emanating from within.
	�Ah, that makes me feel a little better,� the young man mused, just 
before a bike landed on him.

	Shampoo strained to get her bike off the lumpy thing she had landed on 
and immediately after, peddled into the hole. There, she found Ranma 
crushed between Ryouga and Ukyou. The three of them seemed somewhat 
blinded and were lashing out at anything around them.
	�Airen!� she exclaimed, glomping onto her beloved Ranma, and 
unconsciously breaking up the fight.
	�Shampoo?!� exclaimed Ranma. It was a good thing Akane had gone back to 
the school to pick up her book-bag.
	�Ah! What do you think you�re doing, you slut?!� shouted Ukyou.
	Suddenly, Shampoo remembered the purpose of her visit.
	�Ranma,� she asked, pouting prettily, �you seen stupid Mousse? He no 
come to work, and Shampoo have to do his work, too!�
	�Huh? Mousse?� wondered Ranma, surprised that Shampoo actually seemed 
to want to _find_ her unwanted suitor. �No, I haven�t seen him lately, 
fortunately...�
	�The phenomena continues...,� interupted the voice of a newscaster, 
from a far off room.
	�Whoops,� muttered Nabiki. �I forgot to turn of the TV.�
	�Five more people have been reported missing,� the newscaster went on. 
�Is some killer stalking the streets of the Nerima prefecture? Police 
are investigating as we speak...�

	At the edge of town, a large shadow fell on a sign stating, �Welcome to 
Nerima.�


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com