NEUTRAL GROUND 4: pre-reader version
High School Daze   by Gregg Sharp
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic
  "Yes, yes, we know that all char are (c) R.Takahashi,
and she abandoned her project saying that she couldn't
do anything more with the storyline. Yeah, right. _I_
still object to being paired off with Kuno-baby, I mean
the least she could've done is get me someone whose IQ
is greater than that of his bokken.
  "This is one of those 'Altered Universe' stories, set
in the story arc of 'The Bet' dealing with minor changes
resulting in major repercussions for our hapless group.
  "If you think I'm being OOC, send me 5000 yen and I
MIGHT tell you why...oh, can't do that. What? Free? Ah,
I'm out of here, Nabiki Tendo working for free, now that
_IS_ Out Of Character. Ja ne."
---------------------------
	"C'mon, Ranma, I'll walk you to school."

	"Well maybe I'm not ready," Ranma wilted as
Nabiki passed him a school bag. "Okay. Maybe I'm ready."

	"Wouldn't do to be late for your first day,
now would it?" Nabiki smiled. He was NOT getting out
of this that easily.

	"I guess not," Ranma sighed and followed her.
"So when's Akane coming?"

	"Don't worry about my dear sister, she's more
than capable of looking out for herself." Nabiki watched
as Ranma leapt to the top of a fence and continued along
it. "Must you do that?"

	"Balance training." Seeing Nabiki didn't get it,
"ah, Pops always taught me to make training out of damn
near anything I did."

	"Ranma, we're alone, for the moment at least."
Nabiki paused. How to say anything without scaring him
off? "I wanted to ask you something."

	"About what the old man was saying last night?
About the catfist training, and all...Yeah, it's true."

	"So my cursed form?" Nabiki looked back up.
Ranma WAS uncomfortable with this, but Nabiki realized
that ten years on the road with Genma Saotome was not
inclined to make one socially adept.

	"Makes me a bit, uh, nervous."

	Scared is more like it, Nabiki realized. Tsk.
Still, there were ways of dealing with fear. "That 
wasn't what I was going to ask you, anyway."

	"No?" Ranma glanced over at her.

	"Your cursed form and mine have some common
elements, I guess." Nabiki wanted to ask him about it.
Did he ever feel the pull, the temptation? She'd always
prided herself on control, on her intellect and ability
to manipulate others, but there was something in that
cat-girl form. That form ran almost purely on emotions
and instincts, was stronger and faster, had more acute
senses and odd talents like the claw attack she'd used
on Akane's mallet. Did Ranma find his dragon-girl form
as seductive as Nabiki found the cat?

	If it were any other boy, she'd thought of a 
way to put it that might make sense. Her uncursed form
was like being a Rolls Royce- stately, elegant, and
mainly dignified. It was controlled, comfortable, and
beautiful in its way. Her cursed form was a souped up 
hotrod capable of incredible accelerations and more 
nimble than anything on the street. It was racy, wild,
and sexy. Unfortunately, after she'd worked out that 
explanation, she realized that Ranma had almost no 
experience with cars.

	"Uhm. I suppose." Ranma had no idea what Nabiki
was going on about. Still, it had been so long since 
he'd had a friend, and here was a girl who was actually
being nice to him! Well, most of the time. If only Akane
weren't so cute. Ranma frowned, where did THAT come 
from? He also got a very strong impression that money
(something he'd always had very little of) was of great
importance to Nabiki.

	"Oh come on, Ranma, I'll show you to your class." 
She waited for him to jump down then took his
hand to hurry him into the school, she smiled both 
within and without. She rejoiced at the startled faces 
of the boys waiting for Akane. See, the youngest Tendo
daughter isn't the ONLY one who can have a boyfriend! 
See, I may be the "Ice Queen" but that doesn't mean I'll 
have to be alone forever! So there, you stuck up girls 
who've flaunted your relationships before me! 

	It had hurt her more than she'd let on, when
boys had gone out with her and it turned out that they'd
either wanted her for something related to her money, or
they wanted to get to Akane through her. Nobody 
approached Nabiki for Nabiki's sake, those who might 
have were scared off by the "Ice Queen" facade or 
business shark reputation. Well, let them gawk now!

	She glanced back at Ranma, still holding his 
hand as she ran up the steps. "You want to be able to 
get a window seat anyway." She still wasn't sure what it 
was about him. Just a brawny martial artist without much 
in the way of schooling, Ranma the Barbarian. Still 
there was a definite attraction that the catgirl felt, 
and what he had done back at Jusenkyo had proven there 
were depths there. Even if Ranma had confessed he hadn't 
known WHY he'd reacted that strongly to her sister's 
imminent death.
---------------
	"Why are you two following me?" Akane ran
towards the school. "You're going to make me late!"

	Shampoo ran a step behind Akane. "Rie Ga say
you make good amazon. She make you candidate for Tribe.
Shampoo witness. Watch Akane, report back to Elders.
Much honor you accepted as honorary member of tribe."

	Rie Ga ran nearby. "<Besides, Rie Ga's brother
interested in Akane Tendo.>"

	Shampoo blinked. "<Tie Ga interested in Akane?
That would cut down on Shampoo's competition.>"

	Rie Ga smiled and winked at Shampoo. "<If Akane
is accepted as an honorary amazon, then Tie Ga will come 
to Japan, defeat Akane, take Akane back to village as 
bride. Akane gets someone who will respect and care for
her, so she wins. You get a clear shot at Ranma, so both
you and Ranma win. Rie Ga gets a new sister who knows a
lot about the outside world, plus can stay with sister
in laws family when I get Elders pissed off at me.>"

	"<Rie Ga been thinking about this.>" Shampoo was
impressed.

	"Would you two kindly speak Japanese so I can
understand you?" Akane snarled. There was the school
up ahead.

	"Shampoo!?"

	"I see, Rie Ga." There was a crowd of armed 
males in front of the school. It looked like something
out of the legends.

	"I hate BOYS!" Akane charged into the crowd,
which moved to attack her.

	Rie Ga and Shampoo watched Akane move into a 
group of attacking boys and did the natural thing when
seeing a sister amazon (elect) being attacked by MALES 
who were using weapons (baseball bat, hockey stick, 
swords, etc) in an attempt to subdue and/or seriously 
injure a woman.

	Rie Ga produced her warhammers. Shampoo
produced her bonbori.

	"Hiyaaaaaaaa!" Shampoo arced down with both
bonbori flashing in a complicated rhythm.

	"A-ta!" Rie Ga's warhammers slammed into two
different opponents, laying them out quickly. She went
into hand-to-hand mode. "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

	Akane blinked. Bodies were flying everywhere.
There were horrible crunching noises, moans of pain,
and the occasional cracking noise or pop as joints 
were either broken or dislocated.

        Kuno, noting the silence that usually indicated 
that it was his turn, stepped from the tree he had been 
concealed behind, and threw a single rose towards Akane. 

	As he began his speech, he noted that two young 
women were leaping at him. 

	 A moment after that he learned that throwing 
ANYTHING at Akane Tendo at that moment would forever be
filed under "Incredibly Stupid Things To Do" or "Potato
Manuevers" in the minds of all the students and faculty 
watching the proceedings.

	<WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM!> Shampoo's bonbori
beat a drumroll on his head.

	<K-RUNCH!> Rie Ga's flying snap kick caught 
Kuno in the groin.

	Both watched with some satisfaction as Kuno
slid to the ground.

	Akane, looking at broken and bleeding bodies
littering the field, watching as Rie Ga was about to
drive a killing blow into the school's star kendoist,
did something quite out of character for her. She
screamed.

	"Akane no worry, we make sure he no bother you
again in this life." Rie Ga smiled. "We know what to do
when men try to, how you say, force a woman."

	Looking around her, Akane tried to say 
something. "...but that, I mean, they weren't..."

	"<What wrong with her?>"

	"<I don't know, Shampoo. Maybe this is some
weird custom of these Japanese."> Rie Ga sighed. "<Maybe
we ought to spy on her from a distance until we 
understand these crazy people a bit more.>"

	"Sound good to Shampoo."
--------------------------------
	Lunchtime at a nearly bare Furinkan. Ranma
passed Nabiki, who smiled and winked at him before
turning back to business.

	Ranma wasn't sure what to make of that. 

	"Attention." A woman's voice crackled from
the overhead speakers. "The report in from area 
hospitals is that there were no fatalities and no 
serious injuries."

	Scattered applause from the students.

	"The 'I will beat Akane Tendo into a bloody
pulp so I can date her' club will be released tomorrow.
Wednesday at the latest."

	Scattered applause again.

	"Tatewaki Kuno," the announcer's voice paused,
"suffered greater injuries, and is expected to be in
a full body cast for the next several months."

	Wild applause greeted that statement. Ranma
noted that this seemed to make Akane rather happy.

	"The two women spotted at the center of the
battle are wanted for questioning. Any information on
the two should be given to the vice-principal's office
as soon as possible. Thank you."
	
	"Yo, Ranma," Hiroshi, one of Ranma's classmates,
held out a shirt. "Have you seen these, they are just
so cool."

	Ranma noted the "I survived the Furinkan Amazon
Invasion" logo with the date written immediately below
it. "Uh-huh. Two warriors equals an invasion?"

	"Hey, it's something. How many other schools
even get this much excitement?"

	Ranma agreed there was a point there, somewhere.
--------------------	
	Kasumi stepped out into the yard and began using
the water ladle method to wash the front walkway. It was
traditional, it was slow, it was inefficient, it was a 
comforting ritual. Neither Akane nor Nabiki would have 
washed the front walk this way. Both Kasumi and the 
Warrior would do it, and would do it this way for the 
same reasons. 

	Kasumi considered this as she finished the job
in short precise movements. Yin and yang. Two sides of
the same thing, interlocking because they fit and their
natures depended on one another. The curses seemed to
amount to the same thing. Genma, fat and lazy and proud.
Much like the panda he turned into. Nabiki had been
described as "catty" before. Ranma had a hidden side 
despite all his brashness and rough edges, perhaps this
was reflected in his curse as well.

	That line of thought brought the thought of the
Warrior to her. "Heisei" was probably a translation 
of her name, not her real name. It was easier to call
her simply the Warrior. She could feel her presence
grow stronger with every transformation. She was calm,
and she was strength, she was an Archetype - the 
gentle warrior who must fight but regrets the battles.
The reluctant warrior who craves peace but never seems
to find it.

	Even in death, Kasumi realized with a shiver.

	"Ni hao, sister Heisei." Shampoo called as she
leapt to the roof of the Tendo dojo.

	"Ni hao, sister Kasumi," corrected Rie Ga. "We 
need tell elder that great warrior return to us."
	 
	"Who this 'we' Rie Ga speak of? I no want to
talk with Great Grandmama any more than she do." 

	"She favor Tao Kun marry Rie Ga. Tao Kun big,
Tao Kun strong, Tao Kun good fighter. Rie Ga say phooey
on that. Tao Kun sword smarter than he is."

	Kasumi watched the two sit down on the roof,
each saying that the other was the logical choice to
bring this development to the attention of their 
elder council.

	She sighed and wondered if she should bring it
to their attention that Cologne had been there briefly
right after everyone had received their curses, and
most likely knew about it already.

	Kasumi returned her attention to the task
at hand.
--------------------------------
	Akane thought about the BOY that supposedly
had saved her life. She resented many things about him:
his reputed skills in the martial arts, that his feud
with that other boy had resulted in Nabiki and Kasumi
getting weird curses, that Ranma DEFENDED said boy by
saying that this Ryouga wouldn't normally attack anyone
besides himself. There was that nasty arranged 
engagement thing too. All his fault.

	She also despised his typically male arrogance 
and chauvanistic attitude. He refused to take her talk
of a connection between them due to the shared chi as
something serious, putting it down to HER imagination.
Now he was putting the moves on her sister, Nabiki, 
spending a lot of time around her. Then he'd go flirt 
with that hussy Shampoo without so much as an apology
to her sister!

	He even refused to take her seriously in a
fight. She'd tried to spar him twice now and all he
did was dodge her attacks. Well, he'd take her
seriously soon. She'd train with Kasumi's Warrior
half and see if he reacted differently when she
kicked his butt so hard he'd be tasting toenail polish.
-------------------
	The next day was quiet. Most of the boys who
had fought the amazons were back, though the number of
casts and bandages were sufficient reminder of the 
previous day's events that an eerie calm descended on
the school.

	No major surprises, and most of the teachers
were glad for the break from the big morning fight that
usually announced Akane's arrival to school.

	Ranma left school with Nabiki. He killed time
by talking with the school's Karate Club while she
finished her business meetings. There was gossip about
them being an "item" but Ranma knew he was just getting
comfortable talking with Nabiki.

	Finally both were ready and met up in the 
front of the school. 

	"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"

	Ranma saw Akane running towards him and 
shrugged. "Hold this," he tossed his bookbag to
Nabiki. They were just leaving the school, now this.

	Shaking his head, he took in Akane's snarl
and body positioning. "What are you so mad about this
time? Geez, you are SO uncute. Especially in that
outfit." Well, at least she was wearing something 
more suitable for a fight than the school uniform.

	"Die, Ranma!" Akane snarled and smashed in
a section of some unfortunate property owner's wall.
"Because of you I've seen HELL!"

	"Been lookin' in the mirror again?" Ranma
dodged but noted that Akane had been working out, there
had been serious power in that strike.

	"Damn you! Stand still and fight!" Akane turned
to glare at Ranma.

	"Calm down, Akane," Nabiki touched her sister's
shoulder. She was going to say that whatever she was
angry about couldn't be THAT bad.

	"BACK OFF!" Akane didn't even look. She casually
backhanded her sister, who slid nearly three feet before
coming to a stop. 

	There were startled gasps. Everyone was used to
seeing Akane beating up guys first thing in the morning,
but to actually hit her own sister. The crowd gave them
more room. The consensus of the comments being that
the stress of the morning combats had completely flipped
Akane out. 

	Nabiki looked up from where she came to rest
and checked her bleeding nose. "Akane?"

	Ranma was as shocked as the rest of the 
students. "Akane, are you crazy? What you do that for,
you uncute tomboy!"

	"You shut up!" Akane pointed a finger at Ranma.
"For what you've done to me, I WILL KILL YOU!"

	"What'd I do?!"

	"Words cannot convey the suffering I've endured
thanks to you..." Akane clenched her fists.

	"Why won't you tell me what I've done?"

	"Here, Nabiki," Yuka offered Nabiki a glass of
water. "You've got blood all over your faceeee." Yuka
looked startled as she tripped.

	Nabiki winced, just knowing what was going to
happen. <SPLASH!>

	There were startled yelps from the students as
Nabiki shifted. Nabiki-neko ignored them as unimportant
compared to what was before her. What was of the
greatest importance was the scent reaching her.

	"Rrrranma. It's not Akannne. Rrrrryouga!" She 
snarled at the disguised boy, deeming that it was time 
for a little payback.
========================================
prereader version v4 fin. next: Nabiki vs Ryouga?