Many people (especially Gary) pointed out that the ending of this 
fic might have been a bit.... stretched, so to speak. Anyway, to say 
the least, I agreed (I DID rush the ending, after all). So I went back 
and rewrote the ending to make Kuno more.... Kuno (of course, the 
ending could STILL be called a stretch, too). Would love C&C. 

--------------------

                  	For Love of Kodachi

  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
  http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And 
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective 
properties and characters. The manga takes precedence over material in 
the anime. 
  This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its 
complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for 
monetary gain without permission from the author. (to which the answer 
is probably "no")

  Author's note: This story takes place after the wedding fiasco in 
Vol.38. 

------------------------------------------------
Opening theme: Little Date

  It was to Kodachi's surprise that she received a note from Ranma, 
asking to see her later that day. 
  In fact, Kodachi was so elated that she invited her fellow students 
from St. Hebereke to witness what she believed was the day. The day 
that Ranma would side his heart with Kodachi. 
  I knew your heart wasn't with that Tendo girl, Kodachi thought to 
herself.  Never before had Ranma asked to see her, never! This was a 
change after all! 
  She stood alone in the middle of the park, standing near the fountain 
that dominated the park's heart. The water cascaded from its peak down 
to the cool pool below, spouting from the mouth of some exotic fish. 
Kodachi's peers hid amongst the bushes at the edge of the plaza, among 
them Gosunkugi, whom Kodachi paid to take pictures for her. 
  Ranma-darling, you picked such a wonderful spot! 
  It was well-after the time when Furinkan High's students were 
dismissed for the day; Ranma chose that moment to make his entrance-- 
alone. He wore his usual Chinese shirt and pants, hands in his pockets, 
head held high, whistling to himself, as if what he was walking into 
was no problem at all. 
  At once Ranma spotted Kodachi. More to the contrary, Kodachi spotted 
him. 
  "Ranma-darling!" Kodachi cried, elated, her arms outstretched, ready 
to hug her beloved. 
  Ranma's calm expression turned serious. Avoiding Kodachi's embrace, 
he said, "Kodachi, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's 
very important." He waved a hand toward the rim of the fountain. "I 
think you'd better sit." 
  Kodachi immediately complied, unable to contain her eagerness. Her 
legs bounced against the ground, as if she were ready to run. "I'm 
waiting, my dearest!" 
  Ranma took his seat at the fountain, careful to keep another person's 
distance between himself and the crazed schoolgirl. He scratched his 
head nervously. "I don't know where to start." 
  "You can get to the point, or start from the beginning," offered 
Kodachi. I can wait forever; I want to savor this moment! 
  "Well, okay, the beginning," Ranma decided. Clearing his throat, he 
said, "Kodachi, I'll admit that I don't really know you. I should be 
flattered that you always think of me...." 
  It was at that point that Kodachi decided to stop listening, being 
consumed by her own thoughts of marrying Ranma, of ridding herself of 
those three common girls, of living happily ever after. Of being loved. 
  "...and I'm kind of surprised at your behavior lately...." 
  I can't believe it! He's finally seen me for what I am! He's no 
longer afraid of me! Oh, how wonderful! 
  "...so what I'm trying to say is, that...." 
  "Ranma, I love you too!" Kodachi cried spontaneously, hurling herself 
with arms-open at the young Saotome. 
  "Wha...?!" was all Ranma could yelp before Kodachi collided with his 
person, sending Ranma back-first into the pool, Kodachi clamping 
herself onto him. 
  Head submerged under water, Ranma wanted to scream as Kodachi pressed 
her lips onto his own. A deep, passionate kiss. Ranma flailed wildly, 
her eyes ready to burst, arms throwing water all about and over the 
rim of the fountain pool. 
  Had Kodachi's eyes been opened, she might have seen her beloved Ranma 
transform into the hated pig-tailed girl. Unfortunately for her, her 
peers from school rushed from their hiding places, gathering around the 
pool with shocked stares. Gosunkugi waded to the rim of the fountain 
pool, taking pictures of the two teens. 
  It was then that Ranma forced herself to the surface of the pool, 
throwing Kodachi off herself quickly. She took several deep breaths, 
having been lacking oxygen for a few moments-- perhaps almost a minute? 
  Kodachi landed on her back, her school uniform soaked, absorbing the 
dirt lying on the ground. Her eyes still closed, she breathed several 
hard breaths, letting the world sink into herself. Oh, it felt so good! 
  That is, until the disturbing murmurs of her companions woke her from 
her reverie. 
  "Kodachi, I didn't know...." 
  "I don't believe what you just did!" 
  "What happened to that guy?" 
  "Oh, was this what you wanted to show us?" 
  "I took the pictures, just like you said!" 
  Kodachi sat up. Her eyes opened to the sight of several shocked 
faces staring at her. "So, how was it?" she asked, unaware of just what 
happened. "Where's Ranma?" 
  "I'm right here, you idiot," a feminine voice shouted over the 
others. 
  The female Ranma pushed her way to the center of the circle around 
the Kuno girl. "You kissed a girl!" 
  Kodachi's look turned venomous. "You! What have you done to my 
Ranma?" 
  It was then Gosunkugi caught Kodachi's attention. "Well, I got your 
pictures right here." He presented her with several Polaroid pictures, 
still awaiting the time to finish self-developing themselves. "May I 
have my pay now?" he asked nervously, obviously ready to dart. 
  Kodachi reached into a pocket and produced a wad of wet yen bills. 
"Take it and get out of here!" 
  Gosunkugi accepted the bills, then forced his way out of the circle. 
  With that, the Kuno girl stood up, the unfinished Polaroid pictures 
in her hand. She stared at the pig-tailed girl with flaring anger. "I 
asked you a question, and I want you to answer it!!" 
  Ranma folded her arms across her chest. "Well, if you want to know, 
why don't you look at the stupid pictures." 
  "Fine, I will!" Kodachi said, fanning the Polaroids before her eyes. 
By this time she could make out her own features, and that of Ranma, 
just moments before they hit the pool. 
  But, as she flipped through the Polaroids, the smug look on her face 
turned into terrible panic. There they were, pictures of the pig-tailed 
girl, submerged in the pool, with Kodachi on top of her, pressing her 
lips against her shocked face. 
  "No...." was all Kodachi could say, backing away. "This... no!" 
  "Pictures don't lie," Ranma pointed out. "You brought this upon 
yourself." 
  Kodachi continued to back away, the circle of St. Hebereke girls 
breaking for her. "No, no, no!" 
  "I didn't know you were gay," someone commented. 
  "What would the others say?" said another. 
  "I had no idea...." 
  "That leaves more boys for me...." 
  "We'd better watch out next time...." 
  "...she might come for one of us!" 
  "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Kodachi screamed, her voice echoing throughout the 
park. 
  Kodachi fought the tears that streamed down her eyes, lowering her 
head so the others couldn't see. And then, turning, she ran. 

  Tatewaki Kuno entered the empty rooms of the Kuno estate only to be 
greeted by the sound of wailing. 
  "How odd," Kuno told himself, "that there would be a voice in these 
grounds that suffer, without the presence of Father!" 
  Silently, Kuno used his ears to follow the wailing to its source. He 
made his way down the hallways, oblivious of where he was, until he 
came to a stop. 
  At Kodachi's door. 
  He knocked. 
  "Go away," was the response from within. 
  "It's me, your brother." 
  "I don't care, go away!" 
  Kuno shook his head. No, it simply wouldn't do to live in the same 
house as a wailing maniac. Not if said wailing maniac was your own 
sister. 
  He opened the door. 
  Kodachi sat huddled in the corner, wearing a damp school uniform, 
her head buried in her arms. Before her, face-down, were several 
Polaroid pictures, the depiction of which Kuno had no doubt disturbed 
his sister. She continued to sob, letting the tears roll down her 
cheeks and to her arms. No doubt she'd been crying for quite a while. 
  "I thought I told you to go away," Kodachi said, stifling a sob. 
  "I admit, I've never seen you in such a condition," Kuno said. "What 
circumstances have gotten you to this undesirable point?" 
  She said nothing, only pointing a waving finger at the discarded 
Polaroids before her. 
  Kuno squatted, gathering the Polaroids with his hands. With all the 
Polaroids in his hands, he sifted through them, one at a time. 
  The first picture that greeted him was of Kodachi jumping onto Ranma 
Saotome. 
  "I told you he was no good for you," Kuno said. "You shouldn't have 
tried to love an evil man." 
  "That's not it!" protested Kodachi. "It's much worse!" 
  Kuno took a few silent moments to sift through the rest of the 
Polaroids. To say that he was in shock was an understatement. 
  "The pig-tailed girl...." 
  "Your stupid goddess has defiled me!" Kodachi screamed, almost 
seemingly ready to bite at her brother. "She... oh, how can I face the 
others again?!" 
  "I don't believe this...." 
  "I can't stand to live with this on my head!" 
  Kuno nodded. He put the Polaroids in his pocket, then sat himself 
down against the wall, next to his weeping sister. He placed his arms 
around the girl, cradling her lovingly. 
  "It's not the end of the world." 
  "Yes, it is." 
  "I'll destroy the pictures for you. I'll make sure the damage is 
undone. You'll see, everything will be all right again." 
  Kodachi's head raised to meet her brother's eyes. Without a word, 
she buried it again, this time in her brother's arms. 
  "Don't let go...." 
  "Shhh. I'm still here," Kuno assured his sister. "I'm not leaving 
you." 
  "You never did know when...." 
  "No, I suppose not." 
  *Sniff.* "You always were there...." 
  "Yes, I know." 
  "Even when I didn't want you...." 
  Kuno nodded. "Love may have gotten you into this, Kocchi, but love 
will certainly see you through it as well...." 

  The next day was overcast. Ranma ran alone to school, fearing that 
he would be late for the first class. He turned into the gates of 
Furinkan High, only to be welcomed by an awesome spectacle. 
  "Greetings, Saotome," greeted Kuno. 
  Forming a half-circle on the inside of the school wall was the Kendo 
team in its entirety, blocking all passage into and out of the school 
grounds. 
  "Oh brother," Ranma muttered. 
  "Saotome, it has come to my attention that you were involved in a 
scandal against my sister, the victim," declared Kuno. 
  "What about it?" asked Ranma impatiently. 
  "I have gathered the facts," explained Kuno. "You have willingly 
expressed a desire to meet my sister at a time and place of your 
choosing, whereby you could inflict sufficient damage to her! Your 
involvement in the scandal has caused me to take extreme measures 
to rectify it. You will be appropriately punished." 
  "Well, whatever," Ranma said, shrugging. 
  Something tapped Ranma on the head. 
  The young Saotome looked up at the overcast sky, watching as tiny 
drops of rain assaulted him. Then more. And more. Until it started 
pouring. 
  "Pig-tailed girl!" exclaimed Kuno in surprise. "How did you get 
here?!" 
  Ranma peered at Kuno critically. "Stupid." 
  Kuno, with arms wide-open, ran toward his beloved. "Pig-tailed 
girl, I knew you hadn't abandoned me! I love you!" 
  To say the least, Ranma stopped the love-struck Kuno with one foot 
planted in his face. "Leave me alone!" 
  Kuno ceased pressing his face into Ranma's foot. No, this cannot 
be! Could she truly be involved? Forced, or coerced? "But, my 
beloved, why do you reject me so? Do you not love me?" 
  "Phaw!" spat the pig-tailed girl. "No way!" 
  The elder student shook his head, as to shake a thought from his 
mind. When he opened his mouth, he said, "Then, pig-tailed girl, is 
it true that your heart lay with my sister?" 
  "Ha!" was Ranma's reply. "How in the world could I love that 
maniac? She deserved that little stint, for what she tried to do to 
me!" 
  "B...but, my love...." Kuno didn't know what to say or do. 
  "Don't you get it? It was HER fault!" screamed Ranma, furious. 
  Kuno shook his head. No, Kodachi cannot be lying about such a 
grievous matter. Could the pig-tailed girl lie to me? WOULD she lie 
to me? "You wouldn't apologize to her, even for my sake? Our love?" 
  "No, you half-witted idiot! There never was an 'our' or a love 
between us!" 
  Ah, where did love begin and end, and where was the boundary that 
honor lay upon? Kuno wondered, torn in his thoughts. The pig-tailed 
girl refused to atone for her malicious deed, Kodachi was beyond 
upset, and... and, could I do this? Never before had the pig-tailed 
girl refused my love! How cruel and unforgiving she has become this 
day! Oh, what dark times that are upon us! That vile Ranma Saotome 
must have done this! He's taken over my beloved before; this must be 
another of his perverted tricks! 
  To possess innocents as the pig-tailed girl in order to harm my 
dear sister! Such acts are most evil of all! 
  Kuno nodded, knowing what he must do. One hand reached down to his 
side, withdrawing a long, steel katana. The blade slid from its 
sheath without a sound, exposing the cold, hard blade against the 
pouring rain. If one inspected the blade carefully, one would have 
found the characters for 'Kuno' inscripted upon it. 
  "You...." Kuno said ominously. "Ranma Saotome, I will make you pay 
for forcing my beloved to commit such heinous deeds!" 
  The female Ranma held up her arms in surprise. "Kuno-darling! Don't 
point that at me! It was an accident! Honest! I thought you loved me!" 
  Kuno didn't seem to listen. The members of the Kendo team spread out 
to complete the fighting circle, surrounding their leader and the 
pig-tailed girl in the center. 
  "That which stains my beloved must be removed from this world," 
announced Kuno. "Had I the means to purify her soul, to purge Ranma 
Saotome's evil essence, I would gladly do so! But, destiny has dealt 
a cruel hand this day! The life of Tatewaki Kuno is tragic indeed!" 
  Oh, swell, Ranma thought. So much for appealing to his little 
brain. What little of it there was. Without another thought, Ranma 
prepared herself for battle. 
  "Forgive me, pig-tailed girl!" Kuno cried, knowing that if he is 
successful, he would never see his beloved again. The up-side was that 
Ranma Saotome would be no more as well. His face twisted into a 
determined snarl. "Ranma Saotome! The insult you have brought upon 
my undeserving sister, and my family... SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!!" 
  Raising katana high, Kuno charged, shouting, "HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" 


Closing theme: Don't Mind Lay-lay Boy
-----------------------------------------------
Author's Rant

  Latest revision: rewrote the ending to make Kuno's attack against 
his beloved a bit more 'believable;' we get a good look at what he's 
really thinking. Pumped more testosterone into Ranma :) 

  This fic's purpose was to help illustrate Kodachi and Kuno-- how 
close they stick together in their worst times. Hey, you would too, if 
this happened to YOUR sister. I know I'd do it, too, except I don't 
have a steel katana at my disposal ^^;;; The bond between brother and 
sister is much stronger than love of another. 
  What happened to Ranma is completely up to you. I did this on 
purpose, because I want YOU to draw your own conclusions. In my 
version, Ranma's fish bait. 
  One reader suggested that Kuno should've gone after Kodachi instead 
of the pig-tailed girl. Well, that's true, but nowhere in the manga 
has Kuno ever laid a hand on his sister, so why should he do it now? 
  Yet another reader believes this is a darkfic, but I honestly don't 
see it that way. What I have created is a situation where Kodachi has 
been extremely-wronged, and Kuno does something about it in her name. 
I seriously doubt Kodachi would do the same for her brother, though, 
and that's what sets them apart. 
  I'm not really good at/eager to do one-shot fics. Seriously. 

http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
 
<!-- End File -->
"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5. 
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Jump. Jump now!"--Kosh, Babylon 5, making some sense. 

--Razorclaw X