Sorry for making everyone wait, but at long 
last here is chapter 2 of "Ranma1/2: Reversal of Fortune."  Enjoy!!!

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                            Ranma 1/2

                     Reversal of Fortune

                                  by

                        Akihiro & Malon


DISCLAIMER:  The characters Saotome 
Ranma, Satome Nodoka, Soatome Genma, 
Tendou Akane, Kunou Tatewaki, Hibiki 
Ryouga, Hiroshi, and Daisuke are property of Takahashi Rumiko and those
companies with a legal copyright claim and are used without permission.
All other characters are creations and property of the authors.

{...} Indicates character thoughts

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   Saotome Ranma was in the Saotome family 
dojo getting an early morning workout when 
Akane came in to observe.
   "I see you're pretty good," commented Akane.
   "Well, Mom says it's not nice to brag, but I am
the best," replied the boy.  He quickly added, 
"No bragging, just being honest."
   {Oh please} thought Akane.  {You have got to 
be kidding me!  I think he needs to be taken 
down a notch or two.}  She stepped forward in 
front of Ranma and took a defensive posture.  
"Attack me."
   "Huh?  Didn't I say that I don't hit girls?" he 
asked.  "If I wouldn't hit you after that comment 
you made last night, what makes you think I 
would now?"
   Akane started to get angry at Ranma's lack of
action.  "That was different.  You shouldn't 
attack anyone in anger, but for practice it's 
okay.  Just don't forget we're only sparring."
   "No.  I won't attack a girl."  Ranma's anger 
was starting to rise as well as the Akane's insult
repayed itself in his mind.  {"In that respect I'm 
more of a man than you could ever hope to be!"  No!!!  I can't do it.}
Ranma calmed himself then looked her in the eye and repeated, "I won't
attack you."
   Akane finally reached her limit and quickly shifted into an attack.
"Will you defend yourself then?"
   Ranma blocked the first punch Akane threw.  "Good," she said.  "Now
let's up the ante."  She quickly went into a heavy barrage of kicks and
punches, the end result of which was Ranma resting unceremoniously on
his posterior on the floor of the dojo.  "Your defense is pathetic.  I
had a better defense when I was six," the girl said with a smug
expression.
   Ranma, however, was too stunned to catch the insult.  "How the hell
did you do that?  I didn't think bridal academies teach martial arts."
   "Well, the academy didn't teach it.  You see..." Akane started, but
was cut off as Ryunosuke enterd the dojo.
   "There you two are.  Mother said to tell you that breakfast was
ready.  Please hurry before it gets cold."
   "Thanks Ryu!  I'll be in in just a second," Ranma shouted to his
brother as he picked himself up from the floor.  He turned to Akane as
she left the room hoping to hear more about her martial arts training,
but noticed she was leaving.  "Wait, what about what you were saying?"
   "I'll tell you later," she said.  "Right now I want breakfast."
   Ranma watched Akane leave the room as several thoughts filled his
mind.  {She didn't even break a sweat!}  {If she didn't learn from the
academy, then where?}  {She is kind of cute, and last night in the
bathroom... Oh man!!!}  {Why am I not as mad about what she said now?}
{Maybe this situation could be worse.}  Ranma's thoughts continued as he
slowly left the dojo.

***

   "So, you aren't mad about having to go to school here?" asked Ranma
as he and Akane walked toward Furinkan High.
   Akane looked curiously at Ranma.  "Why should I be?  Just because I
finished with the bridal academy's courses doesn't mean my regular
education is complete."
   "Well, it's just that if I spent several years away from my home I
wouldn't want to have to start school the day after I got back.  I mean,
you aren't even settled in yet."  Ranma looked over the girl next to
him.  "How many years were you there anyways?"
   "I started at the bridal academy the same year you started your first
year of school.  My mother thought that my father teaching me martial
arts was inappropriate and un-lady-like.  Since I was the only child
they had to take this engagement, she thought I should learn to be a
proper bride."
   "I thought you said you didn't know about the engagement until
yesterday?" Ranma asked.
   "I didn't.  That's how Mother explained it to me last night," she
explained.
   "Oh.  So if you'd had any sisters you may have had a normal life?"
   "Probably.  That's how it sounded to me."
   "How about your father?  Did he ever want more kids?" asked Ranma.
   "Well, Father and Mother tried for years to have children before me,
but..."  The statement drifted off as Akane's face took on a sorrowful
look which Ranma completely missed.
   "They just couldn't get their timing right, huh?"
   Akane snapped out of her daze and briefly glared at Ranma.  "Yeah.  I
suppose," she said dryly.  "How about you?  How would your life be
different if you were in my shoes?"
   "Why would my folks send me to a bridal academy?" Ranma asked in
utter confusion.
   "Baka!  Not the academy!  If you were an only child!"
   He had the decency to look sheepish as he answered, "Oh.  Well I once
heard Mom say that my father would have taken me out on training trips
if I were the only one.  I guess he felt guilty about leaving her with
Ryu and Yoshi to raise alone, so since he couldn't take us all we all
stayed at home."
   "What about Ryunosuke or Yoshihiro?  Why didn't your father take one
of them on the training trips?"
   "Well, Ryu has always had trouble learning the Art.  I guess my
father decided that the training trips wouldn't do much good.  Yoshi was
a little better, but still not much natural talent.  By the time I came
along, the one who took to martial arts like a fish to water, the other
two were already here.  Like I said, I guess he felt guilty."
   Akane considered for a moment, then asked a question which she had
wondered about since the cversation began.  "What do you remember about
your father?"
   Ranma stopped in his tracks at the question, it wasn't often he
thought about Genma.  "Well, he was a great martial artist.  Come to
think of it, I think he practiced under the same master as your dad.
Can't remember much other than that, although..."
   "'Athough' what?" Akane pushed.
   "Well, he usally seemed unhappy.  Like something was missing from his
life."  Ranma thought back to the time when his father was still around.
"He did take me on a short training trip not long before he died, I
think I was six at the time.  That's the only time I remember him being
really happy.  Who knows, if I had been an only child that he could have
taken on long trips maybe he would still be around today.  I think he
may have needed the open road."
   "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag up old memories like that."
   "No problem.  How do you think your family would be different if your
parents did have more children?  I mean, other than bigger."
   Akane thought on the question for a moment then answered, "Well, I
hate to say so, but I don't think Mother would be alive today.  She has
a weak heart and the stress of raising two or three kids might have
killed her.  She almost died at Jusenkyou, fortunately for her her heart
is stronger as a dog."
   "What's your dad like?  I mean, how does it feel to have a living,
breathing father that you can turn to?"
   "I don't remember my dad.  I haven't seen him since I left for the
bridal academy.  All I know is that Mom made some promise and I can't go
home for a while until it's worked out."
   "You have any idea what the promise is?" inquired Ranma.
   "Not really, just that it's something about me.  Every time I even
hint on the subject with Mother she gets really evasive."
   Ranma glanced ahead of himself and noticed that they were nearly to
the school.  "Well, I guess the rest will have to be saved for later.
I've got a few minutes and I need to go visit with some friends of mine.
Come along if you want."
   "No, that's alright," she replied.
   Ranma started to walk off but stopped after a couple steps and turned
back to Akane.  "Oh yeah, where did you learn your martial arts from?"
   "There was another Japanese girl at the bridal academy.  Apparently
her father engaged her to someone when she was six and wanted to make
her into a proper bride too.  She was really into martial arts and since
we had weekends and holidays off but were too far away to come home we
trained together in the woods near the academy."
   "Hmm.  And your father trained you before you went to the academy?"
he asked.
   "Yes, but mother was upset about it.  I did manage to incorporate my
friends marial arts style into the Musabestu Kakuto-ryuu along with
several techniques I learned from some temporary students though,"
explained Akane.
   "Temporary students?"
   "Yeah.  A few of the girls that would train with us occasionally let
the Art get in the way of the academy's courses and fell behind.  The
result of that was expulsion.  And of course one or two let on about the
training and they got expelled for 'unbecoming conduct.'  There were
quite a few times we would have to call off the training for a few weeks
so we wouldn't get caught, the ones who kept going did and ended up with
a three generation ban from the school."  Akane looked at Ranma
seriously as she continued.  "We had to change training grounds a few
times and I think they suspected us, but I felt the Art was worth the
risk."
   Ranma considered this then nodded.  "Well, I'm going to visit my
friends now.  I'll see you in class."  He turned and ran toward a tree
in the schoolyard, beneath which sat a boy in a kendo outfit.
"Tatewaki!  How did the kendo club do in that match last night?"
   Akane watched as her elected iinazuke went to visit with his friends.
{He was so different last night.  Was this morning just an act to get
something from me?}  She considered the possibility for a moment but
came up blank.  {But what could he want?  Maybe he's just trying to make
up for being rude before.  That mother of his seems nice enough, maybe
she's ingrained some manners in him after all.}
   Ranma's thoughts were quite similar as he crossed the schoolyard.
{She didn't get mad at me a single time.  No one changes that much
overnight.  I wonder what happened.  Hmm...  Maybe she was trying to
make up for the things she said before.  We did start of on the wrong
foot.  Maybe that academy of hers did some good after all.  I don't want
my life decided for me, but this may not be so bad.}  He looked over his
shoulder as he reached his friends and noticed Akane was still watching
him.
   Akane saw Ranma turn to glance at her and there eyes met.  Both
shared one thought simultaneously.  {This is all so confusing.}
   "Saotome," Kunou's words broke Ranma's thought pattern.  What vision
of lovelinees has accompanied thee this morning?"
   "Yeah Ranma, is that your girlfriend or something?" added Daisuke.
   "No way, Ranma could never bag a chick that hot!" Hiroshi put in.
   Ranma sent a half-hearted glare at Hiroshi which enduced a short
round of laughter from all present except Tatewaki.
   "'Girlfriend!!!  I protest!  Such a beautious maiden should be with
one of high stature.  No other shall do," shouted the kendoist.
   "Huh?" asked Ranma, Hiroshi, and Daisuke.
   Kunou decided to elaborate for the unenlightened ones.  "This lovely
vision before us is above every man here.  All are beneath her.  All,
save one.  I alone am worthy of her."  He was immediately on his feet
and heading toward Akane.  "My long-haired vision, I would date with
you!!!"
   Hiroshi, Ranma, and Daisuke exchanged a pained look before Ranma
spoke.  "It would seem Kunou has a new love."  The trio nodded then
sighed collectively then went to save Akane.

***

   On a boat between China and Japan, a boy wearing a yellow and black
bandana and travel-worn outfit looked over the stern of the ship.  "Soon
Akane!  Soon I shall arrive in Japan and our relationship can continue!
I swear it on the Hibiki family name!"  Ryouga stopped his rant as a
thought crossed his mind, {Odd, the anouncement said we would dock in
ten minutes.  I should be able to see land by now.}

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   Well, there is chapter two of "Reversal of Fortune."  If you have any
questions, flames, C&C, or MSTs they are very appreciated.  Please send
any replies to my fiancee's address (TendouNabiki@webtv.net) as my box
has been having some problems lately.  I hope we have the next chapter
out before I leave for San Diego, but I won't make any promises.  Please
let us (my fiancee and I) know what you think so far (and if you didn't
like this chapter blame her, it was her idea to have things flow like
that).  We eagerly await your replies.  Until next time, ja ne.

Sincerely,
Akihiro & Malon
TendouNabiki@webtv.net