This is the followup to 'At The Movies' and it is a prequel to that
story. Both are part of an alternate timeline so do not strictly
adhere to either Manga or Anime canon. C-C and MST-ies are
welcomed and appreciated either publicly or privately.

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned herein are the property of
Takahashi Rumiko and are used without permission on a solely
non-profit basis. All rights reserved to her and her authorized
licensees.

Note: '...Cats and Dogs' takes place within the first two months
of Ranma's stay at the Tendou Dojo and one day after the story,
'Things To Do:'

Part 1

	It was just another day in the Lunch room of Furinkan
High. The students were eating, flirting, and gossiping. At one
table, Tendou Nabiki, with her assistants, sat plotting the odds
for the next Saotome fight. They considered the usual
questions. Who would he fight? How long would it take? Would
they even be able to hit him? Even such trivial things as an
over-under on the number of punches thrown by Ranma using his
Kachuu Tenshin Amiguriken in a minute had its own lucrative
betting pool. If there was money to be made, chances were
Nabiki would be there to capitalize on it. Her new special
slow-motion camera and video equipment needed to determine the
number of punches had already returned a twenty-four percent
profit after only three weeks.
	When questioned about the morality her gambling
enterprises which often exploited her youngest sister's
fiancee, she justified it as the only way to offset the cost of
Ranma and his father living at the Tendou Dojo. After which she
would have likely issued notice of the approaching due date of
the offending questioner's owed loan. The truth was that the
lion's share of the money went towards the household budget for
the Tendou Dojo, with Nabiki taking for herself only enough to
cover her own operating costs and a fair commission.
	Other tables hosted the various clubs that made up
Furinkan's dynamic and often unorthodox social milieu. Every
sports team had it's own table, even the full-contact chess
club.  Along with the typical after school programs, tables
represented groups like the one for botany and the Wannabe
Magical Defenders of Japan and Nabiki's own Young Moguls
Association. In this fractious, factioned, society, even the
volunteer groups separated themselves. The Furinkan Joint
Student-Teacher Ambulance Corps was one of the newest of
Furinkan's many clubs, established only three years ago shortly
after the enrollment of Tendou Akane. They sat apart from the
members of the support group for the victims of involuntary
hair removal (meetings every Tuesday and Friday) To protect
public safety and at the behest of the faculty, the rival fan
clubs, one for Tendou Akane and the other for the mysterious
Pig-tailed Girl, sat at opposite ends of the lunch room.
	Today, though, two groups were conspicuous in their
absence. The Drama Club, which included the infamous Tendou
Akane, was currently away for two weeks on a tour of Japan's
historic stage theaters. The Kendo Club was also currently
missing. It's Team Captain, Kunou Tatewaki had actually
deigned to attend school that day but, with his club, they had not
yet graced everyone in the lunch room with their exalted presence.
Then, with a sudden crash of thunder, a loud voice rang out....
	"SAOTOME!!!" boomed Kunou, flanked by his Kendo Team.
They walked to a table at the far end of the lunch room. At that
table sat Saotome Ranma and his friends. Among them was
Kuonji Ukyou, one of Ranma's many fiancees.
	"Oh come on, Kunou. We're eating. What do you want now?"
replied Ukyou, with an inpatient glare.
	"That is Upperclassmen Kunou to you, Knave!" he said, not
taking his eyes from Saotome.
	"Cut it out, Kunou! No one talks to Uc-chan like that
while I'm around," yelled an angry Ranma.
	"Vile Dog!! Only you, a lowly cur, an evil sorcerer and
Beguiler of Innocent Women would dare take that tone with one
such as I, The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School, Captain of
our Undefeated Kendo Team, Rising Star of the Kendo World,
and Hero to all, Kunou Tatewaki, Junior, Class E," he
countered with a proud tone, drawing his Bokken.
	Looking at the bokken, and then Kunou himself, Ranma
smirked. "Blue Blunder is more like it Kun--," he retorted
before being cut off.
       "Silence!!!" roared Kunou with a mad look to his face.
Breathing heavily, eyes wide open, the veins in his neck
visibly throbbing in time with his pulse. The crazed swordsman
went on to say, "Thou art an uncouth Barbarian, a lowly
peasant, not fit even for the lowliest of menial labors and
most certainly unfit to marry the picture of Amazon grace and
Fighting spirit that is Tendou Akane much less she who is the
blossomingwild flower, the embodiment of grace and delicacy,
the one I have seen fit to christen my 'Osage no Onna' and while
it would please me to no end to simply drag your diseased
carcass from our esteemed Cafeteria and strike you down with
the sheer force of the righteous fury that is mine to command-- "
	"More like the sheer force of his Heinous breath. Which
could take down anyone, even me," Ranma countered under his
breathe to Ukyou. His best friend looked at him and put a hand
over her mouth, trying to hide her amusement.
	Finally, Ukyou took her hand away and replied, "Kunou's
got a better chance beating you with his breath than that
bokken. Still, I don't know why you let him get away with
saying that about you. If he said half those things about me,
I'd have kicked his butt by now. I still might. This is
ridiculous Ran-chan, he's done everything but call you a ronin.
No one can talk to MY fiancee like that and get away with it."
	Ranma shrugged his shoulders and whispered back, "Don't
worry about it Uc-chan. Everyone knows Kunou's crazy. No one
cares what he says. It's nothing. He yells at me whenever he
sees me as a guy and challenges me at least once a day. It's
annoying but I've almost gotten used to it by now. He'll always
blame me for everything that happens. Who cares? Just don't get
involved O.K.? Last thing I want is Kunou starting in on you
too." He concluded, looking Ukyou right in the eye.
	Ukyou sighed. "Fine, Ran-chan, I'll let it go." Turning
back to Kunou, Ranma didn't see one of Ukyou's hand slowly
start to move towards her bandolier.  She was comforted when
her fingers finally wrapped around one of her miniature
throwing spatulas. Caressing it lightly, her eyes shone with an
anticipatory gleam as she looked at Kunou. 'For now,' she added
silently.
	Meanwhile, Kunou had been oblivious to the exchange
between fiancees and still raged at Ranma. "-- mine to
command Honor demands that I not and so I will postpone
your richly deserved thrashing in order to give, even to the likes
of you. I hereby formally challenge you for the hands of the
spirited and beautiful Tendou Akane and the shapely and
vivacious 'Osage no Onna'!!"
	When Kunou finally stopped, Ranma shrugged, "Go away,
Kunou. Akane isn't even here and I ain't gonna waste my time
with you when I can be eating one of Uc-chan's okonomiyakis..."
	"Not surprising that you would seek to avoid the
humiliation that we both know is coming to you. My wrath, like
the tide itself, is unavoidable, relentless and without mercy.
Your time has come and it is far past due for me to collect
from you what is rightfully mine, Saotome," pontificated Kunou.
	"What does Ranma owe you, Kunou-chan? The only
outstanding debts Ranma has are to, and I would definitely
know," interrupted Nabiki from the crowd that had quickly
gathered around Ranma's table.
	"I speak not of matters of finance, Tendou Nabiki so
bestill your forked tongue!!" screamed Kunou.
	"Whatever you say, Kunou-chan," Nabiki shot back in a
falsely humble tone.
	"AND YOU WILL DESIST IN CALLING ME THAT!!!" raged Kunou.
If possible, he appeared to be more upset talking with Nabiki
than he was railing against Ranma.
	"Why, whatever do you mean Kunou-chan?" questioned Nabiki
innocently. The grin on her face made it clear to everyone that
she enjoyed baiting him.
	"That!! I mean that!!"
	"If you insist,"  oozed Nabiki with the false sincerity most
commonly seen from Politicians and Used-car Salesmen.
"Kunou-chan."
	Finally, Kunou reached his limit. "ARGH!!!" he shrieked,
"Silence, Woman!!! Even the likes of you can not dissuade me
from my divine quest. As Galahad found the Holy Grail where all
others failed, so too shall I defeat the Vile Saotome and free
the two halves of my heart from his lecherous clutches." His
words were punctuated with a grand swing of his Bokken.
	Nabiki stood there, the picture of calm calm in the face
of Kunou's fury. "Kunou-baby, you really don't have a clue, do
you?" Her words almost conveyed pity.
	For his part, Ranma was busy once again cursing his father
for ever engaging him to Akane and bringing them both to
Nerima. 'Oh yeah, when I get home, the first thing I'm gonna do is
beat up Pop.'  Turning to her, he said out loud to, "Come on Nabiki.
Stop it and let him finish or else we'll end up having to
listen to this for the rest of lunch. All right?"
	Seeing Ranma squirm, Nabiki couldn't help but drive the
nail in a little deeper. She walked to Ranma and whispered.
"Well I don't know, Ranma, this is just SO much fun. I mean,
with our Rising Star over here", she beckoned to Kunou. "I can
keep this up for hours." Her face practically glowed with
mischievous joy.
	Standing there, Ranma looked for all the world as if he
was a man on his way to the gallows. "Nabiki, lunch is almost
over, give me a break, stop playing around and let Kunou finish
his stupid speech!"
	Nabiki, starting to get bored now, sighed dramatically,
"Now all right, Ranma-kun, since you asked so nicely. As a
favor for you." Closing her trap, Nabiki looked quite pleased
with herself.
	Without a choice, he acquiesced with a resigned sigh.
"Fine Nabiki, whatever," He knew that he owed Nabiki yet
another favor, and she always collected.
      "As for you, Kunou," Ranma said, turning his attention
back to the mad Kendoist. "Akane isn't mine to give you. She's
free to do whatever she wants. It isn't like I care what that
kawaiikune tomboy does. You can forget about your 'Osage no
Onna', though. I know for a fact that she hates you and that
you two will never get together. Not in this lifetime pal! So
why don't you go play somewhere else and let me eat in peace?
OK?"
	"No, fool, It is most certainly not 'OK' as you say."
Kunou breathed with the scorn dripping from his voice and his
bokken swinging. Since Ranma had mentioned Ranko, his swings
had started to inch forward, closer to Ranma with each
sentence. "It is known to all how you hold sway over both, that
even as Tendou Akane would resist you, she is overwhelmed by
your black magicks. My 'Osage no Onna' is completely within
your power, to the degree that she would be compelled to reject
one such as I. So do not seek to deceive me, Saotome, with your
gilded words and casual airs, for I know better. On the other
hand, if you are such the coward that you would lie so
desperately in efforts to escape your punishment I will be
merciful, even to the likes of you who so clearly does not
deserve such consideration. Simply forfeit your claims to my
loves and I shall spare you....such would be the largess of my
happiness." His last swing came within a few inches from
Ranma's head.
	Ranma suddenly got up and pushed the bokken out of his
face. "Coward?!?!?! You are calling ME a COWARD?!? That's it!
I've had it! I tried to be nice, but no! This is what I get for
trying to talk some sense into that thick head of yours! Fine,
you want a fight, you got one. Right after school, the field
behind the lunch room. Be there." With that he grabbed his
bento box, looked once at Ukyou, nodded, and started walking
out of the lunch room.
	"Sure as the sun rises at dawn, I will be there, Saotome.
For you and I have a date with destiny. As the gods of Asgard
had their Ragnarok, even you, Spawn of Loki, shall have your
comeuppance! Make your peace with whatever Dark Spirits you
pray to, because your time of Reckoning is at hand!" yelled
Kunou to Saotome's back.

End Part 1

In Part 2: Find out why Kunou seems to have finally lost it and
meet his ace in the hole.