Legal: The characters of Ranma 1/2 were created by the great Rumiko 
Takahashi.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of 
entertaining someone.  If anyone who has a right to sue me has that 
desire, I have almost no money.

	C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com
--------

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part three

	Ranma and Akane walked to school together the next day.  About 
a block from the school Ranma asked "Do you want some help today?"
	"I can handle them myself!" she said angrily.
	"I know that.  It's no crime to ask for help, though."
	Akane paused and looked at Ranma.  With a slight smile she 
replied "Thanks for worrying, but if I can't handle them I'll know it's 
time to worry." She began her final acceleration toward the school.
	Ranma kept himself exactly five feet behind her until she took 
out the last of her admirer's.
	"I told you I don't need any help!" she said to Ranma with a 
scowl.
	"I know that, which is why I didn't do anything."
	"What were you doing then!"
	"Watching the fight," he responded calmly.  "Just watching and 
dodging."
	"Hmph!"  She paused and looked around.  "Hmm, Kuno usually 
shows up around now.  Maybe he's finally given up on me," she said with 
a hopeful voice.  Then she added "Probably not."
	"I haven't known him long enough to judge him, but I'd say he's 
got a really strong obsession," Ranma responded as he walked Akane to 
the school door.

	On the roof Tatewaki Kuno stood, looking at the crowd of 
students entering the building and asking himself "Whither the 
pigtailed girl?"

	"So, I hear you're interested in that girl who kicked your butt 
yesterday," Nabiki said as she sat on Kuno's desk looking at him over 
his lunch.
	"Nabiki Tendo, you should have a care not to trifle with me."
	Nabiki had known Kuno for many years, and thus she knew when 
Kuno was saying something worth listening to.  These were rare 
occasions, and this was not one of them.  "Red hair tied in a pigtail, 
about Akane's height, same clothes as Ranma.  Sound familiar?"
	Kuno handed her a small envelope and said, "I only need you to 
deliver this for me.  If she thinks she can beat me and have it end she 
thinks wrongly indeed."  With this he began laughing, not noticing the 
stares coming from everyone else in the room.

	Ranma skimmed through Kuno's letter.  It took pieces from great 
poetry and mixed them into a second rate piece.  Filtering out this 
there was a message asking "The pigtailed girl" to meet Kuno outside 
the school that evening.
	"Sounds like a formal challenge," Akane said, a worried 
expression on her face.
	"Kuno's a real sore looser," Nabiki added.
	"Well, a few months ago Kuno'd be a cause for worry but I'd say 
I've got a considerable edge now myself," Ranma responded.  Then he 
sighed and added "Unfortunately I've got to meet  someone so I can't be 
there," He said, slipping a black tie through the collar of the button 
down shirt he was wearing.
	"Got a date?" asked Nabiki with a grin.
	"Nothing of the kind," Ranma responded.  "I just have to meet 
with a guy I know at the Museum."  He paused and thought a moment.  
"That might not be a bad idea though."  He pulled out a piece of paper 
and a ball-point pen and started writing.
	"What?..." asked Akane, but Ranma raised a hand and she 
listened as Ranma dictated the letter he was writing.
	"'Dear Kuno;
	I am willing and ready to accept your challenge, however I 
cannot make your chosen time as have a date planned and cannot justify 
breaking it to fight a pompous idiot like you.  I will meet you after 
school tomorrow instead.  And I ask that after I beat you you quit 
harassing my friend Akane.'"

	"Kuno'll REALLY be out for blood when he reads that," said 
Nabiki.
	"Nothing I can't handle," responded Ranma as he folded and 
sealed the letter.  "Uh, could you deliver this for me?  I really do 
have that meeting to attend."
	Nabiki smirked slightly "The look on Kuno's face when he sees 
this should be priceless.  For that plus five hundred yen you've got 
yourself a messenger."

	"Hi Nabiki!" said Noriko as the middle Tendo sister walked into 
the room.
	When Ranma's true nature had been revealed Kasumi had requested 
that one of her sisters share their room with Noriko, and Akane had 
used it as a means to avenge Nabiki's decision to push for her 
engagement to Ranma.
	*Not all that effective revenge,* Nabiki thought to herself as 
she smiled at her young roommate.  She might share Akane's love for 
Martial arts, and she might have Ranma's strong sense of honor, but she 
had a devious streak that Nabiki could really relate to.  "Hi Noriko!  
How was school today?"
	Noriko giggled slightly.  "Pretty good.  No one tried to 
challenge me, but I learned that the girl who sat next to me had a 
crush on a guy in the next class up..."  Noriko proceeded to describe 
in precise detail the scheme she had planed and implemented which ended 
with the pair locked in a closet together for a solid hour.  "Of course 
she was too shy to take advantage of the opportunity, but she ought to 
do better next time."
	Nabiki laughed at Noriko's Matchmaking attempt.  *Ah to be 
young again.  I can't believe I just thought that!*  "By the way your 
brother mentioned that you're a bit of a photographer."
	"Well, I loved playing around with the Polaroid when I was 
young; so mom got me a more sophisticated camera, and Oniichan helped 
me build and use a darkroom."
	"Wow!  You must be pretty good!"
	Blushing slightly Noriko responded "Well, adequate."
	"Hmm, say have you taken any pictures of your brother since he 
got that curse?  I'll bet it's a really strange subject."
	"Your not kidding," Noriko replied.  She pulled a photographic 
album from one of her bags.  "I've started a whole portfolio on it."

	"Ranma, time for school!" Akane opened the door to Ranma's room 
and looked in to see nothing to tell it had a guest except for the 
Peripheral equipment for Ranma's laptop on the desk.
	"He already left," Nabiki said as she walked past her sister.
	"Oh," Akane replied and the two sisters started toward the High 
school.

	"Stupid jerks," Ranma muttered to himself as he looked over the 
prone forms groaning in pain before him.
	"RANMA!" came a loud voice from the gate.  Looking up he saw 
Akane running toward him with a angry expression on her face.
	*Ah yes, the pride of a martial artist.  Still seeing all these 
guy's thinking that they could win love with their fists really turns 
my stomach,* Ranma thought as he turned to face Akane.
	"I told you I don't need your help!" Akane shouted.
	"So you enjoy beating these guy's up every morning?"
	"OF COURSE NOT!!" Akane screamed.  In a quieter but still anger 
filled voice she added "I fight my own battles Ranma, I don't want or 
need you to fight for me!"
	"I wasn't fighting for you, I was just trying to explain to 
these guy's that it this morning battle was intrinsically wrong and 
they took offense."  Ranma shrugged his shoulders.  "I don't like to 
initiate fights, but I always finish them."
	Akane looked around sighed slightly and with a grin said "Well, 
it is nice to get a break from always having to fight them.  Just don't 
do it again."  Akane started her walk to class.
	Ranma walked in next to her  "Hey, It's your fight so it's your 
business.  I just..."
	Ranma's statement was cut off as Kuno stepped in front of the 
pair a rage filled expression on his face.  "Ranma Saotome...  Tell me 
now!" he screamed as he raised his boken in a menacing manner.
	"Tell you what?" Ranma asked in an unmenaced tone.
	"Where was the Pigtailed girl this past night!  I know her 
absence was somehow linked to you!"
	"Ask her yourself after class," Ranma responded.  "I have an 
aversion to being late."
	"NO! You shall URK!" Kuno's response was interrupted as Ranma 
stepped up to him and punched him.  At least it looked like a single 
punch to the observers, Akane saw something strange about the form.
	Kuno fell to the ground unconscious and Nabiki walked up to 
look him over.  "Wow, How many times did you hit him?" she commented as 
she saw the marks from Ranma's fist covering Kuno's upper body.
	"150, I'm still working on the technique," Ranma replied.  
"It's one of the reasons we extended our stay in China for a month and 
a half after Jusenkyo."

	Nabiki dragged Kuno into the Nurses office and put him onto one 
of the beds.  "Face facts, Kuno-chan, you're totally outclassed."
	Kuno opened his eyes, sat up, and made a two armed grasping 
motion at the air in front of him while saying "Oh Pigtailed Girl My 
love for you is pure and true."  He then collapsed back to 
unconsciousness.
	Nabiki looked down at Kuno.
	Once again Kuno rose to a seated position, this time saying 
"Akane I love you as I love no other."  Once again he collapsed.
	Nabiki folded her arms across her chest and looked on her eyes 
half closed.
	Kuno sat up and looked at her saying "Pigtailed girl I wish 
nothing more than to date with you!"  Collapse.  Rise  "Akane please 
let me date with you."
	Nabiki got up and walked away.  *What a moron.  Hmm, a rich 
moron though.*  She looked back and glanced at him with a half grin on 
her face.

	"So Kuno, I understand you're interested in that Pigtailed 
girl?" Nabiki said as she pulled her seat up by his desk at lunch time.
	Kuno looked at her and responded, "Trifle not with me Nabiki 
Tendo, I shall meet with her after classes and reveal my love to her 
and the whole world."
	Nabiki took out a small packet of pictures one she had made 
using some of the Negatives from Noriko's portfolio.  Looking them over 
she said "Yeah, going by these photos I can definitely see your 
interest in her."
	"Photos!?" Kuno said leaning forward to look.
	Nabiki put the five pictures down on the desk and spread them 
like cards.  "If you're interested they're a thousand yen each."
	Kuno was devoting all his attention to studying the pictures.  
Most of them were of Ranma's female form at various places in China, 
except for one showing Ranma after Kasumi had accidentally sprayed her 
in the Tendo's garden.  The water on her tank top made it plainly 
visible that she wasn't wearing a Bra.  Indeed the thing all the 
pictures had in common was their depiction of Ranma's slow reaction to 
a situation that would have provoked instant embarrassment from any 
true woman.
	"So are you interested?" Nabiki asked.
	"The heavens themselves would balk at the price you state," 
Kuno responded.
	"Oh, you don't want them then?"
	Kuno handed her five 1000 yen bills and said "I'll take them 
all."
	Nabiki counted his money and commented "Well, you're giving up 
on Akane then?"
	"I said no such thing."
	"Ah, so you'll be two timing her then?" responded Nabiki with a 
neutral expression on her face.
	"I mean nothing of the sort.  Akane is filled with a beauty of 
grace and dignity, while the Pigtailed girl's vitality and innocence is 
a gift from the heavens themselves.  They are both so dear to me that I 
cannot part with either.  Is it deception for me to openly pursue them 
both?"
	"Nope, it's called two-timing," responded Nabiki with a grin.  
She pulled out a set of Polaroid's.  "How about some of Akane to even 
out your collection?  A thousand yen each."  She put the Polaroid's on 
the desk.  These were of Akane during her training sessions.
	"Sold."

	As the school day ended, Ranma walked behind the tree with a 
cup of cold water he had filled in the fountain.  Emerging in her newer 
body she walked to her meeting with Kuno in the front courtyard.

	Ranma stood in the courtyard with a bored look on her face.  
She glanced back at where Akane and Nabiki were standing by the wall.  
She looked forward and saw Kuno approaching.  *Hmm, didn't feel him 
there, he must be better at hiding his hostility than I thought.*  
Ranma began looking him over in analysis to prepare for the fight.
	"Pigtailed girl," Kuno began.  "This past evening your 
rejection of my invitation hurt me greatly.  I am here now to honor 
your own summons."
	"I've got things to do, so let's get started," Ranma said in a 
bored tone.
	"I am not here to challenge you," Kuno stated.
	Ranma looked at him with a puzzled expression.
	"Rather I am here to give you this!" Kuno cried, tossing 
something at Ranma.
	Ranma easily caught the bouquet of red roses.  She looked at 
them, recalled some of the times she had been hit on in her female body 
and fought down a sense of nausea.
	"Pig tailed girl, I love you," Kuno said.
	Ranma threw the bouquet away.  She turned and walked out the 
gate.  Pausing she called back to Kuno, "You're an egotistical Jerk and 
I have no interest in you!"  Pulling a thermos from her backpack she 
stepped round the corner.
	Kuno blinked a moment, then ran after her shouting "My love!  
Your devotion to the one you were once with is a noble thing, but how 
could you have known that you would find true love in me!  You must not 
hide these feelings..."  Kuno rounded the corner, and  caught up to the 
wet haired figure in the pig tailed girls clothes.  He moved to embrace 
Ranma, and was met with a fist in his face.
	"Back off Kuno!"
	"Ranma Saotome!  You...  What hold have you on the beauteous 
pig tailed girl!  It is you who forced her to reject her true feelings 
toward me!  Now..."
	"Quit it Kuno!" Ranma responded, glancing at the kendoist in 
annoyance.  "She's not your concern."  Ranma picked up his pace, and 
walked round the corner of the wall surrounding the school.  "Hey!" he 
screamed as a passing car splashed him with water from a puddle in the 
street.
	Kuno ran around the corner and saw Ranma.  She was grasping the 
edge of her shirt and wringing some of the water from it.  Kuno ran up 
and grabbed her.  "MY LOVE!  I have found you again!"
	"BUZZ OFF!!" Ranma responded, punctuating her statement with a 
ferocious kick, knocking Kuno back into the street.  Pulling out his 
thermos Ranma upended it, dumping the rest of the hot water onto his 
head.
	"My...  Ranma?" Kuno said as he halted his next charge.  He 
stared at Ranma a moment.
	"Well, I guess you've got questions," Ranma said as he closed 
his eyes and focused on his breathing in an effort to purge his anger 
from himself.
"I have but one question, Ranma Saotome," Kuno responded, pulling his 
boken from the same place other folk store hammers.  "Where have you 
hidden the pigtailed girl!?"
	Ranma stared at Kuno in shock.  "Kuno, THERE IS NO PIGTAILED 
GIRL!!  She's just a temporary thumaturgical aberration, brought on by 
Jusenkyo's Nyanichuan!  Nothing but the manifestation of a curse I 
have.  Is that clear?"  *How stupid is this jerk?*
	"Silence, vile sorcerer!  You clearly have some form of magic 
control over her but I shall smite you and rescue her from your 
unwholesome clutches."  Kuno lashed out at Ranma, who dodged the attack 
and kicked Kuno in the chest, knocking him backward.  From his top 
fluttered the photo's he had purchased that morning.  Ranma grabbed 
one.
	His eyes widened at the sight of his female form, wringing out 
the top of her red shirt in China.  The angle made it very clear that 
she wore no bra.
	Kuno stepped forward.  "An opening!" he said as he slashed at 
Ranma again, this time connecting with the martial artist's side.
	The pain of the hit pulled Ranma's attention back to the fight. 
 He avoided another slash, and leaped backward, landing by the corner. 
 He looked to his side and saw Akane and Nabiki arrive.  "Hi!" he said, 
displacing his pain through long practice.
	"Ranma, just so you know, Kuno's really hard to beat when he's 
this mad.  You have to pay more attention," Akane said.
	"No problem," Ranma responded, walking forward to meet Kuno's 
own slow advance.
	"And now it ends," Kuno stated, a look of confidence on his 
face.
	Ranma looked at Kuno, waiting to see what he felt so confident 
about.
	Kuno took one more step forward, bringing Ranma into range of 
his strikes.
	Ranma focused his attention on dodging the flurry of straight 
thrusts Kuno was striking at him.  The technique was noticeably slower 
that the Chestnut plucking technique he had been studying the past two 
months.  However thanks to the heavier sword, the thrusts had to pack 
dramatically more power.  Hearing a crack behind him, he glanced back 
and saw that he was right, the air pressure generated by the strikes 
was cracking in the wall.  Ranma focused his attention back to Kuno, 
feeling for the rhythm of the attack.
	Kuno was drawing on the full strength of his rage.  He had been 
drawing on the rage since the moment the fight began, and it was what 
enabled him to maintain this strongest attack longer than he had ever 
maintained it before.  *You WILL fall before me!* Kuno thought, being 
to focused on attacking to voice the sentiment.  Then he saw a foot 
pass before his face, and realized that Ranma had somehow penetrated 
his technique.
	Ranma had acted as soon as he was sure he had the Rhythm right, 
swinging his right foot along an arc just in front of Kuno, and using 
his other leg to push himself off into a leap as his first reached 
Kuno's face.  He landed by Akane his back to Kuno.  Glancing over his 
shoulder he said, "You loose Kuno."
	"Address me as uppercla..." was all Kuno had time to say before 
he collapsed.
	Ranma walked over and picked up the rest of the photos, pausing 
to quickly search Kuno's shirt for the rest.
	"Well, I guess you've got fast feet too," commented Nabiki as 
she looked at the footprints from Ranma's kicks up Kuno's upper body.
	"I told you I had a significant edge against him," Ranma 
responded with a shrug.
	"But you took a hit too," Akane commented.
	"Oh it hurts, but I can handle it," Ranma responded calmly.
	"Well what distracted you so much anyway?"
	Ranma handed her a set of Polaroid's of her.  *He got 
distracted because of me...  HEY WHY WAS HE???!!!*  "What were you 
doing with these Photo's of me!?"
	"Kuno dropped them during the fight.  These too," he added 
handing her the pictures of his own female form.
	Akane looked at the pictures, then turned her attention to her 
sister.  "NABIKI!"
	"Hey, you can't blame a girl for making a little cash, can 
you?"
	Akane glared at her sister for a moment then turned away in 
anger.  Ranma looked between the two of them and asked "Uh, do either 
of you know a good doctor in the neighborhood?  Mom's pretty good at 
patching me and dad up, but it's still good to know where a 
professional is."
	Akane glanced at him and grinned.  "Come on!" she said, 
starting off at a slow jog which Ranma easily kept pace with.