Working on this a little, and here is my reconstruction of chapter 2, or
at least what's finished. Had this for a while, but I'm sort of stuck
when I comes to action scenes. I just don't fight, and I'm sure if I
actually busted skulls a couple times a week, I'd have no problem
describing said activity. :)
Suggestions appreciated.
Chapter 2
[This is literally the original.]
Ranko snickered as mother, son and daughter walked home.
"So, I understand that Nabiki showed something to you?"
"Nah," said Ranma, as he reached into his pocket and
revealed just a hint of the wad of bills to his sister.
"Wow..." said Ranko, whose interest gave way to
suspicion. "Did you swipe that off Mr. Tendo?"
"Swipe? Of course not. Ms. Tendo was gracious to
entertain me with a few rounds of poker," said Ranma, his
voice indicating that he wasn't going to divulge anymore
information on his fortune.
- - -
"So, what do you think about our future brother and
sister?" asked Akane, quite enthusiastic. "I can't believe
that Dad finally got the balls to do something right for
himself."
Nabiki carefully rested the phone down and shrugged her
shoulders. "I don't know. That Ranma character. He's
really creepy."
Akane nodded. "Yeah I know. He's in my class, and all
he does is sit in the corner. Doesn't even pay attention to
the teacher, but he manages to score pretty well."
"He's in your class? I didn't know that he went to
Furinkan."
Akane laughed. "Really, and I thought you kept tabs on
everyone in our school."
The two of them settled down. "So what do you know
about him?"
"What's there to tell? He's pretty smart. He always
skips out of physical education. I think he has permission
to lounge out in the library and stuff. But I just found
out today that he's probably very good at martial arts."
Akane took a deep breath. "There, satisfied?"
Nabiki grinned. "Am I ever satisfied?"
"Nope." Akane laughed back. "But," she continued, her
voice hushing up. "Don't poke around too hard. He's going
to be living with us soon. Wouldn't want to... ah...
alienate him."
"Of course not. I just need to let him know who's going
to be the brains of the family." Nabiki stood up. "I'll be
on the phone."
- - -
[Work on this scene a bit. This is literally the original.]
Ranma huffed as the brisk morning air was proving to be
a bit too brisk for him.
"Hey dude, what an awesome day..." Daisuke's voice died
as he stopped by Ranma's locker. "Ranma, you ok? You're
weezing a bit too much. Need help to go to the nursing
station?"
Ranma waved away any offers of help and leaned against
the lockers. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't need any stinking
nurses..."
- - -
Minutes until the first bell. Nabiki hated idling. She
opened her composition book and glared at the notes that she
had taken on Ranma.
His life, it seemed, was quite sketchy at best. Even
after pulling a few strings and cashing in on a few debts,
there was a paucity of scoop on Ranma.
She muttered to herself. "Ranma Saotome, born 16 years
ago to Genma and Nodoka Saotome. Father deceased.
Extensive physical therapy since eleven. A couple surgical
operations."
"Well, if he's good at martial arts, this certainly
doesn't indicate anything at all," she thought to herself.
"Perhaps I can put a wager to him that he can't resist."
She turned to one of her henchwoman, a fellow classmate.
"I'd like to have a word with Ranma Saotome. You can find
him in class B2."
- - -
It was lunchtime when Ranma decided to show up. Calmly,
he walked into room C3, directly to Nabiki.
"You wanted 'to have a word with me?'" asked Ranma.
"Perhaps you wanted to fulfill that IOU?" His smile was
unnerving.
Nabiki forced back a smile. "Yes, but why pay for an
IOU when you can get it back. Care to make a wager?"
Ranma patted his pockets. "Sorry, I don't have a deck
of cards on me."
"Oh posh, why be cerebral? Let's make this a match of
brawn."
He blinked then slammed his hand on the desk. "And what
do you want to do? A little wrestling?" His voice lost its
jovialness immediately.
She continued unphased. "Well that wouldn't be a
challenge at all, I haven't studied the art of brute force.
Perhaps you'd be willing to let me pick a champion, you
know, someone who will fight in my place."
"Yeah right," Ranma shook his head. "There is no
way..."
Nabiki closed in for the kill, she hoped. "Well, I
thought that you would be more than willing, so in my haste
I sort of already asked my friends to advertise our little
contest..."
Ranma swallowed hard. And she gestured out the window,
at the lunchtime crowd congregating in a corner of the
schoolyard. "See, I'm already collecting bets. Wouldn't
want to disappoint our fellow students would..."
She faltered as his hand clamped down on hers, locking
her to the table. He looked up at her. "Even if you win
your money back, even if I win, I won't forget this
connivance."
He released her immediately as if repulsed by her, and
swiftly left the classroom. "I guess that means a yes," she
muttered, rubbing her hand.
Taking a mental shovel and burying that unpleasant
feeling, she turned and flashed Tatewaki Kuno, fellow
classmate, a winsome smile.
Tatewaki carefully balanced his chopsticks on his lunch
box. "Nabiki Tendo, while we may become relatives in the
future, I do not wish to be a part of your schemes."
"Scheme? I just wanted to let the president of the
Poetry Society know of a serious complain that a fellow
student has made about Issa Kobayashi's work."
His left eye twitched. "A complaint?"
"Yeah, something along the lines of 'Only the insane or
the unsophisticated can find a whit of meaning in Issa
Kobayashi's works.'" Nabiki sat patiently as she watched
his hands tremble.
Kuno stood up and slammed his hands against the table.
"Oh what indecency and heresy this person speaks of! As a
poet and a samurai, it is my duty to avenge the spirit of
peerless Issa Kobayashi."
He turned to a fellow classmate. "Hand me my bokken!"
And then back to Nabiki. "You will tell me of this
cultureless scoundrel."
"Name's Ranma Saotome. I think you'll find him in B2."
Tatewaki's eyes bulged with rage. "He is in the same
class as my beloved! How insidious! No doubt a bastard as
vocal as he would be working hard to sow uncivil thoughts.
It is my duty to protect my underclassmates, and my future
wife, from such a debasement of a pillar of our society."
- - -
Ranko jumped out of her seat as the dismissal bell
rang. "Finally free at last!" she exclaimed as she
torpedoed textbook and notebook into her satchel.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, surprised that the
class was surprisingly lively on the way out of the door.
Usually it took a few moments for her classmates to register
that it was dismissal.
"Haven't you heard? Tatewaki Kuno challenged some kid
over poetry... I think. Anyways, I hear they're going to
duke it out in the soccer field."
"Sounds interesting..."
Ranko filed out the door and followed the mob of
students who made their way out the back of the school to
the soccer field, thronging around Tatewaki Kuno and that
mystery person.
Unable to see clearly, Ranko tried jumping up to catch a
glimpse of the other person. A failure.
"Poor kid. He's never going to see what hit him. What
was his name again?"
"He's in Akane's class. Wait a sec, is this really a
fight over poetry, or is it over Akane? Maybe this kid's
been putting the moves on Akane?"
"Yeah right, I'm in B2. This kid doesn't even
acknowledge Akane's existance. Heck, the only two people
willing to talk to him are Daisuke and Hiro..."
Ranko realized that her brother was about to get the
stuffing knocked out of him. Tatewaki, by all accounts was
skilled with the bokken, and was for two years, the best
high school kendoist in Tokyo.
"Oh shit," she whispered to herself. "Ranma! Ranma!"
She pushed and shoved as she made her way towards the focus
of the crowd.
But to late, the two had already started.
- - -
Ranma grimaced as he felt his shoulder burning with
heat. That blasted bokken gave Tatewaki an advantage in
reach as well as power. There had to be a way to counter
it.
"Take this!" Again, Tatewaki swung the bokken, and
Ranma dodged.
The two continued circling around.
A way to reach Tatewaki, a way to match the reach of the
bokken. His belt.
Breathing hard, instead of dodging the next swing, he
rolled forwards, unbuckled his belt, and freed it.
With a flick of the wrist, he brought the belt-buckle
crashing against the back of Tatewaki's right hand, causing
the kendoist to retreat temporarily.
"Enough with this! We shall finish this now!" Tatewaki
charged and chopped downwards at Ranma's head.
Amazingly, Ranma blocked and ensnared the bokken in his
belt.
Having castrated Tatewaki's means of attack, Ranma
executed a perfect crescent kick, landing the blow to the
ribs, winding his opponent.
But Tatewaki did not retreat at all and he pushed down
with his sword as Ranma strained to keep the bokken away.
The exertion caught up to Ranma and he gradually gave
way to Tatewaki's strength. He took a step back, then when
that was not enough, went down to his knees, and then
finally submitted.
Tatewaki took a step back as Ranma layed back, breathing
hard.
- - -
The entertainment was over and the crowd quickly
dispersed. Nabiki stood over Ranma. "You lost the bet. My
money please."
He opened his eyes and glared at her. Reaching into his
pocket, he pulled out the wad of bills and tossed it at her.
"There, you earned it. Now get the hell out of..."
He never finished.
Ranko finally broke through the crowd. "You idiot!" she
shouted as she kneeled next to Ranma. "What were you trying
to prove?"
"I thought I would have won."
She grabbed him and shook him. "Hello, Ranma! You're
not ten years old any more. You can't forget what the
accident did. I'm going to take you home."
Ranko helped her brother to his feet and the two of them
walked off.
Nabiki thought out aloud, "What accident?"
- - -
[Nabiki calls Ranma. There parents are missing]
- - -
[They get stuck on the roof.]
- - -
[The next day.]
Chapter 3
[Ranma hasn't forgotten the scheme that Nabiki has pulled on
him. He plots.]