[Ranma][Alt][draft] Ranmage.04
7 Jun 2000: ver 1.0, Draft

C&C is welcomed with open alms.

Quote of the day:

"I can't lie with a man, unless he defeats me in fair combat."
- Red Sonja (paraphrased)

"In the event that a woman warrior is defeated by an outsider...
if her opponent is a man, she must make him her husband."
- Book of Amazon Laws, thousands of years later.


Silly disclaimer:

That was just a random thought on the origin of those wierd laws and
has absolutely nothing to do with this story.  Really.

Oh, and the serious disclaimer is at the bottom of the fic.


Previously on Ranmage.03:


The boys of Furinikan attacked Akane, who beat them up.  Kuno
attacked Ranma, who beat him up.  Kuno once more attacked Ranma, who
yet again beat him up.  Sayuri and Yuka attacked Ranma, who... ran
away?

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--- Chapter 4: Kuno Fights On                                     ---
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come back here, you *jerk*!" Yuka yelled, leaving a trail of wet
footprints as she ran.  Sayuri followed close behind with another
bucket of water.

"Hey, no running in the hall!" a teacher yelled.

"Yes sir," Akane ignored him as she ran passed with a fair sized mob
of observers on her heels.

'Gottagetaway!' Ranma panicked and jumped out the third story window.
He could only block so much water without someone wondering how, and
he wasn't sure if he could calm down three angry girls.  Of course,
he realised too late, instead they'd just wonder how he survived the
fall.  The air around Ranma thickened, slowing him down as he
approached the... "Yow!" ...pool.

"Moron!" Akane yelled as she watched Ranma head for an inevitable
dunking.

"Lucky there's a pool there," Sayuri observed.

"Lucky is not the word," Akane sighed and closed her eyes.

"Hey, he missed?" Yuka exclaimed.

"What do you mean, he missed?" Akane's eyes snapped open.  She stared
at the poolside in relief; he wasn't hu- wet, or even there.  "But
what happened to him?"

"He just sort of twisted in mid air," Yuka explained, "and landed
beside the pool."

"Then he ran off towards the trees," Sayuri grinned.  "Come on, let's
get him."

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

Ranma rested against a tree.  'Well, at least they don't know about
my curse.  I just hope Akane didn't notice anything odd about my
"fall".  I can't believe I didn't sense that pool.  I mean, how does
the curse do that?'

He turned towards the school and extended his awareness.  Since the
girls' anger should have stood out against the emotional background,
but wasn't, he figured that it was safe to go back.

"Got you!" Sayuri yelled from behind him, dousing him with water.

Ranma fummed.  He'd been ambushed by two girls, who weren't even
martial artists.  'I hate this curse.'

'The jig is up,' Akane realised as she rounded the bend.

"Is it just me," a bewildered Yuka asked, "or does Ranma's body look
a little smaller and rounder?"

"It must be an illusion," Sayuri said as she lowered her bucket.

"Nope!" Yuka disagreed.  "They're real."

"Cut that out!" Ranma cried.  "You don't have to squeeze so hard.
Pervert!"

"Ranma, don't call my friends names!  Or maybe you don't want this...
hot water!"  She held up the janitor's kettle.

"Awe, Akane," Ranma pleaded, "don't be a meanie."

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

Kuno was disorientated.  Why was he lying on the hallway floor?
Slowly his mind pieced things together and came to the logical
conclusion.  He had been fighting that wretch, Saotome Ranma, hadn't
he?  'Yes, which means...'

"Saotome Ranma, you coward!  Do you think you've escaped?"

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

"Would you stop doing that?" Ranma growled as he sat in the sun to
dry off with the girls - at least that was the idea.

"But it's such fun," Sayuri giggled, set down the bucket and fetched
the kettle, "no matter how many times I do it."

"So you guys don't even think it's a little wierd?" Akane asked.  "I
was afraid you'd think I was some kind of pervert."

Ranma was steamed, and not just because Sayuri had poured hot water
over him.

"Come on, Akane," Sayuri chirped.  "What's wrong with having a fiance
who turns into a girl?"

"He's perfect for you," Yuka observed.  "I mean, you hate boys and
he's half girl...."

"It's not like that!" Akane yelled.

"Hey!" Ranma exploded.  "I'm a guy!"

Which was the cue for Sayuri to dump cold water over Ranma.

"I think I'll go home now," Ranma muttered.

Yuka pointed across the field.  "Say, isn't that...?"

"...Upperclassman Kuno," Akane finished as the kendoist approached.

"So, Tendo Akane, did you see where Saotome Ranma went?"

"Um...."  She looked at Ranma.  "You're still a girl?"

"What'd you expect!?" Ranma said, glaring at Sayuri who dangled the
kettle just out of reach and giggled.  Not that he couldn't snatch it
if he'd really wanted, or really needed it anyway, but he was
starting to get annoyed.

"No matter," Kuno blinked at the strange exchange.  "That coward ran
away from our fight!  No doubt he feared my prowess.  Bah!  He is no
man!  He is no man!!"

"Not at the moment," Sayuri giggled.

"Would you stop that," Ranma growled.

"Tendo Akane," Kuno pronounced.  "Now that I have freed you from that
coward, I would date with thee.  Defend yourself."

"Actually Kuno, you lost," Akane pointed out as she prepared herself.

"What vile falsehood is this?  Saotome Ranma defeat me?  Never!
Upperclassman Kuno does not know the meaning of the word defeat!"

"I'd believe that," Ranma stage whispered.

"Oh, hush," Sayuri admonished with bright eyes.  Kuno baiting seemed
fun, but she'd never dare do it on her own.

"Insolent girl," Kuno snapped as he waved his bokken at Ranma.  "Have
a care when speaking of your betters."

"Oh, right, 'betters'," Ranma snorted as she stood up.  "You can't even
admit when you're beaten.  I can take you anytime!"

"Amusing," Kuno sneered.

"Stay out of this," Akane interupted hastily.  "This is my fight."

"Oh, Tendo Akane," Kuno weeped with joy and stood battle ready.  "To
think that you would actually challenge me.  Very well, should you
win, I shall date with thee.  And so, I shall lose with all my
might."  Raising his bokken high, Kuno charged.

"Who says I want to date you?" Akane growled as she grabbed his blade
between two hands, seemed to trip herself, planted her foot on his
stomach and used the momentum of her fall to throw the kendoist over
her then finished the move with a powerful kick to his chest that
threw him against the wall of the school.

"Wow, nice move, Akane," Ranma enthused.  'This girl is *tough!*'

"Come on, let's get back to class."

"Hey, I'm still wet, you know," Ranma protested.

"Well... dry off and take Kuno to the first aid room.  See ya."

"Hmph.  Whatever.  Hey!  Let me have the kettle first."

"Sorry, it's empty," Sayuri appologised in mock innocence.

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

"I fight on!" Kuno erupted from the couch, causing Ranma to spill her
hot water harmlessly on the counter.  Now he'd have to do it the
other way.

"Oh, go back to sleep," Ranma growled and clonked him with the
kettle.  Kuno's head being what it was, this made an impression in
the kettle and almost none on Kuno.

"That hurt, you know," Kuno mumbled.  "You?  You're that girl!"

"At the moment," Ranma muttered.  "What of it Kuno?"

"That will be 'upperclassman' to you," Kuno said coldly.  "Tell me,
how do you know the fair Akane?  I will not have her associating with
the likes of you."

"What will you do about it?" Ranma demanded.  "Try to beat me up?
Forget about Akane, Kuno.  I could take you on, and you know what,
her fiancee's even better than me."

"I detest you," Kuno spat.

"I'm *so* glad," Ranma replied as she flounced out of the room.
"But don't worry, you'll probably never see *me* again."

"Who on Earth?" Kuno wondered.  'Quick to run is she?  If she thinks
she can insult Upperclassman Kuno and simply walk away, she thinks
*wrongly*!'

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

"A girl with a pigtail and Chinese clothes?" Nabiki asked as she
looked up from her copy of Vague magazine.  She hesitated, then
shrugged.  "Sure, I know her."

"It seems that she is a martial artist.  Tendo Nabiki, can it be
true?"

Nabiki's eyebrows twitched as she wondered why Kuno was getting
excited.  "You could say that."  Something about it seemed
familiar.  'This could be interesting.'

"Then, this is for her.  Here."  Kuno presented her with a note
addressed to 'The Pony-Tailed Wench.'

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

"This is for me?" Ranma asked from the Tendos' porch.

"To your girl-side, Ranma-baby," Nabiki replied.  "I didn't tell him
you were the same person."

"Looks like a duel," Akane observed as she read over his shoulder.
"Maybe you shouldn't have teased him?"

"Kuno just hates to be mocked," Nabiki pointed out.  Of course, that
had never stopped her.

"Vengeful is he?" Ranma asked as he scrunched up the note.

"Yeah," Akane said.  "Come on Ranma, you better train."

"Huh!  Why?  I don't need to.  I mean..."

"But you don't have the same reach as a girl, right?" Akane pointed
out as she picked up the hose.  "And Kuno's one of the best fighters
at Furinkan."  'This is my chance to learn some of your special
moves.'

"I guess," Ranma tugged his pony-tail and eyed the hose as if it were
a serpent - although, frankly, a serpent would have been more welcome.
'I do need to practice the art without using magic, after all.'

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

Ranma was not having any luck getting through Akane's defense, but
at least she was mostly avoiding getting hit by the practice sword.
For some reason she was doing much better than expected.  Akane
couldn't be holding back that much.

'I'm faster as a girl!' Ranma realised for the first time.  She'd
never spent enough time as a girl, let alone fought as one, to really
notice before.  'Speed, that's the ticket.'  She would have to change
her entire style of fighting, but she would even have an excuse to
ask her father to train her girl side.  Then again, that might not be
the best of ideas.

"Come on, Ranma," Akane growled as she struck Ranma's head.  "How
are you going to train if you hold back?"

Ranma reeled from the blow.  That would teach her to pay attention
in battle.  "But..."

"Come on, take this seriously!"  Akane aimed at Ranma's gut.  'Why is
he trying to dodge?'

Ranma barely danced away from a blow she was used to ignoring.  "I
am, Akane!"

"Liar!" Akane screamed.  "What's wrong with you?  Do you *want* to
lose to Kuno?"  She broke off her attack to reguard Ranma levelly.

"Hmph.  Like I'd ever lose to that jerk.  I can take him anytime."

"Then why won't you take *me* seriously?" Akane demanded hotly.  "Try
me for real, this time."  She adopted her battle stance.

Seeing that Akane just wasn't going to back down, Ranma reluctantly
opened herself fully to the power and sighed, "alright, I'm ready."

Akane frowned; Ranma's stance was totally relaxed and she couldn't
feel even a trace of battle aura - not that she ever could.  Akane
growled furiously and charged.  At the last instant before her fist
struck, Ranma effortlessly flew into the air over her head.  Akane
whirled around and blinked in confussion as she waited for Ranma to
land, then looked up.  'What the...?  He's floating!'

As Akane looked up, Ranma dropped from the ceiling and stopped with
her finger resting lightly on Akane's forehead.  She tapped the
startled girl, knocking her back, then dropped the rest of the way
to the floor and released the flows of air magic.

"I win," Ranma said quietly as she stood over the fallen girl.

Akane sat in a daze.  "That..."  Akane recovered herself.  "That was
dirty!  That didn't count!"

"You're right," Ranma agreed and smiled appologetically.  "Sorry
'bout that."  With the battle over, she felt free to sooth Akane's
temper with spirit magic.

"Uh, okay... How did you...?"  Akane knotted her fingers, then came
to a decission.  "Could you teach me?" she pleaded.

"Ack!  Teach you?" Ranma asked as she backed away from the cute
attack.  "But..."

"I am your fiancee, after all," Akane pushed.  "I mean... we're
supposed to unite the two schools.  It's not like you'd be giving
away family secrets, even if we don't get married."

"No, that's not it.  I- I don't think I can teach you, that's all."

"Why not?" Akane demanded calmly.

"Well, it's just..."  Ranma blinked as she realised that she didn't
know for sure that she couldn't teach Akane.  "I don't know how," she
admitted.  'I ain't tossing her into a pit of cats, that's for sure.'

"Oh, then I'll ask your father."

"Wha-?  NO!  Don't!"

"Oh?" Akane asked flatly.  "Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you'll die!" Ranma blurted, remembering some of the stunts
his father had pulled to get him to use his abilities.  They worked,
but they were insane.  Maybe they weren't quite as stupid as the pit-
of-cats idea, but they came close.

"Hey!  Don't underestimate me, Ranma, I'm a martial artist too!"

"But..." Ranma broke off as he increased the flow of spirit magic
blanketing Akane.  The pause gave him time to think.  "It doesn't
matter.  He probably won't teach a girl, anyway."

"Like father like son, eh, Ranma?" she teased.  'He's sure cute when
he's flustered.'

"Hey," Ranma opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.  "Look, I'll
think about it, okay?"

"Well," Akane considered, "alright then.  Just don't take too long."
She turned and walked out of the hall; the flows of spirit magic
slipping away from her as she passed out of Ranma's range.

'Oh great,' Ranma thought, 'in order to teach her, I'd have to tell
her what I'm doing, and I don't even know if she can learn.  But if I
refuse she probably will ask Pop.  Now what am I going to do?'

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

Genma smiled as he watched Akane cross the yard, pleased at least
that she was getting along with his son.  The union of the two
schools was assured.  'So what if she had spunk, that just makes her
cuter, doesn't it?'

"You jerk!" Akane exploded as she passed him, slamming him into the
floor then walking on.  'Ah, that feels better.'

'What did I do now?' Genma wondered.  'Cute is not the word.'

Entering the practice hall, Nabiki wondered when Ranma had managed to
switch back to male.  She leaned casually against the dojo wall,
licking her posicle as she watched Ranma perform some basic katas.
She was really enjoying the treat.

Nabiki decided to test the waters.  "So, Ranma, seems like I've got a
violent sister.  It must be tough having her as a fiancee?"

"What are you talking about?"  Ranma demanded.  "Akane's a... we're
not getting married or nothing!"

"Sure Ranma," Nabiki smirked knowingly as she left the hall, but she
wasn't amused.  'I wonder what they all see in her?'

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

"So, do you really want this engagement, Akane," Nabiki asked as she
studied the exercise routine in her copy of Vague.  'So, Ranma's into
macho chicks is he?'  Aloud, she added, "I mean, it must be hard
having a fiancee who turns into a girl."

"That's sure easy for you to say, Nabiki," Akane replied from her
desk, "after you practically forced him on me.  Anyway, is it any of
your business?"

"Just looking out for you," Nabiki defended.  "What if someone starts
spreading rumours about you?  Do you want everyone to think you're a
pervert?"

Akane's pencil snapped.

'Gotcha!'  "If you want me to take him off your hands, Akane, I'll do
it for 2 000 yen."

"It's okay..." Akane said quietly.

"Akane please," Nabiki sighed.  "Make it 1 500."

"I can look after myself, Nabiki."

"999, that's my final offer."

"I said it's okay."

"Oh, so you actually want him?"

"As *if*," Akane snorted.  "Why would I want that...?"

"Well, then you don't mind if I move in?"

"You don't have to lie to me, Nabiki," Akane growled.  "You're not
getting even one yen out of me."

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

Ranma and Genma rested on their heads in the training hall.  The
difference was that while Genma supported himself on his head and
elbows, Ranma floated a foot above the floor.

"Ranma," Genma turned to his son, "Akane really beat you up today,
didn't she?"

"What are you talking about," Ranma demanded.  "We were just
training."

"You were holding back," Genma accused.  "You shouldn't do that,
boy.  You'll get weak."

Ranma growled, but wasn't about to tell his father why he wanted to
retrain.  "So, is it any *your* business, Pop?  You're the one who
engaged me to her.  Besides, she asked me to teach her my secret
techniques."

Genma imagined Akane being able to toss fireballs when she got mad at
him, and shivered.  The girl had taken a dislike to him for some
reason.  "Listen Ranma, you're in a position to be choosy about
women.  Soun has three daughters, you know.  There's no need to
growf!"

"What's wrong pop?" Ranma smirked at the suddenly drenched panda
rolling on the floor next to him.  He hadn't really practiced water
magic much before Jusenkyo, but the curses gave him an incentive to
learn.  "Weren't you going to say something?"

Genma sprang at him and struck with an outstretched claw.  "Yo, cut
that out," Ranma yelled as he was swatted away.  Surounded by flows
of air magic, Ranma just bounced off the wall like a rubber ball and
planted his foot in his father's cheek.  "Go to sleep, old man."

Ranma sighed and lifted his father onto his futon.  Beating him up
just didn't seem the same any more.  'Just you wait, Pop.  I'm going
to retrain and then I'll beat you fairly!'

Ranma lay down on his futon and settled down.  A few minutes later
his eyes snapped open.  'Oh, man.  Did I just tell him I was going to
teach Akane?  What'd I have to go and do that for?'

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

End Chapter 4


Serious Disclaimer:


The characters and situations of "Ranma �" are the creation of
Takahashi Rumiko and is published by Viz Communications.  This fan-
fiction is produced purely for entertainment and should not be
reproduced in any form for profit.  It may be archived or posted on a
free site, so long as this disclaimer is attached.


Graham Kemp
gj_kemp@hotmail.com

I am now entering the exam period, so who knows when chapter 5 will be
ready.

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