The Three Saotomes.
Part three.
School Daze.
Ranma Saotome stood in the hall with Nabiki Tendo at his side. She did
not seem particularly pleased with him at the moment as she had her hands
planted firmly around his neck.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you tell everyone in the whole
school about our engagement?"
"I didn't, I only told Kuno," said the boy as he easily brushed her
hands away. "It wasn't my fault everyone else could hear it."
"Like hell it wasn't! You did that on purpose!" snarled the girl
angrily.
"Don't lose your cool, I saved us both some trouble. How long did you
think we'd keep something like that a secret anyway?" replied the boy
with his eyebrow raised slightly.
"Forever!" snapped the girl.
"Do you really believe that?" asked Ranma with a smirk appearing on his
face.
"No, not really," said the girl as she averted her eyes.
"Someone would have found out sooner or later and tried to use it
against you. I promise you that," said the boy with a shrug.
"How would you know anything about that?" said the girl as she suddenly
became calm.
"You do run the racketeering and most of the gambling here don't you?"
"Who the hell are you? How do you get off accusing me of things like
that?" snapped the girl with a look of disbelief on her face.
"Stop feigning innocence. I saw money changing hands at that fight, all
of it was delivered to you," replied the boy calmly. "I just put two and
two together."
"So what if I am?" replied the girl angrily. She would have to have a
talk with her subordinates later about being more discreet.
"Relax will you, it doesn't seem like you to get this worked up over
anything. You and I can make a lot of money here if we play our cards
right." Ranma winked at her and smiled again.
"I'll make money regardless," replied the girl simply.
"True, but I can give you the inside track on anyone new who decides to
show up. If you play it smart, you'll make a mint. I promise you Akane
isn't going to stay the center of attention around here much longer."
"What do you mean?" said the girl with a frown.
"What would you say if I told you Akane will lose her morning battle on
Monday?"
"I'd say you're crazy." Nabiki didn't like the way this was going.
"Heh, we'll see," said Ranma with an evil looking grin.
"What are you going to do? You'd better keep your hands off my sister!"
"I'm not going to touch her, you'll see."
The door opened and the teacher put his head outside the door for a
moment. "You can come inside now, I hope you've learned your lesson."
"Of course sensei," replied Ranma with a cheerful smile as he entered
the room.
Nabiki just growled slightly
Down the hall, Genryu sat patiently at his desk and looked outside while
the teacher droned on about history or something. It wasn't really all
that important to him. "Damn him, how dare he! That was my fight!" He
clenched his fist in frustration and sat back in his chair.
The teacher noticed this and frowned. "Is something wrong Mr. Saotome?
You look upset."
Genryu reacted without thinking. "Yeah, my stupid brother beat up Kuno
before I could, the jerk."
Everyone in the room became silent and stared at him. He shrank back in
his chair and looked up at the man with his mouth open. "Uhh, oops?"
The teacher merely pointed towards the door silently. The boy hung his
head and grabbed a pair of buckets from the supply closet.
Lunch was a fairly uneventful affair at Furinkan High. Akane sat with
her circle of friends in the shade. Today the courtyard was surprisingly
devoid of boys though.
"I don't like this," muttered Akane as she glanced around nervously.
"Me either," agreed Sayuri.
Hiroshi and Daisuke sat nearby and leaned in on the conversation. "You
haven't heard yet? Ranma and Genryu called a meeting of Akane's fan club.
The word is attendance is mandatory."
"Then why aren't you two idiots there?" snapped Yuka.
"Hey, I like Akane fine, I also like not getting beat up. I don't
participate in that stupid mob every morning," said Hiroshi as he put his
hands up in defense.
"Yeah!" agreed Daisuke.
"At least some of the morons have some sense," grumbled Akane under her
breath.
Genryu stood with his arms folded just below the podium in the
auditorium. Ranma stared out at the crowd and smirked. The mere threat of
bodily harm had attracted ninety percent of the fools. It struck him as
odd for a group who got pounded almost every morning.
"Hello," said Ranma cheerfully.
The crowd murmured amongst itself. "What's he up too? I bet he's going
to make us stop! That cad! We have to beat Akane to prove ourselves!"
Ranma raised his hand and the crowd quieted down. "So you want to beat
Akane Tendo? Well, I'm going to show you how to do it."
Everyone in the room stopped in shock. One of the boys stood up in the
back and glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about? What makes
you think you could beat her? You only beat Kuno!"
"You're right, but my little brother has already defeated Akane Tendo,
and I'm even better than him."
"Hey!" shouted Genryu.
"Later bro, we've got business."
"What have you got against Akane?" whispered the younger boy.
"Nothing, this is to benefit her. You'll understand soon enough,"
replied the older boy with a small wink.
Ranma turned his attention back to the crowd. "Akane has weaknesses that
you're not exploiting. You are also disorganized, not a single one of you
is strong enough to defeat her on your own. This has to be a team
effort."
"That defeats the whole purpose of this! The one who beats her goes out
with her!" shouted a boy from the back.
"True, but a team effort would mean you defeated her together. That
means any one of you has the right to ask her out," said Ranma calmly.
The crowd fell silent. Somehow, it made sense.
"But we still have to beat her!" said one of the boys with a slight
wavering in his voice.
"And what about Kuno?" said another from the back.
"Akane beats him every day, if you can beat her...what makes you think
you won't defeat him in the same way?"
Once again the room fell silent. Ranma smiled at the looks of hope that
met him on the podium. "Excellent," he thought to himself with an evil
gleam in his eyes.
"Uh oh," muttered Genryu. The look his brother had at the moment
disturbed him. He had seen it many times before, and nothing good had
ever come of it.
"Akane," Nabiki knocked on her sister's door and waited for a moment
before pushing it open.
"What's up Nabiki?" said the younger girl as she turned and took notice
of her elder sister.
"We need to talk, Ranma is up to something, I don't like it," said the
older girl with a frown appearing on her face. "I haven't gotten much
information on it, Ranma and Genryu are keeping security tight around the
gym. None of my usual informants have been allowed in. I've paid off a
few boys and found a little bit out, it doesn't seem like much more than
a pep rally for the morning crew."
"That's weird, I'm not particularly worried thought. It's kind of nice
that they have friends," said Akane with a shrug.
"You're not taking this serious enough Akane, those two are dangerous,"
growled Nabiki angrily.
"What can they do? Those idiot boys aren't ever going to beat me, I
could take on Ranma or Genryu if I really wanted too." The younger girl
got a disgusted frown on her face as she said this.
"True, but they are planning something big. I'm not sure what it is,
both of them promised me they wouldn't be taking part in the crowd on
Monday though."
"Like it would matter if they did," snorted the girl impatiently.
"Not even you could take them both Akane, I'm pretty sure just one of
them could beat you. That's what scares me the most." Nabiki looked
thoughtful for a moment and the realized what she had just said.
"How dare you!" snapped the younger girl as she stood up from her bed.
"I'm the best martial artist in Nerima! I could take those clods with one
arm!"
Nabiki glared directly into her sister's eyes and frowned. The implied
threat meant nothing to her. "You're starting to sound like Kuno."
Akane stepped back in shock and turned away with a look of pain and rage
on her face. "Just get out!"
"Fine, don't expect me to help you then. Just keep living in your
fantasy world Akane, you'll only get hurt."
Genryu gave his older brother a dark smile and leaned back against the
wall in the dojo. Both boys were covered in sweat from a recent sparing
match. "That little info pack you let slip to Nabiki was a nice touch."
"Thanks, it'll keep her from digging too deep. I had a feeling she might
try to bribe some of the boys into talking, or worse. I'm not sure what
she has on some of these guys, but it must be pretty bad the way they
fear her." Ranma wiped his forehead off with a towel and sat down next to
his younger brother.
"Any plans on the engagement?" Genryu raised his eyebrow slightly and
smirked.
"Naw, I figure we can cool our heels here for a little while at least,
she can't be that far behind us though."
"We're in real trouble if she catches us you know," said Genryu with a
nod. "The rest of our old friends won't be far behind her. What makes you
so sure she'll show up first?"
"Call it a hunch. She always was the most tenacious of my rivals," said
the elder boy.
"Unfortunately I doubt this little place will last long after she shows
up, that girl is dangerous," Genryu gave a small shudder.
"She always was a little bit of a psycho, even when we were little. I'm
just glad pop had the good sense not to engage me to her."
Monday morning...
Akane Tendo jogged towards the school at her usual pace. Nabiki had gone
ahead of her with a worried look on her face just before she left the
home. Ranma and Genryu had left early that morning, before anyone else
was awake. That the pair had missed breakfast alone was enough to worry
Akane. She furrowed her brow as the school came within sight. "Get
ready..."
The gates were empty, with the single exception of Genryu. The boy was
standing with his arms crossed over his chest Kuno lay face first on the
ground. He simply smiled at her without a word as she cautiously walked
by.
"What's going on here?" she asked calmly as she stopped just beside him.
"You'll find out soon enough," said the boy emotionlessly. He didn't
seem particularly cheerful at the moment despite the forced smile on his
face.
"Akane Tendo, do not go..." muttered Kuno as he struggled to reach for
her.
She glanced down at him with a hint of worry on her face and was about
to speak when Genryu kicked the boy in the ribs before lifting him over
his shoulder.
"I'm taking him to the nurses station. Watch yourself this morning
Tendo," he turned away from her and walked towards the building.
"What's going on here?" Akane felt panic setting in as she struggled
with the situation. Every bone in her body was screaming that this was a
trap of some sort.
She tentatively stepped forward and steeled herself before breaking into
a full run into the gates of Furinkan. She stopped cold at what she
found. Ranma was standing on the steps waiting for her with a huge grin
on his face, before him in the courtyard ranks of boys stood waiting. The
Karate and Soccer teams stood waiting for her in almost military fashion.
Ranma raised his arm into the air and screamed as he let it drop.
The boys in front of her jumped to life with a massive war cry. She
stepped back into a defensive stance and met their charge in a flurry of
punches and kicks. Their attacks were drastically different today though.
They moved in groups of two or three closing in around her and attacking
in unison. She managed to dodge this of course, but it was infinitely
more difficult than usual.
"Left and right flank!" cried Ranma as Akane started to take down the
teams in front of her with more efficiency. The Kendo club and the
Basketball team were the next to attack. They came from the side hidden
in the bushes around the courtyard. They dashed forward in pairs and dart
in and out of the battle taking shots at Akane as she struggled with the
remains of the Soccer team and the Karate club.
Akane screamed in rage charging through the battle as her aura flared.
She punched and kicked faster and faster trying to keep up with the
relentless assault. Here eyes went wide when something different
happened. She felt pain in her leg.
Staggering forward she managed to keep to her feet as a member of the
Kendo club dashed by clipping her shin. To her credit she did not falter
and continued to press her attack. Unfortunately that is when Ranma
released the final blow.
"Rear!" called his voice clearly over the shouts of battle. The
remaining sports teams moved in from the street through the gates of
Furinkan. The Sumo club and hockey team with a few of the baseball team
mixed in charged from behind closing the hole. Not even Akane could take
the full assault. She fell to the ground as another blow cracked across
her shin. Desperately she rolled and regained her balance just in time to
avoid yet another flurry of strikes from all around her. She could feel
her strength waning and growled in frustration as she unleashed another
flurry of spin kicks into the crowd of boys around her. One of the
baseball team dove for her and she gasped as she realized what they were
doing. "My legs!"
It was too late, Akane fell to the ground. She hit hard and tried to
right herself. Unfortunately a rain of blows fell on her from all around.
She screamed in rage and pain before a booming voice halted the assault.
"That's enough! You have won!" Ranma walked through the center of the
crowd and looked down at Akane with a burning gaze that she could not
place. It wasn't anger, and it wasn't a smug celebration of his victory.
"Do you know why I did this?"
She shook her head and glared at him in anger. "I hate you."
"Good, maybe that way you'll learn something. All the best lessons I've
learned have been from my enemies."
She looked at him in shock and glanced around at the celebrating crowd
of boys around her. Almost three fourths of them were lying on the ground
in pain or unconscious. Those that remained jumped for joy.
"This is great! Now Akane has to go out with us!" exclaimed one boy.
"Uh, all of us?" said another boy in confusion.
"I don't mind sharing, not after everything that we went through!" said
another boy.
"Like hell!" snapped another boy in anger.
"That's enough!" roared Ranma.
The crowd turned to face him with looks of shock on their features.
"The agreement was that you could earn the right to 'ask' Akane Tendo on
a date. It was never stated that she had to accept. If she chooses to
refuse you that is her own choice; you can ask, but somehow I doubt if
she'll agree after you just humiliated her this way."
Akane felt the tears well up in her eyes as she staggered to her feet
and rushed into the building. Ranma smirked to himself as the bell rang.
He turned and looked over to find Genryu standing in the window with a
neutral look on his face. The young boy nodded to his brother and Ranma
returned the gesture.
As Ranma walked into the school he was surprised to find a very angry
looking Nabiki Tendo glaring at him. She slapped him hard across his face
and growled.
The boy simply brought his hand up and wiped his mouth slowly. "Now what
was that for I wonder? You must have made a mint on this one fiancee."
"How dare you! My father will call off that engagement now... Oh my
god." Everything seemed to fall into place for her and she stepped back
with a look of horror on her face.
"Something wrong Tendo? I don't see what the problem is, Akane has
learned an important lesson in humility while at the same time, I showed
her where her weaknesses in battle were, ended the morning fights, and
managed to break our unwanted engagement. You must be proud."
"You bastard!" snarled the girl with a hate growing in her eyes. "I'll
get you for this."
"Please, you have no idea how often I've heard that one, calm down
Tendo. I'm going to have a talk with Akane later. She isn't going to like
what I have to say, but she's going to listen to me because I just shoved
the truth down her throat. She's nowhere near as good as she thinks she
is."
"And you are?" snapped the girl bitterly.
"I know my own limits, your sister doesn't appear to have that. If she
did she would have tried to retreat back instead of holding her ground.
She is foolish and arrogant, something that can get a promising martial
artist hurt in the wrong situation."
"Sounds like someone I know," said Nabiki with a dark look appearing in
her eyes.
"You're probably right, but I've paid for those mistakes more than
once." He turned away and started walking towards the class.
Genryu met Akane in the clinic and sat down next to her on a stool. "You
should really thank him, he tried to warn you."
"Why would I thank that jerk!?" snapped Akane.
"I was talking about Kuno, he saw what was happening and tried to stop
us, I had to keep him from depleting the ranks so to speak." He turned on
the chair and looked at her with a genuine smile.
"I'll just bet he did, that idiot." She looked up at him with tears in
her eyes. "Why?"
"Let me ask you one thing. Did you learn anything from this?"
"Like what?" snapped the girl with a hint of anger appearing in her
face. Genryu simply poked her in the nose sending her back into the
pillow before she could even cock her arm back.
"Like how badly your skills are degrading with this silly battle every
day? Or perhaps that you have a serious balance problem?"
Akane said nothing and looked away. The boy could feel the heat from her
anger.
"Don't hate us for pointing out your flaws, you would have gone on
ignoring them until they became a real problem if we didn't. It was the
only way a stubborn girl like you would have listened to us." He stood up
and walked towards the door pausing just before he exited. "Think about
it, sometimes a little humility can save you a lot of pain."
Akane curled up ignoring the pain it caused as tears flowed down her
face. "Jerk!"
TBC...
Next time: Will Ranma's plan really work?!!
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
URL: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/