[FFML] [R1/2]For What You Dream Of: Chapter Two

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Anyway, I hope the reader has a pleasent read.

Troy Thomas

***

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For What You Dream Of
By Troy Thomas
Created by Kyle Emmerson

Ranma 1/2 and its characters are the creations and property
of Rumiko Takahashi. Excepting flames, if you have any
comments or criticisms, feel free to send them my way.

***

I can be found at the following addresses:
URL: ca.geocities.com/therealsilentnova/fanfiction/index.html
E-mail: Silentnova@go.com

***

Chapter One
Co-Written by Troy Thomas and Kyle Emmerson

"You wanted to talk to me, Auntie Saotome?" Akane asked,
sitting down at the Tendo kitchen table, her body sore,
protesting every move she made.

"Yes. As you know, Ranma, Genma, and I will be moving back to
my home in two days, upon completion of the repairs."

Akane looked towards the floor. "Yes," she said, audibly
depressed by the news.

Nodoka smiled. "I assume you don't like the idea?"

Akane shook her head. "It's not that, Auntie... It's just...
He's moving again. It's... nice having him around again." She
blushed at the admission.

Nodoka nodded. "I understand, Akane. But I'm prepared to make
you an offer. You may refuse or accept as you see fit."

Akane looked up at Nodoka. "What kind of offer?"

"My home is built on expensive land. It is a four-bedroom
house, with plenty of space. What I am asking you," she said,
looking up towards Akane, "is whether you wish to move in
with us?"

Akane was speechless. Deep inside, she knew the answer, but
bringing up the answer would take some work. "What about
school?"

"You will still be enrolled at Furinkan," she said. "The
commute will be slightly longer, but completely possible."

"My father..." she looked over towards Soun, who was
sniffling with tears running down his face, pretending to not
listen to the conversation.

"Your father has already given consent, Akane. It is up to
you."

Akane both happily and nervously sighed, then looked over at
Ranma, who was currently fighting a losing battle with his
father at the Go board. Could she? She couldn't... She could
live with him, away from her sisters, away from her father.

True, Auntie Saotome and Genma would be there, but it was
still... living with Ranma.

"Remember, Akane. This offer is open ended," Nodoka said. "If
you'd like, we can have a trial run. One week in the home,
and if you like it, you may stay, or leave at your
discretion."

Akane sighed, wanting to say, "I won't need a trial run." She
instead said, "Alright, I'll do it."

Nodoka smiled, proud of the girl. "I'll be honoured knowing
you're living under my roof."

***

"Akane," Sayuri said, catching up to Akane and Ranma, who
were walking to school. "Are you all right? I was really
worried about you yesterday."

Akane smiled, glad to be speaking with her friend. "I'm
fine," she said. "Just a little sore."

"I'm sorry me and Yuka ran away like that. We were so
scared..."

Akane shook her hand. "Don't worry about it, Sayuri. I
understand."

Yuka, showing up on the opposite side, between Akane and
Ranma, meekly asked, remembering how she had disappeared the
day previous, "Are you all right, Akane?"

Akane nodded. "I'm fine. There's some other news that I
have," Akane said, smirking. "Better than yesterday's fight."

"What is it?" Sayuri and Yuka asked.

"Well," Akane said, her voice leading. "I'll be moving..."

"Where?" the two girls asked, dutifully following Akane's
words.

Akane smiled. "Not far. I'll still be attending Furinkan, but
I'll be moving in with Ranma's mother."

"With Ranma's mother," Sayuri continued, jabbing her elbow
into Akane's ribs. "I see..."

Blushing, Akane asked, "You see what?"

"We see that you're moving in with Ranma's..." Yuka said,
emphasising Ranma's name, "mother."

"Girls..." Ranma muttered under his breath, looking away
towards the other street.

"Anyway," Sayuri said, running a bit ahead of them. "Yuka's
mother needs us to do some work for her, so we'll see you
later, Akane!"

Akane smiled and nodded. "See ya!"

"Bye Akane! Bye Ranma!" Yuka said, running off.

"Saotome!" Kuno called, storming up to Ranma, shouting right
in the pigailed martial artist's face. "You animal! What are
these bruises, marring Akane's beateous physade?"

Akane sighed, both in annoyance and resignation, knowing the
upperclassman wouldn't listen despite any protests even from
her. "Kuno, Ranma didn't do this..."

"Even worse! To not defend the fair maiden, in the prime of
her life. To allow such tragedy to occur..."

"Kuno, you should really shut up..." Ranma growled, not
liking one bit Kuno's comment.

"Foul Saotome," Kuno hollered, pointing his bokken directly
at Ranma. "I shall punish you! Although I detest even your
very presense in the general vicinity of Lady Akane, she
allows you ro remain, which means you must protect her at all
times!"

Kuno swung down at Ranma's head with the butt of the bokken
hilt, but missed when Ranma quickly faded back, pushing the
kendoist away.

Kuno growled, charging at Ranma, chasing him out of the
school grounds to battle in the streets.

Kuno's battle intensity grew, as he had no idea both Ranma
and he were near the canal, which ran alongside the street.
The raging water below was only a faint reminder of heavy
rains the town had suffered the night before, in the far ends
of Kuno's mind.

"You seem better, Kuno," Ranma admitted, smiling in a
confident and playful manner. "It's taking a bit longer to
take you down. My heart is actually beating fast."

"Shut up, dog! You haven't any idea of your trouble. The
wrath of heaven is nothing!" Kuno rushed forward, sword
travelling in a downward slash.

Ranma seemed to almost travel around Kuno's weapon, as air
past an aeroplane wing, before tagging the kendoist in the
eye with a jab.

After reeling back from the attack, Kuno paused, and then
slowly raised his bokken in a threatening and strange manner,
which Ranma had never before seen.

"What is this, Kuno?" Ranma asked, a bit put off.

"This is a dreaded technique. I should not continue, for
death will follow," Kuno replied, raising his bokken.
"However, having started, I dare not stop."

Ranma narrowed his eyes. Kuno was different somehow. Better,
as though Kuno had undertaken training from a true master.

Kuno, however, knew how and when the change had taken place.
The day he found Jinnai Myoujin. The day he learned of the
Kamiya Kasshin school.

***

There was no control.

Kuno cut in half a wooden beam supporting a shopkeeper's
stand, after receiving no call from Saotome, who was in the
air and mind, but not in body.

"Saotome! Where have you spirited my loves?"

"Saotome! Come out! How dare you hide!"

He charged forward, grabbing by the collar an elderly
gentleman, who was keeping by his lonely stand, despite the
terrible destruction all around the shopping district.

"We've told you, young Sir, that there is no Saotome here,"
the old man whimpered.

Somewhere in Kuno's mind, he was shouting at himself to stop,
to cease, but...

"You have no control, man... Where has it all gone?"

Kuno looked behind, and then snarled at the sight of a young
man, who was holding nothing but a stern look and a shinnai.
He released the old man, and directed all his attention at
the other swordsman.

"So young, so tragic..." The young man didn't move even a
muscle, besides his eyes and mouth, which were full of
compassion and discipline. "Your mind and soul, so twisted."

"You..." Inwardly, Kuno was afraid, for himself, for the
safety of the man. "Saotome took everything..."

"My name is Jinnai Myoujin," the man said. "I doubt this
Saotome is to blame for anything. However, you are to blame
for today."

Kuno snarled, and charged at Jinnai Myoujin, bokken aimed the
man's heart. However, in one move, which could barely be
called a move being instead more of a thought, Kuno's bokken
was split in two.

Curling his fingers after flinging away his broken sword,
Kuno reached for the man's face, but suddenly found himself
on the ground.

A heavy weight collapsed on him, and he found himself looking
at Jinnai Myoujin, who whispered to him, "Ask yourself, what
am I doing? Should I be here?"

After minutes of resistance, Kuno eventually paused. What had
he been doing? "I..." he began. "I didn't..."

The man interrupted Kuno's stammering, "I used techniques of
the Myoujin family. Are you interested? Do you want to
learn?"

Slowly, Kuno nodded.

After standing, Jinnai Myoujin passed a card down towards
Kuno. "Go there sometime. Perhaps you'll learn something."

As Jinnai Myoujin walked away, Kuno examined the card. Kamiya
Kasshin School. Specializing in fighting with the Bokken and
Shinnai. Established in 1865, placing its beginning near the
end of the Tokugawa.

Kuno watched the retreating form of Myoujin, and then went
home, slowly, and intently curious.

***

It was a well maintained dojo, despite its hundred years,
Kuno decided.

Entering through the gate, he encountered a girl, cute with a
ponytail, but a little older than him. "Who are you?" she
asked, stopping to look at him, midway through the task of
watering a flower.

"My name is Tatewaki Kuno. Yesterday, under certain and
strained circumstance, I was invited here by a man named
Jinnai Myoujin. Who are you, beautiful rose?"

The girl laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I'm Kaoru Himura,
Mister Tatchi."

"Tatchi?" Kuno asked, curiously raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, and just let me call you that!"
the girl joyfully pleaded.

"Of course. 'Tis not me to deny a lady her day bright with
happiness."

"Oh, you speak so strangely! But I'm sure you can't stand
here talking with me all day." The girl out to the building.
"Myoujin! Somebody's here to see you!"

The young man from the day previous walked out to greet Kuno.
"Hello, once again I'm Jinnai Myoujin, but call me by
Myoujin, if you like. It is a delight to meet you under these
circumstances, rather than yesterday's..."

"I've come offering my apologies..." Kuno bowed low, eyes on
the ground. "You, for lack of a stronger term, saved me, from
myself. I owe you my whole life, for saving my sanity."

"No, you saved yourself. I just gave you push in the right
direction," Myoujin replied, a bit unnerved and embarrassed
from Kuno's gratefulness.

"You take less credit than you deserve!" Kuno, deep in
admiration, whispered. "I don't know how I can possibly repay
your kindness."

"Um, neither do I..." Myoujin replied.

"I know!" Kaoru exclaimed, surprising both Kuno and Myoujin.
"You can become a student here, Tatchi," she said, sunnily
smiling.

"Study?" Kuno stood, his body slowly moving as though energy
was fueling it. "You offer to teach... me?" A smile, large
and erupting, covered his face. "I remember! The style, so
quick and fast. Lightning is only a student to the speed and
grace, in my memory!"

Turning to Kaoru, Kuno happily said, "Thank you."

***

Standng in the dojo before Karou, who was showing him the
mistakes he had just made, Kuno slowly reflected on the past
week. 'I'm better warrior, but am I a better man? Am I
stronger than at my arrival?'

"Tatchi," Kaoru Himura said, looking at Kuno's face, lowering
her bokken, "your dedication to the art... You really believe
in it, right?"

Kuno nodded. "Of course."

"Why?"

Kuno paused, until out of his mouth came an unbidden and
well-practised response, "Why not? I dedicate my life to
perfection, my soul for my loves."

Kaoru frowned. "No, I don't believe you. There's got to be a
real-ler reason, Tachi."

Kuno sighed, caught in a lie, which he couldn't believe due
to Kaoru's imposing reality. "Then I... do not know why I
dedicate myself. I guess, one day faint in memory, I picked
up my mother's bokken, and began. I have not stopped..."

"So, your mother was a kendoist?"

Kuno sighed, bringing up his impressions of his mother.
"There... Is not very much that I remember of my mother. I
was very young when she died. I know she practiced Kendo, and
I know she was very good at gymnastics, much like my younger
sister."

"I'll tell you what, Tatchi," Kaoru said, practicing a few
flashy moves with her bokken. "I'm going to teach you a move.
This move can prove fatal for anyone on the receiving end.
The Chimei-teki dageki."

Kuno gasped. "The... Chimiei-teki Dageki?" Did he really want
to learn such a technique?

"What do you say, Tatchi?"

Kuno sighed, his heart heavy with fear, for himself. "Teach
me," he said, the words sounding unwilling.

****

Kuno lowered his gaze, pointing his bokken directly at
Ranma's throat. The storm cover was moving over them quickly.
In a few moments, it would begin to rain.

"Well, Kuno?" Ranma asked, standing in front of the chain
link fence. "What are you waiting for? Let's see this new
technique."

Tatewaki smiled, a faint memory of the shopping district
resurfacing, twisting his smile. "It will be your finish,
Saotome!"

He attacked. Leading forward with the left foot, the speed
increase would be enough to kill, even with the blunt end of
the bokken.

However, Ranma watched the technique, knowing immediately its
weakness. He saw everything, falling under the attack,
punching Kuno in the stomach, which caused the kendoist to
stumble forwards.

In the stumble, Kuno's greater speed managed to knock both
Saotome and him through the chain link fence, and into the
raging waters of the canal below.

"Ranma!" was the last thing Tatewaki heard before falling
into the water.

***

Ranma watched the water surface pull away from him, trying to
keep his head above the water. 'Dammit!' he thought. He was
now a her.

Using her feet, she kicked off the bottom of the canal
propelling herself up, shooting her head out of the water.

Furiously treading, she looked about, seeing nothing to grab
onto. Above, she heard Akane shouting at her, but dismissed
the concerns, knowing she'd be alright.

"Ranma, grab the ledge!" Akane shouted, her words fighting
over the water's roar.

Hearing the word ledge, Ranma looked up, and bounced out of
the water reaching for it. She grit her teeth as she felt the
concrete grind into her skin when she grabbed the stone, but
she managed to stay put.

Pulling herself out, hopping over the fence, and landing the
the ground on the other side, Ranma was quickly approached by
Akane.

"Ranma!" Akane called, running up to her. "Are you okay?"

Ranma nodded, trying to get a few breaths of fresh air.
"Yeah," she replied, trying to bring her mind to a nagging
worry.

Kuno was yet in the canal. Ranma turned around, her eyes
scanning the surface of the flooded canal. He had to be...
there.

About twenty feet away, moving with the current, also trying
to keep his head above the water, splashing around
ineffectively.

"Oh crap! The jerk doesn't know what the hell's going on!"

Ranma grit her teeth. Kuno's only chance was for her to reach
him somewhere and grab hold of him. "But where?"

'There. Further down the canal. Some kind of bridge. Maybe I
can hang off of it...'

The rain started to patter down harder as Ranma quickly (but
cautiously) started her way towards the bridge. The fences
were too slippery to abandon her own safety.

Fast.

The current was already moving at an intense rate.

Faster.

Who could believe water was so fast?

Finally, parallel with Kuno, Ranma knew she had five seconds
once she got to the bridge to grab him.

Reaching the bridge, she quickly jumped onto the outer side
of the fence, hooked her feet in convenient chain links, and
reached down for Kuno... and missed the man, who was a breath
out of reach.

Thinking quickly, Ranma moved to the other side of the
bridge, by going underneath the bridge. It was a heavy risk,
and there was no guarantee she'd reach Kuno, but... the
greatest risk has the greatest payoff.

Hooking her feet on the bottom of the bridge and reaching out
at the same time, she caught success. Holding Kuno by the
collar and hefting him up, she noticed he was unconscious.

"Damn it! Don't be drowning!"

After flipping Kuno onto the bridge path, she immediately
bent over him, to check for signs of life.

Thank God. He was still breathing. He must have just blacked
out.

"Ranma!" Akane yelled, finally catching up. "Is he alright?"

"He's breathing," Ranma called back. "But we've got to get
him someplace warm!"

Akane nodded. "Let's bring him to the Dojo."

***

Voices...

He heard, "Oh my! Ranma, bring him in the house! Quickly!"

"Where should I put him?"

He listened, but unwillingly, "Ranma, you should at least be
a boy before he wakes up."

'Akane?' Kuno thought. 'What do you mean?'

Grudgingly, he slowly opened his eyes, in time to watch the
pigtailed girl pouring hot water over herself.

'What is this?' he wondered, viewing the pigtailed girl
transform into Ranma. 'This, I've formerly seen! But now... I
know!'

Words, from days previous, rolled into his mind, like a rain
over the desert, 'You have no control, man... Where has it
all gone?'

'It has been gone for so long, my control,' Kuno realised. 'I
have some, now. However, it is late in coming. So, so
late..."

***

"Saotome," Kuno said, sitting up.

Ranma spun around, meeting Kuno's gaze. "So you're awake," he
said, crossing his arms. "What were thinking? This really
wasn't a good time to go swimming, you know?"

Kuno rose to his feet and fetched his bokken. He smirked
slightly, in an expression of sombre intelligence, as he
looked at Ranma. "Saotome, you have my most heartfelt thanks.
Enough has been done this day," he replied, then walked out
towards the front door.

"You're leaving? Wow, Kuno... this is weird," Ranma quipped.
"Maybe that water... Is something wrong?"

Kuno sighed. "On reflection, everything is wrong," he said,
opening the door, stepping outside.

"What was that, Ranma?" Akane asked as she came back down the
stairs, watching Kuno walk out into the rain.

Ranma just shook his head, doubt growing in mind. "Your guess
would be as good as mine."

***

Kuno walked down some street, aimlessly wondering if he
wanted to go home or wander about.

Is it true, a dream or reality?

What had he witnessed, only one moment ago? Was Saotome, so
formerly wretched, vile, and evil really... the pigtailed
girl?

It wasn't sensible.

"How is it possible?"

"But my own eyes!"

"One body, one soul," Nabiki Tendo words, Kuno verbally
remembered. "The time was so long ago..."

Kuno surely would have died in the canal, yet his pig-tailed
girl rescued him. Something Saotome would never have done.

"It's nothing but a mess..."

"Where has the clarity been?"

Clarity. No sooner had he thought the word than the answer
came to him.

When Saotome had first appeared at the school, Nabiki Tendo
had tried to explain it. Even Saotome himself had tried,
eventually giving up.

Kuno laughed, a strangled sound, full of realisation and
understanding, despair and humbleness.

"Ah, ha, ha!" Kuno laugh started strong, tears running down
his face. He sunk to his knees, and then to the ground, still
laughing. "I'm a fool!" he declared, vehemently ending the
laughter.

For the first time, Kuno noticed his place.

"It may not be an answer, but it is the first step, Tatewaki
Kuno." Getting up, he walked through the front doors of the
Kamiya Kasshin Dojo.

****

"Ah, Kuno!" Myoujin said, his voice even and calm. "How are
you? It's a pleasant surprise."

Kuno closed his eyes, dreading his coming words. "Mister
Myoujin, Miss Himura... I must decline further lessons... I
have... caused myself a great dishonour."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "You've used the Chimei-teki dageki
technique, haven't you?"

Kuno lowered his gaze to meet the Dojo floor. "Yes, I have no
excuse for my dishonour."

"Humph," Myoujin said. "From the way you're acting, you'd
think you actually killed someone!"

Kuno looked up in disbelief. "What makes you assume I
hadn't?"

Kaoru answered, "It's simple, Tatchi... The Chimei-teki
dageki is flawed. It has been flawed for as long as we've had
the technique."

Kuno frowned, but not from embarrassment as much as self-
pity. "Of course. It does not matter," he said, getting up.
"I am only a fool, with foolish techniques, and a foolish
belief in his foolish power.

"Wait," Myoujin said, putting his hand on Kuno's shoulder,
stopping him from leaving. "Though the technique itself was
flawed, it was modelled after a technique from the Hiten
Mitsurugi School."

Kuno paused. "The... Hiten Mitsurugi School?"

Myoujin said, "It was the school of the Hitokiri Battousai,
back at the end of the Tokugawa."

Kuno had heard the stories, legends of unsurpassed speed, an
unfailing and unconquerable strength.

"The Hitokiri Battousai is a myth," Kuno replied. "Even if
there was such a man, it's doubtful he was as strong as he is
painted in the legends."

"Tatchi," Kaoru said. "You said you dishonoured yourself,
right? Please tell me how, before you leave."

"I... meant for the blow to be fatal. Instead, I endangered
myself in my attempt to kill my enemy. Only to be rescued by
him..." Kuno quietly asked himself, "Why did he save me?"

Kaoru asked, "So he is no longer your enemy, then?"

"I have so much to think about. I doubt he is evil as I had
thought him. He had ample chance to kill me, or leave me to
die... but he rescued me from a drowning death."

"Tatchi, I'd like to show you something. It's an heirloom of
the Kamiya Kasshin. It was given to my great-great
grandfather by Kaoru's great-great Grandfather, and has been
passed down in the Myoujin and Himura families ever since
that time."

Kuno shook his head. "I have not the time. And... I shall not
return. You must save your words, for they are wasted on me."

"Tatchi, wait," Kaoru said. "You've dishonoured yourself, but
I don't care. But at least let us tell you a story about a
man who had done the same thing. He used his sword to kill."

"The sword's very purpose," Kuno replied. "The taking of
another's life."

"Now, Tatchi. What is the first thing we taught you when you
came to this school?"

"The sword trained by the Kamiya Kasshin is a sword for
protecting life."

"That's right. This man killed for years using his sword,
until one day, he gave it up. He gave it up for this," she
said, looking towards Jinnai, who was holding an old sword,
still in the sheath.

Kuno barked out a laugh. "A katana? What is the difference?
It kills."

"Not this one," Myoujin said, unsheathing it. "See?"

Though at first glance it seemed a normal sword, upon closer
inspection, Kuno realised the bladed edge was on the sword's
other side. There was no way, unless the person who wielded
the sword did so in reverse, for it to actually kill anyone.

The sword for the protection of life.

"But if he killed for years. How could he use this sword and
not kill? Certainly there would be those who would want him
dead. He can not protect himself without killing."

"But he did," Kaoru said. "Him, his friends, and his
love. He protected them all."

"His technique was only taught to a select few. He once swore
it would die with him," Myoujin said. "But the Myoujin and
Himura families each learned a bit of it."

"But the Myoujin and Himura schools only fight with shinnais
and bokkens."

"There is another part of the Kamiya Kasshin school that
incorporates his style, which uses a katana. More
importantly, this katana," Myoujin said.

Kaoru nodded. "The Hiten Mitsurugi School."

Kuno paused. "The... Did you not say that school belonged to
the Battousai?"

Kaoru nodded. "Of course," she said. "He was my great-great-
grandfather."

Kuno gasped. "But I though he was a myth!"

"No, he was quite real," Kaoru said. "That was his sword. And
this was his school."

"Now, Kuno... We now know you're a man driven by honour,"
Myoujin said. "So we have something to offer you. We want to
teach you what we know of the Hiten Mitsurugi, for the
protection of others."

Kuno... hesitated in answering no.

"Tatchi,' Kaoru said. "Kenshin Himura was able to redeem
himself after killing countless hundreds. You can do the
same. Please believe me!"

"I... I give my word I shall use the sword to protect life."

Kaoru jumped in joy.

"Well, then. It looks like we've got an heir to the school
after all!" Myoujin laughed.

****

Ranma stretched before jumping off of the school's chain link
fence. "You ready for after school today, Akane?" Ranma
asked. "We've got a lot of stuff to move."

"Of course!" Akane bit her lip, reclining from mentioning she
wanted to instead train.

As the two of them walked into the schoolyard, they were
greeted by...

Tatewaki Kuno, a stern look on his face, and bokken in hand,
stood a mere twenty feet away from them.

"Hi, man!" Ranma said. "You seem alright!"

"Saotome!" Kuno called, pointing his bokken towards him.

"Kuno?" Ranma walked right up to Kuno, studying the
kendoist's face. "You still acting crazy?"

"It ends here, Saotome," Kuno said, ignoring Ranma's words.

Ranma looked at him appraisingly. "That's what you said
yesterday, Kuno."

"True, Saotome, but my words today are spoken in an absolute
truth," Kuno responded.

A moment of silence passed between the two young men, before
Kuno forever disturbed it with a sudden movement of the
bokken over his head.

He smiled, an expression free of pain and vanity, and then
grabbed both ends of the sword bringing it down, snapping it
in two on his knee.

"Kuno? What's going on?"

Tatewaki took one of the broken halves and placed it into
Ranma's unresisting hand. He held the other himself.

"Never again shall these two pieces meet in combat, Saotome."
said Tatewaki Kuno, turning to walk to the school.

***

Kyle's Notes:
Well, I got that chapter out fairly quickly. I want to give a
big thanks to my pre-readers, who helped me out tonnes with
this chapter. (Even the ones that didn't get back to me in
time for the post, which was because of my own impatience.
^_^)

Anyway, here's the next part. Hopefully my next part will
come out soon. ^_^

Ttyl,

Kyle.

Troy's Notes:
Again, I provide the reader with a log of changes to the
story.

Again, I've changed many lines and dialogues, simply due to
interpretations of the characters. I've also fleshed out two
major scenes: the battle scene between Ranma and Kuno; and
the scene where Kuno learns the flawed sword technique. I've
also nixed the beginning of the scene where Kuno discovers
the truth of Ranma's curse, instead creating a scene from the
point of view of Kuno, rather than Ranma. Most importantly,
I've changed the relationship between Ranma to Kuno (while
leaving the Kuno to Ranma mostly unchanged).

Regarding the dialogue lines, I'll reuse my previous
explanation: On retouching dialogue and lines, I did it
because it's all to do with interpretation. Some lines I felt
not strong enough while others I felt too personal. Most I
felt excellent, and left alone. Of course, I'm only one man,
and do admit my additions and subtraction might be weaker and
confusing.

There are actually two fight scenes between Ranma and Kuno.
The first fight scene, I introduced Kuno in a far different
manner than the original version. I also added some lines and
dialogue to show how different Ranma finds Kuno.

Perhaps the largest change, is the fleshing out of Kaoru and
Jinnai. While writing, I felt the scenes with the two
students of the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo were weak, and deserved a
more narrative explanation, which I hope I've provided.

As I was revising the scene where Kuno learns the true dual
nature of Ranma's curse, I decided to cut the scene down, and
instead create a scene preceeding it, which is from the point
of view of Kuno, who is witnessing Ranma's change in a new
light.

The difference between my Ranma to Kuno and Kyle's Ranma to
Kuno is Ranma is a bit more like the manga versus Kyle's more
original styling. One isn't better than the other, but I
found it more appealing to keep the trait of Ranma not to get
angry first and to try and goad the other fighter in a blind
rage. It's a personal nitpick.

Although I've never yet watched nor read a Rurouni Kenshin
anime or manga, I'll keep Kyle's slight crossover intact.
Perhaps the gentle and generous reader will be glad to donate
any extra copies to me. But, in an effort to keep the spirit
of RK, I'll go and read some translations. ^_^

Troy Thomas

Reference links:
http://www.maigo-chan.org/rk1_02.htm
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanford/130/