Subject: [FFML] Re: (Love Hina)(Ranma)(Silly) Flight Control
From: SkyeFire@aol.com
Date: 4/28/2003, 7:06 PM
To: nausicaa@attbi.com, ffml@anifics.com

In a message dated 4/28/2003 12:48:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
nausicaa@attbi.com writes:


    It was on a Tuesday that they first met.  Keitaro remembered it quite 
clearly.  One minute he was flying through the air, trying vainly to figure 
out 
exactly what his offense had been this time -- the next moment, he was 
crashing head-first into another boy.

       You know, I'm surprised no one's done this before.  The ballistic 
traffic over Tokyo must be enough to warrant a dedicated ATC unit of its own. 
 Hmm, maybe there's a story in that...


    He'd never actually considered the possibility of flying into another 
person before.  But in a way, it stood to reason that, if he could be 
launched 
into the stratosphere by one girl's punch, then there were probably other 
boys elsewhere who could be similarly launched by other girls.

       "Flying into another person" could happen when he lands.  Maybe 
"meeting another person in midair"?


    And so, on a bright Tuesday afternoon, high over the city, Keitaro 
Urashima met Ranma Saotome with a bone-jarring thud.

       A true meeting of the minds.  


    The two crashed down in a nearby field.  That was another thing 
Keitaro had never thought to question -- how did he avoid landing on a busy 

freeway, or the roof of a skyscraper, or a thousand other unpleasant, and 
possibly deadly, landing spots?  Somehow it was always an abandoned field, 
or maybe a trash heap.  He was just happy to walk away, and live to be 
launched another day.

       Keitaro-kun's got good survival instincts.  Now if the universe would 
just stop conspiring against him...

    "Girl troubles?" Keitaro said, getting to his feet.

    "Yeah."

       Ooooh, yeah.


    "Me too.  And the sad thing is, I'm not even sure what set Naru off.  
Something I said, but don't ask me what it was."

    "Oh man, I hear ya!  There's no telling what is going to piss her off." 
 
The boy paused, then held out his hand.  "I'm Ranma Saotome," he said.  
"Nice to meet ya."

       Bogart:  This may just be the beginning of a beautiful freindship.


    "Keitaro Urashima," Keitaro said, shaking the boy's hand.  "I, um, hope 

we don't actually meet again like this, if you know what I mean."

       Ranma:  What's that supposed to mean!?!?  POW!


    The boy laughed, and then jumped over a nearby house in a single leap.  

Keitaro stared after him, blinking.  Had he really just seen that?

       At first, I thought that this was rather odd, after everything else 
Keitaro has witnessed.  But then I realized that Keitaro thinks that only 
*his* life is this wierd -- everybody else just has *normal* problems.


    On later reflection, the whole encounter seemed like an odd dream.

       Rod Serling:  We have entered... no, forget it, this is too wierd even 
for *me.*

    On Thursday, Keitaro met Ranma in the skies again.  This time, he saw 
the boy coming.  "INCOMING!" Keitaro shouted, but the other boy had 
already seen him.  Ranma corkscrewed about in midair, demonstrating some 
amazing agility, and cleanly avoided Keitaro.

    "Hey Urashima!" he called out.

    "Hey, Saotome!" Keitaro yelled back.  And then they were sailing apart, 

to their respective random destinations.

       Brothers in ballistics...


    And that was how it went, for the next several weeks.  Keitaro managed 
to encounter Ranma at least once every week, high over the city, and 
sometimes several times a week.  They never had time to say much to each 
other, but between the two dissimilar boys a bond had been formed.  They 
were each at the mercy of extremely cute, extremely violent girls.  In a 
way, 
they were two members of an exclusive fraternity.  A very odd fraternity.

       Like I said.  This really does make sense -- Keitaro and Ranma probably
 wouldn't bond at all if they met each other socially, but under these 
circumstances...


    Or so Keitaro imagined.  But one day, as he sailed high into the sky on 

yet another unintended flight, he encountered not Ranma, but a very cute 
girl.

       Okay, I'll admit, I didn't make the connection.


    "Hey, Urashima!" the girl called out.

    "Um... do I know you?" Keitaro asked, as he sailed past.

    The girl glanced down at herself, then back up.  "Oh -- it's me, 
Ranma!" 
she exclaimed.  "Long story!  I'll tell you sometime!  Bye!"

       Oh, *that's* who it was.  I was racking my brain trying to think of 
cute anime girls who regularly get punted into the stratosphere.
       For that matter, *are* there any female characters who get that kind 
of treatment in anime?


    And the strange girl sailed out of sight.

    Keitaro replayed that conversation in his head over the next week and a 

half, but it continued to make no sense.  Clearly, the girl recognized him, 
but 
the girl was just as clearly not Ranma.  No disguise could be that complete 
-- 
she was smaller, for one thing, and very clearly female.

       Yea, verily.


    He had no idea who she really was, but he wished to meet her again.  
Thinking that made him flinch and silently beg forgiveness from Naru, but 
the thought continued to pop up in his mind.

       No escaping it -- Onna-Ranma's a guy magnet, at least until they get 
to know her.

    A week and a half after first meeting her, Keitaro got his wish.  He was 

sitting on a park bench, idly sketching a picture of the local scenery, 
when 
something fell out of the sky and crashed into a nearby garbage can.

       I can't count how many "SF" horror movies I've seen that start this 
way.


    He glanced over, and froze.  He saw the same cute red-haired girl that 
he'd met mid-air earlier.

       Repetition of "He", here.  Sug:  He glanced over, and froze as he 
realized that the person stuck in the garbage can was the same...


    "Ooof!" the girl exclaimed.

    "Ranma?" Keitaro asked.  That was what she'd called herself, and he 
didn't know what else to call her.  He stood and helped the pigtailed girl 
out 
of the garbage can.

       Sug:  "Errr... Ranma?" Keitaro asked hesitantly.


    "Hey, Urashima," she said, brushing away the garbage that clung to her. 
 
"Damn that Kuno!  Why can't he just leave me alone?"

    "Kuno?"

    "He's just this guy," Ranma said.  "A brainless kendoist.  He can't 
figure 
out that my guy half and my girl half are the same person."

    "Guy half?  Girl half?"  The world seemed to spin about; Keitaro felt 
woozy.  "Then you really are Ranma Saotome?"

       Yep... just when you think you've seen all the wierdness the Universe 
has to offer, the Universe walks up and smacks you over the head with 
something you never even imgained.


    "Yeah," the girl said.  "Got any hot water?"

    "Just my tea," Keitaro replied.  He dug into his backpack and produced 
a thermos.  "It's still pretty warm."

    Ranma tested it.  "Good enough!" she exclaimed, and proceeded to 
dump the contents over her head.

       Gotta wonder how Ranma's hair survives all these various dunkings.  
Japanese tea must be good for the scalp.

    Afterwards, Ranma flipped through Keitaro's sketchbook.  "Man, you're 
pretty good," Ranma said.  "Wish I could draw like this."  He paused at a 
picture of a young girl.

    "Is this the one?" Ranma asked.

    "The one?"

    "The one who hits you," Ranma said.  "I think you called her Naru."

    "Oh," Keitaro replied.  "Um, no, that's not Naru, that's Motoko.  
She's... 
um... another one."

       <snicker>  That's an... accurate, if vague, way of putting it.


    "Another one?"  Ranma gave a low whistle.  "How many are there?"

    "Um... several?"

       BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!


    "Man, your problems are more like mine than I thought."  Ranma 
looked him up and down.  "No offense, but you look kind of like a geek.  I 
would never have guessed.  Exactly how many fiancees do you have?"

    "Fiancees?" Keitaro squeaked.  "None!  I mean... I'm not engaged to 
anyone."

       "Except for that time I almost married Motoko."
       "So you *were* engaged to her!"
       "No!  Well, yes, but it was all just part of a martial arts duel with 
her sister!"
       Seriously, if Ranma were to have seen how Keitaro survived the fight 
with Tsuroko in Ch9 of the manga, he'd be impressed at just how survivable 
Keitaro is, for a non-martial artist.


    "Really?  Ah, sorry then, I must have misunderstood."  Ranma laced his 
fingers behind his head and leaned back.  "Hmmm, must be nice, not having 
girls chase you all of the time."  There was something in Ranma's voice 
that 
told Keitaro that it wasn't all that bad having girls chase after you, at 
least 
not all the time.  Or  perhaps he just imagined it, because, to be honest, 
that 
was how Keitaro felt himself.

    "Well..." Keitaro said.  "None of them are fiancees, but as for girls 
chasing me... I mean, Shinobu likes me, Mitsume seems to like me, 
Kitsune... 
well, I'm not sure about her, I think she mostly likes to embarrass me... I 

don't know if I should count Kaolla or Sarah, since they're so young...." 
Keitaro was counting up the girls on his fingers.

       "Except when Kaolla decides to change into her adult form..."
    "Huh.  Spring of drowned adult woman?"
    "Huh?"

    "Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi," Ranma said, then gave a shudder.  
"Those are the main ones, but there are a few others...."

    "And then there's Narusagawa," Keitaro said.  "She's the one that I 
really like, but I don't know if she likes me.  Sometimes it seems like she 

does, but then she pounds me into the stratosphere...."

    "Geez," Ranma said, "that sounds exactly like Akane."

    "Is she the one you really like?" Keitaro asked.

       Heh.  He's so innocent...

    Ranma's face flushed red.  He stared down at his hands.  "I... um... 
it's 
not that I like her or nuthin'.  She's just a clumsy, uncute tomboy.  Can't 

cook for anything.  But... well, I guess sometimes she's not so uncute, you 

know?  When she's not jumping to conclusions and beating me up, that is."

    Keitaro laughed.  "I know what you mean, Ranma," he said.  "Boy, do I 
ever...."


   After that, Ranma and Keitaro's odd friendship grew.  The two were > 
dissimilar in age and activities, but their shared romantic entanglements, 
centered around girls with wicked uppercuts, bound them together.  As they 
learned more about each other, Keitaro came to realize that Ranma really 
didn't have any other friends that he could talk to who understood him on 
any level.

       Given that Ryoga doesn't want to talk, and he *can't* talk to Ukyo 
about girl problems...


    Come to think of it, Keitaro really didn't, either.

       What?  He's got Haruka and Seta, after-- um.  Okay, never mind.


    They met in midair rarely.  More often, Ranma would just come 

       Rarely?  Why?  Earlier, they were crossing flightpaths at least once a 
week.  Maybe suggest that their rate of flight intersections started dropping 
off, but that they kept seeing each other in more normal settings anyway.

skipping over the rooftops on a sunny afternoon.  He'd learned where the 
Hinata Lodge was, and apparently liked to wander the city looking for food 
and a little peace of mind, and would stop by to say hello to Keitaro at 
least 
once a week.  The Hinata girls learned to recognize Ranma, although they 
didn't really know him... especially the part about his curse.

       Heh.  I'd like to see Keitaro visit the Tendo Dojo sometime... with 
all the Hinata girls chasing after him for some contrived reason.  The Hinata 
girls vs the Nerima girls -- heck, Keitaro and Ranma might actually get to 
sit it out and kibbitz from the sidelines.


    The next surprise for Keitaro was the day he met someone entirely new 
high over the city.  He was flying North on a short but very high arc, 
incurred through no fault of his own (could he help it if Naru wore such a 
short skirt on such a windy day?) when he collided with a strange boy 
sailing 
in an Easterly direction.  The two fell into a river, and scrambled for the 

shore.

    As he tried to wring the water from his shirt, Keitaro examined the 
stranger he'd encountered at 2,000 feet.  He was a  tall boy, standing 
erect 
and with a noble, somewhat haughty look.  He wore a black hakama with a 
blue keikogi, and carried a bokken.

       Oh, crap.  But I guess it was inevitable.


    Ah, thought Keitaro.  A kendoist, like Motoko.  This did not bode well.

       Well, as long as you don't turn into a cute girl, and you don't say 
the magic word...


    The strange boy fell suddenly to one kneel, his face in his hands.  
"Oh, 
fairest Akane!" he cried out.  "Why do you torture me so?  Nay, it is not 
rejection, that I know well, but the shyness of a gentle maid afraid to 
reveal 
the truth hidden in her heart.  Yet again I bravely endure the concessive 
blows of your fist, that you may soon discover within you the courage to 
confess your love!  As it is said, 'The course of true love never did run 
smooth.""

       Double double quotes at the end.  I think you wanted one single inside 
one double.


    The strange boy stood and laughed to the heavens.  Then suddenly 
serious, he spun about and held out his arms in supplication, crying out, 
"Oh!  
But what of the pig-tailed girl?"

    "Are you speaking of Akane Tendo?" Keitaro guessed.

       <wince>  That's one magic word.  Start the countdown...


    The strange boy fixed him with an icy stare.  "Do I know you?" he 
asked in a low voice.

    "I don't think we've met," Keitaro replied.  "I just..."

    "Then do not speak the name of Akane Tendo so familiarly!  I will not 
allow it!"

    The kendoist was pointing his bokken at Keitaro now, but strangely, 
Keitaro felt no fear.  After all, this was only a wooden sword -- Motoko 
attacked him with the real thing on a daily basis.

       <snicker>


    "Um.... you're Kuno, aren't you?" Keitaro asked.

    "What?  How do you know my name, cur?  Speak, knave!"

    "Well, Ranma's mentioned you...."

       <wince^2>  There's the *other* magic word.  We have main engine 
ignition...


    "Ranma!  Art thou friends with that vile sorcerer, Saotome?"

    "Um," Keitaro said.  Their whole conversation was going dreadfully 
wrong -- not that he'd really expected anything else.  "Ranma's not a 
sorcerer 
that I know of, but yes, he's my friend."

       <wince^3>  ....and SRB ignition start...


    "Consorter with demons!" Kuno roared.  Keitaro recognized the look in 
Kuno's eyes, and the battle aura that flared up around him.  Oh, great, he 
thought.  Here we go again....

    "Foul fiend!  I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkhan High,  
will strike you down!"

       ...Aaaaaand, liftoff!


    Kuno came at him with a furious series of strikes.  Keitaro dodged them 

with all the skill that came from being a boy oft accused of hentai acts by 

girls with a variety of impressive attacks.  Daily training was daily 
training, 
even if you didn't consider yourself a martial artist.

       How very true.


    Motoko was relaxing on the front steps of Hinata Lodge when Keitaro 
came running up.  She scowled, more out of habit than anything.

    "Motoko!" Keitaro exclaimed.  "Save me, Motoko!"

    "Urashima," the kendoist said as she stood.  "What trouble have you 
created now?  Molesting another innocent girl, I suppose...?"

       Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps...


    Her voice  trailed off as she saw a stranger in a blue and black kendo 
outfit rushing up the stairs brandishing a bokken.  "Foul knave!  You dare 
to 
hide behind a girl?  I will  teach you to challenge Tatewaki Kuno!"

       Motoko:  "Urashima!  You molested an innocent *male*?!?  Does the 
depth of your perversions know no limits?!?"


    "I didn't challenge you!" Keitaro wailed.

    Dodging around Motoko, Kuno launched another ferocious attack.  
"Strike!  Strike!  Strike!  Strike!  Strike!  Strike!"

    Motoko frowned.  If it had been a girl attacking Keitaro, she might 
have 
felt different, but under the circumstances she felt oddly compelled to 
defend 
him.  Urashima was an untrustworthy lech, true, but he was Hinata's 
untrustworthy lech.

       Yeah.  Kuno's poaching -- only Hinata girls have pounding rights on 
Keitaro.  


    Motoko slipped between the two, blocking Kuno's sword with her own.  
Kuno blinked at her in surprise.  He looked her up and down.

    "Fair maiden," he said, "it seems you have no small talent with the 
blade."

       <must....supress....hentai...bustline...joke....>


    Motoko inclined her head slightly.  "Aoyama Motoko, of the of Shinmei 
Ryu."

    Kuno's eyes grew wider.  "Indeed?  I have heard of it."  He stepped 
back and bowed.  "Tatewaki Kuno, rising star of the kendo world, known as 
the Blue Thunder of Furinkhan High, age 17."

       What, no lightning bolt?  


    Motoko was unimpressed.  "I have not heard of you," she said.

    For a moment, Kuno registered shock.  "What?" he exclaimed.  Then his 
glare returned.  "It matters not.  Step aside, fair Motoko, for I have no 
desire 
to fight one so beautiful as you this fine morning...."

       Can't fault Kuno's taste.


    "No."

    Kuno's eyes narrowed.  "My quarrel is with this false knave who 
consorts with that demon Saotome, and not with you."

    "You will not touch Keitaro this day," Motoko said flatly.

    "What is this boy to you?"

    "Keitaro is my fr..." Motoko paused.  "He lives wi... um, he's someone 
I 
happen to know.  And I will  not allow you to kill him this day."

       BWAHAHAHAAAA!!!!  Ohhh, that's *perfect*!  That's *exactly* the way I 
imagine Motoko would say such a thing in canon...


    "No doubt he has charmed you with his magic and his guile," Kuno 
replied.  "So be it!  If I must defeat you before dealing with him, then 
defeat 
you I shall!  And, should I lose, I will allow you to date with me!"

       Ooooh... *wrong* thing to say.


    "Date with you?"  Anger flared in Motoko's eyes.  "You would dare?"

       Say whatever you want about Kuno, but there's not much he won't 
dare...


    The fight was short.  Kuno was a skilled kendoist... but not in 
Motoko's 
class.  In ten seconds he lay on the grass in front of Hinata, unconscious.

    "Thank you, Motoko," Keitaro exclaimed.

    The kendoist glared at the apartment manager.  "Do not think I did this 

for your sake, Urashima.  It is merely the duty of a martial artist to 
defend 
the weak.  Moreover, it would seem this boy is a pervert like yourself, 
rather 
than a true martial artist."

       Kuno:  "Oh, how sharper than a serpent's tooth, is the tongue a of 
beauteous young warrior maiden!"


    "Right on both counts," someone else said.  Motoko and Keitaro 
glanced up to see a boy in a red Chinese silk top and black silk pants 
balancing on the edge of the Hinata roof.  He grinned and dropped to the 
pavement below.  "Hey there, Keitaro, Motoko," he said.

    "Ranma!" Keitaro exclaimed.  "Good afternoon!"

    "Greetings, Saotome-san," Motoko said.  She knew just enough about 
Ranma to realize he was a very formidable martial artist -- one that she 
hoped to one day spar against.

    "Kuno giving you trouble?" Ranma asked.  He eyed the unconscious 
body of his frequent rival.

    "Nothing that I can not handle," Motoko said.

    "He attacked me for no reason!" Keitaro said.  "He said something 
about foul magic and sorcery...."

    "He's always raving about that stuff," Ranma said.  "I guess he can't 
accept defeat, so he blames it on black magic or sumthin'."

    Ranma paused, staring into the summer sky.  The other two followed 
his gaze.  In the distance was a black speck.  It grew larger as  they 
watched.

    "Incoming," Ranma said.

       Hm.  Tsubasa?  Principle Pineapple?  Happy?  The Incredible Hulk?  
Johnny Bravo?


    A few seconds later a young boy plowed into the hillside.  His 
momentum carried him up the hill, where he rolled to a stop only a few feet 

away from the other three.

    "Ataru!" Ranma exclaimed.  He jumped forward and helped the 
newcomer up.  "You okay?"

       Ack!  It's the Lech King!


    "Ranma?"  The boy got up and dusted himself off.  "Thank you, I'm 
okay.  But where am I?"

       Obviously a fellow member of the Frequent Flyer club.  


    "Hinata Lodge," Ranma said.

    "Oh?  This isn't Nerima, is it?  What are you doing here?"

    "Just visiting," Ranma said.  He turned to Keitaro and Motoko.  "This 
is 
Ataru Moroboshi.  He's a guy that I've crossed paths with a few times now."

    "Midair?" Keitaro asked.

       You *know* your life is strange when that's the first question you 
ask, and it seems totally *natural*.


    "Hai, midair," Ranma replied.  He turned back to Ataru.  "What's her 
name?  The one that launches you?  Lum, wasn't it?"

    "No, no, no," Ataru said.  "Lum-chan is the one who fries me with her 
electrical shocks.  Shinobu-chan or Sakura-chan are normally the ones who 
punch me into the stratosphere... although there are many others...."

    "And these two people are Keitaro Urashima, who I also met high over 
the city, and Motoko, who has been known to launch Keitaro...."

    Ataru's eyes went wide.  "THE Keitaro Urashima?  The one who lives in 
a dorm room with seven beautiful girls?"

       Uh oh.  Motoko's still standing right there, isn't she?


    "Ah..." Keitaro began.  "Uh... it's not really seven, is it?"

       Well, there's Motoko, Naru, Kitsune, Kaolla, Shinobu, full time, 
that's five.  Haruka's iffy, Sarah's part-time, and Otohime just visits a 
lot.  So, you *could* say seven, or maybe even eight...


    Instantly Ataru was at Keitaro's side.  He grasped Keitaro's hands and 
fell to one knee.  "Sensei!  Urashima-sensei!  Teach me!  Please!"

       Didn't see that one coming...


    "Ah... huh?" Keitaro stammered.

    "You must reveal your secrets to me!" Ataru exclaimed.  "It has long 
been my dream to amass a harem such as yours...."

       Oy...


    "Harem?" Keitaro tried to extricate his hands from Ataru's.  "What are 
you talking about?"

    "Your talent for attracting beautiful women!" Ataru exclaimed.  "What I 

wouldn't give to have such powers!  I mean, sure, I've got the occasional 
alien princess pining after me -- one in particular who can be quite 
annoying 
-- but most girls run away when they see me!  But you!  An ordinary boy, 
surrounded by extraordinarily beautiful girls who are all in love with you! 
 
When Saotome told me of this, I knew only you could help me fulfill my 
dreams!"

       The world as seen through Ataru-Vision.  


    Still trying to pull himself free, Keitaro said, "What makes you think 
I 
know anything?  I'm just a ronin who can't even get into Tokyo University!  

Ranma has lots of girls after him, why don't you ask him?"

       Ranma:  "Hey, don't drag me into this!"


    Ataru stood and crossed his arms.  "Ranma?  Ranma Saotome?  Feh!  
He has nothing to teach me.  I'm not interested in martial arts, ten-year 
training trips, or multiple engagements arranged by weird parents.  Why, 
Ranma's no better than that Masaki guy I met last Fall.  Grandson of an 
alien 
Prince, trained for years in his family's special sword style, heir to 
alien 
powers... how can I compete with that?  I'm just a normal guy who wants his 

own harem!  Is  that so wrong?"  He paused, then added, "Don't you see?  
You are my shining example that even an ordinary guy can achieve the 
impossible dream!  There is hope for me yet!  But you must teach me how 
it's done!"

       "Well, you've got the durability part down already...."


    "Urashima," Motoko growled, "what is this about me being part of your 
harem?  Does your perversion know no bounds?"

       <sigh>  Typical.


    "I never said that!" Keitaro wailed.

    "Motoko-chan!" Ataru called out.  In a flash he was standing by her 
side, a small black book and pen in his hands.  It was as if he'd 
teleported 
there.  "If you don't mind, could I get your phone number and your three 
measurements?" he asked.

       Sug:  "Critical measurements"


    "Kiyaaa!" Motoko exclaimed, leaping back.  She lashed out with her 
sword, but the strange boy easily dodged her attack.

    "Please, Motoko-chan!  It would mean so much to me!"

    Another figure dropped from  the sky onto the landing at the top of the 

steps.  It was a diminutive old man in a brown gi, with a large bag slung 
over 
his shoulder.  He set the bag down.  "Ranma, my boy!  So this is where 
you've gotten off to!"  the old man cried out.

       Crap.


    "Gah!  It's the freak!" Ranma exclaimed.

    The diminutive master spotted Motoko.  "Hotcha!  What a sweet, 
innocent martial artists babe!  You've been holding out on your Master, 
Ranma!  Come to Happy, my little kendoist!"

       And of course, somehow this will all be Keitaro's fault.


    Motoko suddenly found a strange little man attached to her chest.  The 
creature -- she had a hard time thinking of it as human -- stared up at her 

with large, watery eyes.

    "No bra?" he said.  "Strapping your precious darlings down... how 
could you?"

       "Well, otherwise, they get in the way-- HEY!"


    "GAAAAAH!" Motoko screamed.  She flung the offending creature 
away.  He landed lightly on the grass, then dug beneath his gi.  In seconds 
he 
whipped out a brassiere of white silk and lace.  "Here!" he exclaimed.  "A 
present from your uncle Happy!"

       And knowing Happy, probably exactly the right size, too.


    "Please, Motoko-chan!  Your phone number!" Ataru cried out.

    Motoko found herself under attack from two sides.  Two perverts 
assailed her, one young, the other old.  Try as she might, she couldn't 
land a 
blow on either opponent.

       Divide (attention) and conquer!


    In the middle of all of this, Tatewaki Kuno sat up.  Ignored by 
everyone 
else, he sat there a moment, mumbling to himself.

       Uh-oh.


    "She is skilled," he said.  "More skilled that Akane Tendo.  Perhaps 
even more skilled than the Pig-Tailed girl!  A student of kendo as well, 
with 
beauty that could make the heavens themselves weep!"

       Danger Motoko-chan!  Danger, danger!


    He saw Motoko under assault from an unfamiliar boy and a very 
familiar old man.  He leapt forward, bokken raised.  "Unhand her, you 
curs!" 
he cried out.  "Motoko Aoyama!  I would date with you!"

       Ite....


    "Urashima!" Motoko yelled.  "This is all your fault!"

       Am I prophetic, or what?


    Another girl stepped out of Hinata Lodge.  She took in the growing 
chaos on the front steps.  "Keitaro?  What's going on here?"

    "Save me, Naru!" Keitaro exclaimed.  He stumbled towards her, falling.  

His arms flailed out.  His hand snagged her skirt, pulling it down as he 
fell at 
her feet.

       You know, after living at Hinato-Sou as long as she has, it's her own 
fault for wearing clothes that pull down/off/up so easily.  If she wore 
suspender overalls, like Sarah, she woulnd't have nearly as many problems 
this way.


    "Keitaro, you perverted idiot!" 

    The blow was fast and accurate.  Keitaro sailed up into the summer sky. 
 
At the same moment, with a cry of "Air Cutting Pervert Launching Strike!" 
Motoko swung her sword in an upward-cutting motion.  There was a bright 
flash and a sound like a thunder-clap, and all three assailants went 
flying.

       Which leaves Ranma alone with Naru and Motoko... Run, Ranma, run!


    Ranma glanced from Motoko to Naru.  He raised an eyebrow.

    "Nice panties," he said.

       He really ought to know better.  Then again, maybe he's just decided 
to surrender to the inevitable gracefully.


    "PERVERT!" Naru exclaimed.  "WHY DON'T YOU GO JOIN 
THEM!"  And with a mighty uppercut, Naru made it so.

       You know, this should be a WWE event....


    Four boys and a much older main sailed out over the city, together.

    "This happens to you, too?" Ataru asked.  Keitaro nodded.

    "You get used to it," Ranma said.

    "Verily, it does not mean that she does not love me," Kuno said.  "For 
strong passions such as love and anger often go hand in hand."

       Wrong on one, right on the other.  Even a stopped clock is right twice 
a day...


    "Wise words indeed," Happosai added.  "Wise words indeed."  As the 
air continued to whistle by, he pulled out a pipe and lit it.

    "Nice view you get from way up here," he said.  The other four nodded 
in unison.


       What can I say?  Tee hee!


-- David McMillan, Imagineer at Large. Chief Systems Analyst and Integration Engineer, Exotic Technologies Division, <Censored> GmBh. Mecha and Weapons Design Specialist. "Agent Mulder? My name is Neo. I believe I may be able to show you part of the truth you've been searching for. I should warn you, however -- it's not what you think." -- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'