[Ranma][Fanfic] Destiny's Wish, Part Two

[Mike Koos]

Morning came to Nerima, Tokyo, unaware of the chaos the rest of
the day would bring. But then, most days tended to begin like this
of late. A few of the more daring birds were already weaving their
way through the skies... their concerns less demanding than those of
the people rushing to and fro back on the ground.
"You want me to go where?"
"School," Genma answered his daughter's question.
"Aww, but Dad, we just got here!" The old man wasted no time.
She hadn't even been here a full twenty-four hours yet and he was
already sending her off to school. Then again, she had trouble
remembering the last time she had 'officially' been in class.
Ranma and Genma had just wrapped up a simplified version of
their early-morning training routines - simplified, because the
routines they'd used on the road were liable to cause major property
damage to the grounds, something they certainly didn't want to do on
their first official day staying at the Tendo home.
"Why do I have to go *today*?" Ranma, dressed in a close-fitting
tank-top shirt and black sweatpants, continued to complain. "Can't I
wait a day or two?"
Genma frowned. "Show some initiative, Ranma! Now that we're
living here, it's best to get things like this out of the way.
Besides, are you telling me you're not up to the challenge?"
"I can meet any challenge!" Ranma asserted. Wait a minute...
"Did you enroll me as a girl, or a boy?"
"A girl, of course. What do you take me for?" While part of
Genma wanted to have Ranma be the son he'd never had and could see
the advantages to enrolling Ranma as a boy, for his and Soun's
agreement to work Ranma would have to be what she truly was. This
way, Ranma wouldn't oppose the decision as much, either.
"You'll be going to Fuurinkan High, same as me and Ayumi," Naka
announced from the hallway, already dressed and ready to go. "Better
get moving if you want to be on time."
He turned - straight into Ayumi, who had gotten out of bed early
to walk to school with big brother Naka... avoiding Ranma in the
process. Already, he could see Ranma glaring at him from where he
stood. This was turning out to be another bad morning. Ayumi had
hoped to go early with Naka to avoid what was waiting for him in the
Fuurinkan courtyard. They wouldn't bother him with Naka around,
would they? "Wait, big brother! I'm coming, too..."
"Not this time, you're not." While Ayumi tried to figure out
why, Naka headed for the foyer. "Ranma's your iinazuke now. Be a
proper gentleman and take her to school."
Ayumi glanced back at Ranma. Her eyebrows furrowed. Just
great... terrific. <I gotta go with her!?> "Come on, Ranma. Get
dressed and we'll go," he said, begrudgingly.
Ranma stood.
"Kasuga-kun picked out a new school uniform for you," Genma told
her as she began to make a run for her room. Being the only girl
living in the Tendo household meant she had a guest room all to
herself, the first time she'd been given this luxury in a long, long
time.
She didn't stop. "I won't need it!"
Irritated, Ayumi followed. "What are you going to do, go
without any clothes on? They've got a DRESS CODE, baka!"

Destiny's Wish
Part Two: First Day of School
written by Mike Koos
------------------------------

Ten minutes later, they were both on their way.
<Can this day get any worse?> Not only was he engaged to this
crazy tomboy, he had to walk her to school. As long as no one found
out they were engaged, maybe some of the day could be salvaged, Ayumi
thought optimistically.
His eyes faced the road he was walking along. The tomboy
couldn't even walk on the ground like a normal person. No, she had
to be a show-off, tightrope-walking along the top of the nearest
chain-link fence. Worse, she'd insisted on wearing another of those
two-piece Chinese outfits that tended to make her look masculine.
What, how many of those things did she have, anyway? No doubt she
wore them to keep from looking too out of place if she was
accidentally transformed, but there was no way she'd get away with
wearing that to school for long.
Okay. Time to make sure she knew the rules.
"Once we get there, we're strangers. Got it?"
She gazed off into the horizon. "Yeah." Apparently, she liked
this arrangement about as much.
"I don't even want you in the same area as me if you can help
it."
Ranma renewed her glare. "What are you so worried about? You
think I *want* people to know I'm engaged to a hormone-crazed macho
pervert!?"
<Here we go again...> "Who're you calling a pervert, you tomboy?"
"You, of course," she said mock-sweetly. "I thought your feeble
mind would've figured that out by now."
"Why you little..." he growled, brandishing his bookbag.
She hopped off the fence to face him. "You wanna fight? I've
got no problems with beating up a macho jerk that deserves it."
Ayumi could tell she stood behind what she said by the intensity in
her eyes.
That didn't mean he was about to give up the battle. Time to
try a different tactic. "I don't fight girls."
Ranma smirked. "Because I'll win."
"Awful sure of yourself, huh?"
"If you've been through what I have, you'd better be. And I'm
not just talking about Jhusenkyou."
Uh-oh. The conversation was starting to turn toward the
friendly side. That was unacceptable. "You may be a girl but you
talk and act a lot like a guy."
"That's Dad's fault," she scowled.
"Oh, sure, blame all your problems on him! Aren't you
responsible for anything, you kawaikunee tomboy?"
"What? I'm a lot more responsible than you, pervert!"
Kawaikunee, indeed! Words or a right hook alone weren't going to make
up for that insult. Ranma ran at him with both fists readied,
intending to turn him into a punching bag.
But Ayumi was ready for her this time; he wasn't letting anger
control his steps as she was, and knew she'd try a direct assault.
He evaded her right, then a left. "Too slow!" he commented. "You
punch like a girl!"
Ranma fell for the ruse. "That's because I AM a girl!!" She
launched into another one-two combo punch that also missed.
"Really? And here I thought you were supposed to be a boy,
ba--ka." One of her punches connected. <That hurt...>
Snort. "I'm more of a boy than you'll never be!"
Only this time, instead of hitting Ayumi, she struck water. An
elderly woman was routinely tossing out her bathwater - and Ranma had
blundered into a faceful.
"Well, you're a boy, anyway," sighed Ayumi. The former girl
looked rather pathetic with the upper half of his body soaked and a
miserable expression somewhere under all that cold water. "What now?"
The boy made up his mind, readjusting his belt to match his new
waist size and taking his shoes off his now-larger feet. "I'm goin'
home to take a hot bath."
"You don't have time for that! You wanna be late for school?"
Ranma pulled at his shirt. "You think I wanna be seen looking
like this, especially on my first day?"
He had a point. "You don't have to go all the way home.
There's a place nearby where we can get some hot water. That's all
it takes, right?"
Ranma nodded.

** ** **

"Ah, good morning, Ayumi-kun. Hot water? Wait here, I'll heat
some water for you."
"Sorry to trouble you."
"That's all right."
Ranma had let Ayumi take him to one of the local examination
clinics. Not wanting to let anyone see him like this - having the
curse was bad enough - he'd convinced Ayumi to let him wait behind
one of the clinic's outdoor signs.
<Oh, yeah. This is gonna be a *great* day.>
He felt a hand - or something hand-like - grasp his shoulder.
What? How could someone sneak up on him without his sensing it?
Ranma turned his head to see who held his shoulder... and looked
straight into the unassuming grin of a skeleton's head.
Good thing he'd already taken his shoes off, otherwise he might
have been scared right out of them. Assuming his feet weren't too
big for them, anyway.
He shot straight up, fingers white-knuckling the very top edge
of the sign.
"I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" The woman propping up the
skeleton chuckled innocently. "There's nothing to be afraid of. May
I introduce my skeleton, Bobby?" She seemed to be no real threat, so
Ranma slid back to the ground.
Ayumi rounded the corner. "Ranma? I've got the water..."
"Hello, Ayumi-kun." The woman made the skeleton casually wave.
"Ah, sensei," Ayumi's voice softened. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Both the woman and the skeleton politely bowed.
Ayumi blushed ever so slightly. The woman didn't notice, but
Ranma did.
"I haven't seen you in a while. I trust you're doing okay?"
"Yes. Umm... things have been quiet lately..."
A few feet away, around the other end of the corner, Ranma
poured the hot water Ayumi had brought over himself. <Hmm...> From
where she stood she could still see Ayumi talking to the woman.
Three minutes later Ranma and Ayumi were again on their way to
school on a dead run. "Hey, who was that?"
"That was Tofu-sensei, the doctor. She's the best and
well-known around here."
"She trains too, I suppose."
"Eh? You noticed?" Ayumi was surprised.
<I wasn't able to sense her approach. It's almost as if she
knew how to disguise her presence... I'll have to ask her about that
someday.>
"Yeah, she's a martial artist. Though you'd probably never tell
just by looking at her. She's our family doctor... as long as I can
remember she's been fixing me up, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, things
like that."
"But she's a girl," chided Ranma. "Didn't you say something
about not liking girls?"
The school gates were fast approaching. Instead of replying,
the mix of anger and determination on Ayumi's face deepened. "I hope
you're ready," he told his companion.
"Huh?" Then she saw what Ayumi meant. A horde of boys,
outfitted in everything from a hockey goalie's gear to midieval suits
of armor and back were streaming through the gates to greet them.
Ranma quickly readied herself, wondering what in the world they'd
gotten themselves into.
"It's Tendo Ayumi!" one or more of the boys shouted, Ranma
couldn't tell which. "And he's got a girl with him! GET HIM!!!"
So. The attack wasn't directed at her and Ayumi, but at Ayumi
alone? What was this all about? She found a decent vantage point
atop one of the brick walls that formed part of the school's outer
gate and did something she realized she hardly ever did of late - sit
back and watch, not letting herself get involved in someone else's
fight.
Not that she didn't feel up to the task of taking all the boys
on one by one, or more, if it came to that... but this time her mind
decided to learn more before wading into the fight.
Ayumi was a fair fighter, all right. She watched as he took out
one opponent with his right, another with a kick and a third with the
aid of his bookbag... all at once. "Tendo Ayumi!" The number of
voices calling out Ayumi's name were beginning to dwindle. "I shall
be the one to defeat you!"
"You can't win against my skill!" Punt.
"I'll defeat you and claim what's mine!" Crunch.
"Playtime's over! Now you're facing me--" Fold, spindle,
mutilate. Ranma winced, averting her eyes; that *had* to hurt.
From the second floor, Naka and a few of his friends were also
watching the fight. "I kinda feel sorry for your little brother,
Naka, having to go through this every morning, all because of--"
Naka caught sight of Ranma, perched upon the bordering wall.
"Ranma!" he yelled to her. "You'd better get to class!"
Ranma looked at the fight and then back at Naka. "But Ayumi..."
"He can take care of himself! Don't worry, just get out of
there!"
But within seconds the fight was over. Ayumi stood in the very
middle of a field of bruised and battered boys, the only one left
standing, straining to regain his breath. Fighting hordes tended to
do that to you. He wiped the hair and sweat from his forehead.
"Ah... why me? Every school day... I'm *really* getting sick of
this..."
A hint of a cool breeze brushed past Ranma's cheek. What
the...? There had been no indication of a change in weather. Hadn't
the sky been clear while they were running to school? She looked up.
The sky was definitely overcast. Strange...
"How the uneducated have fallen."
Both Ranma and Ayumi turned to the source of the voice.
"They try to defeat you in order to gain the right to choose, to
date. Always you prove yourself more skilled than they."
Ayumi shrugged. "Good morning to you too, Kunou-sempai."
Ranma studied the new challenger. He was tall, certainly a head
or so taller than Ayumi and therefore her, dressed in traditional
samurai robes and wielding a *bokutou* - a wooden sword. Obviously
this guy thought a lot of himself. Kunou's face... a lot of girls
would probably find him handsome, but not her.
"But you forget that I stand in your way, Tendo Ayumi!"
"How can I forget?" his opponent replied, expression unchanged.
"We go through this every morning."
Kunou opened his eyes to stare down Ayumi. "Your audacity
amazes me."
Ayumi sensed a footfall behind him... Ranma. Of all the times
for her to interfere... She came to stand next to him. "My, you sure
are popular around here," Ranma smirked.
"Butt out," Ayumi said under his breath. "You don't want to get
involved."
"Why not?"
"Just watch..."
"You there!" Ranma found Kunou's wooden sword pointed directly
at her face. "You are a girl, are you not? And a striking vision of
beauty at that. Surely you know the folly of hanging around this
lout, do you not?"
Ranma was unimpressed. "I'll hang around whoever I want,
thanks."
"Why choose *him*, then? A beauty such as yours deserves much
more than he has to offer."
All this flattery was starting to make Ranma feel sick. "Well?"
she asked Ayumi.
"Don't ask me. We're just friends." The last word left Ayumi's
mouth as though he refused to believe it.
"Young lady, who are you? Wait - I have forgotten my manners.
Let me introduce myself."
Ranma could tell he would do it no matter what she chose to do.
"Be my guest."
"...I am Kunou Tatewaki, second year, class E. Kendo Club
captain, the best the high school Kendo world has to offer. I am
also known as the Fuurinkan High School's 'Blue Thunder!'" Lightning
crackled from the heavens to confirm his nickname.
Upstairs, the introduction set Naka's classmates to murmuring.
"'Blue Thunder?' Is that what he's calling himself this week?" one
girl asked in disbelief.
"I thought it was 'Shooting Star.'" the boy next to Naka on the
balcony remarked.
"That was last week," Naka reminded him.
"I lost count at 'Raging Tsunami,'" murmured another boy.
Kunou passed the task of self-introduction to Ranma with a
slight sweep of the hand. "Your turn, my dear."
"Well, I'm sorta staying at the Tendo home for now and--"
"YOU!" Kunou turned on Ayumi. "How dare you have this girl
live under your roof!" He took a wide, sweeping sword slash that
Ayumi barely dodged.
"Hey! If you're gonna fight someone..." insisted Ranma, "fight
me!"
A smile crept onto Kunou's face. "An interesting proposal. And
if I win, you shall forget all about Tendo Ayumi and you will have
the honor of dating me!" Sword extended before him, he began his
attack.
She had been right. This guy really *was* in love with himself!
"What makes you think I'd wanna go on a date with YOU!?" Ranma
yelled. In one rough motion she wrenched her bookbag from her
shoulders and tossed it into Ayumi's hands. "Hold that." Another
instant found her in her defensive stance. "My name is Saotome
Ranma, the second most powerful student in the Saotome class of
martial arts! And you... are my opponent!"

** ** **

Before too long, it seemed as if the balconies on the upper
three floors of the school building overlooking the battleground were
filled with the entire Fuurinkan High student body, their faces lit
now and then by more frequent flashes of lightning. As if the
atmosphere wasn't ominous enough...
"Look! That girl's gonna fight Kunou!"
"Doesn't she know how dangerous that is?"
Kunou maintained his distance for the moment, sword at the
ready. "I will prove to you the folly of having a relationship with
Tendo Ayumi!"
Ranma hmphed. "Do I look like I'm having a relationship with
him?"
"She's just a guest at our place!" protested Ayumi. Or tried
to, at any rate.
"NO MORE TALK!" Kunou charged. At the last possible instant
Ranma disappeared from the wall she had stood in front of. Kunou's
wooden blade was left to slice neatly through the bricks. So the guy
wasn't just boasting about his skill with a sword...
Having missed his target, Kunou turned to find her. She was
still nearby, ready to rebound off the trunk of a nearby tree. He
moved to strike her before she could do so.
He was too slow. The tree felt his blade instead, and as the
top half of the tree slid to the ground Ranma landed behind it.
"Listen here, hard-of-hearing," she had imposed herself in front
of Kunou's face and out of the direct range of his sword before
anyone knew it. "I'm not involved in a relationship with Ayumi, now
or never!"
<Wow,> boggled Ayumi. <I almost didn't see her move!>
"How could you even think that..."
<She's good. I can't strike her!> Kunou surmised, nervously.
"...*pervert* and I have a relationship!?"
Furious, Ayumi pitched Ranma's bookbag back at her. "Who's a
pervert, you weirdo?"
"Don't interrupt!" Ranma yelled, then had to jump as Kunou
tried another slash. The slash missed Ranma, but succeeded in
cleaving Ranma's bookbag in half. "Your treatment of the fairer sex
leaves a lot to be desired, Tendo! Perhaps after this match is over,
I will be all too happy to prove to you the errors of your ways!"
More lightning. Only now, the dark gray clouds had all but obscured
the sky.
Kunou brought his head up. His speech had given Ranma an
opening to leap at him with fore and middle finger fixed downward to
strike.
Just as Ranma's fingers made contact with Kunou's forehead, the
rain began. The business end of Kunou's bokutou hung in midair
barely three inches from the base of Ranma's neck.
Ranma realized all too late what was happening.
Suddenly, a panda burst through the school's front gate, a
teakettle of hot water in hand. Ayumi knew this because he knew the
panda, could see the steam wafting from the teakettle's spout, and
knew why a panda, of all animals, just might show up in a school
courtyard with a teakettle in the first place.
<Mr. Saotome...?> Ayumi felt the rain trickling down through
his hair into his eyes.
The panda steamrolled directly between the combatants, snagging
Ranma out of midair. Its prize tucked neatly away under one arm, the
panda pushed Kunou out of the way and continued running.
Ayumi stood there in the rain for a few more seconds before
starting after them. "Hey, that panda knocked Kunou out with one
blow!" he heard the spectators cry. "That panda must've been way
stronger than Kunou! It wasn't a fair fight!"
Not a fair fight? Ayumi had to laugh. Why not? Both opponents
were just as dense as each other... Mr. Saotome was physically dense
as a giant panda, and Kunou-sempai was plain *mentally* dense.
He shrugged. Come to think of it, it wasn't a fair fight, was
it?
Now, how dense was Ranma? <Let's find out...>

** ** **

Ayumi caught up with the pair at the P.E. storage room. Mr.
Saotome had bothered to lock the double doors behind them... but not
the windows, so naturally they both panicked when he forced the
window open to climb in.
"Typical," cursed the now-male Ranma. "I'm about to land a
final blow - and it *rains*."
"So you would've won, no contest?" Ayumi propped himself
against a bin of volleyballs.
"Yeah!"
"Oh, really? I think you might want to check your throat."
Ranma did as he asked, probing around with one finger. There
*was* a strangely sensitive spot around the base where...
His mind flashed back to the end of the fight. Yes, the
position of Kunou's sword matched the bruise on his throat. But how?
That sword hadn't even connected...
"I don't doubt it," Ayumi watched the panda pour some of the hot
water over Ranma's head. Ranma didn't flinch. He wondered how many
transformations she had to experience before becoming used to having
hot water dumped on her. "You wouldn't have a head right now if he
did." He doubted Kunou would want to decapitate someone he'd spent a
lot of time drooling over, however. Well, he could have her! "So
what do you think of your opponent now?"
"He's a fool."

"I don't believe it..."
Kunou stared intently at his image in a hand-mirror he had
borrowed from a female classmate. Naka thought the whole scene
looked rather cute; the great Kunou Tatewaki admiring himself in a
mirror adorned with a great big pastel blue star on the back.
"I don't believe it either," Naka had to admit to a bit of
respect for Ranma's martial-arts talents. He smiled, that particular
self-amused smile of his that Kunou despised.
On Kunou's forehead, the girl had managed to write the Kanji for
the word 'baka...' but she hadn't finished. Either the rain and
panda had kept her from finishing, or Ranma had a way to go in
learning her Kanji.
"You really didn't feel her marking your forehead? She must be
far more skilled than you are!"
"Yes," replied Kunou, whom had changed into his school uniform
for class. "She is skilled, quick and beautiful at that. But her
writing needs work!" He made his way to the blackboard. "'Baka' is
written like this!"
The Kanji Kunou scribbled on the board, like Ranma's, was also
off by one character.
Naka took care to write the correct Kanji next to Kunou's so that
the mistake would stand out even more. "It's written like this!"
"I *really* hate you."
"You've no idea how happy I am to hear that."

In classroom 1-F, Ranma stood before her entire class.
"Hmm... according to your transcript, you have just returned
from a recent trip to China. That," the teacher turned a
reprimanding gaze on her, "explains your clothing. But we have a
dress code at Fuurinkan High, young woman, and you are required to
follow it like everyone else."
Ranma pursed her lips.
"On top of that, you and Tendo Ayumi came late to class this
morning. For that, you both will receive the standard punishment."
Which was - unless Ranma missed her guess - to stand out in the
hall.
As it turned out she was only half right. She and Ayumi had to
hold buckets of water in each hand while they stood in the hall. She
hadn't had this punishment for what, three schools?
"I can't believe you dragged me into this," Ayumi grumbled.
"Oh, shut up! All I did wrong was get involved in *your* fight!"
"So why did you interfere? I've been winning those fights long
before you came along! AND get to class on time!"
"Even against Kunou?"
"Even against Kunou."
"So what's his problem? Why were all those guys trying to beat
you up?"
"It's all Kunou-sempai's fault. He declared that he was looking
for a girlfriend, and that no one else could try to get a date until
he'd made his choice."
Ranma's eyebrows lifted. "You went ahead and tried to go on a
date anyway?"
"Nah. I just said that it was the stupidest rule I've ever
heard of, and everyone should be able to choose whenever they want."
"Big mistake, huh?"
"Kunou thought so. Next day, I found out he'd told everyone
that whoever defeats me in a fight will get to have second pick at
choosing a girl to date."
"I'll bet the girls are all happy about these rules..."
"I wouldn't know. Everyone all gets upset if a girl comes
anywhere near me."

"They're WHAT!?"
Kunou bolted to his feet, almost tipping over his desk in the
process. The word 'baka' was still visible on his forehead, almost
as if Ranma had engraved it there.
"That's right." Naka's smile had grown since Kunou saw it last.
"Our dads arranged the whole thing a long time ago, apparently." He
knew the news would upset Kunou and for that, he saw no need to
charge.
"I cannot allow this to continue!" Kunou cried. Unfortunately,
his outburst wasn't ideally suited for the classroom.
"Kunou! Out in the hall!"
Kunou did as the teacher asked, for once. Most of the time he
never really listened to what orders the teachers gave him. They
should take orders from him, not the other way around. He had money,
he had power... two things that often went hand in hand in his world.
For now, the only reason he complied was because he needed to
keep something extremely dreadful from happening. Yes, very dreadful
indeed. Within five minutes he had changed into his fighting clothes
and was racing toward the scene of a future possible crime.
For good measure, he kept his assigned buckets of water with him
as he ran.

"So you go through all that every day?"
"Just school days," Ayumi clarified. "I suppose they think
there's strength in numbers or something. I always win, anyway."
Ranma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess hormone-crazed macho
jerks can be easy to beat..."
"Is that supposed to be some kind of shot at me? You may be a
girl, but..."
"So that's it," Ranma laughed. "The 'Gentleman's Code.' You're
afraid of fighting me because I'm a girl."
A wicked look came over Ayumi's face. "Not all the time." He
raised the bucket as though he were about to empty it in Ranma's
direction, sending her edging to one side on the tips of her toes in
retreat. "What do you think you're--"
Before she could finish, another stream of water came between
them. She yelped and leapt straight up to avoid being splashed.
Ayumi whirled about to see who had thrown the water.
"Tendo Ayumi! You are beyond forgiveness!"
Ranma spoke before Ayumi, her heart nearly skipping a beat.
"Wh-wh-what'd you do that for?"
"Kunou... sempai..." managed Ayumi. What *was* the moron doing?
Cutting class just to finish what he hadn't been able to this
morning? No, wait. He had buckets of water of his own. Obviously,
he'd gotten himself thrown out in the hall.
"I mean to cool your fires of ill-placed passion!" Kunou
yelled. He wanted the whole school to be aware how he felt. "Your
engagement to this fair goddess is hereby *annulled*!"
If only it were that easy!
Both Ranma and Ayumi had shaken their heads and waved their
hands frantically in an attempt to keep Kunou's big mouth shut, but
it was now far too late. The sliding hall windows behind them flew
open - boys on one end, girls the other.
"An engagement? How?"
"I thought you weren't allowed to, Ayumi-kun!"
"It's a lie! It's a lie! It's a lie!" Ayumi repeated, trying
to cut the gossip off at the pass. Ranma was having about as much
luck. "We didn't! Our parents--"
She fell silent as Kunou brought his sword down on one of
Ayumi's buckets and sliced it in half. Ayumi dropped the other
bucket and ran.
"Don't run, coward!"
Ranma placed herself in front of Kunou before he could follow
Ayumi. "You wanna fight someone? How 'bout finishing your fight
with me?"
She watched the gears shifting in his mind. "And if I win--"
"You won't win. C'mon, you wanna fight or not?"
"I will."
"Okay, but let's take it outside. This isn't the place for a
fight!"
Kunou straightened. "I can fight you anywhere."
"Then follow me!" Ranma led Kunou away.
The rest of the crowd surged past Ayumi, who was making up his
mind whether or not to follow. "This is *so* cool! That girl's
fighting for the right to... go out with Ayumi!" Ranma nearly
swallowed her breath.
Several steps back a teacher opened the door of his classroom to
find a few dozen students *not* walking in an orderly fashion through
the halls. "There is NO running in the halls!!"
Ayumi, in the lead, spoke for the whole crowd. "Ha-i..."
Ranma, meanwhile, stopped at the end of the hall to pull open
one of the outer windows and launched herself over the sill. "We'll
get there faster if we take this way!"
Caught up in the desire to fight, Kunou missed considering what
problems there might be with leaping from an open window - but then,
so had Ranma. "Very well!" He jumped out the window after Ranma.
Only then did he realize what one of those problems happened to
be. "We're on the third floor...!" Ranma saw the teacher who had
reprimanded the students for running in the hall had joined them at
the window, yelling after them as if he thought it would somehow
bring them back. Kunou wished it would, as well.
"I'm a martial artist!" she called back. "We'll be okay!"
She had to rethink her choice of words almost a full second
later when she saw that they were not falling toward solid ground as
she'd hoped, but Fuurinkan High's large swimming pool! She swallowed
hard...
"Baka!" Ayumi shouted - the only other one present who knew why
landing in a swimming pool wasn't exactly a good thing. He thought
about adding, "Why didn't you look before you leaped?" but decided
it would sound too silly.
"Whew - it's a good thing they've got a pool down there to break
their fall."
"Thank goodness."
"Why me!?" Ayumi heard Ranma yell right before she hit the
water.
Kunou landed two seconds later with enough force to stun him.
The spectators watched Kunou's form bob to the top of the water.
Ranma's body, however, didn't, and the pool was too dark for anyone
to make out moving or nonmoving shapes from the third-floor windows.
Ayumi's classmates were asking themselves where the Saotome
girl could have gone. He barely heard them, although he was busy
worrying about the exact same thing. <Ranma...>
Under the surface of the water, somewhere short of the hilt of
Kunou's bokutou - which was temporarily without its owner - Ranma's
thoughts were as filled with the desire to escape as his mouth was
with air.
He found himself under the prone body of Kunou and swam there in
place for a moment, staring up at his unresponsive face. <I'm going
to regret this,> he assumed, surfacing in order to position Kunou
upon his shoulders and heading for the rim of the pool.
Kunou's eyes snapped open. "Sa... o... to... me..." he
struggeled to get the word out. Wrapping his arms around his
opponent was the best way he could think to keep her from escaping...
Ranma screamed.
<Oh, no!> Ayumi gasped. <Everyone's gonna find out!>

(To be continued...)

---------------
Credits:

Written by: Mike Koos
Pre-readers: Artemis & Luna, Richard Beaubien, Robert Geiger,
Tom Williams, David Wills
Special Thanks: All the readers of this would-be series :) and
Ed Little

With apologies to Rumiko Takahashi...

All parts of this series available at the RAAC archives at
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works
or from my WWW pages at
http://www.mother.com/~makoto/stories.htm
Comments and questions welcome.

**********************************
* Mike "Ranma Saotome" Koos * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your
* (AKA "Makoto Kino") * background music is too strong for
* -------------------------------* me."
* Internet: mak...@mother.com *
* * - Whose Line is it Anyway?
**********************************
WWW: http://www.mother.com/~makoto/stories.htm