See part one for an explanation.

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

                         RANKO 1/2

                           Part 5

Kunou Tatewaki and Saotome Ranko are locked in combat in the
swimming pool behind Fuurinkan High.  Ranko is flailing around
with her arms while Kunou grips her from behind.

Kunou:  Ranma!  You can't escape me.

Ranko:  Lemme *go*!

Suddenly Ranko's eyes widen as Kunou accidentally grasps one of
her breasts with his gripping hands.  Kunou freezes.  With her
teeth clenched in an angry snarl Ranko reaches up, grabs Kunou's
hair and swings him out of the water by his head.

Ranko:  Hentai!

As Kunou's body impacts with solid ground Ranko is carried out
after him by the momentum of her throw.  She uses the momentum to
somersault over Kunou and whirls away from the school grounds and
the eyes of the onlooking pupils that crowd the windows of the
school building.

Inside the building Akane is looking out on the scene together
with other pupils of her year.

Girl:  What, what..?

Boy:  Ranma's body... it looked smaller just now, didn't it?

Boy 2:  Must have been an illusion.

Akane is leaving the others to their speculations and silently
slips down the corridor to the exit.


Kunou is lying very still by the edge of the pool.  Then he kocks
his head.

Kunou:  That... was a girl.  Yes.  No mistaking it.  That means...

Reaching the only conclusion his brain allows he sits up and

Kunou:  Saotome Ranma!  You have walked out on our battle, but you
        will not escape!


The sky has long cleared since Ranma's first battle with Kunou
before school.  Only a few clouds are still to be seen.  Behind
the school grounds in the trees someone can be heard breathing
hard.

Ranko is sitting in a tree top wringing the water out of her
trousers grumbling.

Ranko:  What a pervert!  Got a good feel of me, didn't he?
        [snarls]  Well, I guess now he knows about me.  Whatta way
        to start school.

A voice snaps her from her thoughts.  It is Akane.

Akane:  Hey, Ranko.

Ranko:  Akane... what?

Akane:  [hands behind her back] Geez, that was pretty dumb, jumping
        into that pool like that.

Ranko:  Ah, shut up.  How was I to know?

Akane:  Well, in that case I can take *this* with me, shall I?

She is holding up a bucket of water.  Ranko immediately amends her
manners.

Ranko:  No!  I'm sorry, Akane.  I'm sorry!

Akane "hmph"s but aproaches with the bucket.  Before Ranko can get
down to take it, though, they hear squashing noises.  Kunou nears.

Kunou:  Saotome Ranma!  Show yourself you coward!

Akane:  Catch!

She throws the bucket to Ranko and goes to face Kunou oblivious of
the fact that her throw is missing Ranko by far.  Ranko is barely
able to catch it.

Akane resolutely plants her feet standing in Kunou's way.  She
assumes a basic fighting stance.

Akane:  Kunou-sempai...  now you get your fight.

Kunou:  [serious as always, but obviously very happy]  Akane...  I
        never dreamt that one day *you* would challenge *me*.  Ah,
        so be it.  I will allow you to go out with me if you win.
        And win you shall.

Akane:  Who wants to go out with you?  [thinks]  Ranko, change
        back into a boy while I buy you some time.

But Ranko has her own problems.  To catch Akane's bucket she had
to stretch out wide; and now she hangs in the tree, only supported
by her feet clamped abound a branch.  Her leg muscles tremble with
the effort of holding her straight with the weight of the bucket
in her outstretched arms.

Ranko:  Nrrrgh!  So what am I supposed to do?

Kunou begins his attack.  He raises the sword high above his head
and brings it down on Akane with force and a scream.  Honoring the
fight, he will not just let himself loose though he certainly
wants to.  Akane catches his blade between her palms.  She lets
herself fall backwards pulling Kunou with her by his sword.  When
he is almost over her she lashes out with a foot and kicks him

Akane:  Hyaa!

Kunou:  Gyeeeh!

Ranko has at last pulled herself and the bucket back onto the
branch again.

Ranko:  Finally!

Unfortunately Kunou chooses exactly that moment to come crashing
into the tree.  Flying upside down, his head impacts with the
bucket smashing it open.  The water runs out but Kunou's head
remains stuck.  Ranko is now effectively holding an upside down
Kunou by a handle on his head.  His eyes swivel left and right and
he beholds Ranko.

Kunou:  Eh?  You're that girl...

Ranko:  Uh...

Akane:  You are *still* a girl?!

Ranko:  What'd you expect?

Kunou:  So.  Did you see where the boy with the pigtail went?

Ranko:  [dumbfounded]  Uh-uh!  [shakes her head]

Kunou:  That coward is running from our fight!  No doubt he feared
        my prowess.  What a scoundrel to run like that.

Ranko has grown increasingly angry during Kunou's rant.  Now she
simply lets go of the bucket handle and Kunou plummets to the
ground.  He sits up again while Ranko - still without trousers -
jumps down after him.

Kunou:  That hurt, you know?

Ranko:  It was supposed to, jerk.  I can take you any time!  Come
        on!

Kunou:  Heh.  Amusing.  Very well, if you should win I will allow
        you to go out with me.

He takes his sword back from Akane who has been holding it all the
time and slashes at Ranko.  Ranko easily dodges by jumping over
the arc of the sword.

Ranko:  And who...

Now well within his defense, she grabs his sword with the toes of
her right foot and plants her left squarely into Kunou's face
while finishing her sentence.

Ranko:  ...wants to go out with you?

Kunou is going down.  He looses his grip on the sword and begins
to fall backwards.  While he falls he cannot help but admire The
girl who just beat him.

Kunou:  [thinks]  She... is skilled.  As good as Akane.  No!  Even
        better!

Ranko makes a few fancy twirls with the sword while still in
mid-air and then lands before him.  She is grinning down at the
beaten Kunou.

Ranko:  Hey, Kunou, y'know what?  Saotome Ranma is even better'n
        me!

Kunou:  [thinks]  Who on earth...?

Ranko drops the sword and confidently strides away.

Ranko:  Let's go home, Akane.

Akane:  You'd better get your trousers out of that tree.  School
        isn't over yet!


Night envelopes Nerima and all the windows are lit.  At the Tendou
Dojo Ranma and his father are talking in the practice hall while
standing on their heads.

Genma:  So, she really looked out for you at school today?

Ranma:  [defensive]  I didn't ask her to.


Akane's window, too, is lighted.  Inside Nabiki is talking to her.

Nabiki:  I really don't understand you.  If she's acting so
         boyish as you say, then what's your problem with everyone
         knowing that you're engaged?

Akane:  [not looking up from her homework]  That's easy for you to
        say.  [she turns to face Nabiki]  She changed back into a
        girl right before everyone's eyes!  It's only a matter of
        time until they realize what's going on.

Ranma is standing before her door, about to knock when he hears
Akane.

Akane:  Do you think I want everyone to believe I'm a pervert,
        too?

With that Ranma turns away again.  He slides down the banisters of
the stairs, thinking.

Ranma:  [thinks]  Hmph!  If that's how she sees me.  And I wanted
        to thank her.


The next day at school Kunou is astonished.

Kunou:  Tendou Nabiki, can it be true?  You know that girl?

Nabiki:  Sure I know her.  The girl with the pigtail and the
         Chinese clothes, right?

Kunou rushes to his place and scribbles onto a scroll.

Kunou:  [thinks]  If she thinks she can defeat Kunou Tatewaki and
        simply walk away, she thinks wrongly!

He folds the completed scroll and puts the recipients name on it.
It says "To the Tree-borne Bucket Girl"

Kunou:  Here, Nabiki.  Will you deliver it for me?


Ranma is sitting on the terrace before the Dojo and reads the
letter again.

Ranma:  And you're sure this is for me?

Nabiki:  Well, to your girl side.  I don't think he has realized
         that you are the same person.

Akane joins them and Ranma reads the letter aloud.

Ranma:  "On Sunday in the tenth hour, meet me in the second field
        of Fuurinkan High."

Akane:  Sounds like a challenge to a duel.

Nabiki:  Kunou-chan *so* hates to lose.

Akane:  Vengeful, huh?

Ranma crumples the paper nervously.


It is Sunday and the wind howls around Fuurinkan High.  The big
clock of the school building is showing ten o'clock.  Ranko is
standing in the field apprehensively waiting for Kunou to turn up.
He does so and approaches her directly.

Kunou:  So, you have come, Tree-borne Bucket Girl.

Ranko:  [annoyed]  You don't learn too quick, do ya?  So, where'd
        you hide your sword?

Kunou:  Heh.  I have no need of a sword.

Ranko:  Pretty confident, huh?

There is a strange gleam in Kunou's eyes.

Kunou:  Confident to give you... *this*!!

With that he throws something at Ranko in a blur of speed.
Without thinking Ranko instinctively catches it.  Petals fall and
Ranko is surprised to see than in her hand... she holds a bouquet
of flowers.

Kunou:  I love you!

He blushes and quickly turns to leave.  Thus he does not see
Ranko's knees give way under her as she plops to the ground
astonished.

-- End of part 5.

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

To be continued...

We-e-ell, that's it for exposition.  All set up and ready to go.
I've got two or three plots of my own stewing at the back of my
head and plans to revisit some of the most fitting stories from
the original Manga.  I've got a rough idea of what the last story
line will look like and know exactly how the character
relationships will develop.

Following the Manga as close as I did seemed a bit of a cop-out to
me, but I couldn't think of anything better.

I hope to hear of you.


Sebastian
--
       <http://enterprise.mathematik.uni-essen.de/~bastian/>
                         Comics reviewed
--
Binary, adj.:
Possessing the ability to have friends of both sexes.
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