Coliding SYmphonies production
Character Sakura Property of Capcom of Japan and America
Other characters property of Takahashi Rumiko
for entertainment purposes only.
C&C welcome

tj says-'. . .but an I read it message will do. . .'

The Twisted Roads We Follow

Part one--Enter the Cherry Blossom!
+++++
Ranma and Akane were late.

That in itself is nothing particular. As they rounded the corner, bickering
could be heard. ". . .your fault Ranma!"

"Whaddaya mean all my fault!? I'm not the one who decided to level the bathroom
sink cause I couldn't get my hair to lay the right way!"

Akane fumed, taking a shot at Ranma on the fence with her school bag. Ranma
easily hopped. "Well I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't drenched me!"

"I told you I didn't mean it! I was aiming for the old man!" he whined, trying
ineffectually to argue his point. Overcast had set the rather dull tone of the
day from daybreak as the two rounded the last bend. Ranma dismounted the fence a
few yards later after it ran out. "Nevermind, jeeze. Stupid girl never listens.
. ."

"Who's that?" Akane questioned abruptly as they came up on the school. Ranma
looked up and could plainly make out 2 figures, one obviously Kuno, the other
was wearing an old style fuku a bit like Kodachi's, yet blue.

"Dunno. Wonder what Kuno is up to?" Ranma noted that the girl seemed to be
wearing sneakers as he got closer. By the time the two reached the gate they
could hear Kuno's voice distinctly.

" . . .it is truly in your fortune that you have happened upon the most
prominent figurehead of this highschool. I, the strongest of the kendo, the most
scholared poet of the senior class, the most respected . . ."

from the window: "Or neglected!"

" . .Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" his proclamation brought forth a mighty
rumble of the heavens. "It is I, Tatewaki Kuno. I who would allow you the
benefit of the date with my company, new school girl!"

"Oh please," answered the girl in a rough language dialect. "I'm already late,
now get out of my way, sempai." Ranma noted how short she was, almost as tall as
Akane. The girl with short brown hair moved forward towards the gate. Kuno moved
between and held up his bokken in a menacing fashion.

"Nay, be-little my genrous offer, my sweet guest at Furinkan. Do me the pleasure
of thy name?"

"Thy? Good god, what is your deal!? If you don't move I'll move you!" Ranma
could clearly tell she was more than ready to back that ultimatum up. He had
sized up many an opponent in his time, including bulllies and trash talkers, and
this quite small and slender girl was exhibiting neither of those qualities.
(Yeesh. I hope she's not in over her head. But, she's even more rough looking
than Akane!) The girl took a few more steps and when Kuno did not move, she did.

She lunged lower than his point and slammed him 3 time in the gut with her right
hand. Kuno winced, but tried to perform a counterstroke while reciting; "Oh but
the flower shows her thorns!" His stroke cut downwards, but she was so much
shorter than him that it was bound to be ineffectual. The girl spun on the balls
of her feet to the side of the blow and buffalo punched Kuno in the exposed
ribs.

After landing the blow, she darted past his wincing stance. After a moment, Kuno
recovered and proclaimed to the entrance doors, "I shall have thy name before
this day is done, My Thorny Flower!"

Akane had left Ranma's side to blow by Kuno just as the bell rang. "Hey! Zurui!"

Ranma, having judged the new trees position put in last week, took the short way
to class, barely clenching to the window as the bell concluded. The teacher
approached the *locked* window and opened it to Ranma who was wearing a silly
grin.

"Ranma."

"Hai, sensei?" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"I appreciate your enthusiastic attempt at punctuality. . ," Ranma noticed Akane
sneak in while the teacher was inattentive, ". . .but next time, use the door."
he patted Ranma on the cheek. "Kay, young man?"

Ranma exaggerated a dejected look and ansered, "Hai, sensei."

"Now come in. We have an announcement." The plain grey haired man made his way
to the front of the class as Ranma hid behind him until he came to his seat.
"Hiroshi, goto the janitor's storage and tell him I sent you."

"Hai, sensei." Everyone took a seat as Hiroshi took off out of the room. The
teacher had followed him to the door, left it open, and shortly re-entered
followed by the girl Ranma and Akane saw outside.

(Her. .. hmm. .) Her posture was energetic, still a bit glowing from her
exertion with Kuno.

"This is our new student who transferred from Setagaya, upper Tokyo. Her name is
Sakura Nagasaki. Jikoshokai," he told her.

Sakura bowed, a long hair band whipping excessively. "I'm 16, and I'll be
joining the running team and the photographer's club for the newspaper.
Yoroshiku." Akane could tell she was straining to speak in proper form, almost
as much as Ranma does.

The teacher stood in front of her. "Now then for seat placement."

At that moment, Hiroshi crashed through the door, holding a desk assembly rather
clumsily. "Could some-one, uh. . ."

====

By lunch, a torrent had downpoured, meaning the interioir of the school was
unusually crowded. Most of the student body had opted to remain in the
classrooms. Ranma was a bit strangled, so he booked off down the longest hallway
to the stairwell, where he could look out the window. He simply leaned against
the window frame, occasionally answering a greeting from the student body. He
usually couldn't remember their names, but everybody knew who Ranma was. (I hate
that,) he thought, stroking his clenched fist. (Oh, well.) He relaxed as he
continued to look out the window.

Akane had started wandering the halls. (Where did he get to? That jerk! After I
made him this lunch surprise!) After a bit of working her way through the halls,
she noticed Ranma at the window by the stairs. She began moving with purpose
towards him.

Ranma, out of the simple contrast of clothing, noticed Sakura descending from
the stairwell.

Akane saw Ranma's attention waver to the upstairs. After a moment, she saw
Sakura descend to come beside Ranma. (What is he doing?) she wondered, still out
of earshot of him.

Sakura leaned against the window opposite of Ranma. "So they don't care much
about the dress code here, pony boy?"

"Huh?" Ranma was pretty stunned at her forwardness. "I guess. . .But the
principal is more into fashion than, uh, con- conforming everyone."

"Sa, naa?" she sighed, looking out the window.

Akane was clenching the bag she was holding. Nabiki came up from behind her. "He
doesn't waste time, does he?"

"Shut, up."

Nabiki draped an arm over her shoulder. "You know, I found out she got kicked
out of her old school for fighting. Laid out most of the judo and grecko teams."

"Hm," Akane fumed, tearing the bag slightly as she watched Sakura and Ranma.

"Be careful of Kuno," Ranma warned.

"Huh?"

"He can get you if you're not ready."

"Oh please. Who are you to talk? I've seen molasses faster than him."

"Hey, I was just tryin ta warn ya."

"Yeah, yeah. My hero, Ranma."

"Huh?'

"Yeah, It didn't take long for the gossip circle to spew about you." She looked
him up and down. "You don't look like too much."

Ranma felt his pride o meter needle flail violently at the last remark, but
tried to remain calm. "Yeah, well, I don't fight girls."

"Ooo, should I be impressed by your gentlemanly demeanor? Gag me, popularity
hog."

"RANMA!" Ranma tunred casually to Akane, as did Sakura who was wondering who the
noisy girl was. "What are you doing!?"

Ranma looked at Sakura a bit disgusted, then back to Akane, then at the ground
as he walked away. "Not a damn thing. . ."

Akane watched in confusion as Ranma walked away. "Hey, wait! Don't you want your
lunch?" She said, moving to follow him.

Sakura watched them leave. (God, playboys like that make me sick. He such a. .
.a . .boy. Even got a girl making him lunch.) she lightly wrapped the wall with
her knuckles.

--
       ______________
       | Colliding  |
       | SYmphonies |
_______|____________|____________________________________
|HTTP://www.abraxis.com/ryougaecho/CollidingSYmphonies/ |
|_______________________________________________________|
| "You too small. You should learn to run, not fight."  |
|                                                       |
|   Karate master speaking to Master Tatsuo Shimabuku   |
|  as a child. Master Tatsuo later founded Isshinryu    |
|_______________________________________________________|