1
PLEASE C&C THROUGH PRIVATE EMAIL TO 7ahw@qlink.queensu.ca. I'M NOT
SUSCRIBED TO THE FFML!
This is a draft for now, but I would still like to know what you
guys think!
***************Alternate Universe: Ranko and Kaneda*************
by: Adrian Wong
Intro:
In the Ranma 1/2 manga by Rumiko Takahashi, Genma Saotome
engaged Ranma to one of Soun Tendo's daughter, Akane in order for
him to inherit the Tendo Dojo. The entire series is largely
consisted of the problems and chaos generated by the couple.
Supposed that Genma has a daughter, and Soun has two girls and
one boy, then what's going to happen? Also, how will the
Jusenkyo factor apply itself in this case? Well, read on and find
out!!
*Most characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi (even though some of
them have endured sex changes)*
Part 8a: Of Battle and Courtship (a)
*Chinese Dialogue in {}
Sitting on a sakura tree in the garden that was part of
Furinkan High, Ranko was getting more and more troubled as she
brood over the current situation.
Three other suitors, two of which capable of putting Kaneda
permanently out of commission, and the baka was STILL being brick-
brained enough to provoke them time after time!
"I don't care anymore. If Kaneda is so keen on picking
fights that he can't win, let him. It would probably serve him
right to get beat up a bit . . ."
Just then, a hail of yellow and black bandannas whizzed by,
forcing Ranko to leap off the tree branch that she was sitting on.
Landing lightly, she came face to face with her most powerful
enemy.
Ryoko glared daggers at her hated rival. "Ranko, you slut!
Isn't Kaneda-kun good enough for you? How dare you string along
other boys?! And to put him into such a dangerous position
against your lover. . ."
"DAMMIT! It is NOT like this!" Ranko retorted angrily.
"DIE!!"
With that, Ryoko charged Ranko as the latter groaned in
disgust.
<Why me?> Ranko thought as she took up a stance. After all,
like Kaneda, she too followed an unwritten code of honor: never
back down from a confrontation.
Ryoko thrusted her umbrella at Ranko, who ducked under it and
did a low swept with her foot to trip up Ryoko. Quickly doing a
somersault on the ground, Ryoko shifted back onto her feet as she
ripped off a hail of bandannas from around her forehead and
twirled them around in her hand.
"I've HAD it with you! First, you took the only brand of
stationary that I want from me. Then, YOU and your father took
away half of my womanhood forever. And now . . . YOU TAKE AWAY
THE ONLY MAN THAT I WANT FROM ME, ONLY TO TREAT HIM LIKE
DIRT!?!?!?!?!" Ryoko yelled as she shot the hail of bandannas at
Ranko. "YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO KANEDA-KUN AND STOP SEEING THAT
BOY!!!!!"
"JUST STAY OUT OF THIS, YOU BRICK BRAIN!!!" Ranko yelled
back as she skillfully dodged all the projectiles.
Enraged, Ryoko began charging Ranko again. However, just
before she could have reached the other girl, several projectiles
intercepted her path, forcing her to leap backwards. Ryoko took a
good look at the projectiles, and found them to be gymnastic
clubs. A shower of black rose petals fluttered across the scene
as an impossibly beautiful girl made her presence known through
her beautiful, but taunting laugh.
An intense wave of annoyance, combined with an even stronger
wave of jealousy flowed over Ryoko as she glared at her new enemy.
"What the HELL did you think you're doing?!" she growled.
Kodachi flicked her sideway ponytail in an arrogant but
sultry gesture as she stared at the alley-cat in front of her with
distaste. "Hmph, not only do you dare to fawn over my Kaneda-sama,
but to set up that hideous harlot with him as well?" Leaping back,
she whipped out a ribbon in each hand. "The Black Rose shall NOT
allow your foul intentions to come to pass!"
Ryoko bared her fangs as she pulled off her belt. "I have no
idea what you're talking about. But if it's fight a you, it's a
fight you get!"
With that, the two girls began charging each other as Ranko
took the opportunity to slip away.
* * * * * * *
After finishing off his last delivery, Mousse was making his
way back to the Hulihanten via-rooftops. After all, he do need to
get his most powerful weapons for the upcoming battle.
Shampoo had been staying in the Hulihanten for several days
now. Thankfully, Cologne had arranged for them to be taking
opposing shifts (i.e. one is always working at the restaurant
while the other is delivering takeout) so that he wouldn't have to
see too much of her. For that, he was silently grateful.
To be fair, he really SHOULD thank Shampoo for causing him to
go through all that humiliation in pursuing her: he wouldn't have
the determination to become what he was today otherwise.
<Yeah, right. If that's the case, then I might as well be
grateful to her for pushing me into that cursed spring as well.
After all, isn't that the main reason that I'm now forever free
from my blindness?>
No, he had someone ELSE to thank for giving him his now
perfect vision. The vision that he had gained from the Jusenkyo
curse could not have been able to benefit his true form if not for
the aid of a powerful socceress. After going through a magical
process so complex that Mousse couldn't comprehend even now, the
eyesight of his cursed form was able to be accessed by his natural
form as well. From then on, his greatest disadvantage was gone
forever from his life.
But he didn't feel particularly thankful to his benefiter.
Even today, when he no longer feel any hostility toward her,
he still can't bring himself to say a word of thanks to her. A
tiny part of him still believed that she owed him, even now.
After all, she was responsible for Shampoo turning out to be
the heartless girl that she was, wasn't she? When Shampoo and the
other girls were taunting him, she didn't interfere, did she? She
owed him in an indirect way too, didn't she?
Just then, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted as
something knocked into him from the side. Holding onto the thing
as he flipped in midair to regain his balance, he was momentarily
dazed by it's delicate feel as well as its subtle but alluring
scent. He realized that was the scent of roses as he looked down
and saw a face that had made a lasting mark on his heart every
since that very first glimpse several nights ago.
* * * * * * *
Kodachi Kuno was silently disgusted with herself as she leapt
from rooftop to rooftop.
She, the undisputed champion female martial artist of
Furinkan, had finally managed to get herself into position where
she herself had put several others into before: the position of a
coward fleeing from her opponent.
She barely had time to dodge as several projectile bandannas
whizzed by her head. Once, she would have simply tried to slap
them away with her hand: after all, how dangerous can thrown
pieces of ordinary cloth be?
After seeing the ease with which these pieces of ordinary
cloth had sliced through her RAZOR hoop, she didn't need to ask
that question ever again.
The fight had been severely uneven ever since it had started.
For every gymnastic weapon that Kodachi had, Ryoko had a piece of
her getup (ie, belt, bandannas, backpack) to effectively counter
it. For every paralysis rose and gymnastic bomb that she threw,
Ryoko had the skill to dodge its explosion. After Ryoko had
managed to grab her umbrella from where it was lying, even
Kodachi's ego can't prevent her from seeing her inevitable defeat.
She had tried to make a hasty (and hopefully graceful)
retreat, but Ryoko's superior speed wouldn't allow her even that.
So now, the almighty Black Rose was fleeing like the
frightened little girl that she once was before she had blossomed
into the Black Rose. The was when she was still the awkward, anti-
social girl who was the butt of every practical joke at her
elementary school, when she was so scared of going to school that
she had to frequently pretended that she was sick, when -
Her train of thoughts was immediately interrupted as she
clashed into something lean and hard . . . and most definitely
muscular and manly beneath layers of Chinese robes. Looking up,
she was immediately captivated by a pair of beautiful eyes as she
stared at the handsome face that had managed to reside at her
heart despite efforts to the contrary.
* * * * * * *
Ryoko was practically "glowing" with rage as she stared at
the scene in front of her. Now that the arrogant, psychotic girl
knew that she was no match for Ryoko Hibiki, she was trying to get
her boyfriend to help her out! How low could she get?!
And that boy, how DARE he even try to interfere a woman to
woman fight by butting in?!
A faint voice echoed in her mind: <You're just jealous cause
you don't have a boyfriend to turn to->
<Shut up!> she shouted mentally to herself. <It doesn't
matter: I will just have to teach BOTH of them a lesson then.>
With that in mind, Ryoko leapt toward the couple as she
yielded her umbrella.
* * * * * * *
Mousse was almost in a trance as he stared at the girl in
his arms. How could anything so TEMPTING ever exist in this
world? The area all round the Jusenkyo Zone was famous for its
beautiful scenery as well as its beautiful inhabitants. Growing
up in such a place, he was used to the sight of beautiful looking
girls (most of whom he had come to despise eventually), but even
THEY couldn't have competed with this girl when it comes to the
attractiveness factor.
He had long since noticed from the last time that her face
was beautiful. Yet, it wasn't until now that he had discovered
that her face is not the only good feature that she's got. Tall,
shapely, but not overtly busty, her body could have rivaled any of
those Sailor Scouts on T.V.
And this body, illusory under a delicate looking school
uniform, was now cradled within his arms. Reaching up, the girl
encirled his neck with her slender arms as she tilted up her face
to stare into his eyes. A lost, but sultry expression was on her
face as she parted her crimson lips: a sight that had managed to
speed up his heartbeat considerably.
Compared to her, Cologne could still be called peculiarly
attractive, while Shampoo would have been reduced into something
along the line of being adorable instead of beautiful.
Even Ranko's nymphet charm won't stand a chance against her
glamorous allure.
"Are . . . are you alright, Miss?" Mousse asked.
"I . . . I am, kind sir. Thanks for your gentle concern . .
." her almond eyes widened all of a sudden, "LOOK OUT!!!"
Mousse immediately rolled out of the way with Kodachi in his
arms as something crushed onto the part of the rooftop where he
was standing on, shattering it into dust. He faced his opponent,
and found her to be a short-haired girl in a traveler's getup.
Mousse's eyes hardened as he saw the glare that Ryoko was giving
the girl in his arms.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Mousse asked as he gently
put Kodachi down.
"I'm Ryoko Hibiki, and I still own a beating to that coward
in your arms." she leveled her combat umbrella at Mousse as she
bared her fangs, "Stand aside!"
Kodachi narrowed her beautiful gray eyes, but said nothing.
Mousse, meanwhile, looked amused.
"Or what?" he asked.
"Or you'll get hurt, BAD." Ryoko growled.
Mousse smiled as his stance softened. A hazy but playful
light shone through his eyes as he walked up to the startled girl.
"Hurt me? Hurt me? Why, I would be honored to be hurt . .
." Mousse leaned close to Ryoko, who now had a blush on her face,
"so long as the one hurting me is breathtaking and fair . . . such
as yourself."
Ryoko was slightly taken back: after all, she wasn't used to
THESE kind of lines from guys before . . . especially not from one
as handsome as the exotic Chinese boy whose face is now only
inches from hers. Kodachi, meanwhile, had somehow gotten a
jealous expression on her face.
"Wha . . . what?"
Mousse eyes turned even more seductive and dreamy, if that
was possible, as he stared into Ryoko's. "Hurt me as you will,
but not with your fists: for you can hurt me much worse shall you
grant me a taste of the luscious lips, lips that I know one such
as yourself would never spare again to someone such as myself."
Totally enchanted, with all thoughs of Kaneda gone form her
head, Ryoko simply stood there and let Mousse press his lips
against her. A perculiar sensation that borders on dizziness yet
brought her content overwhelmed her . . .
A moment later, she laid unconcious in Mousse's arms as
Kodachi's looked disdainfu for some reason.
"Sweet dreams, pretty one." Mousse smiled down at the
sleeping girl in his arms.
"Drugged lip-gross . . . a pretty outdated trick, if you ask
me. Also, one must continually feed on antidotes for as long as
he is wearing the lip-gross . . . not a particularly healthy thing
to do."
Mousse turned to Kodachi and laid Ryoko gently on the roof.
"You know much about drugs, don't you?"
"The Black Rose of Furinkan High knows much about
everything." Kodachi replied dryly as she crossed her arms.
Mousse smiled as he tapped a finger across his lower lip.
"Well, After three thousand years of Amazon history, its drugged
lip-gross, as well as its antidote have long since been refined
into being non-toxic. Thus prolonged usage of this drug will
cause no harm to the human body."
Kodachi snorted in disdain: this did not escape Mousse's
attention.
"You seemed . . . displeased." he frowed.
"Well, I AM!" Kodachi snapped. "Seeing you soiling yourself
with that . . . that . . . and hearing such disgusting words from
you . . ."
Mousse blinked. "Seduction has always been my strong point:
it is a talent that every Amazon Male must master in order to
ensnare a mate for himself."
"You . . . whatever barbaric origin you're from, you're
definitely shameless!"
Mousse was slightly hurt by such Kodachi's abrupt hostility
toward him. Trying to look casual, he shrugged his shoulders.
"Call it what you want: it matters not to me. Through I would
have expected a little LESS hostility from someone I had just
saved . . . the Wild Orchid , you call yourself? It would be of
your interest to know that the Chinese Amazons had existed long
before Japan, and calling us barbaric would be-"
"I'm the Black Rose." Kodachi said dryly as she ignored
Mousse's last sentence. "And she despises showoffs passing
themselves off as God's gifts to women no matter WHAT origin
they're from." With an arrogant toss of her high ponytail, she
leapt off the rooftop and disappeared. <Really! And to think
that I almost held him in the same light as Kaneda-sama . . .>
Mousse looked both hurt and disappointed. <Oh, well. When
it comes to personality, she couldn't possibly hold a torch to
Airen's anyway. Should have known that Roses are thorny to the
touch.> Sighing, he skipped over the rootops towards the
Hulihanten.
* * * * * * *
Back at the Hulihanten, Shampoo was busily serving one of the
more annoying crowds of the day: the afternoon teenage crowd.
The boys were all visibly drooling at her lucious figure with
animal lust shining through their eyes. Lewd comments could be
heard all around the restaurant
"Whoa . . . take a look at those firm goodies, man."
"And that cute, round behind . . ."
"I'd tolerate the super slow service just to stare at the
swing of that gorgeous, freshy ass, if nothing else."
"Hmmm . . . I wonder if I can place an order for a `take out'
waitress from this place? The boss would probably have allowed
it. . ."
"If there IS takeout services in here, I think I'd just take
out the boss herself! She's even better looking than the purple-
haired chick!"
"That she is, but she isn't anywhere as big busted, nor does
she have that bouncy behind . . ."
"So? She's even more sexy in that subtle way of hers.
Besides, she's a lot less vulgar . . ."
Having a century of experience in dealing with the likes of
these foul-mouthed teens, Cologne barely raised an eyebrow as she
continued to cook with inhuman speed while watching the restaurant
TV at the same time.
Shampoo, however, was gritting her teeth in anger. How dare
they talk about her AND HER HIBA-CHAN like this?! Why, if they
weren't her customers, she'd show these lowly males a thing or two
about respect for women-
"Well, there's a slut if I ever see one . . ." One of the
high school girls mutted in disdain as she looked crossly over at
Shampoo.
"Yeah . . . wearing that skin-tight Chinese dress . . . has
she no shame?
"And those weird decorations on her hair are so disgusting."
"That purple hair of hers, I'll bet anything that it's fake:
nobody can have hair that thick."
"Well, that won't be the only thing that's fake on her . . ."
<Brrr! The girls here are just as annoying! Hmph! Just
because I have better assets than all of them combined doesn't
mean that they can just put me down like this! Perhaps Hiba-chan
is right, maybe I really should go back to China . . .>
Just then, Mousse came in through the front door, followed by
collective breaths of lovesick sighing from the girls in the
restaurant. Flashing all of them a gallant smile, while carefully
avoiding Shampoo, he stepped up to Cologne. Several girls in the
restaurant gave jealous looks to her, while she was still
engrossed in what's happening on the TV screen. It was currently
showing a Chinese historical drama, which was one of Cologne's
favorite shows in Japan. Cologne eyes were sad as she saw how the
Emperor's concubine was framed by the Queen, and was put to death
by the oblivious, unfeeling Emperor.
"Will there ever be a day when we can stop tearing ourselves
apart over such unworthy men?" She muttered to no one in
particular, and was slightly startled by the sight of Mousse
looking at her with curiosity. "Oh, you're back."
Looking after Mousse with both longing and regret in her
eyes, Shampoo bit down on her lower lip and continued to serve the
disgusting restaurant goers.
Meanwhile Mousse was asking to borrow some weapons from
Cologne.
"Well, there is that magical bo-staff that I have used in my
youth. It can expand and contract according to the yielder's own
will power. There are others as well, but I don't think you would
have any need of them . . ."
Mousse asked. "That's all very amazing. But do you happen
to have anything that can actually give an opponent excessive
pains or worse?"
Cologne sweated. "Mousse . . ."
"Or better yet, how about something that can secretly inject
some kind of slow acting poison into the body of the-"
Cologne cut him off. "Child, hurting Kaneda will gain you
nothing. It will probably turn Ranko against you instead. After
all, she does see him as a friend . . ."
"But the way he treats her . . . I just can't stand it!"
Mousse growled.
"As long as you can continue to show your good qualities in
front of Ranko, she is bound to reject Kaneda and turn to your
embrace sooner or later. But shall you threathen him that she
sees as her friend, you will gain nothing but her hatred. All
your previous efforts to gain her trust would have been wasted
then."
Mousse relented. "You're right, honored Matriarch. I shall
have patience in in my pursuit of Saotome Ranko."
Cologne smiled approvingly. "That's the way, boy."
A sharp whistling of the wind prompt Mousse to turn around,
becoming face to face with a incoming bokken. He quickly stepped
aside to dodge the weapon.
The one yielding the bokken was a formidable looking teen in
black kendo robes. His handsome face was currently married by the
animated hostility on his face. "Dare you, peasant, even THINK
about pursuing the fair and noble pigtailed goddess?! I shall
smite thee!"
"Who the hell are you?!" Mousse inquired angrily.
"I am Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Seisyun High, and
the fair lady was not for someone as lowly as yourself to date!"
With that, he slashed out with his bokken again as Mousse backed
away. Suddenly, the bokken was stopped by two outstretched
fingers, as a rich flow of dark hair slashed out to wrap itself
around his neck. Kuno's eyes widened in surprise as he took a
good look at his new opponent.
"Please, sir, do NOT cause any trouble in my restaurant." His
opponent spoke in a beautiful, throaty voice that was threathening
and alluring at the same time. With her face partially obscured
by the dark tresses that were now warping all around his face and
neck, those heavily lashed, lidded eyes looked all the more breath-
taking and dramatic.
Kuno, not wanting to choke, nor to offend such a stunning
vision, nodded dumbly.
As the dark hair loosened itself from his neck, Kuno sighed
in admiration at the sight of her now exposed face. He was
further enchanted as the long, silken strands spilled back down
all over her slender frame in a shiny, dark fountain.
"Haunting beauty . . . what art thou name?" he asked.
"Cologne." she replied as her slender fingers released his
bokken.
"Truly I am impressed, fair maiden, for non before yourself
have ever manage to defeat the great Blue Thunder with such fluid
grace before . . ."
"Don't worry, boy. From what I see of you skill, there will
surely be many to follow my footsteps after this defeat." Cologne
smiled in a taunting but sultry manner that men love and hate at
the same time.
"Ah! Not only do you have the skill of a warrior, but the
whippy tongue of the Socrates himself as well! This is too much .
. . fair long-haired goddess . . . I SHALL DATE THEE!!!" With
that, Kuno began rushing her with outstretched arms.
Smiling with amusement, Cologne reached out with a slender
finger to tap Kuno on his forhead . . .
. . . and the mighty Blue Thunder was booted through the open
doors of the Hulihanten and into a concrete wall. As all the
restaurant goes stared at her strength in awe, Cologne resumed her
TV viewing and cooking as if nothing had happened.
Mousse sweated. How many suitors did his Airen have anyway?
But after the upcoming fight, it won't be important anymore: for
he knew that he would be the winner that could win his Airen's
heart once and for all.
With that in mind, he went down into the basement of the
restaurant to scan through his weapons.
* * * * * * *
At Ucchan's Okonomiyaki Restaurant, a "closed" sigh was put
up on its front door. Waiting patiently behind the grill was
Ukyou, who was idly combing his long hair. Hair as long as his
would have to combed ever so often to be kept healthy. Besides,
he secretly enjoyed the act of hair combing. It gave him an
excuse to stop and think about things as he methodically ran his
comb through his rich flow of long tresses. Right that moment,
he was thinking about his encounter with Ranko at school today
with a light frown on his face.
He wasn't exactly sure about what was troubling him at the
moment. If this meeting was going to be purely verbal, then he was
obviously the most legitinmate of all the fiancees. Beside, he
and Ranko had a history together. Can the others say the same?
And if this meeting was going to come down to a fight, he knew
that he could more than hold his own against the others. All was
in his favor, wasn't it?
But Ranko . . . why was she being so warily around him all of
a sudden?
He could still remember how happy she was to see him, and how
eager she was to cheer him up . . . back when she didn't thought
of him as her fiance.
Maybe she really didn't feel THAT way about him . . .
No, this couldn't be. Up upon that rooftop, illuminated by
the sunset, she had proclaimed that he was more manly than all the
others that she knew of (see chapter 5). She said that he was a
true gentleman . . . and one who was brave beyond all the others
in that he could acknowledge his own mistakes . . . a man that
Tendo Kaneda couldn't possibly hope to rival.
So why wasn't she hanging all over him now? Why was she
avoiding him, even after he had taken to effort to get transferred
to her school? Looking up at his own reflection in the glass
window of of his shop, he was startled to see a beautiful girl
with midnight tresses flowing all the way down to her waist
looking back at him.
It took him a second to realize that beautiful girl was
really himself.
With that realization came a wave of melancholy. Ever since
he was a child, people had been mistaking him as a girl. Since
Mrs. Kuonji had the worst of times trying to raise him up single-
handedly, frequent hair-cuts were out of the question for the kid.
So his mother simply taught him how to trim his bangs, and allowed
the rest of his hair to grow out naturally. What she hadn't
counted on was the fact that although long hair looked adorable on
him, it also made him look girlish. Frequently, people buying
okonomiyaki from her yatai would marval at what a kawaii daughter
that she had. As this went on, Mrs Kuonji became increasingly
uncomfortable: would this have affected the child's gender
identification? However, being a woman herself, she really didn't
know how to mend this problem but to push the child in learning
the art of the Kuonji Clan that his father had practiced till his
untimely death.
Then came Mr. Saotome, an excellent martial artist, and
SEEMINGLY a man of dicipline at the same time. To Mrs. Kuonji, he
was the definition of a strong father figure. Little Ukyou,
however, had an instinctive distrust of the man ever since he
first saw him.
His daughter, however, captured Ukyou's heart instantly.
She was pretty even as a kid, and have EXACTLY the same
interest as him: martial arts . . . and food. Also, Ranko had the
drive while Ukyou had the brains. Together as a "team", the two
kids had more fun together on their various juvenille adventures
than they'd ever had in the 10 years that followed. Seeing how
well they got along together, a bold plan to reinforce Ukyou's
manliness came to Mrs. Kuonji: by having Mr. Saotome raise him up
as his "son-in-law", then SURELY Ukyou could grow up into a manly
man! Blinded by her own eagerness, she even threw in her yatai
into this plan.
Which was exactly why when Mr. Saotome stole the yatai and
ran off, the Kuonjis were left with no money and no one to turn
to.
Ten years of hell had passed by for both mother and son,
each swearing eternal vengence against the Saotomes who were
responsible for their sufferings.
And after the ten years of hell, light came back to Ukyou's
life again in the form of Saotome Ranko, a marvelous girl who
could see through his androgynic appearance and appreciate the man
within him. She was the one who make him feel like a man once
more.
Hopefully, he could have the ability to make this marvelous
girl his love as well.
<Ranchan, you won't be diappointed. After today, you shall
see how determined I'm to win your heart.> He frowned in
determination as he put down his comb and ran his hand along the
edge of one of his mini-spatulas.
* * * * * * *
Kaneda, now dressed in his yellow gi, was walking towards the
Ucchan's. A determined, but confident look was on his face. He
knew that with Nabiki's solution to his problem, his chance of
winning has increased significantly.
<Heh, Ranko. Now you'll see WHO is incompetent at martial
arts.> he smirked to himself.
* * * * * * *
Framed by the afternoon sun, the three teenage rivals stood
facing each other on the rooftop of Ucchan's.
Ukyou, with his hair flowing freely across his face the in
wind, spoke up. "Hmmm . . . so apparantly, none of you people
want to talk this through like civilized adults?"
"Just drop the pretentious act. You know you want to fight
this out as much as I do." Kaneda retorted.
Still haven't gotten over Ukyou's now shockingly androgynous
appearance, it took a moment for Mousse to answer. "As an Amazon
Prized Male, I MUST fight on behalf of the one I love." He then
turned to Kaneda. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But
still, it is immensely foolish of you to even think about winning
me in combat."
"Don't be too sure, China boy. I have a few surprises for
you yet." Kaneda replied evilly.
Ukyou shrugged. "Okay, if you people insist . . ." he
unleashed his giant spatula in a fluid motion and aimed it at the
others. "Let's begin!"
"Hold it!" Kaneda stopped his rivals with a gesture of his
hand. "Since this IS to be a formal event, a formal set of rules
and restrictions should be applied to ensure a fair match."
Mousse raised an eyebow. "And what do you suggest?"
Kaneda smiled. "Right this moment, there is a martial arts
tournament going on several blocks down. How about this: whoever
gets to be the winner of the tournament will get to be the most
legitimate fiance of Ranko."
Ukyou blinked. "And that is how you want this fight to be
fair? C'mon! It isn't like I'm going to win through some
underhanded trick or something . . ."
Mousse scratched his chin. "Hmmm . . . I've actually got to
agree with Kaneda. Something of such importance should be decided
in a formal, organized tournament."
"What if none of us win the tournament then?" Ukyou asked.
"I don't know about you, but I've never lost in any of these
contests before." Kaneda smirked.
"Maybe this has to do with the low numbers of competent
martial artists in this area before me and Ukyou came to the
scene?" Mousse asked mockingly.
Kaneda shot a lethal look at him. <Just you wait, weapon boy
. . .>
Ukyou put his spatula back onto his back. "Okay, let's go
sigh up then," a playful smirk came onto his face. "I just wish I
can actually get to Mr.-I've-never-lost-a-tornament before the
others put him out of commission first."
Kaneda growled as the other boys laughed.
Unknown to any of them, they were followed by a pigtailed
figure lurking some distance behind.
Some distance behind the pigtailed figure, a short-haired,
bandanna-clad figure was lurking behind a rooftop.
Down below, a mysterious figure dressed in kendo robes was
hiding behind the shadows.
* * * * * * *
In the backroom of the Nerima Stadium that the tournament was
held, a bunch of fighters had gathered around, anxious for the
fight to begin. Kaneda was casually flexing his arms and legs as
the other two boys glared hard at him.
"You tricked us." Mousse said in a flat voice.
"I can't believe you! How could you have sunk so low?!"
Ukyou accused.
"Hey, I'm just doing this to ensure a fair fight. Can't blame
me for that." Kaneda retorted smugly as he stretched his legs in
warm up.
"And I'm quite sure that you had just innocently forgot to
tell us that this is a stricly arm-to-arm combat tournament."
Mousse stared sideways at him as he crossed his arms.
"If you guys are really that great, then it shouldn't really
matter if this tournament is armed or unarmed, should it?" Kaneda
replied with a close eyed smile.
Ukyo gritted his teeth in anger as he crutched his fists
together. "I'll get you for this, you jackass . . ."
Mousse tossed back his hair in an arrogant gesture as he
stared at Kaneda. "If you really think that the Priced Male of
the Amazons can't fight without using weapons, then you're even
more stupid than I originally thought you were."
"The same goes for me: let it not be said that a Kuonji can't
even manage some simple hand-to-hand."
Kaneda flexed his knuckles. "Oh, we'll see . . . two people
who always relied heavily on their weaponry, versus someone who
had trained in Anything Goes unarmed combat for all his live. I
wonder who shall win?"
Behind him, a blond, ponytailed young man who was wearing
ninja clothing casted a quick glance at Kaneda as amusment shone
through his eyes. He quickly turned away before the others
noticed him.
Somewhere behind Mousse, two figure were glaring intensely at
him as red and blue auras outlined their frame. Mousse, however,
was too engrossed in his verbal match with Kaneda to notice.
Some distance away from them all in the back room, the
pigtailed figure was thinking to himself. <Wow . . . the macho
jerk CAN be smart when he really want to be. But none the less, I
CAN'T let ANY of them win this match. Who are they to decide
which one shall I choose?>
With that, Ranma began to put on his diguise as he changed
out of his clothes.
* * * * * * *
DING~DONG~
**ALRIGHT, NERIMA!!! WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL NERIMA MARTIAL
ARTS TOURNAMENT!!!** The announcer spoke up through the
microphone, earning a round of wild cheers from the crowd in the
stadium. **The judge for this contest shall be the chairman of
the Nerima Martial Arts Association, a mysterious lady who is
famous for her knowledge on all forms of combat. . . as well as
her reluctance to ever reveal her last name. Please welcome: the
legendary LADY NODOKA!!!!**
With that, a spot light was casted onto a stand that is
facing the entire battle arena as well as the audiences. A
beautiful, refined looking woman wearing a kimono and with her
hair up in a bun smiled graciously to the crowd as they cheered
again.
**Now, let's take a good look at this year's
contestants!** the announcer said.
With that, a spot light was casted onto the large battle ring
of the stadium, revealing about a hundred contestants standing in
various stances, ready for action. Among the contestants, Kaneda
was in his aggressive Kempo stance as usual, while Mousse was
standing in a one-legged Kung-Fu stance, and Ukyou was in a
surprisingly simple defensive stance. The blond boy, meanwhile,
was simply standing casually with his arms behind his back. He
flashed a devious smile as the camera aimed at him.
That smile can now be seen on all over Tokyo via the TV sets.
* * * * * * *
At the Hulihanten, Cologne's cooking utensil slipped from her
fingers as she stared at the TV screen in shock. Shampoo came
over with a curious look in her eyes. "Hiba-chan, what matter?"
Cologne didn't answer. Instead, she quickly darted down to
the basement of the Hulihanten as she called over her shoulder.
"I have some business to attend to, look after the store for me
while I'm gone!"
Shampoo gapsed. "But . . . but Shampoo ALONE no can manage
work!"
A blur shot by her, tossing Shampoo's hair horizontally as it
passed by.
"Then close this place up after the current customers had
finished!"
Shampoo blinked. Never before had she seen her Hiba-chan
acting in such an non-composed manner before. Shrugging to
herself, she put the closed sign up onto the restaurant door.
* * * * * * *
At the Tendo dinning room, Soun was crying a river while
Genma was packing furiously as they stared at the TV screen in
shock. Nabiki was startled and annoyed at the same time.
"What is the matter with you two? I have already guaranteed
that Kaneda is going to win."
"It's not that, Nabiki!" Genma said as he continued to pack
like a madman.
"Then what . . ."
"WE'REGOINGTODIEWE'REGOINGTODIEWE'REGOINGTODIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~~
~~~~~~" Soun wailed like as madman as Kasumi mopped up the tear
stain on the floor around her hysterical father.
* * * * * * *
**The rules for the first part of the tournament is quite
simple. All the contestants are to try their very hardest to
throw everybody else out of the battle ring for approximately 10
minutes. Whoever that can remain on the ring after the 10 minutes
will get to participate in the second part of the tournament!"
Kaneda's eyes hardened. "Heh . . . that's easy . . ."
Mousse looked disdainful. "Famous last words of incompetent
martial artists."
Ukyou nodded as Kaneda shot them a lethal look.
Picking up a stick, Nodoka knocked it delicately on the
large, hanging bell beside her . . .
. . . and all hell broke lose on the ring.
Moving rapidly in his kempo katas, Kaneda sent all of those
near him flying off the ring with much violence. Sliding between
the other combatants with his inhuman speed, Ukyou had managed to
trip/push/elbow all those around him to fall off the edge of the
ring as well. Mousse, meanwhile, was a fury of motion as he
spinned around like a tornado, throwing anyone foolish enough to
come near him off with his kata. Finally, after the 10 minutes,
only seven people remained on the ring.
Seven?
Kaneda, Mousse, Ukyou . . . Ryoko, Kuno, a strange looking
boy wearing a pair of thick rimed glasses and a baseball cap and
the blond young man.
Up on her stand, Nodoka clapped her hands and smiled
approvingly. *Congratulations, honored contestants! You have all
passed that first part of the tournament!*
Mousse looked mildly surprised at seeing Ryoko, who was now
glaring daggers at him.
"My, you surely recovers fast." Mousse observed as he
scratched his chin.
"You . . . HOW DARE YOU PLAY WITH MY FEELINGS LIKE THAT?!"
Ryoko growled. "Seduc-"
"Hi, Ryoko-san!" Kaneda smiled that tender, angelic smile of
his at her, distracting her immediately. "Long time no see."
"Kan . . . Kaneda-kun . . ." Ryoko breathed out.
Kaneda looked toward her with concern. "Is something wrong,
Ryoko-san? Did the Chinese gigolo do anything bad to you?"
"Who's a gigolo?" Mousse asked acidly.
"Oh! Eh . . . it's . . . it's no big deal, Kaneda-kun, don't
worry yourself over it." Ryoko had suddenly decided that it won't
be wise to bring up the issue of her stolen first kiss with her
true love.
"Don't worry, Ryoko-san. I will beat him up for you in the
second tournament!" Kaneda flashed her a reassuring smile as
Ryoko sighed in pleasure. Meanwhile, the bespectacled boy was
glaring at both of them with much heat
Meanwhile, Ukyou was confronted by Kuno. "Ah, so we meet
again, effeminate brat. Know that the pigtailed girl belongs to
none other than myself-"
He was cut off by a fist being shoved into his face. "WHO'S
EFFEMINATE YOU KENDO FREAK?!"
Mousse stared crossly over to Kuno. "Is it just me or did I
hear someone proclaiming his undying love for COLOGNE just hours
ago?"
Ukyou looked outraged. "You two-timing rich snob! How dare
you chase after MY Ranchan when you've already got a girlfriend?!"
Kuno, who had just recovered from the punch, replied.
"Silence, cretins! Know you not that the Blue Thunder's
magnificence is enough to sustain his love for both the pigtailed
nymphet and the long-haired angel-ACK!!!" His sentence was
immediately cut off as an angry Ukyou kicked him between his legs.
"Ouch . . ." Mousse winced at the sight of Kuno jumping
around in pain, "that isn't a very masculine attack, Ukyou."
"Grrr . . . who cares as long as it put the jackass in a
world of pain?"
Ryoko, who was still absorbed in Kaneda's smile, was suddenly
shocked out of her daydreaming by a pinch on her rear as her short
hair shot up like spikes.
"Sweeto~" The blond man drawled lecherously as Ryoko turned
around to face him with murder in her mind.
"PERVERT!!!!!" Ryoko struck out with her iron fist, which
was casually avoided as the man ducked below it . . . and reached
forward to fondle her chest as Ryoko gapsed.
"Girlie, ease up on your weight training! It's turning your
assets into flat, firm muscles instead of the fleshy goodies that
they're meant to . . ."
He didn't get to finish his sentence as a foot shot toward
his side.
"Leave Ryoko-san alone!" Kaneda growled as he kicked the
offending man . . .
. . . or so he tired.
The blond man suddenly disappeared, and before Kaneda knew
what was going on, a painful jab to the back of his head drove him
face-first onto the ground. The bespectacled boy tensed up
immediately as Ukyou and Mousse looked surprised at Kaneda's easy
defeat.
The blond man landed lightly as he looked at the fallen boy
with disgust in his eyes. "Pitiful . . . and you call yourself a
student of Anything Goes?"
Gritting his teeth in pain, Kaneda flipped back up onto his
feet in a fluid motion as Ryoko rushed to his side in concern.
Kaneda was just about to attack the strange man again when his
next sentence stopped him.
"Planning out your move in such a simplistic and transparent
manner . . . Like father, like son. You're definitely cry-baby-
Soun's kid."
Kaneda growled angrily. "Who are you to my father that you
addressed him like this?!"
The blond young man smiled with arrogant pride as he stared
off into the past, looking a whole lot older all of a sudden. "If
only your father could have proven himself to be worthy, I would
have been Master Happosai to him. But since he couldn't, I was
LORD Happosai to him."
The bespectacled boy's eyes widened as Kaneda looked
incredulous/
"YOU?! My father's MASTER?!"
"Lord." Happosai corrected him.
Kaneda laughed. "Please! When my father was trainning you
weren't even BORN!"
Happosai smiled secretively as he looked down at Kaneda like
he was a stupid kid. "I aged well."
Before Kaneda could think up an insult, the Announcer cut him
off.
*Congratulations. All of you are now eligible for the second
part of the tournament. However, we need a total of eight
contestants for the next part of this match. Is there anyone in
the audiences that wants to give this a try?*
All the audiences had somehow managed to look away from the
announcer as he sweated.
**Okay . . . then I guess we will just have to include one of
the tournament's own hired fighters to fill in the spot-**
/HOLD IT!/
All eyes turned to a masked figure completely covered by red
robes who was standing on top of a pillar on the edge of the
arena.
/I shall join this tournament./ He/she stated simply . . .
withour opening his/her mouth. Somehow, his/her message had
manage to reach everyone in the arena. Nokoda's eyes widened in
amazement.
**Amazing . . . the Chinese-originated technique for actual
telepathy should have been lost for ages!** she said excitedly.
As all of his fellow competitors were stunned, Happosai
whistled as he stared as the figure. Even with his/her face
covered by the mask, everyone could feel him/her glaring at
Happosai.
The Announcer spoke up again. **Now that we've got eight
people, the second part of the tournament shall begin right after
the matches had been set!**
With that a large, computer-generated name board hanged down
from the ceiling of the stadium. The new comer had been labled
Nameless since he/she hadn't supplied his/her own name. As the
announcer pressed a button on his stand, the name on the board
began rolling until they were all being paired up:
Tendo Kaneda V.S. Mousse
KuonjiUkyou V.S. Kuno Tatewaki
Rantaro V.S. Hibiki Ryoko
Happosai V.S. Nameless
Seeing the results, Kaneda and Mousse smirked unpleasantly at
each other, Ukyou rolled his eyes as Kuno babbled about his
inevitable victory, Ryoko eyed Rantaro suspiciously, while
Happosai smirked at Nameless as if he had just discovered a
secret.
End part 8a (to be continued in 8b)