"The teacher's working conditions are the student's learning conditions"
- Anonymous

“EQUAL”

(A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic)

>From the Desk of Megane 6.7

This is a work of Fiction.  All Characters and Landmarks, are the 
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Video, Kitty Films, 
Viz Video, Shonen Sunday, and anyone else who legally owns the 
rights.

  
NEARBY THE TENDO DOJO
4:30 P.M.


	The sun had risen to its maximum height and was beginning 
it's descent by the time Ranma was almost home.  It had been a VERY 
bad day.  Much worse than usual.  First he had been forced to stand in 
the hall for being late to his first class.  She had been too busy
beating the crap out of Kunou and the rest of the perverted boys trying
to get a crack at Ranma-Chan after Akane had splashed her bucket of
water on him when he made a cruel, but truthful, remark about her
cooking.  

	Then he was called to the office by the principal and endured 
a lecture about beating up the boys in the locker room.  The principal 
tried to punish Ranma by giving him a bowl cut, leading to a prolonged 
chase that Ranma barely managed to escape.  
     
     	That made Ranma late to his second class whereupon 
Hinako-sensei tried to suck up his battle aura while an enraged Mousse 
tried to kill him for *daring* to trifle with *his* Shampoo's affections 
the previous day, leaving Hinako's classroom looking like a tropical 
storm had hit it.   

     	By lunchtime Ranma was a nervous wreck.  Then Akane 
shows up and tried to get him to eat her so-called `lunch'.....again.  
Naturally he refused........again and naturally Akane bashed him into 
orbit.....again.  He landed in the girl's side of the locker room, as a
guy, and got the crap beaten out of him.......AGAIN!!!!  

      	By this time Ranma was rapidly losing his sense of humor but 
that still didn't stop Ryouga from crashing through the wall to his
third class and challenging him to yet another duel.  Ranma *just*
managed to escape with his life because Ryouga took a wrong turn
somewhere and got lost.  Somehow, Ranma staggered back into class only
to find it had ended and he had missed the *very* important test he was
supposed to take today.

     	Somehow managing not to lose control, Ranma showed up on 
time for gym class.  The teacher decided to practicing swimming 
outside since it was going to be winter soon, forcing a slightly crazed 
Ranma to borrow a swimsuit from one of the girls' classes in order to 
cover up her assets when the cold water forced her to change into a
girl.  

	Things appeared to be calm and quiet after that until Kodachi and
Sasuke showed up, thanks to a rumor, spread by Nabiki, that Ranma 
Male and Female were going steady.  Kodachi tried to drown 
Ranma-Chan while Kunou tried to save her from his sister's wrath.  
Either way a no win situation....  

        "NO, DROWN, YOU COCKROACH GIRL!!"

        *Bloosh* *GLAAAAAAAHH!!!*

        "NO, LIVE, MY PIGTAILED GIRL!!"

        *GLOMP* *EEEEYYYYYAAAAAAHHH!!!*

	Ranma-Chan managed to fight all three of them off but 
knocked herself out on the side of the pool in doing so.  Luckily she 
was revived through C.P.R.

	UNLUCKILY, the C.P.R. was performed by none other than 
"Golden Pair Skater" Mikado who *just happened* to be nearby while 
competing in a martial arts roller-skating match.  Then his partner 
Azuza came and demanded to know the location of her little Charlotte, 
bouncing various objects off Ranma-Chan's head to make her talk.  
Ranma-Chan ALMOST snapped then, she grabbed Mikado and used 
him as a shield against Kodachi and Sasuke and managed to escape 
from the gymnasium. 

     	By now, Ranma-Chan was convinced the world was out to get 
her.  She ran away at top speed from Furinkan High, determined not to 
go back there today for anything.  Then she remembered she was only 
wearing a bathing suit and now everyone was staring at her.  Ranma-Chan
quickly turned to leave and ran smack into a man carrying a cup of
scalding hot coffee purchased from a cafe.  

	The coffee spilled all over Ranma-Chan, burning her neck and turning
her back into a guy.  Now MALE Ranma was caught in the middle of town
wearing a girl's bathing suit.  Ranma quickly ran away from the people
who now stared with disgust and horror and prayed that he would make it
home before anyone else saw him.........  

      	Now, as he was nearing the Tendo Dojo, it seemed the day 
was finally at an end.....until he heard a familiar voice from behind 
him exclaim......

	"R....Ranma?!?  Is that you?!?"

 	Ranma froze.  Every single fiber of his being was paralyzed 
with fear as he turned to face....his mother, Nodoka.

	"Y....Y.....You must have me confused with someone else. My 
name is...is...Tsu-Tsubasa!!"  Ranma stammered.

 	Nodoka calmed down.   "Oh.  I've heard about you from Akane.  
You're that transvestite, right?"

	Ranma forces himself not to scream as he nods weakly.

	"I'm sorry.  You just looked like my son.  I guess there are 
other people in the world with pigtails.  Good thing.  If you were my 
son...."

	Nodoka unsheathed her katana and slashed at the air in a head 
chopping motion.

	"After all, It certainly isn't MANLY to wear a girl's swimsuit!" she
finished with a gleam in her eye.

	"Th....Th....Thank you."  Ranma stuttered with great fear.

	"No offense intended, of course."  Nodoka quickly added as she 
walked towards the dojo.  Ranma fell to his knees and begged the 
heavens for someone to come by and kill him.  He wanted Ryouga to 
come by and snap his neck for him, he wanted Cologne to bash his 
brains in with her staff, anything to end this horrible, miserable day 
from getting any worse!  He even considered rushing into the dojo as he
was and confess his secret to his mother, bringing upon him the death  
he had narrowly avoided a few moments ago....

	Then Happosai showed up and splashes him with cold water 
before latching himself onto her breasts.

	"Hey cutey!"  Happosai pulls out a pair of panties.  "Could 
you model these for me?"  

	"GET OFF ME!!!!!"  Ranma-Chan roared.

	Ranma-Chan sent Happosai on a one way ticket to the far side 
of Pluto, her entire body was shaking with rage.  Then she screamed as 
someone poured hot water over her head changing her back into a guy.  
Ranma looked up to see Nabiki with a kettle smiling at him.

	"Hey Nabiki!  Thank you!"  A pleasantly surprised Ranma said.

	Then he was blinded by the flash of a camera.  Ranma rubbed 
his eyes and wondered why Nabiki had done that when he remembered 
he was still wearing a girl's bathing suit.

	"Now here's a photo I can put to good use."  Nabiki smirked 
as she snapped another shot.   "I can sell these to all the women's
adult magazines,  not to mention certain male classmates...."

	"ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!" 
	 
	Ranma finally lost it.  His common sense and sense of honor 
took a hike, his morality fail-safe failed to safe him as he eagerly 
grabbed Nabiki's camera from her hands and smashed it against the 
ground repeatedly until it was completely destroyed.

	"Hey!  That cost me a lot!  You're going to pay me for that!"
Nabiki said angrily.
	
	Ranma suddenly grabbed Nabiki by the shoulders and looked 
deeply into her eyes.  Nabiki paled as she realized blackmailing 
Ranma now may have been a bad idea....

	"Nabiki....hehehe....If you weren't a girl....hehehehe....."
	
	"Uhh.....Ranma.....are you okay?"  Nabiki nervously inquired.

	"Okay?  hehehehe.....I'm great!  I'm terrific!  I'm so happy I 
could throw up!"  Ranma replied, a strange twitch in his eye.

	"Um.....Then c....can you let go of me?  This shirt's 
e....expensive you know....heh heh...."

	Ranma seemed to laugh harder at that and released Nabiki's 
shoulders, falling on the ground with his mirth.

	"Uh....I think you need to be alone right now...."  Nabiki 
backed away from the crazed Ranma and quickly departed, common 
sense overriding her desire for profit. 

	Ranma continued to laugh until he was exhausted.  Then he 
slowly got up and walked over to his room where he leapt through the 
open window.  Ranma quickly took off the bathing suit and replaced it 
with his usual outfit.  

	Then he leapt back out the window and starting running the minute he
hit the ground.  He ran at top speed, trying to get away from his
problems and worries, at least for a little while.  As he turned the
corner, he ran face first into someone and that someone flew back and
collapsed against the walkway.  Ranma was about to tell the guy off for
getting in his way when he saw it was a girl.

	"Oh, man!"  Ranma said as he quickly knelt beside her and 
checked for injuries.  "I'm sorry!  I didn't mean to knock you down like
that!  Are you okay?"

	The girl didn't respond.  Ranma checked for a pulse and found 
one, steady and sure.  Ranma quickly gathered the girl in his arms and
rushed off towards Dr. Tofu's clinic in search of aid.

	As he hurried, he couldn't help but notice how cute this girl
was.  She had long thick black hair, trailing down her back and tied 
with a pink bow.  She was wearing lime green clothes and purple 
shorts, and she seemed to be in excellent physical condition, judging
by the muscles Ranma could feel underneath her skin, yet they did 
nothing to diminish her beauty.  In that sense she was a lot like 
Shampoo.

	"I wonder who she is?"  Ranma thought to himself as he ran 
up the walkway to the clinic's front door and began knocking.

	"Yo!  Dr. Tofu!  I need some help out here!"

	A few moments later, Dr. Tofu opened the door.  "Oh, hello
Ranma.  Who's your friend?"

	"I kinda ran into her by mistake.  She's seems to be okay but
she won't wake up!"  Ranma explained.

	"I see.  Bring her inside and I'll take a look at her."

	Dr. Tofu walked back inside the clinic followed by Ranma 
still carrying the girl in his arms.

	"Lay her down here."  Dr. Tofu said.

	Ranma gently lowered the girl onto one of the clinic's beds 
and stepped back as Dr. Tofu began to examine her.  "She's pretty.  Do 
you know her?" the doctor asked.

	"Nope.  Never seen her before in my life."  Ranma replied.

	After several moments the doctor turned to face Ranma.  "She
appears to be unconscious but she'll be all right.  That must have been 
some knock you gave her."

	"H....Hey!  She ran into me...."  Ranma tried to defend himself.  
	"Really?  How fast was she walking?"  Dr. Tofu asked.
	
	"She...."  Ranma replayed the event in his mind and realized he 
was the one who was running at top speed.  "Um....maybe I was running 
a little too fast...."  he replied, embarrassed.

	"You really should be more careful.  Not everyone has your 
endurance and durability."  Dr. Tofu turned back to face the girl.  
"Although she is in good shape for her age.  Perhaps you'd like to stay
and apologize to her when she wakes up?"

	"Umm...."  Ranma did want to apologize for knocking her 
down like that, but with his mother visiting, *Ranko* had a appointment 
at the Tendo Dojo.  "I'd like to, doc, but I've really...."

	Just then the girl began to stir.  Ranma went to her side and
asked.  "Hey!  Are you okay?"

	"W....Where am I?"  the girl nervously asked.

	"You're in Dr. Tofu's Clinic.  I....um....accidentally ran into 
you and when you didn't wake up, I brought you here.  I'm really sorry."
Ranma said as he bowed to her in apology.

	"Oh....well that's okay.  You didn't mean it.  I forgive you."
The girl said as she sat up.

	"Maybe you should rest a bit first."  said the doctor.  "You
have quite a knock there."

	"I'll be okay."  the girl said as she stood up.  Ranma admired 
her spirit that refused to be kept down.  Then the girl turned to face 
Ranma and her eyes widened in recognition as she suddenly exclaimed. 
"What's your name?"

	"Me?  Ranma Saotome."

	"Saotome?  The martial artist who never loses?"  the girl said 
excitedly.

	"Yeah.....That's me."  Ranma couldn't help but swell up a 
little with pride at the remark.

	"And you change into a woman with cold water, right?" the
girl continued.

	Ranma's pride was instantly deflated.  "Uh.....yeah."

	"I've always wondered what that feels like for a guy, I mean,
becoming a girl.  I don't know if I could handle it if I turned into a
guy."

	"You sorta get used to it."  Ranma sighed.  "So what's your 
name?"

	"Mai....Mai Sakamoto.  I moved to Nerima a few weeks ago."  

	"Nice to meet you, Mai."  Ranma said with a smile.

	"Thank you."  Mai replied with a smile of her own.  "If you 
don't mind me asking, why were you in such a hurry?"

	"Umm.....It's a long story."  Ranma replied nervously.

	"I don't mind.  I'd like a good story."  Mai sweetly prodded him. 
"Please?"

	"Well...."  Ranma looked at the clock and saw he was overdue.
"Sorry, I can't.  I have to go home.  Maybe we'll run into each other
again....."

	Ranma grimaced as he realized what he just said.  "I....I mean if I
should catch you again....NO!....I mean....."

	Mai giggled at his mistake.  "I know what you mean."

	"Whew!  Thanks."  Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as he turned 
around and walked out of the clinic.  Mai seemed to hesitate for a
second, as if mulling something over and then rushed outside after him.

	“Wait!  Before you go, there’s something I want to ask of you!” Mai
called out.

	Ranma paused at the end of the sidewalk and looked back.  “Yeah?”

	“I....I’m interested in becoming a marital artist!  Like yourself, I
mean....”  Mai replied quickly as she caught up to him.

	“Oh....”  Ranma hesitated.  “Well, the Tendo Dojo hasn’t been 
taking new students for a while and I don’t think....”

	“Couldn’t you teach me?”  Mai asked timidly.

	“Me?”  Ranma replied, surprise in his voice.

	“Well, yes....”  Mai felt an embarrassed flush slowly climb it’s 
way up her neck to her cheeks as she stared at the floor.  “It’s been my 
dream to one day become a marital artist like my older brother.  He and
I used to spar everyday before he passed away a few years ago....”

	“I’m sorry to hear that....”  Ranma said.

	“Thank you.  Anyway, ever since that day, I wanted to honor the 
memory of my brother by following in his footsteps.  I trained hard for 
the next few years....”

	“It shows.”  Ranma remarked, remembering the hard muscle he
had felt under her skin when he carried her here..

	Mai smiled at him, her blush growing deeper.  “Thanks again....It
wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.  Anyway, a couple of days ago, I was
downtown to see a movie, and I saw you fighting on the streets with this
other boy, he had a bandanna and umbrella....”

	“That’s Ryouga....”  Ranma replied, remembering the angry 
encounter between them.  “He’s always mad at me for something or 
other....just like everyone else.”  he muttered, almost to himself.   	 

	“Well, I saw how you fought against him....”  Mai continued.    
“I never seen anyone move that fast or stay in the air for so long.  I
couldn’t believe my eyes!  So I asked around and found out who you
were....”

	“How come I haven’t seen you in class?”  Ranma asked, wondering
to himself why he hadn’t noticed this girl before.

	“I’m seventeen.  I’m a senior so I’m not in your class.  This girl,
Nabiki, mentioned your name a few times but I didn’t really pay
attention till now.  I tried to find out from her who you were but she
wanted me to pay for the information, so I refused.”  Mai explained.

	“So, what do you know about me?”  Ranma asked, almost afraid
to hear the answer.

	“I know you change into a woman with cold water and I know 
you’re being forced into a family arranged marriage....”  She paused for
a moment and grinned.  “I also know you’re a great marital artist from 
watching you fight....”

	Now it was Ranma’s turn to blush.  “Uh, well, thanks for the 
compliment....It wasn’t easy for me to get as good as I am either....” 
he replied, trying to remain cool yet stumbling over his words.

	“So, can you teach me then?”  Mai asked.

	“I...uh....”  Ranma stalled for time as he thought it over.  He knew
bringing Mai to the Tendo Dojo for private lessons would be incredibly
stupid, bring a ton of unwanted attention to himself and most likely
angering Akane more than ever.   “I don’t think I....”  Ranma began.

	“If it’s money you’re worried about, I’ve got plenty for lessons.  It’s
worth it if I can learn from the best.”  Mai added.

	All these compliments were getting to Ranma and he began to 
argue with his logical side.  Why couldn’t he help out this girl?  After
all, he was only going to train her.  He wasn’t engaged to her, she
wasn’t after him as far as he could tell and Ranma could definitely use
the extra money, what with Nabiki conning him out of most of his
allowance every week.  What WAS the big deal, anyway?

	  “Okay!”  Ranma suddenly exclaimed.  “I’ll be glad to give you 
some lessons.  Is every day after school, okay?”

	  “S....Sure!  That’d be great!”  Mai replied, her eyes filled with
excitement.  “H....How much do you want for the lessons?”  She asked,
eagerly.

	“Uh....well, how much do you think is reasonable?”  Ranma 
asked, having no idea what a Sensei usually charged.

	“Hmmm....How about 8000 yen a week?”  Mai suggested.

	Ranma’s eyes nearly bugged out.  8000 yen a week would 
definitely be a welcome sight in his wallet, though the first payment 
would probably go to Nabiki for her broken camera.  But he didn’t 
want to take advantage of her, his sense of honor and fairness making 
him feel guilty.

	“Are you sure that isn’t too much?”  Ranma asked.

	Mai was tempted to lower the price.  8000 yen a week wouldn’t
be easy to come up with but it certainly wasn’t impossible with her 
part-time job.  “It’s fine.”  Mai assured a worried Ranma.  “When do 
we start?”      

	“Tomorrow?”  Ranma suggested?

	“Okay....”  Mai smiled.  “Tomorrow it is.  One thing though, I 
have a part-time at the local library on the weekends, so I won’t be
able to come by the dojo until about 4 or 5 pm those days.  Is that
okay?”

	“That’s fine.”  Ranma replied, inwardly wondering how he was
going to explain this to everyone at the dojo.

	“Oh, thank you!  You have no idea how much this means to 
me!  I promise to study hard and make you proud!”  Mai proclaimed as
she gave Ranma a quick hug and then rushed off down the sidewalk.  
“See you tomorrow, Sensei!”  Mai called out before she was soon out 
of sight.

	Ranma stared after her for a few moments before continuing to 
walk towards the Tendo Dojo.  He knew by accepting Mai’s offer, he 
was possibly setting himself up for a lot of problems but for some 
reason, it wasn’t bothering him as much as it should have.  Ranma 
found himself thinking of Mai, seeing the excitement in her eyes at 
the opportunity to learn from him.  

	He remembered some of the past sparring sessions with his 
father, dispite the cat-fist incident, and remembered how great it had 
felt when he finally mastered a difficult technique and how it had 
encouraged him to learn more, to strive to be the best.  He found the 
opportunity of teaching someone else the same techniques he had learned, 
seeing the same determination in Mai’s eyes as she struggled to learn, 
an exciting challenge.  

	He had been stuck in a rut for far too long, and although it was 
a hectic and occasionally dangerous rut, it was a rut, nevertheless.  He 
needed a change and this was one he was definitely looking forward to.

	Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day....


(Fade to Black)


TO BE CONTINUED....


Thus ends the first chapter in a story I’ve been meaning to write for
some time.  I originally got this idea from reading “The Least One Can
Do” by Jeffrey “Oneshot” Wong  (If you get the chance, check it out, if
you haven’t already) but I had left it on the backburner until now. 
It's still a little rough at the moment but I wanted to get some
feedback and suggestions on it. I hope you liked the first chapter and
C&C is very welcome.  :)

Sincerely,

Megane 6.7