Okay, here's where I grovel and beg your indulgence. I know you're all
going "What?! *Another* 'Akane is mute' Story? What the ????" Well, it
seems three of us got the bug at the same time (Blame Chris!), and we all
decided to write a continuation on the theme. I started this in November,
and spent a long time researching and hashing out a plot line, sketching
out scenes, etc (yeah, and drawing pictures, too :P). I'd like to think
I've got something good going here, and I'm sure someone out there will
think so as well. I'd also like to hear from the rest of you. :) I was
good and I ran it through my spell-checker, my proof reader (Thank you
June!), my beta-reader (Thank you Donald Mc!), and my poor, tormented
husband (who had to put up with my teeth-gnashing and hair-pulling whenever
he found something wrong). This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first
for this list. I hope you like what I'm doing.
-Deb "SabreBabe" Matthews
Author's notes: Once upon a time there was a nice author by the name of
Chris Jones who wrote a nice little one-shot called "Curse of Silence -or-
Time to Think". It had the unfortunate side-effect of distracting me from
what I was currently writing to obsessively thinking about the 'what-if
Akane couldn't speak' idea. How would things have gone different in the
Ranmaverse? Well, since I can't work on the other story I was working on
until I do something about this, I'm gonna continue the story. Kinda.
Some things will be familiar, but the rest, well, I'm gonna go ahead and
blend it with the story I was originally working on and get both done at
the same time. And yes, the characters will seem OOC. This is a What-if,
and it sets them in an entirely different beginning situation. And having
had worked with physically and mentally challenged folks (as well as being
one myself), I thought I'd give it a shot. I mean, the worst that could
happen is getting kicked off the list for really, really bad writing,
right? It would be a good idea to run off to Chris' website at
http://www.furinkan.net/fanfic/ranma.html to read the original "Curse of
Silence" if you already haven't. It's a damn good story by itself and I
don't want to rehash Chris' fine works here.
As for the title: it's taken from "People Are Strange" by The Doors. It
reflects the entire story very well, I think. Both Ranma and Akane are
"strangers" (or oddities, even) in a country that demands conformity. No,
this is not a Darkfic, no, it's not WAFFy nor is it a comedy. But it will
be a bit of everything, I hope. (crosses fingers and toes)
Disclaimer: Yeah, I wrote this. No, most of the characters aren't mine.
In fact, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, without whom, Ranma and all his
friends wouldn't have seen the light of day. And the world would have been
a much poorer place. All Hail Takahashi-sensei!
More odd bits:
"..." = vocal speech
'...' = signed speech
{...} = somebody's thinkin'
C&C is most appreciated and even groveled for.
******************
"When You're a Stranger"
Akane rushed past Ranma and lightly bapped him on the head with her tablet.
He looked down at her as she bounced around him.
'Hurry up! You're making us late for school! We still have to get you
registered before class!' Akane scribbled before she ran on.
"School?! I ain't going to school! I don't even have supplies!" he
protested. Genma threw an empty schoolbag at Ranma.
"Well then son, you'll just have to pick some up when you get registered,
right?"
"What? Hey! I don't have any money for supplies, Oyaji! You think
they're just gonna hand 'em to me for free?" Ranma hit his father with the
satchel just as Nabiki interrupted.
"Here. You can have some from my stock of supplies. I'll bill you for
them later. Now you better get going before Akane has a fit. She really
hates to be late. Ta-ta!" Nabiki left for school before Akane ran by
again.
Clutching her satchel and two bento boxes, Akane grabbed her tablet and
Ranma, dragging him through the house at breakneck speed.
"Hey! Waitaminute! I can walk by myself, y'know!" Ranma sputtered. Akane
dropped him at the door and slipped her shoes on. She scribbled while he
put on his.
'I just don't want to be late for class, that's all. We have a lot of
paperwork to get through first.'
"We'll get there just fine, okay? I just don't really see why I gotta go
to school and all," he grumbled as they walked. Akane handed him her
tablet just before he jumped up onto the fence.
'You're going to school because it's the law, and I don't want an
uneducated idiot for a finace,' she wrote. He looked down to say something
and saw her gawking back at him. She gestured her hand at the fence and up
to him.
"Uh, why am I walking on the fence?" he guessed at her question. Akane
nodded. "Oyaji says it's good balance practice. He doesn't want me
getting soft, so I gotta be doin' stuff like this all the time."
Akane started to gesture again slowly, but then she suddenly looked
frustrated and waved frantically at the writing board Ranma was still holding.
"Huh? Oh yeah, heh, sorry 'bout that," he said, handing the board back as
he jumped down to walk next to her.
'I'd like to try that sometime, when we're not in a hurry.'
Ranma looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, it wouldn't be such a good idea
with you wearin' a dress and all. Folks'd see up yer skirt," he turned his
head and blushed.
Akane raised an eyebrow and quickly scribbled.
'Well, I could always wear my gym shorts underneath,'
"Yeah, that could work, but ya might wanna change yer shoes, too. I mean,
I think mebbe yer gym shoes would be better to start with than yer dress
shoes."
Akane nodded.
Ranma was fending off his bout of blushing. {Man, she is cute! I can't
believe Oyaji doesn't like her, just 'cause she ain't got a voice.} He
snuck a quick peek at Akane. {Yeah, she's pretty cute. And nice too. I
hope...}
**Splash!**
"Damn." Onna-Ranma looked at the little old lady watering down her
pavestones. Akane had a hand over her mouth in shock. "Well, so much for
getting to school on time today. I'm gonna go back home and take a bath."
Akane shook her head and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her.
"What? I ain't goin' to school as a girl!" Akane shook her head again and
pointed to a clinic further down the block. When they arrived, Akane
handed him the tablet once again.
'Dr. Toufu is a friend of the family. We can get hot water here any time
we need it. Just wait a minute and I'll get some.' Onna-Ranma nodded,
leaned against the wall and waited for Akane to return with hot water.
{What a way to start my first day of school. I don't even have any decent
school supplies. Not that Oyaji would ever cough up the money for them.
And how am I gonna explain this curse? Mebbe I should just go back...}
"Pardon Me!"
Onna-Ranma jumped straight up and landed on the top of the wall as the
skeletal hand touched his shoulder. {What the hell?? I never even heard
him comin' up behind me!}
Dr. Toufu smiled as Onna-Ranma climbed back down the wall.
"I'm sorry about that. I'm Dr. Toufu and this is Betty-chan, my skeleton.
I didn't mean to scare you. Are you waiting for someone?"
"Uh, uh, yeah, I'm here with..." Onna-Ranma started to say as Akane came
around the corner with a kettle.
"Oh, hello Akane. Is she a new friend of yours?"
'Yes, Dr. Toufu,' Akane signed slowly, handing Onna-Ranma the kettle. 'His
name is Ranma, and he has a little problem with cold water.'
Dr. Toufu raised his eyebrows as he watched Ranma change from female to
male. {This...this is incredible! I'd never have believed it if I didn't
see it for myself! I wonder if Ranma would let me examine this phenomenon
later on...}
"Uh, I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."
Ranma watched in fascination as Akane's hands danced in front of her, her
fingers twisting and fanning in delicate gestures. Dr. Toufu nodded and
put his hands on their shoulders.
"Well, you two better get going then. It's been very nice meeting you
Ranma. I'd like to spend more time chatting with you, but Akane says
you're both in a hurry this morning. Have a nice day at school." (I'm sure
Akane will be bringing him by again, given the kinds of trouble that
usually follows her around,} he thought sadly as he went back into the clinic.
{Huh? Akane said...?} "Hey Akane! Wait up! What was that thing you just
did with your hands?" Ranma chased after her.
Akane pulled out her tablet again.
'It's called Sign Language. It's how deaf and mute people talk without
having to write all the time.'
Ranma thought on it for a minute. "So you can talk with your hands?"
Akane nodded.
"And that Dr. Toufu, he can read your hands when you do that? Wow, that's
pretty cool. I can see how that would be useful, being a doctor and all.
He's a martial artist, isn't he?"
Akane nodded again.
"Heh, I could tell, I didn't even feel it when he snuck up on me with that
skeleton of his."
Akane made a sound that could have been quiet laughter.
'He does that a lot. I think he does it to keep in practice. He's very
nice though. He used to patch up all my cuts and scrapes when I was little.'
"And he don't anymore?"
'I don't get hurt as much anymore. At least, not so bad that I need to go
see a doctor.'
Ranma smiled. "Yeah, I know what ya mean. Now I get to go to the doctor's
office when I turn into a girl. 'Hey doc? I've turned into a girl again.
Ya got any hot water?'"
Akane made another quiet giggling noise. {Kami-sama! I wish all boys were
as nice as he is. I'll bet it's his curse that makes him not be a pervert.
And he is kinda handsome... Gah! Listen to me! Yuka and Sayuri would
have a fit if they knew I was thinking these thoughts about a boy!
Still....} She smiled and gave Ranma a sidelong glance before they turned
the corner towards Furinkan High.
{Wow,} Ranma thought. {I didn't know her laughter would sound so...strange.
But it's not really as freaky as I thought it'd be.} He thought about the
scar running across her neck and shivered. {I guess it's not so bad,
really. But when she smiles like that, she's really cute!}
Akane looked ahead and shuddered as she saw the crowd collecting near the
gates. Her arms stiffened and her fists clenched. Ranma, still watching
her, noticed the sudden change.
"What's the matter, Akane?" He looked ahead as he heard her teeth grind.
Akane's eyes darkened with violent emotion as she slowed down to a forced
stiff-legged pace. "Akane? Hey, what's going on? Is there some kinda
problem I should know about? Can I help?"
Akane shook her head and kept her eyes low, not wanting to make any kind of
eye contact with the mob of boys at the gate.
{Damn. She's really upset! And there's a lot of heavy vibes being put out
up there. I wonder what's going on? A fight maybe? But Akane is upset
about it....} Ranma went on the defensive, his fighting and survival
senses kicking into high gear. He took in everything around him and noted
the movements of everyone in the courtyard. Ranma stepped a little closer
to Akane and kept pace with her to the gates. {Don't worry Akane, I'm
right here, I won't let anything happen to ya.}
"Hey Akane," he whispered, "let's keep close. I don't wanna get lost in
that mob and try to find the office without ya."
Akane looked up at him suddenly with wide eyes. He was struck by the fear
and anger he saw in them. She blinked, clearing her thoughts, and gave him
a wan smile and nodded.
{Ranma's a really good fighter, but I can't let him get involved in this
mess. He's right, though. We should just get straight to the office. We
don't have time for this this morning, and I don't want to have to try to
explain it all to him now.} Ranma jumped a little as he felt her battle
aura flare to life, surprising him. {I've got to get through this quickly
and get him out of here.}
"Akane, I have a bad feeling about this."
Akane grabbed Ranma's arm and quickened her pace, trying to drag him
through the gauntlet at the gates. The taunts and hazing began almost
immediately. Ranma was shoved back as a dozen boys converged on Akane,
groping and grabbing at her, making profane suggestions and gestures,
eventually shoving her back and forth between themselves in a perverse game
of Hot Potato. Ranma's temper flared and he broke up the ring with a few
quick shoves as he rescued Akane from the mob.
"What the hell is going on here, Akane? I've seen you fight, why didn't
you just mop up the floor with these guys?"
"Because fighting ain't allowed here, pus-for-brains! Now let go of the
freak and go back to mommy before you get hurt!"
Akane shook with anger, grabbed Ranma's arm before he could respond and
tried to drag him off to the office once more before their trip was
interrupted again.
"You know what you have to do to get them to stop this, Akane." A tall,
well-dressed young man stepped out from behind a tree. He leaned back
against it with his hands placed in the pockets of his neatly pressed
trousers. "You can put a stop to all of this, if you wanted to. I don't
see why you persist in playing these stupid, childish games."
"Who's the fruit?" Ranma whispered. He read her tablet.
'Upperclassman Tatewaki Kuno. He's got a few problems with reality. And
his ego. His father's very rich and has the principal in his wallet.'
"Lemme get rid of these guys, Akane. They'll never bug you again." Ranma
started cracking his knuckles.
Akane shook her head furiously. 'No. I'll explain later!'
"But..."
"And who is this trash who thinks he can just come up and talk to you
without my permission?" Kuno sneered, pointing at Ranma.
"Me?" Ranma pointed to himself. "I'm..." He looked at Akane, who was
shaking her head vigorously. "I'm staying at the Tendo Dojo. Akane's
father and my old man are old friends. And..." Ranma said, scooping up
Akane, "we are late for some important business." Ranma leapt over the
crowd and ran into the building with Akane in his arms. Once inside, he
set her down. She promptly bopped him on the head with her tablet.
"Ite! Whadja do that for? I was tryin' to help you out y'know! And
what's with this deal about not fightin' those jerks anyway? You coulda
taken 'em all without breakin' a sweat." Ranma scampered after Akane as
she stormed down the hallway. She tossed him the writing tablet.
'There's a new rule here: No fighting. At all. Any fighting is grounds
for immediate suspension. I don't need that on my record. You can't
afford it either. You've already missed too much school as it is. Kuno
had his father pay off the principal for that one. It's all my fault,
really. Sorry.'
Ranma, reading the tablet and not looking where he was going, plowed into a
door.
"Ite! Hey, Akane! Whadda you mean it's all your fault? I mean, it'd be
self-defense, right? It's not like those guys can't fight, can they?"
Akane sighed and her shoulders slumped. She took back her tablet and wrote
some more as they entered the office.
'I'll tell you about it during lunch. It's a loooong story. Let's just
get you registered for now, neh?'
"Uh, okay. Sure." Ranma fidgeted as he waited for the huge pile of forms
he knew his old man 'neglected' to fill out.
********************************************
"Nakamatsu!"
"Yes, Kuno-Sempai?"
"Get me Nabiki Tendo. I want to know more about that peasant who is staying
at the Tendo Dojo. He is a little... too familiar with Akane. I'd like to
see that ended. Immediately."
"Yes, Kuno-Sempai."
*********************************************
"Just take your time, Saotome-kun. This paperwork should have been filled
out prior to your coming to school, but since you're here now, you might as
well fill them out properly and legibly." Ranma grunted something
unintelligible and nodded his head. The secretary, Mrs. Fujihara was very
patient with him and she seemed to get along well enough with Akane.
"Your clothing, however, will have to change. You are required to wear a
uniform at this school." She paused as Ranma looked up at her and then
looked back down at what he was wearing. He cringed at the thought of
suddenly changing into a girl while wearing a boy's uniform.
"Well, I uh, kinda outgrew the last uniform I had, and Oyaji hasn't
bothered to buy me any new clothes since we went to China. It was kinda
like pullin' teeth even then just to get what I got to wear now." Ranma
blushed and put a hand behind his head, remembering how his father had
'procured' Ranma's last school uniform. {There's no way in hell I'm gonna
tell him I need uniforms! I ain't wearin' stolen clothes to school again!}
"Well, we do have some used uniforms that we can give you for now. Stand
up and let me see if I can find something in your size."
Ranma stood up and Mrs. Fujihara looked him over before running off to a
back room. He flopped back into the chair and went back to filling in
thousands of blank lines. Akane had taken some of the forms and copied the
important information off of sheets he had already finished, leaving Ranma
just a few bits on each page to finish. Akane poked him in the arm and
wrote a message.
'You didn't fill in your mother's name and address.'
Ranma hesitated.
"I... I don't remember my mother. I don't even know her name." He
whispered. "I can barely remember her face."
'I'm sorry. Did...' Akane doodled for a second. 'Did she die?'
"No. At least, I don't think so. I've been on the road training with
Oyaji since I was six years old. She might still be alive somewhere.
Oyaji doesn't talk about her."
'Maybe we can find her now that you've settled down for a bit. I can ask
Nabiki. She's good at puzzles.' Akane smiled and gently pushed the last
of the paperwork in front of him.
"That would be great!" Ranma smiled at her. "I'd like to see my mother
again. Even if she was dead, I'd like to know. You know what I mean?"
Akane smiled sadly.
'Yes. Yes, I do know what you mean.'
Mrs. Fujihara returned with a large pile of clothing in her arms.
"I pulled a few different sizes, just in case. You look like you're about
ready for a large growth spurt, and it would be inconvenient to outgrow a
uniform a few weeks after getting it, neh?" Akane hid her smile behind her
hand and Ranma just smirked openly.
"Yeah, Oyaji had a few choice words about my last growth spurt. He was
gonna let me run around in just my boxers until I stopped growin'." He
grinned.
"Here. There's a small bathroom in the back you can use."
"Thank you." Ranma took the pile and Akane grabbed up the rest of the
paperwork and followed him to the back of the office. "Hey, you're not
gonna come in here and watch me dress, are ya?"
Akane smacked him with the pile of papers and her tablet.
'Hentai! No, I'm going to sit here and finish filling out your paperwork
legibly so we can get to class before lunchtime! Your handwriting is
horrible!'
"Oh." Ranma cringed. "Okay, I, uh, I s'pose I'll just try this stuff on and
see what fits."
Several minutes later, Ranma peeked out the door and waved over to Akane.
"Psst! Hey, Akane! C'mere a minute!"
Akane met him at the door and gestured inquisitively.
"I think this one fits pretty good and there's room to grow, but..."
Akane waved her hand for him to continue.
Ranma leaned closer and whispered.
"What if I get hit with cold water? I'll be swimmin' in these things! My
girl form is a lot smaller, and my pants'd end up on the floor! There's
nothin' to tie 'em up with!"
Akane's eyes got wide then scrunched nearly closed as she thought about it
for a bit. Ranma was nearly blinded by the lightbulb. She ran off and
returned with Mrs. Fujihara. The secretary looked Ranma over and liked
what she saw.
"Well, you cleaned up very nicely. That uniform looks very good on you.
Akane seems to think there's a problem, although I can't see why."
"I, uh, I need a belt or something, in case my pants fall down."
Mrs. Fujihara tugged at Ranma's waistband and checked it for fit. It was a
little loose, but in no immediate danger of slipping any lower than his hips.
"Well, yes, they are a little big, but I don't think your pants are in any
danger of slipping off. I can see if we have any belts, but I'll tell you
now that most of them are in pretty sorry shape."
"I'd really appreciate that very much." Ranma bowed and waited for her to
return.
"I hope I don't have to find out just how really big this uniform is gonna
be, Akane. I don't want everyone thinkin' I'm some kinda pervert or
nothin'," he grumbled quietly.
'Maybe we should let her know about your curse. She might be able to help
getting you a uniform waiver or something,' Akane wrote back.
"I can't go around tellin' everyone I got a curse!" he hissed. "Then
they'd really think I was a freak!"
Akane put her hand on his arm.
'I don't think you're a freak. Just a poor baka that ended up with a
cursed panda for a father,' she smiled at him.
Ranma smiled back at Akane as she took back her tablet.
"Ya got that right."
Mrs. Fujihara returned with a few well-worn belts, all too small save for
one that could have been owned by a Sumo wrestler.
"Well, you can always buy one after school. I think your trousers will
hold until then," she smiled.
Ranma and Akane looked at each other nervously and fidgeted. Their nervous
glances did not go unnoticed.
"Is there something you two aren't telling me?" Mrs. Fujihara was one of
the nicest, most understanding people working at Furinkan High. She was
also one of the toughest. Not much escaped her notice. If anyone ever
asked who was in charge of Furinkan High, they would be pointed to the
principal's office. If anyone asked who actually ran the school, they
would be directed to Mrs. Fujihara. There wasn't a bit of red tape nor any
crisis she couldn't deal with.
Until now.
Ranma's shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh.
"You might as well find out about this now. Akane, can you get..." Akane
waved him off as she made a beeline for the coffeepot on the other side of
the office. When she returned with a styrofoam cup of steaming hot water,
Ranma recited the tale (much abbreviated, of course) of how he got cursed.
Mrs. Fujihara peered down at the two through her bifocals with an
incredulous look.
"And what has this fantasy tale have to do with your uniform?"
Ranma scooted back into the small bathroom and turned on the cold water.
Akane handed him a spare cup and moved in to cut off any other viewers from
seeing what was going on in the bathroom.
"I'm tellin' ya this 'cause it's a problem I got and I don't know how to
deal with it yet." With that, he upended the cup over his head. Ranma's
tall male form shivered, twitched and suddenly shrunk down to a small,
albeit well-proportioned red-haired female form. Ranma found herself
holding up her pants to keep them from visiting her ankles. Akane handed
Ranma the other cup of water. "Ya see? I really do have this curse. And I
turn back into myself when I get doused with warm water," she said with a
quiet feminine voice. She dumped the hot water over her head and the
transformation reversed itself. With a twitch, Ranma was tall, dark and
male once again.
Mrs. Fujihara blinked, blinked again, then put her hand to her chin and
blinked a third time. {This is odd, even for Nerima. But then again, this
is Nerima.}
"So, are you really a boy or a girl?"
"I'm a boy!" Ranma all but yelled. He quickly composed himself and tried
to wipe some of the excess water off of his shirt. "I'm a boy." He quietly
reiterated. "I got thrown into the 'Spring of Drowned Girl' and now
whenever I get hit with cold water, I turn into a girl. I hate it, and I'm
not a pervert!" he growled menacingly.
"I'm not accusing you of anything perverted young man. I just need to know
how to register you for your classes. You can't just go running into the
boys' locker room if you're really a girl, you know. And what about your
extra-curricular classes, hmm? Some are boys-only and others are
girls-only." She let him soak in the information before continuing. Akane
looked down at the floor, remembering what happened the last time someone
tried to cross the line of gender-based courses. "Well, since you are
adamantly a boy, and I presume your birth certificate and other school
records will back this up?" she paused and Ranma nodded vigorously. "Then
you will be enrolled as a boy and your curriculum will reflect as such. I
don't want to hear any reports of you trying to sneak into the girls'
locker room in your girl form, though. Are we clear on that?" Ranma
nodded again while looking very relieved. "Now, about this belt problem..."
A few modifications later they had a respectable belt cut from the huge
one, and added extra holes for Ranma to tighten when he was a girl.
Mrs. Fujihara made a few notes in Ranma's records and began filling out a
couple of tardy passes for them to get into their next class, as well as
Ranma's locker assignments and class schedule.
"I'm going to put you in many of the same classes as Akane-kun, since you
two seem to know each other well enough. I want you to let me know if
there are any problems with any of your instructors regarding your
unique...condition. As for the other students, you will have to deal with
their antics on your own. I trust Akane-kun has told you about the "No
Fighting" rule here at Furinkan?"
Ranma looked at Akane then nodded.
"Yeah, she gave me a quick run-down on it as we come in through the gates."
Mrs. Fujihara nodded in understanding.
"Very well. Akane-kun, I expect you to show Ranma-kun around and instruct
him on all the rules and regulations here at Furinkan. You will have to
share books until we can find some extra for Ranma-kun to use. Ranma-kun,
you will have to get a gym uniform as well, but I think you can get away
with using your everyday clothes today. The coach is rather generous with
talented students," She winked at him, knowing full well from his build
that he was most likely a martial artist, if not a gifted athlete.
{Whoa! How did she know that gym's my best class?}
"Well, you two should get off to your class now. I'll call you in if there
is anything else we need." Mrs. Fujihara finished.
Ranma and Akane gathered up the small pile of uniforms, their bento and
their satchels and made their way to class. Ranma showed Akane the slip of
paper with his locker assignment, and she pointed it out when they got
close to it.
"Damn. I forgot about gettin' school slippers," Ranma cursed as he shoved
everything into the cubicle. Akane shrugged and pointed to his well-worn
Chinese slippers.
"You think I can get by with wearin' these today?" Akane nodded her
reply. Ranma shrugged as he fidgeted in his school uniform, the shirt
feeling a bit stuffy. {At least I don't have to wear the jacket,} he thought.
'This is our homeroom,' Akane pointed out to Ranma.
He was amazed at how fast she wrote, erased and rewrote to imitate speech
patterns. What impressed him more was how neat her handwriting was in
spite of the speed she wrote. He nodded as Akane softly knocked on the
door, waited a moment, then stepped into their classroom. The teacher
reached out for their tardy notes. After reading them, he nodded and stood
up.
"Class, we have a new student today, his name is Ranma Saotome, and he has
just returned from China. Let's all make him welcome here at Furinkan
High. Saotome, there is a seat in the back next to Miss Tendo. You may
sit there." Ranma nodded and wove his way through the faces of swooning
girls and angry guys to get to the back of the room. He collapsed
gratefully into his chair.
{Man, I've never had anyone look at me like that! I felt like a side of
beef! And what's with the guys in this class anyways? They looked like
they were gonna fry me on the spot!} Ranma mused on his new situation
while the teacher droned on for another forty-five minutes. His daydream
of last nights' pleasant conversation with Akane was interrupted when he
noticed that a note had materialized on his desk. It was in Akane's neat
handwriting.
'Ranma, you should at least get out your paper and pencils and pretend to
pay attention. You don't want to get detention! We can't spar after
school if you're here sitting in detention!
-Akane'
Ranma sat up and, stuffing the note into his satchel, dragged out a pencil
and notebook Nabiki had given him. Sold to him, really. {Man, now I have
to get a job, just so I can pay back Nabiki for all the school stuff I'm
gonna need. I don't wanna know how much books are gonna cost!} He looked
at Akane and smiled.
"Mr. Saotome! Is there something particularly interesting about Miss Tendo
that you'd like to share with the rest of the class? Or would you rather
just continue staring at her?" Ranma jumped up out of his seat, standing
ram-rod straight.
"Uh, No sir, I mean, we, uh, we gotta share our books, that's all! I don't
have any books yet..." Ranma sputtered out.
"Ah, I see where that would be a problem. Very well then, Mr. Saotome, I
trust you will be getting your own books soon, then?"
"Uh, Yessir! As soon as I can, sir."
"Good. You may sit back down" {Poor kid must have gone to an all-boys'
school before coming to Furinkan. Has all the classic trauma signs...} The
teacher shook his head and went back to the problem on the board.
Ranma collapsed back into his chair again, beet-red with embarrassment.
Akane was just as red, but smiled back at him anyway. She scooted her desk
a little closer to his and offered her book. She waved off some of the
quiet snickers and stares.
Two girls sitting near Akane simply looked bug-eyed at Akane sharing her
books with Ranma. A Boy! This was definitely prime gossip material, and
Akane had been holding out on them! Yuka and Sayuri nodded to each other
and prepared to pounce as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of the
class.
**********************************
"Nabiki, Nabiki, Nabiki Tendo. Whatever shall I do with that sister of
yours?" Takewaki Kuno spoke quietly as Nabiki stepped up to speak with him.
"Your lackey said you needed something, Kuno?"
"I do not have 'lackeys', Nabiki. And the only thing I need is for your
little sister to stop playing her little games."
"Her little games? Oh, you mean the 'I don't want to date you or mess with
your lackeys' game? Or the game that 'I can beat you at any of your little
games and make you look worse than you already are' game?" Nabiki smirked
an ice-cold grin. Tatewaki Kuno did not impress nor intimidate Nabiki
Tendo, and they both knew it.
But he still tried.
"Nabiki," he leaned in closer, growling. "Your sister arrived today with
someone. Someone I did not give permission to go near her, let alone speak
to her. You do know what the penalty is for breaking those rules, don't you?"
"Of course. It's standard fare around here. You're gonna scare the poor
slob into wetting himself and make him beg for your forgiveness, then he'll
leave Akane alone and never associate with her again except to bring her
messages from you," Nabiki recited with a half yawn. "Really Kuno. It's
all been done before. And I don't think it'll really work at all this
time." She smiled enigmatically.
"Really. And you know who this peasant is? Where he is from? His
parents? If he is even worthy of being in the same town as Akane?"
"Of course I do. And you know I do, otherwise, you wouldn't have called me
here to waste good breathing air."
"Then why haven't I been told already?"
"Because it's none of your business," Nabiki said coolly, examining her
fingernails.
Kuno glared for a moment, then continued.
"You are the most difficult bitch I've ever had to deal with."
"Why, thank you!" Nabiki smiled a disgustingly sweet smile and batted her
eyes.
"And you will tell me what I want to know. Or..."
"Or what? You'll sic your dogs on me? You'll beat me into a pulp? You'll
scare me so bad I'll have nightmares for a week? I don't think so. It
hasn't worked yet, and I doubt it'll work anytime soon."
"What do you want, then?"
"You know what I want, Kuno-baby. Make it real, and you'll get what you
deserve."
There was a long pause before Kuno replied.
"I don't think so. Tell me what I want to know and get out."
Nabiki smirked again, then went back to polishing her nails.
"Fine. His name is Ranma Saotome. His daddy and my daddy are old friends.
You could say they went to school together. They're staying at the Tendo
Dojo as our guests for the time being while Ranma continues his education."
With that, Nabiki turned and left the room.
"Wait! That's it? That's all? He's staying at your dojo and you know
nothing more about him?"
"You get what you pay for, Kuno-baby!" Nabiki's laugh rang out through the
hall.
***************************************
Ten minutes later, Ranma was beginning to think that maybe math wasn't
quite as hard as he originally thought. Then again, he never had a pretty
girl sit quietly beside him and walk him through each problem, complete
with little diagrams and notes on how she got to each answer.
{Hell, some of these problems even make sense!} Ranma started the next
problem with a little prodding from Akane.
Fate, on the other hand, decided Ranma had had enough fun for the day and
the class bell rang just as he was getting a handle on the basics of
geometry. Both Akane and Ranma found themselves being forcibly dragged,
chairs and desks included, apart from each other and surround by small mobs.
"Akane! Are you crazy..." Yuka started.
"Or just suicidal?!" Sayuri finished. "He is sooo gorgeous! How did you
get him to walk with you with Kuno around? Are you dating him?"
"Does he even know his life is on the line here? Where did you meet him?
Is he rich?" Yuka was bouncing on her toes with excitement.
Akane, for her part, blushed deeply and waved at her two gossip-sisters in
embarrassment.
"OOooOOO! Lookit her! She's blushing!" Sayuri squealed. "It must be
something juicy! C'mon Akane! Spill!" Both girls leaned in closer as
Akane started writing on her tablet.
Ranma found himself in the middle of hostile territory, for the most part.
He recognised a few of the faces from the crowd that harassed Akane at the
gate that morning. Looking through the menacing crowd he saw Akane quietly
chatting with only a couple of excited girls. The rest of the class had
left for lunch. Akane caught his eye and waved her bento at him and
pointed to the door. He opened his mouth to respond, but someone behind
him had taken exception to being ignored. Ranma felt a sudden painful yank
on his ponytail and his head lurched backwards.
"Look here, you asshole! I asked you how you knew Akane. Don't you know
that she's 'Off-Limits'? You gotta go through the proper channels and pay
the right people to be allowed to talk with Akane. And live." The rude
boy hissing in Ranma's ear had the sound of Ranma's teeth grinding as his
only warning.
{Nofightinginschool...nofightinginschool...nofightinginschool...} marched
through Ranma's head as he slowly straightened his neck and stood up to
face the mob.
Akane's eyes grew to the size of saucers when Ranma's hair was pulled. The
teacher returned to the room to retrieve a forgotten folder in time to
watch the scene unfold. He hoped and prayed the new kid wouldn't try
anything. He really didn't want to see the young man expelled after a half
day in the new school.
Ranma slowly and deliberately reached behind his head to grab the offending
hand that was, incredibly, still trying to yank his head back down. Two
fingers around a wrist, a twist and a yelp of pain dropped Hissing Boy to
his knees. Ranma still held onto his wrist, turning it just a little more
while trying to keep a lid on his temper.
"Is there a problem here?" Mr. Fukizawa asked, knowing something was
happening and hoping it wouldn't escalate.
Ranma looked up and gave him a goofy smile.
"No, Sensei. This guy here just got his hand caught between the desk and
chair. I think he hurt his hand tryin' to get it out, though. Ya wanna
come take a look?" With a last twitch, a tiny snap and another yelp let
Ranma know that the wrist was sprained and he let go. Mr. Fukizawa nodded
and helped the unfortunate lad to the nurses' station, glad that the new
kid was able to hold his own without causing a scene.
"C'mon Akane, let's get some lunch." Akane nodded and they walked out of
the room, side by side. Yuka and Sayuri scampered after them, holding back
just enough to give the couple their privacy, but hoping to catch any
little bit of conversation that they might overhear.
Hiroshi and Daisuki watched the entire scene with quiet, morbid
fascination. The new kid could hold his own, and he was talking to and
maybe even dating Akane Tendo. And he was even in their classroom. Which
meant that Kuno would be expecting a full report from them immediately, if
not sooner. That is, if they wanted to keep their girlfriends safe and
sound. They looked at each other and sighed.
"Well, let's catch up with the girls. Maybe they got something out of
Akane that we can tell Kuno that he'll be happy with," Hiroshi suggested.
"Kuno? Happy? Akane is seeing another guy, who doesn't have the good sense
to be running in terror. No he's not gonna be happy, no matter what we
tell him." Daisuke shook his head sadly as he retrieved his bento and
wandered out to the lunch hall.
*************************
Ranma and Akane sat under a tree for a quiet lunch. Akane pulled on
Ranma's sleeve and gave him a serious look.
"Uh, am I okay?" he guessed. Akane nodded. He smiled and Akane's face lit
up as she gave him a nod with a hand gesture that imitated the one he had
used earlier on the hand that offended his pigtail.
"Yeah, just a simple, basic move. I was tryin' not to get thrown out for
fightin', like ya said," he mumbled through a mouthful of chicken stir-fry.
"I guess it really paid off to not lose my temper and clock the guy."
Akane nodded and scribbled on her template.
'That's how it's been for me, too. I've got a rotten temper, and knocking
the idiots through the wall used to work for me until this stupid rule was
put in.' Ranma's eyes boggled. 'Now I have to check myself all the time.'
Ranma nodded in agreement. {This is gonna be a tough school if I can't
take out those idiots with my fists. Which reminds me...}
"So, what's with this 'No Fighting' rule? And why is it yer fault anyway?"
Akane stopped chewing and nearly choked. {Damn. I was hoping he'd forgot
about that.} She swallowed, sighed, and started writing.
'Well, the short version is that Kuno is obsessed with me. When I got here
last year I wanted to join the Kendo Club...'
"Why would ya want to do that? It's a pretty lame martial art, if ya ask
me," Ranma interrupted.
Akane smacked him in the arm. 'I didn't ask you, and I didn't ask Kuno and
that's probably what got me into this situation, okay?' She resumed her
story.
'Anyway, I'm good at Kendo...'
"You're better at Kempo, though. It's a better Martial Art and..."
**Thwack!**
Akane nearly cracked her tablet hitting his head.
"Ite! Why'd ya do that? I was just complementin' ya!"
'I thought you wanted to know why there's a No Fighting Rule?'
Ranma nodded as he rubbed the lump on his head.
'As I was saying, I tried to join the Kendo club last year, but Kuno
wouldn't let me because he didn't think that it was appropriate for girls
to be fighting, even if it's just sparring. It didn't matter how good I
was, I still wasn't allowed to join. They wouldn't even let me show them
how good I was. So, the next week, I showed up at tryouts in full gear, so
they couldn't see who I was. I passed with flying colours. Kuno even took
me on, "Just for fun".' Akane paused for Ranma to finish reading so she
could clear the board and continue.
'He challenged me alright. He went full out and tried to seriously hurt
me. I'm not sure why, but you'd think the president of the Kendo Club
would have more restraint then that. He was crazy. I only won because I
just outlasted him in endurance. When I took off my mask...' Akane stopped
writing when her hands began to tremble.
'He hated me. Everyone in the club hated me. You could see it on their
faces. They started throwing things at me and telling me to get out, to go
back to the kitchen where I belonged. I didn't belong with them. I wasn't
ever going to be good enough to join their club, so stop trying. I
couldn't believe it! I mean, my daddy owns a dojo! I've been training and
practicing since I could walk! How could I not join a martial arts club?'
Akane's shoulders slumped.
'Kuno has always been pestering my family. He used to have a crush on
Kasumi, many years ago. He "got over it" when she graduated and stayed at
home to take care of us full-time. Then he had a crush on Nabiki, and that
lasted until I pulled that stupid stunt with the Kendo Club. Now he's just
been obsessing over me. He wants to "conquer" me, or something like that.
He even tried to grab me and carry me off to his house!' Akane stopped
when her hands started shaking again. Ranma, on the other hand, had
stopped eating altogether.
"You mean this idiot has been stalking you? He sounds seriously deranged
Akane! Why hasn't anyone done anything about him?" Ranma forced himself
to relax before he broke his chopsticks.
'I used to beat the crap out of him. That was a great deterrent until he
got his father to have the principal to put in a "No Fighting" rule at
school. OF course, it applies to everyone except Kuno. And the principal
can't make the rule stick outside of the school grounds. So he used to
attack me on my way to school or to the bus stop. Nabiki put a stop to
that this year with a few protection orders and a new police route. Kuno
can't come near me, even at school since we're in different grades.'
"Okay then, what about the mob every morning?" Ranma asked.
'Kuno's lackeys. Since he can't harass me himself, he gets others to do it
for him. Most of those guys are in the Kendo Club. I guess I hurt their
pride or something. A freaky crippled girl showed them all up a year ago
and they still want their revenge, I guess.' Akane shrugged and nibbled at
her lunch. 'Still, it was a lot easier when I was allowed to fight back
and knock them through the wall,' she lamented.
"Did ya really punch them through the wall?" Ranma asked dubiously.
Akane pointed to the front wall where it had been patched several times and
smiled around a cheek full of riceball.
"Whoa..." Ranma whispered approvingly. "Cool. They deserved it." He
smiled as he dug into his lunch. "I wish I woulda been here to see it."
'Nabiki used to place bets. Mostly on how long it took for me to cream
them all before I made it into the school. Some would actually bet against
me. Nabiki made a lot of money off of those idiots.'
Ranma nodded. "So, all we gotta do now is come up with a away to get these
boneheads off your back without beatin' them up? And what about Kuno?"
'Yes, and I don't know. I've been thinking on it for a few months now as
it is. Nabiki's done pretty good with the restraining orders and the
police watch, but I have to deal with the rest on my own.'
"No, you don't gotta deal with them on yer own, Akane. I can help. Hell,
I'm supposed to be yer iinazuke, remember? I can't just sit around and let
you take these guys on! That's my job!" {Uh-uh...} Ranma saw Akane's face
darken.
'You don't think I can take care of myself? Is that it? I need some guy
to protect me?' Akane's handwriting looked nearly as bad as Ranma's.
"N-no, that ain't what I'm sayin'! I'm just sayin' that you don't gotta do
it by yourself! I mean, what would I look like if I sat back and let my
fiancee get picked on all the time and didn't do nothin' about it?"
Akane blink-blinked a second, and allowed herself to calm down when his
words settled in. 'Oh. I'm sorry Ranma. I guess I misunderstood.'
"That's okay, Akane," He nodded and fished around in his bento, glad he
wasn't going to be wearing it. "I don't always say what I wanna say the
way I wanna say it sometimes, y'know. All I had was my old man to talk to
for the last 10 years, and he's no good with words at all."
Akane nodded and ate a little more of her lunch as well while she thought
about the mess her life had become since the car accident that took both
her voice and her mother's life. Creases formed on her forehead. {It
seems that Kuno's been a pest in our lives just about as long...} she mused.
"Mmmm," Ranma hummed to himself while he ate. "You know, Kasumi makes a
really good lunch! I could get used to going to school just for the lunch,
you know."
Akane smiled and nodded, and wrote some more.
'Be glad I don't fix lunch. I burned down a corner of the Home-Ec room
last week trying to make a cheese sandwich. I'm not a very good cook. But
I can boil water!' She smiled wanly.
"Well, not everyone can be a good cook. My old man only cooks when he has
to and even then I'm the one ending up doin' most of the work."
'Sounds like my father. I don't think he knows how to cook anything other
than rice and cabbage.'
"Really? That's all my old man cooks, too! No wonder he wants me to marry
Kasumi..." {Kuso! I shouldn'ta said that!} Ranma swallowed what he had in
his mouth and looked sidelong at Akane. {Ohmanohman I gotta say something!}
'He really said that? Is he making your decision for you?' Akane wrote
stiffly.
"Well, it was more his opinion. He's always thinkin' of his stomach over
everything else. I guess it's kind of a no-brainer that he'd want Kasumi
for a daughter-in-law." Ranma hoped he'd said the right thing.
Akane looked off into the distance for a bit, then shrugged. 'I guess it
makes sense. Kasumi is the Perfect Wife looking for a husband. All she
does is take care of us. She never does anything for herself. It's a bit
sad, I think. She should get out more.' Akane's handwriting looked a
little squiggly near the end.
"Uh, don't worry about it Akane. Bein' able to cook isn't no big deal.
Not with us Martial Artists anyways. Hell, we can eat anything!" He
pointed his chopsticks into the air for added emphasis. Akane looked at
him warily and then smiled. She waved her hand at him to behave and not
embarrass her.
{Good, she's smiling again,} Ranma inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Besides, The Art is pretty much all we need, right? I mean, if we're
gonna be the ones running the dojo and all, we don't need to worry about
too much else, right?" Ranma chased the few last grains of rice around the
bottom of the bento.
Akane shook her head and wrote for a bit, stopping every so often to grab a
bite to eat.
'No, we'd still need all the math for the bookkeeping and tax records and
stuff. Not to mention all the basics in biology and first-aid for all
injuries, the history to be able to pass on all the history of the Art and
of weapons and techniques, and then there's the Phys Ed. Degree needed from
college nowdays just to open up and run a respectable dojo, and the...'
Akane ran out of space on her tablet as Ranma read over her shoulder. He
rolled his eyes. He knew he wasn't going to get out of school any time
soon with all her crazy ideas for running a dojo.
"Yeah, I can see where you'd need some of that. But history? Really? And
English? C'mon! And you can't tell me Home Ec. is gonna help you run a dojo."
She gestured and smiled a little.
'Well, it might keep me from burning it down.'
Ranma chuckled at the thought.
"Well, we got a year to figure this all out. We don't even have to be the
ones to 'Unite the families', y'know."
Akane nodded, and started to get from her spot when she noticed the Hentai
Hoarde heading their way. She smacked her forehead and pulled on Ranma's
sleeve at the same time.
"What? Oh, great. Didn't they get the hint already?"
'No. They never get the hint.' Akane saw Ranma drop into a relaxed pose
as she glanced at the clock tower. She pointed to the clock.
"What? Lunch is almost over, I know that, Akane. Let's just see what
these losers are up to..." he stopped when he saw her shaking her head.
"What?"
He read.
'They're going to make me late for my bus!'
"Bus? What bus?"
She bapped him with the tablet.
'I go to another school in the afternoon, remember? I have to catch a bus
to get there. It's across town.'
"Oh yeah, that bus." The mob was positioning itself between Ranma and
Akane and the front gate, daring them to cross it. "They do this every
day?" he asked.
Akane nodded and grabbed bookbag and bento. She started walking swiftly to
the mob, a grim look of determination on her face. Ranma watched her walk
across the courtyard and frowned as she was slowly stalked by the enclosing
mass of perverts.
{Fuck this.} Ranma grabbed his bento and ran for Akane. Reaching her just
as the circle closed in on her, he scooped her up into his arms as he did
that morning and jumped over the gate. Her long hair flowed into his face
as he landed, smothering him with a gentle caress scented with peaches.
His thoughts were derailed from anger to something a little...nicer.
"Uh," he said as he set her down. His hand went behind his head as he
started to blush. "I thought that, uh, maybe if they couldn't touch you
gettin' through the gate and all..." he sputtered.
Akane blink-blinked and stared at him, then at the screaming crowd, and
then back to Ranma. She realized what he had done, in front of everyone
(again) looked down as she too felt the full blush hit. Then she hit him
with her tablet.
"Ite! Whad'ya do that for? I was just tryin' to help..." she wrote
quickly and handed him the tablet.
'And just how do you thin you're going to get back to school now? They
aren't going to let you in without a fight, and they won't leave until you
are good and tardy. And then you'll be on bucket-duty for the rest of
class. They're very good at this.'
Ranma looked back at the mob, then to Akane. Then he had an idea.
"Well, I guess you just got an escort to your afternoon classes then." He
took her satchel and started walking down the sidewalk. He stopped when he
noticed she wasn't following him. He jogged back to a rather
stunned-looking Akane. "Uh, aren't you gonna be late for your bus?" She
continued staring at him and pointed in a different direction from where
Ranma had wandered.
"Oh, heh, sorry. C'mon Akane, let's go catch that bus."
Akane shook herself out of the stupor and followed him. She handed him her
tablet again.
'Are you sure you want to do this? I go to a very... different school in
the afternoons. You might feel a bit out of place. And thank you.'
"I feel out of place already at Furinkan. All I need now is for them to
find out about my curse. Then I'll really be a freak. And, well..." he
blushed again. "You're welcome." he said softly.
'This is sometimes a hazardous walk if Kuno is out on the loose. He's not
allowed near me, but I'm allowed to beat him senseless if he does since
we're not on school property anymore. It's nice to have someone to walk
with, though.'
Ranma nodded as they approached the bus stop. He kept an eye out for
anyone that looked like they were going to be trouble. He was good at
trouble. It usually followed him everywhere he went. He just wasn't used
to walking into someone else's trouble, but it felt good being able to do
something about it.
Ranma grinned as they got onto the bus. He felt kind of heroic looking
after Akane like this. It made him feel good inside.
{But I'm not gonna say a word to her about it, no way. She'd prob'ly pound
my head in, saying she can take care of herself. She's one helluva tomboy,
I'll give her that.} Ranma settled into a daydream about Tomboy Warriors
punching out Hentai Hordes and smiled his way to Akane's afternoon classes.
Akane wondered what the hell made Ranma so happy.
*************************************
Ranma at Akane's afternoon classes. Is he really ready for the "Special
Education" school? Is he ready for Akane's other batch of friends? Are
they ready for him? All this and more in the next chapter of "When You're
a Stranger"!
*************************************
More Author's Notes: (Just can't get enough of them!) This is a Draft,
and only a Draft. If this had been the real thing, it would have been much
longer and taken the story further along. But this is only a Draft,
because the author has a bad head cold and it hurts to stare at the monitor
too long. But the rest is coming along nicely. After 30+ pages of notes
and outlines, it had better be coming along nicely...
-Deb "SabreBabe" Matthews