Whoo-hoo! I finally got the next part out ;-)

This is still pretty rough - but I thought I should post as it's been so
long since I got anything out the door.  I have the rest of 'Once, Twice,
Three times a loser' _nearly_ finished - all 3 parts of it.

Authors notes: Gender issues may get a little confused.  Ranma thinks of
himself as male in this story.  (And Ranran of herself as female) The
gender pronouns I use will vary depending on the viewpoint of the character
in question.  In other words just because I say 'he' doesn't mean 'he' will
be equipped with the typical parts of a man at that moment.

The bad (good?) news is that there was no room for serious hanky-panky in
this part - hence the 'Lime' rating for some dubious conversations ^_^

I've made some quite significant changes to the latter half of part 2 - but
I don't think they warrant a re-post unless requested.

Yet Another Ranma Twin Story - School Daze

7. SCHOOL!

  "See you at school Ranma!" Ranran said with a smile as she left the
building.

  "School?"

  "We will be here quite a while.  It's required, you know." his dad
pointed out.

  Nabiki headed out with a bag slung over one shoulder.  "I go to the
same school with Akane, meet you later."

  "Nabiki, Wait! I'm coming with" an out of breath Akane managed
before ...

  "What? Ranma's your fiance, it's only proper that you should take him to
school." Nabiki interrupted.

  Ranma and Akane shared a silent look, it seemed that Akane would have
to wait for him to get ready.

- Outside

  Ranran only had to ask directions once, as she made her way to school.
Kasumi's instructions had been pretty clear.  Still it took a little
longer, walking in an unfamiliar area.  Nabiki was just inside the
school gates when Ranran arrived at Furinkan High School, it looked like
she was chatting with one of her friends.

  Surprisingly there was a large group of people in front of the school
building apparently waiting for something.  As she got closer she could
see piles of sports equipment - bats, bokken, protective head wear.

  The snatches of conversation she overheard were also interesting - if
less than totally comprehensible.

  "Reckon today's the day?"
  "...s'pose she'll put out on the first ..."
  "Tall and skinny, she said, do you think that is ..."

  As Ranran passed the school's front gate she was greeted, "Hello
Ranran." Nabiki said coolly and nodded ever so slightly - looking at
something to her right.  Ranran hadn't undergone the last six months
of training with Ranma and dad for nothing, she could tell a signal when
she saw one.

  Turning quickly and smoothly around Ranran was in time to side-step a
bucket of water from a boy who had been hidden behind one of the gate
pillars.  Unfortunately she stepped right _into_ the second bucket of
water thrown from behind her.  The water was cold, of course, and her
subsequent transformation took place in front of half the school.

  "Eeek!"
  "What do you know? She was right."
  "Eeww, what a freak."
  "Hope _that's_ not going to be in my class."
  Apart from the vocal minority, most students just stared.  It wasn't
everyday you saw something like that - her face had become subtlety more
angular, her breasts vanished leaving the shirt she was wearing
completely flat. In the space of a couple of seconds she had changed from
a 6' girl into a slightly taller boy.

  Ranran made her way slowly towards the school building, everyone
parting in front of her and watching as she walked.  The moment seemed to
stretch for ever and she was in a foul mood by the time she reached the
doors.

  "Halt sir, what might you be called?  And why do you seek to enter the
school in such damp and unseemly apparel?"

  Ranran looked down at herself, she had chosen roughly unisex clothes -
but they didn't fit quite so well in her male form and the soaking hadn't
helped.

  "You say naught?  Then I shall speak first.  I am Kuno Tatewaki, rising
star of the kendo tournaments, head of the kendo club.  They call me the
Blue Thunder of Furinkan High"

     **Cra-KRAKA-THOOM**

- A short while back.

  "I don't know you, and you don't know me." Akane stated as she began
the walk to school.

  "You dunt havta tell me that." Ranma replied from his position on top of
the fence.

  "I don't want you being overly familiar with me at school." Akane
explained.

  "Heh, who'd wanna ..."  Ranma replied, oblivious to Akane's reaction "I
hate violent chicks like you."

  Ranma was saved from Akane's wrath - by being hit over the head by his
father.

  "Wazzat for Pop?"

  "Being choosy about women in your position, Ranma!? I have a few words
to say about that!" **Splash** Genma was cut off abruptly, with a sudden
case of 'canal' - something he didn't take easily.

  Ranma's boastful jeering concerning the carelessness of Genma's strike
fell flat as he was splashed by the old lady damping down dust outside her
home.  This led to a slight detour and an introduction to that rare
beast - a martial artist in Nerima with a sense of humour.

  Akane was strangely meek with Doctor Tofu, who had been looking after
her scrapes and bruises since childhood.  He was also a skilled martial
artist, as he had been able to hide his presence completely when he
snuck up on Ranma with the medical training skeleton 'Betty'.

  Shortly after the hot water treatment ...

     **Cra-KRAKA-THOOM**

  "No! It can't be goin t' rain already!" Ranma complained, and indeed
the sky was still relatively clear of clouds.

  "We'd better hurry," Akane said, suiting actions to words. "That could
be trouble.  Thunder out of a clear sky ..."

- At the school

  Ranran had let her temper get the better of her.

  "HOW did you address me?" Kuno asked.

  *Sigh* Ranran gritted her teeth and forced back the first reply that
came to mind.  "Sorry, I'm just a little on edge for some reason."

  "Sorry? It takes more than that to appease me. You will be more sorry
hereafter." Kono said, "I see you bear a weapon, Draw! My rightful anger
will be slaked upon your defeated body!"

- Down the road.

  "This Kuno, what's he like? Is he one of the reasons you say you dislike
boys?" Ranma enquired.

  "That's right" Akane said putting a spurt of energy into her run.

  "I" (passing in front of Ranma) "HATE" (approaching the school grounds)
"BOYS!" (a crowd of teenage boys charge out from between the school gates,
more prepare behind them).

  Akane was greeted with a bunch of confused shouts, and to a mass attack
that was as well planned and executed as any drunken bar fight* "You're
going to make me late!" She complained as she felled her amateur
opponents, two or three at a time they found that determination and a
baseball bat is no match for skill and strength.

  [* - not at all]

  As Ranma watched in bemusement from the top of the school yard wall
Akane wiped her brow, the last of her attackers floored.  But the sound of
fighting continued ...

  Ranran struggled to centre herself, her technique had been disrupted from
the start by the strong emotions running through her heart.  She parried
another flurry of strikes by Kuno, he was getting closer - the force of
his blows driving the air before them.  She hadn't yet been hit but the
rips on shirt and the bruises beneath showed clearly who was winning.
It wasn't fair!, she thought, any other day and in my true form I could
have taken this jerk.

  Ranma held an anxious Akane back, "She wouldna 'preachiate it ya know.
Wants ta fight her own battles."

  Ranran took a chance, letting her guard drop a little.  If Kuno took the
bait she would be hard put to get her sword up to block in time, but she
would also have a chance to put her metal katana to good use directly
against his bamboo bokken.  Kuno struck with the speed and force she had
had been expecting - a decapitated tree and ruined statue warned what
could happen to any normal person unlucky enough to take the full force of
one of his attacks.  Time slowed to a crawl as she made her move ... she
saw the outcome as clearly as if it had already happened ... she had
misjudged the angle and was going to pay the price.

  Akane ducked, as Ranran's sword flew, too close for comfort, past her
head and embedded itself in the wall.

  "STRIKE!" Kuno cried, determined to teach this insolent boy a lesson he
would not soon forget.  His bokken whistled down, and stopped as if
embedded in concrete.

  "You won, now lerrer go." Ranma stated holding the bokken back, a few
centimetres above his sisters shoulder.  Akane standing protectively by
his side.

  "Indeed?" Kuno questioned, "from whom does this lesson on
propriety come? More importantly what is your connection with the
beauteous Akane?"

  "Ranma Saotome, 'm staying at the Tendo's." Ranma answered, letting
Kuno take his weapon back now the moment was over.

  "It cannot be! The pure and innocent Akane, under the same roof as such
a rough mannered lout!" Kuno exclaimed.

  "Whoer ya calling rough mannered?" Ranma asked.  The inevitable fight
foreshadowed by an ominous darkening of the atmosphere around them.

  "Prepare youself!" Kuno shouted - as the rain started to tip down.

  Kuno was never quite sure what happened after that, when asked, the
spectators had babbled some nonsense about a panda.  It was obviously some
underhand trick from that untrustworthy Ranma fellow.

- In the gym's equipment room.

  Ranran was now back to her normal body, courtesy of Genma's timely
arrival.  Unfortunately her injuries remained the same.

  "Are you alright?" Akane asked worriedly, "You should stay out of Kuno's
way, he's very skilled."

  "I could take him." Ranran pronounced, despite present evidence to the
contrary.

  "Yeah, sure ..." Ranma said, "that's why ya are propped up against the
vault horse there - I dunt think you could walk in a straight line right
now.  We'd better get some serious training done later, if you lose to
some jerk like that."

  "That idiot Kuno! Who does he think he is attacking my friend like
that." *Pin-Pon* "That's the class bell!" Akane was out of the door before
she finished talking.

- Classroom 1-F

  "We have two new students today, Ranma Saotome and Ranran Saotome both
recently returned from China.  Ranran! I'm afraid that standard of dress
will not do, it looks like you've been brawling in the street.  Do better
tomorrow. We also do not permit lethal weapons in school, Daisuke will
take it to the vice-principal's office - you may collect it after school."
Their teacher said, looking disapprovingly at her.

  "Oh and, Akane Tendo, Ranma, Ranran? You are late - stand in the hall."

- 2nd story hallway (classrooms for 1st year students).

  Akane glared at Ranma, "This is your fault you know." She jiggled the
buckets that she would be holding up for the next 10 minutes or quarter
hour.

  "My fault?" Ranma said, "How d'ya figure that? Those guys were attacking
you not me."

  "Yeah, but every day I finish the fight _before_ I'm late.  If I'd left
when I was ready instead of having to wait for you I would have been on
time."

  "And if you and Ranma had entered the school before I got there ...?"
Ranran asked, "Perhaps I would be in A&E by now having my arm stitched
up." Ranran paused, and when she saw that Akane seemed slightly shame-
faced, continued talking. "What's the story with him anyway?  Boyfriend,
Ex-?" Ranran asked, holding both buckets with her left hand while she
worked the buzzing out of her sword hand.

  "Him! My boyfriend!" Akane said, glaring at her accuser. "He's just
thinks he is, he's the reason I fight half the school each morning.
He told everyone, 'If you desire to date Akane then you must defeat her in
combat - I will permit no other way'"

- Classroom 2-E

  "Fiance!" Kuno shouted.

  "Their fathers decided they would be engaged." Nabiki explained.

  Kuno's subsequent raving left him a hallway as well. Where he
interpreted 'stand' as 'run along the corridor, up a flight of stairs and
attack Saotome'.

- 2nd story hallway

  Ranma asked, "Ya have to fight Kuno as well every day?"

  "Yes, and I win every time, somehow." Akane replied.

  "Hmm," Ranma pondered, "A guy lets up a lot when he fights a girl ya
know.  I couldna fight you for real."

  Akane glared at Ranma, "Is that so?  How about if they're both girls
then?" Edging toward Ranma with a bucket held ready.

  Ranma tiptoed back smoothly - avoided Ranran's casually outstretched
foot - and jumped over one bucket's worth of water coming from an
unexpected source.

  "Ranma Saotome! I do NOT permit this!" The angry kendoist shouted.
"I absolutely refuse to recognize your engagement to Akane."

  Suddenly they had an audience, "What?! Engaged." - from the male half
of Ranma's class. And from the rest - "How could you Akane? You said you
hated men!"

  The 'couple' under scrutiny had their protests go for naught.
Ranma lead the impromptu procession at breakneck speed down the corridor.
A procession that consisted of; Ranma - still male having avoided cold
water again when Kuno cut Ranma's bucket in half; Kuno shouting
imprecations at his 'cowardly' opponent; Akane (who did not much care for
her classmate's attitude on the two idiots fighting for her attention);
Practically everyone else from the nearby classes.

  It did not include Ranran, who had decided that Ranma should be able to
take care of herself - and didn't fancy getting between Kuno and his
target without some serious extra practice.

  Ranma took the battle to safer ground by jumping out the window -
followed immediately by Kuno.  It was unfortunate that the 'ground' in
question turned out to be a pool ...

- Meanwhile, outside classroom 1-F

  Ranran idly spun the buckets she was holding, interested by the way the
water's surface curved.  She ignored the querulous tones of her teacher -
abandoned by his class, but looked up alertly when she heard someone
approaching.

  "Well, we meet again," Nabiki said, "and how have you found your welcome
so far?"

  Ranran frowned slightly, but said nothing.

  "It must be hard starting afresh in a new neighbourhood - and first
impressions can be difficult to overcome." Nabiki continued with mock
solicitude.

  "I've been spending half my time wandering from dojo to dojo in China,
I think I can cope." Ranran rejoined - but less than wholeheartedly.  The
truth was that the uncomprehending rejection from her fellow students hurt
more than all the bruises she had received from Kuno.

  "I could help, you know.  A few words in the right ears and you'll be
that poor girl affected by a curse beyond her control." Nabiki said,
continuing with a smile that only reached her mouth. "Why, all I want is to
put these misunderstandings behind us."

  "You mean all you want _this_ time." Ranran said, cynically. "And if I
decide I don't want to let you get away with your behaviour that night?"

  "You know how easy misunderstandings can occur, at the moment you are
just thought of as unnatural - perhaps the girls will get the impression
you are a boy using black magic to get into the girl's changing rooms with
them.  It's amazing what impressions you can leave without actually lying."

  "You'll have to excuse me - I think my teacher wants me back." Ranran
said.

- Later, in the school grounds.

  Ranma looked back on his school day, it had sure been packed.  That
pervert Kuno hadn't had to grab her like that in the pool.  Akane had
better stick to hand to hand as her aim with that kettle hadn't been
impressive.  Ranma could have done without still being female when Kuno
met him again (or to be more accurate when Kuno's head met the kettle
Ranma was holding).  'If you defeat me I will give you a date' What sort
of an idiot was he?  Still at least he had the satisfaction of pounding
Kuno into the ground, Ranma reflected.

  "Well, let's head back ..." Ranma said, heading off towards the school
gates with Akane.

  "We're still in the middle of the first class!" Akane said, pointedly.

- Classroom 1-F

  "And so we see that the quadratic equation ..." (Skritch of chalk on
board).

  Ranran concentrated on her work, not that it was particularly hard on
the first day of term.  Her attitude contrasted with the rest of the class
(sans Akane and Ranma) who were buzzing with gossip and heated discussion
over the prior events.  An aerial view of the room would have shown a
circle of calm around the newcomer, nobody wanted to talk to Ranran until
they knew _what_ he or she was.  Judging from their glances and overheard
snippets of conversation the boys had found her height to be intimidating,
and most thought her looks less than impressive even without the whole 'sex
change' thing.

  Ranran roughly crossed out a large section of her work, having dropped a
'-' sign early on.  What do I care? She tried to convince herself. It
isn't as if I'm jealous of the attention Akane has.  And I'm _certainly_
not upset because Ranma gets more attention from boys in his girl-form
than I do as my true self.

  "Ranran.  Ranran Saotome?" The repeated call wore through her
distractions.  "Ah, you are with us - perhaps you would like to answer the
question I've just given?"

  Ranran desperately cast her mind back over the last couple of minutes
... "Er, 42?"

  The class erupted in (mostly) good humoured laughter.  "Not even close,
the correct answer was 'A point of inflection'".

- The following period, Classroom 1-D

  [I don't know how the Japanese school system works - at age 16 do they
take different courses, or does everyone in one class go through the
school together?]

  The teacher looked in disapproval at his new student.  "Ranma
Saotome, you say?  In the future please try to attend school with clothes
in better condition."  The boy's clothes were damp, wrinkled and had bits
of grass sticking to them.

  "Sorry teach." Ranma mumbled, earning another glare.

  "Come on!" Akane urged, hoping to get Ranma to his seat before he got
into any more trouble.

  Ranma had congratulated himself earlier on taking English, after all if
millions of foreigners could speak it it couldn't be _that_ hard to learn.
"Herro, Ranma Saotome is name?" He stumbled, his uncertainty turning the
statement into a question.

  *Sigh* "Close enough.  Now Sayuri, you try."  The teacher had lost much
of his enthusiasm over the years, by now everyone in the class should have
had at least 4 years of English classes.  Judging by their performance
most of them couldn't stop soon enough but there were always a few
holdouts who would take the exams without the faintest hint of aptitude.

  Akane whispered to Ranma as he sat back down. "Don't you know _any_
English at all?"

  "Feh, doesna matter which classes I take.  They're all borin'" Ranma
mumbled as he tried to slip further out of sight behind his desk.

  "How are you going to get work with that attitude?" Akane inquired,
showing a little concern in her voice.

  "Gunna be a martial artist o' course.  Torn'ments, challenges, training
trips and when the world knows _I'm_ da best... Mebby settle down in a
dojo." Ranma explained.

  "Is that really what you want?"

  Ranma continued, perhaps neglecting to consider exactly who he was
talking to. "'Spose so, gunna be the Tendo Dojo I end up with now - thanks
to getting lumbered with some chick against my will.  Why pop thinks he
can tie me down with some uncute girl I'll nev'r know."

  "Ranma Saotome, leaving early." The English teacher noted, having tracked
his flight through the window.

8. 'PSYCO' ANALYSIS

  The teacher for this period was giving a well worn lecture on Japanese
history, something about early trading relations with the Portuguese.  He
seemed quite un-enthusiastic about explaining it, and the students were
paying even less attention than usual.

  Ranma ducked a stray paper aeroplane, as he held his head in his hands,
both elbows firmly planted on the desk and slumped forwards.  At least
I'll get some rest today he thought as he tuned out the babble around him.

  "... and so we can see the influence of ..."
  "... hear about Kuno this morning? They say he ..."
  "... such words indicate the amount of ..."
  "... nice butt, too.  Who is he?"
  "... at the legs on her! Pity she's not in a skirt, eh?"
  "... welcome to the freak - didn't you see ..."
  "Dare you to do it!" "Double-dare back at you!"

  A pencil case slid along the floor behind Ranma, followed - somewhat
reluctantly - by a girl with long black hair.  Behind her a small group of
her friends were giggling and watching.  As she passed Ranma ...

  "GAH!" Ranma exclaimed loudly, if not intelligibly, the remains of his
desk settled to the floor in front of him.  When the teacher looked up for
the source of the disturbance everyone was seated and studying diligently
except for the unfortunate martial artist who was standing, bolt upright
with a look 50% bewilderment to 50% shock.

  The teacher pulled down his reading glasses to get a better look.
"Perhaps you would like to explain yourself Mr. ..."

  "R-Ra-Ranma Saotome, Sir." Ranma replied looking nervously around. "I
ah, that is to say I was, I mean someone."

  "Do try to get to the point."

  Ranma blushed, "I was just startled.  Sorry about this." He apologised,
one hand held to the side of his head as he absentmindedly stirred the
wreckage of his desk with one foot.

  "Hmm, well you do seem a little distracted - perhaps you ought to see
the school's counsellor in the next break period.  It's the room next to
the Vice Principal's." Their history teacher said - taking the opportunity
to pass on a problem student to someone else, "Now if everyone will turn
to page 305 we will see how the events ..."

  Ranma knocked on the door nervously, there was a short pause before...

  "Come in!" A cheerful voice came from the room, "It's not locked."

  Inside was the traditional couch, a desk and a comfortable looking
armchair occupied by a bearded fellow with large rimmed glasses smoking a
pipe.  "Please take a seat, now what appears to be the problem?  You don't
mind this do you?" The counsellor indicated, gesturing with his pipe. "I
find it lends a little bit of authority to my appearance."

  "Nah, that�s alright." Ranma replied, sitting gingerly on the edge of the
couch and swinging his feet back an forth. "Got inta a bit of trouble in
class - wazna my fault, but the teacher sent me here."

  "Really? What sort of trouble?" asked the counsellor, as he pulled the
bolt across on the door, "Frightfully bad show if we get disturbed in
session eh?"

  Ranma's gaze slipped around the room in self-sought distraction.  A
diploma on the wall, class photo from some university on the desk, ...
He did wonder just why a high school needed a counsellor...

  *Cough* - Ranma looked back to the counsellor and saw him waiting
patiently for him to say something.

  "Ah, well, I sort of broke a desk."

  "A-hah," was the mumbled comment - as he noted something down in a
small report book.

  "I was just a bit on edge and someone startled me."

  "A-hum, please go on, exactly how were you startled."

  "Well, this is in conf'dence right?" Ranma asked.

  "Certainly, certainly my boy - why it would be more than my job's worth
to breathe a word of this to anyone else.  Unless you want me to, of
course."

  "It was a girl."

  "Such is often the case I find, the many ways in which their enchanting
bodies tempt and distract us - is it any wonder that some men are led
astray?" the counsellor asked, rhetorically - leaning forward attentively.

  "No! It wasna like that - I was just minding my own business and she
grabbed my backside!" Ranma exclaimed.

  "And how did that make you feel?"

  "How do you think it made me feel!? Embarrassed of course."

  "Reeaallly ...," (writing down something about suppressed urges) "so you
broke the desk in a fit of embarrassment at being assaulted by a pretty
girl?  She was pretty wasn't she?"

  "I s'pose so." Ranma said, thinking back to the brief look they had
shared.  She had seemed almost as embarrassed as him - along with some
other emotion, "but I think broke the desk 'cause I was already on edge."

  "Please, lie back and try to relax, I think we may be making progress
here."

  "Err, OK" Ranma swivelled round and lent back on the couch - the end of
which angled up to support the 'visitor's' head.

  The counsellor continued, now standing to the side, and behind Ranma
where he couldn't be seen. "Now could you tell me in your own words why
you were on edge today?"

   Over the next ten minutes or so the counsellor restricted himself to
occasional prompting and took notes:-

  'training trip in China, estranged from mother.'
  'idiot dad, close relationship to sister - possible case of attention
transferance?'
  �denial of sexual urges� (circled idiot dad above, and drew a line to
it).
  'forced enagement, dellusions of _gender_switching_'
  'public sexual contact with a _sister_ of the engaged - while believing
himself to be __female__'

  The counsellor glanced at his watch, "Well - this has been interesting
Ranma.  As you know it is only natural to want to kill your father"
(Ranma snorted in agreement) "and fuck your mother" (Ranma's eyes bulged
unable to believe what he had just heard) "your case is complicated in
that your mother has been unattainable for the last 10 years and so you
have naturally turned to your sister as the object of you base physical
desires." (Ranma sits up from the couch) "Now this is where it gets tricky
- when your sister spurred your sexual advances this caused you to replace
your actual sister with an idealised one." (Ranma edges towards the door,
but the counsellor was there first) "You will come, in time, to realise
that you do not turn female - you project upon _yourself_ your own
unobtainable desires." (Ranma pushes rudely past the counsellor and pulls
the door off it's hinges) "As for your attitude inviting girls to grab
your backside in public - that is simply a sign of your tendency to
exhibitionism and masochism and is of little concern." The counsellor
finished, raising his voice a little so Ranma could still hear as he ran
off down the corridor.

  As Ranma rushed to rejoin his class he almost ran over his history
teacher.

  "Sorry about the mixup Ranma.  I forgot that she wasn't due back till
next week." He apologised.

  "She?"

  "You know, the counsellor - Ms. Keiko Suzuki.  She's not back from
holiday yet.  To be honest a lot of the time she doesn't do much more
than smile reassuringly and hand out lollipops.  Are you alright Ranma?
You've gone very pale."

  Luckily Ranma made it to the toilets before he threw up.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Rambling post story notes.
--------------------------

I doubt the phoney counsellor will make a reappearance, but I thought it
was a fun gimmick ^_^

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