The next morning, Ranko woke up by an angry yell.
"STUPID POPS! Ya had to go and make the first thing after turning back to normal throwing me into the pond, huh? Well, see how you like it, Mr. Panda!"
"What's all the racket?" Ranko murmured while rubbing her eyes.
Akane, also being wakened by the noise, yawned. "Oh, that's just the daily morning spar of your father and brother... it's annoying, but you get used to it."
"Well, I don't like it," Ranko grumbled, jumped out of Akane's bed and walked to the window. "Hey, cut it down, will ya? Some people are trying to sleep here!"
She boggled, however, when she saw how a teenaged girl with red hair, slightly older than herself, with wet clothes that clung to her body, grinned up at her sheepishly and said: "Sorry 'bout that, sis, but Pops always wakes me by splashing cold water into my face and... EH?"
Ranma-chan gasped when Ranko came jumping out of the window, dove at her like a true kamikaze flyer and clung to her body with a joyful whoop.
"I HAVE A BIG SISTER! I HAVE A BIG SISTER!"
"Hey, Ranko, cutitoff, willya? We've been through this already, remember?"
Ranko grinned up at her sister. "I know, but this is the first time I've actually seen you like this... wow, look at how much you look like me! And your hair just changed color like this? But that pigtail... we've got to bring you to the hair salon, sis!"
"Whoa, hold on there, Ranko! I'm not interested in any of this girly stuff, okay? I'm a man, even if I'm like this."
"Well, for a man, you certainly like to misuse that body of yours to distract your opponents quite often..." Akane sneered as she appeared in her window.
Ranma frowned at her. "Unlike some certain tomboy, I have at least some sort of modesty."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane shouted.
"Well, I'm not the one who goes to her window, clad only in her nightshirt..."
Akane flushed a bright red, then an angry look appeared on her face. "Ranma, you perv!" she shouted and smacked her fiance's face with a pillow. Afterwards, she closed the window and quickly put something on.
Ranma shook her head. "Well, at least she didn't use the mallet this time... say, kiddo, how could you just jump down like that? I mean, it's not like you know martial arts..."
Ranko smirked and gestured at the yellow ribbon she was wearing in her hair. "A 'Slow Fall' incantation! Allows me to fall down like a feather."
"Well, that explains it... man, I'm all drenched. I need to get inside, it's time for breakfast anyways. I'm so hungry, I could eat a pig..."
"Oh, that reminds me, I've got to ask Mom something," the young witch said as she let go of her sister and ran inside. "Mom!"
While Akane and Ranma were getting ready for school, Ranko talked to her mother. And Nodoka agreed to search for P-chan, even though she scolded Ranko for the irresponsible use of transformative magic. As a punishment, the young witch had to stay home and study.
For the rest of the morning, Ranko was sitting in the Tendo's living room, over a book that was filled with magic spells, while Kasumi was doing the housework and the two fathers were playing shogi. Nodoka was already on her way to find Akane's missing piglet with a tracking spell.
"Man, this sucks..." Ranko grumbled. Normally, she was always enthusiastic about learning new spells, but the chapter she was currently reading was one of the most boring ones in her book. "I mean, who needs illusion spells? Changing things is much more fun..."
"Oh dear!" Kasumi suddenly shouted from the kitchen. Happy for the distraction of her studies, Ranko leapt up and ran into the kitchen. "What's wrong, Kasumi?"
"Oh, I just noticed I forgot to give Ranma-kun his lunch," she said and gestured at the bag standing in front of her. "And now it's too late to bring it to him..."
"Aw, that won't be a problem!" Ranko grinned. "On Kamikaze, I can bring it to him in no time."
"Oh my, that would be a great help, Ranko-chan... but didn't your mother tell you to stay until you are finished with your studies?"
"Aw, I need a little break," Ranko pleaded. "And I'll be back before you know it... pleeaaassse, Kasumi?"
Kasumi smiled. She just couldn't resist the cute looks of younger children. "Oh, all right, I guess. But make sure to bring it to the right classroom, okay?"
"No problem!" Ranko said and listened while Kasumi told her in which Ranma and Akane were usually having class.
Afterwards, she grabbed Ranma's lunch and Kamikaze and ran outside.
"Time to visit Oniichan, Kamikaze!" she grinned and mounted her broom. "Ezakimak, ylf yawa!" And she and her broom flew up into the blue sky above Nerima.
She didn't know that she was being watched by a pair of attentive eyes.
'So, this is the young girl Mousse told me about...' Cologne thought from her perch atop a high roof. 'She is not son-in-law, that much is clear, and she definitely knows how to use magic... but this is unlike any kind of magic I have ever seen in my life. I need to keep an eye on that girl...'
On another roof, hidden from Cologne's eyes, a black-haired girl of Ranko's age was glaring after the red-headed witch furiously. 'I've finally found you, Saotome... and once I've tracked you down, I'm gonna make you pay for everything!'
And Kyoko mounted her own broom. Actually, it was the broom of her mother, since Kyoko had not completed the exam that witches need to accomplish before they receive their own broomstick.
"Ihsasum, ylf yawa!" she shouted and flew after her rival.
Ranma's morning at school was at least as boring as Ranko's studies had been. Here he was, sitting in front of Miss Hinako and forced himself to pay attention (he didn't want to get reduced to a powerless husk by Miss Hinako's draining powers).
Still, paying attention to the teacher turned out to be unusually difficult this day, since Ukyo, who was sitting close to him, had chosen this day to appear in the usual schoolgirl attire for once... and damn, did she look cute in it.
Ukyo noticed how Ranma was watching her and winked at him. This time, she would prove that she was the cutest fiancee, even if that meant she would have to act more feminine than ever. Yesterday's events had given her confidence an immense boost, and even if she would try not to approach Ranchan in the nude again, she was thankful for what Ranko's little spell had accomplished.
Miss Hinako cleared her throat. "Mr. Saotome, Miss Kuonji, I advise you to stop flirting at once, or else you might give others the pretense that you are deliberately trying to be delinquents..."
Ukyo and Ranma quickly looked back at their teacher.
The rest of the lesson was uneventful... at least until a young red-head appeared in the window with a cheerful: "HI, ONIICHAN!"
While everyone including Miss Hinako stared at the witch on the broomstick in confusion, Ranma could only groan. "Ranko... not now..." he muttered.
"Mr. Saotome... do you mind explaining why this girl is flying in front of our classroom window?" Miss Hinako asked while her eyebrow was twitching. "Flying in front of the window during class is prohibited."
"Yo, Ranma, why does that chick look like you?" Hiroshi asked.
"Yes, did you lose your curse or something like that?" Sayuri wondered.
Ranko grinned. "Nothing like that! I'm Ranma's sister!"
Immediately, everyone in class started chatting.
"Wow, I never knew Ranma had a sister..."
"Yes, and a cute one at that."
"See, Ranma? That's how you should do your hair while in female form."
"You think she'd be interested in a guy like me?"
"How do you think she can fly in the air like that?"
"She must be another martial artist, what else?"
"Do you think they already have martial arts broomstick flying?"
Miss Hinako cleared her throat VERY loudly and VERY impatiently.
"Order, class!"
Everyone was back at his or her seat in an instance.
Miss Hinako walked up to the window. "Miss, I must ask you to come back at a later point of time, your presence is distracting my students from their studies... or are you a new student?"
"Nope, I just came here to bring Oniichan his lunch!" Ranko smiled.
"Um... thanks, sis, but the next time, please try to come during the lunch break, okay?"
"Sure thing!" Ranko grinned. She then waved. "Hi there, Ukyo!"
Ukyo smiled. "Hey, Ranko-chan!"
"RANKO SAOTOME! PREPARE TO DIE!"
Ranma blinked. "Wait a minute... that sounded wrong..."
Ranko turned around while everyone else stood up again and ran to the windows, causing yet another headache for Miss Hinako.
"Class, don't make me take out my five-yen coin!" she shouted.
"Wow, who's that?"
"Another flying girl on a broom?"
"Aw, this one doesn't look like Ranma's female form, too bad..."
"Yeah, but she's a cutie, too... think she'd go out with me?"
"Boys, you know those girls are way too young for you, don't you?"
Ranko ignored the commotion. She glared at the black-haired witch that was floating in front of the Furinkan building.
"Kyoko... what are you doing here?" she asked.
Kyoko grinned. "I'm here for my revenge, what else?"
Akane sweatdropped. Now why did this sound so familiar?
"Revenge? I never did anything to you," Ranko insisted. "Why can't you just leave me alone, Kuno?"
THAT caught everyone's attention.
"Kuno?"
"Did she just say Kuno?"
"She did..."
"Does that make her a sibling of Kuno-sempai?"
"Wait, maybe it's that crazy sister of his..."
"But she's much older..."
"Believe me, that's not Kodachi..." Ranma grumbled. "Just great... another Kuno... the last thing I need. Hey, you! What do you want from my sister?"
Kyoko looked at the pig-tailed boy with mild interest. "So you're that brother she's always talking about, huh? I never believed you actually existed, I just thought she wanted to brag... but you're actually nothing special. You're not even of the magical folk... Anyways, as I was saying, Saotome, I will pay your back for years of humiliation!"
"Kyoko, I honestly don't know what you are talking about!" Ranko protested.
"What about my boyfriend you stole away from me?" Kyoko snapped. "What about the witch exams you always accomplish? Oh, look at me, I've got a broom... you are SUCH a snotty braggart, Saotome!"
"What... is she talking about, Ranko?" Ukyo wondered.
Ranma sighed. "I can tell you... Kuno delusions, that's all!"
By now, the flying girl(s) had caught the attention of a crowd that was much bigger than just Ranma's class. Other Furinkan students were looking out of their windows as well.
"Cousin, did I not order you to stay at home?" Tatewaki Kuno shouted. "You are giving the house of Kuno a bad name with your witchery... now go back home!"
"You can't tell me what to do, Tachi!" Kyoko shouted back and stuck out her tongue. "I'm here for my revenge against Saotome."
"I can understand that, but leave the foul cretin to me and my blade of honor..."
"Not HIM!" Kyoko shouted and gestured at the other witch-girl. "HER!"
Kuno looked down as good as he could, until he saw Ranko. His eyes went wide. "Pig-tailed girl... is that you?"
Suddenly, his body went limp and he fell to the floor with a sigh.
Nabiki pulled back the heavy book she had used to clonk on Kuno's head. "We've got quite enough trouble without you, Kuno-baby!" she said.
Ranko smiled up at her. "Thanks, Nabiki!"
"Anytime, kiddo!" the middle Tendo sister smirked. "By the way, that makes 50000 yen."
Ranko gasped. "WHAT?"
"Don't you ignore me, Ranko!" Kyoko yelled. "I'll show you that I'm the best witch there is."
"Just leave me alone, Kyoko..." Ranko sighed. "I don't want any trouble..."
"Oh, you've already got it," Kyoko snarled. "Let me show you my newest spell... an advanced spell from my mother's book!" She grinned. "You do know the pocket dimension spell to conjure up a beach, right? Well, this spell will conjure up an ocean, too... but it will be the BOTTOM of the ocean! Get a load of this... NAECO ROOLF, SLAROC DNA SENOMENA, HSIF DNA SNAECATSURC, EMOC HTROF!"
"Kyoko!" Ranko gasped. "What have you done?"
Ranma looked around. "Well, what did she do? I don't see anything unusual..."
"Um, Ranchan... don't you think it's getting a bit... wet around your feet?"
Everyone looked down at the floor, and the first gasps and screams of surprise could be heard when every single room within the building was slowly filling with ocean water. Every door and window closed itself shut, and the walls and ceiling slowly changed into rocks, corals and other substances that were part of an underwater landscape.
After realizing that it was futile to try and open the windows, Akane waded over to the door. But it was no use, the water was rising too fast. When it reached her chin, Akane took a deep breath before she and everyone else was swallowed by the water.
By now, all of the rooms and corridors in the school were flooded, and the students and teachers were beginning to panic.
'We're all gonna drown...' Ranma thought. By now, the water had already turned him into a girl, of course. She tried to simply punch a hole into the wall, so the water would be drained, but moving under water wasn't quite an easy feat.
"Everyone is going to die because of your spell!" Ranko shouted. "I've got to save them..."
While she couldn't get inside herself, her spells could still affect them.
Ranko closed her eyes, touched the window and muttered: "Enoyreve ni ereht, nrut otni klofrem!"
Ranma (as well as everyone else) suddenly noticed that she was able to breath again, although she was still under water. She blinked in surprise when a couple of multi-colored fish came swimming past her. She then looked down and realized that her legs were gone... instead she had, from her waist down, a flexible fish tail that was covered with bright, green scales. Instead of her clothes, she was only wearing what looked like a bra made of seashells.
All around herself, she could see that her classmates had turned into mermaids and mermen as well. "That's great..." she grumbled. "Out of everyone, I had to be the Ariel copycat... stupid curse..."
"What happened?" Akane wondered while looking down at her yellow fish tail. "Wait a minute... how can we talk? How can we breathe?"
"Magic, Akane!" Ukyo grinned. "Just go with the flow!" And she flipped around her own, orange-colored tail. She then took a look at the grotto-like classroom, the seaweed-covered teacher's desk and the fishes that were swimming around them. "Isn't that neat?"
Outside, Ranko glared at her rival. "What did you do that for?" she shouted. "You know we can't affect the spells of others... turn the school back to normal, right now!"
"Why should I?" Kyoko huffed. "This spell was a piece of art... and when the stupid non-magic folk get in my way, it's their own damn fault!"
"I don't have the time to fight with you..." Ranko grumbled as she turned around Kamikaze and flew up to the roof. "I need to find another way to get in there..."
"Hey, get back here!" Kyoko shouted. "We're not done yet!"
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(Posted Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:20)
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