It wasn't until he saw the panda grumping down the stairs and felt the raging thoughts of Akane that he reailsed what had happened--and what was about to. He calmly walked into the kitchen and helped Kasumi serve, letting Akane stew. If he did this long enough, she'd only snarl as she blamed him for not being asleep where she was splashing.
(And that's a heck of a lot better than Air Akane. Akane no baka.) O o . Was the thought he kept from showing on his face. Nabiki meanwhile watched the scene intently, with overt glee at the improvement in Ranma's tactics and perception. Frankly, she was getting interested in him all over again, since he was a LOT smarter than before.
In all fairness, she did admit that his stubborness and lack of education mousetrapped him, so it wasn't like Tatewaki, but the fact remains--Baka athletes turn Nabiki OFF. Heck, she woulda started the delicate business of making sure any flirtation was seen as harmless to the Fiancees, or better yet unseen AS flirting, but she was as yet uncertain what gender Ranma liked now.
Ranma simply let people think what they thought, unless it intruded or involved him (akane's rage earlier doign *both*). He ate silently, using TK to slick up Genma's chopsticks whenever he made a move on Ranma's food. For his own part, Ranma practiced his speed by feeding Genma his own food while eating his own. It took the entire meal for the Ass-Master to realise this. Ranma's departure to school was unhurried for a change, on time, and accompanied by the wailing praise of Soun and the grumbles of a Panda. His opinion? . o O (Mission, Complete)
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Hinako finished putting on her old dress over her slinkiest underwear, bought for just such a happy day as this. Admiring the nose-bleeder effect her flexing supply would create, she commented to herself "Not that I'm *too* perverted, like Master Happosai, but if I'm gonna keep fitting in at Furinkan--and touch base with Ranma--I'll have to be completely outrageous. At least I got the *bod* for this route!" Then she packed her lesson plans and skipped into the alley. By Stepping disk. As the lass herself said mid-transit, "Gotta keep in practice!"
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Over at Furinkan, Akane stormed over, trashing a cluster of boys in sports gear in her fury and hurry to not have to see that Baka Ranma. "All his fault!" she bellowed as she trashed the boys then ran in.
Sayuri and Yuka just sighed heavily and apologised to the aghast coach of the neighboring school's baseball team, explaining both the daily challenge of days past and that Akane.. well..
"Sorry, Coach Nimouta, but Akane's a sweet girl, she's just a violent maniac at times!" said Yuka, drawing a double-take from Sayuri. In tones unconsciously borrowed from the Ice Queen, Akane's other main supporter sighed out "Yeah, Yuka, like that explains everything."
The Coach simply shuddered and said "That's quite all right. Please extend our medical bills and apologies to Koucho Kuno, will you? I think it best we never play your team, if that's what the fans are like." He then left, pausing only to help his mangled team get back on the bus.
The pair just sighed deeply in unison. The rate it's going, Furinkan was going to be persona non grata in every sense--financially, scholasticallly, and athletically. Needless to say, *some* people--
"YES! The varlets of yet another school refuse to sully themselves by staining the arena of sport with their inferiority!" Kuno Tatewaki had, as they say, arrived, and was in full Rampant Ego Mode before he even saw any of his death-wishers 'loves'. Sayuri and Yuka decided this one was best seen from the sidelines, prefeably a window at least 3 stories up! They headed in that way to witness (from a safe distance) what promised to be a really bad one.
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Hinako swayed in a moment or so later. This was all considerably earlier than usual for a Ranma arrival, but as a Teacher, Hinako did have to get her notes and all set up. Besides, this time she was gonna be able to enjoy using a fully grown mind and voice in teaching the maniacs of Furinkan proper English! . o O (Maybe I should toss in Russian lessons, not like I shouldn't use the mundane added talents from all this...) With that thought, she crossed the yard, ignorong both the nosebleeds of the males there and the ranting of Tatewaki. That would lead to deep trouble.
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Ranma was on the fence, talking with Nabiki. Everyone that might have listened in--didn't, thanks to a light aura of disinterest he kept flaring out but protecting Nabiki from. "Kinda like a Somebody Else's Problem field?" Was Nabs' reaction after he explained the lack of getting splashed or eavesdropped on.
He confirmed it with a brief "Yep. I'm not doing this often, mind you, but I wanted to make sure you're okay with this."
"Sweet of you, but I'm the cause of this, not that it's bitten you on the ass--yet, at least." she shot back to the Great Pigtailed One as they apporached the highschool from Hell at a leisurely pace. This, despite Ranma not just walking the fence, but leaping from wall to fence to roof to sidewalk.. "Might I dare ask why you're like a cricket on serious drugs?"
Ranma grinned, as he did backflips on the fence. "Just testing out a few of my changes, and it checks out. Seems my kinesthetic sense is literally a hundredfold better than before. That puts it over even Jean's old level. I'm now spatially aware enough to play Jehuty--and do it well!"
Nabiki simply shook her head wearily, amusement in her eyes belying the exasperated expression she painted over her face. "Trust you to actually enjoy the thought of that level of frag-flying chaos! I swear, Saotome, some things never change!"
As Ranma and Nabiki entered Furinkan's grounds and he opened his mouth to reply something like "As it should be.", it all went to Hell in a bucket. Ranma was before and to the side of Nabiki, Hinako, carrying lesson plans and her fighting fish (as cover for her maturity) passing across their path some 6' ahead.
Unfortunately, that's about where Kuno was.
Hinako had her mental shields up, of course, ingrained habit from the part of her copied over from Illyana. Meanwhile, Kuno-land was not giving any warning. Ranma Saotome was about to learn the lesson given to telepaths by the Crimson Commando, that being that 'a mind that doesn't plan can't have its moves read off it.'
Case in point. Kuno saw Ranma, slashed up his bokken as they approached another 2', which in turn knocked the jar of Fighting fish open and towards Nabiki, all while suddenly shouting and thinking *LOUDLY* o O ("HALT! FOUL SORCEROR, You Hast Done.. Whatever You Hast Done, For The Final Time, As I, The Blue Thunder Of Furinkan..") And so forth for another few seconds. Ranma was too psychically assaulted with the twisted thoughts of the Delusional to TK the jars, which left only one option.
Instinctively, he stepped directly in front of it all, taking the splash as he caught the jars. This led to a gasp from Yuka, Sayuri, Akane, and all others that looked out the windows hearing Blowhard rant his rant, for instead of the petite, browneyed redhead-with-a-rack they expected, Ranma actually *GREW* a couple inches, filling out her Chinese getup very nicely as she stared at Kuno with a Fury in her Emerald Green eyes. Also, she was as caucasian as they get.
Before anyone could ask him what the deal was, Kuno ranted on (that being his forte). "Oh, but what a horror! The fool Foul Sorceror Ranma" (By now, of course, Hinako was livid and heading to purple) "..has ensnared a evil gaijin slut as some foolish substitute so he may have his way with my beloved Osage No On-"
One would expect the interruption of that last to be Ranma's fist, foot, or elbow. One would be wrong. Instead, the still-adult Hinako was now lashing her tail, red skin showing a fierce violet where her flush of fury would be reddening in a human body, and skimpy spiked silver armor having replaced all her human-style clothing. Oh yes, she also had a Black-hilted Katana blade with the hiragana for 'Soul' and the kanji for 'Magick' emblazoned on the blade held right at Tatewaki's throat.
"Foul Sorceror? Tatewaki No Ahou! Ranma Saotome is *NOT* a Sorceror, but I *AM* a Demon Sorceress, and I have *HAD* it with you! The fucking Kami have had it with you, Bakayarou! If you are Heaven's Own, then I challenge you! You win I let you strike me down, but *when* you lose, you shut the FUCK up and you STAY silent and start NO fights for ANY reason for the remainder of this school year! Refuse, and I strike you down like the coward you are!"
Tatewaki was horrified at first, but when it comes to denial, he was as bad as ever, proving it a second later by screaming madly "DONE! Now I see proof that Ranma Saotome's foul sorcery-" (Ranma was exerting all her TK, belatedly, to prevent Hinako from blatantly killing the idiot, however much he deserved it) "is like unto that of the Horror, Happosai, whose perversions are totally without any redemptions-" (Now Hinako was a deeper purple than S'ym) "and summons demons! No matter, I accept and will prove I, the undefeated, and always true and always right. The Wrath of the Heavens moves slowly, but now it is HERE!"
Ranma just held her face in his hands, muttering "Buddy, you have *NO* idea just how true that is." and noting idly it's even Jean's voice he's got now..
Nabiki smoothly stepped in, saying "This is a formal challenge, as such:"
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(Posted Fri, 24 Oct 2003 07:32)
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