Watch her assignment run out of the house to school, Mara pondered

Written July 19, 2001

Finished August 3, 2001

Thanks to David Johnson, Tom Hackwood, Brian Randall, Jeremy H. Fogelman

Watching her assignment run out of the house to school, Mara pondered. *Something strange is going on and I feel like a pawn. Dammit! I’m a First Class Demoness for crying out loud. I’m supposed to be the one moving the pieces not the one being handled!* she mentally raved. Not wanting to return to Hell so soon empty handed, she decided to scout out her prey since the morning was a total waste after seeing her target change gender. Floating into the air, she took off after Ranma and the two Tendou sisters. *At least I’m sure Ranma is a guy.*

Running to school, Ranma felt that he was being watched but a glance behind him showed that the streets were empty. Having been training with Genma for over ten years, he acquired a special sixth sense since the Saotome patriarch liked to try and sneak up on a person all the time either in the guise of training or borrowing something and returning it at a much later time.

Seeing her prospective fiancée distracted, Nabiki thought it was the perfect time to ask him someone that was bugging her since they left, "Can I ask you a question, Ranma?"

"Huh?"

Taking that as a yes, she continued to press for more information. "Why are you up there?"

"Where?" Ranma answered in a detached way, his eyes constantly roving the ends of the street on guard for some unseen threat.

Nabiki grimaced at the answer she got. *He's not what I would call husband material,* she thought. "Why . . . are . . . you . . . walking . . . on . . . the . . . fence?" she asked slowly. *Maybe Akane was right about Ranma just being a dumb jock.* Shaking her head of that notion, *But he can't be. I know Kasumi and she would never go for someone younger than her if he weren't mature. Can I be wrong? Does Kasumi really like this boy or was I just seeing things? At least he stopped running. I don't think I could have kept up with him.*

Next to Nabiki, Akane was giggling a bit. The scene that was being played out in front of her was too funny. She started to frown when she remembered why he was here in the first place. One of them was supposed to be his fiancée, though it seemed that Kasumi wanted the engagement. "I still can't believe Oneesan used the formal tea set," Akane muttered.

Blinking a few times, Ranma finally realized that Nabiki was asking him a question. "Oh this?" Ranma replied. Seeing Nabiki nod her head, he continued, "Balance practice. Oyaji said that anything can be used to practice the arts." After replying, Ranma started to look around again. The feeling was getting stronger but there was also something else, something at the corner of his mind.

Moaning to herself, Nabiki was almost convinced that Ranma was a scatter-brained nitwit. The only thing that stopped her from believing that avenue of thought was her belief in Kasumi. *There has to be something about the boy other than his looks that Kasumi sees,* she thought. *That or I was right and Kasumi has become delusional, after being isolated from people her age for so long.* She heard of cases where housewives had fallen for younger, more handsome guys after being ignored by their husbands. Those soap operas and romance novels, Nabiki swore, that Kasumi read and watched sometimes didn't help.

In Nabiki's mind she imagined Ranma in a dashing pirate outfit with Kasumi clinging to his leg as he exclaimed, "I can't believe this is not butter," and taking a bite from the toast that Kasumi had slaved over to prepare the younger man. Shaking her head to clear it, Nabiki stopped for a second before kicking the fence the pigtailed martial artist was on, "PERVERT!" she shouted before getting a hold of herself and blushing a bit in embarrassment.

Leaping off the fence, Ranma landed in front of the middle Tendou sister with an odd look on his face. "Huh?"

Surprise turned to anger as Akane witnessed her sister's outburst. Here was the Ice Queen of Furinken High, the manipulator, the mole, and a few other choice nicks that Nabiki had gathered over the years shouting at the top of her lungs that the pigtailed youth was, in fact, a pervert. There was only one question in her mind and that was how much pain she should be handing to the short life of the aqua-trans-sexual boy. She might just mallet him if he took advantage of Nabiki but if he had tried that on her sweet eldest sister, Kasumi, Ranma wouldn't live to see the next sunrise.

Feeling heat radiating from his right, Ranma looked to see a very pissed off Akane. There was a sizable aura around her and before today he didn't think possible. Backing away from her and holding up both hands in a "I didn't do it" gesture while puzzledly asking, "What?" For some reason this whole morning had been very strange.

Seeing her younger sister extremely angry and knowing that it was her fault, Nabiki tried to calm the raging inferno. "Relax, Akane. He didn't do anything; I was practicing
in case he does. Save your energy for the Hentai Squad." Nabiki prayed the last part would do the trick.

Clenching her fists, she screamed, "I HATE BOYS! DIE!" and charged the gates of the school that they were nearing.

Feeling the danger pass, Ranma let out a sigh of relief. "What was that about?" he asked.

"Hehehe . . . well Akane is a bit protective of the family and thought that you were molesting us," Nabiki blurted out. *This is not turning out to be a good day,* she thought to herself.

"Hey! Wait a minute, I didn't do anything," Ranma hastily protested, though to Nabiki it was more forceful than it needed to be.

*Could Ranma and Kasumi be doing the midnight rumba?* she thought, blushing again. *Stop it. That's the second time you embarrassed yourself. "Don't worry about Akane," Nabiki advised, seeing as how this was the only way to repay Ranma for the trouble she caused him with her outburst and at the same time placing the Ice Queen persona on before getting to school. "This happens every day. If you don’t hurry you might be late," she advised. With her favor granted, she headed inside. She had a feeling that with the arrival of Ranma her revenues would be increasing.

"Akane! I love you!"

"Feel the love of my fist, Akane!"

"Oh how it pains me to hurt you Akane!"

"Date me, Akane!"

"I'm your love slave!"

"Taste the lips of passion!"

Making his way to the entrance of the school, Ranma had to shake his head. It had to be a curse he thought to himself. A movement near a bunch of trees caught his attention as he passed by. *Just when I thought I had left the entire weirdness behind me in China,* he thought. *Beat a person up over there and they kill you. Beat them up over here and you date them.* Ranma sigh before heading in.

Having finished the last of the boys, Akane huffed a bit. *That hit the spot. I needed to let off some steam,* she thought with a smile. Glancing around for her next opponent, she reacted before she knew what was happening as a blur sped towards her from the right. After catching the rose, Akane stared distastefully at the thrown flower. Turning to face her next opponent, she happened to notice that Ranma was idly walking by the spot where Kuno had decided to make his grand appearance.

Knowing that Kasumi wouldn't be safe as long as Ranma was around and wanting to keep her promise to Kasumi, Akane grimaced for what she was about to do.

"What a boorish lot to think that they could defeat the fair Tendou Akane. Come to me my graceful butterfly. After I defeat you and have proving myself to thee, I shall take you on a date! For tis no one but I that can claim you. Aren't I . . ." Kunou exclaimed to the world but stopped as he saw Akane fall to her knees. He was about to rush to his Beloved when she stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"Oh fair knight. My heart cries out to you but alas yesterday my poor father in a moment of weakness hath pledged not only myself but my sisters as well to that . . . " Akane could not think of a word to described Ranma. In all the plays she had been in, mostly acting as Romeo, there really wasn't a word for pervert. "That dastardly tramp and highwayman of women's virtue has taken our honor. For if one of us do not wed him my hon . . . no my family's honor would be tarnish. Won't you seek to smite him, M'lord?" Akane begged. Inwardly she was impressed with her acting since joining the thespian club but another part was screaming at her for begging Kunou of all people for help. *Even though he isn't as good as me, he is still the second best martial artist in Nerima,* she thought.

Mad was not a powerful enough word, nor was furious to describe what Kuno was feeling. Something a little stronger was needed to describe the turmoil that Kuno had upon learning that a boy had dared to soil not only his beautiful goddess, Tendou Akane, but what made him more livid was the fact that he was brash enough to manhandle the sweet, calm and serene Kasumi as well.

There was an unspoken rule that most students learned concerning the Tendou family. Never pick on Akane if you hate waking up in the hospital. The middle sister, Nabiki, on the other hand will never cause you physical harm but will rather talk, threaten and suck you dry of every yen you had. Now lastly there was Kasumi. There were more than a few students who admired the eldest sister for her devotion to her family. Not only that but also the fact that she baked the best cookies in the entire ward of Nerima. Usually as an apology to those who were forced to eat Akane's cooking.

Remembering those cookies that the fair angel had brought to him when he had mysteriously fallen sick due to food poisoning, which was strange since he had an immune system impervious to all common and a few rare poisons courtesy of eating Kodachi's cooking for years. He had no doubt that it had to be Kami-sama's way of punishing him for not finishing the muffins that Akane had baked especially for him since that day, the students were supposed to be making cookies in Home Ec.

Seeing that his villain had forfeited the right to honorable combat, Kuno decided to charge the womanizer without his customary speech.

Hearing the entire schoolyard go silent, Ranma looked around to see Akane on her knees weeping and that strange boy charging at him with a bokken. Leaning to the side, the first slash missed Ranma by a good foot. "Hey! What did I do to you?!" Ranma shouted in confusion. For some unknown reason everyone was getting mad at him today.

In the skies above, Mara had been tracking the pigtailed youth all the way to school and was able to catch the youngest Tendou's act as well as the beginning of the battle between a mysterious bokken swinging boy and her target. Feeling the anger emanating from the boy with the wooden stick, Mara closed her eyes and bathed in the heavy emotions. For moment of bliss was cut short as the skies above thundered and started to shower the earth.

Feeling a drop touch his nose, Ranma looked up and groaned. *With the way things have gone this morning, revealing my curse to the entire school would be the icing on the cake,* he thought.

At this particular moment several things happened at once. Ranma was tackled into the school by a huge object. The same lumbering object had to go through the craze stick-wielding boy, knocking him unconscious and leaving footprints all over his body. Seeing that the show was over, the rest of the student body headed inside, the only two people that were still in front of the school were a kneeling Akane and an unconscious Kuno, both soaking wet.

"This is all your fault RANMA!" Akane yelled at the heavens.

Above them, Mara was irritated. Just when things were getting good a thunderstorm had to ruin everything. Seeing that no more fun would be had here, she decided to head back down to hell and give her superior a report. That and make sure there were no more surprises in the near future.

Up in Heaven, Skuld smiled. *That'll teach Mara to meddle in my first assignment,* she thought. *Soon, I'll get promoted pass Urd.* Doing a little dance of victory, Skuld wiped a tear of joy out of her left eye. Skipping back to her work, she couldn't wait to rub it in her sister's face.

* * * * *

Looking into the skies, Kasumi was bored. After spending over a year with Ranma, the lack of his presence made her a little moody. Though only the goddess that gave her the wish knew of her trip back in time. That made her so since she had no one to confide in. This wasn't something she could actually talk to anyone about and the few who would believe her weren't around yet like grandpa Happosai. What made it even lonelier was her house did not have the essence of her Ranma clinging to it.

Blushing at her line of thoughts, Kasumi went out to the shed, set on a course of action.

Taking in the peaceful presence, Soun smiled. *It's good to have you back, Saotome* he thought. The Tendo Training Hall will finally be filled with the energy of battling martial artists. It was one of many actions he regretted letting slip out of his grasp.

Looking out into the yard, Soun happened to discover his eldest daughter walking into the dojo. *What is she carrying?* he thought to himself, watching Kasumi hug the unknown object to her chest..

Entering the training hall, Kasumi first went to the shrine and did a quick prayer for the well being of her family as well as the Saotome family. Looking around, the Dojo felt a little alien to her. The one she remembered was not so wholesome. Smiling at the memory of Onna-Ranma and Akane first match, Kasumi closed her eyes and tried to visualize what had happened so long ago to her.

What Soun saw when he went to check on Kasumi a little later was his daughter nodding her head and stepping back and forth, almost like she was dancing oh so slowly to a hidden beat.

Tilting her head slowly to her left, Kasumi dodged the fist that slowly came at her from the imaginary Akane. Bending her knees, adjusting her right footing she sidestepped the kick that her youngest sister had launched. As the memory moved forward in slow motion for the eldest Tendou she was unaware that she had a lone spectator. Kasumi knew that she would never be as good as Ranma in the Arts nor achieve the level of speed and strength Akane seemed to have but as she moved to avoid the snail like replay of the first fight between her fiancée and Akane, with her taking Ranma's place, Kasumi knew that it was time for her to accept part of her family's heritage. As the fight neared its finale, Kasumi's mind switched place so that now she was acting the part of Akane. Seeing that she had Ranma trapped, with his back to the wall, and knowing that this was the best opportunity to strike, Kasumi attacked the imaginary Ranma with all her might.

Shock was the perfect word that could be used to described Soun's face. His peaceful, gentle Kasumi had just created a hole in the wall of his Dojo. The expression that Soun would have expected when he saw his eldest open her eyes was one of horror or something similar. What he was not expecting was a smile.

Opening her eyes, Kasumi smiled. She had created a hole approximately where Akane would have created one with her fist had she attempted to fight Ranma that first day. Looking at the hammer in her right hand, she knew that this was the only way she could have even hoped to create a hole since her hands were not up to the task of making one herself. Seeing that the Dojo had its fist inauguration in honor of the arriving Saotome and the first step to becoming what she remembered it to be, she turned around intent on getting materials to make repair to the hole she had created when she say her Otousan looking between the hole and herself in shock. "Oh my! Father, let me take you back inside. What you need is a nice hot cup of green tea," Kasumi advised soothingly.

"Yes. That's exactly what I need. I think all this excitement after seeing my friend Genma has gotten to me. I could swear you just punched a hole into the dojo with a hammer."

"Otousan, you're so silly," she giggled, hiding the hammer behind her back while leading he father back into the house with her left arm. Kasumi was happy that things were starting to get back to normal. *Now I just need to find out a way to let tell Nabiki and Akane that I really want this relationship.*

* * * * *

It took some time but Ranma finally found out where the principle's office was and had registered. *Stupid, Oyaji! I can't believe him of all people telling me to choose after only knowing all three Tendou sisters for two days.* As he looked at the signs above each door, he knew that he was getting close to his homeroom. As he turned the corner, a few doors down he saw Akane and a few other students holding buckets. *What's all that about?* he thought to himself.

Most of the students were busy trying to get answers out of the youngest Tendou but Akane was busy using her left foot, which was currently attached to a kendoist's away from her.

Ranma noted that Akane and Kuno were still wearing their wet uniforms.

By chance Akane saw someone coming towards her out of the corner of her left eye. *Oh great, someone else to bug me,* she thought until she saw that the student was Ranma. Just looking at him made her mad. Just thinking about what had transpired only half an hour ago made him brimming. She had to beg Kuno to kill Ranma and the only thing she got from it was humiliation in front of the student body, getting soaked and being late. "This is all your fault Ranma!" she yelled, pointing her right hand at him, totally forgetting the bucket in her hands as she splashed the student next to her.

Hearing Akane shout at him, Ranma wondered what he did this time but could only laugh as he saw a comedy play out in front of him.

Hearing Ranma's name, Kuno has stopped in his pursuit of the fair Akane and turned to see the fiend, Ranma. Without Kuno to counter the force she exerted with her left foot in keeping the kendoist away, Akane stumbled. Unluckily for her, she stumbled into Kuno's arms. The girl that Akane had splash, retaliated but missed Akane when she stumbled and hit another student that lead to a water fight. As the fight continued around them, Kuno didn't notice since he was holding Akane in his arms and just added to the ever growing level of water by weeping in joy.

Not wanting to get wet, Ranma slowly started to walk backwards, with a bewildered look on his face. As he reached the corner, Ranma pivoted, turned a quarter and started to walk quickly back to the Tendou Training Hall, the place he now called home. "Maybe Kasumi can explain to me what just happened?"

*Can this day get any worse?* Akane thought in misery as she looked down dejected. A sudden flash behind her answered that question when she heard her sister cheering her on.

"Go, Akane!" Nabiki shouted, a grin plastered to her face. *I knew these extra rolls would come in handy.* A flash after flash furthered illuminated the hallway, Nabiki couldn't but help laugh. *This is too funny,* she thought.

"Let go of me, Kuno!" Akane shouted as her right eye started to suddenly twitched violently the longer the kendoist held her.

To Kuno's delusional mind, he thought his raging beauty cry out never to let her go. "Akane Tendou, my love, I will never let you go!" Kuno replied in ecstasy. "This is the happiest day in my life. Akane has proclaimed her love for me and I, Takewaki Kunou do accept thy love. With his right hand still holding Akane, oblivious to her struggles to get free, the rising water level due to the water fight and the ever-present crowd that kept growing, Kuno pulled out a wad of yen and tossed it to Nabiki. "Oh my sister to be, please find the nearest flower shop and buy me a dozen… no dozen of dozen roses and a priest for this day Akane shall be mine!"

Seeing the sight in front of her, Nabiki laughed so hard that she almost couldn't stand. Deciding to count the money Kuno had tossed her way, her eyes bulged out of their socket. There was close to a quarter million yen in her hands. A spectrum of feelings went thought the Ice Queen, the most prevalent was shock, laughter and greed. Seeing that she had a reputation to uphold and that the day was ruined anyways, Nabiki headed to the nearest flower shop. Who was she to tell her younger sister whom to date or marry?

The crowd of students hearing Kuno's proclamation started to whisper among themselves. None of them noticed Nabiki's departure nor the way she skipped to the nearest florist.

"Invite me tot eh wedding Akane!"

"Can I be your best man Kuno?

"How many children are you going to have?"

"Name one after me!"

"I think Akane would look great in a gown!"

"No a kimodo!"

As a debate focused on whether or not the upcoming wedding would be Western or Traditional, no one gave any thought to ask what Akane thought.

Akane was passed angry. She was somewhere near despair. She would have tried to escape but the water level had gotten to high. Since she couldn't swim to safety, she had to let the Kuno hold her above the level of water. Akane started to cry as well, adding to the water level as she wondered how this day had gotten so bad so quick.

To be continued.