A Place To Call Home Part IV: Starting Out-By Kunobaby

Akane awoke to the sound of Kasumi calling her down for breakfast. She tried desperately not to think about the events that happened the night before but it didn’t work. She had to face the facts that she was no longer Akane Tendo unattached boy hater. She was now Akane Tendo engaged boy hater who had a strange girl staying in her room.

As Akane sat up in her bed she noticed that Summer was nowhere in site, her stuff was still there but she wasn’t. Then suddenly she heard her voice coming from outside by the pond. Akane made her way over to her window and peered out to see Summer talking to Ranma.

"Wow, I’ve never seen moves like those. Are you sure you weren’t making them up?"

"Thanks, and yeah I’m sure, trust me if I was making up moves they would be even more creative then those."

Ranma looked up towards Akanes room and noticed that she was watching them talk. Without even thinking he raised his hand into the air and gave her a friendly wave, a wave that wasn’t returned. When Akane saw Ranma waving at her she shrunk back down on to her bed hoping that he wasn’t on his way up stairs to talk to her.

"Well, that wasn’t the result I expected to see." Ranma stated, obviously disappointed at what Akane had done.

"What do you mean Ranma?" Summer questioned following Ranma’s gaze to Akanes window.

"Well I thought that she would at least attempt to wave back at me, but if that’s the game she wants to play then fine that’s how we’ll play it."

"Come on Ranma lets go in and have some breakfast."

"Sure."

When Summer and Ranma entered the house they saw Akane was now downstairs in her school uniform silently eating her breakfast. She said hello to Summer but wouldn’t even look let alone talk to Ranma. As the three continued to eat breakfast Nabiki came in to the room and gave them a quizzical look.

"You know, you three should really hurry up otherwise you’ll be late for school."

Ranma who was in the middle of drinking his juice spit it out and stared at Nabiki. "What? I’m sorry did you just say school?"

"Yeah, school you know that building that you go to with the books and desks that teaches you things. The place that you start today." Nabiki responded to Ranma’s question.

"I’m sorry Nabiki, you must be mistaken. You see I don’t do the school thing, I don’t like it, it doesn’t like me. So we usually tend to avoid each other."

"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma, that might have been what you did before you moved to Nerima, but here you have to. You see, daddy’s already enrolled you in it and if you don’t go you could get in to a lot trouble, and I’m sure you don’t want to insult your fiancées family by not accepting the kindness that they showed you by paying your school fees. Do you?"

Ranmas reply was a meek one at best. "No…I…. I…. I don’t, I guess I’ll go, I won’t like it but I’ll go."

"Good, well I better be going, see you three there ciao."

"Nabiki wait I’ll walk to school with you!"

"What Akane, and make Autumn and Ranma walk to school all on their lonesome. I think not, they’re your exchange student and your fiancée so 'you' get to walk them to school."

With that Nabiki left the house leaving Akane to handle the guests by herself.

Akane stood and looked at Summer and Ranma who just looked back. "Well I guess we better be going to, we don’t want to be late on your first day."

As soon as the three were out of the gate Ranma immediately hopped up onto the fence, leaving Akane and Summer wondering how he did that.

"Akane, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Summer, ask away."

"Well, I was just wondering why it’s so hard for your sister to get my name right. Not that I mind her calling me Winter, or Autumn or any other season for that matter, but you know it’s the principle of the matter, my name’s Summer and I’m sure if I was named after any other season I would be quite proud of my name but I’m not. Actually I’m not even named after a season I’m named after my family’s dead dog so I guess I would be Summer 2, because Summer 1 died. Do you get what I’m saying?"

Akane out of desperation looked to Ranma for help who only replied with an amused smile directed at the two girls.

"Now you know what I had to sit through on the plane." Ranma stated all the while flashing Akane a boyish grin.

"Well…can I get back to you on that Summer?"

"Sure take your time. Hey did I ever tell you about the time I met Brad Pitt? Well it’s like this I was sitting in Denny’s one day eating a grand slam meal. You do know what Denny’s is don’t you? Well let me tell you Denny’s is a chain of restaurants that has fantastic food. Anyway as I was saying, I was sitting there one day minding my own business when all of a sudden Brad Pitt walked in. It was well it was a sacred experience I must say…"

"Ranma, Help?"

Ranma looked at his fiancée and shook his head. "Hey Akane I would love to but as you said last night I’m just a boy, and you hate boys and to top that off I’m just your stupid jerk of a fiancée, so as you can see my hands are tied."

Akane stopped to consider what Ranma had just said to her, all the while Summer continued to retell her story. (I swear one day I’m going to have her finish that story, just so I can see how it turns out.)

"That’s right, you are a boy and I hate boys. I hate boys, I hate boys, I hate boys, I hate boys, I HATE BOOOOYYYYYYSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!"

Ranma was about to reply to her statement when he noticed that she was now running towards the gate of the school. A gate I might add that was crowded with boys.

"Hmmmmm! Now this could be interesting to see. What do you think Summer?"

"About what?"

"Never mind. Listen I’ll see you inside the gate, I wanna get a better view of what’s happening here."

"Oh sure Ranma see you there. Ranma? Ranma?"

Summer looked around the area for the disappearing boy and discovered him perched on top of the fence watching Akane fight her way in to the school. {Hmmm! I wonder how he did that.}

As Ranma looked on Akane continued her daily pummeling of the boys, with a straight arm here and uppercut there and the odd roundhouse thrown in just for variety.

"Ranma, what are you doing?"

Ranma looked to see where the voice was coming from, and discovered that it was Nabiki calling him from a few floors up. "Um, Well I was thinking that Akane might need some help…"

"Don’t’ worry about Akane, Ranma she goes through this everyday." Nabiki replied

Ranma shook his head in disbelief at what he just heard and went back to watching Akane in the tail end of her battle. When the last body hit the ground Ranma jumped off the fence and landed next to Akane, both were joined by a bewildered Summer. As the trio stood observing the remains of Akane’s daily ritual a red rose shot through the air towards them, without thinking Akane reached her hand out and caught the flower before it could hit her.

"The beauty of the rose pales when compared to the beauty of the one that doth clasp it."

Akane stood staring down at the rose that she held in her hand while Summer and Ranma looked around for the source of the voice.

"Oh joy its upperclassman Kuno, what fun…" Akane said less then enthusiastically.

"Ah, my heart rejoices at hearing my love speak my name. I must repay her kindness by granting her a date with me."

"Oh Akane aren’t you the popular one, first you get a pack of guys after you and now you get an upperclassman giving you roses, now I see why you were so reluctant to…."

Akane lifted her gaze of the rose and glared at Ranma. "If you know what’s good for you Ranma you’ll shut up."

"Is that a threat?"

"If it looks like a threat and sounds like a threat then it’s a threat"

Ranma was about to reply when he was suddenly interrupted. "Hold, who art thou to be speaking so frankly with my beloved Akane Tendo."

Ranma turned his head toward the voice and looked hard at the figure in front of him.

"Who is that?" Summer whispered to Akane all the while keeping her eyes on the boy standing in front of them.

"That’s upperclassman Kuno, head of the Kendo club."

"He’s cute…"

All the while Ranma continued to study the young man in front of him checking out his soon to be opponent. He was a few inches taller then Ranma was, with short brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was dressed in Kendo garb and holding a wooden bokken and the ready.

"Why does thou not answer me? Is it because you can not handle the magnificence of my aura?"

"Actually…" Ranma was cut off before he could answer.

"Answer me, who are you, and why are you so friendly with my love."

"Why I’m…"

"Is it not customary to give one own name first? Very well, I am Tatewaki Kuno the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. And you might be?"

"Well, I’m Ranma Saotome of the Saotome school of anything goes martial arts, and I just happen to be Akanes…"

Akane jumped when she realized what Ranma was about to announce to the whole school. "…. My guest, Ranma’s a guest of my family Kuno."

"And who might the fair maiden be that is with thee Akane?" Kuno turned his attention to Summer.

"I’m sorry my mother told me not to talk to strangers, and you’re about as strange as they come."

"But I am no longer a stranger for I have giving thee my name, now as custom dictates you must in turn present me with yours."

Ranma stepped in between Kuno and Summer protecting the girl from anything that Kuno might try to do to her. "Listen bub, she doesn’t want to give you her name. So why don’t you just take your little Kendo garbed butt and move it elsewhere? Or is that to difficult a task for you to accomplish?"

The people who were watching the exchange between the foursome feel silent waiting for Kunos reply to Ranma’s insult. "Is that a challenge?"

"Actually it was more threat then challenge, but if you want it as a challenge then you’ve got it, just name the time and place."

"Here…now."

Ranma moved into his defensive stance and looked hard at Kuno. "You’ve got it…"

He he he he he..It's one of those cliff hanger endings don't you hate me for it? I just wanna thank Brandon and Saotome-sama for pre-reading this sucker, and that's about it. Stay tuned for the next part...