Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful Romiko Takahashi and her licensees (Viz Communications in North America). This work is strictly for the non-profit enjoyment of fans. No copyright infringement is intended. ========================== Neko No Part 3 a Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by TeW Last Update: Sept 16, 2000 ========================== Akane was tired. She *really* wanted to go lie down for a bit. It had been a weird and very emotional day. The big meal Kaumi had just served hadn't helped any either. Unfortunately resting wasn't an option right now. Akane was the only one who really knew what was going on, and there'd be questions to answer. So she just sat, resting as much as she could, while waiting for someone to start the inquisition. She wasn't at all surprised that it was Nabiki who started things. "So, explain to me again how you met Ranma when you were ten?" Akane sighed. "Actually I said *he* was ten, I was twenty. I'm not even sure where it was, some mountain range somewhere." Nodoka looked oddly at Akane. "Why did you go see my son when he was ten?" "The older me saw him four times in the past. We picked the four times that seemed like the most important ones to change. The Nanban mirror fragment I was using to go back in time could only handle that much." "We?" Nodoka asked. "You and I. You helped me put it all together,you provided the money I needed to buy the Yatti, and helped me decide what disquises to use at which times." "Oh." Was all Nodoka said to that. "The first time was when you gave me that book?" Ranma asked. "Yes, but the real reason was to return the Yatti before it started a blood fued with Ukyou's family." Akane very carefully didn't look at Genma. Due mostly to her older selves intervention, most of the stupid things that she had hated him for had never happened. This one was different. She'd stopped the feud, but Genma had still done something incredibly dishonest and dishonorable. "Why *did* we have the Yatti pop? Did you steal that too?" Ranma asked. "Of course I didn't steal it! It was a gift. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding, that's all." Akane looked at the older Saotome. "Should I tell them the story?" She asked him in as sweet and innocent a voice as she could manage. Genma began to sweat. "Err...that wont be necessary." "Then I'm sure you'll go see the Kujon family as soon as possible and straighten it all out. Since they recovered the yatti, taking care of the *misunderstanding* shouldn't be too hard. Genma began to sweat even harder. "That would be a good idea dear." Nodoka said casually. We don't want any bad blood with *that* family. Aren't they an offshoot of one of the ninja clans?" "Err...is that how Ranma died? In a feud with the Kujons?" Genma asked in a transparent bid to distract everyones attention. "No, he killed himself when the Neko-ken was about to strip the last remains of his control and humanity. I...I held him while it happened...." Akane stopped. The memories and emotions were just too strong. Ranma put his arm around her. "You okay?" He asked. She nodded and leaned against his shoulder. "I think Akchan's too tired to answer any more questions right now. How about we continue this tomorrow?" Ranma said. "Yes, I suppose that's best." Soun said. "You can tell us more after school." "School?" Ranma asked, looking back and forth between his mother and father. "Yes, you will go too, Ranma. It's time you focused on your education." His mother said. "All right!" Ranma said. "About time I got to go back to school." Genma glowered at him and Nodoka beamed. Akane shook her head. She'd tried to shift Ranma's attitude toward school a bit with her changes, like the book she'd given him. This was more than she could have hoped for. The converstation shifted to a discussion of martial arts and teaching. Akane closed her eyes and, for the second time that day, drifted to sleep in Ranma's arms. * * * * Neko No 3.1 Ranma was almost dancing down the fence as they walked to school. Akane was more than a little surprised by how excited Ranma was about going to school. Finally unable to restrain her curiousity she decidedd to ask] "Ranma, why are you so excited about going to school?" Rather than just answering he jumped down and started walking next to her, frowning a bit at the question. "It's kind of hard to explain. I've only been able to go to school once in a while so far, and only once did I stay in one place long enough to make any friends. That was great. There was this guy - a good martial artist, really strong - who I got to know really well. We spared a lot and fought for seriously a few times. It was really nice having someone around my age who shared some of my interestes. "Ryoga?" She asked. "Yeah. Sorry I forgot you already know all this. Why did you ask me about school if you already know?" "I *didn't* know. A lot is different this time. I asked about Ryoga because I wasn't sure if that was different too." "Oh." They walked along together silently for a bit, both thinking. "This is kind of wierd." Ranma said. "I'm not about to argue with you about that." Akane agreed. "You sure you're okay with this engagment thing?" Ranma looked sidelong at Akane, who was looking down and frowning. "I mean, you said you knew a lot about me, but it looks like maybe you're not really sure about that." Akane's frown disappeared. She was still looking down, but now she was wearing a quiet smile. "I'm sure. You're not that different. You're still an egotistical, brash, ill-manered baka, just like before. And I'm glad." "Hey!" Akane giggled. "Oh you have your good qualities too. I'd tell you them but your ego is big enough as it is." Ranma stuck his hands in his pockets and grumbled a bit. "What I'm trying to say is that you, your personality, isn't really different. I was asking about how you felt about school because that's one of the few things I noticed that really was different. You didn't like school before." "Really? I guess I'm not surprised. Pop certainly tried to make me believe that school was a waste of time for a martial artist. I just didn't buy it though. What good is being able to protect the weak if you don't really know who really needs protecting? You gotta know about goverment and business and history. You gotta be able to read well so you can find out what you need to know. It helps to be able to read other languages too. Some really good stuff seems to only come out in English. Math now, I haven't figured out what that's good for yet." Akane looked up at him in wonder. What could she possible have done to bring abou a change like this? Was it just giving him the book and the few words she said about a true man being educated? Or was it more subtle than that. "Anyway, looks like we're here. Let's hurry, I've gotta stop by the office before class." As they walked in the gate, Akane had a nagging feeling that she'd forgetten something. * * * * Neko No 3.2 There was a hord of boys running toward them, many waving sporting equipment and shouting semi-comprehensible phrases describing their love of Akane or how they were going to defeat her that day. "Damn! I forgot!" Akane said. Ranma blinked, then decided that he didn't really want to stay here and get trampled. He scooped Akane into his arms and jumped onto the school wall. That brought the group to a stop. A low growl came from the assembled boys as they looked up a Ranma holding Akane in his arms. "Hey! What's all this about?" Ranma yelled agrily. One boy stepped in from the side of the group. "They wish to date the fair Akane Tendo, and so must defeat her in combat." Ranma blinked again. That was the stupiest thing he'd ever heard of. "What idiot decided that?" The boy who'd been speaking raised a bokan and pointed it at him. "So say I, Tatewaki Kuno, the blue thunder of Firenken high!" Ranma looked down at Akane, who was still being held in his arms. She was hiding her eyes and shaking her head. "Sorry Ranma." She said with a sigh. "I should have told you about this mess. I just forgot with all the other stuff going on." "No problem." He told her. Ranma looked out at the crowd. This could get a little ugly. Ranma versus fifty random schoolboys was not exactly fair odds. Maybe he could tie one hand behind his back? That would even things out. "Look, I don't know what you've been up to, but Akane is no longer available for dates. She's engaged now. You'll just have to find someone else to chase after." There was a raged cheer from the girls watching from the school windows. "And what miscreant had stolen the hand of Akane Tendo?" Kuno asked gruffly. "If you're asking who she's engaged to, it's me. Now we're in a hurry, so if you'd just all run along I'd like to get to class." The low growl from earlier came back, louder ang uglier. "This sucks, now we're going to be late." Ranma said. "Unless..." "Just put me down and I'll beat them up like I do every morning." Akane said. "Can't" Ranma said, looking carefully around the school yard. "Why not?" "It's my job to keep other guys away from ya....ah ha! Hold on I think I've got it handled." "What...." Akane cut off as Ranma ran down the wall, leapt over the gate to the wall on the other side, then bounded across the yard using tree branches and the flag pole. They ended up, less then fifteen breathles seconds later, on the roof." "There! What do you think?" Ranma said proudly. "Urk." "You okay?" "J-Just warn me next time, okay?" "Oh, sure. Sorry." "Let's get inside. If we hurry we might not get to class late." * * * * Neko No 3.3 The teacher slapped his desk to get everyones attention. "This is Ranma Saotome, who just returned to Japan from China. We will skip the usual introduction, since you and Akane Tendo were late." "Yes sir, sorry about that sir." Ranma mumbled. "Is it true that you are engaged to Miss Tendo?" The teacher asked. "Yes sir." "Then why don't you take the seat next to hers. If you two can control yourselves in class you may stay there. Since this is your first day I will allow your tartiness to go unpunished. Make sure you're here on time tomorrow." "Ah, yes sir. Thank you." Ranma sighed in relief. It looked like being late hadn't gotten him off to a bad start with this teacher. He went over to the desk next to Akane's, gave her a smile, and focused his attention on the teacher. The morning classes when well. He was behind on his studies, but not so much so that he wasn't able to answer a few questions here and there. With, of course, the exception of math. He was always lost in Math. It didn't help that the math teacher was a gajin with a pretty bad accent. The between class sessions had gone less smoothly. It seemed like everyone in the class wanted to talk to him or Akane. He'd gotten rid of a lot of them by insisting that he had to catch up on his studies. The more persistant ones he's simply ignored. All in all lunchtime was a welcome break, not least because he was hungry. He was about to ask Akane if she wanted to have lunch with him when there was a comotion in the hallway. "I will not have it! Come out you foul, lowborn cretin, that I may smite thee! I challange you Ranma Saotome!" Ranma signed. It was that Kuno creep from this morning. He dug out his lunch and handed it to Akane. "Keep this for me, will ya? I'll come and get it when I'm done with this Blue Lightening guy." "Be careful Ranma, he's pretty good." "I'll be fine." Ranma walked out of the class room to find the Kuno guy dressed in full Kendo garb and holding a bokan. "All right, Kuno. Let's go outside and we can settle..." Ranma stopped when he was forced to dodge a blow aimed for his head. "Hey, we can't fight in here. There's people around." Ranma said as he dodged two more swings. "No such trivialities will keep me from sending you to whatever hell your ancestors inhabit." "Hey, let's keep the family insults out of it. This is between us. And will you cut it out until we're outside." Kuno just grinned and pressed his attack. On the the third swing he caught a girl, who was pressed against the wall to avoid them, in the arm. The girl cried out in pain and clutched the arm. Ranma quickly moved back so Kuno could drop his guard and help the girl. He did no such thing. He ignored the innocent he'd injured and advanced on Ranma, using the space Ranma had opened to rush at his apponent. Ranma was pissed. He'd started insulting his family, then he'd refused to go somewhere where there were no innocent bystanders, and now he'd hurt someone who wasn't in the fight and acted like it was nothing. Rather than dodging this rush as he'd been doing, he met Kuno head on. He carefully blocked the thrust of the wooden sword with the palm of his hand and grabbed Kuno by the throat. Using the strenght that was hidden in his deceptively slim frame he lifted the kendoist off the ground and slammed him into the wall a few times until he dropped his weapon. Deciding that he hadn't suffered enough Ranma then punched him in the face, hard. Then he dragged the semi-consious boy up the hall to where the girl was holding her arm and sobbing. He shoved Kuno to his knees in front of the girl and shifted his hold so he had both Kuno's arms held uncomfortably behind his back and his other hand was in a pain hold on the back of the boys head. "Appoligize to her. Now." Ranma said. "Why should such as I...arrgg." Ranma tightened the pain hold until Kuno turned white with the pain, then he tried again. "I said appoigize!" Kuno stuttered for a moment. Ranam breifly tightened his hold again. Neko No 3.3b "I Tatiwalki Kuno, do appoligize for my carelessness in harming you." Kuno managed to get through the appoligy with only a few minor gasps. Ranma then threw him down on the other side of the hallway. "You, you...honorless twit. When you get your act toghter, then you can challenge me." Ranma turned away. He stopped a moment before walking away completely. "One more think Kuno. No more insults on my family. Just one more and I will have to take notice. For now this is between us, I suggest you leave it that way." He glanced at the girl, who was being helped up by a number of other students, and headed for the stairway. Hopefully lunch would lift the sick feeling having to deal with an ass like Kuno gave him. * * * * Neko No 3.4 Ranma found Akane under a tree talking to two girls. A number of other girls were hanging around the edges of the group, not quite close enough to be part of it, but definitely close enough to overhear things. He weaved around the clumps of girls. Conversation stopped when he walked by, and started up again in giggles and whispers. Akane looked up as he got close, her face breaking into the radient smile of hers. "Ranma, how did it go with Kuno." She asked. "Not so well. He started attacking me in the hallway and the idiot hurt a girl Not too badly, but the way he was swinging that thing around she could just as easily been sent to the hospital or worse." "Oh no!" One ot the other girls said. "Who was it?" "Not from our class, so I didn't know her. I had to leave before I did something permenant to that Kuno clown." Akane handed him her lunch and he started inhailing it. "How can you eat like that?" One of the two girls asked. Ranma struggled with his mouthful of food for a moment before he could swallow it. "Sorry, force of habit. Pops likes to fight over food as part of training, so I kinda got used to eating as fast as I could." "You can start slowing down now. You father's not going to continue that." Akane said firmly. "Uhhh...if he thinks it's training, then I doubt you'll be able to get him to stop." "Maybe not, but your mom will." Akane paused and looked at her two freinds. "Sorry I should have introduced you two. Ranma, this is Sayuri and Yuka, my best friends." Ranma smiled at them. If they were Akane's best freinds, then Ranma would probably get to know them pretty well. "Now that's over with, how about you tell us how you did it?" Sayuri asked. "Huh?" "What Sayuri means is how you got a confirmed boy hater like Akane to agree to an engagement in a single day, even if your parents did arrange it." Yuka said. Ranma looked a bit puzzled. "Our parents didn't arrange it." Yuka looked over at Akane, who was blushing. "I thought you said your parents arranged it?" "Umm...that's not exactly it. I said they planned an engagement between the two families. "Yeah, but I asked Akane before they could announce it and she said yes." Ranma said, turning back to his food. When he looked up at the girls they were gaping at him and Akane was blushing even more. "You proposed?" Yuka choked out. "And she said yes?" Sayuri added. "Yeah, isn't that how its supposed to work?" The two girls turned to Akane, who was beginning to sweat a little. "Tell!" Akane's two friends said in unison. Akane looked around. Ranma suddently noticed that there was complete silence in the groups of girls around them. "H-How about after school?" Akane said nevoursly. "Hmm...I guess that will do." Sayuri said. "Why don't we go to my house for a while this afternoon?" "Ranma, do you mind?" Akane asked. "I guess not. I can find my way back to the dojo okay. I *do* want some help with some of the homework." "Don't worry Ranma, we wouldn't dream of keeping her from her hunky fiancee too long." Sayuri's voice was teasing, but her look was more appraising. "Uh, sure. Say Akane, let's get back to class, maybe you can help me with a few questions right now?" Akane jumped up, looking relieved at his suggestion. "Sure, let's go." * * * * Neko No 3.5 Sayuri looked at her friend carefully. Akane was certainly nervious, twisting Yuka's bedspread in her hands and not looking up at them. "So, are you going to tell us what happened?" She asked. "Umm...well, I guess." Akane started, thens he shook her head. "No. I can't. I'll tell you as much as I can, but some of this I can't tell anyone yet, okay?" "Akane, we're your friends. You can tell us." Yuri said. "I probably will tell you, just not yet, and I'll tell you want I can now." Sayuri was getting impatient. This guy had somehow managed to convince Akane to get engaged in one day, and Akane seemed pretty happy about it. She *had* to know more. "Okay, tell us what you can then." She urged. Akane told them how they'd met a few times in the past, omitting the age and time travel issues, how they'd slept together for warmth when they were ten, and how he wanted to propose then. She told them the way he'd asked her in the dojo, which brought a sigh to all three of their lips and a few tears in Akane's eyes. Finally she told them the way he'd handled their parents wanting to force an engagement on them even though he'd already asked her. "Thanks Akane, I hope you'll tell us the rest some day." Yuka said at the end, giving her friend a hug to show her appreciation. "Come on Yuka, that was the whole story, wasn't it?" Sayuri asked. Akane shook her head. "There's some holes in it. Like why didn't she tell us about this guy when we were ten? We both knew her then." Yuka pointed out. "Well, I just have one question then." Sayuri said. She paused and both the other girls looked at her. "Does he have a brother?" === End Part 3 ===