Ranma 1/2-Ranko 1/2:  Marital Arts
Episode 1 - Part III
 
Ranma and Ranko followed Akane and Nabiki to Furinkan High 
School.  About halfway there, they passed a medical clinic where 
Ranma got splashed by some cold water, so Akane went inside to 
ask for some hot water while Nabiki and Ranko went on ahead.  
Inside, they met Dr. Tofu, and Ranma saw the change in Akane as 
they all stood there in the foyer. 
 
Ranma changed back to his male form, then he and Akane ran for 
Furinkan High before the school day started.  When they got there, 
this crowd of boys started to charge them.  Ranma jumped onto the 
wall and watched as Akane quickly beat up the boys.  He thought to 
himself that she was pretty good, though not as good as Ranko or 
himself. 
 
Nabiki called out to him to get into the building before he was late 
for class, and he saw Ranko beside her watching the fight in the 
courtyard.  Akane finished the fight and Ranma jumped down next 
to her.  At that moment another male student decided to block their 
way and threatened Ranma once he learned that he was staying at 
the dojo.  He called himself "Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan 
High" and gave a few swings which Ranma dodged.  The girls 
watching the proceedings wondered when Kuno had been given 
such a nickname. 
 
Ranma was about to strike back when he saw a body flying in the air 
toward them.  He smiled and pointed behind Kuno, warning him of 
an attack from behind; Kuno refused to believe him until he saw 
Akane also looking upwards behind him.  He turned, but only saw a 
foot just before it hit him in the face and he was knocked to the 
ground, unconscious. 
 
Ranko:  "Hmph.  'Blue Thunder'?  More like 'Blue Blunder'...  Hey 
	Nabiki, throw me my bag, would you?" 
 
Nabiki threw the knapsack down to Ranko as the bell rang for class.  
Ranko, Ranma, and Akane all ran for the classroom, while everyone 
who watched the fight commented on Kuno's new nickname. 
 
*************** 
 
Ranma sat in the classroom thinking about Akane and Dr. Tofu. 
 
Teacher:  "Saotome!" 
 
Ranma was startled by the teacher suddenly sending him out into the 
hall.  A moment later Akane and Ranko joined him.  Akane was 
mad at Ranko. 
 
Akane:  "This is your fault." 
Ranko:  "Why?  All I said was that he must have been thinking of 
	you.  Weren't you, Ranma?" 
Ranma:  [embarrassed] "Well..."  [Ranma noticed Akane looking at 
	him with another strange expression]  "What was that fight 
	about this morning, anyway?" 
Akane:  "Kuno gave this stupid speech that anyone who wanted to 
	date me had to defeat me in battle." 
 
Ranma and Ranko sat down on the side of the wall. 
 
Ranma:  "What a jerk!  And everyone actually believes that you'd go 
	out with someone because he defeated you?" 
 
Ranma and Ranko rolled to opposite sides as a kendo sword plowed 
into the concrete wall between them. 
 
Kuno:  "I will never allow this travesty of engagement between you 
	and Akane Tendo to stand, Saotome!" 
 
The classroom windows burst open behind them filled with students. 
 
Ranma:  "What?  Why not?  I defeated her in battle... so according 
	to your own rules I'm the only one that can ask her out!" 
Kuno:  "Never, Saotome!  That rule was only meant to apply to me!" 
Ranko:  "It's none of your business what they do, you jerk." 
Kuno:  "Ah, beauteous one, I do not recognize you..." 
Ranko:  "Do you recognize this?" 
 
Ranko kicked Kuno in the face and he is knocked back to the wall. 
 
Kuno:  "Oh, you have defeated me!  You are worthy of going out on 
	a date with me!" 
Ranko:  "So who wants to go out with you?" 
Kuno:  "Oh, pig-tailed goddess... you cannot refuse one who burns 
	with love..." 
 
Ranko remembered the swimming pool she saw from the ledge that 
morning.  She led the insistent Kuno to the window and opened it. 
 
Ranko:  "Perhaps there is something that can prove how I feel for 
	you.  Shall I show it?" 
Kuno:  "Of course, of course..." 
Ranko:  "Farewell, Blue Blunder!" 
 
Ranko kicked Kuno out the window and aimed for the swimming 
pool, but didn't get it exactly correct as Kuno bounced onto the 
diving board before landing in the pool. 
 
***************     
 
Ranma and Akane stopped off at Dr. Tofu's clinic on the way home.  
During a baseball game at school Akane had hit a foul ball directly 
into Ranma's face.  Ranko had laughed and said that he must have 
been thinking of Akane again because he should never have gotten 
hit.  Ranma had blushed because he had been thinking of Akane; 
Akane blushed at the sudden outburst of giggling from the rest of 
the girls there. 
 
Dr. Tofu was outside sweeping the porch when they passed by; he 
offered to look at Ranma.  As he was looking at Ranma, Kasumi and 
Nodoka walked into the clinic (taking a break from shopping) to 
return a book that Kasumi had borrowed. 
 
Dr. Tofu started acting very strangely and twisted Ranma's face 
perpendicular to his body.  Everyone reacted differently as Dr. Tofu 
started to speak to Kasumi.  Ranma was in shock; Akane and Ranko 
looked at him with disbelief in their eyes; Kasumi looked at Ranma 
and asked if he was all right, then gave Dr. Tofu the book and some 
cookies, of which Dr. Tofu started to eat the plate. 
 
Nodoka just thought to herself 'The Love Hysteria' and sighed.  She 
noticed that Kasumi seemed not to notice the effect she had, and that 
Akane seemed upset.  Ranma definitely seemed upset, but that was 
to be expected. 
 
Dr. Tofu fixed the complaining Ranma by turning his head so that it 
leaned the other way.  Akane left the building, and Ranma followed 
her.  Nodoka sighed again and led Kasumi and Ranko back to the 
dojo. 
 
*************** 
 
Akane went to the river to think.  Ranma came up behind her and 
she pounded his head into the ground when she discovered his 
presence, and inadvertently cured him.  Ranma thanked her. 
 
Akane noticed that he seemed nervous.  But he blurted out one 
phrase and left her alone as he went back to the dojo. 
 
Ranma:  "Akane, if you want to call off the engagement, I'll 
	understand." 
 
*************** 
 
Akane laid back on her bed.  She didn't want to admit it, but she 
believed she was in love with Ranma.  It wasn't just that he had been 
kind to her at her mother's funeral; or that she remembered happy 
times with him when they both were children; or that he was 
attractive; or that he had a sense of honor she could respect; or even 
that she thought he was attracted to her.  It was because he actually 
seemed to care for what she felt. 
 
She had a crush on Dr. Tofu for the longest time now, but she 
couldn't admit to herself that he was totally in love with Kasumi.  
Until today.  As she fell asleep she was surprised to find herself 
dreaming of Ranma. 
 
*************** 
 
Ranma laid down on his futon, trying to sort out his thoughts.  He 
didn't want to admit it, but he believed he was in love with Akane.  
When she was near he wanted to hold her in his arms; he just 
wished he could be sure he knew how she felt about him.   And then 
there was Dr. Tofu, whom he thought she was in love with. 
 
He had never really thought about a girlfriend.  The constant travels 
with either of his parents stopped him from meeting a lot of girls, 
and those he did meet... well, he had to admit to himself, just didn't 
interest him.  But Akane was different.  She was her own person, no 
matter what anyone else said or did.  And she was interested in 
martial arts, just like he was.  And she was attractive. 
 
Ranko walked into the room and laid down exhausted on her futon.  
Ranma turned onto his side to look at her. 
 
Ranma:  "Ranko?" 
Ranko:  "What?" 
Ranma:  "Do you think Akane likes me?" 
Ranko:  "I think so... but why don't you just ask her?" 
Ranma:  "I can't..." 
Ranko:  "Ranma, one of you is going to have to make the first move.  
	It might as well be you."  [Ranma returned to laying on his 
	back]  "And I wish you'd hurry up.  I'm exhausted." 
Ranma:  "Why?" 
Ranko:  "Mom's started her Marital Arts training today.  Since she 
	doesn't want to interfere with the two of you before you 
	make a decision, she's using me as the male in my cursed 
	form.  Stupid shiatsu technique." 
Ranma:  "What technique?" 
Ranko:  "Shiatsu Erection Spot.  She had Kasumi and Nabiki poking 
	me until they got it right." 
 
*************** 
 
Nabiki stood over a dejected Kuno, who had once again proven that 
mindless persistence tended to fail.  Everyone had given up on 
Akane except him.  And he would waffle between her and Ranko (or 
Ranma when the conditions were right) incessantly.  She could turn 
that to her advantage. 
 
She plopped down five photographs of Akane doing her martial arts 
workout.  He willingly paid the 3000 yen she asked for; she then 
"accidently" dropped a pack of five more photos on the floor.  When 
he picked them up his eyes widened; the pictures of Ranko and 
Ranma in female form were more risque than the previous batch, 
showing a just a hint of cleavage. 
 
Cheap photos, really.  Taken with a small hand-held camera and 
processed at the local five-hour store, but good enough to relieve 
Tatewaki Kuno of his money.  She charged Kuno a thousand yen 
more than the previous pack and he willingly paid it all.  She 
shivered at the thought of what she could get for some posed 
"accidental" shots of Ranko with her good camera, but if she did that 
she would have to cut her in on the action. 
 
She casually tossed out the prospect of photos of Kuno's "pig-tailed 
twins" and he almost went insane at the thought, declaring that he 
was the only one worthy of Akane Tendo, Ranko Saotome, and her 
shy identical twin sister.  Nabiki inwardly laughed to herself at the 
prospect of eventually convincing Kuno of the existence of the 
"Saotome Quintuplet" - Ranma and two pairs of identical twin 
sisters, one pair with blue and one pair with green eyes.  All she 
needed was some colored contacts and some time in the school 
darkroom. 
 
*************** 
 
Akane found herself thinking about the situation the whole day at 
school, so she finally steeled herself and got the tools from the 
closet. Kasumi stood in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner like she 
always did at this time of day.  She was startled when Akane entered 
the room with a pair of scissors and a comb. 
 
Akane:  "Kasumi, could you cut my hair?" 
Kasumi:  "Oh Akane.  Are you sure you want to?  You've grown it 
	for so long now." 
Akane:  [sighing]  "It doesn't seem that important anymore." 
Kasumi:  "OK, if that's what you want."