Mercury's Song Part Two written by Mike Koos -------------------- Akane couldn't help but stare at the girl walking calmly by her side in a brand-new Nerima Middle School uniform. "Could you please not stare at me like that, Akane?" her companion asked in perfect informal Japanese for a girl her age. "I already feel quite nervous as it is." "You should. This... *plan* of yours is ridiculous, Ranma." Ranma sighed. "I'm merely being practical. As I told you before, I've seen how my curse makes it easy to be splashed with cold water, so I've chosen to avoid the inevitable problems by registering as a girl. And please, call me 'Ami.'" Akane made a face. "I still can't believe you actually WANT to go to school... Ami-chan." Soon after his arrival, Ranma had seen the three sisters preparing for another day at school and decided that he, too, should be going to school. His education had been sparse enough as it was, throughout his life. But he didn't doubt in the least that were he to register as himself, his curse would eventually cause some kind of trouble and embarrassment, finding a way to change him into his female form. That was when he'd had the idea to go to school as a girl. For some reason Kasumi had taken to the idea, helping the female Ranma buy a school uniform or two and a new wardrobe, and teaching her how to behave as a girl. Ranma hadn't minded... at least not until Nabiki had made an offhand remark about Kasumi using Ranma as a dress-up doll. Nabiki and Kasumi had helped Ranma invent her 'new identity,' with Nabiki using her resources - whatever that entailed - to make it as official as possible. Ranma had thought the family name 'Mizuno' fitting, and Kasumi had suggested the name 'Ami.' In about a week, the girl had effectively become the Tendo sisters' cousin, Mizuno Ami. Ami had spent the remainder of her free time reading through the sisters' school books and other books she could find around the house. Her photographic memory would help her build her 'education.' To that end, Nabiki had also taught Ami how to use her laptop, so that the sapphire-haired girl could research even more than she thought possible. "I've been on the road most of my life, as far as I can recall," Ami said, softly. "Very little of that time was spent in school, and Father only taught me the bare minimum of what he thought a martial artist should know, in regard to education. Not all of it was correct, and only when he realized that did he consider sending me to a school." She paused. "And yes, I do mean 'consider.' More often than not he wouldn't be able to buy certain things, and we'd have to live without them because 'a true martial artist' could forego the need for such things." Akane fell silent, as did Ranma. She had to admit she hadn't thought about what it must have been like for Ranma to spend nearly all of his life on the road with his father, training in the martial arts. Certainly, it had turned Ranma into a decent martial artist, male or female. But why had Mr. Saotome felt it necessary to take his son on what amounted to a life-long training voyage? Couldn't the man have simply trained Ranma at home? Or, since the elder Saotome was supposedly a friend of her father, Akane wondered why they couldn't have made an arrangement to train Ranma in their dojo? Had Ranma not gone on the trip to China and Jhusenkyou, he would have avoided being cursed. But then, Ranma *did* make an interesting girl. "Is there anything I should know before we arrive at school?" Ami spoke into her thoughts. "Huh?" Akane blinked, glancing at her in slight surprise. "Oh. Well, there's this guy in Nabiki's class who thinks he's important or something, so he's told everyone that if they want to date me, they have to beat me up. Now, I have to fight off a bunch of guys every morning at school." Ami frowned. "That's not right. What is this guy's name?" "Kunou Tatewaki. He thinks he's the only person worthy of dating me, so he goes after everyone who even looks at me with that wooden sword he carries around." "Is that part of the reason you don't like boys?" Ami asked in a quiet voice after some thought. The question caught Akane by surprise. She had forgotten how observant Ranma could be, among other things. "Having a bunch of guys trying to beat you up all the time just because they wanna go out with you can do that," she admitted weakly. "I guess maybe they think they've gotta be macho jerks and prove something by fighting me." With a guilty start, Akane shot a glance at Ami... but the other girl let the comment pass. "I take it this Tatewaki has some skill in using a sword?" Akane shrugged. "I guess. He's supposed to be good at Kendo, but that's probably it. Kunou really isn't much without the sword - if you can disarm him, that is." Ami nodded, storing the fact away for a possible later use. "Have any... have any of..." She hesitated. "...those boys ever beaten you in a fight?" "No." "Are you certain you don't have feelings for any of them, especially Kunou?" "Of course I am!" Why would Ranma ask her such a question... oh. "Ami-chan," she chose her words, putting a little more force into saying the word 'chan' than was necessary, "you've seen how much Dad wants that marriage between me and Ranma to happen. Even if I did like someone else, Dad would force me to drop it and marry Ranma, no matter what." "There has to be a way to convince him otherwise," murmured Ami. "Maybe, but I can't think of anything." Akane's expression soon became unreadable as they neared the school's main gates. "Ami," she spoke in a low voice. "Ranma. Promise me you won't interfere in my fight with the boys. I can handle this fight by myself." Ami stared at her. "What those guys are doing isn't right. At the very least, you shouldn't have to fight them all by yourself." "They're out to fight me, not you." "Have you tried talking to them? If they aren't accomplishing anything by fighting you, why do they continue to attack you?" "They think they have a better chance if they gang up on me all at once," Akane replied, biting her lower lip. "How long have they been trying to defeat you?" "Uh... since about the beginning of the school year. Nearly two months." "Two *months*?" exclaimed Ami in disbelief. "Hasn't the school done anything about these fights?" The thought earned a look of surprise from Akane. "I really haven't bothered to check. Not since I usually manage to beat them all up, anyway." "I hope they're at least doing something about Kunou, since he is the one who started the problem." Akane shook her head. "They won't do anything to him. He comes from a rich family and his dad's like the principal of Fuurinkan High or something. That's why he thinks everyone should do whatever he wants." "Ah." She could tell that Ranma's opinion of Kunou was becoming less and less favorable the more they continued to talk about the boy. "Okay. If you don't want me to get involved in your fights, I won't... unless you ask me. However, if anyone attacks me, I will fight back." "Right." Wordlessly, Ami followed Akane's lead, trailing a handful of feet behind Akane as they both broke into a run through the school's main gates. She took the opportunity to witness Akane's morning fight firsthand from a unique perspective - directly behind the person in question, who plowed a path for them both through the midst of the mob of boys that had suddenly appeared to challenge Akane once she crossed into the schoolyard. Every last one of those boys seemed intent on making a mad dash for Akane's fists and feet, crying her name all the while. Watching Akane take on several opponents in this manner at once unnerved Ami slightly; how many of the attackers were taking part in this futile fight simply because Kunou had ordered it? Yes, they were the ones initiating these fights, but did they truly deserve to have Akane beat all of them up every morning? Some of those boys did notice Akane's 'friend' and advance toward Ami, though Akane wasn't about to let any of them slip past her. Did that mean this welcoming crew was considering attacking her, wondered Ami? That would be perhaps even more of a mistake than confronting Akane... Soon, however, Akane had defeated every last member of the mob. She growled while catching her breath. "See? Every morning! Now, you see what I have to go through?" A new voice rang out across the field. "How quickly the fair Tendo Akane dispatches such uncultured and unskilled novices as these." Ami noted the look of disdain that formed on Akane's face. "Kunou?" she asked. "Kunou," Akane exhaled. A tall boy with dark eyes and half-curled hair stepped out from behind a tree, wasting no time in darting a solitary red rose toward Akane... who lazily caught it between her forefinger and thumb. "So. Very well, Akane-kun. Will you allow me the pleasure of testing your skill against mine this morn?" Akane's eyes narrowed. "As if you *really* let me decide, sempai." A presence at her side told Akane that Ami had joined her and was already studying Kunou with a careful eye. she wanted to say, but Ami spoke first. "That's not right, either." Akane mentally sighed. Kunou's eyes seemed to brighten ever so slightly as he noticed the newcomer. "Are you a friend of Tendo Akane? You would be ill-advised to remain in the midst of these morning ceremonies. It is all too easy for an innocent such as yourself to be harmed." "If anything does happen requiring me to fight, I can defend myself." "Such spirit!" The would-be Kendo swordsman's eyebrows raised. "Please, I bid you... tell me your name?" He paused, remembering something. "Ah, but true manners dictate that I accord you the pleasure of my introduction, first. I am--" "Kunou Tatewaki," finished Ami. "Akane has told me about you." Akane had, but she hadn't mentioned that the boy liked speaking in such a haughty manner. "I'm Mizuno Ami, Akane's cousin. As for these morning fights of your design, they are going to stop. Now." Akane was surprised by the vehemence in her 'cousin's' voice. She'd expected Ranma to keep out of the action unless someone directly involved her, but Ranma... *Ami* had soon proven her wrong. She had to admit, however, that watching Ami attempt to end all of the nonsense she faced each morning did feel somewhat gratifying. None of her friends had any experience in fighting; the most any of them could do was yell at or argue with Kunou, for all the good that did. Perhaps Ami's rational way of thinking, in concert with her ability to fight, would finally help Kunou see how stupid he was being. Then again... all of this was far more likely to get Ami as mired in this mess as her. Kunou straightened, sweeping the hair from his forehead with one hand in a practiced motion. "I see. Jealousy. You wish to take Tendo Akane's place and date me. Like Akane-kun, I will give you the chance to win the right to go on a date with me by defeating me in a fight." Unimpressed, Ami folded her arms. "I have no intention of either dating or fighting you--" "True. Neither choice is for the faint of heart." "...Because either choice would be a waste of time," Ami deliberately spoke up as she turned away, starting once more on the path into the school. "What?" Kunou approached her back, instinctively readying his sword. "Face me! I have not given you permission to leave..." His words died in his throat as Ami suddenly brought her foot back around in a roundhouse kick, with enough force to knock the wooden bokutou pinwheeling out of his hand. She immediately brought her other foot around in a similar kick - one that connected solidly with the left side of his face, sending him flying after his bokutou in much the same spiraling manner. Ami watched as Kunou's sword ultimately imbedded itself into the ground point-first a good twelve yards away, with Kunou landing in an undignified pile immediately next to it. "Let's go," she told Akane. "I don't want to be late." As the pair walked into the building, Kunou struggled to recompose himself. he thought. * * * * * "Class," the teacher announced, indicating Ami with a glance, "this is Mizuno Ami." On cue, Ami gave a slight, polite bow to the class. "Good morning." "She will be joining our class as of this morning; I expect each of you to welcome her and treat her as you would any other member of this class." Satisfied that he'd finished the customary 'new student' ceremony without incident, he made another gesture, this time motioning Ami toward the few empty seats remaining in the class. "Please take one of the unused seats, Mizuno-san." Ami found a seat near Akane and cautiously sat down, the teacher noting her choice on the seating chart. "Very well, class. Let's start today's lesson. Mizuno-san, would you open your book to page one-seventy-seven and read the second passage?" As Ami read aloud from her book, one of Akane's friends leaned forward in her seat to push a folded note under Akane's left arm. She hurriedly unfolded the note and glanced through it. Their teacher had been rather strict with anyone he caught passing notes lately, and she didn't feel like having to hold buckets of water in the hall simply because Sayuri or Yuka were too impatient to wait till the end of class. [Akane--] [So, she's your cousin? She's not what I was expecting. Though I guess she does look a little like you. --Sayuri] Akane blinked. Ranma, look a little like her? Perhaps if she cut her hair short again - perish the thought - she and the female Ranma *would* look somewhat alike. But where Ranma's hair and eyes were a notable shade of blue, she had ordinary black hair and sienna eyes. Hair and eye color aside, the innocent manner in which Ami carried herself, along with the gentle cast of her features, would tend to make people assume she wasn't a fighter. A fact that worked to Ranma's advantage, even if she was unaware of it. Akane passed back her response. [What were you expecting?] she asked, though she had a feeling she knew what Sayuri's reply would be. When the note returned, the reply was in Yuka's handwriting. How had Yuka gotten hold of the note? Passing notes to and from Yuka was even more dangerous - although Sayuri sat directly behind Akane, Sayuri's sister was seated behind them in the row to their left. [I heard she beat up Kunou this morning. Is that true?] [Not really. She just caught Kunou by surprise with a simple kick.] Akane was, admittedly, a little jealous of Ranma; she'd known Ranma had held her skills back while fighting her, while Akane believed Ranma to only be a girl, but when her father had insisted on testing Ranma's skills through sparring... Akane had had the opportunity to watch Ranma hold back against *him*, as well. Granted, her father wasn't in top form and had let his training slip over the years... but to see Ranma hold back against a different opponent - a *male* opponent, considering that Akane had wondered if Ranma hadn't fought seriously against her because she was a girl. That he was merely another macho jerk that believed his skills were far better than they were in truth. But in watching Ranma fight someone else, when she didn't have to keep a part of her attention focused on her half of a fight, she could properly appraise how he fought. At least during a sparring match, anyway. Ranma knew enough to let his opponent attack first, and then only exert the force necessary to counter. In theory, if Ranma could maintain this tactic long enough, his opponent would tire, become frustrated, or otherwise place themselves into a situation that Ranma could exploit. As had been the case when she'd fought the female Ranma. [But if she can take Kunou out, she's gotta be a good fighter, right?] persisted Yuka. [Yeah!] Sayuri added. [After all, she *is* your cousin.] [Just because she's related to me doesn't mean she's gonna be a great martial artist.] Akane was growing irritated once more. That baka... Ranma, or whatever she wanted to be called, was making people think she was better than Akane - and this time, she wasn't even trying! "Tendo-san?" Uh-oh. "Yes?" "Would you mind telling Mizuno-san and the rest of the class why you and the Yobuko sisters have found it necessary to pass notes during her reading?" Akane froze, seeing that the gazes of Ami and almost everyone else in the room were indeed on her. "Uh......" The teacher narrowed his eyes. "Out in the hall, the three of you. Don't forget to fill your buckets, and drop your notes on my desk on your way out." * * * * * "Hey, have you heard about that girl Akiyama has in his homeroom?" "You mean Tendo Akane?" "No, no - that Mizuno girl, who transferred there a couple of weeks ago." "Oh, *her*. I think so. Why?" "They're saying she's some kind of prodigy or super-genius. Memorizes anything you give her perfectly, runs through complex calculations faster than anyone else in her class, things like that." "Really? You mean like a computer? Does she act like one, too?" His friend took on a slightly pained look for a second. "Not...... really. Akiyama says she's quite personable, well-mannered and cheerful, but she's also the hardest worker he's ever seen. She consistently gets high scores on any quiz or test *without* cheating, that he can see." "Huh. Oh, wait... didn't I hear something about her being related to Tendo Akane?" Pause. "Yeah, they're cousins. I don't know if she's had any training in the martial arts like what Akane's father teaches, but at any rate, I hear the Kunou boy's got a crush on her now as well as Akane." "Uh-oh... that can't be good. You know, I'm still surprised nobody's doing anything about those morning fights. She'll probably be okay as long as she stays close to her cousin..." The man thought for a moment. "Hmm... you know, maybe if the school thinks Mizuno-san is special, they'll finally do something about Kunou Tatewaki. They can't let him continue to hold these fights and send most of the boys in the class below his against Akane simply because he thinks it's his right." The other teacher gave him an offhand shrug. "Well, Mizuno-san *has* attracted the attention of the administrators. They're supposed to be having her stay late today for the whole range of tests." * * * * * Akane carefully followed Ami as the taller girl wended her way through the people using the school's rear entrance. "I'm surprised I didn't think of this myself," she muttered. Nearly every morning, Akane passed through the school's main gates only to have to plow through a variety of boys hoping that they could earn the right to date her. Although Kunou had revised his order to include Ami, and there certainly was no shortage of boys willing to fight her, Ami simply disappeared. Now, Akane understood the reason why: Ami chose to take a different route rather than fight her way through the boys. But why? Akane had wanted a temporary break from the morning fights, which had led her to ask Ami how she managed to avoid the fights. On the other hand, Ami was definitely capable of beating up any boy who dared fight her, just as Akane was. So why was Ami ignoring their challenges? "Because they aren't challenges," Ami answered Akane's question. "Akane, there are boys in that group who aren't even fighters. Most of them are only participating in those fights because their 'elder' ordered it." There was a notable sense of distaste with which Ami spoke the word *elder*; Akane was well aware of Ami's opinion of Kunou Tatewaki. "As martial artists, we should only be fighting when it is truly necessary. I have to wonder if you're taking the time to fight all those boys merely out of aggression." Snort. "I'll have to do it whether I want to or not. We both will. Eventually, they'll figure out you're smart enough to use a different entrance and post people at all of them." Ami's only response was to give her a mild look of disapproval, one that mirrored the similar looks she received from Kasumi on occasion. Did her 'cousin' believe she could continue avoiding the fights forever? Sooner or later, as she'd guessed, the boys would discover how Ami was managing to sneak past all of them and Ami would be forced to fight them once more. Well, if Ami could ignore the 'threat' Kunou and his squad posed, it couldn't be hard for her to do the same... right? "Hey, isn't today when they're supposed t'tell you what you scored on all those tests they had you take last week?" Akane asked, changing the subject. Ami nodded, somewhat absently. "Any idea what the point was in having you take all those tests?" "I believe they're attempting to gauge my academic skills," Ami said in much the same distant manner. Akane snorted a quiet laugh. "Well, then, you've got nothing to worry about, huh? You're practically the smartest person in the whole class." That was true; the fact that Ami seemed more intelligent than other members of their homeroom class, without spending as much effort, annoyed Akane. "Akane, a great deal of my 'intelligence' comes from what I have read. The question is whether or not I can truly apply that knowledge in whatever work I do here." She noted the urgency with which Ami had spoken her words. "It sounds like this is really important to you." Ami abruptly came to a halt, turning to face her 'cousin.' "Yes, it is. Very much so." "What?" Akane's eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you want to excel at schoolwork?" she asked, honestly curious as to why scholars such as Ami would be motivated to commit themselves to a lot of work. "Let me put it this way, Akane - why do we both constantly push ourselves in our training?" "Because we want to excel at being martial artists?" Akane ventured after a brief pause. Suddenly, she understood what Ami was attempting to do... Ami was rewording the comparison in terms Akane could better understand. "Simply put, I like to excel in whatever I do, if I can. I have my father to thank for that desire; it was one of the few ideals behind my training about which he wasn't... wrong, in some fashion," Ami said in a tone of voice that hinted at either exasperation or displeasure. Akane studied her. Though Ranma hadn't spoken much about his father, she could tell that the boy who was currently a girl didn't hold the man in high regard. "Okay, I'll ask - what's wrong with the way your dad trained you?" "He's impatient, more interested in the final product than whatever work is necessary for me to reach that level." Ami kept her eyes fixed on the hall ahead. "To train me, he will force me to endure anything from simple shame to..." "To what?" Ami shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it. I might tell you, someday, but I'm not ready to discuss it with anyone else for the time being." The thought set Akane's imagination to race. What kind of training had the elder Saotome forced upon Ranma that would cause Ami to react the way she had? Had Ranma endured something far worse than visiting an ancient training ground and becoming cursed? "He has also tried to teach me some... *unique* beliefs," the sapphire-haired girl added as an afterthought, in what Akane recognized as an obvious, half-hearted effort to shift the subject onto a slightly different track. "For example, he believes that a girl can never be a true fighter and must be protected, though I've seen too many conflicting examples to believe that." Akane felt her anger rise. "He actually believes THAT!?" she grated, not caring if anyone else in the hall heard her raise her voice. Ami nodded. "Throughout my life, he's always told me that girls are weak - and if he ever thinks I'm showing any sort of weakness, he accuses me of being a 'girl.'" "He must really be thrilled about your curse, then," snorted Akane. The other girl shrugged. "I suppose so. I haven't been paying much attention." Akane stared at her momentarily. This, from Ranma - who up to this point had proven to be remarkably observant? Was the cursed prodigy serious, or was Ami downplaying everything as she seemed to do every time she talked about her life? She again wondered what had happened to Ranma to make her reluctant to discuss her past. Whatever it was, Ranma kept it hidden well enough. She had to know. From the tone in Ranma's voice and the offhand way she had remarked about her father's opinion of girls, that was far from being Saotome Genma's worst aspect or the most horrible thing through which he had put his son. Ridiculous gender-changing curses aside, this was the person to whom she'd been engaged against her will. She had no intention of marrying Ranma, just as Ranma didn't want to marry her, but Ranma - her pseudo-cousin - had become a friend of sorts to her. Akane felt that the least she could do was determine why Ranma was remarkably reserved and kept to herself. Yuka and Sayuri were quite concerned about the latter - Ami was viewed as being so unlike her cousin... Ami was also hiding the fact that she knew how to fight; practically the only person who had seen her fight was Kunou, and everyone was dismissing his claims that Ami had earned a place in his heart by being a strong, spirited fighter as more of his expectedly delusional ramblings. Akane was, without a doubt, capable of beating Kunou in a one-on-one fight... but Ami? If anything, people wondered if Kunou was describing her as such a fighter because she had the potential to thoroughly outwit him, which was certainly plausible. The latest rumor had some believing that Kunou's declarations were an attempt to hide the fact that he'd finally fallen in love with a girl who *wasn't* a fighter. But then, why force Ami to have to endure the morning fights alongside her cousin? Akane would most likely not allow anyone to hurt Ami - though, since Kunou did 'love' her, why would he allow Ami to risk being attacked, beaten up or otherwise hurt? Kunou seemed to abide by what was perhaps a twisted variation of logic and common sense on occasion. Those boys who followed his orders essentially for the reason that he was their sempai - a sempai who wasn't beyond threatening or attacking them with that blasted wooden bokutou of his - were a different story. Many girls and even some of the boys were considering a revolution in one form or another... fights between those who called themselves martial artists were one thing, but when one of those martial artists targeted an innocent girl who wasn't training... * * * * * Nabiki watched with slight bemusement as Kunou dragged himself into their homeroom. She couldn't chide him for being late; somehow, the boy managed to make his usual morning speeches out in the main courtyard, get beaten up by Akane and still make it to class before the final bell. The mob of boys foolish enough to charge Akane probably weren't as resilient. And Ranma? Nabiki had developed a measure of respect for 'Ami.' Not only had Ranma managed to keep the entire school from discovering that she was a fighter, she was easily intelligent enough to outwit Kunou and his squad, and sneak past them every school morning. She noted that Kunou didn't look as if he had been in a fight at all. Akane had definitely left for school this morning - she'd been faced with the need to leave far earlier than she normally would, to allow her enough time to clear her fights in the courtyard, then run to class. Ranma took a somewhat different route, as she merely liked getting to school early or, at worst, on time. So, unless Akane was playing hooky - hardly likely, as Akane wasn't one to let a mob of boys, their leader *or* schoolwork scare her away from school - Nabiki wondered if Akane had perhaps joined Ranma in evading the fights. Kunou was clearly disappointed; not being able to see either of his 'goddesses' would definitely account for that disappointment. "Miss Akane and Ami this morning, Kunou-chan?" she asked with a smirk after he had taken the seat to her right. He gave her a momentary glare. "Undoubtedly, both your sister and the fair Mizuno Ami wish to swell my love for them by hiding from me," sniffed Kunou. "It should be obvious, in hindsight." "Really," Nabiki coolly replied, not allowing her gaze to falter. She knew full well that trying to argue a point with the boy most often accomplished nothing at all, and Akane had already proven the usefulness of arguing with her fists and feet. "I suppose you *would* know both of them better than someone who's related to them, and lives in the same house with them..." Another glare. "I trust you know something I do not, Tendo Nabiki?" She flashed him her customary tight smile. "I might... but it can wait. For now, I've got something you'll probably want." "Oh? And what might that be?" Nabiki took her time in drawing two plain envelopes from her bookbag. She read what she had written on the top envelope before offering it to Kunou. "Here." He stared at the solitary word Nabiki had written on the face of the envelope with blue ink... 'Ami.' What did this simple envelope have to do with Mizuno Ami? His skepticism changed to elation once he had opened the envelope. Inside was a set of five pictures... each of Ami. The first picture showed Ami thoroughly engrossed in her studies at the Tendo family room table, well into the evening, from the look of the view of the koi pond in the background. So preoccupied, in fact, that she hadn't bothered to change from her Nerima Middle uniform into casual clothes. A clear indication of her intelligence and measure of dedication to her studies. Next, a close-up of Ami, determination evident on her face, as the gi-clad martial-artist sparred with Akane. Kunou assumed this to be an example of Ami's strength and skill in fighting. For not only had Ami proven herself an intelligent, dedicated student to the entire school, she had also demonstrated that she was a strong enough fighter to rightfully declare a claim to the heart of Kunou Tatewaki. The remaining three pictures were of simple, chance poses - Ami changing clothes, a shot of her looking directly at the camera in surprise, and a look of dismay... the result of Akane catching her off-guard with a water gun. Kunou withdrew his breath. "Magnificent! Whoever took these pictures has done well enough to capture her beauty and spirit..." Nabiki rolled her eyes. Just like Kunou to do anything to avoid paying her a direct compliment. "You're welcome. One thousand yen for the whole set." It didn't take long for Kunou to pull the appropriate note from his wallet and hand it to her. "Done." Nabiki smiled; she liked to think she was the reason Kunou had taken to carrying a great deal more money with him, anywhere he went. She slid the second envelope onto his desk, making sure that he could see Akane's name written on the envelope's face. "I think you'll want to take a look at this one, too." "Mmm," he murmured, rushing to examine the five pictures of Akane within the envelope. Most of the pictures were action shots, showing Akane executing her kata or hefting a set of training weights... Nabiki knew that Kunou preferred that when it came to buying pictures of Akane. "I must have these, as well!" "Okay. One thousand yen for this set, then." Kunou passed another note to her as the tardy bell began to ring. Before Nabiki could open her mouth to ask him whether or not publicly declaring his love for two girls at once was a good thing, their teacher strode into the room, causing everyone to abruptly fall silent - and stared directly at her and Kunou while he took his seat. Or rather, Kunou. "Kunou-san? They would like to see you in the Administrative offices right away." "Whatever for?" Kunou asked, as though irritated by the thought that the school faculty was giving him orders. "You'll find out, I suppose, when you go," the teacher replied, long since tired of Kunou's haughtiness. Nabiki silently watched the boy leave the room. Kunou was rarely called to the office; that the school seemed largely reluctant to discipline him didn't help Kunou's belief that he was superior to the faculty, let alone the full student body. she thought. "You're going to do WHAT?" The administrator sighed. "The school has decided that... since you have done so well here, you are to be promoted to first-year classes at Fuurinkan High." "Ah." Kunou folded his arms. "I see that my superior status is at last being recognized." "...Yes. Well, your transfer to Fuurinkan has been approved by both schools. Your father has mentioned that he can't wait for you to start attending class there." Kunou fought the urge to cringe. "I see." His thoughts turned to the pair who had captured his heart - Tendo Akane and Mizuno Ami. As much as he dreaded the idea of possibly leaving both his loves behind, he knew the schools would likely refuse to let them follow him. It would be foolish of him not to risk asking, however. "There are two young women whom I know which are also deserving of a similar promotion. Tendo Akane and Mizuno Ami." He narrowed his eyes for effect. "Is there the slightest chance that they may join me in attending my father's school?" Across the desk from him, the administrator pursed her lips. Tatewaki's infamous pursuit of Akane and Ami - particularly Ami - was the primary reason the school had ultimately decided to do something about the whole ridiculous matter. That the Kunou boy continued to try to keep a hold on either girl wasn't much of a surprise. "We're in the process of testing both of them to see where they will go," she offered him a half-truth, hoping he would believe it and drop the issue. "Beyond that, you must be aware we cannot advance either of them simply because you want them to go with you." Thankfully, Kunou remained quiet and calm. "Mmm." He paused to take a breath. "When do I begin classes at Fuurinkan?" "Arrangements have been made for you to start attending Fuurinkan as soon as tomorrow morning. In fact, if you would like to take the rest of this day off to buy whatever supplies you need and otherwise prepare for the transfer, we will understand." "I shall consider it," Kunou replied. "For now, I will continue my classes here, at least until the lunch break." * * * * * "Hey, Akane, Ami-chan!" Yuka called across the courtyard to the pair who were eating their lunches alongside her sister, at the base of a large tree. "Sayuri! You won't believe what Nabiki just told me!" "That she's charging you twice as much for pictures of Takeshi-kun?" Sayuri knowingly smirked as her sister sprinted toward them. Yuka glared at her. "You're the only one buying pictures from her, remember?" "So what did my sister just tell you?" Akane interrupted, not in the mood to let her two friends lapse into yet another round of bickering. "Oh. Well, uh, she said that the school's transferred Kunou to Fuurinkan High." "What?" Sayuri and Akane blurted. Ami merely blinked. "Yeah. Nabiki thought Akane and Ami'd like to know." Sayuri's eyebrows furrowed. "It's gotta be a joke. Why would anyone promote that *idiot*? Besides, if *anybody* is gonna be promoted like that, it should be Ami-chan." In response, Ami's cheeks colored slightly. "His father IS the principal at Fuurinkan," Akane thought to point out. "Right. So maybe the idiot DID manage to get himself promoted." Sayuri snorted. Ami spoke in the slightly subdued voice Akane and her friends had come to expect from her. "Perhaps the school is trying to get rid of him." Sayuri and Akane exchanged glances for a second, then shook their heads. "Nah," Sayuri's tone had lost most of its heat. "It's more than likely Kunou's being a spoiled rich brat again." Yuka and Akane shrugged. "Does the fact that his family is rich mean that he can convince the schools to ignore his grades, or buy his way through school?" inquired Ami. "That definitely isn't right." She now likened her performance in school to her quest to become the best martial artist she could; taking shortcuts in either her training or her schoolwork wouldn't be of much help to her in the long run. If she wanted to be a doctor, and merely bought herself a diploma rather than studying and passing the necessary tests... any patients who came to her would be risking their lives. The possibilities were frightening. "I wouldn't be surprised," her 'cousin' replied. Ami didn't vocalize her criticisms of Kunou as much as Akane, yet it was clear Ami's opinion of the boy wasn't much better than Akane's. "But, hey, if transferring gets him to leave us alone and puts an end to those stupid morning fights, he can promote himself all the way into a university for all I care." Ami was tempted to tell Akane exactly how encouraging she considered that idea to be, but relented. No sense in letting herself worry too much about the whole issue, just yet - with any luck Kunou would see how difficult the first-year classes at Fuurinkan were as opposed to the classes he currently took, and ask to have himself demoted. She hoped. * * * * * Kouichi let his head droop wearily into his arms, folded together upon the desk before him. One of the most difficult challenges he faced - along with the rest of the faculty - as the head of Administration at Nerima Middle School, was a young man named Kunou Tatewaki. The school had been reluctant to discipline the boy... as if Tatewaki didn't already believe himself too noble to follow the rules of the school. Tatewaki strode around the school's yards wearing a hakama and wielding a wooden bokutou, making proclamations and ordering students in the lower-ranked classes to do as he wished. In class he paid a minimum amount of attention to his teachers, never directly challenging them, but showing his scorn and contempt at what they instructed him to do. The boy, at least, did not think himself above needing an education. Thankfully, the school had finally chosen to do something about the boy - and the reason for that action was due to drop by the Administration offices at any moment. Mizuno Ami. Ami's files had been called up on the computer covering the far corner of his desk... and were hidden now behind a bland text-mode screensaver. She was undoubtedly a prodigy; her past schools hadn't seemed to want to recognize her talents, content with letting her make good grades, but the tests indicated Ami had much more potential than what a normal curriculum put to use. The door to his office creaked open enough for his secretary to peer into the room. "Mizuno-san is here to see you, sir," she announced. "Her cousin is with her." With a sigh, Kouichi pushed himself away from the desk. "Send them both in." "Sir?" "I may need to speak with Akane as well. Besides, I don't see any purpose in keeping what I plan to discuss with Ami a 'secret' from Akane. They are family, and Ami's family should be aware of this." The members of her family they could contact, anyway. Her parents were reportedly out of the country, leaving her in the care of an uncle until they returned. His secretary nodded, and shut the door behind her. Kouichi absently ran a hand over his hair to make sure that resting his head in his arms hadn't displaced it. From all accounts, Ami was a quiet, personable and modest young woman - a perfect student, in some aspects. Given the chance, and the right guidance, who could tell what Ami had the potential to become? "Iwasaki-san?" A girl's voice. Ami, then. He motioned both Ami and Akane into the office. "Come in. Have a seat. I believe you would like to see the results of the evaluation tests we had you take, Mizuno-san?" "Yes, please," she asked, her voice tense. Ami was as nervous as he'd expected her to be; Akane, on the other hand, watched her cousin without showing any emotion. How did Akane feel about her cousin? Rumor had it that Akane fought the morning mob for Ami's sake, since Ami wasn't a fighter. What would happen should Akane become jealous of Ami? Kouichi handed Ami a printout listing her results from the tests and the subsequent evaluation of her, watching the girl's eyes widen as she read the paper. Akane peered at the printout from her seat... but even Akane could not keep her silence at what she saw. "An IQ of over *three hundred*!? That can't be right!" "It is," the administrator confirmed. "That is the figure which reflects her performance on the tests she took. You did extremely well on those tests, Mizuno-san." At that, Ami blinked. "You both should keep in mind, however, that the IQ figure isn't necessarily a thoroughly correct indicator of one's intelligence. Nonetheless, you are clearly quite intelligent, Mizuno-san, and have a *lot* of potential." Ami's interest was piqued, but Akane spoke before she could decide on a proper response. "What kind of potential?" "Well... for starters, I don't think she will have any difficulty being accepted at the higher schools of her choice. Why, they'll more than likely compete to have her join them." That was an intriguing concept. Ranma - and his alter ego, Ami - believed in being the best at whatever he did, but he'd never had schools competing to be associated with him, or say that they were. Better still, Ami was finally receiving attention and recognition for her efforts. Ranma had received very little of that while training in the martial arts; his father would most often simply move him from lesson to lesson without much discussion. Most of the opponents he'd faced in the fourteen years of his life had better things to do than truly stop to admire his fighting ability and style or the fighter who used both. No - to a martial artist, an opponent was a challenge, a test... a way of determining how much of one's skills needed work. If his opponent was powerful or had a technique that was difficult to overcome - he would search for the weaknesses in that fighter or technique, and exploit those flaws. Or learn his opponent's techniques so that *he* could use them. Being a scholar was different in a handful of aspects from being a martial artist, as far as Ami was concerned, yet her motivation remained constant in either field. Her modesty kicked in - strange, because Ami knew she had a greater sense of modesty now, than she'd had before visiting Jhusenkyou. How much of that was a product of the character she and the Tendo sisters had created? "I... no, I'm not that special." Kouichi let a smile play across his lips. Ami was indeed as modest as the reports stated. "But you are, Mizuno-san. In fact, I apologize for being blunt, but none of the schools in the area are properly equipped to accommodate a student of your caliber." Both girls withdrew their breath in surprise, almost in unison. "But..." was the only word Ami could think to say. Did the administrator mean that none of the schools could truly offer her a challenge? "There is a new juku in the Juuban ward that is designed to accommodate gifted students such as yourself," Kouichi told her. "The Crystal Seminar. I know that it is both rather prestigious and quite some distance from here, but they have seen your records and the results of the tests, and they have asked me to invite you to attend classes at their juku." Akane again spoke first. "Sounds like it would be expensive. She doesn't really need to attend *that* kind of school, does she?" The clear distaste in her cousin's voice set Ami to wonder. Did Akane dislike scholars or their advanced schools for some reason? And if she did, what did Akane truly think of 'Ami?' "Actually..." The administrator focused his attention on Ami. "The Crystal Seminar tells me that for a highly gifted student as yourself, they are willing to waive all of your tuition fees, if you choose to attend." "...Really?" Kouichi nodded. "Yes. I realize that this is a lot to consider, but I would like you to give it serious thought. I rarely see anyone with as much talent as you, and those talents should not go to waste." Ami blushed in spite of herself. thought Akane, watching the color rise in Ami's cheeks. The fact that she knew Ranma was actually a boy suffering under an obscure gender-changing curse made it hard for her to think of anything Ranma did as 'normal.' Ranma's behavior barely changed whenever he became Ami... was this how Ranma normally behaved, or had the curse altered his mind as well? "I will... think about it," Ami said. More nodding. Kouichi fished a business card out from under another paper on his desk planner. "Not that I want to rush an important decision," he told her, "but the Crystal Seminar is anxious to know what you decide. I guess they're eager to start." "Hmm..." Ami murmured, staring at the address listed on the card. The Juuban ward of Tokyo was a fair distance from the Nerima ward; she would undoubtedly have to spend some time commuting between Nerima and Juuban if she wanted to attend the advanced juku while remaining at Nerima Middle School. Definitely inconvenient, but it could theoretically be done. She resolved to call the Seminar, to see if she could take evening classes. She felt Akane's hand grasp her free wrist. "Did you want to talk to us about anything else, Iwasaki-san?" Akane asked. The impatience in both her voice and composure were hard to miss... The administrator stared at her for a moment. It was true that most students wanted to spend as little time with an administrator, counselor or teacher in a meeting as possible - but if Akane did indeed feel even slightly jealous of Ami, there was no sense in potentially making that jealousy worse. "No, that's pretty much it. I only wanted to share the results of Mizuno-san's tests with the two of you, and let you know about the offer from the Crystal Seminar." "Okay." Akane nearly dragged a surprised Ami to her feet. "Th-thank you," Ami managed to stammer while Akane attempted to guide her to the door. "Yeah, thank you." They had almost reached the door when an irritated Ami pulled her wrist free from the other girl's grip. "Stop it, Akane. I want to ask Mr. Iwasaki a question." Kouichi's gaze remained fixed on her. "Yes?" "I heard that Kunou Tatewaki, in class 3-C, was promoted to Fuurinkan High. Is that true - and if so, why was he promoted?" Akane hesitated, slowly turning about. She definitely wanted to hear the answer to this question... "It wasn't my idea," Kouichi sighed. "Officially, there wasn't too much we could do about what Tatewaki was doing... for a couple of reasons which I can't discuss with you. But when the school received your test results, they decided that we couldn't allow Tatewaki to continue... bothering you." Akane fought hard to keep from exploding in disbelief. "Wait a minute! He's been forcing me to fight everyone and him for almost two months, and nobody does anything to stop it - but when they start going after *her*, the school wants t'do something about it?" "Everyone knows you are capable of defending yourself against that mob, Tendo-san. Your cousin isn't." Akane mentally screamed. Not only had Ranma inadvertently fooled most of the student body into believing that she wasn't a fighter, the would-be genius had also led the *faculty* to believe the same thing! If *she* had played the defenseless girl from the start, Akane wondered - never mind how poorly that would reflect on her as a fighter and representative of her family's school - would this school have bothered to do anything about Kunou well before today? Would she still have had to endure Kunou's affections and the morning fights? She glanced peripherally at Ami; the other girl wore the same solemn expression Ami often assumed whenever she questioned whether something was right or wrong... such as she had when confronting Kunou on her first day of school. "Is it really a good idea to promote Kunou-san to Fuurinkan High, when he hasn't proven himself capable of taking those classes?" "Probably not," the administrator admitted. "But I hope that he will at least learn some of the lessons - 'real life' lessons, at that - there, since the environment won't be as... forgiving of his behavior as it was here." The slight frown on Ami's lips indicated that she wasn't quite satisfied. Akane thought. Kunou was largely Fuurinkan High's problem for the time being, and Ami wanted to argue the point? "I think it would be best if you didn't worry about it, Mizuno-san. Your own academic career should take precedence." Ami seemed to think about it for a moment, then let herself relax. "Perhaps you're right," she said, briefly wondering why she wasn't in as much of a hurry as Akane to leave. "Thank you, Iwasaki-san. I will definitely consider the Crystal Seminar's offer." Kouichi smiled. "You're welcome. I hope you don't think we are pushing you to attend the Seminar; chances are likely that if you do wish to do that, you'll also be required to live in Juuban and perhaps attend a regular school there. If you wish to stay with us, we'll be proud to count you as a member of the Nerima Middle student body." Akane said nothing as she walked, hoping that the uneasiness she felt wasn't apparent to anyone who might be watching her - particularly the girl walking by her side. Ami was lost in her own thoughts, as one would expect... thoughts which Akane knew her cousin had to consider. She realized that she didn't know if Ranma had any plans considering her future. A life on the road would ideally lead a person to live for the moment, unsure of his or her future. Even then, Ranma could have defined who he would eventually become and what he would do. Had Ranma's curse had any effect on his plans? "So......" she decided to venture once they were a mere street or two from home. "Think you're... gonna take that offer?" "I don't know," the cursed martial artist answered. "I... I can't make a choice like this without spending a fair amount of time thinking about it." She exhaled, breathing a long sigh. "This is the first chance I've had to actually have a say in an important decision concerning my life. Until I... left my father behind and came here, he made most of my decisions for me, and you've seen the end results of his choices." The end result, perhaps, but Akane had to admit to herself that she wanted to know more. Ranma's curse and the whole prearranged marriage played a role - but so did several other details which Ranma either wasn't willing to share with her, or maybe even... was too traumatized to tell her? "I don't want to talk about it," Ami had stated that morning, with a visible shudder. "I might tell you, someday, but I'm not ready to discuss it with anyone else for the time being." A surge of irrational anger fought to make its presence known in Akane's mind. Why, the thought came, was she concerning herself with a gender-changing pervert? Ranma *was* the person her father fully expected her to marry, no matter what she had to say about their fathers' agreement. Pretending to be a girl came so easily to Ranma, and 'Ami' had to be enjoying the attention... oh, the school could care less if Kunou sent many of her own classmates to attack *her*, but do the same thing to Ami, and the school would trip over itself rushing to help her. It figured... She stopped in mid-thought to stare at Ami, who walked with only a minimal amount of attention paid to the road ahead. The distant look in Ranma's eyes indicated that her concern remained with the debate over which school she should attend, more or less. There wasn't much reason for her to otherwise be distracted. Akane pushed her anger to the back of her mind. "Okay, then - tell me, do you want to go to that juku?" "I suppose I do," Ami hesitantly admitted. "Though I don't see how I can do that. Even with the school waiving my tuition fees, I can't afford any of the other costs I'll have to pay. Especially since I do not have any money in the first place." "Are you sure? Your family doesn't have money stored away in a bank or somewhere else?" "If we did, Father probably would have found a way to access it by now and spend all of it." Ami frowned at the thought. "What about going to another juku here?" "Well... I have thought about it. But I'm not sure if it would be worth it, if what Iwasaki-san said about none of the schools in this area being able to challenge me is true." Ah. Ranma's 'scholarly drive,' again. Akane couldn't see much need to attend a juku, herself; she liked to believe her grades were good enough. Signing up for a juku simply doubled the time she'd have to spend in school, although Ami wouldn't share that view. "D'you feel challenged by our school, now?" Ami was silent for a number of steps. "Not as much as I would prefer. And that will probably change, the more I learn." "But you're not taking the advanced classes." "Yes, but how far can those classes go?" Akane growled in slight irritation. Ranma's seeming indecision was frustrating. She placed herself in the other girl's path. "Fine. So you can't go to Juuban 'cause you're broke. What's wrong with making yourself the best you can be here and leaving it at that?" "Because I know I can do better," Ami returned, softly. Kasumi greeted the pair in the foyer of their home as Akane and Ranma removed their shoes, setting them immediately beside Nabiki's shoes. "Ranma," she began. "The school called earlier this afternoon--" Ranma froze. "They did?" "What did they want?" Akane asked, even though she knew why the school had most likely called. The school was concerned with the academic career of their newly-discovered 'star student.' Ami was the type of student schools liked to brag about... publicly, and in as many ways as possible short of taking each student door-to-door. "They mentioned the results from the tests and the offer from the Crystal Seminar, didn't they?" concluded Ranma in resignation. "Yes, they did. Father is waiting for us in the family room. He wants to talk to you about it." "Oh." Neither Kasumi nor Akane missed the apprehension in Ranma's voice, despite the sapphire-haired girl's effort to keep her expression neutral. All three knew that Soun was not quite happy about Ranma's decision to attend school as a girl, regardless of the sensibility of Ranma's reasons. Akane had assumed her father wanted to showcase her new iinazuke to... well, everyone in Nerima, possibly using Ranma as an advertisement to draw new students to their dojo. But Ranma's 'alternate identity' made that plan difficult to implement - a fact for which Akane was grateful. She didn't want to think about how Kunou, alone, might behave around her and Ranma had Ranma come to school as a boy, and word of the engagement been made public. Kasumi trailed behind Ranma and Akane as the three of them followed the hall to the family room. She felt a measure of apprehension, herself; they were about to discuss Ranma's future, and Kasumi worried that her father might choose to restrict Ranma in the same manner Ranma had claimed her own father would. "Father...?" Soun glanced up from the page of handwritten notes that lay before him on the family-room table, to see his eldest daughter lead Akane and Ranma into the room. "Ah, Akane, Ranma-kun." He spared one more look at what he'd written, setting his pen next to the paper. Ranma eased into her accustomed chair at the table, the chair nearest the other end of the table, to Soun's left. "Ojisan, you wanted to speak to me?" "Yes. Ranma, your school called about an hour ago. They informed us of the results of those tests you took, and of the offer from the Crystal Seminar in Juuban. Were you planning to discuss all of this with us?" There was a pause. "Yes. However, I didn't think there was much about it that needed to be discussed, as I really don't have the money to pursue my studies in Juuban." Soun narrowed his eyes in Ranma's direction as she spoke. Ranma automatically used the proper version of Japanese for whatever form he happened to wear at the moment, which often unnerved Soun. As a boy, Ranma spoke in the informal manner of an educated young man. The female Ranma spoke in the same manner - except as a proper young woman was expected to speak. Despite Ranma's devotion to his studies, the boy was an excellent martial artist in either form; Soun knew the boy's father would never appreciate him letting Ranma's skills as a fighter degrade in favor of academics... "Would you like to attend this special school in Juuban?" He saw her eyes light up for a second in hope, which was withdrawn as quickly as it had come. "Yes... I would like to. It's a good opportunity, and a higher challenge to my skills as a scholar. But in all practicality, I do not see how I can accept the offer." "I... see. Ranma, you should know that Kasumi and I have been discussing this, and we think it would be a good idea if you were to sign up for the Crystal Seminar after all." Ranma's eyes widened, as did Akane's. "But... how?" Soun took another wistful look at his notes, and sighed. "We'll try to rent you an apartment in Juuban so that you can attend school there and go to the Crystal Seminar." "I couldn't possibly--" He waved her protest away. "I have already made my decision. Ranma, while I still cannot say I like the idea that you're pretending to be a girl--" "At the moment, I *am* a girl, ojisan." "Ah. Well, the truth of the matter is that in addition to your skills as a martial artist, you are clearly a gifted scholar. Kasumi and I both agree you should develop that gift just as you would continue your training." "What about my father?" Ranma asked after a moment's thought - and a glance at Kasumi, who merely smiled. "He would rather I concentrate only on being a martial artist, and nothing else." "Yes, he does tend to be largely single-minded in matters like this... but since I am acting as your legal guardian until Saotome-kun can be found, I would rather you had a chance to develop all your skills. We'll see what he thinks about all this whenever he decides to come here." mused Akane. The picture everyone - particularly Ranma - had painted of Saotome Genma, along with the impressions of the man she'd gained, wasn't at all encouraging. "Personally," Soun concluded, "I would prefer it if you did develop your... intellectual skills as well as train to be a fighter. A fighter with skill, strength and intelligence can be rather formidable." Ranma couldn't think of an appropriate response. <...to be continued...> ------------ Special thanks to the RanMoon discussion list and Tom Williams for comments and prereading. This story is a part of the RanMoon project. Visit the project's homepage at: ********** * Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net * http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto * * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your background music is too strong * for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?