CHAPTER FOUR: Ranko's School Daze

ALTERNATELY: Definitely Not Ninja High School!
(Apologies to Ben Dunn!)

NOTE: Ranma Saotome, if you hadn't been paying attention in the previous chapter, is now being referred to as 'Ranko Saotome'.

Ranko was at the pillar once again, trying to shatter the crystal that imprisoned her true masculine form. A feeling of dread washed over her as she turned around to see the shadowy mass of the cats that tormented her. The cats suddenly drew back as a katana appeared between them and their target. Nodoka then appeared, wielding the weapon before her in fierce defiance of the felines. Ranko felt safe and protected as her mother came to her defense.

Nodoka looked down at her sleeping daughter as she caressed her gently. Until a moment ago, Ranko had once again been tossing about and whimpering fearfully in her sleep. Apparently, the nightmares had let up a little since they had been reunited, but Nodoka still cursed her fool of a husband for causing their child such torment as this. What damage had he done in his quest to produce a 'man among men' to give his only child such terrible nightmares night after night, even after being separated from him? What kind of horrible monster had he become that he struck his son for waking him up with his screaming instead of trying to comfort him and drive his fears away? What kind of man had Genma become?

Nodoka was determined to find out, and Kami help him if Genma set foot in her presence once again!

'Ranko' was fidgeting in her new school uniform as she sat down for breakfast. She felt uncomfortable, not because it didn't fit well (which was not the case), but because a part of her felt really silly wearing a pleated skirt. For that matter, she felt embarrassed to wear any other kind of skirt... or other feminine attire when it came down to the point. She knew that these feelings were unreasonable, considering that she was a girl, and would remain so for the foreseeable future. Besides, her mother wanted to raise her as a 'daughter' until such a time as the curse was either cured or at least brought down to its normal levels. She just wished that Sakura High hadn't registered cherry blossom pink for the skirt and kerchief of the girl's uniform.

"You look lovely, Ranko" Nodoka smiled at her daughter as she served her breakfast. Ranko's flinch at being called by her new name, or possibly by being called 'lovely' or being reminded about her feminine attire didn't escape her notice. Her daughter had a clear distaste for wearing feminine clothing of any sort, even if she could see the need for it. In this case, until the curse permitted Ranko to become her son again, there clearly was a need. There was also a need for a better way for Ranko to perceive the situation.

"Is nice outfit," commented Shampoo, trying to relieve some of the tension that she felt brewing in her friend. She still felt a little guilty about how she had blown off Ranko's problems during their journey to Japan, and wanted to be a better friend for it. "Shampoo is to be wearing same outfit soon. Is good to know it be loose enough to fight in."

"I do hope you're not going to be looking for trouble while you are attending school, girls," Nodoka admonished.

"No, Mother," Ranko replied. "But don't expect me to hold my peace if I see someone picking on people who can't defend themselves." Surprisingly, Ranko had picked up her sense of justice from her father, Genma, who had gone on and on about how 'it is a Martial Artists duty' to do this or that. Genma had even practiced what he preached on rare occasion. More often however, he would send his son to do the job, regardless of risk or ability. A lot of good had been done during their journeys, and Genma had even done a little of it (very little).

"Shampoo no start fights, but will finish one if happens," was Shampoo's response to Nodoka's admonishment.

"Fair enough," Nodoka commented, sipping her morning tea.

"Keep in mind that Japan's laws are different than our own, great granddaughter," Cologne advised. "Do not resort to violence too easily, and try not to kill anyone if you can help it. Ranko already knows how to adjust her power down to her opponents' ability to withstand it, and is able to gauge that ability quickly and accurately. I suggest that you learn from her, if she is amenable to it."

"I don't mind," Ranko declared, "but I don't know how good a teacher I would be."

"This would be good practice for you then," Nodoka pointed out.

"I too, would wish to learn," interjected Mousse. His motivation was seated in his desire to win Shampoo's affection. His chief problem wasn't his ability to defeat her in combat (he was pretty sure that he could by this point), but with his ability to do so without crippling or killing her. He had no desire to do either and, in the past, this had caused him to lose fights to her due to his fear of hurting her. Ranko had proven capable of defeating Shampoo without hurting her (as enamored with Shampoo as he was, he could still see who the better fighter was), and would be an excellent source of the knowledge he sought.

"Sure, no problem," Ranko assured him. Then she decided to confront the issue that she had been thinking about for the past day or so. "Um, Mother?"

"Yes dear?"

"I would like to continue my training in the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts if at all possible. Pops said that he had trained with a guy named Tendo," Ranko paused for a moment, trying to remember. "Soun Tendo, I think." She pulled out the postcard that had intrigued her when she had found it, and handed over to her mother. "I think he was going to take me to see him."

"I will consider the matter, Ranko," Nodoka said carefully. "He was a dear friend to the family, but I haven't seen him in many years. If he has changed in the manner that your father had, I do not wish you to take up your training under him."

"That seems yet to be determined," Cologne pointed out. "I suggest that you meet him first before you cast any condemnations."

"You are right, of course," agreed Nodoka. Then she looked at the time and spoke to Ranko. "Now hurry off to school, young lady. You don't want to be late on your first day!"

* * *

Ryoga was ecstatic. After many days on the run (one of which, unaccountably, apparently in Brazil instead of China), he had finally ended up in the one place he was positive that the crazy old man wouldn't follow. Joketsuzoku was not a place that Genma Saotome wished to return to. Of course, the spear-wielding amazons did present something of a problem, but they didn't worry Ryoga too much. All he had to do was explain the situation and talk to Ranma, right?

* * *

Usagi Tsukino and Luna, her cat, worried over the Sailor Senshi's new problem. Jadeite was apparently no longer a problem, and their identities seemed to be unaccountably secure, but there was a new dark warrior in Jadeite's place named Nephrite. This new adversary's methods differed from Jadeite's in that Nephrite seemed to pick individuals to focus on, rather than depending on random chance with a general trap. Thus far, he had attacked Mollie's friend Katie, a gardener in the park, and Miss Lambert. Ami and Rei had yet to figure out what the connection between any of the targets was besides the simple fact that, like Jadeite's victims, all three had been somewhere in or around Juban when they were attacked. This told then surprisingly little as of yet, other than the fact that their enemy seemed to be content to operate within convenient reach thus far.

All such thoughts were abruptly cast aside when Luna remembered to look at the time. "Usagi, if you don't hurry, you are going to be late for school!"

"Yeek! You're right!" Usagi grabbed her school stuff and rushed downstairs and out the door. "BymomnotimeforbreakfastIgottahurryorI'llbelateforschoolIloveyoubyebye!"

Ikuko Tsukino called out to her rapidly disappearing daughter, "Usagi! You forgot your lunch!" She didn't notice as Luna raced out the still open door and after Usagi.

Cologne extended her mystic senses once again, as she had several times before since she had arrived in the Juban district a few days ago. She could feel the presence of mystic forces being arrayed in opposition in the area, but both sides were indistinct and hard to pinpoint precisely, as if being cloaked from detection (which was probably the case). The only reason she could feel either faction at all when they weren't actively doing something was the familiarity of the forces. Among the treasures back at Joketsuzoku and also among those she had brought with her, were artifacts that resonated with the energies that composed either side of this ancient conflict.

These treasures had long since been cloaked from detection themselves, and were used by the amazons primarily as a teaching aid when it came to certain old legends. Legends about a magical kingdom on the moon and how it fell protecting the world from invasion from a dark dimension. Legends which apparently had been reborn into the world and were once again in conflict. Except that there was no Moon Kingdom anymore to take the brunt of the assault should the dark dimension, the 'Negaverse' if she remembered the legends correctly, once again gain access to a stable, long lasting portal from their realm.

Well, this time the conflict was taking place on Earth. This time the warriors of the former Moon Kingdom would have allies. This time, may all the Kami help her, the warriors would receive the help they needed so long ago, but were constrained from asking for.

For now, though, it would be prudent for Cologne to set up her own wards and mystic defenses. If both sides felt the need to be cloaked this early in there struggle, then there was ample reason for it, for it meant that both sides were capable of at least rudimentary detection of each other should they not be hidden. Then it would be best to prepare Shampoo and Mousse for the upcoming battles. Ranma, or 'Ranko' as she was now being called, would be more than welcome as a warrior as well. Perhaps the only real good that had come out of being raised by her idiot father was the absurd amount of training that Ranko had received while growing up. Between that, and the possibility of certain legends about those touched by the Nyanniichuan turning out to be true, Ranko would probably become invaluable in the upcoming struggle.

Too bad they didn't have any more warriors touched by Jusenkyo. Depending on the springs involved, such warriors would have been invaluable as well.

The Kami are sometimes said to have a sense of humor...

* * *

After hearing out the strange boy who somehow knew their dialect, the remaining elders of Joketsuzoku decided that it would be prudent to send this 'Ryoga' to Cologne. They had just received a letter the day before explaining that she had found Ranma's mother, and was staying with the Saotomes until she had arranged for a place of her own. They told Ryoga of this, and said that they would send him on his way.

"Umm... Okay," Ryoga started uncertainly. "But how do I avoid Ranma's crazy father? He's still after me, trying to turn me into his son. And my sense of direction isn't all that great to begin with..."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem. We could just mail you there." This was only partly meant as a joke. If the boy didn't go for it, they could always send him off with a guide.

"What do you mean?" Ryoga asked dubiously.

"You said that you turn into a cat, right?"

"That's right," Ryoga confirmed.

"Well...according to the letter that we received from elder Cologne, the outer world now has agents that can guaranty overnight delivery anywhere in the world..."
"I see what you're getting at," Ryoga sighed. "I may as well go along with it. With my sense of direction, this would be the best way to be sure that I got there anytime this year..." [Overnight delivery won't be so bad,] Ryoga reasoned. [And I'll be able to warn Ranma and his mother about his... err... her lunatic father's deranged plans to replace her with another son. I wonder what she looks like now?]

Unfortunately, the elders of Joketsuzoku didn't remember about what Cologne had told them about Ranma's Neko-ken training until they had already mailed Neko-Ryoga...

Certain interested Kami were already laughing their asses off, while others were more politely amused. While the Kami are sometimes said to have a sense of humor, a few of them are thought to be practical jokers...

* * *

Ranko carried her bento outside and away from the boys in her class. She felt that she had made a relatively good impression with her teachers and classmates, and didn't want to ruin it by giving in to the urge to punch the next guy to ask her out. She hadn't made any friends yet, as she was too busy trying to absorb the lessons to do more than basic introductions so far. Ranko hoped that she hadn't put anybody off by this, but Nodoka had said that an education was important, and Ranko didn't want to disappoint her mother. Still, those few times that she felt that she could safely divide her attention, she had engaged in idle chatter with her classmates, so Ranko didn't think things were going too badly just yet.

(Actually, Ranko came across to her teachers and classmates as being more than a little shy, which made sense to them since her father had raised her alone on the road. More sympathetic classmates were currently setting those boys who were already trying to hit on her in their place.)

Under a tree, several blocks away (Ranko really wanted to get away from those boys), Ranko saw a couple of girls who were apparently from the nearby junior high, one of whom appeared to be upset. She decided to go over too see what was wrong.

Ami was about to offer what little was left of her own lunch to Usagi when she noticed the redheaded girl coming towards them. She didn't remember seeing the girl before, and she was wearing a different fuku than the one for Crossroads Junior High School (it looked like the fuku used by Sakura High School, which was nearby but several blocks away). Ami greeted the girl tentatively, "Hello, may we help you?"

"Not really, I just came over to see what was wrong," explained Ranko.

"I forgot my lunch!" wailed Usagi tearfully. "I'm so hungry! WAAAHHHHH!"

"Here, you can have some of mine," Ranko offered. "I had a big breakfast and mom made me lots."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so grateful!" exclaimed Usagi. Ranko sat down next to her and portioned off what seemed to be a reasonable amount for the starving girl.

"Pardon me for asking," Ami started, "but aren't you from Sakura High School?"

"Yeah, I'm a new student there," Ranko confirmed. "I'm Ranko Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." Ami was nonplused by the extended formal introduction, especially since it was delivered so casually (which was a bit of a mixed message at best). Usagi, on the other hand, wasn't put out at all, and happily greeted her new friend as she ate.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino, Ranko-sempai, and this is my friend Ami Mizuno!"

"So, what brings you here, Ranko-sempai?" Ami asked curiously.

"Well... I'm not used to being around a lot of people since I was raised on the road by my pop," Ranko hedged. "Some of the boys seemed to be too interested in me for my comfort at the moment, and I'm trying to avoid them. I'll go back before my next class is supposed to start."

"Oh," replied Ami, who seemed to be satisfied with this explanation. She was a little shy herself, so she thought she understood Ranko's dilemma.

"You should be happy that the boys are paying attention to you," announced Usagi, ever the proponent of romance.

"Ah... that's not something I feel ready for just yet," Ranko responded shakily. [That's something I hope I never have to be ready for,] she thought, disturbed by the notion. [Never, never, never!]

During the remainder of the lunch period, Ranko found herself bombarded by questions from Usagi and the occasional one from Ami. The two girls seemed nice and friendly, and Ranko ended up telling them a condensed version of her life with her father followed by her being reunited with her mother at long last. She left out such confusing details as Jusenkyo and the fact that she was really a guy named Ranma who happened to be under a curse. She also tried to keep her story light, but her memories were far too bitter for that, and she was silently crying by the time that she had to go.

"Well, I gotta go if I'm going to get to class on time," Ranko said as she gathered up her bento and furoshiki (carrying cloth). She then startled Ami and Usagi by reaching the wall in two quick bounds followed by clearing it with a single leap and then racing off in the direction of Sakura High School by rapidly running and jumping across the rooftops.

"That... that was amazing!" exclaimed Ami, who wasn't quite sure that she believed what she was seeing.

"I'll say," agreed Usagi, equally astonished. "Do you think she could be another Sailor Senshi?"

"I hadn't thought of that yet," Ami replied. "She could be, I suppose, but neither you, Rei, nor I can leap like that when we aren't in Senshi form."

"I don't think we can leap around like that even when we are Senshi," Usagi pointed out. "At least... not that fast, anyway!"

"Keep in mind that she could also be another Negaverse warrior, or under their influence, Usagi," Ami continued.

"Now you're beginning to sound like Luna! I think she's a very nice girl. She couldn't be part of the Negaverse!"

"She could still be under their influence," Ami insisted.

"Luna, Luna, Luna!"

"What?" asked Luna, who had just arrived. She didn't always try to meet Usagi during her lunch break, and had wanted to avoid doing so today so she wouldn't have to listen to her forgetful charge's complaints about being hungry, but she had sensed something strange and changed her mind.

"Yeek!" exclaimed Usagi, startled once more. "Don't do that!" Luna just sighed.

"I feel some strange energy about," started Luna. "It could be from the Negaverse!"

"See! I told you!" Usagi said to Ami, feeling vindicated. "Just like Luna!"

"Usagi!" Luna tried to continue.

"No time, Luna," Usagi blurted out as she started to run off, "Ami and I have to get back to class!"

"Welcome home, Ranko," Nodoka greeted her daughter as she returned home. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was okay, I guess," Ranko replied. "I tried real hard to pay attention to the teachers during classes like you wanted me to, and I talked some with my classmates..."

"That's wonderful!" Nodoka said encouragingly. She didn't want to put her child off school, so it was important to praise Ranko for the things that went right. Especially since she also had to give a reprimand as well. In a more serious tone, she continued. "I received a call from your school today."
"It's about lunch, isn't it?" asked Ranko in trepidation. She had been reprimanded by her teacher about leaving school grounds without permission during her lunch break. She had to stand in the hall for a bit with a sign around her neck, which was kind of embarrassing, but wasn't so bad. Genma usually spent hours, or even days, scolding her back when she was a guy living on the road with his father. Genma also had a more physical idea of proper punishment, but Ranko had always dreaded the incessant verbal abuse more.

"It's important that you don't start getting any bad habits in school, dear," Nodoka chided gently. She had seen the amount of dread that passed behind her daughter's eyes, completely out of proportion with the amount of trouble she was in, so decided to tone her reprimand down a little. As much as Ranko didn't want to admit it, she was quite fragile at the moment, and Nodoka had no desire to cause her any undue turmoil. "It wasn't so bad this time, because it was your lunch break, but you really shouldn't just leave school grounds like that."

"Gomen, mother, I was just trying to avoid some of the boys in my class." Ranko was still nervous, but things didn't seem to be getting as bad as she thought a moment ago.

"Well, why don't you tell me all about it?" Nadoka prompted. Cologne, who had been listening discretely for the more personal part of the reprimand to end, ushered Shampoo and Mousse into the room. Ranko told them about her day, and why she had wanted to avoid certain boys during lunch. As it turned out, the rest of her classmates, male and female alike had set the more insistent and pushy boys in their place during her absence. This had startled Ranko when she had found out, as she had left precisely because she wanted to resist the urge to hit them herself. She had thanked everyone who had stood up for her, and opened up a little more out of gratitude. Much to the chagrin of her would be suitors however, the only boys that Ranko opened up to were the ones who weren't trying to date her.

By the end of her story, everyone in the Saotome home was chuckling lightly. Ranko promised to behave herself in school, happy that the reprimand had been light.

Later that night, as Ranko settled into bed, she thought over the day's events. She felt that she had made many friends that day, not the least of which were the two junior high school girls, Ami and Usagi, who had been there for her at a time when she didn't even know she needed support. She had only realized that after the fact, when she discovered that her burden of grief over having been abandoned seemed to be lighter once again. Until that point, only her mother had been able to drive that particular pain from her heart. Ami and Usagi (especially Usagi) just seemed to radiate with a kind of cheerful friendliness and concern that had allowed her to release some of her burden of grief. She would have to find them and thank them later.

END CHAPTER FOUR.

OMAKE THEATER PRESENTS: Lost in the Mail

With special thanks to Lord Talon, who suggested the idea.

Two postal workers looked at the package that should never have even reached their desk in the first place. It had postage marks from all over the world already, but for some reason was only postmarked earlier that day. The address of origin was from some village in China, and the destination was a private residence in Japan. While the stickers could be a hoax, there was no mistaking the express, overnight delivery markings on it as well.

"What's this package doing in Germany anyway?" asked the one clerk, confused.

"We don't have time to worry about that right now," stated the other clerk promptly. "Just slap a sticker on it and get it on to the next flight to Japan right away!"
Neko-Ryoga wondered why, in the past several hours he had been in the box, he had over heard no less than sixteen distinct languages talking about what seemed to be a postal anomaly. With a feline shrug, he settled into the set of his clothes that the amazons had thoughtfully folded up and packed along with him. If what he heard was any indication, it was going to be a long night and he may as well get some rest.

END.