Web Of Ranma

Disclaimer: Spider-Man and Ranma Saotome belong to Stan Lee and Rumiko Takahashi. Excelsior!

< >: Thoughts

** **: Author’s opinion

[ ]: Panda signs

Chapter 2

With Great Power... Comes Great Chaos!

“What? Fiancé?” Akane gasped in disbelief after her father had told her and her sisters of the pact to unite the Anything Goes.

“Yes, he is the son of a very dear old friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome.” Soun replied while maintaining a solemn look.

“What’s he like?” Nabiki asked with some interest. “Is he cute?” It was not like the middle daughter was desperate or anything, but after Kuno had sent all the other boys at school after Akane, Friday and Saturday nights had been getting a bit lonely.

Kasumi then asked a question. “IS he older than me? Younger men are so... young.”

Soun chuckled a bit as he told them that he didn’t know. This got Akane’s temper to start boiling. Boys were nothing but jerks and only wanted to get into her panties! Now she may be forced into an engagement with some boy she hadn’t even met. Why couldn’t they be like Dr. Tofu?

It was at that time that they heard someone knock at the door.

----------

Ranma sighed as he followed his panda father to the Tendo’s front door. This was going to be a tricky subject as the teenager wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. After finding out about his father’s other crimes and engagements to feed his stomach, Ranma had been getting certain bad vibes from his spider sense about this one. It was especially compounded with the fact that his father actually wanted to keep this arrangement. Ranma had the distinct feeling that nothing good was going to come from this, but then again, very few ideas from Genma were ever good. However, since he had nowhere else to go, he had to at least see this through.

Unknown to Genma, Ranma had been building up more independence along with his spider-powers during his secret training sessions. In reality, Ranma knew more about the facts of life than he let on. Along with the extra training, Ranma had also snuck into nearby towns whenever they were out camping to escape from the law. He had found that his spider-powers were excellent for evading detection and his excursions into urban areas was perfect stealth training. He had gotten a hold of magazines and other such... ahem, reading material, so Ranma knew all about the... birds and the bees. In addition to the extra education, he had also been eating better, and had gained a few more inches in height. He wasn’t overly concerned with just learning martial arts any more, as his arachnid abilities made any training Genma put him through seem too easy, so now he began to concentrate on other pursuits. During the day, he would pretend to struggle through the training, but at night, he was free to do what he wanted and learn things that he never knew. His parent had purposely neglected his social education to make him more dependant on others, especially him, but with his increased power and extra knowledge, Ranma had the option of defying his father if it really came to it. Ranma had always maintained that if he truly wanted to abandon Genma, there wasn’t a single thing that stupid panda could do about it. The only reason why he stayed with his no-good father was now out of a sense of duty a son had to his father. However, that sense of duty had been severely strained after finding out about Genma’s many mistakes.

He looked back at Genma and frowned as the idiot hadn’t even bothered to find some hot water as he knocked on the door. “Good grief, Pop! At least you could have CHANGED before leading me here!”
It was at that moment that Nabiki and Soun answered the door.

----------

Akane and Kasumi were startled to hear Nabiki cry out as she and their father backpedaled into the dining room. Then a huge, rain-soaked panda plodded into the room, followed by a lean, finely-toned teenager with spider-powers.

The panda gave a shocked Soun a hug as he held up a sign. [Soun! It’s good to see you again!]

Soun was still in a state of shock as Kasumi looked up at the animal and smiled. “Is this your old friend, Father? You certainly have some unusual friends.”

Soun frantically shook his head.

Ranma groaned as he pinched his nose and shook his head. “Pop! You’re scaring them spitless!” He then took a calming breath and addressed the Tendo family. “Sorry about all this. Oh, by the way, I’m Ranma Saotome.”

Nabiki grinned as she gave Ranma the once-over. “Ooh, he IS cute!”

It was at that moment that Ranma’s spider-sense went off and he neatly dodged the human sprinkler of Soun Tendo.

“WAAAAAAHHHHHH! I’M SO HAPPY THAT YOU’RE HERE!”

However, Soun’s arms grasped only air as Ranma had somehow reappeared behind him.

Nabiki was a bit shocked. Had she blinked? She had not even seen him move.

Ranma winced a bit as he realized that he moved a little too quickly. He would have to be very careful in keeping his spider abilities under wraps.

----------

“Ahem, now then I would like to introduce you to my three daughters.” Soun said as he and his family sat opposite to Ranma and Genma. Ranma’s father had gotten a hold of some hot water, which amazed the family when he transformed. He told them that he would later explain as Soun made the introductions.

“This is my eldest daughter Kasumi, she’s nineteen. My middle daughter Nabiki, she’s seventeen. My youngest daughter Akane, she’s sixteen. Pick any one you want and she’ll become your new fiancée.”

Ranma took a deep breath as he tried to figure out the best way to get out of this mess. His nightly excursions had also given him some experience with dealing with others and already his spider-sense was giving him a warning buzz from Akane.

“You better not pick me.” Akane grumbled as she openly glared at him.

Ranma paused for a moment and decided on a course of action. “Mr. Tendo, before I answer, may I ask if this is absolutely necessary? I don‘t want to force anyone into anything.”
“It is a matter of honor!” Soun said as he gathered stoic dignity about him.

“Yes, boy, a matter of honor, so stop stalling and pick a girl!” Genma said as he rallied next to his friend.

Ranma snorted a bit. “Honor eh? And I suppose that you were just going to conveniently forget about those OTHER arrangements?”

Genma paled and laughed nervously as he whispered to his son. “Ranma! I thought that was supposed to be our little secret!”

“I DON’T ever recall making that promise!” Ranma said out loud, not at all attempting to hide his father’s shame. He figured that if the Tendos knew about Genma’s dishonorable actions over the past decade, then they would forget this arranged marriage nonsense.

“Other arrangements?” Nabiki asked.

Ranma shrugged as he replied. “Oh, didn’t Pop tell you? I guess it must have slipped his mind. <If he could ever claim to have a mind. > I have about a dozen other fiancées arranged by him to feed his fat stomach and you wouldn’t believe the stuff he traded my future for. He even sold me for one measly fish, a bowl of rice and two pickles.”

“SAOTOME!” It was then that Soun went into his Dreaded Demon Head Attack at Genma.

----------

Ranma grumbled a bit as he went through a few practice katas in the dojo. He couldn’t believe that Soun was still insistent on this stupid engagement, despite the fact that Genma admitted to all those crimes. However, when in a bad situation, Genma employed his Crouch of the White Tiger and did some fast talking. He had appealed to Soun’s obsessive behavior and maintained that he only did those things to keep him and his son from starving to death and that since he made the pact with Soun before Ranma was born, that gave the Tendo pact seniority. This had calmed the Tendo patriarch down and they were back to pressuring Ranma to pick a fiancée.

Ranma shook his head in disgust. <Yeah, right. If he wanted to keep us from starving then he should have gotten a job! Honor, feh! What a couple of hypocrites! >

----------

** For those of you who believe that Genma only did all those engagements to keep Ranma and himself from starving, then I believe that’s all a bunch of baloney. Genma doesn’t like to WORK for anything and is a lazy, greedy, opportunistic individual, probably due to the training he underwent under Happosai, and would do anything, even sell out his son’s future to get something without earning it. As I recall, he was more than willing to engage Ranma to Kodachi when they had money troubles. He took Ukyo’s family yattai even after telling her father that Ranma was already promised, then reversed it by saying, ’But aren’t promises made to be broken?” Then there was that time when Ranma was split into a girl and boy. In his own words, “For male Ranma, I must make certain he marries Akane and take over the Tendo Dojo. For female Ranma, I must find her a rich husband. YES! Then I’ll have it made in the shade!” There were other comments in the series that show how very petty and materialistic he is, and even when he helps out Ranma, it’s always with an ulterior motive (remember that Dragon’s Whisker?) I truly believe that he only wants the Tendo arrangement the most because that would ensure him of a luxurious retirement and that he’s playing on Soun’s friendship and (let’s face it), gullibility. But as I said before, that’s only my opinion. **

----------

Ranma had been given a reprieve when Kasumi had suggested that he get to know them before making any decisions. That had bought him a little time, but he was pretty sure that he couldn’t keep stalling those two idiots for long. He had to figure out a way out of this mess, and practicing by himself helped relax him and focus.

Ranma’s spider-sense then gave a short buzz to warn him that someone was approaching the dojo. He turned to see Akane in her gi as she padded into the training hall.

When she saw who was already there, her brow furrowed at this... BOY who was now a guest in her home. She had thought to get in a workout to relieve the stress and glared at the interloper who was in her family’s dojo. Then she decided to calm down and at least see if this Ranma was any decent martial artist. He was supposed to have gone on a ten-year training trip so he should be a good workout. She wasn’t expecting him to be as good as her, of course.

“If you want to use the dojo, then go ahead. I’m already done.” Ranma said as he wiped his brow and prepared to leave.

“Say Ranma, would like to have a little match? You study kempo, right?”
“Yeah.” Ranma said slowly. He didn’t like the hostility she showed to him when they first met. He took a brief glance at her to assess her probable skill and power level. <Second dan kempo. > That was a low level, too low compared to him, even without spider-powers. With his arachnid abilities, sparring with Akane wasn‘t even a half-decent warm-up. “But I really don’t feel like...”

“Just one quick match.” Akane insisted as she got into a basic stance.

Ranma took a deep breath. He didn‘t like fighting girls, but as it was apparent that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. In any case, she was in his way to leaving the dojo, so he would have to go through her. “All right, one fast bout.” <I’d better keep my powers under control. >

Akane tensed up as she prepared to attack. She then launched into a fast charge with a punch aimed at his head, but to Ranma, that was barely moving at all. He easily dodged the punch and grabbed the front of her sleeve of her extended arm. With one hand, he casually tossed her like a rag doll. In an instant, Akane was sent flying across the dojo and landed hard on rear.

“OW!” Akane grimaced as she sat up and rubbed her sore posterior. She then glared back up at Ranma, who gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged.

“Sorry about that. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.” Ranma approached her and offered a hand.

Akane gave an annoyed ‘hmpf’ as she swatted his hand away and got up. “Let’s try that again!” She said angrily as she took a stance and faced him.

“I really don’t think...”

“Hiyah! WHAT THE...?!” Akane had tried an axe-kick to his face, but before she knew it, her leg was grabbed and she was sent flying back across to the other side. She landed on her belly this time and was a little dazed.

“I really think we should stop now.” Ranma said. He was really trying to restrain his abilities to Akane’s level, but his spider-enhanced reflexes were operating at too fast a pace for him to restricted his powers effectively. He was also having a bit of a problem with his strength. Akane weighed about under a hundred pounds or so, and he was tossing her about as if she was a feather pillow. It was then that his spider-sense gave him another buzz, signaling that he was being watched. He glanced at the entrance and saw that Nabiki was watching the one-sided bout. She was just opening her mouth to warn him, but that was just as his spider-sense gave him another tingle.

“THIS TIME IT’S FOR REAL! WHOA!” Akane had tried to get him when he was momentarily distracted, but Ranma didn’t even look at her as he sidestepped her charge and extended a foot. The trip sent Akane sprawling to the floor and groaning in pain.

The spider-powered martial artist sighed as he knelt down at Akane and gave her a smile. “Are you satisfied now?” He offered her his hand again.

Akane glared at him, then quickly got up and ran from the dojo. Ranma was left standing with a slightly confused look on his face.

“Don’t worry about it, Ranma. She’ll be all right. You only just broke one of the cardinal rules of this house.”

“What do you mean?”

Nabiki smiled as she replied in a teasing tone. “Never let on that you’re better than Akane in the martial arts. She takes great pride in being the best fighter in Nerima and you just blew that out of the water.”

“Hey, I didn’t even want to fight her in the first place and...”
“Hey, it’s no big deal.” Nabiki said while holding up a hand. “I think it was about time that Akane saw that that she’s not the best and there will always be someone better.” It wasn’t that Nabiki was jealous of her sister’s popularity, but with all the attention she got from those hormonally-crazed boys every morning, Nabiki and the rest of the girls at school had little to no prospects for date proposals. The fact that Ranma was well-built, cute and not interested in her violent maniac of a sister made him even more intriguing. There was also the fact that he was skilled and seemed to have a reasonable head on his shoulders.

The skills he had just displayed also got the middle Tendo daughter to thinking. It looked as if he was holding back a lot of his abilities and he moved so fast, he made Akane look as if she had been standing still. Then there was that bit when he tripped her without even looking It was almost as if he knew that she was going to attack. There was something about Ranma that told her that he might have a few secrets and like the mercenary that she was, Nabiki aimed to find out what they were.

Ranma considered Nabiki for a moment and decided that she might be good to have for a friend. It had been a long time since he had a friend and she was so far the only person besides Kasumi that had been nice to him since he arrived. However, he made a note to be cautious as his spider-sense was slightly tingling toward her. The strength of the reaction was nowhere near as great as the one toward Akane, but it still warranted him to be wary.

----------

**A lot of people have said (including James ‘Zen’ Bateman), that Ranma only fell for Akane since she was the only one that was nice to him when he arrived as a girl in the original series. Of course, once she found out that Ranma was actually a boy later on, she immediately went into her hatred toward boys and things snowballed from there. Gregg Sharp had mentioned in his opinions that if Ranma had come to the Tendo Dojo as a boy, then he might be engaged to Nabiki. THIS time, he DID come in as a boy and fought Akane as a boy, so one can guess that any chance for romance between them is virtually nonexistent. In this case, it is Nabiki or Kasumi that might have a chance. Naturally, Nabiki is nice to him as he may be a potential income generator and perhaps a future fiancé. **

----------

Akane sat in the hot waters of the bath to soothe the aches and bruises she received during her match with Ranma. She felt as if she was going to cry. She had spent more than five long years training by herself and thought herself as the premier martial artist in Nerima. She had beaten up hordes of boys every morning and even downed that pompous jerk Kuno. Now her status of best fighter was shattered in less than two minutes by that... BOY!

Akane continued to fume about her defeat and tried to convince herself that Ranma’s victory had been nothing more than a fluke. She silently promised to herself that the next time they fought, she’d show him what a TRUE martial artist was capable of.

Of course, what she didn’t know that even a ‘true’ martial artist was as nothing compared to one with spider powers.

----------

The very next morning...

Nabiki smiled as she watched Ranma and his father spar in the backyard over the koi pond. She was quite impressed at how they were able to temporarily defy gravity as they leapt about in the air to trade blows. However, she was a bit puzzled as to Ranma’s performance. Last night she had seen him flip Akane like a flapjack without any effort, but he seemed to be struggling a bit to keep up with Genma. Now granted, Genma was probably better than Akane with a lifetime of training under his belt, but the middle daughter had seen Ranma move with uncanny speed and precision. Now his movements were... slower and less refined. Genma was actually landing a few blows.

Nabiki wasn’t a martial artist, but she was well-known for her keen powers of observation. Something was up and though Ranma’s father had very poor skills of perception, the middle Tendo sister had begun to catch on. Ranma was holding back... a LOT!

“Ranma! You’re getting sloppy!” Genma cried out as yet another blow got through his son’s ‘defense’ and slammed into his gut.

Ranma made a little show of feeling the hit, but in actuality, even Genma’s strongest blows felt like being hit by marshmallows due to his spider-strength. He made a somewhat sloppy-looking flip and landed at the edge of the koi pond, just as Genma dived down at him to finish the job.

Ranma decided that now was the time to end the session as he slowed down his reactions enough to just barely duck under Genma’s kick. The fat martial artist couldn’t change his trajectory in time and...

SPLASH!

“Growf!”

“What’s that Pop?” Ranma smirked as he looked down at his transformed parent. “Who’s being sloppy now? I guess I win this match.” Ranma chuckled as he walked inside for breakfast.

In the dining room, Kasumi looked at the panda and said, “Oh dear, I suppose that Mr. Saotome may want something else for breakfast.” She then promptly slammed down a huge platter of bamboo on the table.

----------

“School?” Ranma said as Nabiki being handed him a book bag.

“That’s right Ranma. You’re going to the same school as Akane and me.”
“Just stay away from me today! I don’t know you!” Akane gritted as she stomped off to school.

“Well, I guess you’ll have to walk with me today.’ Nabiki remarked as she led Ranma out the door. She liked the idea of the other girls seeing her walking beside a very cute boy.

“Well... okay, I guess.” Ranma said as he followed her.

----------

“What the heck is this all about?” Ranma asked as he and Nabiki approached the school gates and saw Akane besieged by a horde of hormonally-crazed boys with various sports equipment.

“Oh pay it no mind.” Nabiki said as she took Ranma’s arm and snuggled close. “Akane does this every day. Let’s get going before we’re late shall we?”

Ranma became extremely nervous as Nabiki took his arm. What the heck was she doing?

As the two maneuvered their way around the battered bodies of Akane's admirers, their path was then blocked by a certain kendoist in samurai garb, who was just stepping out from behind the tree as Akane was polishing off the last of her fan club.

“Oh, hello Kuno baby.” Nabiki greeted with false respect.

“Good day to you, Nabiki Tendo.” Kuno said with a pompous air, then looked at Ranma. “And who might this commoner be that you cling to?”

Nabiki smiled as she saw that she had caught the attention of several of the female students who were watching from the windows of the second floor. “Oh this is Ranma Saotome, our new houseguest and...”

This was all Kuno needed or wanted to hear. “Staying at the Tendo home?! Under the same roof as the beauteous Akane?! I forbid it!”

Kuno flashed forward with his wooden sword, but compared to Ranma’s reflexes and spider-sense, that was at a snail’s pace. Ranma pushed Nabiki to safety as he leapt back to get some fighting room.

This caught everyone’s attention, especially Akane who had been expecting Kuno to show up with his usual poetry and other nonsense. She began to fume for Ranma getting involved in her fight as he was facing off against Kuno. She was hoping that Ranma got pounded. That’ll teach him for sticking his nose into her business!

Nearby, Nabiki groaned on her rear on the ground as she watched Ranma take a stance. She mentally slapped her forehead for being so careless. It was just that when she arrived with a boy on her arm, she felt a certain pride and... well, that was all shot to hell.

Ranma however, was not going to be an easy target. He made a lazy flip and landed in a stance. “I don’t know what’s going here but if you want a fight, then I’m ready to go! I’m...”
“Wait!” Kuno interrupted as he took a dramatic pose. “Is it not customary to give one’s own name first? Very well then! Mine I will give!” He then puffed out his chest and gestured with his bokken. “I am the undefeated captain of this school’s Kendo Club! The rising new star of the High School Fencing World. My Peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!” Lightning pealed off in the distance as he raised his sword to the heavens. “Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen.”

<Blowhard! > Ranma had already heard enough as he readied to take out this chump in five seconds. He looked up at the clock and saw that he had less than a minute before the late bell would ring.

“Whatever, idiot. Let’s get this over with fast. I don’t wanna be late for my first day of class.”
“Have at thee.... URK!”

WHAM!

Ranma was already inside of Kuno’s strike and had slammed a fist to his gut. Kuno trembled a bit as he was doubled over and the bokken slipped out of his hands to clatter to the ground. Ranma then stood up and said to him, “It’s all over Kuno.”
“You will address me as upper... errk!” Kuno then fell flat on his face and was out like a light.

Ranma frowned as he looked down at his fist. <Damn! I hit him too hard! Also moved too fast!>

The students who had observed the exchange were flabbergasted.

“Wow! He took out Kuno with one shot!”

“Did you see him move?”

“That was awesome!”

“Guess Akane isn’t the only person who can take on Kuno!”

“He’s as good as she is!”
“No he’s better!”

“He’s cute!”

Down below on the schoolyard, Ranma then gave Nabiki a helping hand to her feet.

“Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah... I’m fine, but how did you do that?”

“Do what?” Ranma then looked back at Kuno’s prone form and then shrugged. “Aw, it was nothing.”
“Nothing? Akane takes a lot longer to beat Kuno and he’s supposed to be the best fighter besides her! She beats him every day!”
“Nah.” Ranma said with an off-handed wave. “Kuno only thinks that he’s that good, but he’s really not much. I’ll admit that he’s faster and more skilled than Akane, but if she really beats him every day, then he probably lets her win. Come on, we’ve got to get to class.”

It was then that the late bell rang.

“Aw nuts!” Ranma commented as he and Nabiki walked into the building, leaving Kuno and Akane in the schoolyard.

Akane’s temper went up several more notches after she had heard the comments Ranma had made. How dare that... BOY presume that Kuno had been letting her win! She was a martial artist and won all her fights fairly. Grrr! She’ll teach him not underestimate her, just wait and see!

----------

“Class, we have a new student here at Furinkan High. His name is Ranma Saotome and he’s just in from China. However, that doesn’t excuse the fact that he came in late.’ The teacher turned to face him. “You will stand out in the hall with Akane Tendo.”

Ranma nodded as he grabbed two buckets.

----------

“This all your fault!” Akane said as she stood outside with two heavy buckets of water.

“Not my fault you didn’t go in before the bell rang.” Ranma said nonchalantly.

“Shut up! It was because of you that I came in late!”

“Whatever.” Ranma was in no mood for arguments and decided to change the subject. “So Nabiki told me that you go through that you go through that mob every day.”

“It’s all that stupid Kuno’s fault! He went around and told everyone in school that any boy that wanted to date me had to beat me first!” Akane spat out angrily. “And every day, I beat them all and Kuno.”

“Well, from what I saw, it looks like they go easy on you. And I have a hunch that Kuno is just letting you win.” Ranma said with a shrug.

“Hmpf! Don’t you underestimate me, just because I’m a girl!” Akane said as she turned to face him. It looked as if she ready to throw the water at him. “Maybe you should try fighting me for real some time!”
Ranma shrugged as his spider-sense had already begun warning him. “I thought that you were fighting me for real last night. If that’s your best, then I KNOW that Kuno was holding back.” Unfortunately for Ranma, he still needed to learn more tact as he still had a problem of saying what was on his mind, regardless of the content of his words.

Akane growled as she prepared to attack him with the water in her bucket. However, someone beat her to it as something splashed toward him. Ranma’s spider-sense went off and he nimbly dodged the intended attack.

“Never, Ranma Saotome!”
Ranma frowned as he saw Kuno with his bokken. “What do you want Kuno?”

“I will never accept your intended engagement to the beauteous Akane Tendo!”
Ranma winced as he angrily retorted. “What engagement? I’m not engaged to anybody!”
“Liar!” Kuno shouted as he slashed at him, but Ranma easily dodged the strike. “Nabiki Tendo had already informed me that you are to wed one of the Tendo girls and I shall not allow you to touch the skin of my intended bride with your filthy hands!”

----------

Flashback...

“What?! Fiancé?!”

“Well, actually he’s...” Nabiki began to explain.

“I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! SAOTOME YOU FIEND!” Kuno raced out of the classroom to rescue his fierce flower.

<... hasn’t decided yet if he even wants the engagement and hasn’t chosen anyone yet. Honestly Kuno, you and Akane were made for each other. Stuff goes in through one ear and out the other. > Nabiki shook her head and sighed.

----------

End of Flashback...

Ranma easily dodged the strikes with no effort whatsoever.

“What’s your problem Kuno?”
“I shall not allow this travesty to continue! Release my intended, foul sorcerer!”

“I TOLD YOU BEFORE, I’M NOT ENGAGED TO ANYBODY!”

Unfortunately, this caused the gossip system to initiate as the classrooms suddenly opened up and crowds of students instantly appeared.

“Ooh! Akane’s engaged!”
“No fair! She’s always getting the boys!”
“When’s the wedding?”
I thought she was... you know? (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

Ranma sighed as he saw this situation go from bad to worse. He then decided to take the fight outside and gestured for Kuno to follow.

“You think you can escape me? I follow!”

“Whatever Kuno. Here’s the exit.” Ranma then jumped out the window, followed by Kuno.

“Wait this is the third floor!”

----------

For a trained martial artist, landing safely from a thirty-foot drop was difficult, but possible. For a martial artist with spider-powers, that was akin to simply hopping off a short ledge. Kuno however was a kendoist and therefore had only one comment when he saw the ground below.

“ACK!”

Luckily for him, there was a pool below, but he made a tremendous belly flop. As for Ranma, he simply twisted a bit to make certain he was upright and easily made a safe landing. He then waved back up at the astonished students above him.

“Akane, you’re a martial artist, right?” Yuka asked the youngest Tendo girl.

Akane nodded silently.

“Can you do that?”

Akane could only shake her head.

Ranma sighed in relief as he looked to where Kuno was floating unconscious and decided to haul him out before he drowned. He grabbed a nearby life preserver and used it to fish him out. Just as he dumped Kuno unceremoniously onto the side, his spider sense turned on full volume.

That was when the school fire alarm rang out and an explosion was heard in the back of the building.

----------

A few minutes ago...

“Shogo, are you sure that this is going to work?”

“Trust me. With these chemicals, we’ll be able to slow Akane down so that we cane defeat her and then... ahhhhh!” The leader of the Chem Club said as he mixed some liquids together. “Kuno said that Akane had to be defeated, but he didn’t state how.”
“Be careful! If you mix those chemicals in the wrong proportion then you’ll cause an explosion!” Ryo said.
“I know what I’m doing!” Shogo said as he added three drops of one liquid to a beaker of another.

KABOOM!

----------

Unfortunately, the formula for Shogo’s knockout drugs had called for TWO drops and he had added one drop too many. The resulting explosion had set off the nearby waste bin and chemical storage units. The fire began to spread and soon the entire chemistry lab was aflame. The two students managed to get out, but it was too late to do anything but pull the fire alarm.

----------

A state of panic ensured as the students began heading toward the fire exits. In the confusion, Ranma managed to slip away from the scene head and leap to the top of the school building to see what was going on. He then saw that a section of the school was blazing out of control. After checking to see if anyone was watching him, he silently made his way down the side of the wall, using his unique wall-crawling ability. He was about fifty-feet above the ground when he saw the chemistry teacher talking frantically to the vie-principal.

“When will the fire department be here?” The chem teacher asked.

“In about ten minutes.” The vice-principal replied.

“That’s no good! The fire is going to reach the main chemical storage rooms in seconds! The main sprinkler systems aren’t working and if those flames reach those chemicals, they’ll set off the gas mains beneath the school and blow us all sky-high!”
That was all Ranma needed to hear as he crawled back up toward the roof and ran to where the chemistry labs were located. He had to stop that fire but how? He then reached into the back pocket of his school uniform and pulled out the makeshift mask that he had made the day before and put it on. He then pulled up his sleeves to expose his spinnerets and then went into action.

----------

“Look up there!” A student cried out as the crowds pushed and shoved to get out of the danger area.

Many boys and girls looked up and gasped as they saw an unidentified person with a red mask and dressed in a school uniform run across the side of the building toward the burning chem. lab.

“Who or what is that?”

“Is that the Spider-Man?”

KABOOM!

An explosion then blew out a section of wall and the rubble tumbled down toward the students below. The boys and girls screamed as they tried to duck for cover, but they could not all get to safety in time. Luckily for them, a guardian angel was looking after them. In this case, it was their guardian Spider-Man.

THWIP!

Ranma let loose with a wide spray of webbing which formed a wide net, catching the chunks of debris before they could fall on innocent bystanders. Ranma braced himself and focused his adhering power to his feet. The surface that he was planted on strained, but held as he suspended up a ton of concrete long enough for the people to get out of the way. Once they were clear, he let the mass drop and and then scrambled across the wall to deal with the chemicals inside. In a flash, he was inside the burning building and racing down the halls toward the main storage area that they used to hold their stock chemicals. He didn’t know what to look for but assumed that any warning labels or caution signs would be what to look for.

He found the correct room and saw that the flames were about to engulf some large storage bins that were labeled highly combustible. Spotting a nearby fire extinguisher, he ran toward it and then a minute later, was dousing the bins with CO₂foam. However, when the extinguisher ran out, Ranma saw that the bins were still burning and the intense heat was liable to cause an explosion any minute. Ranma decided that the only way to save Furinkan was to contain the resulting explosion. Ranma threw away the extinguisher and began pulling out sections of wall and any other debris with his superhuman strength. He began piling more and more rubble on top of the bins, creating a multi-ton mound. He then added extra insurance by covering the pile with as much webbing as he could. When his spider-sense went into overdrive, he knew that he had about two seconds to get out. Spotting a nearby window, he charged toward it and crashed through it.

That was when the bins exploded, causing the entire school to shudder. However, the entire structure remained standing as the blast had been muffled by Ranma’s efforts. The crowds of students and teachers cheered as they saw Spider-Man swing away on a web line after saving their school and their lives. Sirens were heard coming near as the fire department and police arrived on the scene.

To be continued?

Author’s Notes

Well, that was fun and I suppose this story does have some possibilities. Let me know if you want more of our web-swinging martial artist.