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Ranma 1/2: Another Approach
Part 7
By Jack Staik, Bookkeeper-At-Arms
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SYNOPSIS: Ryoga Hibiki has been defeated by Akane Tendo, and
seeks a rematch to prove his worth to challenge Ranma
Saotome. Meanwhile, Nabiki Tendo, seeking to control Ranma
for her own purposes, has run into an unexpected stumbling
block ...

 * * * * * * * * * *

Nabiki entered the Clinic quietly. "Hello? Am I early?"

"Ohayo, Nabiki-chan!" Doctor Tofu said from behind her.

"YOW!!" Nabiki cried, almost jumping out of her skin. "Don't
you ever get tired of that trick?"

"No," he said, smiling. "Never do. What brings you by so
early, Nabiki-chan?"

"I wanted to consult with you. I need some medical advice."

Tofu instantly became serious. "Have a seat and tell me
about it."

Nabiki went into a description of her observations of
Ranma's behavior, up to her attempted loveplay of last
night. Tofu, with great professionalism, didn't laugh at the
last part.

"Well, Nabiki," he answered, "I examined him recently - in
both forms - and he seems perfectly normal. Aside from his
hermaphomorphic condition, of course."

"He's not gay. I was sitting on his lap - I saw him when
Akane was walking around naked - he's *not* gay. And I can't
imagine a sixteen-year-old boy resisting that much
temptation. So I figure it's some kind of medical problem."

Tofu chuckled. "In all liklihood, he just hasn't reached
that point in his development yet."

"But he's sixteen! You're telling me he hasn't noticed girls
yet??"

"He may have noticed girls, but that doesn't mean he'll jump
at the first one he sees. He may not feel ready to explore
that part of himself."

"So what do I do?" Nabiki asked.

"You're really attracted to him, aren't you?"

<No, you dip, I'm just trying to control him.> Nabiki gave
her best Nervous Fidget (pat.pend.). "I - I -"

"Then I suggest being patient. Don't try to rush things.
When he's ready, he'll notice."

Nabiki nodded. "Hai. Arigato, Tofu-sensei."

"Anytime, Nabiki-chan."

As Nabiki walked home, she thought about what the doctor had
said.

<I'm not attracted to him. He's a year younger than me, he's
uneducated, he's got terrible manners, he's a dumb jock.
Sure, he's cute and nice and strong and fun to be with, but
I'm just trying to maximize my profits. That's all.>

So why did that thought give her that strange hollow feeling
in her stomach?

 * * * * * * * * * *

Ranma and Akane moved together through the complex katas,
gliding with sinuous grace, their arching and twisting
looking more like interpretive dance than a martial arts
exercise.

At least, Ranma glided. Akane's motions, while not without
some grace, were much slower and jerkier.

"Feel, don't think," he told her. "Don't try to follow the
form, just let it happen."

Ranma twisted backward in a serpentine arc. Akane attempted
to copy him, then began windmilling her arms wildly.

<THUD>

Ranma sighed. "You're overcompensating again."

Akane rubbed her bruised bottom as she got back to her feet.
"I'm trying, but these forms are tricky."

"Form isn't the point!" Ranma insisted. "That's the whole
point of Anything-Goes! Moves, techniques, maneuvers - they
aren't ends in themselves, they're a means to an end."

"And what 'end' is that?" she asked.

"Kicking ass, of course." he answered. "Which is why you
have to internalize the moves, use them without thought. If
you're concentrating on the moves, you *can't* concentrate
on the fight. Let the moves flow without thought, and you
can concentrate on victory."

Akane huffed. "I *said* I'm trying!"

"That's your problem, teishi," Ranma stated. "Don't keep
trying - just *do*!"

"Hey, give me a break! If you weren't throwing all this
stuff at me at once - endurance training, blind-fighting,
balance training -"

"Perhaps you should try something simpler than martial arts,
then? Cooking, perhaps?" He grinned. "I could use a bit of
breakfast about now."

"HA! Hell will freeze before I cook for *you*!" Akane
snapped. "And aren't we supposed to be working on this
technique?!"

Ranma snapped his fingers. "Perhaps you just need a bit of
inspiration. I'll fetch the training aids."

"Hmph!" she muttered to herself. "Smug bastard, I am really
going to show him - EEEEEEEE!!!!"

"This," Ranma said calmly, "is the North American
Diamondback Rattlesnake. He's only medium size, about three
meters. Notice the rattles - that's how he warns you away."

He held the snake closer to Akane's bugged-out eyes. "Notice
the fangs? They're about three centimeters, hinged to fit in
the mouth. Notice how the fangs are hollow tubes? That's so
it can inject a deadly nerve toxin."

Ranma put the snake on the floor. "Now remember, the
rattlesnake is a very aggressive and excitable creature."

At which point he pulled out a blow-tickler and started
blowing it in the snake's face.

The clicking-rattling sound began as the reptile drew itself
up, hissing.

"Eeep," Akane squeaked, edging backwards.

Suddenly, Ranma grabbed up a box and jumped, landing
delicately on Akane's head. He then began pulling snakes
out, tossing them to the floor. Soon the room was filled
with hisses and rattles.

"Now you'll learn why it's called a *dance*!"

Akane's head swung wildly, looking with terror at all of the
reptiles clicking and hissing around her. She only had a
second to look before the blindfold covered her eyes.

Ranma flipped off her head, landing well away from the
snakes. "Now listen for the rattles - they stop just an
instant before the snake strikes."

"Um, Ranma?" Akane asked nervously. "When you said they were
poisonous, you meant that the bite made you sick, right?"

"Nope. Fatal. Horribly so," Ranma commented. "Luckily, when
I was bitten, I got to a hospital in time." Ranma paused for
effect. "Of course, that was in America. I don't think
there's a drop of rattlesnake antivenin in all of Japan."

Akane sweatdropped more massively than she ever had in her
life.

She *heard*, clearly and distinctly, for the first time in
her life, every sound in her vicinity, from the rattles of
the snakes to the movement of the air to the beating of her
own heart.(Amazing how having adrenalin flow through you to
the exclusion of blood sharpens the senses, ain't it?)

A rattle stopped.

Akane could *feel* the path the strike followed.
Desperately, she twisted. She felt the scales of the snake
brush against her gi.

Akane windmilled her arms desperately, trying to regain her
balance. She heard another rattle stop behind her, and
hurled her weight to one side, barely missing another
strike.

She checked her fall with her forearms, crying out as the
bruises from her last fight with Kuno were hit. Two more
rattles stopped, and Akane desperately pushed herself up and
away.

Conscious thought soon ceased, as Akane moved not by cues,
but by instinct. Ranma looked on approvingly as what had
been a series of distinct moves and poses became a smooth,
effortless gliding, her body twisting and writhing in a
sensual dance.

<Not bad,> he thought. <It took me longer to get this far.
Of course, I was a lot harder to scare.>

 * * * * * * * * * *

The Gosunkugis were overjoyed. Their little Hikaru had been
so isolated, and now he had a friend to sleep over! (A male
friend, but they had their suspicions about *that* for a
long time.)

"Have some more miso, Ryoga?" Mrs Gosunkugi asked.

"Arigato, Gosunkugi-san," he said politely.

"How do you know our son, Ryoga? Did you meet at school?"

"No, ma'am. I was trying to find the school, but Hikaru took
me to a Dojo instead."

Mr Gosunkugi looked thrilled. "Our son is interested in
martial arts?? Oh happy day!"

Mrs Gosunkugi smiled. "And to think his grandmother said
he'd grow up to be a psychotic stalker!"

"Actually, his girlfriend is a student there," Ryoga said.

"HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND?!?" both parents cried at once. They
began dancing around, throwing confetti and playing
instruments.

Mrs Gosunkugi stopped. "Wait a second! If Hikaru has a
girlfriend, then that means ..."

The Gosunkugis broke into tears.

"We could live with him being one or the other, but *both*?
We'll be humiliated!"

Gosunkugi came into the dining room. "What's going on?" he
asked.

Mr Gosunkugi hugged his son. "Oh my boy! Why didn't you tell
us you had all these romantic problems?"

"uh... well ..." he said coherently. "Akane and I -"

"AKANE??" Ryoga blurted. "The girl I have a duel with
today?? She's your girlfriend?"

"I was trying to tell you -" Gosunkugi began.

The parents began crying. "Our son's boyfriend is fighting
his girlfriend! How will we live this down?" they wailed.

"What are they talking about?" Ryoga asked.

"Never mind, just ignore them - I do." Gosunkugi answered.
"Now we have to plan how we're going to defeat our *real*
enemy."

 * * * * * * * * * *

Arriving home, Nabiki went straight to the dining room,
where the family was eating breakfast.

Akane was perched over her food like a mother bird
protecting her chicks, while Ranma casually stole food from
her. They both ate like they haden't eaten in weeks,
shovelling food into their mouths with noisy gulps and
slurps.

Nearby, half of a panda was sticking out of a hole in the
wall. His plate was empty.

"Did your training go well today, Ranma-kun?" Nabiki asked,
wearing her best sincere smile. <Try to relax him ... get
his trust slowly.>

"Actually, it was great. Watch." He pulled out a whip and
snapped it at Akane.

Akane twitched aside, contorting and curving her body to
avoid each strike of the whip.

"YAAAHH!!! Stop that, you [CENSORED CENSORED]!!!"

"Oh my!" Kasumi said. "That isn't a proper thing to say at
the breakfast table, Akane-chan."

"Hey, Akane, you're really good!" Nabiki exclaimed.

"GRRRRRR!!!" Akane commented.

"What's with her?" Nabiki asked Ranma.

"Oh, nothing. That's normal. By the way, thanks for your
help."

Nabiki smiled. "Oh, it was nothing."

"Where did you get sixteen Diamondback Rattlesnakes in Tokyo
on just a day's notice?" he asked.

Nabiki smiled playfully. "You keep the secrets of your Art,
Ranma-kun, and I'll keep the secrets of mine."

Akane stared at her older sister. "You *helped* him?!? Those
snakes could have killed me!!"

"Don't be silly, Imouto-chan. They were sterile - no poison
glands."

"Hush!" Ranma hissed.

Nabiki looked from her shocked sister to her mildly-annoyed
boyfriend. "You didn't tell her?"

"I thought those things were going to *kill* me!" Akane
squeaked in her rage.

"And you dodged them, didn't you?" Ranma said.

"Barely," Akane retorted. "Why didn't you just dump me in a
pit of them?"

Ranma flinched. (References to dumping people in a pit of
animals make him uncomfortable.)

"You've got the first part," he said, ignoring the comment,
"the moves are part of you. In just a few hours, too. Now
you have to achieve mastery."

"And how am I supposed to do *that*?" Akane whined.

"Stop whining, for one thing," Ranma said.

"I don't -" Akane started whining, then checked herself. "I
do not whine." she repeated evenly.

"Remember how you learned the Stone-breaking Blow?" Ranma
asked, apparently changing the subject.

"Huh?" Akane cxommented. "Yeah, I remember."

"Rememebr how, after you did it right the first time, you
couldn't remeber how you did it?"

"Yeah," Akane replied, smiling at a happy childhood memory.
"Otosan told me that I had to feel the technique, not just
know it, and my -"

Insight hit Akane in the head like an anvil dropped on her
head.

"- and my body would follow," she finished meekly. "It's the
same thing?"

Ranma nodded. "Martial arts isn't just a string of unrelated
tricks - it's an entire method. A true master knows more
than just the moves - he knows how to add, extend, modify,
and adapt. Every move you've ever learned will help you
learn more."

Akane nodded dumbly.

 * * * * * * * * * *

(At the Kuno Estate...)

"Hey, Kuno-sempai," Gosunkugi whispered.

"Greetings," Kuno said arrogantly (does he ever do anything
not-arrogantly?). "How did you get here? I didn't hear
Sasuke announce you."

"You heard about the girl who likes you?" Gosunkugi asked,
ignoring the question.

"You of course refer to the beauteous Akane Tendo," Kuno
stated.

"Nope. Another one. The 'Mystery Girl'," he replied.

"Who?" Kuno asked.

Gosunkugi took out some photographs and handed them to Kuno.

Kuno made incoherent noises at the images of the red-haired
girl sleeping, posing in fight-like poses with a panda,
peeling off her shirt...

"Who is she??" Kuno demanded.

"No one knows. Nabiki started selling these pictures
recently. She says that she lives nearby, but that's all."

"And you say she's interested in *me*?"

"I saw her just last night," Gosunkugi half-truthed, "and
she's really curious about you," he lied.

"Of course she would be," Kuno stated. "Am I not the
magnificent Blue Thunder of Furnikan High? Matchless
exemplar of the samurai virtues? Dream of a thousand young
maidens?"

<And I'm the Emperor.> "Of course, oh Mighty One," Gosunkugi
said, the sarcasm content of his comment completely missing
the target.

"Pray reveal, Gosunkugi, how I may meet with this delicate
flower."

<Oh, this is too easy,> "She will be present at noon today
at the schoolyard - no doubt to bask in your radiance."

"Of course. She shall come to me, then I shall reward her
for her devotion!"

Gosunkugi smiled a smile that would have sent sane people
scampering for cover. <Stage One - completed.>

 * * * * * * * * * *

(Later that day, at the soccer field...)

Ranma and Nabiki sat together on the side of the field while
Akane did katas nearby. Occasionally, Ranma would throw
something at her (food, rocks, a small dog), making her
twist out of the way. He tried to not look at Nabiki.

Ever since last night, Ranma had been having some ...
difficulty sorting out his feelings for Nabiki. Equal mixes
of friendship, naked terror, and the urge to see Nabiki in a
bikini blended inside him. Rather than deal with it, he
decided to avoid it.

"I don't get it," Akane said. "If he won't even show for two
or three days - or more - then why are we here now?"

Ranma shook his head at the thick-headedness of his pupil.
"Because you were issued a challenge for this day and place.
You'll wait a reasonable amount of time, then consider it a
forefit. Since you were present, your honor is intact."

"'Reasonable' time?" Nabiki commented. "Like waiting three
days in someone's back yard?"

"Hey! With Ryoga's tendency to get lost, that's reasonable!"
Ranma protested.

"Doesn't seem so reasonable," she commented.

"Just because something's inconvenient doesn't mean you
shouldn't do it," Ranma stated. "The Path of the Martial
Artist is fraught with challenges."

"You sound like your father," Akane commented.

Ranma glared at her. "That was a nasty thing to say, Akane,"
he said in a low, angry voice.

"Eep," Akane squeaked, freezing in place. "Gomen nasai,
sensei," she whispered quickly.

Kikuko ran up to the pair. "Hey, Akane! Ranma! I just -
what's with her?"

"Nothing, just thinking," Akane said hastily, slightly
ashamed of herself. "What's the matter?"

"Ryoga showed up. He's headed this way."

"What??" Ranma and Akane said together.

"That's impossible!" Ranma protested. "He'd get lost in a
windowless room with one door! How'd he find the school so
fast?"

"I heard that one of the other students helped him," Kikuko
said dismissively. "The point is, Akane's got a fight."

"Ohmigod!" Nabiki cried, "I haven't got my bookies set up!
Odds have to be posted! C'mon, Kikuko!" And the two dashed
off.

Ranma chuckled as Nabiki left. "She's really hung up on
money, isn't she?"

Akane shrugged. "She's Nabiki."

 * * * * * * * * * *

Ryoga marched up to the soccer field, with Gosunkugi right
behind him correcting his course.

"Remember," Gosunkugi whispered, "let the crowd gather
first. Then, when Kuno arrives, I'll throw the water
balloons. When everyone sees him change - and Kuno being
romantic with him - he'll be so humiliated that he'll run
off.

"Ranma's happiness will be destroyed, I'll have Akane,
everyone will be happy."

Ryoga nodded. He was uncomfortable with this plan - he'd
much rather just pound on Ranma - but he had to admit, the
humiliation of his enemy, seeing Ranma degraded publically,
was just too tempting to pass up.

Gosunkugi stopped Ryoga in the proper place, then dashed off
to watch for Kuno.

He didn't have long to wait. Kuno strode toward the field,
looking as arrogantly self-assured as only an idiot like him
could be.

Ranma had his back to Gosunkugi, giving Akane a last-minute
pep-talk.

Casually, Gosunkugi hefted a water-balloon and tossed it.
The slow, reasonably harmless projectile failed to trigger
the distracted Ranma's danger sense.

"HEY EVERYBODY! LOOK!" he shouted.

<SPLASH!!>

"WHO DID THAT?!?" Ranma-onna yelled, spinning around.

"OH LOVELY ONE!" shouted Kuno, glomping onto the buxom
redhead from behind. "I have heard of your beauty and your
devotion to My Greatness, and I shall reward you by allowing
you to date with me!"

"GET OFF OF ME, PERVERT!!" Ranma-onna shouted, her elbows
swinging, slamming into Kuno's head repeatedly faster than
the untrained eye could follow.

"Bleeee..." Kuno commented, before falling unconscious, his
hands still gripping Ranma-onna's breasts.

Akane fought the urge to chuckle, and pried the kendoist's
hands off her sensei. "Now you know what I have to put up
with."

"Gah," she commented. "How do girls *stand* being groped
like that? It makes me feel ... slimy."

"We *don't*," Akane stated. "We get mad and kick ass."

As Ranma got up, Gosunkugi looked around at the reaction in
the people around them.

And no one had noticed.

(Of course, virtually no one ever noticed Gosunkugi anyhow,
no matter what.)

"TENDO!!" came the cry from the soccer field.

"Can't worry about this now," Akane snarled, a feral grin on
her face. "I've got an ass-kicking to deliver."

As the two girls walked up to the place of challenge, Ranma
offered some last-minute tips. "Remember, his style is
primarily boar-style Bando, concentrating on raw strength.
Don't let him close with you - those powerhouse blows can be
lethal in a clench."

"Ha!" Akane laughed. "With the Ja Jinku, he'll never lay a
trotter on me!"

"Be careful!" Ranma cautioned. "You just learned it - you
haven't mastered it yet!"

"Even without it, I can beat *him*!" Akane said scornfully.
"He carries a *weapon*! I learned as a kid that weapons
limit responses, and a good martial artist doesn't need
them!"

"True," Ranma-onna agreed, "but don't underestimate him.
That umbrella gives him extra reach and leverage. In order
to avoid it, you'll have to make mosquito attacks, striking
fast and retreating almost immediately."

Akane nodded.

Meanwhile, boys all around were whispering to each other,
pointing to the petite-but-well-shaped redhead, comparing
her to photographs in their posession.

 * * * * * * * * * *

Ryoga waited in the middle of the soccer yard, watching the
sparse crowd gather (on a non-school day, not that many were
present.) He noticed Ranma's girlfriend (how *dare* he have
a girlfriend?!?) moving through the crowd. Gosunkugi had
said she was the local bookie, so she was probably taking
bets.

He watched Akane Tendo in her yellow gi approach, with Ranma
in his girl form giving her pointers. <Where's that Kuno guy
Hikaru mentioned? For that matter, where's Hikaru?>

Gosunkugi ran up to Ryoga, panting. "It didn't work! Ranma
laid him out in seconds! And nobody noticed the change!"

Ryoga shrugged. "I didn't really like that plan anyway." He
hefted his combat umbrella. "I'll just lay out the Tendo
girl, then beat Ranma into the ground."

"Hey! I don't want Akane hurt!"

"Don't worry. I'll go easy on her." <I'll punch her out
quickly.>

Akane and Ryoga stood just a couple of meters apart, staring
into each other's eyes.

"You can't protect Ranma forever," Ryoga said. "I'll defeat
you, then crush Ranma."

"Nobody crushes Ranma but *me*, jerk!" Akane retorted.

Ranma-onna stood nearby, raising her hand. Then she brought
it down in a quick chop.

"FIGHT!"

-------------------
To Be Continued
