Flashback to Ranma's first day at Furinkan High
"Akane will be fine," Nabiki called down from the classroom window. "This happens every day!"
Ranma shook his head. "This early in the morning?" he muttered. "At least at the last school they'd wait until lunch so there was something to fight over." He looked down and saw that Akane had already polished off her attackers. "And none of them are any challenge, even for her - this school sucks."
"Honestly!" Akane declared. "Every single morning! I'm getting tired of it." No sooner had she spoken than a projectile came flying at her.
Ranma raised an eyebrow as he saw her pluck it out of the air. A rose. Interesting choice of weapon, might mean that the guy throwing it had a decent move from the speed it had moved at - but his aim must have been off, because that would have gone right past her face if she hadn't caught it.
The guy who stepped out from under the tree looked more like a kendoist through - wearing dogi and hakama, carrying a bokuto like he knew how to use it. Pah. Boring. Still, maybe he'd have some talent. There had to be something around here that was worth Ranma's time.
"...such a boorish lot," the boy was saying (Ranma had tuned out the prefight monologue in favour of looking him over for any signs of actual skill). "Evidently each of them thought to date with you... on the dawn of the day they finally defeated you, that is. They should learn their limitations."
Akane backed up a few paces and started to work her way around the boy, only for him to bring his 'blade' around. "Well then, Akane Tendo. Will you spar with me?"
Ranma tugged at his ear. 'Date with her' - odd phrase. Generally he'd ignore it - perhaps defeating the girl would be so noteworthy that the victor would want to record the event somehow? - but there had been many words yesterday that he would have ignored if they hadn't seemed to relate to him. Possibly he should pay more attention to them.
"Hey, Akane," he said, hopping down from the wall. "Is this 'date with' business anything I should be worried about?"
"Get out of the way," she hissed. "You'll get hurt."
The challenger's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You there!" he snapped, pointing at Ranma with his bokuto. "Aren't you being awfully familiar with Akane?"
Ranma blinked. "Whaddaya mean? I'm just askin' a question. You asked her a question yourself so what's your problem?"
The boy stepped forward with what Ranma was pretty sure was anger visible on his face. "Enough of your insolence! I demand to know who you are!"
"I'm -"
"Is it not the custom," the young man interrupted, "to give one's own name first?"
"I dunno," Ranma said. "Is it?"
"It is!" the kendoist shouted. "My -"
"Oh, thanks."
The swordsman was turning somewhat red in the face. He spoke quickly. "The rising new star of the high school kendo world. My strength is beyond measure. I am the captain of the -"
"I thought you were gonna tell me your name?" Ranma interuped.
With a growl, the boy lunged, shouting "The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High - Tatewaki Kuno!" Lightning flashed as he attacked.
"Did he just call himself 'Blue Thunder'?" asked one of Nabiki's companions at the window.
"Have you heard that?"
"Nope," Nabiki said. "It's news to me."
"Last I heard, he was calling himself 'Shooting Star'."
"Maybe it should be 'Black and Blue Blunder'," the first girl suggested, watching as Ranma stepped inside of Kuno's reach and proceeded to work over the older student's belly with a succession of punches. "That new guy's pretty buff."
"He's a moron," Nabiki muttered.
"Well," Ranma noted as he walked into the school. "That was pathetic."
"Oh?" Akane asked. "What about your throat?"
Ranma rubbed the bruise, which Kuno had inflicted in passing as Ranma closed in. "Well, yeah. It's not much more than a graze. Just 'cause he's better than you doesn't make him all that good."D for Drakensis
"An ugly macho guy can never beat an intelligent, slender, popular, and handsome hero."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"Akane will be fine," Nabiki called down from the classroom window. "This happens every day!"
Ranma shook his head. "This early in the morning?" he muttered. "At least at the last school they'd wait until lunch so there was something to fight over." He looked down and saw that Akane had already polished off her attackers. "And none of them are any challenge, even for her - this school sucks."
"Honestly!" Akane declared. "Every single morning! I'm getting tired of it." No sooner had she spoken than a projectile came flying at her.
Ranma raised an eyebrow as he saw her pluck it out of the air. A rose. Interesting choice of weapon, might mean that the guy throwing it had a decent move from the speed it had moved at - but his aim must have been off, because that would have gone right past her face if she hadn't caught it.
The guy who stepped out from under the tree looked more like a kendoist through - wearing dogi and hakama, carrying a bokuto like he knew how to use it. Pah. Boring. Still, maybe he'd have some talent. There had to be something around here that was worth Ranma's time.
"...such a boorish lot," the boy was saying (Ranma had tuned out the prefight monologue in favour of looking him over for any signs of actual skill). "Evidently each of them thought to date with you... on the dawn of the day they finally defeated you, that is. They should learn their limitations."
Akane backed up a few paces and started to work her way around the boy, only for him to bring his 'blade' around. "Well then, Akane Tendo. Will you spar with me?"
Ranma tugged at his ear. 'Date with her' - odd phrase. Generally he'd ignore it - perhaps defeating the girl would be so noteworthy that the victor would want to record the event somehow? - but there had been many words yesterday that he would have ignored if they hadn't seemed to relate to him. Possibly he should pay more attention to them.
"Hey, Akane," he said, hopping down from the wall. "Is this 'date with' business anything I should be worried about?"
"Get out of the way," she hissed. "You'll get hurt."
The challenger's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You there!" he snapped, pointing at Ranma with his bokuto. "Aren't you being awfully familiar with Akane?"
Ranma blinked. "Whaddaya mean? I'm just askin' a question. You asked her a question yourself so what's your problem?"
The boy stepped forward with what Ranma was pretty sure was anger visible on his face. "Enough of your insolence! I demand to know who you are!"
"I'm -"
"Is it not the custom," the young man interrupted, "to give one's own name first?"
"I dunno," Ranma said. "Is it?"
"It is!" the kendoist shouted. "My -"
"Oh, thanks."
The swordsman was turning somewhat red in the face. He spoke quickly. "The rising new star of the high school kendo world. My strength is beyond measure. I am the captain of the -"
"I thought you were gonna tell me your name?" Ranma interuped.
With a growl, the boy lunged, shouting "The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High - Tatewaki Kuno!" Lightning flashed as he attacked.
"Did he just call himself 'Blue Thunder'?" asked one of Nabiki's companions at the window.
"Have you heard that?"
"Nope," Nabiki said. "It's news to me."
"Last I heard, he was calling himself 'Shooting Star'."
"Maybe it should be 'Black and Blue Blunder'," the first girl suggested, watching as Ranma stepped inside of Kuno's reach and proceeded to work over the older student's belly with a succession of punches. "That new guy's pretty buff."
"He's a moron," Nabiki muttered.
"Well," Ranma noted as he walked into the school. "That was pathetic."
"Oh?" Akane asked. "What about your throat?"
Ranma rubbed the bruise, which Kuno had inflicted in passing as Ranma closed in. "Well, yeah. It's not much more than a graze. Just 'cause he's better than you doesn't make him all that good."D for Drakensis
"An ugly macho guy can never beat an intelligent, slender, popular, and handsome hero."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.