"You mean you fight Kuno everyday?" Ranma asked in a conversational voice.
"Shhh," Akane hissed as the teacher turned around to look for the source of the voice. She waited until the man had turned away again before nodding her head. "Yes. And somehow, I always win."
"That ain't right," Ranma said flatly. "He's better'n you are. Either he's got some major weak point you keep hitting, or he's holdin' back way more than he should."
"Why do you think that he's better than me?" Akane demanded. "If you fought me for real, you'd see that."
"If I fought you full contact, you'd never learn anythin'." Ranma said. "Except that I can kick your ass any time I want to. Kuno should do what I did - fight just enough ahead of ya that you have to push yerself. He's teachin' ya bad habits."
"Kuno isn't my teacher!" Akane snapped.
"No," the teacher said, irritably, looking over at her. "I am. Go stan-"
The exact nature of the reprimand that he was about to impose would forever be a mystery, albeit not one that would be delved into by many scholars over the years. For in mid-word he was cut off by someone slamming open the sliding door with such force that it hopped off it's runner and jammed open.
"Upperclassman Kuno?" Akane gasped.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno declared. "I won't allow it!"
"Allow what?" Ranma asked, freeing himself from the confines of desk and chair in readiness for a brisk bout of violence.
"This engagement of yours to Akane! I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall never, never -"
"What engagement?" Ranma's face was the very picture of innocence. "I thought you didn't want to get engaged, Akane? Didja change your mind?"
"WHAT!?" went up a chorus from the rest of the class around them. "Engagement!?" "You're kidding!" "Oh no!" "Is this for real, Akane?"
"And you said you despised men!" one girl said.
"It's not like that!" Akane protested.
Ranma scratched his head. "What the heck's everyone getting so excited about?"
Kuno gave an incoherent shout and attacked the red-shirted boy. Contrary to the basic tenets of narrativism, he dodged successfully, bounding up and off Kuno's head, to land in the corridor outside.
"Coward!" Kuno accused, spinning on his bare feet to face his opponent.
Ranma glanced around. A straight corridor, no real room to maneuver. "This is no place to fight," he declared. "Follow me."
"That I shall!" Kuno cried, giving chase as Ranma sprinted for the end of the corridor.
Ranma rounded a corner and spotted an open window. He jumped onto the sill, turning to his pursuer. "Let's take the fastest way down," he called, and leapt out.
"Very well!" Kuno followed with a jump that carried him through the window without even touching the frame. Due to Ranma's slight upward thrust, they were falling at more or less the same level, Ranma further from the building.
"You idiots!" Akane yelled, reaching the window. "This is the third floor!"
Kuno's face was a rictus of fear as he realised just how high they were. Ranma shook his head. I know she's gotten the idea that she's smarter than me from somewhere, but does she really think I can't count that high? He looked down and grimaced. Oh great. Water.
Water fountained into the air as the duelling pair cannonballed into the swimming pool.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"Shhh," Akane hissed as the teacher turned around to look for the source of the voice. She waited until the man had turned away again before nodding her head. "Yes. And somehow, I always win."
"That ain't right," Ranma said flatly. "He's better'n you are. Either he's got some major weak point you keep hitting, or he's holdin' back way more than he should."
"Why do you think that he's better than me?" Akane demanded. "If you fought me for real, you'd see that."
"If I fought you full contact, you'd never learn anythin'." Ranma said. "Except that I can kick your ass any time I want to. Kuno should do what I did - fight just enough ahead of ya that you have to push yerself. He's teachin' ya bad habits."
"Kuno isn't my teacher!" Akane snapped.
"No," the teacher said, irritably, looking over at her. "I am. Go stan-"
The exact nature of the reprimand that he was about to impose would forever be a mystery, albeit not one that would be delved into by many scholars over the years. For in mid-word he was cut off by someone slamming open the sliding door with such force that it hopped off it's runner and jammed open.
"Upperclassman Kuno?" Akane gasped.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno declared. "I won't allow it!"
"Allow what?" Ranma asked, freeing himself from the confines of desk and chair in readiness for a brisk bout of violence.
"This engagement of yours to Akane! I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall never, never -"
"What engagement?" Ranma's face was the very picture of innocence. "I thought you didn't want to get engaged, Akane? Didja change your mind?"
"WHAT!?" went up a chorus from the rest of the class around them. "Engagement!?" "You're kidding!" "Oh no!" "Is this for real, Akane?"
"And you said you despised men!" one girl said.
"It's not like that!" Akane protested.
Ranma scratched his head. "What the heck's everyone getting so excited about?"
Kuno gave an incoherent shout and attacked the red-shirted boy. Contrary to the basic tenets of narrativism, he dodged successfully, bounding up and off Kuno's head, to land in the corridor outside.
"Coward!" Kuno accused, spinning on his bare feet to face his opponent.
Ranma glanced around. A straight corridor, no real room to maneuver. "This is no place to fight," he declared. "Follow me."
"That I shall!" Kuno cried, giving chase as Ranma sprinted for the end of the corridor.
Ranma rounded a corner and spotted an open window. He jumped onto the sill, turning to his pursuer. "Let's take the fastest way down," he called, and leapt out.
"Very well!" Kuno followed with a jump that carried him through the window without even touching the frame. Due to Ranma's slight upward thrust, they were falling at more or less the same level, Ranma further from the building.
"You idiots!" Akane yelled, reaching the window. "This is the third floor!"
Kuno's face was a rictus of fear as he realised just how high they were. Ranma shook his head. I know she's gotten the idea that she's smarter than me from somewhere, but does she really think I can't count that high? He looked down and grimaced. Oh great. Water.
Water fountained into the air as the duelling pair cannonballed into the swimming pool.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.