Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Ranma 1/2 or Urusei Yatsura. Those gender-bending martial artists and obnoxious aliens belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own "Pygmalion", also known as "My Fair Lady", either. It was written by George Bernard Shaw.
Author Notes: There are two things I would like my reviewers for this story to help me with. The first is keeping this story lighthearted. There are several sections which are supposed to be serious, even sad, but please warn me if this thing starts to smack of angst. The second is Ryuunosuke's characterization. I feel that I'm familiar enough with her to do her character justice, but I don't claim to be perfect. If any of you UY buffs out there notice that I'm screwing up, please bring that to my attention. That's about it; enjoy the story!
"Students, our guest from Tomobiki will be arriving in just a few minutes. I want all of you boys and girls to be on your best behavior," Ms. Hinako said, pouting and wagging a disapproving finger at her "delinquent" pupils.
Ranma rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. "Tomobiki, eh?" he thought to himself. "This oughta be good. Hmm... I wonder how Akane is making out."
Even among the denizens of Furinkan, long accustomed to the bizarre, Tomobiki was considered an extremely weird place. Ever since the infamous Ataru Moroboshi had narrowly averted an alien invasion there, the suburb had become a haven for extraterrestrials, spooks, and all sorts of strange life forms. At least, that's what the rumors said...
Therefore, it made perfect sense that when Principal Kuno got the notion to exchange a student with another school for two weeks (as a sort of "good will" visit), he would choose a place like Tomobiki. Akane had been the "lucky" student to get picked from Furinkan; she left yesterday evening after a teary farewell from her father. Ranma had to admit that he was a little worried about her, but he also knew that his hot-tempered tomboy of a fiancee could take care of herself. As for the student from Tomobiki, speculation was running rampant, but nothing was known for certain except the name: Ryuunosuke Fujinami.
"So, what do you think Ranma?" Hiroshi asked, snapping Ranma out of his daydreaming. "Do you think we'll get an alien or what?"
"I wouldn't put it past old coconut-head," the pigtailed boy replied with a laugh. "After all, he's pulled stranger stunts!"
"Hey, look!" Daisuke interrupted, pointing at the door. "He's here!"
Ranma turned his head just in time to see the doorknob turn, opening to reveal Furinkan High's demented headmaster. Decked out in loud Hawaiian clothing, wearing shades, and sporting a smile that said "Hug me; I'm insane!", Principal Kuno's very prescence made the students uneasy.
Ignoring their glares, he pulled a microphone from his shirt and loudly announced, "Kids, me be havin' a special treat fo' you today. As you know, we sen' Akane Tendo to Tomobiki High School fo' two weeks, and we be gettin' anuda student to take her place. Dat student is here; come on out and introduce ya'self, keiki!"
Principal Kuno excitedly waved his hand for the person behind him to enter, and as he did so every girl in the room involuntarily gasped. From behind the tanned principal stepped a stunningly handsome young man dressed in black jeans and a white button-up shirt, apparently his school uniform. He was neither tall nor particularly muscled, but the confident way the boy moved bespoke a toughness that left everyone in the room impressed. At the same time, his kind smile reassured them that he was not the sort to go looking for trouble. Looking left and right, Ranma saw to his amazement that the stranger had managed to awe every guy and enthrall every girl in his class without saying a word.
Standing in the center of the room, the boy cleared his throat and said, "Hi. The name's Ryuunosuke Fujinami; pleased to meet you all."
"Class, why don't you all give Ryu a friendly Furinkan welcome?" Hinako said with a sweet little smile.
Her words seemed to trigger a stampede, as every girl in the class mobbed him at once. They were all chattering excitedly, but every one of them was apparently thinking the same thing.
"Oh, he's so cute!"
"Ryu, do you have a girlfriend?"
"I'm available!"
"Hey, back off! I saw him first!"
"Girls, please give him some air!" Hinako pleaded. When she saw that they weren't paying her any attention, she snarled, "You know, girls who can't behave themselves are no better than delinquents, and will be punished accordingly!"
Hinako started to reach for her change purse, but it was unneccesary. The mere thought of shriveling like a prune (especially in front of this cute boy) had sent all of the girls scrambling for their seats, leaving Ryu sprawled out on the floor, panting for breath.
"Now, that's much better!" Hinako giggled. Helping Ryu up, she said, "Mr. Fujinami, you can take that empty seat near the window next to Mr. Saotome. Don't let him get you into any trouble, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ryu muttered, strolling down the aisle and plopping down in his seat. He looked over to his right at the boy the teacher had labeled "troublemaker". His classmate had long black hair braided into a single pigtail and wore Chinese-style clothing instead of the typical blue uniform. Noticing Ryu's stare, Ranma gave him a slight smile, whispering, "Yo."
"Yo," Ryu replied with a small smirk of his own.
"Ah, this guy ain't so bad," Ryu thought, pulling a pencil out of his backpack. "He probably just got on the teach's bad side or somethin' like that."
The relative quiet was shattered by the sound of a ukulele being played at breakneck speed. All of the students turned to face their principal, who strummed a final note for effect.
Turning toward the super-petite schoolteacher, he said, "Ms. Hinako, it looks like you got de situation unda control, so I'll be goin' now. Before I go, howevuh, I want to remind all you students dat the school dance is only two weeks away, so be gettin' your duds in order. Dat's all; you have a nice day, now!"
With that, the coconut-headed menace did a quick about-face and departed the room. After watching him leave, Ms. Hinako turned toward her students and exclaimed in a chipper voice, "Well, now that that's done, let's get started with our history lesson! Please turn to page 211 in your textbooks..."
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"It ain't fair, I tell ya'!" Daisuke fumed. "Between Ranma and Ryu, there isn't an available girl left in the whole school!"
As was their habit, Ranma, Daisuke, Hiroshi, and Ukyo had met up on the roof for lunch, and the topic of the day was the handsome stranger. Word had spread like wildfire among the female student body at Furinkan that the new guy was a real hunk, and most of them had set off in search of the dreamy he-man. Needless to say, this wasn't endearing him to the male students.
"Hey, don't start blaming me for your romantic problems, buddy," Ranma retorted with a hint of annoyance. "Besides, it's not like I asked to have a half-dozen girls after me."
"You know, come to think of it, neither did he..." Hiroshi pointed out. "They just went after him like moths to a flame. Ukyo, you're of the female persuasion; what's the deal?"
The girl dressed in a boy's uniform merely smirked as she pulled two sack lunches out of her schoolbag. "Oh, I don't know..." she muttered. "He's just sexy. It's a little hard to explain; call it 'animal magnetism' if you like."
Changing the subject, she handed Ranma one of the paper sacks. "Ranma honey, I made you some squid okonomiyaki. I hope you like it!"
"I've never met any of your okonomiyaki I didn't like before," Ranma replied with a grin.
"Well, whether he means to or not, Ryu is putting a serious cramp in our style," mumbled Daisuke dejectedly.
Ranma was just about to bite into his okonomiyaki when he heard a noisy chattering sound coming from the courtyard. Peering over the edge of the roof, he had to put up quite an effort to keep from laughing at the sight below.
"Speak of the devil, there he is now," Ranma chuckled, pointing downward at the strange scene.
As the others got up to look over the railing, they saw Ryuunosuke attempting to wade through a veritable sea of women. The girls had him completely surrounded, all vying for his attention and apparently not in the mood to share.
"Darn it; that's EXACTLY what I'm talking about!" Daisuke growled, pulling his hair in frustration.
"Some guys get all the luck..." Hiroshi sighed.
"Heh, heh. I don't know whether to envy Ryu or pity him!" Ranma thought with a laugh. "Y'know, there's something different about that guy, but I just can't put my finger on it. Seems nice enough, though... Maybe it's just my imagination."
Just then, he noticed that a figure in blue was stalking angrily toward the new student. Ranma's expression took a quick turn from amusement to concern as he recognized who the azure-clothed fellow was. "Uh oh... What is that jerk up to now?"
"Hey, is that Kuno?" Ukyo asked, also noticing him. "I wonder what he wants with Ryuunosuke..."
"I don't know, but it's a sure bet that he's up to no good," Ranma angrily replied. "I'd better get down there."
Ranma hurriedly placed his lunch on the ground and dashed out the door, Ukyo close on his heels. Hiroshi and Daisuke took one quick look at one another and swiftly followed them.
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"Geez, this is worse than Tomobiki..." Ryu thought as he trudged along with his crowd of admirers. "At least the girls there had the decency to stalk me one at a time."
The chattering and giggles around him suddenly ceased, causing Ryu to look up. In front of him stood a tall, brown-haired boy in a kendo uniform, carrying a bokken and looking rather ticked off.
"Uh, can I help you or somethin'?" Ryu asked hesitantly.
Narrowing his eyes, the boy simply said, "I am looking for Ryuunosuke Fujinami."
"Something tells me he isn't here for a friendly handshake..." Ryu thought warily. "I'm Ryu; what do you want?"
"Hmmm... I thought as much," Kuno remarked with a self-assured smirk. "I had heard that a would-be Don Juan from out of town was attempting to seduce the innocent girls of Furinkan High. From the size of your entourage, it would seem that the rumors were true."
"Hey, I ain't trying to seduce nobody!" Ryu snarled. "Just take a second to chill out, and--"
"Silence, wretch!" Kuno boomed. "I will hear no more of your lies! Know that I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, will not allow you lead these girls astray with impunity. I challenge you to a match!"
At these words, several girls grabbed Ryuunosuke by the arms.
"Don't you dare hurt him, Kuno, or we'll never forgive you!" one shouted.
"You're just doing this because you're jealous, you lech!" another cried.
"Ryu, please don't fight him!" a third pled. "You have no idea how dangerous Kuno can be when he's angry!"
Ryu sighed and looked at the ground. "I suppose it's useless to ask you to talk this out?"
"Quite," Kuno growled. "Now, face me... if ye be man enough."
Ryu looked up with a glare that intimidated even Kuno. Slipping off his backpack, he muttered, "It's your funeral, man. Come at me whenever you're ready."
Regaining his composure, Kuno dashed toward the young man, bokken upraised.
"Have at thee!" he roared, swinging his sword diagonally. Ryu proved to be a limber opponent, easily dodging the attack.
"Ha! This guy ain't so tough!" Ryu thought confidently. His cockiness quickly evaporated as the top half of the statue he had been standing next to slid off its base and shattered on the ground, sliced in half by Kuno's attack.
"Holy hell! He did that with only a wooden sword?" he thought with a gulp. "Maybe I spoke too soon..."
About this time, Ranma and the others arrived on the scene. It didn't take them long to see that their suspicions of Kuno's ill intent had been well-founded. As he took in the situation, however, Ranma became very unsure as to what course of action to take.
"Ranma, should we..." Ukyo asked, her voice trailing off.
"I... I don't know, U-chan," he replied. His mind raced as he pondered the dilemma. "Man, what to do? On the one hand, I don't want to let Kuno skewer the poor guy. On the other, it goes against my principles to interefere in a man-to-man fight, especially if Ryu can handle this himself..."
Noticing the look of fear on his opponent's face, Kuno flashed an arrogant smirk. "It seems you are all bark and no bite. Allow me to show you how a real warrior does battle!"
Before Ryu could blink, Kuno had closed the distance between them and let loose a barrage of unbelievably fast sword strikes.
"STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!" Kuno shouted, swinging, jabbing, and slicing for all he was worth.
"Arrggh!" Ryu winced in pain. Although he was able to parry or dodge quite a few of the strikes, many of them were still getting through. Cuts and bruises began appearing all over Ryuunosuke's body until a final, uppercut-like swing sliced through his shirt and knocked him to the ground. Ryu looked up to see Kuno towering over him, poised to deliver the final blow.
"I've seen enough; I have to stop this fight!" Ranma thought, rushing from the sidelines. "I just hope I'm in time..."
"Receive thy punishment!" the swordsman bellowed, slicing downward with all his might. To Kuno's shock, however, his sword hit only earth.
"W-what?" Kuno gasped, gawking at his opponent. Doing a one-armed handstand on top of the bokken was Ryuunosuke, glaring at Kuno with an intensity that made his blood freeze in his veins. Meanwhile, Ranma stopped several yards away, awed by the sudden turnaround.
"Bastards like you piss me off," Ryu growled through clenched teeth. Before Kuno could react, Ryu administered three swift, brutal kicks to the face that sent the aristocratic idiot flying off his feet and through the air. Kuno landed in a unconscious heap at Ranma's feet, sporting a broken nose and the beginnings of two black eyes.
"Whoah... nice!" Ranma thought, greatly impressed. He looked up just in time to see Ryu dashing toward him, a determined look on his face. Suddenly, Ranma noticed something highly unusual: Ryu's chest seemed to "bob" a little as he ran. Confused, the pigtailed boy took a moment to rub his eyes; by the time he reopened them, Ryu was at his side, panting slightly.
"I hit him a little harder than I meant to," Ryu explained. "He gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, this goon could survive lots worse," Ranma replied, glancing down at Ryu's torn shirt. Underneath the white fabric was a thick layer of bandages, and what looked like... The pigtailed fighter's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything.
"Okay, good to hear. See ya'!" Ryu mumbled, rushing away in an obvious hurry. He dashed toward the waiting crowd, nimbly hopped over it, and kept running. As the girls shot after him in hot pursuit and the guys dispersed, Ranma stood motionless next to Kuno's battered, unconscious form.
Ukyo walked up to him, a playful smile on her face.
"Well, Kuno sure got what he deserved, huh?" she said with a soft giggle. The teenaged chef became silent as she noticed the peculiar look on her fiance's face. "Ran-chan, is something the matter?"
Snapping back to his senses, he quickly muttered, "Um... nothing. We still have a little bit of lunch time left, right? You head to the roof; I'll be there in a minute."
Ukyo sensed that he wasn't telling her something, but decided not to press the matter. "Well, okay, Ran-chan. Don't be long, all right?"
As she walked away, Ranma's mind returned to what had occupied him a few moments ago. "No way... Could it have been a trick of the light? I don't think that light distorts things THAT much. And then there were the bandages; nobody needs that many bandages for an injury unless they're in a hospital. No two ways about it: Ryu has... boobs."
As Ranma stood alone in the courtyard, he realized that he had been right in suspecting that there was something strange about Ryuunosuke Fujinami. It wasn't that he was an alien, as Hiroshi had joked that he might be. It wasn't that he was a ladykilling playboy, as Kuno had insinuated. It was something much more basic. To be precise, Ryu wasn't a "he" at all...
"He" was a "she".
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That day at Tomobiki High School...
"Students, our guest from Furinkan will be here any minute now, so I want all of you to behave for once," Onsen-Mark said with a threatening glare toward the 2-4 homeroom, a.k.a. the "Classroom of Failure".
Ataru rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. "Furinkan, eh?" he thought to himself. "This oughta be good. Hmm... I wonder how Ryu-chan is making out."
Even among the denizens of Tomobiki, long accustomed to strange occurrences, Furinkan was considered an extremely weird place. People who had visited there claimed that everyone and their grandma knew advanced martial arts, and it was also home to a legendary, panty-stealing gremlin. At least, that's what the rumors said...
Therefore, it made perfect sense that when Tomobiki's scatter-brained principal got the notion to exchange a student with another school for two weeks (as a sort of "good will" visit), he would choose a place like Furinkan. Ryuunosuke had left a yesterday, much to the relief of the women-starved male student body at Tomobiki. As for the guest student, speculation was running rampant, but little was known for certain except her name: Akane Tendo.
Ataru was snapped out of his daydreaming by the sound of an opening door. As he looked up, a pretty girl with short, bluish-black hair stepped into the room, accompanied by Tomobiki's bumbling principal.
"Ga-hoy!" Ataru exclaimed. "What a babe!"
Ignoring Ataru's outburst, the stoic headmaster said, "Students, please treat our guest in a manner befitting the marvelous reputation of our beloved Tomobiki High School. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have several urgent matters to attend to..."
The principal made a quiet exit, leaving Akane standing alone at the door. Realizing that she was nervous, Onsen-Mark took her hand and led her to the center of the room.
"Don't be shy..." he whispered with a kind smile.
"Thanks..." she replied, smiling back.
Clearing her throat, she faced her new classmates and said, "Hello! My name is Akane Tendo. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Stepping forward, Onsen Mark adopted a stern glare and said, "Students, please remember that Ms. Tendo is our guest, which means that she will be treated well by us, the hosts. That means no groping, stabbing, shocking, burning, or otherwise harming her while she's here! Do I make myself clear?"
Her eyes becoming as wide as saucers, Akane asked, "Is that even a concern?"
"You'd be surprised..." Onsen-Mark muttered with a tired sigh.
Now thoroughly rattled, Akane silently surveyed her new class. Most of the students looked pretty normal, but three in particular caught her eye. The first was a handsome boy in a white uniform; he looked harmless enough, but the sword at his side said otherwise. The second was a cute girl with long hair, green eyes, and... two tiny horns growing out of her head. The last looked fairly average, but there was something in the look of deranged perversion he was giving her that made her skin crawl. With a sinking feeling, she realized that the only empty seat in the room was right next to him.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Akane mentally moaned. Her thoughts of self-pity were interrupted by the husky voice of Onsen-Mark.
"Miss Tendo, please take the empty seat in the back."
As she shuffled apprehensively toward her desk, Akane thought, "Something tells me it's going to be a long two weeks..."
END OF CHAPTER 1
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Here we go again! It's been a while since I last wrote a Ranma fic that wasn't a one-shot, so I'm eager to see how this will turn out. I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter; as I'm sure you can surmise, there will be plenty more where this came from!
One more word: I just wanted to make it clear here and now that I do not update very quickly. As much as I admire those who can pump out a full-sized chapter each week, I'm not one of those people. The fic will get finished, and I'll do my best to keep updating regularly, but it's more important to me that the story is GOOD than fast. I hope you agree with this approach; bear with me, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks again for reading, and please leave a review!