A/N: I'm truly sorry to those who witnessed my great HTML mess-up. I'm
sorry, everyone!! I guess that I'll change my thought markings. Once
again, I apologize for the inconvenience my mistake caused. *This* means
italics and |this| indicates thoughts.
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"Wow, you have no idea who you are?" asked Hitomi eagerly, leaning perilously close to the bowl of miso soup. "You just found yourself lying in the Youkai Caves training area with no memory of what happened? How *cool*!"
Megumi turned sharply, causing her hair to fall from its bun and dip into her tea. Irritably flipping the offending bit over her shoulder, she spoke sharply to her younger sister. "Hitomi! Don't be rude!"
The younger girl slid her eyes downwards, looking ashamed. "Sorry," she murmured.
Kouji broke the uncomfortable silence with a slight laugh. "Don't worry, Ranko," he said to the red-haired girl. "You can settle in here for the time being. I'm sure we can find wherever you lived beforehand. And I can take you aside for a bit of training." His eyes gleamed with eagerness.
"I don't think I need any training," Ranko spoke up suddenly. "I'm fine as I am, thanks."
The others would have left it at that, but Hitomi's mouth, as the family often said, would go on past the end of the world. "You're dressed in Chinese clothes but you speak Japanese. Are you an exchange student from China? Do you even live around Tokyo?"
Megumi rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Hitomi, do you ever shut up?" she demanded, rising. "I'll excuse myself, Mother, Father." Giving curt nods to everyone except her sister, the older girl left.
"I'll show you to your room. . .Well, my room," said Hitomi, rising and gesturing for Ranko to follow her. "You're staying with me for now. I hope you don't mind. What do you think of my family?"
Ranko didn't want to be rude, but she mentioned, "Your sister seems rather confident."
Hitomi gave a bitter laugh. "Oh yes. Megumi can kick the best butt at our school, and she likes to brag about it. I don't say anything, because she can beat me up. I don't like her much. She's too serious." Hitomi opened a door to a room filled with every kind of girl dream. Posters of boys hung on the walls, some signed, others with smiley stickers on them. A desk, the only clean thing in the room, had neatly arranged bottles of makeup and a pretty, glittery penholder on it. A glass lamp decorated one corner of the desk. On one shelf, there were romance novels mixed in with the odd manga. Hitomi's clothes had all been squished into one corner to make room for the futon that lay next to the bed. Hitomi hastily closed her closet door before all its contents spilled out, then went and opened the window, letting in the fresh air. Ranko tried to find a spot on the bed, but it was too infested with models of Sailor Scouts and fluffy pens to be comfortable, so she sat on the futon.
She looked at the open door. There was a sign on it she hadn't noticed at first. It said in block letters, "Hitomi's Room," but someone (the infamous Megumi, probably) had crossed out "Room" and written "Cave." The door had more glittery stickers. On a hanger on one wall, a sailor-type school uniform hung. The thought, |That will be mine,| flitted through Ranko's mind. Overall, the room seemed to her the epitome of girlishness. Quite a difference from Megumi's personality. The sheer shoujo-ness of it made Ranko's head spin for some reason. |I must be grateful,| she chanted mentally. |I must be grateful, must be grateful. . .|
Ranko felt Hitomi's gaze on the back of her neck, and she turned around to meet the blonde in her hazel eyes. |She's cute,| Ranko thought, with a horrible jolt to her stomach. |Why am I thinking these things?!| But deep in the back of her memory, Ranko thought she remembered telling another girl, "You're cute when you smile." But who? This girl was cute even when she was standing with a puzzled frown, like Hitomi was now. |Ha to you,| Ranko told the half-remembered phantom girl in her mind.
"What do you think?" asked Hitomi, indicating her room with a sweep of her arm. "I don't know what you're used to. Sorry for the mess."
"I'm not sure what I'm used to either," replied Ranko, getting a small laugh out of Hitomi. "But I think this is perfectly fine." |Though you could cut down on the glitter,| she added mentally, accidentally stepping on a small tube of glittery gel.
~~~~~~~~~
"I've got you enrolled in the school my girls go to," Kouji told Ranko later that day. "Your uniform's here already, and school is tomorrow. I think you should go," he added anxiously, not wanting to anger a teenage girl who could blow a hole in his brother's fence.
"I think I should too," replied Ranko, staring mesmerized at the TV. She flipped absentmindedly through the channels. Anime, anime. . .news, weather, more news, more anime. . . "Hmmm?" she asked, realizing the man had said something.
"You and Hitomi are in the same class," Kouji repeated. "She can help you around."
Ranko turned off the TV, stretching. "I feel like exercising; can I borrow a gi?" Kouji nodded his response to her second question, then said, "It's just down that hall. Watch out, though. I think Megumi's in there now."
Ranko grinned. "I don't mind"
Megumi was indeed in there, and she didn't take kindly to the interruption. Her narrow hazel eyes became even slimmer when she realized that Ranko knew how to train. Megumi was used to being the top dog in the martial artist order of the family, and she didn't like competition. She watched Ranko's movements and became gradually unhappier as she mentally matched her abilities with the other girl's and discovered the results. |How can a brat with amnesia be so damned good?| she wondered irritably. |But I wonder how she'd fare against a real opponent.| The "real opponent" was, of course, Megumi herself.
The red-haired girl knew the brunette was watching her, but studiously ignored her audience. She went through moves her body knew, even though her mind protested the knowledge. Remembering the exploding fence incident, she wondered, |How can an amnesiac like me be so damned good? But I've never actually fought a person before. I think.| No, she realized, there had been lots of people, many angry people, who tried to beat her up but couldn't. And then she realized another thing: during most of those cloudy memories, she had been a boy. In fact, she seemed to have spent a rather inordinate amount of time as a boy!
By this time, Ranko had been practicing for twenty hard minutes and she hadn't broken a sweat. Megumi's jealousy began to fill the training room with palpable waves. Finally, when Ranko couldn't take it anymore, she whirled around and snapped, "What IS your problem?"
Megumi was taken aback, but she quickly got over her shock. "What do you mean, what is my problem?" she demanded. "What's it to you?"
"Because I can feel it," Ranko answered, "all around me!"
"You're kidding," said Megumi. "You think you're hot just because you know martial arts? You think you're special just because you have amnesia? Well, I have news for you. You're not!"
Surprisingly, the heat of Ranko's anger was forced under a shield of coolness, like ice. She found she was able to examine the situation without her annoyance getting in the way. And she came up with the perfect solution: "You think you're good? Try me out for size."
Megumi stared at Ranko. The red-haired girl was almost a head shorter than she was, and of slighter build. Then she met Ranko's eyes and was briefly intimidated by the fire that flared within them. But her own competitiveness got the better of her, and she replied, "I'll do better than that. I'll wipe the floor with you!"
The two squared off on opposite sides of the training hall. Megumi's face was hard, her eyes cold and calculating. For all her hot words, the girl was remarkably cool-headed in an actual fight. Ranko slipped into a fighting stance, hands held out and half-curled. She gave the brunette a measured glance, taking in Megumi's muscular physique, the coldness in which she eyed her opponent, and saw a very competitive female who was a definate candidate for the Anything-Goes School.
|What school?| Ranko thought absently, then had no time to answer her own question.
Megumi used an aerial attack first, swooping down with an outstretched fist, ready to pulp in Ranko's face. Ranko slipped to the side easily, but was caught by surprise when Megumi snapped her torso upright and gave Ranko a vicious kick to the right cheek. Cursing, Ranko threw herself into a roll and rose to meet the next attempt.
She was only just quick enough to dodge the heel of Megumi's foot which would have connected with her chest. Spinning to the side, Ranko grabbed her opponent's shin and with practiced fingers found a pressure point. Megumi cried out, but then swept her own upper body around into a handstand, snapping her legs over and throwing Ranko away.
Ranko landed in a crouch. |No more Ms. Nice Amnesiac,| she thought grimly, and attacked. Megumi backed away under a barrage of punches, barely blocking them, yet more than half got through her guard. Before long, Megumi's chest was bruised and the coolness in her gaze had given way to anger.
"You're going down, runt," she snarled, backflipping away and landing on one knee. She her hands outstretched, forming a kind of jaw. "Hyah!" she cried as a wave of chi exploded from her hands and headed straight at Ranko. Ranko jumped diagonally and came at Megumi at a run. Megumi wasn't prepared for the savage stomach punch, nor the elbow to the neck that came next.
"Hitomi was right," said Ranko to Megumi, who had collapsed painfully. "Even though she didn't say it, you needed to be taken down a notch. I'm going to bathe." She left the room, knowing Megumi would be all right, with only a bruised ego to show for the battle.
The brunette lay facedown in the training hall, getting her wind back. |That. . .bitch!| she thought furiously, seeing red. |She thinks she can rule the roost just because she knows martial arts! And saying *I* needed to be taken down a notch. . .what about her?! I say she *never* should get her memories back. She should be shipped back to whatever hellhole she came out of, and good damn riddance!|
Hitomi leaped at Ranko the minute the other girl emerged from the training hall. "So did you fight my sister? How did you do?" she babbled. She wouldn't shut up. She pestered Ranko no matter how hard the red-head tried to shake her off. Finally Ranko bellowed, "I beat Megumi! Are you happy now?!"
Hitomi shut up at once, but it didn't last long. "You *did*?" she squealed. "You actually beat Megumi? I can't believe it. I can't wait to tell everyone at school tomorrow! They'll be so happy! They -" She fell silent all of a sudden. Ranko, wondering what happened, turned in time to catch a murderous glare from Megumi, who had emerged from the training hall as well.
"You tell people, runt," she said dangerously, clearly speaking to Hitomi, "and I'll make you wish you'd never been born. I'm taking my bath now." Her tone indicated that it shouldn't be otherwise.
Once the scary girl had left, Hitomi said in a subdued voice, "I guess we should bathe later."
Ranko immediately became flustered. "Ahh, no!" she exclaimed. "I think - I think I would like to bathe alone. Forever. Please."
She got a weird look in response. "You want to bathe alone? But, like, can't I wash your back or something?"
"I manage fine on my own," said Ranko quickly. "But thank you."
~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day and most of next morning was a nightmare. The universe seemed hell-bent on exposing Ranko's gender-bending secret at all times. During dinner, Sakura, the mother, tripped on nothing and the big pot of soup went flying straight at Ranko, who managed to save herself by catching the bowl with a nearby broom. Later, Hitomi dropped her teacup and it plummeted down to Ranko's head, who escaped by falling over and catching it with her feet. Then, Megumi almost barged in on Ranko as a guy, who doused himself with cold water just in time. During breakfast, Ranko slipped while carrying her teacup but was able to inhale the tea while it was still in the air, though it burned her throat. Finally she stumbled out of the dojo wearing the school uniform, accompanied by Hitomi. Megumi walked ahead, ignoring the youner girls.
Ranko wondered if she dared hope the day would go better than the morning had, but it soon became apparent that the universe had other ideas.
"Hitomi-chan, who is this lovely beauty?" demanded a tall, handsome, black- haired boy. [A/N: He happens to looks like Kuno. Thre's no escape!] He bent down close, allowing his minty-fresh breath to wreathe Ranko's head. "What's your name?" he asked, trying to sound gallant, but coming off instead as. . .
. . .Lecherous. Ranko slapped him instinctively, the sight of him bringing back bad feelings. "Don't get near me," she snapped, sounding bitchier than she intended.
"Ranko!" Hitomi made a strangled noise. The boy backed away, shock in his deep brown eyes -- and a handprint forming on his left cheek. "Don't slap him! He's Akira Sugoi!"
The red-haired girl gave the "awesome" boy a disgusted look. "He brings back bad memories. You're not going to call me the pigtailed girl, are you?" she challenged Akira.
He looked surprised. "Not if you tell me your name, oh beautiful one." His arms went out for a hug, but then found himself booted angrily over the rooftops.
|I have the weirdest feeling of deja vu. . .| thought Ranko as she followed the mortified Hitomi into the school.
Yet, to Ranko's mild puzzlement, the school day went perfectly fine. She was glad that, though she had amnesia, the school didn't seem to know. Though to her slight disappointment, she found that she was not that great in academic subjects. |I should just stick to martial arts and finding out my past,| she though moodily, gazing at the homework for the night. Stepping outside to wait for Hitomi -- who was attempting to apologize to Akira -- she discovered a group of girls with mops waiting for her. They all had rather nasty looks on their faces.
"We hear your kicked Akira-sama over the rooftops," one of them snarled, shaking her mop in anger. "We can't allow that to happen to our Akira- sama."
Ranko gave them all weary looks. "He deserved it."
The spokeswoman pointed her mop threateningly at Ranko, who was unmoved. "You stupid amnesiac bitch, what makes you think you can just barge in and act like you own the place? We don't care how good a martial artist you are, we're gonna make you pay."
The fight was quick and unfair. Despite the large number of mop-wielding, crazy-eyed girls, they had no fighting skills and were quickly subdued. For some reason, though, Ranko felt bad about beating up girls even though she was a girl too -- at the moment, that is. She was kicking the last one over onto the pile when Megumi appeared around the corner.
The two girls traded glares. Ranko remembered how the first mop-girl had called her an amnesiac, and had a sinking feeling of where she had gotten that information. Megumi saw it in her eyes, though her only reply was a smirk to confirm Ranko's intuition. Then she was gone, as silently as she had come, and Hitomi was running up to Ranko, horror on her face at the sight of the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pig was lost.
This wasn't an unusal thing, though, so he wasn't too worried. Or he wouldn't have been worried if he hadn't been securely strapped to his backpack, unable to move. His hooves clawed the air frantically, and he cursed all the people that came to mind who had connections to his predicament, not in the least one certain pigtailed boy.
Not only had Ranma been at fault for making Ryoga become a pig in the first place, but he then had to run out and get engaged to Ryoga's secret crush, Akane. After that, he went and disappeared to a training ground rumored to have a cure for anything, up to and including hot springs curses. So he left with his old man in the middle of the night, not even thinking to take along his rival and fellow cursee Ryoga.
Of course, Ryoga reflected, trying to chew the straps apart, they hadn't exactly been best friends over the long months. That could explain things.
Now Akane and the others were off to search for Ranma, since Genma had arrived back at the dojo with amnesia. Luckily, that had been quickly cured by a douse of hot water. Ryoga wondered wistfully that if Ranma remained with amnesia, would he, Ryoga, be able to get Akane? Probably not, he realized, attacking the strap with renewed ferocity. |Damn it! Then they all left while I was still lost!|
So here he was now, trying desperately to get back to the group and head to the Youkai Caves. He didn't even have a map, not that that would help him any. Unfortunately, the group had a day or two head start on him, and they actually knew where they were going. Ryoga was beginning to despair even getting out of his backpack -- why'd he have to tie the straps so tightly?! -- when the straps parted and he landed with a smack on his belly. Which hurt. A lot. He added some more profanity to the already long list against Ranma, then picked himself up and trotted off to get his bearings, and some hot water.
Ah! There it was! The window to a house was open! Praying that no one would barge in on him, Ryoga manged to sneak inside. Oops, he'd have to borrow a robe. If anyone stole his backpack, they were dead meat! The pig balanced on the edge of the bath, then launched himself in, changing into a boy immediately.
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Hitomi was still shouting at Ranko when they walked into the dojo. Megumi was trailing a few yards away, that arrogant smirk still on her face. Ranko tried hard to ignore the older girl's ire, which was palpable even at twelve feet. Ranko knew that Megumi had tried to sic the Akira-fans on her, only to have the plan backfire. So now the poison in Megumi's demeanor was even more deadly.
". . .And ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" bellowed Hitomi as they removed their shoes at the entryway. She took a deep breath, then started to cry. "He finally says a few words to me -- me! -- and then you boot him into the air. I don't believe you!"
Megumi turned her attention to her favorite pastime: mocking her little sister. "Shut up, Hitomi," she told the younger girl bluntly. " 'Oh, he finally said a few words to me!' " she squealed, in a cruel but accurate imitation of Hitomi's reaction. "Grow up, you stupid girl. He only talked to you to get at Ranko."
Though Ranko was privately in agreement with Megumi, she nevertheless felt like taking Hitomi's side against her older sister. The redhead could tell that this family feud had been going on for a long time, and nothing anyone would say would make Megumi think any differently. "Cheer up," she told the blonde, trying to comfort her. "I'm sure he, uh, thinks you're cool deep down inside."
Even to Ranko, who had no knowledge of Hitomi and her crush on Akira, it sounded lame.
Ryoga realized with a sinking heart that this house was now occupied, and it had three girls in it. Sisters. Hm, that sounded a lot like a dojo he knew of, but he knew this wasn't Nerima. Where it was, he couldn't say, but. . .Poking his head around a corner, he saw that they were all in the entryway. Damn, now he couldn't sneak out! Ryoga was about to curse Ranma again for the sake of their rivalry, when one of the girls caught his eye.
Red-haired girl, with a pigtail. She was wearing a sailor uniform, but that didn't hide her exquisite figure. The way she moved and the way she was talking to the tall brunette was very familiar.
"Ranma?" he asked, louder than he had intended.
All three girls whirled. The Ranma look-alike held out her hands in an attack posture, while the brunette crouched, murder in her eyes. Ranma -- if it was Ranma -- showed no recognition at the sight of Ryoga. That was unusual. Usually he would be planting his foot in Ryoga's face or something, not standing, *looking* like he wanted to kick Ryoga.
"Ranma?" he repeated, pointing at the pigtailed girl.
She pointed at herself, the battle aura fading slightly. Puzzlement replaced the frown, which wasn't any more helpful to Ryoga. "I'm Ranko," she explained. "Who are you looking for?"
The voice! It *was* Ranma! Ryoga was very annoyed to realize that Akane had left on a big journey, and here was Ranma! Of course, Ryoga didn't know how far "here" was in relation to Nerima. "What are you doing here?" he snapped. "Why aren't you at that training ground, or wherever?"
The girl gave him a long look, like she thought he was deaf. "I. . .am. . .Ranko," she repeated slowly, pointing to herself. "Not Ranma. Ranko."
|Does Ranma have a twin sister for real?| Ryoga wondered, and then the other girl, the vicious-looking one, spoke.
"What the hell are you doing in our house?" she asked.
"Oh. That. . .can be explained," muttered Ryoga. "Sometime. Um, I'm lost. Could I stay at your house?" he pleaded.
The short blonde chipped in, "Sure! I'm sure our parents will think it's okay if you stay for a while." She cast a nervous glance at the brunette, who shrugged and stalked away.
Ranko was staring in fascination at Ryoga, who was starting to become uncomfortable. "What are you looking at?" he demanded, drawing the robe closer around him.
She shook her head, as if to clear her mind, then gave him an odd smile. "Oh nothing. I just thought you looked familiar, but I guess not." Then, as she walked away, Ryoga was not able to catch her murmured, "P-Chan?"
He sighed and went out to collect his things from the street, glad he had time to solve the mystery.
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"Wow, you have no idea who you are?" asked Hitomi eagerly, leaning perilously close to the bowl of miso soup. "You just found yourself lying in the Youkai Caves training area with no memory of what happened? How *cool*!"
Megumi turned sharply, causing her hair to fall from its bun and dip into her tea. Irritably flipping the offending bit over her shoulder, she spoke sharply to her younger sister. "Hitomi! Don't be rude!"
The younger girl slid her eyes downwards, looking ashamed. "Sorry," she murmured.
Kouji broke the uncomfortable silence with a slight laugh. "Don't worry, Ranko," he said to the red-haired girl. "You can settle in here for the time being. I'm sure we can find wherever you lived beforehand. And I can take you aside for a bit of training." His eyes gleamed with eagerness.
"I don't think I need any training," Ranko spoke up suddenly. "I'm fine as I am, thanks."
The others would have left it at that, but Hitomi's mouth, as the family often said, would go on past the end of the world. "You're dressed in Chinese clothes but you speak Japanese. Are you an exchange student from China? Do you even live around Tokyo?"
Megumi rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Hitomi, do you ever shut up?" she demanded, rising. "I'll excuse myself, Mother, Father." Giving curt nods to everyone except her sister, the older girl left.
"I'll show you to your room. . .Well, my room," said Hitomi, rising and gesturing for Ranko to follow her. "You're staying with me for now. I hope you don't mind. What do you think of my family?"
Ranko didn't want to be rude, but she mentioned, "Your sister seems rather confident."
Hitomi gave a bitter laugh. "Oh yes. Megumi can kick the best butt at our school, and she likes to brag about it. I don't say anything, because she can beat me up. I don't like her much. She's too serious." Hitomi opened a door to a room filled with every kind of girl dream. Posters of boys hung on the walls, some signed, others with smiley stickers on them. A desk, the only clean thing in the room, had neatly arranged bottles of makeup and a pretty, glittery penholder on it. A glass lamp decorated one corner of the desk. On one shelf, there were romance novels mixed in with the odd manga. Hitomi's clothes had all been squished into one corner to make room for the futon that lay next to the bed. Hitomi hastily closed her closet door before all its contents spilled out, then went and opened the window, letting in the fresh air. Ranko tried to find a spot on the bed, but it was too infested with models of Sailor Scouts and fluffy pens to be comfortable, so she sat on the futon.
She looked at the open door. There was a sign on it she hadn't noticed at first. It said in block letters, "Hitomi's Room," but someone (the infamous Megumi, probably) had crossed out "Room" and written "Cave." The door had more glittery stickers. On a hanger on one wall, a sailor-type school uniform hung. The thought, |That will be mine,| flitted through Ranko's mind. Overall, the room seemed to her the epitome of girlishness. Quite a difference from Megumi's personality. The sheer shoujo-ness of it made Ranko's head spin for some reason. |I must be grateful,| she chanted mentally. |I must be grateful, must be grateful. . .|
Ranko felt Hitomi's gaze on the back of her neck, and she turned around to meet the blonde in her hazel eyes. |She's cute,| Ranko thought, with a horrible jolt to her stomach. |Why am I thinking these things?!| But deep in the back of her memory, Ranko thought she remembered telling another girl, "You're cute when you smile." But who? This girl was cute even when she was standing with a puzzled frown, like Hitomi was now. |Ha to you,| Ranko told the half-remembered phantom girl in her mind.
"What do you think?" asked Hitomi, indicating her room with a sweep of her arm. "I don't know what you're used to. Sorry for the mess."
"I'm not sure what I'm used to either," replied Ranko, getting a small laugh out of Hitomi. "But I think this is perfectly fine." |Though you could cut down on the glitter,| she added mentally, accidentally stepping on a small tube of glittery gel.
~~~~~~~~~
"I've got you enrolled in the school my girls go to," Kouji told Ranko later that day. "Your uniform's here already, and school is tomorrow. I think you should go," he added anxiously, not wanting to anger a teenage girl who could blow a hole in his brother's fence.
"I think I should too," replied Ranko, staring mesmerized at the TV. She flipped absentmindedly through the channels. Anime, anime. . .news, weather, more news, more anime. . . "Hmmm?" she asked, realizing the man had said something.
"You and Hitomi are in the same class," Kouji repeated. "She can help you around."
Ranko turned off the TV, stretching. "I feel like exercising; can I borrow a gi?" Kouji nodded his response to her second question, then said, "It's just down that hall. Watch out, though. I think Megumi's in there now."
Ranko grinned. "I don't mind"
Megumi was indeed in there, and she didn't take kindly to the interruption. Her narrow hazel eyes became even slimmer when she realized that Ranko knew how to train. Megumi was used to being the top dog in the martial artist order of the family, and she didn't like competition. She watched Ranko's movements and became gradually unhappier as she mentally matched her abilities with the other girl's and discovered the results. |How can a brat with amnesia be so damned good?| she wondered irritably. |But I wonder how she'd fare against a real opponent.| The "real opponent" was, of course, Megumi herself.
The red-haired girl knew the brunette was watching her, but studiously ignored her audience. She went through moves her body knew, even though her mind protested the knowledge. Remembering the exploding fence incident, she wondered, |How can an amnesiac like me be so damned good? But I've never actually fought a person before. I think.| No, she realized, there had been lots of people, many angry people, who tried to beat her up but couldn't. And then she realized another thing: during most of those cloudy memories, she had been a boy. In fact, she seemed to have spent a rather inordinate amount of time as a boy!
By this time, Ranko had been practicing for twenty hard minutes and she hadn't broken a sweat. Megumi's jealousy began to fill the training room with palpable waves. Finally, when Ranko couldn't take it anymore, she whirled around and snapped, "What IS your problem?"
Megumi was taken aback, but she quickly got over her shock. "What do you mean, what is my problem?" she demanded. "What's it to you?"
"Because I can feel it," Ranko answered, "all around me!"
"You're kidding," said Megumi. "You think you're hot just because you know martial arts? You think you're special just because you have amnesia? Well, I have news for you. You're not!"
Surprisingly, the heat of Ranko's anger was forced under a shield of coolness, like ice. She found she was able to examine the situation without her annoyance getting in the way. And she came up with the perfect solution: "You think you're good? Try me out for size."
Megumi stared at Ranko. The red-haired girl was almost a head shorter than she was, and of slighter build. Then she met Ranko's eyes and was briefly intimidated by the fire that flared within them. But her own competitiveness got the better of her, and she replied, "I'll do better than that. I'll wipe the floor with you!"
The two squared off on opposite sides of the training hall. Megumi's face was hard, her eyes cold and calculating. For all her hot words, the girl was remarkably cool-headed in an actual fight. Ranko slipped into a fighting stance, hands held out and half-curled. She gave the brunette a measured glance, taking in Megumi's muscular physique, the coldness in which she eyed her opponent, and saw a very competitive female who was a definate candidate for the Anything-Goes School.
|What school?| Ranko thought absently, then had no time to answer her own question.
Megumi used an aerial attack first, swooping down with an outstretched fist, ready to pulp in Ranko's face. Ranko slipped to the side easily, but was caught by surprise when Megumi snapped her torso upright and gave Ranko a vicious kick to the right cheek. Cursing, Ranko threw herself into a roll and rose to meet the next attempt.
She was only just quick enough to dodge the heel of Megumi's foot which would have connected with her chest. Spinning to the side, Ranko grabbed her opponent's shin and with practiced fingers found a pressure point. Megumi cried out, but then swept her own upper body around into a handstand, snapping her legs over and throwing Ranko away.
Ranko landed in a crouch. |No more Ms. Nice Amnesiac,| she thought grimly, and attacked. Megumi backed away under a barrage of punches, barely blocking them, yet more than half got through her guard. Before long, Megumi's chest was bruised and the coolness in her gaze had given way to anger.
"You're going down, runt," she snarled, backflipping away and landing on one knee. She her hands outstretched, forming a kind of jaw. "Hyah!" she cried as a wave of chi exploded from her hands and headed straight at Ranko. Ranko jumped diagonally and came at Megumi at a run. Megumi wasn't prepared for the savage stomach punch, nor the elbow to the neck that came next.
"Hitomi was right," said Ranko to Megumi, who had collapsed painfully. "Even though she didn't say it, you needed to be taken down a notch. I'm going to bathe." She left the room, knowing Megumi would be all right, with only a bruised ego to show for the battle.
The brunette lay facedown in the training hall, getting her wind back. |That. . .bitch!| she thought furiously, seeing red. |She thinks she can rule the roost just because she knows martial arts! And saying *I* needed to be taken down a notch. . .what about her?! I say she *never* should get her memories back. She should be shipped back to whatever hellhole she came out of, and good damn riddance!|
Hitomi leaped at Ranko the minute the other girl emerged from the training hall. "So did you fight my sister? How did you do?" she babbled. She wouldn't shut up. She pestered Ranko no matter how hard the red-head tried to shake her off. Finally Ranko bellowed, "I beat Megumi! Are you happy now?!"
Hitomi shut up at once, but it didn't last long. "You *did*?" she squealed. "You actually beat Megumi? I can't believe it. I can't wait to tell everyone at school tomorrow! They'll be so happy! They -" She fell silent all of a sudden. Ranko, wondering what happened, turned in time to catch a murderous glare from Megumi, who had emerged from the training hall as well.
"You tell people, runt," she said dangerously, clearly speaking to Hitomi, "and I'll make you wish you'd never been born. I'm taking my bath now." Her tone indicated that it shouldn't be otherwise.
Once the scary girl had left, Hitomi said in a subdued voice, "I guess we should bathe later."
Ranko immediately became flustered. "Ahh, no!" she exclaimed. "I think - I think I would like to bathe alone. Forever. Please."
She got a weird look in response. "You want to bathe alone? But, like, can't I wash your back or something?"
"I manage fine on my own," said Ranko quickly. "But thank you."
~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day and most of next morning was a nightmare. The universe seemed hell-bent on exposing Ranko's gender-bending secret at all times. During dinner, Sakura, the mother, tripped on nothing and the big pot of soup went flying straight at Ranko, who managed to save herself by catching the bowl with a nearby broom. Later, Hitomi dropped her teacup and it plummeted down to Ranko's head, who escaped by falling over and catching it with her feet. Then, Megumi almost barged in on Ranko as a guy, who doused himself with cold water just in time. During breakfast, Ranko slipped while carrying her teacup but was able to inhale the tea while it was still in the air, though it burned her throat. Finally she stumbled out of the dojo wearing the school uniform, accompanied by Hitomi. Megumi walked ahead, ignoring the youner girls.
Ranko wondered if she dared hope the day would go better than the morning had, but it soon became apparent that the universe had other ideas.
"Hitomi-chan, who is this lovely beauty?" demanded a tall, handsome, black- haired boy. [A/N: He happens to looks like Kuno. Thre's no escape!] He bent down close, allowing his minty-fresh breath to wreathe Ranko's head. "What's your name?" he asked, trying to sound gallant, but coming off instead as. . .
. . .Lecherous. Ranko slapped him instinctively, the sight of him bringing back bad feelings. "Don't get near me," she snapped, sounding bitchier than she intended.
"Ranko!" Hitomi made a strangled noise. The boy backed away, shock in his deep brown eyes -- and a handprint forming on his left cheek. "Don't slap him! He's Akira Sugoi!"
The red-haired girl gave the "awesome" boy a disgusted look. "He brings back bad memories. You're not going to call me the pigtailed girl, are you?" she challenged Akira.
He looked surprised. "Not if you tell me your name, oh beautiful one." His arms went out for a hug, but then found himself booted angrily over the rooftops.
|I have the weirdest feeling of deja vu. . .| thought Ranko as she followed the mortified Hitomi into the school.
Yet, to Ranko's mild puzzlement, the school day went perfectly fine. She was glad that, though she had amnesia, the school didn't seem to know. Though to her slight disappointment, she found that she was not that great in academic subjects. |I should just stick to martial arts and finding out my past,| she though moodily, gazing at the homework for the night. Stepping outside to wait for Hitomi -- who was attempting to apologize to Akira -- she discovered a group of girls with mops waiting for her. They all had rather nasty looks on their faces.
"We hear your kicked Akira-sama over the rooftops," one of them snarled, shaking her mop in anger. "We can't allow that to happen to our Akira- sama."
Ranko gave them all weary looks. "He deserved it."
The spokeswoman pointed her mop threateningly at Ranko, who was unmoved. "You stupid amnesiac bitch, what makes you think you can just barge in and act like you own the place? We don't care how good a martial artist you are, we're gonna make you pay."
The fight was quick and unfair. Despite the large number of mop-wielding, crazy-eyed girls, they had no fighting skills and were quickly subdued. For some reason, though, Ranko felt bad about beating up girls even though she was a girl too -- at the moment, that is. She was kicking the last one over onto the pile when Megumi appeared around the corner.
The two girls traded glares. Ranko remembered how the first mop-girl had called her an amnesiac, and had a sinking feeling of where she had gotten that information. Megumi saw it in her eyes, though her only reply was a smirk to confirm Ranko's intuition. Then she was gone, as silently as she had come, and Hitomi was running up to Ranko, horror on her face at the sight of the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pig was lost.
This wasn't an unusal thing, though, so he wasn't too worried. Or he wouldn't have been worried if he hadn't been securely strapped to his backpack, unable to move. His hooves clawed the air frantically, and he cursed all the people that came to mind who had connections to his predicament, not in the least one certain pigtailed boy.
Not only had Ranma been at fault for making Ryoga become a pig in the first place, but he then had to run out and get engaged to Ryoga's secret crush, Akane. After that, he went and disappeared to a training ground rumored to have a cure for anything, up to and including hot springs curses. So he left with his old man in the middle of the night, not even thinking to take along his rival and fellow cursee Ryoga.
Of course, Ryoga reflected, trying to chew the straps apart, they hadn't exactly been best friends over the long months. That could explain things.
Now Akane and the others were off to search for Ranma, since Genma had arrived back at the dojo with amnesia. Luckily, that had been quickly cured by a douse of hot water. Ryoga wondered wistfully that if Ranma remained with amnesia, would he, Ryoga, be able to get Akane? Probably not, he realized, attacking the strap with renewed ferocity. |Damn it! Then they all left while I was still lost!|
So here he was now, trying desperately to get back to the group and head to the Youkai Caves. He didn't even have a map, not that that would help him any. Unfortunately, the group had a day or two head start on him, and they actually knew where they were going. Ryoga was beginning to despair even getting out of his backpack -- why'd he have to tie the straps so tightly?! -- when the straps parted and he landed with a smack on his belly. Which hurt. A lot. He added some more profanity to the already long list against Ranma, then picked himself up and trotted off to get his bearings, and some hot water.
Ah! There it was! The window to a house was open! Praying that no one would barge in on him, Ryoga manged to sneak inside. Oops, he'd have to borrow a robe. If anyone stole his backpack, they were dead meat! The pig balanced on the edge of the bath, then launched himself in, changing into a boy immediately.
--------------------
Hitomi was still shouting at Ranko when they walked into the dojo. Megumi was trailing a few yards away, that arrogant smirk still on her face. Ranko tried hard to ignore the older girl's ire, which was palpable even at twelve feet. Ranko knew that Megumi had tried to sic the Akira-fans on her, only to have the plan backfire. So now the poison in Megumi's demeanor was even more deadly.
". . .And ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" bellowed Hitomi as they removed their shoes at the entryway. She took a deep breath, then started to cry. "He finally says a few words to me -- me! -- and then you boot him into the air. I don't believe you!"
Megumi turned her attention to her favorite pastime: mocking her little sister. "Shut up, Hitomi," she told the younger girl bluntly. " 'Oh, he finally said a few words to me!' " she squealed, in a cruel but accurate imitation of Hitomi's reaction. "Grow up, you stupid girl. He only talked to you to get at Ranko."
Though Ranko was privately in agreement with Megumi, she nevertheless felt like taking Hitomi's side against her older sister. The redhead could tell that this family feud had been going on for a long time, and nothing anyone would say would make Megumi think any differently. "Cheer up," she told the blonde, trying to comfort her. "I'm sure he, uh, thinks you're cool deep down inside."
Even to Ranko, who had no knowledge of Hitomi and her crush on Akira, it sounded lame.
Ryoga realized with a sinking heart that this house was now occupied, and it had three girls in it. Sisters. Hm, that sounded a lot like a dojo he knew of, but he knew this wasn't Nerima. Where it was, he couldn't say, but. . .Poking his head around a corner, he saw that they were all in the entryway. Damn, now he couldn't sneak out! Ryoga was about to curse Ranma again for the sake of their rivalry, when one of the girls caught his eye.
Red-haired girl, with a pigtail. She was wearing a sailor uniform, but that didn't hide her exquisite figure. The way she moved and the way she was talking to the tall brunette was very familiar.
"Ranma?" he asked, louder than he had intended.
All three girls whirled. The Ranma look-alike held out her hands in an attack posture, while the brunette crouched, murder in her eyes. Ranma -- if it was Ranma -- showed no recognition at the sight of Ryoga. That was unusual. Usually he would be planting his foot in Ryoga's face or something, not standing, *looking* like he wanted to kick Ryoga.
"Ranma?" he repeated, pointing at the pigtailed girl.
She pointed at herself, the battle aura fading slightly. Puzzlement replaced the frown, which wasn't any more helpful to Ryoga. "I'm Ranko," she explained. "Who are you looking for?"
The voice! It *was* Ranma! Ryoga was very annoyed to realize that Akane had left on a big journey, and here was Ranma! Of course, Ryoga didn't know how far "here" was in relation to Nerima. "What are you doing here?" he snapped. "Why aren't you at that training ground, or wherever?"
The girl gave him a long look, like she thought he was deaf. "I. . .am. . .Ranko," she repeated slowly, pointing to herself. "Not Ranma. Ranko."
|Does Ranma have a twin sister for real?| Ryoga wondered, and then the other girl, the vicious-looking one, spoke.
"What the hell are you doing in our house?" she asked.
"Oh. That. . .can be explained," muttered Ryoga. "Sometime. Um, I'm lost. Could I stay at your house?" he pleaded.
The short blonde chipped in, "Sure! I'm sure our parents will think it's okay if you stay for a while." She cast a nervous glance at the brunette, who shrugged and stalked away.
Ranko was staring in fascination at Ryoga, who was starting to become uncomfortable. "What are you looking at?" he demanded, drawing the robe closer around him.
She shook her head, as if to clear her mind, then gave him an odd smile. "Oh nothing. I just thought you looked familiar, but I guess not." Then, as she walked away, Ryoga was not able to catch her murmured, "P-Chan?"
He sighed and went out to collect his things from the street, glad he had time to solve the mystery.