Ranma Unleashed VIII
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A fan fiction story revolving around the world of
"Lois & Clark: The New Adventures" and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of
ownership is meant. It is just for fun. Archived at http://www.geocities.com/supermanunbound/index.html
and http://www.fanfiction.net/~arthurhansen
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Ukyo fumed as she sat in her new restaurant. Bandages covered her face. The fight had been going so well...
*Ranma ducked another black-powder bomblet, skittering along the hot
griddle in his bare feet. Ukyo had a grin on her face as she realized
her revenge was
at hand. With his hand tied up, he was at a severe disadvantage. Or so
she thought! A vagary of the dissipating smoke allowed her to see
Ranma's coolly
collected face quickly scanning the battlefield.*
* *
*She could only gape in astonishment as she saw him blur his hands,
cutting off her glued-noodles entrapment even as he charged
through the smoke towards her. She raised her baking paddle on the
defensive only to see him smash through it like it didn't exist.*
* *
It was terribly obvious that Ranma had been holding back considerably
until the fight had gone on long enough to satisfy the onlookers. She'd
never been so humiliated in her entire life. A ding suddenly distracted
her as her door opened.
The bishonen young man looked down his nose at the plebian countertop
and stools. His gaze switched to her, calm and steady. "You are Ukyo
Konji?"
Ukyo narrowed her eyes, her explanation that her eatery was not open
for business yet died on her lips unborn. "Yes?" Even here, she was
still in her school uniform, so looked like an effeminate young man
with her hair pulled back in a long ponytail.
"I am Kuno Tatewaki, scion of Furinkan High and rising- retired Kendo
Champion of our district," he began pompously. "I understand your
hatred of Saotome is unmatched and untempered by your loss against him
and his... tricks at your last match."
The chief just nodded cautiously, gesturing for him to continue.
"Alas, I am unable to properly challenge him as outside forces and
honor keep him from direct justice. I can, of course, foster champions
against this malady against womanhood and buffoonery of martial
prowess." Kuno took a deep, exaggerated breath. "Of course, attacking
him directly will just make him stronger. I suggest you attack
obliquely."
"Obliquely?" This guy was really pompous, Ukyo decided. And must have
been reading some thesaurus. He seemed dangerous in some way; something
about him seemed off. Beyond human in some way that she could only
dimly sense.
"Yes. He has invested much of himself in his betrothal to Akane Tendo.
If that could be disrupted in some way, he may be driven off from
these environs!"
The cook pursed her lips thoughtfully. And save this Akane from having her life destroyed. "I'll think about it."
Kuno smiled. The hook had been set. "Akane prides herself in her
fighting ability and would refuse no challenge properly presented. She
is a fearsome tigress in spirit." And from what Kuno had seen, would
prove a good match for this Ukyo but not quite good enough.
"Really?"
-
Kasumi stared at the delivery box on the doorstep that had just been
dropped off with a raised eyebrow. "Akane! You have a delivery!" she
called out. She
picked up the box and took it inside and set it at her sister's spot at the table.
Nabiki just looked at the package and the smell coming from it. "Okonomiyaki?" she asked around her toothbrush.
"For Akane..." Kasumi said as she sipped her tea and read the newspaper.
Akane thumped into the room from the direction of the dojo. "For me?"
she asked uncertainly. She sniffed it cautiously. Well, no gunpowder
from what she could tell.
Ranma walked in behind her, a towel wrapped around his neck. He was
sweating profusely. At least with Akane and the other super-powered
people, he would always be able to push himself against them, he
thought to himself.
Akane flipped open the package's lid even as Rei set a bowl of soup
next to her rice. Her cheeks turned suddenly scarlet in anger, even as
her eyes widened in shock! "HOW DARE SHE!?" she bellowed in anger.
Ranma leaned over and took a quick look and winced. Wow, that attacked
her feminity and her martial skills in a very pointed way. "Uh oh."
"I can't believe she- I'm going to really hurt her!" Akane started to rant.
"No, you are *not* going to hurt her," Kasumi said very directly. "Do you understand me, young lady?"
"But I can't refuse the challenge! She called me out for a unrestricted
no-holds-barred match!" Akane said, shocked at her sister's sudden
change and demeanor.
"Then you'd better find a way to win that match without hurting her,
hadn't you?" Nabiki drawled. She hid an internal grin. How was she
going to do that?
"When is the match?" Ranma asked just before he lifted his rice bowl and started to scarf down rice quickly.
"Tonight!"
-
Ukyo stood on her repaired fighting ring out on the playing field at
Furinkan High School Hordes of teenagers filled the area to watch
another exciting match. The outer edge was heated up, though she didn't
expect that Akane would have quite the same problems that Ranma had.
She had been there watching from the sidelines.
Her opponent walked up, wearing training gi of all things. Like she
thought this was some sort of official match. Ukyo snorted to herself.
This wasn't a restricted match, it was all or nothing.
Ranma clenched his fists in his pockets of his uniform pants. Why was Ukyo attacking Akane?
Akane, the focus of so much speculation, stepped into the ring looking almost as calm as she felt. "Ukyo," she said softly.
"Akane Tendo." Ukyo had her eyes narrowed and tight. "I am going to
destroy your relationship with Ranma Saotome. And someday, you will
actually thank
me for it!"
"How would you know?" the shorter girl replied curiously. "Or are you basing this on Genma?"
"I've finished him already! And as soon as I've trained up, I'll take
Ranma and his smug ass down too!" Ukyo said with her rough, country
accent.
"You have to get past me, first!" Akane declared. And then she stoically stepped on the hotplate with no apparent problem.
Ukyo raised her eyebrow at that. "Firewalking? That *shouldn't* help
you." She was thinking furiously. This girl had obviously planned for
this fight more than she'd thought possible.
Akane did not reply, she just stood crouched and ready with a loose lankiness that seemed too contrived.
On the far side of the rink, Kuno sat alone on a comfortable chair with
a cooler ready. With his perfect vision, he could see the fight better
than anyone else in the audience.
And something was wrong. Akane's style was hard, fast and set up to
accept punishing blows for devastating counterblows. This was... not
her style at all. Why would she change her style so drastically for
just this fight?
Ukyo snarled as she hurled her first attack, Okonomiyaki bombs filled
her special mixture of blackpowder. With a suddenness of a striking
viper, Akane crouched low, letting the bombs hit just behind her and
riding out the explosion with little apparent damage.
The cook then flashed out with her fastest kick, only to wiff through
the air as the other girl adroitly dodged her attack even faster. It
was like she was reading her or something. No punch, spatula slice or
kick could connect.
Ukyo then dodged and leaped upwards into the air while throwing her
last two bomb confections. Somehow Akane had dodged between them with
only her
clothing singed by they explosions.
The other girl was frantically trying to figure out a way to defeat
Ukyo without actually *hitting *her. Her steel-hard fists could do too
much damage. And keeping her from hitting her was the only real
way for her to not discover that she was super-tough too.
The fight dragged on for minutes and Ukyo kept trying to hit Akane as
they bounced around the fighting ring. Akane made what seemed to be
weak attempts
to hit the other girl.
Finally, Ukyo used her glue noodles again. They had worked on Ranma at least temporarily. And she was starting to get desperate.
Unfortunately for Ukyo, Akane had been *wanting* her to use the noodles
again. She wrapped the sticky mess to one fist and started to move to
bind
Ukyo with her own noodles with her super speed.
The cook responded by instinct as she felt Akane pass in front of her, trying to head butt the other girl.
That, unfortunately, ended the fight as Ukyo's tough, but not invulnerable, head hit something much harder than steel.
Akane blinked for a second and then theatrically staggered and held her
hand to her head as she collapsed. After a second she tried to wobbily
stand up
and finally succeeded while still holding her forehead.
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Arthur Hansen
arthurATkindred.net
More of Arthur's fiction can be found at
PEN NAME Arthur Hansen