HERE WE GO AGAIN - a Ranma 1/2 Fanfic (continuation)
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Don't sue me, OK? I don't own these, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz do.

***

Chapter 5: A New Start
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(it's almost the start of a new school year)

The afternoon sun beat down on Nerima, not a cloud in the sky.  Nabiki
wearily trudged home, and exhausted Onna-Ranma by her side.  Ranma paused,
stretched, and groaned at her sore muscles.

"Jeez, it's bad enough Shampoo makes me work in girl-form, but why does she
have to send me all over Tokyo on that stupid bike?" she whined.  "I'm
almost anxious for school to start!"

"Ranma, baby, it IS a delivery job," Nabiki reminded her.  She stretched
herself, wincing has her back popped and cracked.  "Count yourself lucky
that you get to move, I never knew sitting at a desk all day could be so
much work."

"Trade ya," Ranma offered.

"Not on your life."

The two were silent for a few moments.  "Hey," Onna-Ranma asked, "You think
everyone would wanna meet at Ucchan's tomorrow for lunch?  I haven't had
okonomiyaki for a while."

Nabiki chuckled.  "You're not still afraid of Akane's cooking, are you?"

"It's not that!" Ranma said defensively.  "She's getting better.  It only
takes me TWO helpings to get sick now."  Nabiki laughed.  "It's just that I
haven't seen Ryouga or Ukyou for a while."

"I don't see why not," Nabiki mused.  "We can ask Tenno when we get home."

Onna-Ranma chuckled.  "Poor Tenno."  Nabiki gave her a sharp look.
"Kasumi's been on his case lately."

"KASUMI?"

Ranma grinned and nodded.  "She keeps on reminding him you two aren't
married."  Nabiki looked at her surprised, and then blushed.

"He's a perfect gentleman!" Nabiki insisted.  Ranma laughed.

"Of course he is.  But he's so nervous around Kasumi all the time, she's
convinced he's got some guilty secret."

They turned the gate to the Tendo Dojo, and walked up the path.  "We're
home!" Nabiki called as they walked through the door.  Akane's head popped
out of the kitchen.

"Ranma!  Come here and try what I made!"  Akane ordered.  Onna-Ranma gulped,
and nodded.

"The life of a martial artist is filled with peril," she quoted to Nabiki,
and went to the kitchen like a doomed woman.

Tenno sat at the table, drinking coffee and reading some papers.  He made a
note on one, and put it to the side.  He looked up, saw Nabiki, and smiled.
"Hi," he said.  "Rough day?"  Nabiki nodded.  "Come on, I'll give you a
quick massage."  Nabiki smiled happily and went to sit beside him.  He
turned and cracked his knuckles, then pushed her hair away from her neck.

"Growing your hair longer?" he asked as be began to knead the flesh between
her neck and shoulder.

Nabiki sighed.  "You have exactly forty-five minutes to stop doing that, and
yes, I am."

"Any particular reason?  Not that I don't like it, I'm just curious."  He
began to work his way down her back.

"Just a change. The cut I had was a little too...juvenile."

He turned her gently to face him and leered.  "I'd never call YOU juvenile."
She giggled as he returned to working on her back.  Just then, Ranma charged
in, carrying a plate of curry.  Akane followed him, blushing furiously.

"You guys HAVE to try this!" he insisted.  "It's the best thing she's ever
cooked!"

Tenno and Nabiki glanced at each other apprehensively and slowly took a
bite of the mixture.  Ranma was right, it was...good.  "Wow!" they
chorused.

Akane blushed even redder.  "You don't have to be nice on my account," she
began.

"Akane, it's very good," Nabiki interrupted.  Tenno sighed.  "Oh, stop it
Tenno."  Akane looked at her sister suspiciously.  "He was convinced that
eventually you'd make some great scientific discovery in the kitchen."
Akane glowered at Tenno, who had his hands up in submission.

"Hey, it was just an idea," he defended.

"A bad one."

"But think of the advances you could make in the field of materials
alone...." he trailed off the face of Akane's glare.

"Did you ask him about lunch tomorrow, Nabiki?" interrupted Ranma, changing
the subject.

"Not yet." She turned to Tenno.  "Feel like meeting us at Ucchan's for lunch
tomorrow?"

"Sure," he replied, then laughed.  "You guys HAVE to see the latest get-up
Ukyou has poor Ryouga in."

"Revealing?" Ranma asked with a grin.

"Oh, you might say that...."  Tenno grinned back.

***

The next day they met at Ucchan's as they had planned.  "Welcome to
Ucchan's!" a low female voice sang out as they entered.  Inside, they saw a
beautiful young girl with short brown hair.  She had on a tight blue dress.
The dress was...impressive.  It was off the shoulder and ran down to halfway
down her thighs.  The front was VERY low cut.

"RYOUGA?"  Akane gasped, and began to giggle.  Ranma merely looked Ryouga up
and down ever so slowly, a sly smile on his face.

"Nice dress," he remarked casually, and grinned as Ryouga blushed a deep
red.

Nabiki sighed.  "I wish I had legs like that," she said wistfully.

"Hey guys!  Come, sit down,"  Ukyou called from the counter.  "Ryouga, get
back to work!"  Ryouga nodded dumbly and went to serve other customers,
still blushing.  The group sat down and ordered their lunch.

"Ucchan," Ranma asked, still grinning, "what did Ryouga ever do to you?"

Ukyou snorted and shook her head sadly.  "Well, I had to do something.  The
jerk kept on getting nosebleeds and passing out every time he saw a bit of
cleavage.  It was embarrassing, especially with all those high-school girls
coming here to moon over the jerk.  I thought I'd try desensitizing him."

She gazed at her attractive waitress.  "So I had him go girl-form, and that
got rid of the high-school girls.  They didn't buy anything anyway.  Then I
started making her dress like that.  Now, I just do it because she looks so
darn good."  The others looked at her in shock.  "Hey, I may dress like a
guy, but I'm not all macho.  The jerk does look good that way, not to
mention the extra business it gets  me."  She grinned wickedly.  "Besides,
it stopped Shampoo from showing
up and pestering us.  I think it offends her delicate sensibilities."

Ranma looked stunned.  "Shampoo has delicate sensibilities?  This is the
same Shampoo who would jump in the bath with me naked, right?" Akane
elbowed him. "Amazon?  Purple hair?  About so high?"  He held up his  hand.
"Wants to marry Ryouga?"

Ukyou nodded.  "I don't think she likes it when her fiancée looks better in
a dress than her."  She placed their lunches in front of them, and her smile
faltered.  "Have you seen Mousse lately?"  At the group's negative, she
sighed.  "I think he gave up on Shampoo.  He's been showing up a lot with
this new girl."

"WHAT?" Tenno exclaimed.  He put his head in his hands and groaned.  "Mousse
no BAKA!  That's not what I meant!"

"Talk, Tenno."  Ukyou demanded.

Tenno quickly outlined the tail-end of the conversation he had with Mousse
earlier.  "Did I ever screw that one up,"  Tenno sighed.

"Maybe not," Ukyou mused.  "Take some advice from one of us, Tenno.  Leave
it alone.  Besides, he should be showing up soon, you can see for yourself."

Tenno sighed.  "I suppose I should quit while I'm ahead.  As someone once
told me, you can't help everyone."  He glanced over at Nabiki.  Just then,
they heard the door open and Ryouga sing out "Welcome to Ucchan's!"

"Hello, Ryouga.  Nice dress," they heard Mousse reply.

They whirled and saw Mousse standing inside the door with a young,
attractive girl.  The girl had short, almost spiky blonde hair, and was very
slender.  She wore jeans and a T-shirt, and Mousse looked ridiculously
overdressed beside her in his robes.  Mousse noticed them, smiled, and the
two walked over to where the group sat at the counter.

"Hello, everyone," Mouse said, "May I introduce my ... friend, Tanaka
Akemi?"  He proceeded to complete the introductions.

"Pleased to meet you," she said softly.  "Please, call me Akemi," she looked
around.  "Excuse me, I'll be right back." She headed off to the ladies room.

Mouse turned to Ranma. "I'd like to thank you for your advice, Tenno."
Ranma turned him to face Tenno.  "This experience has been
most...enlightening."

Nabiki whispered something to Akane, who gasped.  Tenno's eyes grew wide as
realization dawned on him.  "Mousse, that's dirty!" he scolded.  "How could
you use that girl like that?"

"Use her?" Mousse asked, puzzled.  "She's in on it.  We're doing the same
thing to the boy SHE likes."  Tenno stared at him shocked.  Ranma guffawed
as Akane explained the situation to him.

"Mousse, that's sneaky, underhanded, despicable, and may just work,"  Ranma
complemented him, and bowed.  "I bow in the presence of a master."

Tenno sighed.  "You had me worried there," he said, relieved.  "Did you find
out what you wanted?"  he asked.

Mousse nodded. "Oh yes, I found out EXACTLY what I wanted.  Shampoo has been
acting VERY strange lately."  He smiled.  Akemi came out of the ladies room
and took his arm.  "If you'll excuse us, we have to go.  We have to be seen
at a place in the next township."  As Akemi and he turned to leave, Mousse
turned and faced Ukyou.  "Tenno, please don't tell Shampoo about this."

Akemi steered Mousse out the door, and into the street.  Tenno shook his
head and smiled. "That boy is FAR too clever," he remarked to no one in
particular.

***
{the next day)

Tenno sat under a tree in the school yard, watching Nabiki do business over
at the next tree while he ate his lunch.  He didn't like her little photo
enterprise, but he let it go.  She did check with him before selling
anything though, mostly because Tenno was afraid how Ryouga would react to
some of the racier pictures.  Near the girl's locker room, Akane and a bunch
of girls stood in a crowd.  Every once in a while they'd look over at the
crowd of boys where Ryouga and Ranma stood and giggled or sighed.

Suddenly, one of the girls shrieked, and soon the entire group was in chaos.
"What a haul!"  Happosai cried, and ran towards the group of boys.  "Hey
Ranma, if you help me escape, I'll split the take with you!  Ranma and
Ryouga exchanged a glance and then bounded after him.

"Come back here, you freak!" Ranma cried.

"How dare you, you lecher!" Ryouga seconded.

Tenno sighed, picked up the bucket of water beside him, and doused himself.
As Happosai ran by, she called out to him.  "Hey!" she called, pulling open
her shirt to reveal some cleavage.  Happosai stopped and switched
directions, leaping for Onna-Tenno's chest.  She resigned herself to being
groped at least once before Ranma and Ryouga caught up with the lecher, but
at least he'd be punished.  Happosai flew towards her.  Tenno closed her
eyes.

*CLANG* Onna-Tenno opened her eyes to see a Nabiki holding a garbage-can
lid, with Happosai flattened in it.  She glared at Tenno.  "What were you
thinking?" she demanded.

Happosai peeled himself off of the lid, and fell to the ground, just in time
to be pummeled by Ranma and Ryouga.  As the girls arrived, he sped away,
coping a few feels as he went through the crowd.  "No fair!  All of you
picking on a weak old man!"  He dodged another swipe by Ranma and sent
Ryouga flying into the air.  "See ya tomorrow!" he cackled, and bounced out
of the yard.

Nabiki watched him go, and whirled on Tenno.  "What were you thinking?" she
repeated.  "You're acting like Ranma!" A faint blue glow appeared around
her.

Onna-Tenno held up her hands in submission.  "It was a spur of the moment
thing!  I didn't think!"

"Tenno no baka, don't EVER do that again!" Nabiki yelled.  She stomped out
of the yard.

Ranma laughed.  "I wouldn't pull stunts like that when Nabiki's around,
Tenno," he advised.  His voice became a stage whisper.  "Those Tendo women
have very short tempers."

"Raaaaaannnmmaaa!  I heard that!" Akane yelled, pulling out a hammer.  "Come
back here!" she growled as she chased after Ranma, swinging.

"Uncute tomboy! Violent maniac!" Ranma teased, leaping away.  He stopped,
leapt back, avoided her swing, and kissed her lightly on the nose.  "But I
love you anyway."  He leapt away as she stopped, stunned.  "Even if you are
a tomboy!"  He called, laughing, as Akane chased after him.  It was obvious
her heart wasn't in it though.

"Yep, they're married," someone remarked.

"Incoming!" another voice yelled, as Ryouga slammed into the ground, head
first.

"Ryouga, you OK?" Tenno asked as he pulled Ryouga up to a sitting position.

"I'm fine, Kasumi," Ryouga said shaking his head to clear it.

"I'm Tenno."

"Close enough."

"I WISH you would stop saying that."

***

Tenno and Ryouga walked to school, as they did every morning.  They chatted
about the dance that was going on that Friday.  As they reached the gate to
the school, they head a low thunder.

Out of the school charged a huge throng of boys, yelling and screaming.
"Hibiki Ryouga, I'll defeat you!"

"No, I will!"

"Don't let them touch you Ryouga, you're mine!"

Tenno and Ryouga stopped, stunned.

"What the hell..." Ryouga started.

"I don't know but you had better do something about them." Ryouga nodded.
"Oh, and please try to avoid hurting anyone severely."  Ryouga bounded
forward.

Most martial artists have an uncanny resistance to damage and an incredibly
high pain threshold.  Ryouga had godlike levels of both.  He didn't bother
blocking hits, he merely concentrated on incapacitating his opponents.
While Ranma could dodge and do this, and Akane used to just knock the boys
out, Ryouga could not.  His fighting style was designed to do the maximum
amount of damage, so a fight where he had to be restrained was quite a
challenge for him.

Quite a challenge is one thing.  Particularly hard, something else.  Ryouga
still managed to beat the crowd in a few minutes.  Ryouga stood on a pile of
unconscious students, panting.  He was unhurt - his clothes, however, were
another matter.

Tenno walked up and examined the pile, moving from student to student.  No
one seemed to be badly hurt, most were just knocked out.  The worst had a
broken wrist.  He looked up, and saw a bunch of girls watching the carnage
from a class window on the second story.  "Someone want to tell me what that
farce was about?" he called up to them.

A young girl from his freshman algebra class answered him.  "A bunch of the
girls got together and told their boyfriends that they wouldn't go to the
dance with them unless they beat Ryouga."

Tenno scowled.  "Oh great, they're taking lessons from Kuno," he muttered,
recalling the stories Akane told him.  "That's INSANE!" he called back.
"The only one here who MIGHT beat Ryouga is Ranma!"

"I shall defeat the foul sorcerer Hibiki, and win the hand of the fair
Fanged-girl for my hand at the dance!"  Ryouga stiffened.

"HE'LL WHAT?" Ryouga yelled.

Tenno put his face in his hands and groaned.  "No, not Kuno, anyone but
Kuno."  Sure enough, there stood Kuno in his Kendo uniform holding a bokken.
"Kuno, this is a REALLY bad time for this..."

"SILENCE!  Do not speak to me, foul Mr. Nahaki!  If you were not a teacher I
would smite you as well!  No man tells Kuno Tatewaki he fails a class!"

Tenno sighed, and turned to Ryouga.  "PLEASE don't kill him, Ryouga."

Ryouga cracked his knuckles.  "No problem."  *Kuno, you pervert,* Ryouga
thought, *I now understand why Ranma enjoyed hitting you so much.*  He
charged at Kuno, ducked under his swings, and stabbed his finger at the
ground at Kuno's feet.  "BREAKING POINT!"  The ground exploded into a great
cloud of dust, and Kuno flew into the air.

When the dust cleared, Ryouga stood there, clapping the dust off his hands.
Tenno walked up to him.  "Nice distance," he commented, watching the arc of
Kuno's flight.  "Why didn't you just blast him though?"

"Not depressed enough," Ryouga replied.  Tenno looked at him oddly, then got
a thoughtful expression.

"I see why people say you have almost an Akane-esque temper going there."

"Who says I have a bad tempter?"  Tenno whirled, and saw Akane and Ranma
standing behind them, Akane glowing blue.

"Not me!  I think of you as sweet and mild-mannered!" Tenno replied, holding
his hands up in submission.

"Nice recovery," Ranma smirked, as Akane stomped into the school.  "So what
was that all about?" Ranma asked as they walked into the school.  Tenno
quickly explained.  Ranma began to chuckle, and Ryouga went pale.

"THEY WHAT?" Ryouga stood there stunned, for a moment, sighed, and walked
into the school.

That lunch, Tenno told the events of the morning to Nabiki as they ate.
Nabiki got an appraising look in her eyes, and gazed over at Ryouga who was
eating with Ukyou a few feet away.  "That's not a bad idea," she mused.
Tenno got a strange look in his eyes.

Tenno stood up, walked over to Ryouga, and bent to whisper in his ear.
"Sorry about this," he said as he grabbed a hammer and knocked Ryouga on the
back of the head, knocking him out.  "When he wakes up, tell him I'm sorry
and that I'll explain later," Tenno told the shocked Ukyou.

He walked back to an amazed Nabiki.  "That settles THAT," he told her, then
looked in shock at the hammer in his hands.  "How'd I do that?" he asked the
hammer, and Nabiki giggled.  He looked up at her sheepishly.  "Well, you ARE
going to the dance with me, aren't you?"

***

The night of the dance was one of the worst of Ryouga's life.  It was the
first time he ever wanted to be left ALONE by girls.

Ranma chuckled and Akane giggled as they watched poor Ryouga get snagged by
another girl.  Nabiki sat near then with Ryouga's dance card, raking in the
money as the girls bribed for better positions.  Tenno sat beside her,
amusedly pointing out "delinquents" to Miss Hinako, who sucked them of chi
on the spot.  The girls who were after Ryouga had a marvelous time, each one
anxiously awaiting their turn with Ryouga on the floor, and sighing faint
with pleasure (hey, these are Takahashi high school girls, anything's a high
romance to them) after their dance was done.

The boys, on the other hand, were NOT having so wonderful a time.  If looks
could kill, Ryouga's death would have been guaranteed a hundred times over.
They boys grumbled to themselves as they sent dark looks at the overworked
Ryouga.

"Stupid Hibiki, stealing all the girls."

"At least Ranma had the decency to get a fiancée."

"Yeah, he was decent about it."

"Hey, isn't that Ukyou?"

Ukyou stood at the entrance. She was wearing her usual outfit, but it was
altered slightly in several key places.  Several of the boys gulped as they
realized she wasn't wearing the usual chest-straps.  The average body
temperature of the boys in the crowd rose a few degrees.

"Man, she looks good."

"You'd have never have known it the way she usually dresses."

"Think she'll let me dance with her?"

"You want to risk it?"

"Oh man, she's looking at Ryouga!"

"All the cute ones..."

"Uh oh, she's glowing."

Ukyou had noticed the line of girls behind Nabiki.  She grabbed one of the
girls and snarled her a question.  At the terrified girl's response, she
pounded over to Nabiki. "Dance card.  Now."  Nabiki looked up at her in
surprise, and winced as the girl took the card and calmly tore it in two.
Several faint cries of outrage were heard from the line.  Nabiki sighed and
pulled out her purse, while Tenno chuckled.  The song ended, and Ukyou
grabbed Ryouga's hand, dragging him back out to the floor.

"This final dance will be a slow dance," the DJ announced.  Ranma grabbed
Akane's hand, and dragged the protesting girl onto the dance floor.  Tenno
turned to Nabiki and asked her a question softly.  She nodded and they too
went to the floor, which was now populated by several couples, as well as a
frozen Ukyou and Ryouga.

Ukyou looked up at the frozen Ryouga.  "Stop being an idiot," she growled,
grabbing his hands and placing them around her.  "It's only a dance."
Ryouga relaxed, ever so slightly.

As the music started, the two began two move, stiffly at first, and then
more smoothly as their embarrassment faded.  As the song progressed, a faint
smile appeared on Ukyou's face.  Ryouga numbly danced, a slow flush creeping
its way into his face.

The music stopped, and time seemed to as well,  Ryouga let Ukyou go, and
looked down at her, embarrassed.  "T..thanks," he stuttered.  *What's going
on?* he thought.  *I'm NEVER this nervous around Ukyou!*

Ukyou smiled faintly.  "The pleasure was all mine, sugar," she responded,
and slowly walked out of the hall.  Ryouga watched her, his expression
blank.

***

"Tenno, where's Ryouga?" Kasumi asked.  Tenno stiffened, nearly dropping his
cup of tea.

"He's at the school.  He stayed behind to talk to Ukyou," Tenno responded
mechanically.  Kasumi frowned at him and nodded, returning to the kitchen.
Tenno leaned over to the giggling Nabiki at his side.  "Is she gone?"  At
Nabiki's nod, he relaxed, relieved.

"I don't know why you don't like Kasumi," Nabiki said.  "She's the nicest,
most harmless person I've ever met."

"I like her," Tenno defended.  "It's just that I can't accept anyone being
THAT nice and oblivious.  She just can't be that innocent."  Tenno shrugged.
"Call it the corrupting university influence in me, but she gives me the
creeps."  He shuddered and looked outside at Akane and Ranma, who were
arguing outside.  Akane pulled out a hammer and whacked Ranma, who promptly
fell into the pool.  "Cooking remark?" he asked Nabiki, indicating the pair.
Onna-Ranma ran inside, zipped into the kitchen, and ran back out male.

"Dancing," Nabiki responded.  "Ranma's still teasing her about how many
times she stepped on his feet last night."  She smiled as Ranma whirled in
and kissed Akane like he had before, this time on the lips.  Tenno and
Nabiki looked away, embarrassed as they realized it was going to last for a
while.  "That boy is getting far too good at defusing those situations," she
chuckled.

Suddenly Ranma gave a cry of surprise, and pointed to something in the sky.
Nabiki and Tenno got up, ran outside, and looked to where Ranma was
pointing.  "Doesn't that,"  Tenno mused, "look like Ryouga?"

"Bet he hits the pool," Ranma quipped.

"No bet," Nabiki responded as Ryouga came flying into the yard, sure enough,
right into the pool.

The water settled, showing Onna-Ryouga, who sat in the pool, cursing.  Her
voice rose as she grew more angry  "...spatula wielding, over-reacting,
cross-dressing, VIOLENT MANIAC!" she roared, as she stood up.  She looked
around, facing away from the four observers.  Well, five, Kasumi had come
out of the kitchen to watch.  "Where on earth and I NOW?" She roared into
the sky.

"Hello, Ryouga," Kasumi called from directly behind Tenno, who yelped and
jumped a meter, straight up. "You have just enough time to dry off for
dinner."

Ryouga whirled around and blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, hi guys."

"Fight with Ukyou?" Ranma asked, grinning.  Ryouga growled and nodded.

"What did you do?" Akane demanded, grabbing a hammer.

"Nothing!" Ryouga growled.  "I only asked her to be my fiancée..."

He was drowned out as the group yelled "WHAT?!?!?"

***

"Make sure he gets to the Tendo's, OK?"  Tenno asked.

"No problem," Ukyou replied, turning to look at Ryouga.  Tenno nodded and
walked away.

Ryouga and Ukyou stood under one of the few remaining trees in the school
yard.  Ukyou wondered what Ryouga had wanted to talk about.  He seemed so
nervous around her, and so reluctant to speak.  For a long moment, he was
silent.

"What is it?" she asked, impatient.  "I have a restaurant to run."

"Ukyou," Ryouga began, then faltered.  "Ukyou, we're friends, right?"  he
asked, looking at her hopefully.

"Y..Yes," she responded slowly.

"I have a big favor to ask."  Ryouga looked at the ground.  She'd going to
say no, he thought to himself.  "Would...would you be my fiancée?"

Ukyou froze, stunned.  She had NEVER expected this.  Ryouga was her friend,
sure, but she never knew he felt about her that way.  "Uh, Ryouga, what are
you-"

"Not for real!" Ryouga interrupted, taking her response for a denial.  "It's
just...ARGH!!!" he suddenly roared, startling Ukyou.   He began to babble,
hoping that if he just said it fast and non-stop, it wouldn't come out
sounding quite so stupid.

"It's just that I've never had so many girls after me before Ukyou I was
always a loner and never hung around with people much and I'm so afraid of
leading them on and I don't know what to do I don't like any of them that
way and they keep on coming after me and I thought that if you were to
pretend to be my fiancée they would leave me alone I mean so many of the
girls and guys are afraid of you because you're such a tomboy like Akane and
if they thought you were my fiancée they would leave me alone and it's OK if
you say no and hate me forever."   He ran out of steam, panting.

Ukyou was silent for a long moment.  Her shock had given way to pity,
intrigue, and more than little anger.  "Yes, Ryouga, I'll pretend to be your
fiancée, and no, I don't hate you."

Ryouga almost sobbed he was so happy.  "Thanks, I don't know how I can repay
you."

"One more thing," she growled, suddenly glowing blue.  She grabbed her
spatula off her back and swung.

"Ryouga no BAKA!" she cried, as she sent the boy flying though the
air.

She stormed off to her restaurant.

***

"...and that's when you guys saw me," Onna-Ryouga finished, and scowled.  "I
didn't think she'd take it THAT badly, the stupid violent maniac."  Ryouga
nodded her thanks to Kasumi as the elder girl poured a kettle of hot water
on her.

"Akane," Ranma asked his wife.  "Can I borrow your hammer?  I have a burning
urge to smash a certain martial artist."  Akane shook her head.  She had a
small smile on her face.

"Nope, he's Ukyou's fiancée now, she's the only one allowed to hammer him,"
she told him.

"But he clobbered me all the time when I was YOUR fiancée," Ranma protested.

"You're married now, you're supposed to be above these things," she told
him, then kissed him on the cheek.  "But it was a nice gesture to ask."

Ranma's eyes narrowed, then he smiled.  "Hey, Tenno, want to do me a favor?"

"Not on your life, Ranma," Tenno told him.  "I'm going to stay out of this."

Ranma grumbled, then brightened again. "Hey, Ryouga, how about we go
'train'?"

"I might as well, too," Tenno sighed.

Akane got up, saying something about dinner, at which Ranma paled. "I
thought she got better," Ryouga asked.

"Her curry is great," Ranma said quickly.  "Everything else she makes is
still deadly.  Pray we're eating curry."

The group went outside at Tenno's insistence.  "Ranma, I want to learn that
chi-blast thing you and Ryouga do."  Ryouga and Ranma exchanged a look.

"Are you sure? I mean, that's a pretty advanced technique, I don't know if
you're ready for it," Ranma started.  "Wouldn't you rather I showed you
something a little easier?"

"I obviously have no problems summoning the chi," Tenno said, reminding them
of the day he learned he was a berzerker.  "I may as well figure out how to
use it."

Ranma slowly nodded.  "It's not a hard technique to explain.  You simply
gather up a lot of chi, and push it out of you."  He glanced at Ryouga.
"Usually though your hands, but this idiot's also done explosions centered
on himself."

"Yeah, well at least I figured out how to do it without getting myself
pummeled before you did!" he retorted.

"Still gonna rub that in my face, are you?"  Ranma yelled back.

"Uh..guys?"  Tenno asked.  "Remember me?"  The arguing pair stopped and
looked sheepish.

"Anyway," Ryouga continued, "you have to be sure to let your feelings go as
the blast comes out of you, or you get hit as well."

Tenno nodded, and started to concentrated, facing the target in the yard.
Ranma and Ryouga stood back.  Tenno stood for a moment longer, then threw up
his hands.  "Nothing!" he yelled.  He looked at his hands and concentrated,
but the glow refused to show.

Ranma and Ryouga exchanged a glance again.  "Tenno, what were you feeling
that one day?" Ranma asked.

Tenno frowned, and thought for a moment. "A little angry, and depressed, and
I was feeling pretty lonely."  He smiled.  "Nothing like I feel now.  I was
in general 'life-sucks' mode then."

Ranma nodded.  "Thought so.  Tenno, when I do the Moko Takabisha, I take all
my confidence and put it into the blast."

"Your ego, you mean,"  Ryouga supplied behind him.

"The twerp back there," he continued, "uses depression to do the Shishi
Hokodan."

Tenno looked at Ryouga in surprise.  "Is that why you couldn't do it that
one day with Kuno?"  Ryouga nodded.

"I haven't felt really down since after the fight with Shampoo," Ryouga said
sheepishly.  "Maybe I'll have to try Ranma's version.  But I should have
known.  Your glow had a faint blue-tinge then.  Depression and anger are
both blue and confidence and hope is yellow."

"Try confusion," Ranma supplied, grinning.  "Or panic.  You seemed to have a
lot of that last night, and today for that matter."

"HEY!  Are we going to help the trainee here?" Ryouga asked, trying to
change the subject.  "Essentially, you have to find something you feel
strongly enough to use as a source.  I thought your being a...berzerker
might give you a shortcut, but apparently, it doesn't."

"I guess not,"  Ranma agreed.  "Don't worry, Tenno, how about I teach you
the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken thing?"

"Or I could teach him Baksai Tenketsu," Ryouga offered.  "He could use the
endurance training."

"Maybe the Neko-ken..." Ranma pondered, then shuddered.  "Maybe not."

Tenno groaned as the two thought up tortures for him.  *At least Jusenkyo is
gone, they can't make me go back there until it dies down.*

***

End Chapter 5