The All-Americans
By
Joshua Trujillo

Part 3 - Enter the Dragon

As you may, or may not, be aware, there are things in everyone's 
lives called dreams. These dreams can vary widely and often do. 
Some people dream only when asleep, some people only dream 
when awake. Some people can't do anything other than dream.

The man lying in the back of the squad car before you right now is 
dreaming. Mostly because he has been unconscious for nearly an 
hour. He's dreaming many things. Some things he understands, like 
the dream of his curse. But in his dream, the curse is different. 
Instead of changing every new and full moon, he changes 
whenever cold water is splashed on him.

He's also dreaming of the bitch that knocked him out. He doesn't 
understand why he doesn't kick her ass in return, he just keeps 
insulting her in Japanese. Of course, every time he does so, he gets 
pounded through the floor by a large mallet. There are other things 
in the dream that confuse him. Like the guy that changes into a pig, 
who he knows oddly enough. Or the guy he doesn't know that 
changes into a duck. Or the cutie with purple hair that changes into 
a cat. The guy in the dream is afraid of cats? He wonders why?

Now, back in reality, see the car door open up and two policemen 
drag the boy out and gently take him into the house. They're 
undoing the chains that the youngest girl had done. That's her 
sitting in the rocker in the corner. The elder lady there is Nodoka, 
the boy's mother. She's already gone over things like this with the 
youngest, but sometimes talk isn't enough. Another girl is there as 
well. Right now, she's tending to the large welt that has risen on 
the boy's head. She comes home every weekend from the college 
down the road. Everyone in the room is silently very proud of her.

You see, her name is Kasumi. She is working her own way through 
the medical college in the next town. It's small, but reputable. She 
thinks the boy is handsome, if a little young. Jailbait. But maybe he 
wouldn't mind...She shakes her head in response to her own 
unspoken question. She's got enough problems on her own. Not to 
mention, she's never told anyone just exactly HOW she's working 
her way through college. And she thinks it should stay that way.

The girl talking with the officers is Nabiki. She's all business, if 
you forgive the pun. She's chosen to work in the family business 
over the summer instead of enjoying one of her last summers in 
high school. She looks a bit harried, but it's been a long day. She 
looks back to the boy. She smiles slightly and nods in silent 
appraisal of her chances. Life just got a little more interesting. She 
watches as the youngest yells something else and runs to her room. 
It's almost commonplace nowadays. Nabiki shakes her head in 
sadness.

The youngest cries and slams the door behind her. Her name is 
Akane and right now she misses her father, even if she never really 
knew him. She is hating the boy in the other room. That perverted 
asshole. She's hating her life right now. But most of all, she's 
hating a perverted little troll named Happosai. She's hating him 
enough to kill him. And if she's ever given the chance, that's 
exactly what she thinks she would do.

Nodoka looks after Akane as she screams into her room. She 
shakes her head in sadness and goes to Kasumi, who is tending to 
the injuries that Akane did when she hit Ranma. It's a good thing 
that Kasumi is home, or Akane would be grounded for the 
remainder of the summer, which actually wasn't a bad idea 
anyway. But Nodoka knew that it was just an honest mistake. A 
one in a million chance really. She thanks the officers for their 
time and shuts the screen door behind them. It just seems like, in 
their lives at least, one in a million chances happen nine times out 
of ten.

***

Ranma opened his eyes slowly. Things were still blurry, and there 
was still a throbbing pain on the side of his head. He moaned 
slightly as a wave of pain washed over him. Just on the edges of 
his thought he could hear his mother and Nabiki and someone else. 
Maybe it was the bitch that hit him, but he didn't think so...Too 
nice.

Ranma raised a hand to his face and put it back down when he felt 
the lump there. He opened his eyes once more and his vision 
cleared up. It revealed that yes, mother and Nabiki and another girl 
were there. She must be Kasumi. Longer hair than Nabiki, a little 
lighter too. An older girl, but not by much. Dancer's body though. 
He could tell even from a distance. He of all people should 
know...

Ranma tried to push himself to a sitting position, but Kasumi 
gently, but forcefully laid him back down. She was strong, too. 
Ranma liked that. He couldn't hide the little smirk.

"Uh, mom," he asked weakly, "What happened?"

"You met Akane," Nabiki chimed in sarcastically.

"Yeah," Nodoka began, "The girl you walked in on was the 
youngest Tendo daughter, Akane. I had forgotten that she always 
spends her days in the pool. I'm sorry, but with everything else 
going on-"

"No mom, it's okay. My head just hurts a bit, that's all."

Ranma got up against Kasumi's advice and made his way back 
upstairs. Maybe after a good nap, he could eat some dinner. Yeah, 
that was a good idea.

***

"But why do I have to go wake him up?" Akane shouted at the 
woman she called mother.

"Because you're the one that knocked his ass out," Nabiki said 
from her place next to Nodoka, her hands in the dishwater.

"Nabiki," Nodoka said firmly, then she turned to Akane, "Akane, 
he is my son and will be with us from now on, so you'll have to get 
used to the idea of him being around. He's part of the family now. 
And I expect you to treat him as such."

"But he saw me-"

"Akane! Enough of this! It was an honest mistake, okay?" Nodoka 
continued, "And I'm sure he would have apologized for it if you 
hadn't hit him with that board. Now enough of this, you go up there 
right now and get him."

Akane knew she was defeated. She looked to the floor.

"Yes ma'am."

***

More dreams of women and pickles and hot tubs filled with oil...

Ranma awoke and fully came around when he realized there was 
someone else in the room. A female someone else. He cringed a 
little at the dull throb surrounding his head. He looked cautiously 
to his left and backed away as fast as he could when he saw-HER-
sitting there next to his bed. Just watching him with her arms 
crossed. Looking very angry and upset at the same time somehow. 
She seemed to be cross all over as Ranma noticed her pink and 
lime green cotton dress. At least it was more than what she wore 
the last time he saw her. Ranma slowed his breath and tried to get a 
handle on things.

"Come to finish the job?" he asked quietly.

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be a corpse right now," Akane said, 
then softening, "I am sorry for hitting you like that, but you scared 
me."

Ranma smiled and waved her off.

"That's okay, honest mistake," he said, sitting on the edge of the 
bed, "Let's start over, okay? I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome."

He extended his hand for a handshake that he hoped would patch 
things up a little. Wouldn't really want to live in a place where a 
person wanted to kill you? That would be...stupid. She stared at it 
for a bit, as she tried to figure out this person in front of her. Akane then dropped her head slightly and gave him a lopsided smile.

"Okay," she said, shaking his hand, "I'm Akane Tendo-Saotome."

Ranma twitched his head to the side at this.

"Why take the last name?"

Akane just shrugged.

"I don't know," she said finally, "I mean, I don't remember mother 
at all and I only remember father in vague terms. Nodoka and my 
sisters have raised me, so I feel like Nodoka is more my mother 
than anything else."

"I can understand that."

"Yeah, well, c'mon. Dinner's ready," Akane said, helping Ranma to 
his feet.

***

Dinner was good. Homemade food was such a rarity to Ranma. 
Before, if any cooking went on it was when he did it. He'd be the 
first to tell you that, even though he was a damned good cook, 
there was only so much he could do.

Kasumi was a master (or was it mistress?), in the kitchen. Nabiki 
held her own with the dessert. But, oddly enough, they shooed 
Akane out of the kitchen when she tried to help. Ranma wondered 
at this but said nothing. Kasumi and Nodoka wanted to talk and 
gossip, so they tossed everyone out of the kitchen after dinner. 
Gossip over dishes? What was this, Norman Rockwell? Ranma just 
shrugged. Nabiki made her way into the family room and turned 
the television to Jeopardy.

Boy, Ranma thought, Alex is getting old.

Ranma liked Jeopardy. One of the few things on television not 
designed to insult anyone's intelligence. He just wasn't in the 
mood, especially since Nabiki seemed to be getting into it.

Ranma walked out onto the front porch and down the steps to the 
front yard. He stretched his arms high and took a deep breath. The 
air was sweet with the scent of summer hay in the fields dotted 
with the odors coming from the house as well as the occasional 
flower outside.

Ranma looked up. They house was actually about five miles 
outside of town. The town wasn't that big anyway, but being this 
far out made it even darker. The sky was alight with the million 
myriad stars that twinkled in the heavens above.

Ranma also knew that Akane was watching him from the porch. 
He guessed that she had come out here to sulk. Probably over 
being made to say she was sorry for whacking him. As he 
understood it, after Soun Tendo was killed, he transferred, in his 
will, guardianship of all three Tendo daughters to Nodoka. Kasumi 
was seven at the time. Which would have made Akane only about 
four or so. She must feel somewhat alone. Nabiki had absently told 
him that it was kind of difficult for her to make friends at school, 
which reminded Nodoka that she'd have to sign Ranma up for 
classes for next year. She seemed surprised when Ranma was 
enthusiastic about school. He didn't know why. It meant that he 
could get into the sports programs, which he was excited about.

Ranma took a deep breath and nodded to himself. He turned 
quickly and walked to the porch steps, where Akane was standing, 
just watching.

"The stars are beautiful tonight," he said, matter of factly.

"Yes they are," she said, glancing up at them, "I want some 
strawberries."

"What?"

"I said, I want some strawberries," she said, hopping lightly down 
the steps, "Come on, they're in the garden back here."

She grabbed his hand and led him around the house to the garden 
he had seen earlier. It was a rather large garden from his point of 
view. Ranma counted fifteen rows, each row being about thirty-
five or so feet long. Little glow-in-the-dark markers were spaced 
along the rows and in between them that designated what grew 
there. He could make out signs for corn and cabbage and 
watermelon and about two dozen other fruits and vegetables. 
Hmph, good living.

Akane made her way around the garden to the left side and pulled 
him along to a spot that was marked 'Strawberries'. Akane clicked 
on her-Hey?! When did she pick up a flashlight? Ranma shook his 
head. Like she pulled it out of nowhere...

"Ranma," she said shining the light on his sneakers, "Bend down 
and get a couple for yourself."

Ranma shrugged and knelt on the soft grass. He felt the ground 
with his hand. It was like a warm blanket underneath him. Not like 
the desert, where even a summer night could get cold. Ranma sat 
down as he picked a suitable berry. He bit into it and giggled 
slightly as the juice began to get away from him. Akane laughed 
gently and decided to take a cue from Ranma as she sat down. She 
crossed her legs in front of her and began to pile berries on her 
dress.

Ranma had picked a few and set them aside. Akane had picked a 
pile and put them on the little area of her dress created by her legs. 
Akane brushed some of the insects away that had gathered near the 
light and turned it off. Ranma finished off another berry in the 
silence that followed. He wondered what was going on in that 
mind of hers. Did she plan to deck him with a board again, or 
what?

Ranma decided to amend his earlier appraisal of her. She wasn't 
really a bitch, though he guessed he could understand in the 
circumstances how any woman would be like that. He didn't know 
what she felt though, because he couldn't see her face in the dark. 
He decided that he wanted to know.

"You seem awful trusting turning that flashlight off," he said.

"Maybe," Akane said, "You're awfully trusting to be out here with 
a girl that knocked you out earlier."

Ranma laughed. Touché. Ranma reached down and found that all 
his strawberries were gone. Hmm, ah well. He reached lightly into 
her lap and stole a berry.

"Ranma," Akane began "If you want a berry, just ask. You aren't 
getting much else down there."

He chewed on the stolen berry and chuckled.

"Well then, can I have another berry?"

"Here," Akane said, proffering a berry.

Ranma smiled and leaned forward. He bit the berry out of her 
finger gently, making sure his lips brushed her fingers in the 
process. It had the desired effect as she gasped and jerked her hand 
back, as if bit. Even in the dark, he could see that she was 
flustered. She gathered up the rest of her berries and got up. She 
began to walk back to the house, but stopped and returned to 
Ranma.

In one sharp movement, she planted a thrust kick directly to his 
chest.

"Asshole," she spat, continuing back to the house.

***

The morning came up slowly to greet a strange sight in the town of 
Earnest. A young man had come the day before and was now 
staying with Nodoka Saotome at her residence south of the city. As 
he understood it, the young man was a relative of some sort or 
other.

The spectator lowered his binoculars and got back in his car. He 
would have to look into the matter before school started, lest he be 
overcome with joy at the mere sight of his...

No. He'd waited all summer. One more month would not be a 
problem.

***

Ranma jogged up to front door of the house and sat down on the 
front steps. A light bead of sweat had formed from his morning 
jog. It struck him as funny that he loved to jog, but hated track. It 
was about the only sport he didn't do.

The light played along the front of the house and out into the 
sighing expanse of the meadows near the house. He sighed at the 
sight, wondering how often the happiness of the land translated 
into the happiness of the people. He also wondered if the happiness 
could eventually filter down to him.

He sighed again at the thought and stood once more. He opened 
the door and went towards the back, behind the kitchen. Opening 
the door on the left, he went into the laundry room. The good thing 
about going jogging so early in the morning was that he could 
usually avoid anyone being up. Either his father, or in this case, 
any macho chicks that wanted to kick his ass.

Geez, she didn’t have to hit me, he thought, I was just having a 
little fun.

He removed his shirt and undershirt and placed both in the washer. 
He had put a load in last night after everyone had gone to bed. The 
earlier he could take care of these little things the earlier he could 
go into town to buy some necessary...supplies.

He closed the lid of the washing machine and pushed the button to 
start the cycle. It churned to life as Ranma picked up a fresh shirt 
he had left here. He felt a light touch on his back, near one of his 
more prominent old scars and he whirled, ready to take who ever it 
was out.

Figures. It was her. Akane jumped back, startled, then noticed the 
front end of the same scar and was fascinated enough to almost 
forget whom the scar belonged to.

Ranma grabbed her hand. She looked up at him questioningly. He 
shook his head and swiftly moved past her. She didn’t need to 
know. In fact, the less she knew the better. He hurried into the 
family room as Nodoka and Kasumi were both coming down the 
stairs.

"Morning dear," Nodoka chimed in, "How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty good," Ranma said, tucking his shirt in, "I just normally get 
an early start to the day, that’s all. I hope I didn’t wake anyone 
up?"

"Yeah Ranma, you woke me up," A worn Nabiki said from the top 
of the landing.

She yawned once and made her way to the upstairs bath. Nodoka 
and Kasumi made their way into the kitchen and began breakfast. 
Akane watched Ranma get out of view up the stairs before she 
went into the downstairs bath. There was a click as the lock slid 
into place. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, and she 
was sure that he wouldn’t either.

***

"But why?!" Ranma said, getting up from his chair.

"Ranma, sit down," Nodoka said calmly, "Please, Principal Kuno, 
could you explain just WHY my son is being made to retake his 
sophomore year?"

"Because the schedules and his grades from his previous schools 
weren't good enough to allow him to progress. Besides, he has 
such nice hair..."

Ranma folded his arms across his chest and regarded the odd man. 
He was older than his mother and seemed to have several, 
unhealthy fetishes. One that his mother told him about was the hair 
fetish. Not to mention the weird little tree that was growing out of 
his head. Ranma just shook his head. It took all kinds he supposed. 
But why was he being made to take this year over again? This 
wasn't fair...

"Perhaps if he were to have a better haircut, which of course I 
could provide, then-"

"Thank you Principal Kuno, may son will keep his hair and take 
the year over," Nodoka said, quickly shooing Ranma towards the 
door, "Good-day."

The door swung close behind the duo and the principal sighed. The 
boy had such nice, dark hair...

***

Dinner went by without a hitch. Ranma had helped Kasumi make 
dinner, which had been complimented by Nodoka and Nabiki. 
Akane refused comment. She had been fairly civil to him 
throughout the day though. Ranma thought that she was probably 
still shaken by her 'find' that morning.

Maybe he'd tell her. Maybe not. He'd give it a couple of days. She 
shot him a hard look as he brought out dessert. But then, he had to 
smirk at his choice of Strawberries Romanoff, too. After a few 
minutes of silence, it surprised Ranma that Akane was the one to 
speak up.

"It's-" she began, shaking her head and laughing gently, "It's 
really good, Ranma."

Ranma just smiled as the compliments came from the others as 
well. He sighed as the events at the school ran through his head. 
Nodoka noticed this as well. She thought he'd been unusually quiet 
on the way home.

Ranma ate another spoonful. It was good. Sometimes he even 
surprised himself.

"Ranma," Nodoka began, "Are you still upset because of what 
happened with school?"

The Tendo sisters looked up from their goblets of fruit.

"What happened?" Kasumi asked.

"You were seeing the principal about getting Ranma in for next 
year, right?" chimed in Nabiki.

"Couldn't have been all bad," Akane said, "He still has his hair."

"Yeah, well, he's making me take the sophomore year over again."

There was a tight silence around the table, with the only sounds 
being that of spoons in the glass goblets.

"Hey, it's okay," Akane finally said, "You'll be in my grade and 
you'll be able to keep your grades up without much trouble. So 
what's the problem?"

"Akane," Nodoka began, "Please? Ranma is-"

"Mom, it's okay," Ranma interrupted, "It's...okay. Leave the 
dishes, okay? I'll get them later. I just want to work out a little 
now. If you'll excuse me..."

Ranma got up and made his way upstairs. Akane Tendo. He shook 
his head. There was something about her. Something that 
just...Ranma stepped into his room and closed the door. One of the 
good things about this attic was the workout he could get without 
leaving the comfort of the house.

He thought of Akane again as he began his routine. First a series of 
kata from Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do and a couple other forms. Then a 
set of vaults and spins from the rafters. Akane Tendo. She seemed 
cute enough when she wanted to be, which didn't seem to be often. 
She seemed to like needling Ranma too, which almost made him 
miss one of the rafters. Damn. More concentration.

He felt good when she smiled at him. Like the sun on a warm 
spring day. He liked that. When Nabiki smiled, he felt like a piece 
of meat. With her, it felt almost predatory. He shivered, despite the 
sweat. When Kasumi smiled, his feelings became extremely 
mixed. There was a warm feeling, like Akane but less, but there 
almost seemed to be a predatory edge to her in there somewhere. 
Ranma wondered to himself what was making him feel that way.

Ranma swung upwards and finally into a handstand. He wondered 
if there was anything he could do to make up for the thing with the 
strawberries. Hell, he didn't even know what she really felt. The 
foot to the chest last night kind of answered that for him though. 
Ranma could see the auburn glow of the sunset outside of the far 
window. 

Well, probably ought to go and get the dishes done up, he thought.

Ranma closed his eyes and began his dismount. He could almost 
see the floor as his feet rushed towards it. He smiled at the 
firmness underfoot when he hit his landing. He breathed out and 
opened his eyes. He started back as Akane was standing there.

"Ranma," she began, "Can I talk to you?"

***