Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Panther & Cobra ❯ An American in Nermia ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts in this story are owned and copyrighted
by their respective creators. They DO NOT belong to me. I'm just barrowing them.

Panther & Cobra
A Ranma 1/2 new character-insertion
Written by Trooper1023

~text~ is thoughts
*text* is emphasized words
[text] is sounds/actions
{text} is animal signs, for cursed people
<text> is spoken in English

Ranma timeline: My character enters the story after Ranma defeats Ryoga's Shi
Shi Hokodan with his own Moko Takabisha, and after the New Year story with
Shampoo and the Ghost Cat. The exact place in the manga is at the very end of
Book 20, starting as Part 11: "Waves of Rumors" picks up. He's the same age as
Nabiki.
________________________________________________________ _______________

Chapter 1: An American in Nermia
________________________________________________________________ _______

6:28 AM, Tokyo International Airport...

From off 747 flight 1217 a flood of mostly bleary-eyed or just-woken people
spilled through the gate and into the terminal proper. People of all different
ethnicities, origins, religions, and whatnot joined the greater flow heading for
the baggage claim.

One of them was a fairly young American by the name of Tomas Bannon. Having
turned 17 just this last October, Tom (as he preferred) was just beginning a
year-long stay in Tokyo, Japan. The whole idea was to have one year of high
school, the junior year, completed in another country for "knowledge diversity",
as the school board called it. Tom didn't care for a name, he just went to make
the most of it--being an Anime fan and all. Heh.

The American grabbed his huge backpack from the baggage claim, ignoring the
stares he knew were coming from "normal" people, and crammed his carry-on
backpack into it. ~Heh, I knew steadily increasing the weight I carried in my
backpack to school everyday would boost my strength. Hell, I couldn't pull a
complete flip, front or back, for the longest time. I finally did one on my 17th
birthday... talk about symbolism!~ He chuckled. Hoisting the pack on his
shoulders, Tom headed for the bus stop that would take him to the nearest train
station.

It was just before seven o'clock when the American student arrived at the train
station. He set his pack down and began digging through it, eventually pulling
out a specially marked folder.

~Lets see, where is it... ah ha! Train tickets and the address of the family I'm
staying with. Now, the tickets say...~ <YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!> Tom
roared. A circle of empty space instantly formed around him, and Tom looked
around sheepishly, noticing more stares. ~Oookaaaay... gotta remember not to do
*that* again.~ Looking back down at the ticket, ~Yup, my eyes ain't deceivin'
me. Nermia District. Guess Takahashi decided to use a real district for the
setting of her "Ranma 1/2" stories... though why I couldn't find this place in
the books back home is beyond me. Weird...~

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where to find the Tendo Dojo?" Tom looked up
into the face of a Japanese boy, probably 16 or so. He was built and carried
himself like a fighter. A yellow and black bandanna held a mop of black hair out
of the guy's emerald eyes, while a backpack even bigger then Tom's own rode his
shoulders.

"Tendo Dojo?! Wait'a sec, that's..." Tom started laughing. "Hahahahaaa!" ~This
is too much! There's actually a Tendo Dojo, and even more--~ He looked at a
different sheet of paper from the same folder. "That's where I'll be staying for
the next year--"

"NANI!?!" Bandanna Boy screamed and grabbed Tom by the collar of his t-shirt.
Being as tall as he is, Tom found himself being pulled over frontward. "Ok
mister, who are you?" the pissed-off teen growled.

~Damn, not good, not good at all. This guy is waaaay stronger than me, and... a
spotted bandanna, a huge backpack, and looking for the Tendo Dojo?!? NO WAY!!...
Al'right, yes way. Now, to chill him out...~ Tom started waving his arms around
in a placating manner. "Hey! Hey! Easy does it buddy! I'm not invadin' their
house or anything. I'm an exchange student from America, paying through the ears
to spend a year in the Japanese high school system. Are the Tendos friends of
yours or somethin'? Just chill man. A chunk of what I'm payin' will be going to
the Tendo's in compensation for room and board." Classic use of the Bannon
hyper-velocity vocal communication system, a.k.a. talking fast. Always
effective.

The teen released Tom. "Oh, ok. Sorry about that, it's just that the Tendo Dojo
already has guests, a pair of freeloaders at that! I was worried that you were
another jerk like those two. I'm Ryoga Hibiki." (if you hadn't guessed by now,
reader no baka)

Tom straightened his shirt, grinned lopsidedly, and stuck out his hand. "Don't
worry 'bout it, Ryoga. My name's Tom Bannon."

Ryoga looked at the hand for a bit, puzzled, until he realized that Tom was
motioning for a handshake instead of the customary Japanese bow. He grasped the
outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "American you said, right?" Tom nodded.
"I thought I recognized your accent, though I can't place it exactly. Your
Japanese is surprisingly good." The two teens released each other's hand.

Tom grinned again and scratched the side of his neck. "So I've been told. I've
been studying Japan and the like for a long time, partially in preparation for
this trip. Lets get you a train ticket and we'll head for the Tendo's together,
'k?" He slipped his backpack on again and turned to the ticket counter, ~...Oh
shit, Ryoga's called "the Lost Boy" for a reason! I hope--~ only to turn back
and find that Ryoga was nowhere in sight. ~--he isn't lost already, damnit!~
______________________________________________________________ _________

Ryoga looked around. "Huh? Where did all the people go? Tom? Where are you?
TOM!?" A empty plain of grass stretched out before the Eternally Lost Boy.
"RANMA!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
_______________________________________________________________ ________

~He's probably on the other side of the world by now!~ Tom rolled his eyes as he
climbed onto the train bound for Nerima. ~I still don't believe it! Takahashi's
comics actually feature real people, and I bet in real situations too!~ Dropping
his pack on the seat next to him, Tom stared out the window as the train began
to roll, still deep in thought. ~Hey... I wonder if I can get THE Ranma Saotome
to teach me Anything Goes Kempo? Would that be sweet or what!~
________________________________________________________________ _______

7:30 AM, Tendo Dojo, Nerima District...

Nabiki Tendo left the dojo with something new on her mind. It seemed that the
Tendo Dojo had been picked to provide lodging for a long-term exchange student,
American from the information provided. Nabiki would have sent it back with a
refusal normally, but the amount they would be paying was just too good an offer
to pass up. This gajin kid would be easy to deal with, and the money would give
Nabiki more elbow room in managing the family assets. With spirits raised,
Nabiki proceeded to do something she hadn't done since she was little.

She skipped to school.

When her latchkeys saw Nabiki *skipping* they figured she'd finally discovered
something other than money. They would have been right... if only they'd waited
until the *end* of the day.
__________________________________________________________________ _____

At the Nerima station, Tom debarked from the train, slipped on his jacket, and
went cab hunting. ~I should make it to the local high school, Furinkan, just in
time for classes to start.~
_______________________________________________________________ ________

Fifteen minutes after her sister left, Akane Tendo did the same. Five minutes
after that, Ranma Saotome followed.
_____________________________________________________________ __________

Furinkan High School, ten minutes after *that*...

Tom came to the yard gates and stopped. Being over six feet tall has its
advantages when among people that are rarely over 5'9". He gazed over the heads
of the other students, noticing something odd. Rose petals were riding on the
cold wind. Then a feeling danger began to creep up his back. Tom tensed, ready
for anything...

...*Except* a girl in a black gymnast's leotard and cloak, leaping through the
air and swinging a *big* mallet at another girl with short, dark blue hair. Tom
was about to shout a warning when the other girl, this one dressed more
normally, spun around and caught the mallet before she could become a splat on
the ground. The American blinked. ~Akane Tendo and Kodachi Kuno?~

"YOU?!" Akane gritted her teeth in anger and threw her mallet-wielding foe.
"Take that!" The gymnast easily righted herself in mid-air and landed on her
feet. Straightening up from her throw, Akane growled, "What do you want *now*,
Kodachi?"

"I do not believe it is any business of yours, Akane Tendo!" Kodachi declared in
a haughty tone.

Tom cocked an eyebrow. ~Not her business? Kodachi *attacked* Akane, and she says
It's not her business!?~ He was debating whether or not to intervene when
someone else did just that. Tom blinked again as an unusually tall student
wielding a wooden katana and dressed in samurai garb charged Kodachi. ~Tatewaki
Kuno?... Hey, he's almost as tall as me. I knew he was that tall from the manga
but to see it is something else. Weird.~

Kuno swung at Kodachi, bellowing, "Stay back from her, madwoman! What do you
intend for my fair Akane?!" The gymnast hmphed and blocked the strikes with a
pair of juggling clubs.

~Juggling clubs against a wooden sword? God, this really is Takahashi's 'Ranma-
verse'!~ thought Tom, sweatdropping. Kuno demanded that his gymnast sister
return to her own school. She responded by tossing her cloak back and whipping a
ribbon through the air. Somehow, more rose petals and what looked to be
photographs appeared. Tom snatched a photo from the air out of curiosity. ~It's
a picture of Stick Boy and some cute redhead. Heh, wonder why she's usin' a
towel for a shirt. And she looks oddly familiar too...~ Kuno and his gymnast
sister were gone now, so Tom decided to approach the remaining girl, Akane. She
was looking at a photo and from the looks of it she was *not* happy. She stormed
off before Tom could say anything. ~Okaaaay. Guess I'll just go get registered.
After that I'll go looking for Nabiki Tendo. She'd be the financial manager of
the Tendo household.~ Tom headed for the front doors. Something tickled the back
of his mind and he scanned the windows on the third floor. He found himself
trading stares with a brown-haired student. The distance seemed to shrink for an
instant before the girl got up and moved from the window. Shrugging off a
lingering feeling of... something... Tom entered the school.
_______________________________________________________________ ________

Up on the third floor, said student was trying to shake off a similar feeling.
Nabiki shook her head and wondered why she couldn't get the image of the gajin
out of her mind. When their eyes had locked, Nabiki had seen a mix of
determination, knowledge, intelligence, and sheer willpower. The same mix she's
seen in the mirror. Something was causing an attraction that Nabiki could hardly
resist. ~What's going on here? It's like my insides are intent on pulling me to
him... Although I don't *really* mind. He is handsome...~
__________________________________________________________ _____________

The registration went fast for Tom. In a short amount of time, he was heading
for his first class at Furinkan High - after that class he would have the
standard orientation. Walking down the hallway, Tom couldn't help but notice the
sounds of a major commotion coming from one of the freshmen classes. ~I wonder
what's going on in there--~ "YAH!" Tom toppled over backward in surprise as
Kodachi burst out the door from the classroom while laughing psychotically,
followed by her wooden sword-wielding brother. The American blinked, sighed, and
climbed back to his feet.

Moving closer to the classroom, Tom saw someone strangely familiar leaning
against the wall just inside the doorway. Another blink. ~Nabiki Tendo is the
girl in the window that caught my attention from the yard? This is waaaaaay too
much...~ Tom shook his head violently and focused on what was being said.

"...forget about the rumor, you know... I'd say it's a fairly ingenious one."
That was Nabiki talking.

"Really? How?" A different voice from inside the classroom, similar yet
different than Nabiki's; also female.

"Ah-ah... Payment first!" said Nabiki as she stepped away from the wall.

Tom rolled his eyes at the sound of money changing hands. ~That's the Mercenary
for ya! Money first, everything else second.~

Nabiki's voice came again. "This is the kind of fire you fight with more fire.
Meaning that we need to spread an even *more* vicious rumor!"

"Yea! That'll work," said a new, male voice.

~Enthusiastic, energetic, and ignorant.~ Tom slapped a hand over his face.
~That's gotta be Saotome! Too bad Viz hasn't released Ranma 1/2 volume 18 in the
USA; this story arc would be in it. Oh well, at least I already know the
characters pretty well, and I should be able to play the rest by ear.~ Sticking
his head around the doorframe, Tom watched Nabiki whip out a photo.

"See? It's perfect," she said with a smirk. Tom backed away from the door as the
sound of cracking knuckles was heard. Nabiki's voice came back. "Hurt me and
*this* goes public." She exited the classroom swiftly, while the guy following
her froze in his tracks and looked like he was about to start crying.

~Let's see... Black hair in a pigtail, dark blue-gray eyes, and dressed in what
looks like a Mao Zedong Chinese military uniform. So this is Ranma Saotome...
Not much to look at, but I guess that's the point, making opponents
underestimate him.~ An odd thought hit Tom and he pulled out the photo he'd
grabbed from the yard incident. ~Hey, this redhead could be Saotome's twin
sister... ah-ha! This has got to be Ranma's cursed form... But then why the heck
would he do this *and* let a picture of it be taken... Never mind, I gotta
introduce myself to Nabiki.~ Taking up a fast trot, Tom walked after the middle
Tendo daughter.
_____________________________________________________________ __________

"Excuse me, are you Nabiki Tendo?"

Nabiki stopped and began to turn around. "Who wants to know..." Her voice
trailed off as she got her first close-up look at the gajin she'd seen in the
yard. ~Wow...~

He was *tall*, six feet two inches by Nabiki's estimate. He wore a leather
jacket over a dark blue v-neck shirt, dark blue "tech"-style cargo pants, and a
pair of gray and white sneakers. Short, medium-brown hair, parted over his left
eye, framed his face with the kind of natural curl that hair stylists dream of
duplicating for their customers. His face was long and angular enough to give
him the look of a full-grown man, yet remain boyishly young at the same time.
Bushy, expressive eyebrows hooded liquid-brown eyes that seemed to draw her in.
A European nose bisected his face, and his mouth was pulled into a friendly
half-grin. He shifted a bit, then slung his large backpack off and set it down.
Some kind of design was visible on the backs of his hands.

"Ya got the letter from the local school board, right? That asked if you had a
room open for use by a foreign exchange student? That'd be me. Name's Tomas
Bannon..." the gajin said in a smooth, tenor voice and with a heavy, though
understandable, English accent.

Nabiki's mouth dropped open. And closed. And opened again. And closed again.
~*THIS* is the guy we'll be hosting for the year?!? This is too good to be true!
I'd never thought a gajin could be handsome like him! I'll have *two* good-
looking guys to make money off of!~ Nabiki smirked her I-got-a-money-making-plan
smirk. "And you came looking for me because...?"

"Well, you're the only member of the Tendo household that's in their junior year
of high school, right? I'm the new student in your class, Tendo-san. Since I'll
be heading home with you, I figured I'd ask if you could show me where all the
major stuff is, like around the school, places to eat, the local chiropractor,
you know, that kind of stuff." He tilted his head to the side and scratched the
side of his neck. "If ya don't mind, that is."

Nabiki shook her head to clear her thoughts. ~I need to play this smooth.~ "No,
I don't mind at all. Come on, our class is this way."
_________________________________________________________________ ______

That afternoon...

"So Bannon-san, how was your first day of school here in Japan?"

"It was interesting. American and Japanese high schools are like contrasting
images, different in some ways and the same in others." Tom followed Nabiki out
the front door of Furinkan and out toward the playing field. "And could we
please drop the formalities. I know 'Tendo-san' would be appropriate, but it
makes me feel like a damn robot!"

Nabiki grinned. "So you want to go by first names?" He nodded. "Why not, Tom-
kun? I don't mind."

Tom hesitated. "Great uh... what about you? Um... is 'Na-chan' ok? It's the best
I could come up with..."

Nabiki blushed slightly at her new pet name. ~What's with me?~ Tom *was* an
interesting fellow after all. He almost always had something to add in class, if
not something interesting then it was weird, oddly coincidental, or just plain
funny. Out of class, he seemed to have a never-ending supply of witty remarks,
sarcastic comments, and odd references that had others rolling on the ground in
laughter. ~Ok, so he's cool to hang around with, and really funny to boot. Why
do I feel so warm right now.~

"Hey, you alright? You're face is a little red."

Nabiki considered slapping her hand over her face, but decided against it. ~Why
is it that ever good-looking, interesting guy I meet turns out to be a regular
baka around girls?~ "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Oh." He paused. "Well, are we heading over to the Tendo dojo now?"

"No. There's going to be a face-off between Kuno and his sister Kodachi at the
playing field, with the reputation of a certain pigtailed redhead hanging
between them."

"Kuno? You mean the unusually tall guy running around with the wooden sword? And
who's the redhead? The one that's in the picture." Tom pulled out the photo from
the morning episode in the yard.

"Yes, that's Kuno. The wooden katana he carries everywhere is called a bokutou.
And yes, the redhead--the girl standing in the middle of the field, next to
Kuno--is the same redhead in the pictures that Kodachi threw around the yard
this morning. Hmmm..." Nabiki motioned one of her latchkeys over. Once she was
filled in on what was going on, she sent him off and turned to Tom. "It seems
that Kodachi wants an apology from Kuno. And... she's got even *more* pictures,
to keep her brother from doing anything foolish."

Tom blinked as the guy spectators started yammering about getting more photos.
"What's goin' on here? The crowd--the guys at least--want the photos, Kodachi
wants an apology, the redhead wants her reputation cleared, and--what does Kuno
what?"

"More pictures of my pigtailed goddess! I MUST HAVE THEM!"

"Guess that answers that question," said Tom dryly, watching the redhead fall
over, forefinger and pinky extended on both hands, Takahashi-style. "The poor
girl." Nabiki abruptly burst into laughter. "What's so funny, Na-chan?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough," she said with
a grin. They turned back to the face-off just as Kodachi whirled her ribbon and
sent the photos into the air. A stampede erupted as guys ran down onto the field
and tried to grab a photo, to no avail.

Tom whistled in admiration as the redhead bounded around the field, snatching
photos out of the air. "Wow, she's fast. Hey Na-chan, what's the redhead's
name?"

~To tell the truth, or not to tell the truth. Interesting dilemma... I'll tell
him the truth.~ "Ranma Saotome."
_____________________________________________________________ __________

~Ok, I already know the answer, but I gotta make it look like I don't.~ "Ranma
Saotome... whoa, hold up a sec! She's got the same name as that pigtailed *guy*
that chased you out of that freshmen class this morning?" Shaking his head back
and forth like he was dizzy, Tom hoped Nabiki bought the act.

She seemed not to notice. "No, that *is* Ranma Saotome. He turns into the
redheaded girl you're looking at when he's splashed with cold water."

Tom threw his best 'are you crazy' look at Nabiki. "You actually expect me to
believe that?! A total change from male to female? That's impossible."

Nabiki gave Tom a bemused smile. "Oh no Tom-kun. A total change is indeed
possible, with magic. But don't worry about that now. Look down there."

[THUD] went the entire male population of Furinkan High. The field was now
littered with fallen bodies.

"What're they so upset about?" asked Tom, arcing an eyebrow.

In response, Nabiki grabbed the last photo out of the air. She held it up.
"This, I believe." Tom took one look at the photo and couldn't hold it in any
longer. He burst out in laughter.
_____________________________________________________________ __________

Akane and Ranma-chan stood side by side, staring at the newest doctored photo by
Kodachi. It was a shot Kuno's head, attached seamlessly to the body of Akane's
pet, P-chan. Ranma-chan sighed. "I should have known Kodachi would do something
like this..." She looked over at Kuno.

Said kendoist was furious. "This..." He raised his bokutou at Kodachi. "...is
the most insulting thing I've ever seen in my life! Prepare--"

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Loud, raucous laughter cut Kuno off. Ranma-chan, Akane,
Kuno, and practically everyone else within earshot turned to the noise.

Standing up on the rim of the field, next to Nabiki, was a very tall gajin guy,
obviously looking at a picture of 'Kuno-pig'. He was holding his stomach as he
laughed.

"WHO ARE YOU TO LAUGH AT ME!?!" roared Kuno, looking ready to burst.

The gajin struggled to contain his laughter. "Sorry, sorry, I [snicker] I didn't
[laugh] mean it that way! It just [snicker] hit me and I could help it!" he
struggled out.

"BEGONE FROM HERE, FOREIGNER, FOR YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF MY GAZE!"

The laughter cut off entirely. "Hey, chill out! I told you, I got nothin'
against you--"

Lowering his voice only slightly, Kuno cut off the gajin again. "Ah, but I have
*everything* against *you*! How dare you invade this place of study and mock me,
the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High [KRAK-BOOOOM], with your vile laughter!
Foreign pest!"

"Whoa, Kuno's pissed," remarked Akane.

Ranma-chan tapped Akane on the shoulder. "Forget Kuno, *that* guy," she said,
pointing at the gajin, "is *pissed*, or will be shortly. I hope he doesn't get
in a fight with Kuno though, 'cause I don't want to have to bail him out when he
starts losing."

"Ranma! You haven't even seen that guy fight and besides, don't you always say
that Kuno sucks?"

"Akane, Kuno sucks compared to *me*. That gajin, though he does have a bit of an
aura, doesn't move like a martial artist. If anything, he's a street fighter."

"But what does that..."

"Jeez, don't you know anything? Martial artists build up their speed and
strength to land blows, and develop skill to deflect attacks; endurance is
developed somewhat, but only as a last resort against that rare lucky shot.
Street fighters are fairly strong and fast, but for the most part lack real
skill; they rely on their endurance, the ability to take a nasty hit and keep
going, to win. Because he's survived all the beatings we've heaped on him,
Kuno's endurance is almost as good as Ryoga's. That eliminates a street
fighter's endurance advantage, leaving him with only his strength and speed.
Kuno has those, and a fair amount of skill on top of them. And that means--"

"What... did... you... just... call... me?" said the voice of a person strained
to the edge of control.

"--chikuso! Too late!" Ranma-chan said in frustration.

Nabiki suddenly started tugging on the gajin's arm. "NO! You can't fight him!
Kuno is pretty good with his bokutou, and has incredible stamina! You--"

"Sorry Na-chan. *Nobody* calls me a 'boot-licking western beast'. NOBODY."
Ranma-chan and Akane both raised an eyebrow and Nabiki's antics and the gajin's
response. He then [thump] dropped his backpack to the ground and began walking
down the slope towards his opponent, an expression of fury twisting his face,
fire burning in his dark brown eyes. "There is one thing in this world that I
absolutely *hate*."

Standing in the center of the field, bokutou in hand, Kuno asked, "Oh? And what,
pray you, is that?"

"Pompous, overbearing, self-centered morons," He spat, continuing to walk
forward. "People who believe that they are better, superior even, than
'foreigners'. You're fooling no one but yourself. You become someone's better by
*earning* it. I absolutely hate people like that..." Exactly five meters from
Kuno, the gajin stopped. "...especially *you*, asshole."

Dozens of gasps went up as the infamous English curse was translated directly to
Japanese and said for all to hear. Kuno turned purple with anger.

Akane just stared. "Wow. Ranma, you were right, that gajin is furious... Ranma?"

Ranma-chan stood, mouth slightly agape. "I don't believe it..." [WHAP] "Ow!
Whaddya do that for?!"

"What's with you, Ranma?" she said.

"Akane, remember when I said the gajin had a bit of an aura? Well, now his aura
is huge!"

"What?!"

"One minute, he's calm, and has almost no aura to speak of. Next minute, he's
thoroughly pissed, he's throwing out a big aura, and weirdest of all, the aura's
almost totally unfocused! I mean, even more unfocused than yours Akane!"

"Wha... unfocused?"

"Yea... there're only two places where that gajin's aura has any focus at all:
around his arms."

Just then, Nabiki ran up. "Ranma, you have to stop this fight!"

Ranma-chan shook her head. "No."

"No?!?"

"No. I want to see this guy fight."

Nabiki gaped, then sighed and turned her attention back to the new face off.
Across the field, she noticed Kodachi eyeing Tom. ~Oh no you don't, you bitch!
Tom-kun is MINE!... What am I saying?~ Nabiki started hitting her hand against
her head.

Back to the soon-to-be combatants...

"You... how *dare* you call me that! I shall--"

"Shut the fuck up. I *don't* want to hear it." Kuno stiffened at the response,
then went back to his 'unbeatable samurai' posturing.

Tom pulled his leather jacket off, revealing two things. Some gold embroidery on
the back of his sleeveless shirt. And a pair of tattoos that snaked out from
under his shirt over his shoulders and winding their way down his arms; the
tattoos ended on the backs of his hands. Then the gajin tightened his belt and
the bands that held the cuffs of his pants at his ankles.

Ranma-chan noticed the tattoos instantly. ~The focus of his aura... it's around
those tattoos. Interesting, I wonder how he does it...~

Kuno looked over his foe with what was at first a modicum of interest. Taller
than himself, the gajin was very slim. But instead of seeming like a fragile
twig, Kuno was slightly startled to realize that he looked more like a...

Tom's hands curled into fists and he brought his knuckles together in front of
him with a loud crack (think Sanosuke from "Rurouni Kenshin"), then he took up
his fighting stance. "Come on..."

~Hmmm... Left fist in front and right fist up and way back, back bent over
forward leg, body at a forty-five degree angle to Kuno, feet spread apart front
to back... that's an interesting stance,~ thought Ranma-chan.

Motioning for Kuno to take his stance, Tom whispered, "...Let's dance," in a
voice that somehow was heard across the field. Kuno brought his bokutou into a
high guard, and as he did... Tom *moved*.

In a few bare seconds, he crossed the distance between him and a motionless
Kuno. His right arm tensed noticeably, then shot forward, his fist leading like
a bullet.

[CRACK] The single charging haymaker knocked Kuno on his ass and sent him
skidding a good half-dozen meters on his back before stopping.

Ranma-chan kept replaying the scene in her mind. ~What the heck was *THAT*?!?
I don't think even Ryoga can hit that hard with one punch, even a charging one!
This guy... he struck so fast... he moved like... a...~ Ranma-chan narrowed her
eyes, studying the gajin's movements as he slowly pulled his arm back and
resumed his stance. ~Kami, what *is* he moving like?! He strikes hard and fast,
then retreats before his opponent can retaliate...~

"Well? Get up all ready!" the gajin hissed. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

Slowly, Kuno pulled himself back to his feet, holding his jaw. Once upright,
Kuno snarled viciously, "A beast indeed. You, like so many others, will fall
before my blade! HAVE AT THEE!" and he charged.

Again Tom's entire body tensed. When Kuno entered striking range he swung his
bokutou in an overhead strike, which Tom met with his right fist. He responded
with a left jab that rocked Kuno's head back a bit. Both combatants drew back
and began to circle each other. Then Kuno attacked again with a series of rapid
stabs. Tom managed to deflect the first few with his fists but the rest battered
his head and body. He retreated a pair of steps and Kuno moved to follow, trying
to push his apparent advantage. However, as Kuno began to take the second step,
Tom stepped back in at Kuno and sent a side kick into the kendoist's gut. Kuno's
breath whooshed out of him and he stumbled back, almost losing his balance. Tom
pulled his foot back from the kick and began circling again.

Kuno steadied himself with his bokutou, then took up a different stance. Seconds
passed as Tom, still circling, waited for an attack, but none came.

"Hmm... Kuno's gettin' smarter. He's waiting for an attack, instead of launching
one himself," said Ranma-chan. Akane nodded in silent agreement, wondering to
herself why it had taken Kuno until now to change his tactics. The attention of
the entire school was now on the fight between Kuno and the new guy, an American
from his looks and cloths.

Suddenly Tom burst into what seemed to be another charging punch. Kuno
apparently thought so as well and started a wide swing that would have swatted
the punch aside and thrown Tom off balance, *if* it had hit. But the gajin's
leading fist, his left, opened up and he grabbed Kuno's bokutou as it came
toward him. Tom hauled back on the wooden sword, pulling Kuno to him even as he
kept moving forward. The kendoist didn't even have time to curse as Tom's right
fist snaked out into his gut in a brutal body blow that folded Kuno over the
gajin's arm. Tom pulled his fist back from his doubled-over opponent, stepped
around to Kuno's side, and slammed him down into the ground with a two-fisted
hammer blow to his back. Kuno was practically imbedded in the ground, but he
still had a grip on his bokutou. Tom backed up a bunch of paces and waited.

This time it took even longer for Kuno to pull himself back to his feet. The
look of absolute fury on his face was a fairly common sight, but this time it
was met evenly by the disgust in his opponent's eyes. Kuno's (relatively) small
aura flared as he bellowed, "ENOUGH!! NOW FEEL TRUE PAIN!" And launched himself
at the gajin, going in his classic rapid-thrusting attack: "STRIKE-STRIKE-
STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE !!!"

Tom was taken by complete surprise and couldn't escape the brunt of the attack.
Dozens of thrusts slammed through his guard, hit after hit keeping him off
balance. Kuno kept his attack going as long as he could, now knowing he had the
advantage. Nabiki screamed "NO!" as Kuno, with a final cry of triumph, ended his
attack with an upward swing that snapped Tom's chin up and lifted him into the
air a bit. The gajin hit the ground on his back with bruising force. He didn't
rise immediately.

Kuno slowly drew himself up and began slowly backing away. "I must admit, he was
a good challenge. I have not fought a fair fight of that difficulty in a long
time." When he was five meters from his 'downed' foe, Kuno stopped and turned
his back, speaking his 'audience'. "But like all others who challenge the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High, he could not match my might, and thus lost." Then he
angled his voice over his shoulder, without looking back. "Foreigner, I trust
you have learned your lesson, and will now leave the presence of that who is
your superior...?" Kuno started in surprise as he realized that his fellow
students were not gazing at him with the respect he surly deserved, but *gaping*
at something *behind* him...

"We ain't finished yet," came the whisper-quiet voice. Tom was back on his feet.
"It ain't over 'till it's over... and I say it ain't over." And once again, he
*moved*.

From his fighting stance, five long strides covered the five meters between him
and Kuno in five short seconds. At his second stride, "Yaa-" he began to yell in
a display of defiance and determination; it gained volume with each successive
stride. At the third stride "-aaaa-", Tom's right fist came down to trail behind
him. At the fourth stride "-aaAA-", his entire body seemed to tense up. At the
fifth stride "-AAAA--", Tom's strike began. Ranma-chan watched as a sinuous,
wave-like motion seemed to roll through his aura, starting around his left hip,
rolling up his body to his right shoulder and into that arm, his entire body
rotating. In that single second, Ranma-chan saw Tom's right arm blur forward,
his shoulder following, as the wave of motion in his aura traveled his arm's
length. Just as the wave reached his knuckles, Tom's fist "--HAAA!!!" slammed
into the kendoist's jaw.

[WHAM]

The sound of that punch landing was so loud it echoed around the field. Kuno was
laid flat out on his back and flew back almost a half-dozen meters. Then he hit
the ground and skidded another dozen before he finally came to rest, unmoving.
No groan or denial of his defeat. Kuno was *NOT* getting up. He was out cold.

"*That* was a nice punch," said Ranma-chan with finality.

Huffing, Tom dropped to his hands and knees. Abruptly, the entire crowd broke
into cheers. Akane was stunned at the turnaround in the fight, Ranma-chan had
the 'challenge' look in her eyes, and Nabiki... ran out onto the field toward
Tom, calling his name.

To be continued...
__________________________________________________________ _____________

Next chapter: Meet the New Guy

Author's Notes:

Tomas Bannon has just a few of my characteristics. He has my face, hair, and
general build (though I *WISH* I was that tall!). The sarcasm and odd remarks
are trademarks of mine, and the "mix of determination, knowledge, intelligence,
and sheer willpower" is also 'me'. The rest is made up.

When you read the fight between Tom and Kuno, play Mikado's "Feel the Bass"
(Club Mix) in the background to set the mood. And crank the bass control up for
a *really* heavy beat!

Completed: 9/21/01

Updated last: 10/6/01

C&C to: bjhaberman@prodigy.net
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