Jeremy Mullin aka Stoner 3:17 (stoner@uss.net)


	Stoner 3:17 Presents

	Double or Nothing

	A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series

	Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)

	"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi, all rights reserved, used without permission.  Please don't 
sue, I have no money.

	PART 5: Enter the Black Dragon

     The master looked about the dojo in shock.  His finest students had 
been defeated, strewn about the floor in moaning and/or unconscious
heaps.  All by the person who stood in the center of the dojo, a Muay
Thai fighter who had shown up suddenly and immediately made the
challenge.  He hadn't even broken a sweat during the fight.
     The young man was at least in his teens, but was tall and quite
muscled.  His clothes were all black, his shorts, the tank top he wore, 
and even the wrappings around his hands and feet.  In addition, he wore 
a black mod-rag-style bandanna wrapped around his head.  There was
no mistaking that the lad was a well-trained fighter, but the master had 
thought that he was kidding when he said he would take on *all* of the 
students at once.
     He now saw how wrong he was.
     The Thai fighter snorted as he looked about the dojo, sneering at the
fallen students.  "Hmph.  That was too easy.  And here I was hoping for 
something more of a challenge," he said in that cocky attitude that the 
master had come to hate.  What made it worse was that the kid could
back it up.
     The master knew when to recognize a situation he couldn't win, and 
this was one of those times.  He let out a reluctant sigh.  "Very well," he
said.  "You have proven your point.  Just take the sign outside and go." 
     The Thai fighter let out another snort, this one humorous.  "I could
care less about some crappy sign.  Keep it.  I have better things to do."
With that, he walked out of the dojo and left, leaving behind a now
even more shocked master with his injured students.

     Some time later, the black-clad muay thai fighter stood atop a cliff in
a forest, staring solemnly into the horizon.  He kept clenching and
unclenching his fists repeatedly, causing the wrappings on his hands to 
stretch and almost tear from the strain.
     *Just a little bit more,* he thought.  *A bit more training and I'll be
ready.  Then... I'll find you.  And then crush you.  You'll pay for what 
you did to me.*
     "DO YOU HEAR ME!!!" he now shouted into the open sky, as if his
voice would carry all the way to the recipient of his wrath.  "YOU'LL  
PAY, RANMA SAOTOME!!!"

		*		*		*

     A week later, at Furinkan High...
     "I still think we oughta take care of Kodachi first," Ranma suggested
as he took a bite of his lunch.  It was lunchtime at Furinkan High, and 
he, Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo were together in their usual place under
the tree.  Kuno had tried to bother them, spouting something about
"freeing such lovely examples of femininity from the clutches of the
evil one."  Unfortunately for him, he was only talking about Akane and 
Ranko, saying Ranma could have a "lowly restaurant wench like
Kuonji," and immediately got sent flying via one battle spatula, leaving 
the group to continue with their "war council."
     Akane shook her head.  "Are you kidding?  We should take care of  
Shampoo first.  All we have to do is find some loophole in that crazy
law of hers and she's gone."
     "If it were that simple, Akane, we woulda gotten rid of Shampoo a 
long time ago," Ukyo countered as she took a bite of her okonomiyaki.  
"Still, it's gonna be tough either way considering both of 'em are pretty
persistent."
     "And from I've learned, they won't take 'no' for an answer," Ranma 
nodded.  He let out a growl of frustration.  “Man!  Why’d I have to get
girls like that chasin’ me, anyway?!”
     “Well, it’s not like you did anything to discourage them...” Akane
muttered under her breath.
     “Probably why he wants to put off dealing with them, so he won’t
have to say ‘No’,” Ranko suggested with a smirk.
     “WHAT?!” Akane cried, glaring at Ranma.  Her eyes were wide with
anger and, if one looked closely, fear.
     “Hey!  That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Ranma yelled at
his smirking sister.
     “Oh, I dunno, bro.  I can testify that Shampoo and Kodachi are
pretty hot.  Among other things a lady can’t say...”
     Ranma glared further at his sister, at the same time wincing under 
the piercing gaze of Akane.
     “Knock it off, Ran-chan,” Ukyo quickly said, coming to Ranma’s
defense.  “You and I both know Ranma ain’t like that.”

     “So says the ex-fiancee, who also would never take ‘No’ for an
answer,” Ranko quipped without thinking.  She immediately regretted it 
when Ukyo now started to glare at her.
     “And just what’s that supposed to mean, Ran-chan?!” the
okonomiyaki chef growled, reaching for her combat spatula.  Within
seconds, an argument between all three girls began.
     Realizing that he was being ignored, Ranma shook his head, then got 
up and went to throw out the trash from his now-finished lunch.  Along 
the way, he tried on his own to think of ways that could get his two
remaining suitors off his back.  But even with his new training, it was 
still a difficult task for him, especially considering the two girls in 
question.
     And he was concentrating so hard that he almost missed the flash of 
danger that suddenly hit him in warning.
     "Get ready to die, Saotome!" an angry voice cried from above.
Ranma didn't bother to look to see who it was, instead just leaping out 
of the way just in time to miss something crash into the spot where he 
had been standing.  On reflex, he got into a defensive stance, but that 
faltered slightly when the dust cleared and the attacker stepped forward.
A frown crossed Ranma's face when he saw the smirking, well-muscled
teen dressed in black Muay Thai garb, with a matching doo-rag-style
bandanna wrapped around his head.  The air seemed to become heavy
as the two stared at each other, the rest of the students now gathered 
around them with Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko at the front.
     "It's been awhile, Saotome," the other boy said, flexing his wrapped
hands.
     Ranma just continued to glare at him.  "Akira Kuroryu," he said
simply in response, almost like an accusation.
     "Gee, this looks familiar," Ranko muttered, rolling her eyes.  Behind
her, she could hear other students whispering "Here we go, again...",
among other things.
     "Ranma, you know this guy?" Akane asked, though, from past
experience, already knowing the answer.  As well the outcome of it.
She was surprised he knew the guy's name, though.  In situations like  
this, Ranma either didn't know or couldn't remember the name of the
people who came looking for him.
     All Ranma said in reply was, "We've met."
     Akira Kuroryu, however, had a different response as his smirk
turned into a bitter scowl.  "Is that all you have to say about how you  
ruined me, Saotome?  Made me look like a loser?"  He ignored the
groans from the other students who had heard it all before.
     "Ranma, what did you do to him?" Akane asked in angry accusation. 
     "Betcha it was either stolen food or a stolen love," Ranko joked, 
Ukyo snickering behind her.
     "You mean aside from teaching this jerk a lesson?  Nothing," Ranma 
replied, still glaring back at Kuroryu and ignoring his sister.  "It all 
started a few months ago when I first got to the village where the
monk's temple was at..."

		*		*		*

     Ranma frowned as he walked through the village, wondering what
was going on.  Ever since he had arrived, everywhere he went, people
either looked down on him like he was pond scum or just plain ignored  
him.  Some even went out of their way to avoid him, hussling their
children along in what appeared to be fear.  It left him confused and  
curious as to why, seeing as he had never been to the village before.  
Yet everyone was afraid of him.  He had to find out why.
     A growling in his stomach, however, told him that first he had better
get something to eat.  Locating an open ramen stand, he walked over
and sat down on a stool.
     "Hello?  Hey, can I get some service, here?" he called out.
     He got a reply in the form of the owner bringing down a meat
cleaver right in front of him.  "Hey!?!"
     "Listen, you!" the owner cried out angrily.  "I've had it with you 
going around and bossing everyone like you're some kind of big shot!
Well, I've had it!  Get the hell outta here before I--"
     "Whoa!" Ranma said as he raised his hands.  "What the heck are you 
talking about?  All I want is some ramen, alright?  I even got enough to 
pay for it!"  He pulled a handful of bills, what few he had, anyway, and 
placed them on the table.
     The owner looked at the money in surprise, then back at Ranma.
"What?  You mean you're actually paying?  You're not with that other
guy?"
     Ranma frowned curiously.  "What other guy?"
     "That other martial artist who showed up about a couple of weeks  
ago.  Some boxer or something with an attitude.  Ever since he's been  
here, he's been making life miserable for everybody."
     As if on cue, a loud voice shouted out, "What the hell is this?!  You
call this a hamburger?!  I've had leftover cafeteria food that tasted better
than this!"  Ranma turned to see a guy his age, a little taller than him 
and heavily muscled, dressed up like a Muay Thai fighter all in black. 
At present, he was manhandling another food vendor across the road
who seemed as though he was begging for his life.
     "I-I am sorry Mr. Kuroryu!  I'll make you another!"
     The thai fighter, Kuroryu Ranma guessed, snorted in disgust.  "Sorry
ain't good enough, you little worm."  He drew his fist back to smash the 
vendor in the face.
     Ranma couldn't take it any longer.  "Hey!  Leave him alone, you
jerk!" he shouted as he rushed across the street.  He ignored the ramen 
seller's warnings to stay out of it.
     Kuroryu turned to see Ranma come to a stop before him.  "Butt out, 
loser.  Mind your own business.  I've gotta teach this piece of trash a 
lesson in respecting his betters."
     Ranma's frown deepened as he glared at the other teen.  "Look, pal, 
if you think I'm gonna let you bully the weak around like that, you're 
nuts."  He dropped into a fighting stance.  "You want him?  You're
gonna have to go through me, first."  By now, a crowd had gathered to  
see what was going on.  Various whispers and murmurs went around
about the newcomer who was standing up to the Thai fighter.  Some
thought he was brave.  Others thought he was crazy.
     Kuroryu, however, just snorted in amusement.  "You think you can  
take me on, punk?  I'm Akira Kuroryu, one of the best Muay Thai
fighters in all Japan.  No one's ever beaten me!"
     Ranma just shrugged.  "Never heard of you."
     That seemed to make the Thai fighter a little angry.  "Well, then...
perhaps I should give you a more proper introduction!"  He charged at  
Ranma, who sidestepped with ease and delivered a kick to the other
boy's back, sending him to the ground.  After picking himself up,
Kuroryu turned and stared back at in surprise at Ranma, who just
smirked back.
     "What was that you were saying about no one ever beating you?"
     The Thai fighter didn't respond with words, but instead just snarled
and leapt to attack again.  He threw a fast combination of punches and 
kicks that Ranma could feel even through his blocks and counters.  The 
guy was fast *and* strong, which would be considered by some to be
good.  But he was also angry, which was making him sloppy.  It didn't
take long before Ranma found an opening that enabled him to take the
advantage with a swift uppercut, followed by his own combo that he
used on the dazed Kuroryu.  He ended it with a roundhouse to the chin
that sent the Thai fighter to the ground.
     "I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes
Martial Arts," Ranma declared after catching his breath.  "Just to let you
know who beat you."  Around him, the crowd started to cheer, happy
to see their tormentor getting his at last.

		*		*		*

       "You were going around making everyone's life miserable, pal.  All
because you couldn't get your way," Ranma said as he took a break in
his story.  He could hear murmurs from his gathered classmates, most
of which were of anger and disgust pointed towards the black-clad Thai 
fighter.
     "Hey, is it my fault that those idiots didn't know their proper place
before a superior?  A guy has to exert his authority, after all," Kuroryu
replied with a sneer.
     "Is it just me, or does that guy seem like he's related to that Taro guy
you told me about?" Ukyo whispered to Ranko.
     "Seems more like Kuno if you ask me," Ranko replied with a shrug. 
"Or maybe both."  She shuddered as she tried to think of someone with  
Kuno's superiority complex combined with Pantyhose Taro's smarts
and skill.  Not a pretty image.  And from what she could guess, that was 
what this Akira Kuroryu seemed to be.
     "Wait a minute, Ranma," a curious Akane interjected.  "This guy
was after something, which was why he was bothering those villagers?"
     Ranma nodded.  "Yeah, he wanted to train with the monk and learn  
his techniques.  But the old man refused him, doesn't take a genius to 
guess why, so he decided to be a pain to someone else.  I found that out 
later, when the villagers were more than happy to tell me what I needed 
to know and show me the way to the temple."
     "After a big feast for you, right?" Ranko asked with a smirk, already
knowing the answer.
     "Hey, I was hungry!"

		*		*		*

     Ranma followed the young boy who had agreed to guide him to the
temple where the monk was said to live.  The villagers were more than  
happy to show him the way there, a repayment of sorts for his "great
deed", as they put it.  Ranma was glad to have helped, but was really  
more interested in finding the monk and, hopefully, begin his training. 
     A short hike outside of the village and a *long* walk up the stairs to
the temple later, they finally arrived.  At his guide's instruction, Ranma
stood back while the boy went up to the gate to knock on it.
     "Sir!  There's someone here to see you!" the boy cried out as he  
pounded on he door.  He then stood away from the gate, and they
waited for about an hour before it finally opened and an old man in
robes walked out, leaning on a wooden staff half his height.
     "What is it, lad?" the monk asked, then noticed Ranma.  A deep
frown crossed his face.  "Ah, I see.  Another one, then?"
     Ranma rolled his eyes.  He suddenly had a feeling why Kuroryu had 
been hanging around the village.
     The boy shook his head.  "No, sir.  He's not like the other one.  He
came to our defense and defeated the bad one."
     "Oh?  Did he, now?" the monk asked, intrigued.  He shifted his gaze 
back to Ranma, who suddenly became nervous.
     "Ah, yes sir!" he quickly replied, perhaps a little too anxiously for his
tastes.  "My name's Ranma Saotome.  I wish to train under you, to learn 
how to control my ki."
     The monk nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his bearded chin, still
observing Ranma.  Before he could make any kind of reply, a familiar
voice shouted out, "Oh, no you don't!"
     Everyone turned to see Kuroryu dash up the steps, a look of anger 
on his face.  Ranma groaned in annoyance.  "Not you, again!  I thought 
the villagers kicked you out?"
     The black-clad Thai fighter snorted in snide humor.  "Like those
losers could get rid of me.  They may have a sudden confidence boost,
but that's not stopping me from getting what I want."
     "You can keep coming all you want, boy!  I will not train you in my 
techniques, just so you can use them for fighting!" the monk declared  
angrily.  He pointed his walking staff at Ranma.  "This one would make 
a better student than you!"
     Kuroryu began to seeth with anger.  "Oh, no you don't!  I'm one of 
the best fighters in the world!  I deserve to learn those techniques!  And
if I can’t, I'll make sure no one else does!"
     With that, he leapt to attack Ranma, who immediately fell back on 
defense.  They dashed back and forth before the gate, with Ranma
continuously blocking against the attacks of an angrier Kuroryu, who
gave his opponent/victim almost no chance to fight back.
     "You realize, of course, that this doesn't change my mind," the
monk said with a sad frown.
     "Shut up, old man!" Kuroryu snarled as he sent a savage kick to
Ranma's gut that he just managed to block.  And he continued to attack 
with his goal of beating Ranma to a pulp.
     Ranma, meanwhile, began to feel his frustration building as the fight
went on.  This guy, who he had never met before, a jerk who thought
he was better than everyone else, was trying to kill him all because of 
one man's decision.  And before that, he was making the lives of others 
miserable.  He could feel his anger rising, and with it, the strange feeling
in his gut.  One that he hadn't felt since...
     "Stop this, now!  Both of you!" the monk cried.
     "Oh, I'll stop, old man!  Right after I break every bone in this punk's
body!" Kuroryu snarled back.  "And after I'm done with him, I'll give  
those stupid villagers a lesson in why it's not a good idea to piss me 
off!"
     That did it for Ranma.  "No.  You.  WON'T!" he cried as he threw a 
punch.  And an explosive burst of ki that forced the monk and the boy  
to shield their eyes followed with it.  Moments later, when the light  
finally died down and the smoke cleared, Kuroryu was lying on the
ground a short distance away, and the one still standing was a surprised 
Ranma, who took deep calming breaths as he stared at his fallen foe.
     The monk nodded with interest.  "I see..."

		*		*		*

     Everyone stared at Ranma as he finished his tale.  Most were
surprised, others stared at the fuming Kuroryu with disgust and
contempt, while others just shook their heads in a way that said that
they weren't all that surprised.
     "So that's what happened?" Akane asked with a frown directed at
Kuroryu on her face.
     Ranma nodded.  "Yup.  After I sent Kuroryu here packing, the monk 
took me in and started training me.  When I was finished, I came back  
here."
     "And here is where you're going to pay, Saotome!" Kuroryu snarled. 
"You humiliated me in front of those who showed me the respect I
deserve, which in turn caused the monk to reject me for you!  And that 
was only the *start* of my humiliation!"
     "What the heck are you talking about?" Ranma demanded.
     "Never mind that!  We're going to settle this, here and now!  I will
have my retribution, Saotome, for the way you disgraced me!"
     Ranma snorted.  "Gimme a break!  You were a jerk and a bully and  
you got what you deserved.  And the monk chose me as his student
because I wasn't gonna use his techniques to beat people up.  But if you 
wanna fight, you're on!  We can use the ring in the gym."
     Kuroryu nodded.  "That's fine by me.  Rather fitting, actually.  I'll get
to kick your ass on your own territory like you did to me."
     Ranma snorted again and shrugged.  "Whatever.  Just lemme change  
my clothes first."  Kuroryu shrugged back, smirking at Ranma.

     "Hey!  Wait a minute!" Akane cried.  "Ranma, you're not going to  
fight this jerk over his petty reasons, are you?!"
     "Wouldn't be the first time," someone muttered from the crowd as  
everyone began to make their way over to the gym.

     Sometime later, Ranma finished changing his clothes, out of his
school uniform and into his regular martial arts gear.  He was just
putting on his gloves when Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo approached him.
Ranko and Ukyo kept their distance from an angry Akane, who
stomped her way over to Ranma.
     "I cannot believe you!" she yelled as she glared at Ranma.  "You're 
not actually going to fight that guy, are you?"
     "C'mon, Akane.  You know me better than that," Ranko smirked.
     Ranma finished putting on his other glove as he replied, "I never 
back down from a challenge, Akane.  Besides, if I don't fight him, he'll 
just keep coming here again and again and making my life miserable
until I do."
     Akane, however, knew this cycle rather well.  "Yeah, but what
happens if you win?  He'll just keep coming around, challenging you
again and again until he beats you.  Is that what you want?"
     "Yeah, well, a martial artist's life is filled with peril, Akane," Ranma
smirked, quoting probably the only piece of good advice his father ever 
gave.  Frowning, he quickly added, "And I'm not going to throw this
fight and let him win, either.  I don't back out of challenges, and I don't
lose if I can help it, either."
     Akane growled in frustration.  "Alright!  Fine, then!  Be a stupid, 
macho idiot!  Just do it without me!"  With that, she turned around and 
stomped out of the room.
     "Akane!  Wait a minute!"  Ranma started to go after her, but soon 
came flying back, crashing into the lockers, courtesy of Akane's fist. 
     Ranko and Ukyo gathered on both sides of the fallen Ranma as he
picked himself up, rubbing his sore jaw.  "Now that you had coming,"
Ukyo said with a grin.
     "Well, what does she expect me to do?  Be a chicken and back out?" 
Ranma asked bitterly.
     Ranko shrugged.  "Who knows?  Girls are strange that way when it
comes to us guys and our egos."  Before anyone could correct her that
*she* was a girl, she grabbed Ranma by the arm and started to drag her 
out to the gym.  "C'mon.  Let's not keep boxer-boy waiting."
     The trio made their way to the gym, which was already filled up with
spectators sitting in the bleachers.  Set up in the center of the gym was a
fighters' ring, in which Kuroryu was already in, pacing back and forth in
his corner.  Looking around him, Ranma could see his fellow students
chatting amongst themselves while waiting for the fight to start, as well
as vendors selling snacks and drinks.  Nabiki was even going around
and placing bets, with help from her two 'associates'.  He couldn't help 
but frown.  What did they think this was, the WWF? (1)
     He also noticed that it seemed rather dark in the gym.  The overhead
lights, normally almost bright enough to pass for an indoor sun, were
considerably dimmed to almost near-darkness.  Ranma paid it no mind
and continued to make his way to the ring.
     "So you actually decided to show up, huh?" Kuroryu smirked as he
saw Ranma approach.  "I kinda figured you'd chicken out the last
minute and save me the trouble of kicking your ass."
     Any doubts Ranma had about the fight since Akane stormed out left 
him as he glared at his opponent.  "You wish, jerk."  He then noticed a 
beaten-up Kuno being taken out on a stretcher.  "What happened to
him?"
     Kuroryu snorted.  "That idiot?  He tried to take me on, ranting on 
about how no one was going to defeat you except for him.  I had to...
talk him out of it."
     Ranma could only just shake his head.  What was it about him that 
seemed to attract guys wanting to fight him?  Knowing he wasn't going
to be getting an answer anytime soon, he climbed the steps and got in
the ring.
     "Simple rules, Saotome," Kuroryu said with a smirk as he and
Ranma began to warm up.  "There aren't any.  Last man standing wins.
Plain and simple."
     "Fine by me."  With that, the two combatants fell into combat
stances, the crowd cheering them on.
     Before the bell could ring, however, a familiar, gaudily-dressed figure
suddenly appeared between the two fighters.  "Alo-*HA*, boys!" the
Principal yelled, strumming his ukelele.
     "What the hell do you want?" Ranma groaned.  He didn't have time
for this bozo's nonsense.  "We're trying to have a fight, here."
     The Principal simply laughed.  "Dat wat you tink, brudda!  Ain't no 
fightin' on school grounds!  For dat, da Big Kahuna, he gonna have to
punish you bruddas!"  He whipped out his shaving shears.  "Line up for 
da haircuts!  You first, Saotome!"
     Before Ranma or anyone else could 'tell' the wannabe-Hawaiian to
get lost, Kuroryu dashed across the ring and delivered a knee-strike to 
the Principal's face.  As the man sailed out of the ring and crashed into
the cart of a hot dog vendor, Kuroryu snarled, "Butt out, pal!  And
watch the wisecracks about the hair!"
     "My, aren't we touchy?" Ranma smirked.  "Something happen to
your hair, pal?  That what the doo-rag is for?"
     "Shut up and fight!" was the Thai fighter's reply as he charged
Ranma.  With that, the bell rung, signaling the beginning of the fight. 
     Kuroryu immediately went on the offensive, throwing out a savage
combination of punches and kicks.  Like before, Ranma could feel them
through his blocks.  It was obvious the other young man had been
doing some serious training since they had last met.  Well, so had he, 
and as soon as he got an opportunity to, he launched his own attack, a 
kick to the stomach followed by a quick uppercut.  Neither of which
had much effect on the Thai fighter, however.
     "That the best you got?" Kuroryu taunted to a surprised Ranma.  "I 
was able to toughen myself up a little trying to learn this one technique.
Never did figure the technique out, but all those rocks flying at me still
made me a tough nut to crack."
     Over in Ranma's corner, Ranko and Ukyo looked at each other.  "He 
tried to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu?" Ukyo asked.
     "Guess so," Ranko nodded.  "Not that it would've done him much
good, since it doesn't work on people.  But it still makes you tough.  
Just look at Ryoga."
     Back in the ring, Ranma simply snorted in reply to Kuroryu's taunt. 
"So what?  Nothing's completely invulnerable.  You probably have
some weakness."
     Kuroryu simply smirked.  "Maybe.  But you won't get to find out." 
He started to tense his body, preparing for an attack.  "Here's a little 
trick I've had for a while that I didn't get to use on you before.
KURORYU HA!"
     With that, he rushed forward to charge at Ranma...  And promptly
disappeared.
     Ranma blinked in surprise.  "What the--?  Where'd he go?"  Around 
him, the ground echoed his questions, along with a few angry barbs
about Kuroryu chickening out.  Before Ranma could try and look
around for his opponent, he suddenly felt a punch connect with his
chin.  This was followed by an uppercut, a knee strike to his chest, and 
then another uppercut that sent him flying off his feet and to the floor.
Dazed, Ranma looked up to see Kuroryu suddenly reappear with a
smirk on his face.
     "Bet you didn't... see that coming, did you?" he snickered.
     Ranma simply growled as he picked himself up, momentarily
thinking of the irony of the role-reversal he was in.  "I don't know
what's worse, your cheap shots or your jokes."
     "Told you there was no rules, kid.  Why don't you go home to
Mommy if you don't want to play with the big boys?"
     Ranma growled again and fell back into a fighting stance.  "Shut up 
and fight."  With that, he charged his opponent and was able to take the 
offensive for a moment, staying in close and throwing a couple of
punches that managed to connect.  Unfortunately, he made the mistake
of letting Kuroryu get away from him and pull the same trick as before, 
leaping up, disappearing suddenly, and sending Ranma to the ground
with several crosses to the face.
     Kuroryu chuckled as he looked down at Ranma.  "Now this is more
like it.  You on the ground at my feet and recognizing my superiority." 
He paused for a moment to think.  "You know?  I think after I'm
through with you, I'll go pay a visit to that girl who was with you.  What
was her name?  Akane?  I just gotta get me a piece of that ass."
     This caused Ranma to both snap out of his daze and just plain snap 
as he suddenly shot up and gut-checked the Thai fighter in the stomach, 
sending him into one of the ring posts.  With an angry cry of "KACHU
TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!", he launched a series of rapid-fire
punches into his opponent's stomach, not letting up for a second.  At
least until Kuroryu shot his leg up to Ranma's groin, causing him to
cease his attack and bend over in pain.  The crowd winced in sympathy
as Kuroryu then simply punched Ranma ferociously in the face,
sending him flying back into his corner by Ranko and Ukyo.
     "That'll teach you!  Don't you *ever* touch me like that, again!" 
Kuroryu snarled, the anger visible on his face.
     "Touchy guy, isn't he?" Ukyo quipped as she tried to get Ranma to 
stay down.  "Sit down, Ranma.  You're in no condition to fight
anymore."
     "Ucchan's right, bro," Ranko agreed, and then started to climb the 
steps herself.  "Let me handle him.  He's going to pay for that crack
about Akane."
     Ranma, however, immediately shoved her back.  "He's mine, sis.
You can have what's left after I'm through with him."
     Ranko turned to glare at her brother.  "Will you listen to reason for
once?  Ucchan's right, you're in no shape to fight anymore.  And if
laughing boy over there pulls that disappearing act of his again, he may 
just finish you."  She blinked as she finally took account of what she 
was saying.  *Boy, listen to me!*
     Ranma simply continued to get up to continue the fight.  Part of him,
though, knew that Ranko was right.  He ached all over, his face was
bruised, and he could feel blood trickling down from his nose and the
corner of his mouth.  And if Kuroryu did manage to catch him off
guard again, he was finished.  He growled in frustration.  If only it
wasn't so dark in the gym, maybe he could be able to see the stupid
jerk a little better.
     He blinked in surprise and realization.  "Dark in the gym..." he
muttered, and then took a look at Kuroryu, who was waiting for him.
His eyes widened and he grinned as he figured it out.  "That's it!"
     Ranko and Ukyo looked at him in surprise.  "Huh?  What's it?"
Ranko asked.
     "You'll see," Ranma smirked, then ran back into the ring.  Ranko and
Ukyo just looked at each other with concern as the crowd cheered.
     Kuroryu seemed surprised to see Ranma come back.  "Back for
more?  I'd figured you would've given up by now."
     Ranma just smirked.  "Ha!  We Saotomes don't know the meaning
of the word 'quit'."  He paused for a moment to think.  "Well, except for
my old man, but he's another story."
     "Whatever."  Kuroryu dropped in a stance, getting ready to attack. 
"In a sense, I'm glad.  I can kick your ass some more and go home
happy."
     Ranma simply smirked.  "In your dreams, jerk."  He then launched
himself into attack, throwing a couple of punches and kicks that
Kuroryu easily blocked.
     Ukyo frowned as she watched.  "Something's wrong.  He should've
known that wouldn't have done anything."
     Ranko nodded, but didn't say anything.  If she knew her male self 
like she thought she did, he had something planned.  She hoped that,
whatever it was, it would work.
     Kuroryu looked bored as he and Ranma continued to trade blows.
"You know?  This is getting old, real fast.  It's time to finish you off."
He leapt away from Ranma, and with a grin yelled out, "Time for you to 
feel my ultimate technique...  SUPER KURORYU HA!!!"
     Once more, he disappeared from sight, and the crowd tensed for yet 
another beating from nowhere.
     Ranma, however, simply grinned.  "Gotcha!" he cried, and his hands 
suddenly glowed with ki.  Instead of throwing a ki-blast, however, he
quickly slammed his fists together, causing a huge burst of light that 
filled the gym, illuminating it completely.
     And showed a surprised Akira Kuroryu coming down from
hangtime to attack Ranma.  "What the--?!" he cried out in shock.
     And that was all he got to say before Ranma suddenly shouted out, 
"YAKITORI GATAME!", launching himself up into a one arm, hand-
stand high kick that connected with the bottom of Kuroryu's jaw.
Ranma immediately followed up with a mid-air roundhouse kick to the
chest that sent the Thai fighter flying through the air and out the gym 
window.  A moment later, everyone heard a crash and a splash from
outside.
     When Ranma finally landed to the ground, the crowd erupted with
cheers for the obvious winner.  Ranko and Ukyo quickly climbed into
the ring to congratulate him.
     "Way to go, bro!" Ranko cried.  "Knew you wouldn't let me down!
Ranma Saotome never loses!"
     "Yeah!" Ukyo agreed, but her grin faded as a questioning look
appeared on her face.  "But how did you figure out--?"
     Ranma simply smirked.  "You notice how dark the gym was before I
lit it up, anyway"  At the girls' nod, he continued, "I figured that
Kuroryu must've had something to do with it.  With those black clothes 
of his, he could easily become invisible in the shadows and strike while 
I wasted time looking for him.  That's why he couldn't use it when we
first met.  We were outdoors and in broad daylight."
     "So all you had to do was light up the gym!" Ranko concluded with 
a Genma-like grin.  "Yep, he's my brother, alright!"
     Ranma nodded in agreement, but the celebration was quickly
brought to a halt when someone cried out, "Hey, that kickboxer guy is
gone!"
     The trio in the ring turned to the boy's direction.  "What?!  Are you
sure?!" Ranma shouted.  At the affirmitive nod, he and the girls leapt 
out the ring and pushed their way outside.  They then ran to the only
obvious place Kuroryu could've landed: the water fountain in the rear
grounds by the gym, which laid smashed up in pieces, water gushing up
everywhere.
     Ranma looked around the remains and frowned.  "What the--?  He
*is* gone."
     "Not all of him," Ranko replied, and held up a black shirt and shorts,
along with a still-tied-up doo rag and hand wrapping that was now
unraveled.
     Ranma took a look at the clothing and frowned again.  "Those're his 
clothes, alright.  Except he's not in them."
     "Don't tell me he's running around naked," Ukyo wondered with a
wince.  Sure, the guy was good looking, but his attitude was a turn-off. 
But still, why would--?
     Ranma suddenly realized something.  "Hey, this water's ice-cold,
right?"
     "Yeah, so?" Ranko replied with a frown.  Then she quickly realized 
what her brother was talking about.  "You don't think--?"
     The trio didn't say anything as they quickly left the school, looking
for two people.  Kuroryu... and Akane.

		*		*		*

     Akane stalked through the streets, taking the long route home.
Which, for her, was just about all over the Furinkan area.  This was so 
she could work off her frustration and anger, and going on a long walk 
was better than breaking bricks in the dojo.  It was less painful for her
hand, anyway, and Auntie Saotome had been *very* persistent in
recommending this new type of therapy.
     She just couldn't believe Ranma.  Maybe it was a bit of a stretch 
thinking that Ranma's life would change to the point of no new enemies 
with a grudge showing up to settle the score.  But that didn't mean that 
Ranma had to accept the first challenge that came his way.  It just made 
her so mad at how much of the old Ranma was still there, buried under
the new one with just enough room to surface again.  Akane just
grunted about the whole thing again and kept walking, but gave him a
wish of luck in the back of her head.
     A few steps later, a sudden noise stopped Akane in both her
thoughts and her walking.  If she didn't know better, she could swear
that it was barking mixed with a bit of growling.  She looked about,
trying to locate the source, until finally she looked behind her and
down, and her face lit up with what she found.
     It was a puppy, an adorable little terrier with black fur, save for an
odd bald spot on the top of its head that went down the back.  It just 
seemed to radiate cuteness, despite the bald spot and the fact that its 
lips were pulled back in a growl that seemed to be directed towards
Akane.  However, she couldn't help but think that even the growling
was cute, given the pup's size.
     "Well, hello, there," she said in a voice that she usually reserved for
P-Chan, approaching the puppy who backed away slightly.  "Where did
you come from?  Are you lost?  You don't look like a street dog."
     Her soft spot for little animals overriding her common sense, Akane 
reached out to pick up the little dog.  It tried to evade her, but she 
proved to be faster and was able to catch it.  She grabbed it in a tight 
hug against her bosom, totally oblivious to the fact that it was trying to
squirm out of her embrace.
     "Well, you don't deserve to be on the streets.  So why don't I take 
you to a nice home?" Akane asked in her 'P-Chan' voice, already on her 
way to the Dojo.  "And maybe you can get a nice hot bath to clean you
up."
     The dog suddenly began to panic, and increased its efforts to get 
away from its captor.  Akane held on, though, her strength keeping her 
grip tight and preventing escape, still oblivious to the escape attempts.

		*		*		*

     Ranma ran into the house, followed by Ranko and Ukyo.  Their
actions caused Nodoka to lean her head out of the kitchen.  She
frowned disapprovingly when she saw the three teens.
     "What are you three doing here?  Shouldn't you be in school?" she 
asked as she walked towards them.  "And Ranma, were you fighting?"
she added when she saw her son's bruised face.
     "Sorry, Mom," Ranma gasped as he caught his breath.  Behind him,
Ranko and Ukyo were also wheezing.  "But we had a slight problem.
Have you seen Akane?"
     It was then that Kasumi came out of the kitchen and joined them.  
"She came in just a few minutes ago.  She had this cute little puppy
with her, too."
     Next to her, Nodoka shook her head and gave a disapproving click
of the tongue.  It had been bad enough Akane had also skipped school,
but she had also brought a strange animal home with her, as well.  She'd 
had a talk with the girl about that after first meeting P-Chan, but Akane
had obviously not learned her lesson.
     Ranma took a moment to look back at Ranko and Ukyo, then turned
back to the two other women.  "Where is she now?"
     "In the bath, I think," Kasumi replied thoughtfully.  "She said she 
was going to give the puppy a bath, and--"
     The reply was brought to a halt by a loud, female shriek.  "EEEEK! 
PERVERT!!!"  Following that was loud smashing sound, like heavy
wood impacting with a human skull.
     "Never mind, Kasumi," Ranma sighed as they all rushed to the
bathroom.  Getting ahead of the others, he went in first and found
Akane standing by the bathtub in nothing but her birthday suit over a
prone figure, mallet firmly in hand.  Her body was tense as she seethed 
with anger, her face red from both her anger and embarrassment.
     Trying to avoid looking directly at her, Ranma shouted out, "Akane! 
What happened?!"
     "Duh!  I think we can guess," Ranko snorted dryly from behind him. 
     Hearing Ranma's voice snapped Akane back to reality and she
turned to look at the new arrivals.  Seeing him there, her embarrassment 
and anger grew further faster than it took most people to blink.  A
second later after that, it was Ranma who was laying unconscious on
the floor from an Akane-Mallet-Shot.
     “Ranma!” she shouted.  “Don’t look at me, you pervert!”
     “Ahhh!  Don’t hit me!  Don’t hit me!” Ranko yelled, reflexsively
falling on her butt with her arms raised in what many knew was a futile 
attempt to protect herself.  After a long moment of waiting for the
mallet to hit, Ranko suddenly realized something.  It didn’t come.  She
looked from behind her arms to see a seething Akane instead being
comforted by Kasumi and Nodoka.
     “Chill out, Ran-chan,” Ukyo said.  “Akane’s not gonna hit another
girl for seeing her naked.”
     “I’m a--” Ranko started to reply back, but then realized something.
Ukyo was right.
     “*YES!*” she shouted as she pumped her fist.  “I ain’t gonna get hit
no more!”  She went into a dream-like state as relief and happiness
filled her at the prospect of no more clobbering and pain on her person.
     So why did a part of her feel a bit disturbed at the idea, as well?
     A sudden groan made everyone (who was still conscious, anyway)
turn their attention back to the bathtub.  They all watched as Akira
Kuroryu, glaring at the gathered group, start to pick himself up from the
floor.  He was wet, naked, incredibly angry...
     And bald.

		*		*		*

     "Man, I can't believe you were actually dumb enough to go to
Jusenkyo," a now-conscious Ranma said a few minutes later as
everyone gathered in the living room.  He shook his head at Kuroryu,
who glared back at him.  All while ignoring the glare Akane gave him as 
she sat next to Ranma, a little closer than usual, some noticed.
     "Well if you had just lost back then like you were supposed to, I 
wouldn't have had to.  I'd also still have my hair, too."
     "He had hair?" Ranko asked her brother.
     "Um, yeah," Ranma replied sheepishly.  "Full head of it, cut into this
really stupid style, too.  Looked like some kind of cheesy video game
character.  I kinda burned it away when I hit him with the burst of ki 
back then."  He let out a nervous chuckle at the Thai fighter glared at 
him further.
     “Okay, this is gonna sound like a dumb question, but shouldn’t it
have grown back by now?” a confused Ukyo asked.
     “I keep shaving it off,” the Thai fighter replied.  “Keeps me focused.
Reminds me that I have to kick Saotome’s ass.  As long as I’m bald, I’ll
just keep getting stronger.” (2)
     “This guy needs some serious help,” Ranko muttered to Ukyo, who 

nodded in agreement.
     "Why'd you even go to that place at all, young man?" Nodoka asked, 
trying to break the tension.
     "I was following his trail," Kuroryu replied, nodding his head
towards Ranma.  "I did some checking around and figured out where he
had trained, and decided to do a little of my own in those places to see 
if I could figure out how to beat him."
     "Not a bad idea," Ranko admitted.  That explained how Kuroryu
trained in the Bakusai Tenketsu, as he had been all the way to China.  
Probably had observed some Chinese Amazons training in it, then tried
to teach himself, with minimal success.
     There was one thing, however, that still puzzled her.  "But how'd you
get cursed?  I'd heard that all the springs were pretty much destroyed." 
     "A good deal of them were messed up, but a few have been restored. 
I found that out when I was training, jumping around the poles when I
landed on a weak one and it broke.  I fell in a spring, and the next thing
I know, I'm small and covered in fur with a flea problem.  And all that 
stupid guide can say is 'Oh, too bad.  You fall in Spring of Drowned
Cute Puppy.  Very tragic story...', blah, blah, blah."
     "Um, what other springs were restored?" Ranko asked curiously.  If 
she was lucky...
     Kuroryu snorted and shrugged.  "Don't know.  Soon as that idiot
explained to me that I could change back with hot water, I beat the crap 
out of him and left.  And ever since, this stupid curse has been a pain in
the butt."
     "Tell me about it..." Ranko muttered, too silently for anyone to hear.
     "Well, at least its not too bad," Kasumi said, trying to be helpful.

"You're so cute in your puppy form--"
     The Thai fighter interrupted her by leaping to his feet in anger and
shouting, "CUTE!?  I *hate* cute!  I'm a fighter!  I'm not supposed to 
be cute!  I'm supposed to be mean and tough!  Not have stupid girls like 
her picking me up and talking to me like I'm a baby!"  He finished by
pointing to Akane.
     "Excuse me?!" the youngest Tendo, who had been silent up until
then, cried.
     "You heard me, you little tease!  You enjoy going around taking
animals home to play with?  You sure seem to enjoy taking off your
clothes in front of guys you don't know."
     "I thought you were a dog, you pervert!"
     Kuroryu simply snorted.  "Yeah, I'll bet.  What's wrong?  You can't 
get any so you have to--"
     He didn't get to finish, as Akane sent him flying through the roof by
via one of her uppercuts.  "Pervert!" she shouted, not caring if he heard
her or not as he sailed away.
     Ranko looked up through the hole in the roof, watching the Thai
fighter fly away.  She grinned.  "Well, I guess we won't see him for
awhile, huh?"
     "Yeah, but he'll probably be back," Ranma noted, trying to decide 
whether or not to approach Akane, who stood and seethed with anger.
     "I think he's the least of your worries," Nodoka said.  "There's still a
matter of you children skipping school."
     The four teens began to sweat nervously.

		*		*		*

     Kuroryu growled to himself as he remained still in his hiding place.
Saotome would pay, that was for sure.  That Akane chick would pay,
too.  He'd show her her place as soon as he was finished with Saotome. 
Then she'd know better than to think that she could stand up to a man's 
authority.
     But at the moment, he had other worries.
     "Jean-Pierre!  Where are you, Jean-Pierre?!  Mommy Azusa still has 

to give you a bath!"  The overly-cute girl in the frilly pink dress who had
found him ran by, cluelessly looking around without seeing him before
moving on, crying out the name she had given him.
     The bald-headed puppy growled again as he watched the girl dash
off, and began to claw at the pink ribbon around his neck to try and get 
it off again.  Oh, yes.  Saotome would pay.
     Just as soon as he found some hot water.

     End of Part 5

     (1) I have nothing against the World Wrestling Federation.  I am in 
fact a fan and regular watcher (RIP, Owen Hart).  It just seemed
appropriate for someone like Ranma to say or think.  If I really wanted 
to make fun of pro-wrestling, I'd do it to WCW.
     (2) The line was inspired by a scene from “Fatal Fury: The Motion 
Picture”, where Geese Howard is training and unleashes a powerful
move.  He then points to a scar on his chest, saying “So long as this 
wound remains unhealed, my power will only continue to grow.”  It
seemed to work in explaining why Kuroryu’s hair hadn’t grown back, 
so I adapted it for the story.

     Well, I got this one done a lot faster than I thought I would.  Guess I
was just in a writing mood.  Probably also helped that I started work on 
this in advance, and did some work on it when I was stuck on other
chapters.  Let’s just hope I have the same luck with the next part.
     Yeah, I know that this doesn't really have much to do with the main 
subject of the story.  But keep in mind that Takahashi would always
shift the story from Ranma's curse and romantic problems to a new
enemy for him to fight.  And given that he had been away from the
Dojo in-between parts 2 and 3, it'd be pretty obvious he'd run into
someone and piss them off enough that they'd come after him.  What
else would you expect from Ranma?  Don't worry, though.  Ranko'll get
her fair share of new enemies, just not for awhile, yet.
     The character of Akira Kuroryu had several evolutions, from a super-
strong character with Ranma's speed, Ryoga's strength, and Kuno's
attitude (had to drop it so he wouldn't be impossible to beat), to what he
is in the story.  Yes, he comes off a little sexist, but that's part of his
"charm" and yet a good reason for people to hate him.  The bald thing
came from another character I had created for this story but dropped, so 
I used it with this jerk.  Just another reason for him to hate Ranma, as 
well as the Jusenkyo curse.
     I’d like to thank all my pre-readers for helping me out with this fic,
Darren, Alain, Archive, and Andy.  I’d also like to thank and welcome 
my newest pre-reader, James Blackney, a regular reader and supporter
of this little project.  Welcome aboard, James.  And thanks.  As for
those who didn’t reply back to me, as usual, sorry and better luck next
time.
     Next up in “Double or Nothing”, Shampoo returns, and things just
get more interesting.  How will Ranma deal with her?  What about
Cologne and Mousse?  And how will Akane fare against Shampoo in
their first real fight?  Find out in part 6, available soon from Stoner 3:17
(I hope).