condor1556@aol.com (Condor1556) Authored by S. JAMES, Condor1556@aol.com The Ace of Hearts A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic Using the characters of the esteemed Rumiko Takahashi (Part 1) (A sunny, seemingly wonderful day in Tokyo. Soun, Genma, Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki are eating breakfast. Kasumi is in the kitchen.) Akane: Oh no! We're going to be late to school again! Ranma: (munch, munch) So we'll run, as usual. Soun: You two should go on a date tonight. You have my permission. Akane: Dad! Ranma: Why would I go on a date with that. . . Nabiki, Soun, Genma: . . . uncute tomboy. Ranma: Hey! I wasn't going to say that, hmm. . . I was going to say. . . uhhhh Akane: (fuming) What were you going to say?! Ranma: Well. . . er. . .hmm. . . Akane: (taking out a mallet from nowhere) You. . . Nabiki, Soun, Genma: . . . pervert. Akane: (suspending the mallet over Ranma's head) Huh? Nabiki: Really, you two are rather predictable. Akane & Ranma: Really? (Akane forgets about the mallet and drops it, right on Ranma's head) Akane: Oh, no! (Ranma groans and falls unconscious.) Looks like I'll have to visit Dr. Tofu. Soun & Genma: The perfect couple! Akane: (angry) What are you two talking about? (somewhat calm) Nabiki, can you help me bring Ranma to Dr. Tofu's? Nabiki: Sorry, got to go to school. (Leaves) Akane: Dad? Mr. Saotome? Soun: Um. . . I have students coming. Genma: Hmm. . . ooh, I think Kasumi is baking cookies! (runs off) Akane: Hmph. Fine, I'll carry him myself, but first I'll transform him. (gets a bucket of cold water and splashes it on Ranma. Instant Ranma- chan.) (Akane leaves with Ranma-chan, and Genma and Soun are chuckling) Genma & Soun: Ha ha ha! Genma: Tendo, this is such a great opportunity! Ranma will be in Akane's arms the entire trip! Soun: I know! Ha ha ha! (Akane is dragging :-) Ranma-chan to Dr. Tofu's office. Ranma-chan is groggily becoming conscious.) Ranma-chan: Ow! What are you doing! Akane: I'm taking you to Dr. Tofu's. We're here. Ranma-chan: I can walk by myself. . . ow! My head! (They walk in to Dr. Tofu's office.) Dr. Tofu: I'll be right there. (Akane splashes Ranma-chan with hot water, restoring Ranma to his male self.) Dr. Tofu: Hello, you two. Hmm. . . Ranma, that's a nasty bump on your head. Akane's work? Akane: Well. . . er. . . Dr. Tofu: I'm just kidding. (Touching Ranma's head in various places) Well, that bump will heal in no time. What's this? Looks like you've been roughed up a bit. You've got plenty of scratches and abrasions. Akane, can you fetch a cup of tea for Ranma? Akane: Sure. (hurries out) Ranma: (muttering in a low voice) That uncute tomboy. Dr. Tofu: Akane is really a very nice girl, Ranma. Ranma: Maybe, but I wouldn't mind if she just disappeared. Dr. Tofu: You don't mean that. (winks) You'll see, one day. Ranma: Hmph. (Akane comes back with a cup of tea. Ranma gulps down the tea.) Akane: I made the tea myself. Ranma: What! Ack! Help, I'm dying!!! (Ranma starts turning blue, then purple, as well as becoming limp and unconscious. Akane looks shocked.) Dr. Tofu: I think Ranma will have to stay a little while. (After a few hours, Ranma and Akane finally exit Dr. Tofu's clinic. School is over, and some of Ranma and Akane's classmates are walking around.) Akane's friend: Hey, Akane! Where were you all day? There was a new student introduced today! Akane: I was at Dr. Tofu's. Who's the new student? Akane's friend: I don't know, but he's soooo dreamy! He's always carrying around some playing cards, for some reason. He flashed an Ace of Hearts at me! Akane: Hmm. . . . . (Meanwhile, Ranma sees Ukyou.) Ranma: Hey, Ucchan! Ukyou: Ran-chan, where have you been? You didn't come by the okonomiyaki stand for lunch. But I brought a specially-made okonomiyaki just for you. (gives Ranma an okonomiyaki) Ranma: Sorry, I was at the doctor. (munch, munch) Anything new? Ukyou: Hmm. . . well, there was a new student, but I only got a glimpse of him. (sees a suspicious "STOP" sign) Hmm. . . Ranma: Well, see you tomorrow, Ucchan. Ukyou: (whipping out her giant spatula and scooping up the "STOP" sign, sending it flying through the air) Tsubasa. . . oh, see ya tomorrow, Ran-chan. (Ranma and Akane are returning to the Tendo Dojo, silently. A cyclist is seen approaching in the distance.) Akane: I. . . I'm. . . Shampoo: Nihao! (Shampoo flies off her bike and lands on Ranma, sending them both on the ground.) How Ranma feel today? Ranma take Shampoo on date? Ranma: No, I. . . er. . . hmm. . . have a date with Akane! (Akane looks shocked.) Shampoo: Why Ranma have date with Akane? Shampoo much, much, much better date! Pleease Ranma? Ranma: No, (sounding uncomfortable) I have a date with Akane. If you'll excuse me. . . I have to go. (Ranma gets up.) Ryoga: Ranma! I heard you! I will not let you get near Akane! (Tries to jump kick Ranma, who sidesteps and lets Ryoga fly past) Ranma: Ryoga? Where did you come from, P-. . . Ryoga: Shut up! Shiki hakoda! (Ranma dodges the ki-blast and follows up with his own ki-blast, which Ryoga neatly dodges. Ryoga lunges with his bamboo umbrella, taking several swipes and catching Ranma off-guard. Just as Ryoga prepares to land a major blow. . .) Akane: Stop you two! Ryoga, please stop. Ryoga: Whaa. . . sorry Akane (Shampoo lands a blow on Ryoga's chin, sending him flying.) Shampoo: Ryoga no hurt Ranma now. Ranma, you okay? (Ranma is wiping his brow, feeling lucky that Ryoga was stopped by Akane. He nods to Shampoo) Shampoo: Shampoo get Ryoga. No worry, Ranma. (Shampoo cycles in the direction that Ryoga was sent flying.) Ranma: Phew, thanks Akane. What were you going to say before Shampoo came? Akane: Oh, nothing. Do you really want to go on a date with me? Ranma: No, of course not. I only said that to get Shampoo off my back. Like I said before, why would I want to go on a date with an. . . Akane: (fuming) Why you. . . (pulls out that omnipresent mallet and lands another blow on Ranma) (Ranma falls flat on his face, quivering uncontrollably. Akane realizes what she has done.) Akane: Not again! Ugh, I'll have to take him to Dr. Tofu's again! (It is the next day. Ranma and Akane go to school. Ranma seems remarkably well, considering the events of the past day. When they reach Furinkan High School, there is a crowd of boys surrounding two people. One of them is Tatewaki Kunou, while the other is a handsome, muscular man wearing a suit with a flowing black cape covered with hearts. They are in fighting stances. Nabiki is the only visible female at the scene, accepting money from some men. She seems to be gambling on the outcome of the fight.) Kunou: I am the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High (lightning crackles in the background), Tatewaki Kunou. I am the master practitioner of kendo. You are a mere heathen wretch who shall be humbled by my consummate skill. Cape Man: I am known as the Ace of Hearts, master of the Everything- School of Martial Arts, but you will call me Master. Kunou: We shall see about that. Prepare to die, foolish infidel! (Kunou charges with a flurry of swings with his bokken, but the Ace of Hearts casually dodges all of his swings. With a single kick, the Ace cracks the bokken, which falls on the ground useless.) Kunou: Luckily, I carry a spare. Tis best to be prepared for all occasions. You shall not be so fortunate this time. (Kunou again charges, and again he finds his bokken splintered. The Ace jumps up into the air, and lands abruptly on Kunou. After a series of rapid hand chops, he sends Kunou flying.) Ace: Speeding Spade Attack! (A sea of spades, similar to those found on playing cards, flies at Kunou, sending Kunou up into the air and out of sight.) Another easy victory. (The crowd murmurs, while some yell in disgust for betting on Kunou. Nabiki has a malicious grin, knowing Kunou's incompetence, and therefore betting on the Ace of Hearts. Akane and Ranma seem stunned.) Akane: So this must be the new student. Ranma: Whoa! That guy is good, not as good as me, but not bad either. Akane: I think he could give you quite a challenge. Ranma: Naah. . . I could beat up Kunou just as easily, I think. (The Ace of Hearts walks up to Ranma and Akane.) Ace: You must be the beautiful Akane Tendo (hands her a playing card, which turns out to be the Ace of Hearts). And you must be Ranma Saotome, the so-called school champion. Ranma: What do you mean, "so-called champion"? Nobody can beat me! Ace: Oh really? We shall see, we shall see. Good bye for now. (He leaves.) (After receiving the card, Akane got a cloudy look in her eyes, her eyes being transfixed to the card. Ranma waves in front of her eyes, but can't get her attention.) Ranma: Akane. Akane! Hey, Akane! Akane: Oh, sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. That Ace of Hearts is such a great guy. Ranma: Huh, Akane? Are you okay? Akane: Of course I'm okay, you dimwit. Let's go in before we're late. Ranma: Hmm. . . (The morning classes pass in an uneventful manner. It is now lunchtime. Ranma sees the Ace of Hearts leaving from Ukyou's okonomiyaki stand.) Ranma: Ucchan! How are you doing? Ukyou: (seeming to come back to reality) Oh. . . hi, Ran-chan! Have you met the Ace of Hearts? He is such a nice guy! He even gave me a playing card, the Ace of Hearts to be specific! Ranma: I don't trust that Ace of Hearts character. Ukyou: Hmm? Did you say something? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Ranma: (suspiciously) Right. I'll be back later. Ranma's classmate: Hey, Ranma! Did you see that Ace of Hearts? He can fight, and he's got every girl in the school wrapped around his finger. You've got to do something, Ranma. Ranma: It's nothing. The girls are just being friendly and his fighting is not so hot. (thinking) What's going on? First Akane, then Ukyou, now the rest. What's with those stupid cards? It's probably nothing, but I still gotta be careful. What's that guy got that makes him so likable to the girls? Hmm. . . (Ranma and Akane are walking home from school. Akane is silent and seems not to be paying attention.) Ranma: Akane, what's wrong with you? Akane: Huh? Ranma: I said, what's wrong with you? Akane: What do you mean what's wrong with me? Is this another one of your "uncute tomboy" jokes? (fuming) Ranma: (quickly) No, no that's not what I meant. Since the Ace of Hearts gave you that stupid playing card, you've been in another world. Akane: That's strange, I was just thinking about the Ace of Hearts. I wonder what his real name is. . . Ranma: (yelling) Who cares what his name is? I thought you hated boys! Akane: Well, I don't hate the Ace of Hearts. . . (sudden revelation) Ranma, are you jealous? Ranma: (defensively) No, of course not. Why would I be jealous? After all, you are uncute, unsexy. . . hey are you listening? Akane: Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say? Ranma: Oh, nothing. (splash) Argh! (someone was dumping water out into the street and splashed Ranma, turning him into Ranma-chan) Akane: Ha ha! Ranma-chan: Hmph. Nothing a hot shower won't fix. (As if on cue, the Ace of Hearts comes bounding out from nowhere. Ranma-chan adopts a fighting pose, and Akane just stands still and seems to be hazy.) Ace: Now, here is a beauty I have not yet met. I am the Ace of Hearts (bows grandly), master of the Everything-School of Martial Arts. Ranma-chan: Who are you calling a beauty? (tries to jumpkick the Ace) Ace: (throws an Ace of Hearts at Ranma-chan and simply stands in the same place, as if expecting something to happen) You won't attack me. Ranma-chan: (hits the Ace in the chest) Wanna bet on that? Ace: (stunned but seemingly not hurt by Ranma's blow) What! That's weird. . . it should have worked. Lovely one, aren't you charmed by me? Ranma-chan: (angry) I'm a guy! Why would I be charmed by you?! (tries to jumpkick the Ace again) Ace: (dodges the kick) What are you talking about? You're a girl. Ranma-chan: No, I'm not. Ace: Yes, you are. Ranma-chan: Am not! Ace: Are too! Ranma-chan: Am not! Ace: Are not! Ranma-chan: Am too! Oh wait. . . am not! Ace: Hah! You are a very strange girl. . . (Kunou comes running onto the scene) Kunou: Leave my pig-tailed goddess alone, you vile wretch, or I shall tear you asunder. (charges and falls down from the Ace's kick to his face) Oof. Ace: Why bother trying? Farewell, fair one. (disappears in a cloud of dust) Ranma-chan: (pocketing the thrown playing card) Hey Akane, did you see that? The Ace of Hearts just came by! Akane: Huh? What are you talking about? He was here? Ranma-chan: Something's wrong. . .(to himself) There must be something strange in this playing card. (Akane and Ranma-chan return to the Tendo Dojo. Soun and the panda are playing shogi, while Kasumi is in the kitchen, and Nabiki is in her room. Kasumi walks in.) Kasumi: Hello, you two. Anything happen at school today? Ranma-chan: No, nothing. Akane: Well, we met a new student today. He has a wonderful personality. Kasumi: That's odd. A very nice boy came over today. He said that he goes to the same school as you two. He did seem a little strange though. For some reason he gave me a playing card, the Ace of Hearts, and tried to give one to Nabiki, but Nabiki wanted 5000 yen for it, so he didn't give it to her. Ranma-chan: Hmm. . . can I have your card, Kasumi? Kasumi: I guess so, here it is. (hands Ranma her Ace of Hearts) Ranma-chan: Akane, I'll need yours too. (Akane gives Ranma her Ace of Hearts) I'll take a hot bath. (Ranma is sitting in the bath, thinking.) Ranma: (thinking) Hmph. Now I have three cards. But what do I do with them? Maybe I'll let Cologne examine them. That old ghoul seems to know everything. (It is the next morning. Soun is crying uncontrollably. Genma and Ranma rush to Soun's side.) Soun: (tears streaming down his face) They're gone, they're all gone! Waah! Kasumi! Akane! Waah! Genma: Who's going to cook for us? Waah! (Happosai comes in, gasping and crying.) Happosai: Where are all of the pretty ladies? Waah! (sniff, sniff) Ahh, Ranma, you'll still here! (tries to splash Ranma with water, but Ranma ducks and it hits Genma) Genma-panda: Growf. Nabiki: (enters) Hello, people. I'm still here. Happosai: Oh, my darling Nabiki! (jumps toward Nabiki but is blocked by Ranma's foot which sends Happosai across the room) Ranma: Akane. . . this has got to be the work of the Ace of Hearts! I knew it! Nabiki was the only one who didn't get a card. I've got to go to the Nekohanten. Genma-panda: (holds up a sign that says ) (Ranma, Genma, Soun, Happosai, and Nabiki go to the Nekohanten. Ryoga and Mousse are there as well. Cologne is there, but Shampoo is nowhere in sight.) Mousse: What have you done with Shampoo, you ghoul! Cologne: (sending Mousse into the wall with her staff) She simply disappeared. Ryoga: I was wandering at night, and I saw a bunch of girls walking around, but I didn't pay attention to where they were going. I think I saw Akane and Ukyou, but I wasn't sure. Ranma: I think I know what happened. (places the cards on the floor) This is the handiwork of the Ace of Hearts, master of the Everything- School of Martial Arts. Happosai: Everything-School of Martial Arts? Hmm. . . Cologne: (picks up the cards) I believe Ranma may be correct. I can see some magical residue on these cards. Yes, magic is at work. Ranma: That explains why Akane and the others were acting so weird. Happosai: Everything-School of Martial Arts? Oh yes, now I remember. It's a strange school with dangerous martial artists. The school itself moves around, and it never stays in the same place. The master probably took so many women, so then he could turn them into slaves. There's something else I forgot. . . Ranma: (angered) I'm going after them. Who's with me! Happosai, Mousse, Ryoga, Soun, and Cologne: (yelling) We are! Ranma: Hey, pop! Why didn't you respond! Genma: Son, I've been thinking. It seems to me that we've been in this sort of situation before. It seems to me that we're constantly in this sort of situation. Mousse: What's your point? Genma: How about we do nothing, absolutely nothing? Ryoga: Huh? Genma: Let's try something new! Let's just wait (getting excited) and see what happens! Ranma: What kind of idea is that, dad! We can't just let that bastard Ace of Hearts do whatever he wants with the girls! We're going and that's final! Nabiki: What are you going to do? Ranma: We're going to find this school and free all of the girls! Nabiki: Happosai said that this school moves around, right? How do you know where this school is? Ranma: Hmm. . .hadn't thought about that. (End Part 1) Authored by S. JAMES, Condor1556@aol.com The Ace of Hearts A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic Using the characters of the esteemed Rumiko Takahashi (Part2) (Kunou enters by slamming the door open, but then the door bounces back and hits Kunou back out.) Kunou: (enters through slicing a hole in the wall) I knew that would work better. My dear sister, Kodachi, has been taken away by that maleficent Ace of Hearts. I shall assist you in your endeavor, for only I know the location of this school. Ryoga: How do you know, Kunou? Kunou: Tis quite lucid for my perspicacious intellect. (pulls out a map of Tokyo and points to a certain location) Nabiki: Kunou baby, that's next to your house. Kunou: I know that, woman! My mansion is so colossal, everything is in close proximity to it. Nabiki: Oh, please, you really are pathetic. Kunou: If you were not of a defenseless member of the female gender, I would strike you down with a single blow, but since you are, I shall give you clemency. Nabiki: (sarcastically) Whatever you say, Kunou baby. Ranma: Let's go!!! (shouts from the others) Kunou: I shall grace you with my magnificent presence, and permit the use of my expansive residence as a base of operations. (The entire group moves to the Kunou mansion to plan their assault on the Everything-School of Martial Arts. Kunou is wearing a soldier's uniform and discussing possible attack plans.) Ranma: Since when have we planned anything? Let's just go and pound the Ace of Hearts into the ground! Kunou: You uncouth barbarian, that is not the way to fight. We must prepare and prepare well, and I shall command the assault. Mousse: Says who? You're not going to give me orders! (starts attacking Ryoga) Ryoga: I'm not Kunou! Kunou: You and your tricks are no match for my superiority (tries to hit Mousse but misses and hits Ryoga, sending him flying into the wall) Ryoga: That's it! Shiki hakoda! (the ki-blast misses Kunou but flies into Ranma) Nabiki: People, people, calm down! Uh oh. . . (a foot sends Happosai across the room), better get out of here. Happosai: I've had it! (pulls out several Happodaikurins and throws them on the ground) (A huge explosion occurs in Kunou's house, which is not badly charred, but still standing.) Kunou: Argggh!!! My majestic habitation has been damaged!!! (The others merely fall down on the ground, very tired. It is the next day, and everyone looks remarkably refreshed. They have decided to just attack the school and see what happens. They take their first good look at the institution, which looks like a magnificent palace with a courtyard in front. The entire group is there, except Nabiki, who chose to stay at the Kunou mansion.) Mousse: It looks harmless. Ranma: Let's go!!!!!!! (They charge onto the courtyard, expecting a fight. They are not disappointed. Three boys come out to meet them, armed with weapons that are too large and heavy for them to use.) Kunou: These adversaries are obviously inferior, and I choose not to fight such unworthy foes. Ranma: This is easy, let's just run past them. (As they are running, it starts to rain.) Ranma-chan: What! Not now! (Mousse has turned into a duck and Genma has transformed into a panda. Ryoga remains unchanged, due to the fact that he is holding his umbrella over his head. Meanwhile, the three little boys turn into towering, powerful men who now seem to be quite able to wield their weapons.) Ranma-chan: What happened! It's got to be. . . Jusenkyou!!! (Meanwhile, a shadow approaches Cologne and throws an Ace of Hearts at her. She is instantly encaptured and follows the shadow's beckon. Soun tries to attack with a jumpkick, but he is instantly knocked unconscious by a ki-blast from the first enemy.) Three Men: We are the Three Towers, and we shall thrash you!!! Kunou: We shall see about that. Fools speak words that have no substance. Feel the anguish from my bokken!!! (surprisingly, Kunou catches one of the Three Towers off guard and sends him flying towards the palace) Now, we know who is superior, for I have now soundly defeated my adversary. Such trifling battles I al. . . (Kunou is bashed by the other two Towers and sent sprawling.) (The battle ensues. Ranma, Genma-panda, Ryoga, and Happosai face off against the remaining two Towers. Ryoga's fighting ability is hindered by his umbrella, which eventually gets knocked away, transforming him into P-chan. The panda whips out a sign and repeatedly hits one of the Towers, while Happosai is watching.) Ranma: Tenshin amaguriken!!! (He nails one of the Towers with 483 punches, sending it crashing down.) (Meanwhile, Happosai becomes huge and dispatches the remaining tower. However, Soun, Cologne, and Kunou are nowhere in sight. They return to Kunou's mansion to get some hot water and cold water and put some in Ryoga's backpack in case of an emergency. It has stopped raining, and they return to the Everything Martial Arts Dojo, except this time they do not see those three guys. They enter the palace and see a large room.) Ranma: (sees a dusty photo lying in cobwebs under a table) Hmm. . . what's this? Looks like a photo of some nerdy, short kid. (pockets the photo) Voice: Hello, welcome to the Everything-School of Martial Arts. I am the Jack of Diamonds and I'm here to entertain you. (A man dressed in noble garb, but with a jester's hat, comes down from a compartment in the ceiling.) Ranma: We're looking for the Ace of Hearts. Jack: Well, you'll have to get through me first, and trust me, it won't be easy. But first. . . (The Jack of Diamonds hits the floor and a bunch of panels open up. Ryoga, Mousse, Genma, and Happosai fall through, but Ranma jumps up and avoids being sent plummeting. The panels close up.) Ranma: Ha! You'll have to do better than that! Jack: Hmm. . . well, actually I can't. That was my best trick. I can't do much else. Ranma: Huh? Are you serious? Well, then I'll be going to the next room then. Jack: . . . wait, I can't let you! Ranma: (mocking) How are you going to stop me? Jack: I guess I can't. Forget it. (Ranma goes into the next room, leaving the Jack of Diamonds sulking. He goes in and finds himself in a room with a woman dressed in royal garb, but with a large clover-like club.) Woman: I am the Queen of Clubs, and you cannot defeat me. Ranma: I'm not here to waste time. (impatiently) Just let me past, okay! Queen: Such insolence! Do you think that I am as pathetic as the Jack of Diamonds? Ha! Clover Club Attack! (clover-shaped bolts of ki- energy smashes into Ranma, sending him flying into the wall) Ranma: You want a fight, you've got one! (He dodges the ki-bolts and moves closer to the Queen of Clubs.) Queen: Ha! (She takes her massive clover-shaped club and smashes it into Ranma's side, sending him sprawling to the ground. Ranma unleashes his own bolt of ki-energy, grazing the Queen, who now starts throwing clubs of all sorts at Ranma, who dodges them all. (Suddenly, Happosai comes crashing through the wall.) Happosai: Pretty lady!!! (Happosai jumps and clings to the Queen of Clubs.) Queen: Get off me, you pervert! (Ranma takes advantage of this distraction to go to the next room, where he sees an elderly man with a great spear.) Man: I am the great and magnificent King of Spades. Here, your progress shall be stopped and you shall go no further. Ranma: How many more are there? King: Just me, and then the Ace of Hearts. However, don't think ahead, because you won't pass me. (He takes his spear and throws it, as it somehow grows in length at an alarming rate, missing Ranma for a hair. The spear crashes into the wall behind Ranma.) Ranma: Ha! Is this your feeble attack! (He tries to splinter the spear with all of his might. He is unsuccessful) Oww!!! What is this made out of? King: This is the end. (He throws many more spears, which slam into the wall behind Ranma, and Ranma is running out of room to dodge the spears, and suddenly, there is no more room. A bolt of mega-ki energy starts to form in the King's hands.) Ranma: Is this it? Is it all over? (Suddenly, several bandannas come flying in the room followed by Ryoga. Genma and Soun also enter, accompanied by Kunou and Mousse. By now, the King of Spades has stopped forming his megabolt and is now just staring at the angry-looking group which seems ready to demolish him.) King: Uh oh. . . (Kunou, Genma, Soun, and Mousse converge on the King, and at the end, the King is tied up and seems very injured. However, in the mass confusion Mousse has knocked out Genma and Soun and Kunou has knocked himself out. The group recovers and proceeds down a large hallway. They see two large double doors.) Kunou: Heroes go where cowards dare not tread. Move aside, for I, Tatewaki Kunou, shall make my grand entrance! (Kunou takes a mighty swing with his bokken, only to have it splinter on the door.) Tis but a trifling setback, for no barrier can guard against the wrath of Tatewaki Kunou! (Kunou unleashes a mighty kick against the double doors, but they do not budge, and Kunou is holding his foot and howling in pain.) Oww!!!!!!!! Ryoga: Hmm. . . (turns the doorknobs and pushes open the doors). . . that was easy. (They enter a dark room, and as soon as they enter, the double doors close behind them.) Voice: Ha ha ha! I can't believe you made it this far. Behold, it is I, master of the Everything-School of Martial Arts, the Ace of Hearts. (The room is suddenly illuminated by various torches to reveal a circular room with a large pit in the middle. Suspended over the huge pit are numerous cages, containing Akane, Shampoo, Ukyou, Kasumi, Kodachi, and others. Standing at one side of the pit is the Ace of Hearts.) Soun: Kasumi! Akane! Kunou: Akane! Kodachi! Mousse: Shampoo! Ryoga: Akane! Ranma: Shampoo! Ucchan! Akane. . . (Happosai suddenly enters.) Happosai: Kasumi! Akane! Shampoo! Ukyou! All of you! You don't know how much I've missed your. . . (Genma and Soun boot him into the side of the room) Ace of Hearts: Well, well, well. . . wouldn't it be a shame if they all plummeted to their deaths. Ryoga: I'll save you, Akane! (He jumps toward the Ace of Hearts in a blind fury, throwing bandannas.) Shiki hakoda! (The Ace of Hearts dodges the bandannas, but takes the full blow of the ki-blast and seems dazed but not seriously injured.) Ace: Such troublesome pests. (He throws energy bolts at Ryoga, who blocks some of them with his umbrella. However, some get through and send Ryoga flying across the room.) Mousse: Can you deal with the master of hidden weapons? (Mousse throws egg bombs at the Ace of Hearts, which he blocks with his cape.) Take this! (All of Mousse's weapons come flying out of his sleeve and he charges, attacking with hundreds of different weapons. The Ace is slightly fazed, but with an effortless punch, he knocks off Mousse's glasses and sends him in the direction of a pillar to attack. Mousse eventually slumps in exhaustion.) Genma and Soun: Hiyahhh! (They try to jumpkick the Ace of Hearts, who simply brushes them aside with a staff that was concealed in his cape.) Kunou: We yet have a battle to complete, vile one. The course of revenge is never sated and always present. True defeat is only suffered by those that lack the will to fight! (takes out yet another bokken and charges the Ace of Hearts. Expectedly, the Ace of Hearts breaks his bokken and sends him flying with a mighty punch.) Ranma: Kunou never learns. That's it, Ace of Hearts, just you and me now! Ace: Fine, I do not care, for after this fight, only I shall be standing. Ranma: Oh yeah? (Ranma approaches the Ace of Hearts!) Tenshin amaguriken! (The Ace of Hearts tries, but cannot block all of Ranma's blows. He is sent sprawling by Ranma's furious attack.) Ranma: Now look who's on the ground! I've got you now! Ace: (getting up disgusted) Never! Speeding Spade Attack! (The familiar flurry of spades approaches Ranma, who cannot block them, but does eliminate some with a ki-blast. Even though, several spades reach him and cause intense damage.) Ace: Ha ha ha! (He lashes out with his staff, sending Ranma flying into a wall.) Hmm. . .maybe I'll let someone fall into the pit. Ahh. . . maybe this Akane Tendo. . . Ranma: (Ranma staggers up) Akane. . . (with a burst of energy, Ranma leaps up toward Akane's cage) (Ranma grabs hold of the cage, containing an entranced Akane. With a mighty thrust, he rips off the cage from its ceiling foundation and lands on one side of the pit, placing the cage down safely.) Ranma: No more fooling around! This is it! (Ranma approaches the Ace of Hearts) Hiriyu shotenha! (Ranma's special attack sends the Ace of Spades flying upwards, and the Ace lands on the ground hard.) Yes! (laughing tiredly) I've defeated you! Ace: (getting up, a bit more dazed than usual, but reasonably all right) Not quite. Looks like I will have to destroy you. Four Suit Attack!!! (the symbols of all four suits in a card deck come flying at Ranma, who is caught unawares.) (Ranma takes the full force of the suits and seems now barely able to move.) Ranma: This has got to be the end. . . what's this? Might as well try to use it as a weapon. Boy, am I getting desperate. (Ranma feels something in his pocket and throws it at the Ace of Hearts.) (The thrown object is the photo of the nerdy boy. It lands at the feet of the Ace of Hearts whose facial expression changes from jovial to embarrassed. He grabs the photo and looks at it with horror.) Ace of Hearts: Where did you get this? Argghh!!! (He turns pale and faints.) Ranma: What's with that photo. . .wait, I've got an idea. If his minions fell in Jusenkyou, maybe he did too. Maybe that photo is a photo of his cursed form. I've got to get some cold water from Ryoga's backpack. (staggers over to Ryoga and grabs the containers of water) (Ranma splashes the cold water on the Ace of Hearts who wakes up, stunned.) Ace: What's this? Water! Is this how you expect to defeat me! (he remains unchanged) Ranma: That's odd. . . wait a second. . . (Ranma splashes the hot water on the Ace of Hearts.) (The Ace of Hearts undergoes a massive transformation. His clothes are suddenly way too big as he is transformed into a nerdy looking boy, who in person, looks a lot like Hikaru Gosunkugi. Meanwhile, the girls in the cages no longer are under a trance, but they are all sleeping.) Ranma: Hikaru Gosunkugi!?!? All this time, it was Gosunkugi?!?! Ace: I don't know what you're talking about. My name isn't Hikaru Gosunkugi, it's Hikaru Yamata. Ranma: Phew, for a second there, I thought, well. . . you know. You fell in Jusenkyou, didn't you? Yamata: Yeah, I did. Considering that you can easily defeat me in my true form, I might as well accept defeat graciously. And, I guess you're entitled to hear some answers too. Ranma: Yep, a believe an explanation is in order. Yamata: Well, it all began a while ago. . . (flashback) (A nerdy kid, Hikaru Yamata, is shown in a school somewhere in Japan. There are numerous scenes of him being rejected by girls over and over again. Then, his class goes on a field trip to China, where they visited the Accursed Springs of Jusenkyou. There, Yamata goes astray and falls into a pool. He emerges from the pool as the familiar Ace of Hearts, suddenly becoming a powerful, magic-wielding, male paragon. The class had left without him, and he does not know where to go. After much wandering, he reaches the Everything-School of Martial Arts. Using his new-found talents, he was able to defeat the King of Spades, who was then the master of the dojo. He then became the master.) Yamata: So that's how it went. I took over the school, and I began to dread and even fear my true self. One of my special abilities is to give a girl an Ace of Hearts and make her fall in love with me. This enables me to beckon that girl whenever I want. I didn't want to hurt anyone, I guess I just wanted to take revenge on every rejection I felt and wanted to capture ever girl I could. However, there was that one red-haired girl who I couldn't quite get, for some reason. . . Ranma: First of all, you're really pathetic. Second, I understand your situation, even though I don't approve of what you do. I want you to stop doing this nasty trick of yours and never return. Also, I want you to take everyone down and make sure that no one is under your love trance. Got it? Yamata: Yeah, yeah, okay. But, you have to promise not to tell about my true form to anyone. Ranma: Don't worry. As long as you keep your word, I'll keep mine. Yamata: That's no problem. After all, I am honorable, if nothing else. Now, if you'll splash some cold water on me, I'll get to work. Ranma: Here you go. (splashes Yamata and he transforms) Ace: It's good to see that you care for someone so deeply. (Before Ranma can respond to the Ace of Hearts's final remark, Ranma suddenly finds himself being lifted. Thinking himself betrayed, he struggles, but he is only being transported out of the dojo, just like the captives and the rest of Ranma's group. The dojo disappears in a puff of smoke.) (It is the next day in the Tendo Dojo. Everything seems back to normal. Everyone gets up late, feeling quite tired, but they all gather around the table, eating breakfast.) Akane: Ranma, how did you defeat the Ace of Hearts? Ranma: It was quite a battle, and I thought that I was going to lose, but then I thought of you, Akane. Akane: Really? Ranma: I figured that if I lost, then that Ace of Hearts might have had you cook for him. I couldn't let that happen, not even to an enemy. (Ranma does not notice a table being lifted) No, eating your cooking would be much too inhumane, so I. . . Akane: Ranma, I hate you!!! (Ranma gets slammed over the head with the table) THE END Note from the author: Well, here it is, my first fanfic attempt. After reading volumes of Ranma fanfic, I figured it would be fun to write some fanfic of my own. To be honest, it was quite enjoyable, and I would encourage others to do so as well. It is easy enough to read fanfic, but how hard is it to write it? In order to answer this question, I had to write a fanfic of my own. The hardest part was coming up with the idea for the story. Frustrated with my earlier ideas, I just lied down on my bed, listening to the Robotech soundtrack. I reached into my pocket and to my surprise, there was something that I had put in it earlier. The object was, can you guess? It was an Ace of Hearts. After that, everything else fell into place. The instant joy of revelation is a feeling that no one should miss. As for the story itself, I tried to keep it consistent with the Takahashi- universe. If there are any discrepancies, I would appreciate it if someone told me about them. I know that the plot may be a recycled one, but hey. . . give me a break. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Ranma 1/2 is limited to fanfic, synopses, dubbed videos, and some translated manga. I have to say that Kunou is my favorite character, and I definitely enjoyed writing out his part. In the near future, I will probably attempt to write a fanfic centered around him. My knowledge of some of the other characters, such as Ukyou and Kodachi, is also limited, so they really did not play significant roles. Any information about them would also be appreciated. As a final note, I originally planned to not make this story consistent with the Takahashi-style. Honestly, I have always hoped that Akane would not end up with Ranma. I don't know why, but I simply dislike Akane :-(. I would prefer it if Ranma ended up with Ukyou, or even Shampoo. Maybe I'll get the courage to write a fanfic where Akane and Ranma get irreconcilable differences, and then I'll infuriate the purists :-). But until then, I think that I'll stick with the pattern. If you compliment this work, I'll keep writing. If you criticize this work, I'll keep writing. Any sort of comments, positive or negative, would be appreciated. I've got another fanfic, entitled "It's all about pride. . ." and also "Ranma, is that you. . .?" The latter may not have been released as you're reading this, because it's currently in its editing stages. E-mail me at Condor1556@aol.com. Thanks! :-) Later, S. JAMES Condor1556@aol.com `+ +' () \------/