                     :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                     ::::PERSONALITY MAKEOVER II::::
                     ::Akane likes Kuno??? No way!::
                     :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                                    

      The two stared at each other wordlessly. Ranma-chan could
actually feel her eyeballs bulging out. Her thoughts were in a
whirl. What does she mean she doesn't know me? How could that be?
Unless...oh no! She's got that amnesia thing again!
      Akane, upon receiving no answer, shrugged and rose to her
feet. She started for the stairs.
      "Wait!" she cried in a strangled voice. She grabbed Akane's
arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
      Akane turned amazed brown eyes on her. She started to
giggle. "Well duh, isn't it obvious?" She flicked her wrist at
Ranma coyly.
     Ranma let her eyes roam over Akane's body, taking in the
short white dress and matching pumps. "Uh...not really."
      This time her eyes were sympathetic. "I pity deprived girls
like you." It was her turn to look Ranma up and down critically.
"Ugh! Where ever did you get those clothes?" And while Ranma
stood there blubbering, she turned on her heel and went down the
stairs. 
      Oddly enough, Ranma-chan really did feel a dull sense of
shame. Her face flushed. She remembered she was not alone and
said aloud, "Hey Shampoo! Did you do that xi fa whatever thing on
Akane again?"
      She was answered by a meow. The kitten purred and snuggled
up to her. 
      Pupils dilating, she felt herself slipping once more into
the haze. "Aaaahhhhh!!!" she cried, jumping to her feet.
      Shampoo meowed triumphantly and gave chase. 

      Akane sighed in contentment as she strolled down Nerima's
mall. This was where she belonged. Department stores, boutiques,
shops...all of these were her refuge when she was feeling
powerless and impotent. For example: today she'd had a monster of
a headache. But the minute she walked in, she felt better
already. She sighed in contentment...then suddenly swooned away.
      Strong arms wrapped around her waist, steadying her.
Through half-closed lids she could make out wavy brown hair and
dark blue eyes. "Are you all right?" the stranger inquired as he
helped her to her feet.
      She blushed charmingly and lowered her eyes demurely. Out
of the corner of her eye, she saw his servant/ninja balancing
packages on his arms and legs precariously. Her eyes widened in
awe. This guy is seriously rich! She faced Kuno, her brown eyes
sparkling with admiration. Her full lips parted slightly.
      Kuno was taken by surprise. Never before had she looked at
him that way. He placed a hand to his forehead and wept
unashamedly. "Dear Akane," he cried. "Touched am I at the power
of our love!"
      She blinked, taken aback, but she continued smiling. "Same
here." She laced her fingers through his. "What's your name
again?"
      Kuno struck what he thought a regal pose. "I am
Upperclassman Kuno. Junior.  Group E. Captain of the Kendo club.
Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. But my
peers call me...the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!!!"
      "Oh!" she cried, impressed. Not only rich but popular to
boot! she duly noted. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Do you
think the great Blue Thunder can take li'l ol' me to dinner? I'm
so hungry," she whined. 
      He fell down on one knee. "For you I would swim across the
deepest ocean, scale the highest mountain, move heaven and
earth..."
      She laughed with delight. "Buy the best meal?" No sooner
had the words left her mouth than she was whisked into Saisaki*,
the most expensive restaurant in town. Her eyes glowed as they
passed underneath the ornately decorated archway. "Boys are so
good to me," she sighed to herself happily.

      Ranma raced through the mall, searching left and right for
Akane. Where the heck is she? he thought angrily. He was in a
foul mood.
      For starters, there had been Shampoo, who he'd led a merry
chase around Tokyo. Finally, he had passed the Neko Hanten, where
Mousse had grabbed her into his loving arms.
      Then he'd had to run all the way back to the dojo, figuring
for some reason that that was what Akane had meant. But he'd
found the training hall empty. While he'd been standing there in
a stupor, Kasumi had fortunately passed by and remarked she'd
seen Akane at the mall while she'd been out grocery shopping.
      That didn't make much sense to him, but he hadn't really
been expecting it to. Things were making less and less sense.
      So absorbed was he in his thoughts,that he didn't spot
Sasuke until it was too late. They collided, and packages and
paper bags rained down on them. Ranma managed to punch some of
them away, but there was still plenty left.
      Groaning, he clawed his way through and yanked Sasuke up on
his feet. "What were you doing there??? You were blocking my
path."
      He just smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know something you don't," he gloated.
      Already on the end of his temper, Ranma snapped. He grabbed
the servant by the collar and shook him roughly. "Well so do I! I
know that if you don't tell me what you're talking about I'll
knock your teeth out."
      Sasuke gasped and made warding off motions with his arms.
"M-M-Master Kuno t-t-told me not to t-tell youuuuuu!"
      Disgusted, Ranma threw him to the ground. Sasuke cowered
and covered his head. "Ooh, if only I could tell you that master
is having dinner with Akane," he whispered.
      Ranma stopped in the action of punting him into orbit. His
eyes widened as they swept the rows of stores, finally resting on
Saisaki. He rushed toward it, ignoring Sasuke's continued
whimpering.
      An effeminate maitre'd materialized in front of him,
grinning broadly. "May I help you?" He received a punch in the
nose.
      Ranma scanned the brightly lit hall. He found the two
hunched over their meal at a corner table. As he watched, Akane
laughed and laid a hand on Kuno's arm. His blood level
skyrocketed. Not able to take it any more, he stomped over
noisily. He grabbed her arm. "C'mon. I'm taking you home."
      Akane turned and fixed blazing brown eyes on him. "How dare
you!" she said, bristling indignantly. She raised herself to her
full height and declared proudly, "I sir, am a lady."
      Ranma could only stare at her for a moment, then he started
to sputter the first thing that came to mind. "You! You aren't a
lady! You're just a kawaiikunee tomboy!"
      Instead of whacking him with her mallet, she gasped in
horror and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She started to
sob. "H-he called m-me-"
      Kuno rose to his feet, bokken drawn. He shoved it in
Ranma's face. "You fiend! Look what pain you are causing her! For
what you have done, I will fight with you!"
      Ranma ignored him and instead reached out to touch Akane
tentatively. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
      She let out a bloodcurdling shriek, making people turn
their heads to gape at them. She shrank back from his touch. "Get
your hands off me, you...you slime!!!"
      Suddenly two security guards were at his back. "There he
is," pointed the maitre'd hysterically, holding his disfigured
nose. He was grabbed by the shoulders and manhandled out, even as
he kicked at them futilely. The last thing he saw before he was
thrown out into the street was Kuno smirk and raise a hand to his
forehead in a mock salute.

      "Akane's with who???"
      Nabiki jumped to her feet, clutching the edge of the table.
      Ranma glared at her, annoyed that she was making him say it
again. "I said," he repeated through clenched teeth, "that she's
somewhere with Kuno. Happy now?"
      Nabiki sat down, her face turning ashen. She stared
straight ahead unseeingly.
      There was a moment of silence.
      "The Yamanes are having a garage sale," Kasumi announced
with a soft smile.
      "Really?" Soun asked with interest. "We'll go there
tomorrow."
      He received an enthusiastic thumbs-up sign from his panda
friend.
      The rest of the evening passed with nothing more said by
either Ranma or Nabiki.


*Japanese restaurant in Manila, Philippines. If you ever find
yourself here, I recommend you check it out.

NOTE: Kuno's introduction was lifted off Ranma 1/2 Graphic Novel
No.1 (Viz).


  
 
          
