[Ranma][Fanfic] Ranma's Curse Part 3

[Brent T Neef]

Ranma's Curse
Part 3: Destroying the Family

(version 1.4)
by Bryan Neef

Ranma 1/2 and related characters created by Rumiko Takahashi
Inspired by fan fiction by Hitomi Ichinohei, Richard Lawson, and Nicholas
Leifker

In Book 2, Ranma has gained minimal acceptance as a woman. Aside from the
Tendou's, Kunou, Ryoga, and Tofu, Ranma has made two friends, Atsuki and
Kyoko.

In order to make Ranma comfortable and more accepted, Atsuki invites her and
Akane to a party. The party is a disaster, with Ranma spending most of her
time with Atsuki's mother. The consequences are dire the following Monday,
when Ranma is doused with hot water, cementing her horrid scream in the
students' minds.

It is at that time the founder of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts,
Happosai, returns from the dead. He quickly reveals to the women what he
really is, forcing Ranma to face the Master alone. At battle's end, Ranma is
physically and emotionally exhausted. But that is only the beginning for
her...

=============================================================================

Chapter 1
The Return

"Well, Saotome, that was an impressive mission. I had forgotten how wonder-
ful it was to be on the road like that. The freedom. The scenery. The chal-
lenges."

"True, Tendou. There's nothing like a good training mission to make you
forget your troubles. Let's hope that the children have kept the dojo
intact."

"And that Ranma and Akane have not destroyed it in their anger."

"Heh! The dojo is a wonderful place for their wedding."

"As soon as we're settled, my friend, we'll have the ceremony."

"I would like that."

The two men approached the dojo. They stopped cold when they saw the sign:
"The Tendou Family Center." They cautiously entered the gate. They heard
children laughing and playing in the yard.

They quietly moved to where they could see the activity. They were shocked
to see about a dozen four and five year olds running in the yard. They also
saw a young red-haired woman playing with the children.

Her hair came to just below her shoulder blades. It was neatly turned under
and curled at the ends. She wore a blue denim skirt and a soft pink shirt.
She wore what appeared to be Ranma's battle slippers, but the men couldn't
tell. They only knew one red-haired woman, Ranma.

Their attention turned from the mysterious woman to Kasumi and Akane bringing
out trays of food and drinks. Kasumi's soft voice called out, "All right
everyone, refreshments."

The children all yelled their joy. They ran to the hose, where Akane was
running water, washing their hands. The red head was carrying a particularly
rambunctious child over her shoulder, laughing.

She set the child down when she saw the fathers. They recognized her as
Ranma. A cold look covered Genma's face. The child tugged at Ranma's skirt.
"Ranma?"

"It's okay, Kei-chan. Get washed up. I'll be with you in a little bit,"
Ranma said with a soft smile.

"Okay!" the boy replied, bounding off to Akane.

Ranma moved to the fathers. Her movements filled with grace and determina-
tion. When she reached them, she watched their reaction with a carefully
neutral face. She bowed to them, satisfied. She spoke with a distant voice,
"Welcome home, Father, Uncle Tendou. How was your trip?"

Genma grew red with anger, his voice carrying farther than he expected, "What
are you doing, Boy?"

Ranma fumed, pushing the fathers behind the training hall. Her voice was
strong and stern, "Do not call me 'Boy' or 'Son' in front of the children.
They are too young to understand. As for what I am doing: I am helping
Kasumi watch the neighborhood children. A lot has happened since you left."

"I can see that, Ranma. You had better start explaining," Soun stated,
echoing Genma's anger.

Ranma frowned. "We will explain everything later."

"Why not now?" demanded Genma.

"Because I have to go back and help with the children. It'd take too long to
explain, anyway."

"Very well," conceded Soun. "We are looking forward to your explanations."

"How soon will the children leave?"

"About a half hour."

"Good. You four have much to answer for. Especially you," concluded Genma.

Ranma bowed to the two men, leading them to the house. She held back her
despair as she returned to the children. She ignored Akane's and Kasumi's
concerned looks. They, despite their best intentions, were making matters
worse.

***

The four women waved to the last of the children. Their pleasant smiles
hiding the dread they had about returning to the house and their fathers.
They solemnly walked into the family room where the men quietly sat.

They sat at the table quietly. Nabiki set the ledger on the table, not
bothering to open it. She watched the fathers and Ranma. The Tendou sisters
were disappointed and worried since Ranma had retreated into her shell.
Akane tenderly took Ranma's hand in hers.

Soun finally spoke, "Where shall we begin, daughters?"

Taking her cue, Nabiki opened the ledger. "When you left, Daddy, so did most
of your students. They refused to be taught by Ranma, despite showing them
that she was very competent. Those that remained, stayed until a couple of
weeks ago. That left us with very little income. Tatewaki was kind enough
to purchase pictures of Ranma and Akane, even after releasing his claim on
them.

"But that was not enough to cover our bills. Tatewaki and Ryoga are taking
lessons from Ranma. Kunou pays for his, while Ryoga pays with his helping
with the children or other things Ranma is unable to do in her current body,
alone."

"And what might those be?" growled Genma.

Nabiki looked at the two men critically for a moment. "Move heavy objects.
While Ranma is still quite strong, she still doesn't have the raw strength
Ryoga does. And Akane isn't always around to lend her strength to the
project."

"And why not?" asked Soun.

"Because I have obligations at school," replied Akane, saving the
explanations for later.

The men stared at Akane for a moment. Soun was about to say something when
Nabiki shifted her ledger. "Ryoga has also helped by keeping trouble makers
away. He has also helped us winterize the house and training hall. We
started early because of Ranma's condition.

"At any rate, I got the idea of a daycare service from my trips into other
parts of Tokyo. Other major dojos are doing it. And since we're one of the
few left that are family owned, we felt the family atmosphere would help.
The parents love it. We've already doubled our monthly income in two weeks."

"Is it fair to burden Kasumi with the children?" Soun asked.

"Ranma has helped me for the last two weeks. When she goes back to school
Monday, Ryoga takes over. He is quite good with children."

"Why have you not been in school, Boy?" Genma asked angrily.

Ranma began to shake visibly. She looked at her hands in horror, twisting
them as if trying to see them from every angle. She tried to speak, but had
no voice for it. Kasumi placed her hand on Ranma's shoulder, trying to calm
the young woman.

Genma stared at his child, anger rising in his face. Akane noted the anger.
Hers was also rising, but she held it in check. She managed to speak the
words Ranma couldn't, "Two weeks ago, someone claiming to be your master
visited us. He said and did things that made us uncomfortable. The next day
at school, your 'Master' had assaulted several students, stealing their
clothes."

"That's our Master," stated Soun in a strange mixture of pride and guilt.

Akane narrowed her eyes and continued, "Because of the assaults, Ranma chal-
lenged him to a fight."

"You didn't!" Exclaimed Genma, the anger replaced by horror. "He's too
powerful. Tendou and I couldn't beat him when we had to. What were you
thinking, Boy!"

Ranma stood up, almost pulling Akane and Kasumi with her. Tears were now
running down her face. She cried, "It don't matter no more! I beat the
lecher. I beat him so good, I sent him to the hospital.

"They had to peel him from the wall. I almost KILLED a man. I LOST CONTROL
AGAIN! Because of that, I have given up the Art. I teach Ryoga and Kunou
because they beg me. I JUST CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE!

"If I fight anyone, for any reason, I'm going to either put them in a hos-
pital or kill them. That is something I can no longer accept!"

Ranma stood there, shaking from her sobs. Akane and Kasumi braced her.
Genma's voice broke into her mind, "Coward. A true warrior does not give up
after winning one battle. A warrior must overcome and improve with each new
battle!"

"I LOST CONTROL AND ALMOST KILLED A MAN! I AM NOT A COWARD OR A KILLER! I
WON'T BECOME ONE EITHER!"

Ranma stormed out of the room, crying. They heard the front door slam shut,
then the gate. Genma returned to his stoic stance, closing his eyes. Soun's
face twitched as he took in the exchange. The women wanted to go after
Ranma, to comfort her, but needed to stay. The men had to be made to under-
stand.

"My son is becoming a girl."

Before anyone knew what happened or could react, Kasumi was in Genma's face.
She had an impossibly menacing expression on her face. "MAYBE it's better
this way. If YOU hadn't taken her to China, this wouldn't have happened. If
YOU hadn't taught her that dreadful Cat-fu, this wouldn't have happened. If
YOU had been here when she needed you most, this wouldn't have happened.

"Up until now, Ranma was at peace with herself. I don't think she'll recover
to that point anytime soon. We have spent the last two months trying to make
it so she could survive school and deal with her body. We don't need you to
destroy all of that in an hour.

"So unless you are willing to do something to HELP Ranma, YOU ARE NO LONGER
WELCOME IN THIS HOME!"

Genma shrank back. Kasumi held her position. Akane and Nabiki silently
cheered their elder sister.

Soun sputtered, "K-K-Kasumi, Genma is my oldest, dearest friend. He is also
our guest. We can't just throw him out."

"No? Then why has he thrown Ranma out? Why has he refused responsibility
for his actions? Unless he is willing to do something to help Ranma, I will
not allow him to stay."

Soun blinked, then stiffened his resolve. "If you toss Genma out, you must
also toss Ranma out."

"I WILL NOT ABANDON RANMA AS HE HAS! Ranma is a part of our family."

Nabiki added her voice to the fray, "Ranma has no place to go. She has no
real friends, No FAMILY other than Kasumi, Akane, and I. While you two
'fathers' have been gone, we have provided Ranma with the guidance and love
she needs. What she can't get from us, she gets from Tofu. As far as Kasumi
and I are concerned, we're Ranma's sisters."

"I've had the hardest time helping Ranma," Akane added. "I have to keep our
classmates from attacking her for no reason. I have to make sure no one
comes within two meters of her with hot liquid.

"But that's not all. I also have to wait to see if there's a cure. I want
to be more than a friend or a sister. That's why I don't call myself Ranma's
sister.

"But it's Hell for Ranma. She's a man trapped in a woman's body. She has to
act like a woman almost all of the time, now. She's depressed most of that
time. The only time she's not depressed is when we're all together, talking
and doing something that does not make her think about who she really is.

"At school, several of the boys want to date her, forcing her to retreat
deeper into this 'shell' she's built. These boys are the one's who're con-
vinced that she truly is a she. The girls want to beat her within an inch of
her life for no other reason than she's wearing female clothing.

"It's even worse when she's done absolutely nothing to deserve this hatred
other than being cursed. It's unbearable to hear her scream almost every
morning, shaking and crying from a nightmare none of us can really under-
stand.

"You're her father, you should be helping her, not treating her like a
leper."

Both Genma and Soun sat at the table, recovering from the girls' assault.
Soun wanted to say something to his daughters, but he couldn't. Deep down,
he knew they were right. Ranma had no place to go. And somehow, they had
adopted her. Akane seemed left out, though. She seemed to actually want to
marry Ranma.

It was Genma's movement that snapped him out of his thoughts. Genma stood,
not looking away from Kasumi. "I have much to consider. I will be in the
dojo until I come to...an understanding. Will that be acceptable, Kasumi?"

She nodded slightly.

With a bow, Genma took his backpack and went to the dojo. Soun watched his
friend, then turned to his daughters. They stared at him. He, too, stood
and went to the dojo.

Akane broke the silence, "What do you think they'll do?"

Kasumi frowned sadly, "Go on another training mission. I fear they'll hurt
Ranma, and us, before leaving."

Nabiki expressed her thoughts, "I wonder what 'Auntie' Saotome is doing now?"

Kasumi looked at her younger sister. "Are you suggesting we bring Ranma's
mother here?"

"Why not? Ranma needs her own family just as much as she needs us. And as
wonderful a job as you're doing, Kasumi, her mother is better able to handle
certain things. We've done well so far, but we're rapidly approaching our
limits."

"The only problem is: Ranma's mother would be expecting her son," Akane
pointed out.

"We might be able to handle that, with Tofu's and Ryoga's help. But you're
right. We'd have to deal with her shock," answered Kasumi thoughtfully.

***

Genma sat in the center of the training hall, his eyes closed. For the first
time since his days as a student of the Master, he was afraid. Being a panda
never really bothered him. He felt it gave him a release from his life, his
responsibilities. But now, Kasumi, gentle Kasumi, had nearly pounded him
into submission without laying a finger on him, pointing out that he was
still a panda in man's form.

Not only that, but it seemed she, and the other Tendou girls, were accepting
Ranma as a girl. What was worse, to him, was that they were referring them-
selves as Ranma's sisters. If Ranma and Akane were married, it would be
acceptable. But now, with Ranma in this condition, it bothered him greatly.
Were they treating his son as a sister?

He needed to know. Perhaps that was why his son moped around and gave up the
Art. Perhaps Kasumi's influences were corrupting his son's strength, his
enthusiasm for the Art. If not for his desire to unite the Schools and the
families, he would keep Ranma away from women.

Perhaps it was time to take Ranma away for awhile. Nothing permanent, just a
training trip to China where they could get cured. The only problem was they
couldn't even approach the cure last time. It always seemed beyond their
grasp.

He hoped that his son could now be cured. That would be good. Maybe, with
his son cured, he could be cured as well. He made up his mind, he would
withdraw Ranma from school and they'd go to China for the Cure. He would
break the news to his friend and they would leave at the end of next week.

"Saotome?"

"Hai, Tendou?"

"What are we going to do about the Master? He is in the hospital."

"Instead of the cave we buried him in?"

"Hai."

"We will have to go to him before Ranma and I leave, and beg for forgive-
ness."

"Leave?"

"I have decided to take my son to China where we can be cured. It is
only when we're cured that we'll return."

"I understand. Perhaps you should take Akane with you."

"I fear that Akane has been an...improper influence on my son at this time.
I'm sorry, Tendou, I must take my son away from all feminine influences. I
fear he has become too much like a girl to remain."

"I understand. It is possible that she, at least, would insist on going with
you."

"She would respect your wishes."

Soun sighed. "I...I don't think she would. Not now, anyway. At any rate,
when do you plan to leave?"

"The end of next week. That will give us time to see the Master, with Ranma
also begging forgiveness."

"Is it wise to take Ranma? If the Master were to attack him now, Ranma may
kill the Master."

"Would that be so bad? We couldn't do it. We didn't have the strength."

"Or the courage. But it seems Ranma has both. He won the battle."

"He has no courage if he can no longer face the world, and the Art, as a
man."

"You two forget, Ranma isn't exactly a man anymore," interrupted Ryoga,
staring at them from the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Genma.

"I'm Ranma's student, of sorts, Hibiki Ryoga. I usually just show up. So, I
guess Ranma's not ready."

"Ranma has fled like a girl," replied Genma coldly.

"I very much doubt that. I'm an expert at running away. Considering all
that's happened, I think Ranma's just trying to collect his thoughts," Ryoga
stated calmly.

"What did you mean by Ranma not exactly being a man?" Soun asked nervously.

"Not much, really. Ranma's body is about the only noticeble thing different.
His mind's still pretty much a man's, but the world is cruel to a fragile
soul, like his. There's also the fact he's had to act like a girl around
people."

"You speak in riddles, Boy. He should never have to act like a girl. I've
raised my son to be tough. Strong. Manly."

"And he is all of those, around Akane, though you wouldn't really know it
from the last two weeks. It's been tough training him."

"I thought you were his student," Genma eyed Ryoga critically.

"I am, in a way. I've been sparring with Ranma almost daily for two months.
The last two weeks, he's been holding back."

"I never taught my son to hold back in a fight!"

"And it shows. First, the Phoenix Pill. Now, your Master. I'm told Ranma
didn't move for an entire day after he fought the Master. He sat where you
are. If it were anyone else, I'd say it was discipline. With Ranma, it was
guilt.

"If you don't mind going as a panda, I'll show you what happened to your
Master. It's why your son feels guilt and holds back.

"The school still hasn't repaired the place. If I remember right, nearly
every girl in school signed a petition to delay the repairs until after Ranma
returned."

"Why would they want to do that?" asked Soun.

"I'd rather not say. You two don't look like you're ready for it."

"What do you want?" Genma hissed.

"Me? Nothing. You'd better ask yourself what Ranma wants. Can you believe
this? I'm the guy who's blamed Ranma for everything bad that's happened to
me, and I'm looking out for him. Know this, I would have fought your
'Master' instead of Ranma if I knew what was going to happen. I was ready to
fight WITH Ranma the night the old man came.

"At one time, I would have loved to hear Ranma scream and see him suffer.
Now, I cringe at the sound of his screams. I want to fight the whole world
when I see Ranma suffering from someone's comment or action.

"You should listen to him scream sometime. It'll change how you look at
things. You should also watch Ranma go through a single day at school.
You'll wish you never heard of Jusenkyo."

"My daughters refer to Ranma as if he were a girl. Why don't you?"

Ryoga smiled, "A gentlemen's agreement. Before I go see Kasumi, I, too, am
cursed. I was P-chan. That is one form I have promised never to use in this
home. Ranma and Akane are good for each other. Without Akane, I don't think
Ranma would be with us anymore. See ya!"

Ryoga ran to the house, leaving Genma and Soun to stare at each other.
Ranma's student had questioned them. This assault was almost as intense as
Kasumi's, but was conducted as if it were a fight. Each side gauging the
other. Ryoga had succeeded in winning a round against two opponents.

It was unthinkable. Ranma seemed to be getting greater respect as a woman.
Genma shuddered at this thought. He raised his son to be a man among men,
dependent upon no one. Yet, now, his son was being protected by three women
and a young man.

Genma had to find a cure, and soon. He was losing his son, and he felt
powerless to stop it. He felt his son leaving him, in more ways than one.
He could think of nothing to stop his son. Nothing except take him from the
only home he'd had in years.

Genma wanted to help his son. But he didn't know how. He could no longer
talk to Ranma. What was a father to do?

***

Ranma was walking down the street aimlessly. She left the house in an im-
pulsive rage. Her father's words burning in her mind, "Coward! A true war-
rior does not give up after one battle."

Was he right? Was she a coward? Not just for giving up the Art, but for
running from her father. This was not how she wanted their reunion to be.

She continued walking, her face now expressionless. She moved among the
shopping crowds. She simply walked. She occasionally stopped, staring at
the merchandise on display.

"Ranma?" came a female voice.

Ranma knew the voice. Kumiko. The girl who splashed her with hot water.
She stiffened. It almost as seemed as if she had shrunk.

"I'm sorry, Ranma," Kumiko said as she approached her classmate, seeing the
obvious pain. "Are you all right?"

Ranma's head was lower than usual. There was even more weakness in her
voice, "It's okay, Kumiko, I'll be on my way now." Ranma turned to go in the
opposite direction.

"Don't run, Ranma. I still need to talk to you. And I still need to apolo-
gize for hurting you. We should really go somewhere else, you don't look to
good."

"I shouldn't. I don't want you to lose your friends because of me."

Kumiko eyed the red head carefully, noting the stress. "I won't lose my
friends because of you. You look like you need a friend. If you'll let me,
I'd like to be that friend. I promise never to hurt you again. Please?"

"Thank you."

"I think we're close to the Nekohanten Cafe. Let's go there."

"I can't go there. They're the ones who made me into a weak girl."

"Weak? Who the Hell says you're weak?"

"My father."

Kumiko noted that Ranma never took her eyes off the ground. "Your father's
an idiot. He hasn't seen you lately."

"I ran away from him. He called me a coward and I ran," sobbed Ranma.

Kumiko took Ranma in her arms, "We'll talk about this at the new okonomiyaki
shop."

Ranma nodded, allowing herself to be led by Kumiko. Ranma eventually calmed
down enough to talk. "I don't have any money on me. I ran out of the house
without my purse."

"Don't worry about it. This is on me. I owe you that much anyway."

"Thank you."

"Honestly, Ranma. I don't know if I like you better like this or the way you
were before: when you were obnoxious and obsessed with your manhood."

"It doesn't really matter anymore. I know I don't belong. I just don't want
to be hated. My father hates me, the girls hate me."

"We don't hate you, Ranma. We just didn't understand what you were telling
us. Hell, we don't even understand what made you turn into a woman to begin
with. That's why we mistrusted you. You have always been honest. I proved
that two weeks ago.

"Your scream still haunts me. Every time the tea kettle goes off, I hear
your scream. I'd do anything to hear you laugh again. You proved that you
had dignity when that pervert showed up."

They entered the modest little shop called Ucchan's. A young man was serving
customers. His long, black hair was done in a pony tail. He smiled at his
new customers.

They returned the smile while going over the selection. They placed their
order and went to a booth by the window. Ranma was watching the man closely.

Kumiko saw the way Ranma was looking at the man. She giggled, causing Ranma
to turn red and lower her head.

"Do you find that boy attractive?" Kumiko asked teasingly.

"NO! He, uh, just looks familiar. I was also wishing I could return to my-
self again," Ranma answered weakly.

"I'm sorry. I won't tease you anymore. Why are you out of the house? Don't
get me wrong, it's great to see you out. It's just that no one ever sees you
much anymore."

"My father's back. I told him I'd given up fighting and he called me a
coward, even after I told him why. So I ran. I guess he's right, I'm a
coward. And I'm nothing."

The young man brought over their food. He watched Ranma closely, but con-
tinued onto other customers. Kumiko was relieved when he left, it allowed
her the chance to help Ranma in private. She watched Ranma play with her
food.

"So your father's back. He just returned. He doesn't know what happened,
and it looks like you don't know what happened, either. So let me fill you
in on some things.

"First, you are not a coward. I watched you challenge that pervert. I saw
the fear in your eyes when he attacked. I also listened to what Akane and
Nabiki said to Natsumi: 'Now listen here, Natsumi-chan, Ranma just chal-
lenged the man who taught our fathers how to fight.' From what Akane told
me, that man was supposed to be out of your league, but you stood up against
him.

"So you ran out of the house when your father called you a coward. From what
I've seen, you needed to. This is going to sound harsh, but you need to hear
it. You destroyed a cure for your present condition. You also nearly killed
a man. You feel you're losing control, and because of that, you needed to
leave before you would lose control again."

Ranma just looked at Kumiko, not quite sure how to take this lecture. That
was one thing she missed with her father being gone. His boring lectures
about training, life, manhood, and marriage always managed to take her mind
away from her problems.

Kumiko continued, "That is not the act of a coward. As for being nothing.
That's not true. When I hurt you, I proved something I shouldn't have need
to. I proved you weren't lying. I proved that you were just trying to make
everyone understand.

"We knew you hated being female. That's why we didn't understand why you
came dressed like one. We thought you were playing a cruel joke. It's for
that reason we made your life Hell. And when that pervert came, you proved
you were willing to protect us, even after what we did to you.

"That showed nearly everyone how special you really are. You could have
easily let that thing menace us, but you stood up to him. You showed modesty
when you hid Natsumi's panties when you realized what they were. We thought
you took it for yourself. You made a lot of us ashamed that day."

Ranma smiled at that comment. It had given her a little satisfaction knowing
others were as ashamed of themselves as she was of herself.

"Don't ever think of yourself as nothing. If you ever feel that way, come to
me. I'll tell you all of the reasons you're special. Akane's really lucky
to have someone like you. I can tell you, with all honesty, there are a lot
of girls at school who would jump at the chance to date you, even in your
current condition," concluded Kumiko with a warm smile.

"Thank you. This means a lot to me."

"You're welcome. Now that your father's back, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. He and Tendou-san will probably be leaving on another train-
ing mission soon. I doubt they'd return anytime soon. They just don't know
what to do with me. I'm not my father's son anymore, nor am I a suitable
fiancee for Akane."

Kumiko frowned. She, and several other students, knew Ranma and Akane were
right for each other. The idea of the two not being married had quickly be-
come absurd, even with Ranma's current gender.

"Father will probably want to take me with him. We'll try to go to the place
where we were first cursed and try to get cured there. I promised Akane I'd
never stop looking for a cure, but I don't know if I'd go with Father.

"I want him back in my life. I've tried to do what Kasumi said, adjust to my
condition, just as she had to adjust to taking over her mother's duties. It
seems like I've adjusted too well. He hates me like this. Unless I'm cured,
I don't see a future with him. He just sees me as being weak and being
turned into a girl," concluded Ranma with a sad sigh.

"Well you have become a woman."

"I have?"

"Hai, in a way. When you came here, you were brash, egotistical, and obses-
sed with your manhood. Since you lost your one, easy chance at becoming a
man again, you've calmed down. You're very polite. More so than many
girls."

Ranma smiled as Kumiko continued, "You're neater. You clean up after your-
self, and others. You wear matching clothes, and are well kept. You've worn
modest clothing in public. It's also been very appropriate. Even your cur-
rent outfit is nice.

"You're no longer obsessed with your manhood. Sure, you want it back, but
now you'd be just as happy being accepted as a woman. In a way, you've al-
lowed yourself to become a woman, just in case you can't be cured.

"You're in love with Akane. We can see that. You don't flaunt it, and
you're careful not to offend people. We've found out that you accepted your
engagement, though you're reluctant to announce it because of your condition."

Ranma smiled at the acknowledgment. She and Akane were definitely growing
closer. Their talk on the mountain had cleared things up between them. She
also remembered her promise about finding a cure.

"You're now more careful about what you say and do around people. You don't
want to offend or embarrass anyone. You've grown up. You care about others.
We've seen this. We just didn't want to accept it until the pervert came.

"So you see, you are a woman. But you are also a man. You've matured faster
than the rest of us. So have Akane, Nabiki, and Kunou. You four have shown
us what tragedy does to people. It's made you stronger.

"So you get emotional. But it's not because you're a girl. It's because
of the stress you're under. My father cried when he and Mother divorced. He
wasn't weak, he just had too much happening to him. His job kept him from
home all of the time. His company was also cutting back on jobs. All of
that and my Aunt's death hit him hard. He just couldn't control his feel-
ings."

Ranma's eyes widened. The only man she knew who cried was Tendou Soun. She
had never considered the possibility that other, grown men cried.

Kumiko smiled. "I may not be able to understand everything you're going
through, but I do know that you are definitely not weak or unmanly for crying
when you do. Does that help any?"

"Hai, it does. I do feel better, now."

"Good, now finish your food. I know how you love to eat," Kumiko said,
smiling.

Ranma smiled and began eating with interest. She didn't shovel her food the
way Kumiko expected her to. Perhaps this Ranma was truly different than the
one she knew before the Nekohanten opened.

This Ranma had all of the knowledge and skills of the old. But she seemed to
lack the confidence of the former. This was disturbing, especially since
Ranma was regarded as one of the best martial artists in school. Kumiko knew
that confidence was as important as, if not more so than, the actual tech-
niques themselves.

Kumiko looked at Ranma eating. She had an idea. "Ranma, why don't you spend
the night at my apartment? Mom won't mind."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Well, if your friends found out, you'd lose them. I have very few friends,
so I'm used to not having any around. You, you've probably had a lot of
friends in your life. I just don't want to see you lose any of them.

"Then there's the fact I've woken up nearly every morning, screaming. You
already said that haunts you. The scream you heard was one of pain. I'm
told my morning scream is close to sheer terror. I don't know how my sisters
and Akane can put up with it every morning. I don't want to cause you any
more problems."

Kumiko frowned. "I'm trying to help, Ranma."

Ranma lowered her head, "I know. You've helped a lot, really. I just don't
want to get you in trouble with your friends or your neighbors. I'm sorry, I
just can't accept your invitation."

Kumiko was growing furious. She was trying to help the person she inadvert-
ently hurt. It was this thought that made her realize Ranma looked every bit
like she did in the locker room for the past two months. Withdrawn, nervous,
and scared.

Kumiko softened. "Would it help if I treated you like any of my other
friends?"

Ranma looked at her quizzically.

"What I mean is: would you be more comfortable if I treated you as I do my
girl friends?"

"You mean treat me as if I'm a girl, and have always been a girl?"

Kumiko nodded.

"But I'm..."

Kumiko sighed, interrupting Ranma's thoughts. "What did I just tell you
about being a woman? Think about it. I trust you completely. You're too
honest to do anything."

"I guess you're right. I act like a girl in public anyway. This'll be no
different. I'll stay on one condition."

"What's that?"

"When I lie to your mother, please understand it's so you don't get in
trouble and not that I'm dishonest."

"I understand. You'll be doing what you think is best. It'll be like when
you came to school in your dress, it was something you had to do. Wait here
and I'll go call Mom. She'll need to know about your nightmares, just in
case."

Ranma smiled and nodded as Kumiko left to find a phone. She finished her
food, noting how much better she was feeling. <Perhaps running into Kumiko
wasn't so bad.> She seemed to know and understand her pain and genuinely
wanted to help. While some of Kumiko's comments bothered her, they made
sense.

She noted the man behind the counter watching her. She started to feel in-
secure again. <What have I done now? Oh well, I better go apologize
anyway.> Ranma rose from her seat and approached the counter. The man was
a little surprised.

Ranma bowed deeply, "I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way. If I have
disgraced myself, or insulted you, I will not return; if that is your wish."

The man stared at her in shock. He composed himself quickly. "I'm the one
who should apologize, Ma'am. You remind me of someone I knew from a long
time ago. I was just trying to decide if the two of you are related. I'm
sorry to have troubled you. You are welcome here anytime."

Ranma bowed again. "Thank you. You, too, look familiar. I'm just not sure
how or where you I might have met you. I'm Saotome Ranma."

"Kuonji Ukyou, pleased to meet you. Do you go to Furinkan High School?"

"Hai."

"Good. Maybe we'll see each other Monday. I just transferred in and it'll
be my first day."

"Great. I'd enjoy talking with you. Thank you for the excellent food."

"You're welcome, Ranma. I'll see you in school."

Kumiko returned in time to hear the end of the conversation. She smiled to
herself that Ranma was meeting a person who could be a friend. She paid for
their food, thanking Ukyou for the excellent food. She and Ranma then left
for her apartment. Neither noticed the man start cursing or the blue aura
building around him.

Chapter 2
Adjustments

Akane paced back and forth by the phone. Ordinarily, she wouldn't be wor-
ried. It was agreed that Ranma needed her time away from the Family. They
called it her "Guy Time," the time Ranma used to be macho.

But this time, Ranma ran off upset. She could be anywhere. And in her cur-
rent emotional state, could have injured or killed anyone who touched her.
That was what Akane was worrying about most. Ranma's Guy Time usually invol-
ved going to Tofu's, heading off with Ryoga, or meeting Kunou in the park.

Akane had called Kyoko and Atsuki, but neither friend had seen Ranma. Even
Tofu and Kunou were at a loss. All four friends volunteered to search for
Ranma, but Akane turned them down for the time being. They all agreed Ranma
might not want to be found, but if they didn't hear from her by nightfall,
they would have to search for her.

The phone rang. Akane was on it immediately. "Hello?"

"Akane? Great, just the person I want to talk to," came Ranma's excited
voice.

"Where are you? We've been worried sick about you."

"I'm at Kumiko's. I'll be spending the night here."

"YOU'LL WHAT?"

"I'm spending the night at Kumiko's. She insisted, saying it'd be good for
me."

"But you're a man."

"Not the last time I looked. I admit, I'm a little nervous, but I want to do
this."

Akane softened. "Are you sure? I mean this isn't like you, or her."

"I'm sure. This is something new. It'll help me be accepted by the
others. I promise I won't do anything that'll embarrass you or get me into
anymore trouble."

"I know you won't. Do you want me there with you?"

"No. I appreciate the offer, but this is something I have to do by myself.
I love you."

"I love you, too. If either of you need me, please call."

"Okay. 'Bye."

"'Bye."

She hung up the phone. Smiling, she turned to see Kasumi and Nabiki watching
her curiously. Akane motioned them to the kitchen.

"Well? What did Ranma say?" asked Nabiki, barely containing her concern.

"She's staying at Kumiko's. Kumiko insisted."

"Isn't Kumiko the girl who forced Ranma to transform?" asked Kasumi with
concern.

"Hai. And she hasn't stopped apologizing yet. In fact, she's one of Ranma's
biggest supporters. She organized the petition not to repair the locker room
until Ranma returned to school. She seems to be planning something, but she
won't tell me. She does say that I would approve."

"That's wonderful. But Father won't approve of Ranma spending the night at
another girl's home," stated Kasumi.

"Who says he has to know? Ranma's a big girl, she can take care of herself,"
replied Nabiki.

"In a fight I would agree. But in a situation like this, I don't know. Be-
sides, we've never kept anything from Father before," Kasumi pointed out.

"I think, tonight anyway, Ranma's a woman. At least that's what she hinted
at," observed Akane.

"Oh my! Has her father pushed her too far?" asked Kasumi, now more worried
than before.

"I don't know. I'm just telling you what I thought I heard. I know she
won't do anything to hurt me. This is something she wants to do."

"I say we support her. She needs to come out of her shell. Kumiko may be
the one to do it, especially considering Ranma can fight her if she needs to.
I don't think she can fight Saotome-san," Nabiki stated.

"But what about our fathers? They'll want to know," cautioned Kasumi.

"They don't need to know. They didn't care when they left. Besides, if they
push too hard, we tell them the truth: Ranma is staying with a friend,"
argued Nabiki.

Kasumi frowned, then smiled. "You're right. If Ranma's comfortable, and
confident, with this, we should support her. Even if she is disappointed."

"Right!" replied Akane and Nabiki together.

***

Ranma sat with Kumiko in her room. They sat on the floor across from each
other. Ranma listened while Kumiko talked about her various awards, her
friends, and her father. Ranma marveled at her new friend's accomplishments.
They seemed incredible to her.

Kumiko brought the conversation to a level that Ranma could actively partici-
pate in. "Did you know that Natsumi, the girl whose underwear you had,
trembles at the sight of Nabiki and Akane?"

"No. You forget, I haven't been to school for two weeks."

"That's right. I'm sorry. Well anyway, after your fight with the Old Man,
she started to badmouth you, while you were still out of it. Nabiki and
Akane just made her miserable. Natsumi ended up crying before those two
left. Now, whenever she sees them, she tries to hide. She won't go anywhere
without at least four of her friends."

"Why is she afraid? Nabiki and Akane are kind. Yeah, Akane can be a little
stubborn and obsessive, but she's really nice. It took me a while to figure
that out. And Nabiki, she's not a fighter. Not like Akane is, anyway. I
have watched her conduct business. I still owe her money at a high interest
rate."

Kumiko laughed. "You don't know, do you? Students are more terrified of
Nabiki than they are of Akane."

"No kidding? How's that possible?" Ranma asked, leaning closer, eager to
hear the tale.

"You didn't hear this from me, but...Nabiki has a way of finding out things
that shouldn't be found out. Almost everybody has owed her money at one time
or another. Any transaction made with her is recorded and verified on the
spot.

"Rumor has it that several students thought they could get away without pay-
ing her by the appointed day. Those students were pale after a month. I
think they found things in their desks, their mail, their gym lockers. After
the month, they ended up paying her double what they owed.

"No one knows for sure, but they think Nabiki did, or had done, all of those
things. She's absolutely ruthless in any sort of math contest. She runs
just about every gambling operation in school. She can tell you who has the
best odds at the sporting events, from any school.

"She even had bets about you and Kunou after the first day. Of course, as
soon as you became a woman, she shut down anything that had to do with you."

Ranma whistled softly. "I knew she was good. She had managed to take pic-
tures of me and Akane without either of us really knowing, until it was too
late. I suspected, but I could never really confirm them. I've watched her
do the finances at the dojo. She's great."

Kumiko smiled. "Hai. For those who know her, or have been lucky enough to
get on her good side, she's someone you want on your side. If she doesn't
have an answer, then she can get it, usually within a week. Sometimes it
costs, sometimes it doesn't.

"The reason why people would rather face Akane is because she will just beat
you up once, then ignore you the best she can. With the exception of the
boys, no one ever wanted to repeat that process. Of course, she rarely hits
another girl, but I've seen her twist a metal post with her hands.

"The person who made her do that never bothered her again. I've also watched
her punch holes in brick walls, often with someone standing there. She makes
a great bruiser."

"I know. I think I still have some lumps from the day we met," Ranma stated
with a wide smile.

Kumiko giggled slightly before continuing, "Now Natsumi has done a first.
She is the only person in Furinkan High's history, to make both of them mad
at one time. You're lucky to have to dedicated champions."

Ranma smiled broadly. "I guess I should let Akane do my fighting now."

Kumiko giggled. "I think the three of you should work together. I mean,
Nabiki handles the money, Akane handles the tough guys, and you show them why
someone should never cross a Tendou."

"Do you see me as a Tendou?"

"You call Nabiki and Kasumi your sisters. I've heard both Akane and Nabiki
refer to you as family. I've also seen your picture on the posters advertis-
ing the Tendou Family Center. I just assumed that you felt more like a
Tendou after these last two months."

Ranma thought for a moment. "Akane and I talked about this a little while
ago. I won't go into details, but we were wondering what to call ourselves
when we were married."

"And?"

"I said I wouldn't go into details," smiled Ranma mischiveously.

"But did you decide on something."

Ranma giggled, "It depends on who wears the wedding dress."

Kumiko joined the giggling. Soon both women were laughing hard.

***

Ranma walked down the early morning streets. Ranma had enjoyed herself. She
had forgotten her troubles with her father. Being with and talking with
Kumiko helped.

She actually felt comfortable with Kumiko. Ranma felt lucky to have found
this new friend. This friend shared a pain that made it easier for them to
talk to each other. While the pain bothered Ranma, she knew this was a
special friendship.

Ranma opened the gate to the dojo. She went to the patio, hoping to see
Kasumi. Sure enough, Kasumi was on the patio, staring at the pond. She
motioned for Ranma to sit next to her. Both women embraced each other.

"How was your night?" asked Kasumi.

"It was wonderful! Kumiko and I talked a long time. I learned a lot about
her, and myself, last night. We're actually a lot alike. I also found out
how wonderful my new family is."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. After I fought the Old Man the first time, I was too weak to pay at-
tention to what Akane and Nabiki did. Kumiko told me. I need to thank them
again."

"Good. I'm glad to see you happier today."

"Thanks. I do feel happier. I now have one more friend. That helps."

"Good. That's all that matters right now," replied Kasumi with a smile.

"Kumiko made me a promise last night. She promised to tell all of her
friends not to eat at the Nekohanten until I'm cured. I'm not so sure that's
such a good idea."

"Maybe it is. If they lose money, and figure out you're the reason, you
could use it to your advantage. Talk to Nabiki about that. She can give you
better advice."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Why don't you take a bath while I start breakfast. You can
help me when you've finished. There are things we need to talk about."

"Okay."

Ranma moved quietly inside. Kasumi noticed Genma watching them from the
training hall. She stood up and went to the elder Saotome. She stood in the
doorway, silently waiting for him to speak.

"I see Ranma has returned. How is he?"

"You should ask 'him' yourself. It would mean a lot to all of us."

Genma remained silent, staring at the house. Finally, he spoke, "If I speak
to him, will that help him?"

Kasumi knew where this was leading. She held her thoughts, though. "It will
be a start, Saotome-san."

"Thank you for your honesty."

She bowed and returned to the house. She was surprised to see Akane up so
early. "Are you up going to stay up?"

"Yeah. That little pervert woke me up."

"Oh?"

"Can you believe it? She kissed me. On the lips!"

Kasumi suppressed a giggle. "Maybe the boy has returned."

Akane grinned evilly, "Yeah. I'm going to take a bath."

"Ranma's in there, so the water will be cold."

"I know. But I've got to pay her back somehow."

Kasumi smiled. She had an idea of what Akane would do, but it wasn't as bad
as it would have been four months ago. "Just remember. Nabiki and Father are
still asleep."

"I know. I'll make sure she doesn't scream too loudly."

Akane entered the bathroom, surprising Ranma. Akane smiled at how embarras-
sed Ranma seemed, even after all of the times they'd change in front of each
other. Akane stepped into the tub, surprised at how warm the water actually
was. It was warm, like an indoor pool. She sat down next to Ranma, hiding
her grin.

"You woke me up, Pervert. We had an agreement, remember?"

Ranma nodded, not quite sure how to handle it.

"I told you you'd regret it," Akane said, threateningly, before kissing Ranma
on the lips, passionately.

Ranma just stared at Akane, wondering at the thrill she had just experienced.
Akane retreated to the other side of the tub, smiling. Ranma regained enough
composure to sputter, "I thought...I'm not...I didn't..."

Akane shook her head, smiling. "Ranma, I threatened you as a joke. You sur-
prised me this morning, so I had to surprise you. We agreed to wait until we
finished school before doing anything serious about our relationship. Even
if I have to marry you as you are now.

"Please don't be upset."

Ranma smiled broadly, "I'm not upset. You surprised, and pleased, me. I'll
try to control myself."

Akane grinned at Ranma's nearly hidden comment. She took her fiancee's hand,
and held it gently. Ranma squeezed it lightly. They soon began cleaning,
and talking about the previous night.

They quickly finished. They dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen.
Kasumi and Ranma helped Akane with her cooking. Her cooking had improved
greatly over the last two months.

The two sisters filled Ranma in on what had happened the night before, in-
cluding Kasumi forcing their fathers into submission. Ranma felt better.
She also told them about her evening, including how well she was treated.

All three were laughing as they brought the food to the table. The rest of
the family sat there, patiently waiting for breakfast. Ranma quickly
sobered, watching her father carefully. She did not want to make things
worse.

"How are you this morning, Son?" Genma asked, trying to sound relaxed.

"Better than last night. I am sorry for my behavior and abrupt departure."

Genma noted how well Ranma was carrying herself this morning, even with
reference to the troubled previous evening. "I...understand, now. You
fought the Master very well. You have succeeded where Tendou and I failed."

"I don't understand."

"Twenty years ago, we sealed the Master in a cave. We had hoped that his
evil would never plague us, or the world, again. It seems that you were able
to prepare a superior defense against him, without instruction from us. I am
most pleased with that, Son.

"I have also been told that you have beaten Cologne again. You are improving
better than I had dreamed. From what your friends, tell me, I now understand
why you have given up the Art.

"I have dishonored you by calling you a coward when I did not understand the
facts, forgive me. To make it up to you, I wish to start retraining you
again, starting Monday. I will introduce to you techniques that will help
you remain in control. Would that be acceptable?"

"Hai, Father. I would very much like to train with you again. And I do for-
give you. You were not prepared for the adjustments I've had to make over
the last two months, I should have been more understanding."

"It is...in the past. We will resume your training at dawn Monday, as
usual."

Ranma nodded. The formalities had been completed. She was pleased that her
father seemed to accept, at least superficially, her outward appearance and
attitudes. She would have to thank the sisters later.

The family began to eat. Casual conversation filled the air as they relaxed.
Ranma wasn't shoveling her food anymore, unlike her father. She waited for a
suitable break in the conversation.

"Father, do I know someone named Kuonji Ukyou? I met him yesterday. He
seemed very familiar."

Genma hardened the expression on his face. "It no longer matters."

"I see. I guess I'll find out more about him at school Monday."

Genma fumed. "I will not have my son date another person, especially a man.
You have been pledged to Akane. THAT is all that is important."

Ranma sank in her seat, before giving in to her own anger. "I never said
anything about dating him. I am not interested in men. If Ukyou was a
friend of mine, I want to find out. Maybe we can still be friends. That was
the only reason I asked!"

Genma backed down upon seeing his son's and Kasumi's reactions. "I am sorry.
I should trust you more. It would be best if we said nothing further of
this."

"Hai, Father."

The family finished their meal in silence. When they finished eating, the
women cleared the table. It was while they cleaned the dishes that Ranma
began to sob, her hopes seemingly crashing around her.

An hour later, the four were walking toward the shopping districts. Ranma
was silent, as usual. The Tendous talked among themselves, including Ranma
in as much as they could. Eventually, Ranma returned to life, conversing
with the sisters. They remained out of the house until late evening,
punishing Genma for his actions.

Chapter 3
Confrontations

Ranma rose with the sun, careful not to wake Akane. She was looking forward
to her training. For the first time in two weeks, she was willing to fight.
It was an offer she could not refuse. A chance to win approval from her
father. A chance to show him how little she had changed, and how much she
had improved.

She quickly changed into her favorite suit, the red, silk shirt and black,
ankle tied pants. She quietly went down the stairs. Kasumi met her at the
kitchen. Kasumi hugged her, whispering in her ear, "Good luck, Ranma."

"Thanks, Kasumi," replied Ranma, breaking the embrace.

She quickly moved to the training hall. She quietly opened the door. Her
father sat in the center of the large room, staring at the door. Not liking
his look, Ranma retreated. She caught herself and proceeded into the room.

"You're late, Son. I will let it slide for today. Now, let us begin," com-
manded Genma as he stood and began his exercises.

Ranma, too, began her warm ups. To Genma's astonishment and horror, Ranma's
kata were graceful, refined, almost feminine. Something had to be done about
that, and soon.

When they finished, Genma spoke, "Your objective is to attack me with all of
your skill. Success will be when you either knock me out or I am pinned to
the wall. Begin!"

Ranma readied herself, watching her father for an attack or opening. The
objective to push him against the wall was adequate for the training. She
still didn't want to hurt him. She found her opening and launched herself
into a high attack.

As expected, Genma moved to the side. Ranma landed on the floor, springing
into a low attack.

Genma leapt up and to the side. Ranma quickly positioned herself to where he
would land, surprising him.

Ranma released a few soft but fast punches into Genma before he could land.
He fell back. He frowned at the intensity of the attack, but noted he was
closer to a wall than he wanted.

He refocused himself in time to see a high kick coming from Ranma. He ducked
below the kick. He punched Ranma in the stomach, hard.

Ranma fell to the floor, gasping in pain. She opened her eyes in time to see
her father's foot approach her head. She rolled to the side, avoiding the
foot.

She moved to her feet, retreating a few steps. She chanced a glance at the
wall. She smiled to herself. Two more moves and her father would be against
the wall.

Genma advanced while Ranma retreated back and to the side. She noticed anger
creeping into her father's otherwise neutral face.

She blocked a high kick, then some fast punches. She attempted to kick her
father in the chest.

He grabbed her leg. He attempted to push her to the floor, positioning her
for the finishing blow.

Ranma twisted her body, bringing her free foot to Genma's head. He had to
release her foot to block. Using her hands as support, Ranma used her now
freed foot to sweep her father's legs from under him.

He fell to the ground, hard. Ranma reacted quickly, by attacking low and to
the side.

Genma couldn't roll to the side without being hit. And Ranma was keeping him
on the defensive. His only option was to move up, towards the wall.

When his head and shoulders hit the wall, Ranma stopped her attack. Smiling,
she said, "Point, Pop."

Genma fumed, refusing Ranma's hand as he stood. "You fight like a girl! You
held back. NEVER HOLD BACK IN A FIGHT! You and Ukyou will make a perfect
couple."

Ranma ignored his last comment for the moment. "I did not want to hurt you.
You gave me TWO options, put you out or pin you to the wall. You only said I
had to use my SKILL. I won't use my strength against you. You mean too much
to me!"

Genma glared at his child, "Not only do you fight like a girl, you act and
talk like one. If you want to be a girl, I WILL FIND YOU A MAN TO MARRY!"

Ranma collapsed to the floor, stunned, as Genma stormed to the locker room.
Kasumi rushed to comfort Ranma. She noticed her father standing in the door,
shaking his head. She helped Ranma to her feet.

The confidence Ranma had in the bout was now replaced by anger. Ranma tried
to return to the hall, but Kasumi kept her from leaving her side. "Don't
waste your effort, Ranma. You did wonderful, I don't care what our fathers
say. Now get cleaned up, you still have to get ready."

Ranma grumbled and stormed upstairs, nearly knocking Nabiki over. Nabiki
turned to her older sister. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. Our fathers are dining alone. We'll eat and talk in
the kitchen. Is Akane up?"

"She's in the bath."

"Go tell Ranma to bathe with her. The sooner they're down here, the better.
I don't want Ranma to go to school angry."

A wicked smile came over Nabiki, "Right."

Nabiki found Ranma in waiting in the hall outside the bathroom. She shook
her head. "Come on, Ranma. Kasumi wants you and Akane cleaned and down-
stairs soon."

"But Akane's in there. She has hot water."

"We'll fix that. In you go."

Nabiki gently pushed Ranma through the laundry room and into the bathroom.
They startled Akane.

"What do you think your doing?"

"Kasumi wants you two cleaned and in the kitchen soon. It has to do with our
fathers." Nabiki added with a smile as she left the room, "You'd better
learn how to take cold baths, Sis. You and Ranma are spending way too much
time together."

Akane threw a sponge at her laughing sister. Ranma just watched Nabiki
leave. She giggled slightly, looking at Akane.

"Don't you even start, you pervert," Akane said angrily.

Ranma began undressing. She handed Akane the sponge before starting her cold
shower. "She's right. When we're married and if I'm not cured, we may need
to do this. That is unless Father marries me to some man."

"What?"

"I held back. That pissed the Old Man off. I told him why, again. He said
that not only am I fighting like a girl, but I'm acting and talking like one.
Can you believe that? When he finished that, he said if I wanted to be a
girl, he'd marry me to a man. Just for that I want make him a panda and ship
him to a zoo."

Akane laughed at that. "Well, you know what's best for him. Whenever he
gets to you, think about him being in a zoo, and you and I holding hands,
laughing at him."

Ranma started to laugh at that image. She then looked at Akane, with as
close to a serious look as she could manage. "As man and wife, or as two
women?"

"You don't get it. You'll always be a man to me. But I think it would be
best if we did it both ways." Akane cocked her head a bit, grinning devil-
ishly, "Maybe we should make out in front of him. Both ways."

Ranma turned red. She sprayed Akane with the cold water. Akane fought the
urge to splash Ranma, instead, she threw the sponge. They finished their
baths, the raced downstairs, to the kitchen.

Ranma saw her father in the family room and stiffened under his glare. Akane
was about to kiss Ranma when Kasumi stopped her. "They're not ready yet.
Just let them work this out."

The three women returned to the kitchen. They ate and talked quietly, not
wanting to attract their fathers' attention. Kasumi and Ranma related the
events in the training hall. Even knowing about the comments concerning
Ukyou and men didn't stop Akane from becoming furious.

Kasumi's version had more of an impact, since her anger was as great as
Ranma's. Nabiki sat in thought. Ranma was mumbling about different ways she
could humiliate her father.

The younger women prepared to leave for school. Kasumi pulled Ranma to the
side. "Ranma, I've given it a lot of thought. I'm going to invite your
mother here next week. We can't let her know about your condition, yet. So
I'm going to ask that you call yourself something else for a while.

"If I think she's going to help, we'll tell her everything. If not, then
we'll just have to use your other name until you're cured."

"Will Father be here when she comes?"

"If you want him to be."

"Not at the moment. Can we wait until I've worked things out with him and
this Ukyou?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Ranma replied, hugging Kasumi.

After Ranma left, Kasumi returned to the house. She was quickly confronted
by the two fathers. She was relieved to see Ryoga sitting on Mother's rock,
watching them, ready to defend her.

"We have to talk to you, Kasumi," stated her father evenly.

"It's about what you're doing to Ranma," added Genma.

Kasumi hardened her expression, matching the fathers' almost perfectly. They
were startled, but continued, "Ranma is acting too much like a girl. I would
have expected him to fight to remain a man. I want to know what you have
done to my son."

Ryoga moved closer. Kasumi maintained her expression. "I have done nothing
to Ranma. We have encouraged her to accept her body and to make an effort at
appearing to be a girl in public. At home, she is allowed to be herself,
acting in any fashion she sees fit.

"For the last two months, she has had problems being accepted by the other
students, both male and female. Akane, Nabiki, and I have included Ranma in
several of our own activities. Two of Akane's friends, who are also Ranma's
friends, have done similarly.

"I suspect Ranma has made certain concessions. I believe these concessions
are her attempts at being her approximation of normal and of being accepted
as a person. She is especially concerned about being accepted by the girls,
since she has to pretend to be a girl all day.

"Her reluctance to fight stems from her encounter with your master. It left
her emotionally drained. I believe you were told that Ranma remained in the
dojo, unmoving for nearly an entire day. She fears fighting because she
nearly killed a man. That, and she fears she might lose control again, hurt-
ing or killing someone she cares for.

"She trains with Ryoga and Tatewaki because they beg her. Ryoga has somehow
kept a marginal interest in the Art alive in her. Tatewaki has kept the
issue of honor alive. I suspect you have shattered all of that today.

"To set the record straight, we want Ranma cured. It would mean the world to
her, and Akane. We also want her happy. We had managed to get her comfor-
table, if not marginally happy, before your return. You have set all of that
back.

"Because of this, I ask that you do not attempt to train her, discipline her,
or make her feel guilty about anything. If you do, I'll kick you out faster
than you can eat."

Ryoga silently cheered as Soun responded, "You can't kick Saotome out. He's
our guest. He's also Ranma's father. We have no right to tell him how to
raise his son."

"Then he should act like a father. Ranma needs help, so she turns to those
who are willing to help. Saotome-san, if you are not going to help Ranma,
then I cannot allow you in the house."

"Kasumi! We can't..."

Kasumi stopped her father with a threatening look. "Don't make me choose
between you and Ranma, Father, you will not like the answer. Now if you'll
excuse me, I have to prepare for the children." She stood to go to the
kitchen.

"Why do you keep referring to my son as a 'she?'" asked Genma quietly.

Kasumi paused. "That was what all four of us agreed upon. It makes refer-
ences easier. It also helps with the children, Ranma's schoolmates, and the
various parents. As we keep telling you, a lot has happened in the last two
months."

***

Ukyou watched Ranma enter the school yard with Akane and Nabiki. He found it
odd that they were the only girls in sight. He also found it odd that
several of the boys moved away from them, as if they were death.
Ukyou followed at a discrete distance. He needed to find out more about this
person before heading off to his classroom to set up for his introduction.
He watched curiously as a tall, handsome man in a kendo uniform approached
the three women.

The attack came quickly. Ukyou could tell the attack was meant for Ranma,
but it was the heavier looking companion that blocked the attack with con-
siderable skill. The man bowed deeply, apparently apologizing.

The woman returned to Ranma's side. Ranma was apparently carrying on about
something. Hints of anger could be heard. Ukyou noticed that some of the
men who had shied away earlier seemed brave enough to approach. Ukyou moved
even closer, hoping to learn more.

"Yo! Ranma really is a girl?"

"Now maybe we can date the best looking girl in school!"

Ranma started to move, but the handsome man put his hand on her shoulder.
"Silence, curs! This is not a matter for your ears. Be gone!"

Ukyou noticed how much respect this man commanded. Things would definitely
be interesting at this school. He had found someone named Saotome Ranma, but
was it the same Ranma he remembered from so long ago?

This would have to be examined later. He had to get to class in order to set
up for his introduction. He moved quickly to his room.

He entered the room. To his surprise, nearly every female student, or so he
thought, was in the room. It was almost more than the room could hold.
Several students were standing in the halls, waiting for someone. The
teacher appeared to be trying to get some of the students to leave.

Kumiko rushed over to Ukyou, surprising him. "Good. You're going to school
here. Are those your things?" she asked, pointing to the cooking gear.

"Hai," Ukyou replied cautiously.

"Wonderful! Could you make an extra large portion for a special student?"

"Sure. Who's the student, and the occasion?"

"Saotome Ranma. The occasion is basically a welcome back and we're sorry."

"Oh. What did Ranma do?"

"It's not so much what she did. It's what we've done. Don't worry about it,
it's in the past."

"If you say so. I'll just write a general note. Should I put a name with
it?"

"No. She'll know who it's from."

Ukyou started his equipment without any trouble. The teacher chatted with
him, but the work was otherwise peacefully quiet. It was when Ranma came in
that things became interesting. It was only then that Ukyou noticed the ban-
ner reading: "Welcome Back Ranma!"

Several of the students embraced the stunned Ranma before leaving the room.
Ukyou thought he heard several apologies and thank yous from the women.
Soon, the room only held the regular number of female students, plus Nabiki.

Ukyou took over the oversized okonomiyaki to Ranma. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Ranma replied, confused.

"Don't thank me, thank your friend over there," Ukyou said, pointing to
Kumiko.

After reading the note on the pancake, Ranma asked, "What does this mean?"

"Baka!" exclaimed Akane, smiling.

"It means you've been accepted, silly," one of the girls replied proudly.

"After what happened with the Old Man, we realized you were never like that,"
stated another girl.

"That's right. You've been nice these last two months. We just couldn't ac-
cept it. This is our way of saying 'We're sorry.'"

"Thank you. This means a lot, especially today," Ranma replied, calmer than
before.

Ukyou stood there listening. He had the impression this was an event that
the whole school knew about. This made him more curious about the red-haired
girl. His curiosity had to wait, the male half of the class entered the
room.

Everyone took a seat. The boys saw the large okonomiyaki in front of Ranma.
Several of them tried to get a piece. Ukyou was amazed at how fast Ranma
deflected their hands.

"All right, class. Ranma, welcome back. Boys, you know better than to ir-
ritate Ranma. And, as you can see, we have a new student, Kuonji Ukyou. If
you couldn't tell already, he's an okonomiyaki chef. So let's make him feel
welcome."

Everyone stood, bowing to Ukyou. "Welcome to Furinkan High School."

"Thank you. I'd like to show my appreciation by making you a little some-
thing. These are family recipes. I'm sure you'll remember them, Ranma."

Ranma watched the boy intently, noting his movements while he made the food.
The combination of cooking and martial arts pulled images from her mind.

Images of running to an okonomiyaki cart every morning, only to be confronted
by another boy. They played together, always with Ranma winning. The
images brought joy and recognition.

"I do remember, Ucchan. Very delicious!" exclaimed Ranma joyfully.

She failed to notice Ukyou removing several of the small spatulas from his
shoulder harness. Ranma continued talking, her voice a mixture of joy and
sadness, "It's great to see you again. There's so much I want to talk to
about. Man, this is so wild! I didn't expect to ever see any of my old
friends again!"

Ukyou was about to throw the spatulas. The last comment changed his mind.
Maybe things were different than he remembered. He also thought about what
happened before class. The odd comments. "Hai, we have a lot to talk
about."

Ukyou finished the pancakes for the class. He was pointed to the seat to
Ranma's left. This was the perfect spot for his revenge, but the time wasn't
right. He still had to know for sure.

He watched Ranma share her food with the girl next to her. Ranma's smile
reminded him of the smiling boy who beat him every morning. It wasn't until
Ranma offered him a piece of her special pancake that he realized there was
more to this Ranma than met the eye.

***

Lunch came all too quickly for everyone. They thanked Ukyou for the food.
The girls tried to get Ranma to go with them. She declined, saying that she
needed to talk to Ukyou. She promised to join them as quickly as she could.

There were several boys next to Ukyou, asking him questions. "So you knew
Ranma as a kid. Is he a man or a woman?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, we're trying to find out what kind of person Ranma was as a child.
Since you two are old friends, then maybe you could help us."

Ukyou stared at them in confusion. He felt someone gently grab his wrist.
He turned to attack, stopping when he saw it was Ranma. She smiled nervously
at him.

"Come on, Ucchan, I need to talk to you privately."

Ukyou followed Ranma to the roof, thankful the strange questions had ended.
Ranma made sure it was clear before signaling him to follow. Ranma walked to
the fence overlooking the school yard.

She turned to face Ukyou, her expression serious. "What do you remember of
me?"

Ukyou blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? I only met you Friday. That
was the first time you had my food."

Ranma shook her head, "If that were true, then why did I call you 'Ucchan?'
I thought you looked familiar when we met Friday. I recognized the name,
sort of. I asked my father about you. He told me it no longer mattered if I
knew you or not.

"Given the state of our relationship, I took that to mean we had known each
other. This morning, I upset him. His comments confirmed what I had
thought, though they were very disturbing.

"I'd like to know what you remember of me. It's very important."

Ukyou stared at Ranma, assessing the situation. He couldn't argue some of
the facts, but they didn't fit with his experiences. "I remember fighting a
black-haired boy with a pony-tail every morning for two or three months.
That boy was Saotome Ranma. He always won, allowing his father to steal from
mine. Does that answer your question?"

Ranma nodded. "It does. I'm sorry for what I did to you and your father. I
can't make excuses. I know it won't help, but I'll pay for what Father
stole. It won't be all at once, but we can work something out."

Ukyou grew furious. "How can you pretend to be that boy? He's Japanese,
you're a gaijin!"

Ranma stepped back. Her face hardened. "I have been called a cur, a
sorcerer, a minx, a pervert, BUT NEVER A GAIJIN! That is an insult I WILL
NOT TOLERATE!"

Ranma assumed her stance, her eyes boring into Ukyou. He took his stance as
well. He noted that Ranma never adjusted hers. He thought he saw an opening
and lunged.

Ranma grabbed the battle spatula, twisting it over and around her, flipping
Ukyou to the ground. She bent the handle, discarding the weapon to the side.
Her eyes never leaving Ukyou.

"Who are you?" spat Ukyou as he stood, removing several small spatulas.

"I am Saotome Ranma, son of Saotome Genma. I am Japanese, descended from
samurai. This female body you see is the result of a magical curse. I have
satisfied my honor, Kuonji Ukyou. I wish no further conflict."

Ranma completely relaxed. She softened her expression, but did not turn her
back. Ukyou remained poised for his attack. Rather than risk losing in an
open attack, he felt he should unbalance Ranma. "If you truly are the
Ranchan I knew ten years ago, then you stole more than okonomiyaki from my
family. You stole my life and happiness. You ran out on our engagement!"

Ranma's face went white. She sat down, looking at Ukyou. "My father engaged
me to a boy? When I was six? THAT BASTARD! I'll kill him. If he wanted a
daughter he should have raised me like one. I'll kill that bastard!"

Ranma began pacing. "No, I'll change him into a panda, and stick him in a
zoo. I'll laugh at him 'cause he won't be able to leave. I'll bring my
friends and show them what an animal he is. That's what I'll do..."

Ukyou noticed Ranma's aura getting darker. This scared him. What was worse
was Ranma was no longer paying attention to him. This infuriated him fur-
ther, causing him to forget his fear. He saw his opening and attacked.

He didn't stand a chance. In one fluid movement, Ranma had put his face in
the gravel. He couldn't breath with Ranma standing on his back.

A female voice came from behind them, "That's enough, Ranma!"

Ranma turned to see Akane and Nabiki in the doorway. Akane took Ranma to the
side while Nabiki helped Ukyou up, carefully brushing the gravel from his
shirt. She smiled devilishly when she finished.

"Ranma, dear, Ukyou's a girl."

"What?" exclaimed Ranma and Akane.

"H-how do you know?" Ukyou asked, surprised.

Nabiki smiled knowingly. "Several things, actually. First, Ranma hasn't
been himself lately. He simply overlooked the obvious statement his father
made this morning: 'You and Ukyou would make a perfect couple.' Think,
Ranma. Your father engaged you to a girl when you were six.

"Your seeing a 'he' instead of a 'she' must have made him think some sort of
change had occurred. Perhaps another visitor to Jusenkyo. This change would
match perfectly what he now sees in you."

"Which we do not," added Akane emphatically.

Nabiki smiled at her sister's comment, hoping it would help Ranma. Ranma
looked at Nabiki, trying to sort out her thoughts. "How could I be so stu-
pid? He's always wanted a strong son. That bastard. What else has he done
to me?"

Nabiki shook her head. "We'll deal with him later. Don't worry Ranma, you
just didn't have all of the facts, or the clear mind. You've had a busy mor-
ning: showing your father you fight with your brains, finally being accepted
as a woman, and being reunited with a friend who wants to kill you.

"As for you, Kuonji-chan, I was fooled once by Ranma. When he first arrived
at our home, he was a she. The way he wore his clothes, you couldn't tell
unless you knew what to look for. For a while, he could be either. Now,
he's locked as a she.

"When he gets cured, he won't need bandages as you do. With the exception of
our fathers, my sisters and I, and some very close friends, everyone is ac-
cepting Ranma as being a girl. At least physically. There are few who think
he's mentally a girl as well. But the sooner you accept Ranma as a 'she,'
the better off we'll all be."

"I don't believe you."

Nabiki smiled. "You will. Just ask any student about Tendou Nabiki. I
won't lie to you, very few people have ever been able to pull a fast one on
me. Ranma is the only one to have done it consistently.

"I assume the school knows your real gender?"

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"If they know you're a girl, you'll be changing with us," continued Akane.

"My records indicate I'm male. Legally, I am a boy. How about you, Ranma?"

"I'm registered as a male. My curse requires me to attend as a girl. The
school knows about my curse."

"That's too bad. Now we can't show Ukyou what you can do when you're angry.
I'm sorry, Ranma, they haven't done any repairs yet."

Ranma grew pale again. Ukyou noticed the pained look in Akane and Nabiki,
but wasn't entirely convinced. After all, whoever heard of a man cursed to
take the body of a woman?

Akane directed her attention to Ukyou. "One more thing, Ranma and I are en-
gaged. I'll hear your claim later. Perhaps after our fathers leave again."

"What do you mean?"

"Our fathers are ashamed of me. So they've been going on 'training' mis-
sions. We expect they'll be gone again by the end of the week."

"Come on, Ranma, we need to cheer you up at the party. Everyone's waiting
for you. Ukyou, you're welcome to join us. After all, you're a friend of
Ranma's," invited Akane.

"But I just fought him."

Nabiki smiled, "So have Ranma's other friends: Kunou, Ryoga, and Kumiko.
I'm beginning to think that's normal."

All but Ukyou chuckled softly at Nabiki's comment. Ranma bent Ukyou's bat-
tle spatula back into its original shape. They left the roof to join the
female students in the school yard below. Ranma and Akane talked about put-
ting the elder Saotome in a zoo.

***

Ranma was feeling nervous. She didn't want to enter the locker room, es-
pecially after what had happened two weeks earlier. It was even worse when
she found out that the repairs had not even started.

Akane gently guided her fiancee into the room. Ranma was surprised when she
saw the banners. Not only was there the welcome banner like the one in
class, but also a smaller reading: "Ranma: 1 Perverts: 0."

Ranma smiled as she was led to the crater. There were several decorations
around it. Her attention was caught by the many signs, notes, and posters:
"We're sorry, Ranma!" "The place Ranma proved herself!" "Ranma's Victory!"
Tears came to Ranma's eyes.

Ukyou watched as Ranma behaved like the young woman she should be. None of
the girls seemed to notice her, which was good. Of course, when they started
to get ready for class, they started to get angry.

Ukyou was surprised at how quickly Ranma came to her side. While Ranma ex-
plained that Ukyou was a girl and that this seemed like the result of her
idiot father, Ukyou saw how much of a woman Ranma really was. Her view of
Ranma's assets convinced her they were real

The women in the room quickly apologized, accepting Ukyou without question.
It also helped that Akane invoked Nabiki's observations. Ukyou thanked Ranma
and Akane while she changed.

The class entered the gym. Ranma and Ukyou were talking about some of the
less painful things in their lives. The female students were surrounding the
two friends, preventing the boys from seeing them.

Ukyou talked about how she was living above her cafe, alone. She mentioned,
with regret, that her father said this would be important for her. Ranma
told of how the dojo was being used as a daycare center. She also mentioned
how wonderful her friends were trying to help her cope with her condition.

When everyone took their seats, the instructor demonstrated various
gymnastic techniques. While he was demonstrating the techniques and
helping some of the students, several boys came over to Ranma and Ukyou.

"Hey Ranma, do all of your friends change with water?"

"No."

"Then how come he changed in the girls room? Are you two doing things you
can't do with Akane?"

Ranma fumed. She was about to attack when Ukyou held her back. "I was in-
vited to see what Ranma can do when she's REALLY ticked. That's all you need
to know, now back off."

The men eyed them suspiciously. One made the comment before leaving, "I bet
they just renewed their 'friendship.' Poor Akane, to be dumped like that."

Before anyone could react, the man was knocked to the floor, blood trickling
from his mouth and nose. Akane stood there, furious. "Listen up Ryunosuke,
what happens between Ranma and I is our business, not yours. You insult us
again, I will make sure you will never be able to speak again."

"That's enough, Akane!" commanded the instructor. He eyed the students care-
fully. "It seems we have forgotten the Number One and Number Two Lessons at
Furinkan High. Do we remember what they are?"

The girls in class were smiling very broadly. The guys looked at each other
in mild confusion. No one seemed to volunteer an answer. The instructor
shook his head. "For the benefit of yourselves, and Kuonji-san: Lesson Num-
ber One, Akane can kick your butts to the ends of the earth. She did that
to you every morning for two months, remember?"

The women nodded while the men winced in remembered pain. Ukyou looked at
Akane, astounded. The instructor smiled. "Lesson Number Two, Ranma is
several times better. She sent that man to the hospital. From what I under-
stand, he has yet to regain consciousness.

"Considering all of their skills, I would STRONGLY suggest you be careful
what you say and do around them. We are dealing with something that we know
nothing about. Need I remind you that Ranma is cursed?

"As for you two, I'm going to let this slide. Just be more subtle in your
discipline next time. Ukyou, you're up."

Ukyou nodded. She looked at Ranma and Akane before going into her maneuvers.
Akane sat down next to Ranma. They held hands. "I can't believe he said
that! That's perverted."

Ranma countered, "That's what I've had to deal with. Now you and Ukyou will
have to put up with it as well. Thank you. I think I would have sent him to
the hospital. Ucchan might have done the same."

Akane sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I still want to be friends, but I don't know if we can be. I
caught how 'he' looked at me in the locker room. It made me...uncomfor-
table."

"Why?"

Ranma whispered in Akane's ear, "Only you should be looking at me like that."

Akane blushed. She straightened up before changing the subject. "Have you
asked 'him?'"

"About?"

"About being friends?"

"Not exactly. I want to hear how we became engaged. Then we can try to
start over. I want to know if we can still be friends."

"I understand."

Just then, Soun and Genma entered the room. They raced straight to Akane,
ignoring Ranma completely. Soun burst into tears, "Akane, you've got to av-
enge us and defend the dojo. If you don't, it'll be destroyed!"

"What are you babbling about, Father?" Akane asked with a hint of disgust.
She feared a trick from the fathers.

"The Dojo Destroyer is coming! He's already beaten Saotome and I. He'll re-
turn Saturday to take on you and Ryoga. If you two can't beat him, we'll
lose our home!"

Ranma assessed the two men. Her voice remained measured, "How come Ryoga
didn't help you?"

"He disappeared while trying to get the children to safety. Something a true
warrior would do," replied Soun coldly, losing his tears. "Besides, this is
no longer your concern."

Akane stiffened, her anger becoming visible. Ukyou moved to Ranma's side,
ready to help. Ranma looked Soun squarely in the eyes. "What do you mean
'no longer my concern?' The dojo's my home, too!"

Genma's voice broke in, "Because we need someone who won't run away or pull
punches like a scared little girl."

Ranma fumed, yelling at her father, "If my home and sisters are threatened, I
WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT THEM! I don't care what you think, I fight because I
have to."

"Then why did you pull your punches this morning, Girl?"

Ranma winced. "I told you I didn't want to hurt you! You're my father."

"I taught my son never to hold back in a fight of any kind. It seems he has
lost his edge and has become soft, like a girl. My son is lost to me."
Genma turned to Akane, "Will you help Ryoga defend the dojo?"

Akane looked at the devastated Ranma then at the fathers. "Aren't you afraid
I'm too soft and weak? Shouldn't you find another 'man' to fight?"

Soun spoke forcefully, "Daughter! As heir to the Tendou Dojo, you must de-
fend against the Destroyer. Saotome has chosen Ryoga as his champion. Now,
you will fight with Ryoga to defend the dojo."

Akane glared at the men. "I will defend my home. I will choose who fights
at my side, not you or Saotome-san. And Saotome-san will not be there for
the fight."

"Daughter, he must be there to see himself avenged."

"HE WILL NOT BE THERE! If his is, you will not like what happens."

"Hmph! I thought you'd be better than the One Who Was My Son."

Ranma's heart sank deeper. She listened to every word her father said, not
wanting to believe it. She easily slipped into her offensive posture, ready
to strike out of anger. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned
to see Ukyou staring at her father with a look that said, "If I ever get my
hands on him, he's dead."

The conversation snapped her back. "Do not disappoint us, Daughter," con-
cluded Soun as he and Genma left.

When they left the room, Akane turned to Ranma. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I'm so
sorry."

Ukyou also comforted Ranma, "I'm here, Honey. I'm here for you."

Ranma stood there, not moving or crying. Everyone in the class was silent.
They had no idea why Ranma had been so quiet and withdrawn, beyond the grief
they had given her. They had completely misunderstood what she was going
through. Now, they were beginning to understand.

Understandably, class was cut short. The men moved away from the trio,
ashamed of their behavior. The women moved closer, doing their best to help
Ranma. They offered their encouragement to her and Akane.

Eventually, everyone returned to the locker room, leaving Ranma, Akane, and
Ukyou sitting in the middle of the floor. Akane held Ranma in her arms while
Ukyou held Ranma's hands. The instructor watched them from the stage, not
knowing what else to do.

A bicycle entered the gym. Shampoo stopped in front of the trio. She stared
at Ukyou before confronting her. "Who you?"

"Kuonji Ukyou, Ranma's fi..."

Akane coughed.

"Friend. I just moved here. Who are you?"

"You not know? Good. You and Pervert Girl leave. Shampoo show Airen some-
thing."

"Go away, Shampoo. I don't want anything to do with you," Ranma stated cold-
ly as she stood to leave.

Shampoo dropped the large tub on the floor. She looked at Ranma leaving, ig-
noring Akane and Ukyou. "Why Ranma go?"

"Because I don't want to deal with you or Cologne. Go before I do something
we'll both regret."

Shampoo turned to Akane. "What you do?"

"We've done nothing, Shampoo. Go home and tell Cologne she's succeeded in
destroying Ranma's family."

"Great-grandmother no destroy family. Pervert Girl still here."

"What she means, Sugar, is that Ranma's father just kicked her out."

"What you know. Ranma invincible! That why Shampoo love Ranma."

"It's true, Shampoo. Father just disowned me in front of my friends. Go
home and gloat to Cologne. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Is 'cause you girl now?"

Ranma just glared at Shampoo, her fists clenching. Shampoo looked at Akane
and Ukyou, noting similar looks. She also saw Ukyou's weapons. She looked
back at Ranma, sadness in her eyes.

"Is true? Shampoo sorry. Shampoo have cure! Will make Airen happy again,"
beamed Shampoo. "Instant Nannichuan. Shampoo want Ranma marry for cure, but
that too cruel now. Will only date Ranma."

"Does it work?" asked Ranma skeptically.

"Shampoo show Ranma."

Shampoo filled the tub with water, emptied a packet into the cool water.
Ranma, Ukyou, the instructor, and Akane watched intently as Shampoo stood
with a puppy in her arms. Shampoo looked at Akane. "Maybe Shampoo test on
Pervert Girl."

Ranma fumed. "You do and I will remain a woman and marry Akane. You will
never have me."

Shampoo stared at Ranma. She saw the determination in Ranma's eyes.
"Shampoo know. Watch," she replied quietly as she tossed the puppy into the
tub.

A young boy emerged from the water. He stared at the foursome in fear.
Ranma's eyes lit up. Akane also grinned. Ukyou looked on in amazement. The
instructor looked on passively. Shampoo beamed.

"Shampoo cure Airen now, then we date."

"No, not yet," replied Ranma, strangely calm. "I still have to remain a girl
until I get home. How long will this last? Is it permanent?"

"Shampoo not know. Just found in Great-grandmother's magic."

"Great! If it's that Hag's, then it's probably trouble for me."

"Why Ranma say that?"

Ranma glared at Shampoo. "Look at me, Shampoo. I'm a woman because of her.
I can't be what you want me to be, what I was. I lost the cure. Once
because she wouldn't abide by her own rules, and once because I destroyed it.

"Unless I know more about this cure, I can't accept it."

Shampoo frowned. "When you need know?"

"I have to know by Friday. Saturday, Akane and I are accepting a challenge
at the dojo."

"If Shampoo have answer Friday, will Ranma date then?"

Ranma thought for a while. Akane put her hand in Ranma's. "Make it Satur-
day, after the fight. We'll meet at Ukyou's cafe, Ucchan's, by eight to dis-
cuss the cure Friday. I want to fight as a woman, Saturday. That way I can
prove to Father and Tendou-san that I can still fight, no matter what I look
like.

"I want to know if this cure is permanent. If it's not, I want to know how
long it'll last and how many times I can use it. Can you bring that informa-
tion with you Friday?"

"Yes. What if answer not what Ranma want?"

"I said I'd date you, and I will. We have a lot to talk about. Thank you
for bringing this to me."

"Ranma make Shampoo happy. Ranma date Shampoo Saturday. Aiya!"

Shampoo took the dog-boy and rode out. The instructor came over to the trio.
He put his hand on Ranma's shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing. It
sounded like she's one of the one's who made you like this," cautioned the
man.

"She is, Sensei. Shampoo's only been trying to get me to marry her. It's
her great-grandmother, Cologne, who's been manipulating things."

"I see. I wish you the best of luck. Not only on getting cured, but on your
fight Saturday."

"Thank you, Sensei."

The man headed to his office while the trio went to change. Ranma's sad look
returned as they changed. She looked in a mirror and started to sob. The
promise of a cure, her being disowned by her father, the arrival of another
fiancee, and her being accepted as a woman were too much for her to handle.

Both Akane and Ukyou comforted their fiancee, neither angry at each other.
They held Ranma for several minutes. Letting her calm down before they fin-
ished changing and left the building.

***

Cologne sat perched on a nearby light pole. She watched with joy as the two
fathers left the school with grim looks. She could tell their children had,
once again, defied their absolute rule.

It was good that Son-in-law was strong willed, but it would have to be tem-
pered. It was not appropriate for an Amazon groom to be more willful than
his wife. Perhaps that was what Shampoo needed, a husband strong enough to
make her behave, focus her energies into constructive efforts.

Her plan was succeeding. She watched Shampoo go in to see Son-in-law about
the cure she 'found.' Shampoo was becoming easier to manipulate, all for the
love of Ranma.

Cologne had placed the Instant Nannichuan where Shampoo could find it. This
one shot cure would lure Ranma into marriage with Shampoo. A marriage
Cologne planned to last another year with Ranma being trapped as a woman be-
fore administering both the one shot cure and the real cure.

That would make Ranma dependent on Shampoo, thus forgetting Akane. After
all, Amazon weddings are binding for life. Divorce was impossible and those
who cheated were swiftly killed. Son-in-law would remain at Shampoo's side
forever.

Cologne watched Shampoo leave. She noted the dog-boy and Shampoo's none to
happy look. Perhaps things were worse than she expected. Perhaps she had
pushed Ranma too far. This would not be good for Shampoo, or herself, but
appropriate for Son-in-law.

Then she remembered bringing the Dojo Destroyer into the equation. She also
remembered the look on the fathers' faces. Maybe something was said earlier.
She needed to find out everything she could from Shampoo. She made sure she
had the right formulae before seeing her great-granddaughter.

Chapter 4
Reckonings

Nabiki and Kunou were standing at the gate, waiting for Ranma and Akane.
Nabiki was surprised to see Ukyou with them. Kunou stepped forward to con-
front the mysterious boy.

"Not now, Kunou-baby. I think she's on our side."

"She?"

"There's a lot to be explained," Akane mentioned. "Let's go to Tofu's."

"We saw the Amazon, Shampoo, leave here. Are you all right, Ranma?" Kunou
asked.

"I guess so. She offered me a cure. I might be able to become a man again.
I just didn't accept it outright."

"Why not?" asked Nabiki.

"It may not be permanent. I want to make sure it works before I commit my-
self to it."

"And the price?" Kunou asked.

"A date with Shampoo. I already said I would, whether it works or not. The
date will be after the fight Saturday."

"What fight?" asked Nabiki.

"Our fathers came just before Shampoo. They said something about a 'Dojo
Destroyer.' They wanted Ryoga and I to fight it."

"Why Ryoga and not Ranma?"

"Father called me a girl in front of everyone and disowned me. He and your
father said the defense of our home was no longer my concern."

"Oh God! Why didn't you take the cure?" asked Nabiki.

"I want to prove to Father, and myself, I can fight as good as a woman as I
can as a man. That, and if it's not permanent, I want to know more before I
take it. Especially if I'm going to marry Akane."

"But we all know you can fight just as well as a woman. You won against
Cologne, Ryoga, and..." started Nabiki.

"Are you sure? I didn't exactly 'win' against Cologne, did I? And Ryoga? I
got lucky. Without Tofu's help, I'd be married to Shampoo now. As for the
Master, I used a cheap trick to catch him off guard doesn't excatly mean
fighting well."

"That's why we call it 'Anything Goes.' You used what was available to win
those fights," countered Nabiki. "If you didn't do what you HAD to, would
you be able to live with yourself?"

Ranma shook her head in defeat. "I guess you're right. I'm just too tired
to think about this anymore. If I can just prove myself, then I'll have a
father again."

"A wise move, Ranma. But I am uncomfortable hearing you call yourself a
woman. I see you as a woman, but up until now, you've referred to yourself
as a man. Is there something we should know?" commented Kunou with concern.

Ranma looked at Kunou, not sure how to respond. Nabiki took control. "Does
it really matter, Kunou-baby? I mean, Ranma hasn't been himself for a long
time now. He's more than just a man and more than a woman. I think it's
best we leave it at that."

Kunou bowed to Ranma, "Forgive me, Ranma. I have erred in my thoughts. I
shall not question you again."

Ranma smiled weakly. "Don't worry about it, Kunou. You've helped me a lot
these last two months. Right now, we have to plan for the fight. Ucchan,
I'd like to hear your story, too."

They entered Tofu's. He greeted them with a warm smile. He led them to an
empty examining room. He deftly adjusted Ranma, relieving her stress. He
soon left them to talk among themselves.

"Okay, Ukyou, let's hear your story," prompted Nabiki.

"Well...about ten years ago, I fought this little black-haired boy every mor-
ning for about three months. He would beat me, allowing his father to steal
from mine. It seemed that our fathers got along well, though.

"When the boy and his father were about to leave the area, my father gave me
to them as the boy's future bride. They took my father's okonomiyaki cart as
a dowry. But they quickly abandoned me.

"When I returned home, Father was upset. So, he made the decision to raise
me as a boy. Mother protested, but she eventually agreed. They made some
sort of agreement. I don't know what, but they said if I ever found they
boy, Saotome Ranma and his father, Genma, then I may be able to live as a
woman again."

"I'm sorry, Ucchan. I didn't know. You're my friend and I never wanted to
hurt you."

"Let's hear your side of the story, Ranma," prompted Nabiki.

"I remember playing with Ucchan every morning. We'd wrestle and fight, but I
always seemed to win. Every time I won, I got a wonderful okonomiyaki from
her father. At the time, I didn't know Ucchan was a girl.

"A few days before we were to leave, Father pulled me aside. He was talking
to me about our travels, the places we'd been, where we were going. He asked
if I wanted to have company on the trip, someone my own age.

"I thought it was great. I knew you'd be coming, Ucchan. Father then told
me the decision would be mine, and mine alone. Of course, he related that
question to what it was I liked most. Being stupid, I told him 'okonomiya-
ki.'

"We took your cart. And for a short distance, you were with us. Then, after
lunch, he left you. I thought it was part of your new training. You had to
catch up to us. I cheered you on, but you were left behind. Father told me
to forget about you, that you failed an important test. I'm sorry, Ucchan, I
just didn't know."

Ukyou's anger flared. She leapt to her feet, attempting to bring her battle
spatula around. Ranma sat there, waiting for the attack. Kunou and Akane
had Ukyou pinned before she could fully retrieve her weapon.

Nabiki hissed in Ukyou's ear, "This is NOT Ranma's fault. The two of you
were too young to understand what was being said. Saotome-san is a selfish
bastard who has done nothing to help his child. I doubt he even told Ranma
he was being engaged to you. Would you hate Ranma for that?"

"Hai."

"Then let me ask you this, didn't Ranma offer to pay for what was stolen? An
offer you flatly refused?"

Ukyou relaxed. She looked at Ranma, sitting on the examination bed, looking
at the floor. "Hai. Ranma offered and I refused. She also apologized to
me. Ranma, I'm sorry. When I insulted you, you could have kept fighting,
but you stopped. This is the third time I've dishonored you. Please forgive
me."

Ranma looked up, smiling sadly. "What's to forgive? My father has made a
mess of my life. I'm just glad we're able to discuss it, as best we can any-
way."

Satisfied Ukyou wouldn't attack again, Akane and Kunou released her. They
sat down, taking a few minutes to settle down before continuing to talk.

"You've told us how we met and why you're dressing like a man. It's my turn
to tell you why I'm a woman, now. I've been traveling with Father for just
over ten years. I've learned a lot about martial arts with him.

"One of the places we went to train at was Jusenkyo, in China. It's called
the Training Grounds of the Cursed Springs. Each spring has a curse. Anyone
who falls in, takes the body of whatever drowned there last. I fell into the
Nyannichuan, Spring of the Drowned Girl. Father fell into the Spring of the
Drowned Panda. Shampoo, the Spring of the Drowned Cat. My friend, Ryoga,
fell into the Spring of the Drowned Piglet. I'll tell you why I'm like this
in a bit.

"After visiting, Jusenkyo, we traveled to a nearby village, Joketsuzoku.
They were holding a tournament. Father and I ended up eating the grand
prize, the best of the village's crop. The champion was Shampoo. She, by
right, challenged me to a fight. I was female at the time. I beat her
easily. She gave me the Kiss of Death. She ended up chasing me back to
Japan.

"By then, I was told I had been engaged, since before I was born, to one of
Tendou-san's daughters. You've met two of them, Akane and Nabiki. You'll
meet Kasumi later. Back to Shampoo. She arrived immediately after Ryoga,
Akane, and I won a martial arts skating challenge.

"I was able to defeat her, as a man, thus receiving the Kiss of Marriage. As
you can guess, there were problems. Shampoo attacked Akane, causing her to
forget about me. With that, I showed Shampoo I was both man and woman.

"A few weeks later, Shampoo comes back with her great-grandmother, Cologne.
Cologne used her knowledge of pressure points to lock me in this body. She
calls it the Full Body Cat's Tongue. With it, mildly warm water feels scald-
ing hot. I return to a man with hot water.

"I became stuck like this three months ago. I had the opportunity to become
a half man, half woman, but I destroyed the only cure for the Cat's Tongue,
the Phoenix Pill. I lost control in the fight. For the last two months,
I've been living as a woman. It's been a nightmare.

"Two weeks ago, the man who taught our fathers showed up. He assaulted me
and several of the girls at school. His behavior was such that I had to stop
him. I lost control for the second time in my life. Because of that, I sent
the old man to the hospital."

"That's what the crater was. The place you beat the man. That was why all
of the girls accepted you. And why the teacher referred to those two rules
after Akane punched that boy," Ukyou summarized.

Everyone nodded. Ukyou was surprised that Kunou knew what had happened. She
let it go though. "I assume you can back this all up."

"Every word of it in triplicate from multiple sources," responded Nabiki
calmly.

"Nabiki!" exclaimed Akane.

"It's all right. You seemed to be convinced. I guess I can go along with
this for a while. I did recognize your father, Ranma. And I did hear what
he said. I am convinced you are the boy I knew years ago. But some of the
other statements, like your being stuck like this, will take time."

"I understand. Thank you for believing me."

"We should get home, I don't think we should leave Kasumi and Ryoga with our
fathers any longer than we need to," Akane pointed out.

They left the clinic, thanking Tofu. When they reached the dojo, they were
relieved to see Ryoga and Kasumi waving to the last child. The friends en-
tered the house quietly. They heard the fathers sparring in the training
hall.

They sat in the family room. Kasumi closed the outer and inner patio doors
before bringing the tea and snacks. She sat down at the head of the table.
She turned to Ukyou, "Are you a friend of Ranma's?"

"Yes I am. Kuonji Ukyou, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Tendou Kasumi."

"Hibiki Ryoga."

Ranma quietly added, "Ukyou's another fiancee."

"Oh my! How long this time?" asked Kasumi worried.

"Ten years," replied Ukyou, studying the eldest Tendou's reaction.

"Was this your father's doing, Ranma?" Kasumi asked gently.

"Hai."

"Your old man engaged you to a boy?" Ryoga asked preparing to leave for a
fight.

"Uh, I'm a girl, actually. Because of my father's shame, I'm legally a boy.
If I ever want to be a woman again, I have to present Ranma and his father to
my parents. That's all I know."

"But that's the least of our worries. Father wanted me to fight with Ryoga
against a 'Dojo Destroyer' this Saturday. Did they fight anyone today?"

"Yeah, a mountain of a man. He had dojo signs around his neck and on his
back. He took out your fathers like they were amateurs. I was more concern-
ed about Kasumi and the children. Especially after how they treated Ranma
this morning."

"That's not the worst of it. Father called me a girl in front of the entire
class. He even disowned me. Your father even told me that defending our
home was no longer my concern."

"Those heartless men. We'll have to discuss how to handle them in a little
bit," stated Kasumi scowling.

"A Family meeting?" asked Ranma, almost too eagerly.

Kasumi softened, "Hai, dear, a Family meeting."

"What are we going to do about the fight?" asked Ryoga.

"Well, I told our fathers that I'd fight with whomever I chose and that
Saotome-san would not be present. I'll fight with Ranma, we want to show her
father that she can fight as a woman. I'd like all of you to witness the
fight. With you there, it'd show them that we're not helpless and have
strong friends."

"It'd be better if you could help us train. I don't think our fathers would
be too cooperative. We'd like all of your help," continued Ranma.

"Are you sure you want me?" Ukyou asked.

"Hai. I want to show my father that I have friends who don't care what I
look like."

Everyone at the table nodded. Ukyou smiled. "Count me in, Sugar."

The outer door slid open, then the inner door. Soun and Genma entered the
family room. They noticed the hostile glares from the young people. The
harshest stares were from their daughters.

They tried to ignore the looks, especially Ranma's. The men sat down in
their places at the table. The Tendou daughters quickly cleared the table.
Ranma and her friends silently left the room, leaving the men alone.

"I fear things are getting worse, Saotome."

"You are right, Tendou. The question is, what can we do about it?"

"I will talk to my daughters after their guests leave. That will straighten
them out. What will we do about Ranma?"

"She can stay at Tofu's. Or with her other fiancee, Kuonji Ukyou."

"You must explain this, Saotome."

"I will. It was a weak moment, but I will explain later. We must deal with
Ranma."

"Hai. It seems my daughters have taken to him, even in his current form. I
would guess that Akane will want to marry Ranma."

"That is no longer, acceptable. Since Ranma is no longer my son, our two
families cannot be united by marriage. We must seek another way."

"True. But what to do about Ranma?"

"There is Shampoo and Cologne."

Both men frowned as they sat waiting for Kasumi to bring dinner.

***

Everyone sat on the floor in Ryoga's room. Kasumi would have preferred to
keep the family meeting in the family, but events had quickly taken things
beyond that nicety. She took a deep breath, looking around the room.
"Ranma, I'm going to make your father leave tonight. I will make it clear
that he will not be able to return here without your invitation. Will that
be acceptable?"

"Hai."
"Good. Akane. Nabiki. Father will most likely want Ranma to leave as well.
I informed him this morning that forcing us to choose between him and Ranma
would not be pleasant. Because of his behavior today, I am willing to keep
Ranma over Father."

"We promised Ranma a home with us. Father's been a little too eager to leave
Ranma on her own. I think we ought to teach him a lesson," commented Nabiki.

"I don't like the idea of kicking Father out. If he were truly proud of
Ranma, he'd support her as we do. I agree, though, Ranma needs a home,"
added Akane, squeezing Ranma's hand affectionately.

"Then we're agreed, Father goes before Ranma."

"Hai," agreed Akane and Nabiki together.

"Remind me never to get you three mad at me," commented Ryoga.

The group laughed. Ukyou recovered first. "How are we going to train you
two?"

"Kunou, Ryoga, Akane, and I usually practice after school for a couple of
hours. We just go all out. When we feel like teaching everyone a new tech-
nique, we just do. Why?"

"Well, I have my cafe to run, so I won't be here after school. But we can
train before school, say an hour before?"

"That'll work. Just bring an extra set of clothes to practice in," answered
Akane.

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Kunou and Ukyou left. Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi went to confront the
fathers. Ranma stayed in Ryoga's room.

"Shampoo stopped by school today," stated Ranma, looking at the floor.

"Oh? What'd she want?"

"She seems to have a cure for us."

"Great! Do you have it with you?"

"No. I turned it down until she could tell me more about it."

"Why? If you took the cure then, you would have been able to become a man
again."

"I thought about it. One thing stopped me, though."

Ryoga arched his eyebrow, waiting for Ranma to continue. "It was in
Cologne's things."

"I see. Sorry, Pal."

"I know. We both want cured. I was thinking earlier, though. I should
fight as a woman, prove to Father I can still fight."

"He should already know you can fight as a woman."

"He's an idiot. Unless he or Tendou-san see it themselves, they won't be-
lieve what any of us say."

"True. What's the price of this 'cure?'"

"A date with Shampoo after the fight. I want to talk to her about every-
thing."

"Good luck," offered Ryoga as he regained control of his anger.

Ranma smiled at her friend, "Thanks."

They were soon called to dinner. They relaxed, seeing how the fathers were
gone. This also gave them the chance to collect their thoughts.

***

Ranma sat on Mother's Rock, her Maoist jacket draping loosely over her thin
shoulders. The autumn air kept the chill constant for her,matching her mood.
She patiently waited for her sparring partners to show up.

Normally, she would be the last person awake, but the events from the pre-
vious day raced through her mind. She recalled the conversation she had with
Mrs. Obari two weeks earlier. "Am I my father's proud son, or the daughter
he doesn't want?"

"Hmph. Obviously, I'm the daughter he doesn't want," she answered, tossing a
food pellet into the pond.

A voice broke into her thoughts. "Morning, Ranchan."

"Morning, Ucchan."

Ukyou moved to the rock, sitting next to her fiancee. She looked at the
young woman's sad face. She knew the expression well. It was hers for the
last ten years.

"What's wrong, Honey?"

"Everything and nothing. I lost my father and I don't really know how I
should feel. I thought I'd be sad, but I'm not. At least not the way I
thought I'd be."

"I don't understand."

Ranma turned her attention to Ukyou. "Don't you?"

Ukyou shook her head. Ranma returned her focus to the pond. "How did your
parents treat you when I left?"

"Mother tried to console me. Father treated me as though it were all my
fault. I tried to tell him it wasn't my fault, but he wouldn't listen."

"It's the same with me, only I don't know my mother. We left home when I was
about five and hadn't returned since. Up until China, I didn't have much to
worry about. I learned the Art, made a few friends, and visited neat places.

"Then came China. At first, it was fun. Then Father found out about Jusen-
kyo. We went there, not knowing a thing about the curses because we never
bothered to find out about them."

Ukyou saw a tear roll down Ranma's cheek. She shuddered at the thought of
being engaged to another woman. But neither she, nor Ranma, were women, were
they? She buried the thought, waiting for Ranma to continue.

"When I knocked Father into the pond, he came out a panda. The weirdest
thing was, he didn't know, or care, what happened to him. I was so confused
and panicked, he knocked me into another pool. I knew I changed, but I
couldn't figure out what I changed into until I broke the surface.

"I heard the guide say it was the Spring of the Drowned Girl. I looked down
to see these," Ranma said, holding her breasts. "My life ended. I thought I
was going to be like this forever. I was so mad, I wanted to kill the Old
Fool.

"When we calmed down, the guide explained to us how the curse worked. I was
relieved that I could still be a man, if I was careful. But we never really
prepared for rain. So I became a girl a lot.

"I knew Father was disappointed in me every time I changed, but what could I
do?"

"Nothing. No matter what you did to protect yourself, something came to take
it all away," offered Ukyou, as she stared at the pond.

Ranma sniffed slightly, bringing Ukyou's attention to her companion wiping
her nose and eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. "Yeah. Nothing could be
done. Even after defeating Shampoo, I couldn't remain a man for very long.
Every time I suggested looking for a cure, the Old Fool would say I was
acting like a scared little girl.

"Of course, the more I denied it, the more he insisted it was true. For a
while, we just didn't talk about it. Then, when we returned to Japan, he
said we had to go to a friend's home. He wouldn't tell me why, until we were
almost there. It just had to rain, so we arrived in our cursed forms.

"I met the woman I love as a woman. For a while, she hated me, in either
form. Now, we just want to be together as lovers."

"You said something when I came. What was it?"

"I'm the daughter the Old Fool doesn't want."

"So, you are now a woman, just like I'm a man?"

Ranma glared at Ukyou. She softened, slightly. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do you pretend to be something you're not?"

"How can I be a boy, knowing I'm a woman?"

Ranma nodded.

"I live one day at a time. For years, it was enough to hate you and your
father. I let that hatred build, fueling my drive to be the man to beat the
man who ran out on me."

"And now?"

"Now, I just can't go back. I want to, but I can't. In the past, I wanted
to as well, but I'd remind myself that you ruined my life. This is me, Ukyou
the boy. Ukyou the girl is locked away in my family's home, probably never
to return. At least until I can satisfy the conditions to become a woman
again. Even then, it'll be hard."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"On one level, I know that. On another level, I still blame you. But I
can't blame just you. I think...I think I've forgiven you. It's your father
who has caused problems. I have one question for you, though."

"What is it?"

"Are you a man or a woman?"

Ranma looked at Ukyou intently before standing. "It's time to practice. We
have until Saturday to work out a strategy."

Ukyou watched as Ranma walked purposefully into the training hall. She near-
ly jumped when a soft voice came from behind her. She turned to see Kasumi,
frowning at her.

"Kuonji-san, it would be best if you never ask that question again."

"Why not?"

"Why are you dressing as a man?"

Ukyou was about to reply when she remembered that Kasumi knew what happened
to her. She tried to suppress her growing anger. "Do you know the answer to
my question?"

"No one knows the answer, especially Ranma. You've no doubt heard about
Master Happosai." Ukyou nodded before Kasumi continued, "Good. Then I won't
have to warn you against angering Ranma. She's under enough stress."

"'She?'"

"We refer to Ranma as a she to help reduce the confusion in addressing her.
Please remember, we run a daycare center out of the dojo. Ranma works with
both parents and children."

Ukyou sighed, nodding her understanding. "I'm sorry. It's just too weird
for me."

"I know. That's part of the reason Ranma and Akane are engaged. Ranma's
condition was too weird for me to deal with in the beginning. Now, she's a
part of my family. As such, I will never abandon, or hurt, her."

***

Everyone but Ukyou sat against the walls, breathing heavily. Ukyou sat next
to the door, watching Ranma and Akane hold each other. She also noticed that
Kuonu also stared at them, his face an unreadable mask. Ryoga, on the other
hand, sat against another wall, grinning at the couple.

Akane's voice broke Ukyou's observations, "We need a plan."

"How can we plan against a foe none of us have seen fight?" countered Ranma.

"How do you win against me?" asked Kunou. "We had never fought until your
first day at Furinkan."

"Easy. I know a little kendo."

"A little?"

Ranma smiled shyly. "I know the basic, unarmed forms."

"I've had a little more training," added Akane. "Ranma, how was it you could
handle the bokken so well on the beach?"

"Or counter my umbrella attacks so easily?"

Ranma sat in thought for a moment. She moved to Ukyou. "May I have your
battle spatula?"

"Uh, sure, Ranchan."

Ranma took it in her hands. She carefully felt its weight and balance. She
went through a few maneuvers, similar to twirling a staff around the body. A
broad smile crossed her face. "Akane, care to take me on?"

Akane blinked a couple of times. She nodded and stood, taking her position
across from Ranma.

They nodded to each other, beginning their attacks. At first, Akane looked
to be winning. After the third knockdown, Ranma stood, wiping the blood from
her lips. "I got it now! Ucchan, critique me."

Ranma advanced on Akane. To everyone's surprise, Ranma handled the massive
weapon as well as, if not better than, Ukyou. Akane screamed in surprise as
Ranma flipped her over the with the spatula.

She set it down and went to Akane's side. "Are you okay?"

Akane looked at her fiancee, stunned. "That was fun," she added with a smile.

Ranma helped Akane up, embracing her. "Well, Ucchan?"

"I don't believe it. It took you five minutes to learn how to use that. It
took me three years! How'd you do that?"

"I don't know. It just came to me. I remember you using it on me, and based
everything on that, I guess."

"Which is why you can easily dodge my attacks," observed Ryoga.

"So now, all we have to do is let you see how this Dojo Destroyer fights,"
offered Akane.

"I guess. But if we're both going against him, we need more than just my
observations."

Nabiki walked into the dojo. She saw the looks on everyone's faces. She
thought it was from Ranma and Akane standing so closely together. "All
right, children, Kasumi says breakfast is ready. There are fresh toiletries
in the locker rooms. Oh, and you two love birds had better behave."

Ranma and Akane giggled as they stuck out their tongues. Nabiki laughed as
she headed back to the house. <This is a good sign,> she thought as she
sipped her coffee.

***

Ranma and Akane sat in Ucchan's, waiting for Shampoo. It was time to learn
more about Shampoo's cure. They had waited the entire week for news. They
discussed between them when to apply it.

They were relieved to see Shampoo. She was dressed in her usual, skin tight,
purple outfit. She moved closer to the couple, smiling. "Nihao!"

"Hello, Shampoo," Ranma and Akane responded together.

"Do you have more information on the Instant Nannichuan?" Ranma asked
eagerly.

"No. Shampoo no find new boy."

"Did you look for the dog?" asked Akane.

Shampoo scowled at them. "Shampoo look for boy and dog."

"When was the last time you saw them?" Ukyou asked, upon hearing the conver-
sation.

Shampoo glared at her, then softened. "After Shampoo tell Airen about cure.
Shampoo sorry. Could still try on Ranma."

Ranma looked thoughtful. She desperately wanted to use it, but she was more
cautious about things. Her confidence had improved over the last week,
thanks to her friends and the promise of the cure. She was now back to
fighting the way she had before Happosai, but the lessons from the beach, the
school, and her father prevented her from rushing into things.

"Not tonight," she finally said. "I have to fight this battle like I am now.
I have to prove to Father that I can still fight like this, and not be weak
like he thinks. I know we can win. If we fight well, then Akane's father
will tell my father how we did.

"We'll wait until Saturday, after the fight to use it. That is, only if you
find the dog or boy, whichever state he's in now."

"If Shampoo no can find?"

Ranma sighed, replying, "I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Does Cologne know about the fight or your finding the Cure?" Akane asked.

"Great-grandmother not know. Shampoo not see Great-grandmother in days."

Ranma and Akane stiffened. To them, this meant trouble. They would have to
be careful. They needed to know where she was. Ranma voiced the question,
"Do you know where she went?"

"Great-grandmother leave note, say she go check other stores."

"When will she be back?" continued Akane.

"Three day. Shampoo have news of marriage to Airen then," beamed Shampoo.

Ranma and Akane flashed anger at that statement. Ranma began speaking slowly
and deliberately, "Shampoo, I will not marry you. It has never been my in-
tention to do so. Tonight is not the night to talk about this. I promised
to discuss things on our date. Do you understand that?"

Shampoo became angry. She began to move into an attack position. A large
spatula crashed between her and Ranma. All eyes turned toward Ukyou.

Ukyou's deadly expression stopped them. She spoke calmly, adding to the
menacing expression. "I sympathize with both of you, but you will not fight
in my cafe. Remember, Shampoo, Ranma's father disowned her. That, alone, is
enough for a honorable warrior to withhold any attack."

"Spatula Boy question Shampoo's honor?"

"No. I remind you of your honor, just as I remind myself of my honor every
day."

Shampoo looked at Ranma, a new hatred in her eyes. "Shampoo wait until date.
If Ranma no convince Shampoo then, fight for honor begin again."

Before Ranma could respond, Shampoo left. Akane put her arms around Ranma's
shoulders, reassuring her. "Things will work out. You'll see."

"That's right, Sugar. You'll do fine."

"I know. I'm not worrying about any fight with Shampoo. It's the fight with
Cologne I fear more than anything."

***

The Tendou Dojo was full of martial artists for the first time in weeks.
Akane and Ranma sat in the center, awaiting the arrival of the Dojo
Destroyer. Kasumi and Nabiki sat on either side of their father, against the
wall opposite the main door. Kunou, Ukyou, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Tofu sat
against either side wall. All were patiently facing the center of the hall.

A large man entered the room. He bowed to Ranma and Akane, then to each ob-
server. He wore a loose fitting gi with a large, black cloth belt. It was
embroidered with the names of several martial disciplines: aikido, happkido,
juijitsu, and many more.

Around the man's neck were several wooden signs. Each had the name of a dif-
ferent dojo. Slung over his shoulder was a basket filled with more signs.
All of this paraphernalia made the two women nervous.

"I am called the Dojo Destroyer. It is my sacred duty to test the worthiness
of each and every dojo in the world. This is this dojo's second test.

"Your masters were defeated, thus my right to claim this dojo unworthy.
They, however, said that the youngest daughter was to shortly inherit this
place. It is for that reason I have come again. As the new master of the
dojo, it is your duty to honor the traditions, and defend your dojo.

"I have taken on several opponents at once, so numbers do not matter. I only
require the names of my opponents."

"Tendou Akane, daughter of Tendou Soun, the founder of this dojo."

"Saotome Ranma, student of the companion school. No dojo."

"I see. An unusual combination. Very well, here are the rules. You achieve
victory by either beating me into unconsciousness, my surrendering, or de-
fending against me until sundown. I achieve victory by beating you both into
unconsciousness concurrently, you surrender, or you destroy your sign. This
is a straight, all out fight. Any questions?"

"No," replied the women.

"Excellent. We will warm up for five minutes and begin the match in six."

The combatants prepared themselves. Ranma and Akane felt better, knowing it
was an open contest. They had trained hard all week, using as many different
strategies they, and their friends, could think of. It also worked to their
advantage that Ranma seemed to have the ability to learn a new style or
weapon by watching it being used.

They had settled on one overriding strategy, keep the Destroyer off balance.
They would let him win for a short time, testing his offenses. They would
then test his defenses. The final phase would be to go all out, using every
technique and trick they knew. They would also throw in some non-fighting
moves to confuse their opponent.

They finished warming up. The three bowed to each other and Soun, then took
up their stances. Ranma was confused for a moment, she could not read the
Destroyer's stance or his preferred style.

She decided it was best to go all out while testing his skills. It was a
good thing she and Akane had worked on codes for their strategy. Ranma spoke
clearly, "Cat."

"Right."

The Destroy shot a glance at both of them. That glance echoed with confu-
sion. Ranma and Akane saw their opening. They reduced their minimal move-
ments down further.

Faster than they could have imagined, a sign flew towards Ranma. She used a
modified amaguriken to catch it. In the same movement, she used her sign to
block the one heading for Akane.

Akane leapt into the air, extending her foot for the attack. The Destroyer
stepped back, blocking with his massive arm.

Ranma took advantage of Akane's attack, throwing the signs herself. The
signs were easily blocked or dodged. Ranma followed through with a kick high
on the Destroyer's thigh.

Before Ranma could recover for another attack, the Destroyer sent her flying
into the wall above Soun.

Akane attacked low, attempting a foot sweep from the unguarded rear. Only
one leg, however, was disturbed.

The Destroyer focused on Akane, swinging down with his fist. Akane moved at
the last second, attempting the cartwheel attack she had seen Ranma use
against Ryoga.

The solid impacts forced the Destroyer back slightly. Ranma began a series
of punches to vital areas on the Destroyer's back.

He gritted his teeth at the pain. He turned rapidly, bringing a sign down on
Ranma. She leapt back as the sign shattered on the floor. She rebounded off
the wall, launching herself forward, faster.

She began her amaguriken when she reached the man's face. He had no time to
block. He staggered backwards, tripping over Akane's outstretched leg.

Crashing to the floor, it was all he could do to block Akane's elbow attack.
He pushed her aside as he leapt to his feet, in time to be kicked in the face
by Ranma.

The Destroyer staggered slightly, protecting himself from Akane's kicks to
his side. He managed to bring about a sign, swatting Ranma in mid-leap.

Ranma feigned a low attack, leaping to the man's chest at the last moment.
He dropped the sign so he could block her with his arms. He felt the pain in
his back as he lurched forward, into the attack.

In rapid succession, Ranma kicked five vital spots on the man's face and
chest before landing on the floor. She rushed in, attacking three more vital
spots.

At the same moment, Akane attacked five vital spots on the Destroyer's back.
The combined attack caused him to collapse, unconscious.

Ranma and Akane rapidly searched for their sign. They found it quickly, set-
ting it between them and the Destroyer. They bowed to Soun before sitting in
front of their challenger.

The Destroyer slowly rose, shaking the fog from his mind. He saw the sign
between him and his opponents. He sat stiffly, noting their tired, but
neutral faces.

"You both are credits to your schools. Very few have ever defeated me in
such a timely manner. You are truly Masters in the Art. I salute you,
Tendou Akane and Saotome Ranma," the man stated, bowing deeply.

He took the sign, presenting it to Soun. "Your heir and her companion have
proven themselves, and this dojo, worthy of existence for another generation.
These two have met the challenge with superior skill, determination, and
courage. See that they teach their students these qualities.

"I present you with your sign. Mount it with pride, Tendou Soun. May you
never know shame, Master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts."

The Destroyer bowed to Soun, then to each of the guests. Each returned the
bow. He left the hall, leaving everyone to their celebration of victory.

Ranma and Akane hugged each other, exchanging a quick kiss. "We did it!"
they exclaimed, dancing happily.

The others moved to the center congratulating the two for their work. Soun
gave his daughter a hug. He cried, "Thank you, Akane! Your mother would be
so proud of you. My baby girl won!"

He broke his embrace with Akane, turning to Ranma, patting her stiffly on the
back. "You have done well, Ranma. Excellent job."

Kasumi and Nabiki embraced both women heartily, "Well done! You BOTH did a
wonderful job."

Kasumi glanced at her father. His face twitching slightly at his daughters'
subtle rebuke.

Ukyou took her turn. She hugged Ranma fiercely. "You did great, Honey. I'm
proud of you." She broke the embrace, turning to Akane. "You did a great
job, too, Sugar. You're okay in my book," she stated, smiling and patting
Akane heartily on the back.

Ranma felt herself coming alive. The realization of winning the fight, along
with the congratulations of her family and friends fueled her esteem. She
felt her walls crumbling.

Kunou lessened his usual composure. He gently and carefully hugged Akane,
"You have done well, Akane. You are a true Master of the Art."

He moved to Ranma, unsure what to do. She gently took his hand. Kunou
smiled. "You have proven yourself, Ranma. You are a true Master, and I am
yours to command forever, my friend."

"Thank you, Tatewaki," Ranma gently embraced the man. A tear rolled down her
cheek. The elation building in her.

Ryoga took Kunou's place. He smiled widely, exposing his fangs without
malice. "You did it, Ranma. You proved yourself the better man. Sensei, I
will try to learn from you the Art and how to live with, and use, my curse."

Ranma gripped her old friend in a gentle hug. Never losing his smile, Ryoga
returned the hug with equal gentleness. He broke the hug to embrace Akane.
"You did a great job, Akane. You both can count on me to be with you."

"Thank you, Ryoga," Akane replied, her own tears of joy rolling down her
cheek.

Tofu came over. He smiled at them both. His calm voice soothing them,
"Great job you two. Both of you have a lot to celebrate. Keep up the good
work, and hang in there."

"We will," replied the two women, bowing to him. He returned the bow.

Shampoo came over, but still remained apart. Her anger from the previous
night was apparently gone. "Ranma and Per...Akane fight well. Shampoo re-
spect you more. Will wait for you here."

"Thank you, Shampoo. Please, wait in the house," replied Ranma, smiling.

***

Ranma and Akane sat in the tub, relaxing in the mildly warm water. Akane
watched her fiancee carefully, noting her grim, yet satisfied look. The
silence was almost unbearable. "What's the matter, Ranma?"

"I hugged two men today. Guys aren't supposed to do that! Maybe Father's
right. Maybe I am turning into a girl," replied Ranma angrily.

Akane moved to Ranma. She gently moved Ranma's chin up. She looked her
fiancee in the eye. "Ranma, it doesn't matter to me. What happened today
was someone being overwhelmed by emotion. No matter what happens, you will
ALWAYS be a man to me."

She punctuated her point with a very passionate kiss on the lips. Ranma re-
sponded with her own kiss, taking Akane in her arms. After a few moments,
Akane broke the embrace. She leaned back again, still holding Ranma's hand.
"Remember what we agreed on, Pervert?"

Ranma couldn't help but smile. "We wait until we're finished with school,
look for a cure, and get married. Preferably in that order. You know,
Shampoo has the right name for you."

Akane arched her eyebrows, "Oh?"

"Hai. Is Pervert Girl!" Ranma replied, doing her best imitation of the
Amazon.

Akane tried to scowl before laughing. Ranma had already begun laughing.
They soon quieted down. Ranma looked at Akane affectionately. "I don't care
anymore. You're MY Pervert Girl." With that, they kissed again.

Chapter 5
Dates

Ranma walked silently down the street with Shampoo. Ranma wore a Maoist
workers uniform. She felt it was appropriate for her date. It hid her
figure well, and could easily fit her male form if the cure worked.

They entered a small coffee shop. They quickly ordered their drinks and sat
in a secluded corner booth. Ranma evaluated Shampoo's mood before speaking,
"Have you found out anything about the Cure?"

"No find dog or boy. Shampoo sorry."

"That's all right. I'm sure we can work something out."

"How you mean?"

"Well...if you give me a few packets, I could test them on my own. If I find
they're permanent, I may date you again, as a man."

"Shampoo happy Airen take on date twice!"

Ranma held up her hand, stopping Shampoo's advance. "Before we go any fur-
ther, we still have things to talk about. You gave me the chance to convince
you to give up on me. I'm taking that chance now. Please listen."

Shampoo stopped dead in her effort. She glared at Ranma, remembering her
anger from the previous night. She nodded as she returned to her seat.

"I'm going to marry Akane. It won't be for a while, but it is going to hap-
pen. I love her, and she loves me. What Cologne has done to me has made us
grow closer. I want to be cured so that we can be happy together. But, if I
can't be cured, we will still be married. We have talked several times about
it.

"I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm tired of fighting. Maybe I am be-
coming a girl, but I really don't care about fighting as much as I used to.
Heh! A friend of mine says I've grown up. Who can say?

"Even though you've tried to kill me and forced yourself on me, I like you.
You're cute, but you're not the type of person I would marry. You have
helped me, and encouraged me, especially when I first became stuck like this.
Even Ryoga, Kunou, and Ukyou fought me when we first met. But we're still
friends.

"Their loyalty and trust are what I look for in friends. I see you as a
friend. Yes, I blame you for what's happened. But it's not really you I'm
blaming, it's Cologne. You'd be a good friend to have, if you didn't try to
marry me every chance you get.

"And that's all you'll ever be to me, a friend. I have so few friends, any-
way. I need friends, not lovers. Do you understand now?"

"Hai. Is 'cause you girl you say this."

Ranma smiled, "Not really. It's because I'm a girl that I've realized how
much Akane means to me. When she's sad, I hurt. The thought of us not being
husband and wife hurts even more. Every time she cries, I want to go to her
and make things better. Every time she's happy, I want to share the joy with
her. Do you understand?"

Shampoo looked at Ranma, studying her. "Shampoo understand. What if Ranma
no become man?"

Ranma sighed. "Akane and I will still share our lives, and love. Somehow,
we'll become husband and wife, even if I have to disguise myself. We have
until we finish school to find a cure and really decide how we'll spend the
rest of our lives together."

"Shampoo sad. Shampoo no more hurt Ranma. Shampoo accept punishment from
village. Here cure." She handed Ranma a dozen packets. She stood to leave,
a tear in her eye. "Wo ai ni."

Ranma gently stopped her. "We haven't finished our date. We can go to that
new movie, Patlabor."

"Shampoo go to movie with Ai...Ranma."

Ranma smiled. "Thank you, Shampoo. My friend."

They finished their drinks and headed for the theatre. Neither noticed a
figure following them along the rooftops. They were busy talking about their
jobs and topics that had nothing to do with romance.

***

Ranma kissed Shampoo on the cheek. "Thank you for understanding. I'll wait
to hear from you about the dog-boy. If I don't, I'll try things on my own."

"Shampoo look again."

"Great! If this works, I'll go out with you to celebrate."

"See Ranma later."

Shampoo waved to Ranma as she walked down the street. She was no longer up-
set with Ranma, but she was disappointed. She knew this would happen, even-
tually. She just never thought it would be so soon. When Ranma talked, she
knew the feelings she described were not in her. At least, not the same way.

She had wanted to fight Ranma for her honor the night before, but she was
stopped. The question of honor had forced her to look at what she had done.
Ranma and Akane never questioned her honor, just her motives. But Ukyou made
a valid point, punctuating it with his own honor.

She watched how well Ranma and Akane fought the Dojo Destroyer together. It
also reminded her of when she fought Ryoga at the mountain, how she fought
Great-grandmother at the beach and the carnival, and all of the other times.

The fights, along with the talk, helped point out the many times Ranma re-
jected her. She also remembered Ranma's response to her veiled threat about
turning Akane into a male. It was enough to make her cry.

She also remembered all of the times she had lost to Ranma. Both losing to a
male and a female. Ranma seemed to be invincible. That was something she
liked, but she wanted total obedience from her husband. That was something
she knew Ranma could never give.

Shampoo's thoughts were interrupted by a raspy voice, "Hello, Great-
granddaughter. How was your date with Son-in-law?"

"Date was good. Shampoo no marry Ranma."

Cologne's eyes narrowed. "And why not?"

"Shampoo make Ranma uncomfortable. Ranma no love Shampoo. Ranma love Akane.
If anything happen to Akane, Ranma either kill Shampoo or kill self."

Cologne fumed, "Love has nothing to do with this. It is our law that you
take Son-in-law as your husband. He defeated you in combat."

"And would do so again. Is enough for Shampoo to be Ranma's friend."

"Friend? He has no friends, except the weak girls he lives with, the Pig-
boy, a crazy man, and a girl who dresses like a man. He is better off with
you. It is also our law! It is a matter of honor."

"Is not honorable to attack person grieving for lost family."

"Is Ranma grieving for anyone?" Cologne asked innocently.

"Grieving for loss of Father. Father no love Ranma anymore. Treat Ranma as
though dead."

Cologne paced using her cane. She looked at Shampoo with a menacing stare.
"It is our law, the only law, that matters. You WILL marry Son-in-law by
month's end or be forever BANISHED from the tribe."

Shampoo remained defiant. "You do to Shampoo what Ranma's Father do?"

"There is another way."

Shampoo knew what it was, but wanted to hear it from Cologne's mouth. "What
is other way?"

"Kill Son-in-law. If you still choose not to marry him, I will declare him
a she. You are still bound by law to kill her."

Shampoo swallowed. "If Shampoo refuse both?"

Cologne looked at her great-granddaughter intently. "I will be forced to
kill you. The law says that if you cannot marry the man who defeated you,
you must be banished. If you cannot kill the woman who defeated you, you
will be put to death as a coward and a weakling. What is your choice?"

Shampoo thought. The end of the month was less than a week away. Not enough
time to prepare even a modest defense. Both options were unacceptable, but
perhaps she could use more time to her advantage.

"Great-grandmother, Shampoo need two whole months to prepare to fight one who
can defeat you."

Cologne flashed her anger. She lashed out, shattering the wall next to her.
"I have NOT been defeated by Son-in-law. I have done all of this to encour-
age him to marry you. Say that again, Child, and you will die horribly at
my hands."

Shampoo trembled. She had never seen Cologne this mad before. The truth was
coming out, slowly. But Shampoo had no idea what that truth was.

Cologne thought hard about the request for extended time. She knew Ranma had
the Instant Nannichuan, as planned. But the delay in its use was another
intolerable surprise. Son-in-law's surprises were getting out of hand.
Shampoo giving up on Ranma was another surprise.

It was no longer a matter of law or tribal honor. It was a matter of HER
honor. A matriarch could not afford be shown up by a male outsider. And
Shampoo was right, Ranma could even defeat her. He had resisted every one of
her plans, even the Dojo Destroyer.

She reached her decision. "I grant you two months, plus the remainder of
this one to either marry Son-in-law or kill him or die trying. I will not
permit you to remain in Japan while you prepare. Now go!"

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Shampoo said as she left. She decided she could
come back to the dojo later and warn Ranma. All she really needed to do was
plan.

Cologne watched as Shampoo disappeared over the rooftops. Her great-
granddaughter was no longer easy to manipulate. Son-in-law's free spirit was
rubbing off. It was sad she would probably have to kill both of them, but
that was the price to pay for keeping the village strong and the laws intact.

Her plans at humiliating Ranma were not working as well as she had hoped.
Nor had her plans at destroying him. It would soon be time to take matters
directly into her hands. Only then would she be satisfied with the results.

***

Ranma entered the house smiling. "I'm home!"

Akane and Nabiki rushed down the stairs. Kasumi came out of the kitchen.
"Sit down at the table. Everyone wants to hear about this."

"Everyone?"

"That's right, Sugar. Come join us," Ukyou's relaxed, feminine voice came
from the family room.

Ranma looked in. She saw Ukyou, Kunou, and Ryoga sitting at the table. All
three were smiling. The sisters sat at their usual places. Ranma followed
suit. She noticed the place mats. It was clear they were about to have
dinner.

"Tell us about the Cure!" Ryoga demanded.

"Well, I have about a dozen packets."

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Akane eagerly.

"Let's try 'em, Ranma!" stated Ryoga joyfully. "I'll race ya!"

Ranma shook her head, "I'm still waiting for Shampoo to tell us how well it
works. She hasn't been able to find the dog-boy she used. She promised to
keep looking, especially since the Nekohanten is having trouble. She'll be
back Saturday. If she still hasn't found the dog-boy, I'll try it on
Father."

"What!? Why not yourself? Or me?" blurted Ryoga.

"Hai, Ranma. I thought you wanted to be cured?" added Kunou.

"Why wait, Honey?"

"If it works, I'll have a father again and we'll all be cured. If it
doesn't, for any reason, I don't want you mad at me, Ryoga. I don't have
anything more to lose with Father. That, and I may be able to get some re-
venge."

"That's an unhealthy attitude, Ranma," commented Kasumi.

"But it is appropriate," countered Kunou.

"I'm sure we can all come up with a suitable revenge, eh, Akane?" commented
Nabiki.

"Oh yeah. I have a few ideas going right now."

Everyone but Nabiki looked at Akane. They saw her evil smile. Kasumi shook
her head. Kunou voiced, in his way, everyone's thoughts, "Methinks it's time
to resolve never to anger a daughter of Tendou or son of Saotome."

"Amen to that!" nodded the friends.

Ranma and Akane smiled.

Ryoga spoke seriously, "I guess you're right, Ranma. Better to test it on
your father than either of us. I'll do whatever it is you and Akane need me
to do for your revenge. But I don't think you should keep the cure. Neither
should I, for that matter."

"I know. I thought about that. If Cologne found out I had these, this'll be
the first place she'd look. Tatewaki, Ukyou, would you please take some of
these, and hide them. That way, no one person has them all. If you have to,
hide them in several places. Just bring them back Saturday."

"Of course."

"Yet bet."

"Okay, now that we have the Cure settled, how was your date?" asked Nabiki.

Ranma looked at Akane, sighing in her most girlish way, "Wonderful! It was a
dream come true."

"Two-timing Pervert!" growled Akane as she gently pushed Ranma to the side.

Ranma laughed. She returned to Akane's side. "I'll show you now perverted I
am," she said, embracing Akane and giving her a long passionate kiss.

Akane broke away, red with embarrassment. "Ranma! We have guests."

Ranma saw the mixture of startled and pleased faces. "They're not guests.
They're very good friends. They need to know how I feel about you. But
you're right, playtime later."

"Pervert!" growled Akane, suppressing her joy.

"You are feeling good, Ranma," observed Nabiki. "Now tell us about the
date."

"Shampoo will no longer pressure me into marrying her, or try to kill me. I
told her how I felt towards her, Akane, and the Art. As weird as it sounds,
I do think of Shampoo as a friend. She did help and encourage me when I
first became trapped.

"I also told her that Akane and I will be married, no matter what. That we'd
work things out, somehow. Even if it meant one of us doing what Ukyou's
doing. Sorry, Ucchan, we just can't have secrets in this group."

"That's all right. I...I told Kasumi and Ryoga my story. They understand.
You have wonderful family and friends. And I mean the ones who've been with
you throughout this whole thing. I wish I had friends like these when I had
to change."

"Thank you. I also told Shampoo that I was tired of fighting. I'd fight if
I had to, but it's not something I enjoy doing like I did a few months ago.
I told her why. Overall, she took it quite well. She promised to tell
Cologne she's given up. But she'll have to wait until her return."

"That's great news!" beamed Akane, hugging Ranma.

"It is truly great news, Ranma, but now is not the time to celebrate. We
must prepare for Cologne's inevitable attack," noted Kunou.

"True. I think it'd be best to practice twice a day. Once in the morning,
and once in the evening. And if we can, at noon," suggested Ryoga.

"I'll just have to change the hours at my cafe, but I'll help when I can."

"Thanks, guys. With your help, we'll beat Cologne, no matter what she throws
at us," Ranma said smiling her broadest smile of the evening.

"Glad to here it!" stated Akane proudly.

"By the way, where are our fathers?"

"They left shortly after you and Shampoo went on your date. They said they
would not return until we four invited them. They'd drop a postcard every
week or two to tell us how to contact them," answered Kasumi.

"It's hard on you, isn't it?" Ranma asked with genuine concern.

"It is. But I have my sisters and their friends to help. I also have Tofu,"
a tear came to Kasumi's eye as she said this. "Now, let's eat."

Kasumi brought out the dinner. The friends continued their fun for several
more hours, not wanting their great day to end.

The End of Part 3

Acknowledgments-

The principle characters and events created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi/
Shogakukan/Kitty Films/Viz Communications

Mother's Rock inspired by Richard Lawson's Sunday

Thy Inward Love, Magic, and related stories, and Thy Outward Part by Richard
Lawson

A Son's Duty and An Alternate History of Ranma 1/2 by Hitomi Ichinohei

The Clothes Make the... by Nicholas Leifker and Hitomi Ichinohei

Sunrise and Sunrise Chronicles by Nicholas Leifker

A Lesson in Love by Marisa Price

Sins of the Father by Lisa Prior

There are several other stories that have helped in the creation of this tale
since its inception. To those authors, thank you.

To my friends at the Normal Society of Anime: Mark Carlen, Todd Foldesi, and
Thad Landis for being patient enough to read and critique it.

Also, thanks to Ronald Chan, Lisa Prior, and Nicholas Leifker for their help
in proofing this tale.

(c) Bryan Neef. This story may be freely distributed unaltered. If you
would like to add to or use the premises presented in this story, please
contact me at bn...@ice.net.

Critiques are welcomed. I would like to know why you liked or disliked the
story.

Author's Notes -

Can anyone guess what will happen next? No cheating now. If you think you
know, drop a line. (I believe in the Honor System.)

Seriously, it may look like Shampoo gave up way too easily, but keep in mind
Ranma rejected her consistently throughout the story. Also, when Ukyou stop-
ped the fight before it started, everything fell into place for everyone's
favorite airhead.

As for the fighting. In the real series, Ranma seems to be able to pick up a
new technique easily. There are several fanfics out there that have taken
this concept a step further. One (DnR #23?) goes on to explain how Ranma's
mind works, including his constant victories in challenges.

Sorry folks, I liked the concept. I also know several people who have
similar talents.

Part 4 may take a while to be released. There are a few areas that need to
be rewritten.

I've settled on the names for the next two story arcs: Ranma's Memories is
the first sequel and Ranma's Legacy is the final planned series. I say plan-
ned because I may get inspired to write further into the lives of these in-
carnations of Ranma and Co.

Some of the side stories will be coming out later this year or early next
year. I'm finishing up graduate school, so my time is being wasted on study-
ing.