CHAPTER 1

It was late in the evening when three people came into view. In front, a woman in her mid thirty with a bundled wrapped in clothed walked toward the viewer. A girl with fiery red hair with a large backpack walked beside her. In the back, a panda stumbled behind the two. Running into view, another girl with red hair twirled and skipped happily.

"Well Ranma, we’re finally home," stated Nodoka.

Smiling, "Yeah, it’s good to be back home after all that traveling."

Behind him, a panda grumbled and a young girl happily skipped on the sidewalk. He smiled at the scene. For some reason, he always felt happy when his father was unhappy for any reasons. Looking back in the last ten and a half years of traveling, he wondered what would happened if his Mom never came along. He shuddered at the thought. <<Even with Mom along, he still got into trouble. It’s a good thing Mom was there to correct it.>> He glanced at his the father and found his sister, Ranko, running around the front yard chasing a butterfly. He loves watching her play. With all the traveling, he didn’t get to stay around anywhere long enough to really enjoyed anything and seeing Ranko just being happy helped him treasure the moment he had.

"Ko-chan," Ranma called.

Ranko stopped and looked at her brother, "Yes, oniichan?"

Smiling, "Come on, Ko-chan. We have a lot to do before we can play."

Ranko pouted a little and then she snapped her fingers, "Ok, but only if you promise to play me a song afterward."

Ranma quirked his brow and folded his arms, but said nothing.

"Please, oniichan?" Ranko begged and made the cutest face ever.

Ranma tried desperately to hold a straight face against the onslaught. Finally, he succumbed the her request, "Ok. Ok, but you have to finish unpacking first."

Ranko hopped around the yard with her arms raised shouting, "Yah, oniichan ‘s going to play for me."

Ranma watched as Ranko ran into the house while he stayed and scanned the surrounding area. The neighborhood seemed quiet and peaceful. Their house was at the end of the woods and had plenty of land. He wasn’t sure how Mom afforded such a place since he knew Genma couldn’t afford anything above a tent and blankets. He sighed and walked into the house and located his room. The room was incredibly clean considering he hadn’t been here for almost eleven years. He quickly settled his pack in the corner and emptied its content. He was about to finish when his sister burst into the room and clung on to him.

"Oniichan, play for me, please?" Ranko asked, sweetly.

"Argh," Ranma croaked from the tight hug around his neck.

"Please, oniichan?" Ranko begged. "You promised!"

Ranma was able to release her hold and took several deep breaths. Turning to face his sister, he smiled at the cute pouting face she made. He also knew that she could get away with about anything with that face. "I will, Ko-chan, but I need to finish unpacking first."

Ranko sat, thought for a moment, and then leaped to her feet. She ran over to the pack and pulled out the clothes and stuffed it into the drawers. After a few minutes, she was done and held the flute out in her hands.

Ranma shook his head and took the silver flute. The flute had his initial engraved as a gift from one of his masters. He took a seat on the bed and Rank sat in front him waiting patiently. Slowly, he placed his lips to the mouthpiece and closed his eyes. The music escaped the flute and slowly wrapped itself around the listener like a gentle breeze. The moonlight danced with the tune and the wind whistled. Eventually, the music stopped and its maker opened his eyes. Before him, Ranko was curled up in his bed and peacefully sleeping. Carefully, Ranma pulled out a blanket and covered her. He bent down, kissed her cheek, and wished her goodnight.

Down stairs, Ranma found his mother waiting for him with a uniform and groaned.

"Hi, Mom. Is that my uniformed?" Ranma asked while trying to hide his disgust.

"Yes, Son. And no, you can’t wear anything else to school," Nodoka stated.

<<Man, caught red handed>> "Alright. I’ll wear it," Ranma said, defeated.

"Ranma, have a seat. We have a few things to discuss," Nodoka said while pointing at the space next to her.

Ranma shrugged and sat down.

"First off, I’ve registered you at the local school, Furinkan High School. They are about two months into the school year, so you’re behind a bit. However, you should not have any problem catching up. Second, I have a note here that explains your curse." Nodoka paused to gauge her so son reaction. Noting that he didn’t object, well not loudly, she continued, "The uniform will fit both of your form. I suggest you let the curse be public knowledge before it becomes complicated."

Ranma sighed, but said nothing. <<Just because I’ve accepted the curse doesn’t mean I like it. But Mom’s right, the more we tried to hide things, the more trouble we’re in. Not only that, it’s something the old man would’ve done and I know better than to follow his example.>> "I guess you’re right. I’ll explain it to the teacher first so there won't be any misunderstanding."

Nodoka nodded, "Very well, Ranma."

"Um, what about my training?"

"You’re father and I talked about it and we decided that you will spar in the morning with your father and with me after school. After that, you’ll do your homework and practice your music lessons. I don’t want you slacking in any of your lessons, young man, especially your music," Nodoka said sternly.

Ranma gulped and nodded. He knew better than to go against her wishes. Anyway, he didn’t see any reasons to object. When Mom first gave him piano lessons, he wasn’t too happy since it didn’t have anything to do with martial arts. But after a few lessons, he found himself enjoying it. Ranma chuckled when he remembered his father asking him to quit his music lessons and go on a training trip with him. When Ranma refused and said that he like playing the piano, his father almost had a heart attack. One of the first thing his Mom taught him about music was that you played it with your heart and not your hands. "If you let your heart guides your hand, then the music you play will always be perfect," she had said. He learned that lesson well and would always thank her for it.

"Good then." Nodoka looked at her son and smiled to herself. He had grown up so quickly that it was hard to believe that it was not so longer ago that she gave birth to him. Looking back in the last 11 years, she was very thankful she came along on the training trip with her son. After the first few weeks, she couldn’t believed some of the things Genma attempted to do. She frowned inwardly at the possibilities of all the dangers her so called husband would have done if she wasn’t around. She must remember to thank the Kami for protecting her son. When they started their trip, Ranma was always excited and absorbed everything like a sponge. She allowed Genma to teach the art in the morning while she spent the afternoon teaching her son about life and gave him a proper education. In the evening, they would trade off teaching their respective art. Overtime, Ranma became very lonely. With all the moving, he never had the chance to make many friends and she knew it hurt him to leave. After a while, he stopped making friends since he knew how much it hurt him to leave. She was also very grateful with Ranko birth. Since that day, Ranma dedicated all his time to her. He taught her everything he thought she could understand. As the two grew, Ranko became attached to Ranma more than ever. She looked up to him for everything and would do everything for him. Ranko became his life and he dedicated himself to her as much as he did his arts. Strangely though, with the birth of his sister, he absorbed everything even faster and mastered techniques at an astounding rate. All the masters that they visited wanted to keep Ranma there for further training. She truly believed that Ranma was ‘man amongst men’ by every definition.

Nodoka smiled and said, "Ranma, why don’t you practice on the piano before you sleep."

Ranma nodded and headed into the room on the far side of the house. Inside, a grand piano stood in the middle of the room and several couches encircled the piano. The piano was a black Baldwin with ivory keys. Ranma sat on the bench and ran through the scale to check the status of the piano. Once satisfy, he closed his eyes and allowed his hands and fingers to move freely.

Nodoka sat on the couch slightly diagonal from Ranma so she could see his face during the entire performance. She listened as his hands flowed over the keys like water and the music came alive. When she first taught Ranma how to play, she wasn’t sure if he would be able to appreciate the joy that came from a well played musical instrument. After a few weeks, she knew she made the right decision. Ranma approached music like he did with martial arts. Though he learned and could played anything she gave him, he had yet to truly mastered it. It wasn’t until the birth of his sister did he realized his mistake and understood her lessons. Since then, he could play anything he imagined. At times, she wondered if he should have been a musician rather than a martial artist. One of the things she found was that Ranma expressed his emotions better through his music where he wasn’t hindered by any language barriers.

As she listened, she noted that he was expressing his thoughts after a long journey and the emotions of coming home. She felt tears welled in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. Once Ranma finished, the room remained silent until he got up and bowed to her. Nodoka returned his bowed with equal height. Nodoka gazed at her son and approached him. She quickly gathered him in her arms and whispered, "It’s good to be home."

Ranma didn’t reply and simply squeezed his mother. <<It’s good to be home at last. No more traveling or sleeping on the hard ground. No more fights in the middle of the night from some strangers. It would be so good to have a quiet normal life for a little while.>>

They released each other and returned to their room. In the dojo, we found a sleeping panda with several bumps on his head. Wonder how those got there.

When Ranma got to his room, he remembered Ranko was sleeping in his bed and thought about going to sleeping in her room for the night. He pushed the thought away and climbed in bed with her. As soon as he pulled his blanket over his chest, Ranko turned and hugged him loosely. Ranma returned it and fell fast asleep.

Ranko woke early the next morning and found herself sleeping on her brother chest. This was nothing to new to her as she slept with him during their training trip many times in the past. And each time, she would wake him. <<Now how do I wake him this time? Aha!>> Ranko ran out of the room and came back moments later.

Splash!

"Argh! What’d you do that for?" Ranma screeched. He spotted his sister and glared at her. He then grinned as he pulled the welt covered off.

Ranko noticed the grin and slowly backed away from the bed all the while keeping her eyes on her brother. Just as he leaped from the bed, she cried out and ran for the door laughing. She knew her brother was fast and could easily catch her, but that never stopped her from trying to get away. Before long, she was running through the hall laughing hysterically. Ranko had just made it in the bathroom and turned around to face the hall, but she didn’t see her brother at all. Just to be safe, she quickly closed the door and locked it. She took several long deep breaths to calm herself and sat down on the floor.

Ranma watched as Ranko calm herself and prepared to strike. He noticed his sister closed her eyes. <<Perfect>>

Ranko opened her eyes and screamed for her life. She jump kicked at the intruder and clung to the ceiling while breathing heavily.

Ranma sank to the floor and laughed uncontrollably.

Ranko, on the other hand, fumed at the brother. She was scared to death and all he did was laugh. She ‘hmphf’, dropped to the floor, and stomped out of the room.

Ranma remained on the floor for a few more minutes before he headed for the dojo. Once there, he found his father sitting in the middle of the dojo.

"You’re late," Genma said flatly and took a ready position.

Ranma shrugged and did the same. It didn’t take long before his father initiated the attacks. The two combatants punched, kicked, leaped, twirled, hoped, twisted, and displayed their agility in the name of the art. It didn’t take long before Ranma got the upper hand and broke through Genma’s defense. They continued this for an hour and left to go washed up for breakfast. By the time he got to the table, Genma sat waiting impatiently, and Ranko was helping Mom carry food to the table. Once everyone was seated, Ranko began serving, starting with Mom, him, herself, and finally Genma. Of course Genma grumbled and glared at the injustice, but never said anything out loud. Once again, Genma turned on his human vacuum and the food disappeared in a flashed. Ranma on the other hand was eating at a rate slightly faster than normal, but not anywhere near his father.

As soon as they’re done, Ranma and Ranko rushed out of the house. Ranma walked Ranko to school and then changed direction to Furinkan. Just as he turned the corner, his eyes widen in shocked and then narrowed. He immediately charged into the crowd and moments later the entire male student bodies were on the ground unconscious. When he turned around to face the girl, he was given another shock. Instead of a grateful look or even a thank you, he got an angry look and dagger glare. So his surprise, he almost got hit by the roundhouse kicked. Ranma staggered back away from the girl and waved his hand, "Hey, wait a second!"

"What, so you can beat me?" shouted the angry girl.

"No! I just want to know why you’re attacking me," said the bewildered Ranma.

"Because you’re a pervert!" the girl said matter of fact.

"Huh? Where in the world did you get that idea?"

"You’re a boy. I hate boys," the girl explained.

"Truly such a boyish lot. Evidently each tends to ask you out on the dawn that he defeat you in combat, Tendou Akane," spouted Kuno.

"Oh, it’s you Kuno-sempai," Akane said in disgust.

Ranma stared at the two and blinked twice. He then scratched the back of his head as he tried to piece together the information. <<Let see. In order to date that girl, a boy must defeat her first. But she doesn’t seem to be too happy about it.>> Ranma glanced at the boy with the bokken and one thought came to mind, "Idiot." He then gauged the two combatants and jumped into action. "Um…excused me, can you tell me where class 1F is?"

"Go away you pervert!" Akane shouted, "This is my fight."

"You there! How dare you become familiar with the fair Tendou Akane?"

"Huh? I’m…" Ranma weakly began.

"Wait. It is honorable to give one’s name first. Very well, I shall give my name. I am Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School."

"Er… I’m Saotome Ranma, heir and master of Saotome-Ryu, Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts and heir to my mother school of sword, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Ranma stated. "And as to why I was being familiar to Tendou Akane, I was merely asking for the location of class 1F."

Akane eyes widen when she heard the introduction. <<How can this be? My father is the only master of Anything Goes Martial Arts.>> Then her eyes narrowed. <<How dare he use our school of martial arts? Who does he thinks he is?>>

"Step aside peasant for you have no right to approach the fair Tendou Akane lest you defeat her in honorable combat."

"There’s nothing honorable about beating a girl," Ranma retorted.

"What? You think I’m not good enough?" Akane yelled.

"Hey! That’s not what I meant!" Ranma shouted back.

"Are you saying that you’re better than me?" Akane asked dangerously.

Ranma crossed his arms and said, "As a matter of fact, I am."

"Why you!" Akane screamed.

"How dare you claim to be better than Tendou Akane?!" Kuno launched at Ranma.

Ranma easily dodged the attacks and peaked at the clock tower. <<Oh, shoot. Gotta hurry>> "Sorry Kuno, but I have to get to class. Don’t want to be late." Ranma advanced at Kuno’s next attack and was inside his defense before he realized it. With a few well place strikes, Kuno stood still and said, "You may call me Kuno-sempai," and fell to the ground, unconscious. Just as Ranma was about to run into the school, a hand grabbed his arm.

"Hey you! That was my fight!" Akane said angrily.

Ranma was about to retort, but the bell rang. He quietly cursed himself and ran to class while Akane followed.

"Class, please welcome a new student to our class. This is Saotome Ranma. He has recently returned from a training trip in China." Turning to Ranma, the teacher asked, "Why don’t you introduce yourself?"

Ranma bowed and said, "Thank you. I’ve been training in martial arts with my parents since I could walk. I’m the heir and master of our family art, Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts as well as my mother school of sword, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. We just returned yesterday from our 10 years training trip."

"Wow. You must be really good then!" one student stated.

"Yeah, you’re probably better than Akane," another student shouted.

Of course that statement didn’t go very well with the already frustrated Akane who glared at the boy.

The teacher interrupted the questions, "That’s enough. Though you might have just returned from China, it does not excused your from being late. Saotome. Tendou. In the hall with the buckets."

Out in the hall, Ranma grumbled to himself while Akane glared at him.

"This is all your fault, you know!" Akane hissed.

Ranma raised his brow and asked, "How is this my fault?"

"I wouldn’t have been late if you hadn’t stick you nose in other people fight!"

"Yeah, whatever," Ranma was about add a few more comment, but thought better of it. <<It’s not use talking back to someone who already made up their mind.>>

Akane became frustrated when she realized Ranma was ignoring her and angrily muttered, "Jerk," under her breath.

Ranma heard the comment, but decided it was best not to get involve. After the teacher called them back into class, Ranma found an empty seat furthest away from Akane.

Akane was unnerved by the fact that Ranma had purposely ignored her. Again, she felt the familiar temper flared within her. <<How dare you ignore me? Am I not good enough for you? Jerk>>

"Tendou! Is there something you like to share with the class?" the teacher asked.

Akane turned to the teacher and flushed in embarrassment. "Er… No, Sensei."

"Are you sure? You seem very intent in staring at Saotome. Is there something you want to tell him?"

Akane turned a deeper shade of red as the majority of the class giggled. She furiously shook her head and sat back down. She didn’t dare look up at anyone else or die of embarrassment.

The class settled down and the teacher continued his lessons. Ranma glanced at Akane a few times and wondered why she was staring at hem. After a while, he pushed the thought aside and returned his attention back to the subject at hand, math. Though he didn’t like school, his mother told him that a ‘man amongst men’ must try to do the best in everything. And so, he gave his best effort in school. The best part was that it irritated his father to no end. Genma had called him soft because of his mother influence, but he been constantly defeating him since he was twelve.

The class continued till lunch without any incidents. As soon as the bell rang, the entire horde of students crowded around Ranma asking all sort of questions. Not liking the situation or the questions, he leaped over everyone and landed on the windowsill next to Akane. Without a word, he jumped out and landed three floors below. The class rushed to the window and everyone gasped. Akane was slightly startled when Ranma landed next to her and then she felt angry for being ignored again. Akane stomped out of class and ran outside to look for him. By the time she was outside, Ranma was no where in sight. She growled and stormed off to a nearby tree.

Up on the roof of the school, Ranma leaned over the edge to check to see if any of the girls were looking for him. For some reason, he wasn’t surprise to see Akane searching for him. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand her. The more he tried the larger the headache he got. Sighing, he settled down and unpacked his lunch. After he finished, he grabbed his flute and played some familiar tunes to calm his nerves. He found that playing music calmed him better than the exercises his father taught him, which had the simple logic, "Pound your problems away with your fist." Ranma mentally snorted at his father idiotic and ill-conceived logic. After a few songs, he was calm enough to practice his meditation techniques.

Under the cover of a tree, Akane and her friends talked about the day most popular topic, Saotome Ranma. Every time her friends mentioned Ranma and her in the same sentence, she gave a low growl. After a while, her friends got the hint and changed the topic, though not as exciting.

In one of the class, Nabiki sat in her desk directing a group of girls. After the other nodded and left the room, she stared at her notebook. At the very top, it was labeled "Project Wild Horse." She tapped her fingers on the desk as she ran over the information her lieutenants had recently gathered. It wasn’t much and nothing helpful. Even with the amount of information she had, there were still female students who paid a good sum of money for it. Even Kuno had inquired about the ‘foul sorcerer Saotome.’ She wasn’t surprised at his comment, as a matter of fact, she expected. She would worry if Kuno started making sense. She snickered at the idiotic fool that he was. Still, she needed information about Saotome and the best was to approach him directly. <<Better finish my lunch before the bell rings>>

When the lunch bell rang, Akane quickly got up and walked to the entrance. After a few steps, she noticed something in the sky and squinted her eyes. Unfortunately, the glared from the sun prevented her from recognizing the figure until he landed few meters ahead of her. <<Ranma!>> She blinked a few times and looked up to see where he might have dropped from, but found nothing but empty space. When she returned to where Ranma had landed, he had disappeared. Again, she growled in frustration.

Back in class, the day dragged on without any incident. When school ended, he quickly left the classroom via the window. He walked casually out of the gate and headed over to the elementary school. As soon as he got there, he found his sister waiting impatiently for him. She was fidgeting her dress nervously. "Ko-chan," he called.

Ranko’s mood immediately changed to delight when she heard her brother voice. She searched the through the number of adults until she came across a smiling Ranma. She ran and leaped at him. "Oniisan!"

Ranma giggled and hugged his sister. "I’m glad to see you too. Did you have a good day at school?"

Ranko shook his head.

Ranma raised his brow. "Why not?"

"This bully was picking on this other girl and when I beat him up, the teacher yelled at me for fighting."

Ranma frowned. "What did she say?"

"She told me that it was unladylike for me to fight. She said that the next time she found me fighting again, she’d call Mom."

"I see. Well, we’ll talk to Mom when we get home and see what she has to say about it." Ranma lowered his sister and they walked side by side talking about other things that happened at school. At home, he greeted his Mom and they headed for the dojo. For some strange reason, there was something bothering him since he came home. Though he wasn’t sure what, he tried ignoring it. While Ranma and Nodoka practiced with the use of the sword, Ranko sat in the corner and marveled at the elegant display. Once her brother was finished, she practiced with him till they were called to diner.

Once everyone was at diner, Ranma realized what was wrong. "Hey, Pops. Where were you today?"

Genma grumbled and said, "You mother suggested that I look for a job."

Ranma paused and then laughed very hard. He almost choked on his food. Genma grumbled even louder. He would have said something, but it would be of little consequence with Nodoka nearby. He then got an idea, "Ranma, my boy. There’s a friend I want you to meet. How about we go after diner?"

Ranma eyed his father. After traveling with him for almost eleven years, he always second-guessed his father’s intentions. Just to be on the safe side, he declined, "Sorry, Pops. I have homework to finish and my music lessons afterward. Maybe some other time."

"Forget those. You don’t need them. All you need is martial arts," Genma growled.

"Genma, what were you saying again?" Nodoka asked with sharp edge in her voice.

Genma froze in his track and lowered his gaze. "N-Nothing, dear."

"That’s what I thought. You know very well that you cannot live off martial arts alone and having a proper education is a manly thing. Don’t you agree, dear?" she asked coolly.

"Of….Of course," Genma stuttered.

"Good. Ranma, hurry and finish. You don’t want to stay up too late."

"Er… Sure, Mom." Ranma quickly finished his meal and ran upstairs. Ranko quickly followed her brother.

Once his homework was completed, Ranma went down stairs and into the music room and found his sister poking at the keys. He sat down next to her and guided her hands over the keys. After several attempts, Ranko practiced for another half-hour before perfected it. Ranko moved off the seat and pulled a chair next to the piano. Ranma played the new set of classical music his mom brought until he memorized the notes. He then closed his eyes and played again. He made minor changes with each consecutive repetition until he found what he wanted. Smiling, he played the piece again, following his heart. Once done, he heard Ranko clapped loudly.

"That was great, oniisan!" Ranko cheered enthusiastically.

Ranma bowed and found his mother sitting on the couch smiling.

"That was very good Ranma."

"Thanks, mom. I really like that piece. Were you able to find some of the other music pieces?"

"No yet, Ranma. But as soon as they’re located, you’ll be the first to know."

"Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it."

"The pleasure is all mine, Son. Just listening to you play is all the thanks I need," Nodoka said proudly.

"Ah, Mom," Ranma said sheepishly.

Ranko ran over to Nodoka and sat on her lap, "Okaasan, do you think I’ll be able to play as well as oniisan?"

Nodoka smiled, "I’m sure you will. But you must practice when you ever you can."

Ranko nodded several times, "I will. I’ll practice everyday. I promise."

"That’s very good to hear, dear. Why don’t you go wash up and prepare for bed."

"Ok!" Ranko hugged her and ran out of the room.

"Well, how was your day at school?"

Ranma shrugged, "Huh? It was ok, I guess."

"Oh, did you make any new friends?"

Ranma chuckled a bit, "I wouldn’t say that, Mom. From what I could tell, I had a kendo guy spouting bad poetry, a girl with bad temper, and several girls wanted me like some kind of prize. All in all, I’ll say it was ok."

Nodoka brow furrowed, "Really, what is the girl’s name?"

"Huh? Oh, it’s Tendou Akane."

Her face lit up at the name, "Really?"

"Yeah, I don’t really know how to deal with her. It seems she’s angry at everything I do." Feeling the affect of the long day catching up, he said tiredly "It’s been a long day, Mom. I think I better call it a day. Night, Mom," Ranma said as he left the room.

"Goodnight, Ranma," Nodoka said automatically. <<Tendou Akane, huh?>>

The next morning was a repeat of the previous. By the time Ranma made it to the Furinkan’s gate, he saw the same spectacle as before. Except this time, he decided to stay back, watched and only interfered if needed. Once she was done, he walked around her, avoiding her gazed and line of sight. Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far when Kuno shouted at him, "Foul sorcerer face me. For I am the undefeated champion Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School."

Ranma stopped and turned. He raised his brow and said, "I defeated you yesterday, Kuno."

"How dare you speak such false pretext in my presence. I have never been defeated. To say such is unhonorable. Prepare to die, knave."

Ranma was about to kick Kuno, but another kick sent him into low orbit. Ranma turned and found a fuming Akane. <<Oh well, saved me the trouble.>> Ranma shrugged and was about to leave when Akane voice stopped him.

"Saotome Ranma, I challenge you!"

Ranma turned and cocked his head. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I challenge you to see who’s the best!"

"Why?"

"Because there’s no way a jerk like you could be better than me. I’m the best at this school."

Ranma paused and stated, "No. Kuno is better than you. The only reason why you’ve won was that he held back."

Akane turned red at the implication. "Argh, how dare he?!"

"Look. You might be good, but you’re not anywhere near my level. Your lack of control makes you even worst."

Akane fumed even more and charged at Ranma. She threw every combination she knew at him, but only met air each time. "Fight back, you jerk," Akane growled.

"Sorry, but no. If you can’t even touch me, there’s no way you can handle my attacks," Ranma said while continued to dodge.

Akane fought on until Ranma was pushed against the wall of the building. She grinned at Ranma. <<Let see you dodge this.>> Akane pushed all her strength behind her last attack and her fist met something very hard.

Ranma read the attack a mile away and easily evaded it. A simple jump and twist, he was behind Akane while her fist was embedded in the wall. He easily tapped Akane on the back of the head. "Nice try," Ranma said before walking off.

Akane blinked and then blinked again. She lost. She lost miserably. Then the comment registered and she got angry. <<He acted like I was nothing.>> She turned and was about to shout insult when a bucket fell on his head. Akane stared dumbly at the redhead. She blinked several times.

Ranma muttered obscene insults as he removed the buckets from his head. He looked out at his wet. He shook his head and grumbled some more. Then, he heard the stream of comments from above.

"Hey, who’s the redhead?"

"What happened to Saotome?"

"Man, she cute!"

"Did you just see Saotome turned into a girl?"

"Damn, she’s good looking!"

"Pigtail Girl!"

That last comment caused Ranma to wince. He turned and saw Kuno running up at him with opened arms. He violently shuddered at the thought of Kuno coming near him. Just as Kuno was about to wrap his arms around him, he sent Kuno flying across the yard and embedded him in the wall. Kuno’s last comment, ‘Pigtailed girl, you may date me.’ sent shivers all through his body.

Nabiki, on the other hand, was grinning evilly. <<This is way too good to be true. Think of all the money I can make from him.>> Nabiki quickly took a few pictures and gave her hoodlum some orders. She looked back at Ranma and saw him punched Kuno. The last comment from Kuno only made her grinned even more.

Ranma ignored the rumors and trudged to class. Once in class, he stood in the front and waited for everyone to arrive. Once the bell rang, he saw the teacher’s signal and began his explanation. "My name is Saotome Ranma." He paused as the classed erupted with questions. A cough from the teacher quieted everyone. "Yes, I am the same Saotome that was here yesterday. While traveling in China, we came across this training ground called Jusenkyou. Unfortunately, the training ground was cursed and my idiotic father picked it without knowing how to read Chinese. Anyway, he dragged me there and kicked me into one of the pool while I was talking with the guide. I was kicked into the Nyannichan, the spring of drowned girl who drowned there 1500 years ago. The cursed is activated by water. Cold water change me into a girl and hot water changed me back." To demonstrate, he poured hot water over him, then cold water, and hot water again. The classroom gasped at the demonstration. "And before any you guys get any ideas, no matter what my body looks like, I’m still male. I don’t care what you think, but if you approach me with anything by honorable intentions; I’ll send you to the hospital for the next eight weeks." That brought laughter from the female half of the class while the male flushed in embarrassment.

"Thank you for explaining the situation, Ranma," the teacher stated.

Ranma bowed and returned to his seat. <<That went better than I thought.>>

Akane stared blankly at Ranma as he demonstrated the cursed. She never believed in magic or cursed before. Now, she wasn’t sure what to think. Here was a boy who turned girl with water. <<Weird>>

The teacher began his lessons and tried to ignore what had just happened. He didn’t care about magic or cursed or anything out of the normal life. He didn’t want any more headaches than the one he already had.

At lunchtime, Ranma was surrounded by the whole class and they started pounding him with questions. He was about to leave when a voice interrupted the class.

"Excuse me, everyone," said a girl with crop brown hair.

Everyone turned and backed away. The brown hair girl approached Ranma and introduced herself, "Hi. I’m Tendou Nabiki and I have a proposition for you."

Ranma cocked his head to one side and gauge her. From the reaction in the crowed and the various low muttered, he knew her type. He crossed his arms and said, "Not interested."

"Oh, I think you would. I can offer you a solution to your current problem," Nabiki said sweetly.

Ranma grinned, "No thanks. I already have the solution. And if my guess is correct, you’re going to charge me for the service. Then you’ll charge everyone else for the information I give you."

Nabiki held her neutral face and looked at Ranma. She didn’t expect this from him. <<Time for plan B>> "Would you mind telling me how you planned on accomplishing this?"

Ranma grinned and held out one finger to his lips and posed. "Hmmm…." He turned to with one eyes closed, leaned forward, and said, "That’s a secret." The posed he imitating was exact duplicate of his favorite anime character, Xellos, he saw while traveling.

Nabiki stared at Ranma and then fumed. She turned and slammed the door behind her.

The entire classed went into an uproar. Many were holding their sides because it hurt to laugh. Some were in tears. For the first time anyone had ever known Nabiki, she lost control.

Ranma merely shrugged and leaped out of the window and headed for the roof again.

In another classroom, Nabiki was plotting revenge. That boy humiliated her. <<How dares he? Just you wait Saotome, I’m going to make your life a living hell>> Nabiki was so lost in her thought that she didn’t even noticed Kuno standing next to her.

"Tendou Nabiki, I request information from you," Kuno stated.

Nabiki started at the presence of someone else and decided to add it to the list of offense she had on Saotome. "What do you want Kuno?"

"I wish to know the where about of the Pigtailed Goddess," Kuno inquired.

"5000"

"What?! That’s out…" Nabiki glared cut off Any further comment. Pulling out the money, he handed it to her.

"Thank you, Kuno. Saotome has your Pigtailed Girl."

"WHAT?!" Kuno screeched and ran out of the classroom raving about sorcery and magic.

Nabiki grinned wickedly as Kuno left the room. <<Well, that should keep him and Saotome busy>>

In class 1F, Akane watched the students settled down from their antic. A small part of her wanted to laugh along with the rest of the class, but the other part was angry at Ranma for making fun of her sister. Anger won out and she stormed off to find Ranma. Again, she was unable to locate him and settled at a tree with her friends. Again, the topic evolved around Ranma.

Once lunch was over, Ranma returned to class and everything quieted down. However, during PE, he was constantly bombarded by water. He wondered if it was natural to attract this much water over a sort period of time. Actually, he knew where the water came from and why. Out of the corner of his eyes, he found Nabiki at some distant away with a camera in her hand. He knew what it was for, but chose to ignore it in the mean time. When school was over, he leaped out of the building again, but this time he found Kuno waiting for him.

"Saotome, I demand you release the Pigtail Goddess or face the fury of Heaven’s justice for your foul sorcery," Kuno raved.

Ranma stared at Kuno and blinked. <<He can’t that much of an idiot. Can he?>> Ranma looked into his eyes and sighed. <<He’s beyond idiotic.>> He faced Kuno again and said, "Look, Kuno. There’s no Pigtailed Goddess. It’s a cursed."

"You dare curse the Pigtail Goddess! I shall destroy you and free her from your clutches. How dare you prevent the Pigtailed Goddess from expressing her love to my magnificent."

Ranma rubbed the temples and tried to think of a way to explain this where even a child could understand.

Splash!

"Pigtailed Goddess! You are free from that evil Saotome. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the rising star, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School. If you defeat me, I shall allow you to date me."

Ranma stared at Kuno in disbelieved. He had no word for him. <<Maybe I could add a new world to the dictionary and have his pictured next to it.>>

Splash!

Ranma looked at himself and sighed. He was soaked to the bones.

"Foul sorcerer! Return the Pigtail Goddess or face the wrath of justice!" Kuno shouted and charged at Ranma.

Ranma easily dodge the attacks and leaped away. "Are you blind as well as stupid?"

"How dare you make such false accusation?" Kune fumed.

"I only state what is true!" Ranma shouted. Out the corner of his eyes, he noticed the time and cursed.

"Die!" Kuno took advantage of the distraction and was able strike at his ribs.

Ranma winced and retorted. His hands blurred and hundreds of blows implanted itself all over Kuno. After a second, Ranma stopped and ran out of the gate before Kuno even hit the ground. It was a good thing he was already unconscious.

By the time he made it to the school ground, he found his sister alone and crying. His guilt went full scale as he hurried to her side. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I’m sorry, Ko-chan."

Sniff.

"Oniisan! I waited, but you didn’t show up and everyone was gone. And… And I was here by myself," Ranko sobbed.

Ranma didn’t know what to say. He shouldn’t have forgotten. Kuno wasn’t worth seeing his sister cried for being late. "I’m very sorry, Ko-chan. Will you forgive me?"

Ranko nodded into his shoulder.

"I promise I won’t be late again."

Ranko leaned back, "Promise?"

Ranma smiled and nodded. "Promise." Ranma kissed Ranko on the forehead, "How about I treat you to some scream this weekend?"

Ranko’s face lit up like a bulb. She nodded vicariously. "And we play in the park too," she added. "Please. Pretty please?"

Ranma pretended to think about the suggestion for a minute while his sister pleaded. Finally, he released a groan and said, "Ok."

"Yah," Ranko shouted jovially. She hopped down and danced around Ranma for a bit all the while listing all the things they could do at the park.

Ranma just laughed at the antic and started his walk home. Ranko caught up with Ranma and held his hand.

Not far away, a girl in uniformed followed.

The rest of the day replayed itself like the previous. Before Ranma went to bed, he had his usual talk with his mom.

"How was your day?"

"Not bad considering they found out about the curse."

"Oh?"

"Heh. Some one dropped a bucket and it splashed me near the entrance."

"I assumed everyone understood the explanation?"

"Almost," Ranma chuckled.

"Almost?"

"Yeah, everyone understood except for one idiot. Actually, I don’t think there’s a word for him." Ranma paused and pondered for a second. "Maybe mentally delusional."

"Ranma?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Mom. I was thinking to myself. Anyway, I changed in front of this Kuno Tatewaki and he believed that I trapped his ‘Pigtail Goddess’ with my sorcery."

"I see." [pause] "What have you done to inform the rest of the school?"

"Well, I gave the letter to the office to notify the rest of the staff about my curse before lunch. So everyone should know about the curse and stop asking questions by tomorrow."

"I see you had quite an eventful day."

"I’ll say. ‘May you live an interesting life.’ Interesting, huh?"

Smiling, "Yes, you certainly live an interesting life. Just remember to not let it control you. You have your own life, not matter what life throws at you, it’s your life and you must live it."

"I know, Mom. I just thought I could take a break after all the time we spent on the road."

"I know, Son. Sometime it might seems unfair, but you have to learn to make the best of it."

"I guess."

"Well, it’s time we retire."

"Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, Ranma."

The next morning, Ranma stood before the horde of boys of Furinkan and sighed. Ranma stepped in front of all of them and called their attention just before they initiated their attack with an explosion. "Excuse me, but I just can’t help but wonder why you’re doing this."

"Stay out of this perverted freak!" Akane shouted.

"Look. I’m trying to help you."

"I don’t need help from some sex changing freak!" Akane shot back.

Ranma clenched his fist, but ignored the comment. "Now. From what I understand, you’re all here to defeat her in order to date her. Correct?"

"That’s what Kuno proclaimed!" one student shouted.

Ranma paced back and forth. "Really? And you listened to him? That’s interesting. Tell me something. If he’s an idiotic delusional fool and you follow his example. What does that make you?"

The crowd looked at each other and lowered their heads.

"Next time you want to follow someone into the dark, make sure your guide isn’t blind," Ranma stated and walked off. However, he didn’t get far when a bucket splashed him again. Of course, Kuno was there to glomp him. Well, he tried, but Ranma quickly slammed him into a wall without even looking.

By the time lunch came around, he really needed a break. Everywhere he went today, water found him and so did Kuno. He was becoming very irritated and needed a place to meditate. Unfortunately, when he leaped onto the roof to get away, a group of girls and Kuno came charging up the stairs on the roof. He took a deep breath and jumped off the roof and ran off. By the time he settled down at a new spot, someone would popped up and bothered him to no end. Lunch was over before he even realized it. Gym wasn’t much different. For some reason, the coach kept pushing him and making him do weird exercises. When school ended, he quickly took care of Kuno and ran off to meet his sister.

Later that night, Ranma had his usual talk with his Mother.

"Mom, I have a little problem," Ranma said in a low voice.

Nodoka had been waiting for this since listening to him play the piano. Whenever Ranma played with his heart, the music never lied. She knew something was bothering her son and waited patiently for him. "Oh, what kind of problem?"

"It involves two people."

"Oh?"

"A Tendou Nabiki and Akane."

"I see." Nodoka wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading, but had a dreadful feeling it was not good. She knew the Tendou very well. She was there when each of the daughters were born and when their mother die. She knew it affected them all and she tried to help as much as possible, but her first responsibility was to her family and son. That was why she went with them on the training trip. She could not part with her only child. She never regretted that decision. Though, she wondered if there was something she could had done to help the Tendou overcome their lost. "Please continue, Ranma."

"Well, I’m not quite sure how to explain this."

"Why don’t you tell me what’s going at school?"

"Well, since they’ve discovered my curse, I’ve found pictures of my female form sold through out the school. Some of them had me pretty… er… exposed. I found out that all the photos came from one source, Nabiki. I’ve also noticed that she been selling half-truth information to the student. I can’t even find a place to relax during lunch because of her. She got spy watching all day long and selling it to various girls and Kuno."

"I see. What about Akane-san?"

"Her? I don’t really know what to think. When I tried to help her fight the boys at school because they believed that they could date her if they beat her," Ranma said.

Nodoka gave him a bemused look.

"You can ask the idiot Kuno who proclaimed that ‘who shall have the right to date the Fair Tendou Akane if he defeats her in combat.’ The idea that they actually believed the fool is the amazing thing."

"What does this have to do with you?’

"Well, when I tried to help her, she told me to told me to stay back and called me a pervert. When she found out about the curse, it became perverted freak." Ranma sighed and took a sip of the offered tea. "I just don’t know what to think. I tried ignored her and she got angry. When she challenged me and I wouldn’t fight back, she got angry. When I commented on how she could improve, she got angry. It’s almost as if she likes being angry."

"What do you want to do, Ranma?" Nodoka asked after Ranma calmed down.

"I think I can handle Akane. I need to approach Nabiki differently. Since she selling picture of me without my permission, is there anything we can do about that?"

"I believe there is. I’ll look into that tomorrow. I don’t see why you’re so worry about a few pictures. You’re very photogenic."

Ranma chuckled, "Thanks, Mom. But if I’m going to have picture of me taken in that fashion, I might as well get pay."

"That’s true. Model makes quite a lot of money in this generation."

"Yeah, that do. I mean, you see them in calendars, notebooks, magazines, and bunch of other stuff."

"Yes, it’s very popular."

"To bad I’m not…" Ranma snapped his fingers. "Mom, I got an idea. I might not like my curse very much, but I think this will work out great," Ranma said excitedly.

"What is it, Ranma?" Nodoka asked, confused.

"I can model in my female form," Ranma said happily.

Nodoka raised her brow, questioning.

Ranma flushed, "Mom! Nothing like that! I mean, I could model in swimsuit and dresses for calendar. If we can find a good agent, we can make a lot of money. It’s the best way to use my curse."

Nodoka thought about and looked at Ranma. She saw that he was pretty serious about it and nodded. "Ok, Ranma. I’ll call a few of my friends and we’ll set up appointment for a trial shoot. I’ll also gather some documents on legal issues involving Nabiki-san miss use of your body."

Ranma smiled and hugged his mother, "Thanks, Mom. You’re the greatest."

"My, Ranma. You say the nicest things."

"Er….heheheh…" Ranma laughed weakly.

"Go get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."

"Don’t I know it. Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, Ranma." After Ranma left, she said to herself, "It seems the Tendou had changed more that I realized."

The same routine repeated itself until Friday after school. Ranma was very frustrated when he saw Nabiki and Akane standing at the corner of the gate. Nabiki had a smirked while Akane had the annoyed look. Kuno was waiting with his bokken. He stopped a few meters away and looked at Nabiki.

"End this now before someone get seriously hurt!" Ranma shouted.

"Moi? What’s there to end? You brought this on your own," Nabiki said with a smirk.

"Don’t you dare threaten my sister you perverted freak!" Akane yelled.

"Prepare to die, knave!"

"I warned you," Ranma said and held out his hand. A yellow ball of chi formed on his palm and grew to the size of a golf ball.

Everyone stared at Ranma and the chi ball that was still growing.

It grew to the size of softball.

Everyone backed away from Ranma, with the exception of Kuno.

"What sorcery is this? Release the Pigtail Goddess and face the justice heaven have bestowed on I, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder."

"Moko Takabisha," Ranma cried. The ball of energy streaked the distance and slammed into Kuno. It sent Kuno flying down the street until a wall stopped him.

Ranma turned back at Nabiki and glared at her. "I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you better call your watch dog. I’m getting tire of being spied on and taking advantage of. I’m getting really tire of both you Tendou!"

"Why the hell should we listen to you, pervert?" Akane retorted.

Ranma face twisted in anger. "You!" He pointed the finger straight at Akane, and shouted, "What the hell did I do to you for you to call me a pervert or anything?"

"Isn’t it obvious? You’re a boy who change sex!"

"Argh. You have no right to judge people! Before you start judging people, you better be perfectly happy with yourself. Who the hell gave you the right to judge people any way? Did some Kami-sama grant you a wish or bestowed you the abilities to see their soul? Since the first day I arrived at this school, you’ve called me numerous names. Even after I helped, you accused me of interfering. If you enjoy playing with your horde of friends, maybe I should have Kuno reinstate that proclamation. You have absolute no idea who I am and you already judge me. As far as I can tell, you’re nothing by a violent short tempered bully!"

Turning to Nabiki, "You nothing by a heartless mercenary bitch. Oh please, don’t play innocent with me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed all the pictures of my female form in various stages of undress sold like some brand of meat. Don’t think I haven’t noticed all the ‘accident’ water spilled on me. Don’t think I blind to all the half-truth information you’ve fed Kuno. And don’t think I’m going to sit back and let you control the situation. Oh no. Fight is what I’m good at. Don’t ever believe you can control a fire because it could easily engulf you. Have a good day!" With that said, Ranma rushed off to meet his sister.

Akane stared blankly at the retreating form of Ranma and stared at the puddle by her feet. "I hope you’re happy with yourself," the words echoed in her mind. Suddenly, her previous anger died out ever so quickly. She started her walked home in silent.

Nabiki blinked and then stared at her sister. She knew Akane was shaken by the comment. That’s too bad, she wasn’t that easily shaken. This only fueled her resolved to make Ranma’s life a living hell. She didn’t have to worry about Akane; Kasumi would take care of her. She had business to take care of and hurried off.

By the time Ranma reached the schoolyard, he was still in a bad mood. Even his sister cheerful attitude didn’t complete elevated his depression.

When Ranko saw Ranma approached the school with shoulders slumped and body tensed, she knew he was not in a very good mood. She tried cheer him up, but nothing seemed to help. Then she got an idea. "Oniisan, can you play something for me? Please?" She gave him the cutest smile she could think of.

Ranma was about to dismiss the request immediately, but the pleading eyes, pouting face, and puckered lips melted his resolve. He sighed and pulled out his flute from his bag and started playing. Amazingly, his depression slowly eroded with the music. By time they reached home, he was in much better mood. Looking down at Ranko, he smiled and picked her up. "Thanks, Ko-chan." He kissed her on the nose.

Ranko giggled as the kissed tickled her nose. She hugged her brother and shouted happily, "You’re welcome."

Not far away, a girl watched as Ranma enter the front gate. She turned and left the scene dragging her feet. She wondered if all the money she made while helping Nabiki was worth seeing someone else suffered. She always believed in the theory to not get emotionally involved. ‘It’s bad for business,’ she recalled. But when she saw Ranma with his sister and the melody he played, she felt an intense guilt. She felt the frustration in the music and the sadness as well. She needed to talk with someone. Someone she can trust to keep a secret and still be safe from Nabiki. She ran through a list of name and she snapped her fingers. "Of course. I’ll have to talk to her this weekend."

By the time Akane reached the Dojo, she felt even worst than she did when she left the school’s gate. For the rest of the evening, she kept silent and ate diner with minimum interest. Afterward, she returned to her room and completed her homework. A knock on the door caught her attention, "Come in."

Kasumi opened the door and entered. She sat on the bed while Akane remained in the chair next to the desk. "Is everything ok, Akane-chan?" she asked, concerned.

"Not really," Akane said weakly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don’t know…."

"What don’t you explained what happened?" Kasumi suggested.

"Well, it started when this new boy came to school a few days ago and…." Akane spent the entire hour reacquainting Kasumi with all the events up until what happed after school.

"How do you feel about what he said?"

"Well, I was angry at first and then guilty."

"Why did you feel guilty?"

"It’s…It’s because what he said was all true," Akane replied in a whisper.

"What are you going to do?"

"I-I don’t know."

"Have you tried apologizing to him?"

"n-no."

"It would be a good place to start."

"I think so too."

"Maybe you should offer to be friends," Kasumi said with a smile.

Akane immediately went back to her old mode and shouted, "No way! All boys are pervert!"

Kasumi just looked at Akane.

"I-I…."

"Why don’t you give people a chance? They might surprise you. I’m sure that not all boys are perverts."

"W-Well, most of them are," Akane argued.

"What happened if the one that aren’t perverts and you let them passed because you don’t want to change?"

"I-I….Alright, Sis, I’ll give it a try."

"That’s good, Akane-chan."

"But if he gives me any reason to think otherwise, I’m going to pound him to pancake," Akane said dangerously.

"Am sure everything would work out just fine," Kasumi said before leaving.

Akane began changing into her pajama when she caught herself in the mirror. She stopped and looked at the reflection. "Are you happy with yourself?" the voiced asked. Staring at the mirror, she turned away and said, "not really."

Early the next morning, Ranma hurried to school after dropping off Ranko. He had a few things to take care of. Hopefully, he didn’t have to deal with the Tendou after this. When he made it to school, he found the horde of boys in front of the entrance again. However, their shoulders were slumped and a dejected look. Ranma decided it was nothing to worry about and hurried to Nabiki’s class. He wasn’t surprised to find her there waiting for him. He quickly made his way across the room and handed her the package and waited.

Nabiki looked at Ranma and opened the packaged. She read through the first pages and her eyes widen. She quickly flipped through the rest of the documents and slammed the paper down on her desk, startling everyone in the room. "You can’t do this!"

"That’s where you’re wrong. I already did," Ranma said sternly. "I warned you and if I’m correct, you’ve already have something planned for me. I suggest you call it off. Like I said before, you can’t control a fire forever. It fluctuates and tends to burn. Don’t play with fire unless you’re willing to get burn." Ranma turned and began walking out of the room. At the door, he turned and said, "You have till Monday to have everything ready," and left the room.

Nabiki uncharacteristically growled and threw the documents at the door. <<Damn you. Damn you, Saotome. I’m not through with you yet. Nobody messes with me and gets away. I always win! You hear me, Saotome. I will win.>> She glared at everyone in the room. One of her lieutenant returned the documents to her desk. She ignored everyone and concentrated on formulating the next plan.

Ranma heard something hit the door after it closed and had a good idea what it might be. He also knew Nabiki wouldn’t give up that easily. He didn’t know what Nabiki might try, but with his mother help, he would defeat any scheme. It might take a little time to find something to counter it, but he’s pretty patient. He headed back to class and found everyone had gathered at the window. Curious, he gazed and found the assembled body of boys apologizing to Akane. It looked like she went into shock because Kuno nearly defeated her. Ranma returned to his desk and waited for the class to begin. He wasn’t entirely certain on how Akane reacted to his comments yesterday, but he felt he should stay away in the mean time. Right now, he was more worry about Nabiki. When Akane came to class, he noticed something very interesting. First of all, she didn’t look up at him when she entered. She kept her gazed toward her feet. Second, the annoyed look was not longer there. And finally, when he caught her eyes, he saw a slight hint of guilt mixed with other emotions. "Maybe things will get better after all," he thought.