CHAPTER 2

"Come on, niichan, you promised!" cried Ranko as she pounce on her brother.

"Hmmm…..," Ranma mumbled and rolled over.

"ONIICHAN"

"Just a few more minute, Ko-chan," Ranma pleaded.

"NO. You promised,” Ranko shouted while jumping on the bed. “You promised!” she repeated several times until Ranma finally gave in.

“Umm…. Ok, I’m up. I’m up,” he grumbled.

“Yah!” Ranko exclaimed.

Ranma grumbled a little more before dragging himself out of bed. As soon as Ranma was on his feet, Ranko pulled him to the washroom. Ranma yawned and muttered something on the line of his sister not letting him sleep. Ranko just laughed. Eventually, Ranma came out of the washroom feeling refresh from the shower and headed for breakfast.

“Boy, how about you and I go visit an old friend of mine.”

“Sorry, Pops. I already made plan,” Ranma said between bites.

“Forget about your plan. This is more important! This --”

“NO! Oniichan promised to play with me today!” Ranko interrupted.

“You heard, Ko-chan,” Ranma smirked.

“Er… Come now, Ranko-chan. You can play with Ranma another time, can’t you?”

“NO!” Ranko crossed her arms and looked away from Genma.

“Umm… How about I promise to buy you…er… ice cream?”

Ranko face lit up. “Um…”

Not wanting to be drag off by Genma, Ranma interrupted, “So, Pops. Who is this friend of your?”

“Er… He’s just very close friend. We study under the same Master.”

“Really. Why do you want me to see this friend?” Ranma inquired.

Genma sweated, “Er… It’s nothing really. Just…er… wanted you to meet him. That’s it.”

Nodoka remained silent during the exchange.

Ranma smirked, “You’re a terrible liar, Pops. When you decide to tell me the truth, then, maybe, I’ll come. Until then, I have better things to do.” Finishing his meal, he called to Ranko, “Come on, Sis. Let’s go around town for a bit.”

Ranko nodded and quickly finished her meal. Waving goodbye to her parents, she rushed off to her room to get her pack and dashed out the door. Ranko skipped down the street with Ranma a few meters behind.

“Genma, this is not the time to bring up the promise you made to Soun,” Nodoka said sternly.

“But Nodoka-chan, if we don’t get them together, the school will never be join.”

“I said we will not bring up the promise. We will allow them to meet and get to know each other first.”

Genma’s hope rose a few notches, “Of course, Nodoka-chan.”

Nodoka quickly added, “However, they will not be force to marry in any way or manners. If I find out otherwise, I would be very upset. Is that understood, ‘dear’?”

Genma gulped and nodded.

“I’m glad we understand each other. I think it’s best to invite the Tendou for diner tonight,” Nodoka suggested while sipping her tea.

“That’s a good idea,” Genma said as he hurried to the phone.

“Oh, Genma? Please relay my ‘suggestion’ to Soun-kun as well.”

Again, Genma gulped and nodded.

[At the Tendo]

Tendou Soun was weeping as he hung up the phone. “Oh, joyous day!” He ran into the kitchen, “Kasumi, can you get your sisters?”

“Ok course, Daddy.”

After Kasumi left, Soun sat the dinning table contemplating on possible plans to join the two schools. <<Hmm… Who would be the best choice? Nabiki would never go for it and would probably sell dojo. Kasumi would make an excellent housewife, but she can’t carry on the school. That leaves Akane. She would be the best choice, but Akane hated boys. Oh, what to do?>>

“What did you want to talk to us about, Daddy?” Nabiki asked in monotone.

“Oh, Nabiki. Please sit.” Once everyone was seated, he continued “An old friend just called an invited us to diner at their house.”

“Oh, really? Who’s this friend of your?”

“Er…Just a very close friend, Nabiki. Nothing to worry about, heheh,” Soun said nervously.

“Whatever you say, daddy.” Nabiki turned, “If there’s nothing else, I have things to take care of.”

“Er… no. Just be home by 4:30.”

“Oh, my. Should I prepare anything, father?”

“No, no. Everything will be taken care of.”

“Well, I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back later.”

Moments later, everyone went about their own business. Sound went back to reading the paper. Kasumi cleaned the house, did laundry, and prepare lunch. Nabiki left to meet some friend, collect money, and plan schemes. Akane went for a walk around town.

******

Ranko just got off the bus with Ranma following behind carrying several packages.

“Come on, Ko-chan. Let’s stop by our house so I can drop these stuffs off. It’s getting pretty heavy you know.” He couldn’t believe the amount of clothes Ranko brought. He couldn’t believe he followed her into all those stores. They’ve spent most of the morning shopping and it’s more tiring than his usual sparring matches. He shook his head and tried to ignore the headache that’s emerging.

He quickly dropped off the packages in Ranko’s room and stopped by the kitchen to inform his mom he’ll grab some food in the store. He was also told to be home before 5pm because they were having guests. Ranma nodded and left.

Ranma and Ranko stopped by some fast food restaurant and ate some hamburgers. Once done, Ranko dragged him over to the ice cream parlor nearby. They ordered a double banana cream sundae with cherry toppings, double potions of course, and ate merrily in the shop. Afterward, they head out to the park and played a few games of tag and hide-n-seek. By 3pm, both were exhausted and settled down against a bridge next to the river.

“Oniisan?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you play me something please?”

“Sure, what do you want to hear?”

“I don’t know. I like all of the songs you play,” Ranko exclaimed.

Ranma chuckled a bit and pulled out his flute. He played some of his favorite melody. They ranged from rapid to soft rhythm. Sometime, he would mix the rhythms for the fun of it.

******

Akane had been wandering the street, lost in thought. Memories of the previous week kept emerging. She knew why, but wasn’t sure how to approach the solution. She knew she had to apologize to Ranma for her behavior, but didn’t know how. Every time she tried, her nerve failed her. So, she spent most of the day formulating possible approach. So far, she hadn’t found anything feasible. Akane sighed as she entered the park and sat on a nearby bench. She most jumped out of her skin when she heard a girl screeched in laughter. Angry, she turned to see who the offender was and gasped. Before her, a little redhead was running through the park laughing loudly. Close behind, she saw Ranma. It appeared they were playing a game of tag. The little red head dodged and leaped as Ranma pretended to miss. A few times, he would accidentally tripped just when he was about to catch the little girl. This only brought more excitement in the little girl. Akane felt a sudden joy enveloped her as she watched the two played. She recalled occasions when her father played with her the same way. She missed those times.

Suddenly, a voice echoed, “Who gave you the right to judge people?” Akane lowered her head in shame. Ranma was right. She ridiculed him for no reason other than that he’s a boy. Again, the same voice asked, “Are you happy with yourself?” Akane whispered, “No. I’m not happy at all.” A different voiced asked, “What are you going to do about it?” She looked up and saw the pair in the distance. “I’ll go apologize to him right now,” Akane said with determination. She raced through the park, but she lost track of them at the bridge. She stopped and searched the area. Just when she was about to leave, she froze in her track when she heard someone played a flute. There was something about the music that made her search for the source. It was played with so much emotions that you had to be dead not to feel it. She slowly walked towards the source. Her steps quicken as the music became louder. She turned the corner of the bridge and froze. Her eyes widen and her throat suddenly dried. She grabbed the edge of the bridge to steady herself. The sight before was, well, magical.

Ranko was lying on the grass with her head on her brother’s lap. Her hands held gently on her stomach. Her eyes closed and she felt the warmth of the afternoon sun across her body. Her brother soft music filled her soul. She couldn’t be happier. There was a gentle breeze that fitted the mood perfectly. She smiled and allowed her body to rest. This had been the best day ever. She went shopping, had ice cream, played in the park, and now her brother was playing the flute for her. She took a deep breath and relaxed.

Akane stood there and stared at the pair. She felt tears welled in her eyes. She quickly wiped it away. She didn’t want anything to interfered with the scene. It was like a scene from a dream. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the music. She found herself standing on cliff over looking the ocean. The sun was at the horizon in the east. The orange reddish glowed captured her heart. She felt an urge to leap off the cliff and glide over the ocean. She swallowed and jumped off blindly. A gush of wind caught her before she impacted into the ground. She reached out with her mind and felt the wind guided her. She flew a few feet above the ocean and could smell the salty scent in the breeze. She smiled and reached out into the ocean. The water was cool and refreshing. For the first time in so long, she felt alive. She no longer felt the anger that she was so accustomed to. She twirled in the air and shot up straight into the sky. Soaring high in the clear blue sky, she stopped and happily plunged towards the deep blue ocean. Usually, she would be frightened to death of water, but not now. She hoped she would never fear water again. Suddenly, everything stopped and turned black.

Ranma had just completed a series of songs, which he knew would last for a little over an hour. Looking down, he found his sister sleeping peacefully. Smiling, he stored the flute in is shirt and slowly lifted Ranko. She stirred a bit, but only to latch her arms around his neck and went back to sleep. Turning, he was startled to find Akane standing there with her eyes closed.

She blinked several times and found herself staring at Ranma. Suddenly, her face took on a hue of red as she saw his blue eyes, which reminded her of the ocean she had daydreamed. “Er…Hi,” she said weakly. She stared at her feet and her hand attempted to straighten the wrinkles in her dress.

“Hi,” Ranma said quietly.

Instead of looking at Ranma, she directed her attention to the little girl. “Is that your sister?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Ranko.”

“’Wild child’ and ‘Wild Horse’”

Ranma chuckled softly, “Yeah, I guess we’re just a wild bunch.”

“Ranma, I…”

Ranma interrupted, “Akane-kun, I’m sorry.”

Confused, “Huh?”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you the other day. I should have found a different way to… er… express my opinion. I just had a bad day and I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Akane shook her head, “No, Ranma. I-I deserved that. No, let me finished please. You had every right to yell at me. Maybe it was what I needed to open my eyes and I thank you. I’m also sorry for calling you all those names. You’re right. I didn’t have the right to judge you or anyone. I promise to not do that again.” Akane bowed her head.

Ranma smiled and lifted Akane’s chin. “I think we both had a bad start. How about we start over.”

Akane smiled and quickly agreed. “I’d like that.”

“Well, then, I’m Saotome Ranma, heir and master of Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts and heir of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Please to meet you,” Ranma said while extending his hand.

Akane grasped the hand and said, “I’m Tendou Akane, heir of Tendou School of Anything Goes Martial Arts,” and shook.

“I see, we’re from the same school. Strange. I didn’t think anyone practiced our school.”

Akane agreed, “Yeah. I was, um, suspicious when you told us in class. I was positive that only my father practiced the Anything-Goes.”

“Same here.” Ranma paused as he recalled a conversation, “My Pops said that he and a friend studied under the same master. I think our fathers might know each other.”

“You really think so?”

“Why not?”

“I guess that could be it.”

“Well, I better take Ranko home. She had an eventful day.”

Akane felt a pain of disappointment, but an idea came to mind, “Ummm…. Would it be ok, if I walk with you?”

Ranma shrugged, “Sure.”

The two walked off with Ranma telling Akane about his training trip. Akane listened and asked questions every so often. When they reached the door, Ranma asked if she wanted to come in for a little bit.

Akane was amazed at the size of the house. It was almost twice as large as hers. She also noticed that they had a very large yard, which would be perfect for sparring. So lost in her observation, she didn’t hear Ranma.

“Akane?”

Startled, “Oh… Sorry, what did you asked?” Akane looked down to hide her blush.

“Do you want to come in?”

“Um….I…” Akane didn’t know what to do. She was being pulled in at least twelve different directions. One part told her it would be impolite to decline. Another said she shouldn’t impose. One part will say something while the other would counter it.

“Just for a little bit,” Ranma said with a smile.

Suddenly her defense dissolved and she nodded. Akane followed Ranma inside and upstairs to Ranko’s room. She watched as Ranma carefully laid Ranko on the bed and kissed her forehead before leaving. Suddenly, she found herself in bed with Ranma giving her a kiss, her cheeks flushed red and she quickly looked away. When Ranma returned, she tried to divert her attention to some other topic, “Ranma, where did you learn to play the flute like that?”

“Huh? Oh, it was from one of my sensei I met while traveling. I was in Junior High School and we first found out that Mom was pregnant with Ranko. I spent a lot of time talking to Sensei and when I saw him play the flute on night, I asked him to teach me.”

“Wow, I wish I could play something like that,” she said wishfully.

“Well, it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.”

“At least you had the chance to learn it.”

Ranma chuckled, “It was actually Mom’s idea. She made me learned music when I was young. If she didn’t come with us, Pops would have thrown a fit if I even thought about something like that.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“What did your Mom teach you to play?”

“Piano.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. Come on, I’ll show it to you.” Ranma led Akane to the music room.

Inside, Akane stared wide eyes at the size of the room. It was very spacious and well decorated. The grand piano blended perfectly with the room. She walked over to the piano and ran her fingers over the ivory keys. She tapped a few notes and giggled. She watched as Ranma walked over and sat down on the bench and started playing. She stood still next to the piano and observed his hands. She was mesmerized by the movements. His hands flowed over the keys like the water and gentle like the wind. She closed her eyes and found herself gliding over the mountains. She curved and dived through the trees. She glided to the basin and followed the rivers up the mountain. The fresh spring water sprayed her face. Again, the feeling she felt was like before, alive. It was amazing. She swayed through the trees and felt herself let loose and relaxed. Unfortunately, the feeling started to fade and she reluctantly opened her eyes. She saw Ranma smiling back at her and only made her nervous knees weaker. She took a step and stumbled into Ranma’s arms. Her body froze on contact and he audibly gulped. Her face turned as red as her name. She felt Ranma gently straightened her and found her face inches away from his.

“Ranma, are you in here?” a voice asked from behind the door.

Ranma and Akane spun around and separated in a flash.

The door opened to review Nodoka and Ranko. Ranko yawned and walked over to Ranma and tugged his shirt. Ranma reached down and lifted her. Nodoka exchanged glances at Ranma and the girl. She noticed Ranma slightly red cheeks and the girl very red face. Smiling, she said, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but you should get ready to greet our guests.”

Ranma nodded, not trusting his voice. He took his sister and headed to the washroom.

Akane stood still with her head lowered. Her faced still felt incredibly warm. She felt both excited and fear at the rushed of emotions that exploded while she was in his arms. She willed her control and dared to look at the women in front of her. She lifted her gaze and found the women smiling gently at her. She released her breath and felt her nerve calmed down.

“Well, dear. I hope you and my son enjoyed yourself,” she said sweetly.

Akane lost control and her face turned deep red. She quickly looked away to hide her embarrassment.

Nodoka giggled, “I’m sure the two of you had fun. After all, my son is very manly.” She paused, “Why don’t you join him in the washroom to freshen up.”

Akane was literally glowing. Her imaginations were playing havoc to her body. Various scenes flashed through her mind. Scenes that were reserved for married people only. She drew on whatever reserved she had and ran out the door and out the front yard. She ran for about 5 minutes at top speed before slowing down. She leaned against the railing above the canal panting.

“Akane-chan!” a female voice called.

Akane stopped panting and looked up. She was surprise to find her family walking up to her.

“Akane, where have you been?”

“Yeah, Sis. Where were you?”

“I doesn’t matter now. What’s important is that you’re here. We must hurry.”

“Yes, it would be impolite to be late,” Kasumi added.

“Huh?”

“Let me guess, you’ve forgotten about the diner invitation?”

“Diner invitation?”

“Yes, the one dad told us this morning.”

Akane paused, “Oh, yeah. Heheh… I forgot about it.” Akane laughed nervously.

Nabiki quirked her brow and asked, “So Akane. Where have you been all day?”

“Er… No where… Just been walking around. Thinking, that’s all.”

“Thinking about a specific person?” Nabiki probed.

A slight flush appeared “Er….”

Nabiki saw the flushed and didn’t like where it was heading. Nabiki said sternly, “Here’s some free advice, Sis. Don’t get involve,” Nabiki discouraged. “It will only bring you more trouble. He’s not worth the headache.” The last part she said coldly.

Akane stopped and stared at her sister. She heard the tone and knew her implication. The question was ‘is she going to follow it?’. Scenes of Ranma flashed through her head. Akane smiled at Nabiki and followed her father.

Nabiki growled. If she didn’t know any better, she would have guessed that Akane had fallen in love with Saotome. The thought irked her and she felt the bile in her stomach churned. <<You’re making a big mistake and I’m not going to sit around and do nothing>>

After a while, the Tendou were at the Saotome’s house. Nabiki was astonished at the size of the house. A quick survey told her that the Saotome were better off than she originally estimated. “The more the better,” she thought before entering the gate. The door opened and Ranma stood before them. Nabiki grinned even more and strode to the door.

Ranma was shocked when he saw Akane next to a young woman, he assumed to be her sister. Not far behind her, he saw Nabiki. The grinned plastered on her face made him shuddered. Something told him that it was going to be a long night. He quickly pushed the thought aside and concentrated on the task at hand. “Welcome to the Saotome’s home. I’m Saotome Ranma. Please come in.” Ranma bowed and stepped aside.

“Ah, thank you son,” Soun said enthusiastically.

“Son?” Ranma thought, but ignored it. “Please follow me.” Ranma led everyone into the dining hall.

“Tendou, it’s good to see you again,” Genma said.

“It’s certainly been a long time, Saotome.”

“Welcome to our home, Soun.”

“Hahah, It’s good to see you again Nodoka. I see you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Nodoka bowed, “Why thank you. I see you haven’t lost your charm.” Nodoka directed at the table, “Please take a seat.”

Everyone gathered around the table. Nodoka sat at the head of the table with Genma to her left, Ranma to her right and Ranko next to him. Soun sat next to Genma with Kasumi beside him. Akane was between Ranko and Nabiki.

“Thank you for coming everyone. This is my husband, Genma. My son and daughter, Ranma and Ranko.”

“The honor is ours. Please allow me to introduce my daughters. My eldest daughter, Kasumi, 19, Nabiki, 17, and Akane 16. Choose…urk.” A sudden elbow interrupted him.

Kasumi said politely, “Thank you Saotome-baasan for inviting us.”

“Obassan is fine, Kasumi-chan,” Nodoka corrected. “And enjoy yourself.”

“Of course, obaasan,” Nabiki said coolly.

Ranma winced inwardly. He was getting a really bad feeling about this. He glanced at his Mom whose expression never changed. His sister was sitting impatiently until the food was served, which he was very thankful. Both he and Ranko devoured the meal, with grace of course, within minutes. Once done, he asked to be excused. Nodoka nodded. He was not very comfortable with the attention he received both from Soun and Nabiki. He had good idea why Nabiki was eyeing him, but I couldn’t figure out why Soun spoke to him like family. At first, he thought because the families were closed friends, but that did not ease his nervousness. He quickly leaped to his feet and left the room. Ranma thought about heading to the back to practice his katas, but he didn’t want to ruin his clothing or get sweaty. The next best option was the music room.

Ranko noticed Ranma’s nervousness and wondered why. She didn’t see anything wrong with the guests. She especially liked Akane and Kasumi, but she felt uncomfortable under Nabiki’s stare. She quickly finished her meal and asked to be excuse also. She was surprise when Akane and Nabiki asked if they could go with her. Ranko, thinking nothing of it, she nodded.

“Ranko-chan, why don’t you show them around,” Nodoka suggested.

“Okay!” Ranko happily agreed and led them to the back. She showed them to the dojo and the vast land behind the house. Afterward, she led them to the den and music room.

As they tour the compound, Nabiki made mental notes of every detail regarding the finance of the Saotome. She was ecstatic when they entered the den, but only frowned when she found everything was neatly locked away.

As they neared the music room, Akane felt a little nervous. Images of Ranma kept popping in her mind and made her flushed slightly. Just before Ranko opened the door, Nodoka called, “Ranko-chan, why don’t you bring your friends and join us for tea and desert.” Ranko, of course, happily agreed. “Be right there, Momma.”

“Ranko-chan, where’s your brother?”

Ranko looked from her smother face of ice cream and blinked. “Huh?”

“Your brother?” Nodoka restated.

“Oh, I think he’s in the music room,” Ranko said quickly and returned to her ice cream.

“What does Ranma plays, obaasan?” Kasumi inquired.

“Why don’t we go see, Kasumi-chan. We can dine in the music room and Ranma can play something for us. He’s very talented,” Nodoka said with pride.

“That’s an excellent idea, obaasan,” Kasumi chirped.

Genma, on the other hand, grumbled something on the line the boy getting soft. Nodoka allowed the comment to slide and led the group upstairs. The music filled the hall as Nodoka opened the door. They silently entered the room and settled on the couch. Ranma was sitting cross leg on top of the grand piano playing his flute. Nodoka knew immediately that Ranma had just recently composed it. She recognized a few melodies from various composers, but it felt different from the original.

Eventually Ranma stopped, opened his eyes, and almost fell off the piano. He was so lost in thought that he never heard anyone entered the room. He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. “Heheh, hi,” he said hastily.

“That was wonderful, Ranma-kun,” Kasumi said with a grateful smile.

“Yes. It was wonderfully played,” Soun said with a nod.

Genma continued to grumble about having a weak son.

“You certainly have many ‘talents’, Saotome,” Nabiki said with false hint of cheer.

“Yes, yes. The more reason for you to…urk,” Soun was interrupted again by an elbow. Soun gave Genma a questioning look. Genma shook his head and eyed Nodoka. Soun nodded understandably.

“Momma? I want to play too!” Ranko said, jumping from her seat.

“I would love to hear you play, Ranko-chan,” Kasumi said warmly.

“Please, Momma. I’ve been practicing,” Ranko said with a cute face.

“Very well, Ranko-chan.”

Ranko rushed over to the piano and practiced a little before playing the song she’d been practicing. When she finished, the audience applauded and she bowed. “Oniisan, it’s your turn.”

Startled, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Heheheh, it’s your turn to play.”

“But I already did,” Ranma pouted.

“Oh, come on, oniisan. Please?” Ranko asked, batting her eyes.

Ranma shook his head indignantly, “No.”

“Pleeeaassee?”

“Nope.”

“Pretty, pleeaaaassseeee?”

Ranma shook his head again. “No way.”

Sniff. Sniff. “Waaaahhhhh.” Ranko cried. “Oniisan won’t play for me!”

Ranma looked at like a deer caught in the spotlight of incoming 18-wheelers. Ranma nervously tried to calm his sister, but she just cried louder. He knew Ranko was faking it, but it didn’t help him one bit. The audience stared at Ranma and held back the giggled that played in their eyes. He knew he lost at Ranko’s first sniffle.

“Ok, I’ll play. Just promise me you won’t embarrass me like that again, ok sis?”

Ranko turned off her tears like a faucet and nodded.

Ranma walked over to the previously occupy piano and took his seat. He took a deep breath, stretch his fingers, closed his eyes, and played. The audience listened intently to the music. No one dared to disturb him. Well, Nabiki was gauging the reaction of everyone. They were so intent on listening that she had free roam of the room. She thought about possible way to record the music and sell them off to highest bidder. She could probably get the principle to force Ranma to join the band or choir in his female form. <<Of course, I almost forgot about the curse. If Ranma had it, the rest of the family might have it as well. They might be a family of freaks. Now, if I could convince certain people about this curse, there will be no end to the unwanted attention that would draw to the Saotome.>> The clapping interrupted her thoughts and she clapped along.

****

The scene changed to show a boy in yellow shirt with yellow and black stripes bandana running away from a girl with purple hair. Not far behind her, a young man in white and long black hair chased after the girl.

“Shampoo! Come back! I love you!”

Ryouga ran as fast as his leg could carry him. He needed to get away, as far away as he could possibly be from his pursuer. He didn’t know why this happened to him. All he wanted was a chance to fight Ranma again. Since his last matched, he’s been traveling and followed Ranma’s track as much as possible. He got lost a few times. Well, he got lost several times, but was always able to locate Ranma again. It was strange that he even bother searching for Ranma. Back in Junior High, he hated Ranma for all the insults and battles they fought over the bread during lunch. Thinking back to those times, he chuckled a bit. It was funny considering that they fought over such meaningless details. He thought back to the day he made his challenge. He was angry, confident, and even cockier than Ranma.

***Flashback***

Dozens of students roamed the room of the cafeteria. There were shouts, laughter, screams, arguments, and other sort. The view circled the cafeteria and stopped at two boys in uniform. Both had dark hair and one looked very angry whiles the other bemused.

“This is the last straw Saotome!” the boy shouted while showing his fangs.

“Yeash, I don’t know why your so angry. It’s just bread,” said the other with a smirk.

“Yeah and it’s my bread that you stole. Because of you, I haven’t had lunch for several days,” shouted the other.

“What’re talking about? I shared half the bread with you several times,” said the other as he arched his brow.

“I doesn’t matter. I challenge you,” yelled the fang boy.

“Sure, whatever you say,” the other stated.

“After school tomorrow in the parking lot behind my house.”

“Sure. Just don’t be late.”

The fang boy growled and ran off. Ryouga ran for the exit or where he thought the exit was. He had to prepare. He had to find the parking lot ahead of time. He hated his poor sense of direction. He mentally pounded himself for setting the challenge so early. He thought about following Ranma to the site, but his pride wouldn’t allow it. So, he ran out one door and through the next. Before long, he was in the middle of the forest. Lost. Yes, he was lost again. He gave a snort of disgust and ran again. He didn’t want to be late for the challenge. That would be dishonorable and he’s honorable even of Saotome wasn’t. He had to hurry. He had to find the lot. He would not be dishonorable. So, he ran and ran.

Three days later, Ryouga finally found the lot. He was slightly surprise to find Ranma camped there waiting for him. He saw the smirked and heard, “Took you long enough,” but decided to ignore it. He was too tire to retort or even growled. Then, he blacked out from exhaustion. By the time he woke, he was lying in a sleeping bag and found some food next to him. He quickly ate and left the tent and saw Ranma practicing several feet away.

“I see you didn’t run away,” Ryouga snorted.

“Yeah, whatever,” Ranma replied and finished his kata. “Are you ready or what?”

“Yeah. I’m going make you pay for all the insults!” Ryouga shouted and charged.

Ranma easily dodge the first few strikes and blocked the other. Ryouga hadn’t realized how fast Ranma was. He tried other combination and again found Ranma either dodged or blocked his attacks. So far, Ranma haven’t even attack. The action brought a new thought to mind.

Ranma was mocking him.

Ryouga growled and lashed out with all his might. He felt his fist rammed through the wall, but it ignored it and feinted a low kick while he cocked his right hand for a palm strike. Ranma didn’t fall for the feint, blocked his palm strike, and retaliated with a series of low and high kicks that sent him into the wall. A bit dazed, he pulled himself from the wall and stared at Ranma. Ranma stood in relax stance with his hand at his side. He knew better than to under estimate the openness of the stance. He approached carefully and circled Ranma to his right. Ranma did the same. They circled each other before Ryouga leaped at Ranma and found Ranma had disappeared. Confused, Ryouga stared blankly in front of him before he felt a series of foot strikes against his leg and chest. Looking down, he found Ranma in a hand stance with his legs fully extended. Ryouga didn’t have much time before he fell to the ground and blacked out from the pain.

When he finally woke, he noticed that he was in his room and Ranma sitting next to his bed. He groaned as he sat up and saw Ranma stirred.

“I see you’re finally awake,” Ranma said through his yawn.

Ryouga didn’t bother replying. He lost. And here was his rival waiting to rub it in. Ryouga growled under his breath.

“That was good match, Ryouga,” Ranma said.

“Huh?” Ryouga asked intelligently.

Ranma shrugged, but continued, “Look, you’re pretty good, but you lack speed. Then again, you’ve probably haven’t been training as much as I have. It was still a good match, though,” Ranma said with a slight grin.

Ryouga was at lost at what to say. He haven’t expected Ranma to act in this manner and it boggled his mind.

“Well, I gotta go. Mom’s waiting at home with my sister and we have to leave for China soon.” Ranma got up and walked to the door. Before leaving, he turned, “It’s been fun, buddy, but I have to get going. Maybe we’ll see each other again in the future. Later,” Ranma waved as he left.

Ryouga sat in his bed staring at the retreating form. He blinked a few times and smiled. “Buddy?” He chuckled and said, “Yeah, we’ll see each other again.” He paused and then added, “buddy.”

***End of flashback***

That was the last time he saw Ranma. He had finally tracked him to his village full of female warriors last week. It wasn’t so bad until he accidentally knocked down this purple hair girl. He didn’t know what happed. He was rushing through the village trying to catch up with Ranma. From what he heard, Ranma and his parents were here only a few days ago. He was in such a rushed to leave the village that he ran over the girl. He was debating on if he should leave the girl and tried to find Ranma or stay. Feeling slighlty guilty, he stayed, although his instinct flared at his decision. How harmful could a pretty girl like this possibly be, he had thought. When the girl woke, she stared at him and sighed, a bit sadly. Before he realized what happed, she gathered him in her hands and kissed him. Boy, that was some kissed. He didn’t remember much afterward as he blacked out from a nosebleed.

***Flashback***

He felt something poked his chest and jerked awake. Before him, he saw the purple hair girl and a diminutive looking crone standing at the foot of the bed.

“I see you’re awake, son-in-law,” said the crone.

He closed his eyes and shook his head as if it was a dream and hoped to wake up in the middle of nowhere and pretended he didn’t hear what he thought he heard.

“Hmm… he’s not great, but he will do,” the crone said idly.

Ryouga shot a glare at the crone and shouted, “What’s that suppose to mean you old crone?”

Wham!

“Hey!” Ryouga shouted as he rubbed his head.

“You should respect your elder, son-in-law.”

“Stop calling me that! I’m not even marry,” Ryouga retorted.

The crone chuckled, “Hahaha, but you are.” She pointed to the purple hair girl and said, “You belong my great granddaughter, Xain Pu.”

“What!?”

“Since you defeated her, she gave you the kiss of marriage, and now you’re her husband. You will obey her every command and provide support to her without questions. You’ll live the life of an Amazon. Do you understand?” she said, ignoring the flabbergasted youth.

Unfortunately, Ryouga didn’t hear much of that as the only word registered in his mind, “M-M-Married!?”

“That’s correct,” she confirmed.

“M-M-Married!?”

The crone sighed and shook her head. “Men. They always fall to pieces at the mention of that word.” She looked at Ryouga who’s still had a glazed look. “It’s a wonder they survived for so long.” She tapped Ryouga on the forehead and he fell to sleep.

***End of flashback***

By the time he woke, he quickly grabbed his pack and ran. He didn’t care where; he just ran at some random direction and hoped his poor sense would lead him away from this. It’s not that he didn’t like the girl, it’s just that it was something he didn’t want. A life of servitude was not very appealing. Unfortunately, before he had the chance to get very far, he ran into the guy in white robe and thick glasses. The guy started shouting nonsense and woke up everyone. He quickly punted him away and ran for the gate. He’d been running away for 2 days now. He looked over his shoulder and didn’t see anyone. He sighed in relief, but kept running. He wanted to keep the distance between him and the Amazon. He cursed himself as he ran. He wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him following Ranma. Then, it came to him. This was all Ranma’s fault, he reasoned. Ryouga smiled and ran further. He’ll have his revenge. Soon. Very soon. He’ll have his revenge very soon.

****

The Saotome and Tendou were gathered in the dining room again as they praised Ranma and Ranko on their music skills, well the female half, minus Nabiki, did. While Ranko enjoyed the added attention, Ranma fidgeted in his seat.

Splash!

“Oh my!” Kasumi commented with her hand over her mouth.

“W-W-What happened to Ranma-kun?” Soun asked, stuttering.

“Oh, Ranma-kun. I’m terribly sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” Nabiki commented with false sincerity.

“Yeah, whatever,” Ranma said latently.

Nodoka sighed. “Ranma is under a curse.”

“C-Curse?!” Soun screeched. Both Akane and Ranma winced.

“Yes. During our travel, we came across a training ground in Junsenkyo. Within this valley lies many springs. Each spring has a different curse. Ranma fell in the Spring of Drown Girl. Therefore, whenever he’s splash with cold water, he turns into his female equivalent. Hot water returns him back to normal. Genma has a similar curse. He fell into the spring of Drown Panda.”

<< Another curse victim. This is even better than I thought. Wonder who else is curse? I was pretty certain that the whole family traveled to China. I wonder if Nodoka or Ranko has a curse as well. That should be easy enough. >> Nabiki refilled her teacup and prepared for another experiment.

Nodoka caught Nabiki’s eyes and stared at her. Without any verbal communication, she caused Nabiki to lower her gaze and the teacup in her hand.

“I’m going to change, Mom,” Ranma interrupted the silence.

Nodoka nodded, “That’s a good idea.”

Ranma left the table quickly and disappeared upstairs.

“You certainly have some interesting friends, Daddy,” Nabiki said flatly.

Unfortunately, Soun wasn’t listening. He was too busy wailing about how such a terrible fate his old friend had gone through and still remained strong.

Nodoka shook her head as the two grown men comforted each other. She watched the wailing Soun and wondered if his emotional state was the cause of his wife death. Even when she knew him before the marriage, he was a bit emotional, but she was positive it never reached this level. Again, she wished there were some way she could help the Tendou recovered from Kimiko’s death. She glanced over the middle daughter and lowered her gaze in disappointment, especially at Soun lack of involvement in raising his daughters. Kasumi is mirror image of her mother, though she lacks understanding of that role. She’s almost oblivious to her surround and though she’s optimistic about everything, it still blinded her to the truth of the world. Akane took her mother’s death the hardest. She could tell the girl had uncontrollable anger and lack discipline. Over time, that anger can become dangerous for herself and those around her. Nodoka believed that through disciple, Akane could regain her control and lessen the damage in the future.

<< Hmmm…. It should be an easy task to have Ranma train Akane. I can always help Kasumi, but what to do about Nabiki. It seem that Soun and I must have a chat.>>

Steps from the stairways indicated Ranma’s presence. Ranma had on his favorite red sleeveless Chinese shirt and black pants. Nodoka couldn’t complain on his chose of wardrobe since he looked really handsome in the outfit, though, he tended to limit his selection to the same set every time they went shopping.

“Hey, Ranma-niisan,” Ranko shouted from her seat. “Momma, can I go change too?”

Curious, “What for, Ranko-chan?”

“Cause I want to wear the same thing.”

“Huh? Oh, of course, but hurry,” Nodoka said, understanding. <<Ranko looks up to Ranma more than she does Genma.>> She sighed inwardly. << Somehow along the way, Genma became lost. He no longer cares for his children as much as he cares about the art. It’s always the art for him. What will I do with you, Genma?.> The thought brought a pain to her heart and soul. She still loves Genma, but she was so afraid that he no longer returned the feeling. The cheerful laughter startled her from her reverie.

Ranko was wearing the exact duplicate of Ranma’s outfit only smaller. She cheerfully sat next to her brother and tried to imitate his movement. Ranma eyed his little sister and sighed inwardly at how Ranko could embarrass him so easily and yet he felt completely helpless. The other watched the scene with barely contained amusement, which only added to Ranma continuing embarrassment.

“I knew it was going to be a long night,” Ranma thought to himself as she sat quietly and stared at the melting desert before him.

“Oniisan?”

“Huh?”

“Um… are you going to finish your desert?” she asked sweetly.

Ranma shook his head and before he had the chance to removed his spoon, Ranko hand already swapped the cup from his plate in exchanged for her emptied cup.

“You know Ko-chan, you’re making messier than a pig style,” Ranma teased.

“Biiiiiidaaa,” Ranko stuck out her tongue.

Ranma only shook his head as he took a cloth and wiped her mouth clean just as she finished her last bite. “Why don’t you go and wash your hands and mouth,” he suggested.

Ranko hurried off to the washroom.

“She really looks up to you doesn’t she?” Akane asked.

“I guess so. I mean, I’ve been taking care of her since the day she was born,” Ranma explained.

“Well, I think it’s great to have someone to take care like that,” Akane commented almost wishfully.

“Excuse me obaasan, can you tell me where the washroom is. I would like to freshen up as well,” Nabiki asked.

“Of course. Just walk down that hall and it’s the last door at the end,” Nodoka pointed.

Nabiki bowed and left the room. As she soon as she was out of sight, she ducked into another room, the den. She grabbed a small portable flashlight and searched the room for any opened cabinet and smiled when one of the compartments slid opened under her touch. The moment her flashlight came to a piece of paper, she growled and slammed it shut and stomped out of the room. Frustrated, she hurried to the washroom and splashed water on her face to clear her thought.

“Don’t think you gotten the best of me yet, Ranma,” she snarled at the mirror.

“What about oniisan?” Ranko asked from the other side of the door.

Startled, Nabiki whipped around and found Ranko standing at the door looking at her curiously. Then a small grin etched on her face as she looked at the small girl.

“Why hello, Ranko-chan,” she chirped. “How would you like to help me with a little surprise for your brother?”

“Surprise? Like a party?” Ranko asked, excited.

“Oh, yes. Just like a great big party.”

“Will oniisan like it?”

“Of course. It’s a party he’ll never forget.”

[end of chapter 2]