HERES RANMA&&GRACE

Dis-claimer: I do not own Ranma ½ and/or the universe.

Now read only the bolded words.

So. There I was, walking along all inocent and such, wondering when he would be coming, when a huge frickin panda knocks me over! I scrambled away and began to stare along with the others in the crowd. The panda was fighting with a red haired girl. This was a strange sight, even if I was expecting it. Even if it WASN'T that wierd for a town like Nerima, you don't see a fighting panda everyday.

I tried to make out what they were saying… Something about how the girl wasn't getting married to someone she didn't know. I practically laughed—this was pretty funny to me. At least, until I got knocked over. I jumped up to follow them. Since everyone's attention was on the panda, nobody seemed to notice the girl following the fighting couple. They continued barreling down the street until they reached a house that looked very familiar to me.

For those of you who don't understand, I'll let you in on a flash-back…

Begin Flashback

"Nnggh." I wasn't quite awake yet, even if it was 1:30 in the afternoon. I sat there in school, waiting desperately for the bell to ring for Language Arts. I hated Algebra. You can't get any more opinions out of me when it comes to school… All you'll get is: "Math sucks." For a 10th grader, I wasn't very mature… I liked comic books, anime, popcorn at the movies, screaming, not eating my greens, going to theme parks, and dying my hair. Do you think that's normal for a 16 year old? No one at my school does. Two years from now, my mom's going to kick me out of the house and tell me to get a life. I can just see it.

The bell rang and I decided to skip next period. Why bother going? The teacher would yell at me for skipping yesterday's lesson and I'd be getting another F on homework. I walked out of the school, and started towards the general direction of my house. When I got home, I bumped my head against the headboard of my bed. Of course, I was knocked unconsious, but only to find myself awake again! However, everything looked slightly animated, and, strangest of all, the animated home wasn't mine.

I stood up, and, ignoring the spinning sensation of the room, I walked through the doorway. I looked back, realizing I'd seen this room before; It was Akane's home, the Tendo's home… From a comic I used to read when I was little. I ran away from the room, into what seemed to be the kitchen. I recognized this place, too. Kasumi used to cook there.

I ran towards what I thought should be the dojo, finding a sweaty Akane cracking some humongous boards. Well someone needs a course in anger management, I thought nervously.

"Umm, hi," I said. She took no notice of me. I cleared my throat. "HI."

She glanced up. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry. I wasn't too sure what to do… I found you outside of our dojo, and you were unconsious." She giggled nervously. "When I brought you into my room, I thought I'd leave you to my older sister. She's a great nurse."

"Oh," I said, staring at my feet. "Thanks. I really don't know where to go, though, now that I'm awake. See, I don't really have a home here. In Nerima?" I glanced up to see if she was buying my story. She looked at me with such pity. It was working…

"Well, of course, you can stay here. In fact, you can stay in my room. Actually, I'd have to ask daddy first. Would you like to spar with me? We don't have much gear, but don't worry. I'll go easy on you."

"Uh. Sure." I felt myself sweating already. I had taken karate once, but I quit after two weeks. I learned nothing at all while I was attending classes. Downblock, punch, downblock, hammer hand, punch, downblock, upblock, upblock, upblock. Something of the sort.

"Actually, I think I'll pass," I said, remembering how the other studens had laughed when I tried to learn the first kata.

Akane laughed. "It's alright. Let me take a bath, and then we can go for some ice cream or something." So I guessed she was my friend already. That was good. "By the way, my name's Akane."

"I'm Grace. Nice to meet you."

"Kasumi! Nabiki! AKANE!" someone bellowed. Uh oh…

Akane and I ran downstairs to see what the commotion was. It turned out that one of the Tendo girls were getting married. I decided to leave.

"Akane," I whispered, "I'm going to leave you alone with your family for this one. I'll be back soon."

End flashback

"My dear friend, Saotome," Soun cried happily.

Well… That's a summary of what happened. Anyways, an excited Nabiki and delighted Soun came running out, only to be chased back into the house by a panda. The red-head I'd seen before was on the panda's shoulder. I stiffled my laughter, running to stand next to Akane.

"Is this your friend, father?" Kasumi kept her straight face, contrary to mine.

Mr. Tendo shook his head.

"Oh, so this panda just decided to visit?" Nabiki glared at her father who seemed as if he were in a coma at the moment. The panda dropped the red-head on the floor, as the red-head tried to smack the panda, yelling about how it'd scared the crap out of Nabiki and Soun.

"So you're…" Soun said slowly.

"Ranma Saotome… Sorry 'bout this."

"Ooh, he IS cute!" Nabiki looked Ranma over, noticing something strange about him.

"At last, you've come!" The father hugged Ranma, pausing when he felt something strange about him as well. Or rather... her.

Nabiki began poking Ranma's chest. "He… is a 'she'"

Mr. Tendo fell to the ground.

"Oh, poor daddy, he's so dissapointed," Kasumi said sadly.

"HE'S dissapointed! Some fiance THIS IS!" Nabiki continued prodding his—her chest.

"Stop it, you two, he… She's our guest!" Akane was obviously confused.

"DADDY!" Nabiki yelled. "This is all your fault! You should've made sure!"

"Well, he said he had a son!"

Nabiki squeased Ranma's chest. "Do you see a son here? HM? DO YOU?"

Ranma glared at Nabiki. "Could you please stop…?"

"Yeah, I don't think he… she likes that much, Nabiki," I chimed in.

Mr. Tendo passed out.

"Ranma, why don't you join me in the dojo? I'm Akane. Want to be friends?

Ranma gave her a weak smile.

I joined them in the dojo. They were sparring. "By the way, you never told me, Akane, am I allowed to stay here?"

"Of course you are," Akane said. "Daddy has absolutely no problem with it. HYYAAH," she yelled, trying her best at attacking Ranma. Of course, Ranma dodged, giving Akane a small tap on the back, simulating a fatal blow she could have used.

"You're pretty, huff, good," Akane gasped. "I'm glad you're not, huff, a boy," she said as Ranma's face paled. Good gosh, I wonder why Ranma looks so worried, I thought, trying not to giggle.

We walked outside, Ranma ahead of us. I heard Kasumi tell her to go take a bath. "Akane," I said, "why don't we go out for some ice cream? I'm pretty hungry right now."

"Why don't you two go take a bath right now, or, at least, Akane should," Kasumi said. "Ranma's already in there. If you hurry, Akane, you can go help him turn on the water. That faucet's been a little stubborn lately. Grace-chan, you can come with me. I'll show you your room while Akane and Ranma take a bath."

"Okay," I said, following her to the room that I'd woken up in earlier, passing two old crying men. I heard Kasumi ask, "Who are those two men?"

The duckie sign on the door read: "Akane". Kasumi smiled, "and there you are, Grace-chan. You'll be sharing your room with Akane." I thanked her politely. "Make yourself at home," she said, leaving the room. I glanced in the mirror, and I saw someone a heck of a lot prettier than me, even if I still resembled myself in the real world: shoulders a bit too broad, big feet, a nose that stuck out a little too much, and green highlights in my hair, though I think the highlights looked a lot more… normal in this world.

Akane passed the door on the way to the bath. Suddenly, something in my head just clicked… Akane was going to the bathroom, where Ranma was taking a nice, HOT bath. They were both naked, and pretty soon, Akane was going to…

"AYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I heard Akane scream. I peeked out the bedroom door and tip-toed towards her voice, trying not to grin. "I'll weigh him down," Akane said, picking up the tea/coffee table. "I'll drown him in the bathtub!"

"Akane what is it whats that for?" Kasumi's face looked overly worried.

"Th-there's a.. a pervert in.. in the bathroom," she stuttered, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.

"Why don't you just kill him with your bare hands," I asked her.

"Because I'm afraid!" She answered.

"But Ranma was just in the bathroom," Kasumi said, taken aback.

"Then who…?" Akane turned around just as a well built guy-in-a-pig-tail, maybe around 16, (which is, HA, coincidentally the same age as I am) walked into the room we were in. "Who are you," she asked.

"Ranma Saotome," he answered. "Sorry about this."

"I'll explain it once more," Mr. Tendo said. "This is my dear old friend, Genma." He went on to explain how he and his son had developed a curse during the training trip in China. Ranma was kicked into the (cold) pond in the Tendo's backyard by his pop, for some unknown reason, and turned into a red-headed girl. Of course, he/she was angry about this, so he decided to... kick his father in as well. Genma turned into a panda. It turns out they were cursed at a hot-spring training ground called "Jusenkyo", and that whenever doused in cold water, the cursed one would change their form into whoever/whatever had drowned there first. (See Ranma ½ volume one if you're confused.)

"Woah." Even if I knew this was going to happen, I'd seen enough for one day: a fighting panda, a boy that turns into a girl, me in the manga world, and… okay, only three strange things there, but, hey… those three things could make a normal person pass out from the shock.

"So, when doused with cold water," Soun said slowly, "you take the form of a girl." He took out a tea kettle from stuff-space. "But when doused with hot water, you change back into your original form," he continued, splashing the hot water on Genma and Ranma.

"HOT," Genma cried, "not boiling!"

"That's great, then!" Soun laughed hysterically. "Ranma," he said, his voice sharpening, "I have three daughters. Kasumi, 20, Nabiki, 17, and Akane, 16. Your pick. Choose whoever you think suits you best."

"He picks Akane," Nabiki said.

"WHAT!" Akane's voice rang.

"Well, you hate boys, don't you?"

"Oh yes, and he's half-girl. I can't think of anyone who suits you better, Akane," Kasumi agreed.

"Then it's settled." I smiled a chinky-eyed smile at Akane. "Perfect."