Ranma & Kaneda
By Ron Dow75
From an idea by James M. Zema,
unauthorized, but allowed.

{} indicate thoughts.

[I based the layout of the Tendou house on floorplans I
found on the web. One is "The Tendo Dojo", of "Jinma
Saotome's MKR Anime World".

[The only complete statistics I found was at "The
Ultimate Nabiki Tendo Site". Using her a the guide, I
readjusted up by 2 inches "Doug's Ranma ½ Resources.
Everything else is my best guess based on Nabiki; they
are not to be read as exact.]

(Note: The holes have been left on purpose they'll be
filled in later.)

01: And There's Kaneda!


Nineteen years earlier, one of the apprentices to a thief
had been looking through his master's treasures. He came
on some ancient writing. Hoping to learn some martial
arts secrets, he read. It was story about a magic spring
in Japan that turned foxes into young men.

A thought struck him. If a freshly delivered newborn were
cleaned with water from that spring before the mother
knew of its original sex....

It was too bad Soun Tendou never had the chance to finish
reading the text.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A handsome, middle-aged man with long black hair and a
moustache, and wearing a gray brown, black belt do-
gi/training uniform sat at his Japanese-style table. His
back was to the open fusuma/sliding paper-and-wood doors
that framed his garden. He read a postcard, and wept, "At
last! At long last! Ranma is coming!"

His tears flowing even more freely now, he turned over to
glance at the picture of the panda on the other side,
thinking for a moment it might be mean something. "And
soon, VERY soon, Ranma will be here!"

He lifted his head in his family room. "Listen up!
Kasumi! Nabiki! Kaneda!"

He went down the hall to the kitchen. Pushing aside the
door flounce. "Kasumi?"

The tall young woman in her pink house slippers was
modestly but tastefully dressed in a pink midi, light
yellow long sleeved blouse, and a white apron that
matched the ribbon bow at her shoulder that her long
brown hair was tied in. She paused in her meal
preparation to answer, "What is it Father?"

The man opened a door, "Nabiki."

The teenager, her shiny brown hair in a long bob, was in
white cutoff shorts with yellow lining, an oversized
tucked-in, green t-shirt and a pink tank top under it.
She looked up from the magazine she was reading while
stretched down on the bed. "Hmm?"

The man opened another bedroom door, "Kaneda!" He was a
little frustrated to find the room empty. "Where is that
boy?"

Soun Tendou shrugged. "Well, it doesn't really concern
him. Ranma can't be Kaneda's fiancee..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kaneda came home from his jog about the town. The 179
cm/5'10", 69 kg/153# teenager had long loose hair like
his father. But HIS was red. He went straight to the area
of white sand in front of the "Tendou School of Anything-
Goes Martial Arts" dojo. There he shucked the running
shoes, blue shorts, green tank and short white towel and
got into his yellow do-gi with the red belt.

Ready to take out his remaining frustrations, he got into
position before the cinderblocks on cinderblocks he'd set
out on the arena outside the dojo earlier.

"HA-YIIYA!!" He broke them with one blow.

He smiled, and straightened up. Wiping the brow over his
blue eyes, he said, "Hoo-wa! That felt okay!"

Flash! Went the camera his sister was holding. And she
had another beefcake picture for anybody who'd buy them.

"There you go again, Kaneda," said Nabiki entering the
arena in front of the dojo. "Can't you do normal things,
like date girls?"

Kaneda's temper returned, "No! I'm not going to let you
set me up on a date, Nabiki! Not every guy's world
revolves around...Girls!"

Nabiki gave her cynical look, "Then why do you hang out
with Hiroshi and Daisuke?"

It was obvious that got to him. It was too easy. Nabiki
decided not to push it any further. It was enough that he
was reminded that she knew. "Daddy has called a family
meeting in the living room. He says it'll change the life
of at least one of us."

Kaneda's glum frown remained. "I bet it won't change
mine."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The cherry blossoms fell outside the open sliding doors
to the garden. Soun Tendou addressed his children sitting
on the other side of the repositioned table. Nabiki had
changed into an aqua-and-purple, floral kimono, while all
Kasumi had to do was take off her apron to be
presentable. Kaneda, on the other hand, was still wearing
his sweaty do-gi.

Kasumi wondered, "Fiance?"

"Yes. The son of a very good friend of mine. His name is
Ranma Saotome.

"His father and I trained together. We made a pledge to
see the two families joined. You could say you have been
betrothed since birth."

Kaneda relaxed. This had nothing to do with him. He
leaned back on his hands on the mats. Glancing his blue
eyes at Nabiki, he smiled. It was HIS turn, "You're
trying to look out for you daughters. I am the son, and
tradition says that's who should carry on with the school
and dojo. You're lucky you had me, Dad. Thanks to
me, the Tendou Family Legacy is secure."

Nabiki reminded little brother, "IF you can find the
money to pay the inheritance tax." Again, she got a
reaction from him.

Soun Tendou was not comfortable with that line of
conversation. He refused to remember why. Looking down at
the postcard in his hand was the distraction he needed,
"He'll be here any minute."

He got up from the table. "Ranma and his father have been
on a training mission." He turned to look at his garden,
another, another excuse not to have to look at them.

The tall man rose up. "Recently they crossed into China!"

"Ooo, China!" Nabiki gushed. She was definitely going to
have to date. She sounded like a giddy middle schoolgirl.

Kaneda was still taking it all casually, "So he hiked all
the way to China: Wow. Big deal." {Dad never took me on a
training mission. He's hardly trained me at all, in
fact.}

Kasumi asked, "Father, how old is this, Ranma?" She still
had not blinked since hearing about a fiance.

Nabiki asked, "Is he cute?!" The problem was, she
sincerely wanted to know.

Kasumi said, "Younger men bore me," raising her own
criterion.

Kaneda asked, "What kind of guy is he?" {Is he going to
be a jerk that was going to give the family trouble?}

"Ha, ha," Mr. Tendou gave a false laugh. "I don't know,"
he said, looking over his shoulder, unable to move the
rest of his body.

Nabiki turned her look on her 'Daddy', "You don't know?!"

The man went back to not facing them. "I've never met
him."

Kasumi said nothing: She stared at her father.

Nabiki said nothing: She stared at her parental unit.

Kaneda wondered again about just what he'd inherited from
this man.

A cold silence filled the spring-lit room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They head a familiar sound echoing from the foyer.

Kasumi said, "It sounds like the front door," almost
getting up.

Nabiki had no problem jumping up. "Ooo. Ranma!" she
cried, running out of the family room to meet them as
fast as her kimono would allow.

Kaneda looked at how silly she was acting. "Boy, am I
glad I'm not a girl."

But his dad was already following her lead, "Saotome. My
friend, we've been waiting!" {That's Dad!} he sighed.

Kasumi had gotten up, so Kaneda had to, too. He followed
her into the garden hall.

She said, "I hope he's older than me!"

Kanda shook his head again at the way girls thought. He
could understand guys wanting younger girls. But why
wouldn't girls want younger guys? Well, it helped the
guys get their younger girls.

"Hhmm-mmm!!" Nabiki's girly mood had completely vanished.
She came running around the corner, and straight towards
Kasumi and Kaneda. Their father followed, just as
shocked.

Kaneda's martial arts training was sparked. {I'm dressed
for it, this time!}

Next around the corner was a (very) short red haired boy
in Chinese clothes being carried by a--

Kaneda's spark was extinguished. There was nothing in his
training that prepared him for this. For here in his
house was a very large panda walking on its hind legs!

Kasumi standing in the way stopped Nabiki's flight. Then
her own martial arts training kicked in, and she made to
protect her sister. Somewhat.

Seeing his children 'standing ground'(his son, though,
the furthest back, and still), Soun Tendou was forced to
turn and face the intruders. He nearly froze.

"Com' on, Pop! You're scarin' them spitless!!" the young
boy yelled at the beast.

The daughters were each holding onto one of their
father's arms, half hiding behind him; Nabiki more so.
Despite the wide open door to the outside, Soun felt
trapped.

Kasumi said, "So, Father, this is your friend?" She used
a quiet voice so as not to startle the wild animal.

"Hm, Hm, Hnn!" he shook his head hard enough to send his
long hair whipping back and forth.

Nabiki glared at a father who couldn't take his off the
beast, "Oh, so this panda just decided to drop in, is
that it, hunh?"

"Hm, Hm, Hnn!" His head swished his hair again. Nabiki
found she couldn't bring herself to look AWAY from her
one parental figure. If faith didn't spur him to act like
a man, at least she had Kaneda. Maybe: But why wasn't he
doing anything, either!?!

The monstrous black-and-white form took the small boy off
its shoulder and set him down before the family.

The animal didn't attack, not even the boy. Kaneda got
his equilibrium back. {It's always better to know what
you're fighting, first.} His senses now wanted to pay
more attention on the blue-eyed boy. {And he's got red
hair, just like me, too.}

Soun Tendou held up a shaking finger, pointing it towards
him. "You wouldn't be..."

There was something about that boy that disturbed Kaneda.
{But it didn't feel like a threat.} He moved as close to
him as he could. Nabiki was in the way, but he was tall.

The boy noticed Kaneda stare among all the other stares.
He turned his blue eyes away from them. "I'm Ranma
Saotome. Sorry about this."

Mr. Tendou said, "At last, you're here!" trying to
recover his dignity, but forgetting the next line of his
greeting.

Kaneda noted there was something wrong (or right) about
Ranma's face. {Why do I be interested in a kid's body?}

Nabiki was also trying to recover her self-possession.
"Ooo. He is cute."

The man of the house proved his strength by taking Ranma
into a great bear hug. "I'm so glad you're here!" he
assured everybody, pressing the boy to his chest...and
stomach.

Kaneda became instantly jealous of his dad for some
reason. {If I'd been more of a man that could've been
me.}

Soun's eye nearly bugged, "Hmm!?!"

He pressed the boy to his stomach this time. Again. A
third time. But a boy shouldn't have them.

Now it wasn't just the clues his stomach felt. Under that
wet silk shirt, he was sure he felt....

He took his hands off of Ranma's back, and brought them
to the skin exposed by the short sleeves.

He still tried denying that feeling. A feeling that
caused him to break out in an instant sweat. He was
fighting feelings he hadn't had for--

He pushed Ranma way by the shoulders. "Huh! Uh!" He
choked on the words.

Nabiki's saw his reaction. She got the idea, and turned
to Ranma. She squatted down to be at eye level with,
"Hmm..." She poked Ranma's chest, then rubbed it.

Now Kaneda was jealous of his sister! {There's one
advantage to being a girl.}

They were unpleasant feelings for Ranma, "Uh, hmm: Could
you stop that."

The words were wrong, but there was something about the
way Ranma said that that Kaneda liked. {What a wonderful
voice ...for a--}

Nabiki turned to announce, "Ranma's not a boy: He's a
girl!"

Soun repeatd, "Uh, girl!" He fainted.

Kaneda was on his butt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Soun woke up in his futon, pillow and blanket in the
family room.

He heard Kasumi say, "Oh, poor father; he must be so
disappointed."

Nabiki's frustrations spilled out, "HE'S Disappointed!
He's not the only one! Look at HER! Some fiancee...." Soun
had been out long enough for Nabiki to change back into
the two shirts and the cutoff shorts.

Kaneda said, "Stop it you two. She is our guest!"

Nabiki said, "I can see YOU'RE not disappointed." Kaneda
hadn't realized how desperate Nabiki was. So much for the
ice queen.

Kasumi noted, "Look everyone. Father's coming to."

Nabiki leaned over him, "This is all your fault, Daddy.
Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl?!"

Kaneda thought, (I didn't see it at first either. Is that
normal, or something else that only happens to Tendou
guys?)

Soun answered, "I assumed my friend Genma's son was a
boy."

Nabiki reached over and squeezed one of Ranma's boobs,
"Excuse me, does this look like a boy to you, hunh,
Daddy!?!"

Kaneda wondered, {Could I ever come up with an excuse to
do that?}

This was worse than the first time she'd handled her
breasts. Ranma, trying to be a guest told her, frowning,
"Please. I wish you'd stop that!"

Kaneda spoke up, "Yeah, Nabiki! Leave Ranma alone! You
want her to think you're a homo."

Nabiki took her hand away. Embarrassed now, she struck
back, "Me!? What about YOU?"

This was it. Showdown. "What ABOUT me?!"

Their guest (and behind her the panda) was sitting
between her and Kaneda. And Daddy was lying in front of
her, with Kasumi at kneeling by his head. Nabiki said,
"Nothing."

Kaneda wanted a new subject, "Are you a martial artist,
too, Ranma?"

Ranma looked up at him with her big blue eyes and nodded,
"Umh, hmm."

Kaneda asked, "We have our own dojo. Do you want to spar?
I promise to go easy on you."

Ranma began to get some fire in her, "Why would you have
to go easy on me?"

Kaneda said, chivalrously, "You ARE a girl."

The other redhead leaped to her bare feet, "I'll show you
how much of a 'girl' I am. I'LL be the one goin' easy on
you." There was something about this guy that was rubbing
her the wrong way. That wasn't like her. She didn't like
feelings. She didn't know how to handle them. She tried
to put on a personable front, but not get involved in
their emotions. That's how she'd endured the looks she'd
been getting.

So what was it about this guy that was pushing her
buttons!?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The much taller Kaneda showed the pigtailed girl {She has
to be a C cup} to the dojo. {It's more authentic than
most I've seen.} "You studied Kempo?"

Ranma entered. "A little."

Kaneda said, "Well, why don't we have a little match,
then."

Ranma smirked. "Okay, then. A 'little match' it'll be."

Kaneda set himself in his bare feet and got into the
position. Ranma just stood there with her hands behind
her back. "You said you knew how to fight?"

Ranma said, confidently, "Go ahead. Give it your best
shot."

Kaneda told himself, {Easy, now. Getting mad wouldn't be
the smoothest move. You don't win girls that way.} He
said, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

He threw his fist, index and middle joints out.

The girl jumped over it! He had wanted to impress her by
how close he could come without touching her as a See-
you-can-trust-me tactic!

He threw up a flat foot kick. "Yea!" The girl leaned her
body to the side.... "Yea!" Again, not even close ..."Yea!" a
blow; a lean to the other side..."Yea!" a blow to the
right; another simple lean away..." Yea!" an instep kick
straight up the middle; she leaned backwards! Motions he
made raised his long red hair.

And still she was smirking! {And here I thought there
might be ONE girl I could reach out for.}

"What's wrong!?! Attack me!!" Combination blows: Right
fist, "Hy-Aagh!" Left fist, "Aaarh!" Left fist, "Yearh!"

Panting hard, and hot from more than just the exertion,
he thought, {Why, why am I missing her!?! Is she reading
my moves!?}

"Okay, this time for real!" and he charged. "Aarrgh-
Yeeaaa!!"

POW!

The girl decked him. Kaneda whacked his head hard on the
floor.

Ranma stepped over the son of his host saying, "Maybe if
you challenge me like a true martial artist, next time,
I'll give you that sparing match."

The intent was not lost on Kaneda. A girl was better at
his heritage than he was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

His head hurt. Little did he suspect what could happen
when somebody got their head banged by Ranma.

Sulking for long minutes as the pain eased, Kaneda
finally got to his feet. He went through his katas. He
couldn't get Ranma out of his mind. "That was only the
first round."

He started rehearsing out loud, "It's not like I don't
want to be a martial artist..." {No, that's no good.} "I do
want to be martial artist. I have to be a martial artist!
I owe it to... not just my dad." No, she doesn't seem to be
the kind of girl who goes for melodramas.} "Ever since my
mom died, Dad has been very emotional. And I mean
emotional! Instead of normal outbursts, his are all wet."
{Oh, that's it; admit how weird Dad can be.} "Look! It's
not my fault! Dad owns a dojo, but he doesn't spend any
time in it! I've learned the best I can." {Okay, so I
don't practice as much as I could.} "I've even gotten
help from a coach! But he's busy most of the time. If I
had somebody who could stay around, and help me--"

A match had been struck: "That's it! With Ranma by my
side, we CAN make the Tendou dojo a legacy worth owning!"

A fire had been lit in his belly. "I lost the bet, and I
won! The life that's going to change is mine! Ranma is
going to be MY fiancée!"

He headed out of the dojo, smiling. "And she's cute!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Walking into the house, Kaneda started having second
thoughts. {She's cute, and dangerous!}

[In his head he heard Hiroshi say, 'Are you a martial
artist or not?'

[And Daisuke say, 'Cowards don't get the girls!'

[Frowning, Kaneda 'told' them, you're ones to talk.]

But they were right. Ever since he was old enough to
understand why there were guys and girls, he had been
coward. That's why he hung out with Hiroshi Tsujitani and
Daisuke Koyasu. Their interest in girls was like an
inoculation shot for his reputation. Their {Ahem!} 'luck'
with the girls meant he wasn't expected to actually date.
Because they were losers, he was a loser.

{Loser!} The word had him close his hand into a fist.
{Even if he loses, a martial artist much put a fight! A
martial artist must earn respect. I must earn Ranma's
respect. Only when she respects me can I hope to win her.
A wife should respect her husband.} "Yes! This girl will
be different," Kaneda said, untying the red belt of his
do-gi coat as he entered the bathroom. "No matter how
many times Ranma throws me, she will respect my
dedication."

He tossed the sweaty coat, and then the pants into the
laundry basket. He didn't see the Chinese clothes already
in it. "Then when she respects me, she'll have to look at
me differently. She'll get to know what I'm really like.
I'm likable."

Without a stitch on, he went to the sliding door between
the laundry room and the bathroom. "And if she doesn't?
We're already betrothed. I'm never going to get a better
shot at finding a girl who HAS to accept that I--"

A strange pigtailed {Pigtailed?? But black haired} guy
Kaneda's age was just stepping out of the tub.

Caught off guard, they stared at each other.

{That guy seems awfully interested in my dick. I don't
know why. He looks like he's got a good sized one of his
own. At least it's not hard. I can't help but think how
STUPID it looks when I see that in the locker room.}

Kaneda said, "Er, hello." {Maybe I SHOULD turn around and
leave.} "This is my house. I live here. I'm Kaneda."
Kaneda agonized, {He might think I was strange if I did
leave! Guys sharing the same tub isn't supposed to be a
big deal in Japan.}

Finally the guy said something, "I, I was leavin'."

Kaneda almost visibly relaxed. "Okay." Kaneda nodded and
walked as casually as he could towards the bath. He tried
to ignore the guy who was about to pass him, who was
doing the same for him. But he wondered, {Mine IS thicker
than his?}

Testily, the gray-eyed guy told him, "I don't like guys
checkin' me out at ANY time!" slapping a heavy wet hand
on Kaneda's shoulder.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the family room, Soun Tendou was toasting a glass of
beer with a broad man in Eastern-style/over-ears-loops
glasses and a white do-gi with a black belt and a dew-rag
on his head.

Suddenly two loud, shocked screams broke out of the
bathroom and into the rest of the house.

The guest looked away from his drink and said, "That
sounds like my son!"

Soun thought, and said, "I don't recognize the girl's
voice."

The son cried, "I didn't know!! I didn't know you were at
Juusenkyyy--Ow!! Stop hitting me! Hey! That hurts you
know!!"

The girl yelled, full of fury, "I won't let you tell
anybody!!!"

The son cried, "Oh, no!!" and ran for the exit.

The girl yelled, "Come back here, and take it like a
guy!!" and followed.

The black haired pigtailed boy ran buff naked out into the
unfamiliar house. "I won't take it as a guy, either!?!!"

A longhaired brunet girl ran totally nude after him.
"Aaarr!! Wait until I get my hands on you!!"

Finding the middle hall, the son told his pursuer, "I'm
not interested in that sort of thing!!"

That got a roar from the girl as she sped down the garden
hall, "Pervert!! You know that's not what I said!!"

The son came to the foyer: Outside!?! Naked!!?
Upstairs!?! Trapped!!? He continued his trip through it.
"Pervert!!? you were the one lookin' at ME!!"

Rounding the foyer, the brown-eyed girl yelled, "It was
okay when I did it!!"

Kasumi asked from the other side of the kitchen door, "Is
it safe to look?"

Leaning out of the kitchen door, Nabiki answered, "OH,
my," as Ranma entered the middle hall. What a time to
feel frustrated.

Kasumi asked, "Do we know the girl?"

Nabiki nodded, "I'm afraid we do."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The black hairedboy ran into the living room, and leaped
over the low table Soun and his father were sitting at.

The two men spilled their drinks when they saw the nude
young girl run in. The shorter black haired Japanese yelled at
the boy, "Stop right there!! Do you know what it's like to
have to run with these things!?!!" indicating her still
bounce-and-bopping size B's.

The pigtail boy yelled back, "Yeah!! I do! Not to mention
feelin' everything ELSE that comes with the package!"

The strange man barked at his son, "Boy!! This is not the
time!"

Nabiki came into the room, "What do you think you're
doing!?!"

The girl glared at her, "I was angry! When you're angry
you don't stop to think to get dressed!"

Nabiki tossed dish towels at the two emotionally immature
teens, "That's the problem: You don't stop to think! Look
at Daddy!"

The girl looked away to the mustachioed man in the brown
do-gi. She raised one towel and lowered the other over
herself. "How long is he going to have that blank stare?"

Nabiki took her by a bare arm, and pulled her towards the
door out, "Until you return to normal."

The girl bowed her head in shame under her long hair,
"You're right. I shouldn't have let that jerk push my
button."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a few minutes later before Kaneda came into the
family room. He was in his blue house slippers, gray
slacks, and short sleeve white shirt. Other than a tux,
they were his most 'presentable' clothes. And the only
reason he had them was because they were his school
uniform. {Muscle doesn't work on her. "Clean and
academic" will at least buy me time to find out what
Ranma considers cool.}

The brother was in time to see Kasumi about to pour a
glass of cold water on his dad.

The stranger in his own do-gi asked her, "What are you
doing?"

Kasumi smiled sweetly, "This seems to be the quickest way
to bring Father back when he gets this way."

Kaneda sighed over what had just happened. He said to
himself, "At least he doesn't cry about it."

A second after the water splashed on him, Soun moved.
"What?" he sounded as he'd been just momentarily
distracted. Then, "What happened to our drinks?" noting
the now empty glasses.

The man in the dew rag asked, "You mean he doesn't
remember while he's out?" eyeing the beer still left in
the large bottle.

Kasumi informed the guest, "He doesn't seem to. Dinner
will be ready soon."

Soun Tendou said, "That can wait. It is time for all of
us to gather. Our guests have a very tragic story to
tell."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The guest was kneeling rather formally by himself on one
side of the living room table. His back was to the open
door that frame in night. The head of the Tendou house
was kneeling nearer him than the rest of the family.
Right now he was looking at his family.

His son was kneeling at the side of the table nearest
them. The two girls were kneeling on the other, side by
side, Nabiki, still in her cutoffs and shirts, nearest
the stranger.

All that was missing was--

In from the garden hall came that guy from the bathroom.
This time he was dressed.

But he was dressed in the girl's clothes! Kaneda slapped
a hand on the table and got to his knees. His other hand
was ready to attack, "What'd you do with Ranma!?!!" he
demanded.

The gray eye boy scorned, "YOU of all people haven't
figured that out!?! How dumb are you!?"

His father reprimanded, "You're a guest!" He stood up.

Dampening his anger, he said to the rest of the family,
"I'm, um, Ranma Saotome." And he closed his eyes. "Sorry
about everything."

BOOKG! Kaneda whacked his jaw against the tabletop when
the feeling went out of his arms.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All kneeling formally, now, Soun Tendou told his family,
"I can explain everything." Gesturing, "This is my dear
old friend...."

The man in the white do-gi bowed, "Genma Saotome."
Gesturing, "And this is my son."

He said, "Ranma." He looked at them, wondering why they
didn't seem to understand.

Kaneda growled. He wanted Ranma to be a girl. {Where IS
she?}

Nabiki said, "This gets more interesting by the minute."
There were two of them. Did something happen to mutate
the genes of the fathers? (It would explain why they
didn't have any irises, only pupils.) She was glad that
she, at least, was normal.

Kasumi asked, "Are you really her, the same girl we saw
before?"

The pigtailed boy answered, "I am."

Mr. Saotome pushed at his glasses, "It's such a long
story I don't know where to begin."

He rose to his feet. "Well, then. Let's start with this."

And he picked up Ranma by the front of his Chinese shirt
and tossed the guy towards the garden's koi pond!

Ranma hadn't been prepared. He screamed, unable to do
anything in mid-flight.

SPLASH!

The black haired guy did not come up. But the redhead
did. "What'd you do that for!!?!" the distinctly soprano
yelled.

Nabiki said, "Oh, my..." It's true.

Kasumi blinked more than she had done all day, "Ranma's...
a girl now."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

...After the long and tragic story, Soun Tendou bowed his
head in sympathy. "The Legendary Ground of Accursed
Springs. It's true horror has been shrouded in mystery,
until now."

Ranma couldn't take reliving the memories again any more,
"What'd you mean true horror!!" Turning to, "This is all
your fault, old man!! What's the idea of draggin' me to a
place like that, anyway!?!"

Genma rose up and picked the boy up again, "Ranma! You
sound like a GIRL!"

Yell! SPLASH!

"Were you not prepared to lay down your life for the sake
of the Art!!?!"

The small redhead jumped out of the water, and ran back
at him, "My life, yes! My manhood is another story!" She
threw a bucket of pond water into his pop's face.

The panda growled, "MWAAA!!"

The large-busted girl growled back, "You just HAD to find
that training ground, even though you couldn't speak a
WORD of Chinese!!"

The family watched the girl and beast have a two-handed-
two-pawed arm wrestling match. Kaneda swallowed, {Strong
girl.}

Soun said, "How I suffer for you. I wish there was
something I could do to help."

Nabiki looked at Daddy, "Oh? I suppose the tea kettle
just HAPPENS to be by you?"

Soun looked at it on a cloth on the tatami/rush grass
mat. "We do have company."

Nabiki sighed and got up, "So WHERE'S the tea?"

Picking up the kettle, she walked over to the two still
engaged in their test of wills. She poured it first on
the animal. The man from it cried, "That's TOO hot!"

Nabiki quirked a satisfied smile, "I thought so. Just
like Kaneda."

But the human moved before she could use the water on
her: "Hot water!" She raised a fist, "Not boiling!!"

Soun Tendou was on his feet at last, sounding
magnanimous, "Ha, ha! Your problem isn't so terrible,
after all." He took an escort grip on her arm and turned
her to, "Look, my oldest daughter Kasumi, she's 19; and
my youngest daughter Nabiki, she's 17. Pick either one
you want. She'll be your new fiancée."

Soun Tendou's only son Kaneda, 16, blurted out, "What
about me? She's half-girl."

The little redhead barked, "Just because I'm a freak,
doesn't mean I'm marryin' a freak!"

It was Kaneda's turn to rise to his feet, "Who're you
calling a freak!!?!"

Ranma stamped a small, bare foot towards him, "You,
freak! Haven't you gotten it yet!?!!" She jabbed a thumb
at herself, "I ain't a girl! I'm all guy!" She stomped
closer, "Cold water that makes me something I ain't!!"
And closer, "Hot water turns me back into what I AM!"

Her breasts were up near Kaneda's stomach, her small chin
pointed up at him. "Even if I wanted somebody with the
curse--which I DON'T--you aren't girl enough for me!"

Kaneda was offended, "Of course I'm not really a girl."

That did it, Ranma had had it: "Splash some hot water in
your face, and wake up!! You got the SAME curse as I do,
you idiot!!"

It was finally said out loud. The ground underneath
Kaneda was rocked.

Kasumi said, "Oh, my, Father's out of it again," rising
with a glass of cold water.

Kaneda held out a hand to stop her passing him. He took
the glass from her.

Nabiki saw what he was going to do with the water. She
looked at her entranced parental figure, "That is one
major fallout shelter you're dug, Daddy."

The redheaded boy splashed Ranma's father. The panda was
back, this time not so belligerent. Kaneda tried to grasp
the truth that, "He isn't really a panda. Hot water makes
him what he was born to be."

Nabiki offered the teakettle. Kaneda went by it as he
headed down the outer hall. Kasumi asked, "Where are you
going do, Kaneda?"

In his daze, he answered, "I'm going to take the first
hot bath I've had in years."

The panda watched until the boy disappeared around the
corner. It then hurried over to his motionless comrade.
Lifting him up, he ran for the closest way out, out of
the room, out of the house, out of the gate.

Kasumi asked, "I'll serve dinner, now."

Nabiki held up a hand, "Hold the dinner. There won't be
time for that."

Ranma said, "Yeah. If she takes it anything like I took
it..."

But then, she hadn't been living a lie all of his life.


The End of this chapter