Tsudare

Thunder in the Mountains

By

Jim R. Bader

DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 cast members were created by Rumiko Takahashi and remain the sole property of both her and those to whom she leased out the creative rights. This fanfic is not intended for the purpose of monetary gain and so is purely the work of the author using characters from Takahashi-dono's series. I am not getting any compensation or royalties for this, so please do not sue me…

Little Kasumi Tendo, age eleven, awoke from a good nap to the sound of something crawling over the rooftop. It sounded kind of noisy, and it was making sounds that caused her to wonder if a wild animal were in the neighborhood, and thought to herself that she ought to wake her father and ask him to investigate.

But that brought to her the knowledge that father would not be of much use if it were a burglar or wild animal. He was not in much of a state for anything, even Shogi. He hardly even left his room and barely acknowledged when she prepared for him a meal. He was seemed more like a ghost these days than the warm and loving father that she remembered.

And had been that way since the day when Momma came back from the hospital to tell them the bad news that she was going away on a long trip and would not be back again, most likely ever.

That had been a year ago and it had almost destroyed their family when their mother went to Heaven to be embraced by the Buddha. Perhaps one day her mother would reincarnate and they would be united once again, but that would not be for a long, long time in the future.

For now the family was her responsibility, and as young as she was Kasumi had taken upon the business of being there for her sisters and father in place of their mother. That meant that anything that happened within this house was her business to deal with.

Including stray animals and burglars.

And so she rose up out of her bed and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals, then cautiously moved to the door, still hearing sounds from outside that did not quite seem so innocuous. A trash can had been knocked over, and something was making noises that did not seem in any way…human.

She considered her options. At eleven years of age she was barely one hundred and thirty nine centimeters tall and maybe forty-two kilograms in mass. She knew some self-defense, of course, since her Daddy and Mommy had been training her in their family dojo from the time that she could almost walk, so there were few things her size that could concern her.

But, just the same, she decided to take her tennis racket out from the closet…just in case it might be handy.

A Bokken might have been more useful, but all the martial arts gear was in the dojo itself, which was across the yard and out of reach for the moment. She tip-toed down the stairs and edged over to the back door of the house, careful to peer past the edge of the doorway as she eased it to the side, clutching her weapon for reassurance more than security, and tried to make out in the moonlight just what it was that was disturbing the Wa of her evening.

That was when she spied the small moving figure rifling through the garbage, looking for something to eat. At first she had thought it was a wild animal, but then she got a better look and was startled to discover that it was a boy, some years younger than herself, who was moving on all fours and making sounds that sounded feline.

That emboldened Kasumi to creep out onto the porch and try to get a better look at the figure. But one of the floorboards creaked beneath her weight, startling the boy and causing him to look right at her.

And for a moment Kasumi felt her heart beating wildly in her tiny breast, for there was something in that look that almost frightened her, something wild, untamed and definitely more than human.

But then she steadied her nerves, remembered her training, and was comforted by the memory of her mother's voice in her head saying, "Don't worry, Child. He's more afraid of you than you are of him."

So she composed herself, took a deep breath and then released it, then relaxed her posture and set down the tennis racket to assure him that her intentions were anything but hostile.

Then she straightened up and spoke in a gentle voice, "Excuse me, little boy."

The boy looked ready to dart for cover in an instant, but…something about her posture and voice caused him to hesitate and sniff the air as though trying to discover her scent at such a distance.

"My name is Tendo Kasumi," she composed herself and bowed in a lady-like manner, "It is very nice to meet you."

"Mrowl?" the boy asked, obviously puzzled by the sounds that she was making, but doing nothing either hostile or evasive, so she decided to press her luck a tiny bit further.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

She saw his ears perk up, which meant that he had to understand her on some level. She smiled at this and then said, "I can get you some food if you like."

Very cautiously the boy started to edge forward, moving on all fours and acting very animal like, but keeping his behavior well within the range of someone more curious than offensive. Kasumi remained very still, not daring to do anything that might frighten the boy away, and when he edged up near enough to get a better look at him she was shocked by what she saw.

For even in the dim light of the moon she could see that he was dirty and disheveled, more beast than human in ways that went beyond his mere behavior. His clothing was torn and dirty on the edges and he was barefoot, and he smelled something awful.

And yet…there was something in his eyes that she found warmly appealing, and not at all as frightened as the rest of him appeared to be. He was looking at her with more curiosity than alarm, and she could tell he had no intention of hurting her, which made her smile even more in reassurance, sensing that she was getting through to him and knowing that she had to trust her instincts to bring him all the way over to trusting her on the same level.

"Oh my," she said, "Where have you been? What have you been doing? You look like you could use a bath. Would you like me to help you?"

"Wraff?" he said as though mimicking her voice, but she took it as a sign of assent and stretched out a hand towards him, allowing him to sniff it.

"I won't hurt you," she said, "You can trust me. I'm Kasumi."

"Wra…ra…ka…Ka-su-mi?"

She was startled that he actually managed to pronounce her name and asked, "You can talk?"

He edged a bit away from her and she said, "Oh, sorry…I didn't mean to startle you. It's just…what is your name, little boy?"

He hesitated then edged closer to her, this time bringing his head within her reach, so she gently stretched out her hand and touched his face, which he allowed her to do after only a bit of hesitation.

"Rame?" he said, again as if attempting to master human language.

"I'm Kasumi," she said, feeling along the surface of his dirty face and wishing that she had a towel to help wipe it clean, "And who are you?"

"Ra…Ranma," the boy replied, again surprising Kasumi as it sounded like a human name, one that meant, "Wild Horse," even though his behavior was not very horse-like.

But he trusted her emough to move her hand forward so that her tiny palm slid against his cheek, and then he moved in to press his face to her palm and Kasumi reflexively caressed him there, which earned from this boy a sound of definite approval.

"Ranma," she smiled, "What a very nice name. Do you live around here?"

He looked puzzled by the question, so she decided not to pursue that avenue of thought. Instead she moved her hand over to the side of his head and slowly ran her fingers through the unruly mop of black hair, which she discovered had been tied up into a pig tail at the back. Someone had obviously done that for him, as well as supply the martial arts gi (which now she recognized it as being), so obviously he could not be a total "stray," not from all civilized behavior.

But still the way he made sounds approving of how she patted his head encouraged her, so she smiled and said, "I think I have some leftovers from last night's dinner that we could share with you. And then...you definitely need to take a bath. Oh my…but I've never bathed a boy before. Well…I suppose it won't be so different from bathing Akane…"

Half an hour later, fed and washed (Kasumi had been amazed at the speed with which the boy had wolfed down the rice and curry that she had given him…almost as though it had evaporated), Kasumi helped to dress this strange boy in one of Akane's spare bathrobes. (Having amazed herself with a crash course discovery of male anatomy that had been way more illuminating than any of Tofu-Sensei's textbooks)

And then, to her considerable surprise, the boy had curled up into a ball and fell asleep upon her lap, which was awkward as Kasumi would have preferred to carry him to a proper bed. But still and all she found it much easier to pet and caress him this way, now that he was at least nominally human again on the outside.

Given human appearance once again he did seem like nothing more than a lost child who had been in need of aid and comfort. There was scars all over his body, but most of them looked faded as though he had been rapidly healing since the time when they were inflicted. And there was a hardness to his muscles that surprised her for someone of such a tender age, leading her to wonder at just what sort of a life he had been living.

In a way it reminded her of one of those foreign books that she had been reading about a certain boy raised in the wilds by animals, who were his mentor. This boy definitely seemed to fit in with the image of such a wild child.

But…there was something about him that seemed kind and tender as well, almost like a diamond in the ruff and not just some dirty ragamuffin from the streets who had happened to wander into their yard in search of some scraps.

A light knock on the door and Kasumi was startled out of her trance-like fascination. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself before she said, "Yes?"

"Sister?" it was Nabiki's voice and not their father's,(much to Kasumi's reassurance), "Have you got somebody in there?"

"Come inside Neechan," Kasumi murmured, "But don't wake Father."

The door slid open and little nine-year-old Nabiki peered in with round eyes full of surprise and fascination. She saw the bundle curled up on her sister's lap and said, "Is that another stray you brought home with you, Oneechan? You know Daddy won't approve of…"

The boy moved, startling Nabiki, who managed to suppress a desire to help as she stared at him with wide-eyed incredulity and disbelief.

"He says his name is Ranma," Kasumi smiled a bit weakly, then added, "Sorry about this…"

Nineteen year old Kasumi awoke from her dream with the flickering of eyes, then paused to remember the vivid imagery as she said, "Oh my…"

She sat upright very slowly and looked around, seeing only her room, the one in their house that she had known all of her young life, and yet which seemed oddly strange to her that morning. The dream had been quite real to her, and it bothered her slightly. She had to glance to the side to remind herself that there was no one else in her bed, even though the memory of that was still also somewhat vivid.

"I wonder what that was all about?" she wondered. That strange boy, the one with the animal-like behavior. It turned out that he had been suffering some sort of psychological trauma or condition brought about by an event that was later described to her as a form of mild psychosis.

Aluraphobia was the term that had been used…an acute fear of cats that triggered a strange response in that the victim reverted to a feline-like state in order to escape from their trauma. The boy had awaken the next morning perfectly fine and normal and able to engage them in regular conversation, even though his behavior even then had seem oddly strange to Kasumi's way of thinking.

Despite Nabiki's objections she had resolved to bring the boy with her to bed since he obviously did not want to be parted from her, and so she had laid still for hours feeling the warmth of a body beside her that was smaller than her own, much as Akane had been when lightning strikes caused her to seek her sister's bedside.

But this boy was nothing like Akane. He was bright and cheerful and lively and so energetic that it must have taken real effort for him not to go bouncing off of the walls once he was fully conscious. His name was indeed Ranma, and he had no memory at all of what had happened to him to drive him into such a frenzy. He had thanked Kasumi for her hospitality and accepted a meal when breakfast was offered. He had been so much the handful the night before, but now he was eager to help out in any way that he could and even offered to help with washing the dishes, explaining that he and his father often took odd jobs to pay for the meals they sometimes ate, especially when short on money.

Akane had been aghast at discovering a boy was living under their roof, but when she tried to expel him Ranma had cheerfully deflected her efforts, demonstrating an amazing competence at the martial arts that Kasumi found impressive. Akane finally gave up on trying to expel him and just sat glowering at the breakfast table, looking as though she wanted to accuse the boy of all manner of un-nice things (and Kasumi decided not to give an account of their having shared a bed together since that sort of thing would most likely leave a bad impression).

The commotion did have one positive value, however, in that it did the rare thing of actually prompting their father to come out of his cave to see what was happening under the roof of his family household.

At first he had been outraged to know that some stranger boy had forced himself upon their hospitality. But once Kasumi had explained the circumstance (in a highly edited version, Nabiki wisely keeping her own counsel on the facts) he had calmed down and was prepared to accept the boy as a temporary house guest.

But everything changed when he heard Kasumi give the name of the boy, and at that his face went blank with astonishment. And then he seemed unusually contemplative, even thoughtful. Kasumi and Nabiki knew the tell-tale signs of when their father was trying to sort something out, and so Nabiki took it upon herself to inquire into the details.

Kasumi had to admit that her sister was a tough negotiator. Even at the age of nine she had a way of worming out confessions from their father that would do credit to a police interrogation. It came to light that the name of Saotome Ranma was known to him and was the name of the son of a very close personal friend, who also happened to be a fellow practitioner of the Anything Goes school.

Shortly after this a strange man appeared at their doorstep. He had the look of a monk but dressed like a beggar in a soiled Gi, much like the one that Ranma had been wearing. He and their father embraced each other like long-lost kinsmen then began to discuss "old times" while their daughters listened raptly.

And little Ranma had scowled a bit as if more annoyed to see his father than overjoyed.

The boy had left them shortly afterward, but Kasumi had never entirely forgotten about him and often wondered what had become of the wild-maned ragamuffin. He had been quite an imposition that one night, and yet Kasumi had found the memory one of her fondest from childhood, as though something significant had passed between them.

And indeed it had, for meeting Ranma had inspired Kasumi to brush up on her martial arts, to renew the practice that she had allowed to go to waste during the year of grieving over the loss of their mother. Ranma had apparently lost his mother too (the details were vague, and Genma was even more tight-lipped about it than their father).

Just seeing how Ranma coped with tragedy inspired her to want to do better with her life, to not be let down and depressed by the burdens of life and a family that depended upon her. And she had a responsibility to her sisters to set a good example for them by behaving like a proper role model.

Not that she was entirely successful in this since her sisters were her sisters, and Nabiki was Nabiki, and Akane was Akane, and little more need to be said about that.

Akane had thrown herself into training at the memory of being bested by a boy who clearly outclassed her as a martial artist. She was now acknowledged to be the best in her school and was very popular, to hear Nabiki's account of her adventures. The boys were even lining up to challenge her every morning as though to test themselves against her sister, and that made Akane an even more determined fighter as she handilly outclassed her peers.

Nabiki, of course, avoided violent confrontations as much as she could. Her skills were more than competant but her strength lay more in playing the strategist than in seeking out trouble where it could be avoided.

Kasumi had studied Kendo and earned high marks, though her father had insisted on keeping up with her non-weapons disciplines as well. She rarely fought outside of matches or the dojo, however, and was appalled by violence where it was not used strictly to defend one's own life and person. To that end she studied Akaido under the mentor of the kindly Doctor Toju (who-strangely-never seemed to be present for those lessons, always begging off for work as duty precluded him from watching her in her matches).

But Kasumi had no intention of becoming a Martial Artist to the exclusion of all else. She was taking home courses to brush up on Medicine in hopes of one day becoming a doctor. At the present her family needed her to remain in the role of a domestic, and it would be some years before Nabiki could arrange the family finances to afford putting her through college.

But she learned enough from the tutoring of others (and borrowing every book that she could pry out of Tofu-Sensei's drooling grasp) to pass even now as a decent medic. A role that came in handy, what with all the scrapes, bumps and bruises that Akane earned on a regular routine basis. Taking care of Akane's medical costs alone saved the family a small fortune in doctor's bills, to say nothing of giving her plenty of practice for the time when she could be a general practitioner of the medical arts.

She knew a lot about pressure points and Shiatsu techniques and had an Acupuncture chart hanging from one wall of her bedroom, in the space normally reserved by other girls for pictures of their favorite pop idols.

She rose from bed and slipped her feet into her favorite pair of bunny slippers, then left her room seeking the kitchen to prepare for breakfast since her sisters would be rising up in another hour or two. It was a non-school day so she had some time before she needed to take a bath herself and be ready to do some shopping.

But as she came to the living room she was surprised to find her father had risen up earlier than was his usual wont, and that he was weeping while holding up the mail, which also must have gotten there much earlier than usual.

"Father?" she asked, "Is something the matter?"

To her considerable surprise he turned to her and had a look of beaming joy upon his face as he said, "Call your sisters. We must have a meeting. I have something wonderful to announce that will affect the future of the Anything Goes school."

Kasumi was a bit perturbed and alarmed by this. Had their father been out drinking and gambling once again? It had been such a bother when that fellow calling himself the "Gambler King" had showed up attempting to lay claim to their dojo. Nabiki had sent the fellow packing after only a few rounds of cards had been exchanged, but that was just the sort of thing that one was used to encountering any time their father seemed unusually enthusiastic about something.

But then, once they were gathered together as a family, came the news that utterly stunned the Tendo Sisters. A name from their past, Saotome Ranma? He was coming back to pay them a visit, along with their father? And after sending a post card that came all the way from China?

And that one of them was going to be engaged to the young man that they had not seen in eight years? A private arrangement between their fathers?"

Kasumi had exchanged looks with Nabiki. They knew well what a "good idea" tended to be with their own father, and if this Genma fellow (there was something about the look of the man that Kasumi had not approved of on their first encounter) were cut from the same sort of cloth, well…

One of them was honor bound by a promise made to unite the families?

Past history suggested that this might not be for the best, and logic demanded that they persuade their father to reconsider the whole matter.

However…

The memory of the little boy came back to haunt her. That bright and precocious smile of his, the energy he projected, the cheerfulness with which he took on life, so full of vitality and…and something else that Kasumi did not know how to fit to words. Just something…

Alive.

"You've got to be kidding!" Akane had all but exploded, "That Pervert Boy is coming to live here in our house?"

"What makes you think that he's a pervert, Akane?" Nabiki asked, amused despite herself since she knew well that Akane considered all boys to be perverts, her experiences at school being a chief prime example.

"He's a boy!" Akane answered, and-indeed-for her that was all the answer that was needed.

"I see," Soun said, sweeping the other two sisters with his gaze, "And do you feel the same, Nabiki and Kasumi?"

"Ah…that all depends," Nabiki said, ever the cautious one to hedge her bets, "Is he handsome? Is he rich? He must be loaded if his father can afford to take him on a trip to China."

Kasumi thought about chiding her sister by reminding her that wealth was not everything. But on the other hand…

"Well, necessarily I haven't seen the boy or his father in over eight years," Soun replied, "But they are practitioners of the Anything Goes school."

"Oh," Nabiki shrugged, and Kasumi could all but hear the thoughts in her sister's head. Anything Goes, as exemplified by their father, who was competent in almost nothing other than the martial arts, and only managed to afford to support their household by taking in the occasional student.

Most students of which seldom lasted longer than a couple of weeks until Akane frightened them off, the few loyal students that they had been largely female.

Kasumi sighed, getting up from the table. Her father saw this and asked, "Kasumi?"

"It is much too early in the morning to make a decision this important, Father," Kasumi said, "As you say we haven't seen Saotome Ranma or his father in eight long years. And I have chores to attend to. We can discuss the matter of an engagement after I get back from shopping."

Soun sighed, "You are as wise as your mother, and one day you will make a lucky man a very good wife."

"But not until I have had time to complete my medical training," Kasumi smiled, "You know how important that is. And besides…this Ranma is younger than me. Younger people are so much…younger. Although…I suppose he has had time to grow up on the road, so…there might be some promise."

As she got up to leave Nabiki and Akane followed her movements, and then they exchanged conspiratorial looks of their own, then both oriented their sight upon their father.

"Yes?" Soun sensed something ominous in their expression.

"Oneechan does a lot for us, Daddy," Nabiki said, "She hardly ever thinks about herself any more. And you're right, she'd make some lucky guy a good wife. Maybe sooner than she expects."

"It all depends on whether this guy is a pervert or a jerk or not," Akane snorted, "But no way in hell am I getting myself engaged to some boy I hardly even remember."

In the privacy of her thoughts Nabiki smiled and thought, (Or course not. The only Man you want is Doctor Tofu). But aloud what she said was, "And on that subject, Daddy…there's something else you ought to know about Kasumi. You see…on that night when Ranma showed up acting weird and everything…well…guess what Kasumi did to help restore that boy to normal…"

Refreshed and energized, Kasumi felt ready to take on the world, or-at the very least-the best that Nerima had to offer. It had rained earlier in the morning, but armed with her special umbrella she had not been the least bit deterred. Her spirit was light and bouncy, and other than being troubled with family matters she was used to meeting each day as though it was a sparring partner with which to engage for daily practice.

Not that she expected anything more surprising than her father's dramatic morning revelation to impede her day, of course. It was simply that…well…odd things did tend to happen around here. And part of being a martial artist meant always being prepared to deal with the unexpected.

Such as turning a corner and seeing a redheaded girl wearing a Cheosang-style pantsuit that seemed too big for her slender frame go running past at a perpendicular angle. The girl had a pigtail that ran down her back and was very fleet of foot as Kasumi automatically sized her up and thought her extremely fast and quick in her movements.

However that was only the initial salvo of the day's attempt to dumbfound her completely, for hot on the heels of the girl was a full grown giant panda, well over two meters in length and running on its hind legs in the manner of a human.

Kasumi stopped dead in her tracks with rounded eyes as she saw the redhead turn around and confront the giant beast. Dropping into a competent martial stance she snarled, "No way am I letting you do that to me, Pops! Especially not to those girls! I owe them for being nice to me, and no way am I gonna let you make them hate me!"

"Oh my," Kasumi said as she saw the Panda attack using martial arts maneuvers that seemed ill suited to its stubby arms and paws. Even so a casual swipe by such a creature might have been able to take the girl's head clean off her shoulders if it connected.

Fortunately it did not connect as she tirl proved to be every bit as competent as Kasumi had imagined. She fought back and deflected the attacks, then managed to land a solid blow that sent the Panda sprawling.

"Haw, that'll show you not to mess with me!" she boasted brashly, only to just then take notice of the round-eyed witness to their sparring match. She called out, "Hey, nothing to worry about here! It's just me and the old man blowing off some steam and…"

To the surprise of the redhead (and Kasumi as well) the Panda lashed out from a nearly horizontal posture and managed to sweep the girl's legs our from under her. The redhead was startled but recovered her balance swiftly. Unfortunately the bear was on top of her almost instantly with a follow up that was likely to be devastating.

Only suddenly its slash was blocked by a wooden bokken that deflected both paws, and then with a second slash the Panda's legs were knocked out from under it, sending it sprawling on the sidewalk. Its chin hit the pavement and for a moment it was no longer moving.

Kasumi stood there, having bulled her practice Bokken from the place of concealment that she usually carried it in wherever she traveled, and without taking her eyes off of the Panda she asked, "Are you all right? Did Mister Panda hurt you?"

"Hah?" the girl said in surprise, taken aback at being rescued by a total stranger (or was she? There was something oddly familiar about her that she seemed not to quite place…)

"I'm sorry if I interfered without first introducing myself," she smiled, "I'm Tendo Kasumi. How do you do?"

"T-Tendo…Kasumi?" the redhead blanched, looking up and down at the impressive looking girl, who to all outward appearance seemed quite normal, even ordinary, but for her handsome looks and mannerisms that were graceful, fluid and entirely feminine.

"I have a house not very far from here if you would like to come with me," she said, "I can give you shelter until this creature goes away."

"Ah…well…that's not necessary…" the redhead said, only to cry, "Watch out!"

Kasumi had partially turned away from the Panda, having presumed the creature stunned and of marginal threat value. But now it surprised her by kicking up water out of a nearby puddle, which she naturally tried to deflect with her sword, forgetting for the moment that she had dropped her umbrella to deal with the more urgent matter.

Some dirty water got into her eyes and momentarily blinded her. Before she could compensate she felt a force collide with her mid-section, momentarily driving the air out of her lungs and causing her to drop her bokken.

"POPS!" she heard the redhead cry as she was suddenly caught up in the slender arms of the girl, and then everything became hazy as it felt for a moment as though she were rocketing up into the air, becoming momentarily as light as a feather.

She was trying to get her wind back when her eyes opened once again, and to her amazement the sidewalk was well below them and they were perched upon a stone fence lining the way and separating them from a yard.

"Stupid Old Man!" the girl cried disrespectfully, "Didn't you hear who this is? How could you attack her like that when she was only trying to help? C'mon, let's get out of here before that baka really loses it…"

Kasumi saw the bear charge the wall and slash at it with a claw, and all at once the wall collapsed out from under them, only they were no longer standing there but appeared to have become airborne.

"Who…who are you?" she gasped, finding it somewhat easier to breathe, even while the sensation of flying was leaving her breathless.

"Ah…you wouldn't believe me if I told you," the girl replied, "You said your home's around here? I think I can remember where it is…"

A few moments later they landed in the middle of her yard, and the girl set her down on her feet, which surprised Kasumi to no end as she was certain that she outweighed the smaller girl by at least fifteen kilos.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened back there," the redhead said, "You'd be better off forgetting you met me."

"Don't be silly," Kasumi turned to regard the smaller girl, "I owe you for rescuing me from that bear. Which is odd since I was trying to protect you."

"Oh, he wasn't gonna hurt me or nothing," the redhead had a crude speech pattern, but Kasumi could tell that she meant well, "It just…the Old Man sometimes loses his temper when things don't quite go his way."

"Is Old Man the name of the Panda?" Kasumi asked.

"Naw, I just call him that because he's such a Baka," the redhead sighed, "You wouldn't believe the kind of stuff he's dragged me through, the things he's done to me! For ten years I've been on the road studying the martial arts, trying to master the Anything Goes school…"

"Anything goes?" Kasumi blinked.

"Ah…" the redhead winced as if not having intended to say that, "It's…kind of complicated…"

"Would you happen to know a boy named Saotome Ranma?" Kasumi asked, "You look enough like him to be his sister."

The girl was startled, "You know…ah…Saotome Ranma?"

"We were good friends a very long time ago," Kasumi smiled brightly, "We only met that one time, but he left a lasting impression."

"Ah…Kasumi…" the young girl said, only to start when they were hailed from the doorway to the dojo.

"Hey, Kasumi, who is that?"

"Oh, Akane," Kasumi turned around, "Come say hello to a friend of Saotome Ranma's. Er…I didn't quite get the name."

"Ah…well…" the redhead hesitated.

"You bring home another stray, Sis?" Nabiki asked as she put in her own appearance, "That's a really bad habit of yours. Just look what's happening because of the last one."

"Who…ah…wait," the redhead frowned, "Your names are…Akane and Nabiki, right?"

"How the heck would you know about that?" Akane asked.

"Er…we met once…a long time ago," the girl replied, "I've got a pretty good memory…mostly."

"We met?" Nabiki asked dubiously, looking the redhead up and down, "I think I'd pretty much remember you if that were so."

"Neechan, don't be rude," Kasumi chided, "This girl is now our guest. In fact she helped rescue me from a giant…"

"Panda!" Akane cried.

"Why yes," Kasumi replied, "How did you…:

"Take a look over that way, Sis," Nabiki indicated the main house, "And tell me what you see."

Kasumi followed the hooked thumb gesture of her middle sister and saw their father standing next to the very marsupial in question.

"Kasumi," their father said, gently but with an edge of sternness, "There is something very important that we must discuss. But first…would you mind boiling up some water?"

"Oh my," she said, sensing something else precipitous was in the offing…

A few minutes later, sitting down before a tea table with a transformed boy at her side, a very round-eyed Kasumi listened raptly as an incredible story was unfolded before her astonished ears. And even given the unbelievable things that a resident of Nerima tended to take for granted it was a stretch to seriously credit this talk about Jusenkyo and Cursed Springs that transformed boys into girls and old men into giant pandas.

Except that the evidence was clear before her in the person of this young man who was now her iinazuke. Kasumi was astonished to learn that her sisters had been conspiring behind her back to push the engagement onto her shoulders, but once agreed to by the fathers it was no longer her place to decline.

And she had to admit, from any reasonable standard, that it did make sense to engage the oldest children of both families, especially since the younger daughters of one house were no where near as prepared to make anyone a suitable matrimonial partner.

After all, neither of them had taken the least kind of an interest in anything remotely domestic. Kasumi had not been one to complain, but she was the only one who took serious time to do the things that were needed to keep a household in order. Nabiki was good at balancing their finances and keeping the little money that flowed into their household steered away from things that their father would likely blow money on, if they allowed him.

And Akane? Kasumi had memories of trying to teach her younger sister how to cook, and the result being that they had to expend funds to buy themselves a new kitchen.

But…being engaged to a boy who had a curse that turned him into a girl, a boy as wild and impulsive as what she had witnessed…and being asked to sacrifice her own dreams and ambitions for the sake of the family honor…

She sighed. That latter part was what decided the matter for her. Family honor trumped other concerns, such as personal issues. Of coursse this was what was expected of the eldest daughter of any household as honor bound by traditions as their own. Why, her father and mother had been part of an arranged marriage, and that had obviously worked out very well…to a point.

"No," Ranma said, "No way. I'm not forcing this on her. Not on Kasumi."

"Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked.

"I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this," Ranma said, "But I know it's gotta be a drag having to get all my crap dumped in your lap. Bad enough I've got a curse that makes me only half a man…"

"Some half," Nabiki murmured, though Kasumi only blushed, having vivid memories of the change, and seeing Ranma grow fifteen centimeters with just a dash of hot water (nearly eye-level with herself) had certainly impressed her with his growth in other departments.

"Boy," Genma snarled, "Do you really think you can back out of a sacred matter of family honor this easily?"

"Hey, it's got nothing to do with honor and you know it!" Ranma snapped, only to cringe as suddenly Soun Tendo gave him a look that made it almost appear as though the head of the father of his implied innazuke had grown to enormous proportions.

"RANMA!" he roared like thunder, "DO YOU MEAN TO THINK THAT YOU CAN DISHONOR MY DAUGHTER AND GET AWAY WITH THAT IN MY HOUSE?"

Ranma recoiled from the "Demon's Head" attack, but swiftly recovered his bearings by saying, "Dishonor her? No way! I'd never do that!"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Ranma-kun?" Nabiki asked, and her tone was much too sultry and insinuating to be taken as something less to be wary of that her father's own psyche-out attack.

"Ah…" he said, "Like what?"

"Like the fact that you crawled into my sister's bed and slept with her, you pervert!" Akane snapped, "Kami, you must be dense if you've forgotten all about that!"

"Hah?" Ranma blinked.

"When you were eight and she was eleven," Nabiki gently prodded, "You remember that now?"

"Huh?" he blinked again, "Hey, wait! We were just kids! We didn't do nothing improper…!"

"Oh my," Kasumi covered her mouth, realizing with an adult's perspective how an innocent act of childhood might be interpreted.

"You see, Boy?" Genma crowed, "Now you have no choice but to marry her."

"Now wait a damned minute!" Ranma protested, "You can't seriously mean to let a thing like that be…!"

The rest of what he might have said was smothered the next instant as Akane picked up the table in front of her and righted it on top of Ranma's head, knocking him to the floor and stunning him in an instant.

"Oh gee, how clumsy your are, Saotome," Akane said as though the table had just upended itself, "Now you've gone and knocked yourself out, so I guess you can't be leaving. Oneechan, you're studying to be a doctor, I think you should have a look at him."

"Nice move, little sister," Nabiki murmured, "I'm so proud of you."

"Hey, I learned from the best," Akane smirked back.

"Oh my," Kasumi said, wondering if her sisters were actually trying to help her out in their own peculiar way, and deciding not to make too much of the matter as Ranma did look like he needed some attention.

"Yes, take good care of him, my daughter," Soun urged as Kasumi knelt down and tried to lift a boy who weight half as much as herself, finally getting Akane and Nabiki to each grab a leg and help her out.

No sooner had the younger set left, though, but the two elders shared a look and grinned like maniacs.

"Tendo-Kun…"

"Saotome-kun," Soun grinned back.

"We're finally about to reunite the families…just as we always dreamed," Genma said, almost weeping.

Soun did weep as he said, "Repairing the rift in the family lines, just as we always promised the Master, the Gods rest his soul."

"Wherever it might be," Genma smirked, "Did you see how my boy stood up for your daughter? He was actually trying to protect her."

"Not that Kasumi needs much protection," Soun noted, "I did my best to train her, and in a good many ways she turned out just like her mother…"

"Better than that, I hope," Genma murmured, shuddering a bit at the memory of the late Kimiko, who in many ways frightened him almost as much as Nodoka, "And I think I saw something of Nodoka in her as well."

"Saotome-kun," Soun frowned, "Your boy…he wouldn't really take advantage of my daughter before they are wed…"

"My boy?" Genma scoffed, "No chance of that. He's just like I was when I was his age."

"Oh," Soiun said, "In that case I have nothing to worry about."

"Exactly," Genma nodded, only to blink and say, "Wait a minute…"

"Kasumi is a very good daughter," Soun said, "She will make your son a wonderful wife. Now my only concern is what to do about my other daughters."

"They seem like nice enough girls," Genma said, "It shouldn't be too hard for them to attract husbands."

"Except that Akane keeps threatening to kill every boy she meets," Soun replied, "And Nabiki would sell them the rights to the Hokkaido bridge for the price of a four course dinner."

"Oh," Genma replied, "You mean they're both…?"

"Exactly like their mother," Soun agreed, and both men commiserated, their memories full of events from an all too eventful past when they had been young and naïve about women, a condition not likely to last when it came to a certain naïve young martial artist who was about to get a crash course (emphasize the word "CRASH") upon that very subject…

Ranma awoke to a throbbing of his head and the feeling of a cold compress upon his-now HER-forehead.

"Wh-what happened to me?" Ranma asked, feeling a bump on her head and wondering how many minutes it would take before it shrank down to something less than the size of a goose egg.

"I'm very sorry, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, "Akane can be so thoughtless sometimes. I know she means well, and she really is a sweet girl, but…well…some times she behaves like a violent maniac."

Ranma's eyes flew open, "K-Kasumi?"

"Yes?" Kasumi asked.

"It's…really you?" Ranma removed the compress and stared up at the woman kneeling over him, getting a really good look at her this time, and not just the casual study she had paid to her before since her memory was returning, along with a sense of mixed emotions at the realization that she was now her iinazuke

But Kasumi looked worried at the remark, wondering if Akane's blow might have done something to his memory, and racking her brains on what to do in the case that he had partial amnesia. Would another blow to the head help restore him? No, that was just an old wives' tale. But…just to be on the safe side…

She reached over to the cop of warm water that she had prepared for a tea, and instead of pouring it into a cup she poured it over the forehead of her iinazuke.

Ranma yelped, her voice instantly going up three octaves in tone and depth as he leapt to his feet and cried, "Hey! Hot doesn't mean scalding! And…"

All of a sudden two things belatedly occurred to him. One being that he was feeling a draft all along the length of his body…

And the second being that Kasumi was not looking at his face but rather a spot that was…somewhat lower.

"Oh my," she murmured, thinking to herself that he certainly had grown up in other ways besides height and mass.

"YIKES!" he yelped as he instantly sat down, covering his privates and saying, "WHY AM I NAKED?"

"I took of your clothes to better examine you," Kasumi said in a reasonable tone of voice, "I put them in the laundry. They should be done in another hour or two."

"You took off my clothes?" Ranma stammered in disbelief.

"Well…to be honest," Kasumi wrinkled her nose as if to indicate something non-verbal.

Ranma thought about it, "Oh," then hastily reached for the blanket that had been covering him earlier and hastily covered himself over.

"I am sorry if I took liberties with you," Kasumi said, "It was never my intention to offend you. But…well…this is just like the first time you appeared upon my doorstep," she smiled, pleased by the childhood memory, "Only then you were in an even worse state of mind than you are today."

"Ah…" Ranma felt himself blushing in embarrassment, though his own memories of this girl began with him waking up in her bed feeling relaxed and at ease as though he had spent the night in the arms of his mother. Only now…the memory of that did not feel quite so innocent.

Especially considering the way this beautiful young girl was looking right at him.

"Considering all the time that you have spent on the road," Kasumi continued "It only made sense that you haven't been able to wash your clothes regularly. So I thought it would be the proper thing to do, you being a guest and…and…well…" this time she blushed, the implications of her statement causing her to glance away at the thought of how her actions would reflect on her in the eyes of her…future husband.

Ranma had to take a moment to steady himself before he said, "It…ah…doesn't bother you…that I turn into a girl?"

She looked at him in surprise, "Why, no. Should it?"

"But…you don't really want to get involved with a freak like me, do you?" Ranma persisted.

"The curse is not your fault," Kasumi said, "Your father was foolish to go there when he was not willing to listen to the travel guide and did not speak the language. How then am I to blame you for what you clearly have no control over?"

He had to take a moment to ask himself if he were for real. But the guileless look in her eyes assured him that he was, so he sighed and said, "You're a pretty special girl, Kasumi."

"Oh?" she was surprised by the compliment and found herself once more blushing.

"Lots of women would freak if they saw me change like that," Ranma sighed, adjusting his blanket around his shoulders, "I've been a lot of places and I've met a lot of people…"

"Really?" Kasumi's interest level spiked, "I've never been anywhere but here at home."

It was his turn to be surprised, "Really?"

"I travel sometimes on school trips and to challenge matches against other dojos," Kasumi answered, "But I've never been to any place as far away and as exotic as China."

"Oh?" Rnama's own interest began to peak, "You do a lot of challenge matches?"

"When I have to, for the sake of the Dojo," Kasumi answered.

"And you win a lot?" Ranma asked.

"It has been a while since I lost a match," she replied, "But I have met a lot of very talented opponents."

Ranma was impressed, "Too bad you're not a guy."

"Oh?" she was taken aback by the comment, "What do you mean?"

"I'd like to challenge you to see how good you are," Ranma said, "But I don't pick fights with women. It ain't manly."

Kasumi's brow furrowed just a bit. It was not true that one could call it a frown, but the look she gave to the young man was something akin to an older sister's sternness.

"You do not believe that women are capable of being good fighters?" Kasumi asked.

"Hey, it ain't that," Ranma insisted, "I've met a lot of girl fighters who were pretty good. In fact I met a whole tribe of them in central China."

"But you don't think that they're good enough for you to fight them?" Kasumi asked.

"Ah…no, that ain't it either," Ranma said sheepishly, "You see…shortly after I got my curse I wound up stumbling into their village, along with Pop, and we saw this tournament going on, and this table full of food and…well…we were kind of hungry…"

"Oh," Kasumi said, "So you asked if you could have some for yourself?"

"Well…" Ranma winced more acutely, "We really oughta asked, but we were starving, and Pop never did know better than to eat first and ask questions after…"

"You took food without asking?" Kasumi was shocked at the rudeness of such a thing. Even on the verge of total starvation it would never occur to her to eat someone else's food without asking.

"Yeah, I know, it sounds pretty awful," Ranma conceded, "Well, there was this girl who got really upset about it, and she challenged me to pay for the food, but instead I offered to fight her for it…"

"So you did fight with a woman," Kasumi said, returning to her earlier point.

"Yeah, but we were girls at the time," Ranma insisted, "And I didn't really fight her. I mean, she was strong, and tough, but all I had to do was kick her off the log to win."

"And then?" Kasumi asked, sensing that there was more to the story than she was being told.

"Ah…" Ranma glanced away, "She…kissed me."

"She what?" Kasumi was shocked at the description of what to her sounded like a brazen act to take with a stranger.

"It wasn't nothing like that," Ranma insisted, his grammar declining with the haste with which he was defending himself, "According to the Guide it was something called the Kiss of Death, a promise to hunt down and kill a girl who defeated one of their warriors in battle. So you see it was a bad thing that she kissed me."

"Oh my," Kasumi said, for though she would confess that having someone kiss her future husband would be a "bad thing" by any event, the idea that someone would want to kill him was even more appalling.

"After that she chased us everywhere trying to even the score," Ranma said, "So you see why I don't pick fights with girls? Don't get me wrong, girls can be strong, but it just ain't healthy for a guy to try and force himself like that with a woman."

"You think that fighting with a girl would make you seem unmanly?" Kasumi asked, "Or is it because you associate fighting with creating a feud with another woman?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, and no offense, but girls get all kinds of funny when you beat them in a fight," Ranma said, "Girls don't think it's nice when you beat them. I mean, a guy might get mad at you and swear to come back for a rematch, but it's not like we take it so personal, while with girls…"

"I know that some women do harbor grudges, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, "But I assure you that I would never hold a grudge against anyone, especially if they defeated me honorably in battle."

"Well, yeah, but you're different," Ranma argued.

"Different how?" she asked.

"Ah…well…" Ranma struggled to express his feelings in words, which never was his strong suit. It was simply that Kasumi was different…different from just about every female he could ever remember encountering, and not in a bad way either. She just…felt nice about being around, neither harsh nor cutting in her remarks, though certainly not slow in the wits department either.

"All right then," Kasumi said while he fumbled for an explanation, "So perhaps I am different because I won't get upset with you for challenging me, and if you fight me honestly then I won't have any reason to complain about that either."

"Huh?" Ranma said, "Ah…wait a…"

"But if you agree to fight me with your full strength and I win," Kasumi persisted, "Then you will concede that I am worthy enough to be your equal."

"Win?" Ranma blinked, "You think I'd lose?"

"Well, we'll never know unless we try ourselves," Kasumi smiled, then stood up and said, "Then we have an agreement. You meet me in the dojo in half an hour and I will face you properly as a member of the Anything Goes Ryu. I will represent the Tendo family and you can demonstrate to me that the Saotome line is as good as you are boasting."

"Hey, I didn't agree to…" he protested.

"I'll loan you one of our spare gis and you can meet me there on the floor," Kasumi paused, "Or perhaps you would prefer to face me in your cursed form. I have no problems with fighting either a man or a woman as long as the match is honorably conducted."

"But…wait a minute…" Ranma started to protest.

"Ranma-kun," Kasumi said with a serious expression, "I think it is very noble of you that you might not wish to fight with me because I am a woman. But for us to prove to our fathers that we deserve to inherit the Dojo requires that we set aside all differences and engage in this match as a test of our worthiness as Martial Artists. You won't disappoint me by refusing me this honor…would you?"

"Ah…" something about the look in her brown eyes completely knocked his mental train off track, and he just could not help but stare and marvel at how tall she seemed, and how gracefully woman-like, especially in her motions.

"I'll understand if you wish to decline," Kasumi said, turning around, "But I will be disappointed in you as well. I expect at least a good workout to test my abilities so that I can gauge how strong you truly are as a fighter…and as a man."

She exited the room with perfect mincing steps, hardly making a noise as she left him to stare with mouth agape, his eyes working almost against his will to make him aware of the sway of her hips as she moved with grace, "shaking her booty" his way, though he doubted it was a deliberate provocation.

And then it belatedly occurred to him that he had just been out maneuvered. Somehow without raising her voice or altering her tone from that of a pleasant conversation she had gotten him to tacitly agree to something he was rather loathe to do, which was to fight her for the honor of the dojo.

"What a girl," he murmured softly, wondering-and not for the first or last time-if perhaps he might have gotten himself in over his head in ways that he could not begin to describe or imagine.

But if that was so then why did he find himself smiling in her absence? By rights he ought to be mad with her for making a fool out of him and playing to his one significant weakness.

His pride in his manhood, and his pride in being a top-notch Martial Artist.

"Y'know," he murmured softly, almost at the level of a whisper, "It might not be so bad around here after all…"

And-off to the side-Akane heard this and scowled, while Nabiki's eyebrows were lifted high as the latter gave mental kudos to the performance of their older sister.

"What is that Baka thinking, challenging my sister like that?" Akane asked, "He should challenge me first before he tries to take on Kasumi."

"Why don't we wait and see just how good he really is, little sister?" Nabiki reasoned, "At the worst he could just get his ass kicked and be thoroughly humiliated. On the other hand…"

"What?" Akane scowled, "You don't actually think he could beat her?"

Nabiki shrugged, "You never know. There's abetting pool in town over whether some guy might come along who could give Oneechan a workout. Might be time to make some calls and have some bets placed."

"No way," Akane snorted, "Don't you dare, Nabiki. A challenge like this is a matter of sacred honor and it's not something over which you should profit."

"And here I was looking forward to that new CD I've had my eye on," Nabiki murmured, then when Akane persisted in her glare she said, "All right, we'll keep it on low profile. But if he's good then I'm definitely taking bets on the next fight he gets into."

"I swear you'd make a buck over anything," Akane said in disgust, then paused, :"So if he good do you think?"

"Remember eight years ago when he made you look silly?" Nabiki argued.

Akane scowled, "That was luck, and it's a long time ago, and I've been training real hard ever since to make sure it never happens again."

"While putting half the Athletic teams in school on the critical list," Nabiki sniffed, then smiled, "Just kidding. But don't take this guy lightly. There's something about him…a real diamond in the rough kind of thing. We might have been premature to foist him off on our big sister."

"He's a BOY," Akane snorted, "Just how good can he be?"

"Time will tell, little sister," Nabiki smiled, "But I, for one, am holding out to wait and see if he lives up to all his boasting. But if he is then that just leaves us one big question."

"And that is?" Akane asked.

"Just which of those two is more out of their element, Ranma…or Kasumi?" Nabiki asked, and at that Akane fell silent, the both of them wondering if the future was about to make their concerns seem needless…or prophetic…?

Continued.

First Installment over. Next up" Ranma versus Kasumi (Oh My), and after that the real fun begins when Ranma encounters his true arch-enemy: Doctor Tofu! Be there…