In Nerima it started out as any 'normal' day albeit a bit more wet, when starting at the edge closest to the nearby forest, the peace and normality was shattered forever.
As this new element entered they lives, many were unsure of how 'normal' these wandering battles will become. Course this one was one of many between panda and girl, father and son, Genma and Ranma. Charging down the street carrying huge backpacks, which the girl seemly was able to completely ignore the possible weight of said object and still bounce of walls, lamp posts and roofs as she battled the panda always one step ahead and compete devoid of damage. The same could not be said of the panda as it was visibly becoming slower, more damaged, and using more tricks to try and win.
The fox following them was missed by many as they were more interested in the battle taking place just ahead of it, seeing the end of the very one-sided fight the fox stepped froward and waited the end before walking up to the girl and then grabbing onto the feet of the panda with a few of its many tails, glance up and then continue on in the direction the fight was in. The girl shrugged this of as a normal happening before walking after the fox and catching up to it. Leaning down, many joked to themselves that she was holding a conversation with the fox before they passed a down another street and out of sight.
"So, ya know where we going?" Ranma asked leaning down to his older brother, said older brother rolled his eyes at him before answering.
"Yes I do, its the Tendo Dojo, course I've no idea why we're going there. But knowing Genma, its most likely to steal, sell you, or freeload in some way." Both knowing this to be true tried to come up with the best way to avoid or stop the waiting problem ahead, course without knowing what it was, they had little they could come up with.
-meanwhile-
"KASUMI, NABIKI, AKANE" Bellowed a voice with a hint of tears somehow added at the end. After the timely entrance of Akane, the family was gathered and the meeting started. "My old friend, Genma, will be arriving today with his son. It was decided way back to join the two schools of anything goes martial arts into one school and to do so we engaged him to one of my daughters, you, and they should be here shortly." This then started Soun crying and going on about schools being joined and whatnot. Akane being the level headed person she was displayed this by blowing up and shouting at her father.
"WHAT!!!! I'M NOT GETTING ENGAGED TO SOME BOY!!!" Course this started a few mental images in some and a few mental laughters after all SHE was Nabiki and didn't show HER feelings so loudly or openly, so instead used the opening in the conversation left by the echoes of Akane's shout to dig for information.
"So, is he cute?" Kasumi either picking up the information dig or seemly as detached as always asked.
"Is he young, oh younger men are so. boring" The full meaning of this was completely unknown and had a wide range of possibility which many after a look at her face would shrug off, as impossible for someone like her to even know of let alone Think of.
"I don't know" answered their father in a emotion less voice, which lasted the length of the sentence before drown in tears again. Nabiki outraged at this lack of information promptly asked
"What do you mean you DONT KNOW?" with the promise of pain tacked to the end if it wasn't good enough of an answer.
"I've never meet him" their father replied as if such a thing was completely logically and normal for a person able to be engaged to marry one of his daughters. Any further conversation was halted by a knocking at the door, which Soun promptly took as an escape and ran to answer it, shouting.
"Oh, that must be them." Nabiki wanting a early advantage to choose to accept or not quickly followed, before ran back screaming.
"hey hey, its alright the panda knocked out, no reason to be afraid." said a soft voice as the person entered the room, followed by a panda dragged along by a multi-tailed fox, a large multi-tailed fox. Soun with his impressing display of completely ignoring the unusual, rushes back up to the person and asks the much thought question.
"Are you Ranma Saotome?" Ranma glances round the room before a quick side glance at the fox, then nodding
"Yes I'm Ranma Saotome, Heir to the Saotome school of anything goes martial arts. hmm really need to shorten that." his says before mumbling the last part to himself yet was still heard by the ones paying attention past the yes.
"Oh happy days, now the schools can be joined." Soun said before latching on Ranma and giving a hug. A few seconds pass before he releases Ranma and holding him at arm length and staring at 'his' chest only to see two mounds that shouldn't be there. Nabiki always quick to revalue information, walked over and poking 'his' chest before turning and saying over her shoulder.
"Well done dad, you engaged us to a girl" This sent her father saying that he was told it was a boy. Before it could get to far out of hand the fox nudged Ranma, and meaningfully glances over to the still knocked out panda.
"Well actually I am, and before you say about my breasts, its a curse. I'll show you if we can sit down." Ranma interrupted and then overran any possible comebacks about gender before they could start. This lead to all of them sitting round the table, even the fox. Holding up his hand before anyone could speak, he asked for some hot and cold water before starting. This of course confused most, but Kasumi quickly fulfilled the request.
"All I'm about to say is true and i will prove it at the end, but first, who here believe in magic or that it exists in some way?" Ranma started and looked round sees blank staring eyes moved on. "ok then, magic exists and has lots of forms, we, me, my father and my older brother happened upon one of the forms, curses." stopping shortly to glance round to see that he had they attention went on. "Each of us got a different curse but with the same basic workings, cold water would 'turn on' the curse, while hot 'turn off' the curse. We got these curses at a Advanced aerial training ground, of course our guild" glare at panda "was following a training ground Manuel of places NOT to visit, course this was in Chinese and he didn't bother learning it. Now my curse is spring of drowned girl." so saying he pour a bit of hot water on 'herself and grow a few inches and more defined muscles, and becoming a boy. Waiting for the shock to lessen a little, poured some onto the fox. "My brother has the curse of spring of drowned fox. And my father spring of drowned panda." After saying this threw the rest of the hot water at the sleeping panda, changing it into a fat, bald, old man. Ranma glanced back at the family before trying to lessen the shock of seeing the girl and fox turn into boys.
"Oh, then your problem is that bad," Soun said compete ignoring the fact, that it is in fact a big possible problem. "This is Kasumi, she's 19, Nabiki 17, and Akane who's 16. Well pick your finacee then." Of course everyone was at that moment worried for his mental health before they tried to avoid the situation. But was stopped by the fox-turned boy.
"err, should they at least get to 'know' each other before choose a 'lifelong' mate" This statement was quickly pounced upon by Nabiki who realised that is way she didn't have to give up her sister to get out.
"Yes, dad this is something that takes time after all, unless you don't want us to be 'happy' with the choice, and i 'know' you wont want that to happen 'would you'." Nabiki asked/demanded of her father with her so sweet its sicking, and so innocent but deadly gleam in her eye. Soun quickly picking up the hints to wait or suffer, a lot, agreed that such things take time and should be their choice not his, who Ranma will marry. Nabiki after avoiding that dangerous path, suddenly notices the one who interrupted and 'saved' their lives so to speak.
"So, who are you then?" Nabiki asks looking at the fore-mentioned fox-boy. Who quickly smirked a foxy like smirk, before answering.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Ranma's older brother, and otherwise the 9-tailed fox." Sees the glances between him and Ranma. "No not blood related, so not really involved in this marriage thing, thank kami-sama, and the same age as Ranma at 16. And so far the only equal to Ranma's skill level as a martial artist, which is shockingly high." At this point Akane hn'ed before saying.
"Ha, I'm the best martial artist in Nerima. So don't think you can beat me." Naruto looks at her for a moment weirdly, before replying that he didn't think he could beat anyone till he had and to do otherwise was dishonour your opponent, and cause your ego to grow to big to maintain. This of course she took to be an insult to her and challenged Naruto to a fight, causing Ranma to burst out in laughter.
"ha ha, you think you can beat him, he he he, do you think you can even touch him, ha ha ha, I have trouble being able to touch let alone beat him, hee hee." This only caused Akane to get more angry and stomp out to the Dojo. Everyone quickly followed to witness this or to be in the fight.
"So, any rules you want to put down, or does the school name cover it." Naruto asked standing in front of Akane as she quickly was running out of patience, announced that they were no rules and that the match was started. Akane quickly, at least to her family charged at Naruto and cock her hand back to deliver a powerful punch, which Naruto simply step out of the way before sweeping her feet and grabbing her arm to throw her, which he did. Akane landed just at the wall before shaking her head and standing, and loudly shouting that she wasn't ready.
"So why did you attack then, Why announce the fight was started unless you were ready." Naruto asked grabbing the top of his nose and rolling his fingers. Standing back up straight and arms by his side said. "Then i will wait for you to ready yourself, When ever your ready we will continue." Akane of course just charged again and prepared to kick him in the side. Naruto simply leaned back a bit and the kick flowed pass, Akane was unprepared for this and became unbalanced, which Naruto took advantage of to just tap her on the back and send her to the floor. Naruto looked down, sighed and left. "This is quite a disappointment, your skills are lacking and your temper rules your thoughts. This fight is over, and will not start again till you have proved you have improved. Come Ranma lets show them a simple spar, as I was unable to in that fight." Naruto walked out of the Dojo with Ranma following getting geared up for the spar to come, as the early fight with his pop's never reached the levels of the spars between him and Naruto. The rest were quite shocked to say the least, Kasumi of course recovered first and headed indoors to start on the meal, Nabiki next as she picked up the fact that Naruto was going to be showing his skills just outside, and Akane and Soun were just shocked how easier she was beaten.
The only thing that came close to explain the fight she was watching was magic, yet she could tell nothing they were doing involved that, which meant that what she was watching was pure SKILL, and bloody hell did it blow what her younger sister could do out of the water, off the planet really, was the difference in skill, and this was a simple spar, not a fight, just light training. Nabiki was to say the least shocked at these two boys younger than her could do such things let alone easily. After awhile it became clear that Ranma statement earlier was true and that he was barely able to touch his older brother and only to have each move blocked. It also became clear that Naruto was either holding back a lot more than Ranma or has simply a larger stamina as he was breathing normally and wasn't sweating at all, Ranma on the other hand was starting to breath more deeply and had a light covering of sweat on his forehead and arms.
"FOOD." Kasumi called and interrupted the fight thus limiting Akane and Soun view of it to only a few minutes instead of Nabiki's half a hour. They all dash in to find that Naruto and Ranma helping to bring the last of the food in and setting the table for the meal. Noticing that Genma was awake, Soun quickly join him and started chatting in low tones with him. Cause Ranma was apparently to dry to eat as a glass of water was knocked over him, and changing him into a girl. This caused the Tendo's to freeze for a few seconds before remembering the talk and quickly started eating to save the food from the black hole of Genma.
After all was fed, and satisfied, well not Genma but who cares. The talks on how the engagement was to work was sorted out, Genma wanted Ranma engaged right there to Akane, Akane wanted nothing to do with him, Soun was between agreeing with Genma and fearing Nabiki's wraith, who wanted to wait for the shock of the curse to go away before deciding if he was worth it, Kasumi was agreed that it should wait till they knew each other, and thinking other thoughts one no knew if it was from killing everyone to what the next meal was going to be, so they avoided thinking to much about what Kasumi might be thinking, Ranma was unsure about the whole thing but family honour and all that, and Naruto was enjoying the moment and adding his only thought on the subject that its the ones involved choice not their parents, who quickly tried to discourage this but was quickly backed by Nabiki, thus shutting Soun up.
It eventually was agreed to completely ignore what ever Genma had to say and mostly do the opposite to follow the right track and that Naruto as a seemly uninvolved 3rd party was to be listened to minimum and to follow his advice at least some of the time, plus that the engagement was to be kept to all 3 daughters till they said they didn't want to marry Ranma, or that they did after Ranma had finished school so that it wasn't in the way. After showing the guest room to Ranma and Naruto they quickly fell asleep, till morning.
Waking at dawn as usual, Ranma and Naruto take a moment to glance at the surrounds before remembering the previous day, and then heading to the garden to practice, Naruto being the more mature and social of the 2 warns that they shouldn't make to much noise and to take it as a form of training to see how silent they could be while sparing at different levels. Ranma quickly agrees to the wisdom of this as normal, and quickly starting thinking of ways to minimise the noise, after a few hours of sparing they both settle down on the rocks by the pond to mediate and visit Kyuubi.
"Ah your back again i see, Ranma. Anything specific you want to train in, or just talk." Kyuubi asked them behind the tall metal bars. Naruto glances over to Ranma, but he seems to be messing with his charka again and trying to get it to work how he wants, it seems he still has problems with it after all this time. Heh 9 years and he still playing with it, which is properly why he makes a few techniques now and then.
"Nothing much really," glance round "thou changing the room could be useful for really mediating and experimenting, so how do we do that." Naruto replyies, slightly annoying at the lack of anything but 3 walls, a floor, a celling and the seal of Kyuubi.
"HA, took you long enough to ask about that, it is a bit bare in here, hmm as its your mind we in, you should be able to change it at will, but as your got me as a permarment presence and Ranma over there coming in here every so often, it may take both of us or all 3 to in act a full change of how it looks." Kyuubi lectured. Naruto glance round and then focused on a patch of floor half a meter away. Slowly materializing piece gathered and a chair formed. Laughing Naruto jumped into it and relaxed, before focusing on the floor, slowly a glowing circle of floor changed from stone tunnel to lush carpet, but stop after a few meters. getting up Naruto walked to the edge and tried again to get a much lessen result as only half a meter changed.
"I think i can effect everything but not all at once, so looks like i need your help to start with. Well the seal could really be different as a cell is more of a thing for evil things and you changed a lot, so, hmm mm, how about the seal as a collar or something to give you more free movement." Naruto said to Kyuubi, who started to look a bit more interested now that it involved him and more freedom, and quickly joined Naruto is imaging the seal as a collar not a cell. The metal bars started to twist and turn before twisting round each other and Kyuubi's neck, before settling in to look like a collar with a dark red colouring and a simple word for seal engraved onto a plate at the front. This of course drew the attention of Ranma who, liked the idea of a more face to face teacher instead of a face though steel bars to face one. But before they could continue, they heard Kasumi calling for breakfast.
After a quick breakfast and reminding Genma that the fight for food only lessen his amount not increased it, it turned out Genma had enrolled them both at the nearby school. Both secretly relieved that they didn't need to force him to do so, argued before getting ready and dressed for the day. Both wore a pair of pants that stopped a bit under the knee and was bandaged tight to they legs and slim silk shoes, the tops were only slightly the same as they were both Chinese silk shirts but Ranma's was a blue with a dragon, while Naruto's was a red with a fox. Naruto's bright blond hair was spiking up and had a small ponytail just to the shoulders, while Ranma's hair was a black with a pigtail that also reached his shoulders. Standing like that they could really have been brothers with the same eye colour and all. Nabiki quickly decided that leaving them to Akane to show the way to school was a bad idea as they both looks quite handsome and so got ready a little faster than normal and quickly pull them both outside and started the walk to the school. Only then after a few side glances at them both did she see something wrong with Naruto, one was his seemly thick belt, two was his ears which looked a bit too pointed, and three was his eyes, not the fact that they were blue or anything like that but something seemed odd about them.
"They are slitted, like a fox's, if you wondering." said a voice that startled her out of her musing, and so answered quite intelligently by saying.
"Huh."
"he he, my eyes, you were staring at them and properly trying to find what made them look off, and the answer is they are slitted." Naruto replied and turn his head a bit so his eyes were more clear to a side view, and indeed they were the pupils were almost the whole length of the iris.
"But, how, I mean that's fairly unusual." Nabiki stuttered a bit trying to get round the fact that a persons eyes could look like that.
"Unlike Ranma or Genma, I was in the spring a bit longer and tried to use some of my inner energy to help get out, this did two things, one of which is merging a bit of a fox with my non-cursed side, e.g. the eyes and ears. Two my cursed form is not that of a normal fox, but a more special one, e.g. size and the whole 9-tails bit." Naruto said as if stuff like this happens every day. But before she could question any more they arrived at the school.