Disclaimer: Still don't own it. If I ever do I'll tell you guys, so you can email me and I can send you the DVD of the new series. Kay?

A/N: I'm really glad with the way this was received. I wasn't to sure about the story. The story picks up right after the last chapter. And again I ask all of you guys to be patient with me if I don't know the names of certain places, or seem ignorant about certain event's in Ranma since they haven't aired all the seasons. (And the seasons that have been aired were cut short!) And I haven't been able to get my hands on the manga, normally, and through the internet. Sobs!


Chapter 1

Akane sighed as she quietly made her way down the steps of the dojo the next morning taking the utmost care to be unseen and unheard. There would be a lot of problems if anyone saw her. One way or the other she'd either be stopped, or have a whole load of people tag along, and she didn't want either of that. She had spent most of the night planning this.

She'd wake up at four a.m. dress up, pack some food, and sneak out of the house by five a.m. maximum. She'd already packed all the money and stuff she'd probably need for this trip the night before. She'd run to the train station as fast as she possibly could, taking every single short-cut she knew on the way there, to cut the twenty minute walk in half – if possible quarter. There was a train every fifteen minutes so if she made it time she'd be out of the station and on her way in a manner of ten minutes. By five fifteen a.m. to be exact.

So far everything had been going according to plan if not better. She was already more than half an hour before schedule and she found it to be a blessing. The faster she left the house, the faster she made it to the station. The faster she did that, the faster she'd be on her trip. Now all she had to do was get a few snacks from the kitchen…

She crept towards it but froze next to the doorway when she heard humming. Kasumi had woken up so early? She hadn't been counting on that. Kasumi usually woke up by five thirty.

"Oh good morning Akane. I've packed some lunch, and snacks for you, along with some money you may need for today." Kasumi's voice chirped serenely coming out of the kitchen with a package, while Akane's eyes widened. "And don't worry, no one knows, and I definitely wont tell anyone." She added.

Akane looked up at her wide-eyed. "How did you know?" she asked.

"You forgot to put the frame back in, in the baby room." Kasumi replied.

"So you knew?" Akane asked. If Kasumi knew, how many other's may have gotten suspicious?

Kasumi nodded affirmative. "I was the one who put your box there in the first place on mother's instructions, before she passed away. Now run along, I know for a fact that the others don't know a thing, but you can never be sure."

"Thanks ni-chan!" Akane said gratefully accepting the package.

"Just take care of yourself, and tell me what Genkai-sama says, all right?" Kasumi requested and Akane nodded happily, before hurrying out of the house.

Well I guess it's a good thing Kasumi knows about this. At least I can trust her, and I won't feel guilty about this. Akane thought hurrying to the train station a wide happy smile present on her face.


The train ride had been uneventful for Akane. Actually nothing had happened at all. She'd gotten out of the house by just a little before four thirty a.m. and made it to the train station in ten minutes. And hence taken the four forty-five train, which had been almost completely empty except for a few early morning commuters, who were women, business men, and a group of college boys who were most definitely not perverted.

Actually they seemed really sweet and well mannered, and Akane had a fun time playing with cards with them. In fact, one of the boys who'd introduced himself as Yukinojo Kasahara and was extremely good looking with his angular face, mahogany brown hair and grey eyes, even empathised with her when she'd told him about her fan club in school, saying he'd experienced the same thing. She was even giggling hard along with the other chuckling boys, when he told her about his experience of waking up one evening in a girls room hand-cuffed to her bed surrounded by a mob of girls, and how he had to be rescued from them, by his older sister. And they all laughed out loud, when they heard of the chaos she experienced every day, because of the fiancé business she'd gotten pulled into.

So all in all, the train ride turned out to be fun in all sense. She'd made some good acquaintances. It was definitely a good change from the usual chaos at home, she thought as she walked down the main road that would lead her to her destination. The guard outside the station had shown her the road to take, and she was thankful for that.

The city seemed to be disappearing around her as the road wore on, till she was near the outskirts of a forest. She continued on till she found herself at the base of a huge stone stairway to a shrine situated on a high hill. Pretty flashy! She thought before beginning her long trek up the stairs, not knowing what to expect.


Well whatever Akane had been expecting definitely hadn't been this. She was currently sitting down at a table with a cup of steaming hot tea and lots of snacks served to her by a really beautiful girl with long ice-blue/green hair and red eyes, after her exhausting trek up the stairs. In front of her was a short old lady – not that she hadn't expected it. The lady who'd taught her mother would definitely not be a very young woman. But she couldn't get over the fact that someone who was supposed to be strict had pink hair.

But what Akane definitely hadn't expected was what the woman was telling her. Before Akane could even introduce herself, the woman had thrown her a bundle of clothes, which turned out to be training gi, telling her to put it on, go into the dojo behind and begin rehearsing her basic katas for three hours straight. When Akane had questioned why, and how could she ask someone to do that without even knowing why they had come, all Genkai had said was she'd explain later. But Akane being as stubborn as she was refused till Genkai explained, and Genkai conceded.

"You know you're really like your mother. The stupid girl would always ask too many unnecessary questions first and then train. If I didn't know better I'd be wondering whether Asuka Mizuki had re-incarnated herself to train with me. You look exactly like her you know." Genkai grumbled giving the girl a small glare.

"Anyway, as to how I could ask you to change into that gi, and begin doing all your basic katas for three hours is because – as you must've guessed by now – I know who you are, and why you've come here. Although it's concealed by the Spirit Shackles, the Shackles haven't been put on expertly. So although your ki will stay concealed to others, a person with strong Spirit awareness will catch you. And me being a Spirit Master who's trained your mother – who might I add, was the most difficult student I've ever had to train, along with being the most ungraceful and stubborn one – it's basically as easy to recognise you, as it is to blink." The woman explained sternly, though Akane couldn't miss the flash of softness in the old woman's expression whenever her mother was mentioned.

"Secondly why I've asked you to go through your basic katas is because I need to assess your raw strength, raw skill, stamina, and other things, before I can start training you in the martial arts as well." She said glaring at Akane.

Then she added, "If you're anything like your mother – and I'm sure you are – you probably want me to train you in martial arts along with helping you learn to control your ki. Actually the first basic step for someone like you to learn how to control their reiki is by learning some form of stress relief, like music, sports, etc. And once again since I'm sure you're like your mother, your form of stress relief is martial arts, just like hers was."

Akane nodded. The woman had pinpointed who she was, both the reasons whys she came here, and already decided how to go about it, even before entering the room. Akane just felt her curiosity increase tenfold.

"You keep telling me that you feel that I'm a lot like my mother. Could you tell me about her? If you don't mind that is." Akane said while Genkai sighed lines of frustration appearing on her face.

She's turning out to be a replica of Asuka with every passing second. And if that's the case then Kami better help me. Another Asuka Mizuki in the world! What was Kami thinking? Apocalypse? Genkai thought looking at Akane and sighing. Well I better tell her otherwise she won't train properly.

"Your mother was a huge pain! The moron always bothered me to no end and back!" Genkai started while lighting a cigarette knowing this would probably be a long story and thinking of how short she could cut it.

"I first met the baka when she was fifteen, and her father brought her to me to be trained. I'm friends with him – rather I was friends with him before he passed away. She wanted to learn martial arts, and learn to control her ki. So we started straight away, just like I was hoping to do with you. We trained for five years together, and she added twenty years to me during that time if you must know."

"Two years into our training she was picked up by the Prince of Rekkai to be a Spirit Detective – which the idiot agreed happily to. It was so annoying that in between practice she'd get called to chase down some random powerful demon that got through the barrier between the Demon and Human worlds, and was wreaking havoc. Or some demon who was stupid enough to steal some important artefact from Rekkai. I believe she met that father of yours in between our training, when we were on a trip; and off she went, falling in love and marrying him…" Genkai grumbled trailing of with something like 'just like the idiot'.

"Anyway after she got married she was pregnant with your oldest sister. I believe there are three of you? Kasumi, Nabiki, and you?"

Akane nodded and Genkai continued.

"Yeah like I said, she was pregnant with Kasumi, so training was further put on hold. Then after recovering from Kasumi's birth she fell ill and she had to take care of Kasumi. So training was put off by another year. After she recovered your father knocked her up again with Nabiki. A year later and you came along. And she had to take care of you. I'd kill her if she thought otherwise – not that she ever would. She was absolutely besotted with the three of you girls." The old woman grumbled and Akane was pinching herself hard in order to stop herself from smiling.

"But then came the thing I feared the most. Just like the others in her family, Asuka's ki began to increase out of proportion. And she was so busy with her family that the moron didn't take a single fifteen minutes a week out for herself so that she could do all those control techniques I taught her like she was supposed to. Of course because she hadn't, she didn't realise what was happening until it was too late." Genkai said.

"Too late? I don't understand." Akane said.

"Reiki is the energy contained by the spirit. Although it is hard to believe in scientific terms it is present, and it is energy. And by Spirit Physics – yes there is a subject called Spirit Physics, so don't look at me like I'm crazy since I spent most of my life in this field – all built up reiki has to be converted into work. Hence when there is a presence of large reiki in the body it has to be let out and used in some way or another. If there is no way for it to be used then the body – to maintain the perfect balance of reiki – begins to absorb it and convert it into anything else, or build up it's own physical, and chemical energy to create an equilibrium. Well prolonged exposure to this condition causes continuous unexplainable cell division, and hence premature aging of the vital organs. And eventually the person dies. That's why no doctor could cure your mother when she 'fell ill'." Genkai said.

Then she gruffly added, "To think, Asuka Mizuki, one of the greatest martial artists, spirit masters, and spirit detectives of all times died all because she was negligent and too unselfish to take fifteen minutes off a week for herself. If she'd done that, then she'd be sitting here right next to you today, getting a few good well deserved smacks on the head from me."

Akane just sat there staring at her tea. Not saying a word. Just absorbing what Genkai had told her. Especially her last two sentences.

"To think, Asuka Mizuki, one of the greatest martial artists, spirit masters, and spirit detectives of all times died all because she was negligent and too unselfish to take fifteen minutes off a week for herself. If she'd done that, then she'd be sitting here right next to you today, getting a few good well deserved smacks on the head from me."

Akane sighed softly, trying to hold back tears coming to her eyes, and Genkai seeing this sighed. I'm sure I'm going soft. The old woman thought. Though she'd never say it out loud, Asuka Mizuki was her favourite student. She was like family, and not one day went by that the old Spirit Master didn't miss her or think of her, so she understood what the girl was going through. However now was no time to be emotional. Asuka's ki has just started it's sudden up-burst when she'd first met her. Akane's had started a year or two after she was born. They had already lost a lot of precious time. Besides Genkai didn't want to have to deal with an annoyed Asuka Mizuki-Tendo when she died and went to Rekkai.

Clearing her mind of all thoughts besides training the young doppelganger of Asuka in front of her she said, "And the same thing will happen to you if you don't get your act together, put that gi on, get into the dojo, and start rehearsing your katas! If you don't, or don't do it properly, I'll make you do one armed handstand push-ups for five hours and not let you eat, drink, or go home till you've done that."

Well maybe she yelled it instead of saying it. But this is Genkai, so it's understood. After all she's notorious for her tough love, and Akane had her first instance of it when Genkai smacked her hard upside the head after the command.

"Yes madam!" Akane said saluting instinctively before scrambling into the next room hurrying to obey her new strict sensei. Genkai didn't seem like a person to be crossed, and Akane didn't want to try disobeying her. When the blue haired girl was in the next room Genkai couldn't stop the amused smirk from forming on her lips.

She's just like Asuka! Looks, attitude, personality. I wonder if she even swims and cooks as bad as the baka used to before I taught her? I must ask her! This is going to be fun. Genkai thought thoroughly amused.


Meanwhile the silent timid Yukina who was watching the entire scene playing out in front of her, sighed simply, before walking to the healing room and getting it ready. She was sure after Genkai's initiation training this girl – Akane Tendo, would be coming here. After all she'd seen what Yusuke, and the others went through. She silently wondered if by meeting Genkai and becoming her student, whether the poor girl had any idea what she'd gotten herself into.

When after five hours of straight training, and missing lunch, Yukina heard Akane's groans of pain, and frustrated curses, Yukina knew that Akane had finally realised what she was dealing with.

The poor girl! Yukina thought sagely sighing, More than surviving the effects of her growing ki, I wonder whether she can survive Genkai? Hell sessions have just begun for her.


A/N: So how was it? I hope you guys like it.