I just freaking love Ryoga, is all.

Also, warning time!

This fic is based in the early 20th century when the practice of Picture Brides was frequent. It's based in a place where there was clear discrimination and slurs towards the Japanese, Chinese, and Filipinos that went to Hawaii. For a clearer picture, this is around the mid-1920s, before the Great Depression and after World War I.

I would try to give more context history wise, but the only really relevant history is what happened in Asia, which is not something most people outside Asia are familiar with. It would be irrelevant to add if no one gets it. I added the bare minimum, but the years line up. There is a timeline provided below (which I can't show before the chapter, because it'll spoil everything), in case you need further clarification.

"Thank you so much, Ryoga," she whispered, voice shaking. "If we save my mom...I..."

Ryoga's expression softened as Ranma's shoulders began to shake. Ignoring whatever voice in his head kept reminding him that he was really hugging a guy, Ryoga sat down and drew the petite woman into his lap, holding her closely. He looked straight ahead, out the window, pretending to look at the moon and pretending he couldn't feel her tears soaking his shirt.

"I-I'm only crying 'cause I'm a girl now!" she muttered, hiccupping. "D-Don't think I go around crying like some s-sissy all the time!"

"I know, Ranma," Ryoga patted her back comfortingly, "I know."

Ryoga's eyes fluttered open as the birds' chirping grew louder outside. With a yawn, he stretched his arms above his head, frowning at the mosquitoes attached to the net around the bed. Sighing, he looked down; laying on his chest was his new friend, Ranma. Despite knowing that, should anyone catch them, Ranma's honor could be called into question, Ranma had decided she would be more comfortable sharing a bed with Ryoga as a girl. One arm curled under her as the other rested gently on Ryoga's chest and one leg was thrown over his waist, hooked around his hips. All around, it was a pretty disgraceful picture, compounded by the fact that Ranma preferred to sleep in a tank top and boy shorts.

Not that Ryoga had helped, by wearing only his pants to bed. A rosy flush covered the man's cheeks as he tried to delicately remove himself from her grasp, but Ranma held fast the second she felt Ryoga moving. Evidently, Ryoga decided, the only way out of this was to wake her up. It was just as well; it wouldn't do to be late on the first day of work.

"Ranma," Ryoga said, poking her forehead, "Wake up."

"Five more minutes…" she muttered.

Ryoga rolled his eyes. "Kuno is here to pick you up."

Immediately awake, the redhead shot up and looked around frantically. "No! I'm not here!"

"Well, now that you're up, let's get ready, yeah?"

Ranma pouted, glaring at a grinning Ryoga. "That was dirty."

"Whatever. Go change into a boy and into some work clothes. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"You know, you're taking this really well," Ranma observed.

Ryoga shrugged, pulling aside the net. "You could have been a really good cross-dresser. At least you're actually a girl half the time."

After a quick breakfast of leftovers and a quick splash of boiling water, Ranma dressed into his red Chinese shirt with buttons going down the front, black pants, and black shoes. Ryoga put on his yellow shirt and shoes as well, and gave some spare rope to Ranma so the other boy could tie the ropes around his lower legs. As they walked, an awkward silence filled the air and festered.

Finally, Ranma broke. "I…uh…This is lame."

"Yeah, it is." Ryoga agreed. "It was…strangely easier to talk to you when you were a girl."

"Well, as a boy, you don't have to hold back when we spar. I bet you wouldn't have taken me seriously as a girl until I kicked your butt."

Ryoga snorted. "You wouldn't have kicked my butt, idiot. I definitely would've won."

"I could beat you as a girl, loser!"

"You couldn't beat a paper bag, dumbass!"

"You just wait!"

They glared at each other for a moment…then burst out laughing. With twin grins, they turned away and walked towards the fields, the awkward and stilting air gone. Ryoga shook his head; so, he was attracted to Ranma's girl half and he wanted to protect and care for her. But, when it came to Ranma's boy half, he could definitely stop being so careful and could be competitive. While thoroughly confused—how was he supposed to act when girl Ranma came back?—Ryoga figured it was nice to have someone who he could relate to.

Just as he expected, though, Ryoga was definitely not attracted to Ranma's boy half. After their awkward morning, all Ryoga felt towards the dark-haired form was a sort of brotherly kinship—someone who, even without talking and even without having had the life Ryoga had, could understand. Ranma knew what it meant to be a martial artist; Ranma knew that life wasn't always easy and didn't look forward to a pampered life; Ranma seemed like the sort of person who went out of his way to help his friends.

And that's all Ryoga and male Ranma could be. Friends. But, Ryoga sighed dejectedly, Ryoga wanted to be more than friends with Ranma's girl half. Ryoga knew that both Ranma were the exact same person. The things he found attractive about Ranma as a person were the same things Ryoga should find attractive when Ranma was a boy—Ranma did not change, after all. But, perhaps because he was shallow or perhaps because Ryoga could not overcome his sexual preferences, Ranma as a man simply was not attractive.

If Ryoga wanted a future with girl Ranma, did that mean accepting a future with boy Ranma? Would Ranma be his girlfriend half the time and his best friend the other half? Was that even fair to Ranma? Ryoga shook his head minutely; he'd already told Ranma the night before that this was a conversation they needed to have later. Thinking about it now would only make things awkward again.

They arrived at the field, where Ranma met the overseer, a Portuguese man with a clear distaste for all the workers.

"Here, Jap," the man sneered, "Wear this number all the time. When your turn to get paid, we call this number." The overseer looked at the paper, after writing Ranma's name. "Says here you supposed to be woman."

Ranma looked at Ryoga, who translated for the overseer.

"Oh," Ranma replied, "I guess it just comes natural for you to make stupid mistakes, what with you being an idiot."

Ryoga rolled his eyes, turning to the overseer and speaking in English. "Is mistake. Ranma sound like girl name, but is boy name in Japan."

The overseer grunted and stared at Ranma suspiciously; eventually, he gave up and pulled his hat back on, turning away from Ranma and Ryoga. Ranma wasted no time making a rude gesture at the man's back. Despite himself, Ryoga snickered and pulled Ranma's hands back down when the overseer turned back towards them.

"Idiot, don't get yourself in trouble with him. At the end of the day, he's the one delivering our money," Ryoga scolded, though there was a smile on his face.

"Fine, fine," Ranma nodded, then grabbed his dog tag and turned it over. "Huh. 9028 is my number."

"Mine is 5206. Payday is every Friday. We all gather here and they call our numbers. We come forward and they hand us an envelope with our money in it. On the outside of the envelope, they write down how many hours we worked and how much money we got for it."

"You've been here a while, huh?" Ranma asked, wide blue eyes blinking at Ryoga.

Ryoga frowned. "I was orphaned. My dad was looking for work and ended up in China…in Tsingtao. When we got news of the German occupation, when we found out my dad had been caught in the cross fire, my mom just lost it. She sort of went insane and…killed herself. I had no other family. I decided the only thing I could do then was to come take a contract here. I thought I could make enough money and go home. I realized pretty soon that wasn't going to happen."

The man bit his lip, looking away. He hated revealing something so shameful about his family, but he reasoned that he ought to. Ranma didn't have to tell Ryoga the truth about Ranma's gender, but the other boy had chosen to. The least Ryoga could do was be a little honest himself. It didn't mean Ryoga had to see the pity in Ranma's eyes.

Ryoga glanced up in surprise as Ranma grabbed the front of Ryoga's shirt and dragged him off into the tall grass. To anyone else, it looked like Ranma was getting ready to beat Ryoga up. With a frown, Ryoga followed the other boy until they reached a small river. Getting on his knees, Ranma scooped some water into his hands and splashed himself with it until he was a she again. Then, without warning, Ranma stood, whirled around, and hugged Ryoga as tightly as she could.

"I thought this would be awkward if I was a guy," she explained.

Numbly, Ryoga nodded and hugged her back, burying his nose in her hair.

Ranma clutched at his clothes, frowning. Since she'd become a boy again, she'd been disturbed. Even though she was a boy, she had felt a draw to Ryoga. There was a sense of friendliness that just wasn't possible when she was a girl, but Ranma still felt…attracted to Ryoga. And so, even though he should've only patted him on the shoulder and said he was sorry, Ranma decided to listen to her instincts and hug Ryoga. Of course, Ranma could tell that the attraction when he was a boy was completely one-sided. In what was probably a cosmic joke, Ranma's girl half was Ryoga's possible girlfriend and her boy half was Ryoga's possible brother. It didn't sit well with Ranma because, unfortunately, Ranma's boy half was apparently hoping he and Ryoga could also be friends…of a different sort.

Face buried in Ryoga's collar, Ranma sighed gently, mind whirling. True, she spent three years with her engagement to Akane and had genuinely liked the girl—but never in a romantic fashion. Whenever it came time to kiss her or to profess some feeling, Ranma simply couldn't do it. She'd accidentally seen the girl naked more times than any man could dream for, but was never turned on. If anything, she was always scared for her life. Even as a he, as a person who ought to be attracted to that sort of thing, Ranma never saw what the other boys were so desperate to get a peek at. Akane was more a sister, in the end. It never occurred to Ranma that the lack of attraction might mean a different preference in sexes.

Ranma sighed again, her lips brushing against Ryoga's clavicle. It took years, but Ranma did accept the girl half. In fact, until it was time to become a picture bride, Ranma had begun to enjoy the girl half. It had its difficulties—disgusting men staring at her, trying to grab her, and then there was Happosai—but people didn't automatically think badly of her and call her a pervert when she found herself in a precarious situation; Ranma could vary her outfits, unlike her male form, and wear outfits that made her feel…confident; she could still fight just as well as her male half, and she was twice as fast; and her mother…

Nodoka had loved Ranma's curse. Genma taught Ranma all about what it meant to be a man by day and, by night, Nodoka taught Ranma how to be a woman. The poor woman had to break through 14 years worth of male chauvinistic arrogance, but Nodoka succeeded. And it began with Wing Tsun. Nodoka insisted Genma take Ranma to meet Grandmaster Ip Man to learn the style; after being beaten brutally by the Master, Ranma listened to Ip Man tell the story of Yim Wing-tsun. To Ranma, it was astounding to hear of a style so efficient being created by a woman. Ranma, to date, was Ip Man's fastest learning student—at age 15, it took Ranma one year to master Wing Tsun. Quickly, she incorporated much of the style into her own varied fighting. In that year, Ranma quickly learned that being a woman did not mean being weak. A few weeks later, she met Akane.

That lesson was hard to remember.

Never had she met someone who was so kind and yet so hard-headed. Akane sincerely was a good person, but she was too judgmental and quick to blame. She never listened to Ranma when the redhead tried to defend herself and Akane never talked first—her fists did all the talking. As strong as Akane tried to be, Ranma could see that all her insecurities had formed a sort of shell around the short-haired girl. Regretfully, Ranma didn't do a thing to alleviate those insecurities. If anything, Ranma probably only added to them. It wasn't until her last year at the Tendo home that Ranma realized just how fragile Akane really was. Beneath all that bluster was a girl who was terrified of being too manly to be loved, but who felt deep pride and love toward her father's dojo and was unwilling to relinquish what was to be her inheritance. Kasumi and Nabiki could never be martial artists—though Kasumi had the relaxed aura and Nabiki had the potential. No, Akane decided that she would inherit the dojo, teach at the dojo, and live at the dojo. In the end, it wasn't just Ranma being a better wife that kept Akane from marrying Ranma.

It was the fact that marrying Ranma meant living under the Saotome name instead of the Tendo name.

Ranma kept in touch with Ip Man. In his letters, she could remember the wistful way he would talk about Gong Er, the one woman Ip Man really loved. Gong Er took vows to never marry, never teach, never have children; somehow, Akane reminded Ranma of Gong Er and the redhead sincerely hoped that Akane would never lead the same, lonely path. Unfortunately, it took two and a half years for Ranma to see the whole picture, but those years were valuable nonetheless. Ranma had learned to be a proper woman and a proper man; she learned the difficult lives women lead as people who are considered subordinate; she learned that she and Akane had more in common than she realized; she learned her parents loved her, no matter what gender she preferred; and she spent time with her mother in a way being a boy had never allowed.

However, Ranma never considered that her boy half would be attracted to men. Then again, Ranma never considered that she'd enjoy being a woman half the time—that she'd spend most of her time as a woman. She never considered that cooking would be fun, that making her own dress would be satisfying, that being able to beat someone as a woman would be so exhilarating. Did that mean she liked being a woman? Did that mean she was willing to make a transition and be a permanent woman?

Ryoga was right, Ranma realized. There was still so much about the curse that Ranma didn't understand. She'd heard of others who'd been cursed—like some poor fool who'd fallen into the Cursed Spring of the Drowned Duck—and who didn't suddenly feel like their other forms were melding into their regular forms' lives. Drowned Duck guy didn't start quacking or liking girl ducks, as far as Ranma had heard. So, it didn't seem likely that Ranma started liking boys because half of her likes boys. If anything, it seemed more likely that she was willing to embrace liking boys as a girl because liking boys as a boy never occurred to Ranma. And right now, it was all too much to think about.

"Are you okay?" Ryoga suddenly asked. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Just thinking," Ranma whispered.

"Oh," Ryoga replied quietly. His head moved the barest of inches, moving his nose away from Ranma's hair so he could look down into upturned, aquamarine eyes. "What about?"

Ranma's arms moved, one wrapped around Ryoga's shoulder and the other slid down to his chest as her body pivoted slightly and her head shifted up. "Lots of things; mom, me, you."

Ryoga tilted his head, looking directly into her eyes, their noses touching. His green eyes slid down to her lips, then back up. Without realizing it, he found one of his hands grasping Ranma's hips tightly, the other wrapped around her small waist. If she weren't a martial artist, she might've been in pain, considering his grip. Ryoga bit his lip, his fang threatening to cut into it; eventually, the man sighed, wrapped both arms around Ranma's waist and hugged her close. After a few seconds, he let her go and put his hands on her shoulders. "…We should get to work."

Ranma pouted, a deep blush across her cheeks, and Ryoga grinned in amusement.

"Tease," she finally replied, voice low and meek.

Ryoga chuckled good-naturedly and turned away, walking toward the foliage.

"H-Hey, Ryoga?"

The man in question turned, surprised to see Ranma's uncomfortable expression. "Yes?"

"…There's a lot going on in my head right now. I thought I had everything figured out, but I don't. I'm sort of lost right now. I mean, I usually always find my own way and I know I can do it, but..."

"Ranma," Ryoga said seriously, beside her once more with a hand cupping her cheek, "I'm sure you always find your way. But, if you ever get lost, even a little, I'll always find you."

Ranma nodded, a soft expression on her face. "Thank you."

Ryoga smiled, putting some well-needed distance between them. "C'mon, you big sap, let's go find some hot water."

He walked back into the grass; Ranma stood there for a few seconds, staring at his back curiously. She held up her hand and looked at it carefully—turning it around and looking at her hand from all angles—then delicately touched her fingers to her lips. Without warning, she slapped herself hard, shook her head, and ran off after Ryoga. "Who are you calling a sap!? You're the one spouting off love lines from a bad romance movie!"

She reached him quickly and walked beside him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Was that…?" she whispered.

Ryoga nodded. "Yeah, he was there."

Kuno stood paralyzed behind the tree, watching between the branches as his beloved pigtailed goddess was defiled in front of him. Imagine! Finding his supposedly pure wife in the arms of another man! Just as the throes of heartache and betrayal threatened to overcome him, Kuno snapped out of his depression long enough to realize his poor maiden was being duped.

The girl came from a rich-gone-poor family; she was obviously sheltered and did not know any better. After being sucker-punched off the chariot—likely by that scoundrel who held his wife—the poor pigtailed girl probably thought Kuno was dead. That man most probably lied to his pigtailed goddess and claimed that, with Kuno dead, she was his. What was his name again…? Hibiki, Kuno thought, scowling. That bastard Hibiki tried to kill Kuno and was now moving in on his poor, innocent wife! Kuno had to do something. But, Kuno had seen Hibiki work before; unlike the other men, Hibiki was trained by the old Chinese woman. The woman didn't have many pupils, other than her great granddaughter, but those she did choose to teach were those with great power and potential. Of course, Kuno was already so far advanced that he didn't need teaching from the old hag, but she had taught Hibiki some pretty frightening moves…like the Bakusai Tenketsu. Kuno shuddered.

No, there was a smarter way to get around this treachery. It was unfortunate that Kuno had not been there to hear the whole conversation, but he'd heard enough.

Always find her, you say? Kuno thought, a smirk on his face, We'll just see about that.

Swiftly, the bokken wielder ran to the other side of the field, where the women worked. At the top of the hill, the old Chinese woman Cologne stood, viciously beating the overseer with her staff for making a pass at one of the girls. He waited patiently as she dealt the appropriate punishment.

Thirty minutes later, she finally acknowledged him.

"Ah, Kuno, what brings you here?" she asked, in fluent Japanese.

"I need a favor. I am willing to pay you whatever you want."

"Really? We don't make much here, Kuno," Cologne pointed out, "What's so special that you're willing to offer me so much?"

"My new wife!" Kuno exclaimed, whipping out the picture of the pigtailed girl. Cologne raised a brow as she looked at the picture.

"She's lovely. What about her?"

"She's been deceived by that Hibiki fellow! When my back was turned, that monster threw me off the carriage and stole away into the night with my fragile goddess. I saw him holding her earlier, the scoundrel, whispering sweet nothings and assuring her I was dead! He wants to steal her, you see. However, I recognize that your training has made it so that I may be injured in a fight with him; I can't let my wife worry over my safety any more than she already has."

"I see," Cologne bounced onto her staff and off the field, toward a small cottage. "Follow me and we'll discuss what we can do about this."

Inside the small hut, Cologne prepared some tea and sat upon her staff again, motioning for Kuno to continue.

"Earlier, I heard him say that he will always find her. I wanted to know if there was a way to ensure that would never happen."

"Hmm…Ryoga was one of my better students. A bit too mopey; he could have excelled if he let go of all that anger and sadness. I refuse to kill him. However, though I doubt it was him who punted you off the carriage…" In fact, the old Amazon had heard rumors already that a certain redheaded woman had been the culprit, "it is disgraceful to pursue another man's wife—dead or alive—without giving her a proper mourning period. He must be punished."

Cologne hopped over to one of her cabinets, took out a bottle filled with purple dust, and poured some of the dust into a cup filled with tea. "He wishes to find her whenever she is lost? Then we will make sure that he never finds anything. Bring him here; tell him I wish to speak to him. Once he drinks this tea, his sense of direction will be cursed."

Cologne's aura darkened and spread, the hairs on Kuno's neck standing involuntarily.

"He'll never be able to find his own way, much less your wife."

"And this curse," Kuno pursued, clearing his throat, "It can't be broken?"

"Oh, it can. All curses can, if the cursed one is willing to look hard enough for it. But I doubt Ryoga will ever find the cure."

"Why is that?"

Cologne rolled her eyes. "He won't be able to find anything."

"Oh!" Kuno's eyes widened. "I see. Well, I'll be back with the foul Hibiki."

With that, Kuno rushed out of the hut, seeking Ryoga. Once the man left, Cologne reached into the cabinet again, drawing out a bottle with blue powder, and she swiftly mixed a pinch of it into the cursed tea. Her hand waved above it, her ki mixing the drink, as she gazed into the muddled water.

"Not that Ryoga was ever any good at finding his own way," Cologne mused.

"Great grandmother?" a girl with long, blue hair, dressed in Chinese silk, stepped out of the shadows, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Why you help pervert man?"

"Ryoga had so much potential, Shampoo, to be your husband. But he was too bitter and angry; that was something you could never help him get rid of," Cologne sighed. "It seems this new woman…"

Cologne turned the photo over, reading the name.

"This Saotome Ranma, is able to bring Ryoga to the point of breaking Amazon law, even though he knows it well. When he agreed to be trained by me, he agreed to follow our rules."

Shampoo nodded. "Is forbidden to take living spouse if dead spouse not gone for one year. Is too, too disgraceful."

"And yet, he took this woman home with him. I don't believe that anything happened—if anything, Ryoga merely offered her a place to stay for the night. However, if he really did embrace her like Kuno says…"

"He break law," Shampoo finished.

"Yes. However, he shouldn't be punished too severely. From the sounds of it, this Ranma is not too pleased with her husband. I hear she was the one who threw Kuno off the carriage last night."

Shampoo tilted her head. "Wife throw pervert man?"

Cologne chuckled. "We will see soon enough what this Ranma is made of. In the meantime, let's see if she can help Ryoga overcome his impending curse."

"What cure curse, great grandmother?"

Cologne smiled. "It's so pathetically simple, dear great granddaughter. He merely has to find his way home. If he thinks about going home, if he finds his way home, the curse will be broken. It's that easy."

"Is not so easy," Shampoo smiled slyly. "Home not house idiot boy make; home not Japan or idiot boy's parents; home is happiness. Home is person who is other half of self."

Cologne nodded. "I have taught you well, great granddaughter. Now do me a favor and find me this Ranma. Challenge her to a fight. I want to see what this little chit can do."

Shampoo nodded. She bent down low, on the balls of her feet, then pushed herself up into a graceful arc, back-flipping out the window with a cat-like fluidity. Cologne looked on proudly, then turned to the door. A moment later, she heard a timid knock along with Ryoga's voice. She put the bottles away, assembled the tea, and opened the door.

"Come in, Ryoga. We have much to discuss."

Ranma breathed out in relief as the day had finally come to a close. Working on those darn fields, plowing and hacking and pulling…it was definitely some hard work. But it would keep him in shape for when he couldn't practice martial arts, Ranma realized. And his stamina and endurance had been worked harder than this before. If Ranma was only slightly winded, Ryoga must not have broken a sweat. Ranma stood up straight as realization hit him.

He hadn't seen Ryoga all day.

He'd seen Kuno—luckily, despite practically being twins, Kuno had been too stupid to make the association between Ranma and the pigtailed "goddess," and spent the whole day searching for her. Regardless, Ranma had run back to Ryoga's to get the water bottle his mother gave him, just in case. It was, thankfully, not needed. However, ever since Ryoga had been called away to that hut at the top of the hill, Ranma hadn't seen him. With a frown, Ranma quickly put his supplies away and ran to the cottage, hoping to find answers. Swiftly, but politely, he knocked on the door and wisely held in his scream of terror when an old ghoul opened the door.

"What can I do for you?" the old woman asked, staring a little too intently at Ranma's face.

"I…Well, my friend Ryoga came here earlier and I haven't seen him since. He's letting me stay at his place, so I don't want to go back without him."

"…You are Saotome Ranma?" the hag asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Ranma's gaping mouth and frozen composure was all the assurance she needed.

"How did you manage this, if you are a man?" she asked, holding Kuno's picture up.

Surprised, Ranma made to grab it, only for the old woman to deftly move it out of his reach. No matter how many times he made to grab it, the old woman kept avoiding him.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Just what are you?! What have you done with Ryoga? Why do you have that picture and how do you know who I am?!"

With a scarily gleeful expression on her face, the old woman opened the door wider and motioned for Ranma to step in. "Let's discuss this over tea."

Reluctantly, Ranma walked in and sat at the small table. "I'm not stupid enough to drink whatever you're serving."

"Wise boy," Cologne complimented. "I wish I could say the same about Ryoga."

"What did you do to him?" Ranma growled, punching the table and demolishing it.

The woman leaped up, standing on her staff, and glanced down carelessly at her table. "You'll pay for that."

"Later. Tell me what I want to know!"

"Of course…once you do two things for me."

"I don't have to do shit for you!"

That scary expression was back. "Oh, yes you do, child. Unless you never want to find Ryoga again."

Wincing, Ranma realized he'd lost. "Fine. What do I have to do?"

"First, reveal to me how you fooled Kuno into thinking you were a woman." Though she'd interrogated Ryoga thoroughly, the man's sense of honor kept him from revealing all of Ranma's secrets. The only thing he divulged were the details of their little rendezvous that Kuno had seen. Anything before that, Ryoga refused to talk about. It made Cologne proud, but it also made her regret giving him a pinch of the cure powder in his tea.

With a frown, Ranma picked up the bucket by the door, felt the water, and splashed himself. Cologne's eyes widened in understanding as the redhead in the picture stood before her.

"You have been cursed at Jusenkyou. How?"

"My idiot father trained me there."

"What a coincidence. I trained my great granddaughter there."

"You must be an idiot, too."

"No," Cologne smiled, the expression somehow more unsettling, "She needed to be punished for being weak enough to lose to Ryoga."

"Ryoga's not a weakling!" Ranma growled.

"My, you're defensive."

"Whatever. What is this second thing you want?"

"…Why do you not seek a cure?"

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Talk about a non sequitur. I don't need a cure. I'm still Ranma. And I need to focus on helping my mom now before focusing on a cure, if there is one."

"There is," Cologne shrugged, "But I can already see you are not interested. Helping your mother, you said?"

"She's sick. I need money. Got fooled into marrying Kuno."

"And in your displeasure, wherein I assume Ryoga was the one to tell you the truth, you punted Kuno off the carriage and went back home with Ryoga, spending the night there."

"Yes."

"Does he know about your curse?"

"Yes."

"My, you two seem to know quite a bit about each other already."

"What the hell else do you want?" Ranma growled, getting more and more impatient.

"Shampoo," Cologne called, and the girl deftly slipped into the house.

"Shampoo?" Ranma looked at the girl, "Her? What about her?"

"Fight her," Cologne replied simply. "And show me your worth."

Ranma was about to argue, but the stone faced determination she saw in both their countenances told her it was pointless. If she wanted more information on Ryoga's whereabouts, she would have to do as they pleased. With a grin, she cracked her knuckles and neck, rotating her shoulder to ease the tension of a full day's work.

"Fine, bring it."

The girls walked outside and immediately began circling each other. Cologne followed stoically, throwing chui at Shampoo who caught them with ease. Great, Ranma frowned, she's got weapons. They continued to stalk around each other, prowling around in tandem. A stalk of sugar cane fell to the ground and both fighters advanced at blinding speeds. Shampoo swung one her chui above her head, aiming to crush Ranma with it, while the other swung in on the side. Ranma blocked both weapons with ease—one hand blocking each weapon—and kicked the other girl in the sternum. The soft looking kick sent Shampoo flying meters, until the girl landed in a tumble and finally regained her footing. Momentarily dazed, Shampoo recovered barely in time to block a swinging punch, but didn't see Ranma's legs coming up. One kick managed to break one of the chui, while the other made contact with her chin, sending the blue-haired girl flying. Shampoo recovered midair with a scowl, spun a few times and landed gracefully into a crouch, eying her opponent more carefully. Shampoo winced as the girl walked over to Shampoo's other discarded chui and, with a swift downward kick, broke that one, too.

The girl was more skilled than Shampoo gave her credit for. Shampoo shifted stances, determined to get serious. Infuriatingly enough, the girl shifted into a stance Shampoo couldn't recognize. It looked like the bastard child of the 64 hands, Wing Tsun, and Baguazhang.

Ranma frowned as she stared at Shampoo's one-legged, crane-like stance. Shampoo was good, but no match for her. Unlike Shampoo, Ranma was fighting for a good reason. I'm not here to test out new meat, Ranma scowled. I'm here to get Ryoga back! Letting out a battle cry, Ranma rushed towards Shampoo and made to strike, only to feint right as Shampoo tried to parry. Realizing that her body was angled in a way that couldn't defend a strike from the side, Shampoo attempted to brace herself. In retaliation, Ranma's leg rose all the way beside Ranma's head, and swung back down in a devastating arc as the back of her right fist swung outward, aiming for just below Shampoo's underarms. Shampoo immediately blacked out and fell to the ground. Ranma leaped away a small distance, ran back to the blue-haired Amazon, picked her up carefully, and carried her back to where the old ghoul was watching.

Ranma huffed, her forehead covered in sweat. "I win. Where's Ryoga?"

Cologne motioned for the redhead to place Shampoo down; Ranma complied, walking into the hut and placing the girl on a futon. As she did, Shampoo groaned and her eyes fluttered open.

"Ran…ma?" she muttered.

"Sorry I hit you so hard, Shampoo," Ranma replied.

Shampoo smiled weakly. "Is okay. Shampoo is warrior. Sometimes warrior take hard hits."

Ranma smiled back. "You're definitely a true warrior, Shampoo."

"In Amazon culture, when outsider woman defeat Shampoo, Shampoo give you kiss of death. It mean Shampoo hunt you down, forever, and try to kill you."

Ranma blanched.

"But, Shampoo no have friends here," the girl continued softly, "All other girls scared of Shampoo. They think Amazon not real Chinese. They say real Chinese work in field, not fight off gangster. They still mad Amazons no fight Germans when Tsingtao fall. They only want Shampoo around when they in danger. Only want great grandmother around when overseer is pervert. Shampoo no want more enemies. Is too, too sad. Shampoo want friend. Will Ranma be Shampoo friend?"

Ranma's heart ached as she stared into deep purple eyes. Shakily, Ranma smiled at Shampoo and held up her hand. Confused at first by the unfamiliar gesture, Shampoo raised her hand at Ranma's encouragement, and they clasped hands firmly.

"Let's be best friends, Shampoo, whether I'm a boy or a girl."

Shampoo tilted her head, confused once again. "Boy or girl? That no matter. Ranma is Ranma, yes? Shampoo is friend with Ranma, not Ranma private places."

Ranma stared at Shampoo for a long while, then laughed like she'd never laughed before. Briefly, she explained to Shampoo that she was laughing because she was so happy—she'd never heard anyone make so much sense while making so little, after all—and Shampoo merely smiled back, content to have a new best friend.

"Ranma?" Shampoo ventured, sitting up carefully.

Wiping away a few tears, Ranma finally sobered enough to respond. "Yeah?"

"Pervert man come here. Ranma husband asked great grandmother to curse idiot boy. Now, idiot boy no have direction. Can never find home."

"What?" Ranma gasped.

"It's true," Cologne stated, standing in the threshold. "He is cursed."

"Why? He didn't do anything wrong!" Ranma frowned, turning toward Cologne.

"He agreed to live by Amazon rules when he trained under me. To pursue another man's woman—whether or not said woman actually is a woman—is to break the law. Even if Kuno had died in that hit, Amazon law states the surviving spouse must mourn for a year and must not be disturbed. Ryoga would have broken that rule as well."

"Why you—!" Ranma growled, standing. Shampoo managed to pull the redhead back down, attempting to calm Ranma.

"Do not fret child. I will help both of you."

"Oh, I'd love to hear this."

"Ryoga had been taught our ways and our laws. For all intents and purposes, he is of the Amazon tribe now. Shampoo is my disciple, but she is no longer as malleable as she once was and is set in her style. She will represent the tradition of Amazonian fighting. You, however, can represent the modern style."

Ranma raised a brow. "Me?"

"You," Cologne smiled, "Posses the gift child. The ability to absorb and learn—just by seeing it once—any technique you are exposed to. You I can teach and you can continue to uphold, along with Shampoo, the Amazon culture when I am gone. However, where outside men can be adopted, outside women must marry in."

Ranma suddenly didn't like where this was going.

"I have provided Ryoga with the cure already. All he has to do is figure it out."

"What's the cure?" Ranma asked.

"Ranma is cure," Shampoo smiled. "When Ranma and idiot boy fall in love, Ranma represent home to idiot boy. Idiot boy think of Ranma, idiot boy come home to Ranma all by himself, and idiot boy is cured!"

"I'm the cure? You mean…he has to…fall in love? With me?"

Cologne shrugged. "Unless you'd rather him fall in love with Akari?"

Ranma scoffed. "She doesn't deserve him!"

"Well, then. Get to work whittling your way into Ryoga's heart," Cologne smirked.

"Shampoo help Ranma once Shampoo better!" the Amazon girl assured.

Ranma grinned back in appreciation. "Of course. Rest up real good, Shampoo." With a quick hug shared with Shampoo, the redhead took off running in the direction Cologne pointed her to, hoping it wasn't too late to find him.

. . .

It was too late to find him. Ranma groaned loudly, falling back onto the ground as she panted. She'd searched for hours and couldn't even track the guy! With a sigh, Ranma reached around her waist, checking to make sure her water bottle was still attached to her sash. With a gasp, Ranma's eyes bugged as her hands met nothing but a curvy waist.

She'd dropped the bottle.

Ryoga didn't know how long he'd been wandering, but it was like his sense of direction just vanished. He couldn't even find his way outside the front door of Cologne's house! Once Cologne had informed Ryoga he'd be punished for breaking Amazon law, Ryoga knew it would be something terrible. He was sure his punishment was…at….home….

This was his punishment!

With a frustrated growl, Ryoga punched a nearby tree, knocking it over cleanly. Cologne had gotten rid of his sense of direction. Now how was he supposed to help Ranma if he wasn't home? And what kind of punishment was this anyway? Why make it so he couldn't get home? Ryoga closed his eyes and thought hard. He groaned again when he realized what went wrong.

He promised Ranma he'd always find her. Cologne made sure that Ryoga wouldn't be able to find his own ass.

Ryoga cursed as he continued trudging along, kicking at the dirt. He was hungry, tired, and sore. All this was Ranma's fault! Ever since he'd met that girl, it seemed like there was always something going wrong. First Kuno came back, then he got punished, now he couldn't find his way home!

…

Although, it wasn't like Ranma was aware of the strict Amazon laws Ryoga adhered to. She didn't mean to…seduce him the way she had, right? Hell, she probably wasn't even aware she'd been seducing him. And none of them meant for Kuno to find them. Ryoga was just unlucky was all. Glancing at the ground, Ryoga blinked in surprise as he narrowly avoided stepping on a water bottle. The label read "Emergency Only!" Ryoga shrugged; this was an emergency.

Deciding to use half the bottle to cool off, Ryoga opened the bottle and poured it on himself. Suddenly, a strange ripple rushed through Ryoga. Before his very eyes, the world got bigger and taller, his clothes fell off his body, and his senses heightened. He felt himself walking on all fours and, when he tried to speak, strange "bwee!" noises came out.

He sounded like a pig.

Ryoga glanced around frantically, feeling exposed—as only his bandana was still tied around him—and ran in a direction where he heard water. Instead, he found the burnt remains of the other field they'd worked on earlier in the year. Huffing angrily, Ryoga turned back to the woods.

Ryoga!

Was that a voice or his imagination? Ryoga looked around.

Ryoga! Ryoga!

It had to be his imagination. That sounded like Ranma. But there was no way Ranma could've known that Ryoga was missing. Unless…did she go investigate when Ryoga didn't immediately come back? Ryoga's entire body filled with a tingly warmth, until he remembered his current predicament.

"Ryoga! Where are….what's this?"

Ranma, shapely as ever, was tall. Ryoga was convinced something awful was in that water—perhaps another curse from Cologne. Ranma crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet, staring at Ryoga. He tried desperately to talk to her, but the girl merely smiled at him.

"Awww, aren't you cute? Are you lost, little piglet?"

Piglet?! Ryoga roared. I'm a fucking piglet?!

Suddenly, Ryoga felt himself getting picked up and looked up with wide eyes as Ranma hugged him close to her chest.

"Aw, I can't leave you out here. Huh…where'd you get that bandana? Did Ryoga give it to you? Have you seen him?! …Oh, you probably can't understand me." Ranma sighed, resting her chin on top of Ryoga's head.

Ryoga tried desperately to tell her that, yes, he was freaking Ryoga and he needed her help to stop being a pig! Ranma, instead, giggled as Ryoga waved stubby arms and legs around. Ranma smiled and kissed the top of Ryoga's head, immediately freezing Ryoga's movements.

"I never had a pet, you know. My parents wouldn't let me. What should I call you? Oh! P-chan! Get it?"

P-chan rolled his eyes. Very original, Ranma.

"C'mon, P-chan. Let's go home. It's getting dark and I don't know my way around very well. I guess I'll have to look for Ryoga tomorrow. I just hope he's okay."

As Ranma worried her bottom lip, cradling Ryoga gently in her arms and against her ample bosom, Ryoga felt the warmth from before spread again, more fiercely than before. Ranma sincerely cared about him, despite whatever confusion she was feeling at the moment. With a contented "bwee!", Ryoga cuddled closer to Ranma. Ranma, in return, scratched behind Ryoga's ears with gusto, turning the pig into delighted mush.

"Let's go take a hot bath together, P-chan!"

Immediately, all feelings of contentment and happiness left Ryoga in the wake of seeing male Ranma naked.

Just. My. Fucking. Luck.

I understand how confusing the time thing is, so here is a general outline of relevant events.

TIMELINE:

1604—Cologne is born (YEP).

1893—Yip Man (Ip Man) is born.

1901—Ryoga is born.

1902—Ranma is born. Shampoo is born.

1904—Ranma and Genma go on a training trip.

1906—The Amazon village in China is finally overrun by German forces. Cologne moves to Hawaii with her infant great granddaughter, Shampoo.

1914—German occupation of Quingdao (then Tsingtao) is nearing its end as Britain and Japan interfere; Ryoga's father dies in crossfire during a fight between Chinese revolutionists and German Troops.

1915—Ryoga's mother's mental health worsens. She commits suicide. Ryoga is orphaned at 14.

1916—Ranma and Genma are afflicted with the Jusenkyou curse. They return to Japan and explain to Nodoka. Nodoka sends them back to China.

1917—Yip Man moves back to Foshan and becomes a police officer; Ranma and Genma arrive in Foshan and meet Yip man. Ranma undergoes training in Wing Tsun for one year.

1918—Ranma completes training, moves back to Japan, and meets Akane Tendo. Their engagement lasts three years.

1920—Ryoga makes enough money in odd jobs to move to Hawaii in search of a better life. Ryoga meets Cologne and begins training.

1921—Nodoka calls off Ranma and Akane's engagement. The Saotome family returns to their own home.

1922—Ryoga is formally accepted into the Amazon culture. He agrees to follow Amazonian law.

1923—The Saotome family falls into ruin as their dojo does not succeed. Unbeknownst to Ranma and Genma, Nodoka feeds herself less in order to feed her family. Within six months, she falls ill as her immune system can no longer fend off infections. Ranma sends her picture off to an arranger to be married in Hawaii.

1924—Ranma is sent to Hawaii to be married to Kuno. She meets Ryoga. Everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

I hope this clears things up a bit.