Author's Notes –

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. It is a work in progress of course and I gladly accept any constructive criticisms from any reviewers.

Thanks to Cylon One for beta reading this fic; though it's always good to have a beta, I'd like to have at least one more.

Obviously I am trying to post more than just a single chapter to this fic, so I hope you all continue to enjoy this fic and chapter.

There were few times in his relatively short life that Ranma had ever doubted himself. True, he doubted his rivals' abilities as they rarely ever measured up (at least compared to him) and those around him, but he had never doubted his ability to master the arts or its place in society. Hadn't many families adapted the arts so that they could continue to practice some form of it and make it sort of relevant (like Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts French Dining, and so on)? But what was the role of a martial artist in the grand scheme of things.

Those thoughts plagued the cursed martial artist as he walked home. Since it was a Saturday he'd only spent half the day at school. Wandering aimlessly as he headed back to his apartment the pigtailed youth began to actually look at the district he was living in. Unlike the rural Nerima district this district (which he had yet to find out its name) was fairly developed. Though not urban, it was much more modern then Nerima. Instead of bathhouses there were Laundromats and arcades; gone were the familiar mom and pop shops, instead there were the large franchises and those oh so recognizable golden arches (even though he'd never been to one, he'd seen their commercials often enough). Even the small homes and dojos were gone, replaced with (to him) towering apartment buildings. Forced to walk on the sidewalks (as he'd found out that people didn't like having him jump on their fences or roofs) Ranma was beginning to feel like a rat trapped in a maze.

In truth he'd been thinking of his place in the world ever since being forced to move out here, but it was the talk with Mitsuomi Takayanagi that had forced him to actually face the issue rather than just letting it slide to the back of his mind. Seeing just how different this more modern district was compared to Nerima had made him question a lot of things that he'd taken for granted.

The grumbling of his empty stomach distracted the martial artist from his current thoughts, luring him away on a tangent thought as basic needs sought to be addressed. Looking around he tried to place himself but failed. After only a week he had yet to get a true feel for the district other than the most direct path to school. Inhaling deeply he caught the scent of food and followed it to the nearby vendor.

Hands in his pocket he tried in vain to find some money but produced only the plastic credit/debit card his mother had sent him. Looking at the flimsy plastic Ranma sighed. It was just so weird paying for things with that dinky little strip of plastic. The whole concept of purchasing something with money he had in a checking account (rather then having it on him physically) and just swiping the card and signing some little strip of paper to prove that it was him was baffling to the martial artist. Though few of the vendors in Nerima could name him in his various forms, they all knew who he (or she) was due to his frequent patronage of their stores or from his various (mis)adventures around the district. Even then the interaction was always personalized somehow (usually through him flirting with the male clerks while in his female form or from him having caused some trouble while in his male form), but using the plastic was so… informal and impersonal.

Putting aside his personal preferences (cash always worked best) Ranma ordered some food (a nice plate of stir-fried udon with crab meat and finely cut cabbage) and paid with his remaining yen. Taking the hot plate filled with delicious food the cursed martial artist quickly consumed it, leaving a line of stunned customers behind him as his food apparently disappeared the moment that he grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

Ignoring the stunned bystanders Ranma handed back the empty plate, thanking the clerk with a polite bow before leaving. Stomach happy (though not close to full), the pigtailed youth tried to find his way back to his apartment.

Forty minutes later Ranma was starting to feel as though he had evoked his eternally lost rival as the pigtailed martial artist was slightly disoriented and lost. Still not used to the landmarks or streets he wandered the streets until finally finding someone who was decent enough to provide him with proper directions back to his apartment (it was a good thing he had written his address down).

Despite his long trek from the vendor's cart (which happened to be just two blocks away from his apartment) Ranma was still full of energy. The short (to him) walk was nothing compared to an afternoon of sparring with his pops or any of his rivals. Leaping up to the balcony of his fourth flour apartment the young martial artist was startled to see his mom.

"Ranma dear," the polite woman greeted. "I'm glad to see you. I was just about to leave when you arrived."

"Mom," the youth returned as his mother moved to hug him. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing at your new school," she replied. "Since today was a Saturday I was hoping that you had the afternoon free, but I guess that you probably joined one of the clubs. The apartment manager let me in; she's such a sweet girl, too bad you're already engaged."

"Oh," he exclaimed, not sure what to say now. "Well, there aren't any clubs that really interest me."

Nodding, Nodoka Saotome couldn't help but be a bit relieved at the news. Releasing her son she smiled, "I'm sure you'll find something to do, but until then I'm sure you'll just have to put more time into practicing and staying out of trouble."

"It's not like I'm a trouble maker mom," Ranma said, rolling his eyes. "Trouble finds me."

Yes, it does, Nodoka thought. Turning around she sighed, "I made you some dinner."

"Hmm, smells good," the hungry teen said eagerly. Good thing I didn't pig out at the restaurant.

Without his father nearby the meal proved to be less entertaining than normal, but that was a good thing. Even with his stomach partially full the strapping youth managed to consume a good portion of the baked tilapia, rice, and steamed vegetables.

Stomach now content the young martial artist smiled at his mother. "Mom, why did you marry dad?"

Nodoka blinked at the odd question.

"I mean, you're not a martial artist despite being very traditional," the pigtailed boy amended. "And you let him take me away for training for all that time; you even lived apart once we returned to Japan up until recently."

Watching as his mother averted her eyes ever so slightly Ranma wondered just why he had started this tangent. "Dad doesn't have a proper dojo like the Tendo's do, nor is he a respectable master (then again the old letch isn't either) with students other than me. Why support someone who is so dedicated to the martial arts when you're not one yourself?"

Never one to really put his thoughts into words clearly, the cursed martial artist hoped that his mother understood what he was trying to say.

Listening to Ranma's questioning it was clear to Nodoka that her son had been approached by that boy. Sighing she sat up straight, looking her son in the eyes. "Though martial arts may appear to be on the decline, I believe that there is and will always be a place for martial artists. That is why I married your father. He places his faith not only in the arts, but in its place in society. Though he may resort to… less then reputable occupations and actions, he lives with his art and continues to hone his skill and has brought you up to be an honorable martial artist."

Grabbing her cup of tea she sipped the hot liquid as Ranma soaked in her words.

"I believed then as I do now that your father's skills will allow him to live as he believes is right, just as I'm sure that whatever path you choose to follow will be the right one for you Ranma," she added.

Oddly comforted by her words, Ranma smiled crookedly as he watched his mother washed up the plates. "Why don't I take care of the dishes while you learn how to do the laundry," she suggested.

Ranma blinked. He'd never done his own laundry before. When he was in Nerima Kasumi had taken care of the laundry, and during his short stay at his family's house his mother had taken care of the laundry.

The look on his slightly panicked face said it all. Smiling, Nodoka handed her son a handful of 500 yen coins. "I've already put your laundry in a laundry bag," she stated. "I suggest that you separate your clothes into lights and darks, and keep the reds with the darks."

Dumbfounded, Ranma slowly marched into his room and gathered his laundry before setting off for the Laundromat several blocks away from his new apartment.

Gripping her katana the younger Natsume ran into the garage.

"Where do you think you're going?" the elder Natsume shouted. Blocking her younger sister's path the now adult Maya eyed the brash Aya.

"I saw them fighting," the katana wielding girl stated.

So, her powers are finally manifesting, the lilac haired girl thought as she glared at her sister. "How are you going to find them much less get there?"

"I'll just know," the younger girl replied. "And I can take big brother's bike."

So it's finally begun, Aya though as she shook her head. Ryuuzaki's call wasn't just an empty threat.

Jumping on her brother's bike Aya quickly turned it on and revved the engine. Without any further words of protest or objection Maya watched as her sister rushed off in the light rain.

The light drizzle started just as Ranma entered the Laundromat, forcing the pigtailed boy to scowl. Having failed to use the water-proof soap that morning (thus turning into a girl in front of Mitsuomi) he knew that stepping out would trigger another transformation. Resigned to his fate the cursed youth began to separate his laundry.

Spotting a busty brunette waiting for her own laundry Ranma quickly finished separating the lights and darks. Throwing them into separate machines he wished he'd brought a book like the girl had. Scanning the Laundromat he knew that he couldn't do a kata in the closed quarters, especially if there were other people around. Cursing himself for not thinking ahead, the martial artist resolved to bring something to do the next time he had some laundry to do.

Despite the light drizzle Ranma decided to venture outside as he recalled that there had been a used bookstore two stores down. Under the cover of the few awnings the skilled martial artist managed to avoid getting too wet (though his trademark shirt had been splashed with a few drops. Picking out some second hand manga he paid the clerk.

The distant boom of something exploding combined with the evil (not murderous or killing, but evil) intent that someone nearby was radiating indicated that something bad was going to happen. Stuffing his new acquisitions into stuff space he rushed back to the Laundromat as the source of the evil intent was emanating from it. Even though he barely knew the girl who was doing her laundry Ranma's honor as a martial artist wouldn't permit him to allow any innocent to get hurt. After all, it was a martial artist's duty to protect the weak.

Seeing a tall, lanky guy with a knife in hand standing over the terrorized girl with her shirt and sweat pants ripped to shreds Ranma knew who was in the wrong. Not bothering to warn the offender the pigtailed martial artist launched a swift but powerful jump kick at the lean but muscular punk's back, sending the thug flying into wall the back wall but not enough to seriously injure the guy (Ranma didn't want to break the only Laundromat in the area after all).

Taking off his shirt he offered it to the girl as the punk got back to his feet.

"I thought you'd be a lot tougher than that," the knife welding thug stated as he got back to his feet.

"You know me?" Ranma asked, not sure who the guy was. Did he have a grudge against Ranma? It was possible given how many people he'd mixed it up with in the past. Did he somehow think that the girl was with Ranma? "If you came here for me then come at me like a man. She has nothing to do with me."

"Oh, I know that Ranma Saotome," the punk replied. "The name's Tsutomu Ryuuzaki, I'm part of the Enforcement Group at Todo Academy."

Ranma nodded as he stepped between the girl and the thug.

"I didn't come here for you, I came because she's with the two new punks at school," Ryuuzaki explained. "I'm here to teach them a lesson."

"If you want the girl then you gotta go through me first," Ranma stated.

Ryuuzaki smiled wickedly as he eyed the pigtailed boy. "Even though the President of the Executive Council said that no one in school could start a fight with you – since you're untouchable - but I think that I can justify this one. You did start the fight with me after all."

Dashing in with his knife Ryuuzaki opened with a feinted slash as he hoped to gauge just how fast the untouchable Ranma Saotome was.

Seeing through the obvious ploy Ranma stopped his opponent with a solid front kick combo to the wrist and then to the face of his opponent, disarming and stopping the punk dead in his tracks while still maintaining his ground. Using his heel to push Ryuuzaki's face back, he lifted his foot up while gently pulling the punk towards him with his left hand, then quickly snapped his foot back down, connecting with an axe kick to the back of the head before smashing the punk's head into the floor. Looping his foot under the punk's collar Ranma quickly kicked again, sending the lanky fighter to the back of the Laundromat.

Expertly catching the now falling knife Ranma tossed it back to his opponent. "I think you'll need this," he taunted. "You'll need all your tricks to beat someone like me."

Clearly pissed, Ryuuzaki grabbed his blade before jumping back to his feet.

Ranma watched as the punk once again charged him and led with his knife once again. Catching the knife between his fingers the pigtailed martial artist waited for the punch that he knew Ryuuzaki was going to throw with his left hand. Feeling the hot flames connecting with his palm Ranma almost let himself get distracted by the flaming punch. Catching the punch Ranma countered with a knee to the pyromaniac's face then lashed out with a kick to the stomach that once again sent his opponent flying to the back.

"You're on fire," the girl exclaimed.

"Eh," Ranma shrugged as he patted down the fire in his hand. "It's nothing."

In truth, it really was nothing. Having faced Rogue's flame attacks as well as Saffron's fiery tornado the pyromaniac's flame attack was nothing. Then again, having swallowed the Phoenix Pill ages ago had given him some degree of immunity from fire and heat.

"You… you stopped my flames," Ryuuzaki stuttered in disbelief.

"If that's all you got then you might as well go home," the cursed martial artist stated. Clearly the guy was beat; it was just a matter of Ryuuzaki admitting it.

The pigtailed martial artist sighed as he felt the sudden surge of ki from his opponent. Feeling the temperature of the room suddenly jump up a few degrees Ranma cooled his own battle aura (not hard considering that he really wasn't that worked up). Waiting as his opponent charged up Ranma prepared his counter attack, hopefully it wouldn't destroy the Laundromat.

With his opponent focused on getting his own attack off Ranma had simply waited for Ryuuzaki to trap himself in his attack pattern. Unable to finish charging up for his attack and unable to move out of the way because he was still charging up, the pyromaniac punk watched helplessly as the glowing sphere hit him square in the chest.

With his opponent clearly unconscious Ranma walked over and stepped on the guy's head for good measure.

"You alright?" he asked the girl, not wanting to turn around. In his past experience being around naked or semi-naked girls always led to problems.

"Yeah, thanks," the girl replied.

The buzz of a dryer signaled that some of her laundry was done. "I think that's yours," Ranma said as he folded the guy's knife. Pulling out the guy's wallet he replaced it with the knife.

"This should cover your outfit," Ranma said as he emptied the guy's pockets. Putting the money on the seat behind him he quickly turned around as the girl stripped then put on some oversized clothes.

"Thank you," she said as she pulled on Bob's large shirt. Despite what could have happened if the pigtailed martial artist hadn't shown up, or probably because of it, Chiaki couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm dressed now."

Coughing Ranma turned around as he tossed Ryuuzaki's wallet onto the unconscious boy's head. Had Mitsuomi really sent the punk after Bob and Souichiro? Well, the two had been destroying many of the punks at the school and picking fights daily. But why send someone after the girl? She wasn't a student and even if she was dating Bob (from the size of the shirt, not to mention that Souichiro had Aya chasing after him) she had nothing to do with the fights at school.

"Here's your shirt back," the girl said, holding out his shirt for him. "I'm Chiaki Kounoike."

"Ranma," the pigtailed boy said as he accepted his shirt back.

"I heard," Chiaki giggled. "Ranma Saotome, Todo Academy's untouchable fighter."

"So you're dating Bob," the cursed martial artist countered.

"How can you tell?"

"Souichiro's got that girl chasing after him, and I can't see him wearing that kind of shirt, not to mention that it'd be too big for him," Ranma explained.

Chiaki giggled. "I guess you're right. Not Nagi's style at all."

Buttoning his shirt up Ranma felt another surge of malevolence. Focusing his senses the skilled martial artist actually felt two distinct auras quickly approaching. Grabbing hold of Chiaki's arm he quickly placed himself between the girl and the front of the Laundromat as something crashed through the glass.

Clearly pissed off, Bob charged at Ranma. Though the larger boy clearly had a reason to be upset he was clearly venting at the wrong person. Catching the lead punch the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes spun around. Using the momentum of his attacker against him Ranma redirected the force of the attack back at a seething Souichiro as the blond leapt through the broken window. With greater mass and momentum Bob crashed into the still airborne Nagi, sending both of them back out into the now heavy rain.

Stunned but not hurt the two quickly got to their feet.

"Bob, stop this at once!" Chiaki shouted as she stood up again. "I'm all right; you don't have to fight him."

Bob looked at his girlfriend then at Ranma who casually waved at him.

"Yo," Ranma smiled crookedly.

"What are you doing here?" the blond asked as he pulled shards of glass out of his hair.

"Doing my laundry," Ranma replied. "Oh, and kicking some punk's ass."

Pointing at the unconscious form behind him Ranma shrugged. "I kept him from doing too serious," he explained.

"Let me at him," Bob grunted as he stepped through the broken window and moved to attack the thug.

"Can't let you do that," Ranma said, planting himself squarely in Bob's path. "He's already out. I can't let you beat up on someone who can't protect himself."

"He torched my bike," the large boy shouted. "And he attacked my girl!"

"Doesn't matter," the pigtailed martial artist said. "He's already beaten. As a martial artist I can't let you attack someone who's defenseless regardless of how much he deserves it."

"This is why martial artists suck!" Nagi shouted as he pushed past his friend. "I'm not afraid of you! I'll go through you and anyone else if I have to!"

I really hate brawlers, Ranma thought as the blond punk charged him. Ducking under the punk's feint he grabbed hold of Nagi's briefs. Standing up he pulled hard, very hard, though not hard enough to rip the tightly woven fabric.

"Eep," the blond squeaked out as he stood on his tip-toes.

Stretching the fabric more then it ever should Ranma continued to pull up as he felt the punk try to spin out of it. He continued to pull it up hard, forcing the briefs to stretch even further. Spotting an open washer nearby Ranma lifted the boy off his feet and deposited Nagi on the hooked end of the door.

"That's just mean," Bob said as he blinked at the unsightly scene. Man, I thought we left those days back in elementary school. A slight shiver ran up and down his spine as he considered his friend's plight.

"Let him cool down a bit," Ranma said as he turned his back to the still hanging Souichiro.

Years of training saved the pigtailed martial artist as he ducked under a sudden and unexpected slash. Falling back Ranma grabbed the only thing he could as he sought to maintain his balance, unfortunately that happened to be Nagi's loose pants and legs. Looking up at a red-faced Aya and now pants-less Nagi, Ranma quickly rolled to his feet.

The 'What the hell is going on' expression on Bob and Chiaki's faces told the skilled martial artist that they hadn't seen the attack coming either.

"What did you do to my husband?" Aya demanded.

'Wow, it's so weird to be on this side of things,' Ranma thought to himself as he slowly inched away from Souichiro and the enraged Aya. With all of his experience with psychotic fiancées Ranma had learned that it was never a good thing to come between a girl and her man and only another girl could do get between a girl and her man, and that was just messy in and of itself. Not to mention that Ranma really didn't want to go there. Nor did he want to bring up the possibility of the man not returning the girl's feelings.

"Just teaching him a lesson and letting him cool down a bit," Ranma muttered as he continued to slowly inch away.

"I can't believe you got beat so easily!" the busty brunette shouted as she turned to face Nagi.

Clearly she didn't know the pain that the blond was currently in.

"Didn't you promise me that you'd never lose again?" Aya shouted.

Ranma, Bob, and Chiaki slowly backed away.

"The… fight's not… over…" the blond managed to squeak out.

The buzzing of the washer broke the tension in the Laundromat. Retrieving his clothes he quickly put them in the dryer as Bob and Aya unhooked Souichiro from the washer.

The buzzing of the washer broke the tension in the Laundromat. Retrieving his clothes he quickly put them in the dryer as Bob and Aya unhooked Souichiro from the washer.

With Ryuuzaki tied up but still unconscious Ranma managed to finish his laundry without further incident.

"What'd you do to him?" Bob asked as he paced the small Laundromat.

"I hit him with one of my signature attacks," the pigtailed martial artist replied.

"Well duh," the blond shot back.

"Trade secret punk," Ranma snapped. "I didn't think he was that weak. Still, I'm sure that he could beat the two of you."

"Us?" Bob clarified as he pointed to himself and Souichiro.

"Yep," the pigtailed boy replied. "If you had rushed in blindly like you did when you first got here I'm sure he would have kicked your asses. He's about as fast as Takayanagi, but not as powerful, and he's got this trick with fire. Tell him that Chiaki-chan is under my protection and that anyone from Todo goes after her then I'm coming after them."

"What makes you such a hotshot?" Souichiro asked.

"He's been declared as untouchable," an adult Maya stated, answering the question.

"Yo," Ranma greeted as he packed his laundry bag up. "I was wondering when you'd announce yourself."

Clearly surprised by Maya's sudden appearance the others took turns glancing between Ranma and the lilac haired girl.

"When'd you get here?" Bob asked.

Deciding not to answer the question the adult Maya wrung out her wet clothes. Not sure what to make of the wild card that was Ranma Saotome, the lilac haired teen offered a slight bow as her greeting. "The President of the Executive Council himself declared you as Untouchable."

"So I hear," the pigtailed martial artist replied. "Ryuuzaki even said that no one was allowed to pick a fight with me or else the Enforcement Committee would have to take action. What's the Enforcement Committee?"

A large sweat drop appeared on the older Natsume's forehead. After several seconds of no one volunteering any information Maya sighed. "If you had been paying attention at the opening ceremony last week you would know that the Executive Council is made up ofthe most powerful students in the school."

"So we just gotta pick a fight with them," Bob stated as he wished to fulfill his desire of beating the best that the school had to offer.

"Listen moron!" the lilac haired girl shouted. "They're the best fighters in the school; well aside from Ranma apparently. Each year instead of student or class elections the school holds a tournament to see who the strongest fighters are. The team that wins the tournament gets to choose who among them gets to be president, vice president, and all down the line."

"Cool, so if I was on the winning team I wouldn't have to worry about being president," Ranma added.

The others (with exception of Chiaki-chan) fell over, each landing on their face at the pigtailed boy's statement.

"Well, I guess," Maya clarified. "That's only happened once or twice recently that the winning team's top fighter didn't become president."

"No way!" Nagi shouted. "I'm going to be the strongest fighter on my team and we're going to win the tournament."

"Yeah, Souichiro won't lose to anyone!" Aya seconded enthusiastically.

"You couldn't even beat this guy," the pigtailed martial artist pointed at the unconscious Ryuuzaki, "and he's just a punk like you! There's no way that I'm gonna lose to some two-bit brawler like you!"

"You stupid martial artists always think that you're so great, I'll show you how good I am!" the blond shouted as he jumped over the chairs and rushed his pigtailed antagonist.

Ranma let the punk throw the first three punches, each missing by a wide margin. The fourth was greeted with a light tap of his foot against the punk's right fist that threw the blond off balance and was followed up with a solid kick to the chin that sent Souichiro flying.

"You got a lucky punch on Takayanagi," Ranma stated. "And if I hadn't stopped him they would have been mopping your guts off the wall and floor. If you come at me again I won't be holding anything back."

The blond slowly staggered to his feet.

"You promised me you wouldn't lose anymore!" Aya shouted.

The blond let out a primal roar as he once again rushed the pigtailed martial artist. Easily reading his opponent's attacks and rhythm, the cursed martial artist stomped hard on the punk's lead foot as Souichiro wound up for a mighty haymaker. With his foot and opponent firmly planted, Ranma hit the punk hard in the chest.

No longer emitting a battle aura Ranma knew that the blond was out. Calmly walking away he grabbed his laundry bag as Nagi remained standing despite being clearly knocked out.

"No way," Bob muttered. "You beat him with just a kick and punch?"

Maya shook her head. "I counted at least fifty punches," the older girl explained. "If I hadn't seen it myself I would have thought it an impossible feat."

"That was an even hundred," Ranma stated. Clearly his pride had been wounded by the miscount, though he really couldn't blame them for not being able to keep up with his inhuman hand speed.

"That's why he's untouchable," Ryuuzaki muttered from his seat. Still tied up the pyro-punk had a front row seat for the brief fight. "When the President learns that the blond punk attacked Ranma he's going to be expelled."

Shrugging, Ranma eyed the others.

"I guess we'll just have to make sure that you don't tell him about the fight then," Bob said with a malicious look in his eyes.

The trio of remaining fighters slowly and methodically proceeded to pummel the still tied down pyro-punk as Ranma left the Laundromat. Suspensions and expulsions weren't his business after all.

Faint beams of sunlight entered the dark dojo as several masked figures gathered in the decrepit building. Each wearing a distinct robe that went along with their masks, the figures slowly knelt down in a circle.

"A wild card has appeared," one of the figures announced. "He has been declared untouchable by the current President."

The other figures slowly processed the information before turning to the figure at the head of the dojo.

"Who is this wild card?" the distinctly male voice asked.

"Ranma Saotome," the first masked figure stated. "The President met with him personally."

"They fought?" another figure asked.

"That is uncertain," the first figure replied. "While it is clear that the President did come at the unknown with some kicks neither flared their ki."

Slight murmurs were exchanged between the masked figures.

"But the unknown has been credited with besting Maya Natsume and Masataka Takayanagi," the first masked figure stated. "The younger Takayanagi had even become enraged from another fight but was put down quickly by Ranma Saotome."

More mutters from the gathered figures filled the dark dojo. Only a signal from the head figure silenced the others, bringing calm and quiet back to the assembly.

"Find out what you can of this Ranma Saotome," the lead figure instructed. "Is he from one of the twelve feathers or from one of the branch families? I find it highly unlikely that he would be an outsider, but if he is then we need to rein him in as quickly as possible."

The others nodded in agreement, accepting the head figure's orders. Slipping back into the shadows the figures vanished, leaving the dojo completely empty save for the few lingering beams of sunlight and the growing darkness.

A/N

I hope everyone likes this chapter. I've obviously made some changes to what was originally posted at Fanfiction Forums. Hopefully the chapter's much better now then it was before the editing.

Please Read and Review.

Dreamingfox