Ten years.

The world was so different then.

Ten years ago, a little girl the age of 9 grew up in a house filled with people who loved her...a house filled with people that meant the world to her. Even though it was so very long ago, she could still vividly see the faces of her mother and father so filled with love and joy. She especially remembered her father, a powerful yet gentle man who would carry her on his back every day while he ran errands around their village. And every night, he would tuck her in, telling her tales of mighty warriors with the promise that one day, she would be one of them.

There were problems, of course. What family didn't have problems? And, of course, just like most parents do, her mother and father tried to insulate her and her younger siblings, Autumn and Spring from whatever it was that was causing the trouble. Of course, she could always sense when things got tense. Things worked themselves out, usually and once the trouble passed over, everything was right with the world again. So she never really worried because her parents, especially her father, would always make sure things turned out right.

Unfortunately, what the little girl didn't understand was that things bigger than her father existed in the world. She could tell something was wrong by the look on her parents' faces. They tried to hide it as they always did, but they carried a look of fear on their faces, a look she had never seen before. One night, after her father told her the usual bedtime story, he did something strange. He asked her to keep a secret for him. Willing to do anything for the man she loved, the little girl nodded her head. He procured a large yellow envelope and slid it under her mattress.

"This is your first mission. Make sure you keep this safe. Don't tell anyone about it. Okay?"

"You bet!" the little girl promised.

Her father leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "That's my brave little warrior." And with that, he stood up and he left.

It wasn't until the next morning that the 'mission' her father had given her took on a very real significance, when she found out that her father had been taken away during the night by the village guard. Her mother had told her it was because her father had to go away on a very special mission for the village. But he never returned. Only after many years had passed did she find out the truth about what happened to her father and why.

Now, lying on her new bed, in her new house, in a new town, Summer looked up in the darkness. She was aching all over from her encounter with Happousai and Hayate. But her physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional scars she carried to that day. Her house was empty now and she couldn't remember anytime in that ten-year span that she could definitively say she felt joy. The thoughts of what happened with her father along with that envelope he left behind were never far from her.

But as she told Hayate earlier that night, she found this new town interesting. Even though she got pretty beat up, she had to admit that was the most fun she had in a long time. And Hayate was something himself. She was impressed by his strength and skill. And aside from some rough areas, he seemed like a pretty decent person. It didn't hurt that she found him quite attractive as well. Who knew what could come out of it?

Summer smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Maybe after all this time, she found what she was looking for?

-o-

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Ranma½

Love and War

A Thorny Issue

-o-

"Thank you! Come again!"

Autumn smiled brightly as her customer walked out of her store. She was amazed at how quickly it became a hit in the neighborhood. It seemed she was getting some good word of mouth referrals from Dr. Tofu, who was a very popular and respected doctor in the community. She would have to send him a thank you for all the business he's been sending her.

Of course, her business had also increased once Spring arrived. Guys of all sorts would swarm in just to get a peek of her in the skimpy clothing she always chose to wear. To be fair, though, there were also plenty of girls that came in as well, to gawk at her intended, Mousse. As far as Mousse went, as long as the girls ended up buying something and would keep their paws off of him, she didn't mind too much.

Speaking of which, Mousse walked in from the back of the store, carrying a box left by a delivery company. Reaching into his robe, he procured a box cutter and opened the package, reveling replacement stock of the various teas and herbs she sold. As he removed its contents and began to inventory them, she couldn't help but stare. She really couldn't blame the girls for doing the same. Every once in a while she would stop and consider just how fortunate she was to have found him.

She couldn't understand why he wasn't taken beforehand. True, he was a bit obsessive, but who didn't have their flaws? All in all, he was quite the catch and she was glad she was the one who managed to catch him. With a great guy at her side and a thriving business in her command, she couldn't ask for anything more. Sure, life had its pitfalls, and Nerima being what it was, trouble was never far away; but taking everything into account, life was definitely good. And though she wasn't as...voracious as her little sister, she was looking forward to when the store closed, so the two of them could spend a little 'quality time' with each other...which would be VERY good.

-Ching ching!-

Autumn snapped out of her daydream upon hearing the chime alerting her to the new customer that walked in. Regaining her composure, she greeted the newcomer, "Welcome to 'After the Fall'. How may I help you?"

The female 'customer' appeared to be around Autumn's age and wore a blue Chinese styled blouse and black leggings. Her hair was put up in two buns on either side of her head, each tied by a pair of blue ribbons. The girl was also rather short. Measuring her height, even if one counted her hair done in the style it was, she barely reached five feet. She bowed slightly to return the greeting. "It good to see you again, sister."

Autumn blinked at being called 'sister'. "Wait a minute...I know that voice. Azuki?"

The newcomer smiled, "Azuki glad to see Summer do so well." She looked at Mousse standing behind the counter and raised an eyebrow. "Who this?"

"This is Mousse," answered a beaming Autumn. "My Fiancé."

Azuki smiled, "Congratulations. He look like fine man!" Her faced reddened. "Maybe Azuki get to know too, to make sure he right man for you, hmm?"

"Ahem!" Mousse blushed and looked away. He just couldn't get used to the new village rules he found himself under.

"So, to what do we owe this visit?" Autumn inquired.

"Azuki here to remind Spring she has mission to complete. Spring's reports not come in for some time and last we hear, she was staying with you. Spring here now?"

Autumn shook her head, "She's out right now."

"Well, make sure you give Spring Azuki's message, okay?" Autumn nodded in compliance. "Good. Also, Azuki was told to give you this." She gave Autumn an ornate green scroll that was tied together by a small piece of taped paper in the middle. "I go now, but we see each other again soon." With that, she walked out.

"Just how many sisters do you have?" asked Mousse, still blushing from the indecent proposal. He took his glasses off and began to clean them. Somehow, they had fogged over.

"Actually, she isn't a blood sister, "Autumn informed him. "She's just from my home village," Mousse shook his head. Seemed like it was all the same, regardless of whether they were related or not. He wondered again what he had gotten himself into. Ripping the binding apart, Autumn opened the scroll and began to read. The further into the text she got, the more her faced dropped. "Oh no..."

Seeing her expression, Mousse became worried. "What's the matter? Bad news?"

"The worst. My village has gone to war..." She turned to her fiancé and gave him a forlorn look. It seemed all the good in her life was slowly starting to go bad. "...with your village."

----oo----oo----oo----oo----

With a heavy sigh, Ukyou made her way to school. It had been around a month since she had seen Ryouga and she couldn't help but be worried. The last time she saw him, she chased him out of town after her duel with Spring. She had to admit, she had gotten very used to him living at her restaurant. She also missed having the help. With he bussing tables and delivering food to the patrons at the tables, it left her free to focus more on the cooking which allowed her to fill orders quicker.

Of course, Ryouga being Ryouga, she still had days where she'd have to handle the restaurant by herself. But whenever he managed to wander off, he would always manage to find his way back after a week at most. This was the longest time he's been away since she let him move in. It was possible that she overreacted when she got the news that they were engaged because of her winning that fight with the lascivious Amazon. It probably gave him the idea that she didn't want him around anymore. She hoped he wasn't off suicide bombing some poor, unsuspecting town.

Then again, wherever he was, he was probably happy to get away from her and the engagement foisted upon them. Okay, maybe she didn't react to kindly to it herself, but to celebrate his escape...did he really hate her that much? After she gave him a place to stay and helped him get his education back on track, this was how he repaid her? That ungrateful jerk! Sure, she didn't exactly give him any reason to like her. And again, her own reaction to the news...chasing him out of town...

She gave herself a bop on the head to knock some sense into herself. Even if he was off someplace partying it up over not having to get married, there was no reason to be upset. In fact, she should be happy as well. It wasn't as if she wanted to get married to the pig-headed fool anyway.

Taking a deep breath, she put on the best happy face she could and walked onto the Furinkan High campus. She wasn't about to let on to anyone that she was feeling down. She was also hoping that if she pretended to be cheerful, eventually, she would be for real. For some reason, though, the results have been less than stellar.

"Ukyou! Hey!" As soon as she walked trough the gate, Akane ran up to her with Ranma casually strolling up behind her. About a week into Ryouga's absence, they have been especially curious about his whereabouts and her well-being. For some reason, they've been connecting the two completely different topics. "Have you heard anything from Ryouga lately?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head.

"Oh," Akane said, dropping her shoulders. "How have you been holding up?"

The chef waved her hand, "I'm okay, really. You don't have to keep asking about it every day, you know."

"We're just really concerned about you, you know,"

"I know, I know. Thank you," said Ukyou with a forced smile. "But it's really not necessary."

"Geez, and here I thought Kasumi was the mother hen." Nabiki walked onto the school grounds unbeknownst to the three conversing teens and interjected herself. "Ukyou's a big girl, you know. She doesn't need you babying her all the time."

"Wow, that you, Nabiki," Ukyou said. "I really appreciate that."

"Just because she ran her boyfriend away and he hasn't been back for a month doesn't mean we have to make such a big deal out of it every time we see her."

"Gee thanks," Ukyou deadpanned.

"It's not just Ukyou I'm worried about," said Akane. "I'm also worried about Ryouga."

"Aw, I don't think we have much to worry about with him," Ranma said to try and assuage his fiancée's concern. "I mean, we haven't heard anything on the news about some town mysteriously gettin' blown to bits, after all."

"Pfft, come on! Who's worried about that?" Ukyou blurted. "It never even crossed my mind!" Ranma, Nabiki and Akane blinked and looked at the chestnut haired chef. Completely missing the fact that Ranma's reassurance was meant for Akane, she looked at the three of them with a confused look. "What?"

Before Ranma could make a retort, he suddenly found his arms bound to his body by a frighteningly familiar ribbon. With a powerful yank, the pigtailed martial artist was pulled through the air and into the waiting arms of the ribbon's mistress.

"Oh Ranma, darling!"

"AAAH!"

"Kodachi," growled Akane. "What in the world is she doing here?"

"To answer your question, I requested her presence." With a start, Akane turned round and found the vaunted Blue Thunder standing behind her. With the speed of Hermes himself, Tatewaki Kuno grabbed the youngest Tendo daughter in a crushing embrace. "Oh Akane Tendo, my love! How my heart does rejoice at gazing upon your visage!"

-BOOT!-

"You'd think he'd know better than to try this anymore," Akane said, seething.

"So what, if I may ask is all this about?" Nabiki asked.

"Hummph rummmph!" the upperclassman answered.

Nabiki looked at Akane, "Er, sis...you can remove your foot from his face now." After grinding her heel into his face for good measure, the younger sibling did so. "Better. Now, you were saying?"

Kuno rubbed his chin, making sure everything was in place, and tried to regain his regal demeanor. "Ahem, yes. I was saying that I invited my sister here because of a rumor that I caught wind of not too long ago. It involves my sister and I greatly, but make no mistake...it is something that could adversely affect each and every one of us!" Just as he made his warning about the consequences for the entire school, thunder crashed in the background, giving the warning a more ominous effect.

"Hey, that thing has some pretty good sound," Nabiki commented to the Kunos' manservant, Sasuke, who was at the front gate of the school with a stereo system playing the sounds of thunder. In response, he rubbed the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.

Kuno cleared his throat to get the attention back to him. "Yes, well back to the point. Given that the situation involves her as much as it does anyone else, I thought it only proper that she be here as well so we could both investigate the manner."

"Well, how 'bout the two of you stop wasting time and get to investigating already?" Ranma demanded while being nuzzled against his will by the upperclassman's younger sister.

"Worry not, my darling," cooed Kodachi. "I'm sure my dear brother is able to get to the bottom of the situation quite well on his own, allowing the two of us to spend some quality time together. I'm sure you heard about the disastrous wedding perpetrated by my mother while she was here. The thought of going through life without you at my side was more distressing than you could believe." She rubbed her cheek against his. Reaching around her back, she procured a bouquet of her signature black roses. "Here, my dearest. These are for you."

Ranma's eyes widened, knowing what was sure to come next, "Oh no!"

Inexplicably, a rumbling caused the school grounds to shake. It started out low, but then began growing in intensity. Suddenly, there was an eruption of dirt and gravel that showered over everyone. Once again, stepping out of the tunnel he dug, Ryouga Hibiki appeared on the stage, making an appearance only he could make. With his backpack strapped on and using his trademarked umbrella as a crutch, he took at look at his new surroundings, trying to get his bearings. "Where in the world am I now?"

"Well, well, look who finally decided to show back up," Nabiki greeted him with a part on the shoulder.

"Huh? Nabiki? Is that you?" inquired Ryouga. "Then, that must mean..."

"Yep," she answered. "You're at Furinkan High school. And just in time too, because someone over there misses you."

At seeing the perpetually lost boy, everything that had run through her mind disappeared. Unable to help herself, Ukyou smiled. There he was, standing in front of her, bewildered as ever, but still alive and no worse for the wear. With a huge sigh of relief and not caring that there was anyone around, Ukyou dropped her book bag and started towards him with her arms outstretched.

-ZING!-

Ukyou stopped suddenly as a single black rose that was thrown like a shuriken imbedded itself into the ground between her and Ryouga. She turned to Kodachi and challenged the gymnast. "Hey! What in the world do you think you're doing?"

For her part, Kodachi paid the okonomiyaki chef no mind. With her eyes sternly locked on the bandana clad martial artist, she gave her ribbon a tug, causing it to unravel which allowed Ranma to fall to the ground with a thud. With what could only be described as a glide, she made her way over to Ryouga and stopped where she threw the rose. Slowly, she looked him up and down, which elicited an audible gulp from Ryouga. Finally, looking him in the eyes again, her features softened and she placed her head on his chest. "My beloved."

"WHAAAAAAAA?" Needless to say, a half a dozen jaws hit the ground.

Spring was nowhere around, yet for SOME reason, that twitch that had afflicted Ukyou's eye for so long had returned. "Just what the hell is the meaning of this?"

Picking himself off the ground, Ranma chimed in, "Yeah! What about me?" Hearing his comment, Akane glared at him. "Er...not that I mind or anything..."

"W-what are you doing?" Ryouga stammered. "I'm not Ranma! Lemme go!"

"I am well aware that you are not Ranma. But I could not forget how you heroically came to my rescue during our failed wedding. After witnessing your manly deeds and experiencing your indomitable strength in person, I couldn't help but regret that the wedding didn't go through." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him in a death grip that rivaled Spring. "Oh, my beloved! I do not believe I can live without you any longer!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Does that mean you're giving up on Ranma then?"

Faster than anyone could blink, Kodachi released Ryouga and reapplied the death lock of love on Ranma again. "Of course not! My darling Ranma is my first love and I shall never relinquish him!"

"You'll have to do something. It's not right for you to two-time the guys like that."

The gymnast released the pigtailed martial artist and held her hands to her cheeks. "What am I to do? It certainly would be improper to be a two-timer, just as she said. But there's no way I could ever give up my darling Ranma, graceful and majestic steed he is. Yet, what about my newfound beloved, Ryouga; an Adonis to whom the mountains themselves tremble." She buried her head into her hands anguishing over the decision she found herself faced with. Finally, she flung her arms open and, being who she was, made the predictable choice. "I CANNOT DECIDE! I MUST HAVE THEM BOTH!" Kodachi made another dash for Ryouga.

-CLANG!-

With Kodachi's face firmly planted into the ground next to her rose, Ukyou peeled her mega spatula from the back of the gymnast's head. "Humph, serves you right," the chef said with a scowl.

"Feh," went the gymnast's brother, with a shake of his head, "such unseemly behavior. To think one of the noble Kuno lineage would act in such a manner. I simply cannot understand where she learned to behave in such a way."

"I know what you mean, Kuno baby. I can't think of anyone from your family that acts that way either." Nabiki grabbed a water bottle from her backpack and casually strode towards the main building. She took a quick swig and then dumped the rest on Ranma, changing him from male to female.

"Hey!" the female Ranma protested.

"Pigtailed girl! Akane Tendo!" Kuno ran to the two girls and grabbed both of them by the hand. "Come, my loves! Let us run away together!"

-PUNT!-

The two girls watched as Kuno began his ascent into the Nerima sky. But as he reached the perimeter of the school grounds, a bolt of lightening came out of nowhere, striking the verbose kendoist and zapped him back onto campus. "Where in the world did that come from?" mused Ranma. She looked up at the sky and noted there wasn't a cloud in sight.

"Aloha, everybody!" came a familiar voice.

"So...it would appear the rumors are true," Kuno coughed before falling flat onto the ground, unconscious.

Standing on the roof of Furinkan's clock tower stood Principal Kuno, who was wrapped in a dark colored cloak. "Das right, my liddle kahunas! Your beloved principal has returned; refreshed and wid a few new tricks up ma sleeve! Don tink I forgotten de policy of buzz cuts for da boys and bowl cuts for da gals. Dis time, I got a bit of help to handle da problem children, like dat Ranma Saotome!"

"Oh geez," lamented Ukyou. "Not this again."

"What's going on?" Ryouga asked.

"He's going to try and force some stupid haircuts on us," the female Ranma said. "But we stopped him before, and we're gonna do it again!" She used the patented martial arts super jump to leap to the first floor of the school, and bounced back and forth in the corner between the outside wall of the school and the clock tower until she made it all the way to the roof. Ranma extended her leg to give the principal a good kick in the head for his latest attempt at follicle butchery.

Before the strike was able to land, Principal Kuno took a remote control out of his cloak and pressed a button. Behind him, a huge directional electricity generator rose up from out of the school's roof and zapped Ranma with a bolt of lightening, in the same way the principal's son was. As a result, the male turned female landed back to ground level in a smoldering heap.

"Das just one of my new toys to help me handle you kids," Principal Kuno said with a chuckle. "Now, let me introduce ya to my new assistants!" The front doors to the high school opened up and two blurs shot out, surrounded Ranma's prone form for a moment, and then retreated back to the school's front steps.

"RANMA!" Akane called out.

"Uuugh...what?" Groggy form the shock, Ranma put a hand on her head. Her eyes widened in horror as she felt her hair. "Wha...what the?" She ran over to Ukyou, grabbed her mega battle spatula and looked at herself in its reflection. To her horror, she saw that her hair had been parted down the middle and was put in two ponytails that came out of both sides of her head. "AAAH! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

"That would be us!"

Everyone that was still conscious looked up towards the entrance of the school. There stood two bald men, both sporting shades and what looked to be barber's clothes. Each wore a gun belt with what appeared to be huge scissors in the holster, along with gigantic combs that were strapped on their backs.

"I am Mr. Pruner," said the man on the right.

"And I am Mr. Shearer," said the man on the left. "And we are from the Cutler's School of Martial Arts Hair Styling!" The group of kids facefaulted.

"You gotta be kidding me!" went Ukyou. "Martial Arts Hair Styling?"

"They may sound silly," said Ranma, "but these guys are no joke. They were so fast, I didn't even feel them doing anything to my hair."

"Das right, kids!" crowed the principal. "Ya take these guys lightly if ya want. You WILL have your hair cut to my standards, and dese fine gentlemen will make sure of it. And don ya tink of escapin' either! Cause my new toy here will shock anyone who tries to leave da school! None of you will escape dis time! HAHAHAHA!"

----oo----oo----oo----oo----

----oo----oo----oo----oo----