Chapter 4

"The Magic Returns'

A week after the fight, Ranma hobbled into the main room. He had an arm around the shoulders of his two sons. Not that Ranma really needed the support but he did enjoy their company. If Ranma were honest with himself he would admit he enjoyed the adulation. He knew Akama loved him but now he knew that both his sons loved him and both were proud of him. It was a heady feeling.

Hayaima and Akama helped their father sit at the low table. "Thanks kids." Ranma said. "How about seeing if there's any tea?" He smiled as the two boys ran to the kitchen. Ranma rolled his shoulders. He winced. "Still it's better than it was." He said quietly. He looked down at his bandaged right arm and the brace on his left leg. "What's that liine?" He mused to himself. "You shoulda seen the other guy?" Ranma chuckled. "Ow." He said immediately.

Hayaima and Akama returned from the kitchen. Akama held the tea service in his arms. Hayaima hovered next to him in case anything happened. Fortunately they got the tea to the table without mishap. Akama and Hayaima flanked Ranma while Ranma poured the tea for himself and his two sons.

Ranma looked at his two sons. He smiled at the twin pigtails the two boys affected. "How was school?" Ranma asked.

"Ah, it's okay." Hayaima replied.

"It's okay." Akama echoed.

"Gym is the best class." Hayaima continued. Akama nodded.

Ranma chuckled. "I liked Gym too." Ranma said. "Hated math." He said.

"Math, bleh." Akama said in disgust. "I like history." He offered.

"That's as bad as brocolli." Hayaima said.

"Not the way Mr. Ryo-Oshi teaches it." Akama replied. "He makes it...real."

Ranma chuckled again as his two sons bantered back and forth. 'My sons.' He thought proudly. For the first time in his life, Ranma felt...blessed. Ranma breathed in deeply. He sipped his tea and talked to his sons and generally enjoyed his convalescence.

Akane and Ukyo walked into a house to the sound of laughter. "Sounds like Ran-chan is up and about." Ukyo said.

"Sounds like." Akane agreed. "Ranma always healed fast." She said. Akane and Ukyo exchanged smiles. "Good thing we stopped for takeout." Akane laughed. " And it's a good thing we got extra."

Ukyo joined in Akane's laughter and the two women walked into the main room. "We're home." They called. "who's hungry?" Akane asked cheerfully. She grinned as three voices responded.

Akane and Ukyo knelt down at the low table and started handing out wrapped meals. For awhile the only sound was of food being chewed.

Ranma swallowed and sipped some tea. "How was work?" He asked.

"It was a good day." Ukyo said.

"We made a ton in tips." Akane added.

"That's because you flirt with all the customers." Ukyo accused playfully.

"Do not." Protested Akane. "Don't listen to her, Ranma." Akane said primly. "I do not flirt with all the customers." Her smile became wicked. "Just some of them." Akane smiled when Ranma laughed. "You're feeling better." Akane stated.

Ranma nodded. "Even worked out a little." He raised a quelling hand. "Just some of the easier Qi Kung exercises I found in Master Happosai's journal." Ranma winced slightly when he shrugged. "Even those had me sweating after ten minutes."

"Don't push yourself, Ran-chan." Ukyo cautioned.

"Me?" Ranma said innocently. Akane and Ukyo laughed in response.

The rest of the evening passed. Ranma helped the boys with their homework and Akane shepherded them off when it was their bed time. They spent another hour in the living room and watched television. When they finally went to bed, Ranma slept bracketed by Akane and Ukyo.

Each day that followed Ranma woke, ate, exercised, napped ,repeating that sequence several times a day. At first he did only the gentler exercises but by the end of the week he had added a simple kata. Ranma slept bracketed by Akane and Ukyo.

The following week he began doing some of the more intricate Qi Kong exercises and added a more difficult kata. Tofu Ono came by later in the week to check on Ranma's progress. Ranma stopped wearing the leg brace. That night Ukyo slept in the middle.

The week after that Ranma took a deep breath and stretched. He smiled. "That feels good." He said. "I feel good." He said in pleased tones. "I think I'll go for a jog." Ranma changed into a pair of old sweats and started running down the street at a slow trot.

Ranma ran around the neighborhood. As he ran he attracted the attention of some of his neighbors. To his surprise a number bowed as he passed. Others waved. Ranma waved back and continued his run. When he stopped at a corner to catch his breath, a local shop owner hurried out of her storefront with a glass of water. "Thank You." Ranma said gratefully.

"My pleasure, Sensei." The woman replied. "Please give my regards to your lovely wife and...the rest of your family." She said. Ranma nodded and handed the glass back to the woman. He bowed and continued his jog. 'That was odd.' Ranma thought. "I've jogged passed that store a hundred times and no one ever brought me water." He thought. 'Or waved."

Ranma made a wide circuit of his neighborhood. Neighbors and shop owners continued to wave or bow and so it was a slightly perplexed Ranma that returned home for a quick shower and more Qi Kong exercises.

At about three in the afternoon the front doorbell rang and Ranma went to answer it. Two of his regular students were standing there. "Excuse us, Sensei." One of the students said. "But we heard you were up and around." The student said. "Does that mean you will be restarting classes?" He asked hopefully.

Ranma chuckled. "I'm still a little sore." Ranma replied. "But yeah, probably next week." He said. "Hey tell you what." Ranma said. "I'm not really up to a full class but if you'd like to come to the dojo and train for a bit." Ranma stopped as the two students began bowing over and over.

"Thank you, Sensei." They chorused.

"The dojo is open." Ranma said. "It's probably a little dusty but..." Ranma stopped again as the two students ran off to the dojo. Ranma shrugged and went upstairs to change into his Gi. When he did finally get the the dojo he found the two students and a couple additional students busily at work cleaning the dojo. One student was sweeping the floor while another was wiping down the mirrors. The rest were busily putting things away and generally straightening up the dojo. Not that there was a lot to do, Ranma always maintained a neat dojo but that didn't stop his students from doing what they could.

When his students noticed Ranma enter they all bowed. "Good Afternoon, Sensei." The chorused. Even without asking they immediately lined up. Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Well since you're here." Ranma said. "Hiroichi." He said to one student. "Why don't you lead the class in warmups?"

"Yes, Sensei." The student said crisply. "You heard the Sensei." He said. "Warmups." Before the warmups were completed several additional students had arrived. Ranma walked around the dojo as the class progressed. He made a form correction here and there. Then had the class work on kicks against the practice dummies.

At a little after four in the afternoon, his sons, Hayaima and Akama, entered the dojo. to his surprise, several of Hayaima's and Akama's classmates were with them. "See." Ranma heard Akama say. "I told you Pops would be here." He said. "Hey Pops." Akama called. "A couple of our classmates were wondering if they could meet you."

Ranma found himself surrounded by a half dozen ten and eleven year olds. They all had the same awestruck expression of their faces. "Did you really fight Ryoga Hibiki?" One wide-eyed boys asked.

"Pops kicked his butt." Hayaima said proudly. "Didn't you Pops?"

"Language Haya." Ranma chided. Ranma smiled at the young boy. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. But yes, we did fight." He said modestly. "It was a tough fight."

"But...but..." Gasped the young boy. "Ryoga Hibiki is...he's undefeated."

"Not anymore." Hayaima said. "Pops is the best."

"Wow." Chorused the young boys. "I've got to talk to my dad." One boy said. "Maybe he'll let me switch schools." The rest of the young boys made similar statements.

"Haya, Akama." Ranma said. "If you're going to train..." He began.

"Sorry guys." Hayaima said smugly. "But I gotta train...with my Pops." He waved a hand. "Come on Kama." He said. "We gotta put our gi's on." He said.

One young boy turned to Akama. He looked to be a little older than Akama. "You are so lucky." He said. "Tomorrow, Akama?" He asked.

"Tomorrow, Tagaki." Akama affirmed. "Later guys." Akama ran off after Hayaima. The remaining adolescent boys milled around for awhile then, very reluctantly, they began to leave. By the time Akama and Hayaima returned, all their classmates had left. Without prompting Ranma's two sons began going though the form they were working on.

Ranma shook his head. "What a strange day." He murmured under his breath. A slight wave of dizziness overcame Ranma at that moment and he leaned against the wall. Ranma shook his head again. "Still weak." He grumbled. He pushed himself upright. he walked to a bench and sat down. Immediately one of his students hurried into the office and returned with a bottle of juice which he gave to Ranma. 'Thanks." Ranma said.

"If you need anything, please ask." The student replied and returned to his exercises with the rest of the class. There was some whispered conversation and the students all lined up. "Forgive us, Sensei." The student said. "It's obvious you are still recovering." He said. "We should not have imposed."

Ranma waved a hand and stood. "Nah, it's alright." He said. "I need to stop being lazy and get back in shape." His comment was greeted by a combination of chuckles and exclamations of disbelief. "Lazy? In shape?" He heard one student mutter. "Anyone else would be in the hospital."

"Anyone else would be dead." Another student replied.

Ranma fidgeted slightly at the comments. He bowed to his students. "Thank you for coming." he said. "I think I'll be able to resume regular classes next week." Ranma shook his head as his students bowed again and quietly filed out. "What an odd day." He murmured. "Boys."

"Yeah Pops?" Hayaima and Akama chorused.

"I'm beat." He said. "Would you mind cleaning up in here?" He asked.

"Sure Pops." Hayaima said. "You can count on us, Pops." Akama added.

"Thanks boys." Ranma replied. "I'll see you in the house." Ranma smiled as his sons started straightening the dojo. he watched for a minute then made his way back to the house. The earlier dizziness had passed and he actually felt pretty good. "Bath." He decided. Ranma walked up the stairs, grabbed his robe and a towel, and then went to the bathing area. He washed off the sweat and then entered the hot bath.

Ranma placed a small towel over his eyes and leaned against the side of the tub. A minute later a snore could be heard.

Ranma opened his eyes. The bathroom was gone and he found himself sitting against a tree in a small glade. "Oh great." He muttered. He looked around. Ranma's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. Off to his left was the giant snake that inhabited the oasis and in his clutches was a...redhead. Ranma was still working up enough courage to charge the snake when he heard the girl giggle.

"I see sleepy head is awake." The redhead said. She reached up and grabbed the snake by its' huge head and planted a kiss on the snakes snout. "You're so sweet to let us visit." The redhead said. She extricated herself from the snake's coils. Only then did Ranma realize the redhead was nude. Ranma spun around.

"You're as big a prude as the Old Man." The redhead said. "Oh turn around." She scolded. "I hate talking to people's backs." Ranma slowly turned around. The redhead was now wearing a tiny red bikini. "Better?"

"No." Ranma replied in embarrassed tones. "That...that's indecent." He complained. "I can almost see..."

The redhead grinned. "Want me to remove the almost?' She purred. "I've been told I have a very pretty pu..."

"Stop it." Ranma snapped. "Why did you bring me here?" He demanded.

"Actually, you got here on your own." The redhead replied. "i just...felt it when you arrived." She grinned.

"So did I." Another female voice said. Into the clearing walked another redhead. Except for being older than the first redhead they were identical, although the newcomer was wearing a short skirt and blouse instead of a bikini. "You are such a slut." The older Ranma complained.

"Turning you on, Old Man?" The younger Ranma replied with a cocky grin. "I know I'm turning our wimpy double on."

"You could turn on a stick in that outfit." The older Ranma replied with a touch of envy in her voice.

"Sweet talker." The younger Ranma said. "Seems wimp boy is getting a little less...wimpy." She said. "He's starting to generate some significant Ki." She pointed out. "Got any idea why?"

"Maybe." The older Ranma replied. "It's possible that when we reached out to.." She pointed to the sole male Ranma. "Him...we accidentally released a little...magic into his world."

"How little?" The younger Ranma asked.

"Enough." The older Ranma replied.

The younger redhead looked at Ranma. "Anything weird been happening?" She asked.

"Other than beating Ryoga Hibiki in a fight, no." Ranma replied. "Hey, do you guys have a Ryoga and is he a pain in the ass for you too?"

The younger redheaded Ranma laughed. "Oh yeah, we both got a Ryoga." She gave the older Ranma a sly look. "But the only pain in the ass is when the old man is fucking him."

"Must you?" Complained the older redhead.

"Yeah, I must." The younger redhead replied. "If your Ryoga is anything like ours, he's looking for a butt to fuck." She said. "Preferably yours."

"Crude." The older redhead said. "But probably true." Ranma rubbed her chin. "So you beat him in a fight." She mused. "And that never happened before?"

Ranma shook his head. "No." He said. "It was kinda weird." He continued. "He seemed to...slow down."

"You sped up." The younger redhead said in contradiction. "Sounds like a Ki surge." She mused. "Maybe even something like a Chestnut fist." The younger redhead grinned. "Ooh, are you in for a ride."

"Huh?" Ranma replied.

"Magic is...unpredictable." The older Ranma said. "Except for one thing." She said. "It needs...a reason to exist." She said. "A purpose." She gave Ranma an almost pitying look. "And since you're probably the only people in Japan who've been exposed to magic...it's going to come looking for you." She said. "All of you."

"It's going to go after Akane and Ukyo?" Ranma said in horror. "I gotta stop it." He said in panic. "How do I stop it?" He demanded.

"You can't." The older Ranma said. "You can only...live with it." She said. "If it's any consolation, I doubt enough magic made it into your world to cause even a fraction of the havoc it caused in mine."

"Or mine." The younger Ranma added. "Well, it's been fun, but I don't think there's much we can do." The redhead grinned. "But before I go, how's it going with Uk-chan and the Tomboy?' She asked. "Are they both in your bed yet?" She teased. "I know my Uk-chan's gonna ask." She said. "She was worried."

"So was mine." The older Ranma said. "So, are they?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah." He said.

"Good." Both of the female Ranma's said in approval. The younger redhead faded away. The older redhead gave Ranma an approving nod. "Since you made it here on your own, I suspect we'll see more of each other." She said. "Maybe there's hope for you after all." The older Ranma faded away.

"Great." Ranma said. "They're gone and I still don't know how to leave." He muttered.

The snake slithered over. "Leaving is easy." The snake hissed. "All you have to do...is wake up."

"Wake up Ranma." Akane's voice echoed through the bathing area. "You should know better than to fall asleep in the bath."

Ranma blinked. "Whoa." He said. "I'm back."

"Back?" Akane ask.

"I..." Ranma leaned forward in the bath. "I was there...the oasis." He said in a hushed voice. "I spoke to...me...again." He said. "Both of them." Ranma shook his head. "I can't believe I'm such a slut." He grumbled. Ranma shook his head again. This time more vigorously. "Nevermind." He said. "Tomboy...it's back." He said. "It's here."

"What is, Ranma?" Akane asked in a voice that shook with a worry that bordered on fear.

"The magic, Tomboy." Ranma said in a voice that matched Akane's. "It's back." He said. Ranma rose in the tub. "Okay, okay." He said. "The older one said it wasn't a lot of magic." He said mostly to himself. "But she also said..."

"She?" Interrupted Akane.

"Yeah, both of them were...girls." Ranma replied. "Women." He corrected himself. "Nevermind that now." He said. "She said that...no that was the other one...she said..."

"Both of them were girls?" Akane asked in a dangerous voice.

"Yeah, Jeez Akane, let me finish." Ranma complained. "Look, they said when the mirror opened a little magic came from the older one's world into ours."

"What?" Exclaimed Akane.

"Yeah." Affirmed Ranma. "But...look I'm standing bare assed in a hot tub." He said. "Let me get some pants on." Ranma climbed out of the tub and started drying himself off on a towel. "Anyway, they...well...look let's call them Kami-Ranma and Slut-Ranma, okay?"

"I can agree with the Slut-Ranma." Akane said sourly. "Kami-Ranma?" She said doubtfully.

"When you think of a better name, we'll use it" Ranma replied. "Anyway, Kami-Ranma said that it wasn't a lot of magic but it was enough to affect...well...us."

"I'm going to start having flames shoot out of my eyes?" Akane said in horror.

"I dunno, Tomboy." Ranma replied. "They said it was only a little magic." He smiled weakly. "That looked like more than a little." Ranma wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Good point." Akane replied. "Clean robe in the cupboard." She said.

Ranma nodded and went and put on the robe. He tied the sash and put on his slippers and then two of them exited the bathing area. "Maybe you'll just get really, really fast." He said. "I just thought it was my imagination." Ranma mused. "During my fight with Hibiki...he seemed to slow down." Ranma said. "The slut-Ranma called it a Ki surge and that Hibiki didn't slow down but that I sped up." Ranma barked a laugh. "Wouldn't that be a hoot if it were true."


Ranma walked down a steet near his home. It was a market area full of shops offering different wares and goods. Flanking him were his two sons, twelve year old Hayaima and ten year old Akama. The boys were the reason he was here. Both of his sons were growing like weeds and needed new clothes. Akama could get some of Hayaima's hand me downs, but Hayaima didn't have a lot of clothes to begin with.

For a moment the thought of how little Hayaima had had growing up made Ranma feel guilty. He shrugged it aside. 'From now on, both my boys will have whatever they need." He vowed silently. With the added income from Uk-chan and the Tomboy, Ranma for once felt capable of keeping that vow.

The first stop was a clothing store naturally and Ranma spent the next hour finding pants, shirts and other items of clothing two growing boys would wear. They left the store. Each boy carrying a number of boxes and bags. 'Shoes." Ranma said aloud. "You both need shoes."

"I'm getting hungry, Pops." Akama whined.

"Me too." Agreed Hayaima.

"You know something?" Ranma said with a laugh. "So am I." He said. "Who's up for pizza?"

They quickly found a local restaurant that served pizza and sat in a booth. The two boys sat together opposite Ranma. Ranma couldn't help but marvel at his sons. 'They've known each other exactly six months.' Ranma thought. 'And they act like they've known each other since birth.' He smiled proudly as his two boys chatted away like, well like brothers.

Hunger once again put at bay. Ranma and his sons left the restaurant and went in search of a shoe store. They had just reached an intersection when a squeal of brakes caught their attention. A car careened wildly around a busy corner. Panicked pedestrians scattered. Unfortunately one pedestrian, a woman, fell right into the path of the oncoming car.

Ranma didn't hesitate and he raced frantically toward the woman. The car grew larger and larger in his sight as with a desperate leap he reached the woman, picked her up in hs arms and jumped to safety. The car sped passed.

Ranma placed the woman on her feet. "Are you all right, Ma'am?" Ranma asked in concern.

The woman, an older woman in her late fifties, looked at Ranma, then the street and then where the car had disappeared in the distance. Police sirens split the air and two police cars raced in pursuit. The woman's mouth worked soundlessly for a second. "Yes, oh, yes." She finally gasped out. She placed a hand against her chest. "I could have...thank you young man." The woman exclaimed in gratitude.

"Just glad you're all right." Ranma replied.

"Apparently I am." The woman laughed in relief. "What is your name, young man?" She asked.

"Saotome, Ma'am." Ranma replied. "Ranma Saotome."

"Pops. Pops." Hayaima and Akama ran over. "That was awesome." Hayaima exclaimed.

"Awesome." Echoed Akama.

"One second you're standing next to us and the next...wow." Hayaima said excitedly. "I've never seen anyone move that fast."

"And that jump." Akama said. "Fifteen feet at least."

"Twenty." Hayaima said in disagreement.

"I said, at least." Akama shot back.

Ranma laughed. "Boys. Boys." He chided. "Lots of people can jump fifteen feet." He said.

"Straight up?" Hayaima asked. "Pops, you jumped over the car."

Ranma blinked. He was about to disagree when a thought struck him. 'Couldn't be." He thought. "Let's talk about it when we get home." Ranma said instead. He turned to the woman who was still standing there. "Well, I'm glad you're okay." He said. "Come on, kids."

"Please." The woman said. "I owe you my life.." She began. "Can I...?"

Ranma waved a negating hand. "Nah." He said. "I just did what I had to." He said modestly. He waved to the woman. "Come on boys," Ranma said. "We still need to buy you guys shoes." Ranma walked away. His two sons at his heels.

The woman watched Ranma walk away. "Ranma Saotome." She said. "I must remember that name."

Ranma and his sons found a shoe store. While they looked for shoes his two sons continued to replay the earlier events. "Pops had that look again." Hayaima said at one point. "You know, the same look Pops had when he kicked Hibiki's butt."

"Haya, language." Ranma scolded. "Especially in public." He continued. "I don't want people thinking I'm a terrible father."

"Terrible?" Hayaima exclaimed. "Gosh Pops, I don't know how you could be better." His exclamation was enthusiastically seconded by Akama. "Mom would tell me about you." Hayaima continued. "How brave you were. How strong." Hayaima looked down. "Sometimes I thought she was just saying that so I wouldn't feel bad." Hayaima raised his head. "But she wasn't just saying that." He declared. "You are brave." He said. "You are strong."

Ranma looked at his son. He raised a hand as if to protest. You could see the protest on his face. His hand waved back and forth indecisively for a while then he slowly lowered it. "How about we get some ice cream?" He said in a tight voice.

"Pops?" Hayaima said.

"Please, Haya." Ranma replied in almost desperate tones. "Let's get some Ice Cream and then..." Ranma looked at Akama. "We'll talk."

Ranma led the boys out of the store and quickly found a nearby ice cream parlor. Ranma let the boys order and asked for tea for himself. The waitress smiled at Ranma and walked away. Ranma could see the questions on both his sons faces but they seemed to understand that they should wait. The waitress brought over their order and with another smile at Ranma walked away.

Ranma took his time preparing his tea. He liked it sweet. He also needed time to compose his thoughts. His sons slowly ate their ice cream. Finally Ranma sighed. "Boys, there's something you should know...about your father." He said. "But first before I tell you, I want to tell you, tell you both, that despite what I tell you, I love you both." He said fiercely. "I love you both more than life itself."

"Pops?" Hayaima and Akama questioned in hushed voices.

"Haya...your mother and I..." Ranma paused. "We were friends." He said quietly. "Good friends." He said. "She didn't tell me about you until you were almost a year old." He raised a hand. "She was not ashamed of you." Ranma said. "But I...I was getting married to Akane, Akama's mother." He looked down at the table top. "Akama, I shouldn't have married your mother." He said in shame. "I should have married Haya's mother." Ranma choked back a sob. "But I was afraid." He said.

"But Pops." Hayaima protested. "If you had married Momma U, then I wouldn't have had Kama as my kid brother." Ranma looked up to see Hayaima shake his head. "I wouldn't have liked that." Hayaima said. "And...and I wouldn't have had Momma A." He continued. "I can talk to Momma A." Hayaima said. "About...things." He said. "Things I can't say to Momma U."

"And Momma U can cook." Akama added helpfully.

Ranma wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. He chuckled slightly. "Yeah, she can."

"And Momma A is like...I can forget she's a girl and just talk to her." Hayaima said. "You know what I mean?"

Ranma's chuckle was a little less forced. "Yeah."

"And we got the best Pops in the world." Hayaima said with all the conviction a twelve year old could muster. He pointed out the window. "My Pops just saved someone." He said. "How many kids can say that?"

"They are going to be so jelly." Akama said in glee.

"Jelly?" Ranma asked.

"Jealous, Pops." Hayaima replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh." Ranma replied. "Boys, about what happened earlier." An embarrassed look appeared on Ranma's face. "Think you could, um, not mention jumping fifteen feet into the air?"


Akane was running a dry mop along the floor of the main room. The television was going but Akane was only partially paying attention. "Now, in local news." The newscaster said. "A Nerima resident captured a video of a woman being saved from being hit by a car." He said. "It immediately went viral with over fifty thousand hits in the first hour." The announcer continued. "He used his cell phone to capture the image and it is a bit grainy but..." THe announcer paused. "You will have to see this for yourself."

"Now what." Akane asked in amusement. "Chickens in the steet?" She stopped to watch the video. Akane's mouth dropped open. "Uk-chan...get in here." She screamed.

Ukyo ran out of the kitchen with a rolling pin in her hand. "Akane, what?"

Akane pointed to the television. They...they...they just showed a video." Akane said in over controlled tones. "Of a man...jumping over a car...with a woman in his arms."

"Was it Ranma?" Ukyo asked. "Stupid question." She amended. "Of course it was Ranma."

"You couldn't see his face." Akane said. She nodded. "But he had a pigtail."

"He jumped over a car?" Ukyo asked. "Was it a little car?" She asked almost hopefully.

"SUV." Akane replied.

"Of course it was." Ukyo shook her head. "Big woman?"

"Not so big." Akane allowed. "About my size."

"Oh boy." Ukyo said in resigned tones. "A little magic, huh?"

"A smidge," Akane said sourly. "A touch." She added acidly. "Not a lot."

"Maybe no one will know it's Ranma." Ukyo said hopefully.

"Hey, we have an update on that Nerima video." The announcer broke in. "The man in the video has just been identified as a local martial artist." The announcer said. "A Sensei Ranma Saotome." He said. "Owner and head of the Saotome Dojo in Nerima."

"You just knew that was going to happen." Ukyo breathed. Ukyo turned at a sharp crack. The mop Akane was holding had just snapped in half exactly where Akane was holding it. A small pile of sawdust pooled at Akane's feet. "I hate to see what a lot of magic is like." Ukyo said quietly.

"Ukyo." Akane said.

"Yeah?" Ukyo replied.

"Your hair is moving." Akane said.

"Oh boy." They chorused.

End Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Nothing much to say other than expect frequent updates.