Author's Notes –

I really have nothing to say about this fic other than to thank all those at TFF who have helped me refine my telling of this story.

Just a reminder – this fic is a crossover so don't expect me to stick to canon.

It's football season! And since next year might not happen due to a possible lock out or strike I'm going to make the most of this season as a fan and Fantasy Football manager. I do have to defend my championship this year after all.

Please read and review.

Though most of the residents of the Sou were gone for some reason or another, there were still a few who remained. As dorm manager Keitaro bore the brunt of the responsibility of ensuring that the Hinata Sou was prepared to weather the coming storm. Regardless of that fact, Ranma knew that he couldn't leave all the work to Keitaro.

The fierce gusts of wind rattled the siding and shingles of the Hinata Sou, making his task all the harder. Supporting a board with his hand, he grabbed hold of several nails. His dexterous yet strong fingers held onto the nail even as he drove it into the wood of the board. Positioning another nail between his mighty fingers, he repeated the process until there were several dozen nails lining the edge of the board. Curling his fingers he, drove the nails in with his knuckles.

"How's it coming?" someone shouted.

Slamming in the last of the nails, Ranma inspected his work. "I've got the third floor done," he replied. Taking a final look at his handy work, he leapt down.

"No!"

Nimbly he landed beside Naru. "No what?"

For a moment, she simply looked at him. "Y-you just jumped!" she stammered. "From the third floor!"

He nodded. "And you launched Keitaro to the top of a mountain from here."

"Well," she blinked, not sure what to say. "Um… he, um, he's like immortal."

It was Ranma's turn to blink. 'Durable, but not immortal.' "So, speaking of Keitaro, where is he?"

"He went into town for more supplies," she replied.

"Oh," he nodded.

Suddenly, her fist hit his shoulder, knocking him back a step. "What? What the hell was that for?"

"You jumped off the roof!" she shouted as she wound up for another punch.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, dodging her punch. "I've got work to do!"

"You moron!" she screamed. "You jumped off the roof!"

"Actually," he said as he adapted to the flow of her attacks, "it was only the third floor."

"You jerk!" she shouted. "You could have been hurt!"

"Hey!" he shouted back. "Your punches hurt more than falling ever would! You're a fucking gorilla!"

Naru paused. "Who's a gorilla!"

Before she could renew her assault he smiled.

"But you're pretty cute," he said.

Her rage extinguished, Naru simply stood there, unsure what to do or say.

"I've got to finish putting the boards up before they blow away," he stated as he slowly backed away from her. "So, I'm gonna go now."

The sound of rattling boards and glass made the task of studying all the harder. Though Naru and Keitaro were much more dedicated students than he was, Ranma couldn't help that he wasn't as strong academically as they were. Unlike the others who sat under the kotatsu, Ranma preferred to get up and move. Breezing through the exam, he waited as Keitaro finished his own mock exam and Naru graded his.

"So Kitsune's still in Nerima, right?" Ranma asked.

"Would you let me grade this?" Naru grumbled. "And yes, she's still in Nerima. Shinobu and Motoko are still at their club's summer camps and Sarah's with Seta."

Slightly irritated by the other man's inability to sit still, Keitaro looked up. "Why don't you grab a manga?" he suggested. "I've got a stack on the book shelf on the left."

Distracted as he was about Kitsune discovering his secret, Ranma tried to act nonchalant, something made all the easier since the others didn't know him that well. With the others focused on the mock exams, Ranma walked over to Keitaro's collection of manga and dojinshi.

"Since you're up," Naru said without even bothering to look up at him, "could you get some coffee?"

"Sure," he replied.

He wasn't sure why, but something was bothering him. Chalking it up to the mock exam, Ranma exited Keitaro's room, leaving the two ronin alone.

"Hey Kage," he called out as he stepped into the hallway. "Come on; let's get something to snack on."

The mention of food always summoned Kage. Though his canine companion had been spending plenty of time with Shinobu recently, the mongrel had also developed a fast bond with the Hinata Sou's unofficial mascot Tama-chan.

"Hey Tama," Ranma greeted as the unique turtle flew around his head, "you can come along if you want."

"Myuh!"

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm pretty sure we've got some lettuce for you."

Having spent the past five years or so with no one to talk to but the animals on the mountain, Ranma had become accustomed to interpreting the intentions of his canine companion. Fortunately his ability to understand animals extended to the odd turtle as well.

Again the strange feeling that he'd forgotten something nagged at him. Shrugging off the feeling he and his companions headed down to the kitchen.

The clear night's sky belied the fact that a storm was quickly approaching as an eerie reddish light illuminated village of Hinata. But the light did more than just paint the village red. For one particular resident the unusual full red moon turned an already energetic young girl into a vivacious young woman.

A spirited Su stood atop the Hinata Sou's roof, absorbing as much of the magical light as she could even as she focused on the strange flow of energies emanating from within the dorm. The many small changes in the lives of the residents didn't explain the strange energies. Though she'd kept quiet about it, Su knew that the source of the disruption was a direct result of the newest resident – Ranma Saotome. But with the boost provided by the moon she could, no, she would investigate the pigtailed martial artist, and she'd have fun doing it.

Gracefully, she leapt off the building, gliding down to the ground below as she rode the powerful gusts of wind.

Though he had spent much of the last year studying alone with Naru, Keitaro couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Ever since Ranma had been included into their study group, their sessions had taken on a completely new feel. Between the two experienced ronin taking time to tutor the master martial artist and his steady improvement, the time they spent studying had become more focused and productive.

To compensate for their intense study sessions they had agreed to also improve themselves physically. Even though Ranma refused to teach anyone any of the myriad of techniques he knew, he was willing to work with them to improve their physical conditioning without having to rely on insane training methods. But their balancing act didn't end there as they also strove to enjoy themselves when they weren't studying or sparring/training.

While he enjoyed his talks with Ranma and enjoyed the fact that he was no longer the only male at the Hinata Sou, Keitaro couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. No longer was he the only man around and thus no longer the only one to garner the attention of Naru and the other female residents of the Hinata Sou. No longer was his free time coveted by the girls as they sought to spend some time with him.

Between the time he spent with Ranma, the training and sparring with the pigtailed master, and the significantly decreased amount of time that he was around the girls by himself, Keitaro found that he no longer needed to dedicate himself to repairing the Hinata Sou as his limited time with the girls had also resulted in fewer instances of him bumping into the girls or walking in on them thus leading to fewer punches, kicks, or slashes that sent him flying.

As much as he hated to admit it, there did exist a part of him that treasured those few glimpses of soft, silky flesh. That same part of him also savored the few moments that he was able to spend alone with the female residents.

With Ranma currently off to fetch some hot water from the kitchen (which was odd since everyone knew that Keitaro had a personal water heater/water pot in his room) Keitaro was all alone with Naru.

Stealing glances at the attractive auburn haired girl as he tried to focus on his own mock exam, he found himself distracted.

'But this is my chance,' he thought as he failed to see how the numbers on his sheet related to each other. 'I haven't been able to spend much time with Naru since we went out for sushi.'

So focused was he on Ranma's temporary absence, he failed to realize that he was pressing down on his pencil until the wood and graphite writing utensil broke in his hand.

"Something wrong?" Naru asked absently.

Glancing at his pencil then at the young maiden, he shook his head. "No, I'm just stuck on a question. I think I need a break too."

Brown eyes looked up at him as Naru scrutinized him. "I guess Ranma has been working you pretty hard," she stated. "You don't even know your own strength anymore."

Keitaro blinked, not sure how to take her remarks. "Yeah," he forced a chuckle, "I guess I have gotten stronger."

'Yeah,' he thought. 'I have gotten stronger. Now if only I could work up the nerve to ask Naru out on a date. Still, this is my chance!'

Darkness greeted him as he entered the kitchen. He didn't need to flip the switch and have the lights not come on to know that the power was out as the usual glow from the microwave and digital clock were absent. Though he lacked Kage and apparently Tama's sensitivity to light, his years of living on the mountain top without the aid of electric lights allowed him to see better in the darkness.

"Sorry, boy," he said as he reached down and patted Kage's shaggy head, "the power's out so I guess I shouldn't be opening the frig until the power's back on."

Being the hardy canine that he was, Kage didn't even bother to whine.

Turning around he guided Kage and Tama back towards the stairs. "Guess we should go check on Keitaro and Naru."

Darkness did not always bring peace and calm.

"Ack!" a feminine voice called out. "Is this a black out? Where are you Keitaro?"

"What's the matter?" Keitaro exclaimed, clearly unprepared for the lights cutting out on him.

"Turn on the flashlight," Naru ordered.

Still running a few seconds behind, Keitaro tried to think of where he'd stashed the flashlight. 'Flashlight, flashlight… where did I put it?' "Just calm down," he urged her. "I'll get it."

Scrambling to his feet, he moved towards where he thought his desk was. Turning, he collided with what could only be Naru.

Landing hard, he found himself on his back with a warm, soft body pressed against him.

"Oh," Naru exclaimed. "Sorry, are you alright Keitaro?"

"Yeah," he squeaked. "Naru's so close, I can feel her breath on my face… I don't know if I can control myself.'

Unsure of what he was doing, he pushed off of the ground, bringing his lips into contact with hers.

The darkness was supposed to mask her presence. Against any normal person it would have, but Ranma was clearly not normal. Though he acted like nothing was wrong, it was clear that the pigtailed master martial artist had sensed her presence as he stopped in the middle of the hallway.

'No wonder Motoko respects him,' the foreigner thought as she observed his silhouette. 'He's good, very good.'

Seeing him continue down the hallway she wondered if he'd simply dismissed her presence or if he just didn't care that she was watching him.

"Try not to open the frig," he advised as he reached the stairs. "Opening it while the power's out might make everything spoil sooner."

"You're not curious about who I am?" she asked. Stepping out of the nook, she remained hidden in the shadows while providing him with a silhouette to work with.

Ranma stood impassively, not even bothering to turn to face her. "Kage and Tama aren't bothered too much by you, so they must trust you. Also, you're not here to cause any trouble or harm even though you radiate magical energy."

Su nodded, taking a moment to contemplate the situation. "I'm not the only one tainted by magic."

A deep sigh told her that her remark had hit home. Looking closely, she could see that he was looking up at the ceiling.

"Magic," he muttered, "is not something that I want to be associated with, yet I am. Unlike you, magic is not and never has been my friend."

Before she could ask anything else she caught the flicker of light as the power was restored to the Hinata Sou. Not wanting to be exposed just yet, she stepped into the deep shadows, vanishing just as the lights came on in the stairwell.

The return of the lights meant little to Ranma as he walked back up to Keitaro's room.

"Guess the study session's over," he concluded as he noted that Naru was no longer in the manager's room.

"Yeah," Keitaro replied absently. "I figure I should check on the back-up generator. Naru's going to check on Su."

"I guess having the lights going out on us would keep us from getting too much done," Ranma ceded. "Want me to come with you?"

"Sure."

Flashlight in hand Keitaro lead Ranma (and Kage and Tama) down towards the kitchen.

Considering the situation, the martial artist really didn't fault Keitaro for appearing distracted. Had he realized that the ronin was thinking about relationships he still wouldn't have faulted him for it; after all, he'd had little success with his various relationships.

"Can I ask you a question?" the ronin asked as the pair descended into the basement.

"Sure," Ranma replied.

As the only two male residents in the Hinata Sou, it wasn't a surprise that they spent a good amount of time together. Between living next to each other, training, sparring, and studying, they were rarely apart. As such it wasn't too much of a surprise that Keitaro asked him something.

"I know it's stupid," the ronin muttered, "but have you ever kissed someone?"

Ranma paused, slightly startled by the question.

"Yeah," Keitaro sighed. "You've probably kissed plenty of girls…"

Sadly, Ranma shook his head. "Once," he muttered, "just once."

Intrigued, Keitaro turned to face him, ignoring the generator before him.

"I don't even remember it really," the martial artist sighed. "All I remember is what everyone else said about the incident, but I don't actually remember it myself."

Keitaro blinked, still unable to comprehend things. "H-how did she take it?"

The pigtailed man shrugged. "She was too shocked to do anything."

"She didn't kiss you back or push you away?"

Again Ranma shook his head. "She just sat there, too shocked to do anything really."

A long, drawn out breath failed to calm her racing heart. 'He kissed me... He actually kissed me.'

Pacing around her room, Naru couldn't even think of any other methods to control her heart rate. 'Why did he kiss me? I'm not his promise girl.'

Shaking her head, she tried to get that memory out of her mind. 'I have to check on Su. Without Motoko, Sarah and Shinobu to keep her company I don't know how she's going to take the blackout and weather.'

With Keitaro temporarily out of her mind she left her room.

"Naru?"

Startled by Su's sudden appearance, Naru froze.

"Oy, you've come to play with me!" the younger girl exclaimed joyfully.

Before she could even begin to process what was going on Su was already on her back.

"Yay!" the blond cheered as she wrapped her legs around the older girl's hips.

"Why don't we play 'school'?" Naru suggested.

"Let's go see Keitaro and Ranma!" Su countered, tugging at Naru's hair as she did so. "I've got something to show them!"

Unable to think of any alternative options Naru relented. Carrying Su down to the stairs, she hoped that Keitaro and Ranma were still in their rooms. Finding their rooms dark and vacant, she wondered where they were even as Su continued to tug at her hair.

"Kitchen!" Su ordered her.

With no other options, Naru trudged down to the first floor.

"I was engaged once," Ranma sighed as he leaned against the cool cement wall.

Keitaro looked up at his companion, unsure what to say. Though Ranma appeared to be no older than Motoko the truth was that he was far older than he appeared. Talk of first kisses had suddenly turned into talk of relationships and of Ranma's past engagement as their discussion became more mature and serious.

"It was an arranged marriage," the pigtailed man stated. "My old man and hers were both students of the same master and they wanted their kids to unite the schools."

Keitaro nodded, slowly processing what Ranma was saying. "So, she was as old as you?"

Ranma nodded. A heavy sigh hung in the hair. "She's a lot like Motoko and Naru actually – quick to anger, a powerful punch or kick that was always ready to send me flying whenever she got mad at me. She was about as good as Motoko, but lacks her discipline, but much better than Naru."

"But you're better than Motoko," Keitaro remarked. "And she hit you?"

A half smile formed on Ranma's face. "Yeah, part of me hesitated to try and explain things to her – that same part of me that thought too much often slowed me down just enough to get belted by her. Kinda like you."

"Huh?"

"Well, you know how the girls belt you one after you do something stupid? Well, you over think things and that caused your body to freeze up or not react the way you want it to thus causing the accidents you were so prone to. But ever since you started training with me your body has started to react on its own without relying on you thinking. It's called muscle memory. But like I said, sometimes you think too hard about something and your body gets mixed messages from your head and from what it remembers."

The ronin nodded. "So, what happened?"

"I'd get belted."

"No," Keitaro corrected, "about your fiancées?"

"It got complicated. I had two other fiancées," Ranma said, his fists slowly clenching so that the skin around his knuckles whitened. "I never asked for it, but I was thrown into a situation that I thought I could just wait out. I was wrong and everyone else paid for my indecision.

"I see how the girls around here act around you and to you. I know those looks that they shoot you because I used to get those from my fiancées. Shinobu, Motoko, and Kitsune all have eyes for you."

'But not Naru,' Keitaro lamented.

"I know you care about them all, just like I cared for all my fiancées," Ranma continued to lecture. "I got so caught up in trying to be nice to all of them that I forgot who I was. My fiancées and rivals soon defined who I was just because I was indecisive and refused to take a stand."

Again Keitaro nodded, empathizing with the other man.

"I see you and while it isn't exactly like what happened to me, it's very similar. I know you're trying to get into Todai, and it's a great goal, but why are you doing it? What are you going to do once you get there?"

Despite his intelligence and long hours of studying, Keitaro really didn't have an answer for that question.

"Aside from school, what are you good at?" Ranma asked, probing him further.

"Well, I fight."

"Yeah, but you're decades away from being as good as I am," the pigtailed martial artist teased. "I'm good at the arts because I love it. Motoko is good because she's done it for as long as she has. Despite your talent I don't see the same love of the art in you that I have or even what Motoko has."

Taking a deep breath, Keitaro nodded, accepting Ranma's criticism. "I like to draw," he replied after some thought. "My classmates in high school convinced me to draw for their dojinshi. I've actually got copies of the two books I did with them upstairs."

"So study art and writing," Ranma suggested with a whole hearted. "Just remember to do what feels right to you and enjoy what you're doing."

His dorky smile plastered on his face, Keitaro nodded. "Yeah, I will."

The two men shared a moment of understanding and clarity.

"So," Ranma said, finally breaking the silence. "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

Keitaro shook his head. "No idea. I think we're going to need Su."

"Yay!" an exuberant voice called out. "We've found them!"

The two men looked up to see a pair of shapely legs walking down the stairs. Legs gave way to a skirt and another pair of legs wrapped around the hips of the taller girl.

"Speak of the devil," Keitaro smiled as Naru and Su descended the stairs. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

"Su's here to save the day!" the blond shouted as she detached herself from the busty auburn haired girl. "What can I do to help?"

Despite his recent studies, Ranma just couldn't wrap his head around how technology had advanced in the decade that he'd lived on the mountain. VCR's had been replaced with DVD's and the bulky and slow computers with their floppy disks had been replaced with CDs, DVDs, and flash drives. It was odd to think that a piece of plastic no larger than his finger contained so much information.

Regardless of his limited knowledge of all things technological, or at least in regards to things invented in the last decade, Ranma watched as Su and Keitaro hooked up the generator. Watching the young mechanical genius as she played around with the older ronin he couldn't shake the odd feeling he got from her. 'She doesn't sound like the girl from before, and her demeanor's completely different. But she does have a strange aura about her. Still, she seems more the type to create some mecha to come after me rather than use magic.'

Hearing his stomach growling, Ranma simply attributed the odd feeling in his stomach to being hungry. "I'm going to get something to eat," he said, informing everyone of his obvious decision.

"I'll go with you," Naru said, turning away from Keitaro and Su.

Leaving older ronin and blond genius to deal with the generator, Ranma and Naru headed back upstairs in relative silence.

"So," he finally said, his voice filling the silent void between powerful gusts of wind. "How'd I do?"

"Huh? Oh, you did okay," she replied as she looked up at him. 'He's taller than Keitaro too. And he's got such amazing blue eyes.' "You're showing great improvement."

"Of course," he grinned, always welcome to have praise heaped on him. Taking several steps away from the stairs he headed towards his room.

"But you still made plenty of bone headed mistakes," she growled as she turned away from the beaming man. Taking two steps, she recalled his mock exam. "At the rate you're going you might not pass the exam until next year. Your scores and your ego won't get you into Todai."

His grin weakened for just a fraction of a second. "Hey, with you helping me I'm sure that I'll pass the exam this year."

"Well, why don't you come up to my room and I'll show you your mistakes," she suggested. "That should deflate your ego a bit."

Rushing back to the stairs he followed her up to her room. Ranma couldn't help but notice the way her hips and buttocks swayed as she ascended the stairs before him. It was almost mesmerizing actually. 'Too bad Akane didn't act more like a girl instead of acting like a tomboy.'

Before he could look away the auburn haired girl turned around. "Your scores are still pretty bad and you're definitely going to need to study more."

Averting his eyes, he nodded.

"Yet even though you know you need to study more, you and Keitaro spend so much time doing your martial arts."

Ranma shrugged. "You have to balance your growth, both mental and physical. Besides, the martial arts helps teach you how to stay cool and collected when you're placed in stressful situations like the actual exam."

Naru opened her mouth to retort, but after a few seconds it was clear that she had no response to his claim. "You're right," she finally said. "Maybe I should start training with you three as well."

Smiling, she moved to turn around just as the lights suddenly went out once again.

"Ah!" Naru cried out as she missed the next step. Losing her balance she fell.

Despite the loss of light, Ranma's keen eyes managed to follow the busty girl's silhouette in the darkness. Instinctively he moved to catch her. Soft, firm breasts collided with his face even as he wrapped his arms around her equally firm buttocks and knee. With his face pressed against her bosom he could hear her heart pounding as she realized the position she was in.

Slowly, he lowered her so that her feet were now on the step above his. Having seen her act like his late fiancée, he expected her to lash out at him.

"Thank you," she whispered breathlessly, still clutching his head to her bosom.

Instead, the feel of her fingers running through his hair as she actually encouraged him to keep his face buried in her cleavage forced him to gulp. The sudden return of electricity and the lights though prompted her to pull away from him, a deep blush on her face.

Releasing his face, she quickly turned around. He could hear her take a deep, calming breath as she tried to compose herself.

"I'll see you in the morning," Naru muttered, not even bothering to turn and face him. Rushing off, she left him alone in the kitchen.

The cool morning air and clear bright sky greeted the two men as they left the Hinata Sou for their morning ritual. Rain or shine, they had spent every morning in front of the dorm strengthening their bodies and sharpening their skills. With the limited space that the roof provided, they had decided that the paved ground before the entrance to the Hinata Sou was much better suited for their rigorous exercise.

As always Ranma jumped right into a kata that stretched his muscles and limbered his limbs while Keitaro just did a few stretches. After only a few minutes they were ready for something more challenging.

"Here you go," Ranma said as he handed Keitaro four 5 kilo straps.

"You do know who much that is, right?"

"Hey, I'm going with twenty times a much," the pigtailed martial artist stated as he pulled up his shirt, revealing the weights that were bound to his torso.

"I never should have given you that Shonen Jump," the ronin grunted as he accepted the weights.

"Hey, that Rock Lee kid kicks ass. Too bad he lost to Gara though."

"Man, I hope Motoko gets back soon."

Without the kendoka present for their morning training, Keitaro knew that Ranma would push him to do some insane physical training. Had she been there the two would have sparred against Ranma (who would further handicap himself by tying one of his limbs behind his back and fight blindfolded).

"So," Keitaro said once he finished strapping on the last of his weights, "what do I have to do today?"

Watching as Ranma went through a series of Capoeira moves. Clearly Ranma had taken to his PSX, and one game in particular.

"You," the pigtailed fighter said as he supported his weight on his arms while twirling in the air, "get to run the stairs."

"Morning," a soft voice called out.

Only Keitaro turned to face Naru as she left the Hinata Sou. Wearing a loose grey sweater and matching jogging pants with her thick glasses and a grey headband, it was clear to him why she was out there.

"Morning," Ranma returned as he slipped into a helicopter kick.

Keitaro simply nodded. Turning around, he set off for the stairs. Though his talk with Ranma had helped, he knew that there was nothing he could do in regards to Naru. 'I have to focus,' he chided himself mentally as he took the first step.

"Run," he heard Ranma order Naru.

By the time he'd reached the seventh step, Ranma blew by him. That wasn't too surprising really as Ranma really was that much stronger and faster than him. What was surprising was that Ranma was running the stairs on his hands, taking each step without missing a beat.

'Focus, focus.'

The sound of Naru's panting breaths behind him told him that she wasn't far behind. Not sure of what to do should he actually see her, Keitaro forced her out of his mind as he focused on his task.

Reaching the first landing he no longer heard Naru over his own beating heart. The fact that Ranma was now ascending the stairs though was very impressive. The fact that he'd reached the same landing that Keitaro was on was simply astounding.

By the time he reached the second landing Ranma had already lapped him.

In thirty minutes of running Keitaro had only managed to run up and down the stairs three times, an incredible feat when one considered how much weight he carried, but compared to Ranma, well, few could really compare to Ranma.

"Good, you're done," the pigtailed martial artist stated. Now on his feet, he was set to run the steps and work his rested legs.

'He hasn't even broken a sweat!'

"When Naru gets up here I want you to show her the standard Tai Chi," the pigtailed master ordered him. "She needs to learn how to calm herself and Tai Chi's good at centering a person."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Keitaro nodded. Unlike Ranma, Keitaro was drenched in sweat and breathing hard.

"Until she gets up here I want you to do some Up-Downs."

Keitaro gulped in a mouthful of air. Rather than protest, he immediately stood straight up. Suddenly he dropped to the ground, performed a push up then sprang to his feet. By the time Naru had finally completed her second circuit of the stairs a small pool of sweat had formed beneath him (Ranma had already completed five more circuits on his feet).

"He's insane," Naru gasped as she clutched her side. "How can he do that?"

Keitaro shrugged. Taking a deep, cooling breath, he stood tall. "Come over here," he ordered her. "Ranma wants me to show you some Tai Chi. It'll help you control your heart beat and keep your emotions centered and grounded."

The calm skies and bright sun shone down on the Hinata Sou, providing more than enough light for Ranma and Keitaro as they removed the last of the wooden boards that they had put up over the past few days. Needless to say it was much easier to remove the boards than to put them up.

With the windows uncovered, Keitaro opened them up, airing out the Hinata Sou as a gentle breeze blew through the village.

"This is nice," Ranma sighed as he leaned back against the warm stone façade of the open air bath.

Keitaro nodded in agreement. "After a long morning of working hard, this is the best."

"Myuh!"

"What is it Tama?" the pigtailed martial artist asked.

Both men turned to eye the unusual turtle. Though normally found flying, Tama was also known to perch himself either on one of the girls' heads or their shoulder. But in the hot springs he was a completely different creature as he swam in the hot water or lounged on the hot stones while basking in the sun.

Seeing him atop the fence looking towards the building though was something new and unexpected.

Suddenly the turtle was flying across the open air baths towards the door to the Hinata Sou.

Startled, but sensing no immediate need to rush to any conclusions, the two men finished their bath.

"Where is he Kage?" Ranma asked his trusty companion.

Before the midnight black canine could even lift his head to sniff the air the sound of a body hitting the floor caught their attention.

"The lounge," Keitaro concluded.

Ranma nodded. The faster of the two, he and Kage were down the hallway before Keitaro had even moved.

The sight of an unknown woman laying on the floor greeted him as he entered the lounge. 'Shit, Tama must have startled her,' the martial artist concluded as he spotted the flying turtle perched on her shoulder.

"MYUH!"

"Yeah, I got her," Ranma said confidently.

Having spent over a decade seriously studying the martial arts, he was familiar with anatomy. Grabbing her wrist he checked for a pulse. "Not good," he muttered as he failed to find even a faint pulse. Taking a calming breath he continued to check for a pulse.

"Mutsumi?" Keitaro exclaimed as he spotted them.

"You know her?"

The myopic ronin nodded. "She's a ronin like me – failed the exam three times. I met her last year at the exam and even traveled with her after we both failed last year. She's sickly and prone to these spells."

"She's dead," Ranma stated. "I can see her soul leaving her body."

Keitaro opened his mouth to object, but he just couldn't contradict the other man. Mutsumi's spirit was leaving her body.

"Oh my," the busty brunette suddenly said, startling both men. "Keitaro? Fancy meeting you here."

"This happens to her a lot," Keitaro whispered to Ranma. "It's good to see you Mutsumi."

"Who's your handsome friend?" she asked as she realized that he was holding her hand. "He's so forward," she blushed. "Not that I don't mind being in such strong and capable arms."

It was Ranma's turn to blush.

"And such a well muscled chest too."

"Mutsumi, this is Ranma Saotome," Keitaro said as he tried to get a better grasp of the situation. "Ranma, this is Mutsumi Otohime, she's the one who gave me Tama."

"Um, hi," the master martial artists greeted.

Slowly the two stood as Ranma continued to hold her hand and support her.

"Hi," she replied.

"Hi," he repeated as he gazed into her soft brown eyes.

"You already said that," she chuckled.

"Oh," he blinked. "Sorry."

Slowly he extracted himself from her.

"So, um, Mutsumi," Keitaro said, breaking the awkward silence and drawing her attention away from the master martial artist. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, well, it's almost time for the cram schools to start up," she answered thoughtfully. "I know I've failed three times before, but I believe that if I can study with some friends at one of the better cram schools I'll be able to get into Todai this year. But to go to the same cram school that you're going to I need to be here, not Okinawa.

"I want to live at the Hinata Sou."

A/N

Yes, Love Hina and Ranma are both comedy series, but expect some drama in this fic.

Dreamingfox