Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and whoever she sold the rights to.


"What we learn today, great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked in growing excitement.

Shampoo knelt across from Cologne, eager to start the next training session. Though her great-grandmother was a task master, Shampoo couldn't deny the results. Since Shampoo had successfully shown that she could muster her chi in ways other than internally, progress that surprised even Cologne, many of the lessens and exercises focused on increasing her body's energy flow. Shampoo was learning how to better regulate her chi so that she got the most out of it while at the same time decreasing how much she wasted. Cologne brought to light things that Shampoo wasn't even aware of doing, such as using the surrounding environment to draw strength from and using it to heal or for battle. Cologne explained that it was a natural phenomenon since Shampoo had been trained almost completely in the wild where life flowed more abundantly than in the manufactured cities. Even after a few days with her great-grandmother, Shampoo was confident that she could use her new chi attack several times in a row before becoming tired. Not to mention becoming better in all other aspects.

"Calm down, Shampoo," Cologne cautioned. "Today we are going to slow down a bit. I'm pleased with your progress but if we go too fast then you risk forgetting some of the things I've been teaching you. I want at least some of what I've shown to sink into that head of yours."

"I not that bad!" Really, after all this time, did her great-grandmother think that she'd toss aside her teachings so casually?

"Better than most students I've had and that sometimes includes son-in-law. By the way, interesting week we've had around here, correct?"

Shampoo knew exactly what Cologne was referring to. She huffed so hard that her hair tassels blew forward. Ever since Ranma had made his radio announcement a week ago in a desperate attempt to get the impostor's attention, things had been more hectic than usual. An enormous amount of people had come out of nowhere to stake a claim for Ranma in one way or another. Many were fathers who had struck a deal with Genma to marry off their daughters to his only son. Others were angry restaurant owners that came to claim money for unpaid bills or petty theft. And yet others were challengers that wanted to fight Ranma for glory.

Shampoo herself, along with the rest of the Nerima regulars, had been caught up in the fallout of her husband's thoughtless action. However, she mostly got involved when there was a new girl that appeared that wanted Ranma as her fiancé. If there was one thing that Ranma's most persistent girlfriends could all agree upon and unite them, it was to keep out more competition. Akane, Ukyo, Kodachi and herself had more or less set aside whatever arguments had been between them and divvied up the crop of new girls and convinced them to go away. Some had ended with challenges and Shampoo couldn't believe how many different martial arts styles had been used against them. Where did Genma find these people?

And yet, there was still no sign of the impostor.

"Stupid Airen," Shampoo muttered.

Cologne chuckled. "At least it hasn't been boring around here. Business has been so good with all the customers coming in to watch all the goings on that I might have to hire more chefs. But that's not what I want to talk about. I'm going to speak to you about battle tactics."

Shampoo groaned. A lecture was coming. "But what about training?"

"I consider this to be part of your training under me," Cologne explained. "In fact, I consider this to be just as important, if not more so, than your physical improvements. Plus, I think you'll be more attentive than usual since this relates directly to your current situation with Akane Tendo."

Shampoo flinched at hearing that name. It didn't go unnoticed.

"You have something you want to tell me, great-granddaughter?"

Shampoo sweated and fidgeted nervously under her great-grandmother's piercing look. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if Cologne knew exactly what was going on between herself and the youngest Tendo. After Akane left in tears from Shampoo's refusal to continue training her, Shampoo had hoped to avoid seeing her for a good while. Unfortunately, events conspired against her when the latest business with Ranma happened. It was inevitable that when the fiancées came together to work out how to deal with the sudden influx of girls wanting to uphold the deals made by Genma that Shampoo and Akane would meet again. It had made for some very uncomfortable moments.

Akane had pointedly ignored her most of the time and Shampoo was secretly pleased to not have to deal with her. However, every now and again, Akane would look in her direction which was causing Shampoo's current conflicting feelings. It wasn't a look of hatred or disgust. It was of disappointment.

Shampoo would much rather Akane hate her. That would have been easier to deal with. She had dealt with it ever since she'd met the girl, way back when she'd declared her interest in Ranma. Things had changed since then and Shampoo wasn't sure how.

And worst yet was the emotional turmoil it was causing her. She shouldn't be feeling this way! Shampoo often viewed Akane the way she viewed Mousse. An annoyance that didn't go away. She gave Mousse some slack because they did share a history with some good times sprinkled in. Whenever either of them became a problem she would do whatever it took to get them out of her way and then forget about it. Rarely did feelings of guilt ever get involved.

That is, until recently. First when Shampoo conceded that she had gone too far when training Akane for her rematch and again when she had essentially thrown Akane out when the girl had asked for help once more. At the time, Shampoo chalked up her feelings as a result of being tired and cranky. However, the feelings of guilt had persisted all week, reinforced by Akane's apparent disapproval.

Damn the girl for doing this to her. Why couldn't they just have stayed as rivals? It was so much simpler then.

"Well?" Cologne impatiently asked again.

Knowing that stalling for time wasn't going to help, Shampoo meekly said, "Shampoo...not feel good about what did to Akane."

"Go on," Cologne said when Shampoo didn't continue.

It seemed her great-grandmother was going to force it out of her. Angry at herself and at Cologne, Shampoo yelled out, "Feel guilty, okay?! Stupid Akane come here and ask for more stupid training when know it stupid to ask! Shampoo do what suppose to and say no but still feel bad! Is stupid!"

Cologne then did the last thing Shampoo expected of her. She began laughing.

"What so funny?!" Shampoo demanded. Her great-grandmother's only response was to continue cackling. "Fine! Shampoo leaving!" Unwilling to endure anymore humiliation, she stood up and headed for the door. She hadn't taken two steps when she felt a poke in her back that caused her legs to give out and fall into a heap onto the floor. Her arms still worked so she pulled herself into a seating position and glared daggers at Cologne. "What that for?!"

"I apologize Shampoo," Cologne answered through her dying mirth. "But I just find it so humorous how you teenagers react so emotionally sometimes. And over the littlest of things. Makes me glad I've grown out of it."

Shampoo responded by crossing her arms and pouting.

Cologne chuckled a few more times before going on. "And I didn't call this session over either. We've still got things to talk about. And by the way, it's fine to have feelings of guilt. I'd be more concerned if you didn't feel that way towards Akane Tendo. It helps with what I've got planned."

"What that?" Shampoo asked, more than happy to get off the current subject.

"I want you to reconsider training Ms. Tendo again."

"What?! You crazy?!" Shampoo blurted out before Cologne could stop her.

"Some have claimed that," Cologne conceded, smiling. "Too bad for them that I've outlived them all. But I'm serious. I want you to train Akane Tendo again, this time for much longer."

"But why?"

"I've spent the last week since Ms. Tendo left us thinking this through and I've come up with several reasons. First and foremost, we need to change our tactics. This quick-fix approach to son-in-law isn't working. It may have if there were no other girls clamoring for his affections but that's not the case. I believe this will break us out of this status quo that has been in affect for months now.

"Secondly, I think it's far past time that you learn that beating an opponent doesn't mean leaving them in a bloody heap. By training Akane, and doing it properly, she will grow to trust us. Given enough time, her family will grow to trust us. By becoming closer to them, they will see us as less an enemy, but friends or at least allies. That type of bond will be important when this mess with son-in-law is finally figured out. They will be more likely to listen to us and compromise rather than just stubbornly refuse. In essence, we gain to win more by not even throwing a single punch.

"Thirdly, this will be excellent experience for you. You've already shown that you can take a competent fighter like Akane and groom her to go even further. With me allowing you to train her in the full Joketsuzoku style, imagine what she could become. I think that she has the fortitude to weather through whatever we can throw at her and grow into someone truly magnificent. And the credit will all go to you, Shampoo.

"Don't sit there and deny that you didn't feel any pride when Akane triumphed against Kurumi. As a teacher myself, I know the feeling when a student overcomes obstacles that I've put in their way and they come back asking for more. It's one of the most satisfying experiences I've ever felt to see a student succeed."

Shampoo lowered her head to stare at the ground but Cologne could tell that she wasn't really looking at it. After a moment, Shampoo raised her head again and gave a sincere nod.

Cologne nodded as well and continued, "Finally, this will help present yourself in a better light to son-in-law. He strikes me as the type of man that reacts more to actions rather than words. If he sees you helping Akane along, without any ulterior motives shown, then he's more likely to trust you. I'm not saying that he hates you but should he make a decision on which girl he preferred right now, my bet would be on Akane."

Fire danced in Shampoo's eyes at that admission.

"Forget any form of revenge or punishment you want to dish out to her this instant," Cologne warned. "That will certainly not help you."

Shampoo trembled a while longer before finally settling down and released a long shuddering breath. She then looked up at Cologne, a pleading look on her face.

"I know that this is not something you want to hear but that's the reality you must face. That's why we must begin this plan as soon as possible. You need to show him that you can get along with others and not be a worry on his mind that you will take action against whoever he picks. And this will not be quick. A more long term approach is needed to convince him that you can be someone that he can spend the rest of his life with."

"This all worthless if Akane no agree," Shampoo quietly pointed out.

"Quite right. However, she's already shown an interest and that works in our favor. She came to us, not the other way around. That means we are the ones that get to set the terms. We spell out to her what is expected and what this means in the future.

"You had a point when you told her that it is unwise to help a potential enemy. She could take all the knowledge we give her and turn it back on us. So we tell her straight up that we reserve the right to quit the training if we suspect that she's going to turn on us. We can also threaten to use the Xi Fa Xiang Gao to erase all the moves you teach her if things get out of hand. If she agrees, and she still breaks the pact, then she has no one to blame but herself.

"Before all that however, you're going to have to clear up that little incident you had with her last week. Which means you are going to have to apologize to her."

"Why should I be sorry?!" Shampoo demanded.

"Didn't you already confess that you feel guilty? You don't have to like it but you will have to mean it. Otherwise, we can forget the whole thing and go back to the way things are. If it makes you feel better, Ms. Tendo doesn't hold any moral high ground herself when her own temper gets the better of her."

Shampoo sighed and contemplated this for over a minute. Never would she have thought that things would develop like this. Why couldn't she just keep taking Ranma out on dates and showing him that way how much they were meant for each other? Wasn't the last one a success? She was making headway, right? Why go to these lengths?

"I thought you were better than this."

Shampoo grimaced at the words that had been haunting her all week. It was disturbing just how much they hurt, coming from a person she had thought as a bug in her path. Truth be told, she had been looking for a way to ease her conscience and Cologne was offering that way. If it could do that and make Ranma like her more then it seemed like a good idea. Plus, Shampoo also had just a teeny little bit of interest at how well she could train Akane using her superior Joketsuzoku style with three-thousand years of history backing her up.

But only just a little.

"Will this work?" Shampoo asked.

"Hard to say," Cologne admitted. "Things could go exactly as I described them. Or everything could blow up in our face. I'll tell you this though. If we don't do something to get out of this rut we're in, then it won't matter either way."

Shampoo found herself agreeing. "Let's do it then."


In the Tendo living room, things were, for a change, fairly quiet. Everyone was just taking the time to relax and recuperate from the frantic week that they were having. Genma and Soun were getting a quick game of shogi in, Kasumi was preparing dinner, Nabiki was going over her earnings from all the fantastic money making opportunities that had popped up recently while Ranma was being patched up by Akane from his latest fight.

"I'd say I told you so for making that stupid announcement but I think the point's been beaten into you pretty well," Akane said as she placed the eleventh role of bandages around Ranma's leg.

"Stuff it, tomboy," Ranma half-heartedly shot back. If he were in better spirits, Ranma would have said something by now regarding Akane's attempts to help him. As it was, he was convinced she was trying to slowly mummify him. Before she could start with a new role, Ranma held up a hand to get her to stop. "I think that's enough. Thanks, Akane."

"Okay," Akane said quietly. She gathered up her medical supplies without another word and headed off to put them away.

Ranma watched her go with a concerned look. 'What's gotten into her?' he thought. Even with all the goings on the past week, he'd noticed that Akane just didn't have the spunk she usually did. She'd been awfully quiet and seemed depressed, especially during these down times. It really bugged him to see her like this and he had a sinking suspicion that he was the cause of it. The practice they had a while ago hadn't ended well and it was around that time that Akane began acting this way.

Berating himself for being an idiot, Ranma decided that he'd better go and apologize. He could admit that it wasn't Akane's fault that things were happening this way, what with this impostor and all. He took a few minutes to untangle himself from about three-fourths of Akane's wrapping job and took off to go look for her.

He found her in her room. Akane's door was closed and after knocking and getting a "Who is it?" reply back, Ranma announced, "It's me. Can I come in?"

"What do you want?"

"I just want to talk. Is that alright?"

"I want to be alone for a while."

"It's really important. I'd like to do this before the next crazy gets here."

Ranma didn't hear anything for several seconds. He was afraid she was going to tell him buzz off but a soft, "Come in," filled him with relief. He eased the door open, stepped in and quietly closed it behind him.

He saw her sitting at her desk with one of her workout weights in her hand. She wasn't lifting it like he expected to see her do. Instead, Akane was just looking at it with a frown on her face. Ranma made his way next to her but she didn't look up at him.

"What do you want?" she asked again.

"Um, I just wanted to make sure you're feeling okay," Ranma said. "And I wanted to say sorry."

Akane finally looked up at him. "For what?"

"For being a jerk last week when we were sparring. I know you were trying to get me to stop thinking of that dick with my name but I couldn't help myself. And then I kinda took it out on you. Sorry."

"Oh, that." Akane put down her weight and waved her hand. "Don't worry about that. It's no big deal."

"Really? Then what's eatin' ya?"

Akane sighed out, "It's nothing. Just stupid stuff."

"Is it about what's been going on this week?" Ranma pestered. "Look, it was a dumb move on my part but that guy must have heard it."

"Half of Japan heard it," Akane deadpanned.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Ranma grumbled.

Akane giggled softly at the put upon tone in Ranma's voice. Feeling a little better, she said, "Don't worry Ranma. I'm sure that guy will show up and you will be able to take care of him. You always do."

"Feh, I'm not worried about that." Ranma then stopped before he got too far into himself. He was trying to be serious here and going down that road usually did him no favors. Instead, he said, "There's something else I wanted to say too." Ranma twiddled his fingers together nervously and continued, "Um, thanks. Thanks for sticking with me this week. You've been a great help and I...I appreciate it. So thanks, I guess."

He was rewarded by a small, but honest, smile from Akane. "You're welcome."

Ranma felt his heart skip a beat and the temperature in the room skyrocket. In a daze, he began walking back towards the door while stuttering "W-well I'll be s-s-seeing you later then. Bye." His gaze lingered on Akane as he fumbled to find the door handle. Finally, he found it and staggered out of her room.

Akane sighed wistfully after Ranma was gone. 'What I'm I going to do about him?' she wondered. 'One minute he makes me want to tear my hair out and the next he can just be the nicest guy. If only we could get along long enough to find out.'

Akane's thoughts were interrupted when a knock came from outside her door. This time, it was Akane's heart that sped up, thinking that Ranma had returned.

"Akane?" came Kasumi's voice. "You in there?"

Disappointed, Akane called back, "Come in, Kasumi."

Kasumi opened the door, looked in and held up an envelope. "Akane, this letter just came, addressed for you."

"Really? From who?"

Kasumi came into the room fully and handed the envelope over to Akane. "It doesn't say. Just that it was meant for you."

Akane opened it and scanned through the letter inside. A confused look crossed her face once she finished. "It just says to be at the abandoned lot later today."

Kasumi gained a concerned look as she said, "Could it be a challenge letter?"

"It could be," Akane admitted. "With all the people coming in lately, it wouldn't surprise me that someone's challenging me for Ranma."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm a daughter of the Tendo Anything Goes school. I have to accept it." Akane placed the letter in the trash and proceeded to get ready.

"Shouldn't you tell Ranma?" Kasumi asked.

"No. He's been stressed enough as it is. I can take care of this myself and keep one less thing from his mind. Please, don't tell him either. I'll be fine."

Kasumi didn't look convinced but didn't press the issue. "Please be careful, Akane. Ranma would be so sad if something happened to you."

"I know," Akane sighed. "But I can't have him looking over my shoulder all the time. I need to show him that I can take care of myself. I don't want him having to come to my rescue every time I'm in trouble. It's not fair to him.

"I need to get ready so could you let everyone know I'm going to be late for dinner? Just say that I needed a nap or something."

"Okay," Kasumi reluctantly agreed.

"Thanks sis."


The weather was pleasant at Furinkan High the next day. When lunch time came around, many of the students went out on the grounds to enjoy the sun or sit next to their favorite tree. Among them was Ukyo Kuonji, who was cooking on her grill and handing out free samples of okonomiyaki to any students that didn't bring bentos. Business lately had been pretty brisk, what with all the people coming into town the past week, so she decided that a few handouts to her most loyal customers would be a nice thank you. It also helped in reminding people just who had the best okonomiyaki in town, something that they were sure to tell their friends. Word of mouth was one of Ukyo's best advertisement strategies. Why pay a fortune in newspaper ads and billboards when her customers could just tell others where to go to for the best okonomiyaki? It was the truth, after all.

Ukyo was currently preparing another of her specialties when she caught sight of Akane Tendo walking past. Even with the quick glance that Ukyo gave her, she could tell that Akane was acting funny. Almost as if she were in a daze.

Ukyo quickly finished up her order and handed it off to the waiting student. He accepted it gratefully and thanked her before heading off to eat. Luckily, he was the last in line so Ukyo put up an "Out to Lunch" sign then called to Akane. "Hey! Akane! Over here!"

Akane stopped her plodding and looked in the direction she had heard her name being called. Focus came back into her eyes as she saw Ukyo waving her over. She headed over and came to a stop just on the other side of Ukyo's grill.

Before Akane could ask what the other girl wanted, Ukyo asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

The rumbling in Akane's stomach was enough of an answer.

Chuckling, Ukyo said, "Come on, I'll make you something. Take a seat."

Akane nodded and sat next to her classmate. "Thanks Ukyo. I think I left my lunch at home this morning. I didn't even realize it was lunch time until I saw everyone heading out of class."

Ukyo began preparing two more okonomiyakis while she listened. "You okay? You've looked really out of it all day. I think you were paying even less attention than Ranchan."

"I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind lately."

"Is it because of this week? It's been pretty hectic around here, more so than usual. But hey, at least we've been beating back the bimbos trying to horn in on our turf." Ukyo winked at her and tossed her a completed okonomiyaki. She then set herself down to begin eating her own.

Akane gave her thanks and began eating as well but not with the gusto that Ukyo would have expected. It was a documented and proven fact that when martial artists got hungry, their table manners suffered. If Akane's talking stomach was any indication, Ukyo would have expected her to have finished half of it by now. However, Akane ate at a fairly slow and polite pace, staring out across the school grounds the whole time.

It was really weirding Ukyo out.

"Hey! Earth to Akane! You in there?"

Akane flinched as if startled and nearly dropped her meal. She looked back at Ukyo as if just realizing that she was there. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Alright, something is the matter. Is it Ranchan? Did he do or say something boneheaded?"

"No! No! It's not him. It's..." Akane trailed off as she once again became lost in her thoughts.

A light rap to the head from Ukyo's spatula brought her back. "I don't like being ignored, especially after I just offered you a free lunch."

"Sorry," Akane apologized while rubbing her head. She sighed and put down her half eaten okonomiyaki and promptly forgot about it. "It's just...something happened yesterday that's got me, I don't know, confused. Well, maybe confused isn't the right word. Maybe, um..."

"Akane, why don't you just tell me so you're not stuck trying to figure out how you should feel."

"Right. Well, it's about Shampoo and her grandma."

Ukyo sneered a little at hearing Shampoo's name. She still owed her for the humiliating defeat that she had been handed less than two weeks ago.

Akane was still talking. "I met them yesterday. And...they made an offer to me. To train me."

"Whoa, Akane! Stop right there!" Ukyo exclaimed, raising two hands up in warding gestures. "They. Want to train. You?"

Akane slowly nodded.

Ukyo couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What did you say? You refused, right?"

"Well...not exactly..."

"What, exactly?"

"I haven't decided yet!" Akane shouted out, anger and frustration filling her voice.

Ukyo stared at Akane as though witnessing the ravings of a lunatic. Finally, she found her voice. "Akane, sweetheart, this is Shampoo. Why the hell would she train you? It's obviously a trap."

"Actually, Shampoo has already helped me before."

Ukyo blinked. "You're kidding."

"No. Remember when I asked you and her to help with my rematch against the girls who took my dojo? After you left, I was able to convince Shampoo to help me. For real. And she did."

This was all news to Ukyo. She hadn't heard the conversation that Shampoo and Akane had had because she was too busy clawing her way out of the crater that Shampoo had left her in. She just assumed that Shampoo was giving some last minute jibes before leaving. After dragging herself back to her restaurant on that day, she had spent the rest of the night and the next day more or less licking her wounds. Afterwards, the problems with Ranma's announcement started popping up and she'd been so busy with dealing with that that she never caught on to whatever byplay was going on between her two biggest rivals. And even if she weren't so busy, the idea that Shampoo would help Akane was so ludicrous that it didn't even bear thinking about.

Ukyo was rapidly developing a headache.

Massaging her temples to help prevent the pain from getting worse, Ukyo said, "Akane, I can't believe that you're so dense that I have to tell you this, but you have to tell them no. It has to be some scheme or another to get to Ranchan. It doesn't make any other sense."

"You don't think I've already thought of that?" Akane none so quietly shot back. "Of course it is! I'm not stupid! But..." Akane trailed off and began biting at her thumb.

"But?" Ukyo prompted.

Akane answered so quietly that Ukyo wasn't sure if Akane was talking to her or herself. "Shampoo said she was sorry. And it looked like she meant it. And I'm sure I wasn't imagining her looking so guilty all week..."

"Akane! You're making even less sense now! What are you talking-?"

"Hey! A fight is about to break out on the soccer field!"

The excited cry came from a student running through the school yard while waving his hands, trying to gain as much attention as possible. He spotted Ukyo and Akane and changed his angle to beeline towards them. He stopped a few feet from them, gasping for breath at all the sudden running and yelling. After a few breaths, he blurted out, "Ranma's about to fight some dude! Come on!" Not waiting for a response, he took off once again in the direction of the field.

Ukyo and Akane looked at each other briefly then scrambled to follow. Ukyo didn't bother gathering up her equipment. Everyone in the school knew it was her stuff and anyone foolish enough to damage or take it was going to get the butt whoopin' of their life. And only if she was in a forgiving mood.

They reached the field along with most of the student body. Ranma's fights were a spectacle that no one wanted to miss. It was like getting ringside seats to a pay-per-view fight for free. If the fights were announced early enough, many times the local vendors set up shop to sell their wares since it was a great time to do business. The events became mini festivals in themselves.

As the student had said, Ranma was already out there, exchanging words with someone Ukyo and Akane at first thought was just Ryoga. However, the baggy camouflage pants and the absence of a bamboo umbrella were their clues that it wasn't the Lost Boy finding his way back and challenging Ranma to another duel.

"Do you think it's him?" Ukyo asked. "The one Ranchan was looking for?"

"Not sure," Akane answered.

Further conversation was interrupted when a bicycle ring followed by a cry of "Nihao!" filled th air. Shampoo came dropping out of the sky and landed right next to Ukyo and Akane, making them both jump in surprise. Shampoo parked her bike and grabbed the takeout box attached to the back.

"Watch where you land that thing!" Ukyo scolded.

Shampoo hmphed in response. "If wanted to land on you, would have already do so."

"What do you want, Shampoo?" Akane asked before a fight broke out between them.

"Bring lunch for Ranma!" Shampoo said happily. She then noticed her target in question was currently facing down another boy on the soccer field. Her eyes widened as she recognized just who it was that Ranma was about to fight. "That's him! That man that Shampoo see that take Ranma name!"

"So he finally showed up, huh?" Ukyo said as she crossed her arms and looked out on the field. "'Bout time. Now Ranchan can finally settle this."

Akane was about to comment further when she smelled something delicious just under her nose. She looked down and saw a bowl of ramen being offered to her. She followed the arm attached to it and saw Shampoo holding it out to her. "What's this?"

Shampoo was looking uncomfortable and was averting her eyes at anything else other than Akane. "Is part of apology," she said simply.

Akane hesitated for a moment before nodding and accepting the bowl. "Thank you, Shampoo."

Ukyo starred at the scene, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "It's true then. You did offer to teach her."

Shampoo merely nodded.

A sinking feeling began building in Ukyo's stomach. Shampoo had trained Akane and was offering it again. Which meant that Akane, and probably Shampoo, were going to be getting stronger. That didn't bode well at all with Ukyo.

Shampoo had already proven to be able to improve with only a month's absence. It was without a doubt that Shampoo was once again at the top of the female martial arts ladder. However, not too long ago, Ukyo would have argued that she shared that position with her. After training for her rematch against Crepe King Jo, Ukyo had managed to hold her own against Shampoo whenever they crossed weapons. It gave Ukyo a sense of pride that she could beat back someone that kept touting three-thousand years of martial arts superiority and rub it into her face afterwards.

But now? Ukyo wouldn't have bet a soggy okonomiyaki that she could challenge Shampoo and expect to win. Her new chi attack aside, Shampoo had been dominant this past week in helping getting rid of all the new girls looking to make Ranchan their fiancé. She was stronger, faster and even more skillful than ever before.

And now Akane was being offered the same thing? Ukyo was still confident that she could take the youngest Tendo sister but for how much longer? If Akane accepted Shampoo and Cologne's deal and suddenly rose in the ranks to outclass her as well, then Ukyo was in serious trouble. Having a combative edge was a major deal in this insane quest to convince Ranma to marry her.

And it wasn't fair! Ukyo didn't have a great-grandmother with bottomless martial arts knowledge or a father that would go to whatever lengths necessary to make their child the best of his generation. She barely had time to properly work out. She had school to go to and, more importantly, a business to run. The shop was a huge part of her life and she couldn't afford to take time off to train affectively. And until now, she had been satisfied with her placement. As long as she could keep up, Ukyo was sure that her other qualities would win out in the end.

It seemed that the others weren't so satisfied though. As Ukyo was pondering just what she could do to keep her relevance in the martial arts community, movement on the field caught her eye. She looked up and realized that the fight had begun.


About ten minutes earlier, Ranma had been told by one of his classmates that someone was asking around for him. He was about to begin lunch and was going to tell the student to have them wait but when he said that the challenger had called himself Ranma Saotome, Ranma had bolted out his seat and headed out to the field.

'This was it!' Ranma excitedly though as he made his way through the hoards of students on lunch. 'This had to be him!'

When Ranma arrived at the soccer field, universally considered the school battle ground, he found a boy around his age waiting for him. He could tell that he was in good shape, with a build perhaps slightly more muscular than his own. He had a confident and eager look in his eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

'Feh, doesn't look so tough,' was Ranma's assessment. Aloud he called out, "You the guy who took my name?"

"Funny," responded Ryu Kumon. "I was about to say the same thing."

"Bullcrap! I'm the real Ranma Saotome and there's no way I'm going to let you continue using it! So why don't you just admit that you're a copycat and I'll go easy on ya." Ranma cracked his fingers in preparation to administer his long sought after punishment.

Ryu placed down his backpack that he had been wearing and slammed his fists together. "Honestly, I could care less about the name. I'm here for one thing only. You are going to show me the 'Sea of 1,000 Fists.' The Umisenken."

Ranma scratched his head in confusion. "The What-a-senken?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Ryu angrily shouted. "I've waited too long for this moment. You're going to show me or I'll beat it out of you!"

"Heh, like that's going to happen!" Ranma countered then set himself into a stance. Whatever this guy was looking for, he certainly wasn't going to have his way. Ranma was going to enjoy this more than usual. Primed and ready for over a week for this chance, Ranma uncharacteristically lead off. He'd show him not to mess with the real Ranma Saotome.

"FREEZE!"

Ranma, along with all the people watching from behind, felt their whole body lock up just as Ranma was about to unload the opening volley on his otherwise wide open opponent. The hesitation was more than enough time for Ryu to begin his real attack.

"Fierce Tiger Opening Gate Strike!" Ryu swept Ranma's arms aside then unleashed a kick that landed square on Ranma's chest. Ranma went flying and landed painfully on his back. Ranma immediately clutched his chest in agony. He hadn't felt a blow like that since the skating match against the Golden Pair.

On the sidelines, Genma Saotome dropped the dumpling he was about to eat from his nerveless fingers. 'It can't be,' he thought in utter disbelief.

Genma made it a point to view as many of Ranma's fights as possible, even if Ranma wasn't aware of it. He usually snuck by the school every now and then to see if Ranma was involved in some type of battle or to catch wind of any planned matches. Genma wanted to be sure that Ranma remained in top form and would watch him to see if he could spot any deficiencies in his son's technique.

Today was one such day that he was grateful for stopping by. However, not even Genma would have guessed that the boy Ranma had been searching for would show up and know one of the most devastating styles he had devised, the "Mountain of 1,000 Fists." The Yamasenken.

"Impossible," he whispered. "I sealed that up. No one knows of it. The last time I used it was ten years ago..." A sudden memory popped into his mind. One of the few times that Genma truly regretted his actions. Of a poor martial artist coming to him, begging for help in saving his failing dojo. How Genma heard later that the man was killed in an accident because of the techniques that he had given him. The very reason why Genma had sealed up both styles in the first place.

"Oh dear."

Back on the field, Ranma struggled to rise to his feet. Despite the pain, he wasn't going to go down in just one blow, especially not to the impostor. "Is that all you got?" he gasped out.

Ryu looked on, disgust covering his features. "I guess you aren't the one I was looking for. The real Ranma would have been able to counter that."

"I am the real Ranma!" A surge of energy filled him and he launched forward. Ryu didn't get the chance to use his voice move and had to fend off the incredibly fast and powerful punches and kicks coming his way. Ranma pressed his advantage, ignoring the fire from his chest and finally broke through Ryu's guard and landed a solid strike to his face. Pushing himself further, Ranma unloaded as many punches as he could at Chestnut speed into Ryu's unprotected stomach. Ranma then sent him flying courtesy of a roundhouse kick to the head. He saw Ryu begin to recover in the air and managed to roll on impact with the ground.

Now it was Ryu's turn to pick himself up. His breath came in short wheezes from having the air knocked out of him. He wiped his lip from where the kick had landed and came away with a splotch of blood. "Not bad. But still not what I was expecting." He set himself back and beckoned Ranma to come at him.

Still riding his second wind, Ranma did just that. He leapt up and came down face first, intent on pummeling Ryu again.

"Poison Snake Searching Hole Palm!" Lightning quick, Ryu jabbed his hand forward, aiming towards Ranma's heart.

Ranma had been expecting some type of attack so he prepared to catch it and use the hold to kick Ryu into oblivion. However, the strike came so fast and with such power that Ranma only managed to stop it partially. Instead of Ranma's heart being ripped out he felt Ryu's hand claw his way into his skin, reigniting his earlier injury and nearly causing him to pass out from the pain alone. Using what strength he had left, Ranma swung on the arm and landed both knees into Ryu's face. The two fighters separated, with Ranma landing on his back again and remaining still.

Ryu staggered but remained standing. He hadn't expected Ranma to be able to fight through such pain and land a blow the way he did. He let the ringing in his head subside and the dizziness to clear. When he regained his senses, he spotted Ranma out cold on the ground.

'A good fighter, but not the one I've been looking for,' Ryu concluded. Despite his win, he felt depressed. He had been so sure that this would finally be the end to his journey.

With the surprisingly short fight over, people began milling about and talking about what they had just seen. Three girls separated from the crowd and gathered around Ranma's form and began fussing over him. Seeing that his work here was done, Ryu grabbed his pack and carefully put it on so as not to aggravate his injuries. He needed to find a place to recover before heading out again.

"Ranma!"

The name was so ingrained in him that Ryu turned to see who had called out. He saw a middle-aged woman in a formal kimono and with dark red hair slowly making her way towards him. She was carrying a long wrapped bundle but the look of utter hope and longing in her eyes is what caught his attention. She approached him as though afraid he would disappear at any moment. Once she reached him she tentatively asked, "Are you Ranma Saotome?"

"Yes, that's me." Better to stick with his alias since he still needed to find the bearer of the Umisenken.

"My son!" The woman dropped her bundle and suddenly lunged forward to wrap Ryu up in a hug. Totally caught off guard, he couldn't do anything to stop her and was still reeling from his wounds to try to pry her off. "I've waited so long for this day!" the woman continued to gush out. By the sound of her voice it sounded like she was crying.

Ryu had never known his real mother and his father was long deceased. However, the feeling of someone genuinely happy to see him caused deep seeded feelings to spring up. Of wanting someone to care for him. Slowly and hesitantly, he returned the hug.

"Mother..." No amount of acting could fake the crack in his voice.

The woman pulled away and just starred up at him. He was everything she had imagined. Strong, handsome and a terrific fighter. She had seen his spectacular battle with the other boy but only someone like her son could pull off the win. With adoration, she said, "You've turned out perfectly. I'm so proud. Let's go home so that you can tell me everything you've done."

The wheels in Ryu's head began turning. Obviously, this woman had mistaken him for the real Ranma Saotome which was what he was going for. If she really was his mother then that meant she might know the secrets to the Umisenken. It was the perfect opportunity.

The woman bent down and retrieved her wrapped bundle and turned to leave and take Ryu home. However, a movement in the crowd of students caught her eye. She whirled and spotted exactly who she thought it was. No one else wore that signature white gi and cloth on his head like her husband did.

"Genma?"

Genma's efforts to sneak away after seeing the terrifying sight of his wife were thwarted when he flinched at his name and foolishly looked back. His wife got a good look at his face, confirming the identity of her husband.

"Nodoka."

It was time for the Saotome Secret Technique. Genma turned and fled.

"Dearest!" Nodoka yelled after him. She began running after him, all the while trying to undo the tie on her package. She finally managed it, revealing a ceremonial sword underneath. She tried grasping the handle, only to lose hold of it. Her fumbling attempts to regain control caused her to accidental fling it forwards causing students to frantically dive out of the way of the rotating steel.

Genma heard a whirling just behind him. He looked back and ducked just in time for the sword to fly past and embed itself into a tree in front of him. The sword vibrated up and down for several seconds before finally becoming still. However, the near miss was enough to freeze Genma in his tracks long enough for Nodoka to catch up to him and grab hold of his gi.

"Husband, why would you run away from me?" she admonished as she turned him around to face her.

"S-sweetheart!" Genma stuttered while also evading the question. "What a surprise to see you here!"

"Why haven't you contacted me? I haven't received anything from you for over a year!" While she was chastising him, Nodoka reached for her sword and tried pulling it out of the tree. However, it was buried too deeply for her to get out. She was about to ask Genma to do it for her but Ryu stepped up and yanked it out with one pull and handed it back to her. Nodoka's eyes shined with complete adoration. "Our son is so wonderful..."

"Son?" Genma looked and saw the boy Ranma had lost to standing next to them.

"Yes," Ryu confirmed menacingly, cracking his fingers. This was even better than finding Saotome's mother. The father was for sure to know about the Umisenken. "Say hi to mom, dad."

Genma gulped at the situation he'd been found in. Nodoka on one side and this boy looking to thrash him on the other. It sucked to be Genma Saotome.

Not too far away, Ranma began coming to. His girlfriends tried keeping him down but he pushed them away gently and propped himself up. He noticed his father between the impostor and some woman he'd never seen. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Well Ranchan," Ukyo began. "You fought that guy there and, well, lost. Then that woman showed up and I think she said he was her son but then she began chasing your father and..."

Ukyo's rambling wasn't helping him so he tuned her out. Gathering his breath, despite the pain it caused him, Ranma yelled out, "Hey! Pop! What's going-?"

Genma suddenly rushed over and punted him into the sky.

"Ooooooooonnnnnnnnnnn?!" Ranma's cry faded into the distance.

The girls were all too shocked to do anything but stare at Ranma's dwindling form. Before any of them could turn on Genma, Nodoka stepped up and said, "Dearest, that wasn't called for. The poor boy had already lost. We should have done something to help him."

"Ha! Ha!" Genma laughed nervously. "I guess you're right dear! How silly of me!"

Akane was the first to find her voice. She regarded Nodoka with wide eyes and said, "Did you just call him dearest?"

"Why yes," Nodoka answered, noticing the girls for the first time. "I'm his wife, Nodoka Saotome."

The resulting facefault from everyone gathered registered a 6.0 on the Tokyo richter scale.

Akane recovered first and asked, "You," she pointed at Nodoka, "married him?" She then pointed at Genma.

"Yes. Who are you young lady?"

"She's Ranma's fiancé!" Genma proclaimed. He knocked Ukyo and Shampoo out of the way and pushed Akane towards a surprised Ryu. "You remember, hon? The deal to unite the Saotome and Tendo schools? This is Soun Tendo's daughter, Akane Tendo!"

Nodoka's hands flew up to her face in recognition. "Oh! I do remember you talking about that. How nice to finally meet you!" She gathered up a disoriented Akane into a hug. She then regarded Akane at arms length and said, "Please, call me auntie. Oh, this is the most wonderful day of my life!"

"It sure is!" Genma then brought Nodoka, Akane and Ryu into a giant group hug. "One big happy family!"

Ukyo and everyone else nearly retched.

Ukyo unslung her battle spatula and was about to interject and "remind" Genma of her own claim when she noticed that someone was missing. "Where'd Shampoo go?" Shrugging, she turned back and found that Genma was busy herding his wife, Ryu and Akane away form the school. "Hey! Come back here! What about me?!"

She began giving chase. No way was she letting Genma go without getting some answers. Unfortunately for her, Genma saw her coming and decided that he had enough damage control to work with. He pulled out a small white ball and threw it at Ukyo's feet. It exploded on the ground in front of her and caused a cloud of smoke to appear. Ukyo began coughing and her eyes teared up. She stumbled her way out of the cloud and waited for the affects of the smoke to wear off. By the time she had recovered and looked around, Genma, and everyone with him, were gone.


Shampoo bounded in the direction she believed Ranma had flown. She had heard enough out of the stupid fat fool and decided to check to make sure her beloved was okay. She couldn't believe that that woman named Nodoka could possibly wed a man like Genma. In fact, she had harbored the hope that Genma had stolen Ranma away from another family and was passing him off as his own son. It helped Shampoo rationalize having to be related to that man.

And people thought she was despicable!

Shampoo finally caught site of Ranma's signature red shirt on a rooftop not too far away and dropped down next to him. He was upside down, balancing on his head despite being nearly unconscious. Shampoo eased him down to a laying position and began checking him over for new injuries. She knew her husband was tough but he had taken quite a beating particularly where that boy had tried to skewer Ranma in the chest. Shampoo shuddered at remembering that moment, terrified that Ranma was going to be a corpse by the end. However, he was alive and she was going to do her damnedest to keep him that way.

She did her best to patch him up with the recourses at hand, even going so far as to rip off parts of his shirt and use them as makeshift bandages.

The sight of his bare chest had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

Really.

She also employed some of the new chi healing techniques that Cologne had been teaching her recently, pouring her own life essence into Ranma. After a while, Ranma began responding and blinked his eyes open.

"Whoa, what happened?" he moaned out.

"Stupid father kick Ranma away."

"Pops," Ranma growled. "What's he up to this time?"

"Nothing good."

"Who was that lady he was talking to anyway?"

Shampoo hesitated a moment before answering, "I think she your mother."

Ranma blinked. "I have a mother?"

"Seem so," Shampoo replied as she finished working.

Ranma noticed that she was done and tried to sit up. Shampoo pushed him back down. "No move yet. Not well enough."

"Forget it. I'm fine." He forced his way to his feet but a sudden case of vertigo caused him to fall back. Shampoo caught him and placed him back down.

"No be stupid! I move you."

"No way are you doing that! It's too embarrassing! Besides, I have to find them!"

"Find later. Need rest."

"Try and stop-" Ranma's retort was cut off as Shampoo popped him over the head, sending him back to dreamland.

"Stubborn Airen," Shampoo muttered as she bent down and picked Ranma up in her arms. She made her way to the Tendo home to drop Ranma off and leave instructions for Kasumi to make sure he stayed put.

Afterwards, she had hunting to do.


Akane was at a complete loss of what was going on or what to even do about it. Genma set a frenetic pace to get them to wherever it was they were going with no chance to slow down. Each time she caught up and tried to question him he would interrupt and say something about how much Ranma and Akane were in love and that the future of both families were secured. Or some such crap.

To make matters worse, she was traveling with the boy that claimed to be Ranma. She so wanted to deck him for hurting Ranma the way he did. Add to that was the fact that he was lying to none other than Ranma's own mother. It should have been Ranma walking next to her, not this creep.

The woman in question was the only reason Akane was maintaining her impulse to pound the two men into paste. She wanted to make a good impression for Nodoka and beating her husband and the boy she thought was her son probably wouldn't be seen as a desirable trait in a daughter-in-law. However, the first chance she got, Akane was going to demand that Genma explain just what the hell was going on.

Nodoka talked almost the entire time. She asked what her husband and son were up to during their time away, what places they had been and how well their training had gone. Genma fielded most of the questions, with Ryu only answering with quick nods of the head. Nodoka also kept saying how fortunate she was in hearing that radio announcement and how she had tried all week to find them.

Eventually, they arrived at a modestly sized house. It was half the size of Akane's home and she couldn't see any building for a dojo. However, it was nice looking and seemed well kept. A typical Japanese home. Nodoka ushered everyone inside so that they could properly relax and continue talking.

Just as she closed the door, a pink and white cat jumped up from behind the stone fence surrounding the house.

"Mew," Shampoo meowed.