A/N: Here we go again. This chapter is going to cover two story arcs. I'm also going to add in some stuff of my own. I hope you enjoy!

Ranma and Akane were walking home, after another day at Furinkan. Ranma had been careless cutting across the athletic fields, and a stray sprinkler jet had meant that she was a busty redhead. (The very dry Akane had been smart enough to watch where she was going.) Ranma was reading a challenge letter that had arrived at the dojo that morning. It was the most recent of several letters that had arrived over the last couple of weeks.

"Another challenge letter?" Akane asked.

Ranma nodded. "It's from someone named 'Tsubasa Kurenai'. I have no idea who that is. Sound familiar to you?"

"Nope. Maybe she's another angry fiancée."

"You know... that's exactly what I'm afraid of..."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice called out to them. "Ranma Saotome," the voice screamed, "prepare to die!" A mailbox flew down from the sky, landing in the street in front of them. After a moment, a voice from inside yelled "charge!" as the mailbox sped toward Ranma. She and Akane both jumped out of the way, with the mailbox slamming into the wall behind them.

"A mailbox?" Akane said, confused. Ranma shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine," she said. The belligerent mail receptacle turned and launched itself at them again; as it neared, Ranma jumped and planted a foot on top of it, giving it a rough kick toward the ground. The mailbox slammed into a light pole, snapping it in two.

A fist punched through the side of the box, and the metal peeled, revealing a girl about their age. "A girl!" Akane said. Ranma put a hand to her head. "Please don't be another fiancée," she muttered. The girl stood. She took a menacing step toward them, and promptly fainted, landing flat on her back. Ranma leaned over for a closer look. "Recognize her?" Akane asked. Ranma shook her head. "No," she said, "but I'm a little bit worried that we already guessed why she's here."

Ukyo appeared, hopping down next to them. "What are you guys doing in the middle of the street?" she asked. Then, she noticed the girl sprawled on the asphalt. Her eyes widened. "Tsubasa Kurenai?" she asked, looking horrified. Ranma recognized the name. "Kurenai," she said. "She's been sending me challenge letters. Do you who she is?" Akane peeked over Ranma's shoulder. "Is she a friend of yours?" she asked Ukyo.

The okonomiyaki chef didn't appear to be in a friendly mood, however. She quickly stuffed the girl in a garbage can and launched her skyward with a golf-swing of her spatula. She stood panting. "I never thought she'd follow me here!" she grumbled. Ranma looked in the direction that the can had flown. "Okay," she said. "You're going to have to explain where I fit into all of this."

It was after they'd walked back to the restaurant that Ukyo started explaining. Ryoga, who was already there, joined in the discussion. "Tsubasa and I were in the same class at my last school," Ukyo explained.

"So how does she know who I am?" Ranma asked.

"I was posing as a man at that school," Ukyo continued. "She was interested in me, but wouldn't take a hint. So finally, I told her I was engaged."

Ranma suddenly found herself flattened by a garbage can, which Tsubasa appeared from. "Oh, but I didn't give up!" she cried. "I sent love letter after love letter!" Ranma shoved her off roughly.

Ukyo shook her head. "Since she wouldn't leave me alone, I sent her a picture of Ranma. She thought I was a boy, so I needed a girl, so I sent a picture of redhead Ranma."

"You couldn't have used a picture out of a magazine?" Ranma said, rolling her eyes.

Tsubasa popped out of the trash can, squinting at Ranma. "Ugly!" she spat. Ranma reddened. "I'd rather be ugly than brainless," she said, starting to grow more than a little irritated at the newcomer. Akane jumped to her feet, reaching over and yanking a shocked Ukyo's shirt open. "See?" she said. "Ukyo is a girl. Get it?"

Tsubasa smirked. "Do you think I'm blind?" she said. "I knew all along! I'm only interested in girls! Ukyo will still be mine!" She turned to storm out. "Ugly!" she shouted back at Ranma. Now fed up, Ranma leapt, landing right in front of the retreating girl. "Stop!" she shouted holding a hand up. "I can end this really easy. Ukyo's not interested in girls. She sent you my picture because she thought you thought she was a guy. She likes guys, and I'm not her fiancée. Get it? She doesn't like girls!"

"Ranchan?" Ukyo said quietly. "Tsubasa is a boy."

Ranma must have looked confused, because Tsubasa opened the front of her dress, revealing a very flat chest. "See?" (he) said. Ranma stiffened. "You called me ugly before," she mumbled, "and you're a guy in drag? Are you kidding me?" Then, another thought hit her. "And did you miss that I'm a girl? If Ukyo was a lesbian, she wouldn't have wanted you anyway!"

Tsubasa closed her dress. "I could easily make myself a convincing girl for her," she said indignantly. "I fooled you, didn't I?"

Ranma shook her head, deciding that she'd officially reached her bullshit limit at that point. "I've heard enough," she spat. "This ain't my problem. We're only friends. The guy in the yellow bandana... she's with him."

Ukyo and Ryoga blushed. "Well, Ran-chan," Ukyo muttered. "We hadn't really... I mean, we've never really talked about... y'know..." Ranma looked at Tsubasa. "Well, whatever," she said. "Any way you slice it, I ain't involved, so leave me the hell alone, alright? C'mon, Akane, let's go home and make use of the furo. I'll see you two at school." She rose, grabbing Akane's hand and heading out the door.

Ranma shook her head as they walked back toward their house. "I don't mean to dump things on Ukyo," Ranma said, "but I've dealt with enough drama. That girl... boy... is her problem."

"You know you called yourself a girl, right?"

"I am on the outside, at least right now. You know what I meant!"

Akane chuckled. "I know, I know."

(A/N: I nearly published this with a mistake that others might have made. If you've read the manga, did you catch that Ukyo knew Tsubasa was a guy the whole time? I almost missed that.)

The next morning, Ranma came in from her spar with her father. And she was indeed a 'her', having taken another dip in the koi pond. Why did he insist on fighting right over it, anyway? She plopped down at the kotatsu, only noticing after she'd sat that Nabiki was sitting across from her. While Nabiki wasn't particularly cheerful in the morning, she looked downright enraged. Ranma, however, felt mirthful— this was the first she'd seen of the middle Tendo since her romp with Kuno.

"So, Nabiki," she said, barely containing a grin. "How was your date with Kuno-sempai?"

"I know it was you, Saotome. I found the empty bracelet in your stuff. I was messed up all night and halfway through the next day!"

"Yeah, well... I thought you could use a little distraction."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Hey, I think it was a great matchmaking job! Girls seem to think he's handsome... I'll never figure that one out... and he's rich and dumb, which would be perfect for you!"

"Kuno is not remotely attractive, and that's not the point anyway."

"Aw, come on, how bad could it have been? So you acted a little goofy around him. What's the worst that could've happened?"

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Damn it, Ranma, I slept with him!"

Ranma sat silently for a moment, as that thought sunk in. As soon as it did, she dropped to the floor, no longer able to contain her laughter. "Oh, that's priceless!" she gasped between laughs, holding her sides. "You made it with Kuno! Ha! I wouldn't have thought he'd bring it out for anybody besides Akane and his 'pig-tailed goddess'!" She gasped for breath. "Oh, you made my day! Forget day... you made my month!" Just then, a thought crossed her mind. The laughing stopped, and she hurriedly sat up. "Oh geez," she said quietly. "That wasn't your first time, was it? Kami, I'm sorry, Nabiki! I didn't think you'd..."

Nabiki held a hand up. "It wasn't my first, but there haven't been many, so that's little comfort. You know, in some circles, causing a girl to have sex without her consent is rape. I never did anything that bad to you! I could've knocked you out and let Shampoo have you for a price!"

"You could have! How the hell would I know the difference?"

Nabiki maintained her angry glare.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "All right, how much'll it cost me?"

Nabiki looked insulted. "You think money will console me after what happened?"

"Quit with the damn theatrics; at least I'm offering."

Nabiki dramatically put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, I suppose ten rolls' worth could ease the pain."

"One roll."

"Five."

"One roll!"

"Fine, Saotome. Come to my room Monday after school." She stood and left. Ranma turned to the television. "It was still worth it," she said with a smirk.

Friday morning, the family sat at breakfast as the morning news ran on the television. The announcer was doing a public interest story. "This is Checkers Hibiki," he said, petting a black and white dog. "She's looking for her master. She'd like him or her to come home and see the puppies she's just had." Everyone's attention turned to the TV. "Did he say 'Hibiki'?" Kasumi asked.

Akane looked at Ranma. "We should probably call Ukyo, huh?" she suggested. Ranma scratched his head. "Well, we're about to head to school," he replied. "We can tell them about it when we see them."

A few minutes later, they'd caught up with Ryoga and Ukyo, who were en route to Furinkan. Ranma and Akane took notice of Ukyo holding Ryoga's arm. Ranma pointed. "Things are heating up, huh?" he asked, his voice dripping with comic sweetness. Ryoga blushed while Ukyo rolled her eyes. "It's a system we worked out," she said. "It looks like I'm holding his arm, but really, I'm leading him. It's so he doesn't get lost."

"Pretty smart," Akane said.

"And you realize everyone at school's going to think you're dating, right?" Ranma said with a chuckle.

Ukyo glared at him.

"We saw something on the TV this morning that might interest you two," Akane said.

"Checkers?" Ryoga asked. "Yeah, we saw it, too. She's my dog, all right. I haven't seen her in years."

"We'll need your help," Ukyo chimed. "Ranma's the only person that might know where his house is."

Ranma nodded. "I figured that would be the case. I remember it. Actually, it would be pretty cool to see my old neighborhood. Me and pop lived there until we left for China a year ago. I haven't seen it since."

"Is it far from here?" Akane asked.

"Outside of Nagoya," Ranma replied. "It's a few hours by train. We'd better go tomorrow."

"That won't be cheap," Ryoga said. "Maybe I ought to find my way there myself."

Ukyo tugged on his arm. "You'd never get there. Besides, I make enough in one night to buy us all tickets there. Don't worry about it." She brightened. "We'll make a trip of it!"

Ranma chuckled. "You don't know where my old house is, Uuchan? You weren't following us back then, huh?"

"Nah, I paid somebody to find your dad, so I found you right after I started looking."

Ranma became wistful. "Ah, I can remember all the places we rented. I don't know where my parents lived when I was born; I remember it, but I don't remember the address, and pop won't tell me. I wonder if my mom's still there. Me and pops camped a lot, but we rented a few houses when we settled down for a year or two in between trips. I think I lived by Ryoga for two years. Same with Uuchan. It's going to be nice to see the old house again."

It was noon on Saturday that they arrived in Nagoya. Ranma started leading the others, though he found his memory to be a bit sketchier than he thought it was. After stopping twice to buy maps, he recognized a familiar ward and machi name, and after a short hike, they were standing in front of the Hibiki household. Ranma eyed the shaggy grass and mailbox on the verge of exploding. "Lemme guess," he said. "Your whole family gets lost."

"I'm the only child," Ryoga replied. "But yeah, I get my sense of direction from my parents."

"What were the odds of them meeting in the first place?" Ukyo wondered aloud.

"Or getting their bearings enough to figure out sex," Ranma muttered. Ryoga shot him a dirty look.

Just then, they heard an excited bark. A familiar-looking dog bounded from the back yard of the house, leaping at Ryoga and nearly knocking him down. Ryoga hugged the animal tight. "Somebody's happy to see you," Ukyo said with a smile. Ryoga took Checkers inside while Ranma extracted the pile of mail from the mailbox. "I hope there isn't more waiting at the post office," he said, marveling at the sheer volume of it all. He and Akane followed the others inside.

The inside of the house wasn't terrible, but it was obvious that it had been empty for some time. Ryoga examined a lunch left for him on the table. "Mom left this," he said. "Looks like it's been here about ten days." He looked around, reading a note on the refrigerator. "Dad's in Hokkaido," he said. "He won't be back until Christmas." He set about making tea, while the others played with the puppies, whose eyes weren't open yet. The girls were especially giddy at the cuteness of them, though Ranma had to admit that he was enjoying them, too.

Ryoga took everyone on a tour of the house, with Checkers following the whole time. They were awestruck at his bedroom— souvenirs from all over the world adorned it. "Most of the time," Ryoga explained, "I'll drop off what I've bought when I stumble upon the place." Ranma squinted at something with English writing on it. "Kami, Ryoga," he said, "how far have you gone? Doesn't it clue you in that you're lost if you're crossing the ocean?" Ryoga looked sheepish. "I never know when I've switched continents," he said. "I think I wander into planes and boats without realizing it."

Ranma looked out the window, pulling Akane over and pointing to an empty lot in back. "That's the lot he got lost trying to find," he said. Ryoga's dirty look returned.

After some tea, Ranma and Akane left the house. Ranma wanted to see the last house he'd lived in. It wasn't far away; just a block over. Arriving, he leaned on the wall by the gate, surveying the place. It was exactly as he remembered it, though the grass was long and a "for rent" sign sat in the front yard. "Must not have found a new tenant," he mused.

He walked around the house, peering in the windows. Indeed, the inside of the house was bare. He delighted in telling Akane about it. "Pop slept in there," he said, looking into a window. "My room was upstairs. That window up there." He stood at the back door, looking across the back yard. "I was too old to play with toys when we lived here," he said, "but me and pop spent a lot of time training back here. It's weird to be back. Be thankful you'll spend the rest of your days where you've always lived. Your dad is a lot better at planning than mine is."

He felt a bit emotional. Akane must have sensed it, putting her arms around him and giving him a squeeze. "Seeing this place makes me think of two things," he said. "First, when we left here, there was no girl Ranma. I remember training in thunderstorms right here in this yard... as a guy. I don't know if this curse is a good thing or bad thing, but... being here reminds me even more how things used to be.

"And the other thing... it makes me want to see the other places I've lived. The early places... when I was young, that's what gives you really nice memories of a house. Me and Uuchan, we spent a bunch of time together. That house was the first place we settled at after dad took me. We must have been out camping for a solid two years in between, though. Then we left... bounced around so many campgrounds that I just have a few random memories of places I'd never hope to find. But there were other a couple of other houses and other friends. No one I knew as well as Uuchan, but I want to find them anyway.

"And the biggest part of that— I want to find my mom and our old house. Where we were living when I came home from the hospital. She probably is in the same old house, waiting for us to come back. That's the one thing that pop's let slip before... that she's expecting us to return. I mean... I have a fiancée, I know where I'm going to graduate high school from, and I know where I'll be and what I'll be doing for the rest of my life. It's time to find her."

Akane gave him another squeeze, as the memories filled his brain.

When they arrived back at Ryoga's house, Ukyo looked a bit worried. "What's wrong?" Akane asked. Ukyo leaned close to them. "I'm a little worried," she whispered. "I want Ryoga to stay with me like he has been, but I think he might want to live here now that he found the place. His dad called here earlier, and they talked awhile."

"That couldn't end well," Ranma said. "He's here now, but he'd just wander off as soon as he's left alone!"

"And he's enrolled at Furinkan already," Akane added.

Ryoga came into the room. "There's a spare bedroom that you two can use," he said to Ranma and Akane. He turned to Ukyo. "You can use my bed if you want, Ukyo," he continued. "I'll drag the futon out here into the living room." He sat down, picking up a puppy and petting it. "So, Ryoga," Ranma said nonchalantly, "now that you're here, are you staying here or coming back with us to Nerima?"

Ryoga looked uncertain. "I'm not sure," he said. "It is an opportunity to stop mooching off of Ukyo..."

"You're not mooching!" Ukyo said, a bit too quickly.

"I think you ought to stay with Uuchan," Ranma said. "You need to live with somebody with a normal sense of direction, or you're going to get lost."

Ryoga seemed to be thinking. "I guess you're right," he said after a moment. "It takes me months to find this place."

"Besides," Akane said, "Ukyo knows where this house is now, so she can take you here any time you want to come out. And you won't have to switch schools!"

Ryoga simply nodded, looking a bit embarrassed but focusing on the puppy in his hands.

They took the train home late Sunday, and by Monday afternoon, Ranma found herself female and in Nabiki's room, feeling more uncomfortable that when Shampoo squeezed her male form. She watched Nabiki set up a backdrop for her to pose in front of. The middle Tendo produced a costume, holding it out to her. She looked at it: it consisted of a black one-piece, cut light a bathing suit, with fishnet stockings and a bunny tail. Something very Playboy-esque. She made a face.

"Ah, Nabiki," she said, "I don't think guys are really into these kinds of costumes."

"What do you suggest, man trapped in a woman's body?"

"Ah, I dunno... guys just like women wearing as little as possible, really."

Nabiki smirked. "Good thinking, Ranma. You have some girls' underwear, don't you? Go change into it."

Ranma's original purpose was to get out of wearing the ridiculous costume, but now, she realized that she'd shot herself in the foot. Unfortunately, she already knew that Nabiki wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Hanging her head, she headed for her bedroom.

Akane was inside, working on some homework at her desk. She watched for a moment as Ranma changed into a bra, panties, and a robe. She spoke once Ranma turned around. "You didn't seriously agree to pose like that, did you?"

"I didn't mean to, but I said the wrong thing, and now I'm stuck."

Akane smirked. "Enjoy yourself."

Ranma shuddered, heading back to Nabiki's room.

After his photo shoot, Ranma hoped for a quiet few days, but the next day was anything but. He and Akane had barely stepped through the Furinkan gate at the end of the day before Kuno appeared, once again begging Akane for a date. The couple looked at him incredulously. "Ah, Kuno..." Akane said, holding up her hand, which Ranma was holding. The clueless upperclassman didn't seem to notice.

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Just go play around with Nabiki already, would you?"

Kuno was taken aback. "I have no intention of settling for the sister of my dream girl!"

"That's not what I heard..."

Kuno, now turning red and starting to foam at the mouth, pointed his bokken at Ranma's chest. "You slander me, Saotome," he said in a low tone.

"Well one of you's lying, because Nabiki said you cleared the bats out of her cave..."

"Really?" Akane said in shock.

Kuno withdrew his bokken. "I am saving myself for the girl that I marry," he said. "and any story to the contrary is a lie."

Ranma leaned over to Akane. "No guy's going to lie about that," he whispered. "I'm thinking I posed for pictures for nothing." He faced Kuno. "Well, if you change your mind, I'm sure Nabiki's rates are reasonable." With that, he planted a foot on Kuno's face and took off for the Tendo house, with Akane following close behind.

Once they got home, Ranma and Akane found Nabiki watching television in the washitsu. Ranma stood, looking down at her. "I just had an interesting talk with Kuno," he said flatly. Nabiki turned the television off and faced him.

"Oh?"

"He doesn't seem to remember you two humping."

"He must be forgetful."

"Bullshit."

The middle Tendo smirked. "I have to give you credit, Ranma," she said, rising. "You were absolutely right. He'd never touch anyone besides you two. He ran from me like I was diseased." She turned to leave. "Oh, and I can't fault your matchmaking skills,"she said over her shoulder. "He's extremely attractive. If I could put up with his double digit IQ I'd have married him already. That body with all that money..." She wandered out of the room.

Ranma stood, looking straight ahead, very much surprised. "Akane," he muttered, "if somebody ever kills Nabiki in her sleep, go ahead and assume it was me."

A/N: Did anybody else think that the crying lost puppy in the Ryoga arc was about the saddest thing ever drawn? I'm going to skip the next story arc; the Happo-fire-burst is... well... Ranma's personality has almost nothing to do with the events of this chapter. I'd end up simply translating it. Then is the story arc where Shampoo makes Ranma hug people every time he sneezes. I have an interesting angle on that one, so it'll be next. I think you'll all like that one.