episode 1:

Here's Ranma! and Kenma, Too!

FEATURING THE VOICE TALENTS OF:

Brigitta Dau as Female-Ranma

Robert O. Smith as Genma

Rick Jones as Kenma

David Kaye as Soun

Willow Johnson as Kasumi

Angela Costain as Nabiki

Myriam Sirois as Akane

Sarah Strange as Male Ranma

Ian James Corlett as Tour Guide

Composers:

Shunsuke Kikuchi and Hideharu Mori

NERIMA, JAPAN

Tuesday at 2pm

The rain poured down in the streets of Nerima as a red-headed girl raced down the road; in pursuit of her was a panda bear, followed by a ginger-haired boy in a blue, ripped, short sleeved jean jacket & Japanese sweatpants that spelt out "Senpai" on the side in kanji, and beige boots, a hood covering his head and hands in pockets.

"Hey!" the girl snapped as she threw her backpack aside. "You better cut that out!"

The massive ursine lunged for her, but she leapt up and kicked him in the face, toppling him over. Fortunately, the boy behind him managed to get out of the way just in time.

"Geez, watch where you're kicking; he almost flattened me!" the boy exclaimed.

"Well, he DIDN'T!" the girl replied. Before she could walk away, the panda leapt to his feet, and smacked her, sending her sliding down a street corner and into a more populated area.

This, of course, garnered the attention of several passers-by, who ALL turned towards the giant panda approaching the young girl. The boy managed to catch up to the panda and squeezed out from behind him, so as to not end up as collateral damage.

The girl regained her bearings and resumed a fighting stance once again. Of course, the panda also got his bearings, and assumed a stance, much to the shock of the people.

The boy sighed as he reached into his backpack and pulled out an umbrella. "Time to play crowd control; this could get messy..." he murmured, before clearing his throat. "OKAY, PEOPLE! LET'S GO, DOUBLE-TIME! MOVE-IT-MOVE-IT-MOVE-IT!" he shouted, trying to shoo the people away.

"C'mon, it's your move," the girl said as the area grew less and less populated, while the panda swiped at her with one massive claw. She managed to dodge the attack. "Well, I still say the whole thing sucks!"

Two more claw-swipes, and two more dodges. The third swipe was intercepted when the girl grabbed the panda's paw right out of the air.

"PICKING MY FIANCE FOR ME WITHOUT EVEN ASKING…!" she shouted, as she displayed an incredible feat of strength by hoisting the bear over her shoulder and right into a nearby street sign.

The battle seemingly concluded, the girl went over and picked up her backpack, panting in exhaustion.

"We're going back to China now," she glowered. "You can stay a panda, for all I care! C'mon, Kenma, get the lead out."

The boy, Kenma, turned to his companion. "So, we're gonna swim back there?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, genius, we're takin' the next boat there," the girl shot back.

Kenma gave a deadpan look. "...you got money for a boat?" he asked.

The girl's cocky bravado vanished a few seconds later. "...alright, we'll swim there," she replied, right before the panda clambered back to his feet. Before the girl even noticed...

KLANG!

...she had been knocked out cold.

"Have you lost your marbles, old man?" Kenma snapped as the panda hoisted the girl over his shoulders. "You could've killed her!"

The panda just growled something in response at the boy.

Kenma blinked a couple of times. "...I don't know what you just said, but I don't like the tone you growled it in." he retorted.

With that said, the panda continued on his way, while Kenma followed behind him.

Sooner or later, old man...you'll get yours.

TENDO'S MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL OF INDISCRIMINATE GRAPPLING

One hour ago...

The postman stopped by and gave a few knocks on the door, before coming face-to-face with the man-of-the-house, Soun Tendo. Soun was a man in his mid-40s, with shoulder-length black hair and a mustache, clad in a beige-colored martial arts uniform.

"Mail for you, Mr. Tendo!" the postman said before handing off the postcard. Soun accepted it, and went to the backyard to read it.

Hi.

Bringing the boys from China.

-G. Saotome

Soun's eyes watered as his fingers trembled. It may have been a while since he and Genma last saw each other, but he recognized his old friend's sloppy handwriting.

"Today is the day...Genma is bringing his sons..." he managed to say through his quivering voice. "Oh, how long I've waited for this day...!"

As he lowered the postcard, it became clear that his eyes were flooded with tears of joy. And he knew that he had to get everyone else up to speed on this glorious news!

He glanced up to the ceiling, and began calling out to his daughters. "Listen up! Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"

The first one, Kasumi, age 19, was the oldest of the three, and was in the kitchen, turning off the stove while she finished preparing a dish.

Soun poked his head into the kitchen. "Kasumi!"

"Yes, what is it, Father?" she asked in a dutiful manner.

The second, Nabiki, age 17, was in her room, reading a magazine when Soun came inside.

"Nabiki!" he announced.

"Hm?" the girl replied, lifting her head.

Finally, that left just one. But when Soun checked Akane's room, she wasn't there. "Akane?" he asked. "Where is that girl…?"

The girl in question, Akane, age 16, was in the dojo, decked out in a martial arts gi. She had navy blue, shoulder-length hair, with two bangs on each side. She inhaled through her nostrils, steadying her hand, before letting out a "HAAI-YAH!" and chopping two cinder blocks in half, with a small chunk landing at Nabiki's feet.

"Phew!" she exclaimed, wiping her brow. "That felt pretty good!"

Her concentration was thrown off by the light from a flashbulb. "Huh?"

Turns out the Polaroid belonged to Nabiki. "There you go again, Akane..." she said in a chastising tone. "This is exactly the type of thing that makes the boys think you're so weird."

Akane's brow furrowed. "So why should I care, Nabiki?" she asked. "Not everybody thinks the whole WORLD revolves around...BOYS!" She angrily turned her head up.

"No?" asked Nabiki, turning on her heels and walking out of the dojo. "Then I guess this wouldn't interest you."

As she left, Akane poked her head out the door and looked on, curious.

TENDO DOJO

2:15 pm

And so, a little while later, all three Tendo daughters were gathered in the main room with their father.

"Fiance?" asked Kasumi.

"Yes," replied Soun. "The sons of a very good friend of mine. Their names are Ranma and Kenma Saotome. If two of you three girls were to marry them and carry on this training hall, then the two schools of Anything-Goes Martial Arts would be joined as one!"

Akane glared. "Hey, wait a minute here! Don't we get to have SOME say in who we're going to marry?" she growled, flames of anger in her eyes.

Nabiki leaned over. "Maybe you should wait until you meet them. You never know, they might be really cute." she told her little sister, who just turned her head away again. "Right, Daddy?"

Soun chuckled warmly. "They'll be here any minute." he said as he stood up. "The boys and their father have been on a training mission. Recently they crossed into China."

"Ooh, China," Nabiki beamed.

Akane couldn't care less. "So they hiked all the way to China; wow, big deal." she remarked dismissively.

"Father, how old are they?" asked Kasumi.

"Are they cute?" asked Nabiki, hopeful.

"Younger men are so...young." Kasumi stated. "Not to mention they aren't very interesting…"

"Well, what kind of guys ARE they?" asked Akane.

Soun laughed for a few minutes, before he turned to face his daughters. "...I don't know." he replied.

Now Nabiki looked pretty miffed. "You don't know…?" she asked.

"I've never met them," Soun admitted sheepishly.

Nabiki and Kasumi stared at their father, whereas Akane was a different story altogether.

Oh, please; I don't believe this! she thought to herself as she scowled.

Suddenly, on the veranda, there were heavy footsteps heard. Along with them were the protests of a female voice, yelling, "Leggo, ya old fool! I told ya, I don't want any part of this! Now put me DOWN!"

"What she said!" a male voice chimed in. "We're not babies anymore, we have our own opinions AND we're able to express them!"

"Oh, my! Sounds like we have visitors," Kasumi said as she stood up.

"Ooh, it must be Ranma and Kenma!" Nabiki remarked as she went outside to check.

"Saotome, my friend!" Soun exclaimed with jollity in his voice as he went to go take a look. "We've been waiting!"

"I hope that either of them are older than me…" Kasumi said to herself as she and Akane went to go take a look. But to their surprise, Nabiki and Soun came running back down the hallway, and behind them was the massive panda, accompanied by the fiercely-protesting girl and the boy strolling with them.

"C'mon, Pop! You're scarin' 'em spitless!" the girl protested.

"I guess nobody bothered to teach him the art of tact..." Kenma stated before turning towards the startled family. "Afternoon, Mr. Tendo. My name's Kenma Saotome...the girl on the bear's shoulder would be my...brother, Ranma. And the bear...is our father, Genma. Sorry for the commotion."

"So, this is Mr. Saotome?" asked Kasumi.

Soun rapidly shook his head.

"Oh? Then I suppose this panda just decided to drop by for a visit?" asked Nabiki, her eyebrows arched.

"Young man, if this is some sort of joke, I don't see the punchline," Soun informed Kenma.

"Sir, if you could just get me some hot water, I'd be glad to explain everything," Kenma responded.

"Well...at least you've finally arrived!" Soun exclaimed as Nabiki took a look over her father's shoulder.

"Oooh...they are cute," she smiled, much to Kenma's amazement.

"Who, us?" the boy asked. "Ah, stop! I'm blushing!"

Soun hugged Ranma to his chest. "I'm so glad you're here!" he beamed. Just then, he felt that something was not right with this situation.

He hugged him a couple more times, then stepped back and saw that the alleged 'boy' was sporting a rather...bountiful bust.

Nabiki leaned in, and began poking Ranma's chest, much to the detriment of the ponytailed one. She then started feeling it with her hand.

"...please stop that..." Ranma insisted, sweating.

Nabiki then turned back towards her father. "...Ranma's not a boy, he's a girl!" she exclaimed.

By now, Soun had broken out in a cold sweat. He felt lightheaded, and the room started spinning around him.

With a cry of shock, he fainted.

TENDO DOJO

3:06 pm

By now, Soun had regained consciousness, but he was lying atop a futon.

"Oh, poor Father...he must be so disappointed," Kasumi said.

"Well, on the bright side, one out of two isn't so bad," Nabiki shrugged as she turned to Kenma. "So Kenma...what sort of man ARE you?"

"Me? Well, I'm a creative sort!" Kenma responded. "I really enjoy drawing cool things in my notebook...and I guess I did see some neat stuff during our trip, so if you wanted, you could check out some of my latest art pieces."

He took out his notebook from his backpack and showed Nabiki, who took the time to leaf through some of the pages. To her amazement, most of them were incredibly detailed and very well-drawn.

"So you drew all these by yourself?" she asked. Kenma gave a firm nod in response.

"Impressive..." Nabiki mused. "Y'know, Ken, you could make a pretty penny selling quality art like this. In fact, I bet people would wanna pay you to draw things for them!"

"You really think so?" Kenma inquired, his eyes wide.

"Sure. Just stick with me, and we'll go places," Nabiki insisted, the sounds of a cash register going off in her brain. "I know a thing or two about business, trust me."

"Well, okay," Kenma nodded. "But I wouldn't mind getting to know your other sisters, too."

"Fair enough, you ARE a guest," Nabiki replied. First she pointed to the sister in the yellow blouse and apron. "There's the oldest, Kasumi," she gestured to herself. "You already know me, Nabiki," she stated before gesturing to her youngest sister. "And last but maybe not least is Akane."

As Kenma looked over at Akane, everything else seemed to drift out of focus, and his cheeks became a shade of bright red. She was everything Kenma could hope for. Someone who was feisty, self-dependant, which Kenma liked seeing in women. Plus, she wasn't bad-looking; he liked modest girls that showed a little of their assets. It made his heart soar just looking at her, and he suddenly felt extremely sweaty.

"...Kenma? Kenma, are you there?" asked Nabiki, her voice coming back into focus. "Hel-loooo, Earth to Kenma, is Kenma home?"

"Wha-?" Kenma stammered, coming out of his trance. "Oh! Nabiki...sorry, I got a little distracted there."

"Gee, I wonder why," Nabiki responded, getting a knowing look on her face. "Perhaps it has something to do with, oh, I dunno...Akane?"

Kenma wiped his forehead clean. "Who, her? I wasn't staring for THAT long, was I?" he asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Nabiki replied. "If you're hoping to get in good with any of us, she's definitely the hardest to get on the good side of. She's not too fond of boys...she thinks they're boorish and pigheaded and annoyingly persistent...especially the ones at her school."

Now Kenma was curious. "What are those guys like?" he asked.

"She calls them the 'Hentai Horde'," Nabiki explained. "Every morning, every guy who's in a sports-centric club shows up outside the school, trying to fight Akane so she'll go out with them. And she has to fight them off single-handedly each time."

"How long has THAT been going on?" asked Kenma, bewildered.

"Ever since last semester," Nabiki responded.

"Hmm...I see," Kenma nodded. "...I can't blame them; I'd wanna fight for her. Or at least to protect her."

"That's just it," Nabiki explained. "Akane doesn't want to be treated like a prize or some delicate little china-doll, she wants people to know that she's more than capable of being in charge of the dojo. Unfortunately, Daddy's really very insistent on the fact that only men can be heirs."

"How come?" asked Kenma.

"Nobody really knows," Nabiki responded. "He just made the declaration out of nowhere one day."

TRAINING HALL

3:34 pm

Akane and Ranma were inside the dojo portion of the building, since the former wanted to do a bit of sparring with what she hoped would be a newfound friend.

"You studied kenpo, right?" asked Akane.

"A little…" replied Ranma.

"Well, then let's have a little match, okay?" Akane told her. "C'mon...just for fun."

Both girls stepped to opposite sides of the dojo floor, and Akane took an offensive stance. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you," she said to Ranma.

She lunged at Ranma, throwing a punch that she jumped over. then a kick, which was sidestepped. Then another punch, punch, and another kick-all of which were easily dodged.

"What's wrong? Attack me!" Akane grunted, before throwing another punch, following it up with 2 extra punches.

Why...why am I missing her? Akane asked herself, exhausted. Is she reading my moves?

"Okay, this time for real!" she declared, before letting out a yell and punching a hole in the wall; fortunately, Ranma dodged that as well-she backflipped over Akane's head, and lightly tapped her on the back of her head.

Ranma couldn't help but chuckle, and soon, Akane joined in on the laughter.

"You're pretty good," she beamed as she strolled around the room. "I'm just glad that you're a girl."

Ranma looked a bit confused.

"It's just that...I couldn't stand losing to a boy!" Akane stated as she walked out of the dojo, leaving Ranma alone with her thoughts.

The panda bear entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet for the tub, and when it was filled up, he climbed in and made himself comfortable.

An hour later, the sun was now setting, and Soun was sitting across from Genma, who was in human form again. As a human, he didn't look much different from his panda form. He still had the same physique, but he wore glasses, a bandana around his head, and a martial arts uniform.

"So that's what happened..." muttered Soun, his face streaked with tears.

Genma nodded, his face also tear-streaked. What these two were crying about, I have no idea, but knowing them? It was probably something stupid.

"The path of a true martial artist is fraught with perils..." Soun recited, turning his head towards the setting sun.

As they talked, Nabiki and Kenma walked by, the former having her arm draped around Kenma's shoulder.

"So, I was thinking, and I said to myself, 'Self, I think Kenma would like to make a few bucks'," Nabiki explained. "And you could do that by letting me buy your panda off you."

"Really?" Kenma asked, scratching his chin. Sure, Genma was his father, but he'd been doing an extremely shitty job of it for quite a while now. "...how much are you willing to pay for him?"

"¥800," Nabiki responded.

"Whoa, that much?" Kenma asked. "Hmm...why?"

"You might've noticed that despite being a martial arts dojo, we aren't exactly awash with customers," Nabiki explained. "Ever since Mom died, Daddy just doesn't have the same spark for martial arts as before. So the students stopped coming, leaving us with two options: either turn the spare area into rooms for rent, or lure people in with a gimmick and then charge them admission. And 'dancing panda' screams 'money-maker' to me through a megaphone."

"Good point," Kenma had to admit.

Upstairs, Kasumi carried an armful of freshly folded towels while Ranma headed up behind her. She then pulled a door open, revealing a nice, spacious guest room. For Ranma, that may as well have been a dream come true. Anything that got her out of having to share with her father, who snored like a chainsaw, was MORE than okay!

"Feel free to use this room," Kasumi informed her guest. "Would you like to freshen up and take a bath?"

Now Ranma was a little hesitant. "Uh... no thanks." she replied.

But Kasumi insisted. "You've been exercising quite a bit, haven't you?" she asked in a stern, almost parental, tone of voice.

Ranma looked down like she'd just been scolded by her mother. "...yes..." she admitted.

"By the way, who exactly is that strange man in the living room?" asked Nabiki.

"...sad to say, that would be my father," Kenma replied. "He's a shmuck, a cheat, a two-timin' flim-flammer, and a creep. I just don't know WHAT it was that Mom saw in such a lowlife!"

"So, what was she like?" inquired Nabiki.

"...I wouldn't quite know," Kenma said. "Ranma and I haven't seen her since we were babies, because that's when 'Dear old Dad' spirited us off on our training journey."

"At least your mom's still out there," Nabiki replied, her nonchalant tone contrasting the quiet longing in her heart. "That means there's at least a chance of seeing her again."

"...thanks," Kenma smiled. "That, at least, makes it a little better."

Up in the bathroom, Ranma finished filling a bucket with water from the bathtub's faucet, before she shut it off and dumped its contents over her head. Once the liquid made contact, she let out an all-over shudder.

"...hooh, that is COLD!" she exclaimed.

As she was in there, she didn't quite notice that Akane was coming into the restroom as well. Noticing the discarded clothes in the hamper, Akane smiled a little.

"I guess she's already in there," she commented. "So we can BOTH take our baths!"

Akane undid her hair bow, while Ranma continued to bob above the bathwater, lost in thought.

What am I gonna do? he pondered to himself. Here, these people had been expecting two boys, but they ended up with a boy and a girl. Imagine how they'd react upon seeing what happened to him!

Akane, meanwhile, continued stripping down by removing her gi's top half.

They're bound to find out the truth sooner or later, Ranma thought. Maybe I oughta bite the bullet and let them know the truth.

Now Akane was fully nude, and clutching a towel to her chest, she reached for the door and grabbed the handle.

Well...I might as well go out like I am, Ranma decided, his hair now looking a much darker shade. He stood up in the bath...right as Akane opened the door.

For one long minute, no words were traded. Akane only took a look at Ranma, and then quietly closed the door before stepping out of the restroom.

And then, she let out a loud, ear-piercing scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!"

Genma and Soun were downstairs, both clutching frothy mugs of beer when they heard Akane's scream of fright.

Nabiki, Kasumi, and Kenma were in the kitchen, when they heard the scream, which grew louder before Akane came running downstairs, came into the living room, grabbed the end table, and hoisted it over her head.

"I'LL DROWN HIM IN THE BATHTUB!" she ranted. "I'LL BEAT HIM TO A PULP!"

"Akane?" asked Kasumi, remaining stunningly calm despite the circumstances. "What are you doing with that end table?"

"There's a pervert in the BATHROOM!" retorted Akane.

"Well, gee, Akane, why didn'cha just clobber him?" Nabiki queried.

"Because I got SCARED! Is that alright?" Akane spat.

"...what did this guy look like?" inquired Kenma.

"Blue eyes, dark hair," Akane responded. "I didn't exactly get to focus before I backed out of the bathroom."

Kenma sighed, before rolling his eyes. "Well, looks like you just met my brother," he replied.

A look of confusion spread across Akane's face. "'Brother'?" she blurted, incredulously. "I know that was a girl when she came here!"

But before any further chatter could be spared, someone was heard clearing their throat in an attempt to be heard.

"'Scuse me."

Everyone turned towards the voice, even Kenma, who smiled a bit. "Nice of you to join us, brother." he commented.

"...I'm Ranma Saotome," the young, dark-haired man spoke up. "Sorry about this."

TENDO LIVING ROOM

7:50 pm

As the wall clock ticked in the living room, Soun turned from it before facing everyone else. "I can explain everything," he insisted. "This is my dear friend..."

The fat man took a bow. "Genma Saotome. And these are my sons."

"Ranma." the black-haired boy said quietly.

"Kenma." the red-headed boy smiled coolly.

Of course, when Ranma looked up, he saw Akane was glaring fiercely at him; it was almost as though she were hoping to suddenly develop pyrokinesis and set his head aflame with but a thought.

"This gets more interesting by the minute," Nabiki commented.

"Are you really the girl that we saw before?" asked Kasumi.

Ranma was oddly quiet now. "...I am," he said, briefly puncturing the veil of silence that hung over the room like some looming specter.

"It's such a long story...I don't quite know where to begin," Genma said as he pushed up his glasses. Of course, this was before he got to his feet and grabbed Ranma by the lapels. "...so I'll start from here!"

Before Ranma had a chance to react, he'd been pitched straight through the air and right into the koi pond with a SPLAAAAAAAASH!

As the wave died down, the Tendos got a good view of the now-female Ranma; red hair, a bit of purple eyeshadow, and somewhat larger eyes.

"WHAT'DJA DO THAT FOR?!" she shouted.

"Ranma's a...girl now," Kasumi commented.

"I am so ashamed...I cannot bear to see one of my sons like this..." Genma said, clenching his fists in a melodramatic manner as he started to tear up. "Ranma Saotome...your father is in agony!"

Of course, he didn't notice Ranma jumping behind him, right before she shoved him into the koi pond. A few seconds later, the giant panda from earlier rose from the water, sopping wet.

"Well, I can't bear to see YOU like that either, old man!" Kenma laughed at his own bad joke. "Attagirl, Ranma! He can't fool us with those crocodile tears!"

"Like you're in any position to talk about em-bear-assments!" Ranma snapped at the panda.

Nabiki's eyes went wide, and they started to sparkle. "PANDA!" she exclaimed, racing over and grabbing Genma in a bear-hug. "Who's gonna keep us outta the poorhouse? You are! Yes you are~! Yes, you are~!"

"Father...you certainly have some unusual friends," Kasumi noted, watching the argument. It was akin to watching a car crash; you wanted to look away, but you felt tempted to see how things played out.

"They weren't always like this," Soun responded. "I myself have yet to hear the whole story. Their unusual physiques seem somehow related to their dangerous training in China. Before we go any further, we'll give them a few moments to come back to themselves."

As Nabiki watched the scuffle, visions of Yen signs appeared above her head. So, not only does this panda dance, it fights, too! Oh, I am going to be LOADED for a month after this...

"Kenma~!" she called. "Remember when I said I'd pay ¥800 for your panda? Well...I might be willing to pay mo-ore~!"

TIME-8:05 PM

Soon afterwards, Genma and Ranma were back to their normal forms.

"It all began two weeks ago," Genma explained. "In order to continue our warrior's conditioning, my sons and I crossed to China to find a new training place. It was in China's Mt. Quanjing region, in the Bayankala Range, Qinghai Province, that we finally found the legendary training grounds of Jusenkyo."

FLASHBACK

A somewhat paunchy Chinese man in a brown coat and hat gestured towards the area. "Here, sirs. We come to famous Training Ground of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo." he said, while holding up a sign.

"Uh, Dad, are you sure it's a good idea training at a place with 'Cursed' in the name?" asked Kenma. "That seems like we're asking for trouble."

Genma waved his son's concerns off. "Don't be so whiny, Kenma. That's probably there to scare off unworthy cowards, not like yours truly!" he responded.

"OK..." Kenma shrugged as he sat as far from the water as he could. "You two have fun, jumping around on bamboo poles up there. I'm just gonna be...over here, with my notebook, nice and dry."

"You very strange ones, sirs," said the tour guide. "This place VERY dangerous! No-one use it now, cuz more than one hundred spring here, and each one have own tragedy happen there!"

"Which is PLENTY of incentive for me to stay out of them," Kenma responded as he got out a pencil and began drawing, while Ranma and Genma began sparring.

Soon, Ranma knocked Genma off the bamboo pole and into the water!

"Hey, Pop! Ya done already?" called Ranma. To his surprise, out of the water came not Genma, but a tremendous panda wearing his jacket! And judging from how easily he stood atop the bamboo pole, this panda was very good at balancing.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Ranma and Kenma, both boys equally shocked.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" shouted Ranma.

"That Xióngmāoneechuan," explained the tour guide as he held up a sign. "Spring of Drowned Panda. Very-tragic legend of panda who drown 2,000 year ago. Now whoever fall in take body of panda!"

Ranma glared at the tour guide. "Hey, you never mentioned anything about THIS!" he spat.

"Actually, yes, he did!" Kenma called up, right before Panda-Genma leapt at Ranma, and with one fierce punch, knocked the boy flying right into another spring.

"Smooth move, Dad," Kenma remarked. "You better hope he's okay, or it'll be YOUR head on the choppin' block." he got to his feet and went over to see if Ranma was okay. However, to his surprise, instead of his brother, a very attractive young woman with wide blue eyes and red hair emerged from the water.

"Ah, now you fall Nyanneechuan: Spring of Drowned Girl," said the tour guide. "There, very tragic legend of young girl who drown 1,500 year ago. Now, whoever fall in spring..."

"OK, sir, I think we get it," Kenma said. "...Ranma? Is that YOU?!"

"Of course it is...I think," Ranma responded, before she looked down and saw that her gi was filled out by a very bountiful chest. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Aaaah, is right!" Kenma responded. "...of all the things to get turned into, WHY did my own brother have to turn into something so breathtaking?!"

END of FLASHBACK.

Ranma was still seething over the events that they'd just retold, and his hands quivered with quiet rage.

"So, the Legendary Ground of Cursed Springs..." Soun mused. "Its true horror has remained a secret until now..."

"Whaddya MEAN, 'true horror'?!" Ranma shouted angrily, before he rounded on Genma. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, OLD MAN! What kinda moron thinks it's a good idea to bring their sons to a cursed spring?!"

"I did mention it had 'Cursed' in the name," Kenma spoke up.

"...YOU SOUND LIKE A GIRL!" Genma shouted as he grabbed Ranma and flung him into the pond AGAIN. "Were you not prepared to give your LIFE for the sake of the training?!"

"My life, maybe..." Ranma seethed. "MY MANHOOD IS ANOTHER STORY!"

And she dumped an entire bucket of water on Genma's head, turning him into his panda form. Genma growled and got into a fighting stance.

"You just HAD to go and find that cursed spring even though you don't speak a WORD of Chinese!" Ranma yelled.

"It wouldn't have killed you to get that translation guide!" Kenma chimed in, as the girl and panda started grappling. "Were ya BORN an idiot, or did you have to practice to get really good at it?!"

"How I suffer for you..." Soun said, holding up a teakettle, and dumping its scalding contents on Genma's head. "When doused with hot water, you return to human form!"

"That's as human as he's ever gonna get," Kenma remarked, seeing Genma, back in his human form.

"...it need't be that hot..." the old man groaned.

"When doused with cold water, you become a girl..." said Soun, leaning over with the teakettle and getting ready to dump it on Ranma's head. The girl instinctively leapt out of the way to avoid the burning liquid. "But when doused with hot water, you return to male form!"

"Hot, not SCALDING!" Ranma protested. "Are you tryin' to boil me alive?!"

Soun gave a little laugh. "Well, now...your problem isn't so terrible after all," he smiled. "My eldest daughter, Kasumi. She's 19. The middle child, Nabiki. She's 17. And, last but not least, Akane. She's 16."

Kenma scratched his chin. "Three great choices. But which of them will I settle on...I'm thinking Akane." he said abruptly.

"Well, congratulations, Kenny-boy," Nabiki smirked. "If you're getting married, then I call first dibs on the wedding gifts. You can sell those for a lot of dough!"

"Hey! Why should I marry him?!" Akane blurted. "He's probably a pervert like his brother!"

"I don't hafta just sit here and take these egregious accusations!" Kenma declared. "My brother's a real stand-up sorta guy, and that goes for me too!"

"What about that incident in China?" asked Ranma.

"In my defense, how was I supposed to know that girl's boyfriend was part of a local gang?" Kenma fired back. "They don't exactly advertise that sorta thing."

"See?" Akane fumed before turning to Ranma. "Besides, you saw me in the nude, you lech!"

"You were the one who walked in on ME!" Ranma retorted. "Ever heard of knocking before you enter?"

"Well, it's DIFFERENT when a girl looks at a BOY!" Akane spat.

"HOW? Explain how it's different!" Kenma countered. "I'm not gonna stand for this character defamation, and neither will my brother, even if you ARE cute!"

"Gimme a break, Ken," Ranma rolled her eyes. "I know I've never said this before, but you can do WAY better. And I guess that talk about us being friends was a load of crap too, huh, Akane? After all, you couldn't stand losing to a BOY, so how could you even be friends with one?"

"I don't wanna marry EITHER of you!" Akane shouted.

"Fine, then," Ranma said. "C'mon, Ken; we're gonna catch us a ride back to China."

"Not a chance!" Genma protested. "Did you forget your duties HERE?!"

"I remember," Ranma retorted. "But I have more important things to think about besides fiancees and all that crap."

But before they left, Ranma turned back towards Akane. "By the way...I noticed you took a pretty good look at me, too," she commented. "So what's the big deal about seeing a naked girl? I've seen myself naked plenty of times...and I'm better built, to boot! Even as a guy I've got more style than you!"

As she laughed, Akane picked up the table and slammed it on Ranma's head, prompting Kenma to roll out of the way.

"...now that, he had coming," Genma muttered.

9:53 pm

A while later, Ranma regained consciousness, finding herself on the futon of her guest room. There was a cold compress on her forehead, thanks to Kasumi.

"Oh, good, you're awake," smiled the young woman. "Are you okay? Don't think too badly of Akane. She's a very sweet girl, she's just a violent maniac, too."

Nabiki's face became its usual deadpan expression. "Oh, good, Kasumi. That explains SO much." she retorted.

"Nice to see you're still among the living." Kenma commented.

"You kidding? I'm Ranma Saotome," the redhead responded. "And the last thing that's gonna kill me is some uncute tomboy with all the charm of a warthog!"

"Yup, you're definitely as spirited as always," Kenma said with a knowing smirk. "But I guess it's just too much for that Akane girl to handle. So it's HER loss."

"No kiddin'," Ranma retorted. "She can dish it out, but she can't take it. And to think, after I beat her in sparring, she actually said she wanted to be friends with me."

"Really?" asked Kenma.

Ranma nodded. "But I guess that didn't mean a damn thing after she found out who I really am." she fumed.

"Yeah?" Kenma asked, before he furrowed his brows. "Well...who needs her?! Ya already got somebody else out there!"

"I toldja already, Ukyo's a boy," said Ranma. "PLUS, we're just friends."

"Uh-huh, suuuure," Kenma replied dryly. "We'll cross that bridge once we get to it. Anyways, I'm gonna go down and get a shower."

With that, he gathered a towel and some spare clothes and headed downstairs.

Akane was in the bathub, angrily scrubbing away at herself.

Ugh! The nerve of those...those BOYS! she thought furiously as she lathered the soap onto herself.

She was so lost in her thoughts of anger that she didn't hear Kenma knocking on the door a few times.

"Nobody answered...so it must be empty," he decided with a shrug, before he went into the restroom. As soon as he got in, he began to remove his clothes.

That Akane...physically she's a stunner...too bad that her personality isn't as great as her body, he thought to himself as he got his pants off.

Of course, after he did that, Akane opened the shower door, and saw him just as he was getting his underwear off. Once he did, he looked up...and got an eyeful of Akane's chest.

"Hmm..." he murmured, in a manner befitting a connoisseur, inspecting them with his eyes. "Not too big...but not too small, either. Juuuuust right." he said, giving a thumbs-up.

Akane's brow furrowed, and she wound up to slap him. Kenma ducked as she swung at him, and stuck out his tongue before he suddenly saw the business end of an enormous mallet coming right at him.

Kenma gulped heavily, before holding up a sign that read: Oh, crapbas-!

BONK!

In seconds, Kenma was sent flying into the air. "FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THAT WAS A COMPLIMENT!" he shouted.

Seconds later, he crash-landed in the living room, still naked.

Another half-hour later, everyone else was downstairs from their showers and whatnot.

"Well, he DID knock five times," Nabiki pointed out. "Not his fault you weren't listening."

"Thank you, Nabiki, for having some common sense," Kenma stated, now nursing the egg-sized bump on his head. "Also, I paid her a compliment."

"Oh, so that excuses you coming in on me in the bathroom?" Akane asked, glaring. "You just proved me right, you ARE a pervert!"

"No, if I was a pervert, I would've groped you," Kenma clarified. "I was looking respectfully AND complimenting you on them."

"Have ya gotten it thru your thick head, little bro?" asked Ranma. "She's an uncute tomboy with the temper of a rotweiller, of COURSE she's gonna react badly!"

"I know, man," Kenma shrugged. "But you know the saying: if there is no risk, there is no reward! And I'd say the risk was totally worth it."

"...I am never gonna understand you, Kenma, y'know that?" Ranma asked.

"Right back at'cha, brother-o-mine," Kenma grinned.

"So she's got spunk, that makes a fiancée even cuter!" clarified Genma.

"She wouldn't know 'cute' if it came up and bit her," Ranma retorted.

"Damn right! She's more feisty, if anything," Kenma nodded. "...and the challenge kinda intrigues me."

So this is how the Saotome father and sons came to stay at the Tendo Training Hall. And let's just say they're definitely going to inject some life into this tired old place...whether they like it or not!