Ranma walked onto the campus of Nerima College and headed for the HEMA Club. Once he got there, he knocked on the club door and said when a freshman opened it. "Good afternoon, is Professor Pierson in? I spoke to him over almost two weeks ago about getting a translated chapter of your training manuals for independent study."

The student turned so he could look into the room and called out, "Professor! The high schooler is here." He turned back to Ranma and said, "Just wait a moment." Then the student closed the door leaving Ranma to wonder how long he was going to stare at a door.

Less than a minute later, Professor Adam Pierson opened the door. Ranma noticed a look of warry confusion on the professor's face for a second before it slipped into being cautious as the professor looked at him. Ranma couldn't be sure, but it almost seemed like something about him was throwing the professor off his game. Whatever it was it was somehow solved and Professor Pierson gave Ranma a polite smile as he spoke, "Good afternoon. Please, come inside. I have the translated lessons on my workspace here at the HEMA club near the club's shrine."

It almost sounded to Ranma like the professor stubbly stressed that there was a shrine on the club grounds. Practically every dojo Ranma had ever went to had a least a small shrine so he didn't find that particularly odd. Maybe some of those mass market dojos trying to take advantage of the martial arts craze of the past decade didn't have any shrines. He wouldn't know since they generally weren't that good of a place to challenge.

Perhaps the professor simply wanted to emphasize that the club was a serious place to learn martial arts and that the clubroom was the club's dojo. Once Ranma had been let into the club area he quickly spotted the dojo's shrine. It was a simple shrine that could be bought from a retail store, but was obviously assembled with care. Ranma also spotted several food offerings that, while not quite the traditional offerings expected, were offerings that college students could be expected to make on their shoestring budgets. Part of Ranma did wonder what the club's kami thought of being offered instant ramen, Snickers, and some Mountain Dew. Maybe his aunt would know? She did live at the shrine after all.

Professor Pierson watched with the faintest hint of a guarded look in his eye as Ranma walked over to the shrine and gave it the customary bow for a visiting martial artist at a dojo. Many of the club members also watched Ranma's action and gave subtle nods of acknowledgement. Ranma then turned and gave the professor the customary greeting for a visiting martial artist to the dojo's master. That surprised the professor, but he quickly gave Ranma the appropriate bow in response.

Ranma was then led by Professor Pierson to the professor's desk in the club where there was a small three ring binder. The professor picked up the binder and gave it to Ranma. "Here is the introductory chapter and the first chapter of actual lessons. Scanned copies of the original manuscript's diagrams and more modernized diagrams courtesy of one of the arts students have been included."

With a bow Ranma said, "Thank you for making this for me. Once I have learned the first chapter, would it be possible for you to consider making a copy of the next chapter? I do know of a dojo where we might go to test me for competency of the current material if you cannot test me here due to legal restrictions."

The professor thought about that and then nodded his head. "That could very well be possible. However, I won't even consider testing you on the material for at least two weeks preferably longer. Lessons at this level serve as the strong foundation for later lessons. It takes time for those lessons to seep into your muscles. Besides, also want to make sure you are not abusing what I am teaching you. I don't want to be teaching the person who will start the next Furinkan Incident."

"Trust me sir," Ranma spoke with unusual firmness and authority. "I have no intention of starting something like the Furinkan Incident. Being on the receiving end of it once makes one very eager to not cause something like that."

Several of the students turned to look at Ranma when they heard him admit to being the unknown victim in the Furinkan Incident. Many of the students started to give Ranma looks of respect knowing that he was willing to study the sword after what happened to him. Professor Pierson gave Ranma a questioning look as if he was trying to peer into the young man's soul. For a second, something tickled the edge of Ranma's senses as if something mystical was going on just beyond his ability identify.

That feeling vanish so fast that part of Ranma wondered if he had actually felt that whatever it was. He glanced at Professor Pierson who seemed to be confused about something. The professor covered his confusion with a polite smile. Ranma was about to ask the professor what was bothering him to see if he could find out what that feeling was when the professor spoke up.

"It is good to know that your unfortunate past with swords has not damped your interest in learning. By the way, what is your name again young man? It must be my age getting to me, but it's slipping my mind."

Ranma smiled and answered, "I think I only mentioned it once a few weeks ago. My name is Ranma Saotome. It is an honor to study under you Professor Pierson. Even if my study is only indirectly."

Professor Pierson's smile became warmer. "Thank you for reminding me Mr. Saotome. It is always embarrassing for me when I forget a new student's name."

"No problem professor."

Ranma was about to make his exit when the professor spoke again. "By the way Mr. Saotome, I was curious if you had any interest in old folktales."

The teenager turned to look at the older professor with some curiosity. He did have some interest in folktales due to trying to find a cure for his transformation in the past. It also helped to give him some warning about what could bite him in the ass. "I do have some interest in folktales. I've pick up a few tales while traveling with my father to learn martial arts."

For some reason Ranma couldn't figure out, the professor seemed like he was probing for something as he spoke. "How familiar are you with tales related to mermaids? I'm not talking about Disney's The Little Mermaid. I'm talking about the older tales that inspired Hans Christian Andersen. I have professional friends that I've been helping to translate and preserve those older tales. Recently, I've heard that there were some unique tales in Japan that they might be interested in."

That triggered a memory of several campfire tales Pops would tell him before they went to bed back when he was a little kid. Man, it had been a while since it was just him and Pops camping out under the stars. There were a few tales of mermaids that Pops had told him that had supposedly been passed down from his grandfather. Ranma hadn't heard of those tales being told by anyone else so it seemed at the time like either Pops or his grandfather had pulled them out of their ass. Now given his own weird experiences, Ranma suspected there might be a grain of truth to some of those old fish stories.

Ranma figured it wouldn't hurt to tell the professor and said, "I've heard some interesting tales from my father who got it from his father who is supposed to have some run ins with a couple that had some interesting encounters with mermaids. The tales are rather unique and out there even for a sailor's old sea stories."

Professor Pierson smiled and replied, "I've come across some rather 'unique' and 'out there' tales myself. It goes hand in hand with translating and recording stories. Why, I seem to recall one tale that I passed along talking about people eating mermaids and becoming immortal!"

"Some of my grandfather's tales supposedly had people eating mermaid flesh to try and become immortal. However, the tales I heard had it that anyone who actually ate mermaid flesh either was killed or was transformed into a monster. Never heard any tale of anyone actually turning immortal in them from eating mermaids."

The professor smiled and said, "Thank you for passing that along to me Mr. Saotome. It is good to hear multiple sources when it comes to obscure tales."

Ranma smiled and said, "I'll ask Pops about the old stories my grandfather told and write them down for you. I'll try to get them ready by the time I finish the current study material." He held up the training binder and then bowed his head. "I would love to stay around and chat some more, but I have to be off to complete my homework."

Genma discreetly looked into the dojo and watched Ranma hold up a wooden mock-up of the Sword of Omens. The boy carefully shifted between several stances illustrated in his training manual. Eventually, he'd have to do the same stances with the actual sword along with doing it in both forms. Genma was happy that Ranma was using the mock-up that Snarf had provided. A blade like that should not be used for some newbie practice run.

Not that Ranma was a complete newbie when it came to swords. Genma had made sure that his son knew the basics of how to use a sword so he could learn how to counter it. The older Saotome was not about to let his personal dislike of armed combat potentially cripple Ranma in the future. Having a preferred way of fighting was one thing, being unwilling to adapt to the needs of the battlefield was something else. Genma's own father had pounded the lesson into a young Genma's head that those unwilling to adapt to the situation in front of them only ended up dead. Far too many of Father's childhood friends died in futile banzai charges and the late Saotome wanted to make sure that Genma was never that stupid.

Genma walked away from the dojo once he was satisfied that Ranma was not being a fool in his training. It looked like sword fighting would once again become a part of the Saotome clan's arsenal of tools. Some of his ancestors would no doubt be horrified that the Saotomes were taking up a foreign sword style instead of one of the 'honorable' styles found in Japan. Those ancestors didn't have to live through the madness that his father did up to and during WWII or the pain of rebuilding the nation.

It didn't take Genma long to enter the house and sit down by the shogi table. He carefully turned it over to reveal the relatively unused go board on the other side. Then Genma got out the go pieces and began to play against himself. It was all so frustrating for him. He knew that Ranma needed to learn how to use the Sword of Omens properly. That sword was a part of his dharma. Moreover, Genma was certain that the kami were going to do something that would force his son to use that blade one day. It was just how things went as a Saotome.

Ranma knowing how to use the Sword of Omens well was far better for the boy than him doing a hack and pray routine. But part of Genma wished that the weapon his son had inherited from his past life was something other than a sword. Was a mystical ax or a divinely forged spear really too much to ask?

Soun saw his old friend and knew what was on Genma's mind. He quietly sat down opposite of Genma just letting himself be a comforting presence and to hide Genma playing against himself. None of the kids were nearby with Ranma being the closest in the dojo. Kasumi was out getting some spices for a dinner she wanted to make. Nabiki was at the library doing research on a school project. Akane was out with her friends doing window shopping or something. Still, Soun didn't want anyone coming in early spotting his friend in trouble.

After a minute Genma looked up at Soun and muttered, "Why did it have to be a sword? Those things are easy to misuse and give brats and men inflated ideals about themselves. That Kuno brat is just the latest idiot to think he was some kind of heroic samurai because he got ahold of a sword. My father had to deal with those kinds of idiots by the boatload when he served. That whole 'honorable warrior unto death' crap that people pass off as bushido cost my father so much pain and misery. I wish that Hagakure Kikigaki had remained an obscure and forgotten text like so many others of its kind."

Soun nodded in agreement. Both the Tendos and the Saotome clans had long and proud samurai traditions. Neither clan had ever risen very far in the old hierarchy, but they had also never dishonored themselves by either the national standards enforced by the shogun or by the private codes both clans had inherited. Genma and Soun were very well aware of their clans' histories having done several projects on their respective families' histories back when they were in high school. They had even discovered that they shared a common ancestor back in the Sengoku Jidai.

Trying to cheer his friend up, Soun tried another approach. "Consider it this way old friend. Ranma was always going to inherit a sword one regretful day when he has to take over as head of the Saotome family. The Kami have merely given him a sword to wield while you still live and can help him learn to use it correctly. Besides, didn't Nodoka's father have you master his family's sword style before your wedding? I must admit that I am a bit surprised that you are letting Ranma learn a western style rather than passing along the sword style you were given."

Genma gave Soun a hard look. "I learned the style; I did not master it. My build is not optimal for it and the style itself is very taxing on the body if you don't know a number of chi techniques to repair the damage the style causes. I've incorporated some of its speed training into the base of my style of Anything Goes along with a few unarmed moves in the style."

"But," Soun pressed on. "Ranma knows a number of chi healing techniques and will soon learn magical healing techniques once Snarf has trained him enough. Surely the style is no longer a potential danger to his health? If you're worried about Ranma's maturity I would say you're over thinking things. Ranma may still be rather rash and headstrong, but he is very mature for his age. He is also well aware of what can happen if someone misuses their martial arts training."

Silence ruled for a moment as Genma mulled over something he didn't like revealing; even to his brother in everything but blood. Genma finally sighed and said, "One of Nodoka's past lives was married to and killed because of a practitioner of the style. Just seeing a stance of that style gave her nightmares from that lifetime. I cannot and will not risk seeing what Ranma knowing that style will do to her."

"I promised her father I would preserve and pass along the style. Kami willing, I will find a student to do so with one day. Ranma cannot be that student. Besides, the style was not really meant to be passed along in a family. Believe it or not, the graduation test of the style for hundreds of years involved the student killing the master to attain mastery. That part got thrown out after the Meiji Restoration."

After a moment of thought, Soun accepted Genma's statement. He then asked, "Would you be interested in a game of shogi?"

The answer he got was Genma clearing the go pebbles from the board and flipping the table around. Both men got out their pieces and started to play. Soun spoke again after a while. "Akane is starting to worry me old friend."

Genma stopped considering his move and looked at Soun. "Oh? Why is she worrying you?"

"It's nothing I can say for sure Genma. However, it seems that the change in Ranma's curse has made her uneasy."

"Has she spoken to you of her being uneasy?"

Soun shook his head. "No, its just the looks she gives when she sees Ranma transform into a thunderan. I haven't approached her on this matter because I want to prepare ahead of time to help her if I can."

Genma paused to reflect on Akane's recent behavior. It did seem like something was bothering the girl, but he couldn't tell. What guy could when it came to girls? Genma had routinely given thanks to the kami for just giving him a son to worry about. Soun had the infinitely harder task of raising daughters without their mother to help him.

Finally, Genma spoke. "Maybe she just needs some more time adapting to the changes that have happened to Ranma? It has only been a week since his curse changed and that business with Kuno was rather emotionally distressing. Plus, you had the boy being stubborn and hiding his condition with his magic. Stuff like that always seems to annoy women and even more so when the guy hiding things is someone she cares about."

Soun thought about it for a minute and then nodded his head. "You're right old friend. I'm probably worrying over nothing. Kasumi and Nabiki seem to be handing everything just fine. They may not be as invested in Ranma's situation given that he's their future brother-in-law instead of husband and they are older than Akane. They've probably more used to dealing with the interesting times that seems to kick in for our families around one's mid to late teens."

With a big grin Genma said, "Exactly! Your sister had some trouble dealing with the interesting times at first when she started to get involved in our adventures. Saeko adapted very well and look at her now. A regionally acclaimed doctor with a daughter of her own who is acing all her exams at the very top of everyone in the city. Saeko also seems to have gotten over that scumbag cutting and running very well. That reminds me, why didn't you call me in to help deal with him when he cut and ran to paint his life away?"

Genma had been pissed when he heard what Saeko had to deal with when her husband decided to run. What kind of man puts his own passion project above taking care of his family? And to make matters even worse, there was little Ami to think about! Even given the situation he was in he did his best to take care of Nodoka and Ranma. The fact that it happened to his honorary little sister only made the incident worse for Genma.

The beginning stages of Soun's demon head technique could be felt as Soun remembered Saeko talking to him about the divorce. "Believe me Genma, I was this close to calling you in to help me show that piece of dung the error of his ways. Saeko was the one who insisted I leave her scumbag of an ex-husband alone. She didn't want to make things any harder on Ami. It's partially why she and Ami still use his last name instead of shifting back to the Tendo family register."

With a growl Genma said, "That scumbag better hope I don't accidently come across him in his wanderings."

A somewhat dark and malicious smile appeared on Soun's face. "Old friend, that's only if I don't stumble across him first. I promised Saeko I wouldn't go looking for him. I said nothing about if he wanders near me. Must be why he got off of Honshu."

It was the end of another long and profitable day at the Nekohaten. Cologne had already closed down the restaurant area and was doing a final count of the cashier till. She then walked the till over to the store's safe and put the till away for the night. Running a restaurant might be long and tiring, but it was much more satisfying to her than dealing with the politics back in the village.

She then headed upstairs and checked to make sure that Mousse was doing his correspondence schoolwork. Mr. Part-timer was often a pain in her butt. However, his grandmother was an old friend of hers and he was considered to be her ward while he stayed at the Nekohaten. That meant that she was responsible for seeing to his education and she would not fail in that duty. The boy would be quite the catch for a young lady of the village if he would just drop his vanity and his obsession with Shampoo. That bridge had been burnt years ago. It was also dishonorable and shameful of him to chase after a married woman. At least it was occurring here in Japan rather than in the village where the damage to the fool's image would be irreparable.

Mousse quickly and rudely tried to shoo her away. Cologne gave him a quick rap on the noggin with her staff before leaving him to stubble over his homework alone. Duty done; Cologne made her way to Shampoo's room to check on her great-granddaughter. There were technically a few more greats between her and Shampoo, but saying them was just insulting to her age.

Shampoo opened her door as she felt Cologne's approach and smiled. "Great-Grandmother! How can I help you?"

"Can I come in Shampoo? I want to see how your studies are coming."

Shampoo dutifully got out of the doorway allowing Cologne to come in. She then motioned over to her study desk and the coursework she had done. The elder skimmed through her descendant's work with an approving nod. Once Cologne was done, she spoke. "Acceptable work dear. There are some mistakes here and there, but nothing that will seriously hurt your grade. Would you like me to point out the errors for you?"

The teen thought for a second and said, "Can I try to find the errors on my own first?"

A smile appeared on the old face of the Amazonian elder. "Excellent Shampoo. You should always try to find solutions yourself when you have been made aware of them. I will let you review your homework and see if you find your mistakes. Afterwards, I will point out any problems you have made and we can work on finding the correct solutions."

"However, there is something we need to talk about first Shampoo. I wanted to make sure you had gotten a certain amount of homework done because I doubt you will feel up to studying after this conversation."

That worried Shampoo. Great-grandmother was not one for overstating things. What could she have to talk about that would be so heavy? Cologne motioned for Shampoo to stand by her full-length mirror and the young woman did so. Her grandmother gave a signal that she had often used in training to indicate that Shampoo was not to move. Shampoo did as she was instructed even as she was left befuddled as Cologne closed and locked the bedroom door. The elder then came over and used a technique to quickly strip Shampoo of what she was wearing.

Cologne hopped onto Shampoo's shoulder and said, "What do you see before you, great-granddaughter?"

How was she supposed to answer that question? Not sure what her elder was planning with this odd lesson, Shampoo cautiously spoke. "Myself?"

Cologne shook her head and said, "I was speaking in general terms dear. In the mirror you see a maiden on the verge of leaving the last remnants of childhood behind and seeing the woman she has the potential to become. However, the paths that the woman you will become will walk are soon going to start diverging. You still have a few years yet, but soon enough you will have to choose how you life will go and what sacrifices you will make."

That made Shampoo even more nervous than just standing around in her birthday suit for no reason. She didn't have anything to be ashamed about, but why would she want to just prance around like some savage? Shampoo shifted her eyes slightly so that she could see her grandmother in the mirror. "What sacrifices are you talking about?"

Cologne hopped off of Shampoo and looked up at her descendent. "The sacrifices I am talking about are which potential futures are you going to sacrifice to achieve the future you will live through dear." Cologne extended one finger from her fist and then moved her arm to poke Shampoo's stomach with the extended finger. "One of the biggest sacrifices you will make is how many potential children you will give up in order to achieve your future goals."

"There are idiots in the west trying to claim that women can have everything they want in life. I feel sorry for the foolish young girls who buy that bull because they will be left empty and bitter 20 to 30 years from now. Amazonian techniques can delay the effects of aging and resulting loss of fertility by 2 sometimes 3 decades if the practitioner is skilled enough. Even so, we cannot 'have it all' as those fools call it. A solid marriage, a successful career, and a large family all take time and energy of which you only have a finite amount."

"You have your husband and that is a good thing to acquire when one is still young. Fooling around for 'fun' or chasing one's so-called 'soul-mate' are venom to all young people. However, that venom is particularly potent and devastating to maidens. Men, so long as they are industrious and honest, are much more resilient to the effects of time when it comes to finding a wife than women are to finding a husband. It's unfair for us I know, but only a moron claims that this world is fair."

Shampoo spoke up at this point. "Ranma still doesn't recognize that we are married to each other. He views our situation as being a betrothal like he has been stuck with from the Tendos and the Kuonjis." It was a sore spot for Shampoo. She knew that outsiders who weren't familiar with her tribe's ways tended to be stubborn in recognizing Amazonian marriages. However, Ranma seemed to be particularly stubborn on that issue.

Cologne stopped poking Shampoo and wave her hand so that Shampoo's body was highlighted in mirror. "Your issues with your husband will be solved in time. Your foremothers gifted you a body that is desirable by men and you have sculpted it into a work of art. You also have a pleasant personality and share several interests with your husband. Many marriages have been made to work with less foundations. Son-in-Law has honor issues he is trying to solve and still has much to learn about life himself. Besides, marriage is a constant project and one should never give up on it just because of a rough patch or two."

"It is the other two categories that I wanted to talk to you about and Son-in-Law's situation creates some issues that you must considered. Having a career and a family do not mesh well for us women. Some careers mesh better than others, but ultimately both will suffer in comparison to if a woman had focused on one. This is doubly so for you given your focus on more martial careers and passions dear."

Shampoo looked at her great-grandmother with questioning eyes. "But you made it work."

"You really think I made it work?" Cologne gave her descendent a withering glare. "I only had two children in my lifetime and it was my sisters who did most of their raising while I focused on my martial arts. Even then, I wouldn't have become the best fighter in our tribe in my prime if the others who focused solely on training hadn't died fighting off invaders at the time. Part of the reason I invest so much time raising you and your foremothers is to make up for all the lost times and chances with my own daughters. I didn't find out what the balance was for me between my nature as a woman and my own ego until it was far too late to correct. I've lived with the pain of my mistakes and I don't want you to have those same mistakes dear."

"What the balance between motherhood and career are for you I cannot say and I will not pretend to declare what it should be. That is a question you must find your own answer to dear. I will suggest that if you are uncertain of the balance to lean more towards the motherhood side. You may fall behind in your career, but that is something you can pick up again when you're older. Motherhood only has a limited window of opportunity."

"Now, I said that Son-in-Law brings issues of his own to this equation for you. I recently got to have a rather long and enlightening conversation with Snarf. He wanted to find out more about your connection to Son-in-Law and to understand our culture. I was also able to get a lot of information out of him about your husband's situation. He seemed understanding of our situation and is currently neutral on the competition to see who is recognized as Son-in-Law's wife by local laws. I was also able to get Snarf to agree to let you join Son-in-Law in his Thunderan language lessons. Don't pout Shampoo! I know you don't want to have to learn yet another language especially when you haven't mastered Japanese. This is a chance to get closer to Son-in-Law and you will need to know the language of the people your husband is to rule."

"The real issue I was trying to get to is that Son-in-Law's lands will only be habitable so long as his direct bloodline is around to pass his powers onto. That means that for the safety of his people he will have to have a large family. Snarf isn't sure if Son-in-Law's powers can pass on to a human child. While the advisor admits he is not the best magic user and is not an expert in 'Senshi Magic' as Son-in-Law has, he did admit that Son-in-Law's power heavily favor his Thunderan form. Do you know what that means dear?"

Shampoo shook her head and hoped that her great-grandmother wouldn't smack her head for lying. She could see what it meant, but she didn't want to voice what her conclusion was.

Cologne lightly smacked the girl's chest and said, "You don't get to play the part of a bimbo just because you have these dear. Now, use the brain I know you have in that head of yours and tell me what everything I told you means!"

The young woman fought back the urge to blush and said, "It means several things. Ranma's need for many children to protect his people means that I must either agree to become a full-time mother, tolerate him having a concubine, or seek an annulment of our marriage in order to focus on my career. Furthermore, the fact that his magic favors his thunderan form means that I either must find a way to gain a thunderan form myself, agree to have all my children cursed to become thunderans, or accept him taking one of his people as a concubine to pass along his powers."