Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, except for Suiren and some others, who appear in later chapters. Rumiko Takahashi and the respective publishers own all other characters. I'm using their names without permission, so don't sue me!

Author's notes: Here's chapter two. I'm sorry to all those readers who don't write cliffhangers, but where I ended the last chapter was a really good spot. I even asked my friends. Getting back at the cliffhanger writers just sorta surfaced afterwards. So sorry about that. Anyway, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

~

"What is your name," Ranma asked.

The girl straightened and looked Ranma straight in the eye. "Suiren Saotome."

Ranma froze. Genma stared at the girl. 'Suiren? She's still alive?'

"Sorry, could you run that by me again?"

The girl looked annoyed. "I said, my name is Suiren Saotome. What's yours?"

"I'm, uh, I'm R-Ranma Saotome."

Now the girl looked stunned. 'Is he…? Did I find them?'

Ranma looked at his father. "Uh, Pop? A little help here?"

Genma remained silent, but strode over to the girl. He looked into her deep, ice blue eyes. After studying the girls' eyes for a few moments more, he spoke quietly, almost like a whisper. "You really are Suiren!" He grabbed the girl up into a hug, and said, "Oh, how I have missed you! You've grown so much!"

The girl pulled back from the hug. She looked at Genma. "Father?" Genma nodded, and hugged her again. Suiren began to cry with joy. "I finally found you, after all this time! I thought I would never see you again!"

Ranma was stunned. And confused. "Uh, Pop? What's going on here?"

Genma regained his posture. "Son, meet your sister, Suiren."

Soun came forward. "Maybe you three should talk elsewhere." He gestured to the watching crowd. The women wear crying tears of joy, and the men were bored, confused, or unconscious. Majority of the men fell into the latter category.

"Right. Are there anymore challengers?" The room was silent. "Okay then, tournament'soverranma'sthewinnereverybodygohome."

After everyone had left, Genma lead Suiren and Ranma to the house. He asked Kasumi to bring some tea into the garden and invited the Tendo family to join them by the koi pond.

When everyone was seated, Nodoka entered the garden. "Good afternoon, everyone." Then she noticed Suiren. Shock spread across her face.

"Dear, Suiren has finally returned to us." Tears ran down Nodoka's cheeks. Suiren stood and walked over to her mother.

"I missed you, Mom," she said, hugging her mother. Nodoka hugged her daughter back, tears cascading down her cheeks.

After Nodoka had calmed down and was sitting with everyone else, Ranma spoke up. "Pop, Mom, how could Suiren be my sister?"

"Well, when Suiren was three and we were expecting you, Suiren was kidnapped." As she spoke, Nodoka looked between her two children.

"Your mother was devastated. The police and I did everything we could to locate Suiren, but nothing worked. After a few years, we gave up hope of ever seeing her again."

Ranma looked at his older sister. He took in her strong features, her tall build, ad her face. Her long black hair had been released from it'' braid, and the soft, silky strands flowed down her back to end at her waist. He looked into her ice blue eyes, the same color as his. She was almost a female version of himself. Almost. "What happened to you?"

Suiren averted her gaze to the ground. "Well, my captors took me to a small island off the coast of Hokkaido. I was kept there until I was able to escape a few years later. Then, I made my way to Hokkaido, where I wandered until I collapsed from malnutrition and exhaustion. A woman found me, and she cared for me, raising me, teaching me martial arts. I lived with her, until I turned sixteen. I became restless, I needed to see my family. I told the woman, and she tearfully accepted my decision. She helped me pack and sent me on my way. Since then, I have been travelling, studying martial arts and searching for my family. And now I'm here." She looked up, to see unshed tears in everyone's eyes, except Ranma and Sun. Soun was crying a river, and Ranma stared at his sister in disbelief.

A tear slid down Nodoka's cheek. She wrapped her daughter up in a hug, stoking her hair and saying, "Oh, my poor girl, my poor, poor baby girl. I'm so sorry you had to live with all that."

"Oh, Mom, it's not your fault. And everything's okay now. I'm here, and we're together."

Just then, it started to rain.

Suiren and Nodoka broke their hug, and Suiren caught sight of the girl sitting in her brother's place, and the giant panda sitting in her father's place. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"Let's go inside before we all catch cold," Kasumi suggested. "We'll explain everything there."

"And I insist you stay the night."

"Oh, no, Mr. Tendo. That's all right, I wouldn't want to be a burden on anyone." Suiren started to heft her backpack onto her shoulders. Soun stopped her by taking her bag.

"No, I insist. At least for tonight. We would all like to get to know you better." Suiren looked at all the faces around her. Every pair of eyes were begging her to agree.

"Well, I guess so." She smiled. Akane walked over to Suiren.

"That's great! And you can spend the night in my room, with me. I'm Akane, by the way."

"Thanks, Akane, I'd like that." Suiren smiled down at the shorter girl.

"BUKEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Suiren and Akane looked toward the gate, and saw a small black pig wearing a black and yellow bandanna bounding across the lawn to Akane.

Akane caught the pig in her arms, and cuddled him to her chest. "P-Chan! Where have you been?" Together, the two families walked into the Tendo household.

Once inside, Ranma-chan headed upstairs. P-chan jumped from Akane's arms and followed Ranma up the stairs.

~

In the baths, Ranma ran hot water into the tub, and, without bothering to scrub, stepped into the hot water, feeling himself become male again. P-Chan dived into the tub too, and a boy wearing a black and yellow bandanna emerged in his place.

"Hey, Ryoga. 'Sup?"

"Who's that girl with Akane? Wait, let me guess, she beat you in the tournament?"

"No, I beat her, actually."

"Another fiancée?"

"Man, that's gross!"

"What do you mean?"

"She's my sister!"

"Really?"

Ranma leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head. "Yup. She was kidnapped when she was three, and has been looking for us since she was sixteen."

Ryoga looked around thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, she does look kinda like you…"

"I gotta go." Ranma hopped out of the tub. "And I think Akane's wondering where P-Chan is." He started to walk towards the door. He stopped and turned around to face Ryoga, who was also getting out of the tub. "Hey, you better not be thinkin' of hittin' on my sister," he said in a threatening tone.

"Don't worry. My heart belongs to Akane and Akari." Ryoga dumped a bucket of cold water over his head, instant P-Chan. 'Even if Suiren is kinda cute.' P-Chan followed Ranma into the changing room, and pushed the bathroom door open with his piggy snot. Then, he sauntered off down the hallway, in the direction he thought was to the hallway stairs. Instead, he walked into a closet and got stuck.

~

Downstairs, the Tendos and the Saotomes sat in the living room. Ranma spoke first. "Alright, Suiren. I'll explain the shape-changing bit. A few years ago, Pop took me to a legendary training ground called Jusenkyo. Have you heard about it?"

"Yes, yes I think I have. It is rumored that whoever or whatever falls into one of the springs changes into whatever drowned there last."

"Well, that rumor is true. We were training there, and I knocked Pop into spring of drowned panda. In retaliation, he knocked me into spring of drowned girl."

[It's not my fault!] signed Genma. Ranma hit him over the head.

"Shuddup, old man! You know it's your fault! You couldn't follow the guide's warnings." Ranma calmed down. "Anyway, now whenever I'm splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl, and he turns into a panda. Hot water reverses the effects." The kitchen clock chimed four o'clock. Kasumi stood up.

"I should begin dinner. If you'll all excuse me." Kasumi walked into the kitchen.

"I don't think we have anything else to talk about just yet. Saotome, how about a game of shoji?"

[You're on, Tendo!] As the rest of the household went their separate ways, Suiren headed to the kitchen.

"Kasumi, do you need some help in here?"

"That would be nice. Say, Suiren, do you like pork?"

"Um, actually, I don't eat meat, at all. I have some kind of allergic reaction to it."

"Hmm, alright, do you like vegetable tempura?"

"I've never had it."

Just then, Ranma walked into the kitchen. "Kasumi makes the best vegetable tempura." Kasumi blushed at the comment.

"I'll be looking forward to it then." Suiren smiled. "What do you want me to do?"

~

That night, Suiren had rolled out her sleeping bag on the floor of Akane's room. P-Chan (Akane had rescued him from the closet) was travelling between the two girls looking for pets and cuddles.

The two girls talked about their families, and Akane told Suiren everything she could about the Saotomes. Suiren told what it was like to live with someone who wasn't related to you, and Akane described what it was like to lose your mother at a young age and having to be raised by your father. The two girls became fast friends.

"so, Ranma's your fiancé?"

"Yeah, but we hate each other."

"Oh, I'm sure he can't be THAT bad!"

"But he is! He's a perverted jerk! He's always insulting me, and he's a womanizer."

"Hmm. He insults you, does he? What does he call you?"

"Mainly uncute tomboy, but also fat, he says I'm built like a brick, or a stick, I can't kick, and on, and on, and on."

"I don't mean this in any unproper way, but I don't think you're uncute. Or fat. Or any of those things my brother says you are."

Akane looked down shyly. "Thank you Suiren. I don't hear that often." Akane smiled at Suiren, who smiled back. "You know how Ranma changes into a girl, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's this guy at school, Tatewaki Kuno. He can't get through his thick ego that Ranma is his 'pigtailed girl,' even though Ranma has changed in front of Kuno multiple times." The two girls giggled. A knock at the door silenced them.

"Lights out, girls," came Soun's voice through the door.

"All right. Good night, Dad."

"Good night Mr. Tendo."

"Good night girls." Akane snapped off the light and was almost instantly asleep.

"Good night, Suiren," she mumbled.

"Good night Akane. Sweet dreams." 'If only I could have sweet dreams.' Hard as she tried, Suiren could not sleep, as disturbing thoughts plagued her mind. Finally, she fell into a deep, dream-less sleep.

~

Author's Notes: There's chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had in writing it! Chapter 3 out soon, I promise. (It's already in rough.) You'll find out what's bothering Suiren, preventing her from sleeping, soon enough. I just have to figure it all out, first ^-^' I think I have the largest case of writer's block that I've had in a while. This is gonna be a really long story, by the looks of it. **Sigh** I'll never finish it! Till next time! Ja ne!