Part One
The sign outside read "Tendo Dojo Martial Arts." Below it, in small and neat writing, was posted "To defeat owner in savage combat, please use rear door".
Inside, Soun stuck his head into the kitchen. "Kasumi!" he yelled to a young woman who was chopping watermelon with great ease.
"Yes Daddy?" Kasumi said, turning to her father.
In a room upstairs, a girl was reading, and eating a popsicle. Soun yelled up "Nabiki!" and she mumbled back. Then, he yelled out a third time. "Akane!"
Silence.
"AKANE!" a pause of pregnant silence. "where is that girl?!" he yelled.
Outside, a young girl, with long black hair, jogged into the dojo. "I'm home!!" she yelled. She threw off her running clothes, and slipped into a gi. With a loud yell, she chops a wooden block in half.
"Whew, that felt good!" she wiped her brow, panting from her hard work. Nabiki walked into the garden, her popsicle half-way eaten by now.
"No wonder all the boys think you're strange…" she commented slyly.
"Who cares?" Akane retorted. "Not everyone thinks the world revolves around boys, Nabiki!"
"Oh?" Nabiki looked away, smirking. "Then this wouldn't interest you, now would it?"
"FIANCÉ??" Akane yelled. Outside, the rain began to come down harder.
"Yes, his name is Ranma Saotome. He's the son of a good friend of mine. If one of you girls were to marry him, and carry on this training center, the Tendo family legacy would be secure." Soun said, appeasing his angry daughter.
"Wait a minute!" Akane stood up, annoyed further. "Don't we have any say in who we marry?"
Nabiki, still eating her popsicle, joined the conversation. "Yeah, daddy, we've never even met this guy…"
Soun chuckled evilly to himself. "That can easily be fixed…"
Out on the street, a young girl raced down the lane. A cat followed close to her, traveling over the pavement in leaping strides. The rain splashed at their feet, and the girl was barefooted. Behind them, to the amazement of passerby, ran a Panda. The girl jumped into the air, letting her pack drop to the ground. "Yo!" she yelled, as the cat jumped to the side of the street, avoiding what was quickly becoming a brawl. "Cut that…" The girl launched a kick to the bear's face. "OUT!!"
The panda skidded down the street, and hauled itself up again. "Is that.. a panda..?" people nearby asked. "Sure is.. a panda!!"
The girl adopted a stance, and said. "Your move." The panda launched a series of lightning fast punches at the smaller, red headed girl. "I still say…" the girl said, between punches, "this whole thing… sucks! First China, and now… THIS!" She tossed the panda to the ground, where it lay, still. She picked up her bag, and motioned to the cat, a tiny purple and white feline. "Come on, Chai-chan, hurry…" the girl hissed to the animal. But the cat seemed to shake her head, and motioned with the lithe purple tail to the panda again. "Oh, forget about it!" the girl said, becoming annoyed, and not even looking at the panda, who was stirring.
"Come On!" the girl muttered, and was turning about when the Panda's big, fluffy arm knocked her over the head. She flopped over, and the bear slung her over it's shoulder. But the cat, Chai-chan, yowled at the bear, and sped off into the puddled streets.
Soun and his daughters were still sitting around the table. "Ranma and his father have been on a voyage of training. They just recently crossed into China."
"Wow! China!" Nabiki interjected. Akane grumbled about why walking to china was so good. "Is he cute?" Nabiki continued.
"How old is he? Younger men bore me…" Kasumi mused.
"His father wrote he was bringing a surprise too." Soun tried to cheer his daughters up.
"ooh! Souvenirs!" Nabiki shouted.
"so…" Akane began, with a glint in her eye. "What kind of guy.. is this Ranma?"
"I don't know.." Soun admitted. "We've never met." Suddenly, a commotion outside stopped Soun from being murdered by his daughters. "It's them!" Nabiki and Soun raced to the door. A moment later, they raced back. They were being pursued by a panda, with a girl slung over it's shoulder. The panda set the girl down in front of Soun, and sat down. Soun looked at her. "You wouldn't be…"
"Ranma Saotome…" she muttered. "Sorry 'bout this…"
Soun grabbed her by the shoulder. "AT LAST! YOU'VE COME!!" he hugged Ranma. And thrust her back, and looked at her chest.
Nabiki looked at Ranma's chest too, but with more the gaze of someone appraising a piece of meat at a market. And poked her. "umm… could you stop that…?" Ranma asked, uncomfortably.
"Daddy.. HE is a SHE" Nabiki said.
Soun lay on the floor of the dining room, tears streaming down his face. Kasumi gently laid a washcloth over his head. "Oh poor daddy," she said, in her comforting voice. "he's so disappointed…"
Nabiki retorted "He's disappointed?! Some fiancé THIS is!"
Out in the streets, Chai-chan was pattering about irritatedly. She couldn't find Ranma, and it was getting colder and wetter by the second. She mewed a few times, simply in frustration, and sat down under the shade of a gate to wait out the storm.
{Where could the "Tendo" house be?} She wondered to herself, in a most un-catlike way. And, just as she thought this, a loud crash sounded from over a wall, followed by voices. "You should have made SURE!" Yelled a harsh, yet somehow monotonous voice. And then, a more familiar tone. "Stop doing that!"
Chai-chan sprang up, and ran into the courtyard of the Dojo.
"Can i.. errr.. we, take a bath?" Ranma asked her hosts, motioning to the panda as her companion.
"Certainly.." Kasumi said, looking at the great lumbering beast, who had been sitting in a corner since he arrived. "Pandas need to be clean too!" She showed them both to the furo, and was just coming back when a scratching noise caught her attention.
A little cat, of a purple and white coloration, was scratching at the screen door over the front of the house. "Here neko-chan." She said, opening the door and scooping up the cat. "Come inside and get warm and dry…"
"Look what I found!" Kasumi called as she came back into the dining room. " A little kitty cat!" She displayed the animal to the various people gathered in the room.
"I wonder whose cat that is..?" Akane said, standing up and looking at the feline. Chai-chan mewed at her, in an appreciative sort of way. She could understand, in a rudimentary way, what the people in the room were saying, although her Japanese wasn't very good.
Just then, an older man with a white kerchief on his head stepped out of the hallway. He wore large spectacles, and a karate gi, and was somewhat chubby around the midsection. The three daughters stared at him with confusion, as Soun sat up from his weeping.
"Genma!"
"Soun!"
The two men greeted each other, still leaving the younger generation in the dark. "This is my dear friend," Soun began, "Saotome Genma, father of…"
Nabiki interrupted him "The FEMALE fiancée we ended up with?"
"Yes.. but, no.." explained Soun, twitching slightly. "Ahh.. here comes Ranma now!"
And into the room walked a tall young man, with black hair in a pigtail down his back. "I'm.. Saotome Ranma."
The sign outside read "Tendo Dojo Martial Arts." Below it, in small and neat writing, was posted "To defeat owner in savage combat, please use rear door".
Inside, Soun stuck his head into the kitchen. "Kasumi!" he yelled to a young woman who was chopping watermelon with great ease.
"Yes Daddy?" Kasumi said, turning to her father.
In a room upstairs, a girl was reading, and eating a popsicle. Soun yelled up "Nabiki!" and she mumbled back. Then, he yelled out a third time. "Akane!"
Silence.
"AKANE!" a pause of pregnant silence. "where is that girl?!" he yelled.
Outside, a young girl, with long black hair, jogged into the dojo. "I'm home!!" she yelled. She threw off her running clothes, and slipped into a gi. With a loud yell, she chops a wooden block in half.
"Whew, that felt good!" she wiped her brow, panting from her hard work. Nabiki walked into the garden, her popsicle half-way eaten by now.
"No wonder all the boys think you're strange…" she commented slyly.
"Who cares?" Akane retorted. "Not everyone thinks the world revolves around boys, Nabiki!"
"Oh?" Nabiki looked away, smirking. "Then this wouldn't interest you, now would it?"
"FIANCÉ??" Akane yelled. Outside, the rain began to come down harder.
"Yes, his name is Ranma Saotome. He's the son of a good friend of mine. If one of you girls were to marry him, and carry on this training center, the Tendo family legacy would be secure." Soun said, appeasing his angry daughter.
"Wait a minute!" Akane stood up, annoyed further. "Don't we have any say in who we marry?"
Nabiki, still eating her popsicle, joined the conversation. "Yeah, daddy, we've never even met this guy…"
Soun chuckled evilly to himself. "That can easily be fixed…"
Out on the street, a young girl raced down the lane. A cat followed close to her, traveling over the pavement in leaping strides. The rain splashed at their feet, and the girl was barefooted. Behind them, to the amazement of passerby, ran a Panda. The girl jumped into the air, letting her pack drop to the ground. "Yo!" she yelled, as the cat jumped to the side of the street, avoiding what was quickly becoming a brawl. "Cut that…" The girl launched a kick to the bear's face. "OUT!!"
The panda skidded down the street, and hauled itself up again. "Is that.. a panda..?" people nearby asked. "Sure is.. a panda!!"
The girl adopted a stance, and said. "Your move." The panda launched a series of lightning fast punches at the smaller, red headed girl. "I still say…" the girl said, between punches, "this whole thing… sucks! First China, and now… THIS!" She tossed the panda to the ground, where it lay, still. She picked up her bag, and motioned to the cat, a tiny purple and white feline. "Come on, Chai-chan, hurry…" the girl hissed to the animal. But the cat seemed to shake her head, and motioned with the lithe purple tail to the panda again. "Oh, forget about it!" the girl said, becoming annoyed, and not even looking at the panda, who was stirring.
"Come On!" the girl muttered, and was turning about when the Panda's big, fluffy arm knocked her over the head. She flopped over, and the bear slung her over it's shoulder. But the cat, Chai-chan, yowled at the bear, and sped off into the puddled streets.
Soun and his daughters were still sitting around the table. "Ranma and his father have been on a voyage of training. They just recently crossed into China."
"Wow! China!" Nabiki interjected. Akane grumbled about why walking to china was so good. "Is he cute?" Nabiki continued.
"How old is he? Younger men bore me…" Kasumi mused.
"His father wrote he was bringing a surprise too." Soun tried to cheer his daughters up.
"ooh! Souvenirs!" Nabiki shouted.
"so…" Akane began, with a glint in her eye. "What kind of guy.. is this Ranma?"
"I don't know.." Soun admitted. "We've never met." Suddenly, a commotion outside stopped Soun from being murdered by his daughters. "It's them!" Nabiki and Soun raced to the door. A moment later, they raced back. They were being pursued by a panda, with a girl slung over it's shoulder. The panda set the girl down in front of Soun, and sat down. Soun looked at her. "You wouldn't be…"
"Ranma Saotome…" she muttered. "Sorry 'bout this…"
Soun grabbed her by the shoulder. "AT LAST! YOU'VE COME!!" he hugged Ranma. And thrust her back, and looked at her chest.
Nabiki looked at Ranma's chest too, but with more the gaze of someone appraising a piece of meat at a market. And poked her. "umm… could you stop that…?" Ranma asked, uncomfortably.
"Daddy.. HE is a SHE" Nabiki said.
Soun lay on the floor of the dining room, tears streaming down his face. Kasumi gently laid a washcloth over his head. "Oh poor daddy," she said, in her comforting voice. "he's so disappointed…"
Nabiki retorted "He's disappointed?! Some fiancé THIS is!"
Out in the streets, Chai-chan was pattering about irritatedly. She couldn't find Ranma, and it was getting colder and wetter by the second. She mewed a few times, simply in frustration, and sat down under the shade of a gate to wait out the storm.
{Where could the "Tendo" house be?} She wondered to herself, in a most un-catlike way. And, just as she thought this, a loud crash sounded from over a wall, followed by voices. "You should have made SURE!" Yelled a harsh, yet somehow monotonous voice. And then, a more familiar tone. "Stop doing that!"
Chai-chan sprang up, and ran into the courtyard of the Dojo.
"Can i.. errr.. we, take a bath?" Ranma asked her hosts, motioning to the panda as her companion.
"Certainly.." Kasumi said, looking at the great lumbering beast, who had been sitting in a corner since he arrived. "Pandas need to be clean too!" She showed them both to the furo, and was just coming back when a scratching noise caught her attention.
A little cat, of a purple and white coloration, was scratching at the screen door over the front of the house. "Here neko-chan." She said, opening the door and scooping up the cat. "Come inside and get warm and dry…"
"Look what I found!" Kasumi called as she came back into the dining room. " A little kitty cat!" She displayed the animal to the various people gathered in the room.
"I wonder whose cat that is..?" Akane said, standing up and looking at the feline. Chai-chan mewed at her, in an appreciative sort of way. She could understand, in a rudimentary way, what the people in the room were saying, although her Japanese wasn't very good.
Just then, an older man with a white kerchief on his head stepped out of the hallway. He wore large spectacles, and a karate gi, and was somewhat chubby around the midsection. The three daughters stared at him with confusion, as Soun sat up from his weeping.
"Genma!"
"Soun!"
The two men greeted each other, still leaving the younger generation in the dark. "This is my dear friend," Soun began, "Saotome Genma, father of…"
Nabiki interrupted him "The FEMALE fiancée we ended up with?"
"Yes.. but, no.." explained Soun, twitching slightly. "Ahh.. here comes Ranma now!"
And into the room walked a tall young man, with black hair in a pigtail down his back. "I'm.. Saotome Ranma."
