There was an odd herbal scent. It was what woke
her up, actually. She opened her eyes to find
herself in a dark enclosed space. Her eyes
gradually became accustomed to the light, revealing
the inside of a small hut. It appeared to be made
of rough planks and had a straw roof over dirt
floors. Evidently the architect had put dried herbs
in the roof as well as hung them all through the
place.
She was light-headed and it took her awhile to
notice that she was bound. In fact, her arms were
behind her back and tied to her ankles. She could
feel the tenseness of her muscles and vaguely
dreaded the next time she had to stand.
There was one window, but it had been sloppily
boarded up. Thin streaks of moonlight slipped
through the planks on the window and all around the
door.
She heard a voice and looked to the door. There
was a squeak as it opened and the dark gray form of
a man came into view.
"Ah! She's awake at last. Greetings Ms. Tendo.
How was your nap?"
She squinted up at him, "Who are you?"
She was surprised to notice how hard it had been
to organize that small thought. What kind of herbs
were those anyway?"
The man chuckled and knelt next to her. "Me?
Why, my name is Jaxom, and I'll be your host for a
short while. Until Ranma shows up at least."
She bit her lip, worrying and pondering what to
do. She thought pleasantly of her sparring with
Ranma, the Japanese martial arts champion, and
smiled weakly as she slipped into a drugged sleep.

Ranma got off the plane and retrieved his pack.
A little physical work and some quick excuses had
him traveling through the Chinese airport as a rare
weapons dealer. He smirked as he pocketed his
wallet. Money was the best excuse for anything.
He stepped outside and found a man with a sheet
of paper reading "Tome" in both Japanese and
Mandarin. He nodded his thanks as the man handed
him keys and pointed out a jeep. With a quick wave,
he threw his pack in the back and was soon driving
off.

Nabiki studied the lock on the door. It was a
standard door lock that came on any door in a common
hardware store. She straightened and smirked. With
a couple minutes of jiggling picks, the door swung
easily open at a touch.
She poked her head into an average looking room
(if you consider sheer opulence average) with no
obvious signs that the resident was anything but
young and rich. There were a couple of Chinese silk
shirts thrown about, but the rest of the room was
spotless aside from the occasional dust.
She stroked the silk sheets and drapes on the
four-poster bed and looked at the three doors along
the back wall. They were evenly spaced with
elaborate carving covering their entire surfaces.
She walked up and opened the first one to reveal
a very well stocked walk-in closet. She noted the
designer labels in the tuxes and the multitude of
Chinese and street clothes, all of the finest
quality. Bored, she ignored the shoes and
accessories in turn for the middle door.
As she opened it, she nearly gasped. Moonlight
slipped through the bay window in the back, washing
the marble and chrome bathroom in silver-blue light.
Every surface was a beautiful gold and crème marble
aside from the mirrors and window. Hanging plants
retrieved sunlight through the enormous skylight
that filled most of the ceiling.
After scrounging through near-empty medicine
cabinets and a closet, she went to the final door to
the far right of the room. She stared wryly at the
final room, not at all surprised as the final door
revealed a traditional dojo. Neither was she
surprised that it was as spotless as the rest of the
house and twice the size of the Tendo dojo.
She shrugged and closed the door. Why had he
bothered to lock the door if there wasn't anything
interesting in here? She crossed her arms over her
chest and scanned the room. Aside from an antique
desk, a fireplace, two wingback chairs, one window
with velvet curtains, the bed, two nightstands, and
an oriental rug, the room was empty.
She had hoped at least for a safe tucked behind
a painting, but there wasn't a thing on any of the
walls. The mantle held his Championship trophy, but
nothing else. She cocked her head and walked up to
examine the mantle. Licking her lips she poked and
prodded every nook and whorl in the elaborately
carved mantle to no avail.
With a sigh she went back to her room. She had
arranged for a friend to pick her up tomorrow
morning and drive her to school. The fact that the
friend was a martial artist nearly as good as Kuno
and happened to be on leave from the armed service
didn't hurt.
Within five minutes she was back in bed and
drifting off to sleep.

Akane opened her eyes as the familiar squeak of
the door interrupted her frantic thoughts. She
seemed to have been here for quite some time, but
she couldn't be sure. She had no idea how long
she'd been drugged and was trying to make them
believe that the herbs still affected her.
One of the men in baggy white pants and a
spotless white tank top knelt next to her and
roughly propped her up against the wall. She winced
as her strained muscles screamed at the movement.
She was still restrained, wrists and ankles bound
together behind her.
He began spooning soup into her mouth, managing
to keep most of it in her mouth rather than on her
clothes. He was silent through the embarrassing
ordeal and left as soon as the bowl was empty.
She had no idea what was going on. The man in
the suit she'd seen right after waking up that first
time hadn't reappeared. She had seen three men in
the white outfits so far, but nothing else. The
only sounds were rowdy conversations from the men,
birdcalls, and lapping water.
She sighed and dropped her head to her chest,
still sitting up. The course ropes were rubbing her
wrists and ankles raw, not to mention her shoulder,
back, and leg muscles. She really hoped somebody
showed up soon, preferably Ranma or the army, anyone
that could teach these losers some manners.

Ranma pulled the jeep up in front of a dry goods
store in some village. He was almost there, but
he'd have to leave the jeep tomorrow due to rough
terrain. He got out of the car and went into the
store. A man behind the counter haggled with an
elderly woman over flour and eggs as Ranma picked up
some camping rations.
He stepped up to the counter as the woman left,
paying the first price the man muttered. When he
looked confused and asked if the price suited Ranma,
the boy smirked.
*Yes, I don't really care. Trust me, you can
use the money more than I*
He grabbed the paper bag and stepped into the
street. The sound of two frustrated voices didn't
faze Ranma for a moment, until he realized one voice
was speaking Japanese. He turned and saw a boy
about his own age. He squinted, knowing the teen
was familiar.
With a grin, Ranma launched the bag of groceries
into his car and trotted across the street.
"Ryoga! Long time no see!"
The black-haired boy looked up in confusion.
"Uh, do I know—Ranma?"
Ranma nodded and slapped him on the back,
receiving a frown for his troubles.
"Where have you been? Did you think you could
run long enough and just drop off the face of the
planet?" Ryoga slapped away Ranma's hand and glared
at him. His whole face was tense, and it was
painfully obvious that he was fighting to keep from
punching Ranma.
Ranma blinked. "It wasn't really my fault
Ryoga. Ya mind coming over to my car so I can
explain?"
Ryoga grudgingly complied, walking stiffly to
the jeep. Ranma began packing the food away as he
spoke. "Well, ya remember the girl that was in your
class, the one that walked with us to the school
every day?"
Ryoga nodded, still glaring, "Yeah, she was your
sister or something."
Ranma smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I worked
for her old man. When her big brother got sick, I
started walking her to school every day. That's how
I met you. Then, well, I changed jobs we'll say,
and it was kinda sudden. I'm real sorry man, but I
couldn't get a hold of you without putting you in
danger."
Ryoga looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"
Ranma nodded and raised his right hand. "I
swear it on my Pop's honor! I'd explain more, but I
gotta rescue my fiancée. Some old mobster kidnapped
her. Ya got a stable address where I can get a hold
of you, or do ya still have that problem?"
Ryoga blushed silently and dug a toe in the dirt
road. "Actually, yeah. Uh, could you point me to
Japan? Nobody here understands me and—"
"Ryoga, old buddy, how about you stick with me.
I'll get ya back to Japan in a few days."
He looked up expectantly, like a puppy hoping
for a treat. "Really? I mean, it won't be any
trouble? I'll help ya get your girlfriend back and
everything."
Ranma nodded and smiled. "Sure! But you'll
have to stick close so you don't wander off."

Kasumi watched the delivery boy ride off on his
bike before going to the door and retrieving the
groceries. She went into the kitchen to put them up
when the phone rang. Nabiki, sitting at the island
doing homework, exchanged a glance with Kasumi
before picking it up.
"UH, hello?"
*Nabiki? Is that you?*
"Ranma? Yeah, it's me."
*Great! I'm leaving the last village with
telephones now, so I just thought I'd call and check
in. I've drafted an old friend for help, and I hope
to gain a few other allies too before going in, but
they're all on the way.*
"Well, that's convenient." How'd he know so
many people in China?
*Yup. So, I'll call back in a few days. Oh,
how's everybody else doing?*
"Fine. Kasumi took your food advice and your
kitchen is now well stocked, I'm skipping school but
I've got all my books and calling friends for
homework, and Dad is vegged out on the couch."
*Oh. Tell him not to worry, I've fought this
guy several times. See ya soon.*
Ranma sighed and dragged Ryoga back onto the
path. "Can't you just hold onto the back of my pack
or something?"
"Oh, sure." Ryoga's reply was distracted. He
was still a little embarrassed about Ranma helping
him, but Ranma was making it seem like he really
needed Ryoga's help more than anything. It was
starting to work as they sat around the campfire the
evening after they left their jeep at the end of the
last trail wider than an arm's span.
"Thanks for coming Ryoga."
Ryoga waved a hand and swallowed a mouthful of
trail mix. "No problem."
"No, I mean it. If I have to worry about Akane,
I might mess up in the fight. But, if I worry too
much about the fight, she could get hurt." He
frowned, "Her father would never forgive me."
Ryoga chuckled and popped a raisin down his
throat. "Tell me Ranma, what happened to your
quest? Did you finish it, or give it up?"
Ranma stared at the burning logs, his face
unreadable. Ryoga was one of the few people that
knew the whole story of his life long quest. After
a long moment, he said, "That's actually why I'm
here. Tendo is Akane's father. He was supposed to
get his daughters prepared for my arrival so that
one of them could be engaged to me when Pop and I
got there."
Ryoga blinked, cocked his head, and blinked
again. Then he burst into laughter. "That's the
funniest thing I've ever heard!"
Ranma frowned. "Thanks man. I'm glad you find
it amusing that I spent my childhood preparing for
something that would never happen."
Ryoga calmed down and returned to his trail mix,
still chuckling on occasion. "Look at it this way,
at least ya got a lot of training. Besides, that
goal got you through some tough times."
Ranma nodded slowly and sighed. "Yeah, but it
put Akane into one. If it weren't for our Pops
knowing each other, she wouldn't have been
kidnapped."
Ryoga shrugged, "But you say this guy's a bad
fighter, right? Then you'll beat him, save the
girl, get married, and run a dojo like the happy
little husband."
Ranma stared at Ryoga like he'd suddenly gone
mad. "I'm not actually gonna marry her! I'll make
some kind of financial repercussions or something."
Ryoga studied his old friend. "Financial
repercussions, huh? Ranma, how do you plan on doing
that?"
Ranma made a curt hand gesture. "There wasn't a
written contract that I know of. I'll get a lawyer
if I have to, but only as a last resort. Then I'll
just pay their family something in the range of six
figures. Easy, simple, quick, and I can get back to
work."
"Six figures? Ranma, how much money do you
have?"
Ranma's head shot up. He stared Ryoga in the
eye, knowing he'd made a mistake. Ryoga didn't have
much money. He traveled from town to town doing odd
jobs to pay for the food and supplies he went
through on his wanderings. Ranma wasn't even sure
how much he was worth.
"Moneys not important. I'd give every cent I
have if it meant that nobody would ever be harmed
because of me."
"Then why not just pay a ransom for Akane?"
Ranma shrugged and returned his gaze to the
fire. "They don't want one Ryoga, didn't ask for
one. I killed Jaxom's father. He doesn't want
money, only revenge."
Ryoga's eyes widened. "You killed him?"
Ranma nodded slowly. "I'm not proud of some
things Ryoga. I've got very little to be proud of,
actually."
Ryoga shook his head. "No, you've got a lot.
You honored your father's wishes at great cost to
yourself. And now you're wandering off to China to
save a girl. You don't have to, ya know. You could
just turn around and disappear in Japan."
Ryoga narrowed his eyes, studying Ranma intently
for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Trust
me, I do it all the time!"
Ranma looked up and grinned. "Thanks man. No,
I've gotta help her. First of all, she's there
because of me. Besides, I took her family to my
place to stay where it's safer."
They both laughed at that. Not long later they
were turning in for the night.

Akane rolled her shoulders gently forward. It
hurt, but it was getting better. She glared at the
door. How long had she been here? She'd been
conscious for two days now, but what about before
that?
She sighed and tried to work her legs. If she
was gonna get out of here, she'd have to be able to
move.

Ranma grabbed the staff that was swung at his
head. *My name is Ranma Soatome. I am the ward of
Koh lohn.*
The guard stopped and leaned forward to study
his face. Ryoga edged carefully toward the other
guard. Ranma wished he could recall their names,
but it's hard to learn a village of names in a
couple of months.
The guard's face broke into a grin. *Ranma!
It's about time you showed back up! Go on in.*
Ranma nodded, *What about my friend? I'll vouch
for him. *
She winked and waved them both in. Ranma smiled
and made his way through the village, stopping at a
hut he knew well. He tapped the doorframe.
"Cologne?"
After a brief pause, a wrinkled face like a
giant shriveled raisin from Ryoga's trail mix poked
its head through the opening. Ryoga gasped and
jumped back. The raisin grinned and jumped out to
give Ranma a brief hug from atop its cane.
"Ranma! What brings you back to us?"
Ranma smiled sadly. "It's a long story. Do you
know where Sham is?"
Cologne nodded wisely and gestured the two boys
in.

Shampoo poked her head into her great-
grandmother's hut with an expectant look. As her
eyes lit on Ranma and she squealed happily as she
jumped across the hut to land next to him, arms
wrapped around his neck.
*Brother! *
Ryoga raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Ranma calmly disentangled her. "Japanese Shampoo,
you've gotta learn sometime."
She sighed. "But your Mandarin is better over
my Japanese." She sat down between Ranma and
Cologne with a pout.
Ranma smiled softly. "Yes, but Ryoga here
doesn't know any Mandarin."
Ryoga raised an eyebrow. *Who says? *
Ranma blinked and Ryoga continued with a
chuckle. "Actually, I don't know very much. I
would prefer Japanese."
Shampoo consented with a reluctant nod. "Okay.
So why are you back Ranma?"
Ranma's face went blank. "I was staying with an
old friend of my father's when my old rival
kidnapped Tendo's daughter."
The two amazons shared a concerned glance.
Cologne leaned forward. "Tendo? Isn't that the
name of the man you were preparing to fight?"
Ranma blushed a little. "Well, it seems that we
misinterpreted that post card. I don't have to
fight anyone to inherit the school, I'm just
supposed to marry one of Tendo's daughters."
Shampoo blinked and burst into laughter. "Ranma
no can marry little girl!"
"She's not little, she's our age. But it's too
dangerous to marry anyone. I mean look, she was
kidnapped just because I was staying with her
family."
Shampoo sobered. "Then why rescue girl?"
Ranma looked disappointed. "Because it's my
fault she was taken. She could be hurt."
Cologne nodded. "It is only fair, and utterly
honorable. After you rescue her, it will both pay
the honor debt you owe her family and give you an
excuse to break the engagement." There was a spark
in her eye as she winked at him. "Very nice move
Ranma."
He groaned. "That's not why I'm doing it! I'm
going to pay them or something to get out of this
whole arrangement. But that's not important. I
want to leave at dawn for Jusenkyo."
Shampoo gasped, "Ranma! You no learn yet that
Jusenkyo very bad place?"
"I agree, young one. I've told you of the
horrors at that place. Why would you want to go
there?"
"That's where Jaxom took Akane. I'm going after
her."
Shampoo leaned over, "No Ranma! No go there!"
Cologne seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"No granddaughter. He is set on going. You will go
with him and his young friend." She met Ranma's
eyes. "I'm sorry, but you aren't an official
Amazon. I can't send any villagers to that place
except for Shampoo who, I'm sure, will go
willingly."
"Yes! Shampoo follow Brother anywhere!"
"Thank you Shampoo, and you Cologne. It's more
than I'd hoped for." He bowed to both.

Akane bit her cheek to keep from gasping as her
hand slipped through the ties. She sat there
breathing heavily until she managed to arch her back
and get her legs and arms in front of her. It was a
slow and painful process, but the pain left a
satisfying soreness that was slowly easing.
She had no idea how long she sat there, but she
didn't move again until her muscles stopped
contracting and convulsing randomly. At last she
stood slowly, leaning heavily on the wall. She
paced shakily back and forth across the floor.
With a determined expression, she looked toward
the door.

Ranma edged toward the edge of the cliff that
overlooked the valley. The camp itself was twenty
feet away from the pools. There were what appeared
to be twelve two-man tents for the guards, Three
larger tents of unknown contents (Though Ranma
suspected that on was Jaxom's), a hut, and a
spattering of small campfires with pots simmering
over them at intervals through the tight camp.
He'd hated waiting a whole afternoon and evening
watching, but they now knew that Jaxom had between
twenty and thirty men, closer to twenty though,
wandering aimlessly in small groups.
Their plan was to go in together, avoiding
groups of guards but taking them out quietly if they
encountered any. They'd make their way to the three
main tents next to the hunt, examining all three one
at a time until they found Jaxom, Akane, or both.
Then, Shampoo and Ryoga would get Akane out and
Ranma'd take out Jaxom.
Well, that was the plan.
Ranma had just left the tree line and was
skirting the light from the nearest campfire when he
noticed the shapes of people through the backlit
canvas of the tent next to him. He gestured to
Ryoga and Shampoo to stop and he leaned closer to
the canvas.
He heard chuckles. "Well, what's this?"
There was a pause, but he didn't think they were
in the tent. They seemed to be on the opposite side
of the tent, in the narrow aisle that created the
labyrinth of a campsite. He caught his friends'
eyes and jerked his head toward the voices. There
was nowhere to go until they took out these guards.

Akane made her way quietly through the camp.
She had been lucky enough that she hadn't seen
another soul yet when she finally saw a forest
through a gap between two tents. She sighed and
heard a gravelly chuckle behind her.
"Well, what's this?"
Akane turned slowly to see five men approaching
her. She nearly collapsed in tears. She could
barely walk! How could she fight five men twice her
size?
There was a grunt as the man farthest to the
left collapsed, clutching his throat. A girl with
purple hair had kicked him there before falling into
a defensive stance to wait for a second man to
approach her.
A boy with black hair fell from the sky,
cracking an umbrella over the man next to last man's
head. He landed and immediately spun the parasol
into the man farthest to her right's jaw.
Akane nearly cried as Ranma sent knife into one
man's shoulder and a simultaneous kick to the man
next to him. Since that man had been going toward
the girl, she finished him off with a kick. Ranma
took out the final one with an elbow to the top of
the head.
As he straightened (and the man in white
collapsed to the ground), Ranma turned to her with a
smile.
"How's it going?" He spoke quietly, but it was
enough. Akane burst into silent tears.
"Thank the gods! They've had me tied up and I
can barely walk—"

He held a finger to his lips and looked around.
Her three heroes clustered around her. The boy
looked at her curiously while the girl seemed to be
appraising her. Ranma scanned her up and down
before turning to the girl.
"Sham, can you take her to the village?"
She nodded happily. "No problem!"
The girl tried to drag Akane off, but she
resisted. "Ranma!"
He smiled calmly to her. "Don't worry, Sham
will take care of you. I've got to take out the guy
that nabbed you." He seemed to think for a moment
and was about to say something when they heard more
voices approaching.
"Ryoga, go with them. If somebody shows up, you
try to take care of them so Sham can get Akane out
of here."
Ryoga glanced over his shoulder to the voices.
"Okay, but as soon as they're clear I'm coming
back."
"No! You won't be able to find me, and it will
be easier to sneak around by myself. Just get the
girls to the village."
He frowned, "Right."
Ranma waited long enough for them to get around
the tent before he went further into the camp. He
made his way to the three large tents. The first
one, anti-climatically enough, was full of supplies.
He found a loose corner and peered beneath it
quick enough to see a desk, a cot, and a wingback
chair with its back to Ranma, a pair of gray pants-
clad legs sticking out from beneath it.
Ranma smirked and scrambled beneath the bottom
of the tent, standing up inside. Nobody else was
inside, and only the sparse furniture was visible.
One foot tapped up and down aimlessly as if counting
music.
Ranma flipped over the chair, landing so he was
facing its occupant. Jaxom, a little older than
Ranma remembered him. Jaxom had silver hair that
Ranma had always assumed was natural. Now, however,
he had some dark roots showing just above his
forehead as he smiled at Ranma. He bowed his head
in greeting.
"Hello Ranma."
"Jaxom. Why not just attack me instead of
taking a girl?"
"Because I wanted you here for a reason. I
didn't want you dead in a Tokyo gutter because
you're better than that. And so am I."
Ranma shook his head. "The only thing you're
better than, is your father. That's not a
compliment by the way."
He bowed his head again; this time to show that
he had heard but didn't deem it worthy of a
response. "I wanted to challenge you to a real
match. One with out distractions or government
suits to butt in. Thus, I challenge you, Ranma
Soatome, for my father's honor."
Ranma let out a short bark of a laugh. "Your
father's honor? What honor? He made bets and sent
me off to kill people that made him mad or managed
to win those bets. He was a lying, murdering cheat
that didn't care about anything except money and
making people suffer for his amusement."
"I've spent my whole life trying to avenge my
father, an honorable fighter who never hurt a soul.
I only killed those men for your father because they
were, to the most part, just as bad as him. Now
I'll kill you so that Akane and her family will be
safe."
Jaxom chuckled softly and stood. "Very well,
try it. You know, I've done a lot of training since
we parted. Every day I get up and practice from
dawn till dusk under one master or another, alone if
I have to, with your face at the end of every punch
and kick."
Ranma followed him with his eyes as Jaxom made
his way to the door. "It takes more than drive to
make a fighter, Jaxom."
"True, but I have a few good tricks out of the
deal." With that he spun and ran out of the tent,
Ranma hot on his heels. He saw Jaxom duck into the
final of the three large tents and stopped.
His patience wasn't truly tested, for Jaxom ran
back out a moment later. "Well, if you won't fall
for my traps, I'll just fight you the way you like."
They began a fight that observers would have
seen as a flurry of blows. Ranma avoided all but a
few, landing a lot, but Jaxom was obviously wearing
some major padding. Ranma vaguely noted that they
were working their way toward the springs, but had
to force his attention onto the fight.

Akane was struggling to keep up with the other
two. Ryoga, if she remembered his name correctly,
noticed and paused to help her.
"Are you okay? You're sore from being tied up,
right? Should I carry you?"
"I'm (pant, pant) fine." She wasn't, and they
both knew it.
He frowned. "Sure. C'mon, climb on."
"Uh, Ryoga?"
Ryoga and Akane looked up to see what the girl
was worried about.

Shampoo braked suddenly as the men came into
view. Eight men in solid white had come out of the
forest. One had a boar carcass thrown over his
shoulder and the others had an assortment of guns.
"Uh, Ryoga?"
The men pounced, dropping the boar and drawing
weapons. Shampoo took out three in a few minutes
before she had time to check on the others. Ryoga
had three down and was working on his fourth. On
the other side of him, Akane was struggling with the
last one.
Ryoga knocked his guy out and saw Akane. He
darted over and took the man by surprise with a kick
to the head. He let Akane lean on his shoulder as
she caught her breath and rubbed a muscle in her
upper leg.
Ryoga looked up at Shampoo, his eyes widening
suddenly. The next moment he was jumping past her.
When Shampoo turned, he was punching one guy in the
jaw and another received a few strong kicks to key
joints.
Shampoo blinked as Ryoga came over to her. "Are
you okay?"
She nodded and he went past her to help Akane
back to her feet.
"Sorry about that. You okay?"
"Yeah." Akane smiled up at him. "I'm fine.
Thanks."
Shampoo glared, but quickly hid it. A minute
later they were making their way through the forest
again, Akane supported by Ryoga.

Ryoga paused, forcing Shampoo and Akane (both of
which were behind him) to stop as well.
"What is it?" Akane whispered.
He waved to a path and looked around. "Is it
just me, or have we been here before?"
Shampoo looked around the bulky boy and stared.
"You stupid? This where we just fight ten minute
ago!" She shook her head in exasperation and moved
around him. "Follow me!"
She led them quickly through a blinding maze of
game trails until they came out at the edge of the
cliff where they'd observed the camp. She knelt and
edged up to the drop off.
"You see Ranma?"
The other two flanked her, all of them on their
stomachs. Akane strained her eyes. "I don't see
anything but the fires. Uh oh."
AT the very edge of the camp, two men in white
stumbled across the first five men they'd fought.
They quickly trotted off to the middle of the three
main tents.
Just as they reached the flap, there was an
explosion at the hut in the camp, followed by
another at the edge of the pools.

Ranma stared at Jaxom from atop a bamboo pole.
Jaxom lay sprawled on the narrow path between what
could be called two extremely large puddles.
"Give up Jaxom? Ready to leave me and my
friends alone?"
Jaxom looked up, glaring at Ranma through his
silver hair, dark roots showing. A mad grin split
his lower face.
"Not quite. I plan for all occasions. You'll
never get that slut of yours." He raised a device
and clicked a button. The small wooden hut went up
in a ball of fire.
Ranma shrugged, "She's safe and out of your camp
already Jaxom. Has been for nearly half an hour."
Stunned horror split the young man's face for a
brief moment. "It doesn't matter! You'll never see
her again!" He held up the device, which Ranma
realized seemed rather large for a remote tied to a
single explosive.
"Oh man." Ranma dove for Jaxom, grasping for
the remote.
They struggled, but Ranma managed to knock it
out of Jaxom's hands. It landed six feet away and
Jaxom dove. He landed on top of it and Ranma heard
a click. As Jaxom's body exploded, Ranma was thrown
into a pool of water.
He held his breath and waited below the surface
for a moment, the horror of Jaxom being torn apart
replaying in his mind. Something landed in the
water next to him, glinting in the moonlight that
streamed through the water. Ranma caught a silver
knife just like the one he'd found at the Tendo's.
The rose engraved knife he'd had was now in that
first guard's shoulder. Ranma tucked this one into
his left bracer and surfaced. He purposely averted
his eyes from the remains of Jaxom and headed
stealthily to the forest.

Akane, Ryoga, and Shampoo met up with Ranma and
the four of them raced through the dark to the village. They ignored
the guards altogether and headed straight to
Cologne's hut.
They all stared at Ranma. He blinked. "What?"
Cologne sighed. "MY boy, it would appear you
fell in a spring."
His face lost all color. "Oh! I was thrown
there by the blast and—what am I?" He looked down
and gasped, squeezing a breast. He fell to his
knees.
The elderly matriarch had been waiting for them
and poured them each a cup of tea.
"How did it go, aside from Ranma now being a
girl?"
Ranma swirled his tea and stared at it.
"Jaxom's dead, and here's Akane. Oh. Akane, this
is Cologne, an Amazon elder. That's Ryoga, an old
school friend of mine, and Shampoo here is Cologne's
great-granddaughter."
Akane blinked, still in shock. "Thank you
everyone. I don't know how much longer I could have
lasted. Or what would have happened if you hadn't
showed up when you did." She was staring straight
ahead. Though she obviously meant her words, she
was simply staring at the wall, mentally replaying
the last few days.
Ryoga smiled shyly at her. "Well, you made it
easier by being where you were. We didn't have to
go looking for you!"
There was strained laughter and Ranma turned to
Cologne in desperation. "Tell me about this curse."
Akane looked up at him in surprise and blinked.
Cologne studied him for a moment, and then stuck
a stubby finger into her tea. Judging it to be a
little over lukewarm, she picked it up and dumped it
on his head. Akane jerked from the splash and Ryoga
ended up with a damp spot on his pants leg while
Ranma reverted to his male side.
He stared at his hand. "How'd you do that? Do
I have to dump tea on me every now and then?"
She closed her eyes briefly, "No Ranma. Cold
water will turn you into a girl. Warm water changes
you back."
He continued to stare intently at his hand, deep
in thought. He finally nodded. "I can live with
that. Thank you for all your help, elder."
Cologne nodded her appreciation, "Thank you for
teaching me a few tricks Ranma." There was an
amused grin on her face and Ranma smiled back at
her.

Ranma flipped on his sunglasses as he drove down
the bumpy dirt trail the natives considered a road.
Akane and Ryoga bumped along with him. Akane opened
the canteen for a drink, restraining a smile as
Ranma pulled slightly away. He watched her warily
as she held it up to offer Ryoga. He waved the
offer aside and she screwed the lid back on.
Ranma looked down at the cellular phone next to
the console. How convenient that a phone was built
into his rental jeep.
He dialed a number and left it on speaker so he
could concentrate on avoiding the worst of the
potholes.
*Hello? *
"Chad! How's it going?"
There was a drawn out silence before Chad
answered hesitantly, *Ranma? *
"Yup! I'm surprised the phone's working. I
suppose it's the altitude. Anyway, we're on our way
to the airport now."
*Oh. Same one you arrived at? I'll have your
jet wait-- *
"Chad!" Ranma's tone was a warning.
*Right. Jaxom? *
Ranma hesitated briefly. "Dead. He blew
himself up."
*Oh. Right, well, check in when you get home.
Will you still be staying at that little dojo? *
Akane looked miffed at 'little', but remained quiet.
"Nah, the Tendos will be staying with me for
awhile. It's safer until your guys get Jaxom's new
crew rounded up."
*Makes sense. Talk to you later. Oh, and do
be careful. Try not to make any more enemies. *
The dial tone was annoying and Ranma quickly turned
the phone off.
"Well, we'll be home in time for dinner if all
goes well." He smiled brightly to his friends,
turning in his seat to see Ryoga in the back. An
extraordinarily large hole forced his attention back
to the road.

Akane stared at the small personal jet waiting
for them. She turned to Ranma, "This is yours?"
"Uh, no. It's a company jet, basically."
Actually, it was his, but it had certain
government insignias hidden in plain sight to show
it's special clearances and jurisdictions.
Ryoga wandered off toward a big 747 and Ranma
trotted over to drag him back. "No Ryoga.
Remember? The little one?"
"Uh, right. I was, uh, just looking. I don't
usually fly."
Ranma shook his head and gestured for Akane to
go up the little staircase. She nodded and did so,
reluctantly breaking eye contact with him. Ranma
seemed so different here, away from people. He was
carefree and laughing. Of course, they were little
chuckles and he hadn't really grinned or burst out
giggling yet, but it was an improvement over the
somber Ranma from Nerima.
And she didn't believe that story about the
plane either.

Ranma hopped out of his car, glad to have a
speedy sports car back, in his driveway. With a
stretch, he helped Akane out as Ryoga climbed from
the back. Akane and Ryoga shared a glance before
studying the house.
Akane blinked, "It's . . . nice Ranma."
He smiled. "Thanks. C'mon in. Your family
should be here."
The front door flew open to reveal a teary
Kasumi, a soapy dish still in her hand.
"Akane, oh my!" She glided quickly and
gracefully down the marble steps, sweeping Akane
into her arms. The oldest Tendo smiled over Akane's
shoulder at Ranma. "Thank you for bringing her
home."
He waved a hand and pulled his pack and Ryoga's
out of the car. "Here man. Bring your stuff on
in." Ryoga accepted the pack with an oddly blank
expression and nodded. The four teenagers went into
the house.
Kasumi stepped inside first. "Father! Nabiki!
They're back!"
Soun appeared from thin air, arms around Akane
and Ranma. "Such a wonderful fiancé you have my
dear Akane! Brave, noble Ranma who risked his life
to save yours!"
Ranma tensed slightly, the muscles in his back
growing hard to the touch against Akane's arm where
her father had pressed her. His face was
momentarily blank, as if stunned, until it took a
sad overtone.
Akane felt as if her father's grip was that of
iron, unbreakable, but Ranma pulled free with
apparent ease. He turned his head smoothly to the
side in a not quite slow movement to look at Ryoga.
"Follow me and we'll get you settled into a
room. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired.
Akane?" He looked at her, one brow raised to
question if she would follow him to a room. She
nodded and he started up the stairs, Ryoga and
herself following.
Kasumi reached out to gesture everyone in, a small
blob of cold soapy water flying to land squarely on
Ranma's head.
Glancing between the stunned members of his
audience with a sheepish grin he muttered, "Uh, yeah, I
suppose I should explain something . . ."

Ranma sighed and studied his distorted
reflection in the bathtub's fixtures. The water was
cooling and he was getting prunes for fingers. He
got out of the tub and slipped on a silk robe.
Tying the waist he opened the door and went into the
main bedroom.
He stretched his hands over his head, hands
clasped, and stretched. He turned to the closet,
his eyes catching on the trophy on the mantle. He
walked purposely to the trophy and rested his hand
on the marble mantle.
With a nostalgic smile he retrieved a small key
chain from his car keys on the table by his chamber
door. He walked back to the mantle and studied the
small black disk. It was a black metallic plastic
with 'Ryo' inscribed on one side, and 'Dragon' on
the other.
He held the side that said Ryo against a small,
disk-shaped impression in the elaborate design of
the mantle. With the softest of clicks the wall to
the right of the fireplace slid aside to reveal a
small shrine and a cluster of his old belongings.
A portrait of his father painted from his memory
and the patient talent of a broke art student hung
there, surrounded by ribbons from tournaments and
odd bits and pieces from his career. In the bottom,
beneath the actual 'shrine' was a hodgepodge of
childhood memories.
Something caught his eye and Ranma pulled out a
small black book. It took him a moment to remember
that it was the address book that Boss had sent to
him when he'd gone to Nishiguchi's.
He flipped through a few pages as he'd done
dozens of times before. None of the names had made
any sense before, and he didn't expect them to this
time. That's why he was surprised when he saw a
name he did recognize.
"Koh Lohn?" How had Boss known the matriarch?
He frowned in thought and glanced at the other
belongings. He was about to put the book up when
there was a knock at his door.
"Ranma?" It was Akane.
"Just a moment." He pulled the disk from the
impression in the mantle and the passage slid
closed. He slipped the disk into the pocket of his
robe and opened the door.
"Yes?"
Akane blinked at him. "Uh, did I interrupt?
Sorry, I'll come back—"
It took Ranma a moment to realize that he was
only wearing a robe and his hair was wet and loose.
"It's alright. I just got out. Did you need
something?"
She blushed a little and gestured at her gi. "I
was gonna practice and thought you might want to
come out to the yard with me. It's alright if you
don't, I know you're probably tired after your trip
and the fight and all—"
He smiled and opened the door wider. "That
would be great! But we don't need to go out into
the yard. I have a dojo right there."
Akane looked a little worried and Ranma was glad
that he'd checked on the dojo earlier and left the
door open. Akane didn't look as if she would have
trusted him. Actually, it looked as if she was
afraid that he was going to rape her or something.
As it was, she looked hesitantly past his
shoulder to the doorway he'd pointed at. She smiled
at the dojo evident on the other side.
"Wow! That's convenient! You can wake up in
the morning and go straight to your workout!"
He smiled, "Yeah. I'd better put some clothes
on though. You go on in and I'll be right there."
He left the outer door open on purpose since she
was still acting a little nervous and headed for his
closet. She padded quickly to the dojo when she saw
him open the closet door and he hid an amused grin.
He waited until he was sure she was gone before
he closed the closet door and pulled out the first
set of Chinese clothes he came to. They were light
blue with a white and silver dragon across the chest
and wrapping around the waist. Actually, they were
some of his favorites.
He took off the robe and stared at his torso in
obvious pain. He had so many scars. Actually, he
only had a few and it was a miracle he didn't have
more considering his life. Still, they each had
special meaning and heartache to him. He never
worked out without a shirt because he hated for
people to see the physical signs of his troubled
past.
He put on the clothes and opened the closet
door. He looked up to see Kasumi standing in his
doorway, oddly serious.
She smiled softly when she saw him and nodded
once in greeting. "Akane was looking for you . . ."
He nodded, "I know. She's in my dojo. We're
going to practice."
"How nice! I'll come back to tell you when
dinner's ready. It should be soon."
"Thanks." She smiled and continued down the
hall. Ranma shook his head. That was weird. He
shrugged and went into the dojo. Akane was in the
center of the floor, running through an exercise.
Ranma watched her carefully and walked up to
her. He reached out to correct a mistake, lightly
catching her shoulder.

Akane concentrated on the moves, letting
everything flow naturally. Father had told her once
that that was her strength, her ability to let
things just happen when she practiced a movement.
She pulled into herself, letting everything but
her moves fade away. She would be smiling from
sheer joy if she weren't frowning from sheer
exertion and concentration.
There was a tingle of presence over her shoulder
just as someone grabbed a hold of her. With a
slight shriek Akane ducked a little and tried vainly
to twist out of the grasp. As she spun she lashed
out with her fists and leg.

Ranma caught one wrist, then the other. He put
both of her hands in one of his. As she sent a knee
up to his stomach he caught it and twisted his torso
to throw her weight off. She began to fall, and
Ranma with her.
He continued his twist to put him beneath her
and she landed on his chest with a grunt. Her long
loose hair fell around him, mingling with his own.
Ranma vaguely wondered how he forgot to braid it
again.
He smirked up at her shocked face. "You're far
too predictable."
"Huh?"
He released her wrists but she just kept staring
at him. "Where'd you come from?"
He raised one eyebrow. "My bedroom."
She blinked. "Well, yeah—" She glared at him.
"Hey! That's not what I meant!"
"I know. You were so absorbed that you didn't
notice me. I was trying to correct your arm and
grabbed your shoulder."
"OH." Akane stood up suddenly, finally noticing
that she was lying on top of him. "Sorry."
He waved a hand in dismissal and sat up. He
bent one leg and rested his arm on that, the other
arm reaching behind him to support his weight as he
looked up at her. She was blushing, again.
"Now, how about I show you what you were doing
wrong?"

Akane nodded and tried to look calm. He looked
completely different with his hair out of that
braid. It came nearly to his waist in a raven slab.
The ends were cut cleanly off in a straight line
across his lower back. She almost hadn't recognized
him when he'd opened the door.
She distinctly remembered him in that clingy
robe, and she'd suspected that there wasn't much on
under it. She blushed even further and turned away
to hide it.
"From the top?"
"Hm?"
"Do you want me to start at the top?"
"Sure."

Ranma tied his hair into a loose ponytail when
Kasumi showed up to call them to dinner. Akane
waited with him, but Kasumi went on to find Nabiki.
Akane watched Ranma pull out a leather chord and
roughly grab his hair. She giggled as he missed a
portion entirely and another bunch formed a lump on
the back of his head.
He turned and gave her a surprised look.
"What?"
She shook her head and smiled. "Let me."
Without asking she grabbed his hair from his grasp.
She pulled up the strands he'd missed. Then she
combed the lump down with her fingers. She turned
his head from side to side to look for others.
Seeing a small one, she fixed it.
"Let me see the chord." He held it up to her
and she tied it snuggly, resisting the urge to make
it into a bow.
She took a step back. "There! Perfect."
Ranma turned and she smiled up at him. He
smiled back and bowed graciously. "My thanks."
She giggled and accepted the arm he offered.
The two of them laughingly went down to dinner.

"I'm taking you to school."
Akane frowned. "You don't have to! I can take
care of myself."
"I don't know what kind of assassins and hired
guns Jaxom had under his employ. Until we get them
all rounded up, I'm taking you two to school. It's
too dangerous to walk all the way there."
Ranma sighed. He'd rather be doing some
paperwork that he had to catch up on sometime today.
He would send Ryoga to protect them, but he'd
disappeared somehow.
Nabiki came down the steps in her uniform and
waved. "Not me you're not. I have a ride." There
was a honking horn out on the street and Nabiki left
the front door wide open. Ranma had a clear view of
some brute in camouflage opening the door to a jeep
for her.
He turned calmly back to Akane as they drove
off. "Well, I'm taking you at least."
"Fine!" She threw her arms up in the air. "But
stay out of my fights!"
Ranma rolled his eyes and grabbed his keys.

Ranma and Akane got out of his car a week later.
Akane continued to chatter about her friends and
school as Ranma grunted noncommittally. He opened
the door and started slightly, though it wasn't
noticeable.
"Hi Chad."
Chad turned from the vase he was setting onto
the hall table. "Hello Ranma. I thought this would
look good here. Consider it an early birthday
present."
Ranma picked it up and studied it as Akane
closed the door. Ranma scoffed. "Nice birthday
present. Ming?"
Akane stopped dead and leaned around Ranma to
study the vase in his hands. She shook her head and
turned to Chad, deciding to ignore the vase. "Mr.
Chad, sir?"
Chad blinked behind his shades and pulled them
off. "Just call me Chad. Can I help you?"
"I hope you're going to tell us that Jaxom's
people are all gone and taken care of. I'd like to
go home and get my life back to normal."
Chad scoffed and jerked a thumb toward Ranma.
"Not with him around. Trouble and outright
weirdness seem to follow him everywhere."
Akane blushed and looked away from Ranma, who
seemed a little uncomfortable, himself. Why, she
wondered? She really wanted to question Ranma, but
didn't feel right about it. He'd risked his life to
come after her, and she doubted he would feel
rewarded by a million personal questions.
"Be that as it may, is it safe for my family and
I to go home?"
Chad patted her on the shoulder and smiled
knowingly. "That's what Ranma and I will be
discussing. Why don't we give you an answer later?"
Akane smiled sadly and nodded. "Alright then.
Ranma? I'm gonna go upstairs."
"Sure. Do you wanna use the dojo?"
She brightened a little. "Can I?"
He shrugged and picked up a stack of mail to
leaf through. "Go for it."
She bit her lip and tried to act more subdued.
Did Ranma think she was weird for being so excited
every time he offered to teach her something?
"Uh, maybe later, after I do some homework."
"Whatever."
She waved and walked calmly up the stairs. She
made the right turn at the top to go to her room,
wishing she could go left to the dojo in his suite.

Ranma watched her go, relieved. Chad gestured
questioningly to the parlor. Ranma nodded and the
two of them went in.
Chad sat down and crossed one ankle over his
knee. "What does she know?"
Ranma shrugged and fingered a bill. He had the
feeling Nabiki had made the most of his hospitality.
"I don't know. I'm waiting for her to come to
me to discuss it. I'm playing the concerned but not
too close friend so she doesn't get any ideas about
the whole fiancé thing."
Chad nodded. "That works. Try to find out soon
though; we need info. Besides, holding in the
emotional trauma can't be healthy."
"I know. So, what is the verdict with the
housing situation?"
Chad smirked and opened his briefcase on the
seat beside him. "They'll be here a little longer
I'm afraid. We're following a few leads still."
"Fine."
"It should be. I know what you're getting paid,
and you can afford a few houseguests."
Ranma smirked and sat across from his friend.
"I know. Kasumi insists on cooking and cleaning for
me in exchange for their stay. I told Soun that it
was more convenient to have my student under my roof
anyway, so that explains her. He says that he
wouldn't let her stay here without a chaperone, so
that gives him credence. Nabiki—well, she's
Nabiki."
"I can't stay long, I have a flight in three
hours and I need to ask you some questions before I
can run my errands."
Ranma waved a hand. "Shoot."
He smiled playfully at the boy. "First of all,
how are you going to explain your association with
the Tokyo Roses to your houseguests?"

Ranma walked Chad to the door. "It was good to
see you. I get tired of that cell phone."
"So do I. It wasn't far out of my way, and I
had to give you that vase. You should hire a
decorator."
"Why? I'm rarely home."
"That could change."
Ranma gave his employer a penetrating stare,
turning to face the older man. "What's that
supposed to mean?"
Chad exhaled sharply and began to fidget. He
sighed and held his hands up in a visible effort to
fend off Ranma's tirade. "Now hold on! Before you
get all excited, hear me out. We've got a great new
batch of youngsters in shoes similar to your old
ones. You turned out well, so we think this could
work out well. Besides, we don't see the point in
sending out the best when a little less will work."
"What are you saying?"
Chad sighed and turned to watch a tree outside
the window sway. He calmly answered, "We want to
send you on fewer missions and let you concentrate
on training some new, young agents."
Ranma blinked and sat down with far less grace
than usual. "What? How young? How many students?"
"Well, I've got three lined up so far, maybe
more further down the way. Two are sixteen but the
other is fifteen and a half."
Ranma shoved a hand through his hair. His eyes
widened for a moment as he took everything in.
"Okay. Why?"
"Why what? We don't want to risk losing our
best agent to a stupid mistake on a routine mission.
But, we don't want you collecting dust and getting
out of habit."
"So I sit in my little house and teach a few
bratty orphans how to fight." Ranma crossed his
arms over his chest and leaned back.
Chad chuckled, "Now, Ranma. First of all, this
is hardly a 'little house.' Second, they couldn't
be any worse than the snobby, egotistical White
Dragon was. Third, you'll teach them more than how
to fight."
Chad paused and waited for Ranma to look him in
the eye. "That was Nishiguchi's mistake. He let
Jaxom teach his men how to fight, but nothing else.
You'll excel at this Ranma."
Ranma sighed and looked askance at his friend.
Finally, he smiled. "Well, I guess it could be
fun."
"That's the spirit! Who knows, you may even
find that you really like your fiancée if you get to
spend enough time with her!"
Chad quickly ducked the flying cell phone.

Akane stretched out her back. She'd spent a few
solid hours working on some things that Ranma'd
picked on her about during their last session. Now
she was finishing her cool down. She stood up and
jogged a few slow and relaxing laps around the dojo.
She wiped her forehead off and opened the door
to Ranma's room so she could head to the small
bathtub in her own room. She gave a small shriek to
see Ranma on the other side of the door.
"Hi Ranma! You scared me."
He gave one of his tiny smiles, "Sorry. You
might want to be downstairs in about an hour. I've
got some new . . . students coming."
Akane nodded slowly, hiding her hurt. "You're
taking on other students?"
"Just a couple. Chad wants me too. Who knows
with him?" He shrugged, "He just wants me to keep
busy since they won't be needing me to work much for
awhile."
"Oh. I'd better go clean up then."
"Right. Well, see ya later then."
She nodded and headed for her room.

Ranma leafed through the small black book. He
paused at a certain passage, resting a finger
lightly over the text with a soft smile. He jerked
his head to the window as a horn beeped from the
driveway.
Ranma made his way to the front door. Akane
poked her head around the corner at the top of the
stairs while Nabiki tried to look casual as she
examined a painting down the hall. Ranma ignored
Nabiki and gave Akane a small smile as Kasumi and
Soun came into view over Akane's shoulder.
The Tendos converged at the bottom of the stairs
as Ranma opened the door.
"Give me that! Iz mine!"
"Oh veally?"
"Da!"
The two teens standing next to the black limo
growled at each other as they argued over a
suitcase. Half a dozen identical bags littered the
ground around them as the limo driver pulled them
from the trunk.
The girl with short red hair tied with a yellow
scarf for a headband tossed her short locks with a
scoff. "Eef you read tha tag, you vill clearly see—
"
"Marco Keller. Zee. I told you." The smirking
boy had identical red hair but his was cut crisply
across the middle of his back. Both wore dark green
tanks and loose pants.
The girl leaned over and ripped the paper tag
with an airliner printed on the back. She shoved it
in his face with a snarl. "Liar! Eet says Sansha
Keller!"
The two looked as if they were near blows when
Ranma cleared his throat. The red heads looked up
the marble staircase to see a black-clad Ranma
against white marble pillars and a matching doorway.
Ranma cocked his head and crossed his arms over
his chest. "Are you quite finished?"
They glared at each other before turning away
from each other to nod curtly.
Ranma uncrossed his arms. "Good. I know your
father and uncle, but we've never met."
Marco blinked and studied Ranma disbelievingly.
"You are ze one called Ranma? But, you are barely
older zan us!"
Ranma shrugged, "So? We'll have a little spar
after dinner so you can get settled in. For now,
sort out your luggage and come on in."
Ranma turned on his heel and strolled back into
the house. He smiled softly at the Tendos.
"Why don't you wait in the parlor? We'll join
you soon."
The four of them nodded and started in. Only
Nabiki paused to question him.
"Exactly what accent was that?"
Ranma smirked. "A little bit of everything
actually. Mostly Russian and German though."

The two red heads followed Ranma into the cozy
Victorian parlor. Kasumi and Soun were on a couch
talking calmly. Nabiki had taken a seat close but
not in the action. Akane had taken a seat on one of
the two remaining couches. Ranma glanced around
before sitting next to her.
Sansha and Marco may have been fighting a few
moments ago, but they seemed excited and perfectly
cheerful with each other as they sat down on the
remaining couch.
"Sansha, Marco, these are the Tendos. Soun
trained with my father."
Tendo nodded his approval and said, "These are
my daughters, Kasumi."
She smiled shyly and waved.
Nabiki gave a brief nod, "Nabiki."
"Akane." She smiled and seemed downright
cheerful.
"Everyone, this is Marco and Sansha Keller. I
work with their father and an uncle. I will be
training them so that they can be good employees for
Chad."
There were mixed reactions to that. The
newcomers seemed excited and proud. Nabiki seemed
to be hiding bitter resentment that Ranma continued
to skirt her questions about his job. Soun was
teary eyed that his daughter's husband was so noble
to be taking on these students. Kasumi was—well,
Kasumi.
Akane appeared to be sad. Of course, she was.
She was far beneath Ranma in so many things, but
being his student was a special honor for her. Now
that there were two more students who were probably
better than her, she lost even that distinction.
Kasumi smiled at the two of them. "It is a
pleasure to meet you, but I need to check on
dinner."
Sansha grinned at her, "Eet iz no problem."
Marco simply bowed his head.
Soun simply excused himself and ran from the
room crying about his fabulous son-in-law. Sansha
and Marco shared a disturbed and worried glance
before letting it slide.
Sansha smiled at Ranma. "You are really our new
sen say?"
"Yes, I'm your new sensei. I don't know how
well it will work, because I have no idea where your
talents lie, but we'll see. How is your father?"
Marco leaned forward slightly. "Ee sends his
regards and hopes to visit us to see ow well u
teach. Ee zed something about Korea but I do not
remember it well."
Ranma gave a soft chuckle. "I can imagine.
Well, I'm glad he's well and he can certainly visit
anytime he wants. You're welcome to call him and
anyone else you like as well. You have the run of
the house like everyone else, but respect everyone
else's rooms."
Sansha smiled warmly at them all. "Of course!
We look forward to our stay!"

Akane was the only one left of the Tendos when
Ranma left to call Chad. Akane smiled nervously at
the Kellers. "So, are you two twins?"
Their identical sets of bright green eyes
flashed with mischief. Sansha giggled. "Ow did you
guess?"
Akane smiled and laughed with them. "Will you
be going to school here then?"
Marco frowned. "I ges so. Father demanded
such. Perhaps we could go to ze one you attend?"
He smiled warmly down at her. Even though they were
sitting, he was pretty tall and still towered over
Akane and his sister.
"That would be great! I gotta warn you though,
it's a pretty weird school."
Sansha giggled, "All ze better! It would not be
fun eef it were not."
"Kasumi told me where you two were going to be
staying. You want me to show you your rooms?
They're right next to mine, actually."
Marco smiled and stood, helping both girls up.
"Zat would be a great, uh, pleasure."
Akane led them upstairs, all the while chatting
about the school, even as they sorted their luggage.
As they crested the stairs, Nabiki poked her head
out of her room. She was across the hall from
Akane, and one of the Keller twins would be next to
her since she and Akane were almost to the end of
the hall. The Kellers got the last two guest rooms
in this hall. There was one more across the hall
from Ranma's suite, but that was it.
Marco headed like a shot to the room next to
Akane's when she pointed the two rooms out. He
smiled sweetly down at Nabiki as he passed.
Sansha shrugged and waved at Nabiki as she
passed. "Zen I will take zis one. I shall see you
soon?" She was looking at Akane.
Akane shrugged. "I can help you settle in if
you want."
Sansha nodded quickly and grabbed Akane's arm.
This was no small task since she had four suitcases
in her own arms. "Da, yes! I ave much to ask of
you!"
Nabiki caught Akane's eye and the younger Tendo
smiled at Sansha. "I'll be there in a second. I
gotta talk to Nabiki real quick."
Sansha cheerily continued into her room and
Akane walked up to her sister. "Yeah Nabiki?"
"Don't you find this a bit odd?"
"What, the Keller's? I think they're nice."
"Oh my dear little sister. I mean, don't you
find their combinations of languages and accents,
their questionable nationality, their father's
relationship to Ranma, the fact that they're being
trained for a job that's at least similar to
Ranma's, and he still won't tell us what he does,
weird?"
Akane blinked and stared at her sister. "Uh,
sure. I think you're overacting a bit. They're
nice, so who cares?"
Akane turned and ran up to Sansha giggling.

The next morning, Ranma stood in the driveway
looking at his car. With a sigh, he turned to the
porch. Sansha, Akane, Nabiki, and Marco stood there
in school uniforms.
"I don't think we're all gonna fit. We better
hoof it to school."
Akane blinked. "School starts in ten minutes,
and we're on the other side of town. We'll never
make it!"
Ranma smiled. "Just run as far as you can and
try to keep up, okay? Then we'll figure something
out."
Ranma glanced briefly at the twins, waiting for
their nods of agreement. With that, he took off.
The twins were right on his heels, the three of them
at a loping run. Akane gave a shriek and followed,
yelling over her shoulder to her sister.
"C'mon Nabiki!"
She held a hand to her mouth and yelled back,
"I'll call a taxi, think you."
Nabiki turned and stomped into the house,
grumbling the whole way. She opened the door and
took a cordless phone from a smiling Kasumi.
"Thanks, sis."

Akane was sprawled in her seat during homeroom.
She gasped for breath and numbly raised her hand
when her name was called during roll.
Ranma had held Akane back as she'd prepared to
fight the group of admirers. He'd quickly
proclaimed that she was the official student of Ryo
Tome (himself) and that she was not to be bothered
with petty challenges that might hinder her
training. All challenges were to be directed toward
him, and he would come to the school once a week to
meet them.
Akane had been too dead to protest. They'd ran
all the way here. The only reason she'd made it
herself was because she didn't want to be the only
one to drop out. The Keller's had been pretty
winded, but Ranma hadn't looked bothered at all. He
hadn't even been sweating.
The teacher looked up and gestured toward the
door. Akane smiled at the Keller's as they entered
the room. Sansha gave a little wave.
"Boys and girls, we have two new students.
These are Sansha and Marco Keller. They've just
moved here from . . . Uh, where did you move here
from, it doesn't say?"
Marco smiled, "Originally or most recently? Our
family moves around most often."
The teacher blinked, "Uh, most recently, I
suppose?"
Marco gave a polite smile and bowed his head to
the teacher before turning to address the class.
"Ve ave spent the majority of the last six months in
Versailles, except for a brief stay in the United
States for a tournament. Ve are now staying with
our new sensay, the one known to you as Ryo Tome."
The teacher bravely attempted a cheerful smile,
but it seemed more sick than happy at the last
comment. "Fabulous. More martial artists. You may
have the seats in front of Akane there, since you
know her already, and the one next to that."
Marco and Sansha thanked him and started for the
seats. Marco calmly but decisively took the one
directly in front of Akane. Sansha shrugged and sat
beside him, on his right.

The three of them were walking through the gates
as Nabiki was opening the door to a cab. Akane
called out to her sister and waved. Nabiki waved
them over with a small smile.
"I'm going shopping. Kasumi asked me to pick a
few things up for dinner for the next month." She
held up a rolled up piece of paper and let it unroll
dramatically to show that it fell nearly to her
knees. "Would one of you please come with me to
help out?"
Sansha elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Marco,
you are a gentleman, no? Go help ze lady with the
groceries. Akane and I will go home and zee if Miz
Kasumi needs help with dinner."
Nabiki blanched, but quickly recovered. She
remembered that Kasumi had planned to go back to
their home to get some of the things everyone
needed, and Ranma had gone with her. Akane couldn't
do any damage to the kitchen or their stomachs.
"Why don't you. Thank you so very much Marco."
He looked less than thrilled as he said in a
monotone, "Yes, iz no problem, Miz Nabiki."
Akane and Sansha waved as the taxi drove down
the street. Sansha gave a content sigh and hugged
her bag to her chest. "Iz a nice city, thiz
Nerima."
Akane shrugged but gave a small smile. "Yeah, I
guess so. We have our crazies, but then, so does
every other city."
Sansha grinned, "Let us train ven we get home!
I have a move I bet you would like."
"Really? Sounds fun, but why don't we get some
ice cream? I'm hungry after that test."
"Ze English exam?"
She nodded with a frown, tightening her grip on
her satchel's handle. "Yeah, I am so bad at
English!"
Sansha giggled, "I have cousins in America! I
can tutor you, eef you would like. In exchange,
could you perhaps help me with my Japanese?"
Akane smiled, "Sure!"

Ranma grabbed a couple bags from the front
hallway and took them out to his car, his red pigtail
dropping briefly into view. He frowned at the reminder
of his curse. At least he didn't have to worry about
salvaging his honor working for a crimelord kind of took
care of that problem.
His little trunk was full already, so they'd
have to go in the back seat. With a click of the
remote, the doors were locked again as he strolled
back to the house with empty hands once more.
How many bags did the Tendo family need? He'd
brought our five already, plus a big cardboard box.
Kasumi was waiting at the front door with him,
another box in her arms.
"Ranma, it's getting late. We need to hurry if
I'm going to have dinner ready on time." She smiled
sweetly as he took the box from her arms and picked
up the last suitcase.
"Sure. I'll have us there in no time. Why
don't we just get takeout though? It would be
easier."
She looked briefly horrified before she laughed
softly. "Oh how funny! As if I would ever subject
my family to takeout!"
Ranma stared at her for a moment before
blinking. "Right. Hop in, Kasumi."
She nodded and sat in the passenger seat as he
tucked the final Tendo possessions into his back
seat from his side of the car. Soon he was hitting
the gas and zooming through alleys and side streets
that Kasumi had never seen before.
There weren't many people out and about, so he
made it to his place in record time. Just as he
pulled into the driveway, thunder rumbled in the
distance. He glanced at the thick black clouds and
frowned. At least he was already female.
"Kasumi? Could you go get Marco, Sansha and
Akane? We'll bring the luggage in while you start
dinner."
She smiled and grabbed a box from the top of the
pile in the trunk. "Okay. But I'll need this one.
It has my cookbooks."
She hefted the box and strolled inside, calling
for Ranma's students as she walked inside. In a few
moments, Marco came out the front door. When he saw
Ranma pulling the bags and boxes out of the
backseat, he wordlessly took things from the growing
pile inside.
Marco was on his second trip when Akane and
Sansha ran outside, each wearing a gi. They smiled
and sent Ranma sheepish looks as the grabbed
suitcases and ran quickly inside. When the last of
the luggage was out of the car, Ranma closed the
doors and trunk before gathering his own load.
Akane ran back out and grabbed what was left, and
the two of them went inside.
The twins had been pretty stunned the first time
they'd seen his curse, but they'd adapted well.
As they made it onto the porch, the first drops
of rain began to fall. Ranma smiled softly at the
trio of teens.
"Kasumi just went to start dinner." With a
glance at the sweaty girls, he added, "You better
get baths if you want them."
Akane blushed a little but nodded and ran
upstairs. Sansha lifted an arm and sniffed. Her
face took a greenish tint momentarily, and she
nodded in agreement to his idea. Marco sighed and
shook his head before heading into the living room
to watch TV.
Ranma headed upstairs to his own room. He sat
down cross legged on his bed and pulled the black
book from his nightstand. He turned to the page
with Koh Lohn's name. Of course, there was no phone
number, but there was a mailing address that the
tribe occasionally had use for.
He frowned and turned to the first page. He
began to scan each page, name by name, looking for
other familiar names. Eventually he found one, Saya
Naomi. Ranma dropped the book onto the bed. It
fell open where he'd had it, Saya's name staring up
at him in broad black strokes. Cologne, and now
Saya, who had Boss really been?
He picked up the book and continued his reading.
When Kasumi came to call him for dinner, he told her
he'd be skipping tonight.

Akane was filling Sansha in on Furinkan gossip
as they set the table. Marco was carrying in a huge
covered platter; the lid on crooked, spouting steam.
Akane smiled as Kasumi entered, a small frown on the
older girl's face.
"What's wrong, Kasumi?"
She looked up, a little startled, "Oh, Akane.
I'm sorry. I went to get Ranma for dinner, but he
said he wouldn't be coming down. He didn't sound
very good. I think he might be coming down with
something. You'd better take up a tray of soup
after dinner."
"Oh. Alright, Kasumi."

Though she was a little worried for her so-
called fiancé, Akane put on a smile as she stepped
up to Ranma's door. She thought about simply
calling out, but went ahead and juggled the tray to
get a free hand. After checking that the soup and
water glass were not disturbed, she knocked.
Silence. She knocked again, louder. "Maybe he
is sick. I'd better check on him." She was
muttering to herself.
Quietly she opened the door and peeked in. His
bed was empty, and she frowned slightly. She pushed
the door open, settling the tray as it almost
spilled.
Against the wall closest to the dojo entrance
was a large wooden desk; the old-fashioned kind with
the lid that rolled shut. He sat in the desk chair,
his long hair hanging loose and wet from a recent
bath.
He was scribbling franticly on a legal pad, left
hand holding a black book open. He seemed
engrossed, and must have been to not hear her
knocking. She walked carefully up to him, staying
just out of reach (she remembered his reflexes too
well to scare him with a sudden appearance) as she
cleared her throat.
She forgot to take into account that his chair
had wheels. He jerked up and pushed the chair
towards her. Somehow she ended up lying on the
ground with Ranma restraining her. His face was
cold and calculating, completely void of expression.
His face clouded and his eyes sparkled with
guilt as he blinked down at her. "Oops, sorry
Akane. I didn't know it was you."
A droplet of water fell from his bangs and
splattered onto her forehead. "No problem." She
realized how shaky her voice was. He evidently did
too, because he quickly stood and helped her up. He
pushed her into the desk chair and studied her eyes.
"Are you okay?"
She blinked dazedly and nodded. "Yeah. You
just surprised me."
He chuckled and gave her one of his too rare
half smiles. "I surprised you? Do you usually
waltz into a guy's room without knocking?"
She blushed and studied her hands in her lap, "I
did knock! Twice! You were too busy working, I
guess, and didn't hear me."
He nodded slowly and crouched down on his heels,
frowning. "I've made a small discovery. It, uh,
has to do with work. I was just doing some research
and thought it was too important to break for
dinner."
"Oh. Kasumi thought you might be sick. She
sent me up with a tray."
He stared wryly at the soupy spot on his carpet.
"I noticed. It's all right; I do this all the time.
I'll go down and eat something later, after I call
Chad."
"Oh. I'll clean that up then, so you can get
back to work."
She started to rise, but he put a hand to her
chest. Though he wasn't evidently putting much
force behind it, he easily held her there.
"No, I caused the mess. I can clean it up.
Besides, I'm basically finished anyway." He smiled
and removed his hand, "Besides, weren't you and
Sansha interrupted earlier in your workout?"
She smiled slightly. "Yeah, but we thought you
were sick so,"
"Since I'm not, the dojo's all yours. I might
join you two later."
She nodded and he pushed her out the door. She
looked at the closed door for a moment before
shrugging. Then she wandered off in search of
Sansha.

Ten minutes later, Ranma was in the small study
down the hall from his room. He picked up the phone
and quickly checked it for bugs. He stopped halfway
and stared at it before slowly smiling. He was
checking the phone for bugs even thought this is his
own home.
He shook his head and dialed Chad's number.
*Yeah?*
"Chad. It's Ranma.*
*Hey, how are the students coming along, oh
great teacher?*
"Funny. Fine, I suppose. That's not why I'm
calling. Chad, do you remember Boss?"
There was a pause. *Yeah. Look, Ranma, I don't
want you dragging up your past. Let it go, man.
Jaxom's dead and you have no reason to put up with
any of it.*
Ranma sighed, "Chad, I thought of something and—
"
*I don't want to hear it! I like you kid, and I
don't want you suffering. Let it go, and that's an
order.*
"Uh, right."
*Have fun with the Keller's, nice family, them."
"Yeah. See ya."
*Bye.*
Ranma hung up the phone and started to turn. Then
he paused and looked at it again. Quickly he picked
it up and dialed another number.