AN: Well I've learned a few things from the reviews I have received.

You like cabbits

You want longer chapters

I have endeavored to give both to you here. I hope you enjoy it, let me know. Also several people have written concerning possible matchups. I have to tell you that my stories are often as big a surprise to me as they are you; I simply write and see where I end up. Ending chapters at what appears to be good stopping points. So as for a final matchup your guess would be as good as mine, though in this chapter you should defiantly pick up on one of the strongest contenders. I was somewhat nervous about writing this chapter; having wanted to find and watch the OAV series before I continued writing so I could better represent some of the characters. Unfortunately I haven't been able to track down anyone in my area that has it. Once I do I will probably be going back to revise the characters a bit to better fit the story to the series, but for now you will have to live with what my overactive imagination gives you.

AN2: To those following A Senshi of Earth, I am about 60 done with the next chapter and currently working on it daily. It should be at least as long as this hopefully longer. Sorry for the long delay between updates by my inspiration/motivation comes in spurts. Enjoy.

Spring of Drowned...Miyah!

Chapter 4: Along For The Ride

Ranma lay across Sasami's shoulder and watched through the kitchen window as another fight began to brew between Ryoko and Ayeka. She disliked her cabbit form because it made her feel small and helpless, mentioning this to Washu had only made the immature scientist fall down laughing. She had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that there was something comforting and relaxing about being on Sasami's shoulder and just watching the world go by for once. She couldn't think of any time in her life that she had ever been allowed to slow down; she didn't think that she could do it forever, but it was a nice change of pace for awhile.

She was in cabbit form to begin with because Washu had said that she needed to get used to all of her forms, and though Washu and shown her the mental triggers for her space ship form, she didn't think she was ready to go quite that far. So right now she had three forms to go between: cabbit, female, and male. They had found through another extensive session in Washu's lab....

Flashback

"This test will determine your ability to survive at extreme temperatures."

"Huh?"

Flames spewed forth from the nozzle of the flamethrower.

End Flashback

that she could force the shift to cabbit mode when in male form, but it automatically pushed her back into her Jusenkyo form. Washu had some long explanation for it but it amounted to the fact that she could go from male to female, cabbit, or ship (theoretically) by simply willing it to happen, whereas to go back male she had to be in her humanesk form and be hit by hot water. She did retain the ability to phase in male form; it was just a little bit harder than when in her female guise.

The truly irksome thing was still her speech however. She found it somewhat easier to talk in male guise, about the same change in difficulty that phasing was in reverse. She could phrase complete sentences and not sound quite so childish, as long as she thought about them for a minute, so conversations always had these delays like you were speaking to her over satellite phone. This was of course excluding Washu and Ryoko, where communication happened on a level that she hadn't even believed possible. The sheer amount of information conveyed by the link could hardly even be considered speech; ideas, images, feelings and nuances all transmitted at the same time. It was less talking and more like sharing your whole being. Which sometimes when she thought about it unnerved her to no end. She had found that Ryoko and Washu could even, whenever they wanted to, basically see exactly what she was seeing, wherever she was. How was she supposed to deal with the fact that two women, could at any time, know what she was thinking. Whenever an embarrassing thought had surfaced she had the urge to look over her shoulder to see if Ryoko was laughing at her, and sometimes she was.

All in all in was a lot better than the past four months had been, heck, better than the last ten years had been. She loved her father and her art, but it had been a lonely and tiring ten years. Now she felt like she had a family and friends and she was determined to enjoy them for awhile before even thinking about seeking out her father. 'Stupid panda.' She gave a silent laugh as she watched Tenchi get blasted into a tree by Ayeka who looked in shock at what she had done. Over the past couple of years she had noticed couples and often time longed for the kind of intimate friendship she had seen. Looking at Tenchi, she decided that there could indeed be too much of a good thing.

Tokyo, Japan

Genma sighed as the rain began to fall. This was going to make reuniting with Soun a little more difficult. He had lost his Son's trail when he had crossed back over into Japan and now his only hope was that word would reach him at Soun's place of someone sighting his son's cursed form, or that his son would try to seek out him or his mother. Genma shuddered, 'I must keep Ranma away from his mother until a cure is found.'

Turning into the Tendo Compound, Genma straightened his back and knocked on the door. After a moment a pleasant looking young woman in a house dress answered the door.

"Oh, My!"

Genma held up a sign, Is Soun In?

Kasumi blinked for a moment before her smile returned and called out for her father.

"Father, there's a Panda at the door for you."

Genma simply let out a defeated sigh.

Masaki Household

Ranma strode outside, once again his original gender if not his original species. Walking up to Tenchi, who was slowly pulling himself out of a crater that had formed around him when the Ayeka's and Ryoko's attacks had met. Tenchi gratefully accepted Ranma's outstretched hand and dusted himself off.

"....You want to spar?" Ranma asked hoping to get some exercise in and having noticed Tenchi practicing some complex sword forms earlier. Tenchi considered for a moment before deciding that accidental abuse by super-powered girls and his grandfather was enough without volunteering for more of it.

"Maybe another time Ranma," Tenchi said putting a hand on Ranma's shoulder, "I'm sort of beat right now."

Ranma was a little disappointed but laughed at Tenchi's self-deprecating humor. Nodding at Tenchi he decided to try and seek out another person to spar with.

Gobi Desert

Ryouga walked determinedly forward, ever forward, 'Ranma you think that just because you turned into some weird girl you can escape our man to man fight!? Soon Ranma I will find you and I will have my revenge.'

Masaki Shrine

Ranma used her link with Ryoko to track her to the roof, where the former space pirate was sulking. Tenchi had been rather irritated at both the girls and had rebuked them when they offered to help him tend to his injuries. She had willed herself female a moment ago, being more comfortable asking Ryoko this way.

"Miyah." Want to spar?

Ryoko seemed deep in thought for a moment before smiling good naturedly up at Ranma.

"I've never fought someone just for the fun of it before, sure I always have fun, but it's always been for some other reason. Sure, sounds like a blast." Ryoko said this last bit with so much mischievousness in her voice that Ranma started to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.

They moved to a cleared area behind the house and faced off against each other; suddenly Ryoko disappeared and reappeared behind Ranma, knocking her sprawling with a kick to the back. Ranma flipped over and stared with a feral grin on her face before leaping up and engaging Ryoko in aerial combat.

Masaki House

Tenchi rushed in the door and panted as he held onto the doorframe. Yosho, Sasami, and Washu all stared at him expectantly.

"Ryoko is fighting Ranma!"

As soon as the sentence was out of his mouth he was suddenly run over as the three rushed out of the house

Masaki Shrine

Yosho, Sasami, Washu, and Tenchi all watched from a safe distance the amazing display before them. Ranma and Ryoko blurred, disappeared, reappeared, and attacked in what looked like the martial arts equivalent to an aerial dogfight. Washu watched intently, eating popcorn from a bowl and studying Ranma's progress with her powers. It was clear that Ryoko had the advantage; her levitation was much smoother and more controlled than Ranma's and her teleporting more precise. Ranma also hadn't figured out how to do any ranged attacks while Ryoko was littering the shrine grounds with craters. Ranma though was being surprising resilient and ever so often was able to completely surprise and close with Ryoko for a moment before she once again outmaneuvered her and got enough distance to bombard her with energy blasts. Suddenly Ryoko got in a powerful blast at close range that left Ranma embedded four feet into the ground. Before she could continue the attack the brown-furred girl made a begging off gesture with a functioning limb.

Sasami and Tenchi rushed over to the hole and gingerly pulled Ranma's smoking body out.

"Ranma-chan are you alright?" Sasami asked worriedly which caused the Ranma to crack a smile

"Miyah. Miyah"

Ryoko came over and chuckled, "She says she'll be fine if you cook her some stir-fry with lots of carrots for dinner tonight." This caused a general lightning of the mood and Sasami to promise that she would. Washu came over and smiled at Ranma as she started to get back to her feet.

"That was very good Ran-Ohki-chan. You're learning to control your powers a bit faster than I predicted. You still have a long way to go though. It would help you assimilate them faster if you were willing to go to your ship form." Ranma merely shook her head and sent mentally that she wasn't yet comfortable with the idea. Frankly the idea freaked her out, not just the spaceship part, but the part of having people 'inside' her when she was. It was just too bizarre an idea for her to get comfortable with.

Tendo Dojo

An odd tableau was the group sitting around the table of the Tendo Household. Everyone sat quietly, tea cups steaming in front of them, waiting expectantly for someone else to speak. One half of the table not believing or wanting to believe what they had heard, the other half hoping that they would be able to leave the table alive.

"So let me see if I have this," Nabiki intoned sarcastically. "You turn into a panda, and you want to engage us to your son, who not only turns into some furry-girl but is at this time totally lost to you."

Genma and Soun nodded their heads sagely which caused Nabiki slap her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"Doesn't that sound, just the least bit unreasonable to either one of you?"

Genma and Soun shook their heads.

Nabiki sighed, oh well she had tried. "Then I think Akane's the perfect choice."

Akane spewed her tea over Genma turning him back into a panda. "WHAT?!"

Kasumi chimed in, "Oh yes I believe so as well."

Akane felt a rising anger and rage burn within her, not being able to bring herself to harm her family; she chose the only other viable option.

Genma didn't even have time to blink before a table slammed down across his head.

Somewhere near Kyoto, Japan

Mihoshi was lost, she should have never walked away from the ship to help that poor kitten, now she had no idea where she was, where her ship was, how to find her friends, nor did she remember what she was supposed to be telling said friends when she found them. Looking desperately around for any sort of assistance her eyes found a well-built man in a bandana that had just crashed through the bushes. Frantically running up to the man she clutched his arm with tears welling in her eyes.

"Please, do you know where the Masaki shrine is?"

Ryouga simply stared at her in shock for a long time. Not even Mihoshi's attractiveness or tears were enough to break through the shock of someone asking him for directions. When his brain finally did recover from this event, Mihoshi was left wondering what had caused the nice man to pass out and bleed like that.

Washu's Laboratory

Washu idly stroked a hand through Ran-Ohki's fur as she continued to stare at the computer display in front of her. One handed she typed rapidly on the holographic keypad while she split her mind's attention between what the screen was displaying and what she felt in Ran-Ohki's mind through the link. She chuckled at a random image that Ranma's mind had called up in her slumber; she had worn herself out today that was for sure. Ranma still had too much pride to have fallen asleep in her lap otherwise, but she was getting better. Her mouth took a slight downward turn, The Neko-ken was deeply ingrained in Ran-Ohki's psyche, and it was going to be a delicate thing to remove it without damaging her further. Deciding to hold off until she could map out the effected areas better, she turned to other less risky business.

Masaki House, Next Day

Ranma was sitting on the porch looking out towards the lake when Sasami came up beside her.

"So, Ranma-chan, you want to play?"

Ranma looked at her quizzically, the only time in her entire life she had ever been asked that was when she was six and she played with Ukyo. 'I really am too old to play games,' Ranma thought to herself. 'She looks so expectant, I think she sort of gets forgotten or taken for granted by everyone here. Besides what could it hurt?' Ranma nodded her head.

"Great, Tag! You're it!" Sasami yelled playfully as she hit Ranma on her back and darted into the field. Ranma looked befuddled for about a half a second before an involuntary smile graced her face and she darted off after Sasami.

"Miyah!"

As Ranma got caught up in the high paced game with Sasami, she gradually lost, at least temporarily, her inhibitions against looking silly or being childish. As she got more and more into the play her body gradually changed, getting smaller; less developed. It wasn't until Sasami darted around a tree and tagged her hours later that either of them noticed the change.

"Wow Ranma, what happened? You look my age! This is great, now we can play all the time!" Sasami exclaimed hugging the dumbstruck girl. Ranma suddenly broke the embrace and with a scared expression ran back towards the house, phasing through the glass doors.

Washu was waiting when Ranma burst into her laboratory in a panic.

"Miyah, Miyah...Miyah!" What has happened to me, how do I change back?

Washu grabbed the panicked girl in a hug and soothed her through the link for a moment before speaking. "There is nothing to worry about Ran-Ohki-chan. The change isn't permanent. Do to your unique nature your shape is somewhat fluid based on your will. Why do you think that you are able to transform from a small Cabbit to your human or ship forms? Why you are by no means a polymorph, you do have the ability to affect the appearance of any of your base forms to a large degree."

Ranma somewhat mollified now looked at Washu. Then why do I look like a 12 year old?

Washu smiled, "Because you wanted to."

"Miyah!" What are you talking about? I don't want to look like a kid! Change me back!

"I can't Ohki-chan, only you can, you simply have to will it and you will."

Then why am I not already back to normal?

"Obviously you don't truly wish to change." Washu sighed at the frowning girl, "Look, you were having a great deal of fun with Sasami. Something you haven't really ever had since you were six. Subconsciously you are staying that way so you can continue to play with your friend without being embarrassed about it. Why not just enjoy it and be whatever age you wish to be?" Washu frowned slightly for a moment before continuing. "Do you think that this is a true representation of my own age? No, I have my own reasons for choosing the age of my body. The point being is that not many have that opportunity. Ranma" She stressed the name, "You've had quite a lot of your childhood stolen by a foolish and abusive man. Why not use this as an opportunity to gain some of it back. I am sure Sasami would appreciate it as well." Washu snapped her fingers and a bucket of warm water splashed Ranma turning her to him.

"....I really wish you would stop doing that." Ranma said talking aloud just because he could. Then he noticed his voice and looked down at himself. Ack! Why am I younger in this form as well?

Washu smirked, "Remember your original form was fused with Ryo-Ohki's, thus what modifications you make to your form in one will have corollary changes in the other."

Ranma paused, deep in thought, before speaking again.

Washu, why do you choose the age you do?

"Because something was once taken from me to," Washu said in a flat faraway voice.

Ranma gave her a quick hug before pulling away again. Thank you Washu-chan, No one's ever cared for me like you. With that Ranma smiled and walked out of the lab, He desperately needed some time alone to collect his thoughts.

Ranma phased through the living room wall to the back deck again. Sasami was sitting with her legs over the side of the deck with an uncertain look on her face that turned to concern when she turned to face Ranma.

"Ranma-kun are you ok?"

Ranma's younger face smiled at her. "I'm fine Sasami-chan, I'm going to go for a walk, thanks for playing with me earlier I had a lot of fun."

.............

As Sasami chopped carrots over the sink she thought back to the short conversation she had with Ranma on the porch. 'Finally a friend my age.' She truly cared about everyone at the shrine and they were nice to her, but they were all too old to really understand her. Besides with Ayeka and Ryoko each trying for Tenchi's attention the only time anyone pays attention to me is meal times, and half of those are interrupted by a fight. Ranma was her friend though, (s)he had played tag like she really enjoyed it. The others mostly pretended when they played with her. 'Ranma must really like me if he changed his age to match mine.' The image of a smiling fur-covered face flashed in her mind. Blushing slightly she came back to herself and continued chopping. In the window pane above her a reflection of an elegant woman smiled knowingly.

Lake, Masaki Shrine

Ranma leaned his back against the large tree trying once again to come to grips with the changes his life insisted on throwing his way. He had just begun to adjust to life here, and once again his self perceptions were turned on their head. 'Was Washu right, should I embrace this as an opportunity to get back something I lost? Maybe make a true friend.' It seemed the perfect fit when he thought about it. Washu and Ryoko were like the mother and older sibling he never had and Sasami could be his best friend without the awkwardness of their age difference between them. All the things he had been taken from in his life seemed to have just been waiting for him here. Ranma was really to simplistic a person to brood over something for long and so finally decided to just try to accept it. He just hoped life would hold on the curve balls for awhile.

A week ago Ranma would have told anyone that asked that his fur covered form was the result of the greatest act of stupidity his father ever committed. Ranma smirked, that statement was still valid, but Jusenkyo just might have been the best thing to ever happen to him. Ranma stood up and started back towards the house, he wondered if his father was having as good of luck with his curse.

Tokyo Zoo

Genma sat in the panda enclosure growling irritably. Some wise guy from animal control had delivered him here hours ago after shooting him with a tranquilizer dart. He still felt a little to groggy to attempt an escape, so merely held up a sign requesting hot water and hoped some benevolent tourist would take pity on him.

Somewhere a Kami laughed at the thought of anyone taking pity on Genma Saotome.

Tendo Dojo

Akane slowly made her way home from school, brooding about her alleged transforming fiancé. 'The nerve of that Saotome, and her own father going along with him! Then just as she thought that Nabiki was going to talk the two idiots out of it she turns Judas and offers me up to the lions!' It was because of this internal fuming that she didn't notice someone was in her path until she ran into them, knocking them both over. Looking up while rubbing her backside she saw an exotic looking woman in a very tight outfit that looked like she was on the verge of tears while a large guy about her age tried to help her up and was pleading for her not to cry again.

"I'm sorry," Akane said standing up and bowing. "I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

The girl's eyes seemed to clear up instantly and a cheery smile sprung to life on her face.

"That's okay. You wouldn't happen to know where the Masaki shrine is would you? Oh and Ryouga here is looking for a guy named....named....Ranma, that's it."

Somewhere in Japan

Shampoo smiled as she walked north down the road. The vendor had seen the strange furred girl that had defeated her pass by two weeks ago, she was slowly catching up. It was strange that her Great-Grandmother had told her only to track the girl for now, and send back word as soon as she settled somewhere. Great-Grandmother must have sensed something very unusual about the girl besides her fur for her to put on hold Amazon law. Shampoo wondered what it could be.

Masaki Household

Everyone was once again sitting down to dinner when a loud bang followed by a muffled explosion was heard from the hallway. Turning Washu's face filled with shock and horror while Ranma's Face filled with puzzlement.

"MIHOSHI!" Washu exclaimed

"Miyah?" Ryouga?