Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or Birdy the Mighty.

Author's Notes: Why must I constantly put in a disclaimer when we already know I don't own this stuff? Oh well. This story so far seems to have generated more reviews in the first two chapters then any of my other stories. Just to warn you, I love attention. Ah well, enough of my rambling and enjoy the show!

Ranma the Mighty

Chapter 3

Learning to Breathe

Several days after the Geedo incident generated a new level of chaos for the Tendo household. Everyone wanted a piece of Ranma Saotome and Nabiki was acting as his agent. She demanded yen to even look at him. Because of this, a fair portion of the people trying to stalk…er…interview him began to leave him alone. The more persistent ones paid the cash. Overall, once the fame died down it became almost normal again. The boy that everyone wanted to talk to was currently hiding under his favorite bridge, meditating. He wasn't the meditating type, usually, but he'd adapted so that he could actually talk to his previously unwanted body guest, Birdy. The girl was very curious about his fighting style. It looked so effective, but yet so complicated. Sharing Ranma's mind let her see that while it is complicated, for the master level moves, but even the beginner level moves were enormously effective. The two sat next to each other, mentally of course, talking about Ranma's favorite subject, the Art.

'Do ya think I could give it a shot?' she asked him. Curiously, she felt completely relaxed with him, leaning her head on his shoulder. The boy didn't even freak out. How would anyone know what they did?

'Well, I can't actually teach students…' he began before noticing his companion looking a little down. His brain began sorting through things at light-speed. 'Then again, I'm not teaching a student per se… I'd just be training myself, right? Cheer up! You'll have fun!' he threw an arm around her shoulders. She smiled back at him. After a week, they sort of got used to the fact that they were essentially naked. The fact that they practically bathed together daily also broke them of their embarrassment.

'Okay Ranma! I mean, hai sensei!' she laughed softly as he playfully cuffed her. It was agreed that they would start immediately. First, they needed to change into Birdy's body for that, but that was easy. All that water nearby actually came in handy. The first exercise was breathing. Ranma was surprised when she turned out to naturally take to the lessons. Soon he realized that he shouldn't be that shocked at this development. She actually had access to some of his memories and combat knowledge. Since she had such a jump on the average student, he decided to step up the lessons a bit. Still, it was always important to remember one of the first lessons. Learning to breath was essential for building power and maintaining the attack.

'When are we going to get into actual fighting?' she suddenly got her answer when he began directing her into the beginner's sextet of the Anything Goes style.

'You asked for it.' was all he said as he proceeded to lead her through a grueling practice session. Despite the effort involved, there was a joy in the accomplishment. They spent the rest of the afternoon flowing through the katas and enjoying each other's company.

/-

The Nekohanten, or Cat Cafe as its called, is the place in Nerima to go for quality ramen dishes at a reasonable price. Unlike most days however, the restaurant was closed as plans were made. The thought on everyone's mind was how did Ranma get so strong? Where did he get that speed? Also, how do we 'convince' him to come back with us?

"Great-grandmother, what is going on with Airen?" the purple-haired girl asked in flawless Japanese. The 'too-too cute voice' was a sham that surprisingly not even Nabiki had seen through.

"I don't know, child, but we'll find out. I sent Mousse out earlier to track him down and find out what's going on." the Elder said as she puffed on her pipe. Eerily, it looked like Happosai's, but that must be merely a coincidence.

"Are you sure he can find him? If he loses his glasses..." Shampoo said doubtfully.

"I bought him something to help with that." the aged woman replied superiorly. Her Great-granddaughter merely shrugged and went back to mopping the floor. It wasn't really a strategy meeting. They needed to get over a sudden rampage by a group of penguins looking for Dairy Queen, carrying umbrellas and wearing top hats.

"I swear this district will be the death of me yet." the old woman muttered balefully.

/-

The blind Master of Hidden Weapons stalked his prey carefully. It wouldn't do to let his quarry know where he was. Making use of available cover, he slinked along through the alley behind his target. Goggles that had been strapped on tightly replaced his usual glasses. Suddenly decided that it was time to act, he vaulted forward, flipping over his objective's head, and landed in front of him. The figure reacted typically.

"What's goin' on here and where the hell am I now?" Ryoga demanded of the heavens.

"Relax Ryoga! It's just me, Mousse." the myopic martial artist said to the Lost Boy.

"Whaddya want?" he demanded suspiciously.

"I need to get information on Ranma and I figured who better to help me then you." Mousse grinned.

"I don't know anythin' about gettin' info." the fanged boy admitted.

"It's combat information. We need to know what new tricks he's picked up."

"Wait, we just gotta fight him?" the powerful boy said hopefully.

"Exactly! Here's what we do..." he began as they two slowly brought their heads together to scheme and cackle. Can't forget the cackling.

/-

Birdy lay stretched out on the ground in the park, her hands behind her head, and filling out Ranma's usual clothes nicely. Ranma decided she should learn about relaxing and so far this was her favorite lesson. A light breeze ruffled through her hair and lightly snagged the shirt she was wearing. Ranma didn't need much convincing to let her wear a sports bra, especially with her complaining about soreness. The blue-sky overhead easily helped her forget her problems. The calm afternoon had lulled Ranma into a deep sleep, but her thoughts wouldn't let her sleep.

"Revi." she muttered the word like a curse. The woman responsible for ruining her life. Her best friend died protecting her from that evil woman.

"Violeen." this was spoken with sadness, but with resolve. A side effect of relaxing was that her thoughts became clearer. Since arriving on this planet, it had been one thing after another. The boy she was joined with was actually taking it all in stride, until he met the commander. A giant insect could be pretty intimidating even if you know what to expect. The department promised to restore his body as soon as they could, but selfishly, she hoped it would take them a while.

"I haven't felt this happy or content since Violeen, but I know that Revi is here. Who would have guessed that I would get lucky enough to be 'partnered' with someone with that much power and ability?" she squirmed happily thinking about how nice he is to her. The way those other girls treat him like a side of meat infuriates her, but she holds it in. He needs someone calm to look to. For the longest time he only had Kasumi, but now he had her. Her eyes glazed briefly as slightly ecchi thoughts played in her mind before dragging her wandering mind back.

"He trusts me. I can't betray that trust." she nodded confirmation to herself before pulling up a blade of grass and sticking it between her teeth. Wherever that idea came from it didn't matter, life was good. Her idle reverie was brought to a halt by cries of challenge.

"Saotome! I will kill you for leading on Shampoo!"

"I have seen hell! Saotome you must die!"

Inwardly she gritted her teeth in frustration. The first time in weeks that the poor guy got a break and these yahoos show up. From his memories she knows exactly who they are. With a kip, she gets to her feet easily just in time to leap away from an assortment of shuriken that land where she just stood. Her flight was interrupted by Ryoga jumping straight in her path, intent on snatching her out of the air. 'I owe Ranma a break from this shit so I'll deal with them!' she vowed silently as she twirled slightly to avoid his hands, feet planted in his chest before shoving off with a vicious flip kick, scything her legs into his jaw before dropping into a high leg sweep that took out his hips. The Lost Boy's look of manic glee turned to shock as pain exploded through his body from a series of strikes he couldn't even see let alone defend against. His breath was blasted from his body on impact with the ground. Ryoga's back arched with pain as he fought to regain his air, tears standing in his eyes from the face shot.

"I'll fuckin' kill you!" he screamed in obvious rage and pain.

"Give it a shot, punk. You ain't the first and ya sure as hell won't be the last to say that." Birdy's voice sounded cold even to her. The fanged martial artist realized something was off with his rival-sometimes-friend's voice. It wasn't the usual soprano, it sounded lower than that and menacing.

"Mousse! Thrash her! Don't waste your time!" he shouted to his current ally as he struggled to recover. He was vaguely aware of the sounds of combat just outside his range of visibility, which became non-existent as he slumped into unconsciousness.

The myopic boy had meant to just stir the boy into the trap he set using Ryoga for the purpose. Privately, Mousse called him the 'Idiot Boy' since he was so easy to manipulate, but his plan went horribly wrong. It was impossible to know what was going through Ranma's mind at that point, but he seemed vastly different. Not just in skill, but his girl form had even changed. The redhead stood ready for battle, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Can't I even get one day to rest?" the girl yelled angrily at him. Her battle aura easily swelling to three times her height.

"For everything that you've done to Shampoo you don't even deserve a minute's rest!" he fired back with more bravado then he felt, which evaporated when the girl struck the tree beside her and demolished it in one hit without even expending energy. Time to employ a technique he had observed many times before...

"Anything Goes Style Final Technique!" he cried out which stopped Birdy in fear. What could it be and how does he know it? She was clearly unnerved until he shouted. "Run away!" and took off down the street running at a speed even she couldn't match. The wind blew through her hair as she pondered that before deciding it wasn't worth worrying about.

"Need a new place to relax..." she said to no one in particular as she wandered off. Ryoga twitched.

/-

The clean up was done. The two woman sat at the table enjoying a well-earned break with tea and ramen. Nerima's weirdness index was actually somewhat lower then normal, freak penguins notwithstanding. Cologne absently wondered when something truly bizarre would happen. It was the only reason she stuck around. Her prayers were answered when Mousse came barreling though the door as if the hounds of Hell were on his heels. The poor boy looked terrible as if he'd run for blocks.

"What happened to you?" Shampoo asked him, curiosity warring with concern.

"Th-that can't be Ranma!" he managed to gasp out. Cologne bade him sit down. The poor boy was truly scared.

"Now, tell us what happened, Mousse." The Elder said. The myopic boy related the entire story, leaving nothing out. Eyes widened at his tale of horror.

"Even the Breaking Point training didn't help him! She tore into him like he was standing still." he finished finally. They sat around the table seeking out an answer to this latest problem.

"If we need someone better then Ryoga, I suppose Pantyhose Taro would be a good choice." was the Elder's suggestion.

"How do we get him?" Shampoo asked.

"That shouldn't be too hard..." she said with a fiendish light before bursting into maniacal laughter. Both children scooted away from her with looks of fear before she began hacking and coughing. She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry about that." the young Amazons face-faulted before the old woman brought them closer to go over the plan. The more they heard, the more they shared their Elder's manic grin.

/-

The one time that the Lost Boy wanted to get lost, he found his way to the dojo. A time for celebration almost turned into a time for tears. The girl he pined away for was outside, enjoying the sunshine, and breaking cement blocks. After polishing up the last block, she swept the towel across her face to wipe off the sweat. His breath caught in his throat as her angelic face turned to him with a smile before shock settled in. Not on her face, but in the fanged boy's body as his injuries caught up to him. With a low groan, he pitched forward, unconsciously curling into a ball as darkness overtook him.

"R-Ryoga?" Akane gasped, startled as she ran over to check on him. "Kasumi! Get the first aid kit!" she cried out as she lifted the boy to his feet, draping his arm about her shoulders and muscling him inside. The gentle girl came running into the living room as Akane laid the Lost Boy out on the couch.

"Oh my! These wounds are terrible!" she exclaimed before examining him as thoroughly as she could. Since she's used to treating injuries she could be used as a field medic in Beirut. The injuries looked much worse then they actually were, which Kasumi told a relieved Akane.

"But who would do such a thing?" the blue-haired girl asked in confusion. "This kind of damage could be done by Ranma, but he wouldn't do that." The elder girl was amazed to hear the girl admit that Ranma couldn't have done it. Normally she'd be the first one out for his head.

"What's going on?" Nabiki asked as she entered the room, nibbling on chocolate Pocky and carrying her ledger. She was on her way back to her room when this mystery presented itself. The two sisters brought her up to speed. The mercenary girl frowned in thought before an idea came to her.

"Could it have been Taro?" she asked. That thought hadn't occurred to either girl, but it made sense. Someone very strong must have made these injuries. To actually see Ryoga bruised meant he was either hit by Taro's cursed form or a freight train. Further discussion was cut off by the Lost Boy slowly coming back to the land of the living. He almost assumed he was dead when three visions of loveliness met his gaze until he slowly recognized them. Kasumi held his hand as it looked like the boy was about to have a panic attack.

"Relax, Ryoga-kun." She soothed. "You're safe." Ryoga sank back onto the couch with a sigh. If Kasumi told you something, you could believe it.

"What happened to you?" Akane asked with gentle concern. Nabiki almost vomited at the concern in her sister's voice. She didn't have this much concern when Ranma was hurt. Okay, so she sold him as a commodity, she really did care. Even if only to make sure he was healthy enough to make her more money. Their elder sister being caring and concerned is a given. The young man on the couch sighed, his face clouding with anger.

"That damn Saotome did this to me." He growled. A round of confused looks followed.

"Ranma wouldn't do that!" the indignant cry didn't come from Akane, but from Kasumi of all people. Even Ryoga cringed back from it as a mild battle aura sheathed the normally gentle girl for a second.

"W-well he did. He was in his damn girl form, but looked kinda different..." he was babbling and he knew it. His sudden, inexplicable fear of Kasumi made his brain loopy, or at least loopier then usual. The sudden understanding on the girls' faces let him know there was something more to this then they thought.

"Ah... About that, it wasn't Ranma." Akane said.

"Oh really? Who else wears those ridiculous red shirts and kung fu pants?" he snorted in derision. Unfortunately the snort made his face hurt. Nabiki had a visible sneer on her face.

"I suppose I'll give you a freebie. You see, it's like this..." and launched into the whole tale. As usual, Ryoga's skewed logic made a curious figure eight before laughing.

"He actually got killed by some alien chick? Man, he is weak!" he chortled until a particularly nasty yank on the bandages around his ribs creak, his laugh dying down to a whimper of pain.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry. Are you ok, P – chan?" Kasumi said with only the barest trace of apology. The Lost Boy's head whipped around, but the look on her face was her usual look so he assumed it was an accident. The whole P – chan crack went over his head. Nabiki quickly fled the room as she felt the danger level shoot through the roof. Akane was looking curiously at her oldest sister.

"Why did you call him that, Kasumi?" she asked. Before the flushed girl could answer, however, the door opened. A disgruntled "Tadaima!" was heard as Birdy entered the room. Her face was set in an irritated line that deepened into a scowl as she noticed who was on the couch.

"Oh! Birdy-sama! Welcome home." the eldest Tendo sister said.

"Whoa, bad day?" Akane asked. The girl flopped down on the floor next to Akane, her eyes firmly on the sweating Lost Boy.

"Oh yeah, it was bad. Ranma decided I needed to relax so I was chillin' out in the park. He had already gone to sleep so I had a chance to do some thinkin' and I was enjoyin' the quiet." she paused. Why wasn't she more concerned about her grammar? 'Don't worry 'bout it. We're both two strong personalities clashing. The fact we're working together is a miracle.' she thought before continuing. "It was great, but then this joker along with the jerk in white pajamas tried to ambush me." in an aside to Ryoga "You guys have some pretty stupid war cries." before continuing "They attacked me so I fought back. This idiot was on the receiving end of a few of the beginner moves I was taught. The other one spouted off about an Anything Goes Final Attack and took off running." the silence that greeted her account was broken by Ryoga chuckling weakly. He knew his rival's way of talking and this didn't sound like it. Akane had a sudden revelation. Not everything that happened was Ranma's fault. This apocryphal thought was squashed by a sudden, overwhelming desire to mallet Ranma to the moon. Since the only one available was Birdy, then it illogically flowed to her.

"Birdy no Baka!" she cried before sending the unfortunate police girl into orbit. A slap to the back of the head made her bring the mallet around until she was stopped by who hit her. It was Kasumi.

"What's gotten into you? That was beyond rude! You had the situation explained to you and you still attacked. I'm disappointed." she said before standing gracefully and heading upstairs..

"Where are you going?" Akane called out, a bit shame-faced.

"I'm going out to find Birdy-sama and Ranma." was the reply as she headed out the door. It was unusual to hear her sister say that. The girl was down a few minutes later in a blouse and slacks combo. At her sister's raised eyebrows she sniffed.

"You tend to put your fiancée in some pretty interesting places. Just being prepared." was all she said as she headed out the door. Ryoga jumped up as best as his injured body would allow.

"I'll come with you. I-I owe Birdy an apology." he was actually moving better then either girl expected, leaving Akane alone. The violent girl stared at the hole in the ceiling. Her thoughts were a confusing jumble.

"I don't really want him. Why do I want to keep him so bad? He could be a friend, but I keep hurting him. Something tells me that Birdy won't tolerate getting smashed for long." she mused. Terrible feelings of guilt began boiling up. She always felt like this. It was like someone was pulling her strings and making her dance. The darkness began descending on her. A faint voice could be heard just on the edge of unconsciousness. With a supreme effort, she managed to stay awake. The voice grew stronger.

"Gomez." the woman's voice said imperiously.

"Yes Ms. Revi." a man's voice responded before resolving itself into a man in a manila colored suit. His hair was pale brown with a dark brown mustache. A pair of sunglasses completed the look.

"What do you know about Officer Birdy's activities?" the woman sounded vaguely displeased.

"We know she killed a human boy."

"I know that too you idiot! What else?"

"He seems to a martial artist of some skill, but little else is known. Most of what I've heard is ridiculous considering a human's limitations."

"Good. I was worried for a moment that she may have actually obtained a decent partner. Continue the operations and stop coming here. The communicators work fine."

"Understood. How is the girl?"

"Surprisingly strong and she makes excellent camouflage. Poor child doesn't even realize what's going on. Now leave." once she dismissed him, Akane felt a strange buzzing through her brain before collapsing into unconsciousness.

The End

Author's Notes: Another day, another chapter. I think I've fallen in love with writing this story. My creative juices are flowing and my batteries are supercharged! Let me know how much you like it! Constructive criticism is always welcome. Until next time, ja ne!