Rumiko Takahashi owns Ranma.

Warren Murphy and Richard Ben-Sapir (A"H) think they own The Destroyer, but in truth, it is owned by Master Chiun. All hail the Master of Sinanju, the perfection that is Sinanju, and all things Sinanju.

Chapter 4

The scream tore through the Tendo household. It startled everyone except Chiun. He had let his senses extend throughout the house as soon as Ranma was out of his sight. He had noted with pride (not that he'd admit it to his pupil) how easily Ranma had evaded Akane's attacks without harming the girl. He'd also noted that Ranma's breathing and heartbeat indicated a possible attraction to the girl. All the better, he thought. He also heard the comment that had left the boy's ego in a shambles. That could also be advantageous, if handled properly. Sometimes it was necessary to tear down in order to build. And there was still much building to be done in Ranma's case. The boy had also seen Akane naked and vice versa. This would be problematic.

Akane exploded into the dining room, still screaming, and wrenched the low table into the air, spilling Chiun and Soun's refreshments.

"Akane, what is it?" Kasumi asked.

"There's a strange man in the bathroom!"

Nabiki smirked, "So what's the table for?"

"I'm going to drown him with it!"

"Uh, excuse me."

The Tendos turned to look in the direction of the new voice. There in the doorway stood a boy. He was tall for a boy his age, with wild, black hair, tied in a pigtail in the exact same way that Ranma's red hair was. He was wearing the exact same clothes that Ranma was wearing earlier, but these were obviously new, because they were clean. And, while the red haired girl's clothing was loose fitting, the boy's outfit was more snug, clearly showing that he was in rock hard physical condition.

"I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this." The boy looked down at his feet in shame.

Chiun reached out with one hand and deftly plucked the table out of Akane's grip. "Perhaps now would be a good time to relate Ranma's tale to your daughter's, Tendo."

A while later, once the dining room had been tidied and fresh tea had been laid out, they all sat around the table. "Hearken now, daughters of the karate dancer, Soun Tendo, to the tale of Chiun the beneficent."

Ranma snorted in disgust, but Chiun chose to ignore his bad manners.

For the moment.

"Some twelve months ago, I was traveling through China, to visit a village of Chinese amazons. Upon my arrival, the village elder, a most disagreeable woman named Cologne, had a most odd story to relate. It appeared that a gluttonous Japanese karate dancer had entered the village with a young girl during the Amazon's annual fighting tournament. While all the amazons were busy watching the elder's great-granddaughter's final bout, the two Japanese had gorged themselves on the winner's prize, a very large quantity of food.

When the theft was discovered, the fat karate dancer suggested that the girl fight the champion, thinking that if she won, the prize would have been hers anyway and no face would be lost. The girl defeated the Amazon champion easily. Horrified, the rest of the Amazon tribe attacked the pair. The fat one perished in the onslaught. But the girl was captured alive.

The village elder was very concerned, for tribal law dictated that her great-granddaughter should avenge her defeat and kill the Japanese girl, yet it was clear that this was no ordinary girl. She had defeated the Amazon's most fearsome warrior in fair combat and had held at bay the murderous wrath of the entire tribe.

The elder went to the dwelling being used as a prison and discovered the Japanese bathing. But it was no longer a red haired girl, but the boy you see before you now. And the boy explained the terrible curse that had befallen him."

Ranma sat silently through all this. It was all true. He remembered it so clearly. The training mission. Jusenkyo. Falling in the cursed spring of drowned girl and seeing that his manhood had disappeared, albeit temporarily. Tears of shame and sorrow rolled down his face.

"The elder was now faced with a bigger problem. For Ranma was in truth a man. By their law her great granddaughter had been defeated by a man and must marry him. But this boy was a pervert, a freak. And such a betrothal would dishonour her family. Even worse, the boy told her that he and his father were to return to Japan, where he would fulfill an engagement contract with another house of karate dancers.

To the amazons, as with Sinanju, a contract is a contract and must always be honoured. And so I have brought him to you."

Chiun folded his hands into the sleeves of his hanbok (there ya go!). He had neglected to mention the main reason he was in Japan. No point really. Anyone of even minimal intelligence would know that there is only one reason the Master of Sinanju would travel from his home in the west Korea Bay.

He also did not discuss why he had taken on Ranma as his disciple. In truth, Chiun was at a loss to understand why himself. Never had anyone but a Korean from the small village of Sinanju ever been taught the Sun Source of the martial arts. True, Chiun was getting on in years and there were no suitable candidates among the boys of his village. He had no sons of his own, and his one-time disciple Nuihc, Chiun wanted to retch at the thought of that abomination's name. If he didn't train someone to be the Master of Sinanju soon, there would be no more masters after him and his village would perish.

But was that the real reason? There was something about Ranma. He learned the proper breathing technique so quickly. And there were times when the boy seemed to be one with him during training sessions. Almost as though their souls were joined. There were times that Chiun would catch himself almost calling the boy his son.

Soun stood and walked around the stable to Ranma and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Well Ranma, I see no reason why we should not still honour my agreement with my dearly departed friend Genma. Witch of my lovely daughters do you pick?"

While Ranma choked and sputtered in embarrassment, Kasumi and Nabiki both shoved their little sister forward. "Akane would be the best choice!" they chimed in unison.

"Hey! Why me?"

"Because," Kasumi replied, "you don't like boys all that much,"

"And Ranma's a girl half the time anyway." Agreed Nabiki.

Akane exploded. "There's no way I'm going to be married to that pervert!"

"Who are you calling pervert?" Ranma shot back.

"You looked at me naked!"

Soun laughed. "They're already acting like a couple."

"We are not a couple!"

Chiun was not in the mood for ungrateful children bickering. With his index finger, he flung Ranma out of the house and into the koi pond in the backyard.

Ranma emerged from the water and pushed her wet, red hair out of her eyes. "What did you do that for?" She bellowed.

"If you are going to screech like a harpy, you might as well look more like one." Chiun sniffed.

Ranma stamped her foot. "That's it! I'm going back to China to find a cure. This is no time for fiancés." She stopped when she reached Akane. Ranma wanted to cry. He liked this girl, but she thought he was a freak. He let his pain speak through him. "By the way, you took a pretty good look at me in the bathroom too, you know. And besides, it isn't like you haven't got anything I haven't already seen on myself half the time." He turned his back on her and walked toward the front door. "And I'm better built to boot." He added scathingly.

"RANMA NO BAKA!" Before even Chiun could react, Akane picked up the table again and brought it crashing down on Ranma's head.