Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: The response has been better than I expected and thank you to all of you who wrote me a review. I dedicate this chapter to all of you (so hopefully this turns out better than the last). Thank you again and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 2

Crazy Days in Nerima

In a certain house, in a certain part of Tokyo, there lived a dysfunctional group of people that was lumped together by a common goal and purpose. Sadly it was nothing as great as saving the world or mutually supporting one another in a loving environment, but it was something some believed to be worthwhile. It was with the purpose of joining two schools of martial arts that they were together and to further this goal the fathers were to get their heirs married. Yet there was a major roadblock on this highway to success and that was Genma's own greed. The foolish patriarch of the Saotome Clan, in his youth, had met a man who had promised to help him become the greatest martial artist in the world. Unlike how the story was told, it wasn't Happosai who originally sparked his interest, but a man by the name of Alexander Marx. In fighting circles he was called Alexander the Great in regard to his amazing wins against impossible odds. Well, Genma had selfish dreams of fight promotions, fame, wealth, and women. The good man had an idea that the young man was a dishonorable lout and wouldn't be swayed. However, he promised something that the pinnacle of the fighting world couldn't pass up. Genma offered him his first born in a marriage contract to strengthen the Art. Okay, it wasn't exactly the brightest of all ideas on either mans' part, but when the testosterone runs high the brain takes a back seat. It was with this contract that Genma's training had begun, but before the end of even the first week his good friend Soun had said that he found a greater master and lured his friend away from the good man. Lured him to the Dark Side, or as he's better known, Happosai.

That may seem like the end of the story but it wasn't. It hadn't bothered the man a wit when his young pupil had run away because he still had what he needed. In his haste to leave, the foolish pupil had left behind the original contract, and thus our story begins. The story truly begins with the marriage agreement. The good man was still a fool for going through with the agreement but he taught his daughter daily to become one of the greatest of her generation and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. On her day of destiny, he revealed the marriage pact and charged the young girl with finding her future husband as a matter of honor.

The doctors say his bandages will come off next Tuesday.

She followed what clues she could and arrived at Jusenkyo not even a week after the Saotomes left. Upon reading the register, her heart plummeted. The closer she got the worse she felt because she wanted nothing to do with either of them but her honor demanded that she find them. Upon exiting the shack, the Guide accidentally bumped into her, and she ended up falling face-first into one of the smaller springs. When she emerged, the girl discovered that she was not human anymore and reacted accordingly.

The Guide was not seen again for several months.

Yet with the change in form, her worries about how she would avoid dangerous animals disappeared because by nature, she was the most dangerous thing out there. She was the size of an abnormally large wolf, in Dungeons and Dragons terms she was a Dire Wolf, and had the intelligence of a human. The neo-wolf managed to gather her clothes, put on her backpack, and took off at a dead run. She knew from reading a book inside the hut that the reversal for the curse was hot water so it didn't bother her too much. Part of her wished that it was permanent so that she could avoid her fate forever but at least it might make them shun her. At this point shunning was preferable to marriage. The ocean posed no problem. Her backpack was waterproof and she was trying to avoid her duty as long as possible so she set off swimming. Martial arts training coupled with an animal's superior power made the trip dishearteningly short.

Shortly outside of Nerima she managed to turn back to her human form and decided to enjoy a night sleeping in her tent. An unseen hole in the roof of her tent let in the cold rainwater. She cursed whoever was listening but all that came out was a vaguely demonic snarling sound. This was not her year.

Now back to the present.

-Present-

Dinner time at the Tendo house was usually filled with chatter and violence, but tonight the threat of violence made even Nabiki look as if she was about to crack. The cause of all this hostility was none other than Genma Saotome. Apparently he had done something so stupid that it even made his former sparring partner and best friend angry at him. The Saotome patriarch knew what he did wrong and was, for once, genuinely repentant. The contract meant that the Tendo/Saotome agreement was null and void. It was made a whole year before theirs was. The panda had some explaining to do.

"Let me get this straight. You knew of the existing agreement between you and this Marx guy and you still engaged my sister to your son?" Nabiki asked. She was truly shocked at what she heard. The other engagements could be taken care of but this was not going away.

"I really don't want to marry anyone. I just want to be friends y'know? It doesn't matter to me…" Kat protested feebly for the thousandth time but it seemed as if no one was listening. The young girl seemed close to tears. A battle she could handle but she hated high conflict. She rubbed tears from her eyes as she thought of the chaos she had just created. Ranma was sitting beside her and noticed her crying. He gently took her hand to comfort her, his lessons from Kasumi paying off.

"Saotome, how could you? A matter of honor should not be sullied like this. You have ruined the agreement and ruined this poor girl's honor. My own daughter's honor has been tarnished by this as well. I turned a blind eye to the other agreements you made but this is one too many and holds too much weight to be ignored." The Tendo patriarch said his voice stern and harsh.

"B-but I forgot! Weren't we both drunk when we made our pact? How was I supposed to remember anything! Besides, we're friends so it held more importance to me." Genma was clearly stumbling for something to say and managed to shoot himself in both feet at the same time. Quite a feat for a guy with less common sense than a pile of dung.

"Oh that makes it so much better! I'm sure she feels just great hearing that one since you're clearly disregarding her honor." Ranma's mother, Nodoka, said with some heat. The pigtailed boy was sitting close enough to Kat to hear her begging them not to fight but it seemed as if it had taken on a life of its own. He could also feel Akane's stare on him as he held her hand. It didn't help that he was doing nothing wrong because he was always wrong, oftentimes for just existing.

"What are you doing you baka? She's trying to break us up and you're being nice to her!" Akane shouted. That managed to pierce the atmosphere around the table. In the deafening silence that ensued, Kat could be heard sniffling sadly and Ranma trying to calm her down. To the idiot fathers it looked as if he was already making his choice so it was decided that something should be done immediately. Genma suggested she be thrown out immediately but that was countered by Soun suggesting he be thrown out instead. Before it could go much further, Nabiki came up with a great idea.

"I know what we could do. Each claim is equally valid since both of them are on paper and easily seen by a court so we can solve it this way. Since Akane and Kat are both martial artists they can fight it out. The winner gets Ranma." She said with a smirk until she saw Kasumi's apprehensive look. Something told her that she just made a monumental error.

"Fine! I'll beat her. I'm one of the best martial artists in Nerima." Akane declared proudly but deflated at her oldest sister's wince. The incident in the furo was long forgotten in the heat of the challenge. Even if she had remembered, she would have done it anyway.

"…Why do you let them fight over you like you're a trophy?" Kat asked Ranma quietly. The question threw him off but it started him thinking. He had no idea when it started but it made him think of why he did and he saw no reason why, but before he could open his mouth his mother spoke for him.

"It is a manly thing to have so many women after him and I'm sure he wants to be manly." She said with a faint smile at the question. Kat bristled at the statement. It infuriated her how their lives had been decided for them before they were even born or even conceived. Her lips peeled back in a faintly animalistic snarl.

"Fine! If you're all so dead set on it then I'll fight her but on one condition." She said to the stunned table.

"A-and that is…?" Soun Tendo asked.

"That if I win he decides whether he marries me or not. I will not let someone else decide anyone's fate. That is for each person to decide. I'm taking the challenge of my own free will so don't call me a hypocrite. When do we fight?" she asked belligerently. Everyone was shocked at the statement, but no one was more surprised than Ranma.

"W-what about your honor?" he asked, his mouth dry. She turned a sad smile to him and shrugged.

"Do not let that concern you. Do what you want with your life and don't worry about other people's thoughts. This is what I want to do." She said. The pigtailed boy looked thoughtful when she finished her statement.

"Well, the fewer people who know of this the better. We'll do it tonight." Tendo said before Nabiki could get the yen signs in her eyes. The mercenary frowned at her father but he remained oblivious. It was agreed that it would be after dinner. Akane seemed to await the fight eagerly. In contrast, her opponent looked apprehensive at the prospect. Ranma didn't know what to think about what happening. It was happening so fast that he had no time to register the changes but one thing was made abundantly clear. Tonight everything would change.

-In the Dojo-

The fight would take place out in the dojo. Akane was wearing her normal gi and was obviously ready to fight. Kat was dressed in her normal clothes. Her head was lowered, a tear trailing down her cheek at what was about to happen. The decision was hers alone to fight or back off, but she chose to fight. She couldn't afford to go easy on her. It was up to her to make a strong statement to convince everyone to leave them alone. She felt sorry for Akane because tonight would shatter her illusions of grandeur. Her fists clenched, tiny spheres of ki swirled around her hands and trailed up her arms. She raised her head slowly, letting the blue ki swirl through her eyes, turning them a solid blue. She was a wolf. A child of nature. Ki was the lifeblood of the planet and she had a direct pipeline to power.

"You understand that the first person to be knocked unconscious or incapacitated is the loser? Good. Enough! Fight!" Soun declared as he got out from the center of the floor.

It was clear to Kat that Akane couldn't see ki flows so she didn't know to be afraid of the manifesting will of her combatant. However, she could see the red haze around Akane as her aura manifested, but the intensity of it didn't bother her in the least.

"Do we have to do this?" the girl asked with trepidation. She wasn't afraid for herself but for her opponent. In that last moment she thought about simply forfeiting but she caught a glance at Ranma and decided to stick with it.

"Go on and quit. I'm sure no one will think less of you." Akane said in a slightly condescending tone that only served to infuriate Kat. The violent girl smirked slightly when she saw that the girl was off balance and rushed in for the attack. Her opponent snarled softly as she watched the girl's slow approach and decided to end it with a spinning back kick to the chest that Akane readily ran into. The aggressor was airborne before she realized she had been attacked and crashed into the ground with tremendous force. The dojo was stunned into silence as they watched Akane try to get back to her feet shakily despite the brutality of the counter.

"Someone call the match! I can't hit her any harder or she'll be hurt!" Kat pleaded. She saw Ranma getting ready to add his opinion but his traitorous father slammed him over the head with a "Go Akane" sign. This was not looking good as she tried to find someone rational but a blow to the side of the head cancelled her thoughts and sent her to the floor. She tried to get back up but a sharp kick to the ribs popped her into the air before she hit the ground again, narrowly rolling away from a heel stomp. This was not going as well as she thought it would as she tried to get back to her feet. Her vision was blurred by tears but she could see the red haze growing in fury as Akane walked towards her. This was not going to end well. Someone was at the very least going to have some broken bones.

"Akane stop! She can barely stand!" Kasumi said frantically, she didn't want her sister to be a killer. Nabiki stood back with her lips thinned as she thought about some of the things she had done to little sister. Seeing her this angry wasn't good for her mental health.

"Why don't you stop this?" Nodoka asked Tendo in concern but he merely watched impassively as his youngest prepared to finish the match. Her husband seemed more interested in a painful outcome for the one who he blamed for all of this.

"A-Akane…stop…I d-don't want to do this…" Kat tried again through the pain to reason with her but it was no good. The violent tomboy rushed her with her fist cocked back and low with her other hand up to guard but figured she wouldn't need it. When she got close, her opponent suddenly snapped back to the alert. Her left foot was slammed forward with her right foot swinging around in a wild kicking motion which Akane leaped away from but it turned out to be a feint. With a wild cry, she stomped her right foot down and threw her fist forward so fast it blurred before impacting heavily on Akane's hastily raised guard. The loud crack of snapping bone echoed through the dojo. Kat seemed to recoil in shock at what just happened before rushing toward her fallen opponent but her family reached her first. With a weary sigh, she slumped to the ground. She knew she expended a lot of her own reserves to win but win she did. Her eyes found Akane cradling her broken arm from her position on the floor, her face scrunched up in pain with tears pouring from her eyes. This was the reason she hated needless fighting. No matter who won both lost. The loser lost face and the winner lost another part of their humanity she believed. It didn't bother her that she was an animal but she tried to be a compassionate one. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she looked up to see Ranma. He was rubbing the back of his head from when his father hit him but otherwise he looked alright.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded in response even though on the inside she was far from okay. Her hands became very fascinating as she felt him sit beside her. This was neither the time nor the place to be thinking of such thoughts as fiancées and battles but she couldn't help but grimace at the current problem.

"Boy! Check and see if your fiancée is alright!" Genma ordered but the look he received from the fruit of his loins sent him scurrying for cover near Nodoka. When he heard the steely rasp of her katana it became clear that she was angry as well. With a yelp of fear, he took off at a dead run into the night.

"Son, is she alright?" Nodoka asked Ranma as she walked over. Despite Kat's best efforts, she had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Ranma looked strangely protective of her.

"Yeah, just tired I guess. H-how's Akane?" he asked with trepidation.

"Her arm is broken. At least it was a clean break so it should heal fine. Nabiki has called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. I think we may want to leave for now. Soun has suggested that we come back tomorrow." She informed her son. The pigtailed boy hardly seemed surprised. After setting Kat on the floor gently, he went upstairs to pack a few things as well as grab his father's belongings. Luckily, the old man had already packed up everything of value so it didn't take him long to get his belongings together. He managed to strap one bag to the other and put them both on his back. When he got downstairs he added Kat's bag to the growing amount of weight. His mother was surprised at his efficiency and considered another sign of how manly he was.

"Stupid pops…No matter where we go we have to leave again. Why do you always screw things up?" Ranma asked himself as he carried Kat out the door with his mother right behind him. Never looking back to the place he once called home.

-Saotome Residence-

Some time later on the other side of the ward, two women walked up to a quaint little house. One of them was an attractive auburn haired woman that looked much younger than she really was. The other was a weary little redhead carrying two massive packs and one smaller pack on her back and a giant wolf in her arms. The wolf was easily twice her size. It still amazed the older of the two how much her son was a water magnet and to find out about Kat's curse this way was quite a sight. An air-conditioner exploded and chilled water splashed her manly son and the rather tall gaijin girl turning them into girl and wolf respectively.

"This is a usual occurrence for you?" Nodoka asked her son-turned-daughter as they entered the house. The smaller girl panted heavily as she brought in her load. As gently as she could, she set Kat on the floor in the living room before dropping her bags with a tremendous thud. She answered when she got her breath back.

"Y-yeah…This is normal for me. Well, the whole carrying a wolf across the ward isn't but still…" she shrugged with a small smile that tugged at her mother's heart. How could she deny her son the right to live when he put up with so much on a daily basis? He wasn't manly, he was a survivor, and what she was trying to hold him to was unrealistic. Little did the redhead know that her suffering was the reason for her mother's change of heart. The small girl sat down on the floor, stroking Kat's furry side, marveling at the softness.

"I'll get us some tea and hot water for you and Kat." His mother said with a smile as the redhead nodded sleepily. With a slight spring to her step she went into the kitchen. A small part of her felt bad for Akane but a greater part was ecstatic. With that violent girl out of the picture it was only a matter of time before her son was off the marital auction block. She busied herself with preparing the tea and thoughts of grandchildren dancing in her head. Maybe he would choose Kat, maybe he wouldn't, but either way she was happy that his life was finally his own. Her biggest regret was the stupid seppuku agreement. No, it was actually letting her idiotic husband take her son that she regretted the most. The kettle began to whistle signaling that the water was ready. After preparing the tea, she dropped a few ice cubes into the water to cool it down to tolerable levels. With a sigh, she carried the tray out into the living room and smiled at the sight before her. She set the tray down and grabbed her camera since she had so few pictures of her child sleeping and this one was adorable. The little redhead was sound asleep, curled up next to the giant wolf, her head resting on the gently heaving side with her hand placed as if to stroke the soft fur. The massive creature was slightly curled with her head resting alongside the diminutive girl's leg and her tail lying across the girl's waist.

"Sleep tight dears." She whispered as she set a blanket on her daughter and stroking the great beast's head before heading to bed as well. The smile never once leaving her face.

-Next morning-

Breakfast at home was something that Ranma hadn't experienced since he was a little boy. Even if the house had been rebuilt, it had been reconstructed using the original building plans so in a sense, it was the same place. The smell of breakfast cooking made the neo-girl open her eyes and smile. She stretched contentedly at the great sleep she got, wondering why her pillow felt so warm and had soft…fur? Ranma looked over to the massive head of her obvious bedtime companion and realized they were still downstairs. Last night came back to her with a sudden explosion of images. One thing stood out from the maelstrom and that was that Kat had won, but the circumstances of her win were also remembered. Her eyes found Kat's big blue eye since the head was half turned away but they shared the same thought. The redhead did something totally girlish and kissed her on the muzzle.

"It wasn't your fault." She whispered to her friend. The wolf seemed a little comforted and even gave her cheek a big lick making the girl giggle. Ranma knew that at times she acted more girlish in her female form so it didn't bother her as much as it used to. Cologne once suggested that stress could be the trigger since it seemed that Shampoo acted more cat like when she was upset. Maybe strong emotion did it because she certainly didn't feel stressed right now.

"Breakfast is ready dears. Would you like your hot water now?" Nodoka asked the two pleasantly as she came into the living room. It wasn't just to tell them about breakfast, however, it was also to remind Ranma that he had school that day. Since he was going, he could help Kat get enrolled. With a groan, the pigtailed boy realized the kind of havoc that would happen when he got to school with a new girl in tow. Kat sat beside him at the breakfast table after being restored and tried to ease his mind. She didn't want to be a problem for him so she tried to convince his mother to let her stay there but she wouldn't budge. Nodoka informed her that she had to get a good education and she was probably behind since she had to leave to find her errant husband and son.

"But I don't want to be a bother…" Kat protested but Ranma surprised everyone, including himself by declaring that she wouldn't be a problem. Since there was nothing else to do, they ate breakfast in silence. The Saotome matriarch said that she would be around the school as soon as she called Nabiki and got her help.

"She won't have a problem. I talked to her last night. Don't worry dear, she doesn't blame you. Akane has a problem with her temper I found out. Please don't be angry." The older woman said to the blonde-haired girl. The girl in question made sure she understood that she wasn't all that upset and was rewarded with a bright smile. The only one who knew she was just being nice was Ranma. He could tell that she was deeply upset by what happened but was putting up a good front.

"Hey, we gotta get goin'. We got a longer trip ahead of us." The pigtailed boy said as he got up from the table. Kat followed after him. With a hasty goodbye to his mother the two youths practically flew out the front door and took off at a dead run for the school.

-On the way to school-

She wasn't as fast as her wolf side but her speed was impressive nonetheless, Ranma reflected. Akane wasn't even half as fast as her so this trip should actually be shorter despite it being a longer way. The wind whipped past as the two of them kept pace with each other. The teens couldn't help smiling and laughing like maniacs at the startled expressions of the people they passed. Ranma looked up to the sky and decided that today wasn't going to be all that bad. They would have to deal with Kuno and the Hentai Horde, maybe, but Ukyou wouldn't be there and neither would Shampoo. Without warning, Ranma suddenly stopped as he remembered the wager made last night. Kat found herself running alone and jogged back to her running partner.

"What's up Ranma? Why'd ya stop?" she asked breathlessly, her face wreathed in a smile.

"…It's about last night." He replied. At the mention of the night before, her face fell, but she quickly plastered a smile on her face.

"What about it?" she asked curiously. The night was vivid to her and hard to forget. She broke a girl's arm and used more force than she should have. If she hadn't been so hesitant then Akane wouldn't have been hurt as badly.

"I've made my choice." He announced. Ranma was a little unsure of his decision but he knew it was the right one. She gave him the power to choose and he was going to do what he truly believed in. Her attention was all on him as he mustered up what he was going to say, but nothing could have prepared her for what he would say next.

"I will remain engaged to you." Ranma said. The pigtailed boy looked a little weaker after saying it but he managed a smile. Sure, she wanted him to be free to decide and had even offered her own honor in the bargain to give him a chance. What kind of man, no, what kind of person would he be if he didn't show his appreciation?

"Hold on and let me get this straight. You want to remain engaged to…me?" she asked timidly. They had just met the day before and he was a cool guy but she couldn't believe he would just do something like this. Her legs felt strangely weak as she realized that despite what she thought she was losing, she ended up keeping her honor and getting a great friend to boot. Whether it became more, only time would tell, but right now she was happy. With a delighted cry she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

"Whoa! Uh…yeah I wanna remain engaged to ya… I guess ya don't mind, ne?" he quipped as he felt a strange tingle shoot up his spine. It wasn't the usual feeling he got when one of the brigade would give him a hug and it certainly felt nice. He returned the hug after a few seconds, noticing that her height let her put her head perfectly on his shoulder. School was momentarily forgotten but it was quickly replaced by a new concern. A small meow near his foot made him leap straight up. Since he was holding Kat, she ended up flying up with him with a squeal. The two ended up perched on a street light.

"What was that about?" she asked, visibly startled. When she followed his gaze downward, she saw a large cat peering up at them. He felt like he was shaking so hard that the pole would vibrate out of the ground. It didn't take a genius to realize he was frightened of cats. She tried to soothe him with calm whispers but that wasn't working.

"D-damn c-c-cats… I hate the little devils…" he muttered darkly but couldn't bring himself to move. Kat figured that it was something to do with his childhood. She used to be afraid of snakes but turning into a giant wolf sort of eliminated that fear. With a flash she knew what she could do. She narrowed her eyes down at the cat and drew her lips back in a snarl.

"Afraid of cats, huh? Well this big bad wolf won't let'm get ya." She said just before she let out a fierce bark that should have come from her wolf throat. The cat's hackles raised and its tail grew to four times its normal size before it took off at a dead run. The girl saw that and couldn't help but laugh at the scaredy cat. Ranma at first looked at her like she was crazy until he realized that she just scared off the cat.

"D-did you see that? That cat tore outta here like a bat outta hell!" she laughed into his shoulder. He managed to keep hold of her despite his own shaking, but this time from laughter. They laughed for a good several minutes before they suddenly looked at each other.

"School!" they exclaimed in unison and leaped the rooftops on their way to school. If this was how the day was going to go then they couldn't wait to see what was in store.

-School-

The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High waited at the gates for his eternal enemy, the devil Saotome. The cad had truly gone too far this time. Tired of the fair and beauteous Akane Tendo, he had broken her arm and taken a heathen consort. He knew this was true because his faithful retainer, Sasuke, had assured him it was so.

"Today he shall feel my wrath, but first I shall deal harshly with the one who actually hurt my beautiful goddess!" he swore to the heavens as he readied his family sword. The deluded fool was dressed completely in his family's armor. He struck such an intimidating picture that no one dared approach him. What he didn't realize was that his quarry had leaped into the schoolyard from the rooftops and was already entering the school. Another day of bucket duty for Kuno.

-Class-

Ranma ended up sitting near Akane during class as usual. The violent girl was subdued and picked at her cast frequently. Her friends had come over to her desk to sign her cast and cheer her up but she would have none of it. The reason for her despondent mood wasn't there and hopefully wouldn't be there because she had to do something she dreaded doing. When the door opened halfway through the morning, however, her hopes were dashed when she saw Kat walk into the room.

"Class, we have a new student with us today. Her name is Katrina Marx and she comes from America." The teacher said with false enthusiasm since the real thing wouldn't matter to his lethargic students. The girl in front of them smiled nervously as she bowed to the class amidst snickering. She didn't know why they were snickering until the teacher commented that it was in the male fashion. Mortified, she simply asked where she would sit. There was a seat next to Ranma that she was directed to and, with visible relief, she took her seat.

"S'up Kat?" he asked cheerfully.

"Not much…this place is so confusing…" she replied. The students watched their resident chaos magnet conversing with the new girl. Little did the teacher know that the reason everyone was so quiet for class was because of apprehension. The students were scared to see what new lunacy would befall them. More than a few looks were made at Kat who did her best to ignore them. With Ranma's gender curse, wouldn't they be more used to strange people? When she looked around the room, apparently not. Her gaze shifted to her fiancée. She couldn't figure out why he had decided to hold the engagement, but she had to admit it felt a little nice. If she had to have an arranged marriage she could have done a lot worse than Ranma. She giggled when she saw him already sound asleep and quietly snoring away. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Ranma probably didn't realize that she had been awake for some time this morning, but the sight of the little redhead's sleeping face kept her silent.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." She thought as she directed her attention back to the teacher.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Next chapter the chaos escalates. What is in store for our protagonists and how will the student body react to the gaijin wolf? All this and more next time! Ja ne!