Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: Here I am again and I am ready to go. I have my MSWORD back so the formatting will look better. Due to overwhelming response my creative energies are overflowing. I would like to thank all of you for reviewing. This chapter plays a bit of havoc with manga continuity in that Doctor Tofu is still around. Thank you and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 4

Cats and Dogs

Nerima is a town of weirdness and the sight that greeted them was certainly odd if nothing else. The ward was treated to the sight of a redheaded girl draped tiredly on the back of a giant wolf; much like a tired gunfighter does with his horse. The "horse" in this instance was also pretty tired but it was purely from ki depletion. She snuffled worriedly as she thought back to what precipitated this event. A blind Kuno and Mousse had nearly made mincemeat of her fiancée after an enraged chimera put her through the wringer. If it hadn't been for Taro underestimating her Ranma would have been in worse shape. Her gently snoring fiancée was tickling the hairs in her left ear pleasantly.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" she thought to herself for the thousandth time. "Is there some religion that says that Ranma can't have a day off? I've followed him and his father so I can understand some of the chaos is Genma's fault, but this goes beyond the pall. Curses, fiancées, enemies, and stupid challenges abound in his life. Even his weakest enemy could take out a score of men. What have I gotten myself involved with? What logical person would stay on this sinking ship? None!" she told herself vehemently before turning her massive head to regard her rider with one eye. "Then again, who ever said I was logical?" she asked with amusement which quickly turned to shock at the sudden application of hot water.

"You shouldn't dump your tea out the window like that, you might hit someone." A woman's voice admonished from the open window. Kat was beyond hearing as she was suddenly confronted with the knowledge that she was now human, naked, and had a rather attractive young man on top of her. She tried to push him off but ended up only showing him slightly due to expended ki.

"Could this day get any worse?" she asked the heavens mournfully only to hear a roll of thunder as if someone was laughing in agreement.

-Tendo house: Kasumi-

Kasumi flowed through her katas with effortless grace. To the untrained eye it appeared as she was merely sweeping the floor but there was so much more to it. She was perhaps an even better trained martial artist than Ranma himself in her chosen field. Her dojo was the home and she was one with her domain. The Wa of the house flowed around her for her alone to perceive. It always made her feel better when she cared for her family and her home as Mother would have done, but lately there was a disturbance. It could be attributed directly to the Saotomes or at least one Saotome in particular. Gemna. She allowed a small huff of exasperation at this thought. If he hadn't been such a bloody fool then half of these problems wouldn't have happened.

"How anyone put up with this is beyond me…" she lamented, knowing that she was to blame as well. Kasumi was as big a contributor to the chaos as any of them. If she has just put her foot down more often then this vicious spiral would no longer exist. Problems develop, Ranma is blamed, Ranma is bullied into fixing problem, and problem goes away. Lather, rinse, and repeat. In her mind's eye she knew that her little brother (as she liked to think of him) was far from perfect, but was also more blameless than any of these other boneheads. Sometimes she wished she was permitted to curse but the tenets of her school prevented that.

"Oh poopy…" she cursed as violently as she dared before increasing her workout speed in atonement for her indiscretion. Maybe she should bake some cookies for Ranma-kun. A whole tray for him to make up for her contributing to his problems.

"She's really a sweet girl but also a violent maniac' makes so much sense…" she muttered reproachfully before tabling her darker thoughts. Hopefully when they met today it would be under better circumstances.

-Tendo house: Nabiki-

Hearing the soft non-curse, the middle Tendo daughter sighed. It bothered her more than she cared to admit out loud, but she missed Ranma. Seeing the big lug at school wasn't the same as when he lived at what she thought had become his home. Now he was living with his mother and his self chosen fiancée. Even if he had managed to keep it a secret from her it was still fairly obvious what he would do if given a way out.

"The only one who listened…was someone on the outside." She mused thoughtfully as she balanced the books (figuratively not literally). That someone on the outside was Kat. The girl had appeared and had pretty much no interest in Ranma except maybe as a friend even if she was a fiancée with the greatest hold. She managed to do what Nabiki herself couldn't figure out and that was to get rid of the engagements. Oh she knew that Ukyou wouldn't go quietly into the night, but Kat was proving to be resourceful if nothing else. If she hadn't been so reluctant to fight she would have defeated Akane easily, but it was obvious that fighting actually bothered her.

"The kid's got talent but no drive to use it…there is profit to be made off this…" she ruminated. If she sold the information to Shampoo about a reluctant warrior then the Amazon would probably get her butt handed to her when she went to clear out the "obstacle". There was the Kiss of Death to be considered, but it was even clearer that it seemed to be largely for show. Even when Shampoo had "Ranko" dead to rights she had let her quarry go. The Chinese Amazon was squeamish actually about actually killing someone and Cologne makes every effort to hide that little fact. Without Ranma in the house the bills, namely the grocery bill, would go down considerably though the money would still be tight because of one missing chaos magnet. She would have considered it further, but the sound of a throat clearing got her attention.

"You might want to try cough drops instead of drop ins." She told the person as she swiveled her chair around to face…Cologne. With a sinking feeling, the girl realized that maybe paying for the bills wouldn't be all that difficult, but the method of payment was suddenly making her uneasy.

"Good evening to you Miss Tendo." The aged matriarch greeted her, giving her a smile that would freeze water and kill trees.

"Good evening to you as well elder. What can I do for you?" she asked politely while inwardly she was running though plans of action that would involve her leaving without whatever information she sought, but quickly gave it up as useless. She knew what battles she could win and this was not one of them.

"I heard an interesting rumor today." Cologne said to start the conversation.

"Sorry, I don't deal in rumors." Nabiki said calmly but there was undercurrent of steel to her tone. The elder noted this with condescending amusement before sitting on the girl's bed uninvited.

"Oh but this is a good one…I heard that your sister is no longer engaged to Son-in-Law. A gaijin girl showed up yesterday with a claim that predates all of the others. Is that true?" Cologne asked rhetorically, she knew damn well what the situation was, but now the problem was where did the leak in her network spring up? The girl seethed inwardly in the face of the smug old crone but refrained from tipping her hand.

"Five thousand yen." She stated to the matriarch. Maybe if she had to pay she'd go away, especially if she had the information already. With that thought in mind it was understandable why she seemed just a tad shocked when her customer handed over the money.

"Fine. Her name is Katrina Marx but prefers Kat. She followed Ranma and his father for some time even to Jusenkyo. Her cursed form is a wolf, but not an ordinary one since it seems to be much bigger than a normal one. She fought Akane last night and freed Ranma from the engagement. Not much more is known." Suspected, but not known. Nabiki preened behind her calm mask as the elder visibly fumed at the dodge and even worse, she couldn't do anything about it. Until she finally spoke.

"I knew all that you little slip of a girl. She must be decent to defeat your sister but unfortunately she's nothing compared to Shampoo. She has trained to finally remove her obstacles and has reached beyond my expectations. I figure a little free information was in order. Don't get used to your outsider friend, she won't be around much longer." She told Nabiki coldly before vaulting out the open window. Nabiki felt like she had aged a thousand years in a few moments as she turned back to her desk. With a determined glint in her eyes she picked up the phone. Time to call in a few favors…

-Somewhere in Japan-

The day was beautiful. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the blue sky stretched on forever. There was nothing that could spoil this perfect moment…

Ring

Except that.

The incessant ringing of the girl's cell phone was driving her nuts as she dug around in her backpack for the annoying little thing. It was hard to get lost in a backpack but she was not an ordinary person. Oh no. She was a very special individual. In service to Nabiki Tendo of Nerima, this wandering warrior was truly special indeed.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.

"Glad I got a hold of you." Nabiki spoke from the other end.

"What is it?" the girl asked as she shifted her stance.

"I have a job for you."

"The usual rate?"

"Of course."

"I'm all yours." She responded in a deceptively mild tone.

"Here's what I need you to do…and for God's sakes I hope you remembered the batteries this time…" Nabiki said as she detailed the specifics to her "field agent". After about ten minutes the cell phone was shut and stowed in her backpack. Without a backwards glance, the girl took off towards Hokkaido before veering sharply towards Nerima…

-Elsewhere-

It was embarrassing to say the least. So far no one had seen her as she dragged/carried Ranma through the streets towards home. She had borrowed his shirt in an effort towards modesty but it was a poor job. Thankfully she saw the house just a few hundred feet away. Maybe she could talk her fiancé into losing weight or at least not going unconscious. Sure was rude of him to do that she thought. As she reached the front door her danger sense screamed at her. Without thinking she threw herself flat just in time to avoid the exquisitely crafted Chinese broadsword that bit deeply into the front door. Covering Ranma with her body she looked wildly in the direction of the attack. What met her gaze was a vision of beauty if she was into that sort of thing. The girl was Chinese and would have been beautiful if not for the ugly mask of anger she wore.

"What girl do with Airen?" she demanded in broken Japanese. Her quarry looked dumbstruck.

"What do you mean? You swing a sword at me and start demanding answers? Sorry but I don't have to tell you a thing now go away before I press charges!" Kat yelled back with quite a bit of force, her heart was still frantically trying to leap out from her throat. Her attacker now looked stunned. Normally people didn't threaten police when she attacked but she wouldn't let that deter her.

"Weak girl leave and live. Stay and die. Simple, right?" the purple-haired vixen queried as she got back in a ready stance. Kat felt her anger boiling up as if she were still in wolf form. How dare this bimbo threaten her? Who did she think she was to talk to her like that? The questions spiraled around in her head as she stood up without fully realizing what she was doing. Her body was tired, screaming at her for rest and her ki was almost nonexistent, but her anger was turning into a living thing. It is a well known fact that one does not mess with a wolf's mate if they wish to see the sunrise again. Shampoo hadn't pushed the wrong buttons; she stomped on them in nine-inch heels.

"Watch it little girl cuz I'm not in the mood to play with you!" she growled out gutturally, her teeth bared in an animalistic snarl of hate as her fingers curled into claws. The young Amazon felt a tingle of fear shoot up her spine as the cat in her recognized the terrible predator she had unwittingly angered. Unlike an animal in the wild, however, she was a thinking creature. Her eyes roamed over her opponent taking in the exhaustion coloring her stance and her eyes. It was almost a shame she had to kill her now she mused since this girl might have actually been a worthy foe.

"Shampoo not in mood to play either…you make too stupid mistake challenging Amazon." She snarled back before lunging forward with lethal intent. Kat's eyes widened in astonishment at the speed before throwing herself sideways. Her eyes welled up with tears as she landed on the side that Taro almost crushed. Only her trained reflexes saved her from losing her head so early in the fight as she rolled to the side. As she moved her leg snapped out to catch Shampoo in the side of the leg but the sloppy sweep was easily leapt over.

"Stop this! Can't we talk about this?" she begged as the blade came down again. Kat prepared to dodge but Ranma would be in the path of the blade if she moved. Her indecision cost her as the blade bit deep into her left shoulder, blood spurting slightly as the blade was wrenched loose. Kat's tears flowed freely from the pain but her eyes were surprisingly clear. Once again she dragged herself to her feet, swaying slightly from exhaustion.

"You still want fight? Too bad stupid girl…no more play now." Shampoo said regretfully. The girl really didn't want to kill her but Amazon law was clear. With a cry, she threw herself at her opponent with her weapon poised to finish the job. Her charge faltered briefly in the face of the rage she saw in the girl's eyes. Her hesitation cost her dearly as Kat's arm shot out with almost Amaguriken speed to crash into the Chinese girl's nose with crushing force. Desperately trying to blink away the tears from her suddenly broken nose she could only dodge as more blows followed the first. It was as if her opponent had lost her mind. The only thing that existed in her eyes was madness and Shampoo was hard pressed to keep up with the rage fueled blows. She almost panicked until she noticed how sloppy the girl was.

"Lost Boy not even that sloppy." She pronounced out loud as she caught the rhythm of attacks. A sudden kick took the blonde in the chest before a backhand sent her crashing to the ground, stunned. As the girl struggled to rise, the vindictive Amazon kicked her in the jaw and sternum in retaliation for the broken nose.

"Y-you…won't get away…with this…" Kat wheezed as her mind slowly recovered just enough to take in the situation.

"Too cliché…you die now." She tried to sound menacing but instead sounded as if she had a head cold, the blood burbling her words as it ran over her lips. The gaijin shut her eyes as she saw the blade descend until the sound of shattering masonry drew her attention. Shampoo also stopped and stared at the vaguely familiar apparition stepping calmly through the ruined wall.

The new girl was of average height, wore a sky blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She wore steel toes with rivets and had on a large black backpack with what looked like a red checkered umbrella strapped to it. Her shoulder length, slightly curly chestnut hair ruffled in the breeze and a red bandanna held back her soft bangs.

"Where the hell am I now?" she asked no one in particular as her light hazel eyes swept the area before taking notice of her audience. Something about the scene clicked and she let a soft smile grace her angelic face, a cute fang peeking out.

"Is this Nerima?" she asked musically of the battered assemblage.

"Yes but you leave now. This not concern you." Shampoo blustered as she readied herself for battle. Something told her that this new girl was fresh but that normally wouldn't bother her. There was something decidedly odd about this girl, something familiar…

"Good to hear. Shampoo I presume?" she asked softly. At the girl's curt nod her smile grew slowly into something almost…evil.

"Who you?" the Amazon asked with understandable confusion. Kat was valiantly trying to take all this in but she was still slightly out of it. A low moan drew everyone's attention as Ranma slowly came around. Shampoo groaned at this. She had hoped she could avoid killing the girl in front of her airen but it was not to be. Luckily for her he was still mostly out of it so she had time. As she looked back to the greater threat she was surprised to find the girl right in her face, her breath hot on her face. The girl drawled out her next words.

"Play time little Amazon…" just before striking her in the stomach so hard that Shampoo flew back several feet, barely landing in a kneeling position. The stricken warrior tried to get back to her feet only to suddenly vomit up blood and bile from deep in her stomach. With horror she realized that this girl was playing for keeps. She looked up just in time to take a front snap kick to the forehead, the force of the blow jerking her to her feet and slowly toppling over backward until another punch to the stomach doubled her over the sudden warrior's fist.

"Wh-wh-what…?" she croaked out as her abdominal muscles spasmed again sending out another gout of hot fluid from her tortured stomach. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, something felt ruptured inside.

"You're nothing but a bully. Understand this little Amazon, for this unprovoked attack the Japanese government is not going to turn a blind eye. You almost killed someone. They look the other way when you're playing with each other but not when you're trying to murder someone. For your information, the name is Sora Hibiki, and I hate bullies." She grated out the last sentence as she slammed her hand between Shampoo's breasts and picked her up clear over her head. With a primal yell she prepared to bring the sobbing warrior over her knee.

"Stop! Don't do it! What the hell…? You beat her so stop!" Ranma shouted out as he fought to stand with Kat trying to hold him down. Sora stopped, realizing he was right and simply let her fall. A pained moan escaped her lips before she slumped into blessed unconsciousness.

"Hmph. Guess I better find out more about the situation…after we call a doctor." Sora said as she took notice of everyone's injuries. Snorting in a masculine fashion, contradictory to her appearance, she began helping the wounded inside.

-Later-

The list of injuries was numerous but it was also known that most of the injuries would be gone by tomorrow. Unfortunately Kat's shoulder was bad enough to need stitches. It was believed that she should stay home from school and avoid cold water. Nodoka readily agreed and made sure she was comfortable. Her concern was bad enough but Ranma was hovering over her. If she so much as winced he winced. To Sora it was cute and she was definitely looking forward to the easy money she was making on this. Maybe she could find her little brother too. As to Shampoo, Cologne came to get her and almost didn't leave in one piece. The Matriarch demanded to know who hurt her and the girl in question smiled wickedly. The old woman glared, trying to frighten her, but failed miserably. No one understood why she left without a fight except for the woman smiling like Mona Lisa. They were currently at the table, Kat leaning against Ranma who had his arm (carefully) around her shoulders with Doctor Tofu seated near Sora. Mother Saotome arrived shortly with the tea. The young doctor looked grim.

"Bruised ribs, cracked shoulder, and internal bruising for Ranma. Lacerated shoulder, fractured ribs, and extreme exhaustion for Kat. Shampoo…her injuries were the worst. Internal injuries mostly in the abdominal area, broken nose, cracked jaw, and severe concussion. This has to have been one of the worst fights I've ever had to clean up after." He lamented. Kat shifted slightly as Ranma unknowingly placed pressure on her wound. He looked as grim as Doctor Tofu. Despite Sora's attitude with Cologne there she was feeling pretty bad.

"I didn't mean to hurt her that badly…I just hate it when people get picked on." She muttered embarrassed. Everyone looked at her pointedly with the same thought going through their minds that this girl was far too strong to be a normal martial artist.

"I thought I heard you say your name is Sora Hibiki?" Kat asked in a slightly puzzled tone. Ranma, who really hadn't heard much, stared in fascination at this extremely cute girl with the angel's face and her pointed fangs that was sitting at the table with them.

"Are you related to the young man who attacks my son on a regular basis and for no good reason?" Nodoka asked in a faintly accusatory way that made the girl want to retreat even further. The gaijin girl patted the muscular girl on the shoulder reassuringly. Ranma was eating the tea cakes trying to "keep his strength up" as he listened intently.

"Yes, my name is Sora Hibiki. I think the young man you're referring to is my younger brother Ryoga. Unfortunately, all Hibiki's are berserkers. We gain great strength from our anger and channel it effectively into our martial arts style. Though little brother dipped a little too deep into the anger well and it colors his perceptions a bit too much. Our directional curse is linked to our emotions. If we want to get somewhere desperately we will, if given time, reach our destination. Anger makes our curse worse. The best thing for a Hibiki to do when they're angry is to stay in one spot and calm down." She told her enrapt audience. No one spoke in the silence that developed, but then Tofu cleared his throat.

"I noticed your…rather unique watch. It appears to be a GPS if I'm not mistaken but such an item is expensive." He stated calmly while Sora grinned at her watch like a kid on Christmas morning.

"If you're trying to ask why I'm here then I'll tell you. Nabiki Tendo gave me a call a little earlier and asked me to get over to Nerima as fast as I could. We agreed on the usual payment, a girl needs to eat you know, and I set off. She bought me the GPS a few months back around the time Ranma fought Herb. I was trailing behind then to make sure you got the kettle but then I got lost in the underbrush. Siberia sucks at any time of the year. Anyway, my boss wanted me to come and make sure a certain Amazon girl didn't hurt Ranma or his fiancée. I'm sorry I wasn't sooner but I try to avoid the Hibiki Door Method in residential areas. I heard the sounds of combat and I didn't like how the fight seemed to be going so I followed my ears and the rest is history. If you're wondering, my brother is a lot stronger than I am." She told them simply as she sipped her tea politely. Her manner of speech and actions were a strange contrast as people heard the slightly masculine overtones to her words. The girl was turning into a confusing mess.

"I guess we will not be going to the Tendo home tonight. You both are too injured to go anywhere and I will not hear another word about it. Sora dear, would you like to stay the night?" the Saotome matriarch inquired politely. The girl in question looked positively amazed at the prospect that anyone would want her stay under their roof. Especially with what she heard about her brother from Nabiki.

"Uhm…sure…okay…" she managed to say as Ranma laughed. Her expression looked a lot like a kid being told Santa was coming with the hint of fang peeking out. He had to admit that she must be a Hibiki because he would occasionally see that same look on Ryoga's face when something nice was done for him. His mood turned a little darker as he wished that the Lost Boy could be more like his sister. Kat, as if sensing his mood, snuggled against him more as she slipped her good arm around his waist. Her eyes found Sora's, the two of them sharing some mysterious joke before the two of them laughed as well.

"Oh my…I seem to be late getting back to the clinic. I am terribly sorry but I had better get back before my patients think I was abducted." Doctor Tofu said as he stood up. Nodoka offered to show him to the door but he politely declined. A chorus of well wishes and "good nights" followed him out the door before events turned to more important matters. Such as dinner and sleeping arrangements.

-Outside-

If one had to ask him on any given day what he thought of Nerima he would have to say "I need an umbrella and a scorecard." The umbrella would be for the spontaneous rainstorms and falling water. The scorecard would be for keeping track of the fiancées, the fights, the supernatural accidents, and every other little thing that happened. Perhaps a charm against bad luck might help as well. Heaven knows that Ranma needs all the good luck he can get. He was just glad that Happosai hadn't seen fit to show himself lately or the already messy development would turn into a disaster of Chernobyl proportions. Doctor Tofu had heard of Ranma's defeat of Saffron and didn't find it as hard to believe as some people did. You could depend on him in a pinch as everyone knew. It was apparent that not even a god could stop him from doing what he does best and it wasn't being a martial artist. He was a natural born protector. No matter what the stakes were he would throw himself in if it meant saving someone. Ranma would even save his enemies which is something most people wouldn't do. If his mother was going to hold him to the seppuku pledge than she might as well tear it up. There was no one manlier than the man willing to risk himself to do what's right.

"Now if only I could stay sane around Kasumi…" he thought mournfully as his thoughts turned to other matters. The young doctor had even asked Cologne to teach him the Soul of Ice but even that failed in the presence of his personal goddess. Medication didn't help since it wasn't actually a psychological illness. He couldn't understand why he always lost it in her presence. With a sigh, he trudged wearily towards home. It had in fact been a long day especially with the new development in Ranma's life. A fiancée who actually cares about his feelings? The good doctor half expected the sun not to rise the next day. Unfortunately it appeared as if the chaos in his life had gained new power if Shampoo's attempted assassination of Kat was any indication.

"If this is the only the beginning…may the kami grant them the strength to handle the coming storm." He prayed fervently as he strode along the quiet street.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: No flames regarding the new character please. If there are any complaints concerning Shampoo's behavior than try to remember in the series how often she tried to eliminate her competition. She's not as bad as Kodachi in that regard but she is worse than Ukyou. Also if it came down to Shampoo losing honor or someone losing their life, Cologne would most likely pick the latter option. I'm not demonizing them; I'm just simply making their character flaws a bit more glaring. That's enough of my rant. Thank you all for reading and ja ne!