Life's Twists

Disclaimer: Characters, plots, places, and techniques are the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. As such, they are the property of her, as well as Viz and whatever company released Ranma 1/2 in Japan.

Chapter 1: The Soatomes Meet the Tendous

Tendou Soun looked down at the Chinese postcard in his hands. It had finally happened after all these years. He reread the rough kanji for the thirty-eighth time to make sure that it hadn't changed. It hadn't.

Dear Tendou,

My son and I are on our way from China.
See you soon.

-Saotome Genma

Soun looked up from the postcard and sighed. They were coming to fulfill a promise nearly twenty years in the making. But could Soun fulfill it with all the problems in his family?

Either way, it was time that his family knew. No, it was long past time. He took a mighty breath of air, and called for his daughters before the coming tears could overwhelm him.


Tendou Kasumi was content. She was doing a good job of keeping her house orderly today. Currently, she was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen after lunch. She was also sweeping the floor on the other side of the room.

"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane!" Kasumi cocked her head to the side at her father's call and sighed. She looked over at her double, who simply looked back at her.

"I guess we better go see what he wants, Kasumi," Kasumi said. Kasumi smiled brightly.

"After you, Kasumi." Kasumi giggled. It was so much fun talking to herself! She left the kitchen with her twin not far behind her, both smiling identical smiles.


Tendou Nabiki sighed irritably as she held a bucket over her naked form. What could her father possibly want now? He knew she was unreachable after lunch on Sundays. Today, she had been preparing for an unscheduled romp through Nerima to dig up some dirt with nobody none the wiser, but the uncommon urgency in her father's voice had held her back. She wouldn't want to miss what he had to say.

She dumped the bucket into the bathtub and put it away before retrieving her clothes from their hiding place. She dressed quickly, leaving the bathroom only twenty seconds after her father's call came.


Tendou Akane ran through the gate to the Tendou residence with her hair flowing behind her. "I'm ho-o-ome!" Having not heard her father's earlier call, she didn't head for the house. Instead, she continued on to the dojo on the property, toweling herself off slightly as she went. She went into a changing room, coming out moments later in a large, white gi tightly cinched around her waist. She set up a stack of five bricks, and then took a moment to prepare herself.

"Ki-ya!" She hit the bricks with her palm. After a moment, she straightened up, looking at her handiwork. Four bricks now lie in front of her, utterly shattered. The fifth had been shattered into the dust that now settled over the remains of the other four.

Akane wiped her brow with an oversized sleeve. The sky had seemed like rain, so she had headed home early. She couldn't stand getting caught in her running clothes when cold water found her... they just didn't fit her like that. Akane smiled wryly at that thought. She'd been caught more than once like that.

Her smile vanished. That had been the thing to scare off the boys. So now the only people with any interest in her at all (aside from her family) were Dr. Tofu, the Kunous, and the chef her family had found on their way to China. But Dr. Tofu was interested on a purely professional basis. And the Kunous... well, Akane didn't really want to go there. The last was more of a friend than a possible romantic interest for Akane.

"There you go again Akane," a familiar voice said from behind her. "It's amazing how much of a boy you can be."

Akane ignored the familiar jibe from her sister, but turned around to glare at Nabiki anyway. "At least I don't take advantage of people's ignorance, Nabiki," she said after a moment. Nabiki glared back at Akane, then shrugged and turned around.

"Look," she said. "It's not like this really concerns you anyway, there's no way that any guy would be interested in you anyway." Akane got the impression she had hit a nerve in her normally ice-hearted sister. Nabiki started to walk off before Akane could say anything.

She sighed. "What are you talking about, Nabiki," Akane said as she started to follow her sister towards the house. She looked up at the angry sky. They were already heading inside, but Akane felt like she had to say it anyway. "And let's get inside before it rains."

"I knew you were going to say that," Nabiki said smugly from ahead of Akane. Akane caught sight of the enigmatic smile on her sister's face and frowned. Nabiki usually reserved that smile for her greatest money making schemes. Akane did not consider that a good thing.

It started to rain just after they entered the house.


The people of Nerima watched as an odd sight passed before them... Well, odd for any other part of Tokyo... except maybe Juuban. A petite redhead was fighting with a large panda around three times her size. And she was winning from the looks of it, too.

But the really odd thing, aside from the probability of such a fight ever occurring, was the argument the girl seemed to be having with the panda. She seemed to be yelling at it about... getting her engaged?

The fight abruptly ended as the redhead threw the panda down onto a street sign. She picked up a huge pack. "I'm going back to China," she said angrily, turning away. "This is no time for 'fiancés.' Suck on that, old man." With that, she walked off in the opposite direction that the fight had been heading in.

She didn't get far, as the panda jumped up and knocked her upside the head with the downed sign. She slumped to the ground as it dropped the sign. It picked up the girl and the pack. Then it noticed the large crowd that had gathered to see the fight.

"GRRRrrrrRRRRRrrrrRR!" Many people left as the panda turned in the other direction. "BRRRrrrRRRrrrRRrrR!" Its stomach did the talking for it before it managed to growl at the remaining spectators, who were now standing more than throwing distance away. Satisfied despite the embarrassment, the panda trudged away in the direction it had been heading during the fight.

Back in the crowd, two teenage girls nodded to each other and ran off in search of a phone.


"What do you mean 'engaged!'" Akane couldn't believe that her father had done this, even though it might be the only way for her to get a boyfriend. She glared daggers at her stone-faced father.

"I promised one of you to the son of a good friend of mine when you were all still young, before our trip," Soun responded. "If they don't mind our troubles, then I will expect whichever of you is chosen to uphold family honor and go through with the engagement." Soun's dead voice was the only thing that kept Akane from making him into paper there and then. It showed that he didn't think they would agree. And his only action other than speaking had been to pull at one side of his neatly trimmed mustache, which reached down past his chin. That usually wasn't a very good sign for him.

She looked at her sisters, neither of them seemed very happy about this either. Since their trip, most people had been scared off, afraid that the magic would spread. Their ability to have families pretty much went with them. Only Kasumi had managed to get a steady flow of boyfriends, but that was usually a guy hoping to get her into bed with the exception of a certain doctor. That was it for the three of them unless one wanted to include the Kunous or Akane's friend.

"Fine then," Nabiki said in a huff. "At least tell us what he's like." Soun's already unreadable face went rigid as the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Akane said, not believing for a second that any guy would pick her. She was out of the room before her father could object. She neared the phone as it rang a second time and nearly jumped out of her skin when an outraged cry pierced the house.

"What do you mean 'you have no idea!'" Akane winced at that, trying to make Nabiki's shout stop echoing through her head. This was going to get real ugly, real fast. The phone rang a third time, and Akane picked it up.

"Hello?" Akane was glad her frustration did not show through her voice.

"Akane," a female voice asked. "You won't believe what Yuka and I just saw!" Akane sighed.

"What did you see Sayuri," Akane asked tiredly. She didn't feel like girl talk right now. Not when she could hear the sounds of the argument in the other room.

"We just saw a panda and a…" Akane sighed as she walked away from the phone. She most definitely did not have time for a circus right now. Not with this whole fiancé thing hanging over her head.

Akane returned to the dining room and leveled her worst glare at her father. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere than there. "If nothing else, can you at least tell us his name?" Soun perked up slightly, perhaps at having a question he could actually answer?

"His name is Saotome Ranma, and he is the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts," Soun said. He looked thoughtful for a second. "If I remember correctly, he should be about your age, Akane."

"It gets better for you Akane," Nabiki said, smiling her grade A evil smile, which could only mean she was now intending on trying to make money off her own family. Akane sighed as realization hit home. She was the heir to the Tendou School of Anything Goes.

"If the boy cannot make up his mind, and Genma insists despite our troubles, then the heirs will be married," Soun continued. "The entire arrangement was made with your mother there, so I expect you all to abide by it, no matter what choice is made." That clinched it. None of them were willing to go against something that their own mother had been a part of. There was no way Akane could willingly go against it now without tarnishing her mother's memory.

The phone started ringing as somebody knocked on the door. Akane sighed, resigned to her fate. "I'll get the door," she said. "Why don't you go answer the phone, Kasumi? I don't feel like talking with Yuka and Sayuri right now."

She walked from the room quickly, trying to rid herself of the bad feeling that was mounting in the pit of her stomach. She felt like she was going to her doom. She vaguely noted that Soun and Nabiki were down the hall behind her, quickly matching her pace. Akane reached the door and heard some sounds drift through the door.

"Put me down, ya' dang fool!" That was a girl's voice. Akane sighed; it wasn't Ranma. She opened the door as Soun and Nabiki pulled up behind her. And the sight that greeted her as the door swung open was comical at best.

Standing at the door was a large panda. Over its left shoulder, it had a large pack hanging off of it. On the other shoulder, the panda had a struggling redhead. The redhead was hitting it all over with her arms, fists, and elbows to no effect. And the panda held her legs tightly together with both forepaws. But most comical of all, the panda was somehow managing to look like a rat trapped in a corner and seemingly trying to put a look of great pride on its face all at the same time.


Soun stood behind his daughters, stunned, as the panda that stood at his door fidgeted, looking from one person to another. The person it was holding stopped struggling, apparently realizing that it wasn't helping. Kasumi entered the room and stopped, as stunned by the sight of the panda as the others. The panda's gaze dropped on Soun for a fourth time, and it suddenly rushed forward.

Soun involuntarily took a step back as the panda suddenly plopped red down in front of him, immediately straightening back up. But Soun only had eyes for red. Something about red sparked something in his memory. "You wouldn't be..." he didn't finish as red spoke up.

"Saotome Ranma," red said, playing with the pigtail that was now clasped in front of her. Presently, Soun's fervent mind failed to acknowledge the 'her' part. "Sorry 'bout this."

Soun looked at for Ranma a moment. Then he grabbed Ranma up in a fierce hug with a cry. "At last you've come!" He held Ranma in the embrace until something odd about Ranma got his attention. Soun pulled back and he realized just what was unusual. On Ranma's chest were two bountiful organs that no man had any right to.

Nabiki walked around the panda and closely examined Ranma, poking the blushing girl in the chest several times before finishing. She then looked at Soun, something between an icy glare and annoyance on her face. "'He' is a girl," she deadpanned.

Soun took a moment to absorb this small fact. Then his world turned black.


Ranma watched as the drama unfolded before her. They had carried the guy with the mustache into a room that had been a dining room until the table was moved out and a futon moved in. The old guy, Mr. Tendou Ranma guessed, was now laying on the futon, tears streaming down his face like rivers.

Ranma was kneeling at his side, a feeling of guilt causing her to pity the poor guy. He had been promised a man for his daughters, but instead he got a girl. The panda was sitting behind Ranma; could it be possible the idiot actually had feelings other than fear and hunger?

Either way, Ranma sat there, watching and feeling out of place as the eldest sister worked on aiding her father's recovery. She was wearing the sort of dress one would expect to see on the woman of the house… that thought made Ranma uncomfortable... but she also wore a rather thick sash on her waist. Her hair was held back into a ponytail that came over her shoulder. She seemed distracted to Ranma's eye.

The middle sister, the one who had poked Ranma's chest, was leaning against the wall next to the door to the kitchen. She wore revealing clothes that made Ranma want to blush and had short, brown hair cropped just over her shoulders. She was constantly clicking a pen that she held in her hand, and it was starting to grate on Ranma's nerves.

And then there was the third girl. She wore an oversized gi and had long bluish-black hair tied into a ponytail in a somewhat boyish manner. She sat next to Ranma, fidgeting nervously. She seemed to be on the edge of tears. Why, Ranma had no idea. All she knew was that she wanted to do something, anything, to help her. But not knowing what to do, Ranma elected to just sit and watch the unhappy girl.

The girl looked up at Ranma, a look of sudden determination on her face. "Ranma," she said uncertainly, betraying her own inner turmoil to Ranma. "My name is Akane... Could you come with me?" Ranma took only a moment to think about this. Stay here with crying man and pen clicker, or follow Akane and possibly find out what was going on here. She got up quickly and followed Akane out of the room, towards the dojo.

They paused as they reached the door leading outside, and Ranma grimaced. It was still raining softly.


Nabiki stood watch over her shocked father and the unhappy panda as she waited for something to happen. She didn't care what, just for something to happen. Akane and Ranma had just left, and Nabiki suspected it had something to do with Akane's curse and Ranma's identity. She briefly wondered how Ranma would handle it...

And why the panda kept giving her such human-like impressions... It was now looking down at Soun with a sad look about it that suggested guilt to Nabiki's practiced eye.

Nabiki noticed Kasumi enter the room with a huge gi big enough for the panda to wear, and cocked her eyebrow. The other eyebrow went up when a second Kasumi entered with a steaming kettle held with thick gloves. The one with the gi, Kasumi 1, approached the panda directly as the other, Kasumi 2, snuck around behind it as her twin distracted it.

"Mr. Panda," Kasumi 1 said politely. "Could you please wear this?" Kasumi 2 crept up until she was directly behind the panda as it absently slid the gi on, still looking at Soun sadly.

Nabiki briefly wondered what Kasumi was up to, but gave up. Trying to figure out the agenda of a person with two bodies was like trying to move that unmovable object that those physics people always seemed to be talking about.

Then everything started happening at once. Kasumi 2 poured the kettle's contents onto the panda. "Rrrr," it attempted to bellow out in pain. Nabiki noted that none of the water was hitting the ground as the shifting form attempted to throw it off. Instead it was evaporating in midair. "Oh, oh! Hot!"

Nabiki stared at the panda turned man. He was about three-fourths of his former size and every inch of his visible skin was red from the hot water. Soun abruptly sat up and stared at the man. The man, on the other hand, was looking between the two Kasumis, having retrieved a pair of horn rimmed glasses from somewhere. "Tendou," he started. "Since when does your oldest daughter have a twin?"

Soun ignored the question, instead just staring at the strange man. "What is the meaning of this, Saotome!" Nabiki sighed. Her father had gone into his rare demon-head mode, and the other man was now cowering in the corner. She noted he had found a white bandanna from somewhere to cover his bald head.

Nabiki blink-blinked. Did Soun call the man Saotome? "Okay," she interrupted before Soun could descend any further on his hapless victim. "Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"That call I went to answer for Akane was Yuka and Sayuri," both Kasumis spoke at once. "They said that they had seen a red-head and a panda fighting their way to the dojo. They also said the two had been using the Anything Goes method." Soun, his head back to normal proportions, made to interrupt, but one of the Kasumis (Nabiki had lost track) placed a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him. Nabiki looked over at Saotome to find that he had been hog-tied with several pairs of socks. Nabiki grinned. Kasumi was no slouch at Martial Arts Housekeeping.

"So finish your story already," Nabiki urged her sister. She had already realized what was happening. Thus she had no need for Kasumi to continue, but she wanted Kasumi to do so anyway. She liked to see Soun squirm whenever somebody managed to get the upper hand on him like this. He deserved every moment of such treatment for taking them to that cursed place. Plus, for it to be Kasumi, the stand-back-and-don't-interrupt housewife type, it became all the more enjoyable for Nabiki. Kasumi just never did this sort of thing. Maybe it was because of the engagement thing...

"Well, I put what they told me together with the fact that the Saotomes were coming from China..." The two Kasumis were still speaking in unison. "...And with the girl's name being Ranma..." That's when the full implications of the situation hit Nabiki.

"Jusenkyou..." Nabiki whispered. "So Ranma isn't really a..." Nabiki trailed off as Mr. Saotome started nodding vigorously. Nabiki smiled. Ranma and Akane were made for each other.

Nabiki frowned. She hoped Ranma wouldn't be scared off by Akane's curse like the other boys had. It would be a shame if the two of them didn't get together... They had equal and opposite curses after all.

Nabiki smiled evilly. Things were about to get very interesting.


Akane stopped at the door leading outside, and thus to the dojo. It was still raining. She grabbed a blue umbrella from a nearby rack and opened it as she walked out into the rain.

She turned to Ranma, who was standing there watching Akane. "Well, are you coming?" A startled look passed over Ranma's face before realization dawned, and the redhead stepped under the umbrella with Akane.

They walked to the dojo together, giving Akane a chance to look Ranma over. She was shorter than Akane, and had her hair done in a pigtail in the back. Her garments consisted of baggy black pants and a red top, both of Chinese make. Akane shivered unconsciously at the memories that surfaced with that last thought, but she brought herself back to the situation at hand as they entered the dojo.

Putting down the umbrella, Akane summoned up her courage and turned to ask Ranma the question that would decide everything. "So, Ranma, do you intend to hold my family to our parents' promise?"

Ranma visibly jumped. "Umm... no, not really..." Akane breathed a sigh of relief, and Ranma continued. "But I don't think Pops is gonna give me a choice." Akane looked at Ranma in astonishment.

"You mean your dad would..." She didn't get to finish as the other girl broke in.

"Well, if he engaged me to a boy," Ranma said angrily. "Then I'd kill him." Akane saw her clench her fist so tight that the knuckles turned white.

"So," Akane said slowly, suddenly unsure of herself. "You would be okay being engaged to me?" Akane looked down to hide her embarrassment. She hadn't meant it to come out like that, but it had anyway.

She realized that she was putting off telling Ranma about her curse. But how could she tell Ranma about it without freaking the redhead out?

"Umm... I'd be... ummm..." the redhead trailed off. Akane looked up at her to see that she was blushing. She also had the look of someone who was not used to thinking trying to do just that. "Umm... I dunno." She made motions with her hands as if trying to grab the right thing to say right out of the air. Akane decided to wait patiently for Ranma's answer as she considered how to tell Ranma about her curse.

Finally, Ranma heaved with a great sigh. "Well, I guess I'd be okay with it if you were..." Akane smiled ruefully at Ranma, causing her to trail off.

Akane didn't want to do this. But she was the only one who could possibly produce the heir their parents would probably want out of the marriage. And she didn't want either of her sisters to marry a girl...


Ranma watched Akane, unaware of the magnitude of the decision the larger girl was trying to make. She knew that Akane was up to something with her questions, but just what exactly; Ranma had no idea. So she just stood there, wondering idly what Akane was thinking.

Eventually, Akane spoke. "Ranma, could you promise me something?" Ranma suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Uhh, yeah, I guess," she said, suddenly sure that she knew where Akane was taking this.

"Promise me that you'll pick me if it comes down to it." There it was. Akane wanted Ranma to pick her over her sisters. From the look of it, Akane didn't make this decision lightly. She obviously wanted this whole engagement thing about as much as Ranma did.

Akane had put her in a tough spot, but Ranma had already given her word. She nodded, unable to verbally agree. Akane nodded back, seeming to understand.

Suddenly finding the tension in the room unbearable, Ranma decided to switch subjects. "So, you're the heir to the dojo, right?" Akane seemed startled by Ranma's words.

"Yeah," she said guardedly. "How did you figure out?"

"Well, you're the only one who seemed to carry themselves like a martial artist..." Ranma trailed off as she thought about that a little. "But your oldest sister was an enigma to me. Her stance shouts fighter, but her personality screams housewife. That seems odd if you ask me." Akane was looking at Ranma with a disbelieving look. "What!"

"Most people don't notice Kasumi. She practices Martial Arts Housekeeping. It's pretty obscure, and hard to notice, but you're right." Akane seemed thoughtful at this. "Wait, you want to spar, don't you?" Glad to have a distraction, Ranma nodded her head quickly.

Jumping to a point past the center of the dojo, Ranma got into a ready stance. She noticed Akane was quickly ready on the other side of the center, and smiled. Akane seemed to be good if the way she carried herself was any indication, but not too good. And Ranma didn't hit girls. What should she do?

The answer was simple. Ranma had practically asked for this, all she could do was actually spar. But, she resolved herself, not on the same level as she would against Genma. Akane might possibly be good, but Ranma wasn't sure how good. A warm up match would be enough to find out.

Akane rushed in, and Ranma dodged to the left. She twisted down and around as Akane sailed past, having put just a little too much weight behind the charge, and effectively knocked the girl off her feet when she came to a stop with a leg sweep. Ranma was forced to roll away as Akane brought an elbow down where Ranma's head had been moments before. The force of the swing caused Akane to twist around and land on her hands, and she pushed herself back all the way to standing with a single shove.

Ranma realized that she wasn't giving Akane enough credit when the larger girl's stance tightened up and she charged with a better thought out roundhouse kick, which Ranma jumped back from. Akane was better than most of the people whom Ranma had met during her travels. But then again, Ranma found she was having difficulty maintaining any sort of pattern.

She blamed that problem on the fact that Akane was a girl, rather than a boy. Ranma just didn't fight girls. Even being a girl, Ranma still didn't like to fight girls. It was one of the few good things her father had imprinted on her, at least as far as Ranma was concerned. She noticed Akane seemed to be getting angry about something, and decided to finish the fight.

Jumping clear of a punch that Akane drove into the wall behind her, Ranma rebounded off the wall and somersaulted over Akane's head. She landed without a sound behind the other girl and, when Akane seemed to be having trouble figuring out what had happened, tapped her on the shoulder. Both of them started laughing nervously.

Akane was the first to stop. "Wow," she said, sighing slightly. "You're pretty good."

"I would suppose so," Ranma replied after a little thought. "But you're no slouch either." Ranma grinned at a blinking Akane. Then she realized that Akane could be slightly better if not for the oversized gi she was wearing.

"So why do you wear such a big gi?" Ranma stared as Akane froze at her question, but finished her thought anyway. "Ummm... You'd probably be better if it fit you, and I don't see any reason why you'd need it that big."


The two Kasumis carried a tied up Genma into the guest room and dropped him on the floor. One of them bent down and took out the sock gag in his mouth. Instantly, he began blabbering.

"I didn't do it... Ummm... The guy across the street there did it..." He went on like this for a minute or so as the drug Kasumi had given him took effect. It was meant to make it impossible for one to lie for a short while, but as a side effect, it often caused its victim to become temporarily delirious first. She silently thanked Dr. Tofu and her... unorthodox friend... for the materials she had needed to make it.

When Genma finally quit babbling, Kasumi bent down and looked him in the eyes. "Okay," she said, preparing herself for the interrogation. "Why did you go to Jusenkyou?"

Genma looked back at her dully. "It was supposed to be a great training place for fighters..." He stopped momentarily, as the drug's effects kicked in more fully. "I wanted to train Ranma there." That was virtually the same reason her father had used for taking them there.

"Why did you want to train Ranma there?"

"To fulfill a promise..."

"What promise?"

"To make Ranma a man amongst men." A look of absolute terror crossed over Genma's face, and Kasumi decided to move on.

"Did you have any other reasons for going to Jusenkyou?"

"No." That was different. Soun had taken them to Jusenkyou to find some solitude as well as to train with Akane.

"Did you know of Jusenkyou's magic?"

"No." Tears started flowing from Genma's eyes. He was resisting the drug.

"Could you read or speak Chinese?"

"...No." Kasumi looked at her twin. None of them had known enough Chinese to understand the warnings outside of Jusenkyou.

"Have you looked for a way to remove a Jusenkyou curse?"

"Yes."

"What did you find?"

"According to the Guide, there is no way to remove a Jusenkyou curse." Kasumi steeled herself to ask the most important question of all.

"Do you intend to have Ranma follow through with the engagement?"

"Yes." Genma started sobbing. That meant that the third and final effect of the drug was beginning to take effect.

Genma was becoming unstable emotionally. Kasumi recalled a similar incident with her own father. He had already become unstable from the death of Kasumi's mother and their curses, and the drug had turned him into a quivering mass for a few days. The drug's third effect was supposed to pass within a couple of hours, but with someone who was already unstable emotionally, its effect was compounded and could thus last for days on end.

Noticing that Genma was staring at her with a small amount of horror, Kasumi smiled. "Don't worry Uncle Genma," she said jovially. "We won't hurt you."

Genma's eyes widened considerably as he started blabbering, and Kasumi realized that in his current state, he might have taken that as a form of torture. She decided that keeping him tied up any longer than a day with that idea would be cruel. So the punishment her father had been put through was out of the question.

Putting the rolled up sock back in Genma's mouth, Kasumi decided that one day of being tied up and fed by baby bottle with that idea would easily outdo the three days her father had gone through without fearing for his life. One Kasumi left the room to go wait for Ranma and Akane to return from wherever they had gone; and the other went to watch the door.


Akane froze. Ranma had asked her a question she couldn't possibly answer without letting Ranma know about her curse. Akane knew she would have to tell Ranma sometime, but couldn't figure out how. It was beginning to frustrate her, and that had shown during the sparring match.

Akane paused as she realized something. She was being handed a chance to tell Ranma right here, right now, with no one to interrupt. She hadn't had that chance with others. She walked to the door of the dojo, and opened it without getting the umbrella. She looked out into the rain as she started speaking.

"There is a reason for my gi being so big, Ranma," Akane said softly. She felt like she was going to cry. "I have a curse... After my mother died, my family went to China seeking a place to find a little solitude. But the place we found... it was full of magical springs..."

"Akane..." Akane held up a hand behind her to shush Ranma before she could try to say anything.

"Don't interrupt, Ranma." Akane could feel the tears coming, but not yet flowing. "This is hard enough as is." She took a breath to compose herself and continued looking out into the rain. "Anyone who falls into one of those springs takes on the form of whatever drowned there whenever they get splashed with cold water." Akane took another shaky breath as she heard Ranma walking towards her. Akane continued with her story.

"Everybody in my family fell into a spring..." Akane stepped out into the rain, and instantly the change swept over her. She grew a few inches and her shoulders broadened. Her chest flattened out as other changes happened elsewhere. After the change had finished, Akane knew that the gi was filled out quite well. It was sized to fit this form instead of Akane's real form. Akane turned around to see a stunned Ranma standing there, her hand held out towards Akane. Akane could now feel the tears flowing despite the rain that also trailed down her new face.

"I fell into the Spring of Drowned Man, Ranma," Akane said in a deeper voice than earlier, and with a sad tone. "…Call me Kaneda in this form."


Ranma stared at Akane, or rather, Kaneda. Akane had been to the same place she had. And not only that, but Akane had fallen into one of the springs as well. The exact opposite to Ranma's own, in fact.

Akane had changed before Ranma's eyes into a man a full head taller than she had been before. His eyes were a slightly darker shade of brown than they had been as a girl.

"If you don't want to follow the agreement we made before the sparring match," Kaneda said turning back out to the rain. "I'll understand, and I won't hold you to your promise." With that said, he left the dojo. Ranma found herself feeling like a five-year-old caught stealing a cookie.

She had just had a chance to tell the only friend she had here about her curse. Akane had probably meant to tell Ranma from the beginning, but Ranma had intended to try to hide hers until she at least got to know the Tendous a little.

But when Akane had told her about her curse, Ranma had felt like a great big heel. Akane had the courage to tell someone she didn't even know about her curse, but Ranma didn't. She suddenly felt as if she deserved her curse.

She had to tell Akane. Akane deserved to know at the very least. A trust had formed between the two as they had talked before the match... enough of a trust for Akane to tell Ranma about her curse. And Ranma was betraying that trust by not telling Akane about her curse.

"I have to tell her..." Ranma said without realizing it. Head hanging low, she left the dojo to go find Akane.


Nabiki sighed as she turned off her monitor. She had witnessed the entire confrontation between Akane and Ranma. And she had to say, if she were in Ranma's shoes right now, she would probably die from shame.

Which was probably the very reason Ranma had resolved to tell Akane about his curse.

Nabiki felt a wicked smile form on her face. She liked to stir things up, and here was a chance to stir things up in such a way that she would be entertained by the results for endless days.

She faintly recalled the ancient Confucian style curse her family, most notably Soun and Akane, had picked up during their trip to China.

'May you live in interesting times, indeed.'


Kasumi waited idly for Ranma and Akane to enter the house. She thought that Ranma and Akane would probably hit it off quite well once they got past any uncertainties their curses caused. Of course, there still was the discomfort caused by being engaged by one's parents.

But when Kaneda entered the house alone and soaking wet, Kasumi assumed the worst. Ranma thought the same way about Akane's curse as the others all did. Despite having the exact opposite curse to Akane's, Ranma was still thrown off by it.

Kasumi led Kaneda to the bathroom, where she had prepared a bath for Ranma. She had noticed the boy-turned-girl needed a bath when she had seen a smear on her front. But now Kaneda was getting the bath. She'd just have to prepare another for Ranma later.

Kasumi left Kaneda in the changing room and went to find her father. She found him crying rivers in his cursed form in front of her mother's shrine. This caused Kasumi to giggle slightly. The sight of a gorilla wearing a brown suit and bawling his eyes out was just too funny!

She came up behind the ape, retrieving an odd pair of gloves from a desk nearby. He didn't notice her until she was standing right behind him. He turned around as she held out the strange, mechanical gloves.

"Oo ooooooo..." He took the gloves and slid them onto his large hands. He started making motions with his arms and hands, and an electronic voice sounded from the gloves.

"Is something wrong Kasumi?" He stopped signing and put his huge hands on his knees. She sighed.

"I don't think that Ranma took Akane's curse too well." Soun's gorilla face looked quite menacing as he frowned. "Kaneda came in alone, crying."

Soun started bawling again, this time signing his concerns. "They're perfect for each other, can't they see? Oh, how will this father ever make this family work out? I'm a failure as a man and a father…" He continued like this for a while, Kasumi not being strong enough to stop him if she tried. Finally, Soun stopped crying and signed rationally. "Now that we know that Ranma is truly a man, and that Saotome is expecting us to follow through with our part, I expect you and your sisters to do so."

"Yes, father," Kasumi said resignedly. She didn't want to be engaged to Ranma... She already had someone she wanted to get together with.


Nabiki caught Ranma as she entered the house. "Why so glum, girl?" Ranma winced at the term, causing Nabiki to smile. She enjoyed toying with people when they deserved it.

"I need to talk to Akane... Kaneda... some more..." the soaked redhead responded guardedly. "Why?" Nabiki frowned. Ranma was still insisting on hiding his curse from Nabiki.

"Does this have anything to do with your curse, Ranma," Nabiki leveled a hard look at the unfortunate girl. A disbelieving look crossed Ranma's face.

"How did you...?"

"I'm not at liberty to tell you that without a little compensation, first."

"Fine," Ranma said unhappily. "Could you at least tell me where Akane went?"

Nabiki smiled evilly. Now her plan went into effect. "I don't think she came back to the house," Nabiki said, bending the truth. Akane hadn't returned, Kaneda had. "But I think you need a bath before you try talking to her again. Kasumi got one ready for you while you were talking with Akane." Nabiki knew that Akane was in that bath right now. She had taken the liberty of hiding Kaneda's clothes after he had gone into the bathroom itself.

Nabiki began leading Ranma to the changing room. Then she thought of something and grinned. "Do you have an alternate identity for your cursed form, Ranma?"

"No, why?"

"Well, let me just say that there are some nuts around here who probably wouldn't take it too well if you used the same identity in both forms... That's your freebie for the week."

"Okay..." Nabiki stopped to look at Ranma as the redhead thought. "Well, I guess Ranko would work. I could be my own half-sister." Nabiki liked the sound of that. She wouldn't have to work at all for that to cause a little trouble.

"Hmmm... Ranko..." Nabiki pretended to consider it. Letting a grin slip onto her face, she spoke. "Sounds good to me. Try thinking about yourself as Ranko whenever you're in that form." She turned around and pointed at a door. "The changing room is through there, it should be empty." Leaving the redhead to her own devices, Nabiki headed off to retrieve a small video camera from her room. She'd want a video of what was about to happen.


Ranko shucked her wet clothes slowly, thinking too deeply to really pay attention. She needed to tell Akane about her curse soon. The longer she waited, the more her resolve on the matter crumbled.

She tossed her clothes into the bin by the door and grabbed a spare towel. She wrapped it loosely around her waist as she opened the door...

And she found herself staring at Kaneda as he washed himself off. He was blushing fiercely as Ranko tried to get her body to respond to her to no avail. All she managed to do was slowly turn her head to the ground, blushing as deeply as Kaneda.

Hadn't Akane's sister said that he hadn't come in? Yeah, she had said Akane hadn't come in. But she'd said nothing about Kaneda.

Kaneda spoke up. "Ummm... Ranma... What are you doing in here?" Ranko's mouth worked as she tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to her. Eventually, unable to find anything to say, she just stood there staring at the floor as her embarrassment, and thus her blush, deepened.

She noticed Kaneda step up to her, a towel wrapped around his midsection. He grabbed her shoulders and promptly turned her around. Ranko was now facing the door.

"If you don't have a good reason for being in here..." Ranko heard Kaneda say angrily from behind her. "...Then stay out!" Ranko suddenly found herself flying through the doorway to the changing room, through the changing room, through the door leading to the hallway, through the hallway, and into the wall. She heard the door to the bathroom slam shut.

Her head now firmly embedded in the wall, Ranko wondered if she'd been set up. She decided not to worry about it, as she needed to get some air from somewhere. She started pushing on the wall with her arms and legs, trying to extract her head.

She froze when she felt someone unwrap her towel and pull it up on her. They then retied it so that the towel covered her whole torso. Moments later, Ranko felt a second towel being wrapped tightly around her waist.

After a couple of seconds, Ranko continued trying to escape from the wall with a renewed vigor. When she finally did get free, whoever had... redressed her... was gone. She shivered uncomfortably.


Kaneda sighed as he slipped into the hot water within the bathtub and felt the change come over him. She couldn't believe Ranma had walked in on her, the pervert. And with only a towel around her waist! Akane just couldn't believe it!

After throwing Ranma out, Kaneda had gone out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had rewrapped Ranma's towel so that it covered her assets, but then, with Ranma also using her legs to push against the wall, it hadn't covered her up well enough down there. So he had fetched another towel and wrapped it tightly around Ranma's waist, covering the redhead's lower half.

Kaneda had returned to the bathroom and finished soaping off after that.

Akane heard a knock at the bathroom door, accompanied by a voice. "Kaneda?" Akane sighed, it hadn't taken Ranma long to get free.

"What do you want, Ranma?" She heard some shuffling from just outside the door.

"Ummm... I have something I need to tell ya'..." The shuffling got louder. "Ummm... could ya' put a towel on?"

"Are you going to apologize?" A gagging sound came from behind the door.

"For walking in on a guy? No!" Ranma exclaimed. She then continued more softly. "But once I show ya' what I wanna show ya', I think you'll understand why not."

Just the slightest bit curious, Akane got out of the bath and put a towel around herself. "Okay, I'm decent." Ranma opened the door and stepped in, still wrapped in both towels Akane had put around her. "So what did you want to tell me, Ranma?"

Ranma walked over to the bathtub and looked down at the water before speaking. "When I'm like this, call me Ranko." Akane started, surely Ranma... Ranko... wasn't suggesting... "I have a curse like yours, only..." Ranko stepped into the hot water in the tub, removing the top towel as she went.

Akane watched as Ranko's form shifted, changing into a boy a full head taller than Ranko had been. Her bright red hair turned jet black as her shoulders broadened. Akane couldn't tell, but she had the feeling that other changes were taking place. Ranma turned around and got out of the tub, and Akane saw that Ranko's features had hardened and her eyes had turned a deeper blue, almost turning storm-gray.

"...I fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl," Ranma continued. Akane let him, too speechless to object. "When I first got here, I had hoped to hide my real identity until I got to know ya' all some. But when ya' told me about your curse, it made me feel guilty, and I had to tell ya'." Akane finally got her voice back, but instead of yelling at Ranma, she just started laughing. Ranma sputtered. "Hey, what's so funny!"

Akane laughed for a few more moments until she realized Ranma was looking at her like one might a candidate for the loony bin. "Nothing's funny," Akane said, grinning madly. "It's just that, well... since you got here, it was like I was the only one eligible for the marriage because you were a girl..." Ranma huffed.

"I was not a girl..." He failed to finish as Akane started laughing again.

"Oh," she managed. "So I suppose all guys have a pair of these on their chests..." She pointed at her chest and Ranma blushed, causing her to erupt into another bout of laughter. As she laughed, she could feel a lot of tension draining out of her body. She had been tense since learning of the engagement. And while that was still there, the tension that had built up in her since Ranma's arrival was leaving her.

Suddenly, Akane sobered up. There was a guy, with her, in the bathroom. She blushed deeply and grabbed Ranma's hand. His mouth opened to say something as Akane pulled him so that he was moving towards the door. She rushed behind him and pushed him the rest of the way out the door. She shut the door before descending into yet more laughter. Through the door, Ranma tried speaking again.

"What'd ya' do that for?" Akane stopped laughing, and thought about that. She sat with her back against the door.

"Because there was a boy in the bathroom with me." She started giggling before Ranma's baffled reply came through the door.

"Well, you're a boy part of the time, too." Akane stopped giggling at that. "And, ya' know, I'm a girl part of the time, too, so it ain't like ya' haven't got anything I haven't seen before." Akane felt her temper threatening, but she willed it back. She felt a weight settle against the other side of the door and was thankful when Ranma decided to change subjects.

"So," his muffled voice came through the door. "What does everybody around here change into anyway?"

"Well," Akane said, thinking about which she should tell Ranma and which he should find out for himself. "Kasumi turns into a pair of twins, and Dad into a gorilla." She laughed at that momentarily. "You'll have to catch Nabiki in the middle of her transformation if you want to know hers. She tries to keep it on a need to know basis, and she keeps a large supply of Instant Spring of Drowned Girl coming in, so simply splashing her doesn't tell you."

"Instant Spring?" His bafflement came through the door. "What do ya' mean Instant Spring?"

"The Instant Spring covers up your curse for one dunking in the water," Akane said. "And Nabiki won't tell us where it comes from. She won't even sell us any!" Akane frowned. Aside from her habit of charging outrageous amounts for information, one of Nabiki's major faults was her love of secrets. It had caused Akane problems more than once.

"And here I thought she seemed nice," Ranma said. His weight disappeared from the other side of the door. "Oh well. I told ya' what I had to, and it was nice talking with ya', Akane, but I really gotta go talk to Pops 'bout something." The sound of cracking knuckles came from the other side of the door.

Akane grinned. If Mr. Saotome were getting anything like her father had, then he wouldn't be seen for a while...

"Hey, Ranma?"

"Yeah, what do ya' want?"

"What does your father turn into?"

"Remember the panda?" His tone was flat.

"Oh."


Kasumi found Ranma as he left the changing room. He was wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, and he had a large bump on his head.

"Ranma?" He looked at her.

"How did you...?"

"Who else might have followed Akane into the bathroom?" He blushed as a voice issued forth from the bathroom.

"It wasn't like that Kasumi," Akane called. "He wanted to tell me about his curse."

"Well, that wasn't what I was implying, but okay," Kasumi smiled as Ranma blushed even deeper. She had the feeling that Akane was probably the same shade of red. "But Ranma, you really shouldn't walk around in only a towel." Ranma turned the color of a ripe apple.

"Hey, I would 'a got dressed if I could 'a," he said unhappily. A light entered his eyes and he grinned slightly. "But macho chick in there threw me through the door here and there's no place for me to get dressed until she leaves."

"Daddy said he wanted everyone to come to the family room," Kasumi broke in before Akane could retort. "Nabiki and Daddy are already waiting for us. And Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Follow me," Kasumi said. "You can change in my room."

Ranma scowled. "Fine, but only 'cause I don't feel comfortable standing around in a towel." Kasumi sighed before turning around and heading for the stairs.

Kasumi led the scowling Ranma up the stairs and to her room. She caught him glancing at her twin as he entered it. She closed the door and smiled at her twin, who was guarding the door to the room that Genma was in.

"Ranma is such as nice boy," she said. "And really cute, too."

"I know," her twin replied, smiling. "Nabiki came up and got her video recorder a short while ago. I think he was tricked into following Akane into the bathroom."

Ranma came out of Kasumi's room before she could respond and looked between the two Kasumis. Focusing on one, he asked a question. "Okay, just curious, but what's it like having a twin? I mean, you know what it's like from both sides…" Both Kasumis smiled sadly as he trailed off, poking his fingers together and blushing.

"We wouldn't know, Ranma," both replied at once. "Both of us are still connected to the same mind, and she controls both of... well... us." Kasumi decided not to tell him that both twins did indeed have a separate mind, though.

"Oh." A confused look passed over his face. Currently having four eyes focused on him, Kasumi's greater self didn't have trouble figuring out what he was confused about.

"Don't try thinking about it, Ranma," both Kasumis said. "It hurts our heads, too." He walked off, an even more confused look on his face.

Kasumi followed him, smiling, as her twin continued watching the door that Genma was behind.


Ranma entered the family room hesitantly. Something about this just screamed trap to him, and he didn't like it. The fact that he had just received two very big shocks in the past hour didn't help him any.

He noticed a large gorilla sitting in the middle of the room, wearing the cloths Mr. Tendou had been wearing earlier, but he remembered that Akane had said Soun turned into a gorilla and said nothing about it. Akane and Nabiki were kneeling to either side of him.

Akane was now dressed in an oddly fitting pair of slacks and an elastic pink top. Her long hair flowed to the ground in a way that caught Ranma's eye. He decided he liked the color of it and tore his eyes away.

Ranma sat down in front of the gorilla. "Can ya' talk like that Mr. Tendou?" He was surprised when Soun held up his enormous hands to show Ranma a pair of mechanical gloves. He started making quick motions with them, and a buzzing voice broke from the gloves.

"As you are well aware, Ranma," the voice spoke as Ranma watched Soun make hand motions disbelievingly. The feeling of being led into a trap had just increased tenfold. "Your father and I promised each other that one day, he and I would join our two families together. To fulfill this promise, you have been brought here to take the hand of one of my daughters in marriage." Ranma noticed the grimaces that crept onto the girls' faces, and felt one crawl onto his own face. The gorilla didn't take this too well.

Ranma suddenly found himself faced with a monstrous apparition. Its monstrous black head was definitely demonic in origin, but its body seemed oddly familiar. Ranma also found he was pinned into the corner by fear.

"Gaaaahhhh!"

"You will fulfill the promise your father and I made, or else!" Ranma didn't fail to notice that the odd voice had also taken on a demonic tone.

The gorilla turned around, its head shrinking back to normal proportions as it started crying on one of its oldest daughters two halves. Akane rushed forward and whispered into Ranma's ear. "No, Dad is not a demon. You just encountered his demon-head technique... Avoid it whenever you can..." She returned to her spot as the gorilla turned back around. Ranma cautiously moved back to where he'd been sitting.

"Look," he motioned. "You get to choose which of my daughters you will marry. Though I think that you already know their names, allow me to introduce them properly."

"Akane, age 16, heir to the Tendou School of Anything Goes Martial Arts... turns into a man," he motioned, standing behind Akane. Akane blushed and turned her head down. Ranma knew why. They'd already agreed he'd pick her.

"Nabiki, age 17, family financer, turns into..." Ranma winced as a long, high-pitched noise sounded over the glove's voice. When it stopped, Nabiki turned to her father and spoke.

"He only gets to know that if he picks me, Daddy." Rubbing his ears, Soun moved to stand behind his eldest daughter. From there, he briefly threw Nabiki a dirty look only a gorilla could give as she put the foghorn back whereever it was she had got it from.

"Kasumi, age 19, keeper of this household, turns into a pair of twins." Kasumi smiled a semi-serene smile. Ranma didn't think she was comfortable with this at all. "Choose now boy, or the choice goes to the default that your mothers set up."

Ranma, bound by his promise to Akane, didn't even think about it. "I'll... I'll take Akane." He gave her a wry smile that she returned. Nabiki howled happily.

"You two'll make the cutest couple!" Both blushed deeply at Nabiki's exclamation as she smiled impishly. "Or should I say couples?" Ranma's face simply turned redder, and he didn't bother glancing at Akane this time. Kasumi just smiled in what Ranma thought to be relief, but he didn't know why.

"I'm glad that you like Akane enough to pick her despite her curse," Kasumi smiled at Ranma as he felt his blush manage another shade or two. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and immediately wished he hadn't. His face was beet red. He toed the ground before replying.

"Well, firstly, we made an agreement in the dojo..." He stopped as something impacted on his head.

"Idiot! I thought I told you I wouldn't hold you to that after I told you about my curse!" Ranma pried himself from under the table that had come out of nowhere.

"...And I also figured it wouldn't be very manly if I judged her by her curse," he finished. "Especially seeing as to how I got the exact opposite..." He came to a standing position and roughly teetered before walking over to the wall.

It had been obvious to Ranma that Akane had a short temper. The damage to the door to the changing room was proof of that. But he hadn't realized just how short it was.

"Can ya' let me finish my sentences, ya' crazy tomboy!" The fire that flared in her eyes as he said that told him about his error seconds before her hand and voice did.

"Jerk!" Her open palm was slammed against the side of his face. "Pervert!" Backhand to the other side. Ranma slouched to the ground as darkness threatened to overcome him. It had just become painfully obvious that Akane's temper also had the effect of, aside from just making her violent, focusing her strength to a point that Ranma would be happy never to see again. He had the feeling that that would not be the case.

His world turned to darkness as several figures loomed over him and a voice spoke out. "I'd say he deserved that."


Akane left the room in a huff. How could Ranma be so mean as to call her a tomboy? It was a favorite battle taunt of a close friend of hers, and she absolutely hated being called that. And the other part of the insult hadn't helped either. But at least he hadn't called her a sex-changing freak like most the boys had.

She headed towards the dojo. It had stopped raining, so she could finish her workout in relative peace... if she could focus on it anyway.

Akane sighed as she set up some practice dummies. She'd need another bath later tonight.


Saotome Genma struggled against the bonds he was tied with. He couldn't see what they were made of, but they didn't seem to be very strong. That wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't been tied on in layers. Unfortunately, that also prevented him from squirming out of the bonds.

He had no idea what Kasumi intended to do to him, but he had no intention of finding out. He wished his son luck in escaping the hellhole that he had forced on the poor boy, and continued working to escape his bonds.

Ranma. The thought of his son in trouble sent Genma into a bout of crying without warning. He lie there for a few minutes, sobbing uncontrollably. His son was now half woman. There was no way Genma could possibly fulfill the promise he had made to his wife.

Genma started trembling. There was no way that she could ever see Genma now. If she did, then she would most certainly want to see Ranma. And with his curse, she would force them to commit seppuku. Genma's trembling increased as he thought, and tears started flowing freely from his eyes.

If Nodoka were to ever find out, Genma would make sure he was long gone.

But first, he had to survive Kasumi. Surely Ranma would find him sooner or later. He would rescue his father from this demon family his friend had spawned. Upon seeing Genma tied up on the floor, Ranma would realize that the Tendous were evil, and he would take his loyal father and flee.

But what would Nodoka think of running from a house full of demons? Genma's emotionally ravaged mind raced. She would surely kill him herself for such a transgression. He might as well kill himself now.

To make such worse, he had been intent on leaving without his son only moments before. Death would be too good for him if he allowed his son to be taken in by demons.

Genma's sobs increased as he heard voices outside the room. That Kasumi demon was trying to stop his son from rescuing him. He could hear both of their voices, but why did Ranma sound so unconcerned?

Genma's sobs grew even louder as he realized that his son was being manipulated by the demon. She was fooling him into thinking that Genma was in here of his own free will. Ranma would surely see through such a deception, wouldn't he?

Genma worries increased as, instead of Ranma, Soun entered. Genma cried. Soun was surely possessed by a demon to allow such mistreatment of his old friend. Why couldn't Genma catch any breaks in life? And what had become of Ranma?

Soun kneeled down in front of Genma before speaking. "Genma, old friend," he removed the gag in Genma's mouth as he spoke, allowing the martial artist to see that it was little more than a sock. "It has been a long time."

"You've raised a house of demons," Genma said angrily. "That is the only explanation for this sort of treatment. You must be a demon possessing my old friend. Stop with the delaying and just torture me already. I can take anything you can dish out." Genma stopped goading the demon and glared. Demon-Soun looked back sadly.

"I'm a demon am I?" He seemed on the verge of tears... no demon would ever allow itself to look like that... would it? Yes, it would, to trick him and prolong his torture. "And my family is full of demons? I came here to tell you our tale, but now I see that you won't listen. So I'll just tell you this... I went through the same thing you are being put through after we returned here from Jusenkyou." He replaced the gag in Genma's mouth.

Demon-Soun left with that, leaving Genma feeling like a great big ass. But that was okay. After all, the demons were now trying to trick him. Whether as torture or to turn him, he didn't care. He vowed to himself that they would never fool him.


Ranma, or rather Ranko, came to a long while after Akane had put him out cold. She could tell by the fact that it was dark out now. Her face was also quite numb for some odd reason.

She sat up to find Kasumi kneeling next to her.

"Oh," she said thoughtfully. "You're finally awake." Ranko seemed to be in one of the girls' rooms.

"Shuurr," Ranko managed to slur out through her numb lips. "Fwat fit fe?"

"Sorry, Ranma, I can't understand what you're saying," she said sadly. She perked up a little and continued. "You should be more careful what you say around Akane. She doesn't like being called certain names, but she is really a very sweet girl if given the chance."

Ranko thought about this a moment as she looked at something that had fallen off her face when she sat up. It was a block of ice with an imprint of the lower half of her face on it.

Ranko tried to sigh, but only managed a flapping of her numb lips. She needed that bath now. "Fi fam froein' fo fet fa faf." She got up and left Kasumi to try to figure out what she had just said.

Ranko found her pack where her panda-father had left it when they came to the Tendou home... in the dining room. It had been shoved off to the side, but it was still there. She rummaged through it and found a towel and a spare change of clothes.

She then proceeded to the changing room. The door had been repaired. She entered and removed her clothes again, absently tossing them into the laundry bin.

She was about to open the door when it opened of its own accord. Ranko's eyes went wide as she realized it was a naked Akane. She dutifully kept her gaze on Akane's face.

"And just what, may I ask, are you doing here?" She did not seem happy to see Ranko there. Unable to speak correctly, Ranko blubbered uselessly.

"FI fidfent fno shoo fer fin fere..." She looked up at the ceiling, prepared to take whatever punishment Akane dealt out. She didn't wait long.

"Pervert!" She hit Ranko in the gut causing her to double over. Unfortunately for Ranko, she didn't stop looking upward, and ended up getting an eyeful of Akane's birthday suit. She felt a nosebleed threatening.

She was glad when Akane jumped over her... until she realized that she had jumped on top of her head. Akane hopped off, shoving her face forward and into the ground. She then felt Akane's foot connect with her rump as she yelled again. "Don't enter the bathroom until you know that no one is in there!" She rolled into the bathroom and hit the wall with her back. Her head resting on the floor, she caught one last glance at a nude Akane as she forcibly slammed the door shut.

Now just a little too sore to comfortably move her head, Ranko just sat there on her head. Eventually, she fell forward with a yelp of pain. She quickly jumped to her feet and gingerly set about cleaning herself off. The hits she'd taken from Akane over the course of the day causing her more discomfort than she'd dare admit.


Genma sobbed. His old friend was possessed and his family made up of demons. His son was either dead or on their side by now. And in either case, Nodoka would surely chop off his head if she ever saw him again.

He'd heard his son's pained cry come from downstairs nearly an hour ago. It pained Genma to think that his son might be gone. But it pained him even more to think that he might have turned against him. He silently prayed for the former.

Genma's sobs increased as he heard voices outside the room once again. Genma prayed that it wouldn't be that Demon-Soun returning to torture him that he heard. It sounded like Ranma, but, after last time, Genma couldn't be sure.

Genma's sobs grew even louder as he realized that his son was being manipulated by the demon. She was trying to fool him into thinking that Genma was in here of his own free will. Ranma would surely see through the deception, wouldn't he?

But Genma's worst fears became reality as Ranma came through the door, grinning evilly. He carried a small glass of water in one hand and the pack in the other, and he had several welts on his face. And his aura was full of a sinister energy. But most terrifying of all that was the look in his eyes, it promised Genma worlds of pain and torture.

Genma would've wailed if he could've, but the gag in his mouth prevented it. His son had either been possessed by a demon or turned evil during the torture. Now Nodoka would surely kill him. If he ever survived the demon's torture, that is.

Demon-Ranma went behind Genma, who couldn't stop himself from sobbing, and sobbing, and sobbing. He started shaking violently. What would his possessed son do to him after all the things he'd done to him? There was a splash, and girl-type Demon-Ranma popped up in front of Genma.

"So, Daddy," she somehow managed to say both prettily and menacingly despite the welts on her face. "What are you going to do to me now, huh?" She paused and put a hand to her ear as if trying to make sense of his strangled sobs. After an eternity of this, Demon-Ranma spoke again.

"Humph, exactly what I thought. Nothing." She walked around behind him, and he heard her whisper in his ear. "You know, I despise you for all those years you kept me locked up in here, but I've got to thank you. You set me free by taking Ranma to those springs." She stopped for a moment, coming back around in front of him. She looked into his fearful eyes.

"Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced myself, yet." She bowed before him and continued ranting. Genma was having trouble breathing. "My name is Ranko, I've been waiting for the day when you would screw up and let me out. And now that it's finally here, I think I'll suggest we have roast panda for dinner." She stopped, putting a finger on her chin cutely as she thought.

Genma was now unable to stop himself from sobbing at all. His worst nightmare had become reality. Ranma had been taken over by some evil demon that had resided within him, and it was all Genma's fault! And what's more, it preferred his female body, so Nodoka would surely kill them both.

Ranko reached forward and pulled out the gag in his mouth. He gasped, and Ranko's frightening countenance disappeared as she spoke again. "Gotcha there, didn't I, Pops," she continued. "Ya' know, Kasumi was right, I do feel better now." She looked around in wonder as Genma found his shaky voice.

"R-Ranma?" He really wished he could get his feelings under control. "You have to get me out of here! I swear that I will never do anything like the Neko-ken or Jusenkyou again without reading the fine print! Just get me away from this house of demons!"

Genma watched as Ranma sighed. It was really unnerving to see those mounds bouncing around on his son. "First things first," she said. "This house is not full of demons. They all went to Jusenkyou, too."

"So how do you explain this torture that I'm going through?"

"Punishment, for taking someone else with ya' to Jusenkyou. Kasumi said she put Soun through the same thing, and I thought it was kinda funny when she showed me the pictures of it all." She chuckled as Genma trembled. His son had already been turned against him. After all, she was backing up Demon-Soun's story.

"Ranma, don't turn against your..." Ranma broke in before he could finish.

"Ya' know," she said threateningly. "I really oughtta just pound ya' flat a couple of times…" Genma stayed quiet, remembering how Ranma had been acting when he'd first come in. "But it's just way too pitiful the way you're acting now, ya' big crybaby."

"Oh, by the way," she said hesitantly. "I know it unnerves ya' when I act like a girl, but the others all suggested that I take up an alternate identity for my female form. So call me Ranko when I'm like this... Nabiki said it would help me get used to it..." Genma broke out in tears and started bawling. Now able to speak as he cried, he gave his every concern a voice.

"Oh noooo... Nodoka's gonna make me kill myself 'cause our son is half woman... And to make it all worse... He's acting like a woman now tooo... And the school'll have no heir 'cause Ranma'll have to kill himself toooooooo..." Genma was vaguely aware of being picked up about halfway through his rant, but he didn't realize that Ranma... Ranko... was slapping him until the most terrifying demon Genma had ever seen burst through the door with a terrible war cry.

There was no describing the beast that entered with a black head three times the size of its muscular, hairy body and the terrible cry that accompanied it. Genma didn't realize his son had abandoned him until he landed in the far corner of the room, and Ranko's face appeared upside down in the window.


Akane rushed in behind the demon-headed gorilla. Her entire family had heard when Mr. Saotome had started ranting loudly. Akane hadn't heard anything clearly until she got to the door, but she and gorilla-Soun had just arrived when he shouted about Ranma having to kill himself. Now she guessed her father was probably going to try to kill Genma just for suggesting it.

There was no way that Akane would let her father kill Genma before she found out what the heck he was talking about. Why would Ranma have to kill himself?

She grabbed the frightened old man and hauled him out the window and up onto the roof. Ranko, whose face appeared to be rather purple in several spots, assisted her. She looked behind her to see her father jump out the window behind her, only to realize too late that there was no ground directly beneath him.

Akane watched as her father's demon-head technique faltered, and he fell. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up. Akane turned away from him, knowing full well that he'd be up the next day, perfectly fine. His cursed form handled damage like that incredibly well.

She turned to Ranko. "Just what exactly is that idiot babbling about?" She indicated Genma, who was busy crying something about demons and his wife.

"Well," the redhead said thoughtfully, looking at Genma. "He seems to be thinking that your family is made up of demons for some reason, and he's being more persistent about it than usual... The stuff about this Nodoka person is all news to me though." Her face scrunched up into an angry scowl. "He never talked 'bout Mom with me." Ranko's scowl disappeared as she reached up to rub her cheeks. Akane started guiltily. She'd caused those welts on Ranko's cheeks with her temper.

"Are you going to be alright, Ranko?" Ranko started, as if just realizing what she'd been doing and lowering her hand.

"I'll be fine," she said guardedly.

"Are you sure? I know I hit you pretty hard there."

"I've had worse." Akane sighed. Ranko was not going to talk.

"Well, I'm sorry I hit you like that..." Akane decided to focus on the matter at hand as she started feeling uncomfortable and Ranko started fidgeting. "Well, let's see what we can get out of your father."

"I'm all for that," Ranko exclaimed gleefully. "Hey, old man, what the heck are ya' talkin' 'bout with this Nodoka person?" She moved towards him as if to knock some sense into him, but he sobered up and answered before she could take two steps.

"Nodoka is your mother," he said sadly. "I promised her I'd make you a man amongst men if she allowed me to take you away for training about fifteen years ago. She accepted on the term that if I failed, we'd both commit ritual seppuku to restore family honor." Ranko froze solid. But she immediately thawed as her battle aura blazed to life around her.

"You bet my life on making me a man among men!" Akane saw where that could easily become a problem. If Nodoka ever found Ranma, then it was lights out for him/her.

Akane decided not to stop Ranko when she started beating on her hapless father. He more well than deserved the pounding he received. She eventually joined in, removing his bonds as they thoroughly beat him to a pulp.

End Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

A lot of you are probably wondering what the heck is going on here. Kasumi torturing Soun and Genma? Akane actually a decent fighter? Nabiki handing out freebies! What the heck is going on here?
First off, Akane is a lot better because she has a couple rivals. And I'm not just talking about Kunou and Kodachi. The Tendou family picked up that Tibetan or Confucian (I forget which...) curse that a lot of people blame Ranma's hectic life on: 'May you live in interesting times.' Don't ask me what it means. You don't need to know that to understand the darn thing makes life hectic.
Next up, Kasumi torturing Genma and Soun... Having been driven slightly insane by being given two bodies suddenly, Kasumi locked her father in a room for three days when she was ten years old (Assuming it took them a year to get to Jusenkyou). Don't worry though; she has gained back her sanity. The drug was meant for comic effect... Just be glad I changed the third effect from making the victim permanently insane (As if Soun isn't already insane enough as is…).
Now, as for Nabiki handing out freebies... The earlier mentioned Confucian curse has given her a taste for chaos in her life. But she can't always sate her need for both money and chaos at the same time. So she has started giving out freebies to cause mischief.
As for the next episode... Well, you'll just have to check in to find out.
Oh, and, please bear with me on this... The chapters do get shorter.

So long for now...
SkyDragon2083

Finished April 29, 2004
Revised June 14, 2005
Released March 23, 2006