Two Japanese businessmen were sitting on a bench waiting for a bus to come by. Their conversation was light and breezy, and neither of them really liked each other, but they had to appear to be on good terms at their business. Vacuous comments about the weather ground to a halt when a giant sheep dog came bounding down the street. This would be a strange enough sight on its own, but there had been a teenage girl riding on top of the dog, almost as if the giant sheep dog was her noble steed.

"Was that a giant sheep dog?" The first man asked.

"I think so," the second deadpanned.

"Nerima gets stranger every day."

"I don't know. I Swear there's a panda that lives in this ward."

"You've seen a panda? In Nerima?"

"Yeah. Sometimes he waves at me when I see him across the street."

"Truly?"

Their conversation came to a dead stop as they both pondered the strangeness of the town they found themselves in.

Aunt Ruby came to a stop in front of the entrance to the St Hebereke's dormitory, which was just behind the main building. She lowered herself to the ground and her daughter hopped off her back onto the grass. A few girls who were already making their way to school stopped and stared with open mouths at the strange sight. Aunt Ruby and Takara both considered themselves the sociable sort, so Aunt Ruby wagged her tail, and Takara smiled and waved. The girls pretended they didn't see and sped up their morning commute.

"Thanks, Aunt Ruby," Takara said, as she patted her relative on the head.

"Ruff!" Aunt Ruby barked.

"Oh, I remember our deal," Takara laughed. "I get straight A's, you come back with some water from Jusenkyo to curse my curse."

And maybe Ranma's, if he wants it, Takara thought to herself.

The sheep dog nodded sagely, then licked Takara's face.

"Good-bye, Aunt Ruby."

After one last jovial bark, Aunt Ruby turned and ran off into the distance. Takara couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She knew her aunt would be in town for a few more weeks, but she wasn't sure when she would see her again. They had been nearly inseparable for most of the past decade. But she didn't need her teacher to lecture her on getting hung up on sentimentality – a new chapter of her life was starting, and the only way to go was forward.

As she walked down the hallway to her assigned room, she noticed that some of the other girls in the dorm were milling about, and none of them responded to her cheerful greetings. They first looked up at her with suspicion, and then they simply ignored that. That didn't bode well – but Takara was going into this with optimism, and she wasn't going to let the get her down.

She knocked on the door to her room, which was at the end of the west hall. The office of the registrar had informed her that she would be roommates with one Kei Ogawa, and it was early enough that she was likely to still be in the dormitory. There were some light footsteps, and then the door opened outwards to reveal a petite and mousey girl, who took a step backwards and gasped when she took in the full height of her guest.

But it only threw her off guard for a moment, and she regained her composure. The diminutive girl straightened her glasses, which were round, thick, and huge. Her dark hair was cut in a chin length bob that framed her serious face. She bowed politely.

"My apologies, but I am your roommate, Kei Ogawa. It is a pleasure to meet you," she said, after she had come up from her bow.

"And I am Takara," the taller girl said, after returning the bow. "But why apologize? You seem nice."

"Oh, I am. But I'm also the least popular girl in St. Hebereke's and I fear that I will lower your social ranking in this school by association."

Takara walked over to the empty bed and put her bag down and began to pack. It didn't take long, as she hadn't even owned half of these objects until the day before. She had a few pairs of casual clothes, her temporary school uniform, a small backpack, some notebooks and pencils, and some toiletries.

"Social status means nothing to me. We'll get along fine," Takara said as she hung up her magical girl t-shirts in the closet

"I see you carry a sword with you," Kei said, adjusting her glasses as she eyed the wooden sheath at Takara's hip. "Let me guess – you study the way of Iiado."

Takara turned in place to examine her new roommate more closely. She didn't have the posture, or the body of somebody trained in battle or any kind of weapon, but looks could be deceiving. It was entirely possible that she was a wiry little scrapper.

"I didn't figure you were a sword girl," Takara said.

"I'm not. I'm just really into trivia. You have a straightforward – but purposeful – manner, and I figure Iiado suited that best."

Takara smiled. "Amazing! How does the student body not love you?"

Apparently, this reaction caught Kei off guard, as she blushed, and stared back at Takara dumbfounded for a few seconds before recovering her senses.

"My family is barely upper-class. By St. Herebeke's standards, I'm basically a pauper."

"Is that the kind of world I've walked into?" Takara asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, I've already accepted this challenge, so…"

Takara unstrapped the wooden sheath from her side and held it in her hands, looking at it. She was reluctant to place it down on her bed, as she felt naked without it. Heck, sometimes she even wore the sword into the shower – it was going to be strange, walking around all day without it, exposed. The registrar had made it clear that there were to be no weapons on campus.

She sighed, and started putting on the clothes that were to function as her uniform.

"You wanna walk to school together?" Takara asked.

"Sure," Kei said, pleasantly. "Although, again, it may be bad for you."

"Nonsense. It's always good to have an ally at your side."

The two of them walked through the hallways of their dormitory, neither of them saying anything. Takara was a little bit nervous, as the environment she was about to enter was one she hadn't been a part of since she was very small. The other girl, on the other hand, seemed about as well adjusted to this world as one could be.

A teenage boy slipped out of one of the rooms wearing nothing but a towel, glanced around furtively, and then dashed in front of them into the showers. Surprising, certainly, but what made her blood freeze was the high-pitched scream from behind her. Takara turned around just in time to see Kei's eyes roll into the back of her head and her body fall against the floor with a wince-inducing thud. A fraction of a second after her body hit the ground, Takara was there, by her side, checking her pulse.

"She's alive," Takara announced, relieved. "But somebody better call an ambulance."

A girl walked out of her room in a towel and looked at the two with disinterest.

"You the new girl? Yeah, there's nothing to worry about. That's just Kei."

"She fainted out of the blue."

"No," the girl said along with an eyeroll. "She's a lesbian, and she's terrified of boys. This is what happens to the little pipsqueak when she spots a guy."

"What was a boy doing here, anyway?" Takara asked, her eyes still on her roommate.

"Duh. There's only three reasons to have a dorm at St. Herebeke's. 'Cause you're poor, 'cause your parents are traveling out of country and don't trust you living alone, or you need a private place to make out with your boyfriend."

"I take it this place doesn't get much supervision."

"No," the girl sneered, and stared down at the newcomer. "Are you gonna tell on me?"

"No. Not interested in that. How do you get her out of this state?"

"I dunno. We usually just leave her like that, and she comes around."

The conversation was over, and the girl went into the showers, presumably to follow her boyfriend for a fresh start to the morning.

Carefully, Takara scooped up the smaller girl and carried her back to her bed. Perhaps some cold water dabbed on her face would wake up her, the swordless swordswoman thought to herself. But she blanched at the thought. If this girl was really that terrified of boys, then she couldn't risk triggering her curse, and having her wake up to a guy hovering over her bed – that might give her a fatal heart attack.

"Hot water, then," Takara said to herself.

The school day hadn't truly begun, and already it was proving to be difficult. But she found a water bottle sitting on Kei's desk, retrieved some hot water and some paper towels, and gently applied it to her face until she revived.

"Embarrassing," she whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Takara said. "There's nothing to be shamed about being a lesbian."

"Lesbian? What? D-d-did somebody say that?"

"Yes, and it's okay."

"I'm not a lesbian."

"It's alright. I'm bisexual, myself."

"I'm not bisexual," Kei sighed, as she closed her eyes, weakness overcoming her. "I'm just a little bit afraid of boys."

Takara considered. Kei seemed to be the honest sort. Taking what she had said earlier, the other girls had a low opinion of her, so it was possible the other girls had seen her phobia and made assumptions about her sexuality. Or, maybe the petite brainiac was still in denial. But that didn't really matter now.

"So you should get on to class. I'm going to be a bit late."

"Okay. But you rest up,"

Takara wasn't happy about the situation, but figured the other girl knew her own strength best. She turned to leave the room quietly and was surprised to hear Kei call her name. Looking over her shoulder, Takara saw the other girl trying to prop herself up.

"A word of warning: Avoid Kodachi Kuno," she said, before losing energy, and laying back down with an exhale.

Kodachi Kuno. Had Takara heard that name before? She thought back to her conversations with Ranma and Akane the past few days, but the name hadn't of come up. Still, if a school full of snooty girls, the fact that Kei mentioned this one by name meant she must be a special kind of obnoxious. Takara nodded and accepted the warning.

The first two classes had gone well enough for Takara. Most of the girls pretended to be uninterested in her, or actually ignored her, but none of them actively insulted or bullied her. There would be snickers as the teachers attempted to pronounce her name before giving up – but that probably would've happened at any school. She preferred to just go by her first name, anyway.

Her first class was a literature class, and she figured it would be simple enough if she kept up with her reading. She was a little bit worried about her geography class, though. Takara could find China and Japan on the map, but that was where her knowledge fell from certainty and fell into vague and speculative territory. Wasn't Italy shaped like some kind of shoe? This was simply an area that hadn't seemed relevant to her sword technique and she was going to have to do some cramming to catch up.

It was a little embarrassing for Takara to realize just how much she didn't know. She had always thought of herself as being smart, despite her lack of formal education – and she probably was. But she was beginning to see that all her years studying the blade might have been a disservice to her personal growth. Thinking about how Ranma had found themselves in pretty much this situation not so long ago, she wondered how they handled school.

Takara paused when she realized she had been using a gender neutral pronoun while thinking about Ranma. It was starting to feel wrong to refer to them in the masculine – it almost felt like a disservice to the feminine half of their self. But Ranma was clearly just starting to work through some issues, and Takara wasn't sure whether referring to them as gender neutral would be freeing for them or insulting. Maybe, she could try it out once the next they met, and –

The tall school girl sank into her chair with a heavy sigh. The next time she saw Ranma, she would have to tell them that she had made out with their fiancée. Was that something a friend could forgive? Was it something that a friend should forgive? In the right margin of her notebook, she doodled a rough approximation of Ranma in their girl form. She might have ruined her plans to win Ranma's heart before she had even formulated a plan. On the other side of the paper, she scribbled a vague likeness of Akane.

The blue-haired martial artists had been on her mind since the moment she had stormed out of the alleyway the day before. It had taken all of Takara's willpower not to stop by the Tendo Dojo and check on Akane – she knew it was the last thing the other girl wanted. But Akane had been so sweet to her – she replayed the sensation of her calming touch on her hand, and as soon as that tactile memory rose to the surface, a flood of other sensations raced through her mind as she remembered their make-out session. And finally, it struck her just how vulnerable Akane had been. Who knew the violent girl had such a sensitive side? It brought out something in Takara – a desire to protect her, and to make her happy.

She put her head in her hands. Was that a crush? Or were her hormones just on overdrive? If she did have feelings for Akane, and did manage to sweep her off her feet, then she'd lose Ranma for sure. And if she won Ranma's heart she doubted Akane would stay in the picture. Was she destined to lose in the game of love?

In the middle of the page, Takara doodled a picture of herself holding her head in confusion. It was a good thing she had an art class in the afternoon, she decided, as she deemed her drawings terrible. She hadn't had much time for art on the road, either.

After the lunch bell rang, Takara found herself hesitantly wandering into the cafeteria, weary of all the other students. She hadn't really hit it off with any of the other students in her classes. Takara didn't fear sitting alone, nor did she fear the judgment of the other girls, but she found her mealtimes to be very grounding, and she didn't want somebody ruining that for her. Luckily, with her advanced height, she got a clear view of the cafeteria and saw that there were a few smaller tables in the back that were only meant for two.

And she was pleasantly surprised to see her roommate, Kei, already seated at one of the smaller tables with a tray of food. The food distracted her for a second – it looked amazing, especially to a girl who was happy to get scraps on the road. Perhaps there would be some advantages to attending a rich private school, after all.

"Good to see you up and about," Takara said as she took the seat across from the bespeckled girl.

"Oh, yeah. I might have played that up a bit," Kei said with a wry smile. "I usually don't get that weak from seeing a boy. Sometimes I don't even fully faint and I Just sort of lose my footing."

Takara knitted her brows and considered.

"This was a ploy of yours, then? But the only advantage to it I could see is – "

"It was for your social benefit," Kei said. "I'd warn you from sitting with me, but I think everyone's already seen you sit with me, so the damage is done."

"I should be flattered, but I think you mis-understand me," Takara said. "I would rather have the company of one true friend than the adoration of a thousand students."

Kei blushed and dropped her chopsticks, which in turn made her blush harder."

"Anyway, how has your day been?"

"Pretty good, except for Geography. I think I've discovered a new weakness of mine."

Her roommate's eyes went wide and her face paled.

"Uh-oh. Is it known for being a hard class?" Takara asked.

"Behind you," Kei whispered.

Takara spun around to see a girl confidently walking towards her, and for some reason black rose petals were swirling about around her. Had somebody opened a window? The strutting young woman had dark hair tied in a high ponytail – not unlike Takara's style – and she had the fierce expression of a warrior. Instinctively, Takara reached for the hilt other blade and blanched when she remembered she had left her old friend back in her dorm room. Here was a challenger coming at her and she found herself without her greatest weapon.

The woman stood in front of Takara, put her hands on her hips, and let out a long and theatrical laugh, like a noble woman's.

"I am Kodachi, the Black Rose of St Herebeke, and I demand to know who you are, and what you're doing in my school," she demanded after her laughter had subsided.

Takara blinked, and then smiled. Finally, someone in Nerima with a sense of humor! Clearly, here was an anime fan, and someone with a playful spirit! Takara jumped to her feet and mimed drawing her sword and then raising it dramatically to the air.

"I am Takara, the Swordstress of the Shooting Star, and I have entered your school with the humble intention of learning and bettering myself."

She mimed sheathing her blade and gave her opponent a respectful bow. When her gaze made contact with her opponent once more, she could see that the confident young woman was smiling.

"Well met, swordstress," she said. "I'm not sure what I expected from you, but it is a pleasure to meet another cultured woman. You are welcome within the walls of St. Herebeke's, and all that it offers."

Takara couldn't believe her luck – here was a kindred spirit! Aunt Ruby had told her not to talk like this, as it would make people think she was weird, but here was somebody else who relished injecting a bit of poetry and theatre into day-to-day life.

"It is a great honor. Thank you," she said, with a wide smile.

"You must come with me and join me at my table. I must explain how the school works to you, and in return, I wish to hear of your time studying the blade."

Takara looked over to her roommate. Kei looked as if she was halfway between laughing and crying.

"Actually, I was sitting with my acquaintance here, and it would be rude to abandon her."

Kodachi looked at the smaller girl and frowned.

"You are correct. That would be highly improper. Kei Ogawa, you shall accompany us to my table today."

"Okay," Kei stuttered, though she looked like she wanted to vanish into thin air.

The young woman who called herself the black rose walked forward, opening a path through the crowd in her wake. As Takara followed behind her, Kei rushed to her side and tried to pull the taller girl down to her level.

"That's Kodachi Kuno! She's not joking around!" She hissed.

"Oh, no, she's obviously very serious about her comedy."

"What?" Kei asked. "Comedy? No, that's just Kodachi – "

Kodachi gestured at a table.

"Please, take a seat at my side," Kodachi announced.

"I would be delighted," Takara said as she sat at the table.

She smiled and looked at her fellow students at the table. They were staring at her with varying degrees of horror or shock. It didn't seem as though they were in on the same joke that she and Kodachi were sharing. Perhaps Kodachi was an outcast here in the school, with no one understanding her commitment to a killer comedy bit, Takara thought to herself. The other students turned their attention to Kei and glared at her.

"What's she doing here?"

"Today she is our guest," Kodachi announced. "After all, she is a club president as well – "

"Yeah, of the Turn-Based Academic Trivia Martial Arts Club – "

"Does it count if she's the only member?"

"Silence!" Kodachi announced with a roar. "As she is a club president, she is worthy of our table. But today we are introduced to a new student. One with dignity, style, and class."

"I strive to live up to the words that the black rose ascribes to me," Takara said.

"Tell me, swordstress, have you trained in any other weapons?" Kodachi asked.

Takara decided to ignore the general vibe she was getting from the rest of the table and focus on the warmth emanating from Kodachi.

"Nay – the sword, and the art of Iiado is the only weapon for me. But I am trained in martial arts, to some degree."

Kodachi brightened. "And how, without being humble, would you describe your prowess in the acrobatic department?"

"I am technically capable," Takara said, hesitating, unsure of what punchline this was leading to. "But my battles usually keep me bound to the earth."

"I figured as much. Yes, you must try out for our Rhythmic Gymnastic Martial Arts team. I do my best to carry the team, but we could use talent such of yours."

Takara's grasp on her dramatic anime persona slipped. "Uh, Rhythmic gymnastics? I don't really – "

A scream interrupted her hesitation. Everyone turned around to see Kei fall to the ground. A boy had seemingly wandered into the cafeteria with a plate full of food. He was wearing a white kendogi and walked with the confidence of someone who thought themselves invincible. He paused in front of the prone body of Kei and sighed.

"My masculinity is simply too potent, and she is too full of maidenly innocence," he said, with genuine regret. "I wish but once I could speak with her, so that I might commend her for her unyielding purity."

He locked eyes with the unfamiliar girl at the table.

"Aww, but where are my manners? I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. A pleasure to meet you."

"And I am Takara, the Swordstress of the SShootingStar," she said, as she gave a bow. "But tell me – why is there a boy in these hallowed halls?"

The boy's eyes shined brightly for a moment. "At ease, swordstress. I merely like to dine with my sister at lunch a few times a week."

Kodachi turned to face her new friend with a smirk. "And I believe this also gives him an excuse to visit with my beautiful classmates."

"Nonsense my dear sister. For you know all too well, my heart has already exceeded it's maximum occupancy. Oh, my Akane Tendo. And oh, my pigtailed goddess!"

"Akane Tendo?" Takara asked. "Youknow her?"

"Of course. She is the most beautiful girl in Furinkan High, and one day, I shall steal her heart. If only I can pry it from the hands of that foul Saotome…"

Takara was about to speak up upon hearing Ranma's surname, but Kodachi responded to her brother before she could even get a word out.

"Ranma is far from foul, brother," she said, her eyes were almost sparkling with glee, and her face overcome with blush. "He is the very ideal of what a man should be. And one day, he will feel love for me as deep as I feel for him."

If either of the eccentric siblings had been paying attention to Takara, they would have noticed she had a big awkward grin on her face. What were the odds that she would find people in love with Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo halfway through her first day of school at St. Hebereke's Does everything in Nerima revolve around those two families? Looking down at her fainted roommate, she wondered whether Kei was secretly in love with Ranma, too.

"Here, let me show you, swordstress," Kodachi said as she reached into her bag.

She pulled out a handful of photographs of Ranma and Takara's eyes bulged when she realized just how spicy some of them were. They all had him shirtless – or in his underwear – and they were all professionally shot with the intention of highlighting the sex appeal of his body. Could it be that Ranma had a modeling gig on the side?

"Ah, and these are my twin loves," Kuno said, as he produced two pictures from the sleeves of his kendogi.

The picture of Akane was more cute than sexy. She was leaning against a rock by the koi pond back in the Tendo dojo with a serene smile on her face. The other picture however, was Ranma, in their female form, in a bikini sitting on a bed reading a magazine. It had the air of voyeurism to it, but at the same time, it felt staged.

"And this is the pigtailed Goddess?" Takara asked.

"Indeed," Tatewaki said.

"She is far from an angel," Kodachi scoffed. "She may be blessed with great beauty, but she is crude, and thuggish in nature."

"You merely resent her for besting you in combat, my dear sister."

"Hmph."

So, that meant that Tatewaki had a crush on Ranma's female form, but considered their male form to be a villain who was somehow keeping him from getting with his pigtailed Goddess. Kodachi, on the other hand, was obsessed with Ranma's male form and had apparently battled against their female form and came out of the encounter with a hefty grudge. Were these two aware that Ranma and the pig-tailed Goddess were the same person? If they weren't, then Takara didn't want to reveal Ranma's secret.

While Takara pondered this, Kei groggily got to her feet, only to see Kuno again, and faint once more.

"Don't the two of them look like they're related?" Takara asked, testing the waters.

"We've often speculated about it," Kodachi admitted, thoughtfully.

"We had our loyal retainer look into it. Supposedly, the Saotomes only had one child on the registry. So she could be a forbidden love child, or a distant cousin."

"They look kind of like a boy and girl form of the same person," Takara tried.

"Indeed, and that's why we haven't completely dismissed the idea they're related," Kodachi said, pleased to be sharing this mystery with another person.

Takara decided that the two of them had no knowledge of the Jusenyko curses. But the larger issue at hand was that both her and her new friend had feelings for the same person, and by the sounds of it, Ranma had zero interest in the gymnast. Ranma hadn't spoken a word about the Kuno family, and Akane had left Kodachi out that first night when she explained about the three-fiancée situation. This was probably something she couldn't keep hidden forever, so she'd have to bring it up eventually. She'd have to do it in a controlled and careful way.

"Where is Sword Girl!" A shrill voice demanded from the front of the cafeteria.

Everyone in the cafeteria turned to see who had just shouted. It was a girl wearing a long sleeve blouse and pants that, judging by the patterns on them, were of Chinese origin. She had long purple-blue hair with two long strands framing her face. And boy, did she ever look furious. As she started pushing her way through the cafeteria, looking about, Takara noticed the stranger held two strange weapons in her hands that she had never seen before. They sort of looked like giant maracas. They didn't have any kind of blade on them, so Takara assumed they were bludgeoning weapons, and probably had a good deal of weight to them.

"Sword girl?" Takara said aloud, wondering if this stranger meant her.

Then, memories of her long conversation with Akane Tendo flooded back to her. The third fiancée was supposedly an Amazon woman named Shampoo, who was bound by her tribal laws to marry Ranma after they defeated her in battle.

"She's referring to me," Kodachi said, as she stood up. "Though I am a Rhythmic Gymnastic martial artist at heart, I am well known for my prowess with all manner of weapons."

The amazon woman was on the prowl for someone, and her eyes locked onto the figure of the tallest girl in the room. She marched over and jumped onto the table where her prey was seated, causing the other students at the table to scramble away from the scene. Tatewaki Kuno didn't seem disturbed by this in the slightest, and simply continued eating his meal. Kodachi stood, and Takara rose with her.

"I am here to kill to the fourth fiancée of Ranma! Ranma belong to Shampoo, and all who stand in way shall die!"

Kodachi chuckled in response. "I'm afraid Ranma and I have not yet made our love official. I am merely the fourth suitor, not the fourth fiancée."

Shampoo, who had her eyes locked onto Takara, briefly glanced over at the Black Rose of St Herebeke's.

"Shampoo no talk about you," she said. "Shampoo never talk about you."

"But I am the fourth!" Kodachi protested.

"Middle-sister of Tendo clan sell Shampoo information about fourth fiancée. She fight with swords, and is tall like ogre."

Kodachi turned to face her new friend, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Traitor!" Kodachi sneered.

"I only just learned you had a thing for Ranma. I didn't even have time to say anything," Takara said.

"So, it's true?" Kodachi breathed.

"Do you deny being the fourth fiancée?" The amazon asked.

"I do," Takara said. "I was the third fiancée. Ranma proposed to me years after his father promised him to the Tendos and to Ukyo, but years before Ranma went training in China. I'm just the fourth fiancée you guys heard about."

"Ranma proposed to you?" Kodachi asked slowly, her voice wavering.

Shampoo hopped onto the ground in front of Takara and walked around her, inspecting her.

"Shampoo understand now. Ranma like tall girls. Shampoo buy heels that are too-too high."

Takara took a step forward, and Shampoo extended one of her weapons towards the other girl.

"Look, we don't have to fight. I renounced the engagement. I gave back the ring," Takara said.

"Middle Sister of the Tendo Clan say Ranma still have feelings Takara, and Takara still have feelings for Ranma. Middle Sister say Takara and Ranma cuddle all night."

A severe shade of red enveloped Takara's face.

Shampoo's eyes flared open wide. "Is true, then!"

Once more, Takara reached for her sword, and found that it wasn't there. When she had unstrapped her sword that morning, she had truly believed she would be able to survive a school day without it.

"Oh? Sword girl no have sword?" Shampoo said with a wicked grin. "Then sword girl die!"