Just as it had every day since we returned from China it was raining. A staccato beat drumming down from the sky spelling out the normalcy of things. Or at least, the weather itself was normal. As for us, nothing could ever be normal again. This much was made certain by the stares we recieved from everybody who so much as glanced our way. Though I guess I can't really fault them for it, it's not exactly everyday you see a girl riding a panda, that's walking upright as well, down the streets of Nerima.

The moment we had arrived back in town pops had begun to demand we head to his friends house. His reasons, the ones he gave me, were very simple, and seemed to be an excellent all around solution. We needed a place to stay, food to eat, and somebody who wouldn't faint at things beyond most nermal lives. His old training partner likely would fit every one of those, but I couldn't help but wonder what he was keeping from me this time.

Lost in thought for a time, I had managed to miss the sunset. The world around us had dimmed to slate gray pierced through with yellow of the streetlamps. Looking up at the lights we passed my mind strayed back to it's earlier thoughts. What surprise was in store next?

Shaking, everything is shaking. Heart racing I try to figure out what's happening. Looking down I realize pops has stopped and is simply trying to wake me up. Quickly I reach up and hit his head. "Whats the big idea pops, you forget where we're headed already?"

Barking roughly he shakes his head, then turns around and points at a house. "So this is the place then. You stay here, don't wanna scare em before we even get a chance to talk."

Pops hadn't been kidding, this guy really did have some money. Nice big wooden house, fenced in yard, and a dojo out in the back. A dojo. Just the sight was reminding of my loss. A loss I was best not thinking about, with no small amount of effort I wrenched my gaze back to the path before me as I walked to the door.

Ringing the doorbell brought them nearly instantly, the door was thrown open revealing four people staring back out at me. An old man in a simple gi was holding tightly onto the door handle as tears coursed down his cheeks. Next to him was a young woman vainly trying to calm him down. Further down the hall I could see two more peopl, one with short hair staring intently at me, and another with long hair brimming with anger. What had they been expecting?

Finally the old man managed to break out of his stupor, "You've finally arrived boy, what took you so long?"

"Daddy, this one's not even a boy."

Reality finally appeared to be sinking in, as he collapses to his knees. With a brief wail he falls the rest of the way to the floor. In one smoothe motion attemps to check his emotional outburst quickly changed to making sure he was ok. Turning back to me the short haired one continued, "Ignore the waterworks over there. Anyway, where's your mommy, you shouldn't be out at night by yourself."

You've done it this time, what a fine impression you're leaving here. Hanging my head I morosely said, "Sorry bout this, I'm Ranma Saotome and I think I need to talk to your father." Evidently my name had preceded me. At the name Saotome passing interest morphed to intense curiousity and unease. For a moment none of them stirred, then the older of the girls turned towards me with a bow. "Oh my, why don't you come in for tea while we wait."

"Just a second," turning backwards I shouted, "Yo, Pops. Get your butt out here."

Barreling around the corner of the house be came to a stop nearby and began to shake his fur dry. I guess wet fur was not big on his list of favorite things these days. From ahead of us I could hear short hair muttering about weird pet names as we headed to the dining room. As I passed the youngest I could feel her gaze trying to see me as a fighter. Just as I sat down she walked over to me, "You seem a bit young for a training trip to China, you any good at Kempo?"

"Yeah, I've been training for a while, what about it?"

"Daddy probably won't be coming round for a while, how bout a quick spar?"

"I guess..."

"Great! Follow me, the dojo's just down the hall from here." Before she had even finished talking, she was practically dragging me in behind her.

Turning to face me across the tatami mats she moved into a basic anything goes stance and shouted out, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you squirt." Bristling with anger, I took one of my favorite stances, to the untrained eye I hadn't even gotten ready for a fight. After waiting a few moments she came at me with a few slow punches and kicks. To each of these probes I responded the same, I dodged with the most minimal motions side to side. Realizing I was better than she thought her movements slowly sped up, although still yielding the same results.

Pathetic, I should be mopping the floor with her. Now the strain was starting to take its toll, my dodges were growing slower by the moment, while her movements were still speeding up. I need to finish this up soon... Leaping to the corner of the room, breath now gasping through my lungs, I concentrated and focused on my energies. Hastily etching a figure into the air with one hand, I directed the energies. Symbols flaring briefly in front of me, a gust of wind slammed into her, knocking her down.

As the energy left my body I could feel a searing pain settle in around me. Falling to one knee I stared forward, as she got back up, eyes wide with amazement. I began to draw more energy when I was interrupted with a cough wracking my body. Drawing my blood flecked sleeve from my mouth I collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Girl, those springs do not choose their victims idly, they seek those strong enough to sustain the curse for years to come. The curse is a parasite, latching onto it's victim and feeding upon your ki, leaving you barely enough to survive. Or so it had always been thought. If you can channel mana then it is also a great gift. Where others have to draw from the things around them, your curse is constantly creating mana from your destroyed energy."

Gasping at the cool touch of an icepad being applied I came to, sensei's words still ringing in my ears. How could she have known the mana it generates is this very body? Interrupting my reverie, my opponent started firing off questions, "What's wrong with you? What did you do? How did you do it? Can you teach me how?"

Gesturing for her to stop I tiredly began my explanation, "Magic. A simple air spell, and it is not my knowledge to give away." Before I could go any further short hair strolled in.

"Fathers come to, Ranma, and he wants to have a word with you"

Pulling myself to my feet I followed back to the kitchen where the man was waiting seated at a shogi board. Across the board from him pops was carefully moving a piece. "Ahh, there you are," he greeted as he waved me over to him, "your pet is very well behaved. But I digress, let me introduce myself, I am Soun Tendo of the Tendo school of Anything goes."

"I'm Ranma Saotome, and that 'well trained panda' over there is Genma." Fainting again, it seems pops overestimated his ability to adapt.

AN: Another round with the champ, and it seems the champ musta won, because this is another awfully short chapter. Don't worry, all the happenings between curse and now will eventually be explained, and maybe even in exciting ways far less heavy handed than my current techneques.