This fic is a crossover between Ranma ½ and Love Hina. It is a story of how Ranma Saotome is switched with Keitaro Urashim by the power of an Amazon artifact. Now Rama is living life in Keitaro's shoes as he heads towards Hinata House. He now has to deal with the residents, anticipating becoming the manager, and having to deal with the promise of getting into Tokyo U. Luckily; Ranma is used to pulling off the impossible so he may have an ace up his sleeve in case of emergencies. If you wish to contact me, send any emails by instant message.

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 1: Girl's Dorm? I'm Doomed.

Ranma Saotome was not someone who complained about his life regularly. Sure, he had every right to in certain situations. In others, he started it with his big mouth or made it worse, but he usually was fully in his rights to complain about some of the things that happened to him. He was currently experiencing one of those things.

At the moment, he was walking down a quiet street which had some rather nice trees looking and the nearby buildings seemed rather peaceful. It was painfully obvious that Ranma was nowhere near Nerima. If he was then the usual throng of challengers, rivals, fiancées, or fathers trying to force him to marry one of said fiancées would sooner or later be trying to find him. It was also in these times of peace that Ranma would feel at least a little nervous. The oddity of all this was that he was rather calm. So what was his reason for being so calm? He knew that his daily headaches were nowhere near and were probably never going to catch up with him.

How was he so sure? Did he finally run away from it all? Did he finally put his foot down? Did he go for a final climactic battle with the Wrecking Crew which left Nerima in shambles and would be spoken of in stories for years to come?

Nope. Ranma had been transported into a manga.

Now, a lot of you are probably wondering how this had happened. It sounds way too crazy for even Ranma's insane life. However, there is a good reason for the pigtailed martial artist's sudden relocation.

It had all started with Cologne. She was a matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, Chinese Amazons, and the great-grandmother of Ranma's Chinese fiancée, Shampoo. The aged Amazon had fished out one of the few relics that the ancient founder of Ranma's school, Anything Goes, didn't manage to pilfer when he raided the Amazon village sometime in his youth. The item was a mirror called the Mirror of Hctiws. It had the power to take the position of one person and switch them with another. In short, it would allow the person holding the mirror to switch lives with the person it was reflecting on. Cologne and Shampoo's plan was to have the younger Amazon use it so that everything that was Akane's could be switched with Shampoo. Their ultimate aim was Ranma's feelings concerning the youngest Tendo. The actual trick was getting the right limiter on the mirror so it only switched Ranma's feelings rather than everything else.

Unfortunately, the chaos of Nerima reared its ugly head when Mousse, the myopic would-be suitor of Shampoo and Hidden Weapons master, overheard the effects of the mirror and actually managed to it the mirror from Cologne through use of his cursed form. However, in his excitement, he stopped listening after he heard what the mirror did in full so he was not aware that it switched everything with a person, not just a single part. Mousse's plan was to use it on Ranma so that Shampoo's affection would be switched to the Hidden Weapons user. This started a chase after the myopic duck which had the mirror clenched firmly in his beak, heading straight for the Tendo Dojo.

At the time, Ranma was allowing himself to lounge for a change. He had finished his daily sparring with his dad and Akane was going to hang out with her friends. Despite the fathers trying to browbeat him into going with her 'so to get closer to his future wife,' both Ranma and Akane got them to back down. So, Ranma was reading a manga while everyone was going through their day.

The manga Ranma was reading was Love Hina. It was one of his favorites as well. He had gotten hooked on it after Kasumi showed him the complete series she had collected and let him read it since he looked bored. The reason Ranma was so into it was because he felt he had a lot in common with the leading male character, Keitaro Urashima. Both he and Keitaro had their own problems with women which a lot of guy would think were a blessing. Ranma had a host of gorgeous girls chasing him while Keitaro lived with another group of equally attractive females. The problem was that the girls in Ranma's life resorted to violence way too often to solve their problems, while Keitaro had the girls in his life jump to conclusions and not bother to ask questions later. Both Ranma and Keitaro had their own dreams which not a whole lot of people cared to listen to, but supported now and then. Ranma wanted to be the best in his generation while Keitaro wanted to fulfill his promise and dream of going to Tokyo University with his childhood friend. Ranma had the Wrecking Crew to help him with all the fights they kept giving him while the girls of Hinata House would lend support or help Keitaro study since their friend Naru Narusegawa was trying for Tokyo U as well.

It was the ending which got Ranma to envy the former third year ronin. All the girls truly loved Keitaro in their own way and bonded to become their own happy family. Ranma didn't have a whole lot of that. The fiancees would selfishly demand his attention, only a little more forcibly since the failed wedding. His own family was still harping on him to do what they wanted. To be fair though, his mother was more understanding, since choosing a wife out of his numerous engagements was a very big choice. It didn't stop his father and Mr. Tendo from hounding him to marry Akane every chance it seemed they were getting closer.

Back to the story, Ranma was reading the first volume of Love Hina again when a duck holding a mirror came flaying through the window before trying to point the glass surface at Ranma. The pigtailed martial artists quickly recognized Mousse's cursed form and ducked for cover. (Pardon the pun.) Not two seconds after, Shampoo came crashing through the wall crying for Ranam not to look into the mirror as she tried to get it back from Mousse. Cologne hopped in after her great-granddaughter and proceeded to try and get the mirror away from Mousse before he spoiled their plans or did something to make the romantic situation between Ranma and Shampoo even worse.

Mousse's own lack of eyesight proved to be his undoing as he crashed into a ceiling light, dropping the mirror to the floor. Shampoo, seeing her chance, dove for the mirror so as to try to savage her plan of ensnaring Ranma. Ranma likewise guessed that the mirror must be some kind of magic artifact that he would spell bad news for him if the Amazons got it so he dived for it as well. The volume of Love Hina was still tucked in his hand as he managed to catch the mirror before Shampoo. He then leaped back to get some breathing space from the Amazons. Cologne attempted to coax Ranma into giving back the mirror before something bad happened, but the Nerima chaos factor intervened again. When Ranma shifted his grip on the mirror, the reflective surface landed on a picture of Keitaro Urashima looking right back at it. The mirror instantly activated, blinding Ranma to the world before it faded back into the surroundings he was currently walking through.

Presently...

"Okay," He muttered to himself, looking around. "So I am currently in a place which looks eerily similar to Hinata Hot Spirings and I'm positive that the funky mirror had something to do with it."

As amazing as it was, he was right. Ranma had woken up alone near some trees with a travel bag slung over his shoulder and the mirror clutched in his right hand. He had long since put the mirror into his bag and started walking.

"Okay Ranma," the pigtailed martial artist sighed. "What are you gonna do now?"

The first thing Ranma did was look through his bag. He found a few sets of clothes and toiletries which a male would need. Thankfully his curse didn't seem to be active at the moment. He didn't get his hopes up though. Very few things could affect Jusenkyo curses. Further digging into the bag revealed several university level textbooks which would normally make Ranma's head spin. When he saw them, a voice at the back of his head was telling him what a number of the terms and other things meant. Slightly unnerved, he had continued digging until he finally found a wallet. Flipping it open, he found a piece of I.D. which helped him understand who he was.

"Ranma Urashima?" he blinked as he looked at the piece of plastic. "19 years old. Weird. I still feel like I'm 16. Oh well."

With all this information about his name, Ranma felt only slightly surprised when he found exam study materials and some papers pertaining to tests and quizzes for the cram school he was apparently attending. In all, this was beginning to feel very familiar to him.

"So...am I actually in Love Hina?" he muttered to himself in shock. He wouldn't put it past something the Amazons held in their possession. Shampoo seemed downright desperate to get her hands on that mirror. Cologne seemed just as desperate as her great-granddaughter.

"It would explain why Duck-boy was trying to get me to look at it," Ranma sighed. "If this is what it does then I'm glad I don't have to worry about him trying again."

After sighing to get some of the fatigue out of his system, he tried looking at the brighter side of things, "Ah well. If I was going to be stuck in a manga then I guess this is a pretty good one. I could have ended up in Evangelion or something. I could go without trying to save the world from Angels thank-you very much."

Putting his things back into the bag, Ranma continued walking. He had to decide what he was going to do next. The voice at the back of his head was telling him that his parents had kicked him out of the house for failing his Tokyo U entrance exam for the second time. It also told him that his grandmother ran a hotel in the area and that she might be able to take him in for a while.

"But the old lady's not there," Ranma reminded himself. "Not only that, but the hotel is now a girls dorm with most of the people there having hang-ups about perverts. I'd better watch my step."

Despite his numerous beatings dealt by Akane, Ranma acknowledged that he had deserved it on some level or another. Granted, the force Akane used for something as little as name calling was a little excessive, but still deserving. Keitaro on the other hand didn't deserve nearly as much. Sure, he may have had a problem with personal space or reading occupied signs, but the guy was just terminally clumsy with some of the worst luck in the world. Ranma figured that he didn't really deserve as many of the attacks he received.

Thinking about attacks got Ranma thinking about the resident swordswoman, Motoko Aoyama. He had seen several of her techniques and often wondered what it would be like to go against her. The thought made him grin. His grin only widened when he thought about fighting her older sister Tsuruko. Now that would be a fight to remember. Tsuruko had completely mastered her blade to a degree which had Ranma knowing that he wouldn't get out unscathed. That would make the fight even better since most of the Wrecking Crew couldn't even touch him anymore. Not since Saffron anyway.

Naru would be a little boring though. Her strengths were the same as Akane's; Pure power and nothing else. At least Naru had an excuse. She wasn't a martial artist. Akane on the other hand was raised by one and her skills were mediocre at best. Not to mention that her discipline was crap. He could at least admit it to himself, but he would get a serious thumping if he even hinted at it out loud. Luckily Naru was an understanding girl most of the time so he figured he wouldn't have any trouble, or at least very little of it.

Before he could continue with any further musing about the girls he was bound to meet, his feet stopped at a mountain of stairs which went straight up. Ranma returned his thoughts to reality as he could see Hinata House at the top of the hill.

"Better see Haruka first," Ranma reminded himself, feeling a subconscious urge to go to Hinata House first. He knew what was waiting for him up there.

He silently walked up the stone steps while wracking his brains about everything he knew about Keitaro and his family. He knew Keitaro's promise back when he was young, which was a focus point in the manga so he was safe for when the subject would come up. He knew Keitaro's parents ran a confectionary which he knew was famous for the sweets it made. He also knew that Keitaro's parents were trying to pressure him into the family business, despite what Keitaro wanted to do. He knew Keitaro had two friends named Shirai and Haitani who were definite perverts. Keitaro also had an adopted little sister who was very attractive in her own gothic way. She was also deeply in love with her older brother. Ironically though, she hated sweets which made growing up with the Urashima parents somewhat tough since they liked to check with her on how their sweets tasted. Finally, there was Haruka. She was the chain-smoking tough girl who hated to be reminded of her age and her former relationship with the archeology professor Seta. She was still a tough girl and she definitely did not look her age. Ranma figured she was in her late twenties when he first saw her in the series.

His stopped is musings when he came to the cafe which Haruka ran to get some extra spending money for the dorm. Heaving a sigh, he gripped the door handle and opened it wide. Inside was the generic cafe layout with no customers oddly enough. Sitting at counter was none of than the black-haired woman herself. She was wearing her simple white sweater with a skirt and an apron with the cafe logo on it. She was reading a newspaper with a lit cigarette in her mouth. As the bell rang to announce a customer, she looked at Ranma with a smile.

"Well, well," she smiled slightly. "You sure a sight for sore eyes. How have you been Ranma?"

A little shocked at the welcoming smile, Ranma tried to keep his cool and continue as if he knew the woman, which technically he did, "All things considered, I'm doing okay."

"Oh really?" Haruka blinked, her smile fading for a moment. "So something bad happened and you're trying to hide it. Aren't you?"

"So much for dropping it gently," Ranma sighed. He then took a seat across from his 'aunt'. "To say the least, Mom and Pop kicked me out after failing the Tokyo U entrance exam."

Haruka sighed and shook her head. She folded up the newspaper and leaned back in her chair before taking another drag of her cancer stick. "Frankly, I'm not surprised. I understand your parents were really pushing for you to join their little business."

"Yeah well," Ranma grumbled. He was a little surprised how comfortable he was getting in talking to the older woman in front of him. "They may like making candy and stuff, but it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"But they are your parents." Haruka pointed out with another slight smile. "It explains where you get your hard head and stubborness from."

"Boy does it ever," Ranma sighed, playing with his pigtail. Seems his parents and Keitaro's needed a lesson or two in listening to what other people had to say.

"So, moving on," Haruka spoke up. "You need a place to stay, don't you? Why else would you come all the way here after getting thrown out?"

"It's creepy when you can read between the lines like that," Ranma frowned, causing Haruka to snort in amusement. "But yeah, I do. I was hoping maybe Grandma had a vacancy or something. I've got enough money to pay and I do need a place to study for the next exams."

"Well, I'd love to help, but," Haruka sighed sadly. She really hated letting her nephew down like this. "Granny Hina isn't here. She went off on a world-wide sightseeing tour a while back. We only get the odd fax from her every now and again."

"Just my luck," Ranma sighed, fully expecting this. Now he just had to wait for the other shoe to drop.

"She also decided to turn her failing inn into a dorm for girls," Haruka continued. "Unless you somehow magically lose your manhood and sprout a pair of breasts in the next five minutes, I think you're out of luck kiddo."

Ranma snickered sadly at the irony. This was probably one of the few situations where his curse would come in handy. If he still had it in this world, then he might use it later, but he didn't want to be painted as a perverted freak.

"Shoot," Ranma grumbled. "Maybe I could stay in the cafe or something? Could we talk to the girls that live in the dorm now? They can't be totally unreasonable, can they?"

'If you only knew,' Haruka thought inwardly, knowing very well at least one resident's view on men in general. She then spoke up, "I suppose we could try to convince them. Just give me a few minutes to..."

She was cut off as the door opened to some more customers who were coming in for something to eat. Recognizing his cue to leave, Ranma picked up his bag and aimed for the door, "I'll wait for you up at the house. Take your time."

Haruka wanted to try and warn him, but he was already gone. Shaking her head, she silently prayed for the gods to have mercy on the poor boy. Although, she got the nagging feeling in the back of her head that he might not need it.

Ranma shut the door to the cafe and continued to walk up the stairs to the dorm. When he reached the top, he took a moment to admire it. Hinata House looked just as magical as it did in the pictures in the manga. It often said that it could grant a person's wish so long as they never gave up. Ranma silently hoped that maybe this would happen for him. He may not be the original Urashima who was supposed to come here, but everyone else thought he was so he had a promise to keep. If there was something both Ranma and Keitaro believed in, it was keeping promises.

"Well, here it is," Ranma couldn't help but smile. "Hinata House."

Steeling himself, Ranma walked to the door and noticed the sign that said it was a girls dorm. How Keitaro had missed it, Ranma could never figure out. Stepping inside, he saw several sets of indoor slippers near the door which hinted to other residents. Looking at the nice decor, Ranma decided to try and catch someone's attention, if anyone could hear him.

"Hello?" he called. "Can anyone hear me?"

There was no answer, which didn't surprise Ranma. When Keitaro showed up, no one was any wiser that he was there until Naru walked in on him in the hot spring and accidentaly fondled him thinking he was Kitsune. That girl's eyesight was as bad as Mousse's sometimes.

'Okay,' Ranma thought inwardly as he stepped deeper into the lobby. 'If I remember right, Kitsune and Naru are probably somewhere on the upper floors before deciding to go to take a bath, Shinobu is doing laundry which she lets air dry on the top floor, Motoko likes to practice up there, and Su is glued to her most of the time. No one is going to be on the first floor for a while so might as well get comfortable and hope Haruka finishes up soon.'

Figuring that he was going smoothly at the moment, Ranma stepped into the lobby and into the living room where several chairs, couches, and a television set were kept. Placing his bag on the ground, he sat on the couch and leaned back for some rest. His day had been weird even by his standards and some rest would definitely be appreciated.

As Ranma sat down, he felt some tension leave his body. He had learned to enjoy his moments of relaxation whenever he could get them. People would usually just end up attacking him for some reason or another. He could expect it here in Hinata House for a while after Granny Hina finally sends him the papers making him the new manager. That was not going to go over well with them for a while.

His senses suddenly perked up when he heard someone running down the hall. It was a quick patting sound which signaled bare feet running on the floor. Ranma opened his eyes and turned to see who was coming. What he saw was a tanned blur flying at him with a foot outstretched.

"Heyas!" the blur cheered happily as it soared at Ranma.

Ranma reacted quickly and ducked underneath the blow, letting the tanned blur shoot past him. The blur collided with the chair opposite with a soft thud. Ranma turned to see who had leaped at him. Who he found was a girl in a school uniform, elementary if he guessed right, and her skin was a nice bronze. Her hair was blonde with a small dot in the middle of her forehead. Ranma instantly recognized her. This was the hyperactive foreigner, Kaolla Su.

Su blinked in surprise. She then broke into a huge grin. "Wow! That was so cool! You're really good!"

"Thanks," Ranma nodded. He decided to play his part to keep from being seen as weird. "Uh...who are you?"

"My name's Su!" the foreign girl giggled as she scrambled into a sitting position on the chair. The smile didn't leave her face. "Are you here to play with me?"

"Um...no," Ranma replied. "My name's Ranma Urashima. Where is everyone? Haruka was hoping to talk to the girls living here."

"I know! I know!" Su cheered while waving a hand in the air like she was in a class. "I'll show you! C'mon!"

Su leaped forward from her chair and grabbed Ranma's hand. He knew she was strong from some of the manga he read, but it was still surprising to feel the real thing. Su tugged at Ranma's arm, yanking him out of his seat and to the stairs. He could feel that some kind of bad vibe coming from this, but he figured that if he was with one of the girls that lived in the house then he would be okay. Su dragged him up the stairs onto the second floor. She giggled the whole way like a kid who just got a new toy. Ranma didn't notice anyone on the second floor and he knew that both Kitsune and Su lived on that floor so if the squinty-eyed party girl wasn't there, then she was probably in the bath with Naru by now. Su continued to drag Ranma by the arm up yet another set of stairs.

Su's drag along tour came to an abrupt halt when both she and Ranma crashed into something that was just heading down the stairs. They both tumbled to the wooden floor and Ranma could feel fabric falling on his body as he began to get his bearings straight.

"Oopsie!" Su giggled as she sat up. Ranma noticed that she had a large samurai gi draped over her shoulders. It was definitely Motoko's.

"Su?" a new feminine voice asked. Ranma turned to see a girl around Su's age. She had short purple hair and what looked like an innocent face from what Ranma could see that wasn't blocked by the sweater that had landed on her head. "Is that you? Is there someone with you?"

"Yep!" Su laughed. "I found him downstairs! He's really cool! He dodged my 'heyas kick'!"

"Huh?" Shinobu blinked as she got the sweater off her head. Her eyes focused on Ranma, who had several of the fallen clothes in his hands. Some of them were obviously panties.

"Hi. I'm-" Ranma began, but he was interrupted.

"KYAAAAAHHHH!" Shinobu screamed. "A thief!"

Ranma knew that this was going to turn out badly. Shinobu had freaked out just like in the manga. It was what set off the chain of events that had initially gotten Keitaro branded as a pervert. If he was right, then someone was going to show up in the next few seconds.

"A thief!" a new, more mature female voice spoke up.

Ranma could feel the new ki approaching. This one was definitely not a kid. This one was a young woman who had extensive training and experience in martial arts. The tight reign on her ki was enough of a clue to tell him that. He didn't even need to turn to know that he was now in the company of the raven-haired swordswoman Motoko Aoyama. This was probably not going to be a peaceful experience.

"So this vile male thinks he can steal women's undergarments," Motoko growled as she glared at Ranma's back. He hand was gripped securely on her sword.

"Hold on a sec!" Ranma cried as he turned to face her. He had to admit, she was very attractive. This wasn't the time to think about that though. "I am no thief! If you'd just let me explain-!"

"Enough!" Motoko snapped as she drew her sword. "I will have none of your lies male! Now pay for your crimes! Air-Cutting Flash!"

Motoko slashed through the air and sent a wave of ki through the air. Apparently Motoko was confident in her abilities and didn't expect to go against a martial artist. Ranma's mind instantly went into combat mode as he checked his surroundings. A: Two girls behind him who may or may not have experience like this. His knowledge of what went on in Hinata House before Keitaro arrived was non-existent. B: there was a wave of ki which was proven to be able to cut through large boulders, unlike that moron Kuno who could only manage watermelons, wood, and gouge into stone. C: User of said ki was an accomplished and experienced swordswoman who had a definite hang-up about perverts. With all these concepts in mind, his mind came to a single conclusion.

Acting quickly, Ranma drew his arms back and began to concentrate his ki, mixed with his confidence, into his cupped hands. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. As the ki began to be collected in Ranma's hands, Motoko also noticed it and her eyes widened in shock at what she was seeing.

"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma called before launching his sphere at the wave of ki that was coming at him.

BOOM!

The resulting explosion shook the walls of Hinata House and dust got kicked up. Shinobu and Su couldn't see a single thing as both Motoko and Ranma had gotten engulfed inside of the large dust cloud.

"WOW!" Su cheered happily. "I didn't know there were other people besides Motoko who could use that ki stuff."

Shinobu was just stunned silent. She was completely surprised to not only see a guy in Hinata House, but also seeing something like this happening at the same time.

'I don't believe this!' Motoko thought, cursing herself. 'I didn't even think that this male was a martial artist!'

Motoko let her senses expand to try and sense where the male was. She couldn't hear his movements, which hinted that he was experienced at martial arts. She would have to be careful lest this perverted fool actually get away. Suddenly, her senses snapped as she felt someone approaching at a quick pace. Gripping her blade, she focused a small amount of her ki into it and swung, aiming to take the pervert down.

"Hah!" she cried. The collected ki released, blowing the dust away and letting everyone see what was happening. Ranma was not on the receiving end of the attack, as Motoko had been expecting. He was actually in the air as he was soaring over the attack, meaning he had felt it coming and managed to dodge it. Both martial artists caught each other's eyes and there was a brief connection. It was an acknowledgement of each others skills. Motoko accepted that Ranma was a commendable martial artist since he was agile enough to dodge her attack while Ranma accepted that Motoko was an experienced swordswoman with the mastery of the skills she was throwing around.

The moment was over as Ranma came back to the ground and turned to see Motoko recovering from missing. She quickly turned to face Ranma with a frown on her face.

"Watch it next time!" Ranma sighed. "You could have really hurt someone. Namely me!"

"That was the idea, pervert!" Motoko frowned as she took another battle stance.

"Now hold on one second!" Ranma snapped. "Just how am I a pervert?"

"You were stealing our underwear!" Motoko hissed. "I saw you collecting it in your hands! You even scared Shinobu!"

"That was an accident!" Ranma cried. "Su was dragging me and we-!"

"Enough!" Motoko snapped in reply. "Taste my blade!"

Motoko charged forward with her blade raised. Although Ranma was tempted to fight the swordswoman right where she was, this wasn't like fighting Kuno, who was a wanna-be in a lot of ways. Motoko had experience and true skill to back up her pride. If they fought in the hall, then there would be a lot of destruction that he would have to pay for. Su and Shinobu might get caught in the crossfire. That was something he didn't want to risk.

"This is no place to fight," Ranma frowned as he watched Motoko charge. "We'll take this to the roof!"

Ranma then turned tail and ran for the stairs. Motoko just continued to chase him while making various threats that each sounded painful. With the two younger girls, Su wanted to see who was going to win so she was instantly up on her feet. She grabbed Shinobu's hand and began dragging the young chef along with her.

"C'mon!" Su cheered. "I wanna see the fight! It's gonna be so cool!"

"Ah!" Shinobu gasped as Su's strength was put to the purpose of bringing her along.

Ranma dashed down the halls as he headed towards the stairs that would lead towards the roof. Well, if he remembered properly from the manga he read. Motoko was still running at an even pace behind him. She was one determined woman who was still intent on destroying her target. Further behind her was Su dragging Su along. In all, it was a strange chase that was coming.

It was about to get wilder.

"What's all this yelling about?" a new female voice shouted as two sets of feet could be heard coming up another set of stairs. Ranma inwardly cursed at his rising situation. It seemed either his or Keitaro's luck was still going on strong. It figured that Naru and Kitsune would appear in front of him rather than somewhere behind, never mind actually hearing the commotion all the way in the Hot springs. Well, maybe they were already out or something.

"It's a pervert!" Motoko cried as she continued chasing Ranma.

"What!" cried the female voice. Ranma looked up ahead to see the red-headed Naru and her squinty-eyed friend Kitsune turned around the corner. Naru was already looking ticked while Kitsune had her usual suspicious frown. The older girl was a party girl by heart so she was used to guys being pervy, but it didn't mean she appreciated all the attentions a guy could give.

"I got him!" Naru cried as she reared back her fist for one of her 'Naru Punch' attacks.

Ranma saw it coming a mile away. As Naru unleashed her devastating punch, Ranma had already begun his leap into the air. He went right over Naru's punch as the long-haired girl stumbled slightly from overextending her reach. Ranma really didn't remain long enough to see if she regained her balance or not. Motoko was right on his heels and knowing Kitsune, she might convince Su to start using some of her inventions to try and subdue him. The roof was his only chance for some space and probably his chance of escape.

Leaving Naru to curse about her aim, Ranma bolted up the last set of stairs. He found himself in the open air and standing on the wooden roof of Hinata House. If he wasn't one of the types who could jump off a three-story building without a thought, Ranma might have figured that he was royally screwed. As it was, this was just a battlefield he could take advantage of. Of course, the only one he might have problems with was Motoko since she was an actual fighter. Still, he really didn't want to actually hurt these girls unless he had one hell of a good reason. Being in the middle of a misunderstanding definitely was not one of those kinds of reasons.

"We got you now!" Naru's voice called from behind.

Ranma turned around to see the girls of Hinata House behind him. The three eldest looked ready to throttle him.

"Look," Ranma tried to reason with them. "This is just a misunderstanding."

"I think not," Motoko frowned as she raised her sword. "Now we shall dispense justice."

Ranma felt his muscles tense as he prepared to move. These girls weren't kidding with their threats as they prepared to hit him. While Ranma could dodge them all day, he didn't exactly feel like it. Besides, it would only make Naru and Motoko more determined to hit him.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called from the stairs behind the girls. "Would you mind not killing my nephew?"

Everyone turned to the stairs and saw Haruka. She looked as calm as ever with a cigarette in her mouth and her arms crossed.

"Nice timing Haruka," Ranma smiled. "Finished your business?"

"I heard some explosions and decided that I had better haul my butt up here before someone got killed," Haruka frowned.

"Great timing Haruka!" Naru spoke up. "We caught a pervert!"

"I am not a pervert!" Ranma snapped angrily. What was it with girls seeing every guy as a pervert?

"Enough," Haruka sighed, effectively silencing everyone. They all knew not to mess with the woman. "Better. Now let's take this inside before another fight breaks out."

"Absolutely not!" Naru cried out angrily.

The residents of Hinata House and the single male relocated their argument to the living room. Both Haruka and Ranma explained the situation. Once Ranma asked the fateful question, Naru was up in arms.

"There's no way we can let a sicko like you stay!" she cried.

"And what makes me a sicko!" Ranma asked angrily, remembering why he didn't like Naru in the beginning of the series.

"Because you're a perverted panty thief!" Naru retorted. "You tried to make off with out underwear and terrified Shinobu!"

"Um…," the younger girl spoke up. "I was really more surprised than anything, but you are a little intimidating Mr. Urashima."

"Really?" Ranma blinked. He began to scratch the base of his pigtail when he heard the girl speak. Was he really intimidating? "Uh…sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It..it's okay," Shinobu blushed. She definitely wasn't used to being the centre of attention.

"It doesn't change the fact that we can't let a guy stay here!" Naru frowned.

"I'm not asking you to do something impossible," Ranma sighed. "I'm just one guy. You all outnumber me anyway."

Naru calmed down at Ranma's words. Motoko also took them into consideration. They did outnumber him and would be capable of keeping an eye on him. With the thoughts of pervert bashing entering their minds, they had forgotten about the things Ranma had done to avoid getting hit.

"He's got a point," Haruka nodded. "Besides, I doubt he'd be too busy studying for Tokyo U to do anything dumb."

"TOKYO U!" four of the five girls cried out. Their gazes turned straight to Ranma. Only Su seemed to be confused about what was going on.

"Yeah. I'm studying for Tokyo U," Ranma answered.

Kitsune began to smile as she heard Ranma's confirmation. Here was a Tokyo U hopeful right at her feet. If he managed to get in then he might be able to strike it rich. He was perfect for her master plan!

"Well, if that's the case then I think he can stay," the elder blonde smiled as she sat up. "After all, if he wants in then he'll have to work hard. There will be no time for girls."

"Kitsune has a point," Motoko reluctantly nodded. "If Urashima expects to get into Tokyo U then he will not allow himself to be perverted. I think we can keep him in line."

"Yay! I want him to stay too!" Su giggled. "He's so much fun!"

"Um…I don't mind if he stays," Shinobu added shyly.

Naru sighed. She knew when she was beaten. There was no helping it. it looked like the pervert was going to stay, "Fine! He can stay for now."

All the girls turned to Ranma and nodded to him, "Welcome to Hinata House!"

To Be Continued…