Chapter 3

Ranma woke up when he was thrown out the window. He hit the koi pond with a splash. Ranma, now a girl, gasped for breath. She turned to see her father land in front of her. She gave him a heated glare and stepped out of the pond. Genma gulped in fear a little but steeled himself in front of his son.

"That was sloppy boy, you must be aware at all…" He cut off as Ranma slammed his fist into Genma's gut. She grabbed his head and slammed her knee into his face. Stunned at his son's viciousness, Ranma hit him with some shiatsu points that rendered him unable to move.

"Stupid fat pig, I should change you and skin you alive. That's what I should do." Ranma muttered. She walked back into the house. She ignored Kasumi and Soun who greeted her. She ignore Nabiki who was did the same. He didn't even glance at Akane and continued on to his room. She grabbed a towel and entered the bathroom. She rinsed herself off before entering the furo where she changed back.

As he laid in the furo, he began to think back to his plan. He realized that there were a few holes in his plans. Originally, he was going to get his passport renewed and go back to China. After what Nabiki told him, he realized that it would take some time to get his passport renewed. He figured that he could buy a passport but that could cost a lot and he would not have enough to pay for the damages that he caused. He could fix the damages himself with the construction work he did in China but he needed to buy the supplies.

Then there was his plan to create his own style. Truth be told, he actually like the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū (Anything Goes Martial Arts). It was the style he was taught and it was the style that had helped him win many fights. He knew the philosophy of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū and believed it to be one of the best things on earth. He was too rooted in that philosophy and he wanted to base his style off that but he knew that anyone who learned from him would say that it's just like the Saotome School of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū. That was something he did not want.

Then there was the final thing that came to his mind, his mother. He could not remember who she was and what she looked like. He so wanted to meet her and let her see that he had become the man that she wanted. However, he was scared of what his mother may do if she saw his curse. He read the entry of his father's journal very clear. Would she find it unmanly if he could change genders? Would she really kill him if that was the case? It was a risk he was not willing to take until he found a cure or if there wasn't one, she would accept the curse.

He sighed and got out of the furo. He toweled off and got dressed in a pair of baggy pants and a red sleeveless Chinese shirt (Think of Yang's outfit from Street Fighter). He walked down to the Tendo living room. When he got there, he found Genma, Soun and Kasumi waiting for him. He didn't like the looks on the adults' faces. He decided to play along and sat down facing them. The situation was tense which Kasumi couldn't help but notice.

"Something on your mind pops?" Ranma asked.

"Yes boy, I have noticed that you are not taking this engagement seriously. That is why I have decided that you will marry Akane and unite the schools." Genma said.

"Why would I marry any Tendo? I thought I made it clear to you when I plowed your ass through a wall?" Ranma said with an edge.

"Now son, this is for the good of the schools. With this union, the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū will become much stronger than it is." Soun explained.

"And what if your daughter Akane has someone else she likes? I'm just suppose to ignore her feelings? What kind of father are you? Does the happiness of your own children mean so little to you?" Ranma said rudely. Genma looked to Soun and saw that he did not like what Ranma just said to him.

"That's enough boy, this is a matter of honor and you will do this!" Genma ordered.

"You think that I'm going to sit by after what I found out about you? You think you can control my life after that? Let me say this to you two and I'll say it slowly so that it sinks in; I'm not marrying any of your daughters. I'm not helping you unite the schools. I want nothing to do with the Tendo School and I want nothing to do with you old man. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." Ranma said. He stood up and went back upstairs. Soun turned to his friend with anger clearly in his eyes.

"What type of son did you raise Genma? Who does he think he is to question me like that?" Soun snarled.

"I am sorry my friend, I apologize on behalf of my son. He's just going through a phase; he will come out of it eventually. The schools will be united my friend, that much is certain." Genma said. That calmed him down some. Kasumi watched the two and then looked at the stairs. She was very uncertain about things. She did not believe that this was a phase. She would have to talk to her sisters about this development.

It was now five in the afternoon and Ranma's mood had soured a little more. It seems that Nabiki was right about the passport. He so wanted to knock out his father for his stupidity. He had to be detained by officers after the agent learned that his passport was not a real passport. He was calm about it and the officers treated him well. After he explained things to the agent and the manager, they allowed him to file for a real passport. The agent warned him however that the process was slow and it may take a year for him to get it. They further explained to him that his traveling rights would be denied up to three months because of fake passport.

He sighed as he entered the Tendo compound. This day was one problem after another. As he was about to enter the house, he heard an angry shout and the sound of bricks breaking. Curious, he went to the dojo. He looked inside and saw Akane slam her fist into another stack of bricks. She huffed and puffed as she looked at the bricks in anger. She turned to see Ranma standing in the door way. She glared at him which confused Ranma. She gave him an unladylike snort and went back to her exercises. Ranma just shrugged and went into the house. When he entered, he saw his father and Soun playing go. He ignored them and made his way upstairs. Kasumi poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Ranma, dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Kasumi informed him.

"Thanks Ms. Tendo, is Nabiki in her room?" Ranma asked.

"Yes she is." Kasumi said in a sad tone. Ranma walked up the stairs to Nabiki's room. He knocked on the door and he was allowed entry. He looked to see that she was doing homework.

"What can I do for you Ranma?" Nabiki asked.

"I was wondering if we can work out some sort of payment plan." Ranma said.

"A payment plan for what?" she asked.

"It looks like you were right about the passport and it looks like that I'll be here for a long while. Since I really don't wish to live off your family, I want to pay for room and board." Ranma said. He pulled out a stack of yen and placed it in front of her. Nabiki was surprised by the amount.

"What did you do in China?" Nabiki asked.

"Mostly farm work and construction, I competed in a very contests that the village held, will this cover the month of my stay?" Ranma asked. Nabiki looked at the stack and nodded.

"Yeah, this should cover the month but what will you do next month? I'm assuming that you will be paying for your room and board until everything clears?"

"Don't worry about it; I'll handle that as it comes along. So, you'll write up a contract for me, I'll sign it and this stack," Ranma took the bills away from her. "Will become yours."

"What, you don't trust me?" Nabiki asked in mock hurt. Ranma smirked at her.

"I may respect your honesty but that doesn't translate into trust." He said. She just smirked back at him.

"You're smarter than I first thought. I think we'll get along fine."

"Nabiki, Ranma, dinner is ready." Kasumi called out.

"Guess it's time to face the firing squad." Ranma said with a sigh. Nabiki chuckled as the two made their way down to the dinner table.

Dinner was a quiet affair and after it was over, Ranma was in the dojo. He was doing various kata forms, making mental notes in his head. He decided to improve those kata forms for his style of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū. He had come to a decision while he was being detained. He figured that he could talk to the founder of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū. He would have the authority to allow him to begin his own branch of the style. He remeber a time when his father mentioned him as if he was alive. If that was true, he would be three hundred years old. He knew that his father or Soun would not give up the name of the founder so he would have to ask Nabiki for another favor. While he waited, he could learn from a couple of masters in the area. He would build up his style and then present it to the founder.

He came to a stop and sat down in the middle of the room. He took a several deep breaths and began to mediate. It was an exercise that he was taught to get control of the Nekoken (Cat Fist). As he was getting into the exercise, he felt someone enter the dojo. He opened his eyes to see Kasumi. She walked up to him and sat in front of him. He was intrigued by this and decided to give her his attention. Seeing that he was paying attention to her, Kasumi took a deep breath and faced him.

"I understand that you were displeased by how we treated you and I, myself, would like to apologize for how I acted." Kasumi said. Ranma nodded and she continued. "I would also like to inform you that your father is sending you to the same school that Akane and Nabiki go to. They figure that it would make you and Akane closer."

"Thank you for informing me about that. However, I must ask why. Why tell me this?" Ranma asked.

"I just want things to run smoothly in the household. I know that you are against the engagement and that you have issues with your father but I do not believe that projecting your displeasure onto others is the way to go about it. Your actions have brought a tension in this household that I am not pleased with."

"So you are already passing judgment on me for what has happened in your household?" Ranma asked with an edge.

"Did you have to speak to my father that way?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I'm quite confused by your words. You nor your sisters want anything to do with this engagement and here you are defending your father who wants to force your little sister into a marriage that she does not want." He said.

"It is a matter of family honor,"

"Something that my father cares nothing about!" Ranma exclaimed, cutting her off. "I'm not going to respect a man who would do that to her own child, family honor or not. If that is all Ms. Tendo, I would like to go back to my meditation." The two looked at each other before Kasumi sighed.

"Very well then, yet I ask that you calm down a bit and please keep your comments of my father to yourself." She said.

"Fine, is that all?" Ranma asked.

"Yes."

"Good night Ms. Tendo." Ranma returned to his meditation exercise as Kasumi stood and left. She exited the dojo and made her way to the house. She paused and looked back toward the dojo with sad eyes. The talk did not go as she planned. She realized that he was right and that she was passing judgment on him. She just wanted the tension she was feeling to go away. She knew that it was not Ranma's fault but family honor needed to be satisfied. That was something that she was taught from an early age. She was just trying to get Ranma to understand that. With a sigh, Kasumi entered the house.

Elsewhere, Nabiki put down the headphones. She knew that Kasumi was going to talk to Ranma and activated the microphones she placed in the dojo. While she was a bit angry that Ranma spoke to her that way, she had to admit that he was in the right. She would need to be careful how to deal with Ranma Saotome. She will admit that he was not the typical jock. She decided to turn in. She would observe Ranma a bit more until she decided to either help him or use him.