Rewind and Replay

by patrioticmerc

Ranma and Akane die at Jusendo and are flung back in time to the first day they met. With knowledge of what they went through, they are preparing themselves. There is more to their return, they find out, as even more supernatural beings are involved. What does a Phoenix and a Dragon have to do with it? Ranma needs to overcome his PTSD as well or someone might get hurt.

4. Rewind and Replay Ch04 Confrontations

Characters from the manga, Ranma 1/2 are the product of Rumiko Takahashi. This fanfiction is not for commercial use and is only for the writer's and readers' imaginations and enjoyment. I've also taken some characters from Tsukumomo as additions to the story (not a crossover per se, just using and abusing them).

I'd also like to bring attention to a manga I read recently called "Koe no Katachi", otherwise known as "A Silent Voice" or "The Shape of Voice". It is a manga that deals with the bullying of a deaf girl that morphs into the bullying of the bully. There is a lot of remorse and growth that I found to be quite moving.

I hope you enjoy!

Rewind and Replay

Chapter Four: Confrontations

0700, Saturday, 26 May

On Saturday morning, Akane was wearing one of the new outfits they had ordered, tailored to fit her. There had been a package waiting for them after they had returned from the hospital the day before. Today, she wanted to try this one out, since it was for fighting outside of school. It was comfortable, versatile and fashionable all at the same time. The two had dubbed it a combat dress. There were leggings that came down to mid-thigh, ensuring she wouldn't be giving the male populace any peepshows. The skirt was shy of knee-length and had been designed to come apart on the sides for mobility with a combination of hook and pile tape, otherwise known as Velcro, and snaps. As to the fashionable aspect, it had an upper portion that fit her womanly proportions perfectly. A design of flames rose from her hips up to her shoulders, then splashing down the sleeves that terminated at her elbows. Seeing it on Akane was a bit distracting for Ranma, but he managed to keep his desires in check.

With the time available to them that weekend, Ranma was able to focus on Akane's training again. It had been frustrating to lose a week to the intensive studying, but both knew it would pay itself out in spades later. Ranma had figured out a way to adapt the training Cologne had given him to raise Akane's speed. Having created a chest guard with several targets painted on it, he was having Akane attempt hitting them. The object of the exercise was for Akane to hit at least one by the end of an hour-long training session, if possible. Of course, as the day wore on, her arms would naturally tire from the exercise, making it just that much more difficult to accomplish. Personally, he didn't expect her to accomplish the feat on that day. In fact, he didn't see her doing so within the next week or two.

After their hour-long training, Akane was unable to raise her arms up without twinges of pain causing her to wince. Ranma took the chest guard off and set it aside. As she cooled down, stretched and relaxed her arms, he said, "All right, Akane. I'm changing things up until it's time for lunch." He fetched a hanbo, which was a half-length bo or quarterstaff. "Now that we finally went through all of the kata in the Anything Goes Martial Arts, let's work on your form. Since your dad hasn't taught you for a while, you've picked up some bad habits."

Agreeing, "He hasn't worked with me for six...no, make that eight...years. It was six years when you came, then two years if we count our time together before Jusendo." Having had to work out on her own as he had slowly disengaged himself from teaching, she had relied on her own perseverance and love for the Art.

"Right." Pointing to the center of the dojo, "Begin with the first set of kata."

Following his lead, Akane did as instructed. As she worked through the kata, Ranma used the hanbo in addition to showing her, his feet, hands and body to readjust her positions. When he did so, he explained what she was doing wrong. Such as overextending, not having adjusted to her increased reach or height or her hips, being too relaxed and a whole host of other deficiencies. He kept it all professional, not allowing his touch to linger more than necessary. One of the promises he had made to respect her.

Ranma finally called a halt when he spotted Nabiki's approach. Akane's body was worn out from her exertions.

"Hey, you two," Nabiki called from the door. "Kasumi has lunch ready." She noted Akane's dour look. "What's the matter, little sister? Training not going as well as you expected?" Her tone was amused to sting Akane's pride.

"I'm so far behind in my training," Akane whined.

Ranma listened impassively as he followed them into the house. He understood Akane's frustrations to some degree. But he did feel confident that she would break through her barriers faster than she could realize at the moment. As with any training or learning, it was all based upon the individual's capacity and dedication. For now, Akane was giving it her all, despite any imprecations she directed at herself. The focus she had right now eclipsed any she had maintained before. It was likely due to the dire consequences they had faced and would face in the future. She didn't want to be left behind again nor be a hapless victim to circumstances.

Ranma had asked Kasumi to reach into her library of medical journals to provide the best nutrition for himself and Akane. Akane's training regimen had once again increased above her normal levels. Thus, their meals were currently receiving special care in the form of protein to rebuild muscles and calories to ensure they had the energy necessary. There would be no skimping on vitamins and minerals, of course. Soun and Genma listened quietly to the discussion the two continued during the meal about Akane's training and needs. They were impressed at how well-rounded Ranma's thoughts on the subject were, more so than either had ever considered. The idea had come to him when he had been perusing a workout magazine, reading an article that had some detail on the subject. While the boy was not able to keep up with much of the terminology Kasumi put forth, he quickly absorbed the information and explanations for future reference. Later, as he pondered what he learned, he would wonder whether he could have been taller and broader than he was had he received the same nutritional needs he was getting for Akane.

As they ate, Akane was unable to follow anything outside of eating. She was having to battle Ranma with her chopsticks. It was another aspect of her training, of course. She would attempt to consume a morsel of fish or vegetable, only to find her mouth stuffed with rice. Alternatively, when she found she was able eat what she had collected, she was then forced to battle her way through a wall of a thousand chopsticks in order to get to the next one. Never was her mouth empty for long as she fed herself with Ranma's assistance. This, too, was done while Ranma's attention was diverted to the discussion with Kasumi.

All the while, Nabiki kept to herself with an inscrutable expression. For once, Kasumi was having an animated discussion with someone rather than a seemingly vapid existence. Since graduating, her sister had not had any of her friends around to take her out due to their attending college or Kasumi's absorption with the household. Nabiki was disappointed in her sister in this, as Kasumi's intelligence and talent were being wasted as a live-in caregiver for their father.

She was, on the other hand, pleasantly surprised to find that, even though he was the quintessential jock, Ranma was showing some intelligence outside of martial arts. Akane, of late, had seemed to have settled down in her own way. Her temper had been quelled, though not fully quenched, due to the intense training. Perhaps it had been dulled because she had to focus all of her energy into it rather than allowing said energy to drive her.

All of these observations pleased the middle Tendo for some reason.

Finished with their meal, Ranma took Akane for a roof-hopping run through the neighborhood. He led her on a merry chase, finding the highest walls and roofs along the way in order to challenge her. Just to show off, he did much of it using his hands rather than his feet to navigate the route. Every now and again he would show off some audacious moves. After a circuitous route that lasted for just over an hour, they arrived back at the dojo.

Akane entered, panting and dripping sweat. Before entering, Ranma shook the last of the water off that had been splashed on him when he had leapt into the path of a sprinkler. He smiled to himself at Akane's plight.

1400, Saturday, 26 May

The Furinkan Rhythmic Gymnastics Team members were assembled in the dojo. There were a total of eight in all. They had arrived with their backpacks and sleeping bags, fully prepared for an overnight stay. Their looks of trepidation upon finding Ranma waiting for them was evident. They had either witnessed his outburst or heard about it from others. The description of the latter had, of course, much like any other gossip, been worse than what had actually occurred. And it wasn't like the original had gone over all that well in the first place.

Ranma was on edge. Even though he had been the one to suggest having he girls over, his stress levels had risen significantly. The fact was that he was about to deal with one of his least favorite paramours. She had proven herself to be slightly unhinged and capable of doing harm to others with little to no remorse. His primary concern was Akane's well-being. This had caused his hypervigilance to kick into overdrive, making his demeanor seem as if he were aggravated. Which he was, of course, but not with their guests.

It had taken a lot of cajoling from Akane to convince the team captain, Rei Inoue, to get the girls to come. She stood next to Ranma as they were unlimbering their backpacks and began settling in. They had even brought groceries, snacks and drinks for their stay. Once they had done so, the group turned its attention to the martial artists.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Akane Tendo and this is Ranma Saotome." The two received a less-than-enthusiastic response from half of those gathered. Using one of her sunnier smiles, Akane continued, "As you may have heard from the captain, your first opponent is going to be St. Hebereke's School for Girls. We learned that Tatewaki Kuno's sister is one of the member of their team." The mention of Tatewaki Kuno was met with sour looks. His recent antics had not been received well. "Her name is Kodachi. When she was in Junior High, she was accused of attacking her opponents before any of the tournaments. Nobody was able to catch or beat her, so each time, they were forced to forfeit."

This set the girls to murmuring amongst themselves. One of the girls from their class spoke up. "So, what are we going to be doing here exactly? Are we staying here until our tournament, then?"

Ranma spoke up. "Akane talked with the captain about what we need to do for the tournament. In place of you girls, I'm going to fight Kodachi. Right now, she's too good for any of you in a fair fight. And she doesn't fight fair. We gathered you here to protect you from Kodachi. Like Akane said, she likes to attack before the tournaments. As far as your staying here, it's only until Kodachi does attack. After she does and finds out that I'm going to be her opponent, then you girls will be safe and can stay at your own places."

One of the girls, who hadn't seen his transformation, asked, "Is it true that you can turn into a girl, then?"

Akane confirmed it with a nod. As she did so, Kasumi and Nabiki showed up with tea and water. "Before anyone panics or gets the wrong idea, Ranma is not a pervert or a freak." The subject of her topic glanced over at her, his face unreadable at Akane's admission. "Just over a month ago, he and his father went to Jusenkyo, a place in China. He got cursed to turn into a girl." Several of the girls nodded, having seen the transformation for themselves. "He's not the only one to change, either. His father changes into a giant panda and Ryoga, the guy that showed up last week, also changes into a little pig."

Without a word, Ranma grabbed a glass of cold water. He demonstrated the transformation for them. The girls came up to confirm that he was, indeed, a girl. Taking his top off with his habitual tanktop on underneath, the girls saw that his body did have the requisite parts. All were privately jealous of his figure and bust. They appeared quite fascinated with the change, rather than frightened. Once they had completed their inspection, Ranma-onna dressed himself again.

The captain queried, "On the day Kuno did that thing against you...you said that the change is complete, right?" Blushing, Ranma-onna nodded, not able to meet their curious gazes. "Does that also mean that you..." She trailed off, making a downward sweeping motion in front of her lower abdomen.

Shuddering, Ranma-onna's blush deepened until his face was beet red, but he did not utter anything. His reaction caused everyone present to realize that he did menstruate. Akane paled at his admission. In the two years together, she had never realized that Ranma-onna was truly a girl in full when transformed. He had kept the secret from her and, to her knowledge, anyone aside from himself. It hadn't clicked even when the women repelling powder had worked on him when they had applied it to Happosai.

Unbeknownst to her, Ranma-onna had only been able to confide in the school's nurse, as she had been circumspect and sympathetic to his plight. Originally he had thought he had been injured somehow, as there had been cramps and other strange sensations emanating from within when he had gotten to school. It had been necessary, as Ranma-onna had become stricken when the blood had flowed from him and required the necessary lessons that came with it. The school's nurse had been the one to purchase the necessary panties and pads for him based on his amount of menstrual flow. All of this had occurred when trapped in female form from the Full Body Cat's Tongue. Having been through the issue before, when he had been stuck in a corset for nearly three weeks he had been able to adapt. Those had been the only two times he had suffered from menstruation.

Nabiki and Kasumi, who had stayed, were surprised as well by the revelation. They had suspected that it might be an aspect of his curse, but hadn't bothered to ask nor speculate on the subject too much. This disclosure caused all the young women present to have a newfound respect for the young man in front of them.

Realizing Ranma-onna's embarrassment and his tense posture, Akane continued the conversation in order to redirect everyone's attention. "Well, uh...since Ranma is able to turn into a girl, we thought it best for him to take your place on the team," she repeated. "We will have you stay here until Kodachi decides to attack and then let her know that it will be Ranma fighting her. This way she leaves all of you alone and none of you get hurt." The girls nodded. All of them had witnessed the fight he had had with Akane, so they were aware of his martial arts abilities. "In the meantime, while you're here, he can also train with all you."

"We have to go and meet up with someone in a few minutes," Ranma-onna told them. "While we're gone, our dads will make sure nothing happens. We'll only be gone for an hour or two. In the meantime, Kasumi and Nabiki will show you where the toilet and bath are. You can also practice here in the dojo. The corner over there," he indicated by pointing, " is where you will be sleeping. This way I have room to maneuver and protect you if Kodachi comes in at night."

The two departed, leaping to the roof of the dojo and out of the Tendo compound. All but three of the girls, seeing this, gasped in awe of their prowess. The team received a quick tour and, when complete, began to prepare their practice equipment. As they did so, they chattered happily about the possibility of receiving additional martial arts training from the pair, as it would likely help with their sport. While many of them were still having some reservations because of Ranma-onna's curse, they did recognize talent when they saw it and were not put off at receiving training from either him or Akane.

Ranma-onna and Akane met Tofu-sensei at a nearby cafe. Upon their arrival, he complimented Akane on her attire. Pleased, she gave him a quick pirouette to show it off along with a brief description of how the skirt worked. Entering the cafe, the three sat down in a secluded corner, away from prying eyes and ears. They ordered tea together and laid out their notes. Over the next hour, they discussed the issues they had outlined and attempted to get into the right order. It was Akane who had the better timeline of the two while Ranma-onna had finer details, since he had been more intimately involved in each of them.

Upon the pair completing their explanations, Tofu-sensei sat back and smiled. "My, my...such an eventful life you two had. And that's only about, what..." Looking at the notes, he saw that their detailed analysis thus far had started in May and ended sometime in December. "Eight months worth of events you were involved in? You say that there may be some events you missed as well. I believe that the proverb was said when the two of you were born, 'May you live in interesting times'." He smiled wider, chuckling at their consternation. The saying, which was likely misattributed as a Chinese proverb truly was something the two had been blessed or cursed with, considering one's perspective.

"We've already started with Kodachi. The next thing is the ice skating and then Shampoo," Akane remarked.

Snorting, Ranma-onna interjected, "Not sure if I care about the ice skating. All that started because of P-chan." Akane frowned at the reminder. "Maybe I'd only do it if I wanted to have another go at Mikado. Beatin' him to a pulp wasn't so bad." There was no love lost when it came to Mikado Sanzenine, the one who had taken his first kiss. He had not had any remorse about tearing into the perverted ice skater.

Trying to keep from smiling at the reminder, Akane said, "We can probably just skip that one. But our next problem will be Shampoo. She'll be showing up to try to kill Ranma's girl-side."

Rolling his eyes, "Jeez, that was crazy. I dunno how she followed us all the way across China and then found us here. She might be half bloodhound for all I know," was Ranma-onna's commentary.

"You say that Shampoo is an Amazon that lived not too far from Jusenkyo, but she didn't know about the curses from there?" the older man.

"Yeah, I was able to trick her by saying that I was a girl cursed to be a guy at first. Her great-grandmother took her to Jusenkyo for retraining, so she said. That's where she got the curse to become a...cat." Ranma-onna shuddered.

"Then she came back here in a box. In fact, she was shipped to your clinic," Akane explained, somewhat amused.

"Ha! I remember Pops sayin' she became an apprentice nurse at the clinic the day she erased your memory. That's probably how she got the address."

Tofu-sensei looked at Ranma-onna quizzically. "An apprentice nurse, you say? For me to take her on, she must have shown me she knew a decent amount about medicine."

"Well, yeah, she knew a bit. Most martial artists do. Well, many do," Ranma-onna amended, casting a furtive glance at Akane. Fortunately, her attention was elsewhere and missed it. Tofu-sensei's mouth twitched at the look he had noticed. "But anyway, we gotta figure out what to do with her."

Shampoo had been one of Akane's worst rivals. Not only was she a great martial artist, she had the body of a supermodel. Her figure had been the envy of all the girls, especially Akane. The only thing that assuaged her ego was that Ranma, out of all his fiancées, had chosen Akane. "You're right. We need to find a way to get her to go back to China for good."

At this, Ranma-onna placed his hands over his face, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He felt perturbed at the idea for some reason. Seeing him this way, the other two waited for him to speak. After a couple of long minutes, he finally looked at them. "I don't think sending Shampoo back for good is such a great idea." He saw Akane's face color in anger. "Wait, let me explain first!" Ranma-onna held up his hands in supplication.

"Fine, go ahead." She folded her arms to her his explanation, her posture indicating she wasn't pleased.

"It's not really Shampoo I was thinkin' about. Maybe gettin' Cologne here wouldn't be such a bad idea." Akane's mood lightened a smidgen. Seeing this, Ranma-onna forged on. "She has a lot of techniques and knowledge. And she's a great teacher. She taught us the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, Bakusai Tenketsu and the Hiryu Shoten Ha. Not only that, she helped me with my Mouko Takabishi when Ryoga had figured out how to do the Shi Shi Houkodan."

Seeing Tofu-sensei's confused look, Ranma-onna explained all the techniques he had just listed. "Amazing," he said. "You're saying that this Amazon was able to teach you all these ki techniques, and you're certain she has more? I would have to agree with you about wanting to have her come here to teach you some more."

With Ranma-onna's explanation, Akane found herself agreeing with him. "But how do we get her here without you being engaged to Shampoo?"

"I dunno," Ranma admitted. "That's what I'm tryin' to figure out."

"Well, you do have a bit of time before Shampoo shows up," Tofu-sensei supplied. "The three of us can think of some ideas in the meantime. You do, however, have some immediate and pressing matters to attend to."

"You're right." A thought occurred to Ranma. "Oh, we forgot to mention that we managed to pass our exams. We're seniors now."

Tofu-sensei was quite pleased at the news and congratulated them. Looking at the time, he said, "You should probably get back and look after your charges. Continue writing everything down. You have a great start."

Ranma-onna and Akane agreed. The trio finished their tea. The two gave their thanks to the doctor before heading to the hospital and then home.

Upon their return to the Tendo residence, Akane said, "I'm going to go change into my gi. I don't want to get this messed up just yet, even if it is Kodachi we're going to fight. I only have this one, and we can't afford another yet. Besides, it's beginning to stink after today's workout."

Agreeing to meet her in the dojo Ranma-onna went on ahead. He found half of the girls, the captain included, practicing their gymnastics. The other four were gabbing in the corner. When he entered, the room fell silent as everyone turned to him. Seeing that nobody was hurt, Ranma-onna waved a greeting to them.

"Saotome-san," the captain called out to him, "would you mind a quick sparring match? I assume by what you had said earlier that you know how to use our tools?"

Nodding, Ranma-onna walked over to one of the piles of gear near the four that had been practicing. "I've used them once or twice," he affirmed. Selecting a ribbon and clubs, he faced off against the captain. They bowed to each other.

Since it had been some time that Ranma-onna had used the gymnastics instruments, he allowed the captain to set the pace while he warmed up and refreshed himself. As they were doing so, Akane walked in. The rest of the girls had quieted and turned their attention to the bout.

It was obvious that Ranma-onna was holding back. His agile movements kept him from ever being hit by any of the instruments. This went on for several minutes until Ranma-onna began his counterattack.

Flinging one of the clubs at Inoue's head as a distraction, Ranma-onna wrapped the ribbon around her leg. He pulled on it, attempting to trip the girl. She rolled with the pulled ribbon, landing gracefully and in such a way that the ribbon loosened, falling away. Inoue countered with a thrown ball, but found it batted back towards her at high velocity. The ball glanced off of her head, careening around the dojo madly. Ranma-onna intercepted it with the ribbon. Ensuring it was knotted, he began using it like one of the balloon toys attached to a rubber band, using his fist to send it back at his target. Inoue was thoroughly pummeled.

Inoue cartwheeled over to the tools, grabbing a club and hoop. Using the hoop, she captured the pogoing ball by having it wrap itself up. Ranma-onna released the ribbon at the same time Inoue captured the ribbon and ball. He threw the remaining clubs, which Inoue deflected with her own. He flipped over to his own pile of tools and grabbed three more clubs and a rope. Attempting a trick that Ryoga had used, Ranma-onna infused some ki into the rope, making it straighten out. It was reminiscent of Kodachi's iron rod rope that she had used. The girls in the crowd murmured at the ability. Advancing on his opponent, Ranma-onna held the rod out like a sword.

The two continued the battle for several more minutes before the captain couldn't take any more of the beating she was receiving. Welts were rising up on her entire body. Her muscles ached and sweat was pouring off of her. Ranma-onna only had a faint sheen of sweat on his body. One of the girls handed a towel to Inoue while Akane did the same for Ranma-onna.

"That was an amazing display, Saotome-san," Inoue complimented. "I'm fairly certain that you will both defend us and defeat St. Hebereke's champion." The other girls murmured their agreement.

"Thanks," Ranma-onna replied. Turning to Akane, he said, "You do your practicing while the girls do their gymnastics. I'm gonna go do a little practicing on my own and check to see if Kodachi is planning anything tonight."

Akane's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. They had already discussed this as part of their strategy. There was no sense in being paranoid all night if it wasn't necessary. If Kodachi had already departed her own home and passed Ranma-onna without him knowing, having Akane there would help to keep the girls safe in the time it took for Ranma-onna to return. She had defeated her before and, with the additional training she had received, victory was once again assured.

The feeling Akane was experiencing wasn't jealousy. Instead, it was concern that Kodachi would somehow spot Ranma in his male form and decide she would attach herself to him like she had before. That was one issue they had on their no-go list. Her fiancé wasn't too keen on having her chasing him around again. Her penchant for using paralysis drugs was a turn-off. Akane smirked at that, remembering the first night that either of them had run into her. His kindness had turned out to turn around and bite him, then she had shown up with a less-than-sympathetic attitude. Because of her remorse and desire to change her ways, she had bitten her tongue when Ranma-onna had suggested his scouting mission rather than allowing jealousy to rule her words and actions. Besides, Ranma was going as a girl and it was less likely for Kodachi to find out he was a guy and fall for him this way anyway. Barring any extraordinary cases of hot water reaching him, which wasn't too far fetched.

The object of her thoughts was quickly hopping through town. His destination wasn't considerably far, but it did take some time since it was on the other side of the neighborhood. Just as he reached the wall of the compound, Ranma-onna used the Umisenken to hide his presence. Since he hadn't technically sealed the Umisenken's abilities with a promise to his father in this life, he was bending the rules in his own favor. Carefully, he leapt over the wall and began searching about for Kodachi. Leaving nothing to chance, even while using the Umisenken, he used all the stealth and trap avoidance techniques he felt appropriate.

The young woman was in her room, lounging on a divan. She appeared to be dressed casually and was reading, though Ranma-onna could not tell what it was about or the title. Looking over by the bed, he saw that the time was nearly eight in the evening. Not knowing Kodachi's habits and schedule, Ranma-onna found a comfortable place to begin his overwatch.

Over the next two hours, Ranma-onna found himself bored to tears. He wasn't used to sitting on a tree limb and peering into a girl's room. Not only was it creepy, it was not very interesting to watch someone else read, going to the bathroom and arranging flowers. He would rather have been practicing the Art than what he was doing now.

Eventually, his sentry duty was rewarded. Kodachi pulled out her nightgown and began changing. Recognizing that the clothing for what it was, Ranma-onna decided he didn't need to confirm whether she was actually doing so. He was not a voyeur and had no intention of becoming one. As carefully as he could, Ranma-onna leapt through the trees to avoid the traps and out of the Kuno mansion's grounds. Releasing the Umisenken effectively unmasked his presence. Ranma-onna returned to the Tendo home.

When he arrived, the girls had settled down for what appeared to be the quintessential pajama party. Akane had happily joined them. Returning to the dojo, he knocked on the door to let the girls know he was present.

Opening the door, Akane cautiously ensured she wouldn't be surprised by a dissembling Kodachi. Seeing Ranma-onna, she smiled. She was about to invite him in when she saw that he was beckoning her to come out with him. Turning back to the group, she said, "Ranma's back from Kodachi's. I'm going out to talk with him for a moment." The girls gave a distracted acknowledgment.

"She went to bed," Ranma-onna confirmed. "I'm going to do the same. You gonna to be all right out here?"

Akane nodded. "If you want, you could stay in here. The girls don't seem to mind. We've been talking a bit, and they're not afraid of you anymore."

Scratching the back of his head, Ranma-onna chuckled. "Well, that's a good thing that they're not scared of me or nothin'. But," he countered, "I'm not really a girl, so y'know..."

"I know you're not a real girl," Akane replied, abashed. "I just thought you might want to hang out is all."

This caught Ranma-onna off guard. In all the time they had been together, Akane had maintained a definitive line he was not to cross. Akane was offering him a place beside her in the dojo that he was sorely tempted to take her up on. There were a couple of flaws, however. Ranma-onna looked over his shoulder and then back at Akane before replying to Akane. "Nah, I think it's best if I don't. If Pops found out what I did, we'd be off somewhere for some stupid 'manly' training. Besides, we haven't even gotten started on meeting up with my mom. Trying to convince her that I'm manly after doing something like this?"

Akane chortled at Ranma-onna's assessment. Sighing wistfully, "Yes, your parents..." She looked around, trying to see if anyone from the house was outside. She led him away towards the storage shed, which allowed them some privacy. From the position she led him to, the only way they would be able to sneak up on them would be by leaping over the wall. They could watch the front of the house and the main gate, ensuring nobody interrupted. "I've been thinking the past few days about you and Ryoga." She felt Ranma stiffen. "Relax, it's okay," she soothed. "First, I want to say that I'm sorry about how I reacted in the park. It was totally uncalled-for."

"Nah, it's fine," Ranma-onna interrupted. "I deserved it."

Shaking her head, "No, you took Ryoga's lumps for him. Even if this Ryoga didn't do anything. I realize now that I used to punish you for what you did to him. Like I said, I went overboard with how I treated you in the park. You deserve better than that. It's still wrong what you did...or didn't do, however you want you look at it." Ranma-onna was about to say something again, but she put her dainty, callused fingers on his lips. "No. Let me finish, please? But you did try to take care of my honor in your own way. Like that night when you came into my room to get him. That's why...I think...after you woke me up after falling on top of me, I never really trusted you. And why I called you pervert even more than I had been doing before."

He placed his hands on her arms, looking her in the eyes. "Yeah, but I was about to tell you he was Ryoga until you kissed him."

Shaking her head ruefully, she bit her lip in thought. "You were jealous even back then." Akane looked up at him through her lashes.

Ranma-onna slid his hands down to grasp Akane's hands. "Yeah," he agreed. "I shoulda told you anyways, though. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"He blamed you for a lot of things that you didn't necessarily do. I did, too. For that, I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive." He shrugged indifferently.

Touched at each other's forgiving hearts, Akane embraced the smaller girl in front of her. Freeing one of her hands from Ranma-onna's grasp, Akane touched two fingers to her lips, then to his. "Good night, Ranma."

He smiled, his eyes laughing for him as he nodded. She could feel his smile under her fingertips while he puckered his lips in reply. Stepping back, "Yeah, good night, Akane."

0600, Sunday, 27 May

On Sunday, the gymnasts were surprised to find Ranma and Akane entering the Tendo compound just as they were getting up. Akane was looking the worse for wear, as Ranma had, once again, put her through her paces for a two-hour endurance session. The two checked in with the group before heading off to get cleaned up and have breakfast.

Rather than practicing, the pair grabbed their third-year folders and sat down in one corner of the dojo to study their material and work on the requisite assignments. They would occasionally pause to ask the other a question regarding their studies to ensure they understood the material. Because they had the use of a facility, the gymnastics team rotated their practice throughout the day. They would have invited Ranma and Akane to join them, but the intensity and focus the two had with their studies prevented them from doing so. Inoue provided some help if they found the material too difficult to decipher by themselves. The two would rather have done their studies in the comfort of the house, but they were staying in the dojo in case Kodachi showed up, of course.

As the day wore on, the girls found their confinement to chafe a bit. A couple of them left to assist Kasumi in the kitchen, feeling obligated to help due to the increased amount of mouths to feed. Another couple went to hang out with Nabiki. The remainder were left to their own devices. When not practicing, they took Ranma and Akane's example to heart and did their own homework. After their lunch, the girls began a series of bouts in an impromptu tournament. They began betting amongst themselves with various snacks as their rewards. The captain maintained control of the girls, so they didn't cause trouble or offend their hosts.

Later in the evening, after dinner, Ranma and Akane pried themselves from their notebooks. Like the girls, they were feeling antsy. Akane spoke with the captain briefly about the two martial artists going out to complete a task, and they headed over to the hospital to care for Ryoga. While it didn't take long to provide minor care him, sitting with Ryoga for a time was hard for both. So far, Ryoga had been in this state for over a week. As martial artists, seeing someone in a comatose state who they had always seen as active brought their own fears to the fore. It was a struggle for them, but they did so as a way of respect for Ryoga. Their only consolation was that, when they had asked the nurse, they had been told another x-ray had been scheduled for the following day. The results would determine when Ryoga's awakening and eventual release would occur.

Unsettled with Ryoga's predicament, but satisfied that he was doing okay, Ranma stood up. Akane did the same. They had other tasks to attend to.

Akane's leaps were improving and her distance was incredible. The power in her legs were being utilized better. Her balance had improved to the point that she was hardly ever slipping, much to her and Ranma's relief. This allowed the two to travel to the Kuno residence quickly.

Stopping at a nearby park, Akane waited for Ranma's return. Earlier, she had insisted on joining him rather than babysitting. Just like before, Ranma used the Umisenken to scout Kodachi's whereabouts and activities. This time, however, he didn't stay to watch. A short interval of fifteen minutes passed before Ranma's return.

Landing near the entrance to the park, Ranma walked to the bench Akane was sitting at. "It looks like she's getting ready to come over. Let's head home and get ready for her."

Akane's smile was grim. She gave a curt nod. "Sure, let's go." They headed out at a rapid pace.

Ranma stopped just outside of the dojo, picking up a bucket and dousing himself with water. It had been prepared for this encounter. He leapt into the nearby bushes. Akane went inside, telling the girls that it was time. A frenzy of preparation ensued as the girls headed to a corner, equipment ready for the showdown. Akane turned the lights off.

Just a few heartbeats after the lights went out, Kodachi was on the Tendo's wall. She dropped down silently, inching her way around to the door. She peered in, but could not see anything inside. Taking precautions, she circled around the dojo and then did a circuit around the compound, looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary. When she came to where Soun and Genma were playing shogi, she spied two of the Tendo daughters inside. Seeing that the household did not appear to be alerted, she felt unperturbed about her options. Taking her time, she returned to the dojo.

During the interval, the girls and Akane were attempting to listen to the happenings outside. After Kodachi returned to the dojo, all involved had their eyes closed, their ears able to pick up any telltale signs of movement. Ranma-onna waited until Kodachi landed in front of the dojo. She silently opened the door just enough so that she could slip through, then leapt up to the ceiling. Kodachi had what appeared be a mallet and a ribbon readied.

As soon as Kodachi entered, Ranma-onna leapt out from his own hiding spot and stood at the door. Nonchalantly, he entered, closed the door and turned on the lights. With the lights turned on, only Kodachi was disoriented by the sudden brightness. The girls had been prepared and spread themselves out along the walls hurriedly.

Kodachi scanned the room, realizing that all means of escape had been effectively blocked. There were certainly a number of girls she could disable, but that was hindered by the fact that there were a total of ten opponents. Having known how many girls were on the team had allowed her to prepare. Stashing her ribbon, she pulled out three ampules, throwing them into three of the corners. Each of them burst, emitting a paralyzing gas.

Once again, Ranma-onna and Akane's experience with Kodachi's machinations paid off. Hurriedly, the girls covered their faces with masks, which would help keep the gas out of their respiratory system. Those few precious seconds that it took to pull out and don the masks gave Kodachi enough time to land on the dojo floor and attempt to lasso one of the girls.

Ranma-onna used one of his own ribbons to capture the Kodachi's. "Give it up, Kodachi," he said. "You're outnumbered and outclassed today."

Unruffled by the turn of events, Kodachi dropped her ribbon and turned to Ranma-onna. She let loose with her mocking, yet menacing, laugh. "Oh, dear, whatever do you mean?" Her voice dripped poisonous honey.

Stepping forward, Ranma-onna pointed to his chest. "I'm Ranma Saotome and I'll be your opponent in the tournament. If you want, you can take me on now."

"Oh my, such an uncouth trollop. Challenging me before the match? How inconsiderate." Her eyes did not leave Ranma-onna, but she took note of her surroundings as the girls shifted in disbelief and irritation.

"I'm not the one who's inconsiderate. Your being here just shows how much of a cheater you are," Ranma-onna rejoined.

She gave out another of her laughs. As she did so, she palmed another ampule. "Cheating? Such a crass way of putting it. I only believe in fighting with all fairness...before the match!" With a flick of her wrist, she threw the ampule at Ranma-onna's feet.

Immediately after she had thrown the ampule, Kodachi sprang forward with her mallet at the ready. As one smooth motion, Ranma-onna tucked and rolled, caught the ampule and threw it at the mallet, whereupon it burst. A dark gas exploded in Kodachi's face. Startled by the turn of events, Kodachi inhaled the gas unexpectedly. She fell to the floor face-first, her mallet clattering.

Ranma-onna continued his roll, using the momentum to bring him to Kodachi's discarded ribbon, outside the range of the gas, untangling it from his own. He walked over to the now prone gymnast after waiting for the paralysis cloud to disperse harmlessly. The others watched as he rolled her over onto her back. She glared at Ranma-onna with hate-filled eyes. Ranma-onna laughed, then rolled her back over onto her stomach.

"Y'know, Kodachi," Ranma-onna explained, using the ribbon as a whip upon her buttocks to punctuate each sentence, "cheating isn't very good for your health. Sometimes you're gonna to find yourself in a situation you can't get out of. Kinda like this one here." The gymnasts winced with each crack of the ribbon, imagining the pain Kodachi was feeling since she couldn't block or dodge. While they didn't sympathize with her, they did know just how painful the ribbon could be. Each snap of the whip had a crisp crack to it, telling them just how effective Ranma-onna was with it. Akane just smirked as her fiancé gave his lecture.

For several long minutes, Ranma-onna went on his diatribe of fairness and sportsmanship. At certain points, Akane found herself scoffing at what Ranma-onna was saying. It wasn't like he used any of the terms he was spouting whenever he was fighting an opponent. At one point, she ended up having to bite her lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

Upon finishing his lecture, Ranma-onna used the ribbon to hogtie Kodachi. He turned to the girls. With a shrug he said, "I'm gonna take her home. Y'all can go home or stay here for the night if you want.

The girls gathered near Ranma-onna. The captain asked, "Are we going to be safe until the tournament?"

Ranma-onna laughed evilly. "If Kodachi knows what's good for her." While still looking at the girls, he directed his warning to Kodachi. "If any of you get attacked, I'll take care of Kodachi for you. I know where she lives. I even know about her little traps and pet crocodile." The girls gasped at the mention of the latter. "I won't stop at just a little spankin' next time." Akane opened the door for Ranma-onna as he stepped out.

The two martial artists made their way to the Kuno residence. They took Kodachi to the front door, setting her down gently. Crouching down, Ranma looked in the gymnast's eyes, which were on the verge of letting loose their tears of humiliation. "I'm gonna give you this last warnin'. No funny stuff. I'll see you at the tournament." With this, Akane knocked loudly on the door and the two leapt away. After they were out of sight, they stopped and waited a moment before doubling back. Poking their heads over the wall, they watched for the door to open and Tatewaki to step out. When he did, they were unable hear the conversation he had with his sister, but he did loosen her bonds and bring her inside. Satisfied, the two went home.

When they did arrive, they found that the dojo had been fully vacated. Their guests had cleaned the dojo thoroughly. Satisfied that the current matter had been resolved and the club members would be safe for the time being, Ranma and Akane were able to relax a bit more.

0600, Monday, 28 May

Ranma found the cape that Kodachi had discarded outside of the Tendo's the next morning when he and Akane left for their morning workout. While they exercised, he used it to harass and tease Akane, much to her chagrin. On occasion, he would use the cape to impersonate Count Dracula to disrupt her concentration and make her laugh. He had even donned it at one point, pulling out a ribbon he found hidden within to use it on Akane like a whip. His jocular, yet maniacal laugh in imitation of Kodachi, along with the pain, had sent her running faster than she ever thought she ever could. There were other uses that were less kindly as that.

It wasn't until they were at school that the true weight of their labors made itself known. Instead of their original classroom, 1-F, or the library, they were headed to the first floor where the seniors took their classes, 3-C. Rather than going straight there, they headed to the staff room on the ground floor to meet up with their homeroom teacher, Taga-sensei. They had made it a point to arrive much earlier than usual. As they walked up to her, they saw that she was a petite woman, her lissome and muscular body suggesting a life of exercise. They recognized her as the Gymnastics Club's advisor and coach.

As they approached, Taga-sensei looked the two of them up and down. Her brow furrowed. "I take it there is a reason the two of you are not in the requisite uniforms for school?"

The two glanced at each other. Ranma took the lead. "I...have a curse. Water activates it and, y'see, it kinda finds me wherever and whenever. So, when I change into a girl, it's hard for me to fit into the school uniform. That's why I wear these clothes. I can readjust them to fit me whenever I change from guy to girl or back."

The teacher nodded, though her expression didn't change. "And you, Akane-san?"

Ranma spoke up in her place. "She's currently my student at the dojo. The changes to the uniform are just so she can move around better and the skirt comes apart if she needs to fight." Akane turned, unfastening the snap and Velcro to demonstrate. "We tried to get it as close to the school uniform as we could but still able to function as we need it to."

Taga-sensei raised her eyebrow questioningly. "I'll allow it for today. But I expect you to meet me after school for a bit of demonstration. You've already met the class's leader, Rei Inoue-san. She's also the Gymnastics Club captain." The two nodded. "As I recall, Tsujitani-sensei gave the two of you a folder on the IBU. Have you looked at it yet?" It took them a second to realize that "IBU" was short for International Bushi University.

"Yes, sensei," Akane affirmed. "It looks very interesting. But we're not sure if it might be the right fit for us."

"That's fine. I expect to have your worksheets by the end of the day with that as your first choice. Even if you decide later that you don't wish to take the exams for the school at least we'll have them available. Give them to Inoue-san." Standing, she indicated that it was time to go. They followed behind her.

Upon making it to the stairs, Taga-sensei relaxed. "Whew. I thought I was going to strain something," she said in a relieved tone. "Some of those old codgers are just too set in their ways," she remarked disdainfully.

Ranma and Akane were a bit surprised at the change in demeanor.

Looking back at the two, the teacher smiled. "Don't worry, that was just for a few of the older teachers that are a bit old-fashioned. They expect a teacher to be very strict. With your changes to your uniforms I had to give you a hard time about it. I do still want to see you two after school. I have my reasons for it, but not the time to discuss it with you for now." She turned her attention back to what was in front of her. "I do expect a lot out of you two. Jumping two grades is remarkable. But your coming to my class is a challenge to me by the administration. Your performance is a direct reflection on my performance and I expect you to remember that. As such, since the two of you are engaged, I have arranged to have you two sit separately so as not to be a distraction to each other."

"Yes, sensei," they confirmed.

The three entered their home room. The appropriate introductions were given and the two were seated. Taga-sensei began their morning lessons and their day proceeded from there.

By lunch, the rumors of Akane and Ranma's upgrade to seniors was abuzz throughout the school. Before they got out of the room, so they could join their regular companions, Rei intercepted them.

"The two of you are full of surprises," she said enthusiastically. "Not only are you helping us with our tournament, you've suddenly become seniors as well? How is that possible?"

"Well, we, er," Ranma started to say.

"My sister, Kasumi, was a top student," Akane jumped in. "We took her old notebooks and studied them with her help." She gave what she thought was a beaming, yet disarming smile.

"Oh, Kasumi," Rei said. "I remember her." She paused, remembering. "She was a pretty good student, as I recall." Turning back to the two, she asked, "But how does that make it so the two of you could jump two grades?"

"We're a test case with Tsujitani-sensei. I've had Kasumi's notes for a long time now and Ranma is a quick study."

Rei thought about that for a moment. "Then why didn't you just test out of school entirely?"

Akane was stumped.

"We didn't get a chance to study all the material, so we had to stop at our third year," Ranma spoke up. "Besides, this gives us time to study for university entrance exams."

This seemed sufficient for Rei and the group that had surrounded them. The two sighed, then excused themselves. They met their friends outside where they normally ate lunch. Having survived the onslaught of questions a moment ago, they were now prepared to answer the appropriate questions directed at them.

While the answers seemed to satisfy their friends' curiosity, it didn't assuage their hurt feelings. Sayuri and Yuka, the closest to Akane, were let down with her advancement. It would mean they wouldn't be in school for another two years with their long-time friend. The sting of this slight was still too new for them and only time would be able to heal it. On the other hand, the other four found the fact that they had managed to advance to be fascinating. Even so, there was a gloom that lingered over their lunch.

Upon finishing their classes, the couple went to the staff room to meet up with Taga-sensei. She had already departed, they found out. They headed to the gymnasium where they found the gymnastics team gathering for their afternoon practice session. Taga-sensei was there, giving instructions to Rei, the team captain. She was wearing a track suit and holding a clipboard. They waited a few meters away for her to finish up.

"So, let's go over to the girls' changing rooms real quick," Taga-sensei said, leading the way without pause when she was finished with Rei.

The look on Ranma's face caused Akane to laugh. He shivered, remembering the time he and Ryoga had attempted to find the Japanese Spring of Drowned Man. "Um, are you sure about this?" he asked.

Turning, Taga-sensei saw his trepidation. Laughing, "Don't worry. I've arranged it so that we won't be disturbed. Also, Akane-san will be there, so she can make sure nobody barges in on us." She turned back around and continued to their destination.

"Knowin' my luck, the girls' soccer team will show up," Ranma groused as he followed.

"It'll be all right," Akane assured him.

When they arrived, the two women went inside to scout. They found a few girls inside that had been loitering. Taga-sensei hurried them along. Opening the door after they had exited, she said, "Come on in, Saotome-san. We're going to the showers." Akane stayed near the door to make sure nobody would interrupt.

"If you don't mind, I want you to show me your curse." Taga-sensei turned on a shower. Ranma complied by dipping his head under the flow of water, just enough to trigger the curse, reaching over to turn it off afterwards.

The teacher and coach did a circuit around Ranma-onna, peering at him closely as she did so. His hair was the same hue in both forms, a black like many other Japanese boys, yet with a bit more luster to it. The boy's squared jaw had softened to a more feminine curve. His V-shaped torso was not as broad at the shoulders with his hips widening slightly. The difference in height was one of the more astounding aspects she found of interest. It made her wonder about the physics involved regarding the conservation of matter and energy.

"Do you know how much you weigh?" she asked. Ranma-onna shook his head, indicating he did not. "Hmm. Come over here for a moment." She led Ranma-onna to a scale. He stepped up on to it and Taga-sensei began making the necessary adjustments to see what his weight was. "Step over to the wall where the measuring tape is, please." Using the clipboard she was carrying, Taga-sensei used it to check Ranma-onna's height. She wrote down Ranma-onna's measurements. I'm going to get a few more measurements of you. If you could take off your shirt and pants, it would be helpful."

Ranma-onna blushed but took off his clothes as requested, standing in his boxers and undershirt. Akane was able to hear this and smiled. It hadn't been too long ago that she had done the same, only it had been in her gym clothes. Ranma-onna had done it as well, but not for his girl-side.

Pulling out a small measuring tape from her pocket, Taga-sensei began taking his measurements. At one point, she stopped and looked at Ranma-onna critically. "Do you ever wear a brassier, by any chance?"

Looking down at his chest, Ranma-onna reddened once again. "I have several times. But only when I got stuck as a girl or I needed to wear it for something," he admitted.

"Ahuh." Taga-sensei poked Ranma-onna's stomach, finding it solid. She pinched the skin, finding it difficult to get even a little between her fingers. Ranma-onna's body was like that of an Olympic athlete, yet the fact that he had enough fat for the breasts on his chest was boggling. "Do you know how much your breasts weigh?" she asked.

Both Ranma-onna and Akane gaped at the question. "N-no," Ranma-onna stuttered. "I didn't even know you could weigh them." In the background, the two could hear Akane stifling her laugh.

Taga-sensei laughed. "Yes, there is a way to do it. When I was in college, my girlfriends and I were playing a game. We used a kitchen scale to see whose were bigger." Pointing to her own chest, "I lost."

"Oh," Ranma-onna said, giving a weak smile. Akane's laughter escalated. His smile was replaced by an evil grin. "Yeah, mine are bigger than some others I know," he called out.

The laughter was cut short, followed by a short silence. "I'm a manly man, but my boobs are bigger than yours," Akane called out in a sotto voce, then snorted and started laughing again. Ranma-onna ground his teeth, but then couldn't help himself and started laughing as well.

Shaking her head, Taga-sensei remarked, "You two seem to get along pretty well." The two quieted immediately, embarrassed. "You can put your pants on again. But before you put your shirt on, if you would change back into a guy, please. After he had completed both requests, Taga-sensei said loud enough for Akane to hear, "My, my, Akane-san, you are one lucky girl." A vein throbbed on Akane's forehead at her teacher's observation while Ranma laughed nervously. In a sobered manner, Taga-sensei said, "Now, how about we go back to the gym and you show me what you can do."

"Did you want me to do it as a guy or girl?" Ranma asked.

"Either way is fine."

"Well, I'm a little faster as when I'm a girl and stronger as a guy," Ranma explained.

Taga-sensei raised an eyebrow in question. "Seriously?" Ranma nodded. "If that's the case, then how about we have you change. I'd also like to have the two of you show me what your abilities are some other day. The girls mentioned that you two are able to jump up to a roof?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Ranma said, "Yeah. I've been able to do that for several years now. Never really measured how high I can jump, just did it when I needed to. I just got Akane doing it a couple of weeks ago when we went on a training trip. For her...somewhere between fifteen to twenty feet? She's been improving ever since."

Hearing this, Akane's heart missed a beat. It was always nice to hear Ranma give her praise. For him to say it to someone else made her even more elated.

Ranma put his shirt back on then turned on the shower and changed back into a girl. The three exited the building and headed back to the gymnasium.

1600, Monday, 28 May

Nabiki was cross. Her sister and that fiancé of hers had gotten one over on her. Somehow they had managed to do something that nobody she knew had ever been able to accomplish. It had been done right under her nose, too. They'd lied. No, she amended, fuming, they omitted key facts. They said they were doing something for the vice principal. Some project, experiment or whatever they called it.

The middle Tendo daughter was waiting in the family room. She was camped out, ready to lambaste the two as soon as they got home. Right there in front of their fathers, even. It didn't help that they hadn't returned home right after school, either. This entire time she had been forced to wait for them. Her irritation mounted as she continued to wait.

It was over an hour past the time they should have arrived when Ranma-onna and Akane did finally appear. Nabiki did not hesitate. As they were just entering, Nabiki said in a crisp tone holding some venom in it, "Welcome home...senpai."

The two looked at each other nervously. They hadn't planned on Nabiki being as mad as she appeared to be. "Um, hey, Nabiki," Akane said, trying to be disarming. "What's going on?"

Nabiki smiled like a cat that had just caught a mouse and was about to play with it. "Oh, nothing much," Nabiki said, pitching her voice to ensure the others that were in the room could hear. Drawn in by her tone, Soun, Genma and Kasumi turned their attention to the conversation. "It's just that a certain couple of first-years are now third-years."

"Oh, who might that be?" Kasumi inquired.

Her tone softened for her older sister, but it still held an edge to it. "A certain couple of muscle-heads we know." The two scowled at the description.

"Oh my, is that true, Akane? Did you actually study something other than breaking cinder blocks?" Akane looked at her sister sharply, missing the slight twitching of the eldest Tendo daughter's mouth as she suppressed a smile. "That's so nice to hear."

Genma spoke up, "Is that so, boy?" Ranma-onna nodded. "Huh! Now that's more like it."

This observation by the Saotome patriarch took Nabiki aback. She hadn't expected this type of reaction. Turning to him, she asked, "And what does that mean exactly?"

He returned her incredulous look with a level one. "Just because he practices the Art doesn't make him stupid. Whenever I was able to get him to study seriously, he was always an excellent student. It's just getting him motivated to do it is the problem." Even with this evaluation, he leveled a glare at his son.

His thought process brought Nabiki up short. Turning back to Ranma-onna, she said, "But the two of you skipped two years. His explanation," she said, pointing back at Genma with her thumb, "might explain one year, but two? And not only that, what about you, Akane?" She knew her sister...and she wasn't that smart.

While it was true that Genma had, on occasion, berated Ranma on his grades and lack of interest, it really didn't account for their meteoric rise to being seniors. Riding on the coattails of his father's explanation and what they had used before, Ranma-onna cut in. "I sorta memorized the notes Kasumi had and then helped Akane learn the material. We convinced Tsujitani-sensei to give us a chance."

Bewildered and having lost some of her steam, Nabiki asked, "If you were that smart, then why didn't you test out of the first and second years in the first place? And why didn't you just test out of third year as well?"

"Well, first off, I didn't have the study material for the entrance exams, and he only allowed us to take the exams for second year."

"Hmm, not only a teacher of the Art, but also of academics," Soun analyzed. "A great combination in any instructor. The future of our schools is truly set for greatness," he blubbered. Akane felt a pang of sadness and envy for not being included in her father's praise and elation. She buried it, as she knew that her time would shine when she had her chance to train Ranma in the Tendo-ryu. His training of her right now was of the utmost importance, as it would get her up to par with his skills. After that, then it would be her turn to impress her father.

Unable to salvage her righteous anger or get anyone to feel even a bit curious to these events, Nabiki slumped. Her eyes narrowed as she analyzed the conversation they had just finished. She looked over at Ranma-onna and Akane, who were talking to their fathers about something.

"We're going to go on another trip this weekend to work on training," Ranma-onna was explaining. "There's a tournament I'm participating in next week, so I want to get ready for it as best as I can."

This gave Nabiki an idea. Nodding to herself, she decided to bide her time.

0830, Tuesday, 29 May

It was their second morning as third-years, seniors, of Furinkan High School. Their excitement had not been quelled yet as the two youths ran to school. The clouds above were ominous in their threat of rain, but had yet to make good on it so far. The morning's training had been humid, making their workout sticky and exhausting. With it at the end of May, the summer months were very near.

The two played leapfrog on the fence and walls as they made their way to school. Their laughter played across the streets as Ranma taunted Akane who, in turn, chased after him, trying to catch or strike him. This was not to be yet, as his speed and agility were beyond her for the time being.

As they entered their classroom, the room full of their fellow students fell silent. It was an eerie feeling they felt go up their spine. The seniors gave them surreptitious glances as they went to their desks.

Upon Ranma's desk were crude, and even some lewd, writings. In the center of it all was a large kanji telling to "GO AWAY". Surrounding this were terms such as "Cross-Dresser", "Girly-Boy", "Freak" and some that were unmentionable in polite conversation. Worse yet, there was a drawing of Ranma-onna with an even bustier chest in all fours receiving an over-sized phallus.

Ranma's eyes narrowed and the temperature dropped several degrees around him. The sudden chill caused students within a three-meter radius to shift out of the way. He attempted to calm his anger, but he was having a difficult time of it.

Not having been able to see the desk from her vantage, Akane was not aware of the graffiti until the surrounding disturbance began. Curious, she walked over to see what the matter was. Her own anger flared, but it was not the icy depths that Ranma was emitting. Instead, hers was a hot and furious type, one that caused her aura to flare about her. "Who did this?" she demanded, looking about.

Nobody dared look at the two, nor answer.

Akane knew someone within the room had seen or had knowledge of whom the culprit was. After surveying the room, she realized there would be no fessing up to it by anyone. The graffiti could have been written after school the previous day or as recently as this morning. Turning back to Ranma, she said, "Just ignore it, Ranma. They're not worth it."

Nodding, Ranma sat down. He didn't have the time to clean his desk because the class would be starting in just a moment.

At lunch, Akane fetched a cleaner and towels to clean the desk. Rei came over, looking upset. "I'm sorry, Saotome-san," she bowed. "If I find out who it was, I'll make sure they're punished."

Ranma nodded. He had calmed down enough during their first period to not be bothered by it anymore.

Rei looked at the writing, analyzing it as best as she could. "I think a girl or two did these," pointing at several of the statements and words. "The strokes are a bit more curved. It has a girlish feel to it. And the picture here, too."

Akane looked at the graffiti, nodding. She handed Ranma a towel and sprayed the desk with the cleaner. They scrubbed the top for several minutes. Unfortunately, whomever had written on the desk had used permanent markers, which left stains. Much of the kanji was now gone, but there were still traces. The picture, which had been drawn in red, was now faded to a pink.

The remainder of the classmates were either eating at their desks alone, in groups or had exited to talk in the hallway. It had rained earlier, so the idea of sitting on wet grass was not appealing. Ranma, Akane and Rei pulled some desks together and ate their own meal. As they ate, Rei boggled at the pace and battle the two fought at.

"Do you two always eat like that?" she wondered.

Smiling around her food, Akane nodded. She swallowed and was about to reply, but Ranma shoved a pickle into her mouth. Her face scrunched up at the sour taste. Rei and Ranma laughed at her plight.

From out in the hallway, a conversation about Ranma's sexual preferences as both boy and girl drifted in. The remarks were vulgar and set Akane and Rei off. Ranma, on the other hand, just went still as he listened. He held up his hand to the girls who were about to get up and confront whomever was talking about him. Then he cocked his head to the side as he listened, trying to memorize the voices.

Akane fumed at the rumors that were being spread. What they heard was deliberately being said within earshot.

"Don't worry about it, yet," Ranma advised. "I've dealt with bullies before. Remember, I used to transfer schools a lot. Every now and again they thought I was an easy mark." He smiled, but it had no humor. "This will go on for a while, but don't let it get to you, Akane. And don't feel bad about it either, Inoue-san. The best thing to do right now is to ignore it. If it gets worse, then I know a few things I can do to get it to stop. The first step is finding out who is doin' it. I've got my ways of just what to do."

The two nodded, looking at each other with an exasperated expression. The three proceeded to finish their lunch in silence.

It wasn't until they were on their way to the hospital that Akane was finally able to vent her anger. She let out a good many ideas of how she wanted to give them a special training session. Among them were things like using the 'woodshed philosophy' or a 'wall-to-wall' counseling session. Eventually she settled down to merely using various imprecations about the individual's upbringing and family history, though in more vulgar terms. All the while, Ranma let her blow off steam as it was a safer outlet than seeking out the perpetrators.

When they made it to the hospital ward Ryoga was staying on, they were given pleasant news. Ryoga's x-rays had shown significant healing, and he had been woken up. The nurses and doctors had been astonished at his recovery rate. The lead doctor had decided they would be writing a review for a medical journal on the event.

Upon entering the room, Ranma and Akane found their friend propped up with pillows. He appeared to be in a relatively good mood.

"Heya, Ryoga," Ranma called out to him from the door.

Ryoga looked over at his guests wanly. "Oh, hey, Ranma," he replied lethargically. The two noted that his voice was a bit rough because of the tube that had been used to give him air. Usually it would take people a day or more to recover from its removal, but Ryoga seemed not to have had any trouble regaining his voice.

"How ya doin'?" The two sat down in their customary seats between the window and Ryoga's bed.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. They woke me up just a couple of hours ago, I think it was." Ryoga's eyes were a little unfocused, and he was very mellow. Ranma and Akane smiled at each other. It was obvious that Ryoga had been given some painkillers, which accounted for his disassociative state.

"Well, I'm sorry about hittin' ya like I did." The two guests found their customary seats for when they were visiting.

Ryoga smiled, making the two think of a happy child. "It's fine. You didn't run away from the fight this time. In fact, the nurses told me that you came here every day to see me. I'm really glad."

This attitude Ryoga was exhibiting was, in Ranma's experience, a bit of a shock. Was it due to the painkillers or, as Ryoga said, they had fought to settle things? "Er, yeah," he said lamely. Ranma rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh, um, this is my fiancée, Akane Tendo," he introduced.

Taking a closer look at the girl that was sitting by Ranma, Ryoga brightened. "You're really lucky, Ranma. She's pretty cute."

Akane blushed. At Ryoga's words, she found herself having a difficult time keeping hold of the anger that had manifested again at seeing Ryoga awake. "Hello, Ryoga, it's nice to meet you." The words sounded strange in her own ears, especially since she had known him for two years already.

"So, they said you're gettin' released in a couple days." Ryoga nodded at Ranma's statement. "When you do, you're gonna stay at our place."

"I really don't want to impose," Ryoga started to argue.

"Nonsense," Akane chided. "We've already spoken with my father, and he's fine with it. It's the least we could do to help you before you can travel again."

"Yeah, so, when you get released, we'll come and pick you up. Don't be goin' anywhere without us, though. Before you know it, you'd be in Osaka," Ranma declared. Ryoga nodded dully but didn't react to the joke. Ranma took a deep breath, looking at Akane before going on. He had decided, since Ryoga was out of it, so to speak, to address one issue. "You mentioned you went to China," he started.

Ryoga grimaced and clenched his fists at the memory. "Yes, I followed you there." It was odd that Ryoga wasn't spouting off about how Ranma had ruined his life yet. Could it be that the painkillers were affecting him that much? The fact that the lost boy was only able to focus on one idea at a time without connecting other issues together flitted through the two's minds. This was a good thing, in a way. It would help to address the enmity Ryoga had if they took the chance to do so.

"Well, I don't feel responsible for you followin' me, you understand, right?" Ranma watched Ryoga closely as he talked to the boy sitting in the hospital bed. He already knew the answers to all the questions, but wanted to ensure nothing untoward would happen that he couldn't stop before it escalated too much. "The way you were talkin', you followed me all the way somewhere. If I had my guess, you got all the way to Jusenkyo."

At this, Ryoga shuddered involuntarily.

"Okay, so...how and why did you fall into one of the pools, then?"

The lost boy looked away from Ranma before speaking. "I was wandering around in China, searching for you. I don't know how, but I made it to this valley like you said. I found myself standing on a ledge, looking out over the pools. Out of nowhere, a panda came running by me. I jumped out of its way. Then there was a girl. She was the one that knocked me off of the ledge and into a pool. I felt my body change. It was such a horrible feeling. My...my limbs shortened, I grew fur all over my body and...and..." Ryoga couldn't go on anymore.

"And now you're cursed to turn into an animal, I take it," Ranma finished for him.

Ryoga affirmed Ranma's assessment. "I turn into a black piglet. After I was able to get out of the water, the panda found me and took me to a place. A Chinese guy decided he was going to cook me! But, when he put me into the water to boil, I changed back into myself. After that, they got my clothing and backpack for me and I left, coming back to Japan to find you."

At this, Ranma looked down and sighed. This was going to be difficult to manage, but he had to make sure he did it right. He didn't want any bad blood between him and Ryoga, but he did expect it. "You say a panda and a girl, right?"

Again, Ryoga nodded at one of Ranma's questions.

"Y'see, Ryoga...I went to Jusenkyo, too."

This drew Ryoga's attention back to Ranma. His eyes gained some focus at hearing this admission. He waited for Ranma to continue.

"Y'know, well...it was a pretty crappy day. Pops and I showed up thinkin' it was a training ground. We didn't know it was even cursed. Thought it was a place we could practice our specialty, aerial combat. But, yeah...whouldn't ya know it...it turned out to be cursed." He gave a nervous laugh, looking away and rubbing the back of his head. "I knocked my Pops into one of the pools, and he got cursed. Well, then he surprised me and knocked me into one, too. Man, I was so mad." Ranma grimaced much like Ryoga had done earlier. Ryoga's suspicions began to kick into overdrive. His mind still hadn't made the connection quite yet, but his body was reacting by quivering.

Akane, seeing this, interrupted Ranma's story to redirect Ryoga's attention. "Do you think it's fair to blame Ranma for leaving after having stayed for three days?" After hearing Ranma's story she had taken a great deal of time and energy into figuring out how she wanted to handle Ryoga. He had not become her pet and would not if she had any say about it. Nor would she give him a chance to fall for her. She still had a great deal of resentment about the whole affair, but she couldn't rightly hold it over Ryoga's head since he had done nothing wrong this time around. Additionally, she wanted to avoid any bad blood between Ryoga and Ranma. She felt ashamed that she hadn't caught on to the hints the entire time, either. While he was partly to blame for not having told her, she couldn't lay all of it on him. This self-blame goaded her into the conversation she hoped would lead to a better relationship between the two young men.

Taken off guard at the question, Ryoga stared at Akane. "I...well..." He looked down at his hands in consternation. "He didn't stay for our man-to-man fight," he argued lamely.

"But Ranma said that it was his father that took him on another training trip. Don't you think that if it had been Ranma, he would have stayed for the fight?"

Ryoga looked at Ranma, who was nodding his assent at Akane's hypothesis. "I suppose he would have stayed if he could?"

"Honestly, what would you have done if your parents told you that you had to go somewhere?"

He started to reply by saying that he would have stayed, regardless of his parents. Before he could do so, he clamped his mouth shut and gave it more thought. "If they told me to...I would have gone," he admitted.

"You were the one who set the date of the fight, not Ranma. If it's anyone's fault, it's ultimately yours, though, right?" she asked.

Unable to argue with Akane's logic, he nodded. He sighed heavily. "Yes, I...yes, it's my fault."

"If Ranma's not to blame for the fight, whose fault is it that you went to China, then?"

"M-mine." He couldn't meet anyone's eyes, so he looked at his hands that were trying to twist themselves into knots in his lap.

Ranma looked over at Akane, thankful for her help. She wasn't done, though. "Do you think it would be fair to blame anything on Ranma if it happened in China?"

Stumped at Akane's logic at the moment, Ryoga could only shake his head. They let him stew on that or a minute.

Feeling it was his turn, Ranma picked up where Akane left off. "I'm really sorry about you gettin' cursed, Ryoga. I really am. I didn't know you followed me or even made it to Jusenkyo till you showed up here. You say you met up with a panda and a girl? Well, I know who they are."

Ryoga looked at Ranma, his eyes narrowing. "Who..."

"Like I said, I was at Jusenkyo, too, so I know who they are. Well, it was Pops that I knocked into the Spring of Drowned Panda. Then he knocked me into the Spring of Drowned Girl."

The couple waited, seeing Ryoga's mind process the information. His face went through a series of emotions before settling on one of anger. His body shook.

Akane touched Ryoga's arm. Looking at her stern face, he blanched. Even though he had just met Akane, her presence had an effect on him much like it had in the 'past'. The words she had said came back to him. "He didn't know you were there at all. Even if he was the one that may have knocked you into the pool, it isn't his fault that you were in the first place, right? You agreed that it wasn't fair to blame Ranma for what happened in China," she reiterated, bringing her logic all together.

Slumping, Ryoga looked down at his hands again, he began trembling as his anger had lost its focus. Slowly, it changed to sadness. He began to sob. Unable to face Ryoga's weeping, Ranma looked away. He sat that way as Akane stood and placed her hand on Ryoga's shoulder. She tried comforting him as well as she could with just her presence. The weeping lasted for nearly half an hour before Ryoga finally came to terms with himself and his situation.

As Ryoga began sniffling, Ranma retrieved a box of tissues, holding them out. Ryoga took some tissues and blew his nose noisily. Ranma lapsed into a more brusque way of speaking, which he hadn't spoken in for some time. "Like I said, buddy, I'm sorry. I wanna help you. You're not the only one cursed. Me and Pops are, too. Yeah, I turn into a girl and ya might think it's all fine and dandy, but it has its issues, too, y'know."

Ryoga looked at Ranma incredulously.

"It's true," Ranma said forcefully. "Ya don't know the kinda crap I have to deal with when I'm a girl. Sure I stay human, but there's a whole lot of other problems that come with it. Girls' bodies are weird," he admitted, casting a glance at Akane. He saw her purse her lips, a sign of disapproval, but she didn't say anything. "Gettin' boobs and... all that stuff down there," he said, gesturing at his groin. "It's freaky. Not to mention that I got some chick from China tryin' to kill me now."

At this, Ryoga looked at Ranma questioningly. "Kill you? What do you mean by that?"

"Pssh. The Chinese guy that tried cookin' ya took us to this village nearby. Pops and I started eatin' the prize for some fight that was goin' on. Well, one thing led to another and I ended up fightin'. I won, so it shoulda been good, right? Nah, the girl gave me somethin' called the 'Kiss of Death'. Some Amazon law where if she's defeated by an outsider, she has to kill ya. She chased me and Pops all across China. She might even show up here soon." There was no might, Ranma knew, unfortunately.

Ryoga began laughing weakly.

Playing into the idea of being offended, Ranma said, "Hey, it ain't funny." Ryoga laughed a bit harder but had to stop because his ribs began to hurt. "Yeah, well, whatever, at least it looks like you're feeling better."

Ryoga wiped a tear away. "I can't quite agree with you about which is worse," he admitted. "At least I know you're suffering, though."

Looking at him wryly, Ranma said, "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, why don't you get some rest. Akane and I hafta go practice and do our school work. Was there anythin' ya wanted? If not, we'll see ya tomorrow."

With a deep sigh, Ryoga shook his head, suddenly looking weary after his emotional outburst and his painkillers reasserting their dominance. "I'll be fine. I think I'm going to just do a little thinking."

"Don't be getting' all depressed or nothin'. It ain't gonna do you any good. Besides, after you get out, I have a few things for ya to do. Trainin' with me an' Akane for one."

"Sure, Ranma." Ryoga waved. "Get a few good hits on him for me if you would, Akane-san," he requested.

Akane smiled. "Of course."

The two left Ryoga to himself. Outside of the room, Ranma stopped and looked down at his feet. The conversation had gone better than he could have expected. A good part of that had been due to Akane's intervention. Rather than racing home, Ranma set the pace by walking on the ground. He was deep in thought for a time while Akane walked beside him. She was curious about what he was ruminating about, but held her tongue. Halfway home, he stopped and looked around, gathering his bearings. He motioned for Akane to follow him.

Ranma led her to a familiar tea shop, finding a secluded booth. After they ordered and received their drinks and a pastry, he finally opened up. "I'm thinkin' we need to get everyone together and start training. Y'know, the whole gang. Shampoo, Ukyo, Mousse, Konatsu..." Akane frowned at some names. Seeing that she was listening without exploding or accusing him of anything, Ranma continued. "I have a feelin' we're going to need them. Maybe not now or soon, but I think it might be for Saffron again. Or somethin' even worse. The sooner we get them here and trainin', the better prepared we're gonna be. Heck, when Taro and Herb show up, I know we're gonna need as much firepower as we can get together. That is, if we have to fight them, of course."

Akane looked into her cup, mulling his words over. "If we can manage not fighting, that would probably be best. I agree, though, that we do need to be prepared. But why them?"

He knew who Akane was referring to. Both of his would-be fiancées were not truly wanted, although Ukyo had become friendly with Akane to some degree. "Look, the two of us are, well, y'know...you don't have to worry about Shampoo and Ukyo or nothin'." He looked at her, smiling, "Because me an' you are, uh..." The words just couldn't seem to come out properly.

She felt exasperated at his hedging. Interrupting him, "We need to start being able to say it, Ranma. I know I'm not the best at saying how I feel about you, too. But at some point...we need to get over being tongue-tied or embarrassed or whatever." Putting words into action, Akane stood from her seat and came around to sit next to Ranma, forcing him to slide further into his side of the booth. She pulled her drink and slice of cake towards herself.

Her actions caused Ranma to have some funny feelings flow through him. Nervousness, pleasure and some others that he couldn't put words to. Unlike having had Shampoo or Ukyo next to him, who had elicited dread or, perhaps just a companionable presence, he was glad to have Akane next to him. This wasn't the first time they had sat next to each other. But it was one where they were by themselves and doing so. Unable to say anything, Ranma began eating his own slice of cake.

After the two finished eating, Ranma noticed that Akane had put her hands in her lap. Taking her words to heart, he put his left hand below the table. Reaching over, he touched her hand with his own. Startled at the touch, Akane looked down and saw what he was doing. With a smile, she reached over and interlaced her fingers with his.

Both blushed as their server suddenly showed up, but didn't let go of each other's hands. They indicated that they were fine with what they had as the girl took their dishes away, leaving them with a freshened cup of tea.

The minutes passed in silence and then, out of the blue, Akane broke it. "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. So I'll be leaving during fourth period to go to it. I'll be done in time to meet with you to pick up Ryoga."

Concern was reflected in Ranma's voice as he asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Akane reassured him. "I'm just going to have a checkup." She tightened her grip on his hand unconsciously as she thought about what she was about to say. "I've been thinking since this last weekend," she started.

Ranma realized that Akane was having trouble continuing, so he prompted with, "Yeah? What about?" He shifted in his seat so that he could look at her better.

"Er, well...I don't know how to really put this, but...for tomorrow's appointment, I'm going to go see a gynecologist." Akane's face reddened.

"A what?" He'd heard the term before, but hadn't learned what it meant.

"It's a doctor that specializes in women's health. Specifically, in, um, reproduction. They do checks on us to make sure we're okay and other things."

At the term 'reproduction', Ranma's mind, like many males, went blank. "Oh, okay," he said.

Taking a deep breath, Akane plunged into a topic she had been considering the previous weekend. "Please don't freak out about what I'm about to say. I know you're a guy and all, but with the curse and what you said about it. Well, it has me a bit concerned." Ranma raised an eyebrow questioningly. Leaning over and lowering her voice, even though there didn't appear to be anyone close by to hear, she said, "You said you have your period when you're stuck in girl form, right?" Ranma reddened even more than Akane at this. He nodded, stunned that his fiancée was bringing this up. "I think you need to see a gynecologist. They specialize in women's health, like I said, and, well, it might be educational or, at the least, informational for you."

Ranma sighed, leaning his head against the headrest behind him. After having lived with the curse for two years now, he was still getting hit with one surprise after another. He hadn't considered that there were specialized doctors for women. The school nurse may have mentioned it at one point, but he had been too freaked out by his first period to have noticed. Now, though, Akane was bringing something up that further illustrated the issues he had to face. His body gave an involuntary shudder.

Feeling his consternation at the suggestion, Akane brought her other hand over to cover his, which was still interlaced with her right. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just..."

Cutting her off, "Nah, it's fine." Ranma gave a rueful laugh. "If it's not one thing, it's another with this damn curse. But maybe you're right about one thing. Maybe I should see a doctor." His gaze on the ceiling became unfocused.

"I can help set up an appointment if you want. And, well, if you want as well, I can go with or you can go by yourself. Whichever you feel is best."

Ranma leaned forward, placing his elbow on the table and pinching the bridge of his nose. He smiled and laughed silently in self-mockery, his shoulders shaking. Regaining his composure, he said, "Yeah, sure. You might as well. Maybe right after the tournament with Kodachi. I don't want Pops or anyone else knowing about it, though."

"Okay. I'll get it set up tomorrow while I'm there."

Ranma felt unnerved by their conversation. He drained the rest of his tea in one long pull. "Let's go. I want to get some practice in before it gets too late. We still have some homework to catch up on, and we have a few quizzes this Friday, so we need to study." Akane nodded and they set off.

0730, Wednesday, 30 May

Finishing his breakfast in record time, Ranma stood up from the table. Akane looked up at him in askance. "I have something to take care of," he said cryptically. "You can go to school with Nabiki this morning. I'll meet you there." Without waiting for a reply, he left hurriedly.

Taking the most direct route that he could, Ranma arrived at the school quickly. He disappeared from sight using the Umisenken. Stopping by his locker to exchange shoes, he found that he was too late.

Inside of his locker were two used sanitary napkins. They had been smeared on the inside, stuck to the door and were still relatively fresh, as the blood hadn't fully congealed and dried. As he gingerly tried to pull his indoor shoes out, he found that they had been glued to the locker. His eyes narrowed in frustration. Various forms of torture flashed through his mind, but he discarded them. Whoever it was that had targeted him was likely not a martial artist. He was also loathe to injure a girl, as the forms of bullying were indicative of someone that preferred this type of harassment.

He gave no further thought to his indoor shoes, as they were just an identical pair he wore and were used exclusively for school. Nobody would be able to tell he was using his 'street' shoes. Quickly, he made his way up to his classroom. There were a few students there, but none were near his desk. Checking his desk, he found that nobody had written or drawn on it. Ranma stood in the back of the classroom to watch just in case.

Half an hour passed before Akane arrived in the classroom. Taking his cue, Ranma left the room and headed to the top of the stairs that opened onto the roof. He released the Umisenken and returned to the classroom.

As he entered, Akane looked over at him. "Did you finish what you had to do," she asked.

Ranma shook his head. He sat down, scanning the room. None of the girls that had been in the room had seemed as if they were culprits. That didn't mean they weren't, however. Even some of the most innocent-seeming could have a heart filled with darkness towards others.

Shelving his search for the perpetrators for the time being, Ranma focused his attention on the lessons for the remainder of the morning.

When the lunch bell rang, Ranma received his bento from Akane. They headed to the door. As they approached, Ranma noticed the furtive glances a group of boys were casting his way. They whispered amongst themselves until he was nearly in earshot. His eyes narrowed.

Making it seem as if it were an accident, one of the boys slapped the bottom of a companion's drink. Just as Ranma was passing by them, the water from inside of the cup was flung at him. Normally, students weren't allowed open drinks in the classroom. It was readily apparent that this incident had been planned.

Ranma-onna stopped, his hair and shirt sopping wet. He looked over at the boys with a cold stare. Akane froze behind him, her anger flaring. Ranma-onna held up a hand to forestall any actions on her part. Earlier, during roll call, Ranma had taken note of everyone's name. The three before him were Takumi Takei, Masato Matsuda and Ushio Umezawa.

The biggest, Masato, looked down at Ranma-onna with a sneer. He had bleached his hair on top, keeping the sides and back short. The hairdo was against school regulations, but Ranma-onna couldn't say much about it, as his own was not proper either. Then again, Furinkan was fairly lax with its enforcement. Masato's muscular body towered over everyone in the room. His face was broad with a cleft chin and thick brows. He appeared to be a tough guy and seemed to revel in it. "Hey, look, Takumi, it looks like Saotome is all wet for you."

The three laughed. "I heard you like it rough," Takumi said. He licked his thin lips lasciviously. Ranma-onna turned his attention to Takumi. This boy was shorter than Masato and didn't have any muscle-tone to speak of. Everything about him was thin, from his emaciated face and features to his tall body. His dark, short-cropped hair showed a flattened skull on top with his ears barely poking out from the side of his head. Seeing Ranma-onna's gaze, he displayed himself. "Oh, liking what you see? We can take you up to the roof to get a better look. Or maybe a better feel, that is." He grabbed himself suggestively.

Akane stepped forward to deal with the perverts, but Ranma-onna held his arm out to restrain her. He turned his head towards her, shaking it. Turning his attention back, he said sweetly, "Nah, I was just thinkin' which bones to break first." Ranma-onna used the Soul of Ice to drop the temperature around the five of them by several degrees.

Not as sure of themselves as they had been a heartbeat ago, the three looked at one another.

Ushio, the third boy, spoke up, "Ha! You don't scare us," he said with false bravado, swishing the toothpick he had in his mouth from one side to the other. This one, Ranma-onna noted, was average in everything when it came to looks. Average height, build and features. His light brown hair was an even length, feathered back from his face. He was obviously a hanger-on, typical of someone that wanted to be able to act tough when associating with someone of Masato's size and aggressive demeanor. "You attack us, and we'll see about getting you suspended or even expelled."

Now that he had three suspects or accomplices marked, Ranma-onna had a potential lead to the primary suspects. The smile he gave them sent a chill down the three's spines. While Ranma-onna didn't know whether Masato had been a part of the morning crowd that had attacked Akane each morning, it didn't matter at this point. That issue was settled and now was of more import. "You all doin' this stuff to me...you really are pretty stupid, aren't you?"

The usage of insults in cultures is significant. In Japan, a particular phrase or word, such as the one that Ranma-onna used was actually frowned up, if not outright banned in certain company. The tone Ranma used along with the insult caused anyone within hearing range to gasp, including the three that it was directed to. It was to the level of which that it was on par with offensive words used to describe various ethnicities. This left them speechless and unable to recover before Ranma-onna had nonchalantly walked out of the room.

Akane had never heard Ranma-onna use such language or be as insulting as just now. She followed him outside to join their regular group for lunch. As they stepped outside, she asked, "Are you okay, Ranma?"

Ranma-onna smiled congenially. "Yeah. I just don't like bullies."

"Well, if you're sure..." She left the conversation hang, looking at his face.

His smiled broadened, noticing her concern. "Oh, I'm definitely fine. Half of that was just me getting under their skin. They're not the ones who are doing it all in the first place. They're more like...toadies or lackeys is all. Whoever is leading will have heard about what I said if she didn't hear it first-hand. She'll probably get too mad about what I said and do something to overextend her hand and then I'll have her."

Nodding, Akane let the matter drop. Ranma-onna was a fairly good tactician when it came to fights. She just hadn't experienced him taking something like this head-on and in such an insulting manner. "If you need help, just let me know."

Looking sidelong at Akane, Ranma-onna's smile softened. Her support was appreciated this time around. Though he would have to be careful about how to keep her and her temper in check for what he planned. "Right. Thanks," he said.

1300, Wednesday, 30 May

It was after lunch that Akane left for her appointment. Instead of using buses or trains getting to her destination, she used the rooftop expressway. It was both faster and excellent training. Without Ranma, she had to push herself rather than try to keep with Ranma. His constant training of her had increased her speed and jumping distance, which pleased her greatly.

Once she made it to her destination, she stopped at the front door to gather herself. She took even and measured breaths to slow her breathing and heart rate down to a manageable level. Stepping inside, she made her way to the desk and checked in.

While she waited for her turn with the doctor, Akane opened one of the women's health magazines available. She perused it absently until she came to an article that caught her interest. It had been about something she wished to discuss with the doctor anyway, so it was fortuitous that she had found it. It was not long after she had finished the article that she was called in.

The nurse performed her vitals check and measurements on Akane. After these were done, she had Akane change into a gown that would allow the gynecologist to examine her more intimately. When she was in the prescribed clothing, she had Akane wait in an examination room. Sitting on the edge of the examination table that had its stirrups offset, she gazed at them with some curiosity. This was her first time at such an appointment, so she had yet to experience the displeasure of a pelvic exam.

It didn't take long for the doctor to arrive. She was a woman in her thirties who had been practicing for some time and had what seemed like a calm demeanor, if a bit rushed-seeming. Her hair was pulled back in a bun to keep it out of the way with light makeup to highlight her features, though nothing extreme. As with any physician, she was dressed sharply and comfortably with a smock over it.

"Hello, Tendo-san," she said pleasantly. Without waiting for a reply, she continued on, though she did squinch her face with a smile for Akane's return smile of greeting. "Let me go ahead and do some checks of my own, and then we can get to talking." With that, she used her stethoscope and various tools on Akane's body for the next few minutes. Finally done, she sat down on a rolling stool, looking at Akane expectantly. "So, what brings you in here today?"

It took a few breaths for Akane to get her thoughts in order. The doctor waited patiently, having had much experience with young women of Akane's age and their first time in such a place. "Well, Kato-sensei, I'm, um...well, I'm engaged. My fiancée and I have known each other for two years now and..."

Feeling she knew where the conversation was going, the doctor interrupted. "Hmm. I see. So, you two are already getting sexually active, I take it?"

If she could glow any brighter, then Akane managed it. "Er, no...but..."

"But you're wanting to, then."

"No, but, kind of in a way, yes."

Kato-sensei frowned. "Is he forcing himself on you?"

"Oh, no, no. He's actually very, um, reserved. If anything, I might be the one that...ah, well, you see, I might have to be the one that takes the first steps."

"Ahuh. I try not to make a habit of encouraging teenagers such as yourself to become sexually active. There are certain complications that can occur as your body is still developing, you understand. There's also the fact that young women such as yourself may find raising a child a bit difficult."

"It's not that I really want to, though I wouldn't mind, well..." Akane's frustration finally got the better of her. Letting out an explosive breath, she gave vent to her frustrations, "Argh!"

Taken aback, Kato-sensei looked mildly surprised. She leaned back as Akane gathered her wits about her, smiling congenially.

In one long rush, Akane finally managed to get her point across. "Okay, so, we've been engaged for two years now. We don't know when exactly we'll end up getting married. Our fathers seem inclined to have us married as soon as possible. Heck, I think they engaged us before we were even born. Or, at least, when they were students still, they decided to join the schools together. I don't know. But, anyway, when that time comes, I want to be prepared. I don't mind getting married right now, either, I mean, well, it would be okay with me. We're not ready to have kids yet, though. We're still in school, and we have a lot of training to do still to get ready for other things that we have planned or are going to happen. Um, well, we have lot of things to do before we can even think of having children together."

Akane looked as if she had run a few laps around Tokyo by the time she was done. The doctor waited, making sure Akane had regained her composure and mental acuity before speaking. "I think I get it now. In the event that the two of you do get married, you want something to prevent you from getting pregnant. I presume that, with you being married, your parents will expect you to perform marital duties such as consummating it. Am I correct in this?"

Finding that she was being understood, Akane nodded. She reached behind her to the magazine she had brought in from the waiting room. "I was thinking of something like a diaphragm. There are no side effects wit them like with the pill, the shot or implant. Because of my active lifestyle, I don't know how effective they would be." Not only that, the potential side effects were worrisome, but she didn't voice those concerns. She opened the magazine to the page she had read, which had a picture of what she was talking about.

Smiling enigmatically, "Yes, I'm familiar with them. In fact, I have prescribed a number of them." She looked at her watch and then the tablet with Akane's information on it. "We have time to do a proper sizing for you. Give me a moment and I'll be back with a sizing kit." So saying, she left Akane in the examination room, returning quickly with a small box. "Okay, I'll need you to lie back into the seat there and put your feet into the stirrups."

From there, Kato-sensei began the fitting. At one point, when she had noted Akane didn't have a hymen and evidence of sexual activity was not present, Akane explained to her that she was an avid participant in martial arts, having studied it since very young. It was likely due to her extremely active life that her hymen had broken, if it had been there in the first place at all. Kato-sensei accepted the explanation, knowing already that the lack of a hymen was not necessarily indicative of sexual activity in the first place. She had merely been noting it for Akane's sake in order to let her know that, should she become sexually active, she was likely not to experience the pain of its breaking or the spotting of blood that came with it.

When it was completed, Akane felt much more embarrassment about the procedure. It had been thoroughly invasive and uncomfortable.

"That should be about all for today unless you have any other questions, Tendo-san," Kato-sensei said. "I'll have your diaphragm ordered and in by next Monday. You can stop by the front desk to schedule a follow-up appointment for me to show you how to insert and use it properly."

Relieved, Akane thanked the doctor and went out to the lobby. She took the time to find a day to schedule both her follow-up and Ranma's initial appoint for the following week on the same day. Once finished, she went out of her way to find a place where she could order a crepe and then head home. It was time for a little indulgence after what she had experienced.

As she walked home, she began wondering when the possibility of their marriage might be. Counting back the weeks that they had been in this new life, she realized she would never have thought herself looking forward to such a thing. This was enough to cause her to stop in the middle of her walk to take stock of their situation. Other pedestrians scowled as they had to walk around the young woman that suddenly blocked their path.

Realizing that she had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, she leapt up to a roof to get out of the way, eliciting gasps from those around her. This was the first time she had been alone and had time for herself. Glad for this opportunity, she decided to take it and search out someplace where she could think undisturbed. There was a very low chance of being interrupted in the part of town she was at. Spying a small park, she leapt away to more astonishment of those below her. At her destination, she began walking a simple path that wound its way around the park. There were only a few people around.

With the things that had happened to them, Akane realized that she wanted to have Ranma to herself. Her possessiveness was in full throttle and would not let up. No other young women had shown up to claim they were one of a myriad of fiancées to him. Their having admitted their feelings to each other that first night had solidified her position as the only one. Finding a bench, she sat down to reflect on how her own feelings had culminated into love for the gender-changing boy.

As she mentally reviewed all of her experiences, she realized that it may have begun with Ranma's announcement that he was her fiancé during the ice skating tournament. That's where the seeds had been planted, at least. Before that, he had been an annoyance and unwelcome guest to the Tendo household. The sudden engagement, Furinkan perverts and numerous other issues had compounded to make her closed off to the idea of romance. Less one Tofu-sensei, of course. Yes, she realized, they had been amicable with only a few incidents where she would have to put him in his place for calling her names. His upbringing with Genma Saotome had made him unable to express himself in a more gentlemanly way. His crude mannerisms and immaturity were to hide his feelings. It was only natural that she retrain him in civility. Smiling at her own thoughts, she shook her head vigorously.

It had been Kuno's fault that she had disliked the male half of the population. After his announcement she had declared them anathema. Though the fights had lasted a mere three weeks it had traumatized her to the point she couldn't consider looking at someone her own age. This was where her idea of boys being perverts had come from. If they could defeat her then they could do anything they wished. Including sex. Of course, then Ranma had shown up. Rumors had spread throughout the school initially about how she apparently liked girls because of her earlier protestations. Then others had spread after Ranma had been revealed as her fiancé. Unbeknownst to her, Ranma had heard her protestations while being teased by Nabiki, further compounding their relationship as he remained antagonistic. That chapter of her life had been taxing.

Ranma had grown on her. When he had kissed her while in the Nekoken, she had been so stunned at this development, she had launched him out of embarrassment. Had it been outside of a public venue, she might not have been as vehement in her reaction. She couldn't remember the words, but she remembered that she had cut him off when he had stammered while possibly trying to deny he would have kissed just anyone. She had been unfair to him because his Nekoken had reverted him to mere animalistic instincts. If she had only allowed him to talk, maybe he would have confessed that he at least liked her, and the two of them would have reconciled? Had he been able to do so, what would she have done then?

Now the two were far beyond that and dwelling on the lost opportunities were of no consequence, she realized. She, Akane, needed to move forward. Using the knowledge of the past was the only thing she could do now, making sure she didn't make the same mistakes. With that in mind, she had to tie the knot, so to speak, with Ranma. Ultimately, that meant marriage.

They had nearly been married once. Just before going to China, she had been knocked out and put into a wedding kimono. While opposed and angry at the time, she was now looking forward to it like almost any maiden. The pomp and ceremony, being the center of attention and, finally, the honeymoon together with her husband.

Perhaps she could convince him to get married at the earliest? After their shared experience, he would likely feel the need to do be honorable and marry her, right? Her visit to the doctor's office had been in anticipation of this. Now that they were eighteen, they could...

Wait...her mental gears came to a screeching halt at one simple fact that she had overlooked until just that moment. No, they couldn't get married yet. By Japanese law, she could with her father's blessing. However, Ranma was not old enough. He had to be eighteen, but now he was back in his sixteen-year-old body and, by rights, would have to wait two years. The attempted Shinto wedding ceremony had been right after he had turned eighteen. Only then had it been legal for him to marry with his parent's permission. If either wanted to get married without either needing permission they needed to be twenty years old. With this realization, Akane banged her fist on the bench, letting out a sound of frustration.

What, in all honesty, could they do without tarnishing their family names and their own honor? They had already, in her estimation, participated in an act that solidified their engagement into some form of consummation. In order to prevent others from attempting to steal him, she wanted to be registered as a Saotome in totality rather than in hiding. Honestly, Akane was unsure of what her father would think of them having sex together before that could happen.

No, she did have an inkling of how he might feel about it. When Ranma had snuck into her room, her father had been fairly blasé about it all. He had claimed that it was a sign that he was a 'healthy lad', as it were. Was that an indication that he was unconcerned? While it might be 'healthy' for Ranma, what would he think of her? Would he still consider it honorable for her to willingly participate? Not only that, it had been Kasumi who had lectured Ranma during those occasions. Should she start sleeping with Ranma, Kasumi would be on her case as well.

The memory of her father's joy at them going to an onsen came back to her. She, along with Shampoo and Ukyo, had received tickets for a race. Her father had made it known he was expecting Ranma to...perform. Yes, he had been adamant about their going together. That way the young man could "deflower" her.

Thoughts of taking this step made Akane's entire body flush. It was an equal mixture of embarrassment and excitement at the idea. Knowing Ranma, it would likely have to be her that took the lead. Should she decide to plan on seducing him? If so, where and when? The only time she knew they would be alone would be the coming weekend, but she wouldn't have the protection she had ordered in time. She could definitely get some condoms, but that would require her to go to the nurse's office or buy them herself. It would be too easy for a classmate or someone else she knew to recognize her doing so.

Again, Akane had to back up and regroup. No, that wasn't right, she remembered. Ryoga was going to join them, which would make it difficult for them to find some time to be alone without him interrupting by some chance. Their schedule hadn't been set too far in advance. However, she could only think that the coming summer break would be the only time she could plan an outing with him by themselves.

Another factor she had to take into account, as she contemplated these actions, was Ranma himself. How he had managed to keep from being molested by Shampoo was beyond her. Quite likely it was a mixture of his prudishness and honor. An unhealthy dose of Shampoo's earlier actions at trying to kill him may have been a factor as well. Being chased throughout China, only to show up in Japan, by a crazed Amazon wouldn't have been enamoring. Akane knew she wouldn't have the rawness of the nightmare to coerce Ranma. His faculties would be whole at the time, allowing him a chance at turning her down. That would be a huge hindrance to her plans.

It wasn't that she was anticipating the act itself. Right? She just wanted to lay claim to Ranma in no uncertain terms. Yeah, that was right...Shampoo's nickname of 'Pervert Girl' came to mind, which she couldn't shake.

Ranma had shown a tendency to perform actions with her that he had refused to do with others. When trying to show his manliness to his mother, he had been willing to peek on her. To some degree, at least. Another time, when Mousse had thought he was under Shampoo's Three Year Smile of Death, he had refused to try out Cologne's method of releasing Shampoo's anger on her. But he had tried it out on his own fiancé without hesitation, as she recalled. In hindsight, his reticence with Shampoo and instead willing to pat her on the bottom was admirable. If only I hadn't felt the need to refuse him so forcefully, Akane berated herself. That was at a time that she had been unwilling to appreciate Ranma's feelings for her and had been more of a prude than Ranma had ever been. Or was it more of a shrew?

Finding that she was not able to make much headway with her thoughts now, she stood up. She had practice with Ranma, and he would be out of school soon. Without further ado, she headed to the hospital to visit Ryoga.

1530, Wednesday, 30 May

Ranma was unable to stay and hide in order to find who had made a mess of his shoe locker and desk. Additionally, he hadn't been able to find the time to clean the mess in his locker like he had wanted to. Mentioning it to Akane was out of the question, of course. Instead, he merely met with Akane after school outside of the hospital to meet with Ryoga. On the way in, Akane gave him the appointment slip she had obtained for the next week. Quickly scanning it, he shook his head in disbelief before storing it in his bag.

The remainder of their afternoon and evening proceeded as usual. Ryoga had been pleasant with Ranma when the two had shown up while Ranma had bitten his tongue to keep from using his usual insults. They did manage to banter back and forth with a good-natured feel between the two. Much to their relief, Ryoga wasn't holding the grudge against Ranma like he had before. Akane's handling of the situation the day prior had settled the dispute.

After visiting Ryoga was practice. Akane's speed, agility and dexterity were advancing at a rapid pace, which pleased both of them. It would be another two or three weeks of such training before Ranma brought his father into the daily regimen. Only then would Akane truly appreciate the sacrifices he had gone through to earn his skills. That was because his father would be ruthless.

0745, Thursday, 31 May

The next morning, Ranma performed the same routine of leaving early. This time, he cleaned his locker before heading up to his classroom. To his chagrin, as he inspected his desk, he found that something sticky had been spread on the seat of his chair. Without anyone around yet, he took the opportunity to trade out chairs with Masato Matsuda, one of the three boys that had splashed water on him the day before. All the while he had maintained his Umisenken camouflage. He left and met up with Akane who was making her way to school. He did so in order to throw off anyone that could be watching for his entrance to school.

To everyone's amusement, when Masato sat down, he was greeted with a sticky seat. He cursed and tried to leap out of the chair, but found it adhering to his pants. His friends, who were suppressing their own laughs, helped him out of his predicament. Masato leveled a glare at Ranma, but the subject of his ridicule didn't bother to look his way. He was forced to change into his track shorts for the remainder of the day and clean his chair.

Their day proceeded as usual for the remainder of school. Ranma went with Akane off of the school grounds before returning camouflaged. Akane continued to the hospital without him.

Stepping into the classroom, Ranma saw a cluster of girls near his desk. There were three in total. The girls were already drawing something on his desk with permanent markers.

Looking at them carefully, he noticed that the leader of the group wasn't one of his classmates. She was a senior, to be sure, but she was likely from another classroom. The other two were. He waited until they were finished vandalizing his desk and left before showing himself. Quickly cleaning the desk while the ink was relatively fresh, he began devising methods to deal with the girls.

Satisfied with his efforts, Ranma left and went to meet up with Ryoga and Akane. When he got to the hospital, he found Ryoga being wheeled out to the front in a wheelchair. A nurse was pushing the wheelchair while Akane walked beside him. She was carrying his belongings which had been put into a bag. Ryoga was wearing his customary travel clothes, though they had been cleaned and mended by Kasumi. Upon seeing Ranma, the two waved to him.

Ryoga stood with a little wince due to the shifting of his body. His ribs weren't fully healed, but he was quickly on the way to a full recovery. The nurse gave him a warm good-bye and left the three teenagers to their own devices, taking the wheelchair with her.

"Yo, Ryoga," Ranma said as he landed nearby. "You think you're feelin' up to walkin' to the dojo or do you want a taxi?"

Stretching to test how well he was feeling, he nodded. "I should be able to make it."

"You got me and Akane here, so if you need anything or don't feel up to it, let us know."

Akane was a bit surprised at how accommodating and helpful Ranma was being. She had only ever seen him and Ryoga fighting about one issue or another. This, she reflected, had likely been due to Ryoga's blaming Ranma for his curse and Ranma's own displeasure at Ryoga using said curse to be Akane's pet piglet. She smiled at the fact that the two were finally getting along, something that she had hoped for, for quite some time. She noted, too, that Ranma seemed to lapse into a brusque manner when he was speaking with Ryoga.

The three set out for the Tendo's, talking and enjoying the sights as they made their way. Ranma was quite animated about the training he was giving to Akane. This finally led to Ranma's goal.

"So, I was thinkin'," he started. "I wanna have you start trainin' with us. There're a few things I think you can master."

This brought Ryoga up short. Stopping, he looked at Ranma in disbelief. "You want go give me training as well?"

"Sure. You're plenty strong and tough enough. First, we need to get you healed up and back in shape. But, after that, there are a number of techniques you would be great at." One of those, the two of them knew, would be the Bakusai Tenketsu, also known as the Breaking Point Technique.

He and Akane had also talked at length about the need for allies. While Akane didn't particularly care for Shampoo, she did realize that she would be a better ally than a potential fiancée to Ranma. It was just a matter of ensuring the former rather than the latter. On this, both were in firm agreement. Ryoga, now that he wasn't a rival or enemy, with the occasional friendly intentions, was one of the best candidates for an alliance. Their future was still uncertain as they were already changing what had happened in their previous timeline with this new life.

In this vein, Ranma said, "Look, I'm always having something or other pop up and make a mess of things. Maybe, if I have a buddy or two to help out, it'll smooth things along. I'm not sure if we can call each other friends or not yet. But, anyway, we can at least help each other out if we need it. Which I'm sure will be the case, considerin' we're both cursed and our lives are pretty weird and messed up as it is."

Nodding at Ranma's reasoning, Ryoga started walking with the two again. The idea of being friends with Ranma was still a new notion. He'd held a grudge against him for over five months now, if not longer. Now that the grudge from school was settled with the fight, he had no issue with being amicable. Added to that, Akane's analysis of the two's feud and subsequent cursing from Jusenkyo had buried the hatchet in those regards. Besides, the idea of having a buddy, if not a friend, was a wonderful idea. It was something he had given up on some time ago.

On their way home, they made a slight detour to stop by Tofu-sensei's clinic. He had expressed an interest in seeing Ryoga after he was released from the hospital, and they had been happy to arrange the meeting. When they arrived, they found him finishing up his remaining paperwork and preparing to greet them. Brief introductions were given between the Ryoga and the chiropractor. He invited them in to sit down for some tea. For a time, they exchanged pleasantries before Tofu-sensei came to the point he had wanted to address.

"So," he said, "Ranma and Akane tell me that you travel quite a bit." He had, in fact, received a detailed description of Ryoga's wanderings. The souvenirs and presents he had come back with had actually come from all across Japan, indicating Ryoga had traveled the entire length and breadth of the island.

Laughing self-consciously, Ryoga said, "Uh, yeah. I've been able to see most of Japan and a fair bit of China."

"How long have you had an issue with your sense of direction?"

He was taken aback by the congenial yet invasive questions. Looking at the other two before turning back to the doctor, Ryoga said, "Well, I suppose since I can remember, really. Both of my parents have the same issue."

The doctor paused at the fact that both of his parents were afflicted. He would have expected one or the other to have the issue. "I see. After speaking with a few colleagues of mine about your situation, we were able to come up with a few ideas of what your problem might be." Standing, Tofu-sensei retrieved a poster that had the parts of a brain labeled. Using a pen as a pointer, he directed his three guests' attention to a portion near its center. "Our brains are made up of unique and multi-functional parts. Scientist have been doing studies on a variety of functions that these do for many years now. Among these are our ability to tell direction. The one here is called the entorhinal cortex. People are, to some degree, able to tell where north is. When they are looking to go one way their brain determines where they are facing and takes that into account. This idea is much in line with some animals like homing pigeons, which were used as messenger birds before other means of communication was available.

"Now, in your case, as with many others, there seems to be the opposite effect. Like yourself, even if a direction is pointed out, a detailed map and even a compass given to you, you have difficulty finding your destination. Yours appears to be one of the most extreme that my colleagues have ever heard of." Putting the poster away, Tofu-sensei sat back. "We, my colleagues and I, would like to see if we could help you out with your sense of direction."

The hint of being able to go from one place to another without taking a week or month to finally arrive stirred Ryoga like none other. His lack of directional sense had made him the butt of jokes since he had been young. There was no hesitation from him. "Yes, I would gladly do anything to see if I could do something about my problem," he effused joyously. Ranma and Akane smiled at how happy Ryoga seemed.

"I'm glad to hear that," Tofu-sensei remarked. "Though I don't believe there will be anything invasive. Since you seem to agree with participating, I'll let them know that," he said, referring to his colleagues. "When we discussed the possibility, they mentioned that they should be able to get you in under a university study. This will allow you to have a no-cost trial to see what might work for you. It will include some CT scans, MRI's and a battery of tests to see just how bad your sense of direction is. They also stated there will be a variety of methods they will use to test whether they can get you to have a better sense of direction." Becoming serious, he held Ryoga's gaze before continuing. "They did want me to impress upon you that this might not be fully effective or not at all."

Ryoga swallowed then nodded in understanding. Should his direction sense get fixed, then there was also the chance his parents could be helped as well. It would be a boon to them, as it would allow the entirety of his family to have a normal life, such as it was. "Yes. Okay, um..." He looked down at his hands in thought. "Even if there is a remote chance that I can have this fixed, then I'm willing to do the tests." Meeting Tofu-sensei's gaze again, "If there is no fix, then at least I can say that I tried, right?"

Tofu-sensei smiled. "I agree. Since you will be convalescing at the Tendo's, we'll be sure to get with you as soon as we can. It might be a week or more before they can do so due to funding or approval constraints. They will get in contact with your parents to get permission. And, perhaps, add them to the study as well. In the meantime, if you do manage to get lost, as we expect might happen on occasion, we would like you to contact the Tendo household, myself or the research team as soon as you can."

Laughing, Ranma cut in, "We'll try to keep him on a short leash." He ignored Ryoga's protests about not being a pet. "It's gonna be awhile before he's fully healed, so we'll be keeping a close eye on him. Pops, Tendo-san and Kasumi will watch out for him wen we're not around." Akane gave him a sharp look at the mention of her sister, but Ranma didn't appear concerned. When Tofu-sensei heard Kasumi's name, he donned a silly grin but didn't become spastic as when subjected to her presence.

Their conversation digressed from there. Tofu-sensei asked for some anecdotes concerning Ryoga's travels. The latest, one about a giant boar that had terrorized a village and how he had been five hundred miles south of Tokyo sent the group into paroxysms of laughter. Eventually, the three had to leave before they would be late for dinner.

0800, Friday, 1 June

Rather than leaving early as he had the past few days, Ranma made his way to school with Akane. Now that he knew who had been giving him trouble, he had part of a strategy planned. Akane had been surprised when he had told her who was part of the group on the way to school. They had appeared to be model students. The night prior, Ranma had considered asking Nabiki about the third girl, but had discarded the idea because he didn't want to draw any undue attention from her. She was still miffed about their meteoric rise as seniors.

Upon arriving to the class, Ranma placed a note on one of the girls' desk he had seen the day prior. Instead of a note that would look like a confession, he made sure it looked as intimidating as he could manage. In place of their names, he had written, "Let this be the first warning."

When the girl saw the note on her desk, she looked about. Ranma and Akane were watching her openly. Taking up the note, she read the front, then leveled a glare at Ranma. She opened it.

I know the three of you are the ones messing with me.

Not sure why you decided to do it, but it needs to stop.

I would rather be on friendly terms with you.

If you decide to continue, I will retaliate.

I don't want to do anything we might both regret.

Reading the simple but obvious threat, she sat down in her seat, folding the letter back up and placing it in her bag. She then ignored the two as well as she could for the remainder of the morning. When the lunch bell rang, she grabbed up her accomplice and rushed out of the classroom.

Ranma and Akane were unconcerned with the display, so they went outside for lunch. Sitting with their friends, the two discussed how they were going on a training trip starting after they were finished with school. Half of the group kept dropping hints about wanting to know any sordid details that might occur during the jaunt.

After they finished eating and the two got some training in, the couple returned to their class. The two girls from their classroom came up to Ranma as soon as he sat own.

Their names were Kusumi Kuzusumi and Aruko Abataya. Kusumi was the taller of the two with dark hair that parted in the middle and trimmed into what looked like a helmet with a point in the back. Her eyes were beady-looking, as if she were scheming or had some other dark thoughts on her mind. The thin brows above her eyes and thin lips helped to make her face even more austere. Aruko, on the other hand, was short, perhaps as tall as Ranma's girl-side. Her child-like face was round and would have been cute had it not been for the cruel look she was leveling at Ranma. Her hair was similar to Ushio's, one of the lackey boys, though it was a few inches longer and looked more like she was trying to imitate a bird's feathers that stood up. Without the scowl she was currently sporting, her eyes would have looked as if she were sad. Her mouth was pulled into a sneer.

"We got your message," Kusumi grated. "Our reply is to meet us behind the gym after school." Before Ranma could respond, she turned on her heel and returned to her own seat, Aruko doing the same.

Ranma looked over at Akane to see if she had caught what had been said. She nodded to him, smirking. He wrote a quick note and passed it over to her before the bell rang.

I'll handle it. Just get home and ready for the trip.

She gave him an 'okay' sign, having confidence that Ranma would be fine. He wouldn't, of course, harm the girls. Her only concern was whether they would suddenly become enamored of him much like any of the girls he had clashed with in the past had done. She chuckled silently to herself at the thought. Akane had yet to receive any rivals for Ranma's affections and the three were a far cry from what Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi could muster. As far as she knew, none of them knew anything of martial arts or fighting, for that matter.

As the afternoon wore on, Ranma's mind ran through a variety of scenarios. Obviously he couldn't beat them up or hurt them in any way. That just wasn't his sort of thing. While he had fought plenty of female martial artists, it wasn't in his nature to harm girls. Rather, he was more inclined to protect them. Scolding them would be more in line with what he wanted to do, but he had little experience with that. Any time he had thought to do that to any of the girls he had dealt with before, his mind had turned to pudding...no, was it jelly? Or goo?

With his mind so distracted, Ranma missed parts of the lessons. At one point, he had been called to answer a question. Pulled out of his reverie, he had embarrassed himself by reading from the wrong passage. That had gotten him a glare and a quick scolding from the teacher.

Eventually, the final bell rang. The two girls, Kusumi and Aruko left the room hurriedly, apparently to meet up with their other friend. Ranma stopped by Akane's desk before she headed out. "It shouldn't take too long to take care of this. I'll be home pretty quick. Make sure Ryoga's ready, too, if you could?"

Nodding, Akane looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure everything is going to be all right?"

He shrugged. "Should be. It won't stop it just yet, but it's a start. I'll get the other girl's name and find out why they're goin' after me. Then I'll figure out how to get them to stop...or get them back. Whichever."

"Okay, see you when you get home." Akane left.

Seeing a window open, Ranma leapt out of it. It was only the first floor, so it wasn't much of a drop for him. He made his way to the back side of the gym.

The girls had yet to arrive. He waited for them, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. As they rounded the corner, they paused for a couple of heartbeats before continuing.

The leader stopped a few meters from Ranma. "You've got some guts, Saotome," she said.

Ranma sniffed disdainfully. He looked her up and down, getting a measure of her.

She was cute and she knew it. Her hair was dyed to look like she was a natural blonde. It wasn't some cheap hairdo, he could tell, even though he wasn't one to pay attention to such things. Her hair was cut short and similar to Akane's, with a part in her bangs which came down to her brows. Her eyes were expressive and, had it not been for the glare she was giving Ranma, could have been described as limpid. She had a light, femininely-squared jaw that was clenched.

A number of scathing remarks flitted through Ranma's mind as he looked at her. He merely settled on a simple question. "So, what's got you all mad at me?"

Drawing herself up to her full height, she looked at him imperiously. "You don't belong here. You're a freak and your presence is an affront to our school. You need to go back to where you came from, whatever rock you crawled out from under."

Ranma knew better. He had been at the school for two years and had never had any trouble from classmates except those that considered themselves rivals for Akane's affections. This was a personal vendetta she had, obviously. He didn't know her name, even. "Yeah, I don't think that's it, really. You're mad about me coming to the seniors from the freshmen," he theorized. "Not only that, you're ticked off about somethin' else, though I can't figure what that is."

The look on the leader's face proved he had hit on the right motive. She seemed to be on the edge, about to lose her nerve. This could be due to his defiant manner. His unwillingness to be cowed was, in turn, causing her to become so, perhaps? The leader took a half-step back, but bumped into Aruko, who had stepped forward herself. This bump together caused the leader to jump forward, startled. Casting a withering look behind her at Aruko, the leader turned back to Ranma, still glaring. "Go away. This is your last warning." Turning on her heel, the leader pushed past her two friends, who followed closely behind. They didn't look back.

Sighing, Ranma stood there for a minute, letting his temper cool. While he had expected that it might turn into another ultimatum from the group, he was still upset that it was thus. He looked up at the sky, wondering who he had angered this time. Putting the issue out of his mind for the time being, he started home.

1930, Friday, 1 June

Two martial artists and a brawler made it to a rise where they could finally see their destination. Ranma had decided on another venue for their training camp. They were half an hour's walk away from the last train stop they had taken, which meant they had taken a total of three hours to get to this point. Had they been able to run with Ryoga, it would have been faster, but he was still recovering.

The other two looked on the abandoned temple perched on an outcropping with relief. Akane, upon recognizing the temple, gasped. She looked over at Ranma, who was smirking. She laughed, "I don't believe this. Really, Ranma?"

"We can get it fixed up a bit tonight," Ranma said. "If we have time, we can also get the boulders set up for training." He started leading them down the path to the temple. "Ryoga is going to take care of the meals for us while we're here," he reiterated. At Akane's growl, he added, "Akane, you're going to have enough working on the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. We've been workin' on your speed for three weeks now, so I wanna see if you're ready for it. By the time you're done playing with the fire, you're not gonna wanna get near the heat for a while. If you're not ready for it, then I'll have you workin' on some more speed, balance and dexterity drills."

The site they finally arrived at was the abandoned temple that Pantyhose Tarou had taken Akane to when he had kidnapped her. The name of it, as the two recalled, was the Temple of the Watery Grave. Not very inspiring, but with a little reconnaissance and picking out the right paths they would have a decent place to stay. It was an ideal site for Ranma's needs even if there was an extremely high chance of getting wet. There was water for drinking and cooking, shelter, a nearby hot spring and Ryoga was unlikely to get lost. The last was important. Normally, if Ryoga wasn't able to see his destination, he had a chance of wandering off. This place, however, was at a height that could be seen within miles. When Ryoga had accompanied Ranma and the others in the chase, he had been able navigate the area without an issue. Granted, he had been accompanied, but Ranma was on this side of being hopeful.

They began by getting the front panels put back into place. There were holes in the shoji, but a tarp secured on the outside helped to keep the elements out. Next came cleaning the inside and out of debris. Testing the well proved that the water was still potable. The crank for the spigot needed a bit of elbow grease to get it started but, with Ranma's strength, that was easily remedied. There was a kitchen and two small bedrooms within which indicated it had been a home and temple for a priest and family. The bedrooms were not livable until the roof was repaired unfortunately. Areas of the tatami were damaged and likely to fall through under someone's weight if they weren't careful. By the time they had accomplished all of their duties, it was already twilight out. Ranma hung a propane lantern from a rafter to light the room. Ryoga was already cooking something delicious in the kitchen, which had an old, traditional stove, known as a kamado.

Sitting down to eat, the three discussed what they would be doing. Akane, of course, would be able to do her training on her own. Ranma on the other hand, would be using Ryoga to smash a boulder into him while he tried to figure out how to find its breaking point. Having seen it countless times from Ryoga, he had a fair idea. Additionally, he had seen a part of Ryoga's training, so that would be of help as well. Of course Ranma didn't discuss this fact, only stating that he had read it in some obscure scroll his father had picked up in his travels that they hadn't tried out yet.

It wasn't until they were preparing for bed that Ranma was brought up short by Akane.

As Ranma laid out his sleeping bag in one corner of the main entry, Akane was putting hers nearby. He looked at her in alarm, then over at Ryoga. The other boy noticed what was happening and was pointedly ignoring the goings-on, making himself comfortable in the opposite corner. Humming to himself, Ryoga set out his own sleeping bag and laid down in it, turning his back to the couple.

They were still staring at each other when Ranma finally broke the silence. "Uh, what's up, Akane?"

She gave him a sly grin. "Just preparing to go to sleep is all," she replied. She was already changed into a set of pajamas. Laying her sleeping bag within arms reach of Ranma's she crawled into it without another word.

Flabbergasted, Ranma looked around again and then crawled into his own sleeping bag. He seriously thought about moving it, but then thought better of it. Though he didn't know exactly why she had decided to sleep next to him, he wasn't about to get onto her bad side. Akane shifted in her sleeping bag, raising herself up onto one elbow. She cleared her throat to get his attention. Hearing this, Ranma glanced at her. He saw her looking at him pointedly. He froze. "Yeah?" he asked meekly.

Arching a brow, she said in a stage whisper, "My good night kiss?" On the other side of the room, Ryoga coughed in astonishment. Ranma looked over Akane's shoulder to see that Ryoga was still facing away. When he didn't immediately provide the service she was demanding, Akane's face hardened.

"Oh, um, okay," he said dumbly. Leaning over, he attempted to brush his lips on hers for a quick kiss. She, however, was having none of that. Grabbing onto his tanktop, she pulled him in for a robust kiss. She made a show of enjoying it.

"That's better." Sweetly, "Good night, Ranma."

Unable to do anything else, Ranma replied with, "Good night, Akane." He laid back down, staring at the ceiling, his mind having shorted out.

Normally, Akane would not have done what she did, but she was making a point since Ryoga was the only person on hand as a witness. There would be no mistaking they were an item. Having had Ryoga as her confidant at one time, which had then been used against Ranma on innumerable occasions, Akane was making sure he knew his place. She would not have any misunderstandings. Ranma's usual prudish reticence, embarrassment or simple idiocy was irksome, but she had managed to cow him into submission as she had wanted. With a satisfied smile, she snuggled down into her sleeping bag contentedly.

0530, Saturday, 2 June

It was Ranma's internal alarm that woke him in the morning just a few minutes before the first paling of the horizon indicated dawn was arriving. Sitting up, he stretched, looking about the room. To his relief, Ryoga was still in the room, snoring softly.

Next to him was Akane, still asleep. However, she had fought her way out of her sleeping bag in the night. Where her head should have been, her feet were tangled inside. Her arms had a choke-hold on where her feet should have been. While it was the beginning of June, the cool air coming off of the water was causing her to shiver. Without a kotatsu, the kamado would have to be rekindled in order to heat the rooms.

He lay there a moment, admiring her body. Unlike before, he was willing to admit how much he liked Akane's form. He couldn't deny how tempting she was to him anymore. She was definitely not built like a brick, as he had teased her. No, his previous assessments of her body had been done to mask his appreciation from both himself and everyone else. The swell of her hips and narrow waist made her bottom look like a heart. Her shoulders, while not too broad, were wider than a normal girl's, which helped to accentuate an hourglass shape. Akane's muscular thighs and calves were smooth while she lay in repose, but readily showed their power when she flexed. The power they had when wrapped around his own from that night not so long ago made him tense his own legs in remembrance. So many times before he had berated her on her bust. Having his own, he was willing to admit he actually liked hers better now. He smirked at his own previous antics at comparing his own to hers in the past. The desire to run his hands across her body, cup her breasts and buttocks and hold her close was almost too great. He desperately wanted to nuzzle her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and hair. Even her sweaty body strangely had an intoxicating effect on him. This was likely due to the mixing of her sweat, body oils and soap. A hunger arose in him where he wanted to nibble on her lightly, tasting her skin, lingering on her nipple and sucking on sensitive parts of her body.

Before he knew it, he saw that his hand was just millimeters away from caressing Akane's tush. Alarmed for a myriad of reason, he snatched his hand back. Clamping down on that desire, Ranma willed his mind and body to peacefulness. The training in the 'Soul of Ice' was the only way he found he could temper his libido at this point. It wouldn't do to act upon them with Ryoga around. He wasn't sure how Akane would react to it before she could come to full wakefulness, either. They had been getting along so well of late that doing something perverted could set their relationship back a step or two. There was also the list of promises he had made that began running through his mind.

Unzipping his bag, Ranma reached one leg out and pushed on Akane's back. She shot up into a sitting position, her hands making fists. She looked around blearily. Recognizing Ranma, she relaxed, then looked at how she had been lying. Giving a shudder at the realization she was cold, she dove back into her sleeping bag, zipping it up to her chin. Ranma chuckled at her reactions.

Giving his fiancée a moment's respite, Ranma went outside and fetched water in a pail and an armful of wood. He set them down and got the fire started. Standing, he went over and used a toe to wake Ryoga, who moaned deliriously. Placing his foot onto Ryoga's shoulder, he gave a more vigorous shake, calling out his name. This brought Ryoga to full wakefulness. Seeing that he was conscious, Ranma said, "Hey, Ryoga, Akane and I are going to go get warmed up and do a bit of exercises. Get some breakfast ready, would ya?"

Nodding, Ryoga rolled out of his sleeping bag.

In the other corner, Akane groaned. With a drawn out and sickeningly-sweet voice, Ranma called out her name. Immediately, Akane got out of her own bag. She knew better than to dawdle. While Ranma might have sounded nice, that was only a precursor to him performing some dreadful prank to get her up. Ranma smirked at how quickly she got up. She went into a bedroom to get changed quickly.

"Stretches, then we're off for a quick run." Ranma changed in a flash of clothing before Akane had a chance to come back around the corner.

For Ranma, of course, the term 'quick run' was relative. Most people would have initially thought that he meant a short jaunt out into the countryside and back. Nope, not for him. He went over hill, through dale, around the forest, along the shore and then back. Within the span of an hour, Akane swore she had run a marathon, though she couldn't be sure. Everything had become hazy after they had turned around. To her immense pleasure and satisfaction, she did see that Ranma was looking a bit winded as well. It was a testament to her increasing stamina that she was getting closer to Ranma's own.

Once they returned, they did quick cooldown exercises and stretches. Hearing them on their way into the temple, Ryoga began dishing up their breakfast for them. With their morning repast finished, Ranma tested to see whether Akane was ready for the fire portion of her training. To begin, he demonstrated the task for her just to ensure she knew what she had to do. Then he stepped back to see if she could do it.

Akane's first attempt was a valiant effort. She managed to get half of the chestnuts out of the fire. After the fifth attempt at trying to get them, Ranma finally determined that she was truly ready to go all out. In actuality, he didn't think she was ready for it, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Her stubbornness and pride were a hurdle that she would have to realize and overcome herself. If she were able to pluck all the chestnuts out, that would be great. However, if not, he hoped that she would have learned what her limitations were. Not that he was the epitome of examples himself, he reflected.

With Akane set up with the appropriate materials, Ranma went off with Ryoga to find a good-sized granite boulder. It didn't take long to do so, as much of the landscape around the temple was ideal for what he needed. The hardest part was finding a tree or two strong enough to hold the boulder and himself while they slammed into each other. Finally, having settled on a boulder and two trees that were sturdy, Ranma secured himself in the sling he had created. With a nod, he signaled for Ryoga to pull him up to the appropriate height. When that was done, Ryoga walked over to another rope that was strung up to the boulder. Using the system of counterweights that Ranma had devised to keep Ryoga from straining his damaged body too much, Ryoga pulled on the rope, letting it loose.

The first impact was quite stunning for Ranma. All the air in his body whooshed out, leaving him with darkness creeping in from the outside and stars playing across his field of vision. His finger, which had been outstretched initially, was now rammed into his mouth. Removing his hand from his orifice was a task he found a bit...distasteful. He checked to see if he had any loose teeth right after he caught his breath. Dimly, he wondered if this was how bugs felt on a car's windshield. Or, perhaps...roadkill?

To his chagrin, Ryoga was laughing uproariously.

"Har har," he deadpanned. "You wanna pick yourself up and get this going again?"

Ryoga held up a finger, then rolled over onto all fours. Standing, he grabbed onto the rope again. With a heave, he pulled on the rope, which in turn pulled the boulder and Ranma away from each other. With a smirk, he let go.

Now that he had a better idea of what he was dealing with, the second impact wasn't as bad. It still hurt and drove the breath out of him, but he managed to keep from being a cannibal again.

The training lasted for nearly five hours before Ranma had to call a timeout. It was around noon anyway. Ryoga lowered the battered youth down to the ground, loosening the ties that bound Ranma. Carefully, Ryoga helped Ranma to his feet, and they returned to the temple.

When they arrived, Akane was sitting by the dying fire with her hands in the bucket of water. She was grimacing in pain. Looking at Ryoga, she said. "I am so glad we brought you, Ryoga. Ranma was right about me not being able to cook after this." Pulling her hands out, she showed them off. They were pink and swollen. She had yet to get any blisters, but Ranma could see that if she were to continue this afternoon, they likely would.

Ranma gave a sigh of relief. She had, at one time, claimed she managed to cook a decent curry. He had not tried it, so he wasn't sure of the veracity of such a tall tale. With Ryoga on hand, Ranma knew they wouldn't have to worry about being poisoned miles away from a hospital and a stomach pump.

The three entered into the temple. Ranma was leaned up against a wall to rest while Akane brought in a damp cloth to clean him up. She did so gingerly, finding that he had some fairly nasty scrapes all over his front. The gi he was wearing had small tears which showed where the boulder had gouged through and into his skin underneath.

"What in the world happened to you?" She didn't remember Ryoga being this beat up. His clothes had survived the training as well.

Getting her to draw closer, so he could whisper, he admitted, "I might've overdone it a bit. The boulder I got is about twice the size as what Cologne used on him."

Akane shook her head. "Dummy." She flicked his forehead. Were it not for the fact that he was so beaten up, she would have bonked him on the head for his idiocy. She got out the first aid kit and began disinfecting the worst of the cuts. This gave her some satisfaction as he winced from the pain she was able to inflict.

By the time Ranma had been administered to, Ryoga had their lunch ready. The two who had been practicing winced with every bite as their hands or bodies gave out shocks of pain to remind them what they had been doing.

After finishing his meal, Ranma leaned back and dozed for several minutes. While he did so, Ryoga provided commentary on Ranma's morning training to Akane. At the end of this, Akane turned to Ranma, rousing him by calling his name. He propped himself up, looking at her questioningly.

"Is the breaking point of an object just a spot that you hit to make it explode?" Ranma shrugged. "Have you thought of infusing your ki into your fingers to sort of...I don't know, um, force the break, perhaps?"

Managing to sit up fully, Ranma gave Akane and the idea his full attention. "It's possible." Holding out his hand, he began concentrating on his fingers. A golden glow emanated like a small flame from his hand. Releasing his concentration, he made a fist, then held out his index finger, as if pointing. Again he concentrated. As he did so, his hand glowed again, but he wasn't satisfied. After several minutes of doing this, he managed to focus his ki into just his finger, though he had intended it to be the fingertip. "That's the best I can do for now," he remarked, sweat having beaded on his forehead. Turning to Akane, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks. I'll try using this."

Ryoga, who had been watching Ranma's efforts in fascination, blushed at the display of affection between the two. More gruff than he intended, he said, "Come on, Ranma. Let's go beat you up some more."

Ranma laughed, "Sure thing." As he stood up, he remembered something. Going to his backpack, he opened it up and rummaged around. He held out a pair of gloves to Akane. "I got these from Kasumi. They're silicone gloves you can use for your training. They're gonna be bulky and it'll make it hard to grab the chestnuts. You should be fine, though."

Taking the proffered gloves, Akane tried them on. They were a decent fit, sized to a woman's hand. She made a fist with them, finding it much like a gauntlet she had used when practicing kendo. They made a funny squeaking sound as she flexed her hands. "What are these used for?" she asked.

"Pullin' stuff out of the oven so you don't burn yourself."

Akane harrumphed. "It would've been nice to have had them this morning," she groused.

Smiling, Ranma stood to his full height, striking a pose. "A martial artist's life is fraught with peril," he said imperiously. He laughed when Akane gave him a red-eye and raspberry. The gloves on her hands made it look as if she were imitating Mickey Mouse.

"Thanks. Maybe now I can make dinner later," she threatened.

Ranma flashed a scowl at the idea, but deigned not to comment. He didn't feel like getting air-mailed to his training site without Ryoga coming along. "C'mon, pig-boy. Let's get this over with."

Wincing at the nickname, Ryoga got up. "What was that, girly-boy," he retorted.

"Ooh, that's so original! How about we call you P-chan from now on? P for pig and chan for cute!" This set Ryoga to sputtering in indignation. Ranma cast a wink at Akane, who merely scowled at him for using the name.

Smiling, both began trading insults as they headed out. Akane watched them, shaking her head. Now that she had something to help keep her from damaging her hands overly much, she got back to her own training.

When the two boys arrived at the boulder training site, Ranma cast about for some smaller boulders. Finding several that were about the size of his head, he set each of them a pace apart from each other. Down on his haunches in front of one, he summoned his ki into his finger. Squinting his eyes, he turned his face and poked at the boulder.

Much to his surprise, the boulder did not explode like he had seen Ryoga's technique. It was immediately obvious that simply touching the rock was not going to work. Releasing his ki, Ranma picked up the rock and rotated it in his hands, concentrating. Finding what he thought was a good location, he summoned his ki to his finger and poked at the rock. Nothing happened. Again, he poked at the rock, pushing his ki into what he thought was a crack. Again, nothing happened.

Half an hour passed as he experimented with the stone. Still, nothing had occurred. Ryoga grimaced in distaste as he saw Ranma lick the rock, sniff it and put it to his ear. The pig-tailed martial artist had already felt and touched it, obviously. Closing his eyes, he rotated the boulder in his hands, attempting to concentrate his mind on what he felt with senses other than the five his body was accustomed to. Based off of his science class, he found it to be a type of sandstone. Because of its structure, it was filled with cracks and crevices. His hands could have easily crushed it down to shards or even a fine powder, but that wasn't the point. Allowing his ki to build inside of his hands, he saw that there was a nexus of lines and points where they intersected. Opening his eyes, he took note of where several of them were. Holding the rock in one hand at arm's length, he summoned ki in one finger and gave a nexus a poke.

Standing several feet away, Ryoga was pelted by the debris. He covered himself hurriedly with his arms, raising one knee up to protect some of his more sensitive bits. Ranma, who was at the epicenter, took the full brunt of the blast. Sitting back, he looked at the pile of shards that had been left. He didn't feel the slightest bit dazed or injured.

Relaxing from his stance, Ryoga looked over at Ranma. He hurried over to him, pulling out a towel, tossing it to Ranma. "You'r covered in dust and little pieces of rock are stuck in your hair."

Ranma sat back on his posterior, brushing the towel over his head. "Wow. Now that I know what it actually takes, I think I'm just gonna do the boulder smashing for the rest of the day. I'm thinkin' the spots these lines connect are the major points. I might be able to use the breaking point on the rocks if I just put some ki into any of the lines I was able to feel," he mused. Ranma described to Ryoga what he had seen through his extrasensory perception. Without Ryoga being able to use ki techniques beyond hardening cloth or his belt, much of it did go over his head. The fact that he had managed to realize how the technique worked, he was elated. In wonder, he thought, Is the Bakusai Tenketsu a precursor to more advanced ki training, perhaps? Looking up at Ryoga, Ranma said, "Y'know, when you're finally up to it, you're gonna be doing this, too. Right after Akane is done with hers."

Ryoga turned a bit green at this. "Oh, sure...looks like fun," he commented sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. Having seen theblst right in Ranma's did not seem pleasant, even if Ranma didn't look injured.

Ranma chuckled. Before, Ryoga had taken to the training enthusiastically. Cologne had goaded Ryoga into it just so he could defeat Ranma, of course. Or had it been some other perverse idea of seeing what Ranma could come up with to show her how skilled he was? Without that motivation, it seemed that Ryoga's idea of getting pounded by a boulder several hundred times wasn't as much of a pleasure. Standing up, Ranma walked over and strapped himself into the harness. "Well, might as well get this started, I guess."

Curious, Ryoga asked, "Does the training you do transfer to your cursed form, too?"

Cinching down the last tie, Ranma looked at Ryoga, thinking. "Hmm," he said as he pondered the question. Thinking back to when he had been trapped in his girl form with the Full Body Cat's Tongue, he recalled that his speed as a guy had increased as well. "Yeah, as far as I know, sure. If you're thinkin' if your trainin' gets transferred when you go pig, I'm sure it does. Just to be sure, I think I'll get smashed by the boulder as a guy today, then change to girl for tomorrow to see how that goes. If I'm up to it, maybe I'll get a bigger rock if we can fine one, too." The training had, of course transferred to the cursed form. Ryoga's pig form and become much tougher than it had originally been. That's why he had been able to survive encounters in the wild with less concern for his health.

"Okay. You ready, then?" The thought that he would be stronger from the training gave Ryoga hope.

Ranma nodded.

1000, Saturday, 2 June

The Tendo household was quiet Saturday morning. Kasumi was taking care of the household chores while Genma and Soun were enjoying tea on the engawa, playing board game.

Nabiki, on the other hand, was in turmoil. Earlier that week, she had made it her mission to find out what was going on with her sister and Ranma. Their advancement at school was unprecedented and her curiosity was an itch that dearly needed to be scratched. She entered Akane's room after having made sure she wouldn't be interrupted. First, she began searching all the obvious places, such as Akane's desk and under the mattress.

In the past, Akane had been known to write in a journal. However, she had found out that Nabiki had been sneaking peeks into it. Assuming that this was still true, she might have written down the recent events. It was just a matter of finding where Akane might have hidden it. Without her there, Nabiki had free rein in the room until Sunday afternoon, when Akane and the boys were expected back.

After nearly an hour of meticulous searching, Nabiki finally found what she was looking for. The notebook was hidden in a box in the closet, which was then secured with a heavy weight. This, in turn, had been hidden by other boxes stacked on top of it. Undeterred by the weight, Nabiki found a way to wedge it up onto its side, then rolled it away from the stack. She shook her head at Akane's attempt at keeping her away from the journal. Didn't her sister know that, though she wasn't practicing martial arts anymore, she was still strong enough due to her regular workouts? There was another notebook with it.

Without hurrying, Nabiki left Akane's room and went back to her own. She put the box onto her own desk and then lay down on her bed, relaxing for what she expected would be a good read. Thumbing through the pages, she found a spot from two months ago, a bit before Ranma and Genma had shown up. Glancing at the short descriptions of those days, she finally came to the day after the Saotomes showed up. Sitting up, she turned the pages hurriedly, noting that Akane's description ran for a total of nearly six pages. This was unlike any of the other entries.

Intrigued, Nabiki began reading what she had found. As understanding dawned on her, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes glistened. She had to put the journal aside after finishing the one day she had managed to read. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, willing the tears away. Standing up, she grabbed some tissues and sat back down on her bed.

It was so unlike her to be this emotional. However, after having read what had happened to Akane, her thoughts were brought back to the loss of their mother. She couldn't imagine what she would do without her little sister, spoiled though she was. Drying her eyes and blowing her nose, she picked the journal up again. This time, she re-read the journal entry more thoroughly, picking out details.

As she read the remainder of the journal entries, Nabiki found herself on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. She laughed at her sister and Ranma's antics as well as astonishment at the level of training that Ranma was giving Akane. While she had seen it, she hadn't really paid any attention. With Akane's perspective, she was able to understand the travails and pains Akane was going through.

The way that Akane was writing about Ranma was a surprise to Nabiki. Her sister, who had always focused on marital arts and had gotten into countless scuffles, was writing of him fondly. This was contrary to how the two acted in front of the family. Seeing now that Akane was deeply in love with the boy, she had to wonder what the two had gone through in the two years living at the Tendo home before being flung back in time together. What Akane would realize later, much to her relief, was that she was glad she hadn't written about their encounter after the dream.

Finished with the journal, Nabiki retrieved the notebook. She found that it was a detailed listing of events that had happened...or what would happen over the next year or so. After doing a once-over, she went back and started noting the times Akane had added remarks about Nabiki's own involvement. Nabiki smirked at the remarks Akane had made concerning her. What Akane described appeared to be in line with how Nabiki would act like, though the way Akane put it was not very flattering. She was mildly surprised at the events that Akane detailed regarding when she had transferred the engagement to Nabiki. She wondered why her sister had written about it since it was unlikely this would happen again.

Hurriedly, Nabiki went to make sure the coast was clear for her to enter the guest bedroom. Assured she wouldn't be caught, she went to the dresser that Ranma used and searched through it. She found the notebook he had been writing in.

Retrieving a notebook of her own, Nabiki laid the journal and the notebooks with the timeline down in front of her. She began taking meticulous notes of events that were of interest to her.

1900, Saturday, 2 June

Ranma looked bad from his afternoon training session only because of the extended duration of training, which was twice as long as the morning session. Ryoga had one of his arms around Ranma's waist as he assisted Ranma up the incline towards the abandoned temple. Ranma's head hung low, but his voice drifting up to Akane told her that he hadn't passed out. She shook her head at his thickheadedness.

Ryoga gently laid Ranma down on his sleeping bag. As his body released its tension, Ranma moaned in pain. He didn't move or open his eyes as Akane began cleaning his wounds.

"Goodness, Ranma. Sometimes I wonder about you." She took his shirt off, examining his chest. He looked as though he were one big bruise, matching his face. Rummaging through his backpack, she found his towel. Drawing water from the well, she soaked it in the cold water and wrung it out. When she lay it onto Ranma's torso, his eyes bulged as he gave a sharp intake of breath, half-sitting up.

"Eeyaah! That's cold, Akane!"

"Don't be a ninny, Ranma. This will help with the swelling." Turning her attention away from Ranma, she went over to Ryoga, who was sitting near the shoji, enjoying the light breeze that was blowing. "Let me see your hands."

Holding his hands out, Ryoga noticed for the first time, that they had suffered some damage from the rope he had been using. Just as soon as he noticed it, they started burning. He winced. "I have some ointment in my backpack," he said helpfully.

"That's all right. I already pulled some out. I expected this might happen." Opening a small can, Akane applied a liberal amount of the ointment onto Ryoga's hands. He began rubbing it in himself. "Okay," she said happily, "dinner will be ready in a bit. We're just waiting on the rice to finish cooking."

From where he was lying, Ranma looked about in alarm. "I feel bad enough already," he whined. "I don't wanna die."

Casting him a disdainful glare, Akane sniffed. "Then you can go hungry." When Ranma's stomach growled in protest, she laughed.

Looking down at his abdomen, Ranma said accusingly, "Traitor." He lay his head back again, sighing in resignation. "Ryoga, when they have you speak at my memorial, say 'Here lies Ranma, killed by Akane's cooking.'"

Ryoga, looked at Ranma curiously, never having experienced Akane's cooking. He went over to the pot that was on the kamado. He sniffed its contents. "Smells pretty good to me," he commented. His own stomach growled. "I think you're just overreacting, Ranma. If you don't want any, then I'll just eat your share," he threatened.

"I made curry for dinner tonight." It was the one meal she had managed to make without messing up at home. Akane checked the rice to see if it was ready. Fluffing it with a fork, she found that she had managed to do a reasonable job without an electric or gas stove or automatic rice cooker. She dished each of them a bowl of the rice and curry. "Ryoga, could you help Ranma to sit up, please?" Doing as she asked, Ryoga helped Ranma into a sitting position with his back against the wall.

Ranma glared at Ryoga. "If I get sick or die, I blame half of it on you," he warned.

"Whatever, Ranma. Just shut up and eat."

Akane sat down next to Ranma. She had her own and Ranma's meal. He was in no condition to feed himself, so she was prepared to do it for him. She took a bite of her own food, making sure Ranma was watching her. After chewing and swallowing, she said, "That was pretty good." Ryoga, hearing her, called out that he agreed, already having dug into his own. Gingerly, Akane scooped up a spoonful of curry and rice for Ranma, feeding it to him. Watching her warily, Ranma opened his mouth.

After chewing and swallowing his mouthful, Ranma dramatically looked up at the ceiling. "Thank you," he said. Akane rolled her eyes as she ate a bite of her own meal. Turning to her, Ranma said, "That's actually pretty good. I like the spice and the rice has some parts that are a bit undercooked. Overall, though, great. When did you learn to make curry?"

Akane beamed at Ranma's praise at her meal. Casting a surreptitious glance at Ryoga, Akane mumbled, "Just before I went to Ryugenzawa, remember?" She paused as he tried puzzling out the details. "Oh, right. You didn't try any, so you probably wouldn't remember. I know this isn't the best, but I think I did a pretty good job."

Ranma nodded enthusiastically. "Better than anything else you've made that I tried." Casting his memory back to when she had made the curry, he remembered that he had tried it. "Actually, after you left, our dads and I ate some. It was actually pretty good, now that I remember it. You've come a long way, Akane." With effort, he laid his and on her knee, patting it.

Blushing, Akane shoved a spoonful of curry and rice into his mouth. "Shut up and eat, dummy."

After they finished their meal, Akane cleaned up. Her hands weren't feeling as bad as they had earlier thanks to the silicon gloves Ranma had gotten for her. Once this had been accomplished, she sat down next to Ranma, snuggling up to his side and draping his arm over her shoulder. She sighed contentedly. Looking down at his fiancée, who had her head lying in the hollow of his shoulder, Ranma smiled. He couldn't express just how pleased he was to have her by his side in this manner. Her warmth and feminine softness was wonderful. He caught Ryoga looking over at them enviously.

It was unfortunate, but Ranma knew he couldn't do anything for Ryoga at the moment. Until the lost boy was healed, he wasn't about to take him to Akari's farm. He wasn't sure how Ryoga would react to it, either. It had been chance that Akari had sent Katsunishiki, her sumo pig, after Ryoga. Leading him to the farm right now would likely backfire. He had wanted to talk to Akane about it, but the chance had never come about.

Softly, "Hey, Akane." She stirred a bit at the call of her name. "It's time for bed. We're gettin' up early again in the mornin'. You wanna sleep in your clothes or get into pajamas?

Roused to wakefulness, Akane decided to go and get changed. After having had time to recover, he found he was able to move about almost as if he hadn't been beaten to a pulp just an hour ago. Ranma, not caring one way or the other, took his top and bottoms off, looking at them critically. They were beyond repair. His undershirt and boxers were in similar shape. Changing quickly, he managed to slide himself into his sleeping bag by the time Akane was ready for bed as well. Before he could close his eyes to sleep, Akane loomed over him. She then smothered him in a long kiss before she went to bed as well.

Since Ryoga hadn't been exercising to the degree as his companions were, he wasn't tired. He opted to sit back and tend to the fire in the kamado, keeping it warm in the temple for the time being. As the two began softly snoring and Akane fought in her sleep, he smiled wistfully. Standing, he made his way to a shoji wall that had some of its paper ripped out. He stared outside at the stars for a time, thinking of how nice it was to be with others rather than alone in the wilderness. This was the first time, he reflected, that he had been anywhere with someone in a very long time. The proffered friendship from someone he had hated to his core was slowly washing away his loneliness. It was likely, he knew, that he would end up getting lost one of these days, but he was gladdened at the idea that he might be able to meet up with the two again on a regular basis. This small bit of consolation was enough to chip away at his loneliness and anger some more.

Eventually, Ryoga found himself becoming lethargic. Ranma would be waking him early in the morning as well. Thus, he went to bed.

0530, Sunday, 3 June

In the pre-dawn twilight, Ranma opened his eyes. Knowing that no matter how much he tried, he wasn't going to get back to sleep. Sitting up, he looked around the room. Ryoga, thankfully, was sleeping in his own corner. Looking down next to him, he saw that Akane had managed to stay inside of her sleeping bag this time. With a heavy sigh, he extricated himself from his own.

He stood up, stretching. His body felt heavy. Gently, he began checking himself, moving down as he went, to see how well his body had recovered through the night. He was satisfied with the recovery. Kicking their feet, Ranma woke the other two sleepers. They slowly rolled out of bed as well. Akane tried flexing her hands, wincing from the pain. The three began their morning ablutions.

When the two began their morning run, Akane noted that Ranma's pace was much slower than normal. Concerned, "Are you all right this morning, Ranma?"

Dully, "I will be. Just really sore from yesterday is all. Working the kinks out with the run will help, but I can't seem to get much more than this right now. It would've been nice to get a hot soak, but we were too beat up last night to do anything. Maybe next time we'll go ahead and go down."

Akane agreed with him. As they ran, she kept an eye out for Ranma until they finally returned to the temple. When they did arrive, Ryoga was still in the process of cooking breakfast. In the meantime, Ranma distracted himself by splashing his head with cold water from the well and then checking his body over again like he had earlier. He found that his breasts were much more tender than he expected. He commented as much to Akane.

"That's to be expected, I guess," she remarked. Gingerly, she began prodding at Ranma-onna's torso as well. In certain places that she touched, he gave an involuntary hiss. "Are you sure you're going to be all right doing this as a girl?"

He discarded her concerns with a shrug. "Cologne did the training. She had to have done it as a girl the whole time, so I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Yeah, but you also said you got a bigger rock than she had for Ryoga." She folded her arms, giving him a level look, one that said she thought of him as an idiot.

"Mm. I already learned the Bakusai Tenketsu. Your suggestion of using ki worked. When we got back to the boulder, I blew up one rock. It made a pretty good mess of me. After that, all I've been doing is toughening up my body."

"Well, I can't use ki like you can," Akane complained. "It'll probably take me even longer to get the hang of it. When it comes time for me to work on it, you'll have to find a smaller boulder. I'm not sure how well I'd survive with what you're using." She shuddered involuntary, remembering how Ranma's body had looked the night before.

Ranma laughed. "Yeah, fine. That's too easy. There are plenty around here the right size. It's just a matter of getting it set up for you. I was hoping that, if we can, you'd start on it next weekend. I hadn't expected to learn as quickly as I did in the first place."

She looked thoughtful at the plan. Nodding, "Okay. We'll have to check what our schedule is like when we get back home. As far as I can remember, the only thing we have is the tournament with Kodachi on Tuesday."

"Yeah, but that should be nothin', really." A call from inside alerted them to the fact that breakfast was ready. "C'mon, let's eat."

When they had finished their breakfast, Ranma-onna talked about their timeline for the morning. It would consist of Ranma-onna slamming into the boulder some more. Akane would be working on her speed training still. He pulled off his bracers, handing them to Akane. They were the lighter pair he had exchanged with Akane before.

"Try putting these on with the other ones," he directed. Akane did so. Ranma-onna helped by adjusting them or a more comfortable and secure fit. "This'll slow you down some, but by the time you're done, you should be much faster. After lunch and you rest up, I'll have you take the weights off and see how you're doin'."

Akane hefted the added weight on her arms. "You didn't have this much weight on your arms when you did your training," she recalled.

"I just figured I'd up it for you is all," he remarked. "Even without the weights, I'm pushing myself to get faster. By the time you're done with today, you might be where I was at, when I mastered the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken." Standing up, he motioned for the other two to follow him outside. "Just stay right there. I don't know if this is going to work or not, but just to be safe, make sure you cover your ears."

Ranma-onna took off his top, exposing his tanktop and bared arms. Taking a steady stance, Ranma-onna began punching the air. Concentrating, he pushed himself to go faster.

Ryoga and Akane suddenly found themselves looking up at the sky, their ears ringing. They looked about in bewilderment. They spied Ranma-onna standing over them, mouthing something. He waved in their faces to see whether they were stunned any longer. It took awhile, but eventually, the two's ears popped, and they were able to hear properly again.

"What in the world happened, Ranma?" Akane asked dazedly from her sitting position.

Ranma-onna grinned from ear to ear. "Like I said, I've been workin' on my speed some more, too. I just broke the sound barrier with my punches."

"Seriously?" Ryoga asked. "That's insane. How can a person's fist travel that fast?"

"Dunno, but apparently I'm able to do it now. Not that I want to do it all that often, either. I had to recover from it before I could help the two of you. Not only that, I had three sonic booms go off before I could stop myself."

Looking over at where Ranma-onna had been standing while punching, they saw that the area had been cleared of all debris within a five-meter radius. Apparently the air pressure had cast everything away from its epicenter. Beyond that five meters, the plants were laying over. Akane felt a thrill, wanting to be able to do the same thing. Hopping up, she steadied herself as she suddenly felt vertigo. Recovered, she enthusiastically said, "I'm going to go train now." So saying, she went and prepared her fire for her morning's workout.

Ryoga got up much slower. His chest was sore from the change in air pressure and having fallen over. He tested his ribs, finding them uninjured beyond what they had already been. "I suppose we should clean up and then head out." Ranma-onna nodded, leading the way back into the temple with a stop to grab his shirt.

1630, Sunday, 3 June

Three weary travelers arrived at the Tendo enclave a couple of hours before dinner. Ranma let Akane take a bath first, collapsing in his room until it was his turn. Ryoga set his pack down next to Ranma's and began pulling out his laundry, piling it up.

In the outer bathroom, Akane undressed and grabbed a towel. As she was entering the inner bath, Nabiki arrived. She stopped to look at Nabiki curiously. It wasn't like her older sister to join her for baths. It had been quite a while since the last time Akane could remember her doing so. Without much concern for it, she continued on in.

Nabiki smiled, seeing Akane's initial reaction to her presence. Quickly, but not hurriedly, she undressed and followed her sister into the inner bathroom. Sitting on one of the stools, Akane was scrubbing the grime off of her body. Nabiki paused to look at her sister.

In the time that Ranma had begun training her, Akane's body had become even more muscular and whipcord lean. The muscle definition was extraordinary to see. While Akane had always been in fairly good shape, she was now a powerhouse. Rippling, corded muscles moved under the skin as she performed her cleaning. There was no fat to speak of at all on Akane's body, though she had maintained enough to keep her breasts from shrinking similar to how Ranma's girl form was able to. Akane's abdomen showed her pectoral muscles like any Spartan warrior.

Shaking her head, Nabiki moved over to where Akane was sitting. She grabbed a sponge and applied some soap to it. In a mischievous voice, she said, "Here, oneechan, let me clean your back for you."

Akane froze in place at being called "big sister". Slowly, she turned to face her sister, fear evident in her eyes. "Uh...," she said intelligently.

Nabiki couldn't help but cackle in glee at Akane's reaction. Upstairs, Ranma felt himself shudder for some undefined reason. "Oh, that was priceless. I've been waiting to say that since yesterday."

Turning away quickly, Akane groaned into her hands. Dozens of question flitted through her mind as she sat there. As she did so, Nabiki began scrubbing her back for her. The sensation was good, and she pressed back into it unconsciously. When Nabiki was done, she finally allowed herself to face her sister, but didn't say anything.

Noting that Akane was being tight-lipped, Nabiki graced her with another smile. This one looked as if she were a cat that had caught a mouse. Said cat was ready to play with it like any other, and it wasn't usually fun for the mouse, either. Knowing Akane was wondering how she had found out, Nabiki said, "Oh, I have my ways. What I was wondering, myself, was how long did you think you could keep it a secret?"

Akane slumped, then returned to washing herself. Finished, she rinsed off, then proceeded to wash Nabiki's back. "Forever if we were able to."

Nabiki snorted. "I'm not the only one that knows," she said, seeking confirmation of anyone else that knew of the two's return.

Akane was silent until she finished cleaning Nabiki. Returning to her own stool, she rinsed her hair and then added her conditioner. Nabiki waited patiently. "Tsujitani-sensei and Tofu-sensei," she finally confirmed.

It had been written in the journal that Tofu-sensei had known. However, Nabiki had wondered if the vice principal had known as well. It had been inferred due to them being allowed to take the exams and advance, but not confirmed. Now that it was, Nabiki had another piece of the puzzle she had wanted to place. "What do the two of you plan on doing now that you're reliving your life?"

Sighing, Akane paused just before pouring the bucket of water over her head. She shook her head, then let the water fall. Completing her rinse, she entered the furo. She waited until Nabiki finished washing and joined her. Taking up the conversation again, she said, "Train is what we're going to do. Train, more training and even more training. This way we can survive whatever comes our way this time. There are some pretty powerful people out there that we'll have to face."

Sinking down to her neck in the hot water, Nabiki considered the statement. She felt her heart flutter uncomfortably when she finally asked, "But why you?"

A smile played on Akane's lips as she stared into nothingness. "Why not me? If not me, then who? This is why I'm a martial artist."

The affirmation of Akane's feelings had her feeling small. Throughout the millennia, there had been hundreds, if not thousands, who had questioned fate or destiny. Why me? Of course, nobody had been able to answer that question when asking the heavens except for themselves. Here was Akane, though, who was willing...no, not just willing, but racing towards the conflict with an answer. She had died once already. This time, she was preparing for an even greater challenge, seemingly unafraid. Nabiki had always mocked Akane for her drive to be a martial artist. Having read through some of Akane's trials and travails, she had an inkling of what drove her now. The ability to help others in need. Saving the hypothetical 'damsel in distress', even if she did find herself in that situation a time or two. She still felt her sister was spoiled, but it had been superseded by the noble efforts she aspired to.

Akane's death had given her a profound understanding of life, Nabiki had realized after reading through the journal. She wasn't as self-centered, for one. That had been evident when she had written about how she ceded the fight to Ranma for the upcoming tournament. There was more of a self-awareness when it came to her abilities and limitations. Akane respected Ranma's opinion and abilities, not just envied.

Up until she had read the journal, Nabiki had thought that the two had been just dumb jocks. Much as she had said the other day. Now, though, she saw that they were intelligent and calculating. Ranma's hidden depths were astounding. His ability to assess a situation and come up with counters to a situation on the fly made her envious. They still had those idiotic attributes, to be sure. But the two were driven by a higher calling now.

Nabiki finally settled her emotions into a grudging respect for the two. There wasn't anything else she could really do at the moment aside from that. She wouldn't emulate them, nor had the desire to. Perhaps she could find a way to help them so that their efforts were more focused and less tragic.

"I'll keep your secret." Hearing this, Akane finally felt herself relax, not having realized just how tense she had been. "But, in return, I want in on the things you're doing. What you two are doing not only affects yourself, but also this household." Turning away, she tried to hide the pain she had felt the day before after reading Akane's entries. "Daddy and Kasumi deserve better than you getting yourselves hurt. Or even worse," she finished, her voice trembling.

Akane smiled, then scooted around to sit beside Nabiki. She laid one arm around her shoulders, drawing her in for a hug. Playfully, "Sure thing, imouto-chan."

Both of them laughed at Akane's joke.

It wasn't until later that Akane met with Ranma on the roof. He was lying down, looking up at what stars were able to peek through the light pollution of Tokyo. Seeing her leap up to the roof, he smiled. He was glad for the company and the fact that Akane was able to come up on her own.

Lying down beside him, Akane reached her hand out to take his. "How are you feeling?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Great, now that I got a full stomach and a hot bath. I think our training this weekend paid off."

She traced circles on the back of his hand, considering how she was going to broach the subject she had come up to talk about. "Ranma, who else do you think we should let know that we're from the future?" Akane watched as Ranma gave the question careful thought.

After a few minutes, he finally said, "Not sure much about anyone else than who we've already talked to. Maybe Cologne if we can trust her. We might get more techniques out of her that way. That's iffy, though. Pops, definitely not. He'd try thinkin' up some schemes to get ahead or somethin'. I don't even wanna deal with his crap. He's bad enough as it is. Besides, I think it's time he retired with your dad. Now that I'm trainin' ya and I already know his secrets, there's not much else he can really do. Hmmm...well, maybe with a few fights. He's tough, so he'd help with those, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him.

"Kasumi or your dad? Kasumi later, maybe, if we need help with somethin'. After using her notebooks, I realized she hides her smarts too well. I'm surprised she's satisfied just bein' a housewife without bein' a wife. No offense, but your dad's too emotional to handle much of anything anymore." He cast a glance at Akane, hoping she wasn't taking his analysis personal. Seeing that she was listening to him thoughtfully, he continued. "Nabiki? Whew, she scares me. If she found out, I dunno what she would be charging us to keep quiet. Then there's all the stuff she'd wanna know. Who won what game or whatever, so she can get in on the bets. It wouldn't be too bad if it were a few things, but after bein' with her for two years, I...well, let's just say I'm not too keen on her knowing. Remember that Kinnosuke guy? She didn't give a rip about the dojo or anyone else. All she cared about was the guy getting one over on her. Then there're the times she's 'sold' me or used me for money. She even said she'd sell the dojo and live off of the profits. If anything, it's best if she never finds out. I don't know who's worse when it comes to money. Her or Pops?" He shuddered.

Akane felt a frown to play on her lips for a moment before schooling it to a neutral expression again. Ranma missed it, thankfully.

"Any of the others that are gonna show up? Nah. Ryoga, Shampoo, Ukyo, Konatsu, whomever else." He sighed, then smiled and laughed. "It's best if we keep it to as few people as possible."

"What if I told you that Nabiki knows already?" Ranma looked at Akane in alarm. His eyes bulged and his mouth was working, but no words came out. "Calm down, Ranma. It's not that bad." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

His stomach was tied in knots, but he asked, "How did she find out?" One of his worst fears had just been realized. He had just described some of them.

"Apparently she searched my entire room until she found my journal and notes. Yours too, I think," she affirmed.

Ranma let out a few curses. "Man, this sucks." He covered his eyes with his other arm, thinking.

"It's not so bad, really," Akane reassured him again. "We had a little talk in the bath earlier, and she said she's willing to help us out." She laughed at Ranma's disbelieving look. At first, she had felt the same as well. "I don't know why she's acting this way, either. But I think it's genuine. Oh, sure, she's going to have some demands, but I don't think she'll deliberately betray us."

He tried to relax, but having Nabiki know about their return was almost too much for his nerves. There wasn't anything either of them could do about it now, though. Not with the proverbial cat out of the bag, at least. There were a number of other sayings that flitted through his mind.

Suddenly, Ranma sat up, turning his body towards Akane. His eyes were focused, even if they did have a wild look. "Ooh! I just realized something," he whispered. "Be back in a minute."

So saying, Ranma ran to the end of the house, then hung off of the side. From the placement, Akane knew it wasn't her room but Nabiki's that he was looking into. There was a rapping sound as he knocked on the window. A quick conversation ensued, then Ranma disappeared for a moment. He leapt back up to the roof with Nabiki in his arms. Remembering how jealous Akane could be sometimes, he set her down as soon as he landed, blushing a little.

The two walked over to where Akane was, who had sat up as Ranma had run off. The three sat in a circle. Ranma started the conversation. "Okay, so now that you know what's goin' on, there's a few things we need to discuss."

Nabiki looked mildly irritated, but settled for a placid expression. "Sure. What did you want to talk about?"

"First off, have you been taking and selling photos of us?" Ranma's voice had a hard edge to it.

Feeling herself start to scowl, Nabiki fought the urge back. "I've taken a few and sold them to the boys at school," she said, validating his suspicions. "And some of the girls." Akane frowned.

Ranma nodded, looking thoughtful. "That's what I thought. Okay, so, since you know about us now, there are a few things we can get done. First, with all the craziness that happens here, there's gonna be a lot of repair bills. We need to make some money."

"And who, pray tell, does the most damage," Nabiki said icily. She wasn't so much concerned about the dojo and house itself. Should whatever antics affect her allowance or ability to squeeze money out of her father, then there would be a problem.

"Plenty of folks. Not necessarily me so much as I'm usually the wrecking ball," Ranma complained. Looking over at his fiancée, he said, "A lot of it was her, actually."

Looking abashed, Akane said, "Well, now that we're on better terms, I might not be doing it as much. At least, if you behave yourself."

"Yeah, well, whatever." Turning back to Nabiki, "As I was saying, there's plenty of stuff that gets broken around here. Mostly the roof and walls. The dojo, too. But that aside, we need to make money for the place. We don't have any students to make money with yet and probably won't for a while."

"All right, Ranma, get to the point," Nabiki said, getting exasperated at Ranma's explanation. She was more interested in what Ranma had to say about making money. He might actually have a decent idea. Perhaps it had been something she had set up on her own before?

"Right. So, you liked to take pics of me all the time. At one point, you had this really expensive ticket that, well, was accidentally destroyed." Nabiki raised an eyebrow at that. It would have had to be a great concert for her to splurge her money on. "As repayment, you had me get the money back by posing for you. Now, I'm not willin' to do that this time around. But I do have a proposal for you."

"I think you mean proposition," she corrected. Nabiki didn't want any kind of misunderstandings when it came to some words. While proposition had its own connotation, it was better than 'proposal' in her estimation. He could use proposal with Akane.

"Sure. As I was saying, a proposition. When I was helping you, you were sellin' stuff with my picture on it to folks in France and other places. I got to thinkin' that I might make more as a model than I could ever as a martial artist. At least, to start off with." Nabiki had a penchant for taking pictures of him. Rather than being her patsy for everything, he wanted to find something that would tie her hands while at the same time not being taken advantage of.

Nabiki leaned back, resting her weight on her arms splayed behind her. She reflected on the idea for a time while Ranma looked at her nervously. "I presume you mean professional modeling?" Ranma cocked his head to the side, thinking, then nodded. The idea appealed to her. With a professional model, she would get commissions as a manager. That would also get her in the door for other, possibly more lucrative, ventures. She looked at Akane. "Why not the three of you?"

"Ryoga, too?" Akane asked.

"No, no. I mean you and Ranma. Both girl and boy."

"I don't know if I want to be a model," Akane hedged. Granted, Nabiki had taken many pictures of her while working out and sold them to Kuno. That was entirely different from being put into magazines and up on billboards.

"Oh, come on, Akane. If what Ranma is saying is true, a lot of the damage is done by you. Might as well pay for it and make some money while you're at it." What she didn't say was that, with another model, her own earnings as a manager would increase as well. Turning back to Ranma, "I like how you're thinking, Saotome. There might be hope for you yet." Ranma gave her a wry look, but didn't say anything. "This means that we'll have to do up contracts and then find an agency. Are you sure you want to do this? Once we get started, there's no going back, you know."

Ranma looked at her, concerned. "What do you mean?"

Nabiki felt frustration almost overwhelm her. Of course, Ranma hadn't considered all that was involved with being a professional model. He had likely only experienced getting pictures taken by Nabiki at home or around Nerima. This was going to be bad for her blood pressure, but the idea of raking in millions of yen was just too appealing. With luck, the modeling could go international. As Ranma had mentioned, there had been an interest in his girl-side in Europe. That information pleased her greatly. "Okay, professional modeling isn't just some simple little deal. First, we have to get the right pictures taken of you for your portfolio. There will be contracts and agencies we have to take care of as well, like I just mentioned. When you do get a photo shoot, then you have to travel to that location. Sometimes on short notice. That means time away from school and whatever little crisis you're trying to fix."

While the enormity of the job hadn't been fully realized by Nabiki's explanation, the parts that he was able to comprehend were still fairly large. Ranma gave her a dumbfounded look as he processed the information.

"Well," she continued, "for school, I don't think it should be too much of a problem. How well you did on your exams probably means you'll do well enough in the future as well. If not, we can always hire a tutor or have Kasumi help you."

Akane nodded at the latter. Kasumi's help while they had been studying had been invaluable. Drawing her sister out of the house would also be nice to do. A reward in some ways, she reflected.

"Now, I looked at both of your notes," Nabiki continued. "Some of the things you two got involved in are just ridiculous. I think you can avoid some of it or outright ignore it, if you ask me. Maybe even solve it without all the time that you wasted." Casting her thoughts back, she pulled up a couple of scenarios. "Like, say, the tea ceremony and the takeout, I think. Those are coming up pretty soon. You could just get the girl to admit that she's actually a girl rather than having her use a monkey." She shook her head at this. "The takeout was just silly. It pit the two of you against this girl from China, if I remember correctly, just to get you go to on a date with her. Or something like that."

Akane and Ranma looked at each other, blinking. "Never thought of that," Ranma admitted.

"No, it started out to get free ramen for a year," Akane corrected. "It wasn't until we were in the race that Shampoo made the bet with you. Besides, you did manage to win."

"It's details like that you need to remember," Nabiki chided. "Free ramen for a year does sound good. If you can manage to avoid dumb bets like that or win the contests, then that's even better," she conceded.

"Okay, so what else?" Ranma queried.

"One thing you need to be cognizant of is that your name will get out there. If you have enemies searching for you, then it might be best to use an alias. But that might not work if they recognize you."

This caused Ranma to freeze in fear. He looked over at Akane, catching her eyes. "That might be a problem," he admitted.

Akane frowned. "What do you mean, Ranma?"

"My mom," he said simply. Even in the glow of the dim street lights, Nabiki could tell that Akane paled at this.

"What do you mean?"

Turning to Nabiki, Akane answered for Ranma. "His parents made a pact. They promised that if Ranma doesn't come back as a 'man amongst men', that he and his father would commit seppuku. And, well, you see, changing into a girl isn't very manly. Not only that, if he's going to be a professional model in girl form, then he'll be wearing girl's clothes. And that definitely isn't manly in her book."

This news did not please Nabiki one bit. Martial artists and their damnable honor codes. She muttered a few imprecations under her breath. Regaining her composure, she finally said, "All right. Let me think of something. There may be a way out of the contract. If not, then we'll have to figure something out." Looking about, "Besides, it's getting hot out here, and we have school tomorrow." She stood, brushing her posterior off. "You two really are a piece of work, you know that?" she scolded.

The two chuckled, smiling at Nabiki's reproving words. Ranma assisted her back into her room the same way he had brought her out. He jumped back up to the roof.

"So, what do you think, Ranma?"

He nodded. "It just might work out. We still need to be careful about who finds out and everything. But, with Tofu-sensei and Nabiki helping us, things should be better. Maybe she'll even help us fix whatever mess we find ourselves in." What he didn't say was that he didn't fully trust Nabiki still. There were no illusions he held in that regard. In his estimation, being her sister, Akane was entirely too trusting. He promised himself to research modeling on his own. He didn't want either of them to get fleeced by an overeager Nabiki. Having been the victim of too many of her schemes, he wouldn't put it past her to try to slip something into a contract that would benefit her only and to the detriment of them. Getting Nabiki under an iron-clad contract would help to mitigate some potential problems, he hoped. As long as her greed was being satisfied, she might not be so bad to be around.

Grinning, Akane agreed with what he said. She closed the distance with Ranma, stretching up on her toes to get her good night kiss. He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close. When they parted, Akane grabbed the top of his pants at the waist, stopping him from leaving. He looked down at her curiously.

Meeting his eyes, Akane said, "It's okay for you to take the lead, too, Ranma. Sometimes I feel like...I don't know, like I'm forcing you sometimes. I know that in the past, I always pushed you away. But things are different now."

Ranma nodded in understanding. "Okay," he acknowledged simply. He would have to modify his daily regimen of promises.

0830, Monday, 4 June

Unable to sleep because his mind had gone into a tailspin from the night prior, Ranma was not as focused in the morning as he would have liked. He sat in class, keeping up with the material, but still distracted with how he wanted to have things progress. As he took notes for the lessons, he would also write down ideas on how to deal with or search out solutions.

During a break between classes, he left to go to the bathroom. Unbeknownst to him, Masato noticed his departure and decided to follow. When he entered the bathroom, he was focused on what he was doing rather than who had followed him in. There were other students coming and going as well, so it wasn't any different than other times he had done so.

Masato, unseen by Ranma, since the other boy was facing away and didn't have the benefit of a mirror like him, filled a cup with cold water. As Ranma was taking care of his business, Masato splashed the martial artist with it. Seeing the change, he felt mirth bubbling up out of himself.

On the other hand, Ranma-onna became furious. As he was in the middle of urinating, the sudden change caused the stream to change positions as it came out of his body. Rather than being able to direct the stream, it was now running down his legs unchecked. Cursing, he leapt back from the urinal and looked down at the mess he had made of himself. Then he turned to the other guys laughing at him from behind. He saw Masato there, but the taller boy had already hidden the cup, so he couldn't confirm who had splashed him with the water. He cast a death glare at him anyway.

Unable to do much else, he went back to the classroom, only poking his head in to call for Akane. Hearing her name and turning, she came out to find out what Ranma-onna needed. She saw the state of his wet head and pants.

"Cover for me, would ya?" he asked. "I gotta go get changed."

Akane nodded. "Anything else?"

Looking down at himself, Ranma-onna shook his head. "Nah. I'll be back in a minute. Gonna change into my gym clothes." Leaving, Ranma-onna went to the guy's locker room where his outfit was stored. The locker room was occupied, so he waited until it was finally vacated. They second years gave him curious looks as they filed past him. Most didn't recognize his female form offhand. When it was cleared out, he went inside and used the shower to change form. It was even more irritating to him because he now had to go commando because his underwear was drenched as well. A quick rinse in the sink and squeezing the moisture out, he put the pants and underwear into his locker.

The teacher, having been apprised of his situation, didn't have him stand outside, fortunately. As soon as he stepped into the classroom, there were sudden bursts of snickers throughout. He glared at the room but didn't say anything. Akane, Rei and a few other students did not look pleased.

When it was finally lunch, Rei joined Ranma and Akane as they went outside to meet up with their friends. As the three were walking out the door, Masato made a "pss" sound in imitation of Ranma's earlier accident. Fresh bursts of snickers and outright laughter followed them.

Both girls fumed as they walked out with Ranma. The boy was doing his best to keep his temper in check, though he was finding it difficult to do so.

"Just say the word, Saotome-san, and I'll have him put on notice or worse by the teacher," Rei said as soon as they cleared the crowd.

Ranma shook his head. "Nah. I've got somethin' in mind for these guys. All six of 'em."

"You know who all is doing this to you, then?"

"Yeah...well, I know five of them, but I don't know the name of one of the other girls." He gave a description of the girl he had met with on Friday after school.

Rei looked puzzled. "I wouldn't have figured Hiyori Higashina to do something like that," she said. "Not that she's a shining example of Buddha, but still. Then again, I've only known about her since we started going to Furinkan together as freshmen."

Now with a name to a face, Ranma felt a little better. "Kuzusumi and Abataya were with her, too. Then there's Masato and his two idiot buddies."

"I don't like that this is going on in our class." As class leader it was one of her responsibilities to maintain order within the class. Disorder was frowned upon and there could be repercussions for her, though not nearly as bad as for those causing the trouble.

They arrived at the group luncheon spot. All of them sat down, a couple of the girls making room for Rei. Ranma waved his hand dismissively. "Like I said, I've got a few things I'm going to do to them. After I'm done with them, they probably won't want to mess with anyone ever again. I'm just waiting on a package before I can do it is all."

Hiroshi butted into the conversation, "What's going on?" He looked appreciative of the fact that the boy-to-girl ratio had increased in his favor.

Akane was about to reply, but Ranma held up his hand. "The less you know the better it is for ya, Hiro." Shrugging, Hiroshi went back to eating, casting an eye towards Rei as he did so. Her fuller, more athletic form was to his liking. Ranma turned back to Rei. "Akane and I will be at your practice this afternoon. I want to get a feel for the ring and have another go at it with you, if you don't mind."

Rei readily agreed to the practice. With the earlier issue dropped, the group proceeded to eat and turned their attention to other matters.

1630, Tuesday, 5 June

On Tuesday afternoon, the Furinkan Rhythmical Gymnastics Club along with Akane and Ranma-onna made it to St. Hebereke's gym. Leading the way, Ranma-onna went into the dressing room for the visiting team. He was feeling excited about the upcoming altercation with Kodachi. The girls on the team deployed themselves in pairs leading from the main gymnasium to the dressing room. This was to ensure there would be no surprises.

Their primary opponent was strangely absent. There had been no follow-up attacks or her greeting them upon their arrival as the two martial artists had expected. This development was unlike the Kodachi they knew.

Inside of the dressing room, they did find a bouquet of black roses. Smirking, Ranma used a tissue to pluck a few petals off of a rose and put it in the fish tank. As expected, the fish inside appeared to fall asleep. Akane, having had the forethought to do so, pulled a plastic bag she had brought and wrapped the bouquet in it. Ranma-onna changed into his leotard and checked his equipment once again. Akane followed him out of the room.

As they walked through the hallway, they picked up each of the pairs that had stationed themselves along the way. When they finally reached the ring, all the girls who were in the club were with them. Ranma-onna was glad to be accompanied by them this time. He turned to Akane as they stood at one corner of the ring, nodding. Akane smirked, then turned to the crowd of girls. She handed over the flowers. They immediately began their own preparations, as per Akane's earlier instructions.

The crowd from St. Heberke roared as Kodachi Kuno entered the ring. She flourished her cape and made a spectacle for her audience. When she spied Ranma-onna watching, she scowled. Ranma-onna smirked.

The announcer called out his name. At this, Ranma-onna leapt into the ring with Kodachi, holding a ribbon out and twirling it. He turned and bowed to his own cheering crowd, those that had come from Furinkan High School. The most vocal ones he could hear were his usual lunch group and the Gymnastics Club. As he looked into the crowd, he noted that Tatewaki Kuno wasn't there for some reason. He had been before, he remembered. He felt unconcerned by the lack of the kendoist's presence.

With the introductions done, the referee stepped to the center of the ring, motioning for the two opponents to follow suit. They did so. As she explained the rules, Kodachi looked contemptuously at Ranma-onna. On the lookout for any antics, Ranma-onna extended his hand as the referee directed when she wanted them to shake hands in a friendly, competitive manner.

"May the best team win," Kodachi sneered. True to form, Kodachi had something wedged in between each of her fingers. Noticing this, Ranma-onna made sure to grip Kodachi's hand in a way that caused it to form a cup, though his hand was slightly smaller than hers. In this way, whatever Kodachi was holding did not meet with Ranma-onna's own skin. Instead, one of the sharp objects pierced the tender palm of Kodachi, making her wince and cry out.

The referee took note of this action and pulled their hands apart. She looked between the two of them, but Kodachi had been able to hide them somehow. Shrugging, the referee released their hands and stepped back. She called for the fight to begin.

Immediately, Kodachi grabbed up her ribbon and one of the iron rods disguised as a rope. Without Ryoga being tied to him like before, he had all the maneuverability he could have asked for this time. As Kodachi tried to strike him with the rod and ribbon, he dodged around, blocking with a club whenever he felt inclined to. His reflexes were now far superior to that of when he had fought the girl before.

Frustrated with being unable to land a blow, Kodachi called for her hoop and clubs. In her left, she held the clubs while she threw the hoop at Ranma-onna in an attempt to corner him. Leaping and somersaulting over the hoop, he landed and immediately fended off the incoming clubs aimed at his head, being careful of the spikes. Behind him, because it had been aimed at his midsection, the razor-sharp hoop sliced through the pole and then became entangled with the ropes. The top of the pole collapsed, trapping the hoop in the corner.

At this point, Ranma-onna found himself somewhat disjointed. At the same time he was fending off Kodachi he was also recalling the first fight he'd had with her. This time, because he was unlimbered from a chain and irate piglet, his movements were open and fluid. He had also been exhausted from a night of fighting with Ryoga. Because of the special training he had performed, everything Kodachi was doing seemed to be much slower. His reflexes, ability to dodge and fend off his opponent were so far beyond Kodachi's ability that he was actually feeling sorry for her. Well, a bit, maybe...but not too much.

Leaping away from Kodachi, he used the ribbon to snag a stool from outside of the ring. There were a few cries of him playing foul, but the referee announced that it was fair. With the stool in his left hand, he began using the ribbon as a whip, snapping it at Kodachi's feet. Jubilantly, he began shouting out commands. "Right! Right! Now left! Hyaa! Now, up!" In turn, Kodachi began dodging it, trying to find either a way through the barrage or away from it, but was forced to do as he commanded. The crowd roared with laughter as they saw Ranma-onna play-acting as a lion tamer.

Furious, Kodachi jumped onto the pole opposite of the one that had been cut in half. Ranma-onna retreated to his own corner, glancing to see if his earlier instructions had been prepared properly. Taking the opportunity that presented itself, Kodachi changed out weapons again. She called for her ribbon again and used it to begin throwing whatever was within reach at Ranma-onna

Under the barrage, Ranma-onna used his clubs to flick the items Kodachi was throwing at him away. It was almost similar to Happosai's technique where he would use an opponent's momentum against themselves. The objects flew high into the air, though not all the way to the ceiling. Almost too late, Kodachi realized that her weapons were now Ranma-onna's as they began to fall down about her. Hastily, she leapt away from her perch and back onto the mat below. Behind her, her second fled from the objects that were crashing into the floor where she had been standing.

Calling for his ribbon again, Ranma-onna tossed the clubs back to Akane. He pulled the ribbon taut between both hands and advanced on Kodachi. The wicked gleam in Ranma-onna's eyes caused Kodachi to flinch. Her abuse by him was still fresh enough in her mind. Desperately, she called for two ropes, catching them. She began swinging them about violently, windmilling them in an attempt to catch the ribbon should it come her way.

Curious about how tough he really was now, Ranma-onna dropped his arms to his side, the ribbon becoming slack. Sensing an opportunity, Kodachi leapt forward, using the momentum she had gained to begin clubbing Ranma-onna.

When Ranma-onna barely felt even a tingle of the iron rods striking his flesh, he began laughing maniacally. He realized now that, with the Bakusai Tenketsu training, his body was impervious to his opponent's assault. Unnerved, Kodachi let out a keening wail as she thrashed at Ranma-onna while he gave vent to his humor.

Akane, in the corner, shook her head. She couldn't believe that Ranma-onna was actually just standing there taking all the blows and shrugging them off as if they were nothing. Admittedly, she was impressed at what the training he had gone through could do to one's body. Finally exasperated by his antics, she called out, "Come on, Ranma, finish it already!"

At Akane's admonishment, Ranma-onna recovered his bearing. With a flick of his ribbon, he wrapped it around Kodachi's waist, catching her arms up in it, pressing them against her body. Her iron rods fell to the mat. Condescendingly, he said, "Buh-bye now!" And then he flung her out of the ring with a wave.

Kodachi smiled evilly as she realized the mistake Ranma-onna had made. Pulling out her whistle, she blew into it, letting its signal ring forth. Smirking, Ranma-onna turned around and walked towards Akane.

To her chagrin, Kodachi's plan fell short. As she sailed over the ring's edge, she realized that it wasn't moving with her. Unbeknownst to her, her own sleeping drug-laced roses had been used on the girls that were hidden under the ring. They were all sleeping soundly. Stunned by this turn of events, she did not have the wherewithal to check her fall. She was dazed by the turn of events, more so by her impact with the floor.

The referee called one Ranma Saotome, of Furinkan High School, the victor.

The Furinkan club members shouted in glee at the terrific win. They jumped for joy and surrounded Ranma-onna and Akane, lifting both of them up onto their shoulders. The Furinkan students rushed the floor with their own shouts.

An hour later, at the victory party, Ranma-onna was sitting at a large, round table Next to him was Akane on one side and Rei on the other. He was still smiling ear-to-ear at his win against Kodachi and the praises he was receiving.

Rei stood up and the group quieted. Turning to Ranma-onna, she said, "We're so glad to have had you on our team. After seeing the things Kodachi did during that fight, and even before, I don't think any of us would have had a chance. We, as a team, would like to give you our must humble and deepest thanks. To our victory over St. Hebereke and our very own champion, Ranma Saotome! Cheers!" The girls lifted their drinks and cheered. She bowed at the waist. Following suit, the other girls from the club stood as well, bowing.

Embarrassed at this display, Ranma-onna stood and bowed back. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at the girls that had sat back down. "Hey, it was nothin'." A few of the girls gave him some mocking retorts. "Well, actually, I'm just glad that everyone is all right. Maybe next time Furinkan goes up against St. Hebereke, they'll think twice about tryin' to off you guys beforehand. Plus, the kind of equipment used by Kodachi should be checked beforehand." He received some nods of acknowledgment at this statement. "Overall, though, thanks for believing me...and in me...and for letting me help you all out." He sat down.

After his speech, the food was passed amongst the group. Ranma-onna happily ate his portion while enjoying the talk among the girls surrounding him. He was both surprised and glad at how accepting the girls were with him, even knowing of his curse. That night, Ranma-onna enjoyed one of the best parties he had ever been to in a long time.

Author's Notes:

I played around with some calculations and found out that a granite boulder is pretty freakin' heavy! I already knew that, since I live in the Rockies and come across and have had to move some. Among other rock types as well, of course. But I digress...

As the radius of a spherical boulder increases, so does the proportion of its weight. A 1-meter radius (2-m diameter) granite boulder weights approximately 13 tons while a 2-meter (4-meter diameter) boulder weights 107 tons. So, with Akane's training using a smaller boulder than Ranma and then stepping up twice, she went from 13 tons 45 tons 107 tons. At least, that's what I'm playing with. Ranma, in a later arc, specifically with Ryu Kumon, got hit by a Demon God Assault Bomb, which had destroyed an iron/stone/bronze Buddha. It shows just how tough Ranma already is, as he only had several slices to his body, specifically to his face, arms, torso and what might have been his legs.

During the Saffron fight, both Ryoga and Mousse state that they're constantly hit by 3-ton boulders by Ranma. Yeah, 6,000 pounds of rock is nothing to sneeze at. Others have calculated how much Ranma and Ryoga are able to pick up. During the ice skating arc, they calculated that Ranma is able to handle a significant amount of weight, even while female. He's got Ryoga standing on his head while Ryoga is holding off two humongous icebergs/blocks of ice so they're not crushed. Then, when saving Akane from the Orochi, he has what appears to be a 2-meter radius boulder he shoves into the Orochi's mouth...while swimming. You might argue that he was just pushing it down at an angle and isn't much of a feat. While true in a way, try doing that with a boulder just the fraction of the size and see how far you get.

Of course, if the Ranmaverse was like real life, they'd likely be dead or in the hospital after the first few hits by the boulders. Since this is a fantastical world, obviously the suspension of belief can be instituted. And that's all I've got to say about that.