"So, you…"

"Louise," she added, staring up at the burly man infront of her.

"Yes, yes, I knew that." Genma Saotome muttered, slowly nodding his head up and down. He stopped, sighing and regarded the defiant little girl with a curious expression as he tilted his head.

"Well?" Louise asked, her small hands balling into tight fists near her sides. She quelled her rising anger at Genma, it wouldn't help. Not one bit, it'll only make things far worse for her.

"…Hmmm," Genma frowned and sighed again. "You want… to have my son, my boy as your familiar?"

"Yes," Louise said, smiling ever so brightly.

"Then…"

Louise leaned forward, straining her ears, eagerly awaiting her a-

"You have to beat him in single combat."

And she fell, and ate the grassy floor.

Genma chuckled and crouched as Louise raised her head, glaring with the heat of a thousand suns.

"Did you expect any other answer?" Genma shook his head, tsking as he pinched the back of her collar, lifting her so that they were face to face.

"Yes, because what you're asking me is impossible!" Louise all about screamed, hands tugging at her long strawberry pink hair. "Your son, will kill me!"

Genma scratched his chin with a free finger, staring off into the sky. He looked back at her, narrowing his eyes.

Louise swallowed.

"And, why should I let you bind my son to a life of servitude to a bunch of ungrateful, good for nothing mages as a familiar?" Genma spat and shoved a finger against her chest. "When you couldn't even follow the basic tenant of anyone who summons something, you don't call what you can't put down."

"I d-didn't… mean to s-summon you two," Louise choked, shutting her eyes as they watered. Her chest heaved as she breathed in and out and swallowing in between as she fought to say the right things. The right words, the words to save her, and her future as a noble, and as a mage of the Vallière family!

Genma stayed silent, and did so till she opened her eyes. The elder Saotome regarded her internal struggles with nothing but contempt. In his eyes, Louise knew that she was little more than dirt, only being addressed due to her constant persistence.

Here she was, alone, begging for her chance at to prove to everyone in the academy that she wasn't a failure, a zero. And it all depended on the whims of this man before her, only because his son, Ranma wouldn't be her familiar. Louise could try to kiss Genma, again.

But… she shuddered.

No, she wouldn't experience that, not again. Once was more than enough.

"Are you going to say something, or are you going to think all day and night?" Genma said suddenly, snapping Louise out of thoughts and blinked once, twice and nodded.

"M-my life, will end, if I don't have a familiar by tomorrow because I won't be considered a mage! I need your help, or you yourself or I'm going to be expelled from the academy and maybe even from my house, my family! Surely you can understand that!"

"…The spells you cast." Genma slowly said, keeping a neutral face. "They all turn into explosions right?"

"…Yes," Louise answered, "I'm not seeing where you're going with this. They're failures, not spells."

"But they're still spells, albeit explosive spells, but spells none the less." Genma stated, smiling suddenly and poked Louise in the chest again. "There for, you're a mage and don't need to be expelled from whatever wizard school you go to. So you, don't have to kiss me or my boy."

Louise's eyebrows twitched repeatedly, veins rose and throbbed on her forehead as her skin burned red with anger and rage.

"Why so angry? What I said made perfect sense." Genma snorted as dropped Louise on her butt, waving away the steam that came hissing from her ears. He turned around and glanced over his shoulder. "You're not calming me or Ranma as a familiar and that's that." He started to walk away and as he did, Genma shouted, "but that doesn't mean you can't try anyways! Just be ready to follow us cause we're leaving soon, girl!"

And Louise promised her that she would. She will have a familiar!

Ranma will be hers!