Well, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I moved back into college at the end of August. Plus, I had to update a few of my other stories. I hope you're all still reading.

First off, I'm still surprised at all the reviews I got. Twenty-four for only three chapters. Not bad. And I've got to answer some of the reviews. First, to some guy named Ryo: you took my words too seriously. And no, I have not read "Joy of Fatherhood". I don't read every fic on this site. Plus, I never said my fic was the first of its kind. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Second, I got a few questions from Maury V. I'm glad you recognized Army of Darkness, but are you serious about the "Yippee Ki-Yay" line? That's from Die Hard, and it's one of the most popular one-liners ever. See it ASAP. And yes, I've got plans for the Musk Dynasty and the Phoenix people. No, he won't be on their side. But don't worry, chaos will be rampant! Oh, and one more thing: the men in New York, at the end of the fic, are from the movie Snatch. If you haven't seen it, see that one as well. That is all. Read on.

Chapter 4

The freight cargo ship sailed slowly through the Sea of Japan. The sea was clear and calm, with no sign of unpleasant weather. This made the crew happy and, occasionally, lazy and inattentive.

And that was good for our well-doing protagonists. For, unbeknownst to the crew, a number of the boxcars had been shoved off the ship by a couple of stowaways just before shipping out. The open space served as the living and training space for a father-son team of martial artists, who were on their way back to the boot(the one pointing west) after shipping out from China a day earlier.

Max, of course, had come fully prepared. He'd looked into the schedule at the docks just before they reached the Amazon village, and, on his way out of the village, had snatched enough food to last them the trip home. Right now, he decided to use the free time they had to teach the kid a new trick or two.

The two were sparring with each other with boxcars on either side of them. Ranma was covered in sweat as he faced his father. Just when the hell had the old fart become so good? He couldn't beat him easily like he used to. Unlike he always did in the past, Genma never struck the first blow now, always leaving Ranma to move in. That, of course, left things entirely to Genma's advantage.

Ranma leapt at his father again, coming straight down with a kick. Of course, Max dodged the attack, rolled over onto his back, caught Ranma's neck in a leg-lock, and slammed him to the ground. With another leap, he was back on his feet. Ranma got up too, staring angrily at his father.

"Dammit, Oyaji!"

"What the hell're you so mad about?"

Ranma didn't even respond to the question, but charged again, using the new technique that his father had taught him earlier. One involving extremely fast movements of the hands.

The technique was called "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken", or "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire". It was the first thing Max intended to teach Ranma, and he had everything prepared. Max had brought aboard some hot coals he had found, plus a bag of chestnuts.

Ranma just stared confusedly as Max lit the coals with a Zippo™. "I don't get it, Pops. How's this supposed to help me with my skill?"

"How the hell do you think, punk? The name of the game is speed." With the coals hot, and a full fire going, Max opened the bag of chestnuts. "And this technique is all about speed."

He pulled out a handful of chestnuts, and laid them onto the fire. "Now, watch this." He clapped his hands together, cracked his knuckles, and breathed in before unleashing his hands on the fire. His hands moved so fast that Ranma could barely make them out. After a few seconds, Max stopped, and held out his left hand. He held a handful of semi-charred chestnuts, black and smoking.

Ranma stood, dumbfounded. "That's amazing, Pops!" He knelt down to get a closer look at the fire. "How'd you move 'em so fast?"

"It ain't that hard" he said, gulping down the roasted nuts. "I was mastering these techniques while we were still in China. You should be able to get them as well."

"Is that what you've been doing that whole time? Other than buying weapons from criminals?"

"Well, what were you doing with your time?"

"Looking for you!"

"In other words, you wasted your time. C'mon, you wanna learn this or not?"

Ranma groaned, and nodded. With that, Max pulled out another handful, and threw them onto the fire. Ranma clapped his hands together, and dove his hands into the fire.

His first few attempts didn't go too well. He still wasn't used to the heat, but he eventually got over it, using it to his advantage to increase his speed. On his fifth try, he managed to get all the nuts.

Max clapped sarcastically as Ranma held out the nuts triumphantly. "Wonderful. Now, onto the next test."

"What's that?"

Max pulled out a pistol ammo magazine, and emptied all fifteen rounds into his hand. He then put the empty mag down, and turned to Ranma.

"Watch closely right here."

He threw the bullets into the fire, and Ranma let out a small squeak of fear.

"What're you doin'?" he yelled, reaching for the fire. He was thrown backwards, however, and Max let loose his hands. Within a few seconds, he had gathered up all the bullets in his hand.

Ranma looked up to see the hand full of 9mm bullets. He looked from them to the fire, and back again. "What was that all about?"

"Advanced training. If you think grabbing chestnuts off a fire is dangerous, think about adding another danger. Here, if you're not quick, you can get your hands blown off. How does that sound for a challenge?"

Ranma sighed again. This kind of creativity just didn't seem like Pops. Well, now it didn't really matter. He nodded again, and Max threw the bullets onto the fire again.

Ranma moved fast, his hands jumping all over the place. He wasn't quick enough to get them all, however, and a few of the cartridges exploded, sending up sparks.

"Aaaahhh!" the teen yelled as he fell back, shielding his face with his hands. "Dammit!"

"Not quick enough. Looks like you'll have to try it again." He took out a few more rounds, and dumped them onto the fire.

Ranma gritted his teeth, and ignored his bleeding hands. If his own father could master this technique, so could he.

The second try had pretty much the same results. Ranma would gather up a few bullets in his hands, but would be just short of getting he last few before they went off right in his hands. Still, it was pretty tough considering the risks, not to mention that the fire made the metal on the cartridges hot. After a few more turns, Ranma's hands were covered with first-degree burns, and a few cuts from the explosions.

"You wanna try a bit harder this time? I don't have an unlimited supply of ammunition. It's not cheap, you know!"

"Will you shut up? I'm doing my best here!" He cracked his knuckles once again, this time letting out a little squeal of pain, and unleashed his hands on the fire once more as Max threw on the bullets.

Ranma's hands moved with grace, and, this time, he gathered them all without a single round exploding. He held the red-hot bullets in his hand with a triumphant grin, before dropping them to the ground in pain, and blowing cool air on his hand.

Max let the bullets sit a bit before returning them to the magazine, and sat back. "Your hands feeling okay?" he asked, chuckling.

"Shut up, old man" Ranma growled, bandaging his hands with the first-aid kit they had brought aboard.

Back in the present, Ranma charged at his father as he remembered the training. Old man, that training hurt! Now, I'm gonna use it against you! He attacked with his arms, making a flurry of blows at his father. Max deflected them all, however, and grabbed both attacking hands in his grasp, putting a lot of pressure on the teens' knuckles. Ranma let out a wince of pain, and Max slammed both of Ranmas' own fists right back into his face. He followed with a hard spin kick to the chest, which sent Ranma flying into a stack of wooden crates.

Ranma pushed away the crates, and got to his feet. "That's it! C'mon, oyaji, I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!"

Max let out an irritated sigh, and rolled his eyes as he shook his head. It had been at least three hours since they had finished the fire training, and they had been sparring non-stop, with the same results every time. The dumb kid was driven completely by his abnormally large ego. Since he had always been able to defeat his father before, this sudden change did not go over well. Did it matter that his father no longer stole food, or promised him to other families in a marriage arrangement? Apparently, the kids' ego was bigger than his honor, although that would change with time. Max knew that it was time to stop, and walked over to the supplies he had brought aboard.

"Forget it, okay? We're done. We've been going at this for three hours, and you haven't made much in the way of progress. C'mon, let's break for the rest of the night."

Ranma sighed, and gave up. What the hell, he'd do better the next day.

Max had lit another fire, and was making some instant dim sum for them to eat. As he prepared the food, Ranma stretched himself out, working his arms. The training for that technique had really tired him out.

As they ate, Max had taken apart his two Berettas piece by piece, and was cleaning them. As he dusted the barrel of his nickel-plated Beretta, he thought to himself.

The kid ain't ready for firearms or pyrotechnics just yet. But we'll get to those other techniques soon enough. Of course, he'll learn 'em my way. That old hack is gonna get her fucking clock cleaned when she gets here.

After they had finished eating, Ranma had gone to sleep in one of the sleeping bags they had brought aboard. As the youth slept, Max polished the golden idol with a cloth. It would prove very useful. Especially since Nabiki would never get her hands on it. He chuckled in anticipation of the fore coming events. The meeting with the Tendos would go well, with even more chaos than in the original story. Still, he wondered if he had forgotten anything. Who else was there in Japan who would have an impact on his plans?

All of a sudden, it hit him like a freight train. He slapped himself, Curly-style.

"That's right. Well, I guess I should prepare." He returned to polishing the idol.

Meanwhile, in Beijing…

Avi smiled and adjusted his sunglasses as he walked into the airport terminal. It was a pretty nice day, and China looked like a nice place. He normally didn't like to leave his country, but the tropics and the orient were a couple of exceptions.

He was here to meet up with Chow, his dear Chinese friend. The man had been sleek enough to infiltrate a ring of Chinese opium dealers, and steal a sacred golden monkey idol. Avi wondered what Chinese people would worship a monkey, but, then again, he didn't know much about the place. For crying out loud, Chow had converted to Judaism not long after the two had met. Still, that didn't matter at the moment. As soon as they met up, they were all taking their next booked flight to Hong Kong, for a month of sweet, sweet vacation.

He walked down the terminal with his two hired goons, all the way to the front gate, the decided meeting place. He stood there, and waited. And waited. And waited.

He looked at his watch in irritation. If Chow didn't get here soon, they would miss their flight to Hong Kong. He was supposed to have been there almost an hour again.

At last, another taxi pulled up in front of the lobby. A man got out, and, seeing Avi and his men, walked through the door, over to where they stood. Avi was still confused. Where was Chow?

The man stopped in front of Avi. The old Jewish man sighed.

"Well? Why are you here? Where's Chow, and why hasn't he come?"

The man began to scratch the back of his head. "Um, Avi…we kind of have a problem…"

"What do you mean 'kind of'? Where is he?"

"We think he's gone."

The old mans' jaw dropped. "You think he's gone? You were the one who was supposed to be with him the whole time, and you're telling me that you lost track of him?"

"Look, Avi, this isn't the place. They want you to come back to the place so they can explain-"

"Hell no! This is my vacation, Ringo, and I'm not leaving this airport by any other means than a plane to Hong Kong! Now, you all better get out there and find Chow!"

"Avi, please! We can't talk about it here, they'll explain at the place!"

Avi sighed angrily, and beckoned to his two goons. "Fine. But you better have a good explanation for this. I had no plans to come out to the fucking Chinese mountains, so you're asking a lot."

They left the airport, and caught another taxi.

Max and Ranma were now walking down a trail in southwestern Japan, planning to eventually get to Tokyo. Of course, Max had one more stop before they were to reach the Tendos.

"So, Pop, where're we goin'?

Well, we'll eventually make it to my dear friend. I've got to keep my agreement. But, there's one little problem I need to fix." He stopped walking when they reached an intersection in the paths, and looked at his map.

"This way" he said, pointing to the right. As they continued walking, Ranma asked "What problem are you talking about?"

"Nothing huge. Just come with me, and play along when the time comes, got it?"

Ranma was still confused, but slowly nodded his head. What could the old man have done this time?

After another fifteen minutes of walking, they came to a small neighborhood of houses. As they walked down the path, Max scanned for the right house. After five seconds of looking, he found it.

"This is the place. Okay, c'mon. We have to do this right."

"Whoa, hold on!" Ranma backed away from the house, refusing to go anywhere near it. "What the hell is this place, and why are you dragging me here?"

Max let out a sigh. "This is our house."

Ranma blinked, then sneered. "What do you mean 'our house'? We don't have a house!"

"Yes, we do. We just haven't lived here in over ten years."

"Ten years? What are you…wait…"

Ranma stopped to think for a moment. They hadn't t lived in a house as long as he could remember. But, they must've lived in one at some point…if this was their house, it meant that…

"You mean…this place…"

"Yes. It's the house you were born in. We're here so you can meet your mother."

"My…my mother?"

"Yes, now c'mon, we haven't got all day!" He grabbed Ranma by the wrist and dragged him to the door.

Nodoka Saotome sighed as she sipped her green tea. She had been in the same place for a few hours now, and she didn't show any signs of changing her current activity.

It was so lonely around the house these days. Ever since her husband had left with their son, she'd had very little to do. She wondered what they were doing now. Oh, Genma was probably teaching Ranma something new, something important, to make him a true man. It had been hard for her to accept the proposed ten-year training trip that Genma had insisted on. Still, if it meant making her son a man among men, so be it. Oh, how she had cried in happiness when little Ranma had stamped his hand on the contract promise. He was eager to become a man among men!

Still, it got very lonely around the house. The neighbors were there occasionally, although, the last time they had come over, she was reluctant to let them leave. Sadly, they were a bit disturbed by the fact that she was always carrying around a katana, and had snuck out while she was fetching more tea. That had been three months ago…

Suddenly, there was a knock at the shoji door out front. She slowly raised her head, and turned to the door.

"Oh, dear. Someone must be at the door." She slowly rose to her feet, made her way to the door, and grasped it by the side.

"Pops, why are we going back now?"

"I have to fix a problem. After that, we'll say our goodbyes, and be on our way. There'll be plenty of quality time to spend as a family later."

"Huh? Wait, what's this problem you're talking about?"

"No time to explain."

"Just tell me!"

Max sighed, and took a deep breath. "I made a promise that if you didn't become a real man on out trip, we'd kill ourselves."

"WHAT!"

The shoji door in front of them suddenly opened to reveal an attractive, short-haired woman in her late thirties. She saw two people at her door; one was a man, a bit older than her, and he was holding a younger boy at bay. The man was just over six feet tall, was well-built, and had long black hair. The boy wasn't much different, except he had a slightly better-looking face. The boy was apparently trying to attack the man.

"Oh. May I help you two?"

Max yanked Ranma over to him, and held him close so he could whisper to him.

"Behave in front of your mother, punk!"

Ranma grimaced, but calmed down. He straightened himself out, and gazed up at the woman in front of him. Was this woman really his mother?

"Nodoka? It's me, Genma. Are you okay?"

Nodoka blinked in confusion. Genma? Her husband? He didn't look like this man.

"Huh? Genma?" She then took a closer look. That face…could it be? "Is that you, dear?"

Max forced a smile. "Yes, it is."

Nodoka kept her eyes glued on her husband. "Dear…what have you done to yourself?" It wasn't so much a question of shock as it was one of amazement.

Max continued to smile. "Nothing much…it's just a long story. Why don't we talk it over inside?"

Nodoka woke up from her trance, and motioned them inside. "Of course. Come in, please."

They all went inside, and, sitting across from each other on tatami mats and sipping green tea, Max began to lay out the situation. For a long time, Nodoka kept her gazed locked on her husband.

He certainly had changed since he had gone…but it seemed like he would probably get worse with age. That certainly was not the case here. When he had left ten years earlier, he had been in mediocre shape at best. Now, ten years later, he was is amazingly great shape. He finally had what you could call a physique, and it really showed. Even though his face was features were still a bit rugged, it only appealed to him. But the thing that had her attention the most was his full head of hair. Ten years earlier, he had been balding. Nodoka was sure that he was going to lose his hair within a few more years. Now, however, there was a full, long black head of hair that traveled to his neck. She was mystified as to how he could have done it.

"Um, Nodoka?"

She tore her gaze away from the top of his head. "Yes dear?"

"I know you've been waiting to meet our son. Well, here he is." He gestured to the teen next to him.

Nodoka immediately moved her gaze to the teen next to her husband. He looked very manly and handsome to her…was it really him?

"Ranma? Is it really you?"

Ranma was a bit uncomfortable as she gazed at him, but he slowly moved closer to her as well.

"Mom…?

Nodoka smiled, and continued to look at him closely. "Oh, Genma…he looks so manly!"

Ranma began to sweat. What was that about?

Max, however, remained calm as ever. "Of course he does. That was the intention."

The woman turned back to her husband. "My! You really did keep your promise!"

"Yes, I did. However…"

"Hmm?"

"Nodoka, I have something to confess." Max threw a quick glance at Ranma, sending the message of 'play along'. He turned back to Nodoka before speaking again. "While we were traveling in China…we encountered a few problems."

"Yes?"

"Still, no matter how big the obstacles, our dear son was able to overcome them. But, one day, we encountered a small group of savages in the mountains. They were gathered around a huge bonfire, and they were preparing to sacrifice a young girl to their god."

Nodoka gasped, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "Oh, my!"

Ranma looked confused, looking at his father with suspicion.

"Indeed. Of course, as martial artists, we couldn't just let this happen. We sprung into action to save the girl. We both fought the ruffians, as many as five at a time. Of course, being my old self, I didn't last as long. I eventually couldn't fight any more. Ranma, however, kept going. Nothing stopped him."

Nodoka's eyes began to gain a bit of sparkle. Ranma gave his father an angry stare.

"What the hell are you talking about, oyaji? That never- OOF!"

Max slammed the teen to the ground, and continued. "Thanks to our boys' heroics, we were able to save the girl. She couldn't have been more grateful."

Ranma got back up, looking as though he was going to pound his father.

"All right Pops, you'd better stop-"

But, before he could, he was caught in a tight embrace by his loving mother.

"Oh, Ranma! That was so manly of you!"

Ranma began to turn slightly red, but managed to return the angry glance to his father. Max, however, didn't flinch.

"But…" he said.

Nodoka let go of her son, and looked at her husband again. "But…? What do you mean?"

"Well, the natives didn't take kindly to our actions. Since they had lost the girl, they decided to take out their revenge on our son. As punishment, they cursed him."

"Cursed…"

Ranma decided it was best not to speak at the moment, although he kept his glare of suspicion on his father.

Max pulled a thermos from his gi. "Watch this, dear." And, before Ranma could react, he dumped the water on the teen.

Ranma sputtered, and jumped up to smack his father. "What'd you do that for, oyaji?" He then noticed that his mother was looking right at him in utmost shock.

"R…Ranma?" She looked at her all the way down, from her newly-acquired red hair, to her surprisingly impressive assets, to her slim, athletic body. Her womens' body. She turned back to her husband, a look of fear and sadness in her eyes. "Dear…how did this happen?"

Max cleared his throat. "This is the curse they placed upon him. They used water from the cursed springs of one of the most infamous sites in China: Jusenkyo."

"Jusenkyo…wait! That's the place from where you sent your last letter, isn't it?"

"Yes, it was. I didn't contact you again, because I thought it would be best to show you this in person. I didn't want you to get worried alone."

"Oh…well, what are we supposed to do about this? I mean…Ranma really is manly…and that act was amazingly brave…but he's become a girl…and that can't be-"

"Dear, don't you see? He sacrificed his manhood to save a young girl!" Max clasped the womans' hands in his own. "And, to top it all off, he's taking this like a man! If that isn't manly, tell me what is!"

Nodoka looked back into his eyes, daring to believe in her lost hope again. Ranma was still completely clueless as to what was going on. Max backed away from the woman, and pulled out another thermos, which he dumped on Ranma again.

"Ow! That's hot!"

Nodoka gasped in shock again as her son transformed back into a male. "Ranma…you're a man again! What…what does this mean?"

Ranma turned to his mother, and stuttered as he tried to explain. Max, however, interrupted.

"You just saw what happened. As a result of the curse, cold water changes him into a girl. The spell is reversed with hot water. And he's not the only one" he said, taking out yet another thermos. "Watch this."

He dumped the contents on his head, and Ranma scooted away to avoid the transformation. Nodoka took on her look of shock again as she stared at the huge, vicious-looking panda in front of her. "D-dear…?"

Max then took another hot water thermos, and changed back. "They thought they'd get me as a last-second joke. Still, it's not so bad. And, you don't have to worry about either of us. There is a cure."

Nodoka's face lit up. "There is?"

Max nodded. "Back at the springs where they got the water that did this to us, they have a spring that can change us back. Sadly, we were not able to reach it in time. But don't worry; one day, we're going back there for you. Ranma will be a full man again, as will I. And, until then, he will take his problem like the man he is."

Nodoka broke into a teary smile. "Oh, dear! That's so manly of both of you! Dear, you truly have raised our son into a man among men!"

"Yes. Unfortunately, we have an appointment to keep, Nodoka. You do remember what I'm talking about?"

Nodoka was confused for a minute, but remembered the deal they had made with the Tendos. She nodded her head. "Of course. I guess I'll see you two when I can."

Max smiled, and stood up quickly. "I'll be looking forward to that. And so will Ranma. Right, boy?"

When Ranma didn't respond do to shock, Max smacked him upside the head. The youth nodded.

"Good. Well, goodbye!" He grabbed Ranma by the collar, and zoomed out the door, giving one last wave.

Ranma struggled to get out of the his fathers' grip, but to no avail. "Dammit Pops! What the hell was that all about?"

"Will you shut up? You should at least be happy about what we just did! Otherwise, you'd be holding a knife to your gut, preparing to be decapitated!"

"What do you mean?"

"Back when we left for our trip, I told your mother that this trip would be necessary in order to make you into a good man, okay? And trust me, it's a good thing you didn't spend your childhood getting spoiled by someone like her. So, I had to tell her that it was the best possible idea for you to be away from her for a while. And, when she asked how serious it was, I kind of came out and said something desperate…like we'd commit seppuku together."

Ranma looked like he wanted to tear his father in two. "Why the hell did you promise her that?"

"I wasn't being serious, okay? It was no different than when you'd say that you'd jump off a cliff, or go to hell and back! The important thing is she actually took it seriously! So, when we fell into the springs, I felt doing something like this would get her off our backs! It's one less problem we'll have to deal with."

Ranma didn't say anything. The old man was right, but still…he couldn't believe all this stuff happened without him knowing. "Okay, old man. You win this time. But I don't want you doing anymore stuff behind my back! Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Now c'mon, we have to get to Tokyo already! We're on a tight schedule!"

In the Bayankala range…

Two Chinese men stood over a pen full of pigs. In their hands was a bag, full of six pieces of a human corpse that had been cut up. They gave the pigs a look, and dumped the contents of the bag into the pen. The pigs greedily fought to get to the dead flesh, and attacked it with utmost force. The two men watched as the pigs gobbled up the corpse.

"Hey, who was this guy anyway?" one of them asked the other.

"He turned out to be a spy for some other group. He was here with us to steal the monkey idol."

"You serious? Shit. Well, how'd they find him out?"

"You remember that a few of our guys were attack at one of the posts by a giant panda, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, since he was the only guy who got away from that, he had apparently run away with his pants around his ankles. He was probably getting serviced earlier."

"Oh, yeah. Heh."

"So, when we heard about the incident, our guys went to make sure the idol was okay. It was missing, so they went to ask this guy. When they found him, he was apparently looking for it himself. That's when they grew suspicious. But the next thing was what really gave him away."

"What was that?" the man asked, the sound of pigs crunching through bones in the background.

"He had forgotten to pull his pants up, and they saw him."

"Saw what?"

"Below the belt. He was…trimmed."

"Oh…oh! You mean-"

"Yeah. Like those guys from the west, 'joo-ish', or whatever. And it looked recently done, so they found out who he was working for. One of our heads knew these guys, so the shot him full of lead on the spot, and gave the body to us."

"Yeesh. That's trippy. So, did they ever find out what happened to the idol?"

"Well, they're assuming the panda stole it. It seemed like a stupid idea at first, but then the head mentioned that ground of springs not far from here. You know, the one where people can be changed into animals and such?"

"They think some guy disguised as a panda stole it?"

"Well, he definitely stole the truck, which we found out was taken to the Russians in the next town. Still, we know they weren't after the idol."

"So, what are they doing now?"

"They're over at the house of that guy who keeps watch over the springs, I think."

ZOOM (Quick scene change, like in Snatch)

"I swear, I don't know anything about- ow!" The guide stopped as the men pushed him against the wall, holding machete to his lower back.

"We know that you know where the panda-man has gone. And you're going to tell us!"

"What panda-man?"

The head henchman shook his head, and gestured to his goons. "Boys?"

They dragged the guide over a window, and opened it up. They shoved him in by his head, and prepared to bring the window down on him. "You got one more chance!"

"All right, all right! They were from Japan! They caught a ship to there a couple of days ago!"

"They?"

"Uh, yeah! He had a son who fell into the Nyannichuan! The boy turns into a girl now!"

The men smiled at each other. "That makes our search a bit easier. Don't obstruct us again!" They threw him to the floor and walked out. The guide held his head.

"Sheesh. I hope the sirs will be all right."

"What the hell do you mean 'he's dead'? How the hell did this happen?" Avi was beside himself as he leered at his other Chinese friend.

"Avi, we had some guys listening in on the opium dealers. They were saying that he had his pants down when they found him…"

Avi's mind went a mile a minute: images of Chow flirting with, holding onto, and getting serviced by, numerous attractive women. He shook his head.

"Shit. I told him to keep his fucking pants on! They probably saw his lack of foreskin, too."

"Yes, I'm afraid so. That's really what gave him away."

"Well, that's just fucking great! So they got the idol back from him?"

"Actually, no. They were talking about how it got stolen again."

Avi perked up a bit, listening a bit harder this time. "Really? Did they see who did it?"

"It's a bit hard to explain, Avi."

"Well, don't fucking hesitate, you dumb fuck! Tell me what happened!"

Sorry. Gotta stop it there. The chapter was too long, which means you'll have to wait for the next one to see the meeting with the Tendos. But don't worry; I'm on a roll here, so it'll be up soon enough.

Hope you all liked this one. It wasn't much, but I hope it's coming along nicely. Plus, anyone who hasn't seen Snatch needs to see that movie right now. It'll make the first eight chapters or so in this fic a lot more fun.

And don't take that early stuff as Ranma-bashing. I'm just having fun. Ranma really was a jerk in the early part of the series, and didn't become the least bit respecting until after he went to live with the Tendos. You all know that it's true. Anyway, it's not important.

So, until next time, enjoy the fic. Read and review all you can! Happy trails.