Chapter 1

Ranma's eyes widened in shock and surprise as he stood face-to-face with one of the most powerful creatures he had ever encountered.

"W-what the hell are you?" Ranma blurted out, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hmph, I could ask the same question," Inuyasha replied, narrowing his golden eyes as he looked Ranma up and down.

"Who the hell are you?!" InuYasha says.

"My name is Ranma... Ranma Saotome. What's your name?" Ranma asks.

"The name is InuYasha... Just InuYasha... Got it!" InuYasha said.

"Alright, alright, I got it!" Ranma said.

"And what are you doing here in my forest?" InuYasha asks.

Ranma swallowed nervously, his mind racing as he tried to think of a good answer.

"I-I'm just passing through," Ranma said finally, his voice shaky. "I didn't realize this was your forest."

Ranma couldn't help but notice the sheer power radiating off of Inuyasha, and he could tell that the other boy was a force to be reckoned with.

Inuyasha's ears flicked irritably. "Don't give me that," InuYasha said gruffly. "No one just 'accidentally' walks into my forest. Who are you, really?"

InuYasha took a step towards Ranma, his hand on the handle of his sword. "And why do you smell so weird?"

Ranma raised his hands in a placating gesture, trying to keep a respectful distance between them. "Hey, easy there," Ranma said, his voice still a little shaky. "I promise you I'm not here to cause any trouble."

As Inuyasha brought up the topic of his scent, Ranma's heart sank. He knew that his unique scent had attracted the attention of many people before, and he hated explaining it every time.

Inuyasha's lips curled into a sneer.

"You're avoiding the question," InuYasha said. "And your scent is strange. It's like..."

InuYasha's brows furrowed as he sniffed the air, trying to get a better sense of Ranma's scent. "It's like there's more than one person inside of you."

InuYasha took another step forward, sizing Ranma up. "Are you some kind of shape-shifter, or what?"

Ranma winced as Inuyasha got closer to the truth. He knew he had to come clean, so he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Okay, okay. I'll explain," Ranma said slowly. "But you have to promise you won't freak out when I tell you."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, his expression still skeptical.

"I'll be the judge of that," InuYasha said gruffly. "Go on, then. Explain."

Ranma took another deep breath, mentally hyping himself up to finally tell someone the truth about his cursed form.

"Alright, here goes," Ranma began. "You're right, I am a shapeshifter of sorts. But it's not exactly by choice."

Ranma paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain his curse. "You see when I get splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself, crossing his arms.

"A girl, huh?" InuYasha said, trying to sound unimpressed. "That's an interesting trick."

InuYasha couldn't help but smirk, a hint of amusement in his voice. "And when you get splashed with hot water, I'm assuming you turn back?"

Ranma's face turned red with embarrassment, and he couldn't help but glare at Inuyasha.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Ranma muttered, crossing his arms defensively. "When I get splashed with hot water, I turn back into a guy. It's a pretty annoying curse, if you ask me."

Inuyasha chuckled, amused by Ranma's reaction.

"I can imagine," InuYasha said, his smirk growing bigger. "But I gotta say, it's definitely a unique problem."

InuYasha looked Ranma up and down again, his gaze lingering on his face. "So how did you end up with this curse, anyway?"

Ranma ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

"It's a long story," Ranma muttered.

"But the short version is that I fell into a cursed spring of some sort when I was a kid, and it cursed me with this stupid shape-shifting thing. I've been stuck like this ever since." Ranma said.

Ranma hated talking about his curse, especially when he had to deal with all the teasing and mockery that came with it.

Inuyasha hummed, his gaze softening slightly.

"That sounds rough," InuYasha said, his tone lacking its usual edge. "Must be a pain in the ass to deal with, huh?"

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise at Inuyasha's unexpected show of sympathy. He hadn't expected the gruff, aloof hanyo to actually feel bad for him.

"Yeah, it's a pain, alright," Ranma grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "I've had to deal with plenty of jokes and mocking because of it."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably, looking away from Inuyasha. "People don't exactly take me seriously when I'm a girl, you know?"

Inuyasha snorted, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Don't I know it," InuYasha said gruffly. "I've been dealing with morons underestimating me my whole life because of my appearance. Especially when I'm in my half-form."

InuYasha crossed his arms, his gaze hardening. "Don't let those idiots get to you! You gotta show them that you're not to be messed with, no matter what form you're in."

Ranma couldn't help but chuckle at Inuyasha's sentiment. He appreciated the hanyo's rough but straightforward approach. It was refreshing compared to the constant pitying looks he usually got.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ranma said with a shrug. "I just hate that people can't see past my curse. I'm not just some damsel in distress, you know?"

Inuyasha nodded, his expression sober.

"I get it," InuYasha said.

"People used to see me that way too. They'd think I was nothing more than a beast. They'd try to hurt or kill me just because they thought I was a monster." InuYasha said.

InuYasha clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing. "It took me a long time, but I learned to show 'em that I was more than that. And I think you can do the same, Ranma."

Ranma nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for Inuyasha. He knew what it was like to be judged and underestimated because of the way he looked. He clenched his hands into fists, feeling a new found determination well up inside of him.

"You're right," Ranma said, his voice firm and resolute.

"I'm not letting my curse define me anymore. I'm going to prove to everyone that I'm more than just a cursed shape-shifter." Ranma said.

Akane, in the distance, overheard the conversation and felt a pang of annoyance. She couldn't help but let her emotions get the better of her as she approached the duo with a scowl.

"Shut up, both of you! You're being too loud! Akane shouted.

Inuyasha turned to look at the newcomer, his expression growing stony.

"Who the hell are you?" InuYasha snapped. "Can't you see we're having a private conversation here?"

Ranma's expression soured as he saw Akane approaching, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. He knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"Oh great," Ranma muttered, rolling his eyes.

"InuYasha, this is my fiancée, Akane. Akane, this is InuYasha."

Akane's expression soured further as she looked at InuYasha. "Fiancée?" Akane said coldly. "What do you mean, fiancée?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Fiancée? So this girl is Ranma's girl?" InuYasha said in thought.

InuYasha gave Akane a once-over, taking in her tomboyish appearance and her scowling face. Not exactly what I would have expected from Ranma, but who am I to judge?

Inuyasha's ears flattened at Akane's attitude, his irritation growing.

"Hey, watch it," InuYasha growled, his golden eyes narrowing. "You're the one who came over here!"

Akane put her hands on her hips and looked at Inuyasha with a huff.

"You're the one who was being too loud! I couldn't sleep with all that noise!" Akane yelled.

Inuyasha let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"Too loud? Sorry, princess, but I was just having a conversation with Ranma here. It's not my fault you have delicate ears." InuYasha scoffed.

Akane bristled at Inuyasha's words, her cheeks flushing with anger.

"Delicate ears? I'll have you know I can handle loud noises just fine! And don't call me princess!" Akane huffed.

Inuyasha chuckled, amused by her reaction. "Oh, yeah? Then why are you so bothered by a little noise?"

InuYasha stepped closer to Akane, smirking.

"And I'll call you whatever I want, princess. Especially if it gets you all worked up like this." InuYasha said.

Akane's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and she clenched her fists at her sides.

"You're just trying to rile me up, you jerk! And I'm not a princess. I'm tough and strong. Just ask Ranma!" Akane says.