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Disclaimer; This fic features enough ooc to make your eyeballs bleed by means of alternate timeline and events. Your suffering will only amuse me further.

Chaotic Neutral
By Ozzallos

People were staring.

It had been a rainy day for the little Tokyo suburb of Nerima, which in turn had limited the amount of foot traffic along its wet streets. It was neither a drenching rain, nor a light rain; it simply was, annoying some pedestrians enough to pop open their umbrellas while others simply ignored the sprinkling around them. All the pedestrians on the street, however, were now staring in spite of the patter around them. A random salary man who had ducked out for lunch stood slack jawed while trying to rationalize the sight walking toward him.

It was a dog. A rather large dog, by his estimation, being ridden by a red headed teen girl. A mother and her daughter also stopped to stare as the beast and its rider padded by, the child pointed excitedly as they did so.

On closer inspection, the large canine the redhead rode was much too lean to be classified as a proper dog. Its coat of fur was a dark auburn despite the girl's best efforts to keep the animal dry with the large bamboo umbrella she wielded against the light patter of drizzle. Regardless, few would have mistaken the beast she rode for a dog, as its lanky build and fine coat of fur pointed more towards that of a fox. The thin muzzle of the animal and long, bushy tail only served to reinforce that observation, though the average pedestrian would have correctly noted that foxes simply didn't grow to a length of six feet or stand nearly chest high on four legs alone.

Nor did they have three bushy tails as opposed to simply one.

All in all, the girl was an almost ordinary counterpoint to the animal, save the fact that she rode atop the vulpine with practiced ease, attempting to helpfully keep the umbrella centered over its mass. Walking alone, she would have done a more than a respectable job attracting her own share of attention. She was in her teens and petite, but had curves in all the right places. Her ample bosom provide more than a passing distraction while her exotic red hair and fine Chinese silks further served as a beacon, alerting any red blooded male in the area to the fact that there was a hot babe in the general vicinity.

"You sure about this mom?" The giant fox cocked its head as it padded along and growled softly. The girl sighed stoking the luxurious fur beneath her. "Hell, I don't even remember what he looks like."

The beast rumbled with sympathy and the girl smiled with effort. One leg swung around off the fox's back and she hopped off. "Fine then," She challenged. "If that's the way it's going to be, I'll race you there!"

Suddenly the girl was off sprinting at high speeds down the street, leaving the fox to take stock of the situation. It watched the girl diminish rapidly into the distance, then turned its triangular head to either side, listening to the gawking bystanders who continued to mutter something about a giant fox in disbelief. The fox considered them for a moment then snorted with amusement.

Lean muscles coiled as she sighted the girl, releasing in a blur that left water spraying up in a fine mist where she had just stood.

The fox was gone.

Ayumi Tendo eyed the overcast skies with a frown. Not that she was opposed to rain in generally, just that she was opposed to it on laundry day. Laundry was fine and rain was fine, but either on the same did not make for pleasant experience when air drying clothes on the line out back. She weighed her options and decided the laundry could sit damp inside for a few hours. The weather forecast has predicted a break later on today and much as she loathed letting it wait until the late afternoon, she would manage.

Instead, the Tendo Matriarch opted to grab the feather duster from the kitchen wall opposite of her. She pulled an egg blue apron of the hook next to it and began to tie it around her waist while considering the events transpiring in the next room.

Genma Saotome was excited.

Usually she wasn't all that pleased when Genma showed up. It usually meant occupying her husband for a prolonged period of time with shogi and sake, creating two very inebriated males. While she wasn't opposed to the festivities per se, their indulgence went a bit above and beyond, leaving it to her to ensure the girls were elsewhere for the rest of the night.

Those thoughts continued in her mind as she peeked out of the kitchen, watching as Genma handed her husband a card, pointing to it happily- no, ecstatically. Her husband's face likewise lit up in a broad smile. She stared curiously as the pair carried on about something concerning China. Truth be told, she could forgive Genma his indulgences and her husband for partaking in them. It had been nearly ten years after all, and Soun, God bless his soul, was helping keep the man from going off the deep end by helping relieve the pressure. She just wish that relief didn't involve the quantities of alcohol that it did.

Today, however, there was no sake. Or shogi, for that matter. In fact, her husband's best friend looked more alive than he had in years. All over a simple card? Ayumi Tendo shrugged. She'd find out sooner or later, even if she had to use the bedroom to pry the information out of So-kun... A fond smile drifted to her lips. He never could keep a secret, especially in there.

Ayumi stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, having schooled the rather heated smirk into a simple smile for the sake of her company. She half expected the celebration to quickly quiet into secretive looks upon her entry into the living room, but no such event occurred. Genma remained all smiles, growing even more excited as she stepped into the room. He snatched the card back from her husband and was over to her in a flash. The gleam in his eyes was nearly maniacal as he proffered her the card.

"She's back, Ayume-chan!"

Ayume Tendo blinked, taking the card carefully while looking over Genma's shoulder at her husband for some reassurance that the man hadn't gone off the deep end. Soun nodded with his own reassuring smile and she turned her attention back to the card. It was, in fact, a post card, one that had seen it's better day if the creases and scuff marks were any indication. She ignored them in favor of the fluid script that adorned the card, reading it semi-aloud.

"Hi. Bringing Ranma from China. Saotome." Ayume stared, then turned the card over, finding a picture of a fat black and white panda chewing on a green stalk of bamboo then flipping it back over to reread the terse message. After ten years…? "This couldn't be…"

"Nodoka's coming home! With Ranma!" Genma snatched the card back, clutching it as if it were a treasure. "Oh, how I've waited for this day!"

Genma Saotome was practically dancing now while Soun's wife boggled. It was the first contact she had seen from her best friend in nearly ten years. Nodoka and her child had been out of communication for so long that she thought the woman had just up and left Genma for another man, never to return. Granted, it was odd to leave her best friend in the dark as well, but Nodoka had always been the flighty sort. It was amazing she had even settled down long enough to have a child in her humble opinion, as the woman liked her men.

The more men, the better, Ayumi chuckled mentally with reminiscence of her best friend's character. In reality, Genma was exactly her type- handsome in his youth, daring; an all around bad boy martial artist with a heart of gold. And if she recalled Nodoka's words correctly, 'an absolute beast in bed'. She stole a quick glance at rounding martial artist. Hard to believe, given his current state; that being slightly over weight and balding. Still, the man had what Nodoka wanted, so who was she to judge?

But after ten years… She stepped around Genma, favoring her husband directly. "Are we sure? I mean after so long?"

Soun nodded with a smile. "Genma insists it's her handwriting and China was on the original itinerary."

Ayumi nodded, having noted the handwriting herself. Aside from the deteriorated condition of the postcard, it certainly looked like it was No-chan's, and her husband would know just about as well as she would… She looked back at Genma. "When was the post card dated?"

"May fifteenth." He offered with a quick glance at the card.

Ayumi Tendo made some calculations in her head based on the date and came to a decision. The post card looked like it had taken the long way around to get to Genma, which meant that his wife and her best friend's arrival was probably imminent according to the date. She turned back to her husband. "Would you mind if we cancelled tonight's classes?"

"Of course not, Ami-chan." Soun smiled as the spark of Genma's excitement began to find his wife as well. Far be it from him to deny their first reunion in a decade. "Let's get the girls, too. We'll make a celebration of it."

Ayumi nodded happily and was off to make preparations for her best friend's return.

"To defeat owner in savage combat, use rear entrance." The redhead read from the placard sitting out in front of the Tendo School of Indiscriminant Grappling. The girl chuckled. "Think I'm liking this place already, Mom."

The fox bared it's canines in vulpine impression of a grin and nudged the girl forward with her orangish-red muzzle. The girl sighed. "Alright, alright."

Her hands hesitated at grasping the lanyard that hung from the gate bell for a moment, but knew mother had been looking forward to this for a long time now. She, on the other hand, was not. They were going to have to explain everything again and that was almost invariably a monumental pain in the ass. The life of a martial artist and all that, she shrugged mentally and gave the bell three good rings. Moments later, the sound of light footsteps on gravel could be heard. The redhead adjusted the umbrella to cover more of her companion and the dojo gates opened, revealing a gentle looking woman in her early twenties with her own umbrella to ward away the rain. She wore a simply white blouse and sky blue dress, framed by waves of brunette hair bound by a pink scrunchie.

"Hello, can I help—Oh my."

The woman's eyes instantly left the redhead upon noticing the fox beside her. 'Oh my' was, in retrospect, an understatement as the animal stood nearly neck high to the girl herself, then gained another foot as it sat patiently back on its haunches. Rational thought within the gatekeeper's brain ceased as she stared at an animal that didn't have any right to exist outside of a children's story books.

"Ahem," The redheaded girl coughed, drawing the woman's attention away from her companion. The brunette's head pivoted back onto her slowly, as if grinding on un-oiled gears of disbelief.

"What a pretty… dog you have…" The girl complimented haltingly and the girl seemed to deflate slightly.

"Uh, yeah." The redhead nodded, barely suppressing a roll of the eyes. The woman was distracted enough as it was and failed to appreciate her efforts. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Is Mister Saotome in? We checked the house, and mom figures the next best place is here."

"Uncle Saotome?" The question seemed to jar the woman out of her trance, her eyes lighting up. She paused, scrutinizing the girl further. "Yes, he's here... But we were expecting his wife… and son."

"Right." The girl known as Ranma deadpanned, not missing the emphasis on the gender either. "I'm his daughter."

The woman was blinking now, processing the new development and the implications that it held. She knew for a fact that Uncle Saotome had never mentioned a daughter, but…

"His daughter?" The redhead nodded cheerfully. "Named Ranma as well?" Another cheerful nod. Kasumi was now thoroughly stumped. "And your mother?"

"Nodoka Saotome." The redhead answered. The giant vulpine next to her growled softly and the redhead nodded. "You're Kasumi Tendo?"

Any further speculation by the woman was cut off by the surprise question. "Yes. How did you know?"

Ranma shrugged. "Mom told me. Say, can we come in? This umbrella isn't big enough for the both of us and I'd hate myself if she caught a cold."

Kasumi stared back at the fox next to her, then back to the redhead. Maybe mother was right, she speculated silently. Mother had confided in her several times that she thought Auntie Nodoka had left Uncle Genma, but really hadn't put any stock in the theory until now. Now, the proof was all but staring her in the face. A daughter born of an affair, come to see the man her mother was married to… Kasumi mused. Messy, messy, messy…

The eldest of the Tendo sisters broke from her musing and nodded at the girl with a kindly smile. "Where are my manners? Of course you may."

"Thanks!" Ranma chirped allowing the fox to pass first before following into the courtyard herself. Even as they walked the short gravel walk, Ranma found herself analyzing the walk of Kasumi Tendo on pure reflex. Definitely a martial artist… crowd control… Heavy on the throws… Judo derivative…?

The distance to the house was covered quickly and both girls closed their umbrellas as Kasumi opened the door, fully expecting the dog to remain outside and the girl to come inside. "I'm sorry but your dog—"

The giant red fox simply sauntered past her. She was about to protest until she processed the oddity of the three plush tails dragging along behind it. The redhead followed in tow, flashing her a smile. "Don't worry, she's house trained—Whoops!"

Kasumi watched as one of the tails animated suddenly, taking a half hearted swat at the girl, who in turn jumped just out of range. Ranma stuck her tongue out playfully then slipped off her Chinese slippers, setting them with the rest of the household's footwear. Kasumi could only stare as the girl finished the operation and followed the huge dog deeper into the house. Something in her brain was nagging her about the animal, something about a fox having numerous tails…

A kitsune?

She had to stifle a sudden giggle at the ludicrous idea. A girl and her magical kitsune. Does that make her a magical girl as well? Kasumi considered the insane thought for a moment. No, she's definitely a martial artist. A good one too…

In the next room, Ayume Tendo, Soun Teno and Genma Saotome were having more fun than they had had in years, while Akane and Nabiki sat beside the adults, listening to outrageous tales of dating and martial arts, all centered around on Nodoka Saotome. The table was set and the food waiting in the kitchen for the guest of honor, when a giant reddish orange fox simply walked into the living room, looking around.

All conversation ceased abruptly as the family considered this new development.

Its head cocked at them as the fox considered them right back, and Nabiki Tendo was the first to break the silent suspension of disbelief. "Is it just me, or did a very large fox just join us for dinner?"

Ayumi subtly interposed herself between the animal and her daughters. "So-kun… could you, um…"

Before Soun could answer his wife's request to eject the fox by either coercion or force, a petite redhead round the corner behind it, shortly followed by Kasumi. The new girl smiled at the scene. It wasn't her first time to participate in it either. Five sets of eyes flicked from the fox, then to the girl and finally on to the Kasumi, who wore a nervous, befuddled smile.

Soun was the first to speak up. "Kasumi…?"

The eldest sister winced. Not only was it up to her to introduce the new guest, but she was going to simultaneously break some very bad news as well…

"This is… Ranma Saotome," The daughter began hesitantly. Ranma took her cue and bowed. Rapid blinking from the three adults promptly ensued and Kasumi continued. "Daughter of Nodoka Saotome."

All eyes were now on the girl, who sported a pink Chinese top with darker embroidered flowers and gold trim. Even though the double breasted tunic reached up to her neck, it was quite formfitting, leaving nothing to the imagination as to her curves. Where the silk stopped at her belly, the more durable material of her black tangs began. These appeared to be normal wear until she moved or otherwise shifted her weight, revealing slits along the sides that provided brief glimpse of her equally well proportioned legs.

If Soun and Ayumi's brains were fighting to process the new information, Genma's was in positive overload now as he fought through the implications himself. He didn't have a daughter. Nodoka hadn't had a daughter. Unless…Had she been unfaithful? Genma's heart seemed to contract suddenly as the logical train of thought followed through, causing him to study the girl further. Much as he would have liked to object to the theory outright, the girl's hair all but squashed it. The shade was all but that of Nodoka's back in the day, proof that the girl shared the same genetic oddity at very least. Her facial features were definitely hers. He knew those too well, while the blue eyes… Genma stalled. That particular genetic anomaly was from his side of the family.

Which just didn't make sense for the affair scenario his brain had first conjured up.

And neither did the other major detail… her age. The girl was fifteen, maybe sixteen years old. Nodoka was giving birth to his boy around that time and another pregnancy would be pretty hard to miss …Especially with somebody as uninhibited as No-chan, he added, remembering his wife's exhibitionist tendencies quite vividly. Twins were out of the question as well. He had been there. Hell, Soun and Ayame had been there too. Only one came out and that was a boy.

So what the hell?

"Confused, Genma-kun?" Genma Saotome's attention was stripped from the girl instantly. There was no mistaking that voice. None at all. But it hadn't come from the redhead. It had come from the fox. The other room occupant's were likewise gaping now with the giant animal at the center of attention, which was now melting. The vulpine's form seemed to shift and the only person in the room not staring in shock now was the girl. Fur flowed into an orange and white flowered kimono while a body took shape within. Moments later, a pale woman with vivid auburn hair stood before them with the slightest of smiles. "Under the circumstances, I can't say I would blame you."

"Na… Na… Nadoka?" Ayumi stared, completely in awe. Soun's cheek twitched silently beside her. The transforming fox woman also had the kids complete and undivided attention as well.

Genma was likewise floored, his mouth hanging open now. "No-chan?"

The fox-woman smiled wider now, and rounded the floor height table, gliding up to Genma with a mischievous smile on her face. Gentle eyes captivated his own; eyes that sparkled with mischief. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Genma eyed the woman that looked so much like his wife. Much as he wanted to vehemently protest the fact that she had just up and left him for nearly a decade, the persistent and sobering fact remained that he had very nearly pulled the same stunt on her. Another fact that he couldn't ignore was that the woman before him was a fox.

In more ways than one.

"Kitsune are known tricksters, old friend." Soun advised lowly, harboring the same doubts as his best friend. Genma nodded, stepping back. Of course, kitsune shouldn't have existed to begin with, but both had seen some very odd things during their time under the Master. He wasn't about to dismiss the possibility that a mythical being had found him for the sole purpose of furthering its own amusement.

"Here we go again…" The redhead mumbled, earning the attention of the daughters. The fox-woman's stepping forward back into Genma's personal space pulled it back to the pair.

"What can I do to prove it to you?"

The woman was close enough now to drive him wild. She looked exactly like his wife. In fact, she looked exactly like the day she had left, as if the last decade had meant nothing. She wore the orange and white leaf kimono just loose enough to afford him a teasing view of her assets and the smell of lilacs wafted around him. Genma Saotome gulped audibly, finding his mouth very, very dry all of a sudden.

"If you are who you say you are, then you'll know something only he would know," Nabiki spoke up, breaking the spell. The woman acknowledged the girl with a nod, smiling.

"Exactly." She confirmed, turning back to Genma with a sly smile. "I particularly recall that night on top of Tokyo Tower. Cloudless night, all alone on the roof of the observation deck and right above the heads of the tourists. The stars… That thing you did with your tongue had me—"

"I'm convinced!" Genma's eyes widened suddenly, bringing the tale to a halt before the more sordid details could be told.

Ayumi nodded slightly, leaning into her husband with a whisper. "Sounds like the Nodoka I know."

Soun nodded sagely. Sounded like the Genma he knew, too.

Akane gaped, her face contorting into disgust upon realizing just what was being implied. "Ewww…"

"And if that doesn't convince you…" Nodoka Saotome stepped forward, capturing her husband's lips while applying the rest of her body entirely to the endeavor. Genma stood in surprise at first, but the passionate kiss quickly convinced him that it would be rude not to reciprocate, and hastily returned her efforts in kind.

"Go mom." Ranma murmured, then shrugged. "This might take a while. You guys got a dojo, right?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Akane and Nabiki nodded anyway and Ranma turned for the door, leaving mother and father to engage in their make out session while the rest of the family watched with voyeuristic fascination. Only Akane seemed immune to the public display of affection, snorting with disgust before following the girl out of the room.

Ranma had just stepped out into the open air when Akane appeared behind him, grimacing. "God, I thought I was going to die in there."

"Heh," The redhead chuckled. "Surprised she didn't undress him right there."

That statement brought Akane's mental process to a screaming halt. "That's… that's… Perverted!"

"And? Mom hasn't seen my Dad in nearly a decade." Ranma shrugged. "Heck, neither have I. Can't say I blame her."

Akane's indignation at the scene faded with the imminently justified comment, lessened further by the fact that the girl next to her had suffered in the same manner. Lacking a clear avenue of outlet, the youngest Tendo sister turned to an easier target. "But what was that with her…changing like that? And the fox with three tails? It was almost like she was a… a…."

"Kitsune?"

"Exactly!" Akane's bobbled in agreement, failing to notice Ranma's amused response. "Like a kitsune!"

"Because she is," Ranma stepped off the porch and angled to the dojo with a chuckle. "Just like I'm a girl."

Akane began to blink rapidly, digesting the comment before catching back up to the girl who was already halfway to the dojo. "You're… you're kidding. Right?"

Ranma shook her head. "No, I'm really a girl."

"I mean your mother!" The Tendo correct forcefully, completely oblivious to her partner's humor. "She can't be one of those!"

"Sure she can." Ranma shrugged, sliding the dojo door open and stepping in. "That was a pretty tame trick, actually."

Akane Tendo followed the girl in, disbelieving what she had just heard. "You're realize you're saying that your mother is a three tailed kitsune?"

"Yep." Ranma nodded, completely serious, then cracked a faint smile. "Very tragic tale, that."

Huh? was Akane's first thought as the redhead looked about the dojo. It was a trick, she rationalized. Nodoka was playing a trick on Uncle Genma and Ranma is in on it…

Ranma, on the other hand, was smiling at what she was finding. "Nice dojo. Simple, but elegant."

The redhead let her feet glide across the tatami, testing the stiffness of the surface while getting a feel for the dimensions. Akane glowed with pride for a moment. "Do you practice?"

"Some."

The Tendo smiled. "What styles?"

Ranma snorted with slight amusement, still looking around. "More than I can count. A little of this, a little of that."

"Then how about a little match?" Akane's smile widened. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

The proclamation pulled Ranma's attention away from the surroundings and back to Akane. The slight smile Ranma had been favoring faded as she held the Tendo with a penetrating gaze, her blue eyes seeming to look directly into her. The emotionless gaze persisted, causing the girl to squirm after another moment before abruptly evaporating.

"Nah, think I'll pass." She stated, the slight smile returning. "Need some kata time alone."

Weird girl, Akane decided, watching as the girl stepped to the center of the dojo, standing completely still. And what was with that look—

Akane's thought process abruptly ceased as the girl exploded. Ranma became a pink and black blur, streaking through a series of lightening fast kicks before transitioning into a series of aerial katas, cutting the air with a series of impossibly quick strikes before returning the mat. Aikido. Jujitsu. Karate. Kung Fu. Akane counted the styles off as the girl stepped through them, her incredulity mounting. It wasn't just the sheer amount of martial arts she was witnessing that had her in awe. It was the speed, accuracy and power inherent in the redhead's form that had her gaping. Akane knew she herself was good. Between her mother, father and Uncle Genma, she was one of the better martial artists in the prefecture. Occasionally, Nabiki could use her speed to corner her, but overall, she could overcome anything thrown her way.

Ranma Saotome, however, was on an entirely different level.

Nabiki couldn't touch her speed and while Akane was suspected she had the edge on sheer power, she knew she couldn't approach the speed or accuracy the girl was employing her massive arsenal with.

Ten minutes later, the girl wound down, barely having broken a sweat. She bowed to an invisible opponent and recovered, wiping a light sheen of sweat from her brow. "Ah, that's better."

Akane gawked. "You're… you're good."

"I had better be." Ranma smirked, then put her hands on her hips expectantly. "Well, Akane-chan, let's see what you got!"

"All right!" She grinned, taking the center of the mat as Ranma retreated to the edge. The youngest Tendo knew there was no way she could match the redhead, but she would damn well give her a good show and took a stance.

"Ahem," Ayumi Tendo arched an eyebrow as the kiss continued for what was becoming an uncomfortable amount of time for the spectators. Hands began to roam and she was silent glad Akane had already left the room. In front of Kasumi and Nabiki was bad enough. "If you two are done…"

Nodoka Saotome withdrew from the kiss reluctantly, eyes sparkling for Genma alone. "No, not yet. Not by a long shot."

The Saotome patriarchs cheeks pinkened slightly, but he managed to reign in his raging libido under the promise that their activities would continue later.

"Some things never change." Ayumi simply shook her head. "Now that you've finished robbing my children of their innocence—"

"A little late there, Mom." Nabiki quipped with a bemused expression.

"I have no idea what you are referring to, mother." Kasumi drawled innocently, prompting their mother to roll her eyes.

"Of course not." The Tendo Matriarch deadpanned, turning back to the reunited couple. "Now that that's out of the way, you had better come give your best friend a hug."

"Gladly" Nodoka smiled warmly, stepping away from Genma and into Ayumi's embrace. "It's so good to see you again! All of you again!"

"We were thinking the same thing Nodoka." Soun nodded patting the woman lightly on the shoulder.

The auburn haired woman shared in the warm glow of companionship for a moment before turning to the two daughters. "My, what a woman you've bloomed into, Kasumi-chan! I'll bet you must have the men eating out of your hand!"

Kasumi just smiled, her cheeks pinkening slightly. "Just one."

Nodoka turned back to Ayumi with exaggerated look of concern. "Don't tell me you've been neglecting the child's education…?"

"Not all of us use men as an appetizer, No-chan." Ayumi Tendo sighed, and Kasumi pinkened further, thankful when Aunt Saotome turned her attention away to Nabiki.

"I used to carry you around as a little girl." The woman observed. "But I don't suppose you remember that, now."

"You used to charge me ten yen for a ride." Nabiki chuckled at the reminiscence.

"And worth every yen." Nodoka added, failing to note Soun lean subtly over to his wife.

"Now we know where she got that from…"

"So that had to be Akane earlier, then." The Saotome woman continued, questioning the middle sister.

"Your make-out session was probably too much for her." Nabiki quipped with slight amusement. Nodoka frowned, turning back to her best friend.

"Your daughters share your looks, Mi-chan," She puzzled. "No reason for your youngest to shy away from a simple kiss."

"Ha!" Ayumi couldn't hold it in this time. "Your simple kisses are blue movie material, Nodoka. Besides, she's having some… boy trouble at school."

Nodoka shrugged the first part of her comment off. "I see. Maybe my daughter can show her a thing or two, then."

Ayumi was chuckling with the comment. If daughter is anything like her mother, then… Then she remembered one very crucial detail. "Um, Nodoka-chan… About that…"

The mood suddenly dampened with those words, and Genma especially felt the return of uncertainty over the entire situation. They were questions that he really didn't want to ask, but needed to be addressed. Fortunately, Soun took up one for him as well.

"And that trick with the fox…"

"Of course," The woman acknowledged their concerns as if they were not only expected, but a routine occurrence. She turned to her husband. "I can assure that not only was I that fox, but the girl is your child as well."

Genma Saotome let the information absorb for a moment but failed to make any sense of it. "But, we didn't have a girl No-chan! She's about Ranma's age… Did you… we adopt her?"

"And how did you pull the fox trick off, Auntie?" Nabiki chimed in herself, more than curious.

Nodoka looked at each of the room's occupants, then sighed. "You might as well get comfortable, as this is going to be a very long story." She turned and stepped back over to Genma, finding his hands. "I can assure you that we only have one child and that child is Ranma, both the boy I left with and the girl that was just here."

"I… but…." Genma stalled, picking through the logic. He couldn't find any in her statement. "That doesn't make any sense though, No-chan."

"Just as I am the woman you love and the fox that entered this room." Nodoka continued softly.

Ayumi Tendo seized a theory and voiced it first. "Are you saying Ranma changes like that? Like you?"

"Not quite." Her best friend shook her head. "I have an unfair advantage over my… condition. Ranma doesn't have such a luxury."

"And what luxury is that, Auntie?" Kasumi asked in turn and Nodoka smiled.

"Kitsune are natural shape shifters." She explained easily, turning to Nabiki. "If you could be a dear and fetch us two glasses of hot water. Not scolding, just hot. Ranma will be in shortly. She'll be able to demonstrate our mutual condition much better than I."

"This is decidedly…odd." Soun admitted as the middle sister left to fetch the water. "Were you anybody else, I'd assume this was all an elaborate joke…"

"Sadly, no." Nodoka shook her head. "It's a curse we picked up in China. Does Jusenkyo ring any bells, husband?"

"Jusenkyo…" Genma rolled the name around on his tongue, trying to recall the itinerary he drew up nearly a decade ago. "Something about a legendary training ground in the heart of China?"

"Very good," Nodoka nodded with a mischievous smile. "Except for the fact that it is not a training ground of any sort." She turned to the rest of her audience. "It's a site of nearly one hundred cursed springs, fueled by death magic."

"What… do these springs do, Nodoka?" Ayumi Tendo asked tentatively, not sure she wanted to know the answer to anything fueled by death.

"They change things," She replied. "Specifically, they change any living thing that falls in to them into whatever drowned there last. In my case…"

Nodoka's body wavered for the second time since her arrival, swirling in upon itself and shifting impossibly into orange fur, four long legs, a pair of prominent triangular ears and the snout of a very large fox. Genma, Soun, Ayumi and Kasumi stared, as did Nabiki when she stepped back in with two glasses of hot water. Genma's wife held the form for a moment and shifted back, furthering the incredulous atmosphere.

"Nodoka-chan…" Genma whispered, then was surprised by her smile.

"You fell into the spring curse with a drowned kitsune?" Soun asked, disbelief seeping into his voice.

"It's not so bad." The auburn haired woman mused, pulling the two glasses away from a stunned Nabiki. "I have a marginal amount of control over my curse given the fact that Kitsune are natural shape shifters. The curses are water based. Cold water activates the curse, warm water reverses it."

The Saotome set one glass down on the table at their feet and upturned the other over her head. Water flowed and dripped, dampening the woman. Little changed, and for a moment, the family watching thought that nothing had happened whatsoever.

Nabiki, however, was the first to notice. Her hair had lost a bit of the predominantly red shine, darkening. Tiny lines had introduced themselves to the edges of her eyes and lips. The middle Tendo hazarded a guess. "You're… you aged?"

"She's a sharp one." Nodoka directed a smile towards Ayumi who was only now picking up on the change. "Correct. This is the body I was born with. No glamour, no magic, but one-hundred percent human."

"Hmmf," Ayumi snorted, taking the subtle change in. "Glamour indeed. I was wondering why you hadn't aged a day in ten years."

Nodoka Saotome smiled, then faded slightly as she continued the explanation, turning back to her husband. "Ranma doesn't have it quite so convenient."

She let the statement sink in. It took a few moments. Genma's cheek twitched once the realization sank in. "But… Ranma's a boy. My BOY."

"And at the moment, she's a girl." Nodoka sighed. This was the part she really was not looking forward to, and it was all her fault. She had taken Ranma. She had followed the itinerary. She had led them to China.

"A boy and a girl?" Kasumi blinked, trying to process the new information that was just as unbelievable as the Kitsune woman standing before them. More so, if only because being two genders hit a bit closer two home than a semi-mythical fox spirit.

"Yes." She confirmed softly. "Much as it pains me to admit, I did not have a full grasp of Chinese at the time and failed to heed the guide's warnings, nor did he have a sufficient grasp of Japanese to convey the danger in time. I fell into the spring of drowned Kitsune; Ranma, the spring of drowned girl."

"But Ranma is a boy!" Genma blurted, nearly hyperventilating now as parts of his brain began to redline. His only son… supposed to be the best… trained for ten years… a girl! They needed protection! His son was-

"How old was he?" Ayumi asked, embracing her best friend in a show of support.

"Seven years old."

Ten Years Earlier.

"Husband, exactly WHERE do you think you're going with our son?"

Genma paled, glancing over his shoulder at the redheaded embodiment of fury, then to the child in his arms. His hand had been inches away from the doorknob and success, but those inches might as well have been miles now. "Uhh... Training mission of course! To make a man out him!"

"In the middle of the night?"

"Ehhhh..." The balding martial artist scratched his head sheepishly and Nodoka Saotome pressed her charge.

"You're starting to behave entirely too much like that old, perverted master." She scowled, thumbing the hilt of the family katana. Its lethal potential was a stark contrast to the long pastel nighty she had confronted her husband in. Had Genma been caught it a different situation, it might have been pleasantly- Her step forward was prompted his step back, shattering any wistful fantasies that were floating around in his head.

"But No-chan!" He protested, thrusting the confused gi-clad boy out in front of him as if he were simultaneously defense exhibit 'A' and a human shield. "It's for his own good! He'll be the manly man you always wanted!"

"BUT NOT LIKE THIS!" Nodoka snapped. The expectant silver of the family honor blade never cleared the scabbard. Instead it was the scabbard itself that found her husband's head with unerring accuracy with a sudden 'whack!' The martial artist stood ridged for a moment then slumped over, Nodoka snatching the child away before he fell.

Little Ranma simply watched the scene with wide eyes. His father was out cold.

"Momma?"

"Don't worry, Ranma." She patted the boy's head and set him down, inspecting the growing knot on her husband's cranium. Should have done that a while ago, but he is right... If Ranma was to become a manly man, he'd need a more challenging environment than Nerima. With that thought, she pulled the pack from her husband's now inert body and began to rummage through it. Planning to leave in the middle of the night with nothing more than a mere note, was he? Let's see how he likes a taste of his own medicine! Training voyage, huh? She snorted mentally, allowing her thought process to take a sinister bend. Two could play that game!

She pulled various items and supplies from the pack, looking for clues as to her husband's plans for her son. Forbidden scrolls... Techniques... Maps… Ah! Nodoka smiled almost evilly. A training itinerary, complete with every stop he planned to take the boy; even a few places in China! I've always wanted to go there. Nodoka took Ranma's hand and stared back down at Genma with a contemptuous sniff. By the time SHE was done with Ramna, he WOULD be a man among men.

"One moment while I change, Ranma-kun. Daddy won't be awake for a while and we have SO much to do!" The little boy smiled back cluelessly and waited while his mother disappeared, returning wearing gi and overstuffed pack of her own. Her husband's pack was quickly liberated of anything that looked even remotely valuable, and it wasn't ten minutes later that the pair were out into the night, leaving a comatose martial artist in their wake.

Knock-knock-knock.

Ayumi Tendo frowned slightly as the sound resonated through the house, interrupting her preparation of the family meal. The sound also caused her nine year old daughter to pause, the light tapping of her sharp knife silent in deference to curiosity. After all, the last of the students had gone home hours ago and hardly anybody ever came calling at this time of night. Even the occasional challenger usually had more respect than to arrive during the dinner hour.

That fact alone narrowed the list of suspects considerably, and it was with that thought that she handed off the wooden ladle to her eldest in order to ascertain whether or not her suspicions were correct. It took next to no time to transverse the space from the kitchen to the doorway, opening the door only seconds later. She put on a pleasant, if manufactured smile for the person she all but knew was waiting on the other side. No, she wasn't annoyed that he was here right before dinner. Or the fact that she was now obligated to invite him in to partake of said dinner. No, no annoyance here whatsoever. She pulled open the door and the smile almost slipped.

"Genma-san, what a pleas-" Ayumi's initial countenance faded as she took in the man, who was obviously bedraggled and distraught. For once, she doubted he was over simply to partake of a game of Shogi and free sake. Already smells as if he may have already hit the sake part, she mused, stepping aside to admit her husband's best friend. In that moment of silent observation, she knew exactly what had happened, and wasn't sure whether to cheer or grieve.

No-chan finally dropped the deadbeat?

"I… I need to speak to Soun…" The same force of will that had kept the smile plastered across her face earlier enabled Ayumi to withstand the tidal wave of spent alcohol emanating from the martial artist's breath.

"Of course. Come right in." She nodded sympathetically. "I'll let Soun know you're here."

Ayumi disappeared around the corner and a moment later, a clean shaven, dark haired man stepped into view, proffering a tanned hand out to Genma. "Old friend! What brings you to this neck of the- " He stopped short, noticing not only a hand lacking his friends grasp, but the distraught state of that same friend. "What happened, Genma?"

"She's gone," The slim, balding martial artist croaked as he leaned against the nearest wall. "Took everything."

"Everything?"

"Scrolls. Techniques. Supplies." Genma Saotome shook his head, wiping some imperceptible sweat away. "Even took the boy."

Soun's jaw dropped. "You mean she and Ranma…!"

"Took the boy on the training mission I was going to take him on, buddy." The best friend let out a shaky breath, as if the mere act of being in the Tendo's presence and telling the tale required an inhuman effort to accomplish. "Been gone for almost two weeks now."

Soun shook his head in amazement. He told Genma… Told him! That woman had a temper and a half, and even he knew Nodoka would not take her husband's idea concerning Ranma's martial arts training lightly. The best case scenario would be her insistence to tag along. Worst case? Visions of the red headed banshee and her sword flickered to life inside the Tendo patriarch imagination, causing him to shiver slightly. Her skill with that damn blade of hers was nothing to be trifled with. Soun studied his friend's forehead a bit closer, noting the healing bruise. At least he got a blunt object this time…

"Looked for her all over…" Genma continued through the silence as Soun took his arm, leading his best friend further into the house. "Where ever she is now, she's not following my original plan. Could be in China now for all I know."

They stepped into the living room and Soun noted that his wife had already set two glasses of sake on the table, mercifully waiting for her husband and Genma; Nor were any of his three daughters to be found, a small miracle in and of itself.

They knelt down to the table and Soun turned a faint smile on Genma, hoping to lighten the mood slightly. "How bad can it possibly be? She's bound to come back before you know-"

"Ten years."

Soun stopped mid sentence, wondering if he had just heard correctly. "You didn't just say…"

"That's how long I estimate it would take to bring Ranma up to par." His friend admitted in a remarkably sober tone. Perhaps it was the weight of the situation that lent sobriety to his apparent condition? "Ten years to make Ranma a man among men and fulfill…" Genma took a quick glance around the room, insuring they were the only ones present. "Well, you know."

Soun did know, and it wasn't something he was about to mention as long as Umi-chan was within earshot. The last time he had mentioned an arranged marriage between the two families had left him on the couch for as long as it took to earn himself back into her good graces.

"Ten years…" he breathed, still quite unable to believe the timeframe himself.

Genma merely nodded, fingering the crème colored glass containing his as yet untouched sake. "That's how long I estimated it would take to visit the various dojos, temples and training sites in Japan… even a few in China."

Soun could only nod dumbly. While Genma hadn't gone about it with any sort of fineness, there was no doubt as to his sincerity concerning The Pact, especially after hearing the lengths he was about to go to ensure that both schools were joined. Only now, it was his wife that was doing the deed. With that thought, he followed his best friend's example and tipped his own porcelain glass of sake back.

It was going to be a long night.

"Fight you for the okanomiyaki, Ucchan!"

Ukyo Kuonji's eyes widened at the challenge and the little black haired girl spun around to find a small boy of similar age rushing toward her with a grin on his face. The five year old frowned and pulled the red hot spatula off her miniature grill, bringing it to bear on her opponent.

"Not this time, Ran-chan!" The long haired girl charged the pony-tailed boy, bringing the slight spatula around in a wide arc. The boy met the attack head on, ducking under the swipe to engage her hand to hand, prompting the future okanomiyaki chef to attempt a hasty disengage. Across the park, two smiling adults watched the pair tumble though the rough sparring exercise, noting that whatever they lacked in skill, they more than made up for in sheer enthusiasm.

"Two thousand says my Ukyo will beat your boy this time!" The large man next to Nodoka Saotome challenged, stroking his thick black beard with a confident smile.

The red head simply arched an eyebrow and readjusted the silk enclosed katana that rested in the crook of her shoulder. Like the katana, she too was wrapped in the silk of a fine pastel green and blue kimono. A knowing smile slipped across her face. "Is that's all? Surely you have more confidence in your daughter than that?"

The Kuonji patriarch blinked, momentarily at a loss for words as the children continued to tumble across the open park. He cast a wary look in her direction, knowing that the gentle looking soul next to him was in fact a shrewd woman after only a weeks' stay at the Raiju Ken Dojo down the street. Still, he was raising his daughter to be the best in a long line of Okanomiyaki martial arts chefs, and couldn't let the challenge go unanswered. "Alright, fifty thousand!"

The dark redhead next to him merely smiled. The smile was irritating to the yattai owner, as it had the qualities of knowing everything there was to know but revealing nothing. "Let's make this one more interesting."

"More…interesting?"

"Of course," Nodoka nodded. "Fifty thousand and you pay for our meals the rest of the stay." Oro Kuonji did his best to suppress the twitch her offer incited. Then the smile widened to insufferable levels. "Of course, if you don't want to, I understand."

The implication was obvious and the cart owner bristled. "Accepted! And if he doesn't, you… you…" The large chef was obviously at a loss on what to append to his end of the bet when Nodoka slipped her suggestion in easily.

"Will cook and clean for you and your daughter the remaining week we're here?"

"Exactly!" The owner crowed. It actually wasn't a bad suggestion in his eyes. He was cooking day in and out. Cooking for himself, cooking for his customers and teaching his daughter the family art. A change of taste couldn't be considered a bad thing, and instinct told him the woman next to him was a consummate chef herself. "If Ukyo wins, you owe us fifty thousand and-"

He never got to finish the sentence as his eyes widened to the size of five hundred yen pieces. Ukyo had just lunged in for a final attack with her spatula when the Saotome boy jumped atop it, using it as a spring board to land squarely on the little girl and liberating her creation in the process. His mouth fell slack jawed.

"Oh, well, that was unfortunate." Nodoka stated simply, shaking her head. Oro turned to her, still slack jawed. "I was sure he'd give that cute little girl of yours more of a chance this time."

It took the Kuonji another moment to recover as he continued to stare at the two children, one irritated and put out while the other happily munched on his prize. "That… son of yours is really quite good."

"As is your daughter." Nodoka returned the compliment easily, lessening the sting of loosing five thousand yen and a weeks worth of meals for the father. An eerie glint appeared in her eyes, a glint that went unnoticed by the Okanomiyaki master. Had he seen it for himself, he might very well have considered her next words warily indeed. "It really is too bad we'll be leaving in a week."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Hook, Nodoka thought as she continued in an almost wistful tone. "They just make such a cute couple, that's all."

Oro Kuonji looked from her to the pair, who were now more than amiable to one another with their daily match out of the way. "They do seem to be getting along well, don't they?"

Nodoka simply nodded, allowing the man to come to his own conclusions. Line…

"Hmmm…" he continued to think on the matter, scratching his bearded chin. The Saotome boy was definitely talented, almost gifted in the realm of martial arts, if he was any judge. "Maybe..."

"What's that?" The redhead asked, trying her best to sound genuinely curious.

"I was just thinking." Oro continued. "That maybe once my little girl is all grown up and your boy is done with his training mission..."

Sinker.

"I don't see why not." Nodoka replied to the unspoken conclusion. "Nothing formal mind you. I want to keep his options as open as possible, of course."

"Of course, of course." Oro Kuonji waved the fact away as if it were a mere technicality. It was a silly to think he could lock the boy into such a formal engagement anyway. Honestly, who did those these days? Still, he had his foot in the door and if he could somehow pair the children up, they'd strengthen the family art by magnitudes. "But how will I keep my daughter in touch?"

Nodoka Saotome smiled. It was almost a wicked smile. "I just happen to have our address right here."

"So what do you think of Ukyo, Son?"

The son in question looked up at his mother as the pair walked back to the Raiju Ken Dojo. He stuffed the last reminisce of his prize into his mouth and shrugged. "He's nice. Makes the best okanomiyaki too!"

The last bit of the Kuonji's creation disappeared into Ranma's mouth, prompting him to lick the bit of sauce from his lips as if to emphasis the statement.

"He?" Nodoka arched an eyebrow, latching on the subtle emphasis. Ranma blinked cluelessly at her. Seeing no comprehension forthcoming from the boy, she took it upon herself to enlighten her son. "Ranma, Ukyo is a girl."

The boy blinked as her words hit home, stopping him in his tracks. "A… girl?" His mother simply nodded. "But…"

"But what?"

"But she can't be a girl." His head was now cocked thoughtfully, evidence of the internal gears grinding within his five year old brain. "Ucc-chan can fight good and Poppa said girls are weak…"

Nodoka silently ground her teeth together as her son continued to try the logical discontinuity with the limited tools at his disposal. Her thumb began to caress the pommel of her katana ever so subtly. And to think I had actually thought about taking Ranma back to the house! She missed Genma and this martial arts sojourn wasn't exactly a holiday, but the nerve of him! Nodoka took a deep breath and ran a delicate hand through her mane of chestnut red hair. Not necessarily his fault, she revised, calming herself down. The perverted master of his. He corrupted my husband! But then, that's half of what makes him such a tiger in…

Ranma's mother shook away the dreamy thoughts and steeled herself. No. She could make her son a man among men by herself. She had her family art and a good understanding of anything goes. Combined with Genma's secret techniques stashed safely away in her pack, there was no doubt she could do just as good if not a better job than her husband!

But first thing's first…

"Ranma," Nodoka kneeled down to his height on the sidewalk, gaining his undivided attention. "Girls are not weak. Different, but not weak."

"But…"

She shushed him. "I'm a girl. Am I weak?"

Ranma's eyes widened. "No way! But you're my Momma!"

Nodoka nodded knowingly. "But I'm also a girl. Ukyo's a girl too. Is she weak?"

"Uh-uh!" Ranma blurted as only a little boy could, then amended his answer. "Well, not as good as me…"

"Of course not." She agreed, continuing their walk to the dojo. "See? Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she's weak."

Ranma seemed to consider these facts momentarily before returning to his mother's side. "I guess so."

The smile on his face was short lived, however, causing Nodoka further pause. "Now what is it, Son?"

The frown deepened. "That means I can't hit Ukyo now."

The Saotome matriarch now stared at the boy curiously. Surely he didn't still think… "And why is that?"

"Cuz she's a girl!"

Nodoka stared for a moment before sighing, shaking her head. More of my husband's idiocy, no doubt. In some ways, such chivalry was evidence that the old master hadn't corrupted her husband completely, but Ranma's full potential depended on knowing just who could and couldn't be hit, and some women wouldn't hesitate to use that fact against him. She returned her attention back to her despondent son and silently thanked God her misguided husband wasn't here to reinforce that belief.

Even so, she obviously had a lot of work to do.

"Strike!"

The small child drew the wooden blade from its scabbard in blurring arc while simultaneously taking two quick steps forward. The bamboo sword connected with its counterpart with a crack as his opponent's guard snapped up, blocking the thrust and parrying it off to the right. The taller opponent had clearly underestimated the child's tenacity and quickly found himself backing up to the edge of the dojo mat as the boy continued to ferociously pound his guard with technique well beyond his years. The practice blade came in for a straightforward attack and the older of the two set up to block and open the child's defenses. The two blades snapped together and the taller boy put all his force into the strike in order to overpower his guard only meet next to no resistance beyond the initial contact. He overstepped and the black haired boy profiled right, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees around. The maneuver took a split second and by the time the child returned to his original stance, the taller boy's back was completely exposed.

The final strike of the match came down in one fluid movement.

The elder boy felt the blade crack against his practice armor and froze as it did so, absolute shock washing through him. The boy couldn't have been more than five… six tops. He was ten. The match had lasted exactly how long he had expected it to last, just not in this outcome. The wooden blade was withdrawn from his back and drew back to his full height numbly, turned back to the boy and bowed. The child did the same and the dojo's chosen returned to the edge of the mat to sit.

Ranma Saotome, pulled off his face mask and returned the blade to it sheath, smiling expectantly at the adults before him.

"Outstanding progress." The graying master nodded, stroking the length of his long goatee. The aged swordsman turned to Nodoka. "Your child continues to amaze me Mrs. Saotome."

The redhead next to him smiled, inclining your head slightly. "Thank you master. Nobunaga."

"And don't think I didn't notice your hand in there as well." He scolded half heartedly. "Particularly that spin at the end."

"I've try and teach him what I remember of my school." She admitted. "Part of the reason we're here, of course."

"Of course." The Master nodded, then turned to the children. "Dismissed."

Ranma bowed to the master, as did several other children along the edge of the mat before filing out the sliding door. Once alone, the old man considered Nodoka further. "You were one of my most promising students, Nodoka. I have no doubt your child shares the same gift."

Nodoka's smile faded. There was both praise and pain mixed in those words. It had been tough bringing Ranma here, but it was needed. While she remembed parts of her school, her son needed more. He needed a master's hand if he was to wield the katana as a man above men and she simply couldn't provide that mastery. Maybe when she was sixteen… But not these days. Still, she could teach her son what she remembered… And maybe learn a new trick or two along the way herself.

"Are you sure you won't take me up on my offer?" Master Nobunaga continued, breaking into her reminiscence. "Gifted is actually an understatement. If you would allow him to stay…"

The redhead produced a knowing smile, but shook her head. "Unfortunately, we have a lot of ground to cover. Much as I would like to, we can only stay through the winter."

"Of course." The master acquiesced. It was the same answer he had received last time, and the last time before that. His former student was absolute set on the martial arts sojourn for her son and it was obvious that she still retained the determination of her teens.

"And about your compensation..."

The old master chuckled, stroking his graying goatee. "I would train your son for free, Nodoka Saotome, but I must admit, this supposedly invincible technique has me curious."

Nodoka nodded graciously with the compliment to her son's ability and pulled an aged booklet from the low cut of her yukata, invariable drawing the master's eyes to the woman's prominent cleavage. He unconsciously licked his suddenly dry lips, suddenly reminded that his former student and grown into quite the woman, one that apparently didn't mind showing it off. He may have been old, but he was still a man; nor was he blind. Her yukata did nothing to hide her generous curves.

If Nodoka noticed his attentions, she paid him no visible mind and handed him the leather bound tome. "You may change your mind once you see its content."

Nobunaga loosened the leather strip and flipped through the book, reading it. His eyes widened as he absorbed the content. "The Legendary Cat Fist! How did you-! Never mind! This work must date back to at least…" His aging eyes began to flick rapidly across its pages, turning the pages ever so delicately, then frowned as he made it midway through the technique's pages. "I see."

"Exactly," Nodoka agreed with the unspoken missive.

"I have heard of stranger methods," The sword master replied, "But the warning on the last page would not seem out of place. Obviously flawed. More than likely large portions of this technique were lost to history and replaced with… that."

"And the rest of it seemed quite coherent up to that point," Nodoka sighed then took on a scowl. "I had such high hopes for teaching it to Ranma, but I will not wrap him from head to toe in fish sausage and toss him into a pit of starving cats."

"Nor would I," Nobunaga returned, flipping back through the pages. "Still, there is enough here to at very least build upon. If you would let me research this art further…?

"For as long as you need, Sensei." Nodoka smiled at the request. It wasn't even a question in her mind.

The old master nodded and tucked the booklet into his own brown-gray yukata, then turned to the rack of bokken at his back, pulling two at random. He smirked, handing one to his former pupil. "Now then, let's see what you remember from yesterday."

Nodoka took the sword and fell into her initial stance. Nobunaga did likewise.

"Strike!"

"You very strange one, no?" The portly Chinese man walking ahead of them mentioned over his shoulder in crude Japanese. "This place very dangerous. Nobody use now."

Nodoka simply arched her eyebrow, then stared on ahead to their destination, a number of small pools shimmering in the sunlight. Each spring was marked by one or more bamboo poles jutting vertically from the water's surface to a height of nearly ten meters, creating the effect a sparse forest. The woman considered her guide's words and discarded them. The collection of water and sticks didn't exactly inspire her to superstitious fear, nor should they her son. "Are you prepared?"

Ranma smiled, adjusting the hiking pack and slung across his back. The overly large pack was nearly the size of the seven year old himself, but he bared the load like a man and piped, "Yep!"

The Chinese guide, on the other hand, frowned as his charges all but ignored him. He continued hastily, hoping to regain their attention, "Is more than one hundred spring here, each with own tragic legend!"

Little Ranma took his mother's lead and ignored the guide, shrugging his pack to the ground next to one of the pool's edges. He stared up at the pole-tops. "What should I do now, Mom?"

"Balance," She decided, having interpreted the function of the poles herself. It was, after all, the only thing she figured they could be used for and supposedly the place was a legendary training ground, according to her husband's scrolls. One obviously perfected their balance atop the poles. If they fell, the water would break their fall. "Which would you like to practice first? Hand to hand or katana?"

"Hand to hand!" The black haired boy grinned, leaping up upon one of the poles. He cleared the leap easily and found the pole tip, landing upon it with a slight wobble. Nodoka watched from the spring's edge as the boy's balance destabilized for a moment but recovered. She nodded her approval.

Just like his father, she glowed warmly inside. Ranma could handle a blade just as well as he could a punch, but give the child a choice and he was his fathers son, choosing hand to hand first each and every time.

"Ah! Young Sir! What are you doing?"

Both mother and son tuned the gibbering guided out. Satisfied that her son could handle the bamboo tops, Nodoka proceeded to the next step. "Rekki-ken kata, form one. Start slow to get a feel for the pole tops."

The seven year old nodded, wobbling a bit more upon the bamboo pole as his body took the initial pose. He stilled then hopped from his right foot to his left, thrust two powerful kicks into the air, landing shakily atop his perch. Each time the stalk swayed unpredictably, Nodoka felt a tiny pit in her stomach, but her son always managed to retain his balance.

Punch, punch, punch, kick, punch, aerial roundhouse, switch legs… Ranma worked through the kata internally as he slowly built up to something better than the jerky pace he had been maintaining thus far. Kick-kick- whoops! He lowered his center of gravity quickly as the bamboo pole he stood atop began to rock, stabilizing the motion after a few seconds. He righted himself and continued, smiling down at his mother. "This ain't so bad!"

Like the woman before him, the Jusenkyo Guide felt the pit in his stomach each time the child wobbled on his perch. Unlike the woman, the pit didn't go away once the boy stabilized. It persisted and there was a very simple reason why it persisted…

The Saotome boy was currently practicing over the Spring of Drowned Tiger.

It really was a tragic legend beginning about two thousand three hundred years ago, but that fact was quickly forgotten when the boy started to jump from pole to pole. Spring of drowned stork. Spring of drowned anaconda. Spring of drowned badger. The guide paled as his kata picked up speed and complexity, the boy finally settling over one in particular, deep inside the field of pools. The portly man's eyes widened.

"Mrs. Customer! Is very bad if fall in!" He urged, vying for her attention. "Boy in grave danger if loose balance over cursed spring!"

Nodoka Saotome shrugged, watching Ranma practice without turning to her hire. "Thank you for your concern, but my son shall be fine."

The Guide watched the drama play out for another few minutes as Ranma gained mastery over his art atop the bamboo. While not a martial artist himself, he could see the boy was growing used to his balance and increasing the complexity of his movement with it. The mother had noticed too, smiling to herself. She walked over to Ranma's vacant pack and untied the bokken strapped horizontally to the top. She tested the practice blade's balance on reflex with two quick swipes, then turned back to her son.

"Ranma!" The boy stopped his kata with a slight wobble, finding his mother near the edge of the training ground, bokken in hand. He knew what was coming next. "Now the sword!"

She hefted the sword easily and it arced across the training ground, over the bamboo tops and into Ranma's waiting grasp, imparting just enough force to cause the chute to sway. Normally the movement was well within the seven year old's ability to compensate for. After all, he was a martial artist. But the swaying continued and now Ranma's center of gravity was off as he juggled the wooden sword's balance as well. Nodoka winced as the stalk curved to and fro, assuring her there could only be one outcome.

"Wha-! Whaaa!—WAAAA!" Ranma flailed about, but to no avail as the pole's curvature became terminal, dumping him from the top and into the spring below.

SPAloosh!

"Ooh! That spring of Spring of Drowned Girl! Is very tragic tale of-" The Guide began, then gaped as Nodoka herself proceeded onto the cursed grounds, winding around the various springs to the one her son fell into. "What honored customer doing? Must hear warning! Is very very bad if you continue!"

Nodoka Saotome was, of course, completely oblivious to the guide's agitation as she walked briskly across the practice ground, glad that the springs had functioned as she thought they would. Her son was undoubtedly good, but it was bound to happen at some point and the water had indeed broken his fall. She had taught him to swim, so her concern was for the most part baseless, save the fact that she was the mother and he the son. She rounded another pool of water and closed on her son's spring. After all, it was her prerogative to worry over her only child.

She watched as her child broke the surface with a slight splash and—Nodoka blinked and halted abruptly just before the spring's edge.

"Ack!" Ranma complained, coughing up the water. "Tastes nasty!"

He shook his head of the excess water and pulled himself up onto the pool's bank. The child took a moment clean his left ear out with his pinkie before turning his attention to his mother. "Sorry 'bout that, Momma. Think I lost the-" He noticed his mother simply staring at him. "Uh, Mom?"

Nodoka blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes. Both actions failed to dispel what she was now seeing. This wasn't her son. If the red mop of wet red hair wasn't a dead give away, the delicate features of his-her face were. This was a girl. But… but… Ranma's mother wrestled with the fact that she had watched only one person fell into the spring- her son- but her son wasn't the child that crawled to shore. But she talks like my son! A stray thought found its way to the forefront of the confusion in her mind. Something about Spring of drowned…Nodoka's eyes widened suddenly.

"You okay, Mom?"

Her cheek twitched as she made closer observations. The hair was hers; that lustrous red of her teens and childhood. So were her facial features. The blue eyes were from her husband. But that's just not…The girl picked herself up offer her knees, ignoring her soaked state. She was about an inch shorter. Has a slimmer build, Nodoka noted through the mounting incredulity.

"Mom?"

Even her voice was…! Parts of Nodoka's brain began to kick out of service as the facts continued to pile against her. And she's calling me mom! But she can't be! Nodoka stumbled backward away from the girl. Need time to think… Need time to…

Spring of Drowned Girl.

Total realization slammed into Nodoka like a freight train. There was magic in the world. There were curses. This was her son. This was her… daughter? It was entirely too much and Nodoka did the only reasonable thing a mother could do upon realizing her son had just been reshaped into a daughter.

She passed out.

"Mom?"

Nodoka wallowed in subconscious dark, the last moments of her vision playing through her head. Ranma, she recognized, the black haired, blue eyed child floating before her minds eye. Spring of Drowned girl… The words echoed across her psyche. Her child suddenly changed. His black hair shifted to bright red. He lost mass. Nodoka gasped as the transformation continued. The girl before her was still too young to bare all the hallmarks of her femininity, but the refined, delicate features were enough. "Ra… Ranma?"

"Mom?" The words echoed around her, the girl smiling at her now. "Momma?

"You're… You're…" Her Ranma was a girl! Nodoka's heart sank and imploded simultaneously. Ranma couldn't be a girl! He was supposed to be a man among men! The best martial artist of his generation! He would carry on the Saotome bloodline! His father would advance him in the art! But she… !

"Momma, wake up!"

Nodoka's eyes snapped open, finding a pair of intense blue eyes looking down at her with worry. Her recognition was immediate. Her son was kneeling over her. Not a girl, her boy. It had been a dream. A highly twisted dream. She sat up slowly and pulled her child into a hug. "Oh, thank God… I thought you… Never mind. It was all a dream."

"Um…"

The Saotome matriarch almost missed Ranma's suddenly skittish demeanor. Questions began to manifest themselves. If that was a dream… She twisted around. She was in a small house. Calling it spartan was an insult to spartan houses everywhere as the predominant features beside the futon she currently sat upon was a rickety table, three simple wooden chairs and the guide she had hired, stoking a black pot belly furnace at the center of the room. "Where am I?"

"This one brought you to his residence to dry off." The guide nodded, turning away from the orange glow of the stove's coals to face her. "Is very very bad luck if fall in springs and get sick too!"

Nodoka noticed the dampness of her gi with his words, frowning. Things weren't making sense. She turned back to Ranma. "Son, what exactly happened?"

"Um, I fell off the pole and into the water," he began tepidly, looking quite uneasy. "When I got out, you looked like you had seen a ghost and fainted…"

"And…?" Nodoka prompted, knowing there was more.

"You fell backwards into one of the ponds." Ranma continued, clearly dreading his part in the story. "I ran to grab you but you were already in the water… And… And…! I'm sorry momma! I wasn't fast enough!"

The boy started to openly cry now and Nodoka took him into her arms on reflex. It was too odd. Ranma generally didn't cry. He was a man even as a boy, and men didn't cry… Well, unless it was really bad. She looked down at the sobbing boy who was apologizing to her between choked breaths. She glanced back at the guide, who wore a sad face.

"Tell me everything. Now."

The portly figure merely nodded. "Young customer practice over Nannichuan, Spring of Drown girl. Very tragic tale of young girl who drown one thousand-five hundred year ago. Whatever fall in now take body young girl."

Her son clung tighter with the words. This was no girl in her arms. She favored the guide with a malevolent look. "Explain. My son is not a girl."

"Is curse, Mrs. Customer," The guide stepped over to the table were four mugs sat. He grabbed two. "Cold water activate curse, warm water reverse."

He prompted her to take the two cups of cold water. She declined with a glare, so he diverted them to the ground beside her. "He said I fell into a spring as well."

"Yes! Equally tragic tale of Spring of Drowned Kitsune, four thousand, eight hundred year ago!"

Nodoka blinked. "You can't be serious."

"No believe, check for self." The guided, shrugged. It wouldn't be the first or the last time somebody had disbelieved his claim, only to be shock by their first transformation.

Nodoka looked down to the water, then back up to the guide. Ranma had managed to pull back from his sobbing, but worry was still evident upon his face. She came to a decision. "Leave us."

It took a moment for her order to register, and when it did, he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and retreated to the doorway, closing it softly. Mother and son sat alone, staring at the cups.

"Was he telling the truth, Ranma?"

"I… I… " Ranma stuttered, faced with a situation few other seven year old boys had ever faced before. "You… fell in… and… There was a giant fox! I've never seen one so big! I was running to jump in but the guide was there, yelling that is was very bad! He got a bamboo pole and fished the fox out and poured cold water on… you."

Nodoka absorbed the information. Her son had just told her she effectively turned into a very large fox. She eyed the glasses of water once more. "And what he said about you?"

"I… My hair changes color…" He answered lowly, avoiding eye contact, "And… and…"

'And' went without saying. 'And' all but meant that it was a complete physical change. Nodoka took one of the clay mugs and poured it gently about Ranma. The boy shivered with the temperature, but stood fast. His features blurred and melted before her very eyes. The entire change lasted less than a fraction of a second, but it was Nodoka's eternity. Her son… Her only child… Had become a seven year old girl.

Nodoka stared. And stared. Ranma looked at the ground in shame. The mother pulled her gaze away from the girl that bore an unmistakable resemblance to herself and found the second cup of cold water. She grasped it, her hand trembling. Ranma had fallen into the Spring of Drowned girl. He had become a girl. She, on the other hand, had fallen into the Spring of Drowned Kitsune. Did that mean she would become…?

The woman held the cup over her head, earning her unlikely daughter's undivided attention. Water poured, drizzling around her hair and suddenly the world blurred. Her point of view shifted dramatically and suddenly the world shown with brilliant, vibrant color tinged with grey. She felt…

Power.

Foreign energy coursed through her prompting her to mumble, "What's happening?" What actually came out from her throat was a series of growls. Her hearing was likewise acute as the cracking of wood fed the black stove at the room's center, snapping light thunder in her ears. Her son turned daughter's breathing was also clearly discernable, causing her to sight the wide eyed… girl.

"M…Mom?"

Nodoka nodded, hoping that simple movement was recognizable enough. Ranma reached out with a hand, curious… Nodoka felt the touch… through fur. Oh, dear God, what have I become? She twisted around to view more of her own body, find only dark orange fur. And legs. Four to be exact.

Ranma watched as the fox contorted to obtain a better view of itself, frowning. "Why couldn't I fall in a cool spring like yours?"

The fox's triangular head swung back upon Ranma with the comment, blinking. She really needed a better view of herself. Nodoka stood up- an amazingly natural action, a portion of her consciousness noted and walked to the door. "Rrrrrf. Rrrf."

Ranma looked at the fox curiously while Nodoka was silently annoyed that her vocal chords failed to emit anything beyond light growls. Regardless, her neo-daughter seemed to discern her intent and open the door into cool dusk evening. The fox padded outside, noting the guide absently smoking his pipe, waiting for events to sort themselves out. The creek of the door caught his attention and he watched the kitsune make for the edge of the springs with a redheaded girl in tow. The fox found the nearest pool and gazed into its own reflection, cocking its head from side to side in order to get a better.

Nodoka blinked and the fox in the reflection did likewise. Golden amber eyes stared back at her as she angled her head, studying the new body's features. She was the quintessential fox—orange-red fur, white highlights and a lean, agile form. Even the tail was—The mother's train of thought derailed abruptly.

Make that three tails.

It was a forceful reminder that she hadn't just become a very large fox. She had become a kitsune; A mystical animal known for its trickery and hedonism. Genma is going to have fit over this… She mused, entranced by the reflection. It was an amusing thought until she remembered Ranma. She turned to the redheaded girl beside her, who was likewise staring at herself. Nodoka cringed. My curse won't be the only thing Genma will have a fit over.

The girl felt her mother's attention and turned to find the fox staring at her. The enraptured look on her face faded into a frown that she directed to the earth. "I'm sorry momma…"

"Rrrf." The fox growled, shook its head, then padded back to the hut. A damp and fully human Nodoka Saotome stepped out a couple minutes later, adjusting the black belt of her white gi. She walked back over to Ranma with a single mug in her hand, pouring its on the girl upon reaching her. The redhead instantly melted into a boy with the application of warm water, and Nodoka pulled her son into a hug, stoking his hair. "It's okay… It's not your fault… I shouldn't have… I didn't know…"

"But… I turn into a girl!" Ranma complained pitifully, "Girls can't be guys!"

Nodoka tightened her embrace reassuringly in lieu of answers. In truth, she had no answers; neither for herself or for her son. She turned into a giant magical fox. He turned into a girl. It was less of an issue for her, she suspected. Supremely inconvenient, but she was an adult. It could be dealt with. Ranma, on the other hand… he was a boy. She had guided him, raising him as a martial artist and a man among men. Now that expectation fell to a boy who turned into a girl… She continued to hug her son and half turned back to the watching guide.

"Is there a cure?"

"Is not, Mrs. Customer," The guide shook his head and took a final puff from his pipe, walking over. "All cures temporary, some longer than other."

Nodoka simply stared at the guide now. She wasn't looking at him now, but rather through him; through to what had become of their lives with this trip to the outback of China. She looked down at her son, who was looking up at her with questions in his eyes. Both of them were now cursed to turn into something else at the drop of a hat, and cold water was certainly more plentiful than its counterpart. While a temporary cure did sound attractive, she suspected it would only prolong the pain, teasing them with what might have been.

She turned back to the guide on impulse. "This has happened before?"

"Few visitors to Jusenkyo these days, but yes." His large head bobbled, prompting Nodoka's next question. He was their guide after all. They hadn't listened before and this is where it had gotten them. It was about time she started.

"What would you advise, at this point?" She asked, reaching out for direction. One thing she prided herself on was knowing her limits and knowing when she was beyond her depth. Gender and species shifting curses were well beyond that, and if the guide didn't have a clue…

"Honored customers lucky in this one's humble opinion." He returned, surprising Nodoka. "Mrs customer turn into magical creature, not small animal. Is very powerful. Son change into daughter, is still human. Much worse fates than these in Jusenkyo."

"So you're saying…"

"No fight curses," He replied, shaking heads. "Accept curses. Welcome curses. Is not curse then. Go insane otherwise. Have seen."

Nodoka considered the words. There was a certain amount of Zen to them. Karma. It wasn't an easy thing to accept, as his advice ran so very close to giving up. Her first instinct was to fight, especially when her son was a victim along side herself. But if what the guide said was true… She let go of her son and stepped back to her travel pack. The two practice swords had been lost in the pools, but her own katana remained, carefully wrapped and strapped vertically to the bag. She untied the straps and walked back to the lone boy.

There were so many conflicting thoughts echoing through her brain that she barely knew what she was doing herself as she stepped up to the boy who was watching her expectantly. Family honor demanded action in one way or another. She unsheathed the katana, exposing three inches of steel to open air and the slightest hint of paper within the scabbard. Nodoka pulled the paper out, unfolding it solemnly. "Do you know what this is, Ranma?"

The boy nodded with dread. Of course he did, though it was the last thing he wanted to see under the circumstances. It was The Contract.

"You realize you can no longer fulfill this?" She asked, sternly. Ranma produced a much smaller, silent nod. It was hard to be a man among men when you were curse to be a girl part time. "Are you prepared to accept my judgment?"

Ranma's timidness disappeared with the question. His seven year old intellect knew the contract and knew it well. If he failed to meet requirements, seppuku was the only recourse and he was a martial artist. The boy met his mother's eyes. "I am, Momma."

In that moment, Nodoka's heart swelled with pride. Even at seven years old, he was ready to lay his life down for his honor and the art. This is my son, a man among men even in his last moments. "The contract cannot be fulfilled as you are."

Nodoka pulled the blade fully from the sheath, causing orange rays of light to flash off its deadly edge in the setting sun. Ranma lowered himself to his knees bowing his head. "Ranma."

The boy looked up to find the seemingly glowing blade overhead, his mother handling it and the contract. Her stern look faded into a loving smile, and she re-sheathed the blade. "Are girls weak, Ranma?"

Ranma blinked rapidly, trying to fathom the sudden turn of events. He had trained at more dojos than he could count and the answer to that particular question was beyond question. "N-No!"

Nodoka nodded. "You are half girl now, Ranma."

"I-!"

"Hush." Nodoka cut the protest down as quickly as it was voiced. "What is the first tenant of Anything Goes, son?"

"Adapt and improvise!"

"Very good," Nodoka approved, continuing. "You have a curse, just as I. Our guide says there is no cure. We must adapt and improvise accordingly."

"I… I guess…?" The boy returned, clearly confused. Nodoka could tell the conversation was rapidly moving above his seven year old grasp of the world and decided simplicity was in order. Still, she hesitated; questioning what she was about to do… It would forever change her son. In some ways, seppuku would be easier than the path she was choosing for her child.

The path of a martial artist is fraught with peril…

"The contract shall be amended," She stated, gaining the boy's undivided attention. "It states that you shall be man among men, a martial artist without peer, correct?"

Ranma nodded resolutely. "Yes, Momma!"

"If you were a girl, could you still be the best?"

"Of course!" Ranma blurted, not making the connection.

Nodoka make her intentions absolutely clear in that moment. "So be it. From this point forward, you shall strive to be a martial artist without peer, be it as man among men or a woman among women."

"Wha…? I don't...?" The proclamation caught the boy completely off guard, "I will?"

Nodoka turned to the guide in order to drive the point home. "He will be bare this curse to the end of his days, correct?"

Ranma stared as the guide nodded solemnly. "Is so, Mrs. Customer."

She turned back to Ranma to see if her meaning had sunk in and found Ranma staring wide eyed at the guide, then his mother. "Do you understand now?"

Gears were clearly churning behind the seven year old's eyes now, though the uncertainty remained. "I… I think so…"

"Good," Nodoka approved, "Being a woman among women is an art, just as being a man among men is. In order to fill the terms of the contract, you shall become both."

"Y-Yes, Momma."

Nodoka studied the uncertainty in her son's eyes, which was understandable. She had just told a seven year old boy that he would be practicing diligently to be a seven year old girl, something completely contrary to everything he had been taught to this point. She was certain he would adapt, but… Not to mention I'm taking liberties with the clan's honor, Nodoka grimaced to herself, looking upon the boy. He was the last of the line, and God only knew what affect her course of action today would have on the boy… Still, she couldn't bring herself to draw her own son's blood. It was either that, or…

No going back, she decided. It was either work with their fates or watch it drag them both down. Or seppuku for them both, she revised mentally. Her course became clear in that moment.

"Guide, I'll need another cup of cold water." The overweight man left to fulfill the request and Nodoka eyed her son. He returned a moment later and handed it to her, whereupon she poured it out over Ranma's head herself. His hair instantly took on its bright red contrast, his features softening.

"We have seven years of catching up to do…. Daughter."

Author's notes: This has been an on again, off again project of mine for quite some while, mainly due to the fact that I generally don't have the patience to write divergence from day one fics. Still there was enough fun and randomness here that the idea just wouldn't let go, and after working some things out, decided it was time to go live. So live, that I'm already 2.7kw into Ch2 (undoubtedly out of date if you catch this chapter more than a week out). I hope it pesters you as incessantly as it did me :D

Nodoka; Little information exists on just what the characters were like back in their younger years. At best, we get the briefest of flashes, hardly enough to cover a full character's personality in depth. Since this fic is more Nodoka-centric than the series, I've had to extrapolate- heavily –soley based on her canon personality.

In canon, she has little redeeming value as a parent aside from loving her son within the confines of her rigid moral structure. Genma may have brought up the training trip in the books, but she fully signed off on it and the condition of seppuku. Worse, she fully considers a two year old stamping the contract not only fully binding, but proof that he had complete awareness of the pact as well. She is also fully prepared to carry out this pledge when she returns to the Tendos later. Also taken into consideration is the fact that she would encourage Ranma to peep on other women despite the Tendo-Saotome engagement, and likewise cares little if other women are chasing him or not.

Given these facts, I have created her younger self as being bound by her family honor, but somewhat uninhibited. Given that she is the one that has Ranma, she is the one forced to confront killing her own child early on, not having it as a decade old stagnating fantasy through her husband's abandonment. I'll readily admit taking liberties her as our only view of Nodoka that early is thumping of Genma on the head.

In terms of skill levels, I'm again guilty of taking liberties with her, giving her at least some skill with a sword and some abilities in hand to hand while attempting to provide a reasonable explanation as to why they had deteriorated to the state we find in canon; That being being lethally clumsy at times. That said, I find there is enough ambiguity in terms of her skill with a blade to justify crediting Nodoka with at least some formal training…Only lightning reflexes keeps Ranma alive when Nodoka mistakes him for a pervert in the Tendo household. Credit to NDF for keeping me honest in this section and causing me to shore up reasoning as to why she has any skill whatsoever.

Nodoka no Kitsune; I have Akuma to thank for this idea while trying to flesh out just what curse Nodoka should be afflicted with. As soon as he mentioned a kitsune, there was no going back. As far as justification goes, if you can create an Ashura from Jusenkyo by dunking a stone statue into a spring, I can dunk whatever the damn well I want :p

Ranma; Given the fact that it is Nodoka that has taken him on the trip, it should go without saying that we'll be dealing with a shift in personality. First, he is being raised by his mother with the personality detailed within this chapter. Second, his experiences won't be the same, altering his personality and abilities further. Some of it will be for the better, some to his detriment. All in all, I believe Ranma's core abilities in this work will remain more or less the same at the equivalent point in canon. A very large portion of Genma's training appeared to be moving from place to place, absorbing the knowledge, then moving on. This doesn't require a martial arts master to accomplish, especially if one allowed the masters in said area to do the teaching. Likewise, I consider a majority of Ranma's ability attributed to his own innate genius. There will obviously be trade-offs, however, as we know Genma added his own flavor of training to the mix. For example, Ranma's endurance won't be absolutely insane as I highly doubt Nodoka is going to do things, like, I dunno… Swim the Sea of Japan? Given this, there will be give and take concerning Ranma's ability in other areas as well.

On the other front will be Ranma's core personality. Keep in mind he will be raised by the person described in this chapter. In canon, this woman actively encourages Ranma to peep on other women in spite of the Saotome/Tendo pact, with vague expectations of manliness. At best, she is hoping to encourage his masculinity (again, completely disregarding any pacts made by the men and Akane's feelings). At worst, she is projecting part of herself and upbringing upon Ranma, in turn leading to my interpretation of her pre-canon character. Of course, both are completely baseless given that we have no history concerning her. Regardless, her character will definitely affect Ranma for the course of this work, thus the warning at the top of the chapter.

Finally, this is not a Ranma-chan fic. Or a Ranma fic. Rather, it is both; thus the title. Enjoy.

Special Thanks; Ami, Dustin, Philip and Charles.

Chaotic Neutral
Chapter 2

By Ozzallos

"So what's wrong with boys?" Ranma quirked an eyebrow as Akane wiped the sweat from her brow, cooling down from her own exihbition. The dark haired girl grimaced, driving her partner's curiosity further.

"They're all so… so…Ahhhhaaggh!" Akane growled in frustration, then took deep breaths, calming down enough to explain. "They're all perverts! Every single morning they line up at the gates to challenge me for a date. Upperclassman Kuno is the worst of the lot! Poetry spouting idiot."

Ranma boggled. "You have all these guys looking to date you and you're complaining?"

Akane blinked, never having it put in perspective before. That was normally overshadowed by the fact that they were looking to defeat her in armed combat.
"Well, I mean… I guess, but they try to fight me every day for right to date me!"

"I take it you're undefeated?" Ranma observed, sliding the door open to expose what was now shaping up to be a beautiful partly cloudy afternoon.

"Right." Akane confirmed with a fierce nod. "I beat all of them… Even Kuno… but they just keep doing it!"

"So go out with them." The redhead shrugged, causing Akane to boggle at the sheer notion.

"Are you kidding?" She stared incredulously. "Even if there was one I liked, he'd get beat up by all the others."

Ranma took the lead back to the house and smiled back over her shoulder. There was no mistaking the mischievous look twinkling in her blue eyes. "Who said anything about one?"

Akane stopped short, unsure she heard the girl correctly. "But… that's… I mean…"

Ranma kept walking and Akane sprang forward to keep up, staring incredulously as she continued, "I mean, I know I would. How many guys did you say were throwing themselves at you?"

"About thirty…" Akane's voice suddenly dropped to a timid shadow of its former indignation. Even she realized how ridiculous it all sounded when put in that light.

The redhead reached for the house door with a smile on her face, never looking back. "Then you won't notice a few missing."

Ranma stepped leaving the blinking girl trailing behind, slightly stunned. Missing a few…? She couldn't possibly mean…?

The daughter of Nodoka Saotome walked into the living room and all turned to her, Akane following close behind. Conversation ceased abruptly. Ranma looked from one adult to the other, then the two sisters, then back to her mother, who wore her own neutral expression.

Akane looked around curiously at the unnatural silence, then turned to Ranma. "Um, what's going on?"

"She told them." The red head smirked, motioning to her mother who smiled. "So did they believe you?"

"They do," She nodded. The cup in hand didn't go unnoticed either. "But it would be more helpful if they had a more… practical demonstration."

Ranma chuckled. It was a private joke amongst them; that being a girl turning into a boy being more practical than a woman turning into a kitsune. She leaned back to Akane. "Want to see something neat?"

The girl barely nodded, fairly certain that Ranma's definition of 'neat' combined with the air of anticipation in the room wouldn't exactly match her own. That, and the curiosity radiating from her parents and sisters was completely eerie. They knew something. Something she didn't.

Ranma smiled and walked back over to the corner of the room, picking up her large pack. "Just bought the top and don't want to ruin it," she quipped, jabbing a thumb and the fine pink silk encasing her bosom. "Where's the restroom?"

"Down the hall." Ayame Tendo motioned and Ranma was gone around the living room corner.

"What the heck is going on?" Akane hissed as soon as the girl was out of sight. her sisters were on the edges of there seats, obviously waiting for her new friend to return, while her parents waited next to Ranma's parents, and uncertain look about their faces. Uncle Genma was unusually serious looking while Nodoka simply waited…

…for what?

Her answer didn't exactly present itself as Ranma stepped back into the room wearing a classic white karate gi that was obviously a couple sizes too large for her. It was a sharp contrast to the overtly suggestive wear she had just worn, producing instead an insufferably cute redheaded girl in oversized clothing. She winked as she walked by, taking the cup of warm water from her mother's hand, then paused, pursuing her audience.

"Watch closely."

Akane watched, as did the rest of her family. Ranma turned the cup over her head and the girl was instantly replaced by a boy of medium height, excellent build, black hair and blue eyes. He filled out the gi perfectly as the girl simply melted away… Into him, Akane gasped, her shock quickly following kasumi's own sharp intake of breath. The youngest tendo stumbled backwards a step.

"What—What the hell?"

It took Ayami Tendo to snap out of her own shock, but when she did a second later, she fixed her daughter with a stern look. "Akane, your manners."

The girl's was gibbering now, "Butbutbut…"

To her credit her sisters were just as shocked, just less vocal on the subject. Ayami pulled Akane over to her, explaining, "Ranma and his mother have a curse. For your Aunt Nodoka, cold water turns her into a kitsune, warm back to a woman. For Ranma…"

"Hot water guy, cold, girl." Ranma smirked, clearly enjoying the disbelief his condition generated. "Besides, I wouldn't exactly call it a curse, anyway."

Thoughts and emotion were jumbled within Akane's brain now. The girl she had befriended was actually a boy! And she had talked about… Ewww! He-! Of all the thoughts rolling around within her conflicted psyche, one surfaced above the rest.

Betrayal.

"You!" The boy blinked with the accusation. "You said you were a girl!"

"I was." Ranma replied simply, earning more of the Tendo's ire.

"But you're a boy!" Akane snapped back. "You lied to me!"

"No I didn't." An annoyed expression crossed Ranma's face now. It wasn't a hard concept to grasp. "I was a girl, now I'm a—ACK!"

"BOY!" The martial artist was instantly enveloped within his father's bear hug, which all but squeezed the life out of its target. Ranma gasped for breath as Genma continued to throttle him. "You're home!"

"G-Good to…see you to… father…" Ranma struggled for breath for another few moments before Genma thrust his son out before him, scrutinizing his boy.

"A fine young man he's grown into, eh Tendo?" Genma suffused and Soun nodded with the comment, if only to humor his friend who was conveniently overlooking the fact that his son turned into a daughter. Genma turned back to his son. "Don't worry, boy. We'll get rid of that girly curse before you know it!"

Ranma simply arched an eyebrow, looking back to his mother. "You told him…?"

"…That there was no cure. Yes, son," Nodoka nodded. Ranma shrugged, returning to Genma, who was frowning.

"Like she said." Ranma affected nonchalance. "Besides—"

"We'll find a cure." Genma stated in no uncertain terms. "We'll correct your mother's mistake and man you up in no time!"

"Genma…" Nodoka growled a warning, only to be interrupted by Ranma directly.

"I happen to like her mistake, father." Ranma's tone took on a measure of frost as he challenged his father's assertion, stepping back.

"Don't take that tone with me," Genma threatened. "I'm your father and I demand you stop this nonsense. You're a man, not girl."

The Tendos and Nodoka watched as the pair faced off, neither backing down from the challenge. Ranma snorted. "Make it happen then, old man."

Genma glared. "Outside, where I can show your girlie ass a thing or two."

Ranma's gaze narrowed sharply and his frosty demeanor turned to full ice. "Just for that, I'm going to kick your butt with that girlie ass."

Ranma found the last glass of room temperature water on the table and splashed himself with it. The boy melted back into a girl and the gi instantly slackened around every curve of her frame except her ample, braless chest. She pulled pulled the gi tight, tying the belt up while glaring at her father. She turned away with a 'hmmf', sliding the back door open forcefully and disappearing outside. Genma stood stunned for a moment then took on his own angry expression, stomping out after the girl. Ayumi and the others looked after the pair, then back to Nodoka who wore an impish smile.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Kasumi asked and watched Nodoka simply shake her head.

"Far be it for me to get in the way of father-son bonding," She chortled, following the pair outside. "Besides, Genma's about to find out Ranma is a man in every way that matters."

The Tendos digested the gender misplaced comment and quickly followed Nodoka out into the yard where father and daughter were already facing off.

"Last chance to back out, girl." Genma stated in an insufferably arrogant tone.

Ranma put her hands on her hips, supremely calm. "Let's see what you got. What are the rules?"

Genma simply rolled his eyes. "What part of 'Anything Goes' don't you understand?"

"If that's the way—" Ranma almost lost the match right then and there as Genma slid forward at a speed the belied his mass, pushing an blurring palm into the redheaded girl. She profiled right at the last possible moment and the hand caught air. The Saotome patriarch followed the attack in hard, rounding the punch off with and elbow that should have caught her face… only to watch Ranma bend backwards to nearly ninety degrees and flipped backwards, cart wheeling lazily out the attack. It was a move clearly designed to patronize, and Genma recovered scowling.

"Come on, girl," He sneered, "Didn't No-chan teach you to hit back?"

Ranma's laughter took on a clearly feminine lilt. "Of course she did, father. When you give me something to hit back at, I will."

Genma stepped back in and this time Ranma opted to engage, dodging and weaving through her father's attacks. The elder Saotome feignted through a punch combination and Ranma was forced to block for the first time, deflecting the snap-kick that came out of nowhere. Genma capitalized on the deflected momentum, launching into an aerial roundhouse that the redhead had to actually block in order to avoid taking the blow on her chin. The inertia caused her to slide back nearly five meters, her arm throbbing.

Old man hits hard, Ranma noted as Genma smirked back at her. Surprisingly fast too… Ranma returned the smirk herself. But I've seen faster. She acknowledged the hit with a nod. "My turn, then."

Genma knew fast. He and Soun had been students of the master, after all. This girl… His son, was lightning. The red blur streaked in and around her father's preemptive strike, found is outstretched arm, reversed the joint and threw him to the Earth with a classic Judo throw. It was an easy move to roll out of and Genma did so with the fluidity of water, but the point had been driven home—there was more to the boy to simple dodging. Genma hopped up from his tumble and reengaged, fully intent on testing the width and breadth of his child's abilities.

He began to run the girl before him through the gamut of his technique, stepping through schools of combat one after another to better guage his offspring's own talent. Over all, he was impressed as the girl evaded a majority of his combinations and efficiently, blocked or diverted what she had to. Genma began to feel a sliver of pride worm its way through the loathing and confusion his son slash daughter produced. Tendo's daughters were good –hell, he'd help train them –but none of them could compete at the level he was pushing the girl before him at.

Ten mintues later and a dozen arts later Ranma was feeling the strain. Her father was pushing and pushing hard, just like the old ghoul, she mused ruefully and another punch forced a full on block out of her. She winced with the impact and attempted pulverize his gut with a three kick combination. Two were deflected outright and the third connected, albeit off target.

The elder Saotome hopped back out of range of any follow on she could bring to bear, smirking. "Getting tired, boy?"

"Girl, old man." She retorted, trying her best to look collected. In truth, she was feeling it, bruised and winded. She knew she had gotten her own shots in, but he was good. Not as fast as the old ghoul, but the hits he landed were solid ones, and just as she thought she could pin him down, he slipped into another school seamlessly.

Traditionally, that was her bread and butter, but her opponent performed the transitions like it was second nature. Normally the fact that her opponent was better at her own art than she was would annoy except this was her father and her father was one of the founders of that art. A small amount of pride welled up in her, chasing the fatigue away. He was testing her and she'd be damned if she was found lacking after all this time.

"Don't tell me that is all you have, father?"

Genma snorted. Not that he would ever admit it, but his wife hadn't done a half bad job. The child could at least keep up. Now it was time to see how she… HE handled something more advanced. "Try this, BOY."

Genma wavered suddenly and faded from sight, eliciting gasps from the watching family. The man had just up and vanished before their eyes, leaving the girl seemingly alone on the field of battle. Everybody watched with anticipation, except for Nodoka.

"The Umi Sen Ken," She supplied, earning the Tendo's undivided attention. "One of two schools developed by my husband. As its name implies, it relies on stealth, obscuring the user from most forms of detection…"

"A-Amazing!" Soun Tendo gasped, scanning the dueling grounds of their yard for any trace of the man.

"I would have never guessed…" Ayumi likewise stared, but kept the rest of her thoughts to herself out of deference to her friend. …would have never guess that somebody as lazy as 'uncle' Genma could develop such an amazing technique.

"I told you he was holding out on us!" Akane blurted suddenly. Kasumi simply nodded and nabiki shrugged at what was a perfectly obvious statement to her. They watched as the redhead before them simply crooked a smile and closed her eyes, bowing her head. "What's she doing?"

"Concentrating, unless I missed my guess…" Nabiki watched curiously as the girl failed to ready herself for what was undoubtably a surprise attack in the making. She wasn't disappointed.

Genma reappeared suddenly behind Ranma, leaping in and arm poised high for attack along the redhead's unguarded back when her eyes suddenly popped open. The girl ducked low and her father sailed overhead and their gazes met in that single split second. The balding martial artist realized his error in the that moment and began to tuck into a roll, but it was too late… The girl cocked her own fist her left arm blurred. Its contact with his gut lasted less than two seconds, but the affect was readily apparent, forcing him another foot into the air while inertia carried him past Ranma. The Saotome elder careened into the ground, tumbling painfully for a few moments before righting the slide. His face emoted nothing but shock as the girl grinned back at him.

"Did I mention we taught Ranma the Umi Sen Ken?" Nodoka asked rhetorically and with a small smile.

The fact that Ranma knew the Umi Sen Ken wasn't so much of a surprise to genma. He'd fumed for weeks once he found out just how much the woman had taken from that fateful night. Genma stared at the girl before him, briefly wondering if his original plan to depart during the daylight hours would have been better before returning to the matter at at hand. No, what had really surpised him was the fact that the girl had detected him through the cloak. Not simply that, but the his gut felt like a steel beam had been shoved through he was certain that she had only punched him once.

Author's Notes: Ah yes, the dreaded decommissioned flag. Need I say it again? Too many fics and not enough time to write them all. Call this pruning. Yes, feel free to continue this if you want. Sorry about the alerts, this is all spring cleaning and I can't turn them off.