(Scene:  Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream shop, on a rainy afternoon.  
Scott, Akane, Shampoo and Ranma enter.  Scott is holding an umbrella over 
Akane and Shampoo, but Ranma has reverted to female form.  They order ice 
cream, Ranma going for the most ludicrously huge sundae on the menu.  A 
table is found, and they begin eating.)

Akane:  Honestly, Ranma.  I don't know why you insist on pulling that 
"girly" act every time we go to one of these places.

Ranma-chan:  (*stuff, gobble, chew*) It always works!  That counter guy gave 
me half an extra scoop 'cause I turned on the "cute."

Akane:  I know.  But then you have to spoil the effect by eating like a 
starving animal.

Shampoo:  Shampoo think Ranma cute when look like starving animal!

Scott:  I'll bet you say that to all the guys.

Shampoo (utterly failing her "detect sarcasm" roll):  No.

Ranma-chan:  Maybe it's time for Worse.

Shampoo:  Worse than what?

Akane:  Worse is Scott's current story.  It seems that due to a stupid 
wish, Ranma is stuck in a world where he was born female.

Shampoo:  Shampoo get Ranma in this one?

Ranma-chan:  Um, no, y'see, since I'm a girl full-time in this world, I'm 
engaged to boys instead, including Mousse.  And instead of him chasing 
you, you're chasing him.

Shampoo:  Aiyah!  Why Shampoo do stupid thing like that?

Akane:  Scott hasn't actually answered that question yet.  In the last 
chapter, Ranma explored his, er, her room, and discovered that the "her" 
of this world was apparently in love with Ryouga, but her mom was dead 
set against their relationship for reasons which also have not been 
explained.

Ranma-chan:  Don't forget that I now have a little brother named Hikaru 
with the Drowned Girl curse.  I wonder how he did on his first day at a 
new school?

				WORSE
			by Scott K. Jamison
			(Takahashi/CLAMP disclaimer)
		Chapter Four:  In Which Hikaru Gets More Education

	After school, it was over to the Tendou home.  Studying with 
Akane was more fun than Ranma remembered.  Maybe because the tension that 
had always been there before was eased.  Half an hour passed easily, then 
Akane looked at the clock.  "Shouldn't your brother be here by now?"
	"Yeah.  I'd better go check that he didn't get lost."
	Ranma clambered onto the roof, took a bearing, then leapt off 
rooftop to rooftop.  She quickly spotted Hikaru only a few streets away, 
and looking mildly lost.  She descended to his side.  "Where have you 
been?" 
	The answer was pretty obvious from the way he looked.  His 
uniform was torn in two places, there was something sticky matted in his 
hair, and he showed the beginnings of a good shiner.
	"Hi Sis.  Sorry I took so long."
	"Dojo's over this way.  Who'd you fight?"
	"Kid named Goro Mintake.  Big guy for a fourteen-year-old.  Said 
I looked like a sissy."
	"Good fighter?"
	"Pathetic."  Hikaru spat.  "But his eight buddies jumped me on 
the way home.  I'm not used to fighting cheaters."  It went without 
speaking that he'd won.
	"You'll get used to that, and a lot worse.  C'mon, let's get you 
cleaned up.  By then, Mr. Tendou's last class should be over, and we'll 
have the dojo to ourselves." 
	Shortly, Hikaru, Akane and Ranma were in the training hall.
	"You gotta be kidding me!  I ain't fighting two girls!" 
	"I thought you might say that," replied Ranma, dousing him with a 
bucket.  Amazing how fast that transformation worked.
	"Aw man, what'd you do *that* for?" snarled the ersatz girl.
	"It rains a lot in Nerima, and we Saotomes have never had good 
luck with water, so it's important you train to fight as boy *and* 
girl."  
	"This sucks."  But he readjusted his gi and moved into a proper 
stance. 
	"Okay, the differences aren't as great now as they'll be in a 
couple of years when your hormones have really had a chance to work on 
you, but the things to watch for are:  as a girl, your arms and legs are 
a bit shorter, so you have less reach and striking power.  Also, you're 
going to have less upper body strength, and a lower center of gravity.  
Good points include a couple more degrees of bend at the elbow, and just 
a bit more ability to stand pain.  You might also be a bit faster."  At 
least that's the way it was for me, thought Ranma.  
	"You're going to have to learn to adjust your fighting style to 
deal with these differences.  In fact, you'll have to learn to adjust 
instantly if you change during combat."  
	"How would *that* happen?"
	"Suppose you get attacked at a public bath?  Lots of cold and hot 
water in those places to get splashed with."
	"Oh-kay.  I guess you got a point there."
	"But just because you'll have less raw strength as a girl, 
doesn't mean you should think you're turning into a wimp.  Akane here can 
decapitate a practice dummy with one punch when she's riled, and 
remember Shampoo?  She's even stronger."
	"She didn't look that tough when you took her out." sneered 
Hikaru. 
	"That was leverage.  She wouldn't have impacted the ceiling 
nearly so hard if she hadn't used so much strength in her attack.  And 
that's another thing you'll have to learn.  Like with Pops, when your 
opponent outclasses you in strength, you have to use skill to keep your 
skin intact."
	They began.  At first, it looked like a copy of their previous 
battle, but Hikaru soon discovered the reach problem for himself.  He 
adjusted, and soon was keeping up. 
	"Okay, now for the problem you had today, multiple attackers.  
Akane, attack!"
	"What th--OW!"  Normally, of course, Akane wouldn't have been 
able to lay a finger on Hikaru, but with his attention divided, he was a 
much easier target.  And as Ranma knew from experience, she could hit 
like a sledgehammer.  
	Between the two of them, they quickly had Hikaru in a pinned 
position. 
	"Okay, what did you learn here?"
	"Never train with your sister."  
	"Wrong.  First lesson:  Never pass up the opportunity to learn a 
potential opponent's style.  If you'd stayed yesterday, you'd have known 
what Akane was capable of."
	"Not to mention it was rude." put in Akane.
	"I didn't think an uncute tomboy like you would care."
	"Little brat!"
	"Watch the tongue, Hikaru.  Second lesson:  Don't let changing 
circumstances in a fight distract you, but adapt to them." 
	"I can see that.  Being distracted by Pops turning into a panda 
is what got me this stupid body."  
	"Better.  Now, what was the weakness in Akane's and my attack?"  
	"If I'd seen any weakness, you girls would've been the ones on 
the floor."
	"I saw it," said Akane.  "We were attacking together, but not as 
a team.  Both our movements were restricted because we were trying to get 
out of each other's way."
	"So if I had seen that, I could've used it against you.  Made you 
crash into each other or something."
	"Or something.  Same time tomorrow, Akane?" 
	"No, I've got an appointment.  Wednesday, then."
	"Okay.  Oh, hi Kasumi."  The eldest Tendou sister had entered 
with milk and cookies.  "Could you bring some hot water for Hikaru?"
	"Of course.  Did you have a nice practice?"
	"Fine, Kasumi.  Love your cookies.  Hikaru, one at a time."
	"Do you have to be so bossy?"
	"Hikaruu..."
	"Okay, okay.  Girls are so touchy."
	"I'm not--uh, touchy."  Ranma hated having to swallow that 
sentence every couple of hours.  Hikaru was sort of right, though, she 
was really getting into this big brother, er sister thing.  Already it 
was hard to remember she'd only known him a few days.
	"Do you think I can tell Mom I got this black eye in practice?" 
asked the restored Hikaru as they walked home.
	"Nah.  Tell the truth.  Mom's not going to be happy about you 
fighting, but lying's worse.  It just piles up and piles up until the 
penalty for being found out gets worse than whatever you were trying to 
avoid in the first place."  Yeah, right.  Like I'm not lying right now, 
Ranma gloomily rebutted herself.
	She thought about getting her male body back.  There was the 
Nannichuan, of course, off in China, the Japanese Nannichuan 
(non-functional, the last she'd checked) and Prince Touma's spring on the 
Isle of Illusion.  Fat chance she had of finding that one deliberately.  
Ranma couldn't tell her parents the real reason for a trip to any of 
those places; they'd certainly disapprove of their daughter seeking a sex 
change.  There'd been a few wish items, like that sword Kunou had once, 
but as her present situation demonstrated, wishes had a nasty habit of 
backfiring.  If she did get a wish, best to use it to undo the first 
one.  That usually worked. 
	"Sis?  We're home?"  She'd walked right past the door.  Ranma 
just wasn't used to thinking so much at a time.  
	Hikaru's news, as expected, got him a firm talking to, but that 
could be endured.
	Ranma worked on the Amazon report after supper again; it was 
beginning to look readable, if you overlooked the handwriting.  She 
couldn't remember the last time she'd worked so hard on a school 
project.  Then again, in the real world, he'd usually been interrupted by 
two or three fights a night.
	Nodoka knocked twice and came in.
	"Mom, I may be pushing it, but is there enough money in the 
budget for me to have a couple of new outfits?  I was looking through my 
closet, and a lot of that stuff is too small."
	"Am I hearing this right?  You're actually *volunteering* to go 
clothes shopping with me?  Well, then, business has been decent lately, 
so I don't think a couple of new dresses will bankrupt us.  Come down to 
the shop after school, you said you didn't have practice? and we'll find 
you something nice."  A quick kiss, and she was gone.
	Ranma caught her breath.  Not exactly what she'd had in mind.  
She shut memories of past disastrous shopping trips with "Auntie Saotome" 
out of her mind.  More important was that she'd just realized she didn't 
know what her mother did for a living, or where.  How was she going to 
find out without tipping Nodoka that something was drastically wrong?
	That question was answered for her the next morning by Genma, of 
all people. 
	"Must I, dear?"  Ranma's father asked.
	"It's just a few days moving crates until the regular man comes 
back from Sapporo.  A strong man like you should have no trouble, and by 
then, something in your regular line should open up." 
	"So where is this shop?"
	"Over in Fujiwara Street, by the Sakurayama Temple.  It's between 
an electronics store and a pet shop.  You can't miss it."
	Thanks, Pops, Ranma sent mentally.
	No Kunou that day either.  Ranma felt a little spooked.  The 
"Upperclassman" he'd known had always recovered quickly from even the 
most crushing defeats.  She asked Sayuri about it, but the other girl 
knew nothing.  And since she seemed as big a gossip here as in the real 
world, that meant it really was a mystery.

			To Be Continued

Next time:  Ranma goes shopping, and a couple of familiar-seeming faces 
appear!

	Remember, I haven't finished this story yet, so your input may 
actually have an impact...

SKJAM!

(Shampoo grooves to Shonen Knife: "I discover whiskers of a cat in the 
timeless zone and I put them on my face, In a moment I become a sweet 
little cat, and I dance on a flying saucer...")