NO FAIR!
			by Scott K. Jamison
			(Takahashi disclaimer)

	Kasumi made one of the more ironic statements of her life. 
	"Oh, I do hope he's older.  Younger men bore me."
	Nabiki asked, "Is he handsome?"  At least she had the good taste 
not to ask if he was rich.
	Akane turned sulkily.  "What's so great about going to China 
anyways?" 
	Their father replied, "I don't know.  I've never met Ranma." 
	That came as a bit of a shock to Kasumi.  True, her father 
sometimes seemed a little odd, but surely he wouldn't engage his 
daughters to someone he'd never seen.  Then she thought back on some of 
his other decisions.  Yes he would.  Well, there were three daughters, so 
she could probably dodge the bullet if this Ranma Saotome turned out to 
be a dud.  She was kind of hoping that dreamy Dr. Tofu was interested in 
her. 
	Akane was still grousing about "stupid customs" when they heard a 
high-pitched voice from the entry.  "Put me down, dammit!"
	Soun and Nabiki ran into the hall, and they came running back, 
obviously panicked by the giant panda looming after them.  Kasumi noted 
with surprise it was easily walking upright, and it had something in its 
forepaws.  Something wiggling and shrieking.
	"Put me down!  Cancha see you're scaring them?" 
	The panda gently put down its burden.  It was a small child, a 
girl, with bright red hair in a long ponytail.  She was wearing a sopping 
wet and vastly oversized outfit, and had an embarrassed expression on her 
face. 
	"Dad, do you know who this is?"
	Soun shook his head.
	Nabiki snapped, "Oh sure, this panda kidnapped a little girl and 
just decided to wander in, huh?"
	Kasumi knelt next to their strange visitor.  "What's your name, 
dear?" 
	She looked down at the floor.  "I'm Ranma Saotome.  Sorry 'bout 
this."
	Mr. Tendou fainted dead away.
		*			*			*
	Soun lay under a blanket, a damp cloth on his head.  "But Saotome 
said he had a son.  He's been bragging about him in postcards for at 
least ten years."
	"You should have made sure, Dad!  This girl can't be over five!"  
Nabiki rapped their visitor on the head for emphasis.
	"Hey!  Whadja do that for?" 
	"Some fiancee!  I feel so cheated!"
	Kasumi noted that Ranma was close to tears.  She took the little 
girl on her lap, wondering why she was wearing that outsized boy's outfit 
anyways.  She was practically swimming in it.
	"Don't worry, Ranma.  Big sister Kasumi will make everything all 
right."  She hugged the girl and began rocking her.  Since her own mother 
had died, Kasumi had taken much of that role in the family.  She knew 
that she'd made some mistakes trying to raise her little sisters, but now 
it looked like she had another chance.  This time she would get mothering 
right.
	Ranma looked a little embarrassed, and mumbled something about 
hot water.
	"Oh my, you could use a good bath, couldn't you?  It looks like 
you've been on the road all day!  And we'll need to get you in some 
decent clothes."
	"That's not really nec--"
	"You're our guest!  We'll take good care of you."  Then Kasumi 
thought of something.  It was time to make supper, but she couldn't do 
that and bathe Ranma at the same time.  Neither Akane nor Nabiki had any 
inclination for cooking, so she'd have to do it.  So the decision was 
made. 
	"Akane, you must be sweaty after your workout, so why don't you 
take Ranma with you to the bathroom?"
	"Okay.  I could use a good warm soak."
	"No!" said Ranma, "I don't wanna--"
	"Believe me kid, you need a bath.  I'm not going to hurt you." 
promised Akane.  She dragged the girl off.
		*		*		*
	"NO!  Please don't!"
	"Geez, Ranma, stop struggling!  You're acting like a spoiled 
brat!"  That got the girl to calm down a bit.  Akane opened the door to 
the changing room and shoved her inside.
	"I'm sorry, but I really have--"
	"Let's get you out of those clothes then."  Akane pulled the 
vastly oversized shirt off, then started untying the cord belt holding up 
Ranma's trousers.  The girl turned beet red, but Akane didn't notice.  
She tossed the damp garments into the laundry bin.
	"Ranma, why are you covering yourself like that?  Your mother 
must have brought you up to be very modest."
	"M-mommy..."  Her face turned sad again.
	"What's wrong, Ranma?  Come to think of it, where are your 
parents?" asked Akane as she stripped off her gi.
	Ranma didn't answer.  She was staring at Akane, seemingly 
dumbstruck.
	"Ranma?"
	"I-I...you're pretty..."
	It was Akane's turn to redden.  She was used to compliments from 
boys, though they didn't seem to be able to deliver them in a manner that 
pleased her.  Hearing it from a little girl told her that maybe she 
really was pretty, after all.
	She grabbed the soap and cold water and scrubbed down first Ranma 
then herself.  A nice cold rinse took away the sweat and dirt.
	"And now that nice hot soak."
	Ranma shook herself, as though awakening again.  "NO!  No hot 
water, not now!"
	"Oh come on, it's not that hot."  Akane grabbed Ranma, who began 
squirming and shrieking again.
	"In. We. Go!" and Akane jumped into the tub with Ranma firmly 
held in her arms.
	Ranma kept struggling, and somehow she seemed to be twisting as 
well, getting...bigger?  And stronger, too.  Akane couldn't hold on to 
her anymore.  She grabbed hold again, but the soft flesh she'd felt 
before had turned to hard muscle, and the little girl had become... 
	A handsome young man.  A naked handsome young man, sitting 
entwined with her in the tub.
	"I tried to warn you."
	"EEEEEEKKK!!" 
		*		*			*
	Ranma felt the strangest sense of deja vu.  He knew he'd never 
been to this Jyuusenkyo place before, yet it all seemed so familiar.  He 
looked at the pools with the bamboo poles sticking out of them, and could 
not shake a sense of dread.
	His father was leaping up on a pole and challenging him to 
follow.  Something inside him was screaming not to go, to listen to the 
guide's warning, but his mouth said, "Yes sir!" and his body leapt up to 
join the battle.
	Their combat flowed like water, time seeming to slow down to a 
crawl.  Ranma saw his leg kicking out, sending Genma lazily into a pool 
below.  Then time sped up again as a panda sprung from the pool back on 
to the poles.
	The Guide was shouting something about a curse, and Ranma turned 
to listen, but he'd left himself vulnerable, and now he too was falling.  
Falling into the water and he screamed.
	Now the water was in his lungs, burning, changing him somehow.  
His clothes seemed to drag him down, wanting him to drown.  At last he 
broke the surface.  The guide was shouting again.
	"Oh, most unfortunate!  Customer fall in Spring of Drowned Little 
Girl!  There legend, most tragic, of girl who drown in spring 800 years 
ago, and now anyone who fall in pool take form of small child!" 
	Ranma took a look down at himself and saw that the male pronoun 
no longer applied.  A flood of emotion came over him.
	"MMOOOOOMMMIIIEEE!!"
		*			*			*
	Ranma sat up, and realized he'd been dreaming again of the day 
he'd been cursed.  His head hurt; he suspected Akane had clobbered him 
for being a guy.
	Someone had gotten his trousers back on, for which he was deeply 
grateful.  
	"Oh, you're awake."  It was the older girl, um...Kasumi! 
	"Sorry about this, Kasumi."
	"It's all right, Ranma.  Your father explained about the curses. 
Supper's ready, so put a shirt on and join us, please."  Her warm smile 
made him feel a little better.
	The others were gathered around the table, Genma back in human 
form. Ranma introduced himself again and apologized to Akane.
	"I should have said it right away, but when I'm...that 
way...the right words don't come so easy to me."
	"It's...all right, Ranma." replied Akane, gritting her teeth.  "I 
should have tried harder to listen to what you were saying." 
	After a healthy meal, Soun said, "Well, son, I think your problem 
can be overcome with a little work.  Now, which of my daughters would you 
like to marry?" 
	Ranma shuddered and looked at his father.  Genma nodded.  So they 
still wanted him to go through with this crazy engagement thing?  As if 
he didn't have enough problems already.
	He looked at each daughter in turn.  Kasumi looked friendly, but 
she was a bit older than him, and at their ages, three years was a lot of 
difference.  Nabiki had been cool to him at best, and from the little 
she'd said in the dinner conversation was a bit more intellectual than he 
wanted to deal with.
	Akane...she was still angry.  But she was the closest to him in 
age and interests, and he knew she had a great bod.  On the other hand, 
did he want to marry such a violent girl.
	"I'm sorry, Mr. Tendou, but I'll need more time.  With this 
curse, I'm not sure I should marry anyone at all."
	"No kidding." said Nabiki.  Akane seemed relieved too.
	Kasumi smiled at him.  "Why don't you stay for a while, get to 
know us?  You may find one of us is willing to be engaged after all." 
	Did that mean what Ranma thought it meant?  He just wasn't sure. 
	But at least the decision could be put off for a while....


	TO BE CONTINUED?

If it is:  Next time, Whatever happened to?, and a side of Kasumi Ranma 
isn't sure he wants to see...

SKJAM!
"Worse next week!"