-------------------
CHAPTER SEVEN
	
	Next day….
	Mousse reached the Tendo residence, his bottle-thick lenses gleamed under
the sun. He gathered himself before leaping over the low stone wall only to
find himself being drenched by the garden hose...
	He screamed imprecations <in duck language> to the woman responsible for
such indignity. The woman observed the bespectacled duck with wonder. It
certainly was kinda cute-looking with the spectacles on it. She decided to
bring it into the Tendo's living room where, for once, both father and son
were not fighting over food. Quite possibly, it was Nodoka's presence
that one can attribute such a miracle.
	Mizuki proudly displayed her find to everyone at the table. Only she and
Nodoka were ignorant of the fact of whom she held. Ranma grabbed the duck
from her hands. Mizuki protested quite a bit which prompted her mother to
display her sword. Ranma gave it reclutantly back to her.
	"Cute duck, huh?" she asked of her brother.
	"Uh….. yeah. Cute."
	"I think I’ll call it, D-chan!!!!"
	Everyone decided to finish eating rather than comment on the duck’s new name. 

* * * * * 


	So many days have passed…
	Already, their mother had stayed for almost two straight weeks. School was
over for the moment since repairs were going slowly due to budget problems. 
Life at the Tendos was falling back into place -- with a few notable
exceptions. Ranma and Akane still fought from time to time but lessened as
winter dragged on. They were even going out on dates -- much to the
disappointment of the others. Indeed, the Tendo residence did not experience
such a level of tranquillity as they did now. Not even the neighbors were
complaining and repair bills were but a thing of the past.
	Nodoka had already chased out Happosai whom anyone doubted would ever
decide to come back. Ukyou had already accepted the painful fact of Ranma's
feelings for Akane while Shampoo was doing everything underhanded to try and
force them apart again.
              For Ranma, the whole business of being educated on his
feminine half was something akin to being in hell. Half the time, he slept
as a 'she' and been forced to wear negligees and other such female
accourtments. After three weeks of this, Ranma finally found out just how
troublesome it was being a woman.

* * * * * 


	A month has passed and still repairs on the school were yet to be finished.
The Board of School Directors decided that classes for the Furinkan branch
would start early next year to end on May. That brought about a lot of
complaints but none was ever entertained.
	A month since Nodoka Saotome had chased off the old pervert and made that
deal with the old ghoul herself. 
	A month of being stuck as a girl.
	It was worse that what usually happened to him everyday.
	And so it is a few days before Christmas now.
 Ranma his good-byes to his mother. They had tried to convince her to stay
but the family business needed her. Christmas would just have to be spent
without her. 
For almost a month, Nodoka had drilled Ranma on her other half. He hated it
but bore it all since his mother still kept her trusty sword in hand should
any discipline problems occur. In the end, his perseverance had won him his
freedom. Today, his mother would finally take his leave. 
	Today, he would be free.
	Then why was he feeling so down?


	"What do you want to talk to me about, Mom?" Ranma-chan asked, sitting
before her mother.
	"You passed." she declared.
	Ranma-chan blinked. 
	"Huh?" 
	Nodoka smiled. At the very least, her husband managed to take care of their
son remarkably well considering it was Genma. "After all these weeks of
making you act like a proper female, you said little and did everything I
asked without question."
	"That was because I was….." she halted, unable to think of the reason she
was about to tell her mother. "….. I….."
	Nodoka merely beamed her approval. "Ranma," she held her child close to
her, "it takes courage to bear under all that I did to you. It takes a REAL
man to accept what has been given to you, my son. For good or for worse. The
curse you received matters little. It is the way on how you accept it that
marks you a TRUE man. My son, I am proud of you."
	"I only did it because you had your sword." She told her with a straight
face. Ranma could never bear to tell a lie at her.
	Nodoka nodded. "Still, you did nothing. You may have your faults, Ranma,
but at the very least, your values are one to admire in anyone."
	With that, Nodoka Saotome hugged her eldest child fiercely. "Ranma, you may
not know it, but you bear an advantage over other men. Your female half
gives you insight of the opposite half of human beings. Use this to your
advantage and you will win Akane’s heart."
	Ranma choked at this. "But…. Mom! She’s….."
	"A  tomboy?" she said dryly.
	Ranma merely nodded. "Yeah. And…"
	"So was I, my dear. When I first met your father, he was stealing panties
for Happosai and I just so happened to be there to stop him. Much like the
both of you, we hated one another at first sight. Him being such a pervert.
Me being able to beat him up with ease. The rest, you know."
	Ranma was surprised and speechless at this. He never had thought….
His mind whirled at the possibility of it ever happening to Akane and him.
	Simple answer.
	A *BIG* maybe.


	Ranma shook himself out of his reverie in time to plant a kiss to his
mother. A month being  a woman was not a good way to spend school break. It
did give him the chance to fully explore his other half. 
	"Take care of yourselves now." 
	"We will, Mom!" called out a half-excited Ranma
	"Don’t forget about what I’ve taught you, dear." Ranma’s smile vanished.
"And don’t tease Akane so much too." she added.
	Nadoka climbed inside the waiting taxi and left.
	Everyone decided that a celebration was in order! All except Ranma.

* * * * * 	


As they were celebrating, another cab bearing Nabiki Tendo stopped by the
entrance. It deposited its passenger and drove off. With her came her
roommate, Yuriko . Nabiki had invited her along to spend  their Christmas
break at her house. Yuriko gladly agreed to it since she was all out of
ideas to spend her Christmas break.
	Nabiki rang the doorbell.
	Both were met at the gates by Nabiki's elder sister, Kasumi.
	"Hello there, sis." Nabiki greeted her warmly.
	"Nabiki." Kasumi gave her a little kiss on the cheek and hugged her briefly. 
She noticed Nabiki's blue-haired companion. 
"Greetings." she told their guest, bowing. "How rude of me not to have
noticed you. Please, come in. My name is Kasumi Tendo."
	Yuriko shook the proffered hand. "Hello, Kasumi. My name is Yuriko Takada.
My roommate has told me stories of your wonderful cooking back at our dorm."
	Kasumi smiled. "I bet she did. Please," She bade them welcome into  the
house, "Come on in and join us at the tables for a short snack."
	Both nod eagerly. They were famished after their train ride from campus.
What they did not expect was the medley of food that greeted them upon
entering the living room.
	"Wow." Yuriko gasped in astonishment at the food laid at the table.
	"Ah." Nabiki sighed dramatically. "Truly I miss these delights you cook,
sister."
	Kasumi just smiled at her and offered them seats by the table. After
introductions were made, everyone started digging in once more.

* * * * * 	


	That night at the Tendo Dojo....
	"Never realized how large a family you got, Nabiki." commented Yuriko.
	"Yep." she said to her. "You just don't realize how large it is. Or how
totally strange they are." she added silently.
	Both were in Nabiki's bedroom rearranging certain articles to fit the extra
futon beside the large bed. Nabiki had elected to give Yuriko the futon but
was flatly refused by Yuriko. An argument ensued until both finally decided
that the bed was big enough to accommodate the both  of them.
	"You certainly are lucky to have such a great family." Yuriko told Nabiki
who lay beside her.
	"Yeah. Sometimes. But you haven't been here long. I have and something has
happened in here to change some people whom I know well. Cripes! Ranma has a
sister! That was definitely a surprise."
	"You didn't know that before?" asked Yuriko.
	Nabiki shook her head. "Nope."
	"I never thought people still arranged weddings."
	"Well, almost never. My family wanted someone to carry on the dojo after
dad retires. So, Ranma was inadvertently drafted to serve as dad's
successor. Only problem was, both Ranma and Akane, my tomboy of a sister,
hated each other at first sight. I very much doubted them being married.
Right  now, I'm not even sure."
	Yuriko turned and faced Nabiki who stared at the ceiling. "What do you mean."
	"My sister's hates  Ranma." she explained.
	"Hates Ranma? In what way?" Yuriko pressed.
	"Ranma's idiot father gave away promises of marriage to almost every person
he met during their journey through China and Japan. So most of the time,
Ranma and Akane found themselves embroiled in all sorts of competitions,
kidnappings, etcetera to determine which of them shall be Ranma's fiancee."
	Yuriko laughed. "That must have been something to see."
	"Yep. Akane became furious over having to defend someone whom she hated
like crazy from marrying other women instead of her. Or in the case of
kidnappings, enraged at being some sort of a prize."
	"Strange that she even decided to win. If I had been in such a position to
get rid of unwanted marriages, I'd lose."
	"That, my dear Yuriko, was something that Akane would never do. She's a
born fighter. Losing is an anathema to her. In many ways, she’s pretty much
like Ranma. " She shrugged. "Besides, I think deep down inside, Akane
actually liked Ranma even if he is a jerk sometimes."
	"He's handsome enough for my tastes." commented Yuriko.
	Nabiki gave her a playful punch on the shoulders. "Ha! What if I tell you
that he turns into a girl too?" Then she stopped. Ranma reminded her way too
much of her loss.
	"You don't have to keep saying his name if you don't want to, Nabiki. I
know how much you loved him." she comforted her friend.
	"I must try. Forgetting about him would shame me in front of his spirit. I
have no desire of ever forgetting about him. All I have to do is to get over
his death." Nabiki told Yuriko. Her eyes held the iron will of the Nabiki
she new of old. "That's all I have to do."
	"So Ranma turns into a woman?" she asked.
	"Yes." She looked at Yuriko with a smile on her face. "Still want to chase
him?"
	"Well...." she began slowly. an evil grin spread on her face, "It makes
bedsport even more interesting."
	Nabiki acted shocked at the pronouncement. "Never have I thought to hear
such malicious thoughts upon your lips, Yuriko." reprimanded Nabiki
teasingly. "You are not as innocent as you claim to be." she said to her.
	"Who ever said I was  that innocent?" she murmured.
	Both burst out laughing. This was the first time the both of them actually
even smiled  a genuine smile for months! Yuriko was glad Nabiki was on the mend.
 	
* * * * * 


	She stood high atop the tower, her beautiful face framed by the amber light
that radiated down the black sky. Her long raven-black hair danced in the
winds. Those who saw her wondered if she was going to kill herself. Not that
anyone cared actually. Not even the police bothered anymore. One thing they
learned early on was to stay the heck clear of Nerima if any of them valued
their sanity.
Her name is Rei. One of the Black Queen's warriors. Her long years of
service made one of the best in her army. 
More! 
All of that had changed now. She  had been shamed a thousand times over by
the Child-Princess and her thrice accursed Guardian. Her face stung with her
shame.
	She toyed with the bracelet she wore. It allowed her to sense the ones she
had enslaved to do her bidding. Soon, the Child-Princess and her guardian
would fall into her trap. And_ this _time, there would be no escape for her
highness. Indeed, she would relish ripping her little heart out of her
body...with a spoon!
	A black flame danced in her palms as she whirled around to face the person
who hid in the shadows. With a twist of her wrist, she sends the flames to
seek out her adversary. The roof exploded in a blinding flash of light. Dust
and rubble rained down everyone on the roof. A lone figure dressed in black
body vest and  long dark emerald green skirt walked out of the dust to stand
before her. Rei fought back the urge to wipe the grin on the woman's face.
How she loathed this woman for stealing from her the right to stand as the
Black Queen's Guardian.
	"Setsuna." she said in a tight voice.
	The grin on her face widened. "Rei. I was wondering how long it would take
you to notice me." The woman leaned forward and asked in a conspiratorial
manner, "Planning to lay a little  trap to get her?"
	 "What is it worth to you, Setsuna?" she asked acidly. "Planning to shame
me in front of everyone again?"
	"Hahahahaha!" laughed the woman.
	The staff she carried slammed into the ground causing a slight depression
in it. Setsuna's dark green eyes narrowed. "Your plans are as transparent as
you, my dear. It isn't surprising how easily Chibiusa manages to come out of
it alive."
	The other woman hissed, her nails outstretched like the talons as she
prepared for the kill. Setsuna just smiled at her.
	"Your plan will fail." Rei's anger fled briefly replaced with a burning
desire to rid  her of her visitor. This did not escape the notice of
Setsuna. "Foolish woman! I am the Mistress of the Forbidden Secrets. IT
would be tantamount to suicide to even pit your strength against mine."
	The woman, Setsuna, noted with great pleasure as her plans to goad Rei
succeeded as planned.
	"Damn you!" Rei cursed before leaving, engulfed by the shadows.
	Setsuna looked sadly at the moon. "Dear little one," she prayed silently,
"be wary for I can no longer safeguard thee. My new oaths bound me to her
now." She sighed heavily. "It wouldn't be long before she would be sent to
kill you…… my child."

* * * * * 


	"Ranma, you come back here!" cried an enraged Akane.
	Ranma looks back at her pursuer. "Ha!" she shouted back at Akane, "Can't
catch me! Hahahah--BLAM! POW! SKRASH!!"
	The sound of something going through the roof roused a still sleepy Nabiki
Tendo. She rubbed her eyes and looked groggily at her bed partner whom she
found not there. She looked out of her window and saw the airborne figure of
Ranma-chan coming in for a landing. She sighed in frustration. 
"Guess I was wrong to think those two would stay together for long." she
thought. 
	It won’t be long before Ranma would be considered a flying hazard. Nabiki
winced at a particularly painful sound of flesh striking hard unyielding
ground. 
 	The door to her room opened to admit Yuriko who appeared to have done her
usual morning ritual. Yuriko gave her a small smile. "Good to see I do not
have to drag you out of your bed."
	Nabiki gave her a scowl. "Ha! I woke up because those two love birds down
there," She pointed down to the gardens below where the two were still at
each others throats, "made enough of a commotion to wake up the dead!"
	<At this point, the neighbors agreed with her>
	She could have made a killing off their neighbors by now could she find
some permanent means of making the two of them stop fighting.
"I thought they love each other?" said Yuriko, her eyes widened as a
particularly nasty blow struck Ranma, still in girl form -- she noted, full
on the face. She winced at the damaged it caused. She turned around and
grimaced. "Brr. No wonder violence doesn't really affect you very much,
Nabiki. This place is a veritable war zone."
	"You don't say."
	"Aren't you going to do something to make them stop?" she asked.
	"Nope." Was Nabiki's answer. "They'll stop just as soon as..."
	A loud vibrant voice called out to the inhabitants of the Tendo dojo.  
"Breakfast is ready." said the voice.
	Yuriko gaped in astonishment as the argument ensuing between the couple
ended at the  call.
	"See." Nabiki smirked.

* * * * * 


	Nabiki sat with Yuriko at the table eating heartily at the food laid out at
the table. 
	"I'd certainly get used to this kind of breakfast." Yuriko thought to
herself happily.
	Nabiki enjoyed the food as well. Having lived with Yuriko and her excellent
cooking paled to nothing compared to living here where Kasumi provided them
with dishes that would make any mouth water. At least, here, she didn't to
spend a lot of her cash.
	Her eyes wandered in the  general direction of Ranma who still remained as
female. Her private talks with Kasumi last  night updated her on the current
events at the dojo. Still, now that Ranma's mother was away,  she wondered
why Ranma was still in this form.
	From what she noticed, Ranma's manners seem to have vastly improved from
what it was months ago. Her keen eyes noticed how proper in the way she
acted right now. Indeed, she looked nothing like the Ranma that appeared at
their house years ago.
 A sudden thought flashed through her mind. she smiled inwardly at the
future expectations of added revenue. If what Kasumi said to her was true
then Kunou would love having pictures of Ranma in skimpy underwear. Now, how
could she make her do that....
"Ranma, care to do something profitable with me?" she asked.
"Huh?" Ranma stared at her, wary of her many tricks and schemes. "What the
heck do you mean? I know you well enough to --- phutt!!"
"Nabiki!" a horrified Akane cried out in shock.
Ranma was staring at Nabiki with barely concealed anger. It did not bode
well for more people to know of his secret than necessary. However, another
shock came when their guest did not react at all to this sudden change of sex. 
"She knows?!" Akane grasped for the only answer that was logical.
Yuriko nodded. 
"Care to change back now, Ranma?" Kasumi asked without missing a beat. 
" No. I'd probably change back to a guy later after I take a hot dip in the
tub to ease my muscles. Fighting Akane has that effect on me all the time."
	A rice cooker was thrown in the general direction of Ranma's head as Akane
preps for a swing with her now revealed mallet.
	Nabiki, Yuriko,  Mizuki, and the rest sighed in unison. Things seemed to
have a habit of never changing around here. Boon or bane, no one never knew. 
The arguing and insulting started up once more. 
	"Ranma.." sighed Nabiki who smacked her hand to her forehead. She wondered
just how small a brain Ranma possessed. Right now, she had a feeling it was
pretty small. Still that would be an advantage with what she was planning. 
 	Mizuki paid little, as the usual, to the breakfast argument. She bit at
her chopsticks for a while before resuming her eating. Father was busy
pigging out of Ranma's share while their guest was still in a state of shock. 
Yuriko stared at the two in astonishment. She could not believe seeing such
an oddly paired couple as these two. Yet, she could not help but feel that
these two were meant for each other. How that was even possible considering
this was beyond her knowledge. Learning about  magic with Professor Miyabi
was simpler than trying to understand these two or about love.
	As if reading her thoughts, Nabiki supplied her with the answer. 
"Love works in mysterious ways. This is just one of those sides to it. I guess."
	"Oh."
	Kasumi said nothing to them both save for the usual words of: "Oh dear,
they're at it again."

* * * * *


	It was just after Christmas. Everybody was feeling the spirit of Christmas
in their respective souls. This would not last long…as always.
	Ranma stood at one end of the training hall while on another was his
sister, Mizuki. He was dressed, as usual, in his red shirt and black pants.
His sister wore a fetching yellow blouse and a skirt cut short. The reason
for this was apparent to him. Fighting in a skirt would hinder movement and
by cutting it like that would provide both comfort and ease of movement.
	Ranma considered his tactics. Fighting his own sister who was barely twelve
was not his idea of spending 'quality time' -- as his sister called it.
Still, if it made her stop pestering him, he'd gladly do so. He could
neither explain nor figure out the slight edginess in himself  lately.
Something was about to happen and the what of it was driving him crazy.
Couple that with  Ryouga's strange absence made enough reason for him to
worry. It was not like Ryouga to disappear from the dojo for this long. 
         And now, here he was, trying to forget it all and making his sister
happy. Unfortunately, he had little or no idea just how well trained she
was. And he's about to find out just how. 
	"Ready, Ranma?" she asked animatedly.
	He gave her a nod signaling an affirmative. 
	That was all she needed as she traversed the length of the hall to reach
him with astounding speed. A near hit to his abdomen and other vital areas
made him to seriously consider the fight. He was amazed at how well she
fought. Her style seemed a mixture of street fighting and a more refined
pressure point technique than Shampoo’s or Ryouga's. And not to mention
insanely too close to the way Herb normally fought. 
        	Her hits were delivered fast and  those hits were placed with
clinical efficiency. It took full concentration on his part just to avoid
getting hit.
        	Ranma wondered just who_ had_ taught her. 
	For her part, Mizuki was having a hard time hitting him with her attacks.
Ranma's lightning quick reflexes were as good as Akane told her to be.
Indeed, she faced an opponent just as good as her teacher had been. Still,
she was not without means to win this fight.  
        Ranma deflected Mizuki's fist by twisting her arms around his own.
Mizuki removed the arm lock by bending her arms and reversing the twisting
maneuver. As a final move, she slammed her palms onto his exposed chest.
This caused Ranma to tumble backwards. 
	Ranma cursed himself for getting too confident with her. It was always a
bad flaw in his. Too many times in the past had his overconfidence nearly
spell defeat or worse, death to him. 
	He pressed his attack on her; driving her back to her corner. Seeing
herself trapped,  she somersaults over a surprised Ranma. She sends a fierce
kick at Ranma as she landed behind him. 
	Ranma reacted instantly. A swift foot sweep brought Mizuki crashing down
the floor. She rolled sideways as a fist broke the wooden floorboard beside
her. Mizuki sprang up from the  floor. She pulled out two fans from her
person. She opened them up as she readied for another charge. 
	"Here I come, Ranma!" she shouted at him.
	Ranma held his ground as she came charging for him. A light twist of the
wrist sent one fan angling towards Ranma. Another twist sent the other
flying off to join its twin. Ranma  blocks both fans converging on him only
to be surprised as it arc back towards him. 
        He ducked as the two returned to its owner like some loyal pet. 
	"What the..!!" said a shocked Ranma. Clearly he wasn't expecting this.
              *Great! someone who loves to use fans! And damn well knows
just how to use it!  Argh! I wonder if she ever did anything else she did
better than he did. First, playing instruments. and now this?! she was
clearly NOT the normal type of sister one finds. Just his luck, though!*
	Everything that Akane had said about her brother's fighting ability paled
to the truth. His endurance and strength were way beyond expectation. Her
reflexes and coordination were superb. Most of all, he was slowly discerning
her tactics. 
	Ranma felt the rage within him demanding to be set loose upon his enemy. He
did his  best to control that side of his nature. He did not want to
accidentally hurt Mizuki. 
	It was time to use a bit of his special moves.
	"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
	A hundred blows rained down on Mizuki; everyone of which she blocked with
the flat of her palms. She winced slightly at the pain it was causing to
just block his attack. Seeing the futility of further using it, Ranma
resorted to depriving her of her balance. Having expected  this, she blocked
his feet with her own. She then grabbed his shirt and catapulted him over
her. Ranma was sent flying straight to a wall. 
        	<SMASH>
        	"Ooomph!!"
	He got up from the pile of wood groggily. She was good and better at it
than Ukyou or Shampoo or even Akane at their best. He had to admit he was
having some trouble with her. That was something he would never admit to
anyone -- even to himself.
Mizuki was breathing hard and sweating profusely where she stood as she
tried to catch her breath. The fight was turning better than expected. She
rubbed her hands at her side. It still stung from blocking all those punches.
 	*Cripes!* she said to herself. *Those blows could level a  whole mountain
with the force he is delivering per blow. I have got to more careful around
him. Getting too near him is dangerous.* she cautioned herself. 
              She had to find a better way to make her brother yield.
	Ranma considered his options. Losing was as much an anathema to him as it
was for Akane. So, how the heck does a brother win against a sister without
harming her especially when said sibling is a skilled fighter. 
	He charged. 
        She waited for it. Just before he slammed into her, she brought down
her hands to swipe at his feet. Ranma found himself crashing head first on
the floor. He looked up just in time to see Mizuki driving her knee on his
solar plexus. 
	"Oomph!"
	Ranma commanded his body not to take notice of the pain. With it dulled to
bearable levels, he struck. 
Hard and fast.
A flurry of punches, sweep kicks, side thrusts,  and mutli-strikes were
blocked or evaded. A deep thrust just as Mizuki had evaded it provided his
sister with ample moment to strike. He found himself on the floor once more.
He was beginning to hate waking up today. 
	"Hiryuu Kourin-dan!" shouts Ranma just as...
	"Phoenix Claw!"
	"What the?!" says Ranma as a wave of fire enveloped him then blackness...
* * * * * 	

	
Akane had just returned from her shopping trip with some of her closer
friends. What  she did not expect to see was a training hall reduced to
smoldering ashes. She stared at it with wide disbelieving eyes. 
	Soun and Genma soon returns to the dojo to find a bewildered Akane standing
near what's  left of the training hall. Soun jaw dropped a few inches as he
stared in horror at the devastation he saw. 
He bellowed out a single name that came to mind. 
"R_A_N_M_AAAA!!!" 
	Soun’s head grew to titanic proportions as his face morphing into its
demonic state. Genma was nowhere to be seen. Akane wore her surprised look
as her father stomped off towards the  remains of the dojo with murder in mind. 
	"Dad!" she shouted after her enraged father.
	A scream suddenly came from the direction of the ruined dojo and startling
everyone in the neighborhood.

===================
Next chapter....