Authors notes:

  Okay, Parts 2 and 3, revised.  I'm doing this now because I want
prereaders to guide (and occasionally @bap) me along in this thing.   Part
4 uses some of the information from the expanded part 3, and I can't put
up part 3 without part 2, so.. here's both.
 Note that for prereaders I need people who are willing to do something
like inserting comments inside of a story.  I need people who are willing
to be specific.. general comments just don't help me out any.  I need
things like watching the timeline, Japanese society and language goofs,
character goofs, etc.  Really nitpicky type stuff.  Afterwards, I'll post
it here.  I do not want to post it to RAAC until it is finished.

*******

For the tag complainers out there:

This fanfic is rated PG-13.

The following fanfic contains:

AC  Adult Content
V   Violence

This fanfic deviates from the "normal" Ranma 1/2 universe, and is *not* a
comedy.

*******

Ranma-chan

- Chapter 2 -

  Genma, Soun and Kasumi returned home about an hour after leaving the
hospital.  They were in a very somber mood, after having learned that
there was a very good chance that Ranma could suffer from some if not
all memory loss.  Soun had finally ran out of tears.  That surprised
Genma to no end, but Kasumi did not react to it at all.  She said that
Soun was much worse when his wife had died.  Genma wondered how that
was possible.  They had tried the usual tactics, things like "Ranma
will be fine," and "He'll rebound quickly from it," but Soun as usual
refused to listen to anything being said to him.  Genma was lost in
thought, curious as to how it happened.  Ranma had none of the other
bruises he usually got when he was involved in a fight, and he did get
wet and change into a woman.. That limited the list of suspects down
to one person, and he was not thrilled at all at who it would be.
  Kasumi opened the front door, and stepped inside.  Genma half
carried Soun through through the door.  The lights were out, the dojo
appeared to be quiet.  Kasumi walked up the stairs, heading towards
Akane's room.  She looked down at Akane's door, and noticed that there
was no light on.  She stepped softly up to the door, and pushed.  The
door swung open, and Akane was in bed.  She had cried herself to sleep
and her room was a mess.  Kasumi shook her head and slowly closed the
door.
  Genma had carried Soun into his room, and placed him into bed.  He
was quietly walking up the staircase to the guest room, and ran into
Kasumi in the hallway.  "Did you see Akane?"  he whispered.
  Kasumi nodded.  "She was asleep, although her room was a mess.  She
looked absolutely miserable."
  Genma sighed.  "She found out.  I wonder how?"
  "What do you mean?"
  "Ranma's injuries indicate that Akane was the likely cause."
  Kasumi paused.  "Oh my."
  Genma nodded.  "I wonder who told her?"
  "I did," came a voice from behind Genma.  Nabiki was peering out
from behind her door into the hallway.
  Genma turned around to face Nabiki.  "How do you know?"
  Nabiki smiled.  "I know.  What around here don't I know?"
  Genma twitched slightly as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his
head.  Kasumi spoke up then.  "So who told you that Akane hurt Ranma?"
  Nabiki shrugged.  "I dragged him out of the koi pond."
  Genma nodded.  "That seems pretty conclusive."
  Nabiki started to close the door.  "I didn't speak to her long about
it - she wasn't in the mood to talk."  With that last statement, she
closed the door and the light in her room went out.
  Kasumi walked towards her room.  "We'll speak to her tomorrow
morning.  Right now she needs to sleep.  We all do."
  Genma nodded.  Kasumi continued, "You should talk to her tomorrow,
Genma-san."
  There was suddenly a splash of water behind her.  Genma-panda held
up a sign saying, "I am only a panda!"
  Kasumi went to bed, ignoring Genma.  She had to get up early tomorrow
to make breakfast.  After all, appearances had to be kept.

  Akane was having an extremely difficult time sleeping.  She was
tossing and turning in her sleep, plagued by dreams.  Time and time
again, she saw her mallet coming down on Ranma's head, smashing it open
like a ripe melon and killing him.  While Akane might not be able to
openly admit that she was wrong, her subconscious knew and was playing
havoc with her emotions.  She awoke in the middle of the night, coated
in sweat and shivering uncontrollably.  "Ranma.." she whispered.  "What
can I do?  Can I do anything at all?"  She got out of bed, a decision
formed in her mind.
  Akane exited her room, and headed down the stairs. She was going to
make the healthiest bento she ever had for Ranma when he woke up.
Unfortunately, her worrying and guilt were doing interesting things to
her state of mind.

  Genma woke up around 3 AM, his stomach growling.  He sighed as he
sat up in bed.  The circumstances of yesterday resulted in Kasumi
skipping dinner, and he was hungry.  Very hungry.  Genma-panda got out
of bed, walking into the hallway and down the stairs.  A strange smell
entered his sensitive panda nostrils, and he wondered what it was.  It
sort of smelled like food, but not the food Kasumi usually cooked.  It
was nowhere near as good.  This scent was more like a mockery of someone
cooking.  Genma-panda paused, a look of worry on his face.  He slowly
crept towards the kitchen, trying his best despite the fact that
pandas aren't built for sneaking around.  Genma-panda noticed that the
light in the kitchen was on, and very strange noises were coming from
it.  Slowly, he peeked into the kitchen, and the source of the commotion
was revealed:
  Akane was cooking.  At three in the morning no less.  She was in a
frenzy, blitzing through the kitchen as she attempted to mix things
together.  She turned towards Genma-panda, a smile on her face.  "Good
morning," she stated rather cheerfully.  "I'm making breakfast for Ranma
when he wakes up.  See?  I've got eggs, chicken soup, milk, orange
juice.."  Akane trailed off as she kept on mixing things together,
paying little attention to what she tossed into the bowl.
  Genma-panda watched Akane toss detergent into the bowl, confusing it
with salt.  Sweatdrop falling, he raised a sign.  "Good Morning,
Akane-chan."  He flipped it over.  "I am sorry to disturb you."  With
that statement, Genma bolted up the stairs back to the safety of his
bed.

....

  Kasumi awoke the next morning, rising early as usual.  After taking a
quick bath, she walked into the kitchen.. and face-faulted Takahashi
style after she stepped inside.  The kitchen was a complete mess. Flour,
soup, eggs and other miscellaneous unidentifiable stuff was plastered
everywhere - on the walls, the counters, and the refrigerator.  Heaps of
"stuff" littered the floor, and Akane lay asleep in the middle of the
mess, clinging tightly to a bento box.  Kasumi shook her head, and
carefully walked through the kitchen to Akane.  She gently shook Akane.
"Akane-chan, wake up.  It is morning."
  Akane bolted upright, squeezing the box she was holding even harder.
It was barely able to hold itself together, but something sticky on
the inside seeped through the cracks and solidified the box.  Akane
smiled at Kasumi, and she took a step back.  "Good morning, oneesan!
I feel great today!"
  Kasumi smiled.  "You were busy in here, weren't you?"
  Akane nodded happily.  "Hai, oneesan!  I made a surprise breakfast for
Ranma today!"
  Kasumi shook her head.  "Ranma may not wake up today."
  Akane's disposition switched in an instant.  "He'll wake up!  You'll
see.  If he doesn't then I'll make him wake up!"
  Kasumi frowned, but Akane stood up and ran out of the kitchen before
she could reply.  Kasumi looked around at the damage once more, and
then proceeded to clean things up.

  Nabiki awoke early to prepare for school.  She liked to arrive to
school early.  Originally it was to avoid Akane's daily fiasco with the
boys and Kunou, but that changed to become an avoidance of whoever Ranma
fought that particular morning.  She liked to get a bird's eye view of
the mornings usual combat.  An added bonus was that she was able to
catch up on any gossip that she could use to blackmail people with later
in the day.
  Nabiki entered the family bath.  Her expression changed little as
she noted the water spilled everywhere.  The area which people used to
soap themselves down had bits and pieces of some gooey substance lying
around.  She wisely decided not to touch the stuff.  Looking into the
bath itself, she noticed more bits and pieces of the unusual substance.
She smiled to herself, and decided to head to the public baths this
morning.  Turning around, she left the bathroom, and watched amusingly
as the large panda known as Genma sauntered in.  She walked down to
the kitchen, hoping to eat some breakfast, but not really expecting to
find any.
  Nabiki poked her head into the kitchen, and laughed silently to
herself.  Akane was in here as well, it seemed.  She had left more of a
disaster than normal.  Kasumi smiled as she looked up, halting her
cleaning of the kitchen.  "Good morning, Nabiki-chan."  Nabiki smiled in
reply.  "Good morning, oneesan.  Have you seen Akane?"
  Kasumi smiled.  "She just stepped out."
  "I see.  I am off to the public baths.  Good day, oneesan."
  "Good day, Nabiki-chan." 

  Soun was rather somber when he awoke later.  His endless crying had
been replaced with endless worrying.  After glancing in the kitchen,
he decided to sit by his Go board and smoke a cigarette to calm his
nerves.  Genma-panda appeared a few seconds later, sitting down next
to him.  He seemed to have a few patches of fur missing here and
there, like he had to cut them out or something.  Soun smiled at his
old friend.  "Good morning, Genma."
  Genma-panda held up a sign.  "Good morning."  He flipped it over.
"Care for a game?"
  Soun nodded.  "Hai.  Breakfast will be late this morning." 
  "You first." 

....

  Ucchan's was open early for the breakfast crowd, as usual.  Ukyou
and Konatsu were hard at work serving the customers who came in for
breakfast.  Ukyou's resteraunt had gained quite a bit of publicity due
to the food, and unfortunately, a bit of noteriaty as well due to the
fights which occasionally happened there.  They were rumored to be
centered around a young gentleman who Ukyou was enamored of.  She
denied it, of course, but the way she acted around him was evidence
enough for the regular customers .  Still, little was said as it would
be improper to talk about the store owner's personal life behind their
back.  The fact that the man in question held his own quite nicely in
the fights which did happen kept any other voices quiet.
  Business was a bit slow this morning.  The tables and bar were full,
but these days the Ucchan had a good number of people waiting to be
seated as well.  Ukyou was at the okonomiyaki bar, cooking
continuously.  She had long been used to the rigors of getting up
early to open the resteraunt, and could easily work the morning and
head off to school afterwards.  Konatsu made things easier for her,
and for that she was grateful.  Now if she could only convince him not
to hit on her..
  The door bell rang, and another customer stepped inside.  Ukyou gave
the person a glance, and noticed that it was a normal highschool aged
girl wearing a fuku.  She was short and pettite at 5'6".  Her
uniform gave away the fact that her body was well defined.. she was
probably an athelete or gymnast.  She had long black hair done up in a
ponytail, and bright blue eyes.  Konatsu glided over to say hello to
her, and Ukyou returned her attention to the okonomiyaki on the grill
in front of her.
  "Good morning," came Konatsu's voice. 
  The girl smiled quizically at the woman in the kimono.  "Good
morning," she replied.
  "How many in your party?" asked Konatsu. 
  "Just myself, thank you." 
  "Would you like a seat by the bar then?" 
  "That would be nice." 
  Konatsu lead the woman through the resteraunt towards the bar.
Although Ukyou would never mention it openly due to pride, there was a
particular floorboard in Ucchan's which was rather noisy when passed
over.  Konatsu liked to occasionally lead customers over it to
practice his gotonpo (escape and evasion) skills.  Konatsu
effortlessly glided over the board, making very little if at all
noise.  You had to strain to hear it.  He walked up to the bar, and
looked behind him.. the girl had passed over the board, making even
less noise than he did!  Konatsu's eyes bugged out slightly, but the
girl simply smiled at him.  "May I sit?"  She asked.
  Konatsu smiled and nodded.  "Of course." 
  The girl sat down at the bar, and Konatsu left to wait on the other
customers.  He'd have to tell Ukyou what happened later.

  Ukyou did not get many high school aged students at breakfast.  Most
of her clients were older working people who stopped by for a bit of
food in a normal resteraunt as opposed to being forced to go to the
Japanese McDonalds which were popping up all around Japan.  Most of
her customers liked to take it easy in the mornings anyway.  Ukyou
headed down the bar to the girl.  "Good morning," she said.  "How may
I help you today?"
  The girl smiled.  "A seafood okonomiyaki please." 
  Ukyou smiled.  "That's one of our specials.  I'll have it done in a
few minutes."
  "No hurry, please."
  Ukyou nodded, and continued the conversation as she cooked the
order.  "Are you new to the area?  My name is Kuonji Ukyou."
  She giggled.  "A boy's name?"
  Ukyou flushed.  "My parents wanted a boy."
  "Gomen.  I meant no offense." 
  "None taken." 
  "Actually, I like it." 
  "You like it?" 
  She nodded.  "Original name for a girl.  Mine is Onishi Yokho." 
  Ukyou smiled.  "So what brings you to Nerima?" 
  "I am visiting my cousin.  She is in Tokyo general." 
  Ukyou flushed.  "Gomen.  Is she well?" 
  Yokho nodded.  "Hai.  She had appendicitis.  Nothing major, and I
wanted to visit her anyway.  We haven't seen each other in person in
over a year."
  Ukyou smiled.  "I am glad to hear that.  There is a bus stop just
down the street which will drop you off at Tokyo general."
  "Thank you.  That helps me quite a bit.  I have been in this
district only twice before."
  "You're welcome."  Ukyou replied.  "Oh yes, your order is done.
Enjoy!"
  "Thank you so much.  I am sure I will."
  Yohko ate the okonomiyaki, praising it highly.  She'd recommend the
place to her family and friends if they passed through the area.
Ukyou thanked her for the business, and was glad at the large tip she
left with the bill.
  Konatsu watched her as she left, and noticed with surprise and
amusement that she walked right over the floorboard again.

  Eventually, the morning crowd died down, and Ukyou was finishing her
task of cleaning out the bar.  She had about an hour before needing to
get to class, and had just sat down to eat her own breakfast.  Konatsu
walked over to her.  "Enjoy your conversation?"
  "Eh?  With who?" 
  "That highschool girl." 
  "Yes, I did.  Why do you ask?" 
  Konatsu smiled.  Ukyou didn't notice at all.  "She's shinobi."
  Ukyou spat out the okonomiyaki at her surprise.  "What?  How?"
  Konatsu laughed, and Ukyou became red in the face.  "It was easy to
tell."
  "It takes one to know one, I take it?" 
  He grinned.  "Hai.  Watch." 
  Konatsu walked to the floorboard.  "You know as well as I do that
this board needs to be fixed, right?"
  Ukyou frowned.  "Yes, so?" 
  Konatsu stepped across the board, and it squeaked rather loudly in
the empty resteraunt.  "Did you hear that?"
  "Yes I did.  What is your point?" 
  Konatsu glided back across.  "That," he replied. 
  "What?"  Ukyou asked, exasperated.  "I didn't hear anything." 
  "Exactly." 
  "You do that all the time." Ukyou replied, rolling her eyes.  Then a
thought struck her.  "You're telling me that she could do that as
well?"
  Konatsu nodded.  "She was better at it than I am." 
  "Cool.  Wait, doesn't that make her dangerous?" 
  Konatsu shook his head.  "Ninjutsu has become commercial, like the
other martial arts.  It is not as wide spread, but it is around."
  "How far has it spread?" 
  "Well there are dojos on the east coast of the United States.. New
York and Boston I think."
  "Wow.  So how did she get so quiet while being so young?"
  Konatsu paused for a second.  "She must have trained with
Hatsumi-sensei, the top ranked ninjutsu practitioner.  He lives in
Noda."
  Ukyou laughed.  "I should have expected it.  There are how many
martial artists in Nerima?"
  Konatsu nodded.  "Too many!" he exclaimed, and started to laugh as
well. 

.... 

  A short distance away from the Tendo dojo, a lone woman can be seen
walking towards it.  Carrying a package on her back, Saotome Nodoka was
not in a good mood at all.  The phone call she got from her husband last
night indicated that something had happened to her son. She knew that
having him live at the Tendo dojo was a bad idea, but when she tried to
have him and his father return home, several women showed up and nearly
destroyed the place.
  So Ranma had to stay at the Tendo residence, freeloading with his
father off of Genma's old friend while Genma and Soun hatched up scheme
after scheme trying to get Ranma and Akane to marry.  Nodoka realized
how badly both Ranma and Akane reacted against the schemes, but honor
would be satisfied, and Ranma would have to come to accept that.
  Genma had said nothing about what had happened which placed Ranma
into the hospital.  She assumed that it was nothing major, since Ranma
had been injured very badly and bounced back with no changes or
problems whatsoever.  However, she did wish that the boy at least
_learned_ something from the repeated fights he got himself into.  He
never changed his attitude in the least, and that irritated Nodoka
considerably.  He did take up after his father in that regard, the
good for nothing coward that Genma was.  Still, there was hope for
Ranma yet.  He did have a sense of duty and honor, twisted as it
appeared to be at times.
  Nodoka sorely wished that she had not entrusted Ranma's upbringing to
his father, but Genma had made that pledge to her.  She had made a
mistake then, and while Ranma _was_ manly, he had picked up a few other
unfortunate traits from his father as well.
  Nodoka walked up to the front door of the Tendo residence, and
knocked politely.  Five minutes later, she knocked a bit more loudly,
her patience getting to her.
  The door opened, Kasumi answering.  "Good morning, Saotome-san.  I
am glad to see that you have made it."
  Nodoka smiled.  At least one of Soun's daughters had learned to be a
proper lady, even if the other two turned out so horribly wrong.
"Good morning, Kasumi-san," she replied.  "Where is my husband and
your father?"
  Kasumi smiled.  "They are playing go.  Breakfast will be a little
late today."
  Nodoka frowned.  "What caused the delay?"
  Kasumi smiled.  "Akane was a little over enthusiastic in the kitchen."
  Nodoka nodded her head.  "A gift for Ranma when he comes home?"
  Kasumi smiled happily.  "Hai."
  "Can I please come in?"
  "Of course!  I am sorry for delaying you."
  "No offense taken.  Can you please bring me a kettle of hot water?"
  "Hai."
  "Thank you."
  Nodoka walked into the living room, and sighed.  Her husband spent
far too much time as a panda for her liking.  She had to admit that
the panda's lazy nature fit her husband perfectly.  Nodoka patiently
waited, watching Genma and Soun battle it back and forth at their own
twisted version of go.  Nodoka set down the katana she carried on the
table next to her.  Finally, Kasumi returned with a kettle.  "Thank
you, Kasumi-san."
  "You are welcome."
  Nodoka walked over to the two of them, and poured the kettle over
her husband.  He was a little more responsive as a human, but not as
much as she would have liked.  One of these days she would have to try
and remember why she married him in the first place.  "Genma," she
started, "what happened to my son this time?"
  Genma blanched as he turned to face her, the familiar sweatdrop
appearing.  He definitely did not like dealing with his wife.  "Ranma,
ah.." he paused, unsure how to continue.
  "Yes?  Get on with it already, if you please." 
  "Ranma.. Ranma injured his head.  The doctor said that he may have
amnesia when he wakes up."
  Nodoka frowned.  This was not good at all.  She had a bad feeling
about what had happened, and glanced over at Soun, who looked
downright afraid of her.  "Tendo-san," she said, making sure that Soun
saw her starting to reach for her katana, "What happened?"
  Soun nearly panicked.  "Um, well, you see.."
  Nodoka looked back at her husband, who was a panda again, playing on
the front porch.  She sighed, her patience at an end.  "What
happened?" she repeated.
  Soun looked downcast.  "Akane hit Ranma too hard, and injured him in
the process."
  Nodoka's eyebrows shot up.  She knew that Akane could be unladylike,
and that she disciplined her son regularly, but she believed that Akane
liked Ranma too much to actually try and injure him.  "What proof do you
have?"
  "Ranma was soaked, and the doctor said that the only signs of injury
were to his head."
  Nodoka frowned.  "That does imply Akane."
  Soun looked unhappy.  "Nabiki said that she pulled Ranma out of
the koi pond."
  Nodoka was surprised.  She didn't think Akane was actually
responsible, but the evidence against her was undenyable.  Suddenly
what Soun said struck her.  "Koi pond?  My son was in his cursed
form?"
  Soun nodded.  "Yes." 
  Nodoka spat out an unladylike curse.  _Now_ she was worried.  This
could complicate things to the point where the marriage between the two
families would never take place.  Her family's honor could be at stake.
  Soun cringed at her curse, while Genma continued to pretend that he
was oblivious to the human world.  "Nabiki-san." Nodoka started.  She
turned towards the kitchen.  "Kasumi-san, where is your younger sister?"
  Kasumi replied from the kitchen.  "She's not here, Saotome-san.  She
left early go to the public baths."
  Nodoka sighed.  Nabiki always disappeared when trouble was about to
happen.  She was smart enough to see it coming.  Nodoka tried to calm
herself down before she was overwhelmed with emotions.  Anger, that
her son had been hurt.  Frustration, that no one seemed to want to
help or even care.  Sadness, that apparently there was little that she
could do about it.  She was about to call for Akane when the phone
rang.  Kasumi walked over to pick it up, but Nodoka stopped her.  She
wanted to answer it.  Nodoka picked the telephone up, trying to still
her heart.  "Moshi Moshi?"
  "This is Kato Akira from Tokyo general.  Is Saotome Genma-san there?"
  Nodoka paused.  "This is Saotome Nodoka, his wife and mother of his..
daughter.  What is the situation?"
  "I have good news and bad news."
  Nodoka frowned.  "Please, the good news first.  I could use some."
  "Your daughter is awake, amazingly.  The doctors are all puzzled
over how quickly she healed."
  "And the bad?"  She steeled herself for the news.
  "She has no recollection of anything."  A pause.  "I am very sorry."
  Nodoka froze, tears springing to her eyes.  "Thank you.  We'll be on
our way."
  "We'll try our best to help her." 
  "I understand."  Nodoka put the telephone down, and tried to hold
her composure.  She would get no comfort from anyone around her.
"Ranma is awake." she said.
  Soun jumped, the joy evident in his face.  Genma held up a sign
saying "Happy days are here again!"  Kasumi simply smiled.
  Nokoda closed her eyes.  "She remembers nothing."
  Soun immediately launched into a full scale wail.  Genma pretended
like he didn't hear anything.  Kasumi simply said, "Oh my."
  Nodoka sighed.  She should not have expected any more from
either Genma or Soun.  Neither of them had any sense of responsibility
at all.  She started to walk towards the door.  Kasumi headed there
with her.  "Can I come, Saotome-san?"  She asked.
  Nodoka nodded.  "Hai.  I can use the company."
  "Are you taking your sword?"
  Nodoka shook her head.  "I do not think the hospital would
appreciate that."
  "Oh."
  There was a sudden rustling from the direction of the dojo.  Nodoka
and Kasumi turned towards the noise.  Akane appeared in the doorway,
"Nodoka-san", she asked, "may I please come along?"
  Nodoka smiled.  Perhaps seeing what had happened to Ranma might have
an effect on Akane's decision about the marriage.  She nodded.  "Very
well, Akane-chan.  Remember to behave yourself."
  Akane nodded a little too vigorously for Nodoka's taste.  She held
her hands tightly to the bag she was carrying, hiding the bento box
inside of it.  She had this strange feeling around her, but Nodoka
shrugged it off as nervousness..  Akane did have feelings for Ranma,
despite what practically everyone else said.

.... 

  Ranma sat in her bed, waiting for the nurse to return.  She woke up
early in the morning at the hospital.  She felt as though she had just
woken up from falling asleep the night before, but she was in a
hospital.  Stranger still were all the doctors running around like
madmen.  They were acting like someone had never woken up from
sleeping before.  What was strangest of all was the fact that she
could not for the life of her remember anything at all beyond waking
up this morning.  She did have a crystal ring on her left hand, and
she refused to allow the doctors to take it off.  They happily agreed,
and she asked them what was going on.
  They started with her name, Saotome Ranma, which she immediately
disliked.  The doctors seemed a bit surprised at this, but she
complained that whoever named her "wild horse" was obviously a fool at
best.  Finally, a doctor named Kato Akira had entered the room, and
filled her in on the details as best he could.  Her father was Saotome
Genma, her mother Saotome Nodoka.  She frowned at her father's name,
but understood how she came to be named from him.  She wondered what
kind of man was named "disorderly horse."  Japanese names had a
tendancy to match the people they were attached to rather well.
  She also learned from what they were saying that she had amnesia -
perhaps permanently.  That scared the hell out of her, but somehow she
took it in stride.  She wasn't going to tell the doctor that, though.
She disliked being in hospitals and doctors in general, but would do as
they said.
  A nurse entered the room, and Ranma watched her for a few long
minutes.  The nurse was named Kikuchi Ami, and Ranma took a quick liking
to her.  Their first moments together were a bit embarrasing, as Ranma
had apparently forgotten what being a woman was like.  Ranma managed to
get the hang of it rather quickly, and Ami was very helpful to her.
Those problems quickly formed a bond between the two women.
  Ranma sat in the hospital room, rather bored.  The woman next door
had a newborn daughter, so she visited with her for a bit, but she
needed to sleep.  Ranma hated being alone, and she hoped that Ami would
return soon.  She heard a knock on her door, and Ami stepped inside.
Ranma smiled.
  "Good morning, Ami-san."
  "Good morning, Ranma-chan.  I have something for you."
  "You do?"
  "Hai, your parents are coming by later on in the morning.  The
doctors are going to release you."
  "So soon?  Don't they want to keep me around?"
  "You'll be returning often for therapy, of course.  They can run
tests on you then."
  "Okay."  She smiled.  "What did you bring me?"
  "I brought you the clothes you wore when you arrived."
  "Ooh!  Can I see them?"
  Ami nodded.  "Hai, but I don't think you'll like them."
  Ranma frowned, and saw the clothes in question.  She blinked.
"What?  No bra?  No panties?  What gives?"
  Ami shrugged.  "I have no idea."
  "I can't wear those!"
  "Then what will you wear?"
  Ranma sighed.  What kind of person was she?  What would her parents
expect from her?  She shook her head, and looked at Ami.  "What do I
do?"
  Ami smiled sadly.  "Usually, we try to tell the parents that the
patient has changed permanently, and they have to get used to the new
person."
  "Good, because I'm not wearing that stuff."
  Ami paused.  "You don't have much choice."
  Ranma sighed.  "Look," she said.  "You know that my period started
this morning.  I can't leave without at least a pair of panties!"
  Ami nodded.  "You're right, you know."
  Ranma looked at Ami.  "Can you do me a favor, please?"
  "There is only so much I can do."
  "Was there any money in my pockets?"
  "Hai, there was."
  "Please then, go out and buy me some underwear.  We can figure out
my size, you've told me how."
  "I can't go and just.." she paused.  "I can ask the doctor.  We may
have something for you to wear."
  Ranma made a face.  "Ick.  I can't wear hospital clothes, those
things chafe badly."
  "May be your parents can do it for you." 
  Ranma sighed.  "I'll wait then.  I don't have much choice, do I?"
  "Be patient, please."
  Ranma got out of bed.  "Oh, very well.  I need to go to the bathroom."
  "I'll clean up while you're gone."
  "Thanks a lot.  I hate to see you cleaning up my mess."
  Ami laughed.  "That's my job!"
  "Still, you deserve better."
  Ami blushed.  "Thank you, but don't worry about me."
  "Okay. Goodbye."
  "Bye."  Ranma left the room.
  Ami smiled to herself.  Ranma was such a sweet girl that she felt
badly about her losing her memory.  Doctors and nurses were not
supposed to get emotionally involved with the patients, but Ami was
more of a physical therapist than an actual nurse.  Bonds happened
more regularly there.  It was Kato's idea to pair her with Ranma, and
she quickly thanked him for doing it.  The poor girl needed a mother
more than anything right now.  Ami would see what she could do about
getting some underwear for her.

  Ranma walked down the hall, on her way to the bathroom.  On her way
there, she passed a brown haired girl wearing a fuku.  "Excuse
me," the girl asked.
  "Yes?"  replied Ranma.
  "Would you know the way to room 513?"
  "Down the hallway and turn left."
  "Gomen," the girl replied.  "This was the closest bathroom.  Thank
you."
  "Not a problem."

....

  Nodoka, Akane and Kasumi arrived at the hospital about one hour
after leaving the dojo.  Nodoka was a bit worried.  While Kasumi was
as calm and collected as always, which was a bit too much for Nodoka's
tastes, Akane was absolutely giddy and could not sit still.
  Nodoka was concerned about Akane's well being.  While she knew that
Akane had some feelings for her son, the girl had an unusual way
of expressing them.  The entire Tendo Family to a certain point had
pecularities, but Akane was the one who was directly involved with her
son.  Nodoka wanted to see them married, but realized that Akane's and
Ranma's relationship needed to change drastically.  Akane at times was
far too unladlylike, and the two of them did not get along at all when
she showed that side of her personality.
  It would have helped had Soun been along as well, but he was
probably still crying back at the dojo.  Genma had no excuse, except
for the fact that he didn't want to face either her or his son.
Nodoka decided that it could not be too hard to convince her that she
was a he, what with the curse and all.
  Nodoka stepped into the hospital, Akane and Kasumi coming up behind
her.  She headed up to the front desk.  "Excuse me?"
  "Hello and good morning.  How many I help you?" 
  "I am here to see my daughter, Saotome Ranma." 
  The woman at the desk nodded.  "Hai.  I'll page Kato-sensei.  Please
wait."
  Nodoka nodded.  "Than you." 
  A minute later, she heard the call though the hospital's paging
system.  "Kato-sensei, please come to the front desk.  Kato-sensei,
please come to the front desk."
  About five minutes later, Kato arrived at the reception desk.  He
saw Saotome Nodoka standing at the desk.  "Saotome Nodoka?" he asked.
  "Hai.  How did you know?  How is my daughter?"
  Kato smiled.  "Kato Akira.  She looks just like you, and she is
doing just fine, all things considered."
  "Meaning?" 
  "Meaning that she is in high spirits despite not remembering
anything at all.  Most patients are usually depressed on learning that
they have amnesia."
  "That is a good thing.  Can we go see her?" 
  He nodded.  "Follow me."  He looked back at Akane and Nabiki.  "Are
they friends of hers?"
  Nodoka paused.  "Hai."
  Kasumi smiled, and Akane giggled happily.  Kato glanced at Akane,
but said nothing.  "Let's get going."
  Nodoka paused for a second.  "There have been no problems?" 
  "None at all."
  Nodoka frowned.  The hospital should have found out by now.
Something was going on that she didn't know about, and it made her
uneasy.

  Nodoka, Kasumi and Akane followed Doctor Kato up to Ranma's room on
the fifth floor.  Kato paused before entering.  "I want to talk to her
a few minutes before you entered.  Please remember that the odds on
her remembering anything from before her accident are very very slim.
You need to make the effort to treat her for what she is now, not what
she was.  Otherwise, things will get out of hand very quickly."
  Nodoka grimaced.  This was definitely not a good thing.
"Kato-sensei," she asked, "were there any problems with giving her a
bath?"
  Kato paused.  Now that was an odd question to be asked.  "None at
all.  The nurses had no trouble with her.  Why do you ask?"
  Nodoka shook her head.  "Never mind that I asked."
  Kato entered the door, as a nurse walked up to the trio.  She smiled
as she looked at Nodoka.  "Kikuchi Ami.  I am going to be Ranma's
therapist for the next few months."
  Nodoka smiled.  "Saotome Nodoka.  Is there anything I can do for my
daughter?"
  Ami smiled.  "People always ask that question.  Right now, there is
one and only one thing which you are to do.  Ranma-chan needs a
mother, plain and simple.  When she woke up, she had forgotten
everything about being a woman.  That made things difficult."
  A sweatdrop fell down the back of Nodoka's head.  "Err, how so?"
  "She's in the middle of her period right now."
  Nodoka nodded while trying to repress a shudder.  Kasumi simply
smiled, while Akane looked quite angry at the news.  Nodoka was too
occupied with Ami to notice Akane's reaction.

  Ranma looked up as Kato entered the room.  "Ranma-chan," he said.
"Your mother is here, along with a few of your friends."
  "Okay, I am ready.  Please send them in."
  Kato nodded, and opened the door.  Nodoka stepped into the room.
Ranma did not remember her mother, but the woman in front of her
looked so much like her that there was no question.  She smiled.
"Okaasan."
  Nodoka nodded, and walked over to Ranma.  Ranma hugged her mother
tightly, and Nodoka was overcome with grief for a moment.. but she
couldn't get over feeling the bra that her "daughter" was now wearing.
  Kasumi was the next one through the door.  Ranma looked at Kasumi,
who was smiling at her.  Ranma immediately thought of how nice she
was, and wondered how she knew that.  True, the woman practically
radiated it, but somehow Ranma felt that she could trust her.
Finally, Akane entered the room.  The hair on the back of Ranma's neck
immediately jumped straight up, and Ranma had to repress a feeling of
fright when seeing her.  The strange smile on Akane's face only made
her more wary.

.... 

  Yokho entered the room of her cousin after returning from the
bathroom.  She smiled as she walked in.  "So Mina, she began, what is
this about Nerima that I've been hearing?"
  "What do you mean?" 
  Yokho grinned.  "All these martial artists running around.. there
has to be a reason for them, right?"
  Mina sighed.  Yohko's obession with studying other martial arts
could go too far sometimes.  "Half of them want to bed some guy called
Saotome Ranma.  The other half want to kill him."
  "Wow, that is pretty silly." 
  "It's even sillier than you could think.  He's got some kind of
curse on him, which he picked up in China."
  "Curse?" 
  "Hai.  He turns into a woman when he gets wet." 
  "Cool!  Err, I mean how strange." 
  Mina laughed.  "Damn you Yohko.  If you aren't obsessed with martial
arts, you're obsessed with the wierd and supernatural."
  She grinned.  "Of course."  She paused for a second.  "He turns into
a girl?"
  Mina nodded.  "Hai.  Kuno Tatewaki and his sister Kodachi are
obsessed with both halves.  They both want to marry one and kill the
other."
  "Now this sounds so funky!"  She lowered her voice.  "How do the
other girls feel about his changing?"
  Mina sighed.  "They won't call him a pervert to his face, but they
certainly believe that.  'One' of his 'fiancees' calls him a pervert
all the time."
  Yohko blinked.  Did she hear what she thought she heard?  "One of his
fiancees?  WHAT?"
  Mina nodded.  "His father is a pathetic excuse for a human being who
engaged him multiple times.  Ranma himself seems to dislike all of
them."
  "They're not bothered by his 'curse'?"
  Mina shrugged.  "I don't know, to be truthful."
  Yohko paused for second, thinking.  "What is he like to have all
these people after him?"
  Mina grinned.  "The guy is an obsessive jerk, rude, insensitive,
without tact or manners.  He's definitely not a letch, but he is a
wimp when it comes to women.  Some of those women have been rumored to
have jumped him naked in the tub."
  Yohko laughed.  "I should have came here a long time ago!  So you'd
change in the same room with 'her'?"
  Mina turned red.  "That won't happen."
  "You haven't answered my question."
  "I'm not going to."
  "Hmph.  You're no fun."
  "You pry too much sometimes."
  Yohko shrugged.  "I like gossip."  Her voice dropped.  "Not that I'd
tell anyone what you said to me."
  "Hai, you are honest about keeping secrets."

.... 

  Kato called Nodoka over to him after she had a few minutes of
conversation with Ranma.  "You see?  She's happier than one would
expect given the situation."
  Nodoka nodded, still rattled a bit.  "I find that interesting."
Nodoka knew quite well how Ranma acted when he pretended to be Akane's
cousin Ranko..  but even as 'Ranko' Ranma still showed most of his manly
qualities.  This girl absolutely lacked any of them.
  Kato walked out into the hallway just outside the door, and Nodoka
followed him lost in thought and forgot about Akane..

  Akane smiled at Ranma.  "Hello!  My name is Tendo Akane!"
  "My name is Tendo Kasumi, Ranma." 
  Akane glared at Kasumi for a second, and then returned her attention
to Ranma, smiling again.  Ranma smiled rather fearfully.  "Hello."
  Akane brought her bag in front of her, and dug through it.  "I
brought you breakfast," she said, opening up the bento box.
  Ranma frowned.  "That's ok," she replied.  "I am not that hungry.
Besides which, it is almost lunch time anyway."
  "I made it especially for you!  I am an excellent cook." 
  Ranma sighed.  "Very well, I'll try it." 
  Akane smiled happily, "Close your eyes!" 
  Ranma closed her eyes, but somehow she wasn't feeling to good about
the idea.  *Oh well,* she thought.  *It's only food.  How bad can it
be?*
  Akane happily stuck a spoon into the bento box, ignoring the fact
that the stuff started to dissolve the shine of the spoon on contact.
Kasumi just stood by the side of the bed, saying nothing.

  Akane stuck the spoon into Ranma's open mouth.  Ranma's eyes went
wide, and she gagged immediately on whatever Akane had placed into her
mouth.  Ranma immediately started to cough and throw up, and Akane
reacted the only way she knew how.  "RANMA NO BAKA!" she screamed as she
pulled her hammer out and prepared to bash Ranma's head in.
  Kato heard the scream, and jumped into the doorway.  His patient was
heaving on the bed, and one of the two girls was about to smash her
head open with a mallet!  Kato quickly leapt forward trying to tackle
Akane, but Akane spun around and aimed the mallet at Kato.  Kato knew
right then and there that there was a very good chance that the girl
in front of him would kill him.  "Akane!"  Nodoka stated rather
forcefully.  "Stop it right now!"
  Akane froze in mid strike, and the hammer dropped from her hands.
She was barely able to mutter an apology before collapsing in tears.
Kato shook his head as he saw her collapse, while Kasumi simply smiled
happily like she always did.

  "Halt!"  Came the yell from the door.  "Tokyo Police!"  A fully
clothed police officer stood ready, his nighstick held up.  Nodoka
panicked as she looked at the officer, but Kasumi spoke up.  "Gomen,"
she stated.  "Everything is fine now.  Thank you for the help."
  The cop blinked twice, looking around the room.  The doctor was
sprawled out on the floor, the girl on the bed dry heaving, while the
girl sitting in front of him was crying with a huge mallet on the
ground to her left, and a spilled bento box with a pasty white
substance oozing out of it on her right.  The cop sighed and lowred his
weapon, shaking his head.  "Whatever," he said as he walked out of
the room.

.... 

  Yohko was deep in conversation with her cousin Mina, when she heard
the screams down the hallway.  Mina gasped, but Yohko bolted out the
room and looked around the hallway.  She saw the police officer
standing by the door down the hall, and wondered what was going on.
She paused, and walked back into her cousin's room after a minute of
hesitation, not wanting to get in trouble with the police.
  Mina looked up as Yohko reentered the room.  "What happened?" she
asked.
  Yohko pouted.  "I have no clue whatsoever.  There is a police officer
just down the hall talking to some people."  She paused.  "This is a
strange town."
  Mina grinned.  "It's Nerima!"
  Yohko laughed.  "I should move here."
  Mina chuckled.  "You'd be lost in the shuffle of martial artists who
run through the town regularly."
  Yohko shrugged.  "Fine by me, I'll just make myself known."
  Mina smiled.  "You're weird."
  Yohko grinned.  "Thanks!"

....

  Everyone had more or less settled down in Ranma's room.  Kato idly
wondered why he still lived in Nerima.  Sure, the hospital and building
contractors were making quite a bit of money with excellent benefits,
but after watching the near lunacy unfold in front of him, he decided
that maybe he would be better off moving back to Kyoto.
  Nodoka was talking to the police officer in the hallway, while a
cleaning and decontamination crew came in to clear out the pasty white
substance lying all over the floor.  While Akane's mystery white stuff
was utterly unedible, the cleaning crew found out that it did wonders
for clearing hazardous agents out of the air.  Akane sat in the
corner, miffed that her culinary creation was being used for something
as insulting as a decontamination agent.  At least Nodoka was kind
enough not to tell the crew the origin of the mysterious substance.
Kasumi smiled at the contamination crew as they came in, then headed
down the hallway to talk to the officer's wife, who was nursing a
newborn daughter.
  Nodoka was quite relieved of the situation.  While Akane was at first
in danger of being arrested for assult and attempted murder with an
illegal substance, Nodoka was able to bargain with the officer though
the people in the hospital, using Akane's creation as a bribe. Akane
would go free, and the hospital would get the rights to the stuff Akane
had created.  Nodoka also hastily explained that Akane was not behaving
normally due to the circumstances, and the doctors agreed with her side
of the story.
  Nabiki would have been proud of the deal Nodoka made. Most of the
researchers on the staff were quite excited to use this substance to
clean out contaminated hospital rooms.. it did wonders on airborne
viruses and such.
  Ami had taken Ranma out of the room, wanting to talk to the girl in
private.  Nodoka was happy that Ranma had already bonded to the
therapist, but was worried as well about what kind of ideas she was
placing into Ranma's head.  Nodoka would see her son returned to her,
one way or another.
  Nodoka unfortunately neglected to take Ranma's feelings about Akane
into account, or she would have noticed the look of hatred the red
head had for Akane as she walked out with Ami.  Akane got angry very
quickly, but did nothing with Nodoka and the officer right outside the
door.  Akane was upset at what her fiancee had become.
  Kato walked up to Nodoka, musing.  "You know," he started, "I had
wondered why Ono Tofuu had requested this room after looking at the
registry."
  Nodoka paused.  "Tofuu-sensei had Ranma placed here?"
  "Hai.  Apparently he knew about the wife of the police officer who
is in the room next door."
  Nodoka laughed out loud.  Finally, something in this crazy mixed up
world made sense for a change.  She would have to thank Tofuu-sensei
when she had a chance to.  Having the police officer nearby would
greatly alleviate any future problems with unwanted visitors.  She was
fortunate that Akane actually respected her enough to listen when she
shouted out earlier.  Had Akane actually continued on her attack,
things could have easily gotten out of hand.

  Kasumi returned just then, a smile on her face.  Nodoka looked up at
Kasumi.  "What is it, Kasumi?"
  "Ranma-chan is back," she replied.
  Nodoka did not like the use of that honorific at all.  Akane
likewise looked upset at the name.  Ranma absolutely hated being
called that by anyone, and Happosai easily invoked Ranma's wrath time
and time again for calling him that and treating him like a girl.
  Ami and Ranma stepped into the room.  Nodoka and Akane both
facefaulted at the sight, their fingers in the "warding of demons"
position.  Kasumi simply continued to smile, and Kato wondered what
on Earth was going on, but knew better than to ask considering the
sanity of the people in the room.

  Ranma looked very unlike the old Ranma.  She stood quietly at the
door, dressed in a brown fuku with a white blouse and a black
tie underneath.  She wore black tights on her legs and simple black
loafers on her feet, and for a short time had looked happy in her new
outfit.
  Ranma inwardly smiled at Akane's reaction.  She had a healthy
dislike for the short haired girl right now, and seriously hoped that
she would not have to deal with her for very long.  Kami forbid if she
had to share a room with her!  Ranma was very dissapointed at her
mother's reaction, though.  She had hoped that her mother would be
happy upon seeing her out of bed so quickly.
  Ami wondered why Nodoka and Akane reacted the way they did, and
suddenly became worried.  Something was not right here, she'd seen
this situation too many times in the past.  She bent down to Ranma and
whispered in the girl's ear, "Don't let them dissapoint you." she
hissed.  "They may not be able to adjust to who you are."
  Ranma nodded quietly, a bit sad.  "I just want my mother to be
happy."
  "I understand, but please, watch out for yourself.  I've seen this
happen before, with disasterous consequences."

  Nodoka and Akane recovered, Akane first.  Akane looked at Ranma, a
very angry and hurt expression on her face, and Ranma glared right
back at her.  She was not about to let that girl get away with what
she had done.  Nodoka, on the other hand, had an expression of fear on
her face, and Ranma wondered what was going on.  "Okasaan?" she began.

  Nodoka could not believe what had happened.  This made things all
the more difficult, but she vowed inwardly to get her son back, no
matter the cost.  "Hai, Ranma...chan."
  Ami noticed the pause, and was really confused.  Something was
definitely amiss here.. she knew that Nodoka was eloquent in her
Japanese, and pauses like that were very unusual.  There was little
she could say about it now, though.  Ranma walked over to her mother.
"Is everything fine?"
  Nodoka nodded.  "Hai.  This.. isn't easy for me."
  Ranma hugged her mother.  "I'll try my best to help."
  Nodoka shivered, but regained her composure.  "Let's get going.
Your father is waiting."
  Ranma nodded, and the four of them left the room, heading home.

  Ami walked over to Kato, watching the four women leave.  "Something
is wrong here, I can feel it."
  Kato nodded.  "Something is always wrong.  We simply have to try our
best to get them through it."
  "I hope nothing bad happens to that girl."

- Chapter 3 -

  Today there was a rather quiet morning at Furikan high school. 
Neither Ranma nor Akane had appeared for class, and no one knew anything
about what had happened to them.  Hinako simply stated that the two were
delinquents who had obviously skipped school and little else.  Most of
the class was rather grateful that the two had not appeared today.  It
was fun to watch the fiasco which revolved around the two of them for a
while.  When it continued on day after day with no end in sight, some of
the students in the class started to wish that they would conviently
disappear for a while, especially with exams edging closer and closer.
At this time of year, the two were a distraction more than anything
else.

....

  Kuno Tatewaki sat at his desk, dissapointed with the morning's turn of
events.  He had nearly managed to succumb to one of his sister's simpler
attempts at poisoning him.  What had caused him to have such a mental
lapse he did not know.  Kuno then waited at the school gates, waiting
for the wild and beauteous Tendo Akane and the fair and lovely
pig-tailed one.  He had hoped that today would finally be the day when
they declared their love for him.
  Alas, neither of the two had shown up.  The foul sorceror Saotome
Ranma was also absent, and Kuno wondered if his pig-tailed one was in
danger due to the cur's absence.  Kuno sat in class, pondering what to
do.  As the minutes ticked on, he finally arrived at a solution:  As
much as it wounded him, he would consult with one Tendo Nabiki - sister
to one of the women he loved.  Perhaps she would know where his two
loves were this morning?

....

  Kuonji Ukyou sat quietly in class, wondering what was going on with
Ranma and Akane.  It was unlike Akane to skip class, and even Ranma
would show up every day, even if he did manage to spend quite a bit of
time sleeping in class.  Ukyou ran through her mind the possible reasons
why the two would miss school.
  Could Genma and Soun have tried to rig up another impromptu wedding
for Ranma and Akane?  She got very angry at the thought, but remembered
that Nodoka had promised to settle all the problems with Ranma's
"fiancees," and to delay the wedding until then.  Saotome Nodoka, unlike
the pathetic excuse for a human that Genma was, kept her word and
actually could be trusted.  Ukyou actually found it amazing that someone
in that family could be so honorable.  Ranma was honorable, but he
twisted his honor very badly at times.
  So a marriage was not likely to happen any time soon.  Then what could
it be?  Could Ranma have gotten into another fight with someone?  The
few times Ranma actually avoided school, it was strangely enough never
by his choice. Someone usually interrupted, and Akane always got herself
involved. Ukyou smiled as she remembered how Akane would manage to get
herself kidnapped quite frequently, but then she frowned as she realized
how Ranma went after her every single time.  She sighed.  Somehow, Akane
managed to get herself involved with Ranma all of the time. Regardless
of what happened, Akane was right there in the middle of it.  Ukyou
sighed, and tried to pay attention to what Hinako-sensei was saying.

....

  The four women left the hospital, slowly walking down the street. The
sun was nearing its apex point, the spring day quite warm.  Saotome
Nodoka was in the lead, with Tendo Akane at her side. The two were
involved in a conversation, trading words back and forth quietly.  Tendo
Kasumi followed quietly behind them, giving no signs as to whether or
not she was actively listening to the conversation. Neither Nodoka nor
Akane were concerned about this, as this was quite normal for Kasumi.
  Behind the three women, following about five feet away, was Saotome
Ranma.  She was walking rather slowly, dragging the group along.  Her
excuse to Nodoka was that she wanted to see where they were walking
through, but in reality she was worried about the conversation that
she was deliberately being excluded from.  She found it strange how the
group's treatment of her was not happy.  They were in fact very reserved
since leaving the hospital, saying little to her, and Ranma did not like
that one bit.
  Eventually, the group arrived at the train station.  Nodoka and
Akane walked up to the ticket window, while Ranma remained standing a
short distance away, pretending to study the map of the train system.
Kasumi walked over to Ranma.  "Do you want to know where we'll be
getting off, Ranma-chan?"
  Ranma nodded quietly, happy that someone had finally broken the
silence with her.  She just wished that Kasumi showed any semblance of
awareness.  Her pretending that things going on did not exist was very
disconcerting.  If the incident in the hospital room was any indication,
things were not all happy now.  She looked up at Kasumi, who continued
to smile.  "Hai."
  Kasumi promptly decided to describe Nerima in detail, pointing out
all the various sections: The food districts, the neighborhoods, the
location of where the carnival set up whenever it was around.  She was
hoping to help Ranma remember something, but the girl just nodded at
whatever she said, not making any connections at all.
  Nodoka frowned as she watched Kasumi try to stir Ranma's memories.
Perhaps the doctor was right in saying that she may never remember
anything.  Still, they had to try something.  Her family's honor was at
stake.
  The tickets were purchased, and the group boarded the train.  Ranma
found a group of seats facing each other next to a window, and promptly
sat down.  Kasumi sat down next to her, continuing her lessons on
Nerima.  Nodoka and Akane both walked up to the seats, and quietly sat
down, watching Ranma.  Ranma continued to nod at Kasumi while turning to
look out the window. Occasionally, she would glance at her mother, but
turn quickly back to the window.  Nodoka did not have a happy expression
on her face at all, a look mirrored by Akane.  Nodoka realized how
unhappy Ranma was, but resolved to set everything straight once they got
home.
  The train pulled slowly out of the station a few minutes later,
accelerating quickly.  About five minutes later, all that could be
seen outside the window was a blur, as the train shot down the
tracks.  Ranma sighed and leaned back in her seat, eyes closed.
Nodoka chose that moment to stand up.  "I'm going to the rest room,"
she stated, and started to walk down the train car.
  Akane immediately jumped up and followed her.  "Hold on, I need to
go as well."
  Ranma did not react at all to the pair's leaving.. until they had
left the passenger car.  She immediately sat up, looking at Kasumi.
Kasumi nodded.  "Yes, Ranma-chan?"
  Ranma paused for a fraction of a second.  The direct approach was
best.  "What is going on?"
  "What do you mean?"
  Ranma snorted.  "Don't play stupid.  Something is very strange
around here.  I feel like I am not wanted."
  "That is not true, Ranma-chan."
  "My mother hasn't exactly happy to see me."
  "Ranma-chan!  Your mother loves you very much."
  "So what is it then?"
  "Don't worry, everything will be fine.  Why don't I tell you
about.."
  Ranma sighed, and leaned back into her seat.  She closed her eyes.
Kasumi was not going to be giving her any answers, that was for
certain.  She noted with some concern that Kasumi had not mentioned
the rest of her family or any of her friends to her at all.  She was
putting too much of an emphasis on places rather than people.

  Nodoka and Akane continued to walk through the train, reaching the
car with the bathrooms, but they walked right past them.  Nodoka
finally halted two cars away from Kasumi and her "daughter".  Akane
walked up behind her.  "Nodoka-san," she started, "what can we do?"
  Nodoka shook her head.  "I don't know.  She should have warmed up to
Kasumi by now.  Instead, she seems to be taking a dislike to her."
  Akane frowned.  "That _is_ unusual.  No one ever has a reason not to
like Kasumi."
  Nodoka nodded.  "She isn't paying attention to anything Kasumi says
any more.. nothing is causing any kind of recognition."
  Akane sighed.  "If she doesn't recognize the are we're in, then what
can we do?"
  Nodoka smiled.  "We'll just have to wait until we get home to
explain anything."
  Akane paused.  "There isn't a chance that she would believe anything
we say?"
  Nodoka grinned evilly.  "Nothing a little hot water couldn't fix."
  "Hai!  We have to wait until we get home, though.  Trying it here
would cause a scene."
  Nodoka nodded.  "All the more reason to say as little as possible
now.  We need proof for our story to work."
  The two women then started to plan on how to "reaquaint" Ranma with
her surroundings and family.

  Ranma sneezed.  Kasumi looked at Ranma.  "Feeling ill, Ranma-chan?"
  Ranma shook her head.  "Something in the air, I think."

  Akane and Nodoka returned a short time later to the seats.  Ranma
had fallen asleep, and Kasumi sat quietly, watching the blurry images
outside the train's window.  She looked up and smiled when Nodoka and
Akane sat back down.  "Enjoy your trip?"
  Akane nodded.  "Very much so.  Train travel makes me queasy
sometimes."

....

  Ukyou looked up from her studies, around the classroom.  Hinako-sensei
was continuing to lecture on, happy for once that there were no
disturbances this day.  Most of the students were actually paying
attention.  The classroom looked so much like a regular classroom that
it was scary.  She looked up at the clock.  Lunch time was edging closer
and closer, but nowhere near fast enough for her tastes.  Ukyou could
not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
  Finally, the lunch bell rang, signalling the end of the morning class.
Ukyou slowly got out of her seat, trying to figure out if there was
anything she could do.  She walked out into the hallway, about to head
for her yatai, which Konatsu set up for her during lunch time when she
saw Tendo Nabiki down the hallway.  Ukyou paused.  Nabiki always knew
what was going on.  There was rarely a time when she did not know.. but
Ukyou decided that she would not pay Nabiki to find out what the girl
knew.  It simply was not worth the humiliation and money to deal with
Tendo Nabiki.  Ukyou continued to walk towards the outside grounds, when
another voice caused her to freeze.
  "Tendo Nabiki-san!"
  Ukyou whirled around, and started to walk rapidly back down the
hallway.  She _knew_ that voice, knew the person who was behind it.  She
watched as Nabiki turned towards the person who spoke.
  "Hai, Kuno-chan?"
  "I must speak with thee, Tendo Nabiki-san."
  "Very well, Kuno-chan.  Today is a special price."
  Kuno grumbled, and nodded.  "Very well, Tendo-san.  Anything to learn
the wearabouts of my beauteous Tendo Akane."
  "Follow me, Kuno-chan."

  Ukyou wanted to chase after them right then and there, but knew if
Nabiki saw her, there was no chance the girl would tell Kuno anything.
She ducked into a classroom, trying to figure out what to do.  She
fumed, not knowing at all how to get the information without Nabiki
realizing..  Then it hit her!  "Konatsu!" she breathed, startling the
students around her.  Ukyou did not care in the least.  For once the
damned shinobi would be worth something.. _he_ knew how to get around
without being seen, and he could be trusted to relay the information to
her.  Ukyou opened the window and jumped out, landing quickly.  She
broke into a dead run towards her yatai, grinning evilly.  Nabiki would
not get away with robbery _this_ time.

....

  Tendo Nabiki walked along the hallway, calmly and collectively.  Kuno
Tatewaki, the human idiot and infinite money pool walked along beside
her.  She pointedly ignored whatever he was saying for the time being,
focused instead on how much money she could make off of the information
she knew.  If it weren't for Kuno's money, Nabiki would have never had
anything to do with him.
  Nabiki walked off the school grounds, Kuno following like an obedient
servant.  Nabiki inwardly wished Kuno was just a tad smarter.  Perhaps
then he would actually be interesting to do business with.  Nabiki
wasn't too dissapointed at Kuno's lack of intelligence.. free money was
very hard to come by these days.
  After walking two blocks, heading towards her favorite ice cream shop,
Kuno finally lost his patience.  "Nabiki-san," he entoned, "tell me what
thou know about Tendo Akane and the pig-tailed one."
  Nabiki smiled to herself as Kuno spoke up.  Two blocks was a record
for his silence.  "In due time, Kuno-chan.  I am a bit hungry right
now."
  Kuno sighed.  "Very well, Nabiki-san.  After you eat, I will have my
answers."

  The two entered the store, and Nabiki proceeded to order the most
expensive ice cream in the place.  She was kind of dissapointed that she
had only an hour for lunch.. otherwise she could have easily gotten more
money off of Kuno.

  Kuno watched Nabiki eat, and waited until she was done.  To interrupt
her in the middle of a meal was to court disaster in trying to learn the
information one needed.  Finally, she finished.  Kuno nodded, and wasted
no time in beginning.  "What does thou know, Nabiki-san?"
  Nabiki smiled, quite full.  "Now, Kuno-chan," she began, "this
information is worth quite a bit of money.  I should charge you for just
being able to discuss this with me."
  Kuno sighed.  "Dispense with the formalities, Nabiki-san.  Tell me
what I wish to know."
  Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  Kuno was being much more forward than usual
today, not that it would make any difference in the end.  "If you so
insist, Kuno-chan.  It will cost you 20,000 yen to hear what I have to
say."
  Kuno jumped up.  "That is most unfair, Nabiki-san.  To charge such for
mere words.. you wound me."
  Nabiki laughed.  "You have no choice in this matter, Kuno-chan."
  Kuno sat down, ego deflated.  "Hai," he replied.  "Tis true.  Very
well woman, 20,000 yen it is."  Kuno opened up his wallet, and handed
the money over to Nabiki.
  Nabiki smiled.  She _knew_ Kuno would enjoy the news, and as a result,
she could raise the price of anything she sold to him.  "Ranma is in the
hospital."
  Kuno smiled.  "Good news, true, but how is this different from other
such times in the past?"
  Nabiki paused.  Kuno was thinking today.. perhaps the only time he had
ever actually done so.   "Akane was the one who put him there."

  Kuno could not believe what he had just heard.  Tendo Akane had
finally rebelled against the foul sorceror Saotome and was now free to
declare her love for him!  He leapt straight up, onto the table.  "Tis
joyous news!" he screamed.  "Nabiki-san, I am forever greatful."  Kuno
looked around.  Tendo Nabiki was nowhere in sight, and the rest of the
patrons were looking at him strangely.  Kuno did not care, though.  He
had heard some of the best news in a long long time.

....

  Ukyou stood at her yatai for the entire lunch period, serving
customers.  While she appeared to be rather happy and outgoing as usual,
anyone who looked closely could see the irritation and frustration on
her face.  Konatsu had dropped off the yatai, true, but he himself was
nowhere to be found.  Ukyou did find a note from him, and it read:

"Gomen, Ukyou-sama.  Business was so high today at your resteraunt that
I could not afford to close it to personally come to Furikan.  I had
your Yatai delivered while I handled the business here.  I regret not
being there in person, but the profits we make today will more than make
up for it.
                  Konatsu."
                  
  *Profits indeed,* thought Ukyou to herself sadly.  *There are times
when money does not matter, but he could not have seen this coming.*
She sighed.  *Hopefully I am overreacting to this entire thing.*

....

  The train continued along for another hour or so.  Nodoka and Akane
sat quietly in their seats, watching Ranma sleep.  Akane particularly
felt turmoil whenever she laid her eyes on the woman that was once her
male fiancee.  She hoped that somehow it would be possible to get the
old Ranma back.  Perhaps if she treated him the same as she used to, he
might get his memory back and everything would be back to normal.. or at
least what passed for normal in Nerima anyway.
  Finally, the train pulled into the local station.  Ranma woke up as
the train was coming to a halt, and peered out the window.  She had
absolutely no clue where she was.  "Recognize anything?" asked Kasumi.
  Ranma shook her head.  "Nothing at all."
  Nodoka stood up.  "Time for us to return home."

  Akane and Kasumi stood up quickly, and Ranma slowly got to her feet.
She had this funny feeling that something was up, and wanted to delay
the inevitable as long as possible.  She followed her mother and the
two sisters out of the train station and through the neighborhood.
Nodoka and Akane suddenly took up a quick pace, and Ranma was forced
to hurry or she would be lost.  They continued to walk through Nerima
for a time, with Nodoka twisting and turning through streets.  Kasumi
cheerfully pointed out the buildings as they passed them, and she even
pointed at a large building which she called "Furikan High School,"
and stated that Ranma was a student there.  Ranma was curious about
the school, but was forced to keep up with her mother and the others
so she could not afford to stop even for a few minutes.  She caught up
to her mother quite easily, and stopped in front of her.  "Okaasan,"
she began.  "Can we please slow down?"
  Nodoka simply stepped around her daughter and kept going.  "No, not
until we get home."
  Ranma sighed.  "Why?  I want to look around where I used to live."
  Nodoka shook her head.  "I'll explain once we get home."
  Ranma frowned, and realized that she had no choice in the matter.
Her mother wasn't going to tell her anything until she was ready to.
Ranma wondered what all the fuss was about.

  Ten minutes later, they reached the Tendo residence.  Nodoka opened
the door, and quickly stepped inside.  Kasumi followed, and Ranma was
third, pushed inside by Akane.  She was not happy at all with the
treatment she was getting from the short haired girl called Akane.
After everyone was inside and the door closed, Nodoka finally breathed
a sigh of relief.  Ranma took a quick glance around the house.  A
flight of stairs, leading to the second floor.  An open doorway into a
kitchen, a short hallway leading to the bath, and a closed door,
leading to another room.  Kasumi walked into the kitchen while Ranma
continued to examine the house around her.  A few minutes later,
Kasumi returned from the kitchen.  She smiled.  "I'm preparing some
tea for us."
  Nodoka and Akane both smiled openly at Kasumi, who walked back into
the kitchen.  Ranma scratched her head, and returned to surveying the
house.  A foyer with a sliding screen which lead to the backyard.  A
path in the backyard led to an adjacent building, around a koi pond.
Ranma stared at the koi pond for a good two minutes.  She couldn't for
the life of her figure out why the damn pond was so important to her,
but couldn't help but keep looking at it.  Her eyes finally shifted,
to see an older man with long black hair sitting with his back to the
house, gazing into the backyard.  Nodoka spoke up.  "Tendo-san, Ranma
has returned from the hospital."
  Ranma knew from Nodoka's naming that this man was not her father.
She was curious why Nodoka left off the honorific, as her mother was
understood by her to follow a strict form of Japanese.  Kasumi spoke
up next.  "Come meet Ranma-chan, otousan," she said.
  The man stood up, spun around, and glomped Ranma, tears flowing from
his eyes.  "Oh, Ranma-kun," he began, "I am so happy to see you back
from the hospital."
  Ranma grimaced as she heard him address her.  "Ano," she replied
quietly, "I don't like being called that.  It is not polite."
  Soun's face turned from happiness to shock as he heard the voice.
He pulled back to look at Ranma, and started at the girl for a full
ten seconds.  She looked at him quizically.  Soun's eyes proceeded to
roll up into the back of his head, he collapsed onto the floor, stiff as
a board.  Kasumi simply smiled.  "Otousan always overreacts."
  Akane ran over to her father, grabbed a pillow and placing it under
his head.  "Hai," she began.  "He is very emotional since our mother
died."
  Ranma simply stared at the man in front of her.  She was almost
ready to scream in frustration because she had absolutely no clue what
was going on.  She spun, turning to face her mother.
  Ranma was about to open her mouth, when the front door opened,
revealing a panda.  A panda walking on its hind legs.  A panda
carrying what appeared to be a backpack.  A panda waving a sign with
the words "Good afternoon!" written on it in perfect Japanese.  Ranma
took a step back away from the panda as he stepped through the door
and into the living room.  She just stared at the panda who didn't act
anything like a panda.  The panda stared back at Ranma, and flipped
the sign over.  It read, "Ranma-kun?  Is that you?"
  Nodoka grinned at Ranko's reaction.  _Now_ it was time to begin.
She waved to Akane, who walked off into the kitchen, only to return
with the tea kettle.  Ranma looked at the tea kettle, and shook her
head.  "Thank you, but I am not thirsty."
 Nodoka simply laughed while taking the tea kettle from Akane.  She
walked over to the panda, and poured the contents on to him.  Ranma
watched in amazement as the panda transformed into a pudgy older man
with no hair on his head wearing wireframe glasses.  He was dressed in
a old and well worn white gi.  He began to cry immediately.  "Ranma!"
he began.  "My son!  What has happened to you?"
  Ranma looked shocked at the old man, while Nodoka walked over to
her.  "This man," she began, "is your father, Saotome Genma."  She
lifted the kettle over Ranma's head, who was too surprised to move.
"And you," she continued, "are Saotome Ranma, heir to the Anything
Goes martial art school and my son."  With that statement, Nodoka
dumped the kettle onto Ranma.
  Akane smiled as she watched Nodoka pour the water onto Ranma.  Now
she would have her fiancee back, and everything would be back to
normal.  Akane watched as the water cascaded over Ranma, expecting to
see the transformation.. and her jaw dropped in shock, and she fell
over.  Nodoka leapt back into the wall, an expression of fright on her
face.  Kasumi simply said, "Oh my."  Genma flat out fainted, joining
his old friend on the floor unconscious.

  Standing in the center of the room, Ranma looked around the room,
utterly and totally confused.  Turning towards Nodoka, Ranma asked,
"Ano, why did you do that?  You could have ruined my clothes."
  Ranma was wet, yes.  Ranma was still a woman.  She glanced down at
her clothing, upset that her mother would do something like that.
Nodoka recovered quickly.  "Ranma-kun," she asked, "what is going on?"
  Ranma looked at her mother.  "Okaasan, I think you owe me an
explanation.  What is going on here?"
  Nodoka sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.  She slowly walked
up the stairs, and motioned to Ranma.  "Follow me."
  Ranma nodded, and followed her mother.

  Nodoka stopped in front of a door, and opened it, revealing a room
with two futons against the wall.  A few pictures and odds and ends
lay on the dresser at the end of the room.  She motioned to Ranma
while picking up one of the pictures.  Nodoka sat down, tossing the
picture to Ranma, who caught it.  She glanced down at the picture, at
the young man smiling at the camera.  She looked back up at her
mother.  "Who is this?"
  Nodoka smiled sadly.  "That is _you_, Ranma-kun."
  Ranma shook her head.  "That's silly.  I am a woman, this is a man."
  "You were born male."
  "Impossible, I've looked in the mirror."
  Nodoka sighed.  "Your father took you on a long training trip when
you were five years old."  She closed her eyes.  "During that time,
you went over to China, to a cursed training grounds."
  "And?"
  "Both of you fell into the pools.  Your father fell into the spring
of drowned panda, while you, my _son_, fell into the spring of drowned
girl."
  "That can't be true."
  "Your father turns into a panda, ne?"
  "How does he manage to do that?"
  "Cold water curses you, hot water returns you back to normal."
  Ranma laughed.  "I've taken how many hot baths this morning?"  Her
voice lowered.  "Ami was there with me, to make sure nothing happened.
She'll agree with me."
  "Ranma-kun, you are not listening to your mother."
  Ranma grimaced.  "Look," she started.  "I've tried to be nice,
really.  This is starting to get a little out of hand."
  "Ranma-kun, listen to me."
  Ranma stood up, and walked out the door.  Nodoka followed her.
Ranma walked out into the hallway, and down the stairs.  She stopped
in the living room, her gaze fixed on the koi pond in the backyard.
Nodoka was angry now, and she walked over to the door, and picked up
the package she always carried with her.  Ranma did not say a word.
Nodoka moved over to her.  "Ranma-kun."
  Ranma continued to say nothing.  Akane walked over to the redhead.
"Ranma, pay attention to your mother."
  Ranma turned away from Akane, her gaze still fixed on the koi pond.
She closed her eyes.  "Why should I listen to you of all people?"
  Nodoka was furious.  All her plans were in jeopardy.  "Ranma-kun, do
not talk to your fiancee that way!"
  Ranma's eyes opened.  Her voice was as cold as ice.  "Fiancee?  Bad
enough that I have another woman as a fiancee," she turned to her
mother. "But you had to engage me to a homicidal maniac?"
  Akane's temper exploded.  "RANMA NO BAKA!"
  
  Kasumi whistled as she prepared dinner in the kitchen.  Akane's
voice echoed through the house, loud and clear.  A solid hit
immediately followed, with a splash soon after.  Kasumi smiled to
herself.  Things were returning to normal.  She stepped out of the
kitchen, carrying some fruit, intent on explaining the night's dinner.
Kasumi looked up, and immediately gasped, tossing the fruit
everywhere.  Nodoka was dumbfounded, her package slipping out of her
hands to come crashing down on the floor.  Akane's mallet lay on one
side of the living room.  Akane herself was floundering around in the
koi pond.
  Ranma stood quietly, looking at Akane, tears in her eyes.  She spun
towards the door and walked to it. She slowly put her shoes on while
speaking.  "All I wanted.." she stopped, choking on her tears.  "All I
wanted was to come home to some place safe where I could learn about
who I was."  She wiped the tears out of her eyes.  "Instead I find
myself in a house filled with lunatics who either don't give a damn
about my feelings, or are too stupid to even care."  She paused, and
whispered, "Even my mother.."  With that, Ranma ran out the door and
down the street.

  Nodoka slumped to the ground, shocked at what had just happened.
Ranma had hit Akane.  Not only did Ranma strike her fiancee, she
absolutely decked the girl.  Akane was still in shock over the
incident.  Nodoka closed her eyes for a few minutes, then slowly stood
up, wondering how things could have gone so horribly wrong.  Nodoka
looked down at the package she always carried.  Slowly, carefully, she
picked it up, turning it over and over.  Pain evident on her face, she
unwrapped the package she carried for so long.  The wrapping fell to
the floor, the katana revealed.  Nodoka released the sword from its
sheath, staring at the blade hard for several minutes.
  Nodoka's face contorted.  Ranma never hit Akane.  No matter how many
times Akane attacked Ranma, no matter how many times Ranma was at the
mercy of Akane's violence, he never struck her back, never deserted her.
 The person who left the Tendo dojo, who struck Akane, was not her son.
Was her son gone?  Would she ever see him again?  Nodoka realized that
she had gone about the situation incorrectly.  Kikuchi Ami's words
sprung to her mind, finally sinking in.  *Ranma needs a mother, plain
and simple.*  She realized that she should have tried to help Ranma
first, rather than push the responsibilities on his shoulders all at
once.  Now he was lost in Nerima, with nowhere to turn to.  Nodoka could
not understand why her son could not change back.  It made no sense at
all.. but she knew that she had to support Ranma regardless of what
happened.  Nodoka stood up, entering the Tendo residence.

  Akane sat in the koi pond, the chill of the water sinking into her
bones.  Akane had not fallen into the pond in years.  She lost count
of the number of times Ranma ended up in this very spot, whether by
her hand or by his father's.  For the better part of a year, she had
tried to impress her fiancee, but everything she did turned to ruin.
She tried to cook for him, but he insulted her cooking.  She tried to
give him gifts, but they backfired on her.  Akane never understood why
Ranma bothered with her, considering how many other more attractive
girls were chasing him around.  Shampoo, whose body was like something
out of a pinup magazine, with a personality to match.  Ukyou, who was
far closer to and nicer to Ranma than she could ever hope to be.  Yet
he stuck to her more stubbornly than any of the others.
  Akane simply couldn't get angry at the girl who was her fiancee.
She had spent a good portion of her life angry, after her mother had
died.  She resorted to beating things up to solve her problems.  It
worked with the boys at school, but it always failed once Ranma
arrived.  Ranma bounced back from her attacks all too quickly, and it
gave her an exuse to continue.
  Anger came easy to her, and she inflicted it on Ranma far too often.
Oh, once he had tried to stop her.  She became so enraged that she
nearly killed him.  Ranma _knew_ how dangerous she was while wearing
the dogi which gave her super strength, yet he tried to stop her from
hurting anyone.  She became incensed when he tried to take away her
"right" to hit him.
  What had Akane's anger done for her?  It had kept her and her
fiancee apart.. yet despite all of Ranma's faults, she had loved him.
All she had to do was tell him that.  All she did instead was listen
to her anger, attacking Ranma.  Sure, she had hit Ranma plenty of
times in the past, but he always shrugged it off with no problem.  Not
this time, it seemed.  Her luck finally ran out.  Ranma was finally
injured, perhaps permanently, as a result of her physical abuse.
  The tears that came from Akane's eyes were very bitter.  Yes, he had
insulted her cooking, done it regularly.  Despite all the insults and
problems between them, he stuck by her side against all the odds
trying to break them apart.  What was worse was that she had attacked
Ranma again, despite the previous result.  Now Ranma absolutely hated
her, and it was all her fault.  Ranma had done nothing to her, yet
Akane assumed the worst again.  She had allowed her anger to control
her reactions again.
  Akane stood up, and stepped out of the koi pond.  She had made some
bad mistakes, but if she found Ranma..  maybe she could start to make
up for her mistakes.