Prelude: The calm before the storm

	The scene of this story opens upon the town of Nerima, Japan. As the sun broke through the clouds, another peaceful dawn arrived to greet the "eventful town". As the early risers set out about their business, they all kept an ear out towards the direction of the Tendo household. 

	The common thought on all their minds was: "what's going to set it off today."

	A splashing sound could be heard followed by: "Get up boy, you've been too lazy lately, it's time to whip you back into shape."

	Ranma Saotome wiped the cold water from her eyes as she shook off the effects of another rude awakening, ignoring the threats and curses of the big man standing beside she. 

	Genma Saotome looked down on his "son" as he yelled out the traditional insults. While Genma's mouth was berating Ranma for being all the things that Ranma was, his heart couldn't help but feel pride for his boy, his student, among the best in the new generation of martial artists. 

	He also felt a bit worried because the boy had not been his normal self lately. He knew Ranma's reaction time all too well and Ranma normally would have knocked him into the koi pond outside by now. The boy had also seemed more withdrawn overall; he even walked away from an argument with Akane the other day. 

	Genma's thoughts was cut off as Ranma's leg shot out in an attempt to catch his mid-section. Caught off guard, the teacher decided to give his student a real wake up call. Genma took a deep breath and slightly moved his body while shooting up his right hand in an attempt to grab Ranma's foot.

	Whatever drowsiness left in Ranma evaporated when she realized what her father was trying to do. Ranma was feeling a bit tired this morning and had decided to end the sparring session quickly with a few well placed hits. The kick was really a maneuver to place the old man for her real moves. Genma would have normally been able to dodge the kick and retreat outside by jumping back. Then Ranma would have then been able to take advantage of her quickness in girl form with aerial combat. Ranma had already pressed his hands against the matress in order to give herself the extra acceleration needed in chasing the old man.

	The slight move that Genma made destroyed her quickly formulated plan and put her in danger of losing the whole match. Genma had moved his body so that her foot would hit an area of "padding" instead of the central pressure point she was aiming for. Genma's left hand, which feinted a grab, was actually aiming for 2 more pressure points on her leg. 

	Ranma couldn't help but feel some pride in her ability to spot these tiny moves for advantage. If Genma had tried the same technique when they first moved to the Tendo dojo, she would have lost without a clue. Now, thanks to the battle experience she had received here, Ranma was able to see through Genma's entire plan.

	This was a dangerous situation for Ranma. She had not lost to the old man for so long that her pride was in this. Ranma knew that it would be a big blow to her confidence if she did lose. She would think that Genma had been purposefully going easy on her. The loss in confidence would also mean a loss in skill because she would not be as bold in future matches. The climb back from this loss would be hard. Ranma's head cleared as she sensed the danger to herself. Her thought process seemed to speed up from that of the Ranma that always put her foot in her mouth.

	Ranma's foot edged closer to Genma as thoughts flashed through her head: "The old man seems to be going all out today. I can see his moves but how do I stop him? I know that I do not have the speed to pull back and avoid him. If I try to change my aim then he'll hit me before I can hit him......."

	Ranma smiled inwardly as she formulated a plan. The old man would never know what hit him. 

	Genma felt the impact of Ranma's foot on his belly as he struck both  pressure points. Genma felt some pain but wasn't bothered much because he was able to direct some chi to serve as further protection for the impacted area. 

	A curse escaped from Ranma's lips.

	As Genma looked at the surprised expression on his son's face, He couldn't help but feel some disappoint in the boy and himself. Martial arts at the high level that they both obtained had long since surpassed being a mere test of skill. It was also a test of intellect, courage, instinct and a thousand other factors. While Ranma might have passed him in speed and skill, the boy was still not up to his level in the other categories. 

	Most importantly, this was something that he could not teach Ranma. Those other things only come with time and experience. This was part of the reason why he went all out today: to show Ranma that he was not yet at the peak level of top martial artists. Even though he had won this battle, he had hoped that Ranma had progressed far enough to be able to beat him. 

	Genma Saotome was a selfish man in a lot of things. But training Ranma was the most important thing in his life.

	"It's not over yet, I can still take you on one leg, " Ranma shouts out as she shoots up from the futon and out of the reach of Genma's fist. She used her arms to push off the bed and awkwardly sumersaulted out the open window. 

	Genma wasn't worried because he knew their skill levels and there was no way for Ranma to win now. He saw Ranma reach out to clutch the bad leg as the boy/girl tried to twist for a one foot landing. 

	"Ha," Genma spit out as he launched himself after his injured son/daughter. His fists seemed to blur as he put in an all out attack. Ranma's comment angered him because the boy showed no respect for his earlier display of skill. Now Genma has decided to not let Ranma save face. He knew the boy and also knew that the fastest way for Ranma to recover from this loss was to take advantage of his pride. The further humiliation would drive Ranma to push himself harder. 

	Ranma's expression tightened as she watched the old man. Genma had indeed been holding out during their normal morning routine. Genma's speed was amazing as he shot out fists, open palms, claws... every single style in the anything goes school. As the distance between them closed, Ranma could feel the pressure from Genma's multiple feints building up. As she looked into his father's eyes, Ranma "felt" his father's superiority. 

	Ranma was shocked that she should feel this way. She knew that this was because Genma had purposely set up the situation. Genma was sure of his victory when he made this pursuit move. He built up his anger from Ranma's little comment. But instead of using it blindly like Ryoga, Genma used the anger to make himself colder and more efficient. Genma had produced a sense of justice for his actions because of what Ranma said; he now felt it was his right to pound the boy into the ground. 

	Genma had further shocked his son with his speed and move. Ranma knew this move was called "Fists from the heavens." It was made for exactly this type of situation in Saotome Ryu. Comparing his own technique with Genma, Ranma realized that while she was faster in the execution of the move, she could not have produced enough power for this type of pressure. 

	If Genma's opponent were any of the other younger generation fighters, the move plus all the advantages he had created for himself would have been enough to produce sure victory. But he was facing Ranma, who took on foes such as Safarin, Herb, Cologne and Happosai. 

	In the second after her shock at Genma's hidden strength, Ranma gathered her courage and wits. She knew what Genma was doing, having experienced this before against Happosai and Cologne. She was only shocked because she never figured that Genma had reached this level already. 

	Ranma twisted slightly and used an open palm attack. It looked as if she were slowly pushing with both hands. The attack was against all of her regular strategies. Ranma is known for quickness and agility. But her palms moved forward very slowly as Genma's avalanche-like attack sped forward. 

	Genma now saw why Ranma was able to beat all of those opponents. His son was able to sacrifice the temptation of using the speed against speed technique. Ranma's Amaguriken attack was definitely faster than Genma's attack. However, Genma has all the momentum in the fight. Genma is the initiator; he is attacking from a higher point; he is going forward while Ranma is moving back. The Amaguriken technique is good offensively but is not what Ranma needs in this situation.

	Genma felt his son becoming steadier and steadier as the air seemed to still around Ranma. It looked as if all his moves were figured out: no matter what he did, the end result would be to meet Ranma head on. 

	Genma smiled inwardly. Even though this would mean sacrificing his advantage, he was more than happy to fight strength against strength. Genma's years of fighting and training had refined his power to be his greatest advantage. It would certainly be enough to take out Ranma in female form. Genma's left hand switch from fist to palm to meet Ranma's left as he changed his right hand from palm to double finger strike at the last second.

	"Ping."

	They finally met head on, producing the noise of chi against chi.

	Ranma felt the initial heavy impact from Genma's left hand against her right. But knew the real danger from the finger strike. In the span of a second, she felt Genma hit her open palm three times as their other palms stayed locked.

	Ranma's foot finally touched the ground as they parted. Genma used left hand to push off and once again take to the air while Ranma's body shook violently as he fell to the ground.

	"Wha," Ranma spit out the blood which had suddenly rushed up. She knew an injury would be the result before she decided to take this plan of action. What she did not anticipate was Genma's ability to gather enough chi to break through her own protective chi with the third strike. This would not have been the case had Genma not had so much of an advantageous setup. 

	Ranma took a few quick breathes after spitting out the blood. Her situation had been pretty bad but most of half of her internal injury had healed after spitting out the rushing blood. Years of getting injured had told her not to hold it in and make the situation worse. Ranma silently thanked experience for teaching her how to make the best of an injury. 
	
	"I've really underestimated the old man, his chi level is on par Herb. The only way I can win this fight is to take advantage of my 'injuries'. " Ranma did not have much time to think as Genma came after her once again. 

	This would be the finishing move. Genma thought as he flowed toward his fallen son. His arm was up to make the fast and precise cut which would knock Ranma out for good. 

	In the second before Genma's arm reached Ranma's seemingly dazed head, Ranma pushed off with her arms and propelled herself towards Genma, narrowly missing the knock out strike. 
	
	"Fooled ya old man," she yelled as her "injured" foot shot out along with her good one. She perfectly executed the "propellor twist kick" maneuver as her first strike nailed Genma on the chest. 

	Genma knew that he'd been fooled as soon as he saw Ranma's deadened leg spring to life. The boy's ability to undo the pressure point came as no small shock to him. It was all too late as Ranma's first strike caught him dead on. Ranma's follow up would catch and knock him out in a short and embarassing fashion. 

	"Hua," Genma spit out some blood which headed straight for Ranma. This was as much an offensive move as any of his previous ones. He'd managed to fill the blood with chi and the effect of it striking Ranma head on would be as devestating as a full powered punch. 

	Ranma gracefully twisted and ducked the chi powered blood arrow. But the momentary breather had given Genma time to regroup and get out of danger. 
	
	The two Saotomes stood still in the Tendo backyard, sizing each other up with new interest and respect. They were both breathing heavily now. While the earlier encounter had taken up a total of less than one minute, both father and son felt more tired than they ever had during any previous training session.

	"Breakfast is ready," a cheerful voice rang out to interrupt the unusually quiet spar. 

	A small smile slowly crept onto both their faces as they continued to lock eyes. Ranma nodded to his father as they both dropped their stances.

	"Good" was Genma's only comment as they made their way inside the house.

-----

A Cure for a curse
by Shane Yang

legal stuff: Most of the characters in here are owned by Takahashi. I do not any offense by writing this story.

About the story: This is a continuation of Ranma from my perspective. 
There is some crossover flavor to this but Ranma and cast are still the main characters. I warn you that there are some new characters introduced. Read on at your own caution.

I thank all my prereaders for their help and suggestions.

------

BOOK 1: The first day.

PART 1: BREAKFAST

	Outside the Tendo Dojo, a gust of wind swept up the freshly fallen leaves. Spring and summer have come and gone, it was once again that wonderful time of year. 

	It was time for another school year. 

	Two figures flashed to and fro in the Tendo backyard, weaving a delicate dance of carefully practiced moves executed with the grace that came only with years of experience.

	As he dodged a three hit combo, Ranma couldn't help but think back to yesterday's practice session. He'd found out that Genma was alot better than his overweight frame and lazy manner suggested. 

	This morning they both holding back. The difference in this morning was that Ranma knew that Genma, like himself, was now using only a fraction of his true speed and power. 

	Ranma also knew that it would no longer be so easy to lure his father into the trap of underestimation. Genma was now aware that Ranma had learned the secret of pressure points. 

	Missing from their dance was the normal insults and yelling. Both men had learned by now that the other is not going to be distracted by such behavior. They no longer resorted to using cheap tricks and low shots because they knew that it would result in nothing. 

	Yesterday's fight had indeed brought their relationship to a different level.

	Ever since Ranma started to train, his father had always pushed him relentlessly forward. Genma's ambition for him often ended up hurting both of them. After they arrived in Nerima, Genma's actions, especially those towards Happosai and Nadoka, had caused Ranma's respect for him to gradually disappear.

	Yesterday showed Ranma that his father was still better than him in many aspects that there was still much to learn from Genma, that the old man was still worth his respect.

	Genma could feel his age as Ranma's quicker and cleaner movements threatened to tire him out. He knew that Ranma had indeed ascended to his own level of mastery. Not only in skill, but also in experience, in courage, in intellect, in strategy, in reflex, the in hundreds of tiny intangibles that make a martial artist great.

	Genma had now figured out that Ranma, like himself, hid under a mask of imconpetency and sometimes stupidity. Ranma's reputation around town portrayed him as the standard dumb, arrogant jock. He might be able to defeat monsters and gods in combat. Yet he did terribly in school, always was beaten to a pulp by girls, and was scammed by people the likes of Nabiki.

	This stupidity just did not relate to the man who could come up with such impossible victories and unbelievable moves. Genma knew that in order for Ranma to attain his present level of skill. Practice, intellect and the natural gift was required.	

	He wondered why his son put up with the amount of abuse that he took everyday. A quick punch followed by a combo which got dangerously to his pressure points snapped Genma out of his mental wandering. 

	"Hey," Genma yelled as he put everything into an all out attack. He could see Ranma smile as the boy weaved between his well formed attacks. He was amazed at Ranma's conditioning. The boy was able to shake off yesterday's injury and now didn't look to be trying too hard to avoid his best attempts. 
	
	Genma's ribs ached where an earlier attack had landed. 

	Ignoring his tiring body, Ranma kept the smile on his face as he continued to block attack after attack. It was getting harder and harder to keep blocking and avoiding his father's powerful and seemingly never ending moves.

	Both men were going all out now. Genma attacking, Ranma defending. It was not that Ranma liked being attacked, he did not have the opening required to fight back and thus had to wait for Genma to slip up.

	"Breakfast is ready everybody, Ranma, Akane, Nibiki, remember that you have school again today. Don't be late on he first day." Kasumi Tendo's cheerful voice rang out across the house.

	"Ping," Ranma and Genma met head. Their hands locking together in a palm to palm attack/defense. A split second later, both men pushed off and jumped backwards, signaling a stop in the training. Both were tired but happy for the second good practice in as many days.

	"You have to use your speed more boy, you can't match my power. I would have mopped the floor with you had I gotten a good night's sleep, " Genma boasted as they made their way inside.

	Ranma smiled at the advise and retaliated at the boast, "Whatever you say old man, who's the one sweating like a pig. "

	As Ranma and Genma came to the kitchen table, they noticed that they were the last ones to make it as Akane, Nibiki and Soun were already sitting down and waiting for Kasumi's delicious breakfast to be served.

	"Good morning girls, I hope you're ready for school. This is your senior year isn't it Nabiki? You should have a lot of fun this year. "

	Ranma watched Genma be unusually nice towards Nabiki as they took their seats and concluded that she must have some dirt on the old man. He surveyed the table carefully. Nabiki and Akane both looked a bit more grown up than when school had let out last year. Nabiki had the same twinkle in her eyes that she always did. She was presently looking at Genma the same way she looked at sushi before diving in. Ranma felt sorry for the freshmen who would run into her shortly.

	As he shifted his gaze from Nibiki to Akane, she happened to also glance over but looked away fast. Ranma signed inwardly to himself as emotions came rushing forth. Akane had been getting more and more withdrawn since the wedding disaster. He no longer received the once daily malletings except for a few occasional Shan-Pu visits. Their time together had declined as he went on more and more self-training trips and she tried harder to pick up things like cooking from Nadoka and Kasumi. Lately, their time together has been spent awkwardly and nervously. He got the feeling that she did not want have another let down like the previous wedding and therefore wanted him to make the first move. 

	Ranma's problem was that he had no idea how he truly felt about her. It was nice to be around her sometimes. But he realized that the idea of commitment did not appeal that much to him. Oh well, he could always play dumb and pretend innocence. He had mastered both techniques lately. No one suspected him to have any clues as far as relationships were concerned and that was more than fine with him.

	"Ranma my boy, excited about starting a new year and getting one step closer to graduation. Hehe, you'll almost be qualified enough to inherit the dojo and take care of Akane. " Ranma winced as Soun Tendo's inspirational speech broke the momentary silence. He saw Akane's face turn slightly red. He was surprised to not hear the traditional "who wants to marry this jerk" from Akane. Ranma thought for a moment and decided against giving Soun the "who wants to marry that tomboy" comment. He inwardly wondered if this meant he was growing up. 

	Ranma's frame had also developed a bit more over the summer. He'd spent most of his training trips improving his power and chi. His efforts were rewarded with newly developed muscles and a raise in chi. Ranma now rated himself to be a step below Ryoga in terms of raw power. 

	Nibiki frowned slightly at not seeing the bickering that would normally occur after Soun's comment. She turned her attention from the elder Saotome to the younger, deciding that it would be more entertaining to see Ranma squirm.

	"So Ranma, I hear that Shampoo found you in China. Did you two have a nice time there all by yourselves? "

	Ranma froze as he watched Akane's expression turn into a scowl. He really did run into Shan-Pu while searching for a cure. He didn't do anything , not that she didn't try, with her but they did partner up and traveled together for a while. Ranma didn't even bother explaining it to Akane because she would never understand. 

	"Ranma you idiot, how could you!" Akane cried as she pulled out her mallet and swung it towards his head.

	Ranma shot an icy look towards Nabiki as he reached out with his chopsticks and pulled some food into his bowl in true Amagriken style. Kasumi especially cooked this meal and he did not want to miss it. 

	Ranma shifted his position just before the hammer hit and avoided the shot by inches. He jumped up with the bowl in hand and pleaded, "I didn't do anything with her I swear." 

	Akane fumed about the fact that he'd dodged the first shot and followed up with an upper cut swing. 

	"Bam."
	
	The second swing did not miss Ranma as it sent him flying out of the house. Genma and Soun shared a look of surprise, they'd both seen Ranma make the little repositioning move before it hit him. Genma also made out Ranma's hand blurring to strike the hammer in an effective block. He looked over at his old friend and saw from Soun's expression that his old friend did not catch Ranma's little move at the end.

	Ranma sighed as he flew through the top of the house. He'd been able to launch himself and block the hammer without anyone but his father noticing. "I'll just let her cool down a bit before going back inside, I can eat somewhere else, " he thought as his foot caught a nearby tree branch and he used it to flip onto a rooftop. He grinned to himself at Akane's power. The uppercut had sent him on a nice little trip, he mused that the block would not have been possible when the summer ended. Now if she could only use her talents on something besides his head.

PART 2: A NEW FACE

	After finishing his breakfast, Ranma timed himself as he ran back to the dojo to grab his bag and lunch. Akane and Nabiki had already left when he got back to the dojo. They did not want to be late the first day. Ranma sprinted towards Furikan high school after thanking Kasumi. 

	He felt his mood getting lighter as the air zoomed by his face. Ranma has never been much of a student and most of his teachers thought he was stupid. Actually, everybody considered him to be dumb except a select few. 	
	Most of Ranma's opponents certaindidn't think he was dumb. They might have thought that way at the start of the fight, but they believed him to be a genius at the finish. But besides opponents, no one else thought much of Ranma Saotome's brain. Not Ukyo, not Nabiki, not Shan-pu, not Mu Tsu, not Ryoga, not Akane, Ranma tore himself away from that line of thought as he pushed onward. 

	Mu Tsu, or Mousse as almost everybody called him, was blinded by his so called love towards Shan-pu and thought of nothing but destroying Ranma. Ryoga was the same way in his pursuit of Akane. 

	Mu Tsu and Ryoga could not really appreciate Ranma's intellect because they haven't tried to attain Ranma's skill level. One was driven by love and the other by anger. Their blindness towards nothing but their goal was what made them good martial artists. But Ranma knew that those two would not have progress so far as martial artists if he were not in the way. The downfall of Ranma Saotome was their goal and they pressed relentless towards it.

	Ranma once again felt the loneliness of being on top. Once a martial artist has attained a certain level, it is really hard to find the motivation to push ahead to the next. He knew that he had shot past two or three of those levels in Nerima because he was pressed, because he had to save his own life and the lives of those around him. Yesterday's fight with Genma had perhaps served to push him past this present level, it surely rekindled his fire for martial arts. 

	Ranma stopped thinking as he made out the school gates and the cloud of dust coming from within. He wondered why the scene looked so familiar as he jumped on the wall. 

	Immediately the answer came to him. Ranma had seen this everyday when he first arrived at Nerima. Apparently, Akane's fanclub has tried to revive itself to start off the year. 

	Ranma watched with interest as bodies flew out of the dust. "I wonder if I should interfere. She'll probably get mad either way." His thoughts were cut short as he saw the dust slowly clear. 

	Ranma and the rest of the school's population, those left standing, were shocked to see Akane's limp form appear. Silence descended on Furikan high as the person who was carrying Akane stepped into plain view. 

	The man looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was around Ranma's height and no one could tell his weight from underneath the suit he was wearing. 
	
	The man took in the crowd of spectators watching him and frowned. His eyes soon caught the boy in the red shirt racing towards him. 

	Before Ranma could get to Akane, something stumbled out of the small bit of dust still collected and yelled, "Who dares to interrupt the great Tatewaki Kuno during his conquest of the lovely Akane Tendo? Saotome, you will die for this intr....." As he saw that the one carrying Akane was not Ranma, Tatewaki Kuno did something he rarely did: he shut up.

	But not for long.

	"Who are you that cut me from behind? I am talking to you, curd. You must be one of Saotome's minions, I will destroy you and save the beautiful Akane again, " Kuno charged the man with his bokken slashing. 

	The stranger lets Kuno get close before jumping backwards and out of reach, "so you were the one who attacked me earlier, you're pretty good for a kid. "

	Kuno presses on harder while yelling, "ahh, you know of the greatness of Takewaki Kuno, I will go easy on you if you apologize to me and my true love Akane."
	
	The stranger laughs as he avoids Kuno's seemingly aimless slashes, "Boy, I only said that you weren't bad. To be able to develop and utilize sword-chi is indeed impressive, but your tricks will have no use on me. "

	Ranma's expression tightened as he watched the man move around Kuno's sword strikes. He noticed that Kuno was very much improved from a few monthes back. The seemingly non-targeted slashes were really trying to weave a delicate web of sword-chi around Kuno's opponent. But the stranger's flowing movements were throwing Kuno's carefully planned attack aside. It seemed that the stranger moved forward when he should have gone back, left instead of right, up instead of down. 

	Ranma knew the idea behind these movements were very simple: if the stranger moved somewhere that Kuno didn't anticipate, then none of Kuno's attacks should be able to reach him. He also knew that while this was a good plan for breaking Kuno's new skill, it took mastery in speed and movement to pull off. He himself could have probably done it, but not with the effortness of the stranger before him.

	Kuno was now getting frustrated. He had gotten the best teachers money could buy this summer. His swordsmanship had improved to such a level that he became confident in his victory against Saotome. Now, before he even had a chance against Saotome, this stranger comes along and Kuno's best moves could not even touch him.

	"Ahh, what sort of sorcery is this. No matter, prepare to taste the full wrath of the blue thunder." Kuno yelled as he pulled his sword back from the attack and wove a protective shield around himself with the wooden bokken. 

	"Put down the lady Akane, then I will have no doubts about crushing you," Kuno taunted as he backed away to a safe distance and went into a new stance. 

	"Ha, this place is getting interesting. All right boy, I'll put down the lady. Then we'll see who the winner of this match is. " The stranger set Akane on the ground and turned to face Kuno.

	"Feel lucky, fool, you shall be the first to taste defeat under the blue thunder's new bokken." Kuno boasted as he started to walk towards the stranger. His bokken held overhead in the traditional stance.

	Ranma felt further surprise at the level of skill Kuno was currently displaying. Kuno had used his self-confidence to create an air of unbeatability. The sword overhead only served to increase the stranger's uncertainty. The stance and Kuno's posture gave his opponent the feeling that no matter how he attacked Kuno, the sword would be able to get to him first. Ranma felt the sweat in his hands as he considered how he would react in the same situation.

	The stranger threw his head back and let off a long laugh, "not bad, this is really a pleasant surprise. I see that I'm going to like this town. " His eyes seemed to light up as he eyed the approaching Kuno. His whole body stayed very still as Kuno edged closer, giving onlookers the feeling that he was destined to stand in this very spot with this very manner, that nothing and nobody would be able to move him one step back. This was the same philosophy that Ranma used earlier to counter Genma's "Fists from the heavens" attack. Stillness against movement, forcing the opponent to make the first move.

	The fight has now progressed out of the realm of "skill" and martial arts ability. It was now a battle of wits, of courage, of experience. Both Kuno and the stranger had created advantageous situations for themselves. Victory would go to the person who could hold onto to his advantages. 

	"Hai," Kuno could not take the stranger's air of stillness and confidence anymore. His bokken slowly descended down upon the stranger. To the eyes of the bystanders, Kuno's bokken seemingly split from one into two, from two to four, from four to eight. 

	As Kuno covered the last step to the stranger, his bokken was a blur of images coming from all corners, a wave ready to crash into the stranger. Only trained eyes like Ranma's could make out Kuno's true speed, but even Ranma had trouble seeing where the real attack came from.

	"Hei, this is shadow sword play," the stranger said with new respect in his voice as he kept his eyes focused on the multiple images of Kuno bokken. He knew that he'd made a mistake in his initial summation of the boy, now he was stuck in a nasty situation. If he retreated, the air of stillness he'd created would vanish and Kuno's confidence and air of invincibility would roll over him. But he had to face the full fury of Kuno's the shadow sword play if he was to remain in place. 
	
	Right before Kuno's sword reached in for the strike, the stranger's hands came up with lightening speed. His fingers uncurled as he non-chalantly shot them at Kuno's swords. This was one of the standard martial arts bare-handed moves: "flower blooming." 

	"Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding."

	 Sword met fingers as "flower blooming" took on the force of "shadow sword play." Kuno's body shook each time the audible meeting could be heard. He attempted to back away after the fourth strike. His right arm felt like jello as the man's chi broke through the protective layer he'd placed around the sword. If this were his ordinary bokken, it would have been broken three times over. 

	"Ding"

	Kuno wasn't fast enough as the stranger struck a fifth time. Kuno's body shook again as his sword flew out of his hand. He knew that this was not the time to retreat and met the man's attack head on with no bokken. 

	The stranger turned around two moves later with a stunned Kuno standing motionless behind him. The stranger's hawk-like eyes once again circled the growing audience, stopping for a moment on the newly awakened Akane and the red shirted boy standing next to her. 

	"Hello everybody, my name is Ju and I am your new principle, " he anonunced in a high voice as he picked up Kuno's sword. "I want to see you two in my office, " Ju said as he stared at Ranma and Akane. "The rest of you, get to class. NOW!" 

PART 3: "KILL CHI"	

	Ranma and Akane followed Ju into his office. Ju had asked the school nurse to take care of Kuno while he had a private conversation with them. 

	"Please, take a seat, " Ju said after sitting down at his desk. His eyes carefully scrutinized the couple. Both kids seemed nervous as they shot each other apprehensive looks. 

	"Principle Ju, let me explain my actions this morning," Akane started to say with her head down. "I was very surprised that they, those... guys decided to start their..um... games again. I guess my anger just took over and I'm sorry to have attacked you."

	She trailed off as her voice grew smaller and smaller. This was not the correct way to start the year off. Who knew how much trouble she was in? She also felt anger boiling again. How dare those guys start that up once more? Didn't they know that she was engaged now? And Ranma, all Ranma did was to stand there and watch. He didn't even stick up for her, not that she needed it. Akane found herself once again venting her anger on Ranma as she shot him dark looks.

	"Well, this morning was certainly not the way I wanted for my reign as principle to start. But I guess I'd expected this when they hired me," Ju said in a mild voice, giving no indication of anger or forgiveness. 

	"You knew of the situation here before taking the job?" Ranma asked with a bit of surprise.

	"All I knew was that this place was designated a 'trouble area' by the Japanese government as well as by the residents. High levels of martial arts ability were commonly detected here. Since dealing with this sort of thing was my specialty and everyone else declined this post when it opened, I decided to take the job."

	"What happened to principle Kuno? Did some finally figure he was a few coconuts short of a pine tree?" 

	"No, he just mysteriously disappeared again. No one knows where he's gone off to, " Ju explained as he turned the gaze from the kids towards the window. 

	"Am I in any trouble?" Akane asked in a small voice.

	"Not reallly, someone has already explained your situation to me. I brought you to my office because I would like you to brief me on the present situation of Furikan high. Let's start off by introducing ourselves."

----------

	After briefing Ju on most of Nerima's uniqueness, Ranma and Akane split up to go to their seperate classes. Akane was in the advanced math class while Ranma went to his normal class.

	There temporary seperation was due to the trial system that Ju had just instated. Students were split into two groups: those that were college bound and those that weren't. Ranma's previous marks placed him in the latter category.
	
	"Pay attention Ranma."

	Ranma redirected his attention to his teacher only to find an angry Ms. Hinako. 

	"Are you starting your delinquent activities so soon in the year? I see that I must punish you, " said Hinako sensei as she pulled out her coin.

	Ranma groaned as he desperately looked to avoid being the first victim of the new school year. He'd gotten used to her tricks but it still took a long time to recover from the chi draining techique.

	"Sensei, I was just thinking of the theory you described a moment ago. I can't be punished for thinking about the subject, can I." Ranma put on his smile and stared right back at Hinako.

	"Yes Sensei, I don't think that it is fair to punish a student for thinking," a third voice spoke up.

	Ranma was surprised that anyone would actually dare to anger Hinako. He couldn't help himself in looking over at the person that helped him.

	The voice's owner was a rather ordinary looking boy. He looked to be around Ranma's age and height, perhaps a tad overweight. He was currently smiling at Hinako.

	Ranma couldn't be sure of why but the boy looked to be the type that always smiled. The smile just looked...right...on his square face. Ranma's first impression of the boy was of peace: the boy's eyes were in slits as he smiled sweetly at Hinako. 

	It is always hard to resist a smiling face, especially on a face that spoke of such honesty. Indeed, Ranma thought, it took a really cruel person to say no to this boy.

	Hinako sensei was not cruel. She liked to punish delinquents, but she was not cruel. Besides, Hinako was a reasonable woman and reason seemed to be on Ranma's side.

	"All right Saotome, just try and pay attention to me in the future. And Mr. Tang, here at Furikan we like to raise our hands before speaking." she had a notable pout for not being able to get her first delinquent.

	Ranma looked over at the boy, Tang, in gratitude. He now remembered  that Tang was a transfer student. No wonder he had the guts to stand up to Hinako. Tang also looked at Ranma as their eyes met. Something flashed through his eyes for a moment as he nodded to Ranma, his smile never wavering.

	The rest of the morning passed by peace until the arrival of lunchtime.

----------

	Ranma stood on top of a tree as he looked through the crowd of students, scanning for Akane. They normally ate lunch together, until she malleted him off, but today she seemed to be late. 

	Ranma could see both famaliar and unfamaliar faces in the crowd below. People watching was always fun at the beginning of the year.

	Ranma's gaze stopped on the sight of a boy and girl arguing. Being a school yard, arguments between opposite sexes were both common and inevitable. What made him notice this pair was the unusually large amount of angry chi the girl seemed to be giving off. Thanks to Akane and Ryoga, Ranma's ability to detect this type of "angry chi" has progressed to quite a degree. He rated this girl's current anger between the range of a medium Akane tantrum and a small Ryoga depression blast. 

	"Yusuke you pervert." 

	Ranma grimaced as he saw the girl punch the boy, hard. The boy called Yusuke was lifted off the ground and sent flying away by the force of the uppercut.

	"It's like looking in a mirror, I wish Akane were here to see this. Maybe she would go and teach the girl that mallet trick." Ranma thought as he watched Yusuke's tragectory. It seemed that Yusuke did not share the same gravity defying ability as Ranma as his peak was reached about ten meters up. 
	Then he started to plummet head first, right towards the back of a chubby boy who seemed to be talking up a storm.

	Ranma's eyes widened as he recignized the chubby boy as the one who'd come to his aid in class earlier, Tang. He could just see the result of Tang and Yusuke's little meeting. Quickly gauging the distance between himself and Tang, Ranma decided to pay off the little favor Tang did for him this morning. 

	He already owned too many people too many favors.

	Ranma used his left foot to launch himself toward the collision sight. Through years of battles and practice, Ranma's speed has become his greatest defense and weapon. Now he streaked toward Tang with all the speed he could muster. 

	Just as he was about to save the day again, Ranma felt a little bit of coldness creep up in his spine. He immediately recognized this for "kill chi" and realized the danger he was in. 

	There were many types of chi in the world. Emotion chi, outer chi, inner chi, sword chi, gen chi just to name a few. But the most dangerous chi on this world would have to be the so called "kill chi." It is rumored that "kill chi" always showed up before and during major battles. The common soldier might have just felt something heavy in the air, but a martial arts master could sense that this was a pressure that blood shed and death brings. It is said that this type of chi is invaluable in battle. However, in order to produce "kill chi," one not only has to master chi but also must have experience with death. 

	Ranma had experienced this before. His battles with Herb, Cologne and Happosai had all brought him bits and pieces of this feeling. The only difference now was that he knew the feeling for what it was and could therefore deduce the danger. 

	Instead of fear, Ranma felt adrenaline pumping through his brain.  Ranma's adrenaline served to cool his head and clear away all non-relevant thoughts. He took a deep breath and sped up the flow of chi through his body. Ranma's senses all seemed to get sharper as the world changed around him. In this moment, his feel for the outside world was better than ever before. He was at his peak mentally and physically. 
	
	Ranma always seemed to hit that peak when he needed it the most.
	
	Ranma now knew that weapons were coming at him from behind, the left and the right. He deduced this from one very simple fact: Whatever was coming at him was gaining rapidly.

	No person could gain ground that rapidly with him at full speed.

	Ranma also knew that the "kill chi" he'd experienced earlier was from one of these weapons. Weapons could have "kill chi" too. Weapons which have followed their masters through enough fights and wars. Weapons which have tasted enough blood.

	"Look out," one of the people Tang was talking to finally saw Yusuke hurtling towards them.

	Ranma's eyebrows locked together as he realized his problem. It was easy for Ranma Saotome to avoid this attack. But if he did, those weapons would fly on...perhaps right into one of the students. If he tried to turn and nullify the danger, his speed would be affected and one or more of the weapons could hit him.

	As soon as these thoughts flashed through his head, Ranma made his decision.

	He turned to look the approaching danger straight in the eye.

	Tang seemed to finally hear his friend's warning as he slowly turned around to look at Yusuke's incoming head. His smile never wavered as Yusuke got closer and closer.
	
Part 4: flying knife

	Ranma realized the peril of situation as soon as he saw the weapons coming his way. 

	Three weapons; three angles; three speeds; three ways to die.

	From the left came a boomerang-like object, it seemed to be unsure of its target as it drifted every which way. The only thing sure about this weapon was that it's razor sharp edges do more than draw blood. 

	From the right came a spear, a steel spear, a big steel spear. The wind whistled as the huge spear headed straight for Ranma. Ranma guessed the weight of the spear to be 70 or so pounds.

	The third object in this collection was a round bamboo container. It seemed out of place as it headed straight towards Ranma.

	The boomerang and the spear, although the former seemed slower and the latter faster, reached Ranma at almost the same time. 

	Ranma's hands blurred into action.

	His left fist shot out to meet the boomerang head on while his right open palm came up from under the spearhead. His left fist contained much of the chi Ranma had left. Ranma's "confident chi" roared to a peak around him as he drew it forth. He felt it surge through his body, to his arm and through his fist. Instead of channeling it in the form the Moko Takabisha, Ranma forced the chi into a spiral of force that covered the boomerang and it's surrounding area.

	His right hand did not have the same speed or power as it went to meet the incoming spear. In fact, Ranma used none of his chi and very little of his power. His right hand formed the tai chi move "Forever circle" as it formed a nice half circle. 

	Ranma used power to crush the light little boomerang but used knowledge and skill to take out the powerful spear. 

	Two different weapons, two different attacks, two different defenses.
	
	Same result.

	The boomerang was sent right back to where it came from with twice the speed and power. The spear was hit right as it was about to draw blood and changed directions to up instead of through.

	Ranma could not help smiling to himself about his considerable skill. He knew that not many people could have gotten out of this mess unscathed. Having to take out those two weapons at the same time took intelligence and skill......

	His smile froze on his face as he realized his mistake.

	There were three weapons flying at him.

	The little bamboo container had seemed so out of place because it looked harmless. It was also slower than the others as it was still ten meters away from him now.

	But it was always the "harmless" moves where the real danger lied. It was always a seemingly harmless maneuver that took out Ranma's opponents. Harmlessness is the perfect disguise for the real killer.

	Ranma knew this lesson well and was quick to realize his mistake. Besides, the "kill chi" had not disappeared when he took care of the other two weapons. Ranma now examined the bamboo container.

	It was less than a foot long in length and less than five inches in diameter. Except for the slight depression off to the side of the container, it looked perfectly ordinary.

	Ranma's eyes narrowed into slits as he remembered Genma's stories about the world's "hidden weapons."

	Before the days of firearms, the most feared weapons in the world were hidden weapons. The reason for their fierceness and effectiveness was one and the same: it is easier to avoid an overhead strike by an incoming sword than it is to avoid the ninja's star that appears from nowhere.

	Genma's stories often told of the Chinese family that made their fame and fortune in the martial arts world on hidden weapons alone. 

	Ranma now remembered his father telling him about the seven most feared hidden weapons. His thoughts flashed and landed upon the "the tails of a peacock." Genma had said that "the tails of the peacock" was a legendary hidden weapon in China. 

	It was a legend because no one had ever seen it, and lived to tell about it. The Chinese family Chu was able to dominate the Martial Arts world for centuries because "the tails of the peacock" was their family heirloom. It had helped members of this storied family to defeat China's martial arts champions throughout the years. Later, just the mention of its name was enough to scare off a horde of thieves.

	No one had ever seen it. Could it be that this legendary weapon was contained in a tiny bamboo container? Could it be that this weapon had killed so many times as to have its own "kill chi"?

	Ranma could feel his adrenaline surge again as he stared at the little container. He took a deep breath and drew upon his confidence and power. Ranma felt a new surge of chi to replace the amount he'd already used up. He called his "confident chi" to join with his inner chi and felt the world expanding before his eyes as his awareness rose to another peak.

	Ranma's motion changed from dropping backwards to dropping straight down. As his foot touched the ground, Ranma's body shot up again, this time right towards the bamboo container. 

	Ranma felt two objects approach the container as he narrowed the distance. One came from the right at an angle while the other came from behind him. His attention was focused on the one coming from the front because he didn't believe that the one from the back could reach the container before him.

	The object coming from the front was a small rock. It looked to be headed toward the little depression on the side of the container, fast.

	Faster than he had anticipated. 

	Ranma signed as he prepared to do his Amaguriken technique. He had no idea what would be released from the container and didn't know about his chances. The best he could do was try to avoid/catch as many as he could.

	The "tails of the peacock," or whatever was in the container was never released.

	The small rock never hit the container.

	At the last second, Ranma could feel something streak by him and saw the small piece of rock snagged off by whatever that something was.

	All he could make out about this something was that it seemed to be red; at least the end of it was red.

	Ranma drew upon his chi and punched the bamboo container away. He still had no idea what was in the container or what would set it off. It was best to not take any chances.

	Ranma's eyes immediately sought for signs of his attacker.

	All he was able to see was a streak of white from the area where he guessed the bamboo container had come from.

	The spear finally landed with a thud just as Ranma landed soundlessly.

	He turned around to look at the accident between Tang and Yusuke. What he found instead of two people sprawled on the ground was Tang and Yusuke standing meters apart and staring at him. Tang still had the smile on his face while Yusuke was frowning.

	"Wow, that was quite a show Ranma. Ranma is your name right?" Tang asked as he stuck out his hand. 

	"Yeah, Ranma Saotome's the name. Thanks for helping me out this morning with Hinako. You're Tang, the transfer student, right?" Ranma asked as he shook Tang's hand.

	"My name is Tang San. You can call me Tang. I'm a transfer student from China. It's nice to meet you Ranma. You're really good at martial arts. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you fall right out of the sky." Tang chuckled as he openly admired Ranma's abilities.

	The boy called Yusuke stared at them for a second and then walked away towards the tree Ranma was standing on earlier.

	Ranma was about to ask him how they avoided the collision when Tang pulled on Ranma's sleeve and asked him why he didn't wear the traditional uniform. 

	"Ranma, you've got to teach me how to jump like that," Tang remarked after Ranma explained his unique clothing. 

	Ranma finally spotted Akane walking towards them. She had an angry expression on her face. He wondered if she was still mad about this morning. She didn't speak to him when they left the principal's office earlier. She looked at him angrily and stopped a few yards short of them.

	A tug on his sleeve brought his attention back to Tang, the chubby boy was smiling as his eyes roamed from Ranma to Akane. 

	"I see that you have company. We can talk later Ranma. I won't take up anymore of your time now," Tang said as he winked at Ranma and walked away.

	Ranma didn't have time to say anything to Tang as Akane walked up to him. He didn't want to get himself in more trouble with Akane by "explaining" that it wasn't like "that" so he let Tang walk away with the misunderstanding.

	"Ranma, how could you?" Akane spoke in a low voice.

------

	Tang stared at a tree trunk as his smile disappeared. There was a little knick of the tree trunk at the spot where he was staring, but no sign of what had made the knick.

------

	Yusuke walked towards back to join his friends. He hoped that Keiko wasn't still too mad about the prank from earlier as his toyed with the knife in his hands.

	A small throwing knife with a tiny red sash tied around its hilt.

PART 5: YIN/YAN

	Ranma tested a smile on Akane as he unconsciously played with his shirt. What did she mean by "how could you?" Ranma's mind raced as he quickly formatted a list of things he did recently which could have drawn that statement from her. Quickly realizing that this list was going to be way too long, Ranma narrowed the timespan to his morning behavior and quickly found the answer.
 
	"Um, I can explain the situation with Shan-Pu Akane," Ranma started in a defensive voice. 

	Akane's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "Shan-Pu? Is that what you're calling her now? Since when did you become so friendly with that Hussy?"

	She silenced him with a look as he quickly tried to explain, "We'll have to talk about that later. How could you go around risking our Dojo's reputation like that? I can't believe your ego or your stupidity. Do you think everybody in Japan is a pushover?...."

	Akane stopped when she saw the confused expression on Ranma's face. "Don't tell me that you don't know anything about this Ranma. Don't even try to deny it: look."

	She handed him an envelope and watched his expression; her hand seemed to be involuntarily grasping for the handle of a invisible mallet.

	Ranma carefully took and examined the envelope.

	It was a simple, white envelope with a single not so simple decoration: a dragon. 

	Ranma glanced at Akane as he opened it and took out the letter inside. He started to read the letter aloud:

	"Ladies and Gentleman:"

	"I, Ranma Saotome, have decided to represent the Tendo Dojo at the first No rules, No refs fighting tournament of Japan. The Tournament is to be held on March 15th of next year, right here at Nerima." 

	"So come and see Nerima's favorite son, me, put my perfect record on the line against the best that Japan has to offer." 

	"And for you amateurs out there who want to be among Japan's best. Do not forget to sign up for lessons at the Tendo Dojo, where I'll try and teach you the secret to being unbeatable. Who knows, you could be fighting by my side when it comes time for the big tournament."

	"Signed, The undefeatable: Ranma Saotome."

	Ranma crumpled the letter as he spoke slowly, "Where did you get this Akane?"

	Akane felt her heart tighten as she watched his eyes. She shivered ever so slightly as something flashed through those eyes. In that brief second, Akane felt like a little girl who had done something wrong. His eyes seemed to brighten, become balls of fires as they looked over her, seeing through all her fronts and finding her hidden faults.

	The look passed as Ranma let go of the crumpled letter. He suppressed his anger and calmed himself. 

	"If people think I actually wrote this, then they'll definitely think I'm an arrogant bastard. The participants at this event will all be looking to kick my ass; the other dojo owners of Japan are bound to be mad, and if I lose in the tournament, I'll become a laughingstock have to leave town, " thought Ranma as he absently listened to Akane talk away.

	"Who could have written that? The handwriting and style were exactly like mine. I've made some similar boasts in the past but nothing of this magnitude or stupidly. How could Akane think that I would risk the Dojo's name like that?..." He snapped out of his thoughts as something Akane said finally registered.

	"What? You mean these things are all over the school?"

	"Yes Ranma, I found out about this last lesson. It looks like somebody spread them around this morning," she stopped to give him a hesitant look, "you, you really didn't write that?"

	Ranma shook his head as he spoke, "I guess we can't prevent this from getting around then. Let's eat lunch and worry about this later." 

	Ranma didn't know why but he felt a bit hurt that she still doubted him.

	They found a shady spot to sit and got out the food Kasumi had prepared. Ranma couldn't help but think on how things had changed since the bombed wedding. The visits from Ukyo and Shan-Pu had grown less frequent and less violent. But that was probably because of what he'd said after they tried to.....

	Ranma cut himself off from that line of thought as he considered his present situation. Somebody had just tried to kill or maim him and someone else(?) was impersonating him and angering the martial arts community in the process. Things had suddenly gone from weird to dangerous in a hurry.

	Ranma looked at Akane just as she looked back. They gave each other a tiny smile and Akane started to speak, "So Mr. Unbeatable, who do you think is going around spreading those rumors."

	"Akane, could we talk about this when we get home? I want everybody from our family there when we bring this up. I don't think it's any of them but I have to check and make sure, " Ranma said quietly.

	"Okay." Akane felt her heart beat a bit faster when she heard him say "we" and "our family". Maybe they were getting closer after all, she thought as they finished their lunch and made small talk. 

--------

	Ranma walked towards his classroom with a bit of apprehension. Math was definitely not his best subject but that was not what he was worrying about. This day had been so strange that it just seemed to drag on and on. 

	Ranma was wondering what would happen next when someone bumped into him. 

	Ranma's awareness as a martial artist had grown to a remarkable level over his summer's training. Without great awareness of his surroundings, Ranma would have lost dozens of battles already. In the average day, Ranma had to dodge cold/hot water, attacks from enemies, fiances, fiance wannabes, pandas, dirty old men....... his reflexes and senses had developed to a remarkable level due to all this "training." Even the old woman with the water bucket hadn't been able to splash him lately.	
	
	But now, somebody had gotten so close to him as to "bump" him. And even though he was distracted, Ranma did not realize the presence of the other person until he was with in two meters.

	Ranma knew this was trouble as soon as felt this person's proximity. He could normally sense people's presence 20-25 meters away. Martial artists of Genma's level could sneak to within 5 meters (when he was awake) when he wasn't looking. Happosai was a level higher and the old pervert could get to within a three meter radius of Ranma before he was noticed.

	The fact that this was person was able to get so close put his stealth ability at just below Genma's. Ranma tried the same trick he had this morning and quickened his chi flow, sending chi to his left shoulder. 

	He knew there was no way to avoid the collision because this person was coming in fast.

	Their shoulder's crashed together soundlessly as their eyes locked. Ranma saw that this person was a boy who looked a bit older than Ranma himself. The boy had a sharp face and sharp eyes. It would have been a stretch to call this boy "handsome", but then again he wasn't ugly either. This person seemed to have something about him which gave him an air of command. His eyes presently contained a look that could only describe be as cocky.

	The boy's eyes also spoke of slyness and a bit of mockery. His lips formed a half smile that said "the joke's on you."

	His smile didn't last long.

	Right as their shoulders struck, the boy had used some of his chi to stick the two of them together as the rest of his chi invaded a major pressure point on Ranma's shoulder. Small arrows of chi shot into Ranma's body, threatening to produce injury at best and maiming at worst. If these arrows got into Ranma's body unblocked and unhindered, they had the chance to injure Ranma's very root chi, causing irreversible injury.

	The boy was smiling because his plan had worked and the over half of his chi managed to break through Ranma's protection layer of chi and get into Ranma's shoulder pressure point successfully.

	This Ranma Saotome was not as good as his reputation stated.

	His smile disappeared as Ranma's second wave of chi arrived to stop his attack and completely take out the amount which invaded Ranma's body. What really made him sweat was the fact that Ranma's protective layer of chi seemed to be "yan" while the second wave of reinforcements was "yin." 

	The boy's own "Ice chi" was capable of handling "Yin" or "Yan" alone. It was both at once which caused him problems.

	Ranma inwardly shivered as he felt the invaded chi. After dispersing of this wave, He began his counter attack. Because the boy had attacked with all of his chi, Ranma was the faster to recover and attacked first. Their chi met as they stared at each other. Ranma made a dozen or so attacks as the boy formed a chi shield. 

	Ranma felt a bit of frustration at his lack of success and decided to try a new technique. He normally formed the "Yin" chi from the major pressure point over his head and then let it travel down while forming the "Yan" chi from his foot and letting it go up.  Ranma had always been told that mixing "Yin" and "Yan" at the same time was a terrible idea and could lead to the destruction of his career as a martial artist. This was well known in the martial arts community and is the reason why many of the top martial artists could only be "Yin" with a bit of "Yan" mixed in or "Yan" with a bit of "Yin" mixed in.

	This summer Ranma had to disobey those teachings and form both "Yin" and "Yan." He had been gradually getting used to this form of chi drawing and noticed the great leap in his inner-chi level and overall chi ability. 

	While Ranma could form both, he never tried to do it at the same time. 

	Now he did.

	Ranma could feel his body almost explode as the top half of his body felt like it was in a furnace while the bottom of his body felt like it was in a freezer. He resolved to keep his calm as he lost all control of his chi. He felt more and more of it store in his body as he attempted to stop the incoming chi. His veins and arteries expanded while his heart beat faster and faster. Ranma felt as if he was going to explode.

	The boy felt Ranma's offense stop.

	He saw sweat forming and evaporating on Ranma's head and laughed to himself as he thought that Ranma was using chi to heat himself up. This was indeed what many opponents tried to do against his "ice chi." 

	The boy countered as he launched another offensive, this time with all he had. Even if he didn't want to hurt Ranma, he had to give it his all now because Ranma's counter blast would surely hurt him.

	This is the way that martial arts works.

	Ranma thanked the boy and everybody in the boy's immediate and far families as he felt the offensive. His body had been locked in a stalemate between "Yin" and "Yan," an intra-ranma war between north and south. This was a war that both sides would lose no matter who won. This was why all martial artists who attempted this either died or went crazy from the experience.

	The war stopped as a new enemy entered from outside.

	The power of "ice chi" was indeed not to be underestimated because neither "yin" chi or "yan" chi could stop "ice chi" by itself. Eventually Ranma's body decided on a truce and the "yin" and "yan" blended together. 

	Ranma felt his world shake as a new sense of inner chi was developed. He dispelled the invading chi with little effort and also pushed the boy away without launching anymore offensives. He knew that he was currently at his absolute peak in chi level and it was an absolute miracle that he didn't explode. The problem was that he couldn't hold this much chi any longer.

	The boy flew backwards in surprise and stared slackjawed as Ranma turned and ran away from him. Moments later, a huge chi blast flew into the air.	

PART 6: AN OLD FRIEND

	Ranma stood motionless after he released the chi blast. He knew of the danger he had just been in and of the miracle that had just happened to his body and inner chi. 

	The boy who had just attacked him was presently walking Ranma's way. He was accompanied by three people as he approached Ranma. The mockery in his eyes had disappeared, to be replaced by a confident, weighing look. 

	"So you do have something to back up your boasts, eh Ranma Saotome?" The boy started in a neutral voice. But Ranma could see the fire behind his eyes. 

	"I obviously have something if a member of the Bing family chose to ignore his honor and go for an underhanded attack with no warning," Ranma said as he smiled coldly at the boy. By this time they had already drawn a crowd of soon to be tardy students.

	The boy's face didn't even redden as he started a deep laugh.

	Most of the surrounding students felt their eardrums shake and thanked kami when the boy's laughter finally stopped. 

	"The Bing family doesn't know anything about underhanded attacks. In our eyes, there are only two kinds of attacks." The big guy who stood to his left now spoke, "Ones that destroy the enemy and ones that don't. And most of our enemies only know about the ones that destroy."

	Ranma had noticed the boy's companions for awhile now. There was the huge man who had just spoken up: this man looked like a tower of muscle and he was currently staring at Ranma with an expression that promised pain. To the boy's left stood a skinny fellow whose eyes never stayed still as they eyed Ranma and the surroundings. A pretty girl stood behind the boy as she stared at Ranma with an expression of interest.

	The big guy looked as if he wanted to chop Ranma in half. The skinny guy looked like he wanted to take Ranma apart piece by piece. The girl was staring at him like a cat looking at a mouse. Only the boy himself held his true feelings in as his eyes never revealed anything but calm and confidence. 

	"My name is Seiji Bing, I've wanted to meet you for the last year now Ranma Saotome. Tales of your adventures have reached all the way to Osaka. My desire to see you increased with each impossible victory you pulled out," said the boy.

	"Do you want my autograph?" Ranma was still smiling.

	"I want something from you. But not your autograph," Seiji also smiled.

	"My head?"

	"Maybe."

	"I've gotten used to having my head on my shoulders. I want to keep it."

	Their smiles were even nicer now. From far away they looked like two old friends reunited.

	Seiji signed, "I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Why don't you meet me tomorrow so that we can talk it over."

	Ranma's smile slipped as he said, "Now seems to be a fine time to 'talk'."

	The big man to Seiji's left took a step forward and was about to say something when Seiji put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

	"Members of the Bing family do not want to be public attractions when they have these 'talks.' Ja here will meet you tomorrow after school. Don't disappoint me Ranma Saotome," Seiji said as he pointed to the skinny fellow at his right hand. 

	His gaze was fixed on Nabiki, who started to take bets as soon as the considerable crowd that had gathered heard their conversation.

	Ranma did not reply as Seiji walked away.

	He turned to leave after most of the crowd had dispersed. Instead of going to his afternoon lessons, Ranma went to the tree where he stood before the hidden weapon attack. 

	As soon as he got to the tree, Ranma's body wavered as he sat down with a thud. He spat out the mouthful of blood he had held in earlier as he drew his body into the meditation position. Ranma could feel the wetness on his clothes and the dampness of his palms. He couldn't remember if it had come during the chi incident or during the talk afterwards.

	One thing he was sure of was that Seiji Bing certainly did not mind public attention when he 'talked' to anyone. The family Bing was known throughout Asia for their Martial arts. Their family stretched from Japan to China. It was one of the four founding families of Martial arts. Seiji Bing is one of the best among the new generation of Bings. 

	Seiji was rumored to be undefeated, at least, no one had ever seen him lose. He was famous around the martial arts community for challenging and humiliating opponents, often in public. His considerable skills plus his family's fame and fortune had him ranked as one of the country's select few. Ranma, through his exploits the last few years, was also one of the people on the elite list.

	Ranma knew that the Seiji had come to Nerima to challenge him. After all, it must have been a blow to Seiji's pride to hear Ranma being ranked above him. 

	Ranma also knew that the only reason Seiji did not attack this afternoon was because he was not sure about his chances. He could tell that Seiji was very surprised after the abrupt ending to the battle of chi. Seiji had no idea how much chi and power Ranma had and decided to wait until he himself had recovered from the slight injury Ranma had given him.

	The truth was that Ranma had absolutely no chi left after he released all of his stored chi. The only thing that Ranma wanted to do when talking to Seiji afterwards was to collapse on the ground. 

	He didn't do it.
	
	Because like Seiji had admitted, the Bing family didn't know the word "underhanded;" they only knew two things: win or lose.

	Ranma collected his thoughts as he attempted to recover his lost chi. He still wasn't sure what had happened earlier. But he had an idea that today's incident would put him on the road to true martial arts greatness.

	He didn't know how right he was. Because of special reasons, Ranma maybe the first person in history to be blessed with the ability of owning both "yin" and "yan" chi. His ability had manifested itself in the past by how easily he was able to grasp new techniques and come up with impossible wins. 

	His owning both "yin" and "yan" had made martial arts that much easier while speeding up his recovery time and reflexes.

	Up until today, Ranma had only tasted a little of what this could do for him. Every time he was under danger and had to press for chi, he would feel his world brighten as his senses increased. 

	Now, even in his emptied state, Ranma could sense the world better than before. He was not frightened by the new threat the impersonating letter or Seiji Bing would produce. In fact, he was looking forward to the new challenges.

	Ranma settled his excitement and got back to trying to liven his chi flow again. It wouldn't do for him run into Kuno or Ryoga now when even a three year old could beat the crap out of him.

	Ranma felt himself slip into a state of peace as his chi started to flow again. He felt contentment as he threw away his worries and focused solely on healing himself. 

	The only thing he wanted now was to have a bit of time with himself.

	Ranma Saotome rarely gets what he wants, at least that was what everybody else thought. This time was no exception as he felt a presence approaching.

	"Hello Ukyo, " He opened his eyes to stare at his childhood friend.

	What he saw surprised him. Ukyo Kounji, the girl who dressed as a boy, now looked to be anything but a boy. 

	She wore a white summer dress which hugged her figure. And what a figure it was. Where she was supposed to be skinny, she was. Where she was not supposed to be skinny, she absolutely wasn't. 

	Her brown eyes were looking down at Ranma with an expression of concern as her hand reached to touch his face.

	"Ran-chan, you're hurt. What happened?" Concern was heavy in Ukyo's voice as she went to wipe a tiny smudge of blood from Ranma's mouth.

	Her hand drew back when she saw Ranma tilt his head to avoid her touch.

	"I'm surprised to see you here Ukyo. Didn't you say that you never wanted to see me again? Didn't you want to destroy me for the fraud I am?" His voice was cold.

	Ukyo drew back as if he'd bitten her hand. She looked hurt as tears started to rush to her eyes, "You know I never meant any of those things Ran-chan. I was only speaking from the anger of the moment."

	She smiled weakly at him and continued, "You have, uh..., a very direct way of telling a girl that you do not love her. I mean, you didn't expect me to just take that news happily did you?"

	"I didn't expect you to try and take my head off either. I forgave you for the wedding incident and for your attempt to kill me. I realize that you were acting in the heat of the moment there," Ranma said as he rubbed a spot on his neck where one of her spatulas had nicked.

	Ukyo's eyes lit up as she heard his words,."You forgive me Ran-chan...." The rest of the sentence was cut off as she saw Ranma's look. His eyes had become cold as he stared at her.

	"I never said that, I only said that I forgive you for the wedding and your attempts at me. But you going to and threatening my mother was a bit too much to take."

	"I only went to Mrs. Saotome because I thought that she might honor the contract your excuse of a father made. When she too refused to do anything, I just got mad again. It was the same thing that I'd done with you and I stopped before really doing anything. Please Ran-chan, you have to believe me," Ukyou said with a note of pleading on her voice. Tears were openly rolling down her face now.

	Ranma felt a twinge in his heart as he looked at her. After seeing Nadoka's expression that night, He'd sworn that he would never forgive Ukyo. But here she was, crying. 

	Ranma hated to see girls cry.

	Besides, Genma had wronged her first by making the engagement and Ranma had continued to wrong her by leading her on. 

	Ranma felt tired as he continued to listen to her pleads. His condition was getting no better and he really couldn't stand to see her in this condition anymore.

	Ranma's heart spoke for his head as he softly said: "I'll forgive you one more time Ukyo, but it'll take some time for us to get back to the way we were. And I want to make it clear again that I'm not interested in a relationship."

	Ukyo broke into a smile while still crying and hugged him. 

	"Thank you Ran-chan, I realized my mistake after leaving town and couldn't stand the thought of losing you, as my best friend. It kept eating at me until I had to come and gain your forgiveness. I realize that it's not going to be easy for us to be as carefree as we once were, but I'll prove myself to you again Ran-chan."

	Ranma hugged her back tentatively as he spoke, "Are you going to open Ucchan again? I've missed your cooking."

	Ukyo gave him a smile as she wiped away her tears, breaking their momentary embrace.

	"I'm not going to do that right now Ran-chan. I guess that I got tired of cooking after all these years. I'm going to try my hand at something else, at least for now. How has everything been with you Ran-chan, its been a long time since we last saw each other. And how did you get hurt?"

	"Things have been getting stranger and stranger lately Ukyo. But I guess that it wouldn't be Nerima without some excitement. And you shouldn't worry about me, no injury can keep Ranma Saotome down."

	"I saw the little invitations going around. Aren't you just a bit too confident for your own good?"

	Ranma signed as he explained that he was not the one that wrote the notes. After making some small catch-up talk, Ranma asked Ukyo to give him some time to recover. She gladly obliged

-------

	Ukyo walked with a smile on her face. She had anticipated gaining Ranma's forgiveness to be much harder than this. 

	A hand appeared on her shoulder, causing her smile to disappear.

	"So Ukyo, how did it go?" A soft voice whispered in her ear.

	Ukyo spun around to face the man standing behind her. 

	He was a tall man who looked to be in his twenties. He was dressed in a flowing, white, silk suit. The man was presently fanning himself with a Chinese style fan. 

	Ukyo didn't notice any of this as she stared at his face.

	It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful face she'd ever seen. If the term "beautiful" could be used to describe any man, then it would surely have been used to describe him. Even though he had "beauty," it did not take away from his manhood as his deep eyes gave whoever gazed into them a sense of masculinity.

	"He forgives me, but said that he only wanted to be friends." Ukyo said with a bit of a frown.

	The man took her had in his own and signed, "Thank you Ranma Saotome, Thank you for letting the rest of the world see the full bloom of this beautiful flower called Ukyo."

	Ukyo's frown disappeared as a smile lit up her face. His eyes were so deep, so mesmerizing.

	They walked away from Furikan hand in hand.

PART 7: BUSINESS

	"Ahem."	

	Ranma awakened from his state of meditation to when he heard the dry cough. He first examined his condition and found that his chi was all recovered and even stronger than before. He then noticed that he'd been in meditation for longer than was originally anticipated. 

	The shadows on the ground told Ranma that it was now late afternoon, around four or five o'clock.

	The schoolyard was now virtually empty but for himself and two others: Akane and Priciple Ju.

	Ranma bigsweated as he realized that he just skipped all of his afternoon classes. And on the first day of school. 

	"Hello Ranma, nice to see that you've decided to join us again. Are you alright now?" Principle spoke with a note of concern.

	"I'm fine sir, you should have woke me up earlier. I guess I was kinda tired. But I didn't mean to miss my classes like that. "

	"Don't worry about it Ranma, I would be tired too after a chi blast like the one you put out earlier. I waited till now to wake you because I wanted you to have the opportunity to rest. Besides, you looked so peaceful that no one wanted to wake you." Ju said as he smiled slight at Akane, whose face was slightly red.

	"But," Ju continued, "you shouldn't have been releasing that blast in the first place. I'll let today slip because it's your first offense. Do not expect such treatment in the future. I have a meeting soon so I'll see you both tomorrow." 
	
	Akane and Ranma both thanked Ju as he turned to go.

	"One more thing Ranma, the four founding families are not to be underestimated. Seiji Bing is only one of the many young fighters that have sprung up from the four families." With that, Ju disappeared from their view.

	"What happened Ranma? You got into another fight didn't you," Akane was now staring at Ranma with an accusatory look.

	"Wo, this time I didn't do anything. It was the other guy who attacked me first," Ranma started to explain what happened after she calmed down a bit.

-----------

	Dinner time.
	
	The Tendos and Saotomes were gathered around the dinner table as they listened to Ranma recount the day's events.

	Ranma told them everything that had happened except for his chi incident and the meeting with Ukyo. Somethings were not meant to be known, especially when Nabiki was around.

	"This is the document which was circulating around school today," Akane brought out another envelope and passed it to Soun.

	"I did not write that. I was aware of the tournament but wasn't sure whether I wanted to enter or not. We're not sure who wrote this or why. Please take a look at it and tell us what you think," Ranma spoke as the document was passed all around the table.

	Nabiki, who examined the letter last, spoke in a neutral voice. "It looks like whoever wrote this has gotten your handwriting and style down. Even I would say that you were the one who wrote it."

	Nadoka stared at Genma and Soun as she voiced, "This seems to be the perfect advertising for the dojo. Maybe somebody is trying to use Ranma to get increased enrollment."

	"But anybody can see that this brings trouble for Ranma and the Tendo dojo. So even if somebody were to advertise, this is not the correct way to do it. Increased enrollment is not enough of a reward to deserve the price of angering Japan's martial artists." Genma said dryly.

	Ranma, who had been observing everybody's reaction as they read the letter, turned and nodded to Akane.

	"We didn't think that it was anyone from the family either. Whoever did this is only trying to hurt me and the dojo."

	"But son," Nadoka spoke, "Why don't you just tell people that you didn't make those comments?"

	"Would Ranma Saotome still be Ranma Saotome if he backed down from a challenge? Would the Tendo Dojo still hold the same respect if it 'retracted' this statement?"

	The rest of the family nodded their heads as they listened to Ranma. This wasn't a very good reason. But it was something that Ranma lived by.

	"Then it's settled, you'll enter the tournament and wipe the floor with your opponents. After you have brought honor back to our dojo, I will officially turn it over to you, along with the hand of Akane." Soun started to get sentimental and finished the last sentence before the tears came flying.

	Ranma signed inwardly as the family resumed eating. He could just imagine how easy "wiping the floor with his opponents" would be. 

---------

	For once, the rest of the dinner was finished with no interruptions from fiances or would be suitors. 

	Soun and Genma went to play shogi while Nadoka and Kasumi cleaned the table.

	Ranma, Akane and Nabiki were watching television. Akane and Nabiki looked at their homework assignments when commercials came on. Ranma, not having gotten his homework, replayed the events of the day in his mind.

	He realized that Nerima had gained at least five top fighters. There was principal Ju, who took out the improved Kuno without showing any special moves of his own. 

	There was Seiji Bing, whose command of "ice chi" had reached the level of "master." Seiji's companions did not look like pushovers either.

	There was the boy called Yusuke, who had taken a massive punch and been able to seemingly stop himself in the air to avoid a collision with Tang. 

	There was the person who threw the hidden weapons at Ranma. Three weapons at three speeds and three angles made this person a master at his technique if nothing else. Whatever was in the bamboo container added a sense of mystery and danger to this unseen enemy.

	Finally, there was the person who prevented the bamboo container from being set off. Ranma knew that this person was even more deadly than the hidden weapon master. The object he threw was able to snare a tiny rockpiece out of the air. The object had unbelievable speed and accuracy as it streaked by Ranma to beat the much smaller rock piece.

	Ranma's palms were wet as he thought about his own chances against dodging such an object. 

	"I've got to start this assignment, can't believe he assigned this much on the first day." Akane grumbled as she headed upstairs.

	Before she went out of the room, Akane turned to Ranma and asked in a concerned voice: "Are you okay Ranma? That guy didn't hurt you right?"

	Ranma smiled as he said: "Of course I'm okay, you know that nothing can hurt me except tomboy malletings."

	Akane's expression changed from concern to anger; then she burst out laughing as she couldn't hold her smile inside any longer. This laughter was infectous as Ranma and Nabiki joined in.

	Akane managed to restrain her laughter and put on an angry look. "You better watch out then Ranma, because mallet-sama is just itching to have a talk with your head."

	Nabiki watched Ranma and Akane banter with a smile on her face.

	But as soon as Akane was gone, so was her smile.	

	She turned to Ranma with the same hawk-like gaze that much of Nerima had come to respect and fear. "My my, aren't we getting smooth around the ladies Ranma. I never thought you had it in you Saotome."

	"I guess that I finally realized that Akane was good for me. I'm just showing my true colors now that I do not fear my relationship with Akane anymore. I thought you would be happy for us Nabiki," Ranma spoke tentatively.

	"Of course, seeing my family happy makes me happy. That's why I'm going to give you an opportunity to explain this." Nabiki said as she handed Ranma a photograph.

	A photograph of Ranma and Ukyo, hugging.

	Ranma laughed as he gave the photo back to her, "What's there to explain Nabiki? It's just two old friends who are happy to see each other. You don't think that we're...."

	Nabiki put on her own smile as she cut in: "Of course not, I see now that it's just two old friends reuniting. This is such a good picture of you Ranma. Wouldn't Akane or Mrs. Saotome love to see it?"

	"I'm sure they would. After all, this is an excellent picture. In fact, I like it so much that I'm interested in having every copy of it. Even the negatives."

	"You know I never give away anything. Not even to family members." 

	"What's your price?"

	"There seems to be a crowd of people at school who are resisting my business."

	"Oh? You've never had this type of problem before." Ranma was indeed a bit puzzled: Nabiki could handle "resistance" fine. He himself had found that out many times.

	"Of course I can handle resistance. Resistance that I can see. But I've never seen anybody in this group."

	"How do you know they exist and how do you know it's 'they'?"

	"My blackmailing operation has run into roadblocks. My targets seem to know I'm watching them. That's how I know of their existence. No one can stop my operations single-handedly. That's how I know it's 'they'."

	"I take it they're quite good."

	"Of course."

	"Good enough to forge a letter in my hand?" Ranma's eyes lit up.

	"Maybe, you're handwriting is sloppy. Sloppy Kanji is the easiest to forge. And your reputation for shooting off at the mouth precedes you."

	"What do you want me to do?"

	"You're going to get angry at me for having blackmailing you to pose for Kuno."

	"Who?"

	"Mihoshi."

	"The dumb blonde?"

	"I'll give you a tip Saotome. People often let things slip out around those they believe to be dumb. Much of my business has been based upon that."

	"Okay."

	"Pleasure doing business with you Ranma." Nabiki said as she handed Ranma a small package.

	"You trust me?"

	"I'll take my chances. Just remember that I know where you live. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to complete my homework." Nabiki said as she headed up stairs. 

	Ranma, fed up with the lousy new show that just came on, turned off the TV and headed to his room. He'd lost another battle with Nabiki but expected no less from her.
	
	The doorbell rang as he got to his door.

	Ranma put away the package without checking the contents. Nabiki Tendo never blackmailed about the same thing twice so he didn't care what was in the package.

	"Ranma, you have a visitor." Kasumi's always cheerful voice sounded.

PART 8: A NEW FRIEND

	Ranma wondered who his visitor was as he made his way to the living room. The number of people that actually used the doorbell was far fewer than the number of those who just crashed in.

	He decided that he had no idea who it was and just hoped that it wasn't a fiance or an enemy. 

	Ranma was really surprised to see Tang San sitting and talking with Soun. Soun and Tang were both laughing about some joke when Ranma stepped into the room. Soun waved for him to join them.

	"Here's Ranma, I'll let you two talk for now. But you have to remember to come by some time Tang. Genma and I haven't had a third drinking partner in years," Soun said as he clapped Tang on the back.

	"Sure thing Soun, and I'll bring my best Singtao sake." Tang said as he noticed Ranma's presence.

	Ranma stared at Soun's back as the head of the Tendo household left the room. He hadn't seen the man so happy since the wedding.

	"Hi Ranma, I got bored at my place and decided to visit you. This is a nice house you've got here," said Tang.

	"Um, hello Tang, how did you find out where I lived?"

	"I got it from this flyer. They were all over the place today." Tang held out a version of the letter Ranma had read from earlier. This version even had the dojo's address and phone number.

	"I was really impressed by the moves you made at lunch. Hey, are you taking students yet?" Tang asked with hope in his eyes.

	"Actually, I wasn't prepared to take students until I'd officially taken over the dojo. Tendo Soun is a fine martial arts instructor. You can become a master of the 'anything goes' style if you follow his instructions." 

	"But the flyer said that you would personally teach students. I heard that you were the best Ranma. And I want to learn from the best." Tang's smile was gone, replaced with a look of determination.

	Ranma, feeling a bit uncomfortable, stated his case again: "look Tang, I might be good at fighting. But that doesn't automatically mean that I would be good at teaching. You would be much better off with an experienced teacher like Mr. Tendo."

	"No Ranma, I've always heard stories of great martial artists having to seek out great teachers. I think that I've found a great teacher and I only want you to teach me." Tang's voice was filled with determination.

	Ranma thought it over as he eyed Tang up and down. The boy was a little out of shape and didn't look to have much potential for speed. He seemingly knew nothing of Martial arts by the way he stood. This would be a difficult first student. But at least he seemed determined and eager to learn.

	"So what exactly do you want to learn the art for Tang? You don't seem to be the type who would have many enemies."

	"Enemies? Oh no, I'm not trying to protect myself from anything or anybody. I've always wanted to do what those guys on TV could do. It would be fun to be as good as you Ranma." Tang stated.

	"It takes hard work and dedication to become 'good.' Are you sure that you're up to it?" Ranma stated doubtfully as his looked over Tang's out of shape physique.

	"Don't worry about me. If you take me on as a student, I promise to be as dedicated as you." Tang brightened as Ranma seemed to be considering.
	
	 "I'll tell ya what Tang. I really don't have the time to take on a student. There seems to be more chaos here than ever before and I don't know when I would be able to come up with the time needed to properly train a student." Ranma insisted.

	"It's okay if you don't want to teach me Ranma. I guess I just got the wrong message from the flyer," Tang said with dejection plain in his voice.

	"You didn't let me finish man. I was going to suggest that you sign up for classes with Mr. Tendo. Then maybe I can show you a few moves when I'm free."

	Tang brightened immediately: "That's great Ranma. This way you can be my friend and my teacher. I was feeling kind of weird about having to bow to you all the time anyway."

	Ranma couldn't help but smile inside. Friend had become a foreign word to him. His life had seemed so filled with enemies and fiances and people who were out to use him that there was no room for a 'friend'. Ukyo was supposedly his best friend. But he'd never felt as comfortable around her after finding out she was another fiance.
	
	There were a number of people at school who he knew and hung out with occasionally. But they were just that, people to hang out with. No one seemed to really understand him. Sometimes he didn't understand himself. Besides that, there were three points that always set him apart from others: His Martial arts ability, his curse, and his fiances.

	These things set him apart from others and made friendship that much harder to find.

	He was fine with that.

	Ranma's life was indeed so full of adventure that he rarely felt alone. Things just kept springing up after he got to Nerima. He rarely got a breather, let alone think about making new friends. 

	But sometimes he felt a twinge of something missing.
	
	When he watched other students laugh and mingle, when he watched Soun and Genma banter back and forth, Ranma felt a twinge in his heart. 

	"You're an interesting person Tang. How come you came to Japan? You must have had a bunch of friends in China" Ranma surprised himself when he said it.

	"I keep in touch with my friends and relatives back home. But I've never been able to sit still. I wanted to experience some new things and Japanese happened to be my best foreign language."

	"Yeah, you don't even have an accent. So how do you find the country so far?"
	
	"Its certainly not what I expected. The Japanese, or maybe just the high school students, are very violent. Maybe I really do need to learn some moves." Tang chuckled slightly.

	"I think that it's just Nerima. We have an abnormally high number of martial artists in the area. A lot of people are thinking along the same lines as you. The dojo's business has nearly doubled from last year." Ranma smiled a bit himself.

	"So where are you living during your stay in Japan Tang?"

	"I'm staying at an old restaurant. The owner is letting me stay there for free while she's back in China. She said that I could have a room there for as long as I want. All I have to do is keep the place clean."

	Ranma's eyebrows knotted together as he carefully asked: "What's this restaurant called?"

	"The Nekohanten."

	"Really? How do you know the owner?"

	"My family has done some business with her in the past and she decided to do us a favor. You look strange Ranma. Do you know Ku-Lon?

	"Yeah, we're old friends. Listen Tang, don't take this the wrong way but, does your family have any strange customs?" Ranma asked.

	"Strange customs? I don't think we do."

	Ranma sat back with relief, "Whew, I'm glad to hear that. I've grown a bit cautious of the Chinese ever since running into the Amazons."

	"So you were the outsider that defeated Shan-Pu. You sure have some luck with women Ranma, living with these beautiful sisters and getting an Amazonian bride." Tang said as he pointed to a picture of the Tendo sisters.

	"Man, don't get me started about luck or women. You don't know how terrible it is to have girls chasing after you all the time." 

	Tang started laughing as soon as the words were out of Ranma's mouth. Seconds later, Ranma himself couldn't keep back the chuckles. After a while, Tang seemed to gain control of himself.

	"I think I know what you're referring to. Those Amazon women can be really aggressive when they want to. But most men would love to have someone like Shan-Pu. Aggressive, intelligent, and beautiful, those are traits that most men find hard to resist."   


	"Shan-Pu is a nice girl. But I just couldn't imagine being with her in that way," Ranma smile again when he saw Tang's incredulous look, "Okay I could definitely imagine it. I meant I couldn't imagine being her husband. For one thing, the Amazonian philosophy about men is just too much to swallow. And Ku-Lon as my grandmother? Come on."

	"I guess that would take some getting used to. So you've chosen this girl over Shan-Pu? Sure didn't lose much there." Tang was pointing to a picture of Akane.

	Ranma tensed initially, then relaxed a bit and said, "I guess I did choose her. We were engaged by our parents. Her name is Akane, you should meet her. She's a nice girl when you get to know her."

	"She's certainly a good martial artist. I saw her taking out half of the school this morning. You better watch yourself around her. She seems to pack quite a punch." Tang joked as he imitated one of Akane's uppercuts.

	Ranma unconsciously rubbed his jaw as he said, "You don't know the half of it. She seems to get angry whenever I look at any other girl."

	"That's a good sign Ranma. When a girl gets that jealous, it must mean that she has some strong feelings about you."

	"I guess you're right. But I still wish she wasn't so violent though. How do you know the Amazons anyway? I thought they were always harsh on outside men." Ranma quickly changed the subject, this was getting into a region he didn't like to talk about.

	"My family lives in a big trading center and we have been doing business with their tribe for ages. I loved to go and watch their martial arts tournaments."

	"I thought you didn't know Martial Arts."
	
	"Come on Ranma, cute young girls in tight training outfits going at each other, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I still remember the year that Shan-Pu was defeated by the outside girl. By the way, did Shan-Pu find that girl before you defeated her?"

	Ranma was feeling a bit confused now. Tang seemed to know that he had defeated Shan-Pu, but did not know about his curse. What was going on here?

	"How do you know that I was the one who defeated her Tang?"

	"I knew that Shan-Pu was defeated by an outsider because I heard rumors of it. This is the place that Shan-Pu and Ku-Lon came to so the man was obviously here. You're probably the only martial artist here who could defeat Shan-Pu and send Ku-Lon away empty handed. So I assumed that you were the one who defeated her. Was I wrong?"

	Ranma thought very carefully about the answer. His curse was certainly not a secret. But would Tang still want to be his friend after finding out about it?

	"I did defeat Shan-Pu and she did chase after me. But I wasn't male at the time. I was the girl that you saw that year." To prove his point, Ranma grabbed a glass of water and poured it upon himself. 

	Tang's expression froze for a few seconds. Then understanding seemed to dawn, "Jusenkyo."

	Ranma nodded and asked Kasumi to bring some hot water. The Tendo household now had pre-prepared thermos in the kitchen to save having to heat up water all the time.

	"Now you've embarrassed me Ranma. To think that I was actually worried about the outside girl. Wow, you really do have luck with women. Even your cursed self is a knockout."

	Ranma was glad that Tang had no negative reaction to the curse but slightly miffed about being called a knockout. He got enough of that treatment from Happosai and some of the perverts in school.

	"Just remember that I'm really a guy man. Don't get any thoughts in that perverted head of yours." Ranma half joked half warned.

	"Very few people would say that you were a guy at the moment Ranma." Tang stated as he intentionally made a show of eyeing Ranma up and down.

	"Oh you're going to get it now." Ranma said in mock anger.

	"Did I forget to tell you about my family's special rule. If any of us men are defeated in combat by a woman, we have to marry her at all costs." Tang's voice was dead serious.

	Ranma couldn't keep up the angry face as laughter burst out of her. Soon both boys couldn't stop laughing.

--------

	Ranma and Tang's conversation continued for another half an hour before Tang left.

	Ranma, feeling tired a bit tired from everything that had happened today, decided to turn in early and retired to his room to meditate. 

	When he went to sleep that night, Ranma thought about all that had happened to him today. With all of the excitement that had occurred on the first day of the school year, nothing stuck in his mind more than one word: friendship.