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  Ranma 1/2     "The Unseen World"
                Story by Douglas MacDougall <dougmacd@thecia.net>
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    Ranma 1/2 (c) Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan, Inc.  Story and art by
    Rumiko Takahashi.  English adaptation by Gerard Jones and Toshifumi
    Yoshida.  RANMA 1/2 is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc.
    The story be freely redistributed, but not edited or used for profit.

    For Mature Readers.

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Author's Note
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    While the events portrayed in this story are original, they present,
    for the first time in a fan fiction, the true, untold background
    stories of Ranma 1/2, as described by Rukimo Tashahaki herself in
    an exclusive interview!  We invite you to take a look into...

    ...the Unseen World of Ranma 1/2!

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   Part  1      A New Evil Wakes
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    "Ranma!  You've got to help me defeat the panty thief that's been plaguing
our fair city!"

    "Sure thing, old man!"

    "Ag... Ack... What... Are you doing to your master, you ungrateful..."

    Ranma lifted his foot off Happosai's flattened head.  "I thought you
wanted me to stop the panty thief?"

    "Not ME, you idiot!"

    "I dunno, you look like a panty thief to me..."  Ranma dug his heel back
into his elder's head.

    "Why you...!"  The disgruntled martial arts master pulled a small bomb
from his gi and tossed into Ranma's hands.  "Happo Fire Burst!"

    "Wak!"  Ranma was blasted out of the room moments before the members of
the Tendo household made their way in.

    Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "A NEW panty thief?"

    "How terrible!"  Kasumi noted, sipping some tea.

    Happosai straighted out his clothes and sat down crosslegged on the mat
(with a few pillows added for extra height).  "Indeed.  As I was making my
daily patrol last night, I noticed the fiend skulking about the balconies of
the Twin Towers apartment complex.  He was moving from porch to porch,
snatching ladies underthings as he went.

    "It was horrible!  He wore the darkness as if it were cloak, and moved
like a cat!  His feet found purchase anywhere, but did not make a sound.  I
could see his unnatuarally large eyes absorbing the light, no doubt allowing
him to see in the dark."

    Akane had since sat down to listen to the story, and a smoking Ranma
crawled in to join her.

    "Of course, I could not let such a creature threaten the innocent maidens
of the complex!"

    "And their panties," noted Ranma.

    "Of course.," nodded Happosai solemnly.  "So without a moment's
hestitation (that is, after I... um... collected my strength)..."

    Akane rolled her eyes.

    "...I attacked the thief.  If I thought him catlike before, now I knew
it.  He leapt instantly out of the way, arching his back and performing a
perfect back flip, landing softly on the ground.  His body bent and twisted
with a contortionist's ease.  I could barely keep track of his sillouette.

    "After I put the bra he was about to steal into a... safer place, I leapt
down and confronted him.  'Who do you think you are?' I asked.  'Don't you
know that you are intruding on the grounds of Happosai, the Master of the
Anything Goes School of Martial Arts?!'  But he didn't say a word.

    "Since he wasn't going to provide me with any entertainment, I decided to
end the fight quickly with a Fire Burst.  Unfortunately, he batted it out of
the air like a ball of yarn and back at me!  Of course, I was completely
unharmed.  However, I decided to take a few minutes to... intensely meditate
upon the situation and decide a course of action.

    "While I was uncon-- (er) in my meditative state, the thief had started
to tie me up.  I don't know why.  Everyone seems to want to tie me up.  Why is
that?  Do they think I'm into bondage?  I mean, just becuase I'm a virile old
man--"

    Ranma shouted, "We don't care about that, you old freak!"

    "No need to be rude, Ranma."  Happosai bludgeoned him with smoking pipe.
"Anyway, the burglar had started to tie me up when I woke-- (that is), when I
snapped out of my meditative state.  The fool had fallen right into my trap!

    "As I'm sure you all know, close combat is a specialty of the Happosai
School of Anything Goes Martial Arts.  No one alive can stop these babies!"
Happosai wiggled his wrinkled fingers.  Ranma unconsiously scratched his
chest.

    "I went into Mr. Bondage with righteous fury, quickly drving him back.
His belated attempts at defense didn't help at all.  'Give up, boy!' I cried,
poking him in the chest with my pipe.  'You're no match for me.'  But he only
hissed.  I was about to strike a final blow with my pipe when I suddenly
became disoriented.  He appeared to be pulling something out from under his
collar.  No doubt it was some magical trinket that was affecting me.  In my
daze, he was able to get in a lucky kick and knock me into the air.

    Happosai started to frown.  "I landed in the canal, and by the time I got
back, the pervert and my precious collection were gone!"  He started crying,
"Ranma, you've got to help me get my collection back!  There's no telling
what an unscruplous type like him might do with them!"  Somehow the ancient
master had managed to splash Ranma and was now clinging to her bosom.

    "Aaaah!  Get OFF!!"  Ranma tried peeling him off, but he was more
tenatious then normal.  She started running around the house.

    "So there's ANOTHER pervert in Nerima!"  Akane made a fist.  "Well it
stops here!  We don't have to take this anymore!"

    Soun and Genma were now in the room.  "A pervert even worse then the
Master."  Genma scratched his chin.  "Who would have thought of it?"

    "Indeed, Saotome.  And who would want to?"

    "Well said, Tendo, well said."

    Akane stomped as she got up.  "I'm going to stop this new panty thief!"

    "What?"  Soun's jaw dropped open.  "But Akane..."

    "There's enough perverts here already!"  Ranma and Happosai stopped
running around the house and glanced in at Akane.  After they satisfied
themselves that she wasn't talking about them, they returned to their
business.

    "But Akane, what if the pervert comes after you?  You know how you
attract this sort of thing..."  He tried to ignore Akane's sub-vocalised
growl.  "Leave it to Ranma."

    "THAT pervert will probably only make him stronger!"  Outside, faint
voices could be heard.  "Hotcha!"  "Hey!  Don't touch that, you old goat!"

    "Uh... Well then, we'll come protect you!"

    "What?"  Genma hadn't signed on for this!

    "We have to protect my daughters!"

    Nabiki looked at him with half-lidded eyes.  "And how will you protect
Kasumi and me if you're off with Akane?  We're not martial artists.  How will
we protect ourselves if the panty thief finds this house full of beautiful,
young maidens, all alone... Unprotected?"

    "Oh, my!"

    "I'LL protect you bab-- erk."  Nabiki's upraised foot implanted into
Happosai's descending face.  Boy-type Ranma came running around the corner
steaming and dripping wet.  He grabbed the dazed master and started tying
him up.

    The dazzed master spoke in a small voice, "i told you i'm not into
bondage..."

    "Shut UP!!!"  Ranma beat the ball of rope holding the Master.

    "i'll be good..."

    Soun was still upset.  "Akane, are you sure you won't stay here?"

    "No way!"

    "But I can't just leave your daughters alone, Akane..."

    "Dad, I care take care of myself..."

    "Who're you kidding, Akane?" said Ranma.  "Just leave everything to me.
I'll take care of it.  I'm used to dealing with perverts."

    "It takes a pervert to catch a pervert?"

    Soun nodded, "Yes, leave this to Ranma."

    Ranma realized something, "Hey!"  He glared as Akane.

    "Dad, I'm not leaving this to Ranma.  He can't stop perverts; he just
attracts them.  We have to send a message!"

    "But..."

    "Who're you calling a pervert, tomboy?"

    Although taking a beating from a prospective fiancee is expected as part
of the path of a true martial artist, Genma didn't feel like watching his
son get pummelled again.  "Why don't we form a posse?"

    Soun and Akane looked at him.  "A what?"

    "A posse.  We'll all get together, even Kasumi and Nabiki, and go out on
patrol.  We'll be able to protect each other, and when we find the panty
thief, he'll see just how many people are against him."

    Soun was ecstatic, "An angry mob!  That's a wonderful idea, Saotome!"

    "Of course, Tendo," Genma grinned.

    Akane was frowning.  An angry mob?  Then she grinned.  The more the
merrier, right?  "I'm going to make some calls!"

    "It's settled then," said Soun, "We'll form up in the dojo and start our
patrol.  Make sure all your underwear's locked up!!!"

    Nabiki rolled her eyes.  Kasumi got up and started walking towards her
room.  "Yes, father."


        *           *           *           *           *           *

    "I feel stupid."

    "This hurts!"

    "How do you wear these things?"

    "Would you all just SHUT UP!!!"  Ukyo yelled at the top of her lungs.
What a useless, whiney bunch of girls...

    "Maybe you're used to have your breasts crushed flat by bindings, Ukyo,
but the rest of us are not."  Akane itched at wrappings under her shirt.
Yuka and Sayuri nodded emphatically.

    "You'll get used to it."

    "I don't WANT to get used to having by chest flattened!"

    "Gee, Akane, with YOUR chest, who'd no--"  Ranma withered at Akane's
glance.

    "Well, you all wanted to come after the panty thief.  If you don't want
him stealing your bra or groping you, this is the best solution..."

    "I still say I could taken care of the freak by my--"  No sooner had he
said the words them Ranma was stared down by ALL the women in the group.
"nevermind."

    Akane grinned.  Maybe he could learn, afterall.  The party consisted of
about twenty people.  Everyone in the Tendo houshold (except Happosai, who was
left tied up), Ukyo, Miss Hinomiya, and a bunch of Akane's girl friends from
school.  Kuno, Hiroshi and Daisuke had tagged along when they saw the huge
group of cute girls, but were upset when they all "wrapped up" and wore
shirts and pants instead of more feminine clothing.

    "Oh, how the heavens weep to see the beauty of such fair maidens hidden
so!  I must protect you from the ravages of the creature that stalks the
night, and put an end to his unholy reign of terror."  Kuno looked with
distaste at his travelling companions.  "And, of course, protect you from the
predations of the lecherous Saotome."

    "Hey!"

    "When this night is done, you shall all be safe and free."  He spread his
arms wide, "And then I shall DATE thee!"

    "Delinquent."  Miss Hinomiya drained him dry, leaving a withered husk of
Kuno, and filling out her own adult form.  Hirsohi and Daisuke wisely kept
quiet, enjoying the show.

    "Whose stupid idea was this mob, anyway?" muttered Ukyo.  They were just
fighting each other.

    Genma bigsweated.  "Look!"  He pointed into the darkness.  "The pervert!"

    "Where?!?"  As everyone in the mob turned to look, Genma made himself
scarce.  Only Ranma and Akane weren't tricked.

    Akane narrowed her eyes.  "Hey, wait, I do see something!"  A dark form
was weaving an uneven path along rooftops behind them.  Ranma saw the figure
too.  "Get him!!!" they cried.

    The two bolted off, leaving the rest of the party confused.  Ukyo was
berating herself for falling for one of Genma's stupid tricks, and everyone
else was wondering whom Ranma and Akane were talking about.  The only 'him'
the girls could see were two schoolboys and the hapless Mr. Tendo...

    "Uh, ladies...?" asked the mustachioed man.

    Meanwhile, Ranma had vaulted directly to the rooftop to intercept the
stranger.  Unfortunately, as we went up, the other person dropped down into
the adjacent alleyway that Akane had walked into.

    A solid crack of knuckle against bone could be heard below.  "Akane?!"
Ranma immediately jumped back down to where he had heard the noise.  He landed
at the other end of the alleyway, which was lit by a streetlight, above.
Stark shadows were everywhere.

    Akane appeared to be in tears, kneeling on the ground.  Ranma grabbed her
shoulders and looked her in the eyes.  "Are you okay?  Did the pervert get
you?!?"

    Much to his dismay, Akane shoved him out of the way and crawled over to a
body crumpled by the wall of the building he had just leapt down from.  A
spiderweb of cracks covered the conrete siding.

    "I'm SO sorry Ryoga!" wailed Akane.  "I didn't know it was you!  I thought
you were the panty thief!"

    "Just what we need," frowned Ranma.

    It's... It's okay, Akane," mumbled Ryoga.  He was rubbing the back of his
head, still a little confused about what was going on.  "Wait a minute.
What's this about a panty thief?"  He turned to glare at Ranma.  "What has
your perverted master been up to while I was gone?!?"

    "He AIN'T my master!"

    Akane was helping Ryoga up.  "It isn't Master Happosai.  There's a new
panty thief who's even better them him."

    Ryoga shuddered.  "How could you let this happen, Ranma?!"

    "Huh?"

    "This new underwear thief might try to steal Ak- Akane's... p- p-"

    "P-Chan?"  Ranma supplied.

    "Shut up!"  Ryoga reflexivly looked at Akane to guage her reaction, and
then continued to yell at Ranma, "You should be trying to stop this thief and
protect Akane!  And you call yourself a man?"

    "Hey!  Whaddya think we're DOIN' out here?!?"

    Ryoga, however, was now ignoring Ranma and holding Akane's hands.  "Please
allow me to protect you from this thief, Akane.  I'll help you bring him to
justice."

    Ranma rolled his eyes.

    "Th- Thanks, Ryoga.  We could really use your help!"

    "Anything for you, Akane.  You know I'd..."

    "Shut up!" silenced Ranma.

    A person was aproaching them from the other end of he alleyway.  Hidden
within the shadows between the two buildings, only their sillouette could be
seen.  A sillouette carrying something large over its shoulder.  The person
was tall, and seemed to slink towards them, reminding Ranma of all the stupid
cat analogies the old goat had made.  His face twitched.

    "I'll protect you, Akane!"  Ryoga leapt into action, down into the
shadows of the alleyway, and grabbed the presumed thief.  Akane started to
move forward as well, but Ranma held his arm out to bar her way.  Something
about the figure had caught his attention.

    Ranma's instincts were correct as Ryoga let out an "eep!" noise, with his
head pulling back.  He collapsed onto the ground, falling back into the light.
Akane drew a startled breath at the sight of blood all over Ryoga's face.
"His nose... It must be broken!"

    Ranma crouched low, not wanted to think about what could do that to a
walking brick like Ryoga.  He soon got his answer as a woman moved halfway
into the light.  He tried to ignore the lighting effects as they highlighted
certain top-heavy elements of her physique.

    "Uh..."  He swallowed nervously.

    "Another delinquent.  He should know better then to grab his elders."

    "Miss Hinako!?" yelled Akane.

    "No way!!" added Ranma.

    "What's going on, teacher," asked Akane.

    Ranma's mind was going about as fast as it ever did, and he had realised
something horrible.  "Of course!  It all makes sense now!"  Akane turned to
look at him.

    "You've always been able to beat the Master.  And after training under him
for so long you've picked up his perver--"  his commentary was cut off by a
quick blow to the head from his teacher.

    "Don't be disgusting, Saotome!  I'M not the pervert here."

    Miss Hinako stepped forward, making a point of giving the unconsious Ryoga
a wide berth.  As she had moved fully into the light, they could now see the
shape slung over her shoulder.

    Akane rushed forward.  "Dad?!"

    Miss Hinako carefully slid the unconscious, beaten form of the elder
Tendo off her shoulder and onto the ground.

    "Oh, Dad!  The panty thief got him!"

    Ranma recovered from the blow to his head and looked at the taller man.
He noted that most of the bruises were on his arms, indicating that he had
blocked most of the attacks.  "He must have put up a good fight.  I didn't
think he had it in him."

    Akane held her father's hand and looked at Miss Hinako.  "Was he able to
stop the panty thief?  Or slow him down...  Are my friends okay!?"

    Just then Nabiki and Kasumi peered came into the alleyway.  Nabiki glanced
at the recovering Ryoga, and Akane and Ranma.  "You guys finish your 'martial
artist duty' and get the panty theif?"  She looked at Ryoga as she stepped
over him and joined Akane.  "Who would have guessed?"

    Akane glanced back at her bruised father.  "Didn't the thief come after
you...?"

    Nabiki smirked.  "Friendly fire, I'm afraid."

    Confusion painted Akane's face.

    "Those... delinquents started atatcking poor Mr. Tendo," explained Miss
Hinako.  "Well, after they trashed the boys.  For some reason, they thought
he was the panty thief.

    "He tried his best, but they all ganged up on him.  He never had a chance
against a gang of angry schoolgirls.  So I drained the lot of them."  She
held up a fifty-yen coin meaningfully.

    "Fortunately father protected us from the drain," supplied Kasumi.

    Ranma had had enough of explanations.  "Geez, this was all a stupid idea.
You girls should never have come along.  Just let me take care of this
myself."

    "Ranma's right," agreed Ryoga grudgingly.  He had just gotten up and had
wiped away his nosebleed.  He could only hope that Akane hadn't seen.  "The
thief could strike anywhere while we talk, and you girls are in danger as long
as he is about."

    "Oh, no!" said Akane.

    "Oh dear..", said Nabiki.

    "Oh, my!" said Kasumi.

    Ryoga and Ranma looked at each other dumbly.

    Akane glared at them.  Well, at Ranma, anyway.  "My friends are all
unconscious out there!"  She pointed to the other end of the alleyway, back
from where she had come.

    "They're sitting ducks!" realised Ranma.  He ran out to the sidewalk and
found all of the girls with their bouses opened and breast wrappings missing.
He quickly turned around and found himself facing Akane.

    "I didn't look!"

    "Ranma, what are you doing?  We can't leave them like that!  We've got
to cover them up and get them inside."

    "Wh- what!?"  Ranma stammered.  Ryoga looked even more unconfortable.
Kasumi and Nabiki had started taking care of the girls, while Miss Hinako
carried back Soun's unconscious body.  Ranma could believe what his green-
eyed finacee was expecting him to do.  "Y- You want me to touch their--"

    Akane quickly realised where her stupid fiance's thought were.  "What
are you thinking?!?  You PERVERT!"  She pulled her arm back to slap him when
her world started spinning at a fantastic rate.

    "Akane!"  Ranma rushed forward to stop Akane's blurring top-like
movement.  What had happened?  He spread his arms wide and let Akane grind
to a halt spinning against him.  His eyes nearly popped out of his head
when he saw her shirt was open and her bindings had been removed.  The
strip of cloth must have been yanked off, spinning her like a gyroscope.

    Her eyes were rapidly moving right to left, and her head was rolling
around.  Knocked cold out.  He looked down to make sure she was okay.

    He blinked.  "The- They're bigger then I rem--"  Ryoga slammed a fist
into Ranma's head.

    "You PERVERT!  Stop molesting Akane!!!"

    Ranma started to respond to the accusation when Kasumi and Nabiki started
backing into a wall, looking warily at the skies.  "Uh, boys..."

    "Shit!"  Ryoga immediately grasped the situation.  While he wanted to
help Akane, there wasn't much more he could do for her now.  Nabiki and
Kasumi needed their immediate help.

    Miss Hinako pulled out her coin and traced a wide cicle in the air.  In
a blur a small shape whizzed down between her outstretched arms.  The blur
resolved into a black-clad person of indeterminite height with a sack over
his shoulder.  His head was covered with a kerchief just like Happosai's.

    Hinako's eyes went wide as she stared into the eyes of her assailant.

    Ryoga ran to help her, but the thief leapt up and hopped off of the
teacher's head and onto the rooftops.  Hinako crumpled to the ground, but
Ryoga caught her before he she landed against the hard pavement.

    The thief, in adition to knocking her out somehow, had completely
unbuttoned her one-peice.  He hadn't found anything, though.  Miss Hinako's
little-girl form hardly needed to wear a bra.  Then again, as Ryoga looked
down, he realised this big-girl body most certainly did.  Soon his entire
body was beet red from a full-body blush.

    "Look after Akane!" yelled Ranma.  He didn't wait for the older sisters
to respond before grabbing the twitching Ryoga away from Hinako and leaping
onto the rooftop after the thief.  As long as he was on his tail, the other
girls should be alright.  "C'mon, idiot!"

    "Who're you calling an idiot, you jerk?!"  Ryoga snapped out of his daze
and started struggling, so Ranma let go of him and he landed on the next
rooftop.  "I've got to go back and help Akane!"

    Ranma scowled at him.  "Idiot!  We have to get the thief NOW or he'll
just come and get Akane again later!"  Ryoga seemed torn by indecision, but
Ranma couldn't wait for a response and let the thief get away, so he bounded
off again.

    Reluctantly, Ryoga found himself agreeing with Ranma (again!).  "Hey!
Wait up!"  He ran hard to catch up with Ranma, who was himself pushing hard
to catch up with the thief.  The two mostly moved forward, but due to the
layout of the houses, occasionally jumped from side to side.

    He watched as the pig-tailed boy managed to outmaneuver his quarry.  While
the theif jumped left and then forward, Ranma made a bigger leap to the house
forward, and then jumped to the roof on the left.  He dropped low and spun his
leg where the theif would land, but the thief managed to avoid the blow,
flipping backwards, and landing neatly in a low crouch.  A bag of booty slung
undisturbed over his shoulder.

    Ranma cursed the fact that he had missed, but he figured that if this
pervert was able to beat the old goat, he was bound to have a FEW tricks.
The crouched form had purposefully landed on the side of the roof slanted
away from the nearby streetlights so as to stay in the shadows.  Crouched
closely against the surface, Ranma couldn't gauge his height or reach.

    And the eyes.  Happosai had been right.  About the only thing he could
see were the thief's eyes, which were big and round.  Not cat-like at all,
he assured himself.  The pupils were large and dark, not slits.  As he was
staring at the thief's eyes, they opened even wider in surprise.

    If the thief was surprised, he'd best press his offensive advantage.
"Let go of that sack, you freak!"  He leapt up and lauched a flying at the
prone body, but it rolled aside and starting leaping away even faster then
before.  After smashing some roof tiles from his strike, he turned around.

    "He's scared of something..."  Ranma got a cocky grin.  No doubt the new
freak had heard of his fighting skills and knew he was no match for him.  He
started to turn around and continue the pursuit when his legs were clipped
from behind him.

    "Gotcha!"  Vice-like arms held his legs fast.  Lying down and fumbling for
leverage,  Ranma turned and half-rolled onto his side, twisting his torso
around so he could strike the person holding him.

    "Ryoga, you IDIOT!!"  He knuckled the boy in the head.  Causing him to
blink.

    "Where'd he go?"

    "Let me go, you idiot, he's getting away!"  He kicked his legs free and
Got up.  He paused a moment to find the theif again, and started running,
redoubled his speed.  He moved so fast that it really seemed like he was
running along the rooftops instead of leaping from one to the next.  Ryoga
quickly followed, so they were running neck and neck.  Ever so slowly they
closed the distance, following the curving trail across the rooftops of
Nerima.  When they were only one house behind, Ranma decided he was close
enough to try to make another strike.

    Just as he had the thought, however, a shout from the side distracted him.
"I must save Shampoo!"  A barrage of chains, knives, and training potties
shot through the air.  Several of them wrapped around the thief, but more
importantly, iron claws pulled the bag off his back.  Lingerie and
chest-bindings rained from the sky to the ground below.

    Ranma grinned.  He might be stuck fighting with two idiots, but there was
no way a pervert was going to run from his "haul".  They had him, now.

    Mousse landed next to the now-fallen thief and grabbed him.  "What have
you done to my--"  The thief kicked his leg over his head and solidly hit
Mousse's jaw.  The robed boy traced a perfect parabolic arc as he fell to the
ground, whimpering, "--Shampoo?"

    Twisting his legs, the thief first spun on his back and them up onto his
feet, causing the ropes and chains to unwind, spinning out and off his body.
Ranma and Ryoga ducked the flying items and prepared for a head-on assault.

    "No running away now, freak!"

    "You'll pay for what you've done!"

    "Oh, my!"

    Ranma looked down in confusion at the third voice, that of Kasumi.  What
the heck was she doing there?  Then he noticed all the other girls.  And
Akane.  The thief had led them in a circle!

    He glanced back at the thief, who was jumping down into the mass of
schoolgirls.  If he was anything like the letch, he was going to cop a feel
for a quick power-up!

    Ryoga had apparently realised the same thing, and immediately leapt down,
interposing hiself in front of Akane.  Ranma frowned, but follwed a split
second later to protect Kasumi and Nabiki.

    Akane had just run over to Mousse to see if he was okay, when Kasumi had
shouted out.  Ranma and Ryoga were on the adjacent room staring down the
thief when it seemed like everyone started jumping at her.  She screwed her
eyes shut awaiting a blow when water splashed on her instead.  She opened her
eyes to see the a rudely awakened duck next to her, and the pervert in front.

    He was about her height, wearing a loose outfit of coarse cloth that
covered his entire body.  Slippers covered his feet, but his hands were bare.
A kerchief was wrapped around his head and under his nose, and he was wearing
(of all things) a cold mask.  His big, dark eyes seemed to take her in
hungrily, and she could imagine a smirk under the mask.

    Glancing at Mousse and the bucket in the thief's hands, Akane made a quick
deduction.  "He must knows our weaknesses..."  Being a fair-tempered person
herself, she rarely got into fights, so she hoped the thief would not know her
style.

    She quickly went into a back stance.  Her left arm and leg were forward,
her right leg below her and right hand held to her chest, she only presented
her side as a target to the thief.  Unfortunately her foot stepped in
something round and squishy, thowing off her balance.

    "Bwee!"  P-Chan let out a startled yelp of pain.

    "Oh, no!  My P-Chan, what are you doing here?!?"

    "Pay attention!"  Boy-type Ranma streaked from behind Akane, and started
fighting the thief hand-to hand.  Ranma had an edge in both speed and power,
but the thief was fighting pretty well, nonetheless.  Mu Mu Chan had a foot-
print on his head and was unconscious again.

    "Geez, just get out of here, Akane, you'll only get into trouble!"

    Akane's face twisted in indignation.  WHAT did he say?  While she cradled
poor P-Chan, she yelled at her fiance.  "I can take this pervert!"

    "No way, Akane," he panted betwen strikes.  "You know you can't fight.
I can take this guy, easy."  Ranma shifted to mid-air combat, one of his
specialties.

    "He beat Master Happosai!"

    "Anybody can beat that old freak.  You just have to know his weakness!"

    "Nyao!"  Instead of attempting a strike or block at the top of their
leaps, the thief made a high-pitched meow into Ranma's ear.

    "Yaaa!"  Startled, he failed to keep his center of gravity under himself,
and face-planted into pavement.  Akane ran over to him, making sure to stay
in a fighting stance.  Instead of protecting her chest, however, her back
hand clutched P-Chan to her bosom.  With her forward leg she booted Ranma.

    "Get up!"  Akane circled him, staying opposite the thief, who was now
eyeing her.  Ranma had only begun to stir when the thief was on her,
attacking with a flurry of blows.  Akane could only block about a third of
them, as one hand protected P-Chan.  Instead of fists, however, the strikes
were finger blows.

    Were her pressure points being hit!?!  That didn't make sense, though.
The areas being hit were mostly fatty tissue...  After a moment she realised
the thief was poking her amost exclusively in the chest and rear.  Her
battle aura soared with her coiled right hand, performed a full uppercut on
the thief, who was solidly knocked back.

    "PERVERT!"

    A small form made a squeaking noise as it fell it front of Akane.  "Oh,
NO!!!  P-Chan!"  She tenderly picked up the KO'ed piglet.  Glancing at her
right hand, she realised it wasn't guarding her chest anymore.  She had hurt
him again!  Tears filled her eyes. "I'm SO sorry!"

    "Stupid Ryoga."  Ranma finally got up, rubbing his face.

    "Ranma!"  Akane exclaimed.  "Where did Ryoga go?"

    "Watch out!"  Ranma tackled into Akane, moving her out of the way as the
thief descended with raking hands.  Ranma backside caught the attack, shedding
his shirt.  "Geez, Akane, just get out of here!"

    He turned back to face the opponent, who was in a familiar stance.  One
knee in the air, arms up, but hands curled down.  Where had he seen that
stance?

    "Nya!"  The thief purred happily.

    "No way!"  yelled Ranma.

    "The Cat-Fist!" added Akane.

    A loud clack announced the arrival of Cologne, landing perched atop her
walking stick.  "Stay back, Son-in-Law.  This one is too powerful for you."

    "N- No way.  I can take him, he's just a pervert."

    Akane's voice held some fear.  "But he knows the Cat-Fist!"

    Ranma couldn't argue that, but the shrivelled mummy did.  "I think not.
Your opponent it just using cat-like forms to startle and distract Son-in-Law
into fighting poorly.  Your weaknesses are known."

    Akane nodded, having come to the same conclusion.  Ranma's fists were
clenched, and had an expression that she knew meant he wouldn't give up.  Or
was about to do something really stupid.

    "Then we'll just use his own technique against him!"  He got up, stared
at the thief, and after a few moments, ran away.

    Cologne muttered, "Soatome Secret Technique..."

    Akane just stared.

    "Can't you guys do anything other then look at Ranma's butt?!?"  Nabiki's
voice caught the two fighter's attentions.  They looked at her as she pointed
to the thief, who was trying to make a silent getaway.

    "Hey, get back here!"  yelled Akane.  She handed P-Chan off to Cologne
and started attacking the thief.  Cologne just blinked, trying to decide if
she was more startled that Akane was trying to fight, or that she was now
holding a cute little black pig.

    Dropping the pig on his head, Cologne hopped forward to dissuade Akane
from her actions.  "You must not fight this one!  Let the thief go."

    "Death to Perverts!!!" was Akane's reply.  Actually, she was putting up a
pretty good fight.  The again, the thief wasn't exactly fighting back; he was
just looking for an exit, which Akane repeatedly moved (or leapt) to block.

    After Cologne performed some Amazon pressure-point magic on the fallen
students, she briefly considered knocking Akane out to end the dangerous
game.  There was no telling when the theif would grow weary or nervous, and
use more desperate attacks against her.

    It was then that the thief scooped up the discarded P-Chan and held him by
his checkered kerchief, swinging him like a pendumlum.

    "Oh, NO!!!"  Akane stopped in her tracks.  "Leave him alone!  He didn't
do anything to you!"  She approached the thief as close as she dared.  The
thief, for his part, was backing up towards a steaming kettle on the ground.

    "This doesn't look good for Ryoga," muttered Cologne.

    "P-Chan!"

    The little pig blearily opened his eyes and looked around.  Akane seemed
upset, and he was dangling from the neck.  Had Asuza grabbed him again?  Worse
yet, was someone trying to cook him!?  He looked up at his captor but only saw
a slowly turning kettle about to be poured on him.

    "Stop torturing P-Chan!  You'll burn him!"

    Eyes half as big as his body, he flailed his tiny little hooved legs as
fast as he could.

    It wasn't helping.

    "Tee-hee! Oh dear!  My blouse seems to be falling apart!"  A girl's
giggling caught everybody's attention.

    "..."  said the thief.

    "Oh, god," said Akane.

    "Son-in-Law," sighed Colonge.

    P-Chan flailed.

    Yes, Girl-Type Ranma was skipping down the street wearing a lacy black
bra, with the ties of her shirt undone.  Akane failed to suppress the jealousy
she felt at the contrast of the black brassiere against Ranma's pure, milky-
white skin, or how certain parts of her fiance's anatomy jiggled as she
hopped around.

    A spot of drool was rapidly making the thief's mask wet.

    "And this bra is soOOOoo tight!  She started fiddling with the catch
in the back, arching backwards and giving everyone a better view.

    Mu-Mu Chan woke up an quickly scampered away from the scary-looking Akane.
The thief, hypnotised, started walking towards Ranma and dropped the bucket.

    Two forms launched into action.

    Ranma leapt out of his bra...(!)

    ...and P-Chan clawed viciously at the thief's face.  The the mask was
pulled down to the thief's throat, and the kerchief was pulled off his head.
A cascade a silkylavender hair fell out of the kerchief and down the thief's
back.

    Ranma landed behind the thief, grabbing him firmly.

    "Aiya!!!"

    Her firmly.

    Ranma blinked in confusion.  "Shampoo?"

    "Ranma!  What are you two GIRLS doing?!?"  She glared at where girl-
type Ranma's hands were holding Shampoo's chest from behind.  Ranma quickly
pulled her hands away and put them behind her own back.

    "I- It's not what it looks like Akane..."

    "YOU!"  Akane approached Shampoo.  "I always knew you were a pervert!  You
call ME a 'Pervert Girl', but look what you've been up to!"  She pointed at
the lingerie scattered aound, and the awakening girls on the ground.  Well,
they weren't her fault but Akane didn't care.

    "Uh, I'm sure Shampoo was just being bait.  You know, pretend to be
another panty theif like Happosai and lure the thief out into another fight.
Right, Shampoo?"

    Shampoo stared at the ground.

    "Shampoo?"  Nervousness crept into his voice.

    "I KNEW it!  You're always hugging and grabbing Ranma even when he's a
girl!  YOU'RE the REAL 'Pervert Girl'!"

    As Akane shouted and waved her arms, Shampoo's demeanor became more and
more despondent.  Her shoulders drooped, her head hung low, and she started to
cry.  "Is true!  Shampoo no want to be pervert, but can't stop!"

    She hugged Ranma about the waist and started bawling.  "Airen, you
forgive Shampoo, yes?"  Then she started rubbing her cheek into Ranma's
chest, still crying.

    "Aaaaahhh!"  Ranma freaked at the weird sensations and tried to push
Shampoo away, but she was too persistent.  Realizing how useless Ranma was,
Akane decided to help, and tried to pry the Amazon off her fiance.

    Cologne finally spoke up.  "I had hoped this day would never come.  I
worked so hard to prevent it, but it seems it is impossible to escape fate."

    Soun walked forward.  "What's going on here?"  He rubbed at the bruises
and scratches all over his body.  Miss Hinako stood by his side and tended
him. "What's wrong with Shampoo?"  He pointed at the scene between Akane,
Shampoo, and Ranma.  Akane had gotten Shampoo off of Ranma, but now she was
rubbing her head in Akane's lap.  Akane yelled at Ranma to do something, but
she was too busy trying to stop a bloody nose.

    Mu-Mu Chan was paralysed with fear and dismay.  P-Chan put a reassuring
hoof on his back.  He had been there many times, himself.

    "The story begins over a hundred years ago..."  The girls (and two boys)
people formed a circle around the trideca-genarian.  Only Hiroshi and Daisuke
paid attention to Akane, Ranma, and Shampoo.

    P-Chan wanted to help Akane, he really did, but he was scared about
being punched, stepped on, or being used as another punching glove.  And that
kettle of hot water was still too close for his liking.

    So he settled for being picked up by Sayuri, who scratched behind the
ears.  "Look, it's Akane's pet piggie.  He's so CUTE!"  He stretched and
bweed contentedly.

    Looking at Sayuri, and the poor dumb bird, Yuka decided she wanted a pet,
too.  She picked him up and sat next to Sayuri, listening to Cologne's story.
Mu-Mu Chan decided that he liked his "nest" and blissfully rubbed his head
against Yuka's chest as she stroked his neck.

    "As you know, when he was young, Happosai came to our village.  He stole
our ancient treasures and ran off.  A young, proud Amazon, I took it upon
myself to stop him, but I was unsuccessful."

    Cologne sighed.  "Rather, he beat me.  In single combat.  According to
Amazon law, I had to give him the Kiss of Marriage, and we were married the
very next day..."

    Ranma boggled.  "No way!  The old goat is your great-grandfather,
Shampoo?!?"

    "Is too, too tragic!"

    Akane strained at the Amazon, "Get OFF!"

    Cologne continued her story.  "As is the way of things, we had a child
but nine months later."  The group shuddered.  Better to leave thoughts of
the wrinkled mummy unspoken!  "My daughter was a powerful martial artist, who,
fortunately, was nothing like her father.  Indeed, he left during her
childhood, and everyone in the village was glad that his influence was gone.
Soon my child grew up, married, and bore Shampoo's mother.

    "As for Shampoo's departed mother...  Well, it wasn't until she had grown
up and had a child of her own that her symptoms become apparent.  She had an
unnatural fascination with undergarments, and an overpowering desire to...
feel... other women."  Cologne's face wrinkled it distaste, scaring not a few
of the observers.

    "She tried to fight it for years, but soon had accumlated a collection of
panties and bras.  We had not seen Happosai in years, so we didn't suspect
anything of the missing clothes.  At the third year after the manifestation of
my grand-daughter's sympoms, her collection was no longer enough.  During a
training fight she gave into her urges and grabbed another Amazon's chest.

    Holding Shampoo off with a foot while Akane kneeled on her back, Ranma
wanted to know, "Why didn't she just...  Grab herself?"

    "Alas, she could not satisfy the urges her her own body.  Or with her own
undergarments.  She needed some intangible element that she could not provide
for herself.  Perhaps in was the scent of a woman, but her nose naturally
filtered out her own pheremones."

    "Damn."  Shampoo had crawled out from under Akane.  Ranma and Akane
stuggled to contain the Amazon once again.

    "So my grand-daughter, Shampoo's monther, had grabbed another warrior
during a fight it a... compromising position.  No one thought much of it,
other then to think she was being a little cruel to use such a distracting
tactic.  Still, all it fair in the art of war.  But she knew.  She knew she
could not hold it off anymore.  Having tasted the forbidden fruit, she had to
have more.

    "Although the perversions had been working on my grand-daughter for years,
she was still proud.  Still an Amazon warrior.  She came to me and admitted
everything.  She would end the disgrace the only way she knew how: honorable
suicide.  I did not stop her; what could I say?  She had tried her best to
stop what she was.  I could do no more.

    "So I took in Shampoo as my own child.  I was wary from the start that
she might develop the same traits as her mother, so I trained her hard, to
be the best warrior in the village.  If no one could defeat her, she would
never marry.  I hoped to prevent her from having thoughts about sex.  Thoughts
which might quickly turn to thoughts of perversion."

    Cologne glanced at Ranma.  "You can imagine my horror, of course, when
Son-in-law defeated Shampoo.  Would the Kiss of Death be enough to trigger
the monster lying dormant in Shampoo's genes?  I wouldn't know for sure until
she came back from Japan.  And when she said she had fallen in love with a
girl...  Well, it was too much for my old bones.

    "I took her to Jusenkyo.  I had to train her hard.  Harder then ever
before to purge the perversion from her.  I could be done.  I had to believe
it.  I pushed her too hard.  I should never have taken her to Jusenkyo.  As
you know, she fell in the Spring of Drowned cat.

    "Strangely enough, she became ecstatic.  The girl Ranma with whom she had
fallen in love must have also fallen in the springs.  She realised that her
love wasn't a girl who turned into a boy, but a boy that turned into a girl.
She didn't have to feel disgraced about loving the girl.

    "Too bad she hadn't told me about the gender switching in the first
place; I could have told her the truth from the start.  I woulnd't have been
so upset and taken her to the cursed training grounds.  As it was, she was
cursed for nothing...."

    Kasumi was moved, "What a tragic story!"

    "Stop touching me!"

    "Yes.  Well, that's where I come into the story.  I figured that as long
as Shampoo associated any... urges... towards Ranma's girl-type body with her
attraction to Ranma the person, she would be okay.  Just to be sure, however,
I came to Nerima to keet an eye on her.

    "It had been going so well, too.  But Son-in-law has not been attentive
to his wife as he should be--"

    "Hey!" shouted Akane.  "Excuse me?" added Ukyo.

    "--And she has not been able to have... close contact with his girl-type
body.  As such, she had no outlet for the urrges she had been feeling the past
few months.  She still has enough resistance not to grab a real girl,"
Cologne made a point of not looking at the menage-a-trois occuring nearby,
"But she couldn't stop herself from..."  Cologne started to break down,
sniffling, "...from collecting women's underwear!  Oh, the horror!  The
horror!"

    "An amazing story," noted Soun.  "But it explains so much."

    "Indeed, Tendo." nodded Genma.  Ukyou blinked.  Where had he come from?

    Akane had finally managed to pour some water on Shampoo and dump her in
a wicker basket.  Ranma eyed the shifting basket warily as sounds of a cat
yowling and sharpening her claws could be heard from within.  "Well, that's
one less 'fiancee' Ranma has to deal with," Akane smiled.

    "Yeah!" chimed in Ukyo.  "My Ran-chan's not going to marry a pervert!"

    "Yeah," confirmed Akane, staring meaningfully at the crossdresser.

    Ranma was too busy watching the basket to comment.

    Cologne chuckled.  "Ah, but girls, Son-in-law is the only one for
Shampoo."

    "And just why is THAT?" asked Ukyo.

    "Why, Ranma is the only one who can satifsy Shampoo's perverted nature
without really being perverted.  No one can blame Shampoo for grabbing her
husband's breasts, or making a collection of his panties and bras, right?
This way, we don't have to worry about her terrorising innocent girls."

    "..."

    "..."

    "What?!?"  Ranma didn't like the sound of that.  "No WAY am I going to
stay a girl!  I'm gonna find a cure, you old ghoul.  And I'm SURE as hell
not gonna wear a bra or panties for no one!"

    "I think not, Son-in-Law."  Cologne swiped her stick, raking it across
Ranma's chest.

    "Wha...?"  Dread filled Ranma.  "What did you do to me THIS time?!?"

    "That was the XXXXXX Point.  From now on, your chest is supersensitive
to being pulled or stretched.  If you turn into a girl,  the weight of your
own breasts will bring you unbearable pain!"

    "N- No way..."  But she could tell.  Already the top of her chest was
getting mighy unconfortable.

    "Ranma..."

    "Ranma-honey..."

    "Why couldn't this have happened to Akane?  She's so flat- URK!"

    Akane twisted her elbow into Ranma's head.  "Honestly, you are such a
JERK!"

    Ukyo pulled her finace away from the violent tomboy.  "Don't worry,
Ranma, you can always wear a chest-wrap!"  She smiled brightly and tugged
at her top to show her own wrapping.  "We'll make a perfect couple!"  It was
then that she noticed she wasn't wearing her wrapping.  She peered down her
top but didn't see anything but the usual suspects.

    Ranma tried to non-chalantly cross her arms under her chest.  It was
really starting to hurt, now.  "Man, this sucks."

    "No worries, Ranma!"  Shampoo spoke from behind him.

    "Huh?"

    "You need support, Shampoo give you all support you need!"  She kneeled
behind him and cupped Ranma's breasts with her hands.

    Ranma sat up and spun around.  "THAT kind of support I don't-- YIKES!"
Next to the overturned kettle kneeled Shampoo, naked as a newborn kitten.
Instinctively she covered her eyes so they wouldn't fall out of their
sockets.

    Ukyo frowed.  She had just given Ranma a free show of her top and she
hadn't reacted at all!  That... stupid... "JACKASS!"

    "You no hit airen!"

    "You're you to talk, you naked pervert bimbo!"

    "Yeah, sugar, you've got no say in this anymore."

    "At least Shampoo like boys!"

    "What!?!"

    "And dress like real girl!"

    "When you do dress, little bararian!"

    "Shampoo beat you all!"

    "You're on!"

    "Whenever you're ready!"

    A handsome man interrupted the burgeoning fight.  "Ladies, you must not
fight!  Please, let us make love, not war!"

    "Kuno?!?"

    "Ah! My pig-tailed Goddess!"

    "Aaah!  Get OFF"

    A shrivelled man jumped into the party.  "Ah, so see the fruit of my loins
has grown up in her great-grandfather's image!"

    "Aiya!"

    "Yuck!"

    "Gross!"

    "Bleh."

    "What manner of beast is this?!?"

    "I must have instinctually known you were my descendent during our fight
last night.  That is why I suddenly lost my fighting spirit.  Plus, I could
never hurt a cutie like you!  Come, let us practice the family art together!"

    "Ranma belong Shampoo!"

    "Akane!"  A lone red-head stuggled against multiple groping, pulling
attackers.

    "I bet you LIKE them doing that to you, you pervert!"

    "Akane?"

    The others had long since walked away, but Hiroshi and Daisuke stood by
the side crying.

    "This is the happiest day of my life!"

    "I TOLD you she didn't dye her hair."

    "help?" whimpered a battered red-head.

        *           *           *           *           *           *

    "I don't undertand it, Ku-Lon.  All the younger amazons have become
exceedingly violent of late.  They perceive insult at the slightest thing,
and give each other Kisses of Death.  But when they fight, they don't use
weapons, and they never strike, or lock joints, or perform throws.  All
they do is grab each other.  I don't understand it, Ku-Lon.  What could it
be?"

    Cologne sighed into the phone, and thanked again whatever god had allowed
her to be in Japan instead of staying in China.  She would much rather be
dealing with her great-granddaughter's problems then those of the entire
tribe.

    If you could call what she was doing dealing with the problem.  Sometimes
she thought she should have just drugged Son-in-Law and dragged him back
China.  Shampoo could have her way with him before anybody knew what was going
on.

    But that wouldn't be any fun.

    She was growing old; she deserved to be pampered and entertained.  And
Japan was a hell of a lot more exciting then the village.  Torturing
"Son-in-Law" was providing her entertainment in spades.  She didn't feel bad
about it.  After all, she was teaching him powerful techniques, so she had a
right to take some "payment" in return...

    Frowning, she listened to the Amazon from home, and muttered some
meaningliess, reassuring words.  They wanted her back in the village and join
the ruling council as an elder of the village, but she wanted nothing to do
with it.  She had had enough with their stupid laws.

    The same stupid laws that made her marry a STRONG man, to get bring
STRONG genes into the village.  The laws that made her a mother of six.
A grandmother of 45.  A great-grandmother of 311.  And all of them beautiful
young women with STRONG genes...

-------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------
 End Part  1    Next Time: "The Strongest Man Alive"
-------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------

    In order to help you recover from this disturbing glimpse into the
twitsed mind of Rukimo Tshahaki, the next few chapters will be of a much
lighter nature.  We invite you to come back and take another look into...

    ...the Unseen World of Ranma 1/2!

----
Douglas MacDougall
dougmacd@thecia.net