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Ukyou sat beside the road and sobbed while occasionally moaning, "Why didn't you take me with you Ran-chan. You jackass! Why . . ." She paused again a moment later to wipe some of the snot dribbling down her face with her sleeve when a hand appeared before her offering a soft rag. Her eyes followed the hand upward and she exclaimed "Uncle Toby!"

Said uncle smiled at her and gently wiped her face of tears and other stuff before embracing her as he picked her up. She promptly broke down again and wailed briefly into his shoulder before finally lapsing into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning Ukyou hesitantly explained to her uncle Toby what had befallen her as he carried her back home.

After dropping her off at her father's home, Toby fumed over what had happened to Ukyou.

Unlike either Ukyou or her father, Toby did not blame the young boy involved but placed all the blame on Ranma's father.

Deciding to do what he could do to spoil Genma's plans, Toby put the 'word' out about Genma on the okonomiyaki vendor's network.

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Genma lunged forward and nabbed the alley cat but just as he was about to stuff it in the bag with the others, a small spatula shuriken snicked' into the wooden fence where his head had been a few moments before. Genma tossed the half filled bag of cats onto his attacker and made his escape while the burly man in the traditional uniform of an okonomiyaki vendor was fending off the angry cats. Neither of them noticed the booklet of banned training techniques that fluttered to the ground as Genma fled the scene closely followed by his unknown assailant.

"Where the hell am I now?" bellowed out a stocky man in the alley moments after both Genma and his assailant had left. "Humm," he murmured as he picked up a booklet on the ground, "I wonder what this is about. Oh, looks interesting, I wonder if little Ryouga would want to learn this? Oh well, I'll read the rest later."

"Damn Kuonji!" snarled Genma as he abandoned his third attempt to prepare the training pit necessary to teach Ranma the Neko-fist. "Why is he so upset that he set all his buddies onto me?" Genma wondered aloud. "I mean it was just an okonomiyaki yattai. It's not like I hurt anybody." He suspected every okonomiyaki vendor on the island was out for his blood based on his experiences these past several months. Genma grimaced and muttered, "If this keeps up, I'll never get that worthless boy of mine trained." He sighed as if unjustly persecuted and decided "Maybe if we left Japan for a year or so, then maybe the heat will die down."

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Genma grumbled to himself as he trudged onward through the mud. Not only had he misplaced that book before he had read just how to teach the cat-fist but the trip through China was not turning out as he had planned either. He paused as he looked at this latest training ground – Jusenkyo it was called according to his Chinese training guide book. He sighed; maybe he should have swiped, ah, borrowed the one with a Japanese translation.

"Boy . . ., never mind," Genma continued as he realized that the poles in the pools were both too high and spaced too far apart for Ranma to train on them; another bust as far as training went.

As the two Saotomes turned to make their way back to their camp in the nearby trees, they were suddenly confronted by two large men with faintly animalistic features. Before either could respond, the larger of the men pushed them into one of the larger pools.

Genma felt strange as he surfaced. As he struggled ashore dragging his floundering son he noticed that the boy's hair had changed to scarlet. Just as he set foot on the ground he noticed the two large protrusions on his chest. Her chest, she abruptly realized. Genma would have fainted except for two things, first she was furious with the idiot that had pushed her into the water and second, said idiot had taken advantage of her open gi and was fondling her at the moment.

"Baka," screamed Genma in fury as she lashed out and connected square between her molester's legs. He was lifted a foot off the ground by the brutal kick and landed hunched over moaning and staggered into his companion knocking them both into a small pool to the side of the area. When neither of them resurfaced, Genma's slightly guilty conscience urged her to look into the pool. She was very confused as the only thing she saw in the shallow pool was a pair of very large carp swimming among the gently drifting clothing.

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As the Chinese guide rushed up and began explaining in broken Japanese about what had happened, Genma realized that Ranma was now a girl but still about eight it seemed. Genma on the other hand was a young woman who seemed to be in her late teens. Too shocked to be able to function, the Saotome pair followed the guide into his hut. Both were relieved when the hot water restored their original forms but neither was happy to learn it was only temporary until cold water found them again.

They had been pushed into the same pool but it had affected them differently because of their ages, Ranma looked as he might have had he been born a girl, age unchanged. Genma on the other hand, not only resembled what his twin sister might have looked like but had lost a decade in apparent age as a result of the pool being 'spring of drowned girl' instead of 'spring of drowned woman'.

As he listened to the guide babble, Genma's eyes wandered as was their want, restlessly seeking anything of value not nailed down. He noticed a map lying on a small desk in one corner of the room and stealthily examined it. He froze as he realized it was a map of the pools and one of the names caught his attention. "Yes!" he yelled as he grabbed the map and ran outside. He quickly made his way across the plain of pools before stopping next to one that was partially shadowed by a small cliff. He double checked the pool location while he ignored the guide who was yelling at him as the pudgy man lumbered after him. His command of Chinese was lacking but he was sure the name meant 'man' something or other.

Four months later, as a light spring rain started to fall, Genma hurriedly pulled up the hood of his rain poncho but a quick gust of wind made it for naught as that damnable curse kicked in again.

Eight year old Ranma sagged as the heavy backpack became more than her slight form could manage when his curse activated. "MOM!" she called.

Genma froze momentarily looking about for Nodoka and then turned toward Ranma, "BOY! Don't call me that!"

"Bu . . . but that's what you told me to call your other shape when we were at that village all winter," Ranma protested.

"That's because they were women warriors, boy, and I didn't want them to know about our curses because they might have kicked us out," she tiredly explained.

"Pop," hesitantly asked Ranma, "are we weak now?"

Genma sighed again and reluctantly responded, "No son, we aren't weak. I know I used to say that girls were weak but since we were cursed to become female, I've changed my mind." She grimaced and then made a world-class understatement, "Son, girls aren't weak, they are just different. We will just have to learn how to cope with it until we can get cured."

"Ok pop," Ranma gulped and struggled to go onward since girls weren't weak after all. Genma sighed and reached a hand toward Ranma and pulled their tent off her backpack and put it in Genma's backpack instead. Ranma's smile made Genma stumble before she responded with a slight chuckle and offered her hand to her child. Ranma took it and said sweetly, "I'm ok now, daddy."

A few minutes later, "Daddy," whispered Ranma, "do you think I'll ever see my friends Mousse and Shampoo again?"

Genma shrugged; all she really cared about besides the boy at the moment was getting back to Japan. She had wanted to cry the day she had overheard one of the elder's tell another cursed Japanese visitor that there was no known reliable cure. Even using 'man' water was chancy, sometimes it cured and sometimes it mixed with the first curse. Even when mixing, one could never predict what would happen. Take a chance and maybe end up worse; maybe later, but not yet since the cure never worked unless the first curse was at least a year old. That was the lesson she had learned the hard way when he had jumped into the 'spring of virtuous man' only to discover that his cursed form was now 'virtuous woman'. The mental shock had been great enough that Genma had been in a walking coma for almost a week. The curses had mixed; she had the mental curse of the last pool and an older somewhat less feminine version of the first curse's physical form.

Spending four months at that remote village covertly studying the Amazons as they practiced their art while pretending to be a mother-daughter pair had been taxing on Genma but the mental changes forced by the spring had started to bleed over onto his normal form a bit just by repetition and prolonged continuous exposure. On one hand, her first 'monthly' had nearly blown their cover but seeing how Ranma was once again starting to respect him as Genma emulated a caring parent had made Genma want to keep that feeling that he got whenever he saw the trust in Ranma's eyes again.

They walked hand in hand down the dark trail while Genma grumbled as she cursed the events that had sent them to China and this disaster. She sighed as she wondered what would be the final cost of that damnable yattai after all.

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"You've never met him," said Nabiki in disbelief as she repeated her father's words.

Soun sighed and replied, "No, but he should be arriving soon . . ."

Whatever else he might have added was lost as Akane shouted, "But daddy, I'm only 10 and even if Kasumi is almost 14, that's still too young to marry!"

Tears in his eyes, Soun nodded weeping that the marriage would have to be delayed. He wondered why his old friend was arriving years earlier than expected.

He barely noticed as Kasumi rose to respond to faintly heard knocking at the front door. "Hello," she greeted the three individuals standing at the door in the light rain.

"Hello dear," softly responded one of the women. "We are the Saotome family; my name is Nodoka, this is Genma and Ranma. May we speak to your father?"

Kasumi smiled brightly and gestured them into the house as she opened the door wider, "I'm Kasumi, please be welcome."

Soun stared at Genma as the warm water steamed off his head; "A curse, a real curse!" With tears streaming he wailed, "Oh my friend, this is awful! That your son and a martial artist of your skill should be cursed to be reduced to mere females . . ." He paused as the hair on the back of his neck vibrated urgently. He gulped as he noticed his daughters and Nodoka glaring at him. Before he could say anything, his vision was momentarily blocked by a mallet that nailed him between the eyes.

Kasumi frowned at Akane who blushed and attempted to hide her mallet again. "Akane," she began, "you really need to work on your follow through. I mean, look at him; daddy is already starting to wake up!"

Kasumi giggled as both her sisters face-faulted, hard.

It was after supper that Genma hesitantly broached the bad news. "Soun," he started then hesitated and reached for a glass of water only to have Nodoka block him. He sighed and then started again. "Soun, I have bad news concerning our agreement to unite the schools." He pulled out an envelope and laid it address side up on the table, "Ranma has been called to help defend our home country Japan," he said.

Soun sighed at the sight of a familiar envelope and without a word rose and walked into his room. He reappeared a few moments later and laid two similar envelopes beside the first. "Perhaps not all is lost," he hopefully suggested.

Kasumi picked up both of the envelopes, paused and then handed one of them to Nabiki, "Daddy," she softly said with a slight tinge of anger, "this is my mail. Why did you keep it from me?"

Before he could answer, Nabiki interjected, "Hogwarts? Magical schools? What the heck is going on?"

It was Nodoka who answered. "Girls, I take it you didn't know that your mother was a witch?" Seeing their stunned looks she continued, "Your mother was my friend and we attended the Japanese school of magic together." She smiled in memory for a moment and added, "We had a ball even though neither of us was very talented magically." She sighed again before continuing, "About the time that Nabiki was born, our school was attacked by an English wizard and his army of so called death-eaters." Her face turned grim and she continued, "He hated us because we weren't English and because of that he let lose a devastating spell that destroyed our school and killed most of the staff. Fortunately it was a Japanese holiday so most of the students were with their families but still it disrupted the whole Japanese magical community." She sat there in silence before adding, "Because many of the most talented Japanese witches and wizards had been slain, there was some difficulty in reestablishing the school when he was killed two years later. Since then, the other magical schools of the world have each accepted a share of the magically talented Japanese children to train each year until we can rebuild our own school; something that should be completed in another five or six years."

"Momma," asked Ranma, "why would it take so long to open up a dumb ole school and why do we need any school at all?"

Nodoka glared at Genma who shrunk back. She sighed and then answered, "That was part of the problem son." Seeing the uncomprehending expressions one everybody else's faces she explained, "Our original school was not respected by the others nor even by our own people. Magical education was sneered at even by the talented among our people because we held so fast to our warrior traditions and samurai roots. Because of that, our people and our school were not protected very well and fell easy prey to a magical enemy. Since then our best have been training all over the world and only recently have they started to lay the powerful magical wards that will be part of the very foundations of the school." She softly and grimly said, "Never again will an outsider mock us that way ever again. The next time someone attacks our school, he will be lucky to escape alive." She looked her child in the eye and warned, "If you remain ignorant, you will shame the memories of those who died and leave yourself vulnerable to their fate as well."

Ranma hung his head and softly murmured, "Sorry mom."

Nabiki had been comparing her letter to Ranma's and quizzically asked, "Why is Ranma in my class? Isn't he a year younger than me?"

Nodoka held her hand out and Nabiki gave her both letters. She quickly glanced at Nabiki's letter and then asked, "Nabiki-chan, when is your birthday?"

Nabiki blushed at the name she hadn't been called by since her mother died almost three years ago and then answered, "It's the same as Kasumi's; September fifteenth."

"Ah," Nodoka said, "That explains it. You see, the Hogwarts school term starts on the first of September and your class is based on that. Ranma's birthday is the sixteenth of August so even though he is eleven months younger than you, you will both be in the same class that starts in ten days."

Nabiki's face scrunched up in thought before she observed, "Then that means Ranma had his eleventh birthday just five days ago!"

Kasumi sniffled a little as she looked at her letter. She observed in a small voice, "I was supposed to start two years ago." She hesitantly continued, "I guess because . . . because . . ." Her eyes dropped as she nervously twisted the hem of her dress in her hands while stealing glances at her father.

Nodoka was puzzled for only a few moments before she asked Soun, "Let me guess, you kept the letter from Kasumi because her mother had died just months prior to its arrival?"

Soun's wails were the only answer she received.

Nodoka sighed and she waited a few moments for him to regain his composure. She waited and then waited some more before she finally turned to Akane and asked, "Akane-chan, may I borrow . . ." She didn't even complete her sentence before the young girl handed her the mallet she had used earlier. Nodoka expertly used it and then returned it to the younger girl. "Thank you, dear."

"Kasumi?" asked Nodoka, "May I see your letter please?"

Kasumi wordlessly handed it over and Nodoka quickly glanced over it. She pursed her lips in thought before nudging Soun awake. "Soun, since you brought out these two letters, am I to assume that you want your two elder daughters to go to school with Ranma?"

Soun looked confused for a moment before he wailed, "NNOOO! My babies are too young to leave me! I have to take care of them."

Both Kasumi and Nabiki slumped and Nodoka heard the younger of the two mutter, "Yeah, right! You don't work or help with anything. WE take care of you and it sucks."

Nodoka got a devious grin and quickly said, "Well that's alright. I'm sure Ranma will meet some cute girls at Hogwarts and marry one of them instead since you don't want your daughters to be trained in the ways of the magical arts."

Soun's tear glands shut off so suddenly that one almost expected to hear the harsh sound of water hammer coming from him. "NNOOOOO! The schools must be joined. Ranma must stay here and . . ." He gulped as he nervously looked at the blade of the katana at his throat.

"Understand this," stated Nodoka coldly, "I and only I determine Ranma's future; not you, ever!"

Soun gulped and his face cleared of emotion as he sternly said, "Family honor requires that he marry one of my daughters as Genma and I agreed."

Before he could continue Nodoka interrupted and added, "And Kimiko and I agreed that it would be so providing that your daughter also had either magical or martial arts training enabling her to stand at his side. But since you have broken that part of the agreement, then ALL of it is broken."

Soun helplessly gaped at her before suddenly smiling and stating, "It is settled, all of my girls will go to school with him!"

Nodoka rolled her eyes upward unaware that the action was echoed by all three Tendou daughters. "Soun, Akane is too young and will not be allowed to start till next year since her eleventh birthday is still four months away as I recall. Perhaps Kasumi will be allowed to attend though I do not know in what grade they will permit her to be in even if they do enroll her at this late date."

Soun frantically glanced around looking for something that would enable him to get his way. "Genma," he cried, "my friend, correct your wife. There is no need for this useless magical training. Your son must stay here and marry one of my daughters and unite the schools when he is old enough!"

Genma silently glared at his old friend for long moments before he harshly replied, "My friend you are. But do not ever again speak ill of her decisions or our duty to the magical arts if you wish to remain so."

Soun was startled by these words, "Genma . . . my friend . . . you are different. You remind me of the person I knew before we met the master." He glanced over at Nodoka and then back at Genma before he slumped and nodded, "Alright, if that is the only way it will happen then I will permit Kasumi and Nabiki to go." He paused and then asked, "Nodoka, will you see if you can intercede on Kasumi's behalf?"

Nodoka fixed her eyes on Soun as he waited for her answer. He began to feel a chill as she coldly glared at him. Finally she asked, "And who will take care of Akane since it is not her place to take care of you?"

Soun blushed at the implied criticism. Finally he sat up straight and said, "I will reopen the dojo next week."

"See to it or the engagement is history," she shortly replied. Seeing the anger on his face she cut him short as she added, "The engagement was to unite the schools and right now your school does not seem to exist as your dojo is merely another one of the buildings and not a proper dowry."

Soun guiltily glanced over at Akane and then nodded in understanding of the ultimatum.

Later that evening as Nodoka was helping Kasumi brush out her hair in the guest room, the young girl hesitantly asked, "Nodoka-san?"

She got no further as the motherly figure softy said, "Please call me 'auntie', Kasumi dear." She smiled at the pleased expressions on all three Tendou girls as both of Kasumi's younger sisters were waiting for their turn for help getting ready for bed. Ranma was sitting and watching as well and smiled as his mother leaned over and hugged him in reassurance that he would get no less attention by this action.

Kasumi blushed, enjoying the unexpected mothering she had missed these past few years. "Auntie, I don't understand. You were speaking of magical training yet daddy was talking about martial arts when the two of you were talking about the honor agreement between the families. Am I missing something?"

Nodoka softly chuckled, "No dear, you didn't miss a thing. The joining of the martial arts schools was to be accomplished by cross training of both heirs of the two schools. The joining of the families could also be done by marriage of the heirs as well, but your mother and I added the stipulation that the married couple also had to have magical training as well if possible." She sighed and added, "I think part of the confusion is because both fathers have no magical talent and so have no appreciation for the importance of the issue." She paused and then added, "Well, that's not true of Genma anymore; he does understand that it is important to me at least."

Nabiki chimed in then, "So that means, 'I' could marry Ranma to join the families while he and Akane cross train in order to join the schools?"

"Exactly!" confirmed Nodoka.

"Ugh," blurted Akane, "boys have cooties, 'Biki!"

"Yep," grinned Nabiki as she watched Ranma's face cloud over. "Boys have boy cooties and girls have girl cooties."

Ranma looked puzzled for a moment then grinned as Akane blurted out, "I don't have cooties!"

Ranma leaned over and touched her arm with a finger, "Now you do." He grinned and then dodged her fist as she snarled at him and lunged forward only to trip and fall flat. Akane glared over at Nabiki who innocently pulled her foot back from where Akane had just stumbled over it.

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Author's note: Additional Ranma fan-fiction can be found on my Web Pages.

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