_____________
    /              \
    |    Hated      |
    \______________/



This takes place shortly after Ranma defeated Happosai with the 
Hiryuu Shoten  Ha. At this point, Ryoga is still under the illusion 
that Ranma forced himself upon Akane. Ranma had claimed this to 
infuriate Ryoga sufficiently that he would be able to do the training 
needed for the Hiryuu Shoten Ha. A few days have passed since the 
battle in the school yard. Happosai is still really mad about the 
beating that Ranma gave him, and at the loss of his "pretties" which 
Ranma destroyed in vengeance. Meanwhile, no-one remembered to clear 
up the little misunderstanding with Ryoga since he wandered off, and 
always wants to kill Ranma anyway...

*	*	*

"Happosai said you would come here. Four days I have waited. Four 
days just to make sure that you would be brought to justice."

Ranma grinned at the lost boy. "Well, if you think that you're good 
enough to take me on, lets get to it."

Ranma dropped into a battle stance and waited for Ryoga to attack. 
Ryoga just stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other brushing 
some of the windblown hair from his eyes. "Not this time, Ranma. This 
time I really am going to punish you for your crimes. Happosai gave 
me just what I needed too..."

Ryoga whipped his hand from his pocket and waved a jewelled broach at 
Ranma. "For your crimes, I banish and bind you. I send you to a world 
where those who know you detest your presence. I send you to a world 
where your very name is blight. I send you to a world where I do not 
exist so you cannot torture me anymore. Saotome Ranma: be gone!"

Stunned by what his old rival was saying, Ranma did not try to move. 
When he saw swirls of black coming out of the broach, Ranma dodged, 
moving to the side. For a few moments the blackness got larger, only 
to suddenly vanish before it could do anything to touch him. Ranma 
looked around startled. "Feh! That fool Happosai, always messing with 
things he doesn't know. Now he's gone and disappeared Ryoga."

Ranma headed off to his favourite bridge. He'd had a really big 
argument with Akane today, and did not need any more trouble. Looking 
in to the water, Ranma sighed and wondered what it was that he did 
this time to make the tomboy so angry.

When the sun started to go down, Ranma figured it would be time for 
some food. Better not go back home yet. Akane said she was going to 
be cooking. Maybe I can sneak in late tonight. Figuring the Nekohaten 
would be the best bet, Ranma headed off for his usual haunt. All the 
way there something called at the back of his mind. His senses 
screaming that something was not right. Something was amiss. Whatever 
it was, he could not pin it down, so when he saw the cafe he 
dismissed it. 

He had just pushed open the door when he heard a anguished scream and 
saw Mousse charging him. Ranma leapt out the still open door and 
faced Mousse. When Mousse ran out the door he stumbled to a halt. The 
fiend Saotome was across the street? How did he move so fast? 
Gripping several shurikens in each hand, Mousse began to circle 
towards his foe. "How dare you come here! Again you show you true 
cowardice. Instead of being in China facing the Council, you would 
harass Shampoo now! I call you a coward and a dog, Saotome!"

Ranma stumbled to a halt. He still watched Mousse, but something in 
his words caught his attention. Mousse usually hated him for trying 
to take away his beloved Shampoo, but he had never called Ranma a 
coward before. He was just about to retort, something witty and 
intelligent like 'well, at least I can see, duck boy' when Shampoo 
came out of the restaurant. She could sort this out.

"Shampoo never be wife to killer like you!" She levelled her bonbori 
at him and spat at his feet. "No care what tricks you try and use, 
Shampoo die before she be Saotome wife!"

Ranma staggered to a halt. The was something seriously wrong here. 
Was Shampoo wearing the Contrary Jewel again? No, not that he could 
see. Then why did she suddenly hate him? "Hey, Shampoo, if it's 
something I did, just tell me."

That only seemed to make them madder. Mousse flicked out his six 
throwing stars and grabbed a pair of daggers. Even though he was 
looking at Shampoo, Ranma caught four of the stars and jumped over 
the other two. He wandered up to her and tried to see if it was the 
same Shampoo he knew. This was made a bit difficult by the fact that 
she was trying to brain him with her weapons. He was beginning to 
feel fairly sure that it was her when he realised it could not be. 
The Shampoo that he knew always went as hard as possible in a fight, 
she never gave any quarter. This girl seemed to be much worse than 
her. Not only that, but she was having a hard time moving the bonbori 
in the usual fluid grace that Shampoo had. She made these ones looked 
like they were the weighted weapons they should be.

He was just stepping back from trying to get a good look at her face 
when Mouse threw both daggers at him. Catching them, he did a couple 
of back flips to cover the distance between his attackers. Standing 
nose to nose with Mousse, he span a dagger on each index finger. 
"Come on, Mousse. You can do better than that."

He smiled when Mousse opened his robe and brought out a pair of 
katanas. Why they did not just fall out his sleeves, Ranma was not 
sure. Better watch that, he must have something big planned. Mousse 
began to do an intricate sword kata in front of him, creating a wall 
of steel. If Ranma wanted to attack him, he would be sure to suffer a 
hit. "Hey, Shampoo, does this mean no free Ramen?"

Shampoo snarled and lunged, trying to pin him between two foes. Ranma 
shot up into the air, over Mousse and landed behind him. With a kick 
to the seat of the pants he pushed the two together, Mousse barely 
managing to spare Shampoo from his blades. "I can see this probably 
is not the best time to talk. I'll drop by later."

Snarling, the two Chinese watched him jog down the road. "Don't 
worry, Shampoo. When Cologne returns, she'll give us permission to 
hunt him to the ends of the earth. To break a conclave while under 
truce is punishable by death. You'll never have to marry him now."

Shampoo placed a hand on his shoulder and looked after the departing 
form. "Good. Shampoo always think evil Saotome a tricky killer. Never 
realised he this good. Might be hard to kill in proper combat."

Mousse laughed at that one. "I don't care how good he his. With this 
many people wanting to kill him, he go down quickly enough."

As he headed back into the cafe, Shampoo snagged his arm. "Mousse, 
how evil Saotome able to leap over you?"

*	*	*

Ranma was almost home when it struck him. No damage. That was what 
was wrong. He looked around. Everything was in perfect condition. 
Well, it was as worn as you would expect a city to be, but there were 
no signs of recent repair. No craters in the roads or walls. No fist 
or mallet (or head) marks in the signs and walls. 

Feeling a little bit more nervous, Ranma took a quick jog to school. 
It was perfect. The walls weren't destroyed. Most of the windows 
looked at least a week old. Some of them were even dirty, and he 
never knew of a window in Furinkan which lasted long enough to get 
dirty. Even those trees which Kuno and Ryoga had chopped down while 
attacking him were there.

Ranma felt a chill up his spine. What was it Ryoga had said when he 
waved that thing? ' I send you to a world where those who know you 
detest your presence'. If people hated him here, then he could have a 
real problem. In times like this, there was one person who he could 
turn to. One person that would look beyond something as superficial 
as personality or past actions. Someone who did not mind what crimes 
he had committed if he went to her for help. The one person who would 
treat him the same in any world in any situation: Nabiki. If he had 
the yen, she could help.

It was full dark when he arrived at the Tendo training hall. Well, 
even if Ryoga had sent him away, everyone so far seemed to be in the 
right place. Let's just hope that I'm not in there too. He wandered 
in the gate and prepared to knock on the door. Before he did, he 
checked his money. He had been intending to get some new clothes, he 
needed a couple of new outfits after the training with Cologne and 
the fight against Happosai. Since that may be all he had in the 
world, he though he ought to try and go easy on it.

He knock then waited till the door opened. It was Nabiki, perfect. 
She looked at him intently. He looked at her. Eventually he broke the 
deadlock and spoke. "Do you know who I am?"

"No. Should I?"

"I'm not sure about that at the moment. Are you still in the business 
of selling information?"

Nabiki got a predatory grin. "You could say that. Who are you and 
what do you want to know?"

Ranma looked around. "Do you mind if we take a quick walk? I'd rather 
not stand in the doorway all night."

Nabiki smiled at him then yelled out to her sisters that she was 
going for a walk around the dojo. Taking the good looking young man 
by the arm she moved around to the back of the house. Inside, Akane 
peered though a crack in the door. Wow, Nabiki had a boyfriend. She 
hoped he visited again, Nabiki had a hard time getting new friends.

When they were in the back yard, Ranma leapt onto a rock around the 
Koi pond and looked at Nabiki. "OK, Nabiki. I need some information, 
but I'm not sure what questions I can ask until I get some of the 
answers. How do you want to do this?"

Nabiki shook her head and tried to get a grip on herself. This hunk 
of a man had just done a standing leap across five meters of Koi pond 
only to land seated on a precarious rock. Now he spoke to her again. 
Shaking her head, she asked him to repeat himself. "All right, how 
about you ask a question, then I offer a price. We can negotiate on 
that basis. If I can see your money first."

Ranma showed his money. It was not a fortune, but if he did not want 
family secrets, it would do for a while. "OK, Nabiki. What can you 
tell me about the Saotomes?"

Nabiki grimaced. "Business or pleasure? If your trying to hire them, 
get out now, if you want revenge, come inside and have some tea."

Ranma was stunned. People really did not like him. "Definitely not 
business. I don't even know what they do. It's more of a... family 
problem."

Nabiki chewed on that for a moment. "I suppose that will do. Come on 
in. Being a decent hostess is the least I can do for anyone who isn't 
a friend of theirs."

Nabiki headed into the house, but pull up short when she saw the boy 
had not moved. "Nabiki, is there anyone else in there which knows 
them?"

"No. Dads off in China settling a debt with them. Kasumi saw them 
once, but that was years ago. Now come on."

Ranma decided to chance it. If everyone hated him, perhaps he would 
be able to fool Kasumi; people can change appearance in a few years. 
Again he leaped over to Nabiki's side. "I've just got to warn you 
about one thing. My name's Ranma."

Nabiki sharply inhaled her breath. Backing away she began to dig into 
her blouse for something, eventually pulling out a knife. She started 
to call for him to stay back when he realised his mistake. "No, no, 
it's not like that. I really don't think that I'm related to the 
Saotomes that caused you these problems. And I sure ain't gunna hurt 
you. So calm down. I just thought I better warn you before we got 
inside."

Nabiki did calm. It made sense really. She knew that Ranma Saotome 
liked to play with his victims, especially the girls, but few people 
would be game to try anything at the Tendo residence. Especially with 
Kasumi and Akane there. Putting the knife back inside her shirt, she 
led him inside and sat him at the table while she gathered her 
sisters and some tea.

When they all arrived, Ranma was glad to see Akane looking so well. 
She even gave him a small smile then blushed. Ranma was shocked. He 
had never seen her blush before. For that matter, it was nice to see 
her smile and not be on the receiving end of a mallet. What came as a 
really shock was when Kasumi came in carrying the tea set while 
wearing a blindfold.

"Hey, Kasumi, let me help you with that. Is there something wrong 
with you eyes? Should I get Dr Tofu?"

Kasumi nodded in his direction. How did he know her name? "That's 
very kind of you, but no thank you. I have been blind for several 
years."

Immediately realising that his ability to put his foot in his mouth 
was reaching new heights, Ranma sat silently was the tea was poured 
and they began to drink. When everyone was ready for conversation, 
Nabiki braced her sisters for the similarity in names, and then 
introduced Ranma. Akane looked a bit angry, but Kasumi smiled 
sweetly. Ranma marvelled: even with a piece of cloth tied around her 
blind eyes, she was still the beautiful, composed and caring mother-
substitute he had come to love. "I realise it couldn't be him, 
Nabiki. His voice is similar to Saotome's, but this Ranma has a nice 
voice. It's full of friendship and compassion. Trust me, I'll never 
forget the way he laughed when he did this to me."

Ranma coughed into his tea. _He_ did that to _Kasumi_?! He kill that 
bastard version of himself when he saw him. No one did that to Kasumi 
and got away with it. Not even him!

Nabiki saw her guests enraged reaction. "Sorry, Ranma. I guess you 
didn't know about our history with the Saotomes. Since you seem to 
like them as much as I do, this ones on the house. Where should I 
start? Let's see. Sixteen years ago, Genma and Nodoka Saotome have a 
child Ranma. When Ranma is five his mother dies under mysterious 
circumstances. His father takes the family training in the arts of 
Ninja. Since the age of twelve, Ranma and Genma have been assassins 
par excellence. Six months ago they returned from a mission to China. 
Since then we have had a Chinese family move here to follow them. I 
kind of gather that Ranma and Genma moved here to avoid some legal 
problem where they were. 
"Apparently our families have had a grudge going back twenty years or 
so... something to do with daddy's Martial Arts master. Whatever it 
was, ten years ago, Genma killed.... killed... killed our mother."
Nabiki broke down and sobbed for a few moments. While Kasumi 
comforted her, Akane continued the story. "Three years ago, Ranma, 
err, Saotome Ranma came back to help his father continue to repay 
their 'debt'. He drugged everyone, then tied up daddy and made him 
watch. The three of us were blindfolded, but Kasumi's came loose. So 
he blinded Kasumi, and Nabiki, well..."
Nabiki waved at him. A thumb, three fingers, each hand. Ranma paled. 
Slowly he looked at Akane and counted her fingers. She had all of 
them. "Did... did he do anything to... to you?"

Akane dropped her head and looked at the table. She was saved from 
answering by the sound of the phone. Akane dashed off to answer it. 
Nabiki favoured Ranma with a hard look. "That's not for sale. Don't 
ask."

Incredibly Ranma went even paler. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Not 
Akane. He couldn't do that. Somehow he might return to where he came 
from, he would have to see Happosai about that, but until then, he'd 
be damned if he let that other Ranma live a moment longer than 
necessary. NO-ONE did that to Akane and got away with it. "I'm gunna 
kill that bastard. I've never wanted to kill anyone before, but for 
him, I'll make an exception."

Nabiki stared at him. She could almost swear that there was a red 
glow coming off him. But that was impossible, it must be a trick of 
the light. Akane returned and placed a sheathed sword on the table in 
front of Kasumi. "That was Shampoo. She says that Ra... Saotome is 
back in Nerima. Apparently he's came over there to force her into 
marriage again."

Ranma banged his fist on the table. "When I catch that sorry... Err, 
if he's this hotshot ninja, will you girls be OK?"

Nabiki smiled. "Thanks for asking, Ranma, you really are a gentleman. 
We should be fine."

"Should be. That's not good enough. Listen, I know we've just met, 
but... would you mind if I stayed in the dojo? I'd like to be near in 
case he does try anything."

The girls looked at each other. Having a strange boy on their 
property did not really appeal. Having Ranma Saotome back in Nerima 
when everyone thought he was in China was even worse. Looking to 
Akane for the final approval, the finally nodded OK. Akane made the 
offer. "All right. But no coming into the house during the night 
unless you hear us screaming. And if you do come in, I expect you to 
yell enough to wake everyone up. I have an aversion to people 
sneaking around."

That settled, Ranma wandered up to the guest room with Nabiki and 
Akane to get some blankets. "So, Akane. I see the sign out the front 
still says Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. Has Mr Tendo been 
teaching you?"

Akane smiled, making his heart leap. "Yes. Currently I'm the women's  
free-style Martial Arts Champion in Nerima. Next year I'm going to be 
competing for the Tokyo title. Why, do you train?"

"You could say that."

"Well, would you like a match?"

"Feh! So long as you don't mind loosing to a guy."

Akane laughed and nodded. Ranma grabbed the blankets and jumped out 
the window. The girls dashed over and saw him sprinting for the dojo, 
jumping rocks in the dark as though this was his own home. "I always 
thought the stairs were a good way to get down. Hey, Akane. I think 
this guy is good to have around. I haven't seen you smile or laugh so 
much in years."

Akane winced a bit. "I still don't like men, but... I guess he could 
grow on you."

The three sisters went out to the dojo. Nabiki was just there to 
watch. Hopefully he would take off his shirt when he fought. She 
could see he was well built, and he would definitely look better 
without a shirt. Probably look better without pants too... Kasumi was 
there as moral support. She might not be able to watch, but her 
training let her track fighters easily with sound.

After Akane warmed up, they fought. Kasumi could tell there was 
something wrong immediately. She could he Akane's footsteps, and she 
could hear her moving, but from Ranma there was scarcely a sound. 
When she concentrated, she could hear his regular breathing, but that 
was all. Whatever he was doing, it was not fighting.

Nabiki was as concerned as Kasumi, but for different reasons. She 
knew Akane was good. She had watched her fight in many tournaments. 
Akane could flatten most girls with one punch, and she was fast 
enough to be able to carry the fight to the best of them. Ranma on 
the other hand, hardly seemed to pay her attention. He just stood 
there, bending, bobbing and weaving. When Akane started using more 
sweeping attacks, he hopped over them, or stepped back, all with 
perfect grace and poise.

"Your better that I was expecting, Akane."

"Will you stand still and let me hit you!?"

"Oh, come on, a slow-poke like you couldn't even catch a bus. Keep 
trying."

This went on for a while, until Ranma hopped over one of her attacks 
and reached over gently poked a finger to her forehead. "An opening!"

Akane stopped and stood puffing. Ranma bowed to her. "Well done 
Akane. You really have improved."

"What do you mean improved?"

"I... err.... Just that you must be a lot better for having studied 
with your father."

Nabiki eyed Ranma. Something seemed a bit wrong, but she could not 
place it. "So Ranma, do you have a last name?"

Ranma started to reply then hesitated. "No. Not now. I did a while 
ago, but... but I can no longer be a part of the family I once had. 
And yes, there was someone I loved, but... but I think she might be 
gone too."

Everyone was silent for a while at that one. When thunder rumbled in 
the distance, Kasumi stood up. "Thank you for offering to stay and 
protect us. I am sure father will appreciate it. We will see you in 
the morning."

After they left, Ranma lay down to sleep. Apparently Ryoga was 
successful. He was somewhere that everyone hated his name. Hated his 
face even. However, they did not hate him. He did not do the things 
the other Ranma had. Someday he would reclaim Akane. Someday he would 
make that bastard copy of himself pay for what he did to her, to the 
Tendos, to his mother, to Shampoo, to everyone. The sound of rain 
falling helped him drift off to sleep.

The sound of Akane screaming dragged him from his bed. While he 
sprinted for her window, his internal clock said it was about three 
in the morning. Remembering what Nabiki had cautioned him about 
during the evening, he began to shout. "Nabiki! Kasumi! Wake up! Wake 
up!"

In a single hop he was on her window sill, opening it wide enough to 
enter. Still calling for the girls he looked around her room. No one 
there, and Akane was just starting to sit up. Damn, he had woken 
everyone for a nightmare. Well, better safe than sorry.

Nabiki entered behind the sword wielding Kasumi and flicked on the 
light. Kasumi might be able to function in the dark, but she 
couldn't. Everyone had woken to the sounds of Akane's screams, only 
to here other yells only a second later. Looking at the red-headed 
girl who held her sobbing sister, Nabiki was glad she brought her 
knife. Then again, why was the red-head rocking her and trying to 
comfort her? "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Ranma, remember? I heard Akane screaming, but there was no-one 
here."

Kasumi could instantly spot the girls voice, and placed her sword 
towards her. "Ranma is a boy. Answer if you value your life."

Ranma looked down at himself - or herself - and groaned. "Sorry about 
this. I forgot you didn't know. I'm cursed. I change sex in cold 
water."

Nabiki crossed to the bed and prized Akane from the strange girls 
arms. "Bullshit. Kasumi, take this girl downstairs. I be there as 
soon as I calm down Akane."

At sword point, Ranma descended. When she reached the bottom, he turn 
to Kasumi. "Do you want some tea while we're waiting?"

Kasumi held her feelings of hospitality in check. This girl was an 
invader and had probably attacked her sister. She could wait without 
tea. "I'm not taking my hands off this sword until you're out of 
here."

A few minutes later a composed Akane accompanied her sister down to 
the living room. When she got there, she admired the girl. She was 
very cute, even if a trifle damp from the rain still. "Kasumi, it was 
just a nightmare. After I started screaming, I... I felt her holding 
me. I... I just kept seeing Saotome again. Thank you for your help, 
but who are you?"

Ranma sighed again. "I told you, I'm Ranma, the guy that was in the 
dojo. I've got a curse which changes me into a girl. Look, Nabiki, 
could you get me some hot water please?"

Nabiki poked the girl in the chest. "She certainly seems like a girl 
to me. I really don't think they're fakes. Could be Ranma was a girl 
in disguise, but I don't see why."

"ARRRG! Will someone get me some hot water, or will I get it myself?"

Kasumi: "Move and you lose your head."
Nabiki: "What do you need hot water for?"
Akane: "How did you get in my window?"

"IT'S TO REVERSE MY CURSE! Forget it, I'll serve myself!"

Rolling backwards, Ranma sprang to her feet, moving under Kasumi's 
sword strike. In a moment she was headed for the kitchen, and Akane 
and Kasumi were following. Even as Kasumi swung at her, she moved to 
the correct cupboard and grabbed a familiar yellow kettle. While she 
filled the kettle, she parried Kasumi's swift attacks with one hand. 
Every cut or stroke Kasumi made, the girl would tap the flat of the 
blade with her bare hands and deflect it. Akane watched in amazement. 
Even to attempt such a thing was a joke, but to succeed was beyond 
incredible.

When the kettle was filled and on the stove, the girl turned her full 
attention to Kasumi. "It's not nice to play with sharp toys, Kasumi. 
Someone, even me, could get hurt." 

Faster then anyone could see - especially Kasumi - she reached out 
and pulled the sword from Kasumi's hands. Placing it on the bench 
behind her, she sighed and looked at Akane. "You tried to hit me this 
evening, and you couldn't. Do you want to try again, or can we wait 
for the water to heat?"

The girls growled but relented. The kitchen exit was blocked, if she 
wanted to get out, she could have done it long ago. Eventually the 
girl pulled the kettle off the stove and poured water over her head. 
Kasumi heard her sisters fall to the floor, and took a fighting 
stance. She could not hear any new attackers. Then Ranma spoke. "I 
warned 'em what to expect, and still they faint."

"Oh, Ranma-kun. When did you get here? Did you see a girl leaving?"

"Damn, sorry Kasumi, I forgot you couldn't see me change. Give me 
your hand for a second. OK, feel it? That's my chin, I'm talking now. 
Now I pour some cold water. Do you get it?"

Under her hand, she felt the jaw lower a couple of inches, and change 
in shape slightly. At the same time, the voice rose in pitch. 
Unmistakably, Ranma had changed into the girl they had been talking 
to.

"Oh my."

The sun was shining when Ranma finally managed to convince the Tendo 
girls and to explain what had happened about his curse. Nabiki was 
cynically refusing to believe in shape-changing magic curses, but she 
was having a hard time coming up with a better explanation. Akane sat 
there for a while, then got permission to try for herself. After a 
while she got the hang of it, and spent almost three hours changing 
him from one sex to another as quickly as water could heat. "I could 
get to enjoy this!"

When Kasumi began to place breakfast items on the table, Akane ceased 
playing with her gender changing toy. Ranma watched her as she took 
the kettles and buckets away, she was much quieter and gentler than 
the Akane he knew. For that matter, despite what he had said last 
night, she was also a lot slower than the Akane he knew. His tomboy 
was fast and strong. This girl had much better technique, but he 
honestly believed that she wouldn't last the warm up against the 
Akane he knew. 

Ranma joined them at the breakfast table and noticed something when 
reaching for the food. He was still a she. Moving his hand, he 
grabbed the tea kettle and prepared for a very hot transformation. 
"Ranma-kun, would you mind not changing? Akane gets a bit nervous 
sometimes. I suspect that she just wanted to have a friendly girl 
around for a while. Will you be going to school?"

That one stopped Ranma for a bit. To school or not to school? Sighing 
Ranma realised that school probably was necessary. For that matter, 
if he kept up studying, Miss Hinako wouldn't drain him too much when 
he returned. "Hmm, you could be right Kasumi. I think I'd better go 
to school. For that matter, it might be better if I went as a girl. 
It might make things a bit... easier for a while. Say! Will you be 
all right if we go off to school. I realise you've got the sword and 
everything, but what if Saotome comes here?"

Kasumi laughed. It was a beautiful sound. So full of life and 
happiness, just the sound to fill the emptiness created by such 
unpleasant thoughts. "Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I'll head off the same 
time as you kids, and spend the day with my fiancee."

Ranma sat spell bound as Kasumi wiggled her fingers at him. On one 
hand she had a gold engagement ring, with quite a large diamond. 
"Err... Kasumi... I... I didn't realise. Is... is it Dr Tofu?"

Kasumi gave her patented smile and laughed happily again. "Of course 
it is Ranma-kun. Do you know Dr Tofu? He so lovely, always so kind. 
There's really no-one like him."

Ranma chuckled a little. "Oh, I'm not sure that's right, Kasumi. I 
can think of one person who's every bit as nice as Dr Tofu, and the 
lucky man happens to be marrying her."

Kasumi blushed and the two packed away the dishes in a contented 
silence. Kasumi would wash, and Ranma put them away while they waited 
for Akane and Nabiki to get ready for school. In a few minutes the 
kitchen was sparkling clean again. When the four headed off for 
school (and Tofu's, which was along the route) Kasumi pondered Ranma. 
He seemed so nice, but several things just did not fit. Firstly, he 
seemed to know them all well. He knew Akane's skill, he knew Nabiki's 
habits of selling information. He also put away every plate and glass 
without hesitation, and that meant that he knew her kitchen. Ranma 
knew just a little bit too much for her to be comfortable.

Kasumi was just about to separate from the group to see her fiancee 
when Ranma spoke up. "I've been thinking. Since everyone here seems 
to jump at the name Ranma, perhaps we should try something I usually 
do when I'm in my cursed form. Everyone calls me Ranko then... it 
makes things a bit easier, especially when I don't want people to 
know about my male form."

Nabiki and Kasumi were not very keen. They both had alarm bells 
ringing about this Ranma. Something just did not add up. If Ranma was 
back in Nerima, then there was the possibility that this was him, 
playing one of his little games. Nabiki had never heard of a spell 
which could change someone's sex... but stranger things had occurred.

Akane on the other hand was over the moon. She immediately latched 
onto Ranko's arm and batted her eyes at her. "Oh, I like that name. 
You really are a wild child! Hey, after school you want to come back 
to the dojo? We could do some sparing again. I'm sure that there's 
lots you could teach me, you were so good!"

Ranko looked distinctly nervous, and Nabiki and Kasumi just frowned. 
Their sister could be a bit thick some times, and it looked like this 
was one of them. Ranko definitely was the sort of friend which Akane 
favoured, and Nabiki was just a little bit sad that she would not be 
able to have that strong body of his. However, she knew what father 
would say. If Ranma was half boy, and Akane liked him, Father would 
start booking a wedding before the dust could settle.

As they continued on to school, Akane held Ranko's hand and explained 
about their school and the strange Principle they had. He was a bit 
obsessive about haircuts, and had a few strange ideas about running a 
school, but all in all it was a nice enough place to study. They had 
almost reached the school gates when they saw a crowd of boys. Akane 
released Ranko's hand, and charged into the attacking fray. 

Ranko turned to Nabiki in shock. In Ranma's world these fights had 
ended within days of his arrival, and he had mostly forgotten them. 
Looking at Nabiki, he struggled to put his surprise into words. 
Nabiki took pity on the boy/girl and led her around the fight. "Yes, 
this happens every morning. Gosunkugi decreed that anyone who wanted 
to date Akane had to defeat her in combat. After all Akane's been 
through, you'd think he could be a bit more tolerant, but that guy's 
so obsessed he couldnt see anything other than himself."

Ranko could barely believe her ears. "Go... Gosunkugi!? Gosunkugi 
told people to do this... and they did it?"

"Yeah. Makes you sick, doesn't it? But still, everyone's afraid of 
him, so they sort of follow his orders."

Akane was finished, so they walked over to her and headed for the 
school building. "I don't believe it. People are afraid of 
Gosunkugi?"

"Sure, no one can defeat him, and no-one comes anywhere near him in 
power. He's probably the strongest mage in Nerima!"

When Ranko collapsed in shock, Akane carried her into class. Nabiki 
wandered off thoughtfully. What they said was true. Gos-kun was the 
best. He might not be as rich as Kuno-chan, but he had lots of 
potential. A talented mage could have the world as his oyster, 
especially if he had someone to guide him. Then again, the best way 
to deal with Ranko may be to have someone with a little magical 
experience have a look at that 'curse' of his. Perhaps a word in 
Gosunkugi's ear...

Akane and Ranko were out in the grounds eating lunch when Gosunkugi 
walked up. He looked the same as Ranko remembered, but then, her 
Gosunkugi could not even command the respect of the cockroaches, let 
alone command the sorts of power that Akane had told her about. 
Gosunkugi on the other hand was thoroughly unimpressed by Ranko. She 
looked like a Martial Artist, and he had not been beaten in a fight 
since Elementary School when his powers first manifested. Adjusting 
his vision to look in the magical and etheric planes, Gosunkugi could 
not detect any sort of magic around Ranko. She showed signs of having  
magically blessed... but most of the usual magical fluxes were not 
present. If Nabiki had seen anyone other than Ranko, it must have 
been an illusion spell cast at the time.

"So, it is true! You have decided to mock my word and date with the 
lovely Tendo Akane. Despite the fact that you are a member of the 
fairer sex, you are still bound by my commands! Even more so, since 
you would attempt to pervert this innocent girl with your strange 
desires. No! If you would date with her, you must beat her in 
combat!"

"I did."

Gosunkugi turned beetroot purple in rage. "You claim that you could 
be someone as good as my flower? Very well, you must also beat me 
before I would accept your advances on her!"

"'Scuse me Akane. This will only take a moment."

Even as Akane protested, Ranko stood up, then launched a blow at 
Gosunkugi. She could see he was a wimp, so she wouldn't go all out. 
When the blow stopped an inch from his face, Gosunkugi laughed. "Feh! 
Your pitiful attacks can never penetrate my shield spell! Surrender 
now and renounce you attempts on Akane's virtue and affections, or 
face your punishment!"

Ranma snarled and took a fighting stance. Maybe there was some truth 
to what Akane had said about magic. "You make me sick, Gos. You're 
worse than Kuno ever was. He wanted Akane because he loved her. You 
just see her as an object, a toy. Akane's someone special, and I l... 
I l... I like her, so back off, or your gunna get hurt!"

Neither Akane and Gosunkugi could not quite understand Ranko's 
references to Kuno. Although he was rich and a talented Kendo 
fighter, he was still only one of the hordes of boys which wanted 
Akane. At Ranko declaration of appreciation for Akane, they had quite 
distinctly different reactions. Akane clasped her hands beneath her 
chin, and looked like she was in heaven. Gosunkugi looked like he was 
in hell. To help spread the misery, he summoned a small fireball in 
one hand and threw it at Ranko. That should take the fight out of 
her.

Ranko saw the small orange ball coming for her and leaped straight 
into the air. The fireball passed underneath her, and exploded 
against a tree in the distance. When she landed, Ranko sent a series 
of kicks and punches against Gosunkugi's shield. None of them managed 
to penetrate, but they knocked him back a step. Watching in the 
distance, Nabiki went white as a sheet. She wanted Gos-kun to scare 
Ranko, maybe force her to drop whatever spell she used to change sex. 
Instead, it looked like Gos-kun was going to kill her.

This time the fireballs that Gosunkugi summoned were much larger, and 
when he threw them, they also flew faster. Ranko dodged them both, 
but was singed slightly when she got too close. Moving in, she 
launched a series of blows which could have shattered a brick wall. 
Again all she did was knock him back.

They kept this up for a few more passes. By this time, Gosunkugi's 
shield was starting to weaken from the massive damage it had stopped. 
In the past, he had helped the police and fought against killers with 
guns, and even then he had not been as hard pressed as he was now. 
The girl was an impossible target, even after he had cast a haste 
spell on himself. No one should be able to move that quickly, and she 
did this without any sort of magical aura. He did not even want to 
think how much those blows would have hurt if they contacted. Time to 
end this once and for all.

A sheet of flame grew up around the mage and he laughed insanely. 
"Now know true fear! You will never defeat me, since every time you 
attack, you will only hurt yourself."

Ranko looked around at the crowd which had gathered. Probably a bit 
too close, but she thought her control was better than when she first 
tried it... Moving around in a circle, she continued to dodge the 
lightning and fire which Gosunkugi was throwing. When she reached the 
inside of her spiral, she screamed and threw her icy punch. "HIRYUU 
SHOTEN HA!"

Gosunkugi never even saw what was coming. It should have been a 
physical impossibility to do what this girl did without magic. When 
she finally struck, the blow did not even land. Instead, he found 
himself in the centre of a massive whirlwind. Sucked up into the air, 
he was battered and blasted by rocks and sand. When the Rising Dragon 
Ascension finally ended, he was dropped unceremoniously on the ground 
from almost sixty meters. His magical shield saved him from death, 
but he was concussed badly. 

Ranko walked over to the body on the ground and nudged it with her 
toe. No movement. "I guess that makes me the winner. And I say, Akane 
can do what she wants, when she wants! Anyone who objects to treating 
Akane normally, theyre gunna answer to me!"

Everyone was too stunned to answer. Magic was a common class at 
Furinkan, just like learning another language, only more useful, and 
it required greater natural talent. Everyone had been required to do 
a year of magic when they were young: it wouldn't do to miss out on a 
high class mage just because they chose they wrong subjects. Over 
half of the students watching were magically sensitive to one degree 
or another, and every one of them swore that Gosunkugi was the only 
person using magic. 

It shouldn't be possible to do what Ranko had done without it.

The school was a buzz with rumours and discussion. The two hottest 
topics were Ranko and Ranko. How did she beat Gosunkugi, and was she 
Akane's latest friend? Most of the girls knew Akane's disposition, 
but since she respected them enough to treat them normally when they 
said no, they respected her enough to remain her friends. All of her 
close friends knew what Saotome Ranma had done to her, and they 
brought anyone back into line if they tried to make life difficult 
for her.

One of Akane's friends, Natsuko, decided to go over to Akane's place 
that night. If Ranko really was staying in their dojo, it might help 
the girl if she knew how Akane probably felt, before Akane told her. 
Not every girl reacted well when another girl told them that they 
were in love. Natsuko wanted to tell her in class, but Nabiki had 
come in with the teacher and told Akane and Ranko that they were 
needed at home.

Akane, Nabiki and Ranko ran home. When Kasumi had called the school, 
she said that she and Tofu had gone home, and that they should meet 
them there. Apparently their father had called from China, and wanted 
to speak to everyone. 

---
End of chapter