Thanks to all of you who sent me encouragement, comments, and
corrections for Part One.
PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
Games Without Frontiers
Part Two

        "Momma, are they going to sleep all day?"
        Nodoka groaned, trying to push away the groggy feeling that
permeated her being.  That voice, she recognized that voice.  Her eyes
cracked open, to see a young boy with dark hair in a tight ponytail. 
"R... Ranma?" she asked, her brow furrowing slightly.  Something wasn't
right here.
        The boy smiled, "No, grandma, I'm Ikeda," he pointed to a dark
mass laying to her left, "that's daddy."
        Her head tilted toward the person she could only barely see.  He
had turned into such a strong man, so boyish in appearance, yet solid
and a fine fighter.  She wished Genma were here... wait...
        "Um, Ikeda, where's your grandpa?" she asked of her grandson,
who had sauntered back over to his mother.
        "He's hiding!" the blissfully ignorant youth cried out.
        Akane coughed, and jumped in, "What he means is, well, your
husband is under the impression that you are going to kill him.  So,
he... well... he's hiding."
        "See?" Ikeda admonished, pleased with himself.
        Hiding?  Hiding from her?  Nodoka thought back to that asinine
contract she had signed, along with Genma and Ranma.  She wasn't sure
what to be more upset over, the fact that he believed she would kill
him, or the fact that he actually thought he had to hide from her.  Was
this the reason they've been gone all these years?  Because of a stupid
piece of paper, her family was afraid to return to her?  The only thing
is, Ranma seems more than manly enough to fulfill the contract... was
Genma not sure, or is there something else?  "Where is he?" she asked
Akane with an expression that demanded response.
        Akane nodded in understanding, then pointed upstairs.  Nodoka
glanced upward and headed for the staircase.  Once at the top she cried,
"Saotome Genma, I know you are up here!  If you do not show yourself in
the next five seconds, I will kill you!  I can't believe you actual
thought I would make you commit seppuku just because Ranma wasn't the
absolute image of manhood... and he actually is!  So why are you still
running from me!?"  She found herself crying, and she wiped away the
tears so as not to look weak when her husband came out.
        A Panda walked out of the room at the end of the hallway. 
Nodoka's eyes widened, and she began to back away slowly.  "A... Akane!"
she yelled down the steps, "You don't have any pets I should be aware
of, do you?"
        No answer came, and the Panda was getting closer.  As it
approached it pulled out a board on a stick upon which there was
writing.  Nodoka almost boggled as she saw the words, "Hi, dear.", on
the sign.  She found her back against the wall, so she drew her sword. 
She wasn't particularly afraid of the beast before her as she was armed,
however, it was still a great shock.
        The Panda stopped for a moment, then flipped its sign.  On the
back it said, "But, you said you wouldn't kill me!"  Nodoka wasn't sure
what to make of all this.  Her sword lowered into a defensive position,
and she narrowed her eyes.  She couldn't believe it, but this bear was
acting exactly like, "Genma?"
        The large furball nodded.  Nodoka walked toward the Panda, her
sword still at the ready.  Just then, Akane came up the stairs.  Nodoka
waved her katana in the direction of the animal and addressed Akane, "Is
this... really my husband?"
        Akane nodded, "I'm afraid so.  It's a long story, and I think he
should be the one to tell it."
        Nodoka brightened a bit, "You mean he can change back?"
        A nod came in reply again.  "Like I said, it's a long story. 
Shall we go to the family room to discuss it?"
        Nodoka followed Akane downstairs, unable to take her eyes off of
the lumbering animal that was right behind her.  Once to the bottom of
the staircase she sheathed her sword, trusting in Akane that the
creature wasn't dangerous.  She just couldn't quite believe so readily
that it was Genma.  She watched as it walked into the kitchen, where
Kasumi had an already hot pot of water still on the stove.  Dr. Tofu was
standing at the brunette's side, as if standing guard over her.  The
Panda made it to the oven, and, in an almost anti-climactic flourish the
beast flipped the pot, right over its head.  The hot water cascaded
downward, and almost instantly Nodoka could see the transformation.  The
Panda was quite literally "washed" away, leaving her husband, dressed in
that same old gi, behind.  Nodoka almost lost it completely this time.  
        Akane waved a hand in front of her mother-in-law's face, and
frowned at the lack of response she was returned.  Kasumi brought over a
wet rag and dabbed at the woman's forehead a few times, trying to rouse
her from her semi-conscious state of mind.  "Mrs. Saotome," she
whispered, "it's okay.  Wake up."
        Nodoka blinked, looking around the room a bit.  Her gaze
hardened as it fell on the still wholly familiar form of her long lost
husband.  "Genma!"  Her voice cracked through the room like a whip,
making everyone jump a little.  The ex-Panda himself simply seemed to
shrink about a meter in height.
        He turned around slowly, a what he thought to be charming grin
plastered on his face.  "Hi, dear." he repeated from his earlier
hand-written conversation.
        Nodoka, unfortunately, or fortunately according to who you were,
still found that same grin to be absolutely charming.  However, as her
resolve wavered, she simply remembered what she had just seen and her
face became that of stone once more.  "Genma, we have much to talk
about."
        The grin fell from his face, to be replaced by the look of the
condemned.  He nodded slightly and sighed, as if resigned to his fate. 
Nodoka could see his stomach muscles flinch slightly, as if anticipating
something.  She walked over, unsheathing her sword, then smacked him
upside the head with it.  "Idiot!  I'm not going to kill you!"  She
thought for a moment, "Well, at least, not until I get the whole
story."  She gestured with her blade to the living room.
        Genma, who looked ready to leap clear out of his skin, walked
robot-like to the designated room.  He sat on the couch, Nodoka taking a
position to the right of him.  To the right of her still laid Ranma, who
seemed to be finally coming around.  He sat up with a confused look on
his face.
        "It's about time!" scolded Akane, who had Ikeda in tow.
        Ranma looked around a little blurry eyed, until he saw Nodoka. 
She smiled and held her arms out to him again.  This time he didn't
hesitate in the slightest to throw his around her.  She clasped down on
her son, fearing he might vanish right before her eyes.  To see him was
one thing, she absolutely needed physical contact.  For the third time
that day, Nodoka felt the tears well up in her eyes.  However, unlike
countless times previously, the tears were of happiness.  Absolute and
pure, like the first Spring shower.  She buried herself in the feeling
for a few minutes, allowing herself and her son this time together
uninterrupted.  
        She then disengaged from him, a smile still warming her face. 
He grinned back, obviously trying to hold back his true joy of the
situation.  She only smiled bigger, noticing his manly control of
emotion.
        Then, after a final squeeze of his shoulder, she turned back to
Genma.  As she saw him again, something inside her took over, and she
hugged him as well.  He seemed surprised at first, but soon returned the
embrace.  After a minute, she pulled away, her eyes lowered.  "Genma,"
she began, "after all these years, I still love you."  She raised her
gaze to meet his, her eyes bloodshot.  "I can forgive you for being gone
so long, I simply need to know why."
        Genma took in a steady breath, and began his story, "After we
left you, we traveled.  As we ventured, I trained Ranma in the way of
Anything Goes.  He was such a promising student, I was so excited.  He
learned things at an astronomical rate, almost three times as fast as I
ever did.  I was so proud of him, I wanted him to be the best, the
absolute best.  Not only that I could make him, no... the best in the
world."  He looked over to Ranma, who simply nodded slightly.  "Well,
after many years of training, and a few points that you'll hear of
later, we came to a training ground in China.  This was no ordinary
training ground, you see..."
        "Tell her about your illiteracy pop."
        Genma looked a few daggers at his son, then continued, "Yes,
well, I couldn't read Chinese, so I failed to notice a few dangers of
that particular training ground.  It's name is Jusenkyo, the land of
accursed springs.  It is filled with small pools of water, with training
poles sticking from them.  Ranma and I instantly leapt to the poles, not
heeding the warning of the Guide who was there.  He spoke of such
nonsense as 'bad thing happen, you fall in spring', and whatnot."  Genma
shook his head slowly, "We didn't listen.  I was the first to go in.  I
didn't even realize anything was wrong at first.  It wasn't until I
knocked Ranma into another spring that I realized something was amiss."
        Nodoka looked at Ranma, who was staring at the floor with a
troubled expression.  She turned her worried gaze back to Genma. 
"What?  What happened?"
        "I generally like to show people, since most don't believe. 
However, since you have seen my transformation, I want you to know his
is exactly the same... except for what he turns into with cold water."
        Nodoka hadn't known what caused the change, but didn't mention
it since he had just told her anyway.  Now, she was simply worried about
what her son was when doused.  "Tell me, Genma... what?"
        Genma looked at Ranma again, who nodded his head, this time more
firmly.  "Well, you see, he turns into a... he turns into a girl."  The
last word was almost whispered.
        "A... a girl?" Nodoka repeated, "He turns into a girl?"
        Genma nodded, a look of pure dejection on his face.  
        Akane walked up to Ranma and held out a glass to him.  He took
it with a grim smile.  Ikeda held onto his mother, not quite sure what
was going on.  Kasumi and Ono were simply standing quietly on the other
side of the room.
        "Are you ready, mother?" Ranma asked while poising the glass
over his head.
        Nodoka shut her eyes for a moment, collecting herself.  Then,
she opened them and nodded.
        He closed his own eyes and poured the water.  Her son seemed to
melt away before her eyes, almost exactly like the Panda had.  His hair
turned red, and his chest grew outward.  He took on the familiar body
shape of one that is definitely female, and very much so as a matter of
fact.  Finally, the transformation was complete, and her handsome son
had transformed in an equally beautiful young woman.  
        Nodoka wasn't quite sure what to do, so she simply stared. 
"R... Ranma?" she whispered nervously.
        Her eyes opened, Nodoka wasn't sure if she should be amused or
not by the slight amount of makeup that seemed to have appeared from
nowhere around her face.  However, what reassured her completely was the
fact that under those made up eyelids, there laid her son's eyes. 
Perfect and blue as the sky.
        Nodoka heard a small clapping and giggling from her left.  She
turned to find Ikeda joyfully laughing at his father's change.  Akane
was grinning slightly, obviously unable to hold back her mirth.  Nodoka
looked back at her son... daughter?  Then, she noticed something that
amazed her to no end.
        She put a hand to her mouth as her eyes widened.  "My God, you
look like I did as a girl!" she exclaimed.
        No one around could deny the uncanny resemblance Ranma had to
his mother in his female form.  They were like identical twins of a
different age.  Nodoka inhaled and exhaled steadily, trying not to
hyperventilate.  Though she kept her outward appearance of calm, inside
she was about ready to collapse into a gibbering heap.  She sat back on
the couch completely, willing to give up a little dignity to save the
whole of it by not falling unconscious again.
        Genma put a hand on hers.  "Are you okay, dear?" he asked, worry
filling his voice. 
        She smiled reassuringly and nodded slightly.  "It's going to
take a bit to get used to, but as long as he's still my Ranma I can
handle it."
        "What made you so sure I would stay the same inside?" Ranma
asked curiously.
        "Many things," Nodoka returned, "Genma's human-like reactions as
a panda, Ikeda's reaction to your transformation, and your eyes... they
are still the eyes of my son, and I'd know them anywhere."
        Akane and Kasumi were both sniffling now, and Ikeda was tugging
on his mother's skirt asking what was wrong.  She smiled down at him and
told him everything was absolutely perfect, nothing was wrong at all.
        Now that her immediate family was taken care of for the time
being, Nodoka turned her full attention to the new additions she had
only recently become aware of.  She had met Akane and Kasumi, as well as
Dr. Tofu, however she had yet to meet her new grandson in a proper
fashion.  She rose from the couch and headed over to Akane.  Then, she
bent down and smiled at Ikeda.  "Hello there, Ikeda." 
        The child smiled back and replied, "Hi, grandma!"
        "How old are you?"
        Ikeda held up three fingers while declaring, "Three!"
        Her brow furrowed slightly, then she looked up at Akane, who was
smiling down at them.  Seeing the look on Nodoka's face, Akane suddenly
lost her cheerful demeanor.  "Um, Akane, if I may be so bold... how old
are you?"
        Akane laughed a little nervously.  "Nineteen, Mrs. Saotome."
        Nodoka smiled reassuringly, then looked back at her son and
husband, raising an eyebrow.  Ranma just smiled back, not realizing
anything could be considered wrong.  Genma, on the other hand seemed to
be looking for somewhere to hide, the couch cushions not being large
enough to do the trick.  She snorted quietly and turned back to her new
grandchild.  "So, Ikeda, are you ready to start school soon?"
        Ikeda made a cute noise of disgust.  "Daddy says school is a
waste of platice time."  He slurred the larger word in a perfectly
youthful fashion.
        Nodoka and Akane looked at the father and simultaneously asked,
"Oh, he did, did he?"
        Now it was Ranma's turn to look uncomfortable, and he did it
every bit as well as his old man.
        Nodoka turned back to Ikeda for the second time as she heard
Akane's, "We'll discuss this later, honey."  Nodoka just wished she had
said the same to Genma all those years ago.
        "Well, you seem like a good boy, Ikeda.  I'm proud to be your
grandmother."  Nodoka could see the boy before her inflate with pride.
        "Just like his father!" she heard Genma bellow from behind her,
followed by a loud smacking sound.
        This brought a, "Hey!  That hurt, old man!," from Ranma, and
another smacking sound.  
        "Boy, you should respect your elders!"  More smacking.
        "Yeah, right!  Give me a reason to, and I might!"  General
racket.
        Chaos ensued, Ranma and Genma leapt out of the house and into
the backyard at a blinding speed and began to pummel one another. 
Nodoka watched in amazement as the fully grown men pulled every dirty
trick in the book to get the upper hand.  However, she also noticed the
intense skill they were fighting with as well.  There was more Martial
Arts skill in the Tendo's backyard at that moment than the whole of the
rest of Japan at that moment.  That's what she assumed anyway.
        Nodoka looked to Akane, who was playing with Ikeda.  She didn't
seem at all phased by the fighting, so it must be a regular occurrence. 
Nodoka sighed and went back to the couch, sitting back to rest her
aching muscles.  The day had been quite a stressful one, and it was all
taking its toll.  She blinked as a cup of tea was sat before her on the
table.  She looked up into the eyes of Kasumi, who was smiling most
hugely, radiating an illumination of her own.
        Nodoka sighed again, but this time more out of contentment. 
Perhaps things would be just fine.  She had her family back, with a
hefty amount of interest.  Her son was most manly, and she wouldn't have
to murder her husband... or have him do it to himself either.  So what
if he turned into a panda?  Or Ranma turned into a girl?  They were
still her family, in whatever form.  Sure, it would take some getting
used to, but she could handle it.  Yeah, everything would be just fine
now.
        Unfortunately, Nodoka had no idea of the nature of the family
she was now a part of again.  Things happened at the Tendo Dojo that
most could not, or would not explain.  It seemed to be a center point of
the Universe ever since Ranma arrived.  Things had been rather quiet
lately, and the denizens of the traditional abode were enjoying it to
the fullest.  However, all that was about to change, again.
        Nodoka sipped her tea and stared out into the yard where her son
and husband were fighting.  Neither seemed to be making much headway,
but she felt something was going to break soon.  There was a slight
change in the air, and a chill ran down her spine.  Something was most
definitely going to break soon, she just hoped whatever broke could be
fixed.

END PART TWO
Send comments, suggestions, corrections!  This ends the "setup" parts of
this fanfic... from now on, the plot shall be developed (be warned).  Of
course, along with the general plot, the whereabouts of the other Ranma
characters will be told.  
Thanks for reading!
PMasters (3/3/98)