Sorry this took so long, but there were more problems than I first 

suspected.  So much so that I decided to cut this chapter in half, 

and the second half will now be chapter 5, which will hopefully be 

sent to the FFML in a few days.



***



Will You be my Fiance?

(A Ranma 1/2 Alt History)

By Ammadeau

Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org

http://Ammadeau.tripod.com/fanfiction.htm



I owe a debt of gratitude to the following pre-readers who helped 

me clean up all the glaring errors in this draft that I was blind to:  

Donny Cheng, Ronny Hedlin, LarryF, Angus McSpon, and 

Thomas Hackwood.



***



	Kasumi awoke with a small yawn and blinked at the clock 

by her bed.  For some reason she had awoken fifteen minutes later 

than she normally did.  She'd been waking up at the same time for 

so long that she had not bothered to set her alarm in years.  Only 

illness could make her miss her morning's appointment with the 

sun, but she hadn't been sick for some time.

	This bothered Kasumi a bit, even though she'd have plenty 

of time to get ready for the day and prepare breakfast.  While she 

didn't have any interest in horoscopes as other women did, she did 

believe in signs and portents.  And waking up late, to her, was a 

bad sign.

	As she got out of bed, she suddenly remembered a bit of a 

dream she had that night.  It was only an image really; a woman 

holding the arm of a man, the both of them walking away from her, 

but that was all Kasumi could remember.  Though it had been too 

dark to make the figures out clearly, she was sure the man had been 

Ranma.

	As she made ready for her bath, Kasumi chided herself for 

her foolishness.  Obviously, what Akane had told her yesterday had 

had more of an effect than she had thought, enough to give her bad 

dreams.  The night always seemed to make her small worries larger 

than they really were.  Kind, gentle Ranma would make friends 

with just about anyone, but she really couldn't see it going any 

further with Akane.  She simply wasn't his type.

	Immersing herself in the hot water, Kasumi could feel all of 

her worries and anxieties drift off with the steam.  She shouldn't 

take everything to be a sign.  It was still early morning; and the day 

before her could still be a good one.  She might even see Ranma 

again while shopping.  Then it would be a great day.



Chapter 4:  Morning in Four Different Households



	Ranma groaned as he reached for the alarm and shut off its 

annoying buzzing, almost falling right back asleep.  He had stayed 

out far later than he had planned last night, not to mention the 

unexpected exercise routine.  Nabiki had given him quite a 

workout.

	Ranma frowned at that thought as he stumbled out of bed.  

He knew his mother would take a comment like that the wrong 

way.  She would never understand, even if he explained that the 

'workout' had been carrying Nabiki while running all over Nerima.  

Then he laughed.  It sounded like just the sort of training idea his 

pop would come up with.  Best not to mention it then, he didn't 

relish the idea of carrying his father all around town.

	He laughed again when he saw his now-completed 

homework on his desk, next to a note which read:



"Dear brother,

	Here is your finished homework.  I made sure to do it in 

your messy handwriting and get a couple answers wrong so the 

teacher won't suspect.  Just drop your homework for the next week 

in my room.

					Love,

					Hitomi

P.S.  Thanks for not ruining the tux!"



	Ranma felt a touch guilty about their deal.  It had been a 

strange night, even for him, but in the end he was glad he agreed to 

do it.  It didn't seem right that Hitomi had to do his homework 

when he had fun.  Still, the one thing Ranma hated most about 

school was the homework.  Not having to do it for a week would 

be one burden off of his shoulders.  Besides, his sister had a history 

of getting the better of him in the past, so he decided to enjoy his 

recent good fortune.  He knew it wouldn't last.



	Akane nearly jumped out of bed, shutting off her alarm 

clock before it had the chance to beep.  She threw back her curtain 

and smiled at the sunlight that poured down.  Today would be a 

good day, she knew it.

	After all, she'd never have to fight those bozos before 

school again.  From yesterday it was clear that they had truly given 

up on fighting her, not that they were given much choice.  Even 

Kuno had done a reversal, now out to 'protect' her, rather than 

'challenge' her.  She still didn't like that idea very much, but at least 

it was better than what it had been before.

	And there was one other person she had spent most of 

yesterday trying not to think about.

	Everyone Akane regularly associated with knew that the 

one thing she truly hated were boys.  She didn't include the entire 

male gender in this. To her, there was a major difference between a 

boy and a man.

	A boy was rude, immature, selfish, annoying, perverted, 

and just about every negative adjective that she could think of.  

There was nothing at all redeemable about a boy, and the only 

thing a boy was good for was target practice.

	A man was almost a complete opposite; kind, mature, 

gentle, caring, selfless.  In short, most of the good adjectives Akane 

could think of.  Normally, Akane held Dr. Tofu as the paragon of 

everything it meant to be a man, but ever since yesterday the image 

of him that she held in her mind had been changing.  His glasses 

vanished, and the gi he usually wore was replaced with a boy's 

uniform.  His gentle smiled had somehow mutated into a roguish 

grin while his hair had suddenly become a pig-tail.

	Akane knew who she was really thinking about, though she 

was reluctant to even think his name.  Was Ranma a boy to be 

hated, or a man to be... well, not hated, and perhaps even liked?

	Akane pushed this to the back of her mind as she readied 

herself for her morning jog.  She'd have plenty of time to debate 

the issue while going through her normal circuit around the 

neighborhood.  Though she couldn't stop herself thinking of 

Ranma's fights with Kuno, the boys at school, or even her own 

aborted match.  She had never seen a martial artist move like that 

before; so graceful and quick, like he was made of water.  It made 

her father seem slow and cumbersome by comparison, while 

herself...

	Ready for her jog, Akane picked up her hand weights as she 

rolled that thought around in her mind.  Having exceeded Kuno's 

skill, she had never pushed herself further.  She had thought herself 

one of the best martial artists of her generation, but it was clear that 

there was a sizable difference between Ranma's ability and her 

own.  Besides, while the morning fights had been annoying, they 

had helped her keep in training.  She'd need something in their 

absence.

	Putting on some leg weights she hadn't used for years, 

Akane smiled as she made a dash for the door, a dumbbell in each 

hand.  She'd push herself to her limit.  There was no way she was 

going to let a boy... or man get the better of her.



	Hitomi switched on her Mac.  As she waited for it to boot 

up, she carefully tucked Ranma's tux away in her bag.  She planned 

on returning it on the way to school, since she had to get it back to 

the rental place before noon to avoid an additional charge.  It 

would only be a few yen more, but Hitomi saved money wherever 

she could.

	She smiled as she thought of her brother lying there so 

peacefully as she had crept into his room to set his homework on 

his desk.  The fact that he'd been out so late with her sensei was a 

positive sign to Hitomi.  She was sure that both of them had had a 

good time, though she frowned slightly at the thought that she 

would have known already if she hadn't fallen asleep right at the 

beginning of her brother's recounting.  'Pretty' and 'nice' was all that 

she could really remember, but it was enough to give Hitomi a 

warm feeling.  Anyone could see at first glance that Nabiki was 

pretty, but most people thought of her as the very opposite of nice.  

One had to really get to know her to see how kind she could really 

be.  Her brother had seen it though, which she assumed meant they 

had been quite close.

	Scanning her e-mail, Hitomi nearly broke her mouse in her 

eagerness to read the message there from her sensei.



To: HitomiS@StHebereke.nerima.tokyo.jp

From: TheQueenOf@Furinkan-hs.nerima.tokyo.jp

Subject: The Big Date



Hitomi,

	Thanks.  Looks like I'm in your debt now. :)

	Come over for a visit soon and give you any details you 

couldn't weasel out of your brother.



Nabiki



	Hitomi grabbed for her schedule as she made ready her 

reply.  She'd have to visit her sensei tomorrow, she didn't think she 

could wait any longer than that.  For Nabiki to say that she was in 

her debt, it must have gone even better than Hitomi had suspected.



	Kasumi hummed in thought as she started on breakfast.  

Something was a little off that morning, and this time it had 

nothing to do with her.  Father was now starting on his daily 

practice.  Akane had left for her morning jog.  Nabiki had...

	That was it.  Nabiki should be washing up at the moment, 

but Kasumi was sure that she hadn't heard the door to her room 

open.

	With a touch of worry, Kasumi approached the door to her 

sister's room.  She had planned on staying awake to see Nabiki 

come home from her date all right, not to mention some gossip on 

how the date went, but she must have fallen asleep.  Nabiki was a 

smart girl, but who knew what could happen to her alone at night, 

once the date was over?

	Kasumi smiled, leaning on the door frame, to see Nabiki 

sound asleep, the covers tucked firmly around her shoulders, her 

short hair in disarray.  The red dress lay dumped unceremoniously 

on the floor next to a pair of high heels.  Kasumi stared at the white 

carnation on her sister's desk for a few moments before collecting 

her earrings lying next to it and slowly shutting the door behind 

her.

	Nabiki had had a good time, if the smile on her face was 

any indication.  Kasumi decided to let her sleep as late as she 

wanted to, even if that meant being tardy.  She was sure she could 

come up with some explanation to tell father.

	Putting the earrings away, Kasumi smiled and made a 

mental note to spend time discussing the date with Nabiki.  She 

wanted a few tips for when Ranma eventually asked her out.



	Ranma was only a little surprised to find a double helping 

of his normal breakfast waiting for him, which had been double 

what a normal person would eat to begin with.  Even less 

surprising was his mother's grin and his father's frown.

	"How does the boy rate so much food?" Genma 

complained, looking down at his own 'meager' breakfast, which 

was more than what his wife and his daughter had before them 

combined.

	"Now, Dear," Nodoka chided him gently as she poured the 

tea.  "Our son had a busy night last night, going on dates with all 

those girls.  He needs to get back his strength."

	Ranma rolled his eyes.  Last night it had been three.  This 

afternoon she'd probably be telling her friends that he'd dated a 

dozen girls all at once.  He didn't want to know what his mother 

thought he had been doing on all those dates.

	"But I'm hungry!" Genma whined to his wife as he 

stealthily used his chopsticks to steal one of Ranma's pickles.

	The pig-tailed boy tried to intercept his father, but his 

reaction time was a bit too slow, and the pickle ended up in his 

father's mouth. This didn't bother Ranma -- there was more than 

enough left even for his appetite -- but he wasn't going to let his 

father take the food from him without a fight.  The first Saotome 

chopstick duel of the day had begun.

	Hitomi bumped her brother on the shoulder and whispered 

to him, "What does Mom mean by 'all those girls'?"

	Ranma whispered back while trying to counter his father, "I 

tried to explain it last night, but you fell asleep.  What's the last 

thing you remember?"

	Hitomi thought for a moment.  "I remember you and 

Nabiki-san getting to the restaurant, and then I guess I dozed off."

	Seeing his sister's mild embarrassment, Ranma favored her 

with a lop-sided grin.  "I'll tell you what happened after school."

	"All right," Hitomi whispered.  "But tell me one thing right 

now."

	"What?"

	"Did you have fun?"

	Ranma thought about it for a moment.  Then he smiled and 

said, "Yes, I did."

	Hitomi smiled back.  "I knew you would."



	"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you, boy, just because 

you were out late last night," Genma told his son as he finished the 

remains of his breakfast and went outside to begin their morning 

practice.

	"When have you ever gone easy on me, Pop?" Ranma 

snapped back.  He just knew his father was upset about something, 

and that meant he'd be practically going all out in their morning's 

training.  Still feeling tired -- though doing his best to hide it -- this 

was not something Ranma was looking forward to.

	"I'll teach you to respect your father, Ranma!" Genma 

shouted as he charged at his son.

	"I will as soon as you do something worth respecting, old 

man!" Ranma shouted back as he countered his father's attack and 

initiated one of his own.

	"What an ungrateful boy I've raised!" Genma lamented as 

he blocked the first attack, and flipped out of the way of the 

second.  "I've sacrificed everything for you, Ranma!"

	Ranma leapt over his father's leg sweep, rolling out of the 

way of a punch that followed immediately after.  "Right.  You 

sacrifice everything to feed your fat face!"

	When he saw his father's expression flicker for a bit, 

Ranma knew that he had scored a hit with that one.  He followed 

through with a cross-chop to the back.  This blow connected, but 

Genma managed to roll away, negating some of its strength.

	"Fat?  I'm pure muscle.  You're going to wish this was fat 

the next time I hit you," Genma told him as he charged.

	"Next time?  Got to hit me once first, old man," Ranma 

replied, meeting his father's charge head-on.

	For Ranma, it was more or less a typical morning.



	Nabiki groaned as she blindly grabbed for her alarm clock.  

She nearly shot out of bed when she saw what time it was.  Being 

out late, no matter how much fun she'd had, was no excuse for 

waking at this time of day.  Putting a call to one of her factors to 

take care of business for her, she snatched up her things and made 

a dive for the furo.  Only the sight of the white carnation stopped 

her.

	With a smile, she gently picked it up, inhaling it's sweet 

fragrance.  She frowned though to see how wilted it looked now.  

Carefully setting the flower back down, she searched her room for 

something to put it in.  The best she could find was an old mug she 

had made for home ec once, but it would have to do.  Quickly 

filling it with water from the bathroom sink, she dropped the stem 

in and set it by her window so it could catch some of the bright 

sunlight.

	Nabiki knew she was being silly.  No amount of water or 

sunlight could prevent this carnation from wilting away, but she 

felt like she had to try.  It was another way of preserving the 

memory of her first real date.

	It had hardly been the most romantic date in the world, but 

Nabiki had still had a good time, especially with the mad chase 

afterwards.  Something like that had never happened to her before, 

the thrill of the escape, not to mention the cozy place in Ranma's 

arms.  Socking the Karate Queen good was almost the highlight of 

her evening.  She could finally understand why Akane was so 

focused on martial arts.  The adrenaline surge that came from the 

risk of danger, the rapture of victory.

	The real joy of the evening though came from just being 

around Ranma.  She wasn't fooling herself, it wasn't love at first 

sight or anything, but what she did feel was well... freedom.  The 

freedom to act however she felt without worrying about the 

consequences.  She liked Ranma so she was playful with him, even 

flirting with him, which seemed to bring out a certain naivet� in the 

pig-tailed boy that Nabiki found much too cute.  It was a way that 

she could never act at school or around her friends.

	*I'll have to make sure to see him again soon,* she thought 

with a grin as she made her way to the furo.



	Akane took a deep breath as she leaned on the door to the 

Tendo home.  The added weight, combined with a faster pace and a 

longer route, had been a little more than she had expected.  She had 

gone from full of energy to nearly exhausted, and she still had 

school to worry about.

	Akane moved towards the furo like a thirsty man towards 

an oasis, ignoring everything around her, even her sister's things at 

the entrance.  She always liked a nice bath after her morning 

workout, but this time she was more in need of it than ever.

	"Nabiki?" she said with some surprise, perking up at 

finding her sister occupying the furo.  Nabiki should have already 

left for school by now after a quick washing.  It was odd for her to 

use the furo in the morning like this.  "What are you still doing 

here?"

	"Overslept," Nabiki replied with a sleepy grin, relaxing in 

the warm water.  "Out late last night."

	"One of your money-making schemes?" Akane asked as she 

began to wash herself down.

	"Something like that."  For some reason she felt reluctant 

telling her sister that she'd been on a date with Ranma.  She hadn't 

missed the fact that her sister had had lunch with him two days in a 

row -- it was one of the biggest pieces of gossip around school at 

the moment -- that and Kuno's recent odd behavior.  Nabiki even 

considered starting a betting pool on whether they would have 

lunch again, and if so whether they would make it through 

peacefully or not.

	Nabiki still didn't know what the deal was with her sister 

and Ranma, and it seemed that no one knew, perhaps not even 

Akane herself.  Nabiki had thought about asking Ranma about it 

during their date, but somehow it had slipped her mind.  Besides, 

she had wanted Ranma focusing on her, and not her sister.

	Nabiki thought of asking Akane herself, and frowned 

slightly.  Akane wouldn't tell her.  Nabiki had once sold a secret 

her sister had told her in elementary school and Akane had refused 

to trust her since.  It irked Nabiki that her own sister didn't trust 

her; it irked her even more that Akane had every reason not to.  

Nabiki probably would sell her secrets to the highest bigger.  She 

couldn't resist making a profit, even when she tried.

	Akane had probably already told Kasumi, but Nabiki knew 

that she'd never get it out of her older sister.  She couldn't use 

tactics she'd use on most people, and those methods that Nabiki 

could use weren't at all effective on Kasumi.  She was very good at 

keeping secrets.  Nabiki still hadn't found her older sister's diary -- 

she had seen her writing in it once when they were both still little -- 

and she had been trying to find that for a long time.  Not to sell, she 

wouldn't know who to sell it to anyway, but just to know.  Some 

key to unlock the mystery of her elder sister.

	"You okay?" Akane asked with some concern, snapping 

Nabiki out of her daze.

	Nabiki blinked at her sister peering closely back at her.  

Just because Akane didn't trust her any more didn't mean she still 

didn't care for her.  Nabiki still remembered the time when a group 

of bullies were going to beat her up over the money she'd been 

leeching from them for months.  Akane had been there with her 

and immediately faced them down, despite their superior numbers.  

One of them made the grave mistake of calling Akane a little girl 

and insulting her abilities as a martial artist.  That was the only 

time she had seen her sister truly mad.  It made what she did to her 

'fans' every morning look like an act of irritation.

	Nabiki smiled.  "I'm fine, Akane.  Just still a bit sleepy, I 

guess."



	Kyoko groaned and blearily looked around for the source of 

the noise that had awakened her.  She stared at the phone with 

something akin to resignation before picking up the receiver.

	"Moshi, moshi," she said sleepily.

	"Oh, Kyoko-chan, did I wake you up?"

	Kyoko blinked at the sound of Nabiki's voice and hastily 

explained, "No, no!  There's just something wrong with my phone 

that makes me sound like I just woke up sometimes!  In fact, I just 

finished breakfast this minute!"

	Kyoko did not want to let her boss know that she was late 

for school, and she especially didn't want her to know the reason 

why she had slept late.  She had a feeling that Nabiki wouldn't like 

the idea of her having interfered with the date, even if it had been 

in her boss's best interests.

	"All right.  I'm running a little late myself, so I was 

wondering if you could handle everything at school until I get 

there?"

	"Sure, no problem!" Kyoko said with growing excitement.  

Nabiki really must trust her to give her such a responsibility.  "I'll 

take care of everything!"

	"Good, good.  Well, bye--"

	"Sempai!" Kyoko said suddenly.

	"Yes, what is it?"

	Kyoko blushed in embarrassment when she realized that 

she had interrupted her boss.  Nabiki didn't seem mad, but Kyoko 

made a mental note not to do so in the future anyway.  "Oh, I was 

just wondering how your date went, that's all."

	"I was on a date with a martial artist who can't go five 

minutes without getting into trouble.  How do you think it went?"

	Kyoko grinned, glad that her boss couldn't see her at the 

moment.  "Sorry about that," she replied, not sounding very sorry 

to even her own ears.  "But at least you won't have to worry about 

your business this morning.  I'll handle everything."

	Nabiki thanked her and they said their good-byes.  Kyoko 

hung up the phone and immediately picked it up again.  She had to 

contact the other factors to set everything up, not to mention 

calling a taxi to pick her up after what would be the fastest 

breakfast in history.



	Soun Tendo left the dojo after his light morning workout, 

feeling renewed, refreshed, but mostly hungry.  He couldn't wait 

for the wonderful meal he knew his eldest daughter had prepared 

for him.  Once again, Soun reflected on how truly blessed he was 

to have three daughters, each wonderful in her own way.  They 

almost made up for the absence of his dear departed wife.

	Soun shook away such melancholy thoughts as he entered 

the house proper.  Mornings weren't time for such feelings, and 

besides, he had to wear a happy face for his daughters, no matter 

what his current feelings might be.

	"Good morning, Father," Kasumi said to him as he entered 

the living room.

	"Good morning, Kasumi," he returned and sat down as she 

finished setting everything for breakfast.  Soun couldn't help 

noticing that there were five place settings instead of the normal 

three for breakfast.  One setting was always made to honor his 

departed wife, though it was something that Soun tried not to think 

about too much.

	"Kasumi, why are you setting the table for five?" he asked 

casually as he unrolled his newspaper.  He knew Kasumi always 

ate early with Nabiki, and it would be odd to have guests he didn't 

know about.

	"We all wanted to have breakfast with our daddy for once,"  

came a voice from behind him.  "Is that so wrong?"

	"No, of course not," Soun answered Nabiki, turning around 

to see her coming down the stairs with Akane.  He couldn't help it, 

immediately he started to bawl.  "Oh, what wonderful daughters I 

have!"

	"Oh, Father," Kasumi gently chided him.

	"Mou," Nabiki said with a small frown as she and Akane 

took their places at the table.  "Dad, you don't have to make such a 

big deal out of it.  I mean, we have dinner together almost every 

night,"

	"I know, it's just..." Soun started to say as he wiped away 

his tears.  "That you're all just so wonderful to me that I can't help 

it..."

	The Tendo daughters all frowned slightly as Soun began to 

wail once again.  Even though it was a common sight for them, 

they still all despaired over their sometimes overly emotional 

father.



	Min-Lin's morning was mostly a series of bounces.  She 

bounced out of bed, bounced into the furo, bounced back into her 

room to get dressed, and bounced into the living room to have 

breakfast with her parents.  Even then she was practically bouncing 

in her seat, all the while there was a large smile on her face.

	Min-Lin's mother and father exchanged confused looks, 

something they were somewhat used to doing after their daughter 

had finally returned from China.  They had visited her many times 

during her twelve-year training, but that was in the Amazon 

village, where Min-Lin was in her element.  It had left them 

unprepared on what it would be like to try to raise their daughter 

alone in Japan.

	Min-Lin's habit of waking at the crack of dawn to engage in 

very loud combat practice -- complete with yelling and the 

smashing of perfectly good construction materials -- was not only 

troublesome to parents who needed their sleep, but to the neighbors 

as well, who, while normally very hospitable, complained very 

loudly on this issue.  Sleep and sake being precious to the salary 

man.

	Even more troublesome to the parents was the way that 

their daughter attracted boys and men in swarms as thick as 

mayflies in spring.  They might have told Min-Lin that they were 

sending her to St. Hebereke so she could learn to be more Japanese 

quickly, but in reality they just wanted her at an all-girl's school for 

their own piece of mind.

	This is perhaps the worry of every parent who has an 

attractive young daughter, but in this case it wasn't a matter of 

avoiding teenage pregnancy, this was a matter of avoiding getting 

every over-eager boy sent to the hospital.  Min-Lin's parents fully 

believed that their daughter had a right to defend herself.  Her 

mother was a proud Amazon and her father a martial artist of no 

small ability, but Min-Lin often took this to extremes, responding 

to the boys' advances by gleefully breaking their arms or smacking 

them hard in the head with the bo staff that she practiced with.  

What was worse was their daughter seemed to actually encourage 

these advances, using the boys in place of practice dummies.

	They really wished that they had been able to convince her 

friend Shampoo to come to Japan with them, but the girl had no 

interest in leaving the Amazon village.  Though friend was perhaps 

not the right word, it seemed that the two of them couldn't go five 

minutes without engaging in some form of combat.  Min-Lin was 

always all smiles during these exercises, but Shampoo hardly 

looked like she was having a good time.  There also seemed to be 

some bad blood between the two great-grandmothers who had been 

training the girls which made such a thing impossible.

	The only other solution Min-Lin's parents could find was to 

keep their daughter as busy as possible.  They sent her to school 

with juku afterwards to help her catch up with the rest of the class.  

They gave her a part-time job, which had the added benefit of 

helping out with the finances.  All this combined with her daily 

practice ate up the majority of her day and kept her mostly out of 

trouble.  It would do at least until the mother could get in contact 

with her grandmother, who was currently busy hunting down her 

husband.  Both parents knew that that would take a while.

	Because of this, Min-Lin was usually less than eager to 

begin the day.  While she liked the job they had gotten her, she 

hated school and loathed the juku, frequently taking out her 

frustrations with these in her morning training.  Their daughter 

nearly always seemed happy, but her parents could tell when she 

truly was happy or not.  They knew, however, that despite their 

daughter not seeing any use for these things as an Amazon, they 

were needed for the Japanese woman that she also was.

	This morning she was definitely happy.  She radiated a joy 

that would make a miser give all his wealth to charity.

	"Did something happen at work, dear?" her mother asked, 

attempting to discover the source of all this happiness.

	Min-Lin nodded eagerly, the smile never leaving her face.  

"I see Ranma last night at restaurant!" she yelled and giggled.

	Mrs. Sakamoto knew that her daughter had to be really 

excited.  The only times her Japanese slipped was due to extreme 

emotion.  She turned to her husband and asked, "Do you know who 

this 'Ranma' person is?"

	Mr. Sakamoto thought for a moment.  "Genma has a son 

named Ranma, doesn't he?  Didn't we stay with the Saotomes for a 

time when Min-Lin was still little?"

	"That was when my grandfather came back to train you, 

wasn't it?"

	Mr. Sakamoto smirked.  "Don't remind me.  I still think I 

have the bruises from back then."

	He was startled when his daughter leapt over the breakfast 

table and grabbed him by the shirt.  Mr. Sakamoto was her father 

and an accomplished martial artist, but even he was a little 

frightened by the intense stare that Min-Lin was currently giving 

him.

	"You know Ranma's father?" she asked, tugging at his shirt.

	He very slowly nodded.

	"We must go visit Ranma's house!"  Her tone left no room 

for argument.  He realized that Min-Lin was much like her mother 

when she wanted something, and as when he dealt with his wife, he 

didn't seem to even have the option of saying no.

	"That's sounds like a good idea," Mrs. Sakamoto said 

suddenly.  "I haven't seen Nodoka for years, and it would be nice to 

make a little trip out of it this weekend."

	The father looked back and forth from his wife to daughter, 

breathed a smile sigh and said, "All right, I'll talk to Genma about 

it at work today."

	"Yatta!" Min-Lin shouted, doing a backflip away from him, 

picking up her school bag, and another backflip out the door.

	Her parents blinked at each other in surprise.



	Once Soun had settled down again, the Tendos all started 

on their breakfast, along with a little conversation.  The Tendo 

sisters found their father to be surprisingly talkative that day, 

especially since he usually just stuck his head in the newspaper and 

said little.

	"So Akane, Nabiki," he said with a show of casualness. 

"How are things going in school?"

	Nabiki frowned slightly, feeling a little suspicious.  She 

couldn't recall their father having asked about school for years 

now.  He could be hinting that he had found out about her business 

activities, but no way was their father that subtle.

	"Everything is fine, Dad," Akane assured him with perhaps 

a little more force than was needed.  She was worried that he had 

found out about the recent morning fights and would raise a stink 

about it or something.  Even though they were over now, her father 

could still cause her a lot of trouble about it.

	"Good, good," Soun replied, acting as if he hadn't even 

been listening to her.  "So... how are you getting along with the 

boys at school?"

	"The boys there are all idiots!" Akane said without even 

thinking about it.

	"Good!" Soun exclaimed, sounding very pleased with this 

response.

	"Good?" Nabiki queried, one eyebrow raised.

	Soun was immediately flustered and struggled to come up 

with some sort of explanation.   "Well, good in a sense that...  

Kasumi, you know what I'm trying to say, don't you?"

	Kasumi blinked at finding the question suddenly redirected 

at her.  She thought for a moment before saying, "Father, are you 

trying to say that it's good that Akane hasn't formed close 

relationships with boys because she's too young to be thinking of a 

serious relationship now?"

	It was Soun's turn to blink, then he started to smile.  "That's 

exactly what I meant --"

	He blinked again when Kasumi cut him off, saying with 

some small show of emotion, "Because if that is what you're 

saying, I think that you're wrong.  Akane needs to realize that not 

all boys are driven solely by their hormones if she is to ever hope 

of having a serious relationship at all."

	Soun was a little taken aback by the vehemence in the voice 

of his eldest daughter, but then so was everyone else.  Kasumi 

blushed a bit in embarrassment when she realized everyone was 

looking back at her wide-eyed.

	"Way to go, sis," Nabiki said, the first to get over her 

surprise.

	This only caused Kasumi to blush more.

	Akane was still mostly in shock.  She had no idea how to 

respond to what Kasumi had just said.  She had always thought her 

big sister right in everything, but Akane thought Kasumi was a bit 

off in this case.  All boys were driven by their hormones, she had 

seen plenty of evidence to prove that; it was only when some of 

them became men that that ceased to be the driving factor of their 

lives.  Some, probably most, would never pass the boy stage.  She 

had a hard time believing that those boys who had once tried to 

fight her at school would ever change.

	Realizing that everyone else was looking at her, Akane 

finally said in a timid voice, "I don't think that all boys are jerks, 

just most of the ones at school."

	Nabiki, noticing that this reply didn't seem to satisfy either 

their father or their elder sister, gave Akane a friendly smile and 

said, "You're right, most of the boys at school are jerks.  Who 

knows what kind of perverted stuff they'd try to pull on a date?  It's 

much better to beat them up, right?"  Nabiki made a fist to 

demonstrate.

	Akane laughed suddenly, and the small degree of tension 

around the table seemed to evaporate.

	"I didn't mean anything by it, Akane," Soun explained.  

"Daddy is just trying to watch out for his daughters.  I want you all 

to be happy."

	"We know, father, and we appreciate it," Kasumi told him 

with a small smile.  "But you don't need to worry about us, we're 

happy as we are now."

	As their father started to blubber again, Nabiki noticed a 

small flicker in her big sister's expression.  It was only there for a 

moment so it was hard to tell what it had meant.

	"Oh, everyone is finished with breakfast already," Kasumi 

announced, looking around the table.  "Nabiki, will you help me 

with the dishes?"

	Nabiki had been lost in thought for a moment, so blinked in 

surprise when she realized what Kasumi had asked her.  Her older 

sister had never needed help with the dishes before.  Nabiki nearly 

gasped in astonishment when she saw Kasumi wink at her.  With 

the strange morning she was having, she began to wonder if she 

were still dreaming.

	"Yeah, Sis, no problem," Nabiki told her a bit shakily as 

she helped gathering up the dishes.  It was just plain bizarre to see 

her open and honest sister act so... sneaky all of the sudden.

	"Thank you," Kasumi said with a smile.

	"I'll help too, Kasumi," Akane added quickly, starting to 

help them gather the dishes.

	Kasumi frowned slightly.  "Oh, you shouldn't, Akane.  

Nabiki will be more than enough help and you don't want to be late 

for school.  I know how you like to get there early."

	"But what about Nabiki?" Akane countered, a little 

disappointed that her big sister didn't want her help; she probably 

thought all the dishes would end up broken or something.

	"Yes," Soun said eagerly. "Akane, Nabiki, you both run 

along to school.  You don't want to be late.  I'll help Kasumi with 

the dishes."

	Nabiki noticed Kasumi frown again, and said quickly, "I'll 

still have plenty of time to get to school before the bell.  It won't 

take that long for the both of us to do the dishes.  Besides, no 

offense Daddy, but you're as clumsy in the kitchen as Akane.  If we 

let you do the dishes, we won't have anything to eat on for 

breakfast tomorrow."

	Akane watched her father start to wail yet again, this time 

about not being trusted with the dishes, sighed, grabbed her school 

bag, and went out the door.  She knew that she'd have to overcome 

her innate clumsiness if Kasumi was ever going to let her near the 

kitchen again.  *Maybe... maybe Ranma could help me with that.*



	Half of the boys arrived at school early.  This wasn't due to 

any eagerness for education.  Many grumbled at having to wake up 

at such an hour, but they knew they had no choice.  They had to 

plan.  They had to find some way of defeating the one obstacle 

between them and happiness:  Ranma Saotome.  Bad enough he 

had exclusive rights to Akane Tendo, but many of the other girls at 

school had become interested in him as well.  There were even 

rumors that Nabiki Tendo, of all people, had been seen on a date 

with him.  While no one actually believed that, it was just another 

sign that the arrival of Ranma had significantly reduced their 

chances of getting a girlfriend.

	The solution was clear: Ranma had to be dealt with.  How 

to do it was their current problem.  Ganging up on him and beating 

him out of school was already out.  Some still had the bruises to 

prove how ineffective that was.

	"How about we tar and feather 'em?" one kid suggested.

	"We don't have any tar or feathers."

	"Oh, right."

	"Too bad Kuno turned traitor on us.  He's great at running 

people off."

	"Yeah, most people will do anything to get away from his 

boring speeches."

	"I... might be able to something," Gosunkugi spoke up 

somewhat hesitantly.  He knew that the only reason the other boys 

tolerated his presence was because he could get them pictures of 

Akane Tendo for much less than what they'd have to pay Nabiki.  

Of course, he didn't tell them that he sold all the good pictures to 

Nabiki, who in turn resold them at inflated prices.

	"What you going to do, give him the old voodoo spike?" 

one of the boys teased as the others laughed.

	Gosunkugi shrugged.  "I could try.  We just can't leave 

Akane in the hands of that... fool Saotome!"

	"Gosunkugi is right.  It's worth a try.  If he is able to put the 

voodoo on Ranma, then we could beat on him and he wouldn't be 

able to fight back."

	"Isn't that a little unethical?" another boy asked, ignoring 

the fact that ganging up on him all at once wasn't exactly fair play 

either.

	"We must be willing to do anything for Akane Tendo!  Are 

you with me?"

	"Yes!" the rest of the boys shouted back.



	"Okay, now can you tell me what's going on?" Nabiki asked 

her sister in mild confusion once they had brought all the dishes 

into the kitchen and started washing them.  "I've never seen you act 

so sneaky before."

	Kasumi giggled a bit, much to Nabiki's surprise.  "I just 

wanted to hear a little about your date before you went to school 

and I didn't think you'd want father or Akane to overhear.  I am 

keeping you from school though.  You can go along now.  I don't 

really need help with the dishes, and I can always hear about your 

date after school."

	"Not after you went through all that trouble," Nabiki told 

her, washing a dish and handing it to Kasumi.  "Besides, like I told 

father, I have plenty of time before the bell rings."

	"But what about your business?" Kasumi asked, drying the 

dish and putting it away.

	Nabiki smirked.  "You know about that?"

	"Well, the walls are thin between our two rooms, so it's 

sometimes hard not to overhear some of your phone conversations.  

Besides, I've noticed that you sometimes buy things over what you 

get for an allowance.  I thought you were just saving your money at 

first, but... well, I was relieved to find out that you weren't stealing 

or anything."

	Nabiki frowned a bit.  There were some people who did 

consider what she did stealing.  Kasumi, with her high moral 

standard, might think so too.  Nabiki decided it was time to change 

the subject.

	"My business is fine.  I called one of my assistants to take 

care of everything for me.  Besides, what you really want to hear 

about is the date."

	"Yes," Kasumi admitted with a light blush.

	Nabiki didn't say anything right away.  She only stared at 

the dish she was washing for a while and thought on just how she 

should tell Kasumi about this.  It wasn't the same as with Akane, 

since her big sister didn't even know Ranma, but... well, as far as 

Nabiki could tell, Kasumi had never been on a date herself before.  

Unless she did have a secret boyfriend, but that seemed even more 

unlikely now by the very eagerness Kasumi had for hearing about 

this.

	Nabiki wanted to give Kasumi a good impression about 

dating and she had to admit that from an outsider's perspective the 

date might sound horrible.  Nabiki doubted that it would be 

Kasumi's idea of a good time.

	*Hmm, maybe if I just tell it like I think Kasumi would 

want to hear...*  She wasn't planning on lying, just telling the 

events with a certain spin on them.  She'd done it often enough in 

business that it was almost second nature by now.  Nabiki was also 

a bit reluctant to mention Ranma by name.  There was the small 

chance that Kasumi might tell Akane, but she was more worried 

about her big sister trying to play match-maker or something. She 

did have an odd way of looking out for her siblings.  Nabiki 

wanted to deal with Ranma on her own terms.

	"Well, I met him under a street lamp by the park.  He was 

dressed in a tux and gave me a white carnation to pin to my dress."

	"Oh, and was he handsome?" Kasumi asked, not making 

eye contact, instead focusing on drying the dish in her hands.  

Nabiki couldn't help noticing her sister's blush or the fact that the 

dish was already as dry as it could possibly be.

	"Yeah, I guess," Nabiki said off-handily.  "I wouldn't go out 

with a guy I couldn't stand to look at, at least.  He definitely had... a 

certain charm to him, I guess.  I took his arm and we walked to the 

restaurant just as the moon was starting to come out."

	"You took his arm?" Kasumi asked with some surprise.

	Nabiki grinned.  "Well, I am a take-charge kind of girl.  I 

guess I wanted to show him just who was boss right from the 

start."  She didn't want to admit that she had been disappointed 

when he hadn't taken hers.  *Hmm, guess I have a soft spot for 

some of this cheesy romantic stuff too.*

	"We arrived at the restaurant and were shown to our table, 

which was by the windows so we had a view of the park, though 

honestly I didn't spend much time admiring it.  The place was quiet 

and dimly lit.  I was about to sit down, when my date rushed over 

to my side of the table and held my chair out for me."

	"Oh, my.  How chivalrous of him."

	Nabiki blushed a bit.  "Yeah, I guess it was nice of him.  He 

was bit nervous so we didn't really talk until the waitress arrived."  

	Nabiki paused, wondering if she could mention Min-Lin or 

not, especially her connection with Ranma.

	"And what happened next?" Kasumi prompted after a few 

moments of silence.

	"The waitress came and took our orders.  She was a bit... 

irritating, but we both managed to endure her company until she 

left.  We talked about a few things, nothing important, and then our 

waitress sat down with us.  I guess she was trying to be friendly, 

but..."

	"But you could hardly feel comfortable with her there, 

right?"

	Nabiki was surprised at the amount of anger that suddenly 

flared up at the thought of Min-Lin butting in like that.  Nabiki 

finally got to go an a real date and that... Amazon bimbo had to try 

and ruin it.  She managed to control her reaction though, only 

showing a small frown.

	"I don't know," Nabiki said honestly.  "Either she really 

didn't know or pretended that she didn't."

	It took only a few moments for Kasumi to catch on.  "Don't 

tell me she was actually... flirting with your date?" she asked, 

outraged.

	"Apparently, he and she were old friends that hadn't seen 

each other for a long time, and she had been in the boonies of 

China for most of her life, so it might not have been intentional," 

Nabiki said, admitting more than she had planned.

	"Still, that's no excuse for such... inappropriate behavior.  

Did your date do anything about it?"

	"No, but the waitress didn't really give him a chance.  She 

was sort of pushy.  He did apologize after she had left though.  I 

could tell that he really felt bad about it too."

	"There's that, but he should have done something from the 

beginning.  He should have told her right away that he was on a 

date with you and she should really just leave the both of you 

alone."

	Nabiki smirked to herself.  She knew now that the idea 

Kasumi had a secret boyfriend was pure fantasy, since she didn't 

seem to understand men that well at all.  "Well, in his defense, the 

waitress didn't give him the option."

	Kasumi nodded, acting as if the issue were settled.  "What 

happened next?"



	Akane couldn't help noticing the large group of boys 

gathered near the school gates.  She mentally readied herself for a 

sudden attack as she walked past, but none of them seemed to 

notice her, instead focusing on whatever they were doing.  She was 

curious about what was going on, but didn't want to get any closer 

to them to find out.

	Akane shrugged.  For once, she doubted it had anything to 

do with her, and decided that she'd just better get to class.



	Gosunkugi hid behind one of the bushes along the way to 

school, Ranma voodoo doll in one hand, scissors in the other.  He 

had done everything he could to capture the essence of his chief 

rival for Akane's heart, right down to the smug grin on his face.  

Now there was only one component missing to make the magic 

work; a lock of hair from the victim.  Something Gosunkugi was 

waiting to remedy.

	Ranma walked down the street towards the school, head 

down, not really paying attention to the world around him.  His 

mind was entirely focused on two girls, Akane and Nabiki.  Two 

very different girls.  The first seemed to be all emotion, one minute 

angry, the next sad, the next laughing.  While the other seemed to 

hold her emotions closer to her, using them when they suited her 

purposes.  In fact, the only thing they had in common was they 

confused the heck out of him.  There was something else, 

something just on the edge of his memory...

	Ranma instinctively dodged out of the way as a kid burst 

from the bushes as he passed, and came around with a kick to the 

small of the back of his assailant.  He dropped into a combat stance 

and waiting for the next attack to come.

	Only it didn't, not even after several moments had passed.  

His opponent lay on the ground, unmoving.  Ranma cautiously 

approached him, just in case it was some sort of trick.  He lightly 

kicked the boy in the leg, eliciting a groan from the fallen figure.

	Ranma relaxed slightly and asked, "Hey, are you okay 

there?"

	There was a muffled "no" in response.  The boy rolled over 

so he could stare up at the sky, his face scratched from where he 

had hit the sidewalk.  His eyes slowly moved to look at Ranma, 

though his head remained still.  "Why?" the boy croaked out.  

"Why did you kick me?"

	"You weren't trying to ambush me or something?"

	The boy replied very slowly, as if he was having a hard 

time talking.  "Do I look like someone who could hope to ambush 

you?"

	Ranma looked over his 'opponent' and realized that he had a 

point.  The kid was out of shape; rail-thin, bony, and had bags 

under his eyes.  The kind of person a mild breeze could knock 

over.

	"Geez, I'm really sorry about that," Ranma told him as he 

helped the boy to his feet.  "Just when you burst out of the bushes 

like that, I thought you were trying to attack me, that's all.  Why did 

you do that anyway?"

	Gosunkugi thought quickly.  "I was looking for something I 

dropped...  when a cat startled me."

	Ranma swallowed.  He seemed almost afraid of something.  

"A c..cat, huh?  You don't suppose it's still there, do you?"

	Gosunkugi grinned, but since his head was down, Ranma 

couldn't see it.  "I don't know.  You could check if you want to."

	"No, that's okay," Ranma replied nervously.  "I'm sure it's 

gone."

	"Wait, isn't that it right there?"  Gosunkugi said suddenly, 

pointing into the bushes.

	"Where?" Ranma asked, peering at the bushes with 

something akin to fear.

	Gosunkugi used this distraction to snip off a bit of Ranma's 

hair and slip it into his pocket.

	"Must have been a leaf or something," Gosunkugi said, 

trying to sound casual.  "I've got to get to school now.  I've got 

some... things I need to do before homeroom."

	Gosunkugi started to walk away, when Ranma said, "Wait!  

Look, I'm really sorry about knocking you down like that.  What 

can I do to make it up to you?"

	*You can leave Akane to me, you bully.*  "No, it's really 

no problem!  It was just an accident!" Gosunkugi shouted as he 

practically ran away.



	Gosunkugi was sure that his magic, which had yet to work 

properly even once, would succeed this time.  He had followed the 

instructions in the ancient tome to the letter, even so far as filling 

the doll with catnip to attract the mischievous spirit of the neko-

kami, a female deity known for her vengefulness.

	The boys were all gathered around him as he added the 

finishing touches, like little buttons on the doll's shirt.

	"You're pretty good at making dolls, Gosunkugi," one of 

the boys commented with a laugh.  "That looks just like Ranma."

	"Why thank you," Gosunkugi replied, not realizing he was 

being insulted.

	"This better work," another boy said.  "Getting beaten up by 

Ranma is a lot worse than getting beaten up by Akane."

	"Yeah," yet another boy interjected.  "If I'm going to get 

beat up, I want a girl to do it."

	While the other boys looked at the last to speak as if he had 

suddenly changed into Kuno, Gosunkugi said, "This voodoo doll is 

one hundred percent guaranteed to work.  With it I'll be able to 

control Saotome's every action.  Just need to add the final 

ingredient, a lock of hair...  there.  It's done!"

	"All right, once you've got control of him, we'll all jump 

him.  Make him do something as a signal."

	"Like what?"

	"Have him punch himself in the face!" one boy jumped in.

	The other boys all nodded, grinning.



	Gosunkugi smiled from his hiding place behind the tree as 

he watched the approach of the pig-tailed boy.  He had no idea 

what was about to hit him.

	Ranma was just thinking how the school yard was oddly 

empty for this time of day, when, seemingly of its own free will, 

his right hand came up and smacked him in the face.  "What the--

?"

	"Get him!" a boy shouted as he leapt from his hiding place 

and started to Ranma.  A dozen others followed his example.

	Ranma tried to drop into a combat stance to ready himself 

for them, but he couldn't move.  It was like his body was frozen 

below the neck.



	Nabiki finally arrived a school just in time to witness a 

shocking sight.  Ranma was having a brawl with the ex- 'let's beat 

up Akane to date her' fanclub.  That wasn't what was so surprising.  

Actually, she would have been surprised if it hadn't happened.

	The really strange thing was Ranma wasn't fighting back.  

He was just standing there as still as a statue and just taking 

whatever the boys were dishing out.  She could tell by the 

expression on his face that he wasn't at all happy about it so she 

really doubted that he was doing so intentionally.

	Nabiki kept one eye on the fight as she walked to the 

school.  Half-way there, Kyoko raced over to her, nearly out of 

breath from running.

	"Sempai!" she said after a small gasp.  "I set up all the bets 

as soon as I heard about this fight, but I never expected Ranma to 

lose!  I thought when the boys all bet heavily on themselves that 

they were just being overconfident as usual."

	Nabiki didn't seem the least bit bothered by the potential 

loss of revenue as she continued to study the fight.  "Any idea why 

Ranma isn't fighting back, Kyoko-chan?"

	Kyoko was startled for a moment, but quickly recovered.  

She should have known that her boss wouldn't panic like she was 

doing.  "Someone overheard one of the boys saying that Gosunkugi 

was going to put some kind of magic spell on Ranma, but I just 

dismissed it as some kind of joke.  I mean, everyone knows that 

there's no such thing as magic.  Besides, all Gosunkugi is good for 

is making a fool of himself."

	Nabiki hmmed in contemplation.  "From the look on his 

face, I doubt Ranma is just standing there because he wants to.  

Something is stopping him from fighting back, at least.  Maybe 

they slipped him a drug or something."

	Nabiki seemed to come to a decision and told her assistant.  

"I'm going to look for Gosunkugi and find out what he knows 

about this.  You do your best to run damage control here until I get 

back."

	"But... how?" Kyoko asked, feeling very out of her element 

at the moment.  The first time the boss really trusted her and she 

had already screwed up once.

	"I'm sure you'll think of something, Kyoko-chan," Nabiki 

said with a wink, before going off in search of Gosunkugi.

	"Hai, sempai," Kyoko replied, stars in her eyes.



	From the shade of a nearby tree, Kuno watched the fight 

intently.  He was dressed in his usual kendo get up and held a 

bokken in one hand, but in the place of his normal rose was 

another bokken.  He had stood and started to approach Ranma 

when he saw the other boy enter the school yard.  No doubt the 

younger boy was eager to begin his first lesson from the great 

Tatewaki Kuno.  It would be wrong of Kuno to keep him waiting 

long.

	That was when the boys had rushed out of their hiding 

places and attacked.  Kuno frowned immediately: not over the 

delay in training, though that was displeasing enough, but over the 

cowardly way in which they fought, like bandits who lie in wait for 

innocent travelers.  Yet it would be wrong of Kuno to interfere in 

another's battle.

	Kuno pondered what to do as the fight progressed.  At first 

he had assumed that Ranma was attempting some subtle martial 

arts technique, but as he continued to stand stock still and take their 

kicks and punches, Kuno had the growing suspicion that there was 

some trickery afoot.

	*Perhaps my twisted sister has had some hand in this.*  He 

knew his sister could formulate concoctions that could turn a man 

into a statue for hours on end; she had tested them on him on 

occasion.  He shook his head after a moment though.  Kodachi had 

no reason to help these boys or act against Ranma.

	Kuno found himself stuck as surely as Ranma was, but in a 

quandary.  Clearly, the boys had used some devious means against 

their opponent.  His budo demanding that he take the side of the 

one unable to defend himself.  But his budo also demanded that he 

not interfere in the battles of another samurai unless his aid was 

specifically asked for.  What to do?  What to do?



	Kyoko had found the beating that Ranma was taking had 

worn off its initial amusement for her.  Instead, she was irritated, 

mostly with him since he was making her look bad in front of her 

boss.  She had do something to help, though the idea of helping 

Ranma, who was quickly becoming the symbol of everything she 

hated about men, was more than repellent to her.  Nabiki had asked 

her to do something and that was that.

	Kyoko grinned as an idea suddenly formed in her mind.  It 

was a way to solve two problems at once.  She ran up to the group 

and threw out a fistful of photographs, shouting, "Free pictures!"

	"Free photos of Akane!" the boys shouted and immediately 

forgot about the fight, instead focusing their efforts on getting as 

many of the falling pictures as possible.

	Kyoko used this opportunity to question Ranma directly.  

She walked up to him and asked in an angry tone.  "Why aren't you 

fighting back?"

	Ranma blinked and stared at the girl who had just saved 

him, at least temporally.  But why was she so concerned about 

him?  He'd seen her in his class, but didn't know her name.  He 

knew that she was one of the girls that hadn't shown any interest in 

him in one way or another, so why would she care if he got beaten 

up or not?  Even the girls that were interested in him usually 

wanted to see him fight.

	"Well?" Kyoko prompted, tapping her foot impatiently.

	"I can't move my body below the neck for some reason," 

Ranma told her, embarrassed to explain his weakness to another.  

Whatever was keeping him still though was also preventing the 

boys' kicks and punches from hurting him.  Their hits felt feather 

light even though he could tell that they were really trying their 

best to hurt him.  Ranma would have much rather taken those hits 

though as long as he could fight back.  Being forced to stand there 

and do nothing was almost shameful for him.

	*Then why is he still on his feet?* Kyoko wondered.  *The 

boys should have knocked him to the ground by now.*  She shoved 

his chest hard, but it was like trying to push down a brick wall.  

Even though his chest was as nearly as hard as one, she didn't think 

he could remain completely still even from her own relatively weak 

shove.  He seemed rooted to the spot, like some invisible wall was 

wrapped around him or something.

	Kyoko wiped the hand that had touched him off on her 

skirt.  She didn't know why half the girls at school were ready to go 

ga-ga over this guy.  What was so great about all those hard 

muscles?  She preferred much softer things herself.  Men were just 

disgusting.

	Kyoko didn't get much more time to think about it as the 

boys around her suddenly realized what they were grabbing for 

were actually pictures of Kuno that the upperclassman had paid 

Nabiki to take of him, supposedly to give to his 'fans.'

	"You're on your own now, Ranma," she told him as she bid 

a hasty retreat.

	"Thanks for your help," he replied quickly.

	"Whatever," she said without looking back, making for the 

safety of the school.

	Ranma didn't have much time to think either as the boys 

returned to his beating with renewed vigor, though he still barely 

felt their blows.



	Gosunkugi started to laugh when he saw Ranma's 

predicament.  The other boys were punching and kicking him, 

while all the pig-tailed boy could do was stand there and take it.  

Then one of Nabiki's assistants appeared with free photos and he 

wanted in on that, even though he had probably taken most of them 

in the first place and thus had copies already, but something tugged 

at his pant leg, stopping him.  Thinking it had got caught on one of 

the shrubs he was hiding in, he tried to shrug it off, but it moved 

freely.  Then there was another tug, this time on the opposite leg.

	"Meow!" went a chorus of voices.

	Gosunkugi looked down to find himself surrounded by 

about a dozen cats, all looking up at him, their tails swishing on the 

ground.

	Gosunkugi scratched his head in puzzlement, absent-

mindedly using the hand which held the Ranma voodoo doll, and 

causing Ranma to head butt his opponent.

	Gosunkugi did his best to shoo the cats away, not realizing 

that at the same time he was making Ranma actually fight back, 

though in a strange manner. The pig-tailed boy's arms suddenly 

shot out, backhanding his opponents.

	The cats only moved closer to him, tugging at his leg, 

almost trying to climb up.  He didn't like their large, glassy eyes or 

sharp, pointy teeth.  Unable to stop himself, he panicked and ran, a 

small army of cats nipping at his heels.



	Nabiki finally found Gosunkugi behind the school.  It 

actually wasn't that difficult.  He was yelling and running all over 

the place, being pursued by a crowd of cats for some reason.  She 

tried to catch his attention, but it was impossible to do with his 

mind focused on running away as it was at the moment. Gosunkugi 

was a complete coward, but then he'd been useful to her several 

times in the past.  Not only for his photographic abilities, but also 

for his way of going completely unnoticed by those around him, 

making him her chief informant.

	Nabiki opened up her bento, took out a fish, and threw it in 

the dead center of the mob of cats, causing them to stop 

immediately and fight over the succulent piece of fish.  She failed 

to notice the one kitten who walked away from the mob.

	"Kasumi's cooking satisfies even the most discriminating 

feline," she muttered to herself with a smirk.



	Gosunkugi fell to his knees and gasped for air, his badly out 

of shape body feeling winded from even that short run, still 

unaware that his movements were making Ranma fight back.  He 

looked up in surprise when a shadow suddenly blocked the sun.

	Nabiki was looking down at him with a frown, not pleased.  

He noted that her arms were crossed too, and her foot was lightly 

but impatiently tapping the ground.  Definitely not pleased. 

Gosunkugi wasn't exactly sure what he had done to make her mad, 

but he was wishing that he was anyone but himself at the moment.

	"What do we have here?" she asked as she pried the Ranma 

doll out of his numb fingers, studying it curiously.  "I thought you 

were interested in my sister Akane.  I never knew you were that 

way, Gos-chan."

	"It's not like that!" he shouted back immediately, 

embarrassed.  "It's just the boys wanted to get back at Saotome for 

taking Akane away from us, so I thought I could try my magic on 

him so they could take care of him easily.

	"I know I've never been able to do anything right before, 

but this time it actually worked!  I had complete control of 

Saotome's every move!"

	Nabiki moved the doll to make cute little punches and kicks 

while asking, "Was this before or after the cats started chasing 

you?"

	Gosunkugi hung his head in shame.  "A small side effect 

that I hadn't counted on," he explained at a near-mumble.  "It was 

due to calling up the power of the neko-kami.  I'm sure I could get 

it to work again with another spirit though."

	Nabiki hmmed in thought as she continued to 'play' with the 

doll.  "When does it stop working?"

	"Well, the magic will wear off after a little while, but you 

can end the enchantment anytime by removing the hair of the 

victim."

	"You mean like this?" Nabiki asked with a smile as she 

plucked out the hair, letting it fall to the ground and then grinding 

it into the dirt under her shoe.

	Gosunkugi watched in horror as the strand fell.  "Why did 

you do that?"

	Nabiki didn't answer, instead telling him, "You owe me for 

that little save, Gos-chan.  I want you to make a Kuno doll for 

tomorrow morning, got that?"

	"But how will I get hair from Kuno?"

	"Leave that to me, just have the doll ready before school."

	Gosunkugi watched her walk away with a resigned 

expression.  He knew better than most that when Nabiki Tendo 

asked you to do something, you did it or else.

	He nearly jumped in surprise when something rubbed 

against his leg.  He looked down to see that it was one of the cats 

from the mob earlier.  It was a kitten with golden fur, with 

occasional streaks of white.  The kitten's expression was innocent 

and open, not menacing like the other cats had been before.  

Suddenly remembering how Ranma had acted at just the mention 

of cats, Gosunkugi gently picked the animal up and began to pet it.

	"Little kitty, you're going to help me have my revenge on 

that fool Saotome, aren't you?"

	"Meow!"



	Akane had idly been watching the fight since it started from 

the window of her classroom, expecting to feel a certain malicious 

glee in seeing someone else clean the clocks of those boys for 

once.  She hadn't expected Ranma to just stand there and take it.  

She knew that he was a lot better than those guys, so why was he 

just standing there and taking it?

	"Worried about Ranma, Akane?" asked her friend Yuka, 

who was at the window with her, watching the fight.

	"No way!  Why would I be worried about some... boy?" 

Akane shot back immediately.

	"The same boy you've been having lunch with for the past 

two days?" Sayuri, on the other side of Akane, pressed.

	Akane glanced back and forth between her two friends, a 

slight blush of embarrassment on her face.  She had a perfectly 

logical explanation for having lunch with Ranma, but she just 

couldn't seem to get the words out at the moment.

	"Yeah, what is the deal with that anyway?" Yuka asked her.  

"I mean, there are all sorts of rumors floating around, especially 

after Ranma won a fight over you.  Some people are saying that the 

two of you are an item, but you'd tell us if something was going on 

first, wouldn't you?  We're your best friends."

	Sayuri nodded with a smile.  "So give.  What is going on 

between you two?"

	"Nothing like people are saying!  It's just..."

	"Just?" Yuka prompted.

	"I have to go!" Akane said suddenly, running out of the 

room.

	Yuka and Sayuri exchanged confused looks.



	"Baka!" Akane berated herself, having ran all the way out 

of the school and now rested against a side wall.  "Why did you 

have to overreact like that?  Now they're definitely going to think 

that something is going on."

	She had no idea why she had done that, why she had felt 

the sudden panic that had gripped her when they had pressed for 

details about Ranma.

	Suddenly remembering the fight, she turned the corner to 

watch it.  She was relieved to see that Ranma was fighting back, 

though she had to admit his style was a bit... unusual.  Not nearly 

as effective as it had been before.  He seemed to be doing okay 

against the boys, though.

	Akane watched as Ranma's style abruptly improved, using 

solid punches and kicks now, though it was still jerky and stiff and 

he stuck out like a blind man.  She knew that he was much better 

than that, but it was still enough for the boys to keep their distance.

	Then suddenly Ranma fell to the ground and didn't stir for 

several moments afterwards.  The boys stared at him for a while in 

surprise, but finally they shrugged and closed in again.



	As the boys approached the fallen Ranma, ready to get their 

kicks in without fear of retaliation, some of them felt a sudden 

chill.  Their fresh bruises and cuts made them ignore this feeling 

though.

	The people watching the fight blinked in surprise when a 

sudden dust cloud appeared, on a collision course with the mob of 

boys.  A motorcycle?  A wild animal escaped from the zoo?  

Whatever it was, it slammed into the mob with a crash, sending the 

boys flying everywhere.

	When the dust finally cleared, Akane stood there, next to 

the fallen form of Ranma.  Her fists were clenched, her breathing 

heavy, and a scowl was on her face.  Everyone watching decided to 

immediately do something else, not wanting to chance her wrath.



	Nabiki was smirking as she approached her factor.  "So 

how did the fight go, Kyoko-chan?  I was busy handling some 

things so I couldn't watch the end."

	"Well, I managed to delay the fight a bit and get rid of those 

Kuno photos at the same time.  Ranma eventually started to fight 

back, really badly at first, getting better after a while, though never 

up to his original form.  Did you find out why he was fighting that 

way, sempai?  When I asked him about it, he said he was 

paralyzed."

	"Gosunkugi was playing with dolls," Nabiki explained.

	"Sempai?"

	Nabiki shrugged.  "I'll tell you later.  So how did the fight 

end?  Did we get our bets?"

	"Ranma was doing pretty well, when suddenly, for no 

reason whatsoever, he fell flat on his face."

	"He what?" Nabiki asked with a chord of anger in her 

voice.

	"Don't worry.  I was about to do something about it when 

your sister came barreling to the rescue and finished off all the 

boys herself.  From the way the bets were worded, Ranma still 

technically won the match."

	Nabiki shook her head slightly.  That wasn't what she was 

angry about, but thought it best to keep it to herself.  She knew 

what it would do to her reputation if word got out that she was 

actually concerned for someone.  Her entire business was built on 

her rep of being a tough, self-reliant woman who was always in 

control.  If people suddenly thought that they could get to her, she 

could lose everything.

	Thankfully, Kyoko again misunderstood her boss.  "I know 

it's not the sort of victory you'd prefer, sempai, but I seriously did 

my best on this."

	"It's not your fault, Kyoko-chan.  The boys surprised us, 

that's all.  Now we both better hurry on before one of us is late for 

class."

	"Hai, sempai."



	Ranma rolled over and stared up at the blue sky overhead.  

Just what the heck had just happened to him?

	Then a familiar face eclipsed his view.  "Are you all right?" 

Akane asked him.

	Ranma sat up and looked around.  The two of them were 

the only ones still in the school yard.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  What 

wimps.  My little sister could hit harder than those guys.  Where 

did everyone go?"

	Akane was a bit confused trying to follow Ranma's erratic 

train of thought, so it was a few moments before she finally said, 

"The school bell rang about a minute ago."

	Ranma blinked.  He had gotten to school fairly early so he 

was a bit surprised at just how much time had passed.  He also 

remembered how angry Akane had been that time she had to hold 

buckets out in the hall with him.  "What are you still doing here 

then?"

	Akane opened her mouth to explain, but just like the time 

with her friends, the words stuck in her throat.  What was 

happening to her lately?  Maybe she should visit Dr. Tofu in case it 

was something serious.

	Suddenly, she grabbed Ranma's hand and dragged him to 

his feet.  "We don't have time for that now!" she nearly shouted as 

she pulled him towards the school.  "We might be able to get in 

class before the teacher notices!"



	Min-Lin trotted onto the school grounds, swinging her book 

bag around in girlish glee.  Soon she would be going over to 

Ranma's house just like when she was little.  They could have even 

more fun together now.  There was many things she'd seen in the 

village that she wanted to try with Ranma, and not just martial arts.

	She stopped as she suddenly remembered something 

Ranma told her last night.  He had a little sister now.



	Hitomi was at what was quickly becoming her normal 

place, on the right side of her school's main building, near the back 

where few people went.  Not a spot that facility were likely to 

frequent, but easy to find if someone had the need of her services.

	She had to admit her fledging business wasn't quite a 

successful as her sensei's.  Her three factors were also her three 

closest friends and were doing this mainly because it was an 

interesting way to kill time rather than any real interest in earning 

yen.  It was mostly a game to them.  It was a game to her too in a 

way, but she valued the yen it could make her.

	Something that she had never admitted to her sensei was 

she had a rough time just starting out.  While some students had 

need of loans, there was no reason for them to trust her.  The only 

sporting event worth betting on was rhythmic gymnastics and that 

would mean going up against Kodachi, which no sane person 

would do.  Hitomi hit on the key to open up her business entirely 

by accident.

	She had always carried a photo of her brother with her ever 

since she had started school.  She didn't like thinking about it now, 

but at first she had been terrified to go to school all alone, without 

the comfort and safety of her family, especially her big brother.

	Ranma wasn't the brightest person in the world, but he 

could be amazingly clever sometimes.  He simply took a picture of 

himself and gave it to her.  That way he'd always be with her 

wherever she went and she'd never have to be afraid.  However he 

had come up with it, his plan had worked.  Hitomi hadn't felt afraid 

of just about anything since then.

	Hitomi still carried that same photo with her wherever she 

went.  It had become almost her good luck charm, besides meaning 

a lot to her personally.  She had been going through her purse in 

the company of her friends once when the picture had slipped out.  

Her friends had jumped to the conclusion that the Ranma who she 

often talked about was her little brother.  This annoyed Hitomi for 

some reason, so she took a picture of her brother while he was 

practicing and brought it in to show her friends.  Hitomi could still 

remember their reaction...



	"This is your brother?" one friend asked in surprise.

	"Let me see!" another exclaimed, snatching the photo from 

her, only to have her eyes go wide.

	Her third friend, looking at the picture over the shoulder of 

the other, shouted, "Wow, he was cute in the first picture, but now 

he's a total hunk!"

	Hitomi frowned in confusion, taking the photo back from 

her friends.  She stared at it for a long time.  It wasn't even a 

particularly good photo; catching him in mid-punch had made the 

image slightly blurry.  He was wearing that dumpy-looking white 

gi and his hair was all messed up.  She desperately searched for the 

hunk in the photo, but all there was was her brother standing there.

	Her friends had all gather around so they could stare at the 

picture some more.

	"Do you really think my brother is that good-looking?" 

Hitomi asked them, still feeling bewildered.

	They all nodded in unison.

	"But he's... Ranma," Hitomi said, unable to think of a better 

argument, and also unable to think of her brother in those sort of 

terms.  She knew he had problems with girls, but found it a little 

hard to believe that just a picture of him could be that interesting.

	"Hey, can I have this picture, Hitomi-chan?" one friend 

asked.

	"No, I want it!" the other protested.

	As Hitomi agreed to take photos for all of her friends, a 

plan began to form in her mind.



	Even taking into account that they attended a all-girl's 

school and therefore had no ready source of boys available, Hitomi 

had been surprised how well the business of selling photos of her 

brother had gone.  She even had the brainstorm of making them 

into collectable cards with odd facts or quote from her brother on 

the back.  Even the girls not really interested in staring at some 

strange boy collected them out of fun or challenge of getting the 

whole set.

	After that not only did she gain the trust of the girls needed 

for the loans, but she had the capital to make those loans as well.  

All this made her a bit famous around campus, eventually 

attracting the interest of Kodachi who she was able to cut a deal 

with.



	One of her friends walked over and told her, "There's a 

strange blonde girl looking for you, Hitomi-chan.  Her name is 

Min-Lin and she's a high school student who recently transferred 

from China."

	"I don't know anyone by that name," Hitomi replied in 

confusion.  She didn't think her business was well known enough 

to immediately attract the interest of a new student.  "Do you know 

what she wants me for?"

	The friend shrugged.  "She isn't saying.  She just keeps 

asking if people have seen you.  She'll probably come this way 

soon.  Do you want me to do anything about her?"

	Hitomi shook her head.  Her friends had become a bit 

overprotective since she had started this business, but the girl was 

probably looking for a loan.  Besides, Akiko was there to handle 

any trouble that came up.



	Min-Lin was feeling very puzzled at the moment.  Just 

asking random people about Ranma's sister hadn't been very useful.  

They either didn't know who Hitomi was or simply had no idea 

where she'd be at the moment.

	Then Min-Lin had come across three middle school 

students sitting together at a table.  They each had out what looked 

to be large glossy photo albums and were swapping photos back 

and forth while saying strange things like, "I'll trade you four karate 

poses for the one in the tux" or "I just need the gold foil first date 

card and I have the entire foil set!"  The last statement seemed to 

greatly impress the other two girls.

	Curious, Min-Lin snatched one of the pictures as it was 

being passed around and stared at it curiously, ignoring the protests 

of the girls.  Min-Lin's eyes suddenly went very wide.  It was a 

picture of Ranma walking along the top of a fence in a red 

Chinese-style shirt and black pants.  With the sun shining down on 

him, he looked like he didn't have a care in the world.

	Flipping the card over, Min-Lin read a short description of 

the training Ranma had gone through to walk so easily along the 

fence top, and the chances of him falling from it.  It was also 

marked with the number 23 in the upper right corner.

	"Why you have a picture of Ranma?" Min-Lin asked the 

girl in confusion, handing the card back.

	The girl rolled her eyes.  "I have over a hundred pictures of 

Ranma.  I'm less than two dozen cards away from the entire 

collection.  Some girls think he's some kind of major stud, but I 

just like collecting them."

	"I think he's pretty cute, but I really collect them for all the 

neat facts they come with.  And I think the eating series is just too 

funny," another girl added.

	"Well, I think he's cool and a hunk," the third threw in her 

opinion.  "I hope to get him to autograph my cards some day."

	"Every one?  You've got like fifty of them now, right?" the 

second girl asked.

	The third girl blushed a bit.  "Unless he'd rather do 

something more... fun."

	The two girls squealed while the third girl's blush 

deepened.

	"Ayiah," Min-Lin said at nearly a whisper, even more 

confused to what was going on than before.  "Where did you get 

cards from?"

	"Interested in starting your own collection, eh?" the first 

girl asked her, adjusting her glasses.  "You can buy them from 

Hitomi, she's usually on the side of the main building, near the 

back.  You won't be able to collect the whole set though, all the 

rare cards have already been sold and most of the people who have 

them aren't trading.  You're better off waiting for the second series 

to come out."

	Min-Lin decided it was best to forget all about Ranma 

trading cards for the time being.  Maybe his sister could explain it 

when she found her.



	Near the back of the school Min-Lin found a small table 

with people gathered around, though there was one girl leaning up 

against the wall who eyed her suspiciously as she approached.  The 

focus of the commotion at the table seemed to be a middle school 

girl with longish auburn hair and eyes that were very familiar to the 

Amazon when they looked up into hers.

	Min-Lin approached the girl, ignoring the others, not even 

realizing that she was forcing them to get out of her way.  "Are you 

Hitomi?" she asked the girl.

	Hitomi nodded and stood, disappointed that the short girl 

was still taller than her.  There was something intimidating about 

this blonde stranger.  Hitomi could tell by the way that she moved 

she was a martial artist.

	"And just what--?" was all she could manage to get out 

before the older girl swept her up into a suffocating hug.

	"Min-Lin so happy to meet Ranma sister!" she shouted in 

glee as Hitomi did her best to escape from the iron hold.

	Akiko sighed dramatically as she stood and began to twirl 

her ribbon, only slightly disappointed that this new girl was too 

caught up in giving Hitomi the hug of a lifetime to notice.  Akiko 

was a relatively tall girl in her last year of middle school, and acted 

mature enough to be frequently mistaken for a high school student.  

There was also the fact that she wore a high school uniform, 

despite the protests of her teachers.  Akiko was her liaison to 

Kodachi, the captain of the school's rhythmic gymnastic team as 

part of the arrangement she and Hitomi had.

	The deal was rather simple.  Hitomi gave Kodachi 

information on rival teams and a small cut of the betting proceeds, 

while Kodachi provided inside information that Hitomi used to set 

the odds as well as providing Akiko as a sort of bodyguard for her.  

Hitomi did her best to avoid that sort of trouble, but didn't yet have 

the knack her sensei did of getting out of tense situations easily.  

Besides, Kodachi had insisted and Hitomi hadn't seen any 

advantage in refusing her.

	Min-Lin blinked in surprise when a ribbon suddenly 

wrapped around her wrist, tugging at her arm.  It was enough to 

break her hold on Hitomi, but Min-Lin herself wasn't so easily 

budged.

	Akiko stared back disdainfully at the blonde girl, trying not 

to show the effort it was taking her to try and move the Amazon.  

In practice all it took was a flick of the wrist to send her opponent 

flying, but all her strength couldn't budge her.

	"One should not man-handle another woman in such a 

way," Akiko explained in a haunty tone.  "It might give others 

certain ideas about your... preference."

	Min-Lin only stared back, no comprehension in her wide 

green eyes.  Eventually, she decided that this girl was challenging 

her to a fight for some reason and her words were just how the 

Japanese did their challenges.  Her friend Shampoo's challenges 

were sometimes just as odd.

	Min-Lin threw back her arm, sending the other girl flying, 

then brought it down sharply, causing the ribbon-wielding 

opponent to land bodily into the wall.

	"Are you okay, Akiko?" Hitomi asked her bodyguard in 

some concern.  She had seen her brother take worse than that, but 

Ranma was more durable than most people.  Besides, Akiko had 

saved her from the Amazon's hug of death.

	"I am well," Akiko declared as she stood, glaring in Min-

Lin's direction.  "She merely caught me by surprise with such an 

underhanded move."

	Hitomi decided not to mention that the Kuno school of 

martial arts gymnastics seemed to be based around underhanded 

moves, at least from what she'd seen Kodachi teaching.  She also 

decided it would be unkind to point out that to have pulled that 

move off, this blonde girl had to be very strong and skilled.

	"Thanks anyway, Akiko," Hitomi said to her bodyguard, 

who pretended to be vigilant as she stood against the wall, ready 

for another attack, but Hitomi had a feeling that it was taking her 

an effort just to stand now.

	Hitomi carefully studied the blonde girl before her, the one 

who until recently had been very effectively cutting off her supply 

of air.  Her motives seemed friendly though, as she was currently 

smiling, with a touch of confusion, in her direction.  Her friend had 

already told her the girl had just come from China which explained 

the girl's poor Japanese.  Her name was Min-Lin and she knew that 

Hitomi was Ranma's sister, which implied that she knew Ranma.  

What it didn't explain was why this blonde, overly endowed high 

school student was so happy to see her.

	"So you're a friend of my brother's?" Hitomi ventured.

	Min-Lin nodded eagerly.  "Min-Lin and Ranma best friends 

before you were born!  Much happy playing together.  I so happy to 

see Ranma have cute sister!  You nearly cute as brother!"  she 

shouted, practically bubbling with delight.

	Hitomi smiled at the girl,  but inside she was frowning.  An 

old playmate of her brother's just happens to show up now, just 

when Hitomi was starting to get Ranma and her sensei together.  

>From Min-Lin's enthusiasm, Hitomi guessed that the girl wasn't 

just looking to renew an old friendship.  Still, considering how 

absent-minded her brother could be sometimes, it was likely that 

he'd forgotten all about her.

	Though there were a number of things that Min-Lin had 

said which implied she had seen him recently.  Remembering her 

conversation with her brother over breakfast, she realized that Min-

Lin could be one of the other girls Ranma had mentioned. Hitomi 

really wished she hadn't fallen asleep before she could get the 

whole story last night.

	"So I take it you've seen my brother lately?" she asked.

	Min-Lin nodded eagerly and explained, her Japanese 

having improved after calming down somewhat.  "I had just started 

work as waitress, my third night, when who should sit at one of my 

tables but Ranma!  It had been some time, but he still look much 

like he did as boy.  Still have same cute pig-tail and same cute 

smile."

	"Was he alone?" Hitomi asked, knowing that he hadn't 

been.  She was starting to feel ill with the thought of all her careful 

plans having been ruined by a chance encounter with an overly 

affectionate Amazon.

	Min-Lin thought for a moment.  "He was with girl, Nabiki 

Tendo.  She your cousin, right?"

	Hitomi wanted to bang her head on the wall.	 "Nabiki-san is 

not my cousin," she stated firmly.

	Min-Lin shrugged as if Nabiki's reason for being there were 

completely unimportant, causing Hitomi to grind her teeth in 

frustration.  She was feeling that this bubbly blonde could destroy 

everything she had worked for.  Though she had received much 

amusement from it in the past, Hitomi really wished that for once 

her brother didn't have such massive girl problems.

	Min-Lin continued on with her tale, oblivious to the 

discomfort she was causing.  "I so happy Ranma not forget me and 

times we shared, though he seem to have some details mixed up.  

Min-Lin can't believe he forgot the time we play doctor together."

	Seeing Hitomi's discomfort, her friends looked towards 

Akiko for help.  "Isn't there something you can do?" one asked.

	The young gymnast glanced at the scene and then back at 

the girl talking to her.  "And what would you like me to do?" she 

asked, knowing that she was in no condition to fight at the 

moment.  Though she thought that only Kodachi could really be a 

match for Min-Lin.

	"Something that will make Min-Lin go away," another 

friend said, looking with some distress as Hitomi proceeded to 

band her head against the wall while muttering to herself.

	Akiko nodded.  *Now what would Kodachi-sempai do in 

this situation?  Hmm, what's the most underhanded and sneaky 

thing I can think of?*

	"Oh, Min-Lin!" Akiko suddenly shouted in a tone of 

forced-friendliness.

	The Amazon turned and blinked at the ribbon-girl, 

effectively cutting off her story.

	"I do believe I just saw Ranma heading towards the gym on 

the other side of the campus.  He must be looking for you."

	With a cry of "Ranma!" Min-Lin was off and running in the 

direction of the gym.

	"That was really low," one of Hitomi's friends commented 

to Akiko.

	Akiko grinned as if she had just been paid a huge 

compliment.  "Glad to be of service."

	Hitomi was too busy thinking of ways to salvage her plans 

of bringing her sensei and brother together to overhear.  And if 

those plans bothered a certain blonde Amazon, so much the better.



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