No Need for Ranma!
(A Ranma One Half / Tenchi Muyo / Sailor Moon Alternate 
History)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://members.tripod.com/~Ammadeau/fanfiction.htm

As always, C&C, questions, comments, volunteers for pre-readers, 
and suggestions for a new title are welcome.

Great thanks to my pre-readers of this series: Angus MacSpon, 
Larry F, Jonas Fang, and Lord Talon.  Also to Gensao for hosting 
the previous version on his Tenchi Muyo Fanfic Archive 
(http://members.xoom.com/gensao/).

Thanks to everyone who ever e-mailed my about this story.  This 
revision would have never happened without your support.

Note:  Even though this is technically a revision, everything in the 
prologue is new.

On with the story:

	Three women sat around an image that floated in the air
between them.  It is not precisely correct to say that they were
sisters, for they had no mother or father.  Nor were they 'born' of
the same source.  Nevertheless, they were sisters in a sense that
went deeper than normal sibling relationships.
	The image they watched was three dimensional, and had no 
apparent means by which it was being projected.  To  another, the 
phenomenon might have been thought of as inexplicable, but to 
these three, it was trivial.
         On it were displayed the images of many planets; some
teeming with life, others cold and dead.  Words on the screen
indicated various statistics on the planets, and where applicable,
the life which they contained.  The sisters had watched planets start 
from the most primitive ecologies and evolve into galaxy-wide 
civilizations, only to fall apart and devolve back into their primal 
state.  They had watched this happen many times over.
         "This has grown tedious for me," the middle sister suddenly
declared as she brushed a blue lock of hair away from her pink
eyes.
        "What has?" the youngest sister asked her, glancing up at
her taller sibling, though her spiky red hair nearly made up for the 
difference in height.
        "All of this.  This watching, waiting, and hoping, only to
have them turn back on themselves in the end, over and over again.
Indirect influence isn't enough.  They are such children that we
need to take them by the hand and guide them if they will ever
achieve what we want of them."
        "What are you planning to do?" the youngest asked.  She
could tell that her middle sister had already had something planned
for quite a while now, waiting until now to put it into effect. After
their latest setback, this must have seemed like an appropriate
time.
        "I will descend down to the universe and attempt to guide
one of these groups.  This planet shall serve as my nexus," the
middle sister said, gesturing to one of them.
        "But you will have to limit yourself in order to do that."
        "Yes, but there is no choice if our goals are ever to be
achieved."
        The youngest thought over this for some time before
saying, "All right, then I will descend as well.  My methods are not
yours, so I will take another group and guide them as I believe they
should be.  I will choose this remote planet as my nexus.  Perhaps
one of us will be able to succeed."
        Both turned to face the eldest sister, wanting to hear what
she thought of their plans.  Some moments passed before she
spoke.
        "In the end, our goals will be achieved whether we interfere
or not.  It is only a matter of when.  As of now I am inclined to
wait and see what will be before taking action.  You are free to do
as you wish.  I am curious how your experiments will turn out."
        The two younger sisters nodded and then vanished.
        As she stared at the display, the eldest sister began to smile
slightly.
        "My Lady?" asked a figure which had just materialized by
her side.
        "It has begun," she told him, though her eyes never left the
image before her.
        "Yes, Lady Tokimi," D3 responded.
        The images of two planets were now displayed before her.
The first would soon be renamed Jurai by its inhabitants, while the
other would eventually be known as the Earth.

Prologue

        The Masaki family had been blessed for the second time in
two years with the birth of a child, a girl whom they named
Achika.  Katsuhito was more than a little worried, as he cradled
their first daughter, Nodoka, in his arms.  His wife had always been
strong in spirit, but unfortunately not in body.  The doctors were
saying how she had been lucky to survive this birth with such a
frail constitution.  They had even advised abortion, which
Katsuhito, being a Shinto priest, found unthinkable. Eventually
though, he agreed with them.  His faith was strong, but not as
strong as his love for his wife.
        But in the end, his wife wouldn't hear of it.  "The child that
grows within me begs for life.  Would you deny her, because of the 
possibility that she might end mine?"

	While she had survived giving birth, Katsuhito's wife had 
been weakened; so much so that for a year afterwards she was 
bedridden and unable to take care of her daughters.  She tried to 
play with them each day, but it exhausted what little strength she 
had.  Katsuhito did his best to keep visits short and low key so his 
wife could conserve her strength.  Because of this, mother would 
always be a distant figure on a bed to Achika and Nodoka.
        It wasn't long before Mrs. Masaki was in and out of the
hospital every week.  Despite having some of the best medical
care, her condition only worsened.  She would spend the final year
of her life in the hospital, with Katsuhito making daily visits to be
by her side.  Her only regret was having her daughters grow up
barely knowing their mother.

        Only four years after the birth of Achika, Katsuhito became
a widower, though he was far from alone.  He had his daughters to
keep him company as he did his best to hide the pain in his heart
from them.
        His oldest, Nodoka, was now six and, despite being such a
tender age, had taken up some of the duties of a mother around the 
house, such as cooking and cleaning.  Achika, even at age four,
wanted to help, but her father wouldn't allow it.
        Katsuhito had forbidden Achika to work, mainly so he
could have her happy and always by his side.  She was the child
that more resembled his dead wife and brought him the most 
comfort to his grief.  Nodoka most resembled his mother, and
possibly due to responsibilities left behind that he did not want to
be reminded of, the former Jurai prince tended to ignore his elder
daughter.  This was something that he would come to regret for
many years to come.

        Little Nodoka did everything she could to get her father's 
approval, but nothing seemed to work.  Nodoka loved Achika 
dearly, but she sometimes felt jealous of her sister, who got to play 
with father all the time while she was barely spoken to. After all, 
she was the one who had taken responsibility for the chores and 
kept the household working; but Achika, who didn't do any work, 
was the one father fussed over.  Watching her father in his morning 
practice, she came up with an idea.
        "Daddy, can you teach me kendo?" Nodoka asked him right
after he had finished his daily katas.
        Katsuhito looked a bit startled by the question.  "A little
girl like yourself doesn't need to learn kendo.  You should be
practicing girl things instead."
        "I'm tired of girl stuff!  I want to learn kendo!"
        Katsuhito tried to talk her out of it, but Nodoka was
determined to whine until she had her way.  The old priest
eventually gave in, if just to stop her complaining.
        "Our family's sword style is very special and also very
secret.  You mustn't ever teach this to anyone else, without my
approval.  Is that clear, Nodoka?"
        The little girl simply nodded.
        "Nodoka, this is serious.  Do you swear on your word of
honor never to teach this to anyone else without my approval?"
        She thought about it seriously for a few moments, before
replying, "I swear, Daddy."
        "Very well, this is how we begin . . ."

 ***

        A week after starting middle school, Achika couldn't help
noticing that her sister always ate alone, while she ate with some of
the few friends that she had just made.  Things had changed
between them ever since the elder Masaki sister had started school.
They used to be as close as siblings could be, doing everything
together, except when Nodoka was doing her chores.  Lately
though, they had grown somewhat distant.  They rarely talked or
did anything together anymore.  Achika thought that Nodoka had
made friends at school that kept her busy, but that appeared to not
be the case.
        "Why don't you come eat with us?" Achika asked her.
        "I don't want to," Nodoka replied, though it wasn't entirely 
true.
        "Why not?"
        "Just go with your friends, sister."
        Achika had grown to be sweet and gentle, in many ways
the very image of their mother, while Nodoka had grown to be as
stubborn as their father.  That's not to say that Achika didn't have a
determined streak in her, however.
        She grabbed her sister's hand and said, "You're eating with
us whether you like it or not!"
        Nodoka laughed and relented.  She realized that it was silly
of her for being mad at her sister for being so well liked.  And she
had been a fool for staying away from Achika for so long.

 ***

        'How did it happen?' Nodoka wondered as she watched
her sister and her 'friend' chatting on the other side of the
school yard.  Achika denied that she and Nobuyuki were any more
than friends, but it was obvious to anyone who was looking how
close they really were, as if no one in the world existed but them.
        There was no major event that had brought them together,
at least as far as Nodoka had noticed, but little by little they had
grown closer, spending more and more time together, until Nodoka 
hardly saw her sister anymore.  She was envious, but was it of 
Nobuyuki for spending time with her sister, or of Achika for 
having found someone to love?
        "Nodoka!" a girl shouted as she ran up to the elder Masaki
sister, distracting her from her thoughts.
        "What is it?"
        "There's a pervert in the locker room!  He's stealing our
underwear and no one can stop him!  Please, you've got to help
us!"
        Nodoka considered saying no.  The girls had all but ignored
her for close to three years of high school, but the moment they
needed her help, they came running.  However, along with kendo, 
Nodoka had taken up with bushido, and so was honor-bound to 
help those who could not defend themselves.  She didn't like the 
idea of a hentai get away with anything either, especially going 
through her locker.  Grabbing a broom as a makeshift weapon, she 
followed after the girl.  She didn't expect to see a little old man 
jumping around like a jackrabbit, a bag filled with bras and panties 
slung over his shoulder.
        With her broom held out in front of her like a bokken, Nodoka 
shouted, "Stop!  What kind of sick old man steals women's
underwear?"
        He took one look at her and shouted, "Sweeto!"  The little
ecchi made a dive for her chest.  Nodoka was too shocked to move.
        The mini-hentai was stopped at the last moment by a young
man who stood between him and Nodoka.  He was about Nodoka's
age, perhaps a bit older, dressed in a training gi and with his black
hair tied in a loose ponytail.  Nodoka noticed that with his glasses
he looked like a somewhat older and muscular version of
Nobuyuki.
        "Master, this time you go too far!  I can't stand idly by and
let you molest this girl!"
        "Standing up to me already, are you?  I'll soon show you
the error of your ways."
        The old man began to cackle as he and his student began to
fight in earnest in the middle of the girl's locker room.  Most
people fled until Nodoka was the only other person who remained,
broom still held ready.
        The boy was about to receive what would have been a very
painful blow, when suddenly the pervert was batted out of the
window.  He looked up in surprise to see Nodoka standing over
him, the now broken broom held high and a very satisfied
expression on her face.  He couldn't help seeing the way the light
from an open window danced through her hair.
        Nodoka finally noticed him and offered a hand to help him
up.  He took it and said a bit nervously,  "Thank you.  I'm Genma
Saotome.  Nice to meet you."
        "I'm Nodoka Masaki.  Tell me Saotome-san, do you always
hang around women's locker rooms?"
        Genma was suddenly very embarrassed.  "Well, no, but my
master has some peculiar habits."
        "Why do you call a man like that master?"
        "You might not believe it, but he's one of the greatest
martial artists in the world and it's an honor to be able to learn
under him.  I hope to surpass him someday."
        Nodoka smiled as she saw Genma's eyes shine with
determination.

        Nodoka usually didn't ask her father's permission for
anything.  Having practically lived without his guidance for her
whole life, she didn't think he had the right to tell her what to do,
not that he tried very often.  Having a boy over for dinner,
however, wasn't something she could just do without starting a
huge argument over it at least, which she didn't want to happen in
front of her guest.
        "Daddy?"  Nodoka asked him in the sweetest voice should
could manage.  It was the way Achika asked for things, and while
it had the highest chances of success, it also made Nodoka feel sick
to her stomach.
        Katsuhito studied his elder daughter for a moment.  She
was almost never polite to him, which meant that she was about to
ask him for something, most likely something he wouldn't be
happy about.
        "Is it all right if I had a guest over?"
        "Who is this guest?" Katsuhito asked suspiciously.
        "Oh, just a boy that I met at school,"  Nodoka replied,
trying to sound casual.  She wasn't going to mention that this
particular boy had dropped out of high school to follow some old
perverted martial arts master around or that he was currently
waiting in the bushes outside the house.
        The old priest nearly laughed out loud in relief.  While he
had been upset at first to learn that his daughters were starting to
take an interest in the opposite sex (even more so that the opposite
sex was taking an interest in them), after a time he came to accept
that his daughters would eventually find husbands and start to have
their own families.  It helped that he and Nobuyuki got along so
well.
        "Does this boy have a name?"
        "Of course he does.  It's Genma Saotome," Nodoka told
him, starting to feel the strain of the sweet girl act.
        "Genma . . . Saotome?" Katsuhito said slowly, surprise
evident in his voice.  He should have known that his eldest
daughter would choose to bring over the absolute worst boy
possible.
        He had heard of Genma Saotome, probably every priest in
Japan had heard of him by now.  He was a pupil of the legendary
martial arts master Happosai, who was more known for acts of
thievery, lechery, and just plain indecency more than his skill at
martial arts.  Even though he'd only been the evil old man's pupil
for a few short years, Genma had already made a name for himself
in such areas as well. It could be that the mere association with 
such a lecherous old man had blown Genma's reputation all out of 
proportion, but when his daughters were concerned, Katsuhito 
erred on the side of caution. He had even heard that Happosai had
taken another student in order to spread his horrible ways.
        "There is no way I'm going to let Genma Saotome or
anyone associated with him in this house!"
        "But Daddy!"
        "No, my word is final.  If it were just about anyone else, I
would be able to permit it, but that boy is just plain bad.  Nodoka, I
don't want you to see this Genma ever again, is that clear?"
        "What?!" Nodoka asked, very much surprised.  It was the
first time that she could think of her father actually giving her an
order.
        "Trust your father's judgment on this.  You would be better
off never having heard the name Genma Saotome."
        Nodoka nodded, acting properly submissive, while on the
inside she was wondering what made Genma so special that he 
could make her father suddenly interested in her welfare.

        Nodoka was currently secretly meeting with Genma in the
woods that surrounded her father's shrine.  She'd been meeting
with him about once every week since her father had forbidden her
to see him.  Doing something against her father right under his
nose added to the excitement of their relationship for Nodoka.
        Usually, Genma would eat the food she cooked just for him
and they'd talk about what it was like to be on the road or having a
stable home.  This time, however, Nodoka had remembered to
bring a bokken.  She wanted to test out just how good this
infamous martial artist was.
        "Why don't we have a little sparring match today?"
Nodoka asked him out of the blue.
        "Wha?" Genma responded, his mouth half stuffed with
rice.
        Nodoka giggled at such a comic sight.
        Genma looked embarrassed.
        "Well, I told you before that I've been training in kendo for
a long time and you've been studying under your master for a
while.  The kendo club at school doesn't allow female members
and my father refuses to fight with me anymore, so I want someone
to test my skills against."
        "I don't know if I can fight a girl."
        "Why not?"
        "Well, my master would kill me if I find out, since he
thinks that women shouldn't be learning martial arts.  He firmly 
believes that a woman's place is being a housewife."
        "It also makes it easier when he tries to grope them."
        "Fair play isn't one of the master's best traits," Genma
admitted.
	"Please?" Nodoka begged in a sweet voice while batting
her eyelashes like she had seen other girls do.  Since Nodoka was
the first girl to actually pay attention to him, Genma had no
defense against this tactic.
        "Oh, all right, but just some light sparring.  I don't want you
to get hurt."
        "That's sweet of you Genma," Nodoka practically purred.
The aforementioned martial artist blushed beet red.
        Genma found Nodoka to be a lot more skilled than he had
expected and he didn't have to hold back quite so much as he had
planned.  Still, she hadn't had anything like the intensive training
that the master had put him through and he finally won the match
by pinning Nodoka to the ground.  He suddenly realized where he
was, and how close her lips were to his, and then jumped off of her
in embarrassment.
        "I've never seen anyone use kendo like that before," Genma
said to cover his embarrassment.
        What he failed to notice was Nodoka's similar embarrassment.  
"It's my family's style.  I think my father and I are the only living 
practitioners."
        "That might be useful in beating the old freak . . . I mean
training with my master.  Do you think you could teach it to me?"
        "I wish I could, but before my father would teach me I
swore an oath that I wouldn't teach it to any other without his
permission.  I seriously doubt he'll let me teach you."
        "Yeah, but you hate his guts anyway.  Why should you
keep your word with him?"
        "I gave him my word and I will not go back on it for any
reason.  As a martial artist yourself, you also must respect the way 
of bushido."
        "Okay, I guess I can understand that."

        By daring to meet Genma by her father's shrine, Nodoka
had made it almost inevitable that the two would meet.  She had
planned it that way, hoping her father would be able to see that
Genma wasn't as bad as people made him out to be.
        Genma was waiting as close to the shrine as he dared.
Even though he knew that Katsuhito wasn't there, there was
something ominous about the place.  It could have been the bad
experiences he had had with the master in similar temples.  He told
himself that he had nothing to worry about since Nodoka had said
her father was away at some conference and wouldn't be home
until tomorrow.
        He was very lucky that his master had decided to take Soun
off alone to bring him up to speed before they all set out on
training, since it gave him time to be with Nodoka.  Still, it was
inevitable that that master would return and he would be forced to
say good-bye.  Genma knew he was good, but he still was light
years away from the master's skill.  And no one escaped the master
for very long.
	He was waiting for Nodoka, because she wanted to practice 
with him again, but had forgotten her bokken.  Genma had offered 
to train her in kempo, but Nodoka had found that it felt wrong for 
her.  Besides, it dropped her skill level so low that sparring was 
nearly impossible.
        Nodoka had told him to wait right there, and while reluctant
to be so close to the shrine, he hadn't moved from the spot.  She
had said that she would only be a minute, but to Genma tensely
waiting, it seemed that a half an hour had passed already.

        Katsuhito grumbled as he made his way to the Masaki
shrine.  He was in a bad mood.  Not only was the Shinto 
conference that he'd been looking forward to for months canceled, 
but no one had seen fit to tell him until he arrived there.  All that
pointless traveling meant nearly a whole day wasted.
        As he turned from the path, he noticed a boy waiting at the
foot of the shrine steps who hadn't seen him because he was
looking up at the shrine in the distance.  Katsuhito was a little bit
puzzled at what the boy was doing there.  This was a remote shrine
so it got few visitors, even so he had put up a sign saying that he'd
be away for two days.  'And why is the boy waiting at the foot of
the steps rather than at the shrine itself?'
        Katsuhito took a minute to study the boy.  He looked to be
about eighteen with dark hair tied up in a loose pony-tail.  A white
gi hid a rather bulky frame, one that was almost entirely composed
of muscle.
        With a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach,
Katsuhito realized just who it was.  'So Genma Saotome dares to
show his face around here?  He must be casing out the Masaki
temple in order to rob it.  No wonder he wanted to get close to my
daughter.'  Without bothering to announce himself, Katsuhito drew
his bokken and attacked.
        Genma's battle-hardened reflexes saved him from what
could have been a serious injury had the blow connected.  He was
surprised to find an old man looking at him with murder in his
eyes, holding a bokken like he knew what he was doing.  The
priest robes that the guy was wearing confirmed Genma's worst
suspicions.  He had finally met Nodoka's father and it was obvious
that the guy didn't like him very much.
        Genma didn't want to fight Katsuhito, but the priest didn't
give him any choice. He had to start fighting back just to avoid
getting maimed.  The old guy was good with that bokken, too
good, he might even have been a match for the master.  No matter
how hard Genma fought back, it was obvious that Katsuhito was
winning.  He had to think a way out of this and fast.
        "Saotome School of Martial Arts Final Attack!" Genma
declared.
        Katsuhito paused and adopted a defensive posture, readying
himself for anything.
        "Run away!" Genma shouted and did just that.
        The old priest was too stunned to follow.  By the time
Nodoka had come down the stairs, he was in a rage.
        "Daddy, what are you doing here?" she asked, startled, as
she subtly looked around for signs of Genma.
        "What am I doing here?  I'm the caretaker of the Masaki
shrine!  What was that lout Genma doing here?  I thought he was
going to rob the temple."
        Nodoka laughed a little at that.  People sometimes called
Genma a thief, but she had never seen him actually steal anything
from anyone and besides he had been too frightened of her father
to go near the temple even when he wasn't there.  She guessed that
Genma's fears weren't entirely unjustified.
        "Oh, we were just going to have a little martial arts
practice.  He's been helping me with my training."
        "I thought I told you to never have anything to do with that
man."
        Nodoka laughed again.  "Oh daddy, don't tell me you were
serious about that?"
        "I was dead serious and I still am.  Nodoka, you don't know
the evils that some men are capable of.  That one is just completely
untrustworthy.  You must never see him again."
        Nodoka didn't think this was so funny anymore.  She had
gotten used to seeing Genma every day, he was a part of her life
now.  "What gives you the right to say what I can and can not do?"
        "I'm your father!"
        "Then why didn't you act like it?  You've done nothing but
ignore me since mom died and now you want a say in what goes
on in my life?  Forget it, I'll do what I think is right."
        "Nodoka," Katsuhito said in a very stern voice.  "As long as
you live under my roof, you have to follow my rules.  I forbid you
to have anything more to do with Genma Saotome.  That man will
only ruin your life."
        "Well, then I'm leaving home!"
        "What? Why?"
        "Because I love him!" Nodoka declared marching away
from her stunned father.  Just before she was out of his sight, she 
turned around and added, "And I don't love you."

 ***

        It was a very small wedding ceremony; there were only
four guests, who happened to have been married recently, each in
ceremonies much larger than this. Achika, Nobuyuki, and Soun 
and his new wife all knew that the size of the wedding didn't matter 
to the two people standing at the alter.  Katsuhito had forbidden 
this marriage, but he couldn't stop the love between Nodoka and
Genma.

 ***

        Genma inched through the house, large backpack slung
over his shoulder and sleeping Ranma in his arms.  Why couldn't
his wife see that he couldn't possibly train the boy here, with all
the distractions?  They needed to be on the road, living hard off the
land, and traveling to exotic training grounds.  Not even a seppuku
pledge had been enough for that woman.  He had no choice but to
sneak off in the night, using the skills that his master had taught
him.  Nodoka would come to understand that this was what was
best for the boy.
         As Genma crept over the threshold, he nearly had his head 
severed by the katana that suddenly appeared at his throat, 
gleaming with the reflected moonlight.
         "Going somewhere, husband?" Nodoka asked him in a
deceptively calm voice.
        "Just going out for a stroll," Genma replied, failing
miserably to sound casual.
        "With our son?"
        "Thought the boy could use some fresh air."
        "And a backpack full of supplies?"
        "Well, that's just in case I wanted a quick snack."
        "Go back to bed, husband."
        Genma took one look at the steely determination in his
wife's eyes, not to mention her steely katana, and replied, "Yes,
dear."
        "And husband?"
        "Yes?"
        "Don't even think about trying this again."

***

	Genma stood in the midst of a whirlwind as his wife got the 
house ready for a visit from her sister Achika and her family.  The 
plan had originally included the Tendos as well, but they had to 
cancel at the last moment.  He didn't think that Nodoka needed to 
be this frantic, the house had looked spotless before she started, but 
he knew that it was a wasted effort to try to convince her of it.  
Nodoka would not be satisfied until the house was perfect.  It was, 
after all, the first time Achika would visit the new Saotome home.
	"I'll just go out back and train the boy," Genma said a bit 
nervously as he inched to the door before his wife could find yet 
another way he could help in her quest to eradicate all signs of dust 
and dirt.  Ranma had been smart enough to hide in his room.
	"I don't think that's a very good idea, husband," Nodoka 
told him without looking up from her cleaning.  "Why don't you 
and Ranma take a nice bath so you'll be ready for when everyone 
gets here?"
	"But they're not going to arrive for another hour and a half 
at least.  Still have enough time to get some training in and have a 
bath."
	"Husband," Nodoka said with a slight edge to his voice.
	Genma bowed to the inevitable.  "Yes, dear," he said and 
went off to find the boy so they could have their bath.
	Unknown to Genma, one of the reasons that Nodoka was 
being so determined in her cleaning is that her sister had recently 
taken ill and she didn't want anything to be around to aggravate her 
condition.  She had tried to talk Achika out of coming, since they 
could just have it next week when she was feeling better, but her 
sister wouldn't hear of it.  She wanted to see how Nodoka was 
doing and Tenchi was eager to meet his cousin Ranma. It was an 
odd coincidence that Soun's wife had taken ill a little before and 
was now unfit to travel, which is why the Tendos had to cancel.

	"Who's coming over, pops?" six year old Ranma asked his 
father as they both sat in the furo.  Genma was currently planning 
to stay right where he was until just before the guests arrived.  He 
made sure not to run the bath too hot for just that reason.
	"Weren't you paying attention to what your mother was 
telling you yesterday over dinner?"  Genma asked.
	"Course not, gotta keep you from stealing my food!" 
Ranma accused his father and laughed.  "What did she say?"
	Genma laughed a little too.  It had been a stroke of 
brilliance for him to disguise martial arts training as games.  He 
knew that chopsticks duels over meals was one of Ranma's 
favorites.  Genma made sure not to steal too much of his son's 
food.
	"Do you remember you Aunt Achika and Uncle 
Nobuyuki?"
	Ranma shook his head.
	Genma realized then that Ranma had only been a baby 
when they had visited the Masaki house.  Even though they lived 
near one another, the Saotome and Masaki families were rarely 
able to get together.  This was only partially due to a certain father-
in-law.
	"Well, they're going to be paying us a visit.  They're also 
bringing their son Tenchi, who is about your age."
	Ranma though about it.  It would be cool to have someone 
around who was his own age.  He loved his parents, but he always 
dreamed of having a brother or sister.  'A cousin is almost a 
brother,' he reasoned.
	Despite how well Genma and Ranma had made sure to 
clean up and dress, Nodoka was unsatisfied.  It was ten minutes of 
washing noses, behind ears, and adjusting clothes before she would 
declare them presentable.  The doorbell rang only a few minutes 
later.

	"Hi, I'm your cousin Ranma," said the pig-tailed boy.
	The shy boy smiled a little and replied, "I'm Tenchi."
	Ranma grabbed his cousin's hand and said, "Come on, let's 
go play!"
	Before he could utter a word of protest, Tenchi was dragged 
out into the backyard.  The adults all laughed as they watched 
Ranma show off his martial arts training while keeping up a 
excited monologue for the befuddled Tenchi.
	"I have a feeling that the two of them are going to be 
friends for a long, long time," Achika commented.

***

        The Saotome family was staying with the Tendos through
their time of grief.  Genma went to comfort his old friend Soun,
who had just lost his wife.  Nodoka went to comfort the three
Tendo sisters who were now without a mother, something that
Mrs. Saotome was all too familiar with.
        Ranma went along with them.  He was six and everything
new was exciting to him.  He ran ahead of his parents and right
into the dojo.  He looked around himself in awe.  It was the first
time he'd ever been in such a place, but his Pop talked about them
sometimes.
        Then he noticed a girl about his own age there, with short,
blue-black hair and a pale yellow gi.
        She turned from looking up at the family alter to face him,
having heard him come in.  "Who are you?" the girl asked.
        "I'm Ranma Saotome and I'm gonna practice here."  That
was what his father had told him on the way there at least.
        "You can't!  This dojo belongs to me, Akane Tendo.
Mamma gave it to me!" she practically screamed.
        "I can practice here if I want to!" Ranma answered, who
didn't like anyone telling him what he could and couldn't do.
        "No you can't!"
        "Yes, I can."
        "Can not."
        "Can too."
        "Can not!"
        "Oh yeah?  Well, you can't stop me!"
        "Can too!  I'm gonna beat you up!"
        And then the two six-year olds began to fight with skill that
would have been surprising in kids twice their age.  In the end,
Ranma won, pinning Akane to the ground by sitting on her.  He
sat, smugly surveying the dojo, until Akane began to cry.
        "What are you doing?" Ranma told her.  "Be a man!"  It
was what his father always told him whenever he cried.
        "I'm a girl, you baka!" Akane screamed at him through her
tears, kicking her legs in the air in a futile attempt at escape.
        Ranma practically leapt off of Akane then.  'Oh no, mom is
going to punish me good about this.  She's always telling me to
never, ever use what I learned on a girl 'cause she doesn't want me
ending up like the guy who taught my pop.'
        "Are you sure you're a girl?" Ranma asked.
        "Of course I'm sure, baka!" Akane shouted back.  She had
stopped crying and sat up.  She wanted to beat the boy up some
more, but she was still a little too sore from their earlier fight.
        "How was I supposed to know that?  You look just like a
boy!"  It was all this stupid girl's fault he was going to get
punished by not dressing like a girl.
        "What did you say?" Akane asked in a much calmer and
colder tone of voice.
        Ranma failed to notice her tone.  "I just said that you look
just like a boy."
        Unknown to Ranma, Akane had recently started elementary
school and the one thing that got her really mad was the way
everyone, even the teacher, mistook her for a boy because of her
short hair.
        "Die, Ranma!" she shouted and leapt for him.  Soon they
were fighting in earnest again.
        The two kids were unaware of their respective fathers now
watching from the doorway.  Genma had been trying in vain to
find some way to snap his old friend out of his depression, who
seemed intent on either wailing or sobbing.  Tendo had been a bit
emotional before and Genma could understand the depth of his
loss, but this was a tad ridiculous.  He had gone out in search of his
son to show Soun what he'd been teaching the boy, and so walked
in on the middle of Ranma and Akane's second brawl.
        "See how well they get along, Tendo?  And they only just
met!  The Tendo and Saotome families are sure to be joined."
        "My little Akane is going to be a bride! Waaaah!"
        Genma shook his head.  'Was there anything that could stop
his friend from crying?'

	"Ouch."
	Kasumi had been looking for Ranma, since Mrs. Saotome 
had asked her to, when she heard a boy's voice come from the dojo.  
She went there to find Ranma nursing a bump on his head, she 
absently noted a few other bruises and scrapes.
	"Ranma," she called out to him.
	He looked up in surprise.  "Kasumi, right?"  They had been 
introduced when Ranma had arrived yesterday, but he didn't really 
remember it that clearly.
	Kasumi nodded.  "What happened to you, Ranma?"
	Ranma laughed a bit nervously and said, "Just sparring with 
my pop."
	"But I was sure that I saw your father go with my father to 
celebrate something.  That was some time ago.  Have they come 
back already?"
	Ranma decided to just tell the truth.  He was no good at 
lying anyway.  "Okay, I was kinda fighting with Akane."
	"Oh, that's wonderful!"
	"It is?" Ranma said with some surprise.
	"Oh, yes.  Akane has been needing someone to spar with, to 
help her control her temper.  She's been much worse since . . . well, 
you know.  Father won't spar with her anymore, so it's good for 
Akane to have someone she can work off her anger with."
	"I don't know about that," Ranma said sheepishly.  Akane 
always seemed angrier after their fights than before.
	"I'll go get your mother so she can tend your injuries.  She 
sent me to find you anyway."
	"No, don't!" Ranma called out to her as she began to walk 
away.
	Kasumi stopped and turned back around.  "Why not?"
	"Cause my mom will punish me if she finds out that I've 
been fighting girls.  You can't let her find out."
	Kasumi thought about this for a few moments, being more 
thoughtful than most nine year olds.  She hated the idea of lying to 
anyone, especially a person as nice as Mrs. Saotome, but Ranma 
seemed convinced that she would be against their sparring.  Akane 
had been acting better lately, and now Kasumi knew why.  Fighting 
with Ranma seemed to be her little sister's way of coping with their 
loss.  In short, Akane needed to fight Ranma and there was a good 
chance that Mrs. Saotome would put a stop to it if she ever found 
out.
	"All right, I won't tell her.  I want you to lie down on one of 
the mats over there."
	"Huh? Why?"
	Kasumi opened up the first aid kit that her father had put in 
the dojo and took out some things that she was going to need. She 
wasn't entirely sure of what she was doing, but she had seen a 
doctor take care of her family's martial arts related injuries several
times.  Someone needed to take care of Ranma if they were going 
to keep this a secret from Mrs. Saotome.
	"Thank you," Ranma said with a small bow after she had 
finished taking care of his injuries.
	Kasumi smiled a little.  "You're welcome."

	Ranma had been staying at the Tendo Dojo for five days, 
and every day Akane would challenge him to a fight to prove that 
he didn't have the right to practice in the dojo.  Ranma didn't want 
to fight a girl, but Akane gave him no choice.  It never occurred to 
either of them that Ranma got all the practicing he needed with her 
daily challenges.
	Nodoka was currently unaware of her son's sudden rivalry 
since she was much too busy with the older Tendo girls, Kasumi 
and Nabiki.  Kasumi was very interested in cooking as well as 
medicine.  Nodoka had been helping Kasumi prepare all of the 
meals and showing her what she knew about first aid. Little did 
Mrs. Saotome know that Kasumi had been using her teachings on 
the latter to tend to Akane and Ranma.
	Nabiki, however, had no interest in that 'girlie' stuff, as she 
saw it, but was very intrigued by the fact that it was the woman's 
traditional role to manage the finances of the house.  The middle 
Tendo sister had always enjoyed using her brain and it seemed to 
her that trying to earn money was a game that was both fun and 
challenging.
	Nodoka sat in the living room with Kasumi and Nabiki.  
She was showing the former how to mend clothes, while 
instructing the latter on the finer points of managing one's finances.  
Personally, she thought that both daughters were a bit too young to 
be worrying about such things, but they seemed genuinely 
interested and it kept their minds from their grief for at least a little 
while.
	Suddenly, she was distracted from her thoughts by the 
sound of a loud splash coming from the koi pond.
	A little before this, Ranma and Akane had been brawling in 
the dojo.  Nodoka wasn't concerned for either of them because she 
didn't know about their fighting and her husband had assured her 
that he'd watch out for both of them.  While Genma had been 
unreliable in the past, he had shown to be serious about helping out 
Soun and his family.  Genma had been watching their matches, if 
just to gage the boy's skills against a somewhat lesser opponent.  
This time, however, he had decided that they would be fine left 
alone and took Soun to get a little drink.
	The 'sparring' matches between Ranma and Akane were 
normally confined to the dojo, but due to one of them forgetting to 
shut the door, the fight soon spilled over to the lawn.  Ranma and 
Akane were too focused on 'sparring' to notice their change in 
surroundings, until they both ended up in the koi pond.
	Nodoka rushed outside and was shocked to see Ranma and 
Akane bruised, dirty, and dripping wet.  Despite all this, they were 
still fighting. There was also no sign of Genma or Soun anywhere.
	"Just what is going on here?" Nodoka shouted.
	That stopped their conflict immediately.  Ranma, feeling 
bad for doing something his mom had told him not to, tried to hide 
behind Akane.  He ended up slipping back into the pond though.
	"Ranma, what did I tell you about fighting girls?"
	"But Mom, Akane started it."
	"Did not!"
	"Did too!"
	"Did --"
	"I don't care who started it!  This is going to stop right here 
and now!  Am I clear?"
	Both children had their heads bowed and answered at the 
same time.  "Yes."
	"Good.  Akane, why don't you go in and take a bath?  I 
need to talk to my son privately for a few moments."  Nodoka 
failed to realize that her hand was resting on the hilt of her
katana.  The children noticed though.  Ranma gulped and Akane 
fled into the house.
	"Now what were you doing fighting with a girl when I told 
you not to?"  Nodoka asked her son as soon as Akane had left.
	"Jeez Mom, I was just sparring with Akane, sort of like I do 
with pop."  Though Ranma had been resistant the entire time due 
to his mother's disapproval, he actually looked forward to him and 
Akane's daily matches.  They were fun, and him and Akane kind of 
had a good friendship going.  It was like what he had with his 
cousin Tenchi, only different at the same time.
	"First of all, what you and your father do is closer to real 
fighting than sparring and Akane is still a girl regardless."
	"Mom, it's not like Akane is a real girl."
	"What do you mean by that?"
	"Well, she isn't like Kasumi.  Akane acts and dresses like a 
boy all the time."
	"That may be so, but that doesn't change the fact that she is 
a girl.  Now I don't want you fighting with her again, is that clear?"
	"Yes, Mom," Ranma answered reluctantly.
	"Now, why don't you go inside and take a bath once Akane 
is done with hers."
	Ranma nodded and ran inside.  Nodoka's fingers idly 
tapped on the hilt of her katana as she planned to have some words 
with her husband.

***

	After coming home from their extended stay at the Tendos, 
Genma had convinced Nodoka that he should take a short training 
trip alone with the boy.  She eventually agreed and he might have 
extended it by ten years if it wasn't for Nodoka's promise to send 
her father after them if they were late.  Genma shivered; only the 
master could equal the level of fear that Katsuhito inspired in him.  
It was a wonder that he'd had the courage to go against him and 
marry Nodoka in the first place.
	A few days later, and away from the diet that Nodoka had 
been imposing on him, Genma was starting to feel that he hadn't 
brought nearly enough food to last him and the boy for a month.  
Luck was with him when he spotted an okonomiyaki cart.  He 
didn't have enough yen for the both of them, but he did have a 
plan.
	"Ranma my boy, would you like to play a game?"
	"Wow, a game!" little Ranma enthused.  His dad always 
came up with the best games.
	"Do you see that okonomiyaki cart over there?"
	The boy nodded.
	"Well, if you manage to take one of the okonomiyaki 
without them catching you, then it's free!  Doesn't that sound like 
fun?"
	Ranma nodded again and was off in a flash to begin the 
game.
	Mr. Kuonji smiled as his daughter assisted him in tending 
to the eager customers of his cart.  Things just couldn't be better.  
Their cart was doing great, Ukyo was picking up on the family 
business much quicker than expected, and best of all, he almost 
had enough saved to open his own restaurant.
	Ukyo smiled along with her father.  Working as a chef was 
so much fun that it didn't matter that no one at school could 
understand why she did it.  She dreamed of a day when she'd have 
her own cart to tour around Japan with, selling warm okonomiyaki 
to the eager customers.  She was so caught up in this dream that it 
was a few moments before she realized that the okonomiyaki she 
had been working on was missing.
	"What?" Ukyo said as she looked all around, her eyes 
finally resting on a boy in a dirty gi, half eaten okonomiyaki in his 
mouth.
	"You!" Ukyo yelled and ran after him, waving her spatulas 
in the air like weapons.
	Ranma, being mindful of not getting caught, executed the 
Saotome Final Attack as he father had shown him.  In other words, 
he ran.

	"Wait," Ranma said just before they started fighting.  Ukyo 
had finally managed to catch him.  Ranma was a fast runner, but 
Ukyo knew the area much better than he did.
	After his experience with Akane, he had learned not to 
always judge a book by its cover.  "Are you a girl or a boy?"
	"I'm a girl, you jackass!"
	"You are?  Then I can't fight you."  Ranma's tone conveyed 
his disappointment.  He really wanted to fight; it would be fun.  It 
didn't matter to him if he fought a boy or a girl, but it did matter
to his mom.  She had been really upset when she had caught 
Ranma and Akane in the middle of their sixth brawl.
	"Why?"
	"Well, my mama says I ain't supposed to fight girls, only 
bad people do that."
	Ukyo thought about this for a moment.  While she was 
initially angry about the stolen food, the chase Ranma had given 
her was one of the best times she had had in a while.  Putting the 
skills her father had been teaching her to the test would make it 
even better.  If she got to do this every day, then it would be worth 
the price of a meal.
	"Okay, why don't we just pretend fight instead?"
	"Pretend fight?"
	"Yeah, me and my father do it all the time."
	"I don't know…"
	"I'll give you another okonomiyaki if you win."
	"Deal!"  Ranma reasoned that his mom couldn't get angry 
over that, since it would all be just pretend.  It might be fun trying 
out this pretend fighting stuff on Akane and his cousin Tenchi.

	From that day on, the two kids settled into a familiar 
pattern.  Ukyo would cook okonomiyaki and try to defend it from 
Ranma, who would do his best to steal it.  Contests between them 
usually ended up as duels, with Ranma always the victor.  Ukyo 
didn't get mad the way Akane always did when she lost though, she 
just swore that she would win the next day.  Genma watched, 
happy that Ranma had someone at his own level to spar at, while 
Mr. Kuonji was happy that his daughter had a playmate.

	"Here I come, Ucchan!" Ranma shouted as he ran in for the 
attack.
	"You won't beat me this time, Ranchan!" Ukyo declared as 
she readied her small combat spatulas.
	There was a small smile on her lips as she thought of the 
nicknames that they had come up with for each other.  Ranma had 
just started calling her 'Ucchan' one day, so naturally he became 
'Ranchan.'  It made Ukyo feel special that Ranma had come up with 
a name just for her.
	Several minutes later, both kids were sitting on a rock, each 
happily munching on their okonomiyaki.
	Ukyo was the happiest she had ever been in her life.  Her 
cooking skills were getting better each day, she got to practice her 
martial arts often, and she had found someone who made her smile 
and laugh all the time.  Ukyo also loved to rub it in the face of the 
neighborhood girls that she had a boyfriend.  She hoped that the 
days like this would last forever.

	"I'm from Juuban," Ranma told her during one of their 
talks.
	"You mean you're not from around here?" Ukyo asked in 
surprise.
	"Nope, pops wanted to take me pretty far away from home 
since we had a whole month to train."
	"A month?"  Ukyo said as she started count on her fingers 
how many days she had known Ranma.  She was surprised to find 
that it had been three whole weeks already.  "We are you going 
back home?"
	"In a few days, I think."
	Ranma suddenly found himself caught up in a fierce hug.  
"No, you can't go!"
	"Huh?  Why?"
	"I don't want you to.  You're my best friend, Ranchan."
	"You're my best friend too, Ucchan.  I want to stay and 
keep playing with you, but pop says we got to go in a few days.  
Besides, my mom is waiting for me."
	"Okay, but you got to promise me that we'll be best friends 
forever."
	"Of course we will."
	"Pinkie swear?"
	Ranma nodded.  They both locked pinkies and said, "We'll 
be best friends forever!"
	Ukyo hugged him again.  "I'll miss you, Ranchan."
	"Me too, Ucchan."

***

	Genma was flipping through an old training manual that he 
had found among the master's things while he watched Ranma play 
with a stray kitten that had wandered in the yard.  Normally, 
Nodoka would be watching the boy, but she had gone on a trip 
with Achika to help boost her sister's declining health.  She had 
warned him, on the pain of his father-in-law and her katana, to not 
take the boy away from school on some training trip.  Genma had 
grumbled, but agreed, not that he had any choice in the matter.
	Now he reasoned, if he couldn't take the boy off to training 
to improve his skills, what he needed was some kind of super 
training technique that could be done right in his own home.  The 
kitten that Ranma was playing with kept distracting his thoughts 
though.  Pity he couldn't give the boy claws or the agility of a cat.  
Not to mention the enhanced senses and absolute fearlessness.  If 
only there was a technique like that . . .

	Nodoka made her way up to the Saotome home.  The trip 
had done Achika so much good that they had decided to cut it short 
so her younger sister could spend some of that time with her 
husband, Nobuyuki.  Nodoka smiled at that thought.  Tenchi may 
have a little brother or sister on the way.
	Nodoka was shocked out of her thoughts when something 
running on four legs knocked her over.  She looked down in horror 
to see her own son curled up in her lap, purring like a cat.
	"Genma!"
	Her aforementioned husband took one look at the scene and 
was immediately grateful that his wife didn't have her katana at the 
moment.  He also knew that he'd be camping out of the couch for a 
week because of this.
	Genma was wrong.  Nodoka made him sleep outside, for a 
month, in the middle of the rainy season.  She also fed him nothing 
but water and a small portion of rice.  He was forced to get a 
second job just to avoid starving to death, since all the checks for 
his first job were directly deposited into an account that his wife 
had control of.  Nodoka was of the opinion that she had let him off 
easy.

***

	The Kuonjis were at a loss over what to do about their 
daughter Ukyo.  Ever since that Ranma boy had returned home, 
she'd been listless and uninterested in learning how to be a chef.  
Mr. Kuonji had tried to get Ranma to stay by offering to engage 
the two of them, but his father had turned it down, even after he 
had offered his cart as a dowry.  The man had looked tempted, but 
at the same time afraid of something.  About the only good thing 
was The Kuonjis finally had enough money to start their own 
restaurant.  The problem now was picking a location.  Then 
suddenly, Mr. Kuonji had an idea.
	"Ukyo?"
	"Yeah, dad?"  She was just sitting in her room, not doing 
anything, which was normal for her lately.
	"Well, we've finally saved up enough to start our own 
restaurant.  Now where do you think we should have it?"
	To Ukyo, there was only one place she wanted to be, the 
place Ranma said he was from.  "Juuban!" she replied 
immediately.
	Mr. Kuonji smiled to see Ukyo smile.  If he finally had his 
daughter back again, moving to Juuban was a small price to pay.

	Ranma was about to go into elementary school when he 
was suddenly tackled from behind.  He prepared to strike back, 
only to see who it was.  "Ucchan?"
	"Ranchan!"  Ukyo shouted, glomping on to him again.  She 
was happy that he had remembered her, since it had been over six 
months since they had parted.
	"What you doing here?" Ranma asked her.  "You and your 
pops still traveling with that cart?"
	Ukyo shook her head.  "I'm going to school here.  Today is 
my first day.  We sold the cart and are opening a restaurant right 
here in Juuban.  Isn't that great?  We can play all the time like we 
used to."
	"Cool!"
	Both smiled and laughed, happy to have their friend back 
again.

***

	It was a little more than a year and a half after Soun had 
lost his wife, when Achika finally succumbed to her long illness. 
Genma did his best to run the house on his own, since for days all 
his wife would do was cry.  He tried to comfort her, but wasn't 
surprised at her level of grief.  He'd only met Achika a few times, 
but she had been a kind and gentle soul.  Even he could feel the 
loss in her passing.
	The phone ringing snapped him out of his thoughts.  He 
picked it up and automatically said, "Hello, Saotome residence."
	There was a moment of silence before Genma heard a voice 
he'd honestly thought that he'd never hear again.  "Hello . . . 
Genma."
	It was Nodoka's father, Katsuhito, who had forbidden his 
daughter to have anything to do with him, ever, or she would be 
disowned.  Even after they had married, he never did carry out his 
threat.  The old priest still gave Genma the willies though.
	"Hello, Mr. Masaki.  We've already heard about Achika.  
I'm sorry about your loss."
	In the silence that followed, Genma berated himself over 
saying something so stupid.  He was even more surprised by the 
old priest's response.
	"Thank you.  While it has not been easy on me, there are 
others in more need of comforting.  I assume that my other 
daughter was also hit hard by this tragedy?"
	"Yes sir, would you like me to get her?"
	"No, no.  That's likely to do more harm than good.  Genma, 
no matter how much it pains me to do so, I must ask a favor from 
you."
	"A favor? From me?"  'The old guy must really be 
desperate.'
	"Yes.  As you may be able to understand, Nobuyuki has 
been devastated by Achika's passing."
	Genma nodded absently to the phone.  He had been ready 
before to take the boy on a ten year training trip away from 
Nodoka, but for her to be . . . .  Genma didn't even want to think 
about it.
	Katsuhito continued.  "The man has gone into shock.  He 
refuses to leave the house and has stopped eating and sleeping.  He 
has also stopped taking care of his son.  I've taken in Tenchi, but 
I'm worried about Nobuyuki.  I've tried everything I could think of 
and I can't snap him out of it, and now his health is starting to go.
	"I've heard that you have a friend who has recently suffered 
a similar loss.  I was wondering . . . I was wondering if you and 
Nodoka could come to the Masaki home and somehow get him to 
the point where he would at least be able to take care of himself.  I 
don't know how well you know Nobuyuki, but from what I hear, he 
and Nodoka are good friends.  This might benefit her as well."
	Genma thought about this for a while.  It would take time 
away from training the boy, but his first priority was getting his 
wife out of her depression.  Having to comfort another might just 
do it.  Still, this was a unique opportunity that shouldn't be
wasted.  He had the man whom he had feared for about a decade 
over a barrel.
	"All right, I'll do it.  It shouldn't be hard to convince 
Nodoka.  However, my wife and I will have our hands full during 
this.  Since you're already watching Tenchi, I was wondering if you 
could also watch our Ranma as well."
	There was only a slight hesitation.  "I don't see that as being 
a problem.  Tenchi would probably like spending time with his 
cousin."
	"Good, and while he's there, why don't you teach him that 
sword style of yours."
	Genma was still impressed by his wife's ability at kendo, 
and continually frustrated by her refusal to teach it, not even to her 
own son.  He also knew that getting the old priest to teach his son 
would be something the old man would hate to do.  For some 
reason the old guy would only teach it to Tenchi.
	"What?"
	"You've already started to teach Tenchi, so it shouldn't be 
too hard to teach Ranma as well.  My son picks up things pretty 
quickly and --"
	"I don't think I would be able to do that."
	"Well, then I don't know if we'll be able to come.  You see, 
I'd like to help you out, but I just can't neglect the boy's
training."
	"But I'm teaching a sword style, while you're teaching him 
hand to hand.  I don't see what I'm --"
	"Anything Goes Martial Arts means that anything goes.  
Armed skills are part of the art, I've just been concentrating more 
on the unarmed portion.  Anything you can teach him can be added 
in with ease."
	There was a long silence before Katsuhito said, "Fine, I'll 
do it.  Drop the boy off on your way to the Masaki house."
	Genma agreed and they chatted about probable dates and 
times of arrival.  After he had hung up the phone, Genma burst into 
laughter.  He had finally managed a little pay back against that old 
coot!

***

	Tenchi was carefully sweeping up the leaves when he 
suddenly received a visitor.
	"Hiya Tenchi!"  eight-year old Ranma greeted his only 
slightly younger cousin.
	"Ranma!" Tenchi shouted with glee as he immediately 
dropped the broom and ran over to greet his cousin.  Grandpa had 
mentioned a surprise earlier, but he hadn't been expecting this.  
"Why are you here?"
	"I'm going to be staying here a while.  My mom and pop 
are gonna be staying with your pop.  They said he's real sad and 
they're gonna try and cheer him up!"
	"He's sad 'cause my mom died," Tenchi replied as he 
dejectedly looked at the ground.
	Ranma put an arm around his cousin.  "It's okay Tenchi.  
My friend Akane, her mom died too.  She was sad for a little while, 
but after a while she didn't get sad no more."
	"You cheered her up?"
	"Well, actually she gets mad all the time now, but I guess 
that's better than being sad.  I tried asking her what makes her so 
mad, but then she just gets even madder.  She's such a tomboy."
	"Tomboy?  What's that?"
	"My pop told me when a girl acts like a boy it's 'cause she's 
a tomboy."
	Tenchi nodded sagely and filed away the information for 
later use.  Fathers always knew useful stuff like that.
	"So what are you doing today, Tenchi?"
	"I got to clean up around the shrine."
	"Aw, that sounds boring.  Let's go play around that big old 
tree!"
	"Ranma, you know grandpa doesn't want you going there."  
	Ranma nodded, his grandpa could be a real stick in the mud 
sometimes, always forbidding them from doing one thing or 
another.  Not that Ranma ever listened to him.   Ranma and his 
parents rarely visited the shrine, usually only on holidays, but 
grandfather had already warned him several times to stay away 
from the holy tree of the shrine.
	"Okay, how about we go play by that cave again?"
	Ranma could see that that piqued his cousin's interest.  For 
some reason, Tenchi seemed to like that cave, even though 
Grandpa was always telling him to keep away from there.  And 
Tenchi, unlike Ranma, usually did what his grandfather told him.  
Ranma didn't really see what was so neat about some moldy old 
cave, but he didn't feel like doing chores or playing alone at the 
moment.
	"Where's grandpa?"
	"Talking with my parents."
	"Okay, let's leave now."
	As the two boys mock-fought under the shadow of the 
cave, neither one noticed the ghostly figure which watched them 
both with interest.

***

	It was a week after getting back from comforting 
Nobuyuki, and Genma was up late at night doing something that he 
had really never done before: thinking, specifically about the 
future.  Oh, he had some vague plans.  Training the boy in the art 
so he could marry one of the Tendos and take over the dojo.  Some 
specific plans on how to train the boy, not much more than that.  
All of these deaths around him had made him come to realize that 
he'd made no plans for the possibility that he might die one day.  It 
was a chilling thought, but after the passing of both Achika and 
Soun's wife, it was one he had to face.  Nodoka would go on 
without him.  He knew she was a kind and gentle woman, but with 
a will of iron underneath.  It was one of the reasons that he had 
married her.  The boy might miss him, but he was a strong one as 
well.
	His biggest problem was who would train the boy when he 
was gone.  Both Nodoka and the boy's grandfather could teach him 
that sword style of theirs, but Ranma would never reach his full 
potential if there was no one who could keep up his training in 
Anything Goes.  Genma could free the master, since he doubted 
that they had really used enough TNT to do the old freak in, but 
that would probably only makes things worse.
	No, there was only one choice:  his old buddy Soun.  He 
had started training Akane in the Art, only to stop when his wife 
had died.  Tendo had even stopped practicing himself, but maybe 
Genma could convince him to do this, just in case it was needed.  
He'd give his old friend a copy of all of his training plans and make 
him swear an oath.  Despite being the master's pupil, Genma knew 
that Soun still had a strong sense of honor.

***

	Katsuhito had never liked Genma, not from the moment 
he had first met him.  It was obvious that he was a gluttonous, 
self-centered lout trained by one of the most despicable martial arts 
masters the world had ever known.  Genma had been completely 
unworthy of his daughter.
	And now that man was dead.  Yet the old priest felt no 
sense of satisfaction or justice.  It could have been that in the end, 
Genma had chosen to save his family rather than himself, showing 
that underneath everything, his heart had always been in the right 
place.  Katsuhito hated to think that he could be wrong, but 
perhaps he had misjudged Genma, and now it was too late.
	He reached for the phone, not feeling any humor in the 
irony of a call he had made in a similar situation.  Instead, there 
was only bitterness over his past mistakes.  Maybe, though, he 
could make it better somehow.
	"Nobuyuki, I need you to do me a little favor…"

	Soun Tendo put down the paper with a loud sigh.  Not a 
single tear fell in a situation where he would normally be bawling 
his eyes out.  His best friend in the world was now dead.  Instead, 
his face was marked by a look of determination that none of his 
daughters had ever seen before.
	It was a shock to all of them, when after breakfast, he stood 
up and said, "I have to go to Juuban on a matter of honor and I 
might not be back until late.  Kasumi, please look after your sisters 
until I return."
	Even though she was only fourteen, Kasumi took her 
responsibilities very seriously.  "Yes, father."

	Soun found the door of the Masaki home answered by a 
man who was only vaguely familiar.  "My name is Soun Tendo.  I 
was a good friend of Genma's and I am looking for his wife, 
Nodoka."
	"Nice to meet you again.  I'm Nobuyuki Masaki.  I believe 
we met during Nodoka and Genma's wedding."
	Soun followed Nobuyuki into the living room where 
Nodoka was pouring over the papers before her.  She was still in 
the process of selling her house and moving into the Masaki home.
	Nodoka finally looked up and noticed him.  "Oh Soun, I'm 
so sorry for not calling you.  Its just that after Genma . . . well,
it hasn't been easy."
	"I understand," Soun said as he took a seat.  "Are you all 
right about talking about it?"
	Nodoka nodded.  "It's only been a week, but I think that 
somehow Genma knew something like this was going to happen.  
He did a lot to prepare for this moment.  He made it very easy for 
Ranma and I to say good-bye."
	"If you don't mind, can you tell me how it happened?"
	"It was something so simple really.  We were walking 
home from eating out to celebrate Ranma winning a martial arts 
tournament.  We were crossing the street when a truck turned the 
corner and didn't stop.  Genma managed to push Ranma and I out 
of the way, but he couldn't save himself.  The doctors said that he 
should have died instantly from the crash, but Genma was always 
so strong.
	"He told me that I shouldn't be sad, that he had died in a 
way that he hoped would redeem the mistakes that he had made in 
life.  He wanted me to go on without him, for my son's sake if not 
my own.  He made me promise him to raise Ranma to be the 
greatest martial artist in the world.  After I agreed, he smiled, 
closed his eyes, and then faded away."
	Then Nodoka started to break down in tears.  Nobuyuki 
was immediately at her side to comfort her, while throwing Soun a 
hostile glare.
	"I'm sorry for bringing up such a painful subject."
	"It's all right," Nodoka replied as she wiped away her tears.  
"I think it hurts less the more I talk about it."
	"Genma also spoke to me about the possibility of his
death.  It was his wish that I take up Ranma's training.  It might be 
best if Ranma and you would move to the Tendo dojo so I could 
begin his instruction in earnest."
	"I don't think that would be a very good idea.  Ranma has 
been spending a lot of time here with his cousin Tenchi and that's 
helping both of them getting over the loss of a parent.  It also 
would take him away from school, where Ranma has several 
friends.  Besides, I've already begun to teach Ranma the Masaki 
family sword style, building on the somewhat sporadic lessons my 
father gave him.  I don't know if Ranma needs to learn more of 
Anything Goes."
	Soun needed to do this though, for Genma, Ranma, but 
mostly for himself.  It was his way of regaining part of what he had 
lost when his wife had died.
	"Perhaps if I were to train Ranma on the weekends? He can 
come to the Tendo dojo after school on Saturday and come home 
Sunday evening.  That way he stays with his cousin and the same 
school, and you can still train him on the weekdays."
	Nodoka thought it over.  In the end, she couldn't ignore the 
pleading in Soun's voice or her husband's last wishes to make 
Ranma the greatest martial artist possible.  "All right, he can stay 
over the Tendo dojo during some of the school breaks as well.   
You had better not try anything like the neko-ken though, that 
alone has caused enough problems."
	Soun nodded and left.  He had much to plan for.

	Akane flicked the sweat that was dripping from her hair as 
she went into the same kata for about the twentieth time.  She, 
being a very determined eleven year old, refused to stop until she 
had it perfect.  Finally, she would have the rematch that she had 
been training five years for.
	Akane had always been interested in martial arts.  She had 
tried to imitate her father practicing as soon as she could walk.  
And it was something that she could do well, better than anyone 
she knew.  Her family and friends were all impressed to see such 
skill in a little girl.  It wasn't something that she was serious about,  
but it was something that she liked doing and being good at.
	That was until she met Ranma, who despite being her age, 
had beaten her five times in a row.  No matter what she had tried, 
Ranma had always won.  And then his mother had caught them and 
forbidden him to fight her, like Akane was too frail.  She decided 
right there that she wouldn't rest until she had beaten Ranma at 
least once.  And with her father's announcement of Ranma coming 
over on the weekends to train, she finally had her chance.

	Ranma smiled as he gathered up his bath things and headed 
to the Tendo furo.  It had been so good to fight with Akane again.  
It was funny how flustered she got when she lost.  She had even 
challenged him to an immediate rematch and lost even more 
quickly than the first time.  She sort of reminded him of Ryoga that 
way.  She even challenged him to a match over who got to use the 
furo first.  He didn't know what sort of training Mr. Tendo had 
planned, but it looked like it would mostly consist of Akane trying 
to beat him up.
	Thinking of this, Ranma failed to notice that the furo was 
already occupied until he opened the door just as Nabiki was 
getting out of the bath.
	Barely looking at her, Ranma said, "Oh, I didn't know you 
were in here, Nabiki.  Just tell me when you're done."
	With that, he left.
	Nabiki had gone from instant embarrassment to anger.  She 
had recently hit puberty and her body was developing accordingly.  
She had also noticed that the boys had been paying a lot more 
attention to her lately, even going so far as to buy her things.   
Always looking for a way to make some easy money, Nabiki had 
done her best to take advantage of this.
	She was queen of middle school until her little sister Akane 
had come there and then suddenly all the boys had started to ignore 
Nabiki in favor of her 'cuter' sister.  She hated how she was almost 
forgotten now.  Why did Akane have to come and ruin everything?
	'How dare he pretend he didn't notice that I was naked!' she 
thought. 'He should have been struck blind by seeing a cute girl 
like me and started showering me with presents.  I'll get Ranma for 
this!'
	Immediately, she thought of her first step.  Finding her 
sister, she told Akane that she could have her bath now.  Waiting a 
few minutes, she went and told Ranma the same thing, acting like 
nothing was wrong.
	"Ranma no Baka!" Akane shouted loud enough for the 
neighbors to hear and then punted a half naked Ranma into the koi 
pond.
	When Ranma glared at her accusingly, Nabiki only smiled.

***

	Ranma cautiously approached his mother as she prepared 
dinner, having just come back from his weekly training at the 
Tendo Dojo.  He was surprised to realize that it had been five years 
since he had started his training with Tendo-sensei.  His mother 
had always been protective of him, but ever more so after his pop 
had died.  His sensei had tried many times to persuade her to allow 
Ranma to go on a extended training trip, but Nodoka refused to 
have her son out of her sight for more than a week.
	Ranma knew his father had planned many trips, but the one 
that he had always talked about was to China.  Due to the good 
business of the reopened Tendo dojo, Tendo-sensei had finally 
saved more than enough to pay for the trip, but he was afraid that 
Nodoka would say no without even hearing him out.  That's why 
he had persuaded Ranma to ask for him.
	Ranma had agreed since he really wanted to go on this trip, 
but that didn't make asking his mom any easier.  Nodoka was 
normally very sweet and loving, but when Ranma stepped out of 
line  she could become very stern.  Ever since his pop died, any 
time  Ranma did something wrong she'd call for a training session 
in  kendo, which would last until he fell down in exhaustion.  It 
was  good training, but it wasn't something Ranma looked forward 
to.
	"Um, mom . . ."
	"Oh Ranma, welcome home.  Dinner will be ready in a few 
minutes."
	"That's great, but there's something I've got to ask you . . ."
	"Tenchi is upstairs in your room."  Nodoka thought it was 
odd that the boys had insisted on sharing a room despite the fact 
that in the large Masaki house they could each have their own.
	"That wasn't it.  You see, the Tendo dojo has been doing 
really well and there's vacation from school coming up.  Tendo-
sensei was thinking that . . ."
	"Ranma, please sit down and tell me what you want."
	The pig-tailed boy did as he was told.  "Tendo-sensei wants 
to take me on a month long training trip to China."
	The only sign that Nodoka's calm had wavered was the fact 
that she had nearly dropped the knife she was holding.  "Ranma, 
you know that even though I'm only working part-time, my job as 
a kendo instructor is very important to me, so I can't just take a 
month off right now.  I also don’t like the idea of you being away 
from me for so long, especially to China.  That's not the friendliest 
place for Japanese to go."
	"Please, mom.  Pops always wanted to go to China and 
Tendo-sensei has been talking about all the things we can see there.  
It will only be for a month and I doubt there's much that me and 
Tendo-sensei won't be able to handle.  I really, really want to go."
	Nodoka considered her son for a while in silence.  He had 
grown up so fast.  It seemed only yesterday that Genma was trying 
to sneak off with the boy on a training trip.  He had proven himself 
able to take care of himself, maybe it was time that she let him go 
off without her, at least for a little while.
	"All right, you can go, but I don't want you missing any 
more school days then are needed and you'll still be responsible for 
any homework you have over this trip."
	"Okay, sure thing," Ranma answered readily, having just 
about ignored everything she had said past the part about allowing 
him to go.

	Soun and Ranma tried to sneak out of the Tendo home, 
only to be confronted by a very angry short-haired teenage girl 
wearing a gi and carrying a backpack.
	"Going somewhere?" she asked in a voice that was just 
barely holding back from shouting.
	"Just taking Ranma on a little training trip," Soun told his 
youngest daughter.
	"Forgetting someone?"
	"Like who?" Ranma asked, not catching on.
	"Like me, you baka!" Akane shouted right in his face.  
Even though he was used to it, somewhat anyway, Ranma took a 
step back.
	"Well, I didn't think that you would want to go on an 
extended training trip, being away from you friends and missing 
some school," Soun told her.
	"Besides, going all the way to China on a training journey 
is too rough for girls, even tomboys like you," Ranma added, 
putting his foot in his mouth. Akane showed her appreciation of his 
figurative contortion by applying her elbow to his stomach.
	That was just how they got along; neither of them really 
meant anything by it.  Ranma really didn't think that women were 
weak, especially Akane, and in turn, Akane really didn't think that 
every boy was a pervert.  It would have been hard spending every 
weekend and about half of the holidays with someone who you 
truly hated.
	Soun took a step back.  Even he was frightened of his little 
girl when she got really mad and she looked ready to explode at 
any moment.
	"I am going with you."  Akane said it as a flat statement of 
fact, making it very obvious that it wasn't open to negotiation.  "Or 
else I'll persuade Kasumi to let me cook for the both of you when 
you get back.  For a month.  No... make that two months! "
	Soun and Ranma exchanged defeated looks.  Both knew 
that they wouldn't be able to survive a week of Akane's cooking, 
much less two months.  Trying to get food elsewhere would be no 
good; Akane would force-feed them if she had to.
	"All right, you can come," Soun said as if it were the last 
thing he wanted to happen.
	"Yatta!" Akane shouted, dancing around.
	Only when both Ranma and Akane's backs were to him, did 
Soun allow himself to smile.