Changing and change [Akane's prolog: remembering oneself] Akane ran from the images that surrounded her. Images that she knew all too well of her yelling at Ranma hitting and hurting Ranma both emotionally and physically. In the end Akane knew that she shouldn't do the things she did but she could never seem to help herself and so her only choice was to run and keep running feet are in deeper into her mind away from the images that haunted her. Deeper and deeper she ran farther and farther away and finely Akane came to a memory that was as painful as what she did to Ranma the memory of her mother's death ~~~~~~~ "Mommy mommy can we go to the park now" a young Akane said as she dragged her mother along "ok you little tomboy you" Akane's mother replied as she allowed herself to the drug along the streets of Nerima to the park while Nabiki and Kasumi followed with a smile however once they arrived at the park they found a man dressed in ornate robes standing in their way "so I say you finally found me" Akane's mother said as she started to glow with a magical aura "yes and now you die RelOrt" the man said before launching off huge fireball which misses Tendo barely had time to deflect while her daughters took cover "so who are the brats" the man said as he levitated Akane into the air "leave her out of this" misses Tendo growled before the mysterious man began to electrocute Akane "damm you ... if you won't leave my children out of this than I have no choice but this METEOR" With that shout the heavens themselves split open and a hail storm of meteors rained down upon Misses Tendo and the mysterious man "You fool you would sacrifice your self for a child" the man said as he collapsed to the ground seemingly dead as the door nail "Yes I would in a heartbeat" misses Tendo said as she stod only feel a powerful spell surrounding her "I'm sorry my children I am truly sorry but I promise you I will return" misses Tendo added before fading away ~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mommy" Akane said as she cried at the image before her however this memory opened the gates too long suppressed feelings Akane remembered how proud she was of herself how she never let anyone tell her who to be. How she never let anyone influence what she wore or what she did. And most importantly how she never ever let the society she lived in define who she was Then Akane remembered how Nabiki changed how she became cold and heartless Kasumi on the other hand had suffered an injury one morning while she and Akane were sparing ... Kasumi had hit her head on a certain rock in the koi pond in retrospect Akane now knew because of Ranma's similar experience with that rock that another blow would probably bring her sister back to who she was However what most disturbed Akane was how she had changed she no longer did anything but the art she let everyone around her influence who she was what she wore and she did almost everything according to society's rules "It's heartbreaking for me to see you like this my little tomboy" misses Tendo said as she stepped out of the memory Akane was watching repeat itself "you changed so much" "I see that now" "No you don't little one because you are not true to who you are because you constantly deny your feelings you cause your self pain. Do you know what that pain does" Akane didn't reply for a full minute but when she finely did she only had one word to say Anger "exactly my child exactly" misses Tendo replied "now my child what are you going to do about your anger" "I don't know" "I do be true to your self my little one and if I do not see in improvement in you within 5 days as progenitor and guardian of the cursed Springs you will become a much bigger tomBOY then you are now. That is a promise my little one" misses Tendo said before fading away leaving Akane shocked She knew by instinct alone that the image of her mother she had just spoken with was not a shadow of her subconscious but the spirit of her mother [Ranma's prolog: the wound] Ranma set alone by a dream world copy of the cursed springs absently throwing paddles into the pools around him "It's a depressing place even in a dream isn't it" replied an unknown voice to which Ranma replied by turning around to find someone shouted in mist "Who are you" Ranma demanded of the unknown woman "the progenitor and guardian of the cursed Springs" "what do you want" "to help as much as I can ... now Ranma do you know of your wound" the shadow a figure asked "wound?" Ranma asked while assuming the figure in shadow wasn't talking about his curse "yes your wound you feel it every time you step into school or look at a musical instrument. Or when you try to be nice to Akane or do a good deed for no reason at all and even when you just want to let loose and have fun... and these are only a few things that aggravate the wound aren't they" the mysterious figure in shadow said before the view paned back to Ranma who was practically doubled over in pain "so what are you going to do" "as I said before I'll help you as much as I can and the only thing I can do now is help heal that wound ... it is a very deep wound Ranma even if you were to go to a psychiatrist for many years they still wouldn't be able to help you completely heal. fortunately for you I'm a Magi and I have ways of helping that are much more direct" the mysterious figure in shadow said before materializing a large spool of golden thread and a needle "this is spirit twine and it will hold your wound closed for a long enough time for it to heal ......hmm but considering how hard your life is I'll make sure the stitches are little tighter than normal now SLEEP "the mysterious spirit said before Ranma fell into a deep dreamless slumber [Chapter 1 change begins] Ranma awoke with a start at around 6:30 half an hour before his father usually woke him up with a pail of water. as Ranma sat up he felt stitches shifting slightly but feeling how deeply the stitches went Ranma knew that the dream he had the previous night was real. Somebody claiming to be the creator of the cursed springs had sewn his soul up like a doctor sews up a huge flesh wound. Ranma's only response to this was reach for his school notebook which had been discarded on the floor the previous night along with a pen Taking a deep breath Ranma began to draw this aggravated the wound somewhat but the stitches keeping his soul together held so well that the pain was almost ignorable and when Ranma finished he had drawn a beautiful portrait of Akane who was wearing one of her famous smiles 'It still hurts a lot but at least its bearable now' Ranma thought to himself before getting up *************** About half an hour later Akane awoke in a cold sweat clearly remembering her dream and her mother's decree from beyond the grave. Nervously Akane got up and decided that the first thing on her agenda would be a hot bath and so after picking out something to wear she headed straight for the bathroom however once she slid open the door to the furo she was greeted with a oddly familiar site of staring right at Ranma who was in the process of stepping out of the furo this of course triggers Akane's default reaction however just before Akane brings her mallet to bear she slips and flips ending up splashing down in the furo "You ok" Ranma asked to which Akane replied by spitting some water out of her mouth while looking indignant "No and I don't think I have been for a very longtime" Akane replied as she turned away from Ranma "Akane??" Ranma asked as he sat back down in the furo "I'm sorry Ranma" "Hay its ok I'm a tough guy" Ranma said in hopes of trying to lighten Akane's mood "No it's not ok Ranma and hasn't been ok for a longtime" Akane said tearfully "What's up really" Ranma said as he placed a hand on Akane's shoulder That asked Akane related the events of her dream "She said she was the progenitor and guardian of the cursed springs" Ranma said as he shifted uncomfortably "Yeah and my mom's never lied" "No it's not that last night someone claiming that exact same thing visited me in a dream" Ranma said hauntingly "Go on" Akane said "you know how the Neko-ken is supposed to leave a mental scar well scars are healed wounds ... well thanks to all of my pops crazy training methods my spiritual wounds never had a chance to heal ... at first the pain wasn't that bad .. One morning when I was about 7 I found I couldn't draw any more without a horrific pain arcing down my arm ... then a year later I couldn't enjoy music .... And over the years is just gotten worse and worse and being here at the dojo for the past year has helped a lot but last night that woman in shadow she materialized something she called spirit twine then she shouted 'sleep' and the next thing I knew I woke up ...I can feel the stitches there're to many to count ... but this morning I was able to draw something for the first time in 10 years" Ranma explained "right now I feel more alive than I have for a longtime" Ranma added almost in a whisper as he got out of furo "Ranma..." Akane asked uncertainly "What" "You can stay if you want ... after all we are engaged" Akane said sheepishly "no if the nominees for all-time baka of history see us together like this they'll try to have us married by the end of the day can considering what happened yesterday ... well I'd rather not see a repeat performance anytime soon" Ranma said before leaving "point taken Ranma point taken" Akane said as she stretched out and relaxed in the furo ************** Later that morning after an unusually quiet breakfast Ranma and Akane start to walk school along their usual path strangely enough Ranma doesn't jump on the fence "So you want to see what I drew this morning" Ranma asked while trying to disguise the nervousness in his voice "Ok" Akane said before Ranma handed her the picture he had drawn. Akane's response was most definite she turned as red as her namesake "its beautiful Ranma" Akane finely said as she put away the drawing which left Ranma to smile before the two continued onto school where Kunou was waiting with a real katana "Today you die vile cur" Kunou said simply "Kunou put the katana down or I will take this fight seriously enough to harm you ... and I will not hold back" Ranma said flatly and coldly Kunou's only reply was to attack The next sound that was heard echoing through the school yard sent a sticking chill down everyone's spines The sound was that of Kunou's right arm being broken "I warned you Kunou" Ranma said before walking off with Akane who noticed Ranma didn't look very happy "I hated doing that but I couldn't take a risk in having him harm anyone" "I know ...well look on the bright side at least he won't bugging us for a while" Akane said before the two continued on with their school day ***************** "..." was all Akane said as she and Ranma returned home after school considering she was too busy thinking about Ranma's behavior which was very odd Ranma had stayed away in all of his classes and paid attention which unnerved a certain chi draining English teacher to no end "You know you don't have to be nervous I'm still me" Ranma said shocking Akane in more ways than 1 "It's just that" "Hay tomboy don't worry about it" Ranma said with a wink which brightened Akane's mood "Come on I need to do a bit of shopping" Akane said before the two changed their course ******************* Later at one of Nerima's larger clothing stores Ranma-chan and Akane arrive "I'll just wait here" Ranma-chan said before Akane nodded and left returning 15 minutes later wearing a blue blouse complemented by a black ultra short miniskirt and nylons "you know what Akane nylons are a bad idea" Ranma-chan said as she examined Akane "and you would know of something better" Akane replied sarcastically "yeah full-length leggings not only are they really tough but they're sort of like a pair of really tight pants" "And how do you know this" "Turnaround" Ranma-chan replied to which Akane turnaround to find a display of said garments "Oh" Akane mumbled before grabbing a pair and running off returning a few moments later wearing them "So you like'em" Ranma-chan asked "Yeah" Akane admitted before Ranma-chan watched someone walk by wearing a tank top "Ranma" Akane growled "what it's not like you couldn't where one of those" Ranma-chan said nonchalantly before leaning back only to see someone walking by wearing a tube top and slacks which drew both Ranma-Chan's and Akane's curiosity "I think I'll go for the tube top instead" Akane mumbled before vanishing back into the racks and returning five or six minutes later wearing a tube top "no it needs to be more revealingly cut if you're going to make shampoo jealous" Ranma-chan said with a mischievous little smile to which Akane responded to with of her own before retrieving a tube top that was a lot more daring "wow ...but it's still missing something" "what" Akane asked while sounding annoyed before a man that was carrying at least 50 packages walked by wearing an open vest which left both Ranma-chan and Akane to smile before Akane left and returned wearing a open sleeveless blue vest white tube top black alter short miniskirt and a pair of full- length black leggings "so what do you think" In response Ranma-chan only pointed to a group of boys that were salivating while looking like total fools "But it's still missing something to carry stuff in" Ranma-chan added "but a purse would really ruin the outfit" to which the group of salivating boys agreed whole hardly "... Agreed" Akane admitted while thinking about how much she hated carrying around a purse anyhow. Her exact thoughts on the matter were something along the lines of always forgetting said object "Well I doubt were going to find something to suit that outfit here so we might as well leave" Ranma-chan said before Akane agreed ************** "..." was all Akane said as she tried to balance on the fence tops under Ranma's watchful gaze while thinking ' Ranma must have realized these leggings stop local perverts from seeing anything when they look up my skirt' Akane thought before slipping only to the caught by Ranma which prevents Akane from falling "you ok" Ranma asked to which Akane nodded as she regained her footing "you really can't fence walk all that well with tennis shoes you know" Ranma added to which Akane reluctantly agreed before they both jumped down from the fence and continued onto the dojo however once the two stepped into the tea room in most interesting set of responses Nabiki just gaped at her younger sister Kasumi just gasped Soun cried and waled something about how his little girl was growing up to fast Genma just took advantage of Soun's distraction and cheated at shoji Nodoka on the other hand just blinked a few times before returning to what she was doing "Ok who are you because you're certainly not my sister" Nabiki finely managed to get out "No it's me all right Nabs" Akane said with a smile before walking off with Ranma "Nabs she hasn't called me that in six years" Nabiki said as she raised an eyebrow ************ "..." was all Ranma said as he watched Akane start to practice noting that she was performing better than usual however she still seemed preoccupied "Style, anger, and next to no emotional control" Akane stated simply as she stopped practicing about 10 minutes later to which Ranma only replied by golf clapping "those are your three biggest problems" Ranma stated "That's why you won't teach me anything because I can't even use what I know" Ranma only nodded "Anger because I'm not true to who I am ... and I haven't been for 10 years. No Emotional control because I'm too blinded by my anger to think straight and lastly I don't have any style because I can't think straight enough to read by opponents and control myself" "I'd said that's a pretty good way to look at it" Ranma replied "Then I'll have to be true to who I am ... but after 10 years of denying who I am I'm not sure how easy it'll be to find out who I am now" "Hay don't worry about it just trust your feelings and I'm sure the find yourself" Ranma said reassuringly "You know you're already a lot different than you were this morning" "I know and it's been a longtime since I could be myself to you know" Ranma said with a wry smile before getting up "do some serious meditation Akane it'll help you" Ranma said before getting up and walking out of the training hall and returning to the tea room where he retrieve his science book from his school bag before sitting down by the koi pond and reading over the assignment the science teacher had given to him and Akane Demonstrate the principles of flight by putting together a project "hmm a visual demonstration of the principles of flight" Ranma muttered as he leaned back only to see his father towering over him "what is it pop I'm busy" Ranma said annoyedly "boy what are you doing" "I'm get started on the project my science teacher gave to me and Akane ...or do you want Akane to pound me when she gets a low grade because of me" "hmm good point boy" Genma said before walking off "now let me see" Ranma muttered as he looked over the science book occasionally mumbling something about air pressure and wing surfaces being like the Hiryu-Shoten-Ha which left Nabiki and Kasumi were the only ones left in the tea room to curiously watch Ranma "what do you think he's planning on doing" Kasumi whispered "knowing Ranma he's probably trying to figure out how to create a real-life version of the Buku-Jutsu" Nabiki whispered back "if he manages to do it I'll re-evaluate his super ignorant status" "..." was all Kasumi said in reply before Ranma sat his science book aside and began to pace around the koi pond muttering something about how to focus ki in such a way that it would act like a solid as he also hummed a tune By the time dinner rolled around Ranma was still mumbling and humming about the same subject while eating his food "You think he's figured anything out" Nabiki asked of her eldest sister "I have no idea" Kasumi replied as Soun, Nodoka, and Genma ate their dinner while occasionally looking over at Ranma who was starting to walk a rut into the area around the koi pond however just as Genma took a sip of his tea Ranma bellowed Eureka before starting to mumble again however as he did so rocks of all sizes began to float into the air which left Soun Genma and Nodoka with a severe case of jaw drop Nabiki and Kasumi weren't that much better off however A an hour later the floating rock display had not ceased and there was now a noticeable rut around the koi pond "What do you think the problem is" Nabiki queried "Well it seems that every time he tries to move one of the rocks over a certain speed it falls" Kasumi said before Ranma snapped his fingers and slapped himself on the forehead after which point all of the rocks that were levitating around him started moving around with effortless ease "well I guess he just figured out what the problem was and solved it" Nabiki muttered before Ranma himself floated into the air however Ranma did not look pleased as he muttered something about how hard it was to move around "What I need is something like a jet engine ..." Ranma said clearly before snapping his fingers and levitating his science book up to him which he began to flip through before reading something with complete scrutiny after which the science book floats into the tea room and into his school bag after which Ranma cups his hands and concentrates before producing a ki sphere which just floats aimlessly in front of him. Suddenly the beach ball sized sphere collapsed to the size of a walnut while Ranma himself just scratched his chin thoughtfully before the sphere shot off like a rocket towards the heavens which left Ranma to smile before he shot off like a rocket only to return the a few minutes later with a thoughtful look on his face before he cupped his hands however before proceeding further he turned to Nabiki and Kasumi "you might want to take cover I've got no idea how biggest blast is going to be" Ranma said before Nabiki and Kasumi nodded and took cover after which Ranma fired off a blast that was considerably more powerful then his signature move the Moko Takabisha "woh put a little too much juice into it" Ranma commented as he floated down and landed on the porch where he sitting down at the tea table where he started to toy with a glass of tea Kasumi handed him "You ok Ranma" Kasumi asked "Yeah" Ranma said before levitating his book bag onto the tea table where his history book floated into view "I just hate history class" ********** Back in the training hall Akane has just finished her meditation "I am Akane Tendo, hair to the Tendo school of anything goes martial arts, a tomboy, Ranma's friend and fiancée, but most importantly I am me and I will listen to my heart and not do what those around me say is right for me to do after all only I know what is right for me" Akane said aloud before a deafening energy blast was heard from the direction of the koi pond "what in the...." *Sighs* "I wonder what Ranma's been up to" Akane mumbled before getting up and walking towards the tea room where she found Ranma sitting at the tea table doing his history homework however Ranma's history book was floating in mid air as he flipped through it "Ranma came up with a real-life version of the Buku-Jutsu" Nabiki provided to which Akane only nodded dumbfoundedly "I figure it should be enough of the demonstration of the principles of flight don't you think" Ranma said as he flipped through his history book "You mean you came up with a real-life version of the Buku-Jutsu just for a science project" Akane said dumbfoundedly "well that and the fact who wouldn't want to fly around at super sonic speeds" Ranma replied as he continued to work on his history assignment which left Akane to nervously scratched the back of her head before sitting down and starting on her homework ************* Later that night Nabiki knocks on Akane's door and is invited in to find Akane lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling "Sis" Nabiki asked "I woke up Nabiki and remember who I was" Akane replied simply "and what about Ranma in one night he's shown more intelligence then in the past year" "guess he woke up to you know how heavy a sleeper he is" Akane replied nonchalantly to "or maybe the last time I hit him it did some constructive brain damage either way it still in improvement" Akane added "I guess so" Nabiki replied before leaving and heading to her room [Chapter 2 ending fiancée war 3] It has been three days sense what Ranma and Akane had each dubbed the awakening occurred In the time Akane had changed but not as much as she wanted to Then there was Ranma who was still amazing people to no end Late one night we find Ranma floating far above the roof of the Tendo dojo floating amongst the clouds while thinking about the current situation namely the situation with a certain tribe of Amazons "the only way I'm going to get shampoo off my back is if I could somehow use Amazon law against her" Ranma said aloud before a certain duck flew by even though said duck had his glasses on the still didn't believe what he saw "Quack quack?" Mousse-duck asked "if you're asking why I'm up here mousse I came up with a way to fly "Quack" the dock with glasses said as it nodded in relief before Ranma raised his hand and levitated mousse over to him much to the duck's surprise "now mousse I know you want me out of the picture but the only way that old ghoul is going to let me off the hook is through some kind of loophole in Amazon law so can you get me the law book" >now Saotome according to Amazon law I'm not supposed to even know where the law book is let alone give it to you but I have heard the old ghoul muttering something about I'm glad Ranma's dumb enough not to ask for the law book himself< "so basically as an outsider I have a right to see that book" Ranma muttered thoughtfully "well I'm going to go request a copy and if they ask why I'm asking for it I'll say a little black pig told me about it " In response mousse just quacks before flying off leaving Ranma floating for the a few moments before he falls like a stone stopping on mm or two above the ground and a cm away from his father "what did I scare your or something pop" Ranma said before his father through a punch only to have it stopped by an invisible force "you know what pop this technique can also act like a form of telekinesis" Ranma added before Genma found himself totally immobilized "well be seeing you pop" Ranma said before Genma shot off like a rocket only to stop 100 feet in the air and just as Ranma managed over the dojo's side wall Genma falls like a stone right into the koi pond leaving one very indignant and wet panda to sit there and sulk ************** Later at the cat café Ranma enters to find shampoo wading tables however when she tries to glom him she is repelled by an invisible force which immediately shocks Cologne "how did you do that son-in-law" "I'm not shampoo's wife Cologne and right now I'm here on business I want the Amazon law book right now" Ranma stated simply before Cologne pulled out said that object "here" Cologne said as she held up the book "put it down on the counter" Ranma said to which Cologne replied by doing just that after which the book streaks across the room and stops cm from Ranma who opens the book and flips through it "good the translations are still here " Ranma said before turning around however as he leaves he senses danger and immediately turns around and stops Cologne's staff in mid air much to her amazement "...." Was the only thing Ranma said before the staff dropped to the ground which gave Ranma more than ample time to began reading the Amazon law book 'damm he's masked his ki to well for me to even get a reading on whenever that technique was ... it's almost like it wasn't even emotionally based but only the greatest ki masters of all-time can focus ki without using emotions' Cologne thought angrily A few minutes later a smile spread across Ranma's face getting rid of Shampoo was very easy all he had to do was marry another or becoming Amazon himself which would nullify the kiss of marriage shampoo had given him or lastly he would have to marry another Amazon of the same or a different tribe "ok you old ghoul as of this moments I say that the Tendo and Saotome clans are Japanese Amazons with their own laws and traditions which means you got no right to me and all of shampoo's kisses of death and such don't mean anything and also means Akane's claim is senior even by Amazon law right" "correct" Cologne said as she grumbled "now I'm sure we can come to a tribal truce that allows me and Akane both to be considered Chinese Amazons as well ... and I'm purtty sure that means shampoo is off the hook and loses no honor or face" "yes if we were to call a truce that would be true" Cologne said as she gave Ranma a strange look "well then I call a truce between our tribes will you accept" "yes I accept" "good and as the only representative of the tribe present I say that you are welcome at the tendo dojo as friends as long as you use the door" "agreed Ranma agreed" "swear upon your honor" "I swear upon my honor as an elder of the Chinese Amazons that there shall be a truce between our two tribes" Cologne replied "Then goodnight" Ranma said before leaving with a law book "Great grandmother please tell me you lie" "No I'm sorry dear Ranma used our laws against us you have no claim on him now and as our laws state we must now help Ranma marry Akane" "It no fair shampoo fight hard for Ranma pervert girl not good enough" "No dear you're wrong in my years of life I have seen couples like them before always fighting one another but in the end they love each other without reservation or thought" "But now shampoo have to marry blind duck boy and he no like" "I know child he used to be such a nice boy untill the quote fell in love with you" "Shampoo want friend mousse more than love sick mousse" "Hmm I'll see what I can do about that child but first answer me one thing did you really love Ranma or were you just following are laws to the letter" "Shampoo no know but shampoo think" shampoo said before continuing on with her work ********************* "YOU DID WHAT" was the chorus of voices that screamed at Ranma upon his explanation of how he eliminated shampoo's engagement "what's the big problem where Japanese Amazons which means we get to make our laws and traditions which basically means nothing changes except for shampoo can't marry me because where quote Amazons" Ranma said in reply "I must say son that was a very ingenious solution" Nodoka said as she sipped a cup of tea" not only is the girl's honor intact but elder Cologne is free teach you any techniques she wants to" Nodoka added "so basically this is just a name tag a front a sham all just to get around political and legal red tape" Nabiki said "yep you didn't think I honestly didn't pay attention to all of your mercenary tactics did you" Ranma said with a wide smile causing Nabiki to smile back before sitting down "oh my I wonder if Cologne will teach me how to cook that delicious raman their always serving up their" Kasumi said cheerfully "..." was all Akane said considering her relationship with shampoo however she did approve of the fact Shampoo would not lose any honor or face because of her time in Japan Genma and Soun on the other hand just stood like stone statues wondering what the heck had just happened ****************** the next morning we find Ranma and Genma and sparing actually Ranma is dodging like a grasshopper on super speed and Genma is hitting nothing but air needless to say the rotund marshal artist was fuming while Akane on the other hand who was watching from the tea room was smiling like a Cheshire cat "Come on pop I'm hardly even trying" Ranma taunted before Genma renewed his attack only to punched in the gut which immediately sends Genma to the land and dreams "dumb move pop you always leave your gut unprotected when you throw a punch" Ranma said flatly before entering the tea room ***************** Later that morning we find Ranma and Akane walking along the fence tops on their way to school "So what do you think I should do about Ucchan" Ranma asked "I've got no idea" Akane said in reply while being relieved Ranma had brought up the subject so quickly after disposing of shampoo "Neither do I" Ranma said with a heavy side "she is a good friend and pops really screwed her over" Ranma added "You should find a way to make up for that" Akane said flatly "Yeah but for some reason I don't think she'll just take a re-payment for dowry and leave it at that" Ranma said with a sigh "You do have a point there" Akane said as she rubbed her temples before she and Ranma arrived at the gates to their high school *************** Back at the Tendo dojo however with find Nodoka Saotome looking at the koi pond as she sat beside it "I must be crazy for even thinking of what I'm thinking of' Nodoka thought to herself What Nodoka was thinking of doing was definitely worthy of her last thought. that thought was that Ranma needed to accept he was just as much a girl as a boy and for this Ranma needed to spend an extended period of time as a girl in what Nodoka had effectively dubbed girl training however this was not the precise thought that was disturbing Nodoka. The thought that was disturbing Nodoka was the fact the picture in her hand showed a girl that could be mistaken for Ranma-chan any day of the week. The girl in the picture was herself the only problem was the picture showed her at age 13. 'yes I must be crazy there is no way that his female body could be younger than his normal one... then again magic does distort the rules considerably' Nodoka thought before she picked up a picture that was sitting at her side The picture showed her at age 17. The young woman in the picture was considerably taller and more muscular then the girl in the previous picture. "Is their anything wrong Aunt Nodoka" Kasumi asked "Do you know of any magic that can reduce someone's age?" "oh yes let me tell you about that it happened oh let me think ..." Kasumi said before drifting off into flashback mode telling the tale of the mushrooms Ryouga had found that cause people to shift ages ******************* Later that day back at Furinkan high school with find Ukyou lounging in the school yard as she ate her lunch when a shadow appeared overhead. Looking up Ukyou saw Akane who looked sorry "Let me guess Ranma's made a decision and he chose you" Ukyou said while standing like she had expected this "Yeah" Akane said "Ranma's also decided that he should do something to make it up to you" "Find come by the restaurant later and we'll talk about it" Ukyou said before Akane nodded and left never seeing a tear fall from Ukyou eye ******************* And later back at the Tendo dojo with find Nodoka quietly contemplating the story Kasumi had told her while Kasumi herself looked at the pictures Nodoka was looking at earlier 'It seems my guess was right' Nodoka thought ******************* Later that day after school with find Ranma Ukyou and Akane sitting around the Grill at Ucchan's "So any one think of anything yet" Ukyou said as she looked at her two friends who shock their heads defeatedly "I think we should go for now Akane because we're not getting anywhere just sitting here" Ranma said "Go on I'll be right there" Akane said before Ranma left "Wondering why I gave up on Ranma so easily" Ukyou stated after Ranma was out of sight Akane only nodded as a reply "after Konatsu left I was left alone here to think about what I had done but the last thing he said which was have you ever considered Ranma's feelings and the answer was no the only thing Ranma has only ever seen me as a friend ... and well my conscious did the rest for me" Ukyou said rather plainly surprising Akane to know end ********************* As a very wet and indignant looking Ranma-chan entered the dojo he was greeted by the side of his mother who was struggling to keep a straight face "What Happened?" "Mousse and his newest attack ... five of those huge American water guns" Ranma-chan said while looking somewhat annoyed "I'm also fairly sure that Hiroshi and Daisuke had something to do with it to" "Come Ranma I have something I wish to discuss with you" Nodoka said in a sad but curious tone ****************** Meanwhile back at Ucchan's Ukyou watches Akane leave cursing herself for not telling the whole truth she had given up on Ranma partly because of what Konatsu had said to her but the whole truth was a fact she had just learned of only two months after her father had declared she was to marry Ranma or be a boy he had bought another yati It seemed that her father had just wanted her out of the picture and had used her just as cruelly as Genma had used Ranma. In other words it was not family honor that was on the line when her father told her to seek revenge upon Ranma but simply her basterd father wanting to permanently get rid of her so he could marry again and say she was an illegitimate child born of a youthful mistake 'The only family I have now are my friends and the only honor I have is what I make for myself from now on' Ukyou thought sadly before turning back to the Grill ********************** Meanwhile at another restaurant in Nerima with find shampoo looking out upon Nerima from the roof of the cat café 'damm mousse why did he have to 'fall in love with me'' Shampoo thought to herself "we should tell Ranma of what we were up to... we owe him that much" Cologne said as she walked onto the roof "actually great granddaughter now that he has declared that the Tendo's and the Saotome's are Amazons he and Akane are end of the position to rewrite are laws if they beat all of the elders with a word after the battle Ranma or Akane could effectively and definitively passed the laws your mother worked so hard to pass in her life with one word" Cologne said with a smile "in fact I am quite sure last night was a good omen what ever technique Ranma developed to stop my staff and levitate the law book was definitely a technique that required ki to be focused without emotion and I am purtty sure the full extent of the technique is that of the ability to fly under one's own power but has Ranma has already demonstrated the technique is not limited to function" Shampoo's only reply to this was a smile < I know you are not a fighter child> "so be it then I will train you if you wish" "I'm sorry here that child but you're still the best in the village ... not that that's saying much considering Nerima's level of skill now let us prepare for our first tribal meeting with the Japanese Amazon's" Cologne added with a smile ************ Meanwhile back at the Japanese Amazon's dojo AKA the Tendo dojo we find Ranma-chan sipping a cup of very strong looking tea "so not only do I change into a girl but I change into a young one" the redhead mumbled as she looked at the pictures of her mother "it explains a lot of things actually Ranma" Kasumi said "How so" "Well every woman develops at a different at age but 13 happened to be when I developed" Nodoka provided "you mean this body's puberty is just starting" the redhead said as she developed an extremely large headache "as if once through the gauntlet wasn't bad enough now I've got a do it again as a girl and even I know girls of got worse than boys" Ranma-chan said with the all enthusiasm of a girl going through puberty "Tell me have you had a period yet" Nodoka asked seriously "No and I've been locked in girl form for long enough for that happen to" Ranma muttered before Akane entered instantly detected the mood of the room had something to do with Ranma's current state "what's happened" Akane asked nervously to which Nodoka only replied with a sigh before explaining leaving Akane more then shocked "by kami-sama as if it wasn't bad enough already" "Actually Akane is probably the main reason why it has been so bad when I went through puberty it was not a pretty picture and from the look of Ranma's female body and the fact he hasn't had a period yet probably means the worst is yet to come" Nodoka said sadly The look that developed on Ranma-chan's face at that statement was indescribable "So what's the plan" Ranma-chan asked "I was planning on doing was having you spend an extended amount of time in your female state so you wouldn't hate being female so much but now I feel it is even more necessary but I'm still leaving the decision up to you" Nodoka said plainly before rising and walking off Ranma-chan's only reply to this was to get up and walk off towards the training hall Akane waited only seconds before following what Akane found was not typical Ranma The buxom redhead looked as though she was about ready to cry "Why" Ranma-chan asked "Does it matter Ranma this is just one more challenge for you to overcome" Akane replied Ranma-chan half sighed half laughed "thanks Akane but boosting my ego won't work anymore although you all right about this been another challenge just one that's a little bit different" Ranma-chan said before smiling The only reply Akane gave was to smile her self before the two headed back to the house only to encounter Kasumi who was being followed by Cologne and shampoo " a word with you Ranma" Cologne said calmly "ok" Ranma-chan said wearily before he and Cologne walked back into the training hall leaving shampoo and Akane alone "you ok shampoo" Shampoo only shook her head before starting to explain as that she could the real reason her and her great-grandmother came to Japan for Ranma. ***************** Later with find Ranma, Akane, and P-chan sitting by the koi pond quietly thinking of the days events but mostly of the revelation that Ranma was to be the pinnacle member of an Amazon revolution when Ranma sensed a disturbance in the ether so large that even someone that was completely untrained could detect it The disturbance was the spirit breaking in to the world from the spirit realm "Hello" the spirit said as she crossed her arms and smiled from her position floating above the dojo's parameter wall "Mom" Akane said nervously before backing away "Yes my dear" the spirit said calmly before floating down and gracefully landing on the dojo's parameter wall after which her expression turns dark as she sees p-chan "do you know who I am Ryouga no of course you don't" the spirit of misses Tendo said as she raised her spectral hand causing the small black piglet to rise into the air above Akane's reach "I am the progenitor and guardian of the cursed Springs Ryouga and misses Tendo" the spirit said before the pig started to panic "for what you have done to my daughter I should leave you in that state for the rest of your life but I think it would be a much more appropriate punishment to do this" misses tendo said before chanting a spell which instantly dispels Ryouga's porcine form leaving him quite exposed in more than one way the next thing misses Tendo did was smile as she let Ryouga drop into the koi pond What happens next this author refuses to imagine but in the end Ryouga is sent over the horizon and just as Akane starts to yell at Ranma she is levitated into the air and met with a cold stair from her mother "Your behavior has not improved enough Akane" "no please" Akane begged "what do you think Ranma" the mysterious misses Tendo said "do you think that last bit of behavior showed she had regained control of herself" "no but I did deserve it" "no you didn't ... at least not until after you got done explaining your actions" misses Tendo said before raising her hand has her daughter continued to panic "Wait put in to a vote" Ranma said "...ok" misses Tendo said before turning to her family and Ranma's "as punishment for Akane's lack of control for the past 10 years and her treatment of Ranma for the last year she will have to spend the next two months as a man with absolutely no way to change back until untell her punishment has been served in full" misses tendo said "I vote yah" Nabiki said without thought or delay "it's about time you learned a lesson about your own sexism sister and the way it makes others feel" Nabiki added before sitting down Sighing Kasumi voted with a yah before sitting down by Nabiki Next were Nodoka and Genma who both voted yah before sitting down "Father" Akane pleaded Soun merely turned away and made his vote "yah" "Then it settled" misses Tendo said before raising her hand and then everything went blank for Akane ******************* Akane awoke to the site of her fiancée an unknown amount of time later cautiously and silently Akane examined herself only to find herself a man. Akane-kun only replied by crying as Ranma tightened his grip on his hand however Akane-kun only snatched it away and rolled up into a ball and started to cry even harder "There's some clothes for you on your desk come downstairs when you're ready" Ranma said reassuringly before leaving **************** "So how's my neo-brother doing" Nabiki said with a mischievous smile Ranma didn't even reply with a menacing scowl which actually scared Nabiki not that a cold mercenary showed any outward signs of it After an agonizing wait Akane-kun walked into the tea room dressed in one of Ranma's usual outfits "So where is mom" Akane-kun asked "She said that she couldn't fully emerge from the spirit realm for another two months" Kasumi provided politely "and she gave Ranma a nice bracelet that blocks the transformation" Kasumi added with a smile "Oh" Akane-kun muttered someone darkly before sitting down [Chapter 3 sexism's a bitch]