Chapter Text

Ranma, Fae Queen of Chaos

Ranma looks around the rural village curiously now that she’s finally finished adjusting to the sudden loss of her humanity. Oh, it’s still there, ready to be pulled forward if she wishes. Though the blessing of Jusenkyo has been removed, it did manage to leave the parting gift of forcing her to change from a Queen to a King if she chooses to pull on her humanity.

There’s also the cat hiding away inside her, waiting to come out at any sign of weakness. Well, maybe she can give it a body occasionally rather than leaving it cooped up inside her.

The shouting of angry women causes Ranma to blink a few times as she realises that her blessed father has been consuming the bounty reserved for the winner of a tournament. Ranma’s thoughts screech to a halt once more, and she frowns as she wonders just how…

“Ranma! Get over here and defend me!”

Ranma runs through all the rules that her father tried to impart on her before she was freed by the blessing of Jusenkyo. A viscous smile crosses her face as she opens her mouth to call out a response.

A response that takes a moment to be spoken as she realises that the local people won’t understand her if she shouts normally. A slight tug on the power inside her imbues her voice with comprehension as she shouts, “But father, honour dictates that a martial artist fights their own battles. Isn’t that what you told me?”

“Oh poor me, my son is a worthless girl.”

Ranma rolls her eyes at the panda’s lament as the crowd of women look over at her momentarily. While she’s doing so, a wizened old prune of a woman hops over on her staff before whacking her on the head.

Ranma rubs her head, “OW! What was that for?”

The old crone pauses and whacks her again, “The first one was for calling me a prune, the second one was for calling me a crone.”

Ranma frowns as she says, “But I didn’t call you those things, I thought it, I didn’t call you them though.”

The old ghoul opens her mouth to say something before pausing… Eventually she says, “Are you narrating things in your head young lady?”

Ranma shrugs, “Maybe. May I have your name?”

“Only if you give me yours in return.”

Ranma considers that for a moment, before nodding, “Very well. Ranma Saotome.”

“Koron.” Ranma says.

Koron tastes her new name as Ranma jumps back on her staff in surprise as she warily says, “What did you do!”

Koron shrugs again, “What we agreed to do. I don’t like this name though, I’d like to trade it back.”

Ranma licks her lips “Only if you answer a few questions for me.”

“A number greater than two and less than six.” Even as she says that, Koron wonders why she specified something that everyone knows.

Ranma nods, “Very well. What are you?”

Koron shrugs and smiles in amusement, “I am me. Beyond that I don’t know. Though, the guide called me a pointy eared elf girl.”

Ranma ponders the answer as a cheer goes up from the crowd, “Can you understand the panda?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Not sure yet. Probably something to do with the fact he’s blessed.”

Ranma frowns slightly, presumably because Koron still has her original name. “Why is my name Ranma Saotome?”

Koron’s shoulders and jaw sag in exasperation, “Real…” Koron readjusts her jaw so that she can speak properly, “Really? I asked for your name, you asked for mine in return, I agreed and it happened. Why else would you be called Ranma Saotome.”

A bruised and exhausted young woman with purple hair jogs over towards them. Once she gets within a suitable distance, she stops and says, “Great-Grandmother, we have captured the panda. What should we do with it?”

Koron can’t help but chuckle as Ranma struggles to say something. She can’t keep the laughter out of her voice as she says, “Throw him into the middle of Jusenkyo, I want to see if he’ll pick up more blessings.”

The young woman googles at Koron before saying, “Who do you think you are dictating what we do with our prisoners!?”

Koron shrugs, “I think I’m me. Though I also think me now is different to me a week ago.”

As the young woman takes a threatening step towards Koron, Koron gets into a stance as Ranma says, “Shan Pu, tell Long-Long to take the strongest warriors to throw the panda into the valley from a safe distance.”

Shan Pu looks at Koron dubiously, “Are you sure Great-Grandmother?”

Koron sighs, “Do you really think she’d have said what she did if she wasn’t?”

Shan Pu pulls her bonbori from her back and steps threateningly towards Koron, “Are you looking for a fight outsider?”

Koron shakes her head, “Not really, but I’d love to spar with you at some point.”

“Well you’re asking for one.”

Koron looks at Shan Pu like she’s an idiot, “If I was asking for a fight, I’d say something like, ‘would you like to fight me?’ Then we’d set the rule and consequences…”

Ranma drops off her staff and raps Shan Pu over the head with it, “Do as I said, and tell Elder Si Ning to come and see me.”

Shan Pu gives Koron a dirty look before she runs off. As she does, Ranma asks Koron, “What would you have done if she attacked you?”

Koron shrugs, “Probably dodged, I need the practice.”

“And if she hit you?”

“Hit her back, obviously.”

An old woman that looks like a shelled walnut pogo’s over and demands, “What do you want Ranma?”

Koron says, “I don’t know. May I have your name?”

Ranma has an amused expression as she says, “I want you to answer her question.”

“Why?”

Koron snorts, “Because she wants to know what will happen.”

Koron’s shoulders visibly relax as she feels her name settle back into her. The walnut isn’t so fortunate as she says, “I’m Elder Si Ning to you outsider.”

Ranma tastes the name in her mouth, “It’s a nice name, I think I’ll keep it.”

The walnut stares at Koron in disgust, “You are dangerously close to wearing out your welcome.”

Koron snorts, “I haven’t had this much fun in decades. Ranma, would you like some hot water?”

Ranma cocks her head to one side, “Why, is your water bad? Or are you short on tea?”

The walnut sneers, “I’m going to inform the other elders, we’ll see what you have to say once they know.”

Koron shakes her head as the other… tribe member bounces off, “The water was so that you could return to your birth form. Though, I can offer tea too.”

Ranma pulls on her humanity and grimaces as the world becomes more confusing as she becomes a he and human. “I don’t need hot water to do that.”

Cologne says something in her native language, before repeating herself in Japanese, “I take it you can no longer understand me.”

Ranma shakes his head in disorientation, “Gah, this is horrible. Uh, whatcha say… oh, yeah, seems like it.”

Cologne smirks as Shampoo trots over and almost falls into the dirt as she sees Ranma’s birth form, “So I see. I have to insist that while you’re staying with us, you answer any challenges you received in this form. Just to make it fair on our younger members you understand.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 A few weeks later, a grumbling Ranma follows a panda through the streets of Nerima in Japan, after he managed to trick her into agreeing that upholding family honour is the honourable thing to do, and therefore as an honourable person he needs to meet the Tendo family in Japan.

Of course, the corollary to that is that implies that her father also has honour. As if he doesn’t, then the agreement between families doesn’t have anything to back it up. It’s already provided her with amusement, the latest bout of which is just how many times her father has been splashed with water. Or the fact that it turns out that he’s one of the rare pandas that can’t eat grains without having… problems. Which is why she has a large bundle of bamboo strapped to her backpack.

As to why she’s currently wearing her humanity, and thus appears male, it’s quite simple. She can’t understand her father like this, so his suggestions have no weight.

As the dutiful son she’s currently pretending to be, Ranma opens the front gate of the Tendo estate to allow her panda pops to walk through. At the glare the panda gives her, Ranma smiles sweetly, “I’m just being a dutiful son helping my poor disabled father. After all, isn’t that the honourable thing to do?”

“Growlf.”

She has already closed the gate and started walking up to the front door by the time the panda her pops has got his sign up. Not seeing a bell or knocker, Ranma uses the back of her knuckles to knock on the front door while she reads the sign saying ‘To defeat owner in savage combat, use rear door’.

Curiously, the same sign was at the side of the gate.

When the door opens, Ranma can’t help asking the moustached middle-aged man, “Do people often miss the first sign when they request savage combat?”

“Huh?”

Ranma points at the duplicate sign on the side of the house, “Do people often miss the first sign when they request savage combat?”

“Oh, uh, who are you?”

As her pops tries to push past her, Ranma does a back kick through his sign, and launches the panda back down the path. “You can call me Ranma Saotome. Pops said we were expected. Sorry about him, he’s not dealing with the blessing very well, and he occasionally forgets about propriety.”

A young woman’s voice calls, “Who is it dad?”

The moustachioed man glances back, “Uh, it’s Ranma Saotome and a panda?”

Ranma smiles as a roofing tile slips off the roof and knocks the panda pops out as he’s about to attack her from behind. “The panda is actually my honourable father. Who I’m sure wasn’t going to do something so dishonourable as to attack someone from behind.”

The poor moustachioed man seems most confused, so Ranma helpfully says, “Maybe it would be better if we came inside and got him some nearly boiling water.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 After being led around a corridor to a living room with a low table, the moustachioed man gestures to three young women kneeling beside the table, “These are my daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane.”

As the last word slips out of his mouth, Ranma relaxes and allows her humanity to recede as she has now been introduced. She can’t help the slight smirk on her face as she puts the panda on the floor, and reveals herself to the three women.

Nabiki clears her throat before saying, “Ah, father, I thought Ranma was supposed to be a boy, not a whatever she is.”

The moustachioed man looks back before fainting away on top of the panda.

Ranma shrugs and waves at the young women, “Hi, you can call me Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this.”

After a short moment, she adds, “Just to be clear, that was a sympathy type of sorry, not an apology type of sorry.”

Kasumi, a primly dressed woman in her early 20’s, stands up as she says, “I will get a blanket for father.”

Akane looks Ranma up and down, “Are you a martial artist?”

Ranma shrugs, “I have some skill in martial arts. What about you?”

“I am, would you like to spar?”

Ranma cocks her head to one side as she considers the request. After a moment she says, “I would, but I won’t until we have gone over the rules we’ll be playing by.”

Akane pouts, “It’s a spar, surely that’s all you need to know.”

Ranma tries to pin Akane with her gaze, alas her eyes are firmly attached to her head so it’s not possible. “Rules like, are weapons allowed, are we pulling our blows, will we be taking turns attacking and defending. Is there a win condition, or will it be timed. You know, silly little rules that stop broken bones and bodies. After all, the default rules are tit for tat.”

Nabiki’s eyes narrow as Akane marches over to Ranma and says, “Nothing that won’t heal overnight. Come on.”

Ranma rolls her eyes as she allows herself to be dragged to the dojo.

Nabiki looks up as Kasumi walks in carrying a blanket and pillow. As Kasumi’s covering their father up with the blanket, Ranma walks back in carrying Akane in a princess carry.

While Nabiki snickers, Kasumi covers her mouth with one hand and says, “Oh my. Is she ok?”

Ranma carefully puts Akane on the floor beside the table, “She’ll have a headache for a few hours, and have trouble breathing for a while. But she’ll heal by the time the sun rises.”

Nabiki says, “And how long did the fight last?”

Ranma shrugs, “Two hits once I went on the attack.”

Kasumi simply says, “I’ll put on some tea.”

Ranma looks at Kasumi as she stands up and walks towards the door. Just before she gets there Ranma says, “I’m sure that my father would appreciate some nearly boiling water when he wakes up. Would you like some help?”

Kasumi looks back with a puzzled expression, “Thank you for the offer, but you are a guest.”

The panda makes a growf sound as it reaches up to rub its head.

Chapter Text

Ranma, Fae Queen of Chaos – 2

A few hours later Soun, the three young women’s father, finally wakes up and is able to talk to Genma, Ranma’s father; before retreating behind a newspaper. Akane has also woken up, and loudly complained about her injuries before stomping up to her room.

Throughout it all, Ranma just kneels unobtrusively in the living space. Out of everyone else in the household, the only person who pays her any attention is Kasumi. Even if that’s only to hand her a cup of tea, and then take the cup away once she’s finished.

Alas, the time for observation passes as Soun pushes himself to his feet heavily and says, “Nabiki, would you fetch Akane and Kasumi. And do you know where Ranma went?”

Nabiki shakes her head as she stands up, “Sorry, I haven’t seen her? Him? Ranma.”

Ranma smiles broadly as Nabiki jumps when she says, “I’m right here.”

“Fuck, where did you come from?”

Ranma cocks her head to one side, “I never left.”

Nabiki huffs, “Fine! Don’t tell me! I’m going to get Akane.”

Once the room is empty, Soun walks over to Ranma, “Son, I understand that you have your own cursed form.”

Ranma shakes her head, “Oh, no. I don’t have any curses on me. I could provide you with one if you’d like though.”

Genma calls over from the sliding door that overlooks the garden, “Boy! Don’t lie, you fell into a cursed spring too.”

Ranma frowns, “I did not lie. To start, they are blessed springs, and I removed the blessing.”

“Then why am I cursed you stupid boy. I swear his brain’s gone softer since he gained his curse.”

“You are not cursed. The only curse at the pool turned you into a panda. The blessing allows you to be restored to your human form. I can remove it if you’d like pops.”

While they were talking, Soun’s head was turning backwards and forwards like an umpire at a tennis match. “Enough, Genma said you can still turn into a boy, is this true?”

Ranma nods, “I can.”

Soun breaths a sigh of relief, “Then this can still work.”

As Kasumi walks in drying her hands on a towel, she asks, “What can still work father?”

Soun says, “I’ll tell you when the other two get here.”

Genma growls, “Ranma, return to your birth form.”

Ranma slowly turns her head to look at Genma before saying, “No.”

“You must, to prove that you can fulfil the honour agreement between our families.”

Akane and Nabiki both walk in as Ranma sighs, “Such a bother.”

She then changes into a dark haired young man with a put upon expression on his face. Once she hears the gasps of surprise from the three girls, Ranma allows her humanity to fall away again.

Soun nods, “Ranma, as part of our families agreement. My daughter Kasumi, Nineteen. And Nabiki, Seventeen. And Akane, Sixteen.”

There’s a ‘growf’ from Genma as the wind drives a little spray from a neighbour watering their garden through the open screen door.

Soun ignores it as he continues, “Pick the one you want, she’s your fiancé.”

Kasumi immediately says, “Oh, he wants Akane!.”

Akane looks a little clueless as Nabiki says, “Oh definitely!”

Ranma smoothly stands up and walks over to the three girls, “Mr Tendo, just to clarify, this is an honour agreement to join the two schools in marriage.”

Soun nods, “It is.”

A smile starts to form on her face as she adds, “And by supporting the agreement, you agree that you are an honourable man.”

Soun nods, “I am.”

“And that the honour of myself and my fiancé is separate from your own honour.”

“Are you going to make a choice?”

Ranma steps in front of Kasumi and says, “Kasumi Tendo, will you do me the honour of being my fiancé for as long as the bonds of family honour tie us together, or you are able to stand by my side as an equal?”

Kasumi looks at Ranma doubtfully, “Surely Akane would be a better match for you.”

Ranma ignores Soun slipping on his newspaper, as he goes to step forward, and knocking himself out, “She a-urk…”

Ranma gently takes Kasumi’s hands in her own, “Kasumi, you were the only one that saw me after I knelt down over there. And you did it not once, but twice. So I ask again, will you do me the honour of being my fiancé for as long as the bonds of family honour tie us together, or you are able to stand by my side as an equal?”

Kasumi looks around at her sisters for help, who have both taken a step backwards. With no help forthcoming, she turns back to Ranma with a sigh, “I will take up this burden for the family.”

A sad little smile crosses Ranma’s face as she forms a silvery necklace with a swirling grey pearl dangling from it.

Holding it up so that Kasumi can see the necklace, Ranma says, “This will be proof of our promise, may I put it on you?”

Kasumi stares at the necklace in awe, before glancing back at her sisters, and the ill-concealed greed on Nabiki’s face. Turning around, she lifts her braided hair out of the way as she says, “I would be honoured if you would. Thank you Ranma.”

Ranma leans forward so that she can take hold of both sides of the necklace and bring them back together. As she does, she leans next to Kasumi’s ear and whispers “It should protect you from lesser yokai, yousi, or similar. My nature precludes being able to maintain a mound, so hopefully that portion of my authority will serve you better.”

Anything else Ranma was going to whisper is cut off as Akane grabs the table and smashes it over Ranma’s head with a shout of “Pervert!”

Ranma is about to retaliate when Kasumi says, “Enough, there will be no violence in the house! Do you understand.”

Ranma can’t help the smile that stretches almost ear to ear as she picks herself off the floor and bows towards her fiancé, “Of course Kasumi, I will abide by your rules while I live under your roof.”

“Akane, apologise to Ranma he, she. What do you prefer Ranma?”

Ranma nods at another sign she picked right, “I am female, so any terms that are appropriate, unless I have to actually use my humanity.”

Akane shakes her head as she storms out of the house, “She was being perverted!”

Kasumi sighs, “I’m sorry about Akane. She’s a nice girl. Just, she’s a violent maniac.”

Ranma pretends not to notice as Kasumi reaches up to touch the pearl with enough power in it that she’ll be weakened for a few days.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 The next morning, Ranma is woken up to the sound of a splash through the open window of the room she’s sharing with her panda pops. It’s certainly a far more pleasant way to wake up than being dragged out of her sleeping roll and tossed in the air.

Ranma smiles as she grabs her clean clothes and makes her way to the bathroom to freshen up. While she’s cleaning herself, she can hear the panda her father storming back to their room. She’s just getting dressed in her Chinese silks when the panda her father wrenches the door to the bathroom open and lunges for her.

Ranma is amused to see the floor between herself and the panda her father opens up into a void large enough that he can’t avoid falling through it. The faint splash outside is enough to tell her where it led to.

As she makes her way downstairs, Ranma’s surprised to hear humming coming from the kitchen. Making her way towards the kitchen, she pauses in the doorway when she sees Kasumi humming to herself as she moves around like a dancer or martial artist performing their art.

“Good morning Kasumi, is there anything I can help with?”

Kasumi pauses in her dance, a pinch of salt scattering across the floor rather than the food she was about to season. “Huh?”

“I said, ‘Good morning Kasumi, is there anything I can help with?’”

 Kasumi looks at Ranma oddly before taking another pinch of salt and seasoning the food. Once she’s done that she looks back at Ranma, who’s still there, “You’re offering to help again?”

Ranma smiles, “Of course, you are my intended. Why wouldn’t I offer to help and get to know you?”

Kasumi blinks a couple of times and absently turns some fish over in a pan, “Oh. This is the first time anyone’s offered to help in years.”

Ranma steps into the kitchen and grabs a pan of rice that’s about to boil dry. As she puts it to one side, Kasumi starts moving again as she says, “Thank you Ranma.”

Ranma’s about to reply when a panda paw reaches past her and hooks a steaming kettle from the stove and spilling it over himself. While her pops is struggling to access the Jusenkyo blessing, Ranma studies Kasumi’s dance, and how best she could insert herself into it.

Genma growls, “Boy, what have I said about using your powers to get out of training?”

Ranma turns around with a smile on her face, “I didn’t.”

“Of course you did, otherwise how did I end up in the pond.”

“My intended made her first rule last night, and you’ve already forgotten it?”

Kasumi pauses again, and Ranma reaches around her to move the bowl she was aiming for so that the rice falls into it without making a mess.

Kasumi glances at the bowl and smiles as she says, “Thank you Ranma. And I did?”

At almost the same time, Genma exclaims, “She did?”

Ranma claps her hands together and bounces happily, “She did, ‘No violence in the house’. It was wonderful.”

Kasumi starts dancing again with a thoughtful expression on her face. As she does, Genma goes to grab Ranma’s shoulder before thinking better of it and stomping out of the kitchen while saying, “You need to practice, I don’t want you going soft.” He pauses, “I’ve enrolled you in the local school boy. Don’t let me down.”

Ranma turns around, “Father, did you remember that I have to actively concentrate on being a boy these days?”

As Genma walks around the corner, Kasumi says, “It’s ok Ranma, I’ll walk you to the school and we can sort it out together.”

Ranma smiles, “That would be appreciated. Where do you keep your table settings?”

Kasumi hooks a cupboard open with her toe as she fills a percolator up with coffee. Ranma nods and pulls some bowls, chopsticks, and spoons from the cupboard.

As she’s about to leave, Kasumi asks, “Ranma. Why do you have to concentrate to be a boy?”

Ranma looks at the pile of things in her hand, the living area, and back to Kasumi. As she does the look a second time Kasumi says, “Lay the table and talk to me when you get back.”

Ranma nods and bounces down the corridor into the living area where her father is sitting looking out at the koi pond. With a smirk on her face, Ranma does a hands-free cartwheel over the table in the centre of the room as she lays out six bowls around the table. Landing silently, she does a second cartwheel back over the table, where she lays out the rest of what she’s carrying before padding silently back to the kitchen.

When she gets there, Kasumi says, “That was quick.”

Ranma shrugs, “Everything’s training, and I haven’t met anyone my age that’s better at martial arts than I am.”

“You sounded like you wanted to say something else.”

Spotting Kasumi working on a bento box, Ranma grabs the other bento boxes and swiftly shapes some rice into a teddy bear and a bunny in each one. “Before I was cursed, I’d have said I was the best. But lying is no longer an option for me.”

Kasumi frowns as she tidies up the bear before she starts to add the other ingredients, “I thought you told your father that he’s blessed.”

Ranma steps out of the way to think while Kasumi reaches for the different ingredients to go into the bento boxes. Spotting a bag of horseradish hanging from a hook, she grabs two bits and places them on the counter. “Imagine that these are both people before they fall into one of the cursed springs.”

Running her fingers under the cold tap, she sprinkles one of the radishes with water and uses her power to turn it into a custard mochi. “This one is cursed to become a mochi.”

Then she sprinkles water over the second one and applies some sort of illusion over it, “While this one is cursed to become a mochi with cold water.”

As Kasumi lifts up the first mochi, Nabiki walks in half asleep and picks up a mug full of the coffee that Kasumi made before snatching the mochi from the counter with an, “Oh, mochi, thanks Kasumi.”

Kasumi and Ranma watch Nabiki walk out in silence. A few seconds later there’s a scream of “Hot hot hot hot hot. Need water!”

Before Nabiki gets back in, Ranma sprinkles some hot water over the mochi in Kasumi’s hand and applies the same illusion to make it look like the radish again. “The way they actually work, is that there’s a blessing over the valley that counteracts the original curse when splashed with purified water. Try it.”

Nabiki comes in and throws the remains of her mochi away before filling a glass with water as she waves her hand at her mouth. She goggles as Kasumi takes a nibble out of the piece of horseradish she’s holding, before saying “Sweet”.

With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Ranma reaches into the bag of horseradish and pulls out a piece, before throwing it in her mouth and eating it, “I know.”

Kasumi stifles a giggle behind taking a larger bite out of the mochi pretending to be a radish as Nabiki looks at the bag suspiciously before taking a piece and sniffing it. Then she takes a bite and spits it out into the bin before she gulps water straight from the tap.

Once she’s finished, she gives the pair a glare as she says, “That wasn’t funny.” And stomping out to rescue her coffee.

Kasumi finishes her mochi as she gets her giggling under control. “So, your father is a panda now?”

Ranma nods, “And I’m no longer human. Not sure what I am, as the Joketzuzoku didn’t have records of that spring either. I don’t have the blessing no more either, as pops kept splashing me with hot water while I was trying to adjust to my new body. I didn’t know I could do that thing with the radishes till today. Though the blessing didn’t go quietly, which is why my humanity is male.”

“I don’t understand. Could you grab the rice and pickles while I grab the fish and eggs?”

Ranma grabs the tray with different bowls of pickled vegetables along with the large server of rice, “Neither do I. But when I pull it about me, the world becomes duller, faster, and I can lie and stuff, but I can’t do things like the radishes.”

The two of them walk into the living area as Akane jogs down the stairs.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 Once people have started eating, Kasumi frowns as Genma reaches across the table to snatch the grilled fish from Ranma’s bowl. Even though Ranma successfully parries the attempt, she softly says, “Enough. If you’re going to steal food at the table, then you might as well eat horseradish and bamboo.”

Kasumi narrows her eyes as Ranma doesn’t ‘quite’ defend herself as Genma ignores her and steals the fish from her bowl. The food in Genma’s bowl turning into sliced bamboo and radishes causes her to raise an eyebrow as Ranma helps herself to the grilled fish that appeared back on the serving plate.

Genma makes a face as he chews uncomfortably on a mouthful of bamboo and horseradish. With a great deal of effort, he swallows the mouthful and stares mournfully at his bowl, “It’s speed training.”

Kasumi shakes her head as she daintily eats her own food, “It’s disrespectful to the cook. And Ranma, you don’t need to eat so fast either. Take your time and enjoy your food.”

Ranma pauses with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth and ducks her head, “Yes Sumi-sama.”

As everyone is staring at the bowl of bamboo and horseradish, Kasumi coughs politely, “On the subject of food and manners. While I don’t mind people using the kitchen when I’m not there. Anyone that does must leave it clean and tidy. Additionally, if you’re cooking food for other people, you must taste every dish before it’s served.”

Chapter Text

Ranma, Fae Queen of Chaos – 3

On the way to her new school, Ranma is walking along the top of a chain link fence while Kasumi and Akane walk along the pavement. As they’re passing by a canal, Akane asks, “What are you doing up there?”

Ranma shrugs as she can feel the fence vibrating from something heavy trying to be stealthy as it runs up behind her. “Balance training.” She leaps in the air and kicks her father in the hip to throw off his balance as he’s about to put weight on his leading foot.

As Genma over balances into the canal, she adds, “And making it harder for the stupid panda, I mean pops to sneak up on me.”

Akane looks at the panda worriedly, “Aren’t you going to help him?”

Ranma jumps down onto the pavement beside Kasumi, “Nope, if the honourable panda insists on dishonourable actions, he can sort himself out.” She raises her voice, “Before the kappa catches up with him!”

Kasumi blinks as she spots a V in the water heading towards Mr Saotome, apparently at the same time as the panda, as he starts rapidly swimming in the opposite direction.

Akane, on the other hand, scoffs, “There’s no such thing as kappa. They’re just a fairy tale.”

Kasumi keeps looking back at the retreating V as Ranma says, “Pandas that turn into men with an application of hot water would have been a fairy tale to you last week too.”

Akane nods, “I suppose.” Then her eyes narrow, “Hey, doesn’t that mean that you’re a boy?!”

Ranma shakes her head, “The curse of Jusenkyo doesn’t work like that. That’s why someone placed a blessing on the valley.”

Kasumi looks back towards where they’re walking as the canal is hidden by a house. On the other side of the street is a building advertising Chiropractor, Acupuncture, Osteopathy. “Oh, Ranma, that’s the local doctors. If you, or someone with you, ever needs it.”

Akane mutters, “I hate boys” under her breath.

Ranma looks at Akane with a little concern, “Akane, are you alright?”

Akane mutters more loudly, “I hate boys.”

The three of them round the corner of the street, and the Gates of Furinkan High School.

From the other side of the gates a boy in a gi shouts, “Akane Tendo’s here!”

As if that was the trigger to start, a crowd of a couple of dozen boys roughly the same age as Akane and Ranma charge out of the gates towards them as Akane starts running towards them shouting, “I despise boys!”

Kasumi frowns minutely, puts her hand on her chest, and says, “Oh my. Ranma, would you make sure Akane’s alright while I go on ahead?”

Ranma looks at the rapid beat down that Akane is delivering, “Uh, sure?”

“Thank you Ranma.”

As Kasumi slips around the fight, Ranma leaps up onto one of the pillars next to the gate and crouches down as she observes the systematic dismantling of the crowd of wannabe martial artists. In her movements is an economy of motion that she’d be hard pressed to match with her humanity pulled around her.

As Ranma catalogues yet another missed opportunity to remove an opponent from the fight that will take three more moves to complete, she muses that Akane’s tactical and technical knowledge is still at belt level. The last few opponents pass quickly after that as there is no subterfuge in their approach to Akane.

With a casual leap, Ranma joins Akane inside the school grounds. Just as she opens her mouth to correct Akane, she pauses for a second before deciding to emulate the way that she saw the Amazon’s instructing their young warriors during the two weeks it took her father to return to the village. If it doesn’t work, she can always fall back on the panda her pops teaching, “That was very well done Akane, I don’t think I could have managed such economy of motion. I co-ah, that is I noticed some places where you could improve if you’d like to exchange pointers later.”

Akane preens with the complement, but whatever she was going to say goes unsaid as a young man a full head and a half taller than Ranma walks towards them with a bokken resting on his shoulder.

As he walks over, the upperclassman says, “Truly such a boorish lot. Evidently each of them intends to ask you out Akane, on the morn that he finally defeats you. And, standing with you is a red headed beauty, ah, my days are blessed indeed.”

In a resigned voice, Akane says, “Upperclassman Kuno.”

Ranma raises an eyebrow, “You seem to be quite popular Akane.”

Akane seems nervous as she says, “Say out of the way, you’ll get hurt.”

“I think you may be underestimating my abilities here Akane.”

Kuno bows towards Ranma, “Ah my red headed maiden, you are familiar with my fierce tigeress I see. Will you do me the honour of bestowing upon me your name?”

Ranma frowns and considers which method of eviscerating the lout in front of her she’ll use.

Blithely ignorant of his fate, Kuno continues, “Ah! But it is the custom to give one’s own name first! Fine, then! Mine I shall give.”

Ranma’s frown disappears as she realises that it’s a trade he’s after.

“My name, is Tatewaki Kuno, junior class E. Captain of the Kendo Club. Undefeated new star of the high school kendo world. But my peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!”

Realising that it’s her turn to give a name, Ranma’s stuck until the image of a young girl with dark brown hair who gave her name a few weeks ago. With a smile she says, “Then I give you the name Pu-Pu. I thank you for your name.”

Pu-Pu bows toward Ranma, “Once I have battled fair Akane for her hand, might I date you.”

Ranma shakes her head, “I’m engaged. Akane, would you like me to teach him a lesson?”

Akane huffs, “I can fight my own battles.”

As Akane steps forward, Ranma nods, “Very well, though Kasumi asked me to ensure you are alright. So, if it gets dangerous I’ll have to step in.”

It appears that her words weren’t heard as the two of them join battle. Ah well, Ranma steps back so that she can observe the way that Pu-Pu is fighting. As she does, she feels insulted on Akane’s behalf, as it’s clear that he is clearly just playing with Akane as she watches him twitch towards obvious gaps in her defence on multiple occasions. As the fight goes on, she revises her opinion of Pu-Pu to the fact that he’s an idiot, as those missed gaps are also when Akane’s breasts are pointing at his face.

Sliding into the fight, Ranma catches the blade of the bokken as it’s about to hit Akane’s collar bone. With her other hand she palm strikes Pu-Pu’s forehead, knocking him out.

Akane angrily rounds on Ranma, “What did you do that for? I almost had him.”

Ranma gently touches the bokken to Akane’s collar bone, “If you say so. I’m going inside.”

Akane watches Ranma as she walks towards the crowd of students standing by the front door. As she disappears from sight, Akane mutters “Baka.” [idiot] and starts to make her own way into the school.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 After she’s sorted out the confusion with Ranma’s intake paperwork through the judicious use of her patient smile and, later, the fact that Ranma was self evidently female; Kasumi makes her way to the canal market for food supplies.

Normally, she’d just head to the local supermarket, but with the additional mouths to feed the market market will allow her to stock up on staples at a fraction of the cost. Though pickings will be slim at this late hour, she should still be able to get some large sacks of rice and beans.

As she’s passing the last culvert before the canal opens up into the park, and then to the market before being covered once more as it moves into central Tokyo; she hears the sound of a woman’s sobbing coming from the canal.

Not seeing any one else paying the slightest bit of attention, Kasumi huffs as she looks for the access gate. Once she finds it, she’s not surprised to find that in the past someone’s snapped the padlock that holds the latch closed. Granted, they did it in such a way that the padlock looks like it’s fine without actually being locked.

Slipping her shoes off, she puts them into her bag and ties her skirt up as she climbs down the service ladder into the canal. As she reaches the water level she can tell that the sound of crying is clearly coming from the culvert.

Bracing herself, she gingerly lowers her foot into the cold water and send a brief prayer to her ancestors when her foot touches concrete at only knee deep. If she’s careful, her skirts will remain dry, and at worst it should only be the hems that get wet.

Cautiously, Kasumi makes her way to the mouth of the culvert and calls out, “Hello Miss, are you alright?”

When the sobbing doesn’t let up she gingerly feels her way forward with one hand on the wall. Around 20 yards in, a void opens up where her hand was. It’s also where the sobbing was coming from. Sobbing that has abruptly stopped.

Suddenly a woman says right beside her ear, “Do you think I’m pretty?”

Kasumi stumbles away from the voice, and only avoids falling into the canal proper by her toes. At the same time, the pearl that Ranma gave her seems to catch the faint daylight that’s reflecting off the water.

“Oh my, you scared me.”

The woman voice turns fawning as she says, “I’m sorry mistress, I didn’t recognise you in the darkness. I’m so hungry.”

Kasumi’s heart goes out to the woman, so she says, “I don’t have enough money to treat you to a late breakfast. But if you can carry a bag of rice home for me, I can make you a snack there.”

“This one is grateful for any scraps you’re willing to share with me Mistress.”

Kasumi huffs, “I can certainly do better than some scraps. Now come along, the market closes at eleven, and the best bargains will have gone already.”

As the two of them walk out of the tunnel, Kasumi looks back and her heart goes out to the young woman following her. The fact that she’s wearing a yukata and geta along with a cloth mask suggests that that she’s from a well to do family. How she ended up in that tunnel is something to be discovered later. But, in Kasumi’s mind, all of the reasons why a woman dressed like that is homeless are bad ones. Even worse, she’s obviously been in this situation for a while, as she doesn’t bother to pull her yukata from the water to preserve it.

As Kasumi makes her way around the rest of the market, after buying a sack of beans, two sacks of rice, and a bundle of bamboo shoots that she’ll pick up from the stall holder on the way home, the woman follows Kasumi at a very traditional distance. Which raises so many questions that she cuts her shopping short after only restocking half her herbs and spices. A bit of rope, from her days doing gymnastics at Furinken High, turns the large sacks of rice, beans, and bamboo into two not uncomfortable backpacks.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 Once they get home, Kasumi sighs as she walks around the house to the kitchen, and spots Genma and her father playing shogi in the living room, with the screens open. Neither of the two men show any sign of noticing them or the heavy packs they’re carrying.

As she helps unload the woman’s pack, Kasumi asks, “What’s your name miss?”

The woman shakes her head, “I don’t have a name anymore Mistress.”

Kasumi thinks for a moment before saying, “Then you can be Mihara until we find out your real name, how’s that?”

Mihara seems to light up and clasps her hands together as she bows, “Thank you mistress.”

Kasumi points towards the living room as she says, “You’re most welcome, now take a seat in the living room while I prepare a snack and some tea.”

Kasumi smiles as Mihara bows to her once again before walking out the door. As she’s putting the kettle on, along with a pan to prepare some more rice for lunch, she hears Mihara say, “Do you think I’m beautiful?” to the men.

Strangely after that, she hears her father screaming shortly before a soaking Mihara walks in through the kitchen door without her facemask.

Kasumi looks up and spots the fresh wounds running from the corners of Mihara’s mouth to her ears. She covers her mouth as she says, “Oh my, we need to get you to the hospital.”

Mihara’s voice sounds guttural as she says, “I am beyond mortal help.”

“I, uh. That is, you should get cleaned up at least.” She switches off the hob, “Come on, I’ll show you to the bathroom and get my first aid kit. I think I have some clothes that will fit you while I clean and repair your current clothing.”

Mihara shakes her head, “Mistress doesn’t need to put herself to such trouble.”

Kasumi gently leads Mihara towards the ofuro “Nonsense, you’re a guest here.”

Chapter Text

Ranma, Fae Queen of Chaos – 4

After a rocky start, where Ranma had to demonstrate her ability to become a human boy in front of the whole class. An aggravating requirement that Kasumi negotiated for her in the interests of honesty. Especially given the looks that the class gave her. Granted, the only one of those looks she recognised was jealousy, and the girls seemed to swap their jealousy for whatever expression the boys had as they looked at her jealously.

The second thing that she discovered is that she didn’t understand a damn thing the teachers were teaching. She even tried pulling on her humanity to see if that made any difference. It did, but only because the lessons sent her to sleep rather than sitting there in confusion.

At lunch time, Ranma was swarmed by boys and girls, all clamouring to give her their names. Before she’s made up her mind on whether to keep them or not, Pu-Pu charges into the classroom and kneels down while holding a carnation out.

“Fair red-haired goddess, I would date thee.”

Ranma looks at the boy in confusion, “I already told you that I’m engaged to be married already.”

Pu-Pu sighs, “I remember, but I must date thee. I’m sure that our families can come to an agreement shouldst we get along.”

“Pu-Pu, I’m only going to say this once. I’m engaged to a woman, and I’m only attracted to women. I will not date you.”

Around the class the other students all nod in understanding, and disappointment amongst the male half of the class. When it looks like Pu-Pu is going to say something stupid again, Ranma slides the window behind her open, and backflips out of it with her bento.

Once outside it doesn’t take her long to find Akane sat under a tree with a few other girls.

Plopping down on the grass beside the, Ranma huffs, “Pu-Pu is so annoying.”

Akane says with feeling, “Oh ancestors yes. He won’t take the hint that I’m not interested.”

One of the other girls says, “Not to mention the rest of the Hentai Hoard.”

Ranma shrugs, “They look like good practice for dealing with large groups of thugs. And Akane, won’t you introduce me to your friends?”

Akane grinds out, “You only say that because they’re not trying to do perverted things to you.”

The same girl says, “These are Yuka, Asami, and Hiroko, and my name is Sayuri.”

Ranma cocks her head to one side, “That’s a nice name, you can keep it. Akane, when you say perverted, do you mean unnatural, forbidden, or wrong?”

As Akane turns red, Asami asks, “Surely you already know the answer, after all you’re a girl aren’t you?”

Ranma opens her mouth to say ‘yes’ before realising that the simple answer would be a lie. A lie she could tell, as it is part of the truth, but not one that the sister of her fiancé deserves. With a sigh she says, “It’s complicated.”

Hiroko shakes her head, “It can’t be that complicated, you’re either a boy or a girl.”

Ranma brushes her hair back past her pointed ear with a soft smile, “It’s complicated.”

Yuka excitedly leans over to have a closer look, “Oh wow, I can’t see any makeup or surgical lines, how did you get ears like that?”

“They’re natural, and in the same place I stopped being a human boy most of the time.”

“Huh? Why specify human?”

“Because I’m not human. Not anymore.”

Akane explodes and slams Ranma over the head with her bookbag, “Stop making Yuka do perverted things to your ear!”

Ranma and Yuka both look towards Akane as she storms off. “Huh?”

Asami and Hiroko both scramble to their feet to run after Akane while Sayuri says, “Are you alright?”

Ranma scratches the back of her head in confusion, “Yeah. I wonder what that was about.”

Yuka shrugs, “Who knows. She wasn’t like this before Kuno made his declaration in May. Since then it’s been every day.”

Ranma counts off on her fingers, “That’s five months, she’s been fighting crowds for five months?”

Yuka nods, “Something like that, yes.”

“No wonder she’s so efficient with her moves.”

Sayuri exclaims, “You can’t say it like that! Don’t you know what it’s like to be expected to date a guy just because they’re stronger than you?”

Ranma shakes her head, “No. Until a month ago, I was a guy remember.”

Yuka nods, “Only absolute pigs would force themselves on a woman.”

Ranma smiles, “I see. I shall be sure to inform them of that fact if they continue to do it tomorrow.”

As the five-minute bell goes, signalling the end of lunch, Sayuri giggles, “I’d love to see that.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 When they arrive home after school, Genma meets Ranma at the gate to the Tendo home, “Ranma, it’s time for your training.”

Ranma shrugs and ducks under a controlled swing, bends around a kick, and steps over another kick, “Sure. Let me get changed out of my school uniform first.”

With frustration clear in his voice, Genma says, “Fine, but you have to train as a boy.”

As Ranma walks into the house, Akane shares a glance with Nabiki, “Did you see that?”

Nabiki nods, “I bet you couldn’t do that.”

Akane growls, “I so could.”

As they both walk into the living room, they see a strange woman wearing one of Kasumi’s old dresses and a facemask. Notably, she has a pile of their old clothes beside her, and she’s in the process of darning one of Akane’s old keikogis [gi].

Putting her bag down, Akane puts her school bag down by the table and kneels down beside the woman, “Hello, I’m Akane.”

The woman looks up at her as Nabiki freezes in the doorway, “Hello Akane, my name is Mihara. Do you think I’m pretty.”

Akane nods as Nabiki says, “Akane, don’t! That’s a…”

Akane says, “You are.”

Mihara reaches up and pulls her facemask down. In a guttural voice she says, “What about now?”

Akane’s vision goes a little hazy as she says, “Who did that to you… I’ll kill him.”

On the other side of the room, Nabiki lets out a terrified little eep, and Mihara draws a pair of shears and leaps at Nabiki, before falling through a hole in the floor.

Akane looks up at Nabiki through her haze of anger, “Nabiki, what did you do?”

Nabiki grabs her bag and swiftly heads for the stairs as she tries to hide the panic in her voice as she says, “I’ve got homework to do, I’ll be down for dinner!”

Akane looks around with a confused expression as her father does his best to hide behind his newspaper. Standing up, she walks past the screens that separate the outer corridor from the outside and the living space.

Then she sees Mihara standing by the Koi pond as she watches a boy and a panda fighting each other on the lawn. It takes her a moment to recognise that the boy is Ranma. As she does, the familiar sense of disgust washes over her, and she averts her eyes as she slips on a pair of slippers and walks across the lawn to Mihara.

“Mihara, are you alright?”

Mihara looks at Akane and then back at the fight, “Isn’t it amazing.”

Akane glances over, “I suppose. I’ve seen better.”

Mihara looks back at Akane, “I fear that we are not looking at the same thing.”

“What? He’s just a boy.”

Mihara nods, “Ah. I see. My father was a samurai and martial artist close to the court. I remember many martial artists would seek him out just to watch his matches.” She grips her shears tightly, “Maybe if I could take on a male guise, like she can, I wouldn’t have been discarded.”

Akane steps next to Mihara and pulls her into a one-armed hug as she tries to look back at the fight and ignore the fact that it’s a boy fighting. “Why would he do that?”

Mihara gestures to her face, “I was betrothed to the scion of another samurai family, but he was interested in a girl from another clan. So, one evening he took me to a play, and during the intermission he dragged me into an alleyway with his friends and… Once they were finished they did this.”

That haze from before falls over her eyes as Akane says, “Tell me who they are, and they won’t even find the body.”

Mihara top lip curls up in a smile as she says, “After my father disowned me, they found me and left me for dead in a canal. But I found them and killed them, and all of those like them.”

Akane nods sharply, “Good. Let’s get you cleaned up. Then I’m going to break some bricks.”

As they’re walking towards the laundry room, Mihara puts her hand on Akane’s arm, “Be careful of your anger. I remember my father telling one of his students that anger is a good servant but a poor master.”

Akane grumbles, “I’m in control.”

As Akane storms out, Mihara looks up at her Yukata and whispers, “That’s what my betrothed said.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 After she’s thrown (and been thrown by) the panda her father into the koi pond enough that he’s finally had enough, Ranma makes her way into the kitchen.

“Good evening Kasumi, is there anything I can do to help?”

From behind her there’s a whomph, and Kasumi giggles behind her hand. Ranma looks back with a frown, “Did I miss something?”

Kasumi nods, “Mr Panda just tried to hit you with a sign.”

Ranma rolls her eyes, “I think he’s forgotten that I can understand him in that form. Granted, I spent a lot of time as a boy so that I couldn’t understand him. But it doesn’t change the facts.”

“Oh. Have you seen Mihara yet?”

Ranma nods, “Only in passing, the wounds on her cheeks are quite pretty.”

Kasumi covers her mouth, “Don’t say that to her, she’s sensitive about them. And no, there’s nothing for you to do at the moment.”

Ranma nods again, “Ok then. Just…” She swallows hard as it pains her to admit this, “Just remember that I’ve never had a home before, so I don’t know the things that need doing around them. I kinda know that women are supposed to help keep the home, so if there’s anything you want help with just let me know.”

Kasumi steps forward and hugs Ranma, “It’s ok, I’m used to the work here.”

Ranma struggles briefly before relaxing and hesitantly lifting her arms to hug the taller woman back, “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn. I love learning new things, as long as I understand them anyway.”

“What was that last bit?”

Ranma sighs, “I have a massive pile of homework I have to work through, and I don’t understand any of it. Stupid inability to lie.”

Kasumi looks at the girl she’s holding with a critical eye, “What do you mean?”

Ranma looks out the kitchen window with a wince, “It’s impossible for me to lie like this. I could do it as a boy, though I’ve never been good at it.”

“I meant about not understanding your homework. Though that’s good to know.”

When Ranma doesn’t say anything, Kasumi gently says, “Ranma, which school did you go to before?”

“Pops was forced to enrol me in a middle school in Shikoku when a truant office caught me last year. I was there for a year before he dragged me off to China.”

“And you’ve had no other formal schooling before that?”

Ranma shakes his head, “Not that I remember.”

“Ranma, look at me.” Ranma looks up at Kasumi, “Why wouldn’t you remember?”

“I… don’t want to talk about it.”

Kasumi sighs, “Did your father at least teach you kanji?”

Ranma nods, “I can write my name, if that’s what you mean.”

Outside the kitchen window a Panda pauses as it hears the conversation happening inside. Quickly stealing the kettle, it douses itself in boiling water before rushing to find somewhere else to be with his friend.

Inside, Kasumi uses all the practice she gained while looking after Akane and Nabiki after their mother died to keep her voice light and pleasant as she says, “Ranma, could you go into the living room. I’ll be there shortly; I just need to get our old schoolbooks.”

Ranma nods and wanders into the living room to see the Mihara has sat down next to a pile of old clothes.

As Mihara spots her walking in, she immediately gets into a kneeling position and bows down in front of Ranma. “Mistress, this one is ready to serve you.”

Ranma mutters, “Why are so many yokai like this?” Louder she says, “Get up, I don’t need your service. I can fend for myself.”

“That is self-evident after I saw you limiting yourself so that you could fight the panda man. That doesn’t mean that you should be need to fend for yourself.”

Ranma reaches down and tugs Mihara back into a seating position, “Come on, don’t do that. It’s embarrassing.”

As she notices the terror on Mihara’s face, Ranma adds, “And I ain’t gonna hurt you unless you start attacking innocent people or something. After all, a martial artist’s duty is to defend the weak and helpless.”

“I, uh, see. My father followed Bushido.”

Ranma grimaces, “Samurai huh? That sucks. It’s fine if you’ve got a good daimyo but too many of them were corrupt bastards.”

There’s a hint of curiosity behind Mihara’s mask as she says, “You see yourself as a martial artist?”

Ranma shrugs, “Wandering Martial Artist, but yeah. It’s how pops raised me. Kinda fixed now even if I change my mind, after all yokai can’t change their nature.”

From the door, Kasumi softly says, “Is that how you see yourself, as a yokai?”

Ranma looks over to see her carrying a large stack of books, “It’s what I am. Not sure what type though, as the Amazons didn’t have any records of my sort of Yokai, and they’ve got records from all over Asia.”

Mihara looks at Kasumi and says, “Mistress Kasumi, she is the most powerful yokai I’ve ever met.”

Kasumi reaches up to the necklace she’s wearing, “Ranma?”

Ranma smiles at Kasumi, “That necklace has around half my power in it, and as long as you’re my fiancé it will remain yours to keep. Unless honour demands that I remove it, or until you’re my equal.”

“You’ll have to explain what that means later, but for now I have all our books, from junior to high school.”

Mihara looks at Ranma strangely, “You are uneducated?”

Ranma winces at just how large the pile of books is, “Kinda.”

“That will not do for the lord I choose to serve. Even if you’re only a lord part of the time. I was in the first class at Tokyo Jyogakkō, and I was due to receive the distinction before my betrothed… I am well versed in kanji, history, and numbers. Also, for matters of honour, my father used to reference the Kojiki as well as the code of Bushido. Maybe you could acquire a copy.”

Ranma winces, “I’ve seen copies in some of the dojo’s pops took us to.”

Kasumi nods, “Once you receive your student ID we can sign you up to the library. They should have copies that you can borrow.”

Ranma nods, “Thank you Kasumi. I guess I should get started on my homework.”

Mihara looks between the two, “Mistress Kasumi, if it pleases you, I can prepare the food while you work with your betrothed on their education. Maybe afterwards I can help Mistress Ranma with her kanji and numbers.”

Kasumi smiles widely, “That would be lovely, thank you.”

Chapter Text

Ranma, Fae Queen of Chaos – 5

The next morning, Ranma slips out of the house just before Akane and Nabiki are ready. As she walks to the school, she pulls her humanity around her to allow herself to feel some concern about how much time her father is spending as a panda. As he doesn’t seem to be able to stop his dishonourable actions.

Once the squeezing of her uniform on her waist and shoulders become too much to bear, Ranma allows her humanity to slip to the background once more.

It doesn’t take long for her to reach the school, and she’s late enough that the hentai hoard have already gathered.

Hopping up onto the same pillar she used yesterday, Ranma calls out, “Hello hoard!”

It takes a moment for the boys in the hoard to notice her, but eventually they’re all looking up at her. A member that’s wearing western boxing gloves calls out, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Ranma gives the gathered boys a shark like grin, “As some of you already know, I’m a martial artist that has been on a 12 year training trip. It was brought to my attention yesterday that you lot are honourless pigs that wish to force themselves on a woman simply because she’s pretty and strong enough to fight you off.” She ignores the rising anger in the crowd as she continues, “As I am not an honourless person, I am warning you that if you continue to try to force yourself on any woman, a pig you are and a pig you’ll become. You’ll have two warnings, a third attempt will be rather permanent.”

After leaping across the open gateway, Ranma has barely gone three meters down the wall before there’s a shout of, “There’s Akane. Akane we love – oink.”

As she jumps onto the ground inside the wall, Ranma looks back to see Akane bemusedly slow to a walk and look at the near adult pigs that are struggling to get out of their clothes. If she was at full strength, she knows that she’d have only needed one warning.

Ranma’s train of thought is interrupted by a bouquet of roses being shoved into her face.

“My red headed beauty, I would date thee!”

In a carefully controlled voice, Ranma says, “Mr Pu-Pu, twice before I have told you no. Are you trying to insult my honour by…”

Ranma trails off as she follows Kuno’s gaze downward.

Pu-Pu shakes his head, “Nay fair maiden, your beauty is such that I am absolutely captivated by it, and you must allow me to treasure you. If flowers are not to your taste, then I will allow you to duel me, and if you win you shalt date me.”

Ranma’s tri-coloured irises flash with the different shades of red as she blows through Kuno’s defence and grabs his sword hand in one hand, and his throat in the other. “Mr Pu-Pu, I gave you three tries to take the honourable way out. I told you that I’m only attracted to women.”

“Urk!”

“No, you do not get to speak. You get to listen and change.” Her arms lower slightly as Mr Pu-Pu becomes Miss Pu-Pu, “Unlike the pigs behind me, your change is permanent. If you can beat me in a fair martial arts challenge, then maybe I’ll consider giving you a male form again.”

Her piece said, she turns and throws Pu-Pu over the school wall and the houses on the other side of the street. Turning back to the students watching out the windows she says, “Anyone else?”

Funnily enough, the windows and entrance miraculously clear before the last word has finished the slight echo around the courtyard.

Halfway through the morning, there’s a whisper amongst the boys of “That explains so much.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 When they get home, Genma jumps out at Ranma as soon as they walk through the gate. Without breaking stride, Ranma grabs his outstretched fist and levers him over her head to land face first in the ground. Then there’s a wrenching pop as she levers his arm into a lock on his back, and dislocates the shoulder in the process.

Still standing beside the gate, Nabiki casually remarks to Akane, “Wow, she’s worse than you when you’re on your period.”

When Genma tries to kick Ranma she casually grabs his leg and wrenches it up to touch his ear. At which point he falls limp.

The sound of Genma’s aborted screams is enough to bring Soun, Kasumi, and Mihara to the front door.

Kasumi takes one look at Ranma’s skirt before saying, “Ranma, are you aware you’ve got blood on your skirt?”

Ranma looks down at her skirts in confusion until Akane waspily says, “The back of your skirt baka.” [idiot]

Ranma looks at the blood spot on the back of her skirt in confusion, “Huh? How did that get there.”

“As if you don’t know.”

Mihara smiles behind her mask, “I see we’re eating red beans and rice for dinner.”

Kasumi sighs, “Be nice Akane, or do I need to remind you of that time in Middle School.”

Nabiki finally looks up and spots Mihara. She tries to stifle an eep of terror, but it still catches Mihara’s attention.

As Nabiki dodges to one side before setting off in a sprint around the house, Akane’s cheeks glows a bright red and she hurries into the house saying, “I’m going to practice in the dojo!”

Kasumi sighs as even her father has made himself scarce. “Ranma, help me get your father into the living room, and then I’ll help you get cleaned up and show you how to protect your modesty.”

Ranma stands up and looks at the blood spot on the back of Genma’s keikogi, “Where did the blood come from?”

“Has nobody told you anything about your new body?”

Ranma shakes her head, “Koron told me that I needed to wipe differently, and that she’d explain more later. But pops knocked me out in the middle of a spar and… Well, we’re here.”

Kasumi looks at Genma critically, “Ranma, could you give me a hand here?”

Ranma simply crouches down, before putting her hand under Genma’s stomach and lifting him onto her shoulder. Together, the two of them walk into the living room where Soun is determinedly reading his newspaper.

As Ranma lays Genma down, Kasumi says, “Father, please call Dr Tofu, as I think Mr Saotome need a home visit.”

Soun’s eyes flick from Kasumi to Ranma to Genma before he finally says, “Yes Kasumi.”

Kasumi smiles, “Thank you father. Oh and tell Genma that it might be better to announce training for the next few days. I’ll warm some sake once we’ve got Ranma in some clean clothes.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 Once he’s finished on the phone, Soun carefully looks around for the yokai Kasumi invited into their home. Oh, he’d be the first to admit that he’s not that man he used to be. Not since Yagami died when Akane was still too young to understand. But by the ancestors, that yokai terrifies him.

As he passes the ofuro, he hears the voices of Kasumi, Ranma, and that yokai talking about women’s topics. When he realises what they’re talking about, he quickens his step back to the living room.

Once he gets there, Genma has regained consciousness, and has somehow levered himself into a sitting position.

“I’ve called a doctor.”

Genma grunts.

“Ranma sure did a number on you.”

Genma grunts again.

“She’s strong isn’t she.”

“He is my son Soun. My son.”

“It didn’t sound like it just now. Kasumi’s teaching her about women’s issues.”

“You’ve seen him in practice. He’s my son.”

Soun raises his hands placatingly, “The blood on your gi says differently. Changing the topic, what are we going to do about her?”

Genma looks at Soun strangely, “Who?”

“The yokai.”

“Mihara? Seems like a lovely girl.”

“Genma, she’s a ancestors forsaken Kuchisake onna. She’s going to eat someone one of these days.”

With his good arm, Genma fingers the repaired hole in his gi, “She does good work though. And it’s not like we didn’t meet stranger people on the road.”

Soun blinks at Genma, “Really?”

“Uh huh, we met one fellow who was so tall you couldn’t look up at him without falling over. Good with a club that one, if our art used weapons I might have delayed our arrival a couple of days so that we could exchange pointers. There was also the blind man that gave us some swimming lessons while we were swimming from China to Japan. We also met some people with orange and white hair that seemed to think Ranma was a long way east of where he should be. When I told them he was born in Tokyo they seemed to find it inordinately funny for some reason.”

“Ah, Genma, did you meet people like this much before China?”

Genma shrugs and winces, “Not quite as often. But you meet odd people in out of the way shrines and dojos.”

Soun blinks another few times before saying, “Right. Well, ah, Mihara already calls Ranma Mistress, how long do you think it will be before she tries to take Kasumi’s place?”

Genma leans forward and lets out a scream before leaning back and breathing heavily. Attracted by the scream, Kasumi hurries, unnoticed, into the living room to see what’s wrong.

Once he’s got his breath back, Genma says, “Fine, I suppose I can get a job to help…”

Kasumi smiles sweetly, “Oh, that would be wonderful Genma.” She fingers the pearl Ranma gave her thoughtfully, “How about I give you whatever help I can. I know. Anyone with a blessing from Jusenkyo that lives in and contributes to this house will… be unaffected by cold water if it would interfere with their honest and honourable job. Hmm, I think that will do the trick yes?”

Genma mutely nods as he shares a glance with Soun.

As she walks away, Kasumi says over her shoulder, “Of course, if you don’t want to contribute, bamboo is cheap. And father, please don’t try to have Mihara exorcised, she’s been a great help around the house.”

Genma and Soun both swallow hard as they share a glance. Then the doorbell goes, and Soun has to stand up to let Dr Tofu in to see Genma.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 As soon as she’s allowed to, Ranma flees to the dojo with her head spinning with techniques that have nothing to do with martial arts.

As she steps through the doorway, Akane looks up with a strange expression on her face, “Ranma, what happened this morning?”

Ranma freezes in place for a moment before carrying on into the centre of the room, “Oh thank the ancestors, I thought you were going to ask about what we just talked about.”

There was no need to specify who the we she was referring to was, as Akane chuckles, “I still remember Kas giving me that talk. Please tell me we’re not eating red beans and rice.”

Ranma shakes her head, “Sorry, Mihara was insistent on it. Even threatening to pull on my humanity couldn’t dissuade them.”

“Right, right. This morning!”

Ranma looks down, “Right, this morning. I, ah. Yuka told me about the Hentai Hoard, and how long they’ve been doing that. It’s not right or honourable.”

“That doesn’t tell me what happened though.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it. Hey, I said I’d give you some pointers yesterday, would you like me to see what I can do?”

“Sure.”

Ranma grimaces, “For the moment let’s spar, and I’ll touch you whenever you expose a weakness a human could exploit.”

Akane starts to pull the tarp containing the remains of her bricks to one side, “Human?”

“Yes, human. I fell into a cursed spring like pops did.”

“But you’re a girl.”

“I can be both. I seem to remember someone saying that there was a spring of drowned girl. My perceptions were a little screwy to start with, so I’m not sure why I remember that.”

Akane starts to move into an attack and Ranma immediately pokes her in the ribs with her toe when she doesn’t get her elbow down fast enough. After a few more exchanges, Akane gets poked again. It repeats over and over again until she explodes.

“Will you stop doing that!”

Ranma frowns as she looks at Akane, “But I’m doing what we agreed.”

“You’re just poking me!”

“We agreed that I’d touch you where you expose a weakness.”

“You were going to train me!”

From the side of the dojo, Mihara says, “I think that the problem is that you’re not explaining what she’s doing wrong, or how to correct it.”

Akane throws her arms up in the air, “At least someone gets it.”

Ranma shakes her head, “But this is how pops trained me, except with strong hits.”

Mihara nods in understanding, “I understand. There were many masters who were terrible teachers. May I make a suggestion?”

Ranma shrugs, “Sure.”

Akane growls, “It’s not like this baka can get any worse.”

Mihara nods, “Ranma, when you poke a vulnerability, stop and explain why it’s a vulnerability and how you would avoid getting into that position.” When Akane gives Ranma a vindicated expression Mihara continues, “Akane, you need to stop assuming that Ranma knows why something is a problem. She’s only been a girl for just over a month, and before that her father was her only consistent teacher. Now Kasumi sent me to tell Ranma that she needs to do her homework.”

As Ranma runs out of the dojo, Mihara looks calmly at Akane.

Once she starts to fidget, Mihara says, “My lord is a generous lord, but she is powerful. You would do well to remember that what she did to the boys this morning could easily be done to you. However, undoing it may not be so easy.”

“What do you care?”

Mihara takes her shears out of a pocket in her dress and looks at them, “You are the sister of my Mistress. The one that filled the aching void of hunger inside me. Did you know that since I died, two people have called me pretty even once I removed my mask.”

“But you’re alive.”

“In the same way that Ranma is alive. I remember the people and places that were important to me, but not the names. Never the names. The more I tried to hold onto them, the faster they slipped away. That was true of the women that called me pretty too.”

Mihara sways slowly towards Akane, “Would you like to know what it’s like? To be consigned to the dark nights, with hunger gnawing away inside you until you find a man walking the streets alone.”

Akane walks backwards until her back hits the dojo wall, “Mihara, you’re scaring me.”

Mihara puts her scissors away and turns around, “Good. Ranma could be so much worse than that. Or she could be your greatest friend. Just remember, she’s not stupid, just ignorant.”

As Mihara leaves, Akane puts her hand on her chest and slides down the door.

At the doorway, Mihara turns back and says, “I’m sorry I interrupted your practice. Ranma has never learned how to study, so the Mistress has taken it upon herself to teach her.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Ranma and Akane are making their way into the school during a cloudy autumn day. They’ve just passed the bike shed when Ranma hears a boy say, “Does anyone know Ranma Saotome?”

Ranma turns around to see a large framed tall boy with a thick neck and a belly you could grate cheese on. A heavy looking umbrella is resting on his shoulder.

Ranma blinks at the comparison to a cheese grater before saying, “Hi, have you ever tried grating cheese on your abs?”

The boy looks at her in confusion, “Huh?”

“Don’t worry, it was an idle thought. Anyway, you called my name?”

“Are you Ranma Saotome?”

Ranma nods, “That’s one of my names.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I’ve never been anyone else.”

“But you have, you know…” he mimes having breasts.

Ranma shrugs, “It’s a recent change. Just so you know, it’s a complete change too.”

“I see… Ranma Saotome! Because of you I’ve seen hell! Prepare to die!”

Ranma steps to one side as the boy jumps in the air and brings his umbrella down into the tarmac of the concourse, “Are you really sure that you want death to be part of this fight?”

As the boy swipes the umbrella up, Ranma leaps onto the tip as she continues, “I mean, I’m fine with it either way, just I remember that most humans prefer not to take life threatening wounds.”

The boy looks around a bit before looking up with an angry expression, “I see you’re still good at running away.”

“If you mean never taking a hit you don’t need to take, then yes. I’m even better than whenever I last met you.”

Ranma jumps down behind the boy as he visibly calms down and turns to face Ranma, “Just tell me one thing Ranma. Why did you run out on our fight!”

Ranma cocks her head to one side, “Was it a challenge?”

“Do you think I’d be this angry about a normal fight! Of course it was a challenge!”

“Oh, cos I’ve never run out on a Challenge.”

“You lie! You went to China with your father!”

Ranma blinks a couple of times, “Ryoga?”

“Now you remember me!”

“I do, because I was carried away from that challenge three days after it was due to start.”

“And on the fourth day I was there! Because of you I’ve seen hell!”

Ranma leans to one side as Ryoga opens his umbrella and sends it spinning towards her. When it doesn’t stop and instead knocks over several students that were watching at a safe distance, she frowns. “Ryoga, if you endanger bystanders again, I will be very upset.”

“Boohoo! Stop dodging then!”

Ranma’s eyes glow three different shades of red as she says, “Sure” and stops moving.

Royga grabs his umbrella from the air and closes in the same movement as he brings it down on Ranma’s head with a sickening crunch. As Ranma’s body slumps to the floor, Royga drops the umbrella and staggers backwards saying, “You were supposed to dodge that.”

Over the screams of the other student’s Ranma’s voice comes from her rapidly reforming mouth, “Then why did you tell me to stop dodging then?”

Her hand whips out and grabs the umbrella as she pushes herself to her feet with an unhinged grin on her face, “That was a good hit, it almost hurt. My turn, don’t move.”

Royga lifts his arms to protect his head as, almost faster than he can react, Ranma effortlessly brings his umbrella up and down in an overhand swing aimed at his head. The force of the blow causes his feet to sink 5cm into the tarmac, leaving cracks radiating out from his footprints.

With a snarl on her face, Ranma growls, “Next time you endanger innocent bystanders out of carelessness, I will rip your arm off and beat you with the soggy end.”

With a wordless yell Royga pushes Ranma off him and grabs a bandana off his head as she bounces lightly backwards on her feet. “Come back here!”

Ranma dodges the first few until she spots one leave a nasty gash on the arm of one student that’s too slow to get out of the way. In the time it takes her to turn back, another bandana has sliced through the metal pole holding the corner of the bike shed roof up.

Briefly, Ranma considers stopping dodging, but that thought is swiftly driven out of her mind when she’s winged by one of the bandanas and it leaves a bleeding gash that actually hurts. Dodging in directions where there’s hopefully less bystanders, Ranma slowly makes her way towards Royga.

Once she gets within a couple of paces he stops throwing bandanas and reaches for her. Ducking underneath his grasping hand, she grabs his wrist with one hand while her foot lashes out in a lightning fast kick just below his armpit, and the loud sound of something breaking. An instant after that, there’s a sucking pop and a tearing sound as she rips Royga’s arm off his shoulder and mindlessly starts to beat the unconscious boy around the head.

“A Martial artist’s duty is to defend the weak! You do not endanger innocents with your attacks! Have you no honour!?”

After a few moments, Akane hesitantly touches Ranma’s shoulder. Tentitively she says, “Ranma, he’s unconscious.”

Blinking, Ranma slows down on her next swing, then she looks at the arm in her hand, “Oh, I guess he is. Sorry about that. I guess I should put this back then.”

Akane watches in horror as the blood on the ground seeps back into Royga’s arm, and Ranma places the shoulder back into its socket as the flesh heals around it.

As the five minute bell goes for the start of school, in a shaky voice Akane says, “Y-you can heal?”

Ranma glances down at the unconscious boy, “Oh, huh, I guess I can. I only did that because ‘killing is the absolute last resort when you’ve tried everything else’.”

Akane swallows hard and follows after Ranma, “What was that?”

Ranma shrugs, “Part of the code of the martial artist, or at least the version that pops taught me. It’s the code I’ve sworn to live by. Well, minus the crap about martial artists have to be a man amongst men that pops tried to throw in. This was just after I spent a couple of weeks in a village of women martial artists.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

That night, Kasumi wakes up to the sound of Mihara saying, “Do you think I’m pretty?” followed by a splash in the koi pond outside.

Pushing herself of her bed, she pulls on her house coat and pads out of her room. As she’s passing the room that Mihara and Ranma are sharing, she passes a tired and confused looking Mihara standing in the doorway.

It’s not until she’s opened the doors to the back garden that she registers that fact. At which point, the light’s she’s turns on are faintly illuminating a young woman with blond hair poking out from a loose yellow and black bandana. Her yellow top and trousers were obviously borrowed from a charity bin, given how they’re too large for her.

“Hello miss. You didn’t have to jump over the wall to find a safe place to sleep.”

The woman looks up in confusion, “Huh?”

Kasumi sighs and puts on a pair of slippers to go outside, “Come on, let’s get you in out of the cold. I’m afraid we don’t have any hot water left, but you can still clean up in the shower.”

A sly smile creeps onto the woman’s face before it’s wiped away as she climbs out of the pond. Once she gets closer to Kasumi she says, “Thank you.”

As Kasumi’s guiding the young woman inside, she asks, “What’s your name?”

The young woman hesitates before saying, “Yoiko. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. There’s a woman’s shelter near the station, they close their doors at 7pm every night.”

Yoiko nods, “I’ll try to remember.”

Kasumi slides open the door to the ofuro, “The ofuro is through the door over there, leave your dirty clothes on the counter here and I’ll see about cleaning them in the morning. Hmm, I think you’re about Akane’s size, certainly larger than Ranma. I’ll bring a towel and some night clothes for you in a minute.”

Kasumi turns around and heads to the laundry room. On the way she meets Mihara coming down the stairs.

Yawning she says, “Morning.”

Mihara sighs, “Kasumi, it’s the middle of the night. Did you find the man that tried to attack Ranma?”

Kasumi shakes her head, “A man? No, just Yoiko. She fell in the pond, and she’s just cleaning up in the ofuro. I was going to get a towel and a set of Akane’s clean pyjamas.”

Mihara pats Kasumi on the arm, “Go back to bed Mistress, I’ll handle Yoiko.”

“Mmm. You’re so good Mihara. I think there’s another spare futon somewhere.”

“I know where it is Mistress. You get some sleep.”

Mihara watches as Kasumi walks up the stairs before she grabs the towel and a set of pyjamas that she hasn’t repaired yet. On the way to the ofuro she comes across Yoiko creeping the other way.

With a smile in her voice the doesn’t reach her eyes, Mihara says, “Hello Yoiko, I’m sorry it took a while to get the towel and pyjamas. Are you alright?”

Yoiko jumps and looks away guiltily, “I’m fine.”

“Well, as long as you’re not looking to attack people in their sleep I suppose it doesn’t matter.” Her hand gently reaches out to guide Yoiko, and coincidentally touches where Ranma said she broke Ryoga’s ribs.

When Yoiko winces despite herself, Mihara changes direction, “Of course, if you have broken ribs we can’t have you getting the bindings wet now can we. Come on, I’ll show you to where you can sleep.”

Yoiko looks at Mihara sharply, “How?”

Mihara pulls her facemask down and grins at Yoiko, “I’ve ended up in the koi pond more than enough times to know what happens. And we live with a part time panda.”

Yoiko looks at Mihara sharply, “You do?”

“Uh uh, Mistress wants me to show you to somewhere you can sleep. So that’s what I’m going to do. If you end up outside again, well I look forward to asking you a question.”

Yoiko shudders as Mihara’s fingers tighten on her ribs slightly.

Mihara leads Yoiko past the room that she shares with Ranma, and turns right past Nabiki and Akane’s room. Where there should be a blank wall, instead the corridor extends just that little bit further. Inside the room is barely two tatami mats in size [approx. 1.8m square] and across the far wall is a futon with a rough woollen blanket over a reed filled mattress. Just inside the door is a sturdy wooden chest with a wedge of wood locking the hasp down.

Mihara looks at the room with a sense of nostalgia, as it looks like one of the servant’s rooms from her father’s mansion. Shaking her head, she glides to one side.

“This will be your room for as long as you’re staying here.  I’m sure that if you’re a good girl your accommodation will be improved accordingly.”

Yoiko looks at the room doubtfully before squaring her shoulders and walking through the door. As she slides the door closed behind her, Mihara says, “Your pyjamas.”

Yoiko slides the door open again and takes the bundle of towel and pyjamas.

As she closes the door once more, Mihara says, “Once you’re changed give me your clothes and I’ll put them on to wash.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 In the morning Ranma makes her way downstairs to the kitchen. When she arrives she sees that Kasumi is moving somewhat less gracefully than normal.

Cocking her head to one side, Ranma says, “Are you alright Kasumi?”

Kasumi stops to give Ranma a smile, “I’m fine. I was just woken up in the night, and I’m running short on sleep.”

Ranma hesitates for a second before she says, “Um, would you like a hug? I’ve seen some of the other girls do that when one of them’s down.”

Kasumi smiles, “I would love a hug, thank you Ranma.”

Ranma steps forward hesitantly and allows Kasumi to make the first move before copying her and putting her arms around Kasumi’s back.

After almost a minute, Ranma starts to relax. A little after that Kasumi sighs and says, “Thank you Ranma, I needed that. It’s a pity you’re so short.”

Ranma leans back, “I can change that. If you’d like.”

Kasumi bites her lip and glances out the doorway before nodding, “I would.”

As Ranma pulls her humanity around herself, she flicks the pearl around Kasumi’s neck, “Don’t forget that this will allow you to do most of what you’ve seen or heard of me doing.”

Kasumi leans into her male chest with a sigh while Ranma tries to find the right position to put her hands now she’s taller than Kasumi.

Kasumi mumbles, “I don’t really want that much power though.”

From the doorway Mihara says, “That’s why you’re worthy of it Mistress. Have your moment, I’ll make sure nobody interrupts you.”

Softly Ranma says, “Mihara’s devoted to you isn’t she.”

Kasumi nods on her chest, “She’s been kami sent around the house. I’ve even had time to read some of the books Dr Tofu lent me.”

Ranma voices the weird feeling she’s having in her human form, “Kasumi, I’m sorry that I’m not what you wanted from life.”

Kasumi leans back to look up at Ranma, “Ranma, I might not generally like younger men. But that’s because of their lack of maturity. Especially around here. While it’s not what I would have chosen, you are a lovely young woman, and I can see you growing into someone that I would be glad to call my, uh, husband.”

Ranma chuckles as they step apart and she lets go of her humanity, “I’m glad. And thank you for tutoring me, I didn’t know there was so much I didn’t know. Why don’t you take the morning off and Mihara and I will make breakfast.”

Kasumi looks slightly doubtfully at Ranma, “Are you sure?”

Ranma laughs, “The worst that will happen is that pops takes an early swim. Don’t worry, I’ll also taste the food before it’s served. I remember that rule.”

As Kasumi walks around Ranma and leaves the kitchen, Mihara slips in and bows to Ranma, “Well done my lord.”

Ranma waves the title away, “Hardly a lord, my nature wouldn’t allow me to be one even if I wanted to be. That’s why I gave that aspect of my power to Kasumi.”

Mihara nods, “As you wish Mistress. What were you going to serve for breakfast? Oh, and we have an extra mouth this morning.”

Ranma nods, “I was thinking that we could have okayu [rice porridge] with pickles and fresh eggs. It’s something pops and I made on the road, so I know how to make it. I think there’s still some fish that we could smoke and serve wrapped in an omelette and seaweed.”

Mihara nods, “If you start with the okayu, I’ll prep the fish. We don’t have much time for you to make the okayu though.”

Ranma smiles, “I know, pops and I used to start it before practice. It’s just Kasumi makes her pickles fresh, and I think they need something simple to…”

“I understand. She is a good choice of consort.”

Rather predictably, Genma pokes his head into the kitchen and shouts at Ranma, “Boy! Do you want to be a weak little girl?”

Ranma looks over from where she’s deciding on what seasoning she’s going to add to the okayu to make it something that’s more than the simple meal she ate while travelling. “Pops, do you want me to dislocate your arm and hip again, just to prove how weak I’m not? Also, while you’re here.” She pulls on her humanity so that she can get the feelings right, “I’m concerned about how thin your blessing’s getting. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you need boiling water to stop being a panda.”

Genma looks away at the show of concern, “I’ll be fine son. I’ve even got a job.”

“Father, despite everything that you’ve done to me, I care about you. I’ve sworn to follow the code of the martial artist, so you could release our deal and never need to worry about your honour affecting the blessing again.”

Genma looks back with a pained expression, “Ranma, my son, I have already served one monster. I would rather live my days as a panda than see my son become a worse monster.”

A little later, a blond woman with a yellow and black bandana pokes her head around the doorway, “Excuse me…”

Ranma turns her head with a smile, “Hello, may I have your name?”

The blond says, “Uh, Yoiko.”

Ranma cocks her head to one side, “That’s not your name. But I understand that carrying a blessing from Jusenkyo can be hard.” She taps her head, “Isn’t that right Ryoga.”

“…”

“Don’t worry, as an apology I’ll suspend the blessing until your ribs are healed. That way you don’t need to worry about hot water causing you to further injure yourself.”

Yoiko growls, “Ranma, because of you I’ve seen hell.”

Ranma puts down the knife she’s using to slice fresh greens and looks at Ryoga seriously, “Ryoga Hibiki, I am giving you this warning because of the friendship we shared. If you persist in blaming me for your own actions, I will ensure that next time you get lost you will find your way to Jigoku.” [Buddhist hell]

“Are you threatening me?”

Mihara narrows her eyes, “Yoiko, do you believe Mistress Ranma to be human? If so, you are sorely mistaken. She does not make threats because she has no need of them. You would do well to heed her words before your ignorance leads you to your doom.”

Ranma gives a shark like smile as eyes glimmer and she says, “I’m sure that Yoiko thought I was threatening to kill her. I wasn’t of course, as there are ways between the realms that don’t require dying.”

Yoiko storms off in the direction she came, before shouting “Where’s the stupid toilet in this house?”

Ranma sighs, “Mihara, would you be able to guide Ryoga to the toilet please. He has an absolutely terrible sense of direction.”

That’s the last interruption they have until Nabiki comes down for her coffee just before breakfast needs to be served.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Ranma has an amused expression on her face as Akane talks Yuka and Sayuri’s ears off about Yoiko and how much she’s been learning from her. Asami and Hiroko having had something to do with the Gymnastics team. The last few weeks have been… educational. It’s certainly been nice to get enough sleep without worrying about pops dragging her out of bed at first light. To the point she’s been able to attend a few of the more social lessons as a human, and stay awake enough to understand what’s been taught. Which, weirdly, made them make more sense than without her humanity.

Ranma’s jolted out of her thoughts as a shadow falls over her and a young woman with mid-brown hair raises a bokken above her head, “Foul Witch! I Pu-Pu Kuno will put an end to your reign of terror and reclaim my masculinity!”

Ranma frowns, “I know I told you that you could…”

She doesn’t have time to finish the sentence before Pu-Pu has swung her bokken down towards her, and she does a sitting backflip to get out of the way.

While Akane, Yuka, and Sayuri scramble in a direction perpendicular to the way that Pu-Pu is facing, Ranma jumps over a strike, and glances back when the tree behind her starts falling over from the neat cut running diagonally through the trunk.

“Don’t start hurting the bystanders Pu-Pu, otherwise I’ll put you down hard!”

Ranma has to bounce to one side as Pu-Pu steps forward with an overhand strike that leaves a long furrow in the grass, “Hold still foul witch! So that I may bring your deserved end!”

When Pu-Pu takes another step closer, he brings his bokken up in a diagonal slash that takes an arm off of a statue in the distance. At the same time, Ranma leaps up with the blade before landing lightly on the tip as it reaches its arc.

When Pu-Pu looks around trying to work out where Ranma’s gone, she sighs and kicks the bokken towards Pu-Pu’s back, causing her to overbalance. With Pu-Pu’s head facing her as she drops towards the ground, Ranma’s finger lashes out lightning fast across Pu-Pu’s forehead, imprinting the kanji ‘Buffoon’ in the centre.

As Pu-Pu’s eyes roll back in her head, Ranma looks around for someone she recognises. Spotting nobody, she heads over to a girl that’s wrapped in bandages. Mainly because all the boys take one look at her and flee.

“Hi, you can call me Ranma, when did the idiot get back?”

The girl looks at Ranma in surprise, “Me?” Ranma nods, “Oh, um Miki. How can I help you Miss Ranma?”

“Mmm, that’s a nice name, you can keep it. I was wondering when the violent maniac over there got back.”

Miki looks over at the comatose form of Pu-Pu, “Oh, I think I heard one of the St. Bacchus team saying that his, er her? Sister was complaining about the trouble getting, uh, Pu-Pu back on the family roles was causing. I guess they must have sorted it out yesterday or something.”

Ranma nods, “That’s a shame. Ah well, hopefully she won’t cause too much trouble.”

“Miss Ranma, have you considered joining any of the school clubs? I think you’d do well in the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club.”

Ranma shakes her head, “I would consider joining one, but I’m too busy catching up on my schooling and practicing the family style to even consider doing so.”

 Miki mumbles, “Oh, it might have been nice to win the inter-school championship for once.”

Ranma puts her hand gently on Miki’s arm, “Miki, something that I realised when I was still completely human is that acting honourably is far better than doing anything it takes to win at the cost of your own conscience. It’s why I so easily agreed to the deal pops made with me. When you act dishonourably, you can never be sure if you got to where you are because of your own abilities, or if it’s just the result of some trick. And being able to live with the one person that will be there for the rest of your life is important.”

Miki stops nodding along to Ranma to ask, “Who’s that?”

Ranma taps Miki on the nose, “You are. In five years’ time, will you even still be living in this district?”

Miki nods thoughtfully, “Did you learn that from your family?”

Ranma snorts, “Ancestors no. I think it was a monk up in Hokkaido that taught me that. But that’s by the by. Asking for help is a natural thing to do. As is asking for someone to teach you where you’re lacking. Asking someone else to win for you removes your own victory.”

Slightly acidly, Miki looks at her own bandages, “I wouldn’t be asking if our opponent was as honourable as you.”

Ranma looks at Miki critically before she forms a wooden stick with the kanji for promise stamped on both sides. Holding it out she says, “Miki, I’m going to offer you a deal. I want you to consider it before you agree, and this stick will last until dawn tomorrow, so you’ve got plenty of time. If you promise to compete honourably in your upcoming competition and before it starts, then all dishonourable attempts to stop you from competing will be turned back on the one committing them. But if you behave dishonourably even once the protection will end and your actions will reflect on you threefold. Hmm, and so that it’s fair, your tongue will stick to the top of your mouth as a warning if something you’re about to do is dishonourable.”

Miki looks at the stick mournfully, “I still wouldn’t be able to compete, the competition’s in a couple of week’s time, and I need to rest my joints for longer than that.”

Ramna thinks for a moment before producing another stick with the kanji for healing on it. As she holds it out, she says, “I can heal you, but I can’t do it for free. If you choose to accept the healing, then starting the day after the competition, you will come to the Tendo dojo after school for four hours every day for three weeks, during which time I will train you to my standards in martial arts.”

Miki nervously looks over at Pu-Pu as she takes the two sticks.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

 Kasumi frowns minutely as she carries Yoiko’s clean and mended clothing upstairs. Mihara’s explanation of which room she put Yoiko in were a little, confusing, to say the least. Especially given that in all the time she’s lived here there’s only ever been three rooms over this end of the house.

As she rounds the corner her steps slow as she passes Nabiki’s room, only to come to a halt outside Akane’s door as she tries to reconcile what she knows with what she’s seeing. Instead of a short passing space to allow for a laundry basket to be deposited while it’s being distributed to the bedrooms, or in the past to allow for someone to enter Akane’s room without needing to enter the room yourself.

However, now the narrow corridor continues past what should be the outside wall, and the roof of the ofuro, to another door.

As she’s standing there trying to process what she’s seeing, a plaintive voice comes from Akane’s room, “Miss Akane, we can’t do this without you. You saw what she was like, Miki was the last one and she got her last night.”

Akane says, “I don’t know, I’ve…”

“It’s for the school’s honour. If you don’t it will be the first time that Furinken doesn’t field a team for the inter school championship.”

Another voice says, “Besides, we all saw you against the hentai horde. You’re the best female martial artist in the school.”

Kasumi sighs as she remembers her freshman year and starting gymnastics. Not that she was in a position to continue any clubs after that year. Reaching up with one hand, she wipes a couple of tears away from her eyes and resolutely walks into the impossible corridor.

As she hesitantly slides open the door to the new room, she pauses for a moment, before pushing the door the rest of the way with a thunk. Unlike the other three rooms along this wall, instead of a large window, there is a thin strip of evening light filtering through an unglazed opening that runs just under the eaves.

Carefully she puts her bundle of clothes on the chest before she bounces on her toes to try and see through the ‘window’. After a few tries, she’s able to jump high enough to see that there are a couple of sticks propping up shutters.

Squaring her shoulders, Kasumi takes a deep breath and walks over to the futon, as the weather is getting colder, and there’s no point in allowing all the heat to leave the house through two gaping holes in this room. Leaning over, she reaches down to lift the futon out of the way before pulling her fingers away with a grimace.

She didn’t realise that the neatly laid out blanket was quite so scratchy.

“We have plenty of linens in the cupboard, it’s the least I can do to if Yoiko finds her way back here again. Ugh, and we need to get her a new sleeping mat too. What is this thing filled with?”

As she folds up the blanket and sleeping mat, Kasumi reflects on the fact that the young lady that’s been using this room as been an irregular visitor over the last few weeks. Every time she arrived she’s looked more and more distressed. Wherever she’s been spending her time while not at the dojo, it’s obvious that it’s not been good for her.

Once she’s got the futon out the way, Kasumi jumps up with one hand on the sill so that she has that bit more airtime to pull the supporting sticks up and into the room. As the room is plunged into darkness she’s reminded of what it was like when the electric cabling was buried in the walls when Akane was born and mother and father started using the upstairs rooms again.

Turning around, she’s spots the light from the hall reflecting off the light switch by the door. Shaking her head she puts it out of her mind as she turns the light on while she leaves to find some sheets and a pillow for the futon.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

As Kasumi kneels down next to Ranma, Ranma nods at Mihara before putting her calligraphy practice to one side. Practice that has taken the place of the time her father previously insisted on being used for training.

As Ranma cleaning off the calligraphy brushes that Mihara insists on, Kasumi considers the routine that they’ve now fallen into now that Mihara is teaching Ranma straight after school now that Mr Saotome has a job, one that Ranma has said is helping bring his blessing back into balance. Even if he does then squander most of his gains playing shogi with Mr Tendo in the evening. Interestingly, since Mr Saotome has started working, Kasumi’s father has been spending more time in the dojo or his room while Mihara is doing her repairs in the living room.

Kasumi puts her hand on Ranma’s in a touch that lingers slightly longer that proprietary would suggest is appropriate. “Ranma-chan, would I be able to see your progress?” [-chan – female specific affectionate suffix - meaning girlfriend in this case]

Ranma hesitates before shyly uncovering the work she’s been doing. The small paintbrush that Mihara insists on Ranma using ensuring that each character is either an unreadable mess, or beautiful in its own right.

As Kasumi smiles at the better repetitions of her kanji that are sat next to the Hiragana [phonetic alphabet] spellings of the words. “This is coming along well. You should be caught up in a month or so.”

Ranma pulls slightly on her humanity, and ducks her head in embarrassment at the praise and the acknowledgment that’s forced out of her instead of boasting. “That’s only because I have such good teachers. And I don’t mean the school teachers.”

Kasumi smiles, “That’s kind of you Ranma.”

As Mihara’s standing up she looks at the Mistress of the house, “Mistress, Mistress Ranma wasn’t being kind. Please remember that she literally cannot lie.”

Kasumi looks away a slight flush on her face, “I’m not that good.”

Ranma looks down at her hands as she pulls on her humanity. Her slightly deeper voice says, “Kasumi, I-I’ve pulled on my humanity to get the emotions right, not to deceive. I, uh, that is, you are that good. I don’t know if you’d be great in a school. But that’s not what I needed. I uh…”

Mihara softly says, “May I try Miss Ranma?”

Ranma nods, “Go ahead.”

“I think what Mistress Ranma is trying to say is that she needed someone to see her. Not another young woman, but the person she is now. You are the first person that has ever done that for her. If you’ll excuse me, I will get started on dinner.”

Ranma releases her humanity as she nods. “What she said. Not even pops ever really saw me for me. Especially after we were transformed.” As Mihara gets to the door, Ranma speaks slightly more loudly, “Mihara, don’t forget that if Kasumi was the first to see me for who I am, you were the second.”

Mihara shakes her head, “Oh no Mistress, I am but a lowly servant looking up to her Lords.”

There is some amusement in Ranma’s voice as she says, “I don’t believe a lowly servant would have been able to show Yoiko to her room the other week. What do you think Kasumi?”

Kasumi shakes her head, “I still don’t understand where that room came from.”

Mihara looks between the two women, “I, ah.”

Ranma smoothly rises to her feet and moves over to stand in front of Mihara. Reaching up on her tip toes she kisses Mihara on the forehead, “Mihara, for the next two weeks I give you the gift of honesty. You will not be able to lie, and you will be able to tell when other in your presence are lying.”

Kasumi frowns at Ranma as she kneels back down and Mihara flees to the kitchen, “That was unkind Ranma.”

Ranma looks at Kasumi, “It’s no less kind than changing her nature. Yet, you have been doing that to her.”

Kasumi looks stricken, “I haven… Have I?”

Ranma nods, “You have, and it started when you gave Mihara her name. I don’t know why, but she is more than she was.” Ranma can’t help looking frustrated, “I sometimes feel like I’ve been giving a masters level art before I’ve even earned a belt with my new form.”

Halfway through the lesson, Ranma cocks her head, “Sorry to interrupt Kasumi-chan. Miki has just agreed to two agreements.”

Kasumi puts her finger on the paragraph the two of them were working through, “Who?”

“One of the girls at school.”

Kasumi frowns, “Why is this important?” As Ranma goes to speak she adds, “Remember, I don’t know who she is.”

“Oh… She’s with the rhythmic gymnastics team, and she had some injuries that would prevent her from competing after some dishonourable tactics were used.”

“Go on…”

“I offered her two deals, the first was that if she promised to compete honourable, then any dishonourable acts leading up to the competition will be turned back on the perpetrator, if she behaves dishonourably during that time then she loses the protection. The second was that in return for healing, she would come to the dojo for four hours after school every day for two weeks. During which time I’ll train her to my standards in martial arts.”

Kasumi is silent for almost a minute before she says, “Ranma, did you consider that you might not be able to use the dojo? And what about our lessons?”

A stricken expression crosses Ranma’s face, “Kasumi-sama [sama meaning lord/leader] in two weeks time, may postpone our lessons until the evenings and use the dojo in order to teach a student in martial arts and learn how to teach effectively at the same time?”

Kasumi raise her finger, “I cannot speak to the availability of the dojo, for that you would need to petition my father, as he is currently the master of the dojo. As for your lessons, I propose that Mihara and I supervise your martial arts lessons. If you can impart your knowledge in an appropriate fashion, and keep up with your class and home work, then there will be no personal tutoring during that time. If you start falling behind, then you will have to come up with a way to do both.”

Ranma carefully tastes her words as she speaks, “I don’t think I, have the capability to; do both. It feels like that is part of what I gave to you?”

Kasumi taps her finger on the table for a few seconds until she says, “Then you will help me work out how to make it so that four hours in the dojo will pass in the time it takes me to boil a kettle of water.”

Ranma looks quizzically towards the Dojo where she just felt a ripple, “Kasumi-chan, I think that your word here is law.”

Kasumi frowns, “The wa of the house doesn’t feel any different.” [wa – harmony]

“Does holding the pearl help? Maybe try pulling from it or something? Maybe meditation? Pops was never a fan of it, but some of the masters tried to teach me on the road. Until then, I think that anything you say is a law about your property will be true.”

Kasumi nods and closes her eyes to think. After a while she says, “I think it would probably be useful to have as a rule until I work out how to fine tune it. How to word it… I know. While the dojo is being used for it’s intended purpose, time will pass such that four hours will pass in the same amount of time it would take me to boil a full kettle of water.”

Ranma taps her chin, “I think you may also need to define the purpose of the Dojo.”

“I see. Hmm. The purpose of the Dojo is to provide a place for residents and visitors to practice and improve skills related to Martial arts, test their martial arts, and compete with other martial artists.” After a moment she adds, “Until a better place is found, the dojo is also for spiritual contemplation and communing with our ancestors.”

Ranma looks at Kasumi curiously at that addition, so she clarifies, “The shrine to my mother is kept in the dojo. I sometimes visit there during the day.”

Ranma nods sadly, “I used to wish I had a mother.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

A happy Akane shows the three gymnasts down the stairs to the front door nattering about how she’s going to practice hard so that she can win the interschool competition for them.

As she’s passing the kitchen she pokes her head in and says, “Mihara, I’m just going to do some practice in the dojo.”

Mihara looks up from her preparation and says, “Ok, Yoiko just went in the ofuro and someone’s stolen the occupied sign again. I want to say it’s the panda again, but I don’t actually know.”

Akane nods, “I’m probably going to be an hour or so, which is plenty of time.”

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════

Akane scowls in frustration as she storms into the house after a fruitless hour of trying to use gymnastic equipment on her own. At least ten minutes of which was untangling herself from the ribbon without breaking it. The less said about how the hell she managed to rip the seam on her arm the better.

As she passes the kitchen, Mihara says, “That was quick.”

Akane just growls and stalks towards the ofuro where she strips off her sweat stained clothes and dumps them in the washing basket.

Sliding open the door to the inner bath she freezes as she spots a dark-haired boy with a massive grin on his face, that is definitely not Ranma, staring at her with one leg in the ofuro. After a moment of shock she slams the door closed and snatches a towel to wrap around herself as she flees up to her room.

Once her heart’s stopped beating so fast, and she’s in some clean clothes, her fright turns to anger and she storms downstairs, past the family room where Kasumi and Ranma are doing school work, and over to one of the stone lanterns.

Heaving it off the floor she says, “I’m going to kill him.”

Kasumi walks over with her hands in front of her apron, “Are you alright Akane?”

Akane growls, “No I’m not, there’s a pervert in the ofuro and I’m going to kill him.”

“Oh my. Well, you may want to wait until he leaves the house if you don’t want to get you clean clothes wet.”

Grumbling, Akane stares at the corridor to the ofuro daring the boy to come out.