First:

I would like to apologize to everyone who read the last version of this, but since I felt the story was drifting and loosing focus I decided to rework certain plot elements. This meant reworking this chapter and in doing so, I eliminated certain plot bunnies that weren't really contributing to the advancement of the story. So I scaled back several side plots that were slowing me and the story down.

Again, I apologize to those who took the time to read and especially to those that took the time to leave a review. I hope the second version of this chapter is more satisfying than the last one.

I would like to thank (in alphabetical order) those that pre-read the last version for me so that they will not be forgotten: J St C Patrick, Josh Temple, and Yarrow. Also thanks to Ozzallos his thoughts and comments. I also would like to thank those on Fukufics: WarGiver, Alathon, Shadow Wolf, AscendedWarrior, B'man, ranger5, and MacShimi for their comments.

For this second version I would like to thank J St C Patrick, Josh Temple, Stratagemini and Ozzallos.

If I missed anyone or misspelled their names, I apologize.

I don't own any of these characters or situations. They belong to someone else. Also this is done purely for fun and not profit. Any resemblance to persons living, dead, yet to be born, or visiting from other dimensions is purely coincidental. I'm doing this for fun.

Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Boldly going where others had gone before, and meekly going where few have been.

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Out of Time

Chapter 2, version 2

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Days had passed and Ranma found herself sitting next to her mother, fidgeting with intangible discomfort. It wasn't that Ranma had ever been to a doctor before, but this was the first time that she had been to a 'head doctor', 'shrink', or as Genma put it with scorn: Doctors that mess with your head.

"I'm so bored," Ranma mentally announced for the seventh time as she sighed. "Why do doctors offices have to be so boring?"

Picking over the thick stack of magazines for the eighth time occupy herself, Ranma finally gave up in frustration. The selection was wide and covered anything from 'teen' magazines about the latest idol singer to electronics gizmos. While the later did hold a certain amount of fascination for her, it bothered her that she had no real idea what some of descriptions meant. Like what was a pixel and why was it so important in a camera? It was all so intangible to her.

"If I don't find something to do, I'll go insane-" Ranma stopped herself from thinking any further along those lines, considering the type of doctor she was visiting.

Looking across from his seat, Dr. Ono sat leafing though a thin magazine with a dry title of 'Medicine Today'. "It was kinda nice that Tofu came along for moral support," Ranma mused to herself. "I wonder what the heck is pop's problem anyway?"

Her mother was siting patiently waiting for Ranma's turn. Every now and then she'd reach over and give her a reassuring smile and quiet word of comfort. Ranma sighed and looked about the room, studying the other people as inconspicuously as she could.

"I hope it's not more tests again," Rama thought as recalled the previous week where she looked at a bunch of pictures and discussed them. It was all so pointless to her. She sighed again and settled in for an extended wait.

The one thing that surprised her was how normal the other patients in the waiting room looked. They didn't look mad, insane, or crazed in any way. Instead they looked like most anybody else that you'd met on the street. Ranma was half-expecting a snake-pit filled with incoherently blabbering people or a loony-bin or something, but not this. There were men, women, and a few people his own age there. She idly noted that none looked to be martial artists of any caliber.

"Miss Saotome, the doctor will see you now," the receptionist announced clearly, tearing Ranma away from her observations.

The three rose as one, with Dr. Ono leading the way. They rounded the receptionist desk and were greeted by a surprisingly sprightly elderly gentleman who was dressed in a simple, but well tailored black suit. For some reason the fact that the man didn't wear a tie with the suit suck out in Ranma's mind the most.

"Come in Miss Saotome," he greeted cheerfully before focusing on Nodoka. "Nodoka it is good to see you again - and I can see the resemblance between you and your child. Ah! - Dr. Ono, it is good to see you again as well, but I'm afraid that both of you will have to wait outside."

After shooing the adults away, the short, elderly man ushered Ranma into his office.

"Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable," the doctor said while heading to his desk.

Settling into the oversized, but comfortable chair, Ranma took in her surroundings. The room walls were covered in deep, natural wood paneling. One wall had a series of largish closed cabinets, opposite that wall was a low, table with a tea set with a pot on a hot plate, several china cups, and a decanter of water with glasses. On the floor rested a deep-piled India-type rug that just felt good against Ranma's stocking feet.

The elderly man moved behind his desk with a spring in his step, as if he were thirty years younger than his appearance betrayed. He seated himself, removed his glasses, and looked at Ranma carefully.

"Ranma, I'm Dr. Okamoto, I will be your therapist," the man said seriously, but in a bright way. "I am well aware of your curse from dealing with your father when he was - confined. I assure you that I will not do anything that will distress you, I am here to help you."

Ranma blink-blinked at the seated man. "You know about my curse?"

"Yes, and Drs. Ono and Hiyowai have also filled me in on your - let's say, long sleep and some of your medical background."

"... okay..."

"Miss - or do your prefer Mister? - Saotome, in order to help you I must know something about you," Dr. Okamoto explained. "With your mother's permission, the doctors disclosed your medical history to me, but rest assured the patient/doctor confidentially is in effect. You can say anything in here and it will not leave this room."

"I see," Ranma said while not really seeing. "Er, you can just call me Ranma."

"Okay Ranma, there are a few limitations that you should be aware of though," Dr. Okamoto continued. "If I feel that you are becoming a threat to yourself or others, I can order you into a hospital until you are deemed no longer a threat - but I'm sure that won't happen in your case."

"Er.... okay," Ranma said to make like she was part of the conversation.

"And also that since you are a minor, I will have consultations with your mother on your progress - but rest assured I will not repeat anything that you tell me in here; I will be informing her of your progress and what you may need in the way of help. Now that is out of the way and this is or first meeting, do you have any questions about me?"

"Um, now that you mentioned it, do you think I'm sick - in the head or something?" Ranma asked. "I mean, pops said that people who go to, er - psychiatrists are, er, sick in the head."

"Ranma, there are some people that come to me that do suffer from mental illness, but that is the minority. Most of the people that come to me are having problems dealing with stress."

Pondering something, Ranma got a far away look in her eyes. "Say doc - I mean Dr. Okamoto-"

Dr. Okamoto stopped Ranma with a friendly gesture. "That's quite all right, if I can call you Ranma, you can call me doc. I would rather be called that than be addressed formally all the time."

Feeling a bit more at ease, Ranma smiled. "Thanks doc."

"It's only fair, now what were you going to ask?"

"Yeah... you said you know about my curse through pops? What's all that about?"

Dr. Okamoto wore a look of concentration of a brief moment before answering. "Your father was a patient of mine when he was serving his time at Chiba Prison. Of course changing into a panda was a very noticeable thing and I was called in to assess his mental state. I wish I could speak more about your father, but I'm afraid the doctor/patient privilege extends to him and your mother."

"My mother?"

"I also helped your mother when you went missing." Dr. Okamoto replied. "Your absence did affect her - but we are not here to talk about her or your father, we're here to talk about you."

An uncertain silence fell between Ranma and the doctor. "Wow. You got everyone, didn't you?"

"I'm here to help," The doctor replied with a wave of the hand. "Ranma, I don't think that you're sick, but your mother and your friends are concerned that you might have a hard time dealing with certain aspects of your life. You are obviously in a stressful situation and they feel that you might need help with this."

"Er, that's good... I think... I guess," Ranma squeaked out. Feeling the need to add something more, she said, "I'm not really sure about this - I mean, I've been in... stressful situations before and I never had any problems... before."

"That may be true, but there are people your age that react badly to stress," Dr. Okamoto said with a fully disarming smile. "You'd be surprised by how many young people suffer and are over-stressed by the pressure they feel from home and school."

"But Doc, I ain't under any stress," Ranma objected, then looked thoughtful. "At least, not that much."

"Ranma, I think one of the things you need to realize is that you are under a great deal of stress," Dr. Okamoto pointed out. "It's just not the type of stress you are used to dealing with."

Raising an eyebrow and cocking her head, it was Ranma's turn to give the doctor a quizzical look.

"From what I understand, you are used to dealing with stress during a fight or training or having to put up with the various parties who were "out to marry you"," the doctor explained. "You are not prepared for what you are going through now - no one could be, expect for perhaps coma patients who wake up."

Not knowing what to say to that, Ranma blinked at the older man and shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you have any concerns that you wish to discuss?"

"Er, not really," Ranma answered guardedly. "I'm not really sure what's next."

The seated doctor gave the redhead a slightly measured look. "Well then, do you mind if we start with your... aversion to cats?"

Ranma shifted in her seat, but remained silent.

"I've been discussing your case with Dr. Ono and what I would like to do is have your phobia treated," Dr. Okamoto continued. "It is not healthy to have such an extreme fear."

Silence hovered between the two for a few heartbeats. "Aww doc, it ain't nothing," Ranma said with bravo. "It's not like I run into cats all the time or nothin'."

"I understand, but the problem is not so much your fear, but what happens when that fear gets out of hand," the doctor said. "I would like to call in another colleague of mine. She specializes in phobias and I think you would benefit from it."

"Great, more doctors," Ranma complained.

"Ranma, we're only trying to help you," Dr. Okamoto said with raised eyebrows. "All this is to help make you better."

Ranma muttered something.

"What was that?"

"I said, where was all this help twenty years ago when I could've used it?"

"Circumstances were different," the doctor said while removing his glasses. "This is the here and now."

"Okay, okay," Ranma relented. She really hated the Neko-ken and rather not have to deal with it; she also realized that the doctor wasn't going to be satisfied until she committed to some type of treatment.

"Good, I'll set up an appointment with Dr. Welbi for you," Dr. Okamoto said. "She'll be the one that can handle your phobia better than anyone else can."

"Okay... doc, if you say so," Ranma commented, relaxing a bit. "Now what?"

Dr. Okamoto smiled at the redhead and fingered his glasses. "Let's just talk about how you feel about coming home - and take it from there."

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Once again, Ranma's rear was getting sore.

Internally sighing, she tried not to fidget in the uncomfortable chair beside her stoic mother, but with her rear fast falling asleep, Ranma found it difficult. While shifting slightly in an attempt to restore circulation to her posterior, Ranma looked about the interior of the government office with bored eyes and wished that she was anywhere but here. This "getting the paperwork straightened out", as her mother called it, was taking entirely too long for Ranma's tastes and seam to consume a large chunk of her waking hours. The bad part was that her involvement seemed to be mostly limited to sitting around and doing nothing.

And this had gone on for weeks! It seemed that all that she had seen of "the future" had been sterile doctors' examining rooms, the slightly livelier therapist's office, and the bland insides of various government buildings. Who knew that the future could be so boring?

As boring as it was, it was still better than the poking and prodding that Drs. Ono and Hiyowai had done to her the week before. Though she knew and trusted Dr. Ono, Ranma didn't want to go through that again. Standing directly behind the two seated women were the aforementioned doctors, and a man that Ranma had met maybe only ten minutes before. All that Ranma knew, from their brief introduction, was that his name was Daisetu Takahashi, he was a lawyer or something, and he was there to help.

In front of the redhead was a long desk that was just one in a row of desks that filled the room. The desk sported a computer, file trays with various folders stuffed in them, a grouping of framed photographs and a few other personal effects. The desk was manned by a middle-aged woman with long, dark hair, and with - in Ranma's opinion - penetrating green eyes. She was dressed in a white blouse and a short, slate gray jacket. She made a great show of being occupied with something on her screen before focusing her attention on the four people in front of her.

"Good morning," She politely said. "How may I help you?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Fujishima. It is good to see you again," Mr. Takahashi greeted with a bow. "We are here to straighten out the records of this young... person," he finished by resting a hand on Ranma's shoulder.

"Certainly Mr. Takahashi - and it is always a pleasure to see you," she said with a smile. "The young lady's name?"

"Ranma Saotome," Mr. Takahashi said clearly as he handed the seated woman a slip of paper. "Here are - her vitals."

Mrs. Fujishima scanned the sheet of paper and looked rather confused by what they said. After a quick second glance, she began to pluck at her keyboard and in short order had what the government had on Ranma up on her screen. The woman behind the computer then eyed the redhead speculatively. "Ranma Saotome? According to these records you should be about thirty-nine years old, male, and dead."

"We can explain that," Mr. Takahashi offered. "We have various corroborating records that will prove and establish Ranma's identity."

"I see. That's good. We have to be careful in the light of the rash of identity thefts we have had lately," Mrs. Fujishima explained. "May I see them?"

"Of course," Mr. Takahashi said as he fished around in his briefcase. "We also have Ranma's doctors here with their records to explain Ranma's current condition."

"Yes, we have them right here," Dr. Hiyowai said as he reached into a zip-lock document carrier. "This explains how and why Ranma is here."

"And here are all the legal papers and forms that you need for declaring Ranma alive and to make the necessary adjustments to her records," Mr. Takahashi said smoothly as he handed the woman a small sheaf of papers. Dr. Hiyowai also handed a folder that contained a summary of Ranma's medical history.

Taking the offered documents, the woman eyed the group just as speculatively as she had eyed Ranma earlier. Sighing, the government worker started going through the reams of legal-speak as Mrs. Fujishima spread the papers on her desk and studied them. She then started organizing them into stacks, occasionally moving one sheet of paper from one place in a stack to another. She paused over one stapled set and read carefully. After what seemed like a long time she shook her head in slight confusion. "This is going to take a while."

"That's quite all right," Nodoka chimed in. "We have time."

Ranma sighed internally. Her rear was really starting to ache to almost intolerable levels in the uncomfortable chair, but she tried to emulate her mother by keeping her fidgeting to a minimum. After a few, long minutes of digging through the supplied documents, Mrs. Fujishima held one up and queried, "Jusenkyo?"

"It's a medical condition," Dr. Hiyowai interjected. "You see, Ranma is an... aquatransexual."

Rising an eyebrow, she gave Ranma a quick once over then shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. Let me pull up your death records."

Shifting to one side, Ranma tried to see what the woman was doing, but couldn't from her vantage point. All she saw was the back of the monitor and could only hear the sound of the rapid-fire tapping of keys as the woman worked her machine. A few short moments later, she stopped and read what was on her screen.

"Hmmm... this is interesting," the dark-haired woman muttered.

"What is?" Nodoka asked, hoping nothing was going to go wrong.

"Well, in cases where a person is missing for an extended period of time and declared dead, the cause of death is usually listed as 'unknown'," Mrs. Fujishima explained. "In your case, the cause of death is listed as 'returned to the hell that spawned him' - and that's very odd."

Mr. Takahashi blinked at the woman across from him. "You're kidding."

The perplexed woman shook her head. "I wish I was... it does make things easier to straighten out though."

"I don't understand," Nodoka said. "Who in their right mind would put something like that in there?"

"Hmmm..." the woman hummed as she clicked around a few menus. "According to this... Ranma's records were edited about nineteen years ago by a minor clerk - a Tatewaki Kuno."

"Kuno," the redhead groaned out. "I forgotten about True Blunder."

"You said that this will be easy to correct?" Nodoka asked.

"Yes, that is what I said," Mrs. Fujishima said without elaborating as the sound of keys tapping resumed.

Ranma sat and sighed, feeling bored and as useful as a fifth wheel throughout the whole ordeal. She watched what she could of Mrs. Fujishima worked at her station, occasionally stopping to look up some tidbit of information from among the papers on her desk, before continuing on. With not being able to see anything that was going on, boredom reasserted itself with a vengeance, threatening to lead Ranma down into depression.

Finally, Mrs. Fujishima stopped in her work and rose from her seat. "I'll be back shortly," she announced as she headed toward the back of the room. Soon, she returned with a small bundle of papers in hand and retook her seat. "Okay, Mr. Takahashi since you're acting as council, I'll need your signatures on these," she explained as she handed several documents to the lawyer while indicating where his signature was needed. She then addressed the two men beside the lawyer. "Doctors Ono and Hiyowai, and need you to sign these sworn affidavits, and Mrs. Saotome, I need you to sign these," Mrs. Fujishima continued on without missing a beat, she then turned her attention to Ranma. "And finally, Miss Saotome, I need you to sign here, here, and here," she flipped to another sheet, "initial here, here, here, here, and sign here to indicate that your initials are yours."

Staring blankly at the woman behind the desk, then at the few sheets of paper before her and back again at the woman, Ranma asked, "Huh?"

Mrs. Fujishima gave Ranma a tired glare and repeated what she needed Ranma to do, going as far as making little check marks next to the lines that Ranma needed to sign. With pen in hand, Ranma complied and handed her pages back to Mrs. Fujishima as everyone else handed back theirs. Taking a few brief moments to organize the sheets, Mrs. Fujishima staple them together in groups and addressed the group. "You should get the official forms in the mail within four to six weeks establishing Miss Saotome's identity. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call this number," she said while handing out business cards. Looking at Nodoka, Mrs. Fujishima handed her a half-sheet of official looking paper. "In the meantime, you can use this temporary certificate for any official transaction you may need to do. Have a nice day."

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"Mom, who was that guy? Daisetsu Ta... something?" Ranma asked after they had parted ways with the men.

"Daisetsu Takahashi, dear," Nodoka replied. "He is Nabiki's ex-husband."

Ranma halted in her walk. "Ex-husband?"

Nodoka sighed as she motioned for Ranma to continue on their walk. The rail station was just another block.

"Yes, she was married for a short time," Nodoka explained. "But she let her first love stand in the way of real love."

Ranma gave her mother a side long glance. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Nodoka continued to lead the way, threading through the thickening crowd. The closer they got to the station, the more crowded it got.

"I mean she let her love of money ruin a perfectly good marriage," Ranma's mother finally answered. "I helped them with the divorce... emotionally that is, and we stayed in contact over the years."

Ranma didn't know what to say about that, so she settled for a simple, "Oh."

Ranma looked about the station. She had been through here a few times and was amazed by how little the place had changed. Of course, Ranma didn't really know what to expect, but she'd thought that there would have been a bit more of a dramatic difference than what she was seeing. As their train pulled in, she followed her mother into the carriage and even managed to capture some seats.

"So mom, is there anything else we need to do?" Ranma asked over the din of the crowded train. She absently noted a group of uniformed schoolgirls looking into an opened cell phone and giggling at whatever. Ranma wasn't quite sure why looking at a phone would be so amusing and not being able to get a better look, she shrugged off any curiosity and focused on her mother.

"No, this should be it," Nodoka replied, breaking Ranma from her observations. "Once we get the paperwork back that you are officially you, that is."

"Good," Ranma stated. "I was getting tired of being dragged around from one place to another. I don't understand why I had to go, I mean, all I did was sit there and sign a bunch of stuff."

"You were there just in case a question came up that only you could answer and more importantly, sign the paperwork," Nodoka explained. "However, now that most of the paperwork is out of the way, we can concentrate on your schooling... I may have to arrange tutoring for you."

"School? Aww man," Ranma groused half-heartedly. "I thought that - never mind."

"Ranma, everyone needs a good education - especially today."

Sighing, Ranma considered a few things before saying anything. "Even if you're going to be a martial artist?"

Nodoka sighed. "Especially if you're going to be a martial artist."

Sighing a lot like her mother, Ranma settled back into her seat. She might not have liked the idea, but she understood that many things had changed. Dismissing that current train of thought, she relaxed a bit and looked about the carriage and noticed something about its passengers. "Um, mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Why are there only women on this train?"

Nodoka smiled and gave Ranma a look of bemusement. "This is a female only car," she answered.

Ranma blinked. "Female only? Why?"

"Because of the rash in gropers, many rail lines have female only cars now."

"Gropers?" Ranma shook her head. "I can believe it's gotten that bad. I mean - " Ranma paused as she fought the urge to say 'back in her day'. "I mean, except for a few times, it didn't seem that bad before."

"Times have changed, and for some things not for the better," Nodoka said with some sadness. "Now a days, there has been so much in the way of young girls - some as young as elementary age - getting molested that they had to have special cars set aside for women only."

Blinking at that, Ranma asked. "It's really gotten that bad?"

Nodoka nodded solemnly.

"Great - the whole country has turned into a bunch of Happosais'," Ranma thought with disgust. After pondering a bit, Ranma shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like that there is anything I have to worry about, I can take care of myself. If anyone tried anything with me..." Ranma's voice trailed off as she noticed the expression on her mothers face. "What?"

"Ranma dear," Nodoka began in a voice laced with emotion, "if someone like that Gosunkugi person can take you away from us for over twenty years..." she paused and composed herself. "Don't think that you are immune from... molestation just because you know martial arts. There are other ways that men can use that don't involve direct force."

Eyes widening, Ranma nodded at what her mother was getting at. "That's true," she thought. "If a wimp like Goz... he could've... while I was..." The rest of the thought was cut off by the shear revulsion of it. "Okay mom... you've made your point," she managed to work out.

"I just want you to be careful," Nodoka said while drawing her child into a one-armed hug. "I don't ever want to lose you again."

Ranma sighed and relaxed as she leaned against her mother. Nodoka wrapped her arm around Ranma more firmly as she swung into another overprotective phase. Ranma found comfort there.

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The room was small and sparsely furnished, but Ranma found it comfortable; it was her room and hers alone and she didn't have to share it with anyone. Ranma smiled as she stretched in her futon, feeling her muscles waken for the new day. Waking up nowadays was much different than she was used to. Her father hadn't tried to pitch her out the window to spar once. When she asked about it, Genma's only reply was that "he was getting too old for that".

Stretching one more time for good measure, Ranma rose from her futon and rolled it neatly in one smooth motion. She paused to look out the window. Because of having to help take care of the paperwork, Ranma hadn't much time to look around. She had hopes of getting out more today and doing some exploring.

"Well, time to see if I can change," she nervously thought as she gathered two sets of clothing, one for each of her forms. Rolling up the clothes into one bundle, she tucked them under one arm and steeled herself for what was to come.

Dr. Ono's prediction of the effects of the knife wearing off were proving true. However, it wasn't a sudden thing, but a slow and disturbing process. Instead of the lock suddenly going away and all being right in the world, it was wearing off gradually over time. The side effect was far more disturbing than getting the curse in the first place.

Most every morning in the warm waters of the furo, Ranma watched in sick fascination as her body struggled to return to its birth form. Instead of the instant change that she was used to, the change happened almost painfully slow before stopping halfway. It was the sight of having a truly half male, half female body was just too much for Ranma to take.

"I'd rather be all girl all the time than be stuck like that," Ranma groused to herself at the memory.

It didn't hurt or feel strange - maybe it did feel a bit weird - but she wasn't sure if that was just her imagination or if the feeling was real. However, it was visually upsetting and emotionally disturbing. Making her way downstairs, she sniffed the scent of breakfast wafting up through the stairway.

"Mmmm, I wonder what mom is cooking?" Ranma mused. "Hi mom," she said as she stuck her head in the kitchen. "Is pops up yet?"

"Yes dear, he is," Nodoka replied as she stirred the contents of a small pot. "He's probably out in the backyard working in the garden."

Waving a thanks, Ranma mused over her father's chosen pastime. "Who'd of thought pops would take up gardening?"

Heading for the furo, Ranma was assailed by a mixture of anticipation and fear. Pausing outside the door, she gathered her courage together and entered. After placing both types of clothing on a nearby shelf, she slipped out of the thick, oversized tee-shirt that served as her nightgown and then slipped her panties down and stepped out of them. She recalled with dark amusement the 'discussion' that she had with her mother over 'proper support and comfort' before eventually giving in.

"Well... they are more comfortable when I'm a girl," she justified to herself while twirling them around a finger before depositing them into the hamper. "They don't ride up and give me wedgies like my boxers did... and I do have to learn to take care of both bodies," she concluded, ignoring certain trains of thought.

After a quick scrub and rinse with cool water, she stood at the edge of the furo and hesitated. Screwing up her courage, she looked at the promising waters of the bath, and stood and sighed in contemplation. "Well, here goes," she thought as she closed her eyes and stepped into the warm waters.

She knew she was changing even though she couldn't feel it and that gave her some hope that the lock had worn off. One of the things that had always amazed her about the curse was how she really couldn't tell when the change hit, it just happened without any real sensation. After waking up, every time she had tried to change, her whole body would fill with a tingling feeling that flowed from head to toe. As the lock weakened, the tingling sensation was fading away and, to her, signaled the return to normalcy.

Opening an eye carefully, she inspected her body...

"Crap," Ranma thought as s/he quickly exited the bath. "I'm so close, so damn close," s/he thought as s/he doused him/herself with cold water.

Reentering the changing room, the now fully female Ranma dressed in the appropriate clothing for her gender, grousing again on the injustice of it all. "I bet ol' Goz is laughing it up in hell or where ever," she continued her mental bitching. "God, I wish I could just have five minutes alone with that jerk."

Feeling the anger of justice denied build up inside her, Ranma fought the urge to scream in rage. "I wish I was back to normal," she thought with a mixture of anger and frustration. "I hate being stuck in one form."

Breathing heavily from the frustration she felt, Ranma stood by the doorway leading into the furo with fists clenched. Her anger was like a wave that carried her along for a short distance before releasing its grip on her, the only problem was that with each frustration that she encountered, her anger was taking longer to fade. "Goz is dead," she thought with no small amount of malice. "The world's better off without him."

As Ranma stepped into the hall, the last bit of anger and frustration slowly drained away being replaced by a numbing feeling. Halfway to the stairs, she encountered her father who was hobbling along with his cane in one hand and his bathing supplies in the other.

"Morning pops," she said monotonously.

"Why are you still a girl? The lock should have worn off by now," Genma asked.

"I'm working on it," Ranma said, her frustration rising again. She paused with a sigh before squeezing by her father. "It's getting better."

In spite of sensing Ranma's growing irritation, Genma considered asking about what she meant by that statement, but decided to let it pass for now. He stared at the retreating back of his son-turned-daughter for a few moments before heading in for his morning bath.

"Morning mom," Ranma greeted as she entered the kitchen.

"Morning dear, is everything all right?"

"Mostly," Ranma replied. "The lock is almost gone; I just wish that it would hurry up and be done with it."

"Sometimes you just have to be patient, "Nodoka said. "What's most important right now is that you are here and you are healthy."

"Yeah - a healthy girl," Ranma mentally complained as she recalled the physical she'd had. "It's not that, mom," Ranma continued, "I wanna be a guy again before... er - never mind."

Nodoka looked quizzically at her child for a brief moment before a light came on in her eyes. "Ah, I see," she said. "Before you have to go through the monthlies."

"Mom!" Ranma said in indignation before asking somewhat quietly, "how did you know about that?"

Nodoka giggled as she served breakfast. "It's an easy thing to figure out, Ranma. You have a fully functioning female body - it stands to reason that you would go through that."

Ranma pouted for the few seconds it took for her mother to place breakfast before her. Ranma regarded the bowls of rice and miso in front of her for a brief second - then attacked them.

"Slow down, dear," Nodoka gently admonished as she watched Ranma eat. "It's not going to escape and no one is going to take your food. Not even your father."

Genma chose that moment to make his appearance. "Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning, pops," Ranma said between her now much slower bites.

"Good morning, husband," Nodoka said formally.

Watching the interaction - or lack or interaction - between her parents, Ranma couldn't help but feel that something was lacking between them. They acted very formal around one another... and Ranma noted that they rarely spoke to one another, and when they did it was very stiff. There was a distance there that she never really noticed before. Cocking her head, Ranma started to put things together.

"They don't love each other anymore - I think," Ranma thought with an unexpected amount of sadness at the conclusion. "What happened? I bet it has something to do with me being gone for so long..."

"I have some things I need to do today, Ranma," Nodoka said, snapping Ranma from her thoughts. "I'll be setting up things with your therapist today - will you be all right here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, mom," Ranma answered offhandedly. "Geez, I'm not a kid anymore."

"Therapists," growled Genma lowly. "He doesn't need a therapist; he just needs to practice the art." He paused a moment as an idea came to him. "He can come with me while I visit Soun," Genma suggested. "He could use the dojo."

Nodoka gave Genma a suspicious look. "Only if he feels up to it."

"That sounds like a good idea, pop" Ranma said as she finished the last of her breakfast. "I do need to practice some."

"Very well, dear," Nodoka said. "Don't forget to take a fresh change of clothes with you."

---------

It was the first time she'd been back to the old place in over twenty-two years, but for her it felt more like a month or so. From the outside, the old Tendo home appeared to have changed very little. The wall that surrounded the compound with its titled-roofed gate was the same as it was twenty years ago, the stone path to the house itself seemed the same, and yard with koi pond were still there.

They were greeted at the door by Soun, whose eyes widened at the sight of Ranma next to Genma. "I see your brought your son today. Going to play two against one in hopes of winning today, Genma?" joked Soun.

"I don't need my son's help in defeating the likes of you," Genma said in an equally joking manner with a slight puff of his chest for added effect. "However, my son would like to use your dojo to practice," he added more seriously. "He has been slacking off lately."

"Certainly, come in, come in," Soun said jovially as he let the pair in.

In spite of all the reassurances that things were the same on the outside, the changes on the inside hit Ranma like a sledgehammer. The first changes that confronted Ranma were the entranceway walls. Gone was the plain off-white paint and in its place was a deep wine color. For some reason that small, insignificant change seemed to make what was familiar territory new and alien to her.

As Ranma mindlessly followed her father deeper into the house, she mentally catalogued the changes that she was able to find. The framed pictures on the wall, a flower arrangement in a new vase and placed in a different part of the hallway, the new curtains that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house... the list of changes in the interior was growing and Ranma had problems keeping up with them. As the alterations piled up, Ranma started to feel a mixture of several emotions; anger, depression and a touch of fear swirled around, making Ranma feel somewhat heavy in heart.

The changes that had happened made Ranma feel as if she were attending a funeral, instead of visiting a place she once called home. In a way she was. Reaching their destination, Ranma had to come to a halt as the sight of the family room overwhelmed her momentarily.

The family room wasn't a family room anymore - it had be converted into a dining room. Gone were the television and low table that she and her father used to fight for food over; in it's place was a western-type table and chair arrangement. It wasn't that seeing the arrangement that was strange to Ranma - she had seen and eaten 'western style' many times in the past - but seeing it in a room that she was so familiar with made it all seem so out of place.

"Oh man," Ranma muttered as she looked about the room.

"Yes, Akane and her husband redecorated after they got married," Soun answered the unasked question. "Well Genma, what shall it be today? Chess? Go? Shogi? Battleship?"

"I think a game of shogi would be good today," Genma answered offhandedly. "Well boy, you know where the dojo is; if you need anything, you'll know where to find us."

Nodding, Ranma headed outside to where she hoped things were more familiar.

The two older men watched the redhead as she entered the dojo. After a while, the sounds of practicing could be heard and each moved toward their traditional places across from one another.

"How's your son doing?" Soun asked cordially as he motioned Genma to sit.

"He's still a girl, but he says he's getting better," Genma replied as he started to rearrange the shogi pieces to their starting positions. "I don't know what he is talking about and don't care as long as he is making progress."

"Perhaps he can feel the lock somehow, Saotome. He has always been more ki sensitive than you," Soun offered. "As long as progress is being made..."

--------

Scanning the wooden interior of the dojo, Ranma breathed a sigh of relief in finding that it was comfortingly unchanged by time. Like a visit to a long-lost friend, the untouched dojo made her feel more at ease with the changes elsewhere. Ranma's earlier negative emotions started to drain away as the dojo comforted her much like a child's favorite stuffed toy or blanket would. She smiled slightly, bowed in front of the shrine that was hanging on one of the walls and began a long series of katas.

--------

"... it would be the prefect opportunity to introduce the boy to your grandchildren," Genma finished.

"True, but we still have to sell the idea to them," Soun pointed out. "This new generation is not into upholding honor - personal or family - like ours was."

"And whose fault is that?" Genma asked sharply. "As the elders of the family, we should be able-"

Genma was cut off as Soun raised a warning hand.

"Hello father, uncle Genma," Akane greeted with wariness in her voice.

"Hello Akane," Soun cheerfully said. "How's everything?"

"Fine, the grocery store was a bit crowed this morning though" Akane answered as she eyed the two seated men. She then sighed softly. "Say - is there someone out in the dojo?"

"My son is out there practicing," Genma said before adding in a biting way. "He knows the importance of maintaining and preserving the art for future generations."

Stiffening at Genma's dig, Akane debated only for a brief second whether to respond or not. Shaking her head at her 'uncle's' stupidity, she excused herself. The two old men watched as Akane headed in the direction of the dojo.

--------

Ranma concentrated her ki in her forearm and tried to focus what was gathered there through her hand. Before her... disappearance, she had been researching and attempting to refine the amount of control over her ki. She had witnessed first hand the advantage of that kind of control can be when she battled Prince Herb of the Musk and had wanted to master it herself. It was soon after that near-fatal fight that it occurred to her that she was capable of that kind of control – unfortunately it was when she was in the throes of the Cat-fist.

“There's gotta be a way to do this,” she cursed silently as she tried to focus her ki into her hands. “If I can do this as a c-cat I can do this without it.”

Holding her hands up before her, she watched, with furrowed brow, as her fingers glowed slightly. Sweat beaded as she struggled to generate not only the amount of ki necessary, but to focus and mold it into something that she could use. Ignoring a droplet of sweat that stung her eye, Ranma gritted her teeth and exhaled loudly.

"Damn, this is hard - harder than it was before," she thought as she tried to will the ki into cat-like claws. Ranma sighed hard as the gathered ki remained unresponsive to her will and instead balled around her fingertips. Easing up and letting the ki balls disperse, she let out another long sigh. "I can't seem to generate enough ki... much less control it. I think that damned blade Goz stabbed me with messed up my ki. I couldn't make claws, but it seems harder to make this much ki.” She sighed again, then pouted adorably. “It's going take more practice before I can anything useful."

"Hello Ranma."

Turning to face the still very familiar voice, Ranma automatically began with a familiar greeting. "Hey ya' Tombo-,er," she froze as she realized the woman standing there wasn't the same girl she loved a long time ago. "... I mean Akane."

Smiling internally for a moment at the slip, Akane remembered fondly when the insult 'Tomboy' became a term of endearment between them. She then sighed with discomfort as she knew that those days were long ago for her, but not for others - like the one before her now. As the two stared at one another, an awkward silence crept into the room.

"I, um, saw what you were doing," Akane said, hoping to break the ever growing quietness. "You're still the most amazing martial artist I've ever seen. I haven't seen anyone to this day that can match you."

"Er... thanks," Ranma said, slightly embarrassed from the praise for some reason. Usually she would relish such compliments, but for some reason it felt very out of place. Ranma looked at the middle-aged woman who was the girl he loved twenty-two years ago and started to feel a hollow feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. During Ranma's observations, an uncomfortable silence grew between the two.

“So... Akane,” Ranma stammered out, feeling the need to break the silence before it became insurmountable. “Ahhh... What's... ahh... new?”

“Well... I think your father and mine are planning something stupid,” Akane answered offhandedly while crossing the dojo's floor. “They've been failing at being entirely too secretive lately.”

“O-kay... well, that would be just like your father and Pops,” Ranma said as she attempted to return to her practice but her heart now wasn't in it. “What are we going to do about it?”

“Your mother and I will take care of it. You have enough on your plate without worrying about those two.”

“Er... right,” Ranma replied, stopping in mid-kata. Akane was sounding far too motherly and it was creeping her out a bit; she then reacted with her gut. “I'm not helpless,” Ranma said somewhat defensively. “I can handle Pop.”

“I never said you were,” Akane pointed out in the same motherly tone she had been using. “I'm just saying that you need to concentrate on getting assimilated into society. The last thing you need to be doing is dealing with the stupidity of two old men.”

Taking in and releasing a deep breath, Ranma nodded. “Okay. But I'm not going to stand idly by all the time – I ain't some kid that needs to be coddled.”

“I know, but right now let your mother and I deal with it,” Akane said, then added thoughtfully. “We need to feel useful.”

Ranma gave out a half snort and nodded. A prolonged silence fell between the two, only to be broken by Ranma again. "Say Akane? Can I ask you something?"

Akane paused only for a moment before replying. "Sure Ranma, what is it?"

"Er... why, that is, why haven't you passed on the Tendo style of Anything Goes to your kids?" Ranma asked in a careful way, noting the slight grey hairs just around the older woman's temples.

Sighing, Akane motioned Ranma over to the porch area of the dojo and sat down. Ranma joined her and sat cross-legged while waiting for Akane to answer.

"What have you heard?" Akane asked.

"Nothing really," Ranma replied; were those wrinkles around the eyes? "Only what little your pop and mine said on the train."

Shaking her head, Akane fixed Ranma with an even stare. "The reason why I haven't, is because - thanks to my father - I really don't know enough of Anything Goes to pass on.”

“Whatta mean?” Ranma asked, flicking her pigtail over her shoulder. “Didn't you father teach you?”

“No,” Akane replied with a shake of her head. “He only went as far as barely teaching the basics of art. He never really taught me much of anything beyond that – I mostly picked stuff up on my own.”

“If he didn't...,” Ranma trailed off in confusion. "What are you teaching...?"

Akane sighed. "Dad only taught me enough to be dangerous; I eventually had to go elsewhere to learn and get a teaching certificate."

“You did?”

Akane answered with a nod.

“I bet your pop didn't like that.”

“I didn't care at the time – still don't,” Akane commented as she shifted to a more comfortable position. “He wouldn't teach me properly, so I went out and trained elsewhere.”

Ranma shook her head. “Figures.”

“And it got worse when Hiroshi was born,” Akane explained. “They – that is your father and mine – decided that he was the 'last hope of the schools' and wanted to train him.”

Ranma remained silent.

“I told them that it would over my dead body that they would take my son away from my on some stupid training trip,” Akane huffed. “Of course they like that less than me going elsewhere to learn martial arts.”

Ranma nodded in agreement.

Akane nodded. “And then I told them that I would leave it up to Hiroshi when he got old enough as to whether or not he wanted to learn Anything Goes,” Akane continued. “Well, you can imagine the fallout from that.”

Ranma shook her head in semi-disbelief. “So... they were planning on doing to your – er, son what Pops did to me.”

Akane nodded her head ruefully. “Yes. They intended on taking Hiroshi on 'an intense and prolonged' training journey to 'ensure that Anything Goes doesn't fade into history' – as my father put it.”

“Wow... he must have rehearsed that for days,” Ranma commented.

Akane snickered while nodding; she then turned serious. “I think it was finally the threat of legal action that stopped them."

Silence fell between the two.

“They... refuse to train you in the art – or at least enough that they feel that you would make a suitable heir – and then get mad that you didn't allow them to pass on the art to your kids?”

“Pretty much sizes things up,” Akane said.

Shaking her head, Ranma said, "I don't believe them. I always wondered, what was wrong with stayin' in one place and learnin'?”

“Nothing, but my father saw what your training trip did for you and became enamored with the idea of training one of his grandsons the same way,” Akane said.

“Say,” Ranma said after a moment of silence, “how come your pop didn't teach you to be the heir in the first place?”

"Prejudice," Akane replied. "I was a girl and a 'girl can't be trained in or teach martial arts'."

Ranma blink-blinked again. She also noted that Akane had filled out and looked plumper than she was when she was... Ranma's age.

"You see," Akane continued, "your father and mine are a lot like Happosai in that respect."

Ranma stared at Akane for a brief moment and thought back to the first time she met Happosai. "Happosai? Yeah, he was a bit like that. Say, whatever happened to the ol' freak?"

"I don't really know, though I have my suspicions," Akane replied with a shrug. "About sixteen... maybe seventeen years ago my dad, yours and Happosai went on a 'training trip'...

"More like a panty raid," Ranma snorted.

"... and only my dad and Genma returned. My dad's arms were in a casts and your father's leg was messed up badly - that's why he walks with a limp now - my guess is that they sealed Happosai away somewhere like they did before."

Silence revisited the room. Finally Ranma muttered out a soft, "I see... so Happosai has been gone for a while. Can't say I'll miss him though, he has always been a pain in the ass." Looking up at her ex-fiancee, Ranma asked in a firmer voice, "So if Happosai's gone... what do you practice, if you don't practice Anything Goes?"

"I practice jujitsu and kung-fu," Akane replied with a slight smile. "It keeps me in shape and I do hold small classes, workshops and usually have a self-defense course for women at the end of every month, but as far as Anything Goes...goes..."

"Jujitsu? Kung-fu?" Ranma wondered as she looked at the deeper creases around Akane's mouth that her smile brought out. Jujitsu and kung-fu were a very small part of Anything Goes. "So... you just teach jujitsu and kung-fu," Ranma ventured, unsure as how to proceed.

"I do it because I still enjoy it," Akane said with a smile. "It makes enough to cover itself in expenses' and a bit extra, but that's about it. It's more like a fulfilling hobby than anything else."

"I... see..." Ranma managed as she became more overwhelmed at the differences between the Akane she knew and the one sitting next to her.

Silence fell only to be broken by Akane again before it got too uncomfortable. "So Ranma, outside of getting used to everything, what are your plans?"

"Plans? I don't really have any," Ranma replied, shaken from any thoughts. "I mean, mom is wanting me to get 'up to speed' on school stuff and has even talked about getting me a tutor."

"I know that," Akane said. "But what I mean is, what are you planning to do with your life? Are you going to pursue martial arts and open your own dojo?"

"I... I don't know," Ranma admitted. "I mean before..." her voice trailed off as she looked at the older woman carefully. "Akane," she thought forlornly for a moment before continuing on. "Before - my life was pretty much planned out. I don't know what to do - so much has changed, I don't even know where to begin. I'll guess I'll just stick with martial arts. That is what my pop would want."

"Ranma," Akane said while taking the redhead's hand in hers. "Listen to me, I'm being serious. Don't let yourself be pigeon holed into something that your father wants; if you do, you'll never be happy. You need to live for yourself - if you don't... Look, just look around and see what else the world has to offer."

"I don't know Akane, I mean, I don't think my Pop would like -"

"This isn't about your father, Ranma," Akane interrupted sharply, "and this is not about what your father wants. This is about what you want."

Ranma thought a moment. "What about my mom? What would she think?"

"Ranma, your mother just wants you to be happy,” Akane replied with a shake of her head before locking her eyes onto Ranma's. “Do you know what she told me back at the hospital? She told me that if you came back into her life as a woman, married to a man, she'd still want you back."

Silence followed as that revelation sank in."She did?" Ranma asked in astonishment. "What about being a 'man among men' and all that?"

"What good is it being a 'man among men' if it separates you from everyone?" Akane countered. "Ranma, you have to understand, your mother will be against anything that threatens you. Being a man among men and a top martial artist got you - got her - where? Separated for over thirty years of her life. Believe me, she feels it wasn't worth it."

Ranma digested this for a moment. It made sense. Since her return, her mother hadn't even mentioned anything that remotely approached the word 'manly'. If her mother truly didn't care whether or not if she was manly then... "What should I do then?"

Sighing Akane arched an eyebrow and looked at Ranma over her glasses. "Ranma, that is up to you."

Unknown possibilities fluttered through Ranma's head. "I don't know if I can give up martial arts," wondered out loud. “I don't know anything else.”

"I didn't say anything about you giving up martial arts," Akane said pointedly as she marveled at the 'one extreme to another' outlook teenagers seemed to possess at times. It reminded her of her kids. "And you're still young; if you wanted to, you could look around and see what else the world has to offer."

Ranma was starting to feel uncomfortable - Akane using the word "young" to describe her didn't help; Akane was sounding almost like... her mother. That's when it struck home that Akane was a mother - twice over if she recalled correctly. The empty feeling she had earlier had returned with a vengeance. "Um, okay," Ranma managed to work out before looking about the dojo. Anything to distract herself from the older woman. "I better clean up in here."

"I'll take care of that," Akane said. "Why don't you get washed up. You know where the furo is and there are already some fresh towels for you to use there."

"Er, thanks," Ranma said lamely as she rose from her spot as Akane gracefully climbed to her feet. An awkward silence revisited leaving both speechless for a moment. Ranma took that brief moment to really study Akane. The matronly look and air about Akane was alien to Ranma's minds eye of the memories of the teenager that Akane was long ago. In that one moment, Ranma realized that there was really nothing here at the Tendo's for her to come back to. It was gone a long time ago.

"You okay?" Akane's question broke Ranma from her thoughts.

"Just... fine," Ranma managed while offering a forced smile. "I'm... er, still adjusting I guess."

Akane replied with an understanding nod as the two resumed staring at one another briefly. "If you ever need to use the dojo - or if your just need to talk - don't be afraid to stop by anytime," Akane offered.

"I'll... keep that in mind," Ranma replied as she headed toward the dojo's door. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Akane called after Ranma. Sighing, Akane wondered if she was helping any, or making things worse. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was the right way of handling something and when it came to Ranma that was double. Absently drawing a dust mop from its storage place, Akane began cleaning the dojo and considering other ways that she could have handled the situation. "I hope he'll be all right," she worried to herself.

Half way to the house, Ranma glanced over her shoulder and watched as Akane used a wide dust mop to wipe the dojo's floor. The moment froze itself in her mind, like taking a mental snapshot for prosperity as she watched her ex-fiancee cleanup. It was Akane, but not the Akane she had known all those years ago. She had grown, changed, and matured.

A feeling of loss knotted in the pit of Ranma's stomach as the true distance between Akane and herself was felt. There was nothing to do or anything to else left to do. Except let go.

"Goodbye Tomboy," she whispered to herself before resuming her walk to the house and its waiting bath.

---------

"I'm heading out, pop," Ranma announced after a quick wash and change of clothing.

"Don't you want to stick around? Meet Soun's grandchildren?" Genma asked leadingly as he looked up from the game.

"Nah. Not today," Ranma replied with a shrug. "I haven't been out of the house much since I got back and I want to do some exploring."

Genma made a great show of looking disappointed, but nodded in consent. "Very well boy, but be home on time. You wouldn't want to worry your mother."

"Got'cha," Ranma said before crossing the lawn and leaping over the wall.

"Genma, why didn't you insist he stay?" Soun asked in a low voice as to not be overheard. "School will be out in a few hours and it would have been a perfect opportunity for him to meet Nyoko."

"Because we don't want to be too obvious," Genma replied. "That was our problem the first time - we tried to move too fast - this time we'll go slower. We'll stick to the plan."

Nodding in approval, Soun smiled. "Wise as always Saotome - except for now. G-4!"

Genma looked down in surprise. "Y-you sunk my battleship!" He gasped. "Do over! Do over!"

---------

Without a destination, Ranma walked along and considered Akane's words. It wasn't just her attitude toward the art, but the new knowledge that Mr. Tendo never really treated Akane as a proper heir to his family's art. "I wonder why they never found someone else to teach Anything Goes to?" Ranma wondered. "I mean, surely they didn't do nothin' for twenty years."

It didn't make sense, but then again, many things in Ranma's life rarely made sense - especially when it involved her father. She had suspected some of what Akane said about her mother in light of the fact that Nodoka hadn't made any comments on 'being manly' since she got back, but she avoided the subject for obvious reasons since her return.

Ranma shook her head, dislodging a few strands of red hair that flew into her eyes. Absently brushing them aside, she continued on, barely registering where she was going. On one hand, the art was not only a big part of Ranma's life, but it was something that was supposed to bind the family - the families - together. Looking at the reality of the situation, it was responsible for separating her from her mother for nearly three decades.

"Stupid pops," Ranma groused. "He should have just opened a dojo and taught me there. Stupid training trip."

Walking the oddly familiar streets, Ranma let her feet take her where they would. 'Oddly familiar' - that was fast becoming her favorite term for everything. It was surprising how most everything - cars, airplanes, buildings and such remained almost the same. It was the underlying alien feeling that Ranma had that prevented her from totally accepting that nothing had changed at all. Ranma halted in her walk near a busy intersection and willed herself to ignore the little changes and imagined herself back to when she belonged. Like a wave, the sense of loss flowed over Ranma, breaking her form her imaginative return to the past, dragging her back into the here and now. It was like the bottom dropped out of her mood and a heavy, depressing feeling was cast over her.

"It's not fair," she mumbled.

Forcibly pushing aside her rapidly degenerating thoughts before they dragged her down further, Ranma took a good look around to get her bearings and had found herself before the arched sign that proudly proclaimed that she was in front of the "Nerima Shopping District". The wide avenue was filled with shoppers going to and from one store or another. It was like controlled chaos. With nothing better to do, and hoping to distract herself from another bout of depression, Ranma entered the plaza .

Ranma meandered along the shopping plaza and marveled at the changes that time had brought. Though she hadn't really paid attention to the finer details, it was hard to miss the amount of English that was showing up in advertising. From signs, billboards, posters pasted onto the side of buildings to whole trucks that acted as mobile billboards the amount of English used was staggering.

"Where's all this coming from?" Ranma wondered as she spied another indecipherable sign in English. Though there were Japanese characters along with the English, most seemed like additions to the message in English rather than actual translations.

Though she wasn't sure, she had the impression that things were also a little more racier than what she remembered. A street-side newsstand brought that to her attention with a row of various weekly magazines, each of their covers adorned with bikinied or scantily clad models. Ranma couldn't help but notice that some of the titles were in English, but that didn't distract her from some of the banners.

"Co-ed housing arouses school spirit and libidos... Have a fling for physical fitness... Erotic image training: The sexperts tell you how...?" Ranma read the covers. "Is everything about sex?"

Moving on, Ranma immediately came upon a long row of vending machines. "I guess it is," she concluded as she looked over capsule toy dispenser that touted 'Cell phone numbers of beautiful girls' that were just waiting to 'talk and perhaps do more with you'. Ranma shook her head. "How more blatant can you get?" she asked herself - and her question was immediately answered by the capsule toy dispenser sitting right next to the one she was looking at.

Ranma looked incomprehensibly at the collectable sexually explicit figures. "Most look like ten year old girls," she thought in revulsion as she wandered away. "Even the Freak wouldn't sink that low."

In spite of, what was to Ranma, the overbearing sexuality of what she was seeing around her, she felt unmoved or titillated by it. Her male perception of things had collided with her female perception to emerge as androgynous feelings on the matter. At this point what she felt was nothing more than the knee-jerk reaction she had honed from before.

Leaving the vending machines behind, she trekked further into the shopping district until her wandering feet had taken her in front of a clean, glass-fronted and modern-looking store with the name 'Hiro's Electronic Warehouse', Ranma blinked at the signs advertising its wares.

"Wow," she muttered aloud as she looked at the banners proclaiming the vast array of items for sale. Though there were electronic gizmos "back when", they never held much interest for Ranma at the time; but "back when" electronic gizmos were not everywhere like in the world she had found herself in. This new found curiosity combined with the need to do something to distract herself fro her looming depression fueled her current boldness to enter the store - but that was about as far as she planned.

So Ranma stood outside near the entrance, trying to decide whether to go in or not. She eventually shrugged her shoulders. "Aw, what the heck," she thought as she entered the store. "Akane used to tell me that window shopping did wonders for her mood when she was down."

She stopped just inside the doorway and stepped to one side to allow others behind her to enter unhindered. The groups of people moving between the displays of goods for sale was like a controlled chaos making Ranma feel more intimidated than she really should have. Unsure as to what to do next, she stood and took in the activites of the store, customers and sales staff as they bustled about the floor, the noise of buzzing, chirps and other weird sounds, and loud music coming from somewhere in the back. Standing there in her indecision of what to do next, Ranma felt very conspicuous.

"Can I help you, Miss?" A suited salesman asked politely, drawing Ranma away from her nervous observations.

"Um... no thank you," Ranma managed to reply. "I'm just looking today."

"That's quite all right," the salesman said. "But if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." He then bowed slightly and moved on to assist other customers that were milling about.

After the salesman drifted off, Ranma decided to walk around to blend in better with the crowd and to get a closer look at what was on the shelves. Heading for a table with small boxes on it, she noted that each box was attached to the table by a thick cord that disappeared into a hole at the center of the table. Another, thinner wire, that split into two wires that sported two small, mushroom-shaped things at each ends.

Mimicking what she had seen other people do, Ranma picked up a random box and studied it. It was much lighter than she expected and sported a small screen of some sort. Following the thinner wire to one of the mushroom-shaped things, Ranma held the end up to her ear like she'd seen others do.

Music came out of it.

"A radio," Ranma mentally concluded, "with fancy earphones." She felt a bit disappointed that something so fancy was, in fact, mundane.

"Are you interested in an MP3 player?" A saleslady asked.

Ranma blinked at the woman. "A what?"

"That's a very nice model that you picked out," the saleswoman continued. "It comes with a sixty gigabyte hard-drive with a two hundred and fifty six megabyte buffer. You can use it for music, videos, and photographs."

Ranma blink-blinked at the saleswoman before intensely studying the device in her hand.

"All of that in this?" Ranma thought as she turned the 'radio' around in her hand. She hadn't understood any of the specs that the saleswoman had rattled off, but it sounded impressive. "Um... I'm just looking today," she managed to say. "Getting ideas..." she finished lamely.

"Ah, I see," the saleswomen said before echoing the salesman from earlier. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Um... right."

Ranma wandered away from the collection of MP3 players and tried and not to feel so dumb about lack of knowledge. "Maybe it was a bad idea coming here," she thought. "I haven't a clue what the heck I'm looking at."

Her ignorance made her feel even more conspicuous and uncomfortable than ever. With that, Ranma edged toward the exit, wanting to leave the store and the feelings that it invoked. She was half way to the door when her curiosity arrested her escape. Milling around an elongated table, a group of customers poked and prodded at an item that piqued her curiosity. It was very common, even her own mother had one, though Ranma had seen it around the house, this was his first real good look at one of the things. It appeared to be made of metal and took up about as much space on the table as a sheet of notebook paper. Folded flat, it was maybe an inch thick if not less. The keyboard was a darker color than the rest of the machine and the screen displayed a light blue background interspersed with little pictures.

Her discomfort of a few moments ago was quickly forgotten as she intently watched the customers come up to the things and play with them as the salespeople assisted. Wanting a better view as to want was going on, Ranma managed to work her way over to one that was free and began to study the computer. The thing was completely different than the small sleek laptop that she had seen her mother use. It was big, off-white, boxy and ugly. There were several slots or coverings of some sort with buttons on the front. Next to the box was a television of sorts with no knobs and in front of that was a thin typewriter keyboard.

Feeling more than a bit intimidated by the thing, Ranma backed off and watched and listened as the other people played with the display wares. What she heard was incomprehensible.

"The RAMs good. It's about time they start putting a decent amount in these things."

"... this one has a DVD burner in it..."

"... what's the hard drive on this again?"

It was all too confusing. Ranma hadn't a clue what any of the things that the customers and sales staff were talking about and because of that, her discomfort started to return. Stepping away, she tried to content herself with just watching the people as they grabbed small things and dragged them around the flat surface of the table top; all she could tell from her vantage point was that something was happening on more than a few of the televisions, but exactly how and why they were happening escaped her.

Her discomfort grew into a full-blown out of place feeling that threatened to drag her into a depression. Anything more that she was thinking about was disrupted by an inquiring voice that she half-heard. "What?" Ranma asked, being dragged into the here and now.

"Do you need any help?" yet another salesman asked.

"Um... no. That is, I really don't know what I'm looking at," Ranma admitted.

The man nodded with a smile. "I understand. Don't feel too bad, being a geek is more of a guy thing," he quipped.

Ranma's eyebrow tried not to twitch. "O... kay," she muttered decrepitly as she turned away and to leave. Sighing heavily as she exited the store, Ranma took stock of her mixed bad of emotions. Window shopping to distract herself from her problems was a failure; instead of being a distraction, it spotlighted them. Ranma ended up feeling even more lost and displaced than ever.

--------

Nodoka sighed as another search for the 'Neko-ken' came up empty. She had been told of it long after Ranma had disappeared, but by then her anger and grief over Ranma being missing had played out. She rubbed her eyes and thought of giving another go of searching through her husband's things for the actual manual. Staring blankly at the screen, she thought of the meeting she had with Dr. Okamoto, Ranma's therapist, and what she was told wasn't good.

Between the curse and the actual physical and mental changes that most likely accompanied it, coupled that with Ranma's sexual immaturity, and his extreme and dangerous fear of cats, thanks to the Neko-ken, and his weak formal education, and lack of contact with his peers in a social setting, and...

... and...

... the list went on.

Bottom line was that Ranma, thanks to his father, was psychologically a mess. The bright spot was, that in spite of Genma's parenting, Ranma had proven resilient to most of the abuse of his upbringing and remained, for the most part, a stable individual.

"I was more a fool than I thought to trust Genma with our child like I did," Nodoka thought darkly. "But I'm going to do everything I can to see Ranma has a shot at happiness." She idly reached over and closed the browser window and launched her email program; so lost in thought she didn't even notice Ranma as she entered the room.

"Hi mom," Ranma said.

"Hello dear," Nodoka greeted as she looked up from checking her email. She looked to see if the object of her ire was with Ranma. "Is your father with you?"

"Nah, I left him at the Tendo's," Ranma replied. "I spent the afternoon just wandering around."

"Oh? Find anything interesting?" Nodoka asked as she gently closed the lid of her laptop.

"Ah... nah," Ranma answered uncomfortably.

Noticing Ranma's demeanor, Nodoka closed the lid of her laptop and gave her child her undivided attention. "Ranma, is there anything wrong?"

A moment of silence dragged out between the two before Ranma spoke. "Umm... I don't know mom, I spent twenty minutes at a store and couldn't make heads or tails out of half the stuff I was lookin' at," Ranma answered. "I feel so stupid."

"Ranma, you had nothing to feel stupid about," Nodoka said as she motioned Ranma to sit by her. "You've been away, so don't expect yourself to know things that you haven't learned."

Moving over to where her mother was, Ranma sat cross-legged and fidgeted slightly. Sighing, she drummed her fingers on the table top once before addressing her mother. "That's just it mom, I have no idea even where to start."

Looking at her obviously frustrated daughter, Nodoka reached over and opened her laptop. "Why not here?" she asked. "I really can't explain how it works, but I do know how to use a computer.

Ranma shook her head. "That's okay..."

"Nonsense. Come closer and I'll show you what little I know," Nodoka said as she moved the laptop closer to Ranma.

Soon Ranma was sitting in front of the laptop and scrutinizing it. It was much like the others back at the store except that there was one of the round things plugged into the side of the laptop. She looked closer at the object with mock disinterest and waited for for mother to begin. In spite of her outer appearance, internally, Ranma felt excitement beginning to build up at the prospect of learning a little about something so... futuristic. "Where do I start?" She finally asked.

"The first thing you need to learn is," Nodoka paused in thought. "Do you know what a mouse is?"

Blink-blinking at the question, Ranma shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, small little rodents. I used to catch them for food when me and pops were low on provisions on our training trip."

Leaning back in surprise at that little bit of knowledge, Nodoka quickly gathered herself and shook her head.

"No dear, a computer mouse," she clarified while motioning to the rounded object that was plugged into the side of the laptop.

"Oh," Ranma said dumbly.

"Next, do you see the pointer on the desktop?" Nodoka asked while motioning to the set-up.

Eyes drawn away from the machine by her mother's question, Ranma studied the table top. With the exception of a few papers and the machine itself, there was little else on the table.

"Ranma?"

"Ummm... Mom I don't see anything but the computer and some papers. Where's the pointer?"

Nodoka stared dumbly at her child for a brief instant before backing up and explaining. "I'm sorry, I meant on the screen," Nodoka explained. "You see the screen itself?" Nodoka asked. Ranma responded with a nod. "The background on the screen is called a desktop. See that little arrow there?" Nodoka said while pointing out said item. "That's the pointer and the mouse controls where pointer goes."

"Okay..." Ranma said, feeling a little unsure and more than a little stupid. Then it hit her. "So that's what those guys were doing at electronic store." Ranma gingerly moved the mouse and watched in fascination as the pointer responded by moving on the screen. "Wow."

"See how easy it is? Now see if you can move the pointer on top of this icon here," Nodoka merrily said while singling out one of the many pictures that was on her desktop.

Obeying her mother, Ranma maneuvered the pointer over the picture.

"Good, now click on it," Nodoka said.

Ranma blinked. "Click?"

"Yes dear, oh... 'click' or 'clicking' means hitting the button on the mouse," Nodoka explained.

Raising her hand to get a better look at the device in her hands, Ranma clearly saw the lines that divided the mouse into sections. Taking a guess, she fingered the button under her index finger. "This one?"

"Yes, that's the one," Nodoka encouraged. "Now see how the icon changed color? That's called highlighting - that means you've selected it. Now click and hold the button down."

Ranma obeyed.

"Now move the pointer."

The icon moved along with the pointer as if it was glued to it. "Wow. Is that what it is supposed to do?" asked Ranma in amazement.

"Yes dear, that's normal," Nodoka replied. "Now let go of the button and click that twice," Nodoka then added, "By the way, that's called 'double-clicking'."

Tapping the said button twice made interesting things happen.

"Wow," was the most used word for Ranma for the rest of the afternoon as her mother taught her the ways of the computer.

---------

Sighing, Akane approached the living room. “Might as well nip this in the bud before it gets any bigger,” she thought in annoyance. Stealing herself, she entered the living room where two elderly men were in the midst of playing yet another game of something or other. Crossing over to the side that they were at, Akane stood between the seated players.

“And what are you two think you doing?” Akane asked with more than a touch of sharpness in her tone; it was clearly like a mother scolding her misbehaving children.

“W-what ever to you mean, Akane?” Soun replied with a stammer.

“I've been overhearing the both of you planning something for the past week now. Out with it.”

Soun and Genma looked to one another then back at the woman towering over them. “Why nothing really,” Genma said smoothly. “We were discussing the possibility of getting everyone that Ranma knew together for a welcome back-type party.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Soun piped up. “This will give the opportunity for Ranma to catch up on what everyone has been doing since his... unfortunate sleep.”

“I see.. and don't you think I know you have an ulterior motive for 'throwing a little get together'?”

“Er... daughter – I mean, of course we don't.” Soun said nervously, eyes darting from his daughter to his best friend. “We – that is, Saotome and I feel that perhaps Ranma being introduced to people that are more his peers now would help him adjust to his current state.”

“Exactly,” Genma agreed. “It cannot be healthy to have my son so isolated from people his own age.”

Akane looked at both men wearing an unreadable expression. “And this has nothing to do with you wanting to resurrect the pact?” Akane skeptically asked.

“Er...,” Soun stammered.

“No, of course not,” Genma interjected. “Wh-why would you think that?”

“Because you two have been trying hard to be secretive but failing,” Akane replied sharply. “If you two are going to plot something at least have the sense to plot where other people aren't around to hear most everything you say.”

“You've been eavesdropping on us?” Soun asked, clearly aghast.

“Hardly,” Akane sarcastically commented. “You two are as good at hiding your 'plans' like you used to be. Between what my husband and kids and I heard...”

“But Akane,” Genma piped up, hoping to salvage something. “Surely you can see that what we are trying to do is best for Anything Goes? How it must be saved-”

“No, I don't,” Akane interrupted Genma's feeble attempt at persuasion.

“Bah!” Genma proclaimed sourly. “Like you would really understand the suffering that your father and I endured – to become the fighters we were in our youth and to pass what we learned on-”

In spite herself, Akane was drawn into and old argument. “Father didn't do a very good job with me,” she sharply said. “I had to go elsewhere.”

“That because a woman's place is-”

“Don't get started with that crap,” Akane interrupted again. “Some of the finest archers and fighters in feudal Japan were women.”

“Now see here-”

“No you see here,” Akane interrupted yet again. “Ranma is trying to get his life back together and the last thing he needs is two old fools trying to run his life for him.”

“Daughter!” Soun half-yelled in surprise.

“No father, there will be no more meddling,” Akane said as she straightened. “Now if you will excuse me, I have some phone calls to make.”

Watching after the retreating woman, Genma slammed a hand on the table-top disturbing the game pieces on the board, knocking some over. “Damn that woman!” He proclaimed, then eyed Soun. “Sorry old friend, but she should understand – above everyone else she should understand.”

“I... I'm not sure, Saotome,” Soun said in uncertainty before mumbling, "... anymore."

“What do you mean?” Genma asked in a controlled tone. Everything that should be coming together seemed as if it were falling apart. “Don't tell me that you don't think the schools aren't important?”

“Not at all,” Soun replied in a surprisingly smooth manner. “I'm thinking that Akane may be right. Ranma needs time to adjust. You yourself told me that the problem the first time we tried to join the schools was that we moved too fast.”

"But he has been back a while now," Genma complained.

"He has been gone over twenty years," Soun pointed out.

Weighing that fact, Genma reluctantly nodded.

“We have time,” Soun said as he picked up the knocked over pieces of the western chess set. “Ranma isn't going anywhere.”

Genma looked at the rook on the board and thought. “I hope you're right old friend.”

-----------

It was sometime later that a still slightly fuming Genma made his appearance in the Saotome home.

"Everything was going so well," Genma thought bitterly as he slipped out of his shoes. "Akane had to ruin everything... and then she had to call her husband and Kasumi."

When Shinji, Akane's husband, came home, it didn't make for a pretty sight. He sighed heavily and shook his head. Fools. They never will understand – even Akane. "I'm home!" He called out as he pushed his shoes aside with a foot and entered the house proper.

"Hello husband," Nodoka said neutrally. "How was Soun today?"

"Fine, fine," Genma answered absently.

“You have a moment.” Nodoka stated more than asked.

Genma sighed again and followed his wife into her domain – the kitchen. Akane probably called her too.

“Akane called-”

“Now wife,” Genma interrupted only to have himself cut off.

“How could you?” Nodoka demanded. “What were you thinking?”

“I'm thinking about the resurrection of the schools,” Genma said sharply. “While you are coddling the boy I'm thinking about the future.”

“Whose future? Your child's or your legacy?”

Face flushing, Genma stalked around the small kitchen like a trapped animal. “Soun and I only have the boy's interests at heart,” he said bitterly.

"And I'm sure you had no other motive for making this suggestion,"Nodoka said with a hint of sarcasm. “I'm sure that you never factored your so- child's wants into the equation.”

Sighing tiredly Genma half-glared at his wife. "You have already damned any idea of joining the schools and I have already been through this with Akane, her husband and Kasumi - I have no desire to go through all this again." He then turned to exit the kitchen.

Nodoka eyed the retreating back of her husband and sighed. Sometimes it was like having a child in the house. She stood for a moment, watching after Genma before focusing on the small stack of dirty dishes by the sink. “I'll have to keep a closer eye on him,” she thought. “He won't give up this easily.”

Genma ignored everything around hims as he headed into the family room with the idea of perhaps working on Ranma's sense of honor. If he could sell it to the boy, then no matter what anyone else says.. maybe that approach will work. Upon entering the living room, what he saw there made him stop in his tracks and his blood run cold.

"Hey pops," Ranma said absently as she studied the computer screen intently. Tetris was fun.

"S-son? What are you doing?" stammered Genma as he shifted his view to really see what his child was doing.

"Mom has been showin' me a little of this computer stuff," Ranma replied. "She even showed me some stuff on the... ah, internet? And a few games to get used to the computer."

Narrowing his eyes, Genma began a slow boil. "Your... mother... showed... you?"

"Yeah, pops, she did," Ranma replied while looking up. "Why? What's... the..." she paused to look around the room and found it empty. "I wonder what that was about?"

"What in the hell were you thinking?" Genma half-shrieked at his wife as he reentered the kitchen. Surprised by Genma's outburst, Nodoka almost dropped the dish that she was just about to place into the drying rack.

"Don't you talk to me that way, husband," Nodoka growled out as she dried her hands with a towel. "And it would help if I knew what you were talking about."

Standing and fuming, Genma was almost shaking with rage. "You showed Ranma that damned computer," he spat out. "The last thing we need is for the last practitioner of Anything Goes to get distracted by some worthless piece of technology."

Nodoka blinked at the irate man for a heartbeat. "Is that what this is all about?" Nodoka demanded. "Genma, how can you be so foolish?"

"I'm not being foolish," a somewhat calmer Genma replied. "It's just that the boy cannot be distracted from the art... like so many of - the current generation are. He needs to focus on what's important."

Counting to ten, Nodoka gathered her thoughts. "Genma dear," she began overly sweetly, "what Ranma is doing is important. First, it is helping him get caught up on the time he missed and second, he is learning a skill that everyone his age - and younger - has. This, in the long run, will help him to fit in better."

Wearing a face of thoughtfulness, Genma also gathered his thoughts on the matter. "Nodoka - dear," he said in a calm, controlled tone, "this is not a matter of Ranma fitting in or not. What is important to Ranma is that he concentrates on his martial arts. He is the last practitioner of Anything Goes; it falls on his shoulders to pass on what he knows."

"That will be solely up to Ranma, husband."

Genma drew in a deep, calming breath. "He has a duty - an obligation - to pass on what he knows," Genma half-ranted, being mindful of his wife's glare. "He needs to look beyond his troubles and his personal wants and focus only on that."

"What he does and doesn't do will be up to him," Nodoka countered. "Ranma has a second chance at life and I will let him be free to choose what he wants to do."

Genma returned his wife's glare. "No! I will not allow it! The School of Anything Goes should be the most important thing in his life!" he exploded loudly. "Everything else is unnecessary."

"And what of your son's happiness?" Nodoka yelled back with a dangerous edge. "Are you telling me that doesn't matter?"

"When it comes to duty, everything else has to take a back seat," Genma ground out between clenched teeth. "Even unfulfilled pacts must be dealt with."

A dangerous silence fell in the kitchen - dangerous for Genma because of the number of sharp objects that were in easy reach of Nodoka. "I thought the girls and I were quite clear on our stance on that,” she said dangerously. As far as we are concerned, it is over and done with.”

Knowing that he would get shot down, Genma still had to fight the instinct to try and explain how important it is was to carry on the schools, Genma decided to spring another approach on Nodoka. "Time for the hook," he thought. "But dear, didn't you say always said that you wanted grandchildren?" He asked disarmingly.

Momentarily caught off guard by the change of tack, Nodoka found herself answering before thinking. "Of course I do-"

"Now for the line," Genma thought as he mused at the genius of his approach. "At our age, the only way we will live long enough to see them is if Ranma marries soon," Genma said with uncharacteristic smoothness. "Don't you agree?"

Pursing her lips, Nodoka thought only for the briefest moments. "No," she answered flatly.

"And sink- what?" Genma's mind locked up for a brief moment. Genma blinked - and blinked again. This was something he wasn't counting on. "W-what?"

"Yes, I would love to have grandchildren of my own," Nodoka said firmly. "But not at the expense of my child's happiness."

"B-but... grandchildren?!"

"You heard me, if I had to choose between grandchildren and Ranma's happiness, then Ranma's happiness would win out. I'm not about to do anything to risk that."

"B-but you always said you longed for grandchildren," a stunned Genma said. None of his plans were not working as he had hoped and he was having trouble wrapping his mind around that fact.

"True - but I'm not about to put my own selfish desires before the welfare of my child," Nodoka said before adding sharply, "and neither are you."

"B-but... but the art! Anything Goes! The schools!"

"That will be solely up to Ranma," Nodoka said. "If he wishes to continue to pursue the family art, then fine. If not, I will support him in whatever he decides to do with his life."

Mouth hanging open, Genma tried to get his wits about him.

------------

It was well into the night. Unable to escape the thoughts that troubled her, Ranma lay awake in her futon. She had tried various positions to find a comfortable spot and methods of finding her center to calm herself, but so far they'd proven to be an exercise in frustration. Though the argument had happened in another part of the house, Ranma had been able to pick out the raised voices of her parents.

She cursed her momentary cowardice in not eavesdropping like she now felt like she should have. She suspected what was the matter, but hadn't really wanted to know at the time - in the privacy of her own mind she admitted to herself of being afraid of the truth. Even with that admission, she was still conflicted as part of her wanted to know and another part wanted to stay blissfully unaware of the problems that her parents were having. Rolling onto her back, she stared at where the ceiling would be if she could see it.

"I don't get it... it's like, mom and pop just tolerate each other, they don't really get along at all." Sighing again, she moved to lay on her side. "I'm gonna talk to mom about it in the morning. Pretending that everything is all right is not going to help. I wanna know what's going on with my folks."

It was quite some time before Ranma fell into a troubled sleep.

The next morning, after her bath and her near-encounter with manhood, Ranma wandered into the living room and spied her mother reading a book entitled "How to Deal with Your Teenager". Ranma couldn't help but smile at that. "At least she's trying to be helpful," she thought.

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly dear, what is it?" Nodoka said while placing her book aside.

"It's about... you and pops."

Looking at her offspring, Nodoka waited for Ranma to continue. Seeing that nothing was immediately forthcoming, she decided to prod the conversation along. "What about your father and I?"

"Do you... do you still love pops?" Ranma weakly asked.

Though deep inside she had known that this was coming, Nodoka felt ill at ease about answering. Sighing, she slowly shook her head.

"But why?" Ranma asked in exasperation.

"It's a complicated and long story-"

"Is is because of what happened to me?" Ranma interrupted. "That wasn't pop's fault, it was Goz's-"

Silencing Ranma with up an upturned hand, Nodoka gave the younger girl a gentle, yet firm, look. "It's not because of that," she said. "There were many things involved, but your disappearance was only a part of it."

Ranma's shoulders sagged a bit. "If it wasn't that, then what?"

Schooling her features, Nodoka thought deeply on her next words. Though she'd had time to prepare herself for Ranma's question, it didn't make it any easier. "Tell me Ranma, do you consider your father an honest man?'

Blinking a few times at the question, the redhead finally shook her head. "No... not really. I mean, he is my pop and stuff, and he did teach me a lot about martial arts... and he did take pretty good care of me when we were on our training trip - but honest?" Ranma shook her head again.

Nodoka regarded her child for a moment. "When I married your father, I thought I was marrying an honest and honorable man," Nodoka said in a tone that carried the pain of betrayal. "I never imagined that," she paused to take a deep breath, "he'd be... like he is."

"Mom?"

"Many years ago, when you father spent time in prison for fraud and theft, it opened my eyes to what kind of man he truly was," the older woman said. "Honorable men do not steal, but your father did. Honorable men do not engage their child multiple times. Do you know how many fiancees that he arranged for you?"

Ranma stared at her mother in silence, not sure if she should say anything or not. "Not only that, your father is foolish to the point that his judgment cannot be trusted," Nodoka continued. "Even after - paying his debt to society he managed to make more foolish decisions. It seems to be a shared trait between him and Soun."

Silence reigned in the room for a long moment. Ranma swallowed hard and asked, "But mom... that was a long time ago. He hadn't, I mean he had to have changed, right?"

Shaking her head, Nodoka replied. "No. He is still the same foolish man that he was. If anything, he has gotten more clever over the years, but he hasn't really changed that much."

"So... you don't love him," Ranma stated.

"I'm sorry Ranma, I haven't - and for quite some time now," Nodoka said while looking at her lap. "Nor do I trust him - with anything. We stay together, I think more for his sake than anything else, but love? I think that passed a long time ago."

An air of depression filled the room. "So that's it, isn't it?" Ranma asked, clearly distressed. "You two just live in the same house."

"Pretty much, dear," her mother said.

Troubled by this bit of knowledge, Ranma felt as if the soul of her family had died, and died a long time ago. This bothered her more than she wanted to admit. It just didn't seem right. It felt empty.

"Soun lost his wife many years ago and he still pines for her... ," Ranma thought. "My folks are still alive and want little to do with each other."

"Ranma?"

Shaken from her thoughts, Ranma refocused on her mother. "Huh?"

"Are you all right?"

Ranma stared at her mother for a few heartbeats. “I... don't really know mom,” she answered. “I mean... I thought that, maybe, that is, I hoped that things would be okay.”

“I'm so sorry Ranma.”

“It ain't your fault,” Ranma said with a wave. “It's just that... I had hoped.”

“Things will get better,” Nodoka said as she embraced her child. “Now that you are here.”

“Yeah... right,” Ranma said as she gently broke the embrace. “I'm going to work out a bit,” she announced as she made her way toward the back of the house and the yard beyond leaving a pensive Nodoka in her wake.

--------

Nodoka was now worried. Her child kept slipping into and out of a depression in spite of her and the therapist's best efforts. She wouldn't have been so worried, but the episodes of depression seem to come more frequently and stay longer. The doctor had tried to reassure Nodoka that this was normal and part of the healing process that Ranma was going through, and if the bouts of depression didn't linger too long or get too deep, Ranma was safe.

But in Nodoka's eyes, there was something wrong with a teenager that did nothing but eat, sleep, practice martial arts and brood. Brooding was something that Ranma had been getting very good at since they had finished up her paperwork. There were times that she'd try to engage her in conversation to no avail.

"She been more withdrawn lately," Nodoka thought as she continued to watch her child. "She doesn't seem to want to get out and explore anymore... thank goodness she hadn't thought to ask about Uyko yet. I don't know how she would handle it if she knew."

Nodoka watched as Ranma danced about the yard in another set of katas and feeling helpless as all she was able to do for Ranma was give her unconditional support , love and most important: time to heal. But it was difficult for her to know if what she was doing was helpful to the young Saotome or not. She sighed as she watched her child as she moved her kata in a smooth and gentle way. Nodoka had noticed that Ranma gravitated to the 'softer moves' when she was trouble and lately she had been doing more than a few calming katas.

"Ranma's smart and picks things up fast," Nodoka thought. "She finished those assignments I gave her and she still has time to brood."

As with everything else, she blamed herself for Ranma’s state.

Not wanting to play another round of 'if only' with herself, Nodoka wrestled with the feeling of the need to do something - anything - to get Ranma interested in life besides avioding it. Cocking her head, she recalled earlier in the week when Ranma came home from a electronics store, despondent over her ignorance. "She was much better after she had actively learned something new", she mentally concluded.

Nodoka scrutinized that thought, and had and idea. "Ranma, dear," she said, drawing the pigtailed girl away from another mindless exercise. "I need to go shopping, would you please come with me?"

"Um... sure," Ranma replied hesentatly. "Where are we going?"

"That... is a secret."

----------

Bag in hand, Ranma almost skipped excitedly into the room followed by her bemused mother. The software store was an interesting outing; Nodoka felt that buying a few programs to help Ranma learn about computers and other things that she had missed would help her adjust. One of the programs was for teaching typing, one for geography, and another for history. At this point Ranma didn't care if they were educational programs or not - they were hers and she was fired up on learning how to use them.

It also was a welcome distraction that kept her from brooding too much.

Upon seeing what was purchased, Genma stormed out of the room, out of the house and into the yard. Ranma sighed. "What's his problem, mom?"

"He thinks that all you should know is martial arts," Nodoka explained. "He doesn't understand the need to learn more than just that."

"I see..." Ranma said as she ripped the plastic wrap off one of the software packages.

"He'll come around," Nodoka reassured. "He just needs time to cope."

"I don't understand pops sometimes. I mean, it's not like I'm giving up the art or anything," Ranma said as she shook her head. "What's wrong with learning new stuff?"

"There is nothing wrong with you wanting to learn, Ranma," Nodoka assured. "The problem is with your father's attitude."

Nodding in agreement, Ranma gently shoved the CD into the slot of the machine. With the instructions in one hand and a little help from her mother, she had managed to install the "Learning History” program mostly by herself. Ranma played with the software and found it surprisingly fun to poke around and see what it offered.

The program mostly covered events that happened over the last thirty years or so. Some of the earlier stuff Ranma had a vague idea on, but since she never really paid much attention to world events at the time, she was quite ignorant of them. The stuff that came later occurred during her long sleep so she was completely clueless.

"Let's see...," she mentally hummed as see maneuvered the pointer to an icon and clicked. "I'll check out China... Hmm... I wonder how Shampoo, Mousse and the ol' ghoul are doin'?"

After a brief animated sequence the left hand side of the screen was a column of selectable pictures with a brief historical description underneath, the wider right-hand column was filled with text detailing of the event selected. With an almost morbid curiosity and an interest that she had never shown before, Ranma skimmed over the passage.

"China is split into two?" she mused silently. "When the heck did that happened?" Blinking a few times, Ranma slowed in her self-studies."Along the Yangtze River... north China is ruled by the Peoples Liberation Committee while the south is held by the Democratic Chinese Alliance."

Backing away from the screen she was hunched over, Ranma blinked a few more times. "What the hell else happened while I was gone?" She thought as she brought up the general events screen. Scanning over the left hand column, Ranma silently read the summaries under the pictures.

"Fifth Gulf War... second Soviet invasion of Afghanistan... assassination of Mikhal Gorbachev...," Ranma stopped reading and reassessed what she read. "All this happened in just twenty years? Hmmm... I better take this slow...

The rest of the afternoon found Ranma immersed in learning.

---------

Pulling at a stubborn weed, Genma fumed. "For years, the art was all Soun and I lived for," he groused to himself. "When the boy disappeared and Akane.... disappointed us, we thought that was the end our dream."

He paused to wipe some sweat from his brow and looked toward the setting sun. He readjusted his glasses and sighed. Figuring the weed was too tough to pull, he tipped a bit of water from his canteen onto himself, activating the curse. The old man was replaced by a panda whose black spots were laced with gray fur.

"Now Ranma has returned and, better yet, he is at the prime of his martial arts prowess," he continued to think as he returned to work on the flower bed. "He must continue the art! He must!"

As his claws dug easily into the lose soil, prying an ugly web out by the roots, his mind returned to the argument he had with his wife. "Now, not only is my wife coddling the boy - something that is sure to weaken him - but she is belittling and disrespecting everything that we worked so hard to achieve." He dug his claws in deeper, reaching the tap root. "If I were a younger, more fit man I would take Ranma away where he will remain strong," Genma thought with a mixture of conviction and sorrow.

Pausing in his troubled, frustrated thoughts, Genma managed to leverage the weed out of the ground. Examining it, he took his free paw and shook the excess dirt from the ball of roots. He then tossed the offensive plant onto a small stack of others he had pulled that morning.

"My wife," he thought with bitterness, "is taking my son to see a damned head doctor - not just any doctor but the same one that tried his tricks with me years ago." Using both paws, he smoothed out the wound in the ground where the weed used to be.

"There was nothing wrong with my father - nothing!" Genma muttered loudly, which sounded like grunting in his panda form. "He made me! He made me strong! He loved me! That damn doctor will turn the boy against me - us. He'll turn him against the art. He'll make out like everything is my fault when I'm the one who made Ranma who he is today."

Sighing, he looked about for more plants that needed weeding out. "And Soun," he thought bitterly, "one little word from his daughter and he folds like a wet newspaper."

His clawed hand closed into a fist.

"There is no way that I will allow Ranma to give up the art!" He mentally declared. "He will bring Anything Goes back to its former glory and beyond."

Spying another weed, he stalked it with the finesse of a drunken man. "It is high time I took matters into my own hands," Genma thought aloud, sounding almost human this time in spite of his current form. "If Soun won't help me, I'll do it by myself. I've been too lax as the head of the Saotome clan."

His eyes narrowed as he dug his claws into the ground, dislodging another weed. Anger mixed with the feeling of years of failure grew until it felt like a steel rod running down the length of his spine. Holding on to that feeling, Genma drew strength from it. "We -I wanted to take it slowly, but my wife is forcing the issue; I suffered for years to master and learn the art... to prove myself. I passed what I learned and the only thing left is to ensure that it is passed on to future generations... and it will live on. The boy will continue the schools," he thought as he pulled at the weed. "It is a matter of honor that goes back decades. It's past time me to put my foot down."

---End Chapter --


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