Chapter Three: New Boy In Town



        Ranma rolled over onto her breasts and winced. She opened her eyes. The room was dark, but she recognized it as the bedroom she shared with her wife Akane.

        Lying beside was a muscular man with long dark hair. She recognized him, too, although she only saw him a few times a year at most.

        “Akane?” Ranma said.

        The man opened his eyes. “Ranma? Oh. Morning?” He blinked blearily, then rolled over and glanced down at his muscular chest. “Huh. Why am I a guy?”

        “You were in one of your moods,” Ranma said.

        “I was?”

        “Yes. You wanted to beat up my father, remember?”

        Realization dawned in Akane’s eyes. “Oh. It’s all coming back to me now. Ranma, I’m sorry. I only meant to hit him a little, to teach him a lesson....”

        Ranma placed a slim finger to his lips. “Hush. He got exactly what he deserved.”

        Akane leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. “I haven’t been a guy for a while,” he said.

        “No, you haven’t,” Ranma replied. She snuggled closer to Akane. Funny, how much more enjoyable it was to cuddle when she was the girl, and Akane was a like this.

        “It’s kind of fun,” Akane said. “Once in a great while anyway. Mind if I stay this way for a few more hours?”

        Ranma frowned. “We have guests,” she said.

        “I know.”

        “So I’m supposed to play the dutiful wife, and entertain the guests...?”

        Akane wrapped an arm around Ranma. “Oh, my dear, but you’re so very good at it, when you want to be.”

        “And meanwhile, you do nothing but sit around and drink and play shoji with your father?”

        “Sounds like fun,” Akane said. “After all, with father Saotome out, daddy’s missing a shoji partner, isn’t he?” Ranma grumbled something unintelligible, and Akane added, “Oh, you know that Nanae and Mitsuko and Kasumi and your mother will have everything in hand. You won’t have to lift a finger....”

         “But you will,” Ranma said. “Or had you forgotten?”

        “Forgotten what?”

        Ranma giggled. “We need to call the contractors. As man of the house, that’s your job.”

        Akane sighed, and the two lapsed into silence for several minutes. Finally Ranma stirred.

        “Well,” she said, “I’d love to stay here all morning, but we’d better get up. Company, you know.”

        Akane placed a hand on Ranma’s shoulder. “They can wait,” he said. “We really didn’t have enough time together last night, did we?”

        Ranma’s eyes widened in surprise as Akane planted a long, passionate kiss on her lips. When Ranma finally came up for air, she gasped, “Oh Akane! You’re still in the mood for....”

        “You know I am,” Akane said. His hand slipped between her legs. Ranma squirmed as a jolt of electricity shot through her.

        “Oh... oh! I... I suppose another fifteen minutes couldn’t hurt....”

XXX

        It was a bright Sunday afternoon. Bodies flew high over the Saotome property like hyperactive fleas, colliding in midair and then bouncing apart to study each other or hurl insults before leaping back into the air. Two in particular made a very interesting pair. One was a heavy-set male in a white gi, while his opposite was a tiny bundle of red-haired fury. Their fists were flew too fast for the naked eye to see, strike and counterstrike.

        Watching, Nabiki Tendo couldn’t help but laugh. It did, in fact, look remarkably like a scene from nearly twenty years ago, save for the fact that the house in question had a new, third floor, the dojo had been expanded and refurbished, and the two martial artists in question were not Genma and Ranma Saotome.

        The fat one winced as a roundhouse kick nearly took his head off. He flipped backwards in a remarkable display of agility for someone of his girth, and came up in a defensive crouch.

        "So Keiko, have you considered what your grandparents were talking about last night?"

        "What were they talking about?"

        "About who will inherit the dojo."

        Keiko made a face. "That again? As if I couldn't have guessed. Saotome ojii-san and Tendo ojii-san talk about nothing else!"

        Kazayuki Tamakaji – for that was who the fat one was – launched himself at his much smaller opponent. She flew up to meet him. They collided in midair. The red-haired girl flipped gracefully backwards and landed lightly on her feet, while the fat boy landed heavily on the ground and continued to slide for a good twenty feet. Keiko laughed.

        "The dojo should go to the best current student of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, don't you think?" Kazayuki asked.

        "And who would that be?” Keiko asked. “You? Don’t make me laugh!"

        "I did win the All-Tokyo title." Kazayuki Tamakaji paused to produce his blue ribbon. "See? Am I not the most qualified current male student at the school?"
        "As if!" Keiko Saotome executed a series of attacks, ending in a powerful kick that sent the much larger Tamakaji flying backwards to land in the backyard koi pond.

        This, too, looked remarkably like a scene that had been played out daily on these grounds nearly 20 years ago, but instead of a panda floating to the surface, it was only an unconscious Kazayuki Tamakaji.

        Nabiki chuckled.

        "The more things change, the more they stay the same. Eh, daughter?"

        Nabiki glanced to her right, where her father Soun stood with a steaming cup of tea in his hand. “It looks that way,” she said.

        Shin Ono, son of Kasumi and Tofu, had rushed forward to pull Kazayuki from the water. “Oh, be careful!” he called out. “You’ll hurt the fish!”

        “He will be here soon?” Soun asked.

        “Any minute now,” Nabiki replied.

        “Ah,” Soun said. He sipped his tea, then stared off into the distance. “So it begins....”



XXX



        There was a gaping hole in the South wall of the newly-christened Saotome dojo. The light of the morning sun streamed through to warm the dojo floor, where the family pet -- a floppy-eared black mut named Emchan -- lay sunning himself. His tail twitced as a fly buzzed overhead, then he yawned, scratched his ear, rolled over and drifted back off to sleep.

        Two young girls stood inside the dojo. They surveyed the damaged wall. The younger of the two was Nanae Saotome, thirteen years of age and the youngest of Ranma and Akane's daughters. She wore a simple blue dress with a ruffled white apron over top. Her bright red hair was tied back in two long ponlytails that almost seemed to defy gravity as they cascaded back and down. She held a broom in her hand, which she had been using to sweep out the dojo.

        The older girl was Akara Saotome, age sixteen. She wore a gi and pants that were dark grey, almost black. She had long, dark hair tied back loosely, as her mother had once had at the same age. She was, in fact, the only Saotome daughter who did not have red hair, and the one who most resembled their mother.

        "Well," Nanae said, "that sure didn't take long."

        Akara nodded, taking in the damaged dojo wall. "Brand new, too," Akara said.

        "Funny, but I never, in a million years, would've thought that mom would be the first to break something in here."

        Akara laughed. "That really was some blow," she said "How's grandfather Saotome, by the way?"

        "He's okay," the younger girl said. "They might even let him go home tomorrow, but with that cast, he has to be careful not to transform."
        "That's true. So, do you think he learned his lesson?"

        "What's that? Don't piss mom off?"

        "Yeah."

        Nanae thought for a moment, then returned to her sweeping.

        "Nah," she said. "He's too stubborn."

        "Yeah, I guess you're right. Just like mom and dad."

        The two heard the sound of a car pulling up at the front gate, then of the car doors opening. "Who could that be?" Nanae asked. "It's barely ten in the morning!"

        "I don't know," Akara replied. "Why don't we go see?"

XXX

        "Mom, is Takayo-chan really a guy?"

        Ukyo sat in the back of the limo, with her son seated opposite her. They rolled down familiar streets, headed to a dojo that had at one time almost seemed like a second home to her.

         She raised her eyebrows. "Whatever gave you that idea, Son?"

        "Well, Maurice was teasing this customer, but when I said something about it, he just said, 'and what makes you think she isn't a guy?' So now I'm not sure if Maurice is playing with my head, or maybe it's true and I can't tell. Not that it really matters -- Takayo is still Takayo, no matter her gender -- but I really don't like to be fooled."

        "Why don't you just ask her?"

        Masaaki made a face. "Geez, Mom! You don't go around asking people what sex they are!"

        Ukyo smirked. “I’m afraid,” she said, “that I’ve had to do exactly that far too often in my life....”

        The limo pulled up in front of a very familiar gate. “Well, here we are, son,” Ukyo said. Despite herself, she sighed. This place held so very many memories for her, and now, her son would be living under this very roof....

        The limo door opened, and Ukyo stepped out. As her son climbed out of the car and the driver set bags by the side of the road, she took in the world around her. The wind blew dust and stray leaves against the side of the wall. On the other side, birds were chirping merrily in the trees. Somewhere she could hear the tinkle of wind chimes, and the splash of koi in the pond....

        She frowned. Something was splashing about in the pond, but it was making far too much noise to be just a fish.

        Her son gathered his bags and stood beside her. “Well, Maasa-chan, are you ready?”

        “Hai,” the boy replied.
        She glanced back at the driver. “We’ll be at least an hour, I think, but perhaps longer. I’ll call when I’m ready to leave.”

        The driver bowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

        Suddenly Ukyo whipped out her cell phone and handed it to the driver. “Before you go,” she said. “Just one picture of the two of us? Please?”

        “Aw, mom,” Maasaki said.





XXX

        Ranma Saotome wandered downstairs, still female, with a still-male Akane following behind. Ranma blinked. Why was everyone standing outside on the porch?

        She stepped outside, and saw two familiar people standing in the front yard beside several suitcases. One of them was Ukyo Kuonji, his oldest friend. The other one was a dead-ringer for Ukyo at age sixteen. This was her son, Maasaki.

        Gathered on the porch was most of the Saotome/Tendo/Ono clan. Ranma caught Nabiki’s eye. “This is your doing, isn’t it?”

        Nabiki raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

        “Geez. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since the opening ceremony....”

        After last night’s showdown with Akane, Genma was of course in the hospital, but Soun was here.. Kasumi and Tofu were here, along with their sixteen-year-old son Shin, who took after his father, and their youngest daughter, fourteen-year-old Mitsuko, who took after her mother. Their eldest daughter, seventeen-year-old Yomiko, was nowhere to be seen, but that probably surprised no one. Then came her own daughters, the Saotome girls – Yori, the eldest at eighteen; Keiko and Karu, the sixteen-year-old twins; Akara, their sister, also sixteen, and Nanae, who at thirteen was the youngest of all the girls.

        Ranma flashed back on her own first meeting at this house, and smirked. But there would be no “choose whichever one you want, and she will be your wife” if she had anything to say about it. Arranged marriages – who needed them?

        And, of course, one other person was present....

1. A large boy leaped forward and struck a defiant pose. “Who are you, strangers, and what are you doing here?” he demanded.
   
2. “Welcome, friends, to my house,” Ranma said, bowing. As the newcomers bowed, Ranma glanced at her student and added, "Tamakaji, please do not challenge our guests.”
   

        “Hai, Sensei!”

        “This is Ukyo Kuonji and her son Maasaki. And this,” Ranma said, “Is unfortunately my top student, Kazayuki Tamakaji.”

        The boy bowed formally. “Welcome to the Saotome Dojo!” he exclaimed.

        “And now,” Ranma said, “may I remind you that you are not actually a part of our family?"

        The boy turned his big puppy-dog eyes to Ranma. "But that could soon change, isn't that right, Sensei?”

“Soon is such an optimistic word,” Ranma said. “Soon pigs might fly.”

She glanced upwards as if expecting to see just that, then back at the two newcomers. She smiled warmly, and said, “Why don’t you come in and have some tea, and we can talk about why you’re hear?”

XXX



        Soon the extended clan was gathered in the family/dining room, with Kasumi, Nodoka, Nanae and Mitsuko serving tea and sweet bean treats. Muted conversations mixed with the clinking of dishes and the splash from the koi pond outside the open doorway. Masaaki shifted uncomfortably, aware that all eyes were on him, that he was on display.

        Ranma sat across from Ukyo and Maasaki and studied them carefully. “So,” she finally said, “To what do we owe this honor? As if I couldn’t guess,” she added with a smirk.

        “Allow me to explain, since it was largely my idea,” Nabiki said. “Ukyo has been having trouble keeping her son in school. It seems that wherever he goes, he’s soon expelled for fighting.”

        Ranma raised an eyebrow. “You start a lot of fights?” she asked the young boy.

        “No!” Maasaki blurted out. “I never start them!”

        “But you finish them, don’t you?” Ranma asked.

        The boy stared at the floor. “Uh... yeah.....”

        “Anyway,” Nabiki said, “given that you and Akane now have room to board students, I suggested to Ukyo that she could have Maasaki stay here and train under you, while he attends Furinkan high. It seemed like the perfect solution to their problems.”

        “Oh, I see,” Akane growled. “And last night’s conversation has nothing to do with this?”

        Nabiki’s eyes widened. “Conversation? What conversation?”

        “You are so full of it!”

        “Now, dear, she’s got a point,” Ranma said. “We built this expansion for this very reason -- although I didn’t really expect our first tenant quite so soon.” She glanced at Nabiki. “Were you planning to talk to Akane or I about this at some point?”

        “Of course. Which is what I am doing right now, isn’t it?” When Akane rolled his eyes, Nabiki added, “I know it’s sudden, but Maasaki was kicked out of his most recent school only yesterday. I only found out about it shortly before our little ‘conversation’. Surely you don’t think I planned that?”

        “With you,” Akane said, “anything’s possible.” He glanced back at Maasaki. “Now, I don’t doubt that the son of Ukyo has great potential as a student.” She spared a glance at a large, round shadowy figure hanging just within earshot on the porch outside of the family room. “No doubt more potential than any student we’ve seen in quite a while,” she added. “But I’ll remind you, Nabiki, that you are not qualified to decide who will become students of the school.”

        “Yes, of course,” Nabiki said.

        “As heads of the school and owners of the dojo, Ranma and I are the only ones to make those decisions.”

        “Exactly.” Ranma stared at the boy. “You’ve studied your mother’s martial arts styles, haven’t you?” he asked.

        “Hai! And also my father’s ninja styles.”

        “And now you wish to learn Anything-Goes Martial Arts?”

        “Hai.”

        Ranma sighed. “What do you think, Akane?”

        The tall man seemed to consider the question carefully. Finally he said, “Have we ever turned a potential student away?”

“Not so far,” Ranma said.

        “Well then! Now would be a bad time to start, wouldn’t it?” Akane smiled a goofy grin, which looked a bit out of place on his current masculine face.

        “True,” Ranma said. “And of course, we do need at least a few students here, to help justify the expense of putting in that third floor.”

        “Indeed,” Akane said. “Honestly, having our first student turn out to be Maasaki is an added bonus. And as for getting kicked out of school for fighting, I doubt that will be any problem at Furinkan.....”

        Ukyo raised an eyebrow. “Furinkan hasn’t changed, after all these years?”

        “Principal Kuno is gone,” Ranma said, “and Hinako Sensei no longer teaches there. But you forget that in the last sixteen years, there has always been at least one student of the Saotome school of Anything-Goes martial arts attending Furinkan.”

        “Ah, yes,” Ukyo said. “That would keep things pretty lively. And now your daughters are attending....”

        “Four Saotome daughters,” Akane said, counting off on her fingers. “One Ono daughter, and one Ono son. Four current students of our dojo – five with the addition of Maasaki. Oh, and then there’s Shampoo and Mousse’s daughter Gel, and also the son of Hinako Sensei. Things stay pretty lively. To be honest, they really need someone like Principal Kuno or Hinako Sensei right now.”

        "Pardon me for asking," Ukyo said, "but with your oldest daughter graduating soon, have you thought about who will inherit the dojo?"

        Akane and Ranma eyed each other nervously. Soun Tendo laughed nervously and a little forcefully.

        "Now, now, no need to bring that conversation up again," he said. "I'm sure it will all work itself out somehow."
        “Ah...haha. I’m sure it will,” Ukyo said. “But it sounds so much like old times,” she added wistfully. She hugged her son. “Oh sugar, you’re going to have so much fun here! So, is it official?”

        “Sure,” Ranma said. “Let me get one of the standard contracts... Nanae, could you show Maasaki the third floor rooms? Whichever one he wants will be his. Then, when you have things settled, meet us out in the dojo. Wear something appropriate for a workout.”

        “I’d be happy to!” the youngest Saotome daughter exclaimed. “Just grab your bags and follow me, Maasaki!”

        Before they could move, a very large boy sprang into the room. “Welcome to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts!” Tamakaji bellowed. “It is the greatest school in the world! Sensei is the greatest Sensei you will ever meet! You will address me as upper classman!”

        Ranma sighed. “Tamakaji, did I not ask you to leave?”

        “Hai, Sensei! I am leaving! Immediately!”



XXX



        Nanae Saotome flung the door open and ushered Masaaki Kuonji inside. "This is your room!" she exclaimed. "I hope you like it! Just drop your things wherever; I'll put everything away for you later, okay?"

        "You don't need to do that," Masaaki said as he set his suitcase down. The room came with an already-made bunk bed, a dresser, and two desks with chairs. Otherwise it was as empty as a mall parkinglot at 3 am. The smell of fresh paint was very strong, and everything looked shiny and new.

        Masaaki had noticed the worn steps and bannister between the first and second floors, and the patchwork quality of the walls where repairs had been made too many times, but the entire third floor had bright lacquered wood and spotless walls and floors.

        "This whole section is new," Nanae said. She was the youngest of the Tendo daughters, with blue-green eyes and two thick ponytails of dark red hair that cascaded over her shoulders. In a word, Nanae was cute.

        "Not that it will stay that way," she continued, "in a house full of martial artists. There's room for ten students, if we put two in a room, but right now there's just you. I hope you won't be lonely, up here all by yourself. You should be grateful, I have to share a room with my older sister Akara, and she gets a little weird sometimes. I don't know what it'll be like having boys around here; the only ones here now are Dad and Grandfather Tendo, and half the time Dad doesn't even count!"

        She laughed at her joke, but Masaaki just nodded. “That man was your mother then?”

        “Yeah,” Nanae said. “Since Dad is a woman so much, I guess that sometimes Mom wants to be a man... to kind of balance things out, I guess. She has a magic powder of some sort that does it. It’s just temporary though, she’s not cursed like Dad is.”

        “Sounds useful,” Maasaki said.

        "I suppose it could be,” Nanae said, laughing nervously. “I mean, I sure don’t want to be a boy! But anyway, Dad had to borrow from Aunt Nabiki to build all this. But if a few more students stay here, we'll be able to pay her back quickly. Dad doesn't like to be in debt, especially to her. I hope it's not too small...."

        "No, not at all," Masaaki said, still takin the room in. "I'm used to dorm rooms. This is big in comparison. In fact, this is just perfect!

        "Keiko's room is below mine, right?"

        The girl frowned. "I think so...."

        Masaaki continued to prowl about the room, inspecting the floorboards and corners.

        "What are you doing?" Nanae asked.

        "I'm looking for spiders. You can never be too careful."

        Nanae laughed. "It's too new to have any spiders!" she exclaimed. "In fact, the smell from the paint's pretty strong. I should open the windows and let it air out." She pulled back the drapes, revealing the bright afternoon sunlight, then threw the window open. A cool, fresh air rushed in. Masaaki looked around, trying to imagine living in this room.

        Moments later a face appeared in the window, hanging upside down. It was a girl with long black hair and a mischievous grin. Immediately she flipped into the room, landing lightly on her feet.

        "Welcome to the nineteenth century," she said, flashing a wicked smile. "That's a joke, but my parents really are old fashioned. I mean, they still avoid computers, can you believe it? And we've still got a flat-screen tv, not even an interactive one.” She stuck out her hand. “I'm Akara, by the way. And you're Masaaki Kuonji. You remember me, right? I see you've met Nanae...."

        Masaaki could only nod his head.

        “I know you saw me and my other sisters downstairs, but I just wanted to say hi in person,” Akara continued. “You’ll get to know all of us pretty quickly. This is going to be so much fun! I hope we get a few more students soon, and boys I hope! But if they’re even half as cute as you, I’ll just die! Oh!” she added, placing a hand to her lips. “I think I’ve said too much already!”

        “Ah,” Maasaki said. He stared at Akara for a moment, then looked back at Nanae. “Do you help out with the cleaning around here?” he asked.

        “Sure!” Nanae exclaimed. “I help mom out a lot! With so many people in such a large house, cooking and cleaning is a full-time job. Anyway, my sisters all have the excuse of training so they don't help out much. With the new dojo and the third floor, we’re going to be even more busy, so Cousin Mitsuko is going to help us out after school. You’ll like her! She is very beautiful and the nicest person you've ever met, just like Aunt Kasumi and Uncle Tofu."

        Akara smirked. “You know about Yomiko?” she asked.

        “Yomiko?”

        “Mitsuko’s older sister.”

        “I... ah... no. Is there something I should know?”

        Nanae laughed nervously. “Now, now, mom says if you can’t say something nice about someone....” Her voice trailed off. “Well, she’s a very good fighter,” the girl finally said. “I’m sure you’ll get to meet her soon. And I”m sure it will be very interesting....”

        "Great-Grandfather Happosai used to live here, too,” Akara said, “but he died before Nanae was even born. I can’t even remember him. He was the founder of the school, you know. He was a real pervert too, so maybe it's a good thing that he's dead...."

        Akara suddenly stuck her hand out. "Here," she said, "I got something for you."

        Masaaki held out his hands. Akara opened hers, and a live beetle dropped onto his outstretched palm.

        "AAAAAAIGH!!!" Masaaki yelled. He jumped backwards through the door, flinging the bug towards Akara.

        "Ah, even worse than I expected," Akara said. She spoke into her cell phone. "Subject exhibits extreme phobia of beetles."

        "Akara!” Nanae exclaimed. “That was mean!"

        "Just checking the veracity of the rumors I've heard," Akara cheerfully replied. "It's important to know as much about the people around you as possible. I mean, suppose I'm attacked by a giant spider? I have to know who I can count on to rescue me, right?"

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