This is a Ranma fanfic, based off of some speculation from the 
fanfic newsgroup.  It involves time travel, multiple dimensions, and the 
children of Ranma Saotome getting themselves into a great deal of 
trouble.  _Descents and Inversions_ does get a bit confusing at times, 
but then, no one ever said time travel and the Ranmaverse were easy to 
understand.  Just keep reading, and by the end you'll figure everything 
out.  Hopefully, you'll even have fun.
        If you have any questions or comments, or need help with your math 
homework, I'm at rmckenzi@euclid.ucsd.edu .
 ______
{B-{=__

Part One:  Future Potential

        It was a bright and sunny school day in Nerima.  Two teenagers, 
schoolbags in hand, left a dojo and began to walk to Furinkan High 
School.  One of them, a boy in a yellow sweater, was staring at the 
string tied around his right wrist.  The other end was tied to the 
short-haired, well dressed girl walking beside him.
        "Tachi, this is embarrassing.  What is someone sees me?"
        The girl turned to her companion.  "Godai-kun, do you remember 
what happened the last time you tried to walk to school by yourself?"
        The boy frowned.  Memories of wandering through a forest filled with  
giant animals came to mind.
        The girl persisted.  "And do you remember what happened the last 
time I tried to walk you to school, Godai-kun?"
        Sweat began to bead up on the boy's face.  Images of wandering 
through Tokyo forced themselves from the back of his mind.
        "Your mom is paying me to make sure you get to school on time.  Nothing 

else I've tried so far has worked.  By hook or by crook, we will reach 
Furinkan High together, before the school bell rings."  The girl stared 
at the cloudless sky and raised a clenched fist to the heavens.  "So 
sayeth Tendo Tachi, the Shooting Star of Furinkan High!"
        In the distance, thunder rolled.
        "Nihao," cried a perky voice.
        Godai and Tachi looked around, but they couldn't find the speaker.  
Then Tachi looked up.  A Chinese girl was standing _on_ the fence beside 
them, her hands on her hips.  She was wearing a jumpsuit with cats on it, 
and her long, purple hair was tied in a tight braid that hung down her 
back.  The newcomer studied Tachi and Godai openly.
        "Uh, hello there," Tachi said.  Something about the girl seemed 
familiar, but she couldn't remember what.
        The girl jumped down from the fence and poked Godai in the chest.  He  
stepped back, out of surprise and embarrassment.
        Tachi pushed herself between Godai and the newcomer.  "What do 
you think you're doing?" she demanded.
        "Move out of way, nosy girl.  This no concern you."
        "Uh, Tachi?" asked Godai.
        "Be quiet, Godai-kun," Tachi tossed over her shoulder.  "I'll 
handle this."  She turned back to the purple-haired girl.  "What happens 
to Godai-kun does concern me!  You leave him alone.  He means a lot to me."
        Godai stared at his feet and blushed.
        "Besides," Tachi continued, "I have a lot of money riding on this."
        Godai face-faulted.
        The purple-haired girl cracked her knuckles as she made a fist.  
"If nosy girl not leave, nosy girl get hurt."
        "Tachi, I think I'd better-"
        "No!  Leave this to me."  The short-haired girl yanked her left 
arm, snapping the string that connected her to Godai.  She slipped out of 
her jacket, tossed it to the boy, and then drew a long wooden sword that 
had been strapped to her back.  "If we are to duel, it is only proper that I 
introduce myself."  She extended her bokken towards her opponent.  "I am 
Tendo Tachi, called by many the Shooting Star of Furinkan High!"  Thunder 
crashed in a clodless sky.
        "I called Spring."  She bowed to Tachi, then jump-kicked her.
        Tachi moved to block the attack, just like her father taught 
her.  Something was wrong, though.  Why had everything turned blue?  It 
took the girl a moment to realize she was flat on her back, staring up at 
the sky..  Her nose hurt.  "Wha?"  Tachi used her sword to push herself to 
her feet.
        "Nosy girl persistent.  Why she fight for boy?"
        Tachi blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus on the purple blob 
in front of her.  "He is my cousin," she gasped.
        "Cousin?"  The purple-haired girl thought for a minute.  "Cousin 
is good."
        "Why is 'cousin' good?"  Tachi wobbled a bit, still unsteady on 
her feet.
        "Fighting cousin less trouble than fighting fiancee."  Tachi 
found herself on the ground again.  She couldn't remember how she got there.
        "That's enough!" Godai cried.  "You will pay for hurting Tachi!"
        "Not Spring fault nosy cousin get involved."
        "I don't care!" Godai shouted.  He swung a punch at the Chinese girl.
        Spring caught his fist before his blow landed.  Her violet eyes 
widened in surprise as she was knocked off her feet.  She somersaulted in 
mid-air, manging to land in a crouch thirty feet away.  "Boy very 
strong," she said.  Then she rushed Godai.
        The boy bared his teeth in anger, showing his prominent fangs.  He  
kicked at the girl, but Spring ducked under his leg.  She worked up a 
throw, and this time Godai was the one to go flying down the street.  He 
landed on his face.
        Spring frowned.  "Boy very slow."
        "What's that supposed to mean?"  Godai charged at his tormenter, 
but Spring avoided all of his clumsy blows.  "Stand still!"
        Spring stopped dodging, parried Godai's last punch, and kicked 
him in the face twice before he could do anything about it.  Then, as he 
stood there, dazed, she threw him again.
        Spring stared at Godai's crumpled form.  "Boy _too_ slow."  She 
sounded disappointed.  "Cute, but slow.  Spring never find husband at this 
rate."
        She reached into her jumpsuit and pulled out a silver necklace.  A 
heart-shaped pendant hung from the chain.  "Stupid charm no work.  Spring 
say, 'take me to find strong husband,' and this best locket do?  Bah!"  
The purple-haired girl yanked at the locket.  She snapped the chain with 
ease and was about to throw the charm away when it began to glow blue. 
"Charm not do that before."
        The world seened to spin.  When it settled down, Godai and Tachi 
were gone.  "Cute boy and nosy cousin run off when Spring not looking," 
she decided.  "Now Spring keep looking for strong husband."

* * * * *

        It was a normal morning in Nerima, if such a thing can be said to 
exist.  Three boys, all of them students at Furinkan High, were late for 
school.  They started jogging to make up for lost time.  Every so often 
the boy in the yellow sweater would make a wrong turn.  Whenever this 
happened the boy with the pig-tail braid would chase him down and 
correct his mistake.  Then they would run even faster, which meant that 
the pig-tailed boy would have a harder time catching his friend the next 
time he went the wrong way.
        The third boy just watched.  "You know, had we tied a string to 
his wrist as I suggested, this would not have happened."
        The pig-tailed boy panted, trying to catch his breath.  "That's 
mean, Tachi.  Godai-kun can't help it if he gets lost."
        Tachi brushed at the dust on his fine clothes.  "Mean?  Who cares 
about mean?  We have money riding on our prompt arrival at school, 
Ryo-kun, or had the fact slipped your mind?"
        Godai frowned, sweat beading up on his forehead.  Ryo saw how 
uncomfortable his friend was, and turned on Tachi.  "Give it up, 
'Shooting Star.'  This isn't about money."
        Tachi stood up straight.  "Everything is about money," he declared.
        Godai glared at the well-dressed boy,  his fangs showing.  "Tachi-kun, 
sometimes I think you'd sell your own mother if the price was right."
        Tachi frowned, and Ryo laughed.  "Not his mother," said the 
pig-tailed boy.  "She'd find away to come back and sell _him_.  No, Tachi 
wouldn't sell his mother.  A girlfriend, maybe, or a fiancee."
        "You need not flaunt the fact that you and Bell-chan are to be 
married,"  Tachi accused.
        Ryo sobered immediately.  "I didn't mean to rub it in, Tachi-kun."
        "What's it like, being engaged?" asked Godai.
        "Pig-tail boy engaged?  That cause problems," said a perky voice.
        The three boys looked around for the speaker.  Ryo and Tachi 
looked up at the same time; there was a girl standing on the fence beside 
them.  She was Chinese, with long, purple hair she wore in a braid.
        "What do you mean by that?" Ryo seemed suddenly defensive.
        The girl didn't answer right away.  Instead she studied the three 
boys for a moment, then jumped down.  "Why cute slow boy run away?" she 
asked Godai.  He just stared at her blankly.  Then he blushed.
        Tachi couldn't help but needle his friend.  "Godai-kun, why did you 
not tell us you knew such a vision of loveliness?"
        Ryo would not be put off.  "Who are you, and why is my Bell-chan 
a problem?"  He spoke with a cold intensity that boded ill for the 
strange girl.
        "Fiancee usually get in way of marriage," the Chinese girl answered.
        "I have no intention of marrying you." Ryo spoke slowly.
        "I would marry you," declared Tachi.
        The girl stared at the well dressed boy.  "Boy look like nosy 
cousin.  Hope boy fight better than nosy cousin."
        "I, Tendo Tachi, the Shooting Star of Furinkan High, have never 
been defeated!"  Thunder rolled in a cloudless sky.
        "Spring hope star boy live up to boast."  She bowed to him, her 
hands pressed together in front of her chest.  Then she jump-kicked him.  
Tachi went flying.
        That act of violence snapped Godai out of his blissful funk.  He 
roared wordlessly, swinging a fist at Spring.  She ducked under his blow 
with ease and threw him across the street.  "Spring already beat cute 
slow boy."
        Ryo slowly made his hands into fists.  "I don't know who you are, but I 

won't let you beat up my friends."
        "Nay, Ryo!  This battle belongs to me," cried Tachi.  The boy had 
pushed himself to his feet and taken off his jacket, revealing a bokken 
strapped to his back.  He drew his wooden blade and extended it towards 
the purple-haired girl.  "You caught me by surprise once, oh treacherous 
goddess, but you shall not do so again."  His soliloquy was spoiled only 
by the footprint across his face.
        "Star boy talk too much," complained Spring.  She rushed him, but 
Tachi managed to parry her initial attack.  Spring seemed impressed.  She 
launched a combination of punches at the swordsman, and smiled when Tachi 
blocked them all.  Then she sweep-kicked him.  Tachi lost his balance, 
and with it, the rythm of his defense.  Another combination of punches 
saw the Shooting Star of Furinkan High sprawled on the sidewalk.
        By this time Godai was back on his feet.  He rushed Spring a 
second time, with predictable results.  This time the sidewalk cracked 
when he landed on it.
        Ryo stared at the unmoving bodies of his friends.  He bent down 
to pick up Tachi's bokken.  Spinning the blade in his hands to get the 
feel of the weapon he paused, waiting for the purple-haired girl to make 
the first move.
        Spring advanced slowly.  "Pig-tail boy have patience."
        "I don't like to fight."
        Spring launched a roundhouse kick at Ryo's head.  He ducked under 
her foot, but she recovered before he could strike back.  Spring attacked 
again, launching a combination of punches and kicks that Ryo was 
hard-pressed to defend against..  She set up a foot-sweep like she had 
against Tachi, but Ryo was ready for it.  Spring's eyebrows shot up in 
surprise, and she jumped back to giver herself some room.  "Pig-tail boy 
best fighter Spring see so far.  Why he no attack?"
        "I told you, I don't like to fight.  Fighting never solves anything."
        "How pig-tail boy win fiancee if he no fight?"
        Ryo's eyes narrowed, and his face became grim.  "I told you to 
leave Bell-chan out of this," he snarled.
        The purple-haired girl perked up at that.  "Spring finally 
understand!  If Spring kill fiancee, Pig-Tail boy free to marry Spring."
        Ryo's knuckles grew white.  He opened his mouth, but his fury had 
taken him far beyond language.  With a wordless roar he hurled himself at 
Spring.
        Spring sighed.  There was no strategy to Ryo's attack; he was 
flying at her feet first.  It was an easy throw, and an easy win.  That 
was why she was so surprised by the sudden blow to the stomach.  Stunned, 
she could do nothing as Ryo's kick caught her in the face.
        Ryo landed hard.  He'd put a lot of rage into that attack, and he 
hadn't had much thought for what would happen after kicking his opponent 
in the head.  Truth be told, he hadn't been thinking, period.
        Picking himself up, Ryo wondered what had happened to Tachi's 
bokken.  As reason slowly returned, he remembered throwing it at the 
purple-haired girl.  He looked for his opponent, hoping he hadn't killed 
her in his momentary rage.  She was moving, which put her that far ahead 
of Tachi and Godai.  _Now what do I do?_ Ryo wondered.
        Spring felt her nose.  It didn't seem broken, for all the blood 
coming out of it.  *The boy with the pig-tail is a better fighter than I 
gave him credit for,* she muttered to herself.  *He might actually be a 
match for me.*  That thought brought a smile to her face.  She sprang to 
her feet.  "Pig-Tail boy ready for round two?"
        "Round two?  Are you crazy?  If we keep this up, someone could 
end up dead!"
        "So?"  Spring jump-kicked him.  Ryo dodged out of the way, but 
the girl's attack had been a feint.  She twisted in mid-air and lashed 
out at the boy.  Her fist landed square on Ryo's jaw, and the pig-tailed 
boy slumped to the ground.
        Spring pouted when she saw Ryo wasn't about to get up.  "Spring 
never find husband at this rate.  Best fighter so far only have one good 
punch in him."  She reached into her jumpsuit and pulled out the locket.  
"Locket come closer this time, but not close enough.  Spring want to meet 
good fighter.  Now!  Stupid locket understand?"
        The charm in her hand began glowing.  Spring smiled.  The world 
spun around her.  As before, when it stopped, her opponents were gone.

* * * * *

        Ryo opened his eyes.  The purple-haired girl was fading away.  
_Where's she going?  She's dangerous... and she threatened Bell-chan!_  
Aloud he muttered, "I'd better keep an eye on her."  He staggered to his 
feet.  The girl was gone, but a ring of fading light marked where she had 
been standing.  Ryo jumped.

* * * * *

        The skies were clear and blue, but that meant little in Nerima, 
Tokyo.  Rainclouds had a habit of appearing out of thin air, particularly 
whenever someone named Saotome walked outside.
        A boy and a girl were running to school.  The boy was balanced on 
the top of a narrow fence, unconsciously practicing his martial arts 
skills.  The girl took the more conventional path offered by the 
sidewalk.  "Don't you need to stop by Uncle Tofu's clinic?" she called 
up to her companion.
        "Haven't got the time," the boy called back.  His pony tail swung back 
and forth in time to his steps.  "We're late enough as it is."
        "And whose fault is that?"
        "Look, Tachi, I didn't ask for Ran to show up.  He just wandered 
into the dojo, like he always does."
        "And you had to fight with him, like you always do."
        The boy jumped down from the fence and ran alongside the girl.  
"What else am I supposed to do with the jerk?  I still can't believe I'm 
engaged to him.  I mean, didn't that go out of style last century?"
        "C'mon, Ranko, think for a minute.  I know you have a brain in 
there.  Use it!  Considering our family history, be glad you only have 
one fiance."
        "This boy have fiancee, too!  Stupid locket make mess of things 
again," shouted a new, usually perky voice.
        "Huh?" said Ranko.  He and Tachi stopped running.  A 
purple-haired girl with a long braid stood in the middle of the sidewalk, 
blocking their path.  She was holding an amulet in her hands; glowing 
sparks were shooting out of it like tiny blue fireworks.
        "She looks like pictures of-" began Tachi, but the well-dressed 
girl was cut off by a cry of anger and frustration.  The glowing locket 
bounced off the sidewalk, taking chips out of the concrete as it skipped 
into the canal on the other side of the fence.  It made a hissing sound 
as it hit the water.
        The purple-haired girl stared at Ranko and Tachi.  Her hands 
balled into fists, and a sharp, almost feline growl escaped her lips.  
Tachi reached for Ranko's book bag.  "Here, let me hold that for you.  
This looks like something you're better at than I am."
        Ranko cracked her knuckles.  "Well, I _am_ the best," he gloated.
        "Good," the purple-haired amazon cried.  "Spring tired of 
fighting weak boys."  She pressed her hands together, bowed, and 
jump-kicked Ranko.
        The boy ducked out of her way with ease.  Spring, surprised, 
almost fumbled the mid-air flip she needed to land on her feet.  "Spring 
impressed," she admitted.
        "Heh," said Ranko.  "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
        Spring ran at Ranko, sending a shower of punches and kicks at the 
pony-tailed boy.  He blocked them all, jumped over her sweep-kick, and 
landed an elbow on the top of her head.  Spring's eyes glazed for a 
second, but then she renewed her attack.  She was even more ferocious 
than before, if that was at all possible.
        Tachi, meanwhile, had not been sitting on the sidelines idle.  
Her mind had been in overdrive, trying to find out how she could profit 
from the situation.  Remembering the stories she had heard growing up, 
she quickly realized how close Ranko was to complete disaster.  Profit 
was one thing, but Chinese Amazons were not something she wanted to deal 
with just now.  _Mom will be disappointed, but at least dad will understand._  
"Ranko!  Trust me!" she shouted.  "This is one fight you don't want to win."
        "Huh?"  Any more eloquent response from the pony-tailed boy was 
cut off by the knee to the stomach Spring hit him with.
        "Listen to me.  If you win, she's got to marry you."
        "Marry?"
        "That right," announced Spring.  "Pony-Tail boy strong and fast.  
Make good husband."
        "Husband?  Who do you think I am?  I'm not marrying anyone!"  
Ranko punctuated that outburst with a kick that sent Spring flying back 
into the fence.
        The purple-haired girl looked shocked for a moment, but she quickly 
fell back into a combat-ready stance.  "Pony-Tail boy best fighter Spring 
see so far.  Spring not go home empty handed."
        "Look, I'm not marrying you!  I'm not even a-"  There was a loud crack, 

like a home run being hit out of the ballpark.
        "Shut up," Tachi hissed as she slid her bokken back underneath her 
jacket.  "Can't you just call the fight a draw?"
        "A draw?"  Ranko seemed offended at the thought.  "Never!  I'm 
gonna knock her into last week, no, last century!"
        "Spring want to see you try!"
        "I'm warning you, Ranko, this is a big mistake."
        Ranko said nothing.  He rushed at the purple-haired girl, moving 
so fast he seemed to take flight.  Spring caught his first kick, but it 
was a feint, and Ranko's attack sent them both through the fence.
        Tachi ran up to the edge of the canal.  All she could see was a 
glowing ball of light somewhere underwater.  "Idiot."  She stripped off 
her shoes and jacket.  "And she knows she can't swim."  She dove in after 
the missing combatants...

Part Two: Present Confusion

        Ryo sat up quickly and coughed up a mouthful of water.  Looking 
around, he found himself in a canal.  _How'd I end up...  Last I 
remember, I was fighting a... Chinese Amazon?_  The pig-tailed boy stood 
up.  As he did, his body reminded him quite painfully that he hadn't won 
the fight.  "Godai?  Tachi?" he shouted.  "Are you guys all right?"
        There was no response, so Ryo jumped over the fence.  Godai and 
Tachi were nowhere to be seen.  In fact, there was no evidence of a fight 
at all.  _This is weird.  I know I'm not dreaming._
        The watch on Ryo's arm chimed the hour.  "Damn!"  _I'm dead late 
for class.  And I look like a mess.  Should I go to the clinic and get 
patched up, or should I go home and change?  Home.  I wouldn't want 
Bell-chan to see me looking like this._
        His decision made, Ryo started running through Nerima.  In next to 
no time he stood outside the door of Ucchan's.  "Mom, Pop, I'm home."
        A strange woman stood on the other side of the counter, cleaning the 
grill.  "Who are you?" she asked.
        "Who are you?" Ryo shot back.  "And what are you doing in my 
parent's restaurant?"  There was something wrong about this woman; Ryo 
could sense such things, but considering who his parents were, gender 
identification was a survival skill.  "Wait!  You're not a woman, you're 
a man!  You're Tsubasa, aren't you?  Mom warned me  about you."  Ryo made 
a fist.  "I don't know what you're playing at, but get out.  Now."
        "I'm not Tsubasa," the man said.  "But if you want a fight...

        "And stay out," was the last thing Ryo heard as he went flying 
through the front window.  The pig-tailed boy landed hard on the other 
side of the street.  He wiped his face with his hands; they came away 
streaked with blood and lipstick.
        _This is way too strange.  Pop won't be happy when he finds out I've 
lost two fights in a row, but there's nothing I can do about that now._  
The pig-tailed boy stood up.  He wobbled a bit as he walked.  _I guess 
I'd better go to the clinic.  Maybe I've been hit in the head too many 
times today._

* * * * *

        Spring sat up.  The water, which had been over her head a minute 
ago, was now only a foot deep.  There was no sign of the pony-tailed boy, 
or of the nosy cousin, and there was no hole in the fence.  _Did I get 
carried downstream?_
        Spring stood up and twisted her long, purple braid, wringing out 
a good deal of water.  *This entire trip has been a disaster.  I've been 
in three fights, and I've lost the only boy who came close to beating 
me.  Great-great-grandmother is not going to be happy.  Not at all.*
        The young Amazon jumped out of the canal and on to the sidewalk.  
A loud growl from her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten 
breakfast.  *I'd better, no-*  "Spring need find restaurant."
        A short time later Spring found a promising place.  The sign even 
said Nekohanten.  "It just like home!"
        "Shampoo!" a voice cried from inside the restaurant.  "There you 
are!  I love you, Shampoo!"  A long-haired boy with glasses came running 
out the door.  Spring did what any well-trained girl in Nerima would do, 
and Mousse soon found himself in Low Earth Orbit.
        *That's it!  I've had it with this stupid country!  I don't know 
how Great-great-grandmother expects me to find a husband.*  Spring began 
walking, not caring which way she went.  Intervening walls and buildings 
paid the price of her frustration.

* * * * *

        Ranko screamed.  There was water everywhere.  Water was the  
mortal enemy of his closest kin.  It warped the body in unnatural ways, 
and it sucked you under the waves, forcing itself down into your lungs.
        A wooden sword smacked the pony-tailed boy upside the head.  
"Crybaby," Tachi taunted.  "The water's only a foot deep."
        "I knew that," said Ranko, sullenly.
        Tachi scrambled up the bank of the canal, while Ranko took a 
speedier route and jumped to the top of the fence.  "I don't see that 
crazy girl anywhere."
        "Ranko, you have no idea how lucky you are that she's gone."  Tachi 
shook her head, trying to dry out her short hair.  "You have more than 
enough problems with that pig of a fiance you've already got.  Throw 
a Chinese Amazon in the mix and, well, you know the stories as well as I 
do."
        "Yeah, I guess so."
        "And you owe me a month's worth of chores."
        "Huh?"  Ranko face-faulted.  He almost fell off the fence.  "What 
for?"
        "While I was playing Baywatch, it seems someone stole my clothes."

        The two of them, still damp and bedraggled, decided to go to the 
clinic before going to school.  "Bell-chan should have some old clothes I 
can borrow," explained Tachi, wiggling her stocking toes.  "And we might as 
well change you back while we have the chance."
        "Good idea," agreed Ranko.  "If that girl shows up again, I want 
to be in my best fighting form.  This body's stronger, but it's too slow."
        Tachi shook her head.  "Get a clue, Ranko.  The last thing you 
want to do is fight that Amazon in any form.  If you do meet her again, 
the best thing to do would be to lose."
        "Throw a fight?  Never!  I'm the best there is!"
        "And I'm the undefeated Shooting Star of Furinkan High, but that 
doesn't mean anything."  Off in the distance, there was a soft peal of 
thunder.  "Just think about it, okay, Ranko?"
        Ranko's response was cut off by the sight of a man running down 
the middle of the street carrying a skeleton.  "We're almost there," 
announced Tachi.
        Ranko stared after Dr. Tofu.  "Man, Bell-chan's dad is a 
fruitcake.  He's almost as nuts as your- ouch!"  The pony-tailed boy 
winced as Tachi slapped her bokken against the palm of her hand.  "What'd 
you do that for?"
        "You were saying?"
        "I was gonna say, 'Aunt,'"
        "Oh,"  Tachi put her bokken away.  She smiled.  "Sorry."

        No one answered the clinic door when Ranko knocked.  "Now what do 
we do?" he asked.
        "We go in," said Tachi, who did just that.  "It's not like Aunt 
Kasumi is going to throw us out or anything."  The short-haired girl 
stopped and studied the room for a moment.  "Hmmm."
        "Tachi, what's wrong?"
        "Look at this place, Ranko.  You tell me what's missing."
        Ranko turned around in a slow circle.  "Well, it's a little messy."
        Tachi snapped her fingers.  "Exactly.  When was the last time 
Bell-chan and Aunt Kasumi left any place looking like this?"  She stepped 
in the middle of the room and held out her arms.  "This place looks like 
a bachelor pad."
        "So?"
        "So!  It's not right."
        "You figure it out, then.  I don't think they moved the kitchen since 
the last time we were here, so I'm going to get some hot water."
        "You do that," said Tachi.  She began poking through piles of 
medical journals.  "There's got to be a clue here somewhere."

* * * * *

        A weary and beaten Ryo stumbled up to the clinic.  He knocked at the 
door.  _I hope Bell-chan is out.  I don't want her to see me looking like 
this.  The lipstick might be a bit hard to explain._
        His cousin Tachi opened the door.  "Yes?" she asked.
        She?
        Ryo's gender identification sense went into overdrive.  Tachi 
Kuno was a boy.  He knew that.  They'd grown up together.  The person 
standing in the doorway had the same face, but she was very definitely 
female.  The damp blouse made that more than abundantly clear.
        "T-tachi?" Ryo stammered.
        "Yes?" she repeated.  "That's my name.  If you're selling 
something, we're not interested.."  She moved to shut the door.
        Martial arts reflexes kicked in, and Ryo's foot kept the door 
from closing all the way.  "You're Tachi Kuno?"
        "I said yes."  Tachi gave Ryo a closer look.  "Hey, you've been 
in a fight."  She let the door open all the way, grabbed him by the hair, 
and pulled the pig-tailed boy down so she could study his face.  "With 
uncle Konatsu?"
        The world was just too strange for Ryo, and he started babbling.  
"There was a transvestite in the restaurant, and a Chinese Amazon, and 
you're a girl."  His voice took on a plaintive note.  "Where's Bell-chan?"
        Tachi shrugged.  "That's a good question."
        Ranko returned from the kitchen, a teakettle in his hands.  
"Who's a girl?" he asked as he poured hot water over his head.
        Ryo saw the pony-tailed boy shrink, heard his voice rise in 
pitch, and could not help but notice the change in hair color.  His 
gender sense flared beyond control.  Splaying his fingers in shock, the 
pig-tailed boy slumped to the ground in a dead faint.
        "What's with him?" asked the now read-headed Ranko.  "You'd think 
he's never seen a boy turn into a girl before.
        Tachi looked at the boy lying in the doorway.  "Help me get him 
inside," she asked Ranko.  "I think he's been hit on the head a bit too 
hard.  The least we can do is give him an icepack."
        Ranko grabbed the pig-tailed stranger by the legs and started 
dragging him through the clinic.  "Do you know who he is?  It sounds like 
he knows you."  The red-haired girl winked at her cousin.  "Oh, I get 
it.  He's your boyfriend.  That explains the lipstick- ow!  Would you 
stop hitting me with that thing?"
        Tachi calmly put her bokken away.  "I only hit you when you 
deserve it, Ranko.  I learned that from your mom.  And no, he's not my 
boyfriend.  At least, I don't think he is."
        "Huh?"  Ranko hauled Ryo onto the examining table.
        Tachi held out one of the medical journals she'd found in the 
other room.  "Look at the date on this.  It's from last century.  And 
this is the most recent one I could find."
        The titan-haired girl scratched her head.  "So that means... 
uncle Tofu was reading old magazines?"
        "No!"  Tachi slapped the journal down on a counter.  "It means 
we're in the past.  Use your mind, Ranko.  There's no sign aunt Kasumi or 
Bell-chan ever lived here.  It all fits."
        "The past?"  Ranko thought for a moment.  She liked the idea.  "Yes!  
I can keep dad from taking me on that trip to- ouch!"
        "Oh, be quiet.  I only used the magazine this time."  The 
short-haired girl had a dreamy look in her eyes.  "Besides, you're 
thinking small.  Do you know how much money I can make here?  I, Tachi 
Tendo, the undefeated Shooting Star, will make the financial world 
tremble at the mere whisper of my name!"
        In the distance, a massive roll of thunder shook the skies.
        "Hello?"  asked a soft voice.  "Doctor Tofu?"  A beautiful woman 
with long brown hair walked into the room.  "Oh, hello," she said.  "Have 
you seen Doctor Tofu?"
        "He was running down the street with a skeleton," said Ranko.
        "Oh, my.  I wonder why he was doing that?  Well, he must have had 
a good reason."  Kasumi walked over to the examining table and brushed 
the hair out of Ryo's face.  "What happened to this poor boy?"
        Tachi shrugged her shoulders.  "I think he was hit on the head a 
few too many times today.  We just found him, and figured he ought to 
rest here for a while."
        "That's a good idea," agreed Kasumi.  She took a damp cloth and 
wiped the blood and lipstick off his face.
        Ryo stirred at the sound of Kasumi's voice.  His eyes fluttered 
open.  "Bell-chan?"  he asked.  The pig-tailed boy tried to sit up.  "No, 
wait, you're not Bell-chan."
        "No, she's not," whispered Tachi.  "This is Kasumi."
        Ryo nodded.  "Kasumi.  Tachi is a girl, and this is Kasumi.  I 
understand now.  Kodachi escaped from the asylum and poisoned me.  That's 
the only possible explanation."
        "Oh, my.  If you have been poisoned, we should do something about 
that right away."  Kasumi looked around the clinic.  "Oh how I wish 
Doctor Tofu were here!  Well, I can make some tea, at least.  That should 
help a little."  She hurried to the kitchen, moving purposefully.
        "You haven't been poisoned," Tachi explained.  "I think you're 
from the future.  Or, at least, a future."
        "Oh, really?"  Ryo slid off the examining table.  "And what makes 
you say that."
        The short-haired girl held up her left hand.  "First, Ranko and I 
are from the future."  She curled her pinky finger into her palm.  
"Second, you know my name.  That means you're not from this world, not 
any more than I am."  Another finger curled down.  "Third, you're wearing 
your hair in a rather distinctive pig-tail braid.  I only know one person 
who wears his hair that way."  Tachi pointed her index finger at Ryo.  
"Fourth, who are your parents?"
        "Ranma and Ukyou Saotome."
        "Hey!" shouted Ranko.
        Tachi ignored her cousin.  "And are they married?"
        Ryo looked shocked.  "Of course they are!  What kind of a 
question is that?"
        Tachi made a fist.  "Where we come from, Ranma Saotome married 
Akane Tendo."
        Ryo stared at the two girls for a moment.  "I believe you."  He 
held his hands out, palm up.  "I don't know why, but I believe you."
        Kasumi returned with the tea.  She offered the cup to Ryo.  "I 
apologize if this tastes bad, but there wasn't much I could do about the 
medicine."
        Ryo took a sip.  "The tea is excellent, as always.  I do not 
think you could ever make unwholesome food.  Thank you very much."  He 
drained the cup to the dregs.
        "And now we'd better be going," said Tachi.
        "But if your friend has been poisoned, you should wait until 
Doctor Tofu returns."
        "I am afraid we do not have time," said Ryo.
        "Yeah we do," countered Ranko.  "If we're from the future, we 
have-" A bokken to the skull brought an end to the red-haired girl's words.
        "The future?"  Kasumi studied the trio of displaced martial 
artists with her innocent eyes.  "Oh.  I do hope it's a nice future."
        Ryo and Tachi stared at each other.  "I think you'd like it," 
Tachi said at last.  "You have a beautiful daughter."
        "Bell-chan looks like you," Ryo added.  "She is a goddess on earth, 
and I am to marry her at the end of summer."
        Kasumi smiled.  "I have a feeling you'll be a fine son in law."
        "We do have to get going," insisted Tachi.  "We need to get to 
the bottom of this mystery, and fast.  Who knows what our being here in 
the past could do to the future?"  She gave Ryo a warning glance.  "Any 
future."
        "Be careful," advised Kasumi as the others left the clinic.
        "We will," Ryo assured her.
        The chronologically displaced teens started jogging.  The sidewalk was 
too narrow for the three of them to run side by side, so Ranko jumped to 
the top of the ever-present fence.  "Where are we going?" she called down.
        "To Furinkan High," her cousin replied.  "We're going to need 
help; that means we need my mom."  Tachi glanced at her companions.  "And 
your dad, I guess."
        "If the stories of his high school days are true, pop was pretty 
good at solving problems," said Ryo.
        Tachi frowned.  "Oh, the stories are true all right.  You can 
always count on Ranma Saotome to get you out of a jam."
        Under her breath, the short-haired girl added, "Of course, he was 
the cause of the problems in the first place."

* * * * *

        Spring stopped walking.
        This was a bad thing, as far as the local contractors were 
concerned.  The purple-haired amazon had left a trail of destruction to 
rival any of Ryoga's worst rages.  Every single wall that crossed her 
path now had a girl-sized hole in it.
        This was also a good thing, as far as the Furinkan High School 
grounds were concerned.  Ranma and company caused enough structural 
damage by themselves.  The school board did not need Spring to add to that 
week's repair bill.
        Spring was still frustrated and upset, though, and she could have 
cared less for contractors and school boards.  Her quest to find a strong 
husband had been a near-total disaster.  She'd only met one boy who was 
strong enough to give her a good fight, and he'd disappeared before they 
could decide who was the better fighter.
        And there was no way Spring would settle for anything less than a 
boy who could best her in a fight.  She had a family tradition to 
uphold.  That was, after all, why Cologne had sent her to Japan in the 
first place.

* * * * *

        For the average boy, Furinkan high was a dangerous, depressing 
place.  If you weren't careful, you could end up as collateral damage in 
a fight between obscenely powerful martial artists.  Worse than that, 
every cute girl was either under Kuno's protection, engaged to Ranma 
Saotome, or both.  It just wasn't fair.
        When Spring arrived at the front gates of the school at 
lunchtime, the testosterone-driven half of the Furinkan High population 
saw their chance.  Everyone knew that Ranma spent the first part of the 
lunch period running from Akane, and the other part in the infirmary.
        In less than no time, the young amazon found herself the center 
of a wide ring of boys, all of them shouting and asking her questions.
        "Who are you?  What's you're name?"
        "I haven't seen you around before.  Are you going to school here?"
        "Are you from China?  You look like you're from China."
        Spring, for all her training, was not very good at languages, 
particularly Japanese.  The best she could do when confronted by the 
drooling hordes of Furinkan High was nod and smile a lot, which only 
encouraged the lot of them.  Then one boy, with a bit more brains than 
the rest, finally worked himself up to asking the one question his 
fellows dreaded the most.
        "Are you engaged to Ranma?"
        The crowd instantly fell silent.
        Spring frowned.  "Spring no engaged to anyone."
        "DATE ME!" the crowd roared in unison.
        Spring was shocked by their enthusiasm.  _This trip might not be 
a failure after all.  At a school this big there's got to be a decent 
fighter somewhere._  "Spring only date boy who beat her in fight," she 
declared, having to shout a bit to be heard over the crowd.
        The boys of Furinkan High thought about this for a minute.
        One of them pushed his way to the front of the pack.  "I'll fight 
you," he announced.  Spring bowed to him, then attacked.  The boy went 
down hard.
        "Me next!" shouted a half-dozen boys at once.  That started a 
mele the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days before Ranma 
Saotome enrolled.
        Spring was busy for the next few minutes.  She'd never had to 
fight that many people at once before.

* * * * *

        Ranma sat under a tree on the Furinkan High School grounds, 
contentedly munching on an okonomiyaki.  He looked up at Ukyou and 
smiled.  Once again she had saved him from starvation or worse; Akane 
had made his lunch today.
        A cry of, "Ranma, you JERK!" split the air, and the baka in 
question barely managed to avoid being driven into the turf by a rather 
large hyperdimensional hammer.
        "Wha'd I do?" he mumbled around a mouthful of food.
        "What did you do with the lunch I made you?"  Akane took another 
swing at her fiance; the hammer was starting to glow blue with Cherenkov 
radiation.
        Ranma jumped up, somehow balancing on the side of a tree.  He 
pointed behind Akane, and his fiancee paused in the middle of her 
anger-driven assault.  Slowly she turned around.
        There, sprawled on the grass, was Kuno.  On his face was a 
mixture of pain and pleasure that would have truly frightened anyone 
who didn't know Kodachi.  Clenched tightly in his his hands was the 
remains of Ranma's lunch.
        "You gave... the lunch... I made... for you... to KUNO?"
        Ranma took a hasty step back.  Akane's anger flared so brightly he 
was sporting a second shadow.  He winced in anticipatory agony.  There 
was no avoiding what came next, not without taking steps he would never use 
against a fiancee.
        "DIE, RANMA!"

        "It really wasn't his fault," Nabiki told her sister.  "Ranma 
owed me a favor, and Kuno was hungry.  It was a way of killing two birds 
with one stone."
        "He still shouldn't have done it," Akane grumbled.
        "Look at Kuno," accused Ukyou.  "If I hadn't shown up, that would 
have been Ran-chan curled up in agony."
        "Well, Ranma _is_ curled up in agony," noted Nabiki.  The middle 
Tendo daughter nudged her possible brother-in-law with her toe.  There 
was a large hammer-shaped impression on the side of his face, and his 
fingers were splayed in a traditional display of surprise and warding.
        Akane ignored her sister; she was busy confronting Ukyou 
instead.  "Are you saying my cooking is bad?"
        "If the poison fits..."
        "I'm not going to stand here and be insulted!"
        "Leave, then.  It'll be safer for Ran-chan."
        Akane made a fist.  "That does it!"
        Ukyou drew her battle spatula.  "Any time, tomboy."
        Nabiki sized up the combatants, trying to decide what sort of 
odds she should give.  Then she noticed something strange: there was about 
to be a rather nasty cat fight, and the student population of Furinkan 
High was not swarming the combatants.  She shaded her eyes with her hands 
and searched the school grounds.  The only people she saw were gathered 
around the front gate, and all of them were girls.
        _I'd better postpone this,_ Nabiki decided.  _If Ukyou and my 
sister duke it out without an audience, I won't make a profit.  And I 
want to see what's going on._  She took a step in front of Akane, 
blocking the girls' line-of-fire.  "Hold on a minute."
        Ukyou paused in mid-swing.  "Get out of the way, Nabiki."
        The mercenary Tendo girl stared at both Ukyou and Akane in turn.  
"What's gotten into you two.  You'd think you were Ranma and Ryoga.  Now 
cut the macho act and follow me."
        Nabiki marched towards the large crowd of girls; she wanted know 
what was happening, and if she could turn it to her advantage somehow.  
Akane and Ukyou, both shamefaced, dragged their feet after her.  Akane 
also dragged Ranma.
        "I'm sorry," they both said at once.
        "It's just that Ranma gets me so mad sometimes," Akane continued.
        "Tell me about it."  Ukyou looked off in the distance.  "I've 
been on edge all morning, too.  Konatsu threw some nut out of Ucchan's 
today, just before I left for school.  It wasn't anyone we've seen 
before, and Konatsu said he was talking like a crazy man.  The whole 
thing's made me a little worried."
        "Did you see him?"
        "Nah, I was in the back, and it was all over by the time I could 
take a look."
        "I can see why you'd be scared.  I know _I'd_ be worried."  Akane 
held out her hand.  "No hard feelings, then?"
        Ukyou smiled.  "Nope."  She took Akane's hand.  "With all the weird 
things that happen around Ran-chan, the last thing I need is another enemy."

        Nabiki elbowed her way to the front of the crowd.  What she saw 
surprised her.  Not the pile of unconscious boys; that was commonplace at 
Furinkan High.  No, it was the girl knocking the boys unconscious that  
surprised her.  _With hair that color she's got to be related to 
Shampoo._  "Who is she?" Nabiki asked.
        "She says her name is Spring," answered one girl.
        "I just _love_ her outfit."
        "Too bad about the bloodstains."
        "Don't you wish you had hair like that?"
        "If you ask me, that's a dye job."
        "Like, no way!  Besides, who dyes hair that long?"
        "Where have you seen a braid like that?"
        "She's good."
        Akane, who had fought her way through the crowd to stand by her 
sister, frowned at that remark.  "What's so special about her.  I can do 
that."  There was a bit of wounded pride in the girl's voice, though.
        "No, she's got... something," said Ranma, who was once more awake 
and lucid.  "I can't quite put my finger on it, though."
        Akane gave him a fist to the kidney.  "Are you saying she's 
better than I am?"
        Ranma grit his teeth and forced himself to stand up straight.
        "She's certainly taking her time," noted Nabiki.  "You were never 
this slow, sis."  In her mind, the mercenary Tendo girl was evaluating 
Spring's performance.  It was a sure bet the newcomer would end up in a 
duel with someone she knew.  _I'd better get ready to promote the fight, 
once she tells us who or what she's after._
        A boy went flying towards the crowd; Ukyou spatulated him to the 
ground before he could hit anyone.  "That's the last one.  I wonder what 
happens now?"

* * * * *

        Spring felt her heart breaking.
        Of all the boys she'd just defeated, not a single one was even 
remotely in her class.  Even the nosy cousin with the funny wooden sword 
had put up a better fight.  The young Amazon looked around the crowd, 
hoping against hope that she had missed a boy somewhere.
        She saw Ranma.
        Spring took a step towards him, then stopped.  The boy looked 
familiar.  He reminded her of the pig-tailed boy she'd fought, and the 
pony-tailed boy who had knocked her in the canal.  _Well, they are 
Japanese,_ she told herself.  _Of course they're going to look alike.  At 
least this one has the sense to wear normal clothes._
        "You!"  Spring pointed at Ranma.  "You fight with Spring now."  
There was a weariness in her voice; it was almost too much to hope that this 
boy was any better a fighter than the others she'd just beaten.  "You 
win, you marry Spring."
        Ranma face-faulted, giving Ukyou a chance to step in.  "Ran-chan 
is engaged to me."  She spun her battle spatula in a slow arc.  "He's 
certainly not going to marry you."
        Spring's blue eyes all but glowed with newfound hope.  This girl 
with the funny pole-axe was surely a warrior, and if she was engaged to the 
boy, then he must have _some_ skill.  "Fine.  Girl fight Spring."
        Akane, fists clenched, stood in front of Ukyou.  "If anyone's 
going to fight over Ranma, it's going to be me."
        _Two girls?  This boy must be an incredible fighter!_  Spring was 
so excited she didn't catch Ranma's name.  "That fine with Spring!"  She 
pressed her hands together, bowed to Akane and Ukyou, then jumped at them.
        _Two-to-one odds,_ thought Nabiki.  _What sort of a point spread 
should I consider?_

        Akane and Ukyou were worried.
        Not that either of them would admit it, of course.  They were 
both martial artists with years of training behind them.  They were also 
engaged to Ranma, and while that usually involved prodigious amounts of 
aggravation and inconvenience, it also gave one a superhuman level of 
endurance.  People like that don't like to admit it when they bite off 
more than they can chew.
        This strange new girl, Spring, was eating them alive, though.
        The first few minutes of the fight were a period of testing.  
Akane threw a few punches, Spring threw a few kicks, and Ukyou threw a 
few spatula shuriken.  No one got hurt.
        Nabiki figured out the odds, gave the home team 5-4, and started 
taking bets.  Ranma studied the fighters and started to sweat.  He never 
liked sitting out on a fight, especially not when he was the prize.  
Genma Saotome's son wanted to be the master of his own destiny.  Letting 
other people decide his future made him uncomfortable, particularly when 
his strength and skill could make a difference.
        There was something about this girl that made Ranma worry for 
Akane and Ukyou.  It wasn't just the hair, which reminded him of 
Shampoo.  That in and of itself was cause for concern.  No, there was 
something about the way this new girl moved.  She was fast and graceful, 
like a cat, or a tiger, and just as fierce.
        It was only when Spring upped the tempo of her attacks that Ranma 
finally put the pieces of the puzzle together.
        Akane and Ukyou hadn't been working well together; their styles 
were too diverse, and they kept getting in each other's way.  Spring  
played one of them against the other, moving fast enough to not get hit, 
launching attacks just to keep the fiancees on their toes.  The Amazon 
was tired from taking on the male half of Furinkan High, and had been 
buying time to get her wind back.
        Then Ukyou tried to sweep Spring's legs with her battle spatula.  
Spring jumped over the attack, landed _on_ the spatula, kicked Ukyou in 
the face, twisted in mid-air, punched Akane in the nose, did a backflip, 
and landed on her feet.  Ranma was the only one who saw the whole thing; 
the Chinese Amazon had moved so fast that the rest of the crowd had only 
seen a purple-haired blur.
        "Airborne attacks?  That's Saotome-Ryu," he whispered.
        Nabiki heard him over the crowd.  "Are you sure?"
        "Hey, I know these things."  Ranma studied the fight for another 
minute, wincing as Spring launched a flurry of kicks at Ukyou.  One made 
it past the okonomiyaki chef's guard, catching her in the sternum.
        Nabiki thought for a bit.  "Just how bad is it going to get?" 
        "Not very bad, if I've got anything to say about it."  Ranma 
flexed his fingers and made a pair of fists, his knuckles popping like 
twin bowls of cereal.  He took a step into the ring.
        Akane saw him move.  "Stay out of this, Ranma," she shouted.  
"Ukyou and I can handle it."  Indeed, Akane redoubled her attacks, making 
Spring give ground for once.
        Ranma took a hesitant step back.  He knew how skilled Akane was, 
perhaps even more than she knew herself.  He also knew she couldn't keep 
up that pace for very long.  Sooner or later she would tire, and then she 
would make a mistake.
        Nabiki and the rest of the crowd lacked Ranma's intimate 
firsthand knowledge of Akane's martial prowess.  All they saw was the 
local talent pulling ahead.  More bets were made.  Nabiki, envisioning 
her profits on this escapade, gave Ranma a warning.  "Don't you dare 
interfere, Ranma-kun.  If my sister says she can win, she will."
        Ranma said nothing.  On the inside he was burning with impatience.
        Then Akane made her one mistake.
        It was a small thing, an overextended kick, but for Spring it 
was enough.  Akane's momentum was broken; the purple-haired Amazon began 
her counterattack.  She drove Akane back, and the short-haired girl 
stumbled over her own feet.
        Ukyou saw this and swung her battle spatula as hard as she could 
in an attempt to take the pressure off of her partner.  Spring didn't 
even look at Ukyou's attack; she just reached back, grabbed the haft of 
the weapon, and continued the swing.  Ranma knew the move; he'd seen 
Happosai do it dozens of times.
        Ukyou and the spatula went flying.
        Ranma was ready for action; he jumped and caught her before she  
hit the ground.  "Th-thanks, Ran-chan," she breathed.  "I- I thought I 
was a goner."
        _I should've stopped this when I had the chance.  That's the last 
time I _ever_ listen to Nabiki.  If Akane gets hurt I'll never forgive 
my-_  "Akane!"  Ranma unceremoniously dumped Ukyou in the dirt and jumped 
into the fight.
        Spring held a dazed Akane off the ground with one arm; the other 
was pulled back, poised to strike.  Ranma moved like lightning, catching 
her fist in his hand.  Spring was strong, but the heir to the  
Saotome-Ryu was adamant when it came to protecting his fiancee.  The 
purple-haired girl's attack went nowhere.  "That's enough," Ranma growled.
        "Spring agree!"  She set Akane down, then grabbed Ranma's hand.  
"Spring win fight.  Now boy marry Spring, come live to China, happy ever 
after."  The girl was all but bubbling in her enthusiasm.
        Ranma pulled away.  "If you think I'm gonna marry you 'cuz you 
nearly killed Akane and Ucchan, you're nuts!"
        "Boy not marry Spring?"
        "I said, 'No.'"
        The young Amazon bowed her head and turned away.  _What can I 
do?  I've already lost track of one good fighter.  I'll be damned if I 
let this one go, too._  Steeling her courage, Spring spun around.  Her 
thick purple braid streamed behind her, and her eyes flashed with 
determination.  "Spring drag you back to China get married even if have 
to do it with coffin."
        Ranma took a step back and brought his arms up in a defensive 
kata.  "I don't like to fight girls," he warned.
        "Boy no fight, Spring have easy time take to China."
        "Just try it."
        "Spring do exactly that."  She pressed her hand together, bowed, 
and attacked.

* * * * *

        Tachi was slower than Ranko and Ryo, and not having any shoes 
only made the difference in their speeds that much more.  Ranko, running 
atop the fence, didn't notice this.  Ryo did.  "Here, let me help."  He 
swept the short haired girl off her feet and carried her in his arms, all 
the while not missing a single step.
        "Hey!  What are you doing?"
        "We need to get to the school as fast as we can, right?  I can 
run faster carrying you than you can run by yourself."
        Tachi had to admit Ryo was right.  "But won't you get tired?"
        The pig-tailed boy shook his head.  "No.  My parents are both 
very determined people.  Pop never gives up, and Mom gave up almost 
everything she had to track him down."
        From the fence came a giggle.  "You two look so cu-ute," sang 
Ranko.  "I told you he'd make a good boyfriend for you."
        Tachi made a face.  Ranko was too far away to hit.
        Ryo frowned.  "I'm already engaged.  Besides, I thing we're 
probably cousins."
        "Step cousins one dimension removed," agreed Tachi.  "But then 
you and Ranko are half brother and sister."
        Ranko snorted.  "I know Pop always wanted a boy."
        Tachi laughed.  "Well, now he's got his wish, or, at least, half 
of it."  Ranko stuck her tongue out, but said nothing.
        The three displaced martial artists ran in silence for a moment, 
each one of them lost in their own thoughts.  "I'm sorry I tried to shut 
the door in your face earlier," Tachi said to Ryo.  "I didn't know who 
you were, but it was still rude.  One of my father's lessons to me was 
to always be polite."
        "Don't worry about it," the pig-tailed boy assured her.  "I _was_ 
acting a little crazy then."
        "You're all better now, aren't you?" Tachi asked.
        Ryo nodded.  "Unlike Pop, I'm not used to having people hit me in 
the head.  That and the sudden change of worlds had me disoriented.  Now 
I know where I am and what I'm doing.  I need to get back to Bell-chan," 
he said gravely, "and I'm not going to let anything stop me.  That gives me 
the focus I need."
        "She must be very special."
        Ryo met Tachi's eyes.  "Your world has a copy of Bell-chan.  You 
tell me."
        "Hey, we're here," announced Ranko.  She hopped down from the 
fence.  "It looks like there's been a fight.  Cool!"
        Tachi slid from Ryo's arms.  She saw the piles of unconscious 
boys.  "How far back in time did we go?  I though all of this stopped a few 
days after uncle Ranma came home from China."
        The three of them wandered onto the school grounds, looking for 
their respective parents.  They didn't have far to go.  "That girl with 
the purple braid, the one pop's fighting.  She's the one we met  
earlier."  Ranko smiled.  "I want another shot at her."
        "I don't," Ryo admitted.
        Tachi looked at Spring, then at Ryo.  "You've fought her before?"
        Ryo shrugged.  "I guess you could call it a fight.  I went 
berserk, almost killed her, and then she knocked me out."
        "This is important.  Which universe did you fight her in?"
        "Mine."  Ryo looked at Tachi in confusion.  "What difference does 
that make?"
        "Think!" Tachi demanded.  "That girl's been in at least three 
dimensions.  We've only been in two apiece.  She's obviously a Chinese 
Amazon, only I haven't seen any amazon wear their hair like that."
        Understanding shone in Ryo's eyes.  He grabbed the end of his braid 
and studied it.  "But you do know one man who _does_ wear his hair like 
that.  And together Ranko and I account for two possibilities..."
        Tachi sounded grim.  "You know who had hair that color."
        Ranko held a fist to her hand and chewed on a knuckle.  "I think 
Pop's in big, big trouble."

* * * * *

        Spring was fast and strong, a savage fighter who didn't let up 
for an instant.  Ranma was hard-pressed to defend himself; he'd already 
taken a few minor hits, and the battle was less than a minute old.  Part 
of that was because he was holding back; even in a life and death  
struggle the heir to the Saotome-Ryu was reluctant to attack a girl.
        The other reason was that Spring was simply very, very good.
        _I've never fought a girl this good before,_ Ranma thought.  
_Well, there was Herb, but he was really a guy.  And Cologne, but she 
doesn't count.  And I guess Konatsu was pretty tough, but he turned out 
to be a-_  "Oof!"  A side kick slipped below Ranma's guard and knocked 
him back a few paces.  Spring followed her attack with a second kick.  
Ranma instinctively set up a countermove, one that would use his longer 
reach to hit the Amazon as she came in.  His will faltered at the last 
minute, though, and he pulled his punch.  Spring's foot caught him 
square in the jaw.
        The purple-haired girl flipped away from Ranma, landing on her 
feet like a gymnast, ready to launch another flurry of punches and 
kicks.  "Why boy hold back?" she demanded.  "Spring know boy could win 
if try.  Boy fight like people back home China, only better."
        "It's not right... for a guy to... fight a girl," Ranma gasped.
        "Spring not understand!" she wailed.  "If boy fight real and lose, 
Spring no marry boy.  If boy win fight, Spring no able drag boy to China 
get married.  What boy try to do?"
        "I told you," Ranma grated, "I don't want to get married!"
        "SPRING NO CARE WHAT BOY WANT!"  She charged into battle again.
        Ranma did his best not to get hurt.

* * * * *

        "We've got to do something," Ranko told Tachi.  "If Pop keeps holding 
back, he's gonna get creamed.  That girl's almost as good as I am."
        "Shh.  I'm trying to think," her cousin answered.
        "Think fast, then," Ryo advised.  "I doubt Pop can take much more 
of... of..."  At that moment a gap opened in the crowd, giving the three 
displaced teens their first view of Akane, Nabiki, and Ukyou.  Akane, 
still dazed from her fight with Spring, was sitting on the ground with 
her eyes closed.  Ukyou didn't look much better; she was leaning heavily 
on her battle spatula, and it was the only thing holding her up.  Nabiki 
looked stunned; money was flowing from her hands as people collected 
their winnings from her.
        "Mom!" the teens shouted with one voice.  All three rushed past the 
milling spectators and converged on their respective parents.  Nabiki and 
Ukyou turned to face the newcomers, wondering what was happening.  Akane 
didn't move; it was all she could do to sit upright.
        Ranko decided that enough was enough..  Her mother was in a world 
of hurt, and her father was getting beat up.  "I'll avenge you, Mom!" 
the red-haired girl cried, but before she could throw herself into the 
fight, Tachi spatulated her into Low-Earth-Orbit.
        "Thanks for teaching me that, Aunt Ukyou," she said as she put 
her bokken away.  "It wouldn't do for Ranko to jump into the fight; she'd 
just add to the confusion."
        Ukyou blinked at Ryo a few times.  "I must be dreaming.  I'm too 
young to have a son as old as you.  And with that braid..."  She shook 
her head, trying to clear her thoughts.  "This can't be true."
        Ryo reached out and touched her lightly on the shoulder.  "It's 
true, Mom," he whispered.  "I'm from the future, somehow transported to 
the past, and I'm as real as you are."  _I hope that reassures her.  
Mom's never been fond of the craziness Pop generates.  They're the only 
two things in this world that I can count on, and if she falls apart on 
me now, with everything else that's been going on..._
        "I'd always hoped..." Ukyou's voice trailed off; the shock of Ryo's 
sudden appearance, plus her injuries from the fight, were too much for  
the okonomiyaki chef to take at once.  Ryo caught her before she fell, 
then he gently set her down on the grass.
        _Spring is to blame for this,_ the pig-tailed boy thought.  _She's
hurt my mother; I'll find a way to make her pay, transdimensional  
half-sister or not!_
        Nabiki was more lucid than Ukyou in her skepticism.  "You're from 
the future, huh?"  The mercenary Tendo girl crossed her arms and stared up 
at Tachi.  "Prove it," she demanded.
        Tachi reached into the collar of her blouse and pulled out a 
slender golden chain.  Hanging from the chain was a ten yen coin.
        Nabiki grabbed the necklace and stared at it.  Then she pulled a 
similar chain from around her own neck.  The coin she carried was newer 
then Tachi's, less worn, although they were both polished so they 
glowed.  "Where did you get this?" Nabiki asked.
        Tachi shrugged her shoulders.  "You gave it to me when I started 
school."  The Shooting Star of Furinkan high looked away, unable to meet 
her mother's stare.  "You told me you'd won it in a bet, and that it was 
more valuable as a reminder than as money."
        "Well, now, this changes things."  Nabiki studied Tachi closely, 
looking her up and down.  "You're pretty tall..."  Then she got a good 
look at the bokken.  "I married him after all."  She sounded surprised.
        Tachi held her hands together in front of her stomach.  "People 
say he's gotten a lot better.  You had Aunt Kodachi institutionalized.  
Father wasn't being poisoned on a constant basis, and that made a big 
difference."
        Nabiki nodded.  "I take it we have money?"
        "Uh huh."
        "I assume, then, that you can afford proper clothes, young lady."
        Nabiki's tone was light, making her words more banter than 
lecture, but Tachi still stared down at her stocking feet, blushing.  Then 
a sudden burst of inspiration came to her, and she looked into her 
mother's eyes with confidence.  "You can bill Uncle Ranma for the shoes and 
jacket."
        "And why can I do that?"
        "I lost them while saving Ranko from the canal.  She owes me, and 
since Ranma's her dad..."
        Nabiki's eyes twinkled.  "There's no doubt about it.  You're my 
daughter, all right."
        "I hate to break this up," interrupted Ryo, "but my transdimensional 
half-sister is winning the fight."
        "Transdimensional half-sister?" Nabiki asked.
        "It's a working theory," explained Tachi shyly.  "Ryo here is 
from a world where Uncle Ranma married Aunt Ukyou.  In my world, Ranma 
married Aunt Akane.  We saw the hair and the braid, and figured that  
this Spring must be Shampoo's daughter."
        "So she's fighting to marry her own father?  Not even Kodachi's 
that sick."
        Ryo shook his head.  "She probably doesn't recognize him, Aunt 
Nabiki.  From all the stories I've heard, Shampoo was never very  
observant.  Pop isn't all that much better, so I can't imagine any 
child of theirs being very bright."
        "We need to end the fight, Mom, and we can't think of a way how.  
I don't think Spring is going to listen to reason, and Uncle Ranma won't 
fight back."
        "He won't throw the fight, either," added Ryo.  "One or the other 
would solve his problems; only Pop would refuse to do both."
        Nabiki studied the ground.  "That's easy enough to solve."  She 
found the spot she was looking for and scuffed it with her shoe.  "Can 
one of you make a big hole right here?"
        Ryo nodded.  "I can, but why-"
        "Just do it," Nabiki commanded.
        "Bakusai-ten-ketsu!" shouted Ryo.
        The earth erupted under their feet.
        The pipes for the sprinkler system were twisted beyond repair.
        Cold water splashed everywhere.

* * * * *

        Ranma looked awful and felt worse.  The Amazon just wouldn't stop 
hitting him.  _I gotta fight back, but I can't hit this girl.  I just 
can't do it!_  Ranma began to sweat.  _There's something about her.  What 
is it?  Why does she seem so familiar?_
        Spring leapt at Ranma.  He knew the move; it was pure Saotome-Ryu, 
something Genma had taught him years ago.  Ranma couldn't make himself 
counterattack, though, and Spring's punch knocked him back into a tree.
        Spring stood over Ranma.  "Boy have last chance."  Her eyes burned 
with conviction.  "Boy throw fight, Spring no marry coward."
        "Never!" Ranma managed to grunt.
        "Then boy ask for it." Spring began a kata that Ranma knew would 
end with him in a world of pain unless he did something to stop her.  
"Boy go to China if Spring have to drag every step of way!"
        _Saotome Secret Technique?  No, I can't escape carrying both 
Akane and Ukyou, and I don't dare leave them behind.  Damn it!  There's 
got to be _something_ I can do._
        Then it started to rain.
        Ranma felt himself change.  _Great.  I needed this like a hole in 
the head._
        Spring finished her kata.
        Ranma closed her eyes.
        Ranma opened her eyes.
        Spring hadn't moved.

* * * * *

        Spring was frozen in shock.
        The boy she had been fighting was gone, replaced by a girl with 
red hair.  Only now was Spring able to put the clues together.  At first  
she'd been so excited at finding a strong fighter that she'd been blind  
to the obvious.  And then his strange refusal to fight had confused her  
even more..  The law was simple: you got married if the boy won, and you 
didn't if he lost.  This pig-tailed, Chinese-clothes-wearing, 
fights-like-the-people-from-home boy wasn't playing by any rules Spring 
knew of.
        But now Spring knew where she'd seen this boy... this girl... before.
        Only he'd... she'd... been older, much older.
        Somehow she'd been fighting her father.
        No wonder he wouldn't fight back.
        *No!  This isn't fair!  Can't I find _anyone_ to marry?*  Spring 
turned from the battle and ran, leaving her father and the school far 
behind.  Tears rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the water from the 
ruptured water main.  *It isn't fair.  It isn't fair!*
        *Life is seldom fair, little kitten,* said a voice like dry leaves.
        Spring stopped running.  She knew that voice.
        *Great-Great-Grandmother?* she asked.
        *Yes, little kitten,* said Cologne.

* * * * *

        Cold water splashed Akane in the face, snapping her back into 
full consciousness.  _Is it raining?_ she asked herself, but a quick 
glance at the school grounds showed her the ruptured sprinkler system.  
The fountain shrank as she watched it; someone must have shut the water off.
        Akane also saw her sister and two strangers confronting Ranma.  
_At least that girl is gone._  Akane shivered at the memory of her fight 
with Spring.  The purple-haired warrior had been unstoppable.  _It was 
like fighting Ranma, only she hit back._
        "What was with that crazy chick?" she heard Ranma ask.
        Nabiki shrugged, then handed Ranma a steaming teakettle.  "Oh, nothing 
much, Ranma-kun.  She's just your daughter."
        "Daughter?  C'mon Nabiki, you know that's impossible."
        "Why is that, Ranma-kun?"  Nabiki's smile was mocking.  "I 
thought you liked girls."
        Ranma turned as red as her hair.  "Th-that's not what I meant!"
        "That was mean, Mom," complained one of the two strangers.
        The other stranger nodded.  "I agree, Aunt Nabiki.  It's not fair to 
taunt Pop when he's confused like this."
        _Mom?  Aunt Nabiki?  Pop?_  Akane was intrigued.  She slowly pushed 
herself to her feet and staggered over to where Ranma and the others stood.
        Ranma, being Ranma, missed the implications of the two stranger's 
words.  She was still looking to Nabiki for some sort of an explanation.  
"That girl, Spring, is apparently your daughter from the future," she 
told him.
        "My daughter."  Ranma was still trying vainly to understand what 
was going on.  She poured hot water on her head, instigating a 
now-familiar transformation.  "But she looks like Shampoo."
        Nabiki clapped.  "Bravo, Ranma-kun."
        Ranma glanced quickly at Akane, a guilty look haunting his face.  
The martially-inclined Tendo daughter reached between the dimensions for a 
very large hammer.  _You'd better feel guilty if you're fooling around 
with Shampoo!_
        Ryo also saw the momentary shift in his father's eyes.  _He looked at 
Aunt Akane, but not at Mom.  What are you thinking, Pop?_  Confusion and 
hurt waged war with parental respect in Ryo's mind, but he carefully kept 
his thoughts and feelings hidden.  He needed to sort them out before 
acting; jumping off half-cocked and hasty was what caused most of his 
father's problems.  Ryo had vowed long ago not to make the same mistake.
        Out loud, the boy decided to be reassuring.  "Spring is only a 
possible future daughter, Pop."
        This time, Ranma heard what Ryo called him.  He also saw the 
braid.  _Pop?  _He_ doesn't look like Shampoo!  OhMyG- Akane was right.  
Two kids by two different mothers? I _am_ a pervert!_
        Akane, too, chose this moment to study Ryo.  _He looks like Ranma, all 
right, and a little like... Ukyou._  The hyperdimensional hammer slipped 
through Akane's numb fingers, never materializing in the Ranmaverse.  
_He has a daughter by Shampoo, and a son by Ukyou, and that other girl 
called Nabiki, 'Mom,' and there aren't any other strange people around, 
and what could possibly have gone wrong?_  Tears welled up in Akane's 
eyes.  _Don't I have a son or daughter, too?_
        "Incoming!" yelled a loud, brash voice.  Everyone looked up as Ranko 
returned from Low-Earth-Orbit.  The pony-tailed girl executed an 
Olympic-calibre flip as she landed, accidentally splashing Akane with 
muddy water.
        Akane wiped the mud and tears from her eyes..  When she could see 
again, a young man with dark hair pulled back in a pony tail was standing in 
front of her.  "D'oh!  Sorry about that, Mom."
        Akane took a step back in surprise.  The new boy's parentage was 
obvious; she could see herself in Ranko's face, and Ranma in his 
posture.  _Mom.  He called me, "Mom."_  "Th-that's OK," she stammered.
        Then realization hit.  "Weren't you a girl?"
        Ranko looked down at the mud.
        Tachi tried to explain.  "Uh, Uncle Ranma took her on a training trip."
        "It was an accident," Ranko mumbled.
        Akane locked eyes with Ranma.  The Tendo girl reached into 
hammerspace for the largest mallet she could find.  "What did you do to 
my daughter?" she demanded.
        Ranma turned very, very pale.
        "RANMA, YOU JERK!"

* * * * *

        Cologne poured a cup of tea, them hopped over to the table where the 
purple-haired girl sat.  *Your heritage is obvious to anyone with eyes, 
little kitten,* she said, *but I am still curious.  What brings you from 
the future?*
        *I don't know.*  Spring's voice was choked with tears; she had 
been crying since leaving Furinkan High.
        Cologne set the tea in front of Spring, who wrapped both her 
hands around the cup like it was a rope dangling over the edge of a 
cliff.  *I understand that you are upset and confused, little kitten, but 
you must tell me what you know.  I can not help you otherwise.*
        *I was... I was...*  Spring couldn't get the words around the lump 
in her throat.  She drank the entire cup of tea, then tried again.  *I 
was looking for a husband.  There wasn't anyone in the village strong 
enough to beat me.*
        *That I do not doubt.*  Cologne gave the girl a smile.  Spring was 
reassured, but any lesser mortal would have nightmares remembering that 
expression.  *Would you like some more tea?*
        *Yes, please.*  Cologne brought the kettle to the table, and Spring 
continued her story.  *You suggested that I should go to Japan, since it 
was a country of strong warriors.  Mother gave me a locket she said would 
lead me to a strong man.*  Spring shook her head.  *The locket... broke.  
It wouldn't work right.  All the boys I met were weaklings, except for 
one boy who knocked me in the canal.  But I lost him.  Then I came here, 
and some fool called me by mother's name.*
        _That would have been Mousse,_ thought Cologne.
        *I was upset, so I ran.  I don't know where I went.*
        *You left a trail even a blind man could follow,* admonished 
Cologne.  *You must learn to be more cautious.  I saw your handiwork and 
went in search of the cause.  What if someone else had gone instead?*
        *I am sorry, Great-Great-Grandmother," apologized Spring.
        *I forgive you, little kitten.  You were upset.*
        *Yes, Great-Great-Grandmother.  When I stopped running I found 
myself surrounded by boys, but they were all weak.  Then I saw father.*
        *And you fought him.  I saw your battle, little kitten.  You are 
very skilled.*
        *But first I fought two girls, Great-Great-Grandmother.  One of 
them used a funny pole axe and some odd throwing knives.  The other was 
very angry.*
        _The first sounds like the okonomiyaki girl, Ukyou.  The other must 
have been Akane._  *Did you fight with anyone else, little kitten?*
        *No, Great-Great-Grandmother.*
        Cologne bowed her head in thought for a moment.  *You have given 
me much to ponder, little kitten.  Why don't you go upstairs and take a 
nap?  You must be exhausted after your eventful day.*
        *Yes, Great-Great-Grandmother.*
        *I would like the locket, before you go.*
        Spring stared at her hands.  *I threw it away.*
        *You WHAT?*
        Spring shrank into herself.  *It was broken, and shooting off 
sparks.  I... I threw it in the canal.*
        *I see.*  Cologne's voice was as cold and dead as the grave.  *Well, 
there is nothing to be done about it now.  Take your nap and let me think.*
        Cologne watched the girl's retreating form  as she ran up the stairs.  
_Her story is unbelievable, but she could not lie to me, not after 
drinking so much of my truth-inducing tea.  Does she come from my future, 
or another?  I must think on this, and I must find that locket!  If 
Son-In-Law was to find it first, or, Heaven forbid, Happosai...

* * * * *

        Akane swung her hyperdimensional hammer above her head.  _How 
dare he get my daughter cursed!_  Cerulean fire outlined her body as she 
brought the hammer down, aiming for the top of Ranma's skull.
        The blow never landed.
        Akane blinked.  The angry blue aura surrounding the youngest 
Tendo daughter winked out of existence as surprise replaced rage.  She 
looked with disbelieving eyes at something that had never happened 
before.  Ryo had willingly stepped between her and Ranma when she was 
about to clobber the baka.  And he'd caught her industrial-sized mallet 
with one hand.
        Ryo pulled the hammer out of Akane's nerveless fingers.  "Pop may 
make mistakes sometime, but that's no reason to hit him.  And I won't let 
you hurt him for something he hasn't even done yet."
        "But he..." began Akane.
        "I don't care what he may or may not have done!  I won't let you 
hit my father, and that's final."  Ryo snapped the haft of Akane's hammer 
in half and threw the pieces across the school grounds.  The head made a 
respectably large crater where it hit the pavement.  The handle made a 
rather loud crack when it hit Kuno in the face.
        "I thought only the wizard Saotome would dare strike at the great 
Tatewaki Kuno from afar.  Very well, stranger, I accept your challenge!  
Prepare yourself to face the matchless might of the Blue Thunder!"  
Lightning split the cloudless sky as Kuno raised his bokken to the heavens.
        Tachi blinked.  Nervous lines creased her forehead as she studied 
the man who would one day become her father.
        Ryo bowed apologetically to Kuno.  "I am sorry, Kuno-sempai.  
Please forgive my carelessness.  I should have looked before I threw."
        "A humble apology, humbly given," Kuno acknowledged. "Had I but 
appeared a moment later, I would have accepted it.  Yet fate has forsaken 
you, stranger, and destiny smiles upon the House of Kuno, for I have seen 
with my own eyes the disrespect with which you confronted the noble Akane 
Tendo."  Kuno paused in his soliloquy to study Ryo.  "Indeed!  I note that 
you, too, wear your hair in the same fashion as the accursed wizard 
Saotome.  Are you apprenticed to that villain, following in his footsteps 
of lechery and perversion?  Be of good cheer, then, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, 
sense that you have but recently set foot upon Saotome's path of sin.  It 
is not too late to save your spirit from the unholy pursuit of sorcery." 
Kuno brandished his bokken.  "As the noble son of a noble family, it 
falls upon me to teach you the error of your ways.  Again I say, 'Prepare 
yourself!'"
        Ryo took a step back.  "I don't want to fight you."
        "I do," declared Ranko.  "You take back all that junk you said about 
Ranma Saotome, or I'll feed you your teeth."  The pony-tailed boy held a 
fist under Kuno's nose.
        "I am beset with villains!" cried Kuno.  "Yet where righteousness 
lives in the hearts of men, there also will you find victory!  I stand by 
my words, and I accept your challenge."
        _Nobody picks on my daughter,_ thought Akane.  She pushed her way 
between Kuno and Ranko.  "You leave her alone, Kuno."
        "'Her?'"  Kuno stared up at the heavens, calling for divine aid.  
"Oh, what a wicked day!  Saotome has not one, but two demons apprenticed 
to his evil, and one has bewitched the beauteous Akane Tendo until she 
can not tell the fair sex from the noble.  I ask you, 'When?'  When shall 
the Land of the Rising Sun be free of the plague that is called 'Saotome?'"
        Tachi nudged her mother with her elbow.  "Mom, do something!  
Father's making a fool of himself."
        Nabiki shrugged.  "Why should I?  He's not hurting anyone, and 
it's fun to watch."
        "But, Mom..."
        "Shh.  You'll miss the best part."

* * * * *

        "Great-Grandmother, I home," Shampoo called.  There was no 
response, so Shampoo sprang up the stairs to her room.  She needed to 
change out of her working clothes if she was going to entice Ranma into 
taking her out on a date that night..
        The bedroom door was open.  _That's funny.  I thought I shut the 
door when I left this morning.  If Mousse was messing around in there  
again..._  Shampoo quietly slipped her hand inside the room, then with 
a burst of speed she turned on the lights and threw the door all the way 
open.
        A Chinese Amazon with a long, purple braid was napping on Shampoo's 
bed.  The girl sat up at the sudden noise and blinked her eyes, trying to 
clear the sleep from them.
        *Who are you?* Shampoo demanded.
        *Mother?* Spring whispered.
        *What are you talking about, crazy girl?*  Shampoo instinctively 
brought her hands up, fingers held like knives.  *There's no way you're my 
daughter.  You're just as old as I am.*
        Spring was not daunted.  *Mother!* she cried.  The time-displaced 
Amazon jumped off the bed at Shampoo, her arms open wide.
        Shampoo was having none of that.  Reflexes trained by years of 
avoiding Mousse kicked in.  Spring's attempt at a hug became a shoulder 
throw by Shampoo.  Only it didn't quite work that way.  Shampoo was fast 
and strong, but Spring was faster and stronger.  She twisted in mid-air, 
glomping onto her mother as the latter tried vainly to free herself.
        Mousse, who had recently returned from his Spring induced journey 
to Low-Earth-Orbit, ran upstairs when he heard the noise coming from his 
beloved's room.  When he saw the cause of the commotion he froze in 
ecstasy.  "Two Shampoos!" he crowed.  "Two!  At least one of them must 
be willing to return my affections."  He threw back his head and raised 
his arms in victory.  "Yes!  This is a dream come tr-"
        *Shampoo, stop trying to throw your daughter out the window,* 
commanded Cologne.  She hopped over Mousse, who she'd casually knocked 
to the floor with her staff.  *Little kitten, don't squeeze your mother 
so tightly.*
        Spring and Shampoo broke apart instantly.  Shampoo's "Yes, 
Great-Grandmother" was echoed by a "Yes, Great-Great-Grandmother" from 
Spring.
        *Is it true, Great-Grandmother?* asked Shampoo.  *Is this girl my 
daughter?*
        *Can't you tell?*  Cologne gave the two of them a smile that 
would have frightened a vampire.  *She has much of you in her, and much 
of Son-In-Law as well.*
        Shampoo gave Spring a second look.  She noticed the new girl's 
braid for the first time, and the blue in her eyes.  Throwing her arms 
around Spring, Shampoo gave a wordless cry of happiness.  Spring returned 
the hug and the squeal with equal enthusiasm.
        Cologne let the two girls be for a moment, then cleared her 
throat.  *Why don't you take your daughter downstairs and feed her,* 
suggested the old crone.  *I have a small task for the two of you, but it 
can wait while you become acquainted.*
        *Yes, Great-(Great-)-Grandmother.*  If not for the extra word in 
Spring's reply, their voices would have been in perfect synchronization.

Part Three: Past Conflicts

        Ryoga sat on a bench in a park, waiting for Akari.  He'd been 
camped out by the fountain for the past two days; the eternally lost boy 
had set up this date a week in advance, and he knew better than to leave 
once he'd found the place.
        He looked at the handful of flowers he'd picked in his wanderings.  
They were beginning to look a little wilted.  _Should I give these to 
her?  Maybe she'll be upset that they aren't fresh.  But if I throw them 
away I won't have anything else to give Akari.  What should I do?_  He 
roared in frustration, but aside from a few startled pigeons and  
chipmunks, no one paid any attention.  This was the Ranmaverse, after 
all; cries of frustration were rather commonplace.
        The decision was taken out of his hands, literally.  Akari had 
snuck up on Ryoga while he was lost in his own mind.  "For me?"  She held 
the flowers under her nose and inhaled their scent.
        Ryoga looked up, his heart in his eyes.
        "Thank you, Ry-"
        Azure fire engulfed Ryoga's world.  He could not see for the 
brightness of the blaze, could not hear for the roaring of the flames.  
He felt his mind freeze and shatter, every drop of his blood cold as 
ice.  When the storm was over, he found himself alone on his hands and 
knees beside a park bench, a collection of flowers scattered by his side.
        _What am I doing here?  What happened?  Wasn't Akane just here?_  
Panic flared in Ryoga's heart.  _We were supposed to go out on a date.  I 
know something's happened to her.  I just know it!_  He pushed himself to 
his feet.  "Ranma!"  His cry echoed across Nerima.  "This is all your 
fault!  It must be your fault!  Someday, I swear,  I'll find my way back to 
China and make you pay!"
        Quickly stuffing his belongings into his backpack, the eternally 
lost boy set out to find his love and his revenge.

* * * * *

        Ranko had been dreaming of this moment.
        All her life she'd heard stories of Tatewaki Kuno, and how both 
her parents destroyed him on a regular basis.  The Kuno she knew was her 
rich uncle, the father of her best friend.  Sure, he was arrogant, and he 
sometimes forgot they were living in the twenty-first century, but he was 
a nice guy.  You don't go beating up nice guys.
        Idiot swordsmen who insulted your father, now; those were the 
people you _should_ beat up.
        _Pop always said he could take Kuno in one shot.  I need to know 
if I'm that good.  Pop never would say if I'm as good as he was when he 
was my age.  And I know he won't fight me now.  He wouldn't even fight 
Spring, and she was trashing him._
        Kuno was shouting to the sky.  _I've got just one chance at this; 
I've got to make it count._  Ranko waited until Kuno was looking at him.  
Then the pony-tailed boy drove her fist into the swordsman's solar plexus..
        Kuno went down, hard.
        "Good shot," said Ranma.  Ranko smiled at the compliment.
        Tachi was not quite so enthusiastic.  "You hit my father," she 
breathed.  "I can't believe it.  You hit my father."
        Ranma knelt down and grabbed Kuno by the hair.  Hey, it's only 
Kuno."  He pulled the would-be-samurai's head off the ground.  "See, he's 
OK.  It's not like I don't smack the jerk around all the time."
        "You hit my father," Tachi repeated.
        "Hey, you saw how he was acting," cried Ranko defensively.  "He 
was talking trash, and he needed to be taken down."
        "And you," Tachi accused Nabiki.  "You let them do this!"  The 
chronologically-displaced girl took a step away from her mother.  "How 
could you?"
        Nabiki sighed.  "What should I have done?  That's just the way 
Kuno-chan is.  He babbles like a madman, then somebody knocks him out of 
his misery.  After a few minutes he gets back up, with no real harm done."
        "I don't believe any of this," cried Tachi.  She turned and ran, 
her stocking feet sliding on the muddy grass.
        "Tachi, don't leave mad," yelled Ranko.  "Look, I'm sorry."  The 
pony-tailed boy swore under his breath, then ran after his cousin.
        Akane watched her future daughter leave.  "Wait," she called after 
him.  "Don't go!  I don't even know you're name."  Then she, too, started 
running, following the other two.
        Ranma took a step in that direction, but stopped when he saw 
Ryo.  The pig-tailed boy was picking a limp Ukyou up in his arms.  "Is 
she all right?" Ranma asked.
        "She will be, Pop."  Ryo shifted his burden until Ukyou seemed to 
be resting comfortably.  "She passed out, so I hit a nerve center to keep 
her sedated until the danger was gone.  She'll be better once I take her 
home."
        "Oh."  Ranma blinked.  "That's OK, I guess."  Then he started 
running after Akane and the others.
        Ryo frowned.  "Why didn't he stay with Mom and me?"
        "You've got me there," said Nabiki, who was idly brushing Kuno's 
bangs away from his face.
        "Will he be all right?" Ryo asked, nodding at Kuno's prone form.
        "Of course.  This _does_ happen all the time."  Nabiki looked 
away.  "In a few minutes he'll wake up and start asking for Akane and his 
pig-tailed goddess."
        "Then I'll take my mother home to Ucchan's.  If you see my father..."
        Nabiki nodded.  "I'll give him your message.  For five hundred yen."
        "Five hundred?  Tachi doesn't charge that, even with twenty years 
of inflation changing the value of the currency!"
        "Then I haven't taught her very much.."  Nabiki stared at the horizon.
        "Him," Ryo corrected.  "The Tachi I grew up with is a boy."
        "I'll remember that."
        Ryo started walking away, moving slowly so as not to disturb his 
mother.  "I don't doubt you will."

* * * * *

        Cologne had a very simple mission for Spring and Shampoo: find the 
locket and bring it back.  Mousse volunteered to go with them, but 
Shampoo emptied a bucket on his head and left the duck tied to a coatrack.
        *I think I threw it here.*  Spring pointed to a stretch of the 
canal.  *It's hard to tell.  The streets all look alike, and I was 
fighting at the time.*
        *You'll have to go in the water and look,* Shampoo reminded her 
daughter.  *I can't.*
        Spring jumped over the fence and carefully slid into the canal.   
The water came up to her knees, occasionally splashing higher as she moved 
about.  *I don't see it here, but it's hard to tell.  And the locket  
wasn't very big to begin with.*
        *Keep looking.*  Shampoo sat on the top of the fence, watching 
her daughter work.  *You were telling me that you couldn't find anyone to 
marry...*
        Spring paused in her work.  *There were plenty of nice boys around, 
but they weren't, you know.*  The transdimensional Amazon took a few steps 
downstream.  *I wanted someone like Dad, and there just wasn't anyone.*
        *Ranma is very special.*  There was a dream-like longing in 
Shampoo's voice.
        "SHAMPOO?!" roared a voice filled with darkness and rage.
        Shampoo spun around and stood up, balancing on the top of the 
fence.  Ryoga stood on the sidewalk below her, his feet planted firmly on 
the ground.  His hands were curled into white-knuckled fists, and they 
quivered with pent-up fury.  "What Ryoga want?" she asked.
        "I thought you'd gone back to China with Ranma," he growled.  
"Well, if you're here, then he must be around somewhere.  Tell me where 
he is!  Tell me where Ranma is hiding?"
        "Shampoo no know what Ryoga talking about."
        Spring jumped out of the canal to stand beside her mother.  *Who 
is this boy?*
        *He's just some friend of Ranma's.*
        *Is he related to us?*  There was a determined intensity in Spring's 
voice.
        *Him?*  Shampoo sniffed.  *No.*
        *Good.*  Spring cracked her knuckles.
        "Where is Ranma?" Ryoga demanded a second time.  Waves of anger 
radiated from his body like heat from a bonfire.
        Shampoo suddenly realized what Spring was up to.  *I do not want 
Ryoga as a son-in-law!*
        *Sorry, mother.*  Spring swept Shampoo's feet out from under her, 
knocking the Amazon into the canal.  *I need a husband.  And he is cute, 
in an animalistic sort of way.*
        "Meow!" screeched Shampoo.
        "If you won't tell me where Ranma is, I'll make you tell me!" 
shouted Ryoga.  His face was an ugly shade of red, and he was baring his 
fangs.
        "Spring glad to tell where is Ranma... after fight."  She pressed 
her hands together in front of her chest, bowed, and leapt at Ryoga.  Her 
foot caught him in the nose but it was like kicking a rock.  *Ouch!*
        "Fine," snarled the eternally lost boy.  Spring dodged his punch, 
but the chain-link fence behind her was torn apart.  Ryoga grabbed one of 
the support posts and pulled, ripping free a large section of metal 
mesh.  He threw this impromptu missile at his assailant, trying to net 
her like a fish.  Spring dodged that attack, too, but just barely.
        The Amazon smiled.  _He's good!_  She danced under Ryoga's guard 
and punched him a few times, but her blows didn't seem to be affecting 
the enraged boy very much.  Any normal human would have required 
hospitalization by now.  Ryoga, on the other hand, was just breathing hard.
        "Boy make good husband," Spring told him as she avoided another 
piledriver-like punch.  "Spring so happy find good fighter not already 
in family."
        "Husband?" screamed Ryoga.  "Is that what this is all about?  Has 
Ranma decided to ruin my life by dragging me back to China with him?"  
Ryoga's two-fisted punch missed Spring and shattered the sidewalk.  "I 
won't go!  I finally have a chance to be happy here, and I won't let 
Ranma, you, or anyone else take it away from me!"
        Ryoga started glowing.
        A wall of solid air slammed into Spring, knocking her across the 
street and into a retaining wall.  If the Amazon girl knew what a Mac 
Truck was, she would have been able to make the comparison.  Instead, she 
just passed out.
        "What... What was that?" wondered Ryoga.  He wobbled a bit, took 
an unsteady step forward, then fell to his hands and knees.  _If I can do 
that to Ranma..._

* * * * *

        Nabiki sat with Kuno in the school infirmary, watching the fool 
swordsman as he slowly regained consciousness.  _So I really did marry 
him after all.  In two dimensions nonetheless.  Looks like I have to do 
something drastic about Kodachi, then, if what Tachi told me is true._
        Kuno began to stir, and Nabiki pressed a cool washcloth against 
his forehead.  "Stupid dreamer," she muttered under her breath.  "I know 
the first two things he's going to ask for.  And I'm not either of th- 
Ouch!"  The mercenary Tendo girl pulled her hand away from Kuno; her 
fingers felt like they'd been burned by dry ice.  "What was that?"
        Kuno's eyes snapped open and he sat up, reaching for Nabiki's 
hands.  "Akane Tendo, I would date with you," he declared.  That short 
speech temporarily exhausted him, and the scion of a once noble house 
fell back on his cot.
        He immediately popped back up, once more reaching for Nabiki.  
The girl looked away.  _Here it comes._
        "Nabiki, my goddess of finances, where are you?"
        Kuno slumped down a second time, but Nabiki hauled him up by the 
front of his robes.  "What did you just say?"  she demanded.
        Kuno stared at Nabiki, reason slowly creeping into his eyes.  He 
crushed the girl to his chest.  "Oh, my short-haired angel of mercy.  How 
blessed I am to have you care for me when black ma-"  Kuno collapsed like 
a puppet with his strings cut.
        Nabiki set the dented water pitcher back on the washstand.  Her 
eyes were wide and filled with confusion.  _I heard what he just said.  I 
saw what he just did.  If it's true, I'm set for life.  But how do I make 
the most of this?_
        _And do I want to?_

* * * * *

        Tachi ran as fast as she could, but the short-haired girl knew 
she'd never outrun Ranko.  Having no shoes made for treacherous footing, 
and her cousin, in either form, was much faster than she was.  _I will 
not talk to her!  I will not!  How could she even think of hitting my 
father like that?_
        A passing taxicab was the answer to Tachi's unvoiced prayers.  
She hailed the driver and jumped in, shouting, "Floor it," as Ranko 
reached the sidewalk.  The driver was obliging, and Ranko was left 
breathing exhaust fumes.
        "Where to, miss?" the driver asked.  His Japanese was thickly 
accented, and it took Tachi a moment to understand the question.
        "Home," she sighed.

* * * * *

        Ryo jumped from rooftop to rooftop with Ukyou cradled in his 
arms.  The streets were too crowded to move quickly, and people would 
have asked difficult questions.  Right now the pig-tailed boy was in no 
mood to explain why he was carrying an unconscious girl through Nerima.
        He reached Ucchan's without incident.  Setting Ukyou down, he 
tried to pry one of the second story windows open.  It wouldn't budge.  
_What gives?  The sill looks like it's been painted over.  Mom would 
never be that sloppy.  Ucchan's is her pride and joy._
        Ryo thought for a moment, then decided to risk the front door 
again.  _If that transvestite wants to make trouble, I'll pay him back in 
spades.  I need to get Mom home, and I'm not going to let anyone stop 
me._  He jumped down to the sidewalk, then slowly opened the door.  At 
least, that was his intention.  The doorknob was ice cold, though, and he 
jerked  his hand away with a curse.  After flexing his fingers in an 
attempt to get some feeling back, he tried agian.  The door was locked.
        Ryo grumbled a bit in irritation, then fished his keys out of his 
pocket.  As he did, he noticed the sign in the window that said, "Closed."
        The keys didn't fit.
        Ryo took a deep breath to calm his angered nerves.  _Of course 
they would have changed the locks at least once._  He reached up into the 
awning for the spare key, and smiled when he found it.  "At least this 
much is working right.  And if the shop is closed, then that Konatsu guy 
must not be here."
        Ryo turned on the lights as he walked inside.  What he saw shocked 
him.  The restaurant was... drab.  Bare bulbs showed him what little 
effort had been used in planning the decor.  The walls were covered with 
different shades of off-white paint, not the wood paneling he remembered 
from his childhood.  The tables and chairs were mismatched and worn, as if 
they'd come from a half-dozen garage sales.  There were no plants to give 
the room a much-needed sense of peace and tranquillity.
        "I know I was a little dazed this morning, but I'm sure the place 
looked different when I first came in.  I'll have to ask Mom about it."  
Then the reluctant martial artist climbed back up to the roof, reclaimed 
Ukyou, and carried her inside.
        Ukyou's bedroom had been decorated by the same Spartan artist 
who'd designed the restaurant.  A single futon was the only piece of 
furniture, and from the way clothes were piled around the room, it looked 
like she'd been living out of a suitcase for a while.  Ryo swept some 
travel brochures off the bed, then set Ukyou down.  _China?  Why would 
Mom want to go to China?_  He made his mother as comfortable as possible,
then struck the nerve center Tofu taught him years ago.  "Time to wake 
up, Mom.  I need some answers."
        Ukyou's eyes fluttered open.  "What happened?" she asked.  "Who 
are you?"  She saw Ryo's braid, and remembered.  "You're not a dream."
        Ryo smiled.  "No, I'm not.  Are you feeling any better?"  Ryo 
clenched his fists reflexively.  "That girl Spring hurt you pretty bad."
        Ukyou stretched, wincing at her bruises.  "I'll be OK."  Her eyes 
wandered a bit, taking in the room.  "Where are we?"
        Ryo frowned.  "I brought you home to the restaurant."
        Ukyou shook her head.  "This isn't right."  She ran her fingers 
along the wall, wrinkling her nose as the cheap paint flaked off.  "Where's 
the wallpaper I put up last month?  And these aren't my clothes."  The  
okonomiyaki chef grabbed a shirt from one of the nearby piles.  "I'd 
never wear something this threadbare."  Suspicion flashed in her eyes.  
"You say you're from the future."  She reached for her spatula.  "Tell me 
again how you got here."  
        Ryo grabbed her hand.  "Mom, calm down."
        "Let go of me!"
        Ryo backed away.  "All right, Mom," he began slowly.  "I fought a 
Chinese Amazon named Spring.  I saw her disappear in a ball of glowing 
light, and I followed after her.  Somehow this brought me to the past."
        Ukyou did not look convinced.  "Prove it."
        Ryo thought furiously.  _I need to tell her something no one else 
could know, but I can't tell her something that hasn't happened yet.  She 
and Pop are still living in Nerima, so the Gambler King hasn't shown up 
yet._  "When you and Pop were little, you met a man named the Gambler 
King," he began.
        "So," said Ukyou.  "Everybody knows that.  The story came out 
when Ranma beat him and won the dojo back."
        Ryo turned very pale.  _Pop won.  If he won, then he didn't lose 
Ucchan's.  And if he didn't lose Ucchan's, then he and Mom never got 
married.  And if they never got married..._
        Ukyou saw what effect her words had on the young man.  "Hey, 
what's wrong?  You look like you've seen a ghost."
        "I have," Ryo whispered, "and he's wearing my face."

* * * * *

        The taxi stopped when it reached the gates of the Kuno mansion.  
Tachi reached for her wallet to pay the driver, then froze when she 
looked at her money.  _He won't accept this!  I forgot they redesigned 
all the bills at the turn of the century._  "Let me run inside and I'll 
get the money to pay you," she said, shutting the cab door to keep from 
hearing the  driver's reply.
        The gate was secured by an old-fashioned electronic lock, not the 
optical scanner Tachi had been expecting.  Climbing over the wrought-iron 
bars was no challenge, though, and the Shooting Star of Furinkan High 
quickly found herself standing firmly on the grounds of her family home.
        Tachi bypassed all the traps with ease, even avoiding some that 
Satsuke wouldn't build for another decade.  The front door was unlocked, 
and Tachi pulled off her muddy socks before she tracked footprints 
throughout the house.
        _All right.  Satsuke hides the housekeeping money in the pantry, 
or, at least, he does twenty years from now._  Tachi found the cash she 
needed, turned off the security system, appropriated a pair of Kodachi's 
shoes, and walked back out to the waiting cabdriver.  She gave him a good 
tip; Nabiki would have objected, but Tachi was not very happy with her 
mother just then.  _She's almost as bad as Ranko, letting Father make 
a fool of himself that way!_
        Tachi stomped through the house, noting all the changes that 
would be made in the next twenty years.  _Mom wasn't kidding when she 
said Aunt Kodachi was a few yen shy.  Look at all the pictures of Uncle 
Ranma.  You'd think the house was a shrine or something._
        Tachi's random wandering eventually led her to what would one day 
become her bedroom.  She couldn't resist peeking inside.  "What!"  She 
let the door swing open in surprise.  "Why didn't they tell me I had 
Kodachi's old room?"

* * * * *

        Ranko swore as he saw the cab peel away.  He tried chasing after 
the car for a while, but that was beyond even his limits.  He slowed down 
after a few blocks, and then he stopped.  "Dammit, Tachi!  I only wanna 
apologize.  Why's she always got to make things so hard?"
        A cry of "RANMA" shook the air throughout Nerima.  The anger in the 
shouter's voice made Ranko shiver.  "That sounds like Ran.  I hope that 
pig isn't wandering around in the past, too.  Damn.  It wouldn't surprise 
me if it _was_ him.  He gets lost trying to go to sleep."
        Ranko looked around quickly, reassuring himself that Ran was 
nowhere around.  There was no sign of his fiance anywhere, but there was 
also no sign of Tachi.  "Think, Ranko, think!  If I was Tachi, where 
would I go?"  In an aside to himself, the pony-tailed boy muttered, "If I 
was Tachi I'd let me apologize."
        "There you are," gasped an out-of-breath Akane.
        "Huh?"  Ranko looked up.  His parents were standing a few feet 
away from him.  Ranma was looking away, his hands behind his back.  Akane 
was still trying to catch her breath, but she was smiling.  "Oh, hi, 
Mom.  Jeez, you didn't have to chase after me."
        "But I... wanted... to talk... with you," Akane managed to say.  
"You left in such a hurry.  There are so many questions I want to ask you."
        "Aw, Mom, c'mon.  Don't go all mushy on me now.  I've gotta go 
find Tachi and apologize.  I don't want her to stay mad at me."
        "Oh."  Akane took a step back, her eyes full of hurt.
        Ranko stared at the ground and played with the end of his ponytail.  
_Now I've done it.  I've made Mom cry.  Today is going great, just great._
        Ranma stared at the young man who claimed to be his daughter.  
_He looks like me.  And he talks like me._  Ranma could see the tears 
starting to form in Akane's eyes.  _Does it hurt Mom and Pop as much when 
I say things like that to them?  Does it hurt Akane?_  Without meaning too, 
Ranma took a step closer to his fiancee.  She leaned on his arm; Ranma 
felt her tears on his shoulder.
        The three of them stood that way for a long time, letting their 
thoughts go unspoken.  The wind picked up, blowing leaves around them in 
tiny whirlpools.  Then Ranma looked up and noticed the clouds racing across 
the sky.  "Uh, we'd better go somewhere," he said, breaking the silence.

* * * * *

        Ryoga was confused, angry and lost.  That wasn't new, but it 
wasn't common anymore, either.  Ryoga's world had recently become a much 
nicer place.  He and Akane were dating.  Ranma was gone, dragged off to 
China by Shampoo.  All the bandana-clad boy needed now was a cure for his 
curse, and then his life would be like Heaven.
        The fall back down to Hell had taken less than an hour.
        Akane was missing.  Shampoo was in Japan.  Ryoga was not particularly 
clever, but he knew that 1/2 + 1/2 = 1.  Ranma must be in Japan; after 
all, everything bad in Ryoga's life could be traced back to Ranma.  Who 
else would want to shatter Ryoga's happiness?
        The eternally lost boy charged through Nerima, vainly searching 
for his nemesis.  Where was Ranma hiding?  Walls, telephone poles, street 
lights, and the occasional parked car were reduced to dust, left ruined  
in the wake of Ryoga's vengeful quest.
        As fate would have it, Ryoga's unique sense of misdirection led 
him right to his quarry.  Ranma, Ranko, and Akane were hurrying home to the 
dojo, trying to beat the incipient rain.  The eternally lost boy, blinded 
by his own expectations, saw nothing but his arch enemy and his beloved.  
Of course he jumped to the wrong conclusion.  Then he jumped into battle, 
shouting, "DIE, RANMA!"
        The punch he threw, had it landed, would have crumpled a Volkswagon.  
Instead Ranma avoided the blow with ease, vaulting over Ryoga's fist.  
"Jeez, Ryoga.  What'd I do this time?"
        Ryoga would have shouted, "How dare you mock my suffering," but 
he was too angry for words.  Instead he answered Ranma's question with a 
side kick that came nowhere close to hitting.
        Ranma frowned at his sometime ally's futile attack.  _What 
gives?  I'm better than Ryoga, but not this much better.  It's like he's 
too mad to fight._  He dodged another rage-powered kick.  _Well, If he 
wants a fight, I'll be glad to give him one._
        Ranma blocked Ryoga's next hand strike, then counterpunched.  He 
didn't expect a fist in the face to hurt his opponent; Ryoga was too tough 
for that.  It would break the lost boy's momentum, though, giving Ranma 
the room he needed to plan something more effective.
        Ryoga's momentum was broken, all right.  Along with his nose.
        Ranma looked at the blood on his knuckles.  _I know I didn't hit 
him that hard._  He took a half step forward, holding out his hand to 
help Ryoga pick himself up off the sidewalk.  The lost boy was having 
none of that, though, and lunged at Ranma head first.  Ranma's offer of 
aid instinctively turned into a power parry that would have knocked Ryoga 
back to the concrete.
        Neither blow landed.  Instead, Ranko jump kicked his would-be 
father-in-law.  "Jerk.  He was only trying to help."
        Ryoga stared at his new opponent, seeing him for the first time.  The 
pain and the anger roaring inside his skull made thinking difficult, but 
Ryoga managed some, albeit limited, logical thought.  _He looks like 
Ranma.   Does Ranma have a brother?  Two against one?  That doesn't 
matter.  I must save Akane!_  The bandana-clad warrior pushed himself 
to his feet.  "Ranma, I will make you pay for what you've done to Akane!"
        Ranma shrugged.  Sometimes there was no arguing with Ryoga; you 
just had to hit him a bunch of times.  The pig-tailed martial artist 
wiped his hands on his pants, not caring that they were now stained with 
Ryoga's blood.
        Ranko stepped between the two warring teens.  "Let me have him, 
Pop."
        Ranma blinked.  "Huh?  I don't need any help."
        "Please?"
        Ryoga attacked before Ranma could respond.  Ranko was the nearest 
target, so the eternally lost boy struck at him first.  Ranko blocked the 
attack, not as easily as his father had, but well enough to keep from 
getting hurt.  Then the fight began in earnest.

* * * * *

        Nabiki was confused, and she didn't like it one bit.  She could 
deal with strangers showing up out of nowhere.  She could deal with 
losing money, although she preferred having her teeth pulled.  She could 
even deal with a girl who claimed to be her daughter from the future.
        A Kuno who wanted her was something else altogether.
        Sure, he had money.  And he had looks.  And he had a way of 
making a girl feel like the sun, moon, and stars all rolled together.  
And if what Tachi said was true, he even had a personality underneath all 
that clueless arrogance.  He had everything Nabiki wanted in a man.
        Using him would be child's play.
        Loving him would mean taking a chance.
        _But I never take chances._
        Nabiki waved goodbye to her friends half-heartedly as she left 
the school.  She stared at the ground as she walked, replaying the scene 
in the infirmary over and over.  _"Goddess of finances," he called me, 
and, "Short-haired angel of mercy."  He wasn't joking; Kuno never jokes 
about love.  And he never mentioned Ranma once._
        Nabiki stopped, frowning.  _And I had to hit him in the head._
        She looked up, staring at the swirling clouds for inspiration as 
much as anything else.  Then she noticed the large, girl-shaped hole in 
the wall next to her.
        Nabiki blinked.  "That's new."  She walked over and took a closer 
look; even when maudlin the mercenary Tendo girl's instincts for 
investigation were strong.
        There was a second girl-shaped hole behind the first one, and a 
third after the second.  As far as the eye could see there were signs of 
casual destruction; it didn't take long for Nabiki to recognize the path 
Spring made on her way to Furinkan High.
        The short-haired Tendo girl thought for a moment, then shook her 
head.  _Of course I'll check it out,_ she told herself firmly.  _It could 
be important, and he's only a dumb jock, after all._
        A softer voice said, _Liar,_ but Nabiki had years of practice at 
ignoring her conscience.

* * * * *

        An insistent purring brought Spring back to the waking world.  
She ran her fingers through her bangs, trying to focus her thoughts.  
*What hit me,* she finally managed to ask.
        The cat sitting on her chest answered, "Meow."
        Memories came rushing back, filling Spring's head.  _He beat 
me._  The purple-haired Amazon rolled to her feet, unceremoniously 
dumping her mother onto the sidewalk.  Spring looked around, making sure 
Ryoga wasn't there.  _I lost.  He managed to walk away while I was 
unconscious, so I lost._  The young Amazon scooped her mother up and 
hugged her tight.  *I can get married.  He's not related, so I can get 
married.*
        Shampoo screeched.  Spring was a strong girl, and Shampoo was a 
small cat.
        *Sorry, Mother.*  Spring spun the two of them around in a happy 
circle.  *I'm just so excited.*
        Shampoo hissed, and gave her daughter a dirty look.
        *I'm sorry you don't approve, Mother, but give me time.  I'm sure 
you'll come to love my husband as much as I do.*
        If cats can look skeptical, Shampoo managed to do so.
        Spring didn't care.  *I can't wait to tell Father.  And 
Great-Great-Grandmother.*  At the mention of Cologne, Spring's sense of 
responsibility reminded her of her other unfinished task.  *I guess we'd 
better find the locket first, though.*  She didn't sound happy about that.
        Shampoo's answering, "Meow," lacked enthusiasm, too.

* * * * *

        Ukyou stared at Ryo.  Ryo stared at nothing.  _They're not married.  
They're not going to get married.  This isn't my world.  I don't belong 
here._  He grit his teeth in an effort to avoid tears.  _I don't belong 
here!_
        Ukyou reached out with her free hand and grabbed Ryo by the chin.  
"This has really got you spooked."  She leaned her battle spatula against 
the wall; the business end gouged a splinter out of the bare floor.  
"Look, I know I sounded rough a minute ago, but I do trust you."  She 
shrugged.  "Call it mother's intuition, but I have a... feeling... that 
you're telling me the truth."
        "This isn't what I remember."  Ryo relaxed a little, the tension 
oozed out of his shoulders.  "I know that Tachi, and Ranko, and... Spring 
come from other worlds, but somehow I thought that mine was the real one, 
and theirs the illusion."  His voice was filled with uncertainty. 
"Everything I know, everyone I care about, is different in some way.  You, 
Pop, Ucchan's.  Where does Ryo Saotome fit in?"  Ryo's eyes misted over 
again.  "I don't even know if Bell-chan belongs to this world or not."
        "Bell-chan?"  Ukyou couldn't mistake the emotion in her son's 
voice.  Until recently, she heard it every time she said Ranma's name.
        "My fiancee," Ryo answered.
        "Your fiancee.  You only have one, right?"
        Ryo laughed, a bit raggedly, but a laugh nonetheless.  "I may be 
Ranma Saotome's son, but that doesn't mean I have all his bad habits."
        "What's she like, Ryo?"  Ukyou folded her hands in her lap, eager to 
hear all she could about her son and his future.  It was like listening  
to your own daydreams: pleasant, and without consequence in the waking 
world.
        "She is a goddess on earth, kind, loving, beautiful."  Ryo paused, 
lost in his own memories.  "She's the daughter of Kasumi and Tofu-sensei, 
so she brings peace and healing wherever she goes."
        "She sounds too good to be true, Ryo."  Ukyou liked the sound of 
her son's name.
        "She is."
        Mother and son sat in silence for a moment.  "What will you do 
now, Ryo?"  Ukyou finally asked.
        Ryo looked around the room.  "There are still a lot of unanswered 
questions.  I know _how_ I got here, but I don't know where "here" is.  I 
miss Bell-chan, and I want to go home, but I need more information.  My 
memories don't fit this time."
        "Mine don't, either," Ukyou interrupted, gesturing around the room.
        "I was afraid of that.  Something is very wrong.  There are a few more 
people I need to talk to before I do anything drastic, though."
        "If it involves Spring, count me in."
        "We'll see."  _Sorry, Mom, but the last thing I want to do is let 
that sociopath near you._  "I hope to resolve this without bloodshed."
        "That's not they way your father would handle it, Ryo."
        Ryo gave his mother a half-smile.  "You made sure I didn't catch 
any of his bad habits."  He stood up.  "I'd better be going.  It was... 
nice... talking with you, Mom, but the sooner I get going the sooner I 
can get home."
        Ukyou stood up, too.  "I'll go with you."
        Ryo shook his head.  "No, there are enough mysteries here at Ucchan's 
for you to solve.  I'll come back soon, and you can tell me what you've 
discovered."
        "You're right, and this place _is_ a mess."  She reached up on 
tiptoes and kissed Ryo on the forehead.  "This might not be your world, 
Ryo, but I'm still proud of you."
        Ryo smiled, but said nothing.  Then he left.
        The skies were grey and heavy with clouds.  Freezing air tore through 
his clothing, making Ryo wish he'd worn a jacket this morning, or twenty 
years from now, depending on how you counted.  Beside him, a sign 
reading, "Okonomiyaki Ukyou's" twisted in the wind; the pig-tailed boy 
ignored it.  He felt miserable.  His mother was proud of him.  And he'd 
lied to her face.
        _Spring!_  Ryo's silent cry of vengeance echoed through his mind.

* * * * *

        Tachi rummaged through the kitchen, searching for something to 
eat.  She was wary of any prepared food; horror stories of Kodachi's 
potions and poisons had given her nightmares as a child.  In the end, all 
she could find were potato chips and a six-pack of Baka Pepper hidden 
under a loose floorboard.  _Satsuke must have stashed this stuff here.  
I'll have to remember to thank him._
        Food and drink in hand, Tachi settled down in the T.V. room.  The 
clock chimed the hour.  _Great.  I've got plenty of time to relax before 
everyone comes home from school.  And maybe I can come up with some sort 
of plan for getting home._  Images of Ranko and Nabiki came to mind, but 
Tachi forced them away.  _I don't want their help!  I can do this on my own._
        "Computer, give me business news," she enunciated.  That always 
helped when she was in a bad mood.
        The screen remained blank.
        "Computer, give me business news, _please._"
        Again, nothing happened.
        "In the name of the house of Kuno, I command thee, servant of 
electrons, to present for my viewing pleasure BUSINESS NEWS!"
        Not a flicker.  Tachi thought the screen was mocking her.  Then 
she saw the remote control.  "D'oh!  What was I thinking.  Did my parents 
even have cable growing up?"
        Tachi bent down to pick up the remote.  She saw something dark 
and slender reflected on the television screen; that gave her the 
split-second of warning she needed to avoid the ribbon that snapped at 
her like a whip.
        "OHOHOHOHO!  What have we here?  I shall have to punish Satsuke 
for his negligence.  Imagine, letting a peasant girl wander through the 
mansion."
        "Who are you calling a peasant?"  Tachi's bokken appeared in her 
hands like magic.  She took a step to the side, waiting for her opponent 
to make the next move.
        "Why, no one in _my_ family would ever dress that way," Kodachi 
replied.  "Are you one of those silly girls vying for my dear brother's 
attention?"
        Tachi said nothing.  She had been afraid of this more than 
anything else that could have possibly gone wrong.  Aunt Kodachi scared 
her.  Losing all her money, facing one of the monsters that sometimes 
came hunting after Uncle Ranma, eating Ranko's cooking, all of those were 
bad, but Aunt Kodachi's laugh gave her more nightmares than everything 
else put together.  And she'd only heard it sixteen times in her life: 
once a year every year on Kodachi's birthday, when the family would visit 
her in the sanitarium.
        "Of course you are," Kodachi continued.  "OHOHOHOHO!  I have half 
a mind to leave you wrapped up like a present for my dear brother to 
find."  The ribbon snaked out, ripping out the seam in the left sleeve of 
Tachi's blouse.  "At least you would be better than that cow Akane Tendo, or 
her greedy sister.  OHOHOHOHO!"
        Tachi paled.  Nabiki bribed the hospital staff to keep Kodachi 
tranked to the eyeballs, but nothing could keep the woman from laughing..  
"I know you have half a mind," she taunted.  It was the best she could 
come up with, and it kept the fear from overwhelming her.
        Kodachi's ribbon tore open the other sleeve.  "Why you little 
harridan!  You take that back!"
        _I have to keep her talking._  Tachi let her Aunt's ribbon wrap itself 
around her blade, then pulled, hoping to yank Kodachi off-balance.  "And 
what if I told you I had eyes only for Ranma?"  It was a dangerous 
gambit, but it might work; anything was better than that laughter.
        "You?  In love with my Ranma-sama?"  Kodachi's eyes grew even more 
wild, a feat many would have thought impossible.  She pulled back, and 
only as Tachi's bokken was ripped from her hands did the Shooting Star 
remember why people called it, "the strength of a madman."
        In desperation, Tachi threw the first thing she could find at her 
aunt.  Out shot the ribbon, slicing cleanly through the six-pack of Baka 
Pepper.  Bitter-sweet carbonated syrup covered Kodachi from head to toe.
        "Oh, you'll pay for that, witch."
        "I never pay for anything."  Tachi closed the distance and 
punched her aunt in the solar plexus.  It was the exact same move Ranko 
had used on Kuno.
        Kodachi sat down hard with the wind knocked out of her.  Tachi, 
as pragmatic as her mother, kicked her opponent in the face before she 
recovered.  The Black Rose didn't get back up.
        Even an unconscious Kodachi was frightening, though, so Tachi 
ran.  Instinct led her back to the bedroom.  She went inside.
        There was an open suitcase on the bed; Kodachi had been packing.  
Curiosity made Tachi look.  _Plane tickets to China?  What was she 
planning?  Aunt Kodachi wouldn't willingly get herself cursed at 
Jusenkyo, would she?_
        Tachi looked up, thinking for a moment.  She caught a quick glance at 
her reflection in the mirror hanging from the ceiling.  Revulsion at the 
possible uses for such a device quickly turned to an appraisal of her 
own appearance.  _I sure look like a mess._  Tachi fingered the tears in 
her clothing, then looked at the half-packed suitcase.  _I should have 
thought of this earlier._
        Ten minutes later, a well dressed Tachi quietly snuck out of the 
Kuno mansion.  _I still need a plan, and I can't come up with anything on 
my own.._  Once again Ranko and Nabiki came to mind.  _All right, all 
right, I can't stay mad forever._

* * * * *

        Ranko was a born fighter.  Ryoga had the strength and rage of a 
monster.  Neither could get an advantage over the other; Ranko's skill 
balanced the lost boy's stamina.  Ranma, who was studying the duel with 
the eye of a expert, couldn't tell who would win.  That worried him.
        Ryoga was acting strange... well, stranger than usual.  His parries 
were too slow, and his attacks, while still earth-shakingly powerful, 
lacked the focus Ranma had come to expect from his friendly foe.
        There was no denying the fact that Ranko was very, very good; 
that much was obvious, and Ranma could not but feel proud of his supposed 
daughter.  Good as Ranko was, though, the Ryoga Ranma knew should have 
wiped the newcomer all over the street.
        Akane slugged her fiance in the back of the head, bringing an end 
to Ranma's analysis.  "How can you stand there and let Ryoga fight with my 
daughter?"
        Ranma winced as he probed his new bruise.  "And whaddaya expect me 
to do about it?  It's not like I made her fight.  She volunteered."
        "But she could get hurt!" Akane protested.
        "Of course she could get hurt!  If you never take any risks, then 
you'll never learn the true martial arts."  Ranma pointed at the battle; 
the combatants had migrated to the other side of the street.  "Look at 
her; she's doin' fine.  You know I'll step in if she's in trouble.  I 
mean, when you get in over your head, don't I always-"  Ranma shut his 
mouth and looked away.  Akane blushed.
        Meanwhile, the two brawlers continued their no-holds-barred 
conflict.  Ryoga bared his fangs and growled, his frustration redoubling 
his strength.  Ranko met his attacks with renewed determination.  _Kuno 
was just the warm-up act.  This is the real show.  Anyone can beat 
Tachi's dad, but Ryoga was in Pop's class.  If I can beat him..._
        Ryoga's thoughts were much less structured.  _Must kill Ranma... 
must save Akane.... must kill Ranma's brother... must save Akane._
        Both combatants gave no quarter, but the battle couldn't last 
forever.  Someone had to lose.
        Ranko wanted to match Ranma's skill more than anything else in the 
world.  Ryoga was torn between his desperate love for Akane and his 
desire for revenge.  The time-displaced heir to the Saotome Ryu was the 
more focused of the two, but the eternally lost boy lived his life in a 
bottomless pit of despair.
        Ryoga had somehow learned the Shishi Hokodan.
        Ranko didn't know the Moukou Takabisha.
        A bolt of solid despair slammed into Ranko and knocked him back across 
the street.  Ryoga, bloody, battered, and drained, stared at Ranma.  "You're 
next," he managed to gasp.
        "In your dreams, P-chan."  One punch from Ranma sent the 
bandana-clad teen to dreamland.
        Akane, meanwhile, sat on the sidewalk cradling Ranko's head in her 
lap.  "Please be all right," she whispered.  "I just met you... I don't 
want to lose you now."
        Then it started to rain.

* * * * *

        Happosai bounced from rooftop to rooftop, a bag full of stolen 
underwear slung over his shoulder.  Life was good.  Oh, he missed Ranma 
all right, but the boy had been a nuisance.  And disrespectful.  Soun 
and Genma would never have dared to hit their master, and they certainly 
wouldn't have interfered in any of Happosai's plans.  _Maybe I'll look 
Ranma up in a few years, but for now, it's panty-time!_
        A canal cut through Happosai's path, causing the dirty old man to 
stop for a moment.  He thought about jumping across the waterway, but that 
seemed like too much work.  Then he saw a blue glow coming from under the 
waves.  Like a crow spotting something shiny, Happosai made a bee-line 
for the source of the light.
        The master pervert left his bag of precious unmentionables on the 
bank, then carelessly waded into the canal.  Now and again the cold water 
splashed over his head, so it was a choking and sputtering Happosai that 
returned to shore.
        The source of the blue glow turned out to be a simple silver 
locket.  It was rather battered and abused; the chain was broken, and the 
latch was bent, effectively locking it shut.  At the moment, Happosai didn't 
care.  The locket was obviously magic, and the old fool had a craving 
for all things arcane.
        "Oh, you find locket for Spring," said a perky voice.  "Thank you."
        Happosai looked up.  And up.  The owner of the voice was balanced 
on the top of the fence.  She was a young, beautiful woman.  Happosai 
crained his head back for a better view, almost falling over in the process.
        The girl hopped down, then held out her hand.  "You please give 
Spring locket?" she asked again.  
        Happosai started to drool.  A beautiful girl was standing next to 
him, and she wasn't running away.
        Shampoo, in cat form, lay nestled in the crook of Spring's other 
arm.  The cursed Amazon hissed a warning at her daughter, a warning 
Spring didn't understand until she got a better look at Happosai.  *You!*  
Revulsion filled her normally cheerful voice.
        "Me!" Happosai agreed.  "Me what?"
        "Spring remember dirty old man.  Great-great-grandmother chase 
you out of village."  Spring kicked at Happosai, a vicious blow that 
would have launched him into Low-Earth-orbit had it connected.  The 
master pervert was on his guard, though, and avoided her attack with ease.
        "What fun!" cried Happosai as he danced around the purple-haired 
girl's attacks.  This was almost as good as fighting with Ranma.
        "You give locket back now!" Spring shouted.
        "You want this?" Happosai stopped his mad dodging for a moment and 
dangled the locket by its broken chain.
        "Yes!"
        "Then you'll have to catch me!"  Happosai took off running.  No 
man of his height and age should have been able to move that fast, but the 
ancient hentai was a master at breaking the rules.
        Spring chased after him.  She wasn't about to let the panty-thief  
steal her locket.  Besides, this was Happosai, and every woman born (or 
cursed, in her father's case) had the right to beat him to a pulp.

* * * * *

        Ryo ran through Nerima.  He knew where he wanted to go, and there 
was no sense in wasting time.  _She's the only other person I haven't 
talked to.  I hope she can shed some light on what's going on._
        The house wasn't as old as he remembered, but Ryo had been 
expecting that.  He studied a sapling growing in the middle of the 
yard; his mind saw it twenty years older, with a swing hanging from one 
of the branches.  _This is the place._  He walked up to the front door 
and knocked.
        A middle-aged woman, handsome despite years of separation from 
her family, answered the door.  "Yes, may I..."  Her voice trailed off as 
she studied Ryo's face.  "Ranma?"
        Ryo swallowed.  "No, I'm a... friend of his."  He watched the 
hope in Nodoka's eyes die, and cursed himself for not thinking.  This would 
cause her pain.
        "Oh.  Would you... like to come in?"
        "Yes, please."
        Nodoka set him down in the living room, then went to the kitchen 
to fix some tea.  She poured a cup for Ryo.  "Do you... do you know where 
Ranma is?"
        Ryo shook his head.  "No.  We were friends in Junior High, and I 
haven't seen him in a while.  I was hoping you could tell _me_ where he was."
        Nodoka bowed her head.  "Ranma's father used to send me postcards.  
Months ago he said they were going to China.  That was the last I ever 
heard from them."
        Ryo could hear the tears frozen in his Nodoka's voice.  _I've lied 
to my mother.  Now I've lied to my grandmother.  I knew Pop hadn't seen 
Nodoka  until he and Mom returned to Nerima, but I still came, and I 
still asked her questions.  This must be like torture.  What kind of a 
monster am I?_  "Ranma once mentioned a 'Tendo Dojo.'  Do you know 
anything about that?"
        "Ranma's father, Genma, and Soun Tendo used to be good friends."  
Nodoka set her teacup down.  "Poor Mr. Tendo has not been well.  He has 
been bed-ridden, and he hasn't spoken in months."
        "Oh."  _I needed to know that.  I need to know everything I can 
find out.  But did I need to hurt her so much?_  "I guess it won't do me 
much good to ask there, then."
        "No."
        Ryo and Nodoka sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment.  Then, 
finally, she spoke.  "Could you please tell me about my son?  I haven't 
seen Ranma in so long..."
        _I can't stay.  Every time I turn around I find a new lead to 
chase, and I'm running out of time.  I need to find a way home.  I need 
to find that purple-haired Amazon and pay her back.  I need to find out 
why Mom didn't recognize Ucchan's.  I need to get back to Bell-chan!_
        _I need to be a human being._
        "Ranma looks a little like me.  He wears his hair in a braid like 
mine... well, he started first, so I'm the one copying him.  He's never 
lost a fight in his life, but he's not a bully.  He's kind, and...

* * * * *

        Ranma, now in girl form, picked an unconscious P-chan up by the 
bandana.  "You're lucky Akane wasn't watching," she muttered as she 
kicked Ryoga's clothes behind a convenient bush.  "Now behave yourself.  
I've had a bad day, an' I don't want you to make it any worse."
        Ranko, meanwhile, was slowly stirring.  "What was... who hit... 
Tachi, did you get the number of... the heir of the Saotome Ryu can't lose."
        Akane brushed at Ranko's bangs.  "Shhh.  You'll be all right."
        Ranma joined his fiancee and would-be daughter.  "Jeez, Akane, who'd 
ever think you'd be so mushy?"
        "This is all _your_ fault," the youngest Tendo daughter accused in 
a hushed voice.  "If you'd stopped the fight like I told you, my daughter 
wouldn't be hurt."
        "He- she's not hurt, well, not bad, anyway."  Ranma knelt down.  
"Right, Tiger?"  Ranko opened his eyes, and Ranma nodded.  "See, I told 
yo