Disclaimer: Whelp, I'm out of ideas for a joke here, don't own, wooo... no excuse me while I try to think of something better next time.

AN: Hi guys, back again with another chapter. This time I'm going to preface this chapter with a few warnings. First of all, I'm not quite happy with it. This is a bit painful as it seems it will be another chapter or two before I get this story to where I want it. Second, I am probably going to get a few fouls called out because I did not put as much research into this one as I should have. Let me know of these problems so I can address them later on (btw, I do have some plans for some of the ones I think are likely). Three, there might be what some consider as BS reasoning and a little bit of repetiveness. I hope to make later chapters more clean than this. Also, on a side note I have made a decision regarding pairings. This opens some fun doors to be addressed in time... Anyways, have fun with this chap and don't kill me for it... pls?

Issei woke up feeling cold, drained, and with a wicked bitch of a headache and no memories of what he had been doing before. There was warmth. Wait! Did I actually score!? Despite it all he started to have a lecherous grin. Then he noticed a certain familiar scent. It seemed familiar and sweaty. That must be the chick I banged! Gah! Why can't I remember!? Stupid headache! Finally he decided to open his eyes and have a look.

Shortly after, there could be heard various screams and shouts coming from the woods near the old school building.

That had been yesterday, Issei was now waking up in his bedroom. He was huddled in a corner and doing his best to fight off the horrors of that memory. Even now, he had no way of remembering what really happened. All he knew was that he was going to have to find a girl and quick. Otherwise, he may very well crack. After finally coming to the conclusion he wasn't going to get anywhere hiding in a corner of his room, Issei went about getting ready for school. He was now more determined than ever before!

Elsewhere, Ranma was just finishing up what was shaping up to be her normal morning routine. She was still a bit melancholic. This had been the first time she had felt this alone. There had always been at least someone else. Her pops had been there most of her life and even more recently one of the girls had always managed to find a way to follow her. There might have been a few time Ranma had found such times, but they were usually short lived and not accompanied by the loneliness. She still wasn't sure what she wanted. She knew that she wanted some form of change. Something that would make this loneliness more bearable; as this last thought ran through her mind, something tickled at the back of her head. She quickly shook it off as she noticed her thoughts were making her run a bit "late". The melancholic redhead quickly left at a more brisk speed that morning. She was a couple of blocks away when she heard a familiar voice.

"My, My, you would do rather well on a track team Ran-chan!" came the voice of a girl. Ranma came to a stop to look in shock at who had said that. Her heart racing to see the one person that knew her by that name as she turned her head. Sadly it wasn't her childhood friend. It was Akeno wearing a smirk that almost bordered on predatory," Well, you seem disappointed to see me Ran-chan."

Ranma visibly cringed at the familiar words before she answered," Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's just when I heard that name I was expecting to see someone else."

Akeno seemed to consider this before smiling," I see, must have been a good friend. Those can be so hard to come by sometimes. Very well, I'll have to think of a different name to call you by," The girl hummed in thought as they began to walk together toward the school before a grin overtook her face," Oh well, I can do that later."

"You don't have to worry about that sort of thing, ya' know," Ranma replied in resignation.

"Oh, but I must. Right now we barely hold any relations besides these little walks," the dark haired girl replied," Bonds are an important thing after all. So I need something to make one. A name seemed like a good place to start if I want to be your friend."

Ranma was brought to a stop at this. She was a bit confused by how unusual the situation was. She had only been here a couple of days and here was someone else trying to be her friend. It felt nice. Sure both of them were girls, but they seemed to care in their own little way- "Wait, I almost forgot! What was with that last thing you said yesterday?"

Akeno hummed melodically once more before answering," I wonder…" She spoke out loud to herself before turning to Ranma," You're an interesting person Ranko. The type of interesting that draws the attention of others."

Something about the way Akeno had said that last bit set off an alarm in Ranma's mind. With everything that had happened, Ranma had been confused and a bit lost in one way or another. It was just then that she realized she had been off in one respect. She had been off her guard the entire time. She had allowed her thoughts too much freedom and lost the nearly subconscious focus she required for one of her most valuable defenses. She didn't have it when she first arrived in Nerima, but she had started to develop after her dealings with Cologne. In truth, some things simply could not be rushed. This had been one of them. Her ki enhanced senses. Sure, many speak of how this was second nature for a master, but that was the thing she wasn't a master in this regard. In fact, it was self trained for the most part. It would be some time still before her ki senses were entirely subconscious. With this realization made, Ranma's senses snapped back into focus. It was clear as day now that this friend was not human. Darkness hung all about her thrumming with power. Ranma immediately jumped away and took on a stance," What is this about now!?"

"Oh my, looks like I was right. You do know of the arts," Akeno spoke as she seemed to peer at Ranma's being before raising her arms in disarming gesture as Ranma only tightened her stance as if ready to strike," Don't worry, I'm no threat to you."

"You're not human," Ranma said immediately. She was also noting something familiar about the darkness. She couldn't quite say just yet.

"That doesn't mean I'm not a person. People of all kinds exist in this world. Labels such as human are but a trifling matter," Akeno stated as the scene seemed to be quickly getting out of hand. Ranma hadn't brought any of her ki out just yet.

Ranma wasn't sure how to react to that statement, but she noticed two things. There was subtle shift in Akeno's aura and a glint of something else in her eyes. Ranma wasn't sure what it was, but it made her relax all the same. She left her stance with a sheepish look," Sorry about that. It's just I haven't had the best of luck that kind of stuff…"

Akeno gave what seemed to be a genuine smile," I can concede that is often the case for some. I would still like to be friends though, but…"

Akeno let that last word hang as she waited for Ranma to answer. Ranma took what she knew and made a decision. She stepped up to Akeno and offered her hand," Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Sorry 'bout this"

Akeno smiled as she grasped the redhead's hand," Well then if we're be honest, I'm Akeno Himejima, the queen of my lady's peerage," Ranma quirked a brow at this.

After that, they had to make great haste in getting to school lest they be late. Since then Akeno had been dreading having to report to her king. Rias was likely not going to be happy when she found out about her breach of orders. She was supposed to only act as a friend and let Rank-er Ranma come to her own conclusions all the while keeping her off guard. Instead, she had more than likely ruined her lady's plans in a moment of impulsiveness. Even now she could not think of why it was that she did that. There was something odd about Ranma. Her presence seemed to have an affect all of its own. She couldn't sense anything. It was quite hard to do so with whatever that magic was that suffused her being, but she was starting to get the suspicion as she studied it that it may not be an actual form of curse. Whatever it was though, it was overwhelmingly powerful. It was to the point that she would be very hard pressed to pierce its veil. She wished she could have had more time to talk with Ranma after that, but they sadly had to get to school.

That had been hours ago. It was now nearing lunchtime when she would rendezvous with Rias to give her report on the current situation. She sighed once more that day as she considered the matter. Did she regret her foolish actions? No, not really. In fact she may have gotten some good insight… It was this line of thought that entered her mind that brought her out of her mounting dread.

Ku Lon had not been happy with the Saotome Matriarch. The woman had finally stepped in on her son's behalf and was clearly cleverer than she had initially given her credit. Her own initial reaction to the news had been by and far neutral on the matter. She had come to like the boy. Ranma was a rare gem after all. She had long since changed her game plans for him. Not that she had informed her great granddaughter on the matter. The child was too headstrong to simply give up on the matter. As such, Ku Lon allowed her to continue to believe they were still here to bring Ranma back to be her husband. The best part was that this Jouketsuzoku Elder didn't even have to tell the silly girl to quit. She was sabotaging her own chances every time she had a chance. Sadly, the reason Ku Lon wasn't happy about the matter was that the mother had confronted both of them. This meant that Xian Pu was informed of the situation and now driven to find her Ranma. Fortunately for the Saotome Matriarch, she was off limits by tribal law. The mother of a husband by trial of combat was given great respect and certain privileges. Sadly, this all meant that Ku Lon was stuck giving aid to her silly child now. That was the source of her unhappiness. The woman had forced her into a position where she had to actively partake in her great granddaughter's foolish quest less she give away her plans.

As to why the woman turned out to be clever, she had managed to thwart all of the usual methods for finding the pigtailed boy. The Nabiki girl had clearly failed at each turn on the entire matter and it was clear she was being headed off by the Saotome. Ku Lon had to cackle at all the lost profits the girl was now suffering.

In any case, it should be noted she had been unhappy. That was no longer the case at this moment. She was staring at an old artifact of hers. One among the many she had at her disposal, the Rod of Divinations. Its history was long and could be traced back as the originator of the old divination methods based around sticks of all kinds. They were all nothing but misguided attempts to recreate its power. While some had worked, none had managed to come close to the rod's clarity and omnipotence. The gnarled old staff she carried with her was quite powerful. However, its use was not to be common. She would hate to think on what the over use of such power could do to her. Not to mention the taste. To use the staff's power, one must make Mìngyùn Ramen while stirring it the entire time. It was a waste of a good steak. Not mention the flavor added by the old staff. Ku Lon had been knocked out by the flavor alone for a good day before she came to. Now that she was back, she knew exactly where the boy was as well as his current predicament. She was beside herself on the matter now. Ranma was approaching a critical road in his life and she needed to be there or her plans would be ruined. She cursed the devils and angels for making a mess of things for her. Now she was furious.

Xian Pu was taking the day off and fretting all the while. Her husband was now missing and she had no idea what could happen to him in the mean time while she waited for her honorable great grandmother to recover from whatever mysterious spell she had cast the previous day. She needed to hurry if she was going to win her husband. She didn't care what she had to do to bring her errant husband back. She just couldn't understand why none of it worked. She knew he had to care about her to some degree. After all, he had saved her on multiple accounts. Not to mention that once they returned home, Mu tzu would have to finally admit his loss and move on.

"My dear, it is time that we prepare to go. Hurry, time is of the essence," Her great grandmother declared in that foreign language of this land. Xian Pu had to restrain her base reaction to the fact her great grandmother insisted they not speak in their native tongue in this land. She never understood why they had to do such a silly thing but she had quickly learned to not question it after getting a good knot on her head and some speech in that language about respect. Not that she cared about it so much as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. She nodded her compliance as she answered and quickly went to her room to gather her things. The Amazons were on the move.

Ranma sat in class waiting for lunch and taking notes in class. She was finding it a bit difficult to do this with her guard up once more. So after some internal debate, she had come to the decision that she would have to release her grasp on her senses during class. After all, it seemed that this place had a strict policy on keeping the crazy stuff from the public. After releasing her grasp on her senses, she found that she had an easier time not only learning, but was also able to think about other things as she took notes. It seemed that she was even farther away from mastering her ki senses than she thought. She was going to have to focus on it. She could already tell that she was beginning to plateau. She needed the next step in her training. Her physical body could only be trained so much. She needed to know the key to her, well, ki. However with no one to help her, she was stuck floundering about and trying to figure it all out on her own. As such she needed to be able to better sense it if she was to learn more. Unfortunately, she had yet to get the hang of fully internalizing these senses to better study her own flow. To do that required meditation, but that was the only state she could study it in. She needed to be able to see her own flows as well as that of her opponents in combat which brought her back to the need to master these senses.

That was a matter previously thought on and filed away before her current class. Now she was back to considering more pressing matters. Like what the hell kind of situation she was in. first there was the fact that she had befriended a nonhuman girl. Not to mention she could sense that she wasn't the only one in the area when they arrived at the school in a rush. Ranma had been left with no real answers besides a confusing title. She was dealing with royalty!? What the hell? This was having all the makings of a disaster. First off she was dealing with a nonhuman. She still didn't even know what type it was due to her inexperience. Not to say she has no experience in dealing with them so much as sensing them. Though, that brought to the next point of the problem. She did have experience with such in the past, Herb and Saffron. Not to mention a slew of other things from the supernatural. This sparked another thought to be addressed. Back to the main problem, she had been willing to overlook the inhuman aspect of her new friend, but now she was dealing with royalty just like those two. It never went well previously when this crap was involved and that meant that Ranma was now sitting on a powder keg waiting for a spark. Would she move or flee from such a thing like any reasonable person? Nope, that was out of the question for her as she had made friends with her. It was a matter of personal honor. Even then, there was also the fact that she had given the girl her true name. So now she had to consider how to deal with the spark or the explosion. On thing though, it looked like this Sona girl was going to be at the center of it all seeing as she was likely the "lady" that Akeno spoke of. She remembered how the others in the student council had referred to her.

With that in mind, she turned her thoughts back onto the other track to run its thoughts down to a conclusion. Gremory had known all about this. That guy had straight up admitted this crap was here. This meant the guy had some much needed answers. She was already feeling angry over the fact she had waved off his. Sadly, that will have to wait for after school. She had other fish to fry.

Rias sat comfortably in her clubroom waiting to hear the latest news from Akeno. She and her knight had made some interesting discoveries when they looked into the name Ranma Saotome. As it would turn out, Ranma already had some fame in certain communities. She had dealt with quite a few things. The most interesting of which was a mention of her defeating a prince with dragon blood. Of course, then there were the utterly ridiculous reports from a place called Nerima. While some of it was believable, most of what had been reported was quite too much. More than likely they were stories blown completely out of proportion. Seriously, who makes even half of the ridiculous martial arts involved in those tales? However, there was a more interesting bit of information she was able to glean. Ranma was a male being a curse from a place called Jusenkyo. She had not been able to track the details down, but her source of information, publications of an amateurish nature that a contact had immediately provided upon being asked, was clear that Ranma was in fact man bearing a curse that changed him into a girl. That was another oddity in itself. If the "Ranko" she had seen was the result of a curse, she shouldn't have been beautiful or retained her strength. Oh sure, the paper mentioned the body being weaker, but that was only marginally so. On top of that, she gained speed in compensation. A curse wouldn't have done that. Also, the beauty could be explained in certain cases if the curse was made for someone who would find such a form disgusting even on another person, but that was unlikely. This had been the extent of her research though. Word of mouth from some colleagues and the strange magazines.

"Just what are dealing with?" She asked no in particular before reaching for her lunch box to have a bite.

"I'm not to certain either," Another voice spoke up. Though surprised, Rias didn't let it show as she abandoned her grab for food in favor of greeting her friend.

"There you are Akeno," She greeted with a smile," I was just thinking over some things Kiba and I were able to find."

"Oh really? Anything useful?" Akeno asked.

"Quite a few oddities and something of a quandary," Rias replied as she finally had a bite and reached for her tea.

"Oh, I guess that is understandable. She is quite an interesting girl," Akeno said in thought as if considering a matter. Rias however, didn't notice the expression as she grasped onto one of the key words.

"And there in lies one of the oddities as well as a part of the quandary," Rias said before pausing to take a drink from her tea. Akeno waited for patiently for her king," Ranma is a man."

Akeno had been shocked by this revelation. That was a very odd curse considering the result of it and what they are by definition," Just as I had thought, it's not a curse after all," Rias raised an eyebrow at this and gestured for her vassal to continue her thoughts on the matter," As you know, I have had some time to study the aura of her-his magic. It hasn't been much, but during both of my meetings I made sure to look at it as best as I could with my passive senses. It feels wrong. Very much so in fact. I'm not sure what it is we are even looking at. It twists and turns almost as if it were alive."

"I see, Let's hope we find answers, but speaking of your meetings with him, what have you to report?" Rias asked curiously while hoping to have some more light shed on the situation. The magazines had been a confused mess that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. Mentions of various contracts and agreements that clearly conflict with each other in one way or another. Whoever had published it had better hope they never got caught for the obvious libel that was strewn about in the various articles. However, That was only a passing thought that had quickly died a most vicious death at the hands of those formed at report given," YOU DID WHAT!?"

Akeno had known this was not going to be pleasant, so she steeled herself for what she had to say next," I have made Ranma aware of what I am. We haven't had time to share truth, but I wish you to consider this. He was willing to still befriend me in spite of my nature. I think we may be going about this whole thing in the wrong way."

Rias considered her friend's words. She would not lash out like some tyrant for having been disobeyed or questioned. No, her vassals were like friends and family to her. She valued their input. As such, she collected herself and thought about the details. Something wasn't being mentioned. The major key of the report missing was why Akeno had decided to act so impulsively," I would like to hear your thoughts on this, but first, I must ask why you acted so brazenly. I could understand that kind of behavior from a number of people, but it seems odd for you unless you had a reason."

Akeno sighed before saying," And there lies the problem for me. I don't know why."

Sona was enjoying her own lunch in the solitude of the student council room alone today. She enjoyed moments like these on occasion and had needed it after the fiasco from yesterday. She could not believe how much of a mess that had been. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Strange, I don't usually get visitors unless Rias has something to talk about.

"Come in, the door is unlocked," the student council president called from her seat before taking a drink of her tea. She almost choked at the sight of her visitor," What can I do for you Saotome san?"

"Well, for starters I would like to know why you keep harassing me. Almost had a serious accident before I made friends with that queen of yours," Ranko straight up demanded. Sona felt shock at this as well as confusion. She had to wonder just what was going on.

"My queen?" She asked trying to confirm if Ranko really knew something she shouldn't.

"Don't play with me. I may have let my guard down before, but now that it's back, I can tell you're not human," the redhead said coldly," Not that I have anything against-well, maybe I did," the girl stopped to think," Eh, guess I'm fine with it so long as it doesn't cause me trouble," Sona could not help but stare in shock at the girl and her strange actions. She really was something else," That being said, I want to make sure this doesn't cause any. Catch me drift?"

Sona felt as if the room had dropped in temperature. She shrugged it off and responded," All I wanted was to extend an invitation to you to join my peerage. However, I must say I am a bit lost on the matter as I'm fairly certain you declined my queen's request at lunch yesterday-" that's when a thought struck her," Oh my, you're not filled in entirely."

Ranko looked a little confused as Sona chuckled," What's so funny?"

"For one, you came to the wrong place. I'm guessing you have been talking about Akeno?"

"Yeah, not talking about that strict chick from yesterday," Ranko shot back.

"My, for someone who studies martial arts, you're quite undisciplined," Sona murmured to herself," I think it may have been for the best you hadn't joined my peerage as much of a loss as it is. I think you might have caused too much trouble. Anyways, Akeno serves another. A friend of mine. Though I think I'll leave it at that. Now please leave."

The legendary martial artist of Nerima seemed unhappy at this but didn't put up a fight on the matter. It truly had been a loss for her to lose Ranma Saotome, but this meeting had done wonders for Sona's mood on the matter. It was clear that Ranma's personality would have conflicted too much with certain others in her peerage. However, this matter had given her an idea on a wonderful new pastime.

Ukyo Kuonji had not been pleased with the visit from the woman she had hoped to call her mother in law someday. She had come by the previous day to discuss settling the old agreement. Ukyo may have felt bad for her part in the disaster as far as Ranma's cure, but she was not when it came to the fact she had defended her claim. She refused to give up. She would win Ranma's heart, marry, and enjoy the happiness they had been denied. She only had to make him see things her way. She had been too angry and frustrated to go into school the day after THAT unpleasant meeting. So here she was working her business to help get her mind off of the trouble. It wasn't really working since she was only getting the random passerby due to the place being open at hours the regulars weren't used to.

It was as Ukyo was giving up in frustration and about to close down until her regular hours that Konatsu made his presence," Lady Ukyo, I come with a report of-"

"Konatsu, please stop with that and get to the point, time is money," Ukyo cut her employee off. Konatsu didn't even look offended as he nodded in understanding.

"Of course, I bring news that may help you find Ranma. The amazons are on the move," Konatsu reported.

"That's not much help; it's more than likely they just gave up!" Ukyo shot back, even if she didn't believe it herself. Shampoo was simply too persistent for that to be true.

"Not likely, they were quite adamant about their claim when Nodoka Saotome confronted them," Konatsu answered confidently," Though I must stress haste if we are to follow them."

Ukyo didn't even need that last bit as she was already putting together a few necessities for the road. Though she did have to wonder, how was Mousse taking the whole situation?

Speaking of a certain blind duck, Mousse had just returned to the café after a rather thorough search of the area. After having overheard the situation with Ranma the other day, he had gone out to hunt him down to ensure the validity of what was said. There had been a number of mishaps while undertaking this search. Many times he could have sworn he had seen his foe only for it to be someone or something else. It's not his fault he hated how his glasses pinched his nose. Anyways, he was sure now of the truth that Ranma was no longer in Nerima. Happy with this knowledge, he returned to the café. What he found was a for sale sign, his belongs in a pile nearby, and a letter clearly written for him. It even had Shampoo's scent. He gulped in wonder at what this had to mean and could only hope. He gingerly picked up the letter and opened it up. What he saw made his heart sing. They had finally given up on Ranma and gone home to China. He merrily stowed his belongings away on his person and made his way to leave Nerima for good. Only happiness and sunshine awaited him in his future.