Disclaimer- I own nothing. Any mention of other works belongs to their respective owners.

Akane stepped forward carefully, a bewildered expression, preceded by a frown, appearing on her face.

"What do you mean, Dr. Tofu? Ranma is a boy." Nodoka nodded along to the blue-haired girls' statement, sharing the same confusion as her.

"While I agree that my sons' other form is… unmanly, that doesn't change the fact that he is most definitely a male."

The frown on the doctor's face tightened, his eyebrows coming together as he scowled before turning his head to a pale-looking Genma.

"What I mean is," He began, now almost glaring at his squirming assistant.

"Ranma lacks any form of male Ki-in either of his forms." He elaborated. Nodoka sighed and shook her head, fearing that she had been correct.

"So, it is the curse's fault." It came in a whisper, yet it was still loud enough for the Doctor to hear.

"No." He stated.

"Magic can alter a person's appearance, yet it holds no control over the spiritual aspects of an individual."

"What do you mean? What does that have to do with Ranma's Ki?" questioned the youngest in the room.

"What I mean is Ki, which is unique to an individual, essentially links an individual's body and soul together, with it remaining mainly spiritual in nature. Genma," Said man flinched at the mention of his name, which brought a curious look from his wife and potential daughter in law.

"For example, retains the Ki and mind of a human even when transformed into a panda." As the doctor finished explaining, Nodoka was left more confused than before.

"Bu-but that can't be right!" She protested, her brain struggling to believe what the doctor was insisting.

"Ranma was born a boy, not a girl!" Genma released a sigh of relief at his wife's statement.

"Was he though?" Unbelievably, it was Akane who spoke up, her face turning to one of understanding and then anger as she turned to glare at Genma.

"W-what do you mean, girl?! Of course he was!" Genma insisted, frantically.

"Yes, Akane, what do you mean? Surely I would no what gender my child was born as." Asked Nodoka, lacking the nervousness of her husband but instead was much more confused.

Seeing Tofu's questioning glance, she elaborated.

"I mean, it would certainly explain why Ranma was listed as a female on his birth certificate."

Tofu nodded, this having confirmed his theory. That, and the squirming his assistant was doing under his and Akane's combined glare. Finally, Nodoka spoke up, her expression not having changed as she still looked on in confusion.

"That's not… it's-that can't be true! I gave birth to a… boy." She stammered, not looking entirely sure anymore, her memory's seeming to be fuzzy the further back she tried to remember.

Already Tofu was typing away at his desktop, searching for files related to Ranma before finally bringing up his birth certificate. Nodding to himself, he faced the two women as he confirmed it.

"It seems Akane was indeed telling the truth." Stepping to the side, he showed the occupants of the room a copy of Ranma's birth certificate, and right there in bold letters, the word female was displayed for the world to see.

Shock and denial flashed across Nodoka's face before she finally settled a glare on her husband. Lips pursed, she uttered one word.

"Explain."

9(And a half) Years Ago…

A large and filthy man in tattered clothing sat alone in an empty bar, the alcohol in his cup remaining untouched as he thought, bitterly, of how his life was falling apart.

Genma Saotome, currently the strongest (Unsealed) practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts, was having an off… few months. It was ironic how, just before this ordeal had begun, he was experiencing the happiest moments of his life.

His daughter, his sweet and lovable Daughter, Ranma, had just experienced her sixth birthday around half a year ago. She was dressed in a lovely green kimono with a floral pattern, an effort to mimic her mother, with her vibrant red hair done up in twin pigtails. She had been so adorable. Oh… he had so many video's and pictures from that day, safely stashed away so they were never found by his wife, afraid of the teasing he would inevitably receive at how he doted on her.

That had been the last day he had been truly happy.

The very next morning, Nodoka had been so exhausted as she had prepared breakfast, he was ashamed to admit that he had just thought that she was still tired from how much she had worked to prepare everything perfectly for their daughter the day before. The moment she collapsed, however, and remained unresponsive, he was terrified to find himself incorrect.

Now, many months later, Nodoka still lay in the hospital in a deep coma, the doctors unsure if she would ever awaken. Ranma had cried nonstop, pleading for her mother to get better, and he had to remain strong for her. If not for the news he had received, he would still be by her side, attempting to comfort her. Instead, he had shipped her off to stay with his old friend, Soun, a week ago when news that his wife wouldn't make it had reached his ears.

It… just wasn't fair.

First, Misaki, Soun's wife, had died two years ago and now here he was, watching as his wife was sharing the same fate.

Brought back from his grieving as he felt a chill, Genma was unaware that his entire life was about to change.

Hearing a strange man muttering something in a soft voice as he entered the empty bar while reading from an ancient-looking scroll, Genma felt a slight, painful tug at his Ki. It was, however, minuscule compared to the tug he felt at the old man's insufficient Ki, which was little more than that of an average person. Unsurprised at finding the old man now coughing up blood, he heard him mutter to himself. Curious, he moved closer.

"Damn it! Why didn't it work?! This is supposed to be able to do anything!" He said in a gruff voice that sounded beyond ancient.

Seeing his look, the old man glared at him before laughing, which was oddly enough followed by a fit of crying. The man seemed crazy, quickly going through multiple emotions since entering the bar.

"What's that your holding lad?" Genma had questioned, wondering briefly if what the man had said about its ability to do anything were true, or if it was something imagined up by the man in a fit of insanity. However, judging by the pull at his Ki, earlier, he was willing to believe it at least had some ability.

The man clutched his hands protectively around the now-closed scroll before quickly pulling it away from him and throwing it to the ground as if it had burned him. Glaring, now at the scroll, he muttered bitterly.

"This trash!" He yelled as he continued to glare at it.

"Is supposed to be a relic from the feudal era. It was supposed to be able to grant any wish. It was obviously a lie." He continued, his voice seeming less crazed than previous, as if now that away from the thing he could think straight.

Genma, however, was now focusing on the scroll, not paying much attention to the man's change in tone. It may be hard to believe, but if the pull on his Ki was anything to go by, then there could be some truth in the ability of the scroll. The man most likely lacked the amount of Ki that would be necessary to activate it. Deciding to take a chance, Genma did something that he would become very familiar with in years to come.

He stole the scroll and ran.

It was many hours later when, after a stop at the Tendo Dojo, Genma and Ranma arrived at his wife's room in the hospital. Placing a sleeping Ranma in a nearby chair, he thought of why he had brought her along in the first place.

He was scared.

If this didn't work, like he was suspecting it would, then he would need something to keep him from losing all hope and just giving in. He didn't think he could handle having that small amount of hope crushed.

Ranma was to be his lifeline. She was to remind him not to give in, to not end it all. She needed him.

Taking a breath as he uncoiled the scroll, Genma began to recite it word by foreign word. What he understood from his brief glimpse, his desire would drive the spell. He so desperately wanted Nodoka to get better, they would live a happier life and he would appreciate her more, they might even be able to have another child, a son...

He didn't remember much, most likely the magic of the scroll preventing its secrets from getting out, but he recalled a bright glow followed by a fierce drain on his mighty reserves. The glow enveloped all in the room, brightest on Nodoka as it healed her. He understood his own glow, as he was the one providing the energy for the spell. However, he was confused about Ranma.

It was then that a loud, hellish screeching brought him out of his musings.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" His daughter screamed as he frantically looked to her, watching in horror as she tossed about, her face contorted in agony. He watched in fascination as the vibrant red hair was replaced by inky blackness...

Ranma scowled as she hopped across the rooftops, the man she had delivered Tofu's package to had been a bit… sexist, and that bothered her more than she was willing to admit. She wasn't really a girl, but people still treated her like one and it always pissed her off. The man had stated that it wasn't safe for her to be walking alone and tried to offer to let her stay with him until someone came to pick her up, insinuating she was too weak to handle herself.

Jokes on him, when he tried to insist she stay, she showed him just how weak she was. Bastard probably wouldn't wake up for another couple hours.

"Saotome! Because of you, I've seen hell! Prepare to die!" Ranma was forced from her thoughts as she instinctively dodged to the side, avoiding a blow from a seemingly harmless looking umbrella. Inside, she smiled at the chance to relieve some of her frustrations from the day, looking forward to a good fight.

"Ahh! What'cha want P-chan? What'd I do now?" She asked with a fake whine in her voice, best to not let him know how much she was looking forward to pounding him into the dirt.

"Shut up and fight!" Ryoga shouted as they took their fight to the ground, not wanting to cause any damage to anyone's home.

"Come on, ain't ya at least gonna tell me why you're mad at me this time?" A distracted opponent was a dead opponent, so she egged him on, trying to get him to become lost in his emotions as he explained his latest vendetta.

"Because I've been fighting with you, I haven't been able to go to school!" He shouted as if that explained everything.

"Huh? So what? And how's that a bad thing? Or my fault?" She stopped and scratched her head in honest confusion. She had wondered, though, why he always seemed available even when it was supposed to be a school day. She supposed she just assumed he had gotten lost…

Jumping to the side, she evaded another strike from the umbrella that hit the concrete and destroyed it, sending it flying in her direction. Quickly making use of her 'Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken' speed training, she easily intercepted the projectile's and sent them flying speedily back at Ryoga.

"I finally made it to my house and found a letter from my parents saying they were angry at me for not trying to go to school! And if you hadn't ditched our fight I wouldn't be chasing you!" He snarled, content to place the blame on her as he always had. She huffed at that thought.

"I didn't ditch it! I waited for three days!"

"Excuses!" Shouted Ryoga as he got into an unfamiliar stance, Ranma could feel the Ki building up in his fists, reminding her slightly of the Yama-sen Ken. Before she could ponder the new development, Ryoga launched his fists forward in a blur, nowhere near as fast as her attacks but decent, creating a barrage of compressed air to hammer into her and throw her backward.

"Gah!" She spat out a mouthful of blood.

Easing her way up, Ranma glared at Ryoga, not mad at being injured itself, but at the fact that her rival had a new and powerful move, one that resembled the Ultimate attacks of one of her schools' techniques. Dashing forward with all her speed, Ranma dodged strikes of compressed air as she closed in.

Ryoga, seeing this, jumped backward so as to not let her get in too close. Suddenly having a brilliant idea, he once more used the breaking point on the concrete beneath him, this time gathering all his Ki and punching forward, using the slower but more widespread air to push the rubble forward and into the rushing girl.

Seeing the broken concrete rushing her way, Ranma leaped high into the air and over the ruble, gathering her own Ki in her hands, preparing an extra powerful Moko Takabisha. Ryoga, seeing the Ki-charged hands of his opponent, readied his own Shishi Hokodan.

Green consumed his vision as he launched the attack upwards towards the redhead, expecting it to soon meet his rivals' own attack and fight for dominance. Seconds passed and, to his confusion, his attack continued on without resistance. Too late, did he register the presence behind him, as he soon felt multiple strikes across his back hitting his pressure points and locking his movement.

"Phew!" Ranma exclaimed, a cocky smirk on her face as she watched Ryoga momentarily lock up before he went slack and fell forward. Knowing the pressure points wouldn't keep him down long, Ranma gathered him in her arms and bounded towards her home, much to his protests.

"Let go of me!" He cried out, angered and embarrassed at the same time.

"Nah! We gotta talk this out and you're gonna show me this new trick of yours." She shot his request down. That attack was way too cool to pass up, if she couldn't get him to teach it to her then she would just have to find a way to do something similar.

Arriving home shortly, Ranma dropped Ryoga onto the couch before heading into the kitchen to grab something to snack on to refuel, absently deciding to play nice and grab something for Ryoga so he might be more willing to show her his new technique.

Arriving back in the living room just as Ryoga regained mobility, Ranma tossed him a canned coffee and placed a tray of storebought cookies on the table for them both, surprising Ryoga and making him mumble a quiet thanks as his stomach rumbled.

Deciding to open on a more… pleasant? Less rude? Topic, Ranma opened her mouth.

"So?" She began as Ryoga stared blankly at her. She cursed him for not understanding, she just wanted to get to the new technique fastly! It was a shame she was trying to be nice. With a sigh, she continued.

"What are we gonna do about this whole school situation?" Ryoga stared at her blankly before his features morphed into surprise.

"Wha?" He just stared at her, confused at her implied offer of help. Her eyebrow twitched at his surprise, she could be helpful. It didn't matter if this was just to soften him up so he'd teach her the wind punch thing. Though, she supposed that if what he was saying were true, then he really should find a way to get to school.

"I mean, I don't want your parents angry at you or nothin'. But still, there's no way you're gonna be able to find your way to school every day, which they should know." It was true, both statements. She knew, if only a little, both of his parents. The two of them used to mail her some money so she could guide him to school in the first place. It seems they've come full circle. They really were nice people though, so it was strange why the two would be angry with Ryoga. They knew of their family's sense of direction better than anyone else. Maybe they just thought he wasn't trying hard enough to get to school?

Ryoga smashed his anger down at the insult before he ultimately sighed and went over suggestions with Ranma.

Genma's explanation ended as the room fell into silence, the occupants shocked at the sudden revelation. Seeing the looks of disbelief being directed at him by his wife and Akane, Genma sighed as he pulled out his wallet. Digging into the secret fold in it, he pulled out a picture and held it up for the room to see.

Gasps filled the room as the women were forced to believe that what he had told them was the truth. Sure, Akane had suspected it with what Tofu had told her, and Nodoka was starting to grow suspicious at her fuzzy memories, but to see proof was another matter. Tofu himself was slightly startled as his theories and beliefs were translated into reality.

Tears welled up in Nodoka's eyes at the image of the daughter she didn't know she had.

"This was the last photo I'd taken of you two, on Ranma's sixth birthday." Genma sadly explained, a bit of guilt in his voice.

Six-year-old Ranma, in her flowery green yukata, was held in Nodoka's arms with a bright smile on her face. Her hair was done up in twin pigtails that magnified the cuteness factor, as her outstretched hand waved at the camera, dirty with dried blue paint. Nodoka herself had hair almost as red at the time, the sickness having turned the hair darker over time. She wore a baby blue Yukata with her usual Katana absent from her side. The image was heartbreaking to those who knew the little girl more or less didn't exist anymore.

"She's adorable," Akane said softly as her eyes threatened to fill with tears. Nodoka couldn't help having the same thoughts. Where did this leave her, though? What… what was she supposed to do with this information? She definitely couldn't go on as before, couldn't hold Ranma to a contract that defied what he was born as in the first place. She could hardly accept this was real, that it wasn't a dream.

Tofu coughed to get their attention.

"That still, however, doesn't take care of the reason for your visit."

"You're right!" Akane exclaimed as she heard him, eyes once more taking a serious quality, which was shared by the others.

"Now, as I'm sure you're wondering why exactly Ranma doesn't have appear to have a sex drive?" A few nods.

"I had assumed it had to do with the fact that Ranma isn't really a boy," Nodoka stated before she got a nod from the doctor.

"But why?" She asked. Collecting himself to explain it properly, Tofu took a deep breath.

"You see, the main reason would be Ranma's Ki." Seeing their questioning eyes, he continued.

"Ranma's Ki, in either form, is incompatible with his male body. As Ki is what essentially links both the mind and body, it may leave certain emotions or even parts of his personality repressed." Nodoka was nodding at that, it would certainly explain why he lack much of an interest in almost anything other than Martial Arts.

"I assume Ranma generally spends most of his time as a man?" Genma gave his confirmation, he knew how the boy hated remaining in his girl-form for an extended period of time.

"From what I remember hearing from Akane, the most amount of time Ranma had spent as a girl was around two weeks, when he was locked." It had taken around that long for Ranma to find and beat Herb, spending the entirety of the time in his apparently not-cursed form.

"It's likely that the stress of the situation, or possibly the lack of time spent that way, prevented Ranma's mind and body from fully syncing. Though, I did notice a slight improvement in his relationship and attitude around then…" Tofu trailed off, finally having solved that puzzle.

"So then Ranma just needs to spend some more time as a girl?" Akane asked, sounding relieved at the seemingly simple solution.

"Pah! Good luck trying to get him to! He hates that form!" Genma shouted in a strange tone, proud of his son for his own pride in his masculinity, yet saddened at the loss of a daughter at the same time. Nodoka's face became tight, her lips pressed in a line.

"Yes, he does hate it, doesn't he…" It was a saddening thought, hating what you had been born as, even if Ranma didn't know of it. Genma, standing up suddenly with a determined expression on his face, loudly proclaimed,

"Well then, we'll just need ta make him! And once this is done you and him can marry, Akane!" A sour look appeared on said girls face.

"I'm not marrying a girl!" She shouted, as suddenly a thought struck her.

"The schools will never be joined!" He wept, seeming as if conditioned to react that way due to it being his long-time go-to reaction.

"Wait, why would you engage your daughter to another girl in the first place?!"

Nodoka, suddenly listening again, gained a curious expression at the question.

"Yes, dear. Why exactly did you do such a thing?"

Genma gulped.

"Youseethethingis(Cough) Uh, after you woke up and didn't remember Ranma being a girl, I uh, decided to take him to look for a cure and, when I was about to give up, he fell in that spring. When he didn't his real gender, Soun decided we should all just try and move on and we could honor the pact from way back when." He answered nervously.

"Dad KNEW!" Akane shouted. Nodoka put a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to ease her anger.

"Well, Akane, my husband did mention Ranma staying with you when I was in the hospital. I suppose it's natural he knew."

"Wait, it was his idea?" Anger once more surfaced within the young girls' mind, though this time it was focused on someone besides the male Saotome.

"What of Ukyo, dear?" Nodoka asked with a threatening smile on her face. Genma once more donned a nervous expression, this one line with a hint of embarrassment.

"Would you believe it if I told you Ranma wasn't the only one to think she was a boy?"

She frowned at the man.

"Oh, I suppose it was only your intention to marry her off to the first boy her age you met, then?"

Genma really hated that the truth was out in the open.

When Nodoka and Akane returned to the older woman's house, the two were surprised to find Ranma and Ryoga discussing something with shocking seriousness.

"What if I walk you back and forth every day and you stay put until I get there the next day?"

"No way! Then I'd have nothing to do!"

"Well, what do you suggest then?!"

"I don't know!"

Confused at the duo's conversation, Nodoka decided to ask what they were talking about.

"What exactly are you two talking about, dear?" Her apparent daughter turned to her in surprise, not having noticed as the two other women came in. With a sudden release of air, the redhead slumped and rubbed her forehead. Ideas were not very forthcoming, and this conversation was dragging along a lot longer than she first thought it would.

"Nothing much, just the pig-boys gonna get in trouble if he don't start going ta school. Problem is, unless someone leads him there he'd probably end up in Okinawa by lunchtime." The elder woman blinked at that, surely the boy couldn't get lost that easily.

"And why can't his parents take him?" She asked politely, not noticing the wince the other three occupants had.

"Auntie?" Akane started,

"Ryoga's parents get lost as easily as he does. I think he only gets to see them a few times a year." Oh, how horrible, Nodoka had thought. To not only have the world seem like a maze, but to not even be able to experience the warmth of family? She looked at the boy in pity. She could understand how that must feel. Every day, for ten long years, she could only hope that her child was safe and away from harm. To grow up with nobody for support? How lonely.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

Looking at the boy, she remembered Ranma's offer to take him to and from school and the boys' refusal. It wasn't hard to imagine that the real reason for rejecting the idea was his fear of being alone. To wait, alone in a home he couldn't navigate, until the next day, with likely no human interaction.

"Well, then, what would you say to staying with us? Ranma can walk you to and from school with Akane." To say the three were shocked would be an understatement.

"Hmm. Guess that makes sense." Ranma said with a shrug, quickly overcoming her shock. She, herself, had stayed as a guest at the Tendo's for half a year. She figured this would be like paying back karma.

"W-what?!" Stammered the lone boy in the room.

"But-?" He was quickly cut off.

"No buts!" Nodoka reprimanded.

"A young man such as yourself needs a proper education! What would people say if I turned down my sons' friend in a time of need?" Ryoga and Ranma both wanted to claim they weren't friends, but neither could since they really didn't have a term for what they were. Despite Ryoga's claims of hate, he could never fully commit himself to seriously injuring the person he called his rival.

They had gone through far too much together to claim to be enemies. Herb and Saffron had worked on tearing down the barriers between the term enemy and friend for the two.

Ryoga nodded dumbly even as Akane let out a squeal and embraced him.

"Oh, isn't this great Ryoga? Now you get to be around all the time!" She was positively beaming at having one of her best friends around for keeps. And maybe living together with Ranma would help the two get along a little more, the two were terrible friends, really.

"Y-yeah!" Ryoga once more stuttered, though this time for an entirely different reason. He may have moved on from Akane, but regardless, she was his first love. She would always have an effect on him, he thought.

"Yippe," Ranma said blandly before turning her attention to her mother.

"So, what'd the doc say?" Surprised at the sudden question, Ryoga became very interested in the discussion. Had the woman who just took him in just have an accident? Or worse, Akane? Not once did it cross his mind that the person with something wrong with them was Ranma. She was just too healthy.

"Ohh, nothing much. Just late puberty." She lied, not yet knowing how to break the news to the girl. If handled poorly, it could easily send the girl into either rage, denial, or even depression. It was better to take things slowly, maybe start with half-truths, getting Ranma more used to the idea of being a girl, if only for part-time. She was, while not admitting it, giddy at the prospect of having a daughter. The time she spent with 'Ranko' had been such a happy time for her, something she was surprised at since she hadn't been able to meet with her son as she had wanted.

Ryoga, surprised, decided to just drop it. Obviously, it wasn't the older woman or Akane, so it must be someone he didn't know, and trying to get involved with a strangers problems would be rude.

"Well, anyway Ryoga, you can sleep in my room with me. Be kinda like how Pops and I used to share a room." The redhead obviously didn't see a problem with it, and neither did the lost boy judging by the nod of his head. Nodoka and Akane, on the other hand, shared a nervous look before trying to convince them otherwise.

"No, we can just clear out the guest room. It shouldn't take long."

"Nah, you don't needa do that. Be a lot easier and convenient ta just share a room. Besides, not a lot of places ta put that stuff. Just pull a spare mattress and call it good. Harder for him ta get lost if we're right next to each other anyway." While Ryoga didn't exactly agree with the last part of that sentence, the rest of it sounded good to him. He didn't want to be a burden, after all.

Besides, if Akane ever came over while he was a pig, it'd be a lot easier if Ranma could claim to have found him and kept him in her room. If she came in on him in the guest room, however, with nobody there besides him, she might just put two and two together.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that Mrs. Saotome."

With a sigh and no easy reason to refuse, Nodoka had to relent and let them bunk together.

"Well alright, if you insist."

Ryoga was shocked awake by a bucket of hot water splashing over him. Bolting upright, he was surprised to find himself in an unfamiliar room before memories of the day prior surfaced in his mind. He, along with Akane, had stayed for dinner with the Saotome's, with Akane leaving shortly after to return home. That had left him pretty much alone in an awkward situation. Sure, he knew Ranma and as a result his parents, but he couldn't exactly claim to be friendly with them.

Thankfully, Nodoka had been kind enough to make small talk with him throughout the meal, making him feel more comfortable. Of course, after a while, he had become confident enough to talk to the rest of the Saotomes, engaging in a heated conversation about Martial Arts with the other two men, Ranma having changed back into one shortly after their conversation yesterday.

Having moved a mattress into Ranma's room, he comfortably fell asleep for the first time in ages, not having to sleep in a parking lot or woodlands.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end, as he was splashed awake by a grinning Ranma.

"What the hell?!" He yelled at the pigtailed Martial Artist.

"Time ta get up." Was the simple reply he got. Looking out the window of the room, he noticed the sun hadn't even had time to rise.

"It's too damn early!" He complained, angry at the boy for waking him at such an ungodly hour of the day. Who the hell woke up this early anyway?

"Gotta train." Judging by the short replies he was getting, not even Ranma wanted to be up right now, so then why was he? And he could train by his goddamn self, he was far too tired to do much of anything right now, least of all Martial Arts.

"Right now? What time is it anyway?" Not able to get back to sleep even if he tried, already knowing that to be the case from past experiences, Ryoga pulled up from his mattress and started the dreaded stretches that would lead to eventual practice. He glared at the other boy for making him do this. Ranma was too annoying to leave him alone, and he couldn't put up much of a protest with how sleep-deprived he was at the moment.

"About five, give or take." Satisfied with Ryoga's compliance in getting up, Ranma began to lead the lost boy down the stairs and out the back door, doing so excellently even in the dark.

Cracking his neck, Ryoga sent a questioning glance at the aquatransexual.

"Don't you usually do this with your dad?" Ranma just stared at him a bit before launching at him, answering just as he did so.

"Used to. Had ta stop after he started working for Tofu, couldn't be going to work all beat up and tired, after all."

Blocking the punch Ranma had sent his way, Ryoga dropped low and sent his feet in a swiping motion, attempting to know the other boy off his feet. Unsurprisingly, Ranma performed a flawless backflip as he put distance between them. Ryoga, now taking the initiative, launched himself forward with great strength and sent an uppercut that caught Ranma on his chin as he landed from his previous backflip.

For around an hour, the spar continued in this boy, with one boy attempting to find and exploit the others weak point, the two being near evenly matched. Of course, if it were a real fight, they both knew things would likely be different, despite how much Ryoga hated it. But even then, it would be close, with both of them having an immense learning curve, they had progressed rapidly. Already, Ranma's technique was far beyond his fathers that he failed to be good for sparring.

Though that didn't necessarily mean much, as Genma seemingly held many secret techniques and more experience to make up for the lack of skill, but those were incapable of being used properly in a mere sparring match.

The two boys, despite the early hour in the morning and their rivalry, found themselves having fun.

Seeing the light in the kitchen turn on, Ranma signaled for them to stop as he caught sight of his mother.

Leading Ryoga back inside like a seeing-eye dog, Ranma brought him to the bath and signaled for him to go first. With a shrug, Ryoga went in and enjoyed a very, very hot bath, just to be safe. Plus, he enjoyed it that way, so it was a bonus.

After a few minutes stumbling around in the hallway and walking into various closets, a clean and clothed Ryoga finally managed to find his way into the Kitchen. Luckily, it was easier to find than it usually would be due to Ryoga being able to follow the smell of the delicious food.

Stepping into it, he was surprised to find a slightly wet Ranma helping her mother cook the food. Judging by the look on her face, she seemed to be fairly relaxed too. Watching as her hands cut through vegetables in a blur, having them land neatly on a nearby tray, Ryoga felt himself become confused. Since when did Ranma know how to cook? If s/he were so concerned with Akane's cooking, wouldn't it be easy to just insist on preparing her own food? With a shrug, he went to Ranma and signaled it was her turn to bathe.

With a smile and quick nod of thanks, Ranma hurriedly headed for the furo after asking her mom if she had everything covered, leaving Ryoga all the more confused. He had never seen Ranma look so relaxed, usually, she was always on guard for something, even at the Tendo's. He sighed, oh well, at least they were less likely to start an argument if the two of them were both content, which he surprisingly was.

Regardless of the situation, this was the most normal things had been for him in a while. Even though it was only a day, it was a day spent fed and he had slept in a bed. Despite the early start this morning, he had had a nice exercise and was able to bathe in an actual bath. Now, here he was, a plate of delicious-looking breakfast being placed in front of him by a smiling woman.

A noise to the side signaled Genma and male-Ranma's arrival into the kitchen, the latter having just gotten out of the bath himself. All together now, with a quick 'Thank you for the food!' they all dug in, Ryoga savoring in the taste of the food. While not as good as Kasumi's(And really, who's would be?) it was an amazing delicious dish.

"This is incredible!" Letting his pleasure be known, Ryoga gave a quick complement to Nodoka, who merely smiled and waved it off.

"Oh, I can't take the credit for this! Ranma showed me a while ago and it's been a favorite ever since! He made most of this himself earlier."

Ryoga made sure to keep the surprise off his face, not wanting to seem rude, even if it was Ranma. Still, he would've never thought his rival was capable of cooking so well. People were bound to be full of surprises, he would just need to ask about it later.

After clearing his plate and offering to do the dishes, which he did very carefully, Ryoga set off with Ranma in the direction of the school.

"So… You can cook?" He asked as he tried to make small talk. Ranma just shrugged his shoulders as he continued along the fence, something Ryoga was tempted to do out of sheer boredom.

"Eh, a bit." After seeing Ryoga's look, Ranma decided to elaborate, if only to kill time until they met up with Akane. Placing his hands on his head and looking upwards, he continued.

"When I was little, it was either learn or go hungry, ya know? Pops wasn't much of a cook and half the stuff he tried makin' would turn out inedible. So, when training in a temple one time, when an old woman offered ta teach me, I took her up on the offer. It just kinda stuck. It's relaxing, like katas."

"Then why didn't you just make your own food instead of risking Akane's?" Ryoga cared deeply for the girl, he did, but even he knew how she was in the kitchen. Though, just because you couldn't cook didn't mean you had to be a jerk about it.

Ranma snorted.

"Kasumi'd never let me touch anything in there. Said a guest shouldn't have ta. Personally, I think she was just being polite and thought I'd either break something or it'd turn out like something Akane had made. Or both." He laughed, a fond smile on his face at the thought about how far the girl had gone to spare his feelings.

"Really? Sounds like something she'd do." Ryoga nodded at the guess. The two shared the same opinion of the nice girl, she was very kind, but they knew not to mess with her kitchen.

"Ranma! Ryoga! Wait up!" A feminine voice sounded through the air, causing the two to stop short and allow the girl to catch up. Ranma was a bit surprised at noticing he had accidentally passed by their usual meeting spot as he was talking with Ryoga.

"Sorry, 'Kane." He mumbled a short apology.

"No big deal. Busy talking with Ryoga I'd bet." She waved off the apology, a curious look in her eye as she stared between them with a smile.

"It seems like you two are getting along." She commented, glad that her two friends weren't fighting as usual.

"With this honorless bastard? As if!" Ryoga denied, earning a glare from the pigtailed Martial Artist.

"Be nice!" Akane scolded the lost boy, a pout of her lips showing her displeasure

The rest of the walk to the school was done mostly in silence, with Akane breaking it by asking a few questions here and there. Arriving at their destination with more than enough time, the trio was greeted with an unpleasant sight.

"Ah, my fierce tigress!" 'Furiken's Blue Blunder' shouted as he bounded toward them with arms wide open, intent on embracing the one he proclaimed his true love, while perhaps groping a feel by mistake. His reunion was, however, put a stop to by a fierce strike to the head, courtesy of an overweight umbrella.

"Hands off!" Ryoga shouted, defending his former love. He had heard of this Kuno before, as P-chan. Then, he hadn't been able to do anything, being both a pig and incapable of finding the man. Now, he would correct the man, something Ranma had obviously failed at.

The blue-robed kendoist, recovering shortly, turned to glare at the man who had denied him and his lovers embrace.

"What foul cretin has Saotome enlisted to thwart true love now?" He asked aloud, staring in anger at the two men that stood on either side of Akane. Ryoga's eye twitched at the remark, not liking that he was accused of working with his rival. Standing defensively in front of Akane, he blocked the man's sight of her.

"Just give it up, Kuno. We gotta get ta class." While normally Ranma would gladly take a fight over listening to someone drone on about math or something, he figured he wouldn't have to do that much for a bit. He'd have to walk Ryoga to the principal and get him enrolled before guiding him to class, so he would likely miss a bit anyway. No need to fight with an idiot when it got him nothing.

"Silence, I strike!" Sighing, Ranma got ready to beat him down when Ryoga's fist impacted with the bumbling man's face, knocking him out. Shrugging it off, he and the others made their way towards the school building. It didn't really matter who beat the idiot up, it helped that Ryoga didn't waste time toying with him as he did.

Half an hour later, Ranma and Ryoga waltzed out of the Principal's office and made their way to class.

A knock on the door distracted Nodoka from her work making herself some lunch. Heading toward the door to answer it, she was surprised to find two very formally dressed men. Behind the two, there was a big, wooden crate.

"Is this the residence of Ranma Saotome?" Curious at the question one of the men asked, Nodoka answered truthfully, wondering what the men wanted with her son/daughter.

"Please sign here." The other man said, handing her a paper attached to a clipboard that she signed quickly enough. Taking a glance at the signature before nodding in satisfaction, both men wheeled the crate into the house with her permission.

"What exactly is this?" She questioned. Looking at each other before shrugging simultaneously, the man on the right answered,

"Package from somewhere near the Bayankala Mountains in China. Turns out your child has some friends in high places, ma'me."

Couldn't really think of a good way to end this chapter. It was pointed out to me that it'd be interesting if Nodoka were the one to cause the Gender Swap, and I had thought of going with that, but I wasn't too sure how to work that into what I already had planned so I had to discard that idea. Hopefully, this chapter is a bit better than the previous one.