AN: Hey everyone, sorry about dropping off the map. I promise that TL will be finished eventually, and I could give you lots of reasons, for not updating, such as health problems or college getting in the way, and while those are valid, honestly I hit a roadblock on how to write a particular scene. Anyway, enjoy this super late chapter.

Ch4: Debts

Ranma sat in his chair on set, munching on a sandwich while waiting for his next scene. He perused his way through the script, flipping through all the boring filler chapters till his next scene. Let us read over his shoulder.

Ranma enters the house, calling out that he is home. He raises an eyebrow when he is met with silence. Even Kasumi's normal humming from the kitchen is absent, despite it being the middle of the day.

Ranma: Huh, wonder where everyone is?

Ranma walks through the house, calling random family member's names, hoping someone would reply.

Ranma's Thoughts: Heck, I'd even take the old letch right now. This place is kinda creepy when it's empty.

Ranma spots an already opened envelope on the table. He picks up the envelope, reading the note first.

Note(Kasumi's Voice): Ranma-kun, we've goon to retrieve our fathers from this foolishness. Please be safe. P.S. There's some food in the fridge.

Ranma chuckles to himself.

Ranma's Thoughts: Ah Kasumi, always looking out for me, what would I do without you? *snort* Prob'ly build a campfire in the yard and cook rice over it, since that's all Pop ever taught me to make.

He inspects the envelope, finding it to have a clean edge cut right over where the glue is.

Ranma's Thoughts: Nabiki's work.

He flips over the envelope, and, finding it addressed to him, he pulls the letter out of the envelope and reads it. At the top is Soun's neat writing, with his father's sloppy scrawl at the bottom.

Letter (Soun's voice): Ranma, your father has managed to get us some funds to take a short vacation, so we are traveling over-seas to visit America and try our hands at Las Vegas. Don't worry, we hired an interpreter. Expect us back in a few weeks. While we are gone you are the man of the house. Take care Ranma.

Letter(Genma's voice): Boy, I have found some nice people to take care of you while we are gone. Show some gratitude to them. Do whatever they tell you to.

As Ranma finished reading, he heard a knock at the door. As he stood up, he saw through a window a large group of people in black suits. All had bulges in their coats.

Ranma's Thoughts: Bastard sold me to the Yakuza! I knew he couldn't save up enough to go over-seas. Hell, that fat panda doesn't even know how to save.

Ranma employed the umi-senken and ran away strategically retreated.

Ranma flipped forward some more.

Ranma was currently in a park somewhere on the edge of Tokyo. It was late evening, and it was starting to get cold. Well, cold to Ranma's standards. In his light coat and worn jean (both bought at a thrift store), most people would be on Hypothermia's doorstep. Snow was falling, and with the amount of time he had just been sitting on this bench, a thin layer had built up on the ground around him. Even dying his hair light blue and cutting it short, he still hadn't changed quite enough to elude the Yakuza. He'd even started using a different name, since his old name was too well known. They claimed that his father borrowed ¥156,804,000 (roughly $1.5 million), and they were going to use him to work it off, since they didn't have power over in America. Fat chance.

As he sat sulking mulling over his fate, he heard a voice loudly complain about a vending machine.

Nagi's Voice(Off-screen): What's up with this machine! It won't take my card.

Ranma looked up to see a short girl with two long blond pigtails trying to insert a credit card into a vending machine. Ranma sighed and felt around in his pocket. The ¥2000 he earned from cleaning out Old Lady Yamada's attic ( and boy were her cookies good too), had dwindled down to a measly ¥105. He sighed and walked over to her.

Ranma: Excuse me, Ojou-chan, I have change here you can use.

Damn him and his weakness for little children. He deposited his ¥100 in the machine.

Nagi: Uhn, Thanks, I'll pay you back. Name's Nagi.

She held out a petite hand, which he shook.

Ranma: Hayate

Ranma was broken out of his reading when a name called out to him.

"Oi, Ranma, you're on!"

He sighed, he hadn't even gotten to finish his tea. Oh well.

AN: Ok, honestly, how many of you saw that coming?