A Ranma 1/2 / Sailor Moon cross over mini-series. A PG rating for language and situations.
This story and a few others can be found on
my web page at
http://www.geocities.com/jlfenton65/
[email protected]
Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Viz Communications,
Inc. and was created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko and some other folks
such as D.I.C. and Cloverway.
This story is of my own derivation and is not intended for commercial
purposes, so please don't sue me.
My thanks to Ben Oliver for proof reading and suggestions.
Author's Notes: For better consistency, I'm mostly working from the Japanese version of Sailor Moon. The inner senshi are the same age as Ranma from the different FAQ pages on SM I have visited, and that will be the assumption here. That could be off a year or so according to some folks, but I'm making it a given for this story. It takes place at the end of October while Ranma and the inner senshi are all (but Jupiter) age 16 and in the 10th grade; this is after Mugen Gakuen is destroyed, so all the Sailor Senshi except Mars are attending Juuban High. The senshi have not yet met the Sailor Stars, so are unfamiliar with anyone who changes gender. Mamoru has taken off for America and Chibi-Usa is back in the future. All this makes it before the Christmas Party in the Ranma series, and after Neherenia in Sailor Stars. No, Ranma isn't a Sailor Senshi or even from the Silver Millennium; there are too many stories like that. This is just a simple comedy mixing Ranma into Sailor Moon.
Ranma and Genma walked away from the Nerima district; it had been made quite clear that they were no longer welcome anywhere within its confines. Everything they owned was in the packs they carried.
"Dammit, boy! All you had to do was marry one of the Tendo girls and we'd have been set! How in blazes could you screw up something so simple?!"
The pig-tailed martial artist gritted his teeth. "It wasn't my fault! How many times do I gotta tell ya?"
"Oh? And I suppose it wasn't your fault you destroyed the dojo?"
"I didn't destroy it! Ryoga got carried away with his Shi Shi Hokodan. So how would that make it my fault?"
"You should have put the boy down before it got that far! I really expected better of you; all my training - was it for nothing?"
Ranma rounded on his father. "All your training? You ain't taught me nothin' since we got here! Besides, I'd have taken care of Ryoga if that uncute, sexless, stupid tomboy of fiancée that you engaged me to hadn't gotten in the way!"
Genma grabbed the boy by the collar. "Well what did you expect her to do when you're tearing up their dojo?"
He pushed his father off abruptly. "I didn't ask for a fight! It ain't my fault if she's too stupid to figure out that P-chan is Ryoga. If she hadn't blabbed to that pig about our fight at dinner, Ryoga woulda never blown up like that!"
Genma fumed, then resumed walking. "Come on, boy. We've got to get out here before they change their minds and throw us in jail instead of simply running us off." He gave his son a withering stare. "Did you have to make such a mess?"
"Hey! Akane and Ryoga did most of the damage - the only damage I did was the craters I made when Akane hit me with her mallet. Ryoga did most of the damage to the streets with his Bakusai Tenketsu, and Akane was the one that collapsed that bridge!"
"She only did that when you were making out with that Chinese bimbo!"
Ranma glowed a bright blue. "I wasn't doin' nothin' of the sort!! She glomped me, just like she always does! Akane has never bothered to hear my side a things!" He calmed down a bit. "Boy, I hope Uc-chan isn't too mad about what Mousse did to her place."
Genma gave him an incredulous look. "What place? After Mousse busted out the walls trying to get you away from Shampoo, it collapsed in on itself! Did you really think she'd just let that go?!"
Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it wasn't like that was my fault. Why'd she haveta blame me?"
"Because Mousse was aiming at you, and you just dodged while he tore out the supports!"
The boy sighed. "Yeah, I guess I probably shoulda moved off or somethin'."
Genma rolled his eyes. "Not that it would have made a difference..."
"Hey! You aren't blamin' the school on me, are ya? Kuno did most a that when Ukyo, Mousse and Shampoo interrupted his Kendo tournament. And it ain't my fault Nabiki lost a lotta money 'cause a the default."
"What about the shopping district?"
Ranma tried to think about that one. "That was Happosai's fault - if Kuno, Ryoga and Akane hadn't trashed that lingerie shop, he'd a never tossed those Happo Daikarin."
"And whose idea was it to trap Happosai using the high-power lines at the sub-station?"
Ranma looked embarrassed. "Okay... maybe that wasn't such a good idea."
The two continued their walk in silence. Behind them, the night was broken by flames as fire-fighters raced to try to save what little remained of Nerima.
Ranma stretched and yawned. He still wasn't much of a morning person; if his pop didn't wake him at dawn, he'd sleep until noon. At least there wasn't any water near where they'd set up camp; he hated being wakened with a bucket of water, especially after getting cursed.
He walked over to where his pop was digging through his pack. "Whatcha lookin' for, Pop?"
Genma didn't bother looking up. "I thought I had them in here somewhere... ah! Here we go." He glanced over at his son. "Boy, you'll thank me for making all those extra," he paused and raised his eyebrows suggestively, "arrangements, one day."
Uh-oh, Ranma thought, he didn't like the sound of that. "What arrangements would that be exactly?" He didn't really want to know.
Genma waved a sheaf of papers at him. "Why, the ticket to retirement, boy!" He started thumbing through the papers. "Let's see... Akita, Sapporo, Kushiro..." He considered the pros and cons of those locations a moment before finally shaking his head. "Nah, too cold this time of year."
Ranma started to sweat.
Genma continued, oblivious. "Shizuoka, Kofu, Kanazawa, Okayama... nah, too far away."
Ranma facefaulted. "Uhh, Pop, just how many 'arrangements' have you made?!"
"Quiet, boy! I'm thinking. Tokyo - Nerima District." Genma crumpled that one up and tossed it over his shoulder. "Tokyo - Minato District... yes! That's the one." He held up the paper triumphantly. "Let's find a phone, boy! I'll - we'll be back in comfortable living in no time."
Ranma watched his father move off toward a bank of public phones. "I don't wanna know - I don't even wanna know."
Tsukino Kenji glanced over at the TV; a report was running about some sort of disaster in another part of Tokyo, the caption reading 'Crisis in Nerima.' He snorted. Yeah, right. Like they had demons and droids and the other assorted weirdos that Juban had to put up with. Things had started to finally quiet down; maybe now a fire or two and a few destroyed buildings would seem like a crisis again. He rubbed his temples as he turned back toward the crisis right in his own home.
Usagi paced around the room, waving her arms around in a full-blown tantrum. "Why?! You can't control my life! I'll love anyone I want! You can't do this to me - you've never even met Mamoru! You'd see he's sweet, and kind, and, and..."
"And too old!" He faced off with his daughter. Why couldn't she see? He just wanted what was best for her. "You don't know what men his age are like, what they want..." He shuddered, remembering the guys in his college. "There is no way I'm allowing my little girl to date some college student." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You need to be with someone your own age - someone you can relate to and who can relate to you." And who doesn't have his own apartment, he thought to himself. He was lucky he'd found out about this Mamoru character while he was out of the country. It would be much easier to handle with his daughter unable to run off to this boy.
Usagi burst into tears and fled up the stairs to her room. Kenji sighed. It was so hard dealing with a sixteen year-old girl. Maybe he should try talking with one of her friends.
The phone rang; he walked over and picked up the receiver. "Moshi, moshi. Who? Yes, this is Tsukino Kenji. What? Saotome Genma? I'm sorry, but I don't... um, are you sure? Hm, yes - I vaguely remember that, but it's been almost ten years. What? Your son? I'm sorry but... hmmm... come to think of it, maybe that isn't such a bad idea. Let's get together and discuss this. Let me give you directions." After a few more moments on the phone, Kenji hung up and looked up the stairs thoughtfully. "This might just work out for the best."
Ranma and Genma walked through the streets of Azabu Juban; Ranma had his pack slung over one shoulder.
"You know they'll just throw us out the moment they find out about our curses."
Genma gave him a long look. "The Tendos didn't, and you will do your best to ensure they don't find out for as long as possible!" He turned on his son. "I'm serious! I'll have your word that you will do nothing to give away our curses."
Ranma just smirked. He knew how long it would be before something beyond their control happened. "Sure, Pop. You got it. I won't do nothin'." As usual, he added to himself. Kami-sama knows he didn't do one tenth the stuff he got blamed for. He glanced at the sky; the weather was clear. Now if they could just avoid any other sources of water, they might actually show up in uncursed form. He snorted. Yeah, right. When were they ever that lucky?
Kenji stuck his head in the kitchen. "Honey?"
"Yes?"
He climbed the stairs to the kids rooms. "Shingo?"
"Yeah, Dad?"
He knocked on Usagi's door. "Usagi? Please come down to the living room. We have something to discuss." He waited for some acknowledgement.
Kenji and Ikuko sat on one side of the table; across from them sat their children, Shingo and Usagi.
"Fiancé?!" Usagi went ballistic. "You can't possibly think I'm going to marry some - some - boy I've never even met before! I love Mamoru! If you can't deal with that, it's not my problem!"
Ikuko was torn. She didn't like the idea of her little girl being so involved with an older man, but this was hardly the solution. "Dear, you don't really expect Usagi to marry this boy, do you?"
"Of course not! She's too young. That is why this is the best thing to do. The boy and his father are coming over; they will stay with us while the two get to know each other. If they don't get along, I'm sure we can break the arrangement." He looked over at the evil grin growing on Usagi's face. "And you will be on your best behavior! If I think you are deliberately sabotaging this arrangement, I may just change my mind about allowing the two of you to decide whether or not to continue it." He smiled as her look changed to chagrin. "Now, Ranma is in your grade, so you can start by helping him at school tomorrow. He'll be attending Juuban High while staying with us."
Shingo had sported a wide smile since the announcement of Usagi's engagement. He saw a lot of potential ammo in this; sure, he loved his sister, but this was too good an opportunity to waste. "So what's Ranma like, Dad?"
Kenji thought quickly back over his short conversation with Genma. "Um... he's a martial artist; he and his father recently came back from a training trip to China." He struggled to think of more, but that was enough for Shingo.
"Martial artist? China?" He jumped up with a wide smile. He jumped into an imitation of a basic stance. "Wow! He must have been studying Kung Fu." He glanced over at his dad. "Do you think he'll give me lessons?"
Kenji smiled as his youngest continued to prattle on. This nicely covered the fact that he knew almost nothing about the boy. Hopefully, the questions wouldn't get too probing before they arrived.
Ranma was getting jumpy; they'd almost reached their destination and nothing had happened yet. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop - he hadn't been splashed, no rain falling from a clear sky, no ninja attacks, no nothing! It was almost like... like they were going to make a good first impression! His hair stood on end; this was worse by far. A good first impression would likely keep them around longer than Ranma wanted. Why couldn't Pop just let it go and head home? He was sure Mom wouldn't make them honor that pledge - well, almost sure.
Genma stopped before a fairly large home and rang the bell. Ranma sighed as he considered the place; trust his pop to pick the ones with money. He wondered what a two story house in Juban like this one ran. He hung back as his dad talked with the man who answered the door. He set his pack down just inside the door and followed the pair into the living room, then leapt away from a flying boot, doing a complete flip in the air; he landed in a defensive stance, squared off against - he blinked - a thirteen year-old boy.
"I knew it!" The boy was ecstatic. "That was so cool! Can you teach me that?"
Ranma relaxed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sure kid; nice throw." He laughed lightly. "And who are you?"
Shingo bowed. "Tsukino Shingo. Glad to meet you."
Ranma bowed back. "Saotome Ranma. Same back atcha."
Shingo gestured to his sister seated at the table. "This is my sister, Usagi."
Ranma nearly jumped at the look he received. He knew that look by heart, having been on the receiving end all too often in the last few months.
Shingo continued on with a big smile. "But we all call her 'Dumpling Head.' I'm sure you two will get along juuuuuuust fine. Heh." He winked.
Usagi turned red, clenched her hands into fists, and the sound of grinding teeth was heard. Ranma flinched at the look she gave her brother. It was the look; he was glad it wasn't directed at him for once.
He left the squabbling pair as his pop waved him over.
"Ranma, these are Usagi's parents, Kenji and Ikuko." Ranma bowed to the adults. Genma continued. "This my son and heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, Ranma."
Kenji gave Ranma a good-natured slap on the back. "Glad to finally meet you, my boy. But tell me, what do you think of this engagement?"
Ranma glanced at his pop's frantic face, then carefully replied. "I think it's a mistake, tryin' to decide two people's lives; especially on somethin' this important. But while I'm here, I'll try not to cause any trouble and see what happens." Another glance at Genma showed a little relief in his appearance.
Kenji gave Ranma a wide smile. "I like your honesty; that was very well put. We don't intend to force the two of you to marry -" Genma pointedly looked away. "- but I'd really appreciate it if you'd keep an open mind. You two still have years before you need to make a decision of such importance."
Ikuko finally broke into the conversation. "In the meantime, we hope you and Usagi can at least become friends. I don't think she has any male friends her own age, and we think she's missing something important by not making any."
Ranma caught the emphasis in her words and thought it over. It seemed the Tsukinos had an ulterior motive of their own. He'd have to find a bit more from Shingo about this male friend who wasn't Usagi's age. Maybe it wouldn't be necessary for him to do anything to get out of the engagement.
Ranma and Usagi walked along the street, darting angry looks back and forth. Their parents decided Ranma needed a small tour of the area and chose Usagi to lead it. Usagi fervently prayed they didn't run across anyone that knew her; Ranma fervently prayed they didn't run into any cold water. So far, both prayers seemed to have been answered.
Usagi gave another glare as she caught him looking at her. "I'm not marrying you. I already have a boyfriend."
"So I gathered from your folks. Sounds like they don't approve." He gave a sideways glance, hands laced behind his head. "So when do I meet 'Mister Right?'"
"He's away at college right now." She added in a lower voice, "Like I'd introduce you anyway."
He gave her another glance. "It's all right; I wouldn't beat him up or nothin'. I'm not marrying you, either, so it's not like I'd be jealous."
She swung to face him. "You couldn't beat my Mamoru if you tried! He'd kick your sorry butt all the way back to China!" She noticed his smile and saw he was only teasing, then realized what he had tricked her into revealing. "Ohhhhhh, you!"
He laughed at her embarrassment. It was almost nice being with someone who didn't automatically attack him for pulling such a stunt. "I'm glad you've found someone who means that much to you. In the meantime, I'd like to be friends; come on, let's get some ice cream." He saw the indecision war with temptation on her face and smiled wider. "My treat." That did the trick.
Ranma toyed with his own ice cream as he watched Usagi destroy another parfait. He saw her embarrassed look, then laughed. "Don't worry, I eat ice cream the same way when I'm in... uh... when I'm really hungry." He hoped he covered that slip well enough. Usagi seemed not to notice as she started on a sundae; Ranma watched, wondering if that was how his female side appeared to others.
Ranma and Usagi walked through the park, headed back to her home. It was near evening and they needed to get back before dinner. They had stopped for cold drinks at a yatai, and sipped at them while talking about their lives; well, the parts they could tell each other actually.
"So I wound up waitin' for three days for my friend to show up for our fight in the vacant lot right behind his house."
Usagi laughed. "It took him three days to find the lot behind his house?"
"No, it actually took him four days. By that time, Pop and I had left for China." Ranma smiled at that memory. Funny how things seemed better over time. "He got so mad that I 'chickened out' of our match that he followed me to China."
Usagi whirled around, facing him while she continued to walk backwards. "You're kidding, right? Who'd do that over a stupid fight?"
"You don't know Ryoga - the fight was over bread, remember? Skipping out on that fight was much worse than what the fight was over to begin with, as far as he was concerned." He noticed a large rock behind Usagi. "Um, Usagi? Maybe you should -"
Usagi failed to notice the rock while walking backwards and started to go down hard. Ranma was there before she got halfway to the ground, holding her gently. She was completely shocked, not just by the near fall, but by how fast he reacted. "Wow! That was really -" She broke off as she realized she was being held by someone other than Mamoru.
"You jerk!! What in blazes do you think you're doing?!"
Ranma was baffled: he had managed to catch her before she hit the ground; neither of them had spilled their drink on the other; he hadn't grabbed her by any - inappropriate - part to catch her. He had no idea why she was angry. "Whatta you mean?"
Usagi let out a bellow. "Let - GO!!"
"If you insist." He released her suddenly and she fell on her rear. Personally, he felt she should have asked him to help her up, but...
Usagi stood up, brushed her skirt with her free hand, then got right in his face. "How dare you treat me like that!" She threw what remained of her drink in his face.
"Dammit! What'd you do that for?!" Ranma wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt. Then she realized what had happened. "Um... Usagi?"
Usagi was staring with saucer size eyes. The taller, black-haired boy she had thrown her drink on had been replaced with a much shorter, red-haired girl. The girl was very pretty, and the final insult as far as Usagi was concerned was her much larger bust size. Usagi had always been self-conscious about her smaller chest, and the fact that this - being - was larger than her only infuriated her more. There was only one thing this being could be. "A shape-shifter!" she whispered urgently. She gasped and her eyes went wide. "You're gonna try to take my heart crystal or drain my energy or something!" Her expression suddenly grew unusually focused. She knew how to deal with things like this.
Ranma heard the whisper, then Usagi laid a hand on the broach she wore and cried, "Moon Eternal, Make Up!"
Ranma watched, transfixed as Usagi was enveloped in light. Her normal clothes were replaced with a stylized fuku with an extremely short skirt and what seemed to be silk wings. Some jewelry now adorned the odangos in her hair. She struck a pose as the light faded.
"How dare you try to deceive my family! An engagement is a bond of trust that you have tried to take advantage of. For love and justice, I am the Pretty Sailor-Suited Soldier Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"
Ranma dropped her drink, and fell over laughing.
Sailor Moon dropped her pose, looking indignant. "Hey! You're not supposed to laugh! You bad guys always spout some kind of nonsense like 'So, Sailor Moon. You'll not stand in our way this time; I'm going to take you out like the trash.'"
Ranma rolled onto her stomach, started kicking her legs, and laughed even louder, pounding a fist into the ground.
"Hey! Quit laughing! I'm serious!" She started turning a bright red. "Ooohhhhh!"
Sailor Moon lashed out with a low kick, trying to catch the girl on the ground. Ranma rolled away from the kick and leapt up and away from the next kick Sailor Moon attempted. Several punches and kicks similarly failed to catch her. Ranma would have to be careful; while completely unskilled, Sailor Moon had a speed and strength she couldn't hope to match due to the girl's magical enhancement. Ranma had always wondered how she'd fare against a magical opponent, now was her chance. She almost missed an approaching punch which passed just millimeters in front of her face.
The red-head smiled. "Close! But not good enough." She smirked. Maybe she could get Sailor Moon mad enough to totally lose it like Ryoga. "You know, maybe you shouldn't use high kicks... not with a short little skirt like that."
Sailor Moon was livid. Burning anger and her inability to connect with the dodging girl got to her. She gestured with a gloved hand; the Eternal Tier appeared in her hand and she held it high.
Ranma stifled her laughter as beams of light shot forth; that probably hadn't been a good idea. "Hey! Watch it! You could hurt someone!"
Sailor Moon fired several blasts at the rapidly dodging girl. "Hold still! How am I supposed to blast you if you won't - stand - still?!"
Ranma kept dodging; she had no idea what those beams of light would do to her, but she wasn't going to let one hit her to find out. She also couldn't spare the attention to see what effect it had on what it did hit. "Would you stop?! USSSAAAGGGIIII!!!"
She stopped blasting and looked around frantically. "Shhhhh! You want someone to hear you? You'll blow my secret identity!"
Ranma finally stood still and looked her right in the eye. "You're kiddin', right? How could anyone not recognize ya? 'Specially with that hair." She almost started laughing again.
Sailor Moon gestured to herself with the wand. "It comes with a disguise field to prevent recognition, but it doesn't work if someone sees the transformation, or someone goes around screaming out my name! So stop it!"
"Yeah, right. Whatever. Just stop with the death rays, huh? Gimme a chance to explain this."
She crossed her arms and struck an impatient pose. "Okay, let's hear it."
Ranma gestured at the Senshi. "Um, maybe you should, you know, change back? You kinda stick out like a sore thumb. Someone might come by and wonder what's up."
Sailor Moon stood her ground. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Wait for me to change, then BLAM! Well it isn't going to happen, Mister! Er, Ma'am?" She looked flustered a moment. "Well, whatever you are."
That got the standard reaction from Ranma. "I'm a guy, dammit!"
Sailor Moon looked puzzled. "Are you sure? I know I'm not the smartest student in school, but I seem to remember -"
Ranma cut her off. "My body is currently female, but I'm still a guy. It's a curse I got in China."
Sailor Moon hmphed. "Yeah, right."
Ranma gave her the evil eye. "You don't believe in magic or curses? I suppose that's just a costume and a fancy tazer?"
Sailor Moon had the decency to look embarrassed. "Ooookay. Suppose we go find someplace more public where we can keep an eye on each other and talk?"
"Fine!" Ranma spun on her heal and headed back towards a more populated part of the park. Sailor Moon watched her for a second, detransformed, then followed her.
Ranma walked up to a vendor selling ramen out of a yatai and put on her cute act. "Could I possibly get some hot water? Pleeeease?" The guy running the stand turned to butter when she started batting her eyelids.
"S-s-sure. Here." He poured some hot water from a kettle into a cup and handed it to the red-head. She smiled sweetly and walked off. He watched dazed for a moment, then waited on a customer.
Usagi saw the girl stop at a water fountain. "All right, out with it!"
Ranma poured about half the hot water over her head. Usagi stared as the girl changed back into the boy she had spent the afternoon showing around Juban. He explained what happened to him and his father at Jusenkyo.
" - so, if I get splashed with cold water, I change into a girl." He used some water from the water fountain to change once more. "And to change back, I need hot water." She poured the rest of the hot water over her head. Usagi wasn't quite as shocked at the transformation by this time.
Usagi glared at him a moment. "Okay, so maybe you're not a monster or youma or what-not. But there is no way I'm going to be engaged to someone who changes sex when splashed with water!" She poked a finger in his chest. "We are going right to my parents and straighten this out right now!"
Ranma looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right. We'll tell 'em how I changed into a girl when you threw your drink on me..."
Usagi nodded. "Yes."
"And then how you changed into Sailor Moon and attacked me..."
Usagi nodded again. "Yes -" She turned white and started shaking her head. "I mean, no! You can't tell them that!"
Ranma smiled slyly. "What, Usagi? Is there something you wanna keep secret from your parents?"
She glared at him. "I thought you didn't want this engagement."
He sighed. "I don't! But I promised Pop I wouldn't use the curse to deliberately end it. If your folks find out about it like you did, by accident, and wish to end it, that's different." He noticed Usagi's grin. "And if you're thinkin' about splashing me in front of your folks, that might end the engagement, but think what your folks will do after they figure out you did it on purpose to end the engagement." He saw her hesitate and pounded the nail home. "I got the impression your folks did this to try to break up you and your Mamoru. If you break our engagement, whatta you think they'll do next?"
Usagi stood shaking a minute. "I can't believe I'm engaged to some sex-changing, macho jerk who knows my secret identity, and can't do anything about it."
Ranma nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I know, but you get used to it after awhile."
She looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"
He looked away, laced his hands behind his head, and started walking again. "Now that we're past the 'keeping a big secret' stage, I can tell you a little more about my life."
As both families sat around the table that evening, a strange kind of battle took place. Ranma and Genma started sparring over food on each others plates with their chopsticks while eating at a pace to rival Usagi. Shingo watched in awe.
"Whoa! I've never seen anyone who could match Usagi at dinner, much less fight for the food at the same time." He looked suitably impressed.
Usagi took offense at this and decided to try the same thing with Shingo. The boy lost almost half his dinner before Ikuko put an end to the first, and last, food battle at the Tsukino table.
The battle settled into silent looks. Genma would glare at Ranma; Ranma would glare back, then glance at Usagi in sympathy. Usagi would look back sadly, then give Genma a furious stare. Shingo would glare at Usagi, look in awe at Ranma, then in confusion at Genma. Ikuko almost asked what on earth was wrong with everyone, but let it pass. It was probably just the strangeness of the situation; it would settle eventually.
After dinner, Ranma and Genma moved their things into the attic room Usagi's 'cousin' used when she visited. Ranma wanted to get settled in; tomorrow was his first day in a new school. He just hoped things went better than in Furinkan.
Usagi turned back the covers of her bed. After the day she had just been put through, she was looking forward to some solid sleep. A small black cat jumped onto the bed. She brushed the cat off idly as she climbed into bed.
"Not now, Luna. I gotta get some sleep." She yawned widely.
"But Usagi, who are those two men? And why are they staying here?"
"That's just my fiancé, Ranma, and his father."
"Fiancé?!!" Luna jumped back onto the bed and got right in Usagi's face. "But Usagi! What about Mamoru?! What about destiny?!"
Usagi dragged the covers over her head. "Our dads arranged it. Don't worry, Ranma doesn't want to marry me any more than I want to marry him." She rolled over, tossing the cat from the bed. "Tomorrow after school, we can all get together and figure some way out of this mess."
Luna looked at the sleeping girl a moment, snorted, then jumped up onto the foot of the bed to get some sleep as well. She'd keep a close eye on this 'Ranma' tomorrow. There was no way she was letting some boy jeopardize Crystal Tokyo.
Usagi yawned as she stumbled downstairs for breakfast.
Ikuko noticed her sleepy daughter and shook her head. "You're running late again. You need to get up earlier if you want to get to school on time."
Usagi looked around. "Where's Ranma?"
"He and his father went down to the park to spar. They should be back any time now." She set three bentos on the table. "When he comes in, be sure he gets his lunch. You'll both have to hurry if you don't want to be late." She went back into the kitchen.
Just at that moment, the front door opened and Shingo, Ranma, and Genma entered. Genma berating his son.
"You're getting sloppy, boy. We'll have to work out an extra hour later today."
Ranma muttered under his breath. "Still better than you, old man. At least there was no koi pond to fall into."
Shingo was jumping excitedly. "You should have seen them, Sis! They were jumping around, and kicking, and punching,..." He continued on with a description of the sparring practice, giving little demonstrations of how each part went.
She glared at her brother. "Why haven't you left for school yet?"
"I had to watch Ranma! It was great! He showed me a few things, too. I'm going to be a martial artist, just like him." He jumped around a bit more, then grabbed his book bag and a bento. "Come on, I'll make sure Dumpling Head doesn't get you lost."
"Don't call me Dumpling Head!!!" She tossed a bento to Ranma, who caught it one handed. She grabbed the other bento and her book bag, then dashed for the door. Ranma grabbed his own book bag, figuring all schools used similar materials, then dashed off behind the siblings.
The siblings glanced up at the boy racing on the top of the fence, Shingo in awe, and Usagi in irritation.
She finally had to ask. "Why are you running on top of the fence?"
"Balance practice. Pop always taught me to make everything into practice."
Shingo spoke up. "How long would it take for me to be able to do that?"
"Not too long. A few more basic lessons and you'll be ready to work on it."
The three raced along in silence for awhile, Ranma because he saw no need for conversation, and Shingo and Usagi because they needed the air for running. They were almost to the high school when Usagi barreled around a corner, running into another girl with long, flowing, blond hair.
Ranma jumped from the fence and caught the other girl before she landed on the concrete sidewalk. He helped her to her feet.
She stood in shock for a moment, just holding the boy. She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you. That would have been a nasty tumble."
Ranma blushed and looked down. "No problem. Happy to help." He was glad she hadn't gotten mad like Usagi did the previous day. Speaking of Usagi - he looked over where the girl was getting up off the sidewalk, rubbing her rear.
"That hurt! Why didn't you catch me, you idiot?" She glared at Ranma.
He gave her a big smile. "But Usagi, yesterday you got all upset when I did."
"That was yesterday!"
The girl looked back and forth between the two. "Usagi? Would you like to introduce your handsome friend?"
Usagi glared at the girl. "No, I wouldn't!" The other blinked at the response.
Time for a little fun, Shingo thought. He'd been waiting for just this moment. "Ranma, this is a friend of Usagi's, Aino Minako. She'll be in your class too." He turned to Minako. "This is Saotome Ranma, Usagi's fiancé." He smirked as Usagi turned red and Minako rounded on her.
"Fiancé?! But Usagi, what about Mamoru?!"
Usagi turned to give Shingo a piece of her mind, but he had already fled laughing for the junior high. She sighed and turned to Minako. "My parents set it up because they don't approve of Mamoru. I didn't have anything to do with it, and I am certainly not going to marry this jerk!"
Minako listened intently, then gave Ranma a look that made him nervous. "Oh? Then he's available, is he?"
Ranma sweated as Usagi nodded her head. "H-h-hey! I think we need to hurry. We're gonna be late if we don't run." He'd be running right now, but he had no idea where the school was.
That got Usagi going. "On no! I can't be late again!" She took off running.
Minako laughed. "Just follow Dumpling Head." She took off after Usagi with Ranma bringing up the rear, groaning about fiancées.
Ranma stood at the front of the class as the teacher got their attention.
"Class, I'd like you to welcome a new student." She turned to Ranma. "Please introduce yourself."
He looked across the class. The girls were giving him longing stares, and the boys angry glares, for the effect he was having on their girlfriends - pretty much par for the course. He sighed. "I'm Saotome Ranma; I'm a martial artist and heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling. I have recently returned from a training trip to China." Simple enough, even if not entirely accurate.
"Thank you, Ranma. I suppose you may not know this, having just come back from China, but here at Juuban High, we have a strict dress code. You will get a proper boy's uniform." She looked at Usagi and Minako. "You three were also late; please stand in the hall."
So, Ranma found himself standing in the hall. That wasn't so unusual for him. He looked at the signs the three were wearing. 'Late to class.' It was certainly not as bad as holding buckets of water; not that holding buckets of water was any big deal to him. Pop's exercises made holding buckets of water easy by comparison. He sighed as he thought of all the times he and Akane stood in the hall by their class in Furinkan. He wondered how long the fiancées would stay mad before finally deciding to track him down again. He shuddered as he thought of the Kunos; hopefully they'd forget about him. Suddenly, he brightened. Hey! No fiancées! At least for awhile. He decided to try to enjoy what little time he had before the insanity caught up with him.
Usagi glared at the happy boy beside her. "Hey! What are you so happy about? You got us into this trouble!"
Oh yeah, one fiancée. "And exactly how is this my fault?" Just once he'd like to have it be someone else's fault.
Minako looked at Usagi questioningly. "Yes, exactly how is it his fault, Dumpling Head?" Ranma blinked; did someone just stand up for him?
"Don't call me Dumpling Head!!!" Usagi covered her mouth quickly and glanced around, hoping a teacher hadn't heard her yelling. She hissed angrily. "It's his fault because if he hadn't been with us, we would have just gotten up and ran to class." She nodded triumphantly.
Minako rolled her eyes. She gave Ranma a smile with wide, shining eyes. "So, if you and Usagi aren't really engaged, how about dinner tonight?"
Ranma blushed. It wasn't that he didn't like such attention, it was just that after ten years on the road with just his pop, he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. "Uhhh...." That was certainly an intelligent way to answer. He shook his head to clear it. "We still need to keep up appearances around our folks 'til we can figure a way to break the engagement that doesn't get Pop and I run outta town." A quick glance at Usagi prompted him to continue. "And doesn't cause Usagi and her family too much trouble." Whew - that was better than he normally did.
Minako frowned briefly, then brightened and took his arm. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something."
Usagi glared at her friend, then shook herself. Why was she getting jealous? She turned her glare to the real villain in this drama. "What do you think you're doing? This is a school, not a social club, Ranma."
Ranma was trying to remove Minako from his arm. She's almost as bad as Shampoo, he thought, then turned to Usagi. "Whatta you mean? I ain't doing nothing'."
"Nothing?! You're hanging all over her and you're supposed to be my fiancé!!!"
Now, her previous yell had been heard by the class; it was just so common that everyone, including teachers, naturally tuned it out - it was much the same principle as living next to an airport. Usagi's last yell was the same volume, but carried much further due to the content; every class window on the floor opened as students crowded to look at the group.
Most of the girls comments fell along these lines.
"Fiancé?"
"They're engaged?"
"Awww, how'd Usagi get such a hunk?"
"I thought she was seeing someone?"
Most of the guy's comments fell along these lines.
"Geez, with his build, he coulda done much better."
"1000 yen says Usagi loses him to Minako before the weekend."
"He ain't that good lookin'."
"I thought she was hooked up with some college guy?"
The three stood in mortification at their classmate's comments. The teacher finally walked into the hall.
"You three - the principal's office - now! The rest of you - back to class!"
Usagi glared at Ranma. "I can't believe you got me a detention!"
He glared right back. "I got you a detention?! You were the one yellin' in the hall! Besides, I also got an extra day for not havin' a proper uniform." He swore at the injustice of it all.
They caught the attention of a custodian mopping the floor. "You kids, watch your step - I just mopped here." Ah! Young love! He remembered when he and his wife were their age. He paused to watch them as they passed by on their way back to class.
Minako took Ranma's arm again. "Don't worry Ranma honey, I'll wait for you after school. We can go out and forget all about mean-old Dumpling Head." She stuck her tongue out at Usagi.
Usagi rounded on her friend. "Don't call me Dumpling Head!!!" She kicked at the mop bucket in anger.
Minako dodged as the bucket flew toward the pair. Unfortunately for Ranma, she didn't let go of his arm; he wound up being dragged into the path of the bucket - and the dirty water it contained.
Usagi pouted at Ranma. "Now look what you made me do!" She looked around. "You'd better get some hot water before we get in more trouble."
Minako was staring, horrified. "Urk..."
Ranma sighed and starting ringing out her pig-tail. "Why do these things always happen to me?"
Minako was still in shock. "Urk..."
Ranma turned to head to one of the bathrooms when a teacher stepped out of a nearby class to determine what was happening outside her class. She took one look at Ranma and stepped in front of the girl.
"Why aren't you in a proper uniform?" Before Ranma could rely, she continued. "That is inappropriate dress, even for outside class." She commented on Ranma's lack of a - supportive - undergarment. "The boys are bad enough around here without girls like you." She narrowed her eyes. "Principal's office - now!" She turned to Usagi and Minako. "You two - get to your class!"
Usagi dragged the unresponsive Minako off. Ranma opened her mouth to complain, then sighed and headed back the other way.
The custodian shook his head and started mopping the floor again. Ah! Young love! Of course, guys didn't turn into girls when he and his wife were their age.
Ranma sighed in relief as the lunch bell rang. It had to have been the longest morning ever... well, other than his first morning at Furinkan High... or the day after he was cursed... or the day after the neko-ken training... well, it was the longest morning that week. He grabbed his bento and headed outside; as he settled down under a tree, Usagi and Minako settled down next to him. He barely noticed as he dug into his lunch. The two girls watched him for awhile; Minako finally broke the silence.
"Wow! I haven't seen anyone who could match Usagi at eating!"
Ranma didn't even pause - he'd heard it all before.
Two more girls wandered over and sat with them. One had long brown hair pulled into a pony-tail, and the other had shorter black hair; he noticed that she had a passing resemblance to Akane.
The black-haired girl spoke. "Usagi, are you two really engaged?"
Usagi paused, right on the edge of starting on her own lunch. "My folks arranged it with his because they don't approve of Mamoru." She looked despondent, but dug into her lunch with a gusto.
Ranma paused and looked at the girls. "Neither of us like it. We're not gonna get married; as soon as we can figure a way out that don't hurt no one, I'm outta here." He looked over at Usagi. "I can't believe you got me another detention for not havin' a uniform."
Brown pony-tail spoke up. "Another? How can you get two detentions for the same offense?"
Minako joined the conversation. "He turned into a girl!" She was still a little rattled from this morning.
The black haired girl looked skeptical. "Come on, people just don't change sex." She looked at Minako closely. "You look pretty shook up; are you sure about it?"
Minako glared at her in anger. "I know what I saw! She was so big -" She held her hands in front of her chest. "- she made Usagi look like a boy!"
Usagi had been nodded at Minako's story - until now. "HEY!! I'm not that small!"
Ranma sighed. "Um, girls? Should we be talkin' about this?" He looked pointedly at the other girls.
Usagi noticed the glance and realized her lapse in manners. "Oh! Sorry." She pointed to brown pony-tail and the black haired girl. "These are two of my best friends, Makoto and Ami." The girls nodded at the introduction. Usagi continued. "If you really want the best plan for breaking off our engagement, Ami here is probably our best bet."
Ami blushed at the praise. "You two really don't want to be engaged?"
Ranma nodded and Usagi bristled.
"Of course I don't want to be engaged to this jerk! I got my Mamoru and nothing is going to stand in the way of our love!" Usagi was standing with an upraised fist while the other girls sighed. Ranma rolled his eyes. Girls, he thought.
Ami looked back at Ranma. "Did you really change into a girl?"
He looked around, then asked Usagi sarcastically. "Is there anyone else you wanna tell? I really hate telling this story."
Usagi went quiet and thought for a moment. "Well..." Ranma sweat-dropped. "We should probably tell Rei too, but she doesn't go here. Oh! And we should probably tell Haruka and Michiru, but they're upper-classmen and it would look suspicious for them to be seen talking with us at lunch."
Ranma looked at his unwilling fiancée. "Maybe I should just write it down and have it printed in the paper."
Usagi frowned. "No. That'd probably be telling too many people we don't want knowing about this."
After everyone picked themselves up off the ground and finished glaring at Usagi, Ranma started his story.
"I'm a martial artist; my pop is trying to make me the best in the world, so we've been on the road trainin' for the last ten years or so. The idiot took us to one particular training ground in China. This place has more than a hundred springs, and when you fall in one, you take the shape of whatever drowned there when splashed with cold water. Hot water changes you back." He sighed; he really hated this part of the story. "Well, we started sparrin' before we knew what would happen; I knocked the old man in the 'Spring of Drowned Panda.' I was so shocked when this big panda came at me that I froze; he knocked me in the 'Spring of Drowned Girl.'"
The girls all looked shocked. Ami spoke for the group. "That must have been horrible!"
Ranma accepted the sympathy. "Yeah, pretty bad. But it coulda been worse. I know folks cursed to turn into pigs and ducks and c-c-c-c-cats." He almost didn't get that last one out. Ami looked a little puzzled at his stutter, but let it slide.
Makoto thought a moment. "So what do you when you want to go swimming?"
He turned red and looked at the ground. "I gotta one-piece that I'm told looks quite stunnin' on me." He waved his arms in a panic. "Not that I'm some kinda pervert or anythin'. Just gotta dress accordingly." He looked around; all the girls looked rather stunned. "Why do you think I hate tellin' this to people. It's bad enough havin' to swim inna girl's suit without havin' folks who know I ain't a girl." He was staring at the ground again, looking rather put out.
Ami reviewed the conversation and turned to Usagi. "You knew about this? When did you find out?"
"Last evening. I was showing Ranma around when I spilled a drink on him -" She noticed Ranma's glare. "- or something. He told me about it then."
Ranma muttered under his breath. "After you stopped tryin' to kill me."
Makoto leaned over. "What was that?"
Ranma tried to look innocent as Usagi glared at him. She thought quickly. "These are my best friends... they, uh, know my little secret." The girls looked at each other questioningly.
Ranma looked around, then back at Usagi. "Great secret identity, Dumplin' Head. Just how many folks have you told? I have enough trouble with folks wantin' a piece of me without havin' to worry about your enemies too." Usagi was really giving him the evil eye.
The other girls all looked nervous. Minako asked, "Really? You, uh, know Usagi's little secret? How'd you find out?"
"Well, last night when she thr-" he noticed Usagi's face and changed his story a little. "- spilled her drink on me, she kinda freaked and transformed and tried to kill me."
The girls all looked shocked now.
Makoto turned to Usagi. "You tried to kill him?"
Usagi sputtered then threw up her hands. "Well, when you spend the last two years fighting youma and demons and droids and aliens and evil revolutionaries from the future, you kind of get stuck in the 'shoot first, ask questions later' frame of mind. How was I to know it was just a simple curse? Besides, he laughed at me!"
The others had the grace to look embarrassed.
Ranma looked around the little group. "So, now you know about me and have an idea why we'd just like to find some way to quietly break off the engagement. Ain't no sense in drawing any attention to things that ain't no one else's business."
The girls all looked around at each other and nodded. Ami spoke up.
"Okay, Ranma. We understand; we'll see if we can think of something. Usagi is our friend, and we want her to be happy. Please try to keep her secret; I think you can imagine what would happen if that got around."
Ranma nodded. "You have my word of honor." He noticed the hesitance in some of their eyes. "Hey, if I can keep quiet about a pig sleeping with my fiancée, I can keep quiet about this." He looked at the startled look in their eyes and laughed. "No, not Usagi; and no, you don't wanna know about it, even if I could tell you."
The rest of lunch passed in a strained silence.
Ranma was walking on the fence-top again as he followed Usagi home. Usagi gave him another glare.
"Just remember, it's your fault we got detention. I'm not going to take any of the blame for getting home late."
Ranma sighed and continued walking. At least one thing was constant in his life; no matter what, it was always his fault.
He jumped to the ground a short distance from the house and followed Usagi in.
Ikuko looked into the living room from the kitchen. "You're late. I hope you didn't get into any trouble." She was looking specifically at Usagi.
The girl shook her head and pointed at Ranma. "It was his fault; he made us late and we got detention. Oh, and he also got another for not being in uniform." She smiled smugly and headed for her room.
Ikuko sighed and shook her head at her disappearing daughter. "Sorry about that, Ranma. I keep hoping she'll grow out of it." She smiled at him encouragingly. "Tell you what - after dinner, we'll go shopping for a school uniform. Maybe a couple casual items as well."
Ranma managed a smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Tsukino." He dragged himself up the stairs towards the attic room he and his pop shared. He wasn't looking forward to the shopping trip. If there was anything he hated more, it was school uniforms. It was bad enough that he had had to wear one his first year of high school at the all boys school he attended with Ryoga; his curse made it that much more difficult. Maybe he should get a thermos while they were shopping.
Ikuko watched the boy slowly move upstairs and smiled. He seemed nice enough; maybe this arrangement would work out after all. She was about to return to the kitchen as a blur flew down the stairs and out the door. The sound eventually caught up with the blur.
"CCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Usagi came down the stairs at a more sedate pace, carrying Luna. She looked at her mom. "What was that?"
Ikuko looked at her daughter and shook her head. "I think it was Ranma. I guess he wanted to get some exercise before dinner." She went back into the kitchen.
Usagi walked over to the front door, looked both ways, then shut it with a shrug. She didn't have much time before she had to meet with the other senshi at the temple.
Ranma slowed eventually as his mind finally digested the fact that he was not actually being chased by the cat. He slowed to a stop and lowered his head. He hated this fear - almost as bad as he hated his curse. Damn the old man! He'd have to give him an extra pounding this evening to take the edge off his anxiety. He slowed his breathing and took a look around. He recognized the area from his little tour the other evening; good, he wouldn't need to ask for directions back. He started back a bit more cheerfully - until he rounded the first corner.
Minako was on her way to her study group with the other senshi at Rei's grandfather's temple. Unfortunately for Ranma, she was also carrying Artemis. She barely had time to recognize Ranma and call out a greeting before he disappeared. She couldn't believe how fast he moved. He was out of sight almost before she figured out he was moving, the sound dying as he moved away.
"CCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
She stared after him for a minute, then continued on her way.
Ranma was seriously considering simply leaving; leaving his pop, leaving the Tsukinos, leaving Juban. There were entirely too many c-c-c-c-c... those things for his well-being. It seemed that every time he finally got control back and stopped, there was another one. He was totally lost at this point. He hated having to ask for directions; it made him feel too much like Ryoga. He sighed and climbed the last few steps to the temple. He could probably get directions from one of the priests, and they wouldn't make him feel so stupid. He knocked on the door and waited.
The door opened and Ranma opened his mouth. There stood both Minako and Usagi, both holding -
"CCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
They watched Ranma as he quickly disappeared from view.
Minako looked awed. "Wow! He sure can run!"
Usagi glanced, puzzled, between Ranma's departing smoke cloud and the two cats. "What was that about?"
Minako shrugged and closed the door. The two girls walked back to Rei's room.
Rei looked up from her book as her friends came back in. "Who was that?"
Usagi spoke up. "Ranma. I was going to ask him to come in so you could meet him, but I guess he had to go."
Ami rolled her eyes. She had seen Ranma streak off from her place near the window; she had heard the cry as he ran; she had heard his stutter at lunch. She had all the clues she needed; she would need to talk with him privately later. She was certain this was something he would not discuss openly, but they would need to know about for Usagi's sake. In the meantime, she'd speak with Usagi about Luna until she could verify her hypothesis.
Ranma sat next to the table, twitching at every little noise as he ate dinner. Ikuko looked at him in concern.
"Are you okay, Ranma? You seem a little nervous."
He replied with almost too much animation. "I'm fine! Really... no problems here! Yep!" He jumped as he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
Usagi was watching curiously; she had left Luna in her room, as Ami suggested. If what her friend had said was true, she had a weapon in her conflict with her ersatz fiancé. She smiled.
Shingo watched Ranma anxiously. Something was wrong; whatever it was, it must be really bad. After what he'd seen in Ranma's workouts, if it could spook Ranma this badly, it would have to be truly horrendous.
Genma looked at Ranma in worry. Damn the boy! He better not spoil this. He obviously needed more time sparring.
Kenji tried not to look at anyone. Nope! There was absolutely nothing going on here. Just a quiet dinner.
Ikuko and Ranma stood in front of a rack of dress shirts like the kind he needed for his school uniform. He sighed as Ikuko pulled out a few different sizes for him to try. He was already holding a couple pair of dress slacks that had taken them almost half an hour to find.
Off to the side, Usagi held up a frilly dress. "Hey Ranma! What do you think of this?" She smiled evilly.
Ranma winced and looked away. Ikuko looked over at her daughter.
"That's nice dear, but you already have enough dresses."
Usagi smiled wider and put the dress back. She moved towards another rack of women's clothing. She had been teasing Ranma all evening and was in a very good mood. Her mom was right! This was a lot of fun! She looked at a rack of brassieres. She would definitely have to get Ranma's opinion on a couple of them.
Ranma moved off toward the dressing rooms, only to be intercepted by Usagi.
Ikuko looked to where her daughter was asking Ranma about a brassiere. She shook her head. She had no idea Usagi would take such a liking to the boy - now she was even discussing lingerie with him. She smiled at how embarrassed the boy was; he looked ready to bolt. She sighed and decided she would give Usagi that talk again later this evening. Better safe than sorry.
Usagi sat on her bed; she didn't think anyone could actually die of embarrassment, but she felt she was close. Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered the conversation she just had with her mother. It was enough to make her gag.
"I can't believe Mom gave me that talk." All the fun she had had at Ranma's expense had backfired on her.
Luna walked across the bed. "Well, you should have thought about how your mom would have perceived the way you were interacting with Ranma. After all, she is not aware of his curse. You were asking him about girls clothing, and you were the only girl there that she was aware of."
Usagi fell on her back and covered her face. "AAAAHHHHH! I just want to die... I've never been so embarrassed. She actually thought I would want to do - that - with him!"
Luna just smiled. Maybe this would teach Usagi the importance of examining her actions from every point of view before committing herself.
In the attic, Ranma was putting away the clothes they had purchased. He shuddered again in horror at the memories; how could girls find something like that - enjoyable? Add Usagi's blatant teasing to the whole experience and it was the perfect end to the worst day in his life. He frowned; well, the worst day that week.
And so ends Part 1 of Wild Horses and Rabbits Don't Mix. Will the Tsukinos learn of Ranma and Genma's curses? It's only been a day and a half, after all. Will the fiancées show up? They were pissed, but this is Ranma we're talking about. Will Ranma learn about the other Sailor Senshi? Will the Sailor Senshi learn Ranma's weak spot? Will Ranma dress up in a stupid disguise that fools almost no one? All this and more in Part 2.
More Author's Notes: I know that the NA sub of SM uses 'Meatball Head', but the proper translation is 'Dumpling Head'. I guess the idiots at D.I.C./Cloverway thought Americans didn't know what dumplings are; I think most of us do, so I'll stick with the proper translation. In case you are wondering, Eternal Sailor Moon has an attack that has no name which she uses a few times while battling Neherenia's shard-demons and mirror parodies. She just holds up the moon rod and beams of light shoot out; that is what she uses against Ranma in their fight in the park. Azabu-Juban is one of the three major towns in the Minato District of Tokyo, for folks who wondered about the reference to it in chapter one. I write the schools as Juuban because they are not named after the town; like many American cities, the schools are numbered, and Juuban simply means 'number ten'. Yes, Dumpling Head only cried once during the story; the fact of the matter is, I've seen quite a few SM episodes (making the Japanese warding signs) and Usagi can go quite some time without bursting into tears. I think many ff writers overdo it with Usagi's tantrums, much like they overdo Ryoga's (lack of) sense of direction. Ranma and Genma did get kicked out of both the Tendos and Nerima, but is it permanent? Many folks are very very very pissed right now, but they may or may not forgive them; that will be part of the story. Mamoru is off to America right now (part of the Anime, not the Manga), and may or may not be involved in the story. I haven't decided yet. Chibi-Usa is back home (Crystal Tokyo) and may or may not visit; I haven't decided that yet either. Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Even flames; if you can't stand the heat, you shouldn't be in the kitchen. Even professional writers get flamed, and to expect people not to flame part-timers like us ff writers is silly. Any ideas from suggestions that I incorporate into the story will earn a credit line. Some modification to the fight scene between Ranma and Eternal Sailor Moon after Ben Oliver complained it wasn't long enough. Thanks Ben!