I figured I'd take another shot at the Ranma/Claymore genre. This will follow a very different plotline than my previous attempt. All names will be given in the western form: Ranma Saotome versus Saotome Ranma owing to the lack of surnames for Claymore characters. Also my own laziness. Japanese honorifics will be few and far between. Vaminos!

Day 1:

"Soun Tendo?"

Two girls stood on the doorstep, backed by a panda standing on its hind legs. All three were soaked from the rain and after only a moment he recovered his grace. "Yes that's me, why don't you come in out of the rain." The odd group (including the panda) shuffled past him as he held the door open. The elder girl appeared fifteen or sixteen, clad in oversized Chinese silks and sporting red hair that likely came from foreign blood. Blue-gray eyes peered from a soft face at odds with the shadows in their depths. The younger girl was no more than a child but her pale emerald eyes showed the same pain as that of her senior. Her face was more angular, but though her reddish-brown hair was less vibrant the tint was uncommon enough that they were likely sisters. Their behavior certainly suggested it was the case, the nine-year-old standing firmly against the side of the other girl, dwarfed by her height though Soun doubted the girl was an inch over five feet tall.

"Who is it Dad, is it Ranma?" Nabiki came around the corner, followed by Kasumi and a scowling Akane.

"N-" Soun was cut off as the Panda shoved Ranma out in front of his three daughters.

"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this." The auburn-haired child started to bow in perfect synchronicity with Ranma until the panda halted her with a paw on her shoulder. Genma, currently that selfsame beady-eyed panda narrowed his gaze but the Tendos had seemingly not noticed any strangeness about the girl as of yet, all their focus currently on Ranma.

"Daddy you engaged us to a girl!" cried Akane.

"I'm sure Genma said he had a son..." said the rapidly wilting Mr. Tendo.

"Does this look like a guy to you?" Nabiki poked at Ranma's breast only to have her hand grasped in the redhead's frighteningly firm grip. There wasn't enough pressure to hurt her but it felt as if moving a boulder would be easier than prying this girl's hand off her wrist, but as quickly as Ranma had grabbed her she was released.

"Please don't touch me."

Soun felt a twinge of fear. Not so much for his daughters, for the girl seemed peaceful enough, at least for Nerima, but for the girl's true identity. Her ki was oddly difficult to read, the girls' sister likewise, but with speed like that she was surely a well-trained martial artist. He would need to see her fight to be sure she was trained in Anything Goes but it was becoming more and more likely she was indeed Genma's daughter. Inwardly he prayed that she had a twin brother with the same name.

"Nabiki, play nice," said Kasumi.

"Sorry about Nabiki. My name's Akane and that's Kasumi," she said, gesturing. "What's the little one's name?"

"Clare." Soun frowned. Red hair and now the younger sister had a foreign name Were they Genma's kids or not? From what he recalled of his brief encounter with Genma's wife she had been very traditional.

Akane was a bit put off by how cold the two seemed but hopefully they'd cheer up soon. "Did you want tea?"

"The water is still heating," said Kasumi, "another five minutes and it will be ready."

"Oh." Akane readjusted her gi and an idea came to her. "Did you want to see the dojo? You're trained in martial arts, right?"
Ranma was faintly surprised she even had to ask about her training. Soun at least seemed to recognize that she was not to be trifled with. "Maybe later I'll go take a look. Me and the fat panda behind me have something to show you." A wooden sign smacked her head. [Respect your elders, boy!] Ranma just calmly smoothed her hair, faintly amused at the Tendos reaction to her father's antics. "Kasumi, can you bring the hot water? Even if it's not boiling it should be hot enough now."

Kasumi shuffled off, a blank mask of a face firmly in place as she came back with the tea kettle.

"Thanks." Without any further ceremony Ranma dumped its contents over herself and her father, returning them to their normal forms. For one blissful moment their was only surprise as Soun's knees wobbled and his daughters clung to each other for support to keep from fainting. Then came the judgment.

"Genma! Son-in-law!" Mr. Tendo hugged the two of them in turn but over his shoulder Ranma could clearly see the girls faces. Akane burned with rage, Nabiki continued to blink as her worldview changed, and Kasumi... was that fear he saw? 'Perhaps I truly am a monster and a freak.'

"I guess our fiance's just another pervert," commented Akane.

Ranma and Clare's hands tightened in unison before he forced himself to relax. "We were cursed at Jusenkyo. Cold water transforms us and hot water changes us back.

"And Clare?" asked Nabiki. "Does she turn into anything?"

Ranma caught his father's eye before responding. "No. She's normal."

Soun nodded his head before clapping Ranma on the shoulder. With effort he resisted the urge to throw the man's hand off of him. "This curse doesn't seem so bad. Go ahead and choose who you want as your wife."

"He wants Akane," said Nabiki.

"Definitely Akane," seconded Kasumi.

"Hey!" yelled Akane.

"Perfect, it's settled then. Akane and Ranma will be wed and unite the two schools of Anything Goes."

"I don't think-" started Ranma.

"There's no way I'm marrying that idiot!"

"I still don't think this is a good idea," said Ranma.

"Nonsense my boy!" shouted Genma. "This is perfect, we can have the wedding this Sunday!"

"Papa don't you think it would be better to let them get to know each other a bit first?" interjected Kasumi.

"Perhaps you're right. A month for Ranma to woo her could be a good thing. They can stay in the guest room."

"A month!"

Soun began to sob. "Oh my darling child is so eager to be married. A week it is!"

"That's not what I meant!" cried Akane.

"Is it alright for Clare to sleep in the guest room?" asked Kasumi. "Maybe she should sleep in Akane's room."

"She's fine with us," replied Ranma quickly.

"Doesn't she ever speak?" Ranma felt himself sweat under Nabiki's inquiring gaze. Cautiously he let his face relax even as Clare's eyes came to life.

Clare, as the body was called, stepped up to Ranma's side once more, waist-long hair tickling her neck as her senses came alive. "I'll be okay in the guest room, don't worry about it. Do you have a bath? I'm a bit chilly from the rain."

"Oh you poor dear," said Akane. The same mothering instincts that had killed her pet goldfish were in full force. "I was about to take a bath myself, why don't I show you to the furo." Her hand reached out for the girl's only to have Ranma shift Clare behind him. "Hey what gives?" She reined in the impulse to smack the pervert.

"She doesn't like bathing with others, we can all wait until you're finished." Akane frowned, suspicions forming. Finally she turned away and made her way upstairs.

Kasumi was vaguely surprised Akane hadn't offered to let Clare go first before shaking her head. "Why don't you three come with me. I'll set some more water to brewing and then find you some towels to dry off."

So ends Day 1

E gods. Using idiot instead of baka, it honestly feels slightly sacrilegious. Anyone guessed where this story is going as of yet? Somehow I expect spoilers will show up in the reviews... well, no worries.

I haven't really decided on a paring as of yet. I'd love to do a Riful/Ranma pairing if I can find a half-believable way of doing it, otherwise... maybe Galatea? We'll see. It's unfortunate but after reading like 1000 Ranma fanfics I've been poisoned against most of the original cast of characters. I think most 1000+ Ranma fanfic readers would agree with me that you can only keep the spark so long. I still can't believe that so long ago I was actually pro-Akane... Still, I don't intend to bash her, or anyone if I can help it. Akane is not unsalvageable, its just that most attempts to redeem her come across as rather high-handed considering what she's been through. "Be nice all the time!" when frankly speaking such a radical change in character is nearly impossible and an unfair thing to ask of her. Truth be told I think she'd fit fairly well with Ryoga, but not with Ranma, and the amount of effort it would take to make her fit well with him in an organic manner is more than I'm willing to give.