My Life in the Garden of Rainbows

My Life in the Garden of Rainbows
Prologue
written by Mike Koos

From the journal of Misumi Nagisa:

     Uh... well, hi.
     My name is... 'Nagisa,' fourteen years old. But I used to be a guy named Ranma
until that stupid--
     Um.
     Mom's making me write this thing. I didn't even wanna do this at all, but Mom
said it'll help me deal with what happened or my feelings or... what did she say,
again?
     Until THAT place, I was living on the road with Dad, training in our family's
school of musabetsu kakutou every minute of every day. I never really thought about
Mom, where she was, if she was still alive. All I cared about was being the best
martial artist, anywhere.
     We were traveling the world, looking for the most difficult places to train,
ancient training grounds that put your life at risk, things like that. Never mind
that we only knew how to speak Japanese. Who needs to know what other people are
saying, to fight?
     Knowing other languages would've helped, wouldn't it?
     So, we cross into China, and end up in this old, foggy place hidden in a mountain
valley. It didn't really look all that dangerous or threatening to me - just a bunch
of pools with several bamboo poles sticking up out of each of them. Maybe Dad was
slipping, I'd thought, and wanted someplace safe for a change.
     The guy Dad hired to be our guide said the Japanese name for the place was "Jhusenkyou."
I don't remember what the Chinese name was. Probably should have.
     He kept insisting the place was dangerous, and forbidden. I couldn't see it
at the time. If that was true, how did Dad manage to get us in there? It was just
a bunch of pools! No cliffs, no real threats to worry about while we train...
     That was all we really wanted to do, not listen to the guy talk on and on about
the danger we were supposedly putting ourselves in, so Dad and I leapt out into the
fog and landed on the poles.
     We started sparring, like always, jumping from pole to pole. The first one of
us to make a mistake would end up falling in the water - still no big challenge.
     ...Until Dad went for a really cheap shot, wrapping himself partially around
me so that he could vault off me, shoving me down.
     That's when I fell in, and we learned about the curses. I landed in the pool
where a girl died long ago, so now, I'm a girl. Forever.
     I look a lot like Mom, but I didn't know that, then, and I wouldn't really have
cared. All I remember was wanting to... to hurt Dad. Very, very much.
     We stayed the night at the guide's place, a little house right on the edge of
that blasted training ground. The next day, Dad wanted to spar first thing in the
morning, like always, but away from the pools. So, our guide suggested another
place nearby - a tiny clearing within the forest, just enough flat land and a break
in the trees to let rapids through, on their way to a waterfall.
     In other words, just barely counting as a challenge, in Dad's view.
     But the curses or dark magic, or whatever, must cover the entire valley and the
area around it, instead of stopping at the pools, because...
     Dad landed on what looked like a large pile of mud, and from there, slipped forward
into the rapids. The water swept him away before I had a chance to reach him.
     Then the guide said that the stream eventually ended in that direction at an
eighty-three foot drop.
     We couldn't find him after that, near the top of the waterfall. Our guide kept
talking, sure Dad wouldn't survive the fall, or hitting the rocks or water. Dad could
somehow manage to weasel his way out of I've forgotten how many life-threatening challenges,
and the thought that he might want to run away or something after what had happened
to me the day before had crossed my mind. If we stayed there, he could always fall
into one of the pools, too, right?
     Near the base of the falls, we found a... found a lot of blood... all over some
rocks next to the water. Little shreds of white cloth - parts of Dad's gi, and glasses
were caught there as well.
     Even Dad couldn't... live through that.
     I'm not sure how much I remember about what happened after that. I know the
guide took me back to the house, tried to comfort me, then left to run some errands.
The sun was going down by the time I decided to go through our packs, get them ready
for travel.
     I figured I should go back to Japan. No idea what I'd do when I got there, but
why not at least go somewhere I know the language, or possibly even had relatives?
     The guide came back with some Chinese girls' clothes for me, but I told him no.
I did take the map to the nearest port he'd drawn up, though. Wasn't sure I should
tell him where I wanted to go - something about the way he'd been acting was weird.
Don't know what.
     By the time my ship arrived in Japan, I'd made up my mind to go ahead and find
whatever family I could. Living on the road's no big deal, but let's face it - sooner
or later, I would end up looking for another Master to train with. An important part
of my family's art is being able to adapt and use any possible style or school of
fighting; obviously, the more skill you have in those other forms and techniques,
the better you'll be as a fighter in the Saotome ryuu.
     It's also fun to watch the look on the other guy's face when you flow from one
school into a completely unrelated set of moves. To be honest, it was much like the
faces of the port authority when I went straight to them and asked if they could help
me find my relatives.
     At first, they wanted to think I'd just come from stowing away - but this time,
I had paid for the trip. Didn't have it in me to go through the hassle of stowing
away, even if it meant using up most of what little money I had left. And besides...
it felt weird thinking about doing it without Dad.
     They sent me to the police after that, and I got to stay at the station the entire
day. Well past midnight, too. My name and fingerprints were enough to track down
Mom, they said, though I never did find out if they believed any part of my story
about why I wasn't a boy anymore. There were a whole bunch of other tests as well,
like what they called 'DNA' and a lie detector-poly-whatever.
     Mom was there before I knew it. Dad never talked about her, so I didn't even
know I still had a mom. She'd gone back to using her original family name, and later
told me she was tired of accounting for whatever bad things Dad had done - that they
could link to him, anyway, and divorced him. On paper.
     Maybe that's why Dad avoided saying anything about her. Wonder what he thought
when he saw what I look like now - from the moment Mom walked in, a few of the people
there wouldn't shut up about the fact that I looked so very much like her. A younger
twin sister, a young version of her sent forward in time, or something.
     Sorry. I just get tired of people pointing that out all the time, you know?
     It took a long time to convince Mom I was me. Er...Well, the stuff in our packs
helped, too, things like a picture I had of Dad - had to have some way of tracking
him down if we were separated - all the things I'd written my name on, whatever important
papers were in Dad's bag, and so on.
     Finally, since they didn't want to keep me at the station, Mom agreed to let
me stay at her apartment until the results of all the other tests came back... and
when they did, the tests indicated Mom and I were an almost complete match. I was
Mom's... Mom's child.
     Mom said that because she's now Misumi Nodoka again, it's like she started a
new life. Me getting turned into a girl is sort of the same thing. I guess, so she
had my name changed. I've gotta go back to school, though, at some private academy.
I can NOT believe this is happening to me!!
     And I've got a little brother, too. Ryouta. Mom said she didn't know she was
gonna have Ryouta when Dad took me away ten years ago. I guess I like having a little
brother, but... Ryouta, if I ever catch you reading this, I will pound you!

     The alarm clock perched upon Nagisa's nightstand blared to life.
     Nagisa didn't respond at first, content to instead continue lying face-down on
her bed, head buried deep within the protection of a fluffy pillow.
     After a long minute of the rather irritating music, a lone pajama-clad arm shot
from under the covers toward the clock - the only sign that the girl was at all awake.
In what almost seemed to be a practiced maneuver, Nagisa deftly slapped the snooze
button and withdrew her arm.
     She had certainly had plenty of time to develop such a skill. Mom had purchased
the clock for her two weeks prior, insisting her daughter set the alarm for this time
each morning, so that Nagisa could become accustomed to waking up and preparing for
school - Nagisa's first day as a second-year, Sakura Class student at the Verone Girls'
Middle Academy was today, after all.
     It was primarily more of a safety measure, actually; Genma had ingrained the
need to wake long before sunrise in his son, at an early age. Nagisa's internal clock
continued the practice of waking her around five A.M. - however, without her father
to literally shove her into the day's exercises, she was discovering the pleasure
of what her mother called 'sleeping in.'
     Her alarm clock resumed blaring fifteen minutes later. Reflexively, she again
extended a hand to silence it... only to be interrupted in mid-reach.
     "Onee-chan," Ryouta insisted, shaking her by the shoulder. "Onee-chan! You've
gotta get ready for school!"
     Nagisa suddenly rose, her thick blankets clinging to her in an almost comical
manner. "RYOUTA...!!" An instant later, she had trapped the unfortunate visitor
to her room in a sleeper hold.
     Though it was hard to tell from the way they enjoyed antagonizing each other,
Nagisa honestly loved having a little brother. Family. Previously, she'd merely
had a father primarily in name, a strict sensei who only seemed to care about his
son's performance as a martial artist. Nagisa had no intention of forsaking her training,
but... why couldn't the old man have ever shown the slightest hint he cared about
his child outside the Art?
     Mother and daughter. Big sister and little brother.
     Ryouta was quite impressed by his sister's strength and martial-arts skill, but
there was no way she would ever use them against him in any of their 'arguments.'
Mom had used the word 'squabbling,' whatever that meant... To compensate, Nagisa
had adopted a few of the holds in that form of wrestling her little brother liked
so much. It was still somewhat unfair, of course, but given that Ryouta was just
as stubborn as she, any fight consisting of words alone could continue eternally.
     "All right, I give, I give! Let go!"
     She released him, allowing herself the pleasure of a victorious smirk. " I have
an alarm clock, you know."
     Ryouta gave her an incredulous stare. "Yeah, and I just stopped you from tryin'
to turn it off!"
     "I was gonna hit the snooze button! There's a difference!"
     "I'm afraid there isn't, dear," Nodoka corrected, stepping around her daughter's
bedroom door. "I told Ryouta to wake you up, because you cannot afford to miss your
first day of school, or be late. Now, make your bed and get dressed."
     She caught Nagisa's reflexive glance at the neatly-pressed Verone Academy uniform
hanging on the back of the door. Nagisa was far from excited about the prospect of
wearing the clothes, but the Academy's dress policy was absolute. At any rate, Nodoka
wasn't aware of any schools at Nagisa's level without a strict dress code. Certainly
none that would let the girl wear casual clothes to class. "Breakfast will be ready
in ten minutes."
     Nagisa hung her head, dejectedly. "Haaaai."

     Nodoka frowned as she watched her daughter - now wearing the Academy uniform...
my, what a shame it was she didn't have a camera handy; how many opportunities would
she have to see Nagisa clean and dressed like a proper young woman? - walk stiffly
into the kitchen. The girl proceeded to plop heavily onto her seat at the counter.
"Nagisa, I know those clothes fit you without any major problems. I made sure to
buy the correct sizes."
     Her only response was a grunt. "Nagisa..." She knew full well Ranma was still
adjusting to her new life as a girl, and Nodoka wasn't foolish enough to believe the
process would be quickly resolved. No, it could take months, maybe a year or more...
especially as changing genders had not been Ranma's choice.
     Nodoka vividly recalled her husband's words, on the very evening of little Ranma's
fourth birthday. That memory alone had always been enough to cause anger to flare
within her. At the time, Genma had done his level best to make sure he would be leaving
with their son, taking Ranma on a training voyage lasting who knew how many years.
He'd preyed upon her emotions, her sense of honor and - surprisingly - employed every
legality he was conceivably able to apply, primarily in the form of a contract.
     If, when Ranma returned home - assuming Genma had every truly planned for their
son to do that, rather than disappear to who-knew-where - Ranma was not a man inside
and out, so to speak... Ranma and Genma would be honor-bound to commit seppuku.
     The contract remained among Nodoka's possessions, if only for the fact that she
had forgotten where she stored it. Nodoka honestly did not care if the thing remained
buried; how could anyone believe she'd hold her child to such an agreement? Four
year-old Ranma had signed it as well, though Genma would have had to coerce little
Ranma into stamping a handprint upon the paper. Children couldn't legall be bound
by contracts even if they had actually signed the papers... could they?
     It had taken the news that she was carrying a second child, and Ryouta's birth,
to truly shake her from the depression into which she had lapsed after Genma's departure.
She still had no idea how she would find her husband and Ranma, much less convince
them to return home. Hire a private investigator, maybe.
     She forced her thoughts back to the present, pausing for a moment to watch Nagisa
silently and mechanically eat, her daughter's continued protest against the new uniform.
Genma had taught Ranma to eat meals quickly, whenever possible... who knew when they
would be able to find more food, or if they had to prevent someone - even each other
- from taking it.
     Now that Nagisa no longer had to worry about hoarding food, convincing her to
eat at a more sedate pace had been an easier task. But nothing would diminish the
girl's enthusiasm for meals - especially takoyaki. Nagisa absolutely loved takoyaki.
     In that regard, it probably did not help that a family friend - Fujita Akane,
who had graduated from the Academy, herself, about two years previous - ran a small
cafe specializing in takoyaki just outside the park, not three blocks away.
     A location that, as luck would have it, placed Akane's "Tako Cafe" conveniently
near the end of Nagisa's direct route home from school.
     Nodoka reminded herself to ask Akane just how much money her daughter was spending
at the Cafe. Hopefully, Akane wasn't spoiling her daughter with free food, either.
     "Onee-chan must be sick," Ryouta noted with an air of mock innocence. "She's
not eating like she usually does."
     In spite of the outburst Nodoka knew her son was trying to provoke, she hid her
smile. Perhaps a little bit of sibling rivalry was just the thing to trick Nagisa
into dropping her robotic act, better than any scolding or suggestions their mother
might make.
     "Huh?" Focusing more upon her would-be misery than anything else, the scarlet-haired
girl was slow to respond. "Hey, what d'you mean by that?"
     Ryouta turned his gaze to his food. "Nothing."
     "Oh, no you don't--"
     Briefly, Nodoka tuned the bickering out, recalling how... quiet breakfast had
been before Ranma's return. Ryouta's usual routine was to watch TV, eat, then get
ready for school and leave. Trying to hold a conversation with him was foolish; like
many children, Ryouta was forming the opinion that the less he spoke to his mother,
the better.
     Now, however, both her children were here, and her apartment once again sounded
alive. She'd imagined Genma bringing Ranma home, improbable a possibility as that
was, and their two children would play together, as brothers and friends. Yes, Ranma
had been transformed into a girl, and both she and Ryouta were older... but her fantasy
still largely remained intact.
     "Mooomm!!"
     The sounds of Ryouta struggling brought her attention back to the present. Nagisa
was straining to hold her brother in a double arm-lock from behind, Ryouta's mop of
chestnut hair swinging every which way as the boy tried to wrench himself free. "Well,
Nagisa," she announced, wryly, "that uniform can't be all that stiff or bad if you
can torture your brother while wearing it, hm?"
     The girl's eyes widened, and in an instant Nagisa was back on her seat, sullenly
finishing off the rest of her breakfast. Nodoka chuckled.
     Time to change the subject. "Are you sure you know the route to the Academy,
dear?"
     Nagisa appeared to be contemplating her doom. "...Yes," she exhaled at last.
"Besides, Rina and Shiho said they'd meet me halfway."
     "I suppose I don't have to worry, then," Nodoka replied, smiling.
     "Mom!"
     Nodoka retrieved the lunches she'd prepared for her children, and pushed them
across the counter. "Here. Nagisa, you should probably leave soon, just to be safe.
The Academy is a fair distance away." Her first choice would have been for Nagisa
to walk with her brother, but while Ryouta's school was only two blocks away, Verone
Academy was a good fifteen to twenty minutes' travel on foot in almost the completely
opposite direction.
     She had to commute to work about ten minutes after her children left for the
morning, herself.
     At least Nagisa had made some friends, particularly a pair who went to the same
school. She'd assumed Nagisa would keep to herself and brood for some time, as a
result of what had happened to the poor girl. However, her daughter was more resilient
than she had expected - either that or Nagisa was incredibly skilled at putting up
a front and hiding her feelings - and was already socializing, although Nagisa claimed
she wasn't sure how the pair had become her friends.
     Rina and Shiho did seem responsible enough for young women their age, if enthusiastic...
especially Shiho, who had an unusual habit of repeating words a few times when excited.
Oh, Nodoka mused, if only she were that age, again, had all that energy and youthful
enthusiasm... She sighed.
     "Mom? Is something wrong?"
     "It's nothing, dear." Nagisa could be remarkably observant, at times. There
must have been some hint of emotion in that sigh for Nagisa to detect. "Just thinking
about how I have to go to work, soon." She considered reinforcing her words with
another smile, but thought better of it.
     "Oh. Okay." Her daughter's tone and expression implied she wasn't entirely
convinced, yet was willing to let the issue drop.
     Again Nodoka wondered if Nagisa was truly ready to face the life of a girl
at school, much less the Verone Academy. Perhaps she was worrying far more than she
should... well, that was her right as a mother, and Nodoka wished she had the chance
to stay with her child throughout the entire day, make sure everything progressed
without problems.
     Yes, this was Ranma, who had endured several years of training in who knew what
kinds of locations and conditions with Saotome Genma as a teacher. What was the daily
life of an Academy schoolgirl to one who had survived that?
     Genma had clearly kept his would-be contract in mind when raising Ranma, and
done his level best to ensure Ranma fit the elder Saotome's image of a man - attempting
to build the boy's ego and masculine self-image higher than they could possibly go.
Strength and skill were the only things that mattered, and a girl was too weak and
light-headed to ever truly achieve such goals...
     Thank goodness all of that wasn't completely set in stone in Ranma's mind. Another
few years of reinforcement, and it would have been a large part of the person Ranma
was... the way he thought, behaved, and socialized with others. How might that older
Ranma have reacted to being cursed at that time, to becoming a girl?
     Ranma understood, now, that being a girl did not mean she had to abandon the
individual she had been, or act in a completely opposite manner - though it had taken
a handful of real-life examples, people who didn't fit her father's stereotypical
view of women, to help convince her. Nagisa could still be a martial artist - the
world's best, if she so desired. As a result, Misumi Nagisa was quite the tomboy...
an energetic one, at that.
     However, as a girl, Nagisa had to know how and when to act like a girl, and add
that to who she was. To that end Nodoka had hedged her bet by explaining it in terms
of the martial arts; all Nagisa had to do was think of it as another technique she
had to learn, possibly master.
     Nagisa's two new friends had even been recruited to help. They had given Shiho
and Rina a mildly-edited version of Ranma's history: Nagisa's father had taken her
away from home and her mother at an early age, before Ryouta's birth, and attempted
to raise Nagisa as a boy. When her father had perished in an accident during a trip
to China, Nagisa returned to Japan on her own, searching for her relatives... and
ultimately located her mother.
     It was easier to believe Nagisa was a girl who had been raised as a boy, rather
than a boy magically - and permanently - transformed into a girl slightly more than
a month ago. And while being a tomboy was more acceptable in the present day as opposed
to when Nodoka had attended the Academy, there were still boundaries, as one would
expect.
     Nodoka waved good-bye to her children as they left for the morning. With any
luck, the three girls wouldn't need to perform damage control...

     No matter how often she chose to lose herself in the scenery, Nagisa thought,
idly keeping an eye on her surroundings as she walked, there were always interesting
and new things to see.
     She'd never had the time to simply appreciate Nature. Training was all that
mattered, every hour of the day... and one's only concerns with the environment were
how it contributed to or hindered a fight. Whether or not an attacker might choose
to launch a surprise assault upon you from the cover of the trees.
     There were, certainly, a number of disciplines that taught contemplation of Nature
as a means to help attain peace, but while her father hadn't outright dismissed it,
the concept was utterly incompatible with his own teachings.
     Ranma had therefore learned different, less-standard means of attaining his center.
     Admittedly, she had found it easier to calm herself, somewhat, by merely watching
the world progress around her... though that only soothed a fraction of the apprehension
she now held.
     Nagisa had prepared for this morning well in advance, as much as she possibly
could. An afternoon spent working out the routes to and from the Academy, all committed
to memory... for what? To feel her dread increase with every street she cleared?
     She wouldn't have any foreseeable problems hopping from roof to roof, or running
atop the walls bordering the streets - except Mom had reminded her she shouldn't be
drawing attention to herself, and bounding about above everyone's heads while wearing
a dress or skirt, such as the one that was part of the hated Verone girls' uniform,
would definitely... make someone notice. Heck, Mom had also explained why taking
such shortcuts as a boy wasn't necessarily a good idea, either. So. Save that tactic
for emergencies, then.
     Besides, it wasn't as if she wanted to give any of the perverts out there a 'free
show,' as she'd heard someone describe it on television. She had no idea how to deal
with boys who fit that category, yet, aside from pounding them. And Nagisa was willing
to bet her mother would not be happy if she resorted to violence.
     So, how did 'normal' girls contend with perverted boys?
     "Nagisa!"
     Huh? Her train of thought brought to an unanticipated halt, Nagisa started.
Oh, right. She'd been preoccupied enough to almost miss noticing her friends' approach.
"Uh... ah, Shiho, Rina-chan!" she greeted the pair as they fell into step beside
her.
     "So, you ready for your first day?" Rina asked, a knowing smirk curling the
left side of her lips upward.
     Nagisa stared at her. "Why do you keep asking me that?"
     "Because, because, because!" interjected Shiho, the normally-exuberant girl's
expression almost mirroring Rina's, "We know how... forgetful you are." She grinned.
     "I'm not forgetful." Nagisa snorted.
     Rina-chan, to the rescue. "Not always. But, you do tend to wait until the last
minute to do anything, and sometimes, you do forget to finish things."
     "I don't forget," the other girl insisted. As if to prove her point, she raised
her bookbag into view between them. "And yes, I finished all the paperwork and the
report they wanted me to do."
     Shiho made a face, except that did little to counter her cherubic features.
"I still can't believe they assigned you a three-page report before you even started
class."
     "I can," Rina said, sighing. Placement tests aside, the Academy did its best
to ensure every student was a well-adjusted, sociable and learned young woman. Not
even Yukishiro Honoka - who was undoubtedly the brightest member of their homeroom
- could escape that fate. Honoka hadn't been in many of their classes in previous
schools, though Rina recalled the prodigy being rather withdrawn and keeping to herself,
at first. There were quite a few of those who'd called Honoka 'Princess' and made
fun of her at that time, simply because the Yukishiros were a fairly well-to-do family...
that, and bullies always preferred to go after anyone who was less likely to fight
back.
     As for Nagisa, on the other hand...
     Rina couldn't imagine a bully picking on young Nagisa... for long, anyway. It
was easy to picture Nagisa as a little girl, thoroughly enjoying a game of soccer
despite being the most dirtied and bandaged player on the field.
     Their new friend was definitely a tomboy, possibly even a polar opposite to Yukishiro-san,
come to think of it. Rina wondered what the Academy and Nagisa would make of each
other.
     "So, Nagisa..." The slight hint of bemusement hadn't left Shiho's voice, Rina
noted. "What two electives are you gonna take?"
     Oh.
     Nagisa's cobalt eyes widened. "Electives...?" She paled.
     "See? You did forget something, didn't you? Didn't you?"
     "...Shut up. I haven't made up my mind yet, and I--"
     "Forgot?" asked Shiho.
     "Thought you could put it off?" Rina contributed.
     Nagisa met her gaze for a second, then nodded. "I just don't know what I should
take, and I don't wanna leave the decision up to Mom or you guys - I want to take
things I might like." Oh, how much easier the choice would have been if the Academy
offered anything at all related to the martial arts! Shouldn't the school at least
offer an introductory judo or kendo class? What was wrong with them?
     "Well... it is almost the middle of the semester," Rina admitted, the words
allowing Nagisa a minute glimmer of hope. Maybe all of the electives were full and
couldn't take any students... "I don't believe there are that many openings available."
She smiled. "But, don't worry! We've still got a couple seats open in Chorus!"
     "Ch-ch-ch-chorus!?" Nagisa stammered, growing even more pale. "You mean, singing
and all that stuff?"
     Shiho's head bobbed in an energetic nod. "Yup, yup, yup! Rina-chan and I are
both in the choir, so you'll know people there. Besides, I think your voice would
be great for it!"
     The scarlet-haired girl buried her face in her hands. "I can NOT believe this!"
She groaned.

     In Nagisa's opinion, despite the amazing vastness of the Academy grounds, there
really wasn't anything that differentiated this school from any other she'd seen.
They were all unremarkable large buildings with metal-and-brick walls, countless
winding corridors which didn't exactly lead anywhere, and many, many windows.
     She understood the importance of learning, of being tested. Saotome Genma had
been a teacher, instructing young Ranma in what he believed was the way to become
the best martial artist in the world.
     Of course, the old man's methods of teaching wouldn't work for many of the classes
on this campus. Nagisa had to chuckle at the image that brought to mind - her father,
wearing a suit, waking some poor student at four or five in the morning and running
them through the wringer... all for the sake of an algebra lesson.
     "What're you thinking about?"
     Nagisa frantically shook her head. "N-nothing! Nothing at all!" She laughed,
nervously placing a hand behind her head. Even if her friends were aware of her past
- okay, a carefully modified version of it - that wasn't any reason to tell her friends
every single oddball thought passing through her head...
     "So, you must be Misumi Nagisa. You've kept me waiting for quite a while, you
know."
     "Eh?" Nagisa spun around, Shiho and Rina quickly following suit.
     A girl was leaning against the brick boundary wall, a few steps from the main
entrance gate to the Academy grounds, through which they'd just passed. Blue eyes
met brown... and immediately, both recognized that the other girl was appraising her
as a fighter. Nagisa steeled herself. "Who are you?"
     The girl pushed away from the wall, her waist-length fall of black hair sliding
neatly back into place. "I'm Tendo Akane. The best martial artist in the entire
district." A dismissive tone was already starting to filter into her voice. "I heard
you're a martial artist, too, Misumi. If you're good enough to give me a challenge,
maybe I'll let you join the martial-arts club."
     "There isn't a martial-arts club," Rina pointed out, her patience wearing thin.
No official Academy-sanctioned club, anyway. For all however much training Nagisa
had, or she was an incurable tomboy, she didn't deserve to end up joining forces with
a full-of-herself bully like Tendo.
     Honestly! Just because the girl's family had some wealth of their own to call
upon, and Akane was skilled enough that the only ones who wanted to fight her were
the Kunou siblings...
     Except both Kodachi and Tatewaki, who attended the neighboring Verone Boys' Academy,
behaved as though they weren't entirely aligned with reality.
     Just as Akane rounded on Rina, preparing to argue her case, a piercing, hollow
laugh echoed throughout the courtyard. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-HOOO!!"
     Another girl gracefully alighted between Rina and Akane, much to the annoyance
of both. Should've guessed she'd show up, Rina thought with a wince. Don't tell
me SHE'S here to recruit Nagisa, too?
     "Tendo Akane. Surely, a commoner such as yourself realizes it would make infinitely
more sense for Misumi to join my squad of gymnasts, rather than lower herself to the
level of a pitiful street brawler." Nagisa stared at the taller newcomer, unsure
whether or not she should feel offended.
     Yes, Ranma had participated in the occasional street fight or tournament, though
- generally - only for the money. While it was true that she'd been taught to never
turn down a challenge, neither she nor her father trolled the streets or seedy areas
of the world seeking fights.
     Akane grit her teeth. "Shut up, Kodachi! I--"
     "I have not given you permission to address me by that name, Tendo," Kodachi
demurred, folding her arms. The hint of amusement evident in her eyes implied this
was a fairly common argument.
     Kodachi wore her neatly-permed ebony hair tied back into a high ponytail with
a simple, thin ribbon... unlike Akane, whose large, decorative bow appeared more an
afterthought than anything else.
     "Whatever, Kodachi. You can't take her - you've got no openings on the squad."
     "Ah, but considering we are a legitimate club - unlike others I shall not hesitate
to mention - I can always petition for as many openings as I desire!"
     By now, both rivals were nearly standing toe-to-toe, Kodachi looking down upon
Akane by virtue of being almost a full foot taller than her.
     "As if Misumi would want to join a group of no-skill cheaters!"
     Nagisa was beginning to feel what just had to be a migraine settling into place.
"Ano..." Must be polite. Mom said I should be polite.
     "So," Kodachi allowed herself a slight smile, an act which made the haughty expression
she wore appear all the more sinister. "You admit to your shortcomings."
     "You always manage to get your opponents to forfeit before the matches! Everyone
KNOWS you cheat!"
     The insane laugh, again. "Clearly, Tendo Akane, you need to actually read a
dictionary, not break them with your head! The only thing of which I can be considered
guilty is being eager to finish a match before the appointed time!"
     The heck with being polite, decided Nagisa. Wasn't the choice hers to make?
These two wanted to... to recruit her for their clubs or whatever, without even asking
her? Ignoring her?
     She took a deep breath, intent on letting the duo hear her side of the argument
- loudly, and regardless of whether they wanted to listen to her or not - until Rina
hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth.
     "Don't," Rina hissed in a low voice. She lowered her hand only to loop an arm
around Nagisa's, and motioning for Shiho to do the same with their friend's other
arm. "You're better off staying far from away both of them. Now, we'd better get
going. If you're late on your first day, your Mom'll kill all three of us."
     Nagisa kept her eyes fixed on Kodachi and Akane as her friends dragged her from
the scene. The two continued to trade insults, completely oblivious to everyone and
everything else, including the fact that the girl over whom they'd been arguing was
no longer there. Or did they care?
     "Rhythmic gymnastics doesn't even offer any skills you can use in the real world!"
     "And they think I'd wanna join either of their clubs?" Nagisa asked, not expecting
an answer. Still, at least Akane had a point - martial-arts training was far more
useful no matter the situation.

     Darkness.
     The somewhat stocky man who had inexplicably managed to cram himself within a
cold and cramped metal cabinet uttered a soft curse, then decided to chance calling
forth the tiny flame of his cheap butane lighter.
     Naturally, even at its highest settings, the flame would be quite far from able
to heat or light all of the impromptu bedroom, but... he'd have to make do. It wasn't
as if he had brought a blanket, unfortunately. That had been one of the supplies
he'd abandoned with his previous pack, and hadn't had time - or the money - to replace
everything.
     Worse, he'd forgotten to pull out his lighter before shoving himself into the
cabinet, which translated to nearly ten minutes of trying to get into his pack, much
less search for the blasted thing. He had had his previous pack for far too long,
and was used to his gear always being in a specific place. The stupid pockets didn't
even match!
     Genma extinguished the lighter, quietly sighing. Better to conserve the gas
- who knew how long he'd be out at sea?
     What had happened to the boy, he wondered?
     Boy OR girl, Ranma was his child, his blood... and while he did harbor a regret
or two about faking his death and leaving Ranma with their guide at Jhusenkyou, there
simply was no point to having the girl tag along on his voyage, any longer.
     No reason to continue training... her.
     He'd made so many promises that hinged upon Ranma being a boy, gambled life and
honor... especially the arrangements with Soun and Nodoka. Ranma certainly couldn't
fulfill those as a girl!
     So, Genma had bribed the guide to play along with his scheme, and afterward,
help Ranma on her way. Wherever the girl went from that point, he didn't care.
     At worst, she'd foolishly decided to return to Japan - and somehow run afoul
of her mother, who would immediately demand that Ranma commit seppuku, per their agreement.
     Still, there was the chance that Ranma's story would reach Nodoka, the Japanese
authorities... or both, and he was now legally dead in Japan.
     That alone removed several of his problems, nicely.
     Though he was smart enough not to show his face in Japan for some time, regardless
of his legal status, Genma simply wasn't the type to remain in one location for long.
A true martial artist dared not let the challenges become routine, after all. Therefore,
he had stowed away aboard a ship eventually bound for Indonesia. Who knew what dangers
he might encounter there, or powerful techniques to add to the Saotome school?
     What self-respecting martial artist didn't throw himself face-first into the
harsh, perilous unknown?
     Remaining hidden in a small steel cabinet for several days was nothing for
someone with his level of training. He didn't even have to wait for the ship to reach
its ultimate destination, for that matter... as long as he could test his limits,
leaping off the ship in the middle of the voyage was a perfectly acceptable option.
     One corner of Genma's mouth turned upward in a smirk. Yes, he'd leave Japan
and China behind for two or three months, maybe more... but then he would have to
return.
     There was no way around it. The agreements with Nodoka and Soun be damned, along
with whatever record he had - the Saotome school of musabetsu kakutou was definitely
going to have an heir, no matter what!

Yes, this is an experimental crossover. :)

With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko and the creator(s) of Futari wa PreCure. ^_^;

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