"Come out of that closet Ranma," Akane pleaded.

	"G'way," came the muffled reply.

	Akane lightly rapped on the door and sighed.  Soun and Genma 
stood outside, Soun in a mild state of shock, and Genma was 
occasionally interrupting Akane in an attempt to get Ranma to 
emerge.  Kasumi had followed Ranma's example and locked herself in 
her room.  No one had tried to get her out yet.

	Ranma, much to her displeasure, was not so fortunate.  You'd 
think they'd get the hint that she wanted to be alone from the way 
she had squeaked and hid in a closet.

	"Come on, boy!" Genma yelled.  "At least open the door so I 
can give this to you!"  He hit the on switch and buzzed for 
emphasis.

	"GO AWAY!"

	Akane turned to Genma.  "So it's some sort of magic curse?"

	Any theatrics that Genma might have been tempted to add in 
seemed hollow in the face of his condition, causing him to just 
sigh.  "Yes.  We fell in cursed water, and now we turn into 
girls."

	"And to turn back you have to..." she raised an eyebrow as 
Genma nodded.

	"So Ranma's really a boy?" Soun asked.

	Genma nodded again.

	"Changes nothing!" he declared.  "Ranma will marry Kasumi!"  
Although no one seemed about to object, Soun stalked off to 
prevent argument.

	Akane looked back at Genma.  "So you really have to..."

	"Yes."

	"-Every- time?"

	"Yes."

	"As a girl?"

	"Yes."

	"Even if you..."

	"FOR THE LAST TIME, YES!" Genma roared.

	"Geez, sorry.  Didn't realize you were so touchy about it," 
Akane replied.

	Genma growled softly at her, then left in search of his 
friend.

	Akane knocked on the door again.  "Ranma?  It's okay, 
they've both left now."  Silence was her only reply.  She tried 
again.  "Ranma?"

	"What."

	Akane blinked.  "They're gone."

	"So?"

	"Don't you want to come out?"

	"You're still there."

	Akane sniffed.  "Oh, please.  You don't have anything I 
ain't got.  Or that I haven't seen."

	Ranma groaned faintly.  "Oh, all right."  A few moments 
later the door eased open and Ranma stuck her head out the door 
and looked around.  She finally walked out, still naked.

	Akane handed her the vibrator, dropped in the mad dash away 
from the embarrassment.  

	Ranma accepted it dubiously.  

	"So tell me.  You were really just trying to change back?"

	Ranma looked at her like she'd grown a second head.  "Didn't 
you listen to anything my father said?"

	"Well, yeah, but it's kind of hard to believe.  Pretty cool, 
but hard to believe."

	"You saw him right?  He came in as a girl and is now a guy."  
Ranma pointed out.

	Akane thought to herself for a second.  "Well, she could 
have snuck out and your father sneak in."

	Ranma slapped a hand to her forehead.  "Gah!  Why!  Tell me, 
why would we do that?"

	Nabiki walked in from around the corner, saw her sister 
talking to their naked guest, eeped so quietly that a mouse 
wouldn't have heard her, and snuck back out.

	Akane shrugged.  "I don't know, but it's easier to believe 
than a girl turning into a guy after playing with herself."

	"Listen," Ranma said, exasperated.  "I'll lock myself in a 
room and I'll come out as a guy.  Will that satisfy you?"

	"Hmm, okay.  On one condition."

	"Fine!  Whatever!"  Ranma turned and started to walk away.  
Then something occurred to her.  "Umm, where...?"

	Akane shook her head.  "The guest room is this way.  Follow 
me."  She lead the way through the house to the guest room and 
opened the door.

	They both saw a pair of packs leaned against the wall, one 
of which appeared to have been dug through recently.

	"Hmm, so that's where she, I mean he, went," Akane mused.
	
	Ranma shook her head.  "Anyway, just leave me alone and let 
me change back."

	"Okay!" Akane bobbed her head in agreement.  "You won't even 
know I'm here."

	"Great."  Ranma turned and picked through her pack for a 
second, until something occurred to her.  "Wait, wait, wait a 
minute.  What do you mean, 'won't know you're here'.  Un unh.  
No."

	"But you—hey! What do you—HEY!  Leggo!"

	Downstairs, Soun was just cracking the seal on another 
bottle of cheap sake when he heard his daughter yelling in 
protest.  He paused as he heard a door slam, and Akane start 
beating on the door and yelling 'Not fair!  You promised!' 

	When he heard the faint buzz, something he'd missed earlier, 
he shrugged and poured a glass for his longtime friend.

	Genma nodded in sympathy as he and Soun started catching up 
on old times.

					****************

	Kasumi practically had to be pried out of her room, a task 
accomplished only by the comment, "I'm sorry Kasumi, dear, you 
seem unwell.  Maybe I should call the doctor..." 

	She, while not exactly meekly, complied with the request to 
meet in the dining room.

	When she arrived, she saw her entire family sitting around 
the table, in addition to Mr. Saotome and a strange boy she could 
only guess was Ranma.  The pervert.

	She sat down primly beside her father.

	"Kasumi," Soun began.  "As I'm sure you've realized by now, 
this is your fiancée, Ranma."

	"B—" she started.

	"SHH!" Soun interrupted.  

	"I—"

	"SHH!"

	"N—" she tried again anyway.

	"SHH!"  Soun waved his finger at her.  "I've got a whole bag 
of 'SHH' here with your name on it."  Seeing her settle back, he 
continued.  "Now, Ranma here suffers from a curse, much like 
Saotome.  As it has been explained to me, he turns into a girl.  
He must...  Umm..."  He blushed.

	"Play with himself?" Akane volunteered.

	"Ah hah, umm, yes, thank you Akane.  Yes, he must, to turn 
back into a boy."  Soun finished, grateful for his daughter's 
help.  

	"Soon, we will change back into girls.  Such is the curse of 
Jusenkyo."  Genma clarified, voice laden with woe.

	"Whaddaya mean, 'we'?  YOU will turn back soon.  I've lasted 
up to two days," Ranma said smugly.

	"Oh, so the boy thinks he's pretty good?" Genma countered.

	"Good at playing with himself?" Akane asked.

	"Well... Umm..." Ranma said as he realized what he was 
bragging about.

	"I knew he was a pervert from the minute I laid eyes on 
him," Kasumi muttered.

	"HEY!" Ranma protested, standing up.  "It's not my fault!  I 
didn't ask for this curse!"

	"Hmmph.  Typical sexist male, resorting to violent displays 
to show assertiveness over the 'weaker' female.  Pervert," Kasumi 
sniffed.

	Now, Ranma wasn't exactly the smartest guy in the room.  He 
could be down right dense at times.  So all he really understood 
out of that was the word 'pervert'.  

	Already standing up, he stepped closer to Kasumi to attempt 
to make his point clearer.  "Now wait just one—GLLK!" he  gasped, 
as Kasumi, naturally defending herself from the increasingly 
violent tendencies of this strange male, quickly punched him in 
the groin.

						****************

	"HAH!  Missed me old man!"  Ranma yelled.  "Or should I say, 
old woman?"

	"Laugh it up boy, your turn is soon," Genma-chan countered, 
leaping into the air in an all out assault on her son.  

	After a few more minutes of sparring, a bright, cheerful 
female voice intruded.  "Hey, that looks like fun!  Can I spar 
with you?"  Akane asked.

	They both paused and looked at her.  Genma looked doubtful, 
but Ranma smiled nastily in Genma's direction.

	"Sure Akane!  Why don't you show Pops that move you showed 
me yesterday?"

	"Really?  You liked it?" she asked, hearts already shining 
in her eyes.

	"Yeah, it was really something.  Show Pops," Ranma smiled, 
imagining his father being tied in a square knot.

	*GLOMP*

	"AHHH!  NOT ME you crazy chick! "

	"Sorry."

	Genma-chan snickered and left in search of breakfast.

	"Gah!  Lemme go!" Ranma protested, struggling.

	"But you wanted me to show your father..." Akane said 
defensively.

	"By grabbing him!  Not me!  Him!"  

	Akane slid up his side, keeping her grasp.  "But your father 
is a girl.  I'd much rather hold you..." she giggled as she began 
to rub one knee against his posterior.

	"PERVERT!"  *SMACK*  

	"Oww!" Ranma protested.  "Hey!"

	"Quit molesting my sister right now!  You, you womanizer!  
My fiancée is molesting my youngest sister!  FATHER!  I want an 
end to this engagement right now!" Kasumi yelled loudly, 
broadcasting to the neighborhood the events in the Tendo's yard.  
Or, at least, her version of them.

	"Hey!  It wasn't me!  She's the one that grabbed me!" Ranma 
tried to explain.  

	"Oh, sure!  Blame the girl!  It's always the girl's fault!  
YOU PIG!"  Kasumi wielded her broom expertly, and only Ranma's 
quick reflexes and Akane's help prevented the handle from jabbing 
into his face.  

	He quickly scrambled to his feet and backed away.  "No!  
You've got it all wrong!"

	"KASUMI!" Soun roared from the house.

	"Yes, father," she called.  Turning back to her sister who 
was laying on the ground, she said, "Breakfast is ready, Akane.  
And there is a place for you too," she spat, then walked back into 
the house.

	Ranma walked over and offered his hand to Akane.  "Geez, 
what's with her?"

	Akane shrugged and accepted his hand.  "You'll have to 
excuse her, she's really kind of nice.  She's just a violent 
maniac once a month."

	Ranma blinked, not understanding.  "Ah, I see."

	"Just wait a few days, she'll be as nice as can be," Akane 
said reassuringly, patting his shoulder.

	"I don't know," he replied doubtfully, staring in the 
direction of the house.  "YIPE!" he exclaimed, as Akane patted 
something other than his shoulder.

						****************

	A week later, Ranma glanced at Akane as they walked to 
school, more or less together.  "Hey, I thought you said your 
sister would calm down after a while."	

	Akane looked back at him.  "What do you mean?"

	"She's still kind of…  I don't know…"

	"A bitch?" Akane volunteered.

	Ranma winced.  "Yeah, kinda."

	"But has she hit you lately?"

	Ranma considered this.  "Well, she did throw the pan at me 
when I asked for seconds this morning."

	Akane rolled her eyes theatrically.  "Besides that," she 
replied testily.

	"And when she hit me with that broom for walking by the door 
to the bathroom when someone was in there."

	"Yeah, but her heart wasn't in it."

	"And—"

	"Oh, all right.  You've made your point," Akane cut him off.  
"Hey, did you change back this morning or last night?"

	Ranma blushed very faintly.  "This morning."

	Akane squealed and clapped her hands together.  "Great!  I 
thought you had took a long time taking a bath.  You and me are 
going to go see someone after school!"

	Ranma looked at her sideways.  "I am?"

	"Of course you are, silly, what else would you be doing?"

	Ranma shrugged.  Truth be told, he didn't have any other 
plans anyway.  "Who?"

	"I just met him yesterday.  His name is Ryoga." 

	"Hmm," replied Ranma, thinking.  That name sounds really 
familiar. Then he shrugged.

	"He's really nice, but a bit, ummm, slow?" 

	"Slow?" Ranma asked, stepping to the side as an old woman 
threw water on the sidewalk.  She didn't appear to have noticed 
him though, so he let it slide.

	"Yeah, he's just not that smart.  He even got lost on the 
way to the bathroom.  I mean, really.  And he's kind of shy, but 
is he built!  He seems friendly, and when he heard about you he 
wanted to meet you." Akane explained.

	Ranma looked at her carefully.  "Just what do ya mean, 
friendly?  I've seen your idea of friendship.  Just friends don't 
ask if you want to play 'strip twister'." 

	Akane looked indignant.  "It would have been good training!  
And fun besides."

	Ranma shook his head.  "I've never done that with any of my 
friends, and I don't know anyone who has."

	"I have!" Akane pointed out.  "With Sayuri and Yuka and Hiro 
and Dai."

	Ranma nearly choked at this mental image.  He was starting 
to get used to this young nymphomaniac wannabe, but he still felt 
a hormone surge and major lack of blood to his brain every time 
she said something really risque.  "With all four?" he sputtered.

	Hiroshi and Daisuke were the school jocks, horrible at 
martial arts but good at most sports, and they and their 
girlfriends were good friends of Akane's.  Ranma even seemed to 
get along pretty well with them, their easygoing attitude more 
than made up for their biker from hell appearance.

	Akane shrugged slightly.  "No, I really didn't play it with 
Them... Something about it not being fair to the rest of them.  
They let me watch though."

	Ranma shifted his posture a bit, easing a little pressure.

	Akane shifted her books to her other hand and paused in the 
middle of the sidewalk.  "I don't think it would have been unfair, 
really.  The object is to have fun, what does it matter that the 
winner gets to be on bottom?  It'd still be fun to lose," she 
complained.  "Just because I can stick my foot behind my head so 
far that I can reach..."

	Ranma's head swiveled, almost of its own accord, to watch 
Akane proceed to demonstrate exactly what she was talking about.  
Standing up.  In a skirt.  And a very very small amount of lace 
that could only be called panties if you were really generous.  
And the force of the contortions were causing them to strain 
and press very tightly against Akane's skin.  

	Across the street an old man had a heart attack, but he 
didn't care.

	*WHAM*  "Ooof!" Ranma said into the telephone pole.

	"Ranma?" Akane asked, easily bringing her leg down to stand 
on both feet.

	"Nng," he replied, peeling himself off the pole.  The entire 
time, his eyes never left Akane.  "Akane?" he asked.

	"Yes?" she replied, squirming uncomfortably.  "You know," 
she continued, hiking her skirt up in the front, "I really hate it 
when that happens."

	Ranma's train of thought having been derailed when she hiked 
her skirt up, all he could say was, "What?"

	"When I stretch too much, my panties ride up and I get a 
wedgie," she said as she hooked her thumbs in the vee of her 
panties and pulled them down to mid-thigh, exposing one 
tantalizing glimpse of blueish-black hair before her skirt 
fell to cover.

	Ranma's higher functions went offline and he felt a funny 
feeling in his head, his nose, and one place a bit farther south.

	Akane nonchalantly untwisted them and pulled them back up in 
a more comfortable position.  And them jumped with every ounce of 
strength she possessed to grab Ranma and hurl both of them out of 
the way as a car crashed into the telephone pole where he had just 
been standing.

	Akane naturally landed on top, but quickly got off and 
helped Ranma up.  He stared stupidly at the crash as Akane pulled 
a young man out of the car.  Other than a bad nosebleed, he seemed 
fine.

	Akane quickly made sure he'd be okay, then ran over to Ranma 
to continue to school.  Smirking to herself, she asked if he was 
okay.  

	"Uhh, that car just…  Yeah, I'm fine."  Ranma was slightly 
shaken over his failure to notice the car, but was actually 
starting to get used to it.  Things like that seemed to happen 
around Akane.

	"That's good," she replied, and bent down at the waist.  
"Why hello there!  Are you okay too?"

	Ranma scratched his head for a second, then slowly looked 
down.  A purple knob looked back from just over the ttop of his 
pants.  He blushedand quickly pulled his pants up higher.

	Akane just laughed and started pushing him toward school.  
If they didn't hurry they were going to be late.

	School the first bell had already rang when they made it to 
school, but they easily made it to class on time, boys scattering 
before them.  Even in that much of a hurry, Akane still made time 
to grab an ass or two as she passed if the owner wasn't fast 
enough.

	Ranma even saw Kuno Tatewaki as he was on his way to class 
with yet another girl by his side.  He waved politely and nodded 
at Akane, not breaking eye contact with Ranma.  Ranma shook his 
head, prompting Kuno to nod back.

	The first day Ranma showed up at Furinken, he witnessed one 
of the strangest things he'd ever seen.  The crowd parted and 
every boy ran from them.With a gleeful yell, Akane followed.

	Kuno was one of the first guys to notice Ranma, and to 
strike up a conversation.  Kuno was an okay guy, if a bit formal.  
Supposed to be some sort of hotshot kendoist, but Ranma had never 
seen him in a kendo uniform.  He felt that it was his duty as an 
upperclassman to warn Ranma about Akane.

	Since that time, Ranma had been told horror story after 
horror story, all centered around Akane and some luckless boy 
unfortunate enough to have disregarded the warnings and date her.  
No one would date her now, even though she was one of the better 
looking girls.  She was widely known as being seriously warped.

	As a social outcast, Akane tended to hang around with her 
friends Sayuri and Yuka, and their boyfriends.  

	About lunchtime, Ranma started wondering about Akane's 
friend they were supposed to meet later that day.  What type of 
guy did Akane like to hang around with, after all?  He looked over 
to where Daisuke had worked his hand under the shirt of Yuka's 
uniform, exposing a black leather bikini top.  Better not answer 
that, he decided.

	School dragged on through the rest of the day.  Nothing ever 
happens in Furinken unless Akane gets a date, or so the saying 
went.  By the end of the day even Akane's hyperactive zoom through 
the crowds had abated.

	They both filed out of the school grounds, Ranma more or 
less following Akane's lead as she headed for the meeting with her 
new friend.  

	"Tell me again," Ranma asked, "why am I doing this?"

	"Because you didn't say no," Akane pointed out.

	Ranma sighed.  "I knew it had to be something like that."  
He looked around with interest as they walked the streets.  "So 
where are we supposed to meet this person at?  What was his name 
again?"

	"His name's Ryoga, and he said I could meet him in the park.  
Where in the park he didn't say, but he said I'd recognize it when 
I saw it."

	"Ah.  Well, there's the park."  Ryoga, he thought.  That 
sounds really familiar.

	"Yup, lets go find him."

	They walked quickly through the park, occasionally climbing 
a tree to look around.  In the end, it was Ranma who spotted the 
sidewalk that was cracked for nearly 20 yards.  It looked like 
someone had done it with their fists.  His eyebrows rose and he 
started to have a sneaking suspicion of who he was supposed 
to meet.

	"Hey, Akane, I think we found him," Ranma asked, pointing to 
the sidewalk.

	Akane nodded.  "Yeah, I bet it is.  He's got to be around 
here somewhere."

	"RANMA!  PREPARE TO DIE!" yelled Ryoga as he jumped out of a 
tree to land in front of Ranma.

	"Oh, there he is," Akane said calmly.

	Ranma stared.  "Who are you?" he asked, dodging an attack.

	Ryoga roared in anger, swinging his umbrella in a short arc, 
followed by a jab at Ranma's head.

	Ranma danced around, generally just avoiding Ryoga's attacks 
as they warred through the park, smashing trees and breaking 
concrete.  Neither said much, other than the occasional grunt.

	Akane breifly fantasised that they were both fighting over 
who got to make love to her, and almost told them they could both 
do it to her at the same time before she caught herself.

	Suddenly, Ryoga stopped, eyes widening.  "Oh, no!  No!  NO!  
Not now dammit!" he yelled, confusing Ranma.

	Ranma had also stopped, but stood warily in a guard stance.  
He eyed Ryoga curiously.  "What, what's wrong?  Why are you trying 
to hit me?"

	Ryoga bent double, clutching his stomach, then straightened.  
Looking directly at Ranma, he yelled, "RANMA!  THIS IS ALL YOUR 
FAULT!"  Then he turned and ran blindly from the park. 

	Which was just great with Ranma, because he felt the first 
stirrings of the change, a kind of queasiness in his stomach that 
came a lot sooner than it should have.  

	"Uh, Akane?  I think I need to get somewhere real quick," he 
told her.

	"Changing back again?  Hmm, okay, I know a place.  The owner 
might even be able to help, he's some kind of expert on ancient 
medical techniques and stuff."

	"Whatever, lets just hurry," he gasped.  It was just as 
well, he thought, that he always had advanced warning before he 
was about to change.  It had really prevented some awkward 
situations.  Still, he could do without the sensation of his flesh 
trying to crawl.

	Akane grabbed his hand and dragged him quickly down the 
street, heading toward the local doctor's office.  It was a little 
past normal office hours, but the doctor wasn't exactly normal.

	He was cute, Akane reflected.  Just too bad he was totally 
obsessed with her oldest sister.

	They made it just barely in time, as they burst into the 
office and she shouted "Look at this!" to grab his attention.

	A young Chinese man with glasses pushed far up on his head 
looked over at them as Ranma shifted and twisted, shrinking and 
filling out his clothes in odd places as he became a she.

	"I'm sorry," the young man began, "but what am I supposed to 
be looking at?"

	Ranma-chan nearly face-faulted.

	One of the other little quirks of the local doctor, Akane 
mused, was that he was as blind as a bat.  She sighed.  "Never 
mind, Doctor Mousse.  Sorry to trouble you."

	Mousse lowered his glasses onto his nose and looked at the 
two girls that just burst into his room.  "Akane?  Is that you?  
Where is your lovely sister?"

	Just like Doctor Mousse.  Direct, unsubtle, and as annoying 
as hell.

	"She's at home, as always," Akane said tiredly.

	Mousse seemed visibly disappointed.  "Oh, I see.  And who is 
your friend here?" he asked, staring pointedly at his skeleton on 
a rack.

	Ranma stepped forward.  "Ranma Saotome, nice ta meet ya."

	"GAH!" Mousse screamed.  "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

	Ranma blinked.

	"Oh, this is Ranma.  She's staying with us for a while," 
Akane explained.

	"Only because of that stupid engagement…" Ranma muttered 
under her breath.

	"Engagement?" Mousse perked up.  "Really?  To who?"

	Akane's eyes widened, and she started to clamp her hand over 
Ranma's mouth, but it was too late.  

	"Kasumi—gllk!" she replied as Akane covered her mouth.

	"KASUMI!" Mousse roared.  "My love, betrothed to another?  A 
GIRL of all things?!  I will not allow such perversion!  Die 
Saotome!" he screamed, launching himself at his skeleton.

	Akane kept one hand over her face and the other over Ranma's 
mouth, as they both stood there mutely watching Mousse get 
hopelessly tangled in the skeleton and beat himself into 
unconsciousness.

	Akane dragged Ranma out.

	"To think, I used to have the hots for that man," Akane 
said, disgusted with herself.

	Ranma raised an eyebrow.  "What was that all about?"

	Akane let Ranma go and hugged her arms to herself.  "Doctor 
Mousse is an excellent doctor, but he's also obsessed with Kasumi 
and blind to all facts.  He spent years running off every possible 
boyfriend she might have had and generally making life miserable 
for her.  In fact, he might very well be the reason she hates 
men."

	Ranma resolved to do something nasty to the guy later.  So 
THAT was why Kasumi seemed to enjoy beating the hell out of him.

	"All that doesn't change the fact that he's got a nice bod, 
and has the prettiest eyes," Akane continued.  "I even grew my 
hair out long once, to try and make him think I was Kasumi.  It 
would have been a hell of a night..." Akane trailed off dreamily."

	"He didn't fall for it?" Ranma asked, unable to contain her 
curiosity any longer.

	"Oh, no, he fell for it.  Bad.  But then my damned long hair 
and his blind clumsiness got us wrapped up in that skeleton.  My 
hair got knotted around his throat until he passed out, and I had 
to cut my way free."  She fingered her fairly short strands of 
hair.  "I swore I'd never have long hair again."

Ranma searched for something to say.  Akane had this way of 
rendering her speechless, and now was no exception.  "Well, umm, I 
think short hhair looks nice on you," he stammered.	    

	Akane smiled.  "Thanks Ranma."  But then she pulled on her 
hair absentmindedly.  "Still, it would have been nice sometimes.  
I could have braided it into reins for my boyfriends if I'd have 
kept it long.

	It took Ranma a few minutes to figure out what she was 
talking about, but when she did, she choked.	

Akane thought for a moment.  "Ranma, why was Ryoga attacking 
you?"

	Ranma shrugged.  "I've been thinking about it, but I think I 
remember him now.  I thought he looked like a guy who I went to 
school with a few years ago.  If so, this is probably over the 
bread."

	"Bread?  You mean money?"

	Ranma shook her head.  "No, I mean bread.  It was a boy's 
school, and things get competitive there.  There were big fights 
in the lunchroom every day, as everyone tried to get the best 
food.  For some reason, me and Ryoga always squared off over 
something or another, and I always won."

	"Oh, he's mad because you grabbed the food first."

	Ranma nodded and shrugged.  "I guess, it's the only thing I 
can remember."

	Akane hit her.  

	"What was that for?" she asked, holding her cheek. 

	"Well, if I was Ryoga, I'd be mad too.  In fact," she said, 
her voice lowering sultrily, "I might just have you make it up to 
me."  Akane slid next to her and let one hand drift lightly down 
her arm.

	Ranma's pigtail stood on end.

					****************

	Ryoga didn't mind being lost, really.  What he really hated 
was his lack of a sense of direction, causing him to get lost at 
the worst possible moments.  Being lost wasn't so bad.  The worst 
part about being lost, he mused, was the lack of a decent place to 
sleep at night, like now.  

	He flipped five of his thirteen tentacles around into a more 
comfortable position and sighed, sending a stream of bubbles to 
the surface a foot above him.  This hot spring wasn't bad, but it 
was a long way from a comfortable futon.

	His curse wasn't exactly high on his list of favorite things 
either.  Dozens of springs at that Jusenkyo place, and he had to 
fall in the spring of drowned baby tentacle demon.  And for the 
life of him, he couldn't figure out how it had drowned.  He 
certainly wasn't having any trouble breathing water.

	Ryoga wished that guy at the valley could have taken the 
time to explain his curse better.  Somehow, he had a very 
different curse from the ones that were on the other pools.  For 
one thing, usually only people who drowned in the pools would 
change the curse, but an exception seemed to have been made in his 
case.

	Ryoga looked like a cross between an octopus and a squid, 
with an enlongated, bulbous head, huge yellow eyes and thirteen 
tentacles curled beneath him.  Usually he liked to wrap them 
around something, but the floor of this hot spring seemed 
unusually smooth.  The temperature was just right though, his new 
body had a higher temperature than a human and got cold very 
asily.

	He spent the night in relative comfort, putting off the 
problem of turning back to a human until later.  

	The next morning, Ryoga was rocked gently in his sleep as 
something large slid into the water next to him.  He blinked 
sleepily and saw light filtering down from above, flickering from 
the waves on the surface. 

	Ah, morning, he thought, swaying with the water.  That 
wasn't a bad night's sleep.  And today, I get to find Ranma and 
get my revenge!  Things are looking up for Ryoga Hibiki!  He 
stretched lazily, tentacles unconsciously wrapping around the 
nearest object.  

	A smooth, but warm and yeilding object that instantly 
stopped moving.  Ryoga opened his eyes fully and looked up.  That 
object hadn't been there before.  

	He had just enough time to take in the red hair, long 
pigtail, nice breasts, and huge eyes dialated in pure terror 
before the scream hit him.

	Ranma-chan surged out of the furo, frantically trying to 
scrape the still clinging thing off and screaming at the top of 
her lungs.  

	Unfortunately, under such an assault as this Ryoga's higher 
functions cut off and his body started operating on instinct.  And 
its instinct was to cling tightly to Ranma's leg.

	"AHHHHHHHGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOOOOFFF!"

	Most of Ranma's higher functions were offline as well.  She 
ricocheted around the room a few times before smashing through the 
door and running through the house.  

	Kasumi was very nearly run over by Ranma, but was able to 
avoid getting flattened by ducking to the side and sticking her 
broom out, sending Ranma flying.  Pulling the broom back from her 
pose, she noticed something weighting the end down.
	
	"AHHHH!" she screamed, shaking the broom around to throw off 
the vile monstrosity.  "Die foul demon!"

	"Kill it!" Ranma volunteered helpfully from her huddled 
position around the corner.
	
	"Nglurr ick ick!" Ryoga slurp-clicked negatively.  After a 
few swift knocks to the head from being swung into the walls and 
floor, Ryoga let himself be flung from the broom, scrabbling madly 
to get way from the crazy woman.  Naturally, he darted around the 
very corner Ranma was hiding behind.

	"NO!  Get away from me!" Ranma screamed, darting away.  	

	The mad chase tore through the house, literally, as the thin 
paper doors gave way under the onslaught.  Finally, Ranma was 
forced to come to a halt as she ran straight into a much more 
substantial wall.  With the monster right behind her, she spun and 
backed away until she wasn't able to go any farther. 
	
	Ryoga screeched to a halt just before he ran into her, 
thanks to the excellent traction provided by his tentacles.

	Faced with something straight out of her worst nightmare, 
Ranma's frantic screams quickly degenerated into terrified 
babblings.

	Kasumi wasn't exactly coherent either, most of her comments 
would have made sense only to Freud, and her face was twisted into 
a snarl.  Kasumi was about to jab at Ryoga again when Akane, 
having followed the noise, stepped in front of her and grabbed her 
arm.

	"Kasumi!  You'll hit Ranma!" she yelled.

	Kasumi growled but relented.

	Akane turned and walked calmly over, making soothing noises 
as she gently reached down and plucked Ryoga off of the floor.  
His tentacles curled around her arm and he felt better.  Finally, 
someone who could see beyond appearances. 

	"Ranma?  Are you okay?" Akane asked, backing away to let 
Kasumi tend to her fiancee.

	"Nng," Ranma replied, clutching Kasumi.  "K-keep it away!"

	Ranma? Ryoga thought.  Why is she calling that girl Ranma?  
He puzzeled over it as Akane walked out of the room.

	"Shh, it's okay," Kasumi said soothingly.  "It's gone now."

	"Gone?"			 

	"Yes, it's gone."  Kasumi's face hardened.  "Now look at the 
mess you made!  Now I've got to replace all those doors..." she 
walked away grumbling.
	
	Ranma wiped the sweat from her brow and shuddered.  "I need 
to change back to a guy before that thing gets away from Akane," 
she said quietly to herself.  "Uhg, I wish Kasumi had killed it."

					****************

	Although she had been sickened by the reccuring thought of 
the monster, the lure of being male had called her and Ranma had 
been able to change back.  Steeling himself for the coming 
confrontation, Ranma boldly walked into the dining room for 
breakfast, where he knew Akane would be still holding the thing.

	What greeted his eyes upon entering the room was a scene so 
terrible, so horrifing, so incredibly wrong that words failed him 
and he stood there mutely.

	"Who's a cute little baby?  Yes you are!  Yes you are!" 
Akane cooed, scratching the small tentacle demon under one of its 
arms.  It slurp-giggled in reply, squirming delightedly in her 
lap.

	"..."

	"Oh, hi, Ranma," Akane said when she noticed him standing 
there in the doorway.  "Are you okay now?"
	
	Ryoga turned to see his hated enemy sit down on the other 
side of the table.  It's him, he though triumphantly.  Now I can 
get my revenge!

	Ranma twitched slightly, but other than remembered fear he 
felt nothing from the strange beast in Akane's arms.  "Yeah, I'm 
fine.  I was just surprised, that's all."

	"You were up there an awful long time, have any trouble 
changing back?"

	Ranma grimaced.  "Well, yeah, you try it after sitting down 
in a tub with that, that thing."

	Akane giggled.  "Sounds fun, I may try that later.  Maybe 
little H-chan here can help!  Would you like that?  I bet you 
would!  You'd like that, wouldn't you, you cute little demon 
you..." she trailed off, making baby talk that for all intents and 
purposes sounded much like the little demon did.

	Ranma started looking ill.

	So, Ranma turns into a girl, Ryoga thought.  This could be 
the best way of getting revenge ever!

	It being a Sunday, they didn't have to go to school that 
day.  Ranma practiced martial arts while Akane did her homework 
and Kasumi repaired the house.

	Ryoga, on the other hand, watched Ranma, waiting for the 
perfect opportunity to strike.  Finally, later that evening, he 
saw it.  Ranma had been in the middle of a kata when he suddenly 
stopped and clutched his stomach, a resigned look coming over his 
face.

	Odd, though Ryoga.  This looks weird now that I actually get 
to see it happen.

	Ranma shifted, becoming female.  "Dammit, I knew this was 
going to happen," she complained.  "Stupid little monster..."  
Deciding to take a break, she started walking back into the house.

	Ryoga saw his chance.  Scrabbling up on the roof with ease, 
he waited until Ranma-chan passed beneath him and sprang, aiming 
for her head.

	Ranma had highly trained reflexes, and a good danger sense.  
Add that to her sensitivity to the eldritch perversion Ryoga 
exuded, and she knew that it was attacking.  The only problem was, 
her flight or fight reaction was scrambled and she froze in 
terror.

	Not for long though.

	"AHHHHHGETITOFFGETITOFF!" she screamed, running in frantic 
circles around the yard. 

	Ryoga held on to the top of her head like a hat, clicking in 
glee.  Whee! This is fun, he thought.  I wonder if I can steer?  
Putting the thought in action, Ryoga waved one tentacle on the 
right side of Ranma's face.  Obediently, she ran left.  Ryoga 
laughed and tried to discover more commands.

	Akane looked idly out her window, tapping her chin with her 
pencil.  Homework is so boring, she thought.  Why doesn't Ranma do 
his homework?  She noticed Ranma and her little pet H-chan running 
around the yard.

	"Hmph, look at them," she said to herself.  "Playing without 
a care in the world.  I wish I could be like that."  She drifted 
off into fantasy, imagining her and a handsome stud playing horsey 
on soft grass.   

	Ranma's screams snapped her out of it.  Looking at the 
clock, she started.  It was that late alredy?  Poor H-chan must be 
exhausted from all that playing.  She'd better go get him.

	After a quick supper, during which Akane was forced to keep 
her new pet away from the table, everyone settled down to enjoy 
the rest of the evening.  Finally, after a long, tension relieving 
bath, Akane went to bed.

	Carrying Ryoga.

	Now, Ryoga had been forced to make some drastic adjustments 
to the way he looked at girls.  For some odd reason, he kept 
winding up in embarrasing positions, and thus far had been 
learning to adjust.  Still, sleeping with one, even in his cursed 
form, was a bit much.

	Still, the lure of a nice, warm, comfortable bed was a 
strong one.  So, he compromised by shutting his eyes and not 
looking as Akane changed into something more... Comfortable, that 
is if you enjoyed wearing teddys.  Akane did.

	Ryoga was embarrassed, being held so close to a nearly naked 
girl as he was, but his exhaustion finally caught up to him.  
Chasing Ranma around was hard work.  

	Akane, suffering from mental fantigue from all of her 
homework, also fell asleep quickly.  She loved being asleep, 
having long ago discovered how to control her dreams.  Brad Pitt 
was only one of the stars in her fantasies. 	
	
	And thus, Ryoga was about to learn one of the scariest 
things about Akane.  Violent sleeper was an understatement.

	Ryoga's natural tendancy was to curl his tentacles around 
something while he was asleep.  But when one errant tentacle 
lightly brushed Akane's breast, she reacted somewhat unexpectedly.

	"Oooh!" she moaned, rolling over on him and waking him up.  

He frantically tried to push her off, but he wasn't strong 
enough in his cursed form.  All he ended up doing was pushing her 
buttons.

<need finishing>

					****************
	The next morning, Akane woke up as usual, if a bit chillier 
than normal.

	"Hmm, that's odd," she said to herself sleepily, I could 
have swore I closed those last night."  

	She got up and walked over to the window, slipping slightly 
as she stepped on her vibrator laying on the floor.  She paused 
and stretched in the morning sun, giving any who happened to be 
looking in her direction a wake up call like none before.	

	Then she shut the window and turned to get dressed, yawning 
slightly.  "Ahhhh…  Wow, I'm tired," she marveled.  Then she 
turned to her bed with the intent of making it up before going to 
breakfast.

	"Aww, man…" she said, staring in dismay at the mess.  "I 
thought I just had my period last week!"