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Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Author note: Thanks to my beta Silver-Tiamat from DeviantART. Also a little warning, Akane will be acting a little OOC so please remember this is just a fanfic and that the change will be temporary.

Chapter 26

Ranma didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or bang his head on the nearest hard surface as he was told what Akane had managed to do. For whatever reason, Akane had decided to try her hand at making a potion. Why, nobody knew just yet, but her inability to cook had come to really and truly bite her in the ass and affected not only her, but Ryoga got caught in the crosshairs as well.

Ranma looked to his side at Ryoga, marveling at the changes in his pack brother. The most obvious change; of course, was the black, bushy tail the other teen now sported. It moved every now and then, startling Ryoga who seemed to forget that it was there until it moved. But there were other changes as well. Ranma eyed Ryoga’s ears which now came to a point making them almost Elven-like and the other boy’s nails where thick and sharp like claws, not unlike Ranma’s own fingernails had turned as his Lycan blood awakened. The fangs were a given as Ryoga always had them but Ranma could almost swear that they were even more canine-like.

Another big change was Ryoga’s eyes, they had always been a hazel sort of green, seeming to change color depending on Ryoga’s mood but now they were an even more intense shade of green and Ranma couldn’t see any visible pupil making the iris of Ryoga’s eyes look like a solid color. (1)

And then there was his scent, there was the undercurrent of pig that was always there because of Ryoga’s Jusenkyo curse much like Shampoo always had a scent of cat always clinging to her and Genma a panda, that much hadn’t changed. But Ryoga’s scent overall had changed, from human to wolf. Not a werewolf type of wolf and not a normal wolf either but still a wolf and Ranma could only guess the difference came from him being a demon of all things.

/‘Kami, how the heck did you manage this, ya thick tomboy?’ /Ranma thought as he turned his attention to Akane. She looked and smelt different as well, but not as much as Ryoga. Physically Akane still looked mostly human but her brow was a little thicker looking and her jaw was a little more squared. She looked a little thicker as well, as if her muscles had gotten a little bigger. Her scent, on the other hand, was human but at the same time… well Ranma didn’t know what to compare it too honestly. He heard Nabiki call her a ‘Flintstone’ though Ranma had no idea what the hell that was since he didn’t watch American cartoons.

“What have we here?” Cologne’s voice said from the doorway, drawing everyone’s attention.

“We’ve seemed to have had an incident,” Sati said, waving her hand at Ryoga and Akane. “This cub here somehow came up with a potion that, as far as I can tell, reawakened old blood. Ryoga’s wolf demon blood has overtaken his human blood and Akane has turned herself into something similar to a cavewoman for lack of a better word.”

“I see,” Cologne said as she looked form Akane to Ryoga then back to Akane again. “This is… certainly unheard of. Tell me what happened,” she looked at Ryoga who shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“I can’t tell you much, Granny,” Ryoga said with a shake of his head. “One minute I’m at home with my dogs then I go into the kitchen and Akane’s there. Course, I guess I somehow managed to get from my house to here.” Ryoga shrugged helplessly as he had no idea how that happened. Ranma snorted in amusement and punched Ryoga in the shoulder.

“Only you could pull something like that off,” Ranma said. Ryoga sighed, knowing that it was true, and then turned back to Cologne.

“Anyway, when I entered the kitchen, whatever Akane was making in that pot on the stove just sorta blew up,” Ryoga continued. “Then I woke up to Sati telling me that somehow my demon blood was active or something. Whatever that stuff was in that pot really stinks,” he added as he looked down at himself, the goops was still clinging to his clothing and he wrinkled his nose wondering why it smelt so strongly. Cologne came forward; capturing Ryoga’s chin in her hand and making him look up at her. She turned his head this way and that as she looked at his eyes and ears then let go of his face only to grab his hand to examine his new claw-like fingernails.

“You are correct Sati,” Cologne said as she stepped back again. “Not only has his body turned into that of a higher class demon but his chi has changed as well. I’m sure his scent is different?” She asked, looking at Sati who nodded. “Remarkable… the change seems to be as complete as a Jusenkyo curse…” The elderly woman moved over to Akane’s side, looking her over next. Akane groaned softly as Cologne examined her but didn’t wake up.

“Do you think the change is permanent?” Sati asked, ignoring the flood of tears from Soun as the man wailed about his baby girl being a cavewoman for the rest of her life. Cologne sighed and sat back as she closed her eyes.

“I don’t know, I need to get a sample of the potion and to look at the book the girl used,” Cologne said after a moment. “I’ve never seen anything like this, at least not in a potion. We will for the moment assume that it is permanent and that hopefully it can be reversed.”

“Well, can I get this stuff off me then?” Ryoga asked. “It really stinks.”

“It does, it smells worse than Akane’s usual cooking,” Ranma agreed as his nose wrinkled.

“Really? It does stink a little but I don’t think it smells that bad,” Nabiki said.

“To you it wouldn’t,” Sati said. “Both Ranma’s and Ryoga’s sense of smell is a lot stronger than a human’s. Ryoga’s might even been better than Ranma’s, it’s never been documented how much stronger a demons senses are compared to a lycans.”

“Oh… is that why everything sounds so loud… and looks so bright…” Ryoga was starting to get dizzy from the overload to his senses, kneeling over onto the table with a groan. Ranma reached forward to help his friend until Sati’s voice snapped at him.

“Don’t!” Ranma’s hands jerked back as he looked up at his auntie in surprise. “Don’t touch him bare handed, we don’t know if the potion is still active and what it could do to you.”

“Oh,” Ranma said. Kasumi came over with a pair of rubber gloves that she used when she cleaned the house.

“Here you go Ranma-kun,” She said with a smile.

“Allow me to take a sample off of him first,” Cologne said as she produced a small jar from her robes and a blunt knife. “Then you can take Hibiki to get washed off, just make sure to leave his clothing as is. I am unsure if it is a good idea to let this stuff enter the sewer system…” she muttered this last part to herself as she gently scraped a bit of the goop off of Ryoga.

“Come on, P-chan,” Ranma said as he pulled on the gloves while standing up then reached down to help Ryoga to his feet.

“Don’t… call me…p-chan,” Ryoga said as Ranma guided him out of the room.

**

Inside the furo Ranma sat Ryoga back against the wall, the other teen groaning softly as he held his head. Ranma turned on the showerhead and pointed it at Ryoga, the cold water rushing over the demonized teen. Ryoga instantly disappeared into his clothing, wiggling for a moment inside his shirt until he found a hole to exit out of.

“Well, your curse didn’t change, at least,” Ranma said as he looked down at the small black piglet.

Ryoga gave a small piggy sigh of relief. He never, ever thought he would be so happy to turn into his curse form. All the sounds and smells were muted greatly, sure his pig form had better hearing and smell than his human form but that had nothing on his new demon form. He did not know what to think about all this, it was all too new and everything had been…well… too much. Ryoga felt himself being picked up and shivered as the cold water washed the strange goop that changed him off his tiny body.

“Well at least like this, most of that crap was off of you already,” Ranma said as he rinsed Ryoga off. “A lot of it was on your clothes I think.”

“Brink,” Ryoga looked down at his shirt and pants on the floor sighing again, there was, as Ranma said a lot of the strange goop Akane created on them.

“I’m gonna have to take this off,” Ranma said as he tugged at the knot on Ryoga’s bandanna. “It’s got a little on it too.” The bandanna came loose and was held in one of Ranma’s hands as he lifted Ryoga with the other above his head.

“BWEEE!” Ryoga protested as Ranma tossed him into the hot water of the furo.

“In goes the pig,” Ranma said with a laugh as the piglet when under. “Out comes the demon,” he added as Ryoga surfaced with a gasp.

“What the hell was that for?” Ryoga groused as he pushed his wet bangs out of his face, without his bandanna to hold his hair back, it was hanging down low enough to almost cover his eyes.

“Just a bit of fun,” Ranma said with a shrug. “I’ll go give this to Kasumi, she’ll have it clean in no time,” he held up Ryoga’s special bandanna between his fingers. Ryoga waved his hand in agreement and watched Ranma leave. He sighed and propped his arms on the edge of the furo, his head leaned back. He could smell the hot water he was in, the stink of the goop and Ranma’s lingering scent in the air. It was a lot better than the mess of scents outside of the bathroom and didn’t feel as overwhelming. It was quieter in the furo as well.

Part of Ryoga was in shock at the turn of events, he knew about his demon blood, of course, and had spent a lot of time with his great grandfather but Ryoga had never thought he would ever turn into a wolf demon. It should be impossible outside of maybe jumping into a Jusenkyo spring that happens to be of the ‘drowned wolf demon’. He had no idea if there was a spring like that but he wouldn’t be surprised if there was. He lifted his head and looked at his hands, at his claws. They looked sharp and he knew he could hurt someone with them if he wasn’t careful.

Something moved under the water and Ryoga stood up, looking over his shoulder at his water-logged furry wolf tail.

‘That is going to take some getting use too,’ Ryoga thought as he reached down and brought his tail around to look at it more closely. The black wet fur was clumped together and it felt weird to be feeling the sensations from his new tail. He was half tempted to go find a mirror just to see what else had changed about him, but he didn’t know if he would get lost and wandering around naked when he looked like… /this/… was asking for trouble. Demons had to keep themselves hidden; hiding in plain sight, though Ryoga had no idea how that was done.

“Kasumi said it’ll be no problem cleaning that thing,” Ranma said as he came back into the furo, striping off his clothing to wash as both Sati and Cologne wanted him to make sure that none of the stuff got on him, just in case. “It’s kinda weird to see you with your hair down like that,” Ranma said, his voice changing to the higher pitch tone his female body had in the middle of the sentence. Ryoga promptly turned so his back was to Ranma to avoid seeing the red head’s breasts.

“It’s a little strange not wearing it,” Ryoga admitted. It was quiet for a few minutes as Ranma washed herself, the sounds of the scrub brush against Ranma’s skin and the splash of water were loud in Ryoga’s ears. “How can you handle all this?” Ryoga finally asked.

“All what?” Ranma said as she poured a bucket of cold water over her head to rinse off all the suds then climbed into the hot water, sighing softly as her body changed back.

“All… all of these noises, all these sounds,” Ryoga said, waving his hands as he turned to face Ranma now that his friend was a male again. “Everything seems to be much brighter than I’m use too!” Ryoga and Ranma both winced as Ryoga’s raised voice echoed off the tiled walls of the bathroom.

“I got use to it bit by bit,” Ranma said. “I started hearing better and smelling better and stuff as my Lycan blood awakened. I had time to get use to it and that first night of the full moon, I was a little overwhelmed but I was mostly use to it by then so it wasn’t hard to adjust. But I guess it would be a little harder on you, since it was all dumped on you at the same time and you wasn’t eased into it.” Ryoga slowly nodded his head, he suppose that did make sense, then leaned his head back again against the cool tile.

“Hey man, are you ok?” Ranma asked as he watched his pack brother. Ryoga sighed and lifted his head to look at Ranma again.

“I’m just… weirded out I guess?” Ryoga didn’t sound too sure of that as he frowned slightly. “In shock, for sure.”

“Well it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happen to ya,” Ranma said. Ryoga hummed softly in agreement, it was true enough, there were several things that had happen to him in the past that was worst than turning into a demon.

“No, it’s not,” He said out loud. “Turning into a pig with cold water still sucks worse and so was the time we both turned into little kids. I guess my mind is trying to catch up to the fact that Akane turned me into a demon.”

“I think I kinda know what you mean,” Ranma said. “When Auntie told me I was a werewolf, I was really floored and it took a bit to wrap my head around, and I thought I was still, at least, half human at the time.”

“But you came around to it,” Ryoga pointed out. Ranma shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“Kinda had to, nothing was going to stop me from transforming and once I got use to the idea I got excited about it,” Ranma said. “She really pushed me hard but I love the training Sati’s been giving me and as I got use to my body it’s something else to feel all that raw, wild power under your skin. Just wait it out, I guess. You might end up liking being a demon and if you don’t, I’m sure the old mummy and Auntie will be able to change you back.” Ryoga slowly nodded, he could see what Ranma meant and it wasn’t that he was against the idea of being a demon and he could easily come to love it.

“Heh, I guess this means I’m stronger than you again,” Ryoga said with a smirk. Ranma blinked at Ryoga then grinned at his friend.

“Maybe P-chan, but I’m still the better marital artist,” he said half teasingly. Ryoga growled and dunked Ranma under the water, starting an all out water war between the two boys.

****

“Let’s just see what this foolish child was up to,” Cologne said as she and Sati entered the kitchen. Sati gagged and placed her hand over her nose and mouth as her eyes watered.

“Sweet moon! I think the smell has gotten even worse,” she said, her voice muffled by her hand.

“It is unpleasant,” Cologne agreed with a wrinkle of her own nose. She hopped over to the stove where the ruined pot was still sitting on a hot eye. “I think this might be the source of the smell,” she said as she found some of Kasumi’s oven mitts and used them to move the hot pot, the bottom covered in scorched blackened goop, then turned off the stove.

“I think this might be the book the cub was using,” Sati said, picking the library book up by an untouched corner. Cologne took the book and carefully turned the pages.

“This isn’t even a real potions book,” she said, with a scowl on her face, as she read some of the ‘potions’ in the book. “What was that girl thinking?”

“It could be any number of things,” Sati said as she pulled her shirt up over her nose so both hands would be free. It didn’t really do much for the smell but it was better than breathing the toxic air straight out. Cologne continued turning the pages of the book until she came to one that was practically covered of goo.

“Perhaps this is what she was trying to make,” Cologne said as she laid the book down so Sati could look at the page while Cologne turned to glance at the ingredients Akane had used in her ‘potion’.

“A potion to undo mind control”, Sati asked as she read the book. “Who in the world was she making this for?”

“It could have been her family,” Cologne said as she picked up one of the bottles with a frown. “Her hostility toward you could have made her believe you were using magic to allow yourself to fit in here.”

Sati snorted softly and said, “I can’t even use magic. That was my first mate that was able to use magic and he passed at ability down to our daughter.”

“No, but you can use magical items,” Cologne pointed out. “And potions. It’s also very possible that she thinks Shampoo and I are behind everything giving our history.”

“You really should cut back on using the potions and tricks, old friend,” Sati said with amusement.

“With son-in-law being what he is, it’s no surprise none of my plans worked,” Cologne said as she picked up another bottle and shook her head. “I do not know what was going through that girl’s mind; at least a quarter of this stuff wasn’t mentioned in the book! I will have to figure out on my own what Akane did; this could take a few days, if not weeks.”

“Ryoga would be easy to hide, all he needs is an illusion to make him appear human and a little time to get used to his new senses,” Sati said. “But what about Akane?”

“If it’s only a physical change and her mind is still fully intact, couldn’t an illusion spell be used on her as well?” Cologne said as she gathered everything Akane used into a sealed bag to take back to the Nekohanten.

“Maybe but I’m worried that it’s more than just a physical change,” Sati said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “This stuff turned Ryoga into a full-blooded demon, he only had a small amount of demon blood in him to begin with, barely enough to even register him as having any DNA but human. Akane on the other hand is fully human just like her sisters and now she’s de-evolved for lack of a better word.”

“Well if that is the case she should be thankful she didn’t turn all the way back into a Neanderthal,” Cologne said with a chuckle.

“This is serious, Kon Lon,” Sati said.

“Yes yes,” Cologne said. “I suppose all that can be done this is to take her away somewhere until I figure out how to undo her mistakes. This wouldn’t be the first time she’s missed school.”

“No, from Ranma’s stories, it wouldn’t be,” Sati said with a sigh. “I wonder how they even pass all their classes with the amount of school that they all miss.”

“I think with the amount of chaos in the area, the school would just be happy that the students would pass in the end,” Cologne suggested. Sati nodded her head, it did seem that way.

“Auntie, Miss Cologne, Akane-chan is waking up,” Kasumi said from the doorway.

“Let’s go see how far changed the girl is,” Cologne said as she and Sati left the kitchen.

***

Akane groaned softly as she came too, her whole body ached, which was understandable as she had taken the full blast of the ruined potion and had been thrown across the room.

‘What… happen…?’ Akane thought to herself, her whole mind feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. She couldn’t seem to think straight. What had happen to her? ‘I make… food?... no no that’s not right… Make something in metal bowl… no it was a pot not a bowl… food….no not food something… it blow up…’

“Akane-chan, are you awake?” Kasumi’s sweet, worried voice pierced her thoughts. Akane groaned again and her brown eyes fluttered open.

“Ka—sumi?” Akane asked. “What… happen? Why Akane hurt?” Akane paused and frowned, something was strange about the way she said that but she couldn’t put her finger on why. Kasumi traded a worried look with Nabiki and Soun then got up to tell Sati and Cologne that Akane was coming to.

“You ok there, little sis?” Nabiki asked. “You sound a little…. off there.” Nabiki thought Akane sounded a bit like a stereotype cave-girl they showed on TV sometimes.

“Akane… My head hurts…” Akane groaned as she slowly sat up, pressing her hands to her head.

“I should say so, child,” Cologne said as she and Sati rejoined the group. “You were lucky not to kill yourself or the Hibiki boy.”

“Other than your head, how do you feel?” Sati asked as she knelt down beside Akane.

“Akane sore…. Why do I sound strange?” Akane frowned as she heard the words coming out of her mouth.

“It’s like she can’t decide if she wants to talk like a cave woman or like a modern person,” Nabiki said.

“She’s been somewhat de-evolved,” Sati said. “My guess, she knows what she should sound like but she’s having problems getting it through her brain.”

“What can be done about this?” Soun asked. Cologne sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

“Your daughter has taken a fake potion book and somehow created a real potion,” Cologne explained. “Some of the things she used were not even a part of the fake potion she was attempting to create; it will take a bit of time to recreate the potion then to make a counter for it.”

“So she and Ryoga are stuck like this?” Nabiki asked.

“Yes,” Cologne said. “I suggest you take Akane on a short vacation to hide this while I fix her mistake.”

“Is that necessary?” Soun asked. Cologne scowled at Soun while she waved her hand at Akane.

“Look at your daughter, you foolish man,” She said. “Do you want everyone to know about this? It would be safer for her to be away for awhile.”

“NO!” Akane said, mostly following along with what was being said. “Can’t miss school, Akane go.”

“You cannot even speak correctly,” Cologne told her.

“I… will… not… miss school,” Akane said slowly, she had an easier time getting her words out correctly if she took a little time to say it.

“There you have it, Akane doesn’t want to miss anymore school,” Soun said.

“Fine, but it will be on your head then,” Cologne said as she stood. “Sati can get her an illusion charm; I will get started on fixing her mistake. Hopefully I can finish quickly before anyone sees her mistake.” She quickly left the house, muttering under her breath about foolish men and children.

“Illusion?” Akane asked.

“You haven’t seen yourself yet, sis,” Nabiki said. “You’re going to need it.”

“What about the kitchen?” Kasumi asked, looking over at her messy kitchen.

“Just make sure to wear protective clothing when you clean up,” Sati sighed. “Don’t worry cub, I’ll help you out.”

“Thank you, Sati,” Kasumi said with a grateful smile. “Akane-chan, maybe you should go have a bath to wash off the rest of your potion.” Akane looked down at herself; her nose wrinkled as she looked at the stuff clinging to her clothing and skin and wondered why she didn’t notice before.

“Bath,” She repeated as she stood up and lumbered toward the furo.

“Aren’t the boys in there now?” Sati asked.

****

Ryoga grumbled to himself as he dug around in one of the many backup packs that he had, looking for a bandana to wear. He felt naked without something wrapped around his head. He was already dressed otherwise in one of his many yellow tunic shirts though he was pants less at the moment, as Ranma currently had them and was making a hole for his new tail.

“Ah, found one,” Ryoga said as he finally found a bandana at the bottom, pulling it out and tying it around his head. Ranma glanced up from where he was finishing up the moderations he was doing to Ryoga’s pants.

“Isn’t that your old one?” Ranma asked. Instead of Ryoga’s usual yellow with black strips bandana, he had a solid black one on, just like the one Ryoga use to wear up until he had been cursed at Jusenkyo.

“Hmm,” Ryoga nodded as he closed his pack and stood up. At that time the door opened and Akane walked in. She stopped, staring at the two boys inside then growled.

“Baka, out!” She said, grabbing both of them and tossing the boys out into the hallway. Ryoga and Ranma landed in a heap as the door slammed.

“The hell is her problem?” Ranma asked as he got untangled from Ryoga. “None of us were even naked.”

“Well she’s in there for a bath so that means she was going to get undress,” Ryoga pointed out as he sat up rubbing his ears that still rang slightly from Akane’s yell.

“Didn’t mean she had to throw us,” Ranma grumbled as he pushed Ryoga’s pants into the other boy’s hands. Ryoga hummed in agreement as he pulled his pants on and tied the yellow ropes around his shins. He stood up, letting his tail swish side to side as it settled in the hole Ranma made.

“I wonder if Akane’s seen herself yet,” Ranma asked as he stood and started walking toward the living room.

“Why, what’s wrong with Akane?” Ryoga asked absently as he tried to get use to walking with his tail, on top of all the sounds he could hear around him. It was slowly getting better for him thankfully.

“You weren’t the only one affect by her potion remember?” Ranma asked.

“Somewhat,” Ryoga admitted, he had been too focused on the loud sounds and strong smells to really pay attention to anything around him.

“Well Akane kinda looks like something Nabiki called the ‘Flintstones’,” Ranma explained. “I have no idea what that is.”

“It’s an old cartoon from the USA, about a family from the Stone Age called the Flintstones,” Ryoga explained to Ranma. “So… cave woman then?” He guessed. Ranma shrugged his shoulders slightly as they entered the main room.

“How are you feeling cub?” Sati asked as soon as she saw the boys.

“Everything is loud and smells too strong,” Ryoga said as he sat down. “But I’m starting to learn how to deal with it.”

“If you have any problems, you need to tell someone,” Sati warned. Ryoga nodded in agreement, this was much different that turning into a pig with cold water.

“So, what now?” Ranma asked.

“Kasumi and I will clean up the kitchen, Cologne is looking into how to reverse what Akane did,” Sati said. “She said it may take a little time so we’ll have to cover up how you and Akane look until then. Of course, I realize you may wish to stay like this in the end.”

“Maybe, I’m still kinda overwhelmed by it all,” Ryoga said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Understandable,” Sati said.

“So, just what is going to happen?” Ranma asked.

“Ryoga and Akane will be given illusion spells,” Sati explained then nodded toward Kasumi. “She knows someone that can get Ryoga a demon illusion to use.”

“I called my boyfriend, he said he’ll be by tomorrow,” Kasumi said with a smile.

“Boyfriend?” Soun asked, as this was the first he really heard of it.

“Later Father,” Kasumi said as she didn’t want to get into this right now. She was a grown woman after all and she liked her Demon boyfriend.

“So we’ll just have to get Akane one she can use while at school,” Sati added, interrupting Soun before he could question Kasumi further.

“She’s going to school like that?” Ranma asked.

“Yes… against my and Cologne’s advice,” Sati said dryly. She didn’t think Akane should be going to school while she was like this, mostly because she thought it would end up being embarrassing for the girl if anyone found out, more than anything else. “But I’m just a guest here, I can’t tell anyone what to do.”

“I think we all had a long day,” Kasumi said. “I think we should order out since the kitchen is useable for now and try to relax the rest of the evening.”

“AAH!” A scream rang through the house after Kasumi said this.

“I think Akane’s seen herself in the mirror,” Nabiki said dryly. Akane came stomping into the main room a few minutes later with a bath robe tied around her.

“What happen to Akane face!?” Akane yelled, pointing at herself.

“You knew that you’ve been changed by your little potion,” Sati remarked. “You didn’t think it was just the way your spoke and thought did you?”

“This bimbo's fault!” Akane seethed with her fists clenched at her sides.

“Just how is this Shampoo’s fault?” Ranma asked. “You’re the think headed tom boy who decided to try to make a potion when you can’t even cook. Shampoo’s got nothing to do with it.” Akane growled at Ranma as he insulted her, bringing her hands up above in head as if she was clutching something.

“Ranma baka!” Akane yelled as she brought her hands down and summoned her mallet. But instead of a mallet it turned out to be a giant club.

“Oh Kami-sama, she’s even got a club!” Nabiki said as she laughed loudly. Ranma rolled out of the way of the attack, he decided some time ago he wasn’t going to let Akane hit him anymore, he was done being mister nice wolf…. Tiger… whatever person. Akane stared in shock as her club hit the space where Ranma had been sitting instead of hitting Ranma. Ranma rolled to his feet and snorted softly.

“Well, you might be some sorta cave girl now but you still can’t hit me,” Ranma taunted. Akane growled again and started chasing after Ranma who easily ducked and dodged all her attempts to hit him.

“Take it outside!” Sati called.

“Yes, please,” Kasumi agreed.

“Got ya!” Ranma said as he headed toward the open doors into the yard, Akane hot on his heels.

“You would think he would go a little easier on her,” Ryoga said as he watched them. “This can’t be easy for her, I know I’m still trying to get used to it.”

“Ranma is letting Akane get her frustrations out,” Sati said. “Let’s face it, who wouldn’t be a little angry in her place?”

“I guess,” Nabiki said. “Still, this is her fault for ending up like this.”

“Don’t be so crude Nabiki,” Kasumi scolded. “You know Akane-imouto didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Maybe not this, but she was up to something,” Nabiki said.

Out in the yard Akane panted as she stopped chasing Ranma round, dropping her chi club and sitting down heavily by the koi pond. Once the club left her hand, it disappeared back into nothingness. Ranma skid to a stop as well watching his ex-fiancée for a moment then nodding to himself as he headed back into the house. Once Akane cooled down she would be, for the most part, a lot more level headed.

“Oh my, I think she’s going to need another bath,” Kasumi remarked as she got up and went outside to see to her youngest sister. Ranma flopped down onto the floor beside Nabiki and reached for the cookie plate Kasumi put on the table.

“So what do we do about dinner since Akane destroyed the kitchen?” Ranma asked around a mouthful of cookie, always thinking with his stomach.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Ranma-baby,” Nabiki said as she slapped the back of Ranma’s head.

“Order out, what else?” Sati said with a shrug. This lead to an argument between Ranma and Ryoga of just where they should order food from while Nabiki threw in her two cents and Kasumi took care of Akane.

*****

Taro scowled as he leaned against a lamp post, crossing his arms over his chest. He had been all over Furinkan and the surrounding area in Nerima looking for his bastard of a godfather. He hadn’t believe Saotome or the Tendo girl when they told him Happosai wasn’t around but now he was starting to wonder if it was true.

‘Great, now where did that old bastard go to?’ Taro thought angrily to himself. All he wanted to do was force the old man to change his name to something else less… perverted and stupid sounding. It was near impossible to get a date with a girl when your name is Pantyhose. He ignored the part of his brain that told him that it really could be worse; refusing to acknowledge what that annoying wolf girl had said that morning when she said his name could have been ‘jockstrap’. He had no idea what a jockstrap was but it didn’t sound like something he wanted his name to be.

Taro grumbled to himself as he pushed away from the lamp post, he would have to leave Nerima and try to find Happosai else where it seemed. As he turned to walk away, another body ran into Taro’s, pushing the Chinese teen back.

“Watch where you’re going,” A man’s voice said.

“You watch where you’re going,” Taro said as he got up into the man’s face. He was angry and frustrated and wanted to pick a fight with someone.

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” The man said. Taro frowned and stepped back to get a proper look at the man.

“A wanna be Indiana Jones?” Taro asked as he raised an eyebrow at the other’s outfit. He could have sworn he could hear somebody starting to laugh hysterically in the background. The man glared at Taro then posed dramatically with a silver inlayed katana above his head, the lamp light glinting off the blade.

“I am Kuno Taeko, the Silver Werewolf Hunter,” Taeko announced loudly. He didn’t get the reaction he was looking for, many of the people around them shook they heads and continued on their way, used to the insanity that came with living in the Nerima Ward, while Taro gave Taeko a bored look. Taeko’s shoulders sagged slightly, while his self imposed title had impressed a few girls no one else seemed care about who and what he is.

“Is that all?” Taro asked. “You don’t seem to be doing a very good for a so called ‘werewolf hunter’.”

“I am close on the beast’s tail, no one shall have to worry about the creature for much longer,” Taeko boosted as he puffed out his chest. Taro just gave him another look then shook his head as he turned away. Taeko glared angrily at Taro’s back then reached out to grasp the teen’s shoulder. “Don’t you turn away from me peasant, I am the only one here keeping you safe from the monsters! I demand respect!”

“Monsters?” Taro repeated with a bite in his voice. He was sick and tired of dealing with this man and he was frustrated with his inability to locate Happosai so Taro decided to vent his anger on this foolish man. “I will show you a monster,” Taro took a bottle of water he kept on him at all times to transform with, pouring the cool waters over his head. In an instant Taro transformed into his cursed form and roared loudly in Taeko’s face. Taeko took a step back in surprised fright, nervously clearing his throat as he tried to gather up his bravo again.

“F-foul beast!” Taeko said as he drew his .45 colt recover and aimed it at Taro’s head. But since his hand was shaking so badly his shot went wide and only grazed the side of Taro’s face, leaving a very shallow cut behind. Taro snorted then back handed the man as easily as if he were swatting at flies. Taeko flew across the street, several people running out of the way, and crashed into a pile of garbage. The man groaned once then went silent, knock out.

“Moo,” Taro said in satisfaction and turned away to head back to the dojo since he wasn’t having any luck finding Happosai. Maybe he could pump Saotome or those two idiots that followed his godfather for more information. He did hear the hysterical laughter again somewhere on the rooftops above him but considering that this was Nerima that wasn’t all that unusual so he ignored it.

***

Up on the rooftop Jasper had one arm wrapped around her middle while the other pounded the surface under her.

“Oh god… he moos!” Jasper managed to say between bouts of laughter. “That was the funniest thing I’ve seen, a one hit KO!” She continued to giggle as she sat up, grinning down at her phone where she had recorded the whole thing. She hadn’t expected her prey, Taeko Kuno, to run into Taro but it had been totally worth it since the man had shot off his mouth which resulted in Taro hulking out and going to town on his ass. Jasper took a deep breath, trying to calm down her laughter only to start giggling again as she went back over the so called ‘fight’. Seeing as how she hated Taeko more than her dislike of Taro, it had been the highlight of her evening.

Jasper jumped off the rooftop to the sidewalk below, her knees bending slightly on impact, then walked over to where Taeko laid knocked out in the garbage.

“Smile motherfucker,” Jasper muttered to herself as she held up her phone and snapped a couple of photos with it then walked away back toward her hotel. With Taeko out of the count and likely unable to properly move after the beating he took once he did wake up, Jasper decided her watch for the night was over and now had more time to play one of her games.

*****

The next morning Ranma groaned as he held up a hand trying to block the light shining directly into his face. Beside him in the bed Nabiki mumbled under her breath and pulled her blankets up over her head. Yes Ranma slept in Nabiki’s room again seeing as how Taro had returned the night before and was once again sleeping in the guest room. Ryoga was there as well, seeing as how nobody wanted the lost boy to wonder off until they hid his new demon features.

“Ranma, close the curtains,” Nabiki said as she pushed at Ranma’s back. “Too early to get up.”

“It’s always too early for you,” Ranma commented only to grunt in surprise as Nabiki planted a foot in his back and pushed him fully off the bed.

“Curtains, now!” Nabiki said from her bundle of blankets. Ranma rolled his eyes and pulled the curtains shut over the window.

“Better?” Ranma asked over his shoulder. A happy hum followed by a soft snore followed making Ranma roll his eyes again and fondly shook his head. No one would believe him that the Ice Queen of Nerima was a snorer if he was ever insane enough to bring it up. He could hear shuffling around downstairs meaning that Kasumi was up and making breakfast. Opening Nabiki’s door to head downstairs Ranma stopped in the doorway as Ryoga sleepily walked past him toward the stairs.

Figuring it would be a good idea to follow his friend to keep Ryoga from getting lost, Ranma was surprised to see that not once did he have to correct Ryoga’s path as the other teen made his way toward the main room of the house.

“Well, that was new,” Ranma said making Ryoga jump in surprise.

“Fuck, don’t do that!” Ryoga said as he held his hand up against his chest over his heart. “What are you talking about anyway?” He added as he sleepily rubbed at his eyes.

“Ryoga, you walked from the guest room to downstairs without making several detours along the way,” Ranma said. “By now you would either be in the dojo or someplace even more insane.” Ryoga blinked at the Lycan, Ranma was right by now he would be lost someplace.

“Huh…” was the only thing Ryoga could think of to say. Ranma looked over his shoulder as the door under the stairs opened and Sati came stumbling out, making a bee-line for the low table where Kasumi was putting out a cup of coffee. “Hey Sati I-“ The rest of the words came out muffled as Ranma quickly covered his mouth as Sati walked past them. Ryoga glared at Ranma as he pulled the other’s hand away from his mouth. “What the hell?”

“Auntie isn’t a social creature in the mornings until she has her coffee,” Ranma explained. “Better to wait until she’s more awake.” A small grin crossed Ranma’s face as he remembered the onetime Genma had been stupid enough to mess with Sati before she had her morning coffee. The man hadn’t been able to move for days without groaning in pain.

“Come on you two, breakfast is almost ready,” Kasumi said with a smile as she spotted the two boys standing in the doorway.

“Kitchen all fixed then?” Ranma asked as they sat down.

“It’s cleaned thanks to the help Sati gave me,” Kasumi said. “But a couple of things will have to be replaced. I’ll go get everyone else for breakfast.”

“What the fuck is that smell?” Jasper asked from where she stood by the sliding doors into the yard. “Was Nitro trying to cook again?”

“No, something much worse,” Ranma said with a snickering grin. Jasper moved over to plop down at the table then stopped as she stared at Ryoga.

“Tha fuck happen to you?” She asked as she took in the pointed ears and tail Ryoga had.

“Ryoga has been turned into a full blooded demon,” Sati said finally awake enough to be in on the conversation.

“… say what now?” Jasper asked. “One of those spring thingies?”

“No, Jusenkyo had nothing to do with this,” Sati said with a shake of her head.

“Ok… then how the fuck did he go from human to demon?” Jasper asked. “He’s not like Ranma under a seal was he?”

“No, nothing like that either,” Sati said as she sipped her coffee. Ranma rolled his eyes and leaned forward to speak.

“Akane thought it would be a good idea to make a potion. But she messed it up and turned into something that made Ryoga a full demon and Akane into… well…”

“What happen to Nitro?” Jasper asked. Ryoga pointed at something over her shoulder and when Jasper looked she started to snort in laughter. Akane growled at Jasper, her hands clutching into fists at her sides.

“No laugh!” She shouted at the other teen.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be right back,” Jasper said as she quickly ran outside into the yard and around the house. A few seconds later Ranma and Ryoga’s sharp hearing could pick up Jasper’s laughter. Akane grunted under her breath as she sat down at the table with a huff.

“Well at least none of you have school today,” Sati said trying to break the tension in the air. “That’ll give us time to set up each of you an illusion to hide... all this… until we figure out a way to reverse it. Or not depending on your feelings.” She added to Ryoga who nodded. Nabiki wondered in a moment later as did Soun, Nabiki muttering a thanks under her breath as Kasumi handed her a coffee.

“So where is Pantyhose Freak?” Ranma asked, remembering the other house guest.

“Ranma, no need to be so rude,” Kasumi scolded lightly. “Taro-kun came in really late last night; he was still asleep when I checked on him so I let him be. Oh Ryoga-kun, it took a little elbow grease but here,” she reached into her pocket and took out Ryoga’s signature yellow and black bandana, handing it over to the younger teen.

“Arigato Kasumi-san,” Ryoga said happily as he untied the black bandana and put his normal one back on. Kasumi smiled sweetly then picked up her chopsticks to start breakfast.

“George said he would be here in an hour or two,” Kasumi said after a few minutes.

“Ah yes… your suitor,” Soun said slowly. “This will be my first time meeting him.”

“Yes, he’s looking forward to that too,” Kasumi agreed with another happy smile. Sati smiled behind her cup of coffee, ah to be young and in love.

“Suitor?” Akane repeated. “But… what about Tofu?”

“What about Dr. Tofu?” Kasumi asked confused. Nabiki rolled her eyes, finally awake enough to follow the conversation.

“The good doc has a crush on you nee-chan,” Nabiki told her older sister. Kasumi blinked in surprise then made a little humming noise.

“Hmm, I guess I never noticed,” She said, ignoring the sweat drops from the others. Jasper came back in, out of breath from her laughing fit and waved off the offer of breakfast.

“But… what about love for you?” Akane said with a frown.

“Akane-chan, if Dr. Tofu has a crush on me he should have said something before now instead of prancing around like a silly-billy,” Kasumi said. “I have a boyfriend now; I’m not going to just dump him because somebody else likes me as well.” Akane frowned again and looked down at her food, she gave up her crush on Dr. Tofu because he loves Kasumi so much so she was letting Kasumi have him but Kasumi was brushing off the idea as if it was nothing.

‘Poor Tofu,’ Akane thought with a small huff. ‘He need woman to take care of him. Kasumi no want him, Akane still has chance? No with baka Ranma, can’t stop me from trying.’

“Ok, Akane understand,” Akane said with a bright smile. Nabiki smirked slightly, she had a feeling she knew what was going through Akane’s mind right now. The question was, was Dr. Tofu going to take Kasumi being with another man lying down or was this the kick in the pants he needed to try to woo Kasumi. Not that she wanted to break Kasumi up from her demon boyfriend, the big guy was good for her sister and Kasumi went out more instead of being shut in all the time, but it never hurt to sell a little bit of information.

***

Author note: And we finally get new chapter out. I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter.

(1) Think Kouga's eyes from InuYasha, his eyes are a solid color, there is no visible pupil.