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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: My beta Silver-Tiamat from DeviantART has informed me she was unable to look at the chapter due to computer problems. Blissfull Wulf has volunteered to proof read the chapter this time around.

Chapter 27

An hour later the bell on the gate rang and Kasumi happily jumped up.

“I’ll get it,” She said as she rushed out of the room. Soun lowered his paper and waited to meet the man that his oldest daughter was dating. He was hurt that Kasumi hadn’t informed him that she had found somebody to date, and from what he understood, had been doing so for a while. A few seconds later Kasumi returned, a blissful smile on her face as she introduced the man that had walked in with her. “Father this is George.”

George turned out to be a tall man, at least over six feet, with short black hair that had two streaks of blueish purple throughout it. Pale skinned and eyes that were blue, Soun had to guess that Kasumi found a gaijin to date. A part of Soun, who was old fashion, wished that his oldest daughter could have found a native to date instead.

“Err, it’s very nice to meet you son,” Soun said as he stood and bowed.

“Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Tendo,” George said in a low rumble of a voice.

“Go ahead and take it off dear, Father will have to find out anyway,” Kasumi said, patting the tall man’s arm. Soun looked at Kasumi confused then at George again, gasping as the man’s looks suddenly changed. The man’s pale skin now had a set of double stripes on each cheek the same color as the streaks in his hair, his blue eyes were now dragon-like slits and Soun could see a pair of small horns on top of George’s head.

“D-d-demon!” Soun yelped.

“Of course, why else do you think he was asked to come help poor Ryoga-kun,” Kasumi said. “Come on, he’s out in the dojo.” Soun watched as Kasumi lead the demon to the dojo, his mouth gaping.

“Something the matter Soun?” Sati asked from the other doorway.

“She’s dating a demon!” Soun said.

“Yes, is that a problem for some reason?” Sati asked. “After all, you didn’t seem to have a problem with young Ryoga being a demon now and you’re hosting two full blooded lycans, one of which is under a gender-bending curse. Why would Kasumi dating a demon be a problem?”

“Well… um…” Soun blushed at a sudden loss for words. “It was just… shock?”

“Hmm…” Sati hummed and walked out toward the dojo. “Just remember that Kasumi is an adult and she seems to be a good judge of character. Being a demon doesn’t make a person evil.”

Out in the dojo Nabiki and Jasper were watching Ranma and Ryoga spar. The boys were testing how strong Ryoga was now and how much his abilities had increased.

“He’s gotten a bit faster,” Nabiki mused as Ranma and Ryoga jumped around the dojo like demented Mexican jumping beans.

“Demons usually are,” Jasper said.

“Still not as fast as Ranma,” Nabiki said with a smirk. Both girls turned toward the dojo’s door as Kasumi walked in with George.

“Oi! Kasumi’s boy-toy is here you two!” Jasper called out to the boys. Kasumi flushed hotly making Nabiki snicker at her sister.

“So… you’re here to hide P-chan’s demon looks?” Ranma asked, grunting softly as Ryoga punched him in the shoulder.

“What kind of demon are you?” Ryoga asked curious.

“I’m a dragon demon,” George said. Jasper snorted in laughter, looking up at the tall man.

“Man your mom had to have a twisted sense of humor,” the girl said with a grin. George smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Mother thought it would be ironic,” He said. Ranma looked confused as he didn’t get what they were talking about.

“Huh?”

“It’s an old story from Europe cub,” Sati said as she stepped in behind the group. “A man named George, born around 280 AD, was a roman soldier that later became a Christian martyr. He’s famous for slaying a dragon, so this young dragon demon’s name being George is a bit funny and ironic.”

“Oh,” Ranma said, scratching the back of his head. George grinned then turned to Ryoga.

“So you’re the new demon Kasumi told me about?” He asked. Ryoga nodded, standing still as George walked around him. “Class A at the very least, you were human before ne?”

“Yeah, but my great grandfather is a wolf hanyou,” Ryoga said. “So I had a little demon blood at least.”

“And he turned into a full demon from a potion?” George asked, turning to Sati.

“Yes, another cub in the house somehow created it by accident and this cub walked in at the wrong time,” Sati explained. “Somehow it latched onto his weaker demon blood and changed him into this. We’re not sure if the effects are permanent or if they can even be reversed.”

“And… umm… I might want to stay like this,” Ryoga spoke up.

“I see,” George said as he stood in front of Ryoga again. He reached into his pocket and took out a box. Opening it showed Ryoga several different black stones that gave off a rainbow shine when the light hit it just right. “These are demon-illusion stones, Class S demons can maintain a human appearance on their own but lower classes need these beauties. If it wasn’t for your tail, you could pull off looking human on your own without these. You wear one of these and just think of your original human form and for all appearances you will look human but under the image you’re still a demon.”

“Does it matter which one?” Ryoga asked. Some of the stones were on chains while some were set in an earring, some in bracelets and some in rings.

“No, choose whichever type of jewelry you’re comfortable with,” George said. Ryoga frowned and looked at the stones again. A ring was out, it would fall off when he transformed into his pig form as would a bracelet. The collar Azusa put on him fit on both of his forms so he could at least get a short chain but that ran the risk of the chain breaking and as active and dangerous as his life was that was a real possibility.

“An earring,” Ryoga said at last, pointing at a simple stud with a round black stone.

“Alright, just sit down somewhere and we’ll pierce your ear,” George said. A few minutes later Ryoga was sitting just inside the doorway of the dojo, his head tilted to the side as the older demon cleaned his left earlobe then pushed a sharp sanitized needle made to pierce the already tough skin of a demon. Ryoga hissed as the needle when through the skin, George the only one in the group strong enough to push the needle through Ryoga’s tank-tough flesh. “Since demons heal faster than humans, this’ll heal up in a few hours instead of weeks. So if you want to ever take it out, the hole will still be there,” George explained as he pushed the earring into the new hole before it could start to heal.

“Hmm, doesn’t look bad on you Hibiki,” Nabiki said as they finished and Ryoga reached up to touch the earring.

“How does this work?” Ryoga asked.

“Just think of what you want to look like, the stone does the rest,” George explained. Ryoga nodded then thought of his old human form. He didn’t feel any different when the change happened but the other teens made small noises. “Just remember that it’s only an illusion, you’re still a demon under the image so be careful not to let your tail brush up against someone.”

“Alright,” Ryoga agreed.

“Ok, it’s been great and all but me and P-chan’s got something to do,” Ranma said as he grabbed the other boy’s wrist and dragged him out of the dojo.

“Wha? Ranma!?” Ryoga yelped as he was dragged off.

“What was that about?” Jasper asked. Nabiki shrugged her shoulders having no clue.

“Come George, you should properly meet Father,” Kasumi said as she laid her hand on George’s arms and lead the tall man out of the dojo. Sati followed at a slower pace back into the house.

“Oh, did I show you the video I got last night with Jockstrap?” Jasper asked as she took out her phone.

****

“Ranma!” Ryoga growled as Ranma dragged the other boy out of the Tendo household and out onto the streets of Nerima. “Where the hell are you taking me?”

“Nowhere,” Ranma said as he came to a halt with Ryoga nearly bowling him over at the sudden stop. “You’re gonna lead me.”

“Huh?” Ryoga asked, giving Ranma a confused look. “Did you suddenly forget my little problem? You know the one where I can’t find my way anywhere?”

“Just humor me will ya?” Ranma asked. “Just lead me to Ucchan’s, if you start to totally go off course then I’ll see the whole idea was a flop and take over.”

“Ranma…” Ryoga said not sure about this.

“Would you just go?” Ranma waved his hands at Ryoga, motioning for the other to walk. Ryoga groaned softly and rolled his eyes, everything outside was brighter, louder and smelt stronger to his new senses but Ryoga was getting used enough to them that they didn’t overwhelm him like they did the night before. Seeing Ranma motion for him to move again, Ryoga sighed as he turned and started walking down the street.

Ryoga walked down the street, pausing at street corners to look around before moving again. He was surprised when several minutes later he found himself and Ranma standing outside of Ucchan’s. The restaurant’s windows were dark and a closed sign hung in the window. Ranma could see lights on in the upstairs apartments, no doubt Ukyo or Konatsu getting ready for the day.

“Not bad P-chan,” Ranma said. “I didn’t have to correct you once.”

“Wha… how…” Ryoga was confused. Happy for the turn of events, yes, but still confused. He had lived with his inability to find his way his whole life. It hadn’t been that bad when he was really young, able to stick close to one of his parents but as he grew older his lack of direction became worse until it was to the point Ryoga couldn’t even find his way out of a room with just a single door. So to be able to find his way from Point A to Point B without visiting Points R, Z, C, I, and S along the way was nothing short of amazing. For the first time even he knew where he was and didn’t feel that depressing haze of being utterly lost.

“No idea,” Ranma said. “You’re demon blood maybe?” Ranma said the last part lowly so no one could overhear them. “Something we’ll bring up to Auntie or the old mummy, they might know.” Ryoga just nodded dumbly, he was still in shock about how much this whole changing species thing was changing his life. Ranma sighed and grabbed Ryoga’s arm. “Come on, let’s get you someplace quiet so you can think.”

Ryoga followed after the other, easily keeping up with his rival-turned-friend as Ranma lead him to a neighborhood some streets away from the Tendo’s. He blinked and shook himself out of his thoughts as he noticed Ranma walking up to one of them and unlocking the door.

“What are you doing?!” He hissed. “You can’t just barge into someone’s house.”

“It’s cool, I have a key,” Ranma said, holding up the key he had used to unlock the door. “I have permission to be here Ryoga. Come on.” Ryoga hesitated at the doorway then followed Ranma inside. Ranma closed the door and paused to listen, his head cocked to the side slightly. Curious, Ryoga listened as well but all he could hear were the soft hum of the electronics in the house and an odd noise coming from the back.

“Ranma, why are we here?” Ryoga finally asked as Ranma nodded to himself and started moving. “Who’s house is this?”

“Somebody Sati knows I guess,” Ranma said as he led the way to the back of the house. “I’m doing a favor for them, a mom and her daughter as far as I can tell.”

“What sort of favor?” Ryoga asked as Ranma opened a door into a small sunny room. In the middle of the room sat a box that had noises coming from it that sounded an awful lot like… cats.

“Hey guys, miss me?” Ranma asked with a smile as he walked over to the box and sat down beside it. Ryoga watched as Ranma reached in and took out a small Calico kitten which mewled loudly. “I know, I know. I’ll have breakfast in a minute.”

“Ranma…” Ryoga said slowly as Ranma stood and carried the kitten into the kitchen, standing in the doorway to watch as Ranma mixed together some formula one-handed. “That’s a cat….”

“Really?” Ranma drawled sarcastically, the tone eased by the grin on Ranma’s face. “I didn’t notice.” Ryoga huffed and rolled his eyes, moving out of the way as Ranma came back with a small bottle full of the formula and sat down by the box again. He offered the nipple to the Calico kitten that latched onto it like a demon possessed.

“Ranma, I thought you were afraid of cats,” Ryoga finally said after watching Ranma feed the kitten. Ryoga had been there the day Shampoo had arrived back from China in her new cursed form of a cat. He had been there in his own pig form, held safely by Akane at the time. He remembered the look of pure terror on Ranma’s face and the sick feeling in his stomach as Genma calmly told everyone how Ranma was trained in the Neko-ken as if it was normal to talk about throwing your child into a pit of starving cats.

After that, no matter what his feelings on Ranma were or whatever else he had done to the other boy or the other boy had done to him, Ryoga swore to never use Ranma’s fear of cats against him. Genma had tried of course, the time he had named Ryoga his heir to the Saotome branch of the School of Anything Goes. Of course, Ryoga hadn’t really been made Genma’s heir, the man had been using him to get back at Ranma because the teen had eaten some of his snacks. Genma had tried to get Ryoga to use Ranma’s fear against the teen but Ryoga had refused to do so.

“I was… but I’ve been getting help recently,” Ranma said as he traded the full, satisfied Calico kitten for a black one. “I can look at images of cats now without breaking into a cold sweat and I don’t even stumble over the word any more. I can hold these little guys and as long as a cat doesn’t jump out and startle me, I’m fine.”

“But… how?” Ryoga asked. “I’ve seen how you are around cats, it was pretty extreme.”

Ranma told Ryoga the story of how Rara, taking a moment to explain who and what Rara was, had helped him confront the cat inside him for lack of a better word while inside his own mind. With the cat that had been his ability to use the Neko-ken but also all of his fears and terrors for any small felines as the large ones never bothered him defeated so to speak, Ranma didn’t react as violently to cats as before.

“So then Auntie suggested either seeing a shrink or trying self-help therapy to fully get over my fear,” Ranma finished explaining, slowly petting one of the kittens as it napped in the crook of his arm. Ryoga had another kitten spread out over one of his legs, one finger ever-so gently petting it. If there was one thing Ryoga knew how to do, it was control his own strength so not to hurt anything weaker than himself. “I decided to try the self-help thing then Auntie told me I was taking care of these guys while the people living here were gone for the day.”

“Where’s the mother cat?” Ryoga asked.

“Dead,” Ranma said. “And these guys are too small to take care of themselves. I gotta say…. It’s a relief not to have such a crippling fear like cats hanging over me anymore,” He added the last part softly. Ryoga watched his friend look down at the kitten sleeping on his arm, the little Calico he had at the start he noted, and was giving it the same affectionate look he knew he gave Shirokuro, his bi-color dog, whenever he saw her.

“So why keep it a secret?” Ryoga asked.

“Nabiki knows, she was there when I asked Sati if there was any way to get over the Neko-ken training,” Ranma said. “I don’t think she knows about the kittens, but she knows I’m getting help. Everyone else…” He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I don’t really like to talk about it to start with, so why bring it up?”

“So what happens when you’re cured?” Ryoga asked, smiling down at the kitten sleeping on his leg as it yawned, a little paw stretched out in front of it with the toes spread wide then curled up into a little fluffy ball. His wolf-like tail started thumped softly on the floor behind him as it wagged like a dogs.

“Learn the real Neko-ken of course,” Ranma said with a grin.

“Huh?”

“Auntie said that the Neko-ken I’ve been using when I went cat wasn’t the real one, it’s a bastardized version,” Ranma explained. “The actual Neko-ken was invented for cat races, not humans.”

“Makes sense,” Ryoga said. “I’ve never seen you when acted like a cat but I heard you used Chi claws and stuff.”

“Yeah and Sati said since I’m half weretiger, I can learn the real one,” Ranma said. “It was in the old freak’s book.”

“Why would Happosai have the real Neko-ken written down in his book?” Ryoga asked. Ranma shrugged his shoulders.

“No idea, he’s got a lot of stuff written down in there, mostly powerful or sex related,” Ranma blushed slightly at the word sex. He might not be a virgin any more but some of the techniques written in the book were over the top! “It’ll take me years to read through the whole book.”

“That’s if he doesn’t try to take the book back,” Ryoga pointed out.

“He’ll try I guess,” Ranma said with a shrug of his shoulders. “But he’s so scared of Auntie, we won’t see him as long as she’s here at least.”

******

“Sati, you have a letter,” Kasumi said as she passed a letter to the elder werewolf from the pile in the young woman’s hands.

“Hmm, thank you cub,” Sati said as she used her sharp nail to slice through the top of the envelope and slipped the contents out to read. A frown crossed her face as she read the missive. “ Well… crap.”

*******

"You're leaving!?" Ranma exclaimed that afternoon after he and Ryoga had returned to the Tendo’s, standing across from Sati in the dojo.

"I've been summoned by the council," Sati said. "I'll only be gone for a few days, a couple of weeks at the most."

Ranma fought to keep the scowl off his face, he had heard of the council before from Sati. It was commonly known as the 'Were Council', not a very original name but it served its purpose, a council of lycanthropes from all over the world. Most of the main packs and clans each sent a representative usually an elder to serve on the council. While they didn't rule over the werewolves and other were-animals of the world, they did come up with the rules that kept the lycanthrope races safe and hidden from the rest of the world.

Ranma was sure the council had other functions as well but he had never asked. Sati who was not a member of the council herself was summoned from time to time by them. For what reason Ranma never asked and Sati never said but Ranma had hated it when she had to go during the years she traveled with him and Genma. During the time she was gone Genma usually started up his bad habits again without the werewolf to keep him in check.

"I know you're disappointed cub," Sati said with a sigh, placing her hands on his shoulders. "But it is something important I have to do. You're doing fine and a few days flying solo won't hurt you. And besides, I can question around about any werewolf and weretiger mates missing a 16 year old cub."

"Do you think you'll find something?" Ranma asked he was happily bonding properly with Nodoka now that everything was cleared between them but he still wanted to know about his real parents.

"I don't know," Sati said. "I may or may not, but we'll never know unless I ask. Just don't let that Akane-cub tear down my room, I'll be back."

"I don't think Kasumi will let her," Ranma said with a small laugh. Sati shared his laugh and grinned.

"No, I don't think so either," She said. "Just keep up with your exercises, try to make time to lounge in your hybrid form and have fun with your little girlfriends. Keep an eye on Ryoga and Akane while Cologne figures out what happened. And if something does happen, Jasper is still nearby."

“Wait, what about Akane?” Ranma asked. “Wasn’t she supposed to have something to hide her appearance?”

“Jasper used her own contacts to get something whipped up right quick,” Sati assured him. “It’ll be fine cub, just keep calm and go about as normal. Just don’t annoy the girl too much, she’s having a hard time with all this.”

“What about the full moon?” Ranma asked as that time of the month was creeping up on them again.

“I think you’ll be fine if I’m not back in time,” Sati assured him again. “You’ll have to get used to me not being here during those times cub. If you’re not sure about being around others, the cabin we used is still under my name. Just relax cub, everything will be fine.”

“I can’t help but feel something will happen,” Ranma grumbled.

“I can’t help but point out something always happens to you cub,” Sati said in amusement.

“Yeah I guess,” Ranma said with a sigh.

“Good,” Sati said as she squeezed Ranma’s shoulders. “I have to go finish packing and leave. Kasumi and Soun know I am coming back as soon as possible.” Ranma watched his adopted auntie leave the dojo and huffed to himself, things had calmed down a little since she arrived and Ranma wondered if he and the others could keep that up.

****

“What’s the were council anyway?” Nabiki asked sometime later when Ranma told her Sati was gone, at least for now.

“Big gathering of stuffy elders from different packs and clans,” Jasper explained, tossing a hacky sack into the air and catching it over and over. “They make up the rules and stuff that help keep our kind hidden from humans. My dad works for them, he goes around getting back old treasures or important documents that had been stolen or lost over the years. Kinda like what I do but I work for profit.”

“And Sati is going to be gone for a while because of them,” Nabiki verified.

“When the council calls, you come runnin’,” Jasper nodded.

“Auntie used to be summoned every now and then when she traveled with me and Pops,” Ranma said. “Hated it too, Genma always fell back into his old habits without her to keep him in check. It was around the time I was in junior high when she left for good, she said I was old enough to handle Pops and she had something important to take care of but she would see me again.”

“Then she came back in time for your… ah… little change,” Nabiki said.

“Sati’s got a lot of duties she takes care of,” Jasper said. “Since she’s been around for so long, the council uses her for a lot of stuff.”

“I just think the timing sucks,” Ranma said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well nothing we can’t handle,” Nabiki said with a dismissive wave of her hand then sat down next to Ranma, running a hand up his chest. “After all I have a sexy furry here to keep me safe.” Ranma blushed at Nabiki’s teasing while Jasper laughed.

***

“Well well well, look at my pathetic student now,” Genma jerked in his drunken haze, he knew that voice. That voice that sent fear down his spine quicker than his wife… ex-wife… could or that bitch of a werewolf. Genma turned his head, squinting at the short figure that stood on the tabletop next to him.

“Master!” Genma yelped as he fell over into a drunken sprawl of a bow. Happosai rolled his eyes at his so-called student. He wasn’t surprised to find the large man in the tavern getting drunk off his ass. He wasn’t exactly sure what happened at the Tendo household as Happosai had been keeping his distance for now but Happosai knew Genma had been kicked out on his fat ass. Before that the man had been in hiding from that werewolf Sati.

Sati, Happosai’s hand formed a fist at his side, everything had been going great until that were-bitch had come along. He had a nice hideout to keep all of his treasures and silky darlings, good food made by Soun’s oldest daughter Kasumi and all the lovely ladies he could want to grope within easy distance. His favorite of course was his sweet Ranma-chan. She had a rack on her that was to die for! Too bad Ranma was born a boy but Happosai had been working on convincing his so-called heir that she really wanted to be a girl and serve her master. In the meantime, the boy/girl was entertaining to tease as was Soun’s heir Akane.

Oh he never planned on making Ranma his heir no matter what he said to the boy. Happosai planned on living for a long time, much longer than the boy would, so why would he need an heir? But it was still fun to dangle the promise of being Grand Master of the School of Anything Goes in front of Ranma whenever he got the chance.

Then Sati came along, he had no idea the boy had known the werewolf. Happosai had met Sati in his youth, around the same time he met Cologne when she was a sweet young thing. At the time Happosai had been cocky and thought he could defeat what appeared to be a busty young foreigner woman. After all he was a young, strong man even if he was only around 3 feet high and seemed to absorb different martial arts techniques like a sponge. Ranma was much like him in that way, Happosai would admit he admired the boy for that at least. As such Happosai thought he would win against Sati for sure. His defeat at the hand of the woman had been humiliating to say the least. (1)

Sati had easily beat him down and left him in the dirt. Insulted and nursing a bruised pride, Happosai had trained hard and sought Sati out again to challenge her. Once again Happosai had met defeat at the woman’s hands. Angered, Happosai had searched out anything that could help him bring Sati down which lead him to a certain village in China. Ah good times, his brief fling with Cologne had been a fun distraction and lead him to a hoard of treasures, one of which was the Magic Mirror that had been in Cologne’s family for years.

Armed with magical artifacts that boosted his strength and techniques he had stolen from the Joketsuzoku, Happosai spent years looking for Sati. When he had finally found her, he was shocked to see Sati hadn’t aged a year since the last time they met in battle. He didn’t let that stop him as he attacked Sati a third time, determined to defeat Sati once and for all. Happosai’s attack just so happened to be timed perfectly with the rising of the full moon where he learned Sati’s true nature.

Coming face to face with a snarling irritated werewolf is never fun Happosai found out and after that he decided it would be better to leave the woman alone. At least until he was sure he could win in a fight against her. He had come close the few times he had run into Sati, as he got on in years the better Happosai got at his martial arts. He had collected hundreds of different arts and techniques that he had wrote by hand in the book that whelp Ranma currently hand. If he was to go up against Sati now, Happosai wasn’t sure how he would fair. He liked to think that after decades since he last saw the woman, Happosai was the better warrior. But when faced with snarling razor sharp teeth that old fear kicked in and Happosai put as much distance between himself and the Lycan as he could.

Then given the threat of that mage werewolf Valamar, who scared him even more than Sati did and the two of them were way too similar for his comfort, well Happosai decided it was time to hit the road at least for a while. He had only gone back to the dojo to get his book and to bring Ranma-chan along with him. That of course hadn’t worked out at all and he had lost both. He needed that book! And he wouldn’t mind the side prize of Ranma-chan, permanently trapped in that sexy female form, for him to use and play with until he got bored with her. (2)

“Get up you fool,” Happosai said to Genma as he sat on the other side of the table and poured himself some sake in one of the small choko on the table. Genma quickly sat up, his hands clasped in his lap and shaking slightly in fear. “My Genma, surely you don’t fear your old master do you? Haven’t I taken care of you and taught you all I know?” (3)

“Y-Yes master,” Genma stuttered slightly, no Happosai hadn’t ‘taken care’ of him as Genma knew he was nothing but a pawn to the man. The con-man had been out coned and Genma knew it. He also knew Happosai hadn’t even taught him or Soun even a fraction of what he knew, just enough that they were considered part of the Anything Goes school and were able to start their own branches once he and Soun sealed away the old man years ago before either of them had married. But hell if he was going to say any of this to Happosai, the man could and regularly did make his life a living hell. “Forgive me master.”

“Of course,” Happosai said with a smirk, signaling for more sake to be brought to the table. He eyed the pretty young waitress that brought over a fresh tokkuri of sake and clean chokos. As she gathered up the old flask and cups, Happosai slapped her on her firm ass and leached a small amount of chi from the girl. She squeaked in outrage, glaring at the dirty old man then quickly walked away. Happosai chuckled and removed his pipe from the inside of his gi, lighting up the tobacco inside. “Drink Genma.” (4)

“Yes master, you are very generous,” Genma said as he quickly poured himself some of the sake to drink.

“Tell me Genma, why are you here drowning yourself in sake instead of playing go with your old buddy Soun?” Happosai asked once Genma had several more cups of sake in him. The drunker Genma was, the looser his minions tongue would be.

“Soun kicked me out,” Genma slurred, staring bleary at the table. “That that bitch Nodoka divorced me.”

“Dear sweet Nodoka cut ties with you?” Happosai said in fake shock not really all that surprised. Nodoka had always been respectful to him, at least to his face, but the woman had clearly hated his guts. She had been a beauty in her youth, clearly that was where Ranma-chan got her looks from thank Kami cause what if his Ranma-chan looked like Genma, and had aged gracefully as she got older. Happosai had never figured out just how Genma managed to convince Nodoka to marry him. He hadn’t even been invited to the wedding, by that time Soun and Genma had managed to temporarily seal him in that blasted cave.

“Yes… she found out about the boy…” Genma said. “Found out everything about Ranma. Wazn’t happy that I lied to her.”

“So Nodoka figured out that ‘Ranko’ was her beloved son hmm?” Happosai chuckled; he would have loved seeing Ranma try to explain his way out of that one.

“Found out about Ranma’s curse, about his lycan blood, how I trained him…” Genma kept rambling, Happosai giving him a sharp look. “I never shoulda taken that brat in, shoulda known he would be more trouble than he was worth.”

“Genma, what’s all this about Ranma?” Happosai asked obviously there was something about Ranma he didn’t know. Lycan blood? The boy was a werewolf? He knew for a fact Genma was no werewolf and he was quite sure Nodoka wasn’t either. ‘Did Nodoka have another lover before Genma? Is that why she married him, to cover up the fact she was with child?’

“My son Tatsuo died, No-chan was depressed then found out she couldn’t have another baby…. I needed an heir to marry off to Soun’s daughters for the school,” Genma said as he poured himself another cup of Sake, the rice wine splashing over the edge of the cup as he poured. He gulped down the wine then let his hand fall back onto the table. “A man approached me; he had a baby that he needed to get rid of. Told me the boy would be strong, that he was a werewolf. I didn’t need a creature for a son but he promised that the boy would be human, that he would lock away all the wolf blood and would make him controllable. I needed an heir so I finally agreed to take the boy.”

‘Oh ho! Ranma isn’t Genma or Nodoka’s son at all! Strange that Ranma-chan looks quite a bit like Nodoka but that can just be put down to similar looks,’ Happosai thought to himself as he mused over Genma’s tale. Genma and Nodoka did have a son, one named Tatsuo, but according to Genma the boy died and Nodoka was now barren. Genma needed a male child to fulfill his part of the agreement to merge the schools and took in Ranma instead. ‘This explains why Sati has so much interest in the boy. If she knows that he’s a werewolf…’

“Did the boy ever change?” Happosai asked, with the way chaos and mayhem followed Ranma around Happosai doubted that any spell or potion to lock away his werewolf blood would hold on for so long.

“/She/ came, she told the boy what he really was,” Genma spat out, no need to tell Happosai who ‘she’ was, “I overheard Sati talking to Soun’s middle daughter, telling the girl all about how his first transformation would go. I knew I wouldn’t be able to find the man who gave me Ranma so I tried to force the whelp to mate with Akane but I wasn’t able to locate them. Sati confronted me about it but I escaped her grip.”

‘Meaning Sati scared the shit out of you and you ran away like a coward,’ Happosai translated in his head.

“I came back to the Tendo’s one night and No-chan was waiting for me. She divorced me and told me she was given full custody of Ranma,” Genma burst out into tears, wailing about how all his plans were ruined and now the schools would never been joined and his perfect retirement would never happen now. Happosai sneered at Genma in disgust, there was no hope of talking to the man now and really he had all he needed to know. The short man quickly moved to another table and ordered another flask of sake, telling them to put in on Genma’s tab.

Happosai relit his pipe and closed his eyes, thinking about what Genma had just told him. It gave him a much better insight into his so-called ‘heir’, it explained somewhat why his and Cologne’s plans for the boy never worked. Lycan’s had always been able to throw off most spells and potions made by man, something about their biology made them hard to control. It made them wild and unless you were a powerful demon or vampire, the only way you could control a werewolf was if you trained them since birth to listen to you. It was why so many Lycan were taken from their parents at a young age, the younger they were the easier it was to mold and control them.

While Genma never said so, Happosai was sure that by this time Ranma had the ability to transform and if he didn’t the boy would soon. He thought it might be better in the long run to abandon all plans for the boy’s cursed form, unless he wanted to keep a close eye on his Ranma-chan and keep applying the spells and potions she would break out of them on her own. It just wasn’t worth the headache in the end.

‘And that’s too bad, Ranma-chan has such a sweet body, if she had been human I know she would love to do whatever I asked,’ Happosai thought mournfully to himself. The feeling passed quickly, there were hundreds if not thousands of pretty girls out there waiting for his touch. He really had no reason to stick around, except for one. His book.

Happosai had stolen the book from a magical run community, not unlike the places described in those Harry Potter books that Happi found in Kasumi’s room once. It was a magical book, blank at first glance but Happosai discovered no matter how much he wrote in the book, there was always space to write more. So he did, martial arts schools, attacks, spells, potions, anything and everything that caught Happosai’s attention had been carefully copied over into the pages of the book. He was almost 300 years old that was a long time to remember years and years of information that he learned. It was easier to just have it all written down and when he needed to know something, like how to counter an attack or a handy spell, he would steal away to his book and look it up.

There was a certain… awareness about the book. Not so much a soul or a mind but the magic allowed the book to always bring up what Happosai wanted as long as it was written in the pages and he was the only one who could read it. He assumed that no one else could read the book, not knowing the magic in the book had chosen the boy as its new master.

So Happosai had to go back and get his book. And a few other things that he had left at the house if he had the time. Magical and powerful items he had acquired over the years, his favorite silky darlings of course, he couldn’t leave them behind if he could help it. Hopefully Kasumi or Nabiki hadn’t cleaned out his room and sold everything. Or worse, returned them to their owners.

After he had what he wanted, Happosai was out of there. It was time to see what else had changed in the world while he was sealed away. North America sounded pretty good right now, he hadn’t been there in a long, long time. He also thought about giving the Tendos and Saotomes a final kick in the ass by officially disbanding the Tendo and Saotome branches of his school. After all he hadn’t given either Soun or Genma permission to start their own schools.

‘Yes, that’s the way to go. But I don’t want to get tangled up with Sati or the boy,’ Happosai thought, looking back over at Genma who had passed out in a drunken stupor by this time. Hopefully Genma would be of some last use, as a distraction if nothing else. And he had heard his Godson was back in town once again, he was sure he could dangle the promise of changing his name in front of Pantyhose to get his help. Happosai chuckled to himself; yes it was all coming together…

***

The first day back at school went a lot better than Ranma thought it would be. He and Nabiki just told everyone that Akane’s voice was gone so she couldn’t talk much. It wasn’t the best excuse and it wasn’t one they could keep using, Ranma really hoped that Cologne would figure out a way to change Akane back quickly, but it was working for now. The illusion charm that Jasper got for Akane worked great, looking at his ex-fiancée she looked just like her normal self. As long as Akane kept everything she did at a slow pace, they may be able hide what happened from everyone, he hoped at least.

Akane’s two friends Yuka and Sayuri were suspicious of course, they knew Akane better than anyone at the school barring Nabiki and could tell something was off and Ranma hoped they didn’t pry. Ukyo could tell something was going on as well but Ranma held off on telling his best friend since… well… how do you explain that Akane managed to turn herself into a sorta cave woman?

That afternoon, after Akane was safely under the care and watch of her oldest sister, Ryoga approached Ranma.

“I’m going home,” Ryoga said.

“Wait, what?” Ranma asked looking up from where he was stuffing a few of Kasumi’s cookies into his mouth.

“I said I’m going home,” Ryoga repeated. “I need to check on the house, make sure the dogs are ok and to see if my parents are there.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Ranma asked. Ryoga shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be,” He said. “I can make it home on my own for once and with this,” He tapped the earring that now graced his ear, “no one is gonna be able to tell I look like this now.”

“How are your parents gonna take this whole demon thing?” Ranma asked.

“I don’t think it’ll bother them,” Ryoga said. “They know about my curse and believe me, as Hibikis we’ve all seen some really strange things. This whole thing that happened to me is pretty tame.”

“Huh…” Ranma guessed that was true, during his calm moments in the past Ryoga had told him about some of the things he had seen on the road. A lot of it sounded unbelievable but the things Ranma had seen and done himself had led him to always believe Ryoga’s crazier stories. “Alright, let me stop long enough to check on my kittens and we’ll go.”

“Ranma I don’t need you to go with me,” Ryoga said. For once in his life Ryoga had the ability to find his own home and it was a feeling like no other for someone who had been unable to find his way out of a simple room before.

“I know, but I like your mom and wouldn’t mind seeing her myself,” Ranma said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Alright, whatever,” Ryoga said with a groan. “Just don’t pretend to be my sister this time.” Ranma’s face flushed slightly, that had been one of his meaner tricks he pulled on the other boy.

******

There were five women in Ranma’s life that he admired. The first of course was Sati, the elder werewolf had been the closest thing to a mother he had for years, and had treated him like one of her own children. She taught him things that Genma didn’t bother with or neglected on purpose, made sure he was taken care of and had been one of his teachers in the art for many years.

The second was his own mother, Nodoka had pined for him and Genma for years, wanting her family back and when confronted with the fact that not only did her adopted son turn into a girl with cold water, a girl she had previously believed was a Tendo cousin and had mothered, but was also non human. Nodoka had accepted him for whom and what he was and even went out of her way to protect him from Genma by divorcing him and getting sole custody of the teen. While he was curious about his birth mother, Ranma was glad to have Nodoka as his mom.

The third was Cologne though he would never tell anyone this. While she had tricked and tried to trap him several times into marriage with Shampoo, Ranma could admire the lengths Cologne went to to take care of her Great Granddaughter and her village, he just didn’t like being involved in it. The old mummy was also one hell of a martial artist and had gone out of her way to teach not only him but Ryoga some of her village’s secret moves. Of course there was also a motive behind what she did but both boys were still happy with what they had been taught.

The fourth woman that Ranma admired was Kasumi. The oldest Tendo daughter had always treated him kindly, like a little brother, and had tried her best to deflect her sisters’ activities. She took good care of her family and almost everyone else near her. While she acted naive at times, and at times she was when it came to Tofu’s affections for her, Kasumi was sharp as a tack and could pick up on anything. The fact that she hadn’t been driven crazy by everything that had gone on in the last year proved that she had a soul of steel under that sweet smile.

And lastly there was Ayako Hibiki, Ryoga’s mother. The few times Ranma had ever met the woman, she had the same problem as her son and husband meaning she had a hard time finding her way around, Ayako had treated Ranma kindly. She did her best to take care of her little family, always leaving a snack out for Ryoga even if it ended up spoiled since Ryoga didn’t get there in time to eat it, and always checking up on her only child. But that didn’t mean Ayako was some soft spoken housewife. As a born Hibiki, Ayako was a wanderer. Not because she wanted to be but because she had no choice. She was also a very strong woman that had a hell of a temper on her. Ranma could gleefully remember the one time Genma had come to the Hibiki home during the time they had lived in the area looking for Ranma. Genma had proceeded to insult Ayako, calling her a mewling weak woman, only to be knocked out flat by Ayako’s fist to his jaw. Ryoga always did say you never piss off a Hibiki woman.

Ayako was a martial artist in her own right as well, through Ranma had never known what she practiced until recently. As he gazed out the window of the train he and Ryoga rode to get to the other boy’s house, his mind wondered back in time.

Flashback…

“Ok, this has been bugging me for days,” Ranma said as he stared at Ryoga, tapping his fingers against his knee.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ryoga said with a sigh. It was a week after the Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts match between Furinkan High School and St. Hebereke’s School for Girls. Prior to the match first Akane then Ranma had been trained by Ryoga in Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts. Ranma hadn’t put much thought to it, more entertained in watching Akane try and fail to learn the unusual art. She hadn’t been horrible but there had been no way Akane would have won against someone like Kodachi Kuno. Then Ryoga had tried to run Ranma into the ground as he ‘trained’ the girl-cursed boy, attempting to make Ranma too tired to properly fight against Kodachi as he had wanted Ranma to lose to the girl. It would have worked too as Ranma had been dead tired when they arrived at St. Hebereke’s for the match but when the fight started Ranma got an adrenalin rush that had woken him right up.

But Ranma wondered where the hell Ryoga had learned something like Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts when he hadn’t even heard of it before. It was a very girly sport and he just didn’t see someone like Ryoga going out of his way to learn it.

“Where the hell did you learn Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts?” Ranma finally asked. Ryoga sighed and rolled his eyes, he didn’t see what the big deal was.

“I learned it from my mom,” Ryoga said.

“Your mom?” Ranma repeated blinking in surprise. Ranma didn’t know much about Ryoga’s mother other than she had a great right hook and could fight with a bamboo umbrella just like Ryoga.

“Yes Ranma, my mom,” Ryoga said with another sigh. “She’s the regional champion for Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts on a professional level and was the captain of her school’s team when she was a girl. I’ve seen her use it all my life and she taught me herself, I adapted some of the techniques into my own style over the years.”

“But isn’t it a …. Errr… girly art?” Ranma asked.

“It’s used by girls mostly yeah,” Ryoga agreed with a shrug of his shoulders, “but there are male gymnasts too Ranma. There’s nothing in the rules that says a boy can’t compete in a Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts match.” Ranma still thought it was a girly art but finally dropped the subject.

End Flashback…

“Hey Ranma, we’re here,” Ryoga said as he poked his friend in the shoulder as the train slowed down and pulled into the station.

“Huh?” Ranma blinked as he pulled himself back into the present. “Oh, come on then.” He stood and stretched then followed Ryoga off the train.

******

Author Note: whew, took a little longer than I thought. I hoped everyone enjoyed the chapter.

(1) Before anyone starts screaming about Sati being a Mary-Sue because she defeated Happosai, remember this happened when he was young. Happosai is between 118 to 400 depending if you go with the manga or anime version, Sati is several centuries older than him and when this incident happened he wasn't much older than Ranma currently is. So he was nowhere near the powerful grand master that he is now. If they were to fight now, I think Happosai would have a much much greater chance of defeating Sati as she never studied Martial Arts with the same fervor as Happosai or Cologne.

(2) Happosai has no idea that Valamar is Sati's oldest child, it's not like he regularly spends time with either werewolf.

(3) A choko is the small cup that sake is drank from.

(4) A tokkuri is the small pitcher sake is poured from.