------------------------
The Perfect Warrior
Chapter 1: A Stranger in the Night
------------------------

	Throughout their three thousand years of history, the Chinese 
Amazons have amassed an entire library of stories, myths, and legends. 
There are stories of war, and of magic, and of love.  There are 
stories that chronicle ancient curses, forgotten lands, and great 
deeds- deeds of courage, deeds of revenge, and sometimes, deeds of 
necessity.

	One of the most popular stories, especially among the younger 
Amazons, is the story of a warrior- a warrior named Cinnamon, of all 
silly things.  As the story goes, there was once a battle between her 
and 200 Musk warriors, and she slaughtered them all.  It just goes to 
show that silly names don't always equal silly people.

	This is not that story.

	Rather, this is story of one Ranma Saotome.  If it so happens 
that pieces of this story coincide with pieces of Amazon legend, then 
so be it.  However, the Amazons and their myths are not really the 
focus of this story.

	This is a story of boundaries.  It is a story of the boundary 
between childhood and adulthood, and between friendship and romance.  
It is a story of the remarkably thin line between love and anger, and 
the constant war between them.  It is a story of how the past and the 
future collide in the world of the present, and hopefully, it is a 
story worth telling.

	Unlike most stories involving Ranma Saotome, it does not start 
on a rainy afternoon in Tokyo.  Instead, it starts on a clear night in 
a remote part of China.  There are three people walking down a dirt 
path, just outside of a village that has existed unchanged for nearly 
three thousand years.

	      ------------------------------------------------

	The three Amazon warriors were returning from a week-long 
training trip.  The oldest warrior in the group, and also the leader, 
was named Pepper.  She was eighteen years old, and of average height 
and build.  Unlike many of her fellow Amazons who grew their hair 
waist-length or longer, she kept her dark red hair cropped at shoulder 
length, feeling that longer hair was a nuisance and a risk during a 
fight.  Pepper was fierce and headstrong, and her brown eyes burned 
with an intensity rare for someone as young as her.  She had also been 
described as stubborn and undisciplined, though rarely to her face.  
She carried the most traditional Amazon weapon- a pair of weapons that 
looked like large spherical maces with no spikes.  They were called 
bonbori.  Enemies of the Amazon often laughed at the bonbori and 
dismissed them as ineffective and clumsy weapons.  They only did 
it once.

	The second oldest was Lily.  She had been very sickly as a young 
child, and as a result had not started training full time until her 
peers were well on their way toward being Amazon warriors. Since her 
training had started, she had been training very intensely in an 
effort to catch up on the years she had lost, but it was difficult.  
She had held hopes that this trip would provide a much-needed boost to 
help jumpstart her training, and while her training had progressed, it 
had not been the boost she was looking for.  Still, she was able to 
handle her weapon of choice, a sword, fairly well.

	The youngest, Jasmine, was fifteen.  She had been trained in the 
use of the bonbori with Pepper, but preferred unarmed combat.  Unlike 
Lily, she was ahead of most of her peers and could easily disarm Lily 
when they sparred.  She couldn't quite disarm Pepper, but hoped to 
reach that point soon.  Her teachers had told her she might be the 
village champion one day, which only caused her to train harder in 
hopes of fulfilling that dream.

	The three friends had originally planned to camp that night and 
reach the village the next morning, but the village was close and they 
had decided to try to reach it that night.  Their mood became more 
festive as they approached the village, and they let their guard down.  
It was only by sheer luck that Pepper happened to glance at the boulder 
about thirty yards away and notice the figure crouching low on top of 
it.  She shouted in alarm- had her warrior instincts been operating 
better, she would have quietly alerted her companions.

	Pepper pointed a bonbori toward the figure.  "Hey you!  Get off 
that rock and raise your hands in the air!"  The three warriors 
advanced on the rock.  Inching down from the rock was a red-haired girl 
who didn't look to be more than twelve.  The girl was quite pretty, 
and her long red hair was pulled back in a pony tail.  She looked at 
the Amazons with a neutral expression, as if she was waiting to decide 
whether they were friend or foe.

	The Amazons approached slowly, not seeing this girl as too much 
of a threat but at the same time exercising caution.  Pepper stood on 
the girl's right, while Jasmine stood on her left and Lily stood in 
front.  Lily crouched down so she was eye level with the girl, and 
studied her intently.  The two made eye contact; a long moment of 
silence passed between them before Lily stood up again and spoke.  
"Hey, what are you doing out here?  Answer, child!"

	A few seconds passed.  The girl did not look at the faces of any 
of the Amazons; instead, she continued to stare straight ahead.

	Lily tried again.  "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

	Pepper frowned and crossed her arms in front of her, still 
holding her bonbori, and stared at the side of the girl's face.  "It's 
pretty obvious she doesn't, Lily."

	Lily looked over at her questioningly.  "What is she doing out 
here, then?  If she doesn't speak Chinese, how the heck did she get 
here?"

	Jasmine shrugged.  "Maybe she's a Musk child?"

	Pepper shook her head.  "On this side of the village?  Yeah, 
right."  She paused as if in thought, and then spoke slowly.  "You 
know," she looked at her companions, "the orders are to kill any 
trespassers."

	Jasmine was shocked that her friend would even think of doing 
such a thing.  "Come on, Pepper, she's just a scared little kid!" she 
protested.

	"Yeah, right.  She doesn't look scared to me."  Pepper prodded 
the girl with her bonbori, who stumbled slightly but remained 
standing.  "She's got to have a reason for being out here.  There's 
something fishy going on..."

	Lily began to draw her sword.  "This is way too odd.  I agree 
with Pepper.  She's not an Amazon, so that makes her an enemy- 
especially this close to the village at night."

	As Lily pulled her sword out of its sheath, the girl's neutral 
expression disappeared and her face took on an expression of bitter 
determination.  It was all the warning the Amazons got.

	The girl spun toward Lily, landing a kick on her hand, sending 
the sword flying into the dark, and snap kicking Lily's jaw.  While 
Lily was stunned, the girl jumped in the air, somersaulting over her 
head and landing outside the circle of Amazons.  Quickly, she rushed 
in toward Pepper.  Ducking under the first bonbori, she jumped over 
the second to land two kicks on Pepper's arms, causing her to drop the 
bonbori.  Then she landed a double kick on the Pepper's chest, sending 
herself backward toward where Lily and Jasmine were taking up position.  
She leaped at Jasmine as the Amazon dropped quickly into a defensive 
stance.

	Jasmine watched with fascination as the girl almost seemed to 
flow toward her, like a torrent of oncoming water that could not- or 
would not- be stopped.  She wondered how such a young girl could fight 
with such speed and power.  As the strange girl- no, someone who 
contained such power was more a woman than a girl- approached her, 
Jasmine got a closer look at her face.  The face was expressionless 
except for the slightest hint of a smile, and there was not the 
slightest trace of human emotion in the woman's eyes- simply an icy 
blue that threatened to consume her.

	It didn't get the chance.  Jasmine felt her abdomen explode in 
pain, and she went flying backwards.  Before she hit the ground, she 
felt a kick land on the side of her face.  Twisting as she fell, she 
felt an elbow crush her neck as she landed hard on the ground.  She 
silently scolded herself for allowing herself to be distracted as her 
world faded to black.

	Lily watched in horror as the girl quickly defeated Jasmine.  
Yelling in rage, she charged at the terrible girl who was making 
mincemeat out of three Amazon warriors.  She hoped to catch the girl 
while she was distracted with Jasmine, but at the last instant, the 
girl's eyes met Lily's and she jumped up from where she was kneeling, 
breaking effortlessly through Lily's defenses and landing an uppercut 
right where she had landed a snapkick seconds earlier.  Lily howled in 
pain, only to be knocked unconscious by a roundhouse kick to the head.

	Pepper, upon watching her two companions fall, let out a shrill 
yell- it was a call for help.  Help was close by, as the edge of the 
Amazon village was only a few hundreds yards away and there were 
constant patrols around the village.  She doubted she would be able to 
defeat the girl, but hopefully she could buy some time for more 
experienced warriors from the village to arrive.

	      ------------------------------------------------

	Ruby was patrolling the Eastern edge of the village when she 
heard Pepper's yell.  Ruby was startled- she recognized Pepper's voice 
immediately, but she hadn't been expecting Pepper, Lily, and Jasmine 
back from their training trip for another day or so.  It was a call for 
help, but it came from the wrong side of the village- Musk attacks 
almost always came from the West or the South, and the yell came from 
almost directly northeast of the village.

	Ruby glanced at her two companions, and then without a word the 
three ran toward the source of the alarm.  It was only a short distance 
away, and when she got there she saw Pepper square off against her 
opponent.  Pepper looked like she had taken a beating- she only had one 
bonbori, and that one was bent along the handle.  There was a slight 
rip in Pepper's shirt below her left arm, and a thin line of blood ran 
down her face.  Pepper's stance was sagging visibly.  Ruby 
looked at who Pepper was fighting and gaped in astonishment- her 
opponent was a young girl who looked to be no more than twelve.  The 
girl had a couple of small bruises on her legs and arms, but otherwise 
looked to be in far better shape than Pepper.  Ruby wondered if this 
was some sort of a joke- what was Pepper trying to pull?

	Then the girl attacked.

	Ruby watched in astonishment as the girl's battle aura flared 
briefly and she crossed the twenty yards separating her and Pepper in 
about half a second.  Pepper tried to block with her bonbori, but the 
girl easily evaded it and within a second had landed a series of kicks 
and punches that sent Pepper flying backwards to the ground.  Then 
Ruby noticed Jasmine and Lily lying on the ground a few meters away.

	The girl moved toward where Pepper was struggling to get up, and 
Ruby realized she might kill Pepper if she wasn't stopped.  Yelling out 
an Amazon battle cry, she ran ahead of her two companions.  She hoped 
she stood a chance- Pepper, Lily, and Jasmine were all relatively 
inexperienced and Ruby had twenty years of fighting the Musks under 
her belt.  Even so, she decided to go all out to give her every chance 
of defeating this girl who was, quite frankly, extremely frightening- 
there was no way such a young girl should be able move with such power 
and speed.

	The girl heard Ruby's yell and turned toward her.  Their eyes 
met, and the girl's eyes narrowed as her battle aura flared again and 
she charged at Ruby.

	Ruby was taken aback by the girl's speed, but quickly regained 
her composure.  She decided she would have to end this as soon as 
possible- she waited in a defensive stance, and as soon as the girl 
was within a few yards of her, she let loose with a flurry of over two 
hundred punches.

	"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

	The girl swerved right to dodge the punches, but was hit squarely 
in the shoulder.  After fifty more punches, she was thrown back and 
knocked unconscious, landing about five yards away.  Ruby motioned to 
her companions to check on the other Amazons and began to tie up the 
mysterious girl with a length of rope.  Normally Amazons didn't take 
prisoners, but Ruby got the idea that Cologne and the other matriarchs 
would be interested in this one.

	As Ruby finished tying her up, Pepper limped over to where Ruby 
was kneeling.  She stopped briefly to pick up a bonbori, and continued 
to move toward Ruby and the girl.  Ruby noticed the movement and 
turned, seeing Pepper and guessing her intentions.

	"We're not going to kill her yet.  I want the matriarchs to have 
a look at her."

	Pepper frowned.  "But she is a female outsider.  The laws state 
that female outsiders who defeat Amazon warriors must be killed.  What 
are you trying to pull, Ruby?"

	Ruby stood up, turning around to stare at Pepper.  "As the elder 
Amazon here, I am in charge- and I think the matriarchs should question 
her.  I am curious, and I think they would be, too, about how someone 
so young could fight so well.  If the matriarchs believe she should be 
killed, then she will be killed."

	There was a moment of tension as neither Amazon gave way.  
Finally, Pepper realized it was hopeless and relented.  She bowed, 
showing that she would defer to her elder, and straightened back up to 
gaze steadily at Ruby."Very well.  But if the matriarch council decides 
she must be killed- I want to be the one to do it."  

	Ruby frowned, but nodded in agreement.

	      ------------------------------------------------

	In the center of the Amazon village sat the Council Meeting 
Chamber.  It was a old, small building with one room, but thanks to the 
constant upkeep it received it always looked new and clean.  Inside, 
the Matriarch Council was currently seated in a semicircle having an 
argument of sorts.  They were currently meeting to discuss the ongoing 
war with the Musk Dynasty- things had been going badly for the Amazons 
lately, and something had to be done quickly.  As the chief matriarch, 
Cologne was seated at the head of the matriarchs, the rest of whom sat 
in a semicircle extending out on each side of her.  This meeting was 
urgent, and so she was upset when noticed her granddaughter Ruby enter 
the hut.  She was followed by another young Amazon and a young girl who 
had been bound with rope and was, by the looks of her, Japanese.  
"Ruby," Cologne scolded, "it is against Amazon law to disturb a meeting 
of the Matriarchs.  You had better have a good reason."

	Ruby and Pepper bowed, then Ruby spoke.  "Forgive me, elder.  
This is my student Pepper.  We captured this girl along the Eastern 
edge of the village."

	Cologne waved her hand in a dismissing gesture.  "So kill her.  
You know the laws."

	"I spared her life for a reason."  Ruby glared at Cologne for a 
moment, then continued.  "She defeated three Amazon warriors before she 
was finally knocked unconscious with the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken.  
The warriors were all still in training, but they are all ready for 
battle.  I thought it odd how one so young could be so skilled and 
powerful, and I thought you might want to see her."

	The elder's eyes narrowed.  "Indeed- it is strange for one so 
young to be so skilled."  She got up from where she had been kneeling 
at the head of the semicircle and walked over to where the prisoner 
stood.  The young girl stared straight ahead, her gaze going over the 
short matriarch's head.

	Ruby motioned to Pepper, who clubbed the girl in the back of the 
knees with a bonbori.  The girl fell into a kneeling position, eyes 
level with Cologne, but as soon as her knees hit the floor, she had 
pushed off the floor and was standing again.

	The cycle repeated three times, Pepper forcing the girl to her 
knees and the girl standing back up.  On the fourth try, Pepper put her 
hands on the girl's shoulders to try to force her down, but the girl's 
legs shot toward Pepper, knocking her down.  The girl stood up and 
resumed staring straight ahead.  Pepper got up and prepared to slam her 
bonbori into the girl's head, but Cologne held up her hand, stopping 
Pepper in her tracks, and glared at the mysterious girl.  "You should 
not disrespect the Amazon matriarchs, girl.  Every act of defiance 
sends you one step closer to your grave."

	The girl stared straight ahead, giving no sign of comprehension.  
Cologne, acting on her previous instinct, repeated what she had said in 
Japanese.  This time, the girl's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched.  
"A warrior does not fear the grave.  As for me, I kneel.." she paused 
and she almost growled, "to nobody."

	Cologne looked up at the girl, who returned her gaze.  The 
matriarch struggled to not turn away; the girl's gaze was almost 
overpowering in its strength.  It was also extremely scary, for in the 
cold blue eyes she recognized the emotionless gaze of a killer.  
Cologne had no doubt that this girl could kill and not think twice 
about it; such a trait made for a strong warrior but that did not make 
it any less disturbing.  Cologne finally spoke and focused her eyes on 
the bridge of the girl's nose in order to avoid making eye contact.  
"Your spirit is admirable," she frowned, "but it may prove to be your 
undoing."

	From behind her, another matriarch, named Mascara, spoke up.  The 
children thought of her as the Village Magician, and in a sense she 
was.  She was an experienced and skilled sorceress, and the Council's 
most knowledgeable expert on magic.  "This girl is more than she 
appears to be.  I sense magic at work in her."

	"Is it Jusenkyo magic?" asked another matriarch.

	"Probably," replied Mascara, "That's the most common type around 
here."

	Cologne frowned thoughtfully.  "Well, let's find out more about 
her, then.  I will enter her mind and study her."

	A few of the matriarchs frowned, but remained silent.  They knew 
that this technique could be extremely damaging psychologically to the 
person being studied, but since this girl should by all rights be dead 
anyway there was really no justification for protesting the use of the 
technique.

	Cologne's aura flared, and she began to glow.  She raised her 
staff, touching it to the prisoner's forehead, who registered no change 
in expression.

	Cologne reached out with her aura, looking for pathways into the 
girl's own mind.  As she probed, she began to realize the power this 
strange girl wielded- no matter where she probed, she ran into a wall 
of unpenetrable determination.

	After a few minutes of getting nowhere, Cologne decided to 
attack.  She attacked with her will, trying time and time again to 
penetrate the wall that protected the girl's vulnerable psyche.  
Cologne felt the wall began to give.  She poured all her will into her 
psychological attack, feeling the barrier give way.

	Then the counterattack came, and a fire of pain raced through her 
mind.  She had wrapped herself up in her attack so much she had let her 
defenses down.  It wasn't really her fault - she hadn't been expecting 
it, since no one had ever counterattacked her when she used this 
technique before.  Cologne quickly broke the contact, gasping for 
breath.  She had escaped, but barely.

	The girl sneered.  "Nice try, granny, but you'll have to do 
better than that."

	Cologne was about order the girl killed for the danger she posed 
and the fact that she had almost killed a matriarch- but then an idea 
sprang into her mind.  It was an idea that might destroy the village 
and might save the village, but it was a risk she was willing to take.  
First things first, though.  "Pepper, go fetch some hot water.  There 
are other ways of determining if the magic of Jusenkyo is at work here."

	She turned to the other matriarchs, who were staring at the 
prisoner.  They had sensed the attack on Cologne, and some watched the 
girl with horror while others watched with awe.  "I have," began 
Cologne, "an idea.  This girl is immensely powerful, and I believe 
there is the potential for her to get better."  She smiled.  "A strong 
ally she would make against our enemies, no?"

	The matriarchs were instantly shouting.  Or talking loudly, which 
was as close as they ever got to shouting.  Amazon matriarchs aren't 
known for becoming too emotional- probably because all the hormones 
that send most normal brains out of whack had been gone from their 
systems for decades.

	"Are you crazy? She's too dangerous!"

	"That's a good idea, but how do you suggest making her our ally?"

	"She attacked and defeated Amazon warriors!  She must die!"

	"How could we get her to ally with us, anyway?"

	Cologne raised her hand for silence.  "Making her our ally is 
simple.  The girl was defeated by a relatively simple Amazon secret 
technique.  We adopt her as a member of the tribe, which nullifies the 
law that states she must die for defeating an Amazon, and teach her our 
ways.  We make her an Amazon."

	There was shouting, though not as loud and some of the matriarchs 
remained silent, mulling this new thought over.  After a few more 
minutes, Cologne, clinging to her stick, pogoed back over to face the 
girl and spoke in Japanese.  "I have a proposition for you, girl."

	"Not interested," she snapped.

	"Like I said, child, your spirit will prove to be your undoing.  
What I am offering is not only a way for you to avoid being killed," 
she put extra stress on the word 'killed', "but it will be beneficial 
for both you and for us."

	The girl was silent, and Cologne interpreted her silence as a 
willingness to listen.  "We are at war, and are in need of strong 
warriors.  You yourself are among the best, but you have a great amount 
of potential that has yet to be realized.  If you would be willing to 
be adopted into our tribe and fight for us, then we will teach you all 
we know- we will train in the Amazon ways of fighting, and help you 
realize your potential as a warrior."

	"Ha!"  The girl let out a short laugh, before staring directly at 
Cologne.  "I have seen Amazon fighting techniques- I defeated three of 
your warriors.  Those techniques didn't do them much good- why should I 
be interested in learning them?"

	Cologne grew angry at the girl's derision of the Amazons, but 
kept her temper in check.  "What you defeated were girls in training 
who are scarcely older than yourself.  You're good, but you were still 
beaten by the simplest of the Amazon secret techniques.  You can learn 
these secret techniques, and the advanced Amazon fighting skills, which 
the girls you defeated have only just begun studying."

	The girl remained silent.  There was no change in her expression 
to indicate she was contemplating what had been said.  Cologne 
continued.  "You would live in the village, and be provided with food 
and other basic needs.  In exchange, you would fight for us.  After a 
certain amount of time and training, you would be a full Amazon warrior 
with all the rights and privileges of a natural-born Amazon."

	The girl finally spoke.  "You said you are at war.  Are there 
many battles?"  A cold fire lit her eyes at the possibility of fighting.

	Cologne nodded.  "All the time.  We must remain on alert 
constantly to deal with attacks."

	"All right.  I'll do it."  The girl nodded.

	Cologne bowed her head.  "Very well.  You will not regret it."  
Hopefully, neither will I, she thought.  "Now that we are no longer 
enemies, I should introduce myself properly.  I am Cologne, chief 
matriarch of the Joketsuzoku- one of three remaining villages in the 
three thousand year old Chinese Amazon nation."

	The girl bowed in return.  "Before I give you my name, I ask that 
I be brought some hot water.  I visited a valley known as Jusenkyo 
recently, and was cursed so that my form changes when I get splashed 
with cold water.  Hot water changes me back to normal."

	"We suspected that soon after you were brought to us.  Pepper 
already has some hot water for you."  Cologne motioned to Pepper, who 
raised the kettle over the girl's head and poured it. Cologne had 
expected the girl to get older, to an age more appropriate for her 
high skill level.  Instead, as the water ran down the girl's head and 
over her body, her hair turned from a sunset red to a jet black.  She 
gained a few inches in height, and her eyes turned from an icy blue to 
a deep brown.  Her shoulders broadened slightly, and as the changes 
ended a young boy stood before them.

	The matriarchs whispered.  Cologne turned and talked with them 
for a few seconds, and turned back to the girl-turned-boy.  "This does 
not change anything in our deal, except for a minor detail.  Amazon 
warriors are female.  When you fight in battle, and sometimes when you 
train with other Amazons, you will have to do so as a female."

	The boy agreed.  "Very well."

	Cologne pogoed on her stick back to the head of the semicircle of 
matriarchs and sat down.  "Now, arrangements must be made."  Shifting 
back to Chinese, she turned to Ruby.  "Ruby, will you be willing to 
house this boy?"

	Ruby fidgeted.  "Well, I'm not sure that's such a good idea.  I 
fear for the safety of my family and the safety of the tribe.  Are you 
sure he can be trusted?"

	Cologne turned back to the boy.  "The person who would house you 
wants to be sure you will respect her and that you can be trusted."

	The boy looked over at Ruby, and then back to Cologne.  "I am 
brutal toward my enemies, but I will respect my allies.  You have 
nothing to fear from me.  I give you my word as a warrior that I will 
respect the laws of your tribe and behave honorably."  Cologne thought 
it amusing that one so young spoke as if he were so mature and 
experienced.  Then she remembered what the boy was capable of, and that 
she really had no idea what sort of childhood the boy had lived in order 
to make him that powerful.  She made a mental note to question the boy 
more about his past; she was willing to bet that his story was quite 
interesting.

	Cologne looked back toward her granddaughter.  "I believe he can 
be trusted, Ruby.  If he breaks the Amazon laws, his status as an 
Amazon will be revoked and the laws will hold.  He will die."

	Ruby nodded.  "That is acceptable.  What about the language 
barrier?"

	"I will begin teaching the boy Chinese in the morning.  Being 
immersed in the language, he should pick up on it quickly.  I believe 
within a month he will able to speak passable Chinese.  Speaking of 
which..." she turned to the boy.  "You never gave us your name."

	"My name is Ranma Saotome."  Ranma paused, and then continued 
speaking.  "I was the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes 
Martial Arts, but..." an extremely disturbing grin crossed his face, 
"my teacher and I had a falling out."

	Cologne nodded.  "Very well, Ranma.  This is my granddaughter, 
Ruby."  She pointed at Ruby with her staff.  "You will live with her, 
and I will meet you at her house in the morning to begin your training, 
beginning with the basics of our language.  I expect you will pick it 
up quickly, but I will go over the basics with you as soon as possible 
to facilitate your training with other teachers."

	Cologne looked back at Ruby.  "You are dismissed now, Ruby.  You 
did the right thing by saving Ranma's life."  She hesitated.  "He will 
be a strong warrior.  Your decision may have saved the Joketsuzoku."

	Ruby bowed, and motioned for Ranma to follow her.  Ranma, taking 
his cue from Ruby, bowed to the matriarchs and followed the Amazon out 
the door.

	Pepper glared at Ranma as the boy left the building.  She turned 
back to Cologne.  "Elder, I must protest.  For the sake of my honor, 
and my comrades' honor, the boy should die."

	Cologne laughed.  "You should be glad the boy was adopted as an 
Amazon, child.  You might have ended up having to marry him."

	Pepper's gaze grew frosty.  She bowed to the council, and left 
the building going the opposite direction of Ruby and Ranma.  Cologne 
frowned at the child's reaction, but it was only brief.  She smiled at 
the thought of Ranma as an Amazon warrior, leading the Amazons to 
victory over the Musk Dynasty.  Then Ranma would have a family, and the 
strength of the Joketsuzoku would be assured for generations to come.

	      ------------------------------------------------

	Ruby lived with her daughter in a small house not far from the 
center of town.  She had used to live in one of the larger huts near 
the outskirts of the village, but had moved to a smaller hut after her 
husband and infant son were killed in a Musk raid.

	She led her newly acquired houseguest to their house silently, 
neither uttering a word.  Ruby had many questions to ask Ranma, but he 
seemed cold and distant- even if they had known a common language, she 
doubted that he would have responded to any questions right now.  She 
frowned slightly, but brightened as they rounded a corner and came to 
Ruby's home.

	Ruby opened the door, which creaked slightly on its wooden 
hinges.  The house was actually a cabin made mostly of compacted mud 
and bricks.  It had three rooms- an entryway and living room which 
opened into a kitchen and dining area on the left, and was connected to 
a sleeping room on the right.  The room was dark and quiet.  Ruby was 
living alone until the end of the month, as her daughter was currently 
on a training trip in the nearby mountains.  Maybe having some company 
would be nice, she thought.  Yawning, she walked to the far right 
corner of the room,  She pointed at the sleeping mat on Ranma's pack, 
then at the spot on the floor.  "You can sleep here, all right?  I have 
no extra mats, so you'll have to use your own."

	Ranma seemed to comprehend and knelt down, taking off his pack as 
he did so and propping it up against the wall in front of him.  He 
untied the ropes securing his mat to his pack, and rolled it out.  "I'm 
going to go make something to eat, so don't go to sleep yet."  She knew 
Ranma couldn't understand, but figured hearing the language would be 
good for him.

	Ruby went into the kitchen and started a fire in the small stove 
in the corner.  She poured some water from a bucket into a pot, and put 
it on the stove.  She looked back over to Ranma, who was sitting on his 
mat, facing the door.  He appeared to be meditating.  Ruby decided not 
to light the lamps in the living room for now, and settled with 
lighting the ones in the kitchen, which shed a dim and eerie light over 
the rest of the house.  She turned again to check on Ranma, who had not 
moved.  She watched the light flicker on the young boy's face for a 
moment, and noticed three thin white scars that traced up and down his 
cheek.  There was another scar that traced across his neck, and she 
counted at least four on each of his arms.  If the scars were any 
evidence, it had not been an easy childhood.  She wondered if the boy 
had been abused by the person who had raised him.  She sighed- it was 
very likely.  She desperately wanted to know the boy's history; how he 
had trained and how he had been raised.  She wondered if the boy would 
tell her, even when he did learn Chinese.

	A noise behind her alerted her that the water was now boiling.  
She poured some rice into the pot, put the lid on it, and yawned.  A 
few minutes later, she was scooping the rice into two bowls.  She put 
some chopsticks in one of the bowls, and went in and set the bowl in 
front of Ranma.  She went back into the kitchen with the other bowl and 
got herself a pair of chopsticks, and went back into the living room to 
eat with Ranma.  

	She gasped at the sight before her.  She had been the kitchen for 
perhaps five seconds, and yet Ranma was already finishing off the last 
of the rice in his bowl.  Was he really that hungry?  Unsure of what to 
do, she offered her own bowl of rice to the boy.  Ranma smiled at her, 
and raised his hand, shaking his head no.  Silently, he carried his own 
empty bowl into the kitchen and set it on the ground near the washbasin, 
and went back out into the living room.  He returned to his lotus 
position on the mat once again, with his eyes closed as though 
meditating.  Ruby finished her own rice and went into the kitchen, 
setting her bowl beside Ranma's.  She yawned again, stretching her 
arms, and decided to wash the dishes in the morning.  Even fearsome 
Amazon warriors have a tendency to procrastinate.

	She went back into the room.  Ranma did not give any sign that he 
had noticed her.  "I'll show you to the well tomorrow, and you can wash 
up a bit.  For now, I'm exhausted and you probably are too."  As Ruby 
passed by Ranma to go into her bedroom, he opened his eyes and tracked 
her progress across the room.  When she closed the bedroom door behind 
her, Ranma lay down on his mat and was asleep within three seconds.

	Ruby took somewhat longer to fall asleep.  For a long time, she 
was kept awake by the doubts and fears that swirled in her mind.  At 
one point, she got up quietly and opened the door to the living room to 
check on the young boy sleeping quietly in her living room.  Seeing his 
still form on the floor, she closed the door silently and went back to 
bed.