Chapter Five

Ranma felt like he was swimming in a thick mass of molasses, fighting desperately to surface, and slowly opened his eyes, shutting them quickly again when white light stabbed his pupils painfully. "Oh, man," he mumbled, opening his eyes again, gradually becoming accustomed to the light. He started to sit up from his prone position and realized his hands were securely tied behind his back and his legs were tied at the ankles. "What the hell?"

"Ooohh, my head," groaned Akane to the left of Ranma. He looked over and saw her hands and feet were tied just like his.

"Akane, open your eyes slowly, it’s bright in here."

"Ranma, what happened?" she asked quietly, voice shaking slightly.

"I don’t know about you, but I got hit on the head." He looked around the room and saw they were on the floor of Hatta’s extra bedroom. "At least we haven’t gone far." He saw Hatta starting to stir to his right and noted that he too was tied. "Akane, what happened after I went out?"

"I went down to see what was happening, but Hatta said we had to get out. He got hit on the head and I guess I did, too."

"Mommy, I don’t want to get up yet, 5 more minutes," Hatta groaned, trying to turn over.

"Hey, bozo, wake up," Ranma said to Hatta, trying to nudge him with his feet and not having much success.

"Nnnnnngh," Hatta said in response, squinting his eyes against the light. "Ranma? You all right? Is Akane okay?"

"I’m fine, Hatta," reassured Akane.

"Yeah, thanks for trying to get Akane outta here."

"No problem, I think." Hatta grimaced some more, trying to get adjusted to the light. "Man, does your head hurt as much as mine?"

Before Ranma could answer, the door opened and a young girl dressed all in black stood before them. He could see that the clothes she wore were not exactly designed to conceal her figure in any way, but rather to accent it. Her eyes were fierce and she glared at Ranma. "You," she voiced, pointing at all three of them, "get up now. Follow Shan Pu." She wordlessly watched their struggles to rise with bound feet for a few moments before sighing exasperatedly and removing a large knife from a sheath on her thigh. She quickly cut their bonds on their legs and repeated her earlier command, stalking out of the room. The three captives looked at each other and followed mutely.

Shan Pu led them to the living room and Akane saw a young man with long black hair and glasses pushed up on top of his head studying the screen of her laptop and what she surmised must be a woman perched on the arm of the couch peering over the young man’s shoulder, puffing slowly on a long-stemmed pipe with a small bowl. At least, she assumed it was a woman because of the long silver hair flowing from her scalp. The body was very small and conveyed a sense of extreme age, as did the wizened face. Shan Pu cleared her throat and addressed the woman in a sing song language Akane knew was Chinese, but not a dialect she had heard before.

"Thank you, my child," creaked the old woman in an ancient voice, surprising them with her use of the English language. Shan Pu nodded and moved to sit next to the young man, farthest from the captives. When she sat down, she removed the tight black watch cap and Akane gasped as she saw the long spill of purple hair fall down the girl’s back. The old woman continued to survey them unblinkingly and addressed Ranma. "You showed no small skill outside. You are trained in the Art. Who was your teacher?"

"Genma Saotome of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts," Ranma said proudly, standing his full height.

"Saotome. . . who was his teacher, boy?"

"I would rather not say."

"And why would that be?" she asked, eyes now narrowed to piercing slits.

"To say his name would bring unspeakable evil down upon us," Ranma answered confidently.

The wizened elder looked thoughtful. "You show wisdom for all of your youth. I know of only one master so feared by his students. You are wise not to speak his name." She puffed her pipe in silence for a few moments while Shan Pu leaned in close to the man at the computer and whispered something to him in their dialect and listened intently as he whispered his reply. The old woman gestured to the pair. "My great-granddaughter, Shan Pu and her husband, Mu Tsu. I am their elder, Khu Lon."

"Nice to meet you. Now, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" Ranma demanded a scowl darkening his face.

"What is he doing with my computer?" Akane asked, emboldened by Ranma’s demand.

The elder merely blinked slowly and tapped some ash from the bowl of her pipe onto Hatta’s carpet. "We are here to protect you."

"Lady, I don’t know what you’ve got in that pipe of yours, but we don’t need any protecting," Ranma declared angrily, wrists chafing on the rope as he tried to work them loose.

Khu Lon patiently refilled the bowl of her pipe from a small pouch concealed somewhere on her person, tamped it down, lighted it and began to puff away. "Ah, sweet oblivion of youth," she mused. She hopped up on her staff and hopped closer to Ranma, studying him intently. Suddenly and without any change in expression, the drove her small, pointed hand into Ranma’s gut. He doubled over in pain, an explosive breath escaping his lips in a loud grunt. The two at the computer looked up briefly and then back to the screen.

"Stop it!" cried Akane, not brave enough to walk over and give the ancient woman a piece of her mind.

"Hey!" came from Hatta and he actually took a step towards the woman, but was stopped cold at a glance from her. "Uh, you okay, buddy?" he asked as he stepped back into place.

"Yeah," Ranma gasped, straightening back up to stand erect. "I’m okay. Just surprised."

"You see? A withered old woman can surprise you. How long would you survive those that are after you?"

"Okay, Khu Lon or whoever you are. I’ll consider your statement that you’re here to protect us while you explain what’s going on." Ranma’s voice was steadier now and he had recovered some of his earlier confident demeanor.

Khu Lon turned to the Mu Tsu and said, "Mu Tsu, will you please explain to them just what kind of situation they have researched themselves into."

Mu Tsu stood up and settled his round glasses on the bridge of his nose. He came around the coffee table and stood in front of them to address them. "First, let me apologize for your current situation and let me assure you that it is only temporary. Dr. Saotome, Dr. Tendo, you are currently involved in working on a project for the department of agriculture, correct?" Akane and Ranma nodded while Hatta looked confused. "This project is to find a solution to the problem of topsoil depletion in the American Midwest, the ‘Bread Basket’, if you will." Again, more nods. "There are certain peoples in this world who would like to have this technology for themselves."

"We have no problem with that, topsoil depletion is a problem the world over," Ranma interrupted, surprised at the young man's acumen and presence.

Mu Tsu smiled. "A noble sentiment, if that was all your new compound did. You see, what you have found is a simple, portable, non traceable way to decompose silicon." Here he paused for a moment. "One can turn the Sahara Desert into the world’s largest farm, or one can destroy all of the world’s computers, plunging the world into complete chaos." He paused again and saw the dawning comprehension on the two doctor’s faces.

"Ranma. . ." Akane said, turning to look at him, a horrified expression on her face.

"Bind the compound to a harmless gas, put some in the New York Stock Exchange ventilation system, instant Armageddon," Mu Tsu said slowly. "Fortunately, there are few in the world who would want to do that. George Iversson knows of your research and is willing to sell it to the highest bidder."

"How do you know so much about it?" Ranma asked cautiously, keeping his eye on the old woman.

"It’s what we do," Mu Tsu shrugged. "We watch, we learn, we get paid."

"So how are you different from Iversson? You go to the highest bidder too."

Khu Lon hopped back up. "We were contacted by some. . . agents to make sure the wrong people did not get their hands on your discoveries. I realize at this point you have no reason to trust us, but there is not much you can do in your current situation."

Ranma steamed inwardly as Shan Pu got up from her spot on the couch and went around the apartment, looking out of all of the windows and listening for any noise. She finished her round and came back to her great-grandmother. "Great-grandmother, there is strange man outside. By back door," she reported. Ranma noted her English wasn’t as good as her great-grandmother’s or her husband's and he wondered at this.

"Take Mu Tsu with you and have a look at him," the old woman commanded. The young people hastened to obey, Shan Pu gathering her hair close to her head and cramming it under the tight-fitting knit cap. "I think they may have found your hiding place. We will be leaving soon," she told the restrained individuals and waited quietly for Shan Pu and Mu Tsu’s return.

They were back very quickly; carrying a strongly built man also dressed all in black. "One of Iversson’s men," Mu Tsu stated glumly, helping Shan Pu set him on the floor. He took some flexible cord from a pouch on his belt and started hog-tying the man expertly.

Khu Lon nodded. "As I expected. Shan Pu, untie our guests, they need to make preparations." She turned back to them and said, "You can make your choice now. You can go with us and stay alive, or you can stay here and wait for Iversson’s men to take you. There are no guarantees that you will remain alive once he has your knowledge."

Akane spoke up. "How do we know we’ll stay alive with you?"

"My dear child, if we really wanted you dead, you would already be so and we would be long gone with your precious research." Khu Lon fixed her with an unblinking stare Akane could not help but shrink away from as Shan Pu cut her bonds with the long knife.

"Fair enough, old woman," Ranma spoke, rubbing his wrists to get the blood flowing back into his hands. "What you say is true. What kind of ‘preparations’ do we need to make?"

Khu Lon motioned to Shan Pu and gave her something. "We need two buckets. Do you have these?" she asked Hatta, who was also rubbing his wrists.

"Yeah, sure. Right here." He led Shan Pu to the kitchen where he produced two utility buckets. She filled them with water and sprinkled an unknown substance into each, carefully carrying the buckets back to her elder.

"Into the bathroom, please," she told Ranma and Akane. They looked at each other, hesitating for a moment. "Now!" Khu Lon barked.

They moved into the bathroom and she ordered them to remove their clothes and stand in the tub. "Wait a minute! I’m not taking off my clothes in front of him and I’m certainly not standing in any tub!" Akane declared angrily. The old woman took her pipe and hit her forcefully on the head.

"You will do exactly as I say if you value your life!" she growled, glaring at the stubborn young woman.

"'Kane, don’t argue with her. I won’t look, I promise," he smiled in a weak attempt at humor. Akane sighed and relented, turning her back to Ranma and removing her clothes while Ranma did likewise. They got into the tub and Mu Tsu and Shan Pu each took up a bucket and upended them both over their heads.

Ranma gasped as the shock of the cold water hit him and then doubled over as a gut-wrenching pain overtook him and he heard Akane gasping and groaning next to him. Odd, her voice sounded deeper to him. He opened his eyes and noticed there seemed to be more of him in some places and less of him in others. Looking down, he saw not his feet like he normally did and expected to, he saw two rather sizeable breasts. The breath went out of him as he felt between his legs, not finding anything he expected to. He was now a she.

Akane was surprised by the cold water. She’d seen the buckets, but hadn’t really thought they’d be used on her, even after being ordered into the tub. Suddenly a pain like she’d never felt before made her bend over, and when she opened her eyes, she seemed taller and her hands were larger. Looking down, Akane saw that she no longer had breasts and was now equipped for outdoor plumbing. She looked over to Ranma and saw a very surprised looking stacked red head.

"I’m a woman!" the red head exclaimed, sounding panicked. Looking to the right, her eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Akane! You’re a guy!"

"Ranma, is that you?" Akane ventured shakily. He turned to the old woman. "What did you do to us?"

"Do not worry, this is only temporary. This is the best way to throw those that pursue us off of our trail," Khu Lon said calmly, puffing her pipe as she surveyed the two.

"Why didn’t you tell us you were going to do this?" the now female Ranma demanded, surprised that his voice was now higher pitched.

"I did not want you to resist. This is for your own good." Shan Pu handed them each towels. "Dry off quickly and get dressed. We must leave here soon." She turned around to leave the room. "Hatta?" she inquired, looking around for the apartment’s owner. "Oh my. Mu Tsu, our young man needs assistance in recovering consciousness." Hatta was sprawled out on the floor in the hall, knocked senseless by the sudden transformation of his best friend into a buxom young woman. Khu Lon hopped over the prone body and moved into the living room, leaving Ranma and Akane to adjust to their new situation.

Ranma looked at Akane and he blushed and looked away. "’Kane, you don’t have anything I’ve never seen before," Ranma said kindly, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. "Come on, let’s get dressed." She moved out of the tub and went to Hatta’s room to find some sweats or something.

"No, no hot water!" Shan Pu said, turning off the faucet.

"But I just want to wash my face," Akane protested in his new, deeper voice.

"Hot water change you back. Instant Jusenkyo powder good only one time. We not have more with us. You use hot water, disguise ruined, you die," she explained patiently, hand on the hot water faucet.

Ranma stuck her head back into the bathroom. Akane now had a towel around his hips, but still felt exposed, not used to having a bare chest. "Hot water will change us back? Yahoo!" Ranma exclaimed.

"Yes, but cannot use it yet. Please. This only temporary," Shan Pu admonished the redhead.

Sighing, Akane washed his face of with cold water and followed Ranma into Hatta’s room. "Here, put these on," Ranma said, handing him a pair of men’s briefs.

"I have to put these on?" Akane asked with distaste.

"Unless you want to go naked underneath." Ranma fished around in the drawers and found a pair of gray sweats and a navy T-shirt, not seeing Akane's shocked expression as he handled the briefs. Seeing Ranma somewhat at a loss, Akane slipped on the briefs and left the room, coming back with panties and a bra.

"Put these on," he said with a smile, enjoying the turnabout and the expression on Ranma’s face. He was intrigued at the change in her. He could still tell it was him, but she was a lot shorter and had that flaming red hair and a rounder face. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing a tallish man with a long black ponytail, square jaw and well-defined muscles.

"You look like you brother would. You do not have brother, yes?" said Shan Pu from the doorway, watching Akane study his new face in the mirror. "She look like sister would. That is part of magic of Jusenkyo."

"Magic? Jusenkyo?" Ranma grumbled, trying to get the bra on. "Akane, help?"

Akane grasped the ends of the bra and tugged experimentally. "Suck it in Ranma, you’re. . . bigger around than I am. Was. Whatever, just suck it in."

"This is your stuff?" Ranma eeped.

"Duh. Where do you think I got it from?" Akane finally got the bra fastened and thought, ‘Well, there goes that Victoria’s Secret bra.’

Ranma quickly pulled on the T-shirt and threw a burgundy colored one to Akane. "You can wear my jeans if you want, you look about the same size," she told him, putting on the sweats. Akane put on the shirt and Ranma’s jeans, which were a surprisingly good fit, right as Khu Lon hopped into the room to see how they were doing.

"We are going to have to cut his hair," she said, pointing to Akane.

"What? No way. Do you know how long I’ve been growing this?" He backed away, holding onto the end of his ponytail protectively.

"Not good disguise if still have girl hair. Hair come back, life will not." Shan Pu advanced toward Akane with a pair of sharp scissors she’d found in one of Hatta’s kitchen drawers. The poor boy was finally starting to come around with the help of Mu Tsu’s application of certain pressure points.

"She’s right Akane. You can get a better cut later. Who knows, you might like short hair better anyway," Ranma piped, trying to cheer him up.

Akane gulped and yielded to Shan Pu's scissors. She cut the hair close to the rubber band that held it together and spread the rest of the hair out. She quickly made some quick cuts and gave Akane a longish unisex cut so she would not look completely out of place when she regained her normal gender.

Akane looked at himself in the mirror, rendered completely unrecognizable by the gender change and the haircut. ‘I guess that was the point,’ he mused, smoothing the hair. He and Ranma swapped shoes and soon they were ready to go. They stepped out of the bedroom, Ranma frowning as she found she had to adjust her gait to accommodate her now shorter legs.

"We’re ready," she announced to the three Chinese people. She noted she was still nearsighted and found her glasses and put them on. Hatta was sitting on the couch, staring at her openmouthed. "What are you looking at?" Ranma asked crossly.

"Uh, nothing?" Hatta said hesitantly. "Wow, Saotome, who knew you had it in you? You look just like this character in this one manga. . ."

"Hatta. . ." Ranma trailed off warningly.

"Sorry. Sheesh, those hormones must really be getting to you."

Ranma made a dive at Hatta and Akane quickly stepped between them, surprised at the strength of his new body as he easily held Ranma off of Hatta. ‘I could get used to this,’ he thought. "Ranma, Hatta doesn’t mean anything by it. Come on, we need to get through this without going crazy or killing someone."

Ranma subsided and looked embarrassed. "I’m sorry Hatta. I guess it’s that time of the month," he joked crudely, shaking hands with his best friend.

"Very funny, you two," Akane admonished, wondering if locked into that form long enough, would Ranma have a period?

Mu Tsu and Shan Pu were involved in checking the store and apartment, to ensure a clean getaway while Khu Lon kept an eye on their captive. Taking advantage of the short idle time, Ranma started to move through a short simple exercise. "What are you doing?" Akane asked, watching her go through the moves.

"This is called a kata. I’m trying to get used to this new form. My balance is all messed up," Ranma replied, starting the basic moves and forms over.

Khu Lon was watching him attentively, slowly puffing her pipe. "Is that the best you can do, boy?"

"Back off, I’m just warming up." Ranma started to perform more complicated moves and Akane observed Khu Lon nodding her head approvingly. Just then, Shan Pu and Mu Tsu returned, advising they had seen no other watchers.

"You two pick him up and take him with us," Khu Lon commanded Mu Tsu and Akane. "You get the computer and those bags." Ranma jumped to obey the matriarch and quickly picked up the laptop in its case along with Akane’s duffel and the leather bag containing the notes on the project.

Akane hoisted the top half of the man easily; still surprised at the easy strength he now possessed. Mu Tsu headed out of the room and down the stairs, waiting at the bottom for the rest of the group. Hatta carefully locked the door and shouldered his backpack with a few essentials he'd packed. Khu Lon hopped quickly down the stairs and peered out of the grille-covered window to the side of the back door, motioning Shan Pu forward.

"Granddaughter, check the van and the surrounding area. Make sure no one is waiting for us." Shan Pu hurried to obey and quickly made her way across to the van and gave an all-clear signal after a few moments, streetlight glinting off of her drawn knife.

The rest of them quickly followed and put their captive in the back of the van, Mu Tsu taking a few moments to blindfold and gag him, plugging up his ears with bits of cotton. The man began to stir and he pressed a couple of pressure points and the man stopped moving and lay still. Akane watched this and looked at the young Chinese man, eyes wide. He looked at him and put his finger against his lips, smiling.

Khu Lon stood in the passenger seat, holding on to the staff in front of her. "Where to now, old woman?" Ranma asked, getting into the passenger seat behind the driver.

"We have a safe house here. That is where we will go," she replied, eyes scanning the area constantly. "Shan Pu, Mu Tsu, are we ready?"

Mu Tsu got into the driver's seat and put on his seat belt, watching over his shoulder as his wife herded Hatta and Akane into the van. "Ready," he said when she settled into her seat behind Khu Lon, Akane and Hatta behind her. With a final look, he started the van, driving slowly away.

They drove for a few minutes and Ranma made sure to note the way they were going, just in case she needed to tell someone directions. Suddenly, Khu Lon peered closer in the rearview mirror on her side. "We're being followed," she said to Mu Tsu.

He looked in his side mirror and swore softly in Chinese, making Shan Pu smile. "Should not use language like that when womans in car," she chided gently.

Mu Tsu started to take some evasive action, trying to lose their pursuer. Ranma leaned forward and looked in the driver's side mirror. She couldn't tell for sure, but when they passed under a streetlight, she thought it looked like the one that had caused Akane to call her earlier that day. Looking back at him, she said, "That's the one that was outside of your place."

Both Akane and Hatta looked behind themselves, but the van did not have rear windows. Akane started to get up, but Shan Pu put out a hand, motioning him to sit back down. They were starting to make random turns and weave in and out of heavy evening traffic and Ranma looked back to make sure Akane was doing okay. Hatta grinned and caught her eye. "Cool," he said, giving Ranma the thumbs up.

"We're not losing him," Khu Lon said, checking the mirror again. "Dr. Tendo, open the back door and put our guest out," she ordered harshly.

"What? You're crazy! I'm not going to do that!" Akane exclaimed in horror.

"Shan Pu, throw him out."

"He's getting closer," Mu Tsu murmured, making another turn. Shan Pu scrambled to the back of the van, climbing over the bench seat Akane and Hatta sat on.

"Hatta, you help," she said to him, "you hold open door, I push man." Too intimidated by her, he did not put up an argument and held the heavy van door open.

Akane looked at Ranma. "You're not going to let them do that, are you? Ranma, he's blindfolded and tied!"

"Akane, it'll be okay. He was after us, remember?" Ranma said, trying to soothe Akane, worried that he would go over the edge and do something they would both regret, feeling sick at the thought of throwing the man out into traffic. She tried to keep Akane focused on her as Hatta and Shan Pu ejected the bound man and quickly closed the doors. Behind them came the sound of squealing brakes and crunching metal as drivers tried to avoid the man in the road, creating a very effective roadblock. Akane looked extremely upset as Shan Pu returned to her seat, looking none the worse for dumping a man out into traffic out of a moving van.

Ranma jerked her head at Hatta, indicating she wanted to change seats and sat next to Akane, putting her arm around his now broad shoulders. He turned to Ranma, tears in his eyes. "Ranma, they just dumped that guy out. How do we know they won't do the same thing to us?"

"Akane, listen to me. I don't trust them all the way, but I can take care of us. As long as you're with me, you'll be okay," she said in a low, soothing voice. "I didn't like the idea of throwing him out either, but they've got us over a barrel. Hang tight and we'll be okay." Hatta, looking at the two shook his head. It was so weird to see the muscular Akane being comforted by the slight redhead. Akane seemed to have settled down some and leaned into Ranma's disturbingly padded form, closing his eyes.

"Hey," Ranma said quietly, nudging Akane a bit, "you know what I've been thinking?"

Akane sat up and shook his head. "No."

"We should change our names. They will be looking for a Ranma Saotome and an Akane Tendo, right?" Akane nodded his head. "So who do you want to be?"

Akane thought for a moment and spoke. "I've always liked the name Shiro. Can you deal with calling me Shiro for a couple of days?" He smiled at Ranma and she was surprised to realize she was attracted to him.

'Why not?' she thought, 'It's still Akane in there.' She smiled back. "Okay, Shiro. Now, who should I be?"

"Kimiko," Akane said suddenly.

"Kimiko?"

Akane nodded. "It was my mother's name," he admitted shyly, looking away from Ranma.

"Okay," she said, "Kimiko it is. To the van at large she announced, "Did you hear that? Until this is over, he's Shiro and I'm Kimiko."

Khu Lon turned to face them. "Excellent idea, boy. You may survive this yet."