A.N. I'm just brushing the first few chapters up now that I'm two years wiser and more talented. Which isn't saying much. Right, Iku zo!! (P.S. I'm now using my profile to post notices about stories. Check there for things like updates and spoilers)

'Spirits Talking'

"Japanese"

-Chinese-

Thoughts

Panda Signs

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Children of the Spring

Prologue

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Ranma looked along the wide trail that he and his father were hiking on. It had been some years since he had left home, and now, at the age of fourteen, his father was dragging him through the Bayanakala Mountain Range in China, to go train with possible the only group of women, other than his mother, that Genma gave any respect to at all.

This, of course, is only because they can completely kick his ass.

Somewhere along the line, he had picked up his father's 'no hitting girls' policy. Whether this was due to the fact that women, most of time, ran bars, restaraunts, and other such places to eat, which must of what kept Genma from hitting girls. Ranma didn't like to because the average female was usually much less powerful then he was. Ranma sighed.

This was going to be a long twelve months.

"Oyaji?"

"What is it son?"

"Remind me again why we're going around Shangri La to get to where we're going?" When Genma didn't answer immediately, Ranma sighed, and glared at the back of his father's head.

"OK, Oyaji. What did you do this time?" Genma was really beginning to sweat now. And it wasn't the midday sun either.

"We'll talk about it some other time." Genma told him. In other words, never. Ranma sighed, and continued walking on, knocking the occasional log or jumping the occasional river.

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Xian Pu was standing atop a log on sticks. The elders decided to only have the semi-finals and the finals on the high log this year, due to the time it took to get the log up and down. She was facing off against the younger warrior, Wao Shu. Her twin Bonbori maces glinted in the sunlight, while the solid staff of oaken wood stood with the young girl balanced on the side of the staff. Xian Pu smiled. Today was going to be too easy.

-BEGIN!- The referee shouted. Instantly Xian Pu was upon the wary Wao Shu, who pole-vaulted up and away from Xian Pu. Xian Pu whirled and threw one of her maces at the girl in mid-air, who deflected the weapon. Xian Pu caught the weapon, but found herself in dangerous water.

She was off balance.

Quickly righting herself, Xian Pu barely had any time leftover to block the incoming thrusts. Attack met counter, met second attack met counter met counter-attack, met counterblock. Wao Shu brought the staff down on Xian Pu's head, but the staff met resistance as Xian Pu did as cross block with her maces, and Xian Pu twisted the weapon away. Wao Shu let go of the staff, and dove into Xian Pu, pounding away on her gut.

Xian Pu felt four or five punches to her gut, and then the rest blur together. But Xian Pu smiled. The punches, while fast and fairly strong, had nothing on her washboard abs. Wao Shu was doing effectively no damage. Xian Pu, however, decided to play possum. Xian Pu collapsed to the ground. As soon as Wao Shu relented her attack, Xian Pu vaulted up and gave the girl a vicious kick to the chin. Spinning carefully Xian Pu twisted up into a standing position and continued her kicking assault to Wao Shu's head. The other girl went down and fell off the log after the third kick.

-Winner! Xian Pu!- The crowds cheered for the Semi-Finalist. The day was setting, and Xian Pu just wanted to go to the baths, soak, go home, and go to sleep. Fortunately, her great-grandmother had let her off of training during the tournament week any day she had a battle.

Xian Pu wriggled her way into the simple cot. She smiled in her sleep, where a young man with black hair swept her off her feet.

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"So, let me get this straight. You'll give us three artifacts that other people stole from us, in exchange for one of us to train your son among our people?" Elder Khu Lon, or in some places Cologne, raised her eyebrow to the balding man. He nodded.

"Impress me. Show me the artifacts, and bring the boy in here."

"RANMA! GET IN HERE!" Genma shouted. The bundle of black hair that was seen through the window of the hut stood up and walked in. When Cologne's gaze leveled on him, a shiver passed through his body, but other than that, he seemed unfazed.

And just about Shampoo's age, if not a little older.

"The artifacts, bargainer?" Genma took out a bundle of cloth, roughly the size of a kettle. When Genma unwrapped the bundle, Cologne's eyes widened. The Kaisu-Fuu, which was used to unlock locked Jusenkyou curses, sat before her. When Genma opened the kettle, her eyes widened a bit more. He produced first a three-gemed bracelet. Or, what one might call a gem. Those gems were really pills that cause people fall in love with the opposite gender on first sight, for varying amounts of time.

The Third Item nearly made Cologne fall off her staff. Almost.

He then pulled out an intricate, ornate hilt. While nothing seemed off, not counting the lack of a blade, with the hilt - but Cologne new better. This was, essentially, the combination of a magic wand, enchanted energy sword, and just a general magic thorn in a rival's side. Cologne wasn't sure if even she knew all the functions of the sword.

"Sir, you have done well. What is the boy's name?"

"Ranma Saotome."

"Very well. Ranma. Your training starts in the morning." Cologne gets up and walks out of the hut.

"Soap! See these two men to a guest cottage." A young woman with aquamarine hair came in, and bowed to the elder, then resumed her harsh glare on the two men.

"Hey Oyaji." Ranma whispered to his father.

"Yes son?" He whispered in return.

"Why does it feel like we're getting the short-end of the stick?"

"I have no idea."

"Men should stop whispering. It not appreciated." A cold voice came from in front of them.

"This where you stay." The old hut looked like it was going to fall in on itself any minute.

"We've stayed in worse." Ranma said. Soap just harrumphed and walked off.

"What's with her?" Ranma had no idea what his dad had just gotten him into.

A.N. End of Prologue. Reviews are still much appreciated.