Astral Minds

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all related characters do not belong to me. None of the X-Men belong to me either.

* *: Thoughts

Capital letters: Shouting or loud noises

{ }: Author's own thoughts

_ _: Stressed words

[ ]: Chinese Language

< >: Psychic Projections

Chapter 3

School Daze

A dark figure silhouetted by the setting sun behind him outside of the huge room sized windows. He stared at a large screen that had fluctuating charts all over it most of them going up but one certain graph stood out above the rest. "Remarkable!" The man said in a dark voice as he stared at the one chart that was continuously going up wards and never fluctuating.

The man stood from his large thrown like chair and walked over to another large machine with many computer screens around it. He looked at the chart and examined it. "According to this the boy is a telepath." He looked at the data for a few more seconds and then clicked a small button on his large purple bucket like helmet that adorned his head. "Quicksilver." He said, seemingly into thin air.

A voice on the other end of the helmets communicator answers Magnetos call. "What is it Father?" The younger voice asked. Magneto continued.

"How many people work for the brotherhood in Juuban, Japan?" On the other end there was a rustle of papers that ended as soon as it had started.

"There are no mutants working for us in Juuban." Quicksilver replied.

"Which of our operatives live closest to the area?" The dark Mutant asked.

More rustling ensued. "Just one. In a district nearby called Nerima."

"Good." Magneto said with a dark yet pleased voice. "Contact this person immediately and have them find a way to get close to this new mutant."

"Yes Fa...." Magneto shut the connection down. And walked towards the large window. He stared at the sunset with a gleam in his eyes.

"A telepath would be a perfect asset to the Brotherhood."

*************

(Saotome Residence)

Ranma, Marina, and Nodoka sat at the dinner table with the x-men at the other end. Cyclops sat at the front and the rest of the x-men sat scattered around behind him doing random things. Cyclops took a sip of tea which Nodoka had prepared just before they had come in.

"You were saying?" Ranma asked. Cyclops set his cup down and sighed.

"As I was saying. Magneto who is an evil mutant who lives in a place called the savage land is more than likely to be coming after you because of your unnaturally high power level. He and the brotherhood are quite dangerous mutants who are bent on having Homo-superiors rule the earth over normal humans." He said.

Bobby Drake, otherwise known as Iceman looked at Ranma with a frown. "Hey how come you don't just read his mind and get all the information for yourself? I thought you were some big telepath?" Ranma smiled.

"Well I'm sure that Marina, and my Mom here would like to know more about it." He said. Bobby crossed his arms in front of him.

"So why didn't you tell them?"

"Be quiet Bobby." Storm said as she took a sip of her own cup of tea. "We don't want to hear it. Not today." Bobby considered continuing trying to make sense of the situation but dropped it in favor of just sulking. Beast sat down in between Scott and Storm and looked over to Marina.

"So Marina? What is your power?" Marina looked confused.

"Well I-I-I don't know." She said. Hank looked at her questioningly.

"Well being that you have such a snake like appearance perhaps your powers have something to do with venom or some other snake like attribute." Hank continued to go on about what her powers might be Marina just sat there under his stare with a blush on her face, although you couldn't tell for sure through the scales. She wasn't used to this much attention.

Scott continued his conversation with Ranma. "Well Ranma how would...." Ranma cut him off.

"No thanks Scott I would not like to join the x-men. My martial arts and will keep me from harm and I already can control my powers very well. Marina?" Marina blessed all of the gods for the distraction that Ranma had given her. She was getting very flustered at Hanks analysis.

"What? What is it?" She asked having not been listening in on Ranma and Cyclops' exchange of words.

Ranma repeated it for her. "Scott wants to know if we wanted to join the x-men and move down to America to join they're a school for gifted youngsters. It's a place for young mutants to learn more about their powers and how to better control them." Ranma said. "I've already declined his offer just to let you know."

Marina thought about it. She had missed communicating with other people and this school sounded like a good place to do just that. However Ranma wasn't going, and he had promised her to teach her martial arts. She had just been offered a place to stay at Mrs. Saotome's house and now they wanted her to move all the way to America? She had made her decision. "No thank you. I would like to stay here."

Cyclops nodded to the people and motioned for the others to follow him. The other X-Men piled out the door where they came across a drunk Genma who was currently stumbling into the house. Ranma groaned as he watched his father trip over his own feet trying to walk. *Oh _Great_!* He thought sarcastically. *The great _master_ of the anything goes is here to Wow everyone with his _skill_.* The teenage psychic rolled his eyes at the sight.

Genma grabbed Hank with one hand to steady himself and looked up at the mutant. With calculative eyes. He looked at the rest of the X-Men who all wore clothes that matched, but the images were distorted. Genma pointed at them with one shaky hand. "Y-Y-Your all M-Mutantsh! He said as he backed up away from the team of Homo-Superiors. He looked back in the house to see the snake girl sitting at the table beside Ranma. The fat Martial Artist swung his arm around banging it on the doorframe doing so pointing it at Marina as he stalked towards the younger girl. "WHAT are you doin ere?" He asked with menace in his voice.

Nodoka stood up and confronted her husband. "GENMA!!" She yelled as the man in question continued to walk in their direction. "What do you _think_ you're doing coming in drunk like this. Especially while we have guests!?!" She yelled Genma pushed past her and leaned on the table to get a better look at the mutant girl.

"He took one look at the clothes she wore and flipped. "THOSHE are NODOKA'S Clothes!" he yelled as he reached forward to grab the front of her shirt. Ranma had seen enough. He sent a bolt of telekinetic energy towards his father. It knocked him clear across the room and he slammed into a wall. Breaking off a piece of it.

Cyclops moved to do something about this current turn of events but Ranma stopped him. "You might as well just go Scott. There's nothing to see here. He's perfectly fine." With that he walked up the stairs to his room. Marina followed behind and the two teenage mutants slammed the doors to their rooms once the were inside.

Nodoka looked to the other mutants and blushed. "I'm sorry about my husbands behavior he's got a drinking problem and he doesn't like mutants much at all. You should leave." Scott and the rest of the X-Men gave their understandings to the woman and headed out towards the blackbird where they entered and soon took off. Their destination New York.

Nodoka grabbed Genma and dragged him upstairs to their room she pulled out a futon for the man from the closet and set it on the floor of her room. She did not want to sleep in the same bed with him tonight.

**************

(The Next Morning)

Ranma was sleeping peacefully in the bed that he hadn't seen in ten whole years. He was more comfortable than he had been in the longest time. After sleeping on the hard ground for all the time he had been away, it was a _Very_ welcome change. He was currently dreaming about food, friends and comfortable soft cushiony beds with big fluffy pillows....

He felt something on his shoulders and he awoke to see who was interrupting his blissful rest. his eyes drew open to see His mother who was currently shaking his to get him awake.

"Ranma hurry up and get out of bed. You'll be late!" It was too early for Ranma to use his powers to see what she was talking about. He didn't care anyway he wanted sleep!

The young martial artist rolled over on his side away from his mother "Go, way...don,wanna." He said as he pulled his sheets up over his shoulders. Nodoka frowned as she watched her only son just sleep through the day.

"Honestly!" She said as she put her hands on her hips. "He's just like his father." With an exasperated sigh she headed to the bathroom. Shortly after running water could be heard. She entered back into the room and got ready to hurl the contents in the bucket she held at her son.

Ranma had already fallen back asleep as soon as his mother left. "So sooooft." He mumbled in his sleep as he nuzzled the pillow with his cheek, not unlike a cat. All of a sudden Cold fluid covered his body and he felt a familiar change occur. A change that he had gotten used to the past couple weeks.

"Wuh, Huh...WHAT THE?" Nodoka giggled at her son..er..daughters spastic surprise. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled at the site. She looked so cute like this. Ranma groaned seeing what her mother held and figuring out exactly what had happened. "Moooom!" She moaned as she took off her shirt and wrung it out. "Why'd you do that?!" She asked fixing her mother a glare.

Nodoka frowned as her son turned daughter took off her shirt so casually, baring her breasts without any thought. "Ranma!!" She yelled giving the shorter red head girl a glare of her own. Ranma paused looking up at her mother with a confused look.

"Uh what'd I do?" She asked. Nodoka frowned more.

*To not even realize she's doing it! I can't believe him!* She thought. "Ranma." She said a little quieter but still just as stern. "I know you are a man but when you are a girl you _should_ have at least a _little_ bit of feminine modesty!" Ranma let the words soak into her head and looked down at her chest. Sure enough she was female.

"Oh." Ranma said as she grabbed a shirt from her nearby dresser and slipped it over her smaller frame. The shirt was way to large for her tinier form and she almost literally swam in the thing, being that it was made for Ranma's male half. "Sorry." She continued as she blushed a little bit and shrugged.

Nodoka smiled. Ranma's girl form was so cute. She looked so much more like her, it was uncanny. Ranma's red hair was much like Nodoka's had been at a younger age. Her's had however lost some of it's vibrancy with the years. Ranma went about getting dressed and she went down stairs to prepare breakfast.

************

Marina woke up oddly she knew in an instant that something was different. She sat up and noticed she was on a bed. It was comfortable. She had been waking up in garbage every morning for the last two years of her life. She was used to waking up every morning and rooting around in the same garbage hoping to find something to eat.

She looked around the room she was currently in. It was clean, it had flowers in lovely yet simple vases set up around the room. She sighed as she let her head hit the pillow beneath it. She hadn't had the pleasure of sleeping on a bed in a long time, let alone such a large one with several pillows. She giggled as she rolled over and played with one of the pillows.

She smelled one of the pillows. It was fresh and clean, an experience she was more than willing to have. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing and smiled even brighter than before. She sat at the edge of the bed, pinching herself to see if it was real or not. Her scales kept it from causing her any pain but she could feel it.

She jumped up and met Mrs. Saotome in the hall heading down to the kitchen to start breakfast for her family. She smiled at the young mutant. "Good morning Marina. How did you sleep?" Marina gave Nodoka the biggest and brightest smile she could possibly give. She had to considering that the older woman was 100% human and wasn't showing any menace on her features.

"I slept better than ever before!" Marina exclaimed. As she walked with the Saotome Matriarch down the stairs. Nearly skipping the whole way down.

Nodoka being ever the kind host asked. "Say Marina? Would you like to help make breakfast? I always wanted to have a daughter to teach how to cook." Marina's eyes sparkled with pure joy.

"Really!?" She asked. Fearing that it may not be real, that it may all be a hallucination. Nodoka nodded. Marina squealed with delight. *A daughter.* The snake like girl thought. *She thinks of me like a daughter already.*

Marina followed Nodoka to the kitchen and they began preparing the meal.

*************

Genma woke up with a terrible head ache. *Ooooh!* He thought while he tried to sit up on the futon holding his head in pain with one hand. *What happened to me?* He couldn't really remember what had happened last night. He looked around the room and realized he was in his wife's bedroom. He stumbled towards the door on his way down to the kitchen hopefully No-chan had some aspirin.

As he opened the door he came across Ranma, who was currently going down to get breakfast. "Hey _Pop_!" Ranma said. Genma held his head in agony. His, er, daughters voice came through his mind like a bull horn.

"H-hello Ranma." He said as he walked down stairs. Ranma looked at her father in disgust.

"Stupid old drunk." She grinned evilly and, using telekinesis pulled the rug out from under her fathers feet. Sending him crashing to the ground. Ranma stepped on top of the overweight martial artist as he passed by and sat at the table. "Gee Pop! You should watch where your going." She said as she sat down at a random place at the table.

Genma growled. "RANMA YOU RESPE.... Ite." Genma quikly learned that hangovers and yelling didn't mix. He painfully dragged his body over to the table where he sat across from Ranma. "Stupid boy." He muttered quietly to himself. "No respect for your elders."

Ranma smiled at her Pop. *Ha, ha! Serves you right fool.*

**********

Marina looked over at the two martial artists at the table. More specifically she looked at Genma, in fear. Nodoka noticed this and put her hand on the young mutant girls shoulder. "Don't worry Rina-chan, I'm sure he'll warm up to you." She said with a motherly smile.

This did little to comfort the snake skinned Marina who could only smile weakly at the older woman. "I better stay out of site until then." She replied. Walking back to the steaming pot on the stove Marina continued to make breakfast. Nodoka frowned.

*He better!* She thought.

************

Nodoka soon walked out to the dining room where her family sat waiting. She carried the meal to the table and set the many pots and pans of food out. Genma drooled at the sight of his wife's home cooked meal. His headache now forgotten he dove into the food shoveling it into his mouth. Ranma too attacked the food.

Genma and his heir quickly began their martial arts dining. Each competitor taking every chance to steal food from the other. Neither noticing Nodoka standing there with a disappointed look on her face. "RANMA, GENMA!!" She yelled. Both of the Saotome males stopped their battle to stare at Her. "_What_ do you think you're _doing_?! Where's your table manners?!" She said fixing them both a glare with her hands on her hips.

Ranma and Genma apologized quickly and picked up their chopsticks. They began eating at a much slower and civilized pace. This was about the time Genma noticed that Ranma was in his cursed form. He looked to his wife in fear and then back at Ranma, then back to Nodoka again. "No-chan. Ranma didn't happen to tell you about any curse by chance did he?" He asked with sweat pouring down his face. Nodoka nodded.

"Oh you mean Jusenkyo? Yes he told me all about your curses." She said as if it were nothing. She promptly proved her point by pulling out a glass of water out of nowhere and dumping it over her husbands head. Changing him into his Jusenkyo cursed form.

Nodoka, this being her first time seeing Genma's cursed side was a little jealous now. She thought that Her husbands cursed form would be no different than he was. Fat, Lazy, and not exactly the best looker. Instead Genma looked well, beautiful. She was pretty enough to be a model she was sure. And his ponch was completely gone.

"Genma?" She asked stunned. "You look, you look, _amazing_!" She proclaimed in amazement. Genma wilted under her wife's gaze.

"Uh thank you?" She said hoping that it was the right answer. But she was thinking something along the lines of: *I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead I'mdead* Genma continued eating her dinner at a slow pace. Not feeling any anger emanating from Nodoka she felt brave enough to talk. "Uhm this is a, uh, good breakfast Nodoka. It is a good change to have such a nice home cooked meal.

Nodoka smiled. "Thank you Genma _Chan_. Marina helped me cook it." She said with a smile. Genma froze.

*Marina?* She thought. A picture of a snake skinned mutant ran through her head. Genma proceeded to spit out all of the food she was currently chewing on."PPPFFFHTTTT!! THAT MUTANT IS STILL _HERE_!?!!!" She screamed. Nodoka frowned.

"GENMA! This is _MY_ house! If I choose Marina to stay here that is _MY_ choice!!" She yelled back. Genma Bristled at her wife's statement.

"She's a MUTANT!! No-chan how could you commune with a MUTANT!?!" Genma spat. Nodoka was very upset now. How she could have married such a racist was beyond her.

Ranma sat in between her parents watching the whole thing. She was getting upset. She thought that all that would be over now that Marina was staying here with them. She decided to but in and try to break up the tension. "Mom why don..." She never finished.

"GO TO SCHOOL!!!" Both Genma and Nodoka yelled at her. Ranma nearly wet her pants at the double demon head attack. Just then she remembered.

"Where's the school?" She asked. Nodoka pulled out a bento from seemingly nowhere and tossed it to Ranma.

"You'll be going to school in Nerima, at Furinkan high!" She said. Ranma wilted.

"HUH!?!" She cleverly exclaimed. "NERIMA!?! That's a whole _district_ away!!" She said. Almost unable to grasp the fact that she would have to travel so far to get to school.

Nodoka frowned at her daughter now. "Then you'll just get some good exercise running there! You are a martial artist so it should not be a problem!" Ranma sighed and her shoulders slumped.

"Fine!" She said walking out the door with a downcast look. She didn't even realize that she was a girl at the moment. No soon er had she left the house her parents continued their argument. Ranma covered his ears as he jumped to the rooftops. *Oh I wish they would just shut up!* She thought as she traveled full speed towards The Nerima district.

Ranma knew the way directly to Furinkan. Actually she knows her way all around Japan. She, when in Male form had pretty much downloaded memories of places from all peoples minds so that he would never get lost so he knew his way all around Japan by heart, unlike a certain lost boy that we're all familiar with. So Ranma was able to find Furinkan no problem at all.

Being on time was the tricky part though.

************

Ranma was breathing heavily she had to run at full speed _with_ chi boosting. She had gotten to school but there was only about two minutes before the bell rang. He ran through the gates with the wooden plaque beside it with the words 'Furinkan high' engraved in it. Ranma decided to walk the rest of the way. She was however stopped by a boy wearing samurai clothing. "Hold fair maiden!" The boy had called.

Ranma looked over at the guy in annoyance and down at herself in disgust. *Oh great!* She thought. *I forgot I'm a girl right now!* "What yah want? I'm late enough as it is."

Kuno held out a rose that he pulled from his uniform. "Alas, that I be granted with the presence of a fair flower such as yourself. The gods must truly shine on me. Tell me fire haired goddess. What be thy name?" Ranma repressed the urge to beat this guy to a pulp or send him to the moon.

"My name is Ran..." The boy cut her off.

"Wait! Is it not proper to give ones own name first?" He said. "Very well than. Mine I will give." Ranma shook her head.

"Is this guy for real?" She muttered to herself. Kuno rambled on.

"I am the champion of the high school fencing world the speeding bullet of Furinkan High Kuno tate... Where are though going?" Ranma ran past the guy seeing that she now only had about one minute to get to class.

*Man!* She thought. *I haven't even gotten my schedule from the office and I got idiots rambling about bullets and flowers! I do _not_ need this!* Tatewaki Kuno ran to intercept her. Ranma however did not want to be intercepted and she booted him away and into a tree. Using her telekinesis to make the impact much more forceful"Loser!" She called back as she entered the building.

************

Later Ranma wandered the halls looking for her class room. "Lessee. 12-b, 13-b, 1-E. Ah that's the one!" Ranma entered the classroom. And all eyes there were on her. The teacher who was an old guy looked over at the interruption of his class.

"Eh who are you? What do you want I've got a class to teach." Ranma walked up to the man and gave him a slip of paper. He looked at it for a second squinting his eyes to see it better. "Oh I see! Well little girl," Ranma's eye twitched. "I'll just introduce you to the class and then you can take your seat."

Ranma faced the class and the teacher began his introduction. "Well class it seems we have a new student in our midst. Her name is Ranma Saotome." Ranma bowed to the class. "You can go take your seat now Ranma." The old man said and Ranma went to an empty desk in the back. A girl with long black hair with blue highlights looked back at the boy turned girl and offered a hand.

"Hi. I'm Akane Tendo." Ranma took her hand and shook it.

"Uh Ranma Saotome." Ranma said. They let go and Akane turned back.

"I'm just glad you aren't a _boy_. We've got enough of them perverts as it is." Ranma twitched at the statement the girl made.

"Well class. It's time for the test." Everybody groaned seeing as this was math class. "Everybody take a paper and pass the rest on." The teacher continued to explain the rules for writing a test but no one listened.

Akane being ever the talkative one turned back to the new student. "To bad you had to come in right on a test. Sensei Kuromoto always gives the hardest tests." Ranma shrugged.

"It can't be that hard." She said. Akane turned back.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." She said as she began to write her test that had been passed to her. Ranma received her test right after Akane had handed it to her. She looked over it and shrugged.

*This doesn't look to hard.* She thought. *Hell, compared to all those mathematicians minds I've read this should be a walk through the park.* Ranma tapped Akane on the shoulder and motioned that she needed something to write with Akane dug through her pencil case and gave her a pencil. Ranma nodded her thanks and began to write the test.

(Lunch)

Ranma walked out side and looked around for a place to sit to eat her lunch. She spotted a nice, large, shaded tree over in the middle of the court yard. She walked over and sat down where she opened up the bento and began eating. She felt a presence behind her and looked around to see Akane who was planning on sneaking up to surprise her. Akane had two other girls with her.

"Hi" She said with a little wave. Ranma nodded to her in greeting as well.

"Hey"

"Is it all right if we eat with you Ranma? This is Yuka," Akane indicated the one girl beside her who smiled and waved at Ranma, "and Sayuri." She said motioning to the other girl beside her. Ranma gave each of the new girl a small wave and quickly returned her attention to her lunch.

The girls didn't wait for Ranma to give her permission and they sat down around her in a small circle. The girls began talking But Ranma was only interested in the food. She wasn't into all that girl stuff. Hell! Considering she's not really a girl it's understandable. "So Ranma." Yuka said. "Where do you live?" Ranma shrugged.

"Juuban." She continued eating her lunch despite the disbelieving stares coming from the three girls.

"You're kidding. Right?" Asked Sayuri with a joking tone. Ranma shook her head.

"Naw! My mom said that it would be good exercise for a martial artist like me to get a good long run in the morning." Ranma said with a cocky smirk.

"You had to _run_!?!" Inquired Sayuri and Yuka simultaneously.

"Martial Arts?" Akane asked not following with her friends. "You do martial arts?"

Ranma shrugged "Yeah. So? I've been training all my life." Akane's smile grew wider.

"Do you want to spar sometime?" She asked enthusiastically. Ranma shook her head. Akane's smile quickly turned into a frown. "What! Why Not!?"

Ranma picked a rice ball from her lunch and popped it in her mouth. "I don't hit girls." Akane, Yuka, and Sayuri blinked. She didn't hit girls?

Before Akane could continue the argument there was a large booming sound accompanied by the ground shaking, as if there was an Earthquake. Akane and her friends fell to the ground. Ranma shot to his feet to see what was going on. In the center of the school yard there was a large Fat guy.

Ranma blinked in confusion. *Boy I wish I had my psychic powers right now. Cause fat guys falling from the sky is awfully strange.* She thought as she looked at the large tub of lard. He was soon accompanied by a man with silvery white hair. He was dressed in a green spandex suit, and seemed to appear out of nowhere, Ranma's enhanced Martial arts senses allowed her to actually see that the man was running. A frog-like guy with curly black hair dropped down to the ground. Ranma looked to the air where she saw A man in a purple and black cape who descended from the sky with him was a girl in a red uniform. Each of the mutants wore matching black helmets.

*Shit!* Ranma thought. *This must be the Brotherhood Cyclops was talking about!* She dropped into a fighting stance on instinct.

"W-What the _hell_ is going on!?" Akane shouted. Ranma just held out his hand to her.

"Just stay out of my way Akane! I can handle these guys." Akane frowned.

"I can take care of these stupid mutants!" She called. "I'm not defenseless!" Ranma frowned. She was about to retaliate with the girls comments, but Magneto chose that time to speak.

"Where is Saotome Ranma!" He asked in a threatening and commanding voice. Ranma whistled to the mutant leader of the brotherhood.

"Yo! BUCKET-HEAD! I'm Ranma!" She called out to him. "What do ya want!?!" Magneto turned towards the boy turned girl. He stalked towards her, his long purple cape sending menacing shadows that shaded his features and made him look more sinister.

"I was informed that you were male. Saotome Ranma. It seems my sources have failed to state the obvious." He said in an almost amused voice. "I have come to give you an offer."

"_Can it_!" Ranma said. I already know of you and your mutant underground. And I don't want _No_ part of it!" Magneto nodded in understanding.

"I see!" He said. "So reasoning will not join you to our side. I will have to stoop to more _extreme_ ways of persuasion." He said as he powered up his magnetic energies for an attack.

Ranma grimaced as she dodged out of the way of the magnetic force blast. *DAMN IT! This is going to be a lot harder without my psychic powers!*

She jumped far back to get more fighting space. She sized up generally what each mutant's power was and what was the extent of her power. Ranma nodded. And was about to rush forward in an attack against the frog boy and the guy in green tights when the guy in green tights who Ranma guessed was quicksilver all of a sudden dissapeared or rather moved to fast for the eye to see. Quicksilver was upon Ranma in an instant sending a flurry of punches that only Ranma was able to follow.

Quicksilver had planned on quickly ending the fight by knocking the girl out with a lightning fast barrage of punches. To his surprise Ranma blocked every blow. And he retaliated just as fast knocking quicksilver across the schoolyard knocking him out. *Impossible!* Was his last thought as he landed at Magneto's feet.

Ranma took a general anything goes stance and motioned for the others to bring it on in.

**********

(Off in the shadows beyond the school walls.)

*[This is impossible! That boy knows about the chestnut fist! That is a secret technique of our tribe that is forbidden to outsiders knowledge. How could this girl know of this?]* Shampoo thought as she stared at the smaller redhead girl who was fighting the strangely dressed foreigners with the strange powers and appearances. *[I must inform great-grandmother of this.]*

The young amazonian fighter stalked off to her small hotel room. Where she would find a telephone to contact her village.

************

(In the Furinkan schoolyard.)

Ranma dodged another Hex blast from the Scarlet Witch. She also had to evade the earthshaking blows from the ever unmovable Blob, the agile Toad leapt from the walls and trees in the schoolyard, and she was under constant barrage from Magneto and his mass powers.

The young telekinetic martial artist dodged one of toads kicks and sent the frog boy to the wall of the school with her telekinesis. Toad smashed into the brick wall knocking him unconscious, He fell to the ground and was no longer a threat to Ranma.

Ranma now had three opponents to take care of. Ranma formed his Astral katana and leapt towards the Blob. Getting ready to strike at the incredibly fat mans head. She was stopped however by Magneto who snatched the girl out of the air with his Magnetic powers. Ranma struggled but it was no use. Magneto was using the iron in her blood against her and there was no way out of it.

"Looks like you win Magneto." She spat. "I guess that now you'll take me to your supposed Mutant utopia and brainwash me huh?" Magneto shook his head and hovered up to the boy turned girl eye to eye.

"Young mutant. I only ask that you join us. It is not our want to destroy humanity but to show them the errors of their mutant hating ways. We are not freaks you and I but rather the next level of mans evolution." Ranma would have knocked the guy flat on his ass were it not that she was at his mercy.

"Save it Bucket-head! I told you that I won't be joining your little group of human haters. I am a part of humanity and damn proud of it so you can take your offer and shove it up your..."

Magneto cut her off and continued. "I will not give up on you Ranma Saotome. I need somebody of your particular skills. It would make my world vision a much simpler task to accomplish." He said in a calm cool voice that belayed his emotions. Ranma however could see the mans raw hatred for the human race in his eyes as clearly as day.

"You know what?" Ranma asked the man. "You sound a lot like Hitler." Ranma continued. "Yeah according to my sources(reading peoples minds) Hitler thought that his Aryan race was the next Evolution of man. Yeah he said that that was his world vision. Just like you." Magneto was visibly getting angrier.

"Don't talk to me in such terms girl. _I_ am the master of magnetism. The humans are afraid of the power we possess so they wish to destroy us! We must act first! We can not allow them to systematically destroy us! Join the Brotherhood and you will _see_!" Ranma powered up his telekinesis and let loose a telekinetic force blast, breaking the magnetic barrier around herself.

She kept a telekinetic field up so that he couldn't do it again. She stepped back and took a martial arts stance. Magneto looked down at the girl with understanding. "Well young one you will see the error of your ways. I see you will not come with us without a fight. Very well then, we shall take our leave." Magneto called out to the remainder of the brotherhood that was still standing and he used his Magnetic powers to carry the ones that had been knocked unconscious.

The man took off into the distance and soon the brotherhood was gone. It was about that time that the school bell rang. Ranma casually walked into the school as if nothing had happened. The Furinkan gossipers were buzzing around the school for the rest of the day about the mutants and of course, the new kid.

************

(Tendo Dojo later that day.)

Kasumi answered the phone and called into the receiver with the ever pleasant tone that was often melodious in it's serenity. "Hello? Tendo residence." Her smile faltered into a serious tone. "Yes? Alright then. When should I...? Yes. Okay I'll try. Bye." She finished off in her beautiful caring voice again and hung up the phone.

In the distance off into the house Soun Tendo sat looking out into the backyard at the koi pond. "Who was it Kasumi? He called out to his daughter. The eldest of the three Tendo girls smiled pleasantly. {like she can smile anyway else?} "It was no one father. Just a pesky salesman. Soun nodded. He had secretely hoped that it would be his good old friend Genma.

Soun had gotten a letter in the mail a few days ago saying that Genma was bringing Ranma from china where he had at long last finished the boys training in the art. Soun sighed. He sighed heavily. *where are you Genma?* He thought gloomily. *You should have been here by now.* Soun sunk deeper and deeper into his depressive funk. When the phone rang again. We waved it off choosing to ignore the ringing to sit and moon over his problems. "Could you get that Kasumi?" He called out into the practically empty house.

"Okay father." Came the sweet reply as Kasumi walked over to pick up the phone to answer. "Moshi Moshi?" She stood there holding the receiver to her ear and just listened for a few seconds before covering the mouthpiece with one hand and calling out Soun. "Father? There's a call for you. Somebody named Genma Saotome. Do you know...?" Soun was at the phone before she could finish, tearing the receiver from her hands.

"Hello? Hello? Genma? Oh how good it is to hear your voice! I've been so worried! Where's Ranma? Why haven't you brought him over like you said?!" Soun looked angry again but his expression quickly changed as he listened to the other end. "Oh Nodoka. Never mind then old friend, all is forgiven."

Soun nodded a couple times as he listened to the man on the other end talk for a bit. "Right then so dinner at your place tomorrow? We'll be there."

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{Well that's the third chapter of Astral minds. The battle with the Brotherhood has ensued and promises future trouble. And what are Soun and Genma up to? (Do you need to ask?) And what was that mysterious phone call that Kasumi received? This stories coming along very well and I'd like to thank several of my readers for giving me their ideas. They certainly contributed much to bring you this next chapter. This story is far from over though.

Any way this story is the favorite of my readers. The poll has spoken! You have the power. I never thought that this would be the most popular of my fics when I started writing. (Which is about two months ago) I thought that it would be Adamantium Rage or Saotome Blade. Oh well Astral Minds is just getting good now it's my favorite too. Well write any C&C's to me at: anime_morden@crystal-tokyo.com.

I will be putting a poll on my site every Friday. (Or when ever I feel like it) They are easy to use and I get more feedback from them than I do my guest book or E-mail. So vote at the poll. You _have_ the power! You can change the future! Well... that's all from me so see you next time.}

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