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 5

A New Kind of School

Ranma and Marina made it to class just in time for the bell Ranma took his seat behind Akane and Marina took a seat beside Ranma. The teacher was talking about what they were going to do today. "Okay class." The old man said. "Your tests have been marked..." There was a collective groan from the entire class. "Now class the tests were not bad at all. In fact one of you had gotten 130% on the test." All of the students except for the ones who knew that they didn't do any good at all leaned forward awaiting the news.

"Ranma Saotome." The teacher called. Ranma opened her eyes and lifted her head from her desk.

"Whatta ya want?" Ranma said with a yawn. The Teacher held up the test paper at the front of the class.

"Miss Saotome you pulled off one of the best test scores I've seen in my entire life. Would you please come to the front of the class?" The Teacher said still holding up the test. All the girls were jealous as Ranma walked to the front of the class. No one noticed her twitch when the teacher called her miss. "Ranma." The teacher began. "Your a gifted student."

*You have no idea how right you are geezer.* Ranma thought with a smile. The teacher continued.

"Ranma I want to boost you up a grade. All of the teachers agree, based on your test, that it would be the best idea for someone of your mental abilities." Ranma tried to protest but she was cut off by the wall suddenly bursting inward in an explosion of dust and concrete. Without warning a girl with purple hair jumped through the new hole in the wall with inhuman speed towards Ranma.

The girl leapt at Ranma with large monstrous claws extended towards her. She let off a feral snarl as she slashed at Ranma's throat intents of ripping it out on her mind. Ranma ducked the lethal blow and extended a hand sending the feral girl crashing through the window leading to the hall and through the wall into the Home Ec. room, using her telekinesis. She made sure that it looked like it was actually a physical blow so as not to raise suspicion among the students.

Ranma leapt after the girl. "RANMA!" Marina called out to the girl. Ranma looked back at her for a second and gave her a nod.

"Don't worry Rina I'll be okay." He assured her. Marina was still worried and followed the other students into the hall to watch the fight. More to make sure Ranma is all right than to watch the fight.

Shampoo looked around the wrecked Home Ec. Room and shook her head to clear the ringing. All of the girls in the room were running around in circles trying to find a way out of the room to a safer place. Shampoo snarled her face was now slowly changing into a more feral, more animalistic, inhuman face. She jumped out of the hole in the wall towards the redhead girl just in time to meet her half way in the hall.

The two girls clashed in a flurry of fists, feet. and claws. Shampoo was now getting a little hairier. hair sprouted from her back and she grew what appeared to be a tail. Shampoo swiped at Ranma's head again but the girl ducked and upper cutted the amazon. She stayed low as Shampoo's other claw followed through but it sliced air. Ranma jumped at the wall and jumped off of it sailing straight for Shampoo who dodged out of the way and slashed down onto Ranma's back The girls fell to the floor and felt the deep gashes on her back.

"Oww!" Ranma's hands where covered in her own blood. She looked up at the feral amazon and realized that she had underestimated the girl. Ranma rolled out of the way just as the feline girl lunged, digging her claws into the floor. Ranma saw now that there were a whole lot of student who had circled around to see the fight. Ranma didn't want to risk getting anyone else hurt and decided to lead the battle elsewhere.

Ranma ran and jumped over the crowd noticing that Nabiki was taking bets on who would win. Ranma ran down the hall and into a room that she figured was the boiler room. Ranma rushed in being that there were no students in there. "Perfect!" She proclaimed and ran into the spacious room. Shampoo soon entered and stopped at the door way.

"Ranma! You I kill!" She yelled as she ran in to kill the red haired girl. Ranma put her hands up to stall her.

"WAIT!" Ranma started. "Don't I even get to know why your trying to kill me?" She asked the feline mutant amazon. Shampoo stopped but was ready to pounce at any moment.

"You steal tribe secret techniques!" She explained. Short and simple. Ranma looked confused.

"If I stole something from your tribe I'm pretty sure I would remember." Ranma reasoned. "Besides I was only at your village for about ten minutes." Shampoo was about to retort and then pounce with claws extended but she stopped herself in mid pounce.

"Girl make good point." She said but she shook her head to clear the thoughts of sympathy from it. "NO! You no trick Shampoo! I KILL!!" With that said the girl pounced Ranma rolled with her blow and brought his feet up into her gut sending her to the other side of the boiler room destroying the hot water heater. Shampoo hit her head off of the wall behind the heater as she crashed through it. Her head was bleeding and she was woozy. But she was not going to be stopped that easy.

Ranma seeing an opportunity rushed to attack the amazon. She jumped into the air landing a knockout blow on the girl. She fell to the floor and looked up through foggy eyes at Ranma, who in mid kick had gotten splashed by a stream of hot water from the heater and turned back into a male. "Airen." Was Shampoo's last word as she fell to the floor unconscious.

Ranma had picked up her thoughts as she passed out. *Uh Oh! I'm gonna have a whole lotta problems with this chick.* He thought as he threw the rapidly changing girl over his shoulders. *Now where...Ah!* Ranma walked over to the tap on the far wall and splashed himself with cold water to turn back into his female form. After all he had registered at Furinkan as a girl.

Shampoo was back to normal by the time Ranma had turned back. Shampoo's feral form apparently came out when her adrenaline was at a high level. That was Ranma's guess anyway. Ranma set the girl on the grass outside once she got out there. Marina came rushing out of the school to meet her. She was followed by most of their period one class as well. Ranma was still bleeding from her back and she finally passed out from blood loss.

Marina's voice was the last she heard before becoming unconscious.

***********

(Westchester.)

Professor Charles Xavier was currently going over a few documents that he had acquired not long ago. He was in his study sitting at his desk. He began to get bored reading over the secret government documents and sent out a mental message to Hank.

<Hank?> Began the professor.

*What is it Professor?* Asked Hank as he reconfigured some of the wires and other circuitry in the black bird.

<I would like you to call up Ranma Saotome again and ask him if he would like to join our school again. I know he's already declined but if he doesn't agree again than offer him a tour of the school. Invite his entire family and have them come up.> Beast nodded.

*Okay but if he's not going to join anyway what's the point of bringing him down here?* Beast asked just before getting zapped by the wires in the jet.

The professor continued holding in his laughter at hanks misfortune. <Heh, I would like to meet this boy for myself. I'm also intrigued by the snakelike girl Marina. I'm completely clueless as to what her power is.> Hank nodded in understanding.

*Aaaah. I see. And you want me to examine her.* Beast thought humorously. *Well I'm always looking for new guinea pigs.* The professor chuckled.

<Are you sure your not psychic as well friend? I could have sworn you just read my mind.> Beast joined in the laughter.

*I'll contact him as soon as possible.* Beast thought as he slammed the panel on the side of the jet down and hopped off of the jet onto the metallic floor below.

Xavier leaned back in his chair and contemplated the mysterious girls powers. Charles looked forward to meeting Ranma as well. Maybe he'd be able to show the young martial artist a thing or two in the Astral Plane. *Heh!* He thought. *He wouldn't stand a chance!*

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

Ranma awoke with a severe head ache. She tried to sit up but the pain in her back along with the hand holding her down kept her from accomplishing her goal and she gave in to gravity, flopping on the sick room's bed. She looked up into the large blue eyes that adorned the pretty brown haired girl with the ponytail who looked down at her. Ranma smiled and held the hand that had held her down. "Hey Rina." Ranma said as she closed her eyes lay back her head on the pillow. "Thanks for..." She stopped in mid sentence feeling the hand that she held in her own.

It felt...normal. Ranma looked up into the kind brown eyes of Kasumi Tendo. "HUH!?!" She said intelligently. I thought you were... Where did...how did you..." Kasumi giggled and put a finger to quiet Ranma.

"Shush Ranma. You need to rest. That other girl injured you pretty badly." She said in the kind pleasant voice that she always seemed to have. Ranma smiled then looked questioningly at the eldest Tendo daughter.

"How do you know my name?" Ranma asked. "Where'd Marina go?"

"Kasumi smiled and leaned back in her chair beside the bed. "I know all about the curse." She began. "Your friend told me." Ranma looked confused. Why would Rina tell just anybody about his curse. Kasumi guessing what the redhead's next question would be answered before the girl could voice the question. "I came to bring you your lunch." She said simply.

Ranma just stared at her with an enthusiastic, "HUH!?!" Kasumi giggled again, a gesture that Ranma found extremely cute on the older girl.

"I actually figured most of it out for myself." Kasumi said. "I was coming to give my fiancee his lunch but apparently there was no boy by the name of Ranma Saotome here. Only a girl." Ranma nodded in understanding. "I heard that you had gotten into a fight and was hurt and I came to see what was the matter. You look an awful lot like the male Ranma and after Marina told me about Jusenkyo I had figured it all out."

"Oh soooo. Where's Marina now?" Ranma asked. A little worry in her voice. *I hope she's not hurt. The illusion probably had fallen away after I had passed out.* Kasumi's smile alleviated some of that worry.

"She had to go back to class." Kasumi said. Ranma sighed in relief.

"Well I better get to class also." Ranma said as she sat up. Kasumi tried to stop her but Ranma pressed on. "Relax." He told her with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm a quick healer. I'll be fine." She then stood up grabbed her shirt and headed out the door to get back to class. Kasumi meant to call out to her but Ranma was gone before she could say anything.

"You forgot your lunch." She said. To the empty hall ahead of her. She picked up the bento that she had prepared for Ranma and left the room headed for home.

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

Ranma made it back to class just in time to get the days homework. He didn't know anybody in the class since most of the people he knew were a grade under her. She got out her books and wrote down the homework. The teacher was talking about the second world war. Ranma knew all about it so she didn't have to worry about the essay that was due in three days about Pearl Harbor. Most of the kids in the class were either groaning or furiously writing down notes in their books.

Ranma chuckled at the sight. It was pretty much a sex thing. All the girls paid attention and all the guys didn't care and slept through class. A lot of the girls were talking about Ranma and she could hear loud and clear, but she didn't pay attention. She was worried about Marina and Shampoo. Shampoo's laws said that because He's an outsider and he defeated her that he would have to marry her.

Ranma shivered at the thought. Those amazons had the most messed up laws. Ranma thought of the other two classes she had missed and wondered if she knew somebody that could give her the homework. Ranma searched around the class to see who there was. Her eyes passed over Kuno and she almost gagged. *Eeew! Poetry boy is definitely not my first choice. He'd probably ask me to date with him again.*

Ranma looked across the room at Nabiki who was also looking directly back at her. Ranma shrugged her shoulders. *Oh well. I guess it could be worse.* She thought as she picked up her bag and headed for the middle Tendo daughter's general location.

Ranma was about half way there when Tatewaki stepped out in front of her effectively blocking her way. Ranma groaned and rolled her eyes. *Not again!* "What do you want Kuno?" She asked in an annoyed voice. The kendo champion of Furinkan high looked towards the ceiling for some odd reason and inevitably began speaking poetry.

"Fire haired goddess of the blade, thine features speak of the true beauty of love. I the great Kuno Tatewaki shall date with thee." Ranma frowned.

"I don't think so Kuno. You see...Your a moron. And I don't want anything to do with you now get out of my way!" She said as she tried to push past the idiotic boys way and towards Nabiki.

Kuno moved again to intercept her. "Aaah. My fire goddess. I see though has wishes to play hard to get. Very well than I shall play thine game of lo....URK!" Kuno's mouth was shut up with Ranma's foot in his face.

"Shut up Kuno!" Ranma said as she pushed him out of the way and headed towards Nabiki. Kuno fell to the floor.

"That didn't hurt." He said before passing out into unconsciousness.

Ranma made it over to Nabiki who was currently counting her winnings on the days earlier fight. Ranma tapped her on the shoulder. Nabiki turned her head towards the smaller girl with annoyance. "Yeeeeessss?" She asked the girl. Ranma was a little nervous with the predatory glare Nabiki was giving her.

"Uh Hi Nabiki." Ranma said with a little wave. Nabiki turned her body around in her chair and gave Ranma a bored look.

"Ranma, do you have any business with me or is this just a social call? I don't have all day you know. I'm a business woman." Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Almost all of the students in the class gasped. Most were thinking along the lines of *HOLY SHIT!!!! That girls DEAD! She just ignored the ice-queen_. Actually that was the thought that _was_ on everyone's minds. Nobody, just _nobody_, talked to Nabiki Tendo so casually. Ranma continued, ignoring the class, "Your the only person in this class I really know and I need to know what my homework for the classes I missed is." Nabiki gave the girl her smirk #132.

"Funny I don't recall ever meeting you." She said. Ranma shrugged.

"I know your sister." Nabiki continued her revery as if not having heard Ranma.

"Hmmm. Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. Where have I heard that name before?" She was now circling the red headed girl as she rubbed her chin in thought. "I do know one Ranma Saotome, but you couldn't possibly be _him_, now could you?" She said. Ranma was getting annoyed.

"Look Nabiki I just want to get my homework okay?" Nabiki stopped circling the Jusenkyo cursed individual and held out her hand palm up. Ranma looked at it in confusion. "What are you doing?" She asked. Nabiki looked shocked.

"Don't you know? Goodness I thought every one was told at the beginning of the year. If you want information from me the regular fee is 10,000 yen." The Ice Queen proclaimed. Ranma chuckled.

"Heh heh heh. You must be really dumb to think I'd pay you any money." She said. Everybody in the room's jaws dropped right through the floor. There wasn't a single student who wasn't shocked at the words Ranma had so bravely spoken. Nabiki's eye twitched and this action sent several boys and girls fleeing the room. Ranma continued not noticing. "I mean, if you don't want to give me tonight's homework I can just go ask someone else that won't charge me. Who'd be stupid enough to pay just so they could find out what their homework was." Ranma broke out into a full fledged laugh.

Nabiki's eye twitched again as she glared at the laughing girl. By now the room was empty save for Ranma, Nabiki, and the unconscious Kuno. "What did you say?" Asked Nabiki as she glared at the smaller red head girl. Ranma ignored her and left the room seeing as how since everyone else had she could to. Nabiki stared off after the girl with, what on her appeared to be, hatred. *That girl is going down!* She thought as she schemed what tortures she could deal the _smart mouthed Saotome_.

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

Shampoo awoke with an enormous headache. She looked at her surroundings and noticed Cologne was sitting on the grass watching over her. "What happened child?" The old woman asked as The purple haired amazon opened her eyes and sat up. Shampoo shook her head.

"Don't know." She said trying to remember exactly what had happened. "Girl hit Shampoo and she go down. Then girl turn into man." Shampoo thought about that for a second and her eyes widened. "Shampoo think that redheaded girl is Shampoo's Airen!" She said in shocked wonder.

Cologne nodded her head. "This is good. The girl, or should I say boy, is very powerful. She would make a good addition to the tribe." Shampoo nodded but was a little reluctant to accept the fact that she was engaged to a girl that turns into a boy.

"What we do now great grandmother?" Shampoo asked. The old prune-like woman chuckled.

"Our objectives have changed now child. Now your mission is to marry that _boy_ and bring him home where you'll get married." Shampoo nodded and headed back to the hotel she was staying at with Cologne. She had to go to a new hotel because the one she was previously in kicked her out.

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

Marina was struggling. She hadn't been to school since she was fourteen years old. She'd missed two whole years of school and the new level of material was extremely hard for her. She had trouble understanding what the teacher was saying. He was currently talking about Neutrons and Electrons. Marina only understood a little of what the pudgy man said. Without Ranma there for support it seemed just that much harder.

She was looking out the window in which she sat beside. She was watching as a couple of the girls played baseball in the large Furinkan yard. She smiled envious of their normal looks and carefree lives. Just then her vision was blocked by a set of large pretty blue eyes and red hair.

"Hi." Said the upside down Ranma as she hung from the rafters above the classroom. Marina was startled by the sudden appearance of Ranma and jumped a little.

"Ranma!" She whispered. "What are you doing here?" She asked as the boy turned girl swung back and forth lightly. Ranma answered just as quiet as Marina had been but a little less serious.

"It's a really nice day out. Besides I wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing." She said. Marina smiled a little relieved that her friend was okay.

"How's your back?" She asked in genuine concern. Ranma shrugged.

"It's okay." Ranma grabbed Marina's hand and tried to pull her out of the window. "Come on let's go get something to eat. I missed lunch." Marina. Took her hand back forcefully, knocking Ranma off balance and forcing her to flip around and land on the window sill.

"Ranma we can't skip school it's my first day! I'll get in trouble."

Ranma shrugged again. So I'll help you study when we get home lets go." With that Ranma grabbed the snake like mutant girl again and pulled her out the window she cradled the girl and jumped down to the ground below. She set Marina down and began walking towards the school gates. "Where ya wanna go?" the redhead asked. Marina shrugged her shoulders, mimicking Ranma's earlier actions.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?" Ranma shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know where do you want to go?"

"I don't know where do you want to go?" Marina broke out into giggles. And Ranma into a full out laugh. The two continued to laugh for a few minutes then Ranma pointed out a place across the street. "Why don't we go have some all you can eat?" Ranma asked.

Marina nodded. "Okay. Do you have enough money?" Ranma shrugged.

"I don't know do you have enough money?" She asked with a smile plastered on her face. Marina shook her head.

"I don't know do you... Hey now don't start that again!" Ranma broke out into laughter again and the two crossed the street headed for Yin's all you can eat buffet.

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

Ranma patted her belly and gave a contented sigh as she walked towards home beside Marina. "Aaaah. That hit the spot!" She said Marina giggled.

"Well I can't say that the owner of the restaurant would be saying the same. You nearly ate him out of business." Ranma shrugged and scratched the back of her head.

"What can I say? I was hungry. That fight took a lot more out of me than I thought." Marina smiled and continued walking home in silence. Ranma was getting a little bored by all that silence and jumped up on the fence and began walking along it. "So Rina. Why'd you get kicked out of your house?" Ranma asked.

Marina looked downcast. "I was an ugly mutant and they threw me out." She said. "There's not much more to say." Ranma looked down at her with a yeah right kind of smirk.

"Come on there has to be more of a story to your origin than that." Ranma said. Marina didn't answer her right away. Finally she sighed and continued her story.

"When I was fourteen, I was just starting to notice the boys at my school. This one boy asked me out one day and we went to the movies. I was really nervous cause I had never been on a date before, and I was itching all over. I hadn't payed attention to the movie at all. We went back to my place and I invited him in we went to my room and we talked for a bit and then...then he kissed me." Marina looked up to see what Ranma's reaction would be. The girl on the fence just looked down at her attentively.

"Go on." Onna-Ranma urged as she waved her hands gesturing for the snake-girl to continue. She did.

"Well when he kissed me I was really excited and It was my first kiss and then he backed away. I moved in to kiss him again not wanting it too end but he backed up again and he was staring at me weird. I looked down at my hands and there was these scales growing out of my skin. I screamed and began to cry." A tear welled up in Marina's eye and she wiped it away, but more tears came and she just forgot about them and kept telling her story.

"My Mom and Dad came down to my room and saw me. Masakazu, my date, ran away. My parents kicked me out the next morning saying that they didn't want a freak as a daughter." Marina began to openly cry and Ranma jumped down from the fence and put her arms around the girl in an attempt to comfort her.

They sat on the ground together and Marina buried her face in Ranma's chest. "Shhh. It's okay Rina. They didn't know what they were doing. They probably were scared. It's not your fault." Marina pounded on the redheads back weakly and Ranma rocked the girl back and forth. Many passers by didn't pay attention to the scene. Some did but decided it was none of their business.

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

Ranma and marina arrived home around supper time. "Taidama!" They called out simultaneously as they entered. Nodoka just hung up the phone as the two teens came in.

"Oh Ranma." she said. Ranma threw her book bag over in the corner of the living room. Marina set hers down on the table.

Nodoka picked up a note from in front of the phone and held it out to her son turned daughter. "Here, Mr McCoy from the Xavier institute for the gifted called and invited us all up for a tour of the school." Ranma smiled as she shoved the not in her pocket.

"Cool!" She exclaimed. "When do we leave?" She asked. Nodoka looked at her watch.

"Uhm Hank said that they would send a jet to come and pick us up." Ranma nodded in understanding.

"Oh the black bird. It should be here in about half an hour." She said all knowingly. Nodoka and Marina looked puzzled. Marina who had walked up behind Ranma as she was talking with her mother voiced the question that was on both women's minds.

"How do you know when it'll arrive?" she asked. Ranma gave her a cocky smile and pointed to his noggin.

"I'm psychic. When Hank came down with the X-Men the only thing he could think about was the blackbird and all the specs. He's a big geek." Ranma said as a matter of fact.

Marina giggled. She calmed down almost as soon as she started. She looked over to the Elder Saotome woman and asked. "Would you like help with dinner Saotome-san?"

Nodoka nodded "Of course dear." Nodoka looked at her for a second and then got a puzzled look on her face. "Who are you?" Marina nearly face faulted. Ranma laughed.

"HA, HA, HA! Man you should have seen yourself Rina! That was so funny!" Ranma calmed herself down and looked to her mother. "I forgot to tell you this morning Mom. That's Marina. I can put up an illusion around her that ensures that she looks like a normal girl. Just so she can go to school, and fit in, and stuff." Nodoka nodded.

"Oh Okay. Go wash up for dinner we'll just be making something simple." Ranma's mother said as she shooed the girl up the stairs nearby. Ranma followed her orders and went to the bathroom to get washed up. Marina and the Saotome matriarch headed off o the kitchen. Ranma dropped the illusion on Marina feeling that she didn't need it while she was at home.

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

At the Tendo household, Nabiki sat in her room clicking on her computer. *Okay _miss_ Saotome. I'll show you just what happens when somebody mocks the Ice Queen.* Nabiki thought as she hacked into the top secret community hospital files. She was currently looking up a government list that held the names and records of all people who existed in the Tokyo area.

Nabiki stopped at the list of people living in the Juuban district of japan and looked up Ranma Saotome. The computer brought up a file of the Black haired boy with the long braided pigtail that their family had met the other night. *Hello Ranma Saotome. Or at least the _male_ Ranma Saotome.* Nabiki smirked and scanned through all the people with the names Ranma and Saotome.

*Let's see, Jiro Saotome, Mariko Saotome, Genma Saotome, Kensuke Saotome, kirin Saotome, Ryouga Saotome, Ranma Saotome Male... hmmmm.* Nabiki scanned through the list one last time and then smirked evilly. *Oh there doesn't seem to be a Ranma Saotome Female in existence at all. Hmph What a shame.* Nabiki printed off a copy of Ranma's document and the list of Saotome names Registered.

She shut her computer off picked up the phone beside her desk and dialed a number. "Hello?...yes this is Nabiki Tendo....No I'm not after your money....I need a favor...I need you to follow the male Ranma Saotome anywhere he goes....yes there is a male Ranma....Yes I want you to follow the female one too.... Take as much pictures as you can...alright?...Bye." Nabiki hung up the phone and smirked. *Oh Ranma. You've messed with the wrong Tendo.* Nabiki started to laugh maniacally.

The mercenary girls moment of evil was cut off by the melodic voice that came downstairs from Kasumi. "Nabiki! Dinner's ready!" Nabiki's stomach growled at the words.

"Oooh! Sukiyaki night!" She ran downstairs for supper thoughts of sukiyaki and revenge running through her mind.

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

later at the Saotome house while marina, Ranma, and Nodoka sat having dinner there was a knock at the front door. Marina got up from her seat and went to answer it. "That's probably McCoy-san right now." She opened the door and peered out. "McCoy-san?" She asked. Doctor Henry Hank McCoy waved to the teenage girl.

"Good evening Marina. Please just call me Hank. There's no need for formalities between friends." Marina blushed at her mistake and the realization that she had more than Ranma as a friend.

"I'm sorry Mc, uhm, Hank." She said. Dr. McCoy waved it off.

"It's all right." He said. He peered into the house at the table where Ranma and Nodoka were busy clearing the dishes. "Are you all ready?" He asked. Marina blushed and moved away.

"Um, I'm sorry we're running a little late would you like to come in Hank?" Hank mock bowed to the teenage mutant and motioned for her to enter first.

"After you milady." He said in a fake hero voice. Marina smiled as she entered the house.

"Thank you Hank." With that she entered the house with Henry following behind. Ranma was just coming out of the kitchen after putting the dishes all in the dishwasher. Nodoka was wiping off the table with a dish rag.

"Hey Hank." Ranma said as he waved to the larger man. "How's things down in New York?" Hank looked at the boy in a joking manner.

"Do you really have to ask psychic boy?" He said. Ranma laughed.

"HA! I'm not reading peoples minds twenty four seven Hank! I do have a _little_ bit of respect for peoples privacy. Sides, just making conversation." It was Hanks turn to laugh now.

"Everything's fine. Though the government is boosting the Sentinel program to even greater lengths. The program is becoming a world wide organization because of it's efficiency. Now countries other than the US are using the sentinels to exterminate mutants. Especially with Magneto taking all these terrorist actions against humanity."

Ranma nodded his head. "Yes. If we're not carful Japan could very well take to the Sentinel program. Did you know they're in negotiations debating whether or not they are a threat?" Hank looked surprised.

"Japan too?" Ranma nodded.

"Yeah I was thinking maybe I could make my own uniforms to block the sentinels trackers. The Japanese government is seriously considering it and I don't want to take any chances."

Hank agreed. "Yes. A very smart choice. If you like we could help you make them." He said. He then clapped together his oversized hands seeing that everyone was present. "Well! Are you all ready to go?" Ranma Marina and Nodoka nodded and then followed the mutant doctor out of the house and towards the large black jet in the empty lot next door.

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

Magneto sat in a dark room illuminated only by the large window on the far wall. The sun was setting in the distance and the elderly yet fit mutant leader of the brotherhood watched as it went down. "I see." He said as he folded his hands menacingly in front of himself. "So our operative has made contact with the boy. What is her status?" Toads English accented voice came from the other end.

"She's currently working on it. She been having a little trouble, but sais that some events have occurred over there that she's sure will affect the plans in a positive way." The frog like mutant said.

"Good!" said Magneto. Contact the girl and tell her to speed the pace up some. I need that boy and I don't have forever." The frog boy on the other end nodded.

"Righto. It'll be done in a bit." With that the connection was terminated. Magneto leaned back in his large black throne and smiled.

"I have you Charles. This boy will join me no matter what you think, or do." With that magneto stood up and exited the room.

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

Somewhere in Australia, on a large almost 90 degree vertical mountain. A young teenager stood atop of the mountain and looked around at his surroundings. "This doesn't look like Serbia." The boy said to himself. He looked at the map he held. It was currently upside down. The boy with the bandana got flustered and annoyed.

Ryoga threw away the map and then yelled to the heavens as loud as he possibly could. "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOOOOOOOWWWW!!!!!!!!?????!!!!!"

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

{That's Chapter five hope you enjoyed it. That "I don't know what do you want to do?" part was dedicated to my friend Brian. The good old days. Any way. What all does Prof X really want from Ranma? What's Marina's powers? What are Kasumi's powers? are the other Tendo girls Mutants as well? Who's the new bad guy? Will Ryoga ever find what he's looking for? What's Ryoga looking for? Will all these questions be answered in chapter six? Am I losing my mind? Possibly all this in the next chapter entitled. "Hmmm where's my shoe?" the epic tale of Ranma's journey to find a shoe. Er just kidding. Chap six will be a while. I'm starting Dragon's Bond and after I get the first four chapters to that I'm gonna be working on Saotome Blade a bit. Sorry but Astral Minds will be put off for a while. Much thanks to Billy Chen who drew an excellent picture of Ranma from the Astral Minds story. I hope more people send me some Fan Art. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Well that's all from me.

Ja ne!

Morden Night

http://josh_vh.tripod.com/mordensranmapage/