Disclaimer: Tattoon Master and Ranma 1/2 belong to their respective creators and this all just for fun.

Note: Now this is probably one of the most offbeat stories I could come up with. I REALLY liked Tattoon Master and saw so many similarities with Oh My Goddess, Sailor Moon and of course, Ranma 1/2, so I figured... why not? I was disappointed to learn that there were only two episodes available and hope that AD Video comes up with more. As for the main character acting totally OOC, well just read on! This story takes place somewhere after the anime episode of the Dragon's Whisker.

< >:Thoughts
#( )#: Panda signs

Chapter One

Another One of Genma's Deals.

One year after Ranma's birth, somewhere in the mountainous regions of Tibet...

"Here is the worm who dared to try to steal the sacred scrolls." The head of the guards said as he unceremoniously shoved Genma Saotome's back, causing the idiot of a martial artist to fall to his knees. Beside him was another of the guards, who was cradling a small bundle in his arms.

Inside his tent, Shiror, the High Priest of the Tattoon Tribe, glared down at the wretch who had taken advantage of their hospitality and attempted to make off with his peoples' treasures. Shiror was in his early forties and was the father of two girls. He had long, red hair that had a few streaks of gray. His build was a bit on the lean side, but his mind was sharp as a tack and his powers made him very formidable. His youngest child Balla, (or Nima as she was called by her mother), was about Ranma's age, while his eldest daughter was two years older.

A week ago, Genma Saotome and his infant son had come straggling into their hidden valley, begging for food and shelter. The dishonest martial artist had already sold out his son and stolen him back a few times already. Normally, outsiders were not welcomed, but when they saw the baby on his back, they had taken pity and decided that it wouldn't hurt to give them some food and provisions. However, no sooner had the father regained his strength then his greed and thieving ways came to the fore. After seeing the amazing powers of the Tattoon Tribe, he began to snoop around their village, eventually breaking into their archives in search of the secrets to their abilities. He would have made a clean getaway if Ranma hadn't awoken and started crying.

That was all it took for the sentries to descend upon the thief and pounded him into submission. Genma was considered an exceptional martial artist at the time, but even he was no match for the elemental mystics and warriors of the Tattoon. Now Genma's fate and that of his baby boy rested in the hands of the leader of the Tattoon Tribe and he didn't appear to be in a forgiving mood.

"We took you in, nursed you and your son back from starvation, and this is how you repay us?" Already, the mystic symbol on his forehead appeared and glowed as the leader of the tribe fought to rein in his anger. "Give me one good reason why I should spare your miserable life."

Genma was in no condition to fight after being subjected to the elemental attacks of the guards, not to mention the intense beating he received afterwards. So he did the only thing he could do... the Crouch of the White Tiger.

Balla's father became disgusted as he watched the idiot grovel at his feet. He then made the symbol on his right hand appear and formed an energy blade to lop off the thief's head. He then looked over to the guards and his gaze fixated on the baby.

"Please don't kill me! I'm sorry! I'll give you anything you want! All that I have!"

<Hmmm... anything I want, eh? That child of his does have great potential... He looks to be about Balla's age.>

Balla's father then came to a decision and made the blade disappear. "Perhaps.... we can arrange something..."

----------

Sixteen years later...

Ranma Saotome of the School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts sighed as he saw doom approaching. And began running. Now with most people, approaching doom would be a one-time thing, but for the pigtailed martial artist, this was a daily occurrence. As he ran from the mob, he growled as he heard various voices calling from behind him, mostly female.

"RANMA NO BAKA! Come back here and eat the lunch I made for you!"

"Airen! Come each too, too delicious ramen!"

"Ranma honey! I made this okonomiyaki specially for you!"

"Ranma darling! Let us elope together!"

Ranma began to feel his anger boil at Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? It was bad enough he was engaged to three girls against his will, all because of his stupid old man. Genma had engaged him to one of the Tendo daughters before he was born, and it was just his rotten luck that he ended up being saddled with an uncute tomboy who couldn't cook if her life depended on it. And he was pretty sure that his life would end if he were to eat Akane's toxic cooking.

The panda man was also responsible for his engagement to Ukyo Kuonji after promising him to her in exchange for her family's yattai as a dowry. Genma took the yattai and Ranma, but left Ukyo behind. And if he hadn't taken Ranma to that stupid training ground in China, then Jusenkyo would have never happened and Ranma wouldn't have ever met the Amazons and gotten involved with Shampoo.

With three girls constantly fighting over him and Ranma always in the middle, the last thing he needed was for Kuno's psycho sister to take a shine to him. Unfortunately, she had formed an obsession with him and made life even less tolerable. Ranma had to look out for poisons, magic Amazon herbs, Akane's cooking and mallet, and whatever new fiancee that would pop up due to Genma's selling him out for food. Now that by itself, would be enough to drive anyone to madness, but it didn't stop there. Due to his curse and the fact that he had these girls fighting over him, other problems had cropped up. Case in point, the other people who were pursuing him.

"RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!"

"HOW DARE YOU TAKE MY SHAMPOO!"

"RELEASE MY PIGTAILED GODDESS AND AKANE TENDO, FOUL SORCERER!"

Ranma's battle aura began to flare as the chase continued and the mob showed no signs of letting up. His emotions began to shift from depression, to tired, to resigned, to upset, to angry, and finally, he just decided to HELL with it all. Akane was always hitting him whenever something goes wrong, even when it wasn't his fault. She never believed in him and he would always get pounded whenever he refused to eat her cooking or when one of his other suitors got close. She always blamed him for everything and would tell him to go off and die! Her sister Nabiki, would take advantage of their relationship and his curse to make money on him. Ukyo, his best friend from childhood was constantly reminding him of their engagement and was overly possessive. Shampoo was no better and treated him like a prize to be won: always deceiving him with false cures for his curse and drugging him with whatever magical potions and such. She had gotten her great-grandmother into the act as well. Kodachi... brrrr, he didn't even want to recall all the times she fed him paralysis potions, sleeping drugs and whatnot in her maniacal obsession over him. With Ryoga, Kuno, and Mouse also after him, there just seemed to be no end in sight. His problems with girls were the cause of all this and if this is what it's like, then he was going to have no more part of it.

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT! GIRLS ARE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF ALL OF YOU GIRLS FIGHTING OVER ME AND YOU GUYS GOING AFTER ME BECAUSE OF IT! AS OF NOW, ALL ENGAGEMENTS ARE OFF!"

Ranma's aura suddenly flared like a supernova, causing the group to stop dead in their tracks. Ranma continued to build up his anger, and then glared at the three rivals at the front of the group.

He then began addressing the girls in a voice that they barely recognized as his. "I'm SICK OF YOU..." He pointed a finger at Ukyo. "AND YOU!" He then gestured to Shampoo. "AND YOU!" Kodachi flinched at the finger. "AND MOST OF ALL, YOU!!!" He glared at Akane as his anger hit the breaking point. He then turned to the boys.

"I NEVER ASKED TO BE ENGAGED TO ANYBODY AND I CERTAINLY DIDN'T STEAL ANYBODY FROM ANYONE! IF YOU GUYS WANT THAT UNCUTE TOMBOY, THAT CRAZY AMAZON OR THE OTHER GIRLS, THEN YOU... CAN... HAVE THEM!"

This caused the girls to gasp in shock, as they had never seen Ranma act this way.

"Ranchan, you don't mean that!"

"Airen!"

"Ranma, darling!"

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

The boys saw this as an opportunity to attack.

"Ranma! How dare you insult Akane!"

"Prepare to face my blade, for your foul words against the beauteous Akane!"

"I won't have you say bad things about my Shampoo!"

Ranma couldn't believe it. Even after telling them that he had given up all claims, they were STILL after his blood. As he dodged the chains, bokken, umbrellas and bandannas, Ranma's battle aura began to grow even more intense. The pressure began to build and build, and finally... Ranma could stand no more. His ridiculously high limits for tolerance had finally been exceeded.

"LEAVE... ME... ALONE!"

Nerima then suddenly shook with a huge explosion as a blast of pure, anger-driven ki suddenly flared and reduced a square block into a smoldering crater.

----------

Some time later, at the Tendo dojo...

"HOW DARE YOU BREAK YOUR ENGAGEMENT WITH AKANE!" Soun said as he went into his Demon Head. However, Ranma was unaffected this time as his red battle aura began to flare again.

Nabiki and Kasumi looked on with interest and bits of uneasiness as Ranma faced up to her father's dreaded attack with absolutely no fear whatsoever. Akane was in her room and refused to see that baka.

In the past, Ranma always cringed at the sight of Soun's Demon Head, but not this time. In fact, Ranma seemed to be showing nothing but disdain as he growled at the Tendo patriarch.

"I don't see why I can't break off the engagement. Akane does it all the time."

"FOOLISH BOY!" Genma said as he rushed up to support his friend. "IT IS A MATTER OF HONOR THAT..."

WHAM!

Nabiki and Kasumi were shocked as Ranma backhanded his father out the patio door and into the koi pond. Genma came up in his panda form with a look of utter disbelief. He was very surprised at the force in which his son had displayed. He had swatted him like an annoying gnat as he continued to glare at Soun's monstrous appearance.

"I repeat," Ranma growled as his red aura intensified, causing Soun's Demon Head to shrink. "I ain't nobody's fiancee. In fact, I'm giving up girls all together as they aren't nothin' but trouble!" His expression softened a bit as he looked at Kasumi. "Though there are some exceptions."

Soun took this sudden change as a sign to salvage the Tendo-Saotome pledge. "Does that mean that you want Kasumi..."

"NO! I SAID I'M GIVING UP THIS WHOLE THING COMPLETELY! AS OF NOW... I QUIT! DO YOU HEAR? I QUIT!"

Without another word, Ranma then stomped up to the guestroom and slammed the door behind him. The Tendos and Genma were in a state of shock for a few minutes, then Soun started toward the stairs. He then felt a paw on his shoulder and looked over to see Genma holding up a sign.

#(Let him be for now, Tendo. Give him some time to cool off. I'm sure that he'll come around in a bit. After all, where he can he go?) #

----------

Up in the Tendo's guest room...

Ranma however, was not going to get over it. Not this time. He didn't know where he got the power to level a city block, but at the moment, he didn't care. After a year and a half of non-stop insanity, the pigtailed martial artist had finally come to the conclusion that his life in Nerima was just not worth it. It wasn't ever going to change, no matter how much he tried to make things better. It was a losing battle and even Ranma had a limit to how much he could tolerate. And he knew just who to blame for all the misery he had endured. His father... and girls!

It was his father who had engaged him to an uncute, violent tomboy without ever asking him! It was Genma's fault that he took Ukyo's yattai in exchange for engaging his son to her! It was Genma's fault by dragging Ranma to China where they got mixed up with those crazy Amazons! Furthermore, because those girls had other suitors chasing after them, Ranma felt as if he had a sign on him that said, 'Hey! Your girl wants me! Kill me and you get the girl!'

And then there were the girls themselves that gave him grief! Shampoo and her potions and that old ghoul! Ukyo and her over-possessiveness! Kodachi and her poisons! Akane and her damned temper, mallet, horrible cooking and always jumping to conclusions!

Enough was too much! If this is what it meant to be Ranma Saotome, then forget it! With this last thought, Genma's only son went to the closet and pulled out his backpack.

----------

Later, at dinner time...

"I'm worried." Kasumi said as she sat down to eat with the others. "Ranma didn't come down for dinner."

"So what?" Akane snorted as she ate. "It's not like that I want that baka down here. Let him go without dinner. We'd all be better off if he'd just leave."

Soun turned to Genma, who was wolfing down his share and Ranma's like a vacuum cleaner. "I am getting concerned Genma. Do you think Ranma really meant what he said, about the engagement?"

Genma waved it off. "Oh don't worry about it Tendo. That boy of mine won't ever go back on his honor. You'll see. Things will be back to normal and all of this will blow over by tomorrow."

"Speaking of things blowing over," Nabiki said. "What exactly happened this afternoon? The news said that some kind of bomb went off near the shopping district and a whole square block was leveled!"

Akane became silent at this as she recalled that incident. Ranma had let off some kind of blast that took out Kuno, Ryoga and Mousse and sent them to the hospital. Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi and herself had taken cover and escaped with only minor scratches. Akane had no idea that Ranma was capable of such a feat.

Soun then made up his mind and addressed to his youngest daughter. "Akane, don't you think that it's time you made up with your fiancée and admit your true feelings to him?"

This got Akane raged as she recalled his harsh words to her before the blast. "I TOLD YOU! HE'S NOT MY Fiancé AND I COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT HIM!"

Soun then turned to Kasumi and started weeping, "Wah! Kasumi, she yelled at me!"

Akane winced as she went stomping up to Ranma's room. "Oh, all right! I'll go talk to that insensitive jerk!"

When she knocked on the door and shouted for Ranma, there was no answer. She became angrier by the moment as she knocked on the door again and called for him. There was still no reply. Finally, she decided to just barge in and flung open the door.

"RANMA..."

The sight that greeted her made her stop in her tracks. The closet door was open and Ranma's backpack was missing. The window to the guestroom was open and on the windowsill was a piece of paper with two words written in large kanji.

I QUIT!

----------

A few months later, in Hiroshima...

Ranma was feeling good about himself as he entered the apartment that he had just leased. He was confident that none of the Nerima Wrecking Crew would ever find him. He thought back to the time he left the Tendos and Genma for good.

----------

Flashback...

As Akane and her family were eating dinner, Ranma quietly crept into Nabiki's room and began rifling through her private files. Contrary to popular belief, Ranma was not quite the naive, easily manipulated and dumb jock that the middle Tendo daughter had pegged him for. He knew that if he were to leave right at this moment, the others would surely hunt him down. That was the reason why he was in Nabiki's room and scanning though the listings of certain people.

Ranma had decided that the best way to throw everyone off his trail was to totally remake himself. However, since he had no prior experience in creating a new identity, it made sense that Nabiki would have the resources to achieve such a goal. Ranma then smiled as he came across certain names and places and committed the information to memory. He then carefully pocketed the files, a large number of photo negatives, and a few computer disks into his pack, then crept out of the room via the window. Being with Genma had taught him one useful skill, the art of thievery.

----------

End of flashback...

Ranma then went to the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He smiled at the effort he had put into making his new identity and though it had cost him everything he had, it was worth it. After stealing the files, Ranma then contacted the Furinken Computer Club...

----------

Flashback, late one night, a few days after Ranma had deserted the Tendos...

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, we're not just talking about a change of name here. We're talking a whole new life and... if you do this, then you'll never be able to go back."

Takuya Shibana looked up from his seat at the high school's computer room. Beside him, Ranma nodded.

"I'm sure. And remember, you do owe me for saving you and your friends from those bullies last month."

"I'll say! If it weren't for you, we'd all be in traction right now."

Ranma then reached into his pack and pulled out a couple of computer disks and a folder. “Here."

"What are these?"

"All the blackmail information Nabiki has on you and the rest of the Computer Club. I made certain that these were the only hard copies in her house. And the disks have all her computer security codes."

Takuya smiled as he got Ranma's meaning. His fingers began to dance on his keyboard as he logged onto the Internet. Inserting a disk into his drive, he began hacking his way through the modem to Nabiki's PC. When he obtained the files which concerned him and the rest of the techno-nerds, he made a grand gesture with his right index finger and gleefully pressed the key marked 'delete.' In an instant all the data was wiped out. He then took out a disk from his desk and showed it to Ranma.

"A little something I whipped up for just such an occasion. My own, specially-made computer virus that I call the Cyber-Snake!"

"Cyber-Snake?"

"Yep! I thought that the best revenge against a snake like Nabiki is to use a snake! Until now, I wasn't able to get this into her computer's mainframe, but since that you've given me the access codes..." He then switched disks in the drive and punched in certain code sequence. Immediately, his virus was launched directly into Nabiki's computer. He gleefully laughed at his computer monitor. "Heh! Take that Nabiki Tendo! Let's see how well your blackmail business goes when my Snake slithers through your operating protocols and swallows up those numbers! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

<Oh boy! This guy needs to get out more often.> Ranma sighed then got serious again. "Okay, Shibana. You've had your fun. Now about that other favor?"

The computer nerd composed himself and nodded as he then began accessing the National Register of Japan. He then did some fancy hacking and five minutes later, brought up the file concerning Ranma Saotome. Looking up at the martial artist, he asked, "Last chance Ranma. Are you sure you want to... destroy yourself? Once this is gone, then it's more than likely that no one will ever find the hard copy. You know how the bureaucracy is here in Japan."

The former fiancee of Akane Tendo, Ukyo Kuonji and Shampoo's 'husband,' was silent for a very long time, then finally nodded. "Do it."

Takuya took a deep breath, then punched in the codes to terminate the file. A moment later, there was a beep and all traces of Ranma Saotome, save for the person himself... was gone.

"Okay, Ranma... I mean..." Takuya found himself at a loss. Technically, the person before him was now without an identity.

The martial artist nodded as he began instructing his friend to create a new identity for him. He had thought long and hard on who he would be and it was time to make his new self into a reality.

A few hours later, Takuya and his friend exited the computer room. The computer hacker turned to face the person who had helped him and his fellow students.

"Well, this is it, Ranma."

The pigtailed teen shook his head. "Don't call me Ranma. He's dead... we killed him, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess we did. So where are you heading?"

The former son of Genma shook his head as he hefted his pack. "Can't tell you. The less you know, the less Nabiki or the others can get out of you if they ask. Thanks a lot. You've been a great help." He held out his hand. Takuya took it in his own hand and shook it. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Maybe. In any case, it's a sure bet that what I'm looking for ain't here. Goodbye, Takuya Shibana."

As Ranma walked off toward his new destiny, Takuya nodded as he watched him leave Furinken and Nerima itself.

"Farewell... Eric Koboyashi."

-----------

End of Flashback...

Eric Koboyashi nodded as he held up a pair of shears. The new identity had been working so far. People who had met him since then knew him as a half-American whose parents had been killed in a plane crash overseas. He had chosen the Western name Eric and the common surname of Kobayashi to throw off anyone who would try to learn about his former life. He was now living in Hiroshima, working as a waiter in a small café. One of the most noticeable changes in his life was the absence of craziness when he was Ranma Saotome. That was the part that he liked the most. There was only one thing that still reminded him of his old existence and he was now ready to destroy that final link to his past.

With one deft movement, the length of hair that comprised his pigtail was sheared off and fell to the floor of the bathroom floor. Eric looked down at the mass of hair and nodded. Now he could truly move on.

----------

Another month later...

"That will be 50 yen please."

Ranma nodded as he handed the shopkeeper the money and took the green onions he had purchased. However, as she took the money, the old woman also took the cigarette in his mouth and said, "Your lungs will thank me for it."

Ranma frowned at her as he walked away and said, "Yeesh. You women think you know everything, don't you?" He then trudged off to the small apartment that he was renting. As he walked, he began thinking about the past few months since he had abandoned his life as Ranma Saotome.

It had been a hard life, to be sure, especially since he left with barely any money and only the clothes and camping supplies in his backpack. But for the first time in his life, Ranma was free to do what he wanted and when he wanted. Ranma Saotome could never do what he wanted, but Eric Koboyashi was free to do as he damned well pleased and he liked it!

In addition to his new hairstyle and identity, he also changed his clothing style and was often seen wearing a white dress shirt that was half-tucked into his school uniform's dress pants.

The biggest change of all was Ranma's personality. Since his declaration to totally distance himself from females, Ranma had become an angry loner and outcast. And... he was happy with his image. He had later taken to smoking. Whether this was due to being with Soun Tendo or it was to fit in with his new identity, Ranma didn't give it a second thought. He found the taste of nicotine to be very relaxing, even though he knew that it was bad for his health, especially for a martial artist. He wasn't a heavy smoker like Soun, only smoking one cigarette every few days or so.

However, most people at school that knew him were under the impression that Ranma was a bona fide woman hater. Even with a new appearance, that certain something that always attracted women to him still drew the opposite sex to him like a magnet. Many schoolgirls had come to him asking for dates, but Ranma would always shoot them down without any compassion or subtlety. He would often state that women were useless and he'd rather stick his head into a blast furnace than commit to any girl. Since his experiences in Nerima, Ranma had decided that the less he had to do with girls, the better off he was. His language had become more profane as his bitterness increased.

This did not go well with the others, especially with a certain girl named Lisa Fujimatsu, who happened to be the class president. Many of her peers thought of her as somewhat of a mental case and she made no secret of making her opinions and disgust known to all, especially with Ranma's woman-hating attitudes. That suited Ranma just fine as he was reminded too much of Akane in her. Lisa was short-tempered and more than ready to use that longbow of hers on any that crossed her. There was a time in which Ranma thought they could at least be friends, when he helped her early on in the semester with her bicycle, but when she found out about his distaste toward women and how many hearts he had already broken, it all went downhill from there.

Though he was known to be a woman-hater and often rumored to be gay, the students of the High School also knew him to be the toughest guy around and an unbeatable fighter. Ranma had kept up with his martial arts training and even developed some new techniques during the time he left the Tendo Dojo. These skills had gotten him notoriety and even gained him a couple of admirers. In fact, as Ranma walked home, he saw the two he had saved from a vengeful football team.

The adolescents were accosting a young schoolgirl of about fifteen years of age. She was very nice looking and had long brown hair.

"No Stop! I will scream!"

The first teen, who had his black hair shaved close smirked as he put his arm around her and said, "Sure! And you can show us what other noises you can make!" Behind him, his friend also chuckled. The second teen had brown hair that was down in a kind of bowl cut. Both were wearing the school dress shirts and pants.

Just as the first boy was about to take certain liberties on the girl, he was suddenly sent sprawling as a foot connected with his face. The boy clutched at his face in pain as he fell on his rear. "OW!"

Ranma glared down at him and grunted. "Maybe that kick jumpstarted your brain! Hmph! And here I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic Brody."

Brody looked up at Ranma and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, hi Eric." He then gestured to the girl. "She and I went to Junior High together and I was just asking her to go to the reunion with me."

"I'm still in Junior High!" The girl said out loud, only to have her mouth covered up by the other boy. She jabbed an elbow into his side, making him release her.

Ranma knelt down at Brody and gave him a disdainful look. "Why waste your time in asking some girl for a date?"

"Hey there?" The girl said as she approached Ranma. "Wanna date me?"

Ranma snorted as he got up and gave her the once-over. She had quite a slender and enticing figure, but...

"Why? So you can flash your ass to every other guy when I'm not looking? Sheesh." He then turned and walked away without another word.

The girl then gave Ranma's retreating form a gesture with her middle finger and said, "Hey! I should have known that you would have a BOYFRIEND! You jerk!"

As Brody got up and stood with his friend, the other boy, whose name was Deiner by the way, shook his head and said, "Man! He's got some way with women. Deep down, he's a hopeless romantic."

"Yeah. It's too bad that every female that meets with him, wants to kill him." Brody remarked as he rubbed his sore nose.

High above the streets, a lone and garbed figure suddenly appeared on a rooftop and looked down on the people below. The stranger then focused on Ranma as he walked home and was not fooled by his different-looking appearance, or attitude.

"I finally found him."

It was near sunset as Ranma approached his apartment. As he trudged along, he thought back to his encounter with that girl and then to his previous life in Nerima. He then shook his head and thought. Why would I want to complicate my life with something as unstable and useless as a woman?

It was then that an abrupt wind was swept up, catching Ranma off guard and made him drop his grocery bag. He immediately went into a fighting stance as a cloud of dust appeared before him and then a mysterious person in a robe appeared before him.

"Who are you?"

The figure raised up a hand and the former heir to the Anything Goes glimpsed a strange glowing pattern on the back of her hand.

"I found you." The figure said quietly.

"Who are you?" Ranma repeated. "Show me your face if you want something from me!"

It was then that a bright yellow light appeared in her palm and then elongated as she clenched it. It become a long shaft of light and the figure then leapt up to swing it toward him like a kind of sword. Ranma, being long experienced with opponents with swords (Kuno and Mousse), dodged the swipe and lashed out with a roundhouse kick. The stranger leapt over the kick and Ranma used the opportunity to grab at the flowing robes. The garment came away easily, but was empty as Ranma looked up at whom was diving at her from above.

He found himself frozen at the sight that was silhouetted against the light of the full moon. He felt a bit of a nosebleed as he saw that the gaijin girl was like an angel from above, wielding a brilliant sword of light.

She was dressed in a skimpy green outfit that resembled a bikini with a halter-top that supported her more than ample bosom, even more so than Shampoo's (and that's saying a lot). Her long slender legs wore wrapped in green leggings that ran up to mid-thigh and she wore calf-length sandals. Her long blond hair was done up in a lush topknot-like style and tied with a red ribbon. Her slim waist was also wrapped with a red sash. She had lengthy sideburns done up in braids that reminded Ranma of Akane when he first met her. Her lush buxom figure seemed to radiate a kind of sensuality and power that made Ranma drop his guard and hatred for women for just an instant. However an instant was all that Balla, the High Priestess of the Tattoon Tribe needed as she swooped down and made an X-motion with her hands, splitting her light blade into two and leaving a crisscross pattern on Ranma's forehead.

Ranma stumbled back a bit as he felt a slight trickle of blood from the wound, which instantly sealed itself up. The girl then landed before him with a delighted sigh as she glanced at her handiwork.

The former Nerima resident felt his body tingle as if some weird power was now coursing through his limbs and he found himself unable to move as the girl then moved up to him and framed his face with her hands. She then leaned over and gently kissed the mark on his forehead. She looked into Ranma's dumfounded expression and gave him a small smile.

"In keeping with the laws of the Tattoon Tribe, you have just become my eternal husband."

"I'm your HUSBAND?!" Ranma eeped as he began having flashbacks of his experiences with a certain Amazon.

Balla smiled as she continued. "I have searched long and hard for you. Looking for you is like looking for a drop of water in a desert. Now I finally found you..." Balla finally gave into exhaustion and fell forward.

Ranma instinctively caught her before she fell flat on her face and wondered what to do with her next, when a slip of paper fell out from her top and floated to the ground. The former fiancé of Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo glanced down at the paper. He began to have a sinking feeling about this.

----------

Later on...

"GENMA NO BAKA!"

Ranma clenched the paper that was in his hand and was so tempted to go back to Nerima and kick that stupid panda so hard that he'd better like life on Jupiter! Apparently, Genma had stumbled across the Tattoon Tribe when Ranma was still an infant, and used him once again as a bargaining chip for his life.

----------

Some sixteen years ago...

"W-W-What?!" Genma gasped as the High Priest offered a bargain in exchange for his freedom.

"Genma Saotome, I shall spare your wretched life... if you are willing to betroth your son to my daughter."

"Huh?!" Genma looked up in surprise as the High Priest produced a sheet of paper and made some magical gestures. Words written in the Tattoon language appeared on it as the High Priest stated his terms.

"If you wish to leave this valley alive, then you shall pledge your son to my daughter Balla. She will become the High Priestess of our tribe some day and will need a strong husband by her side. You will be allowed to go with full provisions and to raise your child, but sixteen years from now, Balla shall come to collect her husband. All you have to do is sign and let your child place his handprint here. Do you agree to this?"

Genma saw a glimmer of hope as he nodded. Of course, he had no intention of fulfilling the pact. Ranma was already promised to one of Soun Tendo's daughters after all. Like the deal he made with the Daijkoku clan, Genma was going to welch on the bargain and these people will never get their hands on Ranma. After all, they would never be able to find them with just a signature and his son's handprint, right?

What Genma did not know as he signed the paper and put his child's handprint on it, was that the Tattoon Priest had cast a spell on the document which recorded Ranma's spiritual energies. The contract itself would lead Balla to her future husband. And it mattered not what the child was calling himself at the time, for the contract specifically promised the child whose handprint was on it, making it totally binding once Balla found her lifemate.

----------

Present time...

Ranma snarled as he looked at the contract again and then stomped to where Balla was resting.

I thought I was finally over that engagement thing, but Pops just had to sell me out one more time!

As he threw open the sliding door, he found that Balla was awake. She then looked up at him with loving eyes.

"Hello."

"Did.. you ... have a ... nice sleep?" Ranma was just barely holding in his anger.

"Yes, thank you. And now my husband..."

"I'M NOT YOUR HUSBAND!" Ranma shouted. It was like talking to Shampoo all over again.

"But... according to tribal law... I'm supposed to..."

"GET OUT OF MY HOME!" Ranma shouted. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

It was then that a sudden wind was suddenly swept up inside of the apartment as Balla stood up in a bit a huff.

"OH NO! I WON"T GO AWAY!" Balla's forehead glowed with an eerie light as a strange symbol appeared. "I MARRIED YOU, SO COME HERE AND BE MY HUSBAND!"

"OH CRAP!" Ranma exclaimed as he started raising his own battle aura. The energies that the Tattoon Priestess was emitting began to interact with Ranma's ki. "OH BLAST!"

"OKAY!" Balla exclaimed.

KABOOOM!

The apartment shuddered as the conflicting energies collided with one another. By some miracle, the building remained intact as only the windows were blown out. Inside of the domicile, Ranma and Balla were on the floor, breathing hard after discharging all that power, as they looked at one another in shock.

Ranma was the first to speak.

"Well... if you put it that way, then... stay."

To be continued...

Author's Notes

Now I know that a lot of you are saying that Ranma is acting way out of character, but with all the stuff that happened to him in the original series, can you blame him? I always did like the rebel without a cause personality of Eric in the OAV and I thought that if Ranma was pushed to the limit, then he might start hating girls as well, right? This was written on a dare when a friend challenged me to try and combine Ranma 1/2 with Tattoon Master and I think I didn't do a bad job with it. Where could I go with this? Well, I suppose that Ranma might learn how to use Tattoon Power, and I have some ideas of the Nerima cast showing up. The scratch on Eric's head in the OAV allowed him to defeat Hydra, right? Maybe that mark on Ranma's head might cancel out the Jusenkyo curse? So many crazy ideas, so little time.

Well, I've finished with the rewrite and I like it. Basically, the story hasn't changed, but I felt the need to fill in some gaps and make it more fuller. The first chapter did seem like it was just repeating the Tattoon Master Episode 1, so I added some extra scenes. I never thought that Tattoon Ranma would receive so many responses and I'm glad that it's developed so much.

I'm going to revising some of the other chapters as well, but I still will be continuing it as it goes along. I have about fifteen chapters planned for this fic with a possibility of some more, so stay tuned