The Saotome Sisters - Book 4: Family Matters [Ranma 1/2]

[AlanMidnight]

Warning: Ranma/Akane, strong familial Ranma/Ukyo/Akane, not OT3. References to lesbianism and homophobia. (nothing explicit)

Previous Books – [1] [2] [3] (to be added later)

Chapters - [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
------------- [16] [17]

I have been working on this story, which is posted on Fanfiction.net, for almost seven years now. It currently stands at 91 chapters and is nearly complete. Two years ago, I came down with a bad case of writer's block, and the story stood unfinished for all that time, until I finally forced myself to start posting chapters again.

Since I've been following "Advice and Trust", I thought I might follow @Strypgia's model and try to post something every Friday, even if it is just a couple of paragraphs as a preview. Hopefully that will force me to keep going, even if I can't manage to finish the whole chapter. I would appreciate feedback and encouragement as well, as I lost touch with most of my reviewers on Fanfiction.net over those two years.

Unfortunately, since this is an almost completed story, if I were to start posting from the beginning, I would have to rush through posting the already completed chapters, and it would still take a long time before I got to the part I am currently working on. So I would like to try something I have considered previously and break the story up into "books". I will begin here by posting book 4, which I'm calling "Family Matters". It covers the chapters on Fanfiction.net from Chapter 75 to the current chapter.

Since I am starting at nearly the end of the story, my portrayal of the characters has evolved a great deal from what fans of Ranma ½ would expect. Ranma and Akane have admitted their love for each other and accepted the engagement, although only in private. While they are still extremely jealous of each other and get in fights as you would expect, they've learned to talk it out and admit how they feel about each other. This is one of the things that this story has in common with "Advice and Trust".

Ukyo is also drastically different, almost to the point of being an OC. Shampoo and Ryoga have grown as well. Most of this will be covered in a short preface to the story at the beginning of Chapter 1. Eventually, I plan to post the other "books" of this story as separate threads in this forum, but if you want to find out how the characters got to this point, you are welcome to read the story on Fanfiction.net from the beginning.

Please let me know if I am breaking the rules by splitting up a story in this way, starting in the middle of the story, or posting parts of the story that have already been written. I welcome feedback on the older chapters, as typos and grammatical errors may be present. I probably won't make any major changes to what I have already written, but I would be more than happy to discuss my thinking on any chapter in more detail. (In fact, you will probably find it hard to stop me! )

 

[AlanMidnight]

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, and all related characters, are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Communications, and any other owners of this trademark present or future. This is a work of fanfiction, and may not be distributed commercially. Although there is no explicitly adult content in this fanfiction, like the original material it contains references to nudity and some adult situations, and should be rated T/PG-13.

This story is the final part of the "Saotome Sisters" series. It is the sequel to Book 3, "The Evil of Happosai". While it is not necessary to have read the previous story, there are some major differences from the canon. The most important difference is that Ranma did not abandon Ukyo when they were six, which led to them falling into the Spring of Drowned Girl together. Ranma now turns into Ukyo, while Ukyo turns into the red-headed girl that is Ranma's cursed form in the canon.

At the end of the last book, Akane confessed her love to Ranma, and not to be outdone, Ranma proposed. Shampoo knows that they are a couple, but she seems to consider Akane an honorable rival, much like Ranma and Ryoga's relationship late in the canon. Thanks to Ukyo's training, Akane is able to face Shampoo as an equal. Akane has even revealed that she knows the Bakusai Tenketsu, although she can't use it on anything harder than tile without breaking her arm.

Ukyo has begun pursuing her dream to open a restaurant, buying up part of the Cat Cafe. She was able to impress Happosai with her improvisational combat style, so he's very disappointed that she no longer wants to be his student. Ukyo was also affected by the Neko-Ken training, which allows her to go into a berzerker rage when Ranma is in danger. Ukyo has developed feelings for Ryoga, who returns those feelings, but since Ukyo is responsible for Ryoga's curse, their relationship is very strained.


Chapter 1

Family Matters

+++

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Sayuri almost leaped over Akane's desk in her enthusiasm, jumping up and down excitedly and grabbing Akane's hands. "Did he give you a ring? Oh, you've got to let me see it. Come on, let me see it!"

"Shhhhh!" Akane Tendo glanced around nervously, her face turning red as the other girls in the classroom turned to see what the commotion was all about. She gestured to try to calm her friend down. "Keep it down!" she hissed, "No one, and I mean no one can find out about this!"

"Oh, come on, Akane," Yuka put in. She was a bit quieter than Sayuri, but not by much, and she was grinning from ear to ear. "You know we're just happy for you. This has been coming for a long time."

"Yeah, everyone knows you and Ranma have been crushing on each other, you just haven't been willing to admit it." Sayuri flashed her a sly, knowing grin. "You know you're not going to be able to keep this a secret forever."

"I will if you don't give it all away!" Akane countered, gesturing with her hands again. She rose from her desk and began putting her books into her backpack. "Now come on, if you want to talk about this more, we'll talk about it outside."

Akane's two friends giggled as they followed her out of the classroom, and out into the yard. Akane's blush didn't fade, even as she led them to the privacy of some nearby trees. She glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched, and then timidly unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. She then pulled out the ring, on its silver chain, from its hiding place between her breasts.

"Oooooo!" Sayuri starting jumping up and down again, clapping her hands. "When did he give it to you?"

"Last week, just after the play." Akane smiled fondly, at the memory of that night, as she stared at the ring in her palm.

"And you waited until just now to tell us?" Yuka asked her with a grin. "Shame on you!"

Akane's blush deepened a little. "I had to wait until you got back from your trip! And then, I just... well..." She looked a bit uncomfortable. "I knew you'd want to make a big deal about it so I wanted to wait until school was over, at least."

She had let Sayuri pick up the ring, and the brunette studied it, intently. "It's beautiful," she said. "Did Ranma get you the necklace, too?"

"No, it's just an old thing I had lying around. It's not all that much... it's not a really expensive ring or anything, either." Akane looked shyly away from her friends, unable to meet their eyes. "Ranma doesn't really have a lot of money..."

"Don't say that, it's gorgeous!" Sayuri said, putting the ring back in Akane's hand. "I wish I had a fiancé to buy me a gorgeous ring and propose to me!" Her words made Akane blush even harder, as she looked at the ground.

"Was it your idea to wear it around your neck?" Yuka asked her.

Akane nodded. She met her friends' eyes again, with newfound resolve. "Our fathers... my father and Ranma's... they can't find out about this. Ranma and I aren't ready to be married, and we're agreed that we want to wait. At least until we graduate.

"If our fathers find out about this..." she shook her head. "They'll probably try to force us to get married right away. They won't listen to us when we say we want to wait, all they'll hear is that we've accepted the engagement. And that's not what we want."

"So that's why you're keeping it a secret from the school?"

"That, and there are still some people who might not like it that we want to get married. I think Shampoo knows how I feel about Ranma, but Kuno could cause trouble, or even Ryoga." Akane thought for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sayuri asked her.

"I just realized... Kuno is paying for this! Ukyo gave Ranma the money for it out of what she borrowed for her restaurant!" She looked down at the ring, stroking it with her finger. "He said he was going to work for his sister until he can pay it back."

Her friends laughed as well. "It's too bad we can't tell the Blue Blunder, just to see the look on his face," Sayuri said.

Akane's expression turned clouded. "We haven't heard from Ryoga in a while, though. Even though I think he's given up on trying to 'protect' me, if this news catches him off guard... who knows what he'll think."

"Don't worry. We won't tell anyone." Yuka's grin turned impish. "So what did he say when he proposed?"

Akane was silent for a moment, as she tried to get the fluttering in her stomach under control. "Well... I told him that I loved him first." She frowned at the chorus of "Oooo!" that came from her two friends. "I've been ready to tell him for a while, I guess, I just... after the play, and saying we loved each other as Romeo and Juliet, I just... I just wanted to say it for real."

Sayuri and Yuka giggled, exchanging a knowing look between them. Akane couldn't fight the urge to put a hand to her face, to cover the redness on her cheeks. "Anyway, I never expected Ranma to be able to say it, too. And for a moment, it looked like he couldn't, but then, he just pulled out the ring and..."

She stared at the band of gold in her hand, turning it over. "He said that he couldn't say it, he just isn't comfortable sharing his feelings like that, but he wanted to show me. And so he got down on one knee and... he proposed."

"He got down on one knee and everything?" Sayuri almost couldn't contain herself. "That's so romantic! In the Western style and everything!"

Akane nodded. "That's what he said, his sister suggested it, so he wanted it to do it in the Western way. It's not like an omiai, where the families are meeting and it's arranged between them, this was just between us."

"'Just between us'," Yuka echoed. "And you were the one who said you'd never marry a perverted jerk like Ranma..."

Akane had to smile at that. "I've come a long way since then." It had been almost a year, in fact. Almost a year since Ranma Saotome and his self-proclaimed sister Ukyo Kuonji had come into her life, and she had been forced to become Ranma's fiancée. She had fought it at first, but over time she had fallen for the brash and abrasive jerk.

To make matters worse, Ranma had a curse that turned him into his sister when he was hit with cold water. Ukyo also had a curse, that turned her into a red headed, female version of her brother. It was they way they teased and goaded each other playfully that made her realize that the insults were just Ranma's way of showing affection. He still got on her nerves sometimes, but she loved him, and now she knew that he loved her.

"So have you... you know?" Sayuri approached the subject gently, knowing Akane's likely reaction. "Or are you two still putting it off?"

The blush returned full force at that. "We are not! I mean, we have not! I mean... we're still waiting until the time is right. We're not ready. I'm not ready." And there's still the issue of Ranma's curse to think about, Akane said to herself, although she didn't voice her concerns out loud. Some things weren't meant to be shared, even with her best friends.

"I had to ask," Sayuri said apologetically, although without losing her smirk. "You're the first of us to get this far. Yuka and I have never had a boy propose to us, and it'll probably be a long time before one does." She laughed.

"Well..." Akane toyed with her ring again. "It's not really a proposal in the sense that we're going to get married right away. We're not even eloping or anything. It's just..." She smiled. "Ranma knows how I feel about him, now, and I know how he feels about me. It's going to happen, one day. But until then... until then we're just taking it one day at a time."

She cut her eyes up shyly at her friends. "I'm still getting comfortable with kissing him."

"Don't wait too long," Sayuri said. "You've got to fill us in on all the juicy details before we ALL become old maids."

"Oh, come on, guys!" Akane protested, hiding her face behind her hand again.

"Don't worry, Akane," Yuka said, her tone a bit more gentle. "We're happy for you, that's all. Not to mention a little jealous."

She glanced down at the ring, which Akane had let fall against her chest. It looked quite natural there, no more than a simple necklace to anyone who didn't realize its significance. "I'm guessing you need us to watch out for you in the locker room, make sure you put your ring away before you head for the shower, and the like?"

"Yeah." Akane quickly tucked it back inside her blouse. Her expression turned more serious, and then she glanced around for a moment, as if making doubly sure she was not being overheard. "In fact... there's another thing I'd like you to help me keep secret from Ranma and Ukyo. At least for a while."

+++

Ranma Saotome was worried. In the week since his sister Ukyo got back from searching for the perverted old martial arts master Happosai's technique scroll, he had seen less and less of Akane.

Part of it was his own fault, he had to admit. Since he was working every day after school to help Ukyo with her restaurant, he didn't have a lot of time to spend with his (now official) fiancée. They walked home from school separately, and by the time he got home, Akane's older sister Kasumi was already getting dinner ready. The only time he got to spend with Akane was when they were walking to school, and when they ate breakfast and dinner, and there was little time for them to be alone with the whole Tendo family around.

What made matters worse was that even at school, Akane seemed to be avoiding him. She made every excuse to make sure she wasn't alone around him, staying in the classroom for lunch, and once her friends got back, hanging around with them. Ranma figured that she missed her friends, since they were gone for a week, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't want to be around him.

Had he moved too fast with the proposal? Was she having second thoughts? She looked so happy when she got back from the play, but her mood lately had been more pensive, almost jumpy. A couple of times, he had come up behind her as she was sitting down to eat and said something, and she had nearly jumped out of her skin. She had laughed it off, saying she had something on her mind. But what could be bothering her?

Ranma continued to think about it as he made his way home. He wished he could talk to Sis about it, but Ukyo still had work to do, and had remained behind, as usual. At least they were making progress on the new wing of the Cafe'. Ukyo's counter was in place, with its built-in hot plate, and she had brought in a bright shiny new collection of spatulas and other utensils, arranging them with great care in a decorative rack behind the counter.

Sis had even tested the new grill out, serving him up a few of her Pot Luck Okonomiyaki specials. They were delicious, as usual. He thought they were even better than the ones she had made at the fair, but Ukyo hadn't been satisfied with the taste. She had said something about taking the time to properly "season" her grill, and having to get the temperature just right. Ranma had to grin at her perfectionism. It was the same focus that made her such a great martial artist, and it was funny to see her working so hard on her cooking, too.

Was Akane jealous that he was spending so much time with Sis? It's not that he wanted to ignore Akane, although he did want to help his sister, and of course he owed her a lot of work, to pay off the engagement ring. But he knew that Sis would rather he spent his time with Akane. Although he would never admit it out loud, he missed the time they spent rehearsing for the Romeo and Juliet play, not just the kissing, but spending time together.

Okay, the kissing was pretty nice too, Ranma admitted to himself.

Akane seemed happy. He had seen her chatting with her friends, and although she never said anything about the ring in public, he could tell that she had told Sayuri and Yuka about it. The two girls would glance at him from time to time, whisper something in Akane's ear, and then start giggling when she blushed. He had been a little worried about what the girls might say, but they didn't call him a pervert or anything.

Akane's other sister Nabiki would also often give him sly glances when she passed him at school, or in the hall between Akane's room and his. That was new, and he didn't know what to think about it. He still half expected her to pull him aside and ask him for some money, or to come up with some plan to make his life more complicated, but she never did. She teased him a lot, but she tended to tease Akane about it more often.

Not that he blamed her, the tomboy was cute when she blushed. And sometimes, unpredictable. But even that was usually worth the risk.

Ranma called out a greeting as he entered the Tendo home. No one answered, but he could hear activity from the family room. There was some talking, he could recognize his father's and Mr. Tendo's voice. Deciding to avoid them for the moment, he headed for the kitchen. He found Kasumi there, preparing tea and some rice snacks.

Ranma grabbed a rice ball and began munching on it. "Yo, Kasumi, you seen Akane?"

"Akane?" Kasumi looked thoughtful. "I think she left a few hours ago, to go see her friends. She said she would be back home in time for supper."

Ranma's face fell. "Oh. Okay, thanks, Kasumi."

Kasumi noticed his expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, nah, it's nuthin'." Still moping, he turned to walk away, but Kasumi spoke up before he could leave.

"Is something worrying you? You know you can talk to me." Kasumi smiled, that friendly, motherly smile. "Is this about Akane?"

"That tomboy? Nah, it's nuthin' like that."

"Ranma." Kasumi's smile broadened a bit, becoming almost a coy grin. Almost. "Akane told me about... her confession to you, on the night of the play. And what you said to her. There is no need to try to hide it from me..."

"Ah, I ain't tryin' to hide it from ya, Kasumi," Ranma said, although he felt a blush of his own starting, and fought to control it. "It's just... well... I ain't seen a lot of Akane lately. I'm sure it ain't nothing..."

"Oh." Kasumi thought for a moment again. "Well, you have been busy with Ukyo's restaurant, and Akane's been busy with... her friends. But I'm sure she misses you as much as you miss her."

Ranma felt his blush growing hotter despite himself. "It ain't like that..."

"Don't worry about it, Ranma," Kasumi said. "It's only natural that you would get closer considering... what has happened lately. But you both still have demands on your time. You'll just have to find time for each other, that's all."

"Yeah, but ain't it weird that she's not here right now? She usually visits with her friends after school, so she has time to spar with Sis once she gets home. I was hoping to talk to her..." Ranma paused, his brow furrowing.

"She's been actin' so weird lately. All jumpy and stuff. Almost like she's hiding something..."

Kasumi studied Ranma's face for a moment, biting her lip worriedly. Then her expression cleared, and her gentle smile returned. "Well, Ranma... I don't know if I should say this, but..."

She turned to the sink, and began washing a few utensils. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, before she spoke. "There is an anniversary coming up, Ranma. A very important anniversary to all of us. Akane tends to get a bit... moody during this time."

"Oh? What is it? If you don't mind my askin'..." There was an odd tension in Kasumi's shoulders, and Ranma noticed.

"I suppose you have a right to know." She glanced at Ranma with a soft smile, and then began cleaning a glass. "Our mother died when we were very young, and the anniversary of her death is coming up next month. Akane was very small at the time, only four or five, but she cared about her mother a great deal. As we all did." Her voice held a hint of sadness, despite her even tone.

"Oh..."

Kasumi turned her gentle smile on him again. "What about your mother, Ranma? I have asked Uncle Saotome about it, but he always avoids the question. What about you? Do you know if your mother is still alive?"

"Huh?" Ranma looked startled. The thought had never occurred to him. "Uh... no, no. I don't remember my mother at all. Pop ain't taken me to see her."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She turned back to her glass, setting it aside, and then picked up the tray with the tea and snacks. "You were very young when your father took you on your training trip. I suppose it makes sense that you would not remember your mother. But I was hoping you would at least have gotten to visit her."

Ranma shook his head. For some reason, the thought made his throat feel really tight. Why would he feel sad that he hadn't gotten to see his mother? He didn't even know her.

"Eh," Ranma said. "What kinda crazy lady would marry Pop anyway? Maybe it's for the best I never met her."

Kasumi laughed, lightly. "Maybe you're right, Ranma. Still, maybe you will get the chance to meet her someday. Now, will you help me take these things to Father? He has a guest, and I shouldn't keep them waiting."

Ranma followed as Kasumi left the kitchen, headed for the family room. As they headed down the hall, master Happosai shot past them, carrying a huge bag of ladies' underwear and cackling madly. Ranma turned to punch him, but the old man was already out of reach. Happosai bounded on down the hall, ducking though the door to his guest room on the ground floor.

Kasumi hadn't noticed the interruption, and had continued down the hall and out of sight. Ranma huffed. He seemed to be the only one who was willing to stand up to Happosai, and give him his just desserts. His Pop and old man Tendo wouldn't do anything, they even let the wrinkled old gnome live in the Tendo home. Reluctantly, he put aside the thought of giving the letcherous master a good pounding, and hurried to catch up with the eldest Tendo daughter.

He entered the family room, to see Kasumi pouring a cup of tea for the Tendos' guest. He was a heavyset, balding man, wearing casual clothing, a sweater over a plain business shirt. He looked well off, and Ranma figured he was a salaryman who had just gotten home from work. Soun Tendo sat at the head of the table, as usual, with Genma Saotome at his side, presumably to offer his support. Ranma could tell his father was nervous, though, as he was sweating profusely.

"Who is that guy?" Ranma asked, as Kasumi passed him on her way back to the kitchen.

She smiled at him. "I believe he is with the neighborhood watch. He and Father have been meeting every month for a while now." She then continued out of the room.

"Why haven't you caught this underwear thief by now?" The balding man was asking. "I had hoped you were making progress, when the thefts suddenly stopped a couple of weeks ago. But now the thief is back, and worse than ever!"

A bead of perspiration ran down Soun's angular face, as well. "Now, now. I understand your concern. But these things take time. We are getting closer to capturing this deviant, but we cannot afford to act rashly and tip our hand."

"Indeed," Genma put in. "And there is still a lot that must be done in an investigation like this. We must question the victims, set up surveillance, even prepare our trap for when we finally uncover the perpetrator..."

"That's why I thought these might help." The businessman reached into his pocket, and withdrew several photographs. "One of the other members of our watch runs a camera store, and I had him hide some cameras around the neighborhood. Maybe one of these pictures will give you a lead."

He handed the pictures to Soun, who looked even more nervous as he looked them over. Ranma edged forward and peeked over the taller man's shoulder. The pictures showed Happosai, skulking across the neighbors' lawns, stealing bras and panties off of their clotheslines, and even raiding their dressers and vanities. There was no mistaking who it was, even though Happosai was dressed in black and wearing a "sneak mask", it only covered his mouth and not his eyes. In fact, in one picture he had even turned to the camera and gleefully given it a "V" of victory.

"'Leads'?" Ranma snorted. "'Proof' is more like it."

Soun cut his eyes at him, looking even more nervous. "Now, son, let's not jump to conclusions. These pictures could be of anyone."

"That's right!" Genma cut in. "Don't be so disrespectful of your elders. It's not like any of us have ever seen anyone meeting this description."

Ranma snorted again, but didn't say anything further. He just folded his arms over his chest. Soun turned back to look at his guest, laughing uncertainly. "Yes, yes. Do not worry, the Tendo School of Anything Goes will not allow this to continue. We will bring this culprit to justice, and then you will be able to rest easy."

The businessman stood up, shaking Soun's hand. "I certainly hope so. Please keep me updated on your progress." He let Soun show him out of the room, and the two men disappeared down the hall to the front door.

Ranma rolled his eyes. "So, Pop, you gonna go bring that underwear thief to justice right now, or you gonna wait until after we eat?"

Not surprisingly, Genma ran out of the family room and jumped into the koi pond to activate his curse. Seconds later, he was rolling around on the engawa in panda form, waving a sign. "I'm just a cuddly little panda," his sign read.

Soun then came back into the room. He put a hand to his forehead, swooning dramatically. "Saotome, my old friend, I am afraid I must leave this to you. I feel a great tiredness coming over me all of a sudden. I must be coming down with something."

The panda switched to another sign. "Don't you leave all this for me, Tendo!"

"How can you be so afraid of that little freak?" Ranma asked.

Any answer the fathers might have given was cut off by a voice from the genkan. "Hello! We're home!" It was Akane, accompanied by Ukyo, who closed the door behind them. A few moments later, the two girls walked into the family room. Ukyo was in her true form, so she was a little taller than her short-haired friend.

Akane immediately spotted her father on the floor. He was laying on a mat Kasumi had spread out for him, and had a wet towel rolled up on his forehead. "What's going on now?" She huffed, eyeing her father and the panda with a scowl.

"The old freak has been stealing underwear," Ranma told her. "Apparently this has been going on for a while, and these two haven't done anything about it."

"Is that true, Daddy?"

"Now, Ranma, Akane," Soun said, still laying on his back on the mat. "Saotome and I felt it was best to wait for the right moment before confronting the Master. This is a delicate situation, and it requires..."

"Oh, give me a break!" Ranma turned to head out to the hall. "I'm gonna go talk to that old fart right now."

"That's the spirit, boy!" Genma's sign read. "We'll be right behind you..." He flipped the sign around, and in little tiny letters, it said, "Come on, Tendo, let's get out of here while we can..."

Ranma shook his head, but Ukyo put a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, Ranchan. Let's not rush into anything."

"I ain't afraid of that old freak!"

"I know, Ranchan, and neither am I. But let's go talk to him together. I've been able to talk sense into him before."

"I don't wanna talk sense into him." Ranma cracked his knuckles. "I wanna beat some sense into him."

Ukyo grinned. "I know, and that's why I think you better let me talk to him. If he won't listen, then we do it your way."

Ranma grinned back. "Okay, Sis. You gotta deal."

The siblings headed to Happosai's room, where they found the wizened old man ironing his collection of panties. He whistled happily to himself, glancing up as he heard the two come in. "What can I do for you, my students?" he asked them.

"I ain't your student!" Ranma snapped. Ukyo nudged him with her elbow, and he frowned at her.

Ukyo smiled widely at the old man. "You've been causing a lot of trouble, haven't you, sensei?"

"What do you mean, Little Ukyo?"

"Your little hobby. Mr. Tendo and the Old Man promised they'd do something about the underwear you stole, and they've put it off long enough. Now why don't you just turn them over to us?"

"My lovely collection?" Happosai pouted. "Would you really be so mean to an old man?"

"You perverted old letch!" Ranma made a fist, standing over the little man. "You wanna start trouble? I'll give ya trouble!"

"Now, Ranchan, settle down." Ukyo put a hand on his shoulder again. "Let's give him a chance to cooperate."

"Cooperate? That'll be the day."

Ukyo turned back to Happosai. "Come on, sensei. Can't we come to a deal? I wouldn't force you to quit cold turkey. How about you give up half your collection?"

"Half of my silky darlings?" Happosai grasped the panties he was ironing to his chest. "I couldn't part with even one of them! They mean too much to me..."

Ukyo knelt in front of him. "Surely it wouldn't be too hard to part with the oldest underwear in your collection. What good are they to you now? And wouldn't you rather get nice, brand new pretties? You'd have room for more if you cleared out some of the excess."

Happosai looked as if he was considering, but Ranma was scowling. "Whattya doin' playin' this old freak's game, Ucchan? They're not his 'pretties', why don't we just take 'em, and give 'em back to the girls they belong to?"

"Such disrespect for a feeble old man!" Happosai glared back at him. "How dare you speak that way to your master!"

"You're not my master!" Ranma shot back.

"Ranchan, settle down!" Ukyo cut in. Ranma frowned at her, upset that she was disagreeing with him. But Ukyo looked serious. "We can't just cut him off, if I'm right, he uses the energy the women leave behind, on their clothing. Even if I'm wrong, he still needs some kind of female contact. Without it, he'll get weak, like going through withdrawal."

Happosai nodded, and Ranma glanced at him. Ukyo continued, turning to address the old man directly. "By now, you've used up the energy in some of your collection, am I right? You can even pick which ones you want to give up. We'll go through them one by one, and you can keep the ones that mean the most to you. Okay?"

"Little Ukyo, you're too kind to this old man," Happosai gave her his big eyed innocent look. "Since you asked so nicely, I agree."

He then leaped at her, arms outstretched for a grope. Ukyo slammed him into the ground with her elbow. "We'll get started tomorrow. I'll tell Mr. Tendo he can report to his friend that he recovered some of the underwear.

"And cut back on the raids. You should be getting more than enough energy from the Furinkan locker room. I sure have to fight you off often enough."

+++

After dinner, Ranma overheard Akane and Kasumi talking in the kitchen. He couldn't quite make out their words, so he crept a little closer to the door, while trying to remain quiet.

"You won't tell him, will you Kasumi?" Akane asked.

"Of course not. But don't you think you should talk to someone?"

"I will, but I want to see how far I can get, before..."

Akane's voice faded away, and then she turned to face the door. "Ranma? Kasumi told me you were asking about my mother."

Ranma sheepishly stepped into the kitchen, tugging at his pigtail. "Sorry, Akane. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"That's okay. I guess I have been keeping to myself lately. I'm sorry I worried you."

"Hey, I wasn't worried. Why should I worry about a tomboy like you?" Ranma pouted, ashamed of getting caught, but wishing Akane hadn't overheard him. He was suspicious of Kasumi's explanation now, and more sure than ever that she and Akane were hiding something.

As he studied Akane more closely, Ranma noticed something that made him even more suspicious. Akane was wearing a long sleeve blouse. For the early part of spring, that was not so unusual, but it had grown warmer lately. For that matter, she was wearing a long skirt as well, and socks. While he could see the skin of her legs, they were still uncharacteristically well covered.

"Well, I'm glad," Akane said with a smile. She hadn't noticed his dubious expression, and he found it hard to keep up his mistrust in the face of that smile. "But I do worry about you."

"Gah," Ranma looked away. "Cut it out, tomboy."

Akane giggled. "We'll be going to visit my mother's grave not long after the end of school. Sometimes, if we're lucky, the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Would you come along? I'd love to introduce you to her."

"Oh, uh..." Ranma continued to look at the floor, a blush growing over his face. "Sure, I guess."

Akane smiled at him as she started to walk out of the kitchen. As she passed, Ranma suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey... do you remember your mom, Akane?"

"Yes." Akane's smile turned sad, but was still as bright as before. "It's been so long. I can't even picture her face. But I still remember her kindness. I remember how she loved me and took care of me.

"So you don't remember your mother?" she asked Ranma.

Ranma shook his head. "Maybe she's still alive," Akane continued. "It'd be just like your father to take you away and leave your mother behind."

"I dunno." Ranma said. "Pops ain't never mentioned my mom, but I can't see him abandonin' his wife unless he had a real good reason. He's kinda weird like that."

"Maybe we can help you find her someday. In the meantime..." Akane poked Ranma in the ribs. "Tag! You're it!"

With that, she darted away from him, and Ranma set off in pursuit. She dodged his attempts to tag her as they made their way through the family room. Akane then leaped across the engawa to evade a strike, rolling in the grass as she hit the ground outside the house.

Akane loved this game. It helped test her speed, improving a skill that had always given her trouble, but Ranma couldn't refuse to strike back at her, as he often did when they were sparring. She couldn't become "it" until Ranma touched her. So she got the chance to both dodge attacks aimed at her, and block them. They had agreed that Ranma had to touch her on the torso for the "tag" to count. So even though Ranma's touches were as light as a feather, she still had to work hard to block them, building up her reflexes and muscle memory.

She managed to avoid being tagged for several minutes, before one of Ranma's strikes got through and it was her turn to chase him. This was far more frustrating for her, but her speed and focus were both better than they had been during that first spar in the dojo. She could hit Ranma, she knew she could, she had done it before. And despite his taunting and teasing, she knew that he knew it, too.

"You're too slow, tomboy!" Ranma said, with a smug grin. "I'll have to fight you over the water just to keep the fight fair." Sure enough, he began dancing around over the koi pond, beckoning to her. Akane smirked back at him, letting her anger push her faster, but not letting it drive her. She jumped back and forth over the pond, only a step behind her confident fiancé.

Finally she came within a hair's breadth of hitting Ranma, only to have him block her blow. As she landed on a rock over the pond, the hit threw off her balance slightly, and her foot slipped. Reacting almost instinctively, she jumped backwards, hoping to recover. When she realized she wasn't going to, she twisted to land on her back, bracing herself for the fall.

Akane splashed into the pond. She sat up, shaking the water out of her short hair. She looked up to see Ranma bending over her, holding out a hand. "Told ya!" he quipped.

There was no way Ranma would fall for an attempt to pull him into the pond, Akane knew. He was ready for it. But she still lashed out with her foot anyway. His grin growing even more arrogant, Ranma simply leaped over her lightning fast strike. While he was still in midair, his legs pulled up to avoid her strike, Akane reached out with even more speed. Grabbing his outstretched arm, she pulled, and Ranma crashed into her as they both sailed back into the pond.

"You are so uncute!" Ranma complained, sitting up to wring the water out of her now long brown ponytail. Akane giggled happily as she waded out of the pond. The cold water had turned her black haired fiancé into an exact duplicate of Ukyo, but Akane was long since used to the curse. In a reversal of their earlier position, she stood at the pond's edge, and reached out to help Ranma up.

For a moment, Ranma considered pulling her back in. But then, she noticed that Akane's sleeve had rolled up, exposing her forearm and wrist. The lanky girl leaped to her feet, startling Akane as she turned her arm over to stare at it.

Akane's arm was bruised down a good part of its length. Even more shocking, there were scratches up and down her arm, and a large cut over one of the worst bruises. "Whattya been doin' tomboy!" Ranma yelled at her. "How'd ya get cut up like this?"

Akane blushed deeply. "Ranma! It's not that bad. I've... I've just been sparring with Ucchan a lot lately." She swallowed, looking away from the taller girl. "She can't bruise me any more with her natural strength, so I suggested she use a weapon."

"A weapon!" Ranma's eyes narrowed. "What kinda weapon?"

Akane looked away again. "Just a shinai. I've been using one too, so she can keep in practice."

"How'd you get cut like that?"

"It was just the edge of the bamboo." Akane rubbed the cut on her arm, pensively. "I swear Ranma, I'm not pushing myself too hard. I don't want you to worry."

"Of course I worry, you stupid tomboy!" Ranma shot back, not realizing she was contradicting her words of only moments ago. Akane did, and smiled a little.

Before Ranma could say anything further, or Akane could reassure her, there was a chime from the front door. Akane turned to look toward the sound. A few moments later, it was repeated. "Let's talk about this later," she said, glad of the interruption. "It seems we have a visitor."

Still frowning, Ranma followed as Akane headed around the house towards the front door. A line of trees separated the koi pond from the front yard, so they had to follow a path that led around to the front of the house and the covered entryway. There was a large flagstone path between the front door and the large gate that marked the entrance to the Tendo property.

Thus, as they came around the corner, they could see two figures waiting in the walkway. The closest was a refined middle-aged woman wearing a kimono. She had dark auburn hair, almost maroon, done up in a bun, and was carrying a silk wrapped package on her back. Her companion looked oddly out-of-place next to her. He was a short, robust looking man, with dark scruffy hair and a grizzled beard. He seemed the exact opposite of the prim and proper lady by his side.

They both turned to face Ranma and Akane, the woman smiling in a friendly manner. "Hello, is this the Tendo residence?"

"Yes," Akane answered her. "I am Akane Tendo."

The woman looked her up and down, her smile widening as she noticed Akane's dripping wet clothing and hair, and then looked Ranma over as well. "Oh, dear. You are both completely soaked. What have you been doing?"

"I'm sorry," Akane blushed a little. "My friend and I were just sparring, and we ended up falling in the pond." As she spoke, the grizzled man began to stare at Ranma, intently. For a moment, Ranma tried to figure out why the man's clothing looked so familiar. Then it came to her. It was an okonomiyaki vendor's uniform.

The matronly lady chuckled, as she ruffled Akane's soaking wet hair. She then smiled at Ranma, patting her on the head as well. "You two are a couple of tomboys, aren't you? You should act more ladylike."

Akane cut her eyes up at the lady, biting her lip. "Yes, ma'am."

The man spoke up. "Are... are you Ukyo Kuonji?" He said, to Ranma.

Ranma looked nervous, but Akane spoke for her, "Well... sort of. Do you know Ukyo?"

The man started to step forward, but then the door opened. Kasumi stood there. "May I help... oh, Akane. Have you already greeted our guests?"

"Yes, Big Sister." She turned to the kimono clad lady. "This is Kasumi Tendo, my elder sister."

"I am pleased to meet you," the woman said. "My name is Nodoka Saotome. I understand my husband, Genma, and son are living here?"

Ukyo, the real Ukyo, had stepped up behind Kasumi. Suddenly, a panda bear ran up behind her, and threw a bucket of water over her. The others turned to look at her cry of shock, to see a short, busty red-haired girl standing inside the genkan. "Old Man..." she growled, holding her arms out away from her body.

The panda held up a sign reading "Hello somebody else's wife." He then held his sign over Ukyo's head, looking at the grizzled man. "Hey, look! It's somebody else's daughter!" He then retreated back down the hall.

"N-Nodoka Saotome?" Akane asked, her eyes wide. "You're... you're Uncle Saotome's... wife?"

"Then he IS here!" Nodoka said.

The grizzled looking man could no longer hold himself back. He leaped forward suddenly, taking Ranma in his arms. "Ukyo! Ukyo my little girl it is you!" He began to cry, kneeling in front of the lanky girl as he held her.

Ukyo's eyes went as wide as Akane's. She stared at the man, her face ashen, and whispered, "Father?"

Nodoka smiled at the tearful reunion. Ranma glanced back at Ukyo, then down at the man who was blubbering as he held her around the waist. Ranma echoed Ukyo's words, more loudly. "Father?"

"That's right Ukyo," Nodoka said. "I'd like to introduce Mr. Kuonji... your father."

 

[Bailey Matutine]

I am so very lost. I think I'm going to have to hunt down the original posting on ff dot net.

 

[AlanMidnight]

I was going to say the link is in my sig, but then I remembered that people who aren't logged in can't see my signature. So I put a link to my story on Fanfiction.net in the first post.

I decided to subtly edit the first chapter to make it more like the start of a story and not a chapter out of the middle. I hope that clears up some of the confusion. Most of it is giving characters full names when I introduce them, and other things that are really more for people who aren't already familiar with Ranma 1/2.

I'll also note that when Ranma changes gender, I change my pronoun usage to reflect that. So when Ranma is in his cursed form, I will usually refer to him as "she" or "her". There are a few exceptions, but for the most part I'm consistent.

If there's anything in particular that confused you, let me know and I'll see if I can fix it.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 2

A Man Among Men

+++

"F-Father?" Ranma said again, her voice quavering in shock. Normally, she would have punched away any man who was hugging her female form - her sister's form - but it had all happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that she hadn't had time to react. And now she didn't know what to do. On some level she understood that this was Ukyo's father, greeting the girl he thought was his daughter, and as Ukyo she should act happy to see her father as well. But the situation was so odd, so out of Ranma's experience that she couldn't think straight.

Ranma glanced over at Ukyo, to see her staring at him with a look like he had stabbed her in the heart. Her round, expressive face twisted in anguish, as tears gathered in her deep blue eyes. Eyes that would be a shade away from his own eyes if he was in his own body. He looked up at the woman who was smiling at him, at the man hugging him, and suddenly, he understood. This was his mother. This was the one who was supposed to be holding him, hugging him, telling him how much she missed him and how long she had wanted to see him. All of a sudden, he wanted to tell her how glad he was to see her, too.

But he couldn't. She couldn't. She had to play the part of Ukyo now. She ended up pushing the bearded man away, perhaps a little too roughly. "Come on, Pop. Yer makin'... um, I mean, you're making a scene." Ranma tugged at the thick braid of her ponytail, uncertain about imitating Ukyo's less masculine language.

Mr. Kuonji stood up, unfazed by either Ranma's discomfort or being knocked back onto his bottom. "I'm sorry, my dear. It's just been so long..." He put his hands on her shoulders, to look down at her. "Let me look at you. You've grown so much..."

"Excuse me, but are my husband and son here as well?" Mrs. Saotome asked. "Mr. Kuonji told me that his daughter would have been travelling with them."

Akane was staring at Ranma and Ukyo, and their parents, her mouth agape, but now she drew herself up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Why don't you come inside... Auntie, and we can talk."

"Yes, yes, please come inside." Kasumi had pulled herself out of her stupor as well, and stepped out of the doorway. Their guests followed her into the genkan.

Once Mrs. Saotome and Mr. Kuonji had taken off their shoes, and put on house slippers, they followed Kasumi into the family room. Soun was waiting there, sitting at the table. Genma could be seen playing on the engawa in panda form, rolling around with a beach ball. "Please ignore the panda," his sign read.

"Please, please, sit down," Mr. Tendo said, as the other two adults sat down at the table. He studied them seriously for a moment. "I'm afraid Ranma and Genma are gone right now, on a training mission."

"They are not!" Akane cut in, and then blushed deeply as everyone turned to look at her. She started playing with her fingers. "I mean... Uncle Saotome is off on a trip, but Ranma was going to come home any minute. He has school tomorrow..."

She glanced up at Ranma, a little nervous about her blatant lie. "Um... I'm sure if Ukyo and I go look for him, we'll find him in a few minutes."

"Oh, could you?" The hope in Nodoka's eyes was unmistakable. "I would so love to see my little boy again."

Ranma wanted to protest being called a "little boy", but held her tongue, still unsure about what to do or say. In the silence, the panda held up his sign. "What about your husband?" Genma's sign read. "Don't you miss him, too?"

Soun noticed the sign, and blanched a little, as he moved between Nodoka and the panda. "Please, why don't we sit down and have tea first. You can tell us how you and Mr. Kuonji here managed to meet."

Nodoka smiled as she turned to look back at him. "Oh, we met a couple of days ago. He was looking for my husband, and hoped that I had some way to contact him."

Her face fell. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard from Genma in a while. He used to send me letters regularly, telling me how he and Ranma were doing. But for some reason, the letters stopped about a year ago. The last one mentioned something about a training ground in China, called Jusenkyo..."

"Jusenkyo!" Akane exclaimed, surprised. "Why that's where... !"

"Akane!" Ranma cut in. Jusenkyo was where they had all been cursed. She looked at Mr. Kuonji, then at Ukyo, and then back at Akane. Ukyo was still looking like she was trying to hold back tears.

"Oh. Oh, yeah." Akane looked at the ground. "Well, that's about the time they came to live here. Uncle Saotome must have forgotten to contact you. Things have been... um... kind of hectic, what with Ranma and Ukyo settling in here in Nerima and all."

"So you know my son well, then?" Nodoka asked her. "Is he manly? Is he strong, and handsome?"

Akane blushed again. She glanced up at Ranma. "Um... yes."

"And what about you, Ukyo?" She looked at Ranma, who blinked. "You're Ranma's fiancée, right?"

"What?" Ranma, Akane and Ukyo all three yelled that, at the same time.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Kuonji told me all about the arrangement he made with my husband when Ranma was six. Genma never bothered to tell me about it, for some reason, but Mr. Kuonji was nice enough to fill in all the details when we met up two days ago."

"Ranma is engaged to my Akane!" Soun thundered. "They are to join the schools of Anything Goes!"

"We are not!" Ranma shot back, and Akane added, "I never agreed to that!"

"So, you're not engaged to Ranma?" Nodoka asked Ranma, as she had heard her protest.

"Ukyo" swallowed and looked down again, while stealing another glance at the real Ukyo. The redhead scowled and looked away, although she still looked very upset.

Akane reached out and put a hand on the ponytailed girl's shoulder. "Ranma and Ukyo are engaged, but... they grew up together as brother and sister. And so that's the way they feel about each other.

"As for me..." She frowned, but her voice remained calm. "Ranma and I don't agree with the engagement either. But we are good friends and..." She looked up at the redhead, who sniffled. "Ranma and Ukyo are like family to me now. I wouldn't want them to leave and... who knows... maybe some day..." Her voice trailed off, as she looked down at her lap in embarrassment.

Soun started to celebrate Akane's near admission that she had accepted the engagement, but at the last minute thought better of it. That might have been because of the way "Ukyo" kicked him in the shin.

"Oh, dear, this is a very difficult situation," Nodoka said. Then she smiled. "But my son must be so manly, to be engaged to two such beautiful young ladies." Ranma looked uncomfortable at that, while Akane blushed.

"I'm afraid my arrangement must come first," Mr. Kuonji said. "Mr. Saotome told me that Ranma was already engaged, but said that he could put that aside. He has already accepted Ukyo's dowry, and so Ranma must marry her."

"What? Is this true?" Soun stole a glance back at the panda, who growfed back at him, while shaking his furry head and holding up his paws in a placating gesture. Soun turned back to Mr. Kuonji. "That doesn't matter! Akane's engagement was the first! We had an agreement before Ranma and Akane were even born!"

"Wait, wait," Akane cut in. "What dowry?"

"My yatai. Saotome took it along with my daughter, in order to seal the deal."

"Our okonomiyaki cart?" Ukyo began to tremble again, tears starting to run down her face. "The Old Man took our cart?" Akane glanced at her, obviously concerned, but wondering what Auntie Saotome and Mr. Kuonji would make of her outburst.

Ukyo's father looked at her, confused, then back at Ranma. Akane nudged her, and she caught the hint. "Yeah, the yatai..." She thought for a moment. "I don't remember any yatai..."

"He abandoned it. He abandoned in on the side of the road. Just like he tried to abandon me..." Ukyo put both hands to her face, breaking down into wrenching sobs. "I loved... that cart... watching... Pops... Father..." As she began to shudder more violently, Akane shuffled over closer to her.

"Um... um... yeah," Ranma looked lost. "I remember it now. Yeah, Pops... um, the Old Man, he musta sold it or something."

"He sold my yatai?" the grizzled man roared. Ranma leaned back, surprised by his expression of fury. He glanced back towards the engawa, but the panda had escaped into the yard and was playing with a tire. He wasn't going to be any help.

Unsure what else to do, Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, the Old Man was always selling anything that wasn't tied down. But that's okay, right? I mean, Ukyo's..." she glanced at her sister, worriedly. "I mean, I'm okay, right? I'm back with you..." she looked at the bearded man, biting her lip. "... Pop..."

Mr. Kuonji's face brightened into a huge smile. "That's right, my daughter. After all this time, you're back with me. And I can see what a great martial artist you've become." He hugged Ranma again, who stiffened. "And you will make a wonderful wife for Ranma."

"Uh. Wife. Yeah."

Ukyo, meanwhile, began to wail even louder. Akane put her arms around her, and oddly, Nodoka stood up from the table, and came around to take the tiny girl in a warm embrace as well.

"Oh, my," Nodoka said. "Whatever is the matter? Are you all right, my dear?"

Akane looked up at her. "This is... uh... my cousin, Ranko Tendo. She's an orphan." She swallowed, looking back at the redhead both she and Mrs. Saotome were hugging, tightly. "Family reunions like this make her upset."

Nodoka made comforting noises, rocking Ukyo back and forth in her arms. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive us, Ranko. I've so very sorry for your loss."

"Why don't I take her upstairs?" Akane asked. "It isn't right to do this to her."

She met Kasumi's eyes, and her elder sister nodded. "You are absolutely right, Akane. We should have considered her feelings. Ukyo, why don't you go with them?"

"Huh?" Ranma looked at her, while Akane helped Ukyo and Nodoka to their feet. His heart lurched at the emotional scene, his mother holding so tightly to his sister, and comforting her. That should be me. "But what about... ?" She gestured at Ukyo's father.

"Come with me Ran... I mean, Ukyo, and help me get Ranko into the furo. We'll give her a nice, warm, relaxing bath and then she can go to bed."

"Bath!" Ranma jerked back, putting up her hands in a warding gesture. "You want me to take a bath with... um..."

Akane gave her a contrived smile. "Of course, Ukyo. We're all girls, right? And after we're done, we can go look for Ranma. I'm sure he's close enough to home by now. I'll bet he walks right up to the front gate..."

This caught the panda's attention. He held up his sign. "Don't do it, boy! You can't let Nodoka find out about your curse!"

As Akane and Ranma both glowered at Genma's sign, Nodoka noticed their gaze and turned to follow it. The panda turned his sign around. "Don't mind me. I'm just Ranko's trained panda."

"She's living with a panda, now that her parents are gone?" Nodoka asked, with concern in her voice. "Oh, you poor thing..."

"It's a long story," Akane told her. "We try to take care of her when we can, but she has her own place nearby. Please sit down, Auntie, we've imposed on you enough. Ran... Ukyo and I can take care of Ranko."

"All right, if you insist." Reluctantly, she sat down. Akane and Ranma helped Ukyo to the engawa, and then down the hallway around the back of the house, heading for the furoba. The panda shambled after them.

As they came up to the door to the bathing room, Genma decided they were far enough away from any eavesdroppers. He held up his sign, which now read, "Don't let her see your uncursed form! If you do, you'll regret it!"

"Whattya takin' about, Old Man?" Ranma shot back. "I sure can't see her as Ukyo!"

"That's right, Uncle Saotome," Akane added. "We have to change Ranma back so Ukyo can change back to her true form. I'm sure she wants to see her father, too!"

Ukyo sniffled, but her anguish in the family room was rapidly giving way to anger, her usual reaction to the panda's foolishness. "You bet I do. And this stupid agreement you made with my Pop isn't going change that, either. If he wants to force me to marry Ranchan, then I'll just have to talk him out of it. But I still want to see him."

"Of course she does." Akane's expression turned wistful. "And Ranma wants to see his mother, too."

"It's too dangerous! If he changes in front of Nodoka..."

"If he changes in front of Nodoka, then she'll just think he's Ukyo," Akane said. "We can cover for him, we've done it before."

The panda suddenly stopped and looked thoughtful. "I suppose that could work." He flipped his sign. "But Ranma has to leave again right away! He has to rejoin me on his training trip!"

"But..." Ranma cut in.

"He has to finish his homework, and then he can rejoin you on his training trip," Akane countered, her voice firm. "I was going to turn in his work tomorrow."

"Deal." The panda growfed, and then set off back down the engawa. As he did, Ukyo collapsed into Akane's arms. She caught the little redhead, noting the exhaustion in her delicate face with some worry.

"Not bad, tomboy," Ranma said. "You been takin' bargainin' lessons from Nabiki, or what?"

Akane laughed a bit. "I just wanted to get him out of here." She looked down at Ukyo. "You okay, Ucchan?"

The redhead signed. "Just worn out. This is all too much..." She pulled herself up. "But I can do this. I wanna see my Pop."

Akane opened the door to the outer changing room. "I know you do. Come on, Ranma, let's help her get undressed."

Ranma looked like she wanted to protest, but held her tongue. She followed as Akane led Ukyo into the outer room, and then opened the divider to the furo. She and Ranma helped Ukyo out of her clothes, and then supported her as she settled into the soothing warmth of the water.

Ukyo began to sob again, putting her hands to her face, as her body expanded into its true form. She became less well endowed, but much taller, and her hair spread out over the surface of the water, turning from red to brown.

"Hey... hey, Sis." Ranma said reassuringly, more concerned about her sister's tears than her nudity. "It's gonna be okay."

Ukyo nodded. "I know. That was just... so hard, you know?"

"I know. I wanted to tell Mom who I really was so bad." Ranma grinned confidently. "But now we both can."

Ukyo smiled back at her "sister", then she glanced at Akane. "Well, Akane-chan and I better get outta here so you can change back."

She started to sit up, but Akane put a hand on her shoulder. "If you want to wait a moment, it'll be okay. I'm sure your father will wait."

Ukyo gave her a happy smile. "No. I'm ready. I want to meet my Pop now. I don't want to wait any more." Ranma averted her eyes as she stood and stepped out of the tub, and then she took Akane's arm, leading her back over to the divider.

Akane picked up Ukyo's clothes and handed them to her. Then she put her hand on the divider. Akane blushed a little as she looked back at Ranma, standing next to the furo, but then she gave Ukyo's ponytailed double a coy smile.

"Don't take too long," she said. "Your sister and I will wait outside."

"Akane?" Ranma called out, stopping Akane as she was about to close the divider.

"Yes?"

"Thanks. You been a big help, tomboy, to me an' Sis both."

Akane looked down, her wistful look returning. "I'll never get to see my mother again..." Then she looked up, and gave Ranma that special smile. "This is the next best thing!"

Ranma just looked at her, thoughtfully, as she slid the divider shut.

+++

Several minutes later, Ranma, Ukyo, and Akane all came back into the family room. Nabiki had joined them, and was sitting at the table along with the rest of her family. Nodoka stood as Ranma entered, and for a moment there was an awkward silence, as the two stared at each other. Then, quite suddenly, Ukyo yelled out, "Daddy", and flung herself at her father.

Ukyo began crying all over again, as she was swallowed up her father's embrace. The bearded man was only slightly taller than his daughter, but his build was far more robust. Akane smiled happily at Ukyo's more emotional reaction, but Ranma looked a little uncomfortable.

His thoughts, whatever they were, were interrupted by his mother. "Ranma?" She asked, uncertainly. When Ranma nodded, she smiled as well. "You are so manly, my son."

"Thanks, Mom," Ranma said.

"Has your father trained you to be a great martial artist?" Nodoka asked.

"You bet!" Ranma smirked confidently, his uncertainty gone. "I'm the best martial artist in Japan! I`ve faced lots of rivals, an' even Akane and Ucchan, but Ranma Saotome never loses."

Both Akane and Ukyo rolled their eyes at that, but Nodoka looked thrilled. "That is so wonderful, my son! Genma has certainly kept his promise to me."

"Promise?" Ranma looked at Akane, who echoed his words. "What promise?"

"Why, that he would make you into a true man among men. I know that he would not fail me. Your father is an honorable man."

Ranma snorted, but Akane looked curious. "Um, Auntie... what exactly does this promise involve?"

The panda tiptoed across the engawa, holding up his sign. "You really don't want to know," it read. Nodoka had her back to the yard, however, and thus did not notice.

"When Genma left with my child, so many years ago, I did not want him to go. I didn't want my little boy to leave. But Genma insisted that in order for Ranma to become a great martial artist, he would have to leave home. I was afraid he was too young, but my husband said that the time was right to train him, as the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes."

"That sounds like the Old Man, all right," Ranma said.

"Before he left, Genma swore to me that he would raise you to be the best martial artist of your generation, a true man among men. And to prove his sincerity, he signed a contract."

"A contract?" Akane couldn't fight the bad feeling she was getting. It didn't help that Genma was sweating, right through his fur, and trying to sneak out into the yard without being seen.

Mrs. Saotome reached back to unhook the silk package that she had strapped to her back, and placed it on the table. She started to unroll it, revealing the hilt of a katana, and then, as she folded back the silk further, its leather sheath. She reached into her kimono, and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. She handed it to Ranma.

"Genma swore to me, on his honor, that if he failed to make you into a man among men, both of you would commit seppuku. And he had you sign it as well." She unrolled the paper, revealing Genma's writing, confirming her words. And a child's small handprints were smeared all over it. "You were so enthusiastic to add your own mark to the contract, my son." She smiled happily. "So brave and honorable, even at such a young age..."

"Wait a minute, seppuku?" Ranma looked stunned. "You mean if I hadn't turned out to be a great martial artist like I am, I would have had to commit suicide?"

"And a man among men," Nodoka agreed. "But that's okay, you have grown up to be a real man, my son. I can see that."

"A... a man. Yeah." Ranma swallowed, glancing at his sister nervously. She looked back at him, her turquoise eyes wide with fright.

"That's what Uncle Saotome meant." Akane looked back at the panda, who had retreated out into the yard, and ducked out of sight. "When he said you were on your honor to cure your... problem."

"Problem?" Nodoka asked Akane, her tone one of innocent curiosity. "Is there something that you're not telling me? Some reason my son cannot be a man among men?"

"Oh, no, no!" Akane protested, sweating a bit herself, as she put up her hands. "Ranma is manly enough, I'm sure!"

"Heck," put in Nabiki, "Even his sister wears men's clothes. If Uncle Saotome has done anything, he's done too good a job of raising Ranma as a 'man'."

"Wait just a second!" Ukyo suddenly yelled. She stepped away from her father. "You mean all those years that the Old Man was putting me down, telling Ranchan that girls were weak and yelling at him for hanging out with me and acting 'girly', he was just trying to make a man out of him?"

Nodoka stared at her for a moment. "I really don't know, Miss Ukyo. I suppose that my husband would want to teach Ranma to protect women. After all, that's what a manly man like my son would do." She turned back to smile at him.

"I can protect myself!" Ukyo said, making a fist as she stepped closer to Ranma's mother. "I don't need Ranchan to protect me!"

"Of course not. But you should be happy to have a strong man like my son to protect you. You are his fiancée, after all."

"I'm Ranma's sister!" Ukyo protested. "I don't want to marry him!"

"My daughter..." Mr. Kuonji stood up again, putting a hand on Ukyo's arm to pull her back. "Have you forgotten why I sent you on the training trip with Mr. Saotome? I wanted you to become a great martial artist, one that the great Martial Arts Okonomiyaki Chefs in our family could be proud of..."

"And I am a great martial artist, father! I've trained under that..." She started to point out at the yard, at the panda, but then shook her head. "I've trained with Ranma's father for ten years, and most of it's been on my own, or because I forced Ranchan or the Old Man to take me seriously. I've made Anything Goes into a style all my own and..."

Her voice fell, as she lowered her eyes, glancing up at her father nervously. "... and I want you to be proud of me."

The bearded man grinned. "I am, dear, but I didn't want you to forget to be a woman, too. Your training with Ranma was important, but it was my hope you would have a family with him, and together you could carry on my okonomiyaki business."

Ukyo said nothing for a long moment, just staring at the man. Then she exhaled, slowly. "I do love Ranchan. But it's not that kind of love. My Bro is my family, now, but... if I'm going to be a great okonomiyaki chef, it's not going to be with Ranma at my side." She glanced at Akane. "That dream... is for someone else now."

Nodoka stood up as well. "I would not be concerned, Ukyo. Many arranged marriages begin with much less. You already know my son, and it's obvious how fond you are of him. I'm sure that in time that could grow into love."

"No!" Ukyo rounded on her, the frustration evident in her voice. "Don't you understand?"

"And what about me?" Akane asked. As everyone turned to look at her, she blushed and looked panicked. But then she steeled her resolve. "I mean... what about my family? Mr. Kuonji wants Ranma to carry on his family legacy, and my father wants Ranma to carry on the Tendo family legacy. He can't do both! What about what Ranma wants?"

"Are you saying that you are in love with my daughter's fiancé?" the bearded man said, a little too gruffly. "Do you plan to come between them!"

"No, no!" Akane said, hastily. "No more than Ucchan wants to come between Ranma and I!" She then put a hand to her forehead, as her father took her words as an admission of her love for Ranma, and reacted accordingly.

"My daughter has agreed to the engagement!" Soun exclaimed, "Oh, Akane, you have made your father so happy!" He and the panda started dancing around, arm in arm, ignoring Akane's blushing attempts to dissuade them.

"That's Ranchan's decision." Ukyo said, her voice firm. "It has to be about what he wants, who he is in love with. I'm not going to force him to do it out of family honor, and neither is Akane.

She then turned back to her father. "And Pop, I've already started an okonomiyaki business of my own. Ranma is helping me with it, along with the Tendo family. They're all chipping in. I am part of a family, Pop... Father. I don't need a husband to carry on my family legacy. I... I want to do that on my own."

That stunned both Mr. Kuonji and Ranma's mother into an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Ranma cleared his throat.

"Look... um..." Ranma looked around at the adults around the table, who were all staring back at him. Mr. Kuonji scowled, Soun was unsure, and his mother... his mother. Ranma stared at her for a moment, worriedly. This was supposed to be a happy reunion. For a moment, he wondered if his mother thought he wasn't being "manly" enough. But her expression of patient anticipation didn't tell him anything.

"I ain't decidin' this now, okay? There's also this Chinese Amazon named Shampoo that I've gotta deal with. Maybe I've made a decision and maybe I ain't..." he glanced at Akane as he said this, and she gave him a gentle smile of relief, "But when I do, it'll be because I love the girl."

Nodoka clapped her hands, a smile of utter bliss spreading across her face. "Oh, my son! You are so manly!" She then reached out and picked up her silk wrapped katana, along with the contract, which made Ranma swallow nervously. "So... when are you coming home?"

Ranma blinked. "Home?"

"Of course." Nodoka smiled at him. "Now that I have my manly son back, I want to spend all of my time getting to know you, and hearing about all of your travels. It's time for you to come home, like your father promised."

The panda was once again trying to make himself scarce. Ranma shot him a withering glare, so it was Ukyo that spoke up first. "Hey, Ranchan is my Bro. He ain't goin' nowhere without me."

Nodoka glanced at her, obviously startled by her masculine language, but she quickly put that aside. "Well, as Ranma's wife, Miss Kuonji, naturally I would expect you to move in with my son as well, but as you are only his fiancée I'm not sure that would be proper. There is also the question of Miss Tendo to consider..."

"I told you, I am Ranchan's sister! I spent ten years livin' with him, proper or not, an' I ain't going to stop now!"

"Besides," Akane cut in, putting a hand on Ukyo's shoulder to calm her down. "Both Ranma and Ukyo are our guests, and we wouldn't think of withdrawing that courtesy, even if they have somewhere else to stay now."

She glanced back at Ranma, and then at the panda who was trying to remain unnoticed out by the koi pond. "Ranma and his father do a lot of training, and I would hate for you to be put out by all the fighting, Auntie." She shook her head, with a mild, but fond grimace. "There are times the noise wakes me up, and I have to be up in the morning to go jogging with Ucchan. It drives me crazy sometimes..."

"I would not mind a little noise," Nodoka said kindly. "It would be nice to hear the sounds of my husband and son training again, after all this time..."

Akane swallowed. "But Ranma and his father need room, for sparring! And Ukyo and I are training as well, and Kodachi, when she comes over. There is so much more room here, at our dojo! I'm afraid that with all of us helping to train each other..." she lowered her eyes a bit, trying to hide her desperation. "We would just get in your way."

"And Ranchan has to return to the Old Man tonight anyway," Ukyo cut in. "Isn't that right, Ranma?"

Ranma nodded, swallowing, then drew himself up a bit more confidently. "Yeah, that's right, Sis. I gotta go get back to the Old Man at our camp out in the forest." He glanced at the panda with a smirk. "I'm sure without me around, Pops is gettin' inta all kinds of trouble."

"Yes, your father always was a handful." Nodoka clutched at her katana, and the panda's fur turned even whiter.

"Tell ya what, Ranchan can go tell the Old Man that you've found him," Ukyo smirked a bit at Genma's nervousness, "and when they get home, they can come visit you for a few days or so. That should give you and my Bro enough time to get to know each other. An' in the meantime, Akane an' I would like to come over and visit too. I mean, if you are my Bro's mom, I should get ta know you too..."

"That sounds wonderful dear," Nodoka said, smiling at Akane to include her in the invitation.

Ukyo turned to her father. "And Pop... I still have a lot to do on my new okonomiyaki shop, but I think if I hurry I can get it done in two weeks. I was thinking of holding my grand opening next month..." she paused a moment, biting her lip as she looked at the grizzled man. "... but if you're going to be here, I'd like for you to help me open up my shop."

Mr. Kuonji put his arm around her. "Of course, daughter. Whatever you want."

Ukyo hugged him. "I haven't forgotten what you taught me, Father. I'll show you... I can be a great okonomiyaki chef, just like you."

+++

Several hours after school the next day, as it was starting to get dark, Ranma and Ukyo headed home from the Cat Café. The Café belonged to the Chinese Amazons, but Ukyo had bought up half of the business, and invested in an expansion where she could sell okonomiyaki during the lunch rush. She hoped that with the Amazon Elder Cologne to watch over her, she would be able to make up for ten years of neglecting her cooking skills.

The construction of Ukyo's counter and grill had been completed, and the stools were set out for the customers that would soon fill the little lunch room. But there was still a lot of work to do, and Ukyo was a real stickler for details. Ranma's mind reeled at some of the things Ukyo had mentioned, he didn't even understand half of it, and wasn't sure how Ukyo was able to keep it all straight.

She had been driving the Amazon Mousse absolutely crazy with some of her demands, keeping him so busy that he didn't even have time to pursue Shampoo and continually declare his love for her. Not that Ranma would have minded. Without Mousse around to make advances, Shampoo was free to chase after him. And she was remarkably good at finding excuses to come into the construction area and put her hands all over him. The old ghoul Cologne would usually send her scurrying back to the dining room to wait on customers, or even send her off on deliveries from time to time, but it was still hard to get any work done.

Ranma glanced over at his sister, and found her staring thoughtfully at the ground, muttering to herself. Likely still working through the details, he thought. "Hey, Sis," he said, and slapped her on the shoulder. "Yer leavin' yourself open..."

Ukyo absently put up a hand to block his slap, although she was about half a second too late. She then pushed his hand away. "Eh? What?"

"Don't think too hard," Ranma said smugly, as he struck at her again. "You'll hurt yourself."

This time, Ukyo was able to block him, and fell into a stance. "Thinking only hurts you, muscle head. I manage it just fine."

She moved forward, throwing punches and kicks that he was quick to block. "I was just making sure I didn't overlook anything, jackass. You don't have to cheer me up."

"Who said I wanted ta cheer you up, Sis? You just looked worried, is all."

"Yeah, and who would expect a jerk like you to be nice for a change?" Ukyo grinned at him, and Ranma smirked back.

There was a moment's pause while Ranma leaped onto the fence and Ukyo followed, and then Ranma spoke again. "You worried about your Pop?"

An ordinary person wouldn't have noticed Ukyo's slight change in stance, but Ranma did. Her smile faded, and she sighed. "It's been so long since I've seen him. I just want to make sure everything's right for the opening, so he can get a chance to see what I've done."

"Sure," Ranma told her. "Of course you want yer Pops to be proud of you. But don't you worry. You make the best okonomiyaki, Sis, and I'm sure your Pop will see that."

Ukyo tagged him with a tap on the shoulder, and then she stepped back. "I sure hope so, Ranchan. It's been so long. I've really progressed as a martial artist but... it's been a long time since I seriously thought about my future as a cook. Maybe that's what I want my Pop to see. That I haven't forgotten that."

She smiled at Ranma for a moment, then hopped off the fence. "Come on, Ranchan, let's get home. All this talk about martial arts reminded me... I was gonna deal with Sensei's panty collection today. Let's see if we can get home before the old pervert does."

There was no sign of Happosai once Ranma and Ukyo got home, so Ukyo pointed her brother towards the dojo. "Akane should be training with Kodachi this evening. See how she's doing and then tell her to meet us in Happosai's room after she takes her bath. I'm gonna go take mine now. I'm worn out from workin' at the Cafe' and I could use a good soak."

Ranma nodded his agreement, and headed outside for the dojo. As he approached, he could hear Akane and Kodachi sparring inside. He eased open the door, trying not to disturb them, but watched the two girls as they leaped around the dojo. As he expected, Akane was not seriously challenged by Kodachi, although she seemed to be enjoying their fight. She and the noble girl traded good-natured quips from time to time, and Kodachi's shrill laugh still set his teeth on edge, but the two young women almost looked like they had been good friends all their lives.

Kodachi Kuno was another of Ranma's admirers, but after finding out about the curse she had stopped pursuing him. Which was a good thing, because Ranma was sure the gymnast and wanna-be martial artist was absolutely insane. Her brother Tatewaki was just as crazy, and was still pursuing both Akane and his sister. Kodachi had asked Ukyo for training, though, and the discipline his sister insisted on had moderated Kodachi's insanity. While she was still full of herself and deviously underhanded, at least she was in touch with reality.

As Akane blocked a kick by Kodachi, and her sleeve fluttered down around her wrist, Ranma suddenly remembered the mysterious bruises he had seen on Akane's arm before. He tried to look for more evidence of bruising, but the long sleeves of Akane's off-yellow gi hid her arms and legs all too well. Ranma studied Kodachi for a moment, noting that she was sporting a few bruises of her own, clearly visible since all she was wearing was her leotard. But neither girl was using weapons, and Kodachi's bruises were not all that bad, entirely consistent with bare-handed attacks.

Ranma's eyes narrowed, as this made him realize the flaw in Akane's explanation. Akane could not have been sparring with Ukyo, since his sister had been busy working on the Cat Café these last few weeks. Ukyo had been skipping their evening sparring sessions, leaving it to Akane to train Kodachi on the days she came over. They were still sparring in the morning, but he wasn't sure how much time they had, between jogging and getting ready for school. So unless Ukyo and Akane had been sparring with weapons while jogging, which seemed unlikely, they wouldn't have had time together to do any sparring, like Akane said.

Was Akane lying to him? He looked her over again, noting as her sleeve fell down again that the bruise on Akane's wrist had faded. He momentarily felt a surge of pride, that Akane's healing had improved so much, that a bruise would disappear entirely in 24 hours. But he pushed that thought aside, too worried about Akane to be thinking about that. He also shoved aside the thought that she looked awfully cute in that gi, as Akane stepped back and wiped her forehead, calling a halt to the sparring match.

"I think that's enough for now," Akane said.

"Oh, thank heavens. I was starting to think that you were never going to call for a break." She was no less sweaty than Akane, and smiled gratefully when the shorter girl handed her the towel.

"The whole point is to push yourself as hard as you can, past your limits, Kodachi," Akane said, her expression serious. "But not so hard that you pass out. You let me know if it feels like it's too much for you, and I'll call a break."

"It is not too much for me, Tendo, I am a Kuno, and I will endure." Akane's eyes narrowed at her haughty attitude, and then even further as Kodachi looked around and spotted Ranma.

"Ranma darling!" Kodachi cried out, smiling widely. "It's so good to see you again after so long!"

Ranma reacted instinctively. "Hey, um, uh, Kodachi, um, whatcha takin' about?" he stuttered, throwing up his hands to ward her off. It took several heart-stopping moments for it to sink in that Kodachi was not leaping to wrap her arms around him. It took a bit longer for him to realize that Kodachi had instead cut her eyes back to take in the simmering fury coming from Akane.

"Ohhohohohohoho!" Kodachi laughed, putting a hand to her mouth in her old, not quite sane fashion. "It really has been too long!" She then favored Akane with a genuine smile, which Akane returned with a blink of confusion. "My apologies, Tendo, but I could not resist. The look on your face was just too amusing."

Akane's eyebrow twitched, but she managed a cunning smirk. "Just for that, Kuno, you've earned yourself an extra five minutes of hard sparring next week."

"I look forward to it! Adieu!" With that, she tossed the towel to Akane and skipped out of the dojo. Akane growled under her breath as she came up to Ranma, but shook her head as she wiped her own sweat away with the towel.

"She's getting really good," Akane noted. "I wish Ukyo was here to help me out, but at least we're making progress. We could do more if she weren't limiting her visits to just twice a week."

"Well... um... you're kinda a good sensei, Akane." Ranma blushed as he looked at the wooden floor. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with paying Akane complements. Although the smile that spread over her face reminded him why he did it.

"Thanks, Ranma..." Akane bowed her head, too caught up in her own blush to meet his eyes either. Finally, Akane took his hand. "So where is your sister?" she asked, as she led him out of the dojo and into the yard.

"She asked me ta look in on you and Kodachi. She was gonna take a bath."

"Oh? I imagine Kodachi will be wanting to take a bath too. I never asked her." She continued down the walk and to the side door to the house, and Akane still hadn't let go of his hand.

As they got close to the door, it suddenly opened on its own. Kodachi stood in the doorway. "Oh, and Ranma dear? I apologize for this as well..." With that, she tossed a bucket of water over him.

"Whatdja do that for!" Ranma exclaimed. The change, as usual, was instantaneous, and Ranma shook the water off of her arms.

Kodachi laughed shrilly again. "Just as a reminder to myself, Ranma dear, nothing more." She sized the lanky girl up. "You do look like your sister, don't you? The resemblance is uncanny."

"It should be," Akane said. "The curses normally change someone into an animal that once drowned in one of those springs, but he fell into the spring with Ukyo. He really doesn't have any choice but to look like her."

"Well..." Kodachi paused a moment, looking at the ground. "Your sister and Miss Akane have become my friends and... well, I guess I would like for you to be my friend as well." She held out a kettle.

"Um... well... um..." Ranma glanced at Akane, who noticed the other girl's nervousness. Akane nodded her reassurance, and then smiled, widely.

"I think Ranma would like that too," Akane said.

"Yeah, as long as ya don't bring yer crazy brother around." Ranma gestured at herself. "'Specially when I look like this."

"Oh, but it is so much fun!" Kodachi said, putting her hand to her mouth, but her laugh was more of a chortle. "But I can understand your discretion. I think that this is a secret I shall keep to myself, no matter how much my brother would enjoy your training."

"No kidding." Akane grimaced. "I don't think I could stand having him here in the dojo, going on and on about how this 'proves my love', that Ukyo and I are willing to spar with him."

She was interrupted by cackling from out in the yard. Happosai bounded past them, yelling "What a haul! What a haul!', and carrying a bag slung over his back. He disappeared down the hallway into the house.

"Isn't that the old creature I saw with you the other day?" Kodachi mused. "The Oompa Loompa?"

"That old freak," Ranma growled. "I say we take care of him right now, Akane, Sis or no Sis. Pops and Mr. Tendo certainly ain't going to do nothin' about it."

"Let's not be hasty, Ranma," Akane answered her. "Just wait until Ukyo finishes her bath. We should all face him together." She paused a moment, then turned to Kodachi. "Kodachi, would you like to join us? I was going to go take a bath myself."

"I do not think so. It sounds like all of you have plenty to do this evening. I will take my leave." She glanced at Ranma, then handed her the kettle. "As much as that creature disgusts me, I will leave it to Ranma dear to give him his just desserts."

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do! If that old pervert gives Sis any trouble, he's gonna have to deal with me!"

"Now, don't start anything, Ranma," Akane said warningly. "Let your sister handle it."

"Hey, I don't start nuthin'!"

Akane scoffed, but didn't say anything further, as Ukyo joined them in the hall, drying her hair with a towel. "Akane, Kodachi," she greeted them. "Did you have a good lesson?"

"Indeed, Sensei Kuonji," Kodachi agreed. She studied Ranma for a moment as he poured the hot water over himself and returned to his normal form, but then just shook her head. "I was about to take my leave, though. I will see you next week at the usual time, Miss Tendo."

"Let me show you to the door," Akane told her. She then turned to Ukyo and Ranma. "After that, I'm going to go take my bath. You two can go take care of Happosai, and I'll join you as soon as I'm done."

"Okay," Ukyo said. "Come on, Ranchan, let's go speak to the old man."

The four of them split up in the hallway, Akane and Kodachi heading back for the front door, while Ukyo and Ranma continued on to the guest room. They found Happosai unpacking the collection of panties he had just raided. "Ranma! Little Ukyo! What a surprise!"

"Surprise nuthin'!" Ranma shot back. "You and Sis made a deal. So turn over your collection!"

Happosai grabbed an armful of his "pretties". "You can't make this old man give up his only source of joy!"

Ukyo shook her head. "Come on, Sensei. You know why we're here. You can either put off the inevitable, or accept it and work with us. So come on."

"Are you sure you'll let me choose?" Happosai asked, giving the pair his big-eyed look.

"I promised, didn't I?" Ukyo told me. "Now come on, stop stalling."

In a few minutes, Happosai's collection was sorted out on the floor, and he and Ukyo were going through it. Ranma threw out the occasional snide comment, but refused to touch the underwear. Happosai tried to entice him to change forms again and put on one of his bras, and Ukyo as well, but she managed to keep his mind focused on the task.

By the time Akane had finished her bath, Kasumi had joined them as well, and was methodically folding and stacking the underthings Happosai had agreed to return. Akane sat and started going through a pile Ukyo had not gotten to yet. "Be careful with those," Happosai told her.

"I am!" Akane protested. "I'll be as careful with them as I would with my own. In fact..." she held up a pair of panties, studying them closely. "Hey! These are mine!"

Happosai reached out to grab them back from Akane. She pulled them back, cradling them against her chest. He gave her his begging look. "Those are too special! Please let me keep them!"

Akane scowled at the old man, rising to her feet. "No way! You aren't keeping my underwear!"

"Yeah! Get away from her, you old freak," Ranma said, coming up to stand at Akane's side.

Ukyo stepped in before the argument could come to blows. "The underthings of the girls in this household are off-limits, I think." She glanced over at Kasumi. "I'm not even going to ask whose you've got. Just give 'em back."

"But Little Ukyo... they mean so much to me, and they're so silky and pretty..."

Ukyo made a face. "Forget it. You get enough energy from us just by touching us. And we can clobber you for that. Just accept it, old man."

"No! You're not getting my pretties!" His mouth twisting up into a pout, he leaped at Akane, who screamed and tried to twist away from him. Happosai grabbed the panties out of her hand and tried to make a break for it, only for Ranma to grab them back. Happosai used his pipe to flip him, but as Ranma was still holding onto Akane's panties, he just flipped over and landed on his back.

"Ranma!" Akane shouted, hiding her face behind her hand. She gestured at the panties, which Ranma had stretched out between himself and Happosai. Ranma let go, and they snapped back into Happosai's face.

"I'm sorry, Akane!" Ranma yelled, his own face turning as red as Akane's. "I didn't mean to! I wouldn't touch your old underwear anyway!" As usual, when flustered Ranma reverted back to what he knew best.

He needn't have worried, as Akane hardly noticed the insult. Instead, she put both hands over her mouth as her expression changed from mortification to fighting back laughter. Ukyo snickered as well.

Ranma looked back and forth between the two girls and Happosai, who was scowling darkly. After a moment, he started laughing as well. Happosai, however, was in not a laughing mood.

"So, you think it's funny to make fun of an old man, do you? Well, I'll have the last laugh." With as much dignity as he could muster, he took Akane's panties and tied them as a sneak mask around his face.

That was too much for Ukyo, who burst out laughing. Akane, however, tried to pacify the old man, even as she fought back the giggles. "I'm sorry, Grandfather. That was rude of me. Please give me back the panties." Ranma snorted, and Akane almost lost her composure as well. "We didn't mean to insult you, I swear."

Happosai's glare cut through Akane's attempted apology, and even Ranma and Ukyo fell silent for a moment, although it didn't last long. Happosai pointed at the two of them. "I forgive you, Little Akane, because you're trying to be considerate and it's your panties I took. And Ranma, I expect such disrespect from you. But Ukyo, you are my student, and I expect better from you.

"Ukyo, Ranma, you have aroused my wrath. I will get even, just you wait and see." With that, he stomped out of the room.

"Aw, man, we're in for it now," Ukyo commented, wiping her eyes. Although she couldn't quite stop giggling.

"What are ya talkin' about?" Ranma asked, cracking his knuckles. "That old man can't do nothin' to either of us. He's just full of hot air."

"I don't think so, Ranchan, and he was really mad this time. I think we'd better watch our backs for a while."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 3

Headstrong Tomboy

+++

Ranma waited until after the bell had rung to announce lunchtime, and then he pulled his sister aside. "Hey, can I talk to ya a second?"

"Sure, Ranchan, what's up?"

Ranma glanced back at Akane, who had opened her lunch and was chatting with Sayuri and Yuka. "Can we talk outside? It's kinda private."

"Okay, sure."

They headed out to the hall, and Ranma tried to put on his most stern face. "So what's this about you trainin' Akane with weapons? Don't you think you've been goin' a little hard on her?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ukyo studied him for a moment. "Is this about those bruises?"

"Yeah," Ranma returned his sister's penetrating look. As he suspected, she was as in the dark about what was going on as he was. "She told me that you've been training her with a shinai so you can keep pushing her, and building up her conditioning more than you could with bare hands. But you ain't been doin' that, have ya?"

Ukyo shook her head. "She told me YOU gave her those bruises. But I didn't believe her. I know you too well. I know you'd never hit her hard enough to leave a bruise, unless it was by accident."

"I thought so." Ranma glanced back at the classroom, but Akane hadn't followed them. "If it ain't me, and it ain't you, who is it?"

"I wonder if it's Happosai." Ukyo put a finger to her lip as she thought about it. "I didn't think he'd give in so soon, but I did ask him to train her..."

"That old freak? If he's the one that hurt her like that... !"

Ukyo put her hand on her brother's shoulder, before he could let his anger get out of control. The last thing she needed was for Ranma to go charging off looking to punish the old pervert. "Ranma, you settle down. You know Akane wants someone to take her seriously with her training, and you know that means she has to get hurt sometimes."

"But that pervert! If he's been laying a hand on her..."

"Ranchan, we don't know for sure that's what's going on. Why don't you talk to Akane about it? She's not going to want to admit it if she's been keeping a secret from you, but just be patient and don't yell at her and eventually she'll give in. If I know Akane, she wants to tell you that she's getting better. She's probably just worried about your reaction."

"She's right ta be worried! I don't want her gettin' hurt like that!"

"Neither do I, but it's her choice." Ukyo stared at Ranma for a moment, and then turned his chin to face her when he tried to look away. "It's her choice!"

"Gah," Ranma muttered. "Look, you're gonna take off early to go work at the Cat Café, right?"

"Yeah, just like always."

"Good. I'm gonna tell everybody I'm leaving with ya. But I'm really gonna stay behind and see if I can find out what the tomboy is up to. Okay?"

Ukyo grinned back at him. "Just don't be too hard on her, Ranchan."

+++

Just as planned, Ranma and Ukyo left right before the last class for the day. As soon as he was out of sight of the school, Ranma circled back around, leaping over the wall. He slipped up to Akane's classroom, and listened in under the window as the class began.

He could hear Akane's voice right nearby. "Okay, I think Ranma and Ukyo have been gone long enough, so I'm taking off. You'll take notes for me and turn in my homework from last night, won't you?"

"Of course we will," Sayuri answered.

"You guys are great." Ranma could hear the gratitude in Akane's voice. "I don't have training with Kodachi tonight, so I'll meet you at the usual place to pick up my notes and the homework for tomorrow. Maybe we'll stop and have some ice cream as well."

"That sounds like fun," Yuka said. Her voice then turned more concerned. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? I think some of the other girls noticed the bruises in the shower today. Some of them asked about it."

"What did you say to them?"

"Only that it's special training, and you'll be done soon." Sayuri said. There was a moment of silence. "You will tell Ranma and Ukyo, won't you?"

"Not yet. I'm getting close, I can feel it. I just want to try to get a little further before..." Akane's voice trailed off for a moment, as well. "... before I tell anyone else."

"Okay. We're just worried is all."

"I know. Thanks, guys." Ranma heard Akane gathering up her books, and then she left the room, just as the teacher started the lesson.

Now really worried, Ranma kept out of sight as Akane came out of the school building. As he expected, she looked around, and even seemed to look towards his hiding place. He was well hidden, though, and far enough away that she couldn't see him if he kept still. He didn't even breathe, freezing in place until Akane looked away. She continued down the path to the school's front gate, her head down, with her book bag held in front of her. He finally let himself move once she was outside the gate, and out of sight.

Staying well back, Ranma took to the rooftops, and trailed Akane as she made her way down the empty streets. He couldn't help but be surprised at Akane's determination. She was actually skipping school to meet with this mysterious trainer? That didn't seem like her at all. He knew how much she loved school, even though he hated it. He had to admit, though, if Akane needed time to herself, the best time would be when he and Ukyo were off working at the Cat Café.

His thoughts returned to who Akane could actually be training with. It wasn't Cologne, that was for certain, she had been at the Café all the time when he and Ukyo were working there. They would have noticed her leaving. It could not be Mousse for the same reason. He clenched his fist as he again thought about Happosai, putting his perverted hands all over his fiancée. He would knock him into the next ward if that was what was going on.

Or... maybe it was Ryoga. The Lost Boy hadn't been seen around lately, but maybe that was intentional, to throw off suspicion. For a moment, Ranma felt a flash of jealousy, along with the thought that maybe Ryoga and Akane had been doing other things behind his back. But then he roughly shoved the disloyal thought aside. His tomboy would never do anything like that to him. Not after they had finally admitted their love for each other.

After a few minutes of following Akane, it became obvious that she was heading for home. So whoever she was meeting wasn't somewhere else. He kept up his pursuit, staying out of sight. It wasn't that difficult, Akane wasn't in any particular hurry, and outside of that one time in front of the school, she didn't seem to be on the lookout for anyone. In fact, she seemed a bit sad and withdrawn, as if something was weighing on her conscience. Could she be feeling guilty about lying to him?

Akane made her way through the front gate of the Tendo home, and then inside. Ranma skulked around in the bushes outside. He heard her enter the kitchen, and then Kasumi's voice. "Hello, Akane? Are you going to the dojo for your training?"

"That's right. I just wanted to change and get a snack first. I'm not hungry yet, but I know I will be after."

There was the sound of Kasumi handing Akane a tray, which she had probably already prepared, knowing Kasumi. She then spoke again, her voice gentle, but as concerned as Yuka and Sayuri's. "Be careful, Akane. And call me if you have any trouble."

"I will. If Ranma or Father come home early, let me know, okay?"

"I will, Akane. Good luck."

Ranma kept to the bushes as Akane came out with her tray, from the side door that led to the dojo. He couldn't see her clearly, but he could tell that she was munching on the snacks as she walked. She disappeared into the wooden building that adjoined the Tendo home. Ranma crouched in the shadows of the bushes for quite a few moments, trying to decide what to do. No one else came out to join her. Was Akane training on her own?

Minutes passed. When there was still no activity from the dojo, and no one showed up to join her, Ranma began to consider leaving his hiding place. He half expected Happosai to pop out of nowhere, cackling and waving around his bag of ill-gotten "pretties". But there was no sign of the letch, and Akane hadn't asked about him inside. His curiosity continued to grow. What was Akane up to?

Suddenly, there was a sharp cry of attack. Ranma heard shuffling and the cracking sound of a strike from the dojo, and then another cry. There was then a loud explosion. It shook the ground under his feet, and caused Ranma to take a step back. For a moment, he heard a sizzling noise, like the rain of debris hitting the ground, and then there was another explosion. And another. And another. The explosions began to shake the dojo, although the wood held against the assault.

The sound was strange, not exactly something he had heard before, but it was all too close to a sound he was familiar with. The Bakusai Tenketsu. This explosion wasn't as loud, and there was a sharper quality, more like a crack than a bang, and the settling sound after was too light and weak to be rock. But it was close. Way too close. Now truly frightened for the tomboy's safety, Ranma rushed for the door to the dojo.

What he saw when he threw the door open stunned him into inaction. Akane was there, performing a kata. He had caught her just as she stepped into a strike, one finger outstretched. She was not wearing her usual gi. Instead, she was wearing some of her old, worn out clothes, a pair of shorts, and a gym t-shirt that was about a size to small for her. Neither was truly enough to cover her, they both were ripped and torn to shreds, great rents in the cloth exposing the skin underneath. The shirt was barely holding together, hanging in strips over her taunt belly, and exposing the white of her bra.

And without the clothing to cover her, with so much of her skin exposed, it was painfully obvious her injuries were far worse than Ranma had thought. She was covered in bruises, on her arms, her thighs, even her stomach and shoulders. The yellowed and purple bruises were themselves crisscrossed with cuts and scratches, most of them recently healed, some of them open and bleeding. Scrapes and abrasions covered her body as well, reddened patches of skin fresh from bearing the brunt of an explosive impact.

Concrete cinder blocks, like those Akane used to break to build up her strength, had been hung from the rafters by ropes. They were laid out in a pattern, covering the entire dojo. Akane was performing a kata underneath them, and as she flowed through the steps of her kata, she struck at the cinder blocks. She struck each with a single finger, and then moved on, without pausing to witness the result of her strike. Each cinder block exploded anyway, and as Akane positioned herself to make the strike on the next cinder block, she turned her body to expose herself to the blast of the previous. Her back, her chest, her side, her hips. Each time, she bore the brunt of the impact of the blast on a different part of her body.

It was no wonder her clothing was torn to shreds. And even more shocking, Ranma could see the agony on her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and each blast made her flinch, involuntarily. Still, she never wavered in her kata, and although her knees shook slightly, she never missed a step. Her focus was perfect, and not a single foot was out-of-place or strike off of the point of impact. That Akane could perform a kata so flawlessly almost took Ranma's breath away, and that she could do it while in such pain was unbelievable.

Ranma's reaction was completely instinctive. He threw himself across the dojo, slamming into Akane, and knocking her to the ground, just as she triggered another Breaking Point blast. He curled his body around her, bearing the brunt of the explosion with his own back. The cinder block ripped into him as it shattered, its sharp edges and rough texture in its own way worse than one of Ryoga's boulders. He bore the pain with no complaint, though, knowing that it could not truly hurt him. Not unless he continued to expose himself to it, like Akane was doing.

"What are ya doin' ya crazy tomboy!" Ranma yelled at her, as he moved back to let her sit up. "Of all the dumb, stupid, crazy things for you to do... what were ya thinkin'?"

Akane looked up at him, scared and ashamed. She was obviously embarrassed at being caught, and not sure what to say. She finally looked at the dojo floor, and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Why would you do that? Why would you do that to yourself?"

There was another long, long silence, while Akane stared at the floor, her face blazing red. Finally, she swallowed and spoke, her voice small. "It's based on the Bakusai Tenketsu training. I can't take boulders slamming into me, but I thought cinder blocks would be a weaker alternative, so I could build myself up to it gradually. Like you said about the tile..." She met his eyes for a moment, and then looked away. "I could start with something that wouldn't hurt me as bad, and work my way up to boulders."

Ranma glanced back at the cinder blocks hanging from the ceiling. "So you swung those at you and hit yourself with them?"

"Yes, but it wasn't enough." Akane swallowed, her eyes still rooted firmly on the floor. "So I came up with the idea of making them explode, instead."

Ranma stared at her. Then he signed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you. I just... I wanted to see how far I could get before I told you and Ukyo, and you made me cut back." Her voice dropped even further, to barely a whisper. "Or made me stop."

Ranma wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not gonna make you stop, tomboy."

"You're not?" She looked at him, tears running down her cheeks. She sounded desperate, frightened.

"No." He sat back, and scowled at her. "But you're gonna promise me, right now, that you are never going to do this again without somebody watchin' you."

"But..."

"Right now, Akane!" Ranma shouted. "You coulda broken an arm, you coulda cut open an artery! You could have been knocked unconscious and bled to death on the floor before anybody found you!"

She looked away again, her face glowing with shame. "Kasumi knew I was out here. She would have noticed if the explosions stopped."

"She still might not have gotten here in time! You don't ever train for a special technique without someone to watch you. Promise me!"

"Okay." Akane swallowed. "I won't ever train like this alone again."

"On your honor as a martial artist!"

Akane sniffled. "I swear on my honor as a martial artist. I won't ever train a technique like this on my own again."

"Good enough." Ranma wrapped his arms around her again, holding her close. The very thought, that he might lose her like this...

"I'm sorry," Akane repeated, her voice becoming choked with sobs.

"It's okay. Stupid tomboy."

Akane sniffled again, and then returned Ranma's hug, holding him even tighter. After a moment, she looked up at him. "Are you... are you sure... you want to watch... this?"

Ranma's heart sank as he realized what she meant. But for her... "It's okay, Akane. You need ta do this. You need to be tougher. Otherwise, no matter how strong you get, all it'll take is one hit, an' yer out. It's a great technique." He smiled a bit as he released her, and looked into her brown eyes.

Ranma ran his hand down her cheek, tracing a tear with his thumb. He noted absently the tiny scratches and abrasions on her face, too small to be noticed at a distance, but all too obvious up close. She had covered it up with makeup, but he now realized that the reason she had avoided him was so he wouldn't get close enough to her to notice.

"How long does it take the bleeding to stop?" He asked her.

Akane blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in subject, and then cut her eyes away again. "Usually, about an hour after I take my bath. Sometimes half an hour. Kasumi usually drains the bath and refills it so no one notices the blood."

She was silent for a moment, but then looked back at Ranma. "When I first started, it used to take a couple of hours. I know if I keep working on it I can get it to stop before I finish my bath. I know I can."

"I'm sure you can, tomboy," Ranma said, with a smile. He looked at the cinder blocks hanging from their ropes and chuckled. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Yes." Akane looked away from him again, truly ashamed. "I've made it so... so you don't have to hit me... to help me get stronger."

"No," Ranma said. He laughed again. "Well, kinda, but no. You've figured out how to hit yourself... to use your own strength to make yourself tougher."

He sat her up, with his hands on her shoulders. Then he stared into her eyes. She looked back at him, confused.

"You've taken somebody else's technique and made it your own, Akane. You're makin' it do somethin' it wasn't intended ta do. You ain't just doin' what somebody else taught ya. Yer figurin' it out for yourself..."

Ranma grinned at her, his eyes shining. Akane swallowed. Her heart had begun to pound in her chest, even though she didn't know why.

"Anything Goes, Akane. That's what Anything Goes is all about."

Akane's mouth fell open. But it was Ranma's next words that completely floored her.

"I guess you really are a martial artist, after all, like you keep sayin'..." He grinned teasingly at her stunned expression, until she flung her arms around him and kissed him, soundly. "And now I gotta remember that for the next time you're mad at me," he quipped.

"Baka." Akane shook her head, and then took a deep breath. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head towards the dojo. "Why don't you continue your practice."

Akane smiled at him, excited. "Really?"

"Really. And on the fourth step in that kata try bringing your left leg out a bit. It'll brace you a bit better."

"Okay." She stared into his eyes. Her enthusiasm made him feel giddy.

"Are you lettin' yourself get good an' angry, to help hold your stance? I didn't feel your battle aura."

Akane shook her head. "I don't want to block the attacks; I want to take it, to build up my body."

"Still, it can help brace you and keep you from havin' to compensate so much for the explosion. And it can help with the pain, too. If it helps, just think about me." He grinned, impishly.

Akane's smile was just as mischievous. "I don't know if I can get angry with you when you're being so nice."

"Even if I call you flat chested and thunder thighs?"

Her eyes flashed, but more with amusement than anger. "That might do it."

"How about if I point out that I can see your bra... and a whole lot more." He pointed at her chest.

"Hey!" Aware of her near nudity for the first time, Akane wrapped her arms around herself. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was enjoying the show."

"Pervert!" Her aura flared a bit, but only a little. She still wasn't serious.

"Good thing Happosai isn't here to see that. I bet he'd have his hands all over you. I'd protect you, though."

"I bet you would. I bet you don't want anybody's hands on me but yours."

For a moment, Ranma considered his usual denial. But then, an alternative suggested itself to him. Half deciding to act before he could think about the possible consequences, (and change his mind) he leaned forward, to bring his face closer to Akane's. Her eyes widened as he got close to her.

"Not as much as you want me to put my hands on you, tomboy."

Boom! That did it. Akane's battle aura erupted like a bonfire. But to Ranma's credit, not all of that was anger. A good part of it was another emotion, just as intense and passionate, but in a totally different way.

"You think you can touch me before I break both your arms?" Akane asked, her voice thick with challenge. Or maybe that was something else.

He ran his hand over her bare shoulder. "Only if you want me to..."

Akane stared at him, perhaps wondering if he would go further. When he didn't, she stood up. Ranma smirked at her as she stood proudly, making no attempt to hide her body. "Thanks, Ranma. I think I'm ready to continue now."

Smiling, Ranma sat back to watch the show. At least for a while. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to watch once she really started hurting again. But for now, with his tomboy marching across the dojo like she was ready to take on the world and win, he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do.

+++

By the time she finished her training, Akane was dripping with sweat, and there was a slightly dazed look in her eyes. Ranma had needed to fight back the impulse to stop her on several occasions, when the explosions caught her particularly hard. The shrapnel from the cinder blocks had cut deeply into her skin, leaving rivulets of blood behind. But he had held himself back, and Akane had somehow held fast against the impact, keeping up her kata.

A part of him was proud of her. Although she would never be as tough as Ryoga, he estimated that she was getting close to being as tough as his cursed body, and she had definitely surpassed Ucchan's physical resilience. Of course, his sister was far faster than either Akane or himself, and could avoid most strikes or twist around them, so it wasn't like a single blow could take her out. Still, if it weren't for Ukyo's supernatural sense of awareness, she could be taken out easily if caught by surprise.

Akane looked on the verge of collapse, but still stubbornly remained standing. It was starting to get dark, and it occurred to Ranma that Akane might be pushing herself so hard simply because he was watching. "That's enough, Akane," Ranma said, hoping to put a stop to that. "Sis will be home soon, and you still need to take a bath."

"Still thinking of taking a bath with me, eh, pervert?" Akane quipped, although her eyes didn't quite focus on him.

"Of course not!" Ranma protested, more out of habit than anything else. He moved over to take her hand, and she smiled at him.

"Just a few more minutes," Akane begged, with a bit of a pout. "I'm not... tired..." But then she suddenly swooned, and collapsed against him.

"Akane?" Worried, Ranma put his arms around her, to hold her up. But she quickly recovered, getting back on her feet. She continued to lean against him, though, until Ranma finally lifted her into his arms.

Akane slapped his chest, as Ranma picked her up. "Hey, I can walk!" She protested.

"Is that why you're hangin' on ta me, tomboy?" Ranma asked. He raised an eyebrow, taunting her.

Akane frowned for a moment, but then cuddled up closer. "I guess it's all right, then. If you're going to hold me while I'm half-naked, though, you can at least help me into my gi." She gestured at a chair, where she had hung her martial arts uniform, so it wouldn't get ripped by the flying debris.

Ranma looked down at her chest, and Akane smirked at him. "If you look any lower, Ranma, I will hit you."

"As if I'd want to look at an uncute tomboy like you," Ranma said, although for once, it was obvious from his tone that he wasn't serious. "But I have to make sure you don't have any serious injuries."

Akane's face reddened a bit as Ranma completed his examination, and then he brought her over to the chair. He set her on her feet for a moment while he helped Akane put the gi on over her shredded shirt and shorts. He then picked her back up, and Akane put her arms around his neck. Ranma brought them out of the dojo and into the house.

Ranma went around to the family room, where he found Soun lying on the floor, on a mat. Kasumi was applying a cold cloth to his forehead, while her father mumbled something about "I was afraid something like this would happen." Ranma scowled at the thought of what Akane's father might be up to, when his own father grabbed him by the arm. Genma dragged Ranma out to the engawa, and Ranma struggled to hold onto Akane as they were jostled about.

The old man was wearing a backpack, and had a bunch of Ranma's clothes hung over his other arm. "Come on, Ranma, we have to go on a training trip right away. There's not a moment to... what's wrong with Akane?" Genma drew up short, as he finally noticed that his son was carrying his black-haired fiancée.

"Nothing's wrong with me!" Akane snapped back, her face again turning red. "Put me down, Ranma!" She began to squirm in Ranma's arms, and he was hard pressed to remain standing while holding her.

Soun sat up. "My poor baby! What is wrong, my darling Akane?" Tears began to pour down his cheeks. "Ranma! What have you done to my daughter?"

"I ain't done nothin'!" Ranma yelled, starting to panic. He almost dropped Akane again, and she cried out in indignation.

"I am just fine!" Akane spat, "Or I will be when Ranma lets me go! I was doing just fine until the baka came in and started going on about me hurting myself, and picked me up! I told him, I can walk!"

He finally managed to get the struggling girl back on her feet, and she pushed him away, roughly. "I don't need your help, Ranma." As she turned away from their fathers, though, she gave him a secret smile and a wink. "Just because I hurt my knee a little bit, that doesn't mean I need you to carry me."

"You hurt your knee?" Soun came up off of the mat. "What did you do?"

"It's nothing!" Akane yelled back. She grabbed Ranma and shoved him in front of her, making it look like she was mad at him, not using him to hide her bruises from her father. Not to mention the bloodstain he could see spreading across the arm of her gi. "I told this idiot, and I'll tell you! It's just a little bump, it doesn't even hurt!"

Ranma decided to play along. "It's not like I wanted ta carry you or anything," he quipped. "You're so heavy I might have strained somethin'."

She spun him around at that, meeting Ranma's eyes with a glare that promised later retribution. "Well, I never asked for your help anyway! Honestly!" She turned away, sticking her nose in the air as she stomped around the corner towards the furoba. But just before she turned out of sight, she stopped and grinned back at him again. Then she disappeared from view.

Genma paid no further attention to Akane's abrupt departure, apparently having completely forgotten about his earlier concern. "Come on, son, we have to leave, now." He grabbed Ranma by the shoulder, and pushed him out onto the engawa again. "We already may be too late to get away in time."

"Stuff it, Pops," Ranma sneered, turning his attention back to his father. "I don't care if Mom has some contract to make you commit seppuku. You may be scared of her, but I'm not! She asked me to visit her, and that's just what I'm gonna do!"

"It's not your mother I'm worried about, son," Genma said. "It's the Master. You don't know the true terror of the Master's wrath, and I for one don't plan to be here to face it."

"You're the one that has angered the Master, Ranma, you and your sister," Soun added, sternly pointing at the pigtailed boy. "I shudder to think what he has planned." He then looked at Genma. "And you'd better not leave me to face this alone, Saotome."

Genma tried to herd his son out into the yard again. "Don't worry, Tendo. Once the boy and I get out of here, hopefully the Master will calm down."

"What about Kuonji?"

As if Soun's question was the cue, Ukyo called out from the genkan. "I'm home! What's with all these guys waiting out by the gate?"

"Guys by the gate?" Soun hurried down the hallway to the front entrance, with Ranma and Genma right behind him. They met Ukyo as she was taking off her shoes to put on house slippers.

"Yeah," she said, "there's some big crowd out here."

Soun threw open the door, to find the entire front walkway crammed with people, all of them carrying boxes and platters piled high with food. Even more were squeezing in through the Tendos' open gateway.

"I have a delivery of 50 orders of pork cutlets over rice for Ukyo Kuonji," said the nearest of the delivery men. Another nearby added, "100 orders of sushi, here." The others all chimed in with their similar orders, all for increasing amounts of food.

"Is this Happosai's idea of revenge?" Ukyo asked incredulously. "Ordering a bunch of food in my name?"

"If it is, he's got a big surprise coming," Ranma put in. "I can take anything that old freak can dish out. And I can sure eat all this food."

"Yeah, Ranchan, but you can't pay for it," Ukyo countered. The delivery man with the pork cutlets frowned at her, and a murmur of disquiet moved through the crowd.

"What worries me, son, is that all of these orders are for Kuonji," Genma said ominously. "What could he have in mind for you?"

The crowd of delivery men then parted, as a wave of young women forced their way through the gate and into the entryway. "Where is this Ranma Saotome person? We demand you show him to us right now!"

Happosai suddenly popped up on Ranma's shoulder, with a sign in his hand saying "Ranma Saotome, right here", and an arrow pointing to Ranma. The girls all screamed and charged at him.

"How dare you steal our underwear!" they all yelled. "You even had the nerve to leave a note! What kind of pervert are you?"

Both Ukyo and Akane tried to protest Ranma's innocence, but they were unable to stop the girls as the small area inside the genkan erupted into chaos. Happosai picked up one of the incriminating notes that fluttered out of the cloud of dust kicked up by the scuffle. "Yep, that is definitely signed by Ranma Saotome. Give him his just punishment, girls." Puffing on his pipe, he sat down to watch the show.

+++

It was a very subdued Tendo family that sat down to dinner that night. Happosai bounded around the room, throwing okonomiyaki sauce on the walls, and poking "Ranma is a dope" into the rice paper shoji doors. He seemed deadly serious, not laughing or cackling as he usually did, but instead throwing Ranma and Ukyo withering scowls. His pranks were not even limited to Ranma and Ukyo. He had thrown water over Genma, turning him into a panda, and hung a sign saying "Please don't feed the animals" around his neck. And he had written "Spineless" across Soun's face.

"You know, while I can appreciate Grandfather's resourcefulness," Nabiki said dryly, "After a while, the humor of it starts to wear thin."

"Hey, you didn't have a bunch of angry girls beating on you," Ranma complained. "And it wasn't even my fault!"

"Be that as it may..." Nabiki paused a moment, as Happosai hopped across the table, dumping pepper into everyone's food. "I've had enough. What's it going to take to restore what passes for peace in this house?"

"I don't see why I gotta apologize!" Ranma said. "I didn't do nothin'!"

"We're not going to apologize," Ukyo said, taking a bite of her food. Although she did give a grimace of distaste, she still continued eating, ignoring Happosai's antics. "I gave the old freak a chance. He's a guest in this house. He should be grateful we're letting him keep any of those panties he stole at all."

Nabiki looked at her father. "She does have a point, Daddy. What are you going to do about this?"

Soun looked very solemn, and put down his chopsticks. "You're right. It's time I did what I should have done all along." He looked over at the panda. "Saotome, are you with me?" As one, they rose to their feet.

Happosai turned his scowl on Soun and Genma, studying them carefully. The rest at the table watched, expectantly. Ukyo and Ranma both looked hopeful, and Akane beamed at her father's show of bravery. Even Nabiki seemed impressed.

The tall man and panda immediately fell to their knees, bowing deeply. "Forgive us, Master!" Soun cried. "Spare us your terrible wrath! We'll do anything you ask!"

"Daaaad!" Akane's expression went from proud to exasperated in an instant. Ranma and Ukyo both just shook their heads.

"I should have known," Ukyo huffed. "Well, you two can give in if you want to, it doesn't change a thing. Sensei's 'pretties' are already on their way back to the folks they belong to, and no amount of bawling and temper tantrums is going to change that."

She glared at Happosai, and he glared back. "It's nothing to have these two bow to me," Happosai said, gesturing at the two adults, "but it seems to be that you two are the ones who should be begging for my mercy."

"Me? Bow to you?" Ranma got up from the table to confront the old man, clenching his fist as he stood over him. Happosai just watched him, unflinching. "Ranma Saotome doesn't bow to nobody!"

Genma shoved his son's head to the ground, doubling him over. "You don't have to mean it, Ranma," his sign read. "Just say it. It's for the best."

Ranma slugged his father off of him, and the panda went flying out of the family room and into the koi pond. "I told you, I don't bow to no one!"

"And that makes two of us," Ukyo added her agreement, standing at her brother's side. "I'm not afraid of a few pranks, and if you cared about more than lazing around and feeding your fat butt, you wouldn't be afraid of him either."

"Ranma, Ukyo, this is the peace and tranquility of my home you are disturbing," Soun said, his voice stern. "If you cannot apologize to the Master, then I will have to ask you to leave."

"Me?" Ukyo shouted, and Ranma echoed, "What?" Ukyo glanced at him, and then nodded. "Why us? Why don't you make the old freak leave?"

"Do you think you can make me leave, Little Ukyo?" Happosai said, puffing on his pipe. Ukyo just ignored him.

"Just apologize to the master," Soun said. "It'll be easier on all of us."

"Forget it!" Ranma shot back. "I'd rather leave than apologize to him."

"If that's the way you feel, then I'm afraid I have no choice..."

"No, Daddy!" Akane interrupted. "You can't make Ranma leave!" There was desperation in her voice for a second, but then she caught herself. "I mean... it's not like I care about the baka or anything, but it's not fair! Grandfather is just as responsible for this as Ranma and Ukyo are."

"I don't know, Akane," Nabiki put in. "Ranma and Ukyo are the only ones Happosai has any argument with. It doesn't have anything to do with us. Maybe if they go off somewhere, the old man will follow them." She glanced at Happosai. "I mean, if the old man wants his apology he'll have to chase after them."

Ranma scoffed and crossed his arms. "He can follow me ta China if he wants, I ain't gonna apologize to him."

"That's it then." Akane got to her feet. "Come on, Ucchan, let's go upstairs and pack. I'll go with you."

"No way!" Ranma's response was automatic. "I don't need some useless tomboy gettin' in my way! It'll be hard enough bein' on my own, without having to take care of you, too!"

"Sheesh, Ranma, it's not like it's the middle of winter or anything." Akane said with a scowl. "It's been nice and warm lately, even at night. I'm sure it'll be fine, and like your father said, this is the perfect time for a training trip." Her scowl faded, and Akane gave him a cheerful grin. "It'll be fun!"

"Akane, do you mean it?" Soun burst into a fountain of tears. "Whaaaaa! My little girl is leaving me!"

"I'm not leaving, Daddy, I'm just going away with Ranma for a while."

"I'm not goin' anywhere! Certainly not with you taggin' along!"

"My poor baby!" Soun wailed, "Who will look out for her when she gets hurt! Ranma, you must take care of my little girl!"

"I ain't takin' care of nobody!"

"You don't have to take care of me! I'm a martial artist too, Ranma!"

"Enough!" Ukyo slammed her fist down on the table, cutting through the racket. "Everyone, just shut up! I'm not goin' anywhere, Ranchan's not goin' anywhere, and we are not giving in to this old man!"

She turned to glare at Happosai, who had been watching the argument with an increasingly wide grin. He met her gaze calmly, without flinching. "You think you can cause enough trouble to get us kicked out, eh, 'Sensei'? Well, you don't know what trouble is. Don't you worry, Mr. Tendo, because by the time I get through with this old man, he's going to be the one bowing to me."

Happosai puffed on his pipe. Soun eyed the two of them, worriedly, and then spoke up. "Are you planning to challenge the Master, Ukyo?"

"Nope. I know the old pervert has the edge on me in martial arts. But I've just decided to fight fire with fire." She leaned closer to the Master. "You like pranks, do you, Sensei? Well, let's see if you can take what you dish out. At some place, at some time, when you least expect it, I'll get you back... and then you'll be singing a different tune."

Happosai held her gaze, the smoke drifting lazily up from his pipe, between them. Ukyo could tell that she had piqued his interest. "Do you really think you can catch me off guard?"

"I'm bettin' on it. You'll never see it coming."

Happosai glanced around at the others in the room. "All right. You've got a deal, Little Ukyo. My pranks against yours. I'll even leave the others out of it, until you've declared me the winner."

Ukyo grinned, wickedly. "Don't count on it, Sensei. You've got no idea what you're getting into. You want a prank war... You've got a prank war!"

 

[AlanMidnight]

Warning: In this chapter, a character uses a homophobic slur. I checked with @Strypgia to make sure this does not violate the forum's rules, but some may still consider the character's language and attitude offensive. Reader discretion is advised…

Chapter 4

Rumors and Innuendo

+++

Happosai awoke with a yawn and a stretch, and then nimbly hopped out of his bedroll on the floor. He set about doing a number of exercises, touching his toes and doing windmills and back bends. "Ah, what a glorious day!" he said to himself. "I slept like a baby. Now to get dressed and go see about some breakfast. It is so wonderful, living in the home of my diligent student, Soun Tendo."

The wizened martial arts master slipped into his gi, then slid open the divider to step outside of his room. Since Happosai's room was on the ground floor, the first thing he saw was the kitchen, on the other side of the hall. Poking his head in the door, he called out to Kasumi, who was busily cooking breakfast. "Good morning, Kasumi! How soon until breakfast?"

"Just a little while longer, Grandfather," Kasumi said. She then turned around, and on spotting the old man, suddenly threw up her arms, with a cry of "Eep!" It was fortunate she was not holding the pan with the breakfast, as it would have gone flying. The wooden spoon that she was holding was not so fortunate. She tossed it into the air, and it embedded itself in the ceiling.

"Is something wrong, Kasumi?" Happosai asked her, confused about her reaction.

Kasumi's expression return to her usual gentle smile. "Why, no, Grandfather. I just remembered something I had forgotten." She turned back to her cooking, only then noticing that her spoon was gone. She looked around for it, and then finally pulled another out of a drawer. "Please go tell the others that breakfast is almost ready. Akane and Ukyo are still out on their morning jog, but I think Father and Uncle Saotome are already awake."

"Will do, Kasumi!" Happosai said brightly. As he turned and left the kitchen, Kasumi looked back at him. She snorted suddenly, biting back a laugh, but then forced her expression back under control.

"Oh, my," she said, as she returned to stirring the meal.

Happosai continued on into the family room, where Soun and Genma were sitting at the table. Soun looked up from his newspaper, his eyes went wide, and then he ducked back behind the paper. Genma, who was in his normal form, just stared, his eye twitching.

"What's everyone looking at?" Happosai asked. He glanced behind him, as Nabiki came down the hall, bleary-eyed, and holding a cup of coffee. She stopped, and paused a moment, looking at Happosai. Then she looked down at her coffee. She took a big drink of it, then looked back up at Happosai again, blinking. There was a long, long silence, and then she turned around and headed back down the hallway in the other direction.

There was a snort behind him. Happosai turned back around, to see Soun and Genma whistling nonchalantly, and pretending not to notice him. He opened his mouth to berate them, only to hear uproarious laugher erupt from back in the hall. He turned, but Nabiki was well out of sight.

"What?" Happosai growled, turning back to his now cringing students. "Is there something on my face?" His eyes widened. "There IS something on my face, isn't there?" Soun and Genma immediately tried even harder to look like they hadn't noticed him, but Soun had started shaking, and put his hand up to cover his mouth. Genma ran and leapt into the koi pond.

Ignoring them, Happosai took off running down the engawa, and around the back of the house to the furoba. He burst through the door into the laundry room to find Ranma there, brushing his teeth in the mirror over the sink. Moving quickly, he leapt up and grabbed onto Ranma's midsection, using him to get a boost up to look in the mirror.

"Hey you old pervert!" Ranma yelled. "Get your hands off..." His voice trailed off as he realized he was in male form, not female. Then he looked down at Happosai. A huge smile spread across his face, and then he burst into laughter. He fell to the floor, taking Happosai with him, as he rolled on the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

"You useless... is that any way to treat your master?" Happosai said, but he was more concerned with getting back up to the mirror. Letting go of Ranma, he leaped up onto the sink. There he took a look at his face in the mirror - and his mouth fell open in shock.

His face had been drawn on with a permanent marker. A goatee had been drawn on his chin, and his forehead was covered with huge, elaborate eyebrows that slanted upwards and curled up on the outside. A mouth had been drawn around his lips, with big, pointy fangs. And the word "devil" was written across one cheek, and the word "pervert" across the other.

"Ukyo!" The sound carried out to the streets around the Tendo household, where it echoed off of the surrounding buildings.

+++

Ranma brought his bento over to his desk, and sat down. He glanced over at Akane, who had moved over to eat with her friends. Ukyo had come in behind him, and she hurried over to sit with them as well. They were involved in some silly girl talk, so Ranma decided not to join them. There was no way they'd get him to join in with that, even if he was a girl from time to time.

Ukyo's opening salvo in the prank war had certainly been memorable, and Ranma grinned at Happosai's reaction. He had sworn revenge, and teased Ukyo for starting off with such an "amateurish prank". Ranma could tell the old man was impressed, though, not by the prank itself, but that she had managed to sneak into his room and pull it off without waking him. After a few moments of ignoring his goading, Ukyo had told Happosai that her prank had only been a warm up, and she looked forward to his counter-move. She had plenty of other tricks up her sleeve.

That night, Happosai had tried to catch her in her own prank, but had been foiled by her alarm system. The whole house had been awakened by the ringing of bells. The disgruntled old man had been caught red handed, a marker in his hand, and trying to shield himself from Akane and Ukyo, who were beating him with whatever they could find nearby. He had been more embarrassed by the laughter of the Tendo family than hurt by the beating. Finally, he had stomped off to his room, grumbling under his breath about disrespectful students. The rest of the night had passed uneventfully.

The old freak would think twice before trying that again, Ranma thought to himself. He unwrapped his bento and started to gobble it up with his usual speed. He would have been happy to eat alone, but then Hiroshi and Daisuke came in. Ranma greeted them, but the two of them didn't respond. To his surprise, Daisuke walked up to him, but he just glared at him, giving him a disgusted look. Then he very pointedly moved over to eat several rows away.

"Hey, Dai..." Hiroshi called out to his friend, but then glanced down at Ranma, a worried look on his face. He considered for a moment, then took a seat next to him.

"What was that about?" Ranma asked.

Hiroshi looked uncomfortable. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. It's just... um... he had an argument with me about you. He may not be around for a while..."

Ranma frowned, but he wasn't really mad, not yet. "What did I do?"

"It's not what you did. Or... I don't think you did. But... there are some rumors going around."

"What rumors?" Ranma's voice was a low growl.

Hiroshi fell silent for a long moment, looking away guilty. Then he cleared his throat. "Look, man, I know you would never hurt Akane, or your sister. It's just... some people think you might... you know."

Ranma grabbed Hiroshi by the shoulder, and he edged away, perhaps a little fearfully. Ranma kept his voice calm, although it still came out as a low growl. "What have they been saying?"

Hiroshi looked up at him, unsure, but then hung his head. "A bunch of the girls have noticed that Akane's got these bruises. They showed up a couple of weeks ago. I've been telling everybody - I've been telling Daisuke, it's all a misunderstanding, but..." he glanced away, and that uncomfortable feeling returned. "The rumor is... that you..." He swallowed. "... beat her."

"No way! I would never lay a hand on Akane!"

Naturally, Ranma's outburst was heard by the whole classroom. He shot a glance over at Akane, worried about her reaction. She looked shocked, but then she also became worried. She, Ukyo, Sayuri, and Yuka started whispering among themselves.

"I know that," Hiroshi said. "And I told Daisuke that. But I mean... you guys are so rough and tough." He managed a feeble smile, but it quickly faded. "You're like superheroes or something. A little bruise or something don't mean nothin' to you.

"Only..." Hiroshi looked away again. "From what I heard, the bruises were pretty bad. Like she got in a fight or something." He cut his eyes back at Ranma, gauging his reaction. "That's what I figured happened. Maybe Shampoo attacked her, or..."

Ranma clenched his fists, as he tried to get his anger under control. It was painfully obvious Hiroshi was asking for an explanation, any explanation, and Ranma appreciated the concern that showed for Akane. Still, it was his job to protect Akane, and this... he didn't know how to protect her from this. He glanced at Akane again, and she was still looking back at him, her expression showing concern now. He released a breath, and turned back to Hiroshi.

"Akane's been trainin' a new technique lately. If it works, it'll make her tougher, way tougher, but for a while she's gonna look really bruised and beat up. I'll try an' see if I can get her to cut back." Not likely, he added to himself.

He then glared at Hiroshi, who swallowed. "I. Don't. Hit. Girls." he hissed. Then, looking away, he added. "Not outside the dojo anyway. Or if they attack me. An' even then... I try and be as gentle as I can."

Hiroshi put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course. I knew it the whole time. Heck, if you hit Akane, she'd take your head off. I'll go tell Daisuke that." He glanced over at his friend, then stood up and walked away.

Ranma took a deep breath, and put his face down in his hands. This definitely wasn't good.

+++

The shadows of evening were beginning to lengthen, and Akane walked slowly down the street, studying the landmarks around her. She looked down at the note in her hands, which contained the directions to a house. After reassuring herself that she was still on the right track, she continued down past a few more homes, and stopped in front of one in particular.

It was a traditional Japanese house, a little small, compared to her own home, but still quite fancy. The house bordered right on the street, so a short walk led right up to the front door. There was a flower box next to the sliding door, which had been tended to with great care. Smoothing down her dress to calm her excitement, Akane rang the door chime.

Nodoka answered. "Why, hello Akane! What brings you here?"

"Pardon the intrusion, Auntie. I just thought I would stop by for a visit," Akane said brightly, "and invite you and Mr. Kuonji to see Ukyo's new restaurant tomorrow. May I come in?"

"Of course," Nodoka said, stepping aside. Akane took off her shoes as she entered the genkan and set them aside. Then she continued on into the house proper. Nodoka led her down the hall to a small family room, where Mr. Kuonji was sitting at a round table, reading the paper.

Akane bowed to him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Kuonji. It is good to see you again."

Ukyo's father nodded to her. Nodoka gestured for Akane to have a seat at the table, then sat down herself. "So, are you just getting off from school? Is my son with you, or is he still off training?"

"Actually, Ranma is home now, but he usually spends the evening working with Ukyo at the Cat Café." She glanced at Ukyo's father. "That's the name of her restaurant. Well... it's really Cologne's restaurant, and Shampoo's - that's the Chinese girl Ranma mentioned, and Cologne is her Great Grandmother - but Ukyo bought up half interest in it. She and Ranma have been working on building on an expansion to the building."

Mr. Kuonji put down his paper, regarding Akane with a frown. "My daughter is working in a Chinese restaurant?"

"Not really. She's planning to serve okonomiyaki in her half of the restaurant during lunch. But after lunch, when her usual customers have gone home, she's going to open up the space for Cologne and Shampoo and help them prepare Chinese food."

"Why would she do that?" Mr. Kuonji asked. "Is she ashamed of her father's business?"

Akane bit her lip. She and Ukyo had expected that her father would not be happy about this news. She hoped that she could explain it well enough that Mr. Kuonji would not be upset or insulted. "It's not that. It's just that after so many years on the road with Ranma and his father, she doesn't feel ready to start a business on her own. She's only just recently begun cooking for customers, instead of just family and friends. She feels she has a better shot with Cologne to watch out for her."

Mr. Kuonji grunted scornfully, but seemed to accept the explanation. In the silence, Nodoka spoke up. "That does seem strange," she said. "It's almost like she's trying to run two different restaurants at lunch time, but then at dinner, merge them into one."

"Yes, in essence that's it," Akane said. "She could have opened her own shop separately, but there are other reasons we want to try to work with the Amazons."

Akane turned and looked at Nodoka, unsure about how to broach the subject, but certain that Ranma's mother needed to know. "Shampoo is another fiancée, Auntie, like Ukyo and myself. She feels that Ranma is obligated to marry her because of her tribal laws. We've tried to reason with her, but Shampoo and Cologne are very insistent." She paused a moment, her face falling as she sighed. "And to be honest, Auntie, it wouldn't be fair to honor Mr. Kuonji's agreement or my father's and ignore hers."

"But my son is not obligated to this... Shampoo by any Japanese law, is he?" Nodoka tilted her head, obviously trying to keep her expression gentle, but still quite firm. "The laws of the Chinese do not apply to us."

"Not really, but... I'll let Cologne tell you the whole story." Akane answered, with a wearied sigh. "Anyway, I wanted you to know about it, as Shampoo can be quite... expressive. She's always grabbing Ranma, hugging him, and making a scene, even in public." Her voice lowered to a growl. "I've tried to get her to stop, but I've just learned to live with it. Ukyo's been trying to talk to her too..."

"Oh?" Nodoka studied her fondly, and Akane cut her eyes away, ashamed at how much she had given away. "You sound jealous. Does it really bother you that other women show affection to Ranma? I noticed the other day that you seemed very close to Ranma and wanted to protect his arrangement with your father. Don't you ever show him any affection, yourself?"

Akane scoffed. "Oh, please. Ranma is the most arrogant, egotistical, exasperating... man I have ever met. He's always showing off, and hovering over me, when I don't want his protection." Akane smirked to herself, noticing Nodoka's eyes lighting up. She figured Ranma's mother would see such behavior as manly, even if she tried to couch it in an insult. "And he's always saying that I shouldn't fight, and calling me a tomboy and a pushy girl. Although I don't suppose I can argue with that..."

It was easy to feign disinterest, the act was almost second nature to her, but then she let her expression relax a bit. "But I guess when you get down to it, I am friends with the baka. I watch out for him, and I put up with him, although I've no idea how. I'm certainly not going to let Shampoo drag him off to China unless I'm absolutely, positively sure it's his idea."

"Are you sure you're being honest with yourself?" Nodoka smiled at her kindly. "You certainly seem very taken with my son, and from what you are saying, he seems very taken with you."

Akane blushed a bit. She had apparently let her emotions show a little too much. But then she smiled. "Auntie... If I ever did fall in love with your son... I'd be sure to let him know."

+++

Akane sat on a bench on the baseball field, watching her classmates play. Ukyo was out on the field, and Akane's team was up at bat. She had just taken her turn, so it would probably be a while before she was up to bat again. The other team's pitcher wasn't very good, and so they were scoring well. They didn't have any outs yet, and likely wouldn't for a while. So Akane had nothing to do but watch the progress of the game. Probably Ukyo would be a better pitcher, but she and Akane both made a point of switching out positions, so everyone else could get a try. Fortunately, they always ended up on separate teams since they were always the first two to be picked.

Akane decided that she should try to get in some meditation. The meditation helped get her metabolism working faster and heal the damage done by the Bakusai Tenketsu training. She could hear the boys playing over on their side of the field, and found herself distracted. She tried to relax and concentrate, folding her legs on the bench and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, feeling the air as it went in and out of her lungs. Her mind refused to settle down, however, and her thoughts continued to wander.

A voice called out from the field nearby, and despite all her efforts to stop it, her eyes opened. It was Ranma, and she watched as he strode up to the plate and confidently swung the bat to test its weight. She found herself rooting for him silently as the pitcher took his stance and threw the ball. Ranma didn't swing, but only taunted the pitcher as the umpire called a strike. Ranma didn't swing at the next ball either. "Come on, those aren't fast enough for me." He quipped. "Give me a challenge!"

Akane shook her head at his show of bravado, but she knew he was just toying with the other boy. He was just building up suspense. Akane felt a thrill go through her. The next throw was a ball, and Ranma didn't even bother to keep the bat up, instead waving it as he protested. "Give me a break! I saw that I mile off!" His insults were having the desired effect, and Akane could see the boy grit his teeth as he got madder. Her heart began racing as the pitcher wound up and then threw the ball as hard as he could. Despite its speed, she could see that it was right on target. Ranma would have to swing and hit or he would be out.

Ranma swung. The bat hit the ball with a clang, and Akane felt a flush of heat though her body. The ball shot from Ranma's bat like a bullet from a gun, and disappeared across the horizon in a few seconds. Akane fought back the urge to just rise to her feet and start cheering. Instead, she looked around sheepishly, and met the eyes of a girl sitting next to her. She was a kind-looking girl wearing glasses, and timidly lowered her eyes to break contact.

Akane looked away as well, hoping the girl hadn't noticed the blush on her face or the shallowness of her breathing. Her heart was thundering so loud she was sure everyone could hear it. Akane fought to bring her hormones back under control, while Ranma rounded the bases, snapping out comebacks to the other team's grumbling complaints. What an egotistical baka, Akane told herself, trying to pretend that she wasn't ogling him like a lovesick schoolgirl.

Akane smiled. Ranma was an egotistical baka, but he was her egotistical baka. That thought sent the heat flooding through her again, and Akane squirmed in her seat, folding her hands in her lap. She really was turning into a pervert, and it was all Ranma's fault! Rather than hit him, though, she instead decided she would have to reward him for it. Later, in the privacy and security of her own room.

Still smiling to herself, she settled back into her meditative pose. Not long ago, thoughts like that would have frightened and enraged her. Now, she welcomed them. She wasn't ready to test those feelings, to explore them with Ranma, but she could enjoy them. And maybe it was time to take a few steps further, to go a little less slow. She enjoyed kissing Ranma, maybe it was time for some cuddling while kissing. She would ask Ranma about it, keeping in mind his Neko-Ken training and the other things that had made him sensitive to being touched. He probably wanted comforting as much as she did, but was too proud to admit it.

As her emotions calmed down, and her embarrassment passed, Akane felt the girl sitting next to her still staring at her. She opened her eyes, to see the girl looking at her arm. Her last training session had been the night before, and the bruises and cuts had healed up rapidly, even before she went to bed. Even so, there was still a large, yellowing bruise on her bicep. Self-consciously, she hugged her arm to herself, although she still retained enough will to keep from trying to cover the bruise.

"I'm so sorry..." the girl began, her voice soft. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it's okay." Akane swallowed, hoping her nervousness was not too obvious. "It just looks bad, it's not painful."

The girl's eyes flitted over to Ranma, then back to Akane. "It's just awful that he does that to you." She almost whispered, although Akane could tell the other girls on the bench were listening. She couldn't stop the blush as it returned to her face.

"Do you really think I would let that jerk hit me?" She managed a sunny smile, hoping it was convincing. "I appreciate your concern, but really, you don't need to worry about it. This is training." Her expression turned more serious, almost pleading. "Ranma didn't do this."

The glasses girl looked back at Ranma again. Akane gulped as she remembered that the girl had seen her staring at him. Maybe she had even noticed her reaction to him. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and lowered her head. She wasn't ashamed of her feelings, not anymore, but it was still very new to her. The idea that someone had seen her desire for Ranma made her feel dirty.

Unfortunately, the girl misunderstood the cause of Akane's embarrassment. She put a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't defend him. I know you care about him, maybe even..." she paused, biting her lip, "... maybe even love him, but it's not right for him to do that. You should seek help."

"Look, it's not what you think, I swear!" Akane's voice had started to become desperate, and she fought to control herself. How dare that stupid girl think such things about her Ranma! But she couldn't afford to lose her temper, this was just an ordinary girl, not even as well-trained as the jocks in the Hentai Horde. And the girl was only trying to do what she thought was right, anyway...

"I'm using a special training technique to build up my body." Akane continued. "It uses weights, hung from ropes, that I swing at myself. Ranma isn't even involved! Look, you can come to my dojo if you don't believe me. You'll see I'm telling the truth!" Akane looked down the bench at the other girls who were watching her. "Any of you can!"

"She's totally in denial," one of the girls further down the bench said. She was a slender, athletic girl with curly blonde hair, held down by a plastic hairband. She looked strangely familiar to Akane. "You'll never get her to admit the truth. We should all confront Saotome directly." The other girls voiced their agreement.

"Don't do that!" Akane begged. She would be humiliated, if Ranma got in trouble because of her. "I can stop the training if it worries you that much." She didn't really mean that, but she could cut back without losing the ground she had gained. The real improvement was deep down, under the skin. When she started the training, her muscles ached constantly, from the abuse. Now, the pain didn't last any longer than the bleeding.

Several of the girls stood up. "Let's go. He can't hurt us if we stick together," the blonde said. They all started off towards the other field.

"Hey, wait!" Akane wasn't worried about the girls, and she knew they couldn't hurt Ranma either. But she just couldn't let this happen. Fortunately, she noticed Ukyo charging determinedly towards them. Sayuri and Yuka were also on Ukyo's team, but they stayed in the outfield, watching the other girls worriedly.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Ukyo, you've got to tell them that I'm telling the truth," Akane told her. "They think Ranma is the one who hurt me. I keep telling them, it's just training, that I'm doing it myself!"

Ukyo stepped in front of the leader of the girls. "She's right. It's perfectly safe. Ranchan and I are keeping an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't go too far." Akane grimaced, as she wasn't sure mentioning that Ranma was watching was a good idea, but kept her mouth shut.

The blonde just frowned and shoved Ukyo aside. "Get out of my way, dyke. I don't want to hear your excuses. You're probably in on it too."

Ukyo stepped back, although it was more in shock at her language than the force of her shove. "What... what did you call me?"

"All right, that's enough!" Akane cried out, stepping forward herself to cut the girl off. She really was angry, now. "I don't want this to turn into a fight, not over me! Leave Ukyo alone, you're all making a big deal over nothing!"

The girl who had spoken to Akane earlier, the one with the glasses, pulled her aside. "You should come with us. These people are dangerous, and they're hurting you. We're just trying to..."

Akane pulled her arm away. "No! Ukyo's my best friend! She would never hurt me!" She looked over at Ukyo, but unfortunately she didn't have any noticeable bruises right at the moment. She hoped that would convince them anyway. "Look, you've all seen Ukyo with bruises from time to time, just like me! It's never bothered you before!"

"She's right," Ukyo put in. "It's just sparring. My bruises faded, eventually, and so will hers. We're training, not beating each other mindlessly."

The girl with the glasses looked troubled, but the slender blonde was scowling. "Do you expect me to believe that?" she asked Ukyo. "You're probably as big a freak as Ranma. I heard you crashed the play and kissed Akane, right in front of the whole school." The girls began to mutter among themselves, but she continued. "Sayuri and Yuka had some story about running into you at some hot springs, but how could you do that, if you were here?

She smirked as she sized Ukyo up. "I guess those stories about you and Akane were true."

Akane's eyes narrowed. "That was Ranma, in disguise," she said. "You've been fooled by loose clothing and a brown wig. And everybody saw the tape over his mouth."

The blonde turned to her. "Yeah, Akane... Why would you put tape over Ranma's mouth?"

Akane clenched her teeth, but at that moment, the teacher arrived. "What is going on here? You're interrupting our game."

The crowd of girls slowly dispersed, heading back to the bench, but not before their leader shot a glare at Ukyo. The teacher watched them go, then turned back to the two martial artists. "Miss Kuonji, you're supposed to be out on the field. And Miss Tendo, I hope there won't be any more trouble."

"But I..." Akane started to protest, but drew up short at the teacher's disapproving look. She hung her head. "Yes ma'am." She walked back over to the bench, and sat down, putting as much space as she could between herself and the other girls. Ukyo watched her for a moment, considering what to do. Finally, she just looked up at the scowling teacher, shrugged, and headed back to the outfield.

+++

"Well, here we are," Akane said, holding open the door for her two guests. "Welcome to the Cat Cafe."

Nodoka entered the restaurant first, looking around the little lunch room with a gentle smile on her face. Mr. Kuonji brought up the rear, his expression more judgmental. He had not liked the Chinese-themed decorations in the front of the building, and although the right half of the store front was still under construction, he could tell it was of the same theme. As he stepped inside, however, it was more obvious that the area was roped off to keep the customers out while the construction work was going on. He seemed relieved by the sight of the L-shaped counter and its griddle, and hurried over to study it in more detail.

Ranma's mother continued to look around, and her eyes lit up as she spotted her son working in the back of the room with Ukyo. The two of them were working behind the counter, mounting a decorative shelf. Ranma's eyes met Nodoka's as he looked up, and she smiled widely. "My son! It is so good to see you again."

"Hi, Mom," Ranma answered, with a smile of his own. "I'm glad ya could make it. What do you think?" He gestured at the room around him.

"It looks very interesting, my son," Nodoka said. She looked around the room again. "It is very pretty, and so colorful! I've never seen an okonomiyaki shop like it."

Ukyo walked around from behind the counter. "It should be very unique, Auntie. I think the Chinese theme should make it very exotic and unusual. I've been developing a Chinese-style okonomiyaki to go with the theme. I think I've settled on a very thin batter, kind of like a crêpe, to build on. Then I'll go with a very spicy sauce, using Chinese spices. Ranchan likes spicy food, and I think it should go with a lot of Chinese dishes."

Mr. Kuonji looked up from the counter with a scowl. "Chinese okonomiyaki? Is that what you are planning to serve here? I understand that you haven't been back to Osaka since you left, but have you forgotten everything that I taught you?"

"No, father, I plan to offer traditional okonomiyaki as well. Both Osaka and Hiroshima styles."

Her father scoffed. "Osaka style okonomiyaki is the only style worth making. These northerners don't know what's good."

"Sis's Osaka okonomiyaki is the greatest, Old Man," Ranma put in. "Just taste it, you'll see."

Ukyo grinned at her brother's support, then turned back to her father. "I still like your okonomiyaki the best too, Pop. But here in a big city like Tokyo, I can draw in more customers if I sell a variety. Once word gets around, I can draw tourists from out-of-town, from both south and north of Japan. And the Chinese option, as well as fitting the theme of Cologne's restaurant, could draw in Chinese customers, or those who like something a bit different."

Mr. Kuonji scowled again. "Chinese okonomiyaki... the very thought." But he did seem to be considering it.

At that moment, Shampoo burst into the room. "Airen! Who are visitors? Is Airen's mother?" Cologne came up behind her, eager to meet their special guests. Ranma had told them that his mother and Ukyo's father were coming to see the restaurant, of course, and Ukyo had warned them not to mention the curse. Cologne had made sure to send Mousse off on deliveries, to make sure he didn't interfere.

Cologne ignored Mr. Kuonji, and concentrated on taking the Saotome matriarch's measure. She was encouraged by the woman's poise and elegance, noting her formal kimono and the wrapped katana she carried on her back. Cologne could tell from the lack of calluses on her hands that the woman was not trained in the use of the katana, but there was a balance and focus in her stance that said she had some training.

Ranma drew back, as Shampoo glomped him with her usual bubbly enthusiasm. Ranma quickly shot a glance at Akane, gauging her reaction, but Akane had turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. Ranma attempted to extricate himself from Shampoo's grip, while simultaneously trying to introduce her to his mother.

"Shampoo, this is my mom. Mom, this is Shampoo and Cologne, the Amazons from China."

Nodoka bowed. "I am Nodoka Saotome. It's very nice to meet friends of Ranma's."

Shampoo released Ranma, and bowed as well. "Shampoo very happy to meet Airen's mother! Airen and Shampoo love each other very much!"

"I never said nothin' like that!" Ranma protested. Shampoo just laughed at his protests, and hugged him again. "I ain't gonna marry you!" Ranma added, as he continued to try to push her away.

"Shampoo..." Ukyo cut in. "What have I told you about personal space?"

Shampoo let go, and pouted. "Shampoo just happy to meet honored mother of Airen. Shampoo want to share in Airen's happy reunion."

"It's none of your business if Mom and I are reunited or not!" Ranma shot back, with a bit of a pout of his own. Behind him, Akane looked relieved that Ukyo had spoken up, but still uncomfortable.

"Now, Ranma," Nodoka chided. "Don't sulk, it isn't manly. Shampoo, perhaps you should tell me how you and my son became engaged."

Cologne cut in, her eyes twinkling. "A boy named Tatewaki Kuno challenged my Great Granddaughter in combat," she said. "Your son defended Shampoo's honor, and then defeated her himself. By our laws, he is required to marry her."

"Shampoo's defeat was an accident," Ukyo said. "Plus, Ranma did not know he would be obligated to marry Shampoo. He thought that if Kuno defeated Shampoo, Shampoo would be required to kill him. He was only concerned for Kuno's safety." Since Nodoka didn't know of Ranma's curse, she didn't think it would be wise to mention Ranma's defeat of Shampoo in China. She glanced at Cologne, hoping she wouldn't tell Nodoka either.

As she fell silent, Mr. Kuonji spoke up. "Genma Saotome promised me that Ranma would marry my daughter. He took her away for ten years, and took my okonomiyaki cart. I do not see how Ranma defeating your great-granddaughter takes higher priority that his acceptance of my daughter's dowry."

"I understand your concern," Cologne told him. "Your daughter is a brave warrior, and has impressed us greatly. We are prepared to offer her a great deal in return for her coöperation."

"I'm not going with you, old lady," Ukyo said. "I mean no disrespect," she quickly amended, "You've been a wonderful sensei to both me and Ranchan. But I'm not going to move to China just for martial arts lessons. I want to sell okonomiyaki, and stay here in Nerima."

"Well said, Ukyo." Mr. Kuonji looked relieved. "You don't need these people. You should open a shop of your own."

"We've already made too much of an investment in the Cat Cafe," Ukyo said. "But don't worry. I think this restaurant will be a big success."

"You should try Sis's okonomiyaki," Ranma suggested. "Then you'll see how good she is. Mom, you aughtta try it too!"

"Of course, my son. I would love to try your fiancée's cooking."

"All right then." Ukyo hurried around the back of the counter, and began to heat up the griddle. "What do you think, Ranchan, the usual?"

"Yeah, the Pot Luck Okonomiyaki. You'll love this, mom."

"Pot Luck Okonomiyaki?" Mr. Kuonji asked.

"It's something I invented on the road," Ukyo said. "Since we never had much to eat, I mixed up leftovers and used them as toppings."

"Let's start with just a pork okonomiyaki," her father countered. "We'll see how well you do at that."

Ukyo bit her lip, looking back at him nervously. Finally she nodded. "Sure, Pop. I'll make whatever you want, of course."

As Ukyo prepared the batter and poured it out on the griddle, Cologne took advantage of the silence to take another look at Ranma's mother. She seemed the very image of a proper Japanese housewife (bit of a shame, that, but Cologne could work with it) but she had a truly formidable, if untrained, aura. Given the waste of flesh that was Ranma's father, Cologne wasn't sure whether to be surprised or encouraged by that. The woman would have to be a saint to put up with that man - either that, or crazy.

She had noticed that Ranma, Ukyo and Akane kept giving Nodoka's wrapped sword concerned, almost fearful glances. Ranma had reacted particularly strongly when Nodoka had chided him about not being "manly", so Cologne gathered that this was the reason they were hiding the curse from her. If she had such a rigid sense of honor, then this was definitely something Cologne could work with.

She turned to Mr. Kuonji, addressing him for the first time since he had come into her shop. "So tell me, Mr. Kuonji, how have you been doing in the ten years since your daughter left with Genma Saotome? Did the loss of your cart make it hard to continue as an okonomiyaki chef?"

The man's eyes narrowed, and Cologne grinned mischievously back at him. He sized Cologne up, obviously unimpressed by her extreme age and small size, or even that she was balanced precariously on the tip of a long staff. He snorted dismissively. "I was able to buy another cart, although not right away. I've since been making my living in Osaka. But that is not the point. Genma accepted my daughter's dowry, and even though he no longer has it, he accepted the obligation to marry her to his son."

"My great-granddaughter was humiliated before her whole tribe, when she was defeated by an outsider," Cologne replied back with a smirk. "If she does not return with Ranma's love, then she will be dishonored. Her standing in the tribe will suffer, and she may always be considered as an outcast."

Akane flinched, and looked down at the ground. Ukyo spoke up, instead. "Hey! This isn't a competition, and it certainly isn't a competition about who's had the most hard luck life. If ya wanna go with that, Ranchan's got us all beat, I think. I'm NOT going to marry Ranma, he's like a brother to me, but I still think we can resolve this without ruining anybody's honor."

She flipped the okonomiyaki over on the griddle. "Ranchan and the Tendos are helping fund this expansion to the restaurant. They're helping me to realize my dream. I think that covers the cost of an okonomiyaki cart, don't you?"

Nodoka smiled, "Oh, my son is so manly!"

Mr. Kuonji seemed to consider it for a moment. "Ranma still has an obligation to you, my daughter. And it's all well and good if the Tendos want to help you buy into this Chinese place, but what can Ranma contribute to it? He is still in high school, does he have a job?"

"Ranma took out a very large loan, and contributed most of it to the business." Ukyo glanced at Akane as she said this, and the black-haired tomboy blushed deeply, still staring at the ground. "He has agreed to work on the restaurant until he has paid it off. So while Ranma hasn't yet paid for his contribution, he is working hard for it.

"As for Ranchan's obligation to me, he has already paid that off, a thousand times over. He is everything to me, and he's protected me, supported me through good times and bad, and made me who I am today. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"It sounds like you do love my son," Nodoka said.

"I do love him," Ukyo answered, ladling out the sauce onto the cooked okonomiyaki. Then she flipped them off the griddle and served them to her father and Nodoka. "He's my Bro. I would do anything for him. That's why I'm not marrying him."

"Of course Airen not marry Shield Sister," Shampoo said brightly. "Airen marry Shampoo!"

"He's not marrying you either, Shampoo," Ukyo said, and Shampoo pouted again. She looked like she was itching to embrace Ranma, but holding herself back in front of Ranma's mother. "And you'd be wise to consider Ranma's feelings, like I do."

"This argument isn't over, daughter," her father said, fixing Ukyo with a scowl. "The honor of the Kuonji family is at stake. Were the Saotome boy to reject you, that might call into question your suitability as a wife. I don't mean to offend, daughter, but you are wearing male clothing, and talking about running a business on your own. How did that idiot Genma raise you, to be a man?"

Ukyo looked startled for a moment, and then hurt. But then she let out a deep sigh, lowering her head behind a hand. When she looked back up, it was with a cheery smile.

"I'm sorry, father. You're right, all this mess about fiancées doesn't have to be resolved now. I just let my argument with Shampoo get the best of me." She shot a glance at Shampoo, who snorted, and looked away. "Please, try your okonomiyaki!"

Nodoka had already tried hers, and had reacted with pleasant surprise to the first bite. After that, although she ate very politely and neatly, she still devoured her meal at the fastest pace that her dainty eating style could manage. Mr. Kuonji tried his, and while his eyes widened momentarily, his expression then returned to one of objective deliberation. He chewed his okonomiyaki more slowly than Nodoka, obviously taking the time to consider his judgement.

"Well... it is very good, daughter, but I am not sure about these experimental recipes. I never taught you to make Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, and you are trying to invent still another style?" He glanced at Shampoo, who was trying to look nonchalant. "I believe these people have influenced you, and you are trying to go too far in fitting in to their restaurant's theme. Do you really think that you're up to it?"

"Hey!" Ranma cut in. "Sis's okonomiyaki is great, old man!" Akane tried to hold him back, preventing his demonstration from getting to physical, but he glared at Ukyo's father. "Of course she's up to it, she's the best!"

Nodoka opened her mouth, but Ukyo beat her to it. "Don't be disrespectful, Ranchan. My father was just being honest. I've told you before, I can do better."

She turned back to her father. "Cologne is a martial arts master and a great cook, Pop. While she doesn't know how to make okonomiyaki, Hiroshima or otherwise, she helped me to research the proper recipe. I still think the variety will bring in more business. I've got a long way to go to get to where I want to be, but I think the risk is worth it."

It was impossible to miss the disappointment in Ukyo's eyes, though. Ranma restrained himself with difficulty, but then allowed Akane to pull him away. In the silence, Nodoka spoke up.

"Well, I think your okonomiyaki is wonderful, Ukyo. I'm no expert, of course, but I think that it's as good as any I have ever tasted. And I think it's wonderful that my son has taken such an interest in helping you succeed. They are already such close partners, Kuonji. Surely this is a sign that they will be even more successful in the future."

Ukyo sighed. She had lost the will to argue about it, especially since her father looked relieved by Nodoka's words. Instead, she shut down the grill, and came from behind the counter. "Let me show you the rest of it, Pop."

Her father smiled. "Of course, daughter. Let us check out your storeroom first. I may be able to offer you advice on the right kind of ingredients to buy." He shot a glance at Cologne, who regarded him evenly from her perch atop her staff. "Your supplies seem fresh enough, but you seem to be making do with Chinese spices when you should be looking for the right ingredients."

"I will come with you, Shield Sister," Cologne said, bounding over to the two of them. "I would appreciate your advice, honorable Kuonji, as I would love to tailor our own dishes more for a Japanese palate. You could give me a great deal of insight into the spices that are preferred."

"Very well," Kuonji said, as he stepped aside to let Cologne lead the way. She hopped off into the main restaurant, with the others behind her. With Ukyo out of the room, Shampoo began hugging Ranma again, and he called out for his sister to wait, and took off after her. Shampoo followed, naturally, and Ranma tripped over a few of the customers in the dining room as he tried to evade her grasp.

"Oh, it's so nice that my son has so many friends to play with," Nodoka said, beaming. She looked over at Akane. "Isn't that so, Akane?"

Akane met the elder woman's eyes grudgingly, unable to completely hide her unease. "Yes, Auntie. We all care about Ranma."

"That is wonderful. I must invite them all over to visit Ranma, when he moves back in with me. And you are welcome as well, Akane. Please excuse me." Nodoka hurried after Ranma and the others, leaving Akane alone and dejected in the half-finished lunch room.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 5

The Nail That Gets Hammered

+++

Ukyo was working late at the Cat Café with Mousse helping to put up shelves. Shampoo had returned from deliveries after the restaurant closed, and headed upstairs to go to bed. Thus, Ukyo was surprised when Shampoo came to the door. She had a happy grin on her face.

"Hello, Shampoo, my love," Mousse said. Surprisingly, though, he did not rush to embrace her. "Do you want me to help you with something?"

Shampoo frowned. "Stupid Mousse. I come to see Shield Sister, not Mousse."

Mousse looked downcast, but said nothing more. Ukyo looked up. "What's up, Shampoo?"

"Shampoo have big surprise for Shield Sister Ukyo. Big surprise! Shield Sister come see!"

Ukyo looked back at Mousse. "Can you handle this yourself, Mousse?"

"Sure, Kuonji." Mousse smiled. "I've got things covered here. You go visit with Shampoo."

"Thanks." Ukyo stepped down off the ladder. "Come on, Shampoo, let's go." She and Shampoo headed through the main dining room, and into the back rooms. Rather than head up the stairs, Shampoo led her into one of the storage rooms, and then down a stairway into the basement.

The stairway opened out into a large chamber, set up as a training room. There were mats on the floor, and the whole area was lit by florescent lights hung from the cross braces that held up the floor above. Ukyo took note of the weapons scattered about, and concluded that Cologne had been training Shampoo recently.

"Hey, I remember this," Ukyo said. "This is where Cologne had that gigantic furo, underneath her restaurant. I fell through a trap door when I was trying to fight her for the Phoenix Pill."

"That right. Great Grandmother say furo waste of space, turn whole room into dojo for training." Still grinning, Shampoo grabbed Ukyo's hands and pulled her off to one side. "Still is shower over here, though. Come see!"

A couple of dividers sectioned off this portion of the chamber, and Shampoo slid the door open to reveal a small room. The floor was tiled, and a shower and wash buckets were set against the back wall. It looked very much like the section of the bathing room that she and Cologne had fought in before. A mirror completely covered one wall, much like the furoba at the Tendo home.

Shampoo reached into the neckline of her gown. "Shield Sister remember packets of Instant Nannichuan Shampoo bought from China? Thought Shampoo send them all back. Not enough money to keep them, when Airen not want go on date. But was cleaning Shampoo's room and find something. Something good."

She pulled out a packet, and held it up. "Shampoo forgot one packet, never returned to China. Shampoo give to Shield Sister! Is big surprise, yes?" She was practically ecstatic.

Ukyo took the packet, and eyed it dubiously. "Well, I'm sure Ranchan will be happy to see this, but it's only a one shot cure. Maybe he could use it to go swimming or something..."

"No, no," Shampoo smiled, broadly. "Shampoo give to Shield Sister. Shield Sister use, to see if curse can be cured! If Shield Sister replace curse with one to turn into boy, then can cure curse with Spring of Drowned Girl!"

Ukyo's expression brightened. "Oh, yeah! We talked about this before. If the packet turns me into myself as a boy, that means it replaced my original curse, and I'll be able to cure it, eventually, with the Spring of Drowned Girl. On the other hand, if I turn into Ranchan, then I know the curses mixed, and I might have more trouble curing it."

"Shampoo have washtub," she said, pointing to a large wash basin that had been placed underneath the shower. It looked like the same tub she had used for the demonstration with the dog. "Ukyo want to try?"

"Sure!" Ukyo stepped over to the wash basin, and started taking off her shirt. "No time like the present, I guess!"

"Shampoo fill tub for Shield Sister," Shampoo said. There was a separate faucet underneath the shower, for filling wash buckets, and Shampoo turned it on, to begin filling the basin with cold water. She then opened the packet, pouring it into the water. "Ready?"

Ukyo took off her bra, then her pants, and set them on a bench, away from any potential splashing. Then she stepped back and looked into the mirror. "I hope you're not planning on looking at Ranma's body if I happen to turn into him." Ukyo said, with a sly grin at Shampoo.

Shampoo touched her fingertips together. "Aiyah... Come on. Just a little peek?"

Ukyo's grin widened. "No way. Ranchan respects my body, and I respect his. You stand outside the door." She pointed at a spot just outside of the doorway.

"Shield Sister no fun," Shampoo pouted, but she shut off the water, and turned to step out of the room. "Shield Sister probably just turn into boy Ukyo anyway."

"I don't want you to see that, either, Shampoo. I do have some modesty, you know."

"Oh, pooh." Shampoo was smirking, though, and took her position. At least her vantage point let her see Ukyo from the rear.

"All right, here I go." From where she stood, she could look into the mirror, and despite what she said about modesty, she was curious about what she would see. Blushing a bit, she settled into the washtub, still watching her image in the mirror carefully. It was a bit cramped, but large enough to fit her lower body and legs, as she sat waist deep in the water. Just to make sure, she splashed her face and upper body to make sure she was completely wet.

For a moment, nothing happened. She expected a second to pass, and then another passed without any effect. But then Ukyo felt the change. The differences that made him a man were anything but subtle, but he could see in the mirror that his chest had gotten broader, and thicker, not just flatter. And his face was Ranma's.

Before Ukyo could acquaint himself with the rest of the changes in his body, Shampoo suddenly screamed. "Aiyah! What is happening?"

Ukyo turned to look at her, only to find that his hair had grown out, and his pigtail was hanging down his back. As he watched in horror, it spread out across his back and onto the floor. "The Dragon Whisker! I'd forgotten about it!" He stood up, but stumbled over the hair and fell out of the washtub. "Shampoo, turn on the hot water, fast!"

"Aiyah! Thought Shield Sister would want to wait and see what curse is like!"

"Hurry, Shampoo! I've got to turn back into a woman, now!" Ukyo was trying to get to the faucet himself, but the hair was rapidly growing to block his path. "Any longer, and I'll run out of hair and go bald!"

Shampoo charged into the room. She was able to run around the wildly growing mass of black hair, but then got caught in the tangled strands as they bunched up against the wall. She waded through the pile, trying to reach the faucet. Ukyo had managed to kick the wash basin over, spilling the cursed water, which ran down the drain. He then tried to force his way through the hair as well, but it was like being tangled in a net.

Finally, Shampoo grabbed the handle and turned it. Hot water sprayed from the faucet, and then, as Shampoo turned another handle, the shower head. A frantic second passed where their efforts appeared to have been in vain, and then the huge mass of hair disappeared. Ukyo dropped to the floor, her brown hair back to its normal length.

"What happened?" Shampoo asked. "Was wrong curse? Shampoo not know of hair growing curse..."

"It's got nothing to do with the curse," Ukyo said, breathing a sigh of relief. "While I was in China, running from you, I accidentally ate a Dragon's Whisker."

"Dragon's Whisker? Shampoo has heard of it. Is ancient Chinese remedy, designed to grant a man a certain desire..."

Ukyo nodded. "Yep, a desire for more hair. It's a baldness cure."

"How Shield Sister eat Dragon Whisker?"

"I was in China, as I said, and you had just attacked us. I got separated from Ranchan and the Old Man in the confusion. I was starving, it had been days since I had eaten, so I decided to walk past a few Chinese restaurants I had spotted. I was hoping one would give me a handout."

Ukyo smiled. "I was walking past one shop, and this man ran out of the door. The owner followed, yelling for the thief to stop. I stuck out my foot and tripped the thief, and he fell to the ground. He was carrying a large bowl filled with rice porridge, and I caught it so it would not be spilled.

"The shop's owner told me that the porridge the thief had stolen was made with Dragon's Whisker, a secret recipe which a rich client had ordered from him. He thanked me for stopping the thief and saving the soup. I went inside with him and presented the soup to the customer, who was bald. He ate just a few spoonfuls of it, and his hair grew out to his shoulders. He then thanked the owner and myself, and left.

"The owner asked me if there was anything he could do to repay me. I was hungry, so I asked what would be done with the leftover soup. He was going to offer it to his waitresses, since it didn't affect women. So I asked him if he would give it to me. He said it was the least he could do."

"Since I was female in both my forms, I didn't think it was important. The restaurant owner said that he had another whisker, and it could be used to bind the magic if I was male, but I didn't have the money for it, and didn't think I needed it anyway. So that's it. I can't cure my curse this way."

"What Ukyo mean?" Shampoo looked confused. "Could go to Jusenkyo, jump in Spring of Drowned Man, then run to Spring of Drowned Girl, yes?"

"Yes, but I turned into Ranchan. Chances are the Spring of Drowned Girl would just return my curse to its original state." Ukyo shook her head. "And even if I took a chance that it would cure me, my hair would grow so long I'd be stumbling over it before I got five steps."

"Aiyah... and Shampoo was so sure would be cure." Shampoo looked downcast.

"Don't worry about it, Shampoo. I'm happy with my curse. I would rather not get cured anyway. At least I know now that the curses mix, at least in my case, instead of having to guess." Ukyo walked back to the middle of the room. "Splash me with cold water again. I need to cut my hair."

Shampoo grabbed a bucket and filled it with cold water. Then she walked over to the door. She splashed Ukyo from safely outside of the room, while Ukyo stood inside the small washroom. In a moment, her red hair again filled the room, from wall to wall. Ukyo seemed to be buried in it, although at least the hair wasn't growing any more.

"Ukyo's hair grow separately in cursed form?"

"Yeah, I guess that's how it works. Get me a pair of scissors."

Shampoo smiled. "Shield Sister cut hair to look like Airen again?"

Ukyo thought for a moment. "Actually... since my hair is already this long, I think I'll trim it to the length of my own hair. That way my hair won't change length anymore."

"Shampoo get scissors." She turned from the door, and headed for the stairway back to the upper rooms.

Ukyo looked around the room at the piles of scarlet locks, which were filling it completely. "When you're done giving me a haircut, help me gather up and untangle all this hair. Even though Happosai hasn't managed to strike back yet, I have an idea for a prank..."

+++

The bell rang to announce the end of gym class, and Akane and Ukyo headed in from the field. To Akane's surprise, she and Ukyo had ended up on the same team, for the first time since the school year began. Even more surprising, both Sayuri and Yuka had been picked for the other team. While usually the team Sayuri and Yuka were on was random, and they had been on the same team at times and opposite teams on others, still, the whole situation made Akane feel uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being singled out and isolated.

As they approached the bench, both Sayuri and Yuka were waiting to greet their friends. Seeing their smiles made Akane feel better, and the four girls headed for the locker room.

"Aw man." Ukyo flinched, pinning her arms against herself as if trying to hold them back. "I can't wait to get back to the locker room and take a shower."

Akane looked her friend over. She had noticed Ukyo had been twitchy all during the game, but felt it was because of what happened during the last gym class. An encounter like that would make anyone nervous. "What's wrong?"

Ukyo snorted. "Happosai. He put itching power in my shorts. It's just now kicking in."

"You mean, all that time, you were..." Akane looked at her friend, incredulous.

"Yep, itching like crazy," she grinned. "I guess Sensei finally gave up on trying to prank me at home, and snuck into the locker room. It worked, too."

"I'm guessing you already have your counter-move planned?" Akane asked with a smile.

Ukyo shot her a thumbs up. "You betcha!"

"At least that old freak won't be able to sneak into our locker room for much longer," Sayuri said. "The school year ends in a couple of weeks, and then he'll have to take on Ukyo at home - unless he wants to try pranking you at the Cat Café."

"I doubt he'll do that," Ukyo countered. "He and Cologne don't like each other much. I get the impression he's trying to avoid her."

"After our junior year starts, though, Happosai's bound to come back. We'll have gym at a different time, but that's not going to stop him." Yuka looked worried. "He usually attacks one of the other classes anyway."

"We'll probably have to set a watch for him," Akane said, "Just like we did when we set the traps for him."

"Speaking of the new school year," Sayuri put in, "do you think you'll have your restaurant done in time to open during the break?"

"I hope so. I'm pretty sure that I can open next week, like I promised my Pop. And once school lets out, I'll have a whole month to get used to running a business before I have to start school again."

"So how did the meeting with your father go?" Yuka asked.

Ukyo's face fell, and Akane's eyes narrowed as well. "It didn't go well," Ukyo said. "I think the influence of the Amazons on the restaurant bothered him, and I didn't do very good on the okonomiyaki. I'll have to do better next time."

"He didn't even give it a chance!" Akane snapped. "I'd be the last one to say that I like Shampoo and her great-grandmother, but the way he dismissed them was just rude! And your okonomiyaki was great! It was just that he had a regular okonomiyaki, and he couldn't see your talent for improvising, and mixing ingredients. If he had a Pot Luck Okonomiyaki, he would have seen!"

Ukyo shook her head. "I dunno, Akane-chan. I think he'd already decided that my okonomiyaki wasn't traditional enough. And maybe it isn't..."

"So what?" Sayuri grinned at her. "Tradition is great, I guess, but if you have a gift for creating something new, maybe that's what you should do."

"Well, I guess I'll ask him to come again when were closer to opening day," Ukyo said. "I'm just about done with the major work, and maybe when the construction is done, it'll look better. It's hard to see the theme as a whole with all the dust and woodwork lying around. I'm really hoping that he likes it..."

"I'm sure your father will see how hard you're been working," Yuka told her. "He's got to respect that."

They went into the gymnasium and continue towards the locker room. As they got near the door, however, there was a crowd blocking the way.

The blonde girl with the pink hair band was in the lead. She stood with her arms folded, glaring at Akane and Ukyo as they neared. "We've all had a talk, okay?" she said. "And we don't want her in the locker room." She nodded at Ukyo.

"What?" Sayuri snapped back. "Who's 'we'?"

"All of us," she replied. "Too many of us are getting nervous with her around, and we're not putting up with it any more. She's not coming in, and neither is Akane."

"Me! Why would you think that I..." Akane trailed off, unsure what to say without inadvertently insulting Ukyo.

The blonde caught the implication anyway. "I don't know why we were worried about you. The way you beat on Ranma, you probably like it. I'll bet all three of you are beating on each other, you know?" She sneered derisively at Ukyo. "Or doing other perverted things..."

"Other things?" Akane clenched her fists, trying to keep control. How could they think such a thing? She knew that she was considered 'weird' and a tomboy, but she thought it went no further than that. Did her classmates really believe she was a... pervert? That she was in love with Ukyo as well as Ranma? That they had some kind of weird threesome going on?

"What are you trying to say?" Ukyo hissed. She had long since passed the point of trying to reason with them, and had her hands on her hips, glaring back. Although she seemed outwardly calm, Akane could see the increasing discomfort in her stance, which told her that Happosai's itching powder was getting worse. This kind of thing would test anybody's control, and Akane was worried that Ukyo's patience was reaching its end.

"Look, there's nothing like that going on," Akane said. She didn't want to threaten these girls, but couldn't keep her voice down. "Ukyo is my friend, nothing more. And Ranma is her brother! That's just sick!"

"You're the ones that are sick!" the girl shot back. She pointed at Akane. "You keep saying you hate boys. But why would you lead them on like that if you hated the fighting so much? I bet you just loved it, you little pervert! You had the whole school chasing you, while the rest of us couldn't do anything but sit back and watch!"

"Lead... Lead... them... on?" A red haze came up over her eyes, and Akane felt herself losing control. "You think I liked that? You think I liked being assaulted every day? You think I asked for it? They attacked me!"

"Sure they did. This school was just fine until you came here. You and your martial artist friends. You just had to have all the attention, didn't you? And then, when all the boys became obsessed with you, you had to play hard to get. You couldn't just go on a date with one of them, the way you were supposed to, you had to take all of our boyfriends, and keep them all chasing you!"

Akane gritted her teeth, counting to herself. She could feel her battle aura raging against her control, and struggled to draw in it around her, to not let it lash out. I can't afford to lose my temper, she told herself. The blonde girl was in pretty good shape, but she wasn't a martial artist. She probably didn't even know how to fight. A few of the girls backed away, wide-eyed, sensing the tension in Akane's body.

"Hey, Mariko..." muttered one of her followers. "You didn't tell us you were going to go after Akane... I thought this was about Ukyo."

The haughty blonde ignored her, though. She seemed confident in her leadership of the group, and either didn't notice the reddish light blazing in Akane's eyes, or didn't care.

"What are you gonna do, pervert? You thug. You psycho." Mariko looked smug. "Are you gonna hit me?"

"No..." Sayuri said. She grabbed the girl by the shoulder, and spun her around. "But I am." Sayuri slapped her, hard, across the face.

"What is wrong with all you people?" Sayuri yelled, turning to the watching crowd. She ignored the girl she slapped, who was stunned into silence. "Akane and Ukyo are our friends! They protect us! They keep Happosai away! What would you all do if they suddenly decided to leave, and leave us to Happosai! What would you do then?"

"Happosai only came to this school because they brought him!" the blonde said, rubbing her cheek. "He's Ukyo's sensei! She even admits it!"

"Yes, he's my sensei, but that doesn't mean I take his side." Ukyo was scowling, but she was glad Sayuri had stepped in. She shifted her legs a bit, trying not to think about how badly she wanted to take a shower right now. Damn that Happosai! He was going to pay dearly for this.

"And even if that's true," Sayuri continued, "What about Kuno? Akane didn't bring him here, he was going to this school well before Akane showed up. If she hadn't been here to attract his attention, to fend off his advances and drive him away, which of you would have become his sick obsession? Would you be able to deal with him?" She stared at the blonde leader, and then at her equally snobbish lackeys. "Would you be able to keep him away? Or would you be forced to give in to him."

Several of the girls shuddered. The girl with glasses, who had shown concern for Akane before, tentatively spoke up. "Kuno's not like that. He may swing that sword around, but he'd never force a girl..."

"Are you sure?" Sayuri rounded on her, her eyes flashing. "Or did Akane's rejection of him only prove how big a pervert he really was? Is it Akane's fault because she said no?" She locked eyes with the girls' leader again, who looked away. Several of the other girls were looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Or was it Kuno that showed that he couldn't take no for an answer? And the rest of those boys, too.

"Where were you when Akane was fighting them off? Where was your outrage then? Did you become concerned for her only when you saw bruising, but as long as she was dealing with it, it was okay?" Sayuri paused a moment, taking a breath. "I didn't do anything about it back then..." she glanced at Akane. "... and I'm sorry about that." Akane gave her a grateful smile in return. Her gaze returned to the rest of the crowd. "But neither did any of you..."

There was a long moment of silence, which was broken by Hiroshi calling out from the other side of the gym. "Hey guys," he said, hurrying over with Daisuke by his side. Ranma was trailing behind him, but it looked like he was coldly furious. He had his own arms crossed, and was staring daggers at the crowd of girls. It was obvious that Hiroshi had decided to do the talking because Ranma was in no mood to talk.

"Ukyo, Akane, the boys are all through in our locker room. Why don't you come over and use our shower? We'll stand outside the door and make sure nobody goes back in. And Ranma here will watch the two of us and make sure we don't peek." He grinned widely, cocking his thumb behind him at Ranma.

"You got that right," Ranma snarled. It was obvious that he was only barely holding himself back.

Ukyo cut her eyes at Mariko, who looked like she was offended that Hiroshi and Daisuke had stepped in. Then she turned back to him with a bright smile. "Thanks. I think that is a wonderful idea. And thank you too, Ranchan."

Sayuri shoved the slender blonde aside. "I'll go in and get your clothes. Assuming I'm still welcome in there..." She glared at the girl, daring her to say no.

"And after we're done, I'm going to shower with Ukyo and Akane," added Yuka. "I know who my friends are."

As Sayuri passed the friendly girl who had defended Akane before, she put a hand on Sayuri's shoulder, peering sheepishly at her through her glasses. "I'm so sorry I started all this mess. I'd like to go with you as well, if you'll let me," she said. "But I want to see this training technique for myself."

"I'll show you the way to the Tendo dojo," Sayuri said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Akane walked across the gym with Hiroshi and Daisuke. She seemed to be reevaluating her opinion of them. "Thank you, both of you," Akane said to Hiroshi, the relief obvious in her voice. "This really does mean a lot to me."

"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm sure this'll all blow over by tomorrow," Daisuke said.

Hiroshi chucked. "Yeah, if the doofus here can realize he made a mistake and apologize to Ranma, anybody can." He punched his friend in the shoulder, and Daisuke shot him a dirty look.

"Anyway," Daisuke put in, turning his attention back to Akane. "You guys helped Ranma when he was going in the girls' locker room. This is our way of repaying the favor."

Then Hiroshi's mood darkened. "Besides... like Sayuri said." He locked eyes with Akane for a moment, but then looked away. "We didn't do anything about the Hentai Horde either. So this is kinda an apology."

Akane regarded him with a smile. "I never thought I'd see the day. A boy is being less perverted than a girl..."

+++

"Thanks for your help, guys," Akane said, as she led her two friends over to one of the booths in the ice cream shop. "Just to show my appreciation, the ice cream is on me."

"You don't have to do that, Akane," Yuka told her. "We were happy to help."

"No, I insist. You guys stood by me when I needed it. Let me pay for this. It's my treat."

"Well, okay, if you're going to insist..." Sayuri giggled, and Akane joined in. In a few minutes, the three girls had given their orders to the server, and three big bowls of ice cream set in front of them.

The Sayuri and Yuka dug into their ice cream, but Akane just picked at hers. "Oh, Akane, cheer up," Yuka said. "You shouldn't let those girls get to you."

Akane set her spoon down. "Why wouldn't they listen to me? I tried to explain what was going on, that Ranma wasn't hurting me, but they just didn't want to listen." She looked up into Yuka's eyes. "Did they really want to believe that Ranma would beat me, rather than take my word that I'm serious about being a martial artist? Do I..." Akane swallowed. "Do I really seem that... weak?"

Sayuri put an arm around her shoulder. "Listen, Akane, don't blame yourself for that. Those girls were being jerks, and jerks like that don't care who they insult. That one girl didn't care about you, she was there because she hated Ukyo. And Ranma."

"Ukyo..." Akane looked down again. "If I hadn't tried to be clever with his curse, and kissed Ranma in that play, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be caught up in all these rumors. If it wasn't for me, Ranma wouldn't have called me his fiancée when he was in Ukyo's body, and he wouldn't have shown the whole school her breasts while trying to protect me. It's all my fault."

Sayuri laughed, lightly. "Akane, if it wasn't for you, Ukyo wouldn't be here at this school. She would probably still be going to a boy's school with Ranma. I think Ukyo would say that she's happy you introduced her to friends. Friends that she can be herself around." She glanced at Yuka, who echoed her sentiment with a smile.

Akane didn't look convinced. "I've heard the rumors, what they're saying about her. That she's a cross-dresser, that she likes other women." She stabbed the ice cream with her spoon. "It's just not fair!"

"They don't know Ukyo like we do," Yuka said kindly. "But at least she's got us to set the others right. Imagine if she didn't have friends like us. She'd be pretty lonely."

Akane stirred her ice cream for a moment, thoughtfully, and then took a bite. After a moment, she looked up at her friends. "Look, guys... I hear the rumors, what people say about me. But you hear a lot more than I do." She studied Sayuri and Yuka for a second, then sighed. "Was that girl telling the truth? Do people really think that I let those boys attack me just to get attention? That I was... stealing their boyfriends?"

Sayuri and Yuka stared at each other for a moment, nervously. Then Sayuri shot her an apologetic look. "Well... yeah. That girl Mariko... I don't really know her, but from what I've heard, she's one of the really popular girls. She was involved with one of the star soccer players, a really important guy in the school. Then, after Kuno made his declaration, he joined in with all of the other jocks who were attacking you. Most of those guys, you know, they were just weirdos. The Kendo Club got involved, of course, and guys from the Hockey and American Football Clubs and the like, nobody would care who they dated. But there were a couple of star players that had popular girlfriends, and they weren't happy when their guys started going after you.

"After Ranma showed up, and all of them gave up, that guy went back to his girlfriend. But she never let up about him chasing you. From what I hear, she kept nagging at him until he finally got fed up, and broke up with her. That's when the rumors really started."

"Why blame me?" Akane asked, scowling as she stabbed at her ice cream again. "Sounds just like a typical, perverted boy! He cheats on his girl, and then blames her for it when she gets angry."

"Yeah," Sayuri said, "And honestly, she wasn't much better. She's a real bitch, as you can tell. Back when Ranma called you his fiancée in your fight against the Golden Pair, she's the one who teased you about it."

Akane's eyes narrowed. No wonder that girl had seemed so familiar. She had almost forgotten that moment, how humiliated and embarrassed she felt, but it was definitely the same girl. Akane could almost hear the blonde's words, the smug, self-righteous voice calling out, "Aren't you two, like, going to hold hands?"

"Even back then, she was spreading the rumor that you were a lesbian," Sayuri continued, "According to her, you stole all the boys so you would have your pick of the girls who had been dumped by them."

"But that's crazy!" Akane said.

"Well of course," said Yuka. "Rumors like that don't ever make any sense. She was just trying to turn everyone against you."

Akane stirred her ice cream for a long moment. An uncomfortable silence fell over the girls, as Akane seemed to be thinking very hard. Then, cutting her eyes up at her friends and blushing a little, she asked quietly. "Do you think I should have handled that differently?"

Sayuri glanced at Yuka, and her friend gave her a pained look. "No! Don't even think that!" She took Akane's hand. "Those boys attacked you! You had no choice!"

"But I could have asked for help, or just run away." Akane shook her head, closing her eyes against the memories that still haunted her, a year later. "Why did I ever think that was a good idea? That wasn't a challenge, it was a bunch of thugs, attacking me all at once! That wasn't honorable or fair! And I wasn't even helping my martial arts skills, in the end I was ruining my training!"

Yuka took her hand as well. "Akane, stop it. You're not responsible for what happened. The school is who should have stopped it, and they never did. At the time, we didn't know why they wouldn't step in, but now that we know Kuno's father is the principal, it all makes sense."

"That's right," Sayuri added. "Just before Kuno's freshman year, the principal instituted all these new rules about fighting. We weren't there back then, of course, but Nabiki found all this out. It made challenges legal on the school grounds, particularly for his son. Then the principal vanished. I heard he went to America. I guess he wanted to make sure his son had all the advantages before he left."

Yuka nodded. "The administration wasn't about to challenge Tatewaki Kuno and risk having his father come back to deal with it. I hear the vice principal and the other teachers are afraid of him. I guess he was a real nutcase, just like his son is. So they wouldn't have done anything to stop the fights. And they arranged with the parents to keep it quiet and not get anyone else involved as well."

"You know what they say about life in Japan, Akane." Sayuri said, softly. "'The nail that sticks up gets hammered.' No one was going to say anything." She lowered her head.

Akane took Sayuri's hand and squeezed it, smiling when she looked up. "Anyway," Sayuri continued, "you shouldn't blame yourself. That's what perverts like Kuno want you to do. The kind of sick, twisted guys who think they have the right to beat up a woman just because they're stronger, and force her to do whatever they want. And when you fight back, they want you to think it's your fault, like you did something wrong. If you listen to them, if you let them make you feel like that, then those perverts win."

Akane's grin widened, then turned wicked, as she held up her clenched her fist. "I'll never let any pervert win."

"That's right!" her friends agreed. They grinned as they stuck up their fists beside hers.

Akane stirred her ice cream again, taking a bite before she spoke. "Still, there's got to be something I can do about those girls in the locker room. Maybe it would have helped, and maybe it wouldn't have, but if I had been thinking clearly back then, I might have tried to come up with a plan. So here, now, what can I do?"

"Asking that one girl over to see you train is a good start," Yuka told her. "Actually, I'd love to watch you train, I've never seen it before, and I'm sure it would be fascinating."

"All right, I'll make arrangements for you to come over some time." Akane smiled, and took another bite of her ice cream. "Anything else?"

"Well, it seems to me, Akane, that you've been really happy lately. What with how things are working out with Ranma, and Kuno busy getting ready for his senior year, no one has seen Akane the Boy Hater that much lately." Sayuri grinned impishly. "Maybe the school needs a reminder of who you really are."

Akane's look turned mischievous as well, as she thought about it. Her smile was frighteningly reminiscent of Nabiki. "Maybe you're right. I have been awfully calm lately. Maybe it is time the temperamental tomboy showed her face again."

"That's the spirit." The girls turned back to their ice cream, as the conversation fell silent.

After a moment, though, Yuka looked up, her expression worried. Akane and Sayuri noticed her discomfort, but remained silent, waiting for Yuka to speak up on her own. She seemed to deliberate for a while, but then cleared her throat.

"Don't take this the wrong way but..." She cut her eyes at Akane, her expression apologetic. "I was just thinking, those girls are crazy, of course, thinking you and Ranma and Ukyo would be... well... involved in a three-way." She blushed, and glanced at Akane, who blushed as well. "It's just that..." She bit her lip. "In a way, they're kind of right. Not the way they think, of course, but with Ranma's curse, you are involved with a girl and a guy... who are the same person."

"Yuka!" Sayuri chastised. "You shouldn't say that!"

"Well, no, but it's true... sort of." She glanced around at the ice cream shop. There weren't any other customers near them, but Yuka lowered her voice anyway. "I'm worried, okay. Akane, do you know what you're getting yourself into? Have you... have you thought about this?"

Akane stared back at her, frightened and a little angry. She had no right to ask about that! But she had to admit, Yuka had a point. And if she couldn't talk with her best friends about this, who could she talk to? Reluctantly, she admitted that she couldn't discuss it with Ukyo, because in a way, she was part of the problem. And she had been avoiding it for so long...

Finally, she let out a breath, lowering her head into her arms. "You're right, Yuka. I have thought about it, but didn't want to think about it too hard, for fear of what I might find. I... I don't know what this means. I know that if I start showing affection to another woman, people will think I'm... what they think I am. But... but..."

She kept her face lowered, cast in shadow. "I don't know... If I'm what I think I am..."

Yuka swallowed. "Are you really not sure?"

Akane lifted her head a little, staring off into the distance. "I've kissed Ranma, in both of his forms, and I can tell that it feels different. It's a different kind of... attraction. When Ranma's a man, I feel an urge to... just keep kissing him forever. I can't get enough, like I'm out of control." She smiled at Sayuri and Yuka, and her blush got very deep. "I even... I even think about the things that... follow kissing." She hid her face in her arms again. "I feel that very strongly.

"When Ranma's a woman, it's not as insistent. I still feel the same about him, I can feel that I love him, but there's not that sense of urgency. There's just not that interest in Ranma's body. If anything, I can feel Ranma's attraction to me more strongly, since I'm not distracted by feeling out of control. It's nice... I think I might be a bit frightened of Ranma when he's male, but I don't focus as much on his reaction since I'm thinking more about my own. When he's a woman... I feel safer, so I can enjoy that Ranma likes my body - except for being uncomfortable with the fact that he's a girl."

"So you're not a lesbian then?"

Akane frowned. "Except... I'm not sure if I feel that way because that's how I feel, or because that's how I'm supposed to feel. I get very nervous when Ranma shows me affection in public as a girl, because people are watching. Sometimes I don't even realize it's happening until I notice we're in public, and then I get embarrassed. And when we're alone..." Akane blushed again. "I don't have any problem with Ranma kissing me, no matter what gender he happens to be at the time. I've told him that."

Yuka looked concerned. "Well, you shouldn't treat Ranma differently because of what body he is in. It isn't fair to him."

"Exactly! And it isn't fair to me! I don't want to treat Ranma differently because of how he looks." Her expression turned very far away. "But there will come a time... when we're... together... when I will have to decide. Kissing, hugging, I'm fine with that, but that..." She looked up, and met Yuka's eyes. "It's not the same with a woman."

"It's likely Ranma isn't going to want that either," Sayuri said, cutting in. "Considering how he feels about being a man, he will want to be a man for you. After all, his male body is just a glass of hot water away."

"And there's his feelings about his sister, and how he feels about sharing her body. I've told him how I feel about it, that he's more like a twin sister than Ukyo herself, but he may still think that it's disrespectful to Ukyo..." Akane lowered her head. "And I'm not sure I disagree with that."

"So, you don't do it!" Sayuri said with a grin.

Akane looked up at her. "Only, if there's anything the Cat's Tongue has taught me, it's that Ranma could get locked in his female form at any time. If I truly love him, and want to be with him forever, then I've got to consider the possibility. It's not fair to Ranma to make a commitment to him, and hang his hopes for life and the future on being with me, and then dump him just because his curse gets locked!"

Both Sayuri and Yuka fell silent, at that. An ominous gloom hung over the booth, as the silence stretched on.

Akane finally spoke. "Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. If something like that happens, Ranma's going to need me, and for more than just sex. We'll have to decide together what we want to do.

"What really bothers me is, I'm such a tomboy. I hate to admit that, but I've never been any good at any of the things other girls do; cooking, cleaning, sewing. Maybe the other girls are right, maybe I am hiding the truth from myself because I don't want to be a tomboy." Akane cut her eyes at Sayuri and Yuka. "Would... would it make you nervous, knowing that I... that I could be interested in other girls."

"First of all Akane, no, that wouldn't make me nervous." Sayuri took her hand again. "Heck, we've bathed with Ranma, and he's really a boy. I might be a little nervous if I hadn't come to terms with that, but it doesn't matter to me.

"Second, just because you like boyish things doesn't mean you're not a girl, or that you're attracted to girls. That's two different things. And you never learned to cook or sew or any of that. Give yourself a chance. You may find that you're a good cook, eventually."

"But I never had any interest in any of that," Akane said. "I never wanted to cook for anyone until Ranma came along. I never wanted to date boys until Ranma came along. I never wanted to have anything to do with boys until Ranma came along. When I look at Ranma... I want to be a girl for him. I want to be pretty, and make food that's actually good, and... I want him to be happy. I've never wanted that before."

"What about the Romeo and Juliet play?" Yuka put in. "You wanted to play Juliet, long before you met Ranma."

Akane blushed, and stared off into the distance for a long moment. Yuka smiled. "Don't worry about it, Akane. You're a perfectly ordinary girl. Maybe you have your own interests, but that's what makes Ranma like you." Her grin widened. "I bet being a tomboy and sparring with him makes Ranma a lot happier than if you cooked some dinner and left him on his own."

"Maybe so," Akane said softly. Although she was unable to meet Yuka's eyes, she couldn't hide her smile.

"All right then Akane," Sayuri said, with a smug grin. "Let me ask you this. Have you ever had any feelings for any woman other than Ranma? Think about it, seriously. Is there any woman you would want to... 'do it' with?"

Akane's eyes widened, and she blushed clear down to the roots of her hair. "No! I mean... I don't think so..." Ukyo's cheery smile flashed across her mind - or was it Ranma's? - and Akane bit her lip. She had come a long way, talking to her friends about this, but she couldn't give voice to her true fears. How could she, when she wasn't even sure of her own feelings? It wasn't fair to Ranma or Ukyo to speculate about something that might just be her imagination, her fears running away with her.

She knew that she could tell Ranma and Ukyo apart. As similar as they were, there were cues that gave them away, even subtle signs that Akane sensed unconsciously. But they shared so many mannerisms, and even more than that, a long history together that shaped both of their personalities. And Akane could tell, at times, that their curses were merging them, bringing them closer together. Ukyo had said that her curse let her feel Ranma's feelings, to experience how he felt about her. And Ranma said that his curse had given him some of Ukyo's traits as well.

Did Ukyo's curse allow her to feel how Ranma felt for her? The thought only made her feel even more unsure of herself. What if Ukyo came to feel like Ranma felt?

She had always said that Ranma was Ranma, and her feelings for him had nothing to do with Ukyo. But was that a lie? They had come into her life together, and she had never really seen them apart. It was the chestnut haired girl and the redhead that she had first met, and only later had she learned that Ukyo's true form was that girl, and Ranma was a man. They were merged together in her mind, and maybe, in her heart as well. And would that be so bad? She already felt closer to Ukyo than to her own sisters. Yes, even Kasumi.

"I've never had any feelings like that for any man... other than Ranma," Akane said. She knew she was ducking the question, but fortunately her friends didn't seem to notice. "Other than Dr. Tofu. And that was a childhood crush." She blushed again, lowering her eyes, shyly. "I really didn't feel about Dr. Tofu the way I feel about Ranma. I was in love with him... I'm pretty sure of that, but I never felt the same... need..." She hid her face behind her hands.

"Well, you're certainly attracted to men, then, that's for sure," Sayuri said, smugly. "Or at least to Ranma in his male form." She giggled. "I'd say that makes you Ranmasexual. And if it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure Ranma isn't attracted to any woman but you, either."

"Aw, geez... guys!" Akane could not speak for several minutes, as she hid her face, her blush so deep it felt like she was burning up.

Yuka finally broke the silence, by taking Akane's hand. "There's still one thing you need to consider, Akane. I know you're confused about your feelings, and afraid of what people are going to think of you. But people are going to think things anyway. If you let those people hurt you, or frighten you away from following your heart, you'll never be happy. But you've got to be ready for that."

Akane looked up at her. "The way you feel about Ranma, it's obvious that you're in love with him," Yuka continued. "Anyone can see it. And even when he's in girl form... you can be careful, when you're in public, and not give away too much. But there are times, when you show him affection, when it doesn't even seem like you notice what body he's in."

"Yeah..." Akane agreed. "It bothers Ranma, too. But I don't want it to come between us." She met Yuka's eyes, with determination. "I won't let it come between us."

Yuka nodded. "There are people, though, that are going to see two women showing that kind of affection and just assume they're lesbians. If they know you, then they'll know Ukyo, and know you two are really close, like sisters. You're affectionate with Ukyo, too, and that's all right, given that you're friends. Either that, or if they've listened to the rumors, they might believe that something's going on. But they'll be wrong."

Akane glanced away, although Yuka didn't seem to notice her discomfort, or attributed it to embarrassment. "Strangers, though, they'll naturally assume that you're in a relationship with Ranma, and won't know that Ranma is really a man." Yuka said. "They'll think you're both lesbians, even though technically that's not true."

"Honestly, that's something Ranma has to deal with every day," Sayuri said. "Strangers will always naturally assume that he's a woman, just from how he looks. He can't stop people from thinking that... that's who he really is.

"As for you, Akane, I think you're worrying too much. Admit it, you have a tendency to jump to conclusions, and this is no different."

Akane huffed a little at the accusation, but then gave Sayuri a sheepish grin. "I guess you're right. Thanks, guys. I'm just glad you two are so understanding."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 6

Dysfunctional Relationship

+++

The Tendo home awakened to a screaming match between its two most stubborn and boisterous inhabitants. Kasumi was calmly making breakfast for the family as usual, but Nabiki and Genma stared up at the ceiling, wincing as the stomping over their heads caused dust to drift down around them. Soun just hid behind his paper.

"Why won't you at least try the breakfast I made for you?"

"I don't feel like risking an afternoon of dry heaves and frantic trips to the bathroom, you dumb tomboy!"

"You don't know that it's all that bad! My cooking has been getting a lot better lately, I'll have you know!"

"Yeah, well, tell it to the food!"

"Honestly, Ranma, I don't know why you won't give it a chance! It's okonomiyaki, your favorite!"

There was more crashing from the floor above, as Ranma tried to escape from his insistent fiancée. Then Akane spoke up again. "Ukyo even helped me make this!"

"That's even worse!" Ranma snapped back. "I shudder to think what you could do to Sis's okonomiyaki!"

"Ranma, you baka!" There was a final loud crash, and Ranma tumbled out of the window. They could hear him hit the bushes around the side of the house. A few minutes later, he came around the back, and entered the family room through the engawa. He sat down at the table.

Ukyo came in from the kitchen. "You just never learn, do you Ranchan?"

"Don't look at me," Ranma said. "I didn't ask her to surprise me first thing in the morning with something that smells like burning tires."

"It's your funeral," Ukyo said, and sat down. A few minutes later, Akane came down the stairs, still angry and still stomping. She walked over to Ranma, plopped the plate of okonomiyaki down in front of him, and then turned to face away from him with a snort.

"Uncute tomboy..." Ranma muttered. He started to poke at the burned cabbage and batter mixture, as if he were considering eating it.

Akane turned back to him. "Don't you try to sweet talk me, you jerk. Whether you eat it or not, I'll still be mad at you."

"Whatever." He shoved the plate away.

The rest of the morning was spent in relative quiet, mainly because Ranma and Akane refused to speak to each other. Nabiki shot Ukyo a questioning glance, obviously wanting to know if they were up to something, but Ukyo just shrugged. Reassured, Nabiki went back to her meal. A fight between the hotheaded lovebirds was hardly a surprise, even if they had finally come out with the truth to each other. She really didn't expect their relationship to change that much.

The trip to school was uneventful, although it was unusual these days for Ranma to walk on the fence and leave Akane alone in the street. They didn't say anything, but just walked along, the tension obvious. As they entered the gate, even Kuno was drawn up by the change in the air between them, although only for a moment. He then demanded what heinous act Ranma had committed against the fair Akane and attacked Ranma.

Before Ranma could even react, Akane intercepted the hapless kendoist and sent him flying. She glanced at Ranma, stuck her nose in the air with a "Hmph!" and turned on her heel to walk into the building.

Sayuri and Yuka caught up with her almost instantly. "What's going on, Akane?"

Akane glanced around at the students filling the hallway. "Let's not talk about that jerk. I want to get to class."

Homeroom was delayed a bit as Ranma scrambled in just under the bell, his two friends trailing behind him. The teacher berated him for being late, but Ranma just muttered, "Sorry 'bout that," and took his seat next to Akane. She gave him a withering scowl, and then slid her desk over away from him. The teacher quickly called the roll and read the morning announcements, and then the students had a bit of time to themselves before the first period began. Ranma reluctantly left Akane, and headed over to talk with Hiroshi and Daisuke.

Sayuri edged over to Akane's desk. "All right, what did Saotome do this time?"

"He wouldn't eat my okonomiyaki. And Ukyo helped make it, too." Akane frowned. "It was good, wasn't it, Ukyo?"

Ukyo looked as if she had swallowed a bug. "Um..."

"Well, it was good, wasn't it?"

"Well, sure," Ukyo said, a bit too grandly. "For a first attempt, of course. But it showed real promise. I don't think I've ever seen okonomiyaki... um... browned to quite that consistency."

Akane ignored the uncertainty in her friend's voice. "See, I told you! But Ranma wouldn't even try it!" She crossed her arms over her chest, her scowl even darker than before.

"Well, that's terrible!" Sayuri said. "He should have more regard for the work you put into it. The insensitive jerk." She patted Akane on the shoulder, and Yuka added, "Yeah!"

At that moment, Ranma spoke up from his side of the room. "No, I don't know if Akane 'got up on the wrong side of the bed'!" he yelled, at Hiroshi and Daisuke, "And I dunno why you'd think I'd know that! No, we aren't having a 'lover's spat', it doesn't 'turn me on' when we're fighting all the time, and we aren't going to go home and 'do it' to make up!

"I wouldn't do anything like that with an uncute tomboy like Akane anyway! Why, if I saw that over-muscled, underdeveloped, built-like-a-brick body of hers naked, I'd probably throw up in my mouth! It'd be worse than her cooking! And I bet that she'd... oh, crud."

Ranma turned to see Akane towering over him, her eyes glowing with rage. He stood up, waving his arms in front of her wildly. "Honest, Akane, it's not what you think! I didn't really mean it..." Akane punched him in the face, and he slid across the floor. Then she stomped out of the room.

"Well, that went well," Hiroshi quipped. Ranma sat up, and shot him a cold glare, rubbing his chin.

+++

Shampoo ran into the Cat Café, looking around. "Where is Mousse? Where is stupid Mousse? When Shampoo no want him, he always there, but now that Shampoo have use for him, stupid Mousse gone!"

"He should be somewhere around here, Great-Granddaughter," Cologne said, coming out of the kitchen with a rag, drying her hands. "It's too early for deliveries."

"That what Shampoo think, too, but looked anyway. No one in neighborhood see Mousse."

She headed into the new expansion, only to see Mousse coming out of the door to the back room of Ukyo's shop. "Mousse! What you do there?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Shampoo. Were you looking for me?" Mousse reacted excitedly at first, and rushed at Shampoo in his usual manner. Then, he seemed to think better of it. He pulled out his glasses and put them on, taking a moment to adjust them on his face. Then he reached out and put a hand on Shampoo's shoulder. "I would be glad to help you, in any way."

Shampoo eyed the hand on her shoulder warily. Then she looked up at Mousse. "Mousse helping Shield Sister?"

"Well... yeah," Mousse nodded. "She called a few hours ago, and asked me to gather some things. She's coming over as soon as she can get out of school. But I can spare any amount of time for you, my darling."

Shampoo's eyes narrowed at the expression of affection. "Why Mousse act like this? Mousse always act like fool and stumble over self. Now, suddenly Mousse all cool and smooth talker?"

Mousse blushed a bit. He took off his glasses and fiddled with them, as he looked at the floor. "As Kuonji says, Shampoo, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I just thought..."

"You thought you could be nice to Shampoo and Shampoo like you? No waste time, silly Mousse. Shampoo never like you."

Mousse put his glasses on. "I know you don't love me, Shampoo, or I'd like to think you don't love me yet. But I would like for you to at least like me. It would be a good start."

Shampoo snorted. "Mousse dreaming. Now, Shampoo want Mousse to watch dining room while Shampoo go visit Airen. Watch for customer."

Mousse stepped back. "Of course, Shampoo. I'll do whatever you want."

"You no try to stop Shampoo?" She eyed him carefully. "Shampoo thought you be mad at Airen, go attack. Or at least talk Shampoo out of it."

Mousse expression hardened for a moment. He clenched his fists, but then slowly released them. "No. I don't trust Saotome, but I do trust Kuonji. And Akane Tendo. With them, I can trust Saotome." He regarded Shampoo evenly. "You will not find what you're looking for there."

"Mousse not know what talking about," Shampoo said haughtily. "Shampoo love Airen, and Airen love Shampoo. Angry Girl love Airen too, but not Amazon warrior, not know how to plot and wait. Shampoo prove who best in end."

"You're just setting yourself up for heartache." Mousse averted his eyes, the glare from his glasses making them seem to vanish. "I know about unrequited love, Shampoo."

"Not compare Shampoo to stupid Mousse!" Shampoo stood up on her toes, poking Mousse in the chest. "Shampoo nothing like stupid Mousse! Just stay out of Shampoo way!" Angrily, she stormed out of the Cat Café.

Cologne had come in behind her, and Mousse shot her a glance. Cologne merely shook her head and went back into the restaurant.

Shampoo's mood had improved by the time she got to Furinkan. She was going to see her Airen, after all, and it had been a long time since she had been able to see him. Oh, he was always there at the restaurant, but he was always too busy, or had some excuse to worm his way out of her embrace. It was frustrating, really, especially since she had tried to give him more freedom.

Reluctantly, she had admitted to herself that what Akane had told her, back in the Kuno mansion, was true. Ranma didn't like being touched. He had always flinched when she touched him, so she had just assumed that he was just reacting to her aggressiveness. Airen was a shy boy, after all, and it was up to her as his wife to cure him of that.

Either that, or his relationship with Angry Girl Akane made him reluctant to make her mad. But he reacted the same way whether Akane was there or not. Shampoo had also recognized that Akane was not as aggressive in trying to keep them apart lately. In fact, she seemed to be trying to become more comfortable with Shampoo's behavior, letting Ranma get closer to Shampoo... as if she felt that Shampoo was no longer a threat.

Shampoo angrily shoved that thought back into the corner from which it had come.

As Shampoo had given her Airen more space, though, and been gentler with him, she had noticed his discomfort. It made sense, really, her own training had made her react violently to anything that surprised her. She wasn't used to dealing with a male who had been trained in martial arts, like herself. Mousse was an exception in her tribe, although of course all members of the tribe were trained to defend themselves, men included. Men were not expected to fight like true warriors, though, they stayed home and took care of the young. Her own father had taken care of her when she was young, although of course she had no need for him now.

She wondered how her father was doing. She had thought to invite him over for a visit, but with the work on the new expansion, she hadn't gotten around to it. Maybe she should invite him to see the opening of Shield Sister's new shop, just as Ukyo was inviting her own father.

Wait a minute. Am I really thinking about my father? Am I considering a man's feelings? Airen's feelings? Is that what I'm doing? She remembered Akane's words; that she couldn't lead or follow Ranma, she had to treat him as an equal. Could a man be an equal of a woman? It was becoming increasingly clear to her that Ranma was a better martial artist than she was, probably better than any martial artist of his generation, male or female. She would be a fool to consider thinking that she could beat him, when he had already defeated her twice, once completely by accident.

Shampoo shook her head. This is crazy talk. Sure, Airen is a great martial artist, but he's also a fool. She and Great-Grandmother were able to play him like a musical instrument and make him dance to their tune. Even Angry Girl Akane could manipulate him into doing as she wanted sometimes. All men are idiots, she thought, that's why so long ago we Amazons decided that women must lead. And even if I can't beat him in battle, I've got charms enough to make him do what I want.

The Amazon grinned as she hugged her delivery bag to her chest, and headed into the school. She was sure that Airen wanted to see his Shampoo. And she was happy to show her to him.

She quickly made her way through the school. She could have made her usual destructive entrance, through the wall, but she was trying to take Shield Sister's advice and not alienate her Airen. Not to mention the other students in the school. She noticed most of them gave her a wide berth, as they were used to her behavior, but Shampoo still picked up whispering in the background as she passed. There was an unmistakable tension in the air.

The source of the tension became clear, as she flounced into Ranma's classroom. He and Akane were seated in their usual chairs, but had turned their desks in opposite directions, making a big show of ignoring each other. The roiling cloud of anger and hostility hanging over their heads was almost visible to the naked eye.

Were Angry Girl and Airen fighting? Shampoo could barely contain her excitement. This was her chance! She would show her Airen that she supported him, and prove herself the better rival as well. Gleefully, she bounced across the room.

"Airen! Shampoo bring too, too delicious pork wonton for Airen's breakfast! Lunch so busy, with deliveries, Shampoo have no time for Airen! Think better come for breakfast! Airen like?"

Ranma tensed up, as usual, as Shampoo wrapped her arms around him, but then a wicked smile spread across his face. Just as suddenly, it vanished. He looked back at Shampoo, innocently.

"Gee, thanks Shampoo! I was feeling a little hungry after breakfast."

Shampoo was happy that her Airen was glad to see her, but Akane, as usual, was anything but amused. The teacher and those students who had paid attention to the lecture were displeased by the distraction as well. Still, even the teacher couldn't get a word in edgewise over the tomboy's scream of rage.

"Ranma! You won't even eat my okonomiyaki, and yet you eat what this hussy brings you? How dare you!"

Shampoo growled at the insult, but eyed Akane smugly. "Shampoo not want Airen poisoned. Angry Girl go on home."

"Shut up, Shampoo," Akane snapped, stepping past her with an almost dismissive tone. "This is between me and this jerk."

"Come on, Akane," Ranma told her. "I ain't doin' nothin'! Is it so bad that I wanna eat something made by someone who actually knows how to cook?"

"Oh, am I useless? Is that what you're saying, Ranma?"

"That ain't what I'm sayin'!"

This is great, Shampoo said to herself. I don't even have to do anything! Angry Girl is digging her own grave, and all I have to do is pick up the pieces! She stood listening to the argument, a smug grin on her face.

Sayuri handed Akane a bucket of water. She brandished it towards Shampoo, while still addressing Ranma. "I'm useless to you, huh? Let's see how useful your girlfriend is to you when she's a cat!"

Ranma stepped between her and Shampoo. "Stop it, Akane! You know you don't want to turn Shampoo into a cat!"

Shampoo jumped up and down, clapping her hands. She was a little miffed that Akane had threatened her, but her heart had soared when the vengeful tomboy had called her Ranma's girlfriend. And now her Airen was taking her side! This was the best day of her life!

"Now you're defending her!" Akane's rage built quickly, and her eyes began to glow, her hair starting to swirl in the heat of the electrically charged air.

"Yeah, I'm defending her, because I don't wanna see a cat!" Ranma argued. But Akane wasn't listening.

"Ranma you jerk!" Using the bucket in her left hand as a counterweight, Akane aimed a massive right cross at Ranma's head. He gave a yelp of surprise, and was sent flying out the window. He would have shattered the window as he passed, but Yuka had helpfully opened the window just a few minutes before.

Shampoo's glee suddenly faded, as her Amazon instincts kicked in. Wait. What did I just see? She replayed what had just happened in her mind. In turning to protect her, Ranma had put Akane's back to the watching students. None of them could actually see the punch. But Shampoo had seen it clearly, and unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, Akane's fist had not made contact with Ranma's face. She had missed, by a good half a foot.

There was no sound of an impact, either. Ranma had covered it up with his own shout. And then he had leaped out the window. He had leaped sideways, twisting his body impossibly, and he had hit the window without looking at it. But she had to admit, her Airen had the skill to do that. Even without noticeably aiming for the window.

Akane had brought her fist up in front of her face, and Shampoo focused on her. "You want some of this, too!" She snapped, crossly. But while there was anger in her eyes, there was caution there, too. Although the threat was physical, Shampoo had no doubt that Akane would use the bucket before it came to blows. So the challenge would be a draw, and Akane knew it.

They say it takes a con artist to spot a con, and Shampoo's instincts were honed by years of training in deception and trickery. Whatever the outward appearance, something was going on, and she had the disquieting sense that she was playing right into Akane's hands. Despite her anger at the disrespect inherent in her rival's challenge, Shampoo kept her temper. Now was not the time.

Shampoo's expression slid into a coy smile. "No, Shampoo no fight Angry Girl for now. Shampoo go comfort Airen. Maybe Airen no put up with Angry Girl anymore." Her smile widened as her words clearly fanned the flames of Akane's rage even higher.

She turned on her heel. "Fine then! I don't care about that baka! You can have him, if that's what you want!"

Akane is just turning Shampoo's Airen over to me, just like that? No, that can't be right, it's got to be a trick. Shampoo bounded merrily to the door, but still kept an eye on Akane as she left. The black-haired girl just stood with her arms crossed, continuing to feign disinterest. Shampoo considered talking to her Airen, trying to ask him was what going on, but for once she really doubted if her Airen would be honest with her. Perhaps it would be best if Shampoo just headed back for the Cat Café, and tried again another day.

As Shampoo left the room, the teacher regained control of the class. "Miss Tendo, since you are already holding a bucket of water, take it outside and stand in the hall."

Akane blushed deeply and looked at the floor. "Yes, ma'am." She shuffled meekly out of the room, following Shampoo's path just moments before.

+++

As the morning passed, the troubles between the bickering couple continued, only not as loudly. Ranma just sulked and stared out the window, ignoring the lessons as usual. But Akane was so wound up that she was soon ignoring the teacher as well. She just sat in her chair, grumbling under her breath, and shooting withering glances at her fiancé.

Ranma and Akane's friends could see the tension building in the air, and tried to do their best to calm the pair down. Neither were willing to listen, however. And every time Sayuri and Yuka, or Hiroshi and Daisuke held a whispered conversation with their friend, the whispers would spread around the room. About the fifth time the teacher had to call for silence, due to all the distractions, the four compatriots finally gave up and let the class continue.

Unfortunately, the silence only seemed to make Akane's mood worse. Her muttered ranting, although kept under her breath, was still enough to cut through the teacher's incessant drone. And the other students in the class seemed shocked by this. In all the time they had known Akane, in the year since she had met Ranma, Akane had always been a model student. For her to so obviously ignore the teacher was unthinkable. The whispering spread around the room again. Akane must be really angry if she can't even concentrate on the lesson, they all concluded.

Akane was scribbling madly in her notebook. Most of the students couldn't see what she was doing, but a few of the closer ones, including Sayuri and Yuka, could. They peeked over her shoulder, quietly and carefully, so as not to attract her ire. But they could see that instead of taking notes, she was doodling in her book. She was drawing herself and Ranma, as cute, cartoony characters, with big heads, and small, almost stick figure bodies. She was muttering, "Ranma you jerk. Ranma you jerk. Ranma you jerk," under her breath, as if were some sort of mantra.

One image was of chibi-Akane with a huge mallet, twice the size of Akane herself. She had used to it reduce the cartoon Ranma to a puddle of goo on the ground. In another picture, she was kicking Ranma into the stratosphere. He had bounced off of a jet plane that was passing over head, and had a huge knot on his head, and crosses for eyes. In a third drawing, she had chopped off Ranma's head, and his body lay nearby on the floor. She was sticking Ranma's head in an oven. It was already on fire.

Next to the drawings, she had written, "Die, Ranma, Die. Ranma is a baka," and especially "Ranma you jerk!" in big bold letters. She had written that over and over, all over the page. The students all looked at each other, and gulped.

Sayuri and Yuka glanced up as the teacher came over to Akane's desk. "Akane!" Sayuri hissed, but Akane was apparently so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice. The two girls sat back, trying to look nonchalant, as the teacher stood over Akane.

"Miss Tendo, perhaps you could take a break from fantasizing about your fiancé and pay attention to my lecture." She reached over and picked up the notebook.

Akane looked up, startled. "Um... ah..."

The teacher looked over Akane's 'notes'. "Ah. These are very clever, Miss Tendo. Perhaps I should show them around to the rest of the class."

"No, no!" Akane looked panicked. "There's no need for that! I'll pay attention, I was just... distracted... is all."

"I see. It's not every day you see someone imagining the violent homicide of her fiancé. I'm sure that would be distracting." She showed the notebook to a number of students along the row, as she headed back towards the front of the room.

"It's not like that!" Akane blushed, deeply. "I was just... fooling around, is all! It was just some silly doodles!"

The teacher showed the notebook to a couple of other kids in the front row, and then continued on to her desk. "You have quite a talent, Miss Tendo. You could be a cartoonist. With your talent for slapstick violence and dark humor, I'm sure you would make a great mangaka."

"Um... yes, ma'am." Akane buried her face in her hands, obviously blushing quite deeply now.

The teacher tossed the notebook on the desk. "Certainly if you do not pay attention in class, that is the only job you are likely to get! Now go stand in the hall."

"Yes, ma'am." Still looking like she wanted to crawl away and die, Akane scurried out of the room.

"Mr. Saotome, stand out in the hall as well."

"What? Me?" Ranma, naturally, protested his innocence. "Why me?"

"Because, Mr. Saotome, with either of you in the room, the whispering is bound to continue. Now go."

Ranma growled. "Yes... ma'am." He left the room as well.

Somewhat relieved, the students turned their attention back to staying awake for the boring lecture. Before the teacher could get out two sentences, though, Ranma's voice came roaring back from the hall.

"My fault! Why is it my fault?"

"You just had to humiliate me in front of the class and everybody, Ranma! I've never been so embarrassed in all my life!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one drawing pictures of you murdering me like some kinda psycho!"

"It's your fault I was mad at you, baka, therefore it's your fault I was drawing those doodles!"

"Oh, yeah? What kind of logic is that? Macho chick logic? I'm not going to..."

"Ranma! Akane! If you want to fight, you can go down to the vice principal's office and fight there."

The hallway fell silent. The teacher just sighed, and went on with her lecture.

+++

By the time lunchtime came, everyone in the school knew about Ranma and Akane's argument. Nabiki was making a killing on bets as to whether the famous couple were finished, or whether they would weather this storm, and how long the fight would last either way. Most bets were for at least a week, some said Akane would hold out for a month, and a few romantics had bet that some rival would come along and kidnap Akane, and Ranma would rush off to rescue her. Not a single bet, however, was for the Tendo/Saotome war to come to an end prior to noon on the same day.

Thus, a hush fell over the classroom, as a very solemn and subdued Akane entered the room with her lunch. She quietly walked over to Ranma's desk, where he sat with his two friends. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him, her brown eyes dark with sorrow.

"Ranma... I don't want to fight any more. I... I want to go back to the way things were." She looked down, sniffling. "I don't even care about what we were fighting about any more. Can't we just... can't we both say we're sorry and be done with it?"

Ranma grinned, smugly. "I dunno, Akane. Maybe I was wrong for not tastin' your okonomiyaki, but you're the one who had to make a big deal out of it. And what are folks gonna think of me if I let some crazy macho chick push me around...?"

Akane stomped her foot. "Damn you, Ranma! Don't you dare make me beg!" Then her face fell again. "I hate when we fight like this. I don't mean any of it, and I can't seem to stop it from going too far..."

She looked up into Ranma's eyes. "I'm sorry for hitting you, and all the other things. Can't you at least forgive me?"

"Okay, Akane. I guess I have a tendency to go too far, too." His expression softened. "The fact is, tomboy, I was just about to come and apologize to you. So you beat me to it." He scratched at his chin. "I guess that means I don't have to apologize..."

"Ran-ma!"

"All right, all right!" Ranma's grin widened. "Go erase the blackboard, boys."

Chuckling themselves, Hiroshi and Daisuke ran to the blackboard and grabbed a couple of erasers. Akane watched them, confused. They began to erase the board, from one end to another, but somehow, some letters remained behind. Other letters had been covered over by the writing the teacher had placed there during the last class, but they still appeared, as if by magic.

"Forgive me, Akane," the words said. "I'm sorry." It was signed "Ranma".

Akane just stared in astonishment for a moment. Then she slowly turned to face her fiancé. "Of course," she said, her voice choked. "I'm sorry too."

It looked like she was holding herself back from just leaping at Ranma and hugging him, but instead she just bowed her head. Ranma didn't let her off that easy, though. He took her hands, and led her back to the desk. "Come on, Akane. Let's have some lunch."

He walked over to his bento, and opened it. Akane looked down at it, her eyes shining. "My okonomiyaki! You saved it." She looked up, warily. "Are you really going to eat it?"

"Only if you eat it with me, tomboy."

"Agreed!" Akane sat down next to Ranma as he broke open their chopsticks and handed a pair to her. Then they both sampled the okonomiyaki.

"Hey, it's good." Ranma made a surprised face. "A little crunchy, but okay."

"Really?" Akane tasted it as well. "Hey! I got the spices right!" She giggled. "It's way overdone, and the sauce covers up the burned bits, but at least I spiced it right."

"You can't mess up with Sis's sauce. It covers all kinds of flaws."

"Baka." She bonked him on the head with her chopsticks.

"Now that's what we like to see," Sayuri said. "You're both a lot nicer when you get along." Yuka chimed in with a "Yeah."

Hiroshi favored the two with a more mischievous look. "I still say the make-up sex is going to be incredible... whenever you two get around to it."

Akane choked on her okonomiyaki, and then hid her face in her hands. Ranma glared at his two so-called friends. "You guys..." he growled.

Hiroshi and Daisuke leaped to their feet, putting up their hands. But they were both still grinning like loons. "Forgive us, Ranma!" They yelled in unison. "We're sorry!" Ranma leaped at them, and the boys both tore out of the room, laughing hysterically.

Ranma turned back to Akane, and sat down to finish his okonomiyaki. "Don't you worry, Akane," he said. "You'll always have Ranma Saotome to defend your honor from obnoxious perverts."

"Oh, Ranma," said Akane. She bumped her shoulder against his, and then happily continued eating her half of the okonomiyaki.

+++

Happosai bounded into the Tendo home, happily waving his bag like he had won a prize. "What a day, what a day! I never thought I would find anything so pretty!"

He passed Kasumi in the hall, carrying the washing out to hang in the yard. She stopped out to greet him. "Hello Grandfather. Did you have a good day?"

"Did I ever!" Happosai looked blissful, almost floating over the ground. "I found the loveliest little silk panties, with the most beautiful lace trim! It's the perfect thing to add to my collection."

"Oh? Well, you're home awfully early today, aren't you?"

"Yes, after a find like that, I had to bring it home right away. After all, it's unlikely I would find anything else so wonderful today." Happosai started across the hall to his room. "Besides, I've been trying to cut back lately. Little Ukyo would only make me give them back anyway. These days, I am going for quality, not quantity."

"That's nice." Kasumi returned to her work, as Happosai continued on to his room. Before she had gotten too far, she heard a howl of surprise and protest.

She returned to find Happosai standing outside his door, his eyes wide. He looked to be caught between shaking with anger and stunned into shock. He was muttering, "What... how?" Kasumi stepped forward to look over his shoulder, which wasn't difficult since Happosai himself barely came up to her waist.

Happosai's room was filled with a gigantic ball of... well, it appeared to be hair. It was fire engine red in color, and wrapped many times around itself. It looked like nothing more than a gigantic ball of crimson yard. Only, it was huge, so huge that it totally filled the room. It was jammed in between the floor and ceiling, crushing the spherical shape of the ball into an ellipse. The far side of the room couldn't be seen around it, although there was a good three feet between them and the ball. There was no way it could have been brought in through the door, or either of the windows. It was far too large.

In fact, it was obvious that in order to get it out of the room, the ball would have to be dismantled. It would never fit through the door in any other way. And unraveling the ball would obviously leave an even bigger mess, as the yards of hair would be left in heaps on the floor. It would take hours to clean up. And then, getting it out of the house and disposing of it would take hours more.

Happosai had no idea how she had done it, or even where she had gotten so much hair. But there was no question as to its identity. The red ball was the exact same shade as the red hair of Ukyo's cursed form. And to make matters worse, she had jammed the ball between him and his dresser. There was no way he could get to his "pretties".

"Uk-yo!"

A couple of blocks away, Ukyo heard the shout, and doubled over in laughter. Mousse smiled as well. "It seems we were just in time," he said. "Another few minutes, and he would have caught us."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help," Ukyo said, to both of her companions.

"Shampoo happy to help," the Amazon said. "Is funny joke on old pervert. Shampoo not like him since he insult Amazons."

"I figured you'd enjoy the chance to get even," Ukyo said with a smile. "And you and Mousse worked well together. You make a good team."

Shampoo's eyes widened, and then she scowled. "Shield Sister quit try fixing up Shampoo with Mousse. Is not going to work."

Ukyo put up a hand, "I'm just saying, Shampoo, you should try to get along with Mousse. It can't hurt to have his help from time to time."

Shampoo snorted, but then looked thoughtful. Ukyo's words reminded her of her strange encounter with Ranma and Akane. They didn't seem to be getting along on the outside, but her Amazon training had taught her to read her opponents and see beyond outside appearances. And if they were working together to fool her into thinking they were fighting, then they were helping each other - and they made a good team. The timing of their faked punch proved that.

For some reason, she felt disturbed by this development. Shampoo decided to see if Ukyo knew anything. "Were Airen and Angry Girl fighting this morning? Shampoo take breakfast to Airen, and something weird happen."

"I dunno." Ukyo shrugged. "They had a fight about something this morning, but they tend to argue all the time. They haven't had a knock-down drag-out like this in a while, though."

"Think Airen and Angry Girl faking it?"

"That's always a possibility. Akane's been having trouble at school lately, because of her reputation. She may have felt she had to prove herself. Get the rumor mill to back off."

"That what Shampoo thought." The Amazon shook her head. "Shampoo leave them alone for now. Go back to Cat Café. Great Grandmother probably have deliveries for Shampoo."

She turned to leave, then stopped and eyed Mousse. "Mousse can stay if want. Shampoo no care. Make silly plans with Shield Sister, they no help you." With that, she left.

Mousse let out a deep sigh. "I am trying, Kuonji, but this isn't working. She isn't paying any attention to me at all."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Ukyo looked in the direction Shampoo had gone, with a soft smile. "She didn't have to acknowledge your presence here, and say you could stay, but she did - even if it was to say that she didn't care." She looked at Mousse. "Believe me, I've heard Ranchan and Akane say that often enough. They don't really mean it, but they just don't want to admit the truth."

"But even if it is as you say, Kuonji, when can I do something? It is driving me crazy to just wait."

"Don't get impatient and chase her away, Mousse. Give it time. In the meantime, if you'd like something to take your mind off your love troubles, maybe you could help me with mine."

"Love troubles? You?" Mousse eyed the chef carefully through his thick glasses. "Is it anyone I know?"

"No, it's not me." Ukyo grinned widely. "I was thinking about somebody else. You know Dr. Tofu, right?"

"I think I saw him once, when you and Ranma and Akane were all fighting against me. And Cologne and Shampoo have mentioned him. My Shampoo once went to work for him, is that right?"

"Well, I offered her a job, but she didn't have time to take it. She did ship herself in cat form to the Doc, though."

Ukyo paused a moment, to collect her thoughts. "Anyway, the doctor has a pretty serious crush on Akane's older sister, Kasumi. He's got it really bad. Only, Kasumi doesn't know about it, and he can't tell her, because when he's around her, he gets absolutely wacko. Like, a danger to himself and everyone around him."

Mousse straightened his glasses. "Sounds pretty bad."

"It is. I'd like to help him, though. I'm thinking some counter conditioning might help him. Give him negative feedback when he freaks out, whack him on the head, it might help. It's brute force, not very subtle, but it might work."

"How old is this Dr. Tofu?" Mousse asked, raising an eyebrow. "From what Shampoo told me he's an older man."

"I'm guessing he's about 25, maybe 27 at the latest. Which is a bit old for Kasumi, who only just turned 20. But then, Kasumi is extremely mature for her age. And she could use someone to care about other than her family - as well as someone to help out with the family."

Ukyo chuckled. "I'm not going to be around forever, you know. And even two cooks in the Tendo home isn't always enough, with all that Ranma and Akane put away."

"Sounds like you care a lot about these Tendos," Mousse said.

"Maybe." Her expression turned wistful. "They took me in, and Ranchan, too, when we'd never had a constant place to live in our lives. It was good for Ranchan, of course, but I'm really grateful to them for what they did for me. Especially Akane. With all she's been going through... I just want to do what I can to help."

"All right, Kuonji, count me in. But what can I do? Do you have anything in mind?"

"Not really. But keep your eyes open. An opportunity may present itself. I think I'm going to invite Dr. Tofu over to the Cat Café, and the Tendos as well, for a nice Chinese dinner. I may need you to keep Shampoo distracted. We want her to be involved, as she and Cologne are my partners, but I don't want her trying to be the center of attention. This is a quiet dinner for Kasumi and Dr. Tofu."

Mousse smiled. "I'll do all I can to help."

+++

The rest of the day passed in peace and tranquility. The lovebirds were happy again, and all was right with the world. Word spread quickly, and soon Ranma and Akane were all that the students could talk about.

"Did you see how Akane managed that fight with Ranma? To think we accused her of letting Ranma beat her. There's no way he could get away with that."

"Akane's the scary one. I don't know how Saotome has the guts to tease her like that. Doesn't he know what she'll end up doing to him?"

"Yeah, but she loves him. Did you see the look on her face when Ranma wrote that note on the blackboard? I thought she was going to faint."

"I heard he wrote 'I love you'."

"No! I was there, he just said he was sorry and asked her to forgive him. And he said that her cooking was the best in the world, and he would never refuse to eat it again."

Okay, so maybe they couldn't completely stop the exaggeration and rumors. But that was okay. Ranma and Akane exchanged knowing glances as they headed for the front gates of Furinkan. Although they had kept the physical demonstrations of the reconciliation to a minimum, still unsure about letting too much slip to their classmates, they had both decided to hold hands as they walked out of the gate.

Once away from the school, Ranma leaped onto the fence. Akane remained on the street until they entered an alley, but with a glance around to make sure they were alone, she hopped up behind him.

"That went well," Ranma said.

"Yeah. I can't believe they all fell for it! A couple of times I was sure they'd see through the act." Akane giggled.

"Nah, it wasn't nuthin' they all haven't seen before. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's how to fight with ya, tomboy."

"Too true, baka. We really got lucky that Shampoo showed up. It really dragged out the argument." Akane's expression grew pensive. "Although, I was afraid that she was going to fight me, for a minute. I'm glad she decided not to take offense."

"Yeah, but she sold it. By the time she was done, I think everyone was convinced you were gonna kill me."

"But that make up scene, though..." Akane made a face. "I know I poured it on too thick. I'm surprised Sayuri and Yuka could keep a straight face." She paused a moment, then smiled. "How in the world did you do that thing with the blackboard?"

"Oh, Hiroshi and Daisuke set it up ahead of time. Hiroshi had seen someone do this as a practical joke. I wrote the message, and then sprayed it with hairspray. It faded, but came back after a couple of minutes. We added a few equations and stuff on top of it, like they were from the last class, so the teacher wouldn't see it. She then wrote the lesson on the board as usual, and completely covered it over by the time the class was done."

Akane blushed. "Well, you really surprised me. I know this was all an act, but that really touched me. I actually didn't think you'd be able to apologize in front of the whole school like that. I was ready to step in, in case you couldn't do it.

"But you did. And it was sweet, and perfect, and it took my breath away. I'm so glad you're my fiancé..." She leaned forward, and keeping her balance on the fence, kissed him.

"Yeah, well Hiroshi suggested it, and it sounded like a good idea." Ranma put a hand behind his head, just as embarrassed.

"So they didn't have any trouble with the plan?"

"Nah, I pulled them aside before class and filled 'em in on what was goin' on. They had no trouble with it."

"That reminds me, what happened to your sister? I noticed she disappeared about halfway through the day. Did you tell her about it?"

"Nah. She was going to ask Mousse and Shampoo to help her do something at the Cat Café. She sounded like she was gonna take all day. I figured she would just find out about it tomorrow, so I didn't mention it."

"I'm sure Sayuri and Yuka will tell her all about it." Akane glanced at Ranma, as he continued to walk in front of her on the fence, his hands in his pockets. "So, are you going to go join her at the Cat Café now?"

Ranma kicked his foot, obviously reluctant to answer. Finally, he said, "Actually, Akane... if it's okay with you... I'd kinda like to stay with you this evening."

Akane's face lit up. "Really, Ranma? Do you mean it?"

"Um..." Ranma was flustered, as he looked back at her, unsure if she was about to reach out and hug him. "If you wanna... we could go by my mom's house. I'd be nice to visit her... just th' two of us..."

"Oh, Ranma, that would be wonderful!" Akane beamed at him.

"Maybe tomorrow, we can invite her over to your house. I'd kinda like to see her without Sis's pop around, if ya know what I mean."

"Of course, Ranma," Akane said. "I understand. We can have a nice long visit, and really talk about things..."

Akane was quiet for a moment, and then her mood turned somber. "Ranma... I know we agreed that it's better for the school to think that I'm beating you, instead of you beating me. But I just want you to know..." she blushed. "That really bothers me. I really hate that about myself, you know that, right?"

Ranma put both hands behind his head. "It ain't a problem, Akane. Even with your strength, you can't really hurt me. An' I know you're holdin' back. When you get as strong as Ryoga, then we'll talk."

Akane ignored the implied insult, knowing Ranma didn't really mean it, he was just being tactless, as usual. "It's not the bruises that bother me, Ranma, it's the act itself. I realize your choice not to hit me is a sign of concern, and respect, and I respect your decision, even if sometimes I wish you would hit me just a little. But I just wish I had your strength of will..."

Ranma stopped for a moment, thinking. Finally he turned around and took Akane's hands. "Look, Akane, if one of us had to have bruises, and I had the choice between me and you, I'd choose me, every time."

"But..." Akane started to interrupt, but Ranma put up a hand to stop her.

"When a girl pushes around a guy, it's no fun. Believe me, I know." He stared at her, his expression serious. "But when a guy pushes around a girl, she could get pregnant. She could get sick. She could die. That's why I won't hit you. Ever."

Akane looked at her shoes. "I trust you, Ranma."

"I know," he said. "But it's different. It just is."

She looked back up into his eyes. "I... I didn't know you thought about that." Her voice was timid, cautious.

"I don't want to think about it. For a long time, I didn't even wanna admit I thought about it. But I do. Every time I become a girl."

There was a long, long silence. Finally, Ranma smiled. "Come on. Race you to my mom's house!"

"Ranma!" Akane cried out, as he took off running across the fence tops. "Ranma! Not when I'm in a skirt, you baka!" She continued to the end of the alley, and then jumped down, continuing her pursuit from the street.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 7

A Suggestive Situation

+++

The bell rang to announce a visitor to the Cat Café, and Shampoo stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Cat Café is closed!" She called out brightly. "Please to come back when is opening time!"

"I bring package delivery!" The man called out in reply. From his accent, he was one of Shampoo and Cologne's countrymen.

"Aiyah! Spices arrive from China!" The bubbly Amazon bounced into the room. "It about time, Great-Grandmother about to run out!"

She hurried over to help the delivery man unpack his shipments. Cologne hopped in on her staff a few minutes later, watching as her great-granddaughter sorted out the various spices. As Shampoo opened up a package, her face screwed up in confusion.

"What this?" She asked, holding up a large mushroom for Cologne to see. It was easily as big around as her hand. "Shampoo not remember any mushrooms in order."

"Let me see that." Cologne hopped forward and took the mushroom. "Kairaishi Mushrooms? No, I didn't order any of this. We might as well send them back."

"Send them back?" Shampoo studied the mushroom closely as Cologne handed it back to her. "Is this one not good?"

"They are somewhat tasty, but that is not the point," Cologne said with a wry smile. "They contain a powerful toxin, which has an intense hallucinogenic effect. It is often used in black magic."

"Magic? What magic?"

"Come with me to the kitchen, and I will show you," Cologne replied. "And you too," she added, indicating the delivery man.

Once in the kitchen, she took the mushroom and diced it into small pieces with a sharp knife. She then cooked the mushrooms into a turnover. "Eat this," she said, and fed it to the delivery man.

"Many thanks!" he said. He gobbled down the pastry with no apparent effect. Then, quite suddenly, he began to sweat and became very agitated.

"The Kairaishi has taken effect." Cologne said. She then said, "Sleep", and clapped her hands. The man fell over on the floor, snoring.

"Aiyah!" Shampoo exclaimed. She stepped forward to put a hand on the man's shoulder, and he stirred at her touch. He sat up.

Cologne grinned, smugly. "Now watch." She clapped her hands again. The delivery man again rolled over, and in a moment, was snoozing away as happily as before.

"The suggestion is quite strong," Cologne said. "As long as you repeat the signal, the victim will be forced to obey. You can repeat it over and over again without it weakening."

Shampoo's eyes twinkled. "Can be any suggestion?"

"As long as it is in the victim's power."

Shampoo's grin became even more wicked. "Shampoo will take them!" She woke the delivery man, paid him, and sent him on his way. Then she rubbed her hands gleefully as she turned back to the carving board and the mushrooms.

"Airen and Angry Girl try to trap Shampoo, play trick on her. But Shampoo play trick on them. If Shampoo use this mushrooms, Ranma give Shampoo kiss for sure!" She clapped her hands. "Then Airen know who is kiss better, Angry Girl or Shampoo."

Shampoo set about happily chopping up the mushrooms, while Cologne chuckled to herself. "Ah, to be young and in love," she said. Then she headed into the back to put away the other deliveries.

Back in the main dining area, just outside of the large window into the kitchen, Ukyo stood, pressed against the wall. "So, Shampoo has another plan to get Ranma, huh? Well, I'm sure Akane is comfortable enough with Ranma's feelings for her that she would not overreact to a couple of little kisses. Still, it's best not to take chances..."

Quietly, being careful to stay calm, just in case Cologne could sense her aura, Ukyo slipped back through the door into her lunchroom. "It's a good thing I decided to stop by this morning to double-check my supplies. Let's see now... I'm pretty sure I have some mushrooms that look like those..."

She walked back to the storeroom behind her shop, and looked through her supplies. "Just as I thought. I've got some mushrooms here that are close enough to those Kairaishi that Shampoo will never notice the difference. I'll just chop some of them up, and switch with her."

Ukyo took out the mushrooms, and placed them on her own cutting board, which was next to the trays she had set aside for her okonomiyaki toppings. Since she was planning a test run before her grand opening next weekend, they were ready for use and mostly full. She had only a little more preparation to do, and then she would take the trays out and install them next to the grill. She chopped up the mushrooms, then gathered them up into a carrying cloth.

She snuck back towards the kitchen, keeping an eye on Shampoo through the window. In a few minutes, the happily whistling Amazon had finished her work, and headed back into the storeroom for more ingredients. Ukyo quickly dashed into the kitchen, dumped her supply of mushrooms on the cutting board on the table, and picked up the ones that Shampoo had been chopping.

She ducked back into the dining room just in time. Shampoo came out of the storeroom, and began preparing a number of pork buns. Ukyo could not suppress a quiet chuckle as she headed back to her own storeroom. Shampoo would sure be surprised! Hopefully, she would try her plan out when Ranma came over, and Ukyo would be there to watch them. Ukyo grinned. She couldn't wait to see the fun!

Ukyo quickly set her mushrooms on the table beside her other supplies, and picked up her things to head back to the Tendo home. She had skipped breakfast this morning, since it was the weekend, but she had promised Akane that they would spar. She slipped out of the door to the expansion, careful not to make any noise and let the Amazons know she had overheard. Still chuckling to herself, she headed home.

From the depths of Ukyo's storeroom, Mousse came down the stairs, peering through his thick glasses as he looked around. "Hello? Is anybody there?" He shrugged. "I thought I heard a noise."

He turned to head back into the main room of the Cat Café, to rejoin his beloved Shampoo and the old ghoul Cologne. As he did, he bumped into the table. His glasses fell off, and he picked them up and put them back on.

"Oh, dear," he said. "I seem to have knocked something over." The mushrooms Ukyo had set out had fallen on the floor. Fortunately, the rag still covered them. He picked it up, then carefully turned it over without spilling the contents.

"That was a close one," Mousse said. "I'm sure Kuonji would be upset if I spilled her supplies." He looked around at the plastic trays that Ukyo used to store her okonomiyaki toppings. "Hm. Kuonji must have chopped these mushrooms to put them in with her other ingredients. I wonder why she left them on the table instead of putting them in the tray."

"Oh, well," he chose an empty tray, and put the chopped mushrooms into it. "Now she won't have to worry about someone coming along and bumping into the table." Satisfied that he had helped bring Ukyo just a bit closer to her goal of opening up her okonomiyaki shop, he set off for the Cat Café, and headed up the stairs to begin his morning preparations.

+++

Ukyo called out as she entered the Tendo home, and was answered by a loud sneeze, from Ranma. She hurried on into the family room, to find her brother and Akane watching TV. Ranma was sniffling, and wiping his nose, and his eyes were red. Akane was watching him, obviously concerned.

"You coming down with a cold, Ranchan?" Ukyo asked him.

"Nah. It was that old freak, Happosai." Ranma scowled.

"Happosai?" Ukyo looked confused. What did he have to do with it?

"Grandfather tried to pull a prank on you this morning," Akane said. "He put sneezing powder in your food. Unfortunately, nobody told him you wouldn't be eating breakfast with us this morning, and Ranma ate all your food." She nudged Ranma with her elbow. "There you go again, baka, thinking with your stomach." Then she sneezed.

"I ain't the only one..." Ranma growled.

"Looks like Ranma isn't the only one who had an appetite," Ukyo said with a grin.

Akane giggled lightly, putting a hand behind her head. "Okay, I guess you got me. I sampled off of your plate as well. I only took a few bites, though. Ranma ate the whole thing."

"I didn't know the old freak was gonna pull somethin' like that!" Ranma protested. Then he sneezed again. "Gah, I'm gonna get that old man. I don't wanna get caught up in your battle!"

"Don't worry, Ranma." Akane smiled at him. "I'm sure Ukyo doesn't mind, and Grandfather seemed unhappy that his plan didn't work. He said he was going to have to try again, since it didn't count that he got Ranma."

"Well," Ukyo said, "At least he isn't coming after you guys as long as he's distracted trying to outwit me." She patted Ranma on the shoulder. "Just watch what you eat from now on, okay? Anything the old man could have touched is suspect."

"What makes me mad is, my mom was gonna come over here today. Now I'm gonna have to visit her when I'm sneezin', all the time. I hope she don't think I'm sick an' start trying to treat me like a baby, or nothin'." He sneezed again.

"Maybe it'll wear off," Ukyo suggested.

"That's what I was hoping, but it seems Happosai knew what he was doing." Akane face turned into an irritated frown. "Every time I think Ranma's over it, he burps or something and the spices come back up." She shook her head. "I'm afraid it's going to last most of the day, or at least until Ranma can finish digesting his meal."

"Ha ha," Ranma grouched. "Very funny."

Akane rolled her eyes at his protests, then turned back to Ukyo. "So, have you got any plans for today?"

"Well, I thought I would open up the shop for a few hours and give my grill a test run. I asked some of the kids at school to stop by over the weekend," her mood turned pensive. "Although I don't know if any of them will show. I'm sure Sayuri and Yuka will come by, though."

"That sounds great!" Akane gave one of her room-brightening smiles. "That reminds me, I asked Sayuri and Yuka to come over tomorrow with one or two of the other girls to watch my training exercises. Do you think you could help me set up a demonstration?"

"Sure!"

"After we get done, maybe we'll all go over to your restaurant for okonomiyaki!" Akane looked even happier. "It'll be fun!"

"It's a date, then. You wanna go out to the dojo and do some sparring? I'm in no rush, but I'd like to get back to the Cat Café before noon."

"Sure." Akane glanced at her sniffling fiancé. "Ranma, you want to come too?"

Ranma rubbed at his nose, angrily. "I can't concentrate with all this goin' on. I just wanna lay here and die."

"Oh, come on, Ranchan, it's not that bad. It's not like you really have a cold." Ranma glared at her, and Ukyo chuckled. "Tell you what, why don't you soak in a hot tub for a while, then lay down and rest for a bit. That should soothe the irritation."

"All right, that sounds like it might work." Ranma stood up.

"Don't sleep the whole day away," Ukyo said with a grin. "I'd like you to come over and help some time in the afternoon, if you can."

Of course, the real reason she wanted Ranma to come over to the Cat Café was so that Shampoo could try out her trick. The sooner she got that out of the way the better. But she didn't have to tell Ranma that.

"Sure thing, Sis." Ranma headed down the hall to the furoba, while Akane got to her feet as well.

"Give me a minute to get into my gi," she said. "I'll meet you in the dojo."

+++

The afternoon passed relatively quietly, although she had a handful of curious visitors show up around lunch. She invited them inside, warning them to mind the construction, and informed them of her plans to open the okonomiyaki shop the next weekend. She insisted that they have an okonomiyaki on the house, took their order, and asked for their honest feedback after they were done.

Most of the orders were for standard okonomiyaki, and her guests all seemed quite pleased. Several said they would return once the shop opened. Only a few brave souls were willing to try the Pot Luck Okonomiyaki, but their responses were the most enthusiastic of all. A couple of customers seemed curious about the Hiroshima and Chinese styles (which she was now calling the "Joketsuzoku Special') and promised to try them on their next visit.

Sayuri and Yuka, of course, stopped by, and they each had an okonomiyaki as well. Sayuri tried the Hiroshima style, but sheepishly admitted that she had never been to western Japan, and so had nothing to compare it too. She found it interesting; the many layers of cabbage made it taste very different.

The lunch crowd thinned out, and with the last of her ingredients running out, Ukyo went back to the storeroom for more trays. She had just fitted them in place as Ranma came in. "Hiya, Ranchan," Ukyo called out. "You want an okonomiyaki?"

Ranma sniffled and rubbed his nose. "No thanks. This sneezing powder has got me so stuffed up and makin' my nose run that I can't hardly smell anything. I'd hate ta eat one o' your okonomiyaki an' not be able to taste it, Sis."

Ukyo shrugged. "Oh, well, all right then. It does seem a shame to let it go to waste." She began to mix up the batter. "I think I'll just make one for myself, to go."

"Oh?" Ranma looked at her, then looked around the little room. "You ready to go already?"

"Yeah... business was pretty slow. I was planning on putting out some flyers for the Grand Opening, but I'll do it tomorrow. Did your mother show up?"

"Not yet," Ranma said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. Then he sneezed. "Oh, heck, I think it's starting up again."

"Poor Ranchan," Ukyo said sympathetically. She patted him on the shoulder, and then began layering on the toppings on her okonomiyaki.

At that moment, Shampoo burst in the door. "Airen! Is here! Shampoo so happy to see Airen!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said, distractedly, waving an arm in her direction. "I came ta see Sis, not you!"

Shampoo's eyes fell. "Not be rude. Shampoo just happy to see Airen." Then her smile returned. "Shampoo bring too, too nice pork buns. Airen try, yes?"

"I dunno, Shampoo," Ranma said, sniffling. "I ain't really in a mood for more food."

"Aiyah!" Shampoo looked startled. "Airen sick? Then Airen definitely need Shampoo to make healthy meal, make Airen feel all better." She pulled him aside. "You eat these, you feel better too, too quick, yes?""

Ukyo chuckled to herself as she flipped over the okonomiyaki. She grabbed a handful of ingredients from the tray, and sprinkled it over the top, not noticing that she had grabbed a handful of suspicious looking mushrooms in the mix. She sat back to watch the fun, munching on her freshly cooked snack.

"Here, here, Airen eat!" Shampoo insisted. She stuffed a pork bun into Ranma's mouth despite his protests. Her own grin grew wicked as he chewed. "Is good, yes? Ranma make all gone?"

"Yeah, yeah, Shampoo, what is this all about?"

"You give big kiss now. Big, juicy kiss with much passion, like give to one true love!" Ranma then sneezed, loudly. Shampoo snapped her fingers.

"Kiss! Whaddya mean! I ain't gonna kiss you!" Ranma shoved Shampoo away from him, much to her frustration.

"Airen kiss Shampoo now! Why Airen no kiss Shampoo?" Ranma sneezed again, and Shampoo repeated her command. "You must give big kiss! Kiss long time, make very happy!" She snapped her fingers, and her face twisted into a scowl when it didn't work.

Ukyo wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. When did it get so hot in here? She felt a strong urge to do something, to leap over the counter and... do something, but she didn't know what. She shook her head to try to clear it.

"Are you crazy, Shampoo?" Ranma was yelling. "I ain't gonna kiss you, Akane would kill me! An' my Pops and Mr. Tendo wouldn't be too happy neither!"

Shampoo snapped her fingers twice more, staring into Ranma's eyes. Then she shrugged. "Aiyah, Kairaishi no work. Maybe Shampoo not use right. Oh, well." She leaned forward and kissed Ranma on the cheek, then bounded back into the main dining room. "Bye-bye Airen, Shampoo see again soon."

"What the heck was that about?" Ranma rubbing his cheek, with a grimace of distaste. He turned to his sister. "You ready to go, Sis?"

"Sure, Ranma," Ukyo mumbled, trying to pull herself out of her stupor. Why did she feel so dazed all of a sudden? "Give me a minute to put away these toppings."

Ukyo picked up the trays and took them back to the back room to put them away in the freezer. Then she rejoined her brother in the main hall. "Let's go."

They headed down the streets of Nerima, towards the Tendo home. Ukyo tried to make small talk. "So, when do you think your mother will arrive?"

"I dunno, Akane said that it wouldn't be more than an hour before she showed up. She said she would come by after lunch. I wanted to run and get you before she arrived."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ranchan. You know, I'm looking forward to spending some time with Auntie Saotome. It's time we started trying to think about how to break the news of your curse..."

As Ukyo was saying that, Ranma sneezed. Ukyo immediately threw her arms around him, drew him close, and kissed him soundly on the lips.

Ranma leaped back like he had been bitten by a snake. "Sis! What are you doing?"

Ukyo stared at him, her eyes wide. She looked to be in shock. "I... I... I'm sorry, Ranma, I just... I just don't know what came over me!"

"Geez, Sis! What kinda trick are you tryin' to pull here? I aughtta... Wah-choo!"

In a flash, Ukyo had again grabbed Ranma and pulled him down to her. Their lips met for a much longer period this time. Ranma began to squirm before Ukyo released him.

Ukyo was blushing deeply, and waved her hands in front of herself. "Honest, Ranchan, it doesn't mean anything! It's like I can't control myself or somethin'!"

"Tell me about it!" Ranma said, flabbergasted. "Get ahold of yourself! You're my sister, you're not supposed ta be thinkin' things like that about me!"

"I'm not, Ranma, I'm not. Or not really, anyway..." Ukyo's blush deepened. Then she shook her head. "Look, you know me, Ranchan! You know I wouldn't..."

Before she could finish, Ranma sneezed again. Ukyo leaped at him, sending them both tumbling to the ground as she kissed him deeply. She then leaped back to her feet. "No, no, no! It's not what you think!"

"I gotta get outta here," Ranma yelled, crawling on his back like a spider. He turned over, already at a full run by the time he got back to his feet. He shot off like a rocket headed for the Tendo home.

"Ranchan, come back!" Ukyo yelled after him. "I don't know what's going on, but we can figure it out! Don't be afraid of me!"

Ranma ran all the way home, and charged through the front door, slamming it behind him. "It's not my fault, Akane!" He called out. "I didn't do it!"

"What?" Akane came down the hallway from the family room, eyeing Ranma curiously. "What have you done now, baka?"

Ranma grabbed her by the shoulders. "I told you, I didn't do it! You gotta believe me!" He sneezed, and Akane pushed his face away from hers.

Nodoka came down the hall behind Akane. "What is wrong, my son? You look as if something horrible happened. Is it something that you are afraid to face responsibility for?"

"Oh, hi, Mom." He looked chagrined. "Look, it's just, I told you, it's not what it looks like. I told you, okay?" He sniffled and wiped his nose.

"Ranma..." Akane's tone was warning, but she was not angry yet. At that moment, Ukyo came in through the door.

"Look, Ranchan, it's not what you think, okay!" Ukyo said. "Let's just sit down and talk about this."

"No, no! I can't be anywhere around you!" With that, Ranma charged down the hall to the family room.

"Ranchan, I didn't mean to! You gotta believe me!"

Akane shook her head. "Not you too..."

Ukyo looked at her. "I'm really sorry, Akane. I don't know what happened. But I... um... I kinda... um... kissed Ranma."

"Kissed Ranma?" Akane rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you'd think the world had come to an end. There's nothing bad about a little kiss between family."

"It wasn't that kind of kiss!" Ranma yelled, from the family room. He then sneezed. Ukyo twitched.

"It wasn't what it seems like, I swear!" Ukyo countered, continuing down the hall in the direction of her brother's voice. "I don't know what's going on, but I've gotten over my feelings for you!"

"I didn't know you had feelings for me! Not like that, anyway!" As they came into the room, Ranma was cowering behind the table. He looked like he might bolt, but Akane hurried over to comfort him.

Unfortunately, he sneezed again, and as Ukyo entered the room, reflex took over. She leaped across the table, and laying down across it, planted a deep smooch on Ranma's lips.

Akane drew back. "Ranma!" She yelled.

"I didn't do it!" He yelled back. "It wasn't me, it was her!" He made a gesture towards Ukyo, pushing her away as he did.

"It wasn't me either," Ukyo said. "Or not because I wanted to! I don't want to take Ranma from you, Akane!"

Akane's eyes flashed. "Oh, do you think you can take Ranma from me?"

"I didn't say that!"

Ranma looked from one girl to another, then tried to extract himself from his position at the table. He sneezed again, and Ukyo gave him another long kiss.

"Ukyo! Stop it!" Akane was starting to sound frightened. "This isn't funny anymore."

"It's the sneezing!" Ukyo snapped her fingers. "The sneezing is doing it!"

"Oh, I guess you're going to blame Happosai for this, now..." Akane harrumphed and looked away, although it was obvious she was hurt.

"Yeah... yeah it could be." She thought about it. "But how? I haven't seen Happosai all day. I haven't eaten anything unusual or been caught by any explosions or powders..."

Ranma sneezed again. Yet again, Ukyo gave him a passionate kiss. "Oh, my son is so manly!" Nodoka gushed.

"I am not!" Ranma said, then blanched. "I mean I am, but I can't help it! It's not my fault women throw themselves at my feet all the time..."

Akane turned red. "Oh, is that all I am to you? Yet another woman who's fallen under your spell? Am I supposed to throw myself at your feet?"

"Of course not!" Ranma snapped back, but sneezed again before he could defend himself further. By the time he pried Ukyo off of him, Akane was beginning to tremble, and clench her fists.

"Akane, calm down," Ukyo said, taking a moment to wipe her lips. "Of course that's not what Ranma means."

"Calm down? That's easy for you to say! Your fiancé isn't kissing another girl right in front of you!" Holding back her anger was beginning to take its toll, and tears were starting to gather in Akane's eyes.

"Now, Akane, don't be jealous. Perhaps you should both kiss him." Nodoka's eyes sparkled, obviously imagining her son romantically sweeping the two girls off their feet. "After all, Ukyo is Ranma's fiancée, too. She shouldn't be forced to deny her feelings out of concern for you."

"I knew it! I knew you liked her better than me!" Akane's voice caught in her throat. "Is it because I can't cook? I'm really trying, I really am..."

"Mom! You're not helping! Ah-choo!"

"Ukyo, can you at least try to control yourself while I'm here watching? Don't you know how much this hurts me?"

"The mushrooms! The Kairaishi mushrooms! Ranchan changed the trigger when he sneezed!" She turned to Akane, with a look of dawning realization in her eyes. "It's a post-hypnotic suggestion, Akane, I can't help it! Shampoo was trying to make Ranma kiss her, and she got me instead!"

"Shampoo?" Akane's trembling had given way to sobbing, and tears streaked her face. "Do you expect me to believe that? Oh... I want to..." She put her face in her hands.

"Yeah, Akane, she's right." From Ranma's contemplative expression, he was remembering the trick as well. "I thought that was odd, her telling me to kiss her."

"That Amazon girl was trying to kiss you as well?" Nodoka looked curious, but obviously pleased.

"No, no, she tried to make me kiss her!"

"And did you, Ranma?" Akane's tone was harsh, but her sobs were plain, now. "You've kissed Ukyo now, what's Shampoo as well..."

"No, I didn't kiss her, you stupid tomboy! She kissed me!" He jumped, as if startled. "On the cheek! She kissed me on the cheek! Not on the lips!" He waved his hands wildly.

"Shut up, Ranchan, you're not..." Ranma sneezed and Ukyo kissed him.

"Oh my son, I am so proud!" Nodoka exclaimed jubilantly. "But the manly thing would be to make a choice now." Akane began to wail. Ranma was panicking and on the verge of passing out.

"Wha-choo!"

It was not Ranma who sneezed, that time. It was Akane. Ukyo reached forward, planted her hand firmly behind Akane's head, and pulled her forward into the most passionate liplock she had administered so far.

There was a moment where everything seemed normal. Ukyo shifted her lips a bit to deepen the kiss, and Akane leaned her head to allow for a better angle. Then Ukyo's eyes snapped open. She stared into Akane's dark eyes, which were wide with astonishment and shock. Both girls froze in place, neither daring to move. It was as if they had turned to stone.

Ranma's hand suddenly shot up to his nose. "I gotta get outta here!" he shouted, his voice nasal since he was holding his nose closed. He scrambled up from his side of the table, almost knocking it over in his hurry. He tripped once rushing out of the room. Then, when he was well outside of the family room, he was heard to sneeze. "Gah! Now there's blood everywhere!"

There was a long awkward silence. Then Nodoka cleared her throat.

"I must talk to my son," she said, as she stoically rose to her feet. "Obviously he is not properly satisfying his fiancées if they must turn to each other." She left the room.

Ukyo finally broke the kiss. She looked away from Akane, her face as red as a beet. "I'm... I'm sorry Akane..."

There was a light, bashful giggle from Akane. "Don't be." Ukyo looked up to find Akane's face just as red as hers, but she was smiling. "I'm actually glad you did that."

"Uhhhh..." Ukyo swallowed. She could feel herself sweating the big drop.

Akane took a deep breath, and then let it out, slowly. "For a long time now, I've been worried about my feelings. I've been afraid that my attraction to Ranma's female body was not just due to my love for him, but... something else."

The dark haired tomboy lowered her eyes. "At least now I know for sure. While I love Ranma with all my heart, now I know it isn't partly because of some misplaced attraction to you. I love Ranma for Ranma, and nothing else.

"It was a very nice kiss." Akane said. Her tone was gracious, but her eyes danced with mischief. "Someday, you're going to make some man very happy..."

Akane sighed again, the last of the tension draining out of her. Her smile became almost apologetic. "... But it wasn't magic."

Ukyo giggled nervously. "Well, thank God for that..."

Akane stood up. "I'm going to go straighten things out with Auntie. You should probably avoid Ranma for the rest of the day - or at least until either the sneezing powder or Shampoo's spell wears off."

"All right." Ukyo still couldn't meet Akane's eyes, but she was smiling, too.

"And Ukyo... there's just one more thing." She looked down at her friend with a mock glare. "Don't think that you can pretend to be Ranma and get another kiss out of me. I could tell it was you the moment your lips met mine. So I'll know." She shook her fist, but her eyes were shining with mirth. "If you get any urges to steal another kiss from me, you just think again. I'll show you the business end of my shinai."

"Don't worry about it, Akane," Ukyo said with amusement. "After all, as you said... what's a little kiss between family?"

+++

Akane was all smiles as she invited her friends into the dojo. "Come in, come in," she said, barely able to contain her excitement. "Sayuri, Yuka, I'm glad you could make it!"

"We wouldn't miss this," Sayuri said. She and her friend quickly entered the dojo and took a seat on a bench Akane had set up for them. Akane had hung her training bricks from the rafters, as before, but only about half of the dojo's area was covered. There was plenty of room for their guests to sit down. Akane herself was wearing a gym shirt and shorts. Her clothing was brand new, and not ripped like before.

The girl with the glasses was the next to come in. "Welcome to the Tendo dojo," Akane said warmly, as she bowed to the girl. She returned the greeting, with a shy smile of her own. Behind her was a short, cross-looking girl with a thick mane of brown hair that surrounded her face. Akane's eyes brightened in recognition, and the girl's seemingly perpetual scowl faded to an apologetic grimace.

"I'm really sorry, Akane," the girl said. "At first, I ignored all those silly rumors about you. But then you started to seem closer to Ukyo and Ranma than to Sayuri and Yuka and myself, and I guess I kind of decided you were moving on. When the others wanted to go out with you, I started finding more and more reasons to stay behind.

"Then, when Sayuri invited us all on that hot springs trip, and Ukyo and Happosai crashed it, I guess I started listening to the rumors." She turned to Ukyo, who was standing apart from the group. "I apologize for that, Ukyo. I'd like to be your friend, too, if you'll let me."

Ukyo grinned. "Any friend of Akane's is a friend of mine. And believe me, I'm as frustrated by that old freak's antics as you are."

The girl turned back to Akane. "Anyway, I'm really sorry I let you down, and I'd really like to be friends again."

Akane took her hand. "Of course. Don't worry about it." She gave her friend a big smile. "It's good to see you again." A couple of other girls that Akane also recognized as former friends filed in behind her. "It's good to see you all again."

Behind the little group, Akane was surprised to see a certain tall gymnast with her black hair in a ponytail. "Kodachi? Your lesson isn't until Tuesday. Did you take time off from your gymnastics practice?"

Kodachi waltzed into the dojo, waving a hand dismissively. "My team isn't meeting this week, so I have some extra time. But my brother has been going on and on about the big fight you and Ranma had on Friday. He was quite incensed that Ranma dear had been mistreating his 'fierce tigress', and that he had been unable to release you from his wicked grasp. I just had to come by and see for myself the truth of the matter!"

She bounded over to Ranma, who drew back at her approach. "So, Ranma dear, has this commoner been treating you kindly? Although I have given up my love for you, I would not have her taking a prince such as you for granted."

Akane's eye began twitching. "Ranma and I just had a little spat, that's all. Ranma has apologized for dismissing my cooking without even trying it, and we've both forgiven each other."

"I apologized?" Ranma queried, with a teasing note in his voice. "I seem to remember a certain homicidal tomboy begging me to accept her apology after the whole school saw what horrible things she was imagining doing to me..."

"Ranma..." Akane growled warningly.

"Hohohohoho!" Kodachi wrapped her arms around Ranma. "Now, Ranma dear, if it was a fine meal that you wanted, you need only ask me. I'm sure that I can present you with a banquet fit for a king!" She glanced at Akane and then Ukyo. "Certainly better than some fast food chef can provide for the common rabble."

"Fast food chef!" Ukyo protested, folding her arms with a glare.

"Alas, I can no longer claim you as my fiancé, Ranma dear, but you can at least reward me with a kiss..." Kodachi leaned closer, pulling out a bouquet of black roses, and pursing her lips as she held the roses in Ranma's face. Ranma stared at her in increasing horror. Before she could trigger the paralysis gas, Akane grabbed Ranma by the arm and spun him out of Kodachi's grasp.

"Quit playing around, Kuno, or I'm doubling your training session next week!" Akane threatened.

Kodachi responded with a laugh. "Relax, Tendo, I am only teasing, as usual. It is the only fun I get these days, with my dear brother studying so hard for final exams. He seems to have gotten it into his head that you and his 'ponytailed goddess' will look upon him with greater admiration if he can achieve perfect scores. As he is paying your sister for the privilege of tutoring him, I suspect that it was her idea..."

She tossed the roses aside, and then glanced at Ukyo. "My apologies to you as well, Kuonji. I heard that you are opening a new restaurant, and I would love to sample your fare."

Ukyo still looked insulted, but she nodded. "Actually, Akane and I were going to take you all out to the restaurant for lunch once we are done here."

"That sounds great!" Sayuri said. "So what are you planning to do, Akane?" She looked around at the ropes hanging in a pattern around the dojo. Unlike before, when Akane had hung cinder blocks from the ropes, now she had replaced them with flat slabs of rock. They were smaller than the cinder blocks, which allowed Akane to place them closer together. "Is all this part of the training?"

Akane walked over to one of the stones, and swung it on the end of its rope. "Yes, this is my training technique. It is called the Bakusai Tenketsu, or 'Breaking Point'. Ryoga learned this from Cologne, and I tried to duplicate his training and broke my arm. I sensed the breaking point just before I hit, though, and was able to shatter the rock, even though the impact was too much for my body to stand."

She glanced at Ranma, giving him an apologetic look. He just rolled his eyes, especially when Akane added. "That baka never has let me live that down. Anyway, this training makes my body tougher, so I can use the ability on small rocks now. I developed this kata to build up my whole body, so I can take punches or kicks from much stronger opponents than before."

Akane paused a moment, to collect her thoughts, then fell into her stance. Then she struck out with a finger, causing the first brick to explode. She had made the kata a bit tighter, since there was less space between the slabs, and she stepped closer to the explosion, bearing its impact a bit more. The denser rock didn't shatter like concrete, though, and the edges were not as sharp. Since her body was better able to withstand cuts, she had moved on to blunt impacts.

After a few minutes, Akane had made her way through most of the rock slabs. Although the exploding stone had ripped holes in her clothing, the overall damage was still less than before. Small cuts and bruises appeared on her skin, but there was no longer that look of agony on her face. Instead, Akane seemed almost serene, as she continued the steps of her kata. The watching audience had been stunned into silence by the display, and no sound could be heard but the repeated explosions.

Finally, Akane made her last strike, reducing the final slab to a fine cloud of fragments. Her shirt had been shredded, exposing a bit of her bra. Her arms and legs were crisscrossed with crimson welts, but there was no sign of blood. Akane turned, and bowed to her shocked audience. Then, quite suddenly, Sayuri and Yuka leaped to their feet, and raced to her.

"Akane! That was... that was..." Sayuri faltered, unable to find the words. She and Yuka looked Akane's arms over carefully, while the other girls came up to see as well.

"I'm all right, guys," Akane said sheepishly.

"Geez, Akane, how can you do that! You should have been cut to ribbons! Doesn't that hurt?" Yuka was able to find one open cut on Akane's side, but as she watched in amazement, it healed over and stopped bleeding.

"It did hurt, at first," Akane admitted. "But as the training went on, it got better. I can withstand the explosions now, at least for these small bricks."

Ranma came up behind her, and hung a towel over Akane's shoulders, to hide her ripped shirt and preserve her modesty. Akane gave him a grateful smile, and then wiped the sweat from her face with the end of the towel.

Akane then lowered her eyes. "To tell the truth, guys, I usually use bigger bricks than this. I used the smaller ones because I didn't want to scare you..."

"Well, you did scare me!" Sayuri said, and Yuka nodded her head in agreement. "That was the most intense thing I've ever seen! I was sure you were going to kill yourself!"

"I have to admit, Tendo," Kodachi cut in, "I have endured your conditioning training, and know how it works, and yet that shocked even me." She had come up to stand slightly outside of Akane's circle of friends, but she was looking Akane over with as much concern as the others. "While I would never be willing to subject myself to such a disfiguring technique as that, I can no longer question your strength of will. It is no surprise that I can no longer keep up with you."

Akane flinched at the word "disfiguring", and her eyes narrowed a bit, but Yuka spoke up before she could respond. "Kodachi's right, Akane. Aren't you afraid this will leave scars?"

Akane looked up at Ranma, standing behind her, and he grinned confidently back at her. She met Yuka's eyes with the same confidence. "I don't mind a few scars. That's the point, really, scar tissue is tougher than regular skin and will protect me from further abrasions. Although I don't want the calluses to get so thick they start to split."

She glanced at Ukyo. "Ranma and Ukyo use a cream that softens the tissue and prevents it from scarring. I have a few scars, but not enough to notice, even after all this training."

"And besides," Ranma added, drawing her into his arms. "I think a few scars makes her look cute." Akane giggled, and half-heartedly slapped at his arm.

The girls all looked at each other. As one, they all got an expression of "Oh! So that's what's going on!" at Ranma and Akane's sudden closeness. They then turned back to Akane with smiles.

"Well, I guess if you're doing it to yourself, then that's okay," Sayuri said. "And I guess Ukyo and Ranma can tell if you're pushing yourself too hard."

"You bet we can," Ukyo and Ranma said at the same time. Ukyo had been coming up to join the two of them and Ranma jumped a bit at her echo, brushing against her side. The two of them shared an uncomfortable laugh before turning their attention back to the others.

Ukyo finished the thought. "Akane was pretty clever to come up with this, and with it, she's been able to cram a lifetime of conditioning into a few months. She's managed to compensate for one of her major weaknesses, and is a better fighter because of it."

Akane nodded. "Let me show you why I've been training this way. Ukyo?"

She walked over to one side of the dojo, while Ukyo went over to pick up a sword from the wall. Although most of the weapons Ukyo had borrowed had been returned after the fight with the Dojo Destroyer, Akane and Ukyo had agreed to keep some of them out, and had hung them on the walls as decoration. Ukyo tested the weight of the weapon with a few practice swings, and then took a position opposite Akane.

Ranma led the watching girls back over to the bench. Once the combat area was cleared, Akane and Ukyo bowed to their audience, then to each other. Then both fell into a stance.

The sparring match that followed again stunned the girls into silence. Both Ukyo and Akane seemed to flash around the dojo, moving almost too fast to see, although Ukyo moved far faster than Akane. Akane seemed to plant herself solidly, enduring a barrage of strikes from Ukyo's sword, then darted in for a few strikes of her own. Akane didn't have the reach to avoid Ukyo's sword, and had to take a few hits to score a point, but that was obviously the point of the demonstration. Akane didn't flinch from the sword strikes, and it didn't seem to affect her in the least.

Finally, Akane pushed Ukyo back into a corner, where a pile of round stones had been set, obviously for the demonstration. As Akane leaped back, to dodge a leg sweep, Ukyo dropped her sword, and picked up the stones in the same sweeping motion. Akane jumped into the air, and Ukyo threw the stones over her head. They hung there, for a fraction of a second.

"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ukyo's arms flashed into action, and in a blur, picked the stones out of the air and hurled them at Akane. Akane countered with "Bakusai Tentetsu revised!" and her hands flashed out with the speed of the Chestnut Fist as well. As the rain of missiles came at her, she touched each with a finger, and it exploded. The staccato rhythm of the explosions sounded like a machine gun going off in the crowded dojo.

When the cloud of dust cleared, Akane dropped to the ground, unharmed. She looked as if she might try to continue her attack, but then Happosai came bounding in through the door.

"Little Ukyo!" He called out. "Catch!"

He tossed a round, bomb-shaped object at Ukyo. She intercepted it, but then tossed it to Akane without catching it. Akane stumbled as she caught it, and then juggled it from hand to hand as she failed to catch it for a few moments, but then threw it back to Ukyo. Just as she caught it, it went off.

A cloud of gas filled the dojo. Everyone began coughing as the dense cloud surrounded them. A number of girls were heard to cry out in dismay and disgust.

"Gah!" Ranma yelled. "What a stink!"

As best he could in the blinding smoke, Ranma gathered up Akane's friends and Kodachi, and escorted them out of the dojo. Akane and Ukyo helped each other out of the door. The whole group of them gathered outside in the Tendo yard, coughing and with their eyes watering.

"I gotcha that time, Little Ukyo!" Happosai said smugly. "I'll be waiting for your counter prank!" With that, he cackled gaily and started to leap over the Tendo compound wall.

A ribbon snagged his foot. Kodachi pulled him back down to the ground, holding the handle of her ribbon with a scowl. "It will take me forever to get this smell out of my clothes, you perverted old lunatic," she said. She then triggered the electrical charge on her ribbon, and Happosai jumped around on the end of his restraint.

"No fair, Little Ukyo!" Happosai pleaded. "You wouldn't let all of your friends attack this old man, would you? This prank war was supposed to be between you and me!"

Ukyo stood up, wiping her reddened eyes. "Hey, you caught my friends in your stink bomb, old fool. It's no business of mine if they want to take revenge for that."

"Hohohohohoho!" Kodachi laughed shrilly. "Are you with me, girls!"

"Yes!" They all answered. Within a second, they were on top of Happosai, pounding him into a pulp.

Akane made a face as she came over to Ukyo. "We all stink, we can't go out for okonomiyaki like this. Ranma, why don't you run take a bath real quick, and as soon as you're done, the rest of us can take a bath together. I'll see if Kasumi can bring us all a change of clothes."

Akane and Ukyo stood watching the girls beating up Happosai. Ranma chuckled to himself as he headed into the house.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 8

Little Miss Matchmaker

+++

Ukyo hummed to herself as she walked down the street from the Cat Café. Her work on the restaurant was proceeding nicely, and she was almost finished with all but the most minor of details. Ukyo was pretty confident that she would be able to open her new expansion on time the next weekend. Her trial run had worked well, and fliers had been put out for the Grand Opening. Even Shampoo and Cologne were looking forward to it.

With the important work done, Ukyo set off to take care of some things that had been in the back of her mind for a while. As she approached Dr. Tofu's clinic, she smiled to herself. But then, just as quickly, she frowned.

The line outside of the doctor's office was a little longer than usual for this time of day. Ukyo considered her options for a moment, then continued on toward the clinic. She had hoped for a chance to talk to the doctor alone, but she had plenty of time. It would give her a chance to talk with the locals and pick up on the latest gossip.

As she stepped onto the sidewalk leading up to the clinic's front door, she passed the panda standing outside the shop sweeping. She waved to him. "How's it goin' Old Man? Is Tofu still keepin' you busy?"

The panda growfed. Possibly, he was insulted by the question, not that Ukyo cared. The lazy old man had tried to quit his job with Dr. Tofu a couple of times, but she and Ranma wouldn't let him. Soun was only barely managing to support the household, even with the work he did for the town council to track down Happosai and other troublemakers. More recently, Genma had tried to claim that with Ukyo's new restaurant, they didn't need the extra money. Ukyo shot holes in that by pointing out how much she expected to lose their first year in business.

The line was moving pretty quickly, and Ukyo was able to make her way into the lobby and have a seat. She busied herself reading magazines and listening to the other visitors chatting among themselves. She was starting to get a little bored when an old lady charged into the room, her eyes wide and breathing hard, as if she had been running.

"She is on her way here!" the lady yelled, in a warning tone. "I just passed her on the street!"

"Oh, and I was hoping to see him before she happened to stop by," another said. A number of the patients quickly stood up, and began to hurriedly, if cautiously, file out the door. "And he's such a good doctor, too."

"I know," put in an older male patient. "It's just so sad, isn't it? They would make such a fine couple. But to be here now would be dangerous."

In moments, the room cleared out. Even Dr. Tofu's receptionist found a reason to leave the office, leaving Ukyo all alone in the waiting room.

Ukyo laughed to herself. It was obvious who they were talking about. Kasumi was on her way for a visit, probably to return one of her "borrowed" books. (And did she really think that no one would consider that suspicious?) At least now there was no one in line ahead of her. Ukyo shifted over a seat, hoping Dr. Tofu would call her in, and she'd get the chance to chat with him a bit before Kasumi arrived.

Sure enough, the doctor walked out of the back office with an old man, giving him a little advice on dealing with his aches and pains. He then turned to look around the room. "Oh, dear," he said. "I could have sworn there were more patients waiting. I hope I didn't make them wait too long."

"Not really, Doc," Ukyo said, standing. "I guess they just decided to come back later."

"Well, Ukyo, it's good to see you, anyway. How can I help you? Any sparring injuries you want me to take a look at? I hope Ranma and Akane are doing all right."

"No, nothing like that, and Ranchan and Akane are both fine. I have something I'd like to show you." She held up a paper bag.

"Show me? How interesting. Why don't you come with me to my office?"

Dr. Tofu led Ukyo to the office, where he began to pour a cup of tea. He offered the cup to Ukyo, who declined it with a wave of her hand, so he took it himself. "I wanted to talk to you about this, Doc," she said, reaching into the bag. She pulled out a large mushroom, as big as her hand. "This is called a Kairaishi mushroom. Have you heard of it?"

The doctor put his tea down on the desk, and walked over to study the mushroom. "It is very interesting. I don't think I've seen this particular mushroom before, but it's very similar to some I have seen from China. Is it Chinese?"

Ukyo nodded, grinning. "Yep. According to Cologne it's a very rare Chinese mushroom, but very powerful. If prepared correctly, it can make a person very susceptible to suggestion. Very susceptible." Ukyo grimaced. "I can attest to the fact that it works, and it has a very strong effect."

"Oh?" The doctor regarded her curiously.

Ukyo nodded. "I accidentally ate one of them, and got hypnotized by accident. The effect was so strong that I could not resist the suggestion. Even when I knew what was happening and tried to resist, I couldn't control my body."

Dr. Tofu put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right now?"

"Oh, sure, the suggestion wore off, but not before I kissed Ranchan... and Akane." She lowered her eyes, blushing deeply. "I've never been so humiliated in all my life, and both Ranma and Akane got pretty upset before we figured out what was going on.

"At least everything turned out okay. Shampoo had been trying to use it on Ranchan, but I let her know I wasn't going to let her try that again. Then I had a chat with Cologne about it. We agreed that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but there's some good use it could be put to, as well."

"Like what?" the doctor asked.

Ukyo smiled, her momentary embarrassment fading. "Well, that's what I came here to talk to you about. Cologne knows as much about Kairaishi Mushrooms as anyone else in China, but I thought I might get a second opinion. You might want to run some tests on it to make sure it doesn't have any lasting side effects. I feel fine, but it can't hurt to run some tests and make sure."

"Of course, Ukyo. Let me get some things." The doctor stepped over to a cabinet near Betty, the skeleton, and began pulling out some instruments. At that moment, the chime rang in the waiting room. This was followed by the panicked bellow of a panda making a break for the door.

Kasumi's gentle voice carried into the office. "Excuse me? Dr. Tofu? Is anyone here? I hope I'm not interrupting."

Dr. Tofu's glasses fogged up. He stiffened, looking back towards the door. "K-K-K-Kasumi! Imagine meeting you here of all places!"

Ukyo laughed again. "We're in here, Kasumi! You can come on in!"

Kasumi appeared in the doorway. She was carrying a large cardboard container. It was apparently a lunch basket, because there was a red checkered cloth sticking out of the top of it. "Oh dear Ukyo, I hope you are okay. You didn't hurt yourself or something, did you?"

Dr. Tofu giggled crazily. "Oh, no, Kasumi. Ukyo here was just telling me she had a little sparring accident." He stepped forward and took her arm. "Let's take a look at that arm, shall we?"

So distracted was Ukyo by Kasumi's question and the doctor's odd answer that she didn't realize the danger until it was too late. "Arm? What ar-" Before she could even finish the sentence, Dr. Tofu twisted her arm around backwards, with a loud snapping sound.

"Yeow!" Ukyo tried to wrestle her arm free, gritting her teeth against the pain. The doctor was remarkably persistent in holding on to her arm, given that he apparently couldn't see a thing through his fogged glasses. He stared blindly at her arm for a moment, then let go to turn back to the cabinet. Ukyo took advantage of her momentary freedom to pop her shoulder back into its joint.

Before she could do anything more, Dr. Tofu started wrapping gauze around her head. "Hey! Whattaya doin'!" she yelled, her voice becoming muffled as the doctor covered up her mouth.

"Oh, that's too bad," Kasumi said, with just the tiniest hint of humor in her voice. "I'm so sorry, Ukyo-chan. I hope you get to feeling better." She began to dig around in the basket, and pulled out a plate, wrapped in the checkered cloth. "Anyway, I brought you this gift, Doctor. I hope you do not think I am being too forward."

She lowered her eyes. There was no sign of a blush on her cheeks, but there could have been a twinkle in her eye. "You have been such a help to our family," she said. "I felt that I should show you some appreciation for all your hard work."

While Dr. Tofu was distracted by Kasumi, Ukyo wriggled her way free, and quickly positioned herself as far as possible from the doctor. He walked over to Kasumi and picked up the checkered cloth, which he folded into a triangle and tied around his face.

"Oh, a mask!" He said. "It is very nice, thank you. And I will certainly wear it forwards. I would not wear it backwards, like the young kids do these days..."

Kasumi smiled pleasantly. "You're so funny, Doctor."

Ukyo finished unwinding the gauze from around her head. While she wasn't nearly as amused by the doctor's antics as she had been before he almost broke her arm, she still managed to keep from sounding too angry. It came out more as exasperation. "I think she means the plate, Doc, not the cloth. She brought you lunch."

"Oh," he said. He stared blankly at the plate, and then took a bite out of it. Or tried to anyway. "It's very tasty."

"I made cookies," Kasumi explained, patiently. "They're on the plate."

"Why, that's wonderful." Dr. Tofu turned to Betty, still dazedly looking around without seeing anything but Kasumi. "Mr. Saotome, why don't you take these cookies and I will have them with my tea." He handed the plate to Betty, and Ukyo leaped to grab it before it hit the floor. She plopped it onto the table next to the tea, then ducked as Dr. Tofu came at her again. "Now then, Ukyo, let's see about that leg."

The doctor tried to grab her and Ukyo stepped inside his reach, spun him around, and then danced out of his grasp. She grabbed Betty and pulled the skeleton in to take her place. Dr. Tofu sat Betty down in a chair and started examining her leg. "My but you're getting thin, Ukyo. You really should eat more."

"Thanks for stopping by, Kasumi," Ukyo said, as soon as she was sure it was safe. She walked the eldest Tendo daughter to the door. "I'm sure the Doc appreciated your gift."

"He is such a funny man," Kasumi said sweetly. "I always enjoy coming over here for a visit. It must be great fun to work for someone who is so entertaining."

A few minutes later, Ukyo returned to the office. Dr. Tofu's glasses had cleared, and he was looking down at Betty sheepishly. In the struggle, Betty's skull had come off and rolled across the floor. Ukyo bent over and picked it up.

Ukyo leaned against the door frame. That crafty smile had returned to her face. "So, Doc... how long have you been in love with Kasumi?"

"K-K-K-Kasumi! Imagine meeting..."

Betty's skull bounced off of Dr. Tofu's head. His glasses cleared again, and the doctor shook his head to clear it. Almost immediately, he looked panicked. "Uh... Uh... I-I-I'm not in l-l-love with K-K-K-Kasumi! A relationship between a doctor and patient would be one of the worst..."

Ukyo interrupted him. "Look Doc, I'm not here to judge. I think the two of you look cute together - except for the collateral damage - and I'm sure everyone else agrees with me. If you think that you're fooling anybody, Doc, think again. Everyone knows how you feel about Kasumi. And that includes Ranchan and Akane."

She was silent for a moment. "Your patients all really care about you. I think they'll be tickled pink if you asked out Kasumi. They're all waiting for you to make the move..." she paused again. "... but you can't, can you?"

Dr. Tofu stared at the floor for a long moment. Finally, he took a deep breath, and sighed. Gesturing for Ukyo to take the chair, he placed Betty back on her rack. Then he wandered around behind his desk, and began looking through a bookshelf on the wall.

Finally, he found what he seemed to be looking for, a large bound scrapbook. He looked up at Ukyo as he set the book down on his desk. "Would you like to see what I was like back in high school? That's when I was young, sure of myself, and thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do."

"Sure!" Ukyo answered. The doctor opened the book to reveal several pages of photographs. He thumbed through it for a moment, and then slid it across the table towards Ukyo. As Ukyo studied the pictures the doctor had selected, he took a seat, and started sipping his tea.

"I didn't always want to be a doctor," he said. "I was very active and took part in a lot of school activities, but didn't realize I had a talent for helping people. I was young and ambitious back then. I wanted to make a name for myself."

There were several pictures on the page Tofu had chosen, but one in particular stood out to Ukyo. He was sweeping the walk in front of the school, with a few other schoolmates nearby. It looked similar enough to Furinkan that Ukyo assumed he had either grown up in Nerima, or someplace nearby. She noticed that he was not wearing his glasses in the picture, and his brown hair was short, without the short ponytail that was so characteristic of him today.

"Yes, my eyesight was still quite sharp back then," Tofu said, apparently guessing her thoughts. "Although it wasn't long after graduation that I started wearing glasses. But I didn't even let that stop me. I was going to be a martial artist. I wasn't as brash and overconfident as your brother," he chuckled a bit, and Ukyo laughed as well, "but I had it all figured out.

"After I graduated, I decided to take a year to travel around Japan. I wanted to learn from the best, and that meant going out and finding the best. I was a hard worker in school, and figured with hard work I would make it out there, too. But I quickly learned better. I had set out on a road that would take a lifetime, not a couple of years, and I started to think that I had bitten off more than I could chew."

Tofu took back the photo album, and turned a few pages. When he pushed it back, Ukyo looked to see a kindly old man, maybe twice the height of Happosai, and not nearly as crafty-looking. This was a kindly old doctor, working in a clinic, putting some bottles up on a shelf. Noticing a detail of the shelf, she glanced back at a shelf in the office, and then back at the picture. Although the room had been redecorated since then, she could tell that the room in the picture was this office.

The doctor grinned at her perceptiveness. "When I first met my sensei, he was traveling around the country, like I was. He had been a doctor in a hospital in Tokyo, but he couldn't stand the long hours and the paperwork. All he wanted to do was to open a clinic in a small town, and take care of people who really needed him. Sensei taught me everything I know, from martial arts to Acupuncture and Moxibustion to western medicine.

"We wandered Japan for about a year, but in all our travels, Sensei never found the right place. Tokyo was too much like home, I guess, even though he wanted to get away from the noise and the traffic. I suggested Nerima, and we set up this clinic here. It was while I was helping him run the clinic, as his apprentice, that I first met Kasumi."

Ukyo had continued to look through the pages of the scrapbook as he talked, and came across a picture of Kasumi and Akane standing in front of the office. Tofu stood talking to the two of them, with a dazed look on his face, clutching at his skeleton Betty. He looked a little older than in the first picture; he was wearing glasses, and his ponytail had started to grow out. But he still had a little youthful softness to his face. Kasumi was clearly quite young as well, she looked to be about sixteen in the picture, and was wearing the Furinkan uniform.

It was Akane that looked the most different, though. Ukyo guessed that if Kasumi was sixteen, Akane had to be thirteen, but she looked to be ten or twelve in the picture. She was wearing overalls, and from the scrapes on her face and arms, she had banged herself up pretty good. Ukyo immediately noticed that Akane had short hair, very similar to how her hair looked now. Akane was holding a small hat in her hands, and looking down at it, self-consciously. Although it was subtle, Ukyo could see the longing in her eyes that told of her crush on the handsome doctor. But Dr. Tofu only had eyes for Kasumi.

Dr. Tofu had come around to look over her shoulder, and noticed the picture. "Yes, Kasumi was a little younger than that when I met her, about fifteen. But she already had a maturity and an intelligence beyond her years. Even in a physical sense, she was quickly growing into a young woman. Despite the years between us, when she was around, I felt like an eighteen year old again. I knew that the attraction that I felt for her was wrong, and at first I tried to put it out of my mind." He sighed. "By the time she was sixteen, I was hopelessly smitten... and more than a little bit crazy..."

Ukyo chuckled. As she turned to the next page, there was another of Kasumi. And then another. As she flipped past the pages, she saw other patients of the doctor's and his sensei's, but most of the pictures were of Kasumi.

The doctor shuffled uncomfortably, cleaning his glasses as she looked up at him. "Anyway, that's my story. About two years ago, my sensei decided to retire, and turned over the clinic to me. His only condition was that I start work on a medical degree, since I never went to college. I've been taking a two year course while working here at the clinic, and will probably go for my degree in a couple of years."

"And are you planning on taking a certain girl along with you when you go?" Ukyo said teasingly. "Maybe one with brown hair, who's a homemaker, and if I do say so myself, a fantastic cook. And no, I don't mean myself."

Dr. Tofu shook his head, unable to meet her eyes. "I couldn't do that. It would be highly inappropriate for me to get involved with a patient. Plus, there's the age difference between us. It just wouldn't work..."

"Doc, I don't know if you've noticed this, but Kasumi isn't a teen-aged girl any more. She's a twenty year old woman, who had her Coming of Age Ceremony back in January!" Ukyo grinned widely. "And you're not that much older than her. Thirty years from now when you're both old and grey, six or eight years isn't going to matter much."

She put a hand on the man's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "As for whether there is a conflict of interest about you being Kasumi's doctor... I wouldn't worry about it. We all want you and Kasumi to be happy. No one's going to accuse you of behaving inappropriately."

Dr. Tofu stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head. "But how? How? I... I can't even talk to her. How can I tell her how I feel when I go crazy every time she's around?"

"That's where this comes in." Ukyo held up the mushroom. "I think that you've... conditioned yourself to have a certain reaction to Kasumi. It's like a martial arts move, that's become an unconscious reflex. At one time it was useful, it kept you from doing anything inappropriate. But now it's taken control of you, you're no longer the one in control. So we need to do something to counter that reflex and train you to do something else.

"I talked this over with Cologne, and she agrees with me," Ukyo added. "I could, for instance, give you a hypnotic suggestion to become calm and in control whenever you hear a bell ring, or a gong. Then whenever you start to act crazy, we could ring a bell, and you'd have help overcoming the anxiety you feel when Kasumi is around."

"That's a good idea," Dr. Tofu said, a note of hope in his voice. "That just might work. And then I can go out with K-K-Kasumi!" With that, the doctor's glasses fogged up, and he took Betty in his arms and began to waltz around the office with her.

Ukyo stepped into the doctor's path. She grabbed Betty's bony hand and hit him on the head with it. "Slow down there, Romeo," she said with a smile. "Don't get your hopes up. All this means is that you'll be able to talk to Kasumi. There's no guarantee that she will fall in love with you. That's entirely up to you."

The doctor's glasses cleared as his face fell. But Ukyo was quick to reassure him. "The truth is, I think Kasumi is sweet on you, but she hardly knows you. She thinks of you as this goofy doctor who clowns around in order to entertain people. You haven't shown her the real you. But I think I can help with that, too.

"I'll be opening up my new restaurant on Friday," Ukyo said. "Before then, I was thinking of holding a dinner party at the Cat Café. Just a little get together for the family, to celebrate the Grand Opening. And since I'm unfamiliar with Chinese cuisine, I can get Cologne and Shampoo to help me, and get some experience in their kitchen before I have to cook for actual customers."

"Ah, using us as guinea pigs, then," Tofu said with a grin.

Ukyo grinned back, her eyes twinkling. "Pretty much. Anyway, it will be a nice environment, there will be others around so there won't be any pressure on you, and you and Kasumi can just sit and get to know each other." She snickered as his eyes glazed over again.

"Will you be asking your father and Ranma's mother to join us?" Tofu asked, after he regained control of himself.

"Oh, yes, definitely." Her expression turned more serious. "I know my father doesn't like the idea of me cooking in a Chinese restaurant, but it's only part time, when it's too late to sell okonomiyaki. Maybe if he sees me at work in a late dinner environment he'll get the picture."

"I certainly hope so, Ukyo. Your father sounds like a proud man."

"He is. I just hope he can see how important this is to me."

+++

"Oh, woe is Shampoo!" The voluptuous Amazon sat on the curb by the side of the road, crying her eyes out. Her bicycle was leaning against a building nearby. "Woe is Shampoo!" she repeated. "Shampoo never find it! Shampoo so unhappy!"

A familiar figure, one only about three feet tall and incredibly old and wrinkled came bounding towards her. And it wasn't her Great-Grandmother. For once, Happosai didn't have a sack full of panties slung over his back, but he was goosing the women on the street as he passed. As soon as he spotted Shampoo, he drew to a sudden halt.

"Sweeto!" With that, he flung himself at Shampoo, clutching at her chest. Shampoo struggled to dislodge him, but he would not budge.

"Let go of Shampoo, old pervert!" Shampoo exclaimed, her tears giving way to anger. "Shampoo Amazon, not for perverted old man!"

She continued to try to punch him, as Happosai darted around her blows, and then reached inside her silk cheongsam. Shampoo snarled as he groped around, and pulled out her lacy bra. Finally, one of the Amazon's wild swings connected, and Happosai was driven into the ground.

The old man popped back up, none the worse for wear, and smiled at the bra in his hand. "Hotcha! What a lovely gift for an old man, Little Shampoo. I will treasure it always." He looked back up at Shampoo, and his grin became more of a leer, as he took in the sight of Shampoo's assets under her dress, without their usual support. Shampoo glared at him, but then seemed to remember something.

Shampoo's face twisted in despair, and she burst out crying again. "Shampoo failure! Shampoo never find it! Shield Sister be so unhappy!" She sank to her knees, wailing as she hid her face in her hands.

Shampoo's anguish touched even Happosai. He stepped forward, to look her in the eye. "Now, now, Little Shampoo. What's wrong? Is it something this old man can help you with?"

"Shield Sister ask Shampoo for help. But Shampoo not find what Shield Sister look for. Shampoo look all over, not find! Shield Sister not be able finish restaurant!" Shampoo began wailing again, tears streaming from her face in a twin fountain. "Shampoo have deliveries to make, no more time to look! Shampoo fail Shield Sister!"

"Now, now, Shampoo, it's all going to be all right." He patted her on the knee. "Tell Grandfather Happosai what you're looking for. I'll find it."

Shampoo pulled out a piece of paper and studied it. "Shield Sister need 'baker's appeal'. She give list, supply stores in town. Shampoo check three closest. None have." She gestured at the building behind her. "Shampoo have deliveries, Great-Grandmother get impatient." She began crying again. "Shield Sister be unhappy with Shampoo!"

Happosai took the paper. Three stores at the top of the list were marked off. The rest were all over town, he recognized the addresses, and some of them were as far away as downtown Tokyo. He clutched the paper in his hand, determinedly. "I'll help you Shampoo. I'll find this 'baker's appeal' for you."

"Oh, is true? Shampoo so happy!" She smiled at Happosai, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Of course! But you will show your appreciation for this old man, won't you, Little Shampoo?" He eyed her chest hungrily, and then leaped at her for a grope.

Shampoo slapped him down. But then her anger cooled, and she pouted. "Okay, guess Shampoo could let old pervert keep bra."

Happosai rubbed the bra against his face, and Shampoo shuddered. Then he announced, "I will be back soon, with your gift for 'Shield Sister'." He then bounded off into the distance.

Shampoo watched the old man as he disappeared, and then a sly smile spread over her face. Mousse stepped out of a nearby alley. "Think he bought it?" Mousse asked.

"Old pervert fall for Shampoo trick, too, too easy. Shield Sister be very happy."

Mousse chuckled. "He'll take all day, searching every restaurant supply store on that list. And he'll be out of our hair, while we work on the dinner party tonight. Ukyo's a clever one. I'd hate to be the one to match wits with her."

Shampoo looked up at him. "What is 'baker's appeal', anyway?"

"Oh, Ukyo just made it up. He'll never be able to find it, because there is no such thing."

The indigo haired Amazon giggled. "Shampoo get it. Pervert waste time, chase, what is saying, wild goose? Good joke."

"Yeah, but you'd better hurry and talk to the store owners ahead of time, to make sure they're in on the joke. You'll have to move fast to beat Happosai to the first shop." Mousse adjusted his glasses. "You'd better get going."

Shampoo grinned at him. "Shampoo see Mousse back at Cat Café. Bye bye Mousse."

"Goodbye, Shampoo. I've got to help Ukyo set up for the dinner. Good Luck." He waved as Shampoo got on her bike and set off down the street.

Shampoo got several blocks before she realized that Mousse had not thrown himself at her or told her he loved her, even when they said goodbye. Angrily, she told herself that she definitely did not miss that, and she most definitely did not feel hurt. Why would she want stupid Mousse to keep saying that he loved her? Shampoo pedaled harder, putting that thought out of her mind.

+++

Dr. Tofu arrived at the Cat Café, a couple of hours early for the dinner. He took a moment to study the façade of the restaurant, noting the roped off area around the secondary entrance to the combined building. A tarp had been draped over a sign next to the door, and another sign read, "Under construction". The Cat Cafe's main sign had been extended, and a tarp covered its right half as well.

Tofu stepped through the curtain that served as the main entrance, and Ukyo spotted him immediately. Although Tofu didn't recognize the outfit, it was in fact the one Cologne had provided for her before, when she had worked their booth at the fair. While it wasn't as revealing as some of Shampoo's uniforms, it did make her look quite feminine. Hurrying over, she dragged him into the Cat Cafe's large kitchen.

"All right, let's get you ready," she said. "I've prepared a simple mushroom dumpling for you, so just have a seat and Cologne will bring it right out."

The doctor took a seat at the small table, and Cologne bounced over on her staff. "Here you go, sonny boy," she said, her wizened voice amused, as usual. She placed a plate with a dumpling on it in front of him. Tofu had to admit, it smelled delicious.

"Well, here goes," he said. He tried the dumpling, and found that tasted as good as it smelled. "It's excellent, Ukyo. I realize that this is for my sake, but your cooking is as fantastic as usual."

Ukyo blushed a little at his praise. "Let's see if everyone else thinks the same about the rest of the meal. Finish it up, Doc."

The doctor did so, then pushed the plate away. "All right, now what?"

Ukyo and Cologne stood and watched him for a moment, and then suddenly he appeared dazed and disoriented. The doctor started to sweat. "I feel funny."

"The Kairaishi has taken effect," Cologne said. "Now you must give him the command. I used a noise when I demonstrated the effect to Shampoo, but I think that you should use a code word. It will be easier to work it into the conversation without seeming strange."

The old Amazon glanced at Ukyo. "You should be careful what word you choose, Shield Sister. If you use the word too much, the good doctor will become acclimated to it. It should be one that would not normally be used in casual conversation."

"I've got just the thing," Ukyo said. She stepped forward and turned Dr. Tofu's head so he would face her. "Betty!" She said. "Do you hear me, Dr. Tofu? You are relaxed, calm and in control. You are in a safe and comfortable place. Whenever you head the word 'Betty', you will feel calm. Nothing will be able to harm you or make you anxious. Everything is fine and under control. When you hear the word 'Betty'. Do you understand?"

"Betty," Dr. Tofu repeated.

"That's right. Betty. The word is Betty. Remember that. You are calm and in control. You are relaxed and nothing can excite you."

"That should do it," Cologne put in. She struck Dr. Tofu across the back of the head with her cane. "Up, sonny boy! The time for relaxing is over. This old lady has a dinner to prepare for. Out of my kitchen!"

"Yes, Elder," Dr. Tofu said, with an excited grin. As he stood up, he turned to Ukyo. "Do you think this is going to work?"

"You tell me. Betty. How do you feel?"

The doctor relaxed, visibly. "I feel calm and in control," he said. "Nothing will harm me. There is no need to be excited." Then he blinked. "Wow! That's amazing!"

Ukyo giggled. "Let's hope it works, Doc. Go help Mousse set up the dining area. I'll help Cologne in here."

"All right." Still grinning like a child with a new plaything, the doctor left the room.

Dr. Tofu helped set up the tables, while Mousse busied himself with closing up. While the Cat Café had no large tables, they moved several of the round tables into a line, and covered them with a tablecloth. They then moved the chairs into position. Mousse set a "Closed for Private Party" sign in the window, and then hurried back to begin putting down the place settings.

They had just managed to get all of the work in the small dining room done, and Mousse had been stationed at the entrance to greet their visitors, when the first of their guests arrived. It was Akane, with both of her sisters and their father, bringing up the rear. Akane smiled at Mousse, who adjusted his glasses. "Welcome," he said, with a smile of his own. "Please come in."

Kasumi and Nabiki stepped through the curtained entryway, greeting Dr. Tofu, who came rushing over from the table. His glasses fogged up. "K-K-K-Kasumi!" He stammered, stumbling a bit as he stopped in front of her. "Imagine meeting you here of all places!"

Kasumi giggled lightly. "Yes, it is quite a coincidence, is it not? It was very nice of Ukyo-chan to invite all of her friends."

Dr. Tofu glanced down at Nabiki, who was standing beside her sister. "And hello to you as well, Akane. Any sprains or injuries that I should know anything about?"

Nabiki huffed, sticking her nose in the air. "As if. You won't see me jumping on fence posts or smashing boulders with my bare hands." She cut her eyes at the doctor. "And I'm Nabiki, not Akane."

"Of course, of course," Tofu said. Kasumi put a hand to her mouth to hide a smile. Tofu turned to look at Mousse, who came up beside him. "Betty, please take Kasumi's coat, and we'll see about that arm."

Mousse gave the doctor a skeptical look. He had spent some time with Tofu this afternoon, and despite Ukyo's warning about his behavior around Kasumi, he had found the likable doctor to be calm and composed at all times. Now he had seemingly lost his mind.

The thought struck Mousse that this was how he himself acted when he wasn't wearing his glasses. Is this how I look to Shampoo? No wonder she gets so irritated with me, he thought to himself.

At that same moment, Tofu's glasses cleared. He blinked, looking around himself sheepishly. "Um... I mean..." He glanced at Mousse again, who raised an eyebrow. "Please take our guests' shoes. Of course Kasumi is not wearing a coat." He looked back at her, laughing in a high-pitched, almost hysterical voice. "It's far too warm for a coat with the lovely spring weather we've been having lately..."

"Oh my," Kasumi commented, still smiling.

"There's no need to take off your shoes," Mousse said, gesturing for Soun and Akane to join them. "Please, come in and have a seat."

"A-allow me, Kasumi," Dr. Tofu said, with just a hint of nervousness in his voice. He led Kasumi over to a chair, and pulled it out for her while she took a seat. Kasumi gave the doctor a demure smile while he sat down next to her. Nabiki sat to Kasumi's other side, and their father sat at the end of the table, eyeing the doctor with some concern.

Akane pulled Mousse aside. "I guess Ukyo tried out the Karaishi Mushrooms. It seems to be working, don't you think?"

Mousse shrugged. "I guess so. Ukyo programmed him with a code word. It's 'Betty'."

"'Betty', huh?" Akane giggled. "I'll have to try it out".

"Just don't use it too much," Mousse said. He helped Akane to her seat, and then returned to the kitchen. Akane took a seat across from Kasumi, giving her sister and the doctor a sunny smile.

Ukyo came running out of the kitchen. "Ah, you're here. Everyone settled? Everything okay?" She glanced at Dr. Tofu, and he gave her a thumbs up. She sighed in relief. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a voice from the door.

"Sis! We're here!" Ranma came in, with his mother right behind him. Mr. Kuonji could be seen just outside the door, while Genma, in human form, dawdled in the street, looking at the signs.

"Ranchan! Please come in!" Ukyo ran to greet her brother, but then was drawn up short as her father came inside. He was wearing his usual okonomiyaki vendor's uniform, but unlike his previous visits, he had added a large spatula, which he wore on his back. It was obviously a weapon, but Ukyo didn't look intimidated. In fact, she seemed confused.

"What is this? A giant spatula?" She studied it for a moment, thoughtfully. "Our family's martial art is based around okonomiyaki, and we use spatulas for combat, like I did when I was a little girl. But I've never seen one so big before."

Her father smiled back at her. "I know, my dear. I had it specially made for you."

He unslung the spatula from his back, and held it in front of him. He looked at it for a moment, and then held it out to her. "I want you to have it. From what your fiancé has told me, you have grown into a great martial artist now. This is the ultimate expression of our family's art, and you're the best martial artist our family has ever raised, and I want you to wield it."

Ukyo took the spatula, a tear rolling down her face. She was so caught up in the moment that she missed her father calling Ranma her "fiancé", although Ranma frowned a bit. He said nothing, though, and Ukyo took a moment to get hold of herself. "I'll wield it with honor," she said, holding it close to her chest.

Her father put his hands on her shoulders. "I know you will." He took a look around the room. "I can't say I exactly like you going into business with someone else, but it's obvious that you're trying to make me proud of you. I just want you to know that I am."

"Thanks, Father," Ukyo said, and then grinned. "Pops." She hugged him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Ukyo."

"Please, have a seat," Mousse said, joining the group at the door. He helped them take a seat, while Ranma slapped Ukyo on the back.

"Way to go, Sis!" he said with a grin. "Good thing you're already a master with any kind of weapon. I bet you can handle that thing easy!"

Ukyo gave it a few test swings, and smiled at its responsiveness. "It's a fine weapon. Nice balance, and just unwieldy enough that if anyone takes it from me, they won't be able to handle it. I'll have to practice with it." She spun it, like a staff, and then brought it to a sudden stop. "I'm not used to the wind resistance. It might help build up my arm muscles, though."

"You could sure use it, you gangly chick," Ranma teased. Ukyo bopped him on the head with the spatula, before strapping the weapon to her back.

"Dinner should be ready in a few moments," Ukyo told the others. As Ranma took a seat next to Akane, Ukyo whispered in his ear. Ranma glanced at Akane, and she smiled back at him, nodding. Ukyo disappeared into the kitchen.

A couple of minutes later, Cologne came bounding out on her staff. "Is everyone doing all right?" the wizened old woman rasped. "I am looking forward to seeing how well my newest student does with the meal. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," Kasumi said pleasantly. "Why don't you sit next to Auntie Saotome?" she suggested. Genma had taken a seat on the other side of the table, next to his old friend, while Nodoka sat down next to Ranma. That put Mr. Kuonji on the end of the table closest to the kitchen, and there was an empty seat between him and Dr. Tofu.

Cologne grinned as if she had planned the arrangement. Akane gave her a knowing look as the Elder took her seat. The doctor was sweating and wringing his napkin, his anxiety apparently triggered by Kasumi's voice. "Cologne, you know Doctor Tofu, right? You should see the skeleton he has at his clinic. He calls it Betty."

"Oh, is that right?" Cologne said with a chuckle, as the doctor's glasses cleared. "I believe you came up with a counter for the Cat's Tongue for my young Son-In-Law," she said to him. "That was quite a feat."

"My skills pale in comparison to yours, Elder," Tofu said, with a hint of gratitude. "I would love to study your methods some time."

Cologne glanced at Ranma, with a sly grin. "Now, this is how to talk to your elders, Son-In-Law. You should learn from this young man." Ranma just turned up his nose and snorted, which only made Cologne laugh harder.

Kasumi leaned over to meet the old woman's eyes. "Grandmother, did you help Ukyo prepare the meal?"

"No. While I helped her prepare the ingredients, Shield Sister did all of the cooking. Under my watchful eye, of course." Cologne glanced at Ukyo's father. "She has a real talent. Even though most of the dishes were ones that she had never even seen before, she did extremely well. I am looking forward to working with her - and teaching her."

Mr. Kuonji seemed to frown at that, but said nothing. Cologne looked back at Dr. Tofu, whose glasses had fogged up again. As she was about to say something, Ukyo came out of the kitchen with an armload of dishes.

"Okay, help yourselves, everyone," Ukyo said. She began setting the dishes in the center of the table. "Since this is a learning experience for me, instead of taking orders, I thought I would just cook a number of meals, and you can choose what you like, buffet style. Be sure and let me know what tastes good."

"Make sure you get Mister Part Time out here to help you," Cologne commented sarcastically. "I'll bet he is just wasting time talking to the pots instead of serving them." Dr. Tofu's glasses cleared, and Akane giggled at the Elder's wordplay.

They all began to eat, with Dr. Tofu helping to serve Kasumi, and Ranma and Akane both grinned at how well the plan was working. Pretty soon even Mr. Kuonji seemed to relax, and commented that his daughter's cooking was just as good as he expected. Mousse came out with another round of dishes, and he and Ukyo returned to the kitchen to prepare more.

Their good luck was not to last. The dinner chatter was cut short as Shampoo burst into the restaurant. "Shampoo lose old pervert!" She yelled. "He on way!"

Ukyo overheard, and came running from the kitchen. "He got away from you? What happened?"

"Shampoo not sure. Was going from store to store, warning about old pervert should string along with 'baker's appeal' trick, when Happosai suddenly jump out! Say, 'Ahah, I knew it was a trick!' Then run away, leave Shampoo behind! Shampoo come back as quick as I could."

Ukyo shook her head. "He must have figured it out, then skipped a few stores ahead on the list to try and catch you. Damn. Well, if he knows I pulled another prank on him, then he'll probably be coming here to return the favor."

Soun and Genma got to their feet immediately. "The master is on his way? Well, it's been a wonderful dinner, but I think we must be going!" Nabiki rolled her eyes at this, while Ranma and Akane tried to get their fathers to sit down. Kasumi muttered, "Oh my."

"Now, don't everybody panic," Ukyo said, coming over to help calm Soun and Genma down. "Sensei may be mad at me, but that doesn't mean he's going to ruin the party." Ranma snorted at that, and even Ukyo couldn't make her voice sound certain. "At any rate, he's got to come up with a new prank, so with luck he won't even strike today." She turned to Shampoo. "Just in case, go keep watch for him out front."

"Okay, Shield Sister," Shampoo nodded, and determinedly set out to stand guard outside of the entrance.

"Are you sure you have this well in hand?" Soun asked, looking very nervous. "Maybe Saotome and I should stand watch as well."

Kasumi spoke up. "Now, Father, I'm sure that Ukyo can handle it." She looked up at Ukyo. "But you will be awfully busy watching for Grandfather in addition to preparing the meal. Are you sure that you wouldn't like for me to help you?"

"No, no, Kasumi, this is for you and the rest of the Tendo family. It's my way of thanking you." Ukyo smiled. "All of you just sit back and don't worry about anything."

"How nice," Kasumi said with a smile. "Doctor Tofu, what do you think?" She looked at the doctor, who had nervously picked up a serving ladle, trying to distract himself from the increasing panic around the table. As Kasumi looked at him, his glasses fogged up.

"K-K-K-Kasumi! I-I-I don't really know what to say," he stammered, clearly straining to keep a coherent thought. He worried at the ladle for a moment, until he bent it in half.

Akane leaned forward and took the ladle from him. "Don't worry, Kasumi," she said. "If anyone can handle Grandfather, it's Ukyo. One of my classmates was saying just the other day that Ukyo always protects us from Happosai. What was her name again...?" she looked up at Ukyo, questioningly.

Ukyo glanced at her, wondering if she was talking about Sayuri or Yuka, but then caught the hint. "Oh, yeah... Betty, wasn't it?"

"No... it was Betsy, I think." Akane looked back at Tofu, smiling as his glasses cleared. She bent the ladle back into its proper shape, and then returned it to the bowl.

"I'm sure Ukyo has everything under control," Tofu said, although there was still a bit of concern in his voice, and not about Happosai. "Let's finish this fine meal."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ukyo nodded to him, then started towards the kitchen. "I'll bring the next course out right away."

As she passed her father's chair, however, he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hold on, daughter. While you are here, I would like to say something."

He turned to the rest of the table. "Ten years ago, I made friends with a martial arts master named Genma Saotome, and my daughter made friends with his son Ranma. The Kuonjis have always practiced their own school of cooking-based martial arts, but my father fell on hard times, and had only his cart to turn over to me. It was hard raising a daughter while working on the streets, but I always dreamed that one day the family name would become famous, and all of Japan would know the name Kuonji. It seemed like fate when Genma came along, and I realized that his son could help my daughter restore the greatness of our ancestors.

"I was disappointed when I found that Genma had promised his son to another, but I persevered, and Genma accepted my cart as dowry. I scrimped and saved, and was able to buy another cart, but the family legacy was in my daughter's hands, now. I had hoped to hear from Genma or my daughter on their travels, but alas, there was nothing. For ten years, I awaited word on the fate of my daughter, and whether or not she had grown up to be the martial artist that Genma had promised."

He paused a moment, his eyes turning misty. Nodoka put a hand to her face to wipe a tear away as well, and Ranma glanced at her, worriedly. But Mr. Kuonji continued. "Genma neglected to tell me where I could contact him, but I would often talk to my customers about my lost daughter, and many of them agreed to help. One spoke to me a little while ago about a Nodoka Saotome that he had met in Nerima, whose husband and son were on a ten year training trip."

Mr. Kuonji smiled, as he gestured at the table. "And now, here I am. After ten years of searching I have been reunited with my daughter. I have found that she is an even better martial artist than I was expecting, and has even started this business of her own. While I can't say I like her going in a direction other than the family business, I can understand why she would want to learn as much as she can, and broaden her knowledge of cooking. And I have yet to sit down and teach her our family's art. I suppose I was foolish to forget that."

He paused a moment. "But that can wait for another time." He looked up at his daughter, taking her hand, and smiled at her. "Now that I have found you, my daughter, I can rest easy knowing you are safe. And I have imposed on Mrs. Saotome long enough. That is why I have decided it is time to go home."

Ukyo gasped. Her father nodded, still smiling. "I am returning to Osaka."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 9

Disastrous Dinner

+++

Ukyo was silent for a few moments before she found her voice. "Father... You're going back to Osaka? Does that mean you're going to miss my Grand Opening?"

"Oh, no, dear," her father said, as he turned in the seat to take her hand. "I can stay long enough to see your opening this weekend. But I will have to return home after that." He turned back to look at Nodoka. "I have imposed on Mrs. Saotome long enough."

"Nonsense," Nodoka told him. "You are almost family to us... or you will be once your daughter is married to my son. It is no imposition."

Ranma and Akane flinched at that, but it was Soun that spoke up. "My Akane is Ranma's fiancée! They are to join the schools of Anything Goes!"

"But Ranma and Akane do not agree with that, right? So Ranma is still free to choose Ukyo." Mr. Kuonji glanced at Ranma and then Akane as he said this. Akane looked startled, and then harrumphed and looked away.

"Are you sure that you must leave so soon?" Kasumi put in. "You only just arrived. I'm sure that Ukyo would like more time to get to know you, just as Ranma is getting to know his mother." Dr. Tofu's glasses fogged up at her words, but he seemed to regain control of himself. Kasumi glanced at him, and he nodded his agreement.

"She's right, father," Ukyo said, putting her hand on her father's shoulder. "Please stay. It's no imposition... is it?" She looked up at Nodoka, and the Saotome matriarch just shook her head, kindly.

"No, I have my own business to look after," Mr. Kuonji said. "I had planned for you and your fiancé to come back with me, but I can see that you have put a lot of time into this restaurant." He glanced around at the closed diner, with a bit of trepidation, but then he smiled. "I'm not sure what to make of all this, but you are obviously dedicated to making yourself a better chef, and I won't stand in the way of that."

"Thank you... Pop," Ukyo said, with a big grin. "At least we'll have a few more days together. And then when I get a chance, I'll come visit you, I swear."

"Of course, my dear." Mr. Kuonji put his hand on Ukyo's again. "I just want you to promise me one thing, daughter..."

Ukyo bit her lip, but nodded. "Sure, Pop. What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll look out for the Kuonji family's interests. I know you are close friends with the Tendos, and I understand your feelings about Ranma. I expected Mr. Saotome to make sure you knew you and Ranma were engaged," he shot a glare at Genma, who tried to look innocent, "but since you did not, I guess it makes sense you would think of him as a brother. But remember, the best interests of the Tendos are not your best interests, or the best interests of your family."

He looked at Genma again. "Mr. Saotome promised me that even though Ranma was engaged to another, he could break that engagement. You cannot let him and Mr. Tendo force him into the engagement to the Tendo girl when we have a much stronger claim."

That caused a great deal of ruckus around the table, as everyone spoke out at once. Finally, Akane's voice rose about the others. "I am not going to force Ranma to marry me because of some engagement our fathers made, and I won't marry someone I don't love, either! And what about Ranma, shouldn't he be allowed to decide who he wants to marry? I won't marry him over honor, and I'm sure Ukyo feels the same!"

"There is also the issue of Son-In-Law's commitment to my Great-Granddaughter as well," Cologne added with a sly grin.

Akane huffed at the Amazon Elder attempts to "help", but nodded. "Ranma has not made his decision yet. Maybe Ranma will say he wants to marry me, and maybe I'll decide I'm in love with him... even if he is a baka... or maybe I won't." Akane touched her fingertips together while saying this, trying her hardest not to blush, "And maybe Ranma will come to love Ukyo or Shampoo, but we have to give him time to make up his mind."

Mr. Kuonji seemed to be considering Akane's words, but Genma leaned over and whispered something to Soun. Then he spoke up. "Actually... m'boy has already chosen."

"W-w-what?" Ranma and Akane both stared at Genma, nervously. Akane fingered the ring hidden under her blouse. Had the fathers guessed their secret?

Genma turned to Ranma, looking smug. "When I accepted the agreement with Ukyo's father, I was caught in a dilemma. You were already promised to Akane, and yet I had already accepted the cart as Ukyo's dowry. So I decided to leave the decision to you. Do you remember when I asked you to choose, between Ukyo and okonomiyaki?"

Ukyo looked up at that, while Ranma drew back in shock. "Y-yeah, but... but I didn't mean that!"

"But you did choose, son. You chose Ukyo."

Ranma hit him over the head with his chair. Akane leaped to her feet as well, obviously concerned, but a little afraid to speak out. Soun was not so tongue-tied, and yelled out, "What do you think you're doing, Saotome?"

"Hey, hey, that's not what Ranchan meant!" Ukyo said, scowling at the balding man as he got back to his feet. "He just didn't want you to dump me on the side of the road, like you were planning to!"

Genma adjusted his glasses, ignoring the lump on the back of his head. "Nevertheless, Ranma chose Ukyo to be his fiancée, all those many years ago. And now he should honor that promise... unless you would rather choose someone else..."

Soun paused, and then a look of understanding crossed his face. He grabbed Ranma around the shoulder. "Of course, my boy! You can solve this whole dilemma right now! Just choose my Akane, and we'll get you married right away. Ukyo can't marry a man who's already married."

Mr. Kuonji leaped to his feet. His chair hit the floor with a crash. Kasumi commented, "Oh, my." Dr. Tofu looked stunned and uncertain, and not just because Kasumi had spoken. There was another crash in all the noise and confusion, which sounded like it came from Ukyo's part of the restaurant.

"Now, now, let's all calm down," Tofu said, struggling to maintain his control. "Let's not rush into anything just because there is a disagreement over who Ranma is engaged to..."

"Ranma cannot marry the Tendo girl!" the grizzled man protested. "He must marry my Ukyo!"

"I'm not marrying Ranchan!" Ukyo countered.

"And neither am I!" added Akane. She grabbed Ranma's arm, pulling him out of Soun's grip. "I won't let you force him to marry me!" she said, glaring at her father. "It's our... his decision, not yours! As if I'd marry that arrogant... dummy anyway!"

"Yeah! You're not gonna force me to marry anybody! Certainly not some uncute tomboy!" echoed Ranma. He didn't seem to notice how possessively Akane was holding his hand, and she was concentrating on covering up her inadvertent slip of the tongue. Plus, she had almost called him a "pervert", but at the last minute realized Nodoka might not consider that manly. Thus, neither she nor Ranma noticed that their words didn't quite match up with their body language.

Nodoka stood up. Ranma gulped, Akane lowered her eyes, and even Genma put up a hand to try and placate his wife. She ignored him. "My son, this isn't very manly of you. Is there some reason you can't make this decision right now?" She glanced at Akane. "Are you not showing the proper regard for your fiancées, or are these girls unsuitable in some way?"

"Unsuitable!" Akane shrieked, but Ukyo put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from Ranma. Akane controlled herself with difficulty.

Ranma took a deep breath, while Ukyo and Akane stepped back. He eyed his mother fearfully for a moment, but then drew himself up. "Look... there ain't nobody that means as much to me as Ucchan. Never mind how I feel about her... I ain't got to say it; she's my Sis, an' I'd do anything for her. Maybe I l-love her - y'know, as a sister and all that - but I don't wanna give her up. I don't want her ta go away.

"Maybe..." Ranma looked at the ground. "Maybe I kinda feel the same way about Akane. I mean, she's a pushy, hard-headed, brave, short-tempered tomboy who is always butting in and getting into trouble..." Akane's eyes widened at his words, both the typical insults and the one, seemingly out of place compliment that she hoped showed his true feelings. "... but so is Sis! Not that Akane's like Sis or nothin' - and it's not like she's like a wife or nothin' either, but..."

Ranma began to stammer, realizing he was about to say too much. Finally, he just looked down at the floor. "You can't ask me to choose between 'em. I won't."

Akane was blushing as deeply as she ever had, now, and kept her eyes locked on the ground just like Ranma. Ukyo grinned at the two of them. "Well said, Bro."

In the momentary silence that followed, Kasumi spoke up, her voice gentle and soothing. "Now, Father, we mustn't rush Ranma and Akane into anything they aren't ready for. They are just children, after all." There was an apologetic note in her voice as Kasumi said this, but Akane didn't seem to mind. Instead, she shot her sister a grateful smile for her support.

"Mr Kuonji... I think that goes for Ranma and Ukyo as well." Kasumi then turned to look at the tall doctor at her side. His glasses were fogging up, and he was clearly having trouble controlling himself. "Don't you agree, Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi asked him, and a hint of her own uncertainty flickered in her dark eyes. "They have their whole lives ahead of them, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes, there's no need to rush. Their best years are ahead of them... their best years..." The doctor stared back at Kasumi, his eyes glazing over as she gazed up at him, intently. While his glasses did not fog up, his gaze did seem to become very distant. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"They're just children." He said in a sing-song voice, a dazed grin growing across his face. "Just children, just children... the pitter-patter of little feet. Little children playing in the lawn. They're just children, we should let them play..." His voice trailed off as he began to giggle.

Kasumi frowned at the doctor's response. Her eyes narrowed in frustration and confusion. "I don't understand." As her attempt at a reasoned argument seemed to die on her lips, Soun and Genma started dancing around, assuming their victory was assured.

Ukyo's father turned to face his daughter, and gripped her by the shoulders. "Don't you see, Ukyo? This is exactly what I am talking about. These Tendos are set on Ranma marrying Akane. I need someone to protect our family's interests in this matter. I'm counting on you to do that! I spent a whole lifetime - your whole lifetime - running a business and raising a daughter on my own. I won't have you go through that. You need a partner! You need Ranma!"

Ukyo shook her head. "Ranma isn't going to be interested in cooking okonomiyaki, Father. He's a martial artist, not a chef!"

"Then it's up to you to train him," her father said, determinedly. "It will be hard enough on you as a woman to run your own business. What will you do when you have children?"

In the distraction, Cologne rapped Dr. Tofu on the back of the head with her cane. Akane then leaned in and whispered, "Betty", and the doctor seemed to regain control of himself.

Ukyo frowned, and waved a hand at Cologne. "Cologne and Shampoo are women, and they run their own business! I'm sure I can get Ranma and Akane to help out..."

"Those people are foreigners," Mr. Kuonji countered, with a glance at Cologne. "They do not understand our ways. And they are only here to stake their own claim to Ranma anyway. When this matter is resolved and you marry your fiancé, they'll go back where they came from."

Cologne ignored the man's veiled insult, seemingly pleased with how the argument was going. "I assure you, we are here for the long haul. We have much to offer Ranma. And we have much to offer your daughter as well. I think that we can arrange a match with your daughter, someone who can take care of cooking and cleaning, and help her with her restaurant, just as Mousse does here."

She then paused a moment, smirking as she eyed the suddenly nervous waiter. "In fact... Mister Part Time himself might be a good match for your daughter. He shares her talent for improvising weapons."

"What! You old mummy! You're not going to marry me off to Ukyo, Shampoo is my true love!" Mousse was so angry that he forgot that his glasses were back on top of his head, and ended up yelling at Mr. Kuonji.

Ukyo pulled him aside. "Keep out of this, Mousse." As she started to address her father again, Shampoo staggered in through the doorway.

"Old Pervert knock out Shampoo," the purple haired Amazon said, holding a hand to her head and grimacing in pain. "Shampoo sorry, Shield Sister. Shampoo caught off guard by old man!"

Soun and Genma reacted as expected, fluttering around the room and crying out in fear. "Happosai is here? Let's get out of here!"

"Don't panic!" Ukyo shouted. "It's me he's after!" She turned back to Shampoo. "Where is he, Shampoo? Did you see where he went?"

"Shampoo not see. Sorry, Shield Sister..." Shampoo looked truly distraught.

"Don't worry about it, Shampoo. It's not your fault." Ukyo looked around the room, and then suddenly turned towards the double doors to the lunchroom, which had been closed for the dinner party. "There was a crash from in there! He must have been in my restaurant! My restaurant!" Ukyo charged forward, caught between rage and a heart-stopping feeling of trepidation.

As she threw open the doors, she suddenly stopped, stunned. Ranma, coming up behind her, stopped and gaped as well. Ukyo's small okonomiyaki shop stood waiting for customers, finished and ready for the Grand Opening. Posters around the room advertised the prices of her various styles of okonomiyaki, and brand new, warm and welcoming stools stood side by side along the long counter. Small round tables were scattered around, for those diners that wanted to sit and eat. Near the front of the shop, the counter turned at an angle, where Ukyo could prepare meals for those coming in off the street for the lunch rush. Her spatulas and empty ingredient bins were lined up along the wall, in easy reach from anywhere along the counter.

But the counter was just bare wood, an empty frame exposed by the lack of any top. Ukyo's griddle, which she had worked so hard on, getting it to fit just right and installing it, had vanished.

"He stole my grill!" Ukyo shouted. She ran forward and looked the exposed woodwork over, expecting the mounting brackets and heating elements to be completely destroyed. To her relief, they all looked intact and undamaged. "He stole my grill!" Then a slight grin spread across her face. "I gotta admit... that old man really outdid himself. This is one hell of a prank."

"How?" Ranma protested. "How could a little shrimp like him get that huge thing outta here?"

Akane had come in behind him, and the rest of the dinner guests were filing in behind her. "And how did he get it out without breaking it? Do you think it's all right, Ukyo? Could he have removed it without damaging it?"

"I sure hope so," Ukyo said, as she continued her inspection. "If he does damage it, I will have his hide. I don't care how good he is, he will pay!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Shield Sister," Cologne said. She had just hopped in on her cane, and stopped near the counter to see the damage for herself. "This only shows how powerful Happosai really is. Even I would have trouble moving that slab of iron, particularly since you ordered it shaped and in one piece." She paused a moment. "I know I have met that man before. This style of prank really reminds me of something... I just can't remember."

"Well, he can't have gotten far," Ukyo said. She headed for the front door, and stepped out into the street. "Maybe I can still catch him!" Brandishing her new battle spatula, she set off in pursuit.

"Hey, Sis! Wait up!" Ranma came out of the shop behind her, and stopped for a moment. He looked around, but there was no sign of the wrinkled old troublemaker. He started to set off after Ukyo, but Akane stopped him.

"We should split up," she suggested. "That will give us a better chance to find him."

"Right!" Ranma looked back at his father, "You're with me, Pops." When Genma hemmed and hawed for a moment and tried to protest, Ranma socked him across the head. "You're comin', Pop, whether you want to or not! I may need your help to get the grill back here."

"We will both go with you, son," Nodoka said. Genma looked like he wanted to argue, but quickly shut his mouth when Nodoka glanced at him.

"Shampoo and I will go that way," Cologne said, pointing down the street in the opposite direction from where Ukyo went. "Come on, Mister Part Time, you're coming with us as well." She rapped Tofu over the head, as he was looking a little dazed again, and then took off pogoing on her cane down the street, Shampoo and Mousse right behind her.

Ranma and his parents headed off in the same general direction as Ukyo. That left Akane to decide how to split up the rest of the group. "Daddy, do you think you and Mr. Kuonji could handle the Master if you should find him?" she asked.

Soun looked unsure, but without Genma to back him up, and Ukyo's powerful-looking father sizing him up, he did his best to look brave. "I'll get Ukyo's grill back for her, Akane dear." He said. "Kuonji, I don't know much about your family's style, but if you're anything like your daughter, I'll be glad for your help."

"Who is this 'Happosai'?" Mr. Kuonji asked. "Why did you call him 'Master'? And what does he have to do with my daughter?"

"Happosai is the Grandmaster of the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts," Akane told him. "He trained both Daddy and Ranma's father. When he came to live with us, Ranma didn't want to have anything to do with him, but Ukyo decided she wanted to learn from him. So he has been Ukyo's sensei, as well."

"I thought that wrinkled old crone was Ukyo's sensei," Mr. Kuonji said.

"Well..." Akane thought for a moment. "Cologne has taught all of us some interesting techniques, but not really in an official sense. We don't call her our sensei. Although I suppose she is Ukyo's sensei when it comes to cooking...

"Anyway, about the time you arrived, Ukyo and Grandfather got into an argument. Ukyo challenged Happosai to a prank war, and they've been pulling pranks on each other ever since. This is just the latest."

"So he isn't trying to destroy my daughter's restaurant?"

"Oh, no, I don't think so. I'm sure he wants her to follow him and try to get the grill back. It's just a game to him." Akane smiled ruefully. "Grandfather can be very childish at times."

"Very well, I'll help in the search," Mr. Kuonji said. "But this better not be a trick to get me to drop the engagement." He frowned at Mr. Tendo. "Ukyo is marrying Ranma, like his father promised."

"Ranma is marrying my Akane!" Soun protested. "They are to carry on the school we inherited from the Master!"

"Honestly!" Akane cut in, shoving the two men apart. "Nabiki, go with them and keep their minds on finding Happosai."

"Sure thing, Akane. 5000 yen."

"I'll pay you twice that if you can keep them from killing each other." She glared at her father, who burst into tears. Mr. Kuonji looked surprised, and then rolled his eyes at the man's theatrics. "Now go!" Akane shoved her father in the direction Cologne had gone, and shooed Nabiki and Kuonji until they followed.

"Now then, doctor Tofu, I think we can..." her voice trailed off as she noticed Tofu was staring at Kasumi, not paying attention to anything around him. Akane dragged him away from her sister, and whispered "Betty" in his ear. "Come on, Dr. Tofu, we've got to look for Happosai too."

Tofu shook off the stupor and concentrated on Akane. "I don't think I can do this. I..." He glanced at Kasumi, who was watching him, worriedly. "I don't feel quite myself right now."

Akane bit her lip. Apparently, the Kairaishi Mushrooms were wearing off, and Tofu wouldn't be able keep control much longer. "Keep an eye on me, Dr. Tofu. I'm going to need you to watch my back in case Happosai finds us before we find him."

"But Kasumi..." Tofu said, and turned to look at her, at which time his eyes glazed over again.

Akane pulled him back. "I'll watch out for her. I need you to watch out for Happosai. He'll probably try to grope me like he usually does. He tends to leave Kasumi alone." She then leaned in and spoke softly. "Just concentrate on me, doctor, not Kasumi, and you should be able to keep control."

She took Tofu's hand and strode off after Ranma, while Kasumi followed a little behind, obviously still worried and more than a little confused.

+++

Ukyo made her way quickly but cautiously down the streets of Nerima, her awareness spread wide to catch the slightest hint of Happosai's trail. A little tingle in the back of her head seemed to be leading her towards Furinkan, although she could not be quite sure. She was hoping to catch the indignant screams of women being goosed, which would give the old pervert away, but apparently he was too focused on his goal. What sign she could sense of Happosai's passage suggested that he had been by quite some time ago. She was far behind him, it seemed, and his trail was growing cold.

Thus, she was quite surprised when she sensed an attack to her left, and spun to see the old letch coming at her. He was holding a bucket, and splashed her with it. Ukyo felt the change come over her, as she evaded Happosai's follow-on attack, and flipped out of reach of his pipe. She had to adjust her grip on her father's spatula as her body became closer to Happosai's size, but compensated quickly, twisting end over end to land solidly on her feet.

Happosai landed in a spread-legged stance as well, grinning from ear to ear. "I thought that was where all that hair came from. Surely you will share the secret of that miraculous hair growth with your sensei, won't you Little Ukyo?"

Ukyo had forgotten about her cursed body's new hair length, but noticed its weight as it swayed around her back and came to a stop. She grinned back at the old man. "I just had a little Dragon's Whisker soup back in China," she told him. "It isn't supposed to affect girls, but it had a delayed reaction. Maybe you want to go back to China and look for it? I'm sure Cologne could help you locate it if you asked nicely."

"Maybe she would at one time," Happosai said, laughing as if at a private joke, "but I doubt she would now. I'll keep that in mind, though, in case I'm ever in China."

Then his face fell. "I'm insulted, Little Ukyo. A Snipe Hunt? Oh, come now, surely you can do better than that. The ball of hair sure showed promise. But this? If this is the best you have left, then I've already won."

Ukyo eyed him warily. "Hey, I can certainly do better than that. You haven't even seen my best. But you missed me with that last prank, and your stink bomb to replace it was lame. I figured I'd counter like with like."

"Counter like with like, huh? Counter?" He laughed, heartily. "That's a pretty funny joke."

Ukyo scowled. "I didn't mean it like that. Where IS my counter, Old Man? What did you do with my grill?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Happosai answered in a sing-song voice. "But first I'm going to have some fun!" He leaped forward, hand outstretched for a grope, when a flying figure with black hair in a pigtail cut him off.

"Leave Sis alone, ya old freak!" Ranma yelled at him. Happosai flipped out of the way and landed nearby. Ranma glared at him for a few moments, and then turned to Ukyo, who came up behind him. His eyes widened in shock.

"Yow! What didja do to your hair, Sis?" Ranma shouted, twisting around in a comedic gesture of surprise.

"It's just a side effect of a something I picked up in China, Ranchan, nothing to worry about." She ran a hand though the scarlet locks of her ponytail, blushing a bit. "I had the long hair, and felt like a change, is all..."

"Well, gee, it looks... um... different." He looked her over. "Not like Akane different, that one time, but... different."

Ukyo managed a small laugh. "Thanks, Ranchan, I think. Now, shall we deal with the old pervert?"

Ranma looked back at Happosai with a wicked grin. "Oh, yeah. Don't you worry, Sis, I'll take care of him."

"Hold on, Ranchan. He took my grill, this is my fight."

"Now, students," Happosai said. "Don't argue. This old man can take both of you. But don't think I'm going to give away the location of Little Ukyo's griddle so easily. The two of you will have to impress me, first."

"I ain't your student!" Ranma protested, "And let's see if yer impressed by this!" He charged as Happosai and swung at him, but as could be predicted, Happosai simply ducked under his punch. Ranma was then forced to fall back as Happosai struck out with his pipe. He caught Ranma with the edge of it, and sent him sailing across the street. Ukyo moved in to take his place, but Happosai wasn't distracted, and leaped into the air as Ukyo's massive spatula sliced past him. He landed on the spatula, gripping it as she tried to shake him off.

As Ranma rushed back in to continue his assault, Nodoka and Genma stepped out of the crowd to watch. "Ranko?" Nodoka called out. "Why are you fighting the Master? Did Ukyo come by here?"

"I was just on my way home, Auntie, when I ran into Ukyo," the redhead replied, a little nervously. "She asked me to stay here and hold off the Master while she went to look for her griddle."

Ukyo then darted in close to Happosai. Keeping her head down, she hissed at him just loud enough for him to hear. "Auntie Saotome doesn't know about my curse, Sensei," she said warningly. "And so help me if you give it away I'll clobber you, prank war or not."

"Not to worry, Little 'Ranko'," Happosai said with an impish grin. "I don't know why you would want to hide your curse from Ranma's mother, but I'll be happy to play along."

"It's not as much me, Sensei. Ranma's life could be on the line..."

Ranma waved a hand to shush her. "Hey, don't give this old freak more stuff he can use against me!"

"I'm not sure I like your attitude, student," Happosai said, glaring at Ranma. "You should have more respect for your elders."

"I ain't your student!" Ranma protested. "And you sure ain't given me any reason to respect you."

"Such cruel words for an old man." Happosai pouted, his eyes turning sad. Then he grinned wickedly. Raising his voice, he said, "Lady Saotome, my dear, have you noticed how much Little Ranko resembles you?"

Nodoka looked startled. "Why, yes, now that you mention it, she does resemble me when I was younger, and Ranma as well."

"Happosai!" Ukyo shouted. "Cut it out!"

Happosai turned back to Ukyo. "Sure, Little Ukyo, I'll stop, but you have to do something for me now." He pulled out a bra and began to wave it around. "Wear this for me!"

"Okay, okay, I'll wear the bra. But don't ask to see it."

"Aw..." Happosai looked disappointed, but then brightened. "Fine, then wear this, too." He pulled out something else and tossed it to Ukyo.

Ukyo caught the garment, and studied it for a moment before she realized it was a Playboy Bunny suit. "No way!" She tossed it away from her like it was red hot, blushing deeply.

"Hey! Show more respect for such a beautiful garment!" Happosai said, glaring at her. He gathered up the suit, and began rubbing it against his face, to Ranma and Ukyo's horror. "If you won't wear it, Little Ukyo, then Ranma, you wear it!" He held it out, and Ranma recoiled away from him.

Ranma looked back at his mother, who was staring at them, confused. "Whattya givin' me that for! I ain't gonna wear nothin' like that!"

"Well, I don't mean when you are male, Ranma!" Happosai huffed. "I don't want to see that! Model if for me when you're Little Ukyo."

Ranma and Ukyo both hushed him. While they were occupied, Akane came up on the group, with Tofu and Kasumi trailing behind her. She stopped near Genma and Nodoka, just in front of a group of curious onlookers that had gathered to watch the show. Tofu was staring intently at Akane, especially when Kasumi came up to stand behind him. Sweating a little, he whispered, "Betty" and then redoubled his concentration on Akane.

Akane watched the red headed martial artist with the gigantic spatula and her taller sibling by her side. "Uk- I mean, Ranko, what happened to your hair?"

"Ranko" let out a loud sigh. "It's a magical Dragon's Whisker I picked up in China!" She shouted. "It only works once, and it wasn't supposed to work on women at all! The magic is gone, and I don't have another! So I can't help anyone else grow out their hair, okay?"

Akane frowned in irritation. "I was just curious, Ranko."

"I think it looks very pretty, Ranko," Nodoka said sweetly. "You look very feminine with long hair like that. Short hair makes you look too tomboyish." She fell silent a moment, and then, as if by afterthought, gave Akane an apologetic look. "No offense meant, Akane dear."

"None taken," Akane said. "I used to have long hair like that, but I decided it wasn't me."

"I understand." Nodoka ran a hand through her own hair, tucked into a neat bun. "I prefer to wear it short, myself. It is a lot of work to take care of hair like that."

She turned to look at Happosai as he began to try and entice one of the female bystanders into wearing his bunny suit. Ukyo leaped in to defend the young girl. "It's funny... Master Happosai is right. I once had hair almost that same color, when I was younger. I once had red hair, although not quite that bright a shade. Imagine, that two such unrelated women could share the same exotic hair color."

"Yes..." Akane giggled nervously. "It is quite a coincidence, isn't it?" She frowned as Happosai flipped the girl's skirt up. He then dodged Ukyo's spatula, cackling loudly. Ukyo nudged the girl back into the crowd, standing between her and Happosai, before leaping back at the old man.

"Ranko, I would love to style your hair sometime." Nodoka called out. "While that ponytail is quite practical, that is how Ukyo wears her hair. And I think you would look so beautiful with a decorative bow to hold your hair in place!"

"I'm a bit busy right now, Auntie Saotome," Ukyo said, dodging another attack from Happosai. She only just barely avoided him, but Ranma jumped in to take the pressure off. "However, that does sound like a lot of fun." Happosai made another break for the watching girls, who screamed and scattered before him, but Ranma cut him off before he could touch them. The perverted old master stomped his foot and pouted.

"Why don't we go shopping next week, Auntie?" Akane suggested. "We can take Ranko to get her hair done."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Kasumi commented. "It is too bad you cannot take Ukyo along as well... Akane, look out!"

Akane turned to see a Happo Fire Burst bouncing towards them. Happosai had thrown it out of the bedlam of his fight with Ranma and Ukyo, missing his intended target. Akane raced forward, ignoring Ranma as he yelled for her to get out of the way. She kicked the cloth-wrapped explosive skyward, and it went off less than a second later, erupting in a shockwave that blasted down on Akane and the others in the battle, knocking them off their feet.

Frightened, Kasumi leaped to grab Dr. Tofu's arm, leaning against him for protection. She was so involved in making sure Akane and the others weren't hurt that she didn't notice the doctor's glasses fog up. All around them, the crowd began to scream and scatter for cover. Akane landed on her bottom, and hurried to shove down her skirt, as the blast had caught it.

"Whattya doin', ya old freak!" Ranma yelled, as he got to his feet. "You coulda hurt Akane!"

Happosai gave her the big-eyed pleading look. "I'm so sorry, Little Akane!" Then he glowered at Ranma. "I was only trying to teach my errant student a lesson."

"I'm all right, and I can take care of myself," Akane said, the latter directed more at Ranma, "but watch where you're throwing those things! Kasumi or Ranma's mother could have been hurt!"

"Kasumi... Kasumi..." Tofu muttered, his body stiffening, even as his expression grew dazed. Kasumi looked up at him, now obviously very aware of and concerned about his erratic behavior. "Kasumi could have been hurt," he continued, still somewhat out of it.

"Doctor... are you all right?" Kasumi asked, studying him carefully. Akane looked back, worriedly, but the battle with Happosai had started up again, and she was torn between helping Tofu and watching Ranma and Ukyo. Ukyo called out to her, and Akane spun to see Ranma flying at her. Happosai had caught him with his pipe and thrown him, and Akane braced herself, but they both tumbled to the ground anyway.

"Betty... Betty... Betty... Betty..." Tofu began muttering to himself under his breath.

Kasumi leaned closer. "What? I don't understand, Doctor, what does your skeleton have to do with this?"

"Ow!" Akane called out, as she pushed against Ranma, who had landed on top of her. "Get off me, you baka, you're heavy!"

"I'm heavy! Ha!" Ranma grinned at her, impishly. "You think I liked landing on an over muscled gorilla? And those polkadot panties may look nice under that skirt, but your bony knees are poking me!"

Akane snarled at him, although she was grinning back. "I'll do worse than that if you don't get your hands off me, pervert! I still have to pay you back for calling me 'pushy'!"

"Hey guys, if you can stop your love spat for a moment, I could use your help here," Ukyo said. She was holding Happosai back with her spatula, but as he tossed another Happo Fire Burst at her, she was forced to bat it out of the way, which left her open. Happosai leaped up for a kick to her stomach, which sent her sprawling.

"Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi asked hesitantly, as the doctor's muttering stopped. He stood silent for a moment.

"Come, Betty! Let us dance!" Dr. Tofu shouted. He took Kasumi's hands and began to waltz around the street, to the utter amazement of those watching. As he passed Genma, the balding man grabbed his wife and hid behind her. Ranma and Akane stopped their struggles and watched as Tofu and Kasumi passed, Akane sitting in Ranma's lap, and Ranma clutching her a little protectively. And Happosai paused as the doctor and his dancing partner drew close, watching them warily, as Ukyo got to her feet and scrambled out of the way.

"Betty?" Kasumi asked. "I'm... I'm Kasumi, doctor."

"Of course, of course you are. I'm just so happy to be with you here. It's so wonderful..." He swept Kasumi around behind Happosai, as the old man put up his guard, and stomped on his foot. As Happosai bounced around, cradling his foot, Dr. Tofu stuck out an elbow and knocked the old pervert reeling from a blow to the head. Then he sent Kasumi spinning out on the end of his arm, and she slammed into Happosai, sending him flying, before Tofu pulled Kasumi back in.

"Doctor..." Kasumi said softly. "What are you doing?"

Ranma began to chuckle, then broke out laughing. Akane began giggling as well. "Go get 'im, Doc!" Ranma shouted, and then winced as Tofu nailed Happosai again, even as the old man tried frantically to avoid him. "Sheesh, he's unstoppable! It's like his own version of the Neko-Ken!"

"We'd better stop him," Akane said, getting to her feet and helping Ranma up as well. "He's liable to seriously hurt Grandfather, or even Kasumi, in the state he's in. I don't think he would hurt her, but I think Kasumi's getting scared."

As they rushed in, though, Tofu nailed Ranma and Akane with his sudden movements and flailing arms as well. As Ukyo darted in to try, he yelled out "Change Partners!" and released Kasumi to Ukyo, while the doctor grabbed Happosai and started dancing with him.

"Hey! Ow! Stop it! You can't do this to an old man!" Happosai tried his best to fight it, but the lovesick doctor quickly tied him into a pretzel. By the time he swept past Ukyo and drew Kasumi back into his embrace, Happosai was beaten, bruised, and knotted up so badly that he couldn't move.

Genma immediately darted in from the sidelines to begin stomping on him. "Stop, Uncle Saotome!" Akane yelled. "You shouldn't stomp on Grandfather just because he's down!"

Happosai looked up at Akane, his eyes huge and shining with gratitude. She regarded him with a sly grin. "You should stomp on him for groping all those girls." She and Genma then continued the assault, along with half a dozen girls from the crowd.

"Ah! Enough! I'm outta here! Keep an eye out for your grill, Little Ukyo! You'll find it soon enough!" With that, the crippled little man scurried off like a spider and disappeared.

"You did it, Doc! The old freak's gone!" Ranma tried to reason with him, but Dr. Tofu just kept dancing. When Ranma tried to put a hand on his shoulder, the doctor spun around, and swept Kasumi into an extreme dip, which sent Ranma flying. Ukyo rushed into take his place, but the redheaded girl soon followed her brother, her long hair flying out behind her.

"Doctor Tofu! Be careful! You might hurt Kasumi!" Akane ducked and swerved to avoid the erratic movements of the doctor and her sister. While she avoided getting grabbed and tossed away, she couldn't get close. "Betty, Doctor! Oh, it's not working. Concentrate on staying calm! We're no longer in danger!"

If her words made it through, the doctor showed no sign. His glasses were fogged up, and he had a blissful and goofy smile on his face. As Akane was wondering what to do, a loud and stern voice rose above the hubbub of the crowd.

"Doctor Tofu! Stop this foolishness this instant!"

Everyone froze, and for a moment, there was only silence. Kasumi had spoken, although those around her could scarcely believe it. Kasumi never raised her voice.

The shock got through to Tofu, who looked down at her, fearfully. For just a moment, there was a flash of rage in Kasumi's eyes, but it passed as quickly as it had come, replaced by sadness, and disappointment. Tofu let her go, a slight blush spreading over his face.

Kasumi stared at him a moment, concerned, but then drew herself up. "I'm sorry for my outburst," she said, her voice still stern, but gentle and quiet. "I know you were trying to lighten the mood with humor, doctor, but your behavior was completely inappropriate. Miss Ukyo's business has been disrupted, and her Grand Opening may be delayed by weeks. Grandfather Happosai could have hurt any one of us in his attack, and we have set a bad impression for Ranma's mother. This is not a laughing matter." She sighed. "At least Ukyo's father, Mr. Kuonji was not here to see such childish behavior."

Dr. Tofu reeled back as if struck. It escaped no one that Kasumi had implied that the good doctor was a child, as if she were the one almost a decade older. The young woman looked around at Akane, Ukyo, and the Saotomes, who were staring at her in a combination of sympathy, disbelief, and terror. "I am sorry, but I am very tired. I would like to go home and take a nap before preparing the evening bath. There is so much to do..."

She fell silent a moment. Then she turned to Nodoka and bowed deeply. "Auntie Saotome, I am very sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you and your son Ranma. Would you convey my apologies to Mr. Kuonji, as well?"

Mrs. Saotome looked confused, but she could sense the tension in the air. Akane in particular looked very upset, and the doctor looked like he had struck by a hundred pound weight. "Of course, Kasumi-chan," she said kindly. "It was no inconvenience. And you are not responsible for the actions of my husband's and Ukyo's sensei." She shot a glare at Genma at that, and he had the good sense to look guilty.

"Nonetheless, I feel I must apologize," Kasumi said, and bowed again. "Please excuse me."

She set off down the street, almost gliding across the pavement, but with a stiffness in her stance that made her steps seem much heavier. In fact, Ranma wouldn't have been surprised to see cracks forming behind her. For a moment, he could see the stomping footsteps of an enraged Akane in her gait - and it scared him more than he cared to admit.

As Kasumi vanished into the crowd, Dr. Tofu put his head in his hands. "What have I done?"

Akane came up beside him. "Don't worry, Dr. Tofu, I'll talk to her. Come on, Ranma." She hurried off, not waiting for Ranma, who had started to protest. For a moment, Ranma looked like he might stay behind. Then, with a loud, frustrated sigh, he hurried after his fiancée.

Ukyo stepped up to take Akane's place, patting the dejected doctor on the back. "I'll be okay, Doc," she said. "I don't know how, but... we'll think of something."

"I made a complete fool of myself," Tofu said. "I blew it. I blew my only chance with Kasumi."

"Now, now, there will be other chances. If it hadn't been for Happosai, and the argument over..." Ukyo eyed Nodoka, who had come up beside them, "Ukyo's engagement to Ranma, the Kairaishi Mushrooms might have held out. I say we try again. After we give Kasumi some time to cool off, of course."

Nodoka returned "Ranko's" gaze, clearly very curious about the doctor's strange behavior. "Kairaishi Mushrooms? What do you mean by that?"

Meanwhile, Ranma and Akane hurried after Kasumi. They caught up with her a few streets down. As they approached, they slowed down, unsure how to approach the eldest Tendo sister. She had her head down, shadowed in darkness, and Akane bit her lip. Was her Big Sister crying?

There was an awkward moment of silence where they both stood there, inching forward to keep up with Kasumi as she continued on her way home, but hesitant to disturb her. Finally, Akane got up the courage to talk to her. As she started to open her mouth, Kasumi turned around.

She smiled brightly at them, her eyes free of tears, and her expression too happy and cheerful to be real. "Oh, Akane, I completely forgot. Would you thank Ukyo for the meal, and tell her that I enjoyed it very much?"

Akane's mouth just fell open, and she found that she couldn't speak if she wanted to. Ranma jumped back, his eyes wide with shock. Kasumi paused a moment, and after a moment, took their silence as agreement.

"Thank you, Akane-chan. It was fun. We should do it again sometime!" There wasn't a hint of irony or equivocation in her voice. She continued on, and neither Akane nor Ranma had the heart to stop her.

"Oh, poor Kasumi," Akane said. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and her lip started to tremble. "She must feel terrible. We've ruined everything."

Ranma stood a still as a statue, his hands up as if to ward off an unseen evil. "That fake smile... she's scary..."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 10

A New Development

Kasumi hummed to herself as she headed down the hall with a laundry basket full of clothes to be washed. Most of the family had left for the day for school, and Happosai had left before sunrise. Thus, she was surprised to see the door to the old man's room slide open. A moment later, Ukyo stepped out through the door, looking around furtively. She spotted Kasumi, and smiled at her sheepishly. Quickly recovering her composure, the pony tailed girl glanced around again and then gestured for Kasumi to come closer.

"Whatever you do, Kasumi, don't turn on the light in Sensei's room." Ukyo said. "I'm hoping he won't be back until after dark, but even if he comes back in the early evening, it should still be dark enough."

Kasumi walked up to look into the room. Ukyo had closed the sliding doors between Happosai's room and the engawa, and strung up bedsheets over them to block the incoming light. In the near darkness, all she could see was a darkened shape on Happosai's bedroll.

She looked back at Ukyo. "What about school? Aren't you going to be late?"

"I wanted to make sure I had enough time. Sensei almost caught me last time." Ukyo glanced into the room, and then up at the ceiling, with an impish grin on her face. "When I saw that he was already up and out of the house, I went ahead and set up my prank."

Kasumi followed Ukyo's gaze. Her eyes widened a bit. "Oh, my... Ukyo-chan, this isn't going to make a big mess, is it?"

"Oh, no, no!" Ukyo said, waving her hands. "It's just detergent. Once it settles, it should just sweep up." She smirked. "Eventually."

Ukyo then frowned, sternly. "But don't let Sensei browbeat you into cleaning up for him. It's his prank, and he should clean it up. Don't let him tell you otherwise."

"All right, Ukyo, if you say so." Kasumi looked worried, but still maintained her stoic calm. "I just hope you don't make Grandfather too angry. What if he doesn't give you your grill back?"

"I'm sure I'll find it today," Ukyo said brightly. "He's probably set it up somewhere in an attempt to surprise me. This way I'll already be prepared to spring my prank when it does show up."

With her plans for Happosai out of the way, Ukyo headed out of the Tendo front gate and towards the school. As she hurried down the street, running along the fence and bounding across the occasional roof top, she thought back to her conversation with Kasumi. The eldest Tendo daughter certainly seemed as bright and cheery as she always did, but Ukyo didn't buy her act. After the disaster of the horrible dinner party, Kasumi had to be disappointed with how things went.

There was one bright spot, Ukyo said to herself. Kasumi getting so upset with Dr. Tofu about his behavior proved that it did bother her, and maybe that she did have feelings for him. She might have even been looking forward to the "date" as a chance to get to know the doctor better. Nodoka had been very understanding once Ukyo explained the situation to her, maybe she could have a talk with her adoptive Auntie and find out if she had any ideas to help the pair get together.

Ukyo dashed through the gates of Furinkan, and managed to arrive just after homeroom and announcements. "Sorry I'm late," she called to the teacher, as she came through the door of her first class.

"Well, there is no time for you to stand in the hall, Kuonji," the teacher said, "so just take your seat. Class will begin in a moment."

Ukyo nodded gratefully, and settled into her desk next to Akane. She had plenty to think about already, with the opening of her restaurant this weekend, and had little enough time for school as it was. She quickly put all other thoughts aside and focused on the teacher.

The teacher had just begun demonstrating a difficult problem on the blackboard, when there was suddenly a commotion from the hall. Ukyo could hear shouting from a group of girls headed for their room, engaged in a boisterous and angry argument. Although she couldn't understand what was being said, she could clearly make out the droll, caustic voice of Nabiki through the din. Ukyo glanced at Akane and her two friends, who gave her a look that said "What's going on now?"

As the teacher and the rest of the students turned, distracted by the noise, the door to the classroom burst open. Several girls charged determinedly into the room, led by Mariko, the girl who had confronted Ukyo and Akane in the girls' locker room before. The curly haired blonde looked infuriated, and marched straight to Ukyo, stopping to glare at her with her arms crossed. Behind her was one of Nabiki's friends, a girl with long hair just a shade lighter than Yuka's, and tinged with orange-red.

She stopped to face the teacher. "Please pardon our rudeness," she said with a bow, "but I'm afraid we must interrupt your class. This will only take a moment."

Mariko was not nearly so polite. "What's the big idea, you freak?" she snapped at Ukyo, almost spitting. "Are you trying to get back at us for kicking you out of the showers?"

Nabiki's other friend came up behind her. "Hold on. We don't know what's going on yet. Let's talk to her first."

The other girls had filed into the room as well, Nabiki hanging near the back and watching with her usual air of cool detachment. A couple of the girls in the group were first year students, but the vast majority were juniors, which meant they were Nabiki's classmates. The older students were all wearing their gym clothes, and a few looked like they had dressed in a hurry.

"I don't have to ask," the blonde haired girl said. "I know she's responsible. She and these martial arts freaks." She gestured at Akane and Ranma as she said this, and even seemed to be including Sayuri and Yuka in her distain. The two of them huffed at the implication, and crossed their arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ukyo said.

She kept her seat, meeting Mariko's glare calmly. Nabiki's friends didn't seem accusing, so Ukyo didn't feel too threatened by them, but there were quite a few of the other juniors that looked ready to join in the attack. The auburn haired girl came over to them.

"Where were you this morning, Kuonji? I heard you skipped first period. Is this some sort of a joke?"

Her shorter haired friend put out a hand. "Hang on, Ryunami. We don't know if it was her. Like Nabiki said, it could be her sensei."

She turned to Ukyo. "Have you been in the girls' locker room this morning?"

"Girls' locker room?" Ukyo shook her head. "No, I've been here in class since I got here." She frowned. "What's Happosai up to now?"

"Oh, don't play innocent with us! You totally know what we're talking about, and you know it!" Mariko slammed her hands down on Ukyo's desk, getting in her face. "I don't care if you had that little pervert do it for you, or you did it yourself, but I want you out of our gym and out of my school!"

Ranma got to his feet. The girl backed away from him, suddenly fearful, but Ukyo stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, Ranma sat back down. The teacher was starting to look anxious as well, but Nabiki's friend Ryunami rushed over to reassure him again.

Ukyo turned back to the other girls, who were eyeing her warily now. "Look, I spent the morning taking care of something at home. After I was done, I came straight here and I've been in class ever since." She glanced at Nabiki. "Kasumi can confirm my story if you don't believe me. I have no idea what you're talking about, so why don't you stop with the accusations and tell me what's going on."

"I have just about had enough..." the slender blonde began, but then Nabiki cleared her throat, loudly. That seemed to cut through the catty freshman's composure, as she lowered her head and swallowed nervously. Apparently, she could stand her ground against Ukyo and even Ranma, but the Ice Queen of Furinkan High was another story.

Nabiki flashed them all a coy half-smile. "Maybe you should come see for yourself... 'Little Ukyo'. I wouldn't even know where to begin to describe it."

Now Ukyo was really curious. She tagged along as Nabiki and her friends left the room. Mariko followed, along with a couple of younger girls that were obviously part of her clique. Akane looked around at Sayuri and Yuka, and as one, they stood and joined the girls leaving the room. Ranma looked like he really wanted to know what was going on, but he wasn't going anywhere near the girls' locker room, and no one asked him to. So he sat at his desk and tried to look disinterested as the teacher returned to his lecture.

As they headed down the halls towards the gym, Ukyo tried to figure out what was waiting for her. Happosai was involved, so apparently this solved the mystery of where her griddle had gone. Or so she hoped. She hoped it wasn't damaged, as well. It had to have been quite a task for that diminutive, aged pervert to carry her griddle all the way to the school, just to prank Ukyo with it, but she respected his strength and determination. Had he blocked a door with it, or placed it in some out of the way part of the gym? It looked like this would be quite the surprise.

The group of girls all filed through the gym, and Ukyo looked around, but there was no sign of the grill there. They were headed for the locker room. So Happosai managed to wrestle it in there. It made sense, the girls' locker room was the old freak's favorite place.

The procession made its way through the locker room door, continuing past the dressing room to the shower. And as she approached, Ukyo's mouth fell open in shock. No, she decided, she could not have anticipated this. This was just too unbelievable. Even if she had been expecting Happosai to prank her, even if she had been told ahead of time what he would do, there was no way she would have believed it.

Her okonomiyaki grill was in the shower. The L-shaped slab of black metal had been placed neatly atop a row of wooden support posts, seated firmly against the wall and underneath the line of showers along the back. There was only an inch or two between the grill and the bottom of the shower heads, she had to stretch to reach it, and she had no idea how Happosai had gotten it up there. None of the showers would work, obviously, as the water would collect on the grill and run off the sides.

The amazing part was that the short side of the griddle fit right up against the wall leading from the showers to the locker room. Ukyo had somehow managed to order a grill that fit the girls' shower room perfectly. No wonder the junior girls suspected that Ukyo had planned this. Ukyo knew that it was only a wild coincidence, but it sure looked like the grill had been made to fit the showers. For a moment, Ukyo wondered if Happosai had realized that before he stole the grill, or if he just found out as he was trying to "install" it.

"How in the world..." Akane muttered, as she came in.

Ukyo shook her head, understanding her shock. This was most definitely a masterful prank. The griddle was jammed up against the tiles, and precariously balanced on the posts. Moving it would risk knocking one of the posts over. If she didn't trust in Akane's strength and her own, she might be tempted to disassemble the showers just to make room. It would still be incredibly hard to get the structure down without damaging either it or the walls of the room.

Ukyo carefully stepped underneath the griddle, looking up at its underside to make sure nothing was damaged. Happosai had left the heating elements intact in the counter, but if he had damaged the contacts, the griddle wouldn't heat properly. Fortunately, everything looked to be okay, and none of the posts were in contact with anything breakable. Ukyo chuckled as she thought about what would happen if the grill could be heated to operating temperature and the water turned on. The Furinkan girl's locker room would be transformed into a sauna.

"What the hell is so funny?" Mariko was clearly still spoiling for a fight, and seethed at Ukyo's laughter. "This is all your fault! Now how are you going to get this eyesore out of here! These girls have to take a shower!" She gestured at the juniors, who murmured in agreement.

"Don't worry," Ukyo said, waving a hand dismissively as she continued her inspection of the grill's underside. If the blonde's insults bothered her, she wasn't giving her the satisfaction of a reaction. "This won't be a problem." She turned to Sayuri. "Go get Ranma. We'll need his help."

"I am so sure you're not going to let that boy in here!" Mariko screeched.

"You sound like me," Akane quipped. "Of course not. We just need Ranma to help us carry it back to the Cat Café. I think we can get this, Ucchan, can't we?"

"Maybe not bare handed, but I think I have just the tool for the job." With that, Ukyo undid the straps of her new spatula and freed it from her back. The grill was just out of her and Akane's reach, but the spatula was the perfect length to lift it off the posts.

"That'll be a new one, Ucchan," Akane said with a cheery smile. "Instead of using a spatula to flip okonomiyaki you'll be flipping the griddle!"

Several of the junior girls laughed, Nabiki and her friends loudest of all. That seemed to break the ice. Mariko stomped out of the locker room to vent her outrage somewhere else, her friends prattling on in lowered tones as they trailed after her. Sayuri followed them, to go get Ranma. The rest of the crowd quickly relaxed.

"Okay, I need a few volunteers to hold the posts up and make sure they don't fall," Ukyo said. A few of the juniors raised their hands, and once Nabiki and her friends raised their hands, most of the rest did as well. Ukyo gave Nabiki a grateful smile, and picked out enough volunteers for each to take one post.

Ukyo gestured for them to stand next to the wooden posts, and shooed the remaining girls out of the shower and back into the locker room. She then turned back to her black haired friend. "Akane, are you sure you can handle this? That griddle's pretty heavy. It's going to be hard to balance it."

Akane smirked at her, cracking her knuckles. "I got it, Ucchan, don't worry." Ukyo smiled at her confident expression, which looked more than a little like her brother's smug grin.

"All right." Ukyo walked past her to the other side of the shower room, and stood under the longer leg of the L shaped structure. "I'll lift up this end. Girls, you can pull out the supports. After you've gotten the supports out, I'll bring it down so Akane can get her hands on it."

She carefully positioned herself under the center of gravity, near the corner of the L, but far enough away that she could balance both of its ends. She extended the spatula upwards over her head, bracing its broad head against the iron plate. When she pushed up, she was able to maintain its balance because the spatula was so wide. A few of the juniors leaped to catch the supports, as they tried to fall on them, and Ukyo strained as its weight came down on her arms. But she pushed the griddle back up, being careful not to smash it into the shower heads.

Akane grabbed onto the handle of the spatula, so she could help Ukyo hold it up. While the two martial artists kept the griddle raised over their heads, the juniors scurried around dragging the support posts out of the way, some of them having to come back and help the ones that couldn't move their posts. As the girls cleared the area, Ukyo began to slowly lower the griddle. She gritted her teeth as her arms began to give out. "You'd better get in position, Akane. I don't know how long I can hold it."

"I got it!" Akane quickly turned around and stretched her arms up to take the griddle in her hands, as Ukyo lowered it down to her. As she took more of its weight onto her arms, she lowered them, and with Ukyo to help guide her, she brought the griddle down until it was resting across her back and shoulders. Akane flinched as the weight came down on her, but then her breathing became more focused and controlled.

Akane gave her friend a thumbs up, and Ukyo crossed over to the other side of the room. Using her spatula, she lifted that end of the grill off the last remaining post. This end was lighter than the long side of the grill, and Ukyo could handle it easily. A couple of juniors came and dragged the post away, and then Akane and Ukyo maneuvered the grill out of the corner and towards the doorway into the locker room. Ukyo guided the short end of the L through the opening, while Akane rotated the long end away from the far wall.

As Akane came away from the corner, there was more room behind her, and she was able to take the griddle in her arms. It got easier from there, and soon the two girls had moved the grill through the doorway into the locker room. They tilted the end up to get it down the row of lockers, but then returned it to the horizontal orientation so they could work it through the door. They walked it into the gymnasium, where they were greeted by applause from the juniors, particularly Nabiki's two friends. Akane helped Ukyo set it down on the wooden floor, and then waved at the girls.

Several of the guys in their gym class were still doing exercises. They looked up, intrigued, at the sound of the junior girls' applause. Seeing Akane and Ukyo carrying the huge grill, several of boys joined in, and a couple of them gave appreciative whistles. Akane scowled angrily at them, but then thought better of it. Stepping back from the grill, she raised an arm and flexed her bicep. The whistles increased.

Ranma came running through the entrance to the gym, and glared at the boys who were whistling at his tomboy. That put a stop to that. He ran over to join Akane and Ukyo, eyeing the grill that was sitting on the floor.

"What's the big idea, ya muscle-bound gorilla?" Ranma said, proving his mind wasn't on the grill. "You tryin' ta get these perverts riled up again?"

Akane crossed her arms and looked away from him, although she was grinning smugly. "Even a muscle-bound girl likes to be appreciated once in a while, Ranma."

Ranma snorted. "Not by everybody. Or didja forget Kuno is in this class?"

Akane's eyes widened, as the thought hadn't occurred to her. Sure enough, as she looked back towards the crowd, Kuno was coming at her with arms outstretched. "Wonderfully done, my powerful beauty!" He said. "And you as well, my goddess of culinary delights! Let us away and together restore our restaurant, which was no doubt sabotaged by this miscreant here."

He spared only the slightest glance for Ranma, too intent on embracing Akane, but she kicked him in the face. Ukyo then growled. "Our restaurant? It's my restaurant, jackass! You're just an investor. And don't you forget it!" With that, she and Akane timed a second kick to hit Kuno at the same time, and he flew out of the open gymnasium doors.

The juniors burst out in applause again, and then the girls returned to their interrupted practice. They had already missed most of the class, but at least they knew they would be able to take a shower before the next period. Ranma glanced at the grill again, and over at the door to the showers.

"So the old freak put your grill in the girls' showers?" Ranma asked. "What a lame joke!"

"I dunno," Ukyo said. "You didn't see. He managed to get it in there and fit it up against the showers without breaking anything. And he did all that without anybody spotting him." She gestured at the door to the locker room. "Akane and I had to really work to get it out of there."

"Grandfather sure outdid himself this time," Akane said with a smile. "You may have bitten off more than you can chew, Ukyo."

"Aw, I don't know." Ukyo smiled a coy smile. "After seeing this, I'm glad I pulled out all the stops with my next prank."

+++

That afternoon, Akane joined Ranma and Ukyo as they returned to the Cat Café. They had dropped off the countertop before returning to Furinkan for the rest of the day, but after classes were over, they hurried to the restaurant to finish the job. Shampoo was a little unhappy to see Akane tagging along with the Saotome siblings, but she was too busy with deliveries to complain much about it. Ukyo set about installing the grill, while Ranma and Akane helped, and swept up the mess Happosai had left behind in his raid.

With all three of them working together, and the occasional hand from Mousse, they were able to get the little lunch room back in shape with several hours to spare before the Cat Café's closing time. Declaring the restaurant once again ready for the Grand Opening, Ukyo locked the doors to the main room, and she and her partners set out through the side entrance. They had to duck under the tarp that had been hung to hide the new sign over the Cat Cafe's expansion, but Ukyo locked up that door as well, and turned to head down the street. The mood was bright and cheerful, as the three set off for the Tendo home.

"That didn't take long," Ranma commented.

"Yep!" Ukyo grinned back at her brother and his fiancée. "Thanks to you two, there's nothing left to do this evening but hang around the house.

"But I wanna do some training first!" She struck out at Ranma, who ducked back, but then she kicked him, nailing him under the arm with her foot. "Tag!" Ukyo took off running.

Ranma whirled around, and before Akane could react, poked her in the forehead with a finger. "Tag! You're it!" He took off running after his sister.

"Wait!" Akane stared in shock for a moment, but then giggled again, as she took off running. "No fair! Don't think you can get away from me!" The two siblings had taken to the rooftops, and Akane bounded after them.

As it usually did, the raucous tag match raced wildly across the streets of Nerima, the threesome switching often, darting first one way and then the other as the pursuers became the pursued. The occasional passerby was knocked aside, or a vendor's stall disturbed, raising a cry from the offended party, but no one was truly mad. The washer woman splashed Ranma as he passed, in pursuit of his laughing fiancée, and then after she got tagged, she ran the other way past the old woman and got soaked as well.

When they came to the road going past the canal, both Ranma and Akane teamed up on Ukyo to throw her in the water. Ukyo managed to hold them off for a few moments, but was eventually driven into the canal. As the ponytailed redhead leaped back to get her revenge, Ranma dodged a kick from Akane, and Ukyo was able to use the distraction to catch Akane from behind. She splashed into the canal, and yelled at the two cursed sisters, although from the smile she was not very upset.

Laughing, Ranma backed away from a flurry of blows from Ukyo, only to bump into someone. The boy turned girl turned back to apologize, only to draw up in shock. It was Nodoka.

"M-Mom?" Ukyo smacked her, and Ranma corrected herself. "I-I mean, Auntie Saotome! Whaddya doin' here?"

Nodoka smiled warmly at the two sisters. "I was just coming to the Tendo home in hopes that I could see you." She nodded to Akane, who was climbing out of the canal. The black haired girl hopped over the fence and started towards them, but Nodoka had turned her attention back to Ukyo. "Especially you, Ranko."

Akane came up beside them, a little out of breath from the impromptu battle. "Auntie Saotome! Are you here to take Ranko shopping?"

The older woman's smile lost none of its fondness as she looked the girls over. "It seems like every time I see you girls, you are soaking wet! Is that any way for young ladies to behave?" Her tone had no sting to it, but Akane still blushed deeply.

"It's just training," Ukyo said, smirking a bit at Akane's embarrassment. "The point is not to get wet..." she shook out the arms of her blouse, looking down at herself, "... but sometimes it's more fun if you do."

Nodoka was looking the petite redhead over, noting how long her pants were, and how she had rolled them up. "Ranko dear, where do you get your clothes? They don't seem to fit you very well." She looked over at Ranma. "You and Ukyo both wear such manly clothing. Don't you have any dresses?" The brown haired girl fidgeted, and Nodoka noted that while her pants fit her just fine, the red top she was wearing was clearly one of Ranma's. On her son it was a sleeveless shirt, but on "Ukyo" it fit her like a tunic, with the shoulders covering her upper arms.

Now Ukyo was blushing and looking embarrassed. "It's true, Auntie, I don't have any dresses." She glanced at Ranma. "You see... since I live on my own I can't afford any clothes. I have to borrow from neighbors and friends like the Tendos. I've never had any clothes that fit me." She pulled at her own shirt, to show it was about a size too large, although of course it was plenty tight around her chest.

"Uh, yeah, and um, the Old Man always made me wear Ranchan's hand-me-downs," Ranma put in. She shot a questioning glance at Ukyo, who subtly nodded her agreement. "I don't have a dress to my name."

"Oh, this is just not acceptable." Nodoka scowled a bit, showing a bit more displeasure than Kasumi might, but still kind and motherly. "I can understand why you must dress that way, Ranko, since you have no one to take care of you. But Ukyo is my husband's responsibility. I will have to talk to him." She gave Ranma a look of sympathy, and she swallowed. "What was he thinking, raising a pretty young woman like yourself and not teaching her how to be a lady?"

Akane started to laugh, but then covered her mouth with her hand to squelch the reaction. That distracted Nodoka from seeing Ukyo, who looked hurt and uncomfortable. Finally, Akane managed to pull herself together, realizing that she was in the best position to respond. She didn't want either Ukyo or Ranma's feelings to be hurt. She just couldn't help laughing when Auntie said that Ranma needed to be "taught how to be a lady".

"It's all right, Auntie," Akane said. "I've been helping Ukyo to relax and be herself, and I think she's comfortable enough with being a woman. She's just used to Ranma's clothes. And there's some training I can't do when I'm dressed like this." Akane smoothed down the skirt of her waterlogged school uniform.

"But I'm sure you would love to go shopping with Auntie and buy some pretty dresses, wouldn't you, Ukyo?" Akane looked at Ranma as she said this, and her eyes twinkled with mischief. As she expected, Ranma started to panic, but then caught herself and tried frantically to suppress the reaction. Ukyo rolled her eyes, realizing the situation Akane had placed her sister in.

"I'd love to go too," Ukyo said. Then she started to wring the water out of her hair. "But I think we should head home so we can clean up, first."

The foursome headed towards the Tendo home. As they walked along, Nodoka spoke up again. "So where is my son? Is he off on another training trip with my husband?"

Akane glanced at Ranma, with that same look of mischief. "That baka! He was supposed to walk Ukyo and I home from the Cat Café today, but he just disappeared!" She scowled to show her anger, but could not suppress a smirk. "He's probably hanging out with Shampoo again! He's always flirting with her, and letting her put her hands all over him..."

Akane cast a glance at Nodoka, and was amused to see that she looked pleased with her son's manliness, not disappointed. Just as she planned. "That pervert!" she yelled, and stomped her foot.

Ranma was starting to look panicked again, until Akane gave the cursed girl a quick wink to let her know to play along. "Either that, or he's off causing trouble for Mousse, or one of his other so-called 'friends'." Akane tossed her head, scowling. "He's always fighting and picking on the other martial artists in town. He just can't turn down a challenge."

Nodoka just beamed at Akane, looking so happy she was almost glowing. Ranma noticed, and a smirk spread across her face. "Well, my Bro can't help it if other martial artists are jealous of his skill and prowess. It's not like he starts it!"

She glared at Akane as she said this, and the tomboy rolled her eyes. Then Ranma glanced around nonchalantly. "And hey, Ranchan can't really help it if all the girls throw themselves at him. It's just because he's so handsome and manly." Akane snorted at this, and Ukyo had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as well.

"Besides..." Ranma eyed Akane carefully, her blue-green eyes teasing. "Maybe you've fallen for my Bro too, eh, Tomboy? Maybe that's why you're so jealous?"

"Jealous! Of that baka?" Part of Akane was mad at Ranma's audacity, to say it like that, but a greater part of her was still enjoying putting on an act. "It's not like I care what Ranma does with Shampoo or whoever! I never agreed with Daddy's plan to marry us anyway!"

Nodoka's gentle smile was only growing wider in the face of Akane's transparent objections. "Come now, Akane-chan. It's obvious you are fond of my son. Is it really so bad that you are engaged to him? I can understand being frustrated that Ranma has so many suitors that you have to compete with, but I personally think that you are a wonderful girl."

She glanced at "Ukyo", noticing her thoughtful expression and misinterpreting it. "Of course, Mr. Kuonji is very set on Ukyo marrying my son as well, and she is a wonderful girl too. I would hate for my son to break up such a close friendship, but my husband did make a promise..." She scowled for a moment.

Akane just smiled. "I won't be forced to marry Ranma, Auntie. And I won't force him to marry me. Ukyo knows that, and she feels the same way." She glanced at Ranma, and the ponytailed girl smiled back at her. "I am sorry, I realize that arranged marriages were an important tradition in the past, but I think they're old fashioned, and I want to marry for love.

"More importantly, I want Ranma to marry the girl he loves." She looked down, blushing, although she cut her eyes up at Ranma. "I hope that you can understand that." She looked up to meet her future mother-in-law's eyes. "Our fathers have been trying to force us together all this time, and it's caused us no end of trouble. I hope that you can let us decide for ourselves."

"Of course, Akane dear," Nodoka said with a smile. "It is not my place to force you to do anything. But it is my hope that my son will fall in love, with either you or Ukyo-chan." Her smiled faded somewhat. "It will be... hard to resolve all of these multiple engagements unless he does."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem, Mo... Auntie. I think Ranchan already knows that." Ranma grinned, and cut her eyes at Akane. "He's just trying to wait for the right time to announce his decision, without it causing a whole lot of new problems."

"I certainly hope so," Nodoka said, and then she added gleefully, "My son is so manly!"

Ranma and Akane fell silent, blushing, and Ukyo spoke up. "Well, I've got to say that I can see how 'manly' Ranma is. In fact, I might even have a little crush on him myself." She smiled at Akane, who raised an eyebrow at that admission. "But the last thing Ranma needs now is another fiancée."

The redhead held Akane's gaze, grinning impishly. "Admit it, Akane, you like Ranma, you're just too stubborn to say so."

Akane hid her face in her hands, giggling. "All right... I admit it. I like the baka. Even if he is a pain in the... butt."

"You can be a pain too, sometimes, tomboy," Ranma commented, although not in a cruel manner.

Akane just huffed at the accusation. "And you don't know when to quit, girly girl."

Akane wanted to say more, but Nodoka spoke up first. "You girls shouldn't insult each other. It's not proper for young girls like yourselves."

Ukyo burst out laughing. "I'm sorry to say it, Auntie, but your son is rubbing off on us, although he learned it from his Old Man. I'm afraid it's a little late for any of us to be girly girls... although I'd like to try on a dress or two."

"I definitely must have a talk with Genma," Nodoka commented, fingering the silk wrap that concealed the Saotome family blade. Ranma gulped. "I know my husband is an honorable man, but he always did need a reminder of how an honorable man should speak to a woman..."

Akane smirked again, seeing another opportunity to tease her fiancée. "What about you, Ukyo? I'll bet you're looking forward to trying on a lot of dresses. Maybe a long, pretty one with lots of frills?"

As she expected, Ranma began to sweat. "Um... I dunno Akane. I... uh... I think I might have homework ta do or somethin'." Then a sly smile spread over her face. "Besides, you're the least girly of the three of us. Frilly dresses don't suit a tomboy like you."

Akane seethed, but held her tongue, not wanting to give away Ranma to his mother. Fortunately, "Auntie" came to her rescue. "Ukyo, you shouldn't insult your friend," she chided.

"Sorry, Akane", Ranma said remorsefully. Then she smiled at her. "But I don't mean it like that. Remember what I said about that Azusa chick? There's such a thing as too girly and cute."

Akane acknowledged the thought to herself. After a moment, she decided to let Ranma off the hook. "Maybe you're right. You were just telling me that with all the work you've been doing on the restaurant, you don't have a lot of time for homework. You probably should take the time to study, even if that means missing out on going shopping with Auntie."

"Really?" Ranma looked startled, then relieved. "Um, yeah, thanks Akane. I got a lot of homework to do, after all!" She stuck a hand behind her head, laughing uncomfortably. Ranma certainly never expected to be happy to be doing homework.

Nodoka looked disappointed. "Are you sure, Ukyo? I was really looking forward to taking you shopping, along with Akane and Ranko."

Ranma started to panic again, and Ukyo spoke up before her sister completely lost it. "Maybe I can stay, and Ukyo can go. I could do some of your homework for you..." she said uncertainly.

"Oh, no," Nodoka said, turning to her. "You must come with us! Why, wearing hand-me-downs that don't even fit you? You're the one that I wanted to take shopping, Ranko dear, and I insist that you come along." Her expression was stern, and concerned for the apparently homeless redhead. "You must let me do this for you."

"Oh... okay," Ukyo said, looking as uncomfortable as Ranma.

Akane spoke up, hoping to help them out of their dilemma. "Auntie, you can take Ukyo shopping any time. We can go next week, once she's through opening her restaurant. But Ranko is only here for the day." She looked at her friend, hoping she would go along with it. She certainly needed a break from being 'master chef Ukyo', and Akane was kind of curious about how the little redhead would look in a dress. "Ukyo can stay and do her homework."

Nodoka turned her concerned gaze on Ranma. "But I don't like that Ukyo has to wear my son's clothes either. We should buy her some nice dresses as well."

"I'm sure when we get home Ranma will be there waiting for us," Akane said. "While I know Ukyo wants to come along, I'll bet Ranma would like to come along even more. Not to try on clothes or anything," she said, with an amused grin at Ranma, "but simply to carry our purchases.

"I think more than anything else," Akane said, looking at Nodoka seriously, "Ranma would like to spend time with you. Next week, Ranma and Ukyo and I can go shopping." She looked back at Ranma. "Don't you think?"

"Uh... yeah... yeah, I think that's exactly what Ranchan would want."

+++

Akane looked over the clothing on the rack, trying to decide which she liked. They had been window shopping in Nerima's shopping district, when Nodoka spotted a beautiful dress in one of the windows. She had led Akane and 'Ranko' into the upscale shop, ignoring their attempts to divert her to a cheaper store. Ranma had followed, back in his male form thanks to a quick stop by the Tendo home, and a splash of hot water. He had somehow managed to look completely bored and glad to be along all at the same time.

Now, remembering the conversation with Ranma from earlier, Akane was looking at some running outfits. She didn't want to admit it, particularly since Ranma had teased her about wearing dresses all the time, but she could use some casual clothes that were more suited to running on fences, or splashing in the canal. While Nabiki often dressed in stylish blouses and pants, Akane always felt like her outfits were too revealing. Akane preferred the dresses that Kasumi had worn when she was her age, and usually went with dresses or comfortable sweat pants when she bought clothes for herself.

She studied one of the blouses she had picked up, frowning slightly. It was a summer top, cut to reveal the shoulders and probably fit snugly around the breasts, but it looked very nice, and wasn't as flashy as something Nabiki might wear. It was very dressy, and would be suitable for a party or hanging out with her friends, unlike a jogging outfit. It was just a little too expensive. She was just about to put it back on the rack, when Ukyo walked over, holding a dress of her own.

"Um... Akane, do you think this dress is too much?" Ukyo seemed uncomfortable with her choice. "I mean... it IS awfully frilly..."

The dress in Ukyo's hands was the one Nodoka had spotted earlier. It was a brilliant white dress, fairly simple, but covered in lace and frills around the bodice and shoulders. It looked very feminine. "No, Ranko, I think it's fine," Akane told her. "It's very pretty."

Ukyo looked down at the dress, very unsure of herself. "But it's so expensive," she said.

"Tell me about it," Akane huffed, gesturing at the blouse in her hand. "I couldn't afford anything here." She started to put the blouse back again, but Ukyo stopped her.

"Hey, that's nice," she said with a smile. "Yellow is your color. You should pick it up."

"Oh, no. We're here to shop for you. And we'll be spending even more next week. I've got plenty of clothes, I don't want Auntie Saotome spending money on me."

"Nonsense, Akane dear," Nodoka chimed in, overhearing the conversation from where she and Ranma were sitting, near the dressing rooms. The clothing store staff had supplied a few snacks for their customers, and Ranma was happily munching away on them. His mother stood and joined the two girls. "Please, Akane, feel free to pick out anything you like. I haven't had anyone to shop for in so long..."

Akane looked down at her feet. "Okay," she said, reluctantly. Then she looked up. "But only this tank top, and maybe a few pants. Let's go try them on, Ranko!" She grinned excitedly at her friend.

The two girls headed for the dressing rooms with their selections. Nodoka stopped at the table where the snacks had been set out, and grabbed a long, white ribbon. "I think this will look perfect with that dress, Ranko," she said, as she walked over to join the redhead at the doorway to her dressing room. "Please, let me put your hair up for you. I think it will look beautiful."

Ukyo looked at the ribbon, and down at her dress. It was the exact same shade of white, and shiny, as if it was made of silk. "Okay, Auntie. I think you're right, it should be a good match for this dress." It looked expensive, just like the dress, but Ukyo was excited to see how it looked. It had been a long time since she had worn her hair up, since back when she was a little girl. And her hair was a lot longer now.

Akane smiled as Ukyo and Nodoka disappeared into one of the dressing rooms, and then stepped into the one next to it. Pulling the curtain closed, she hung up the blouse and a couple of pairs of pants on the hooks. Then she started to take off her dress. She was no longer wearing her school clothes, of course, as they were still wet from the fight in the canal. But she had changed into a light blue sun dress when they all stopped off at her home. The weather was very warm these days, and as she was no longer worried about hiding her bruises from the Bakusai Tenketsu training, she had chosen a sleeveless dress.

She stripped down to her bra and panties, and then stopped for a moment to admire her ring, on the end of its necklace. She tucked it inside her bra, and then curiously traced the fine scars that crisscrossed her chest and shoulders, just barely visible against her skin. She had been doing her Bakusai Tenketsu training for two weeks now, and while she still bore a few bruises, they were no longer yellowed and blotchy. She could probably take a fall from that cliff where she broke her arm now, or a blow from Shampoo's chui.

As Akane looked over one of the larger bruises on her chest, she suddenly noticed something. She touched the line of her bra, where it met the skin of her breast, and then looked up at the mirror in the dressing room. Leaning in to the mirror, she examined herself through squinted eyes, and then stepped back to turn to look at herself in profile. She arched her back a little. A slow smile spread over her face.

With all the training she was doing lately, she had noticed her body growing more toned and slender. Not that she hadn't always been fit, but she liked having curves, and she hadn't wanted to look too muscular. It bothered her when Ranma called her fat, though, and although these days she could tell when he was teasing, it was still hard to forget how much it used to hurt. So while her hips were as wide as they ever were, she was glad to see her waist growing narrow and her thighs more defined. She felt that gave her more of an hourglass figure.

Unfortunately, with the strain of the Bakusai Tenketsu training, her breasts had lost a bit of their fullness too. Her bra had begun to get loose against her skin, and it didn't feel as tight as it used to. She was afraid that she would have to buy a smaller one. That thought had embarrassed her to no end, particularly since she knew Ranma would tease her mercilessly if he ever found out.

But now, her breasts once again fit tightly into the cups of her bra. Just as they had when Ranma saw them in the girl's locker room, Akane noted with a bit of a thrill. She wasn't going to need a new bra any time soon, but she wouldn't need a smaller one now. And maybe someday soon, maybe within a few months or half a year, she would need a bigger one. Akane's grin widened.

"I'm starting to develop again", Akane whispered to herself, almost giddy with excitement. She could continue her training and working out, and in fact it would probably help her body to develop, since her appetite had increased so much. "This will just be my secret", she whispered again. "No one has to know. I'm just happy that I've gotten bigger."

Now feeling much more confident, Akane began to try on the blouse. It fit very tightly, as she had been afraid it would, but with her little 'secret', that didn't bother her quite as much as before. "I wonder if Ranma will notice," Akane wondered, and then giggled to herself, shaking her head.

"That baka wouldn't notice anything like that," she said. "He hardly notices anything unless it has to do with martial arts."

She tried on a pair of the pants, and then studied herself in the mirror. Like the dress she had been wearing before, the blouse was sleeveless, but it revealed a lot more of her shoulders. Her neck and cleavage were covered, but with the way the yellow top outlined her breasts, Akane felt strangely exposed in it. It was definitely a far racier outfit than she was used to. The running pants did not fit too tightly, but they were stretchy, and fit snugly around her thighs. They didn't bind when she moved, though, and could be worn long, or tied up if they needed to be out of the way of her feet.

Akane wasn't sure it was entirely her, but she liked it. She liked the way it made her feel. Plus, it would be perfect for fighting, there weren't any sleeves that could be grabbed, and the stretchy pants wouldn't interfere with her movements while running on fence posts or rooftops. All that remained was to see what Ranma thought of it. Suddenly feeling a little nervous, Akane turned to slide open the curtain to the dressing room.

"So what do you think, Ranma?" Akane asked, trying her best to suppress her anxiousness. She stepped out where Ranma could see her, clasping her hands in front of her and rocking back and forth on her heels.

Ranma looked up from where he was sitting, and for a moment, his eyes widened in astonishment. Then that smirk she loved so much appeared on his face. "Now that's an outfit a tomboy like you should wear," he said with his usual smug confidence. "That suits you way better than any old dress."

Akane snorted, although she was inwardly pleased. "I don't like anything fitting too tightly around my legs," she said, glancing down at her pants. As she looked back up, she self-consciously clasped her arms against herself again, not noticing that she was pressing her breasts together. Ranma's eyes widened again. "But these don't feel like they're restricting my movements at all." She paused, momentarily curious about Ranma's reaction.

He grinned again. "You better not wear that around Kuno. He'll lose his mind completely. Whatever padding you've got in there makes your tatas look bigger."

Akane scowled, feeling her cheeks grow warm. She didn't mind that Ranma had noticed her breasts, but his casual attitude fueled her temper again. "My 'tatas'? Honestly, Ranma, there's nothing in this blouse but me."

"Oh, pull the other one, Tomboy," Ranma said, his smirk becoming maddening. "You look bigger than Sis in that thing. Well, Sis in her own body, not the cursed one. Believe me, I know tatas. I've got a pair myself." He grinned even wider. "Heck, you'd make Nabiki jealous in that outfit."

Now Akane could feel her face turning beet red. Sure, she would love it if Nabiki became jealous of her figure, but that was just the top fitting so tightly and showing off her curves. It didn't really make her look that much bigger, she had seen it herself! Ranma had to be teasing her on purpose.

As she was about to snap out with an angry comeback, the curtain to the other dressing room slid back, and Nodoka stepped out. "Oh, good, they're both here," she said, apparently missing the tension between Ranma and Akane. "Come on out, Ranko, and let your friends take a look."

She moved to one side, and Ukyo stepped out through the curtain. Akane's mouth fell open in astonishment, and she heard Ranma give a loud gasp. She looked over at him to see his eyes bugging out of his head, his own mouth agape. "Damn, Sis!" he shouted, "You're... you're... you're a girl!"

Akane shook her head, both amused at and totally in agreement with Ranma's reaction. The transformation was unbelievable. Ukyo looked shell-shocked herself, and bit her lip timidly as she met Ranma and Akane's eyes.

The dress fit her petite frame perfectly, exposing the skin of her neck and upper chest, while not revealing enough to be immodest. A line of ruffles hung down from the neckline, covering her breasts, but accentuating their size. Ruffles at the shoulders completed the look. The skirt was wide and puffy, a bit short, but not short enough to be a miniskirt.

And her hair was done up in a bow at the back of her head, cascading down her back in a shining mass of crimson curls. The white bow, which was fairly large in proportion to the ribbons trailing from it, perfectly matched the white dress. The two together only called attention to Ukyo's red hair, the only variation to the overall white color scheme. While the frilly dress might have seemed young and girlish on someone as small as Ukyo's cursed form, it was her hair that made it look stylish and sophisticated.

Akane could think of only one word to describe it. "Oh, Uky-I mean Ranko! You look gorgeous!" She rushed forward to take her friend in an excited hug. "Please tell me you want to keep it! You're beautiful!"

Ukyo was blushing deeply, but she smiled. "I do look nice, don't I? I... I never really thought I could look like this." She glanced up at her brother. "Do I really look okay... um, Ranma?"

Ranma had managed to recover his wits. "Gee, Ranko, I dunno. You caught me off guard before. But yeah, I think I like it. You look like a real girl!"

"I am a real girl, Ranma," Ukyo said, but she was smiling. "That's a nice outfit too, Akane. That's the one you picked out before?"

Akane nodded, and looked back at Nodoka. "Are you sure you can afford this, Auntie? I don't want you to be put out."

"Not at all," the auburn-haired woman said with a smile. "I'm just glad you both love them."

"Excuse me," a young woman said, as she came up to the seating area. She was carrying a dray with drinks on them. "Would anyone like some lemonade? It's on th-"

She never finished her sentence, because at that moment the woman's foot caught on the edge of the carpeting, and she tripped. The lemonade on her tray went flying at Ranma - and splashed over him. His eyes widened in horror, as both Ukyo and Akane turned to look at Nodoka. Noticing their stare, Nodoka turned around to see what was going on, and met her son's eyes, even as his body began to contract in on itself.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Disclaimer: Ukyo's prank in this chapter would probably be considered an improvised explosive in this day and age, so do not attempt to recreate this yourself. This prank may have been funny when my father pulled it off in his college days, but now it's only likely to lead to trouble. That said, it's a hilarious prank.

There are only five more old chapters to go before I get to the chapter I am currently working on. With this final prank, the Prank War story arc ends, and the Moxibustion of Weakness begins. And that should be the last major arc before I begin the major arc that ends the story. Of course, the issue of Nodoka and Mr. Kuonji must also be cleared up.

Chapter 11

The Final Prank

+++

Nodoka could hear the hospitality girl come up behind her, while she was talking with Ranko and Akane. So when she heard the girl trip, she turned around, hoping that her manly son would catch the poor girl before she hit the floor. Before she could fully take in the scene, she was surprised to hear a gasp of fright from both Ranko and Akane. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught them giving her a look that was so overwhelmingly fearful, that Nodoka was stunned into inaction for a moment. Then she looked at Ranma.

She saw her son standing there, dripping from a whole tray full of lemonade glasses, with ice and the shards of glass scattered at his feet. As with the two girls, his expression was one of sheer terror, and Nodoka was a bit taken aback as he met her gaze. He became even more terrified as she stared at him, and she wondered why her son would be so scared of a little lemonade. For a moment, her vision seemed to waver, and she could have sworn he was growing thinner, even down to his face.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout from behind her. "Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" The voice was deep, although somehow it did not seem like a man's voice. It was more like a young boy, or maybe a girl pitching her voice lower. She had never heard the voice before, although it did somehow sound familiar. A moment later, something struck her hard in the back.

"Auntie Saotome, look out!" Akane yelled. She felt Akane's left arm wrap around her, even as she realized that it was Akane who had struck her. The girl took her in her arms, shielding her with her own body, as she turned her away from Ranma. Nodoka was thrown to the floor, and there was suddenly a massive explosion, which kicked up debris all around her.

Akane cushioned her fall, holding Nodoka tightly as they both hit the floor, and then Nodoka rolled over to see what had happened to her son. There was a cloud of dust and debris between them, but as the cloud settled, she could see Ukyo standing there. The brown haired girl looked confused and stunned. And strangely enough, just as frightened as her son and the other two girls had been.

"Ukyo! Thank heavens you showed up!" Akane said, sitting up and helping Nodoka to her feet. "Where's Ryoga! Did Ranma go after him?"

The pony tailed martial artist looked totally lost, but finally she glanced down the aisle of the store and made a gesture, numbly. "Um... I think they went that way." Nodoka noticed that Ukyo was covered in lemonade too, and wearing something that looked just like what her son was wearing. The floor was a mess, a crater had been blasted into the tile between herself and Ukyo, and bits of tile were mixed with the spilled lemonade and glass shards.

"P-pardon me, miss. That was... uh... unforgivable of me." The young girl who had spilled the drinks had been thrown to the ground by the blast. She quickly stood up, bowing apologetically, but she looked as confused as Nodoka felt. "I... I thought there was a boy here. P-please accept my apology. I will get someone to clean up this glass." She hurried away, shaking her head.

Akane helped the Saotome matriarch to her feel. "Are you all right, Auntie? The Bakusai Tenketsu didn't hurt you, did it?" The young girl looked worried, and even a little guilty as she brushed the bits of dust and tile off of Nodoka's kimono.

"I'm fine, Akane dear, thank you very much," Nodoka told her, and Akane smiled, very relieved. She looked over at Ukyo, to see her staring at them open mouthed, still dripping.

"You must have gotten splashed when you pushed Ranma aside, right Ucchan?" Akane asked, hoping her cursed fiancé would get the hint. She nodded, and Akane smiled again. "We're lucky you spotted Ryoga, someone might have gotten hurt."

"Uh... yeah. I spotted him wandering past the house muttering the usual about makin' Ranchan pay for making his life hell. I figured he'd come here, and followed him."

"It's a good thing, too," Ranko put in, as she came up beside them. "That was a close one. Who knows what might have happened..."

"Tell me about it," the brown haired girl said sourly.

"Who is this Ryoga? Why is he trying to harm my son?" Nodoka asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Auntie," Akane said, her smile surprisingly bright, under the circumstances. "Ryoga is an old rival of Ranma's, but they don't really want to harm each other. They're just constantly challenging each other to fights, trying to best each other, you know, just being typical boys." Akane huffed. "Ryoga doesn't know his own strength, though. He sometimes puts other people in danger without realizing it."

Ranko gave her the once over, as Akane had. "At least you're okay, Auntie. Ranma would be very angry with Ryoga if you got hurt."

The three girls each heaved a sigh of relief. The store's employees came up to start sweeping away the dust and bits of glass, and Akane led Nodoka away from the area, with the other two following. Akane's ruse had apparently worked, and Ranma's secret was safe. If Ranma thought that she was off the hook for potential embarrassment, however, the pony-tailed girl was sadly mistaken.

Nodoka was staring intently at Ranma's chest, her face set in a judgmental frown. "Ukyo, my dear, this is twice now that you have ended up soaking wet, and like before, I can see that you are not wearing a bra. I suppose that is all right when you are wearing male clothing, but it is totally inappropriate when said clothing is so wet and... revealing."

Ranma wrapped her arms around her chest, giving an uncharacteristically girlish squeak of surprise. "Hey! It's not my fault!" Ranma began to panic, looking to her sister for help. Ukyo just put a hand to her forehead. "I just forgot, that's all!"

"Well, we certainly must get you out of these wet clothes, as quickly as possible," Nodoka said, putting her arm around Ranma's shoulder. The lanky girl stared wide-eyed at her. "Why don't you pick out a nice dress, and a bra as well...?"

"I ain't wearing no dress, and I ain't..." Ranma snapped, but then she caught herself, and glanced back at Ukyo. Taking a deep breath, Ranma seemed to regain control of herself.

"Look Auntie, I'm, uh, actually, um... look, I was wearing a bra earlier, okay? I just took it off because... I fell in the canal... and it was uncomfortable." She touched her fingertips together, looking down at the floor. "After we all went back home, I forgot to put one back on, and when I saw Ryoga, I just hurried after him without thinkin'. An' I dunno... I don't know if I want to try on a dress today, but... um..."

She looked up at Nodoka. "Anyway, I don't really know what size bra to look for. Pops... the Old Man doesn't take me shopping, and I just grab whatever looks nice when I can." She glanced at Ukyo again. "Lately, Ranko and I have been wearing the same bras. They fit me just fine!"

"Ranko?" Nodoka looked at the red haired girl, who shrugged. "Oh, Ukyo, a bra made for her would certainly not fit right on you! And pardon me for saying this, Ranko, but your bra looks a little too tight on you as well. We need to get you both a bra that is the right size."

"Don't worry, Auntie," Ukyo told her. "I'm pretty sure Ukyo and I are close to the same size, she just needs a smaller cup, that's all. Akane, why don't you go with Ukyo and pick out some that are the right cup size? In the meantime, Auntie, you and I can find some bras that fit this body... I mean, me a little better."

Ranma's blush turned very deep as Ukyo dragged her mother away. "Oh, geez. What am I gettin' myself into?" she muttered. Akane could not resist the grin that came over her face, as she hooked her arm in Ranma's.

"Come on, girly girl," Akane said smugly. "Let's go buy you a bra."

A few minutes later, Akane was standing by the curtain to another changing room, while inside a bare chested Ranma stared in horror at the lacy undergarment Akane had picked out for her. "Oh, geez... oh, geez... oh, geez..." Ranma kept muttering. She had left on her pants, which were almost dry, as they had not been hit by the splash of lemonade. She was not going to try on panties, it was boxer shorts or nothing, as far as she was concerned.

"Just relax, Ranma," Akane said, through the curtain. "Remember what I said before? It's just a bra. Girls have to wear them all the time."

"I'm not a girl!" Ranma started, and then lowered her voice, concerned about being overheard. "I'm not a 'normal' girl," she amended. "What if I get splashed again?"

"I've got that covered," Akane countered, holding up another glass of lemonade. The hospitality staff had been happy to provide her with it after their little accident. "Just relax, if you change again, I'll take care of it. Go ahead and wear the bra, it'll make your mother happy."

There was a moment of silence from the changing room. Ranma began to slip on the bra, grumbling and complaining the whole time. Akane giggled at a loud snapping sound, followed by a curse from Ranma. After a moment, she fell silent again. Akane could see movement behind the curtain, and imagined Ranma was studying herself in the mirror. That visual image made her giggle again.

Ranma spoke again, her voice tight and petulant. "Why do I gotta do this? I was perfectly fine not knowin' what size bra Sis wears! Can't I just wrap 'em like I always do?"

Akane smirked. "Come on, Ranma. A girl has got to know how big her breasts are getting. A girl has got to know when she is developing." Her mischievous and somewhat spiteful grin grew wider, as Nodoka and Ukyo approached.

"We've brought some clothes for you to try on, Ukyo," the real Ukyo called out.

Ranma stuck her head out through the curtain. She was starting to panic again. "I don't wanna wear no dress, Ranko! Can't that wait until next time?" Her expression turned petulant. "Akane's not wearin' a dress! Why can't I wear somethin' like that?"

"I figured you'd feel that way, which is why I brought this," Ukyo said. "It's a nice blouse and some tights, just like I wear." Akane started giggling again. Ukyo handed her sister the clothes, as Ranma slid the curtain aside just enough to grab them.

A few moments later, Ranma came out of the stall, in a dark blue-green outfit with matching leggings. The top was covered by a frilly collar, and a miniskirt bearing a floral print with bright red roses. There was even a small hat that Ranma had pulled over her long hair. Akane put both hands to her mouth to stifle her laughter, and even Ukyo had trouble keeping a straight face. Ranma glared at her sister.

"Oh, you look so cute, Ukyo!" Nodoka beamed, nearly beside herself with happiness.

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said, shifting her shoulders around as if trying to get comfortable. "Damn this thing pinches," she muttered.

Akane hooked her arm in Ranma's again, who looked down at her, startled. "Don't worry about it, Ukyo," she said, her smile still impish. "Now that you're dry again, we can do some more shopping." She held out her glass to one of the girls nearby. "Hey, can I get this in a cup to go?"

+++

It was getting close to sunset as Ranma, Akane and Ukyo headed home, and the street lights had turned on. The three girls were each loaded down with shopping bags. Akane and Ukyo were excited about their purchases, while Ranma griped and grumbled, still in the feminine outfit Ukyo had picked out at the first store.

"I'm gonna get some hot water," Ranma said, as they entered the genkan and stopped at the foot of the stairs. The lanky pony-tailed girl headed down the hall to the kitchen.

"Don't take too long," Ukyo called out. "And bring the kettle up with you. I want to try on all that stuff you bought, in my own body."

"Whaddya mean, Sis?" Ranma asked. "I thought you said you'd take all that stuff Mom made me buy. Don't tell me you're gonna make me carry all this back to the store!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it will all fit, Ranchan, it's just that since it's sized for your cursed body, and the stuff I bought today is sized for mine, I want to know what I'll still be able to wear in both forms. If I can't adapt something to fit, I'll have to be careful not to get splashed while wearing it."

Ranma continued on into the kitchen. Ukyo and Akane turned to start up the stairs, just as Happosai bounded through the door. His pack was full to overflowing with panties, and the old pervert continued down the hall towards his room. Ukyo quickly started to shoo Akane up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Akane asked, looking down at Ukyo as she tried to hurry her along.

Ukyo was grinning widely, glancing back towards Happosai with anticipation. "Come on, we don't want to be out in the hall when he sets it off. Hurry up, get upstairs!"

"What?" Akane looked worried, as she followed Ukyo's gaze down the hall. "What about Ranma?"

"He'll be fine. Just move." She grabbed Akane's hand and half dragged her up the stairs, ignoring Akane's protests as she struggled to hold onto their bags.

On the ground floor, Happosai walked down the hall and slid open the divider into his room. His eyes narrowed, as he took in the darkened state of the room. The sheets were still strung up over the outside wall of the room, blocking whatever light would filter in through the sliding paper doors from the engawa outside. It was already dark enough outside to leave the room in shadow, but now the room was pitch black, without any light at all.

Happosai could just barely make out the hunched shape squatting in the middle of the room. Moving cautiously, he slipped around to the other side of the room and pulled the bedsheets down from the shouji doors. He then slid the doors open, to let the fading light of sunset into the room. A sliver of light fell across the darkened shape, revealing it as a tanuki statue. The comical raccoon dog, similar to the one Gosunkugi had tried to use as a trap for Ranma, was sitting on the pile of panties that served as Happosai's bedroll.

"Oh, Little Ukyo, I'm embarrassed for you," Happosai said, his voice dripping with amusement and sarcasm. He circled all around the statue, studying it from all angles. "I admire your sense of humor, and it was clever to try to scare me, but I saw through your ruse too easily. You just worked too hard to make the room so dark. It gave the whole thing away."

Happosai hopped on top of the tanuki statue and grabbed the string that led to the light on the ceiling. Still smugly convinced that he had disarmed Ukyo's prank, he didn't think to look up. If he had, he would have noticed that the light with its translucent covering had been removed. In its place was a cardboard box, about the size of a milk carton, wrapped with grey tape. Happosai pulled the string that turned on the light.

Inside that box, although Happosai would not have seen it even if he had looked up, was a smaller matchbox filled with gunpowder. The light bulb from the ceiling fixture had been smashed, and its filament placed inside the box with the gunpowder. The metal part of the light bulb had then been taped firmly to the matchbox, and then to the larger box, and screwed into the ceiling fixture. So when Happosai turned on the light, the electricity arced across the filament, and ignited the gunpowder.

With a sound somewhere between a bang and a muffled whoosh, the box exploded. A cloud of fine, white-colored, almost weightless particles dropped from the ceiling and rolled out into the room. It quickly filled the room to capacity, and spilled out the open shoji doors and into the yard outside the Tendo home. The cloud hung in the air, obscuring Happosai's vision, as he began coughing fitfully. Finally he staggered out of the doors and into the fading sunlight.

The cloud spread out the other doors of Happosai's room into the hallway as well, but Ranma had heard the explosion from the kitchen, and ran to slam the doors. A bit of the cloud still lingered in the hallway, but it didn't spread any further. The pig tailed martial artist, now back in his normal body, looked more than a little ridiculous in the frilly girl's outfit, but at least it stretched to fit him. Ranma was just about to check and see if the old freak was okay, when he heard a scream of rage from outside.

"Ukyo!"

Happosai raced back into the house and up the stairs, his battle aura crackling with fury. He slammed open the door to Akane and Ukyo's room. "How dare you!" the tiny pervert screamed, his anger unconsciously creating a ghost image that loomed much larger over his head. "You have ruined my pretties!"

Ukyo swallowed, as his battle aura sent ripples of terror through her. She put up both her hands. "Don't freak out, Sensei. Your panty collection hasn't been harmed. It's just a cleansing powder, it will wash out, no problem."

Akane glanced at the pony-tailed redhead, her eyes wide. She could feel the power of Happosai's aura as well, and even though it wasn't directed at her, she could still feel the waves of fear passing through her. She felt like she could scream and fall to the floor cowering at any minute. She was a little surprised that Ukyo could take it, although she knew how focused and controlled her friend could be when she had to.

"Don't you 'Sensei' me!" Happosai yelled back. "What kind of cleansing powder?" He shook his head. "Never mind. Surely that's too strong for my silky darlings! It will ruin them!"

"Just run them through a gentle cycle, just to wash the detergent out," Ukyo replied, her voice calm and soothing. "Rinse them off first, if there's any cleanser caked up on them or somethin', and then wash them to get out the residue that was floating in the air. And get Kasumi to set up a fan in your room to clear the cloud out."

"My pretties had better be all right!" Happosai warned, pointing at her. "If not... if not..." He seethed for a moment, unable to continue.

"They'll be fine, I promise. So will your room. It should vacuum right up."

Happosai turned on his heel, but then stopped and glared back at her. "You have gone too far, Ukyo. I will have my revenge. You just wait and see!" With that, he stomped out of the room.

Akane breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow, Ukyo, maybe you did go too far. He's really mad!"

"Maybe, but I hope he calms down once he realized his panties are fine." She glanced at Akane. "He could have damaged my griddle disconnecting it from the counter, or putting it up in the girls' shower, but he didn't. I was a little mad at him for that at first, but he obviously took the time to make sure he didn't break my griddle when he pranked me. Once he realizes I was careful not to do anything that would hurt something of his, he'll get over it."

"Are you sure they'll be all right?" Akane asked. "I mean, it's disgusting for me to say this, but some of the panties he's got in his collection are pretty old and worn. Are you sure that cleanser you used isn't too strong?"

For a moment, Ukyo looked nervous. Then she blew out a breath. "If it is, it's too late now. Hopefully the advice I gave him will be enough."

+++

When Kasumi came around to Happosai's room the next morning, the old pervert was still planning his revenge. He had swept the floor clean, and set up a couple of large floor fans, which blew the cloud of cleansing powder out of the house and into the yard. Kasumi brought him a vacuum cleaner borrowed from a neighbor, and by the time the cloud outside had dissipated in the breeze, Happi had managed to dispose of the heavier particles that had settled like snow over the furniture.

Happosai was not happy about having to clean up the mess, though. Grumbling angrily, he tore through his belongings, pulling them out of their hiding places and carelessly tossing them out onto the floor. Most of it was covered in the finer particles of detergent, which had managed to get into every nook and cranny of his drawers and closets. Kasumi helped Happi pull his panty collection out of his wardrobe, and take it down to the laundry to be washed.

Happosai ignored the remaining detergent, and continued to ransack his room, obsessed with finding something for an appropriate counter-prank. At the moment, he had pulled an old chest out into the middle of the room, and was going through the items in it one by one.

"No, that's no good," Happosai growled, tossing an object over his shoulder. "Whoopie Cushion... come on, that's too childish. Incense of Spring Sleep? I want to prank Little Ukyo, not put her to sleep. What about this? No, that's just that old Amazon Bracelet. I never did figure out what it does. A bean shooting plant? Nah." More items flew over his back and landed in the pile behind him.

"This is the last of your collection, Grandfather," Kasumi said, holding out her laundry basket, which was filled to overflowing with panties. "They came out just fine, like Ukyo promised."

"Yeah, yeah, put them down over there," He waved a hand dismissively in a direction, not really looking. "A recipe for Super Soba? Hm... has promise... but no, too dangerous. She'll be strong enough to beat me up for making her grow whiskers." He went back to his search.

Kasumi dumped the panties on top of another pile in the room. As she turned to leave, Happosai continued his running commentary. "Pressure Point Chart for the counter to the Moxibustion of Weakness? That's no good, no one has given her the Moxibustion of Weakness." A piece of paper sailed over and landed in Kasumi's basket. "A name change application for Pantyhose Taro? Nah. Shujyugan Obedience Pill... Ooo, maybe..."

"Wait!" Kasumi was about to step out the door, when Happosai suddenly flung himself at her. The eldest Tendo daughter drew back in shock, but Happosai just reached into her basket and pulled out the scroll.

"Yes... yes!" Happosai grinned evilly as he studied the scroll. "This will work... this will work after all! Thank you, Little Kasumi! This will be perfect!" He gave the shocked young woman an excited hug, and then darted out into the yard, leaping over the wall and disappearing into the distance.

"Oh my..." Kasumi said, her tranquil catchphrase somehow conveying more dread than usual.

Several minutes later, Happosai burst into the girls' locker room at Furinkan High, driving the half-dressed schoolgirls into a panic. The room echoed with screams, as the girls all scattered, trying to get away from the old man. The girls had changed out of their gym clothes, as the class was ending, but most of them had yet to finish dressing in their school uniforms, and some were still in the shower.

"Little Ukyo!" he called out, holding out his pipe as if it were a weapon. "Little Ukyo! Where are you?"

Some of the girls managed to gather the courage to fight back, foremost among them Mariko. She had not finished changing clothes, but had already bound her curly blonde hair down with her pink hair clip, and wore a long towel that she had wrapped around her chest. "She's not here, you old freak!" She screamed at the tiny old man. "We got rid of her, and all the rest of you martial arts freaks too! Now get out of here!"

Happosai hopped up in front of the blonde, pulling the towel away, revealing she was wearing only panties and a bra underneath. Screaming, she wrapped her arms around herself, and the old man goosed her. He then continued on, ignoring her, continuing to grope the girls as he passed. Very few of them could muster a defense.

"I want Little Ukyo, and I'm not leaving until I find her!" Happosai demanded. "This is her class, and I know she has to be here. Is she in here?" He asked, the question obviously rhetorical, as he bounded straight for the showers. The screaming got louder, and naked girls began to flee, forming a stampede out of the room.

"We've got to get Ukyo!" one of the girls yelled. "She and Akane are the only ones who can fight him."

"No way! Those freaks are not coming back in here! Never!"

"We've got to!" one of her friends told her, almost pleading with her, her eyes fearful.

"I'm going whether you want me to or not," another girl said, her eyes narrowing. She was one of the girls who were still dressed, and she spun on her heel and left the locker room. Several of the other girls also turned and followed her.

Over in the boys' locker room, Akane, Ukyo, and a handful of their friends were just beginning their shower. They had taken a little longer since they had to wait for the boys to clear the room. As they were stepping into the stalls, the girls came running into the locker room. "Ukyo! Akane! Happosai's raiding the locker room! We need your help!"

Sayuri turned to face them, meeting the girls with a look of rage in her eyes as intense as any glare from Akane. "Oh, now you need Ukyo and Akane's help! What happened to them not being welcome in your locker room?"

The girl managed to look ashamed. "Look, Happosai hasn't been a bother lately, okay? I didn't want to go along with all that, but..."

"But you did anyway!" Sayuri snapped back.

Ukyo put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Sayuri. Akane, let's go take care of this."

At that moment, Mariko charged in. "Oh no! You're not going to get out of this by sending that old freak to molest us! We can take care of ourselves, we don't need perverts like you to protect us!"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" the other girl yelled back. "You know good and well none of us can stand up to Happosai! They're the only ones who can!" She gestured at Ukyo and Akane, who tried not to smirk.

"Bitch?" Mariko snarled. "She's the bitch! She sent him in there, he's asking for her."

"He's looking for me?" Ukyo asked. When the other girl nodded, she frowned.

"Looks like he's decided on his counter prank," Akane commented. "We'd better be careful."

"I don't care!" the blonde turned to Ukyo. "I've had enough of you! You're not going back in our locker room!"

The other girl pushed her. "Shut up. I'm the one who's had enough." She looked at Akane and Ukyo. "You were right, we need you to protect us from Happosai. We're sorry we forced you to leave. We want you to come back."

"No!" Mariko screamed.

Out in the gym, Ranma, Hiroshi and Daisuke were staying behind to guard the boys' locker room. Happosai found his path blocked, and attacked Ranma with his pipe. Ranma just parried with his arm, and sent the old man flying back. Hiroshi and Daisuke stepped back to give them more room, and after glancing at each other, took off running. Daisuke headed for the front door to the gym, while Hiroshi headed for the girls' locker room.

Girls were still streaming out of the girls' locker room, in a panic, but Hiroshi calmed them down and directed them to the exit from the gym. Several girls drew up short as they noticed the fight between Ranma and Happosai. The two martial artists were darting past each other, trading blow after blow, but Ranma wasn't letting Happosai get past to the door to the locker room.

"Come on, come on!" Hiroshi yelled at the stragglers. "You don't wanna get groped, do you?" The girls all shuddered, and Hiroshi escorted them out of the gym.

Happosai paused a moment, and took a puff from his pipe, causing the embers to glow. He seemed to consider something, but then shook his head. He then darted forward, raising his pipe for an attack, which Ranma blocked. Happosai had barely put any strength into the blow, though, and continued between Ranma's legs, ending up behind him. As Ranma whipped around, Happosai bounded off for the locker room door, cackling gleefully. "Too slow, student!"

"I ain't your student," Ranma growled, as Hiroshi and Daisuke came running up from across the gym. Daisuke had a bucket in his hand, and he flung it over Ranma. Both boys leered a bit, as Ranma shrank down into his sister's form.

Hiroshi stepped up to the cursed girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Remember, all the girls that are still left in our locker room think you're Ukyo. An' since she was probably about to take a shower when all this started, that means she's probably naked."

Daisuke's leer increased as he raised his eyebrows, suggestively. "You could just strip naked right here, Ranma. Then no one would notice anything out of place when ya go in there." He glanced around the room. "There's no one here but us, after all."

Ranma just glared at the two boys, holding up her loose pants with one hand. Snorting, she pulled the pants down and slipped them down her legs. Then, hopping on one foot to get the pants off, she disappeared into the locker room.

"Damn, Ukyo's hot," Daisuke said, his eyes obviously glued to where Ranma's backside had been before she disappeared from view. Hiroshi cuffed him.

Back in the locker room, Akane and Ukyo headed past the boys' lockers to where they had left their school uniforms. Their friends gathered around them protectively, all of them wrapped in their towels just in case Happosai managed to get in before they got dressed. The rest of the girls, who were all dressed, were loudly arguing with each other.

"You can't let them back in! They're like, total freaks! This has just got to be a trick!"

"Oh, get over yourself! You're just jealous because Akane's got a boyfriend and you don't!"

"Ohmigawd! You did not just say that!"

At that moment, Happosai burst through the door. He spotted Ukyo instantly. "Little Ukyo! I've found you! Your sensei is here to teach you a lesson!" He chuckled darkly, as he drew on his pipe. "Feel the burn!"

With that, he leaped at Ukyo, holding out his pipe as before. Ukyo leaped aside, and began to evade the old man, unwilling to fight in only a towel. Happosai gave chase. Akane grabbed a couple of the girls, instinctively pulling them out of the path of danger.

"Let go of me!" Akane didn't realize she had grabbed Mariko, and turned to scowl at her. The blonde glared back, pushing Akane away and glancing down at Akane's towel before crossing her arms over her own toned but slightly built chest. "Get your filthy hands off of me, you pervert!" she snapped.

Somewhere in the back of Akane's mind, a little part of her began to laugh uproariously. This must be how Ranma feels, she thought. The greater part of her was just enraged over being called a pervert, by a girl, no less. She noted idly that if she had never met Ranma and gotten to know him, she would probably have reacted violently to the accusation. She did react violently, she remembered, when Ranma first fought Ryoga so long ago. He had called her a pervert, and his bare chest pressing against her had made her feel like a pervert. She wasn't ready to face that.

As if the memory had summoned him, Ranma suddenly burst through the door, in Ukyo's body. She was wearing that red shirt, which as usual hung loosely over her sister's lanky chest like a tunic, covering her waist and hips. Which was good, since she wasn't wearing pants. She tossed those pants to Ukyo, who caught them, even as Ranma leaped to the attack. She threw a kick which sent Happosai flying into the lockers. Ukyo stepped back, and quickly shimmied into the pants, pulling the drawstring tight to hold them up on her slender hips.

Akane put herself between the other girls and Ukyo, hoping they would think Ranma was still her. Mariko had gone silent next to her, and was looking back and forth between Ranma and Ukyo, her mouth agape. Happosai was looking between the two of them as well, and hesitating. In order to throw Ranma off, he began to dart around the room, pulling girls' towels off, as a distraction. Ukyo cursed at him, and shifted her towel, knotting it as she tied it around her breasts. Then she charged in to attack Happosai as well.

Akane wanted to help, but she was afraid of getting her towel pulled off. Particularly in front of Ranma. He was focused on the fight, but...

"Everyone, back into the shower," Akane yelled out, gesturing with an arm. "Especially if you're naked." I wouldn't want that baka to get distracted by the sight of bare flesh, she almost growled to herself. "Get out of the way of the fight."

Her elbow touched the girl beside her again, and she jumped, startled. "Don't touch me, you freak!" she yelled.

All of a sudden, Akane didn't care if the girl stayed out of the way or not. She just got up, and without looking back, escorted the other girls into the shower.

Happosai was still looking back and forth between Ranma and Ukyo, unsure of which was which. He seemed to settle on the Ukyo who was still wearing a towel and moved in, with his pipe at the ready. He maneuvered in and out and between the twin sisters, until he caught Ukyo with her back turned.

"Gotcha!" he yelled out. At the last minute, Ranma flung herself over her sister, shielding her as they both fell to the ground. The ember from Happosai's pipe landed on a spot on Ranma's back, just below her shoulder blades, and about three or four inches down.

"Yeow!" Ranma yelled, as she leaped back to her feet, trying to reach her back. The ember fell off, but Ranma continued to dance around. Ukyo stood up too, and shot a glance at Happosai, before she grabbed Ranma and held her still, studying the hole burned through her red shirt.

"You okay?" Ukyo asked, worriedly.

"I dunno." Ranma looked back at her sister, shifting slightly as she thought about it. "I feel fine, he just burned me."

"Wait a minute... Wait a minute!" Mariko stood up from her spot near one of the lockers, staring at Ranma and Ukyo, her eyes wide. Ukyo froze, biting her lip as she steeled herself. Ranma looked over her shoulder at the girl, as Ukyo had her back to her.

"There's... there's... there's..." She looked to be shaking, but she took one step and then another, striding forward with increasing speed to grab Ukyo by the shoulder. "There's two of you?"

As she whipped Ukyo around to face her, a splash of water came from her right. She glanced over to see Akane, looking slightly sheepish, with a wash bucket in her hand. "Oops," Akane said, her voice weak.

Mariko turned back. Ranko stared back at her, her blue eyes showing anger, and strangely, a little relief. Ukyo had stepped back, instinctively avoiding the splash of water.

"What do you want now?" Ranko asked.

"You... you..." the blonde glared at Akane. "You did this! What did you do!?" She looked back at Ranko. "Your hair was brown a second ago. I saw it!"

Her confusion was interrupted, by a chuckle from Happosai. "Oh, I see. I hit the wrong Ukyo after all. Very good, my students, very good." He smiled, though, and his eyes flashed with merriment. "I call this a completely valid prank, though. After all, it will affect the both of you."

"What did you do?" Ranma demanded, stepping forward with a fist clenched.

Happosai laughed again. "You'll see. You'll find out, in about a day, what my moxibustion did." He bounded out of the locker room, still laughing.

"That old freak," Ranma growled.

"Moxibustion, huh?" Ukyo put in. She studied Ranma's back again.

"What is going on?" the blonde girl protested, furious at being ignored. "Your hair was brown before. It wasn't red! You looked like Ukyo."

"It was a trick, to distract Happosai," Akane said. She blushed a bit, as Ranma quite obviously took in the sight of her in her towel, but then she narrowed her eyes and glared at the cursed girl. She took the hint and looked away.

"It's a special technique called 'Anything Goes Quick Change'," she continued. "Ukyo and Ranko figured if they could confuse Happosai about which one of them was Ukyo, he'd make a mistake."

"That's right!" Sayuri said, grinning knowingly. "Ranma and Ukyo use it to switch clothing from time to time, just to keep in practice."

"Yes, remember that time when Ranma and Ukyo fell into the Furinkan swimming pool when they were fighting Kuno?" Yuka stepped up next to her friend, speaking in her softer, more soothing voice. "They switched clothes, hoping to confuse Kuno and draw him off Ranma's trail".

Sayuri nodded to her friend. "That's right, they use it all the time."

"Oh is that all it is?" one of the girls in the room said. "I should have known it would be something like that."

"That's right," another said. "Akane, Ukyo, won't you please come back to the girls' locker room? We're sorry we treated you like that."

"Yeah, we can see that you're not perverts. You're just martial artists."

"No!" Mariko looked around herself, her eyes wild. She pointed at Ukyo, Akane and Ranma. "No! I know what I saw. There were two Ukyos. Like totally, there were two Ukyos! I swear it!

"There's something very freaky going on here." The blonde held her finger up, shaking, her voice serious. "You know, there's like something totally sinister and weird going on here. You may have fooled the rest of them, but you don't fool me." She stared into Ranma's eyes, and then Ukyo's. "I will find out what is going on here. I will find out.

"I don't know what is going on here, I don't know what this secret is that you all have, but I will find it. I will find out and then you're see. You'll all see!" Her voice began to rise in pitch, tinged with madness. "I'll find out, and then everyone will see that I was right! Everyone will see that I was right!"

One of the other girls laughed. "Geez, Mariko. You sound like Kuno." The laughter spread, as they all filed out of the room.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Things start to get a lot more serious in this chapter.

Chapter 11

A Moment of Weakness

+++

"Come see the Grand Opening of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki!" Akane shouted. "Opening today from noon until five! Stop by any time! Bring along our flyer and receive a discount on any purchase of an okonomiyaki!"

"You gotta try my Sis's okonomiyaki," Ranma added, as he handed a flyer to a curious passerby. "It's the best in Japan, honest!"

Ranma and Akane were passing out flyers in the street a couple of blocks away from the Cat Café. They had been working all morning, kicking off Ukyo's big weekend. The excited couple weren't exactly sure what Ukyo was planning; she had kept a few things secret, such as the changes she had made to the front of the Cat Café. It was still covered with that gigantic tarp, and neither Ranma nor Akane had seen what it looked like yet.

"Are you feeling okay, Ranma?" Akane asked, a momentary worry cutting into her excitement. "Is there still no effect from whatever moxibustion Happosai used on you?"

"Not a thing, Akane." Ranma answered. "I checked this morning, and I can still change with hot and cold water just fine. So it ain't the Cat's Tongue, like the old ghoul used before. Maybe the old freak's moxibustion just didn't work."

"I don't know, Ranma, I'm still worried."

Ranma scoffed. "You worry too much, tomboy. It ain't nuthin'. I ain't afraid of that old man, and I ain't afraid to fight him, either! I'll show him!" He clenched his fist.

Akane rolled her eyes at his bravado, but she couldn't shake her concern. "I hope so. He said it would take effect today."

"He's just playin' games, like usual." Ranma's expression brightened. "Yeah, I'll bet that's it! It's a prank, right? So he's expectin' me to get all paranoid and scared waitin' for the moxibustion to take effect. But there ain't no effect. That's the joke, that he gets everyone all worked up over nothin'. Well, I'm not falling for it!"

"I sure hope so," Akane said again, bowing her head. She then looked down at the flyers. "Oh, I only have a few left. What about you, Ranma?"

"Yeah, I've got a couple." He answered, as a potential customer stopped to look at the flyers. The man asked him for directions, and Ranma pointed out the map on the back of the flyer. "It's right next door to the Cat Café, if you know where that is." The man nodded, and hurried on his way.

"It's just a few minutes to noon, Ranma! We'd better hurry!" Akane said.

"Bet I finish first!"

Akane grinned. "I bet you don't!" The two redoubled their efforts to pass out the flyers, and they both passed out the last ones at the same time. Still grinning, they raced down the road to the Cat Café, Akane launching punches and kicks in an attempt to slow her fiancée down, while he laughed and leaped out ahead of her.

They arrived at the Cat Café in record time. A large crowd had gathered around in front of the restaurant, being careful not to block the main entrance. Ukyo's father could be seen standing to one side, where Ukyo had hung an ornate rope, which went up to the roof and anchored one corner of the tarp. The rest of the crowd stood around in the street, waiting for noon.

Akane waved at Sayuri and Yuka, recognizing them in the crowd. Genma and Nodoka were there as well, Genma looking as if he wanted to dart away and turn into a panda. Fortunately, he wouldn't risk it as long as Nodoka was around. Ranma's mother greeted her son and his fiancée as they rushed over to join them.

"Where's Sis?" Ranma asked. "Has she started yet?"

"Not yet, son," Nodoka told him. "But I think she was waiting for... oh, there they are. She was waiting for you two, of course, and Akane's father and sister."

Soun and Kasumi approached from the other end of the street, where they had been passing out flyers. The group all walked over to join Mr. Kuonji, and Shampoo stuck her head out of the Cat Café door. A few moments later, Ukyo stepped out of the café, with Nabiki right behind her. The middle Tendo was almost drooling, like she was picturing dollar signs floating over the crowd.

Ukyo, by contrast, was all business. She was wearing an okonomiyaki chef's uniform, similar to her father's, with his giant spatula strapped to her back. "Greetings everyone, and welcome to the grand opening of Okonomiyaki Ucchan's!" She gave Ranma and Akane a nervous but grateful smile, and Sayuri and Yuka as well, but then turned back to the crowd and bowed. "Father, would you do me the honor?"

Mr. Kuonji nodded, and stepped over to the rope. He gave it a pull, and the covering fluttered down and away. Ranma and Akane stepped up to help him, as the tarp hit the ground, and they quickly moved it out of the way.

The façade of the Cat Café had been extended across the shop next door, making it look like one building instead of two. The large red sign bearing the name "Cat Café" had also been extended, so it hung above both doors to the restaurant. The sign now read, "The Cat Café: home of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki".

The original door of the small shop had been removed, and replaced with a sliding door. Next door, the entrance to the Cat Café stood open during business hours, covered by an inviting curtain. The sliding door made the second entrance distinct, more befitting a secondary entrance, but just as open and inviting. The main entrance was covered by an awning from which three red flags hung. The center flag was marked with the character for "Cat". An identical awning and flags were hung over the secondary entrance, but the center one was marked "Ucchan".

Next to the entrance to the Cat Café stood the usual display of plastic replicas of the dishes on the menu, typical of Japanese restaurants. A smaller display had been set up next to the second entrance. It was tall and thin, just three shelves, really, on which sat mock-ups of Ukyo's three okonomiyaki styles; Osaka, Hiroshima, and Joketsuzoku. Above the shelf was a large sign, right next to the door, saying "Ask for the Pot Luck Special!" A small poster on the other side of the door advertised Ukyo's prices.

Ukyo slid open the door, and then turned and bowed to the crowd. "Please come in," she said. "I am Ucchan. How may I serve you?"

It took a few minutes for Ukyo to hurry inside and take her place behind the counter. While she did, the rest of the crowd filed in, admiring the interior of the little shop. A line of shouji doors had been set up to block the connection between the lunch room and the Cat Café, but the lights from the other side of the doors could be seen shining through them. The hubbub of conversation from the busy restaurant could be heard as well, making the small room seem more active than it was.

Ukyo's grill stretched across the room, taking up about half the space. The short end of the griddle was towards the doors, giving Ukyo a great vantage point to greet customers entering the shop. The longer side extended all the way back to the far wall, where a curtain behind the griddle marked the doorway into her storeroom. The curtain again bore the name "Ucchan". The end of the counter, near the wall, was hinged so Ukyo could get past.

The wooden countertop extended past the griddle, so customers would have a place to eat without touching the hot plate. A line of stools were set against the counter. The stools were similar in design to the chairs in the Cat Café, but taller, like bar stools. About five or six tables were scattered around in the half of the room that was not covered by the counter, and gave customers an alternate place to sit. In the evenings, when the Cat Café took over the space, the shouji doors could be opened, and the extra tables or even the bar used to seat customers.

More posters on the inside of the room repeated the prices that were listed outside. There was a counter inside the area blocked off by the grill, ready with ingredients for okonomiyaki, and the cash register was next to the door. The customers filed in, and Ukyo began taking orders.

Within a few minutes, the little diner was bustling. Akane was assigned to work the cash register, while Ranma helped Ukyo behind the counter. Ukyo wanted to handle all of the first orders herself, but Ranma took orders, handed Ukyo the ingredients, and kept an eye on the okonomiyaki while it was frying on the griddle. Ukyo was cooking eight to ten of the cabbage-stuffed pancakes at a time, just to keep up with the orders. She still managed to work in one on the house for all of the Tendo and Saotome families, as well as her father. When Sayuri and Yuka stepped up to the counter, she offered to give them the "family deal", but they both insisted on paying.

Just like before, Sayuri got ambitious, and requested a Joketsuzoku special. Smiling, Ukyo got out the special batter, and began to spread it on in thin layers on the griddle, building it up with cabbage and vegetables, Hiroshima style, but flattening the mix each time. Every third layer or so, she would add Sayuri's requested pork topping. Finally, she flipped the completed okonomiyaki onto a plate, and smothered the pile in curry sauce. She waited, somewhat nervously while Sayuri tried it, and was relieved when Sayuri gave her a thumbs up. Several of the customers in line, intrigued by the demonstration, requested one as well.

The rest of the family had taken a table near the back of the room. After finishing their lunch, they decided to head back to the Tendo home. Soun, Genma, Nabiki and Kasumi headed out the door, but not before Kasumi promised to stop back by in the afternoon to allow Ranma and Akane to take a break. Nodoka was about to leave as well, when Ukyo pulled her father aside.

"Pop," Ukyo asked, somewhat tentatively. "Would you like to help out?"

Mr. Kuonji smiled. Although it was obvious he was still unsure about this, he was proud of how well his daughter was handling herself. The line had extended out the door and down the street, but Ukyo was setting a fast and steady pace, serving her customers quickly and efficiently. "Of course, dear. What would you like me to do?"

She glanced at the line out the door. "If you'd take over some of the Osaka style orders, it'd really help. You can even try some of the Hiroshima style, if you feel up to it."

"Your old man has had orders for Hiroshima style okonomiyaki before," he said with a grin. Ukyo blushed and looked away. "I think I can handle it."

"Would it be all right if I helped as well?" Nodoka asked.

"Um... well..." Ukyo looked at the line again. It's obvious she didn't want to ask Ranma's mother for help, but she was getting overwhelmed.

"Hey, why don't ya take over gathering up the plates and puttin' em away," Ranma put in. "That'll give me more time to help Sis at the grill."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, son," Nodoka said. "And you'll need someone to wash them, as well." She hurried around to the end of the counter where she could come around behind it, with Mr. Kuonji following close behind.

Akane called over from the front counter, where she had answered the phone. "We've got an order for 10 okonomiyakis from Kodachi. She's holding the last meeting of the school year for her Gymnastics Club and wants to treat them to lunch."

"Okay. Auntie, the to-go boxes are back in the storeroom. Ranchan, Pop, if you'll help me make them we'll box them up and send them off with Shampoo."

"I'll let Cologne know she should send Shampoo back here when she gets back from her deliveries," Akane said. "Excuse me, folks, I won't be a minute." Akane wiggled past Auntie Saotome and Ukyo's father, heading for the end of the counter, and then disappeared through the sliding doors to the Cat Café.

Mr. Kuonji stepped up beside his daughter and started laying out okonomiyaki on the griddle. Soon the two of them were flipping the savory "Japanese pizza" side by side, setting a steady pace. Ranma worked further down the counter, serving the customers near the back. Soon, the line began to grow shorter and shorter outside the shop. Akane was so busy ringing up the sales that she had no time to complain that she wasn't allowed to cook.

"Is Ucchan your daughter?" asked one of the customers at the counter. Mr. Kuonji nodded, and moved over to better hear him over the background noise. "I thought so. I can see the resemblance. She has quite an elegant technique."

"Thank you," Mr. Kuonji said, beaming.

"I had her okonomiyaki at the festival. I just had to come by today and try it again. Yours isn't exactly the same, but I can see where she gets her talent."

"Ukyo and I haven't seen each other in a while," the grizzled chef said, glancing at his daughter. She was still working busily, smiling as she spread on sauce with a brush, adding a little flourish as she handed it to the customer. "I'm afraid I didn't have much influence in her cooking style. But she seems to remember a few things I taught her."

"Yes, it's interesting," the man said, still eating. "Most okonomiyaki shops, even if they aren't just vendor carts, tend to offer only the one style. It's unusual to offer both styles, and a third one as well. It really seems like she's trying to make a name for herself."

Mr. Kuonji's expression turned worried. "Yes. I hope she's not making a mistake."

"Well, if it means anything, she's really good. I hope she can pull it off." He finished his okonomiyaki, and headed for the cash register. "Good luck to you both."

"Thanks," Mr. Kuonji said. He did not lose the worried look.

"Hey, Sis, I'm out of sauce!" Ranma called down, from his position at the counter.

"Catch!" Ukyo yelled back. She grabbed a tub of her okonomiyaki sauce and tossed it at him. Ranma put up his hand to catch it, and for a moment, it looked like he would. But then the tub bounced off of his hand, knocking it out of the way. The tub turned over and splattered over Ranma's head, soaking him in sauce.

"Geez! Sis!" Ranma looked down at himself and then scowled at Ukyo.

"Sorry, Ranchan," Ukyo said, fighting back a giggle. She looked around. "Sorry, that was the last one. You'll have to go back and get one of the big sauce pots and refill it."

"Gah! I need to clean up, too." Ranma ducked behind the curtain over the door to the store room, and disappeared into the back.

In the small room, he found Nodoka hard at work washing the dishes. There was a large sink against the right wall, which was currently overflowing with the amount of dishes they had already used for the Grand Opening. The stairway to the left led to the upper floor, which was currently being used for storage. There were a number of shelves against the back wall for downstairs storage and a row of pots, which contained Ukyo's personally prepared, custom okonomiyaki sauce.

"Oh my. What happened to you, son?" Nodoka asked. She was trying to maintain a calm expression like Ukyo, but could not hold back a gentle smile. She had noticed the sauce all over Ranma's face.

"I had a bit of an accident." Ranma growled. His mother handed him a towel, which he used to clean himself off, but pointedly avoided the sink. Instead, he walked back to the shelves and picked up one of the pots.

... Only to immediately set it down on the floor. "Oof! That's heavy!" He struggled to pick it back up again, finally hefting it in both arms. He began to shuffle across the room.

"Are you all right, son? Do you need me to help?"

"No, Mom! It's... just a little heavy, that's all." Straining a little harder, and trying his hardest to make it look like he wasn't, he somehow managed to straighten up a bit and shuffle over to the door. Nodoka watched him, worried, and Ranma gave her an obviously fake grin. He was starting to sweat.

Ranma made it through the curtain, but then dropped the pot again. He breathed out, hard. "This thing's heavy, Sis!"

"What are you talking about?" Ukyo watched her brother struggle with the large pot for a few more minutes. He wrestled it over to the counter, and tried to lift it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Quit foolin' around, Ranchan!" Somewhat miffed, Ukyo came around and picked up the pot of sauce. She lifted it easily. She poured some of the sauce into the tub, then handed it back to Ranma. The moment she let go of it, Ranma was forced to the floor, and cried out as the pot came down on his fingers.

Ukyo scowled again. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not doin' nothin', Sis! This pot is really heavy!"

Ukyo picked it up with one hand. She studied her brother with a raised eyebrow. He stared back at her, shocked.

"Please excuse me a moment," Akane said, to a customer who was waiting for her to check out. She stepped from behind the cash register to join Ukyo and Ranma. "What's the matter, Ranma? Is something wrong?"

Ranma gestured at the pot of sauce. Akane picked it up, just as easily as Ukyo had. Ranma gaped at her, then got mad. "Give me that!" he said.

Carefully, Akane handed it to him, but Ranma clearly could not support its weight. He struggled with it for several minutes, growing more and more frustrated. He could lift it off of the ground, but found it harder and harder to hold it up, until he finally let it drop back to the floor.

"What is going on out there?" Nodoka called, from inside the storage room. "Do you need some help?"

"No, Auntie," Akane called back. "Ranma was just making a joke, that's all. It's nothing to worry about." Akane grabbed Ranma by the hand, and dragged him around the end of the counter and into the dining area. She headed for the door.

"Please pardon us," she said, to the customers that were still waiting at the cash register. "Please ask Ucchan or Mr. Kuonji if you are ready to pay. We have to step outside for a moment." Ukyo watched them leave, but finally shrugged. She picked up the pot of sauce, and refilled the empty tubs, putting the pot aside when she was done.

Akane hurried outside, still pulling a protesting Ranma by the hand. The line outside the shop was gone now, and the only traffic on the street were the normal shoppers in this area. "All right, Ranma. You say that pot was really heavy?"

"Yeah," Ranma snapped back at her, rubbing his arm. "What's the big idea draggin' me around by the hand?"

"Come on, let's spar." She said. She put up her hands in a fighting stance. "I think Happosai's moxibustion did something to you. I want to see how strong you are."

"I ain't gonna fight you, tomboy. You know how I feel about that." Ranma waved a hand, dismissively. "I sure ain't gonna go all out."

"You don't have to go all out," Akane said. "I just want to see how hard you can hit me." With that, she stepped forward and took a swing at him. Ranma ducked under her blow, but Akane pressed her attack. Ranma put up a hand to block her, and pushed her hand aside.

Or at least, that was the plan. Instead, when Ranma moved to block Akane's blow, she smashed through his arm and punched him across the face. Ranma went flying backwards and landed in the street.

Akane put her hands to her mouth. "Ranma! I'm sorry! I didn't think I hit you that hard!" She quickly ran to help her fiancée to his feet.

Ranma was mad, though, and swung a halfhearted fist at her. "What's the big idea, Akane? Don't you know how to pull your punches?" His punch just tapped her on the arm, though, and stopped as if it had hit a brick wall.

Akane looked down at his hand. Ranma stopped and looked at it as well. Determinedly, he set a stance and swung at her. Akane could tell he wasn't using his full power, but she braced herself, expecting it to at least knock her back. He hit her in the stomach, but Akane could barely feel it.

"Ranma," Akane said, somewhat shocked, even though she had been expecting it. "Happosai must have taken away your strength! I could hardly feel that."

"Hardly feel it, huh?" Ranma was talking tough, but she could tell he was nervous. "Strength ain't the most important thing. I keep tryin' to tell you that, tomboy." He struck out again, this time with the Chestnut Fist, punching Akane repeatedly. Akane bit her lip, as even that didn't do more than make the muscles of her stomach twitch a bit.

"What's the matter, my boy?" Happosai's voice came from behind him, and Ranma whirled around the face the diminutive martial arts master. "Feeling a little weak?"

"What did you do, you freak?"

Happosai puffed on his pipe. "What did I do? Why, I just used the legendary technique, the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion, said to have died out a century ago. Anyone burned with this moxibustion, even the greatest martial artist, will be reduced to the weakness of a baby."

"What?" Ranma clenched his fists.

"Grandfather! You were going to take away Ukyo's strength, and make her as weak as a baby, just as a prank!" Akane looked concerned, but she clenched her fists as well. "That's going too far!"

Happosai waved his pipe in a half-shrug. "Ukyo no longer wants to be a martial artist. She doesn't need strength to be a chef. I figured I would string her along for a while and then give her the cure. But Ranma..." He pointed his pipe at him. "It's a lot more fun since it's Ranma that can no longer be a martial artist."

Akane gasped. "That's right! He can no longer be a martial artist!" She glanced back at the Cat Café. "Auntie Saotome... if you're not the best martial artist in Japan, she'll make you commit seppuku!"

"You old freak!" Ranma shouted. He leaped at Happosai, who stepped aside, laughing. "You said there's a cure! Give it to me!"

"That's right, my boy. There is a chart that shows the counter to the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion. I'm the only one who knows where it is. It is safe and sound, and I will give it to you..." He grinned widely. "Just as soon as you call me your Master."

"Never!" Ranma swung wildly at him, but Happosai simply dodged aside. Ranma's wildly flailing fist shot out, and struck a small boy on a tricycle, just pedaling by.

"Ranma!" Akane shouted again. She ran to him, while Ranma pulled his hand back, aghast. He had hit the small boy in the chin.

"You okay, kid? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you! Are you all right?" Ranma looked the kid over, frantic.

Akane put her hands to her mouth. But the boy just said, "Of course I'm not all right," and punched Ranma in the nose with his tiny fist. There was a loud crack, and Ranma's head snapped back like he had been hit with a baseball bat. The toddler pedaled his trike off down the street.

Ranma fell back onto the concrete, his eyes spinning, and Akane leaped to catch him. Mr. Kuonji came up behind her. He had come out of the café to see what was taking them so long, and overheard the end of the conversation.

Happosai cackled as he bounded off down the street. "You know what you have to do. And your sister has to declare me the winner of the Prank War. And you must both serve me for at least a week. I could use your help to get some new pretties! If you agree to that, I'll give you the cure. I'll be waiting!"

"You really are as weak as a baby," Akane said softly, as she helped Ranma sit up. She gently slapped him awake, not wanting a repeat of when she knocked him across the street. After a few moments, Ranma stirred.

"Where is that old freak?" Ranma yelled, leaping to his feet. Akane stood up next to him.

"He's gone," Akane said. "I think you may have to do what he wants."

"Forget it! I'm not bowin' to that old man! I'll just beat that chart outta him!"

"Ranma, you couldn't even touch him! You can't fight in your... condition." Without thinking, she punched Ranma in the arm, not hard enough to hurt him, but it still knocked him off his feet. Akane put a hand to her mouth again. "Ranma! I'm sorry!"

Ranma just crossed his arms and sat in the street. "I'll beat that old freak. I'll just... need to do a little training, that's all."

Akane's concern turned to exasperation. "Well, you haven't changed."

Mr. Kuonji helped Ranma to his feet. "I think I have the solution, my boy. You don't need to get your strength back, and you don't have to worry about that seppuku contract, either. I think this is the best thing that could have happened."

"What do you mean?" Ranma looked at the man like he had grown another head. The bearded man smiled at him.

"Well, this is the perfect opportunity for you! Come back to Osaka with me, marry my daughter, and I'll teach you how to be an okonomiyaki chef. You don't need great strength to do that. You may need your wife's help to go shopping for ingredients and carry them around, like with that sauce pot, but you should be strong enough to cook and flip okonomiyaki."

Ranma's eyes widened. "You want me to cook okonomiyaki? You want me to... cook?"

Akane spoke up. "Mr. Kuonji, I don't think..."

"I was watching you inside, my son, and I think you have a talent for it. And the best part is, your mother never needs to find out about this. If you come back with me to Osaka, we can tell her that you are still practicing martial arts, and the Kuonji school of Martial Arts relies more on okonomiyaki ingredients and not strength anyway..."

"But that's girl stuff!" Ranma protested. "I don't wanna be no cook!"

Akane was already smarting from Kuonji's praising Ranma's cooking, when she never got a chance to even try. She huffed at Ranma's outburst, expecting that it would make Mr. Kuonji mad. Instead, the big man laughed heartily.

"I'm talking about being a chef, Ranma! Men can be chefs, after all, I've been one all my life. Would you say I'm not 'manly', son?"

Ranma eyed him, thoughtfully. "Well... No, I guess I wouldn't... But, I mean..." He glanced at Akane, but she turned up her nose at him. Ranma looked surprised, as if he only just noticed she was angry.

Kuonji put his arm around him. "Come on, let's go talk to your mother. We can tell her you've decided to move to Osaka and work with me as an okonomiyaki vendor. You'll never have to worry about that seppuku contract again."

"Um... uh..." Ranma only barely protested, as the bigger man led him back inside. Akane stood there for a moment, until she realized Ranma wasn't trying to fight it.

"No, wait! Ranma you baka, don't just leave me here!" She hurried to catch up with them.

As she came though the sliding door, she saw Mr. Kuonji, with his arm still around Ranma, leading him to the back of the room. She quickly ran over to Ukyo.

"You've got to stop your father! Happosai's moxibustion left Ranma weak, and he's trying to get him to agree to come back to Osaka and sell okonomiyaki! If he lets slip to Auntie about Ranma's weakness, she might make him commit seppuku! You've got to stop him!"

Ukyo glanced at her father as he disappeared through the curtain to the storeroom. "Oh, hell! I don't need this!" She turned off the griddle, and then turned to her customers. "Just a moment, folks. Family emergency. I'll try and deal with this as quick as I can." With that, she ran back towards the storeroom.

Akane was torn for a moment. There were customers waiting to eat, and this was her chance to prove herself. But then she shook her head. Ranma and Ukyo needed her. "Sorry, everyone. Please wait until I return to check out." With that, she followed Ukyo into the back.

Inside the back room, Ukyo's father was making his argument. "Mrs. Saotome, I have good news! Your son has decided to come back to Osaka with me and honor his father's promise to marry my daughter."

"But what of his promise to the Tendo family?" Nodoka asked. "My husband seems to have his heart set on seeing Ranma married to Soun's daughter."

"Ah, but that may no longer be true. I believe Soun Tendo will no longer consider Ranma suitable to run his dojo."

"Dad, what are you doin'?" Ukyo yelled, her voice rising in pitch as well as volume. "There's no reason why Ranchan can't run the dojo." She cut her eyes at Nodoka, who caught the concerned look on her eyes.

"Is there something wrong with my son?" Nodoka asked. Ranma and Ukyo looked like they were about to panic.

Mr. Kuonji just smiled. "Not at all. Your son is very strong and manly. But he just informed me that he doesn't want to be a sensei. He wants to continue to travel around Japan and learn to be the best martial artist than he can be. Starting by learning my family's style of Okonomiyaki Martial Arts!"

"What?" Ukyo looked at her father, startled, as he put his arm around Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist stared between the two of them, just as caught off guard by this revelation.

"All his life, your son has never had the chance to make a choice for himself," Mr. Kuonji explained. "His father has dragged him around all over Japan and China, and in the end, he forced him to get engaged to one of Soun Tendo's girls, without even asking what he wanted. I think it's time the boy struck out on his own, and found out what the world has to offer. Isn't that right, son?"

Ranma just stared at him, but Ukyo scoffed. "Come on, Pop. Ranchan's whole life is martial arts. He doesn't want to be an okonomiyaki chef, he wants to be a martial arts sensei, and teach students at a dojo."

"Um, actually, Sis, I'm not sure I do wanna teach." Ranma looked around himself, as Ukyo turned to stare at him, shocked. "That's more your thing. Your old man is right, I'd rather just travel around the country and learn new styles and techniques and stuff..."

"Ranma..." Akane interrupted. This came as a shock to her, too. "You mean... you really don't want to teach at my family's dojo?"

Ranma scowled for a moment. "No! Not really. No one's ever really asked me what I wanted." His voice rose, angrily. "I don't even know if I want to run a dojo." Then he glanced away, and his voice became quiet. "Or if I'd be any good at it."

"Oh." Akane looked away as well, lost in thought.

Ukyo shook her head. "Whatever. Look, Ranchan ain't gonna want to run a restaurant, either. And what about my business, here? What about the Cat Café?" She waved an arm at the room. "I can't just up and leave all this!"

"But daughter... you only started this restaurant in the first place because you wanted to be close to your fiancé. You no longer need to do that, he's coming home with you. And I'm sure your partners will understand, once you tell them about Ranma's..." The bearded man paused a moment. "... situation."

"Pop!" Ukyo glanced at Nodoka, frightened, but she just gazed back, her expression unreadable.

Her father continued, unruffled. "I'm sure these Amazons will also give up on your husband once they find out about his... plans for the future. So there is no need for you to stay here and work with foreigners. You can go your way, and they can go theirs. They'll probably go back where they came from, once they find out Ranma is useless to them."

"I put a lot of work into this!" Ukyo yelled back at him. "This restaurant is important to me! An' I'm tryin' to make friends with Cologne and Shampoo, not run 'em off!"

"I think it's cute that you want to follow in your father's footsteps, Ukyo, but you're trying to do too much on your own. You need a husband, to run the family business. You need to learn about your ancestors' recipes and techniques. This isn't the place to run the Kuonji family business, with strangers. You need to come home to Osaka with me."

"Um, Mr. Kuonji, um..." Ranma tried to interrupt, but Ukyo was working herself into a rage.

"Oh, so that's what this is all about!" Ukyo said, with a grimace. "I'm not good enough because I'm a girl. I need a husband!"

"Daughter, I know you are dedicated to the art, but you can't do all this alone. What are you going to do once you settle down and have children? You will have to give up being a chef, so you can raise the children. You can't do both."

"Why not, Pop? It was good enough for you! You didn't have any problem raising me and running a business at the same time! Or is that why you decided to engage me to Ranma?"

Ranma tried to take his sister's hand, but she angrily waved him off. Behind them, Akane muttered, "Ucchan, no. Don't do this." She could see Ukyo's hair beginning to dance around in the air currents, just like before.

"Ukyo, I tried to raise you as best I could on my own. But it wasn't easy. I don't want you to go through that. I don't want you to raise your children on your own. Yes, that's why I engaged you to Ranma. He can carry on our family name, while you can raise my grandchildren to once again be the greatest okonomiyaki chefs in Japan."

"What if I don't wanna raise 'your grandkids', huh, Pop? What if I want to run the family business? But hey, I guess with his little problem, Ranchan will be so happy to raise the kids! He won't have ta be a martial arts sensei to do that, huh?"

Nodoka pursed her lips, obviously not pleased about the idea of her "manly" son being a househusband. But she held her tongue, not sure if it was proper for her to get involved in an argument between father and daughter. Mr. Kuonji was relatively calm, still trying to reason with Ukyo. But his daughter was furious, and Nodoka could feel the crackling of her battle aura.

"Listen, Ukyo, I'm your father, and..."

"You are not my father!" Ukyo screamed. "You haven't been my father since I was six years old! You turned me over to that... that... that bastard to raise. He put me through hell, trying to get rid of me, so I wouldn't corrupt his 'manly' son. But you don't care about that, because you never sent me with that Old Man to learn martial arts anyway!

"All you wanted was for me to play the nice little wife to Ranchan, and get him to fall in love with me, so he would come home and run the family business. The family legacy, MY legacy! You never cared about me at all, because if you did, you wouldn't have abandoned me!"

Nodoka interrupted her, her tone mild, but her voice stern. "Ukyo dear, I understand you have had a rough life on the road, but I think your behavior is quite improper. That is no way for a young lady to speak to her father."

Ukyo whirled on Nodoka, her eyes flashing with fury. Nodoka drew back, the force of Ukyo's anger hitting her with almost physical force. "And you! Don't you lecture me on family! What kind of mother would order her own son to kill himself?! You've got no right to call yourself Ranma's mother!"

"Sis, please," Ranma begged. He was still trying to calm his sister down. "Don't blame Mom for this. She doesn't know what Pops did."

"So? She still turned you over to him, for ten years. Ten years!" She glared at Nodoka. "You weren't there, to protect him, to keep him safe. I was! And now you want to come in here and judge whether or not he's a 'man amongst men'?"

"My husband is an honorable man," Nodoka said, "and he promised me..." Ukyo interrupted with a laugh.

"Genma Saotome? Honorable? He's a coward and a thief! The only thing that matters to that jackass panda is living the easy life. To him, even martial arts is nothing but a way to live off of his son's hard work. He's never been a father to Ranma!

"I'm the only family Ranchan's got! And he's the only family I've got! I'm all he's ever had, he's all I've ever had, and we're all we will ever have! We don't need anybody else!" Akane flinched, but if she noticed, Ukyo gave no sign.

"I'm the one who takes care of Ranma! I'm the one who keeps him safe! And if I have to protect him from you two, I will! If you ever threaten him, if you ever harm him..." Her eyes narrowed, and her voice became cold. "... I swear, I will kill you!"

With that, she turned and fled the room. Ranma started to go after her, calling out, "Sis! Wait!" Then he stopped and turned back to Akane.

"I gotta go after her. There's no tellin' what she'll do when she's like this."

Akane nodded. "I understand. I'll take care of things here." She glanced back over her shoulder, at the two adults that were gaping at them, stunned. "I'll... try to make them understand."

Ranma ran out of the room and into the dining area. Ukyo had drawn up short, noticing the crowd, still waiting to be served. "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki is closed," Ukyo finally said. "I don't know when it will reopen." She ran out the door, and disappeared into the bustle of the street.

"Yeah, uh, we're closing," Ranma confirmed. He looked towards the sliding doors to the Cat Café, where Shampoo was standing, drawn by the noise. She looked confused. "Shampoo, can you handle this? I gotta go get Sis."

"Sure, Airen," Shampoo said, her voice surprisingly businesslike. Ranma ran out the door. Shampoo followed him, and locked the door, before turning to those still waiting inside the shop. "Honorable customers, please exit through Cat Café. If no placed order yet, please accept substitute of Ramen Special. Cat Café offer Shield Sister's discount on all Ramen orders for rest of day."

Back in the store room, there was only silence. Finally, Nodoka spoke up. "Mr. Kuonji, I feel I must apologize. I believed my husband had done well to raise Ranma and your daughter, but it seems I was wrong." She bowed, deeply. "I must beg your forgiveness, and hope I can set things right."

"I do not understand it, Mrs. Saotome," Kuonji said. "Ukyo was so rude, so hostile. To both of us. I cannot believe that that was my daughter. That was not the little girl I knew so long ago. I came here hoping your husband would honor his promise to me, but it looks as if Mr. Saotome has already dishonored my family."

"Please, Auntie Saotome, Mr. Kuonji, you have to understand." Akane bit her lip, her eyes pleading. "Ukyo did not mean any of what she said. You can't possibly understand the hardships Ranma and Ukyo went through, on their ten year training trip. A martial artist's life is fraught with danger, after all. They've both become great martial artists... but they've paid a terrible price. I wouldn't want to pay that price, myself, I don't even want to think about what they had to go through..."

"What are you saying, Akane dear?"

"Ranma and Ukyo have been through so much together, they've become close. Very close. So close that Ukyo is very defensive when it comes to Ranma. If anything threatens him, she's driven to act, to protect him. It's a reflex, almost. She doesn't mean to be cruel, or insulting, it's just... she lashes out at anyone she sees as trying to harm Ranma." Her eyes fell. "She's done it to me. That's how I know she doesn't mean it."

"Is this Genma Saotome's doing?" Mr. Kuonji asked. "Was his training really that harsh?"

"Uncle Saotome isn't a bad person, Mr. Kuonji, he's just... he's just..." She lowered her eyes, blushing. "Forgive me for saying this, Auntie. He's just stupid. He's made a lot of mistakes in training Ranma and Ukyo. A lot of mistakes. But he didn't mean to hurt them, he's just... he's a little too obsessive about martial arts. Now that I've met his Master, Happosai, I believe he may have gotten his training style from him.

"Ukyo believed that you were threatening Ranma's happiness, Mr. Kuonji, by trying to take him away from Nerima. Ranma's comfortable here, and after spending all of his life on the road, he wants to actually make friends and get to know people. And of course, Ranma's mother is here, and he wants to get to know her."

"Well, that may not be a good idea, Miss Tendo." Mr. Kuonji pointedly raised an eyebrow, and then jerked his head at Nodoka.

Akane rolled her eyes. "Be that as it may, Ukyo saw a threat and overreacted. I'm sure once she has a chance to calm down, she will apologize to both of you. Just as she did to me, that one time."

Nodoka shook her head. "I do not understand, Akane. You say that Ranma and Ukyo had a very hard life before coming here. But what would be so terrible as to make a young girl yell at her father like that? Or yell at me like that? I could see that she was angry, terribly angry, and frightened as well. I've never seen such anger...

"What possible threat could I represent to my son? Ranma is a man among men, isn't he, and the best martial artist in Japan. You have said so yourself, and I can hear in your voice how much you care about him. You believe my son is a man, so what is there to be afraid of?"

Akane looked away for a moment, not wanting her to see the concern and worry in her face. But then she steeled herself and turned back to her with a smile. "It's not the contract, Auntie." She snuck a glare at Mr. Kuonji. "It's more about Ranma's happiness. She just wants Ranma to be happy." She blushed and looked away. "We all do."

"Then why would she be so angry? Her reaction was so intense. There is something you aren't telling me. Please, if my son's training with my husband was that horrifying, I would like to know about it."

Akane thought for a long moment. She glanced at Mr. Kuonji, and then back at Auntie Saotome. Finally, she nodded. "You're right. There is a reason why Ukyo acted the way she did. Why she is driven to defend Ranma like that. I... I don't want to tell you this, this is really something Ranma should tell you. And I promised him that I would keep it secret.

"On the other hand, he did ask me to explain. And I think you both deserve to know about this." She looked at Mr. Kuonji again. "Both of you, Mr. Kuonji, since your daughter is affected as well. You have the right to know. And I think Ranma would want me to tell you. I hope he wants me to tell you."

Finally, she took a deep breath, and settled her nerves. "This all started when Ranma and Ukyo were eight years old. And Uncle Saotome discovered an unstoppable martial arts technique called the Neko-Ken..."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 12

No Longer the Best

+++

"So this is the Legendary Moxibustion of Ultimate Weakness," Dr. Tofu said. "I never thought that I would actually see it."

"So can ya do anything about it, Doc?" Ranma asked. He was sitting with his shirt off with his back to Dr. Tofu, as the doctor studied the mark on his back. Oddly, the burn mark formed a Japanese character. Whether that was part of the moxibustion or just Happosai showing off, even Dr. Tofu didn't know.

"I'm afraid not, Ranma. As Happosai said, the secret of this moxibustion died out a century ago. I've heard rumors of a chart that supposedly shows the location of the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion Point on the body, but it has been lost as well. If Happosai has this chart, it should also show the location of the counter point."

"But that means only Happosai knows where it is," Cologne put in.

Akane looked at the old Amazon. "Elder, you don't know where the counter point is either?"

"I'm afraid not, child." For once, Cologne looked quite stern and serious. "I too have heard tales of this legendary moxibustion, but it has never made it to China. Your Dr. Tofu knows more about it than I."

"Thank you, Elder," Tofu bowed to her.

"So if you're not gonna help me, old ghoul, what are you doin' here?" Ranma folded his arms, scowling petulantly. "I woulda figured you and Shampoo would be headin' back to China, now that I'm too weak to be Shampoo's 'Airen'. I thought you Amazons wanted strong men."

Cologne poked him in the chest with her staff. In his state, it had the same effect as whacking him over the head; he flew backwards and landed on his bottom. "Don't get your hopes up, Son-In-Law. This little set-back isn't going to stop my Great-Granddaughter from pursuing you. Although you may have to deal with Mousse."

She pulled a letter out of her robe. It was labeled "Happy-Gram: Top Secret", and she opened it to reveal the message, "Ranma can no longer defend his claim to his fiancées, and he cannot tell anyone why or what his weakness is! Now is your chance to win your darling Shampoo!"

"This came in the mail this morning. Mousse has been spending all day gloating about how he will finally defeat you. It doesn't even bother him that he knows why you can't defend yourself." The Amazon Elder sighed. "And here I was thinking Shield Sister's matchmaking attempts had almost made Duck-Boy tolerable."

She looked back up at Ranma. "But if you want my help, Son-In-Law, I know of one technique that is well suited to you in your weakened state. It requires no strength of your own, it draws upon the strength of your opponent. In fact, the stronger your opponent, the stronger the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon will be.

"With this, you can defeat Happosai, and force him to give you the scroll. Are you interested?"

"Yes! I'll do anything to beat that old goat! Anything!"

"This will be intense training, far more intense than the Bakusai Tenketsu or Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. It can take weeks to learn... although I suspect it'll take you about three days, Son-In-Law." Cologne regarded him with a wry grin.

"Next week is the last week of school," Akane told her. "We'll have three weeks before the new school year starts. That should be plenty of time."

"School?" Ranma protested. "I got no time for school! I gotta think about beating that old freak!"

"That's all right, Son-In-Law," Cologne said. "I have to prepare the training equipment we need, and make sure Shampoo and Mousse can take over for me at the Cat Café. A week should be fine for that. In the meantime, I want you to think about this..."

She proceeded to scratch out a spiral on the floor. Ranma looked down at it, and then up at Cologne. "What's that for?"

"It's a path, Son-In-Law. The first step of the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon, the Hiryu Shoten Ha. When your rivals come to challenge you this week, think about leading them into the center of a spiral. Practice this move, and next weekend we can begin your training."

+++

Ranma and Akane hurried along the road to Furinkan, Ranma on the fence as usual. Akane was watching Ranma warily, and it was getting on his nerves. "Quit starin' at me, tomboy! You better not be thinkin' of interfering in my fight with Kuno!"

Akane frowned. "I'm not, Ranma, but what exactly are you going to do? You can't punch him out like you usually do. I wish you'd let me help you."

"I'm gonna practice that move the old ghoul was talkin' about, that's what I'm gonna do!" Ranma snapped back at her. "I may have lost my strength, but I'm still as fast as ever. That moron Kuno has never been able to keep up with me. He makes a great practice dummy." Ranma chuckled at his own joke.

"I hope so, Ranma."

"So, where's Sis?" Ranma asked, glancing behind him. "She was sure feelin' down this mornin'. Did she decide to stay home, or something?"

Akane's face fell, her concern for her friend obvious. "No. She said she had some things to think about, and she didn't want to go with us to school. She had some things to do."

"You think she'll go by the Cat Café an' try and open it again?"

"I'm afraid not, Ranma. She really seemed like she wasn't looking forward to going back to the restaurant." She looked up. "I don't know what to do, Ranma. I don't know what to tell her."

"Well... it'll be all right, I guess. Sis ain't gonna let something like this keep her down. An' when I beat that old pervert and make him give me the chart, she won't have to worry about Mom no more, either." Ranma clenched his fist.

Akane nodded, and then looked back down the street as they approached Furinkan. She was expecting to see Kuno standing there, waiting to challenge Ranma. What she actually saw made her blood run cold. For a moment, she froze, paralyzed with fear. Then, a red haze came up behind her eyes, and she began to snarl.

"Akane Tendo! Date with me!" The boys charged out of the Furinkan gate, waving baseball bats, practice weaponry, and sports equipment. They poured out into the street, not even willing to wait until Akane entered the schoolyard. The Hentai Horde had re-formed. "If Ranma can no longer defend you, I'm strong enough for you! Akane, I love you!"

"No! No! No! This can't be happening!" Akane's fury erupted around her, in a dark, scarlet battle aura. "No! I hate you! I hate you all! I will never date any of you perverts!" Screaming with rage, she charged into the fray.

Ranma watched for a moment, shocked at both the attack, and Akane's reaction. Then, he grew concerned. Sure enough, as Akane made contact with the first of the boys, grabbing his arm and twisting it savagely, there was a loud crack. The boy doubled over in pain, and dropped to the ground, his arm broken. "Aw, crap!" Ranma muttered, as he ran forward.

"Akane! Akane!" Ranma yelled, trying to get her attention. He started shoving the boys aside, as he tried to make his way through the chaos of the crowd. He quickly found he couldn't move any of them, but he could redirect their charge, and slip past them. Finally, he made it to Akane, and tried to grab her, as she threw punch after punch at the boys. She was gritting her teeth, her expression intent, but tears were running down her face.

"Akane! Calm down! Keep your focus! You're much stronger now than you were before, you can't go all out like this!" Ranma continued to dodge around the misguided boys, not attacking, just keeping just out of reach. Several of them were attempting to swing at him, and Akane's punches and kicks came dangerously close to him as well. Her form seemed to become more precise, though, less out of control, and she stopped attempting to break bones. She had only really hurt two or three of the boys, who hadn't been able to roll with her blows. She now started to just drop or disarm them as fast as she could.

As the fight drew to a close, Akane's attacks weakened and slowed. As the last attacker fell, she just came to a stop, panting. She had her head down. "I thought... I thought it was over." She muttered. "I thought... they wouldn't dare do that again..." Ranma drew her into his arms, and Akane collapsed against him, sobbing. "Why? Why would they do that?"

Ranma had no answer. After a moment, she lifted her head and looked around herself. Her eyes widened in shock at the pile of boys around them, many of them moaning in pain. "What have I done? Ranma!" She looked up him, frightened and ashamed.

Ranma hugged her again. "It's okay. They'll be okay. You pulled your punches, tomboy, a couple of 'em will have to see Dr. Tofu, but they'll be..."

He was interrupted as Kuno stepped forward. "Ranma Saotome, you cad! Unhand the virtuous and innocent Akane Tendo! Can you not see that she weeps that you defile her so! Have you no shame, embracing her in public!"

Akane's head shot up, her face again twisted with rage. "Shut up, Kuno! I'm crying because of you, can't you see that! Because of what you made me do!" She waved at the boys around her. "I never wanted to hurt anyone! I never wanted to fight off boys who wanted to date me! I just wanted to be left alone! You moron!"

"Maybe you better let me handle this idiot, Akane." Ranma said. He squeezed her shoulder, reassuringly, and then pushed her behind him. "You're in no shape to take him on. You'd probably kill him."

Akane breathed out a sigh, and then just nodded her agreement, drying her tears. Ranma prepared himself for Kuno's charge, although to a casual observer, he appeared to just be standing there.

Kuno pulled out a letter from his Kendo robe. "What is the meaning of this, Saotome?" The letter bore the familiar "Happy-Gram" marking. "Do you wish to provoke me with rumors of a weakness, other than that beastly technique that draws upon the power of a cat demon? Tell me what it is, or admit that this is a falsehood!"

"You got me, Kuno," Ranma said with a shrug. "It's all a lie. Now why don't you be smart and run along for once, insteada botherin' me so early in the morning."

"I know better than to take you at your word, knave!" Kuno shouted, raising his bokken. "Prepare yourself! I strike!"

"If you weren't gonna believe me whatever I said, Kuno, why did ya ask?" Ranma replied smoothly, as Kuno charged.

Akane held her breath as Kuno closed in on Ranma, swinging his bokken. Ranma leaped over his head, and started to circle around him, peppering the overbearing kendoist with insults. Akane relaxed a little, but she had to fight back the impulse to scream out a warning to Ranma, as Kuno swings came dangerously close to him. She could see Ranma tracing out an invisible spiral as he dodged Kuno's bokken, at first leading him into a wide circle, but then pulling in tighter and tighter until he and Kuno seemed to be dancing around each other.

They continued to circle, though, and Kuno began to cry out in frustration. "Hold still, you ruffian! Are you not going to attack, you coward?"

"Coward?" Ranma's eyes narrowed and he leaped forward, extending his foot to kick Kuno in the face. He then flipped over his head and landed on one leg, glancing back over his shoulder at the presumably dazed upperclassman. "Ya done yet... Ack!"

Ranma only barely dodged the blow as Kuno swung at him, his bokken cutting a swath through the air and ruffling Akane's hair, even at a distance. "Do not toy with me! Fight me for real!"

"That was for real!" Ranma snapped back. He was forced to dodge again.

"Ranma, be careful!" Akane yelled, once again worried for him.

"Quit interferin', tomboy! I gotta concentrate!" He started back into the spiral again, but now he didn't seem as confident. To Akane, he seemed frustrated, somehow. Kuno managed a lucky hit, and his bokken caught Ranma across the head. The pigtailed martial artist leaped back to give himself room.

"Look out, baka! Are you trying to get hit?"

"Of course not, stupid!" He continued his circle around Kuno, then glanced at Akane with a sheepish grimace on his face. "But what am I supposed to do now?"

"What?"

"Well, Cologne said I was to go into a spiral... but what do I do now?"

"Enough of these foolish games, Saotome!" Kuno bellowed. "You are trying my patience! Fight me, or run like the coward you are!"

The taunt made Ranma drop his guard and go on the attack. Kuno answered by shrugging off the useless jab and delivering a quick strike of his own to Ranma's head. Ranma shook off the blow and returned to the spiral, but was reluctant to draw any closer to the now furious samurai wannabe.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Akane huffed. "Bring him over here, baka!"

"I'm not lettin' you fight my battles for me!"

"We'll both hit him! On one... two... three!" Together, Ranma and Akane both leaped at Kuno, their feet extended, and kicked him in the head at the same time.

"I... fight... on..." Kuno said, and collapsed in the street. There was a smattering of applause from the students still watching from inside the game.

Ranma looked around, as he noticed that the air had started swirling around the two of them. Akane was scowling down at Kuno, still a little angry about having to fight the horde. "Huh," Ranma commented, as the wind tossed Akane's hair around.

Then Akane looked up. "Come on, Ranma, we're going to be late!" she called out, and Ranma followed as she ran into the school.

+++

Several hours later, Akane was walking down the hall, on her way between classes. She was surprised to hear a familiar sound, a high pitched squeal that she hadn't heard in a while. She looked out the window, and her face lit up in a smile. A small black pig was struggling in the bushes outside the window, trying to reach something.

"P-chan!" Akane shouted, as she ran outside and scooped up her former pet. "It's been so long! Where have you been, Ryoga?"

"Bwee!" the piglet squealed happily. Instinctively, he snuggled up to her chest, burrowing his snout into the space between her breasts. Then, he froze as guilt made him realize what he was doing. He started to jerk back, ashamed of himself, but then noticed something odd against the sensitive skin of his nose. Akane had something under her shirt, something hard and round... like, a ring?

Akane noticed it when Ryoga tensed up, and had to fight back a feeling of embarrassment and anger herself. She had been truly happy to see her old friend, even as her pet, but had forgotten that she couldn't cuddle him like she once did. The anger faded, but the embarrassment took a little longer, and Akane covered it up by smirking wickedly down at Ryoga.

"Well, who's still a perverted piggy, huh, P-chan?" She grinned even wider as the pig blushed, looking away from her. "Does Mommy's wittle piggy like snuggling up to Mommy's bweasts?"

She laughed as P-chan shook his head, tears flying from his tightly closed eyes. Akane hugged him again, although with a little more regard about what she was pressing him against. "I'm just kidding, Ryoga. I'm glad to see you, and I just forgot not to hold you like that."

Ryoga looked up at her, surprised, and then turned away again. Finally, he started to squirm and squeal, and pointed with a hoof at the bushes.

"What? Is there something in that bush?" Akane leaned over and searched the bush, which was damp from the spray of the school's sprinkler system. She quickly spotted Ryoga's clothes, and dragged them out. Under the pile was a letter, marked "Happy-Gram".

"Oh." Akane opened the letter and read it. It was the same as Mousse's, only it listed Akane's name instead of Shampoo's. She scowled down at Ryoga. "You aren't thinking of challenging Ranma for me, now that he's weak, are you? Because let me tell you..."

"Bwee! Bwee!" P-chan shook his head wildly, holding up both front paws and waving them at Akane. Her angry scowl lessened a little, but only a little.

"You're here to help Ranma?" Akane asked, and she relaxed a little more as Ryoga nodded. Then, the pig stopped and stared at her chest for a moment. With a look like his heart was breaking, he looked up at her. Timidly, he pointed a hoof at her blouse.

"Oh, you felt my... ring." Akane's expression became more pensive, as she realized how Ryoga was bound to react. Quietly, she shifted Ryoga into one hand, and then reached in her blouse to pull out the gold ring. She held it out on its chain for the pig to see.

"Ranma proposed to me, Ryoga. And I said yes. We're very happy." She sighed, and gazed at the ring herself, her expression becoming far away. "We're not ready to get married just yet... but I love him, and he loves me."

Ryoga began to tremble. He had known this day was coming, but now that it was here, he could feel his heart shattering. His eyes, already uncommonly large on a pig's face, grew larger and larger, as he gazed at Akane's face. She loved Ranma, with all her heart, he could see it. And all of a sudden he couldn't bear it.

"Ryoga! Ryoga!" Akane tried to hold on to him as the piglet began to squirm in her grasp. He began to cry out, sobbing, and twisted loose from her grasp. He hit the ground running, tears streaming from his eyes, but not caring where he was going.

"Ryoga! Stop! Come back!" Akane called out, but Ryoga couldn't bring himself to stop, or even to look back at her. Almost blind from the tears, he charged across the schoolyard and vanished into the bushes at the edge of the property.

"Ryoga..." Akane held out a hand, but then lowered it to her chest, clutching her ring. "I'm sorry. Be happy for us. Please."

+++

Ranma was headed for the boys' locker room for gym class, when he noticed Kuno charging towards him. "Prepare yourself, Saotome!" He yelled.

"Aw, geez," Ranma grouched. "Doesn't this moron ever quit?" He met Kuno's charge, easily evading his attack and leading him into a wide circle.

"Still running away, you coward?" Kuno berated him angrily. "I know not what game you are playing, but you cannot avoid the Vengeance of Heaven forever."

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yerself that, Kuno." Ranma led him tighter and tighter into the spiral, but as before, once they reached the center, there was nowhere to go. Ranma was forced to keep dodging, as Kuno swung at him repeatedly.

"Stand still, cur, or strike back!" Kuno exclaimed. "I will not stand for such mockery! Or perhaps you are planning to use your hold over my fierce goddess to have her strike the final blow again! Where is she! Is that your plan?"

"I don't need Akane to beat you, Kuno!" Ranma snapped back at him. He was trying desperately to believe that. Kuno's never been a threat to me before, he reasoned. Surely even as weak as I am I can beat Kuno.

Ranma broke the spiral and swung out into a wide circle. Then he leaped as far as he could into the air. Surely if I come down on the idiot with all my weight, it'll knock him out.

All the impact did, though, was knock Kuno's head back slightly. Ranma bounced off of Kuno's hard head and landed on the grass, turning back to see if he did any damage. Kuno just worked the kinks out of his neck, raised his bokken and charged. "Was that supposed to be a joke, Saotome? I hardly felt it! It felt like the kick of a baby's foot!"

"Oh, crap," Ranma said to himself, as Kuno came at him. He barely had time to leap over the blow. "How can I still leap over the idiot's head, and yet I'm not strong enough to punch him?

"I guess it must be like the old ghoul said about Sis's Chestnut Fist," he thought. "I use up my strength jumping at him, and there's none left to hit him."

Kuno took advantage of the distraction to clobber Ranma over the head, and for a moment he was stunned senseless. Blinded by the stars dancing in front of his eyes, Ranma rolled on the ground, and felt the rush of air as Kuno's bokken just missed him.

He kept rolling, putting distance between himself and Kuno, until he could get on his feet. Just as he did, he heard a sound from behind him, and chains wrapped around his arms and pinned them to his sides.

"Today is the day I free Shampoo from your clutches, Ranma Saotome!" Mousse shouted. A shower of blades came at Ranma, and he had to struggle to avoid them, hampered by the chains. As he backed away, a blow caught him across the back of the knee, and he tumbled to the ground.

"My apologies, Saotome, but Master Kuno demanded I help him." It was the little ninja Sasuke, who for once seemed brave enough to engage Ranma hand to hand. From the grin on his face, Kuno hadn't had to work hard to talk him into it.

"Don't forget me," added Gosunkugi, who hit Ranma on the head with a mallet. He was wearing his occult headband with the candles tied to his forehead, his eyes dark and sunken.

Fortunately, all the blows allowed Ranma to squirm free of Mousse's chains. And while Ranma might have been too weak to fight even Gosunkugi, at least the blow from the emaciated occultist didn't leave him seeing stars, as Kuno's had.

I've got to concentrate, or these fools will clobber me, Ranma thought to himself. Wait. I'll bet that's what the old ghoul was trying to teach me. If I want to keep dodging when I get to the center of the spiral, I've gotta step up my game. There's no room to move. I've got to be focused and not respond to goading. I can't let my emotions get the best of me.

Reassured, Ranma again began the spiral. Kuno and Mousse were furious about the dodging, and their battle auras began to heat up the air in the circle. Sasuke and Gosunkugi's auras weren't as strong, but they contributed to the chaos. Just as Ranma noticed the air beginning to whirl around them again, he froze in shock as a bucket of ice cold water was dumped over him.

Ranma rolled out of the mass of bodies, who had essentially fallen over each other. Mousse was now an angrily quacking duck, while Kuno, Sasuke and Gosunkugi looked around in confusion. Ranma looked down to verify her current gender, then back at the source of the water. Sayuri stood there, holding a bucket. Daisuke was a couple of feet away, watching.

"Pony tailed goddess!" Kuno exclaimed. "Have you come to see my victory over the foul Saotome?" He looked around. "So, the cad has run away again."

Ranma seethed, but Sayuri spoke before Ranma could act and probably make things worse. "Ranma needs to go to gym class, Kuno, as does Ukyo, if you'll stop bothering her and let her go. The whole class is waiting for them, and they sent us to see what's taking them so long."

"Ah, physical education is so important for a woman, so she may grow up strong and healthy enough to bear a large family." Kuno said pompously. Ranma kicked him in the face, and if Kuno noticed there was no strength behind it, he said nothing. Instead, he saluted Ranma with his bokken and left, Sasuke tagging along behind him.

That left Gosunkugi, and the still quacking duck. "That might work for Kuno, but I know who you really are," Gosunkugi said meekly, and the duck nodded his agreement. "I'm not much of a fighter, but if I'm right, I just need some hot water for this duck." Mousse started to jump up and down, excitedly.

"Sure," Sayuri said, "but do you want to be seen fighting Ukyo? Here in front of the girls' locker room with all the girls who look to Ukyo to defend them?"

"And we will tell them it's Ukyo your fighting," Daisuke put in. "So they'll see you hitting a girl." He glared at Gosunkugi as he said this.

"Um... I'll just be going." Gosunkugi slunk away, wringing his hands.

"Hey!" Ranma protested. She had finally had enough. "I didn't need your help, and I sure don't want people sayin' they can't fight me because I'm a girl!"

Sayuri raised an eyebrow at the cursed boy who was the spitting image of her friend. "Would you rather I get you and the duck some hot water? At least it's a one on one fight now. The two of you can probably run around in circles until you both pass out from exhaustion."

Ranma grimaced "Actually, that sounds kinda boring." Mousse shot him a glare.

"Good," Sayuri hooked her arm in the pony tailed girl's arm. "You're taking gym with us. You can be Ukyo the rest of the day." She glanced down at Mousse. "And don't even think about sneaking into the girl's locker room, duck."

The duck's face turned pink, right through the feathers, and his glasses fogged up. Ranma looked just as stunned. "Y-you... you want me to go in... there? Really?"

Daisuke grinned from ear to ear. "You lucky dog, Ranma! I'd give anything to be you right now, man."

Sayuri glared at the boy. "Not to worry, you'll go in last, as usual, and Akane said she'd keep an eye on you."

Ranma swallowed, hard. She wasn't sure if that promised more pain than going into the shower with Yuka or Sayuri, but she knew it wouldn't be like showering with Sis. With a sigh, Ranma resigned herself to her fate.

"I didn't even know Mousse turned into a duck," Daisuke said, as the trio headed for the gym. "Did you?"

"Nope." Sayuri shook her head. "Martial artists sure are weird."

+++

Ukyo stood in the street, staring at her toes. "Just take one more step," she said to herself. "One more step, that's all. Then one more step after that." Her feet stubbornly refused to move.
It had taken most of the day just to get up the nerve to leave the house. She knew she had to come here, knew what she had to do, but it was still hard. A dozen times she had walked out of the gate of the Tendo home, gotten halfway down the block and turned around. Before she knew it, half the day had flown and it was starting to get late. She had forced herself to walk out the gate, and not turn around, no matter what. And she had forced herself to take each step, each individual step, telling herself to just take this one more step.

"Miss Kuonji! I didn't expect to see you here!" The familiar voice made her look up, in reflex, and her face paled. Nodoka looked back at her, curiously, from the door to her home. Somehow, through sheer willpower and nothing else, she kept herself from turning and running away. This was what she came for. She couldn't back down now.

"M... M-Mrs. Saotome. I-I-I'm g-glad to see you are h-h-home." She couldn't stop herself from shaking, or the deep blush on her face. But the shame was the worst thing of all.

"What brings you here, Miss Kuonji?" Nodoka's voice was even, very polite and proper, but she could hear the disappointment. It did not escape her notice that she was calling her by her family name. She bowed as low as she could.

"I have come to apologize," she said, without standing up. "I spoke out of turn, and said things I had no right to say. I am ashamed of myself, and I've come to beg your forgiveness."

"Akane has explained about your... past... with my son." She let out a deep sigh. "I believe I must apologize to you as well. It is understandable that you would be angry with my husband after all you went through. My family has treated you very dishonorably, Miss Kuonji, and I can only say that I am sorry that I was not there."

Ukyo straightened up, trying to swallow the huge lump that had formed in her throat. "Still, I feel I've wronged you personally, and while I am very aware of how... protective I can be of Ranchan, I lost control, and that was unforgivable. I had no right to question your method of raising your son."

A flicker of a smile played across Nodoka's face, although she quickly regained her decorum. Ukyo paused for a moment, and then continued. "By any chance, is my father around? I must apologize to him, as well."

Nodoka's face fell. "I'm sorry, Ukyo. He left to return to Osaka this morning." Ukyo was encouraged that Nodoka was addressing her in a more familiar manner again, but she could not miss the pain that had replaced her disappointment. "I am afraid that your father was quite upset to learn about my husband's training, and your behavior as well. He blames Genma for all of it, and considers that my husband has broken his word and betrayed you both. He said that he would not make a decision until he returned to Osaka, but I feel likely that he will demand some form of restitution. And he will want you to return to Osaka."

"I understand that," Ukyo said, bowing again. "I made a mistake, it is my obligation to make it right." She fell silent, then tentatively lifted her head. "There is more. Ranma and I have been keeping a secret from you. After my behavior on Saturday, I believe I no longer have the right to keep it from you. You deserve to know why I was so angry... and afraid that you would invoke the seppuku contract."

"Oh my, so many secrets." Nodoka sighed. "Akane dear has already shared the story of the Neko-Ken, and it was very hard to take. Very hard to take. I am not sure I can take much more."

Ukyo stared at her, biting her lip. Finally, Nodoka bowed and gestured her inside. "Come in, Ukyo dear, and I will make us some tea."
A few minutes later, the two women were sitting around the small, round table in Nodoka's family room. Ukyo stared at her tea for a moment, trying to recover her courage, which had already threatened to flee on a number of occasions. Finally, she took a deep breath and began.

"I hope you do not think this forward of me, but if you have heard the story of the Neko-Ken, then you know why my Ranchan is like blood to me. We have shared blood, and tears, and suffering." She looked up at Nodoka. "So I hope you will believe me when I say this; I think I have the right to ask you some questions about the seppuku contract."

It did not escape Nodoka's notice that Ukyo referred to Ranma as "my Ranchan". A slightly raised eyebrow was the only reaction she showed. "Please continue."

"You say that Ranma must be a man among men, and the best martial artist of his generation. But what do you mean by, 'the best martial artist'? I notice that the contract says 'of his generation', which thankfully excludes Cologne and Happosai. But you've got to admit the best martial artist in Japan right now would be either Elder Cologne or Master Happosai. Ranma couldn't be called a master of their level until he is at least a hundred years old himself. Does Ranma have to be a master to be the best martial artist of his generation? Will you have to wait until the end of his life to decide whether or not the contract has been satisfied?"

"Well, of course my son could not expect to be a master at only sixteen years of age," Nodoka said. "Becoming the greatest martial artist is not an objective to be achieved, it is a way of life. My son is skilled beyond his years, and will be even more skilled when he becomes a master."
She took a sip of her tea. "What is important is that my son has the potential to be the greatest martial artist in Japan, or even the world. He is the greatest of his age, and so, will always be the greatest."

Ukyo nodded. "I agree. But what if Ranma is defeated? I've beaten him many times, as has his father. Ryoga has beaten him, and of course Happosai has. And Ryoga and I are both of his generation. Must Ranma win every battle, in order to remain 'the best martial artist of his generation'?"

"Of course not. I am the wife of a martial artist. I know quite well, 'a martial artist's life is fraught with peril'." She smiled over her cup. "I do not expect Ranma to win every battle. But if he is truly the greatest, then he will never give up, he will never give in, until he wins. He will find a way to return and prove himself the better martial artist."

Ukyo nodded, smiling as well. She had expected that answer, or at least hoped for it. "So as long as Ranma does not give up, as long as Ranma does not accept defeat, as long as he continues to try, the contract is fulfilled?"

"As long as he continues to do that, he is a man among men. Does that resolve your fears, Ukyo dear?"

"It does... Auntie Saotome." Ukyo took a chance on using her old name for her, and was rewarded when Nodoka smiled.

"It does, but... what if Ranma is injured? What if he is hurt so badly that he cannot fight for a time? Or, what if someone uses a technique on him that renders him powerless?" Ukyo bit her lip again. This was the critical part. "If Ranma refuses to give up, if he keeps fighting, searching for a way to overcome his condition, will he still be a man among men? Or, will the fact that he is weakened, unable to fight, mean he cannot satisfy the terms of the contract?"

Nodoka looked uncomfortable, but set her lips determinedly. "I would not judge my son so harshly based on an act taken by an enemy. It would not be honorable, and someone could use the contract against my son. He would be given time to seek the cure for the condition, of course."

"What if... there was no cure? What if his chance was so slim that... he might not succeed the first time? Or even the next?"

"Are you talking about the Neko-Ken?" Nodoka asked. "Because Akane has explained that while a fear of cats could be considered a weakness, in fact it drives Ranma into a state where he is even more powerful, and it is too dangerous to use as a weakness against him."

"No, but that is a good example." Ukyo was starting to feel more confident. All she had to do was build the argument, and see if Nodoka agreed with it. "Ranma may never get over his fear of cats, but he struggles to control it constantly. And with my help, or Akane's help, he can."

"Of course." Nodoka reached out to take her hand. "I'm actually grateful that my son has you to help and support him. Akane has mentioned that he thinks he has to fight alone, and that's very manly of him, but between you and me, I know that sometimes you have to rely on the help of others. It is not unmanly to accept such help when offered."

"Thanks, Auntie." Ukyo said. She took a deep breath. "Auntie, Happosai has used something called the Moxibustion of Weakness on Ranma. It's made him as weak as a baby. He can no longer fight. But, Cologne has an idea that may help him get his strength back. It's a technique that doesn't use strength, it uses your opponent's strength against him. She's gonna train him in that technique, so he can fight Happosai."

"And you were afraid I would make Ranma commit seppuku?"

Ukyo looked down, blushing. "I didn't know what you would do, Auntie. I only heard about it when Akane came running in - and my fool father was attempting to use Ranma's weakness to trick him into marrying me." She scowled, but then winced at Nodoka's disapproving glare. "I'm sorry, Auntie, I'm sure my father was trying to do what he thought was best."

Mrs. Saotome's frown cleared. "Perhaps not, dear. Your father may indeed have been unfair to use my son's weakness that way. But it is not proper for a young lady to say so, at least not in public."

"Maybe so, but that's why I was so scared." Ukyo sighed. "And when I got scared, I got angry. The Neko-Ken flared up, and before I knew it I was yelling at the two of you." She cut her eyes at Nodoka. "So you wouldn't make Ranchan commit seppuku?"

"No, dear, of course not. I would rather cheer my son on as he gives Master Happosai the punishment he deserves. You say that he is going to train with Elder Cologne? Would it be possible for me to come along?"

Ukyo's eyes felt like they were bugging out of her head. "Uh... yeah! Yeah, sure, I guess ya can come along. Ranchan would love to know that yer backin' him up."

"Watch your language dear," Nodoka chastised. "You talk too much like a young man, and not a young lady."

"Yes, ma'am." Ukyo lowered her eyes. "I do have problems with that. I wouldn't mind if you'd... help me with it."

"Of course," Nodoka smiled at her, and took another sip of her tea.

Ukyo exhaled. Nodoka's words had reminded her of the other reason she was here, and this would be more delicate. But if she had set it up correctly... "Auntie, there is one more secret Ranma and I have been keeping. We've been keeping it since you and my father arrived."

"Oh?" Nodoka set her cup down, obviously steeling herself for more shocks.

"Yes, and I have to say that even though we have been keeping this one from you, it's not like we wanted to hide things from you. It's just... we couldn't bring it up when we first met, and then you mentioned the seppuku contract. We all got scared, Ranchan, Akane, and I."

She rubbed her hand up and down her arm. "We were meaning to tell you. Just, like now, I wanted to try to work my way up to it. If it was a surprise, if it was a shock, you might not react the way we hoped. You might... judge Ranma before you heard the whole story."

"Oh dear, this sounds serious."

"It is." Ukyo looked up at her, studying her expression. "You've got to understand, in my case at least, I've got my memories of the Old Man to deal with. Your husband, Genma. He's an idiot, and he has a tendency to hear what he wants to hear. If you were like that... well, you might decide Ranma wasn't manly, no matter what. I wanted to get to know you, to see if I could... trust you."

Nodoka's expression was surprised, but otherwise unreadable. So Ukyo gave her an apologetic grin. "I think I can trust you now."

She stood up. "This kettle should be fine for the hot water, but I need cold water." She put her hand on the tea kettle, both as a gesture and to test that it was still warm. "Hold on." She ran back into the kitchen filled a glass of water. Then she came back and stood before Nodoka. She tried to control her shaking.

"While we were travelling in China, the Old Man took us to a training grounds, a cursed place called Jusenkyo. We got cursed there. Your husband fell into a spring, which turns him into a panda. Now, when he's hit with cold water, he turns into a panda bear."

From her amused grin, Nodoka obviously thought this was a joke. "You mean, that trained panda that follows Ranko around? That's my husband? You cannot be serious."

"I'm afraid I am, Auntie. You see, I'm cursed too. And like your son, I don't turn into an animal. I change my appearance."

She poured the water over her head. Her body shrank down, and her clothes grew loose. She knew her hair was turning red, from the look of recognition in Nodoka's eyes, mixed with astonishment and amazement. "Since it's easier to pose as another person when I am in this form, I call myself 'Ranko'."

Nodoka's jaw was hanging open. "But this is impossible. I saw both you and Ukyo together when we went shopping! And when we first... met..." Her eyes widened in shock and horror, and Ukyo knew she had figured it out.

"That's right, Auntie. Ranma and I were cursed by the same spring. We fell in together. I turn into what he would have looked like if he had been born a girl... and he turns into me."

"My... son..." Her expression was dazed for a moment, and then her eyes bored into Ukyo's. "When we first met, that was my son, wasn't it? That wasn't you, that was my son!"

"We couldn't tell you, not without explaining the curse. And you and Mr. Kuonji just assumed Ranchan was me. We turned back into our normal forms as soon as we could, and we were going to tell you about the curses." She frowned. "But then you mentioned the seppuku contract."

Nodoka's expression got far away again. "My son... is a girl..."

"No, Auntie Saotome!" Ukyo protested. "The curse only affects Ranma's body, it doesn't affect his mind! Inside, Ranma is still the same man among men he always is - only, he's a man among men in a girl's body." She scratched the back of her head nervously, realizing how crazy that sounded.

"But how?" Nodoka looked at her, her tone started to become desperate. "How can my son be a man among men if he's a girl?!"

"Because he's only a girl because of me!" Ukyo shot back. "I saved him from that spring, I shoved him away from it, but he came back to get me out! And he has great respect for me and my body! He treats me as a gentleman would, and I love him for it! He bears the burden of a female body - with all that entails - and yet doesn't take advantage of it or dishonor me or my body."

Nodoka's eyes widened at the implications of Ukyo's words. "Ranchan is looking for a cure, for me and himself. He hasn't given up, he hasn't admitted defeat, but he has decided not to cure himself until *I* can get cured too! He's willing to do that, willing to put up with his curse out of respect for me! That makes him a man to me, a man that is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for someone he loves!"

"What about Akane?" Nodoka blinked, clearly stunned by this revelation. "She is engaged to Ranma, is this why she rejects him? Is he... not man enough for her? Now can she want to be with a man who is... half girl?"

"Akane doesn't reject Ranma, quite the opposite. Don't let her fool you. She just isn't ready to admit her true feelings, but you've seen how they look at each other." Nodoka met her eyes. "Akane loves Ranma a lot, and Ranma loves her. And Akane doesn't care about the curse. In fact, she's comfortable with Ranma's girl side, in a way she wouldn't be with a man. I think if Ranma didn't have the curse, they would have less in common."

"My son... is a girl," Nodoka repeated.

"Auntie Nodoka, let me prove it to you." Ukyo kneeled next to her. "We've got work to do at the Cat Café tomorrow, to help Cologne get ready for the training, but the next day should be free. I'll tell Ranma and Akane that you asked for 'Ranko', Ukyo and Akane to all go shopping again. This time, watch Ranma. See how he is when he is in my form. He's still a man, and he still acts like a man. You'll see."

"I just don't know, Ukyo. I just don't know." She put a hand to her forehead. "I don't see how my son can be a man among men... when he's a girl."

"You'll see, Auntie. Trust me."

 

[AlanMidnight]

Chapter 13

My Feelings for Ranma

"Why Shampoo not go with Airen on training trip?" Shampoo's voice was cross, but she was enthusiastically glomping Ranma. "Shampoo want to help Airen train!"

"I need you here, Great-Granddaughter," Cologne replied calmly. "The Cat Café can't run itself, and I can't count on Mister Part Time. Especially if he knows you're away training with Son-In-Law. I need you here to take care of business."

Ranma, Cologne and Shampoo were upstairs in the Elder's room above the Cat Café, packing the things she would need for the trip. "Besides," she continued, "if you and the Tendo girl both accompany Son-In-Law on his trip, he won't get any training done. The two of you would be at each other's throats, and considering your tendencies to come on to Son-In-Law, Akane Tendo would almost certainly demand an equal portion of his time. The two of you together would just be a distraction."

"So?" Shampoo grinned smugly. "Angry Girl stay here and Shampoo go with Airen then!" She wrapped her arms around Ranma, ignoring his attempts to pull away. "Shampoo better for train with Airen anyway."

"Maybe so, but the Tendo girl would be no help to me as a cook," Cologne said with a smirk. "And she'd be more likely to help Mousse sneak after us than hold him back."

Shampoo pouted. Ranma took the opportunity to push her away. "Look, I'm gonna be trainin', Shampoo. I don't need no stupid girls taggin' along gettin' in my way."

Cologne rapped him over the head. Ranma scowled at her, rubbing his head, but Cologne turned to Shampoo. "He's right, Shampoo. He needs to concentrate on the Hiryu Shoten Ha, not you. I realize you want to help, but do you really think you can hold yourself back?"

Shampoo had grinned when her Great Grandmother smacked Ranma for his rudeness, but her expression quickly turned sour again. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Shampoo can hold back lovey time with Airen in name of training. Shampoo is warrior."

"Maybe so, but there will be enough people going along on this trip as it is. Ranma's father insists on going, as do Shield Sister and Miss Tendo. The fewer distractions, the sooner Ranma can be back and take the moxibustion chart from Happosai."

"Shampoo want to go too!"

Ranma was silent for a moment, thinking, while Cologne shook her head at Shampoo's stubbornness. Finally, he bit his lip and looked up. "Actually, old... um I mean, Cologne, I was wonderin' if we could leave early. Don't tell Sis an' Akane, but just you, me and Pop go, say tomorrow morning."

Cologne raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "You know your sister will have your hide for leaving her behind like that."

"I know." Ranma swallowed, and looked down. "But I don't want her goin' along, or Akane either." He frowned determinedly, raising his voice a bit, although he glanced around as if making sure he wasn't overheard. "They want me ta stay here and finish out the week at school. I don't care about that, I just wanna beat the old freak an' get my strength back! I ain't got time to waste studyin' for tests!"

"Oh, is that the reason?" Cologne remarked, with a knowing smirk. Then her expression grew more serious. "Actually, I do have concerns about whether Ukyo and Akane should be brought along. They are both fine warriors, but I am not sure they are suitable for this particular training."

The ancient Amazon thought for a moment. "Miss Tendo is not ready to learn the technique at this time, but she could benefit from seeing the demonstration. It could inspire her to work on her focus. And your sister is well suited to the Hiryu Shoten Ha. I'm just unsure about Shield Sister's physical strength. Compared to Akane, she doesn't have either the raw physical power or the resilience needed."

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief, although he tried not to make it seem obvious. "That's great! I mean, I want Sis and Akane to come along, o' course, but I wouldn't want them to have to miss the last week of school."

Shampoo threw her arms around him. "And Shampoo can help come along and help Airen train Hiryu Shoten Ha!" she exclaimed happily.

"Cut it out, Shampoo! I don't want you comin' along either!" Ranma shoved her away, raising his voice again. "I don't got time to get lovey-dovey with no girls! I'm gonna be training!"

"Ran-maaaaa!" A fierce, angry shout from downstairs told Ranma he had spoken too loud. He cringed away from Shampoo, who was trying even harder to wrap her arms around him. The sound of stomping, coming up the stairs, told him of the approach of his doom.

The door slammed open, revealing Akane, whose battle aura was already at full blast. "Ranma! You had better not be planning on leaving us behind!"

Ranma put up his hands, hoping to deny everything, but Shampoo beat him to it. "Airen not need Angry Girl what cannot control fighting spirit. Angry Girl not learn Hiryu Shoten Ha, Great-Grandmother say so!"

"Oh, geez, Shampoo, now she's gonna kill me for sure," Ranma muttered, putting his hand to his forehead. Akane gave Shampoo a glare that could burn through steel, while the Amazon just smiled back at her in satisfaction.

Finally, Akane turned her attention to Ranma. "That's not the point, baka! I'm not going on this trip to learn the technique, I'm coming along so I can help you! And you are not leaving me behind, no matter what Cologne says!" She shot a glance at the Amazon Elder, who said nothing.

"You want to make me go to school!" Ranma yelled back at her. "You wanna make me wait until the end of the week, when I could have learned the technique and been back here and beaten the old goat by then!"

"Ranma, you have to finish your final exams. Your grades are actually remarkably good, considering you never pay attention in class, but they're not so good that you can skip your exams!" Her eyes narrowed. "If you don't pass, you'll have to repeat the grade!"

Ranma made a rude noise. "As if I care about that. And what if we run inta Mom again?" He met Akane's gaze. "Do ya want her ta kill me?"

Akane stared at him for a moment. Shampoo was still wrapping her arms around Ranma and gleefully making faces at her, but Akane took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Finally, she sighed.

"I know you too well, Ranma. This isn't about school. You just don't want me to see you like this, as weak and pathetic." Her eyes narrowed again. "Well, too bad. When you're weak, Ranma, when you're hurt, when you're in trouble, that's when you need me. And whether you like it or not, I won't let you push me away. So don't even try."

She glanced at Cologne again. "We leave on Friday, like we originally planned. And Ukyo and I are going." With that, she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Uncute," Ranma said, in a disgruntled tone of voice, although with just a hint of fondness. He then had to fight off Shampoo, while Cologne ordered them both to get back to work.

+++

Ranma was still pouting after school the next day, when Nodoka came over for the girls' shopping trip. He had panicked when Ukyo told them about her arrangement, but Ukyo explained that Ranma wouldn't have to meet his mother as himself, and risk her finding out about his weakness. She said that Nodoka had insisted that only Ranko, Ukyo and Akane accompany her, as she just wanted a "day with the girls". This did not improve Ranma's mood any.

As they walked down the road towards the shopping district, Ranma was arguing with Akane. "If you had let me go on that training trip, we could all be there right now, instead of wasting time going shopping."

"What 'girl' doesn't want to go shopping, 'Ukyo'?" Akane shot back, sarcastically emphasizing Ranma's assumed name. "Don't you want to spend time with Auntie?"

Ranma glanced back at her mother, nervously. "Sure," she growled, lowering her voice so only Akane could hear, "until I get splashed with hot water an' turn into a guy while wearin' girls' underwear."

Ukyo had talked Ranma into wearing one of her outfits, which wasn't too bad, but she had insisted that Ranma wear a bra instead of wrapping her breasts. After all, Ukyo pointed out, since Auntie had bought her a bra, it would look suspicious if she didn't wear one. At least Ukyo had substituted one of her sports bras instead of the lacy one Akane had picked out before.

Behind them, Nodoka tried to pretend she had not overheard her sometimes son. "Ukyo dear, are you planning to go on a training trip?"

Ranma swallowed. "Um... Ranchan's plannin' on goin' on a training trip, Auntie. Akane an' I were gonna go with him." She glared at Akane. "Or at least, that's what she says."

Akane harrumphed and kept staring straight ahead as she walked. "I couldn't care less what 'Ranchan' says. I'm going with him on that training trip, and he's going to wait until the weekend to go." She glanced back at Nodoka as well. "Your brother can't be a 'man among men' if he's a dummy that can't pass his classes."

"I can too pass my classes!" Ranma protested. Then she caught herself. "I mean, Ranchan can pass his classes. And he's not a dummy!"

"Ukyo, Akane, are you two fighting again?" Nodoka asked worriedly. "I didn't mean for my plans today to cause any problems between you."

"Oh, we're happy to go shopping with you, Auntie!" Akane said cheerfully. "Isn't that right, Ukyo?"

Ranma grumbled. "Yeah, I'm havin' a real blast on this trip." She struck a pose, clutching her hands under her chin and giving Akane a big-eyed look. "I just love goin' shopping and dressing up!"

With that, Ranma began to skip girlishly down the street. They could see the dress shops, hairstyling salons, and gift shops coming up past the next intersection, and Ranma began to sarcastically feign interest in the displays in the windows, oo'ing and ah'ing over them. Then she spotted an ice cream shop nearby.

"Ooo, but before we go shopping, we have got to get some ice cream!" Ranma squealed, fixing Nodoka with a starry-eyed look that took her aback. Then Ranma turned to Akane, giving her a malicious grin. "Girls all love ice cream, don't we Akane?"

Nodoka nervously shot a glance at 'Ranko', who she knew was the real Ukyo, but the redhead just shrugged. Ukyo looked nervous, but she obviously had not expected that reaction either, and wasn't sure what to say. Nodoka was further shocked as Ranma took her hand and gave her the wide-eyed innocent look again.

"Please, please, Auntie? It is okay for us to get some ice cream, isn't it?" she asked. Akane was frowning at the lanky girl, as if irritated, but didn't seem to be upset at Ranma's act. And although her son had clearly been mocking the shopping trip before, he... she seemed surprisingly intent on this. She had even lost her son's brusque speech and was speaking more like Ukyo would.

Still unsure, Nodoka nodded, and Ranma gave her a dazzling grin, which further caught her mother off guard. She then ran into the shop, while the other three women followed at a more sedate pace. Ranma stopped for a moment to ask what Nodoka and Ukyo wanted, and Ukyo asked for a parfait, but Nodoka was too stunned to do anything but pass on the offer.

Nodoka was then treated to the astonishing sight of her son turned girl batting her eyes at the young boy behind the counter, and flirtatiously conning him into giving her "bestest girl friends" a two for one deal on their ice cream. Again, Akane looked frustrated, and Ukyo put a hand to her forehead, muttering to herself.

As Ranma joined them, balancing four parfaits and a banana split effortlessly on her arms, Akane shook her head. "Honestly, Ukyo, you're shameless. It's so unlike you to flirt with boys for some free ice cream. It's like you have a split personality or something."

Ranma stuck out her tongue. "The Old Man taught me to use any advantage you can to get free food. I can't help it if this body makes boys stupid." She smirked at Akane. "And you're just jealous because you can't do it, tomboy."

Akane scoffed and stuck her nose in her air. Nodoka tentatively spoke up. "Ukyo dear, why did you order so much? I didn't want any ice cream."

Ranma looked at her. "These are for me," she commented, gesturing with a fully laden arm. Then she led them to a booth and set one of the parfaits down for Ukyo and the banana split for Akane, and began wolfing down the rest.

Nodoka exhaled. At least Ranma was eating normally, or at least what she had come to expect as normal. Akane dope slapped the girl on the back of the head, and when Ranma glared at her, nodded in the direction of Nodoka. Reluctantly, Ranma began to eat more slowly, albeit with overly exaggerated feminine movements and the occasional moan of bliss. Ukyo once again smacked herself on the forehead, but she took a seat next to Nodoka and began to eat her parfait.

"Just look how you're acting in front of Ranma's mother, baka," Akane said. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I just love ice cream, tomboy," Ranma said, with another smile of bliss. "I'm a girl, I can do that can't I?" She glared at the black haired girl.

While Ranma and Akane were distracted with their argument, a waitress passing by with a plate of hot chocolate tripped. Ukyo cried out as the liquid spilled all over her, and then leaped over the back of her seat to the booth behind them. The booth was occupied, and the two men that were already there cried out in surprise. Ukyo ducked under their table.

Nodoka tried to manage a placid smile, as Ranma and Akane turned to look at her. Of course, if she revealed that she knew about Ukyo's curse, they would know that she knew about Ranma's curse. She tried to come up with something appropriate to say.

"Where did Ranko go?" Akane asked. Nodoka just chuckled nervously and continued to try to think of something.

Suddenly, Ukyo popped out of the booth, back in redheaded form. "Sorry, a little accident. I got hot chocolate spilled on me, and then this poor fellow's iced tea."

Both of the other girls glanced at Ranma's mother, obviously hoping she hadn't seen the transformation. She just smiled innocently. Then she looked at Ukyo and jumped a bit at her appearance. "Oh, Uk... Ranko, your clothes are ruined!"

"No problem, Auntie," Ukyo said, with a forced smile. "We are going shopping, after all."

+++

Ranma finished off her parfaits pretty quickly after that close call, and then they left the ice cream shop. Akane pointed out a clothing store, one that she had visited before, as it was more in her price range. Ukyo picked out a couple of choices and retreated to the dressing room, to change out of her stained clothes.

Before long, Ranma was back in "excited teenaged girl" mode, and was prancing up and down the aisles, calling out excitedly for Akane and "Auntie" to come see what she discovered. Ranma's sarcasm was clearly getting on Akane's nerves, as she began to grit her teeth, and a vein began to pulse in her forehead. However, her anger turned to trepidation and growing panic as Ranma spotted a bargain bin full of bras.

Sure enough, Ranma made a beeline for the bin. "Oh, Akane look! Now that I know what size I am, I need to get a lot of bras," she said in a loud, high-pitched voice, which caused Akane to turn bright red, and hide her face behind her hand. She flounced around the bin, a movement she must have learned from Shampoo. Several of the other girls had turned to look at her, which added to both Akane and Nodoka's embarrassment at the situation.

Ranma gave out a squeal, which caused Akane to look up, and then turn even redder. Ranma had picked up a tan-colored bra and held it up to her chest. "Ooo, how naughty! This bra is skin colored! If I were to wear it, it would look like I was wearing nothing at all!"

"Ranm..." Akane clamped her lips shut, obviously realizing she was about to give away Ranma's identity but unable to completely hold back her outrage. She stomped up to Ranma, and grabbed away the bra and several others she had picked up. "Ukyo, you're making a scene. Now come on, if you want these, let's go buy them."

"Of course I want them Akane," Ranma said smugly, "I'm a girl, aren't I?" Akane responded with a glare, and dragged Ranma along behind her to the dressing rooms.

Nodoka just stood, shaking her head. "I do not know what to think," she muttered to herself. "My son certainly does not seem very manly." Hoping that somehow she could be proven wrong before she had to end this charade, she followed the two girls.

+++

Meanwhile, Ukyo had changed into a thin, sleeveless summer dress that she had seen in the store. It wasn't as fancy as the frilly dress Nodoka had picked out for her before, but she did want to wear a dress again. It was a sky blue color, which she thought complemented her hair better than her usual dark blue. It was also a little long, but hopefully that meant it would appropriately cover everything if and when she transformed.

As Ukyo left the dressing room, Ranma and Akane came up to her. Akane was fuming, and Ranma was grinning like an idiot, so Ukyo assumed that her twin had been teasing Akane again. The cursed girl had an armload of bras with her, and Akane marched her up to a dressing room and shoved her inside. "There!" she yelled. "If you want to try on those bras try them on in there where no one can see you!"

Ukyo raised an eyebrow. "Problems, Akane?"

Akane snorted. "Your brother is just trying to get even with me for making him come on this trip. The baka just has to embarrass me!" She quieted down as Nodoka approached, looking uncomfortable. From the look on her face, whatever had happened wasn't good.

"Why don't you go find something nice for yourself, Akane." Ukyo said. "It'll help you calm down to look around and try on some dresses."

"Okay, I guess," Akane said, blowing out a breath. "Sorry about that, Auntie."

"It's okay, Akane. Ranko is right, why don't you go look around. The two of us will stay here and talk."

Akane left, which left Nodoka and Ukyo staring awkwardly for a while. Finally Ukyo got up the nerve to ask, "What happened?"

"I do not know for sure." Nodoka shook her head. "I suspect Ranma and Akane were having a fight, but my son seems to be too obsessed with women's underwear. I'm afraid he may not be very manly..."

Ukyo interrupted, her voice steady, although she looked on the verge of panic. "Look, you don't know how it's been for Ranma. For the last year he refused to wear a bra even in girl form. Instead, in order to protect my modesty, he would wrap his breasts, which I know isn't very comfortable." She glanced at the dressing room Ranma had disappeared into. "Maybe it's just new to him and he's overcompensating a bit, but believe me, he doesn't enjoy wearing women's clothes."

If Nodoka was going to say anything, she didn't get the chance, because Ranma came out of the dressing room. She was studying the flesh colored bra, holding it up to her arm for comparison. "Hey, Sis... I mean Ranko," she corrected herself, as she spotted Nodoka. "This actually matches my skin pretty well. I wonder if it matches yours, too."

Ukyo took the bra and studied it. Then she held it up to her arm as Ranma had. "Not really. Your skin is a lot paler than mine, see?"

"Huh. Guess that's the difference between bein' a Kuonji, and bein' a..." Ranma paused for a moment. "... Tendo."

"Guess so," Ukyo said. "Although it's funny how everyone says I look like Auntie."

Nodoka smiled at that. "I guess two people can look alike and not be related," she said.
Akane returned with a couple of dresses of her own. "Is it all right if I try these on, Auntie?" she asked.

"Of course, Akane." Nodding to Nodoka, Akane continued into the dressing room, giving Ranma the cold shoulder.

Ranma let out a breath. "Aw, geez, I've really made her mad this time."

"It's your own fault," Ukyo said. "You know you don't mind spending time with Auntie, even if you're not the kind of girl who likes frilly dresses and makeovers. You're just glad you could come along."

"Yeah... I'm just itchin' to go on that training trip with Ranchan. I want to get done and back so..." Ranma glanced at her mother. "I can get back to work on my restaurant."

Ukyo nodded, becoming lost in thought. Nodoka looked back and forth between the two of them. They were certainly getting along better than Ranma and Akane had been getting along. And her son seemed more manly, too. But was it already too late? Had she lost her son to this curse? Had he become some kind of odd doppelganger to this Kuonji girl? Were they fated to be sisters?

"Why don't I get some refreshments," Nodoka suggested. She could use something to calm her nerves.

Ranma and Ukyo nodded, so she turned away. At that moment, one of the girls working at the store overheard them. "Do you want some refreshments?" she asked. "I have some hot tea here..."

Both Ranma and Ukyo drew back in fear. Nodoka had barely started to turn back when the girl jumped back, startled by their reaction. The tea came flying at Ranma, but Ukyo pushed the other girl out of the way and took the splash herself.

Ranma then grabbed Ukyo, and glanced back at Nodoka, fearfully. Before Nodoka could even see the girl's transformation clearly, Ranma shoved her into one of the dressing rooms.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the girl said. "Hold on, I'll get something to clean that up. I'll be right back, miss!" she called out, to Ukyo.

Ukyo, however, found herself face to face with Akane, who was undressing in the small room. She glanced up at Ukyo, shocked. She had taken off her top, and still had on her bra, but was wrapping her arms around herself. Then her eyes narrowed, and she slapped Ukyo, hissing, "What do you think you're doing?"

Ukyo put a hand to her cheek. "Ease up, Akane. It's me."

Immediately, Akane realized her mistake, and her eyes widened. "Oh, Ukyo, I'm so sorry!" she protested, still whispering. "I thought you were Ranma."

"Obviously..." Ukyo glared at her, but couldn't manage to get really mad when Akane looked so remorseful.

Outside the dressing room, both Ranma and Nodoka heard the slap, and the angry tone of the conversation, although they couldn't make it out. Ranma winced. "Is everything okay in there, Ranko?" Nodoka asked.

Ukyo and Akane stared at each other, but Ukyo conveyed with her eyes that she couldn't speak without giving herself away. Akane quickly spoke instead. "It's all right, Auntie, I was just in here already. Whoever it was pushed Ranko in here forgot to check first." Her voice lowered dangerously, and Ranma winced again.

"Ranko, are you all right?" Nodoka asked, not realizing that Ukyo's different voice would give her away. Ranma did realize, and began to sweat.

"Um... hey, Auntie, why don't we... um... leave Akane and Ranko alone while we... shop for some more dresses! Yeah, that's it we can shop for some more dresses, won't that be fun?"
"Ranko?" Not sure why Ukyo wasn't answering, Nodoka took a step towards the dressing room. The curtain slid open, and Akane stepped out.

"Everything's fine, Auntie," she said. "Ranko just decided to try on a nice blouse I found. She'll be out in a second."

Akane continued walking past a small table, where a vase sat with a handful of flowers in it. As she passed the table, she glanced back to make sure Nodoka had turned to look at the dressing room, and threw the vase in an arc over the curtain. There was the sound of glass breaking as it struck its target.

"Thanks, Akane," Ranko's voice came back from the dressing room. Although her tone was surprisingly flat, like she was irritated about something.

+++

The tone of the four women was quite somber as they made their way back to the Tendo home. It was growing dark, and while Akane, Ranma and Ukyo were carrying shopping bags of their purchases, there was not as much to carry as before, and no one was really excited about what they had picked up. Unknown to all of them, they had picked up a tail, an unsavory looking character who was on the lookout for girls returning from the shopping district with a lot of money or jewelry.

No one noticed the stranger, though, too caught up in their own troubles to pick him out of the ordinary traffic on the street. Nodoka was lost in thought, trying to understand all that she had seen that day. She wanted to believe that her son was trying to cope with his curse, and act as his sister would act even if it wasn't very manly, but he just seemed to enjoy being a girl too much.

Both Ranma and Ukyo sensed the tension in the air, and worried for their own reasons. Ukyo was worried that she had blown it; Ranma and Akane had gotten into a typical childish fight and set a bad first impression. Maybe she should have told them about the plan instead of keeping them in the dark. Ranma was just worried that her mother kept glancing back at her and fingering her katana. She couldn't miss the confusion and worry in her mother's eyes.

But it was Akane that trudged along, her head down, trailing along behind the others. She knew that she had gone too far, and was cursing herself for it. "What kind of person am I?" She said to herself. "Ukyo almost had her curse revealed twice. It was just dumb luck that it wasn't Ranma. I put his life in danger, over petty jealousy and pride at not wanting to be left behind. And Ranma was only acting that way because I teased him about being 'girly'. All because my breasts grew a little, and I was mad that he dismissed it. I'm a terrible person."

Depression hung over her as she walked, but Akane shook it off. With new resolve, she stepped forward a little faster. Drawing even with Ranma's mother, she cleared her throat.

"Auntie Saotome... I have something to tell you." She looked down at the ground, unable to meet Nodoka's eyes. "Ranma and I have been keeping a secret from you. I think it's time that we told you the truth."

Ranma glanced at her, fearfully. "Akane? Whattya doin'?"

"Trust me, Ukyo," Akane said softly, and met Ranma's eyes. Then she looked down again.

She was silent for a moment more, while the others all stopped and waited for her to speak. "Auntie, the truth is, your son and I didn't get along very well the first time we met. I had never met Ranma before, and suddenly my father was forcing me into an engagement with a stranger. I was very stubborn, and I refused to let Daddy tell me who I had to marry.

"When I met Ranma, though, I thought I had found someone who I could trust." She looked up at Ranma again, and the lanky girl smiled a little at the look on Akane's face. "I thought I saw something in Ranma, someone who could share my love of martial arts and be a friend to me. I didn't want romance, I didn't think I wanted to be engaged, but when I first saw Ranma, I thought I had found that friend I was looking for."

She broke eye contact, looking down again. "There was a... misunderstanding. I assumed Ranma was something he was not, and at first I was mad." She frowned. "I was furious. I had a lot of trouble with the boys at my school at that time." She looked up at Nodoka. "They convinced me that all boys were horrible, disgusting perverts, and I thought that's what Ranma was, too. I thought..." She looked up at Ranma, apologetically. "I thought he had lied to me. I thought he had claimed to be someone else in order to trick me.

"I took it out on Ranma. I was pretty mean. Unfair. Ranma probably hated me too, back then. We did everything we could to fight the engagement. Our fathers were trying to force us together and it just made us more determined to stay as far apart as possible. Even finding out that Ranma and Ukyo were engaged, and Shampoo showing up, we just refused to admit there could be anything between us.

"That didn't last very long." Akane managed a small smile. "I was drawn to Ranma, whether I wanted to admit it or not. And Ukyo helped me understand him a bit better." She glanced at the redhead as she said this. "I could still see the person that I first saw in him, and I wanted that person back. Even though I convinced myself that I was being stupid, naïve, for believing in him, still... part of me still wanted that friend."

She looked up at Ranma, meeting her turquoise eyes. "What I didn't realize, what it's taken me this whole time to realize, is that Ranma never tricked me. He never lied to me. I was the one who misunderstood; I was the one who jumped to the conclusion that he wasn't what I took him to be." Tears began to glimmer in her eyes, and Ranma swallowed. "That person that I smiled at on that first day and asked to be my friend, that was the real Ranma, all along. I was the one who assumed that he could not be my friend because of what he appeared to be."

Akane began to toy with her necklace, pulling it out from under her blouse. "I began to fall in love with Ranma, and he began to fall in love with me. Oh, I didn't want it, and I fought it as hard as I could. Even once I accepted that Ranma and I might get married... someday... I was scared. But I couldn't fight it. I love Ranma more than anything, and I want to marry him.

"About a week before you showed up here, Auntie, Ranma gave me this." She had kept her hand clasped over her ring as she brought it out, but now she extended it on her open palm. "He proposed to me, and I said yes. What Daddy and Uncle Saotome had tried to force on us, we realized we wanted for ourselves."

She rubbed the gold ring with her finger. "I thought I didn't want a macho, insensitive, insulting jerk, but it turns out, that's exactly who the man I fell in love with is. That's how I know that Ranma is a man among men. Ranma is a man, to me, and I love him. Boys are foolish, childish, perverted jerks, but Ranma, baka that he is, is a man. The man that's the perfect match for a tomboy like me. The man that I want to be a woman for."

Akane looked up at Nodoka, who was smiling gently back at her. "I may fight with the baka sometimes, because he drives me crazy. And he calls me a macho, pushy, thick-headed tomboy, and I probably am. But I would never do anything to hurt him. And I know he'll never hurt me. We may fight, but we don't mean it."

She turned to Ranma. "Ukyo, I want to apologize to you, too, for how I acted today. I know you're anxious to go on this training trip, and I went too far. I shouldn't have picked on you and called you 'girly'."

Ranma looked sheepish. "Well, I guess I shouldn't been so mad at you for looking out for me, tomboy. I know you're just concerned about me. I shoulda tried to relax and enjoy time with Ma... Auntie before I had to go off training." She scowled. "And I guess I can study for exams. After all, Ukyo Kuonji is a pretty good student, right?"

"Of course she is," Akane giggled. "Thank you... Ukyo."

Nodoka smiled at the two of them. "So when is the wedding, Akane-chan?"

Akane looked at her, wide-eyed, her face growing red. "Wedding?! We aren't... I mean..." she stumbled over her words for a moment before regaining her control. She cast her eyes downward again, toying with the ring. "We don't want to get married right away. This is just an engagement ring. I'm not ready to get married, not until I graduate at the very least. Maybe not until after we can re-open the dojo, and start teaching students..."

She looked back up at Nodoka, her expression turning serious as she recovered her determination. "If our fathers found out about this, though, we'd be married within the hour. We don't want that. That's why I keep the ring hidden. I don't want anyone to know about it. This is a secret, just between Ranma and I, and I hope you'll keep the secret too."

"Of course I will," Nodoka said kindly. "I would love to have grandchildren," she commented, causing Akane to turn beet red again, "but I'm just happy to see that you have admitted your love for my son. I was afraid your constant fighting was a sign that you weren't meant to be together."

"Most of that is an act," Akane admitted, "but the truth is Ranma and I are both pretty stubborn." She glanced at Ranma, and the pony-tailed girl snorted. "I don't think there'll ever be a time when that baka doesn't get under my skin... and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Akane started to put her ring back in her blouse, but at that moment, the shadowy figure that had been quietly tailing them saw his chance. He darted forward, catching the necklace as Akane was looking down at it, and ran past her, keeping a firm grip on it. The chain broke, and the thief took off with Akane's ring.

Akane leaped into action almost instantly, Ukyo and Ranma right behind her. She chased the robber down the street, but he had a head start, and Akane had to shove her way past innocent bystanders. And as he disappeared from sight, Akane began to lose track of the man. He wasn't a martial artist, as he emitted no battle aura at all, or at least none that Akane could detect. Soon he was lost in the crowd, and Akane slowed to a stop.

Ranma and Ukyo caught up with her. "Who is that guy?" Ukyo asked. "I didn't even sense him."
"He's just a common thief," Akane replied. "We weren't expecting to be robbed by an ordinary criminal."

"I can still catch him," Ranma said. The lanky girl started to take off after the thief, but Akane grabbed her arm.

"But..." Akane stopped, studying the look on Ranma's face. She was as determined as Akane had ever seen the cursed girl, and completely intent on catching the thief. "Ranma..." Akane muttered. "In your condition... you could get hurt."

"I'll be fine! Let me go, I can still catch him! Sis's ability to sense things... I can still feel him, but he's gettin' away!"

Ukyo had been standing watching the two of them, but all three of them fell silent as Nodoka approached. She studied Ranma and Akane, noting how they seemed to be talking without saying a word. The worry and concern in Akane's eyes, and the fierce determination in Ranma's was as clear as day. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, Akane whispered. "Promise me. On your word as a martial artist. Promise you'll come back to me."

"I will, Akane," Ranma replied, just as quietly. "I'll just use speed and stealth. I'll be on him and gone before he even knows what happened. I won't fight him."

"Remember, you're not as strong as Ranma," Akane said. "Be careful."

With that, Ranma leaped away from her and onto the rooftops, where she bounded off into the distance. Akane watched until she was out of sight, worry etched into her face.

+++

Ranma returned to the Tendo home well after darkness had fallen. It had taken surprisingly long to track down the thief. He could have just gotten some hot water and beaten it out of the guy - Ranma kept telling himself that - but he knew that in his condition he would have no more strength in his own body than he had in his sister's. And Ukyo's speed and agility was just something he couldn't afford to give up, if he wanted to get the ring away from the thief without a fight. After all, he had promised Akane.

Unfortunately, by the time he caught up with the robber, he was already stalking another couple, and Ranma had to watch and wait for the right moment to strike. It was a young guy and girl, who had apparently bought some jewelry, as the girl was carrying a small bag marked with the shop's logo. She had pulled out a necklace, and was looking it over, obviously enjoying her gift from her boyfriend. As she put the necklace back in the bag, the thief struck, grabbing it and running past her as he had with Akane.

The ponytailed girl kept to the shadows as she followed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop almost too fast to be seen, and ducking out of sight. Finally the thief relaxed, confident that he had gotten away, and turned into an alley to examine his haul. That turned out to be his first and last mistake.

The man dug around in his pocket and pulled out Akane's ring, and Ranma spotted the glint of gold. Silently, she dropped down behind him and relieved him of the ring. The man turned, striking out in reflex, but Ranma flipped over his shoulder and landed in front of him, grabbing the jewelry bag as well. Then the lithe figure leaped up to the roof and disappeared. The robber was left stunned, his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

Then Ranma had to track down the couple that had lost the necklace and return it and their bag to them. They thanked the girl profusely, surprised at their turn of good luck, but Ranma just waved and hurried on her way. She ran to the Tendo home as quick as she could, clutching the ring in her palm. It wouldn't do to lose it again. She only relaxed once she had safely passed through the Tendo gate and was on her way to the front door of her home.

She called out as she entered, and Akane ran into the genkan, obviously still worried. "Did you find it?" she asked, at which time Ranma produced the ring on its chain. Akane accepted it with a relieved smile, and fiddled with it for a few moments, but the chain was broken. She finally just balled up the ring in her hand, and gave Ranma a hug.

Then she stepped back and glared at the taller girl. "What were you thinking, you baka?! You could have been hurt or worse! Don't you ever do that again!"

Ranma just smiled at her. She noticed Nodoka had come into the genkan behind Akane, with Ukyo in redheaded form right next to her, so she chose her words carefully. "That ring means something to you and my Bro, Akane. I had to get it back."

"It doesn't mean as much to me as you do," Akane countered, cutting her eyes up at her shyly.

"Ah, I was gonna be fine, tomboy," Ranma said with a wry grin, which Akane countered with a snort of derision, but she was smiling as well.

Nodoka shot an amused glance at Ukyo, and the redhead nodded. "It certainly took you a long time to get home, Ranma," she said. "Did you run into any trouble?"

Ranma smirked confidently, shaking out her long ponytail. "Nah. That moron was stupid enough ta steal somethin' else before I caught up with him, but I took that back, too. I was so easy that..." Ranma's voice trailed out as she realized what her mother had called her, and her eyes widened in panic.

Akane had already turned back to Nodoka in shock. Ranma stammered to cover for herself. "Um... uh... whaddya mean callin' me Ranma, Auntie? I'm Ukyo, you know that..."

Nodoka's smile widened, and Ukyo was grinning too. "Relax, my son. Ukyo has already explained about your curse."

Akane put both hands to her mouth. "You knew? The whole time? And I was teasing Ranma and calling him 'girly'!" She glanced at Ranma, starting to tremble. "It's all my fault! It's all my fault Auntie, don't blame Ranma!"

Nodoka stepped forward and drew Akane into a hug, to calm her. "It's okay, Akane dear. I will not make my son commit seppuku. I know that he is a man among men." She released Akane and looked at Ranma, who seemed stunned. "Even if he is a girl half the time."

"Y-you don't mind?" Ranma asked. "That I look like... this?" She looked down at herself, gesturing at her chest. "That I'm wearin'..." she blushed, remarkably deeply, for Ranma. "girls' underwear...?"

"You're wearing that because you have to," Nodoka answered, with a bit of a wry smile. "And I asked you to. And a young girl should wear proper support for her chest, even if she is a man among men." Amazingly, Ranma blushed even deeper. "Although I can understand if you don't have time to properly restrain yourself when you change unexpectedly.

"I was a little concerned that you might have developed a fetish for girls' underwear, but that was obviously fiancée games with your partner." She looked at Akane, who blushed now. "Engaged couples can do whatever they like, it isn't perverted."

Akane began to sputter in protest, but Nodoka continued, turning back to Ranma. "It was when you promised Akane that you would return her engagement ring, though, and not risk your life to do it, that I saw that man in you." She stepped forward, as Ranma looked up at her, swallowing. She ran her hand down the brown haired girl's cheek, stroking the soft, feminine skin. "This child... is a man."

She stepped back, and looked at Ukyo. "And Ukyo dear... it seems as if fate has decreed that you are not to marry my son. Instead, in its wisdom, fate has given me... the daughter I never had." Ukyo looked up at her, startled, and Nodoka drew her into her embrace. Ukyo's lip began to tremble.

"You may not have been born a Saotome, but in heart and in body you are truly my son's sister. I know that it would be awkward for you to call me 'Mother', especially given the problems with your father... but I would be honored if you would let me call you my daughter."

Ukyo hugged her. "Of course... Mother..."

Akane stepped up, timidly. She was looking at the floor. "I know it may be forward of me to ask, but would it be okay - as long as we're alone..." Her voice became tiny. "... for me to call you Mother?"

Nodoka drew her and Ranma into the group embrace. "Soon enough, you may call me that for real. And you will be my daughter-in-law. But for now, Akane-chan is fine." Akane began to cry, which triggered happy tears all around. Possibly even from Ranma, although if there were any, everyone else pretended not to notice.

 

[AlanMidnight]

This is the last of the chapters that are posted to Fanfiction.net. My next posts will deal with the current chapter, which is so far unfinished. Most of the important events of this arc are in the upcoming chapter.

Chapter 14

The Valley of Hot and Cold

+++

"Oh, what a beautiful view!" Nodoka called out, as she gazed out over the valley and the low mountains in the distance. "I am certainly glad that I came along on this training trip! And I can see why you all enjoy it so much. If only I could have gone with you on your travels. You must have seen so many wonderful sights!"

"Now, wife, this isn't a vacation," Genma said gruffly. "We are here for training, which means there will be hard work to do."

"Ah, shut up!" Ranma and Ukyo both said at the same time, and then looked at each other and laughed. "Me an' Sis an' Akane are gonna be doin' all the work," Ranma continued. "An' maybe the old ghoul. You're just gonna sit around on your butt like you always do."

"Show more respect for your father, boy," Genma muttered, but Ranma ignored him. He was putting up their tent, while Akane was busy with the tent she and Ukyo would share. The air was quite warm, and Akane was wearing shorts. Uncharacteristically, Ranma's mother was also wearing hiking clothes, instead of her usual kimono, but with pants long enough to protect her legs from brambles and sharp rocks. Her wrapped katana was still strapped to her back, and Ukyo also wore her father's giant spatula.

"Wow, these rocks are really hot, Cologne!" Ukyo called out. She had built a fire pit ringed with stones, and placed a flat rock on top of it as a griddle, which she was using to make okonomiyaki. There was no fire in the pit, though, as the bare rocks were radiating plenty of heat, and steam rose from fissures in the ground underneath. "Is that why you brought us here to Yomogi Valley?"

"Of course," Genma said pompously. "This valley is well known around Japan for the moxibustion qualities of its rocks. Wild animals often come here to treat ailments such as backaches in monkeys and the pains of childbirth for..."

Cologne rapped him over the head with her cane. "Be that as it may, that is not the reason I brought you here. This valley is volcanically heated." Genma glared at the old Amazon as he rubbed his head, but she was ignoring him. "The ambient heat in the air will make it much easier to learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha."

"Well, lunch is served," Ukyo put in. "So everyone dig in!"

Ukyo had prepared Pot Luck Okonomiyaki, of course, and everyone gathered around in the clearing to eat. Ranma and Genma had settled down near Cologne, to talk with her, so Akane edged over to sit next to Nodoka. She glanced over at the two men, to make sure they couldn't overhear, and then spoke in a lowered voice.

"Mother Saotome," Akane said quietly, dropping her usual 'Auntie'. "I couldn't help but notice you brought the family blade along. Do you think Ranma might not act manly when he is on this trip?" she asked, her worry obvious.

Nodoka patted her knee. "Of course not, Akane dear. I have already decided my son is a man, despite his curse." Then she, too, looked over at her husband. "However, I have not told Genma this. As far as he knows, Ukyo told me about Ranma's weakness, but I still don't know about the curse. I think it best if he continues to believe that."

A sly grin spread over Akane's face which, out of politeness, she tried to suppress. "I see. So you are..."

"Making sure my husband acts honorably, of course," Nodoka said, with a similar grin. "He has been too long out of my sight, and from what you have told me, it has had a bad effect on him." Her smile faded, and her eyes took on traces of guilt. "It reminds me of how he was when we first met. I had hoped that forcing him to take on the responsibility of a child would change him for the better..." she sighed and shook her head. "Ah, but at least my son is home with me now."

Akane gave her a discrete hug. "Ranma is a wonderful man - even if he is a baka," she said. "Uncle Saotome must have done something right. Or Ucchan did, at least. It all worked out."

"I hope it works out for Ukyo as well," Nodoka said, looking over to where the pony-tailed chef was cleaning up her cooking supplies. "As much as I hate to admit it, both my husband and her father have abandoned that poor girl, and I cannot help but feel responsible. I wish I could give her that family she was talking about, but I am afraid that Mr. Kuonji is going to insist that she and my son be parted."

Her expression was pensive for a moment, but then she turned and smiled at Akane. "However, it is you that will someday inherit the Saotome family blade, Akane-chan." Akane looked up at her, surprised, and then blushed as she grasped Nodoka's meaning. "Tell me, do you practice Kendo? That fight against Happosai was amazing, and I'm sure you are far more skilled than I am, but we are on a training trip, and it would be nice to have someone to practice with."

Akane's eyes lit up, rapidly overcoming her embarrassment. "Of course, Auntie! Father taught me all the forms, although to be honest I haven't practiced in a long time either. Kendo reminds me too much of Tatewaki Kuno, and the perverted boys who were always coming on to me." She didn't want to mention that her father forced her to stop because she kept breaking her shinai, but she felt that now with Ukyo's training she probably wouldn't do that anymore.

"Do you have a shinai?" Nodoka asked. "I brought mine along, in case I got the chance to ask you."

"Of course!" Akane exclaimed happily. "Let me get it!" She leaped to her feet, and ran to her tent. After a few moments of digging, she emerged with the shinai, which she brought over to show to Nodoka.

"Oh, did you expect that I might ask you? Or do you and Ukyo practice Kendo?"

Akane blushed again, even deeper than before. After a moment of looking at the ground, she muttered, "Actually, it was just force of habit. I guess I don't really need a shinai, not for what I thought I needed it for..."

After another moment, a sly grin spread across her face, and she looked up and met Nodoka's eyes. "You never know what kind of wild animals we might run into in the forest, though. There might be a perverted little black piggy, or a lovesick duck who can't see who he's hugging. And we both might have to deal with a big fat panda bear who is too lazy to help out."

They both began giggling as they looked over towards Genma. The balding old man was still talking with Ranma and Cologne. In fact, he was prostrated on his knees in front of Cologne, as if he was begging her for forgiveness.

Ranma hit him across the back of the head. "Quit foolin' around, old man!" He shouted. Then he turned to Cologne. "Come on, we've waited long enough, old ghoul. Everybody's through eatin', so when are you gonna show us this technique of yours?"

Cologne hit him over the head with her staff for the insult, but then she studied him for a moment. "All right, Son-In-Law. Since you are so eager to get started, I will show you the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon. But first, let me see what you have learned..."

She hopped out into the clearing, and then dropped off of her staff, using it to scratch the spiral pattern in the dirt. "You have been practicing leading your opponent into a spiral, haven't you?"

"Yeah, of course I have," Ranma said dismissively. "I led Kuno and Mousse inta the spiral, not that it did me any good." He frowned. "Get on with it!"

Cologne regarded him sternly for a moment. "Tell me, Son-In-Law, what did you observe when you led your opponents into the spiral? Did it have any effect it at all?"

Ranma stopped and looked serious for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! Every time I did the spiral move, the wind started swirling in a circle! The heat of Kuno's battle aura, or Mousse's - or even the Tomboy's caused the air to begin moving faster."

"Very good." Cologne's wrinkled face twisted in a wry grin. "Just as I've come to expect from you, Son-In-Law. And if you were to continue the spiral, and if your opponent's fighting spirit grew even stronger, what do you think would happen then?"

"Hmmm..." Ranma looked thoughtful, his tone much more serious now. "I guess as the spiral draws tighter and tighter, the heated air would be pushed into a smaller and smaller space.

"But there's more to it than that. In order to maintain the spiral, I have to focus, and not give into the temptation to attack." Ranma paused a moment, still thinking. "I've got to stay calm, not lose control of my emotions, while the other guy gets madder and madder. The heat would be drawn into the center and..." he paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "And then I guess somethin' pretty spectacular happens."

Cologne cackled. "That is exactly right. I will show you the Hiryu Shoten Ha now. Watch closely." She gestured at the rest of the group, who were all watching the demonstration with interest. "All of you, I want you to attack me at once. The more of you the better."

Akane looked surprised. "Are you sure, Elder?"

"Do not worry, you cannot hurt me," she said with a smile. Then her expression turned more serious. "However, I recommend that you and Ukyo hold back your fighting spirit. While you are both very well trained and are able to release your aura of battle to become stronger, you are not tough enough to take the power of this attack. Keep your spirit calm, and rely only on your hands or weapons."

She turned to Ukyo. "Your skill and speed will not protect you either, Shield Sister. There will be no dodging the power of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. You and Akane both will need to continue your training before you will be able to survive this attack."

Ranma laughed. "That shows what you know, old lady!" he jeered. "It just so happens Akane's been usin' a variation of the Breaking Point training ta make herself tougher! I'll bet she's a lot tougher than you think she is."

Cologne looked at him, then at Akane, who started fidgeting nervously under the ancient Elder's gaze. "Oh, is that so?" She asked, looking back at Ranma. "I shall have to ask her about this training. At any rate, I would hold back your battle aura just in case, Miss Tendo."

She glanced past the blue-black haired martial artist towards Nodoka. "Lady Saotome, I would advise you move to the edge of the clearing, and not move from that spot, no matter what happens. You could be badly injured even by this demonstration."

Nodoka bowed and moved to stand at the tree line. Ukyo untied her father's spatula from her back and brandished it. Cologne then set herself on top of her staff. "All right, all of you attack!"

Ranma and Genma rushed in to strike at the old woman, Ukyo and Akane moving a little more cautiously, but just as determined. The old Amazon leaped over their heads, bringing her staff around for balance, and began to bounce around like a flea. She bounded up and down, over her attackers' heads. Several strikes came surprisingly close to the old crone, and Ukyo's spatula slashed out with a loud whooshing sound, but none of them could hit her. After a few moments, it became obvious that even with all the bouncing around, Cologne was still leading the four of them into a spiral. They drew closer and closer to each other, and were forced to take turns with their strikes to keep from hitting each other.

Ranma and Ukyo were used to fighting together, and Genma and Akane settled into the pattern without having to say a word. Cologne kept leading them into the center of the spiral, and while they weren't getting any closer to hitting her, Ranma knew the old ghoul was running out of room. Suddenly, the Elder stopped, landing in the center of the spiral on the tip of her staff. There was a moment's pause where they all leaped in for a final attack - and Cologne raised a wizened fist.

There was a flash of light so bright no one could look at it, and a wave of freezing cold that chilled them to the bone. It was hard to tell what happened after that. The wind picked up and went crazy, whipping around at hurricane speeds, and lifting them all off of their feet. Ukyo and Akane were thrown across the clearing, over the head of a startled Nodoka, who looked at them wide-eyed as they passed. Akane was thrown through a tree, shearing off the top of it, before she crashed through some branches and rolled to a stop at the base of a pile of stones. Ukyo was a bit better off, and ended up hanging from the branches of a tall pine, holding onto her spatula with both hands, and blinking in confusion.

Genma was thrown quite a bit further, and Ranma flew the furthest of all, arcing over the trees until he finally came down quite far from the clearing. He jumped back to his feet, clenching his fist. "That was AMAZING!" he yelled, and took off running back towards the clearing. As Akane sat up and rubbed her head, groaning, her fiancé charged past her, still overcome with excitement.

"That was spectacular, old ghoul!" Ranma shouted, as he ran into the clearing to face Cologne. She gazed back at him, calmly. "That was a twister, wasn't it? A tornado! How'd you do that? The wind didn't get that strong just from our battle auras alone, runnin' around in the spiral! You did something, with your fist, I saw it!"

Cologne cackled again. "Nothing gets past you, Son-In-Law. You're right, the Hiryu Shoten Ha is based on a clash of temperatures, of hot and cold air. As you lead your foes into a circular pattern, the heated battle aura is drawn into a tight spiral around the core. But it is the cold at that core, the Soul of Ice, which forms the tornado and intensifies the winds to deadly speeds."

"The hot air rises," Ukyo said, coming out of the trees with her spatula at her side. Akane and Genma were right behind her, and Nodoka hurried over to see if they were all right. "Like a dragon ascending to heaven," Ukyo continued. "Anyone caught in the winds is carried up and into the sky."

"I would say that was about ten percent of the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon's full power," Cologne said. "At full power, the hot and cold layers begin to clash with each other, creating shear forces that can tear an enemy apart."

"That was only ten percent of its full power?" Akane marveled, rubbing her bottom. "I thought crashing back to the ground was painful enough."

"With this attack I'll be able to beat the old freak for sure, right?" Ranma asked. "His battle aura will be much stronger, especially if I get him good and mad first."

"Correct, Son-In-Law, but now you must master the next step of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. You seem to have mastered leading your opponents into the spiral, and controlling your emotions, but you must now take it further. You must learn the Soul of Ice."

"Soul of Ice?"

"Yes. In order to master the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon, you must have a heart as cold as ice." Cologne walked over to her tent and began rummaging through her pack. "You must not get upset. You must not get angry. And furthermore, you must not let the slightest bit of your battle aura escape. You must achieve a state in which even your fighting spirit is as cold as the void. We call that the Body of Ice."

"Body of Ice? Soul of Ice?" Ranma looked intrigued, but unsure. Ukyo came up to stand beside him, also intent on the Elder's words. "This isn't some kinda joke is it?" Ranma continued.

"I assure you, Son-In-Law, I am quite serious," Cologne said. She produced a large device made of strips of leather and metal. As she unrolled it, it was revealed to be some sort of brace, with straps to hold it to the arms and legs. "Put this on. This is the next step in your training."

Ranma took the brace and studied it, with a frown. "Ah, do I haveta? What is this thing for anyway?"

Cologne rapping him on the head. "Put it on, sonny boy, we're wasting time."

"Okay, okay," Ranma struggled into the device, while Ukyo helped him with it. Cologne made sure it was properly tied to Ranma's arms and legs, and then turned to Nodoka, who was standing nearby with Akane.

"Lady Saotome, I believe I asked you to bring something for me," the Elder said with a smirk. "Now would be the time to do what we discussed."

Nodoka looked surprised. "Oh? Oh, I see. I don't know how it will help, but..." She reached into her jacket, and then seemed disoriented for a moment as she realized she wasn't wearing her usual kimono. She searched her pockets for a few moments before she finally found what she was looking for in one of the pockets on her hiking pants. It was a small photo wallet. Nodoka pulled it out and started flipping through it.

"I have a much larger photo album at home, of course, but Elder Cologne asked me to bring some of my pictures of Ranma. Here is one where he is a baby, playing in his crib." Her smile grew wide, as she showed the picture to Akane, describing her son in glowing words. "What a rambunctious young man he was, even at that age!"

"Hey!" Ranma, naturally, reacted with shock and embarrassment. He quickly ran to his mother to snatch the picture away. "Gimmie those!" Unfortunately, he didn't get two steps before the brace attached to his body began to twist and warp, and Ranma lost his balance. He fell to the ground on his stomach, with his hands and feet drawn up against his back as if tied there.

"As you can see, the brace you are wearing is made with memory metal." Cologne commented, as the others stared at Ranma in surprise. He wiggled around trying to free himself, but the brace only drew tighter. "If you get angry or embarrassed, it will tighten and..." The withered elder cackled. "Well, you can see the result."

"Ohhhh..." Akane's eyes widened in realization. She nodded to Nodoka, who slowly smiled as well. "Let me see some more pictures, Auntie," Akane said, with more than a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Well, here's a picture of me changing him," Nodoka said, just as amused. Ukyo began to chuckle behind her hand, while Ranma shouted out his indignation and tried even harder to struggle against the brace.

Akane brought the picture over to Ukyo. Ranma managed to regain enough control of his limbs to make it to his feet, and lurched over to the two girls like a zombie. "Give... me... that..." Ranma said tonelessly, obviously trying to keep his focus and not react. When Ukyo showed him the picture, though, he hit the ground.

"I have some pictures that my husband sent me while he was on the road." Nodoka said. "Here's one that was sent to me when Ranma was seven... the poor boy had wet the bed again."

"Oo, let me see!" Akane said, unable to contain her giggles. She ran over to look at the picture, then held it out for Ukyo, who had stayed behind. The lanky martial artist just shoot her head, grinning smugly.

"I've already seen it," Ukyo commented, glancing down at Ranma as he fought the brace. She was somewhat impressed to see him rise to his feet, much more in control now. He was muttering something about "Soul of Ice" under his breath. Standing up, he straightened his back and started to walk calmly but purposefully over to his mother and fiancée.

"And here's a more recent picture," Nodoka was saying. "It must have been sent about a week before my husband stopped sending me postcards. It shows Ranma having... um... an 'encounter' in China."

Akane's eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth, although it was partly still to hold back laughter. "Oh my," she said, somewhat shocked at what she was seeing. "It's so... big!"

"Well, that only shows what manly appetites my son has," Nodoka said gleefully. Ranma hit the ground again, although that might not have been entirely due to the memory metal. Ukyo also turned to look at the two, wondering if Akane and Nodoka knew they were making an innuendo, or the picture really did show something naughty.

"Ranma has so many fiancées," Akane said, looking over at Ranma as he again got to his feet. "And they've all tried to satisfy him. But I sometimes wonder if any woman can satisfy that appetite of his."

Ukyo blinked, obviously still considering the dual meaning of Akane's words. Ranma managed to make it to Akane's side, regarding his uncharacteristically risqué tomboy with a slight grimace.

"Okay, Akane, joke's over. What are ya talking about?"

Nodoka patted Akane on the shoulder, picking up on the slight touch of regret that had been in Akane's voice. "I'm sure you'll do fine, dear." She then showed the picture to Ranma. It showed him in a Chinese restaurant, in front of a bowl of ramen that was bigger than the table it sat on. He was downing the noodles with his usual enthusiasm.

"Hey, I remember that!" Ranma exclaimed. "That was that challenge, where if I finished their Monster Noodle Bowl in an hour, I got it for free." He grinned. "I finished it with forty-five minutes to spare."

"Yes, the manager kicked us out after that," Genma put in. "I didn't even get to finish my own challenge! I had to take it with me!"

The big balding man made his way over to the group. "I see the idea behind this 'training' now, son, and I think I can take it from here." He pulled out a microphone from somewhere and struck a pose. "This is Ranma last night, talking in his sleep: 'I love you, Akane!'"

Akane blanched and then punched Ranma on the arm. Everyone else was wondering where the microphone came from. "Why didn't you tell me you talk in your sleep?" Akane asked, pulling Ranma down to hiss angrily in his ear. "Way to blow everything, baka!"

Ranma just snorted. "He's lyin', Tomboy," he said, not even raising his voice. Akane glanced at Genma, and her eyes widened as she realized Ranma was probably right. "You're the one who's blowin' it," he teased, and Akane hid her embarrassment by hitting him again.

Genma didn't seem to notice the exchange, and Ukyo laughed, to cut in on the conversation before he did. "If Ranchan didn't react to that, Cologne, I'd say he's mastered this Soul of Ice thing. Why don't we try practicing for a while, and alternate trying to create a hot battle aura and the Soul of Ice. I'd like to try to learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha too."

Cologne came bouncing up on her staff. She studied Ukyo for a moment, but then sighed. "I'm sorry to say this, Shield Sister, but this is the reason I did not want you and Akane to come along. I'm not sure you can help Son-In-Law with this training."

"What are you saying? Of course we can help!" Ukyo said, obviously offended, and Akane nodded her agreement. "We're just as good as Ranchan, and you can't say that we aren't!"

"It's not that, Shield Sister," Cologne said, putting up a hand. "I told you before, neither of you are tough enough to take the shear forces of the winds of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. And your brother will never be able to learn the technique unless you release the full power of your battle aura. Can you attack your brother with the intent to kill?" She looked over at Akane. "Can you?" Akane looked surprised at her words and looked away, although Ukyo's expression became even more determined.

"More importantly, Son-In-Law, can you expose your sister and your fiancée to the power of the Hiryu Shoten Ha, knowing that it could hurt or even kill them?" She met Ranma's eyes, holding his gaze, and he swallowed, nervously. "If you cannot do this, then you must say so, now. You must not be willing to hold back in any way. Your heart must be as cold as ice, even to the point of lacking compassion and mercy."

Ranma looked unsure, but Ukyo spoke up before he could answer. "Hey, hold on. I've spent my whole life protecting Ranma and myself from danger. And I've been willing to kill or die to do that. You don't have to ask me if I'm willing to go all out, because I've always been willing to go all out." She glanced at Akane, who looked down, her expression thoughtful and even a little sad. "An' I know that even if I give it everything I've got and summon this Hiryu Shoten Ha you're talking about, Ranchan will protect me from it."

"That's right, Sis," Ranma said, looking more hopeful. "An' nobody's saying we're gonna learn it the first time. We can keep practicin' until we get the hang of it, and if it looks like it's gettin' too dangerous, we can stop."

"And I can practice the Soul of Ice too," Ukyo added. "If I end up being the one to summon the tornado, Ranma should be tough enough to take it, right?"

Nodoka noticed Akane's pensive look, and that Ukyo and Ranma were clearly planning to leave her out of the training. She started to say something, but Akane caught her eye, and shook her head. Akane returned her gaze to the ground, clutching at one arm with the other.

Cologne didn't seem to be convinced, but she finally nodded. "I guess that will do. I must admit I wasn't looking forward to having this useless male train you." She pointed her staff at Genma, who looked offended, but she ignored him.

"All right. Ranchan, can I try on that memory metal thing?" Ukyo asked. "I'd like to see if I can learn the Soul of Ice."

"Sure thing, Sis," Ranma answered. "I'll be glad ta get outta this thing." The two of them moved off into the clearing to begin training.

Akane looked up at Nodoka, giving her a sunny smile. It still could not completely cover up the disappointment in her eyes. "Auntie, shall we begin training too?"

Nodoka smiled kindly back at her. "I would love to, Akane dear."

+++

Ranma and Ukyo continued to train together for the rest of the evening and throughout the night. They teased and taunted each other as only a brother and sister can, bringing up embarrassing memories from childhood to challenge their control of the Soul of Ice, or to feed the blazing heat of their battle auras. First Ukyo chased Ranma around the spiral, abandoning her giant spatula for the moment, for the precision and speed of her feet and fists. Then it was Ranma's turn, and Ukyo leaped and flipped much the same as Cologne had, leading Ranma in circles as he came at her.

In each case, the result was the same when they reached the center. Ukyo or Ranma would throw an uppercut, in imitation of Cologne's technique, but then nothing would happen. The wind would whip up, proving they were properly following the spiral, but it stubbornly refused to rise. Akane and the others kept watch as long as they could, but eventually they all retired to their tents. Only Ranma and Ukyo stayed up and kept training, tirelessly.

Eventually dawn broke over the mountains surrounding the valley, and the siblings were still at it. Akane was the first to come out of her tent, stretching and yawning in the morning light. She sat watching the sparring match for a while, obviously intrigued, and studying the pair carefully for any sign of their progress.

They were performing the spiral with practiced ease now, with not a step out of place, not in the least bothered by the taunts flying between them. Ranma was the pursuer for the moment, and Ukyo was leading him towards the center of the spiral. Her fiancé looked serious, but there was a confident smirk on his face. His battle aura was giving off a golden glow, and a warmth that Akane could feel from where she was sitting. It was a gentle warmth, not angry or upset, but Akane could tell that it was still intense and determined.

Finally Ukyo reached the center, and as before, raised a fist in an uppercut strike. The wind was whirling around them and whipping her long hair about, but that was all. As the duo stopped, the wind settled down, and Ukyo's ponytail slowly came to rest. There was no tornado. Akane glanced over at Cologne, who had come out of her tent, but the Amazon Elder seemed to be ignoring her students for the moment, and was setting up a fire to boil some water for tea.

"Damn it, Ranchan, what are we doing wrong?" Ukyo griped, although the memory metal brace only twitched at her outburst. "We should have gotten this by now!"

"Maybe the old ghoul left out somethin'," Ranma suggested. He had seen Cologne come out as well, and glanced at her, but the Elder didn't react to his insult. "I don't think I've quite got the Soul of Ice right, there seems ta be somethin' missing. I'm just not sure what it is."

Ukyo glanced at him, her expression intent, but not accusing. "No, I think Cologne's right. You're holding back. We're holding back. Deep down, I don't want to hurt you, Ranchan, even though I know you can take it. I don't think I'm giving it my all, and I know you aren't." She studied him. "You're capable of generating a much hotter battle aura than that, I've seen you do it."


Ranma shook his head. "Nah. My battle aura's way stronger than when I attacked the old ghoul when she was givin' her demonstration, an' it worked for her. I think it's that my Soul of Ice isn't cold enough."

"No, we've mastered the Soul of Ice. The brace isn't even reacting anymore." She gestured down at herself, at the metal strips crossing her body and running down her arms and legs. "And your battle aura needs to be stronger than yours, your fathers, and Akane's and mine were combined when Cologne showed us the Hiryu Shoten Ha. And she's a master. She's probably done that demonstration thousands of times. We're just learning it. We need a hotter battle aura."

"No, I think it's the Soul of Ice," Ranma said, stubbornly. "The old ghoul did something, and there was an explosion of cold. It wasn't just the body of ice, there was that... that flash, that energy. It was like her battle aura suddenly turned inside out and went cold. Freezing cold."

Ukyo glanced around at the camp. Genma and Nodoka had come out of the tent the Saotome family were sharing. They had joined Akane in doing the morning chores. Or at least Nodoka was, she was dragging Genma along by the ear. "Tell you what, I'd better get breakfast started. We're gonna need to stop and get something to eat anyway. You talk with Cologne and see what she has to say."

"Sure, Sis." He smiled, obviously in anticipation. "You makin' okonomiyaki?"

"Not for now." She glanced at Akane, who was getting out her friend's cooking utensils and arranging them near the steaming ring of stones they were using as a fire pit. "Hey, Akane, what do you say you help me make a stew?"

Akane nearly jumped out of her skin in excitement. "Really? You want me to help?"

"Sure. There's nothing here you can add without my knowing it, and I'll be watching you anyway." Akane blushed and looked down at the ground, but Ukyo smiled to let her know she was at least partially joking. "It shouldn't take long to prepare a stew, and we can get back to training," she said, returning her attention to Ranma.

Ranma nodded his agreement, and then walked over to Cologne. "All right, old ghoul," he began. "Let's hear it. Am I right, and there's a final move to the Soul of Ice you ain't tellin' me about? Or is Sis right, and we need to be givin' off more heat?"

Cologne rapped him over the head with her staff. "You are both right, Son-In-Law. I told you this before; unless your opponent stops holding back, you will never learn the Heaven's Blast of the Dragon. A tremendous heat of battle is needed to create the difference in temperature required.

"But it is more than that. You must be aware of the danger and seriousness of the battle in order to master the Soul of Ice. You must be pushed to the point where you can perform the final move of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. You must be willing to do whatever it takes, to summon the awesome power of the dragon, regardless of the consequences."

"I am willing to do whatever it takes!" Ranma proclaimed, clenching his fist. "So tell me, old lady! What's the final move of the Hiryu Shoten Ha?"

The wizened Elder smirked at him. "Oh, no, Son-In-Law. It is not that simple. I cannot tell you the final move. You must find it out on your own."

"What are ya tryin' to pull, old ghoul! Just tell me!"

Cologne glanced at Ukyo and Akane, noting that they were paying attention to the conversation as well. "I cannot tell you. In fact, if I were to tell you, you might form preconceptions that would make it more difficult for you to reach the proper state of mind. It is something you must find out for yourself, in the final step of the spiral, when you no longer have any place to go."

"Is there no other way to learn it?" Ukyo asked. "You have to learn it by actually doing it?"

"It is the only way we have time for." Cologne paused, studying the lanky martial artist. "You are well suited to the Hiryu Shoten Ha, child, with your affinity to your environment. You can already use your battle aura to generate winds, you just don't have conscious control over it. When I was your age, I actually could cast a Hiryu Shoten Ha without the spiral. But I had already learned the full attack, and had been practicing it for years.

"I can tell you this," Cologne continued, turning back to look Ranma in the eye. "You must be willing to surrender yourself to the Soul of Ice. You must not feel doubt or fear. You must become like an unfeeling ogre. But an ogre does not have feelings to suppress, not like we mere mortals do. It is in suppressing your emotions, in surrendering them to the nothingness, to the void, that you create the Soul of Ice within yourself.

"You must stand on the brink of that nothingness, feeling the cold of its embrace, and still be willing to step into it. Only then will you master the Soul of Ice."

Ranma was silent for a moment, considering her words. Then he frowned. "Well, that's a lotta help. I guess Sis an' I need ta keep trainin', though. We can try bein' more serious when we're fighting."

"Let's get some breakfast first," Ukyo said. She had just finished stripping off the memory metal brace. "Then we can get back to training."

"Hey." Akane pointed at the brace. "Do you think you two will still need to use that?"

Ukyo looked down at it, and shrugged. "I guess not. I think we've mastered that part of it, right Ranchan?" When Ranma nodded, she handed the brace to Akane. "Do you want to try it?"

"Yes. I know I can't create the Soul of Ice or anything like that." Akane seemed embarrassed to be admitting that she couldn't learn the technique, but took the brace anyway. "As Shampoo said, I can't control my emotions like you and Ranma can, and I have just as much trouble trying to control my fighting spirit, especially when I'd mad."

She glanced at Cologne, who was eyeing her critically. "I'd like to see if I can learn to hold in my battle aura, though. Maybe I can't get anywhere close to the Soul of Ice, but I'd like to get my battle aura under more control. Is that all right with you, Elder?"

"I think that is an admirable idea, child," Cologne put in. "If Son-In-Law and Shield Sister no longer need it, you have my permission to use the memory metal brace to train your own battle aura."

Akane smiled gratefully and bowed to her. "Thank you, Elder Cologne. I won't let you down."

+++

As promised, Ukyo made a stew, which everyone devoured with their usual gusto. Akane tried to downplay her part in making it, even when Nodoka praised her for helping out, but she couldn't hold back a relieved smile. After eating, Ranma and Ukyo returned to their sparring, with a much more serious tone. They dropped the playful insults, and instead seemed to become grimly determined. Nodoka watched them for a while, and noticed that their hits were much more powerful and focused than before, although she could tell her son was still holding back.

Nodoka bit her lip as Ukyo, who was on the attack for the moment, nailed her son with a kick that almost knocked him out of the spiral. He recovered quickly, though, doing a flip that kept him on the path. Ukyo continued to push Ranma, her expression twisted into a grimace of focus and intensity. Nodoka studied the young woman that had claimed Ranma as her brother. She felt a connection to this girl, a responsibility towards her, but there was a lot about Ukyo that she didn't know.

There was something about Ukyo, in moments like this, which hinted at the rage lurking just under her surface. She had seen it, when Ukyo had lost control and yelled at herself and her father, and it was a frightening thing to see. She was glad to see that her son didn't seem to be carrying around that much anger, although she could definitely see the arrogance and manly confidence in his stance. She could even pick up on his doubt and frustration that it was taking so long, when what he really wanted was to challenge Happosai and get his strength back.

Nodoka glanced around, noticing that Akane was not there in the clearing watching the training. Where had she gone off to? Reaching a decision, Nodoka got up and went to her tent, retrieving her shinai. She then searched Akane's tent, and found her shinai after only a few moments. If Akane had gone off to train on her own, perhaps she would like a training partner. They had spent some time sparring the day before, and Nodoka was eager to get back in shape and pass on to Akane what she knew.

She set out through the forest of the valley, looking for Akane. The ground was green with weeds and leafy shrubs but very rocky, and Nodoka found it somewhat hard going. She wasn't sure where Akane had gone, but she hoped she hadn't strayed far from the campsite. She stayed close to a small stream that flowed with somewhat warm water, close to the clearing. She found that the stream opened out into a much larger hot spring, with a rocky outcrop sticking out of the middle of it. Nearby, she found Akane, in the middle of this new clearing, wearing the memory metal brace.

Akane had set up several rocks in a circle around her. They were piled up into several pillars, each topped with a small round stone. Akane was performing a kata in the middle of the circle, her eyes closed in concentration. She moved unerringly in the steps of her kata, somehow able to sense the stones around her. As she neared each, she struck out at the small rock with a finger. To Nodoka's surprise, the stone exploded, sending a spray of shrapnel away from the point of contact.

The sound seemed familiar, and it took Nodoka only a moment to remember where she had heard it before. When she had gone shopping the first time, with Akane and Ranma, Ukyo had suddenly appeared. Her son had been splashed with water, she suddenly realized, and the change had been covered by an explosion, followed by Akane knocking her to the ground. Akane must have caused the explosion. Nodoka had seen plenty of things as the wife of a martial artist, and she was impressed by her son's skill and Ukyo's, but it was still unbelievable that someone could make a rock explode just by touching it.

Then again, she had just seen an old Amazon woman summon a tornado out of nowhere. She had no doubt that it had happened, she had seen it with her own eyes, but the amount of martial arts knowledge required to even think of such a thing was way beyond her meager understanding of the art.

For a moment, Nodoka wondered at the purpose of Akane's training. The rocks weren't very big, and the explosions were tiny, hardly enough to ruffle Akane's gi. But then she noticed that on occasion, the shockwave would topple the pile of rocks the stone had been sitting on. After watching for a few more moments, Nodoka thought she understood. When Akane touched a stone, the explosion would be directed away from her body, in a cone shaped blast over the rocks it was sitting on. The broken pieces would end up landing outside of the circle some yards away.

Every now and then, though, Akane's point of contact would be slightly off, and the stone would explode in all directions. In those cases, the rocks would tumble off of the top of the pile and fall to the ground, and bits of the stone would cut into Akane's gi and even her skin. She shrugged it off, it didn't seem to hurt her, but her frustration when that happened was obvious. The expression of calm, determined focus on her face would shift, just for a moment, to a frown of anger, and the memory metal brace would twitch at the slight flare of her battle aura.

Obviously Akane was trying to learn how to direct the force of the explosion, Nodoka concluded. When she had used it to cover Ranma's transformation, it had blasted up, from the floor, but that was because it couldn't go back into the floor. If it had been directed straight upwards, it would not have created the crater of debris around the point of contact, or as large a cloud of choking dust.

It was becoming clear that Akane's concentration was faltering, though. More and more of the stones were exploding in all directions, instead of outwards, and more of the pillars of rock were collapsing. Pretty soon, every rock pile was collapsing, and the memory metal brace was beginning to pull at Akane's arms and legs, making her movements erratic. That made it even harder for her to strike, and she failed to properly strike even more of the stones, and even missed of few of them.

Eventually, the brace pulled at her legs until they were brought up behind her, and Akane was slammed abruptly to the ground, trussed up like Ranma had been before. She rolled around on her stomach for a moment, then began to struggle against the brace, trying in vain to free herself. Of course, as she struggled, the brace only drew up tighter. Eventually she let out a scream of outrage. "Ranma you baka! This is all your fault for not wanting to train with me!"

Nodoka had to cover her smile with her hand. "Akane dear, if that's the way you feel about it, why did you let Ranma and Ukyo train without you? Why did you let them leave you out?"

"Auntie!" Akane shouted, finally noticing the older woman, and reacting with shock and surprise. Her face reddened dramatically, and for a moment she struggled against the brace, ashamed at being caught while helpless in such a humiliating situation. Then she fell still and closed her eyes. She counted off several deep breaths, and visibly tried to calm down.

"I'm sorry, Auntie," Akane said, without opening her eyes. "I wasn't mad at Ranma, really, I was just... venting, I guess. I know Ranma can't go all out against me, and I'm not ready to learn the Soul of Ice myself, so it's best if Ukyo trains with him."

The brace finally released her, and Akane slowly got to her feet, clearly keeping her focus on maintaining her calm. She opened her eyes and smiled sheepishly at Nodoka. "I know Ranma is just as worried about Ukyo as he is about me, but he's convinced himself that his sister can still escape the Hiryu Shoten Ha and avoid being hurt. And he'll be there to catch her. He trusts her..." There was a hitch in her voice, and the brace twitched." ... to protect herself and keep from getting hurt.

"He knows I can take the blows," Akane said, with a sincere smile, "but he just can't stand to see me in pain, even if I can take it. Plus, I know I can't go all out against him. So it's better this way."

She paused a moment, and then added, "Besides, I'm pretty sure Ukyo intends to learn the technique first, so it'll be Ranma who is caught in the tornado instead of her. And he's a lot tougher than either one of us, so I'm sure he'll be fine."

"But you still feel left out," Nodoka pointed out.

Akane sighed. "Yeah, I do, but it's better now that you're here. In fact, I'm glad you came along, because Ranma made me promise not to train alone. I don't think I can get hurt by these little rocks, but it's still a good idea to have someone watching, just in case."

Nodoka gestured at the rocks. "So this technique, this is the one you said Ranma's friend, Ryoga knows how to use?"

"Uh, yeah," Akane giggled nervously, scratching the back of her head as she had so often seen Ranma do. "I was just covering up for Ranma when he got splashed with water, of course, but Ryoga knows how to use it. In fact, he was the first one to learn it. I was watching while Cologne was teaching him this technique, the Breaking Point, and figured out how to do it on my own. At first, the explosion would hurt me, so I couldn't do the Breaking Point without breaking my arm. But I've been working my way up from smaller rocks to bigger ones."

"Ryoga, he's that fellow that slept in your bed as a pig, isn't he? You told me about him last night."

Akane nodded. "Yes, although that's all in the past. I saw him in his pig form, just a few days ago. He ran away when he found out Ranma proposed to me, though. I hope he's okay..."

Nodoka noticed the look of concern on Akane's face. "You're worried about him, after what he did to you?"

"I guess I can't help it," Akane admitted. "I cared for him as P-chan for so long. I'm sure he's fine, though. He's lost all the time, so he doesn't have any place to live. He's lived so long out in the open that I'm sure that he can deal with anything that comes along."

She was silent for a moment. "I guess I'm just wondering how he's taking it. Will he finally get over me, and move on, or will he start taking his anger out on Ranma again? And how will he treat Ukyo?" She met Nodoka's eyes. "He's got a crush on her, he's had one almost from the start, I'd say, but he blames her for cursing him. He's terribly angry with her, but he also feels terribly guilty for how he treated her."

"As he should, from what you've told me," Nodoka said.

"It's complicated, that's for sure." Akane rubbed at her arm, looking down at the ground pensively. "I sometimes wonder if Ranma and I would have turned out like that, if we'd gotten into a big fight before we fell in love, and couldn't forgive each other. Would we cling to our anger, because it's safer than running the risk of showing our true feelings and being rejected? Or would we become reluctant friends, comfortable with each other, but afraid to disturb the status quo?"

She was silent for a long moment more, while Nodoka just stood and watched. Then Akane laughed at herself. "But that's silly, isn't it? Why worry about things that never happened?" She looked up. "Would you like to continue our Kendo training, Auntie?"

"Of course I would, but wouldn't you rather continue your own training?" She looked around at the ring of stones that Akane had built. "You've come so far just in a few hours, I think you can definitely learn to direct the blast of the... Breaking Point, did you call it?"

"Yes, but that isn't really the point of the training," Akane told her. "I'm really just trying to learn to control my battle aura and direct it where I want it to go. The stones were just available, and a simple way to give me something to focus on. I can keep up my training just by sparring with you." She gestured at the brace she was wearing.

"Okay, but I don't know how much of a challenge I will be," Nodoka said, handing Akane her shinai. "It has been too long since I trained, I found that out yesterday." She stretched, rubbing her shoulder. "And this morning."

"I think you did fine," Akane started to say, but was interrupted by a muffled hiss that grew into a roar of compressed steam. One of the piles of rock Akane had piled up exploded, showering the two of them with rock. Akane moved quickly, shielding Nodoka with her body, and pulling her away from the explosion. Akane felt her left arm lock up as the hot steam made the memory metal tighten, but the steam didn't touch the rest of her body, and she was able to get them away from the scalding hot water.

"Are you all right?" Akane asked. When Nodoka nodded, she looked back, to see a geyser of water erupting from the spot where she had stacked up the rocks. It almost immediately receded back into the ground and disappeared. Akane waited for a moment, but the geyser didn't erupt again.

"Well, I think that would make it a challenge to spar here," Nodoka commented. "As long as it occurs fairly often."

A smile slowly spread over Akane's face. "Wait here, Auntie," she said. "I want to try something."

Akane took her shinai, and walked over to the spot where the pile of rocks had been. She seemed to be studying something far beneath the ground. Then she raised her shinai over her head, holding its hilt with both hands. With a shout of "Bakusai Tenketsu Revised: Tapping the Geyser!" she stabbed the point of the shinai towards the ground. It struck the rock, bending only slightly, and then Akane allowed it to spring back into her hands.

There was a long pause as Akane stepped back, waiting, and then the geyser erupted again. This time it remained for far longer, and then died down. Akane continued to watch, counting to herself, and then it erupted again. Reassured that the geyser would now erupt on schedule, she moved out into the surrounding forest and returned with a large, flat rock. Setting the rock over the crevice, Akane stood back and watched.

When the geyser erupted, it lifted the rock about three feet off the ground. It hovered there for a moment, and then dropped back to the ground with a crash. "Auntie, do you think you can balance on that?" Akane asked.

Nodoka gave her a wide-eyed look of astonishment in return. "Oh, no, Akane dear, I don't think I could do that."

Akane smiled back at her reassuringly. "Okay, try hopping onto it and back off. Don't try to stand on it, just try to hop over it."

A little confused, Nodoka did as Akane asked. It was a little difficult, as the footing on the rock was extremely unstable with nothing to hold it in place, but she managed it. She also noticed that Akane stood ready to catch her if she fell. Reassured, she said, "I think I can do that. It's a little difficult, but I could get the hang of it."

Akane's smile widened. "Good. Then I have a handicap, and we can have an even sparring match. I can't come anywhere near those geysers when they're erupting or the brace will slow me down. So you can jump onto those rocks to keep me away, while training your own focus and balance." She proceeded to knock over her rock piles, while dragging a different flat rock over the spot were each had been. In some cases, she was able to reuse a large rock from her earlier pile, if it was flat enough. For the others, she simply fetched them from around the hot spring, carrying even the largest of the stones with ease.

Finally, Akane went around the circle one more time, stabbing repeatedly at the ground with her shinai, summoning a ring of geysers. The erupting clouds of water and steam intermittently lifted the slabs into the air, and dropped them back to the ground. It would be easy for Nodoka to either leap from stone to stone around the ring, or to jump from inside the ring to outside. Satisfied with her plans, Akane walked into the center of the circle of stones and brandished her shinai.

"Okay, Auntie. Let's train!"

 

[AlanMidnight]

Okay, finally I have finished catching up with the story, and can get on with the business of this thread. I was intending to post previews of whatever I have managed to get done on Friday, but since I posted the last of the old chapters on Friday, I decided to put it off. I didn't know if I would delay it until Saturday or today, but I didn't want to put it off until Monday, so here it is.

I won't preview the title of the chapter, as it's a spoiler. But here's about 4000 words of Akane coming up with a very imaginative way to help Ranma learn the Soul of Ice.

+++

Ranma sat crouched in the darkness, staring off into the distance across the rushing stream. The forest around him was filled with the sound of crickets and cicadas, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice. He and Ukyo had continued their training all day and well after sunset, but he still couldn't seem to master the Soul of Ice. Ukyo had gone back to the camp to make dinner for everyone, but Ranma had stayed behind. He felt like the secret of the Soul of Ice was almost in his grasp, but he couldn't quite reach it.

He had trained in the spiral by himself, going through the steps as if it was a kata, but success eluded him. And Ranma just knew that the old freak Happosai was running around Nerima even now, raiding houses for girls' panties and bras, and sneaking around and causing trouble. The longer it took him to master the Hiryu Shoten Ha, the more time Happosai had to chase girls. At least school was out, which mean there wouldn't be anyone in the Furinkan girl's locker room, but who knows what mischief the pervert would get up to if he didn't have the locker room to raid?

What was worse, Ranma was sure that the old freak was gloating over his victory. He probably believed that he had beaten Ranma, that he had won, and gotten his way. He expected Ranma and even Ucchan to come groveling and bowing before him, begging for the chart that showed the cure for the moxibustion. It make Ranma furious, and he unconsciously clenched his fist. He could picture the old man grinning smugly, and wanted so bad to wipe that smirk off his face. He would show that freak that he hadn't been defeated! But he couldn't do that as long as the secret of the Hiryu Shoten Ha remained out of his reach.

Ranma could sense Akane's presence well before she came near him. The crack of a twig confirmed her approach. She made her way through the trees at a casual pace, not hurrying. He could smell that she was carrying a plate of okonomiyaki, but he ignored both the food and her. His stomach tried to remind him that it had been a long time since he had last eaten, but he stubbornly ignored that, too. He wasn't ready to quit training yet, not until he had mastered the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and could show that old pervert that he wasn't a weakling.

Akane stopped behind him and waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she poked him in the back of the head. "You're leaving yourself wide open, dummy," she said, and then dropped the plate in his lap. Ranma tried to ignore the food for a little while longer, but he couldn't manage to resist the mouth-watering smell of his sister's cooking. He picked up one of the okonomiyaki and devoured it hungrily, hunching over in a feeble attempt to continue to ignore his amused fiancée.

Akane crouched down next to him, dusting off one of the bare rocks on the bank of the stream, before sitting down. She was still wearing her gi, along with a dark red headband to keep the sweat out of her eyes. "I knew you'd be hungry, so I brought you two." She stretched out her legs, pretending to ignore Ranma as he gobbled down the other okonomiyaki.

Ranma finished off his meal, and then handed Akane back the plate. He grunted a non-committal "Thanks," hoping she would take the hint and go away. Instead she set the plate aside, and gave him a long, appraising look.

"You aren't going to pout, are you?" she asked, teasing him. "Are you giving up? That's not the Ranma I know." Ranma just looked away from her. Akane waited for a long moment, for him to respond, but he remained silent. Finally, she sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"You'll get this, Ranma. I know you will. Remember how long it took to learn the Chestnut Fist? You burned your arms and couldn't stand the training for a couple of days at least. But finally you found another way to learn the technique, by looking at it from another direction. I'm sure this will be the same."

The pigtailed martial artist still refused to speak. Akane stared at him for yet another long minute, and then huffed. "Well, your attitude hasn't changed, at least."

Ranma let out a loud sign. "It's not that, Akane. The old ghoul says I can learn it, an' I believe her. But what if I learn it, but I'm still not strong enough to beat that little freak? What if he knows a counter to the Hiryu Shoten Ha, or he doesn't give up the scroll when I beat him? What if he gets mad and tears it up instead? What if there IS no cure, and the old pervert's lying?"

"Well, there's got to be a cure, Ranma, Dr. Tofu said so. If Grandfather Happosai doesn't have the chart, we simply have to find it."

"That could take years." Ranma was quiet for a moment. "Your Pop isn't gonna to want me to hang around when I can't join the schools of Anything Goes anymore, and my Pops will probably cause a big stink too. I... I won't be able to stand listenin' ta the big fat idiot goin' on about how 'weak' I am all the time, so I'll have to strike out on my own so I don't abandon him in a ditch somewhere. I could be gone for months, years, searching for that scroll, or some other cure to the old freak's moxibustion..."

He fell silent again. When he spoke up again, his voice was desperate, almost pleading. "Would... would you be willing to... wait for me?"

Akane smiled, widely. "Wait for you? I'm not going to wait for you, Ranma, I'll come with you!" Her eyes narrowed as Ranma stated to protest. "And don't you dare say, 'I don't need no girl slowing me down'! You won't be able to stop your sister, and if she's coming along, then I am too!

"Besides, you need us to carry your stuff." Akane's teasing grin returned. "You couldn't even lift your backpack when we left yesterday. You could barely even lift your own tent to put it up!"

Ranma growled and looked away again. Akane's smile faded as she realized she had struck a nerve. "Look, I know you don't like people to see you like this. You'd rather face this alone, I get that. But I don't see you as weak, Ranma, you just... you've just had a momentary setback, that's all. You'll beat Happosai, and you'll be back to yourself in no time!"

"What if I'm not, Akane? What if I really do have to leave you, leave Sis, and set off on a search for a cure." He turned to meet Akane's eyes. "Would you really leave your home, your family, everything you've got, to look after a washed-up, has-been martial artist? Would you really give all that up?"

"Of course I would!" Akane looked shocked that Ranma even asked the question. "You know I would! I don't..."

Ranma interrupted her, almost yelling. "Why would you do that? Are you stupid or something? I wouldn't be able to protect you! You'd have to protect me! I can't let you risk your life like that!"

"It's my choice, Ranma!" Akane shot back. "And I choose to be with you! And so what if it's dangerous! It's better than facing it alone!"

"Akane, I ain't got nuthin' to offer you!" He paused a moment, to let that sink in, and then looked away. "I... all I've got is my martial arts. I ain't got no money, and I can't work for a livin'. I've never done nuthin' but odd jobs, and I can't cook like Sis or do good in school like you.

"I know you want to carry on your family legacy, be a martial arts sensei, but I don't know if that's what I wanna do. My Pops didn't exactly train me in a reasonable way, and I'm pretty sure none o' my students are gonna want to be thrown into a pit of cats. I don't even know if I can teach the way you learned it." He idly poked at a small rock that was sitting in front of him. "I mean, I always knew I wouldn't be followin' around Pops forever, but I always figured I'd just keep travelling, and learning ta be the best on my own.

"All I've really got is my name, the Saotome School of Anything Goes, and... my protection. That's the thing, even if the house and the dojo and all that are really yours, and even if you got fed up with me and didn't want me around, at least I could keep you safe, you know? You'd need me, to protect the dojo from folks like that Dojo Destroyer." He sighed. "But without my strength... I can't even do that."

Akane stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. When he didn't say anything, she spoke up. "Ranma, that doesn't mean you have to leave. You've got plenty to offer. And I'm sure my father would agree if..."

"Would he? Ya really think so? When I can't protect his little girl any more? An' never mind what my Pops and Mom are gonna say..."

"But that doesn't mean you have to LEAVE!" Akane insisted. "You don't have to be strong, Ranma. You can... you can... You've got plenty of things going for you other than martial arts."

"Name one!" Ranma snapped, his voice rising again. "Name one thing I can offer you other than my skill as a martial artist! What good am I?"

Akane's mouth opened and closed for a moment, as she stared back at him, flustered. Then she looked away. She sat, desperately trying to come up with an answer, for a long moment. Then, her expression fell, and she sighed. A look of grim determination came over her face.

"You're right," she said, as she turned to look back at Ranma. Her expression was stern, harsh. "I don't need you to protect me. I have to fight my own battles. A martial artist's life is fraught with peril. You CAN'T protect me, Ranma. My life will always be in danger, just as your life is always in danger. There will always be people who come after me because they want to get to you, or because they want to get rid of me.

"I could die tomorrow. If Shampoo wanted to, she could sneak into the house and kill me in my sleep. If Cologne wanted me dead, I wouldn't have a chance, there wouldn't be anything you could do to stop her." Ranma flinched, and kept his eyes turned away. "Heck, I could be hit by a car. I could catch an incurable disease. I know all too well how precious, and how short life is."

Akane studied him for a moment, while Ranma clenched his fists in frustration. "You can't protect me, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Ranma. I won't let you do that to me, and I won't let you do that to yourself! You can't do that to yourself, Ranma, it would make you paranoid to hover over me, waiting for the slightest little threat. I won't let you put me on a shelf like some porcelain doll, Ranma! I want to live, and I want you to live, and I will NOT live in fear!"

"That's why I need you to TRAIN me, Ranma!" Akane insisted, leaning closer to catch his eye. "I need to be strong enough to protect myself, so you don't have to! Don't you realize that when you put yourself in danger to protect me, it scares me? I'm just as scared of losing you as you are of losing me! And I hate feeling like I'm the one that's putting you in danger."

"So no, Ranma, I don't need you to protect me. I'm a martial artist. I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

Her expression softened, and Akane reached forward, to turn Ranma's chin to face her. "But just because I don't need you to protect me, Ranma, that doesn't mean that I don't NEED YOU... for so much more." She kissed him.

When the kiss ended, Akane smiled as Ranma stared back at her, startled. "I need you to stand beside me. I need to know that you're watching my back... even when you're not going to step in. I need to know that you believe in me.

"I need to know that you're cheering me on, and you'll be there to celebrate my victory. And when I fail, as I invariably will, I need you to pick me up, dust me off, and tell me to get back in there. I need my victories to be your victories, and my losses to be your losses. And I need to know that your victories are my victories, that you're fighting for us both.

"I need you to LOVE me, Ranma." Akane dropped her eyes, shyly. "I need you to be my fiancé, my... my lover, my husband, and eventually, the father of my children." She began to blush, deeply, and looked away. The last words were almost whispered.

"You are MY strength, Ranma. You're the reason I have the confidence to keep trying. And you have never disappointed me, or let me down. As long as I've got you cheering me on, Ranma, I feel like I can do anything."

Akane paused a moment, while Ranma gave her a sheepish smile. "Ranma, I can understand why you would believe that if you ever failed to be a martial artist and a man among men, no one could ever love you. Your stupid father may believe that, but your sister doesn't, and I'm pretty sure your mother would come around in time. But no matter what, Ranma, I will always love you... even if you can't protect me, even if you can't teach in my dojo, even if you have to travel around the world for the rest of your life, searching for a cure to the moxibustion or your curse."

She poked him in the chest. "But you're taking me with you, baka. Don't you think otherwise, even for a minute. We can always leave the kids with Daddy and Kasumi." Ranma snorted at that.

"I will love you, Ranma, even when we're both old and grey, and hobbling around on walkers. Although I suspect when we get to be that age, you'll be running around flirting with all the girls like the pervert you are... while I chase around after you perched on the end of a staff.

"But that's okay," Akane said, "because even if you're a pervert, you're my pervert." She stood up, and offered Ranma her hand. "So come on, let's train. I know you and Ucchan want to work this out without me, but I want to help."

Ranma eyed her with a dubious but inquisitive smirk. "You really think you can make a hotter fighting aura than my Sis?"

"I know I can," Akane answered, with a confident smirk of her own. "You see, I know that there's more than one way to make a hot battle aura. It doesn't just have to be anger. There are other strong emotions that work just as well."

Ranma took her hand, and got to his feet. "What emotions?" he asked.

"You'll just have to fight me and see." Akane's voice was teasing. She walked to the center of the clearing and took up a stance. "And I think I can help with the Soul of Ice, too."

Ranma took up a position opposite to her, masking his stance as usual. "Oh, really?"

"Ranma, do you remember when I promised you that when I was ready for you to look at me... ALL of me... I would let you know?" Her smile was mischievous, and her eyes twinkled, with desire as well as amusement.

The black haired martial artist eyed his fiancée with suspicion. He didn't drop his guard. "Yeah."

"Well, that day may be today." She blushed a little, shrugging her shoulders sheepishly. "After all, it's for a good cause, and if it'll help you to get your strength back..."

She straightened up, and locked eyes with Ranma as her confidence returned. "So, you need to control your emotions to master the Soul of Ice?" she asked, loosening her belt slightly. "Let's see how cool and in control you can be when I do this..." She lifted her hand to her collar. She pulled the off-yellow fabric of her gi down, over her bare, rounded shoulder. Then she stood there, watching him with a smug grin on her face. Ranma was a little confused by her attitude, as she hadn't pulled the gi down far enough to expose her chest.

It took Ranma a moment to figure it out, but once he did, his heart began to beat faster. Akane was baring her shoulder to show him that there was no bra strap. Akane wasn't wearing a bra under her gi! Ranma couldn't hide his reaction, and Akane's smile widened as she noticed. She pulled the neckline of her gi back up over her shoulder, but left it hanging loosely open, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of the flesh underneath. Ranma figured it would show even more tantalizing flashes of skin as Akane moved around.

Ranma dropped the pretense of his masked stance and put up his hands in readiness for Akane's attack. "I knew you were actin' funny before, when you an' Mom were makin' those jokes about the picture. When did you learn how ta get so sexy, tomboy?"

"When you started calling me cute," Akane said. Her battle aura sprang to life. "Remember I said you should try it, and see what it gets you? Well, this is what it gets you."

Akane charged, and Ranma braced himself for her attack. She threw a few kicks to make him work to dodge them, and then darted forward with an open hand strike when she saw an opening. To Ranma's surprise, the attack was lightning fast, and slipped past his guard, but she didn't slap him. Instead, she reached out with her hand and caressed his face. When Ranma lifted his hand to block her, she twisted out of his grasp, and her other hand brushed his muscular arm as she circled around behind him.

As she passed, Akane leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, her face just inches from his. "I'll let you decide if I'm wearing panties or not," she said. As she continued around behind him, Ranma felt her press against him, her body soft and growing warmer. It took him a moment to realize she had rubbed her bottom against his, and by that time she had already twisted away and put some distance between them.

Ranma turned around, swallowing hard at the pounding that had begun in his chest. This was no way to maintain the Soul of Ice! But obviously that was Akane's plan, and Ranma had to admit that it was a pretty good one. Akane's lust was dominating her aura now, way more than before, when she had been training the Bakusai Tenketsu with him watching. He could feel its heat, and it put both his and his sister's attempts to shame. And he would definitely have to concentrate in order to keep from responding to her advances. And from the smug grin on her face, Ranma guessed that she was planning to press her "attack" until he did.

Forcing his traitorous hormones back under control, Ranma moved in, hoping to take the initiative. Akane's grin grew even wider. Now looking and feeling even more confident, she twirled inside Ranma's attack, dodging him as he so often dodged her. Her gi parted slightly, and Ranma was distracted by a glimpse of flesh. Unable to let the opening pass, Akane again darted in and caressed his face, blowing a kiss to him as she backed away. Her movements were surprisingly graceful, and Ranma grinned as he realized why. His tomboy was dancing with him!

Not one to back down from a challenge, Ranma adjusted his own steps to match her playful attempts to keep out of his reach. Ranma had never danced before, but he knew of the concept, and he had made a point to study anything that had anything to do with balance and movement. As with ice skating, it didn't take him long to pick up anything new, and he didn't have to worry about his feet going everywhere. Akane seemed impressed as he kept her on her toes, forcing her to have to keep moving to avoid him.

Unfortunately, trying to get close to her was playing into her hands, and she continued to brush up against him even as she pushed him away. By now Ranma was having to devote a good portion of his focus to the Soul of Ice, and treat the dance like a technique, and not the seduction it was rapidly turning into. Akane's breathing had become deep and sensual, and a sheen of sweat had broken out on her body. Ranma found her scent intoxicating, to an extent he had never experienced before.

Akane almost didn't have to be naked. As her gi became soaked with sweat, it started to stick to her in a very revealing way. Ranma's attention was suddenly drawn away from his fiancée, as he became aware of a faint presence from the trees around them. He started to glance in that direction, but Akane reacted to his distraction and darted in again. Ranma felt it likely that Akane was completely unaware of the eavesdropper, as her attention seemed to be entirely on him. She ran her hands over his chest in a very arousing way, and then turned to dart back out of reach.

This time, however, Ranma was ready for her, and caught her in his embrace. Akane slammed into him, her chest against his chest, and she gasped. The Soul of Ice almost shattered, but somehow Ranma managed to hold it. As cold as the Soul of Ice was, embracing Akane felt like he was trying to hold a red hot ball of fire in his arms. A very sweaty, nicely rounded, and breathless red hot ball of fire.

Not to be outdone, Akane leaned forward and began to kiss him as passionately as she could. In the back of his mind, a little part of Ranma noted that he had long ago given up on following the spiral, but he stubbornly maintained the Soul of Ice anyhow. Training was training. He also put the eavesdropper out of his mind. After all, it could only be Ukyo or Cologne; his father would be too loud and obnoxious to sneak up without him knowing, and he felt that he probably would have sensed his mother as well. Ucchan knew about his relationship with Akane, and the old ghoul did as well, and if Cologne had a problem with that, well, he would deal with that later.

"Have you decided whether I'm wearing any panties yet?" Akane purred, pulling away from him slightly to stroke his chest.

Ranma looked down at her, weighing his options. "No matter what I say, I'm a pervert, right?"

"Of course you are!" Akane said brightly. "Either way, you're thinking about it!" She continued to caressed his chest, running her fingers lightly over the silk shirt. "But it's okay, because as long as it's with your fiancée, it's okay to be a pervert." She smiled, her hand trailing downwards. "And as long as it's with you..." She looked up into his eyes, biting her lip. "I can be..." Her hand strayed lower, over his stomach. "... your... pervert." Her fingers brushed the waistband of his pants.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Finally, I can post a preview of what I have been working on for this chapter on a Friday. Picking up where the last post left off, here's about 2000 words:

+++

The moment was abruptly cut short by a blast of wind from the forest behind them, which picked up the leaves and bits of underbrush and sent them spinning around the clearing. Ranma and Akane turned as one, startled, although Ranma had sensed a sudden build-up of anger just before the battle aura was unleashed. He was only slightly surprised to see Ukyo step out of the trees, her teeth clenched, and shaking with anger. The real shock was that she had gotten this angry, this quickly. Did he and Akane really make her this jealous?

Akane definitely had not sensed Ukyo before, because she was completely taken by surprise. She yelped, and jumped away from Ranma, looking more embarrassed and ashamed than Ranma had ever seen before. She blushed and wrapped her arms around her body, in order to hide the signs of her arousal. "It's not what you think!" She yelled, mostly out of habit. "I'm just helping Ranma with his training, honest!"

"NO!" Ukyo screamed back. "I'm the one who helps Ranma! I CAN help him with his training, I CAN! He doesn't need you!"

Akane was taken aback by her friend's sudden fury, and fumbled for what to say. "I-I don't know what you mean, Ucchan! I'm not trying to replace you! I could never take your place, I know that! I'm just trying to help!"

"LIAR! You told me yourself you were jealous of what Ranchan and I had!" Her eyes were wild, filled with desperation and fear, almost to the edge of madness. "I won't let you take him away from me! I won't let you leave me alone! Ranchan always comes back for me! He never abandons me!"

Ranma stepped between her and Akane. "Sis, you know it ain't like that. How I feel for Akane don't change how I feel about you..."

Ukyo focused on him, her anger not fading in the least. "I'm the one who protects you, Ranchan, not her! I keep you safe, and we keep her safe! She doesn't have to risk her life for you, that's my job! I've spent my whole life protecting you! I won't let you turn to her instead!"

Akane frowned as she considered Ukyo's words. Did it really bother her this much to no longer be Ranma's sole protector, or was something else going on? Akane could sense that Ukyo wasn't being entirely honest, maybe even with herself. "Ucchan, you said that you trusted me to protect Ranma! That you were happy you could finally pursue your dream of being a chef! I'm just honored that you're willing to let me help you protect Ranma. I don't want you to feel like we don't need you."

"NO!" Ukyo said again. "If I can't protect Ranchan, I'm nothing! I've sacrificed so much for him, my cooking, my family's art, even my life as a woman! I've wasted ten years of my life looking after him, keeping him safe! I won't let those years go to waste! Ranchan is mine!" With that, she charged at Akane, swinging her spatula wildly.

Despite Ukyo's speed, Akane still managed to dodge her strike and dart back out of range. Ranma hesitated only a moment before he put himself back between Akane and his sister. Ukyo swung at him, and Ranma dodged aside, trying to lead her away from his fiancée. Akane stood ready for any attack, but kept her distance, letting Ranma draw Ukyo's attention.

Ranma shook his head, confused. He'd been shocked when Ukyo tried to kiss him, and didn't want to believe it when she said she had suppressed feelings for him, but now it was obvious that this was more than just a misunderstanding. Had he blinded himself to his sister's romantic intentions, fooling himself into thinking she just loved him as a brother? Was this all his fault for not noticing sooner?

The thought crossed his mind that Ukyo's argument, that she was useless if she couldn't defend him, was exactly how he felt about Akane. Had his Pops' crazy training made them both like that? It was actually kind of shocking to see that from another point of view. Now he could see why Akane had been so quick to straighten him out.
Maybe he could use that. "Look, Sis, I appreciate that you wanna protect me, and y'know, I wanna protect you, too. But sometimes you gotta let folks fight on their own. It don't mean I care about ya any less, that I wanna spar with Akane too. I wanna spar with BOTH of ya!"

Ukyo didn't seem to hear him, though, and swung her spatula at the both of them. Behind him, Ranma heard Akane sigh.

"It's no good, Ranma. I think Ukyo's intentionally using her jealousy of us to drive herself into the Neko-Ken. It's made her battle aura a lot hotter that it was before, even hotter than mine was a few minutes ago. She's still trying to teach you the Hiryu Shoten Ha, just like I was."

Ranma glanced back at her. He was then forced to grab Akane and throw her aside as Ukyo took advantage of the opening and smashed him with her spatula. He was able to keep on his feet, but without the strength to resist the impact, he was thrown quite a distance away. Ukyo turned towards Akane.

"Ukyo! I know you don't want to hurt Ranma!" Akane yelled, as she took up a stance. As Ukyo moved in, she ducked under the arc of the spatula and threw a forward kick at Ukyo's ribs. The kick hit home, but in her Neko-Ken fueled rage Ukyo simply ignored it and brought the spatula back around for another pass. Akane leaped over it, and then darted back trying to get out of range.

"You can't maintain that anger forever!" Akane continued "You're got to keep up your concentration on it! I don't want to hurt you, but maybe I can trip you up and make you lose your focus." With that, Akane darted back in. Ukyo was ready for her, though, and knocked her aside with a leg sweep. As Akane turned to block Ukyo's counterattack, her spatula smashed her across the face.

Akane only had enough time to note that Ukyo had hit her with the flat of the blade, not the edge. At least she retained enough of herself to not strike to kill. Then she saw stars as the spatula hit her. She flew across the rocky ground, and smashed into one of the larger stones, reducing it to rubble. Akane collapsed in the pile, and lay still.

"Akane!" Ranma started to run to her side, but Ukyo turned to face him, brandishing the spatula. He grimaced as he noticed the look in her eyes. She had spared Akane, but while in the Neko-Ken she was fighting to the death, and was willing to kill if necessary.

"You shouldn't have done that, Sis. I know you really didn't want to hurt Akane, it's just the Neko-Ken talkin'. But I still can't let you hurt her."

"This is all her fault," Ukyo growled. "Everything was fine until she came along. I was perfectly happy to think about you as my brother, and not know about these deeper feelings I have for you. I was just fine with spending the rest of my life with you as your sister! But she had to come along and fall in love with you. And it took getting jealous of the two of you before I could admit that I REALLY LOVE YOU!"

"You're talkin' crazy, Sis!" Ranma said, disturbed at how it sounded when said out loud. "We can't be like that, we're... we're..." We're actually not brother and sister, he wryly reminded himself. How do I make it clear to her how I feel?

Ukyo shook her head, though, tears gathering in her eyes. "Don't you think I know that? I feel the same way! But I still love you! I'm trapped, just the way you're trapped. But I can protect you, and show my love for you that way! I CAN help you learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and this is how! If I've got to attack you seriously in order for you to master the Soul of Ice, then I CAN attack you with the intent to kill!"

With that, she charged. Ranma set his stance, but as she brought down the spatula, he wasn't even able to budge it. He barely managed to spin out of the way in time. "Sis, come on! Snap out of it! I don't want to fight you like this!"

"Too bad! You'll fight me, or die trying! And if I've got to kill you to teach you the Hiryu Shoten Ha, I will! You'll learn it, or we'll BOTH die trying! At least that way, we can be together!"

She came at him, her turquoise eyes wide with insanity. "IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, NO ONE CAN!"

"Oh, geez," Ranma muttered to himself, as their battle carried them towards where Akane had fallen. He was trying to redirect Ukyo's charge, but she was simply too strong, and he was too weak. He didn't think Ukyo was consciously heading in Akane's direction, but her swings were wild and dangerous. Ranma ducked behind a tree, hoping to use it as a shield, but Ukyo simply slashed through it.

Ranma heard a quiet moan as Akane stirred behind him. Ukyo's attention was drawn to the sound, and she spotted Akane. Ranma leaped forward as Ukyo moved towards her, raising her spatula. Akane moaned again, struggling to lift her head, but she was still too dazed to be aware of the danger. Ranma would have to block the blow, or Akane would take it. And Ukyo was using the edge of the blade.

Remembering the fight with Kuno, Ranma didn't try to grab Ukyo's spatula. Instead, he leaped on top of it, hoping to use his weight to turn it so the flat side was towards him. Ukyo pulled the spatula back, but his trick worked. As she slammed the spatula into him, he was hit by the flat side, and thrown past Akane. Ukyo followed.

Ranma splashed down into the river, rolling across the jagged rocks as her body transformed into Ukyo's. The change didn't seem to stop her sister. Before she could even move, Ukyo was on top of her, the spatula coming down in an arc. "We'll die together, in the same body," Ukyo said, her eyes still wild, but with tears running down her cheeks. "Maybe that's how it should be."

Ranma heard Akane call out, "No!", but she was clearly in no condition to help. Ranma threw her arms up over her face, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the blow. This is gonna hurt, Ranma thought, as she steeled herself for the inevitable.

There was a loud clang. And then quiet, as the expected blow did not come. Ranma peeked out from behind her arms to see Ukyo's spatula blocked by an umbrella. Ryoga stood over his fallen rival, braced on the rocks over the shallow stream. His leggings were keeping the splashing water from transforming him, for the moment.

 

[AlanMidnight]

Sorry, but there is no preview for this week. I wasn't able to finish anything in time for Friday. Maybe I can post something Saturday or Sunday, but I think I'll look to making sure the whole chapter is ready for posting next Friday.

 

[AlanMidnight]

All right, it's 3 days before Friday, but I'm still going to post the chapter anyway. I almost ended it on a cliffhanger, but I decided not to leave Ryoga and Ukyo hanging in the air about to die... It's 8080 words.


Chapter 15

The Darkness in Ukyo's Heart

+++

Ranma sat crouched in the darkness, staring off into the distance across the rushing stream. The forest around him was filled with the sound of crickets and cicadas, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice. He and Ukyo had continued their training all day and well after sunset, but he still couldn't seem to master the Soul of Ice. Ukyo had gone back to the camp to make dinner for everyone, but Ranma had stayed behind. He felt like the secret of the Soul of Ice was almost in his grasp, but he couldn't quite reach it.

He had trained in the spiral by himself, going through the steps as if it was a kata, but success eluded him. And Ranma just knew that the old freak Happosai was running around Nerima even now, raiding houses for girls' panties and bras, and sneaking around and causing trouble. The longer it took him to master the Hiryu Shoten Ha, the more time Happosai had to chase girls. At least school was out, which mean there wouldn't be anyone in the Furinkan girl's locker room, but who knows what mischief the pervert would get up to if he didn't have the locker room to raid?

What was worse, Ranma was sure that the old freak was gloating over his victory. He probably believed that he had beaten Ranma, that he had won, and gotten his way. He expected Ranma and even Ucchan to come groveling and bowing before him, begging for the chart that showed the cure for the moxibustion. It make Ranma furious, and he unconsciously clenched his fist. He could picture the old man grinning smugly, and wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off his face. He would show that freak that he hadn't been defeated! But he couldn't do that as long as the secret of the Hiryu Shoten Ha remained out of his reach.

Ranma could sense Akane's presence well before she came near him. The crack of a twig confirmed her approach. She made her way through the trees at a casual pace, not hurrying. He could smell that she was carrying a plate of okonomiyaki, but he ignored both the food and her. His stomach tried to remind him that it had been a long time since he had last eaten, but he stubbornly ignored that, too. He wasn't ready to quit training yet, not until he had mastered the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and could show that old pervert that he wasn't a weakling.

Akane stopped behind him and waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she poked him in the back of the head. "You're leaving yourself wide open, dummy," she said, and then dropped the plate in his lap. Ranma tried to ignore the food for a little while longer, but he couldn't manage to resist the mouthwatering smell of his sister's cooking. He picked up one of the okonomiyaki and devoured it hungrily, hunching over in a feeble attempt to continue to ignore his amused fiancée.

Akane crouched down next to him, dusting off one of the bare rocks on the bank of the stream, before sitting down. She was still wearing her gi, along with a dark red headband to keep the sweat out of her eyes. "I knew you'd be hungry, so I brought you two." She stretched out her legs, pretending to ignore Ranma as he gobbled down the other okonomiyaki.

Ranma finished off his meal, and then handed Akane back the plate. He grunted a non-committal "Thanks," hoping she would take the hint and go away. Instead she set the plate aside, and gave him a long, appraising look.

"You aren't going to pout, are you?" she asked, her voice teasing. "Are you giving up? That's not the Ranma I know." Ranma just looked away from her. Akane waited for a long moment, for him to respond, but he remained silent. Finally, she sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"You'll get this, Ranma. I know you will. Remember how long it took to learn the Chestnut Fist? You burned your arms and couldn't stand the training for a couple of days at least. But finally you found another way to learn the technique, by looking at the problem from another direction. I'm sure this will be the same."

The pigtailed martial artist still refused to speak. Akane stared at him for yet another long minute, and then huffed. "Well, your attitude hasn't changed, at least."

Ranma let out a loud sigh. "It's not that, Akane. The old ghoul says I can learn it, an' I believe her. But what if I learn it, but I'm still not strong enough to beat that little freak? What if he knows a counter to the Hiryu Shoten Ha, or he doesn't give up the scroll when I beat him? What if he gets mad and tears it up instead? What if there is no cure, and the old pervert's lying?"

"Well, there's got to be a cure, Ranma, Dr. Tofu said so. If Grandfather Happosai doesn't have the chart, we simply have to find it."

"That could take years." Ranma was quiet for a moment. "Your Pop isn't gonna to want me to hang around when I can't join the schools of Anything Goes anymore, and my Pops will probably cause a big stink too. I... I won't be able to stand listenin' ta the big fat idiot goin' on about how 'weak' I am all the time, so I'll have to strike out on my own so I don't abandon him in a ditch somewhere. I could be gone for months, years, searching for that scroll, or some other cure to the old freak's moxibustion..."

He fell silent again. When he spoke up again, his voice was desperate, almost pleading. "Would... would you be willing to... wait for me?"

Akane smiled, widely. "Wait for you? I'm not going to wait for you, Ranma, I'll come with you!" Her eyes narrowed as Ranma started to protest. "And don't you dare say, 'I don't need no girl slowing me down'! You won't be able to stop your sister, and if she's coming along, then I am too!

"Besides, you need us to carry your stuff." Akane's teasing grin returned. "You couldn't even lift your backpack when we left yesterday. You could barely even lift your own tent to put it up!"

Ranma growled and looked away again. Akane's smile faded as she realized she had struck a nerve. "Look, I know you don't like people to see you like this. You'd rather face this alone, I get that. But I don't see you as weak, Ranma, you just... you've just had a momentary setback, that's all. You'll beat Happosai, and you'll be back to yourself in no time!"

"What if I'm not, Akane? What if I really do have to leave you, leave Sis, and set off on a search for a cure?" He turned to meet Akane's eyes. "Would you really leave your home, your family, everything you've got, to look after a washed-up, has-been martial artist? Would you really give all that up?"

"Of course I would!" Akane looked shocked that Ranma even asked the question. "You know I would! I don't..."

Ranma interrupted her, almost yelling. "Why would you do that? Are you stupid or something? I wouldn't be able to protect you! You'd have to protect me! I can't let you risk your life like that!"

"It's my choice, Ranma!" Akane shot back. "And I choose to be with you! And so what if it's dangerous! It's better than facing it alone!"

"Akane, I ain't got nuthin' to offer you!" He paused a moment, to let that sink in, and then looked away. "I... all I've got is my martial arts. I ain't got no money, and I can't work for a livin'. I've never done nuthin' but odd jobs, and I can't cook like Sis or do good in school like you.

"I know you want to carry on your family legacy, be a martial arts sensei, but I don't know if that's what I wanna do. My Pops didn't exactly train me in a reasonable way, and I'm pretty sure none o' my students are gonna want to be thrown into a pit of cats. I don't even know if I can teach the way you learned it." He idly poked at a small rock that was sitting in front of him. "I mean, I always knew I wouldn't be followin' around Pops forever, but I always figured I'd just keep travelling, and learning ta be the best on my own.

"All I've really got to offer is my name, you know, the Saotome School of Anything Goes, and... my protection. That's the thing, even if the house and the dojo and all that are really yours, and even if you got fed up with me and didn't want me around, at least I could keep you safe. You'd need me, to protect the dojo from folks like that Dojo Destroyer." He sighed. "But without my strength... I can't even do that."

Akane stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. When he didn't say anything, she spoke up. "Ranma, that doesn't mean you have to leave. You've got plenty to offer. And I'm sure my father would agree if..."

"Would he? Ya really think so? When I can't protect his little girl any more? An' never mind what my Pops and Mom are gonna say..."

"But that doesn't mean you have to leave!" Akane insisted. "You don't have to be strong, Ranma. You can... you can... You've got plenty of things going for you other than martial arts."

"Name one!" Ranma snapped, his voice rising again. "Name one thing I can offer you other than my skill as a martial artist! What good am I?"

Akane's mouth opened and closed for a moment, as she stared back at him, flustered. Then she looked away. She sat, desperately trying to come up with an answer, for a long moment. Then, her expression fell, and she sighed. A look of grim determination came over her face.

"You're right," she said, as she turned to look back at Ranma. Her expression was stern, harsh. "I don't need you to protect me. I have to fight my own battles. A martial artist's life is fraught with peril. You can't protect me, Ranma. My life will always be in danger, just as your life is always in danger. Even if I didn't have my own battles to fight, your rivals might threaten me to get to you.

"I could die tomorrow. If Shampoo wanted to, she could sneak into the house and kill me in my sleep. If Cologne wanted me dead, I wouldn't have a chance, there wouldn't be anything you could do to stop her." Ranma flinched, and kept his eyes turned away. "Heck, I could be hit by a car. I could catch an incurable disease. I know all too well how precious, and how short life is."

Akane studied him for a moment, while Ranma clenched his fists in frustration. "You can't protect me, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Ranma. I won't let you do that to me, and I won't let you do that to yourself! You can't do that to yourself, Ranma, it would make you paranoid to hover over me, waiting for the slightest little threat. I won't let you put me on a shelf like some porcelain doll, Ranma! I want to live, and I want you to live, and I will not live in fear!"

"That's why I need you to train me, Ranma!" Akane insisted, leaning closer to catch his eye. "I need to be strong enough to protect myself, so you don't have to! Don't you realize that when you put yourself in danger to protect me, it scares me? I'm just as scared of losing you as you are of losing me. And I hate feeling like I'm the one that's putting you in danger."

She sat back, her harsh expression returning. "So yes, Ranma, I don't need you to protect me. I'm a martial artist. I can protect myself."

Her expression softened, and Akane reached forward, to turn Ranma's chin to face her. "But just because I don't need you to protect me, Ranma, that doesn't mean that I don't need you... for so much more." She kissed him.

When the kiss ended, Akane smiled as Ranma stared back at her, startled. "I need you to stand beside me. I need to know that you're watching my back... even when you're not going to step in. I need to know that you believe in me.

"I need to know that you're cheering me on, and you'll be there to celebrate my victory. And when I fail, as I invariably will, I need you to pick me up, dust me off, and tell me to get back in there and keep fighting. I need my victories to be your victories, and my losses to be your losses. And I need to know that your victories are my victories, that you're fighting for us both.

"I need you to love me, Ranma." Akane dropped her eyes, shyly. "I need you to be my fiancé, my... my lover, my husband, and eventually, the father of my children." She began to blush, deeply, and looked away. The last words were almost whispered.

"You are my strength, Ranma. You're the reason I have the confidence to keep trying. And you have never disappointed me, or let me down. As long as I've got you cheering me on, Ranma, I feel like I can do anything."

Akane paused a moment, while Ranma gave her a sheepish smile. "Ranma, I can understand why you would believe that if you ever failed to be a martial artist and a man among men, no one could ever love you. Your stupid father may believe that, but your sister doesn't, and I'm pretty sure your mother would come around in time. But no matter what, Ranma, I will always love you... even if you can't protect me, even if you can't teach in my dojo, even if you have to travel around the world for the rest of your life, searching for a cure to the moxibustion or your curse."

She poked him in the chest. "But you're taking me with you, baka. Don't you think otherwise, even for a minute. We can always leave the kids with Daddy and Kasumi." Ranma snorted at that.

"I will love you, Ranma, even when we're both old and grey, and hobbling around on walkers. Although I suspect when we get to be that age, you'll be running around flirting with all the girls like the pervert you are... while I chase around after you perched on the end of a staff.

"But that's okay," Akane said, "because even if you're a pervert, you're my pervert." She stood up, and offered Ranma her hand. "So come on, let's train. I know you and Ucchan want to work this out without me, but I want to help."

Ranma eyed her with a dubious but inquisitive smirk. "You really think you can make a hotter fighting aura than my Sis?"

"I know I can," Akane answered, with a confident smirk of her own. "You see, I know that there's more than one way to make a hot battle aura. It doesn't have to be anger. There are other strong emotions that work just as well."

Ranma took her hand, and got to his feet. "What emotions?" he asked.

"You'll just have to fight me and see." Akane's voice was teasing. She walked to the center of the clearing and took up a stance. "And I think I can help with the Soul of Ice, too."

Ranma took up a position opposite her, masking his stance as usual. "Oh, really?"

"Ranma, do you remember when I promised you that when I was ready for you to look at me... all of me... I would let you know?" Her smile was mischievous, and her eyes twinkled, with desire as well as amusement.

The black haired martial artist eyed his fiancée with suspicion. He didn't drop his guard. "Yeah."

"Well, that day may be today." She blushed a little, shrugging her shoulders sheepishly. "After all, it's for a good cause, and if it'll help you to get your strength back..."

She straightened up, and locked eyes with Ranma as her confidence returned. "So, you need to control your emotions to master the Soul of Ice?" she asked, loosening her belt slightly. "Let's see how cool and in control you can be when I do this..."

She lifted her hand to her collar. She pulled the off-yellow fabric of her gi down, over her bare, rounded shoulder. Then she stood there, watching him with a smug grin on her face. Ranma was a little confused by her attitude, as she hadn't pulled the gi down far enough to expose her chest.

It took Ranma a moment to figure it out, but once he did, his heart began to beat faster. Akane was baring her shoulder to show him that there was no bra strap. Akane wasn't wearing a bra under her gi! Ranma couldn't hide his reaction, and Akane's smile widened as she noticed. She pulled the neckline of her gi back up over her shoulder, but left it hanging loosely open, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of the flesh underneath. Ranma figured it would show even more tantalizing flashes of skin as Akane moved around.

Ranma dropped the pretense of his masked stance and put up his hands in readiness for Akane's attack. "I knew you were actin' funny before, when you an' Mom were makin' those jokes about the picture. When did you learn how ta get so sexy, tomboy?"

"When you started calling me cute," Akane said. Her battle aura sprang to life. "Remember I said you should try it, and see what it gets you? Well, this is what it gets you."

Akane charged, and Ranma braced himself for her attack. She threw a few kicks to make him work to dodge them, and then darted forward with an open hand strike when she saw an opening. To Ranma's surprise, the attack was lightning fast, and slipped past his guard, but she didn't slap him. Instead, she reached out with her hand and caressed his face. When Ranma lifted his hand to block her, she twisted out of his grasp, and her other hand brushed his muscular arm as she circled around behind him.

As she passed, Akane leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, her face just inches from his. "I'll let you decide if I'm wearing panties or not," she said. As she continued around behind him, Ranma felt her press against him, her body soft and growing warmer. It took him a moment to realize she had rubbed her bottom against his, and by that time she had already twisted away and put some distance between them.

Ranma turned around, swallowing hard at the pounding that had begun in his chest. This was no way to maintain the Soul of Ice! But obviously that was Akane's plan, and Ranma had to admit that it was a pretty good one. Akane's lust was dominating her aura now, way more than before, when he watched her train the Bakusai Tenketsu. He could feel its heat, and it put both his and his sister's attempts to shame. And he would definitely have to concentrate in order to keep from responding to her advances. And from the smug grin on her face, Ranma guessed that she was planning to press her "attack" until he did.

Forcing his traitorous hormones back under control, Ranma moved in, hoping to take the initiative. Akane's grin grew even wider. Now looking and feeling even more confident, she twirled inside Ranma's attack, dodging him as he so often dodged her. Her gi parted slightly, and Ranma was distracted by a glimpse of flesh. Unable to let the opening pass, Akane again darted in and caressed his face, blowing a kiss to him as she backed away. Her movements were surprisingly graceful, and Ranma grinned as he realized why. His tomboy was dancing with him!

Not one to back down from a challenge, Ranma adjusted his own steps to match her playful attempts to keep out of his reach. Ranma had never danced before, but he knew of the concept, and he had made a point to study anything that had anything to do with balance and movement. As with ice skating, it didn't take him long to pick up anything new, and he didn't have to worry about his feet going everywhere. Akane seemed impressed as he kept her on her toes, forcing her to have to keep moving to avoid him.

Unfortunately, trying to get close to her was playing into her hands, and she continued to brush up against him even as she pushed him away. By now Ranma was having to devote a good portion of his focus to the Soul of Ice, and treat the dance like a technique, and not the seduction it was rapidly turning into. Akane's breathing had become deep and sensual, and a sheen of sweat had broken out on her body. Ranma found her scent intoxicating, to an extent he had never experienced before.

Akane almost didn't have to be naked. As her gi became soaked with sweat, it started to stick to her in a very revealing way. Ranma's attention was suddenly drawn away from his fiancée, as he became aware of a faint presence from the trees around them. He started to glance in that direction, but Akane reacted to his distraction and darted in again. Ranma felt it likely that Akane was completely unaware of the eavesdropper, as her attention seemed to be entirely on him. She ran her hands over his chest in a very arousing way, and then turned to dart back out of reach.

This time, however, Ranma was ready for her, and caught her in his embrace. Akane slammed into him, her chest against his chest, and she gasped. The Soul of Ice almost shattered, but somehow Ranma managed to hold it. As cold as the Soul of Ice was, embracing Akane felt like he was trying to hold a red hot ball of fire in his arms. A very sweaty, nicely rounded, and breathless red hot ball of fire.

Not to be outdone, Akane leaned forward and began to kiss him as passionately as she could. In the back of his mind, a little part of Ranma noted that he had long ago given up on following the spiral, but he stubbornly maintained the Soul of Ice anyhow. Training was training. He also put the eavesdropper out of his mind. After all, it could only be Ukyo or Cologne; his father would be too loud and obnoxious to sneak up without him knowing, and he felt that he probably would have sensed his mother as well. Ucchan knew about his relationship with Akane, and the old ghoul did as well, and if Cologne had a problem with that, well, he would deal with that later.

"Have you decided whether I'm wearing any panties yet?" Akane purred, pulling away from him slightly to stroke his chest.

Ranma looked down at her, weighing his options. "No matter what I say, I'm a pervert, right?"

"Of course you are!" Akane said brightly. "Either way, you're thinking about it!" She continued to caress his chest, running her fingers lightly over the silk shirt.

"But it's okay, because as long as it's with your fiancée, it's okay to be a pervert." She smiled, her hand trailing downwards. "And as long as it's with you..." She looked up into his eyes, biting her lip. "I can be..." Her hand strayed lower, over his stomach. "... your... pervert." Her fingers brushed the waistband of his pants.

The moment was abruptly cut short by a blast of wind from the forest behind them, which picked up the leaves and bits of underbrush and sent them spinning around the clearing. Ranma and Akane turned as one, startled, although Ranma had sensed a sudden build-up of anger just before the battle aura was unleashed. He was only slightly surprised to see Ukyo step out of the trees, her teeth clenched, and shaking with anger. Did he and Akane really make her this jealous?

Akane definitely had not sensed Ukyo before, because she was completely taken by surprise. She yelped, and jumped away from Ranma, looking more embarrassed and ashamed than Ranma had ever seen before. She blushed and wrapped her arms around her body, in order to hide the signs of her arousal. "It's not what you think!" She yelled, mostly out of habit. "I'm just helping Ranma with his training, honest!"

"No!" Ukyo screamed back. "I'm the one who helps Ranma! I can help him with his training, I can! He doesn't need you!"

Akane was taken aback by her friend's sudden fury, and fumbled for what to say. "I-I don't know what you mean, Ucchan! I'm not trying to replace you! I could never take your place, I know that! I'm just trying to help!"

"Liar! You told me yourself you were jealous of what Ranchan and I had!" Her eyes were wild, filled with desperation and fear, almost to the edge of madness. "I won't let you take him away from me! I won't let you leave me alone! Ranchan always comes back for me! He never abandons me!"

Ranma stepped between her and Akane. "Sis, you know it ain't like that. How I feel for Akane don't change how I feel about you..."

Ukyo focused on him, her anger not fading in the least. "I'm the one who protects you, Ranchan, not her! I keep you safe, and we keep her safe! She doesn't have to risk her life for you, that's my job! I've spent my whole life protecting you! I won't let you turn to her instead!"

Akane frowned as she considered Ukyo's words. Did it really bother her this much to no longer be Ranma's sole protector, or was something else going on? Akane could sense that Ukyo wasn't being entirely honest, maybe even with herself.

"Ucchan, you said that you trusted me to protect Ranma! That you were happy you could finally pursue your dream of being a chef! I'm just honored that you're willing to let me help you protect Ranma. I don't want you to feel like we don't need you."

"No!" Ukyo said again. "If I can't protect Ranchan, I'm nothing! I've sacrificed so much for him, my cooking, my family's art, even my life as a woman! I've wasted ten years of my life looking after him, keeping him safe! I won't let those years go to waste! Ranchan is mine!" With that, she charged at Akane, swinging her spatula wildly.

Despite Ukyo's speed, Akane still managed to dodge her strike and dart back out of range. Ranma hesitated only a moment before he put himself back between Akane and his sister. Ukyo swung at him, and Ranma dodged aside, trying to lead her away from his fiancée. Akane stood ready for any attack, but kept her distance, letting Ranma draw Ukyo's attention.

Ranma shook his head, confused. He'd been shocked when Ukyo tried to kiss him, and didn't want to believe it when she said she had suppressed feelings for him. But now it was obvious that this was more than just a misunderstanding. Had he blinded himself to his sister's romantic intentions, fooling himself into thinking she just loved him as a brother? Was this all his fault for not noticing sooner?

The thought crossed his mind that Ukyo's argument, that she was useless if she couldn't defend him, was exactly how he felt about Akane. Had his Pops' crazy training made them both like that? It was actually kind of shocking to see that from another point of view. Now he could see why Akane had been so quick to straighten him out.

Maybe he could use that. "Look, Sis, I appreciate that you wanna protect me, and y'know, I wanna protect you, too. But sometimes you gotta let folks fight on their own. It don't mean I care about ya any less, that I wanna spar with Akane too. I wanna spar with both of ya!"

Ukyo didn't seem to hear him, though, and swung her spatula at the both of them. Behind him, Ranma heard Akane sigh.

"It's no good, Ranma. I think Ukyo's intentionally using her jealousy of us to drive herself into the Neko-Ken. It's made her battle aura a lot hotter that it was before, even hotter than mine was a few minutes ago. She's still trying to teach you the Hiryu Shoten Ha, just like I was."

Ranma glanced back at her. Ukyo immediately took advantage of the opening, and Ranma tried to grab Akane and shove her behind him. Unfortunately, he couldn't budge the tomboy, but she took the hint and leaped aside. Then Ukyo smashed him with her spatula. Without the strength to resist the impact, he was thrown quite a distance away. Ukyo turned towards Akane.

"Ukyo! I know you don't want to hurt Ranma!" Akane yelled, as she took up a stance. As Ukyo moved in, she ducked under the arc of the spatula and threw a forward kick at Ukyo's ribs. The kick hit home, but in her Neko-Ken state Ukyo simply ignored it and brought the spatula back around for another pass. Akane leaped over it, and then jumped back trying to get out of range.

"You can't maintain that anger forever!" Akane continued "You've got to keep up your concentration on it! I don't want to hurt you, but maybe I can trip you up and make you lose your focus." With that, Akane darted back in. Ukyo was ready for her, though, and knocked her aside with a leg sweep. As Akane turned to block Ukyo's counterattack, her spatula smashed her across the face.

Akane only had enough time to note that Ukyo had hit her with the flat of the blade, not the edge. At least she retained enough of herself to not strike to kill. Then she saw stars from the force of the impact. She flew across the rocky ground, and smashed into one of the larger stones, reducing it to rubble. Akane collapsed in the pile, and lay still.

"Akane!" Ranma started to run to her side, but Ukyo turned to face him, brandishing the spatula. He grimaced as he noticed the look in her eyes. She had spared Akane, but while in the Neko-Ken she was fighting to the death, and was willing to kill if necessary.

"You shouldn't have done that, Sis. I know you really didn't want to hurt Akane, it's just the Neko-Ken talkin'. But I still can't let you hurt her."

"This is all her fault," Ukyo snarled. "Everything was fine until she came along. I was perfectly happy to think about you as my brother, and not know about these deeper feelings I have for you. I was just fine with spending the rest of my life with you as your sister! But she had to come along and fall in love with you. And it took getting jealous of the two of you before I could admit that I really love you!"

"You're talkin' crazy, Sis!" Ranma said, disturbed at how it sounded when said out loud. "We can't be like that, we're... we're..." We're actually not brother and sister, he wryly reminded himself. How do I make it clear to her how I feel?

Ukyo shook her head, though, tears gathering in her eyes. "Don't you think I know that? I feel the same way! But I still love you! I'm trapped, just the way you're trapped. But I can protect you, and show my love for you that way!

"I can help you learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and this is how! If I've got to attack you seriously in order for you to master the Soul of Ice, then I can attack you with the intent to kill!"

With that, she charged. Ranma set his stance, but as she brought down the spatula, he wasn't even able to budge it. He barely managed to spin out of the way in time. "Sis, come on! Snap out of it! I don't want to fight you like this!"

"Too bad! You'll fight me, or die trying! And if I've got to kill you to teach you the Hiryu Shoten Ha, I will! You'll learn it, or we'll both die trying! At least that way, we can be together!"

She came at him, her turquoise eyes wide with insanity. "If I can't have you, no one can!"

"Oh, geez," Ranma muttered to himself. His sister's words were almost too cliché to be believed, but she had driven herself so far into the Neko-Ken she was dead serious. Ranma ducked behind a tree, hoping to use it as a shield, but Ukyo simply slashed through it.

Their battle carried them towards where Akane had fallen. Ranma tried to redirect Ukyo's charge, but she was simply too strong, and he was too weak. He didn't think Ukyo was consciously heading in Akane's direction, but her swings were wild and dangerous.

Ranma heard a quiet moan as Akane stirred behind him. Ukyo's attention was drawn to the sound, and she spotted the dark haired girl. Ranma leaped forward as Ukyo moved towards her, raising her spatula. Akane moaned again, struggling to lift her head, but she was still too dazed to be aware of the danger. Ranma would have to block the blow, or Akane would take it. And Ukyo was using the edge of the blade.

Remembering the fight with Kuno, Ranma didn't try to grab Ukyo's spatula. Instead, he leaped on top of it, hoping to use his weight to turn it so the flat side was towards him. Ukyo pulled the spatula back, but his trick worked. As she slammed the spatula into him, he was hit by the flat side, and thrown past Akane. Ukyo followed.

Ranma splashed down into the river, rolling across the jagged rocks as her body transformed into Ukyo's. The change didn't seem to stop her sister. Before she could even move, Ukyo was on top of her, the spatula coming down in an arc. "We'll die together, in the same body," Ukyo said, her eyes still wild, but with tears running down her cheeks. "Maybe that's how it should be."

Ranma heard Akane call out, "No!", but she was clearly in no condition to help. Ranma threw her arms up over her face, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the blow. This is gonna hurt, Ranma thought, as she steeled herself for the inevitable.

There was a loud clang. And then quiet, as the expected blow did not come. Ranma peeked out from behind her arms to see Ukyo's spatula blocked by an umbrella. Ryoga stood over his fallen rival, braced on the rocks over the shallow stream. His leggings were keeping the splashing water from transforming him, for the moment.

"You don't want to do this, Ukyo!" Ryoga argued. "Believe me, I know how it tears you up inside, to see them happy! I know how it can hurt your broken heart, to see the one you love so happily in love with someone else! But you've got to do what is best for that other person, even if you must give up your own happiness!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Ukyo waved her spatula, fanning the flames of her rage even higher. If her tears had been a sign of regret before, that was gone, replaced with a new determination. "You're one to talk about love! After all you've done to my Ranchan, you dare to get in my way? Die, Ryoga!"

She charged, swinging at him with the spatula, and Ryoga didn't even try to dodge. It smashed into his face, and sent him flying across the stream onto the bank on the other side. Ukyo followed.

"Ryoga! Ukyo's not really jealous of us!" Akane called out, struggling to her feet. "She's just helping Ranma to train a new technique! She's driven herself into the Neko-Ken! She doesn't really mean what she's saying!"

Ryoga ignored her. He had gotten to his own feet, and ducked Ukyo's spatula. He spotted his fallen umbrella some distance away, and make a break for it. He really couldn't dodge Ukyo's attacks, like Ranma could, but he was strong enough to block a few blows from her spatula with his bare hands. And once he reclaimed his umbrella, the sound of steel on steel rang out in the clearing.

Akane made her way over to Ranma and helped her to her feet. She gave her currently female fiancée a look of exasperation. "They're not listening. It's just like before, when you both fought Ryoga for the cure to the Cat's Tongue. Those two just can't stop fighting. It's like we used to be, almost."

Ranma smirked at her. "Weren't you the one who was just trying to seduce me by fighting with me, tomboy?"

"Baka." Akane slapped at him half-heartedly, but blushed at the reminder of her shameless behavior. She wrapped her arms around her chest again, as her gi was still sticking to her skin.

"I'm afraid they're going to kill each other." She watched the obsessive couple continue to clash with each other. Ukyo was well past the point of hysteria, and Ryoga's own manner was unstable and overly dramatic, as if finding out about the engagement had pushed him over the edge too.

"Ukyo, you can't do this!" Ryoga was saying, "I know all too well that the world is a dark and lonely place! For all our troubles of the past, you three are probably the only friends I have. And I betrayed you! I don't deserve Akane's love, but I can at least do my part to help her be happy."

Akane sighed at this statement, shaking her head. Ukyo didn't seem swayed either. "I've had just about enough of your pity party, Charlotte! You want something to be depressed about? I'll give you something to be depressed about!" She swung at him again, and sheared off the end of Ryoga's umbrella. She nearly took off Ryoga's head, but he managed to bring the larger handle around and block her again.

"I see whatcha mean," Ranma put in, "but what can we do about it? We stick our noses in there, with Sis in the Neko-Ken, and we're gonna be the ones that end up dead. And I'm sure Ryoga won't stand still while we knock him out either."

"I don't know," Akane said, wincing as Ukyo smashed Ryoga in the face again. At least Ryoga wasn't trying to fight back, so he was taking the worst of it. Ukyo was clearly able to channel the force of her Neko-Ken fueled rage into her spatula, and Ryoga was looking bruised and cut up, despite his Bakusai Tenketsu training. "But we have to do something. We can't let them die over a silly misunderstanding..."

She glanced at Ranma, and noticed a look of realization come over the pony-tailed girl's face. "Of course..." Ranma said. "That's what the Old Ghoul meant."

"What? Did you think of something?"

Ranma grinned at Akane. "That's it! That's what she was trying to tell me! The icy chill of death! I know the final step of the Hiryu Shoten Ha!" With that, the lanky girl ran straight into the fray.

"Ranma!" Akane yelled, astonished at how quickly Ranma had just charged into danger. "Be careful!" Ranma darted up to her twin sister and ducked underneath her spatula, and then as Ukyo turned towards her, backed away. Ranma began to lead Ukyo into a spiral. Ryoga, unaware of what was going on, followed anyway.

"Ranma you jerk!" Ryoga yelled at her. "Get out of the way! I'm trying to save you!"

"Yeah, right, Charlotte!" Ranma goaded, using Ukyo's name for him. "Even as weak as I am, you're still no match for me!" As expected, Ryoga gritted his teeth and began to follow Ranma around the circle, his own battle aura springing into existence.

"You jackass!" Ukyo shot back. Ranma didn't bother to insult her, she just kept up the spiral, closing in closer and closer to the center. Unfortunately, with two opponents swinging at her and out for blood, Ranma had a hard time ducking both of them. And at the center of the spiral, there was less room.

Ranma made a misstep. In ducking Ukyo's spatula, she left herself open for a blow from Ryoga. It sent the girl sprawling to the ground. Akane called out, but Ranma called back to her, "Don't interfere! I've got this!" She only barely escaped Ukyo's spatula as it came down, the blade sideways. But then Ryoga slammed into her again.

Ranma rolled over onto her back. She was at the center of the spiral, but Ukyo and Ryoga were both coming at her, spatula and umbrella raised for the kill.

This is it, Ranma said to herself. There's nowhere else to go. Either I summon the Hiryu Shoten Ha or I'm dead. Akane, forgive me if I'm wrong. With that, she raised her fist in an uppercut, feeling the chill settle over her as she accepted the finality of her fate, win or lose.

There was a blast of light, and a roar of sound that made the wind pick up in a maelstrom. And then it howled as it lifted up into a twister that carried rocks, leaves, tree branches, and Ukyo and Ryoga into the air. Their eyes were wide with surprise. Ranma watched them disappear into the sky, equally as shocked. The blast carved out a crater, leaving Ranma sitting in the bottom of the pit, her hand upraised, blinking.

"Ranma!" Akane called, running up. "You did it!"

"But Sis!" Ranma replied, starting up at her as she was carried away. "She'll be killed!"

Akane looked up at the tornado, as it raged out of control, already much stronger than the one Cologne had summoned. Ukyo and Ryoga were being buffeted by the winds, their clothing ripping into shreds, their bodies pelted by rocks and debris. Ryoga was doing his best to shield himself from the pummeling, but Ukyo was caught completely unprepared.

"We've got to save her!" Ranma yelled, getting to her feet.

"You'll never leap that high now." Akane stared up at the two figures, being tossed higher and higher in the whirlwind. "Only Ryoga can help her."

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Ryoga! Ryoga! You've got to save Ukyo! She'll never survive in those winds!"

High above them, Ryoga only barely heard Akane over the roar of the twister. He struggled to turn to face her, as Akane called out to him again. "What?"

"Ukyo! Ukyo, you've got to save her!" Akane pointed up at her, in case her words were not being heard.

Ryoga looked in the direction Akane pointed. Ukyo was flying around some distance away from him, being tossed around in the air like a rag doll. She had fallen unconscious, and the twister had raised huge welts across her body, exposed by the slashes in the fabric of her clothing. Several of the slashes had cut into her skin, and she was bleeding from several wounds. He looked back down at Akane, who repeated her request for him to save her.

"I've got to save Ukyo," Ryoga said to himself. That thought came from within himself, more than in response to Akane's request, but Ryoga didn't question that. He also didn't notice the concern he felt at seeing Ukyo so limp and helpless. He just struggled to make his way over to her, flailing his arms and legs in a feeble attempt to reach her. Unfortunately, his actions had no effect at all. He was still at the mercy of the winds, and they were taking him away from Ukyo.

Just as Ryoga was about to give up in frustration, a huge boulder slammed into his head. He thought it was from the tornado, but a second later another struck him. He turned to snarl down at the ground, after all surely Ranma was throwing things at him, the jerk! Instead, he was shocked to see Akane heaving the boulders at him. Ranma, standing next to her, shouted, "Jump off of them! Use them to shove off of!"

Suddenly understanding, Ryoga readied himself for the boulder Akane had thrown at him. At the last second, he kicked out at it with his legs and bounced off of it. Ukyo came sailing closer. More boulders crossed his path, and while Ryoga wasn't particularly trained for aerial martial arts, somehow me managed to leap from rock to rock.

That desperation I feel at seeing Ukyo in danger could also be driving me, he thought. Ignoring this awkward train of thought for the moment, Ryoga continued to jump across the rocks Akane continued to hurl across his path. Ranma flung a few tree limbs at him as well, nothing but slim branches, really, but it was enough to help him adjust his direction and wrap his arms around Ukyo's body.

Now that he was closer to her, Ryoga was a little worried to see how pale the ponytailed girl was. She was still unconscious, her delicate face bruised and scratched by the debris. Ryoga cradled her face against his chest, trying his best to wrap his body around hers and shield her from the wind. He could feel it as they were ejected from the tornado, and then the wind died down. But they were still high in the air. Ryoga glanced over his shoulder at the ground, and immediately regretted it.

I hope I survive this, Ryoga thought. At least I can make sure Ukyo is okay. With that, he closed his eyes, and drew Ukyo to him, making sure she was on top of him. Seconds later, they both hit the trees, which slowed Ryoga's fall slightly, just before he hit the ground. With that, everything went black.

Ranma came running up to their position, with Akane right behind him. "Are they all right?" she asked.

Ryoga lay limp on the soft earth of the forest floor, driven deep into a crater shaped like his body. Ukyo lay on top of him, still, but apparently unharmed. Ranma pulled her sister out of Ryoga's arms and looked her over.

"She's cut up pretty badly, but she's still breathing. She'll hurt for a few days, but I think she'll be fine."

"What about Ryoga?"

Ranma looked down at him. "What about him?"

"Jackass," Akane said, with a touch of mischief in her voice. "He saved your sister's life. Don't pretend you aren't grateful."

"Well, he's fine too. Or he's breathin' anyway." Ranma said. Akane came up beside him and looked Ryoga over for herself. Ranma pretended not to be jealous of her concern.

"I think the fall knocked the wind out of him, but the Bakusai Tenketsu definitely did a job on making him tough enough to take anything," Akane said. "I don't think he even broke any bones. We should take them both to see Cologne, though. She'll know if they're okay."

Akane lifted Ryoga over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. Ranma scoffed at the display, and then as the tomboy stood there waiting, hefted her sister over her shoulder in much the same way. It was an incredible strain with the Moxibustion of Weakness, but she refused to let her legs falter. Smiling, Akane came up behind her and supported Ranma with an arm under her other shoulder, and they headed for the campsite.

 

[AlanMidnight]

No post this Friday, since I am still recovering from wrapping up the last chapter. But if I get started on the first scene with Ukyo waking up, I may post it on Saturday or Sunday.

 

[AlanMidnight]

It's a day late, but here's the first part of Chapter 91. We start off with Ukyo dealing with the cat she's let out of the bag, and Ranma clarifies what he discovered about the Soul of Ice.

+++

Ukyo slowly made her way back to consciousness, and moaned in pain as she almost immediately regretted it. Her entire body ached, and for a moment, she considered letting herself sink back into the darkness. Was it possible to survive being put through a meat grinder? Because that's what it felt like had happened to her. Her arms and legs complained as she tried to stir, and she hissed in pain. There was a blanket lying over her, and it felt remarkably abrasive to her sensitive skin.

She relaxed for a moment, and to her relief, the throbbing began to subside. She searched her memory, and for a moment all she could recall was the red haze of the Neko-Ken. Then, in a rush, her challenge to Ranma came back to her, and how she had admitted her deepest, most intimate feelings to him. She flushed in embarrassment, both at her confession to Ranma, and how she had lost control of her emotions, threatening Akane and even trying to kill her brother.

Ukyo groaned again as she put a hand to her forehead. Was that Ryoga that had blocked her attack? Yes, apparently the big goof had stepped into the fight and she had shifted her anger to him. They had both made complete fools of themselves. She opened her eyes and looked around, finding that she was in Akane's tent. She must have been brought back after Ranchan set off the Hiryu Shoten Ha.

That thought made Ukyo's eyes widen. Ranchan did it! He learned the Hiryu Shoten Ha! She remembered leaping at Ranma, with Ryoga at her side, while Ranma lay prone on the rocks. And then there was a flash of light, and a wave of such power that it felt like a wall of ice hitting her in the face. She shivered at the memory. Everything after that was a blur. She remembered being pulled up into the air, and tossed about in the winds, but it was like being in a waking nightmare. She barely remembered someone grabbing her, strong arms that held her. She didn't think it was Ranma, it didn't feel familiar. Was it Ryoga that saved her? She couldn't be sure.

Ukyo sat up, holding the blanket up to cover her chest. Her top was completely shredded, although she could feel bandages across her chest, so someone had tended to her wounds. As she looked around, she spotted Ranma sitting a few feet away. He was watching her; he had obviously noticed her waking up, but he seemed wary somehow. He gave her a tentative smile.

"You okay, Sis? You back to normal now?" He laughed, uneasily. "Yer not still out ta kill me?"

Ukyo blushed and looked away. "No, Ranchan. I'm back to normal."

There was a long, awkward silence. Finally, Ukyo got up the nerve to speak. "I'm sorry, Ranchan. I guess you're pretty shocked, about the things I said. And I did mean them, in a way. I mean, I do love you, Bro." She met his eyes for a moment, with a sheepish grin. "But all that other stuff... I know how gross that sounds. I've been arguin' with myself about that since all of this started."

Ranma looked uncomfortable as well. "Geez, Sis, you know I... I love you too. But as my sister, not like that."

"I know, Ranchan, I know."

Ranma was silent for a moment, while Ukyo adjusted the blanket so it would cover her better. "So Sis..." Ranma began. "This has really been goin' on for a long time? Why didn't ya tell me?"

"I didn't really know until a few months ago, myself. I guess if you wanna know when it started, Ranchan, I'd have to go back to when we were kids. I guess you don't remember it that way, but you remember when we used to play house?"

Ranma never got a change to answer, because Akane peeked her head in through the tent flap. "Ranma? Is Ukyo awake? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, Akane," Ukyo said, smiling at her friend. "I'm fine. I got a bit banged up, but..."

Before Ukyo could finish, Akane crossed the tent and slapped her across the face. "Don't you ever do that again!" she shouted.

"What the-" Ukyo put a hand to her cheek, shocked.

"Don't you know how jealous I am of what you and Ranma have!" Akane yelled at her, not letting her get a word in edgewise. "How dare you use that against me! How dare you use that against Ranma, just to teach him a stupid technique!"

"Hey," Ranma commented, but Akane ignored him.

"I understand how you feel, Ukyo, probably more than you think! I know how it feels to believe that you're not good enough, that you can't compete, that someone's going to take someone you love away from you! I know that loneliness, that anger, that hatred! Sometimes I hate you so much, Ucchan, for getting so close to him, and then I hate myself for feeling that way! If I wanted to, if I wanted to hate you for making me feel like that... it would be so easy to hate you!"

Akane paused a moment, as her voice broke. Despite her tone, Ukyo could tell Akane wasn't angry, she was desperate. "You - intentionally - made yourself feel that. That... anguish, that loneliness. I can't stand it! There's never a reason to put yourself through such pain! We'll find another way to protect Ranma, and keep him safe. I'd rather die that have you give in to that despair, and I'm sure Ranma feels the same way."

She wrapped her arms around Ukyo and hugged her, tightly. Ukyo almost found herself unable to breathe, but Akane was beginning to sob. "I love you, Ucchan. I can't stand the thought that I'm the one causing you so much pain. Don't do that to yourself."

Ukyo put her hand on Akane's head. She glanced over at Ranma, who was watching the two of them with a mixture of amusement and dumbfounded confusion. "I won't, Akane, I promise. I didn't like that dark place either. I don't know that I'll ever get over being jealous, but I won't use it to drive myself into the Neko-Ken again. I promise, on my honor as a martial artist."

"Well, that's good, Sis, because it turns out you didn't have to do that in the first place." Ranma regarded her seriously, while Akane sat up and wiped at her eyes. "Your battle aura was more than hot enough. It was the Soul of Ice, which I couldn't figure out until I was in a life-and-death situation, and had no choice to come up with the secret. Which was pretty brilliant, I'd say, even if the Old Ghoul did give me the clue."

"'The icy chill of death'?" Akane quoted, recalling Ranma's last words before he ran into the battle. "What does that mean?"

"Like the Old Ghoul said, it's not enough to just be emotionless. You have to suppress your fears, your feelings. And the most primal fear, the fear that all mortals have, is the fear of death. I realized that by accepting that fear, surrendering to it, my battle aura would become frigidly cold, like Cologne's did."

"Of course." Ukyo nodded her head in agreement. "That's why I couldn't master it."

"What do you mean, Sis?"

"Ranchan, I haven't feared my death since I fought the Old Man to get you out of the pit." Ukyo sighed. "I surrendered to that fear long ago. I no longer feel it."

"What, are you kidding?" Ranma asked. "Surely you don't have some kinda death wish!"

Akane bit her lip. "Her Neko-Ken is a berserker technique," she said. "She couldn't fight to the death if she wasn't willing to give her life for someone she loves."

Cologne poked her head through the tent flap, and bopped Ranma on the head with her staff. "Miss Tendo is correct. I was worried that this would be the case, Shield Sister. Still, I would advise against giving up all hope. As I said before, now that you know the secret behind the Soul of Ice, you may have formed preconceptions about it."

"Do you think I can learn the technique?" Ukyo asked her.

"You may still find you have reason to live, Shield Sister," the ancient Amazon cackled. "I'd say you have two people who want you to live."

Ukyo glanced at Ranma, then looked down at Akane, who began to tear up again. She nodded.

"Hey, can you give it a rest in here?" Ryoga's voice came from outside, but then he, too, ducked inside the tent. "There are badly injured people trying to get some sleep out here."

"Ryoga!" Ukyo said, suddenly feeling self-conscious for some reason. She held the blanket a bit tighter against her chest. "Were you the one who protected me from that Hiryu Shoten Ha?" His clothing was ripped and torn as badly as hers, and for a moment she remembered seeing his face, and that orange bandanna, as they were falling from the sky.

Ryoga immediately turned red, and looked away from her. "Well... I couldn't very well let you die or anything. Why did you make me think you were trying to kill Akane anyway? We're lucky we didn't both get killed."

Ukyo looked away as well. "Sorry. I was just trying to find a way to fight Ranchan seriously, without holding back. It sounds stupid now, but I was just using the Neko-Ken to make it a fight to the death."

"As if I care about Ranma," Ryoga said petulantly. Then he looked down at his pig-tailed rival. "But you can't die until I defeat you. I won't let you cheat me of my inevitable victory." He grinned.

"You mean 'implausible' victory," Ranma replied, also grinning.

Nodoka appeared at the tent flap. "Is Ukyo-chan awake and ready to go?" she asked. "My husband has finished packing up our supplies and is taking down the tents. If Ukyo and Hibiki are both ready to go, we should get started before it gets too late in the morning."

"That's right Sis!" Ranma added. "I gotta get back and defeat that old pervert. Get yer clothes on and let's go!"

"Don't rush her, Ranma," Akane chastised him. "She's injured, remember?"

"I think I'm okay, Akane," Ukyo said. "Could you help me get dressed?"

"Sure." Akane grabbed Ranma and Ryoga and pushed them out of the tent. "You two give us some privacy."

As Ryoga was stepping out of the tent, Nodoka pulled him aside. "You are Ryoga Hibiki, are you not? I'd like to thank you for being such a challenge to my manly son and helping him improve his skills. If my son is to be the best martial artist of his generation, he must have rivals such as you to test himself against. Akane has told me how strong and powerful you are."

Ryoga looked embarrassed, looking away from the matronly woman. "Thanks, Mrs. Saotome, but I didn't really think of myself as Ranma's rival when we first met. I, um... kinda wanted to kill him. I may have taken things a bit too far..."

"That is all right," Nodoka said with a kindly smile. "My son can protect himself, and he needs to face deadly challenges in order to become the best. I am glad that you are close friends now, though."

"Yeah... friends..." Ryoga looked even more embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Akane tells me you that have a curse, like my son and Ukyo-chan. If you don't mind, I would like to see the little pig that you turn into. I wouldn't want you to be left behind because you accidently got splashed with water."

"Oh, ah, sure." Ryoga nervously followed as Nodoka led him over to the campsite. She had set up a kettle which was placed over the fire, and another which sat on the rocky ground nearby. A set of Ryoga's clothes lay on a rock next to them, neatly folded. Nodoka had apparently been thoughtful enough to set them aside for him.

Ryoga walked over to the kettle on the ground, which he assumed was filled with cold water. Sure enough, when he poured it over his head, he felt himself shrink down, until he was sitting in a pile of his shredded and torn clothing. Nodoka's smile grew wide, and she exclaimed in delight.

"Oh! Akane was right, you turn into the cutest little pig." Ryoga looked away, unable to do anything but grunt in embarrassment. "Do you need help to change back?"

Ryoga shook his head. The other kettle was balanced on a stand, and he was well used to knocking sources of hot water over onto himself, even in pig form. And if the Saotome matriarch changed him back, she might see him in the nude, which would be mortifying.

Nodoka seemed to guess his thoughts. "Well, I will turn around then, and let you put on fresh clothes." She turned her back, and Ryoga hurried over and kicked the kettle onto himself. Once he returned to human form, he quickly dressed, still blushing slightly.

"Okay, I'm ready," he said, as he finished putting on his clothes. They were warm and pressed, which was an unusual feeling, since Ryoga hadn't had a mother to take care of his clothing since he was a baby. Ryoga felt both grateful and somewhat ashamed, although he felt that Nodoka had probably done the same for Ranma, Akane and Ukyo.

Nodoka turned around. Her expression was suddenly harsh, and Ryoga gulped. "Akane also tells me that you misled her about your curse and pretended to be her pet. She tells me that you slept in her bed, and fondled her body under the pretense of being held. I also understand that although Ukyo knew about your identity, you used that against her, forcing her to take you into her own bed in order to keep you out of Akane's."

Ryoga looked away, unable to meet her eyes. Part of him wanted to protest that it wasn't his fault, it was all Ranma's fault, but he couldn't. It had been too long since he had seen his own mother, and he just couldn't bring himself to make excuses to this woman. Besides, he no longer blamed Ranma for anything anyway. He wrapped his arms around himself, uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I have no excuse. I behaved dishonorably, and I realize that now." He snuck a glance at her. "I didn't realize it at the time, I was too caught up in anger over my curse, and I convinced myself that since Ukyo was allowing it, that meant it was okay." He looked down again. "But it wasn't."

"You realize that if anyone had ever learned of this, if word had gotten out that Akane or Ukyo were sleeping with a man, their reputations would be ruined. The gossip would never stop."

Ryoga looked up, his eyes widening. He hadn't thought of that. "But I was a pig at the time! I wasn't a..." his voice trailed off. After a moment, he muttered, more quietly, "I wasn't sleeping with them as a man."

"Even if people believed that, which they're not likely to unless they see the curse for themselves, does that really matter?"

Ryoga swallowed, his mouth dry. "I guess not..."

"Akane and Ukyo have forgiven you for your actions, Mister Hibiki, and for their sake I will accept that. But I am not so forgiving, particularly when it comes to my daughters."

"Daughters?!"

"Yes. Akane soon enough will be my daughter-in-law, and Ukyo has come to be like a daughter to me as well. To dishonor them is to dishonor the Saotome family." She unslung the Saotome blade from her back, unrolling the protective cloth before setting it on a rock in front of her. "Do I make myself clear?"

Ryoga stared at the blade, his eyes wide. He glanced up at Nodoka and shivered at the look in her eyes.

"I know that you are a man of honor and would do what honor demands if necessary. However, you are young and foolish, and my daughters speak well of you. I will give you a second chance. However, I would very much like to speak to your parents about this."

Ryoga swallowed even harder, if that were possible. He looked away again. "I... I don't get to see my family very often. They are afflicted with the same horrible sense of direction as me. We communicate by messages left at our house, but it's been years since I've seen any of them."

Nodoka's eyes softened. "I am very sorry to hear that, Mister Hibiki. I would still like to talk to them, but we will have to arrange a meeting somehow. For now, I will allow you to continue to be friends with my son and daughters. But be warned, I will be watching you."

"Yes, Ma'am."

+++

As I noted below, this is a slightly edited version of the original post. I think I've cleared up some of my concerns over it.

 

[JennyDracos]

Personally, I've always blamed Shampoo for creating the Ranma/Ukyo tension. At the start of the story, I didn't see any; they had a total brother-sister relationship. Then Shampoo wipes Ukyo's memories of Ranma...destroying the 'but he's basically my brother' thing...

I got nothing on the speeches, though.