Hiya Folks!

Here's the next installment of AML. Standard warnings applies as usual.
Read at your own risk. :)

Requesting C&C. This is a first cut rough draft, so technical editing 
spelling/grammar), style comments, and factual error stomping are all 
appreciated. Per my own personal ethics, MSTings, 'Look, Ma. I'm a 
comedian!', and 'I'm So Clever' quips and snipes will be cheerfully ignored.

Many thanks to the various FFML and IRC members who provided detailed C&C 
of chapter 2. It's definitely a better tale due to your time and effort.

Oh, and for all of you who provided such a *lively* discussion on some 
general background points last week, a tip of the hat to you as well. Just 
because I don't agree doesn't mean I don't appreciate the feedback. Mostly. 
<g>  For those of you involved, I will concede the point that my 
implementation of Nodoka's true nature does not mesh well with that of the 
cannon AMG universe. This will not change *what* Nodoka is in this fanfic, 
but it does change where she's drawn from.

You see?  Your feedback *was* useful after all! :)
And now, on with the show.

This is a Ranma crossover fanfic, so it's time for the
Standard Fanfic Disclaimer.
------------------------------------------------------------
All previously existing characters taken from anime series
and used in fan fiction stories are owned solely by their
respective copyright and trademark holders. I don't own them
and I don't make any claim to them. Original characters are
owned by myself and I reserve all rights to their use.
------------------------------------------------------------

The HTML version of the story along with previous chapter(s) can be found at:
http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic/mlove


Gaijin Productions presents:
=============================================================
A MOTHER'S LOVE
       A multiple-series crossover fan fiction by Togashi Gaijin
       This story is set after the end of the manga.
=============================================================
Chapter 3

Ranma grumbled while he moved most of the desks over to one side of the
room. It was bad enough being stuck with the homeroom cleaning detail
for the entire week, but having to silently endure the constant jabs
and barbs from the Snotty Seven at the same time was even worse. And
Akane hadn't even bothered to return to class after the last period;
she'd evidently taken off with Yuka before giving him a chance to
explain why he had asked about what she was doing after school. It just
wasn't fair.

Well, Mom shouldn't be *too* pissed off at him; after all he had tried
to invite Akane over. It wasn't his fault Ms. Ninomiya had walked in
before he could finish asking. Besides, she'd said that they'd be going
over to the Tendos' after dinner anyway, so she'd be able to talk to
Akane about whatever it was then.

The only good thing about the S.S. was that they never tried to splash
him with the mop water. A lot of the other girls insisted that he
change before they'd agree to be assigned with him, and Ms. Ninomiya no
longer assigned any of the other boys to cleaning detail when his turn
rolled around. Too many of them had ended up with their ki sucked dry
or in need of a sudden trip to the nurse's station.

Ranma just didn't get it. He'd been at Furinkan for well over a year
now and the entire school knew how he'd react if someone tried to touch
him *that* way after being splashed, yet there wasn't a single week
where some perverted idiot didn't try it anyway. The boys were bad
enough, but at least he could pound them flat until they got the
message. The real problem was with a small group of girls. He had
seriously freaked the first time one of the girls had done the splash
and grab routine, and he still hadn't figured out how to respond except
by trying to avoid everyone in that group entirely. He had been only
moderately successful to date.

With him helping, it took the others very little time to finish the
cleanup. Ranma breathed a silent sigh of relief when he was finally
able to leave the school grounds for the day.

--------------------

The tall raven-haired woman sat at a small table in her kitchen and
poured herself a large tumbler of imported scotch. Quaffing the potent
liquor in a single gulp, she reached over to the counter and grabbed a
gold-rimmed picture frame. A trio of photographs was displayed behind
the frame's protective glass, revealing the members of her apparently
happy family.

Kinuyo sneered at the image the photos presented. Happiness was
absolutely the *last* thing anyone in the Hibiki family ever felt. Her
so-called husband was a blithering idiot who was too dumb to feel what
he really should, and with her own travels she was lucky to be home
more than one day in ten.

At least her son had turned out halfway decent; he was the only thing
that had made the whole charade worthwhile. He carried around such a
delightfully powerful aura of loneliness and depression it took hardly
any effort at all to keep it going at full force. A little push here, a
nudge there, and he'd actually commit himself without even realizing
it.

She'd also have to try setting up the multiple fiancee thing for her
son; just look what it was doing to that Saotome boy. Now there was a
true piece of artistry, and it added so much to her own amusement as
well. She hadn't hesitated to take advantage of the opportunity,
either. She'd been working for a long time to set up that particular
relationship triangle and it was always a pleasant surprise when
everyone involved cooperated so enthusiastically. Even without her
help, the dynamic tensions between the three were utterly delicious,
and adding more to it had been relatively easy to do. It had taken very
little effort to create the whole 'P-chan' mess and her son was now in
a position where he could never extricate himself without permanently
losing the girl.

She'd been *very* careful not to touch the Saotome boy, however. His
own life was so screwed up he just HAD to be someone else's pet
project. Fortunately, the girl had always been remarkably open to her
suggestions throughout the years, and she'd been subtly steering her
for so long the work should be practically undetectable by now. She
could ill afford to bring any official attention to herself at the
moment; this was the first vacation she'd had in a long time and she
intended to enjoy every single moment of it.

The one who was guiding events around Ranma certainly knew what they
were doing. Kinuyo had to reluctantly admit that they were doing a
*much* better job than she ever could keeping him balanced right on the
edge for so long. Even if she couldn't duplicate all the techniques
used she could admire the high degree of artistry required, and whoever
had come up with that nekoken training had been an absolute genius.

It was a pity Ryouga was already too old to benefit from it.

Kinuyo tossed the picture frame over to the counter before gulping down
another tumbler full of scotch. The Unryuu girl just wasn't enough to
push him over the edge. Maybe her son could benefit from the attentions
of a Joketsuzoku or two; that really shouldn't be too hard to arrange.
Smirking, Kinuyo left a note on the table before leaving the house.
She'd be gone at least a couple of weeks this time, and the message
she'd just written could only add to his worries.

--------------------

"I'm home!" Ranma caroled, removing his shoes in the hallway.

"Welcome home, son. Is Akane with you at the moment?"

Ranma strolled in to the living room. His mother was at the table
drinking a cup of tea. "Sorry, Mom. I tried to ask, but Akane went over
to Yuka's house to study for next week's tests."

Nodoka stared pensively at her cup for a moment. "I guess it can't be
helped. I had hoped to break this to the two of you together."

"Break what, Mom?"

"In a moment, dear," she replied with a smile. "Why don't you go put
your books away and freshen up a touch first. I have something very
important to tell you, and I would like to make a fresh pot of tea
before I begin."

"Ok, Mom," Ranma replied with a touch of trepidation. He paused to look
at her for a moment before heading up the stairs, moving no where near
his normal rate of speed. Nodoka had just started to set the tea
service out on the table by the time he returned. Several uncomfortably
silent minutes passed while they drank their first cup.

Nodoka sighed. "Ranma, I have just done several things concerning your
father that may upset you quite a bit."

"I don't know, Mom. You promised last night you wouldn't hand him a
tanto, and outside of that there really isn't much you can do to the
old fart that he wouldn't have comin' to him anyway."

"I sincerely hope you feel the same way at the end of this
conversation, dear. The first thing you need to know is that as of this
morning I have officially broken up with your father."

Ranma rubbed the back of his neck briefly. "Yeah, you sorta said you
were going to do that last night. Mom, you really sure about this? You
waited a heck of a long time for us to return home, and it's only been
about a month since we've been back together."

"I know, son, but this really is for the best. However, I don't think
you fully understand the implications. I have broken up with your
father legally, as in divorce. This means I am no longer a Saotome."

Ranma stared wide-eyed at his mother.

"And, as of yesterday, neither are you."

Ranma's pigtail would have sproinged straight out the back of his neck
if it had been capable of doing so. Instead, Ranma's eyes got *huge*
and his muscles locked stiffly in place.

Nodoka viewed her son's reaction with concern. This was just as bad as
she had been afraid it would be. She waited patiently for him to
respond; it was a good three minutes before he was capable of doing so.

"M ... Mom?"

"I'm sorry, son, but this was the only thing I could think of that
would get you out from underneath all of Genma's stupid promises with
your personal honor intact."

"But ... but ..."

"Both of us were moved to my original family's registry this morning,
and the changes were filed with the local ward office as well. We are
now officially Nodoka and Ranma Shouri."

Ranma gave his mother an extremely hurt look. "You never said anything
about this, Mom. What about all that stuff we talked about last night,
about lettin' me make my own way? I've been a Saotome all my life; I
can't BE anything else. What if Pops kicks me out of the School? What
am I gonna *do*? Without the Art I'm NOTHIN'!"

Nodoka scrambled around the edge of the table to Ranma's seat and
gathered her son up in a firm embrace before he could bolt up the
stairs. She could feel his muscles trembling.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have done it this way if
there was anything else I could have done. I couldn't even ask you or
everything would have been ruined. This was the only way I could
release you from all your engagements without further destroying
anyone's family honor. Please don't hate me for this." Tears began to
trickle slowly down her cheeks in twin tracks.

Ranma jerked suddenly and then looked up at his mother. "Ahhh ... I don't
hate you, Mom. Geez, you aren't gonna cry, are you? Please don't cry,
Mom; you shouldn't cry anymore 'cause of me. Whatever it was I just
did, I'm sorry."

"Shhhhh," Nodoka whispered, embracing her son even tighter. "Just hold
me for a minute, dear. It'll be alright."

Ranma hesitantly wrapped both arms around his mother's waist. He could
feel the warmth of her ki and a surprising strength in her arms. He
closed his eyes when he felt her gently rock the two of them. It felt ...
nice. The two of them stayed together for a while before Nodoka slowly
disentangled herself. She moved back to her own seat to pour another
round of tea, and took several slow sips before continuing.

"Ranma, the reason I didn't ask you about moving to the Shouri registry
is because it was the only thing that would restore your personal
honor. No matter what your feelings about your father are, dear, you'll
have to agree that he has thoroughly ruined the Saotome name by his
actions."

Ranma chuckled rather weakly. "Yeah well, Pops is really good about
always thinking with his stomach first."

"That's a polite way of putting it, son. Unfortunately, because of the
numerous promises he made to other families on your behalf, there was
no action you could take that wouldn't result in some family being
dishonored, let alone yourself."

"Don't you think I know that? I tried telling Pops about it all the
time, but would he listen? No. It was always 'marry Akane, unite the
Schools'. He never cared what that would have done to Ucchan or anyone
else."

"Exactly, dear. If you had married Akane as a Saotome, the Kuonji
family could have easily declared blood feud against both Tendo and
Saotome, and with just cause. The same could be said for any other
family with whom Genma had made similar arrangements. The only solution
open to you as a Saotome which would leave everyone's individual and
family honor intact was to voluntarily commit seppuku."

Ranma gulped. When it was put that way ...

"I just didn't want to hurt anyone."

"I realize that, son, but you were hurting the girls anyway by *not*
making a decision; otherwise they wouldn't be fighting so hard over
you."

"I know, Mom. I just keep thinking there has to be *something* I can do
that would work everything out. But I'll be damned if I can see what it
is, though."

"You could have changed your name or declared yourself ronin. This
could have allowed all of the other families to retain their own honor,
including the Tendos', but would have left you completely dishonored
instead. These were your only two choices; and this is why I didn't ask
you beforehand when you were moved over to my registry."

"But Mom, isn't that the same thing as me changing my own name?"

"Not really, dear. If you had made the decision yourself, yes, the
dishonor would have remained yours. However, because I changed your
name without asking, any personal dishonor will be entirely my own and
it leaves your name and honor clear."

Ranma stared at his mother with dawning horror. "But what about ..."

"No, son. This is the only way. I have barely begun to atone for my own
lapses in judgment over the years. And it's a very small price for me
to pay if it frees you from the mess of conflicting obligations your
father created."

Ranma was aghast at the enormity of his mother's actions. For someone
who held the ideals of honor above all else, accepting such personal
dishonor must be like ... well, kind of like him giving up the Art! Ranma
wasn't sure he could ever make that type of sacrifice. There was also a
much different edge to his mother that hadn't been there before. It was
definitely sharper and even a little bit frightening; yet much more
open at the same time. She presented quite a different image than the
cheerfully smiling housewife with the ever-present katana, brandishing
the Contract about like a sacred object.

"Errr, Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"About the Contract ..."

"What about the Contract, dear? It no longer exists, you know."

"Yeah, and don't think I'm complaining or nothing, but didn't you give
up on that rather suddenly? You've been really insistent on holding us
to it until just a few days ago."

"I am painfully aware of that, son. Destroying the Contract and
foreswearing anything even closely resembling it in the future is only
one of many conditions imposed by Judge Nijo before he would issue the
judicial divorce in District Court. It is fortunate that he's been a
good friend of the family for a long time; not only has he been urging
me to take this very step for several years, but with his ruling we
also avoid the hassle of involving the Family Court in the process."

Nodoka smiled. "It never hurts to have friends in high places, Ranma.
It's normally a long and involved process to obtain a judicial divorce
in District Court; the courts try to make it as difficult as possible
unless both parties agree to the divorce beforehand. Judge Nijo had all
of the proper paperwork and official rulings filled out and waiting for
several years. All I had to do was to come in and hanko the documents.
And that leads me to the following."

Nodoka pulled several items from her purse and set them down in front
of Ranma. "Here are your new identification cards and a hanko with your
new name."

"Cards?" Ranma asked, picking up the two laminated IDs.

"Yes. We thought it wise if you had an official ID that also matched
your looks when you were a girl. The name on the card is the same for
both genders."

Ranma nodded. That was going to be very useful; he'd no longer have to
run and hide anytime a policeman simply wanted to ask 'her' a question.
"Thanks, Mom!"

Nodoka breathed a big sigh of relief. It appeared as if her son had
accepted what she had done to him without having it turn him against
her.

"I don't know how the girls are going to take all this," Ranma mused.
"Well, I kinda think I *do* know, and it isn't going to be nice. And
that's if they even bother to listen in the first place. Sure thing it
won't stop Pops from trying to hitch me up with Akane all the time."

"Your father can hold all the wedding ceremonies he wants, for all the
good it will do him now," Nodoka said with a smirk. "Until you turn
twenty, any marriage certificate filed now requires *my* approval, and
there's nothing he can do to change that."

"Huh? Aren't you married when the ceremony is finished?"

"No, dear. You're legally married the instant the proper paperwork is
filed at the ward office and not before. The wedding ceremony is for
the benefit of the couple and their families, but it has nothing to do
with your actual marriage status."

"What!?! You mean all that crap we went through the other day wasn't
necessary?" Ranma barked, his irritation quite visible. "The bombs,
Kuno, the old letch, my Nannichuan, the dojo, all of that was done for
*nothing*? All he had to do was to have us fill out a few forms?" It
took Ranma a few seconds to reign in his temper. "Man, I knew Pops
could be pretty dense at times, but this really takes the cake."

"I wouldn't say the wedding was unnecessary, son," Nodoka replied.
"We'd intended to go to the ward office right after the ceremony was
over."

"Besides," she added with a bit of a grimace, "the ceremony did force
me to finally see some of the difficulties you've been laboring under,
so at least *something* good happened as a result."

"Yeah," Ranma sighed. "But still ..."

"It's best not to dwell on it too long, son. Now, I believe I was going
to demonstrate some of my family's Art today," Nodoka said with a
slight gleam in her eyes.

"Oh yeah. Sounds like fun," Ranma replied, his trademarked smirk
finding its way onto his face once more.

--------------------

Kasumi glanced at the clock before plucking another truffle from the
small plate in front of her. It was barely half past four and yet the
wa of the house had already been damaged severely. And if Mrs.
Saotome's ... no, Mrs. Shouri's pronouncements were any indication, there
would be further disruptions to the household before the day was over.

It had been significantly more difficult for her to maintain the
house's harmony over the last year. The tensions surrounding the young
man had been rising steadily and the actions of his various
acquaintances increasingly desperate as it had become obvious to all
what choice Ranma would eventually make.

Kasumi bit into the imported sweet; briefly losing herself in the
exquisite mix of fine dark chocolate and raspberry nougat before she
resumed her ruminations.

The fragile balance that had kept the myriad tensions roughly in check
finally appears to have been shattered beyond repair. Something quite
significant must have happened to the group which ventured off to China
several months ago, and the other players in Ranma's ongoing theater
had yet to adjust or even notice the changes. The sheer intensity of
the chaos which destroyed the wedding ceremony before it could even
begin was all the proof needed that the various players were no longer
observing the same set of rules.

And in spite of Akane's protests and the mule-headed stubbornness both
she and Ranma exhibited, it was almost painfully obvious to everyone
else how close the two of them had grown together over the last year.
If their respective fathers had simply left them alone long enough this
whole situation could have already reached a resolution. Her younger
sister would not take well to the news that the arrangement between the
families no longer existed.

Kasumi finished off the truffle, savoring the delightful flash of
sensory satiation. She looked longingly at the plate before deciding to
save the rest for later; she'd undoubtedly need another temporary
distraction shortly.

--------------------

Ranma grumbled silently to herself as she waited patiently for her
mother to finish her warm-up stretches. Nodoka had changed into an all
black dogi and hakama, and she had insisted Ranma do likewise. The
outfit his mother handed him turned out to be sized only for his
smaller girl-form, and had even included a sports bra and panties.
Ranma protested this rather vociferously, of course, but had finally
acquiesced after discovering once again that his mother could be even
more stubborn than he was.

Nodoka stood up and relaxed for a moment. She frowned when she noticed
the clouded expression on her daughter's face. "Ranma, I'm sorry you
aren't comfortable with the outfit I gave you, but there's a very good
reason why I asked you to change."

Ranma tried not to growl. "I don't really mind the hakama, Mom; a lot
of weapons schools insist their students wear them. I can also tell
there's quite a bit of extra padding there and in the dogi as well. I
just wish you could have bought them in a bigger size."

"I realize that, dear, but there is a very good reason why you are a
girl at the moment. The Kyuukyokunoshouri Ryuu has been practiced for
centuries by members of our family, and it has rules and traditions
that must be rigorously observed. The first and most important of which
is that the teachings and techniques of the school may only be
practiced by women."

Ranma took a second to digest this. "But Mom, you know I'm really a
guy!"

"Yes I do, Ranma," Nodoka nodded in reply. "However, your particular
situation is not directly addressed by the dictates of the school. As
long as you are my daughter instead of my son when we spar and you
promise to only practice the forms as a girl, the school's traditions
are honorably upheld. Can you so promise, daughter?"

"Yes, Mother," Ranma grumbled. Practicing and fighting only as a girl
was fairly ridiculous, but she'd had to endure sillier restrictions in
the past; the Kakutou Sadou Daimonji Ryuu came immediately to mind.

"Thank you, dear," Nodoka beamed. "We both know that it doesn't
actually matter whether you are my son or my daughter at any point in
time; you're always Ranma to me underneath it all."

Ranma mutely nodded in agreement. There really wasn't a lot she could
say to that.

"One thing I do have to ask, daughter. Am I correct in assuming that
your girl body is actually fully functional and not simply a
superficially outward form?"

Ranma stared blankly at her mother.

"Have you experienced menarche.?"

The expression didn't change.

Nodoka sighed to herself; evidently her daughter was unaware of the
various socially polite terms used. "Dear, have you had a period yet?
You know, bleeding from 'down there' as a girl?"

"Unfortunately," Ranma growled, simultaneously blushing a bright red.

"That's good."

"Mom, there's *nothing* good about having to go through THAT," Ranma
replied rather heatedly. "It's bad enough for normal girls, but it's a
whole lot worse for me; I'm really a guy! Guys aren't supposed to have
periods, y'know."

The elder Shouri cocked an eyebrow at her younger progeny. "There are
numerous advantages as well as disadvantages in being female, dear. We
*will* pursue this subject in detail at a later time."

Ranma shuddered briefly at the sudden feeling of impending doom.

"However, that was not the intent of my comment," Nodoka continued.
"The fact that you are fully female also means you generate female ki
when you're a girl. Almost all of the upper level special techniques in
the Kyuukyokunoshouri Ryuu depend upon the subtle differences between
male ki and female ki to perform. Most cannot even be done by a man,
since they utilize more female ki than any male body can possibly
produce at one time. This is but one of many reasons why the school is
only taught to women."

Ranma was stunned by this revelation. Almost all of the ki techniques
she used depended mostly on pure raw power. The majority of ones that
didn't belonged to the Umisenken, and those usually worked by shielding
all internal ki manifestations from the outside world. She'd never even
considered there could be a detectible difference between male ki and
female ki, and the women-only rule she thought so silly a few moments
ago suddenly appeared to make a lot more sense.

Nodoka nodded to herself in satisfaction. She had just presented Ranma
with a difficult puzzle which was related in part to martial arts.
Ranma wouldn't stop thinking about it until she finally discovers the
basic underlying truth, and just the execution of the discovery process
itself would be quite beneficial in the very near future.

"You should sit down and make yourself comfortable, daughter. There are
a few things you must know first before we can start practicing the
first kata."

Ranma nodded while they both sat down in the middle of the dojo floor.
Rules and safety regulations were *always* first.

"First of all is the overall philosophy of the school.
Kyuukyokunoshouri Ryuu is a warrior's art, as are most serious forms of
martial arts. Because weapons combat is deadly by its very nature, the
practitioner of the Shouri Ryuu always strives to avoid active combat
whenever rationally possible. Tact, courtesy, diplomacy, psychology,
logic, and perception are an integral part of the school, and
considerable effort in social behavior training is spent outside the
dojo."

Ranma suppressed a grimace; this almost sounded like a juku instead of
martial arts.

"Unfortunately it is not always possible to avoid combat, so once
actual combat *has* commenced the immediate goal becomes the death or
disablement of all opponents in a timely and efficient manner."

This had always been Ranma's main objection to the use of weapons in a
fight. Almost all bladed weapons were designed simply to kill, period.
Unarmed fighting allowed the artist to carefully regulate the force
used against any opponent throughout the course of a fight, but weapons
were actually a hindrance if they weren't used for their intended
purpose. The tendency of most weapon users to further limit their
attacks to those involving only their weapon, which creates large
weaknesses in any style, paled in comparison to this basic fact.

"Combat techniques of the Shouri Ryuu are divided into three groups
which reflect the basic weapons employed: daisho, naginata, and
unarmed. The daisho is a standard katana wakizashi pair with seventy
and fifty centimeter blades respectively. Naginata are two hundred
centimeters overall with a forty five centimeter blade. Bokken used for
sparring and kata are made out of white oak. We have relations with
several suppliers who will custom make bokken, or you can make your own
if you so desire."

"Hakama and dogi have an inner protective liner that you've already
noticed. Protection is minimal but normally sufficient to prevent a
bokken thrust from penetrating. No protective gear is worn for the head
or hands; all students are required to obtain dan ranking in the
unarmed techniques or have equivalent skills from a similar school
before being permitted to spar with weapons."

"I think you can safely skip the unarmed qualification testing," Nodoka
quipped with a wry grin.

"Thank you, Mom," Ranma replied in as dry a tone as she could manage.
Both women chuckled briefly before Nodoka resumed her lecture.

"Basic safety procedures are to be followed at all times during
practice. Occasional minor injuries are to be expected during sparring,
but any participant can call a halt at any time if a potentially
crippling or deadly condition exists."

"Since no one set of techniques is ever perfect, the Shouri Ryuu
encourages those with Master ranking in a specific weapon type to learn
and incorporate other styles and techniques for that weapon into the
Ryuu. This is very similar to the basic philosophy of the Musabetsu
Kakutou Ryuu. Master ranking implies the practitioner is proficient in
all the basic forms of the school for that weapon type, and sparring
against dissimilar weapons is part of the weapon's basic forms from the
very beginning. The school's unarmed techniques are primarily defensive
in nature, consisting of blocks, throws, countermoves, and a wide
variety of disarming and disabling techniques with an emphasis on
shiatsu strikes."

Nodoka stood up and unkinked her neck. "That should be sufficient for a
preliminary overview. Do you have any questions, dear?"

"A few things for later," Ranma replied, hopping to her feet, "but
nothing at the moment."

"I trust you've had some experience with weapons before?"

"You could say that; you really can't be much of a martial artist if
you don't. I prefer a bo if I have to use one at all but most the time
I seem to be on the receiving end, especially when fighting duck-boy.
Mousse can and will use practically anything."

"Your experience with the bo will be quite useful when learning some of
the more advanced naginata techniques. We'll start out with the daisho
first, however. Ours is one of the few schools that teach two-sword
fighting from the very first."

Ranma eagerly followed his mother over to the equipment locker. This
was going to be *fun*.

--------------------

Akane called out a greeting as she stepped through the door and removed
her street shoes. She could hear the sound of muffled music from
upstairs, which usually meant Nabiki was home, and the lack of general
commotion from outside was a good indication that one of the two
Saotomes was either absent or asleep. She actually hoped Ranma was
around so he could tell her why he wanted to know if she was busy right
after school today.

She rounded the corner of the hallway to the main room and noted that
both Father and the panda were absent. Akane hoped they hadn't gone out
drinking again; the commotion raised when the cab driver had brought
them home last night had been loud enough to wake up the entire
household. It also hadn't helped that Ranma hadn't been there at the
time, since it left Akane as the only one who could drag both men
inside. They certainly hadn't been capable of any movement on their
own.

If they tried doing the same thing tonight, she would be sorely tempted
to just leave them out on the grass. It would serve them right.

Akane walked into the kitchen when she got a whiff of the wonderful
aroma that was emanating from her older sister's creation. "That smells
wonderful, sis. What are we having tonight for dinner?"

"Welcome home, Akane. I'm trying out a recipe I got from Mrs. Shouri
earlier today."

Akane didn't even bother asking who that was. She had long ago given up
trying to keep track of all of Kasumi's various friends and
acquaintances. Knowing her sister, it wouldn't really matter what
recipe she used; she always managed to make the dish taste better than
anyone else's.

"Sounds good. Have you by any chance seen Ranma around today?"

"He's most likely over at his mother's. Didn't he tell you at school
today he had moved back home with her?"

"N...no, he didn't," Akane stuttered, moderately stunned by the news.

"Really? That's odd; I was sure you would have been the first one he'd
tell." Kasumi stirred a large pot of egg noodles several times before
fishing one of the noodles out as a sample.  "Mmmmm, not quite. Anyway,
Ranma and his mother will be over sometime after dinner to pick up the
rest of his possessions. I'm sure he won't mind staying for a little
while before he leaves."

"OK, Kasumi. Thanks." Akane walked out of the kitchen in a bit of a
daze. At least she now knew why he wanted to talk to her after school
today.

--------------------

"How could she do this to me, Tendo?" Genma lamented. He stared
morosely at his half-empty glass. "Doesn't she realize how much time
and effort I've spent making sure the boy was raised right? How could
she try and take him away *now*? I was close ... *so* close ... and now
she's liable to ruin everything."

Soun gazed at his own glass for several seconds before realizing it was
empty again. How did that happen? He reached for one of the bottles on
the table, but for some odd reason he couldn't seem to grab hold of it.
If only the room would stop dipping and diving.

Genma emptied his glass with a single gulp. They only had three bottles
of sake left which would barely be enough to give him a decent buzz. He
quickly refilled his glass without noticing his partner's futile
efforts to duplicate the feat.

"I spent the last twelve years of my life for the boy, Tendo, *twelve*
years. Twelve years of adversity, sweated labor, and dedication; all to
make him the epitome of the Art. Twelve years of hardship and
sacrifice, and now she wants to throw that all away?" Genma quickly
downed the amber liquid and poured himself another round.

"Indeed, Saotome," Soun slurred. He still couldn't figure out why that
bottle was being so elusive.

"She'll ruin him, Tendo, she just will - mark my words. He'll be
pampered and coddled and she'll fill his head full of idiotic notions
such as love and romance and tenderness and the next thing you know
he'll be mommy's little girl running around in a frilly dress and
arranging flowers. Bah! There's simply no room for that type of
nonsense in the Art."

Soun decided to try for another bottle, one that didn't move around on
him like this one was doing.

"The boy was almost there, Tendo. Just a few more months and he would
have been ready to take that final step in being a *true* master of the
Art. The Matsouka girl should have been here by now, along with the
Teradas, and the combination would have *finally* pushed him over the
edge. How can the boy ever call himself a Master of the Art if he keeps
holding back like he does?"

Aha, success! At least this bottle didn't run away from him. Soun
looked down to the two sake glasses in front of him. Which one was his?
Wait a minute ...

"Masoka girl, Saotome?" Soun tried looking crossly at his long time
friend, but Saotome had somehow managed to sit next to himself across
the table. Must be another one of his Forbidden Techniques.

"Hehehe," Genma chuckled nervously. "Don't worry, Tendo, just making a
little joke. It's not like I've arranged another fiancee or anything
like that, nothing to worry about at all."

Soun slowly nodded. Ah, to heck with the glass. The elder Tendo raised
the nearly-empty sake bottle to his lips and tilted it back to drain
the remaining contents. In a continuous motion he followed the path of
the bottle over backwards to land flat on the floor.

Genma glanced over at his unconscious friend. *Finally*. Now he could
get some serious drinking done, and Tendo was always kind enough to
pick up the tab.

--------------------

"Good evening, Mrs. Shouri, Ranma. Please come in," Kasumi said. She
ushered the two women into the house.

"Thank you, Kasumi," Nodoka replied. "Is Mr. Saotome present at the
moment?"

"I'm afraid not. He and Father have gone out again. Would you care for
some tea?"

"Why thank you, Kasumi; that would be lovely. Perhaps you could also
spare a little water for my son as well? He does seem to have the
oddest luck."

"Of course," Kasumi replied with a gentle smile. She gave the redhead a
quick once over. "What was it this time, Ranma? You don't appear to be
drenched as usual."

"Naw, I got nailed by a couple of kids with water guns," Ranma replied,
scratching the back of her neck for a moment. She followed the eldest
Tendo girl down a *very* familiar track to the kitchen.

A few minutes later Kasumi returned to the main room carrying out the
tea serving, a male Ranma right behind her with the two plates of
pastries. Ranma was trying his best not to drool.

"Son, why don't you go upstairs and gather up your belongings while I
talk a moment with Kasumi."

Nodoka quickly suppressed a laugh; his poorly concealed look of
disappointment was almost comical.

"Here, Ranma," Kasumi said, handing him one of the plates. "Why don't
you share these with Akane while you're upstairs packing. She should be
in her room."

"Thanks, Kasumi." Ranma nodded, taking the offered plate before
hurrying upstairs.

--------------------

Ranma looked around at the room where he had just spent the last year
and a half. In a way, this was really the first true home he'd ever
had. He didn't remember anything from before when he was little; the
memories of his life essentially began when he and Pops left on the
long training trip.

He'd lived out of his pack almost his entire life, always ready to
leave at a moment's notice; the entire sum of his possessions always
fitting in the pack he carried. Even during the periods when he would
actually attend school, they'd never left the road. Before coming here
he had attended the same school for entire year only once, and they had
moved around six or seven times during the year before leaving that
district for good.

Things had changed since they'd arrived here; he'd tentatively put down
a few roots. There was always a dry roof over his head, steady meals,
and a fairly steady group of acquaintances to hang around with - even
if he couldn't call them all friends. His possessions now filled
several boxes in addition to his backpack.

Come to think of it, the things he himself had bought barely took up
one of the boxes in addition to his backpack; mostly a few manga and
some extra outfits for his male side. The other three boxes were full
of clothes and stuff Mom had bought him when she thought he was
'Ranko', and though some of the outfits were entirely too cute for his
liking he couldn't bear to give any of them away. It *was*, however, a
bit disconcerting to discover he had a much better wardrobe as a girl
than as a guy.

The sound of the door sliding open interrupted his thoughts.

"Hi," Akane said softly.

"Hi."

Akane made no move to enter the room. She simply stood in the hallway,
her eyes slightly downcast and her hands clasped together in front of
her.

"It looks like you've finished packing."

"Yeah, wasn't too difficult. I never really bought a lot of stuff while
I was here, y'know."

"So, you're going to live with your mother again."

"Yup."

"She must be very happy."

"Yeah, she is."

"Mr. Saotome must be happy to be going home as well."

"I doubt it," Ranma quipped.

Akane's head shot up at the tone of his voice. "Ranma?"

"Err ... well, you see ... umm ..." Ranma spun around and quickly sat down on
the futon. He picked up the plate of pastries Kasumi had given him and
held them out towards Akane.

"You want some wagashi? Kasumi asked me to share these with you."

Akane's brief expression of annoyance quickly vanished. "Thank you,
Ranma," she said, sitting down on the futon next to him. She plucked a
red sugar-flower off the plate and waited for Ranma to follow suit
before nibbling the edge off of a petal. She wasn't more than halfway
through when Ranma finished swallowing the last bite from his piece.

"Akane, everything's been pretty hectic lately, and I'm really not sure
what's really going on at the moment. Mom, her and me have been talking
a lot and have kind of reached an understanding."

Akane glanced over to see Ranma staring at the floor and fidgeting with
his pigtail.

"We're trying to make sure things don't end up the way they did last
time, but to do that she's making some big changes."

Ranma looked over to Akane, who was watching him with an unreadable
expression.

"How much did Kasumi tell you about what's going on?"

It was Akane's turn to stare at the floorboards. "She said you moved
back with your mother yesterday."

Damn, so she didn't know yet. Damn, damn, damn!

"Yeah, well, it's a little more than that, 'Kane," Ranma replied,
resuming his own inspection of the floorboard joints. "Mom, she said
she was going to give me a new start. She ... umm ...I'm not ..."

Ranma gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

"Mom divorced Pops and gave up the Saotome name. She moved me over to
her registry, too. I'm no longer engaged to anyone."

Ranma heard the sharp intake of breath beside him. He didn't have the
courage to look.

"Mom said I had to be the one to choose. I still don't know what to do
'bout Shampoo, but there's no way I'm going back to China with her. No
way in hell."

Ranma stood up and offered his hand. Somewhat startled by the gesture,
she automatically reached out and grasped it, allowing him to help her
to her feet. Her hand lingered for a moment before it was rapidly and
self-consciously withdrawn.

"Akane, I ... err, we ... I mean ... it would ... I'd really ..."

"Yes, Ranma?" Akane asked in the same quiet voice.

Damn it all, why was this so difficult? He didn't have any trouble
talking to his mom about almost anything, so why did his brain turn to
total mush every time she looked at him when he was trying to be
serious? If only there was some way he could ...

He suddenly recalled the time a while back when a beautiful black-
haired girl had offered him something very, very precious. Bracing
himself, he looked Akane right in the eye and put as sunny a smile on
his face as he could manage.

"I'm Ranma. You want to be friends?"

Akane's eyes became immense shining orbs. And even though he should
have been, he really wasn't prepared for the fierce hug or the torrent
of tears that followed immediately afterward.

--------------------
END CHAPTER

============================================================
Mark Shurtleff
   email: gaijin@sfcmd.com
   irc alias: Gaijin -or- togashi_gaijin
   fanfiction homepage: http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic
============================================================


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