Magical Interludes:  December's End
Fanfic by J.K. Hayashi
 
Pertinent characters copyrighted by R. Takahashi, etc., etc., etc..  I 
have no money anyway.
 
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The story so far:
  
Magic has come into the world based on scientific principles.  Minor 
and low-level abilities appeared first world-wide, causing unrest in 
major metropolitan areas as people, groups, corporations, and 
governments sought to take advantage of the new power base.  The 
unlocking of major talents seemed to be linked to the appearance of 
'Vortices', people who were at the center of energy/magic storms.  A 
'vortex' gained access to power and insights of lives that they might 
have led.  The fifth vortex, Ranma Saotome, differed in that he 
managed to draw three 'daughters' into his reality, though he almost 
died doing it.  The three sixteen year-olds (Ayuki, Keiko, and 
Midori born to Shampoo, Nabiki, and Ukyou respectively) came 
under the care of Nodoka Saotome.  Dr. Tofu and Kasumi 
discovered their attraction for each other and have decided to be 
married.  Ranma and Akane also admitted their love for each other.  
Ayuki has gone with Ranma and Akane to visit Shampoo.
  
It is December 25th of Ranma and Akane's sophomore year...
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Chapter 3:  Family Time - Part I
  
Ranma and Akane guide Ayuki to the Cat Cafe.  On the way there, 
Akane can't help but think how much Ayuki looks like female 
Ranma, except for the purple hair and the eyes.  She even had her 
purple hair in a pigtail, just like Ranma.
  
Ranma:  "Are you sure you want to do this, Ayuki?"
Ayuki:  "What do you mean, father?"
Ranma:  "The only reason the ghoul backed off yesterday was 
	because there was four of us.  If she decides to fight the 
	three of us with Shampoo and Mousse, I'm not sure if we'd 
	win."
Ayuki:  "Are you worried, father?"
Ranma:  "Well, I hate her guts, but she is incredibly skilled.  I guess 
	I am concerned that she'll try to kidnap you."
Ayuki:  "Don't worry, father.  I just want to talk to moth... Shampoo 
	for awhile.  And if I get my way, neither she nor the old 
	ghoul will bother you any more."
Akane:  "How are you going to do that, Ayuki?"
Ayuki:  [shrugging]  "I'll just talk to her."
  
The three of them reach the Cat Cafe, which is open for business 
and serving lunch, though there are only two or three people there 
because its the weekend.  Cologne is sitting in her usual place 
behind the cash register and Shampoo and Mousse are cleaning the 
tables.  As Ranma enters Shampoo jumps onto him, causing Akane 
and Mousse to get very mad.
  
Shampoo:  "Ranma here to drive Shampoo wild with passion?"
  
Ranma looks very embarrassed.  Mousse glares at Ranma from 
where he is serving customers.  Cologne hops down from the cash 
register, perched on her staff.
  
Ranma:  "No.  No, I'm not.  Get off me, Shampoo."
Cologne:  "You have nerve, son-in-law, but not much brain.  Did 
	you think that bringing her" (points at Ayuki) "is the same 
	as getting her out?"
  
Cologne picks up a bunch of paring knives and suddenly throws 
them at Ranma.  Ranma prepares to jump out of the way with Akane 
when Ayuki steps in front of him, plucks the knives out of the air, 
and send them flying back toward Cologne.  The knives strike and 
embed themselves in Cologne's staff. 
  
Ayuki:  (narrowing her eyes)  "We can get out, old ghoul.  I have 
	nothing more to learn from you."  (Cologne's eyes narrow) 
	"Now.  I would like to talk with my mother.  Alone."
Cologne:  "Go with her, Shampoo.  Try to persuade her to stay with 
	us."
Shampoo:  "Yes, great-grandmother."
Ranma:  "Ayuki..."
Ayuki:  "Don't worry, father.  I'll be fine."
  
Ayuki exits with Shampoo to the back of the restaurant.  Cologne 
pointedly ignores Ranma and Akane, leaving it to Mousse to show 
them to a table to wait.
  
Ranma:  "Mousse... is that old ghoul and Shampoo still trying to get 
	me to marry her?"
Mousse:  "I think so, Saotome.  And I believe she sees Ayuki as a 
	possible heir to her knowledge."
Akane:  "How are you doing with Shampoo?"
Mousse:  "She still rejects me.  I believe that until you two are 
	married they won't give up."
Akane:  "But we're still too young..."
Mousse:  "I understand, Akane.  I've waited this long... ack!"
  
Cologne has come up from behind and whacks Mousse's head with 
her staff.
  
Cologne:  "Get back to work, you layabout."  (leaves to her usual 
	perch)
Akane:  "Now, what's this between you and Shampoo?"
Ranma:  (embarrassed)  "Well, Shampoo and I are Ayuki's parents 
	in a way, and I suppose that she thinks that it means she'll 
	be the one I make love to."
Akane:  "You mean you remember making love to Shampoo?"
Ranma:  (very embarrassed)  "Um... well..."
Akane:  (slaps Ranma)  "You pervert!"  (gets up to leave)
Ranma:  (stops Akane)  "Akane... Akane... it's nothing.  I mean, I 
	also remember being with Ukyou, and Nabiki... and you."
Akane:  (stunned)  "Me?"
Ranma:  (nods)  "But it never happened.  I mean it did happen, but 
	not to me."
  
Shampoo suddenly jumps into the room and kisses Mousse, 
passionately caressing his body.  Ayuki quickly follows Shampoo 
into the room, and while everyone's attention is on the kiss, grabs 
Ranma and Akane and drags them outside. 
  
Cologne:  (whacks Mousse with staff)  "How dare you kiss another 
	man's wife?"
Shampoo:  "Great-grandmother!  Why you hit Shampoo's 
	boyfriend?"
Mousse:  "You ghoul!  How dare you interrupt this moment of 
	love?"
  
Mousse attacks Cologne with the weapons hidden in his sleeves.  
Cologne easily dodges and whacks him into the restaurant wall.  
Shampoo cries for Cologne to stop or she'll run away.  Cologne 
decides to tap their shiatsu sleep spots, then looks around and 
notices Ranma and Akane's absence.  She hops to the doorway, but 
they are nowhere in sight.  Cologne wonders what Ayuki did to 
Shampoo as she heads back into the restaurant, and carries 
Shampoo to her room.  Ayuki stops four blocks away from the Cat 
Cafe and starts laughing. 
  
Ranma:  "What happened to you two?"
Ayuki:  (trying to stop laughing)  "As soon as we got out of sight, 
	mother tried to perform Xi Fa Xiang Shiatsu on me.  
	Mother never was very patient at times.  I got to her first 
	and made her forget you, then I steered her to Mousse and 
	told her she should make the first move."  [giggling]  "And 
	she did."
Ranma:  "What were you going to talk to her about, then?"
Ayuki:  "I was going to try to convince her to leave the old ghoul, 
	but maybe this worked out just as well."
Akane:  "How's that?"
Ayuki:  "I love mother.  And I want her to be happy."
Akane:  "How will this make her happy, Ayuki?"
Ayuki:  "Mousse always looked at her with a wistful expression 
	when we went to the village.  And Keiko told me that she 
	grew up with their children."
Ranma:  "Did you ever think that maybe things were different in this 
	reality, Ayuki?"
Ayuki:  "Sure.  But I saw the way Mousse glared when mother 
	jumped on you.  I think that they'll love each other very 
	much."
Ranma:  "Ayuki, I don't know whether to be mad at you or to thank 
	you..."
Akane:  (nudging Ranma)  "Thank her."
Ranma:  "What?"
  
Akane winks at Ayuki, then suddenly kisses Ranma and they fall 
into the street.  Ayuki laughs and starts running back to the dojo, 
followed in a few minutes by Ranma and Akane holding hands.
 
Akane:  (blushing)  "Do you really remember us making love?"
Ranma:  "I remember us having three children together."
Akane:  (slipping into Ranma's arm)  "And do you still think about 
	making love with me?"
Ranma:  (blushing)  "Umm... well... I don't think we're ready yet.  
	I'm willing to wait."  (trying to disguise the fact that he's 
	the one who's not ready for it)
Akane:  "You have changed, haven't you?  Before, even just 
	thinking about kissing would send you jumping."
  
They walk in silence the rest of the way, content to just be together.  
As they enter the dojo, Kasumi and Nodoka are with Ayuki, Nabiki, 
and Keiko in the kitchen, planning the details about Kasumi's 
upcoming wedding over a small lunch.  They plan on a small 
wedding, with only the Tendos, Saotomes, a few friends, and Dr. 
Tofu's mother attending.  Midori returns from Uc-chan's.
  
Midori:  "Uc-chan's offered to train me with mother's spatulas."
Nodoka:  "That's nice, dear.  Now that you're here, I want the three 
	of you to stand next to your father."
Ranma:  "Why, mom?"
Nodoka:  "I just want to see how much they look like you."
  
Ranma and his 'daughters' stand next to each other, and everyone 
notices some similarities, not the least of which is a total inability to 
sit still.  All four of them start making faces and putting rabbit ears 
on each other.  Nodoka then asks to see Ranma's female form with 
the sisters and Ranma protests, but Nabiki pours some cold water on 
him and he changes.  Nodoka takes a closer look as the similarity 
between (female) Ranma and Ayuki becomes quite apparent.  Nabiki 
notices how much Ranma and Nodoka look alike (except for the 
height and hair color) and mentions this to everyone.  Nodoka takes 
Ranma to a mirror and then agrees.  Nodoka also makes the 
connection with Ranma and Keiko's red hair (not that she didn't 
notice it before).  She then turns businesslike.
  
Nodoka:  "Now, I think that we should introduce the girls as your 
	cousins, Ranma."
Ranma:  "Hmm... Why?"
Nodoka:  "Well, nobody's going to believe you're their father.  
	You're only a year older than they are, after all."
Keiko:  "You mean we still have to go to school?"
Midori:  "Yucky!"
  
A pot of water starts to boil on the stove, and Akane picks it up and 
starts to chase Ranma with it.
  
Ranma:  "Stay away, Akane."
Akane:  "Don't you want to change back?"
Ranma:  (running out of the kitchen)  "That's boiling water!"
Akane:  (chasing him)  "Ranma, get back here!"
Midori:  (whispering)  "Mums never was a very good cook."
Keiko:  (nodding)  "Daddy always cooked at our house."
  
Ranma continues to run away from a chasing Akane.  He runs past 
the dojo and into a sign held by a panda.
  
Panda:  (sign)  Get to work!
  
Akane catches up to Ranma and pours the water on him.  He yells as 
the boiling water changes him back.  Akane offers to change Mr. 
Saotome, but he refuses.  Ranma is then forced to help with repairs 
to the dojo (from the flying objects the night before) while Akane 
heads back to the kitchen to help with planning the wedding.
  
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****************************End Chapter 3, Part I