Well here is another one for you all C+C welcomed

===========================================================

Northern Japan 2032  0130 hours

The tea Akane had drank hadn't worked.  So after talking to Mendo for
a while she walked out to the front porch.

Wrapped in a robe she gazed across the road to the compound on the
other side.  There she saw a light on.  Her mind wandered.

* Arturo must be working on a project.  Hope he remembers to come
over tomorrow. *   Her oldest child was a surprise in more ways than
one.   * Kodochi almost had her revenge. *  she thought sipping her
tea.  * And dammed clever at it to. * For the first nine years of
their marriage, Kodochi had gotten a contraceptive into her food, a
powerful organic one from her garden.  She and Ranma had tried many
things, including several fertility clinics and consults with Dr.
Toufu.  She smiled  * He's my brother-in-law, and I still think of
him as that.  I'm glad he and Kasumi got together and that they are
as happy as me and Ranma. *  But even he couldn't  deduce why she
and Ranma hadn't had a child.  But the last clinic had found out why.

======================================================

2008

"Ms. Tendo, why are you using a contraceptive?"
"Doctor we are not, we are using every fertility trick we can think of!!"
"Yeah, we really want children for ... many reasons." Ranma had stood
behind Akane.
"Hmmmm are you into organic food?" asked the doctor.

"We eat healthy if that's what you mean." responded Akane.  Ranma for
once ignored a chance to  tease Akane about her cooking.

"I've found traces of a natural organic contraceptive in your blood, urine
and stool samples Ms. Tendo and in your husband's." Both their faces
showed stunned disbelief. The doctor continued.  "I asked because the
contraceptive is a type of pollen.  It is currently popular with those who
are into organic food.  It does have some minor health benefits, and it
can be mixed with just about any type of food.  It's contraceptive
capabilities are not well know to the public."

After further talk they left the clinic.

"So it isn't either one of us, that's a relief." said Ranma.  "Ranma,
if it had been my 'fault' what would you have done?"

"I don't know Akane, but I would never give up on you.  And if we never
do have children, we can help Nabiki and Kasumi with theirs."

"Nabiki hasn't any yet either" she reminded him.

"Yeah but ..."

"Ranma?"

"I think we need to visit the family money bags, come on."

-- Later --

"She has done well hasn't she?" Ranma asked rhetorical as they stood
at the base of the TN Enterprises building.

"Well, at least part of the success is due to you." Ranma blushed.

TN Enterprises was a very diversified corporation.  But the three
starting divisions were an Information bureau, a detective agency,
and a modeling agency, all well suited for Nabiki's demonstrated
talents.  'Ranko' Tendo had been one the modeling agency's early
draws.  Nabiki had finally let him stop, but in exchange he had to
train her security forces in Kempo.  He had done such a good job that
she soon had added a bodyguard service.  But Nabiki agreed that
trying to teach Any Thing Goes Special Techniques would have been a
bad idea.  Still Ranma and Akane were on the lookout for worthy
students.

"Let's go in" he said when he was finished blushing.

{Madam CEO, your younger sister and brother-in-law are here.} came
over the intercom.

The door to the inner office opened and Nabiki came out.  "Hi Sis,
Ranma, what is the occasion?  You don't need a loan do you?  I
thought the Dojo was doing fine." Ranma shook his head.  "It's doing
fine, thanks.  We don't need a  loan, but we do need to know
something." Nabiki got 'that look' in her eyes.  "Come on in, you
weren't interrupting anything major.  Me and Kurt were just going
over some reports." she motioned with her hands for them to enter.

Akane saw her other brother-in-law rise from the couch he was sitting
on.  He approached her and with Prussian efficiency clicked his heels
and kissed her hand.  "A to rare occasion my dear sister-in-law.  And
you are well brother-in-law?"

"I'm fine Kurt-san, thanks for asking."

The whole family had been surprised when Nabiki had introduced the
European as her fiancee. They had met in college, naturally.  His
parents were diplomats and he had spent much  of his life in Japan.
Although he had a German accent, his Japanese so perfect, no one had
trouble understanding him.  At first everyone thought that Nabiki had
finally succumbed to some one's charm, but that turned out to be only
the initial attraction.  Somehow Nabiki had found a soul-mate.  Kurt
was the Vice-CEO for  TN Enterprises and one reason why there was an
import/export division.

Nabiki sat behind her desk.  "So what is the problem?"

"We just came from the fertility clinic you recommended", said Ranma,
"And they asked us why we were using a contraceptive."

"Vas?" said Kurt.  "I thought you two were using every fertility
trick in the book." Akane blushed now.  "Well not some that Hopposii
suggested when we got married." Ranma continued.  "The doctor said it
was a natural, organic one, that could be placed in food.  Neither of
us have done it, so it has to be someone outside.  I can think of
three suspects, I would like you to find out who." Akane instantly
guessed the three. "Cologne, Shampoo, and Kodochi" she almost spat
out.  Nabiki nodded slowly.

"We  can eliminate Shampoo for the moment though," said Nabiki
in a meditive way, "We've kept her to busy."

"What?"  they said in chorus.

"Oh you didn't know did you?  We've started a China Trade and fast
food division a few years back.  Shampoo is the executive in charge."
Nabiki had her cat in the cream look.  "She had done very well for
both us and herself, all we had to do was get her way from the old
ghoul.  Stewart helped out on that."

Ranma and Akane were still stunned.  "It is amazing how well the
Chinese Amazon philosophy adapts to big business." added Kurt.

"So it most likely not Shampoo.  The others however...." Nabiki
looked  calculating. * Oh great, it comes the price. * thought Ranma
and Akane.  * Most likely she wants me to do a calendar or something.
* thought Ranma.

Nabiki startled them.  "Sis do you still want to direct?"  Akane had
a moderately successful time as an actress, but had also discovered
she liked to direct while in college.  That was the last time she had
done so though.  "Because if you do we have a film presentation we
want to make up for prospective clients. We will pay you for what you
would have gotten for the classes you'll miss teaching plus," Nabiki
looked at her husband, who was holding up two fingers "twenty
percent.  In return we will check out your suspects and see how they
are getting that stuff into you."

Akane did a quick check in her head.  * It's less than guild rates,
but the opportunity ...*  "OK" Ranma didn't know if should look
relieved or not.  Then he looked at Akane.  * It's something she
really wants to do. *

======================================================

And she did it well.  So well that she now had a very large number of
well received commercials to her credit.  * But I never got to do a real
movie or a full length TV show* she pouted as she sipped her tea. But
she still did some community theater, both directing and acting.

* And thanks to Nabiki I got to finish my first show, and see my revenge
all on the same day *

======================================================

2008 - one month later

"Cut, print, That's a wrap folks!"  The final scene for TN
Enterprises presentation was complete.  It gave out everything the
management (Namely Nabiki) had wanted, but in a very entertaining,
exciting way.

"Great Tomboy!"

"Ranma, you saw!  Wasn't it great!!  Nabiki has another one lined up
for me and someone else wants me to do a series of TV commercials."
Akane had picked up Ranma and was swinging him around.

"Offf.  And Nabiki says she also has good news."

======================================================

"It was Kodochi.  One of her little experiments in gardening.   She
bred a strain of that plant that was specific to the Tendo family.
I'm not sure where she got the DNA but she did."

Akane blue aura was flaming.  "Why that witch, I'll shove that ribbon
she likes so much up her..."

Ranma was just as angry.  "After all this time!  Just out of spite!!
I don't like to fight women but .."

Akane's aura set off the sprinkler system.  Kurt had been told of
Ranma's problem, but had not seen the change, except for the one
"demonstration" when he was told.

"Fascinating.  I can understand your anger, but my dear wife has
already taken care of the matter." he said as he started to warm up
some water.

"Nabiki" they shouted together.

"It was beyond just you and Ranma Sis.  It got personal."  Nabiki
faced the window.

"The pollen was in the rice we ate (We? they thought).  Cooking
doesn't destroy it, and it doesn't affect the taste.  Kodochi
arranged for all the rice in that market to be dusted with the
pollen.  It only effects those of the Tendo blood, so no one would
suspect.  By coincidence," Nabiki turned back to her sister and
brother-in-law, "my chief also shops at the same market you do Sis.
We want at least one child of our own too.  That little witch was
screwing us both over."  She looked at her watch.  "Almost news time,
think it made it?"

Kurt turned on a TV.  "Lets see."

About midway through the program they heard.  "And in Nermia the
historic Kuno mansion was the site of a fire today.  Thankfully there
was no loss of life and the blaze was contained to a recent addition,
a greenhouse.  Unfortunately the greenhouse was a total loss, with
several varieties of rare plants being consumed by the blaze.  In
other news....."

Nabiki smiled wickedly.  "And there will be no investigation, there
would be to many hard questions directed at them as well."

Kurt's grin matched his wife.  "Especially if the fire was started by
something like an electrical fault or in some of the gardening
supplies."

The two business people  turned toward their relatives.  "No we don't
usually work like that, but we do know were to find such people."
said Kurt.  "And like I said earlier, it got personal." added Nabiki.

======================================================

2032  0145 hours

Akane gazed out over the landscape, eyes always returning to the lit
window.  "And with the world like it is today, they need that
toughness.  I'm glad we came here after the quake."

But after a few months more of trying, she had found out she was
carrying Ataru.  It was hard to tell who was more happy, Ranma or
Akane.  And then only a month after she got back she was pregnant
again, with Ranko who was born in late October.  After that they
decided to space the children further apart.  And the talents all her
children showed!!"

* But it was a shock when he told us he was not interested in the
Martial Arts *  she thought as she looked at a painting, * But he is
still an artist of another type. And if I was crazy enough to make
the same agreement as Nodoka-san did about Ranma, Ataru would
have no worries.*

* Painter, sculpture and carpenter.  Handy, that last, especially
when the others act like we did when we were younger. *

That in fact was Aturo's official job, caretaker to the "retreat"
complex run jointly by TN Enterprises and WIH.  He had taken over
from Ranma when Ataru had turned 18.  That was also when he first
sold some of his artwork.

* But not any of his first works. * she thought, looking back at the
painting.   It showed the whole family and was an excellent likeness.
Several more could be found all over the house.  All signed simply
"Ataru"

Her oldest.

====================================================================
Ben L. Harrison - HM1(FMF)/USN/RET
Harriso3@ix.netcom.com
====================================================================
Anime Excuse #212: Went  on a  mission with the  Lovely Angels
Anime Excuse #213: Tried to help Linna start her car