Here's a story that I've put in a good deal of work. I'd really like some
C&C, as I feel my writing isn't good enough. I'd like advice on how I can
improve.
   The characters in this story should all be in character, except Ranma's,
which is modified by this story's deus ex machina.
   If any MST3000/Magical teams want to review this piece, I would be grateful.

   This story doesn't have a title yet, and I'm willing to entertain
suggestions. The working title is:

``Black Dog'' by Neil Reynolds (neil@panix.com)

   What has gone before:

   Cologne has received a message from home about the theft of an ancient
treasure of their tribe, the `dying man coin', by a long-time rival of
Shampoo, named Peroxide. This coin was only used when the Nyuchezuu tribe was
in danger of serious loss, or defeat, because it's use invariably lead to
insanity and death in the user. If it weren't for these drawbacks, Cologne
wouldn't have dared asking Ranma for help, because otherwise the coin would
have been a dream-come-true for Ranma.

   The coin binds to the wearer, and increases the wearer's speed of thought,
boosts the wearer's energy, Increases the wearers ability to come up with
non-obvious solutions, and makes the wearer male. It was traditionally worn by
a leader, who had resigned herself to death, before facing an enemy of the
Nyuchezuu tribe, and was one of the reasons the amazons weren't often attacked
by other Chinese tribes. The coin wasn't coveted by the Amazon's neighbors,
because it would only bond to a woman.

   Peroxide intended to kill Shampoo, and force Cologne to make Peroxide heir
to the clan. The coin boosted Peroxide to the point where she could easily
beat Shampoo, and might have a chance to beat Cologne. Unfortunately for
Peroxide, she wore the coin right after stealing it, and during the long
journey to Japan, had gone mad as a hatter. Mad enough to frighten Kodachi and
Azusa.

   After a long battle, causing major property damage, a semi-paralyzed
Peroxide (from Cologne's use of shiatzu points) succumbed to a heart failure
while simultaneously being hit by Ranma's mouko takabisha and Ryouga's shishi
houkoudan. Heart attack being the traditional death arising from using the
coin.

   Ranma retrieves the coin from the corpse of Peroxide, but before he can
return it to the semi-conscious Cologne, he makes the fatal mistake of talking
to Akane and, inevitably, winds up in the canal, still holding the coin.

		*	*	*

   Story begins:

   "RANMA NO BAKA!"

   A male Ranma surfaces from the canal. "Tomboy" he mutters. Surprised by his
voice, he examines himself, and shouts "I'm cured!" Then he looks at his right
palm, and sees the coin affixed to it, and whispers "I'm going to die."

   After reviving, the weary survivors trudge to the Tofu clinic. Cologne
isn't in the best of shape, and is being carried by Shampoo. Ranma is a pale
white, with Ukyou and Akane hovering around him. Ryouga is carrying the corpse
of Peroxide.

   Even the Kunos are quiet.. Something about facing an insane person who can
out fight the lot of them combined without receiving an injury. Realizing the
only reason they won is because their enemies heart gave out. And now they may
have to go through the same thing with Ranma later. Well, that's enough to
quiet even Tatewaki.

   While Tofu sees to the injured, two policemen take the statements of those
recovering in the waiting room, or those waiting for the others (yes, even in
the Takahashi universe, the police are needed when someone dies in combat). An
ambulance comes to remove the body, as Ranma comes out of the examination
room, along with the policemen who were getting his statement.

   Cologne asks the officers what kind of trouble is likely to result from the
death. The policemen are pretty optimistic "Well, assuming everything checks
out, this should pass quickly. We'd like a statement from her home family
documenting her change in behavior. But otherwise, she's an illegal alien who
matches the description of a petty thief that stole food along a line from the
coast to here, and was occasionally heard to make threats about killing
someone in Chinese. She's dead, but there isn't a mark on her, so even though
you are all martial artists and should have better control over yourselves in
dealing injury, your responsibility for the death will likely be ruled
minor. You'll all have to verify this before a judge, but he'll probably rule
you all as witnesses defending the town." With that, the police leave, and
everyone gathers around Cologne, Tofu, and Ranma.

   Cologne asks Ranma "did the coin stick to you before you fell into the
canal?" "No, before I entered the water it seemed like just a normal coin."

   "Ranchan, how do you feel?"

   "Actually very well. Not like I just went through that fight. Sure I'm
bruised, and a bit bloodied, but I feel ready for more."

   "That's typical of the workings of the coin," Cologne adds, "let's hope it
detaches when we pour hot water on you."

   This is tried (Although the Kunos don't understand why), but the coin
doesn't loosen. Ranma comments "Suddenly I feel like this afternoon has caught
up with me."

   "Is `dying man coin' going to kill Ranma, great grandmother?" Shampoo
demanded. "I don't know child. If it weren't for his curse, it wouldn't have
affected him at all. For a normal girl it would take somewhere between three
months to a year to be fatal. In Ranmas case, he should probably last at least
that long before being in danger. We have a good deal of time to think about
this, and to find a way to remove it before it becomes a danger to
Ranma. Right now the biggest danger is in getting into a fight with him, he's
stronger than he realizes, and might do more damage than he intends."

   Ranma considers this, and adds "In that case, lets worry about this
tomorrow. I'll come by the Nekohanten tomorrow after school to see you,
Cologne. Right now I just want a full night's sleep." Doctor Tofu adds "Thats
probably the best idea, but Ranma, I'd like to see you daily for a while, to
monitor your health."

   With that, everyone heads for home. The usually thoughtless bunch, suddenly
thoughtful over the possible death of Ranma in the not-distant-enough future.

   When Ranma and Akane return to the dojo, Ranma crawls upstairs to
bed. Akane, who was relatively uninjured inspite of her attempts to prove
herself to the others (due to Ranma's overprotectiveness), stays up, and
explains what happened to the rest of the family over dinner (Yes, Ranma is
sleeping through dinner; it was an exhausting fight). Soun is weeping openly
about the fate of the dojo. Genma would have begun plotting something stupid
now that Ranma is male, but that proved too much for his concentration; Genma
was too busy worrying over his son's upcoming death, and trying to eat his and
his son's portion of dinner.

   With all of the major violent characters (barring Happosai, who hadn't been
seen in a few days) in a subdued mood, or outright exhausted, the evening
passed quietly.

		*	*	*

   The next morning began as a typical day. Ranma and Genma are practicing
above the carp pool, Akane returns from her morning jog, Soun reads the paper,
and Kasumi announces breakfast is ready. Ranma, recovered from yesterday's
battle launches his last attack of the morning at Genma. But instead of
letting the two of them fly apart, Ranma cancels Genma's momentum with his
own, and they both fall into the pond. Genma, as panda, stands up in the pool,
while the male Ranma leaps out shouting "It's great to be a guy!"

   Akane seems a bit subdued during breakfast, but Ranma is eating like
there's no tomorrow, consuming as much of his father's food as he can.

   On the way to school, Ranma doesn't seem content with running on the fence,
but does some flying kicks, leaps, and flips while running along the top of
the fence. Akane asks "What's come over you, all of a sudden?" "I dunno. I
feel so optimistic today. I'll get this coin removed before it kills me, and
now I don't change into a girl. Also I feel great, all my pains from yesterday
are gone. I feel as light as a feather. Yesterday we won against a major
threat. Happosai hasn't shown up for a while. And I haven't had to fight with
anyone besides my dad. We've already passed the point Shampoo usually lands on
me, so this morning the only one left is Kuno. Today I could take him
blindfolded."

   "Remember to be careful today, your strength may be more than you expect."
Akane added.

   "I thought about that, but everything seemed normal when I fought my dad
this morning."

   Luckily for Tatewaki, his sprained ankle delayed his arrival at school
until shortly after Ranma and Akane's arrival. Ranma and Akane actually
arrived early to class. This, combined with Akane's abnormal mood (i.e. she
wasn't furious with Ranma this morning) started the entire class
gossiping. The combined opinion of the class being that this must either be
the calm before the storm, or the calm after the storm, and hopefully
yesterdays ruckus qualified, so that maybe they were safe for a while.

   Classes went reasonably normally that day, except that Shampoo didn't show
up for lunch, so no lunchtime battle ensued, and Ranma didn't fall asleep
during any of his classes. That isn't to say he paid attention, mind you, that
would have been a major change in the status quo.

		*	*	*

   After the last class Ranma asked Akane "I'm going over to the Nekohanten to
see Cologne, would you rather get into a fight with Shampoo, or mad at me for
entering the cat's den alone?" "Ranma no BAKA", but before Akane can injure
Ranma, Ukyou interrupts with "I think it would be better to hear from Cologne
what she knows about the coin, and whether it can be removed in time." This
reminder of Ranma's mortality quiets Akane, and the three leave for the
Nekohanten."

   Ranma's mood however doesn't seem to be diminished. During school he had
been hit twice with cold water, and remained male. His happy mood was
infectious, and by the time they reached the Nekohanten Ukyou and Akane were
openly smiling.

   Shampoo, however, looked grim. She had spent alot of her time that day
helping her grandmother research the `dying man coin', and couldn't find any
mention of someone not dying after they used the coin. Cologne proceeded to
check Ranma's reflexes through a bit of sparring, and through an exercise best
described as pattycake, but played while using the tenshin amaguriken. Through
it all, Ranma continued to smile. "I've never gone that fast before, even as a
girl!"

   "That is why the coin is such a fiercesome weapon, Son-in-law. If it
weren't for the inevitable consequences, everyone would want to wear it. How
do you feel?" "Like I'm ready to take on Happosai, or swim to china again, but
just for fun! The world is a bright and friendly place."

   "Son-in-law, you are suffering the effects of the coin. Well, suffering
might be the wrong word here. But it seems to be affecting you just as
strongly as if you were a normal female. At this point I don't know of any way
to remove it, and if we don't remove it, you will die. You have great energy,
and speed, but your body wasn't designed to take the strain on it that you now
can. You're burning your candle way too brightly, and without care you'll die
in a glorious burst. You can probably do nearly anything now, but you'd be
pushing yourself to death. I need time to find a method of removing the
coin. You have to decide now if you plan to use the coin to fight your
strongest foes, and die in a fast fire consuming your life, or limit yourself
to your normal levels, and extend the time I can find a cure."

   "Ranchan, please don't use this, If you live a normal lifetime, you can
keep improving. I don't want to lose you just for glory." "Ukyou's right,
Ranma" Akane added "If you use your new strength this way, you've doomed
yourself."

   "OK, what should I do to extend my life?"

   "Good choice son-in-law. This may sound trite, but eat plenty of food, and
get good nights sleep. All you need to do is avoid putting extra strain on
your system. Don't push yourself as hard as you can, because the coin will
allow you to push yourself as hard as you want until you die. Don't try to
prove you're better than Happosai, and don't swim to China. You can beat up
your father, or Ryouga, or Mousse as much as you'd like. Visiting Dr. Tofu
regularly is a very good idea, even if you are feeling healthy. He can warn
you better than your body will if you are pushing yourself. I'd visit him
after any major fights as well, and before them if you get enough warning."

   "Oh man, this is going to be a pain." Ranma complained, "But at least I'll
stay male, and feel great during the interim."

   "One more thing, son-in-law, your judgment of your exertions is likely to
be flawed. Between your body telling you you are fine, and your euphoria, you
are likely to go farther than you should. If you can, you should take other
people's advice when you are using your own strength, and when you are pushing
yourself. You girls are probably the best choices to watch him. You're around
him constantly, and are well aware of his limits. This won't be a problem
right away, but it will gradually become necessary, so watch out for
it. Son-in-law, hopefully we'll cure you of this, but if we don't then you've
about a year to live. Life gains preciousness because it is fleeting. For you
it flows more swiftly still. You must find value in life to match its
flow. Come Shampoo, I've another set of scrolls that you should read that
might help."

   The remaining trio proceed to Dr. Tofu's clinic, each trying to think how
they'd live their life if they only had a year left. They relay all of
Cologne's information to the doctor, all of which he agrees with. He adds
"With preventive care along the way, and medical treatments toward the limits
of this problem, we should be able to extend your life, but without a cure,
you may be in the unfortunate position of knowing your death is
inevitable. Most teenagers feel in the back of their mind that death is a long
way off, or only happens to other people. You've faced death before, but it
was something that you could fight your way out of. When this starts to bother
you, please bring it up so we can talk about it. I've spent time with others
who expected death, so I can hopefully help. And, of course, Cologne may find
a cure in time."

   As the trio left the clinic on that glum note, Ranma surprised his fiancees
by saying "Lets do something!" Akane asks "What, Ranma?"

   "I don't care. The last things I want to do right now are tomorrow's
homework, or stew over what might happen in a year from now. Besides, I'm so
full of energy, I feel I'm about to burst. Also I can't remember another 24
hours when I've spent so much time with both of you that someone didn't get
angry. I couldn't stand sitting in a movie theater. Is there a fair nearby?
How about an amusement park?"

   "Ranchan, it's a Wednesday night. I can't think of anything like that open
tonight." "Damn, I don't suppose either of you knows how a guy could dance
with two ladies without upsetting one of them, besides I don't really know how
to dance. Maybe the three of us could go on a training trip together soon. No,
The parents would throw a fit, any females left out would try to join, and all
of the males would pursue to kill me for being an enemy of womankind. Am I
talking faster than normal?"

   "Yes you are, Ranma." Akane replied, "I was considering tying a string to
your ankle to keep you from floating off. I've never seen you so energetic."

   "Aww, Cologne's sure to find a cure. She's great at these magic items
stuff, and she's the most devious and persistent person around. Remember how
she got me to waitress for her? And now she's working to find my cure. I've
got a year, she's bound to succeed. Meanwhile, I'm free of my curse, and I
feel great. I've got doctor's orders to get more food and sleep, and I haven't
been pummeled all day. The one thing Cologne said that got me to thinking was
that I should make the most out of the time I have without overexerting
myself. So I'm looking for something fun to do besides beating Kuno up. Anyway
that only takes seconds to do. Do you think I could learn to dance? Where *IS*
the nearest amusement park? Do you think we could go this weekend? We'd have
to keep it a bit quiet, or it'll turn into a brawl. We could go, have fun,
*THEN* announce it, then fight everyone! Lets keep this idea quiet. Maybe we
could go after school on Saturday, or maybe Sunday. If we each left
separately, and met at the gate we might be able to do it without being
followed! Come on, lets try it!"

   "O-OK, Ranchan. I'll find a park, and give you two the address in school
tomorrow. I've got to go feed the evening crowd, and do my schoolwork for
tomorrow. See ya."

   They said their goodbyes, and Ukyou left for home. Akane and Ranma
proceeded to their home. Akane was a bit overwhelmed by Ranma's tendency to
talk a mile a minute. She felt conversationally off balance. She was still
trying to understand that Ranma might die soon, and here he was acting more
cheerful than she had ever seen him. Ranma seemed oblivious to her mood, as
usual, but this didn't infuriate her yet, because SHE was still unsure of her
mood. She was also having trouble keeping up with all of the ideas he was
suggesting. She just realized she had passively agreed to going to an
amusement park with Ranma and Ukyou that weekend when Ranma interrupted her
train of thought with

   "Say, Akane, do you think it'd be safe for me to see my mother now? Dad's
still a panda, but she never made him promise not to become an endangered
animal. As long as I've got this coin I'm gonna remain a guy. I'd really like
to see her as myself, not as Ranko. Should we explain Ranko to her? If I'm
cured she'd forgive the deception. But the cure won't last if I want to
live. How do you think she'll take my imminent death? If I get this coin
removed, do you think she'd want me to commit seppuku? I can tell her about
the curse later. If I need to, we can take another training trip after
removing the coin. At least I'll be able to see my mother for the next year. I
think if Cologne found the cure tomorrow I'd wait a few months before taking
it."

   At this point Ranma became quiet again, continuing his thoughts in his
head, not realizing the confused state he was leaving Akane in.

   As they were reaching the Tendo home, Akane finally had almost worked out
two coherent thoughts `I don't like being confused' and `It is Ranma's fault
I'm confused.' But before Akane could compete this syllogism and deliver the
long overdue malletting, Ranma again stirred up Akane's brain

   "Glad we're home, dinner sure smells good. Can't wait. Remember the
amusement park is a secret. I was going to come up with an excuse for pop, but
I'll just say nothing and leave when no one's looking. After we're back they
can ask as many questions as they like. It'll be best to explain what the
doctor said to them all over dinner otherwise someone's going to hear half of
it. Happosai will be in for a shock. I won't try to out-fight him, but I doubt
he can glomp onto me now. Dad was sore this morning. fighting over the pool
was his idea. I guess he prefers it when we both change. I wonder how mom'll
take being married to a panda. P-chan's by the pool, I'm going to get my
homework out of the way so I can watch the sunset tonight."

   And with that, he ducked into the house, and went to his room.

		*	*	*

   Over dinner, Ranma and Akane proceed to tell everyone what Cologne and Tofu
told them. Ranma did come up with one idea that was a stroke of brilliance "I
know one way I could eat more here without raising the food budget." "How?"
"Sit me apart from dad. He'd never steal your food. Akane, can we switch
seats?"

   After dinner, Ranma leaves to view the sunset. And without him as a
catalyst, the evening passes quietly until one hour later.

		*	*	*

   Akane heads for her evening bath. Inside the changing room she notices
Ranma's clothes "Ranma, how long are you going to be in there?" She doesn't
get an answer. Slightly worried and with her feelings confused through the
jumble of events that day she cautiously peeks into the bathroom, and sees
Ranma sitting comfortably in the tub snoring slightly. She wants to pound him,
but she isn't going to enter the bathing room while he's male, and she is
worried about him, and he is acting weird,and ...

   She goes to get their fathers to wake Ranma, and put him to bed.

		*	*	*

   The next morning dawns much the same as the others. Ranma and his father
are sparring as usual, but Ranma's heart isn't in it. He doesn't respond to
the taunts of his father, and he doesn't go out of his way to soak his father
in the pond. He just mounts an effective defense. His father is clearly not
pleased with his son's lackadaisical response, but he doesn't know what to
do. Taunting Ranma to fight harder worked flawlessly for the last ten
years. Fathers of teenagers aren't the best at breaking habits they've formed
with their children.

   Breakfast begins, and Ranma makes a good showing in defending his food, but
his appetite isn't the monster it usually was. He still ate more than any two
Tendos combined, but not much more.

   On the way to school, Akane tries to get some kind of a response out of
Ranma by taunting his morning's fighting and breakfast, only getting mild
grunts of acknowledgment. Akane finds it as difficult to deal with Ranma today
as it was yesterday. He wasn't acting normal. Nothing she did provoked the
usual response. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was just too quiet.

   When Kuno started his morning attack, Ranma didn't perk up. He waited for
the attack, swept Kuno's legs out from under him, then leaped over him,
kicking his sword hand, causing Kuno's bokken to go flying away. Then Ranma
walked into school.

		*	*	*

   Akane didn't normally get along with Ukyou, but by the middle of the day
she needed someone to compare notes on Ranma's behavior, and Ukyou and Nabiki
were the only two at school who knew the effects of the coin. Nabiki was on a
different floor, and would charge too much. Ukyou was a few seats over, and
had a similar worried expression. While Ranma consumed his lunch at his desk,
Akane went over to talk with Ukyou.

   They compared notes. They found their observations were confirmed. They
both had no idea what to do. Ukyou was the first to mention that the coin
drove the previous wearers insane, and Cologne never mentioned the insanity
yesterday when telling them about the effects of the coin. Everyone was so
concerned over whether Ranma would live or die, that the insanity was
forgotten about.

   At this point they saw Ranma reenter the classroom, neither had noticed him
getting up from his desk after finishing the bento. He was smiling for the
first time that day, as he walked over to Ukyou and Akane. "Ukyou, didya find
an amusement park nearby?" "Yes Ranchan, we can get there by train Saturday
after class, and get there by 1:00. I forgot to make 2 copies of the
directions, but I remember them, and one of you can copy this for the
other. We'll probably meet on the same train anyway."

   Ranma looked at the directions, but then handed them to Akane saying "You'd
better copy them. If anyone sees a copy of directions written in my hand,
someone will show up looking for a fight. If they're in your hand, the worst
we'll have would be an overamorous Kuno, and we can always strap him to the
outside of the ferris wheel if he causes trouble." "Ranchan, you're not
normally this cautious." "I know. Its weird, whenever I start thinking of a
plan, I keep thinking of things that might mess it up. If you really want to
play it safe, you could write them on okonomiyaki, then we could eat the
message after reading it." "I thought about it, but you've eaten too many
before you've read what was written on them."

		*	*	*

   During class, Akane passes a note to Ukyou saying "After class, let's ask
Cologne. She may have more to say if Ranma isn't there." Ukyou reads it, and
nods when Akane is looking.

		*	*	*

   After school, our now peppy Ranma gets his copy of the directions to the
amusement park from Akane, and goes to see Dr. Tofu. Akane tells him she wants
to talk with Ukyou.

   As Akane and Ukyou proceed to the Nekohanten, Ukyou tells Akane "Yaknow,
Ranma is trusting us to get along together more than he trusts any other pair
of girls after him. I don't know how well we can get along, but I think I'd
like to try at least through this amusement park trip. I want to prove to
myself that Ranma's faith in us is justified." "I understand, and while Ranma
is acting different, we're the only people who are watching out for him during
the day."

   "Actually Akane, I should confess something. The real reason I only made
one copy of the directions, I was worried that if there was a screwup, you
might suspect me of plotting something concerning Ranma. If I gave you each
one, you wouldn't be sure they were the same. I actually had a second one in
my bag that I copied before I thought about this while working last night. I
don't want to make you mistrust me, or avoid me at least until we're sure
Ranma's not in trouble."

   They arrive at the Nekohanten to find a worried Shampoo concerned for
Ranma, "Where is Ranma? You watch him in school? Is he OK?"

   Ukyou and Akane reassure Shampoo about his physical health. In the two days
since Peroxide's death, Ranma has had only one fight besides his morning
sparring, and that was the fight with Kuno, and Ranma hadn't exerted himself
at all for that.

   Ukyou and Akane also said they came to discuss Ranma's mental health with
Cologne while Ranma was visiting Dr. Tofu for his now-daily physical.

   The three girls went to listen to Cologne, and try to understand Ranma's
new behavior.

   "First, you must understand that the insanity caused by the coin does not
come into effect this early. It will be months before that becomes a
worry. The changes that have occurred are more insidious, mostly because they
are beneficial, so they won't be regarded by most people as a disadvantage."

   "I've told you that it increases Ranma's speed of thought. He will not be
used to having ideas occur to him as fast as it does now. You can expect this
to exacerbate his tendency to talk without self-censoring himself. You can
expect him to babble."

   "It also improves his ability to come up with non-obvious solutions to
problems. He'll be constantly thinking of several things at once, and see
patterns in the overlapping thoughts that aren't immediately obvious. You can
expect him to babble about several things at once. To him they will all seem
like a logical conversation, but between every two sentences, his mind may
have jumped two or three thoughts so that to you it seems disjointed and
confused."

   "The biggest change will probably be due to euphoria. I have trouble
thinking of anyone who I could guarantee could outfight Ranma right now. If it
was his goal, he might be able to train to beat anyone. Plus his thinking and
planning are improved. If he wanted something badly enough, he could likely do
anything. Since he knows he could succeed at anything, he's feeling on top of
the world. Imagine how you would feel if you could do anything you wanted to,
if you wanted to badly enough."

   "There's even a theory about the coin that states that the coin doesn't
cause insanity at all, but that a human mind affected this way will invariably
eventually go insane. This is why the coin's mental effects are so
insidious. Three linked benefits to Ranma's mind may eventually pull him to
insanity."

   "As for treatment and advice, I have none, yet. Nothing can be done, so we
do nothing, for now. Remember that any changes you note in Ranma isn't due to
his personality changing, but in the way he thinks. He's the same Ranma, but
you'll see a facet of him that would otherwise never be displayed this way."

   The three girls who care for Ranma digest this news as best they can. Ukyou
asks Cologne, "Do you have any good news at all about Ranchan?"

   Cologne responds "If I didn't think we had a chance of saving him, I would
have broken Shampoo's right to Ranma, and sent her back home, making her
forget Ranma if it were necessary. I wont let Shampoo pursue a walking dead
person. Ranma may live a long life, but I can't guarantee it, or tell you what
else to do to increase our chances. I wont give any of you false hope, but
there is reason to hope. Still, make the most of this time. You'll have
regrets when you reach my age, try not to have too many."

   On that somber note, they break up. Ukyou to her restaurant, Shampoo and
Cologne prepare for the lunch crowd, and Akane to home.

		*	*	*

   As soon as Akane gets home, Ranma calls Akane out to the dojo. "Ranma,
why'd you call me in here?"

   "Well, I've been thinking, and I need to practice and I don't want to
overexert myself, but I also want to put this energy to good use. So I need
you to spot me while I go through some kata, and offer advice on what I can
and shouldn't do, while I tell you what I've been thinking about." At this
point, Ranma has already started his routines, and switches topics on Akane.

   "So I've decided I've gotta see my mother as a guy while I have this
chance. I'll only have a few months with this coin, and then I'll either die
or have to worry about seppuku again. Either way I'll regret it if I let this
moment slip by. I'm gonna wait to tell my mother about the curse and the
coin. We've got enough to talk about just covering the last 10 years, and 2
fiancees tied to family honor, plus a Chinese amazon that considers us married
because I knocked her unconscious. I don't want to talk to dad about this
because he'll probably have to stay a panda while she's here; and I'm sure he
isn't ready to explain his actions over the last 10 years to an armed
Nodoka. I can't tell Soun, or pop will hear about it. Kasumi would welcome
Nodoka over. Nabiki will either like her arrival, or find some way to profit
out of it. So that leaves you, would you rather we invite my mom here, or
should I go away to visit her? What do you think?"

   "Slow down, Ranma! I can either follow your conversation, or think about
it, but I'm not used to dealing with things like this at this speed. I like
your mother, I wouldn't mind if she visited. What are you going to tell her
about Ranko, your father and the panda?"

   At this point, Genma appears as a panda carrying two packs. He holds up a
sign saying `We must leave, Nodoka is here and you can't be Ranko'. Seeing
this, Ranma leaps over Akane, punts his father into the carp pond, and runs to
the house screaming "Mommmm!"

		*	*	*

   Ranma enters the family room at a dead run and leaps over the table, coming
to a dead stop in front of Nodoka, and he grabs her in a fierce hug. "Mom! Why
are you here now? I was going to call you after dinner to tell you I was
here."

   "Ranma? I haven't seen you for ten years. Let me look at you. Is your
father here too?"

   "You probably won't see Pop and Ranko during this visit. You know how Pop
and I missed you all of your other visits here; well this time I'm here
instead of Ranko, and I've got to make sure this panda doesn't run off for
now. I can explain all of this later, but not quickly. None of this makes
sense without background of my life for the last ten years."

   Akane, who entered a bit after Ranma was surprised, and a bit shocked at
Ranma's answer. Ranma invented an excuse for Ranko's apparent absence before
Nodoka could bring it up, and worded it in such a way that Nodoka was sure to
interpret incorrectly, but without lying to her. It also sounds like Ranma
intends to tell his mother alot about his life, but how much is he planning to
reveal?

   Soun and Genma (in panda form) enter the room from different
directions. Soun looks at Nodoka, Genma and Ranma, and obviously goes into
shock. He hasn't fainted yet, but he is beginning to babble "Ah, I see you've
seen your son."

   "Yes, it seems my husband has raised him up well. It's good to see our
family honor is intact."

   At this, Ranma begins to frown. "I wouldn't say that. In fact I'm afraid I
have some disturbing things to tell you. Pop taught me alot of valuable
lessons, but some of the methods he used were horrible. I can't say he raised
me well, or not."

   "You shouldn't put your father down like that. Even if he made mistakes,
you should still show him respect."

   "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I'm trying to find a tactful way to
warn you that our family honor has been stretched close to breaking."

   This response freezes everyone in the room, except Soun, who's head grows
gigantic as he shouts at Ranma "Your father is an honorable man!"

   Ranma quietly comments "Then why do I lose count of the number of times he
has betrothed me to different women?"

   Soun collapses, and begins to weep uncontrollably. Akane, still shocked,
says "Ranma, that was cruel!"

   Ranma replies "But necessary. This isn't something that can be papered
over. I'm not going to lie to my mother. I intend to eventually tell her all
of the things that have my life twisted in a knot. Half of them are centered
around this problem, and Soun just ignores it."

   "You've been pretty good at ignoring things you don't want to face." At
this point both Akane and Ranma have forgotten they have an audience, and are
arguing vehemently.

   "You think I like letting these problems drag on? It isn't easy having to
choose between two things, when both choices are disastrous. So I put things
off, hoping things would change, but things just get more complicated. More
bad choices appear. Now I do the slightest thing, and dozens of people are
affected. Dozens start plotting, or trying to kill me. Now I'm trying to do
the right thing here."

   "You don't have to make my father cry!"

   "Of course I do! This is the first time in ten years I can speak to my
mother, and your father has been denying things that have twisted my life
around. The only way to stop him is to get him to start crying. What's the big
deal? You make him cry often!"

   "I don't set out to make him cry!"

   "He's crying because I said the truth. How many times has he announced that
we get along great together? Half the school bets on our fights! He's tried to
threaten, coerce, and trick us through countless public declarations when he
KNOWS I have a second fiancee. You and I are the only ones who are willing to
stand up to Happosai. Our fathers only fight him when he's knocked out,
otherwise they buckle under his thumb and help him in his perversions, and
pray they aren't blamed."

   "STOP!" Nodoka yelled. Ranma and Akane realized they had an audience. "I
can't keep track of all of the questions you're bringing up. Who are you
engaged to? And why?"

   "Well," sighed Ranma, "Before we were born, Pop and Soun promised to have
our two families marry, and when we arrived here decided that Akane and I were
affianced. But, when I was six, dad also engaged me to a friend I met. She's
moved into this area a while ago. Then there's Shampoo, a Chinese amazon, who
became engaged to me when I defeated her in combat. She's also moved near here
a while ago. I had another fiancee, but we had that arrangement cancelled. I'm
also being chased by an insane gymnast, who tries to bribe, threaten,
blackmail, and poison me on a regular basis. Have I omitted anything, Akane?"

   "Well, there was confusion over the vampyric teacher, and the unwanted
attention of the brain-less kendoist, the monkey and the girl who performed
the tea ceremony, the time you were briefly drugged to love a scheming
centarian, the time you almost married a duck, the ghost-panda demon, Ryouga,
the French idiot, and of course Happosai.

   "Oh yeah, but those are just minor annoyances. All of these women are
martial artists. Unfortunately, each of these women have at least one martial
artist who hates the idea of me even talking to them. Shampoo is violent at
random intervals, Kodachi is violent constantly, and Akane is dangerous when
angered. I'm easily the best fighter in the lot, but I often have to fight
several people at the same time, or in rapid succession. If you hear someone
shout `Ranma, prepare to die' you shouldn't worry, It happens often around
here. Almost a cliche really."

   Nodoka appears distraught, and asks "So your father engaged you to two
women?"

   Ranma sheepishly replies "Well, actually three. But we had one broken
without loss of honor. The other two we aren't honor-bound to accept, but
neither of them will stop drugging me, or kidnapping me."

   "What could have possessed my husband to engage you three times?"

   "Well, the first time was due to drunken fraternity with Soun, The other
two times were due to his appetite."

   "HE ENGAGED YOU FOR FOOD?" Nodoka yelled.

   "Why else? He has only a few driving desires; martial arts and food are the
top two."

   "You should show your father more respect. Even if that is a frighteningly
accurate assessment."

   "I haven't fully forgiven Pop for what he did to Ukyou. She was my best
friend growing up, and he humiliated her. Akane and Ukyou fight often, but
even Akane thinks dad went too far that time. Honor demands I marry
Ukyou. Honor demands I marry Akane."

   Nodoka asks "And who do you want to marry?"

   "NO ONE! Not now! I can't talk with any of them without being pummeled. I'm
constantly being forced, or blackmailed to pick one. I just want to spend some
time with them as friends. I haven't had a friend without an ulterior goal
since I was six."

   "But we can't break either of the engagements without damaging our family
honor."

   "Exactly mom, and the other two girls can't be reasoned with. One is
insane, the other is obeying a 3,000 year old law."

   "I'll have to think about this for a while. Akane, I'm a bit surprised you
never mentioned Ranma's other fiancees."

   Akane responded, "This was something that you had to hear from Ranma, or
his father. Ranma's life is confusing enough. Besides, Ranma was right, If I
brought it up before, my father would have denied the other fiancees. He
always has in the past."

   "I can understand that. Ranma, is there any other threats to our family
honor?"

   "Unfortunately yes mom, but the situation is involved, and I'd like some
time before I explain it to you. If nothing is done, the problem will resolve
itself in a year."

   "Alright, I'll give you some time. Why did you tell me about your fiancees,
but want to keep this other thing quiet? I don't like the idea of you telling
me your father's shortcomings while keeping yours hidden."

   "Well, that's true, but the reason I need more time is that everything
changed a few days ago, and I need time to deal with it, and accept it
first. The multiple fiancees have been going on for months, but this is
new. Besides, I don't think I could spend a day with you without one of my
other fiancees or rivals showing up. Although it has been quiet for a few
days."

   "RANMA, WHERE ARE YOU?" the voice of Mousse screams from outside.

   Ranma sighs. "Akane, could you explain this one while I talk with Mousse?",
he asks as he leaves the room.

   Akane explains to Nodoka, "That was Mousse's voice. He's a legally blind
martial artist from China who followed Shampoo over here because he loves
Shampoo. But Shampoo only cares about Ranma, so Mousse attacks regularly."

		*	*	*

   Ranma enters the yard, and calls out "I'm over here Mousse, are you willing
to talk before we fight?"

   "I'll kill you now!"

   "I guess you aren't willing." Ranma quipped.

   Mousse released a barrage of weapons attached to ropes from his sleeves,
which impacted into the earth around where Ranma had been standing. Ranma had
leapt over the attack. Mousse followed with another volley at the now airborne
Ranma, but was surprised when Ranma actually reached out, grabbed the weapons,
and used the ropes to pull himself directly at Mousse. Ranma kicks Mousse, and
both wind up in the pond.

   Ranma grabs Mousse (who is now in duck form) by the neck, and says "We're
going to the dojo to talk. I have information about my engagement to Shampoo
that will interest you." This quiets the quacking Mousse, and the two walk off
to talk

		*	*	*

   In the dojo, Ranma sets Mousse down and begins.

   "You know I'm engaged to Akane and Ukyou, and that my engagement to Shampoo
is due to a rule of her village that my family doesn't recognize. Well, my
mother's visiting, and will insist that this ghastly collection of promises,
vows, and rules are all straightened out once, and for all. This means that in
a short while either Shampoo will have to give up, or we'll get married. Now
you are one of the brighter people I fight regularly, so you can see the
following. The odds that my mother will break both my engagements to support
Shampoo's law is very slim. That'll leave Shampoo to you."

   "You also know I can't insult the ghoul until we get this coin
removed. This means I have to treat Shampoo like I treat my other fiancees. I
know this'll annoy you, but in a few months this will all be over. If it gets
too frustrating, we can fight, but you know that with the coin I can defeat
you easily. I can probably beat Cologne, so fighting me is pointless."

   "Finally, I know that you only attack when something's happened that makes
it necessary, or advantageous to you that we fight. I've barely spoken to
Shampoo since Peroxide's death, so it couldn't be that. Is Shampoo or Cologne
plotting something again? Quack once for yes, and twice for no."

   QUACK, QUACK.

   "Then you must have seen some advantage. I can't be defeated by you, so the
only thing I can think of would be that you are trying to make me exert
myself. If you hadn't thought of doing that, you will eventually. Exerting
myself will bring on my death. If you are trying to kill me that way, you are
fighting me without honor, and I'll see you dead before you kill me that
way. I wouldn't even need to fight you, just tell Shampoo your plan. Do we
understand each other? If you want to spar or fight you can come here, but if
you are trying to annoy me to death, I'll let Shampoo and Cologne get you. In
a few months all of this will be resolved. Do you understand?"

   QUACK.

   "Ok. By the way, would you like to meet my mother?"

   Mousse thinks for a bit. QUACK.

   "Ok. I'll get your stuff, and carry it, and you to the bathroom. I don't
want to worry my mother about the coin yet, so don't mention my dying in a
year. I haven't told her about any of the curses either, but you can mention
them if you want. Please don't mention mine or pops. I'll be right back."

		*	*	*

   "Mother, I'd like to introduce you to Mousse. The guy who loves Shampoo,
and one of my regular sparring partners."

   "How do you do."

   "Pleased to meet you Mrs. Saotome."

   Kasumi asks "Mousse, we're just about to have dinner, would you care to
join us?"

   "Thank you very much. That would be quite nice."

   Over dinner, Mousse explains the Amazon laws to Nodoka, along with the
censure Shampoo would experience if she returned to China without
Ranma. Mousse also tries to help Ranma and Akane describe Cologne. They even
begin reminiscing over the failed methods used on Ranma; hypnosis mushrooms
and the cat's-tongue shiatzu point (although they never bothered to mention
why Ranma was so angry about being unable to touch hot water).

   "So how did you get the fushichougan from Cologne?" Nodoka asks Ranma.

   "I used the cat-fist. I didn't defeat her, but I did surprise her, so
rather than continue in a fight that wasn't going the way she planned, she
acceded the fight, and gave me the pill. It wasn't until later that I realized
how likely the fight would have continued until severe injury occurred. On
retrospect I only showed her I couldn't be easily defeated, and that I don't
buckle under pressure of a superior opponent."

   "You don't talk about her like an enemy or a friend. How would you describe
Cologne? Does she have any more holds on you?" Nodoka probed.

   Ranma frowned. "She's an adversary, and a teacher. Like Happosai. Very like
Happosai, now that I think of it. Both she and Happosai teach me new
techniques. I'm periodically at odds with both of them, and often have to go
to one to defeat the other's plots. Personally I'd be happier with both of
them gone, but if it weren't for her, Prince Herb would have made my life
hell. Right now we're on the same side. I don't like her, but right now our
most recent large battle has given us similar goals. I don't trust her
secondary goals, but she stands to loose everything she's been working on if
we don't both succeed."

   Mousse interjected, "I'd better get back to the Nekohanten, or they'll have
my hide. Thank you Kasumi, for the wonderful meal. Thank you all, for the
conversation. Thanks, Ranma, for inviting me in. It was a pleasure to meet you
Mrs. Saotome. Ranma, I'll try to take your earlier advice to heart; perhaps we
might do this again some time."

   Mousse's departure gave everyone an excuse to do other things as
well. Nodoka was going to be staying there for a few days. Soun Tendo being
too shocked to say anything, because of how much information Ranma had given
away that might eventually lead to the death of Genma, and of his hopes for
Akane and Ranma's wedding (through the agency of Ranma's death). And Kasumi
was, of course, the model of politeness.

   As much as Ranma wanted to talk with his mother, the emotions of being with
her, accepted by her for the first time as himself, were beginning to wear
Ranma out. On top of this, the effort to keep the conversation away from the
unsafe topics of his curse, and his impending death by madness due to the
`dying man coin' was leaving him quite frazzled. This made the time he was
spending with his mother painful, as well as pleasurable.

   Nodoka, similarly, was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Finally meeting her son
after so many years, and hearing story after story about his past; she was
beginning to have some difficulty keeping track of all of the people he
mentioned.

   Ranma went of to the dojo to unwind, and train. Nodoka followed Kasumi to
the kitchen to talk. Discussion about fiancees, and Genma's actions were put
off, as the Saotomes and the Tendos basked in the warm glow of a family
reunited.

		*	*	*

   The next morning was too fast for any serious discussion before
school. Nodoka was pleased to see how energetic her son was, even though a few
minutes earlier he was happily asleep.

   Instead of his usual morning's sparring with his father, he practiced
katas, trying to achieve amaguriken speeds without sacrificing the precision
he achieved at lower speeds. Hopefully he could use his boosted metabolism to
improve his skills so that he'd retain some of the benefits if he gets a cure
for the 'dead man's coin'.

   Ranma asks Nodoka if she could keep an eye on the panda to make sure it
doesn't leave. "He'll probably spend the day playing shoji or go with
Mr. Tendo, but as fond as he is of Ranko, I wouldn't put it past him to try to
visit some of our old training grounds. Tracking him down would be a real
pain." Ranma casually glares at the big panda while he finishes (ostensibly to
Nodoka, but with veiled message for his father, "It's better for his health if
he stays here. He might not realize it, but if he left now, he'd likely
shorten his own life."

   Nodoka asks "How did that panda learn to play go? He and Soun play without
a handicap. Such training is quite impressive."

   While Soun and panda sweat over this question, Ranma deflects this
easily. "Aww, Soun and Genma play all the time, and when Genma can't be found,
the panda plays. The panda's watched every game Soun and Genma play. Soun is
responsible for all of the practice the panda gets, but Genma is responsible
for all of the panda's playing ability. Go is a trivial game to learn after
all, and that panda isn't just a dumb animal."

   Soun adds to Ranma's explanation, "No one ever masters go anyway, there's
always new levels of complexity to discover. Playing at any level is an
exercise of the intellect of each player. There is no winning strategy to
learn. The play of the game itself is what's important."

		*	*	*

   As Ranma and Akane run to school, Akane asks Ranma "When are you going to
tell your mother about everything else? You've been talking around alot of
subjects, but you said you'd tell her everything."

   Well, I think the first thing would be to tell her about all of this
fiancee mess. She won't be able to follow what's going on at all until that's
explained fully. I don't care when she discovers Shampoo and Mousse's curses,
but whenever that happens, we'll have to tell her about my problem with
cats. I don't want to drag you into this, but I'll need your help if I slip
into cat mode again. You or Kasumi might have to explain some of it if things
don't go smoothly. Then we tell her about my Jusenkyou curse, but we show her
it's cured now. Then the hard part; I tell my mother I've been deceiving her
as Ranko. If I survive it, we tell her about the coin keeping me male. Finally
we tell her about the coin killing me in a year. I wanna stretch this out,
there's no way anyone could take in all this at once. I think even Kasumi
might be shocked beyond just saying `Oh, my' if she learned all of this at
once, and she's easily the most unflapable person I ever met."

   "Nabiki is pretty hard to shake up too, don't you think?"

   "No, Nabiki is as easy to surprise as most people, she just never lets
anyone see it. She has a better pokerface than the Gambling King. Kasumi is
another case entirely. Godzilla could rampage through our back yard wearing a
pink tutu and a sailor's cap, and Kasumi's first thought would be that she
better re-sweep up the leaves."

   Akane giggles briefly over the imagery "Yeah, I can see that. She'd
probably say `Ranma, is this another of your friends over to visit?'"

   "If he understood even moderate Japanese, he'd probably be invited for a
cup of tea. Sometimes I think of her as my perfect opposite."

   "What do you mean by that?"

   "No need to get defensive, it isn't an insult. No one would ever insult
Kasumi. No one would attack her, she never fights. The strongest attack she
can make sounds like a mild rebuke, but it can hit you harder than Ryouga's
shishi houkoudan. I have to fight half of Nerima to do what I think is right,
she quietly requests things, and everything works out. Think about everyone
she invited last Christmas to that party. If you or pop sent out the
invitations, many of them wouldn't have shown up. If I did it, we'd probably
would have had to rebuild the dojo from scratch after the fight. You know I
wouldn't want to destroy the dojo, but you also know it probably would be
wrecked. Kasumi shared a kitchen with Shampoo, Ukyou, and Kodachi. Anyone else
would need to be a martial artist to escape unscathed, even then, you or I
would have risked some collateral damage from random drugs and flying water,
and what happens? Kodachi drugs herself, and sleeps the guilt-free sleep of
the non compos mentis. Kasumi has mastered the perfect defense. Lets be
honest, I've seen pictures of your mother occasionally, and Kasumi is becoming
a beautiful woman like she was, right?"

   "Yes?" Akane agreed, but had no idea where this conversation was going now.

   "Have you EVER seen Happosai glomp onto her? He attacks me regularly, and
I'm a guy. He's put a bra on Cologne. He may be a hentai deviant mutant, but
even HE isn't perverse enough to violate Kasumi."

   By this point, they've finally reached the school's gates so, of course,
they are intercepted by Tatewaki Kuno.

   "Ranma Saotome, what have you done with the pig-tailed girl?" Kuno charged
at Ranma, bokken drawn for attack

   "Hold, and I'll tell you."

   Once he digests the fact that Ranma was going to answer his questions, he
stops his headlong charge at Ranma. "For the information I need, I'll withhold
the thrashing you so richly deserve. Speak! Speak at once, I say!"

   "She has gone, for reasons of her own, having something to do with family
honor. She left unexpectedly, but of her own choice. I think her trip will be
more difficult than she thought when leaving. She explicitly said she wanted
no one else to know of her destination. I think she'll return here as soon as
she can, but she didn't know how long it would take."

   "Speak, cur. Tell me where she is!"

   Ranma appears to have snapped in anger. "I know you think so little of me,
but to find out where she is would be insulting her. Think of your honor and
hers! Have you never had a problem within your family that you didn't want
others to know? As a samurai, you must place her honor in high
regard. Anything you find out about this trip will cheapen that. You could
gladly ask Nabiki where she went, if you hold her wishes in such
contempt. Nabiki would probably give you all the information you are willing
to pay for. So if you want to hear more than you should, I suggest you ask
Nabiki in private, instead of trying to shame your goddess in public!"

   Kuno was uncharacteristically silent. No one else said a word, as everyone
wondered over what Kuno's reaction would be. Finally, he gives Ranma a brief
nod. "Thank you Saotome, for the information you have given me. I spoke in
haste, and you have delayed me until I was able to act rationally. I do not
trust you, and will verify her departure myself, but I'll honor her request,
and give her the privacy to set matters right within her own family. Family
matters are, after all, rather tricky. If you communicate with her before I
do, tell her my heart goes with her, I would like to help, and that I will not
pry." and with that, Kuno strode away.

   Akane looks at Ranma, and asks him "Why did you tell him that? And when did
you think THAT up?"

   "Yesterday, during class. He never believes the whole truth about my
curse. He'd never give me a moment's peace if I lied. The only way to get any
peace from him, is to tell the truth, and make him desire not to pursue the
pig-tailed girl. I couldn't think up anything to get him to go away for good,
but this might keep him until he actually sees her again."

   "Do you think you could get him to leave ME alone too?" Akane hoped.

   "If I had a plan for that, I'd have gotten him to give up on the pig-tailed
girl for good. If I think of one, I'll try it. You would have better luck
amassing a small fortune, and bribing Nabiki to do it. When it comes to
talking around Kuno, she's Ben better than me, for far longer than me."

   "I'll hold off on that. I've no desire to pay to see the irresistible force
of my sister's intelligence clash with the immovable force of Kuno's love-sick
stupidity."

		*	*	*

   Hours later, during lunch period, Kuno approached Nabiki in
private. "Nabiki Tendo, I would speak with you on a matter of extreme
delicacy, on a matter surrounding the pig-tailed girl. I find myself morally
constrained not to learn anything about her whereabouts, beyond the absolute
minimum to test the veracity of what I learned from Ranma this morning. Will
you consent to answering some yes-or-no questions about my pig-tailed
goddess?"

   Nabiki thought for a moment. Something was going on that she wasn't
watching for. Kuno's requests rarely caught her by surprise, except of course
when she occasionally underestimated his stupidity or inanity. "1000 yen a
question."

   Kuno quietly handed Nabiki 2000 yen. Nabiki's interest peaked a bit. He
didn't argue over the amount, Nabiki could have acquired a bit more.

   Kuno began his question. "Earlier this morning, Ranma Saotome said that my
beloved pig-tailed girl desired that I do not know were she is right now. Is
this true?"

   A smile came upon Nabiki's lips. "Yes, it is true."

   "I had not expected the cur Ranma to have given me true information, but I
know you would never lie about any answer duly paid for. I must ask you one
more question, and I pray you restrict yourself to only one word, lest my
mighty intellect might later infer additional information from some other
inconsequential verbiage. Oh, how I am playing a risky game with fate, not
unlike trying to dust the lid of Pandora's box. Please tell me Nabiki, is the
absence of the pig-tailed goddess from my worshipful view due to a matter
which pertains to her families honor? Please say you, yes or no."

   "Yes."

   "Blast this cruel fate which separates such love. But I shall rise above
it. I go now to meditate on the proper conduct fitting for her absence." And
with that, he strides away.

   Nabiki thought, well 2000 yen, but I should have been able to get
more. I've been getting a bit lax regarding Kuno and Ranma. I'll be more
careful over the next few days.

		*	*	*

   Ranma spent most of the morning fidgeting in his chair, suffering under the
burden of a boring lecture, made even more painful by Ranma's current
inability to fall asleep due to his high energy. While most of the class has
the dazed expression of a captive audience, Ranma is spinning pens around his
fingers with a speed and intensity that make the pens look like they might be
usable as a missile.

   As soon as class ends for lunch, Ukyou approaches Akane's desk, and asks
her what has got into Ranma. "Why is he bouncing off the walls like that?

   Akane smiles for a moment "So many things have happened since school
yesterday, I'm not sure where to begin. After I got home, he called me into
the dojo to talk about seeing his mother. he talked on and on about taking
advantage of being a man, and his possibly dying in a year. He said he'd
either visit her, or invite her over. Then his father rushed in to take him on
another training trip, because Nodoka was in the living room."

   "What happened?"

   "Ranma knocked Genma over and rushed to her. We got into an argument about
our fathers, and revealed that Ranma has multiple fiancees in front of
Nodoka. She's going to try to settle things once she gets a grasp of them
all. Then after Ranma fought Mousse, Mousse stayed for dinner, and told Nodoka
all about amazon customs, and Cologne's plots. Ranma seemed so lively and
energetic all last night."

   At this point Ranma joined their discussion. "Ucchan, my mom's visiting. We
told her about the multiple fiancees. You ought to meet her. Do you think you
should meet at the Tendos, or at your restaurant?"

   "However she wants. For something as big as this, I'd close the store for
the night."

   "Ranma." Akane interrupts, "There's something I've been thinking about all
morning during class. As long as I've known you, you've been against being
forced to marry any of your fiancees. When you introduce your mother to
everyone, isn't she going to take sides, and pressure you into marrying
someone? You seem to be actively trying to get her involved. Why?"

   Ukyou also, is interested in how Ranma will answer, so she and Akane wait
while Ranma does something he has rarely done in the past. Ranma is thinking
before he speaks. "I don't have a simple reason to give. Well, I could give
you a simple answer, but it wouldn't be right. I think I'm doing it for
several reasons, but some of them seem contradictory. Besides, any time the
three of us talk seriously about marriage, one of you pounds me, so maybe we
should discuss this when we aren't in school; there are too many people
around."

   Akane misunderstands. "None of us hurt bystanders when we fight!"

   Ranma corrects "I didn't mean them! I meant too many people who'd love to
join in a fight. Kuno's in another classroom. Hinako-sensei is around here
somewhere. Rumor has it that Kuno-kouchou isn't in Hawaii, so he's probably
around. and there are groups of girls with access to brooms who love to beat
up `enemies of women'. The only places worse to discuss this would be the
Nekohanten, or surrounded by our three parents. I love martial arts, but I'm
not in the mood for a brawl right now." At this point, a dull boom is heard
"Che, I did just say I didn't want a fight, right?" Ranma then announces in a
voice loud enough for the entire room "I'm gonna talk to Kuno now." And with
that, he runs from the room as a second muffled boom occurs, but louder than
the first.

   "He wants to talk with Kuno?" a third, louder muffled boom is heard.

   For the fourth boom, part of the wall breaks, and Shampoo stands there in
the dissipating dust holding a delivery box. "Nihao, where's Ranma"

   "He went to talk to Kuno." some helpful student offers.

   "Then I will find Kuno!" and Shampoo leaves the classroom.

   A few seconds later, the classroom door opens and Ranma slips in and grabs
his bag. "That seems to have worked. I'm going to disappear for a while, and
eat Kasumi's lunch in peace. I'll be back for class."

   Ukyou and Akane stare until Ukyou comments "Ranma avoiding a fight, and
succeeding? Have you ever seen him manage that before?"

   "That is new. He did say something this morning about Kasumi mastering the
perfect defense."

   "I've never seen your sister fight anyone before."

   "That's what he meant. She never gets into a fight, so no blows hit her."

   "Well Cologne and Tofu told him to avoid fights, but I never thought he'd
be able to actually do it."

		*	*	*

   After School, Ranma left for Dr. Tofu's clinic, while Akane went
home. Nodoka asked Akane if they could talk in private, and led her up to the
guest room Nodoka was using. she had a pot of tea ready, and the two of them
sat down to enjoy a mug together as they began to talk.

   "Akane, why didn't you tell me about Ranma's other girlfriends before?"

   "I'm not sure. I don't really talk much about Ranma with anyone. Nabiki is
always teasing me about him. Kasumi takes everything in stride, I can't really
discuss this with her. Daddy is hopeless, he keeps trying to force us married;
he can't listen to anything about marriage with out flying into rage or
tears. My friends either tell me I should dump him for being insensitive or
rude, or they tell me he's cute. The whole school is betting on my
relationship with Ranma, with Nabiki running the betting pool. Everyone else
either wants to marry him, or kill him. The only one I talk about it is my
pet, P-chan."

   "When Ranma first came here, I had a crush on someone else. I hated all the
boys in school, and fought with thirty of them every morning before
school. Daddy decided we had to marry, and kept pushing us and begging
us. When the other girls showed up he started to become desperate. He and
Genma keep coming up with plans to try to get us married, or to kiss in
public, and everything they try leads to a brawl as one of his girlfriends or
enemies shows up. Sometimes it seems that the only thing we do agree on is
that we don't want to marry or kiss in public. Ranma doesn't seem to want to
do that with anyone. The other girls would agree in a minute."

   "Have you ever kissed in private?"

   "No. A couple of times I thought we were going to, but something always
happened. Once he kissed me on the cheek in front of the whole school, but he
wasn't sane at the time, and he never remembered it."

   "What do you mean he wasn't sane? Is something wrong with him?"

   "Alot of things have happened to him. If something weird can happen, It
will happen to Ranma sooner or later. He always seems to fight off his
problems, but new ones seem to keep happening. He already told me he intends
to explain the story surrounding the kiss pretty soon. He even asked me this
morning to explain it to you if he can't. So I feel I should wait until he
brings this one up."

   "You and Ranma have been answering my questions, but I still feel that
there is alot neither of you are telling me."

   "There is Saotome-san. But Ranma told me he plans to tell you all of it. He
just doesn't want to tell you all at once. I think I agree with him on
this. He said no one could take this all at once."

   "You had me relieved until that last sentence. I'll try to respect his
wishes, and let him tell me in his own time."

		*	*	*

   Ranma returns home, and over dinner both families discuss the best way for
Nodoka to meet the other girls. At first Soun is against the idea, but as soon
as he learns that she'll meet them eventually, he joins into the discussion as
a willing participant.

   Nodoka asks "Where should I meet them?"

   Ranma answers "If Mr. Tendo agrees, I'd like you to meet them here, during
this visit." as Mr. Tendo is about to violently object, Ranma adds "My mother
would otherwise have to visit them all at their homes. I trust Ukyou and even
Shampoo, but I don't trust Kodachi or Cologne not to take advantage of the
situation. Mr. Tendo, do you want to risk them trying to force me into a
marriage?"

   At this, Soun rethinks his position, and agrees to everything Ranma
suggests. Finally it is agreed that Ranma will contact the girls to arrange a
separate visit with each of them. They also decide one guest a day would be
plenty, and that the visit should just be between Nodoka, Ranma and the
girl. Since it is now Friday, they decide to try to schedule one each for
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

   After dinner, Ranma leaves to set everything up.

		*	*	*

   The dinner crowd is still eating as Ranma enters Ucchan's
restaurant. "Ucchan. If you're free, could you come over Monday after school
to meet my mother? It will just be a quiet discussion with you, me, and her."

   "Sure Ranchan. How do you plan to keep it from getting interrupted?"

   "Well, Akane can prevent Tsubasa from entering. All the other girls will
have their meeting cancelled if they interfere, and all of the other boys want
this meeting to go well. I came here to make sure Monday was OK for you before
I set up the other two meetings. I'm off to the Nekohanten, see ya."

		*	*	*

   The Nekohanten was also busy.

   "Airen! Where were you during lunch today?"

   "Hi, Shampoo. I was all over the place. I'm sorry you couldn't find me. My
mother is in town, and she'd like to meet you. Could you come over to the
Tendo house Tuesday afternoon?"

   "Aiah! Glad to come!"

   "Son-in-law, we'd be honored."

   "Ahh, this was intended as a private meeting with Shampoo and my
mother. But if you'd like to change it, I'm sure she'd be willing to invite
you and Mousse. She wanted to meet each of the girls who want to marry me,
since she already knows Akane. She wants to try to understand how I got so
many persistent suitors. If things go badly, there's a chance I may have to
commit seppuku, so I hope this can go as smoothly as possible."

   "Very well. Shampoo will go alone. I'll keep Mousse from interfering. How
do you plan to keep the others from interfering?"

   "Akane and Ukyou would both look bad in my mothers eyes if they
interfered. Kodachi isn't so reasonable, but her introduction is on Wednesday,
so my mother and I will cancel her invitation should she interfere. I want to
make this clear, this is a meeting to talk and for her to get to know Shampoo,
not an omiai. I'm not about to marry anyone while I still have the `dead mans
coin'. Also I haven't told her about the coin or my curse yet. I'm going to,
but not yet, so please keep from mentioning it to them. When I do, I'll have
to prove to her that magic exists, and I don't want to reveal my father's
curse at that time. would one of you or Mousse be willing to prove to her that
magic works?"

   "When the time comes, son-in-law, we'd be delighted. Please return an
invitation to your mother. We'd like her to try Shampoo's cooking. You're also
invited, of course, but try to keep a mob from showing up, and staging a
brawl."

   "That would be nice. I expect my mother will be around more than she has of
late. When I finally tell her about the coin, I'm sure she'll want to speak to
you about it. May I use your phone? I have to invite Kodachi, and I don't want
to see her in person."

		*	*	*

   beep-beep, beep-beep, click "Moshi moshi, The great house of Kuno. to whom
do you wish to speak?"

   "This is Ranma. I'm calling for Kodachi."

   "You do? I'll go get her."

   "Ranma-sama, what bliss to hear from you."

   "Kodachi, my mother's visiting, and she wants to meet you. It would be a
private meeting with her and I at the Tendo's on Wednesday afternoon after
school."

   "I'll gladly come. Thank you for inviting me."

   "There are three things though. This is supposed to be a quiet, informal
meeting. Please don't bring any flowers, or gymnastics tools, or animals. My
mother and I will provide any defense necessary."

   "Oh, that removes half the fun. I'll see you two on Wednesday then."

		*	*	*

   Ranma returned home, and announced his success in arranging the upcoming
meetings. "I may have even convinced Kodachi to show up without an arsenal and
a poison dispensary. Cologne and Mousse will keep each other from
interfering. If Akane would watch for Ryouga, and Tatewaki, we might be able
to hold all three meetings without an attack. Akane, do you mind standing
guard for these meetings? You are one of the few people who can reason with
Ryouga if he shows up, and everyone knows you could handle Kuno. Even if you
no longer defeat him daily, he's never bested you yet."

   "Sure, I guess. as long as I don't have to deal with Kodachi. Do you really
think they'll try to interfere?"

   "Not intentionally, but both of them have a tendency to forget everything
but their desire to kill me. Luckily both will be distracted by you talking to
them, and then you can either trash Kuno, or reason with Ryouga."

   "What about Tsubasa and Mousse?"

   "Tsubasa could be defeated by Nabiki. You can handle him as easily as
Cologne can Mousse. Cologne will keep Mousse busy on Tuesday. Besides, Mousse
always attacks for some reason. The only reason he'd attack on Ukyou's or
Kodachi's night would be if he had to listen to Cologne plotting something. At
this point, he's more of an early warning system. I'm going out to the dojo to
train."

		*	*	*

   Nabiki entered the dojo to talk to Ranma. "Congratulations Ranma, I heard
about your speech to Kuno this morning. I'm not sure I can remember anyone
else directing him so effectively."

   "Thank you! Before I came here, I would have never even been able to
consider it. I spent my whole life learning to fight, but no matter how often
I beat up Kuno, he never improves. I realized yesterday that with me unable to
change genders, he'd hound me daily. You are the only one I know who actually
got him to think something else, so I tried to see how you did it. I begin to
see how elegant your handling of him is. I had to bludgeon him with his honor,
you could have made him think it was his own idea."

   "Flattery will get you nowhere. But thank you, anyway. You do realize that
Kuno is my biggest source of income. Do you see your plans for Kuno to
interfere with me?"

   "I hadn't thought of that. There's some information I want from you, but
I'm broke, and had nothing to offer you. I'll offer you a trade. I'll tell you
everything I plan to tell Kuno, and everything I'd like to do, but haven't
figured out how to do, if you'll tell me how Kuno's taking my story."

   "You do know I could learn most of that myself."

   "Of course, thats why I offered to tell you what I'd like to do. I don't
want to step on your toes. But after even a temporary reprieve from Kuno's
innuendo that I'm performing perversions with myself, I don't see how I can
resist trying it in the future. I can't imagine how I'd find out your plans
for Kuno, so I'll have to show you mine, or we might bump each other in the
dark. I look at it like a three-way fight. Two strangers meet in a wood, to
fight a third. They both have different reasons, and aren't on the same
side. But they can fight him together if one of them tries to stay out of the
others way. If you force me not to fight, we both waste energy on each
other. If we both attack as we'd like, without me getting in your way, we
can't help but do well. If we keep everything from each other, we might kick
each other by mistake."

   "I think I can live with that. Kuno came to me and asked me two yes-or-no
questions. He was trying to verify your story without insulting your
girl-side's wishes. With the questions he asked, I couldn't help but verify
your story. He left to meditate on it. Then he got into a fight with Shampoo
when she asked where you were, and he said his usual insulting things about
you. He spent the afternoon in the nurses office. Who knows what spin he'll
put on your story, but I think you got him to believe it all. Now, spill it."

   "Sure. The biggest thing I want is for him to stop suggesting that I'm
molesting my girl-side. He and his sister think we are pursuing each
other. The idea turns my stomach. I'm gonna try to convince him that even
though some people have said she's Akane's cousin, that we treat each other
like family. He shouldn't find that too hard to believe eventually, since I
act so similarly in my different forms. We fight the same, mostly. Comments
about one of us bothers the other. He'd never believe she were my sister, but
we treat each other as brother and sister. She's legally able to decide who
she wants to date, but insulting one of us, angers the other. Hopefully
this'll keep Kuno from attacking as often, or at least insulting my male form
in my female form's face, if I ever have it again."

   "If I could, I'd end his obsession with Akane and me. But I'd have an
easier time getting him hooked on Martial Arts Gymnastics, and his sister into
Kendo. While I'm at it, I'll wave my hands, and have Hinako-sensei zap
Kuno-kouchou daily for hentai thoughts about cutting hair, and convince
Happosai to become a pillar of community morality."

   "I've sort of given up on convincing either Tatewaki or Kodachi about my
curse. But if I can, They'll stop attacking me. If the opportunity presents
itself I'd love them to forget me. Sometimes I dream about Kuno eating one of
the drugged dishes from Shampoo, and fall in love with her instead of me."

   Nabiki thought over Ranma's plans. "None of that should hurt my income at
all, except curing him of his fixations."

   "The only way I can imagine it working, he'd be fixated on someone
else. You'd still make as much money, but over someone else. I'm just worried
he could maintain as many fixations at once he wants. I guess I should be glad
he doesn't pursue Shampoo, Ukyou, Cologne and Kasumi as well. I wonder, in
your professional opinion there'd be any way to link him with Shiratori? The
irony would be beautiful. And Kodachi and Mikado deserve each other."

   "I must reserve my professional opinion, but if I worked on people for
pleasure rather than money, I'd consider that a wonderfully entertaining
project, and possibly a work of art. Your increased deviousness makes you a
more interesting conversationalist. I'm off to do homework."

   "So far, it has been a pleasure to fight alongside you."

		*	*	*

   Saturday morning dawned, and the minors prepared for their short day of
school. As Ranma and Akane run to school, Akane asks Ranma "We're still going
to an amusement park today?"

   "Sure. We return home to drop off our bags, you can change out of uniform,
we have time to eat lunch. You leave, and after you're gone a bit, I'll leave
too. If we act normal, we can have a fun afternoon. Everyone will quiz us
afterwards, but it'll be too late then."

		*	*	*

   "Ranma Saotome! How dare you act so familiar with the fair Akane! For your
sacrilege I shall smite you. Take ..." Kuno's face gradually separates from
Ranma's sole.

   "Well, at least he's only attacking me because of you. One of these days
we'll figure a fool proof method to take care of him."

   "Some days I feel like talking him into seppuku. There's got to be a less
drastic way."

		*	*	*

   Ranma spent another morning fidgeting in his chair. As soon as class ends
Ranma, Akane, and Ukyou catch each other's eye and nod. then Ranma's off to
see Dr. Tofu, and Akane and Ukyou are off to their homes.

		*	*	*

   Over lunch, Nodoka asks Ranma and Akane about what their school was
like. Ranma and Akane take turns, first describing the male hoard that Akane
had to beat up when Ranma was still new to the neighborhood. This lead to an
explanation of Tatewaki Kuno; his insane pursuit of Akane and Ranko, and his
inane poetry. They mentioned briefly that Kodachi was his sister, and lead in
directly to discuss his father, the principal of Furinkan. It took some time
to discuss the effect that a wealthy Hawaiian-obsessed beach-bum with a
fascination for scateboards, explosives, and shaving heads had on a school.

   From here they discussed the hiring of Hinako-sensei, and her tendency to
drain energy from anyone she thought was misbehaving. In explaining her, they
revealed that Happosai was lose from his imprisonment, and ostensibly living
in the dojo, although currently out on a trip. There are, after all, only so
many undergarments in a given area to steal. He had all of the good ones in
the immediate area, and the rest were being carefully protected. No one could
stop Happosai, but you could protect a simple white brassiere well enough so
he'd go looking elsewhere for pink or black lace. Happosai was an obsessed
pervert; he wasn't stupid.

   After lunch, While Kasumi and Nodoka (in spite of Kasumi's protests) were
cleaning up, Ranma and Akane both went to their rooms.

		*	*	*

   Akane comes downstairs a little later, and announces "I'm going out for a
while."

   No one thinks twice about this. Kasumi calls out "Make sure you aren't late
for dinner."

		*	*	*

   Ranma enters the living room where Kasumi and Nabiki are enjoying a cup of
tea, and a moment of peace. "Kasumi, have you seen Akane?"

   "She went out about ten minutes ago."

   "Thanks Kasumi. I'm gonna go talk with Kodachi." Ranma puts on shoes and
leaves.

   "Ranma is going voluntarily to talk to Kodachi?" Nabiki asks.

   "Oh my."

		*	*	*

   "Akane, Ucchan" Ranma calls out as he sprints up to them. "I think I
guaranteed we wouldn't be disturbed by the others looking for us."

   "How did you manage that, Ranchan?"

   "I told Kasumi and Nabiki that I went to talk with Kodachi while Akane's
out. If anybody comes by the dojo looking for Akane or I, they'll wind up in a
big brawl at the Kuno mansion. The only people who wouldn't get sucked into it
are Nabiki, any boys following Ukyou, and Ryouga (who's as likely to stumble
on us as he is the Kuno mansion.)"

   Akane bops him lightly on the shoulder, "You know I resent it when you pick
on Ryouga like that."

   "Do you deny it?"

   "No, I just resent it."

		*	*	*

   It is lucky, but hardly surprising, that the three of them largely agree on
which rides they enjoyed the most. All three of them noticed, but decided not
to mention, the tunnel of love, so peace was preserved. None of them felt any
strong desire to explore the fun house or the haunted house either.

   They spent a little time at the game booths, where Ranma emptied a tank of
goldfish using a single paper net. after giving out a few to the young
children watching, he sold the rest back to the vendor at a ridiculously cheap
price. The vendor was so grateful to get the rest of the fish back after
watching his livelihood for the day disappear, that he didn't begrudge Ranma
the money, or the fish he gave away. Ranma was able to buy some more snacks
with the cash. And although Ranma and the vendor didn't realize it, Ranma's
display was pretty good advertisement, and for the next hour, he had more
business than usual.

   Akane excelled at games based on strength, and had a small crowd of her
own, who were amazed to see a small, cute girl successfully performing feats
of strength that daunted most men. Meanwhile Ukyou was doing well with the
many games requiring throwing something accurately, even the rigged
ones. Apparently it is possible to knock over a pyramid of 10 bottles made out
of wood, even if they are glued together and glued to the table, if you can
throw the ball hard enough.

   Soon the three of them made it to the rides. After a tense moment when they
found out that the roller-coasters were intended to seat only two people per
row, they discovered the fun three friends could have in a seat meant for two.

   After enough rides to induce sickness in anyone over the age of 25, they
finally decide to take a break, and ride on the ferris wheel.

   As the ground fell away beneath them, Ukyou starts up their
conversation. "Ranchan, how are you and your mother getting along?"

   "Great. She's still a bit shocked over the multiple fiancees, and I think
something else is bothering her. But I love telling her about my life. Every
meal there's so much to talk about, that afterwards I'm a bit worn out. It's a
good thing Dad's staying a panda, or he'd steal half my meal while I was
talking. She's just beginning to get an idea about how weird my life is, and
we haven't yet broached the subject of magic yet. She's reserving judgment on
the fiancee situation until she has met you all, but I can promise you she'll
pound pop for what he did to you. I just hope she stops short of killing
him. At times he is a bastard, but he's still my father."

   Akane adds "So far we've introduced her to Mousse, and told her a bit about
the amazons, the Kunos and Hinako-sensei. I never realized how much has
happened before I tried to explain it to Ranma's mother. And we're still on
the simple, safe subjects."

   Ranma continues "It is a bit stressful though. I keep feeling she's about
to discover I'm Ranko before I tell her. And I know she'll freak when she
discovers my curses, I just wish I knew beforehand how she'll react. Now that
I've started telling her about my life, I don't think I can stop even if I
wanted to, but I wish I knew if she'll require seppuku from me at the end."

   "Ranchan, will you commit seppuku if she requires it?"

   "I don't really know. I wouldn't just do it if she demanded it while she
was shocked or upset. But if she convinced me I had to in order to maintain
honor, I think I might. I've faced death at the hands of others countless
times, but my mother scares me more than the other times ever did. I love her,
and I want her to be proud of me."

   "Ranchan, promise me that we'll talk about it before you do something like
that. I think I might go crazy if I thought that whenever you are gone, you
might be in danger. If you promise me, then I can say good-night to you without
wondering if I'll ever see you again."

   "She's right, Ranma. Promise both of us that we'll have a chance to talk to
you and your mother before you do something so final."

   "You're right. I promise."

		*	*	*

   The best cure for melancholy discussion turned out to be a dose of
controlled abject fear. They allowed the park's roller-coasters to hurl their
bodies through corkscrews with an acceleration of two gravities. It is, of
course, impossible to brood over the future, when the present is rushing
straight at you, at high speeds.

   During another break from the roller-coasters, Ranma spotted Ryouga from
the ferris wheel they were riding. "It figures. I didn't do anything to
prevent Ryouga from showing up, so he wanders by on his own. I think I can
convince him not to fight, if you can talk him into talking with me before he
attacks. Could you tell him, and bring him to me? If he sees me first, he'll
just attack."

   "Promise me you won't fight." Akane insisted.

   "I can't promise that. I promise I wont throw the first blow, and that I
want him to leave peacefully. But if he does attack me, I'll take him down
quickly. His Bakusai Ten Ketsu could easily kill someone around here."

		*	*	*

   "Ok, Ranma. What do you want to say to me."

   "Ryouga, I'm sick of fighting you over you sleeping in Akane's bed. I've
never told her of your curse, and I never intend to. But I feel you have been
taking advantage of Akane. I'm honor-bound to keep your secret, and to tell
Akane about you. I've finally thought of a solution that will work better than
our endless fights. If you don't want to tell her yourself, the next time I
catch you taking advantage of Akane's ignorance, I'll tell her that one of the
many men who'd like to date with her has a Jusenkyou curse, and disguises
himself as P-chan to protect her from me. I'll make sure you have an option to
escape; I don't want her to kill you. But she deserves to know she's sleeping
in bed with a man."

   "Ranma, how DARE you!"

   "You have no right to complain, unless you tell her. If she doesn't mind
that P-chan is a guy, I'll stop trying to keep you from her room. But if you
want to claim to be an honorable martial artist, you had better tell her
before you sleep in her bed again. If you want to fight about this, meet me at
the dojo. If we injure one of the rides here, someone might die later."

   "Curse you, Ranma. I'll meet you tonight at the dojo, and kill you! Uh,
which way is it?"

		*	*	*

   The end of the day found them happy, tired, and wired. All of their
problems had been shunted aside, as the three took a vacation from their
normal lives. On the trip home, they resumed their roles as fiancees and
rivals, and with the weight of their problems came the exhaustion from the
day's excitement. All three were tired, but still happy as they split up for
the night.

   As Akane and Ranma arrived home, they were greeted by the shocked stares of
their families. "Where were you?" Nabiki nearly shouted.

   Akane answered "We went to an amusement park with Ukyou."

   Nabiki smiles and comments "Do you realize that Shampoo, Mousse and the
Kunos got into a fight that destroyed part of the mansion, and left Mousse and
Tatewaki in Dr. Tofu's clinic? Kodachi's pet Midorigami is also being treated
for cuts, bruises and poisoning, and Kuno-kouchou has left for Hawaii?"

   Ranma comments "It couldn't have anything to do with us, we just spent an
afternoon having fun."

   Nabiki responds "And here I was getting worried that life around here would
start to get boring if people stopped coming by to kill you."

		*	*	*

   Over dinner Ranma and Akane tell their family about their day. Nodoka
comments that Ukyou sounds like a good friend. "She was my best friend when we
were growing up. I thought she was a boy. We played and sparred. We always
have fun together except when the subject of marriage comes up.

		*	*	*

   After dinner, Ranma is surprised by Shampoo. "Ranma, Where did you go
today?"

   "I went to the amusement park with Akane and Ukyou."

   "Why not invite me?"

   "Because if I invited all three of you, there would have been a big
fight. If I invited one of you, everyone would call it a date, and there would
have been a big fight. I just wanted to have some fun for a change. Everyone
is always telling me who to marry. I wanted to get away and have fun."

   "Would you do fun things with me?"

   "I would, if I could. I haven't figured out a way. If we did, it would have
to be as friends, and not a date. If we could find a way to do it, I would
like that."

   "I thought you picked them over me. Please find a way so we can have fun
too."

   "I'll try."

		*	*	*

   "Good evening, Dr. Tofu. Is there a way I can speak with Mousse away from
Kuno?"

   "Sure Ranma, wait here, and I'll bring him out. He's only staying here
overnight as a precautionary measure." Dr. Tofu leaves, and a moment later
Mousse emerges.

   "What brings you over here, Ranma?"

   "Before I begin, I'd like to know if you blame me for your injuries you've
received today."

   "You make it difficult for me to blame you. Apparently while I was getting
beat up, you were at an amusement park with both Akane and Ukyou. Even Shampoo
seemed more surprised than anything else."

   "She stopped by the dojo an hour ago to ask me why I didn't invite her. I
explained I just wanted to have fun with friends, so I couldn't have gone
alone with anyone, or everyone would assume it was a date, and I couldn't take
her with any of the other girls, or there'd be a fight. She asked me to think
of a way, and if you're willing, I've got an idea ..."

		*	*	*

   Morning dawns through overcast skies. A quiet, steady rain falls. A sense
of peace remains over the area. The quiet sussurations of the rain drown out
any outside sounds that might have been heard through the walls surrounding
the Tendo compound.

   Akane has foregone her morning jog, in favor of katas in the dojo. Kasumi
and Nodoka have quietly created the mornings meal. Everyone feels calm, and
aware; enjoying a peace so precious, that no squabbles occur over
breakfast. All of the personal agendas are put aside, in favor of an hour's
quiet companionship.

   After breakfast, Ranma announces "I'm going to go for a walk. It's been a
long time since I enjoyed a rainy day like this, and I have alot to think
about."

   Ranma drifts through the neighborhood, enjoying the quiet peace. This is
the first rainstorm since Jusenkyou he'd been able to enjoy as a male, and he
was pleasantly aware of it. Oddly, he didn't feel like doing flips on the top
of the fence he was walking beside. He just feels a calm appreciation of his
surroundings. He's happy, not extatic, but happy was good enough.

   The day seemed better adapted to meditation and contemplation, than to
perfecting his athletic prowess. Reaching a park, he wiped excess water off of
a park bench, and sat down to watch the scenery.

   For the last week, his mind had been a constant whorl. Forced to consider
his own death, marriage, relationship with his mother, possible insanity
looming on the horizon, family honor, and fiancees. Problems that he used to
ignore, and hope they'd get better over time, were now coming to a head
simultaneously.

   He felt mentally exhausted, and strangely satisfied. At last he was dealing
with his problems. Acting, instead of just reacting to the demands from
others. He was risking death if his mother and his honor required it; but if
he survived, he'd be free forever from this risk and worry. He was risking
being forced to acknowledge one fiancee, and possibly marriage; but this risk
had been cropping up weekly for months, it had lost alot of its potential to
scare him.

   Meanwhile, the normal web of conflict that had surrounded Nerima had
shifted. Cologne had gone from being his most dangerous adversary to being his
greatest hope for surviving. His father is the only one against his plans to
tell his mother, and he's been reduced to hiding as a panda. Akane and Ukyou
haven't fought all week, and were spending time together as uneasy
friends. Shampoo is actually trying to understand Ranma, instead of just
glomping onto him, and Mousse is becoming a family friend, rather than a
random threat.

   Ranma's life looks like a giant free-for-all fight. Where Ranma has to be
constantly alert to the actions of everyone else. But being constantly alert
can be more tiring than being physically active, so this quiet interlude in
the park was affecting Ranma like a well needed balm on the soul. The real
world continued beyond his vision in its maddening gyrations, but without
Ranma to prod.

   As the day progressed, Ranma's thoughts turned toward the pleasant idea of
spending the rest of his life like this, quietly resting in the park. But this
idea bothered him, it was too much like his father's method of ignoring
problems. So around lunchtime, Ranma forced himself to leave his quiet haven,
and rejoin the others who wanted a hand in his future.

		*	*	*

   Akane is in her room doing some homework, when Nabiki knocks on the
door. "Come in."

   "So how are you getting along with the new Ranma? Your three way date
caught me by surprise."

   "It wasn't a three way date."

   "Well, now that he no longer changes gender, it hardly looks like three
girls hanging out anymore, ne?"

   "Nabiki, what's gotten into you lately? Your sarcasm has gotten much more
bitter this last week."

   "You noticed? It's hard to explain. I've been thinking about it for a long
time. Remember when we were younger? I was only a few months older than you,
but we were very similar. Now we are so different, but we started off nearly
the same. In many things we are opposites now. When you are angry, everyone
knows it. You have trouble hiding how you feel, and I have trouble showing how
I feel. You jump to conclusions, I get reports from other people about what my
friends and family are doing. You take risks without knowing what they are, I
try to compute the odds beforehand. I don't know which is better, but it does
make me painfully aware when you are walking into a situation where you'll be
hurt, without being aware of it."

   "What are you driving at, Nabiki?"

   "Ok, let me put this plain. Everyone knows you don't want to marry
Ranma. Our neighbors could swear to it in a court of law. Daddy wouldn't have
concocted all of these elaborate wedding plans if he didn't know you don't
want to marry Ranma, and Ranma doesn't want to marry anyone. If you suddenly
did want to marry him, everyone would know at about the same time you found
out. But you do have one way of keeping a secret, and you have been keeping
something secret for a long time. You keep us from learning your secrets by
not admitting them to yourself. You want something from Ranma."

   "I don't want anything from Ranma!"

   "Yes you do. We just don't know what yet. You can't generate this level of
emotion from apathy. You probably want alot of things, many of them minor, but
you want something. Compare your feelings about Ranma to your feelings for
Gosunkugi, or for the head of Furinkan's sumo club, or for the guy who sits in
class in front of Kuno. That's what it feels like to not care for someone. I
don't know if you want Ranma's friendship, his defeat, his death, or his
respect, but you better figure it out now. You no longer have the luxury of
time."

   "What do you mean?"

   "I mean these wonderfully entertaining antics that you and your friends
have been performing for the amusement of your fellow classmates are quickly
coming to an end. Within a years time he may be dead or insane. In a few days
time, his mother might have him married or commit seppuku. Either way, It will
be too late to discover what you want from him. He's just as bad at this as
you are, but after he dies, you'll be the one living with regrets.

   "Why are you getting so mad about this, Nabiki? Why does this bother you so
much?"

   "Well, how would you react, if I had everything going for me, everything I
want within grasp if I could only decide, and then you had to watch me run
towards the only cliff, ready to jump off?"

   "How do I have everything going for me?"

   "If you were interested in any boy at Furinkan other than Ranma, he'd
gladly go out with you. They used to get beaten up daily just to let you know
that. For that matter, many of the girls would have been flattered had you
asked them out. Even after pounding Ranma daily, he still defends you whether
you want him to or not. Make any choice at all, and your odds are better than
most people of it coming true."

   "But I don't know what I want!"

   "I know. But if you wait to find out, you'll discover it too late."

		*	*	*

   After getting his (now normal) daily checkup at Dr. Tofu's, Ranma headed
over to the Nekohanten. While he devoured a goodly helping of ramen, Cologne
looked him over for any changes. "Ranma, you seem quieter than usual. Has
anything happened today, that I should know about?"

   "I've just been spending the day thinking in the park. There is something
that you should know.  You must have heard about my trip to the Amusement park
with Akane and Ukyou. Shampoo asked me if I could do the same thing with
her. I've thought of a method to spend more time with Shampoo, but it will
fail if anyone tries to take advantage of the situation. I want to run it by
you and see if you think it is worthwhile, even if it doesn't lead to a formal
marriage ceremony. If you oppose it, it wont work anyway."

   "What did you have in mind?"

		*	*	*

   Ranma comes up to talk to Shampoo when she's alone. "Shampoo, I've thought
of something so that we can go have some fun. But I don't know if it would
work. You might find it too difficult."

   "Tell me how! I am an amazon. I succeed at nearly everything. I fight past
any obstacle."

   "The obstacle is you. For this to work, you have to do some difficult
things. Three of us are going to go out as friends. None of us are going to
talk about love, or marriage. Everyone must have a good time, and we must
treat all of us well; no one should be excluded, or feel left out."

   "That sounds OK. Why is it so hard? Who is the third person? Kodachi?
Ukyou?"

   "No, it would be Mousse. You'd have to treat Mousse the same as me. The
three of us would do things together. The hard part is that it wont work if
Mousse feels like he's second-best, or acting just as a chaperone. But if it
works, all three of us can have a good time together."

   "Your right. that is hard. I need to think about it, but I think I want to
try it."

   "I'll talk to Mousse about it. He'll have to promise to treat you as a
friend, and not shout about his love to you. That will make it easier for you
too."

		*	*	*

   As evening approaches, Ranma heads home, and enters the dojo. Akane is
already there exercising, and soon the two of them fall to talking while
performing katas.

   "Where were you all day? No one's seen you since breakfast."

   "I spent alot of time just thinking. And enjoying the quiet in the park
during the rain. I also spent time preparing the roots for transplanting. I'm
trying to find an alternative to being ambushed, and pestered to go on
dates. I think my biggest problem right now is figuring out how to convince my
mother that magic isn't just from stories or in the distant past, but a bloody
nuisance on a daily basis for alot of us."

   "You're going to have to get Mousse or Shampoo to transform for her. You
and your father can't right now."

   "Yeah. Mousse would be easiest. If that doesn't work, I'll beg Cologne for
more of that one-shot nanniichuan. You can't disbelieve in magic when you
watch your gender change in the bathtub."

   "You'd curse your mother?"

   "I'd never curse my enemies, much less my mother. But the one-shot version
wears off so quickly. If you tried it, you might not be so quick to call me a
pervert."

   "I'm not enough a pervert to want to turn into a boy in the bath. Keep your
powder."

   "Be glad you get a choice in the matter. You don't realize what a pleasure
it is not to change form, until you regain your stability. It might be worth
the one year death sentence. You don't know what this last week was like for
me. My mother and my death by seppuku are rolled together, and cooking dinner
with Kasumi. My manhood and my death in a year are combined in this coin stuck
to me. I can now outfight everyone, so now I find myself sparring mentally
with everyone. I have one foot in the grave, and I've never felt so
alive. Never felt so tired."

   "Tired?"

   "Exhausted. Not physically tired, I could sprint to school and back, but
I'd rather just relax. Yesterday was great. I wish there were more days like
that where we could set aside this endless conflict, and just relax
together. I wonder what it'd be like to get lost like Ryouga does. Maybe
someday I'll take a few weeks off, spend one week getting as far away as
possible, one week traveling randomly, and leave a week to get back. Three
weeks without plots, deceptions, misunderstandings, and unreasonable
expectations sounds like heaven now."

   "It hasn't been that bad around here lately, has it?"

   "No, but all of the problems remain. They just aren't calling for attention
now. Sometimes I feel like everyone is waiting for me to make decisions, and
not only do I have no idea what I ultimately want, I can't even think about it
dispassionately, because everyone else is so anxious to influence my
decision. Everybody around seems to have pinned their hopes to my future; if I
do die in a year, I wonder how everything will be resolved."

		*	*	*

   Morning finds Ranma and Akane walking to school. Ranma is, of course,
walking on top of the fence, but he doesn't seem fully awake. His eye lids are
heavy, and the spring in his step is weaker than usual.

   "You're lucky you don't have to spar with your father these mornings. With
the way you're half asleep, he'd have woken you through submersion in the koi
pond."

   "Pop actually tried to give me that `You've been taking it too
easy. Martial arts isn't a part time job.' speech this morning. He still
thinks everything will stay the same as it ever has. I invited him to spar
with me, but of course he's too scared of being caught by mom. I would have
thought he'd try running for it by now, but I think he's hoping he can diffuse
the situation if he stays."

   "The more you tell your mother, the less likely this will blow over."

   "It can't blow over. I've hoped for so long that I could resolve everything
before I met my mother officially, but that'll never happen. The longer I
take, the harder it will be when she finally does find out. One way or
another, mom will find out everything over the next few days, and hopefully
we'll still be a complete family at the end. I *REALLY* don't want to go to
school today."

   "Why not?"

   "There are two things running through my head that are trying to distract
me. One is wondering how my mother will react when Ukyou tells her about us
abandoning her when we were 6. The other is the blissful memory of how soft my
pillow seemed as I was waking up this morning. I don't see how I'm going to
pay any attention in school today, between an overwhelming desire to go back
to sleep, and the recurring image of my mother filleting a panda."

		*	*	*

   It was a long day of school, made longer for Ranma by his interminable
boredom, and his inability to sleep well in class due to his teachers'
bizarre requirements that he stay awake during the lectures he was otherwise
ignoring.

   Finally it ended, and Ranma headed off for his checkups. After taking care
of this chore, he picked up Ukyou at her Okonomiyaki-ya, and the two of them
walked to the Tendo's home.

		*	*	*

   "Mother, I'd like to present to you my best friend from childhood, Ukyou
Kuonji. Apparently our fathers affianced us when we were six." Ranma escorted
Ukyou into the room where his mother was waiting, and they sat down to
talk. Kasumi had thoughtfully left tea and cups for the three of them.

   "I'm pleased to meet such a good friend of my son. Please relax, and tell
me about how you two met."

   "Well, the first time I saw Ranchan ..."

		*	*	*

   "... so I ran after the yatai, until I tripped. Ranma was sitting on top
waving back to me, and calling something."

   Ranma's mother was understandably shocked. "That's horrible. Ranma, you
must tell me how much of this you remember, and how much of this you are
responsible for."

   "Ucchan was my best friend. At the time I thought she was another boy, and
no one told me anything about there being an engagement. When Ukyou returned,
pop confirmed her story, but said that the final decision to leave had been
mine because he had asked me which I preferred, Ukyou or Okonomiyaki, and I
said Okonomiyaki."

   "Has Genma done anything to get this engagement annulled?"

   "Not directly. He's told Soun that it is a valid engagement. The only thing
he's tried was to get me married off to Akane when no one else was looking."

   "How did you two meet again?"

   "Well, after the Saotomes were gone, I swore I would no longer be a woman,
and dedicated my life to Okonomiyaki and revenge. For ten years I lived as a
boy, training to fight and to cook. I found out that the Saotomes were here,
and enrolled in Ranma's class. I thrashed Genma, and challenged Ranma the next
day. For the first half of the battle, Ranma tried to find out why I was
furious. When he gave up, he started attacking me, and eventually noticed that
I was binding my breasts. I still wanted to trash him for stealing my youth,
and ruining my chances for a husband. He told me I should have no trouble
finding a husband, because he thought I was cute. After that, I started to see
the good qualities Ranma has. I want to marry him, and I think I'm the best
fiancee for him."

   "Why do you think you'd be a better wife than Akane?"

   "Because I listen to him when he explains things instead of beating him up
first. Because I care for him and I am willing to show it. Because I'm an
excellent cook, and a successful business woman at the age of sixteen. I'm a
better martial artist. I've grown up on the road like he has, and my last ten
years as a boy has given me a unique perspective on some of the things Ranma
has gone through. I asked for this engagement when I was younger, and want it
to go through now, unlike Akane, who was assigned to marry Ranma to satisfy
their fathers' prides."