Again, just to tell those who didn't read my intro message for the repost
of chapter 1, thanks goes to not only the owners of the trademarks Ranma
and Patlabor, but also to Richard Beaubien for the original idea of pairing
Ranma and Noa!

BEN
--
The Original Sweat Pants-Wearing Man presents
Ben's Heap o' Non-Essentials n' Stuff:
at http://cyniska.ubishops.ca/Benny/
"Keyboard stuck failure. Press F1 to continue."
--

----------
"Noa's New Fiancee"
Written by BEN

Names attatched to the Ranma 1/2 label created by R.Takahashi and names
attatched the Patlabor label presented by Headgear. etc. This story not
sale, yadda yadda yadda...


Chapter 2:  There's a little something you should know...

	The call came in the middle of the day and while the hangar was quiet for
most of the week so far, the mechanic teams sprang into action as quickly
as humanly possible. Yet somehow, they managed to give the appearance that
they could have been moving even faster than that. And the fact that chief
mechanic Sakaki continuously bellowed his orders didn't slow down the
bustling activity. One had to wonder if anyone was actually taking the time
to listen to the old man's shouting. Everyone was drowning out each other
with the help of the wailing siren anyway.
	The intercom voice was crying out case codes one after the other detailing
the situation to the crew - but totally senseless to an outsider. And as
such, Ranma and his father stood at the office door peering in curiously
not knowing what to do. The red rotating light flashed across their still
forms.
	"Alright! Move it before I throw you into the sea!"
	Sakaki's motivational skills left a little something to be desire
according to the team of mechanics working under him. And even the section
2 operatives under Captain Goto didn't pay much attention to his noise.
They crashed across the parapet-like walkway around to the stairs and sped
down to the hangar floor. This left only three figures standing back at the
Captain's office. Ranma looked back at Captain Shinobu. "Shinobu-san, do
you think it would be okay if the two of us tagged along?"
	The woman regarded the pair with curious eyes. And how, pray tell, would
these two fit in with second section? "Well, if you hurry, you might get a
ride in Captain Goto's mini-pat."
	"Oh boy," exclaimed Genma in a silly expression... but he rushed off after
his son as the bustle in the hangar seemed it would reach a boiling point.
Shinobu watched after them all the while mumbling to herself, "Goto's team
has kept stranger company..."
	Down on the ground level, Goto seated himself into his mini patrol car.
Footsteps pounded up to the passenger side along with a pair of grumbling
voices that were quite distinct from the rest of the hollering done by
various members of the SV2 prepare to mobilize. He heard what seemed to be
the two voices one at a time saying, "...no, I'm sitting in the front!"
	This continued until two hands slammed onto the car door on his left. The
window was rolled down and the faces of both Ranma and Genma stared into
the tiny space that was his patrol car. "Can we come along?!"
	Goto sighed. "That would be highly irregular..." He turned his head for a
moment. He suddenly felt he might need a cigarette. But when he turned
back, he noticed in the rearview mirror that Ranma had been stuffed in an
awkward position in the back seat. And Genma sat in the seat next to him.
"Well... it's not as if you two are regular folks... Okay, you can come
along
for the ride, but you stay in the car and keep quiet at all times,
understand?"
	Genma nodded in mock professionalism. Ranma could only moan his acceptance
of the given terms from his doubled over cramping position in the back...
	Goto started his engine just as the voices of other drivers reported in.
First the smart sound of Asuma in command car one, then the deep-toned
affirmative from his carrier driver, Hiromi. That was followed by the voice
of the professional Kanuka in command car two, then the nervous affirmative
from the driver of carrier two, Shinshi.  The main hangar doors yawned
widely and the caravan that was SV2's second section rolled into the
sunlight.
	The vehicles moved along the highways speeding into the city. In the lead
car, Goto let the radio blurt out all the details of the mission as they
went along. "...Two-eleven in progress and a possible Two-twelve..."
	With the radio chatter going, Captain Goto tried to concentrate while his
two passengers constantly asked their own brand of idiotic questions. Genma
in particular disturbed him... "What's a two-eleven? Where are we headed
exactly? You know, I bet if we helped, the whole mission would go a whole
lot smoother! Why aren't those cars ahead pulling over to let us by? They
should - our sirens are on!"
	Goto's eyes peeled themselves from the road and drilled into Genma.
Meanwhile, Ranma had finally achieved what could pass for a normal sitting
position in the back. He reached over and smacked his father behind the
head, shutting him up. And while he didn't notice at that moment, but would
later on as he thought back, Ranma would realize that this would be one of
the few times he had seen the captain smile in relief. Unfortunately,  as
Genma just had to have the last word, he turned to his son and scolded him,
triumphantly taking advantage of his status as father. Nonetheless, at
least now, save for the siren's constant wail, the car was a lot quieter.
	In the carrier marked with a large bold number "2," Hiromi kept his eyes
on the road. Oblivious to their commanding officer's troubles in his mini
patrol car, Hiromi and his two passengers tried to make sense of the radio
messages coming from a helicopter hovering above what seemed to be a
rampaging labor. At least, Noa wanted to believe Alphonse was a passenger
too and that he was somehow listening in on the radio chattering away in
the cabin.
	But it turned out that Noa was really listening to the radio reports alone
- and she had no idea until Hiromi decided to speak up. His bass voice
startled noise as it rumbled over the noise of the carrier's engine. "So
how do you like your, uh, new fiancee?"
	"Eh?" Noa shifted in her seat collecting her thoughts. "Ranma seems to be
a very nice person."
	"Ah, but..." Hiromi paused uncertain as to whether he should pursue his
train of thought.
	"You mean you want to know if I'm thinking of actually marrying him, don't
you?" Noa smiled at him with the understanding eyes.
	"Yes." Hiromi struggled to keep a straight face. Yet, as impossible as it
was, Noa was able to detect the faint blush in his dark skin. She nudged
him. "Gomen!"
	"It's okay." And while Noa knew he would be okay after a more minutes, she
wasn't so sure how she would be holding up in the immediate future.

	Meanwhile, in his command car, a young man in his mid-twenties shifted in
his seat. Asuma shut off the reception from the carrier. He decided it
would be for the best that he kept his mind on the mission ahead and tried
to concentrate on the police helicopter's periodic transmissions updating
them all on the situation as the sounds of several heavy labors made loud
smashing noises in the background...

	The labors trudged slowly through the play ground. The field was deserted
thanks to an early evacuation organized by the park officials when they had
heard that a rogue labor was headed this way. And even better, according to
one witness, was that the officials were directed with speed and
efficiency. What the park visitor didn't know, was that the boost in the
evacuation actually started the moment the police report indicated that the
mobile police force was on the case... specifically, the second section...
	The first labor waved its large digging claw wildly in the air and had its
external speakers blaring out the occupant's insane (and mostly
incomprehensible) ranting. It was plainly obvious that if the load-speakers
were in actuality human mouths, then that particular labor could have very
well been expelling the thick sent of alcohol.
	The second labor in the pair was a maintenance labor and was equipped with
none of the implements like its adversary. In fact, for every sharp and
solid looking tool mounted on the multi-purpose forearms of the
construction labor, the maintenance labor seemed to have matching nozzle
for spraying its cleaning solvents onto large buildings. For that matter,
the only way the maintenance labor could defend itself was by raising the
stabilizer clamps that served as lock-downs when its skinny body worked
along the outsides of high-rise office towers while suspended from an
overhead crane. At the moment, the pilot of the cleaning labor was losing
the uneven match-up. The dents in the body marked the labor in not only the
sides, but all around the pilot's cockpit and even underneath from the
repeated jabs the construction labor was giving with its forklift
attachment. The battering was more evident at the waist level of the
maintenance labor where several of its scrubbing tools were hanging limp
and lifeless from its arms.
	The helicopter hovering above the scene continued with an unblinking
camera eye, recording the entire event with colour commentary from the
observation team. "Wow! Now we have Guzzler on the ground from a surprise
squirt maneuver by Mr.Clean!"
	Captain Goto pulled his mini-pat to a halt at the fly-over and glanced
across the few lots towards the commotion. A dust cloud could be seen from
his vantage point. The radio continued it ridiculous sports journalist
analysis of the potentially dangerous situation. as far as he was
concerned, his mind would translate that the cleaning unit had had a lucky
break and managed to pump his last reserves of fluid in a burst strong
enough to daze the drunk who was in the swaying construction labor. Goto
frowned. "I hate when they do that... Okay," he spoke into his radio's
handset. "Let's get the show on the road. I want car number 2 to get their
attention. Car number is backup - getting that maintenance guy out of there
is top priority!" Ranma and Genma leaned over at their driver curious as to
when the captain had switched places with this professionally molded police
officer who was with them now. 
	Voices came from the radio receiver as the team acknowledged his orders.
The radio was soon drowned out by two pairs of over-sized hydraulic pistons
pushing up two large carriages just ahead of the mini-pat.
	With its stabilizer legs extended and firmly planted onto the ground, the
white patrol labor carrier marked as number one was first to have its
carriage fully upright. The Ingram on board now stood at its full height,
but somehow still looked small standing in the shadow of the carrier's
raised bed. The shoulder clamps unbolted from their locks on the front
torso and Alphonse stepped forward and off the platform.
	Carrier number two had its own carriage raised fully now and Ohta had his
patrol labor ready to run in with guns blazing. The Ingram designated "Car
number two" stepped forward; its lower legs pulled free of the battery
charging cables that were still plugged in. Officer Ohta straightened out
his labor and followed Izumi's labor into what he felt should justifiably
be called "the Danger Zone."
	Back in the patrol car, three individuals watched as the command cars
driven by Kanuka and Asuma sped off. The command cars looked incredibly
puny compared to their Ingram  counterparts. "Won't they get stepped on?"
asked Ranma.
	Goto turned his head briefly. For once, the question seemed somewhat
reasonable... and he didn't know why. "The Ingram labors have a minimum
turning radius of less than four meters. And besides, my pilots aren't
exactly bad drivers." He gave his passengers a mock scowl. His humor
apparently escaped them. Goto glanced down at the map display on his
computer screen and started the car moving in the general direction to
follow his officers. He didn't feel as confident as he sounded about his
team - they were competent, yes... but somehow things always seemed to go
sour.

	The second command car pulled into the lead and Ohta followed close
behind. The odd pair barreled right up to the dueling labors. Kanuka
slammed on the brakes to keep from careening into the midst of the battle.
At the same time, Ohta stomped his left foot hard while lifting his right
slightly on the foot pedals, bringing the legs of the labor to a halt. The
Ingram came to an impressive stop, left leg forward as a brake and the
right leg bent to balance the labor. Well, it looked cool and should
impress the visitors in the captain's car, Ohta thought proudly. And
without waiting a second more, he dropped his right arm and enabled the
wrist extension. The hand stretched down an extra meter or so and grabbed
hold of the labor-scaled six-shooter stored in the lower right leg. Taking
aim, Ohta activated his external speaking and bellowed, "ALRIGHT, freeze
right there, you punks!!!"
	Kanuka sighed. "Well... I think we got their attention." The radio
crackled
with Ohta's retort. It didn't seem to matter as the construction labor,
still looking as drunk as its pilot turned towards Ohta's patrol labor and
blindly charged.
	Ohta snorted in his cockpit. "Heh heh! Here I go!" The Ingram fired a shot
into the air as a warning... but that didn't stop the incoming labor. Ohta
chuckled and holstered his weapon. "Now that the formalities are out of the
way..." The Ingram met the construxtion labor head on. Ohta managed to grab
the two main appendages of the labor and swung into in a large arc around
to the side.
	Kanuke screamed into her audio pickup as data ran across her computer
screen. "That's a Shinohara Heavy Industries Mole labor! It's a
multipurpose construction labor and -" She cut short her transmission to
Ohta to swerve the command car away from the staggering behemoths before
continuing. "I said it's got more tools than most construction labors of
its type. His forklift arms are still active - watch it!"
	Ohta caught the warning a split second too late and suffered the same way
as the cleaning labor had. The sound of warning sirens in the cockpit were
matched only by the screech of metal against metal as his opponent's lifter
arms dug into what could be considered the Ingram's crotch area...

	In command car number one, Asuma carefully directed Noa while Alphonse
slowly dragged the wrecked cleaning labor to safety. As the larger Ingram
came to a stop, the hatch on the cleaning labor popped open. The pilot
crawled out and waved up at Alphonse's sensor eye window. Noa felt it was
polite to actually see the man face to face and raised her pilots seat. The
hatch below Alphonse's neck slid open and her head stuck out. "You're very
welcome!" She smiled. Ah, rescue missions are what makes this job rewarding
she thought. Her train of thought was disrupted when a loud scraping and
crunching sound came from the battle grounds. At the same time, the engine
noises of Goto's mini-pat came from behind.
	Alphonse got up and turned to the scene where it appeared that the
aggressor had just made for an Ingram's private parts. The image that had
conjured itself into Noa's mind made her blush... But no one would have
been
able to tell by the straight face Alphonse kept as he charged towards the
fight.
	Asuma called into his microphone, "use the stun stick while the pilot's
distracted with Ohta!"
	A black handle appeared at Alphonse's left wrist. Reaching over to pull
out the defensive weapon, Alphonse flung the stick out and it snapped to
its full three meter length.
	The construction labor turned to look up just in time for its sensors to
detect a large electrode descending into its power pack. Sparks of
electricity flew from its body momentarily before the rigging lights on the
top died out. Ohta tried to get up, but the lifter arms were firmly
embedded into his lower torso. It was surprising that his systems were
still functional with all the excessive damage. He broadcast over his
external speakers, "Heck, he's not moving and I am!"
	Kanuke had left the command car and climbed onto the downed labor. "Well,
you're actually right," she admitted. "It's over." Unfortunately for the
labor team, the electrical shock had done more than short out the labor's
circuitry. It had also shocked the pilot sober... or at least a close
approximation to being sober. Kanuka leapt back as the hatch was thrown
violently open and the pilot landed a kick into the startled officer. "Ha,
you're a nice looking babe - but I don't go for cops!"
	The still intoxicated man broke into a run and sprinted between Alphonse's
legs. Noa struggled to get Alphonse through turning around, straining the
manufacture's insisted 3.9 meter turning radius. She didn't managed to
prove anything as the Ingram went through the motions spinning around at no
less than that room. But by then, the man on foot had made quite a
distance. Alphonse's rear scanning picked up the image of Ohta's still
trying to lift his labor from the clutches of the seized arms of the
construction labor. Alphonse gave chase but couldn't get through the park
without damaging the playground property.
	Asuma sped the command car after the escaping man. He failed to notice
that the man was headed for the captain's mini-pat. It didn't matter - he
figured he could get him before they got there and this whole thing could
be handled quietly.
	A door opened on the captain's patrol car and Ranma stepped out. By the
time Goto had turned around to see who had left, the speedy young boy had
rushed on ahead. "Hey, get back here, son! This is dangerous!"
	"Now, now, he's quite the capable youngster," laughed Genma.
	Goto chose to ignore him and picked up his radio handset. "Shinohara, the
kid just jumped out of my car... I don't know what he thinks he's doing,
but
just watch out for him."
	"Yes sir!" Great, he thought. We're a labor specialist team - we're not
supposed to deal in this kind of situation. And now I have to baby-sit? He
pulled hard on the steering wheel to follow the escaping man around a
growth of trees. His stepped onto the brakes trying to get control of the
sliding car. Skidding to a halt, he through the front port that Ranma was
not so much running at the fleeing man, but jumping his way from the
distant fence to the baseball diamond and over the miniature play fort. In
fact, he nearly cleared the fort's highest peak. But instead, Ranma's feet
barely touched the roof of the pretend watch tower and used it angle his
descent straight at the man.
	The drunken man was obviously beginning to sober now and although he was
visibly trying to shake of what could be a pounding headache, he managed to
dodge the flying Ranma. "Out of my way, kid!"
	Ranma landed in a crouch and swept at the older man with his foot. The man
landed heavily on the ground but was back to his feet in a second. Ranma
got up to face off with him, but looked at small as a command car compared
to a labor. At this sight, Asuma got out of his car. "Ranma! I don't care
what kind of martial arts you've practiced - this guy is going to knock
your teeth out!"
	But Asuma wasn't the only one to be surprised as Ranma let loose with a
flurry of punches and kicks that threw the staggering man towards a nearby
wading pool. Still, Asuma didn't like the idea that Ranma was risking his
own safety. Officer Shinohara was usually a level-headed officer. His
record was nearly spotless. Even the events leading up the destruction of
the Ark were considered mitigating circumstances afterwards and his
involvement was given an official pardon. And now seeing the young boy - no
matter how fast he was - in needless risk, he decided that getting physical
in the arrest of a suspect wasn't so reckless as it was just being
responsible for a citizen... a citizen he was sworn to protect even if he
didn't know him personally. He did the only thing he could think of: he
charged.
	Asuma ran from his car and shot towards the man standing by the pool.
Maybe that was good - he was doing his job. Maybe it was bad - the man
pulled out a small utility knife when he saw the police officer charging
in. And just maybe, luck was smiling on Asuma today. At the sight of the
knife turning to officer Shinohara, Ranma sprang again at the man and
kicked the blade from his grasp. His momentum, unfortunately, carried him
right past to let Shinohara tackle the man safely while he himself dropped
into the wading pool.
	Asuma breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay mister, consider yourself under
arrest." He produced a pair of handcuffs and proceeded to with the routine
of taking someone into custody. He also turned to look for the young man
who had helped him. He wanted to thank the figure coming out of the wading
pool... but it wasn't quite Ranma he saw there. For one thing, there was a
red head of hair that surfaced from the pool. "Noa?" No, wait - that can't
be... Noa's a little taller than that and doesn't have a pony tail... what
-
who?
	"Uh, no. It's me Ranma. Gomenasai... didn't mean to interfere with your
job."
	Asuma gulped watching the girl before him. What the heck? "Er, no. I
mean...
thanks!" He eyed "her" suspiciously. "You're really Ranma?"
	"Yes, like I said, I'm really sorry."
	Asuma peered over the edge of the pool one more time for good measure.
"Well, if you say so... oh. Here comes your fiancee, I'm sure she's worried
about... uh, you."
	Alphonse got down on one knee and his chest split in half. Noa dropped out
from inside and congratulated her confused partner. "What's going on? I
heard Ranma left the captain's car. Where is he?" Asuma looked at her with
an odd face.

	The mini-pat slowly drove up on the grass field and stopped to let out
captain Goto and Genma. They arrived in time to see a young girl about
Ranma's age and wearing Ranma's clothes stepping from the pool and
shivering in the breeze. They also caught Noa's desperate cry..."You're
who?
What's going on?!?!"

	The tea kettle in captain Goto's office was usually reserved for official
purposes. Both captains Nagumo and Goto stared at it on its low flame
waiting for it to heat up. Goto thought about all the official cups of
instance ramen he had eaten in the past months, all heating with boiling
water from this particular kettle. Captain Nagumo caught him as he briefly
glanced at his stopwatch lying on the desk opposite them.
Vapor began floating out from the spout. Just before the water had a chance
to boil, Ranma grabbed the kettle from it's flame. "It doesn't have to
scald me, you know."
Among them stood Noa, Asuma, his father Genma, and Ohta (for his curiosity
got the better of him and he had decided to join them for Ranma's
explanation). Captain Goto stepped up to turn off the burner. He turned to
face the short red-haired girl standing between the members of the SV2.
The girl flipped open the lid of the kettle and waiting a moment to make
sure the water wouldn't be too hot and then upturned it over his head.
Almost immediately, her shoulders began to broaden, where his silk shirt
began to hang a little more loose at the front, it also began to fill out
with an increase in the wearer's height. Overall, the person standing in
the middle of the office, was simply a little bigger than a few seconds
ago. And of course, "she" was now a "he."
Noa was the first to speak up. "Nani-yo!"
Ranma stood before her, still soaking wet from the warm water that came
down over him. He smiled sheepishly. "Well... it's like this..."
"What kind of person are you!?" Ohta ran up and grabbed him by the collar
ready to shake him like a salt shaker.
Just then, a mechanic walked by the office door and decided to take a peek
in. It was Shige. "I'll get a mop..." With that he figured it was best to
leave things in the hands of people who dealt in weirdness more than he.
	Ignoring the interruptions, Ranma proceeded to tell them of his trip
across and around Asia. He went into detail about arriving at a mysterious
training ground called Jusenkyo. "You see, the guide didn't mention this
until we fell into the springs that were all over the place." He told them
about how both he and his father knocked each other off the bamboo poles on
which they had trained. "It was... weird. I mean, I wouldn't survived. But
as
I fell in, I didn't really know what was happening to me. By the time I
realized I was under, I choked a bit on the water and came up... close
enough
to drowning, but, well... that's when the curse began to kick in. When I
got
up out of the spring, I wasn't... wasn't..." He was on the verge of
tears... and
no one had noticed.
	"That's okay, son." Captain Goto thought that was good enough an
explanatio. His mind raced and he decided to file in his brain near the
back, where it probably wouldn't bother him. "Alright, that's it folks, we
can leave any details alone." He herded the group out of the office.
	As the group made their way out silently, Shige had returned with a mop in
his hands. The way they left with bewildered looks left Shige to wonder. He
entered the office and started to clean up the wet spot in the middle of
the room while Shinobu and Keiichi sat down at their desks. Captain Goto
looked up with his usual sullen and tired face. "Shige, don't we have
people who take care of these jobs?"
	"Uh, no sir. But I was just passing by."
	Keiichi Goto nodded. Heck, if I can get away with letting someone else
clean up, why not?
	"If you don't mind me asking, sir, did this meeting have anything to do
with a panda bear?"
	Both captains raised their eyebrows. "A what?"
	"Never mind." Shige finished drying up the floor and left.
	Shinobu looked at her office mate. "What are you thinking?"
	Keiichi heaved a sigh. "What am I thinking? I'm not so sure. But I am
wondering how Noa will react to this. She didn't really say anything
before, did she?"
	Shinobu shrugged. "Officer Izumi reacted the same way the rest of us did."
	"Yes," Keiichi replied, "but the rest of us aren't engaged to be married
to the boy."

	The sun stubbornly kept itself hanging in the sky, refusing to drop in the
afternoon. Noa picked her way into the tomato patch. After a few seconds of
wandering aimlessly through the garden, she spied a hulking man squatting
off to one side working on a plant.
	Hiromi was the designated care taker of the vegetables that grew here. It
was not an official post, but he enjoyed watering the tomato plants
everyday and seeing to the chickens in the nearby shed. In his heart, he
knew it was a job to be taken seriously because besides the fish that the
mechanics caught on their time off, there was no food to be found anywhere
but the nearest convenience store. And even then it was a forty-minute
drive to get there when supplies like captain Goto's ramen snacks were
needed. Today, he snipped a dead stalk from one of the plants and examined
the dried out leaves. He was relieved that it wasn't sick, but rather the
plants were not evenly watered. "I'll need to be more careful," he said to
himself. He felt a tap on his shoulder.
	Noa crouched down beside him. "Konnichiwa."
	"Genki-desu?" Hiromi spared his small friend a glance while continuing to
go through his garden plant by plant to make sure he wasn't missing any
thirsty roots.
	"I'm okay. I was just wondering why you weren't in the captain's office
with us."
	"Oh, no reason."
	"Uh, okay." Noa was puzzled. Her friend usually had something comforting
to say when she was confronted with something strange. Her situation now,
being engaged with a transforming boy, was as strange as anything could
get. And she suddenly remembered something... "Your a little worried aren't
you?"
	Hiromi smiled at her intuitive guess. "Well, a little bit. One shouldn't
mess with the gods."
	"What if it really was an accident. Ranma told us he just fell into one of
many springs that were in China..." She continued by briefly outlining
Ranma's tale.
	This didn't do much for Hiromi's superstitious nature. "Well... still,
just...
just be careful."
	"I will."

	In his room, Ranma sat on the bunk that he and his father had been
assigned. An over-sized blanket was draped around him, more for drying him
than to keep him warm. The sheet was well-worn and had seen many nights
outdoors. It was Ranma's favourite - not that he had ever owned many
blankets at a time during his life on the road. He shivered not because he
was cold, but a feeling crept through him. "How can I be a man for my
future wife?" He thought no one was around to hear him.
	"So you've resigned to your fate?"
	The voice startled Ranma. He had been alone and his father slept in the
top bunk. The snoring continued. And officer Shinohara stepped into the
room. "Well... I really don't know how this is going to turn out. But if
anything happens, I should be able to handle it like a man! This curse
isn't doing anything for me."
	Asuma eyed the boy wearily. "Jodan desho. You seem to be able to handle
your life just fine. You've got your father to look out for you and -"
	"The old man's the one who got me into this mess," he interrupted.
	"Hey, I can tell you're a good guy. You saved me from a knife in the belly
today." Asuma took a seat on a nearby cot and stared across at Ranma. "I
wanted to say thanks."
	Ranma chuckled, "it was nothing. I'm trained in this kind of stuff.
Hand-to-hand combat, I mean."
	"Yes well, so are all police officers. But that doesn't change the fact
that you helped me catch a crook." Asuma reached over and they shook hands.
"I owe you."
	"That's alright."
	They sat quietly with only Genma's occasional grunt as he rolled over
breaking the peacefulness. Asuma hand his hand through his hair in the
sudden silence. "Look, I wouldn't just say this so I want you to listen
carefully. Noa is someone I consider very special. We've been through a lot
together and I would hate to see anything happen to her."
	Ranma's eyes went wide. "You don't mean you and her -"
	"No, Ranma no baka," Asuma laughed. "What I mean is that we have become
very close friends. I just feel that..." He broke his thought unsure what
he
really felt inside. Ranma had struck a chord in him that he wasn't even
aware existed. He tried to recover. "Look, I get the feeling that Noa's not
taking this engagement seriously yet. To be honest, I don't either. We all
know your father's itinerary still includes heading into Nerima Tokyo to
visit the Tendo dojo. But in the off chance that you do decide to stay here
on your own, you better treat Noa right. This isn't a game."
	Ranma folded his hands together underneath the old blanket. His eyes met
Asuma's and he said, "I know."
---end chapter 2---
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