Nekophobia Part 7: Photographic Memory by David Eddy Last modified: Saturday, 16 August 1997 A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of Takahashi Rumiko and her licensees. Note: In the Nekophobia side story, which is set immediately following the end of Nekophobia part 6, Nabiki fantasised with some passion about what might have happened between Ranma and Akane, alone in his room. She visualised herself spying on the two of them, then being caught peeping by them. Akane awoke with the sun, snuggled against something warm and welcoming. She felt relaxed and at peace with the world, reluctant to move from her supremely comfortable bed. But something felt odd. Her arm was draped over something warm, and the pillow on which her head lay was firmer than usual, though warm and comfortable. Draped over something warm. Something that moved slowly beneath her arm, even as her ear picked up the sound of deep, even breathing... She opened her eyes to find herself staring at a firmly- muscled chest. Horror gripped her as her breath caught in surprise, until suddenly the events of last night came flooding back and she relaxed again, snuggling up to Ranma. With her eyes she looked around, not wanting to move and possibly disturb him, taking in the firm line of his jaw and the way his nostrils flared slightly during his deep, slow exhalation. The golden-orange light of sunrise peeked into the room, lighting one wall and flooding the room with its reflection. The beautiful light made copper highlights appear in Ranma's normally black hair, an echo of the fiery hair he wore in his female body, and she found herself studying the features of his face in repose. She noted the line of his nose, the shape of his lips, even the way his eyelashes curved, not quite resting against his skin. She saw his eyes moving around inside his closed eyelids, the bulge of the cornea moving the closed eyelids about as it shifted from point to point, and wondered if he was dreaming, and if so, what he was dreaming about. She noted the slight smile on his lips, and hoped that he was dreaming about her. Kasumi woke and as was her habit, pulled aside the curtain to peek outside. The day was just beginning, the morning display glorious, and it was time for her to be starting her day as well. Watching the birds flit about outside, good feeling filled her. She had dreamed of her mother, and had seen her blessing the union of Ranma and her youngest daughter in a scene not unlike a Christian frieze: Kimiko, her mother, had been standing above the pair who knelt before each other, and she had been holding out her arms to encompass the two, her head tilted to one side. She wondered briefly what had caused her to dream that dream, but then put it into a compartment to think about later, a mental trick she had practiced until it was now second nature. For now, she needed to get breakfast ready for the ever-hungry family. Dressed and ready to face the demands of the day, Kasumi quietly slipped out of her room. As she walked towards the stairs, she noted that Akane's bedroom door was open. Curious at this unexpected event, she glanced inside and noted that her bed was rumpled and empty. 'Is Akane up already?' she asked herself as she headed towards the kitchen. 'I wonder why?' As she padded quietly past the guest room, Akane slipped out the door and closed it behind her. She was wearing her night clothes, Kasumi noted with interest. She smiled her best smile and greeted her sister. "Good morning, Akane," she said in a quiet but lilting voice. Akane spun, shifting automatically into a defensive stance at Kasumi's voice. Seeing that it was her sister, she relaxed again. "Kasumi-oneechan! You surprised me!" "It's a lovely morning, isn't it?" "I... I..." Then her uncertain expression cleared and her brilliant smile was like the sun coming from behind clouds. She said happily, "Yes, it's an absolutely *wonderful* morning!" Kasumi noted Akane's sleep wear and a disturbing thought came to her. Unconsciously, she allowed her smile to relax, seeming to frown a little by contrast. "Akane... please excuse me for asking but did you spend the night with Ranma?" Akane was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Hai. Ranma had a nightmare and woke me when he called out in his sleep. He woke in a sweat, oneechan, and he seemed frightened, though he'd never admit it. I asked him to hold me. I hoped that it would comfort him." "Ara... you shouldn't do that, Akane. You're not married yet." Her voice was a little scolding. "But he... but... hai, oneechan." She bent her head in submission. Kasumi nodded, smiling hesitantly. At the back of her mind she wondered if the two of them had in fact taken the next step in their relationship, but then dismissed the thought: Akane was not used to fooling people, and she would be blushing if she had Done It with Ranma. She allowed her smile to gain strength. "So. Is he still asleep?" Akane looked up and nodded, smiling again. "Yes. I didn't want to wake him." She looked at her sister's clothes, and added her dress to the fact that she had passed the guest room, and came to a conclusion. "Are you going to get breakfast ready, oneechan?" "Why, yes," she said with a nod. "Can I do it? Please? Would you show me some more dishes?" Kasumi hesitated for a moment, but then remembered the cookies that Akane had cooked under her directions the other day, and her breakfast the following morning. Reassured, she smiled again. "Of course you can, Akane. I'd love to." She moved to head towards the kitchen, then turned back. "Did you want to make something special for Ranma, perhaps?" Akane blushed and nodded. "Please?" Kasumi laughed lightly. "Come on, get dressed and let's see what we can do." * * * Cologne watched the rising sun, thinking deeply. What could she do about her wayward great granddaughter? Ever since Ranma had rejected her in such unambiguous terms, the girl had become more and more difficult to control. Could it be that their cause was lost? She immediately discarded the thought as unworthy of her. No mere male could flout the Joketsuzoku for long! But hadn't this male done so for over a year? And wasn't she having to use... undesirable methods on her great grand-daughter to persuade her to continue? If necessary, of course, she could take the boy herself. Nothing could be simpler, and they would be in China and beyond easy pursuit before the Tendou family knew what had happened. But to do so would not be honourable, nor would it accomplish anything. *She* had no need for a husband; not now, not having already borne children for the tribe. What was more, it was not *her* task to bring the boy back to the tribe to increase the strength of the tribe... it was Shampoo's... and if she could not do it, then it was not Cologne's place, or that of any other of the Joketsuzoku, to do so in her place. To do so would be to dishonour her great-granddaughter. Cologne sighed. By her own logic, her use of Amazon mind- control techniques on Shampoo over the last few days was hardly honourable. She frowned. How had she allowed herself to get trapped into taking an active part in Shampoo's struggle? To let her own feelings to take control of her actions... this was not good. Perhaps it was indeed all futile. If they did get Ranma to China and it was not of his own free will, then it could easily be that the boy would be able to break free and return to Japan, possibly destroying the Joketsuzoku in the process. Memories of her battle with him a few days ago flashed before her eyes, and she analyzed again what had happened.... What had happened... was that she had lost. Lost. She, a Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, one of the leaders of the tribe, had been defeated, by a mere male. A male that a scant year ago had, at the first, been defeated by her easily as a child. Fortunately she had already been married and borne children, so *those* laws no longer applied to her. But how he had grown in such a short time! Yes, he had been continuously challenged, and challenge led to growth, but if he was dragged back to China against his will, would that not also challenge him? How long would his captivity last then, if already he could defeat one of the tribe's best, after defeating the best of the younger tribespeople almost in passing? So Ranma could not be forced. He must come of his own free will, and he must be convinced by her great grand-daughter. Not by herself, not by any other member of the tribe. By Shampoo. But Shampoo was no longer interested in convincing Ranma to join her in China, and was having to be forced to continue the pursuit. She had given up. Fortunately there was no problem with her forcing the girl... within limits, she reminded herself darkly... but Shampoo, like all children, lacked subtlety, and had failed to capture her prey and showed no sign of being able to do so in the future. It would be easy to admit that the girl seemed incapable, but to return without her husband, *and* without killing she who had defeated her so publicly, so casually, would so stain her that she could never become a Matriarch, never take her rightful place in the hierarchy of the tribe. It was fortunate that the tribe had not discovered her earlier return, but this time her failure would be impossible to conceal. But after such a long time, soon the girl's failure must begin to reflect on her mentor... Cologne herself. That could never be allowed; her position would be weakened within the tribe. So she must soon return to China, and if Shampoo failed again she must be left on her own in this land of barbarian Japanese, to cope as best she could, possibly to eventually return... or not. But never, perhaps, to take up the position she had seemed so eminently suited to from such an early age. That would be unfortunate, for Shampoo was indeed one of the more promising younger members in the tribe, in addition to being of her own blood. A little longer. She would give the girl a little longer. But no matter how hard she tried, Shampoo was unlikely to win Ranma as long as that girl Akane was on the scene. To simply kill the girl would drive Ranma further away, but there were other ways of driving him from her. She had already started down that path, but so far it had not worked. Cologne frowned. Several simple plans occurred to her which she discarded immediately as futile or amateurish, but there was a true plan, a good plan, lurking at the edge of her consciousness. But it refused to come forth and reveal itself. And then the workers began to arrive, to put the finishing touches on the newly-reconstructed Nekohanten. Cologne silently pushed the plan to the back of her mind, where it would develop in its own time. If there was one thing she had learned in a lifetime of three hundred years, that was patience. * * * Ranma woke feeling comfortable and relaxed. For a change, oyaji wasn't dragging him out of bed for training, and he reveled in being able to awake at his own pace. But something was missing. Something warm and comforting. He looked around. The futon next to him bore the imprint of a body, and he could smell something lingering in the air... Akane. He smiled as he recalled Akane asking to be held, lying down with her head on his shoulder and an arm thrown across his chest, the feeling banishing the echoes of the nightmare that had awoken him... and then a slow, gentle awakening. Life was good. Stretching, he rose and dressed in light clothing to suit the season. He decided to work out before the heat came, and stepped out of his room with a light heart. Nabiki's door opened as he stepped out into the hallway. "Good morning, Ranma," she said with a rakish smile. "Did you sleep well?" Her voice was heavy with implication, and Ranma found himself blushing. Automatically he began to play with the root of his braid and looked at the floor, unable to meet her eyes. "Yes." Nabiki grinned, unable to resist needling Ranma even though she loved him like a... brother. Or something. She poked him in the chest. "Feeling photogenic, I hope?" Ranma frowned, then shrugged. "Well, don't forget we leave at ten. We've got a train to catch... and if you do some training this morning, I want you to bathe afterward, okay?" She emphasised her point with a pointed finger. Her tone of voice baited Ranma, and his voice reflected his disturbance. "I'm not a baby, Nabiki!" Nabiki just grinned and stepped past him to head downstairs. Ranma watched her go, then frowned to himself. He felt anger stirring within himself. He had no trouble controlling it, but he must be calm and under control at all times in a real fight or he would be in trouble. Why was this happening to him? Automatically he went down the stairs, heading for his favorite rock by the pond, the one he used for meditation. He had some thinking to do. Tempting aromas wafted from the kitchen, causing Ranma's stomach to rumble in anticipation. His mother had wandered down a few minutes earlier, followed shortly thereafter by Nabiki. Kasumi would be in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, so where was Akane? Nodoka interrupted his speculations. "Good morning, Ranma," she said with a smile. "I'm glad to see that you rise at a proper hour, unlike a certain husband of mine. Did you sleep well?" Ranma smiled at the memory of falling asleep with Akane's arm draped across his chest, her head on his shoulder, the scent of her hair filling his nostrils. "Yes, very well," he said pleasantly. Nodoka smiled and nodded as she sat down, while Nabiki stared at Ranma in shock. Ranma? Pleasant? In the morning? Soun entered, and took his usual place at the table. Then Akane entered from the kitchen, carrying a tray, followed by Kasumi. They knelt and laid out the food, then took their own places at the table. Akane took up one dish that... lacked the usual flair with which Kasumi cooked, but otherwise seemed okay. She offered it to Ranma. "Here, Ranma, I made this for you specially." She smiled winningly. Ranma felt trapped, like a hunted animal. Clearly Akane had had something to do with the cooking, but how could he refuse with his mother watching? She would call him unmanly, and even though the pledge had been formally fulfilled, he could not face the prospect of disappointing his mother. So it was with a feeling of dread that he reached out with his chopsticks and selected a piece of the rather untidy but nonetheless pleasant- looking fish. Nabiki looked on with a mixture of pity and apprehension as Ranma went through the motions of sampling Akane's cooking. While he had said last time that her cooking was okay, Nabiki wondered whether it had been a flash in the pan, so to speak. It was an exercise in control, Ranma told himself, holding his expression neutral as he brought the food closer to his face. He sniffed gently, and was amazed to discover that it actually smelled good. He looked up and met Akane's eyes. Perhaps without knowing it, her expression was open and vulnerable, waiting for his verdict. The fish smelled okay, it looked okay... now for the ultimate test. Inside he steeled himself, even as he smiled at her and nodded. "Itadakimas'!" he said and popped the morsel into his mouth. Ranma's eyes opened wide involuntarily, the whites showing all around, and an odd sound came from his throat. Akane quickly put down the bowl, almost dropping it, and leaned forward worriedly. "Ranma! What's wrong?!" Nabiki spoke sardonically. "You probably poisoned him again, Akane." Nodoka stepped in. "Nabiki, is it necessary to be so mean to your sister?" Akane looked at the bowl she had been holding, crestfallen. "But I tasted it..." Ranma finally swallowed, then spoke. "Delicious!" he uttered. He shook his head in amazement. "Unbelievable. It actually tastes nice." Kasumi smiled. "Oh Ranma-kun, you're such a joker," she said with a small giggle. "You ate Akane's cooking the other day and said you liked it. She's learning to cook from me now. Didn't she do a great job?" Ranma didn't miss the undertone in Kasumi's voice. Quickly he nodded. "H-hai!" "It looks very nice, Akane-chan," said Nodoka. "Ittada- kkimas!" she added with a motherly smile and a glint in her eyes as she lifted her rice bowl. * * * After breakfast, Ranma had gone outside and stripped off his top and started his daily workout. Akane had seen him and raced upstairs to change into her gi. She then went outside, and, reluctant to interrupt him, watched him work out. Ranma looked up from where he sat on the ground doing flexibility exercises. "What's up, Akane? Wanna work out?" Akane smiled. "Yes." He returned her smile. "Well come on, get going then." A thought occurred to him. "Have you been waiting for me?" She nodded. He snorted. "Don't bother, Akane. Just join in, in future." He smiled shyly again. "It's kinda nice to have someone to practice with who ain't oyaji, anyway." Then his smile changed into a grin. "'Sides, you need as much practice as you can get. We've gotta get your speed up." Akane glared at him but declined to push it. Instead she began her stretching exercises. Nodoka and Kasumi sipped tea sitting at the table, looking out through the open shogi and outer shutters at the scene unfolding in the back yard. The rustle of Soun's newspaper punctuated their conversation at odd moments. "Isn't it delightful to see them getting on so well together, obasama?" asked Kasumi. Outside, Ranma, wearing only his black trousers, and Akane, wearing her gi pants and a sleeveless tee-shirt (together with, Nodoka was glad to note, a bra) were doing katas together in the yard. Nabiki was fluttering about them with her camera. As Nodoka watched, Ranma stopped his kata and said something to Nabiki. The Tendou girl just laughed, said something as she gestured with her camera, and took a few more pictures. Ranma just shook his head and went back to his training, studiously ignoring the second Tendou daughter, concentrating instead on Akane. "They seem to be getting along well enough, I suppose," said Nodoka at last. "Is this unusual?" "The last few days have been unusual, obasama. Ever since the day before I suggested that you visit us." Nodoka looked at Kasumi in surprise. "So *that's* why..." She sighed. "I only regret that it took so long." "Some things have to happen in their own time, obasama." The newspaper rustled as Soun turned a page. * * * The stranger's white hardhat sat on his head as though it belonged there, matching unexpectedly with his crisply-ironed but well-worn and comfortable white shirt and sturdy but presentable pants. Only his tie looked out of place, new and nubbly, one of those elasticized polyester monstrosities sold for machinery operators and those too lazy or incompetent to tie their own knot. It waved about as he moved his head, signaling like a flag and drawing the eye. This was well enough; the man appeared to be just another supervisory staff member of the building company Cologne had hired to reconstruct the Nekohanten. But she was frowning, both because she had never seen him before... and because of the way he had peremptorily gone up to one of the men, stopped his work. Now all of the builders were standing around watching nervously as the new man closely examined parts of the building with the aid of a few small tools he had pulled from a pocket. Every now and again he would make a notation in the metal clipboard that lived in one armpit, seemingly staying there solely through the personal magnetism of this otherwise undistinguished and drab man. All was not as it seemed. Cologne decided to investigate. She bounced over on her stick. "Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked the man with barely sufficient politeness. "And why have you stopped these men from doing their work?" To her amazement, he did not leap back and bow at her as he should have done. Instead, he merely finished his measurement and made a final notation, the only outward sign that he had heard her a twitch in his shoulders. Then the man turned to her, his eyes cold. "My name is Hayashi," he said. "Building Inspector, first rank, for the City of Nerima. And you are?" He did not bow. Cologne's expression hardened. "My name is Cologne. I own the Nekohanten." Hayashi smiled thinly. "Good. You will understand that I have a job to do, and I would appreciate not being interrupted. You are of course entitled to a copy of my report when I am finished." With that he turned away from Cologne, returning to his work. Indignant anger boiled up within Cologne at the presumption and rudeness of this man, but sternly she held it in check. Instead of cracking the insolent puppy over the head and ejecting him bodily, she bounced away and returned to her observation point in the kitchen doorway. China had five thousand years of bureaucracy in its history, in fact her country had invented the practice, and Cologne had enough experience with the type to recognize a petty tyrant when she saw one. Hayashi allowed himself a millimetric smile as he continued his work. He had seen too many of these rush construction jobs to not know that there must be a problem, somewhere. He would find it. He was a diligent worker. And when he found the problem or, more likely, problems, work would have to cease until they were corrected. Which would mean a delay, and probably expensive and lengthy double-work spent pulling things apart before they could be put back together... so sorry, it cannot be helped, the building codes are there for your own protection and for the protection of others. The fact that someone had paid him to be especially zealous with this property, and had asked him to inspect as soon as possible... well, that was merely an added bonus, in a job which had few enough of those. * * * "Come *on*, Ranma; we're going to be late!" shouted Nabiki at the closed bathroom door. "Okay, okay, I'll be right out," came Ranma's male voice. "Anyway, what's the big rush? So what if we're ten minutes late?" Then the doorway slid aside, and he stepped out, brushing past Nabiki. She grimaced. "Time is money, little brother," she said acidly. "Okay, okay," he said. Then he frowned. "Say, what's with the bag?" he asked as he followed her into the front part of the house. Nabiki smiled craftily, her anger forgotten. "Just some stuff we'll need." Ranma gave her a fishy look but declined to press the matter further. The train was quiet; by some odd coincidence there were comparatively few people travelling on the train with the three teenagers. Nabiki led the way, sitting down in a section at the rear of the carriage where two seats faced one another. Akane sat next to her, and Ranma was forced to sit opposite the two girls. The three did not talk at first. Akane stared out the window, while Ranma brooded, worrying about the upcoming session. Images flashed through his mind. Images from when he'd looked at himself in the mirror this morning, mostly, both as a guy and as a girl. Poses from some of Nabiki's magazines that she'd left lying about... he couldn't help but visualise himself in their place, modeling swimsuits while lying enticingly in a pool of water, smiling at the camera. Ugh. But a chance thought led him onwards, bringing to mind the pages of a hentai magazine one of the guys had smuggled into school once. The separated pages of the magazine had been whisperingly distributed at lunchtime, and Ranma could not help but visualise his female form in those same poses, wondering what it felt like, simultaneously attracted and revolted by the thought. At last he firmly pushed all such speculation from his mind, turning instead to consideration of the renewed enigma that was Nabiki. He did not understand her behaviour at all... for a long time he thought he had had her pegged, but recently her behaviour had changed, and it baffled him. She now called him her little brother, and she did indeed seem closer than usual, but.... When he looked over at her in thought, he saw that her gaze was hooded, her expression neutral. He wondered what she was thinking about. Nabiki spent most of the early part of the trip staring at Ranma, wondering if he could possibly be capable of what she had fantasised about last night. She traced the lines of his body with her eyes, covertly, pretending to be thinking. Which she was, of course. She felt his gaze, and a plan occurred to her. In a flash of daring she decided to implement it... only Ranma would be able to see, anyway, even if she did show something. With a sigh, Nabiki lifted one foot onto the seat, wrapping her arms around the leg and resting her chin on her upraised knee. Staring out the window, she watched Ranma out of the corner of her eye to catch any reaction. Ranma's eyes automatically followed the motion as Nabiki folded her leg and looked out the window in a thoughtful pose, but his breath caught and he was hard pressed not to stare when he noticed that the leg of her pressed khaki shorts was gaping, and he could clearly see the snowy white material of her panties stretched tightly across... Sternly he forced himself to switch his gaze to Akane. He was on safer ground here. She noticed his attention after a bit, and returned his regard. Then, with a smile, she got up and moved to sit next to Ranma, leaning against him in as open a display of affection as she dared in public. Nabiki watched this little play unfold, changing her position again as her sister went to sit next to her fiancee. She had noticed Ranma's eyes, and the sudden and fixed movement of his gaze to her sister... and the small beads of sweat that had popped into being on his face. He looked relieved now that she had lowered her leg, cutting off the view. Nabiki smirked to herself. Maybe fantasies could sometimes came true, she told herself as Akane began to chat with Ranma. * * * The entrance to the photographer's studio was a doorway at street level which led immediately to stairway. Nabiki led the way as they walked up the stairs. Ranma felt a little nervous as he walked up the stairs behind Nabiki. He wondered again what this photo session would hold... and what was in the bag that swung in front of his face, dangling from Nabiki's hand. He tried to ignore the panty lines that showed through the light material of her shorts almost literally in front of his nose as she climbed the stairs, remembering that moment on the train. That flash of memory returned images from that lunchtime magazine to his head, making him even more uncomfortable. Behind Ranma, Akane watched sweat form on his neck and reflected on how nervous he must be feeling. She knew what her sister had in that bag, and she thought to herself with a small smile that if he knew what was in there, he would be much *more* nervous. Upstairs, three people waited in a small, brightly-decorated reception area. "Hi, I'm Hikaru," said the cameraman. He was tall and slim, his hair tied back in a trendy pony-tail. He wore a tank top and paratrooper's trousers, and had a sparse beard. Gesturing to the two other people waiting, he added, "This is my assistant, Jiro- kun, and Tomoko-chan here is a makeup artist." "I'm Tendou Nabiki, and this is my sister Akane who's come along for moral support. This is her fiancee, Ranma." She raised an eyebrow at Tomoko the makeup artist, who had been staring hungrily at Ranma. Tomoko started guiltily, looking at Nabiki with a light flush on her face. 'Huh, no wonder Akane gets jealous,' she mused to herself as Hikaru led the way into the main studio. She watched Ranma's oblivious expression as he seated himself and nervously allowed Tomoko to go to work on him. 'And my stupid brother-in-law doesn't have a clue.' She shook her head at the irony of the situation, always fresh no matter how many times it was repeated. "Excuse me, Tendou-san?" Nabiki broke off her musing and looked at the source of the voice. It was Hikaru, the photographer. "Yes?" "I thought there was going to be a girl who would pose, too? I gather that it's not your sister?" Nabiki smiled. "Ah, yes. No, it's not Akane. The girl... she'll be along a little later." "Oh. Pity. Well, we'll start with Ranma-kun here and do her later." "That would be a good idea." "We've got a few minutes before Tomoko finishes with Ranma- kun, so let's review the kind of shots you want, shall we?" Ranma stood in the centre of the studio, dressed only in his black silk pants, in a modified crane stance. The lights flashed, and Hikaru stood up straight. "That's great, Ranma-kun. Now, just one last pose. If you would stand like this," he said as he demonstrated, standing with his feet shoulder-width apart and hands spread and reaching for the sky, back arched and looking straight up, "I think we'll be pretty close." Obediently Ranma stood as instructed. Hikaru looked through the viewfinder, then shook his head. "Get into it, Ranma! You're beseeching the gods! Think of something you want and *ask* for it!" Immediately Ranma thought of his curse. After much yelling by the photographer and badgering by Nabiki he'd gotten used to following the photographer's directions, and he didn't feel awkward at all as he bent his knees a little and *reached* for the sky, his eyes closing and hands half-clawing automatically as he begged to be released from the curse. Akane, sitting on the floor only a few feet from her fiancee, watched in amazement as the appeal that Ranma suddenly projected hit her, the raw emotion and longing pouring from him as all his muscles tensed in an appeal to the kami. She knew what he would be asking for, and tears formed in reaction even as she heard Hikaru breathe, "." The flashes went off several times in rapid succession. Then: "Assistant! Go!" Then the world began moving jerkily as the camera began to whine and the flashes went off again, and again, and again, and... Ranma's plea to the gods disappeared as he heard the unmistakable sound of falling water. Opening his eyes, he had time for a moment of utter horror and exquisite betrayal, the falling water twisted into static yet hungry blobs by the sudden light of the flash, before abrupt coldness and then the sensation of the change galvanised him into motion. Quickly, it all happened so quickly. Nabiki felt frozen in her body as water fell from above Ranma, cascading down, caught in stop-motion as it splashed off his face, then the spray was obscuring him, then Ranma was female, her breasts bouncing freely as she moved though the continuous flashes eyes aflame as she surged towards the photographer and suddenly Nabiki felt cold as the import of Ranma's expression hit her cold cold cold "Ranma! Stop!" The command cracked like a whip, freezing Ranma only three feet from the stunned Hikaru. She wondered for a moment who had spoken before realising that it had been herself. "Tears of Buddha..." breathed Hikaru as time started again, camera dangling from nerveless fingers. "What the...?!" And then life flowed back into Ranma's eyes, the fire gone as though it was never there, and she crossed her arms over her bare breasts and looked away. Straight at the cute little white cat with black socks, ears, and tail that was even now picking itself out of Akane's wet clothes. "Aaaagh! C-c-c-c-caaat!" Ranma's eyes were round and she shuddered violently as she backed away involuntarily before shaking her head and standing her ground. "No," she said under her breath. "Aka-Akane. It's Akane." There was stunned silence in the studio as Ranma-onna shakily stepped forward, jaw clenched, and knelt down before the cute little cat. Akane-neko gave a small, somehow satisfied meow and slowly stepped into Ranma's outstretched hands. Shakily she drew her hands close to her body, holding Akane against her chest, and slowly the strain flowed out of her face and was gradually replaced by love as Akane the cat reacted positively to her hesitant petting. Nabiki quickly glanced around at the stunned, slack-jawed staff of the studio. She shook her head to clear it, then exerted her self-control and stepped forward confidently. "Hikaru-san, I'd like you to meet the *other* subject for today's little session," she said in a clear, sardonic voice. She dug in her bag and brought out a skimpy bikini, the most daring she owned, and held it out to Ranma. She glanced over at her "brother" and noticed that she was looking up from petting Akane, staring at the scraps of material in growing horror. She smiled sardonically, her old smile. "Here, Ranma-kun, why don't you get changed?" * * * "Kuonji-san, you have a visitor, Saotome Nodoka-san. Do you feel up to seeing her?" Ukyou stirred, struggling against the pain of her ribs to sit up. The nurse hurried forward and helped her to sit up, then stacked pillows behind her. "The mother of the man I want to marry? You bet I'll see her," she said at last. The nurse smiled. "Well, good luck then. You seem awfully young to be talking about marriage. I hope he's worth it." "Honey, you'd better believe it." Nodoka, wearing a formal kimono and obi and carrying her silk-wrapped katana as always, stepped next to Ukyou's bed and bowed. "Thank you for agreeing to see me, Ukyou-san." Ukyou bowed her head in reply. "Forgive me for not bowing properly, obasama. Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable," she finished with a smile. Nodoka sat and smiled back as comfortably as she could in her formal clothes. "So please tell me, Ukyou-san, are they treating you well here?" * * * "" said the photographer in English. He began to put away his camera. Ranma-onna looked confused, an expression which went oddly with the cheesecake pose she was holding. "What did he say?" Akane, who was standing as close as she could to Ranma while remaining out of the shot, frowned. "I think he said--" "I said that we're all done now," said the photographer. He stopped putting away his gear to look up. "It's slang we use in the trade. You can go and get changed now," he added to Ranma. He shook his head reflectively. "Man, now I've seen everything. Still, it was a good session, and we'll definitely get some great shots out of that, Tendou-san," he said, finishing by addressing Nabiki. "Pity we can't get some shots of them together," he said wistfully. "They'd make a great couple." Nabiki's eyes twinkled, and her nose seemed to twitch a little. She went over to the photographer. "Let's discuss that...." * * * Nodoka smiled at Ukyou, finally convinced that they were both as relaxed as they were going to get, and that the dictates of formality had been satisfied. Then, too, they had resumed calling each other as they had last night, which indicated some degree of comfort to her mind. So finally, she got to the point. "Ukyou-chan, you know of course that I came today for a reason?" Ukyou suddenly looked a little nervous. "Hai, obasan." Nodoka nodded. "Good. Would you please humour me and tell me the full story of the time my husband visited you and your father with Ranma, and what followed?" * * * "Hey, that's a good idea," said the photographer. "We can do that!" He turned away from Nabiki. "Ranma-chan, sorry, Ranma- kun, I'm afraid you can't get changed just yet! Assistant! Get a posing dummy in here!" "Which one?" came Jiro's voice from the store-room. The photographer thought for a moment. "Male number one!" "" Ranma-onna frowned. She felt exposed in this skimpy bikini, only the gentle, strategic restraint of the top and the odd feeling of the thong at the back of the bikini convincing her that she wore anything at all. 'Huh, I wonder if Nabiki's actually worn this thing to the beach,' she asked herself as she struck a pose at the big mirror on one wall of the studio. She'd been doing a lot of posing today, following the photographer's instructions. After a bit she'd developed the trick of visualising herself from the outside, trying to see the effect that Hikaru was going for. It made her feel quite detached from the image in the mirror. Instead of seeing a perversion of her 'normal' body as she usually did, she saw a pretty young woman wearing a skimpy string bikini... the sort of woman that he knew would draw every male eye on the beach, striking with her red hair and generous curves belying the upright, almost bouncy carriage of the very strong. She struck another pose, liking how she looked. Sexy. Then suddenly the image changed, becoming indubitably herself striking a sexy pose, not some unknown stranger. Her stomach turned, even as once again the pages of that lunchtime magazine flashed through her head, interspersed with memories of the bathroom mirror. She dropped her arms, instead hugging them protectively to herself, looking at Akane instead. Akane. Her fiancee for real, now... and again she found herself looking with different eyes. Akane the strong, Akane the beautiful. What did *she* look like naked? Relentlessly her memory thrust up that time when they had first met, when she had walked in on him in his male body, his true body, in the bathroom. How would things have gone if they hadn't got off on the wrong foot? Would they already be...? Ruthlessly she stepped on that thought. Hands on hips, she challenged the photographer. "Now what?!" The photographer spared her a glance, then smiled. "Just be patient please, Ranma-kun. We just want to take a few more shots." Akane looked worriedly at her sister. She had *that* smile on her face. * * * "...and when he told me that I was cute, I felt... well, it's hard to explain. It was as though he'd never left me, Nodoka-san. I knew then and there that we were destined to marry, so I told him that we were engaged. Of the promise that had been made between our fathers. He didn't believe me, of course." Ukyou's face fell as she remembered the time when she and Ranma had met again after ten years. "Yes? Do go on," prompted Nodoka. Ukyou looked out the window for a moment, then sighed and returned her attention to Nodoka and continued her tale. * * * With lunchtime came another stranger. This one wore no hard hat, but he had a familiar-looking metal clipboard held in one hand. He marched up to Hayashi, who pointed at Cologne standing in the doorway, watching the men nervously eat their food. The stranger walked over purposefully. He stopped in front of her and bowed. "Cologne-san? I am Health Inspector Second Class Morisato. I work for the City of Nerima." Cologne returned the bow as best she could balanced on her staff, and resisted the temptation to raise an eyebrow. *Another* inspector? "I am Cologne. I assume you wish to inspect the kitchen?" "That's right. I trust this is not an inconvenient time?" Well. He was at least polite. "As you can see, we are not currently open for business. How can it be inconvenient?" Cologne hated dealing with the Japanese; the cloying humility necessary for even the most basic of everyday interactions raised her gorge. But one did not get to be three hundred years old without learning to deal with distasteful necessities, and without another word she moved to one side to allow Morisato to begin his work. * * * "Okay, Ranma-kun, we're all done now. You can go and get changed if you like." Ranma-onna gratefully disappeared into the changing room. Jiro the assistant grabbed the posing dummy and put it away, and Hikaru the photographer chortled and rubbed his hands. He rewound the film and tenderly extracted it from the camera. Nabiki stepped over to him, scenting opportunity, and Akane was about to follow when Ranma's voice called out. "Akane? Could you help me with this please?" She trotted over to the changing room and after knocking stepped inside. Ranma was standing in front of the mirror, dressed once again in her standard Chinese outfit, pawing disgustedly at the makeup on her face. As Akane stepped into the small room, Ranma looked around in relief. "Can you tell me how to get this stuff off?" she said with disgust in her voice. Akane stifled a giggle as she grabbed the pack of tissues intended for the purpose off the table in front of the big mirror. She gestured with them at the chair. "Sit down, silly, and I'll get it off for you." Ranma slumped down gratefully and Akane went to work with the moist wipes. "D'ya think it went okay, Akane?" she asked at last. She shrugged as she firmly wiped at Ranma's face. She could hear the tiredness in her voice and the subtext as clearly as if Ranma had asked it aloud: Was it all worth while? She knew that he had ruthlessly pushed his own feelings to one side for the sake of the shoot, and outwardly he... she... had appeared to be enthusiastic about the shoot while it was going on. But Akane wasn't fooled. The trouble was, she wasn't sure either. "I don't know, Ranma," she said at last. "Who can say how something like this will go? Hikaru-san seems happy, though." "Yeah." "Say, are you hungry?" Ranma looked up at Akane in surprise. The moment was broken by a loud growl from Ranma's stomach. She looked away, embarrassed. "I guess so." "Let's get some lunch, shall we? And we can visit that 99- flavours ice cream shop afterwards, ne?" Ranma-onna leaped up from the chair. "Great! Let's go!" Akane giggled as Ranma charged out the door. "Ranma! Come back! I haven't finished yet!" she called as she followed him, waving the wipes in one hand. * * * Morisato stopped as he caught sight of the caged duck. Mousse was locked in a largish cage, sitting on the ground at the rear of the Nekohanten, a bowl of water in his cage. He looked miserable. "What is that, Cologne-san?" he asked politely. "It is a duck," she said. "It was to be served for dinner, but then the cafe was destroyed. We are keeping it until we re- open... why waste valuable stock?" He looked at her sternly. "You do not keep it in the kitchen?" Cologne feigned shock. "Not until it has been killed, cleaned and gutted," she said. She kept her expression neutral, but mentally she frowned. Who knew that Mousse was normally kept in the kitchen? And *two* inspectors in one day? The builder's foreman swore he had not called for the inspector... he was not yet ready for him. Something stank, and it wasn't the garbage. * * * Nodoka shifted in her chair as Ukyou stared out the window at the gathering clouds. She frowned to herself. The problem was not easy to resolve, perhaps it was irresolvable... but there was another step that had to be taken regardless of the outcome of the marriage situation. What had been done to that girl was unforgivable. "Thank you very much for telling me all of that, Ukyou- chan," she said gently. "I'm sure it wasn't easy for you." Ukyou turned back to Nodoka. "You're not going to let me marry Ranma, are you?" she said hopelessly. Nodoka shook her head. "You're wrong. It's far too soon to make any decision about *that*," she said. "I'm sure you're aware that there is no easy solution to this." She sighed. "Looking at it simplistically, Ukyou-chan, honour dictates that Ranma must marry *both* you and Akane-chan." Now Nodoka looked out the window at the gathering thunderheads. "Such a pity it's illegal." She leaned back with false heartiness, and nodded decisively. "Still, there are steps that must be taken, and perhaps a way out of this mess can be found that does not involve my son being forced to commit seppuku to expiate the obligations my husband has placed on him... and the family. I did not," she added with some asperity, "agree that he was manly and thus save him from the sword, only to see him throw his life away in a ritual that will please nobody." She turned back to face Ukyou, surprising the girl with an amazed, hopeful expression on her face. "It would be the easy, the fast way out... but I am sure that there is another solution to this bind, Ukyou-chan. You see, I speak frankly with you. Perhaps I should not, but this situation requires plain speaking, Ukyou, and I feel I can trust you." She stood. "It's time I left. Please excuse me for staying so long." "It was no imposition," replied Ukyou with a sketched half- bow. "Please come again at any time." Under her breath, she added, "Okaasan." Nodoka's lips twitched at that. "Ukyou-chan, the question of marriage must remain unresolved for the moment, but there is something else I must do to help expiate the wrongs done to you. Will you permit me?" Ukyou was amazed; unable to keep surprise from her face she stuttered an affirmative. With a few final formalities, Nodoka left, leaving Ukyou to herself. Thoughts tumbled in her brain randomly as she watched the clouds boil, driven by the heat radiating from the city beneath them, and overriding them all were mixed feelings of hope and dread. But mostly hope. * * * There was too much dinner. Both Genma and Nodoka were missing, and Kasumi has misjudged the quantity required. There was too much dinner... but it all got eaten anyway. Kasumi watched proudly as Akane ate with vigour, her appetite obviously large. Eventually she commented on it. "My, you're eating well, Akane," she said sweetly. Akane finished chewing her current mouthful and swallowed hurriedly. "But I'm so *hungry*," she said. "I don't understand it!" Ranma snorted. Akane turned to him, fire in her eyes, while Nabiki wagered with herself on Ranma's chances of escaping a malleting. The odds had changed recently... "And just what did you mean by that?" Akane asked coldly. Ranma, chopsticks in mouth, looked surprised at her tone. "Eh? It's obvious. You're training more, and harder, so of course you need more food," he said as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Buy your father has a big appetite too, Ranma-kun," put in Nabiki with a mischievous smile. "That's not the only thing of his that's big," muttered Ranma darkly. Nabiki snorted and broke into unladylike chortling and even Akane smiled. "By the way, where did your mother say she was going, Ra-n- ma-kuuun?" asked Nabiki cutely when she had finished chuckling. Akane looked at her sister suspiciously while Ranma frowned in confusion. "She didn't," he said. "She just said she had to organize something about Ukyou, and would probably be back tomorrow night." "What did she say she was going to do?" "Dam'fino," mumbled Ranma around another mouthful of rice. "She said it was between her and Uccha-Ukyou." Akane sighed and laid a hand on Ranma's arm. "Go ahead and call her Ucchan, Ranma," she said. "She's your best friend; you may as well." Ranma regarded Akane steadily. Finally he said, "She's a good friend. I don't know if she's my *best* friend, though... Urk!" Akane smiled up at him from her too-enthusiastic grip around his ribs, while Soun and Kasumi regarded the scene beatifically. "Please, Akane, my ribs...!"