Okay, Thanks so much for the good C&C i got the first round.  I did a
fairly major edit on the middle of the first chapter.  I posted only the
changed part cause the whole thing is too huge to post again in its
entireity (unless someone wants to see the whole thing again)...

I have a few responses/explanations to the C&C to go thru first, and some
chapter 2 SPOILERS - so beware!

.

.

.

.

Okay, first off, I kept the final result of the showdown btw. the kids and
the parents basically the same, and much of the reasoning behind it, for
reasons critical to plot lines later on (i will be posting the next
chapter or two soon).  I placed more of the blame for the fallout on Ranma
and Akane's stubborness, quick mouths, and hot tempers.  Soun also can be
a very temperamental guy at times.  I have tried to massage Nodoka's
reactions to be less OOC.  A lot of the fallout (5yrs or so worth) is due
to misunderstandings, grudges, and stubborness -- tell me this doesnt
happen to real life families!  I write from some experience here...

I know it's hard to describe here, but chapter 2 does some more
explanation of the split btw. generations, and some reconciliation, and
takes R&A through some really tough s**t.  At the end of this whole thing,
trust me, there is a happy ending.  One of my goals is to do something
rather drastic with the main characters, but still have it be rather
believeable - if not totally in character.

If i make cultural mistakes please let me know!  ^_^ (most of my cultural
reference sources are some gajiin family friends living in Tokyo and
Sapporo - so they may be off on their cultural explantions...)

Lastly - still am unhappy with possible names for Ranma and Akane - I'd
love more suggestions - in fact, I have done a number of B&W rendered
pencil drawings over the years, 40+ and they have been circulating the net
for a long while now - see the Wilde's homepage for one of 'em.  Would be
willing to give an original to someone who helps me come up with a good
name! (one of those - or some subject of your choosing!)

Much thanks!!
-todd

***** Partial Story below *****


                              "WILD HORSES"

                    An Original Video Animation Fan-fiction
                               by  T. Thomas




             
<<Blackout brightens quickly to scene>>

[The scene opens in a shabby, cramped apartment.  Coats, clothing, 
foodstuffs, and martial arts gear are hanging from pegs and on shelves 
covering the walls. City sounds can be heard in the background, as well 
as faint shouting coming from other apartments, or children crying and
dogs barking. There are stacks of random stuff on the floor mats. 
Ranma, who looks quite beyond his 23 yrs. is sitting at the table.  He 
is starting to get heavy-set, and has a noticeable gut forming.  He is
rattily dressed and unkempt.  He also has a look of dread on his face.
Akane is over in the closet that masquerades as kitchen, waging war with
dinner.  She is wearing a dirty housecoat and apron over a dress that 
has become quite snug.  Like Ranma, she seems to have aged beyond her 
youngish years.  Her hair is greasy and unevenly cropped at her shoulders
and she looks to have fallen quite a bit out of shape.  Sitting next to 
Ranma at the table is their 5 year old daughter Ranko.  She is dressed
in a grubby pink gi, with "Piyo, Piyo" on the back.  She has dark red 
hair, almost black in its intensity.  She is also devastatingly cute. 
Her smile is the only source of brightness in the otherwise dim flat.  
The tension in the air is almost palpable.]

"Kuso!" *** Akane loudly cursed from the kitchen.  A singed odour, laced 
with the smell of burning plastic wafted from the kitchen.  Bangs and 
loud scraping sounds accompany her outburst.

"Oy! What ARE you doing in there?" Ranma yelled back, "You trying to set 
off the smoke detectors again?".  A ladle came flying out of the kitchen,
narrowly missing Ranma's head. "I did offer to cook tonight ya know" 
Ranma retorted.  A surly look crossing his face. <I've had a long day,
I'm tired as hell, and hungry enough to even eat 'her' cooking!> he
grumbled mentally, <I DON'T need this tonite>.

"You just said that because you hate my cooking, and that was the only 
way you would avoid having to eat it!" Akane spat back.  <Baka! Baka! 
Baka!> she thought to herself, a mantra whilst trying to scrape the 
charred food off of the pot lid.

"I don't 'hate' your cooking..." Ranma said trying to mollify her, 
hoping to salvage some semblance of dinner from the rapidly 
disintegrating situation.  "...sometimes I don't 'enjoy' eating it 
either" he mumbled to himself.

"NANI??" Akane screeched.  She stomped into the living area, facing 
Ranma, skillet in one hand, cooking spoon in the other.  "WHAT did you 
say? I slave over this hot stove for you and Ranko, trying to make 
something nice for dinner and all you can do is criticize it?  I try 
so hard for you...", she stops - briefly catching a sob, "I'm not that
bad!  I know my cooking isn't the greatest, but can't you even try it 
before insulting it for once?!".  

Ranma still sitting at the table, his irritation and hunger getting the 
best of him taunted back "Well, if you could "for once" come up with 
something palatable to eat, that I wasn't afraid would poison me or 
Ranko here, maybe I might!".  

A hurt look flashed across Akane's face, followed quickly by anger.  
Her red aura began to glow brightly.  Reaching into Hammer-space, she 
pulled out a medium #4 wood and flattened him. Ranko looked over at 
her dad and then at her mom, and with that sort of self-justified look 
all children that age get, looked up to her mom and said "Daddy no-baka, 
right?" and began bonking on Ranma's head with her own mini-mallet.  
A troubled look passed over Akane's face, and as she began to tell 
Ranko that "No, daddy is not really a 'baka', he just isn't very 
sensitive to other peoples feelings..." the smoke detector on the wall 
began wailing.  

At this, Ranma woke up from his mallet induced nap and jumped for the 
kitchen, mashing the detector with the palm of his hand on the way by, 
and grabbing the fire extinguisher.  He quickly sprayed the flaming pot 
on the stove with a well-practiced motion.  He was definitely NOT in a 
good mood now.  After a long day of work at his crappy job he was hungry 
and tired and all he wanted was some peace and quiet and something 
to eat.  And now, this had to happen -- again.  He sighed to himself 
and began to wonder why the Kami had chosen to do this to him.  What he 
ever done to deserve this?.  

Akane came up to him with tears in her eyes, screeching "Look what you 
made me do!!  You distracted me, and look at what happened to dinner!  
It's ruined, and it's all your fault!".  She stood in front of him with 
fists balled at her sides daring him to say something.  "I spent the 
last of my paycheck on getting something decent and healthy to eat and 
now it's gone, wasted!  We have almost nothing in the cupboards, and
Ranko has got to have something to eat tonite!".  

Ranma shrunk back at her outburst, shame slouching his figure.  "Well, 
we could get something at the cheap take-out place around the corner." 
Ranma said, managing to cringe at the same time.  

"That greasy slop?" Akane shot back.  "Its like we're always getting
dinner from there.  Yeah it's cheap, but it's not very healthy!
LOOK at me!  This dress doesn't fit anymore, I'm getting FAT! We can't 
afford to eat better, and there is no money either to at least get me 
something to wear that doesn't look so horrible!".  

"But we don't have any money!" protested Ranma "We both work long hours 
and...".  

Akane interrupted him, "Well if maybe you didn't drink away half of your 
pay every week" poking him in the gut to make her point.  

Ranma's posture stiffened, he stood there for a couple of seconds, his 
mouth opening and closing like a fish, his complexion pale. Then anger
flashed across his face, and he whirled around running for the door.  

Akane chased him to the door, yelling after his retreating figure 
"Sure, use the 'Saotome Secret Technique' you COWARD!".  As she stood 
at the door she could hear neighbors shouting back "God-dammit
you Saotomes, can't you just keep it down!" "Shut-up already!" "What? 
They're at it again?".  She closed and locked the door and turned to 
the small table by the door.  She grabbed the package of cigarettes lying 
there and pulled out the cheap plastic lighter tucked in the pack.  With
a practiced, unconscious motion she tamped the pack, pulled out a cig and
lit up.  She took a deep drag, and then another. She stood there and 
stared at the cigarette in her hand. <What did dad ever see in these 
damn things?> thought Akane, and then she noticed that the hand holding 
the cigarette had stopped shaking. <Oh...>.  She lifted the cig to her 
mouth again, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes, and took 
another deep drag, the tip glowing fiercely.  She exhaled sharply, blowing
a wide arc of smoke and mashed the cigarette into the ashtray on the 
little table and went over to their futon in the corner of the living 
room, still unmade from the morning.  She flopped down on it, curling up
in a ball as sobs wracked her body.  

Ranko who had watched the whole show in wide-eyed silence, began to 
sniffle, tears running down her cheeks and sucking her thumb, even though
she knows that 'big-girls' don't suck their thumbs.

<<The apartment scene quickly fades out to grey, a new scene follows,
coming quickly into focus>>

[The scene opens on the cluttered, flat roof of the apartment building 
in which they live.  There are folding chairs, some potted plants
scattered about, and other random stuff where residents have claimed some
space outside their own cramped dwellings.  Ranma has claimed an area at
one corner of the roof, overlooking Sapporo, that is very neat and 
spartan. Aside from a straw training dummy and a broom, the space is 
devoid of ornament or object save for the couple of rows of small white 
stones that delineate the space.  There is no one else on the roof 
except Ranma.  He is perched on the roof ledge.  His head is bowed, and 
his hands are holding his head.]

"Why does this shit always happen to me?" Ranma said softly.  "What did I
ever do to deserve all of this?  It can't be all my fault!!". "Heh!" he 
snorted, "I'm beginning to sound like Ryouga now...".  He shook his head 
and rose, trying to clear the fog starting to fill his brain.  <Maybe a 
few katas will help> he thought.  

He jumped down to the centre of 'his' space. <Just about the only 
thing that I can call my 'own'> he thought glumly.  He started the
first kata, moving slowly.  It is obvious that he has gotten rusty, as 
some of the movements are slightly jerky. As he picked up speed, the form 
flowed more freely, becoming more graceful.  The first form became the 
second, and just as Ranma was getting into the groove, the form
stuttered and fell apart.  

"Kuso!" Ranma swore under his breath. <Breathe... breathe... okay now, 
clear the mind, start the form> he thought to himself as he took the 
ready position. The form started again.  It was more graceful this time, 
he picked up speed and the form resolved.  And again, the images of Akane, 
before Ranko was born, when they still had their innocence and youth 
flashed unbidden through his mind, destroying his concentration.  The 
kata broke apart like a shack in a typhoon. Images of their fall from 
grace now flashed through his head, their lives falling apart around them,
more helpless than he had ever thought he would be.  How could he have 
fought it?  There was no specific enemy to pound, no strategy to 
use or learn, nothing concrete he could do.  Akane's face from the 
recent fight, so different from the face of the Akane he had fallen 
in love with <but had such an impossible time admitting>, now filled 
his mind.  The anguish, hurt marring it.  The hard life they had been 
living, taking its toll.  A cold sweat broke over him, as the realization
hit him of just how hard his thoughtless words had hit his wife.  His
hurtful and untrue comments on her cooking flashed through his mind, and 
for a not uncommon happening recently, he felt regret.  He knew he had
said those words out of spite, and that they would hit home just as hard
as they did.  

He felt his heart breaking. 

"Ya' gotta get a grip" he told himself.  Feeling desperate, feeling 
the need coming on, he walked over to the edge of the roof, and climbed
down the fire escape.  Slowly, not bounding like he might once have done.  
Once at the bottom, he turned at the end of the alley and made his way 
up the street.  

               --------------------|--------------------

He walked the few blocks up to his other form of escape.  The one 
that filled more of his time now.  A bent metal sign, once brightly
painted, but now faded and peeling proclaimed that the dive Ranma 
entered was the "Raging Stallion Bar".  A grimy working class pub 
with filthy windows, and a stale stink in the air.  Dimly lit, the bar
seems dark and depressing; garish colours flash occasionally from the 
old tired neon signs plugging their respective sins.

He walked up to the bar grabbing a stool at the end, avoiding the few 
other customers in the joint, waving half-heartedly in response to the
couple of greetings he got.  The bartender glanced over, recognizing 
Ranma, and waved a greeting.  When he finished up the couple of drinks 
he was making he moved to where Ranma slumped on his stool.  He pulled 
a bottle of cheap sake from under the counter and placed it on the bar.
Ranma grasped the bottle, contemplating it for a moment, and then 
unscrewed the cap, taking a few strong draughts.  Letting out a harsh 
breath he downed the rest of the bottle with as many gulps.  Beginning 
to feel the warmth building, and the fuzziness starting he thought back 
to his father and Soun playing endless games of shoji, and their just 
as endless cups of sake or bottles of Kirin. <They sure used to put 
the alcohol down> he though to himself.  Soun he could understand, a man's
wife dying, and raising three girls by one's self could drive a man to 
want to escape life for a bit.  His father, on the other hand, caused a 
different thought to enter his head <Humph! The old man was just a coward,
running away from everything, no sense of responsibility...>.  Just as 
the thought finished running through his head, the memory of Akane's voice
screeching after his retreating figure "...you COWARD!!" was almost enough
to make him double over in disgust of the realization that he was indeed
becoming his father's son. 

"Rough day?" the bartender queried.  

Ranma shrugged no, saying resignedly "Just another day.", and then 
motioned for another bottle.  The bartender motioned for cash but Ranma 
pantomimed no money in return.

"You wanna work it off? I'll put it on your tab" the bartender replied.

"Just give me the bottle already" Ranma sighed.  

The bartender bent down, and grabbed another bottle, laying it on the bar
in front of Ranma. Then he pulled a crumpled package of smokes from a 
pocket in his apron.  Tamping it a couple of times he pulled one out, 
and stuck it in his mouth.  Reaching over the bar he offered the open 
end of the package to Ranma.

Ranma waved it off saying, "Man, I hate those things. Stink up the place
and they're horrible for ya..." and then giving a small sad smile 
"'sides, I'm a martial artist.  Ya know that whole 'body is a temple' 
thing?" and then he lifted the bottle in a sort of salute.

As he opened the new bottle and tipped it back, the bartender said
"Well, you're certainly not your usual grim self tonite. This seems 
worse than usual, care to talk about it?".  

Ranma put the bottle back down and thought for a second.  <Who'd wanna
really hear about my life anyhow.  Like anyone'd believe me in any 
case>. He wiped his mouth, sighed, and looked the bartender squarely 
in the eye.  "Well, Toshi, ya really wanna hear about it?". 

"I've got the time..." replied Toshi, waving around to the nearly empty 
bar, "...not like this is a rocking joint, being in this district and 
all.  Besides, you've been comin' here for 'bout four years or so, you 
talk a little, but mostly you're the quiet type. I know about Akane, 
her temper, her cooking, her penchant for mallets, need I go on?  Let's
see, I know about your dead-end shitty job, but then whose isn't 'round
here? But that all's nothing.  I've been watching you come in, more and 
more regular, and going all to hell while your doing it.  You're a strong
proud man, or so it seems.  You toss those kegs down to the basement 
like they were friggin' beach toys, and you always stick-up for the 
underdog whenever there's a fight, and hell, you're a damn good bouncer
when I need one." he paused for effect, "I'm curious to find out what 
could bring a guy like you down.".

Ranma looked Toshi in the eye again, and then slugged the rest of the 
bottle. "It's a long story.." he said when he finished.  

Toshi pulled out another bottle, unscrewed the cap himself and poured 
some into two cups.  He raised his cup, Ranma mirroring him, and then
drank it down. 

Ranma slouched down, getting less uncomfortable and started off. "Well,
I might as well begin where my life first started becoming the shit-hole 
that it is... ...in the beginning".  

Ranma started with Genma, the 'promise', and the years long training trip 
to across Japan and over the sea to China.  He covered most of what 
happened since, glossing over the 'tragic' happenings at Jusenkyou
and not mentioning the actual nature of his curse, finally stopping with 
his return to Japan and meeting the Tendou family, along with his 
family 'obligation' there. 

After Ranma stopped, Toshi raised his eyebrows, "That was some story
there."  

Ranma looked back at Toshi and deadpanned "Heh.  It's just getting to the 
interesting part.". 

"Seriously?" replied Toshi. 

Looking rather dejected Ranma just nodded. Ranma then leaned back, 
stretching, joints popping and resignedly picked up where he left off.
He started in with the daily grind at Furinkan High School, the 
general chaos in Nerima, and the constant challenges from all 
his adversaries. 

"I still cant figger out why all these people keep coming out of the 
woodwork hell-bent on beating the snot out of me. The best I can guess 
is that my father must be at the bottom of it all, just like all the
fiances 
he managed to give me to over the years." said Ranma grimacing.

He then rattled off all of his prospective fiances, and their respective 
quirks. Finally, he briefly covered most of the major battles and 
catastrophes that occurred during his tenure at the Tendou Dojo,
culminating
in the whole Phoenix Mountain disaster, and Akane's near death experience.  

When Ranma stopped speaking, Toshi stood there for a second, his only 
movement was his eyes blinking *poit, poit*.

"Wow." is all Toshi could manage to say.  

Ranma took another gulp of sake, and then said "And, that was only 
really the first part of what made my life such the shit-hole that it is 
now.".  

At that, Toshi fell face-faulted doing the raised index/pinky finger 
thing.  When he recovered he faced Ranma with a confused look, "But why 
are things so bad with you and Akane now?  I mean, it's not like you guys 
had a normal engagement or anything like that.  You seem to take all the 
martial artists and monsters after your blood pretty much in stride, if 
that can all be believed. If you were half the martial artist you said you 
were, you seemed to handle it pretty well. I've seen you pull some 
interesting feats around here, in any case.  You really seemed to care for 
Akane the most, of all the different fiances you had."  At this Ranma 
blushed.  Toshi continued, "Like, you were always protecting her, and 
looking after her, and even if her cooking can kill, she seemed to be 
thinking about you quite a lot.  You two were both making gestures in 
your own way, you each just seemed jinxed to always mis-interpret those 
efforts. But most of all, you two got married didn't you? And had Ranko
as well!".  

Ranma, now wearing a sad, almost wistful face, said softly "I guess I 
really did care for her then, even maybe fall in love.  It's always been 
hard for me to admit it though".  

He stopped, took a breath and another gulp of cheap sake and then
continued,
"Livin' life for so long on the road, with that 'wonderful role-model' of 
a father I had, I dint' ever get much experience with relationships and 
all that, especially when it came to girls.  I din't know what the hell 
was going on in my head then.  After the last failed wedding attempt by
our 
parents, and that whole thing at Phoenix Mountain, Akane and I did start
to 
get closer.  We didn't fight nearly as much, and we both tried to listen
ta 
each other a little better.". 

Ranma gave a wry smile, "I guess almost losing the one closest to your 
heart can do that for you.".  Shuddering slightly at that thought, he  
stared at the bottom of his cup and swirled the clear liquid inside. He 
took another swig, feeling the warmth flow down his throat, feeling that
emotion he dreaded pass away again.  "We started getting closer, in a way, 
after those last momentous events.", he continued, "We started training 
together, seriously even.  We spent more time together just doing things, 
not dates or anything, but just hanging out. Ya' know, enjoying each
others
company. I still had lots of emotions and stuff running through my head, 
and was still trying to sort things out.  Like I knew I din't want ta 
marry any of my other fiances.  Some of them were cute and all, and others
were some of my best friends, I knew I dint want 'them'."  Ranma stopped 
and ran his hand through his hair, "Don't wanna get too sidetracked here".
"Where was I? Oh, yeh.  While we were getting closer and all, I still 
managed ta hurt Akane real badly in way she or I never thought.  I hadn't 
had a mother in so many years, and was really enjoyin' gettin' to know 
my mom again.  We talked a lot, and spent time together, and I'm sure that
I babbled quite a bit about that time I spent to Akane.  I jus wasn't 
thinkin, see.  Akane had lost her mother when she was very young, and she 
still missed her somthin' fierce, though she wouldn't admit to anyone
else. 
I hadn't realized how much until one day at the end of the summer break,
right before our senior year." 

Ranma stopped to take a breath, and then a sip of sake.  His head was 
really humming now, but he had this strange sense of momentum going.  
He took another deep breath, and then carried on.  "My parents had spent 
a couple of days back at my family's house, after it had finally gotten
fixed up again, to figure out where they were going to have me stay for 
the upcoming semester. Soun was off with Nabiki, overnight, looking at the
university she was going to that year.  The dirty old lech was off who
knew
where, and we hadn't seen him for days.  Kasumi was staying with a friend 
for a few days, who was trying to convince her to go to nursing school.  
Basically, we had the place to ourselves.  This sort of situation NEVER
did
bode well fer the two of us.  The morning started out fine.  It was a 
glorious day, and I had gotten up just before sunrise, for a change.  
I worked on my katas by the pond for a long while, letting the energy 
build-up inside me, beating the tar out of my shadow.  I noticed out of
the 
corner of my eye Akane slipping into the dojo. I was all excited about
what my mom and I were going to do that day cause there was this 
summer-harvest-fair going on, and I wanted to see if Akane wanted to
come along.  I knew sometimes she would go into the dojo really early
in the morning, before she thought anyone else was up, before going
on her morning run.  I never knew what she was doing tho, 'cause 
she never spent that much time there and I never bothered ta ask her.
Well, I sort of bounded into the dojo and started babbling to Akane
about the day's event, and my mother coming over, before I realized
what she was doing.  She was kneeling over by the family shrine and
had her head bowed.  When she looked up at me, it would have hurt 
less if she had grabbed my mom's sword and run me through with it.
There was so much pain on her face, and then anger.  She screamed at
me "You insensitive JERK!!  I don't want to hear about your damn 
mom.  Don't you know how I feel??". Tears were streaming down her
face now, 'n then she yelled "This is MY time!  It's the ONLY time I get
with MY mom." Then she hauled back for that hell-ish mallet of hers.
She tried pounding me, but I was so on edge from her outburst and so
in tune from the katas that I feinted back, out of the way.  This 
only pissed her off even more.  She launched into a full-out attack on 
me.  She really had me going there for a bit, I had to work hard at 
defendin' myself.  I don't like fight'n girls, and I 'specially din't
wanna hurt Akane.  She got a number of good shots in."  

Ranma winced at the memory of many 'good shots' over the years. "I sorta 
lost it then and called her a kawaiikunee tomboy, and said something 
to the effect of 'what the hell are you doing, I just wanted to see if
you wanted to go to the fair?'.  She ran out of steam then, literally.
She grabbed onto me, sinking towards the floor, crying hysterically
then.  I din't know what to do so I lowered us both to tha floor, 
sittin' on the wood.  Then I realized what I had done, and how much I 
had been hurtin' her hit me all of a sudden, and shook me to the bone.
We were both very sweaty from the workout, and adrenaline was flowin'
through us still.  My gi had fallen half open in the front and one of 
her hands had found its way onto my chest.  I felt these stirrings that
I had never really had, or had paid attention to, before.  I guess what
with all of our pent-up emotions, and the release of the fight, combined
with I don't know what, we just lost control. I looked down at her, she
looked up at me with shimmering eyes, I think then, both of our minds 
just blanked.  The next thing I knew we were kissing.  I'd never felt 
anything like it. I mean, it was absolutely electric, like a shock.  Then,
there were hands groping everywhere, our gis fell more open.  I realized
then just how much I really loved her.  That she was the one I really 
wanted to be with, forever ya know?  That's a strong feeling to hit ya 
all of sudden.  I think she felt the same way too..." Ranma faded off.

Ranma closed his eyes, thinking back, the memories flooding in, "We 
became a tangle of sweaty bodies on the floor of the dojo, our arms
and legs where everywhere.  We were both so innocent then, we had no
idea of what the hell we were doing, or where we going, and we just 
got caught up in teenage hormones, and so much emotion we didn't 
know how to express to each other, an' had been holdin' back for too 
long.  We did it right there on the dojo floor, it was messy and 
chaotic, but it was so damn good.  It was so natural, and yet it felt
like falling off a cliff or something, you keep fallin' an' there's 
nothing you can do about stoppin' it.  Afterwards, we were in so much 
shock we just sat there, I think I held her for 2 whole hours, just 
stroking her hair and rocking slowly.  Then we realized the rest of the
family would be coming home soon so we panicked and cleaned up the dojo,
and took really quick baths.  We were so nervous, we were sure they were
going to know what happened and marry us off right then and there.  I
mean while our dad's joked about such things, it would'a been scandalous
for us to be caught doin' that.  We acted like total idiots that night,
Akane ended up not goin' to tha festival with my mom an' me, but they 
never did clue in to it."  


"The next morning we swore that it would never happen again.  That 
lasted all of three days.  We had gotten into another big fight, I'm 
not even sure what that one was about, they all seem to blend into one
another after a while.  The fight wound its way outside of the house, 
it was late in the evening, she was about to clobber me and I pinned 
her against the back wall of the dojo.  Then she was all over me, her
mouth kissing and her hands searching.  I couldn't help myself either.
We ended up doing it again there in the darkness and bushes.  Kasumi 
scared the hell out of us, almost catching us in the act as she was 
looking for us with a flashlight.  We didn't get caught that time.
This whole routine happened a few more times over the next month.  
It was always after a big fight or argument.  Always when our tempers 
were hot and emotions running wild."

Ranma stopped for a second, catching his breath, and wiping a hand 
down his face.  "Then things started going horribly wrong.  I think
Nabiki had started to catch on to what was happening.  We were on our
way back to school, the semester had just started, I was walking on
the fence top as usual, with Akane down on the sidewalk, and Nabiki
was just ahead.  Nabiki made one of her usual shocking comments she
liked to tease us with.  The comment had something to do with "If you
guys are doing the deed behind our backs, I sure hope you're at least
using protection.".  I fell clean off the fence into the canal.  Akane
covered great for us.  When I cleared the water out of my ears, I
could hear her telling Nabiki the reason why I had ended up in the
canal was that I had made some snide comment under my breath 'bout her
and got knocked into the canal for my efforts, and why would she even
want to think about having sex with a sex-changing pervert like me.
It kinda hurt hearing that, but I knew she needed to keep up
appearances.  I don't think either of us heard a thing in school that
day we were so nervous.  For the rest of that month or so things
were a lot quieter between us.  Less arguments and fights, but we also
kept a little more apart.  We were so scared of the whole idea of
'unprotected sex' that we didn't have any more at all.".  

Ranma stopped and refilled his cup, and then drained it.  He focused
on Toshi's face again.  "We were so stupid." he spat, "Because neither
of us before that time were never really interested in the opposite sex,
let alone ANY sort of relationship, I guess we din't really pay 'nough 
attention to tha 'human sexuality' course at school.  My dad sure din't
say nothing to me at any time about that sort of stuff.  I'm pretty 
sure that Mr. Tendou woulda blown a gasket at the thought of having to
discuss that sort of thing with his little girls, so Akane had never
really been told about it either.  We lived really sheltered lives then.
We were still jus' kids.  Then Akane started feelin' under the weather.
She would only pick at her food, and often'd not finish.  Then she got 
sick a couple of times.  We thought at first it was just the flu or
eatin' her own cooking, or something like that, hoping it was.  This 
lasted for only a week or so, and then she was feeling a little better.
She hid the occasional nausea pretty well from everyone else includin'
me.  We even started to get back into our 'normal' routine.", he paused
wiping his hand down his face again, eyes reddening.  "I shoulda picked
up on things sooner.  Her appetite came back with a vengeance, soon
she was almost matching me.  Then one morning before breakfast as I was 
comin' out of my room, Akane ran by me, real pale like, running for
tha bathroom. I dint think that much of it at the time, 'cause I could
smell breakfast gettin' ready. I went downstairs to see what Kasumi 
was up to in the kitchen.  Then I heard her voice calling for me from
the upstairs hall.  Kasumi was just about finished cooking and I was
helping to set the table, so I put the bowls down and to see what was up.
I went upstairs and she was in her room, with the door cracked.  I 
went up to it, and knocked on the doorframe, and she hissed for me
to come in.  I went in, giving the door a push behind me as I went
by it.  There were clothes everywhere, scattered all over tha place.
Akane had her back to me, her school uniform on.  Then she turned to me
with tears in her eyes and a real frightened look on her face.  Her 
blouse was only half-buttoned, cause she couldn't the buttons all the 
way done, and the ones that had been done were strained.  Her breasts 
had gotten somewhat larger and were spilling out of the bra she usually
wore.  Her skirt was also not closed at the top.  I hadn't realized that
she had gotten so pudgy.  She looked at me with a panicked look, and 
hissed "Ranma, you gotta help me.  I have got to get this uniform on!" 
and as she was saying that, she was trying to button the skirt which just
wouldn't quite fit over her tummy. "I can't figure it out, my breasts 
have been getting bigger..." she said "...and I work out with you all 
the time, but I'm getting fat!".  Her face kept getting paler and paler.
I guess mine was too, as the reality was sinking in.  Nabiki it seems
had been doing the numbers in her head, and I must not have pushed
the door hard enough 'cause Nabiki had watched the whole episode from 
the hallway.  She came in the room and shut the door with a click.
This caused us both to jump we were so uptight.  She looked us both over,
she eyed Akane up and down.  A rather grim look on her face the whole
time.  So I said "Mebbie Kasumi just shrunk your uniform in the wash?"
Then Nabiki looked at me and said "Don't be an ass.", and then she 
turned back to Akane, "How long's it been since your period, Akane?" she
asked.  Akane looked like she'd been shot. "How long?" Nabiki repeated.
Akane looked over at her calendar on her desk, and then fainted dead 
away.  I barely caught her as she was falling.  That's how out of it 
I was.  Nabiki just looked at me coldly.  "Get her to the doctor now.
Just go now, I'll cover for you." she said.

Ranma then paused for effect, "Sometimes people really surprise you, ya
know?  Never thought ole' Nabiki had it in her.  In fact, she threw me 
a number of loops there, now that I'm thinking back on it.  But anyways,
She helped me get Akane into her gi, being the easiest thing to put on 
her.  I opened the window and jumped down, Akane in my arms, heading for
the only medical person I knew I could trust.  As I looked behind me,
while topping the compound wall, I saw Nabiki in the window, her hands
covering her face.".  

Ranma stopped, leaned back and cracked his back again.  He drew his 
hand down his face yet again, trying to wipe away some of the fatigue
and emotion that was building up inside him. Ranma and Toshi looked 
around, everyone else had long since gone home.  The clock on the wall
read a little past closing time.

Toshi looked to Ranma and said, "Ahh, you might as well finish up, after
all, its just getting interesting.  You can help me close afterwards",
Ranma nodded his agreement, "Besides, I think I can see where this is
heading..." Toshi said with a sad face.  

Ranma drew another tired breath and began to finish his tale.  "I took 
her to Dr. Toufuu's office as fast as I could go.  He's not a gy- gy-...". 

"Woman's doctor?" interrupted Toshi. 

"Yeh, thas it" Ranma replied.  "Actually, he's a chiropractor 'an 
accupressurist, and martial student of the pressure points of the 
body and the way chi flows in a person.  But he was the only doctor 
I really knew, 'sides I knew I could confide in him.  He's also taken 
care of Akane since she was a lil' girl what with all the trouble she 
got herself into all the time.  He's always been real understandin' and 
kind to us...  Well, I got there all out of breath, worried lookin'. 
Akane was still out cold, Dr. Toufuu had me lay her on the examining 
table.  He asked me what was the matter.  I told him I din't know what 
was wrong with her.  He looked her over real quick, and then pressed a 
few pressure points.  A surprised look came over his face.  He pressed
another few points and watched her chi for a little bit.  His face then 
got real serious like, and he looked over at me and said "I think Akane
should hear this too..." an' then I asked him what was wrong, 'cause I
was gettin really worried 'bout her.  As he pressed another couple o' 
points, waking Akane up, he said to the both of us "Well, nothing is 
'wrong' with you Akane...".  Akane grabbed my hand with a crushing grip 
and she gave me a panicked look, and then we both looked back to 
Dr. Toufuu.  He pushed his glasses up his nose, and then said "You two
are going to have a baby.".  The silence, needless to say, was deafening.
Then he looked at us both, he gave us a small smile, and said 
"Congratulations.  I really mean that too!  I know you two are destined
to be happy together some day, even though you think that may never 
happen, but you truly are made for each other.  No matter what happens,
treat this child with all of the love you have for each other.  Now for
the bad news.  This is going to be the most difficult thing you have
ever faced.  Your family is probably going to say a lot of things they
don't mean.  If you do not get married, and soon, Society is going to 
look down on you because of your marital status.  If you insist on going
it alone, you are going to have a hard life for a while, but I promise 
things will get better as long as you love and care for each other, that
is the only thing that really matters in life. Now I am not going to 
lecture you two on responsibility or anything like that, as there is no
use crying over spilt milk, and you seem to be magnets for Murphy's Law 
anyhow.  I know that you have a bond between the two of you, and a simple
thing like a marriage certificate shouldn't make all of the difference
like it does in our society, but other people don't know you like I do.
Be strong, and be there for each other.  You should probably go home now,
and tell your families. Give me a call in a few days, and let me know how
things went, and I will also give you the name of an Obstetrician I'd
recommend.". 

"That..." Ranma said, "...was the nicest, most understanding, reception 
to the news that we got."

"Let me get out the mop and stuff, but keep going, I'm still listening!"
Toshi interrupted, as he stood, stretched and turned to the small closet
behind him.

"Well," Ranma continued on "we decided not to go home right away, Akane
and me stopped by the school nurse's office, and she borrowed a spare
uniform so she could change out of her gi.  We tried to go to classes to
take our minds off of the 'news', but we were both so distracted
by it all we had to hold buckets in the hall two times before lunch, and
I got whacked with erasers too many times ta count fer not payin' 
attention.  So we tried to slip out without being noticed at lunchtime. 
We just wandered around for the rest of the afternoon, not saying much, 
not even feeling like fighting or anything.  Then when class usually 
got out, we walked slowly toward home.". 

Then Ranma sighed "That was one of the longest walks I've ever had.".

"When we got home, my Mother and Father were at the dining room table,
along with Mr. Tendou, and Kasumi and Nabiki. They all had worried looks
on their faces. Kasumi spoke up first asking if Akane was okay as Nabiki 
had told them in the morning that she wasn't feeling good, and that Ranma 
had taken her to Dr. Toufuu's.  Then the others started asking things like 
"Why didn't you stop back home before going to school?" "Is it something 
serious?".  We both looked at each other, and then Akane squeezed my hand 
and then faced the group and said in real quiet voice "Um, I'm, Um, 
pregnant."."

Ranma then gave a wan smile, "The babbling from the rest of our families
stopped instantly. Like someone did something so horrific or revolting.  
It got real quiet like, and then my Mom asked Akane to repeat what she
had just said 'cause she was sure she didn't hear her correctly. Then 
Akane bowed her head, and said again in a small voice "I'm going to have
a baby."  It got even more quiet then, if that was even possible.  Kasumi
passed clean out, din't even say "Oh My!" or anything."

Ranma gave a little chuckle at that.

"Everyone else just bigsweated.  After a minute the yellin', screamin',
and demon-heads started up.  Soun was absolutely livid for a few moments,
bawling and screaming alternately.  The first words out of his mouth were
"You did WHAT to my little baby girl??".  My pop on the other hand 
started bouncing around the room, waving little flags and yelling stuff 
like "Way to go there boy!" and "Now that's a MANLY act for ya!" and 
clappin' me on the back and stuff.  Mom turned red, and you could see 
her aura forming.  Nabiki just sat there with this shocked look on her 
face which gradually went to a real-cold icy stare, holding Kasumi who
was still out.  Akane was holding onto me, crying into my chest like the
world was gonna end, and I was just in shock.  We'd never thought that we
would get a reception like this one was.  As pops was jumping around the
room, Soun gradually stopped his wailing and as realization hit him, he
started dancing around the room with pops singing "They're gonna get 
married, finally get married, and now I can retire, and spoil the
grandkids...".  Mom kept gettin' redder and redder in the face till she
kinda lost it yelling "QUIET!!".  This unusual outburst from her shocked
em' out of their happy dance.  "Let me get a few things straight." she 
continued in a more mom-like tone, "Akane, you are pregnant correct?"
Akane looked up at her, and softly said "Hai...".  Then mom looked over
at me with a very menacing look, "And I can SAFELY assume that you are 
the Father?".  I nodded and mumbled "Hai." to her also.  She looked 
thoughtfull for a moment and then started speaking to our dads, totally
ignoring us while still dropping the bomb on us.  "Well, what has
happened has happend, and we must go forward about things here.  It 
looks like Ranma has chosen his wife-to-be, voiding the other 
engagements.  We should start planning for the wedding right now before 
she starts showing too much.  We certainly do not want the rumor mill
grinding away at this, our families are already burdended with too much
shame, dishonor, and inappropriate behaviors."  Our dads nodded their
aggreements, and they started discussing our future.  At that point,
both Akane and I chimed in "Hey! What about us?".  All three of em 
looked back at us, and mom said icily "WHAT about you two?".  "Don't we
get a say in all this?" Akane pleaded.  "No!" mom said, "You two have
made your choices, you are getting married this week, and that 
is final."  Old habits really die hard 'cause Akane and I both started
in with our usual "I'm not marrying him/her that pervert/tomboy..."
Words were said, and soon Akane and I were yelling at each other, I said
something like "...well I wouldn't want to marry an uncute, sexless, 
totally inept martial artist wannabe, like you if you were the last
woman on earth!".  Akane slapped me harder right then, than I think I'd
ever felt.  "FINE!  I wouldn't EVER want a perverted, sex-changing,
honorless girly-man like you to marry me, OR be the father of my child!"

Toshi stopped what he was doing at the last few comments.  "Got a
little out of line there didn't you?"

Ranma nodded miserably.  "Our arguments, and denials had become so
common and we were so used to slinging insults and accusations..."
he said trailing off. "Well, things looked really bad right then.
Soun looked like his eyes were gonna bug completely out of his head.
Pop was looking rather mad, but mom, Man - she took the cake!  She was
white-hot mad.  Her aura was so bright for a moment, that it hurt to
look at her.  Then mom grabbed the two men, and rushed 'em into the 
kitchen fer a conference.  While they were out of tha room, Kasumi 
came-to and started sobbing.  After a few minutes the parents came back,
Soun in the lead. He pointed at me, and obviously trying to control 
his 'demon-head chi manifestation', said "Saotome Ranma!  You have 
ruined my daughter, her honor and her reputation.  You have dishonored
our family, our clan and this dojo by refusing to marry Akane and honor
your unborn child. If I ever see your face again, I will kill you.  
This is not a challenge, this is a promise.".  He stood there, after
that, standing still trying not to break out into tears again, trying
to look as fierce as he could."

Ranma sighed, "Don't think I'd ever seen him as mad then, during any 
other time somthin' bad happened around tha dojo.  

Ranma shook his head slowly and then continued, speaking softly, "Then
my mom and pop stood forward, and dad said with great heroics "My son 
has disgraced himself and our family, with his actions.  Your refusal 
to honor the agreement between our two families darkens our name.  You 
will marry this girl" and I cannot belive the look he gave Akane at 
that moment "who slurs our fine name by her comments, and refusal to 
act on the agreement as well!  And we will leave for our home 
immediately."  Nodoka then gripped his shoulder silencing him.  
I couldn't believe what I was hearin', but things got even worse, if 
you could believe it. My mom spoke up next sayin', "My son, I declared
you a man-among-men, and your father's promise ful-filled but this..." 
she pointed at Akane and then she wrung her hands "...such dishonor you
have heaped upon us, and your iinazuke makes such horrible comments.
You WILL marry her right away, and we will gather what belongings of 
our family still remain here, and take them away.  We will leave no 
trace of our ill-fated presence here.  We will try and make what
recompense we may, and try and restore our honor as we can."  I still
don't know how I managed to do it, but I put my foot even further in
my mouth next.  "What makes you think I'm gonna marry her?!  Why do 
I have to listen to what YOU say?!" I yelled at em'. "What about 
what I want?!"  I really did it.  Mom just started sputtering, and 
dad, he then looked me right in the eye, with this look like I was 
dog-shit or something, and said "Martial artists are said to possess
the control of mind, body, and spirit.  They respect and obey their 
elders.  They have HONOR.  Obviously you are no martial artist, and 
I have no son.".  My mom had this look of steel, and she didn't even
say anything at first.  Then she quietly said "I once declared you 
Manly.  I have made a grave error in judgement.  My son is no man."
At this, she turned away from me, she bowed to Soun and then 
rushed out of the room. Pops then looked at Soun, shrugged his 
shoulders and said "Sorry Tendo." and then he ducked his head and 
left the room real quick. My dad, I sorta expected that sorta two 
faced behavior from, but my mom...  I felt like my heart was being 
ripped from my chest"  

Ranma shuddered after uttering the last statement.  He look up at Toshi
who was slowly wiping the bar, while listening to Ranma's woeful tale.
His eyes were shimmering, and bloodshot. Toshi stopped for a moment, 
observing the old pain in Ranma's eyes.

Ranma stopped and shuddered again, this time draining his cup of sake.

Toshi wordlessly refilled it, emptying the bottle.

Ranma drew another ragged breath and forged on, "Akane could only stand
there in shock.  Then my dad bowed to Soun too, tears running down his
face and went after my mom.  After pop left, Soun said "Akane".  At this
she broke away from me and ran to Soun and went to hug him, but he put 
his hands up to block her approach.  He held her at arms length and said 
"You are just as much guilty as that wretch Ranma over there.  You have
dishonored our family by your refusal to marry a Saotome.  Is this one
thing so difficult a task that your cannot honor your family and please
your father?.  Come now, we can have things taken care of, we will 
forget the Saotomes and you can finish school and go to college."  "Take
care of what?!" Akane said stunned, reality dawning on her.  "You are
not going to do that to my baby!  I will raise it myself if I have to!
I don't need any man to support me!".  Soun looked so sad at that moment,
"Your mother would be so disappointed in you." he uttered.  Akane rocked
back at that comment as if she'd been slapped. Then he took a step back
and turned around, putting his back to her.  He took a deep breath and 
then turned back around saying "Akane, if you insist on keeping that 
child you are no longer welcome in this house.  You have one hour to 
gather what you may carry with you, and leave this house forever.  I 
would hope that that evil wretch Ranma will care for you and your 
bastard child, and salvage what little of his honor that remains, as I 
no longer will be responsible for you."  He stopped, bowed his head
and muttered softly "I'm so sorry Kimiko, we have no daughter named 
Akane.".  Then he turned and walked out, when he reached the yard, the
waterworks turned on and we could all hear him wailing about the tragedy
of it all, and why should this sort of thing happen to him.  Akane stood 
still for a moment, and then she wavered and fainted, I just barely 
caught her in time again too."

Ranma stopped and looked up at Toshi with red rimmed eyes (whether from
the alcohol or emotion, Toshi couldn't be sure).  "He was so horrible to
her."

Toshi blinked confusedly, but then Ranma continued his thought

"She was ALWAYS "daddy's little girl", the one who was gonna follow in
his footsteps, and inherit the dojo, the one who could do no wrong.
Kasumi had to grow up so fast, and take her mom's place in runnin' the
family, and Nab's seemed to be quite capable of taking care of herself,
and it seemed like it had been that way for years.  Akane was the only
one needing or looking for support an' encouragement, and then Soun
goes and pulls a stunt like that." 

"Yeah, but hey man," Toshi started in "you two kids really did a number
on yourselves there.  A lot of harsh words were said, but you two were
the source of quite a few of 'em there."

Ranma looked up with fire in his eyes, "it's not like we murdered 
someone or anything, but we got treated worse than dirt.  Like we 
was Ainu or something.  He hurt her so bad.", Ranma stopped and
looked down at his hands.  They were white and tightly gripping the
sake cup, and shaking so bad that some of the warm lethe-like liquid
sloshed over the side.  He slowly put the cup down.

Toshi said softly, "You hate that don't you."

Ranma looked up with a question in his eyes.

"You hate Akane being hurt." Toshi continued matter-of-factly.

Old habits fought valiantly across Ranma's face, as anger and denial,
and indignation all flashed briefly across it.  Exhaustion won the day
though, and Ranma let the mask slip.  "Damn right!" he finally
growled.

Ranma shook his head again, to clear the fast accumulating cobwebs.
"Um, where was I? Oh, yeh... ...right after Soun dropped the bomb 
Kasumi just looked on stunned, still sniffling and then she suddenly
got up and ran to her room.  Nabiki looked at us with the weirdest 
expression on her face, like she couldn't believe what was happening. 
Like everybody was gonna come back into tha room and shout "Surprise!
Fooled ya!".  When nobody did she got up too, and slowly walked out 
towards the front door.  As I gathered Akane up, to take her to her room,
I heard a soft "Aiee-Yah" behind me.  I turned towards the open wall 
facing the pond, and Ukyou and Shampoo were standing there in the doorway
with shocked looks on their faces.  I had no idea how long they had been
standing there, but I guessed it was long 'nuff.  Then Ukyou looked up 
to me, and said "I just came by to see how you were, you left school 
early.  Shampoo here just tagged along.  We only caught the last part,
but I think I get the gist of what happened.".  As she was saying this,
tears started to run down her face, and she kept gettin' paler and paler.
Then she screamed "How could you??" and slapped me across the face harder
than she ever had before, made my ears ring and I couldn't see straight
for a few seconds, and then she took off, across the yard and over 
the fence.  Shampoo was still there, you could hear the gears turning in 
her head.  "Aiee-Yah..." she said softly, "...all this talk of dishonor,
Ranma banished, Hammer-girl banished.  She 'with-child' right?".  I
nodded.
"You two, no married right?". Again, I nodded.  "You no promise marry her
also, right?" I was beginnin' to feel like one of those plastic birds 
that dips its head into a glass of water as I nodded yet again. Then she
took a breath, a scared look on her face. "You least plan marry 
Hammer-girl now?".  Then my usual foot-in-mouth reflex kicked in, and I
started off on why anyone would wanna marry a "sex-less tomboy like her",
and the usual stuff, but then she cut me off saying "No good have 
dishonorable husband, should support mother of you child, should honor
you wife.  You soil yourself, and prove you unworthy-ness of be husband 
to Amazon. Is Ancient Law of Amazons..."  Then as the realization of 
what she had just said to me hit her, she broke into tears and ran 
'through' the fence, makin' a Shampoo shaped hole on her way out."

"Wow" was all Toshi could say.  

"We're almost at the end of the story..." Ranma said wearily "...at the 
end of the Sake at least" and he drained the last from his cup.

"Here, I'll grab the bucket and mop and I'll start mopping up, you grab
that bar rag and wipe some tables.  In your condition, that's all you're
probably up to." Toshi said as he went behind the bar.  "You can finish
the story while we clean."

Ranma nodded and grabbed the proffered rag and started wiping tables 
slowly as he finished the story.  "Well, I took Akane up to her room and
laid her on her bed.  I went to my room and grabbed my pack and shoved 
what little clothing I owned and the few mementos I had, into it.  Took 
me all of five minutes.  Then I went back to Akane's room.  I sat on the
edge of her bed, and gently slapped her face to wake her up.  She opened
her eyes, and man, it hurt so much to look in them, all they pain they 
held.  Then I pulled her up, and told her to be strong, that I would 
always be there for her, but we had to pack.  We shoved what we could into
her pack, and then crammed some more of what she wanted to take into the
space left in mine.  It still left a good-sized pile on the bed of what
couldn't go with us.  Kasumi was standing in the doorway as we finished.
Akane went to her and pleaded "Can't you do something?  Can't you say 
something to Father??".  Kasumi shook her head 'no' and said quietly 
"Little sister, I'm so scared, father is so upset, and I can't do anything
with him like this.  This is all so horrible." and then her lower lip
trembled.  This was the first time I ever say good old reliable Kasumi
lose it, ya know.  Then she started up again, "You might have also ruined
us!".  Then she said desperately "Did you not know what you were doing?
How could you be so foolish?".  Then she stood back quickly, almost 
horrified of what she had just said, I think, and ran down the hall and 
stairway, sobbing "Oh, little sister..." as she left the room.  Akane and
I took up our packs, 'cause our time was almost up, and a few things to 
carry in our arms and went downstairs.  There was no one in the living 
room, but we could hear Soun wailing away in the Dojo.  As we made our way
to the front door in stunned silence, Kasumi appeared behind us and said
"Wait!".  She handed us each a small bundle. "Something to eat tonite..."
she said.  Then, she hugged each of us.  "Akane," Kasumi said as we 
shuffled awkwardly at the door "be safe, and show Ranma the love I know 
you have for him.  Don't let this get in the way of that.  You can always
find happiness if you allow yourself to.".  She turned to me next, with
the
most serious look I ever saw her give, "Ranma, don't you dare EVER let 
Akane go.  She needs you, the baby will need you.  Show her the love I
know you have for her and things will work out.  Always be there for
her.".
Then tears filled her eyes and again, and she ran back down the corridor.
We then left the Tendou Dojo forever, and have never been back.  Then just
as we left the gate outside the compound, we saw Nabiki running up the 
sidewalk.  "I'm glad I caught you!" she puffed. "Here take this" she said
as she shoved a thick envelope at me.  Then she handed another thinner
one to Akane, saying "this should get you two by for a bit.  I've done all
I can."  She hugged Akane, one sob shaking her body.  Nabiki then turned
to
me "Just take care of her Ranma! Don't let me down again!".  I said to her
that I'd pay her back as soon as I got some money, but she cut me off 
saying "I know people think I'm such a Dragon-Lady, but I'm just as human
as the next poor sod.  I know I don't often show it, but this is about
family, and its about all I really have."  She forced down another sob,
looked at us both, and then ran inside the dojo."

Ranma plopped down his rag and ran his hand through his hair.  "Sometimes
people really surprise you, ya know"

"Yeh," Tohshi replied "I think you said that earlier.".

"Oh" Ranma looked down and started absently wiping a table, "Anyhows, 
she sure as hell surprised me and Akane.  Didn't know she had it in her. 
That last part she said wasn't 'bout the money either.  With the life I've 
had, I know what it's like to have family as your only real possession, 
and to have precious little of that too.  The contents of the envelope
surprised me too.  I din't have a damn yen to my name.  Akane only had 
a piddling bank account.  Not like either of us had a job or anything, 
all our bills were taken care of by our parents.  My envelope had a small
wad of large yen notes, and a hastily written budget.  Nabiki had put
a lotta effort into it.  There was enough money to get us a dirt-cheap
apartment, and food and what-not for a couple of months, if we followed
her suggestions.  Akane's envelope had a phone card and a friend's
phone number we could leave messages at.  It also had a few suggestions
of places to look at fer rooms to rent, and some contacts for possible 
jobs.  She also put down a few doctors who worked the low-income clinics.
At the bottom were the phone numbers for the social service department,
and some other local aid organizations."

Ranma straightened up, and wrung out his rag "I din't ever get a chance
ta thank her properly for that.  I'm not really sure how to, if I did...".

Bending down to wipe another table, Ranma went on, "The money got us a
little dive in a more run-down section of Nerima.  We both tried getting
a job after school, but who wants to hire a couple of kids who haven't 
even finished high school, and can only work after school.  School itself
weren't too hot.  The rumors started flying right away, and after a 
couple of weeks we both had had enough of all the crap we were gettin'.
Principle Kunou also wanted to send Akane to a school for 'wayward' girls
because of the distraction her 'condition' presented.  A couple of boots
to his head and we were both outta there.  Turns out that there are even
fewer job prospects for kids who aren't even 'finishing' high school.
The few odd jobs we managed to pick up didn't come very close to meeting 
all the bills, and Akane was gettin' more 'n more pregnant every day, 
and her ability to do stuff was starting to get hampered.  It seemed our
parents were still not talkin to us, and the messages to and from Nabiki
got fewer and fewer. We decided to go for the big change and looked at 
Hokkaido.  Sapporo looked good 'cause the cost of living there was less,
and it was a bigger city with more jobs.  So we got another place to live,
even worse than the one before, but ya gotta have a roof over your head. 
We looked around, but jobs were scarcer than we thought, and got the 
crappy jobs we got now.  Be'n a delivery girl worked for Akane, 'cause
she got to drive the van around while pregnant, and after the baby came,
she could put the car-seat in the chair next ta her and be her own 
babysitter.  Helped too that she got to eat there, and if somebody made
a bum order she got to keep the food, even if it was pretty darn cold
by the time she got done.  Plus, she's tough as all get out.  People 
tend not to mess with her, after an incident or two, word got 'round.  
Me, I don't got much schooling, but I could lift stuff and move stuff,
and I'm quick about it.  The factory that took me on needed a body
to organize parts on shelves, and move stuff around the plant.  I din't 
need no stinkin' forklift, and could do the work of 3 men, so they hired 
me.  The pay is no bunch of roses, but it's something.  Ya gotta feed your
child ya know?  But the money never stretches far enough, Ranko is 
always outgrowing her clothes, and she needs heat in the winter, and a 
roof over her head.  We already moved to a cheaper place once since we 
got here, 'cause we still couldn't afford the rent.  I don't know what
Akane expects me to do..."  he sighed, "...I work my butt off, but we can
never make ends meet. Shit, she thinks I drink my paycheck away in this
joint, but I hardly ever 'pay' for a drink anymore.  Hell, I gotta 'work'
for my rot-gut, but that's beside the story."

Ranma took a last swipe at the table he was working on, and straightened
up again, stretching.  "And THAT's the sad story of Saotome Ranma."

Toshi shook his head "Not a very pretty life there..."

Ranma looked quite depressed now "Nope. Its had its moments, that's for 
sure, but the last four or five years...  ...not very many good 
moments there."

As the two men stood there thinking glum thoughts.  The door to the bar 
opened, and a tall rough clothed figure walked in head down, carrying 
a backpack and familiar looking umbrella.  Very familiar in a fanged,
bandana wearing sort of way.  

"Sorry sir, but we're closed!" a startled Toshi said to the figure at the
door.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I saw the lights on and figured you were still open, I'll 
be leaving now...", the figure said as it looked the pair over, without
recognition.  The figure turned to leave, swinging its pack over its 
shoulder.

"Oy! Ryouga!" Ranma yelled, surprised.  "What's a pig like you doing in
a place like..." Ranma continued, but was curtailed by the wave of water
sloshing over him.  The wave being created by Ryouga's pack knocking 
over the bucket of mop water Toshi had placed on the table near the door
as he turned back around in surprise at hearing Ranma's voice.

The scene was frozen for a moment.  A now frumpy looking, damp Onna-Ranma
stood where Ranma-kun had once stood.  A very surprised, but dry, Toshi
stood looking on.  Ryouga, stood there equally surprised at finally 
recognizing the 'new and improved' Ranma.

***** End Edited Section *****