BLISS

                                part 9

                               a fic by

                     Mike Loader and Lara Bartram

                           ***   ***   ***

	Nabiki wandered downstairs warily. Life had been fairly 
normal of late, luring her into a false sense of complacency, 
which was why a little thing like Ranma coming back from the dead 
was able to rattle her.
	She flushed, irritated. The damn jock was never going to let 
her live that down.
	Her own feelings were curiously mixed. On the one hand, she 
was certain that his reappearance heralded a new wave of 
strangeness and chaos, and she wasn't at all sure that she wanted 
to be living in the middle of it. Not when the last time had ended 
with three or four people dead and Akane a physical and emotional 
wreck.
	She wasn't relishing the idea of the constant Ranma/Akane 
squabbling, either. It gave her a headache, and it made her want 
to pick the little brats up and shake them. Which, of course, she 
was physically incapable of doing, and this fact would make her 
headache even worse.
	On the other hand... she liked Ranma, in his own annoying 
sort of way. He wasn't nearly as dumb as he seemed, and despite 
his stupid arrogance and teasing, he did seem to really care about 
her sister. While Akane could do better than him for a husband, 
she wasn't likely to. And she could certainly do worse.
	And from the little she had seen of the two last night... 
things were a bit different. Ranma seemed to actually understand 
that her sister had feelings. Akane didn't take every poorly 
phrased word as an invitation to club him. They had seemed a lot 
more... honest. And mature.
	After two years, she would damn well hope so.
	Nabiki was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took her at 
least three seconds to notice the baby Akane was cradling in her 
lap at the table.
	"Ah, Akane?"
	Her sister looked up, a baby bottle in one hand. "Yes, 
oneesan?"
	How to phrase this? "You've got a baby in your lap." Boy, 
she thought, that was sharp.
	"Uh-huh. Isn't she just adorable?"
	Nabiki examined the infant. It stared at her in a manner she 
assumed might be adorable. It looked more like vacant imbecility 
to her, but she didn't like children.
	"Akane? Stupid question, but, ah, whose baby is this?"
	"Hmm? Oh, it's Ranma's."
	Akane placidly continued feeding the baby. Nabiki's brain 
turned cartwheels. Didn't it take nine months before you had a 
kid? Had Ranma shown up nine months ago, and she had somehow not 
noticed? When had Akane been pregnant, anyway?
	"Er?" she asked intelligently.
	"It's Ranma's."
	"You mean you and he, ah..."
	"No, it's not mine."
	Okay, now she was confused. "Hold on. He had a kid with 
another woman, and you're calmly feeding the kid instead of 
beating his worthless skull in?"
	"He didn't have it with another woman."
	"How can he... oh. Hey. You don't mean..."
	Akane lifted the baby to her shoulder and began to pat it. 
"Yes."
	"Ranma? Mr. 'I-Must-Be-The-Ultimate-Man'?"
	Her sister continued to gently pat the infant. "He lost his 
memory for two years in a place with no hot water."
	"Ah." Nabiki winced. "When did he, ah, regain..."
	"Day before yesterday."
	"Did he take it well?"
	"He tried to kill himself."
	"Oh." She didn't ask who had stopped him. Poor guy. "So, uh, 
who's the father? I mean, the real... er, the other father."
	The baby burped, and Akane lowered it back to her lap. "You 
should probably ask Ranma that yourself, Nabiki. It's his 
business."
	"Okay." Struggling to regain her composure, she asked a 
harmless question. "So what's the kid's name?"
	Akane flushed. "Er, Nabiki."
	She blinked. "Excuse me, did you just say..."
	"He lost his memory."
	"Ranma's daughter with some guy has my name?"
	Her sister smirked. "It's a real honor, actually."
	"Honor. Yeah." This was a dream. Yes, she was dreaming. 
After all, the night before last she had dreamed of nude Fidel 
Castro on kangaroos herding purple sheep, and that had been much 
less surreal than this. "Look, this has got to be a mistake..."
	The door swung open, and Ranma trudged in. "Hi, Akane. She 
give you any trouble?"
	"She was a little angel, weren't you, Nabbiekins?" cooed 
Akane. Nabiki almost gagged.
	"Hey, Ranma... I heard you named your daughter..."
	He looked embarrassed. "Well, see, I lost my memory..."
	"Yeah, I heard. But you've got it back now, right?"
	He nodded. "Yeah. I have it back."
	"So, now that you remember who I am..."
	"We already named her," Ranma said flatly. "Besides, I'd 
have to ask Kuno before changing it, which I don't see a need to 
do."
	"Why would you need to ask..." A horrible thought dawned. 
"Oh... oh, you don't mean... I mean, he and... this kid is...?"
	"I lost my memory," Ranma said evenly. Nabiki read between 
the lines: Keep it up, and you won't like the result.
	"Right, you lost your memory." Gee. Ranma and Kuno. She 
wasn't sure whether to be horrified and aghast or bust a gut 
laughing.
	"So you named her Nabiki, eh?" she said weakly. Her head was 
starting to ache.
	"Yup. Wanna hold her?"
	"Ah, heheh, hey, I don't know..." With mild horror, she 
found that Ranma hadn't waited for an answer, and was thrusting 
the kid at her. Not knowing what else to do, she took it.
	Nabiki stared at the baby.
	The baby stared at Nabiki.
	"Stain the 5000 yen shirt, kid, and you're in trouble," she 
told it dazedly.
	The baby considered this.
	"Yen."
	Ranma stared at his daughter. "Hey... hey, Nabiki-chan just 
said her first word! I don't believe it!"
	Nabiki beamed. "Hey, I think I like this kid."
	"Yen."
	She nodded. "Yup. Definitely like her."
	Akane just stared.
	"Nabiki, you've corrupted my daughter, haven't you," Ranma 
said, tone mixing horror and amusement. She shrugged.
	"I call it an improvement. Are you _sure_ this is your kid, 
Ranma?"
	"Yen," little Nabiki said happily.

***

	"Here she is." Ranma handed a sleeping Nabiki to Kuno. "She 
fell asleep on the way over so she'll be out for a little while," 
he whispered.
	"Understood. I'll drop her off in a week then." Kuno stood 
and looked at Ranma a little unsure. "Would you like to come in 
for a drink or something?" he offered. "It's a bit warm out 
today."
	Ranma looked uncomfortable. "I gotta get back to..." His 
voice trailed off when he saw the pleading look in Kuno's eyes. He 
stopped and listened and heard only the buzz of cicadas. "Sure, I 
could use something cold."
	The relief that Kuno showed was obvious. He stepped aside 
and let Ranma inside the vast, empty house. The group walked 
silently back to the kitchen, the complete lack of sound becoming 
rather oppressive.
	"So, have ya heard from Kodachi?" Ranma asked, unable to 
stand it any longer.
	"Yes. They notified her when we were picked up and 
identified. She won't be coming home until next year. She said her 
classes were very important, and I can't really blame her. I don't 
think that she will return then though. The travel between the 
U.S. and Japan is quite trying," Kuno answered. "She sent a letter 
that was very pleasant and I wrote her back." He shrugged. "We 
have grown apart as siblings."
	Ranma nodded and leaned against the counter. "Too bad. I bet 
she'd love to meet her niece." He grinned.
	Kuno shook his head. "I don't think Nabiki's reaction would 
have been anything to compare to my sister's. What would you 
like?"
	"Whatever you got. I'm not picky," Ranma answered, smirking 
as he remembered Nabiki's reaction to her future niece. More 
specifically, the girl's name.
	Ranma watched Kuno open the refrigerator, still carrying the 
sleeping child, and saw the mostly empty icebox. "How about 
water?" Kuno offered as he looked in it himself.
	Ranma pasted a sickly smile on his face. "That's fine." He 
wasn't concerned with Kuno's ability to take care of Nabiki. When 
it came to her, Kuno's pride was non-existent. If he needed help, 
he would ask for it. But he wasn't sure how well Kuno was taking 
care of himself. "Hey man, why don't we go get some lunch?" he 
suggested.
	"I don't want to take up too much of your time."
	"It's no problem. Akane will understand." He paused as they 
started to walk from the kitchen. "Well, she won't, but hey, I'm 
used to it."

	The three were at the cafe that had been, and still was, the 
Furinkan hangout. They were sitting in a booth, Ranma on one side 
and Kuno on the other with Nabiki in his lap. She was enjoying 
playing with a still-wrapped package of crackers and remaining 
relatively oblivious to the concern her "mother" was showing.
	"If you make her wear dresses all the time, she's gonna grow 
up to hate them," Ranma said, looking at the girl and smiling.
	Kuno had dressed her in a cute little red sundress before 
they had left for the cafe, declaring the miniature sweatsuit was 
too unflattering. And she did look adorable, but... "Nonsense. 
When she grows of age, she will wear whatever she desires. What 
she wears now will have no bearing on it. Besides, I think she 
looks cute in it. She has a noble face."
	"I can see she got her looks from me," Ranma said, grinning.
	Kuno snorted at that. "Hardly. Compare our profiles." He 
turned his head to let Ranma see just how his face didn't look 
anything like the child's.
	Ranma reached over and mussed up Nabiki's hair. "She's got 
your hair, that's for sure."
	Shaking his head, Kuno looked at his daughter and smiled a 
little. "She's got the most beautiful eyes."
	"They're my eyes, that's why," Ranma said, smirking.
	Kuno looked up at Ranma, all mirth disappearing instantly. 
"You're right," he said quietly. "You do. I always loved looking 
in your eyes with the stars reflected in them."
	Ranma was stunned for a moment, then laughed a little. 
"Yeah, uh... well..." He scratched the back of his head and looked 
at the counter. "Do you think our food is ready yet?"
	Kuno sighed and leaned back in the booth. What kind of idiot 
stunt did he just pull? Ranma wasn't interested in either form, 
and the only thing about Ranma he liked was "Akane". No, that 
wasn't true, but if there was one thing he missed more than 
anything, it was the look in "Akane's" eyes when they had looked 
at each other.
	Ranma could practically hear Kuno's thoughts, and they made 
him very nervous. "Look, man, I don't think..." Ranma stopped 
speaking as the waitress approached with their food.
	 She smiled at them as she set their food down. "Beef bowl 
and curried pork for you..." That was placed in front of Ranma. 
"Soba and the sushi snack for you." She smiled as she set Kuno's 
order in front of him. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
	"No, I think that's it," Ranma responded, trying to get his 
mind as far away from what Kuno had said as possible. He looked 
from his food back to the waitress and noted the friendly smile 
she gave him and then the smile she gave Kuno. They were 
different. Very different. And a plan was born.
	"Thank you, we're fine," Kuno answered, fussing with Nabiki 
and not noticing the look the waitress was giving him.
	"That's a cute little girl you've got. What's her name?" the 
waitress asked, stalling a little.
	Kuno looked up, surprised. "Nabiki. Nabiki's her name." A 
slight blush started to rise to his cheeks with the way the 
waitress was looking at him.
	Ranma sat back and smiled. It didn't even look like he'd 
have to do any work either.

	"You've got to go back. Didn't you see the look she was 
givin' ya? Man, she's got it bad."
	"I really don't think..."
	Ranma punched him lightly in the shoulder. "This is just 
what you need. At least don't leave her hangin' like that. Go and 
talk to her."
	"But I..."
	Ranma lost the look of silly excitement on his face and his 
voice grew quiet. "Look, you owe this to yourself. Get out of the 
house, do stuff." Ranma swallowed. "Forget about Akane."
	Kuno's face twisted into a painful grimace. "It's not that 
easy."
	"I know. This'll help. Even if nothin' comes out of it, at 
least you'll have made a new friend. There can't be anything wrong 
with that."
	The indecision was obvious, but Ranma knew his friend wanted 
to get out more and just didn't really know how without him. 
"Fresh start, back at stage one. It's called meetin' new people," 
he said softly.
	"You think she did?" Kuno asked.
	A small smile made its way to Ranma's lips. "Definitely."

	Standing outside the door, Kuno fussily straightened 
Nabiki's clothes, who squirmed in his arms and mussed them up 
again. She was almost taunting him with the little noises she was 
making, as if she were saying, "You're stalling, coward."
	Taking a deep breath, Kuno opened the door and entered the 
cafe. He looked around furtively before sitting at a small table 
off to one side. He wasn't all that hungry, but it had been the 
only time he had been able to rouse his courage enough to come.
	Instead of looking at the other people in the establishment, 
he picked up the menu and began to stare at it.
	"And how is my cutest customer?"
	Her voice almost made him jump, he was so nervous. He 
lowered the menu slowly and looked at the waitress. She was 
smiling gently at Nabiki and not at him. Saying a quick thanks, he 
forced a smile onto his face to hide the doubt gnawing at his gut.
	"Does she eat solid food yet?" the waitress asked, not even 
paying much attention to Kuno.
	"No, not really." He didn't know what else to say.
	"I hear teething's pretty rough on babies. Parents too," she 
said looking at him and smiling. "Now what can I get for you?"
	Kuno looked at the waitress, swallowed and looked quickly at 
his menu again. "Uh..." His eyes moved over the menu, his mind 
working furiously. He had seen it this time, seen the look in her 
eyes. Frankly, it scared him.
	The only woman that had ever looked at him like that had 
been... Akane. "I... don't really know. Maybe you could... come 
back in a bit." It frightened him that someone could ever possibly 
take the place of Akane, that he could consider simply putting his 
feelings for her aside.
	He shouldn't have listened to Ranma. It had been a horrible 
idea to come back, to see the woman again. "I'm sorry. I just 
don't..." he started to say, but when he looked back over the top 
of his menu, she was already gone.
	Kuno was relieved, but disappointed he had handled it so 
badly. How could he ever explain his situation to her, to anyone? 
Even if he had wanted to, how could he? With a thump, he dropped 
his head to the table and closed his eyes. "Nabiki-chan," he 
moaned, "what do I do?"
	Nabiki whomped him on the head and grabbed two handfuls of 
hair.
	"How do I tell her? I... I think I want to, but how do I say 
it?" Kuno groaned while Nabiki pulled on his hair.
	"Coffee's a start. Or sandwiches."
	Kuno sat up abruptly upon hearing the voice and was 
immediately blushing. "I, uh..."
	"I get a break in ten minutes. If you wouldn't mind waiting 
here until then..." She looked hopefully at Kuno, who nodded 
mutely. "I'm Tojiko," she said, now smiling, and held out her 
hand.
	"Uk... Tatewaki." He took her hand in his for a polite 
shake.
	"It's nice to finally put a name to the face." With that 
said, Tojiko headed back to the kitchen.
	Kuno looked at Nabiki, who was still stubbornly hanging on 
to his hair. "What have I gotten myself into?"
	The ten minutes seemed to crawl by, minutes in which Kuno 
considered leaving more than once. But he couldn't make himself do 
such a low act.
	"Hi."
	And before he could consider anymore, she was sitting in 
front of him. "Hello," he answered slowly.
	"I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?"
	Toying with lying for a moment, Kuno replied, "Yes. I am 
rather... inexperienced with women."
	Tojiko smiled. "That's sweet, but you don't need to make 
things up. It's nothing to be ashamed of if you've played the 
field. Nowadays, you have to be sure."
	Kuno was quite surprised by the woman's... Tojiko's 
openness. Most certainly no woman had ever spoken to him quite 
like that. "Well, I..." He could feel his cheeks reddening and 
willed them to stop. "I haven't really. There has been only one 
woman before."
	Tojiko nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't see a ring and I 
just assumed..." She started to stand, silently cursing married 
men who didn't wear their rings.
	Kuno watched her, confused. "I don't... Ah! No, please sit. 
I'm not involved with anyone. Sit back down, please. I... We... It 
was a complicated situation and we are no longer together."
	Tojiko sat down slowly, not as open as before. "So then..." 
she began.
	"Um..."
	"Nabiki's your..."
	"Daughter. She's my daughter." He looked her in the eye for 
just a moment before he was forced to look away. Kuno nodded. 
"She's my daughter."
	"She's very cute." Tojiko held her hand out to Nabiki, who 
grabbed her finger and gave her a big grin. "She's got quite a 
grip too."
	Kuno nodded, but didn't say anything. His eyes were still 
directed on the table.
	"When I asked you your name, you started to say something 
else. Why?" Tojiko was not one for beating around the bush. Not in 
the least.
	The slight frown that passed across Kuno's face was not lost 
on Tojiko. "It has to do with Nabiki's mother. It's... not a 
pleasant memory."
	"I'm sorry." Now her curiosity was piqued. This was 
something Tojiko would make sure to find out later. "I know this 
isn't a very good place to talk, not like this, so..." She pulled 
out her pen and an order slip. "Here," she said as she began to 
write down her phone number. "If it's not too much trouble, if 
it's something you wouldn't mind doing, I'd still like to talk."
	Kuno took the offered number and stared at it. "I don't know 
when..."
	"Call me any time it's convenient for you. I won't mind." 
Tojiko stood and pushed her chair in. "And I don't mind Nabiki or 
whoever her mother is either."
	Kuno looked up at her, a look of confusion and uncertainty 
on his face, and nodded.

	"I do believe she was..."
	"Putting the moves on you. The next step woulda been for her 
ta throw herself at you. I'm kinda surprised she didn't from what 
I've heard." Ranma thumped Kuno congratulatorily on the back.
	"But I... I don't know."
	"You didn't like it?"
	"She was... _staring_ at me. In her eyes, she saw me as if I 
was just..."
	Ranma chuckling stopped him. "A piece of meat, right? Get 
used to it. Women these days take their manhunts very seriously. 
She obviously thinks you're a good catch, and you are."
	He leaned closer. "Was she good-looking?" he whispered 
conspiratorially.
	"Well, yes, I suppose she was."
	Ranma grinned. "If you end up home alone with her, I'd watch 
it. You better use Nabiki-chan as a shield or you might be naked 
on the floor before you know it."
	Blushing, Kuno shook his head. "No, I really do not see that 
happening."
	"See, those are the ones you have to watch the most. You 
think you're safe and then BAM! Pants in the kitchen, shirt in 
hall and you're pinned to the floor next to the bed."
	Kuno stared at Ranma. "It seems as if you speak from 
experience."
	Ranma's grin widened. "Maybe. Don't knock it till you try it 
though. What'd she think of Nabiki-chan?"
	"She was alarmingly understanding. After... after Akane, 
your Akane, I didn't think..."
	"Whoa. I don't need to hear any more of that," Ranma 
declared, holding his hands up. "I know you two don't get along, 
but I hear enough of it from her. I don't need it from you too."
	Kuno nodded. "That was rude of me." He sat roughly down on 
the couch. "I have noticed, and today made it painfully obvious, 
that I have an extreme lack of social graces. It is a wonder 
Tojiko..."
	"Tojiko's her name?" Ranma was really getting into it.
	"Yes. I'm surprised she even considered giving me her phone 
number. I came across as a... a brain damaged monkey," Kuno said, 
shaking his head.
	"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. And if she didn't mind, then 
what's there to worry about? I think you gotta stop worrying so 
much about what happened... before."
	Ranma sat down next to Kuno and began counting off on his 
fingers. "She's good looking, she likes you, you like her... 
Right?"
	Hesitating for a moment, Kuno nodded. "Only superficially, 
but..."
	"She likes Nabiki-chan, she doesn't care about what went on 
before and she was practically in your lap. I don't see what the 
problem is here."
	Kuno frowned. "I don't know. It feels wrong, like I'm 
betraying..."
	"Akane? No, you're not betraying her. Akane... Akane doesn't 
mind. Not any longer." Ranma sat just a little closer and 
hesitantly put his arm across Kuno's shoulders. "Call her. Tell 
her..."
	"Tell her what? She will never believe me!"
	Ranma shook his head. "The truth when you're ready to tell 
it. Don't let what happened get in the way of anything." He smiled 
a little. "I can tell you like her at least a little. Before you 
even said anything I could tell. Don't let Akane get in the way. 
Don't let what you... we had in the past get in the way of 
somethin' for the future."
	"Your interpersonal relationships have much improved," Kuno 
said, laughing a little, sniffling once.
	Ranma shrugged, removing his arm from Kuno. "I dunno. I 
guess... the island forced me to grow up. Maybe it was against my 
will, but I saw some pretty ugly things about myself."
	"I wish I had been able to see such things before all of 
this had happened. What... what if I go back? I go back and I am 
not able to stop myself, and I know that everything is wrong, 
but..."
	With a stern look on his face, Ranma slapped Kuno. "Shut up, 
man. You ain't going back unless you let yourself." He looked in 
his friend's eyes. "If you do, I'll let you know. I won't... go 
back." Ranma swallowed and took in a big breath through his nose, 
buying himself time to reaffirm his identity. When he spoke again, 
it was with a quiet and uncertain voice. "I... won't."
	"I'm sorry. There is nothing in the world I am more afraid 
of than letting everything go to waste. All our efforts, all our 
experiences... I don't wish to lose those because I lose my 
sanity. I don't want to lose those memories."
	Ranma shook his head. "That's not gonna happen. And even if 
it does, there's just one thing..." He frowned a little and chewed 
on his lower lip. "She was real. Akane was real. I know that's 
something I won't forget. Not ever."
	"I loved her like nothing I ever have before."
	"C'mon, you know much I hate this," Ranma said. Kuno's show 
of emotion was making him very uncomfortable. Not only because it 
was directed at a particularly vulnerable spot in himself, but 
that he just didn't know how to handle it.
	"I'm sorry we never got along before," Kuno finally said 
quietly. "I have so many regrets."
	"Remember what I said? New start. For both of us. I know I'm 
gonna take advantage of it, and I think you need to too. You gotta 
think about yourself and Nabiki-chan. You know if you're not 
happy, she won't be either."
	Kuno smiled sadly. "This is true. I won't get a moment of 
sleep if she believes there's something amiss."
	"See? If you're ever not sure, just think about her because 
she needs you just as much as she needs me. Don't forget that and 
you'll do fine. And if you ever need anything, you just call. I 
won't turn you away. Besides, how else will I find out how things 
go with Tojiko?" Ranma broke into a grin.
	"A deal then. Thank you. I shall call her. And hope she 
doesn't think me too... odd." Kuno stood and nodded his head to 
Ranma. "Shall I pick up Nabiki-chan, or will you drop her off?"
	"I'll drop her off. Good luck with Tojiko." Ranma saw Kuno 
to the door.

***

	"Kuno's dropping by today, in a half hour or so."
	Akane frowned slightly. "Dropping off Nabiki?"
	Her husband shrugged. "Yeah. I thought I might invite him in 
for a drink, as well."
	She nodded resignedly. "I'll go do some shopping or 
something."
	"I'd rather you didn't."
	Akane glanced sharply at Ranma. The deceptively mild tone 
had quite a bit of steel under it.
	"There's no real point in me staying, Ranma. I'd rather not 
spend any time in his company, and I'm sure you can..."
	"Akane, what have you got against him? Honestly."
	She stared at him. "You have to ask?"
	"Yeah. Mostly because I can't see any good reason for it."
	Scowling, Akane glared at the counter. "Possibly the few 
years he spent hitting on me might have something to do with it."
	Ranma shrugged. "That was pretty annoying, yeah, but he's a 
completely different person now. Can't blame someone who's 
honestly reformed for what they did in the past, can you?"
	"He took advantage of you on that island..."
	"Oh, for crying out..." He shook his head disgustedly. "I 
know I've told you this before - he didn't initiate anything. It 
was mutual, neither of us had our memories, and both of us wanted 
to do it. You have to be in a position of power to take advantage 
of someone, and if anything I had the upper hand in that 
relationship. So no, Akane, that doesn't cut it either."
	"I don't like him," she said flatly.
	"Why?"
	She opened her mouth to answer. Nothing came out.
	"Look," Ranma said mildly. "I can understand why you thought 
he was using me. He was a arrogant hentai jerk, and it was a 
logical guess. But it's been almost a year now, and he's been 
nothing but polite and proper. Hasn't he?"
	He had been, she reluctantly admitted to herself. "He's been 
better than he was."
	"So what's your problem with him? Honestly?"
	She thought about it for a few seconds, examining her 
reasons and feelings. She wasn't certain she liked the answers.
	"Well?"
	She shrugged. "I guess I blame him for what happened."
	"But we just agreed it wasn't his fault."
	"Do I need a reason to dislike someone?"
	Ranma smiled thinly. "If you're going to snarl and try to 
lay a guilt trip on them, yes. Especially when they're a friend of 
mine and a guest of ours. Not to mention your stepdaughter's 
father."
	She glared at him. It wasn't much of a glare, and it faded 
pretty quickly.
	"What do you want me to do, be his best friend?" she finally 
said, looking away.
	"You don't have to like him. But you could be polite to him, 
at least not act like he's some sort of criminal or something."
	She considered this. It wasn't something she wanted to do, 
at all, and she wasn't sure why. After all, everything Ranma had 
just said was correct. So why didn't she want to stop her feud?
	Because, she suddenly realized with an unpleasant jolt of 
recognition, that would mean admitting that she had been wrong. 
That it hadn't been his fault after all, that she'd been heaping 
abuse on someone who really didn't deserve it.
	"Baka hentai," she muttered, amusement mixing with dismay 
and regret. This was sounding awfully familiar. Worse, almost, 
since Ranma often _had_ deserved what she dished out; if she had 
been too quick to blame, he had been insensitive and taunting to 
the point of cruelty.
	Her husband had grown beyond that... well, mostly. She had 
thought she had, too. Now she was beginning to wonder if instead 
she had only shifted targets.
	No, she decided. Not entirely. Blaming Kuno at first had 
been understandable, even inevitable. It was continuing to blame 
him after learning the facts that was the problem. She hadn't even 
done that with Ranma, usually.
	"I'm jealous," she finally said wonderingly.
	Ranma blinked. "Excuse me?"
	She was actually jealous of Kuno.
	He and Ranma had Nabiki, and she was outside that. He had 
lived with Ranma for two years, and she was only now approaching 
that. He had shared a part of Ranma's life for years, a part that 
she would never have and would never fully understand. A part that 
should have been hers.
	She sighed. "Okay. I'll be as pleasant to him as I can, and 
make him feel at home. Just understand that I'm never going to 
like him. At all."
	Ranma chuckled. "No-one's asking you to. Just don't kill him 
before he finishes his sake."
	"I'll wait until he's done," she said, smiling slightly.

***

	Tojiko leaned up slowly, letting him see her intentions, and 
touched her lips gently to his. Her hands moved down his sides and 
rested on his hips as they continued with the rather chaste 
contact.
	She sighed, partly with contentment, partly with 
disappointment, as they parted. His hands were still on her arms, 
where they had remained during the kiss, and he was gazing into 
her eyes. There was a moment, the barest second, when she thought 
she could see a longing in his eyes, a desire for more.
	Tojiko leaned forward and rested against his chest, putting 
her arms around him. With her ear against his shoulder, she could 
hear the slow, steady beat of his heart. "Tatewaki," she 
whispered, staring off into the darkness, "would you come inside 
with me? Just for a little while..."
	"Of course I will," he answered, feeling very good about the 
person in his arms.
	Arms around shoulders and waist, the two entered the 
apartment building and up the stairs to the third floor.
	Tojiko mounted the stairs ahead of Kuno, her hand in his, 
pulling him along. This was new, going up to her apartment after 
the goodnight kiss, and she was hoping, just hoping...
	Down the hall, tugging him to her door, Tojiko brought out 
her keys. Casting glances back at him, keeping her smile guarded, 
she unlocked her door and led him inside.
	Kuno stood inside and waited for Tojiko to close and lock 
her door. He kept his hands in his pockets, attempting to dry the 
sweat that was gathering on them. Normally he left her apartment 
after the kiss, and that would be the end of it. But this night, 
he wasn't so sure.
	The lock clicked and Tojiko turned her attention on the man 
locked in her apartment with her. "Tatewaki?"
	"Tojiko, I don't think..."
	"Hush. I know you don't... want to..." She turned away from 
him, hurt and disappointed not only in him, but herself as well. 
She shouldn't be taking responsibility on herself for his... 
problems, but it felt like rejection.
	"That is not it at all." Kuno put his hand gently on her 
shoulder. "It is not that I am unwilling, but that I... I..."
	"Is it Nabiki? Is it because of her? I said I didn't care, 
and I don't care about how..."
	"It's not that simple, though I wish it were." His hand 
trailed down her arm until it grasped hers. "I know what you must 
think of me. A single parent who can barely function on his own, 
let alone take care of a baby..."
	"Where is she?" Tojiko asked, the question an obvious 
diversion away from the direction things were heading.
	"She is with... her mother's family for the week. Why?" He 
still couldn't get her to turn around and face him.
	"So why is she with them for a week? A full week. Why is 
that?" Tojiko asked, this question taking her mind off things that 
were less pleasant.
	"Because she... Her mother..."
	Tojiko turned and met Kuno's confused gaze. "Just tell me. 
How is that so difficult?"
	"Tojiko, would you allow me to tell you a story?" Kuno 
asked, knowing that it was time. Things had gone too far and he 
didn't really want them to stop. "It shouldn't take long."
	"I suppose, Tatewaki. But I don't see..."
	"Sit with me." Kuno went into the compact living room and 
sat on the loveseat that was settled in front of a blank 
television. He waited for Tojiko to sit next to him before 
speaking. "This story has to do with a group of children who 
didn't know better. One of them was cursed terribly to always be 
surrounded by chaos, and it was his goal to remove this curse.
	"Unfortunately, one potential cure had serious, even deadly 
results. More than one of the children were killed, and the young 
man and one of his enemies ended up trapped together on a 
mysterious island. They stayed there for two years." Kuno stared 
off into the darkened room as he spoke, trying not to let emotion 
break his voice.
	"But what does..."
	"This boy was cursed to be surrounded by chaos, but he was 
also cursed to turn into a beautiful girl when splashed by cold 
water. Hot water returned him to his normal form, but on the 
island, there was no hot water. And both of them had lost their 
memories. They didn't know."
	Tojiko was taking everything amazingly well and she wasn't 
sure why. But there was something she was sure of: when she took 
Tatewaki's hand, he squeezed hers gently.
	"And this enemy of his, he fell in love with this girl who 
did not know that she was a boy, and she fell in love with him. 
And they had a child together before they were forced to flee the 
island and almost died adrift on the ocean.
	"Not remembering anything, they managed the best they could, 
and the girl called herself Akane, who was the cursed boy's love, 
and his enemy was called Ukyo, one of the cursed boy's friends 
that was killed.
	"The child when she was born was named after one of the 
boy's love's sisters. Her name is..."
	"Nabiki," Tojiko said for him. She looked at him, partially 
in disbelief, but even moreso in sympathy.
	"Ranma. Ranma is Nabiki's mother. Ranma is her mother and 
I'm afraid because I still love the woman on that island, but I 
love you and I don't want to lose you," Kuno blurted out in one 
breath. He looked at her, pleased that the dark hid the fear in 
his eyes.
	Tojiko put her hand on his cheek. "Tatewaki, I still don't 
care." She leaned up again and kissed him. "I'm not letting you 
get away so easy this time," she said after they parted.
	"What do you..."
	Tojiko wasn't pausing another moment before unbuttoning his 
shirt, leaning forcefully against him. "This is what I mean. But 
it's so much more fun when you play innocent," she commented 
before attacking his chest.
	It hadn't been what he had been expecting at all and wasn't 
prepared to fight off the rush of sensation she was sending 
coursing through him. He pulled her shirt off, barely breaking the 
contact between them. Her slacks were next to go, being unbuttoned 
and unzipped before they were pushed down around her ankles.
	Tojiko wasn't allowing her hands to be idle either and had 
managed to get his pants undone and off while lavishing his bare 
flesh with attention from her mouth.
	Kuno's hands ran up and down her sides before they dropped 
lower to her panties and slowly dragged them down. She froze for a 
moment, but the feel of his warm hands along skin that had 
previously always been protected by a layer of cotton was too nice 
for her to deny.
	Tojiko kicked out of her pants and underwear, leaving her 
clad in only her bra, though she had herself draped all over Kuno. 
Hands and mouth moving together, she pressed herself against him 
in a rhythm, moving like a stationary belly dancer.
	Her hand snuck low, tickling his side for a second, then 
lower still until she hooked the band of his briefs. Down they 
went, leaving them both mostly naked, bodies poised at the brink.
	Kuno's ministrations stopped, letting only his hand idly 
swirl on her shoulder. "I can't do this," he whispered, his arms 
around her, dangerously close to doing it anyway.
	Sighing, Tojiko removed herself from the loveseat and headed 
back to her bedroom, leaving her clothes on the floor.
	Kuno sat on the loveseat, covering his eyes with one arm. 
The one thing he had thought would scare her off hadn't made her 
bat an eyelash. Something he wanted to do with all his heart, but 
not his head, had pushed her away. He was beginning to think he 
just couldn't win.
	A time later, Kuno entered the bedroom to see Tojiko asleep, 
her back to the door, as if she knew he would check on her. He 
watched for a moment, then started to leave. The twisting in his 
stomach would not allow him to though.
	Stripping down to his underwear once again, he slipped into 
bed next to her. His worries were soothed when Tojiko rolled over 
and snuggled up to him. Content for the time, Kuno put his arm 
around her and went to sleep.

***

	"You keep spendin' the night like that and you're gonna get 
yourselves in trouble." Ranma sat and lifted Nabiki to her chest.
	Kuno shook his head. "You know it's not like that at all. 
She thinks there is something wrong with me. I can see it in her 
eyes." He was practically wringing his hands with worry.
	"There is something wrong with you." Ranma leaned forward a 
little. "Or have you not taken a look at the two of us lately?"
	"She has never spoken it aloud, but enough hints were made 
that she believes I need to see a... a..."
	"A shrink? Ow! Watch those teeth, Sweetie."
	Kuno looked like the picture of misery as he nodded.
	"Well, I think if I didn't have all the crap before this 
thing had happened, I might be seein' a shrink too. There's 
nothin' wrong with that." Ranma shrugged, trying not to seem too 
unsympathetic. "She's only doin' it because she cares. If she 
didn't want to stick with ya, she wouldn't even bother thinking 
it."
	"Still, I think that..."
	Ranma shook his head. "Think nothin'. I think it would 
probably be a good idea. It might help... What's the word? 
Reconcile how you are now and the way you used ta be." Looking 
down at Nabiki while she nursed, Ranma continued talking in a 
softer tone. "I really think you should, even if you don't think 
you need it. If only to make her feel better, it'll be worth it."
	Perking up suddenly, Ranma smiled at Kuno. "So she was all 
over you? How far did you go?"
	Kuno's face turned red and he looked down at his hands. 
"We... we didn't. I was unable to."
	Ranma tsked. "That's definitely somethin' the doctor can 
help you with. I hear that it's mostly psychological."
	"Not that! That was not why!" Kuno got control of himself, 
the vein bulging in his neck. "I just could not bring myself to do 
it in good conscience. That is something that should wait until 
marriage. And no matter how much I wanted to..."
	"Do you really think you can hold out that long?" Ranma 
asked.
	"I... I will try. But no, I'm not sure."

***

	"Tatewaki."
	"I would like to speak with you."
	"I don't get a break for another hour. And I'm busy now 
so..."
	"I will wait." Kuno took a seat at a small table in the 
corner and looked over the menu.
	Tojiko looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out just 
what he was up to. Often when she attempted that, it was a losing 
proposition.

	"What do you want, Tatewaki?" Tojiko asked, sitting down 
across from him. "I only have 20 minutes."
	"I wanted to apologize. I wasn't rejecting you. I just don't 
think... I don't think I can do that unless we're..." He looked 
down at the table, then back at her. "And I have decided to visit 
a doctor starting next week." He swallowed and made sure he was 
looking in her eyes. "It was suggested that I bring someone... 
close to me along."
	"So why don't you take Ranma?" was her somewhat bitter 
reply.
	"Ranma is already Nabiki's mother. My relationship with him 
will go no farther than friends."
	The words and what he was implying with them barely 
penetrated Tojiko's very confused brain. "You want me to go with 
you?"
	Kuno nodded. "I don't need a friend with me. Nor do I _want_ 
one with me. I would prefer someone closer, someone who can 
understand from a different viewpoint. I don't want someone who 
knows what I used to be. I wish I couldn't."
	"When and where?  Just tell me and I'll be there."

***

	Kuno swallowed and looked at the gate, completely 
intimidated.
	"Are we going in?" Tojiko asked.
	He nodded in response and lifted his hand to ring the bell. 
It was shaking and his palms were sweaty. But he had already 
explained the situation to Tojiko, and she had accepted it. Maybe 
not completely believed it, but accepting it was the beginning.
	Tojiko reached up and rang the bell with Kuno's hand still 
holding it. "Don't be so nervous," she whispered, leaning against 
him.
	"I'm sorry. It's just that..."
	"And don't be sorry."
	"You don't realize what the situation between Akane and I is 
like. It is most unpleasant."
	"We'll make it through alive. I'm sure of it." Tojiko kissed 
him on the cheek before the gate was opened.
	"Hurry before someone dies."
	"What is the..."
	"I said hurry. Who knows how much longer it'll last before 
they explode in there." Nabiki kept glancing back at the house 
worriedly.
	"I don't..."
	"Just get in there, Kuno-chan. I think it'll be your only 
chance." She shooed the two in and closed the gate.
	As Kuno and Tojiko walked to the front door, they stayed 
alert for whatever it was Nabiki seemed to be so concerned about. 
Inside, it was quiet, with Kasumi, Ranma and Akane already at the 
table, chatting pleasantly.
	"What are you talking about?" Kuno whispered as Nabiki 
closed the door behind them. "It looks perfectly fine."
	"Exactly. I'm just waiting for them to explode. Watch 
yourselves," she warned then smiled and went to the table.
	Tojiko cast a doubtful look at Kuno, but followed as he 
approached the table as well.
	"Good evening," he said.
	"Heya, have a seat. We're just gettin' ready to eat," Ranma 
offered, smiling. "Thought you weren't gonna make it there for a 
bit."
	"We wouldn't miss it," Tojiko said perkily. She waited for 
Kuno to sit to Ranma's right, across from Akane, before she sat 
next to him. "It smells delicious."
	"Thank you. It's one of my mother's recipes," Kasumi 
answered politely.
	And then they began to eat with almost false politeness.
	Everyone stayed quiet, even both Nabikis. There was 
something happening that didn't seem like it would be a good idea 
to interrupt.
	"Excuse me..."
	"Tojiko. Just call me Tojiko."
	"Yes, Tojiko." Akane gave her a thin smile. "I was just 
wondering how you met my husband and his..."
	Ranma looked at Akane for a heartbeat, then continued to 
eat.
	"Friend. Ranma's talked a lot about you. I think he 
considers himself a matchmaker." Akane smiled wider, but it was 
limited to only her mouth.
	"Oh well I was working at the cafe on my usual shift when 
these three come in, and little Nabiki was just adorable, and..." 
Tojiko shrugged, smiling, a little aglow with the memory.
	"Yes, she is a beautiful child. It's surprising actually." 
This time, the humor reached her eyes as she looked over at Ranma.
	"Hey, Nabiki's gonna be the cutest girl in school when she 
starts," he said with a mouthful of food.
	The elder Nabiki just shook her head and rolled her eyes. 
She was still waiting for something to happen.
	Tojiko smiled warmly and looked at Kuno. She was worried and 
a little disappointed to see how he was looking sadly at Ranma. 
That lasted for a moment, then he looked across the table at 
Akane, who was holding Nabiki in her lap. More than anything, she 
wanted to know how everything had gone, all the details. She 
needed to know why they all acted so... coldly to one another.
	She felt a twinge of regret in her, knowing full well that 
her relationship with Tatewaki was not as strong or steady as what 
Ranma and Akane had. Tojiko wasn't even sure it would last, since 
there were things she... wanted in the relationship that so far 
Tatewaki hadn't been able to give her.
	But she wanted to try, and Ranma and Akane just showed her 
how miserably she was failing to make a stronger bond. When she 
tried to get close, he pushed her away.
	The counseling had been a revelation for the both of them, 
but that didn't seem to help their relationship. That just didn't 
seem to be the necessary glue, but she didn't know what was.
	Akane was lifting Nabiki and handing her to Ranma; that was 
what got Tojiko's attention. But when Nabiki kicked over Ranma's 
cold beer and Akane's water, she had to stare.
	"Aw, da..." Ranma barked, catching himself from cursing. 
"Akane! Aw, Nabchan. Darn it..." The now female Ranma busied 
herself with cleaning up the mess. "Great, now the whole place is 
gonna smell like beer."
	"It's all true."
	Ranma looked up to find Tojiko staring.
	"It's all true. I don't believe it."
	"Yeah, it's true," answered Ranma, trying to clean herself 
up. "As much as I hate it, I manage to get along." She tried not 
to look uncomfortable as Tojiko continued to stare.

	"I'm sorry I didn't really believe you when you told me what 
happened," Tojiko said quietly as she walked next to Kuno back to 
his house.
	"There is no need. Whether you believed or not, you accepted 
it. That is enough for me."
	Their hands found each other in the dark.
	"It was selfish of me," she said quietly. "I accepted it 
because I... I just wanted you. I didn't really care. I didn't 
care about Nabiki or Ranma; I was pretty sure that if I got enough 
of a foothold, I could make myself more important than them." She 
looked at the sidewalk.
	"Though you never..."
	"No, you never. There's one thing I know about men, and 
that's what they think is important in life. A single father, lots 
of responsibility... I don't need to spell it out for you.
	"I still think you're a great person, but maybe I'm not as 
generous and forgiving as you thought I was. No, I know I'm not."
	"Compared to what I used to be, you are a saint," Kuno told 
her. "And I would have fallen into your trap if it hadn't been for 
the person I used to be. Now, after the island, after Akane, now 
that I have Nabiki-chan, I suppose I want it all. I have the house 
and the baby, and now all that is missing is the... the person to 
spend the rest of my life with."
	Tojiko's only response was a squeeze of his hand.

***

	Tojiko sat and looked fairly uncomfortable. Akane was a 
person she didn't know really, and yet she was about to ask her 
about some things that most people only discuss with their 
parents, their closest friends, and the second party.
	Akane returned with tea. "What did you want to talk about?" 
Her manner was cool and pleasant.
	"Well, I know you don't like Tatewaki, but I guess I just 
wanted some perspective on things." She sipped her tea nervously, 
meeting Akane's gaze as little as possible.
	"It's not that I don't like him. I just..."
	Tojiko shook her head. "It's obvious you don't, and that's 
fine by me. I'm not going to try to make you see what a great 
person he is. I just want to know... I'm curious about your 
wedding."
	"My wedding? What about it?" Akane was genuinely surprised.
	"Well," Tojiko began, looking at her tea, "I was just 
wondering what it felt like when it was done with. When you knew 
that you were going to spend your life with Ranma, how did you 
feel?"
	The first real emotion crossed Akane's face then and she 
smiled. "It was a dream come true. I finally knew that all that 
time before wasn't just some crush or even my imagination. It was 
the happiest day of my life, even more than when they called to 
tell me they'd found Ranma." Akane shook her head slowly, tears at 
the corners of her eyes.
	"It's something I have with him that we'll never lose. No 
matter how we get split apart, the only people that can really 
break us apart are ourselves. And I don't plan on letting that 
happen if I can help it." Akane sipped her tea, acting as if she 
hadn't just poured her heart out.
	"That's wonderful. I don't think I know two people who 
belong together more than you two."
	Akane smiled shyly. "Thank you. It was a struggle."
	Tojiko nodded. "So I've heard. Tatewaki told me all about 
the way things used to be." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "I 
don't think I could have put up with it."
	"It wasn't easy, and there were times I didn't think I'd 
ever make it to this day, but now that we're together, none of 
that seems to matter."
	Tojiko was nodding again. "Even the things with Tatewaki?" 
she asked evenly, watching for Akane's reaction.
	Akane winced, but maintained her composure. This was a 
discussion she didn't want to get into because she was pretty sure 
that Tojiko was ready to attack. The last thing Akane wanted was 
unnecessary hostility; there had been too much of that already. 
"What's done is done. It's in the past and is going to stay there. 
Is that why you came here? To pick a fight?" Akane shook her head 
slowly, eyes downcast. "I don't need to. I don't _want_ to. The 
only thing that ever achieved before was a lot of misery. I don't 
want to be your enemy, Tojiko, so I'm not going to defend myself 
over things that happened over two years ago."
	"I guess that's what I wanted to hear because I _would_ 
fight over it. I would fight for Tatewaki, and I definitely want 
what you and Ranma have." Tojiko set her cup of tea down. "I'm 
sorry for disturbing you. I'll just be going now."
	Akane stood as Tojiko did. "You're going to marry him?"
	"I would sure like to. There are other people in the world 
that aren't lucky enough to have a storybook life, marrying their 
high school sweetheart and living happily ever after. Some of us 
have to work our tails off to get along." Her voice softened since 
she could see the confusion in Akane's eyes.
	"I want what's best for Tatewaki, and I'm sorry to say this, 
but you're not helping. I'm happy for you and Ranma, but..."
	"I understand. I think you should leave now."
	"Don't worry. I'm on my way out." She stopped in the 
doorway. "And thank you, Akane. I appreciate it, even if it 
doesn't seem like it."

	"I talked to Akane today." Tojiko was cleaning carrots while 
Kuno cut onions.
	"Oh? And why did you do that?"
	"I was just asking her about some things. Nothing all that 
important."
	"I doubt that. What did you discuss?"
	She shrugged. "Girl talk. Things like that."
	Kuno looked at her, drawing his eyebrows together. "Things? 
For some reason, I believe it was more than that."
	Tojiko sighed. "So I asked her about her wedding. Just how 
things went, what it was like... You know. I was curious."
	"And?"
	Frowning and concentrating on the carrots, Tojiko took a 
moment before speaking. "I told her... to... I told her that she 
was hurting you, and that I'd fight to defend you."
	Kuno was perplexed. "Why would you ever do something like 
that?"
	"Because it's the truth. I would, no matter what. I've said 
it enough. I love you and I don't want to see you hurt. If that 
means I have to defend you, protect you, then I will." She turned 
and looked into his eyes.
	"Akane's done nothing to hurt me. I'm not concerned..."
	"But I am! She's got no right to treat you like she has! And 
Tatewaki Kuno, don't try to hide things from me. For whatever 
reason, I know it hurts you. And no matter how much you try to 
deny it, I'm going to watch over you for as long as you live." 
Tojiko was breathing heavily, looking at Kuno with fire in her 
eyes.
	He looked back, face devoid of emotion.
	They looked at each other, completely in silence except for 
the sound of Tojiko's breathing for more than a minute.
	"Tojiko..."
	"What?" she snapped.
	"Was that... was that a proposal?"
	"Maybe. You got a problem with that?"
	"On the contrary."
	"Good. Now kiss me, you idiot."


...