Ranma stared at the scene before him. Akane lay on the ground, her face
unrecognizable from the damage wrought by the large caliber handgun Kasumi
was holding.
"Well, that's that," Kasumi said cheerfully. She started to put it away and
then paused, as though something had occured to her. "Oh yes, I almost
forgot. Thank you."
Turning, she fired three quick shots, ending the lives of Tofu, Genma, and
Soun. "No more blubbering idiots, having to cook enough food to feed an
entire army, or listening to a grown man blubber like a baby." She tucked the
gun into her apron. "She should thank me." Then she looked down at her hands.
"Why haven't I-Ah, there we go." For a moment, the air around her was
suffused with red and Ranma could have sworn that he saw a blond haired woman
superimposed over Kasumi and then she was gone and Kasumi was staring at the
gun in her apron.
"Oh my," she said, astonished. Then, a white haze obscured Ranma's vision and
he was drifting in a sea of white. He felt strangely unconcerned about everyth
ing.
<Ranma. . .> The voice was neither male or female, yet both and somehow
neither.
"Who?" Ranma asked, looking around.
<I need your help Ranma. My daughter and grandson are about to clash in
Nerima. It must be prevented.>
"Huh?"
<Akane died because of my grandson. My daughter is about to try and prevent
it. He must be stopped. For the sake of my own existance, I must act.>
"But what can I do?"
<Your best.> With that, Ranma lost the use of all his senses and then they
were back.
". . .these are my daughters. Kasumi, age nineteen. Nabiki, age seventeen,
and Akane, age sixteen, one of them shall be your bride." Ranma looked
around, trying not be obvious about it. He was kneeling at a table in a small
room that he knew all to well. Next to him, two other girls also knelt.
Across the table, a redhaired, well built girl was scowling at them as a
large panda stood behind her. It was then he spied a mirror and when he
looked, Akane stared back. For some reason, all he could thing of was two
words;
Oh boy. . .