Quick Note: I've seen one or two other fics that show
Ranma not being able to read more than katakana...I
don't think that's canon...but it fits the
story....this could have been done better though...I'm
not going any further with this...
*******************************************************
"Hey Saotome." The martial artist in question looked
up suspiciously at the sound of the voice. It wasn't
that he didn't like Nabiki, she tended to treat him
like a younger brother, it was the tendency his funds
had of disappearing around her that bothered him.
"What do you want Nabiki?" he asked, pausing in his
kata to pay attention to her. He glanced quickly at
the koi pond to be prepared for any surprises of the
aquatic nature, and then turned full attention to
Nabiki. They could still hear the bricks being broken
in the dojo proper. Ranma and Akane had gotten a
little closer after the wedding attempt. One result
was that they had mutually and independently decided
to work out stress away from each other.
"Hey, I didn't know about the exploding food or the
katana," Nabiki noted quickly. Ranma nodded, it
wasn't an apology, but he didn't really expect one.
"Let's not talk about it, okay?" he said. "Now what
do you want?" Nabiki shrugged, she had to admit she
deserved it. Maybe not admit it out loud, but she had
to admit it. She had been planning on avoiding both
him and Akane for a little bit longer yet, but she was
curious about something.
"When did the panda start keeping a journal?" she
asked casually.
"That's what you want to know about?" Ranma blinked
confused. "The old man's book?"
"Yeah, when did he start writing it?" Ranma's
attitude indicated that the book had been around for
awhile. Nabiki didn't like to think that she could
have missed a detail like that.
"I don't know, it's been around as long as I can
remember," Ranma shrugged. ~There has to be something
more to this, she can't just be interested in that
stupid book.~
"What does he put in it?"
"Never told me," Ranma shrugged. "Knowing him its
probably a lot more stupid techniques like croaked
frog and junk like that."
"And you've never taken a peek at it?" Nabiki hmphed
in disbelief.
"Why would I want to do that?" Ranma asked, suddenly
embarrassed. He went back to his kata in an attempt
to end the conversation. Nabiki had a sudden thought.
"It's written in kanji, isn't it?" Nabiki asked.
Ranma could barely write his name without screwing up,
a rather severe hole in his already questionable
education. Ranma's response was a twitch and a growl.
"Why are you asking ME all this? It's not my book!"
"Alright, alright, forget I asked," Nabiki rose her
hands and backed off, letting Ranma go back to his
practicing. ~I can find this out for myself. What
could be in that journal that's worth hiding it?~
Nabiki decided that she'd have to rework her
estimation of Genma. She had always thought that he
had acted a little too stupid considering that he
created the Umisen and Yamasen techniques. She made a
little stop by her room, after checking to see that
her father and Ranma's were still gone, and then was
on to the guestroom. It took only a moment to find
the books hiding place, since she had happened to see
Genma placing it.
Nabiki spent the next few minutes clicking away with
her camera, and turning pages. She did not fall into
the trap of reading the book here, where she could get
lost and be caught. After all, she'd have plenty of
chance to read it later when she transferred the
digital pictures to her computer. She then carefully
returned the book to its former position and
readjusted all the little warning signals Genma had
set on it. She didn't want him to know it had been
disturbed after all. Then it was back to her room.
Half an hour later found her sitting in the diner
with a sundae and a sheaf of printed papers. Most
people would call this an invasion of privacy, but as
far as Nabiki was concerned, any secret of Genma's was
a dangerous thing. Genma's secrets usually meant bad
news for Ranma, and that meant bad news for her
sister. Since the two of them couldn't do it for
themselves, she took it upon herself to protect them
as much as she could. Provided it didn't take too
much effort anyway.
"Let's see what the panda's hiding," Nabiki said
quietly to herself.
*******************************************************
MM/DD/98
Tendo's middle daughter is mercenary girl. She could
prove useful in the training process. The boy still
has a tendency to try to make friends with people; for
all that he's inept at it. Maybe this girl can push
him over the edge...
MM/DD/98
That girl has already helped me tremendously. After
the samurai's proposal of love to the pig-tailed girl
I'll bet the boy is really thinking people aren't
worth the trouble. One less distraction from the art.
Avoiding Kuno could be good practice too, though the
samurai isn't anywhere near Ranma's skill level.....
MM/DD/98
The boy is really angry about the Tendo girl's fake
engagement. He's beginning to act a lot more
suspicious. Its getting harder to surprise him than
before.....
MM/DD/99
Nabiki passed out invitations to the surprise
wedding. Didn't think she could pass up the chance
for a little profit. The boy and Akane are even
closer, I support the marriage but love is too much of
a distraction. What would happen if they quit
fighting?
*******************************************************
Nabiki looked into the mirror after rinsing her mouth
out of the faucet again. She still felt ill, but she
didn't think there was anything else in her stomach to
disgorge. The man was sick. It was beginning to look
like the neko-ken was only the most obvious of Genma's
rather poorly chosen training methods.
To make matters worse, not only was he setting out to
make Ranma's life miserable, Genma had used HER to do
it. The insult being she hadn't noticed. She would
have been impressed if the task she had been
performing weren't so reprehensible.
"I didn't think anybody could be so stupid as all
that," Nabiki told herself. "And people think RANMA's
a freak." Nabiki walked back to her booth and stuck
the papers into a manila envelope. She was going to
need help on this.
Kasumi was a definite yes, her older sister could
probably think of any of a number of things to help
repair some of the damage done. She would do it
quietly too, not just drop the bomb on Ranma and
Akane. Nabiki wanted more help than that, however.
She'd come up with something soon enough. For now she
had to talk to Kasumi.
*******************************************************
"Tadaima." Nabiki glanced at the two fathers playing
shogi on the porch. ~Great, he's here.~
"Okaeri Nasai," Kasumi voice drifted from somewhere
further back in the house. The eternally serene girl
quietly appeared with the same grace and breeziness
that her voice had just moved through the house. "I
was wondering where you had been all morning."
"I had to get out of the house for a little while,"
Nabiki said, noticing Kasumi watching her carefully.
Kasumi had her purse out, which meant she was going
shopping. ~Perfect.~
"Are you feeling okay, Nabiki," Kasumi asked. "You
look a little pale."
"I'm fine," she mentally checked to make sure Genma
wasn't watching. "Want some help with the shopping?"
Kasumi looked at her in mild surprise. "I still feel
like doing some walking."
"Certainly, I'd enjoy the company," Kasumi said with
her normal smile. "Shall we go then?" The beginning
of the trip consisted mostly of small talk while
Nabiki worked out how she was going broach the
subject.
Neither noticed when they passed a certain young
woman at one of the street vendors. If she had been
dressed with her standard kit the spatula probably
would have picked her out right away. As it was
Kasumi only vaguely noted a white hair ribbon and
Nabiki was for once to distracted to pay much
attention to things. Ukyou certainly didn't miss them
though.
"Kasumi and Nabiki," the chef said to herself. "I
wonder if I can find out if Ranchan hates me or not."
She still didn't know just what she had been thinking
when she took Shampoo's suggestion of exploding food.
That had been stupid, so far beyond stupid that hit
Kuno levels. It had probably ruined her chances as a
fiancee, and maybe even destroyed the friendship. At
one point she had irrationally decided that the
panda's attempt to snag some free food earlier that
day had irritated her. She needed to know where she
stood.
"Kasumi..." Nabiki hesitated.
"Whatever it is can't be all that bad, can it?"
Kasumi said sweetly. Ukyou pulled up short aborting
her attempt to get their attention. Nabiki looked at
her in surprise. "You and Akane are both so reluctant
about asking for help." She spoke with a mildly
amused voice. "But the build-up is easy to spot now."
"I'm not that obvious, am I?" Nabiki asked, suddenly
nervous.
"Only to someone who knows you, imouto-san," Kasumi's
voice was only a little patronizing.
"I hope so," Nabiki muttered. "Uh...anyway, there's
a problem. Its about Ranma..."
"Oh, Nabiki," Kasumi gasped. "You haven't fallen for
him too, have you?"
"What?!" Nabiki's exclamation neatly covered the
sound of Ukyou's facefault. "No! That's not the
problem."
"Are you certain of that Nabiki, you did go to all
that trouble to ruin their wedding, and it does seem
to be a contagious condition."
~Never heard it put that way before,~ Ukyou thought
as she got back to her feet.
"It wasn't much trouble," Nabiki noted, she directed
her sister to the sparsely populated park and removed
the printed photos from the envelope. "This is the
problem." She opened the envelope and handed Kasumi
the printed journal.
"What is this...Saotome-san's journal? Nabiki where
did you get this? This is an extreme invasion of
privacy."
~The panda keeps a journal?~ Ukyou blinked.
"My digital camera," Nabiki said honestly. "Just
read a few entries, you'll see the problem." Kasumi
gave Nabiki a reproachful look before reading a few
entries. She blanched, flipped a few pages picked
another entry, then another.
*******************************************************
MM/DD/98
Tendo's eldest shouldn't be a problem. She's exactly
like a woman should be. Dutiful, quiet, and
empty-headed....
MM/DD/98
I was wrong about Kasumi; she's making the boy soft.
He's actually somewhat polite when talking to her.
He's beginning to think that she's safe, he shouldn't
think anything's safe....
MM/DD/98
Does that girl run everything in this house? If you
want anything done you have to ask Kasumi. The boy
trusts her, and she's been giving him advice on
dealing with Akane. I can't figure out what to do
about her.....
*******************************************************
"Oh my, is it ALL like this?"
"Yes," Nabiki's lip curled. "It's ALL like that. He
tricked me. ME!" Nabiki growled low as her eyes
narrowed.
~She looks sick,~ Ukyou had rarely seen any extreme
emotion on Nabiki's face. She leaned forward a bit,
parting the leaves of the bush she was behind. When
Kasumi's head started to turn back toward she returned
to a less risky position. ~What's in those papers.~
"I spent five hours reading it through," Nabiki said
with a shiver.
"Oh my, he talks about me here," Kasumi said. "He
doesn't like me much, does he?"
~Who could NOT like Kasumi?~ Ukyou asked herself.
"No, he doesn't," Nabiki agreed.
"Oh, this explains Ukyou's behavior at the wedding,"
Kasumi said.
~Huh? What did she say?~
"What do I do about this, Kasumi?" Kasumi handed
back the papers to Nabiki, handling it as if it were
something rather smelly and distasteful. "This is so
far beyond one of my pranks or scams."
"This will have to go to the authorities," Kasumi
said.
"If possible I'd like to keep this to the family for
now," Nabiki said.
"Nabiki..."
"I would like to know how Ranma takes this," Nabiki
explained, interrupting. "You'd think that with just
Jusenkyo and the Neko-ken he'd have had enough, but he
thinks his father is just stupid, not...." Nabiki made
a vague gesture as she tried to come up with a word.
"You make a point," Kasumi nodded as she stood up.
"I'll give you a week, Nabiki, after that I expect
that...item to be in the hands of the police. You can
print another copy I assume?"
"What do you take me for?"
"Good, then perhaps you can leave that one with
Ukyou," Kasumi said, Nabiki blinked, behind her bush
Ukyou twitched.
"Are you sure we should tell her about this?"
"She deserves to know, Nabiki. The question is
academic anyway. You can come out now."
"How did you know I was there?" Ukyou asked as she
stepped from behind the bush.
"Oh, I didn't," Kasumi said, Ukyou facefaulted and
Nabiki slapped her forehead.
"She used to pull that one on me all the time,"
Nabiki explained, irritated that she had been fooled
again, even if it was just a small way. "How much did
you hear?"
"What's in that thing?" Ukyou said bluntly. Nabiki
glanced at the envelope and considered.
"Nabiki..." Kasumi's lecturing tone began to creep
into her voice.
"Alright, alright," Nabiki said. She handed over the
envelope to Ukyou. "Don't let anybody else see that,
and promise me you won't do anything without talking
to us first."
"Like what?" Ukyou asked.
"Like making a panda rug."
"I want to do that anyway, how much worse can this
make Genma seem."
"Quite a bit, actually," Kasumi said. "If you see
Ryouga, however, you might want to show him that."
"Ryouga!?" Nabiki looked at her sister as if she'd
gone insane.
"But I think that should be it for now," Kasumi
paused and looked momentarily wistful. "I wish Dr.
Tofu were still here, he always seemed to have
answers. Odd considering how funny he always acted."
"Now he would make sense, but Ryouga?!"
"Well, I got to go," Ukyou said. "Umm, one question
before I go...how did Ranchan and Akane feel about
me...uhh..."
"I wouldn't be by the dojo without calling ahead
first," Nabiki said.
"They were quite upset," Kasumi agreed. "But I find
that it probably wasn't all your fault. Good day,
Nabiki, we have shopping to do."
"Right, Kasumi," Nabiki said frustrated. She turned
to Ukyou again. "Don't do anything, and don't tell to
anybody, especially Ranma and Akane."
"Gotcha," Ukyou said, confused. ~Okay, I have to
read this now.~ She looked around and decided that
maybe Ucchan's would be a better place to do this.
*******************************************************
MM/DD/88
The boy has a lot more potential than I do; he'll
pass my physical skills before he hits his twenties.
That is a problem, it is difficult to train someone
better than you, but I think I have found a solution.
He has improved greatly since beginning this game
with the Kuonji boy. He likes the competition aspect,
and there really is no teacher like experience. Too
bad it is such a friendly contest. If Kuonji were
trying to kill him though, now if only there was a way
to do it....
MM/DD/988
Problem solved, the Kuonji boy is a girl. Her father
came by to discuss an engagement. A woman scorned is
a dangerous thing indeed. Too bad she's not a boy
after all though, I don't want the boy to get used to
weak opponents....
MM/DD/98
The Kuonji girl is back, and she's out to marry him
again. Fortunately this makes the current fiancee
situation even harder to get out of. I'd much prefer
if she was still trying to kill him, but at least
she's making life a little harder for him...
MM/DD/99
Kuonji is a little too nice still; she'll need a
little prodding when Nabiki tells her about the
wedding. Maybe, if I slip her something that day�
*******************************************************
"Ukyou-sama," Konatsu knocked on the door to the
shower again. "Are you okay?"
His object of worship had been in the shower for the
past hour, and this was after she had locked herself
in a room for most of the evening. She had been
acting funny recently, she had been getting really
obsessive up until the day of the abortive wedding.
Since then she had been rather depressed. Then she
had stomped out of her room and disappeared into the
shower.
"Bastard," Ukyou muttered, not hearing the kunoichi
outside over the water and her own muttering. She was
on her third bar of soap now, and was starting to feel
a bit like a prune. "Sick, perverted bastard. Woman
scorned he says? If he wants to see me mad..."
*******************************************************
Ranma paused as he walked out of the house proper and
saw Nabiki waiting by the gate.
"Hey, Otooto," she blinked and looked past his
shoulder. "Where's Akane?"
"Uh..." Ranma was still surprised by the familial
term she had just casually tossed out. "She forgot a
couple of things."
"You're not going without her, are you?" Nabiki asked
with more than a little reproach.
"Of course not!" Ranma answered quickly. "I'm just
waiting for her out here. Why?" He narrowed his eyes
suspiciously.
"I wanted to talk to both of you," she sighed and
checked her watch. "But I need to get going so, I was
wondering if you two would like me to treat you to a
movie or something." Ranma froze and stared at her.
"Talk to her about it will you." Then she turned and
was gone leaving a stunned Ranma behind her.
"Don't just stand there!" Akane snapped after she had
been standing next to him for almost a minute. "We're
going to be late!" She rolled her eyes and headed out
the gate.
"Hey wait a minute," Ranma snapped out of his daze to
follow Akane.
"Akane, is there something wrong with Nabiki?" Ranma
asked halfway to the school. Akane looked at him
curiously.
"Besides the obvious you mean?" Akane asked.
"Yeah, she called me 'otooto.'"
"That IS strange," Akane admitted.
"Then she offered to treat us to a movie." Akane
tried to respond but her jaw didn't seem to be
working.
"What?"
"She wanted to know if we felt like going with her to
a movie or something," he said. "HER treat."
"That's very....oh great," Akane growled the last as
she looked over to the school. Ukyou was pacing in
front of the gate and glaring about the place, doing a
decent Ryouga imitation.
"We could get around her," Ranma pointed to the wall.
"Hell no, I'm not running from anybody!" Akane
growled stomping forward.
"I don't want to deal with her right now Akane,"
Ranma explained.
"Look at her, Baka, she's out for blood," Akane
snapped. "She's in our classes, how are you NOT going
to deal with her." Ranma thought about it a moment.
"I guess it had to come sooner or later," Ranma
admitted reluctantly. "Let's go."
"...damn bastard, I'm going to skin him alive," Ukyou
turned around to see Akane and Ranma walking towards
her, looking less than happy. That was actually
somewhat of an understatement for Akane. Ukyou
wondered briefly if there'd be enough left of her for
a funeral. "Uh...hi guys."
"Don't you 'hi guys' us," Akane was confused, she
would have thought Ukyou would have immediately leapt
to the accusations. "You tried to kill me!" Akane
maintained her own anger and glare though.
"What do you want Ukyou?" Ranma asked coldly. Ukyou
briefly entertained thoughts of using what she knew in
another attempt to win him over. That ended quickly,
looking at the two Ranma and Akane already seemed to
be operating as one unit. She had lost that battle,
Jusendo and the aftermath of the wedding had cinched
it.
"I...I...Gomen nasai," she bowed low in front of
Akane and Ranma. The Anything-Goes martial artists
stared in shock. "I...haven't been myself."
"You mean you don't want to fight?" Akane demanded.
"No," Ukyou answered. ~Not either of you anyway.~
"Besides, I think I like my face the way it is."
"Oh kay," was Ranma's only response.
"I'll...be going now," Ukyou said. "Try to make it
to Ucchan's please, it gets lonely with just Konatsu
to talk to. He doesn't argue enough to be interesting
conversation." Ukyou left before they could answer.
"Is everyone going crazy today?" Akane asked.
"Ah! My lovely Akane!! Allow me to defend your honor
from that wretched scoundrel Saotome!!" The
declaration was followed shortly by the sound of a
large unaerodynamic missile flying through the air
over the school.
"At least Kuno isn't acting weird," Ranma noted,
admiring Akane's uppercut form. Usually he liked to
get to Kuno first, Akane had a tendency to go
overboard, but Akane needed something to hit.
*******************************************************
"Oh, I'm sorry Saotome-san," Kasumi said sweetly.
"But the hot water is out again, I've already called
the plumber."
*What am I going to do then?* The irritable panda's
sign read. Kasumi thought back to the book on
pressure points she had borrowed from Dr. Tofu earlier
that year, and briefly wondered if they'd be similar
on a panda.
"Well, I have some water on the stove, but..." Kasumi
started, the panda pushed in past her and reached for
the teakettle. Kasumi resisted the urge to smile as
the panda yelped in pain and pulled his paw back from
the kettle. "...I was boiling it for tea."
*I'll just go to the public baths,* the panda's next
sign read. He shuffled out of the kitchen and Kasumi
looked about at the bits of fur left in her kitchen.
"What an unsanitary beast," Kasumi sighed as she went
to get a broom. She noted pleasantly the panda
walking past the outer gate as she continued along.
Kasumi was surprised when the broom closet opened
before she got there. Her surprise diminished as she
recognized a familiar yellow tunic and black and
yellow bandana.
"Excuse me, can you tell me the way to...Kasumi?"
Ryouga blinked. "What are you doing here in
Tomobiki?"
"This is Nerima, Ryouga-san," Kasumi said patiently.
"But that little girl with the blue hair said it was
Tomobiki," Ryouga said. Kasumi looked past Ryouga
into the closet and briefly wondered when her broom
closet had gotten so large. Then a little red door
with a circular window closed near the back, just
before vanishing. "Then there was the girl with the
red hair who kept shouting and asking if I was related
to someone named Mihoshi. Maybe I shouldn't have used
the baksai tenketsu on that wall, or whatever it was"
"Oh my," Kasumi said, sweatdropping. "I'm glad
you're here, however."
"You are..." Ryouga swallowed nervously. Kasumi
nodded and gestured an invitation to follow her.
"Could you hand me that broom while you're there?"
Kasumi asked. "And the dust pan, thank you."
"Umm...why would you want to see me?" Ryouga asked
cautiously. Kasumi turned around and noticed him
blushing. She sighed briefly, exasperated by the
emotional upheavals that were adolescent males.
"Yes, there's something I want you to see," Kasumi
said, making sure that he followed her to the kitchen.
"But Ukyou is holding it right now, so we shall have
to wait until school is over." She continued before
the lost boy could respond. "Why don't you attend
school?"
"Uh...well...I never really...can," he stood there
poking his fingers together while she swept up her
kitchen. "Find it...often enough."
"You've been to school before, how did you find it
then?" Kasumi asked, clapping her hands after
disposing of the panda hair. She gestured slightly
and Ryouga moved out of her way so she could move to
put the broom and dustpan away.
"Shirokuro used to get me places," Ryouga admitted
nervously as Kasumi walked back. "And uh...." he
mumbled something.
"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that last sentence,"
Kasumi said quietly.
"I used to follow Ranma a couple of times," he
admitted grudgingly.
"Oh, well that was nice of him to help you," Kasumi
said. She took a towel and used it to take the
teakettle, placed it on a tray, and took down a pair
of saucers and cups.
"Nice, him? He would insult me the entire way and
never got close enough to let me get my hands on him,"
Ryouga sniffed. "Coward, always running away."
"Excuse me," Kasumi turned around holding the tray,
Ryouga moved out of the way again. "Would you care
for some tea, Ryouga?" She asked as she passed beyond
him.
"S..s..sure," Ryouga followed along hesitantly.
"You're aware that insulting Ranma was a part of
his...father's training methods?"
"So, what does that have to do with anything," Ryouga
asked.
"Well, I've only rarely heard Genma praise Ranma,"
Kasumi noted. "And even then it's just to fluff his
own ego."
"What does how the idiot panda acts have to do with
Ranma being a jerk?"
"I imagine that Ranma has been receiving insults like
that most of his life," Kasumi continued. There was
actually very little imagination involved, though
Kasumi had suspected something like this even before
seeing the journal. "Perhaps he does not understand
that there is any other way to act?" Ryouga stared at
her.
"Just because his father's a jerk doesn't give him
the right to be a jerk," Ryouga insisted.
"I suppose this will have to wait until later,"
Kasumi sighed. She had hoped to be able to reason
with Ryouga before showing him Genma's journal, but
apparently not. "Incidentally, I would try to avoid
Nabiki if I were you."
"Uh...why?"
"Well, you see we recently discovered a certain fact
about our sister's pet pig," Kasumi told him bluntly.
Ryouga stared at her wide-eyed.
"He told.." Ryouga narrowed his eyes and started to
growl.
"Ranma? No, he doesn't know we know yet," Kasumi
said. "You'll understand later today. Now do you
think you can stay put for the next five hours?"
"I guess," Ryouga said warily.
"Good, if you need anything please call me," Kasumi
told him. "Do not look for it yourself."
"I'm not that bad!" Ryouga growled. Kasumi smiled
and sipped her tea.
*******************************************************
Ukyou was surprised to see Kasumi and Ryouga outside
her restaurant as she returned home.
"Have you been waiting for me?" she asked.
"I wanted to avoid Ranma and my sisters," Kasumi
explained. "Nabiki might not be rational about
Ryouga."
"I wonder why," Ukyou glared at him. Ryouga
swallowed nervously.
"Ah, you've read it then," Kasumi said. "I haven't
but skimmed it myself, is it really as bad as it
seems?"
"I'd like to burn the bastard," Ukyou growled. "You
still want him to read it?" Kasumi nodded.
"What are you two talking about?" Ryouga asked.
"You don't want to know, sugar," Ukyou said. "But
we're going to show you anyway."
"Please try not to make a rash decision after reading
this," Kasumi pleaded.
"Ohhh kay....read what?" Ukyou growled and tried to
unlock her door.
"It's upstairs, let me get it," Ukyou unlocked the
door and went inside.
*******************************************************
MM/DD/96
The boy has been getting food at that school of his
somehow. He doesn't fight for his meals quite as
enthusiastically as he should. I wonder if they've
started serving the food free.
MM/DD/96
There is no problem, he's been fighting for his food.
The principal wanted to talk to me about my son's
belligerent behavior. From the sounds of it he has
been continually competing with some other boy.
Ryouga Hibiki, I'll have to see about this.
MM/DD/96
The boy is trying to help this Hibiki person. I
heard about his sense of direction, and apparently he
knows about it too. Everyday he lets this Ryouga
follow him to school. Actually, Hibiki shows
potential. He doesn't have the boy's speed, but he
seems to have a great deal more strength and
endurance. And he does not appreciate the boy's help.
Maybe I can work on this.
MM/DD/96
Ryouga wants one more duel with the boy before we
leave. I saw him practicing his path to the agreed on
meeting place the other day. He's on the edge, if the
boy "backs out" of this man to man fight, it might
push him over. This should be easy to do, all that is
needed is to move one of Hibiki's land marks and he
won't make it.
MM/DD/96
It worked, he didn't show up. The boy waited three
days. We would have left earlier, but I had to wait
for him to fall from exhaustion first. I can't
usually beat him in a straight on fight anymore, and
he was adamant about this. Foolish boy, he doesn't
even realize that his friend hates him. I have to get
him away from people again, he is getting some funny
ideas.
MM/DD/98
That Hibiki boy followed us to Jusenkyo, I saw him
when the boy was trying to kill me. That was lucky, I
think the boy would have caught me if I didn't put
Hibiki between us, I wonder if the boy even saw him.
I saw Hibiki later, after losing the boy, the bandana
was dead give away. Good thing too, now I know how to
reverse the curse. I should have asked about that
before coming here. Never thought to get cursed
myself. He ran off screaming about killing the boy.
This is better than I could have planned. I wish I
could have had the sweet and sour pork though.
MM/DD/98
Ryouga is making himself a proper rival now, he's
actually nearly defeated the boy several times. The
boy is still holding back though, somehow I have to
convince him to always go all out. Ryouga's also
helping with the boy's sense of honor, sooner or later
he's going to give in and tell Akane about P-Chan.
The sooner he learns that honor is a joke the better.
*******************************************************
"Aren't they going to wonder why you're gone this
long?" Ukyou asked. She watched the continually
darkening expression on Ryouga's face nervously. He
was outlined in green light that was growing ever
brighter, though it hadn't yet burst into a full aura
yet.
"Nabiki is taking Akane and Ranma to a movie, and I
told them I was escorting Ryouga home," Kasumi
explained. "Father and Saotome-san can fend for
themselves for the night." Ryouga stood up.
"I need to be outside," he said in a strangely
emotionless voice. That dead voice that always
signaled a new low for his mood. "Quickly."
"Hmm...OH!" Kasumi's eyes widened momentarily.
"Certainly, it's this way, isn't it Ukyou?"
"YES!! GET HIM OUTSIDE OF MY RESTAURANT ALREADY!!!"
"Okay, follow me please," Kasumi paused, blushed
momentarily and swatted Ryouga's lower back before
leading him out of Ucchan's. Ukyou and Ryouga were
both too distracted to notice the rather
uncharacteristic act. He walked to the middle of
street, took one deep breath and then the green light
about him flared into life.
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!!!!!!!"
*******************************************************
"Whoa," Ranma said looking about the theatre as the
shaking subsided. "Was that an earthquake?"
"Didn't feel like it," Akane said.
"Damn cheap construction," Nabiki muttered. "I'm
going to find a new theatre."
*******************************************************
"DAMN YOU SAOTOME!!!" Ryouga shouted. He moved to
run down the street in pursuit of his prey, stretched
his muscles once, and then his feet fell out from
underneath him. "What the..."
"Oh my," Kasumi said, dusting off her blouse. "It
works." The sound of footsteps crunching on glass
came from behind her.
"MY WINDOWS!!!! MY DOOR!!!! LOOK AT THE CHAIRS!!!!
RYOUGA NO BAKA!!!" Ukyou, still in her boy's school
uniform stalked out of the ruined restaurant bearing
her spatula high.
"Why don't my legs�AHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU D�?" And the
spatula came down.
"I don't suppose you would mind helping me carry him
inside," Kasumi said with a sigh.
"He just DESTROYED my restaurant," Ukyou protested.
"No, he damaged it," Kasumi corrected her. "I am
fairly certain I can help you with the damages."
"Do you ever get excited about anything?"
"Of course I do," Kasumi answered calmly, closing her
eyes demurely for a moment.
*******************************************************
"Hey, why don't we just go to the diner," Nabiki
suggested again. "I thought you were mad at Ukyou."
"Something is going on here," Akane muttered.
"Why should you think that?" Ranma and Akane
stopped, looked at each other, and turned to face
Nabiki. "What?" Ranma and Akane started walking
again.
"Ukyou apologizes to me AND Akane, you're treating us
to dinner and a movie, and Kasumi wasn't home to make
dinner," Ranma listed off each point. "What's next?
Ryouga deciding he's not mad at me anymore?"
"He wouldn't be mad at you if you didn't�" Akane's
automatic response was cut off as they came in front
of Ucchan's.
"What the hell happened here?" Ranma demanded as he
stepped through the shattered doorway.
~They must have told Ryouga,~ Nabiki thought to
herself. ~When I get my hands on the little PIG�~
"Hey, Ukyou!" Ranma called out.
"Is anybody here?" Akane asked.
"RANMA!!!" Ranma and both sisters were surprised
when a yellow blur seemed to appear out of nowhere and
grab the pig-tailed martial artist in what seemed to
be a bear hug. "I�m SO SORRY!!! I didn't know!!"
Akane face-faulted, Nabiki slapped her forehead, Ranma
struggled for air, and Ryouga tried to break Soun's
record for crying.
"Oh my," a familiar voice called out. "Perhaps I
shouldn't have reversed the pressure point so soon."
"What's going on here?!" Akane demanded. A piece of
paper floated down in front of her. She was going to
ignore it, until Nabiki gasped and went for it. Akane
snatched it and started reading.
"Ryouga, you're suffocating him!" Ukyou shouted.
"Huh?" Ryouga blinked and then dropped Ranma. "Oh,
sorry." He reached back and scratched the back of his
head, smiling sheepishly.
"GAAASSP�air�"
"This is Genma's handwriting," Akane noted, somewhat
shakily. She glanced to the bottom of the page and
blinked. "Page twenty!? Where's the rest of this?"
"Scattered about my room when he blew up after
reading it," Ukyou growled pointing at Ryouga. Nabiki
glared at him.
"Hello pig," Nabiki said quietly. Ryouga
sweatdropped.
"Who are all you, and what have you done with our
real friends?" Ranma asked nervously.
"AHH!! HE CALLED ME A FRIEND!!" Ranma's eyes widened
as he leaped out of the way of another hug.
"What's going on?" Ranma demanded.
"So much for the week, Nabiki," Kasumi sighed
stepping downstairs, she was sorting through a pile of
papers..
"This is still family business," Nabiki insisted.
"The police can have him later."
"What are you talking about?"
"I think I have most of it, that page Akane
has should be the last," Kasumi noted. Akane stared
at the pile of paper that the one in her hand was soon
added to.
"Umm, Ranma," Akane said. "I think you should
read that."
"What is it?" Kasumi moved to hand him the
sheaf of papers.
"He can't read it," Nabiki piped up.
"Now, Nabiki, I think it�s a little late to be
keeping this a secret," Kasumi noted.
"No I mean he CAN'T read it," Nabiki repeated.
"As in he's unable. He can't read kanji." Ranma was
fuming.
"I CAN read kanji," he protested. Nabiki
looked at him. "Okay, I know a total of ten symbols,
happy?"
"Ranchan, you can't read," Ukyou blinked. All
that wasted effort writing on those okonomiyaki.
"How do you get through school," Akane asked.
Then she thought for a moment about Ranma's school
record. "Oh, never mind."
"Are you finished laughing at me?" Ranma
demanded. "What is the big idea about whatever is in
that?"
"I guess I'm going to have to�" Akane reached
for the bundle of papers Kasumi was holding, and was
surprised when Kasumi held them back.
"Before you read this, Akane," Kasumi
explained. "You should really have a talk with
Ryouga." The elder Tendo glanced at the lost boy who
swallowed and glanced to Ukyou pleadingly.
"You dug your own grave," the chef shrugged as
Ryouga turned to face the curious, and moderately
irritated, look on Akane's face. Akane turned back to
her sister.
"But�"
"I'll read it to Ranma," Kasumi promised her.
She looked toward Ukyou. "Do you think you can
prevent anything�unpleasant."
"I'll try," Ukyou said, a little
unenthusiastically.
"Nabiki, behave," the named sister arched an
eyebrow. "Now, I think there are still some chairs
standing upstairs. Ranma, if you please." She smiled
again and inclined her head.
"Uh, sure," he glanced apprehensively at the
stairwell. Everybody was looking at him like he was
going to his execution.
"What do you need to talk to me about," Akane
asked shortly, more than a little irritated that
whatever he had to say was keeping her from helping
Ranma. Ranma glanced at Ryouga suspiciously.
"Don't mind them Ranma," Kasumi instructed
him. They were settled down in Ukyou's room, there
was a desk chair and the bed. Kasumi was
double-checking the order of the pages before starting
to read when a sound drifted up from below.
"Explain to me how you're P-CHAN!!" Ranma
winced. At least he wasn't confessing his love to
her.
"Well, it looks to all be in order," Kasumi
said. "This could prove to be�painful Ranma, but
we're all here."
"Whatever," Ranma said. "Can we just get this
over with before Akane kills Ryouga?" Kasumi looked
amused at the comment, then she shook her head
slightly and sadly.
*******************************************************
April 2, 1986
Yesterday was the boy's fourth birthday. Now I can
begin his training. I think I can improve upon the
master's techniques. Every day and every event in his
life is going to be some training. He is going to be
the greatest martial artist of generation, and he will
prove that I am greater than Happosai. The seppuku
agreement I made with his mother will be a good
motivator for later. For now I think I'll let him
think that Nodoka is dead, or else that she abandoned
us. It might make him bitter, more aggressive, less
distracted from the art.
MM/DD/88
He still hasn't earned a meal yet. Until he manages
to protect his food I've told him he'll have to settle
for water and bread. He hunts a great deal and hides
to eat his kills. I've caught him a few times and
taken the food. Lately it's been less, either he's
stopped doing it, or he's getting better and hiding
what he's doing.
MM/DD/90
The Neko-Ken is an utter failure. Not only is the
boy now terrified a mere cats, but even when the
technique is triggered he is out of control. That is
hardly a useful technique, a pity I don't have another
child so I can start over. But he is much faster and
resistant to pain now, so perhaps it isn't a total
loss�
MM/DD/90
He's a lot less friendly now, perhaps the Neko-Ken
was a good idea after all.
MM/DD/95
The boy is an arrogant, loud-mouthed jerk. He
couldn't make friends if he tried. For some reason he
still does try. He's starting to become withdrawn and
quiet, he doesn't talk much. I can't beat him
consistently in a match any more. People are starting
to notice that he's not in school, I've been here too
long, but I still have things I need to do here. I am
going to have to enroll him school it seems, it should
solidify his dislike of society.
MM/DD/97
I ran across a story of some cursed training ground.
Apparently there are these pools that transform people
into various things. The boy is very adamant about
his manhood, as I've raised him to be, I read there
was a girl spring�
MM/DD/98
Found the training ground, I managed to get cursed as
well. The disobedient wretch tossed me into the
spring of drowned panda. He was actually mad after
that, however, and he wasn't holding back near as much
as he usually does. I'm glad the curse can be
reversed, thanks again to Hibiki for that revelation.
The Amazon village went about as well as can be
expected, Shampoo is a dangerous enemy it seems.
MM/DD/98
He likes Akane, he made an attempt to make friends
with her tonight. Fortunately she was sufficiently
angered upon discovering that the boy was a boy. It�s
a hopeless relationship, good thing she was chosen as
his fiancee, he won't possibly fall in love her. No
chance for a distraction from the art.
MM/DD/98
The boy is getting closer to Tendo's daughter. They
still fight, but it is beginning to sound more like a
game. Perhaps it is time for Tendo and I to enact
another matchmaking plan.
MM/DD/98
Kuno's sister is a wonderful tool. Wonderfully
insane, a definite danger that the boy has to adapt
to�.
MM/DD/98
Shampoo is trying to marry the boy now. I did not
work this hard to see him end up as breeding material.
At least Shampoo is totally brainless.
MM/DD/98
Shampoo is more dangerous than I thought, her tricks
are more dangerous than Kodachi's. Protecting Akane
from her is driving Ranma to new heights.
MM/DD/98
The Neko-ken proves useful, the boy defeated Cologne
with it. That should definitely be kept in the
regimen.
MM/DD/99
The boy hasn't learned to stop caring yet, hiding
from Nodoka is tearing him apart. This shouldn't take
too much more to drive him over the edge.
MM/DD/99
She declared him manly!! With that curse and she
claims that he's manly. She should have forced the
issue and made him give up on Bushido entirely. Manly
indeed.
MM/DD/99
Ranma finally went full out and he KILLED A GOD!
Unfortunately I was under a spell and missed most of
the fight. It seems he was driven by his need to
protect Akane. Maybe if I threaten her life again.
The two are getting awfully close, maybe Nabiki would
be a better choice for his fiancee. She certainly
wouldn't be a distraction, I can't see anyone choosing
her over anything else. I need to take Akane out of
the picture some how, though�.
*******************************************************
"Its kind of quiet up there," Akane noted.
"I wanted to neuter him," Nabiki growled. Ryouga
sweatdropped under her glare. He was starting to feel
a little faint from all the blood rushing to his head.
The lost boy was hanging upside-down, one foot tied
to a beam, very much like a piece of ham or pork. A
rope encircled him, immobilizing his arms.
"He's not a pervert, Nabiki," Akane returned.
"If he tried to be he'd just faint dead away at the
first sign of flesh."
"Aren't you the one that came up with this idea?"
Ukyou asked pointing at Ryouga.
"That doesn't mean I'm not mad at him," Akane noted.
"Just how bad is that 'journal'?"
"Among other things," Nabiki started. "He set Ryouga
and Ukyou up to chase him, went to Jusenkyo
deliberately, and the Amazon village. There was also
the bit about drugging Ukyou so she'd be suitably
aggressive at the wedding." Akane's jaw dropped and
she looked to Ukyou who appeared chagrined.
"I should have known something was strange," Ukyou
whispered contritely.
"Hey it wasn't your fault," Ryouga said. "How can
you expect to catch things when you can't think
straight?"
"I still should have noticed," Ukyou protested,
though she still glanced at Ryouga thankfully.
"I didn't notice," Nabiki pointed out. "How can the
rest of you be expected to catch it?"
"We're not idiots Nabiki," Akane hmphed. Nabiki
arched an eyebrow. The sound of soft footsteps on the
stairs caught their attention. Looking up they saw
Kasumi looking pale and upset, she paused for a moment
and put her hand to her chest as she caught her
breath. In her other hand she was holding the printed
journal.
"There's the other thing too�" Ryouga noted, eyes
narrowed, Nabiki and Ukyou glanced at Akane and looked
nervous.
"What other thing?" Akane asked.
"He�AHHHHEEEEEE!!!!" The scream turned
high-pitched toward the end as his free leg was jerked
down. Nabiki smirked.
"Sorry about that," Ukyou apologized as
sincerely as she could. "I lost my balance for a
moment."
"No problem," Ryouga answered in a high,
squeaky voice. Akane sweatdropped.
"Akane, dear," Kasumi called out.
"Yes?" Akane called out nervously.
"Can you come up here please?" Akane looked
around nervously and then walked upstairs. She looked
at her sister and then turned toward Ukyou's room and
saw Ranma just staring with an unreadable expression
on his face. "He needs some support, and I think you
are the better candidate."
"H..hai�" she stared at the collection of
papers and narrowed her eyes. Then she turned around
approached Ranma.
Kasumi fanned herself and then noticed what
she was using and held it out again at arm's length as
she walked downstairs. She set the bundle down and
looked around the restaurant.
"I see the lights survived," Kasumi commented.
She wandered over to the counter-grill and walked to
where the beverages were kept. "You don't serve
alcohol." She closed the fridge and sighed.
Everybody stared at her.
"You�drink?" Nabiki managed finally. Kasumi
shrugged.
"About once a year," Kasumi explained with an
embarrassed smile. "But I could make an exception for
tonight." She noticed Ryouga finally, walked over and
turned him to face her. She stared down at him and
then bent over to try and meet him face to face. "You
make a lot of noise, do you know that?"
"Well�" Ryouga giggled nervously as Kasumi
righted herself again.
"How's Ranchan taking it?" Ukyou asked
nervously. Kasumi looked up at the ceiling.
"As well as can be expected," she answered.
"He hasn't said anything yet."
"I think I'm passing out here," Ryouga noted.
"Did you hear something," Nabiki asked.
"Nope," Ukyou shrugged, her arm smacking into
Ryouga and starting him spinning, albeit slowly.
"Kasumi?" Ryouga pleaded.
"With all your battles and training, you can't
handle this?" Kasumi asked curiously, but making no
other move.
*******************************************************
"Ranma?" Akane whispered. He looked at her with a
sort of shocked expression.
"If it wasn't Kasumi�" he whispered. Akane sat down
next to him and hesitantly touched grabbed his hand.
"Not once in that thing does he ever write down my
name, everybody else's name is there, but me? The
boy, the boy, the boy." He narrowed his eyes and
growled out the words.
"Maybe he thought you'd recognize your own name," she
added hopefully. Ranma looked at her and snorted.
"He wanted my mom to declare me unmanly, he tried to
cook Ryouga, drugged Ukyou so that she'd act crazy at
our wedding," he said quietly.
"They told me that downstairs," she said. ~Perhaps
not the part about your mother, or cooking Ryouga,
but, well.~
"There's something else too." Ranma hesitated
and looked down. "Well there are a lot of something
elses, but�"
"Go on," Akane said. ~This must be that
"other thing" they were talking about.~
He sighed and then looked her directly in the
face. "He talks about getting rid of you."
"Oh," Akane was shocked and sat up straight for a
moment.
"He wanted a monster, so he made me." That snapped
Akane out of her momentary daze
"Ranma, you are not a monster," she insisted
"I asked you once if you could tell me what I have
without my strength and you couldn't give me an
answer," Ranma protested.
"Kami-sama, I was EMBARRASSED. Baka," She
rubbed the brow of her nose and shook her head. "You
routinely help your enemies out of trouble even though
you know they'll be attacking you as soon as they get
what they want. You helped Happosai because you felt
sorry for him!"
"I didn't think you.."
"Noticed?" she lifted her eyes heavenward for
patience. "You're a jerk, and an idiot, and you
really DON'T know how to help people outside of a
fight, but you're hardly a monster."
"Thanks, I think," Ranma muttered.
"Happosai is a monster, your father sounds like a
monster," Akane continued. "YOU are a martial
artist." Ranma smiled briefly and frowned again.
"The best," he added hollowly. Akane frowned as he
went back to staring at the floor.
"Kami-sama," she muttered a little angrily before
taking Ranma's head around and kissing him before he
could react. After several long moments she let him
go. "Do you need any other proof that you're not a
monster? Because I certainly wouldn't kiss a
monster." Ranma sputtered and stared at her as she
sat smiled at him in what she hoped was an encouraging
manner.
"Thanks, Akane.." Ranma started, shaking his head to
clear it.
"AAAHHHH!!! Go OUTSIDE to be sick!" Ukyou cried out
from below to interrupt them.
"Maybe we should go downstairs and figure something
out," Akane said reluctantly, standing up.
"We could just feed him to Nabiki," Ranma grumbled as
he stood up, accepting Akane's offered hand. Akane
smirked at the joke.
They walked down stairs and faced their
friend's expectant faces. Nabiki was looking at the
both of them with an expression similar to one Ranma
wore often enough while protecting Akane. Ukyou
mostly looked guilty, but she was occasionally
emitting sparks of a fiery orange aura as she worked
to clean the mess on her floor. Kasumi's expression
was, as usual, unreadable. As for Ryouga, he'd passed
out. Ranma noted his rival's position and glanced at
Akane nervously.
One thing he didn't notice was pity, and he
was glad of that. Of course pity had to come from a
position of superiority, and Ryouga and Ukyou's lives
were almost as thoroughly ruined as Ranma's. Genma
had been starting on the Tendo sisters as well. All
in all, everybody was in too much the same situation
for there to be much in the way of pity.
"Sorry Ucchan," Ranma said finally. He
considered apologizing to Ryouga, but unconscious
people didn't hear too well.
"About what?" the chef asked, before returning
to the distasteful task of cleaning up the former
contents of Ryouga's stomach.
"About being mad about the wedding," he
explained quietly.
"Me too," Akane added reluctantly.
"Why are you two apologizing?" Ukyou asked,
she mentally winced at identifying the pair of them as
a couple again, but tried not to let it show. "It's
the panda's fault. Besides I could have seriously
hurt somebody, you had a right to be mad."
"Well..." Ranma shrugged and then let the
subject drop. "What's next?"
"It is rather late," Kasumi noted. "Perhaps we
should save this discussion for tomorrow. Ryouga-san
has already chosen to get some rest it seems."
Everybody took a moment to figure out if she was being
serious or witty. "I'm certain something will come to
one of us by then." Everybody agreed to that, plans
already hatching in more than one mind.
Ukyou cut down Ryouga and tried to wake him up. She
was mumbling something about learning to clean up his
own messes as she did. Ranma and the Tendo sisters
left in a group, though Ranma and, Akane soon dropped
away from the elder two. Neither felt like returning
to the dojo that night. Nabiki and Kasumi had to have
noticed, but neither commented on it. Ranma and Akane
could take care of themselves quite well, at least
physically.
*******************************************************
Akane watched Ranma carefully as he walked to the edge
of the water in the canal. She could feel the chill
falling out from him in waves. Everybody thought that
pride and confidence were at Ranma's center. The
Mouko Takabisha seemed proof enough of that. Akane
would certainly have agreed, until Jusendo.
It was not his pride that served them most at
Jusendo. It was his adaptability. It was his
control. It was his cool. The pride was just a side
effect, just as Saffron's death was a side effect of
his need to save her life. He had given the phoenix
every chance to get out of the way, Saffron just
didn't listen.
Akane watched as Ranma projected his fury and
betrayal in a cold wave over out from his body. She
frowned as the air around him started to mist over,
revealing a slight swirl in the wind pattern. The
mist thickened to the point that it condensed,
covering Ranma in a fine coating of cold water, and
changing him into a her. The chill continued to
deepen until Ranma was standing in the middle of a
small snow flurry.
Ranma suddenly extended her hand with a growl
and the chill extended over the canal. Akane gasped
as the water froze over. As the flooding began
further up the current, she realized that the entire
section of the waterway had frozen straight through
and was blocking the flow. Then she set her face in a
determined cast and strode forward.
"Ranma," Akane said cautiously. "You don't
have to do this, it's not your fault."
"Go away, Akane," Ranma said. "You might get
hurt." The red-head didn't turn to face her, so she
didn't see Akane narrow her eyes in irritation
briefly.
~Akane no baka, you don't want to prick his
pride right now,~ she thought in response to her
rising anger. ~You want to calm him down.~ How get
him to notice her past the swirling snow and wall of
cold chi, however, baffled her. Akane paused a moment
as an idea entered her head. She momentarily closed
her eyes and worked inside to call her own battle aura
out, concentrating on trying comfort Ranma.
As the air around her warmed up she opened her
eyes and paid careful attention to not look at the
flickering aura around her body. That would just
distract her, and she didn't want to be distracted.
The aura faded into invisibility as she concentrated
on extending it outward.
The circle of her aura was not as large as
Ranma's, but it was stable. Where the two circles
met, snow again became mist. That was all Akane
needed to know as she continued her walk forward. As
the circles converged on each other, the stars began
to disappear from the sky above.
Ranma frowned as the temperature rose around her.
She had thought that her control was much better than
that. Yet here she was, losing hold of her aura,
letting something distract her from her attempt to
freeze the canal solid. She didn't realize what was
happening until the sensation of a warm and gentle
touch, directed him to turn and face Akane.
"Akane.." Ranma started, but the raven-haired girl
smiled and placed a finger on her lips to silence her.
"You're hurting yourself, baka," she said.
"So, my life's ruined anyway," the red-head
protested. The clouds above began to expand in
roiling billows. "The old man..." Akane silenced him
again.
"He doesn't matter, Ranma," she smiled softly,
radiating concern and comfort. She took another step
forward and embraced the surprised martial-artist.
Lightning played along the underside of the overcast
as fire and ice met. "I guess you need more proof."
"But we're both..."
"Shh, it DOESN'T matter," Akane whispered as she
kissed the smaller girl. The first rumble of thunder
was heard over head as the kiss began. The rain
started several minutes later, but the chi-created
storm wouldn't hit its peak for another hour yet.
*******************************************************
"What are you looking at," Ukyou asked angrily.
Ryouga, who was supposed to be helping her, was
staring at her nervously.
"That's not healthy," he said simply, pointing at
her.
"What?" she demanded. "What's not healthy!?" Orange
sparks of aura danced around her.
"That!" He pointed at her. "You need to release that
chi."
"Well excuse me," she growled. "Not all of us are
used to erupting into a volcano every time they feel a
little down."
"Its tainted, Ukyou," he tried to explain. "It'll
just keep getting worse if you don't release it.
THAT'S why I get rid of it as soon as I can."
"I want to be good and angry next time I see the
panda," she snapped. "Back to work!'
"If you don't release the chi, it'll kill you Ukyou,"
he said simply. "And probably take out a good portion
of the neighborhood with you."
"Okay, fine," Ukyou throw down her broom. "How do I
'release it,' P-chan?" Ryouga tried not to get angry.
"Let's step outside for a moment first," Ryouga
suggested. "Unless you WANT a hole in your roof."
"I'm not doing anything anywhere NEAR my restaurant,"
Ukyou snapped. "But if you insist on me, releasing,
let's go!" She zipped past him and out the door, not
caring if she lost him or not. When she stopped
inside the gates of Furinkan she was surprised to see
him still with her. "How did you follow me!?"
"I CAN follow something I can see," Ryouga explained.
"And you're lit up like it was the new-year." Ukyou
growled radiating more of those fiery orange sparks.
"I thought you wanted to help me get rid of this,"
she said tightly.
"I do, call your battle aura," he told her. Ukyou
narrowed her eyes, but reached to summon that clarity
of focus that indicated the presence of a battle aura
about her. As the sight of so many flattened Kunos
flared into life, Ryouga swallowed nervously. "Good,
now try to force it all into the space between your
hands."
"How do I do that?" she demanded.
"Umm, imagine you're holding the panda's head," he
suggested quickly. "Like this." He held his hands
out for to draw his Shi Shi Hokodan, and Ukyou watched
the chi start to form in his hands.
"Okay," Ukyou closed her eyes and focused on the
space between her hands.
"POINT UP!!" he added hastily. Ukyou opened her eyes
a crack to glare at him, but prepared to throw her
arms upward anyway.
The panda had taken her friend away. He had
given her a hope for love and family, and smashed it.
He had tortured and manipulated her oldest friend. He
had almost made her the instrument of another friend's
death. Almost made her lose the two best friends she
had. He had taken her carefully planned life and
revealed it as a joke. He had drugged her. He had
made her lose control, and brought a chaos that hadn't
been there before. She growled before tossing her
hands upward.
"KONTON SUTERU!!""SHI SHI HOKODAN!!" A pillar
of wild chi-flame rose into the sky alongside the
even, symmetrical cylinder of green power that was
Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan. Every window in the front
of the school shattered inward, and the two martial
artist's were treated to a virtual rain of leaves from
the trees in the courtyard. Something in the chem-lab
reacted and an explosion opened up a corner of the
school. As the chi-pillars subsided, both martial
artists stared upward wearily.
"Feel better?" Ryouga asked after a long
moment.
"Actually, yeah," Ukyou said. "Thanks."
"No problem," Ryouga shrugged. He paused for
a moment and then he just HAD to ask. "chaos
rejection?"
"It sounds better than panda killer," Ukyou
said. The sound of the school's fire alarm reached
their ears. "We'd better go before they find us here,
besides it looks like its going to rain." Ryouga
glanced that direction and stared.
"Ranma and Akane," he muttered and slumped.
~I knew it was too late any way.~
"What are you talking about," she asked, but
could already guess the answer.
"Its like a hiryu shoten ha, but its much
stronger and developing much slower," he said pointing
at the developing storm. "It takes two auras for
that, one hot..."
"Akane," Ukyou said, realizing. "And one
cold?"
"Ranma," Ryouga nodded resignedly.
"Let's go home," Ukyou said absently.
"Yeah, we still need to clean up," Ryouga
agreed, not noticing how she had grouped them.
"And think about how to kill the panda," Ukyou
agreed. The two martial artists left for Ucchan's.
*******************************************************
"Kasumi, I assume you managed to get Ryouga home,"
Soun said as she and Nabiki returned home.
"He's being taken care of, father," Kasumi said
sweetly. She ignored Genma glancing in their
direction, while trying not to take his eyes off the
shogi board.
"Where are Ranma and Akane?" he asked, as if just
curious. "Weren't they with you, Nabiki?"
"They were," she said, shrugging. "I have no idea
where they are now. With those two, who knows?" She
yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm off to bed, early
day tomorrow."
"I would like some rest as well," Kasumi agreed.
"I'll need to be up early to catch up with the chores
I missed today."
*******************************************************
Cologne stood at the window of her room and gazed out
warily. There was a massive amount of chi in the air,
she could feel the tingle even before she saw the
paired pillars and the storm that was developing with
supernatural speed. As the storm suddenly erupted
into a veritable sheet of water she sighed.
Something had happened tonight. Something incredible
enough to awaken the chi potential of at least one
person. She turned from the window and walked to her
bed, wondering just what had happened to Ranma this
time.
*******************************************************
Ukyou, and a little black piglet that she was holding
by the scrap of its bandanna, arrived to find Konatsu
standing in the remains of Ucchan's dining room.
There were a few bags on the counter obviously filled.
Ukyou idly wondered just how he had managed to find
all the things she had asked him to get.
"Ukyou-sama, what happened here?"
"Ryouga got depressed," Ukyou explained dryly.
"Didn't you notice the crater out front?"
"Oh yes," Konatsu nodded. "Now that you mention it
the damage is fairly familiar. Isn't that Akane-san's
pet pig?" Ukyou deposited the embarrassed looking pig
on the remains of a table along with a of pile clothes
that Konatsu recognized as Ryouga's.
"Nope, he's going to be staying here for a while,"
Ukyou said. "At least until he can pay for all of
this."
"How can a pig�" Konatsu glanced at the nervous pig
and the pile of clothes. "He's Ryouga, isn't he."
"You got it, sugar," Ukyou said, yawning on her way
upstairs. "Can you get him set up please, I'd do it
myself, but�" She gestured at the pile of clothes she
had deposited and blushed. "Anyway, I'm tired, see
you tomorrow guys."
"But�" Konatsu paused as he heard the door to Ukyou's
room close and then looked toward the little black
piglet. "Ukyou-sama only has the one guest room, but
I think I can find something for you." Ryouga
swallowed nervously as he recognized the jealous glint
in Konatsu's eyes.
"BWEE!!"
*******************************************************
"Why that FIEND!" Konatsu gasped. "How could he do
that to his own son and my Ukyou-Sama. He must die!!"
Shampoo halted her bike and stared at the ninja girl
who was sitting in the park flipping through a sheath
of papers. If those papers had something to do with
her airen, then maybe she could use it against him.
"Putting Spatula-girl's waitress in hospital good for
business too," she added cheerily as she veered her
bike towards Konatsu. To her surprise the ninja
turned to face her and easily avoided the Bicycle of
Death.
"Xian Pu-san?" he asked, confused. Shampoo stared in
surprise that someone had dodged her bicycle strike
for once and then dismounted to press the attack.
"Give Shampoo papers!!!" The girl growled.
"Ukyou-sama did not want me reading this
information," Konatsu insisted, dodging Shampoo's
attacks. "I do not wish to further try her patience
by passing them on to you."
"Is fine, Shampoo want punish ninja girl anyway,"
Shampoo smiled viciously. After several exchanges the
ninja seemed to melt out of her reach and she was
dodging a shower of shurikens.
"Punish me for what, Xian Pu-san?" Konatsu asked a
little irritated that her quest to avenge Ukyou-sama
was held up by this woman. "I have done nothing to
you."
"You mistress in Shampoo way," the blue-haired girl
insisted. "And you help, is obstacle, and obstacles
is for killing!"
"I have business to attend to Xian Pu-san," Konatsu
insisted with narrowed eyes. Shampoo growled as the
ninja seemed to just melt away from her attacks.
"Stand still and fight!!" Shampoo insisted just
before a short length of weighted chain wrapped around
her ankle and pulled. The amazon found herself
propelled against a tree. As she was reeling back
from that found herself wrapped in a tight web of
thin, ultra-strong thread.
"I don't have time for this," Konatsu insisted,
leaping away. Shampoo stared off in shock at the
defeat and then smirked as she saw that the ninja had
left the papers behind. Getting free took only as
long as waiting for Mousse to find her.
~Stupid ninja girl pay for this,~ Shampoo growled.
*******************************************************
Nabiki released her breath in relief as she saw Ranma
and Akane heading to school ahead of her. With that
storm that had gone on all night, she had been mildly
worried when they didn't show up at home by morning.
She decided to jog a little and catch up with the pair
of girls, which Ranma was at the moment.
"Hey guys," the brown haired girl called out.
Ranma and Akane turned to look at her and waited for
her to catch up.
"Hey, oneesan," Ranma waved, a little
reserved, though that was normal for him. Nabiki
noted that they both looked moderately smug and
satisfied, which she found odd considering last
night's revelations.
"We were worried about you this morning."
"Oh, sorry about that," Akane said quietly.
Nabiki took a look at their sodden clothes, lack of
school bags, and the clasped hands.
"You should probably go back and get your bags
and some new clothes," Nabiki suggested. "Being to
school on to time won't be worth much without those.
Besides you still have time."
"If Ranma carries me," Akane agreed. The
red-head blushed, Akane smirked at her. "I need to
learn that roof-hopping trick."
"I'm not sure about..."
"Father and the panda are out looking for you,"
Nabiki told them. "I made some comment about Kuno and
they were suddenly off to uproot the Kuno estate."
"Oh...thanks," Ranma said quietly. Akane's grip on
her hand tightened.
"So looks like you two found the clouds and rain,"
Nabiki said snidely. Both girls stared at her
wide-eyed and blushed furiously. Nabiki blinked, and
then started blushing herself. "It was a joke...oh
my...uh...congratulations? Uh...I have to go..."
Nabiki left before she could further stick her foot in
her mouth.
"I hope she doesn't say anything," Ranma said.
"I don't think she will," Akane suggested hopefully.
"At least I hope not."
"Otherwise the next thing you know we'll be getting
asked to go make rain everywhere," Ranma agreed.
"Its so embarrassing," Akane muttered. "We FLOODED
the canal."
"It was kind of nice sleeping in Tofu's old place
though," Ranma said. "For once nobody to attack us in
the middle of the night."
"Yeah, it was," Akane smiled at her. Both of them
continued toward the dojo, blissfully unaware of the
conclusions the middle Tendo had come to.
*******************************************************
Ukyou looked about in confusion. Ryouga
hadn't been in Konatsu's room, though she hadn't
really expected that. He wasn't in her, admittedly
tiny, living room, or anywhere in the decimated dining
area. She had checked the kitchen, the small office,
and even the storeroom. Konatsu had left before she
could get specifics out of him.
~Jackass got himself lost,~ Ukyou told
herself. "Doesn't he know better than that, well if
he's lost the chance to kill the panda, I don't mind
taking him all myself." She remembered passing his
pack and clothes in the living room and considered
that. "Maybe he's still a pig."
Ukyou shrugged as she passed through the
walk-in cooler and opened the freezer door to get some
ingredients for breakfast. All thoughts of food fled
at the sight of a thoroughly miserable looking piglet
staring at her as she opened the door. She stared for
a full second before snatching the piglet up, rushing
to her bathroom and running a hot bath for the piglet.
"JUST HOW DID YOU GET IN THE FREEZER!!!"
"I th-th-think your waitress has a c..crush on
you," Ryouga told her. Then the fact that he was
alone in a room with a girl, and no clothes came
crashing in on him. Ukyou blinked as his nose started
bleeding and he fainted.
"Jackass," Ukyou growled, and hauled him out
of the water before he drowned. Slumping him over the
side of the tub she went downstairs to collect his
clothes. Which was when she noticed something else
that was missing. "Oh no."
"Where am I?" Ryouga asked himself as he came
to, shortly before Ukyou slammed the door open and
tossed his clothes in.
"The journal's gone!" she snapped.
"What?" Ryouga blinked. "We have to�" He
dropped back into the tub as Ukyou's spatula connected
with his head. "What did you that for?!"
"First, you spent all night in a freezer,"
Ukyou noted. "But MOST important, you're naked and
I'M still in here!"
"Oh�" Ryouga chuckled nervously as Ukyou
growled and left the room. "Why is it girls can walk
in on guys, and its still our fault?" He pondered
that momentarily as he continued to soak last night's
chill out of his body.
*******************************************************
Nabiki could only stare as she approached the school
and saw the construction crews. Students were
arriving and being sent home as they showed up. As
she walked up to the gates she noted the large crater
right next to a large circular scorch mark. She
recognized the crater as one of the side effects of
Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan, but the other was a new
damage type.
The school itself was showing mixes of water damage
and a fire. From what she could tell it had started
in the chem lab. Considering some of the stuff that
went on in there she thought that perhaps it had even
burned through the storm for a time.
"Okay, what's this?" Nabiki asked a random
construction worker.
"Between that freak storm and whatever martial
artists were fighting here last night," the
construction worker explained. "The school just
couldn't take it, we'll have the repairs finished in
time for classes tomorrow young lady."
"Oh swell," Nabiki sighed. Between accidentally
discovering Akane and Ranma's activities (as she
thought they were) last night, and this, the day was
already very strange. At least now she had the time
to make some calls. It was time to test just WHO was
the better schemer.
*******************************************************
"Hello, Tendo training hall," Kasumi spoke softly
into the telephone. "Oh, Ukyou, it certainly is
early�.Oh my, that could be a problem. Oh no, we can
make another copy. Father and Saotome-san left for
the Kuno residence. I'll leave it to you and Ryouga
then."
"Tadaima!" Kasumi looked to the front door as Ranma
and Akane, looking like they had been dragged through
the mud, appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, there you two are," she blinked at them, titled
her head, and looked at them blankly. Which was about
as close to a frown as she usually got. "Perhaps you
two need a bath?"
"We're heading that way, Kasumi," Akane promised her.
"Nabiki said Dad was out with�him?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Good, maybe we can head out to school before they
get back," Ranma muttered heading gingerly for the
stairs and trying not to leave a mess.
"Oh, school's canceled," Kasumi told them. "It was
just on the news, flooding and some kind of fire I
believe." Ranma and Akane stopped and stared at her.
"Flooding?"
"Yes, like you're doing to my floor," Kasumi pointed,
still speaking sweetly. Akane and Ranma looked down,
and then rushed for the bathroom. "Bath separately."
She called out as they vanished into the furo. Kasumi
smiled slightly and moved to clean the mess they had
just made.
*******************************************************
Konatsu finally found his prey, the fat older man was
a striking a stolid pose and seeming to be
investigating the estate before him. Konatsu glanced
about and saw Akane-san's father taking a more active
stance in their search and walking around the wall
looking for the easiest entrance. It was good that
he'd overheard Nabiki-san speaking to Ranma and Akane,
otherwise he might never have found the beast that had
so misused his Ukyou-sama.
The male kunoichi smiled demurely before launching
his attack. Genma flashed around in time to see the
shower of shurikens and dodge.
"Aren't you that Kuonji girl's waitress?" Genma asked
as he took a fighting stance. Konatsu smiled and
faced him, glancing back to see Soun approaching.
Konatsu answered by launching a storm of shuriken at
the retreating martial artist. Genma smirked as he
casually dodged past them all.
"I don't know why you're attacking me, girl," he
declared. "But you've made a mistake taking on a
master of the Saotome school of Anything Goes martial
arts."
"Excuse me, miss," Soun called out. "But why are you
attacking my friend?" As the fight became aerial it
became obvious that he wouldn't be able to aid his
friend.
"He must die for crimes against, my mistress,"
Konatsu declared, dodging an attack by the fat martial
artist. Genma was frowning now, the ninja "girl"
refused to stand and fight. He would have to alter
his strategy a little.
"There he is!!" a shout called out. "Konatsu, I want
to talk to you!!"
"Ukyou-sama?" The brief distraction was all Genma
needed as he launched a ki-enlarged punch at the
ninja. Konatsu turned around in time to see the huge
fist smash into the Kuno estate wall.
"KONATSU!!" Ukyou growled. "Hurry up, Ryouga!!"
"I'm right behind you, Ukyou!" Ryouga's voice called
out, Genma and Soun turned to see them charging down
the street.
Genma took a moment to try and gauge his
chances in the upcoming fight, and swallowed hard. He
didn't know what had set them all off, but he did know
that Ryouga at least could give Ranma a run for his
money. With Soun's help maybe he could win, after all
the girl couldn't be that good.
"Ready, Tendo?" Saotome glanced to his friend
and noted that Soun seemed a little confused and
hesitant, but he did fall into stance just the same.
Both turned to face the oncoming charge and were
surprised as both teens fell back and cupped their
hands around air.
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!" "KONTON SUTERU!!!"
Soun watched as wild blast of orange chi-fire
intersected with Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan to form one
large chi column blazing toward his friend. Genma saw
it too and wisely leapt clear.
~Okay, maybe I couldn't take the girl,
either..~ he thought as he utilized the Saotome Secret
Technique.
"Saotome you coward!!" Soun called out as the
two younger martial artists charged towards him. He
prepared to defend himself to death, when they both
paused and bowed to him.
"Excuse us Tendo-san," Ryouga said, before
continuing to race after the fleeing Genma.
"We're having a slight problem with Ranma's
father," Ukyou explained calmly, then turned to where
Konatsu was standing up. "COMING KONATSU!?!" Letting
the effeminate boy know exactly how irritated she was
with him.
"H..h�hai, Ukyou-Sama." Then the three teens
vanished after Genma.
"What is going on here?"
"Where's the journal, Konatsu?" Ukyou growled.
"And I'm not going to mention where I found Ryouga
this morning."
"Umm, thank you, Ukyou-sama, I'm sorry but
couldn't help myself," he swallowed as they ran. "In
either case."
"WAIT UP, JACKASS!! You'll just get lost!"
"We're going to lose him!" Ryouga called back.
"Where's the Journal Konatsu."
"I�lost it."
"WHAT!!?"
"I had a slight altercation with that Chinese
girl before finding the beast," Konatsu noted. "Maybe
I left it behind then?"
"Great," she turned back to face Ryouga.
"Don't lose him, Ryouga, or the Amazons will get first
crack!!!"
*******************************************************
"Shampoo give ninja girl Kiss of Death next time she
see her," Shampoo declared pacing back and forth while
Cologne and Mousse read through the Japanese script
with growing expressions of disgust. Cologne paused a
moment to face her granddaughter.
"You were beaten my Kuonji's�waitress?"
"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo said after a
moments hesitation.
"This could be a problem," Cologne noted before
returning to her reading. "That ninja is a boy, not a
girl." Shampoo stared at her great-grandmother in
shock and horror. She imagined for a moment Cologne
deciding that this more recent defeat was more binding
than her past one to Ranma. Konatsu served Ukyou, if
Shampoo married he�him, the laws of this backward
place would say that she too served the spatula-girl.
The amazon briefly pondered this before fainting dead
away.
The sound of a vast array of thrown objects
passing through the air brought Cologne's attention to
the street in time to see Genma Saotome flee past
among a cloud of various projectiles. Three enraged
teens followed close on his heels.
"I have read enough of this to know something of what
must be done," Cologne said. Then turned to Mousse.
"Wake up Shampoo, we have to make sure they leave
something for Amazon justice."
"Indeed, and I had always thought Ranma was the devil
Saotome," Mousse nodded. The three amazons joined the
chase in the next moment. Though Shampoo was still
uncertain of just why they were chasing Ranma's
father.
*******************************************************
"Do you have any idea of what you're going to do?"
Akane asked cautiously as Ranma, male after his bath,
joined her in the dojo. This was something that had
to be dealt with quickly, before the panda did
something drastic.
"I have some ideas," Ranma muttered. "Not sure
they'll work though." He sat down next to her. "This
isn't the kind of thing I can just beat up you know."
"Why not?" Akane asked grimly.
"What would that prove," Ranma asked. "I do that all
the time anyway."
"Oh, I see your point," Akane frowned. "So what will
you do then?" Ranma held up his hand and started
picking off points on his fingers.
"The way I see it I can give up martial arts, not
going to happen," Ranma said that as a definite. "I
can abandon the Saotome name, but I ain't going ronin;
I can kill him, but he might look at that as proof he
was right, besides he IS my father. Unfortunately.
Nabiki's who I want to talk to, and Mom."
"Ranma! Akane!" they turned around to face Soun
barreling into the dojo. "Do you have any idea as to
why Ukyou, Ryouga and that ninja waitress are trying
to kill your father?" Akane and Ranma looked at each
other and then glared toward Soun.
"A very good idea, dad," Akane said. "Though I
haven't actually read it yet."
"Read what?" Soun asked as Ranma and Akane stood up.
Ranma tossed him a much fingered through journal.
Akane blinked for a moment and then stared at Ranma.
"I always knew where it was," he shrugged. "I just
didn't know what was in it."
"Father, did you say that Ryouga and Ukyou were
trying to kill Saotome-san," Kasumi asked as she
breezed into the dojo. She looked at the book in his
hands and turned to Ranma and Akane. "Is that what I
think it is?"
"Yeah, tell Dad what's going on," Akane said. "We
have to go make sure they don't take our pound of
flesh."
"Akane you really must pay attention after you've
been reading Shakespeare," Kasumi noted. "You
sometimes sound like Kuno." Akane blushed a little
before she and Ranma left the dojo at a run.
"Kasumi, what is going on?" Soun asked.
"Ranma's father has some things to answer for,
Father," Kasumi noted.
As they left the dojo complex Akane had a sudden
thought.
"Shouldn't Nabiki be back by now," she gasped.
"You don't think�" Ranma stopped and narrowed his
eyes. "If he's done anything, we'll make him pay."
They didn't have to go far before a sight very
familiar to Nerimans passed by. A parade of pursuers
chasing after a Saotome, the only difference being
that the Saotome in question was much older than the
usual victim.
"How the HELL did the amazon's get involved in this?"
Ranma asked angrily.
"Well, do you see any way to stop this," Akane asked
dryly. "Or should we just join in?"
"I'm still trying to get used the idea of not being
the one getting chased," Ranma muttered. He looked to
the rooftops and ran over past chases in his head.
"Come on, Akane."
"RANMA!! They went that way!!" Akane shouted as she
lifted up and suddenly flying through the air in
Ranma's arms.
"Trust me on this one Akane," Ranma said.
*******************************************************
"So you see the problem, Auntie," Nabiki said as her
lunch guess flipped through papers at random. Nabiki
really didn't want so many copies of the thing
floating around, but since Ukyou had the only other
printed copy, and she didn't want to move the
original, she had to make another one.
"How can I be certain that this isn't a forgery,
Nabiki," Nodoka asked seriously. "I am well aware of
your reputation."
"To tell you the truth, Auntie," Nabiki said
shrugging. "My reputation is little bit more
extensive than I am. I could forge a page maybe, but
that entire thing? Even with my computer it would
take me too long to be worth it. I'd lose too much
money."
"So I can trust you because it isn't practical,"
Nodoka repeated. Nabiki shrugged and yawned as if
bored.
"I checked the records," Nabiki said. "There are
currently only three Saotomes on the list of names,
Ranma, Genma, and you. I suppose I could work a
fourth one in with Ranko, but it�s a little risky. If
Ranma and Akane get married though�"
"What are you planning?" Nodoka asked suspiciously.
"A little clan restructuring," Nabiki said, smiling
evilly.
"Isn't that Ranma and Akane outside?" Nodoka pointed
past Nabiki's shoulders.
"Huh?" Nabiki, blinked and looked to see Ranma
setting her sister down. "What are they doing here?"
Nabiki stood up and started walking to the doorway
when she saw the dust cloud. "Oh�my�Auntie Saotome,
get down!!" Nabiki rushed back to the rear of the
diner as the parade came closer.
"What seems to be�oh," the two of them ducked behind
one of the booths and prepared for an explosion.
"How did you know they'd be coming here?" Akane
asked.
"With all the times I've been chased across this
town?" Ranma answered. He turned back to the
approaching crowd, and extended his arm. "Ready?"
"Yep," Akane cracked her knuckles. They both waited
patiently for the older Saotome to approach before
pouncing on the distracted martial artist. After
being used to make a new doorway in the diner, Genma
found himself pinned against a wall and facing all
manners of nasty weapons.
"Where's my sister!!" Akane demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Genma demanded. "And
which sister are you talking about."
"Nabiki you old freak!" Ranma snapped. "School's
out, but she ain't gotten home yet."
"Nabiki's missing?!" Ukyou gasped.
"What, did you find out she showed us all your little
book?" Ryouga growled.
"You mean those papers Shampoo take from ninja
g�boy?" Shampoo asked confused.
"You've all seen my book then?" Genma swallowed
nervously.
"Yeah, now WHERE'S my SISTER!!?" Akane growled
grabbing Genma away from Ranma.
"Hey, wait a minute," Genma declared. "How do you
know she didn't just fake it? This is Nabiki we're
talking about after all." Everybody stared at him
blankly.
"You don't really think we're THAT stupid, do you?"
Cologne asked.
"Actually, yes," Genma smirked and chuckled in a
superior tone. Now he finally got to see how well he
had succeeded with Ranma. "It took you all long
enough to figure it out."
"Where's my sister?!"
"Behind you sis," a coughing voice called out. "You
two have been hanging out with Ryouga and the Amazon's
too long." Everybody turned to see Nabiki and Nodoka
stepping out of a cloud of dust.
"Nabiki!"
"Mom?"
"Nodoka!"
"So Nabiki speaks the truth then?"
"I..I�can explain," Genma swallowed. Ranma might bow
out and let Nodoka take vengeance rather than prove
his own strength. Ranma noticed the sudden change in
attitude as Genma turned his attention to Nodoka.
~He wants ME to do it,~ Ranma realized, the
pig-tailed martial artist growled. ~Whatever I do
he's going to take as proof�whatever�I�do.~ He
smirked, then and released his father.
"What are you doing, boy?" Genma demanded as Ranma
walked away. Ranma turned around.
"Its not in my hands, father," Ranma said. "You've
broken Japanese, Chinese, and Amazon law, and
dishonored numerous families with this fiancee scam of
yours. I'm just one guy, it wouldn't be honorable of
me to put myself ahead of all that, would it?" He
turned away from his father and continued walking
away, as if he didn't care.
~Why that's brilliant,~ Nabiki's eyes widened and
then she smiled. "Hey, Akane. I think we can handle
this." She gestured for her sister to go after Ranma.
"Where Akane think she going?" Shampoo demanded from
where she had been standing off to the side. Cologne
blocked her passage.
"Your legal claim on the boy is not so certain any
longer," Cologne said. ~And your chance at different
claim is long since passed.~ Akane blinked, and
narrowed her eyes at the amazon's before following
Ranma around a corner. She found him, no longer
appearing at ease, just out of sight.
Ranma had thought that he had dealt with this the
night before, when he had found out what the book
said. He had to admit, though, that he had not been
prepared to see his own father eager to see his son
act like a bloodthirsty barbarian.
"What was that about, Ranma?" she demanded. "Aren't
you going to do anything?"
"Nope," Ranma said hollowly.
"Why not?!" Akane demanded. "You should do
something!"
"Nah, that's what he wanted me to do," Ranma
shrugged. "He didn't care as long as it was ME doing
it."
"I see," Akane paused and examined how Ranma was
slumped over as if exhausted. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," Ranma told her. Akane bent down,
looked up into his face, and noticed the tears
trailing down his face. He turned away from her.
"Let's go home, Ranma," Akane said.
"Somebody might�" Ranma stopped talking when he felt
the water splash over him. ~After all this time I
should know Akane's response to my saying I'm
embarrassed to be seen acting unmanly.~ She sighed
and looked up to see Akane turning off the hose.
"Its okay to cry, Ranma," Akane said quietly. "But
if the only way you'll do it is to be a girl, well�"
Akane shrugged. Ranma looked at Akane and just
silently nodded. Akane reached out to take her hand
and the pair walked off.
*******************************************************
"Okay," Ukyou drawled it out. "Who's first?"
"Shampoo no care," the blue haired girl shrugged.
"No know what this all about."
"I believe it is your honor, Saotome-san," Cologne
said to Nodoka. "As the Saotome matriarch and Ranma's
mother, the right of punishment should be yours first.
Besides, I won't know which laws apply until I finish
reading the book in question. Does everybody agree?"
"Yeah, but I ain't going to give up second just yet,"
Ukyou snapped.
"Oh, I've already acquired some measure of punishment
for the Tendo clan," Nabiki said. Everybody stared at
her. "I did reveal this mess, you know."
"Nabiki, what were you saying about clan
restructuring?" Nodoka asked the Tendo girl.
"From what I know of the laws on the subject," Nabiki
noted. "It should be a simple matter to name you clan
head. Though that may take some time."
"I see," Nodoka nodded. "Then it is simple, I'll
cast him out of the clan, I'm fairly certain I can't
trust him to do the honorable thing. Since this will
take some time, however, perhaps the rest of you can
take your turns now."
"Right�" Ukyou smiled viciously and turned to face
Genma, who had not made a move since Ranma left.
"This is going to hurt, old man," Ryouga promised,
cracking his knuckles.
"Please try not to kill him," Cologne suggested from
where she was keeping an eye on Shampoo.
"Oh, we'll leave something left over for you," Ukyou
promised.
"Well, I'm off," Nabiki yawned. "I'll need a working
phone to get this thing started. Auntie, want to come
along?"
"Certainly," Nodoka bowed and followed the younger
Tendo out the shattered remains of the diner.
*******************************************************
Epilogue (some time later)
"Wasn't Ranma and Akane's wedding so romantic,
Ryouga?" Ukyou asked, more than a little bittersweet.
"Yeah, Akane was lovely in her wedding dress," Ryouga
sighed. "And I guess Ranma did all right."
"ALL RIGHT?!" Ukyou blinked. "He looked so gallant
in that tuxedo. Akane could barely pull off that
dress of hers." She couldn't help but imagine what it
would be like if it were her up there instead of
Akane, she imagined that Ryouga was doing something
similar with Ranma. He didn't go out of his way to
try and kill Ranma anymore, but he still had a little
bit of a crush on Akane.
"Let's just stop here before we start tearing up the
property," Ryouga said suddenly. Ukyou blinked and
stared at Ryouga. "We're both biased."
"Wow, Hibiki suggested a rational ending to an
argument," Ukyou snickered. "The world's gone crazy."
"I'm just tired after having to deal with the
asylum's poster children," Ryouga sighed. "Do you
KNOW how persistent those two can be?"
"I've done what I could to avoid the Kunos," Ukyou
agreed. The walked in silence for a moment. "Hey,
Ryouga..."
"Hmm?"
"You've been staying at my restaurant a while now,"
she hesitated.
"Oh...I was going to leave soon anyway," Ryouga said.
"I don't want to be freeloading."
"No, that's okay," Ukyou said quickly. "I was just
wondering...if maybe you'd stay around...maybe we can
trade martial arts secrets...you know, like friends?"
"Yeah..." Ryouga hesitated. "I could do that...and
maybe we could see a movie or something...just
friends."
"That sounds nice," Ukyou sighed in relief. Then she
decided to change the subject. "Did you see the looks
on Konatsu and Shampoo's faces after the garter and
bouquet throws?" Both of them chuckled
"I swear that the old ghoul rigged the thing
somehow," Ryouga smirked. "Shampoo wasn't even
participating."
"And then Mousse went ballistic!" Ukyou chuckled.
"What happened to him anyway?"
"He mistook Kodachi for Shampoo," Ryouga said. "And
Kuno for Konatsu. That's how I finally got rid of
them." Ukyou stared at Ryouga for a moment.
"How could he mistake those two for...never mind,
forgot who I was talking about," Ukyou sighed and
shook her head, chuckling. The two continued
chit-chatting as they walked along, Ukyou every once
in awhile tugging Ryouga along to keep him travelling
the right way. As they passed a certain fenced off
complex they both glared and held off a shiver before
running past it and returning to normal pace once it
was out of sight.
*******************************************************
"What are you worried about?" Nabiki asked as she
helped Akane pack.
"I'm just a little nervous about�.tonight," Akane
admitted quietly.
"The ceremony is over, the vows are said, all that's
left is the honeymoon," Nabiki smirked. "And I KNOW
you'll have no problem with that."
"What are you talking about?" Akane asked. "We're
both virgins, at least he'd BETTER be a virgin."
Nabiki blinked and stared at her in confusion for a
moment.
"But the night of the storm, before we all came down
on the panda�" Nabiki scratched her head. "You said,
that you'd found the clouds and rain." Akane blinked,
then her eyes bulged as she reddened.
"NOT THAT WAY!!"
"Then what WERE you talking about?" Nabiki demanded.
"The storm of course," Akane snapped. "We caused
it!" Nabiki stared at her a moment.
"Oh."
"Really, I mean we weren't married yet," Akane said.
"and we were in the open!!"
"Err�I guess I jumped the gun."
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Hey, at least you're not worried any more," Nabiki
pointed out to change the subject.
"Have you been taking lessons from Ranma?" Akane
asked after a long pause. "This isn't up to your
normal standards."
"Oh just go, Ranma's waiting," Nabiki snapped. Akane
stood up and was about to leave, but she thought of
something and turned around.
"Whatever happened to Genma anyway?" Akane asked.
"Ranma might not want to know, but�"
"He's in good hands," Nabiki smiled evilly and
narrowed her eyes.
*******************************************************
"So why doesn't that panda ever go into the water?"
somebody asked a member of the zoo staff.
"He doesn't seem to like it," the handler said.
"When they spray him down he acts like the water is
burning him or something. The vets can't figure it
out. We asked the people that brought it to us, and
all they would say is that it had attacked them, and
they were forced to defend themselves. Man it was a
mess."
"How did they do that?"
"They were martial artists," the handler shrugged.
"Oh, stupid bear." The handler nodded again.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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