From: Space Pirate Ryoko 

Close Encounters of the Ranma Kind
by The Space Pirate Ryoko
part 1 of 4

Initiative, My Girl!

Part One: "The Ultimate Team Up!?"

The sun felt good on Ranma's face.  He felt more awake
than usual that morning and for once he didn't even
mind heading to school.  He was relieved that the
weekend was finally over--the mess from the
would-be-wedding was cleaned and the dojo repaired and
life was finally back to normal.  Ranma sighed,
putting his hands behind his head.  It was a beautiful
day and was good to be free.

He thought of Akane, who walked silently beside him. 
He wondered how she felt about all of this.  He
figured she must be a little nervous about facing
their classmates after everything that had happened.  
He intended to stay by her and help her save face. 
Ranma glanced down at her curiously--he hoped she
wasn't too upset.

Akane was smiling!  More than that, she was grinning!
Ranma stopped walking and stared at her.  What was she
so happy about?  Her step was light and she hummed
quietly under her breath.  She was supposed to be
nervous, even scared.  She was supposed to be a little
disappointed!  Ranma scowled, jumping onto the fence. 
Why was she so happy?

The fence rattled noisily from his jump and Akane
looked up, startled.  For a moment she looked
irritated, but then smiled broadly at Ranma.  "Why do
you look so cranky?" she asked.  "Don't be nervous
about the kids at school; I'll handle that."

Ranma's jaw dropped.  She thought he was nervous?  He
tried to think of something to say to her, but
couldn't. "Oh yeah?"  He clenched his fists in
frustration.  Sometimes he felt so stupid.

Akane laughed.  "Yeah, Ranma!  Don't worry about a
thing!"  She laughed a little more and turned away,
skipping slightly as she proceeded to school.

Ranma couldn't believe this!  She wasn't acting right
at all!  She'd nearly died not even a week earlier,
and then she was shamed in front of the whole school
when their wedding was wrecked--she wasn't supposed to
be skipping!  A new realization dawned on him.  Akane
was a proud girl; she was probably just trying to save
face.  He jumped from the fence, landing in front of
her.

"Okay Akane, spill it.  What'chya so happy for?"  He
cleared his throat.  "Uh, I mean, you don't have to
fake like you're okay--a girl's expected to be a
little weepy after all--"

"Weepy?  You really expect me to be weepy? Honestly! 
Here you are, grinning like a Cheshire cat and you
want me to cry?  She took a deep breath and dropped
her book bag, clenching her hands into tight fists. 
"Did you ever consider that maybe I'm just as happy as
you are to have gotten out of that wedding?"  Her eyes
were wild and she looked as though she might hit him.

Ranma jumped back, surprised.  Truthfully, he'd never
considered anything of the sort.  "I never said I was
happy about nothing!  I mean, I didn't ask for them to
knock me out and dress me up so I could marry an
un-cute girl like you!"

He saw it coming.  For a long time he hadn't been able
to see how she did it, but experience had taught him
to be more aware.  He watched as Akane, a look of rage
across her face, reached into hammer-space and plucked
a large wooden mallet from beyond.  It was a big one
this time.  Ranma cringed and closed his eyes,
preparing himself for the blow.  Even after all this
time, he'd never come up with a way to block this
attack without hurting her, and dodging worked only
half the time.  He'd discovered that his best bet was
usually to accept the pain early.  So now he waited.

And waited.  Nothing was happening.  Ranma opened his
eyes, peeking through his hair at Akane.  She was
posed in an attack position, the mallet swung high
over her head, but the anger had left her face. 
Instead, she was laughing silently, her eyes brimming
with tears.  Dropping the hammer, she covered her
mouth with her hands, but a giggle escaped anyway.

"What're you laughing at?"

"Oh Ranma, you're flinching!  If you saw the hammer
coming, why didn't you just use your 'chestnuts' to
block it?"  Her laughter had subsided, but her voice
was playful and happy.

"Geez, Akane, I didn't save your life at Jusendo just
to beat you up now!  That kind of block could hurt
you!"  Ranma kicked the hammer at his feet, sending it
flying over the fence.  It was the first time either
of them had mentioned Jusendo since the morning of the
wedding.  Now that it was out, he almost wished he
could take it back.

Akane was giving him a strange look.  "So you mean . .
. you would rather . . ." she glanced over to where
the mallet bobbed in the canal, "than hurt me?"  She
looked up at him slowly, her eyes wide and dark.

Ranma was startled by how cute she looked.

"Aw, Akane, I never said that."  Things were spinning
wildly out of his control now, and Ranma wasn't sure
what to do or say.  It was good that she wasn't mad
anymore, but he didn't know how to handle her strange
behavior.

She smiled boldly and turned to walk toward school. 
"I know; you didn't have to."  He stood and watched
her go, surprised.  Akane turned back and motioned
with her hands.  "Come on, dummy!  Do you want to be
late?"

Without thinking much about it, Ranma scooped up her
book satchel from where she'd left it and ran a few
paces to catch up.

Akane reached for her book bag, but Ranma tossed it
into his other hand before she could grasp it.  She
looked at him, startled, and Ranma wondered if she was
going to make a fuss over it.  He was prepared to
relinquish the books at the first sign of trouble.  To
his surprise, a happy grin spread across her face and
she looked at her feet, blushing.  Then she reached
out slowly and grasped his fingers instead.

He jumped, not sure whether to curl his hand about
hers or pull away.  She entwined their fingers,
locking his in place.  Now it was Ranma's turn to
blush.  He shyly turned to her, scared to meet her
eyes.  They shared an awkward smile.  Ranma could hear
his heart thudding in his chest and he felt warm all
over.  Akane looked nervous too, and he squeezed her
hand to reassure her.

"Well, com'on, we don't wanna be late."  With one last
smile, they continued on to school.


Part Two: "If It's Not One Thing, It's Another"

"Hiyaa!"

Ranma could hear Akane practicing in the dojo as he
walked through the Tendo's front door.  He'd avoided
her after school that afternoon, preferring to walk
alone.  He'd wandered all around Nerima, thinking
about how good her hand had felt in his that morning. 
He wondered what he was going to say to her, now that
he had gone out of his way to ignore her at lunch and
then ran away when school let out.

He kicked off his shoes and went into the kitchen. 
Kasumi was making dinner, and by the smell, it was
nearly ready.  "Oh hello, Ranma.  Akane is in the
dojo; she was looking for you earlier."  Kasumi smiled
her happy little smile and Ranma wondered if that girl
even knew what it felt like to be confused.  "Could
you tell her that dinner will be ready as soon as
Tatewaki arrives?"

Ranma was taken aback.  "Kuno?  What's he comin' here
for?"  He wasn't at all sure that having Tatewaki Kuno
at the table wouldn't ruin his appetite.

"Why, Akane invited him."  She turned to stir a large
pot.  "He's a good friend of yours, isn't he?"
Ranma stared at her back.  "Sure," he mumbled, heading
out to the training hall.  Now he didn't have to
explain anything to Akane--she was the one who had a
story to tell. 

He slid the door open and stepped into the dojo. 
Akane was breaking cinder blocks again.  Her hair was
pushed from her face with a bandana and beads of sweat
trickled down her neck.  Ranma wondered how he'd ever
thought of her as cute.  He liked girls who acted like
girls.

"Hey Akane, Kasumi says that dinner'll be ready just
as soon as Kuno gets here."  Ranma leaned on the
doorway, arms crossed.

Akane wiped her hands on her clothes.  Powdered
clement dusted the floor around her and she left
little footprints as she came toward him.  "Great!"
she smiled. "I'm starved!"  She walked past him
without another word, heading up the hallway to the
bathroom. "Tell Kasumi that I'll clean the mess after
I have a shower!"  

Ranma stared after her.  Was she serious?  Did she
really want to spend time with Kuno?  He thought of
her face in the sunshine that morning, and how he'd
avoided her all day in order to sort out his feelings.
 Now it all seemed wasted.  Well he wasn't about to
let Kuno . . .  "Aw, see if I care!"  He punched a
hole in the wall and then stalked out to the kitchen.

The whole family was seated around the table when
Akane brought Kuno into the room.  He bowed graciously
and sat between Akane and Nabiki.  "Tendos, I thank
you for having me in your home.  I am honored."

Ranma rolled his eyes in disgust and Akane jabbed him
with a chopstick.  "Not a word from you!" she hissed
threateningly.  Before he could respond, Kasumi came
in from the kitchen with a huge tray of curry.  It
smelled delicious, but Ranma lost his appetite
watching Akane gracefully serving Kuno.  She smiled so
prettily, as if she did this every evening.  Kuno
reached for his chopsticks just as Akane was picking
them up.  Ranma scowled, feeling his face flush.  He
wasn't about to let them ruin his meal.

"Uh, I'll be right back," Ranma mumbled, jumping up
from his seat.  He dashed from the room before anyone
thought to stop him.  So Akane wanted to spoil his
evening by letting Kuno follow her around like a
lovesick puppy?  Well, two could play at that game. 
He darted into the bathroom.

When Ranma returned to the table, she had changed from
her wet clothes and donned slippers on her bare feet. 
She paused in the doorway.  "Hi!  Sorry I'm late!" 
She bounced into the room, all smiles.  As she had
anticipated, Kuno lost his confident stance and his
eyes went slightly out of focus.  Ranma slid past him,
letting her fingers trail through his hair. "Ooh,
Nabiki, can I have your seat?  Pretty please?"

Nabiki looked at her, arching one eyebrow.  "Sure. 
This promises to be very interesting."  She gathered
her food and took Ranma's empty seat next to Akane as
Ranma slid in close to Kuno.  Kasumi handed her a bowl
of curry.

Soun nudged Genma, looking a bit worried.  "What's the
boy up to, Saotome?"

Genma shrugged.  "Of all the times for the evil master
to be out on a raid.  Looks like we could use him
tonight."

"Ranma would never do such a thing with the threat of
the master's greedy little hands nearby."  Soun shook
his head and dug into his meal.

Meanwhile Kuno was looking a bit worse for the wear. 
He was glancing back and forth from Akane to Ranma as
if trying to decide which to talk with.  Just as he
decided on one, the other would move just a bit and
grab his attention.  Glaring at Ranma, Akane grabbed
Kuno's arm, commanding his gaze.  Ranma fumed.  It
seemed that Akane wasn't willing to lose this thing
gracefully.  Desperate times call for desperate
measures.

Ranma giggled wildly and reached her chopsticks into
Kuno's food.  "Upperclassman Kuno, you have a pepper! 
Do ya mind if I take it?"  She guided the pepper into
her mouth and closed her eyes as she chewed.  "Mmm . .
. It's the best I've ever eaten."  She peeked through
her lashes to see Kuno watching her, his eyes
watering.  "You should try one, Kuno; they're really
yummy."

"Here Kuno, try one of mine!"  Akane smiled at her
guest, offering a pepper held between her chopsticks. 
Kuno opened his mouth to speak and Akane pushed the
food in.  "Good?"  Tatewaki could do nothing but nod
as he chewed.  

"What he needs is some beef with that," Ranma
announced in a determined voice.  She was reaching
into Kuno's bowl again when Kasumi cleared her throat.

"I need to get something from the kitchen.  Ranma,
would you please help me?"  Kasumi stood and beckoned
toward the door, her eyes focused mildly on the
redhead.

Ranma dropped her chopsticks and stood up.  "Uh, sure
thing Kasumi!"  She turned to Kuno.  "I just love to
cook, and I'm so much better at it than Akane.  She's
such a tomboy."  With a malicious smile at Akane over
Kuno's head, Ranma pranced into the kitchen after
Kasumi.

As soon as the door closed, Ranma felt a splash of
heat envelope her.  She felt herself changing--getting
taller and slimmer.  She felt muscle tighten and
weight shift, and shook her head in frustration.

"What'd'ya do that for?"  Ranma glared at Kasumi, who
held an empty teakettle with an oven mitt.  He didn't
usually snap at Kasumi, but then, she didn't usually
undermine his plans, either.

"Now Ranma," Kasumi began, a tense crinkle in her
brow, "you know it's not nice to spoil Akane's evening
like this."  Ranma looked at his feet.  To a stranger
it would seem that Kasumi wasn't even raising her
voice, but Ranma knew that she was furious.  He'd
never been the object of her anger before, and didn't
like it a bit.  

He glanced up to see her glare soften a bit.  She
patted his shoulder in a mothering fashion.  "Why
don't you just sit this one out?  I'll save you some
food."  She picked up her tray and glanced back over
her shoulder.  "And Ranma?  Don't worry about Akane. 
I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

He wasn't so certain as he watched her leave.  He
didn't know why Akane had suddenly changed her mind
about Kuno, but he didn't like it.  Not at all.  But
then, maybe Kasumi was right.  He had other things to
do, why not leave it alone for now and talk to Akane
later?  He really should be relieved that she hadn't
blown up at him for avoiding her.

Ranma grabbed his books from where he'd left them on
the counter.  He pulled out a sheet of paper and a
pencil, then sat on the floor to write.  He'd thought
about this for most of the day, but he knew he'd have
to word it just right.


Part Three: "The Great Girly-Girl Gambit"

"Have a nice evening, Tatewaki, and do give your
sister our regards--Ranma tells me she's unwell." 
Ranma looked up from his challenge letter a couple
hours and a dozen crumpled papers later.  Good, Kuno
was finally leaving.

"My sister is always unwell, but I will send your
regards.  Thank you, Kasumi Tendo."  Ranma snickered. 
Kuno had that right!  

Ranma wandered into the front room just in time to see
Kuno take Akane's hand.  Hiding behind the doorframe,
Ranma watched as Kuno bowed low before the girl.

"Akane Tendo, it has been both a pleasure and an honor
to share your company this eve.  Would that I could
always enjoy such hospitality in your eyes."  He
looked as though he would try to kiss her, and Ranma
stepped forward, fists clenched.  If Kuno so much as
tried to lay his lips on Akane . . .

To Ranma's relief, he didn't have to reveal his
presence after all.  Akane deftly sidestepped Kuno's
attempt.  Ranma waited, anxious to see her lay Kuno
out, but was surprised to see that she didn't so much
as scowl.  Instead she pulled a folded note from her
pocket and slipped it into Kuno's hand.

"Have a good night, Kuno.  I'll see you at school
tomorrow."  Her voice was soft and low and it sent
goosebumps up and down Ranma's spine.  He didn't know
what she was thinking, but was determined to find out.

"I will be waiting with bated breath."  Ranma thought
he was going to be sick.

After Kuno left, Ranma followed Akane down the hallway
to the bedrooms.  She paused at Nabiki's door and
knocked once before going in.  The door was left ajar,
so Ranma crept quietly closer.  He couldn't believe he
was spying on her, but knew that she'd never confide
in him about anything interesting.  By the time he was
within earshot, the girls had already begun talking.

"So you'll be there tomorrow at four?"  Akane's voice
was the first he heard.

"Yes, yes, as agreed.  So what exactly do you want me
to say to him?"  Nabiki sounded mildly irritated.

"Everything that we talked about earlier!  You could
even convince him yourself if you want."  Ranma had no
idea what this meant, but it sure didn't sound good. 
Who were they talking about?

"That, my dear Akane, will cost extra.  Upfront.  I'm
not getting involved without another 3000 yen."

Akane made a noise in her throat and Ranma could
imagine her frown.  He heard the clink of coins and
Nabiki's sigh of delight.  "Are you happy now?"  Ranma
wasn't surprised at the irritation in Akane's voice.

"I will be when I get the rest.  Tomorrow at four?"
Nabiki paused.  "Good.  Now get out of here so I can
finish my homework."

Ranma quickly scurried halfway down the hall, only to
turn and walk back as nonchalantly as possible.  He
smiled at Akane as she emerged from Nabiki's room. 
She only glared at him.  He guessed she was still mad
about dinner.  With a sigh, he turned into the
bathroom.  He could use a good long soak.

Within minutes, Ranma was submerged in a tub full of
hot water.  He felt his tired muscles relax and
realized that this whole day had been more stressful
than he'd imagined.  He still wasn't sure how he felt
about holding Akane's hand, except that it'd been real
nice.  He'd been pretty sure that Akane had felt the
same, but this thing with Kuno made no sense.  He
didn't even want to think about what had been cooked
up with Nabiki--he just hoped that he wasn't to be the
recipient of their manipulations.

Ranma took a deep breath and slid under the water.  
Nothing made sense anymore.  He reminded himself to be
glad that Ryoga wasn't around.  He wasn't up to
chasing "P-chan" around the house tonight.  He wanted
to go to his room--all his own now that Pop had moved
into another--and sleep until winter.


Part Four: "Stormy Weather Comes to School"

The next day at school Ranma ate his lunch near the
softball diamond.  He sat under a tree where he could
watch Akane eating and joking with her friends.  She
sure was popular.  All the girls wanted to be her
friend and all the boys wanted to go out with her,
especially Kuno.  Ranma tried to figure out why. 
Sure, she was cute when she wanted to be, but that
didn't explain much.  Ukyo was cute all the time and
she didn't get that sort of following.

Ranma sighed and focused his attention on Akane.  She
looked the same as ever, but different, and Ranma
couldn't figure what it was.  She threw back her head,
laughing at something another girl said.  He had never
noticed how pretty her neck was or how her eyes lit up
when she laughed.  He put his hands behind his head
and leaned back on the tree, smiling.  All thoughts of
Kuno vanished as he studied Akane.

She took a bite of her lunch and suddenly looked up at
him, as if she'd been aware of his presence nearby. 
Ranma felt his heart beat erratically.  He couldn't
believe he'd been caught staring.  He was about to
look away when Akane smiled, her blush visible even to
Ranma.  He felt his face flush, too, and it only
deepened as Akane got up and began walking toward him.
 She was actually pretty graceful; all those years of
martial arts training must have been-

"Master Kuno, aren't you going to eat any of your
lunch?  I made it especially for you."  Sasuke. 
Ranma's thoughts were cut short by voices in the grove
behind him.

Kuno's lower voice answered.  "How can I eat?  Tonight
I will finally date with the elusive Akane Tendo.  Not
only has she agreed to meet with me, but she has asked
me to see her.  I cannot think of food.  Come, Sasuke.
 Let us leave here so that I may prepare for our
meeting."

As their footsteps faded, a shadow fell over Ranma's
face--Akane.  "Ranma," her voice was bright, though
slightly hesitant.  "There's something I need to tell
you--about Jusendo."

Ranma jumped to his feet, his face dark with anger. 
"What's this about you and Kuno?"  He curled his hands
into fists.  "He said that you asked him for a date. 
Is it true?"  Before she could answer he spun on his
heel and punched the tree.  The sound of wood cracking
filled the air for a moment before he turned back to
Akane.  "Is it?"

Akane stepped back, her face suddenly pale and
confused.  "It's not what you think, Ranma.  I just--"

"Yes or no?"  His voice was quietly furious.  He had
to hear it from her before he found Kuno and beat him
to a bloody pulp.

Akane looked at him for a long moment.  Ranma crossed
his arms and stared at her, his glare cold.  Tears
slowly welled in her eyes and she blinked them back
furiously.  "What do you care, anyway?"

He wasn't about to answer that question, so he
countered with another.  "Okay Akane, tell me this,
how would you feel if I suddenly asked Shampoo out?"

"Nihao!"  They both were startled to see Shampoo's
bike, as if on cue, break through the crowd that had
begun gathering to watch them fight.  She came to a
stop before them and offered a huge smile for Ranma. 
"Ranma date Shampoo now?  Pervert-girl no like?"  She
jumped from her bike and attached herself to Ranma's
arm.  "Ooh, Ranma make Shampoo so happy!"
Ranma yanked himself away.  "I never said nothin' like
that!" he roared.

"Go ahead, if that's what you want, Ranma!"  Akane's
voice was icy.  "Don't let me stop you."  She was as
jealous as ever, but Ranma couldn't see why, now that
Kuno was in the picture.

"If Ranma no want Shampoo, why you challenge Mousse? 
Want stupid duck no more chase Shampoo?  Go back to
China?"  She sounded so hopeful, as if she really
believed her half-coherent ramblings.  "Wo ai ni!" She
locked her arms about his neck again as a hush fell
over the enthralled crowd of students.

Ranma looked up to see Akane walking away, the
students making a path for her.  He felt a little
panicky.  How was he going to fix things and get rid
of Kuno now?

Ranma struggled to free himself.  "Akane!"  She didn't
even look back.  He looked to Shampoo.  This girl was
insane!  "I never said nothing about liking you!"

"But you challenged Mousse."  Nabiki's dry tone
interjected.  "You must want something."  She stood
next to Shampoo's bicycle, eating an ice cream cone. 
For a moment Ranma ridiculously wondered where she got
ice cream at school.

"Mousse no can beat Ranma.  He get challenge letter in
morning and train all day.  Even Mousse know he no
will win.  Why you challenge stupid Mousse if not for
Shampoo?"  She still had her arms around him, and
Ranma was becoming aware of just how strong the girl
was.  No matter how he twisted, there was no getting
out of her grip.

Suddenly a splash of cold water ended his struggles. 
He emitted a startled yelp and felt his body change
even before the water fell to the ground about him. 
Through the waterfall he could see Akane.  She held an
empty bucket and wore a satisfied smile on her face.

"Hey!  What'd'ya do--" Ranma began in a rage.  Then
she felt the softness of wet fur on her neck.  She
glanced down at the damp pink furball clinging to her
shoulders.  "Ugh!  Get it off me!"

"Merow?"  The kitten seemed to smile at Ranma and
cuddled against her neck.

Akane dropped the bucket and walked back to her lunch,
just before Ranma broke into a run.  She screamed and
pushed at Shampoo, who clung all the more tightly.

As she ran, Ranma was vaguely aware of the activities
of the schoolyard going back to normal.  Realizing
that there was no getting rid of the cat at school,
Ranma shimmied over a high fence.  She'd get back at
Akane later. 


Part Five: "The One to Carry On"

Ranma looked at the clock tower of Furinkin High. 
School would be out in a few minutes.  After leaving
the school grounds trying to get away from Shampoo,
she had finally been able to get the cat off of her. 
The hissing furball was promptly tossed into the
canal.  A good place to cool off, or so Ranma thought.

Preferring not to have to explain the scene in the
schoolyard, Ranma didn't go back to school.  Instead
she wandered around for a few hours, thinking about
how to solve the whole complicated mess.  She realized
that she'd have to talk to Akane, and chose not to
change back into a guy for that.  Akane seemed more
willing to talk when Ranma was a girl.

Now she waited outside the school gates, trying to
think of something clever to say to her when she came
out.  She knew it'd have to be pretty good--Akane
hadn't been this mad in a long time.  While she was
thinking, the bell rang, announcing the end of another
school day. Ranma looked at the doors, anxious to
catch Akane.

To her surprise, Kuno was the first out, leaving the
building as the bell still rang.  As he neared the
gates, Ranma hid in some nearby shrubbery.  It
wouldn't be useful to have Kuno see her and ruin
everything. 

"Come Sasuke, we must arrive before Akane Tendo.  It
won't do to have her wait, as I've waited for this
day."  Ranma's interest was piqued.  She crept closer
through the undergrowth for more information about
Akane's date.  "You will stay well-hidden, of course,
but watch carefully.  You will look on as I, Tatewaki
Kuno, oft called the Blue Thunder of Furinkin High,
sweep the lovely Akane Tendo off her feet and into my
arms."  With a confident laugh, he strode away,
seemingly toward a nearby wooded park.

Ranma stood up, glancing back to the school.  Students
were pouring from the doors, including Akane, who
walked with her sister.  Ranma made a quick decision
and followed Kuno.  She could catch up with Akane
later, after she pummeled Kuno and ended the date. 
God knew they'd have plenty to talk about then.

Following Kuno through the park proved more difficult
than Ranma had expected.  She didn't want to be seen,
so she ran from one shrub to another, keeping Sasuke
and Kuno within sight.  At one point she saw Genma in
his panda form, playing with the children at the
playground.  She prayed she'd pass unnoticed; having
her father show up would only complicate things.  

In the wooded center of the park, Sasuke led Kuno into
a small clearing.  Ranma hid in the brush nearby,
wanting to be able to see whatever happened.  A lavish
picnic had been arranged, complete with wine and
roses.  It seemed that Akane was in for a treat.

"See, Master Kuno?  I set it up just as you asked.  Do
you want me to--"

"Go hide yourself, Sasuke.  I can handle it from
here."  Kuno was surprisingly harsh to his manservant,
and the little ninja scurried into the undergrowth. 
Kuno paced nervously, obviously uneasy about seeing
Akane.

Within a few moments, a stick cracked in the woods and
Ranma saw the blue of Akane's school uniform.  Kuno
bowed low, his hair covering his eyes.  "Akane Tendo,
welcome."

"I'm sorry, Kuno-baby, but it seems you have the wrong
Tendo."  Nabiki stepped from the shadow of a large
tree, a strange look on her face.  She was almost
smiling, but at the same time she didn't seem amused
by the situation.

Kuno dropped down onto the blanket in surprise. 
"Where's Akane?" he asked, for the first time dropping
his pretenses.  Ranma was startled by the
vulnerability in his face, almost feeling sorry for
the guy.  What on earth was Akane up to?

A rustle in the bushes behind her made Ranma turn away
from the scene in the clearing.  Akane was pushing
through the nearby brush, trying to get a better view.
 She glanced up and met Ranma's eyes.  "Oh!"

"What's going on?" Ranma whispered anxiously.  This
was making less and less sense with each moment.

Akane pressed a finger to her lips and hissed for
silence.  With a nod of her head, she motioned toward
the clearing.  No less confused, Ranma turned her
attention back to Kuno and Nabiki. 

As Nabiki looked down at Kuno, a look of discomfort
seemed to flash across her features.  Before Ranma
could be certain of it, however, it was gone and her
professional air recovered.  "Sorry about that, but it
looks like you'll have to make do with me."  She sat
next to Kuno and glanced through the food.  "Mmm,
looks like you went all out."  She picked up the wine.
 "Dom Perignon--nice."

To Kuno's credit, he recovered smoothly.  "Would you
like a glass, Nabiki Tendo?"  Before she could answer,
he filled a goblet and held it out to her.  "I
understand that you appreciate the finer things in
life."

He filled a glass for himself and raised it for a
toast.  "To the Tendo family," he said with a
surprisingly low amount of sarcasm.

Nabiki drank her wine in a quick gulp.  "I'm certain
you must be wondering why I'm here instead of my
sister," she began matter-of-factly.  When Kuno
nodded, she continued.  "Although I honestly wish I
hadn't, I agreed to come out here to explain Akane's
true feelings for you."  She paused and rearranged her
skirt about her legs.

"Go on, Nabiki."  Kuno's voice was devoid of emotion. 
Ranma leaned a little closer, just as anxious to hear
what she had to say.  Finally, some answers!

Nabiki shifted uncomfortably.  "Kuno-baby, Akane
doesn't love you.  She's sorry to do this, but decided
that you have to be told.  She's in love with Ranma
Saotome."

Ranma felt her entire body twitch uncontrollably.  She
looked over at Akane in shock.  She didn't even know
how to feel, but her heartbeat was suddenly a rapid
throbbing in her ears. 

Akane's face was bright red--redder than any blush
Ranma had ever seen.  She shook her head violently,
her mouth forming a silent "no."  Tears welled in her
brown eyes and Ranma had to look away.  "I never--"
Akane whispered fiercely, grabbing her arm.  "Ranma, I
don't!"

Too confused to look at her, Ranma looked back at the
clearing, trying to ignore the sinking in her chest. 
Kuno was silent.  He looked down at his hand holding
the wine glass.  Suddenly his grip tightened, and the
crystal shattered.  

"Tatewaki!" Nabiki cried, grabbing a napkin from the
basket.  Taking his hand in hers, she unclenched his
fist.  Shards of glass and wine mixed with blood fell
to the ground.  "Oh, Kuno," she said softly as she
pressed the napkin to his many cuts.  "You are so
sensitive."

Kuno looked into her face, his eyes spilling tears. 
"Nabiki Tendo," he whispered, in something like awe.  

For a long moment, neither moved.  "Kuno-baby, you
idiot," she murmured.  She reached up and caught his
tears with her fingers.  With a gentle smile, she
pressed her lips to his.  

After a brief kiss, Nabiki pulled away and smiled into
Kuno's eyes.  "Well, Kuno-baby, it looks like you've
had the wrong Tendo all along."

Kuno shook his head gently, smiling.  "You're
beautiful, Nabiki."  He cupped his good hand behind
her head and pulled her close for a more passionate
kiss.  She willingly succumbed.

Ranma looked at Akane, who's face mirrored the
amazement he was feeling.  Without speaking, they both
backed out of the bushes and headed away from the
clearing.  Ranma stopped worrying about what was going
on, she was obviously locked in some twisted dream.  

Neither spoke until they reached the street.  Ranma
couldn't shake the image of Nabiki lifting her face to
Kuno's.  Of them kissing.  Then kissing more.

"What just happened?"  Akane's voice was a little
shaky.  

Ranma stared straight ahead.  "I figured you'd have a
better idea than me."  The closer they got to home,
the more real things were seeming.  She still didn't
know what Akane was up to.  

"I admit I paid Nabiki to talk to Kuno. . . "  Akane
stared at the clouds overhead.  "But I never. . . I
mean, she didn't have to kiss him!"

Ranma glanced curiously at Akane.  She was
blushing--again.  With a jolt, she remembered what
Nabiki had told Kuno about Akane's feelings.  Feeling
fidgety, she bounded onto the fence and looked at the
sky.  "So, Akane, Nabiki said . . . "

Akane froze.  "I told you I don't!" she cried.  She
then turned and fled up the street, leaving Ranma to
stare after her.  Shaking her head in bewilderment,
Ranma continued home alone.  She really hoped that
things would get back to normal soon.


Part Six: "P-P-P-Chan!  He's Good for Nothin'"

Nabiki didn't come home until after dinner.  Kasumi
had all the dishes washed and dried and Soun and the
panda were already deep in a heated battle over the
shogi board.  Nadoka was visiting; she and Kasumi were
at the table, whispering a conversation that
apparently didn't include the men.  Ranma was sprawled
on the living room floor doing his homework; he had no
idea where Akane was.  She hadn't talked to him since
the walk home.

"Hello, family.  I hope your evening was enjoyable." 
Nabiki threw her books on the floor and headed up the
stairs.

"Nabiki," Kasumi called.  "Won't you have some dinner?
 I saved you a plate."

"Thank you, Kasumi, but I've eaten my fill for today. 
I think I'm going to have a long bath."  Without
another word, she walked up the steps.

Ranma felt weird about following her, but he had to go
up anyway, to find Akane.  It was about time for her
to get over whatever had been bugging her that
afternoon.

Nabiki went straight to Akane's room and Ranma slipped
in behind her.  He leaned against the wall, his hands
behind his head, as the girls talked.  

Nabiki gave him a puzzled look before speaking to her
sister.  "Akane?  I believe you owe me 5000 yen."  She
bowed mockingly.  "I can assure you that the job was
well done."  

Akane sat up on her bed.  "How did it go?"  She
blushed.  "I mean, I left early.  Is Kuno . . .?"

Nabiki smiled dryly.  "Yes, Akane, Kuno is.  And don't
you worry, he won't be bothering Akane Tendo anymore."
 A small smile touched her lips as she held out her
hand to receive her payment.

Akane leaned over the edge of the bed, her head nearly
touching the floor as she reached for a box
underneath.  So she really had paid Nabiki off to take
care of Kuno?  Ranma felt relieved.  At least now he
knew that the world wasn't going completely crazy. 
Akane dumped a wad of money into Nabiki's outstretched
hands, grumbling under her breath as she did so.  

Nabiki looked at her sister reproachfully.  "Now, now,
Akane, I told you my price upfront, and I happened to
do a magnificent job of it.  No need to fuss." 

Her money collected, Nabiki turned and walked out of
the room, pausing before Ranma.  "I hope you enjoyed
the show," she smirked, leaving him dumbfounded as she
strode to her own room.  Ranma was amazed that she had
noticed him in the bushes.  He would've thought she'd
been too busy to look for observers.

"Why did you challenge Mousse, Ranma?"  Akane's voice
was soft and far away.  He snapped out of his stupor
and looked at her.  For the first time, Ranma noticed
her appearance.  She looked small and pale, curled up
on the bed in her yellow pajamas.  

He pulled her chair near the bed and sat down. 
"Remember last time, when he challenged me and you
told me to lose on purpose?" She nodded, and Ranma
continued.  "Well, I decided that it was time for me
to really do it."

"Throw the fight?  Why?"  She looked away.  "If you
couldn't give Shampoo up then, why can you now?"  She
wouldn't look at him, but he could tell that whatever
his answer, it would be important.  He considered
telling her the truth, explaining everything he'd been
thinking.  

"I figure if I give Mousse what he wants, he might be
willing to teach me some of his moves.  That
blade-thing especially could come in handy."  He was
really disgusted by how much of a coward he was
turning out to be.

A disappointed look crossed her features.  She really
did look miserable.  Ranma impulsively grabbed Akane's
hand.  "Akane, are you okay?"

She stared at his hands wrapped around hers, but she
didn't pull away. Ranma regretted his impulse for a
moment, but then he noticed her smile.  It crept
slowly across her face and put a hint of a sparkle in
her eyes.  He realized that her hand was tiny and warm
and felt good in his.  

"Uh . . . A-Akane . . . " He had no idea what he was
doing or what he'd wanted to say.  He closed his eyes
and silently prayed that Akane would take over the
conversation.  

"Ranma?"  Her voice was sweet in his ears.  "Are you
okay?"  He opened his eyes to see her face peering
into his.  "You look a little . . . weird."

Ranma's face heated and he backed away.  "Well, uh,
you looked uh--a little sad," he said as nonchalantly
as possible, releasing her hand.  "I just wanted to
make sure you were okay, that's all."

Akane tilted her head, a tiny smile on her lips.  "So
you're really going to lose to Mousse?"  He nodded. 
"Then I'm fine."

He didn't want to leave her room, but couldn't think
of anything else to say.  In fact, he couldn't think
of much at all.  Why did Akane's hair smell like
flowers?  And why did he let go of her hand?  He
suddenly missed the feeling of touching her.  

Studying the cracks on the ceiling, he deftly reached
for her hand again.  To his shock, his fingers clamped
around her knee instead.  He felt Akane jump with the
contact.  

"Ranma?"  Her voice was barely a whisper.  

He realized that he couldn't yank his hand back, as
was his first impulse.  He didn't want her to think
that he didn't know what he was doing.  Very slowly,
he dragged his eyes from the ceiling and focused them
on Akane instead.  "I . . . I oughtta go."  His breath
was rapid, so the words came in a rush.  

Akane reached out and covered his hand with her own,
pressing his palm more tightly to her knee.  Ranma
tried not to hyperventilate at the feeling.  He
realized that he wasn't going to get out of this
easily and wasn't totally sure he wanted to.

Akane leaned in closer, speaking softly.  "Then,
goodnight."  Her voice was barely audible, even to
Ranma, who was merely inches from her face.  

With a surge of emotion, he placed a trembling hand on
her shoulder and leaned in to plant a shy kiss on her
cheek.  To his shock, it wasn't the smooth skin of her
cheek that his lips made contact with.  He opened his
eyes wide to see Akane's looking back at him.  She had
turned her head, taking the kiss on her mouth instead.
 He watched as her eyes fluttered shut, her long
lashes somehow tickling his face.  Of their own
accord, his own eyes drooped shut.  

Her mouth was warm and soft, and he realized with a
blush that she tasted really good.  He slid his hand
up to her waist, pulling her a little more securely to
him.  She was soft through the flannel.

What the hell were they doing?!  Ranma tore away,
feeling more than a little scared.  Akane's eyes
opened slowly, her sad expression returning.  Her head
drooped as she studied her hands in her lap.

"Akane, I--"  Suddenly it dawned on him that he really
wanted to kiss her.  He reached out a shaking hand,
tucking a lock of her soft hair behind her ear.  Akane
leaned her head into his palm, changing his touch into
a caress.  He was shaking as he drew her close, but he
knew that the time had come.  He watched Akane close
her eyes, her face flushing slightly, and he closed
his at the last moment, as he felt her breath on his
skin.

"Bweeeeeee!"

The impact of the pig on his forehead sent Ranma
sprawling onto the floor.  Tiny hooves beat his face
as that annoying squeal filled his ears.  He
struggled, trying to grasp the wriggly pig.  "Ryoga!" 
Ranma never hated him more.  Talk about lousy timing! 
"Wha'd'ya think you're doin'?"

"P-chan!"  Akane's usual squeal of delight was tinged
with irritation.  She somehow grasped his bandana and
yanked the little black pig from Ranma's face.  "Did
he hurt you, Ranma?"

Ranma sat up and shook his head.  "No, I'm okay, but
that stupid pig's gonna get it."

Akane hugged her pet.  "P-chan was only playing," she
said, petting the creature.  "He didn't know what he
was doing."

"Yeah whatever," Ranma growled, sending an icy look at
the pig, who was nuzzling against Akane's neck. 
P-chan narrowed his eyes and stuck his little pink
tongue out in Ranma's direction.  

Walking out the door, Ranma glanced back over his
shoulder.  Akane was watching him leave with wide
eyes.  "'Night, Akane," he mumbled.

In the dark hallway his mind conjured the image of her
face.  Her sweet pink lips.  Her eyes full of
affection.  "Sweet dreams," he whispered, a half-smile
on his face.

to be continued...


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From: Space Pirate Ryoko 

Close Encounters of the Ranma Kind
Volume 2
by the Space Pirate Ryoko

Part One: "I Put My Life in Your Hands"

The next day, Ranma woke with a smile.  He felt really
good.  He wasn't sure just what it was that he'd been
dreaming of, but it must've been pretty nice. 
Stretching and yawning, he wandered to the table where
Nadoka was serving breakfast.

"Wow, you're here early today," he commented, dropping
a kiss on her cheek before sitting down.  "What's the
occasion?"

Nadoka blushed slightly and looked at Genma, who had
already begun eating.  "No occasion.  I just wanted to
see my family."  She tousled his hair good-naturedly
and handed him his breakfast.

Akane walked into the room and Ranma froze--a bite of
food in mid-air next to his mouth.  Suddenly he
remembered his dream that night, except that it hadn't
been a dream!  He felt his face burn as he dropped his
gaze to the food on his plate.

When she sat down next to him, Ranma chanced a peek at
her from the corner of his eye.  She too was watching
the table as Nodoka placed the food before her. 
Together they looked awfully guilty.  Ranma was sure
that everyone would guess what had happened, and he
scrambled in his head for something to come back with
when confronted.  When nothing came to mind, he tried
rational thought.  Of course no one would know!  The
door was shut and they'd been quiet . . .

"So Akane, what were you and Ranma doing so quietly
with your door shut last night?"  Leave it to Nabiki! 
She smirked and took a swallow of her tea.

All eyes turned to Akane and Ranma, who were still
making a point not to look at one another.  Akane was
flustered; Ranma could tell without even having to see
her.

"Well, uh," she was obviously at a loss for words--a
rare thing for Akane.  "What were you doing with Kuno
until after dinner?" she countered angrily.

"Oh dear, she dodged the question," Kasumi observed,
shaking her head.  "That's never a good sign."

"It's a great sign!"  Soun leaped from his place at
breakfast.  He looked absolutely ecstatic.  "Come on,
Ranma my boy, tell your parents all about it!"

"Oh yes, Ranma," a voice chimed in from the doorway. 
"I'm sure we'd all like to hear what's behind this
one."  Ryoga.  Ranma sighed; he'd known the guy was
bound to show up sooner or later.

As usual, he carried his belongings in a backpack,
which now rested by his feet.  His umbrella, which
served the dual purpose of both rain gear and
weaponry, rested atop the pack rather than in his
hands, as was usually the case.  In its place, Ryoga
carried a large walking stick.  Ranma looked at the
stick with surprise--Ryoga never carried anything like
it.  It seemed to be a particularly fine walking stick
at that.

Ranma shook his head.  What was he doing, admiring
some dumb stick at a time like this?  He had a bone to
pick with Ryoga!  "As if you didn't know," he growled,
standing to face him.  "I suppose you were there the
whole time, huh?"

"Ranma!"  Akane grabbed his arm, trying to pull him
away from Ryoga.  "What are you talking about?  Just
because you insist on calling P-chan by his name
doesn't mean that they're really the same!"  She
knocked him in the head.  "Ryoga was not, nor has he
ever been, in my room!"

Ranma ignored her hit--it'd been one of her lighter
blows--and shrugged her from his arm.  She didn't know
it, but he had to do this for her as well as himself. 
Balling his hands into fists, he faced Ryoga.  "Come
on, P-chan, why don'chya just admit it?  Where were
you last night?"

Ryoga snarled.

"Ranma!"  Akane cried.  She would've said more, but
Ryoga held up a hand.

"Don't bother, Akane.  You know how he is when he gets
into a rage.  If he wants to fight, then I have no
choice." Ryoga held his stick in a defensive position
before him.  "Okay, Ranma, do your worst."

"Couldn't you do this outside?"  Soun shifted his food
to a spot farther down the table and stood up. 
"Really Ranma, it's breakfast."

As if he hadn't even heard, Ranma jumped at Ryoga,
knocking him into the wall.  He stumbled, but blocked
the blow with ease.  Akane had moved across the room
to stand with her family, but she hadn't stopped
protesting.  Ranma had no intention of listening to
her, but was glad she'd gotten out of the way. 
Fighting Ryoga was pretty tough, and he wanted Akane
to be as far away as possible in case things got ugly.

"Ranma!  Ryoga!"  Akane's voice was suddenly more
threatening; she held a bucket of water over her head.
 Both guys froze, and Ranma got a good look at their
positions.  He was posed for a low kick--he would've
knocked Ryoga's legs out from beneath him if Akane
hadn't stopped them.  Ryoga, for his part, seemed
about to bring his stick crashing down on Ranma's
skull.  That would've hurt.  He turned his attention
back to Akane.  

"Both of you stop it or I'll be forced to stop you
with this water.  You wouldn't want to have to fight
Mousse as a girl, would you, Ranma?"  She looked like
she'd do it, too.

Ranma didn't feel like doing anything as a girl.

"Sweet-O!  I would listen to her, boys."  A creaky old
voice came from out of nowhere and Ranma looked
hurriedly about the room.

"Where are ya, you old Freak?" he asked suspiciously. 
He wished the master could announce himself like
normal guests.

Happosai stepped from the kitchen, a muffin in his
hands.  "Unless I'm wrong," he began with a bite,
"that stick you've got there is a very powerful weapon
used by the Amazons a thousand years ago."  He came
closer, inspecting the stick, which Ryoga graciously
lowered for him.  "What I wouldn't do to be the owner
of such a fine piece of weaponry!"

"So you're sayin' this ain't no ordinary stick?" 
Ranma was skeptical.  "If that's so, how'd Ryoga get
ahold of it?  Them Amazons aren't so easy to deal
with."

It was Genma who stepped forward with an answer.  "The
fabled Staff of Heaven.  It was lost in a raid years
ago, never to be recovered."  He looked at Ryoga
intently.  "Where did you come across such a thing?"

Ryoga cleared his throat.  He was looking at his
walking stick with new curiosity.  "I bought it.  In
China.  Before we came back I found it in an antique
shop.  I had no idea . . ." He looked down at
Happosai.  "How does it work?"

The entire family stepped closer for this, and Akane
set down her bucket.  She stood between Ranma and
Ryoga as the old man began to explain.

"It works with life force--chi.  The stronger the chi,
the more powerful this staff will become.  It takes
years of training to do so, but to use the stick; you
must focus all of your energy into it.  Then, with a
single blow, you destroy an enemy by releasing your
chi straight into them."  Happosai took another bite
of his food and glanced at his rapt audience,
apparently enjoying the attention.  "It's at least
twice as powerful as the chi blasts you're currently
using," he began, looking to Ranma and Ryoga, "because
the staff focuses and strengthens the energy."

Ranma was in awe.  He didn't normally use weapons when
he fought, but this was certainly worthy of some
attention.  He wasn't surprised, however, when Ryoga
asked the question that had just popped into his own
mind.  "But until I learn to focus, it's just a plain
stick, right?"

"Yes, except in extreme cases.  There are moments
during life when a person completely loses control. 
This can happen during a fight when a kind of blind
rage takes over.  If you should use the staff during
such a moment, the results could be deadly.  Just as
it relies on tight control and focus to work, in the
opposite extreme you could just as easily surrender
your chi to the staff."

Wow.  That stick sure was something.  They all stood
around, gawking at what could very possibly be the
most powerful weapon they'd ever see in their lives. 
Ranma wondered if such a tool was safe in Ryoga's
hands.  He had been known to lose his cool on more
than one occasion.  Right now he was staring at it as
though it were the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid
eyes on.  Ranma wondered what he was thinking of doing
with it.

"Oh my," Kasumi murmured.

"No kidding," joined Nabiki.  "One more moment and it
could've been 'bye-bye Ranma."

Ranma hadn't even thought of that.  He didn't think
that Ryoga had been too close to rage just then, but
when it did happen, there was a good chance he would
be the object.

"I'm not so sure Ryoga's the best person for this kind
of weapon."  Ranma felt, rather than saw, Ryoga's
glare.  "I mean, he's never been able to control his
feelings.  He's almost sure to kill someone!"

"And that someone'll probably be you, Ranma-honey." 
Ranma hadn't noticed Ukyo come in.  

"Doesn't anyone knock?!"  Apparently Akane hadn't
noticed either.

"With this stick, I'll be unbeatable!"  Ryoga's eyes
had taken a glassy look.  He looked at Akane and then
at Ranma.  Ranma's eyes narrowed.  There was no way
he'd let Ryoga beat him, especially not for Akane.  It
was a good thing he'd have to learn how to use it
first--that'd give him plenty of time to take it from
him.

Kasumi was offering Ukyo some breakfast, which she
politely refused.  "Actually, I'm here for
Ranma-honey.  Konatsu is in bed sick and I need
someone to help me out at Ucchan's."  She looked at
Ranma, a half-smile on her lips.  "Can you come,
Ranma?"

"No."  Everyone turned and looked at Akane, who had
her arms crossed over her chest.  

Nabiki smiled wickedly.  Ranma could almost see her
mind fast at work.  "Why not?  You'll be shopping all
morning, so it's not as if you could keep him for
yourself."  She made her voice sound innocent, "Or did
that scene in your room last night change your plans?"

"What scene?"  Ukyo's voice only deepened Ranma's
blush.  "What happened, Ran-chan?" 

"Nothing happened!"  Ranma was glad that Akane wasn't
holding Ryoga's staff, or someone would have been
seriously hurt.  She calmed her voice down as she
continued.  "What I meant is that Ranma is fighting
Mousse today."

"Mousse?" Ukyo sounded startled.

"But why?"  It seemed even Kasumi needed to be in his
business.  Ranma sighed.

Soun gave him a stern look.  "I certainly hope that
this has nothing to do with that Shampoo."

Genma agreed with a forceful nod.

Ranma decided to ignore them all.  "Sorry Ucchan,
she's right.  Maybe Ryoga could help you?"  It seemed
the best way to keep him occupied for the afternoon.

Ukyo didn't even try to mask her disappointment, but
she looked to Ryoga anyway.  "Whad'ya think, sugar?"

"Forget it!"  He looked at Ukyo like she had leprosy. 
"The last thing I need to do today is hang around
serving okonomiyaki  for an unappreciative--"  He
broke off, nervously looking at Akane.  Ranma knew it
wasn't like him to say so much in front of her.  "I've
got things to do," he finished lamely. 

"Akane, tell him to go."  He didn't like resorting to
such tactics, but he needed to be sure that Ryoga
wasn't planning on ambushing him with that stick of
his.  Besides, Ukyo wouldn't have come if she hadn't
really needed help.

Akane looked confused, but did as bidden.  "Go on,
Ryoga.  It could be fun," she said hesitantly.  Ukyo
cast her an irritated glare.

Ryoga looked at Akane for a long moment, his feelings
unreadable.  He then turned to Ukyo.  "All right, I'll
help." 

Ukyo apparently knew when to cut her losses.  "Great! 
We'd better hurry--the restaurant opens soon."  She
grabbed Ryoga's wrist and pulled him toward the door. 
"See ya, Ranma-honey!" she called over her shoulder,
extracting a huff from Akane.

Without another word to anyone, Ranma sat down and
finished off his cold breakfast.  He was going to need
stamina for his battle with Mousse.

 

Part Two: "Ryoga's Great Revenge"

Ranma decided to stop in at Ucchan's before his fight.
 Akane had left to go shopping with friends and Ranma
didn't want to stick around at the Tendos' with
Happosai lurking about.  The last thing he needed was
to have to chase the old Freak around town when he
should be conserving energy.  Not only was Ukyo's food
the best, but the conversation wasn't half-bad either.
 He wondered what he was going to do about Ukyo.  Her
engagement to him was just as legitimate as Akane's,
and he knew it meant a lot to her--she had spent ten
years finding him!

He had denied any feelings for Akane for a long time
now, but lately he found it harder and harder to do. 
The kiss they had shared the night before only made it
more obvious that it was time to do something about
it.  He wanted to let Ukyo down gently, but he wasn't
sure she'd allow it.  The girl was even more stubborn
than Akane when she wanted to be!

The door to the restaurant was open, the bright red
banner swayed in the breeze.  It was a warm day, and
the smell of the okonomiyaki probably brought
customers in droves.  Ranma paused by the door when he
heard an excited voice within.

"Just think, Ukyo, with this staff I can't be beaten! 
Even Ranma Saotome can't keep me from Akane now!" 
Ryoga sounded happier than Ranma had ever heard him,
but Ranma didn't like it.  So he was planning on
challenging him for Akane?  It wasn't a surprise, but
it bugged him just the same.

"Ryoga-sugar," Ukyo interjected, a little excited
herself.  "Wouldn't that mean that you'd have to kill
Ranma?  What about our agreement?"  She paused, and
Ranma guessed she was summing up Ryoga's reaction. 
"What about Akari?  Is Akane the only person who means
anything to you?"

"What do you know?"  Ryoga was obviously feeling
petulant.   "The only way I can make Akane love me is
to get Ranma out of the way first.  You have no idea
of the torment it is to see them together!  Just
yesterday he took cruel advantage, kissing her in her
room."  Ranma was surprised.  He hadn't thought Ryoga
would tell anyone.

"That hussy!"  Ukyo sounded cold and angry.  "I could
never understand why you want her so much!  She's
obviously just as calculating as her sister."  Ranma
could hear water splashing into a metal bucket--she
always cleaned when she was mad.  "You'd be better off
with Akari, sugar.  At least she cares about you.  
For now, forget about Ranma and go clean the sign. 
Here, catch!"

Ranma could imagine the bucket soaring across the
restaurant in a high arc.  He'd been in Ryoga's
position before, but was sure that Ryoga's fear was
more than Ranma had ever faced.  He had hidden his
secret well; too bad it was nearly ended.  

Splash!

"Bweeee!"

"What the. . .?"  Ukyo's voice was both puzzled and
amazed.  "Ryoga, is that you?"

Ranma almost laughed as he heard the pig's squealing
answer.  Served him right for plotting against him! 
He wondered if Ukyo would tell Akane.  That'd be even
funnier.

"Oh my God!  Ryoga!  You've been to Jusenkyo, haven't
you?  The curse!  Does Ranma-honey know?"  Ukyo wasn't
laughing, and Ranma wondered why.  He thought she'd
get a big kick out of this.  Maybe she was holding it
in for Ryoga's sake.  Her voice did sound kind of
strange.  "You're Akane's little P-chan!"

Ranma decided that he needed to see this.  He peeked
through the doorway and suddenly it didn't seem so
funny.  Ryoga was on the floor, crying his little pig
eyes out--that was nothing new.  It was Ukyo that
startled him.  She was kneeling beside him, stroking
between his black ears.  She murmured comfort to him,
and it looked like she was close to crying.

"Oh sugar."  Ranma could barely hear her now.  "It's
no wonder you hate Ranma so much, and why you're so
shy around Akane.  To think, all this time I thought
you were some kind of idiot."  She picked him up and
hugged him tightly.  "I'm so sorry, kiddo; it must've
been awful for you."

Ranma was shocked.  He wouldn't have been able to
speak if he'd wanted to.  Ukyo hadn't been that
sympathetic about his curse!  She'd laughed and
tormented him for weeks!  He watched as Ryoga nuzzled
closer.  Of course, he hadn't cried like that, either.
 That must be it.  Ukyo must have some weakness for
crying livestock.

Inside, Ukyo got up and put some water on to boil, not
letting go of the pig.  Suddenly she reminded him of
Akane, the way she sometimes held P-chan as if he were
the only thing in the world that she loved--

Ranma nearly choked.  No way.  Ukyo in love with
Ryoga?  He stared a moment longer, not sure what to
make of this new direction his thoughts were taking. 
It'd sure make things easier on him--two birds with
one stone.  The kettle whistled and P-chan darted to
his clothing, which lay in a heap on the floor.  Ukyo
poured water over Ryoga's head and began his change. 
Within moments she was hugging him like she'd never
let go.  

Ryoga slipped his arms around her and pulled her
closer, resting his head on hers as new tears spilled
from his eyes.  Ranma guessed he'd never expected that
kind of acceptance from anyone.  He turned away,
embarrassed to have seen what he did.  This was going
to take some getting used to--if all was as it seemed.

 
Part Three: "Shampoo's Sudden Switch"

When he arrived at the schoolyard, Mousse was nowhere
to be seen.  Shampoo stood near the tennis courts and
she smiled brightly when she saw Ranma.

"Nihao Ranma!"  She was so bubbly and cute--it was too
bad she was also so annoying.  "Today Ranma send
Mousse back to China?  Shampoo cheering you."

"Look Shampoo," Ranma knew he'd have to be careful in
order to keep her from getting suspicious.  "There's a
chance Mousse could beat me."

"No chance!"  She shook her head decidedly, her indigo
hair swinging.  The girl looked so sure that he almost
hated to disappoint her.  Almost.

He realized that he needed to elaborate.  "I hear he's
been working on a secret technique, one that can knock
me out quick if I don't see it coming.  I'm counting
on speed, but he could still win."

She nodded, a serious look on her face.  She seemed to
be eating this stuff up.  Ranma was surprised.  "If
that happens, he's going to want you, Shampoo."  An
angry look crossed her face.  "I'm asking you, if I
lose, to go with him.  For my honor."

Her face softened.  "If Ranma lose, Shampoo date with
Mousse.  But Mousse no win.  Ranma win."  She flung
her arms around him and squeezed tightly.  "Shampoo
kiss for luck."

Having learned from Akane, Ranma turned his head at
the last minute, and Shampoo's kiss smacked against
his cheek.  She didn't seem bothered by this--maybe
believing that there'd be time for kissing later.

She stepped back and smiled at him.  "Ranma so shy! 
Soon be rid of Akane Tendo and spatula girl and have
no reason be shy of Shampoo." 

"What do you mean?"  Ranma knew the Amazon was both
clever and persistent--he wouldn't put it past her to
kill them both.  

"No worry.  First must send Mousse home."  She pointed
to a spot behind Ranma.  Obviously his opponent had
arrived.

He spun around, expecting a surprise attack.  Instead
he got a face full of water.  He choked and instantly
felt the change.  His body became lighter and smaller,
and even his mind seemed to change a little in its
workings.  

"Hello, Ranma."  Mousse tossed the empty bucket aside.
 "I'm sorry about the water, but I've discovered that
your strength decreases considerably in this form."

Ranma rolled up her wet sleeves and cinched the waist
of her pants more snugly about her.  "I'll play it
this way, if that's what'chya want."  She smiled to
herself.  True, she wasn't as strong now, but she was
almost twice as fast.  Speed was what was needed to
avoid Mousse's sneak attacks, anyway.  It would be
easy to beat the blockhead.  "Whenever you're ready,
four eyes!"

At first the fight was pretty simple.  Ranma dodged
Mousse's weapons and offered few advances of her own. 
It was better for Mousse to wear himself out, anyway. 
It made Ranma's job a lot easier.  Once the guy was
out of tricks, it'd be nothing to finish the fight. 
Of course, she'd never seen him run out of tricks,
yet.

"So you expect to wear me out, Ranma?"  Mousse's voice
was hardly strained.  "Don't try to beat a man at his
own game!"  He laughed as a storm of knives flew from
his sleeves in Ranma's direction. 

She jumped aside just in time.  "I don't believe you
want to skewer me!"  She gasped as the sharp blades
pierced the ground where she'd stood.  "This was a
friendly challenge between friends--we're not s'posed
to kill each other!"

Mousse pushed his glasses up with a finger.  "Friends?
 Ranma Saotome, you stand between me and my beloved
and you call us friends?"  He laughed his bitter
laugh.  "You'll never be more than an obstacle to me!"
 He threw a chain that wound around her legs and
knocked Ranma off of her feet.

With a little yelp, Ranma fell to the ground.  She
recovered quickly, hurriedly unwinding the chain from
around her legs.  She knew Mousse well enough to know
that another attack would soon follow.  

"Ranma look out!"

She didn't even recognize the voice as Akane's at
first, but she heeded the warning instantly.  She
looked up to see Mousse, silhouetted by the sun,
jumping through the air and about to pounce on Ranma. 
As if that weren't bad enough, his shoes had become
bird's feet with sharp cruel talons. 

Using the force of her panic-induced adrenaline, Ranma
managed to roll out of the way just in time.  She
shook the chain from her legs and stood up just as
Mousse was regaining his balance from this landing. 
Well, if he wanted to play rough, Ranma could match
his every move.  "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" With
speed that still managed to amaze even herself, Ranma
launched her 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire'
attack.  Dozens of blows pummeled Mousse in just a few
seconds.  He attempted to block, pulling a shield, an
umbrella, and even a dressing screen from his robe,
but soon he was lying facedown on the ground.

Shampoo caught Ranma's attention by jumping up and
down, clapping her hands gleefully.  "Aiya Ranma!  Now
Mousse go and Ranma belong Shampoo forever!"  

Ranma was still pretty dazed from the rush of the
fight, but she realized that things weren't right. 
Suddenly she remembered the warning cry from before. 
Akane.  Ranma spun about, spying Akane on the
bleachers.  She had her head down and was messing with
the buckle on her shoe.  It was clear she had heard
Shampoo.  Suddenly Ranma realized what was wrong with
the fight!  She'd forgotten entirely her intention to
let Mousse win.

She'd blown it once before and now it seemed she'd
done it again.  He watched as Akane's hair blew in the
wind.  This time it had meant so much more . . .

A tight pair of arms attacked Ranma from behind, and
an undeniably well-formed body pressed close to her
back.  "No need pervert-girl no more," Shampoo sighed
as she nuzzled her neck.

Ranma never took her eyes from Akane, who suddenly
stood as if to go.  "Akane, wait!  Let me explain!" 
She felt her heart pound with fear.  She couldn't
leave now--it'd be real bad.  "Akane!"

Akane looked at her for a long moment, then turned to
leave.

"Ranma Saotome, get your hands off my Shampoo!" 
Mousse?  Everyone, even Akane, turned to look at the
man they'd believed unconscious.

He stood, dirty and torn, with his fists clenched
tightly at his sides.  His glasses were foggy and
impenetrable, but Ranma could imagine the rage in the
eyes behind them.  "No more games, Saotome.  This time
I mean to beat you."  He tore off his robe, baring his
muscular torso.  "Get your hands off Shampoo."

"Aiya!"  Shampoo's voice was small as she stepped away
from Ranma.  "Mousse, when you get so . . .?"

Ranma was ecstatic.  This was her chance.  Not only
was Akane sticking around to see what happened, but
with Mousse looking so powerful, it might not look so
bad for her to lose to him.  She sized him up, very
aware of how much larger he was than her.  This would
be tricky.

"I thought you were down for the count," Ranma taunted
in the hopes that he would attack. 

She was not disappointed.  "You thought wrong!"  He
charged her with a kick that Ranma easily dodged.

She threw a punch at his midsection, startled when her
fist hit nothing but air.  She swung again.  Nothing. 
Mousse had clamped his hand on her forehead and held
her away at his arm's length, which was considerably
more than her own.  With a scream of rage, Ranma
kicked up at his arm, finally able to dislodge his
hand.

Just as she was recovering her position, Ranma felt an
uppercut make contact with her jaw.  Mousse was a
tricky one--he'd anticipated her moves better than she
had his.  The punch sent her flying, and she landed
with a crash in a prickly bush.

The fall had knocked the wind out of her, but no more.
 However, Ranma knew that this was her opportunity to
lose.  A lesser man would be unconscious by now, which
is what Ranma pretended to be as she closed her eyes.

Akane reached her side first.  Ranma peeked through
her lashes as she felt Akane grasp her hand.  "Are you
okay?"  Her question was a hurried whisper.

"Never better," Ranma hissed back, realizing that she
wasn't just lying to make Akane feel better.  She was
bruised and battered and her pride cried for her to
get up and show Mousse who the better man really was,
but in spite of all that, she felt better than she had
in her life.  She rested her head on Akane's shoulder
and closed her eyes as the others came closer.

"She's unconscious."  Akane's voice sounded clear and
honest.  "You beat Ranma."

"I-I," Mousse was obviously at a loss for words.  "I
beat Ranma?"  Ranma opened her eyes enough to watch
him do a goofy little jig.  "Hear that Shampoo?  I
won!  I won!"

Shampoo stood a small distance away, her eyes averted.
 "Shampoo hear."  Ranma had never before heard her
sound so glum.

"She's crying," Akane whispered, probably more to
herself than to anyone else.  She stepped toward the
Amazon, but seemed to think better of it as Mousse
stepped forward.  Ranma was pleased that she was in a
position to see everything.

Mousse stood before Shampoo and took off his glasses. 
"Shampoo, you are mine," he said with power.

She sighed.  "Shampoo know."  She bowed low before him
and then held out her hand to him.  "Shampoo give self
freely to Mousse.  Shampoo belong to duck-boy."

Mousse took two steps and folded his arms about her,
stroking her long hair.  Shampoo kept her arms limp at
her sides.  "You don't mind?" he asked timidly. 

"What Shampoo feel no matter."  She almost choked on a
sob that she tried to bite back.  "Your girlfriend
now."

Mousse stepped away, grasping her shoulders as he
stared into her face.  "It does matter.  Shampoo I
love you."  It sounded like he'd be crying, too, in
another minute.  He wiped a tear from Shampoo's cheek.
 "Do you mind?"

She looked up at him for a long time, seeming to
realize that he was giving her a choice.  Finally she
smiled slightly and put Mousse's glasses back on his
face.  "Mousse strong man; beat him what beat Shampoo.
 Amazon law say now Shampoo marry Mousse."  She looked
at Mousse and touched his long dark hair.  "Been good
friend.  Shampoo no mind . . ."  She paused and looked
to where Akane held the unconscious Ranma's hand.  " .
. . much."  She took Mousse's hand and led him away
without glancing back.

"That was really something," Akane sighed, a wistful
look on her face as she watched them leave.  "What do
you think?  Will she learn to love him?"

Ranma sat up and felt her jaw, hoping the bruising
wouldn't be too obvious.  "Stranger things have
happened."  She was thinking about what she'd say when
it got out that she'd been beaten by Mousse.  Ranma
hoped she wouldn't have to fight Ryoga again.  Or
Kuno.  It would be worth it though, to finally be rid
of Shampoo.

"Ranma?"

She glanced up at Akane, who had the strangest look on
her face.  "Yeah?"

Akane blushed a deep pink and looked at her hands. 
"This is weird, with you being a girl and all, but,"
she took a deep breath and her question came out like
a rush of air.  "Would you like to go out tonight?"

Ranma nearly toppled over as she tried to stand.  "You
mean a date?"  She realized her voice sounded
incredulous, but couldn't help it.  She'd never in a
million years expected Akane to ask her out.

"Forget it."  Akane turned away, ready to stalk home
angrily.

Ranma grabbed her wrist and spun her around.  She
smiled.  "I meant yes, dummy."

A slow smile crept over Akane's features and Ranma
felt a tingle down to her toes.  She really was cute. 
Real cute.  Ranma didn't stop smiling, even as Akane
tore away and ran toward home.

"Pick me up at seven!" she called over her shoulder.

Ranma whistled to herself and put her hands behind her
head.  She surveyed the battleground with a new eye. 
This loss would hurt her reputation, to be sure, but
the ground she'd gained would make it all worthwhile. 


As she headed off toward home, something made her turn
around.  She had an eerie feeling that this wasn't
really over yet.  Another quick survey of the school
ground confirmed her feeling.  High in a tree near
where she'd landed and faked unconsciousness, Cologne
sat staring at him.  For a long moment, neither moved,
then she disappeared into the leafy branches.

Ranma felt a cold shiver tickle her spine.  She'd seen
the whole thing.  This wasn't going to be pretty.
 

Part Four: "These Things Happen, You Know"

Ranma pulled his cap low over his eyes.  He felt
silly, but Akane had told him to pick her up, as if
they didn't live in the same house, so that was what
he'd do.  He'd spent a good long time getting
ready--locked in his room so he wouldn't run into
Akane.  It didn't take long to change back and get
into new clothes, but he'd mostly sat around planning
where to go.  Ucchan's and the Cat Cafe were out of
the question, so he'd decided on a little restaurant
within walking distance.  It was expensive, but quiet.
 After his crazy day, all he wanted was peace and
quiet and to talk to Akane.

He pulled himself out the window and onto the roof. 
The roof was quiet.  Maybe Akane wouldn't mind staying
there.  Ranma dismissed that thought as soon as it
came.  She'd hate it.  He walked as silently as
possible over to her part of the roof and hung by his
ankles over the edge.  

It was exactly seven and Akane was ready.  He rapped
softly at the window frame and Akane hurried over.
"Ranma!  What are you doing?" she giggled.

"I didn't figure you wanted anyone to know we're going
out," Ranma explained, holding his hands out to her. 
"You know, less questions."

She smiled and took his hands.  He noticed she smelled
like flowers as he lowered her gently to the ground. 
With a showy flip, he landed on his feet next to her. 
Strangely, Ranma felt very natural, as though he and
Akane sneaked out together all the time.  Neither said
another word until they were safely off Tendo
property.

"Where to?"  Akane's eyes sparkled beneath the street
lamp.  She looked eager and happy.  

Ranma took her hand.  It was starting to feel sort of
familiar to him now.  "A surprise.  Follow me."  She
giggled softly as she followed his lead.

Within a few minutes they stood under the neon glow of
the restaurant's sign. Akane was blue under the
light--blue dress, blue skin, blue hair.  He laughed,
"You look pretty strange with blue hair, Akane!"

She smiled--even her teeth were blue.

They stepped into the building and waited to be
seated.  Food smells wafted about them, making Ranma
hungry.  The hostess led them to a small table by a
window, and they sat across from each other nervously.
 The ease from the walk had vanished as the real date
began.

The waitress came and went with their orders while
they made small talk about the weather and their
families.  "So what's with Nabiki?" Ranma asked.  "Is
she really dating Kuno or what?"

Akane shrugged, relaxing with the familiar topic. 
"Who knows?  They went for a boat ride in the park
today.  I saw them on the way home from shopping."

"Who would'a thought Nabiki'd be one for boat rides?" 
Ranma took a big bite of his bread and continued.  "I
mean, you'd think she'd have him out buyin' her
stuff."  He swallowed and took a gulp of water. 
"That's what she's done with other guys."

"Unless," Akane giggled over her salad.  "Unless she's
really serious about him."  She paused to laugh some
more.  "She hasn't asked me to pay her for spending
time with him."

Ranma couldn't help but laugh along.  "Yeah, couldn't
you just see Kuno asking to marry her?"  He bowed low
over the table, deepening his voice.  "Mr. Tendo?  I,
Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkin High,
would like to have the modest and beautiful Nabiki
Tendo for my bride.  With your permission--"

"Stop!"  Akane looked frantically about her as she
smothered a giggle.  "Ranma, people are staring!"

He did as she wished and they ate for a few minutes in
silence, except for the occasional giggle that escaped
when their eyes met.

"But Ranma, what if she is serious?"  She suddenly
sounded worried.  "I'm not sure that Kuno is the
right--"

"Aw, don't worry about it, Akane.  Nabiki's a big
girl.  She knows what she's doing."  He smiled and
took her hand reassuringly.  "Besides, what are the
odds she'll actually marry him?"

"So, son-in-law, you speak of marriage--to this girl
rather than my Shampoo."  An unmistakable crackly
voice interrupted.  

Akane gasped and Ranma stood up.  "What're you doing
here, Ghoul?"

Cologne hobbled closer on her walking stick.  "Shampoo
came back and told me everything.  She and Mousse plan
to close shop and head back for China."  She narrowed
her eyes at Ranma.  "But I say it wasn't a fair
fight."

Ranma clenched his fists,  "What makes you think
that?"

"Don't try to fool me, boy, I was there.  The boy
couldn't have beaten you so easily.  To hear him tell
it, you were bested with a sucker punch."  She shook
her head reproachfully.  "Now son-in-law, we all know
your skill exceeds that."

Ranma looked straight into her bulgy eyes.  "That's
how it happened, Ghoul.  He beat me.  Now Shampoo is
his problem."  He sat down and picked up his
chopsticks.  "For that matter, so are you."

Cologne's eyes flashed something like fury.  "Don't
toy with me.  I know you threw the fight and I'll see
to it a fair battle is fought.  You and I shall fight,
in a week."  Ranma tried not to match Akane's gasp of
alarm.  "If you win, you are free to do as you please.
 If I win, you will marry Shampoo and keep her from
shame among my people."

Ranma was furious.  He didn't want to fight the old
lady, but if he refused he looked like a coward. 
Besides, she'd probably just give him the kiss of
death and chase him to all ends of the earth.  He
looked at Akane, who watched him with wide eyes.  He'd
do it for her.  He'd do just about anything for her. 
"Fine!  I'll be there.  But no tricks--you said a fair
fight."

The Amazon crone cackled merrily.  "Of course,
son-in-law, of course."

Suddenly Shampoo burst in, pushing past a waitress in
her effort to get to them.  "Great-grandmother! 
Shampoo say Mousse win!  Saw with own eyes!  Law say
marry Mousse now."  She pulled gently on the crone's
sleeve.  "Leave Ranma alone.  Go to China with Shampoo
and husband."

Cologne turned to her great-granddaughter angrily. 
"Hush, Shampoo!  My son-in-law has agreed to a
re-match.  Against me."

Shampoo gasped.  "No Ranma!  No need fight more! 
Mousse beat fair!"  She looked at Akane, pleadingly. 
"No let Ranma fight Great-grandmother!"

"That will be enough, Shampoo." the old lady said
sharply.  "Come along.  We have much to plan."  She
hopped away rapidly.  More slowly, Shampoo followed
with her head down.

She looked back once, her face full of sadness.  "No
fight, Ranma!  She tricky!" she called out.  Ranma
looked away.  He'd already agreed to the challenge.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Akane spoke up. 
"Ranma, you can't beat her.  How are you going to do
this?"

Ranma wasn't at all sure.  "I'm gonna have to beat
her."  He put his head down on the table.  "I'll think
of something."  He was really at a loss with this one.
 The only thing that had even remotely worked before
was the Cat Fist, but he wasn't confident that she'd
fall for the same move twice.  Still, he had a week to
train; that would be more than enough time to learn
something new.

"Let's not worry about it now," he said reassuringly
to Akane.  "Why don't we just eat up?"  She nodded and
they picked up their chopsticks.  After a couple of
bites, it was clear that neither had much of an
appetite left. 

"Do you want to see a movie?"  Akane's voice was
unnaturally chipper, but Ranma couldn't think of
anything he'd like more than a dark theater to hide
out in.  It really spooked him that Cologne had
managed to find him in a place he'd never been before.

Within a half hour they were comfortably seated near
the back of the movie theater.  Ranma had been too
preoccupied to notice which film Akane had chosen to
see, but he didn't really care. 

As the room darkened and the movie began, Ranma felt
his anxiety over the old lady's challenge dissolve. 
He'd come this far, he certainly wasn't about to be
stopped now.  Once the Ghoul was out of the way, all
he had to do was get rid of Kodachi--if she ever
showed up, explain things to Ukyo, and break it to
Ryoga that he wasn't going to get Akane.  And tell
Akane.  That was probably going to be his toughest job
yet.  Then, when things were settled here, he'd go
back to China and find a cure for his curse.  Maybe
the Nannichuan was ruined, but there had to be a cure
somewhere.  He tucked his hands behind his head,
thinking of being normal again.

"Ranma?" Akane whispered, rubbing her elbow.  He
hadn't realized that he'd bumped her.  As if it'd been
his intention the whole time, he slipped his arm
around her shoulders and pulled her nearer.  It was
funny how he was getting used to touching her.  He
could hardly see her face in the darkness.  She
dropped her head onto his shoulder and he smiled.  Her
hair smelled good.

Not long later, Akane stood up.  "I'll be back--I'm
going to get some popcorn," she whispered.  "Want
some?"

Ranma shook his head; he'd just eat hers anyway.  She
was gone only a couple minutes before she dropped back
into the seat, empty-handed.

"What about the popcorn?" he asked quietly.  

"Oh!"  She cleared her throat and whispered back, "The
line was too long.  I didn't want to miss the movie." 
Her voice sounded strange.

"Akane, are you okay?"  Ranma reached for her hand.

She snatched it away as if he were on fire.  "Oh! Oh
yes, I'm just thirsty, that's all."  She kept her head
down and twisted the hem of her dress in her fingers.

Ranma stood up.  "Just a sec," he whispered.  He
darted into the lobby, running smack into a girl with
her arms full of popcorn.  They both toppled to the
ground, the buttery popcorn flying everywhere.  The
girl cried out in alarm.

"Sorry."  Sheepishly, Ranma started scooping the
popcorn into the empty buckets.

Ranma!?"  

Akane!"  Ranma did a double take, looking back at the
door to the theater.  "But how did you--?"

"You idiot!  Couldn't you wait for just a minute?" 
She stood up and looked at the butter smeared all over
her dress.  "I was just about to--"

Ranma was confused.  "But then who's in there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Some girl pretended she was you and asked for a
drink."  Ranma knew it sounded insane--it was insane! 
But it was true, and he knew he'd have to prove it to
Akane.  "Come with me!"

Grabbing her wrist, he led her back to their seats. 
There was no Akane imposter there at all.  Rather, a
boy sat alone, wearing a cap very similar to Ranma's. 
Ranma grabbed him.  "Just whaddaya think you're doin',
buddy?"

"Gosunkugi Hikaru?"  Akane recognized him first.

Several moviegoers turned around to quiet them, but
Ranma ignored them all.  "Tryin' to move in on Akane
while I was gone?  Is that what you're doin'?"  Ranma
yanked the cap off the boy's head and threw it on the
ground.  "Well?"

"I just," Gosunkugi stammered, "I just wanted. . . "

An usher approached and asked them to leave the
theater.  Akane angrily led the way.  Ranma didn't let
go of Gosunkugi until they were on the sidewalk.  He
pushed him against the wall of the building.  Ranma
couldn't believe he'd tried to hold some guy's hand. 
Just the thought made his skin crawl.  He wanted to
beat the kid senseless.

Before he could throw even one punch, however, he felt
Akane tap on his shoulder.  He turned to look at her
and received a sharp smack across his cheek.

"In what way does he look like me!?" she demanded,
furious.  With an angry kick to his shin, she spun on
her heel and stalked away.  

"You are so un-cute!" 

He turned back to Gosunkugi only to discover that the
boy had slipped away while he was watching Akane.  In
his place there was a little straw voodoo doll pinned
to the wall through its face.  The doll had a pigtail.
  Ranma sighed.  Maybe it was for the best.  The poor
guy wouldn't have stood a chance.  With a leap, Ranma
chased after Akane.  "Hey Akane!  Wait!"

By the time they reached the Tendo home, Ranma and
Akane had more or less made up.  They walked slowly
into the yard, talking softly.  The house was dark. 
Ranma was glad.  He was sick of interruptions.  He put
his hand on the doorknob, but Akane stopped him by
putting hers over it.

"Ranma, wait a second.  There's something I want to
tell you."  She took a deep breath and smiled timidly.
 "Remember how the springs were flooded at Jusenkyo?" 
Ranma nodded.  He preferred not to think about that. 
"Well, I know that the flood made it impossible to get
any water from the Nannichuan, but--"

Ranma cut her off by putting his finger against her
lips.  He held up his hand to signal for silence, then
cocked his head.  He was sure he'd heard something
while Akane had been talking, but whatever--or
whoever--it was, the sound had stopped.

"Put your arms around me," Ranma whispered as he
gathered Akane close.  He had a plan to flush out
their spies.

"Are you even listening to me?"  Akane stamped her
foot angrily.  "I was trying to tell you--"

Ranma squeezed.  Tight.  "Just do it and shut up," he
hissed.  Stubborn wasn't even the word for her.  Akane
complied and they stood close while Ranma listened to
the darkness.

"Are they kissing?"

"No Daddy, and I'm sure they won't if they hear you."

"Growr?"

"Oh my, they're standing so close!  Mr. Saotome, don't
you think they're a little too young?"

Ranma noticed the instant Akane heard them.  Her back
stiffened and he could hear her mumble under her
breath.  "So Akane, " he murmured in her ear, "should
we scare them?"  He felt her nod against his
collarbone.  "Okay.  One, two, three!"

They jumped apart and ran toward the bush where the
sound was coming from.  Ranma yelled and he heard
Akane's wild scream to match.  They collapsed in pants
and giggles as they watched the family flee.  Nabiki
and Soun were in front, followed closely by Kasumi. 
The panda lumbered behind as they sped around the side
of the house. 

A few minutes later, Akane and Ranma still lay on the
grass, catching their breath and fighting off
lingering chuckles.  Genma and the Tendos were nowhere
near, but Ranma knew that it wouldn't be long before
they came back.

"I guess this wasn't such a good idea," Akane said in
an amused voice.  "Threatened by Cologne, kicked out
of the movies, and then having to put up with them!
Honestly!  Not exactly a perfect evening."  She
propped her head up on an elbow and poked him.  "Was
it?"

"I had fun," Ranma offered.  He lay on the grass
looking up at her.  The moon was behind her head,
creating a sort of halo.  All he could see of her face
was the sparkle of her eyes.  The image was entrancing
and he stared at her for a long time before totally
realizing what he was doing.  By then, it was too late
to look away and it crossed his mind that he'd like to
kiss her again.

Ranma blushed as he realized that he didn't know how
to begin.  The other kiss had been a sort of accident,
and all his previous kisses, he inwardly cringed, had
been initiated by others.  

"Ranma?"  Akane's eyes had never left his face,
either, and he felt her breath ruffle his hair as she
spoke.  "We should go in.  They'll be back soon."

He nodded and they both got up.  They were quiet as
they entered the dark house and crept up the stairs. 
Pausing by Akane's bedroom door, Ranma anticipated
another awkward moment to endure.  Akane made it easy
by reaching out and squeezing his hand.

"Good night, Ranma," she said simply.

"Sweet dreams, Akane," he answered.  After sharing a
brief smile, she went into her room and he crept on to
his own.  As he lay there later, he wondered if he
should've tried to kiss her.  He wondered if Ryoga was
in there with her tonight.  Mostly, he wondered if
Akane was thinking of him, too.


Part Five: "Smells Like Evil Spirit"

Ranma was in heaven.  Thick chocolate shakes.  Tall
ice cream sundaes.  Okonomiyaki, cabbage rolls, and
peppered steaks.  The table was covered with all the
food he liked best, and he felt like he hadn't eaten
in weeks.  He sat down at one end and picked up a pair
of chopsticks.

"Ranma!"  

He wondered why Kasumi sounded so alarmed.  He was
only going to eat, after all.  He pulled a bowl closer
and breathed in its spicy aroma.  Oh yeah, he was
going to love this.

"Ranma!  Oh please, wake up!"  She shook his shoulder,
jostling the chopsticks from his hand.

"Hey!  I'm tryin' to eat here!"  Ranma blinked and
looked around.  He was in his room, sitting in bed. 
It was still dark and Kasumi was there, kneeling on
the floor next to him.  "Huh?"  He scratched his head.
 "Kasumi?"

"Ranma," she began in a rush.  "There's someone in the
house!  I was writing a letter and heard a noise from
the kitchen!"  She grabbed his arm and tugged him to
his feet.  "We have a burglar!"

Ranma's sleepiness left in an instant.  He'd never
seen Kasumi so worked up about anything before.  Her
eyes were wide and full of frantic energy.  Something
had really scared her.  As a martial artist, this was
exactly the kind of thing he'd been trained for.

He crept down the hall toward the kitchen, mindful of
Kasumi, who followed closely.  If he came in
stealthily enough, he could catch the burgler in the
act.  

"What are you doing?"  Ranma spun about--it figured
someone would wake up.  Akane stood at her doorway in
her pajamas.  She held P-chan in her arms.  The sight
of that pig irritated Ranma, and he moved farther down
the hall, ignoring her.  When Ranma didn't answer, she
looked to Kasumi.  "Kasumi, what's going on?"

Kasumi grabbed her sister's hand.  "There's someone in
the kitchen!  Ranma's going to chase him off!"

Akane gasped, becoming angry.  "Someone broke in?" she
demanded, putting her pig on the floor.  P-chan
squealed and ran back up the hallway.  "We don't even
have anything worth taking!  Honestly!  The nerve of
some people!"  She pushed up her sleeves and stepped
up next to Ranma.

He almost smiled.  "You don't think you're actually
gonna--"

"And why not?"  She crossed her arms and glared at
him.  "I'll have you know that before you came I was
always the one to protect the family.  Just because
you're a boy, don't think that you're--"

"This don't got nothin' to do with me being a guy! 
Even in my girl form I'd be better at--"

He was cut short when a suspiciously damp Ryoga
charged down the hall.  "An intruder?  Just let me at
him!"  He declared in a loud voice.  He clutched his
magic stick in his hands and ran recklessly toward the
kitchen. 

As Ryoga darted past, Ranma stuck his foot into his
path, sending him tumbling onto the floor.  With a
groan, he sat up and glared at Ranma.

"Ryoga?"  Akane sounded puzzled.

"Ryoga!"  Kasumi was obviously happy to have yet
another martial artist to help track down the burgler.

"Calm down, already."  Ranma looked about the
too-crowded hallway and sighed.  "If we're gonna catch
this guy, we need to work together.  Akane, you take
care of Kasumi.  Ryoga and I will handle the burgler."
 He turned back toward the stairs.

"Wait!  Why can't I handle the burgler?"  Ranma
couldn't believe that she really wanted to argue this
right now.  Akane stood with her arm around Kasumi, a
defiant look on her face.

Before he spoke, Ranma planned his words carefully. 
He had to get them just right to make her happy. 
"Just make sure Kasumi's not hurt.  This guy could be
dangerous and we need someone to protect her."  He
didn't let on that he was nervous enough without
having to protect anyone.  Having Akane and Kasumi
around would be a distraction.

Akane seemed to accept her position, and the group
crept down the stairs.  The house was silent, and
Ranma wondered if whoever had broken in hadn't left
already.  Ryoga split off to search other parts of the
house.  When Ranma and the girls came to the kitchen,
he snapped the lights on.

"Oh my!"  Kasumi's voice was faint.

"That animal!"  Akane yelled.

The entire room was trashed.  Drawers had been pulled
out, glasses and plates broken, even the contents of
the refrigerator had been dumped onto the floor.  It
was if someone had been searching for something. 
Ranma wondered if he'd found it.

Ryoga came into the room while they stared at the
mess.  "I've checked the rest of the house.  He's
gone, whoever he was, and he tore up the living room
before he left."  He scanned the kitchen and slammed
his staff against the floor.  "I can't believe he got
away!"

"I can."  All eyes turned to the doorway where Nabiki,
Soun, and the panda surveyed the damage with tired
eyes.  "With all the racket you made upstairs, you
couldn't sneak up on a dead panda."

"Growwer!"

"No offense intended."  She smiled slightly as she
took Kasumi's hands.  "Come on, Kasumi.  Let's get
back to bed and forget this ever happened.  I'm sure
it'll be all cleaned up by the time you wake up." 
With a pointed look to Ranma, she led her distraught
sister from the room.

Akane couldn't rest so easily.  "Why would anyone want
to break in here?" she wondered aloud.

"Evidently we have something they want."  Soun stated
the obvious.  "But what?"

"Something in the kitchen. . ."  Akane was evidently
at a loss as to what could be so valuable.

The panda, who had been munching on some of the dinner
leftovers he'd found near the fridge, held up a sign. 
Kasumi's cooking? 

Soun looked thoughtful.  "Perhaps.  From now on, I
suppose we'll have to eat everything she cooks each
night.  And to be extra careful--"

"Gimme a break!" Ranma interjected crossly.  Sometimes
he thought those two were dense on purpose.  "Kasumi's
food is good, but not that good!"

They gave him reproachful looks.

"What he means," Akane quickly corrected, "is that
everyone knows Kasumi would willingly feed all of
Nerima if they asked.  It must be something else."

Everyone considered this silently.  After a few
minutes, Ryoga spoke hesitantly.  "I saw Happosai in
the dojo.  He was asleep, curled up in his . . ."  He
blushed brightly.  Ranma guessed that the old man had
his collection with him.

"The master is evil, but not that evil.  You don't
think he'd tear up his own home, do you?" Soun
answered emphatically.

Yes.  The panda's sign was simple, but equally
emphatic.

Akane disagreed.  "But he knows we don't have
anything!  Why would he waste his time looking?"  She
had a good point.

Soun yawned.  "Maybe after a good night's rest we can
figure it out."  He headed out of the room, but looked
back at Ranma before he left.  "I trust you won't
disappoint Kasumi?"

Ranma sighed.  Of course he wouldn't.

The panda lumbered after Soun.

Ranma grabbed his furry arm.  "Hey Pop!  You don't
think you're gettin' off that easy, do ya?"  He
should've expected him to something like this.

Genma shrugged him off without even stopping.  Sure
do.  

He disappeared into the dark hallway.  Left alone with
Akane and Ryoga, Ranma figured they could have the
place cleaned up in a couple hours--three at most.  He
and Akane could tackle the mess in the kitchen while
Ryoga took the living room.  

Ryoga spoke up.  "Well Akane, it looks like Ranma and
I can take care of this.  You should go back to bed." 
He looked at Ranma with an authoritative air.  "I'll
take the living room and you can straighten up in
here."

Ranma glared.  What right had he to dismiss a third of
their help?  It turned his stomach to see such
nobility.  Akane looked uncertain.  "Are you sure?" 
It was clear she wanted to get back to bed.

Ryoga put his staff on the table and picked up a
broom.  "Of course we are.  You need your sleep."  He
shooed her from the room.  "And don't you worry about
the burgler.  We'll figure it all out!"

As soon as they heard the door to her room close,
Ryoga put the broom back down and headed for the sink.
 "Well, she'll be looking for me. . ."

"Oh no!" Ranma laughed bitterly, stepping between
Ryoga and the cold water.  "There's no way I'm letting
you off the hook!"  He slapped the broom back into
Ryoga's hand.  "Besides, you owe it to Akane for
letting the guy get away!  I mean, if you hadn't made
so much noise upstairs . . ."  He shook his head as he
trailed off. "Let's get this room first."

His guilt tactic apparently worked.  Looking more
depressed than usual, Ryoga started dutifully sweeping
broken glass and ceramic into a pile.  Gathering his
courage, Ranma surveyed the rest of the room.  It
wasn't so awful--the cleanup from the wedding had been
at least this.  Of course, the whole family had
pitched in for that..."

to be continued...



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From: Space Pirate Ryoko 

Close Encounters of the Ranma Kind
by the Space Pirate Ryoko
part 3 of 4

Friends and Enemies

Part One: "School's No Place for Horsing Around"

Ranma could barely keep his eyes open the next day at
lunch.  His jaws automatically chewed his rice and
pickles, but his mind was blank.  He and Ryoga had
been up cleaning until dawn.  He'd just crawled into
bed when he heard Kasumi get up and start breakfast. 
To make matters worse, Genma had refused to let him
stay home from school, saying that a true martial
artist could go weeks without sleep if he had to. 
Ranma had never seen his father miss a chance to nap
in his whole life.

At that moment, the only thing that was keeping Ranma
awake was the prospect of a short snooze after he
finished his lunch.  It was a beautiful day, and he
was the only one who had chosen to stay inside during
the free period.  Even Akane had left him in peace,
once he'd explained his reasons for not eating with
her.  Free of distractions, Ranma expected to get at
least twenty minutes of sleep before class began.

Having polished off the last of his meal, he closed
his eyes and allowed his head to droop onto the desk. 
Finally, heavenly sleep.

Just as he breathed one last sigh, Ranma felt a
tugging on his sleeve.  "Ranma-honey, this is no time
for cat naps.  We gotta talk."  Ukyo?  Ranma wanted to
ignore her.  What could she possibly want that was so
important?  Whatever it was, it could wait.

When he didn't answer, her voice became more
insistent.  "Ranma come on, it's about Akane."

Ranma admired her tactic.  What would Ukyo have to
tell him about Akane?  He sat up and looked at his
friend.  She looked nervous and impatient and even a
touch angry.  Ranma felt a sick feeling in his
stomach.  He hoped she didn't want to talk about their
engagement.  He had hoped she was in love with Ryoga
or Konatsu and would let him go easily.

"Can it wait?  I'm exhausted."  He started to put his
head back down.  Unless she told him that Akane was on
fire or something, he was going to sleep.

Ukyo grasped his hand.  "Ranma, what's going on with
you and Akane?"  He realized that she really wasn't
going to let him get out of whatever she had planned. 
He sat up and rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

At that moment a couple of girls from their class
wandered in.  They looked at Ranma and Ukyo with open
curiosity.  "I think Ukyo has a thing for cross
dressers," one snickered to the other.  "I mean, first
Tsubasa, then that Konatsu person, and now she's after
Ranma."

"I suppose it makes sense, seeing how she dresses like
a boy most of the time anyway.  Someone's gotta wear
the dress."  They both giggled.

Ukyo glared.  "Com'on Ranma-honey, let's go somewhere
more private."  He didn't like the sound of that, but
knowing that he'd get no sleep until he talked to her,
he allowed himself to be led from the room.

"She'd better hope Akane doesn't hear about this!" one
girl called after them.  Ukyo acted like she didn't
hear.  Her hand still on Ranma's arm, she walked
purposefully down the hallway.  

When they got to the staircase at the end, she urged
him up.  "Com'on, the roof is quiet."

As he followed, Ranma tried to plan what he would say
to her.  He knew she wasn't in love with him.  She
couldn't be.  He thought about that jittery, nervous
feeling he got when he held Akane's hand and looked at
where Ukyo's hand was clamped purposefully around his
wrist.  He was sure she wasn't feeling the same thing.
 Well, almost sure.

Ukyo opened the door to the roof and they stepped out
into the sunshine.  Not taking any time to appreciate
the weather, she got right down to business.  "So,
what's between you and Akane?"

He didn't want to answer.  He wasn't really sure.  He
knew that it was a lot more than before, but somehow
exactly the same as ever.  "You know my pop says I
gotta marry her," he dodged.

"You're engaged to me too, you know."  She sat down
and beckoned for him to sit with her.  "But rumor has
it that you two went out last night.  On a date.  And
Ryoga said you . . ."  She looked embarrassed.  "He
says you kissed her.  In her room, no less."

"Aw, Ucchan," he didn't want to lie, but he didn't
want to hurt her feelings, either.  "You know Akane
and me go everywhere together.  That ain't the same as
a date."  He wasn't exactly lying, but he wasn't
really answering her question either.

She looked a little relieved, but still a lot
suspicious.  "So you didn't kiss her either?"

Now he was stuck.  If he said he had, then Ukyo would
be hurt, but if he said he hadn't, then he'd just have
to tell her the truth later.  Besides, if it got back
to Akane that he'd lied to Ukyo about them, it'd look
real bad.

"Well, uh," he paused, looking over Ukyo's shoulder at
the treetops.  "Remember when Akane and I were gonna
get married?  Well, she was gonna do it so I could be
cured--Mr. Tendo had some nannichuan for me if I
married her."  Ukyo was listening, but Ranma could
tell she didn't like the story so far.  "Well, once I
found out, everything got all messed up.  You
remember."

"Ranma-honey, what's this got to do with--"

"I was gonna do it."  Ranma knew his voice mirrored
the amazement he felt at saying it out loud.  "I was
gonna marry her before I knew anything about the
water.  I--"  He took a deep breath and looked at
Ukyo.  "I wanted to."

He expected tears or rage or some violent reaction
from her.  Instead she looked at him, eyes clear and
expression sad.  "I'm the cute one," she said dully. 
"You don't want her.  I'm cuter; you said it
yourself."

"Love ain't about cute.  I--I'm sorry, Ucchan."

Suddenly her eyes flashed.  "She did it, didn't she? 
She's always been so damn tricky!  What'd she do? 
Seduce you into thinkin' you love her?"

Ranma was at a loss.  He'd hoped she'd be better about
this.  Ukyo grabbed Ranma's shoulders and yanked him
close.  "Well, she's not gonna be the only one!"

"Wait!"  Ranma had a thought.  He was afraid he was
wrong, but he'd try anything.  "I don't think you
really love me, Ucchan."  He looked down at his hands,
praying that his new idea would work.  Maybe if she
tried to convince him that she loved him, she'd
realize she really didn't.

Her grip softened on his shoulders.  "Oh Ran-chan,"
she breathed.  "Is that why you went to her?  Of
course I love you.  I searched ten years for you!"

"To kill me,"  He sounded glum.  Ranma knew he was
playing with fire, but he didn't mind a few burns if
the end was right.

"At first," Ukyo conceded. "But that was before. 
Before I wanted to . . ."  Ranma couldn't even protest
before Ukyo pressed her lips against his.       

A new idea hit him and he sat still, allowing her to
kiss him.  Her mouth was warm and comfortable, but no
more.  With Ukyo there were none of the sparks and
goosebumps he'd felt with Akane.  Maybe she'd notice
too.

After a moment, Ukyo pulled away and looked at her
hands.  A deep blush stained her cheeks.  "Isn't it .
. ."  She looked up, a confused look on her face. 
"Isn't it supposed to be . . ."

"Different?" Ranma finished for her.

Ukyo nodded.  "I mean, I always read that . . . Aren't
there supposed to be fireworks or something?"

"Not when you're just friends."

"So you're saying I don't love you?"  She always had
to boil it down to the basics. 

Ranma nodded.  "I told ya you didn't."  He smiled at
his old friend.  "You're just too stubborn to believe
me."

Ukyo seemed to consider this for a moment.  "But you
didn't kiss back," she pointed out.  "Maybe if we
tried it again?"

Ranma didn't think so.  Kissing Ukyo once was more
than enough for him.  If he did it again then she'd be
one up on Akane.  "Kissing ain't like that."  He
remembered the way she'd hugged Ryoga.  "Is there
anyone else who could . . . "  He didn't know how to
say it.  "I mean, so you can test it?"

Ukyo looked shocked.  "You mean to compare?"

He nodded. "Just so's you can see you don't love me. 
Isn't there anyone you wanna kiss?"

For a long time neither spoke, and Ranma wasn't sure
if she was considering it or not.  Maybe she didn't
want to kiss Ryoga.  Or maybe she didn't know that she
wanted to.  Either way, he was glad that Ukyo didn't
look so upset anymore.  Getting up, he walked to the
fence at the edge of the roof.  He spied Akane
instantly, and felt bad just as quickly.  He shouldn't
have let Ukyo kiss him.

"Konatsu."  

"What?"  Ranma spun around to look at his friend.  
She stood by the door and was smiling timidly.  "I
mean, maybe Konatsu.  Or maybe even--"  Ukyo broke
off, a mortified blush on her face.

When she met his eyes, she looked away quickly and
took a step backward.  "Oh!  I'm so sorry Ran-chan! 
Tell Akane that--"  She opened the door and
practically stumbled to the steps.  "I gotta go!"  

She was gone in a matter of seconds.  Ranma was glad
to have that talk over with.  If it was really over. 
Ukyo was still cute--especially when she blushed. 
Ranma turned back to the fence, back to Akane, who was
kicking a ball with her friends.  Ukyo had nothing on
Akane, though.  She was the cutest girl he'd ever met.
As if she could hear his thoughts, Akane looked up at
him.   Ranma's heart seemed to skip a beat.  A look of
surprise crossed her features, but it was quickly
replaced by a smile.  With a happy skip, she waved at
him.  He waved back, for the first time really glad
that he came to Nerima.  

A moment later, she went back to her game.  Ranma
watched her for a while, a feeling of peace washing
over him.  With a start, he realized he was falling
asleep against the fence.  He shook his head and
walked back toward his classroom, figuring he had
about seven or eight minutes left to nap.

"What a haul!  What a haul!"  The cry came from the
general direction of the girls' showers.  Ranma really
hated the old Freak, but he knew his duty.  With a
sigh he changed his course, heading instead for the
nearest door to the outside, where he could already
hear the outraged cries of a mob of angry girls.  What
a day this was turning out to be!

Part Two: "Immoral Kombat"

"I saw Shampoo yesterday."

Akane's voice hardly penetrated Ranma's fog.  He'd
been thinking about Ukyo since yesterday.  Rather,
he'd been thinking about telling Akane about what had
happened with Ukyo.  He'd been thinking about not
telling her, too, but that never seemed like a good
idea.  She'd be sure to catch on.

"She said that she and Mousse are leaving for China in
a few weeks."

She'd be furious.  But wasn't it better for her to be
mad now and get over it than be even madder later? 
Besides, it's not like he'd wanted to kiss Ukyo.  And
it all turned out all right with her anyway.  Akane
should be grateful that he'd handled it.

"Ranma, are you even listening to me?"

He looked down at her, startled.  They were walking
home from school, and from his perch on the fence,
he'd kind of forgotten that Akane was there.

She must've noted his surprise.  "You're not!  Why do
I even bother with you?"  With a scowl she picked up
the pace of her walk.  

Ranma couldn't help but taunt her.  "Hey Akane, don't
you know it's not cute to throw tantrums?"  He laughed
as she turned to stick her tongue out at him. 
"Un-cute!"

"Ranma Saotome."  Ranma stopped laughing when he heard
Kuno's deep voice.  He hopped from the fence to land
in front of the older boy, noticing that Akane had
stopped walking as well.

"Yeah?"

Kuno looked a little uncomfortable.  He looked over to
Akane, smiling awkwardly.  "Akane Tendo, greetings." 
He bowed his head respectfully.  

"Hello Kuno," Akane answered in a puzzled voice.  She
looked at Ranma as if for an explanation of Kuno's
behavior, but got only a shrug from him.

Kuno focused his attention back onto Ranma, thrusting
a manila envelope into his hands.  "I believe these
belong to you, Saotome.  I must apologize, for it was
not in my rights to possess them at all.  Please tell
Nabiki that I have no more use for them, but do not
expect a refund."  He blushed and looked vaguely over
Ranma's head.  "I have heard the happy news of you and
Akane."  He bowed graciously.  "I bear no hard
feelings and wish you both well."

"What about Ranma and me?"  Akane sounded alarmed.

Kuno smiled tensely.  "Do not be so modest.  Your
sister tells me that your engagement to Ranma is . .
."  He faltered.  "Well, rather that it has . . ." 
Kuno was drowning, and Ranma didn't feel the need to
rescue him.  He didn't care what Nabiki said--one date
with Akane didn't mean he'd changed his mind about
marrying her.

Giving up, Kuno turned back to Ranma.  "Once again, I
apologize for ever having owned the photographs."  He
smiled wistfully at Akane.  "Farewell, Akane Tendo."  

Abruptly, Kuno spun on his heel and walked away. 
After a few steps he looked back, his gaze penetrating
Ranma's.  His expression was unreadable, but Ranma
didn't like it.

"Saotome . . . please tell the pigtailed girl
goodbye."  He was gone as suddenly as he'd arrived.

"Wow," Ranma breathed in relief.  "That was creepy." 
He opened the envelope in his hands.  "Wonder what's
in here."

Akane came over as he pulled the contents from the
envelope.  "Photographs?"  She snatched one from his
hand to look at it more closely.  It was of Ranma, in
his girl form, fast asleep in no more than shorts and
a tank top.  "Where'd these come from, and why did
Kuno have them?"  She looked at him, alarmed.  "Ranma,
you didn't let Nabiki. . .?"

"No!" he answered crossly.  "Can'chya see I'm
sleepin'?  She must've sold 'em to Kuno!"  He shook
his head as a shiver of disgust moved up his spine. 
To think, Kuno had probably been looking at these for
months.  Ranma shuffled through the pictures,
verifying that each was pretty much like the
first--some even more disturbing.  About midway
through the stack, however, the pictures changed.

"Hey look, Akane!  I ain't the only one your sister
sold out on!"  He held up a snapshot of Akane
practicing in the training hall, a fierce expression
on her face.  Ranma laughed.  "Looks like Kuno got an
eyeful of you, too!"

Akane snatched at the picture.  "I don't believe
this!"  At the last moment, Ranma pulled the photo
away and held it high over his head.  Akane jumped,
trying to grab it away, but came up short.  
Ranma!"

He laughed, ignoring the outraged threat in her voice.
 "Oh no you don't!  Kuno said they were mine.  That
includes pictures of you too, you know."  He was
having enough fun teasing Akane that he almost forgot
his own mortification.  He contemplated the pictures,
a thoughtful look on his face.  "You know, Akane, if
you weren't such a brute, I could actually make some
money on these."

"Idiot!"  She elbowed the side of his head and stormed
away, leaving the pictures to flutter to his feet. 
Talk about not being able to take a joke.  Ranma
rubbed his head as he bent down to pick of the
photographs.  He'd never understand why she was so
sensitive.

"Ranma Saotome!"  Ranma instantly recognized the
voice, full of the barely-checked rage that had become
so familiar.  

"Ryoga Hibiki."  He turned and smiled up at his
friend, who was perched in the crook of a nearby tree.
 "Now that we've got the names straight, how about
we--"

Ryoga cut him off with a furious growl.  "How dare you
slander Akane so?  Does it make you happy to see her
cry?"  He jumped from the tree and landed in front of
Ranma, who noticed that Ryoga's new staff was strapped
to his back.  "She deserves better than you.  You're
becoming as much of a womanizer as the old letch."

Ranma was insulted; it was no laughing matter to be
compared to Happosai.  But who was Ryoga to talk?  "I
ain't the one crawling into her bed every night. 
Besides, I didn't make her cry.  It was just some
friendly teasing."  He couldn't imagine what had made
Ryoga so mad this time, but it was usually something
pretty stupid.

Ryoga pulled the stick from his back and advanced
threateningly toward Ranma.  "Teasing?  Is that what
you were doing with Ukyo, too?  Just teasing?"  He
bared his pointed teeth as he waited for an answer.

Ranma was stunned.  He didn't know whether to admit it
or deny it.  If Ryoga knew, then anyone could
know--unless Ukyo confided in him.  But then he'd
better not lie and make Ucchan look bad.  He had no
idea what to say.  "Ukyo knew what she was doing." he
hedged.

It must've been the wrong thing to say, because Ryoga
suddenly attacked, kicking at Ranma with an angry
shout.  "And what about Akane?  Did she know what you
were doing?"

Ranma dodged the kick, preferring reason to fighting
when it came to this particular opponent.  "Listen
Ryoga, I'm gonna tell her."  He hopped about, evading
punches and kicks left and right.  "Just gimme a day
or so to figure out how."  Ranma knew that that was
where his real battle would be.  Fighting Ryoga would
seem like cake compared to trying to explain that kiss
to Akane.

Ryoga laughed.  "Do you think I care if you tell her?"
 He jabbed the staff at Ranma.  "What matters is that
you carelessly tossed away someone as wonderful as
Akane."  He set his teeth and jumped into an air
attack.  "Just to kiss a girl you don't love!  No one
gets away with treating Akane like that!"

Ranma dodged, separating his head and Ryoga's feet by
mere inches.  "W-Wait just a second!  I never tossed
Akane nowhere!"  He was angry now--everyone always
assumed the worst of him and he was fed up with it. 
"Everything Ukyo and me talked about was for Akane! 
While we're here, why don't we just clear a few things
up, P-chan!"  He pushed Ryoga up against the fence. 
"Stay the hell away from Akane's bedroom!"

Ryoga had been obviously taken aback, but he regained
his ground quickly.  Shrugging Ranma's hands from his
shoulders, he glowered.  "Why?  So you can sleep
there?"

Something snapped in Ranma's brain.  With a rage he
hadn't felt in months, he launched a series of kicks
at Ryoga's midsection.  "It's!  Not!  Like!  That!" 
Each word was punctuated by a blow.  He'd put up with
him for too long.  

Only two kicks landed before Ryoga managed to twist
away.  "Finally!" he laughed, slightly breathless. 
"You're fighting like a man!"

For a long time they seemed evenly matched, giving
blow for blow and both keeping their ground.  Ryoga's
strength advantage was canceled by Ranma's speed,
although Ranma knew that a lucky punch could put
either of them out of the game.  He did his best to
ensure that he wasn't the one hit.

As the battle went on, though, his anger began to
wane.  It seemed kind of pointless to fight Ryoga.  It
wasn't like he'd ever give up on Akane, even if Ranma
won.  And if Ryoga won . . . Ranma didn't even bother
to complete the thought.  All this fight would do was
hurt someone.

Ryoga jumped away from Ranma, who thought he wanted a
moment to catch his breath.  Realizing that he could
use such a break himself, Ranma didn't pursue him. 
Given a moment, maybe Ryoga would come to his senses. 
As soon as the thought came, Ranma dismissed it--as if
he'd ever come to his senses!

"Shishi Hokodan.  Akane doesn't love you.  Shishi
Hokodan.  You'll be cursed forever."  Ranma could
barely make out Ryoga's whispers, but when he realized
what he was saying, he knew he was in trouble.  So
much for taking a breather.

He knew that the only way to counter Ryoga's chi blast
was with one of his own, so he quickly focused his
mind.  He thought of all the things that made him
confident.  He was good looking.  He was the best
martial artist ever.  Girls at school were nuts for
him.  He could beat Happosai in a fair fight.  He was
faster than even Cologne.  Akane loved him.

"Shishi Hokodan!"  Ryoga was obviously ready.

Akane loved him?

"Moko Takabishi!"  

Even as he summoned his blast, Ranma could tell that
something had gone terribly wrong.  Akane.  His
uncertainty overpowered him, and for the first time
since learning to harness his chi, he failed himself. 
He had no time to contemplate his mistake, however;
Ryoga's energy was speeding toward him like a ball of
fire.

Ranma acted even before his mind worked out a plan. 
Faster than he'd ever moved before, Ranma danced his
feet into a perfect spiral.  The Dragon Ascension had
never been meant for this kind of thing, but it was
the only chance he had.  He deliberately replaced the
fear in his heart with cold mathematical calculations.
 He figured the exact pattern that his feet needed to
take and the momentum needed to knock Ryoga's blast
away.  The heat hit him while he was still deciding
whether or not this was a good idea.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"  His fist burned where it touched
the energy.  Ranma spiraled his punch upward, feeling
his chill leave along with the heat.  Ryoga's chi
blast was successfully deflected and knocked into the
sky, causing a huge cyclone that pulled Ranma off the
ground.  From beneath, Ranma watched Ryoga's chi blast
pulsate in the pressure of the twister--he could tell
something big was about to happen.  A moment later it
exploded. It was the most powerful blast Ranma had
ever experienced--he closed his eyes and shielded his
face against the blinding light.  A blast of hot wind
knocked him unconscious.

When he opened his eyes, Ranma found himself lying
facedown in a large crater in the middle of the
street.  He was alive, so the Dragon Ascension had
worked.  He pushed himself off of the ground, his
every muscle protesting violently.  It felt like he'd
been run over by a train.  He was alive!  Ranma wanted
to laugh but found that it hurt too much.  He wiped
the dust from his face and looked around for Ryoga.

It seemed he'd been knocked from his feet by the
explosion.  Ryoga sat on the sidewalk against the
fence, about a hundred feet from where Ranma had
landed.  His eyes widened as he watched Ranma stand. 
Ranma could understand the surprise--he was shocked
that his legs would hold him.

"How are you still alive?"  Ryoga's voice was
incredulous.  "Your Heaven Blast couldn't have really
worked!"  He stumbled to his feet, balancing with his
staff, which was somehow still clutched in his
fingers.  

Ranma smiled and offered a hand to help steady his
companion.  He didn't feel so well himself.  "Can't
get rid of me that easy," he said lightly, hoping to
make peace with his friend.  

Ryoga flinched away before Ranma could touch him. 
"Get away from me!" he snarled, looking like a feral
dog.  "You purposely try to make my life more hellish
than it already is, and you think I'm coming to you as
a friend?"  

He laughed bitterly, advancing on Ranma slowly.  "You
owe me, Ranma!  Now stand still and take what you
deserve!"  He raised his staff high over his head,
preparing to bring it down hard onto Ranma.

Ranma stood frozen in his place.  Maybe Ryoga was
right.  Even if he wasn't, there wasn't a thing he
Ranma could do about it.  With his arms and legs as
tense as they were, there was no way he could dodge
the blow.  At another time he could've cut the staff
into firewood with his "chestnuts," but now he could
barely move.  He couldn't believe that Ryoga had
beaten him, but it was true.  Even against the Dragon
Ascension, he had proven to be more powerful.
Ranma closed his eyes and prepared for the blow.  He
wondered if it would hurt.  He thought about his Pop,
and how disappointed he would be.  He thought about
Akane.  "I'm sorry, Akane," he mumbled, wishing he'd
told her sooner how he'd felt.

Nothing happened.  Ranma almost flinched with
anticipation.  Ryoga sure was drawing this out.  He
opened his eyes slowly until his gaze fell onto the
figure before him.

Ryoga was staring at him, his staff held limply by his
side.  Tears spilled from his eyes, which he tried to
cover as soon as he noticed Ranma watching.  "Damn
you, Saotome!"  His voice was broken.  "How can I kill
you if your last thoughts, last words, are for Akane?"
 He threw down his staff and ran away.  "You win,
Ranma!" he called as he disappeared.
Ranma was stunned.  He picked up the stick--it was
warm to the touch.  Looking after Ryoga, he wondered
if he'd ever see him again.  Probably.  He was headed
in the general direction of Ucchan's, so Ukyo'd
probably catch him and put him back to work.  Ranma
hoped so.  

Using the staff for support, Ranma started slowly
home.  He needed a lot of rest, and his hand was
blistering where Ryoga's energy had burned him.  Going
over the fight in his mind, he realized again what his
weakness had been with his chi blast.  Akane.  He
didn't really know what she thought of him, and it had
ruined his fight.

As he hobbled past the blast crater, he noticed the
envelope and Kuno's pictures.  They had been badly
torn and burned in the explosion, making them pretty
much unrecognizable.  One, however, caught his
attention by being mostly intact.  He picked it up. 
It was a photo of Akane, smiling happily and rubbing
her hand.  A smashed cinder block littered the
foreground.

Ranma smiled.  Her hair was long in the picture--it
seemed like such a long time since that day Dr. Tofu
said that shorter hair was cute--he'd almost forgotten
that she'd ever worn it long.  Tofu was right; she was
cute with short hair, but long wasn't so bad either. 
He slipped the photo into his pocket and continued
home, anxious to hear her scolding when she saw how
beat up he was.

Part Three: "Melancholy Baby"

"Ranma, I don't know if this is such a good idea!" 
Akane had been protesting since they'd left home.  "If
Ryoga was going to use it on you, isn't it kind of
dumb to give it back to him?"

He didn't answer, but continued walking.

"Ranma!  You're in no condition to fight him again!" 
It had been only one day since the battle, and Ranma
was still pretty battered.  He hadn't even gone to
school that day.  His burnt hand throbbed, and he
secretly wondered if it wouldn't prevent him from
winning fights in the future.

"I told you, he ain't gonna want to fight.  He thinks
he lost to me yesterday."  The shame of actually
losing still stung.  If Ryoga hadn't been so
softhearted, Ranma wouldn't even be there.  "All I
wanna do is give him his stick back and have some
okonomiyaki."

"Then why did you drag me along?"  Akane was
exasperated.

The idea of facing Ukyo was pretty embarrassing, and
Ranma figured that no one would say anything about the
kiss as long as Akane was with him.  He wouldn't tell
Akane that, of course.  "Dunno.  Just wanted company,
I guess."

She seemed pleased.  He was glad, because just then
they rounded a corner and arrived at Ucchan's.  They
ducked under the red canopy and little bells jingled,
announcing their arrival.  It seemed they were the
only customers right then.

"Bells?" Akane asked.  Ranma silently agreed.  It
didn't seem much like Ukyo.

Ukyo smiled from behind the counter.  "Konatsu's idea.
 He thought it'd make the place more cozy."  She
tossed some okonomiyaki batter onto the griddle. 
"Speaking of which, I'd better go check on the kiddo. 
Ryoga-sugar!" she bellowed into the back room.  "Com'n
watch this okonomiyaki!  I gotta check on Konatsu!" 
She picked up a tray and left the room before either
Ranma or Akane could say another word.

Ranma couldn't blame her.  He wouldn't want to be
there when Ryoga showed up, if he were Ukyo.  They sat
down on stools by the counter.   Akane squeezed his
knee in support, then blushed and yanked her hand
away.  Ranma was glad he'd brought her.

When Ryoga came in, he glanced at them and quickly
turned to the griddle, adding various ingredients to
the food.  "Shrimp or squid?" he asked to no one in
particular.  Ranma noticed that Ryoga looked a lot
better off than he did.

"One of each," Akane answered.  She looked nervous. 
"So Ryoga, how do you like the okonomiyaki business?" 
She was clearly trying to lighten the mood, but a
darkness had fallen over Ucchan's that seemed
impenetrable.  

Before Ryoga could answer, something on the little
television  Ukyo kept to watch on slow days caught his
attention.  Ranma and Akane turned to watch as well. 
" . . . and yesterday afternoon a  mysterious and
baffling event occurred in this residential area of
Nerima, Tokyo."  The image changed to the site of
their fight.  "It appears that a small tornado
developed at this location, somehow causing an
explosion which left this twelve-foot crater in the
middle of the street.  Scientists are currently
searching for the source of the blast.  Although few
reported seeing the cyclone, the explosion was heard
throughout the town."  Ranma and Ryoga met eyes for
the first time.  "Meteorologists have not been able to
explain the occurrence of a tornado in the area.  
Construction crews are at the site today, repairing
the damage.  The street should be reopened by tomorrow
morning."

The news shifted to another topic and Ryoga reached
over to switch off the television.  Ranma started to
laugh--he'd never heard a news team sound so confused.

"Wow!  You did that Ryoga?"  Akane sounded impressed. 
"Your chi blast must have been huge!"

He blushed.  "Well, Ranma's Dragon Ascension did a lot
of that," he protested modestly.  He poked the
okonomiyaki with a spatula.

Ranma laughed.  "There's no way I could've caused that
crater!  The cyclone was mine, but the explosion was
all yours, Ryoga."  He tossed the staff over the
counter, and it was caught with ease.  "How 'bout a
truce?"

Ryoga looked at him for a long time, not saying a
word.  His gaze shifted to Akane, who was looking
nervous and hopeful.  Ranma wondered if her presence
was going to be a problem for Ryoga.  She was the
center of all their disputes, after all.

"Truce," Ryoga said after a while, his mouth breaking
into a hesitant smile.  For the first time that Ranma
could remember, they shook hands as friends.

Akane laughed with glee, and the sound aptly reflected
the relief Ranma was feeling.  Having Ryoga as an ally
would be a nice change.  "Great!  Now Ranma," she
scolded in warning.  "This means no more picking on
Ryoga!"

He was about to protest when Ukyo entered the room
with a shriek.  "Ugh!  Sugar, what've you done in
here?"  She wrinkled her nose and dashed over to the
griddle.  Ranma noticed the food for the first time. 
It was black and crusty, and the restaurant was dimmer
with smoke.  All three choked back laughter as they
watched Ukyo scramble around to clean the mess and
start new okonomiyaki.  "I swear, getting sick was the
worst thing Konatsu could've done to me!" she mumbled
under her breath.

Five minutes later, Ranma and Akane had fresh
okonomiyaki and Ucchan's was being aired of smoke. 
Ranma struggled with his chopsticks--he'd never had to
eat left-handed before.  "How is Konatsu, anyway?" 
Ryoga asked, probably wondering how long he'd have to
help out.   

"Better."  Ukyo perched upon a tall stool.  "But still
sick.  The doctor said to give him another few days,
so you're not off the hook yet, kiddo."  She smiled at
Ryoga.  "Just don't burn any more food or I'll keep ya
longer."  She swatted at him mildly, and he dodged,
smiling.

Ranma was surprised by the camaraderie between the
two; working together must've brought them closer.  In
fact, everyone was getting along pretty well.  Just a
week ago there would have been at least three quarrels
going on.  He looked over at Akane, who was happily
munching her okonomiyaki.  Maybe more.

"Hey Akane," Ukyo began.  "You wanna come up and
visit?  I think the poor thing's gettin' tired of only
me for company."

Akane nodded.  "Sure!"  She finished the last couple
bites of her food and followed Ukyo up the stairs. 
"Have you been taking care of him all by yourself?"

Left with Ryoga, Ranma was uncomfortable all over
again.  Ryoga served himself some food and sat down. 
"You didn't have to give it back."  He motioned toward
his staff.  "You beat me."

Ranma felt a twinge of guilt.  He knew that Ryoga
could've killed him easily at the end.  It was he that
was beaten, but couldn't bring himself to say it out
loud.  "You deserve it," he mumbled.  "What would I do
with some death stick, anyway?  It ain't like I even
use weapons."

Ranma's guilt increased.  He should tell Ryoga the
truth.  He should remind him of those last moments
before Ryoga ran away.  He took a deep breath, trying
to banish his pride.  "Ryoga, I--"

"No, let me," he interrupted.  "You proved yourself
stronger, Ranma.  I'm giving up my pursuit of Akane." 
He hung his head and poked at his food.  "I'll stay
away from her--even in my other form."

Ranma was shocked.  He'd never expected this! 
"But--but Ryoga!"  Giving up P-chan?  He'd tried it
before, but this time Ranma felt he really meant it. 
"Are you sure?  I mean . . ."  It wasn't like Ranma to
look a gift horse in the mouth, but he didn't know
quite how to handle this one.

"She is well matched with you," Ryoga answered
quietly, his eyes watering.  "I wish you well."

Shamed into silence, Ranma picked at the last morsels
of food on his dish.  Ryoga deserved the truth.  Ranma
almost made up his mind to tell him, but a new thought
came into his head.  Akane was his.  Without Ryoga,
there were no more suitors to deal with, no real
serious ones, anyway.  She had cleverly beaten Kuno at
his own game, and now there were no more obstacles to
be scaled.  

Why put Ryoga back into it?  Ranma knew he'd just have
to get rid of him later, so why not let him leave with
his nobility?  Ranma was contemplating this when the
girls came back down the stairs.

"Ranma!  Honey, what's this about fighting that scary
old Amazon?"  Ukyo sounded like a blue jay.  "Have you
planned out your strategy?"

He didn't answer.  He'd kind of put it out of his
mind.

Akane put her hands on her hips and looked at him
sternly.  "You haven't even thought about it, have
you?"  

"I'll handle it," Ranma protested.  He looked down at
his bandaged hand and grimaced.  He wasn't sure how.  


Akane must've seen the direction of his thoughts,
because she came over and put her hand on his arm. 
"We'll help you," she offered.  "The four of us could
surely beat Cologne!"

He pulled away, his pride stung.  "I don't need your
help!"  He knew he sounded harsh, but couldn't help
it.  It was bad enough that he was injured; he didn't
need everyone feeling sorry for him too.  Still, he
tried to keep his voice neutral as he edited his
statement.  "You don't understand.  It's my fight,
Akane.  I gotta do it myself."

She looked sad.  "I thought it was our fight," she
whispered, too low for Ukyo or Ryoga to hear.  Ranma
felt a surge of unfamiliar tenderness.  Why'd she have
to go and make him feel bad?

"Com'on, dummy!  We don't even know if you can beat
her when you're fixed," Ukyo interjected with candor. 
"How'll you manage while you're broken?"

"I ain't broken!"  Ranma couldn't imagine his friend
being any more harsh.  "I can handle this myself!  I
don't need advice; I don't need help; and I don't want
any of you buttin' in!"

"Do you want to use my staff?"  

Ranma wanted to scream!  He threw his chopsticks onto
the counter and stood.  With an angry growl and an
unusual show of temper, he stormed out of the
restaurant, the bells jangling wildly behind him.  

He heard Akane apologize for him.  Damn!  Why'd she
have to be so supportive all of a sudden?  Made him
feel like an ungrateful fool.  Her footsteps ran up
behind him, and he heard her breathing.  Ranma waited
for a fight.

It didn't come.  Instead, she came around beside him
and slipped her hand into his good one, giving it a
little squeeze.  She didn't speak, but walked home
with him in silence.  Ranma was grateful.  Maybe she
understood him, after all.


Part Four: "The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart"

Thunder cracked and the rain seemed to come down even
harder than before.  Ranma unbuttoned his shirt,
listening to it pound on the roof.  Nerima had some
weird weather.  He'd never seen a thunderstorm like
this at this time of year.  It was pretty late; the
family was mostly asleep.  The storm had begun just
before they went to bed.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Ranma carefully
unwrapped his bandaged hand.  Kasumi had tended to it
after dinner, and Ranma had noticed the unnaturally
somber expression in her eyes as she'd cleaned his
burn.  It did look pretty horrible.  His entire palm
was scarred and blistered, leaving his fingers tight
and hard to move.  He flexed his muscles slightly,
closing his eyes against the pain.  He knew it'd hurt
for a long time--he may as well get used to it now. 
Ranma thought about his upcoming battle with Cologne,
but pushed it from his mind.  He'd just have to find
some way to win without his hand.

"Ranma?"  Akane rapped lightly on the door before
coming in.  Ranma thrust his injured hand behind his
back.  He didn't want her to see how bad it really
was.  "Ranma have you seen P-chan?"  Her voice
trembled slightly.  "The storm is pretty awful, and I
want him with me tonight."

Ranma scowled, clenching his fingers into an
excruciating fist.  "Afraid of a little thunder?" he
asked.  He didn't like it one bit that she wanted to
be with Ryoga while she was scared.  

Akane glared.  "For your information, I don't like the
idea of him being out in this weather!"  She turned on
her heel.  "I guess it was dumb of me to think that
you'd be any help.  Go back to bed, Ranma."

"Aw, com'on Akane!  Do you really need that stupid
pig?  He's probably halfway to Hawaii by now, knowing
him."  He followed her down the hall to the steps.

She spun about angrily.  "What do you care anyway? 
All you do is fight with P-chan--you couldn't possibly
know him!"  She looked as though she wanted to say
more, but ended up giving an exasperated sigh as she
hurried down the stairs.  "Looks like I'll have to go
find him myself."

"Please do.  Some of us would like to sleep before
dawn."  Nabiki spoke from the top of the stairs.  She
wore her nightshirt, but didn't look like she'd been
anywhere near sleep.  Ranma figured she'd been up late
working on her computer--he was used to the sound of
her printer running at all hours of the night.

He ignored her.  "Are you always this stupid?  Don't
go out in this, Akane!"  Thunder crashed, punctuating
his remark.

She didn't listen.  She stormed down the stairs and
headed straight for the door.  Ranma ran after her. 
"Akane!"  She sat on the floor and tugged her galoshes
onto her feet, tucking the cuffs of her pajamas into
the tops.  

"Go away Ranma," she growled.

"Akane, Ranma," Kasumi poked her head around the
corner.  "Don't forget your raincoats.  It's messy out
there."  As if she didn't think it was weird for them
to be heading out into the middle of a hurricane at
two o'clock in the morning, she went back into the
living room with a smile.  Ranma wondered if the Tendo
girls knew how to sleep.

As Akane reached for her raincoat, he snatched it up
and held it away from her.  "Forget it, Akane," he
said, trying to block her attempts to grab it without
hurting his hand.  "You aren't gonna catch your death
of cold over that pig."

She glared.  "I'm not going to bed without him!" she
declared angrily.  "I won't let him stay out there all
cold and scared."

Ranma sighed.  She was so persistent, even if she did
give in, she'd probably just sneak out later.  What
she didn't know is that she could look all night and
not find him.  "You don't gotta."  He hung up her coat
and sat down to pull on his own shoes.  "I'll go get
your stupid pet."

Akane's face softened.  "Really?" she asked hopefully.
 Ranma's heart jumped.  She really did love that pig,
as misled as she was.  "You'd go out there," she
looked out the window into the wet black night, "for
me?"

Ranma's voice was gruff and quiet.  "You know I
would."  He blushed slightly, then stood.  "Now you go
to bed.  I'll find him for you."  

To his surprise, she did just as she was told.  With a
shy smile she pulled off her boots and headed up the
stairs and into her room.  Ranma watched her go,
wondering why he was going along with this.  Hadn't
Ryoga just promised to stay away from her?  He thought
about her face when she'd come into his room, her eyes
filled with worry, and he realized that he really had
no choice.  If Akane wanted P-chan, she'd get P-chan.

"You aren't going out like that, are you?"  Kasumi
stood in the hallway, her hands on her hips.

Ranma looked down at himself.  He guessed he did look
a little underdressed in his boxers and T-shirt. 
"Well, I could go and put on my--"

"I'm not letting you set foot out of this house until
that hand is properly bandaged!"  She pulled a
first-aid kit from out of nowhere, or so it seemed to
Ranma.  In a moment, his hand was covered in sticky
ointment and Kasumi was wrapping a fresh bandage
around it.

She wore that same tense look from before.  "It
doesn't look too good, Ranma," she said nervously. 
"Can you move it very much?"

Ranma flexed his fingers for her.  They moved, but he
couldn't help but grit his teeth at the pain.  "It's
not so bad," he said with a grimace.

Kasumi shook her head and finished winding the cloth. 
"I'm afraid it may get worse.  If only--"  She cut off
her own wish.   "We should take you to a doctor
tomorrow.  I can't do anything more."  This made Ranma
nervous.  Kasumi's amateur study of medicine made her
the family's "doctor," especially since Dr. Tofu left.
 He knew that she was as well read as any hospital
physician.

"I don't need no doctor," he protested.  "It don't
hurt so much now."  He pulled his rain slicker from
the hook.  "I gotta go, Kasumi."

"Be careful," she warned.  She turned back toward the
living room.  "And Ranma," she began, looking over her
shoulder.  "Akane will wait up, so hurry back with
Ryoga."  Then she was gone.	

For a moment he didn't move.  Kasumi knew?  He really
should know better than to underestimate her.  He
shook his head as he opened the door.  A gust of wind
and rain almost knocked him off his feet.

With a determined sigh, she stepped out into the
night.

Twenty minutes later, Ranma pushed open the gate to
the Tendo house, gripping a wriggly pig under her arm.
 It had been quite a chore convincing Ryoga to come
with her.  He'd rambled on about promises and honor
and it'd taken a full ten minutes for Ranma to
convince him that he was free of his promise--for the
night.  On the way home, little P-chan must've gotten
surges of nobility; he'd tried to run away a couple of
times.  Ranma held tight, though.  She'd promised a
pig and she'd deliver a pig.

She opened the door and peeled off her
raincoat--little good it'd done in that storm.  P-chan
shook the water from his little body as Ranma removed
her shoes.  She then picked up the pig and turned to
the stairs.  Akane was probably fast asleep in her
room--or maybe not.

Ranma felt her pulse quicken when she saw Akane's
still form  on the steps.  She had a kettle of water
on an oven mitt beside her.  She was sleeping, her
head lying on her arms, and the steam from the kettle
dampened her hair so that it clung to her forehead.

"Damn you're cute," Ranma whispered.  She forgot what
she was doing, watching the way her mouth parted as
she breathed.  

Ryoga squealed his agreement and climbed up the
stairs.  He nuzzled his head beneath her hand and
sighed happily.  Akane's eyes fluttered open and she
looked at Ranma with a sleepy, unfocused look. 
"Ranma?"  A tiny smile curved her lips.

"Akane," Ranma breathed, oblivious of her female form.
 She forgot P-chan, the thunderstorm--everything
except those two dark eyes.

"Bweee!"  

"P-chan!"  Akane's delight was perfectly clear.  She
scooped up the piglet and clutched him close in a
tight hug.  "You poor baby," she crooned.  "Wook at
you all wet and cold fwom the wain!"  She dropped tiny
kisses all over Ryoga's head, causing him to blush
violently.

Ranma was having some pretty violent emotions herself,
but she fought off the urge to throw the little black
pig back out into the storm.  "Well, goodnight then,"
she said rather brusquely, squeezing the water out of
her pigtail.  If her work here was done, she'd sooner
go back to bed than watch her coo all over the stupid
animal.

"Wait," Akane said hurriedly, standing up to block the
way upstairs.  "Thanks for finding him.  You didn't
have to go out in this weather."

"Sure I did.  It would've sucked havin' to stay home
with you 'cause you stupidly got yourself sick."

Akane ignored the insult.  "What I meant was that it
was really nice of you."  Her voice was low and she
dropped her eyes prettily to the floor.

Ranma felt her hands shake.  She wondered why Akane
was being so nice lately.  As soon as the question
came to mind, the answer did too, and Ranma blushed. 
For the first time ever, she knew just what to do.

With a shy smile, she hooked a finger under Akane's
jaw and tilted her face up.  Those long-lashed eyes
set her heart racing.  This reaction was nothing
new--she'd been fighting it since that long ago day
that Akane walked in on her in the bath--but giving in
to it brought up a whole new set of excited feelings. 
Getting no resistance, she pulled Akane down a couple
steps so that they both stood on the floor.  The pig
slid, forgotten, to the ground.

"You looked real cute sleeping," she whispered,
leaning up to her tiptoes so they could look
eye-to-eye.  Their fingers were laced together, and
Akane squeezed gently in response.  Encouraged, Ranma
moved her hands to Akane's shoulders, her fingers
kneading gently as she pulled her against her body. 
She felt Akane's arms slip around her waist and
thought she'd surely burst with the urge to get
closer.

"Akane," she whispered softly as her eyes drifted
shut.  As if they had eyes of their own, her lips
somehow found Akane's, brushing against them with the
lightest of touches.  The contact sent shivers down
Ranma's spine, powerful enough that she could almost
ignore the stamping of little hooves on her bare feet.
 With a swift kick, she sent P-chan across the room,
at the same time moving in to kiss Akane more solidly.

"Wait!"  Panic tinged Akane's voice as she roughly
shoved Ranma away.  "We're both girls!"  Her eyes were
wild and her breath came in short gasps.

It didn't make much difference to Ranma, but she could
see why Akane was bothered.  With a shrug, she
motioned toward the still-steaming kettle.  "So change
me back."  She knew she sounded more casual than she
felt, and hoped Akane wouldn't see through her to the
nervous little boy inside.

Hesitating only a moment, Akane picked up the
teakettle and  turned back toward Ranma.  Seeing
P-chan over Ranma's shoulder, she ran and scooped him
up.  "P-chan!"  The animal was visibly shaking, either
from cold or anger; Ranma couldn't tell. 

Akane thrust the pig into Ranma's arms.  "We can warm
up my P-chan at the same time," she suggested
practically.  Before Ranma or Ryoga could protest, the
warm water cascaded around them.  Ranma felt the
familiar changes, but was hardly prepared for the
shift in Ryoga's weight.

He staggered, and when the steam lifted, stood holding
Ryoga in his arms like a baby.  Ryoga, for his part,
was as naked as the day he was born.

Akane's scream of surprise quickly turned to rage as
understanding dawned on her.  "You animals!" she
shrieked, bouncing the empty teakettle off of Ryoga's
head.  It struck Ranma square in the face.  As if that
weren't enough, she pulled a slipper from her foot and
hurled it at them.

Ranma stumbled, dropping Ryoga, who hurriedly crawled
into the next room. 

"Oh my!"  Kasumi was still up.

As quickly as he'd left, Ryoga came back, this time
running, covering himself with his hands.  His face
was as red as Ranma had ever seen it and etched with
fury and embarrassment.  He grabbed Ranma's raincoat
from its hook and put it on, keeping his back to
Akane.

She hadn't yet stopped ranting.  "Ryoga!  How could
you?  All this time I thought--"

"Aw, don't blame him, Akane; all he wanted was to be
close to you."  Ranma wasn't sure why he was defending
Ryoga, but he suspected that it had something to do
with guilt.

Akane's eyes flashed at him.  "Fine!  I'll blame you,
then!"  She removed her other slipper and began
smacking Ranma over the head with it.  It really
stung.  "How could you let him sleep with me every
night?  You knew he wasn't just P-chan!"

Even though he knew his words would be wasted, Ranma
protested anyway.  "I chased him out--" 

"Shut up!"  She smacked him, hard.  He did as he was
told, stunned.

Her breathing was violent and she had tears in her
eyes.  "From the first moment we met, you've never
been honest with me," she began quietly.  "First it
was your curse, then your other fiancees, and now
this.  I know you don't want to marry me, so don't.  I
don't care."  She shook her head and turned to go
upstairs.  Her body shuddered just a little, and he
knew she was crying.  He moved to follow, but she
stopped him with her words.  "Don't bother, Ranma; you
can't fix it this time."

His gut knotted as he watched her leave.  He really
blew it this time.  He whispered her name, and for a
second thought she'd heard.  She paused at the top of
the steps, but didn't turn around.  After a moment she
disappeared down the hall.

He stood there for a long time, unable to think of
much more than the look on her face as she smacked
him.  His face still burned from the blow, but he
didn't care.  It hurt nothing like what was going on
inside.

"Curse you, Ranma!  Give me one reason why I shouldn't
kill you right now."  The growl came from behind
Ranma, closer than he was comfortable with.  He didn't
want to deal with Ryoga now.

He didn't turn.  "I ain't the one who changed you. 
Besides, she hates me now--it's your big chance."  He
knew his voice sounded as dull as he felt, but didn't
have the energy to pretend.

Ryoga yanked him around, narrowing his eyes in a cold
glare.  "Unlike some, I don't break my promises,
Saotome."

"Ranma?" Kasumi's sweet voice called from the living
room.  "Has Ryoga left yet?"

Before Ranma could answer, a voice chimed in from the
landing.  "Really, you ought to wear something a
little more appropriate when you come visiting." 
Nabiki swung her hair and headed back upstairs.  "And
come during the day next time--maybe you won't wake
the entire house."

Even more mortified than before, Ryoga ran out the
door, shutting it with a slam.  Ranma casually opened
it and picked the wet raincoat up from the ground.  He
couldn't see Ryoga in the darkness, but could hear the
squealing as he ran away.  Tossing the coat onto a
hook, Ranma locked the door and headed back to bed,
picking up Akane's slippers as he went.  Maybe, when
he woke up, things would seem better.

He paused outside Akane's door, his ears straining to
hear her stirring within.  Nothing.  He set the
slippers beside her door and continued down the hall
to his own.  It was going to be a long night.


Part five: "A Sudden Storm of Love"

It was almost noon before Ranma got up the next day. 
He'd been awake for hours, but was too chicken to face
his family.  Too chicken to face Akane.  He understood
why she was angry--hiding the truth about Ryoga was no
small thing--but he knew that if she only knew his
reasons, she'd agree with him.  The hard part was
going to be getting her to listen.

When he finally ventured downstairs, he headed
straight for the kitchen.  Kasumi would be the nicest
to him.  "Uh, hi Kasumi," he mumbled.  She turned from
preparing lunch and smiled at him kindly.  

"Oh, hello Ranma.  Your father ate your breakfast, but
lunch will be in about half an hour."  She looked
thoughtful.  "Until then, I suppose you could have a
bowl of ice cream.  Maybe you could take some to
Akane?"  Kasumi was already scooping the creamy
dessert into a bowl.  "She's in the training hall."

Akane?  Ranma's stomach churned.  "No thanks, I'll
just wait for lunch."  

Kasumi gave him a sharp look.  "Then take some to
Akane."  It wasn't a suggestion, or a question. 
Obviously she knew all about the fight--she'd no doubt
overheard the whole thing--and this was her way of
fixing things.  Ranma wasn't sure if he should be
grateful or wary.  With a sigh, he accepted his order
and went outside to the dojo.  

He slid the door open just enough to peek in, not
wanting her to see him before he was ready.  She was
practicing with more enthusiasm than he'd seen in a
long time.  Ordinarily, this would please him, but
today he took it as a bad sign.  Another bad sign was
the fact that she had taken out, and practically
ripped to shreds, the practice dummy.  Ranma couldn't
miss the bright red of his shirt that she must've
stolen from the clothesline--it was soaring across the
hall after a particularly violent kick.

He couldn't do it.  Seeing the fierce expression on
her face and remembering her rage the night before,
Ranma realized that it'd take more than ice cream to
coax her to listen.  Maybe he should try when she
wasn't doing martial arts; all that adrenaline could
only work against him.  He closed the door and sat on
the step, thoughtfully spooning the ice cream into his
mouth.  What he needed was some good advice on girls. 
He jumped up and ran back into the house.

When no one answered at Happosai's door, Ranma had no
choice but to seek inexpert advice elsewhere.  He
sighed.  His Pop was probably on the porch, enjoying
the sunshine.  Ranma could just imagine him lying
there with his big furry belly toward the sky.

Teakettle in hand, he quietly slid open the door.  He
was taking pains to be particularly quiet, realizing
that he'd never get his dad to change back
willingly--it was always best to sneak  up on him. 
When Ranma peeked through the doorway, he almost
dropped the kettle.

"Looks like good things are happening in your family,"
a voice whispered dryly from behind him.  For once, he
had to agree with Nabiki.  

Instead of a dozing panda, the porch was occupied by a
pair of lovers.  Nadoka and Genma, sitting intimately
close to each other, were talking softly, their faces
close together.  As Ranma watched, his father gently
kissed his mother's mouth, getting a shy giggle from
her.

Ranma was shocked.  In his entire life, he'd never
known his parents to behave that way.  He slowly slid
the door shut.  They'd fought and argued and ignored
one another for as long as he could remember.  This
new part of their relationship unnerved him, though he
had to admit, it made him happy, too.

Then he remembered Akane.  "Great!  Now I'll never
know what to do," he mumbled.

Nabiki crossed her arms and gave him a curious look. 
"You really don't know much about women, do you?" she
asked.

He didn't answer, instead heading up to his room.  He
really didn't want to discuss this with her.

She was persistent.  She followed.  "No wait, Ranma. 
I believe I can help you."  When he didn't answer or
even slow down, she continued.  "Free of charge," she
offered.

This stopped him.  "Why free?" he asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say I have a certain interest in seeing
the two  of you finally get together."  She
absent-mindedly touched a delicate gold bracelet on
her arm.   

Ranma considered this.  He needed help, badly.  Nabiki
had really screwed things up in the past, but he
couldn't imagine her deliberately hurting Akane.  She
was selfish, but not mean.  "Okay," he conceded
slowly.

She smiled at him.  "I can't believe I had to convince
you to let me help.  Suspicious?"  He had gotten used
to her teasing a long time ago, so he ignored her. She
glanced around the hallway as if to see if anyone was
listening.  "Let's go to your room.  I doubt you want
the whole family to hear this."  Ranma couldn't have
agreed with her more.

Five minutes later he had confessed the whole
story--including the accident with Ryoga at Jusenkyo. 
He'd left out the bit about kissing Akane, though; he
didn't think it was any of Nabiki's business or even
particularly relevant.

"So, have you kissed her yet?"

Did she read minds?  He blushed and aggressively shook
his head no.  There was no way he'd let her pick his
brain about that.

She made a face.  "Ooh, that's too bad.  This would be
a whole lot easier if you had."  Ranma wasn't sure if
she was telling the truth or just prying.  He felt
safer believing the second.

Suddenly it was down to business for the
practical-minded Nabiki.  "Okay, first, every girl
loves presents.  Do you have any money?"  She hardly
waited for an answer.  "Of course.  So what do you
have that's worth anything?"

Ranma thought for a second.  "Well, there ain't much. 
Me an' Pop never carried much when we traveled."  He
scowled.  "What do I gotta give her a present for?  I
don't think Akane's like most girls."

She sighed.  "Trust me," she said dryly.  "Your
apology will definitely be more welcome if you come
bearing gifts."   She opened the closet door.  "Come
on, you must have something valuable."

Pushing past her, Ranma dragged out his huge backpack.
 It was packed and ready to go, as if he might have to
leave on a moment's notice.

Nabiki snickered.  "Always prepared, eh?"

He ignored her.  "I don't got much, but it's all in
here."  He felt kind of nostalgic, looking through his
old stuff.  A lot of it hadn't been touched in months.

Nabiki was surveying his possessions as he laid them
on the floor around them.  "Hmmm, some of this is all
right."  She picked up a paper fan from China and
studied it carefully.  "This isn't half bad," she
commented, fanning her face as she picked over
everything else.   She rejected a woodcarving, a
delicate paper bird, and a pair of gilded chopsticks
before she spoke again.  "Why did you buy all this
stuff?"

Ranma shrugged.  He'd thought of his mother at the
time of each purchase, but hadn't seen her for so long
afterward that he'd practically forgotten the
souvenirs.  Now he hesitated out of fear that Nodoka
wouldn't appreciate reminders of his travels.

Finally Nabiki smiled.  "Yes.  This is perfect."  In
her hands she held a small wooden box, engraved with a
traditional Japanese landscape.

Ranma tried to snatch it away.  His Pop had given him
that years ago.  It'd been a wedding gift from Nodoka
and it was intended for his bride, if he ever had one.
 It was an heirloom; he couldn't give it to Akane!  "I
can't.  It was my mother's and I'm--"

"Even better.  Be sure to tell the whole story to
Akane when you give it to her."  She bit her lip,
looking thoughtful.  "Let me have it for a few hours,
just to fix it up a bit, then you can give it to her
tonight."

Fix it up?  Ranma was confused.  The box was in
perfect condition--even the silk liner was flawless. 
He watched Nabiki run her fingers over the smooth
wood.  Maybe she wanted to polish it or something. 
Should he let her have it?  He pictured the look on
Akane's face as she'd slept the night before.  If he
ever wanted to see that peaceful smile again . . . "

"Go ahead."  He gathered his remaining possessions and
began putting them away as Nabiki stood to go.

"Oh, Ranma?"  She turned to look at him over her
shoulder, her expression uncharacteristically soft. 
"Think about what you're going to say to her.  She
wants your honesty."  With an encouraging smile, she
was gone.

Ranma considered her words as he finished putting his
belongings back into his pack.  She was right, and she
wanted to help.  He didn't even mind that she'd stolen
his fan.

Ranma spent the rest of the day training.  He didn't
work in the dojo, or anywhere near the house, for fear
he'd run into Akane.  Rather, he went to the park to
meditate and work on his techniques--it was tough
finding ways of protecting his injured hand while he
fought, but he knew that he had to overcome it.  He
didn't even come home to eat, and he couldn't go to
Ucchan's without facing Ryoga.  He preferred to run
the risk of seeing Cologne at the Cat Cafe.  Both
Shampoo and Mousse were friendly and helpful, and it
turned out that he didn't have to talk to the Ghoul
after all.

It was past sundown when he finally came home to the
Tendos'.  He crept in the back door, knowing he could
get a better idea of what he was walking into from the
kitchen.  Soun was there, making a sandwich.  

"Ranma!  We missed you at dinner, boy!  I think Nabiki
wants to see you."  He seemed oblivious to any notion
that things weren't right with Akane, and Ranma
preferred to leave it that way.  Nodding, he sidled
past Tendo and moved toward the door.

"Uh, where's Akane?"  He knew he ran the risk of
inciting Soun's fatherly fury, but he couldn't just
walk into the living room without knowing if she was
there.  He just had to take the chance that Soun
didn't know to be angry.

"In her room.  She went to bed early."  He gave Ranma
a stern look.  "Do you have any idea what's bothering
her, boy?"

Ranma shook his head and darted from the room.  Good,
with Akane safely in her room, he could relax until he
found Nabiki.  

"Where have you been?"  Ranma spun around, startled. 
Nabiki grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him toward
the stairs.  "She's already in bed; she may be asleep
by now."  Ranma had no choice but to follow dutifully
as she led him to her room.  "I've got the box.  You
just hurry and give it to her."

She pushed it into his hands and shoved him back into
the hallway.  "Hurry," she hissed.  Automatically,
Ranma turned to Akane's bedroom door and put his hand
on the knob.  "No!" Nabiki whispered loudly.  "Do you
want the whole family to know?  Try the window!" 
Without another word, she shut her door, leaving him
alone in the dark hall.

He was scared.  He went to his room and climbed from
his window to the roof.  Outside, he breathed the cool
evening air and tried to calm down.  His heart was
racing.  What if Akane refused to forgive him?  What
if she didn't even listen?  But that was what the gift
was for, right?  He looked down at the box.  It didn't
look like Nabiki had done much more than tie a yellow
ribbon around it.  It figured she'd do something
cheap.

Taking a deep breath, he crept above Akane's window. 
"This is it," he whispered to himself.  "One
all-or-nothin' chance to get her back."  He wished he
could just fight her or something.  This emotional
stuff made him nervous.

His courage collected, he swung down by his ankles and
gently tapped the edge of the open window.  "Akane,"
he whispered.  "Are you awake?"

An airborne paperweight was his answer.  Easily
dodging the projectile, he slipped into the dark room.
 "Akane, I'm sorry.  Can we talk?"  He couldn't see a
thing.

Something that felt like a shoe bounced off his head. 
"Go away, Ranma!"  Her voice was threatening.  "I
don't want to talk to you."

His eyes were adjusting to the darkness and he could
finally see her.  She sat on her bed, fully clothed in
a bluish dress.  Her legs were pulled up beneath her,
and Ranma thought she looked really small.  He
wondered what she'd been doing, sitting here in the
dark.  

"Ranma--"  Her voice had a violent undertone.

He stood a little straighter.  Even if she didn't
listen, she couldn't help but hear.  "I know I
shoulda' told you about Ryoga.  I wanted to but--" he
faltered, feeling ashamed of himself.  "But it was my
fault that--"

"I know."

"--he fell into the spring at all.  You--you know?" 
He couldn't have been more stunned if she'd suddenly
announced that she, too, had been cursed at Jusenkyo.
Akane sighed.  "Your dad explained it to me this
morning."

Ranma's heart jumped.  Maybe this wouldn't be so bad
after all!  "So you're not mad?"

She glowered at him.  "You should have told me," she
accused bitterly.  "He was sleeping in my room!  You
didn't even stop him!  He watched me change!"

"Don't you think I know that?  I tried to keep him
out!  Every night I would--"

"All you had to do was tell the truth!" she looked
like she was either on the verge of tears or violence.
 "Your stupid honor shouldn't have mattered this
time!"

Now he was getting mad, too.  "Honor is everything to
a martial artist!  You know that as well as I do!  So
does Ryoga!"

"Did you ever think that maybe it's dishonorable to
lie?"  She flung her table lamp at him with a violence
that actually startled him.

He yanked his arms up to block the impact, at the same
time tossing his gift onto the bed.  He didn't want it
scratched or damaged.  Knocking the ceramic lamp to
the ground with a crash, Ranma turned his attention
back to Akane.  This was going too far.

To his surprise, she wasn't preparing another attack. 
Her bokken was in her hand, but lowered to the floor
submissively.  Her attention was caught by the carved
box.  The bow had come untied and the box lay open,
its dark red lining exposed.  What was so startling
was the sound that came from it.  A quiet, tinkling
music filled the silence of the room.  A music box. 
He silently thanked Nabiki.

"The theme from Romeo and Juliet," Akane breathed,
picking it up.  She looked up at him with big, watery
eyes.  "Ranma?  You did this, for me?"

He didn't trust his voice when she looked at him like
that, so he only nodded.

She ran her fingers over the carvings, closing her
eyes as she enjoyed the music.  Ranma was happy just
to watch her.  She looked so cute--beautiful.  He
hoped their fight was over, but hardly let himself
believe it--a truce didn't solve anything.  As the
last notes died, he reached over and closed the lid,
his fingers brushing her hand.

"What's this?"  Akane picked up a small velvet pouch. 
"Was this in the box?" her voice was incredulous. 
Ranma looked at the bag nervously.  He'd never seen it
before.  He hoped Nabiki could be trusted.

Loosening the drawstring with her fingers, Akane
reached into the pouch and pulled out its contents. 
"Hair?  Oh!  My hair!  Ranma, you kept it?"  She held
up the clump of long, dark hair, still tied with a
yellow ribbon.  "All this time, you kept it?"  He felt
his face flush.  He'd forgotten about the hair, which
he'd saved in the box for so long.  Nabiki must've
found it and decided to include it in the gift.  He
didn't know why he kept it at all, but he certainly
had never wanted Akane to find out.
Her eyes were full of tears.  "No one's ever done
anything like this for me before," she sniffed.  "All
because you wanted me to forgive you?"

Ranma couldn't do it.  He couldn't let her forgive him
just because Nabiki turned out to have a romantic
streak.  As long as she thought he was dishonest,
there'd be problems.  He decided to end them all right
then.  He was going to tell her everything he'd felt
from the moment they'd met.

"I, uh--Akane I. . . I wanted--"  Damn!  It was harder
than he'd figured.  Akane watched him stumble with his
words and he felt like an idiot.

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. 
"Ranma?" she asked in a casual voice.  "Were you ever
jealous of Ryoga?"  She smirked as if she expected a
positive response.  "He did get to sleep with me, and
all."

"Don't even tease about that!"  Ranma was alarmed
because, as usual, she hit the nail right on the head.
 "I never said nothing about being jealous of--"

"Ranma."  Her voice was full of warning and he
realized that he was being tested.  She was giving him
the chance to tell her the truth, and, judging by the
look on her face, it was clear that he'd better take
it.

"It's not like I wanted to sleep there," he protested
softly.  "But I didn't like him being with you.  Not
one bit."  He couldn't even look at her, he was so
embarrassed.

He almost jumped at the sudden contact of Akane taking
his hand.  Her fingers were shaking so badly that he
noticed it immediately.  Startled, his eyes jumped to
her face.  She wore a peculiar, guarded expression as
she spoke.

"Why?"  The word hung in the air like a damp mist.  

Ranma knew he took too long to answer, but the words
had trouble forming in his throat.  When he finally
spoke, his voice sounded strange to his ears.  "Same
reason I catch you when you fall and run off to rescue
you when idiots like Taro and Mousse decide to take
you.  You're my fiancee, Akane," he lifted her hand
and kissed where her knuckles were raw from
practicing.  "My only fiancee."

She exhaled quickly as if she'd been holding her
breath.  Ranma understood the feeling.  He felt weak
and sick to his stomach.  He wished she'd hurry up and
say something.  He felt conspicuous, standing there
while she was sitting.

"I'm glad," she whispered at last, her smile growing
even more.  She tugged his hands to get him to sit
with her.  Unprepared for the yank, Ranma lost his
balance and fell onto the bed, pinning Akane beneath
him.

He froze.  He was close enough that his breath ruffled
her hair and hers was a tickling breeze against his
neck.  His weight pressed down against her, making him
very aware of every curve she possessed.  Built like a
stick?  Where'd he get that idea?

He pushed up slightly with his arms so he wouldn't
crush her.  The last time they'd been in that position
he'd gotten hit.  Ranma realized that he should get
up, but he didn't really want to.  Her lashes were
incredibly long and her mouth--Ranma bit back a groan,
he wanted to kiss her so badly.

Slipping her arms around his waist and nodding
slightly, Akane answered the question before it was
asked.  Without even knowing how, he kissed her deeply
and thoroughly, just like he'd been wanting to since
the last time they were there in her room.  The cold
chills that had taken over his body when she touched
him were extinguished as a wave of warmth swept
through him.  Her mouth was soft and tasted sweeter
than strawberries.  Ranma felt he'd never have his
fill of her.

He was disappointed when the kiss finally ended, but
was glad to look at Akane's face again.  She was
smiling, her eyes bright.  Ranma was sure that his
expression mirrored hers.

"Does this mean we're dating?"  She giggled softly,
tugging on his pigtail.  "Are Ranma and Akane finally
a couple?"

Ranma kissed her again.  "You bet," he whispered. 
There was something about kissing that made his
confidence return.  He sat up, pulling her with him. 
His arms were getting tired and he wanted to hold her
close.  They sat together in the darkness for a long
time.  Akane wound the music box and the light,
metallic music surrounded them.  Ranma dropped a few
light kisses on her mouth; this was so much better
than kissing Ukyo.

Ukyo!  Ranma's muscles stiffened as he remembered.  He
had to tell her about Ukyo!

"Oh!  I can't believe I forgot!  I have something for
you, too, Ranma!"  Akane suddenly wiggled from his
embrace and stood up.  "Just wait!  You'll love this."
 She reached to her bedside table to turn on the
light.  Her hands passed though empty space.  They
both looked at the floor, sprinkled with shards of the
shattered lamp.  Akane giggled.  "Okay, maybe I'll
just find it in the dark."

As she fumbled in the closet, Ranma was near panic. 
She was going to be wild when he told her he'd kissed
Ukyo.  Maybe if he could get her to listen to his
reason why . . .  But who was he kidding?  When did
Akane ever listen?

"Surprise!"  She was holding a large package.  It was
wrapped up like a birthday gift and tied with a big
red bow.  She'd obviously gone to a lot of trouble. 
As he took the heavy box from her, he noticed how
nicely the ribbon was tied.  He remembered Akane's
attempts at decorating the Christmas tree.  Maybe
Kasumi had gone to a lot of trouble to make this
pretty.

"Open it!" Akane urged, not trying to hide the
excitement in her voice.

Ranma looked at her, feeling like a rat.  She was so
happy and eager and he was hiding something.  He
couldn't accept her gift without telling the truth. 
"Akane, I kissed Ukyo!" he blurted without thinking of
how it'd sound.

Her face froze, her smile hardening.  "Come again?"

Now he was really scared.  Maybe if he worded it
right, it wouldn't sound so awful.  "I was trying to
tell her how I felt, and I kissed her."  Good, that
should explain things.

"You what?"  Her voice was incredulous.  "The same way
you were trying to tell me how you felt and you kissed
me?"

Uh-oh.  Now he was in trouble.  "No!  No, I mean, you
and Ukyo are real different.  She's cute, bu--"

You jerk!"  

The mallet came out of nowhere, rushing toward Ranma's
head at an alarming speed.  

With a startled yell, he jumped away, leaving nothing
but Akane's package where he had stood.  The hammer
hit with a sickening crack--Ranma was glad it wasn't
the sound of his own skull breaking.  The gift was
smashed, and a dark stain spread over the carpet.	
"Oh my God!"  Akane dropped the mallet and backed onto
her bed, her eyes filling with tears.  "I don't
believe this!"  She broke into wild sobs and covered
her face with her hands.

This really frightened Ranma.  "It didn't mean nothin'
Akane!  Honest!"  He frantically searched for words. 
"I was trying to show her that she don't love me. 
Ukyo ain't what I want--you're the only girl I ever
wanted to kiss!"

She didn't look up.  "You dummy!" she sobbed.  "I
don't care about Ukyo!  It's nannichuan!"  She pointed
to the damp and broken package.  "Your cure," she
hiccupped, "is ruined."

He was taken aback.  Spring of drowned boy?  He fell
to his knees and frantically tore open the box as
quickly as he could with one hand.  The cask inside
had been split in two.  The water was gone, seeped
into the rug and paper, so that the dampness of the
inner walls was all that was left.  Ranma pressed his
hand to them, and then to the carpet, but to no avail.
 Most of the moisture had been drawn away.

He sat on the floor, glad for the darkness that
guarded his quiet tears from Akane.  He'd given up
hope, and now this last chance had been taken from
him.

"No good?" Akane quietly sniffed.  "I--I'm so sorry,
Ranma."  He could hear the tremors in her voice.  "I
wanted you to have it so much!  I bought it in China. 
It was the last that the guide had, and now Jusenkyo's
flooded."  She threw herself facedown onto her bed,
muffling her words.  "Now you'll never be cured and
it's all my fault!  I got so mad and all I ever really
wanted was for you to be normal again!"  Her crying
returned with a vengeance.

Ranma stared at her shaking form.  His heart was
pounding.  "So," he began slowly, his voice hoarse. 
"You hate my curse that much?"  He'd gotten used to it
over time, and kind of assumed that everyone else had,
too.  But he supposed it was different for Akane.  It
was one thing to be friends with a freak, but another
entirely to be engaged to one.  "I understand."  He
couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

Akane spoke quickly and forcefully, lifting her head
from her pillow.  "No!  Ranma I love your curse!  I
love everything about you!  I only hate it because you
hate it!  I wouldn't care if you turned into a girl, a
panda, or even a pig, but as long as you're unhappy,"
her watery eyes met his in the darkness, "I'm
unhappy."

Ranma was having a hard time with this.  He crawled
over to the bed and knelt, his shaking hands on the
coverlet beside her.  "As long as you love me," he
began slowly.  "I'm happy."

Her lips curved into a trembling smile through her
tears.  "Ranma?" she whispered, bringing a hand to his
face.  Feeling the tears on his cheeks, she wiped them
dry.

"Akane."  He drew her mouth close into the sweetest
kiss he'd ever experienced.  He tucked his good hand
into her hair, enjoying its silky softness on his
fingers as he pulled her head closer.  More than ever
before, he wanted to be near Akane--as close as he
could possibly get.  

Her mouth parted and he deepened the kiss, feeling the
familiar stirring in his stomach.  She answered in
kind, her hands gripping at his shoulders as though
she were afraid to let go.  He opened his eyes,
craving sight to go with the feel and taste of her. 
He could see little of her face, but rather a
delicious expanse of neck near her ear.  He moved his
kiss from her mouth, trailing his lips down her jaw
until he reached his destination.  

Akane gasped in alarm and delight.  "Ranma!" she
breathed, twisting his pigtail around her hand to keep
him close.

He was starting to feel woozy and out of breath.  "I
love you," he whispered in her ear before planting
gentle kisses on her mouth.  With a sigh of deeper
contentment than he'd felt in a long time, he pulled
away to look at her.

She was the most beautiful person he'd ever known.  He
didn't know how long he knelt there, staring into her
bright eyes, but eventually she fell asleep, her
fingers entwined tightly with his.  He watched her in
sleep, a tiny smile etched on her face, until he too
gave in to exhaustion and lay his head on the pillow
beside her.

Part Six: "Reawakening Memories"

Ranma woke slowly, first becoming aware of warmth.  It
surrounded him like a cocoon, soft and soothing.  He
didn't want to leave his dreams, but something tugged
at his mind like a memory, an awareness of something
he'd forgotten.  He opened his eyes slowly, to see
that his face was pressed against two soft mounds. 
Unmistakable.  Ranma felt his face flush as his panic
rose.  He recognized the color of the material before
him.  That dress was Akane's. 

Akane!  Pushing roughly, he tried to squirm away. 
"Ugh!  What the hell am I--"

"Shh, Ranma it's okay."  Akane's soothing voice calmed
him.  Her arms around him were like iron bars, and for
all his fighting, he hadn't gotten far.
He blinked.  He was kneeling on the floor, a blanket
covering him.  His head and shoulders were on Akane's
bed, where she lay with her arms around him.  It was
very intimate, making Ranma's mind flood with images
of the night before.

"Akane," he mumbled, looking up at her face and
immediately away again.  He suddenly felt very shy and
awkward, and he didn't know where to look.

"It's okay," she repeated more firmly.  She grasped
his chin and made him look up at her.  Her own face
was tinged with pink.  "We both fell asleep.  You were
on the floor the whole time."

Neither knew what to say after that.  The confessions
of the evening before hung around them, and Akane
still had Ranma's chin in her hand, making him even
more aware of the previous night's kisses.

He needed to say something.  She was so cute, with her
hair tousled and eyes bright.  "Akane, I--"

She shook her head.  "No Ranma.  This is all so new--I
think we shouldn't talk about it much.  Just let it
happen."  She let go of his face and looked down, her
long lashes brushing her cheeks.  "I've been thinking
about it all morning."

Ranma was startled.  "You were awake?"  The idea of
Akane watching him sleep both disturbed and excited
him.

She smiled softly.  "For a little while."  

Ranma realized that she must have put the blanket
around him.  Even though it was springtime, the nights
were still chilly.  She was wonderful.  Ranma leaned
close and kissed her gently.  "Good morning," he
whispered.

A knock on the door made them jump.  "Akane?"  Kasumi
was making her morning rounds.  "Akane wake up;
breakfast is in a half-hour."

"Thanks Kasumi," Akane called, stifling a giggle. 
Ranma didn't think it was so funny.  He could just
imagine what'd happen if he were caught in her room at
this hour.  "You'd better take the window," she
whispered to him. 

Ranma groaned softly as he stood.  His legs were stiff
and painful from being curled all night.  He tossed
the blanket onto Akane and headed to the window.  She
laughed at his stumbling gait, but he did his best to
ignore her.  "See ya at breakfast," he said over his
shoulder as he climbed out the window.

Cutting back through his room, Ranma headed straight
for the kitchen.  He'd bet anything that his mother
was there again this morning.  Actually, he was
counting on it.  He really needed to talk to her.

"Ranma!"  Kasumi greeted him with a smile.  "You
weren't in your room."  She turned back to the stove
to stir the food.

He was glad she couldn't see his flush.  "I was
training early," he lied.  He snatched some bread from
the counter.  "Is my mom around?" he asked casually.

"Why yes," Kasumi smiled.  "She's out front,
sweeping."

"Thanks!"  Munching on the bread, he darted outside. 
Just as Kasumi said, she was sweeping flower petals
from the walk.  At this time of year the trees dropped
them everywhere and the walkway had to be cleared at
least twice a day.  Ranma paused in the doorway,
watching her.  She was really beautiful, all wrapped
up in her kimono.  Her katana, always with her, hung
from her belt.  That used to be a constant threat to
Ranma, but now that he knew that committing seppuku
wasn't anything he'd have to do, he wondered why she
still carried it.

"Good morning, Son," she called cheerfully.  "What can
I do for you this morning?"

Ranma smiled.  He still got a little thrill every time
she spoke to him.  Having a mother was still pretty
new to him.  "I just wanted to tell you," he faltered,
feeling like a little kid.  "I just wanna say I'm glad
you're here so much."

Nadoka was obviously pleased; her smile lit her face. 
"Well Ranma," she said, leaning on the broom.  "I'm
glad to be here.  Seeing you is the best part of my
days."  She began to sweep, her cheeks tinged pink. 
"And your father--he's finally growing up.  I'm glad
to have my family back.  I was lonely for you."

"I missed havin' you around, too, Mom," Ranma's voice
was gruff.  He sat on the stoop and watched her sweep.
 When he was little he used to get real mad at his
father for keeping him away from her.  He understood
better now, but still wished for the time lost to
them.

"How did Pop propose to you?"  It wasn't that he was
interested in marrying Akane; he just wanted to learn
more about his parents.  At least, that's what Ranma
tried to tell himself.

Nadoka froze.  Turning slowly, she revealed to Ranma
the brightest grin he'd ever seen on her face.  She
leaned the broom against the house and sat beside him
on the stoop.  "Well, it was a long time ago.  Kasumi
was just a baby then."

She shifted, removing the katana and setting it on her
lap.  "Akane's mother was my dearest friend.  Even
after she married Mr. Tendo, she and I spent hours
together every day.  So of course, I met your father. 
He was different then, handsome and impetuous."

Ranma tried to imagine, but gave up quickly.  His
mother had a faraway look in her eyes, but she looked
so happy that he didn't mind if he was partly
forgotten.

"We didn't court, exactly, but it was clear that there
was something between us.  Rumi--that was Mrs. Tendo's
name--Rumi used to tell me that he was in love with
me.  I pretended not to believe it.  Well, one day
Genma and Mr. Tendo decided to go on a training trip
with Master Happosai."  She unwrapped the sword and
looked at it fondly.  "Rumi was expecting Nabiki, so I
was staying with her, just in case anything happened. 
I wasn't a martial artist, so your father gave me this
katana for protection."  She traced her fingers over
the engraving.  "He told me he'd replace it with a
ring when he got the money, if I'd have him."

Ranma couldn't imagine his father being so romantic. 
It was almost scary.  "So how'd you answer?"

His mother laughed.  "I frightened him.  I told him
not to bother."  She giggled more, watching Ranma's
reaction.

He was stunned.  That wasn't at all what he'd been
expecting.  "You told him what?"

"The sword was enough.  It has the Saotome crest; that
makes it a suitable engagement gift.  Your father
wasn't too happy about losing his katana, but we were
married within the year."

Ranma sighed.  If only the story really ended there,
or continued with a normal family where he could have
a normal childhood.  No training trips, no curses, no
getting to know his mother when he's sixteen.  But
then no Akane.  His pop did it all with the idea that
Ranma would join together the Saotome and Tendo
schools of anything goes martial arts.  It could have
been Kasumi or Nabiki, but luckily, he'd been given
Akane.

"Don't regret, Ranma."  His mother's voice broke into
his thoughts.  "Everything has a purpose."  She pulled
him close for a rare hug.  Ranma closed his eyes and
absorbed her warmth.  "Now go have breakfast with
Akane.  She'll be waiting for you."

He kissed her cheek before obeying, his mind occupied
with serious thoughts.  Maybe she was right; maybe
regretting his childhood was useless, but at least he
could do things differently.  He intended to raise his
children in the tradition of the indiscriminate
grappling he'd grown up with, but that didn't mean
dangerous training trips to far away places.  There
were plenty of good martial artists with normal lives.
 Akane was a perfect example.  He remembered that
first day of school and his awe at watching her beat
half the boys at Furinkin in one fight.  Well, her
life was almost normal.

Ranma realized he was standing alone in the hall. 
He'd been daydreaming, totally forgetting what he was
doing.  Nadoka had gone back to her sweeping and
delicious smells wafted from the kitchen.  With a
smile, he shook off his serious thoughts and headed
toward breakfast.  He had more important things to
think about--like whether or not he could get to the
table before Pop finished off his share.

to be continued....

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From: Space Pirate Ryoko 

Close Encounters of the Ranma Kind
Volume Four
by the Space Pirate Ryoko

Love and Nannichuan

Part One:  "Two Too Violent Girls"

The morning was warm and peaceful, but Ranma was
feeling anything but peace.  She'd been so busy with
every other detail in her life lately that she'd
gotten less than three solid days of training.  Now it
was time to meet Cologne and she hadn't had time to
really practice her old techniques, much less learn
anything new.  She'd decided to fight as a girl for
the added speed--strength wouldn't do a bit of good if
she didn't last long enough to get a hit in.

She looked down at Akane from her perch on the fence. 
She had a pensive pinch to her face.  Ranma knew she'd
been itching to say something since breakfast.  "So
why don'chya just say it?"

Akane looked up, a worried look on her face.  "Ranma,
how can you fight without your hand?  You can't even
do 'chestnuts.'  How are you going to beat her?"  She
carried a first-aid kit under her arm, and though
Ranma had chided her about it earlier, she thought it
was a good thing to have.

Ranma tucked her arms behind her head in her most
carefree pose.  "Have some faith, Akane!  I'll
improvise!  Besides," she knew she sounded more
confident than she felt, "the old Ghoul has to catch
me before she can beat me."  Or so she hoped.  She'd
learned not to underestimate these Amazons, and with
only one good hand, she wasn't at all sure that she'd
win.

>From the corner of her eye, Ranma watched Akane as she
walked.  She had to win.  There was no other way. 
She'd agreed to go to China and marry Shampoo if she
lost, and that was even more unthinkable now than
ever.  Since that night in Akane's room, the two
hadn't had much time together.  Sure, Akane helped her
train, but so did her pop.  And Happosai.  It wasn't
like they were ever alone.  They'd gone through a lot
together.  She wasn't about to lose her now.

When they arrived, a small crowd was already milling
around the Cat Cafe.  Soun and Kasumi sat beneath a
tree with the panda, and Ryoga stood nearby with Ukyo
and a pale-looking Konatsu.  Ranma recognized a few
kids from school as well.  The master was there too,
already causing trouble among the girls.

"Nihao Ranma!"  Shampoo burst from the restaurant with
a smile.  She was dressed in Chinese fighting clothes
and carried bonbouri.  Mousse followed close behind,
nodding in greeting to both Ranma and Akane.

This was a little awkward.  Akane hadn't seen the
couple together with Ranma since the fight, and Ranma
wasn't sure how Shampoo would act.  She felt Akane
step closer, protectively, and smiled inwardly.  Akane
was too much the jealous type to let anyone too close.

"Mousse and Shampoo talk," Shampoo announced proudly. 
"We decide to help.  Great-grandmother no beat you
with us fight too."  She smiled and linked her arm
with Mousse's.

Ranma couldn't believe that she was willing to go up
against her own family to save her.  She also couldn't
believe that she thought she had to.  "No thanks,
Shampoo.  I got it covered."

"Then Ranma no fight Great-grandmother today, okay? 
She tricky and want hurt Ranma!"  Shampoo's eyes were
big and pleading.  "Shampoo no want Ranma hurt because
of Shampoo.  Know you lose fair."  

Ranma shook her head.  "Sorry Shampoo, I gotta do it. 
Don't worry, I won't hurt her too much."  She winked
at Mousse, who didn't seem to see the humor.

"Mousse!" Shampoo clung to his arm.  "Tell Ranma no
fight!   She not listen."

Akane tugged at her sleeve.  "Maybe she's right," she
whispered.  "She'd know what Cologne is planning to do
to you."

Ranma scowled at her.  "Gimme some credit, would ya? 
I ain't never lost a fight when it mattered, and I'm
sure not startin' today!"  She crossed her arms over
her chest.  "So stop worryin' already!"

Akane glared at her for a moment.  "Fine!"  With a
toss of her head, she turned on her heel and stomped
away.

"Violent Akane no want you fight too," Shampoo
observed.  "Maybe you listen now?"

Ranma gritted her teeth.  What was with these girls? 
She was nervous enough as it was, she didn't need them
to put new fears into her head!  "I ain't changing my
mind," she ground out, tempted to smack Shampoo upside
the head with her own maces.

"Then Ranma go head, be stupid!  Shampoo no care who
win!"  There was a flurry of indigo hair and she was
gone, too.

Ranma sighed.  Girls were so crazy sometimes.  She'd
have figured that a year in a female body would help
her understand them, but she was just as confused as
ever.

Mousse stepped up, adjusting his glasses.  "I--I
wanted to thank you, Ranma."

"Huh?"

"You've given me the greatest gift--my Shampoo.  For
that I will be forever in your debt."  He bowed
deeply.  "I hope that past wrongs can be forgotten."

"Uh, sure!"  Mousse had always been pretty annoying
and tricky, but he wasn't a bad guy, deep down.  Ranma
figured he'd be a useful person to have on her side.

"Thank you!"  Mousse grabbed her hand and squeezed. 
"Although I know I can never repay you for what you've
given me, please let me fight with you today."

"No way!"  Ranma was really getting tired of this. 
"Ranma Saotome fights alone, especially against one
old Ghoul."

Mousse hung his head.  "I understand, but please,
don't underestimate her.  Amazons are full of
surprises."  He put his hand on her shoulder.  "I'll
be out here if it gets too rough."

Ranma pulled away.  "Yeah, thanks," she said
half-heartedly.  She wasn't going to need his help
anyway.  She was about to say so, but Cologne chose
that moment to make an appearance.

She hopped out of the Cat Cafe and a hush fell over
the spectators.  "What's with the grand entrance,
Ghoul?  Get a make-over?" Ranma taunted.  "Funny, you
don't look better to me!"

Cologne looked amused.  "Be careful son-in-law.  You
don't want to make me angry."  Her voice held a
warning.  

Ranma chose to ignore it.  "Nyah-ah!  I'm really
scared!"  She stuck out her tongue insolently.

"Don't be a jackass, Ranma."

Ranma jumped, spinning around to see who stood behind
her.  Nabiki.  Of course, how could she have missed
the dry sarcasm?

Kuno was with her.  "Focus, Saotome." he coached.  

Ranma was about to snap at him when she realized he
was right.  If she'd been properly focused, they
wouldn't have been able to sneak up on her.  "Right,"
she mumbled.

She faced Cologne with new sobriety.  "Ready when you
are, Ghoul!"

They stood face to face in the middle of the street. 
"You remember how it is, son-in-law?  If I win, you
marry my Shampoo."

"Yeah, and if I win," Ranma continued.  "Then you go
back to China and leave me alone."

The old lady nodded and silence fell over the
spectators as they each got into fighting positions.

"No!"  A high-pitched squeal pierced the air.  A
cartwheel of pink and blue spun through the air and
landed between them as Shampoo.  Her bonbouri were
raised and a determined scowl was on her face. 
"Shampoo no let Great-grandmother fight Ranma!"

Cologne didn't look surprised.  "Move aside, Shampoo,"
she said, fixing her eyes on Ranma.  "This is no
longer your fight."

"Why you so stubborn when Shampoo tell truth?  No need
fight Ranma!"

Cologne was starting to look irritated.  "Don't be so
naive, girl!  Do you want to marry that nearsighted
idiot?"  She hopped close to Shampoo, narrowing her
eyes.  "Ranma lost to him on purpose."

Ranma noticed the girl's knuckles turn white as she
clutched her weapons.  She hadn't seen Shampoo so
angry for a long time.  "Shampoo have had enough!" 
Her speech was even and icy.  "It dishonor husband to
say fight fixed."

Cologne laughed.  It was a harsh, cold sound.  "Ranma
is no longer your husband," she reminded her unkindly.

"Shampoo no mean him husband."  She tossed her hair
arrogantly.  "Mean real husband.  Husband what beat
Ranma!"

A murmur ran through the audience.  Ranma couldn't
blame them for commenting.  She was pretty startled
herself.  She never thought she'd hear anything like
that.  

Mousse stepped forward and situated himself
defensively next to Shampoo.  "We were married two
days ago, Great-grandmother," he said proudly.
Cologne was unruffled by the news.  "A Japanese
marriage can be easily dissolved.  It is no matter." 
She hobbled toward Ranma.  "Let's get to it,
son-in-law."

Ranma couldn't agree more.  It was starting to get
irritating, watching everyone try to save her.  As if
she couldn't beat the old Ghoul anyway!

Once more, Shampoo jumped between them.  Ranma sighed
in frustration.  "You no fight Ranma without fight
Shampoo first!" the girl challenged, stamping her
foot.
"No!"  Cologne's hair raised in fury.  "You no longer
claim Ranma as your husband, so you cannot challenge a
fellow Amazon in this way."  She pointed at Shampoo
and Mousse, "you both will be banished if you do."

"No kidding!"  Ranma raised her own voice to join
Cologne.  "This is my fight!  I don't need your help!"
 As insane as it was for the Amazons to banish a girl
for fighting, she had to agree that Shampoo really
needed to stop with the intervention already.

Mousse whispered something to his wife and she shook
her head violently.  He motioned more urgently and she
kicked his shins.  Ranma felt sorry for the poor guy. 
She knew what it was like to deal with an unreasonable
female.  Finally, to everyone's surprise, Mousse
hoisted Shampoo over his shoulder and trudged out of
the street.  She screamed in Chinese, hitting his back
with her bonbouri.  Ranma almost smiled.  That was
going to be one interesting marriage.

The distraction gone, she turned to Cologne with a
more serious attitude.  The crone was hard enough to
beat with two hands, it'd be hell with only one.  She
clenched her fist and stood ready.  She wasn't going
to move until the Amazon did.

Cologne didn't seem to object to the strategy.  Her
speed was amazing as she charged Ranma--faster than
any Ranma had ever reached.  She instinctively dropped
to the ground as the Ghoul came within range.  That
staff of hers would be deadly at such a velocity.

Rolling, Ranma took the advantage for herself by
kicking her legs into Cologne's path.  The old woman
stumbled, but refused to fall.  She wheeled about and
came at Ranma again.

This happened a couple more times, and each time the
dodges required more and more complexity.  As Ranma
leaped into the air and spun into a back flip, she
realized that the old woman was trying to wear her
down.  Physical strength over Cologne was Ranma's
greatest asset--it was clear that the Ghoul was trying
to even things up in that area.  She gritted her
teeth.  She wasn't going to dance to that tune any
more!

Launching herself from a light post, Ranma dived
toward Cologne.  She tucked her bad hand behind her
back, out of the way, while the other she hurled at
the woman.  She didn't usually hit little old ladies,
but Cologne wasn't like most of them.  "Kachu Tenshin
Amaguriken!"

Somehow, she dodged every punch Ranma threw at her. 
The redhead jumped back, astounded.  "What the--"

The old woman laughed.  "Don't forget who taught you,
boy," she cackled.  "Do you really think I would train
you to beat me?"  She took advantage of Ranma's
surprise and jabbed her staff into her belly.  Hard.  

The girl clutched her stomach, biting back the sting. 
The crone was stronger than she'd first thought. 
Maybe strength alone couldn't save her.  Resorting to
trickery was not something Ranma did often, but as Pop
always said, a marital artist does whatever he has to
in order to get the advantage in a fight.  "Ooh!" she
yelped, doubling over as if she were in terrible pain.


She felt, rather than saw, Cologne relax a fraction. 
It wasn't much, but it was enough to let Ranma know
that the crone bought the act and really believed
she'd hurt her.  Now she could take the old lady by
surprise.  Without a word, she kicked, straight into
Cologne's midsection.

When Ranma landed on the ground, scraping her cheek on
the pavement, shocked was the only word to describe
her feelings.  The Amazon had moved faster than she
could see.  By the expressions on the faces of the
onlookers, it was clear that they hadn't seen her move
either.  Ranma sat up, covering her bloody cheek with
her bandaged hand.  How could she beat her if she
couldn't even touch her?  Things had never looked more
hopeless, not even the day she'd discovered Jusenkyo's
curse.

"Come on, Ranma!  You can win this!"  One voice spoke
up in the hushed crowd.  Popping her fingers in her
mouth, Akane whistled enthusiastically before
continuing.  "No one can beat you!  Where's that ego
of yours?"  She smiled, mouthing the words "I love
you" so no one else would hear.

Ranma felt her eyes fill with tears.  Akane was right.
 She believed in her and Ranma was determined not to
disappoint her.  Slowly, the rest of the crowd took up
Akane's cheer, and Ranma felt her confidence flare. 
She stood and faced Cologne with new vigor.

Before Ranma could make a move, though, the Amazon
cried out in Chinese and half a dozen fiery balls of
chi flew from her fingers.  Ranma danced and jumped
and dove, managing to dodge five before the last
struck her shoulder.  It brought her down, knocking
the wind from her lungs as she landed in the road.  

She struggled to sit, her shoulder burning with
Cologne's energy.  She couldn't give up now.  Akane
was counting on her.  She worked her way to her feet,
hoping Cologne wouldn't send more chi blasts anytime
soon.  

"Oh, how could you?"  

Ranma turned to see a red-faced, teary-eyed Happosai
step to the front of the crowd.  She didn't know what
the Freak was up to, but she wished he'd go away.

Happosai looked at Cologne.  "A young, beautiful body
like that should be cherished, not destroyed," the old
man declared with feeling.  "For marring such
perfection, such loveliness, I will never forgive
you!"  Happosai's eyes narrowed angrily.  "Now feel
the burn of the Anything Goes final attack: Happo Fire
Blast!"

Ranma knew to dive.  She hit the ground in a painful
lurch, scraping her chin on the rough pavement.  This
was just not her day.  The blast exploded with a
powerful bang and flames filled the air around her. 
The heat was intense, and Ranma wondered how the old
Ghoul was faring.

When the smoke lifted, Ranma found herself lying next
to a shallow crater.  She was dark with ash and smoke,
but nowhere near what Cologne looked like.  The old
woman stood--miraculously still on her feet--in the
middle of the crater, everything about her black with
soot, except her eyes, which seemed to glow for the
contrast.  Ranma smirked--to think, she'd thought the
Ghoul was scary before.

"What!?  She's still standing?" Happosai demanded
angrily.  Cologne turned slowly and faced the master. 
Ranma couldn't see her face, but by watching Happosai,
she was sure she didn't want to.  The old man's face
blanched white and his eyes began to water with tears.
 With a yelp, he turned and ran away--perfecting the
Saotome School's final attack.  This made Ranma pretty
nervous.  It was one thing for her Pop or Tendo to
freak out and run off, but the master usually had more
guts than sense.

When the Amazon turned back to Ranma, her face was a
picture of rage.  Her eyes gleamed violently and she
spoke slowly and evenly.  "Son-in-law, you have
deceived me.  This was supposed to be a fight between
just the two of us, and you cheated by letting Happy
help."  She picked up her staff from where it had
fallen.  "Still, if you wish to change the rules, then
understand that two can play at this game."

Ranma tried to explain that she'd had nothing to do
with the Freak's bombs.  "Look, I didn't--"  

It was clear that the Ghoul didn't want to hear.  She
had crossed over to where Shampoo stood.  "Watch this,
boy."  With the end of the staff she lightly tapped
her great-granddaughter just between the eyes. 
"Shampoo, you hate Ranma."

Shampoo's eyes lost their depth.  As the stick struck,
they became unfocused and glassy.  Cologne stepped
aside as the girl looked all about her, her thick hair
swinging.  When her gaze fell upon Ranma, her lips
curled into a sick smile.  "Ranma, you I kill!" she
announced.

Ranma felt her stomach twist.  Not again!  Shampoo
threw one of her maces, at the same time charging
toward her, her face twisted in determination.  Ranma
dodged the club easily, falling into a one-handed
handspring to kick away the girl's attack.  Shampoo
startled her, however, by leaping into the air,
positioning her feet so they would land on Ranma's
head with the strongest impact.

The best Ranma could do was to twist so that her back
took the blow, rather than her skull.  It was still
gonna hurt, but she could probably avoid falling
unconscious.  To her surprise, the kick never came. 
Just before Shampoo's feet made contact, a web of
chains encircled her and pulled her back to the
sidelines.

Ranma saluted Mousse in thanks as the myopic Amazon
boy tightened the restraints on his wife.  Thanks to
Mousse's quick thinking, the fight was even once more.

"Okay, you've had your fun!" Ranma called to Cologne. 
"Let's get back to this!"

She ignored him, smiling as the panda lumbered from
his place in the crowd.  The animal's eyes were
narrowed into evil slits--it was clear that Cologne's
pressure point techniques were good on more than just
humans. 

"Whaddya think you're doin', Pop?"  Ranma asked
crossly, crossing her arms over her chest.  She wasn't
afraid of her own father.  Although he could still
take her by surprise, she'd long ago surpassed his
ability in martial arts.  Cologne was going to have to
do better if she expected this new trick to best her.

IT'S TIME YOU WERE TAUGHT, Genma held up a sign, then
flipped it over.  SOME MANNERS, BOY! Then, with a roar
he dropped the sign and glowered at his son.

Ranma was still unimpressed.  Her father may talk big,
but he seldom came through when it counted.  She
yawned dramatically.  "Yeah, I'd like see ya try it,
old man!"

The panda tried.  His battle aura flared about him
like a halo.  Roaring wildly, he began to grow. 
Spectators gasped, and some even ran from the awesome
sight of the giant giant panda.  Ranma refused to
budge, though she was getting nervous.  She'd seen her
father do that only once before, and although those
results had been disappointing, there was no saying
that he hadn't perfected the technique since then.

She was very lucky.  Just as before, Genma was able to
hold his large size for no more than just a few
seconds.  His roars weakened as he began to shrink. 
Ranma knew what was next, so she concentrated her
confidence as her father shrank.

"I ain't here to fight no one but you, old Ghoul," she
announced loudly.  "Moko Takabishi!"  

The ball of hot chi blasted toward Cologne just as the
panda fell unconscious to the ground.  "Gee, Pop,
why'dya do it if ya can't sustain it?" she asked the
sleeping figure.

Cologne twirled and seemed to disappear, letting
Ranma's chi slam into a nearby tree, scarring its
trunk with dark burns.  She reappeared next to Kuno
and tapped his forehead.  Ranma rolled her eyes. 
Would this woman never learn?

"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno roared, yanking his bokken from
its place on his belt.  "You shall pay for the
humiliation you've caused me!"  With a snarl he ran at
Ranma, his wooden practice sword raised high over his
head.

Ranma kicked and Kuno flew--just the same as always. 

Before the upperclassman had even landed, Cologne
started for her next pawn.  Headed straight for Ryoga,
her Amazon staff raised to strike, she alarmed Ranma
more than she had since this game began.  If anyone
could beat her, it was going to be Ryoga.  He gripped
his own staff tightly in his hands, and Ranma couldn't
help but remember the fear she'd felt the first time
she'd been up against the weapon.

Just before Cologne's staff made contact, however,
Ukyo and her spatula intervened with a metallic
scrape.  "Not so fast!" she yelled, pushing between
the crone and Ryoga.  With expert control of her
rarefied weapon, Ukyo pushed away the Amazon's stick,
at the same time kicking a booted foot at the old
lady's shins.  With a scoop-and-toss motion, she flung
the crone a few feet away.  "Don't even think about
it," she snarled, tossing a few smaller spatulas for
good measure.  "It ain't a good idea to mess with my
friends!"

Ranma was impressed.  It seemed that surprise was key
to a successful attack on Cologne.  She hadn't been
expecting Ukyo to take up such a defense.  This was
clear by the irritated look on the old woman's face. 
"It seems your friend is more worthy than you, Ranma
Saotome."

Now Ranma was mad.  Ukyo was good, but not that good. 
"I'd think again, Ghoul!"  With new determination as
well as a second wind, she approached the woman for a
new attack. 

"Ayiaa!"  Every eye turned to the younger Amazon,
including Ranma's and Cologne's.  She had freed
herself of Mousse's restraints--the young man had
bonbouri bruises all over his face.  Now she looked at
Ranma, her eyes slitted and angry.  "You no get away
this time!" she swore, pulling her sharp and shiny
sword from its place on her back.  Cologne stood back
to observe, smiling.

"Shampoo," Ranma tried to reason with her.  "If you
kill me, then how can you marry me later?"

The girl snickered.  "Shampoo no want Ranma.  Shampoo
want Ranma dead!"  She raised the sword high over her
head, ready to charge.

And then her weapon was gone.  "How cute!"  A familiar
little brunette, who must have been watching the
fight, suddenly had the deadly blade in her hands. 
"Does Azusa's wittle Pierre want to come home wif
Mommy?"  With a giggle and a squeal, she skipped away
before anyone thought to stop her.

Ranma thought she was going to be sick.  There was
something very surreal about this whole fight.  She
shook it off--at least Shampoo didn't have that nasty
thing any more.

The Amazon girl was staring after the ice skater, her
mouth hanging open in shock.  Ranma understood the
feeling--meeting Azusa for the first time could be
pretty alarming.  Suddenly, Shampoo turned back to
Ranma, kicking and jumping at once.

A blast of cold water filled Ranma's eyes and nose. 
She choked, trying to focus her gaze on the source. 
Akane stood nearby, a garden hose in hand.  Just as
that image was processed in her mind, a wet kitten
latched painfully to Ranma's neck.  She screamed, both
in terror and pain.  Shampoo's claws scraped against
her neck as Ranma struggled to get away from the
persistent animal.  The cat wouldn't budge, and a new
fear enveloped her.

She was almost as terrified of the Cat's Fist as she
was of the cats.  The loss of memory and control
haunted her for days after an episode.  Her panic was
building, and Ranma felt her whole body stiffen with
fear.  Now that she couldn't run, it was just a matter
of time.  The cat smelled like fur and exotic
perfume--the scent made Ranma sick to her stomach. 
She felt her mind leaving and clutched to her last
strand of consciousness. Her scrapes and wounds hurt a
lot--maybe if she concentrated on the pain--

"Erowl!"  She hisses and smacks at the kitten on her
face, knocking it away with a powerful swipe.  Falling
to all fours, the cat looks about for someone to
fight.  She is angry, though she can't remember why.

"Cat Fu!"  The old crone speaks, drawing the cat's
attention.  She feels her neck bristle and fur stand
on end.  She doesn't like the old woman.  Jumping with
her powerful hind legs, the cat launches herself at
the crone.  

She hits her mark with a heavy impact, knocking the
lady from her feet.  The cat tries to scratch her
soot-smudged and wrinkled face, but cannot seem to
reach--it is as though an invisible barrier is between
them.  Then the cat sees the movement--the woman's
fists are moving rapidly, blocking her body from
attack.  The cat reaches in as quickly as she can and
pushes her paw to the old lady's face, scratching it
severely.  For whatever reason, she wants to hurt this
lady--hurt her a lot.

The crone manages to push the cat away with a scream
of rage.  Not to be so easily stopped, the cat lunges
close again, only to be blocked by the woman's gnarled
cane.  As if mere wood can stop her!  She tears
through the staff as if it were nothing more than
dandelion fluff, getting to the crone once more.

To the cat's amazement, the old woman runs away.  She
picks up a hose and turns back to the angry feline,
who doesn't realize what's going to happen until it
does.

Water!  It's everywhere, coming in a violent burst
from the hose.  The cat hates water.  She searches for
a place to run, but the water follows wherever she
goes.  Panic rises with discomfort, and she scans the
crowd of onlookers for a familiar face.  She spies the
girl right away.  

The girl is kneeling on the ground, yelling something
the cat can't quite hear or understand for the roar of
the water.  She runs closer, hoping the water will go
away if the girl is near.  "Kitty-kitty!  Come here,
kitty!"  The cat suddenly understands.  She scurries
into the girl's lap, where it's soft and warm and the
water stops.  The girl pets her, cooing soothing
sounds into her ears.

The old lady throws down the hose.  "Do you think your
little girlfriend will protect you?  Three thousand
years of Amazon history won't be bested by a girl and
a cat!"  Her hair rises to its ends, but the cat is
unconcerned.  Yelling doesn't make a lot of sense to
her, so she ignores it.  "Prepare for an Amazon final
attack, perfected over centuries and virtually
unbeatable!"  She yells something in Chinese and a
dark cloud swirls above her head.

"Great-grandmother, no!"  The boy in glasses lunges as
if to stop the woman, but he is knocked down by a
blast of air.  The cat takes note.  This seems to be a
powerful person. 

Something twitches in the back of the cat's mind.  The
girl.  She is in danger.  It has something to do with
the dark cloud.  The crone begins to laugh--a sinister
sound that raises the scruff on the cat's neck.

Suddenly the cat reacts.  She leaps to her hind legs,
which are surprisingly easy to balance on, blocking
the girl from the crone.  She doesn't care what
happens to her, as long as the girl isn't hurt.  The
crone points her finger at the cat, who is terrified
at the sparks that crackle around the tip.  Whatever
this old woman does, it will hurt.  

Suddenly the boy with the yellow headband jumps behind
the crone, holding a heavy-looking staff.  "I won't
let you hurt my friends!" he screams.  The cat notices
his lovely fangs.  The boy lifts the staff--it seems
to glow for just an instant--and smacks it against the
back of the old crone's head as if he were hitting a
baseball.  

The old woman's scream is cut short as she falls
unconscious.

"Great-grandmother!"  The boy in glasses dives for the
woman, catching her before she hits the ground.  The
cat doesn't understand such loyalty.

Then the girl's arms wrap around her and pull her
close.  The cat leans on her, burrowing in her warmth.
 She would do anything in the world for this girl. 
Maybe this is the same loyalty the boy felt.  The cat
closes her eyes, content.

Ranma noticed warmth and a light floral scent.  She
was sitting on the ground, curled up against a soft,
warm cushion.  She opened her eyes to the darkness of
someone's hair.  Akane.  She wrapped her arms around
her and held on tight.  Nothing could be too bad, as
long as Akane was okay.

"Ranma?"  Akane pulled away and studied her face.  Her
eyes welled with tears.  "Are you all right?"

Ranma felt embarrassed, letting her cry over her. 
"Yeah--nothing hurts too much."  She took a quick
inventory of her pain and discovered that her body
hurt a whole lot.  Her hand was throbbing and her face
felt like it'd been through a blender.  "What
happened?"  She remembered everything up to when
Shampoo became a cat.

While Akane looked for the words to describe it, Ranma
looked around.  It really did look like a battlefield.
 Ukyo was kneeling by Ryoga, who looked like he'd been
hurt pretty badly.  Ranma didn't see any wounds, but
the boy was crying like he was near death.  Mousse and
Happosai were both huddled in the middle of the street
around Cologne's still form.  It figured that the
Freak would show up again after it was all over.  The
panda was still unconscious and the crowd milled about
uncertainly.  It seemed that she had somehow won the
fight.  Ranma rubbed her head.  She wished she could
remember the end.

"Ryoga did it."  Akane's voice was solemn.  Ranma spun
around to look at her, puzzled.

"He used his stick," she said, curling her fingers in
her skirt.  "He killed Cologne to save you."  She
quickly told her all she'd missed.

Ranma looked back to her friends, seeing Ryoga with
fresh eyes.  He was crying.  He'd never killed before.
 It all made sense.  Ryoga had killed to save her
life.  "I've gotta go see him," Ranma tried to jump to
her feet, but stumbled right back into Akane's lap. 
Her head was spinning wildly.

Just then, Kasumi emerged from the Cat Cafe.  Her arms
were full of supplies.  She had three steaming kettles
and the first-aid kit, along with an ice pack.  The
tiny pink kitten purred on her shoulder, rubbing her
face against Kasumi's cheek.  "Ranma!" she said,
smiling brightly.  "I'm so glad you've come back to
us!"  She dumped the contents of one kettle over her.

The change had never felt so good.  As always, Kasumi
made the water hot without being too hot, and it was
soothing on his scratches and damp, chilled skin. 
"Thanks, Kasumi," he said gruffly.

She dropped the medic kit on Akane's lap.  "Fix him up
while I tend to the others?" she asked sweetly.  Akane
nodded and Kasumi went on her way.  

She was quite a wonder, really.  Ranma watched Kasumi
work as Akane bandaged him.  She changed Shampoo and
Genma back to their human forms and used a special
pressure point to reverse Cologne's hold on them.  "I
read about this is in Dr. Tofu's Human Pressure Points
book last year."  She then went to check on Cologne. 
Ranma didn't know why she bothered with the ice--if
Ryoga used his staff, the crone had a whole lot more
than a bump on the head.

"Come on Ranma."  Akane helped him to his feet.  "You
need to talk to Ryoga."  Ranma was surprised.  Last
he'd heard, Akane still hated Ryoga.  Together they
walked across the street where Konatsu greeted them
with a shy smile.  Ryoga and Ukyo were still on the
ground.

"I shouldn't be allowed to live!"  The boy was more
upset than Ranma had expected.  "That damn staff is
deadly and I don't have the control to use it right." 
He buried his face in Ukyo's hair.  "Ukyo, I *killed*
her!"

Ranma was at a loss for words, even in his mind. 
Ryoga had been his friend for years.  All those times
he'd helped him find his way home or when they'd
shared a laugh or fought common enemies--those were
important enough to erase the fighting and the hard
feelings.  At least for Ranma they were.

He knelt beside them, meeting Ukyo's solemn eyes
silently.  "Ryoga, I--"  He broke off when Ryoga
looked at him.  He took a deep breath.  "You saved my
life.  Probably Akane's too."  Unable to control his
emotions, he flung his arms around his old rival. 
"I'll always consider you my brother."  His voice was
broken with feeling.  Tears filled his eyes as he
waited for Ryoga's reply.

The lost-boy's sobs got louder as he returned Ranma's
hug.  "Sounds good to me," he whispered.  "Brother." 
Hugging until they'd both erased their tears, Ranma
realized that he'd never really had a male friend.  It
was going to be a good thing.

A murmur though the remaining crowd made them finally
look up.  Kasumi knelt by Cologne, beaming as the
crone slowly sat up, the ice pack pressed to the back
of her skull.  Shampoo and Mousse embraced joyfully
and Happosai did a little jig, giggling merrily.  

"Looks like your rage just didn't cut it, sugar," Ukyo
teased.  Ranma could hear the relief in her voice.  He
felt the same way, and was glad that his friend hadn't
mastered the use of his newest weapon.  Ryoga's tears
began again.

"Ryoga Hibiki," Cologne said at last, pointing.  "You
have bested me in combat.  This is not something an
Amazon takes lightly."  She approached slowly, helped
by Kasumi.  Ranma could hear Ryoga's teeth chattering
in fear.  

When the old woman stood before them, she looked up at
Ryoga with narrowed eyes.  "Amazon law says that I
must now marry you."  She stumbled into his arms,
smiling like a girl.  "I am yours, husband."

Ryoga was unconscious even before she touched him.  He
rocked on his feet and fell into Ukyo's arms.  She
looked at the Amazon sternly.  "You're lying, aren't
you?"

Cologne smiled.  "You'd make a good Amazon, Ukyo
Kuonji.  You're right, that's just for the young
women."  

She hopped from Ryoga's chest and looked up at Ranma. 
"I consider you a worthy opponent, and am sorry you
will not be marrying my Shampoo."  She glanced over to
where the girl stood with her arm around Mousse.  "But
she has chosen to believe in the boy and seems happy. 
You obviously have skill at more than merely martial
arts."  She motioned to all the people still hanging
around.  "Not a single soul here wanted to see you
lose.  You've won loyalty as well as honor.  In that,
you have bested me."  She shocked him by bowing
deeply.  "You will make a great master one day, Ranma
Saotome."

"Th-thank you."  Ranma was stunned.  "You've been no
easy opponent."

The crone smiled.  "Then I will leave you in peace, as
we discussed.  My great-granddaughter wants me to come
back to China with her.  I will."  Without another
word, she walked away.

Akane looked at Ranma, her eyes wide.  Apparently she
was just as amazed.  She was about to speak when
Shampoo appeared before them.  

"Shampoo do that?"  She pointed at the four deep
scratches that tore into Ranma's neck.  Akane nodded
and the Amazon girl colored deeply.  "I sorry.  No
mean hurt Ranma."  She turned to Akane and smiled. 
"Perv--Akane and Shampoo part as friends, yes?"  She
looked uncertain and almost shy.

Ranma looked at Akane, who seemed to be struggling
with her answer.  They'd been through a lot--Shampoo
had done everything from trying to turn her into a
duck to threatening to kill her on numerous occasions.
 She'd even attempted it at the wedding, throwing food
bombs and fighting viciously.  Akane looked to Mousse,
who watched his wife with happy, though unfocused,
eyes.  Suddenly she smiled tentatively.  "Sure.  We
can try that," she said softly.

The Amazon beamed.  "Thank you," she whispered
happily.

"Shampoo!  Son-in-law!"  Shampoo and Ranma both looked
at Cologne, who stood in the doorway of the Cafe.  "We
have a whole lot of people to feed."  She looked at
Ranma and smiled at his puzzled expression.  "Not you,
Saotome--I'm calling my son-in-law."  

Mousse scurried to her side, never happier to do her
bidding.

Ranma pulled Akane close to against him.  It looked
like things were finally falling into place.  She
smiled up at him and he knew that he'd really won. 
His heart thudded painfully.

"Com'on kiddo!"  Ukyo smacked Ryoga's face lightly. 
"Wake up already, you're gettin' heavy!"  

Ryoga's eyes opened slowly.  "Akari.  Save me.  From
the Amazon woman," he mumbled lowly.

"You don't gotta marry her, dummy!"  Ukyo's smile was
relieved.  "You done good today, Ryoga-sugar."  To
everyone's surprise, she punctuated her praise with a
brief kiss--right on his mouth.

It was clear that Ryoga was startled.  He twitched
violently and put his hands on her shoulders as if to
push her away.  He didn't push.  Ranma averted his
eyes, embarrassed to be witnessing his friend's first
kiss.

When Ukyo let him up, a trickle of blood ran from
Ryoga's nose.  "Ukyo!"  His voice was full of
wide-awake amazement.  "What about Konatsu?  And
Akari?"

Ranma glanced around for Konatsu and spied the pretty
ninja hiding behind a nearby tree.  Talk about your
awkward moments.  

Ukyo smiled.  "I never said you had to marry me
neither."   She smirked playfully.  "Let's just say
we'll keep our options open."

Ranma took Akane's hand.  "Com'on," he whispered. 
"Let's go home."  She squeezed his fingers in response
and they headed back to the Tendos' in silence.  He
didn't know what to say to her, or if anything needed
said.

After a time, she looked up at him.  "Ranma," she was
very hesitant and he wondered why--they'd been through
too much that day to be shy.  "That music box you gave
me, it has the Saotome crest on it.  Is it--" 
Everyone knew that something like that could be used
as an engagement gift.  Ranma felt his face burn.  "Is
it an heirloom?  Maybe I shouldn't have it."

He was relieved.  He knew they had to discuss it soon,
but he wasn't ready to start that day.  "It's yours,
Akane.  Don't worry about a thing."  He kissed the top
of her head and smiled.

Part Two:  "Let My Love be Forever"

A couple days later, Ranma felt less like she'd been
trampled by elephants.  Her face was healing quickly,
and although her shoulder was taking longer, Kasumi
said it had no signs of infection.  Now she sat with
Akane, their feet dangling in the koi pond.  A kettle
sat on a gas burner nearby, ready and waiting just in
case Nodoka happened by--which happened more and more
frequently lately.  Of course, Ranma's mother knew
about the curse, but she never liked to see her son's
female form.

Ranma was wondering when things would stop being weird
with Akane.  Every time she saw her, her heart did a
double beat and she couldn't breathe just right.  Now
they sat quietly, and Ranma didn't know if she was
supposed to be talking.  Akane had said that she
didn't want to over-discuss their new relationship,
but Ranma could think of nothing else.  It was on her
mind constantly.

She shifted slightly, putting too much pressure on her
bad hand in the process.  Ranma flinched.  Kasumi
never had much of anything to say about her hand as
she dressed it each day.  It was almost as if she were
avoiding bad news.  But Ranma didn't need to hear it
said out loud.  She knew what it looked like and what
it felt like.  She was getting more and more certain
that it was never going to heal right.  It really
scared her.

She looked at Akane, who had a distant, thoughtful
look on her face.  Ranma was tempted to confide her
fears, but hesitated, unsure of Akane's reaction.  She
didn't want her to know she was weak or think she was
helpless.  Truthfully, she was afraid that Akane would
find any weakness unmanly or unacceptable.  As it was,
she never let Akane see her hand.  It was grotesque
and would reveal the truth in an instant.

"You invited Ryoga for dinner."  It was a statement,
not a question, and it took Ranma completely off
guard.  She looked at Akane dumbly until she spoke
again.  "It's no big deal, I'll just go study at the
library or something."

"Why don't you stay home?" Ranma suggested.  She knew
that Akane was in a temper about Ryoga, but it was
time they talked.  That was half the reason she'd
invited him.  That, and the fact that since Konatsu
was better, he wasn't eating as well as he could.

"You know I can't."  Akane's eyes focused somewhere
beyond Ranma's shoulder.  "He completely violated our
friendship and used my love for P-chan.  He watched me
dress and slept in my bed.  He even listened as I told
my most personal secrets."  Her voice was quiet and
listless; it made Ranma nervous to see her so upset. 
"The worst part is that he would've continued if I
hadn't found out."

Ranma had to tell her the truth.  "That afternoon,
'cause I won the fight, he swore to me he'd never come
to you as P-chan again.  I forced him to 'cause you
were crying."  Ranma looked at her hands.  It was time
to face up to the truth.

Akane gasped, her eyes falling to Ranma's bandages. 
"You mean you fought with him. . . over me?"

"He loves you."

She sighed.  "I know.  I've always known.  It makes it
worse."  Her hands clenched into fists.  "I feel
exposed, and I don't know if I should scream or cry." 
Akane's voice broke.  "I'll never forgive him."

The tremor in her voice really got to Ranma.  She
cared about Ryoga and owed everything to him, but she
realized that Akane would always come first.  "Do you
want me to fight him?"  she offered seriously.

Akane shook her head.  "No. I couldn't let you.  He
rescued you, Ranma.  He saved your life when he was
angry enough to want you dead."  

Ranma tried again.  "You could challenge him
yourself."  She had faith in Akane's abilities,
especially in emotional circumstances.  She also knew
that she felt better when she hit things--hitting
Ryoga would be just the medicine she needed.

She shrugged and let her head drop.  "I owe him a lot
for that.  For you.  I'm as indebted to him as you
are."

Ranma finally voiced something that had been on her
mind since the fight with Cologne.  "She had me
beaten, you know."

Akane didn't answer, which verified the truth to
Ranma.

"I don't think I should inherit your father's dojo,"
she continued.  "You're a great martial artist and you
deserve it.  Your father's wrong to jilt you and your
sisters."

Akane looked up at her with a spark in her eyes.  "No,
Ranma, you're worthy of it!  He is giving it to
me--through you."  She smiled encouragingly and took
her hand.

"You shouldn't have to marry me," Ranma mumbled. 
Akane deserved a whole man--not a cursed cripple who
turned into a girl.  "It ain't right."  She was about
to protest when Ranma cut her off.  "You've been
sayin' it yourself from the start."

Akane looked strange.  Ranma couldn't tell what she
was thinking, but she was almost certain she was
agreeing.  Akane Tendo was no dummy.  Why would she
stick around for her when she could have some normal
guy who'd make her happy?

"I mean, look at how they've schemed and tricked us. 
If it weren't for me, you'd be free to date whoever
you wanted.  All the guys at school gave up because
you were engaged to me--it wasn't like you had a
choice."  Ranma hoped Akane would see the wisdom in
her words and do the right thing.  It'd take forever
to get over her, but Ranma knew it'd be worth it as
long as she knew Akane was happy.  "I just figure
things would be easier and you'd be happier if you
were in love with someone else.  If I wasn't around."

Akane looked away.  "So you're saying that you would
be happier if I hadn't been forced on you?"  Her tone
was stiff and formal.

Ranma was startled.  Where was she getting this? 
"No!"   She grabbed Akane by the shoulders and forced
her to look her in the eyes.  "Akane, what I said the
other night--"  She broke off, embarrassed.  "It's all
true.  At Jusendo, when I thought you were dead . . .
All I'm sayin' is that it's wrong of them to force us
to get married!"  Ranma wasn't sure she wanted to get
married at all; she certainly didn't want Akane in it
against her will.  

"You're right," Akane conceded, her voice strange and
devoid of emotion.  "No one should be forced to do
something they don't want to."  She trailed her
fingers in the water of the pond, tracing patterns in
the ripples.  "Maybe we should call it off."
Ranma's heart constricted.  She reminded herself that
this was what she wanted.  She knew she was crippled
and cursed and less than half a man; it wasn't right
that their parents had left them no say in the matter.
 

"So it's settled, then?" Ranma asked.

Akane nodded, and an awkward silence fell over them. 
Ranma watched Akane's fingers skim over the surface of
the pond, creating tiny eddies and whirlpools.  She
wondered what she was thinking of.

It popped into her head like a flash of light.  What
if they were breaking up?  Ranma didn't want that--she
hadn't meant that!  She thought about that night in
Akane's room, the kissing and talking and the tears. 
She remembered the agony at Jusendo when she'd thought
she'd lost her.  That was all a part of her now. 
Akane was a part of her--had been since the first.  

*I'm Akane.  You want to be friends?*

Ranma studied her, her mind reeling.  She was lovely. 
Beautiful.  Her black hair ruffled in the breeze and
pale pink cherry blossoms swirled around her.  Her
long eyelashes brushed her cheek as she looked down
into the water, and Ranma had to clench her hands into
fists to keep from touching her.  As she watched, a
teardrop gathered on Akane's lashes and spilled onto
her skin, rolling down her face.  The trail of
moisture sparkled in the sunlight.

Ranma felt like she'd been punched.  How could she
live without Akane by her side?  Why would she want
to?

Without warning, Akane stood, turning toward the
house.  "I'll tell Dad," she said quietly.  "You can
explain to Mr. Saotome if you want, but you're off the
hook with my family."  She walked slowly away.

No!  Ranma jumped up.  She couldn't allow things to go
this way.  She hadn't meant to break up with Akane! 
"Wait!"  She grabbed her wrist.

Akane paused, but didn't turn.  

Ranma took a deep breath.  "If you won't marry me for
your father, will you do it for me?" she asked in a
rush.

Akane looked at her slowly, her face unreadable.  For
an instant, Ranma thought she saw happiness reflected
in her eyes, but she couldn't be sure.  Her heart
deflated as Akane pulled from her grasp and turned
away.

Ranma's legs went weak.  How was this happening? 
Ranma and Akane--that was how it was supposed to end. 
"Please Akane!" she cried out in a panic.  "I love you
and I can't live without you!"  Tears were forming in
her eyes and she didn't feel too proud to shed them.

Akane spun on her heel, a huge grin on her face. 
Before Ranma knew what was going on, the contents of
the teakettle were dumped over her head.  Akane
crossed her arms, dropping the empty kettle.  "Dummy,"
she smiled.  "Ask me again.  Ask me now."

So she'd wanted him to be a guy?  Ranma wanted to
laugh.  He also wanted to strangle the girl who stood
before him.  But mostly he wanted to marry her. 
"Akane, will you marry me?  Not because you have to,
but because you want to?"  Even though her attitude
had already said yes, Ranma held his breath--he felt
like his lungs forgot how to breathe.

She didn't disappoint.  "Yes!"  She flung her arms
around him, kissing wildly.  Ranma struggled to keep
his balance as he returned her kisses; her lunge had
knocked him onto the slippery rocks that edged the
pond.  Suddenly his foot landed on a particularly wet
spot and they toppled over into the water.

Akane was laughing, water streaming down her face and
from her hair.  She had landed on top of Ranma and
they were half sitting, half laying in the shallow
water.  She smiled down joyfully, oblivious to the
fact that her clothes clung to her body like second
skin.

Ranma was glad to see her so happy.  She'd been afraid
that a reminder of her curse might break the mood. 
She was shocked when Akane leaned down to kiss her
again. 

"Akane, I'm a girl," Ranma reminded her before their
lips met.  She really wanted to kiss her, but she
didn't want to be pushed away violently like before.

Akane dropped a damp kiss on her mouth anyway and
smirked.   "I don't care!" she declared.  "You're
still Ranma!"  Her eyes were big and sparkled with
glee.  

Ranma couldn't help herself.  With a grin, she pulled
Akane closer.  "Well, in that case. . ." she growled
before capturing her lips again in a deep kiss.

"Oh my!"

"Sweet-O!"

"It appears my son is manlier as a girl than most men
are!"

Ranma opened one eye as her father growlfed his reply
to her mother's observation.  The whole
family--including Happosai and Kuno--stood in the
doorway, gaping at the couple in the koi pond.  Ranma
blushed deeply and nudged Akane, who looked up with a
gasp. 

"I see we were right to choose Akane," Nabiki
commented dryly.  "She always said she hated boys." 
She looked up at her father, who appeared to be near
tears.

Kuno nodded his agreement. "She is clearly beneath the
spell of the love that dares not speak its name."

Akane started to giggle, which prompted Ranma to do
the same.  She was in too good a mood to get upset by
this unwelcome intrusion.  Putting an arm around
Akane, she helped her up out of the pond, water
streaming from them both.  This was going to take some
serious explaining, she figured with a smile.

Part Three:  "Faster Kasumi! Kill! Kill!"

Ranma knelt on the rocks, Akane lifeless and heavy in
his arms.  The red of his shirt she wore was reflected
in the eerie light, making her skin pink and vibrant,
as if she were merely sleeping.  "Wake up, Akane," he
said urgently.  "Don't leave me!"  He felt tears well
in his eyes.  Why wasn't she moving?

He leaned his head against her chest, hoping to make
out the sound of her breathing, or some sort of
heartbeat.  Nothing.  The silence surrounded him,
making it hard to think.   All he felt was a part of
himself dying.  "Akane!" he screamed, giving her body
a gentle shake.  Why didn't he hear him?  Why wouldn't
she listen?

The tears in his eyes spilled onto his cheeks in warm
streams.  A sob broke in his throat and he put his
head down over her, clutching her body close to him. 
"Akane, I love you," he whispered.  "I'll never let go
of you."  He looked at her face, then recoiled in
horror.  Where his tears had fallen, every drop burned
into her skin like acid.  It left red welts on her
perfect skin.  

Hurriedly wiping his eyes, he shook her more
violently, trying once more to wake her.  "I'm sorry
Akane.  I'll never hurt you again if you'll just come
back to me!  Come back to me!!"  She remained
motionless.

Suddenly the rocks were gone, and he knelt in the tall
grass near Jusenkyo.  It was raining, but he didn't
change.  Akane lay a few yards away, in the mud on the
edge of the rapidly rising flood.  Jumping to his
feet, Ranma ran to her.  He stumbled, barely keeping
his balance in the tall weeds. 

When he finally reached her, the many-cursed water of
Jusenkyo was just inches from her feet.  She was still
unconscious, though this time Ranma thought he saw the
rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.  "Akane!" 
He slid to the ground beside her, gathering her up in
his arms.  He couldn't hear her breathing because of
the roar of the water and thunder.

Bracing himself, he pulled on her body, attempting to
move her away from the dangerously flooded spring.  It
was as if he had no strength--he couldn't move her an
inch.  Water lapped at the soles of her shoes,
frighteningly close to touching her skin.

He didn't give up.  He pulled and tugged until he
collapsed, exhausted, next to her.  Still he couldn't
move her.  It was as if she'd been cemented into the
landscape like a statue.  He'd never felt so helpless
in all his life.

While he caught his breath, he looked at her.  She was
perfect--the welts from before had vanished and her
face was as smooth and white as porcelain.  Her lips
were parted, and for a moment Ranma thought she'd
whispered his name.

"Akane?" he asked hopefully, cradling her in his lap. 
"Akane, I'm here." 

Her features began to distort slowly, changing in
shape and color.  In panic, Ranma looked at her feet. 
The water from the spring was covering them.  "No!" 

The changes came rapidly then, twisting Akane into
something that wasn't an animal but wasn't human
anymore, either.  Her eyes popped open--bright red and
blazing.  "Ranma, help me!" she cried weakly,
clutching at his arms as scales grew over her fingers.
 Thunder rumbled nearby, blocking the sound as she
tried to speak again.  

Ranma held on to her tightly, holding her head against
his shoulder as the winds of the storm picked up
violently.  Rain beat against his face, cutting his
skin like tiny razors.  "I won't let you go, Akane!"
he yelled over the stormy gusts.  "I'll never let them
take you from me!"  He protected Akane's hideous form
from the weather, trying to control the fear in his
heart.  "I love you!"

His shout echoed through the still and sterile
hospital room.  Nabiki and Kasumi looked up in
startled irritation as they leaned over Akane's bed. 
Ranma ran to her, nudging the girls out of his way. 
"Akane?" he asked, trying to wake her.  She was
beautiful again, with no signs at all of what happened
at Jusenkyo.  Ranma was relieved beyond belief, but
wondered why she was in the hospital.  Was she sick,
or maybe had a relapse?

He looked to the family for answers, but got none. 
The Tendo girls were glaring at him with open
hostility, and Soun had his fists clenched at his
sides angrily.  Even Ranma's father seemed displeased.
 His arms were crossed and he wore a scowl on his
face.  "I don't believe you showed your face here,
boy," Genma said evenly.  

Ranma felt the room swirl in dizzy confusion.  What
was going on?  What was wrong with Akane?

The door opened and Kodachi entered, dressed in a pure
white nurse's uniform.  She laughed her demented
cackle and put a bundle of swaddling in Ranma's arms. 
"For you, Ranma darling," she cooed.  Then she was
gone.

Ranma uneasily began to unwrap the blankets.  It
seemed to be a baby.  He glanced over to the bed,
where Akane was suddenly awake and sitting up.  It was
their baby!  Ranma felt his heart pound with
excitement.

It nearly stopped when he saw the child.  It was a
horrible beast--a tiny replica of Akane's cursed form
on the banks of Jusenkyo.  Its red eyes glowed at him
and it hissed lowly.

"I hate you, Ranma," Akane said quietly.  "I hate you
and that monster that's your son."  

Ranma stared at her in silent shock.  

"Why didn't you let me die at Jusendo?" she demanded. 
"You should've let me die rather than live tainted
with your curse!"  Tears streamed down her face and
her features were distorted with rage.  "Get out!" she
screamed, sobbing.  "I don't even want to look at you!
 GET OUT!!"

Ranma was frozen.  "A-Akane--" he began, his own eyes
full of tears.  He didn't know what was going on and
he-

His thoughts were cut short by Akane's scream.

Ranma sat up, his heartbeat wild and breath short.  He
was on his bed, in the still darkness of his room. 
His blankets were soaked with sweat and he shivered in
the cool night air.  It must have been a dream.  It
had to have been a dream!  He was scared--more than
he'd ever been before. 

Ranma was used to nightmares--since he was small he'd
been plagued by the demons of his imagination--but
this was the worst.  It was still twisting inside of
him, feeling so real it shattered the comfort of the
room he'd slept in for the past year.

"Akane," he whispered to himself, drawing a small
piece of comfort from the sound.  Was she okay?  Was
she going to stay that way?  It seemed that since he'd
shown up, horrible things kept happening to her.  Was
he stupid to hope that the worst was over?

A scream shattered the stillness of the night.

He was on his feet before the sound stopped.  It was
coming from downstairs.  He headed for the steps at
breakneck speed, only to find Akane already there,
bokken in hand.

"Who was it?" he asked shortly, relieved to see her.

"Kasumi."  Her face was fierce, reflecting the deep
protective streak she felt for her sisters.  "I think
she's right by the door."

Ranma peered down the dark stairs, for the first time
wishing for Ryoga's presence.  There was a quite
scuffling noise in the darkness--someone was down
there.  "Want me to go first?" he whispered. 

Akane shook her head and they descended the steps
together.  Ranma's eyes gradually became adjusted to
the darkness.  The front door was open, allowing
starlight into the house.  It was by this light that
Ranma was able to make out the figures of two people
fighting in the doorway.  He noticed that one was
wearing a dress and ponytail.  Kasumi!  Ranma took the
next three steps in a rush.

"She's winning," Akane noticed, putting a restraining
hand on Ranma's shoulder.  "Kasumi is actually beating
him!"  

Watching more carefully, Ranma quickly saw that Akane
was right.  Her moves were rough--clearly from lack of
practice--but complicated.  She twisted and kicked in
the same style that characterized Akane's fighting.

"She must have remembered her training from before her
mother died."  Soun spoke, making Ranma and Akane turn
in surprise.  Genma and Nadoka stood on the step above
him, watching Kasumi with shocked faces.  Nadoka met
her son's gaze and blushed, looking down at the floor.

"Mom?" Ranma asked incredulously, for the moment
forgetting all about Kasumi.

To Ranma's amazement, Soun slid his arm around
Nodoka's waist.  "It's time you knew, boy--"  He was
cut off by the  impact of Genma's fist on the top of
his head.  "Just kidding, Saotome.  Kidding."

Ranma wondered if he wasn't still dreaming.  His
parents were sleeping under the same roof--probably in
the same bed--and Kasumi was punching some intruder's
head.  Nothing would surprise him now.

"Kasumi!  Kasumi please, it's me!"  The burgler spoke.

The eldest Tendo daughter gasped and stopped her
blows, in the same instant flinging her arms around
her opponent.  Ranma was wrong--he definitely hadn't
been expecting that.  The burgler pulled her close and
they shared an embrace while Soun--leaking steam from
his ears--fumbled for a light switch.

With a growl he flicked the lights on.  Kasumi and the
intruder jumped apart, Akane gasped in surprise, and
Soun growled a little less-threateningly.  Ranma was
speechless, as was his father, apparently.

Akane found her tongue first.  "Uh, hello Dr. Tofu!"
she yipped in greeting.  Ranma cast her a suspicious
glance.  She didn't have to sound so happy to see him.

The doctor looked tired and just a little crazy with
Kasumi's hand on his arm.  He bowed to the umbrella
rack.  "Mr. Tendo, I apologize for the late-night
intrusion."  He pulled his skeleton from his back and
smiled at it delightedly.  "Betty and I have good news
for the Saotome family."  He looked up at Nadoka. 
"My, Nabiki, you are looking so grown up these days."

Ranma rolled his eyes.  If they didn't get Kasumi out
of the room, they'd never figure out why he was there.
 It was really weird, since he'd been gone for months,
that he'd show up, unannounced, in the middle of the
night.  

Akane was apparently thinking along the same lines as
she smiled at her sister.  "Kasumi, why don't you make
some tea?  I'll get everyone situated in the living
room," she suggested.

Nadoka offered to help and the two disappeared into
the kitchen.  Ranma helped Akane usher Tofu into the
next room, trying not to snicker as the doctor
apologized to a chair he bumped into.  Once everyone
was seated and Betty was curled happily on the couch,
a gradual change came over Tofu.  His glasses lost
their metallic sheen and his smile became more normal.
 

"I have many fascinating things to tell about my trip,
but before I get into my story and explanations, there
is something I must say."  He cleared his throat and
pulled a little pouch from his pocket.  "Kasumi?" he
called into the kitchen.  "Kasumi would you listen to
me--but don't come into the room."

Everyone looked at each other wonderingly.  "I've
recently noticed that I suffer from a peculiar lack of
focus when Miss Tendo is in the room," he explained
sheepishly.

Ranma coughed loudly, choking on his laughter.  Lack
of focus?  Yeah, you could call it that.  Akane
punched his arm solidly, a warning, Ranma guessed.

"I'm listening, Doctor," Kasumi cheerfully called from
the kitchen. 

Tofu cleared his throat.  "I have had a successful
practice for a number of years and I've had a lot to
offer a wife, if I so desired one.  Until recently, I
have not."  Ranma remembered the fiasco when Tofu's
mother had come to see him married off.  He shuddered
at the memory of the old woman squeezing his hips.

"What I mean to say," the doctor continued.  "Is that
I've been waiting for a particular young lady to grow
up and decide for herself what she wants from her
life.  The time appears to be upon us."  He ran a hand
through his hair nervously.  "Kasumi, with your
father's permission, of course, will you marry me?"

Akane giggled in excitement for her sister, and all
eyes turned to the wall that separated Kasumi.

"Father?" was her reply.  Her voice sounded strange to
Ranma.

Soun stood.  "I've always tried to consider my girls'
feelings in this sort of thing," he began.  Ranma and
Akane looked at each other dryly.  "And I try to look
out for their best interests."  He sniffed back tears.
 "I think you'll make a fine husband for her, Doctor. 
Just--take care of my little girl."  His tears broke
into full-fledged sobbing.  Akane put her arm around
him in comfort.

Dr. Tofu looked pleased, but nervous.  "Ka-Kasumi?" he
asked.

She burst into the room, skirts and hair flying.  "Oh
yes, Dr. Tofu!"  She stumbled into his arms and loose
papers flew everywhere.  Tofu pulled a ring from his
little pouch, sliding it onto Kasumi's finger.  The
couple embraced as Ranma curiously watched sheets of
paper drift slowly to the floor.

"What's all this?" he asked, picking up a couple pages
that fell near his feet.  

Kasumi blushed, pulling away from her new intended. 
"Oh, those are letters," she explained brightly.  She
looked up at Tofu and smiled.  "I've written to you
every day you were gone.  I just didn't know where to
send them."

Tofu smiled delightedly.  It seemed that having his
feelings out in the open did much to keep him normal. 
"I've been keeping a journal for you, Kasumi-dear." 
He pulled a small leather-bound book from his pocket. 
"I recorded my thoughts throughout my journey--for
you."

Ranma thought romantic stuff was all well and good,
but he was as anxious as anyone to find out where the
chiropractor had been.  "So where did you go?" he
asked.

"Kasumi, would you please get me a tall glass of cold
water?" Tofu asked politely.  The girl scurried from
the room and everyone got comfortable to hear the
doctor's story.

Kasumi returned an instant later with Tofu's water. 
He took the glass and promptly dumped it over Ranma's
head.  "Good, you're still cursed," he commented
lightly.

"What'chya pickin' on me for?" Ranma protested
angrily, squeezing the water from her pigtail.  She'd
been a girl entirely too often lately.  

Nadoka entered with the tea.  When she saw her son,
she left the room, returning with a kettle.  "This may
be a little hot," she cautioned as she tipped it over
her.

"Yeow!"  Ranma screamed.  "A *little* hot?  It was
boiling!"  Back to normal, however, he settled down
quickly to listen to Tofu.  If it had something to do
with his curse, then Ranma wanted to hear it.

"Let me begin on the day Shampoo mailed herself to me.
 Once I happened to see her change into her cat form,
she explained that she too was cursed at Jusenkyo. 
Ranma and his father's cases had already intrigued me,
so when Shampoo begged me to find the cure, I decided
I would.  I had already exhausted the Japanese library
system, trying to find a book with the answer, so I
went to China in the hopes that I'd discover something
there."

Ranma remembered the family's surprise at finding the
good doctor had closed his clinic.  "So why didn't you
say goodbye?" he asked.
	
Tofu reddened.  "Truthfully, I wasn't sure I'd find
much, so I didn't want to get your hopes up.  I spent
the first couple months doing research.  I found
plenty of old documents and books written on the
mystery of Jusenkyo, but nothing with mention of a
cure."  He took a sip of tea.  "I discovered that
water from the nannichuan won't help you."
	
Everyone gasped.  This whole year, almost every hope
had been in the anticipation of acquiring water from
the spring of drowned boy.  "So there's no cure?"
Akane asked frantically.
	
Tofu laughed.  "No.  Yes.  Don't get ahead of me!  It
seems that yes, nannichuan will turn you into a man,
but not yourself.  Ranma, you become very short in
your girl form, even for a girl, though you are not
short as a boy.  That's because the girl who drowned
in the spring was very short.  She also had red hair."
	
"So Ranma and Genma would take on the characteristics
of the boy who drowned?"  Soun pieced it together.
	
"Right.  You see, there's no real cure for Jusenkyo's
curse.  But I started thinking that maybe the curse
itself could be used as a cure."
	
Ranma was confused.  Nannichuan wouldn't help?  Was he
going to be cursed forever?
	
"So in other words," Kasumi began, scanning through
the journal Tofu had given her.  "The only way anyone
could end up looking like Ranma and Mr. Saotome is if
they drowned at Jusenkyo!"
	
"Exactly!"  Tofu beamed at his bride-to-be.  "So you
see, the solution is simple!"
	
"Simple, you say?" Genma interjected suspiciously.
	
Ranma's mind was working rapidly.  Akane had drowned
at Jusendo--Kiima had taken her form.  But Akane was
right there next to him.  Maybe this would work after
all.  But how?  He was still pondering the mystery of
how it happened in the first place.
	
Tofu continued.  "I decided to try un-cursed spring
water.  I couldn't tell if there was a spring at
Jusenkyo without a curse, so I followed the flow
patterns back to its source--a place called Jusendo."
	
Ranma looked at Akane, startled.  Tofu had been to
Jusendo?
	
"For lack of a better plan, I dug my own spring,
intending to gather some water to bring back to you. 
Before I could collect any, however, I was captured by
some strange bird-people.  It's a long story, but I
was imprisoned for a number of weeks.  It seems they
were having some kind of trouble with humans."
	
Akane tried to hide a giggle, but failed miserably.
	
"Well," continued the doctor.  "When they finally
released me, I hurried back to my spring, but it
seemed that a young girl had drowned in it, cursing
the waters with her form.  I dug another nearby and
collected all I needed."  He broke off his story and
suddenly stepped from the room, excusing himself
politely.
	
"Dr. Tofu was at Jusendo?" Akane and Ranma gasped
simultaneously.  It was amazing--he could've been in a
cell near Akane's in Saffron's dungeon.  Clearly his
spring had become the spring of drowned Akane.  Tofu
was lucky he'd gotten out alive.  
	
They had hardly finished gaping when the doctor
returned.  This time, rather than toting Betty on his
back, he carried a huge barrel, presumably full of
spring water from Jusendo.
	
"You carried that all the way from China?" Ranma
asked, amazed.  You'd think that, as a chiropractor,
he'd know the dangers of carrying so much weight.
	
Tofu looked at him strangely.  "I had it airlifted out
of the mountains," he answered, looking at him as if
he were crazy.  "To the airport in Beijing, and then
to Tokyo by plane."  He shook his head.  "From there I
took a taxi."
	
Ranma felt dumb.  He guessed it wasn't right to assume
that everyone did things the way they were done in his
family.
	
Just then the front door opened and shut.  "Shh--the
light's on.  That means Kasumi's still up," a voice
whispered urgently.  It was clearly Nabiki.  Everyone
looked at one another.  No one had noticed her
absence.  "She's probably in the kitchen, though." 
There was a scuffle as she and her guest took of their
shoes.
	
No one said a word, but Ranma knew he was about to
witness something incredible.  In the year that he'd
lived there, he'd never seen any of the Tendo girls do
anything worthy of punishment.  Sneaking someone
inside in the middle of the night seemed like a good
way to get into trouble.  Big trouble.
	
The steps creaked distinctively as Nabiki and her
guest  headed upstairs.  The whole family crept to the
doorway, eager to see who she had with her.
	
"Nabiki Tendo!"  Ranma had never heard Soun bellow so
loudly. 
	
Nabiki spun around, nearly falling down the stairs in
her shock.  She clutched onto her companion for
support.  "Daddy!" she cried in alarm.
	
Ranma burst out laughing at the picture it made.  Kuno
stood tall, having drawn his bokken at the first
noise.  Nabiki cowered behind him--looking frightened
for the first time in Ranma's memory.  Together they
made a ridiculous pair--as if Kuno could shelter her
from her father's anger.
	
"Do you mind telling me what's going on?"  Mr. Tendo's
voice was icily calm, but his head was growing
dangerously large.  Ranma saw fear flicker through
Kuno's eyes, with good reason, too; it wasn't every
day he was caught in such a compromising position.
	
"Mr. Tendo," Kuno began, his voice shaking.  "Good
sir, I want to assure you that I intend to marry your
daughter."  He lowered his bokken, realizing it was
still threatening.  "Whenever you like, we can voice
our nuptials as early as tomorrow.  Morning, if you
like."
	
Tendo didn't have even a moment to think about it
before Nabiki burst in.  "Marriage!  I am not going to
be pawned off like a sack of rice!"  She stamped her
foot indignantly, glaring at the young man.  Ranma
noticed though, that for all her outrage, never let go
of Kuno's arm.
	
Soun sighed.  It was late and he looked tired. 
"Tatewaki--go home.  Nabiki--to your room.  We'll
discuss this at length in the morning."  He sounded
beaten.  No one moved for a moment.  "Now!" he roared.
	
Kuno was scooping up his shoes and out the door in a
moment.  In the same time, Nabiki made it almost all
the way up the steps.  "Hello Dr. Tofu!" she called as
she disappeared down the dark hallway.
	
Everyone looked at each other, embarrassed.  It'd been
quite a night.  "How about I finish explaining in the
morning?" Tofu asked weakly, obviously shocked by what
he'd seen.  Soun nodded his approval, already heading
for the stairs.  Nadoka and Genma followed close
behind.
	
"Hey wait," Ranma protested.  "You can't do that! 
What about the cure?"  He'd been so close to finally
learning something that he was sure he wouldn't sleep
until he did.
	
The doctor tousled his hair.  "Sleep Ranma," he
suggested.  "You have a big day tomorrow.  It'll be
your last day as a girl."  With a smile, he followed
Kasumi into the kitchen.
	
This left Ranma and Akane alone by the stairs.  His
mind was spinning.  Was it really almost over?  He
tried not to get too excited--he'd gotten his hopes up
too often in the past.  The idea of being normal again
was too tempting to ignore.  "I can't believe he left
us hanging like that!" he grumbled.
	
"Trust him, Ranma," Akane said softly.  "He wouldn't
get your hopes up unless he was sure."  She slipped
her hand in his and hoisted her bokken over one
shoulder.  "And let him look at your hand.  I know
it's been on your mind."
	
He didn't answer as they walked up the steps and into
the hallway.  As they passed Nabiki's room, he thought
he heard the muffled sound of sobbing, but it seemed
too out of character for him to believe.  Besides, he
was too worked up to worry about other people's
problems that night.
	
"Goodnight Ranma," Akane whispered, stopping by her
door.  "Try to sleep."
	
He kissed her distractedly and went to his own room,
where he lay in the darkness for a long time.  A cure?
 He couldn't believe it, even when it came from Tofu. 
Maybe if he was cured, the lingering feeling of his
nightmare would leave him.  He hadn't felt it
downstairs, but in his own room it seemed to hang in
the shadows.  He closed his eyes tightly, trying to
imagine his mother's face.  Akane's image filled his
mind instead and he sighed, content.  Maybe he would
sleep a little, after all.

Part Four:  "Goodbye Girl-Type"

When Ranma reached the breakfast table, the family was
already eating.  He sat down in his spot next to Akane
and rubbed his eyes.  Between the nightmare and the
doctor's visit, he hadn't gotten much sleep.  It
seemed no one had.  Kasumi was the only one in the
room with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Ranma," she chirped.  The new ring on
her finger sparked in the sunlight as she held it up
to admire it.

"Son," Tendo glanced at him wearily.  "Did you happen
to see Nabiki on your way down?"

Ranma hadn't, but didn't get a chance to say so. 
"Didn't you know?" Kasumi asked, wide-eyed.  "She left
early this morning--she said she had some errands to
run."

Her father didn't answer, rather, he left the table in
a rush, leaving the rest of them to look at each other
wonderingly.  Ranma felt sort of bad for Nabiki now. 
She was really in for it.

"Well, if this is really my last day as a girl, I'd
better make the most of it," Ranma said with a smirk. 
He picked up a glass of water and dumped it over his
head, remembering to enjoy the transformation this
time.  Strange, but he was gonna kinda miss it.  

"Going shopping?" Akane asked dryly.  

Ranma smiled sheepishly.  "Wanna come?" she asked.

A few hours later, they trudged back through the door.

"So why'd you gorge yourself if you knew it was going
to make you sick?" Akane demanded, removing her shoes.
 

Ranma clutched her stomach and groaned.  "I couldn't
help myself.  It ain't like I'm ever gonna get to eat
like that again."

"Yeah, and for less than 200 yen," Akane muttered
under her breath.  

"Can't help it if I'm cute," Ranma retorted, sticking
out her tongue.  

Laughing, Ranma headed upstairs to take a hot bath. 
Akane followed her up, heading to her bedroom to
change.  Dr. Tofu would be there soon.  

In the bathroom, Ranma thought about the past year,
and how accustomed she'd gotten to her female form. 
Certainly not a day had gone by that she hadn't wished
to be normal again.  But it seemed less and less
urgent lately.  She remembered all the times when
being a girl had come in handy.  She would've never
saved Akane from the orochi in the Spring of Life
without her curse, and although Kuno had made himself
a royal nuisance, it had been sorta fun teasing him
all this time.  But then, the Jusenkyo curse had
caused a lot of trouble, too.  If she'd never been to
Jusenkyo, Akane would've never been tangled up in the
whole Mt. Phoenix disaster.  Ranma shuddered,
remembering.  

She stepped into the warm tub, saying goodbye to her
female form forever.  

"Ahhh, it feels good to be normal again."  He pushed
away the nagging reminder that he didn't even know
Tofu's plan yet.  Akane was right; Tofu wouldn't have
said anything if he wasn't sure.  Ranma sighed.  It
was weird, trusting someone because you had no other
choice.  He wished he could see this as just one more
attempt--probably doomed to failure--but somehow he
had put his faith in the chiropractor.  

After Ranma was dressed, he stepped into the hall and
headed for his room.  The sound of the door slamming
downstairs grabbed his attention.  He wondered if Tofu
had arrived.  Eagerly, he ran to the top of the
stairs.  

"You go on to the kitchen, Ryoga."  Nabiki's voice was
clear.  "Kasumi can give you something to eat while we
wait for the doctor."  Ranma watched her push the lost
boy in the right direction, before coming upstairs
herself.

He darted into his room, not eager to face her.  He
hid there until she was safely in her own room.  Ranma
knew it wasn't right to avoid her, but he didn't want
to endure the awkward moment that would come when she
knew that he knew what she was planning to do the
night before.  That kind of stuff made him nervous.

Once her door was closed, he slipped out into the
hallway.  He was concerned about Ryoga's presence. 
He'd intended to set aside some of Tofu's cure to
deliver to him later, but now that Nabiki had brought
him over, the plan would have to change.  He hoped
that Akane didn't get too upset about it.

As if summoned, Ryoga turned into the hallway from the
stairs.  Ranma ducked into a shadow.  He thought it'd
be fun to watch him fumble around looking for the
kitchen.  Ryoga opened each door as he came to it,
poking his head inside to decide if it was where he
was supposed to be.  

"I hope I'm still at the Tendos' house," he muttered
to himself as he passed close to Ranma, who almost
felt sorry for him.  Almost turned definite when the
wanderer reached for Akane's doorknob.  Ranma was
about to warn him when he thought better of it.  Maybe
a confrontation was just what those two needed.

He crept closer as Ryoga popped his head into her
room.

"Ryoga!"  Shock and outrage filled Akane's voice. 
"Get out!"  Ranma wasn't at all surprised when his
friend recoiled as if he'd been hit with something.

"Wait!"  Ryoga nimbly dodged a projectile alarm clock
and the barbell that followed.  Ranma was
impressed--who would've guessed he'd never been
targeted before.  "Listen to me!"  A high-heeled shoe
hit his head.  "I'm sorry, Akane.  Really, really
sorry!"

Akane paused her onslaught.  "Sorry?" she laughed. 
"That doesn't do a bit of good.  What you did is
unforgivable.  You *lied* to me!"  She pushed Ryoga
into the hallway and against the opposite wall.  "I
thought you were my friend!"

Ryoga didn't fight back.  "I know I don't deserve to
be," he said timidly.  

"Damn right you don't!"  She kneed him in the stomach.
 Ryoga doubled over with the pain.  She used the
opportunity to elbow his head.  "You pervert!"  

Sliding down the wall, Ryoga sat on the floor and
pulled his knees up.  Ranma had never seen him look so
beaten, and he knew that it wasn't Akane's punches
that stung.  She must've noticed as well, because she
stopped and stared at him, out of breath and angry.

"I know it's not an excuse," Ryoga began weakly.  "But
I only did it to stay close to you.  I don't know why
or how it started, but I do know that no one had ever
loved me before, and when I was P-chan, you did." 
Tears filled his eyes, but he blinked them back,
seemingly unwilling to cry.  "I know I can never make
it up to you, and that our friendship is over, but I
want you to know that I never meant to hurt you."  He
put his head on his knees.  "I loved you," he
whispered.  

Akane fell to her knees before him.  It hurt Ranma to
see her looking so confused, but he knew that this
time he couldn't help her.

"And you saved Ranma's life," Akane said slowly.  "For
that I owe you everything."

Ryoga looked up at her, his eyes wide.  A trickle of
blood ran from his nose--apparently Akane was getting
better with her aim.  "Akane?" he whispered.

"But that doesn't mean I forgive you.  I don't know if
I can."  She looked at her hands, then quickly met his
eyes again.   "When I think of all the times I
defended you--really Ranma was the one being
honorable.  I hurt him because I believed in you.  Now
there's nothing to believe."  She shook her head
sadly.  

Ryoga stood, swiping at his eyes with the back of his
hand.  "I understand," he said softly.  With a last
look at Akane's face, he smiled sadly and turned away,
his footsteps the only sound as he went.

As soon as he was gone, Akane collapsed on the floor
crying quietly.  Ranma went to her, crawling from his
hiding space.  She accepted his embrace wordlessly and
he didn't ask questions as she wept.  Ranma knew that
this wasn't about him this time.  All he could do was
support her when she needed it.  

Akane had barely stopped crying when Ranma heard Dr.
Tofu announce his presence downstairs.  He lifted
Akane's chin with his fingers looking into her watery
eyes.  "Come on and smile, Akane.  My cure's here."

Akane tried, a trembling smile coming to her lips. 
"Okay, Ranma," she whispered.  "I'm better now."

Together they went downstairs and to the dining room
where everyone waited.  

"The water's almost hot!" Kasumi called from the
kitchen.  Ranma looked at the faces of everyone
gathered around the table.  Dr. Tofu looked nervous
and excited, the complete opposite of Nabiki's fake
boredom.  Nadoka and Genma whispered quietly to each
other.  Ranma had never seen his pop look so young--he
and Nadoka looked like excited newlyweds.  Soun was
weeping into his tea, somehow seeming both proud and
tragic at once.  To Ranma's surprise, Kuno stood on
the porch, staring out at the courtyard in
contemplation.  Nabiki must've invited him over to
make sure there were no doubts about the pig-tailed
girl's true identity.  Ranma was shocked he'd showed
up, seeing as how Soun would surely want to have words
with him.  Ranma almost didn't notice Happosai.  The
master was curled up under the table, his eyes big and
watery.  Ranma figured he was upset about the end of
the curse--the end of copping free feels.  

Finally he looked at Akane. Her eyes were still bright
from crying, but she wore a brave, happy smile.  Ranma
knew that, no matter what happened today, Akane would
love him.  His heart thumped at the idea, and he
blushed.  For her sake, he hoped this cure worked.  

"Ranma, Akane, sit down," Tofu said, smiling.  Ranma
was about to do as asked when Kasumi called from the
kitchen.  

"Ranma?  Could you come here for a minute?"

Ryoga was sitting on the floor eating cookies when
Ranma came in.  He looked pretty pathetic.  "Don't
worry, buddy, I'll save some of this cure for ya,"
Ranma tried to reassure him.  

"Thanks," Ryoga mumbled, shoving another cookie in his
mouth.  Ranma knew it meant more to him than he
admitted--his depression over Akane just made him seem
unexcited.  

"Ranma," Kasumi began seriously, "I think everyone
will understand if you decide not to be cured,
considering the circumstances."  She blushed a deep
shade of red.  "I believe your marriage to Akane
should be protected at all costs, and I'd hate to
think we all ruined it by pressuring you into this
cure."

Ranma and Ryoga gaped at her.  What was she thinking? 


"I know you and Akane have found some sort of . . .
compatibility with your curse."  

Suddenly Ranma knew what she was talking about. 
"Kasumi!" he said, startled.  "It ain't like that at
all!  I mean, Akane likes me better as a guy!"  He
couldn't believe that after all his explaining the
other day, she still thought that he and Akane were...


"Are you sure?" she asked incredulously.  "I mean, I
haven't seen Akane react so . . . strongly to a boy
before."

Ryoga was staring at them, the cookie hanging half out
of his mouth, forgotten.  Ranma could imagine this
conversation seemed pretty alarming to him.  

"Yes, I am sure.  She reacts even more strongly--" he
broke off suddenly. blushing.  Kasumi and Ryoga
blushed, too, and for a moment, the kitchen was
totally silent.  

"Oh my," Kasumi whispered, covering her mouth with her
hand.  "Don't I feel silly!"  She tilted her head and
grinned.  She suddenly turned toward the stove, where
large vats of water were heating.  "Umm, could you
help me carry these into the other room?"

Ranma and Ryoga each took a washtub of water and
headed into the dining room.  Kasumi followed, with
smaller basins.  Ranma noticed Akane look away when
Ryoga entered.  He wondered how his friend felt about
that. 

Tofu stood.  "I suppose it's now time for me to
explain how this works," he said.  "I'm going to drown
you."

Everyone gasped and looked at the doctor as if he'd
grown another head.  "What good's a cure going to be
if we're too dead to enjoy it?" Genma demanded. 

"Wait--hear him out, Pop," Ranma protested.  "In
China, Saffron's people drowned Akane.  But she's fine
now."

"They drowned my Akane?" Soun screamed, holding his
head.  "RANMA!"

Ranma was about to run when Akane spoke up.  "Dad,
look at me; I'm fine," she said, glaring at her father
sternly.

Soun put his head down on the table, sobbing.  "Oh,
don't growl at me like that!"

Tofu ignored the outburst and continued, smiling. 
"What you said is right, Ranma.  In order to activate
Jusenkyo's curse, people have to be only mostly
drowned."

"Inconceivable!" Happosai exclaimed.

Ranma rolled his eyes.  He wished they would just get
on with it already.  "Mostly drowned?  So how are we
gonna do this?"

Suddenly the wall behind him exploded.  As the dust
settled, Shampoo's startlingly blue hair was the first
thing Ranma could make out.  An embarrassed-looking
Mousse cringed behind her.  "Hello!" she chirped.

Everyone in the room stared in amazement.  Shampoo
tossed her head, smiling arrogantly.  "Shampoo do know
Japanese, you know."  She looked excitedly at Dr.
Tofu.  "Nabiki Tendo say you find cure.  Is true?"

"Nabiki," Soun said, startled.  "I must say I am
impressed by your sentimentality and generosity.  It
was nice to inform Shampoo.  I'll consider that your
way of trying to make up for last night's . . .
mistake."

The Amazon scowled.  "Shampoo pay many yen.  Nabiki
not so generous."

"But we would like to thank you for your generosity,"
Mousse broke in, bowing deeply to Mr. Tendo.  

Shampoo looked at the doctor with wide eyes.  "Can
doctor fix husband Mousse too?  He turn duck."

Tofu smiled at her and nodded kindly.  "All right
then, if we're all here, we may as well start before
the water gets cold."  Kasumi was already bringing
extra tubs into the room for the new arrivals.

Ranma was about to ask for some water for Ryoga when
Akane spoke up. "Umm, doctor?  Could we spare some
water for my...my friend Ryoga?"  She looked at the
fanged boy and smiled hesitantly.  

The lost boy was so startled he nearly dropped the vat
of hot, uncursed spring water.  Before a drop could
spill, however, Mousse and Genma were next to him,
supporting the weight.  

"Thank you, Akane," Ryoga breathed.  

Nadoka slammed her hands on the table in impatience. 
"Can we please just get on with it?"  Ranma smirked. 
It was obvious which parent he took after.

"Okay then, everyone find a drowning buddy."  The room
fell silent, deadly silent.  Tofu laughed nervously. 
"Trust me!  This works.  I experimented on myself."

Akane took Ranma's hand and smiled.  He'd found his
drowning buddy.  He wondered for a moment if Tofu had
cursed himself to find a cure.  

"I volunteer to drown Shampoo," Nabiki piped up,
narrowing her eyes at the Chinese girl.  "I've been
wanting to do this for a long time.  Kuno-baby, you
take the boy."  Mousse glanced at Kuno nervously.  

Genma and Nadoka had paired off, and Ryoga was looking
frantically about the room.  "I'll help you out, boy,"
Soun offered forebodingly, a gleam in his eyes.  Ryoga
had no choice but to agree.  Ranma wondered if Tendo
had ever noticed that Ryoga and P-chan were never in
the same room at the same time.  

Within a matter of minutes, Kasumi and Tofu had
divided the heated spring water into five basins. 
"We've warmed the water so that you won't change
before drowning.  I want the uncursed drowning buddies
to hold their partner's head in the water until they
drown."

"Do you mind?" Genma protested.  "Some of us don't
like that word!"

Tofu cocked his head curiously  "Drowning?" he asked. 


"Yes, drowning!"

"Sorry.  Hold your partner's head under the water 
until they pass out," he amended.  "That will be
evident by the lack of struggling."  

"And then what?" Ranma asked suspiciously.  

Tofu tried to reassure him.  "And then we pull you out
and let the water cool."

Everyone took their places, kneeling around the table
of basins.  "Bye-bye kitty cat!" Shampoo said
cheerfully, winking at Ranma.

Nabiki grabbed ahold of the Amazon's thick hair and
forced the girl's face into the water.  At the same
time, Kuno leaned on Mousse.  Ranma watched his mother
happily dunk his Pop into the their basin, and Soun
was already fighting Ryoga's wild thrashing.  Tofu
came to his assistance.

"So, are ya gonna dunk me or what?"  Ranma twisted to
look at Akane.  Before he met her eyes, his face was
full of warm water.  Knowing he was so much stronger
than Akane, he tried not to struggle, though the water
was alarming.  Was he supposed to try to breathe? 
He'd never drowned before, and didn't know how it
worked.  Attempting a deep breath, he choked.  
Akane yanked his pigtail and pulled his face out of
the water.  Ranma coughed violently.  "What'chya do
that for?"

"I can't!" she declared.  "I--I can't *drown* you!"

"Then what'd'ya volunteer for?"

Before Akane could answer, Happosai bounded onto the
table.  "Let me!" he cried gleefully.  "Lemme drown
the ungrateful little--"

Ranma's head was submerged again, this time with
Master Happosai standing on it.  Ranma panicked,
wondering if the old freak was gonna pull him up in
time.  He didn't trust him like he trusted Akane.  In
a moment, though, it didn't seem to matter.  The water
was peaceful, and he felt his mind drifting.  He
stopped struggling.

"Ranma?  Ranma!?"

Ranma felt himself being shaken violently.  "Akane?" 
He sat up slowly.  Everyone was staring at him.  It
seemed he was the last to come to.  

"Ranma not brain-dead?"  

"Shut up, Shampoo!" Ryoga defended.  

"Are you all right, Ranma?" Tofu asked.  

Ranma nodded weakly.  Drowning was not something he
wanted to do again.  "So what now?"  

Tofu took his position at the head of the table.  "Now
we wait until the water cools.  Each of your basins is
now a tiny cursed pool.  Once the water is cold,
you'll dump it over yourselves, cursing yourselves
with your own images."

"Not much curse there!" Shampoo giggled.  

"Want to drown for real?" Nabiki asked, motioning to
the koi pond in the courtyard.  

"But Dr. Tofu," Nadoka asked calmly, "won't all the
water get mixed up on the floor?"

"Hmm . . .hadn't thought of that.  Maybe we should do
it outside?"

"And have bugs that look like Ranma?" Nabiki
interjected with a sneer.  

Kasumi spoke up.  "Maybe we should use just a glass of
cursed water--that way hardly any will spill," she
suggested practically.

Tofu beamed at his bride-to-be.  "Good thinking,
Kasumi."

And so they waited.  Shampoo gushed to anyone who
would listen--Mousse--about how great it would be to
be normal again.  Ryoga spent his time blowing on his
basin of water, hoping to cool it faster.  From time
to time Tofu stuck a thermometer in the water to test
its temperature.
	
"Saotome, may I speak with you a moment in the
kitchen?" Kuno asked gravely.  His voice was low, and
he looked around suspiciously, as if he didn't want to
be overheard.
	
Ranma didn't want to, but curiosity got the better of
him.  Now that Kuno was with Nabiki, he certainly
wouldn't try anything sick, Ranma hoped.
	
In the kitchen, Kuno looked at him sheepishly. 
"Saotome, since dating Nabiki, I have strived to
forget about Akane and . . . and the other.  But now,
today, in the wake of losing the pig-tailed girl
forever, I have realized that my true heart will
always lie with her."
	
Ranma jumped away, disgusted.  "Kuno, you ain't
saying--"
	
"Good heavens, no!"  Kuno looked a little green around
the gills himself.  "I have no interest in you,
Saotome.  There mere thought revolts me."
	
"Well, that's good to know," Ranma muttered.  "So
what's the difference?  She's still me."
	
Kuno splashed him.  The transformation was a shock to
Ranma, but no more shocking than the feel of Kuno's
hands on her body.
	
"Pig-tailed girl, my love!  I cannot bear the thought
of living parted from you!"  He tried to kiss her, his
lips puckering sloppily.
	
"Get off of me!" she shrieked.  With a twist and a
kick, Kuno went flying through the roof.  "Great,"
Ranma muttered.  "Just one more thing I gotta fix."
	
She quickly changed back to her normal form and headed
back to the dining room.  Imagine, Nabiki really
wanted to waste her time on that buffoon.  Strange,
the girl was smart about everything else.
	
Before he'd made it through the door, Dr. Tofu pushed
him back into the kitchen.  "I noticed your hand,
Ranma.  What happened?"
	
Ranma explained about Ryoga and the chi blast, wishing
he could go.  He didn't want to hear the doctor tell
him it wasn't going to get better.  Tofu unwrapped the
bandages and studied the wound.  "I want you to come
to the clinic tomorrow," he said cheerfully.  "It
looks pretty bad, but I think there are a few things I
can do for you."  He patted Ranma's shoulder
reassuringly, and for the first time, Ranma thought
that maybe it would heal.  He followed Tofu out of the
kitchen.
	
In the dining room, some of the cursed partners were
getting impatient.  "How much longer do we have to
wait?" Ryoga demanded.
	
"Wait for what?"  Ukyo smiled brightly as she popped
her head through the hole in the wall.  "I
thought'chya might be here, Sugar."
	
Ryoga smiled in greeting, then turned violently to
Tofu.  "Is this wait absolutely necessary?" he
shouted.
	
"Well, actually, no," Tofu answered.  
	
"WHAT!?"  Ryoga was joined by Genma, Mousse, and
Ranma.  Shampoo critically contemplated a lock of her
hair. 
	
She looked up.  "Hmmm?"
	
"By cooling the water," Tofu explained, "we  can be
immediately certain of the results."
	
"What if we don't want to wait?" Genma asked
threateningly.  He held his wife's katana in his
hands.
	
Suddenly Kasumi burst through the kitchen door,
smiling.  She batted Genma's sword from him.  "Mr.
Saotome," she scolded, "you shouldn't be playing with
such a dangerous weapon."  Either ignoring or not
seeing the obvious hostility in the room, she held up
the tray in her hands.  "I brought ice!  I thought it
might hurry things up a bit."
	
Before the words were completely out of her mouth,
eight grasping hands snatched the ice away, quickly
dispersing it into the basins.  Ranma threw some into
Shampoo's, not wanting to have to wait for hers to
cool, too.  
	
In a matter of minutes, the ice was melted and Tofu
declared the water cold enough.  "Before you jump the
gun here, I want you all to take turns.  That way I
can be sure nothing went wrong.  Ranma, you can go
first."
	
Ranma ignored Ryoga's squeal of protest, scooping a
glass of water from his basin.  Finally--after a year
of being a freak and dealing with a girl's body, he
was going to be normal again.
	
A giant splash from the courtyard distracted him. 
Kuno had landed, finally.  Nabiki hurried out to him.
	
"Nice kick," Akane commented, smirking.  
	
The hesitation was all Ryoga needed.  "A pig no more!"
he cried, scooping his water into a cup.  He
unceremoniously dumped the water over his head,
closing his eyes tightly.  "Bwee?" he tested quietly. 
"I'm not a pig!" he screamed triumphantly.
	
"Well, that's a matter of opinion," Ukyo laughed,
smacking him lightly with her giant spatula.  
	
Shampoo and Mousse cheered, doing a little jig around
the table.  Dr. Tofu looked both relieved and
deliriously happy as Kasumi planted a kiss on his
cheek.  
	
Ranma took a deep breath and held his cup out to
Akane.  He wanted her to be the one to cure him. 
"Just be careful it don't splash on you," he warned,
smiling.  Akane beamed as she accepted his gesture. 
With pomp and ceremony, she proudly doused her fiance
with water from the newly-made pool of drowned Ranma. 
	

It tingled.  Ranma closed his eyes tightly,
half-expecting the shape-shift.  When it didn't come,
he peeked his eyes open.  Akane was grinning at him. 
Instinctively, his hands flew to his chest, relieved
to find it flat.  "Ahhh," Ranma sighed.  Today he'd
been molested, accused of being a lesbian, and
half-drowned, but it was still the best day of his
entire life.
	
Soun was wailing, and even Genma blinked back tears as
Ranma gleefully hugged Akane, his mother, and even the
evil Happosai.  
	
Genma picked up his own cup and eagerly filled it with
Genma-water.  Once it was full, however, he hesitated.
 Ranma was certain he was remembering those lazy days
spent sunning himself on the porch as a giant panda. 
His pop was the only one who really *enjoyed* his
curse.  Shrugging, the elder Saotome poured the water
back into his basin. 
	
"Oh no you don't!" Nadoka said angrily.  With a jump,
she attacked her husband, forcing his head into the
water. 
	
Without lifting his head, Genma held up a sign. DID I
CHANGE? They all shouted negative answers.  YAY, the
flip side read.  Ranma wasn't sure if it was supposed
to be sarcastic or not, but he was glad his pop was
back to normal.
	
"Now it's your turn, Shampoo!" Mousse yelled eagerly
at Genma.  
	
"Who do you think you're talking to, boy?"  
	
Shampoo spun him around.  "Duck go first," she
ordered.
	
"How about we go together?" he suggested.
	
They eyed the two basins before them, then looked
outside, where Nabiki was smacking the unconscious
Kuno.  Mousse scooped water from one while Shampoo
took the other.  Counting to three in Chinese, the
couple doused themselves.  
	
Everyone gasped.  Rather than being cured, the couple
had discovered a new curse for themselves.  With the
cold water, Shampoo had become Mousse and Mousse was
Shampoo.  
	
"Sweet-O!"  Happosai launched himself into the deep V
of Mousse's robe, where his new bosom swelled.  
	
Meanwhile, Shampoo picked her husband's glasses up
from the floor, squinting.  "What we do?" she asked,
her voice low. 
	
Ranma started laughing hysterically.  Leave it to them
to screw it up!  Mousse's body looked pretty dumb
squeezed into that little Chinese outfit Shampoo was
wearing.
	
Shampoo knocked Happosai away from her husband and
stood back to study his new curvaceous form.  "Shampoo
not know Shampoo look so good."  She latched on to
him, kissing him soundly.  "No wonder Mousse follow
Shampoo from China!"
	
Mousse accepted his kiss but then pushed away,
flushed.  He tightened his robe self-consciously.  "I
fear that we've messed this up, darling Shampoo."
	
The entire room twitched, everyone reacting as
violently as Ranma when they heard Mousse's speech in
that annoyingly familiar voice.  
	
"Don't worry!" Dr. Tofu exclaimed.  "We have more
water from your basins--we can fix this!"
	
Suddenly Shampoo kicked both basins to the floor,
expertly jumping away from the puddle and snatching
Mousse up in her arms.  "Shampoo like switch!  Plenty
time to change back later!"  It was clear that they
wouldn't be able to change her mind.
	
Ranma really felt for Mousse, until he noticed how his
now-blue-haired friend was eyeing his wife.  Maybe he
didn't mind so much after all.  Ranma thought it was
pretty weird, but then, Shampoo and Mousse had always
seemed a little crazy to him.  It would certainly make
things interesting for them.
	
The family went outside, leaving the water to
evaporate since it was so dangerous to clean.  Genma,
Ryoga, and Ranma dived into the koi pond, laughing,
while the newlyweds sat on the rocks, splashing each
other playfully.  Kuno had come to, and he looked at
everyone dizzily.  "Did I miss it all?"
	
"Sorry, Kuno-baby, but it's your own fault," Nabiki
said icily.  She had apparently figured what Kuno had
been up to that got him kicked.
	
Akane leaned over the water and tugged on Ranma's
pigtail.  She had questioning look on her face.  "I
just thought--what about . . . Kodachi?" she asked
slowly.  "You took care of everyone else!  But what
about Kodachi?"  She was suddenly frantic, not wanting
to have to deal with Kuno's psychotic sister.
	
Ranma didn't have an answer for her.  "I couldn't find
her," he said, not admitting that he hadn't really
looked.
	
"That," said Kuno, "is because she's traveling.  After
your mockery of a wedding, she was sent to China to
study martial arts rhythmic gymnastics.  There's a
training ground there that specializes in balance
training.  She shouldn't be back for another two
months, at least."  Kuno grimaced.  "I rather hope she
decides she enjoys China too much to come home."
	
"Balance training?  Do you mean *Jusenkyo*?" Akane
asked incredulously.

"Perhaps.  It was something like that.  I doubt she'll
cause you any more trouble.  She's taken up will a
fellow named Taro.  It seems she's finally found a man
more handsome than Saotome."  Kuno laughed
sarcastically and turned to Nabiki, obviously
preparing to grovel for her forgiveness. Ranma
smirked.  He hoped Nabiki would be hard on him.  

"I have a question," Kasumi began, in her own little
world, as usual.  "If Dr. Tofu was our burglar last
night, then who was it before?"

"Whoever he was, the scum better think twice before
crossing Soun Tendo again!"

"That's right!  The wretch had best not come back,"
Genma agreed, cracking his knuckles.

"Call your revered Master scum?  A wretch, eh?" 
Happosai jumped wildly in anger, waving his pipe.

"YOU!?" they all shrieked.  

Happosai laughed harshly.  "Sure!  Had to come back
for that fine staff of Ryoga's.  You saw how much
trouble it was in that amateur's hands!  Never did get
my hands on it, though."  For a moment the old man
sounded thoughtful.  Soun sighed in relief; it seemed
the master had forgotten to be angry.  Hearing the
sound, Happosai turned back to his elder students, his
head inflating.  "So . . . scum am I?"

"We're sorry Master!" both men cried, falling to their
knees and bowing as low as they could.

Ranma rolled his eyes.  "Ya know, you shouldn't
encourage the old freak!"  

"No kidding!" Akane added.  

Happosai looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of
his loveliest student.  "Akane!"  He leapt into the
air, latching himself to her chest and laughing
merrily.

Ranma slammed his fist into the old man's head.  "Stay
away from my fiancee!" he yelled, hurtling the evil
master into the heavens.  Once he was sure the Freak
would be gone a while, Ranma climbed out of the pond
and took Akane's hand.  He gave some excuse to his
family and friends and led her back into the house,
carefully avoiding puddles of spring water.

Alone in the living room, they sat on the couch,
neither caring that Ranma was soaking wet.  "So, how
does it feel to be your old self again?" Akane asked,
poking him gently in the ribs.

"I'm not," Ranma answered.  

"Huh?" she cocked her head and looked at him
curiously.
Ranma pulled her closer, leaning his head on her hair.
 "A year ago I was normal on the outside, sure, but
all I knew of life was travel and Pop and martial
arts.  Then I changed to a girl and I got to see my
mother, I got real friends, and I...I fell in love
with you."  He kissed her head softly.  "I ain't at
all who I used to be."  Ranma liked being close to
Akane, but he knew he'd have the rest of his life for
that, so he went ahead and said what came to his mind
next.  "The guy I was before the curse would've never
fallen for a clumsy tomboy like you!  I mean, you
can't even cook!  What was I thinking?" he laughed.
He was still laughing when Akane knocked him onto the
floor.

The End


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