A Trail of Love
by Bryan Neef
(version 1.1)
An authorized sequel to A Trail of Blood by Ronny Hedin
Genma, in a panic, tries to tell Ranma his mother is about to arrive at the
Tendou Dojo. He is running through the streets of Nerima, barely paying at-
tention to his surroundings. Because of his panic, he is struck by a truck
and instantly killed.
Both Ranma and Nodoka are devastated. The harmless jokes by Ryoga and Ukyou
backfire as Ryoga is severely beaten and Ukyou is treated coldly. Even
Shampoo is not spared.
After the funeral, Ranma vows not to return to his mother until he is cured
of his curse. She does not know that Ranma and Ranko are the same person.
Ranma leaves with Akane close behind...
=============================================================================
Chapter 1
Journeys
Nodoka awoke early. She had to help Kasumi prepare the morning meal. Since
the funeral, she had many questions to ask Ranma and the Tendous. This would
be the first day of peace to talk with them. She had been disappointed that
Ranko had not attended, but understood that the funeral brought back things
best forgotten.
She moved out of the room she stayed in. She passed Akane's room, noticing
that the door was open slightly. Smiling slightly as she continued down the
hall, she stopped at Ranma's room.
She opened the door, surprised to see the room empty. Entering quickly, she
searched the closet, the dresser, and the desk for Ranma's things. They were
all gone. She sank into the desk chair, tears coming to her eyes. She
looked about the room one last time.
Spotting a folded piece of paper, she grabbed it. Tearing it open, she read
the words.
I'm sorry to leave like this, but I have to do this.
There are too many things Pop left undone. I have to
solve them. I want to stay, but I can't. I'll keep
in touch. Please, don't follow me.
Mom, I'm sorry. I'm not the man you want me to be.
Until I am, I can't come home. I love you.
Ranma
Nodoka folded the paper, tears coming again. "No! Not again!"
She rushed back to her room as Kasumi came out of hers. "Oh my! What's
wrong, Auntie?"
"Ranma's gone again! He left last night, saying he's not man enough to be
with me."
"I'll get Father and Akane."
Nodoka went to her suitcase. She looked through her clothes, hoping to find
suitable travel clothing. She only had her kimonos and obi. She started to
panic.
"Akane's gone, too. She left a note saying she went with Ranma, whether he
wanted her or not," spoke Kasumi, her own voice panicking.
"Then I've got to find them soon. Why doesn't Ranma think he's a man?"
"I...I can't say. We've promised not to tell. It was something he and his
father had to tell you. He didn't want to, but Genma made it impossible for
Ranma to tell you. They both took that oath seriously."
"I destroyed that damn oath. It kept me from my husband and son until it was
too late. Kasumi, Dear, do you have anything I can wear that would accoma-
date a lot of travel?"
"Hold on."
Soun entered the room as Kasumi left. "Kasumi said something about Ranma
being gone."
"And Akane. I'm going after them. Whatever Ranma thinks, I don't care any-
more. That damn promise is worthless if it keeps my son from me any longer.
Will you tell me why Ranma thinks he's not man enough to stay with me?"
"I...uh...that is..."
"Then I'd better hurry. Where would he go?"
"Try the mountains," replied Nabiki.
"Thank you."
"Here you go, Auntie. These are Ranko's, but they should fit you. They're
the same size Ranma wears," offered Kasumi.
"Unisex?"
"Hai. They booth have a complete wardrobe of Chinese clothing. I don't
always get them straight."
"Soun, could you please leave. Kasumi, Nabiki, I want you to tell me every-
thing you can about Ranma's training sites."
***
Ranma stood on the hill overlooking his part of Nerima. He took in the sight
as the sun rose above the horizon. He took a deep breath, burning the site
of his home into his mind. His home. He smiled wistfully at the thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar cry.
"BAKA! You are not leaving without me."
Ranma looked at his uninvited guest. He smiled sadly as Akane caught up to
him. He expected her to have an angry look. Instead, he saw her face show-
ing concern. "Akane, you should go home. I...I don't know when I'll be
back."
"I know. You want a cure. I...I think you need company. You've never been
alone, have you?"
"I've always been alone. I...I don't have a family, like you. You have
friends, I don't."
Akane frowned. "What about me?"
"You're my fiancee."
Akane smiled shyly. "And what does that mean to you?"
Ranma stared at her for a moment. "I...I don't really know. We're supposed
to get married."
"Well, I know we're supposed to get married. Do you love me?"
"I...I don't know. I don't know what love is. I'm just too tired of all of
the fighting. I need to get away from it, to find a cure, to figure out what
I feel for everyone."
"Well, that's a start. Unless you want Ukyou, Shampoo, or the others to stop
you, we'd better get going. The sooner you get cured, the sooner we can go
home."
"Why are you coming? I don't want you hurt."
"Ranma, I will not face the others alone. Besides, who will train me?"
"All right. Thanks, Akane."
Akane blinked, expecting Ranma to put up a fight. She was pleased at the
results. She smiled as they turned down the road, leaving their home.
***
Ukyou approached the Tendou house. She was happy, now that Ranma's father
was dead. She felt she had a chance for Ranma's heart. She knocked on the
door, trying to hide her joy with respectful concern.
Kasumi answered the door. She wasn't wearing her usual happy face. "Hello,
Ukyou. What can I do for you?"
"Is Ranchan here? I'd like to talk to him."
Kasumi frowned, unnerving Ukyou. Though she didn't know Kasumi well, she had
never seen Kasumi frown, even at the funeral. She began shifting around ner-
vously.
"I'm sorry, Ukyou. Ranma left with his mother early this morning. They left
strict instructions not to tell anyone where they went," lied Kasumi. A pang
of guilt struck her, even though she knew it was for the best.
"But I'm his fiancee. I should be there for him," protested Ukyou.
"No one is to be told, Ukyou."
"Does Akane know?"
"She knows."
"Let me speak with her. If she claims to be his fiancee, she should be with
him."
Kasumi stared at Ukyou, her looks hardening. Kasumi decided to alter the
cover story. Ukyou would find out anyway. "Akane is not here, either. By
Auntie's invitation, Akane has joined her and Ranma."
"Why is she there? It's not like she cares for Ranma."
"And you do? I saw how you reacted at the funeral. You didn't care about
Ranma's feelings. I know how you hated Saotome Genma. You looked happy at
the funeral. You were glad a man died. Why? Because he ruined your child-
hood? What about Ranma? Did you ever think what Ranma's childhood was like
with his father? I doubt that very much. I think you are just as bad, no
worse, than Shampoo and Kodachi. At least they showed respect for the dead."
Ukyou froze where she stood. Her thoughts were in turmoil.
Before Ukyou could leave, Kasumi's gentle, but stern voice stabbed at her.
"Have a nice day, Kuonji Ukyou."
Ukyou grumbled as she left the compound. She thought about what Kasumi said,
wondering if Ranma saw it the same way. She made up her mind. She would
find Ranma and save him from Akane, and his mother.
***
Shampoo stared at the front door of the Tendou home. She held a delivery box
with her special ramen. It was guaranteed to ease Ranma's pain over losing
his father. She smiled inwardly,
She knocked at the door. It was quickly opened by Nabiki. Shampoo heard
Tendou-san crying in the background. A pang of guilt hit her.
"Hello, Shampoo. What can I do for you?"
"Is Ranma in? Shampoo have special ramen for husband."
"I bet you do. As much as we appreciate your free food, we have come to the
conclusion that food from the Nekohanten is not on our menu anytime in the
future."
"But food for Husband, not false family."
Nabiki's eyes flashed anger for a brief second. "I see. Then why don't you
give it to someone who would love to have it, like Mousse."
"Mousse not husband. Ranma husband. What you do to Ranma?"
"I've done nothing to Ranma. He and his mother are mourning the death of his
father, in private. No one is to disturb them. They have a lot to talk
about."
"Shampoo should be with Ranma. Good wife be with husband," replied Shampoo
as she started to enter the house.
Nabiki held a piece of paper in front of the Amazon. Shampoo looked at the
paper, then Nabiki, a snarl crossing her face. "What this?"
"This, Shampoo, is a court order, in Chinese. It clearly states that you are
no longer welcome on Tendou or Saotome property. If you continue to come, we
will call the police, who will call the immigration department, and have you
shipped back to China in humiliation.
"I have several copies with friends. If anything should happen to me,
Kasumi, Akane, Dad, Ranma, or Auntie, they go to the police and your tight
little ass goes back to China in defeat. Not just you, but Mousse and
Cologne as well. Take this to your great-grandmother. Let her read it."
"Shampoo kill obstacle."
"I'm sure you would. Did you know that Ranma has a cousin who works for the
police? I didn't until the funeral. And one thing you want to do is please
Ranma. One thing Ranma does not like is seeing his FAMILY hurt. Did you
know he calls Kasumi his sister?"
"So? Shampoo still stop Violent Tomboy and Money Girl."
"But then you would hurt Ranma's family. Could Ranma really love a person
who would do that?"
"He love Panda-man."
Nabiki smiled, "And you love your great-grandmother. They are the same.
Both would do anything to see that their children were the best they could
be. Saotome-san wanted Ranma to be a strong martial artist. Cologne wants
you to be a strong warrior. Saotome-san wanted Ranma to carry on the tradi-
tions of the Anything Goes School. Cologne wants you to carry on the tradi-
tions of the Amazons, even if it means drugging a man who is a better war-
rior.
"Saotome-san may have done some stupid things, but he never intended anyone
to be hurt by them. Cologne wants you to take Ranma away from his family and
expects him to be happy. The two of you have threatened to kill anyone who
stands in your way. You even threatened Ranma. Do you really think Ranma
would love someone willing to hurt him in order to love him?"
"What about Violent Tomboy?"
"They spar. Neither one of them are good with people. Ranma has traveled
all of his life, Akane hasn't. Ranma doesn't know much about manners. He
sure doesn't know how to act around women, even his mother.
"Akane may not have traveled much, but she knows how to talk to people, ex-
cept Ranma. As Akane's sister, I know her very well. As a businesswoman, I
know Ranma very well. Both will do anything for each other. She does more
for him than she realizes. He does more for her than he realizes. Hurt
Akane, and you risk his wrath. Hurt Ranma, and you devastate Akane. Put
that in your drugged ramen and eat it."
Nabiki handed the paper to Shampoo before ushering the Amazon out the door.
She sighed heavily as she heard the wall explode, accompanied by Chinese
curses.
***
Kunou Tatewaki was on top of the world. He had heard from his faithful ser-
vant, Sasuke, that Saotome Ranma had left the Tendou home. He knew today
would be the day Tendou Akane and his Osage no Onna would praise him for van-
quishing his nemesis.
He stepped up to the door of the Tendou home. Two bouquets of roses in his
arms. He paused to make sure his hair was in place. He smiled once more
before knocking.
Tendou Soun opened the door, his grim expression not even phasing the
kendoist. "Good morn, Tendou-san. I have come to date the lovely Tendou
Akane and the fierce Osage no Onna."
"Get out."
"I beg your pardon? Perhaps I did not..."
"Get out of my house. Get off of my land. And stay away from my daughters."
"Do you know who I am? I am Kunou Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan
High, I have freed Tendou Akane and the Osage no Onna from...urk!"
Soun held Kunou by the throat, his arms shaking in rage. "I will say this
one more time, Kunou Tatewaki of the House of Kunou, you are not permitted
near my daughters. You are not permitted near my chosen heir, Saotome Ranma.
He is my future son-in-law. You are not permitted near the young woman you
call 'Osage no Onna.' In that, her mother and I share that opinion. Do I
make myself clear?"
Soun released Kunou, watching him closely. Kunou gasped for a moment. He
pulled out his bokken. "How dare you stand between me and the two women
destined to be mine? I shall smite thee and release them from your tyrannous
hold!"
Kunou lunged forward, striking with a fierce overhead strike. Soun caught it
easily with his left hand. With his right, he struck Kunou in the chest.
The young man coughed up a small amount of blood. Wheezing, he looked up at
Soun.
"Kunou Tatewaki, I, Tendou Soun, Grandmaster of the Tendou School of Anything
Goes Martial Arts, hereby banish you from this school. Never again darken
our home with your honorless presence. I know of your challenges to my
daughter and the ones I call family. From this day on, no Kunou is welcome
here."
Soun easily snapped the hardwood in two. He doubled up the pieces and broke
them again. He lazily tossed the four pieces at Kunou's feet, leaving the
young man to himself.
Kunou stared at the broken bokken. He didn't hear the person walk up to him.
He only saw the shattered symbol of his strength before him. "I will have my
vengeance. I, Kunou Tatewaki, shall crush those who stand between me and my
loves."
"Does that include me?"
Kunou turned to face Nabiki. She looked at him coldly, waiting for his res-
ponse. "If you stand between me and my loves."
"I see. I should warn you, Kunou Tatewaki, Father is quite accomplished in
the Art. Attack him, and you will get hurt. I should tell you, Ranma has
gone easy on you, up until now. He doesn't like fighting those he considers
weaker than himself. And since his father's death, I couldn't begin to guess
what he would do if someone attacked someone he considers family.
"By the way, Ranma has a cousin that works for the police. If you really are
as noble as you claim, then consider that fact before you act out any fan-
tasies of revenge. Also, keep Kodachi away from Ranma and Akane, O Noble
Kunou Tatewaki."
"Ranma shall never have my two loves. I shall have my vengeance upon him for
enthralling all of you with his evil magic."
Before Nabiki could say anymore, Kunou left the grounds. She caught sight of
two more figures follow him. She went inside the house. She flipped through
a personal phone book, stopping at a specific page. She quickly dialed the
number, waiting for the line to be picked up.
"Hello, I'd like to speak with Izumi Noa. Tendou Nabiki. Yes, I'll hold."
"Who are you calling, Nabiki," asked Kasumi from the kitchen door.
"Ranma's cousin. Kunou's fighting mad and I want him stopped before he gets
hurt. I...Hello, Izumi-san. I'm glad you remember me. I need a big favor.
One of Ranma's rivals is going after him. Right, he's out for blood. Father
told him that he was to stay away from Ranma and Akane, but that has never
stopped him before.
"Yes, I'll press charges against him and his sister. She wants Ranma as her
husband and will probably kill Akane for him. By the time you get here, I
will have a complete list of what they have both done in order to get the
people they want. Yes, I will tell you everything. Thank you."
Nabiki hung up the phone, turning her attention to Kasumi. "At the moment,
Kunou sees us as obstacles to be removed. He thinks that, with Ranma's
death, everyone will flock to him like nothing was wrong."
"Just like Shampoo and Ukyou. Poor Ranma. I hope Ryoga doesn't show up."
***
thought P-chan as he wandered the
streets of Nerima.
He had watched Ranma leave the house late the night before. He knew that
Ranma was leaving, hopefully forever. But he soon watched as Akane followed
a short distance behind. She had her backpack, ready to travel with Ranma.
His only thought at the time was avenging Akane's abandonment. He would
prove himself to her when he pounded Ranma for his careless actions. Unfor-
tunately, he was prepared to spend the night with Akane, not fight. So he
followed as a piglet instead of as the man he believed he was.
He paused for a moment when he saw a familiar shape walk by him. He noted
the black, ankle-tied pants, the red (he thought it was red, but he couldn't
be sure,) silk shirt, and the large backpack. Another feature that caught
his attention was the person's figure. The reddish hair, the ample bosom,
and the purposeful gate. His mind came to one conclusion,
P-chan grabbed onto the woman's leg, squealing angrily. He bit into her
calf, causing her to scream in pain. He continued to attack, even as she
pulled him from her leg. He tried for her arm, but was stopped first, by the
blade of a katana, then by her harsh voice.
"P-CHAN! What do you think you're doing? Akane needs to take you to obedi-
ence classes. Attacking me like that. I will not have that! Bad, P-Chan!
Bad!"
The woman looked around, hoping to find a place she could sit down and tend
her wounds. She spotted a bench at the corner of the street. She went to
it, favoring her right leg. She set angry pig on the ground, next to the
blade of the katana.
She opened her pack, looking for something. Pulling out a first aid kit, she
proceeded to tend the wound. She talked harshly to the piglet, "I hope Akane
has taken care of your shots. I would hate to have her blamed for any at-
tacks by you. If I didn't know better, I would think you thought I was
Ranko. When I find them and Ranma, I will have a long talk with them about
you. If I weren't in such a hurry, I'd take you to a vet and have you
fixed."
P-chan's eyes grew in panic. He began to cower beneath the seat. He watched
as she took the katana, returning it to its scabbard. She reached for
P-chan, ignoring his protests. He made a dash past her, hoping she wouldn't
follow.
Nodoka scowled as she watched the small pig round the corner. "I will defin-
itely talk to Akane about that pig."
Ryoga watched Nodoka walk down the street. Ryoga followed Nodoka a short
distance behind her. He didn't notice the others following him.
Chapter 2
Travels
Ranma and Akane pitched their tents. They were in good moods. Neither had
said anything to anger each other. She had listened to him as he explained
things he had learned over the years. The few times he sounded condencen-
ding, she realized he was explaining things she didn't know, often throwing
in how often he had learned the hard way.
Ranma was completely relaxed. Akane had really listened to him. He knew he
was saying things that would set her off, not that he meant to, it was just
something he did. The few times she had asked him to stop, he felt relieved.
Each time he talked, he felt the emptiness leave him.
He lost himself in her gentle smile. He knew it was like the smile his
father had whenever he mastered a new technique. But her smile was differ-
ent. It was filled with tenderness, happiness, sadness, and...love.
A small smile creased his face. He watched her put the last of the cooking
utensils on their make-shift table. She turned to him, seeing his lopsided
grin.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked, a small amount of anger entering her
voice.
Ranma blinked, losing his smile. "I'm sorry, Akane. I was thinking how good
you look when you smile. I'm sorry."
Akane looked at him as the sadness washed over him. she chided herself. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I-I thought you had a perver-
ted thought. I didn't want to snap at you."
Ranma sighed. "Is that all you see in me? Am I really a pervert to you?"
Akane felt the pain in his voice. She sat down next to him. "N-not really.
It's just...it's just that you're always leading the others on. You're
always sneaking into my room at night. What am I to think about that?"
Ranma clenched his fist. "I don't lead the others on! I can't get rid of
them. Not without somebody getting hurt. I'm...I'm afraid that someone will
be you. Shampoo has already tried to get rid of you several times. She
still refers to you as an obstacle.
"Kodachi's just as bad, maybe worse. If I really force her away, I don't
really know what she'll do. Will she use paralysis gas on you, or poison? I
don't need her coming after you. Kunou's bad enough, but if they ever worked
together, I'm not sure we could win.
"And Ukyou's my best friend. I know she thinks she loves me, but it's not my
fault. Pop...Pop engaged us when we were about six. I didn't know until she
came to school. But since we took her father's yatai as dowry, doesn't that
mean I should marry her?"
"Why don't you?" asked Akane, her anger growing.
Ranma flinched, standing abruptly. "Because I don't love her. She's tried
several times to set you up on dates with Ryoga, just to date me. I couldn't
stand it!"
"Why not? Didn't we agree not to pursue the engagement?"
Ranma's shoulders slumped. "I guess we did. I-I thought we had finally got-
ten used to each other. I mean, when I was weak, you came after me, even
though I didn't want you hurt. When the Old Ghoul used that Cat's Tongue on
me, you wanted to help me at the carnival and the beach. When the Gambling
King came, you helped me beat him. I-I thought that meant something."
He turned when he heard Akane sniff. He saw her crying silently. He went to
her side. She grabbed him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I never knew
how you felt. You've never told me these things. If...if only you had
talked to me."
"How? When I've tried, you're either yelling at me, saying you hate me, or
you storm off before I can tell you anything, or you hit me before I have a
chance to apologize or get out of what's happened. When I try to show you
how much you mean to me, you think I'm spying or acting like the Old Lech.
"And when I'm trying to be nice, you think I'm up to something. There're
times I've actually thought of running away, hoping it'd solve some of my
problems, but someone always holds me back."
Akane swallowed, looking into Ranma's sad eyes. "Me?"
Ranma nodded.
"I-I'm sorry Ranma. You've always scared me. I mean, you never acted the
way boys should act. Well, at least the ones I know. You never physically
fought me, even when you're a girl. You always watch out for me, when I
don't need it. The others have always watched for me to be weak. You make
me feel weak, always doing things better than me. It makes me so mad.
"Then you have to rub it in. You always complain about my poor cooking, how
clumsy I am when I don't have the coordination you do, or how bad my fighting
is. That's what makes me as mad as when the others hang around you.
"Then there's the 'uncute tomboy' comments. I HATE those. Am I that ugly?
Do you find me that repulsive?"
"NO! I-I don't find you ugly. It's just...it's just that your temper makes
it hard for me to see the cute girl you are. The few girls I knew before
meeting you never hit anyone. They always acted like Kasumi. I-I couldn't
see myself living with someone like that. I wanted someone who could take
care of herself, but I could take care of her like a real husband as well.
"As for the complaints, I never could understand why they set you off, or
upset anyone, especially Pop. That's how he got me to improve. The more he
yelled at me and made me angry about something, the more I wanted to improve.
I-I thought that was how everyone improved."
"You...you never understood how much it hurt me?"
"No. Pop always yelled at me, like I do you, until I met his standards. It
seemed to work, except for your hitting me. I mean, your cooking is getting
better. And you're more 'girlish,' but not too 'girlish.' That's why I was
always confused by him whenever I yelled at you. He did it to me, but I
couldn't do it to you. I'd ask him about it, but he never would commit to an
answer. It just came to the point where I went with what I knew worked and
ignored him."
Akane continued to cry. Everything Ranma was telling her hurt. She never
understood him until now. She never wanted to understand him until now. All
of her anger drained from her. She knew, intellectually, that he had a rough
childhood, but she couldn't, wouldn't accept that it shaped him in such away.
She had a loving father and sisters, she couldn't imagine someone who didn't
have the same thing.
She cried for several minutes, her soul weeping at the injustice she found
she had done to him. The injustice she had done to a lonely boy who had a
curse he could not control. A boy who had lost his father; a father who had
a weakness for food. A father who took advantage of his son, and his
friends, for the sake of his stomach. A foolish man who raised a foolish
boy.
Ranma patiently waited for Akane's sobs to stop before speaking. "I'm sorry,
Akane. I didn't know it hurt you the way it did. I promise, I will try to
help you differently. I'll probably mess up, but I won't hurt you intention-
ally."
"I know," whispered Akane. "I know that, now. I promise, and this time I
really mean it, not to let my temper get away with me when you slip into your
old habits. Like you, I might slip, but I want this fighting to end."
"I'm glad, Akane. I can't do this alone."
"Neither can I."
***
Ukyou set up her camp. She had traveled most of the day, looking for Ranma.
She had spent an hour working off her anger at Kasumi's accusations. It
wouldn't do for her to be angry when she met Ranma. She wanted to be the
angelic fiancee for him.
The evening shadows danced around the clearing. Her mood darkened with the
sky.
Her attention focused on the far edge of her camp. A figure rushed out of
the trees, stopping next to her. "Akane! Please come back with me. You
know Ranma's not good for you."
"Thanks, Ryoga, but I'm looking Ranchan myself."
"Oh, Ukyou. I'm sorry. I thought you were Akane."
"In other words, you were lost and saw my fire, hoping I was Akane."
"Heh! Heh! Yeah."
"Why don't we work together? We find Ranma and Akane, and we go home happy
with the ones we love."
"Sounds good. I ought to tell you, there's a someone who looks like Ranma.
She carries a katana."
"Does Ranchan's girl side look like this woman?"
"Yeah."
"That's Ranchan's mother. I met her only briefly. I think that was right
after Ranma sent you flying with that comment about his old man being dead."
"Oh. Well, I attacked her, thinking it was Ranma."
"Oh great! If Ranma finds out, you are bacon!"
"What? How'd you know?"
Ukyou blinked. "Know what?"
"That I'm P-chan."
"You're P-chan? Akane's pet?"
"You didn't know?"
"No. No wonder Ranma gets upset at you. I never could figure out why he
hated P-chan so much. You'd think he was..."
"Was what?" growled Ryoga.
"Jealous. That can't be right. I mean, why would he be jealous of you if he
hates Akane so much."
"Yeah. It's not like he protects her."
"Or goes after her when she's kidnapped."
"Or fights any guy who touches her."
"They can't be in love with each other!" exclaimed the two together.
***
Shampoo sat down on the log. She stared at the paper Nabiki handed her that
morning. Opening it, she read the words carefully.
On this day, October 14, 1996, the persons of Xian Pu,
Khu Lon, and Mu Tsu, or representatives of said persons,
are hereby forbidden contact with the persons of Saotome
Ranma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendou Soun, Tendou Kasumi, Tendou
Nabiki, and Tendou Akane.
Contact includes, but is not limited to, physical contact,
contact with property or properties owned by and for the
Saotome's and the Tendou's, and entering their presence
within one hundred meters. Violation of this order will
result in either imprisonment or deportation, whichever is
more severe.
Shampoo closed her eyes, letting the tears run freely down her face.
"Is there a problem, child?"
Shampoo went into her defensive stance, relaxing when she saw her great-
grandmother standing before her. "Ranma has made his choice," she replied in
Mandarin, handing the paper to Cologne.
The matriarch scanned the contents before crushing it in her hands. Her
ancient features became even more ancient when she looked at Shampoo. "This
is indeed terrible. I am truly sorry, Child, but we must consider this mis-
sion closed."
"Just like that? You want me to stop pursuing Ranma? Why? Don't our laws
mean anything anymore?"
Cologne sighed. "Our laws are everything, Xian Pu, but they cannot compete
against the laws here. We are foreigners, outsiders. If we break their
laws, they punish us as we would punish them. Up until now, I had not enter-
tained the idea of Son-in-law doing this. He did not seem...smart enough to
do this."
"It was the Money Girl who handed me this."
"I see. Her signature is not here. I know Ranma's well. I suspect the
others are true."
"Why would Ranma do this?"
"Why indeed. We will give him a chance to explain. If he cannot, then we
will take him with us. If this is his true wish, then we must abide by that,
so long as he stays out of China."
"Yes, Great-grandmother."
***
Kunou sat in the back of the limosine. He wanted to find his true loves
before nightfall. "Faster, Sasuke! I must find my beloveds before that foul
sorcerer has his way with them."
"Of course, Master Kunou. Should I stop for the police?"
"Why should we stop for the police? They know that I, Kunou Tatewaki, am
above the laws of the commoners."
"Perhaps, Master Kunou, but we have two police cars behind us with their
lights going."
Kunou sighed. "Very well, faithful Sasuke. Stop and see how we may aid
them."
"Yes, Master Kunou."
Kunou sat back, waiting for the journey to continue. He paid little atten-
tion to his door opening. A young, female officer looked at him. "Excuse
me, sir, please step out of the vehicle."
"Of course...Osage no Onna! You have freed yourself from the foul cur's dark
hold!"
Izumi Noa felt crushed in Kunou's embrace. She tried to speak, but couldn't
get the air in her lungs. She was fortunate to have her partner with her.
Kunou felt himself hit the car. Stars sparked before his eyes. He heard a
sharp voice in his ear, "Cool down, pal. You just bought yourself a lot of
trouble. Noa, you okay?"
"Yeah," she gasped.
"Release me, pauper. Dost thou know Who I am?" yelled Kunou.
"Yes. You are Kunou Tatewaki. You are under arrest. You are entitled to
counsel."
"If you know who I am, then you must know of my greatness! I am honor bound
to free my true loves from the evil sorcerer, Saotome Ranma!"
"Yeah, sure. Listen, pal, you made a big mistake attacking my partner. It's
a good thing we were warned you were harmless."
Noa stepped in front of Kunou as he was being led away by her partner,
Shinohara Azuma. "Who do you think I am?"
"You are my true love, my Osage no Onna. When have you worked for the con-
stablary?"
Noa shook her head. "I am not your 'Osage no Onna.' I am Izumi Noa. We are
responding to a complaint about your stalking three individuals."
"I do not 'stalk.' I am pursuing my two loves and the honorless man who
holds them captive with black magic."
"Sure, whatever," replied Azuma as he led Kunou to a waiting car. He
returned to Noa's side as she pulled out a sheathed katana. "Man, was he
serious."
"I'll say. And here I thought Tendou Nabiki was exaggerating."
"Going by the file she gave you," continued a third officer, "he has been
harassing these people for nearly a year."
"What do we do about the driver, Captain?" asked Noa, pointing at Sasuke.
"I don't know. He didn't resist, but..."
"But he was aiding Kunou. Maybe he can tell us where the sister is," replied
Azuma.
***
Nodoka poured herself a cup of hot tea. She couldn't believe how difficult
it was to find her son. She was sure he had left no more than an hour before
her. And if Akane was with him, the two would probably walk slowly.
She couldn't help but read the note over again.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she put the paper away.
Chapter 3
Confrontations
Onna-Ranma sat up, staring at Akane. "Whacha do that for?"
Akane suppressed a giggle. "Because, baka, you won't spar with me unless
you're a girl."
Ranma growled as she rose from the cold stream. "What makes you think I'll
spar with you now?"
Akane froze, staring at her fiancee. "I wanted us to start on equal ground!
I came along to keep you company AND train. You are not skipping out on
this."
"If I train you, it'll be by my rules. And I don't want to do it as a girl!
I hate being a girl."
Akane relaxed her fist. She walked over to her fiancee. Putting her hand on
Ranma's shoulder, she whispered to her, "Is it so bad being a girl?"
"Yes! It's not me. Aw, you wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand! To me, your being a girl part of the time would be
better than being an animal any time."
Ranma looked at her fiancee in wonder. She sat down on a nearby log, staring
into the swirling eddies. "I...I never thought of it that way. I flaunt
this body in front of Ry...in front of the others, but I never thought of
what it was like for them. Every time I change into this body, I feel like a
part of me is dying. I'm always afraid that the next time I become a girl,
it'll be forever.
"When it first happened, that's what I thought. I felt the weight and I
almost lost it. I'm not talking about my temper. I was scared, Akane. More
scared than I ever will be with c-c-cats. That's what happens every time I
change. It's that fear."
"Anything else?"
"I can't describe the feeling. I tingle all over, but its my shrinking and
growing that throw me for a loop. You have no idea what it's like to feel a
part of you disappear, and something else grow in another place. It hurts to
shrink 30cm, to have your hips expand, to have EVERYTHING rebuild itself.
"Even when I'm braced for the change, it hurts. It's not so much a physical
pain, but it hurts just the same. I can see why Pop always stayed a panda.
He probably hurt more than me. Mousse, Shampoo, and...and anyone else, hurt
more than me. But I can't imagine what they go through. _I_ want to be
normal again. I want to be what I was before Jusenkyo."
"What if you can't?"
"I...I don't know. Since the first day, I've wanted cured. When Pop intro-
duced us, being engaged was the furthest thing from my mind. I guess Pop had
a better understanding of this than I did."
Akane put her arms around Ranma's shoulders. "Actually, I think he didn't
understand you. He kept telling us how he would try new techniques on you,
like the Nekoken, without really paying attention to the warnings. I think,
after a few mistakes, he just began to accept things."
"Does that include Ucchan?"
Akane's expression darkened. "When did he engage you to her?"
"When we were about six."
"When did he teach you the Nekoken?"
"When I was about seven."
Akane sighed. "He engaged you before he learned what he did was a mistake.
I'm sorry, Ranma, but I think your father never truly understood what was
wrong until well after what he did, and only then if he was confronted with
it. If Ukyou never showed up, I doubt he would have thought twice about
her."
"I guess you're right. I always had trouble getting information from him
when I needed it most. He would always wait 'til the last minute before
telling me anything. I always hated him for that, but now...now I under-
stand. He just didn't know how to tell me anything."
"I think I understand, too. Not just your father, but you. Thank you,
Ranma, for telling me."
Ranma smiled shyly. "Thanks, Akane. I'm glad you came. I just wish we
could have had the peace to do this earlier."
"Me too."
***
Nodoka heard voices near the stream in front of her. Hoping it was Ranma and
Akane, she stopped to listen. She was pleased to hear Ranko's voice with
Akane's, but what she heard disturbed her. Akane had been calling her cousin
"Ranma."
Nodoka took a deep breath before entering the clearing. She was somewhat
pleased to see Akane and Ranko sitting on a log, comforting each other. She
stepped forward, making her presence know to them.
***
Ukyou and Ryoga heard the voices of the ones they loved. Ryoga clenched his
fist at Ranma's statements about the change. thought Ryoga as he charged into the
clearing.
Ukyou listened to Akane's statements about Genma's mistakes. She felt her
anger return. She followed Ryoga into the clearing.
***
Cologne and Shampoo listened to the talk. Cologne had to use paralysis
points on Shampoo to keep her from instantly glomping onto Ranma. She
watched her great-granddaughters reactions to the statements about the
change. Shampoo's flinching confirmed her thoughts, Ranma was indeed smarter
than he let on. She smiled at his hidden intelligence.
Shampoo flinched at Ranma's description of the change in forms. She also
flinched at his statement of fear. They were all too real for her. Although
she would admit to no one, she held the same fear. Even when Ranma had been
locked in his cursed form, she felt his pain as her own. It saddened her to
know that Ranma could not be hers.
Cologne tapped the back of Shampoo's neck, releasing the young girl from the
paralysis. The two moved forward, when they heard the commotion.
***
Ranma and Akane looked up to see Ranma's mother. Ranma couldn't help her-
self, "Mom? What are you doing here?"
Before the elder Saotome could respond, a gutteral scream was heard, "RANMA!
PREPARE TO DIE!"
They turned to see an enraged Ryoga charging Ranma. They noted Ukyou coming
with her battle spatula drawn. They also spotted Cologne and Shampoo enter-
ing the campsite.
Ranma pushed Akane to the side as Ryoga's umbrella splintered the log between
them. Ranma barely had the time to recover as a new attack was launched.
She had never seen Ryoga this upset before. She kept her mouth shut as she
defended herself.
Akane sat up in time to see Ukyou's attack coming for her. She rolled to the
side as the blade embedded itself into the gravel where her head had been.
She flipped up, positioning herself next to a thick tree.
Cologne held Shampoo back with her cane. She surveyed the activity, hoping
to discern what exactly had happened. Her eyes fell upon Nodoka. She
frowned as she watched the woman stand in the middle of two fights.
Nodoka understood why Ranko had called her mother. She knew the child looked
up to her as a mother. But what confused her was why the boy called Ranko
Ranma. Couldn't he tell the difference between her son and Akane's cousin?
Then there was the girl attacking Akane. She recognized the girl from the
funeral, but couldn't place her name. She did know that the girl had tried
to get close to Ranma. But there was something more.
"Ukyou, why are you doing this?" begged Akane.
"You know why! You're trying to poison Ranchan against me! You're trying to
make him believe I was a mistake. Well you're wrong! You're the mistake.
He loves me, not you! He was engaged to me long before you!"
Akane felt oddly calm as she evaded Ukyou's wild thrusts and slashes. She
had never really seen Ukyou mad before. She remembered her first fight with
Ranma, but even the ten years of hatred paled to this. She had to end this
soon.
Ukyou could barely see Akane through her red haze. She saw movement, but
couldn't tell if it was Akane or Ranma. She tried slashing at her target
again, but was rewarded with a fist in her gut. The air rushed from her
lungs as she leaned forward. A stabbing pain lanced up her arm as she
dropped the spatula. She saw her world go grey as she felt the impact at the
base of her skull.
Ryoga struck wildly at Ranma. It was all she could do to stay on the defen-
sive. Too many people were in the area to effectively fight. She tried to
find out what set him off this time, "What'd I do now?"
"You send me through Hell and you have to ask me what you did?"
"You say that every time we fight. How am I supposed to remember what I did
or didn't do?"
"You claimed not to relate to how I felt with the change, but you described
it perfectly! It's your damn fault for my curse anyway! I'll make you pay."
"Are you sure you want to reveal your curse now? Akane's here."
"Damn you, Ranma!"
Ryoga gave up using his umbrella. It was too cumbersome for the arena he was
in. He, instead, took his bandannas. He twirled them around, advancing on
Ranma.
Ranma watched as Ryoga twirled his weapons. She couldn't rush in because of
how fast he was using them, but she couldn't stand still either. Her choice
was taken from her as he sent his bandannas flying.
She leapt up to meet the first bandanna. It sliced into her forearm. She
missed the other two as they flew behind her. She barely heard the grunt of
pain from behind her.
Nodoka saw Ranko jump into the air to intercept the three bandannas. She saw
the young girl stiffen with the impact. In a fluid motion, she whipped her
katana about, slicing the first bandanna. The second cut her upper arm
deeply. The pain caused her to grunt involuntarily.
Ranma turned to see who had been injured. She stiffened when she saw her
mother's bleeding arm. Hardening her resolve, she turned to face the advan-
cing Ryoga.
"You hurt my mother!"
Ryoga felt the air rush from his lungs as he watched the red and black blur
before him. His ears began ringing as fists and feet asailed his face and
head. He gathered himself, but collapsed as a knee found his nose.
Ranma didn't notice Ryoga collapse. She only saw her target open before her.
Her fists continued pounding into the boy's bloodied face. Her tears merged
with his blood as she pounded the hapless boy. Suddenly, she stopped moving
and collapsed.
Chapter 4
Resolutions
Onna-Ranma sat up slowly. She was grateful for the warm fire. She focused
her eyes on the person holding her.
"Mom? How's your arm? Did Ryoga hurt you too much?"
Nodoka smiled. "I'm fine, Dear. I should ask you if you're all right. That
was a nasty cut on your arm."
"I'm fine. Um, where is everybody?"
Nodoka looked into the fire before answering. "Akane's helping the Amazons
with the couple who attacked you. The woman gave her word that Akane would
be unharmed. As a token, she handed me her cane."
Ranma stiffened. "Like that would stop the Old Ghoul."
"Why do you call her that?"
"She's nothing but trouble. The first time I met her, she hurt me in a way I
haven't gotten over. She scares me. That's why I asked you to sign those
papers after Pop..."
"Ranko, why are you talking as if you're Ranma?"
Ranma froze. She knew she was a girl at the moment, but hadn't realized she
was talking the way she did. She sighed as she turned away from her mother.
"Because I am Ranma. I wanted to tell you from the start, but Pop wouldn't
let me.
"We, the Tendous and me, were finally able to get out of him that we made a
promise to you about my becoming a 'man among men.' Because of that promise,
I've had to hide as Ranko.
"I...I left to find a cure. I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I'm sorry,
Mom. I'd like to say goodbye to Akane, before I leave."
Ranma turned to see her mother's tear streaked face. Wordlessly, Nodoka em-
braced Ranma in a fierce hug. Slowly, Ranma returned the hug.
"So that's what your talk was about. I was confused by the mention of
changing. H-how does it work?"
Ranma broke the embrace. "How does what work?"
"Your curse. The problem that has kept us apart even longer than should have
been necessary."
"You believe me?"
"That woman's comments, 'I see the resemblence. You should be honored by
your child's courage and strength.' It wasn't until I got a good, long look
at you that I saw what she was talking about. I wanted to talk to 'Ranko'
anyway. So, how does this change work?"
"Cold water turns me into Ranko while hot water changes me back. What about
the promise?"
"I burned it the day of the funeral. Here's some water," replied Nodoka as
she handed the warm kettle to Ranma.
She poured it over herself, returning to normal. Nodoka gasped at the trans-
formation. She hesitantly put her hand on Ranma's face. "My handsome son.
No wonder you have so many waomen chasing you."
Ranma cringed slightly. Nodoka shook her head. "I see we have a lot of
serious catching up to do. Let's start with the boy who attacked you."
***
Akane sat at the campfire with Cologne and Shampoo. She watched Ryoga's easy
breathing. Ukyou had recovered and was sitting across from Akane, glaring at
her rival.
"Why aren't we with Ranchan?" she asked as she ate her meal.
"Because Son-in-law and his mother have much to catch up on. It is time that
they knew peace."
"Why do you still call Ranma your son-in-law? You have the restraining
order," asked Akane calmly.
Cologne smiled, "I have not heard from Son-in-law that this is truly his de-
sire. Out of respect for his loss, and his reunion, I will not interfere or
press the issue. What will you do with Ryoga?"
Akane looked at the lost boy. "We'll wait until he comes around. I need to
talk to him about his fighting with Ranma. It has to end."
"Why don't you and your boyfriend go off together, and leave Ranchan with me?
I can take care of him better than..."
"That will be enough, Child. Until Son-in-law returns, with his mother, or
she returns with his head, he is not a trophy."
"Great-grandmother? Why would mother-in-law kill husband?"
"Honor."
Ukyou stood, heading for Ranma's camp. "I will not let her hurt Ranchan."
"Then leave them in peace, Kuonji Ukyou."
The group turned to see two police officers enter camp. The female had a
striking resemblence to Onna-Ranma and Nodoka. She deftly sat next to Akane.
Her partner sat next to Ukyou.
"How do you know my name?"
"You were at my uncle's funeral. Besides, Tendou Nabiki gave me a list of
all of Ranma's known fiancees and rivals. We've arrested one Kunou Tatewaki.
He was armed. Not to mention groping me."
Azuma's eyes flared at that statement. He looked at Cologne for a second.
"We could arrest you and your great-granddaughter for violating that court
order."
Cologne nodded as Noa continued, "But since you're not actually threatening
Akane, we'll let this slide."
Cologne smiled. "It is often difficult to tell how close you are to a person
when in a thick forest, such as this."
The group turned at the noise from the woods. Akane smiled when she saw
Ranma and Nodoka enter the camp. Ranma appeared relaxed, almost happy.
"Welcome, Son-in-law. Please, join us for dinner."
"This ain't drugged is it?"
"How can Ranma think that?" protested Shampoo as she glomped onto Ranma.
Nodoka forcefully dislodged the girl from her son. "I beleive there was an
agreement."
"And it still stands. Shampoo, you will abide by our agreements. Ranma is,
for better or worse, his own man tonight. I would be greatly disappointed in
him if he did not choose correctly."
Ranma frowned. He looked at Akane's controled face. He saw his cousin and
her partner tense up. "What do you want, Cologne?"
The ancient Amazon arched her eybrow at the question. "This document," she
replied, showing him the court order, "is it true?"
He looked at it carefully. "Yes. I had that drawn up with Nabiki's help. I
told her that it was to be signed by those of us who would be affected most
by your laws."
"I see. So you are ignoring our laws, forcing Shampoo to return home in dis-
grace?"
"I am finally doing something to fix my life. It was something I couldn't
really do with Pop alive."
"Why Ranma do this? Shampoo make good Amazon wife."
"But I want a wife I can love, not someone I'm forced to marry because of
some law or a promise my father made. I want to marry the woman I love."
"Oh Ranchan! Does that mean we'll finally be together?"
Ranma blinked at the question. "Ucchan, you are my best friend. What Pop
and I did was wrong. I really didn't know we were engaged until you showed
up at school. I-I just couldn't hurt my best friend again. I'm sorry."
Ukyou stared at Ranma. She then looked at Nodoka's pained expression. She
gripped the handle of her combat spatula, her knuckles were turning white.
"You mean to tell me I spent the last eight months chasing you, and you
didn't love me? After all I've given up for you?"
"I thought you knew how I felt about you. How could you not? That first
time you set Pig-boy up with Akane, I paid more attention to her than to you.
When I went to you, I needed help. It was usually something I couldn't bring
myself to talk to Akane about."
"So you used me, again. Whenever YOU needed something, you came to me. It
didn't matter _I_ needed your love. Well I've got news for you, pal, I'm not
giving up on you. Whether you want me or not, I am your fiancee!"
"I see. Tomorrow, Mom and I are leaving to look for a cure. When we return,
I'm going to clear up as many problems as I can. I hope you will not be one
of them."
"There is a problem, Ranma," interjected Cologne. "If we abide by your laws
here, you must abide by ours in China. We will leave you in peace, so long
as you do not enter China. If you do, you will be Shampoo's husband and any
woman claiming to be your wife will be killed."
"YOU CAN'T!" cried Noa. "That's terrible. Why would you kill Ranma's future
wife?"
Cologne looked at Noa. "It is the law of the Amazons. Should a male out-
sider defeat a warrior in combat, she must bring him into the tribe as her
husband. All obstacles to that marriage are to be eliminated. Amazon mar-
riages are for life, and false wives must be removed.
"Since we are in Japan, our laws are toothless. It is with great reluctance
that I must force Shampoo to return home without a husband. If Ranma swears
not to come to China, we will claim he had died before Shampoo could fulfill
her duty within the laws of both of our nations. Do you agree, Ranma?"
"That means I can't get cured, can I?"
Cologne smiled knowingly. "Not unless you marry Shampoo."
Nodoka put her hands on Ranma's arms. "I would rather Ranma become my
daughter than see him trapped in a loveless marriage. I will not have him
repeat the mistakes Genma and I made."
"I swear to you, in front of everyone here, I will not go to China unless I
am willing to accept Shampoo as my bride or until she has passed on, which
ever is first."
"What you say? You no let Violent Tomboy or Mother tell you what to do,"
shrieked Shampoo.
"I made this choice on my own. I still want you to be my friend, but I will
not have you hurt my future wife."
"And who is your future wife?" asked Ukyou coldly.
Ranma looked nervously at Akane. "I haven't asked her yet. I didn't get a
chance when everyone came into our camp. When I do ask, I want everything to
be perfect."
"Why not ask her now?" asked Akane, barely containing her joy.
"Because...because there's one more thing I need to do before I can do that.
I need to talk to Ryoga, alone."
"Talk to me? Why should I talk to you? You've made my life Hell, Ranma."
"We can either talk or I have my cousin take you away for attacking and
hurting Mom."
"Do you think I'm a fool? I haven't hurt your mother."
"Auntie, did he hurt you?"
"He did cut my arm pretty deep with his metal bandanna."
Noa stood up, moving to Ryoga. "You have a choice, talk to Ranma, or be lead
away in handcuffs."
Ryoga looked at the angry woman before him. He had a hard time getting past
how much she looked like Ranma's female side. He tensed, debating on whether
he should accept either choice. He relaxed, knowing that Akane would not
like it if he fought everyone. He also didn't feel well.
"All right, Ranma, we'll talk. But if I don't like what you have to say..."
Ranma sighed. "You never do, Ryoga. We need to settle a few things before
they get any worse."
The two men walked a short distance from camp. When they entered a small
clearing, Ranma motioned for Ryoga to sit. When the Lost Boy complied, Ranma
sat across from him.
"Why did you attack?"
"Because you put me through Hell. You told Akane you couldn't imagine what
it's like for me, but you told her EXACTLY what it's like. You lied to her
again!"
"I didn't know. I never gave it any thought. I hate being a girl, but you
seem to enjoy being a pig. Shampoo and Mousse never seem to be bothered by
their changes. I...I just assumed the curse worked differently for you."
"Hmph!"
"I didn't want to talk to you about this. Well...not like this, anyway. Mom
told me P-Chan attacked her earlier today. I don't care if you attack me,
but don't EVER hurt Mom again.
"This ends tonight, Ryoga. When you attacked me, you almost hurt Akane. You
hurt Mom. As of now, you're on your own with hiding your curse. Hurt Akane
or Mom, it's the same as if you attack me. Only now, I can have you
stopped."
"How? You're a coward who can't fight fairly."
Ranma shook his head. "That lady cop, she's my cousin. All I have to do is
tell her what I told the lawyers about Cologne and Shampoo: he's threatened
my life on more than one occasion, can you arrest him?"
"Just like you, having others fight for you," growled Ryoga.
Ranma sighed. "Look, man, I never meant to curse you. I was willing to wait
for several days, but Pop drug me to China. I...I want to start over.
"Pop's gone. The only family I got is Mom and the Tendous. I don't know Mom
too well, but I can't if all you try to do is kill me. I hurt you the other
day, when you made that crack about Pop.
"If you try to hurt my family, I may do more than hurt you. I don't want to,
but with everything that's happened, I might. Please, Ryoga, let the past be
buried with Pop. Let's start over, as friends."
Ryoga looked at Ranma's pleading face. "You're right, Ranma, it ends now."
***
Ranma, bruised and battered, drug Ryoga's unconscious form back to Cologne's
camp. Everyone stared at him as he dropped the boy next to the fire.
"I can't believe him. I always thought of him as s friend," muttered Ranma.
"Ranma?" asked Noa, Akane, and Nodoka at the same time.
"I didn't start it. I wanted the fights to end, Akane. I told him every-
thing. When I asked to start over, as friends, he attacked me."
"Ranma..." growled Akane.
"He attacked Mom! If he was willing to do that, why wouldn't he attack me?"
"But son, he didn't attack me, exactly."
Ukyou tensed, knowing what Ranma was about to do. She smiled slightly,
knowing it would cause Akane to break the engagement. She relaxed, waiting
for the inevitable.
Ranma took a glass of cool water. He looked at Akane. "Akane, I'm sorry
I've kept this from you, but I promised Ryoga I'd never tell you. When he
attacked me, he released me from that promise."
Ranma poured the water over Ryoga. Angry squeals were heard as P-chan shook
himself dry. Seeing Akane's wide, shocked eyes, he attacked Ranma.
Ranma effortlessly caught the piglet, making sure he wasn't bitten. He
watched Akane's reaction. He sighed as she started to glow blue.
Nodoka put her hand on Akane's shoulder. She looked at her son. "Why?"
"He followed me to China because he was four days late to a challenge. He
happened to be at Jusenkyo the day I got cursed. I knocked him off a cliff
chasing after Pop."
Akane's aura flickered out. She looked into Ranma's sad eyes. "And you kept
this from me?"
"The night I found out was the night you adopted P-Chan as a pet. Just
before that, he made me promise not to tell you. I felt guilty about
knocking him into the springs, so I didn't think anything about it. That is,
not until he started using his curse as an excuse to sleep with you."
Ukyou watched in disbelief as Akane moved to Ranma's side. She cried inward-
ly as Akane took P-chan from Ranma. Akane placed the piglet in Noa's waiting
hands.
"I don't want to see this pig again. When Ryoga mentioned changing, I got to
thinking about what his curse was. I didn't realize it was P-chan until
Ranma started talking."
"I understand," replied Noa. "What are you going to do now?"
"Ranma's definitely not the pervert I thought he was. Ranma, I'm sorry for
blaming you. I-I guess your father made it so easy to blame you."
"Yeah. He made it easy for people to blame me. 'Didn't you know, Son? This
is your fiancee, Kaori.'"
"'When you were young, I asked which you liked more: okonomiyaki or Ukyou,'"
recited Akane.
"ENOUGH!!" screamed Ukyou. "I will not be treated as a mistake. We're en-
gaged. You have my dowry."
"Genma took your dowry?" asked Nodoka.
"Hai. It was my father's yattai."
"Mom, I didn't..."
"Quiet, Ranma. Akane, what do you know about your engagement to my son?"
Akane sighed, "When I was told, Dad said it was a promise made between him
and his old friend, Genma."
Nodoka sat down on the log. She looked between her son, Akane, and Ukyou.
Her head shook sadly. "Why, Dearest, did you do this to the children?"
"Mom?"
Nodoka looked at her son. "Ranma, Akane, the marriage agreement was not just
between Genma and Soun, it was also between Keiko and myself. While the men
made it between any daughter, Keiko and I made it betwen you two specificly.
We felt that the closer in age you were, the more in common you would have.
"Had Keiko not died and Genma not taken Ranma on this trip, none of this
would have happened. Ukyou, I cannot express my regret enough for what you
have lost. I wish I could do something to restore your honor."
"Let me marry Ranchan."
Nodoka sighed. "Ranma, you must be honest with yourself and everyone here.
Who do you want to marry?"
Ranma looked at his mother, then his two fiancees. He moved to the bucket of
cool water. "Ukyou, IF I married you, what would you do if someone else
came, claiming to be my fiancee?"
Ukyou smiled, "That won't happen. Once we're married, and running my res-
taurant and your dojo, no one will come."
Ranma turned his attention to Akane. "What about you, Akane? What would you
do if someone else came, claiming to be my fiancee?"
Akane kicked the dirty around slightly. "Aside from bashing you in the head
for being a pervert?"
Ranma winced and nodded. "Find out what Genma promised you for, what he
took, and what they would be willing to accept as compensation. If they re-
fused compensation, I'm sure our lawyer would be able to persuade them.
Maybe Nabiki could set up some funds to cover such an emergency."
Akane's face brightened, "Then I'd have to show you all the reasons not to
leave me."
Cologne smiled at Ranma and Akane.
Ranma stared at Akane's smiling face. He couldn't help but smile. He shook
himself as he tipped the bucket over himself. The change washed over her.
She waited a few seconds before speaking, "Ukyou, what do you think of this
body?"
Ukyou blinked at the question. "What do you mean?"
"What do you think of this body?"
"I never really thought about it. I suppose, after we're married, I'd have
to keep water for you to change. It'd be awkward going to the beach, but I
wouldn't have time to swim, anyway. That, and I'm a boy in my father's
eyes."
"Akane?"
Akane's face burned. "You make me jealous. If I hadn't met your mother, I
would have sworn you weren't...natural. If it comes down to it, certain ad-
justments would have to be made. I-I guess I'm more of a tomboy than I
thought."
Cologne began laughing. Her rasps drew everyone's attention. She calmed
down under the group's scrutiny. "Well done, Son. Well done. Before we
leave for China, there are a few things I must check on. If what I think is
true, I will need to contact you. Perhaps through your cousin?"
"Um, yeah, I guess," stammered Ranma. "What do you need to check on?"
Cologne again chuckled, "There are somethings concerning marriages that I
need to check on. Don't worry, I'm not going to kidnap you. You are, after
all, a grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts."
Ukyou fumed. She stared daggers into Cologne and Akane. "I will not give up
on Ranma."
"It'd be a shame to arrest you," commented Azuma. "Hey, Ranma, do you have
any more questions?"
Ranma looked around the camp. He sighed, "Yeah, but this ain't the time. I
have some thinking to do."
"Don't take too long, Son," replied Nodoka. "Kuonji-san, I wish to speak
with you privately."
Ukyou brightened. "Of course, Saotome-san."
Epilogue
The crowds gathered at the cafeteria doors, waiting to see the newlyweds.
Rumors had been spreading about the couple. Several of the more observant
students noted that Kunou and Ukyou were no longer in school.
Nabiki stood in the corner, watching with a detached calm as the students
flocked in. A few stopped at her table. Here associates were handing out
numbers and packets for a small fee.
"Um, Tendou-sama, what has happened to Ranma's friends?" asked a student.
Nabiki looked at him with a bored expression. "As far as I can tell,
Hiroshi and Daisuke are Ranma's only friends."
"What about Ukyou, the Amazon, and the lost dude?" asked another.
"The Amazons returned home. Shampoo wanted to stay by Ranma's side, but
the Hag said and did something that changed her mind.
"Ryoga, the lost boy, has been removed from our lives. He shouldn't be
causing Ranma problems anytime soon. As for Ukyou," a trace of sadness
crossed Nabiki's face, "She will never bother Ranma again."
"It's been awfully quiet, lately. Where's Kunou?"
Nabiki smiled, "Our beloved 'sempai' is in jail. It turns out that he
attacked a female police officer, thinking she was his beloved 'Osage no
Onna.'"
"What was the ceremony like?"
"I don't know. I wasn't invited."
***
Ranma and Akane sat quietly, eating their lunches in a near mechanical
nature. Their first day back in just over a month, and they were ready to
leave again.
Akane spoke quietly, "Ranma?"
"Hmm?"
"When this term is over, let's go on a training trip. You, me, your mother.
The three of us need to get away."
"Won't it be kinda awkward with Mom coming?"
Akane smiled, "I would rather have her as a companion than your father. At
least she knows when to leave us alone."
"Yeah. Sure. I've stayed here too long, anyway."
Akane sighed, a small tear hinted at leaving her eye. "Too many memories.
I-I hope we can call this our home, someday."
Ranma nodded. "Someday, Akane. When we forget all of the blood, we'll call
this home."
***
Nodoka, Noa, and Azuma knelt before the alter. Two pictures adorned the
small shelf. Inscense burned slowly, calming Nodoka's nerves.
The End(?)
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