Akari felt out of place as she woke up. The most obvious reason being that she was in the Tendo guestroom. She yawned and headed downstairs to the furo. This early in the morning the Tendo house was almost completely silent. There was only the sound of someone in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. She looked briefly in that direction before entering the furo and performing her morning toilet. After finishing she calmly walked to the kitchen to see if Kasumi needed any help. She was surprised to find that it wasn't Kasumi in the kitchen. "Ranma?" she said in surprise. The redhead, dressed in a thick sweater, turned to face her and seemed a little nervous. "Where's Kasumi?" "Probably still asleep," she answered. Ranma hesitantly returned to cutting the vegetables in front of her, but kept an eye on Akari as she did so. Akari shuffled awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable around Ranma. "I've been cookin' breakfast." "Oh," Akari said, surprised. She watched Ranma for a little bit longer. "Do you need anything?" Ranma asked finally. "No, no," Akari said. "I was just surprised, that's all." A lot of things about Ranma surprised her actually. She had promised Kasumi not to talk to Ranma about some of her opinions, but that didn't mean she couldn't think about them. "I thought you usually sparred with your father in the morning," Akari said. Ranma's knife slipped and she turned toward Akari with a stricken face. "Why don't you go wait for breakfast," Ranma suggested quietly. Akari was confused at the amount of pain in that response. "Are you okay?" Akari asked approaching cautiously. "I'm fine," Ranma said tightly turning back to her cooking. "I did not mean to upset you," Akari said. "I know you must be feeling very overwhelmed after..." The knife came point down into the cutting board. "Just go an' let me finish, got it?" Ranma snapped staring down at the counter, back to Akari. "Okay," Akari said hesitantly, watching Ranma closely for a moment. "If you need anything..." She let her voice trail off as she left to check on Katsunishiki. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, Good morning, Akari," Kasumi said as she saw the girl sitting outside next to her pig. "Good morning," Akari said, she glanced uncertainly at the kitchen. "Ranma is cooking, I believe she should be finishing fairly soon." "Thank you," Kasumi said politely. "Ranma usually finishes about this time. In the next few moments, actually..." She looked back as Akane stepped out of the hallway a moment later and offered both of them a good morning, before going on to join Ranma in the kitchen. "Yes, we'll be having breakfast fairly soon. Would you like to come inside?" "Of course," Akari said, standing up. She looked around momentarily and then stepped up beside Kasumi. "Where is your father? I would like to thank him for the hospitality." Kasumi's face tightened somewhat. "Father and the Saotome's are out of town for the moment," Kasumi said. "Oh," Akari said, slightly curious as to why Kasumi felt uncomfortable answering that. She swept the concern aside, however, as Akane started setting the table for breakfast. She looked around, noticing a certain lack in the area. "Where's Ryouga?" "Hmmm," Kasumi said. "He's usually up by now." "He probably got lost again," Akane said as she brought in some of the food. Akari nodded at that, finding it likely. "And Nabiki?" she asked. "I'll wake her up in a moment," Akane said. "She's not a morning person by nature." "I guess when she gets here, we'll be ready to eat then," Ranma said. Akari blinked and looked to the redhead, surprised. She hadn't noticed Ranma enter the room, and she thought she had been paying attention. "Is that everything then?" Akane asked. Ranma nodded as she set down her load and then permitted herself to be hugged warmly by Akane. Akari watched her first tense up and then relax more than she had yet seen Ranma do. Then Akane kissed the back of Ranma's head and gently released the girl as she headed for the stairs. Akari was somewhat confused as to how she should view that small exchange, but Ranma's visibly brightened face convinced her that it was a good thing in some regard. She looked from where Akane was leaving, back to Ranma, but stopped as she caught sight of Kasumi's watchful face. "How long are you going to be staying?" Kasumi asked her. "Oh, I'll be going home today," Akari said. "Grandfather can't run the farm alone for very long now, so I can't stay." "Yeah, well thanks for gettin' Ryouga here," Ranma said "It is the least I can do," Akari said smiling brightly. "Nabiki really 'preciated it," Ranma finished, not noticing Akari's smile fade slightly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Breakfast is ready, Nabiki," Akane called through the door, knocking lightly. "I'll see you down there I guess." Nabiki stirred a little at the sound and shifted, jarring her shoulder slightly and bringing a small amount of pain that woke her up further. Then she froze, realizing that she was not alone in the room. That, in fact, she was currently sitting on top of someone. She drew in a sharp breath, fully intending on crying out. "It's just me," a voice said quickly, almost desperately. The panic in the voice was enough to cause her to hesitate and look to see who was with her. "'Youga?" she said. She stood up away from him quickly, looking angry. "What are...wait," she sighed. "Never mind, I remember." She glanced at the box of trophies and shivered a little. "Akane just said breakfast is ready," Ryouga said. Nabiki nodded. "Sounds good," Nabiki said. She walked to the door and paused to look at Ryouga. "Are you coming, or do you want to breakfast in Portugal or somewhere else?" She smirked lightly. "Huh?" Ryouga started then nodded, standing up. "Right, sorry." "And Ryouga," Nabiki said. "Yeah," Ryouga hesitated, nervous about what she was going to say. "Thanks," she said hesitantly, then walked out the door. Ryouga blinked a moment in relief and surprise, then followed her quickly, hoping not to lose sight of her. The fact that Ryouga and Nabiki appeared at about the same time was not lost to anyone. Akari politely voiced the thoughts of the table before anybody else could. "Oh, Ryouga-kun," Akari said. "I was just wondering where you were." "Yes," Kasumi agreed. "Where were you." "He was in my room," Nabiki said before Ryouga or anyone else could say anything. "I was...nervous, he stayed to keep me company and fell asleep on the floor, I guess." She left out the fact that she had fallen asleep on top of him. "Oh, that was nice of you, Ryouga-kun," Akari said. "I see," Kasumi said and then dropped the subject. "Do you have any plans for today? I'm certain we could all use a little relaxation." "I'm returning to my family's farm," Akari said. "Are you fine traveling on your own?" Akane asked. Akari blinked, somewhat surprised. "I have Katsunishiki to protect me," Akari affirmed, glancing at Ryouga nonetheless. "We could walk you out there," Ranma suggested, noticing the look and interpreting it as an unspoken request for a guard. She was correct, it just wasn't quite the whole situation. "It can't be that far out there." "That's fine," Akari said quickly. "If yer certain," Ranma said. "I can take care of myself, Ranma-san," Akari said. Ranma shrugged and turned back to her food, ready to drop it. "Oh! Not that you can't..." Ranma's chopsticks snapped in her hands. Nabiki froze and stared at the girl. "I mean..." "Akari," Kasumi said firmly but politely. "I think you should drop the subject." "But, I didn't mean to..." Akari started. "Just drop it," Akane said sharply. "I gotta get another pair of chopsticks," Ranma said, standing up. Turning to Akari he waved off her further attempts at apology. "I've put my foot in my mouth enough times." She glanced to Nabiki as she said that. "Need anything?" "No," Nabiki said coldly, glaring at Akari. The farm girl noticed and realized that she had made a second mistake in forgetting about Nabiki in her haste to apologize to Ranma for a mistake only she seemed to notice. Nabiki may have understood just as well that no insult was intended by the comment. That still left the fact that Akari had forgotten to consider her presence. That was an insult she was damn certain that she'd get an apology for. "I apologize," she said, bowing her head sincerely. Nabiki nodded and returned to her own breakfast. Akari would have said something else, but was warned off by a look from Kasumi. "Does anybody else have any plans today?" Kasumi asked to change the subject. She turned to Nabiki. "Nabiki?" "I've got some business to attend to," Nabiki said. After a short pause it was obvious she wasn't going to say any more on the issue at least not at the moment. Ranma sat down next to Akane as Ryouga broke the silence. "I'll help if I can," Ryouga said. Nabiki smiled fondly at the comment. "Thanks," she said. "I'd like that." Akari blinked and slumped a little. "I'm gonna see if Kodachi wants to do anything," Ranma said, she looked to Akane. It was something of a surprise that Ranma was actually suggesting doing something. "She can't be feeling very good either." "Yeah sounds good," Akane said after a moment. "Ukyou too, I think she and Konatsu could use a break." "She'd never be able to put Ucchan's down for two days," Ranma said. "But I guess we can ask." Kasumi smiled as the conversation slowly drifted away from depressing subjects and moved towards more mundane things. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Can I speak to Detective Kanzo, please," Nabiki asked politely of the desk sergeant. Ryouga stood behind her gingerly holding her box of trophies. "I'll see if he's in," the woman said with the sort of put upon politeness men and women in her position tended to adopt after a while. Whatever comments she had about the civilians treating her like a receptionist were carefully and effectively killed and buried before reaching her mouth. "Please take a seat." "Thank you," Nabiki said, backing off to sit down. "What did you want to bring the box for?" Ryouga asked. He had been somewhat surprised when they stopped in front of the police station. After thinking about it for a moment, however, it made clear sense. "It should be..." she paused and took a breath. "I want to get rid of it." "Oh, right," Ryouga said. He might have seen the same barrage of images that Nabiki had last night, but he did see the effect the memories had on her as she fiddled with the items in the box. "Keep it around much longer and you might go into fits," Nabiki said, smirking. Ryouga shuffled nervously, but didn't say anything about it. If Nabiki wanted to say this was for his benefit, she was welcome to, even if it was a rather thin story. Especially for her. "Tendo-san," Kanzo said cheerfully as he appeared. "This is a pleasant surprise." Nabiki and Ryouga stood up as he approached. "It's not really going to be pleasant," Nabiki said slowly. "How so," Kanzo asked, turning serious. "I need to talk about something that happened, to me," Nabiki explained. "About a year ago. If you read about the school hearing yesterday..." She let the sentence trail off, but the detective nodded solemnly. "Let's talk about this at my desk," he said. She nodded and turned back to Ryouga. "This is everything I guess," she said, before turning to follow the policeman. Nabiki was surprised to feel a hesitant, but comforting grip on her good shoulder and turned back to see Ryouga looking like he might be about to get burned. Before he could pull his hand back, she had reached up to take it in her own, and smiled. "Thanks," she said, and then followed Kanzo, leading Ryouga along by the hand. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ucchan's was uncharacteristically closed. Which wasn't entirely odd, considering Ukyou closed in the mornings most of the time in order to attend school. But it was odd considering that there was no school to attend at the moment. The potential customers weren't the only ones to be confused by the oddity. Konatsu was concerned as he looked at Ukyou sitting in one of the chairs and staring at the door. He sat down across from her and waited for her to say something. "I'm having trouble sleeping," Ukyou said. Konatsu nodded, he knew that. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Ukyou-san?" Konatsu asked. Ukyou smirked and laughed once morosely. "What did you have in mind, Konatsu?" she asked. The male kunoichi blushed brightly as he understood the gist. "Just perhaps you would like some nice calming tea or something like that?" he rambled, getting a decent hold of his nerve again. "I've tried that Konatsu," she said, amusement fading. "And I don't want to try anything too powerful. I might get used to it, you know." Konatsu nodded in understanding. "So what is wrong, Ukyou-san?" he asked. "Mice," Ukyou said, holding up a small white mouse as she spoke. "Every time I try to go to sleep I hear mice and I think of that...that...bastard. And its bad for business too." "Oh," Konatsu said. They were quite for several more seconds. "I'll call the exterminator." "Konatsu," Ukyou said smiling slightly and looking up. "I'm a murderer aren't I?" Konatsu blinked, uncertain how to answer that. On the one hand, she was finally facing up to actions completely. On the other, he didn't want to hurt her if he didn't have to. "You did what needed to be done," Konatsu said. "By the old code you were perfectly within your rights, Ukyou-san. An eye for an eye as the Westerners would say. And you did not kill Kuno. You merely made it very likely that he would die." "And Mousse?" Ukyou asked. That was her first real kill, she could almost have waved aside what she did to Kuno if she hadn't seen what she had done to Mousse. "He was going to do something terrible to Nabiki-san," Konatsu said. "He had already hurt her badly. You didn't have time to get any water. He may have heard you if you tried anyway. Mousse WAS better than you are Ukyou-san." "If you really don't think I'm murderer, Konatsu," she said, turning to look at him. "Why did you stop calling me 'Ukyou-sama'?" "I don't know, Ukyou-san," Konatsu said. "But it is not because I think you did anything evil or dishonorable. I think you're upset over things, and I am worried about you. I do not disapprove of you. Not really." "Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ukyou said sourly. "Perhaps you should take the day off, Ukyou-san," Konatsu suggested. "I'll call an exterminator and we can close down for today." "Yeah," Ukyou said. "I think I should." There was a rapping on the door. Ukyou looked up to see Ranma and Akane at the door, looking in. She stood up and put on a carefree face to walk over and let them in. "We were going to ask if you two wanted to take a break today?" Akane said. "Well, I have to stay to handle some business," Konatsu said. "But Ukyou-san is free." He smiled and turned to give his employer an encouraging look. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Akari dropped down off the shoulder of Katsunishiki and looked around at her farm. She was home again. Alone, aside from the sumo pig. She sighed and patted her oversized pet. "Let's tell grandfather that we're home now," she said, trying to sound cheerful. Ryouga had barely paid her any attention at all, but that had to be because the situation was so fresh. Certainly after a little while he'd think of her, it wouldn't be too long. Akari sighed again and her shoulders slumped, wondering if there was anything she could do that wouldn't make her like one of Ranma's admirerers. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "In the local news today," the reporter was saying. "Furinkan High School will be re-starting classes tomorrow with a new acting Principal. The students and many teachers walked out when accusations were made that the former principal was using unsafe administrative practices." "The man in question has been turned over to the American authorities for crimes committed in that country..." Dr. Tofu switched off the radio and wondered if perhaps that this had something to do with Ranma's situation. There were no names, no specific accusations made. It was all very general. Ranma's gynecologist had told him was that Ranma had suffered a miscarriage. That still left a lot of questions unanswered. A lot of questions that he should speak to Ranma about. It was too late right now, he'd have to wait for tomorrow. Or maybe later, this was probably something he'd have to approach delicately. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Do you think Isobe-sensei is going to have the test today?" a girl asked as she walked through the halls. "The school’s been closed for more than a week," her companion said exasperatedly. "Didn’t you study at all?" "With everything else going on," the first said. "I couldn’t concentrate on schoolwork." She sighed expressively. "Yeah," her friend said. "You were so concerned you hid in the theatre the whole time." "Well, I don’t think he should give the test," she continued walking off. "It’s the first day back after all..." A pair of boys passed by going the other direction. "Damn, we’re going to get stomped this year," one of them was saying. "Hey, the girls’ teams are still altogether," his friend said. "Right," the first said. "That’s just great, we’re going to get a reputation for being a lot of wimps and tomboys. That’s just wonderful." "There are more people on the baseball team than just those guys you know," his friend said. "It’s not just the baseball team," the first said. "There’s the kendo team, and of course Ranma’s out, except maybe the girl’s swim team." "You don’t think she’s going out in a swimsuit, do you?" his friend asked. "See! Athletically, we’re screwed," the boy sighed. Another group of students passed by them chattering as well. "I don't want to know what this will mean for my college applications," this new student was saying. "Why should it have anything to do with us?" "Do you think putting 'Furinkan' high on our applications is going to get us in? This school is an embarrassment to the whole nation." "I think you're blowing everything out of proportion, but what can you do about it anyway?" "I can transfer, that's what. I can transfer to a school that won't get me sentenced to community college." The roving conversations turned mostly silent as Ranma walked by with Akane. The talk, that had been roaming over many subjects while skirting over the edges of actually talking about what happened, became a string of looks. Some of the other students still seemed to doubt the veracity of what they had heard, but others gave Ranma some decidedly uncomfortable looks. It was as if they were seeing something that repulsed and horrified them, and at the same time they couldn't take their eyes away. She had gotten similar looks when people learned about her curse, but this was different. This was much worse, much more pronounced. At least that was how it seemed to Ranma. Maybe it wasn't so much different as it had been before, but the looks had gone away a few days after the curse was discovered. People got used to her being like that, and mostly accepted it. This time, the pitying, awkward looks weren't going away. "Is everybody ready to begin," the teacher asked as the class collected. "Nobody has any concerns they wish to air?" The teacher glanced around the room and waited for an answer. "Well then, you're all prepared for today's class? Saotome-san, Saotome RANMA, perhaps you can tell us the answer to the first question on the assignment?" Ranma grimaced as the attention was again focused on her. Their math teacher hadn't taken part in the hearing on either side, but it wasn't as if he appreciated the interruption in his schedule. In her own chair, Akane frowned and tapped her fingers. "It's 42," Ranma answered. The teacher blinked and checked his answers. "And how did you come to that answer?" the teacher asked. Ranma fidgeted in her seat for a moment. The teacher nodded and looked to Akane. "Saotome Akane, giving your spouse the answers does not..." He was stopped when Ranma proceeded to explain the proper process to get the answer. "That is correct, Saotome-san," the teacher sounded perplexed. "It seems you've finally decided to apply that thing that sits between your ears for something other than a spaceholder." Kano-san had a tendency to be harsh, and the left-handed compliment brought a wince from Ranma. "It keeps me busy," Ranma muttered. Without the fights that used to follow her constantly she'd had a lot more free time, even taking into account her normal training regimen. The cooking, housework and her homework had helped fill in that gaps. Though with the fact that Ranma still fell asleep in class, and tried to avoid attention, it was probably not apparent. "Well, can anyone answer the next question?" the teacher asked. "Or is the jock the only one prepared after nearly two weeks free time?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, good morning...Chief." Nabiki turned to one of her associates and appraised Sawa's attitude. "Good morning," she answered back cautiously. "Do you need anything?" "Chief," the girl said hesitantly. "They're talking about you, Ranma, and those other girls." Nabiki sighed and shook her head. "I thought they would be," Nabiki said. "Anything specific?" "Most people are just brushing the subject," Sawa said, not bothering to mentioni that she was doing that as much as she could right now. "Some of the baseball team, though," Sawa said, sitting down next to Nabiki. "They're talking about how you and Ranma have ruined the school." "They're five of them in specific, right?" Nabiki asked. Sawa blinked and then closed her mouth, nodding. "There's something else, Chief," Sawa said. Nabiki narrowed her eyes and watched the girl sharply. "What is it?" she asked. "Some of the others," Sawa said nervously. "They're..." she was hesitant to finish the sentence. "Saying I'm a liability?" Nabiki asked. "All it would take is a show that you're still in control," Sawa protested. "We're worried about you." "You're worried about me," Nabiki corrected. "Maybe you all are, but at least one of you wants to take control, right?" Sawa was quiet on the matter. "Who is it?" "Harue," Sawa said. "She's actually suggesting that she fronts for you, but..." "For a hefty percentage," Nabiki said, nodding. "I don't know that she can handle it, but I don't care." She took a breath and shook her head. "Don't tell anybody, even the rest of us, that you talked to me about this, okay?" "Got it chief," Sawa said, smiling. "You got a plan?" Nabiki smiled back at Sawa. "Of course I do," Nabiki said. "I'm going to retire." "Are you certain, Chief?" Sawa asked, surprised. "I was planning to soon anyway," Nabiki said. "I won't be in high school much longer." "Oh, right," Sawa said. "Any word from the colleges yet?" "Some," Nabiki said, "I haven't decided on anything yet." The warning bell rang and Sawa looked up. "Oh, I have to be going," Sawa said. "So should we all meet in the normal place." "That'll do," Nabiki said. Sawa nodded and walked out of the classroom. The other girl walked out of Nabiki's classroom smiling and walked down the hallway. She met a friend in the hallway on the way to class. "It worked," Sawa said cheerfully. "This time tomorrow, Harue, I'm going to have all of Nabiki's juicy information and you'll all be calling me chief." "Are you sure?" her friend asked. "This is Nabiki we're talking about." "You're not still afraid of her," Sawa asked. "Isn't it obvious now that she isn't everything her reputation makes her out to be? What we need is someone smart enough not to go on a date with the wrong people." "Sawa!" Harue gasped. "That's a horrible thing to say." "Yeah, but it's true," Sawa shrugged. "Really it's for her own good, she can't do this anymore." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Nabiki's "staff" looked at the destroyed computer disk in a mixture of surprise and shock. "Why did you do that?" Sawa demanded. "People pay me to keep their secrets," Nabiki said, simply. "Not to give them away because I'm not around to get the money anymore. If you learned anything from me, you'll do fine." "But...you're not turning the operation over to me?" Sawa whined. "I'm ending my reign," Nabiki said. "You'll have to start your own." She shrugged and walked out of the room. "Bu...bu...bu..." Sawa protested ineffectively. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I hope it ain't going to be like that everyday," Ranma said. "The novelty will wear off soon," Nabiki said, a little hopefully. "In any case, you'll be leaving at the end of the year," Akane said to Nabiki. "And going somewhere that nobody knows you. We only have a year after that." Nabiki nodded at that, but remained silent. "Something wrong?" Ranma asked, picking up on the silence. "Hmmm, no," Nabiki said. "I don't think so." ~When did she get that observant?~ "It's probably just the jerks at school," Akane said. "We're all tired from that." "Yeah, I gue..." Ranma paused and then pointed down the street. "Hey, the sign's out at the Doc's place." Akane and Nabiki glance over to the clinic to see that it was indeed open again after the last few months closed. "Dr. Tofu's back?" Akane said, surprised. "That's odd," Nabiki said. "I don't think Dr. Tofu is done with his sabbatical." Ranma was about to respond when he felt a null space approaching. A hidden aura, something that his training in the Umisen rendered obsolete and easily detected. "Doc, please don't sneak up on us," Ranma said, turning around. "It's really a bad idea." Akane and Nabiki turned to see the doctor standing there with a chagrined look on his face. "I wasn't really meaning to," Tofu said embarrassed. "I guess hiding my presence has become something of a habit." Ranma nodded, knowing the temptation to just vanish at times. Especially recently. "You've improved a great deal Ranma." "Thanks," Ranma said politely. Dr. Tofu was looking over Ranma and noting the over-large t-shirt, the western slacks and the unbound hair. Ranma took a step closer to Akane and released a breath. Tofu took note of that. "When did you come back, Doctor?" Nabiki asked. "I had a short talk with a Dr. Inohara," Tofu said. The three teenagers paled slightly and then a feeling of resignation passed through them. "I need to talk to you." "Did...she tell you everything?" Ranma asked. He should have guessed this was coming, Dr. Inohara had said she was going to try and reach Tofu. "I really doubt that," Tofu said. "Let's go inside to discuss this." Ranma nodded. "I guess I'm not done explaining this, am I," Ranma said quietly. "Better to get it over with." Akane gripped her shoulder encouragingly and kissed her forehead. Tofu also took note of that. "It'll be okay," Akane said as they walked into the clinic with Ranma. "I suppose they'll see you later," Tofu said. "I'm staying Doctor," Nabiki said. "I know more about this than you do, and..." She looked around. "I said I'd go home with them." She shrugged and walked into the clinic ahead of the doctor. It was an interesting behavior for the girl, she seemed nervous about something herself. The most telling change was Ranma, of course. He couldn't see auras like some psychics, not unless somebody actually manifested an aura that is. He didn't have to, really, that arrogance and stubborn attitude that had been Ranma's front had been shattered. Ranma was unfocused compared to what she had been, she was meek, and thankfully accepted public affection. The biggest change that Tofu could see was in how Ranma dressed, how she moved, how she held herself. How she was a...girl. Next to those changes, Akane and Nabiki's attitudes could have been a reaction to Ranma's. He followed them inside knowing that he had been right, something terrible had happened. "What did Doc tell ya, Doc?" Ranma asked from her seat, next to Akane. "The only thing I was told was that you had had a miscarriage," Tofu answered. "I wanted to talk to you before I turn over your records to her." "Yeah," Ranma said. "Thanks, Doc." She sighed and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. "She's gonna learn I'm a guy." Akane circled an arm around her shoulders and comforted her. "You haven't told her about the curse," Tofu said, a comment rather than a question. He suspected as much. He glanced to Akane and noted the boy's uniform. "I hate to be blunt, Akane, but were you the father?" "How did you..." she stopped herself and then shook her head, sighing in a mixture of sadness and relief. "No, I wasn't the father." "You're not cursed then?" Tofu asked. "That..." Akane hesitated. "That happened later." "Then..." "I was raped," Ranma said quietly, her face still in her hands. She sat up and looked away after a short glance at Dr. Tofu. "What?" Tofu asked, shocked. "Shampoo drugged me and then Kuno..." She sighed. Akane hugged her and Ranma leaned into the hug. "Do you need to get off the topic?" Dr. Tofu asked. "I had to say that to a bunch of strangers," Ranma said, quietly. "I can talk to you." "If that's what you want," Tofu said. "Tell me whatever you feel comfortable with. If you ever want to, we can stop this." Ranma nodded and prepared herself to talk about something of what had been happening. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Tadaima," Akane called out as they entered the dojo. "Okaeri nasai," Kasumi answered, peeking down into the entrance way. She would have immediately returned to whatever task she was about if she hadn't noticed the expressions on their faces. "Oh my, was it that bad today?" "Depends," Nabiki said. "It was about what we expected." "We just saw Dr. Tofu," Akane said. Kasumi blinked and turned to focus on Akane. "Oh, is he back in town?" Kasumi said hesitantly. "Yeah," Ranma said. "He's gonna go with us to Doc Inohara next time ta talk about my records. Had ta tell him about all that's happened." "Oh, that must have been difficult," Kasumi said. "I guess that's why you appear so tired. How did Dr. Tofu seem?" "He looked all right," Ranma said shrugging. "Nice as ever." "You can go see for yourself, Kasumi," Akane suggested with a knowing smile. "But," Kasumi started. "Kasumi, there ain't much ta do right now," Ranma said. "You gotta have SOME free time with us all doin stuff." "Where's Ryouga?" Nabiki asked. Kasumi blinked and glanced to her sister. "I haven't seen him for a little while," Kasumi said. "I suspect he's lost again." "I thought so," Nabiki said, sighing. "So, what are you still doing here?" She smirked. "Like Ranma said, there's not much to do that we can't do." She looked at her broken shoulder. "Or at least nothing Akane and Ranma can't do." Kasumi hesitated a moment before nodding and gracefully heading for the stairs. She paused at the feet and looked back. "Thank you all," she said, before heading upstairs. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tofu tapped his pencil on the table and considered the conversation with the three girls. It seemed that a lot had happened of which he was unaware, even while he had been in town. Nabiki's revelation had stung him quite a bit. He couldn't understand how he had missed the signs that something had happened to her. Granted that Nabiki was a master of self-control in most circumstances, and she rarely had cause to seek his services. Still he considered it a failure to his patient. "All that remains," Tofu said to himself. "Is to make sure they both have all the support they need." That didn't look to be a hard thing to accomplish. It sounded like both of them had a lot of friends supporting them. "Hello?" a voice called from the front of his office. "Dr. Tofu, are you here?" The doctor broke the pencil in his hand as he recognized the voice. "Come on now, Tofu," he whispered. "Control yourself. That's part of why you left." He took a deep breath and hesitantly stood up, taking the arms of his chair with him. "Oh, hello," Kasumi said, as she entered the office to find Dr. Tofu holding two splintered pieces of wood. "Uhhh, Kasumi," he said laughing nervously. "What are you doing here?" Kasumi fidgeted a little nervously, comforted at least by the fact that the doctor didn't seem quite as crazed as he used to be in her presence. "Oh, Doctor!" she gasped, moving forward to hug him tightly. Tofu dropped the removed chair arms in surprise, his glasses started to fog up and the physical closeness threatened to send him into orbit. He was saved by the sound of the nice, serene Tendo woman sobbing into his shoulder. This was something unexpected, and it was something that would not do to treat lightly. "I've been trying to help them," she said through her tears. "I just can't handle it alone." "It's all right," he said. "Everything's going to be all right." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ryouga sat on the hill and looked around. There was nothing but wilderness as far as he could see. It was hard to deny that he was lost now. He had done it before, but that was before, when his only concern was revenge on Ranma. Without such a distraction he was finding it difficult to complain about somebody moving the city and actually meaning it. "Nabiki's going to be upset with me," he sighed, tapping his fingers against his cheek. "Who's Nabiki?" a voice asked behind him. Ryouga winced and turned around to see a woman in her early forties dressed in khakis walk forward. "Mom?" Ryouga gasped. "I thought you were running a nature study in some national park somewhere." "Look around you Ryouga," the woman said with an exasperated smirk. "Oh, I guess I am a little off course," Ryouga said. "I'm glad I have job that puts me in the remotest places in the world," his mother said. "I'd never see you or your father if I just stayed at home." "Yeah, I guess so," Ryouga said embarrassed as his mother sat down next to him. "So where is this Nabiki you're worried about upsetting," she asked. "Last I heard it was Akari and before that, Akane." "Akane married someone else," Ryouga said. "That Ranma boy you're constantly blaming for everything?" she asked, Ryouga nodded. "You don't seem too upset about that for once." "They need each other," Ryouga said. "And Akari?" his mother asked. "I messed that up," Ryouga said. "Nabiki thinks she's still interested in me, and Akari's a nice person..." "Ahhh, the kiss of death," his mother said. "What?" Ryouga asked, confused. His mother snickered. "You called her a 'nice person', Ryouga," his mother said. "Okay," Ryouga said, uncomprehending. "Americans call that the 'kiss of death,'" she explained. "As in it kills a chance for a romantic relationship. Just like 'let's be friends.' Man or woman, you never want to hear those words." "Ohh," Ryouga said, finally getting it. "I was worried you had connections with the Chinese Amazons or something." "Mmmm no, I don't think so," she said smirking, before Ryouga could respond to that she went on. "And this Nabiki?" Ryouga shrugged. "I've been helping her through some tough times," Ryouga said. "Her and Ranma." That surprised his mother, and relieved her too. It was about time that her son stopped obsessing about that boy's "misdeeds." "Ah, I see," she said. "And she needs your support?" "Nabiki doesn't usually need anybody's help," Ryouga corrected. "She can handle most things on her own." "So you're worried she'll have a problem that she needs your help with then," his mother deducted. Ryouga quietly refused to answer. "Well, I'm just finishing here. So perhaps I can take you where you want to go. Does she live in Nerima as well?" "Yep," Ryouga said. "Then you should be back to her side soon then," his mother said. "Now tell me about her." Ryouga blushed slightly and thought about how to describe Nabiki when something else came to mind. "One thing first, Mom," Ryouga said. "You remember Aunt Chikako?" His mother frowned and sat up straight at the comment. "What brings up that subject?" she asked. "I've been talking to her daughter recently," Ryouga said, missing the sudden change in behavior. "Little Kodachi?" she asked. Ryouga nodded. "She's actually been around for the last year, but I just barely found out she's the cousin I used to know." "How is Dacchi these days?" she asked, calming down a little. "Not good," Ryouga said quietly. "I had to stop her from killing herself a few weeks ago. That's how I found out." "You don't think her father had anything to do with that, do you?" his mother asked darkly. "No, I don't think he did anything to her," Ryouga said. "You never know with that one," his mother said. "Why are you bringing her up?" "She's looking for contact with our side of her family," Ryouga said. "She's all alone in that house." "What about her brother?" "Kicked out of the clan, by her," Ryouga said. "And then he got killed." He made it clear that Tatewaki's death was not really a bad thing. "I think perhaps you need to tell me something of what's been going on, Ryouga," she said firmly. Ryouga flinched as she recognized the voice. He hadn't even admitted the whole P-Chan fiasco to her yet. "What happened?" Ryouga fumbled around just what to say. He couldn't lie to his mother, but these weren't really his secrets to tell. He wasn't certain just how public Ranma and Nabiki would want certain information to be. When they had told people, it wasn't exactly by choice. ~How would Nabiki handle this,~ he asked himself. Nabiki tended to avoid out and out lies herself. She just gave parts of the information and...Ryouga paused for a moment. ~That might work.~ "Ku...Tatewaki...attacked...a friend of Kodachi's," Ryouga said. "Kodachi...I've been told Kodachi saved...her life, but she hasn't been the same since then." "Attacked," his mother said gravely, a suspicious look in her eyes. Ryouga shuffled nervously and his mother lifted a hand to stop him from attempt explanations. "I don't need any more details." She had known Tatewaki's father and what the man was capable of. She had a pretty good guess what the son would be like without Chikako around to counter that influence. "Yeah, well," Ryouga started. "Turns out that Kodachi weaseled herself into the position of head of the clan, so she had him kicked out because of it. He got killed my some wild animal later." His mother shook her head sadly. "Probably went to his grave not thinking he did anything wrong," she muttered under her breath. "His father has a lot to answer for." "Yeah, no kidding," Ryouga said. "He's been shipped out to America to face charges there, and Kodachi seems to have plans for when he gets back. Officially, she's the only Kuno left now." "Poor girl," his mother said. "Does she have anyone to help her?" "She spends a lot of time with Ranma and Akane," Ryouga said. "But it's mostly to help Ranma recover, I think." His mother frowned a moment as she made several rapid connections from that statement based on earlier things her son had said. It was time for a subject change. "I'll ask her about the rest," she said. "Now, about this Nabiki." Her son fidgeted nervously again. "What kind of things interest her?" she asked. "What does she look like? What's her family name? Something more than just 'Nabiki, she who can take care of herself.'" "Well, she's Akane's sister," Ryouga started. His mother blinked at that, she wasn't entirely certain that Ryouga had ever mentioned Akane having sisters. "What does she look like?" his mother pressed. "She's a little shorter than me with brown hair," Ryouga started. "And she sort of has this way of looking at you that makes you think she knows everything that you're thinking. She doesn't lose her temper often, but..." "She let's you know when she has," his mother finished. "Sounds good so far. What kind of hobbies does she have?" "She sort of handles all the money concerns in the family," Ryouga said. That brought some concern to his mother's face as she started imagining an older girl, possibly even an adult woman. "And she has school, too. The next class ahead of Akane. With all that I don't think she has much time for anything else. She likes ice cream and chocolate." "How old is she?" his mother asked politely. "Eighteen, I think," Ryouga said nervously. "Uh, why are you asking me all these questions about Nabiki, Mom?" "A mother has to ask about her son's girlfriend," was her cheerful answer. "Especially when she doesn't see him often." "We're not going out, Mom," Ryouga said nervously. "I just sort of give her help when she asks for it, and...umm hang around with her a lot and...errr...we're not dating." "If you say so, dear," his mother said smirking. "Now tell me more about her." Ryouga gave a frustrated sigh. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma sat uncomfortably in the waiting room next to Akane-otoko and Dr. Tofu. Dr. Inohara was a nice person, but that really wasn't enough for her to forget what went into the examinations. She was comforted slightly by the fact that there would be no examination this time. Then again, what she was here for was probably going to be just as humiliating. "Saotome Ranma," the nurse called. She smiled comfortingly at the redhead. "The doctor will see you now." Ranma and Akane stood up and walked forward. This was becoming a familiar walk for Ranma now, though Akane had usually stayed in the waiting room by the doctor's request. This time she'd be needed to display the curse. "Dr. Tofu," Inohara said as they entered her office, not, Ranma noticed thankfully, the examination room. "It is a pleasure to meet you face to face. I still don't understand why we needed to do this face to face." She didn't mention what she had already told him, she would like to have spared Ranma further trouble just to hand over some medical records. "Well," Tofu started. "There are some things in Ranma's records that would require some explanation." "You mentioned that before," Inohara nodded. "Perhaps now you can be more clear?" Tofu looked to Akane who nodded and took a small thermos out of his pocket. "I need to show you something so you'll believe this," Akane said. Ranma remained quiet and appeared embarrassed or even ashamed of what was about to happen. Akane poured the hot water over his head, and shrank down into her female form. "What in the name of heaven?" Inohara gasped quietly. "It's a curse," Akane said. "When I got splashed with cold water I change into a boy." "And you wanted to show me this to," she stopped and looked at Ranma. "There's this place called Jusenkyo," Ranma said quietly, finally. "With all these springs where things drowned, an' if you fall in one you change inta whatever drowned there. I fell into spring of drowned girl, and I've been stuck like this...since it happened." "Oh dear," Inohara said, sitting down as she looked at her patient. It was heard to believe, but when she looked at Akane it became hard to deny. It certainly explained a lot of Ranma's and Akane's respective speech patterns. "Sorry, Doc," Ranma said. "I guess I shoulda said something." "I can understand the reasoning," Inohara said, looking from Akane to Ranma. "Just a moment," Akane said, she took another small thermos and poured the water over herself, changing back into a guy for the moment. "Is this better?" "I've had patients that prefer other women before, Akane," the doctor said. "This is just...something of a surprise." "Sorry," Ranma said again, fidgeting nervously. Inohara looked at her as she accepted Ranma's records from Dr. Tofu. "Don't apologize for things beyond your control, Ranma," she said as she looked over the records, perhaps to see something she understood better. Of course the first thing she found was Tofu's note on the Jusenkyo curse, followed by notes on such things as the strength- sapping moxibustion and cat's tongue. Sometime after Tofu's notes about Ranma's low self-esteem and abrasive attitude, she found the notes Tofu had taken after their conversation only a few days before. "Excuse me," she said. "Dr. Tofu, may I speak to Ranma and Akane alone please?" "Certainly," he said, standing up. "Call me if you need anything." "Right, Doc," Ranma said, somewhat nervously as Dr. Tofu left the room. "I noticed that this 'lock' on your curse will supposedly by removed by having a child," Inohara said, getting nods from Ranma and Akane. "So I have to ask, are you two trying to have another child?" "Yes," Akane answered cautiously. Inohara looked at her and then looked to Ranma. "Ranma?" "Yeah," Ranma said. "We're trying for another kid." Inohara leaned back and looked thoughtfully between Ranma and Akane. "This isn't really my field," she said. "I'm not a qualified psychiatrist, but I have some concerns I'd like to air." "What are those?" Akane asked, cautiously. He noted the look the doctor was giving him. "This could be a question you don't want to answer," she said, looking back to Ranma. The redhead nodded. Inohara took a breath and continued in a gentle voice. "Who initiates the sex usually?" "I do," Ranma said quietly. Inohara seemed to be relieved by that answer. Akane felt somewhat insulted as she realized what the doctor had been considering. "Are you handling it fine?" she asked. Ranma nodded. "Well enough," she said. "Now," Akane added under her breath. "Excuse me?" the doctor turned to Akane. "Ranma starts it," Akane agreed. "But..." "But, what?" the doctor asked. "You're not encouraging her into this are you?" "Akane doesn't ask me to do things I don't wanna do," Ranma said firmly and loudly. "She don't ask me to do things she even thinks I MIGHT not wanna do." "I am not insisting that she does THAT," Akane said, a little angrily. "I didn't want to imply anything," Inohara said quickly. "But I have to cover all bases. You said there was a problem?" She asked Akane. "He used to faint," Akane said reluctantly. Ranma winced and Akane shivered as she remembered seeing Ranma's eyes blink open and close, but not seeing anything as she lay there, limp. She continued before Inohara could ask why she let it continue. "But I used to be worried that if I said no, that she'd thought I was rejecting her, and...do something rash." She shrugged at the helplessness of her former situation. "I'm a lot better now," Ranma said quietly. "It's actually kinda nice with Akane now, not as...scary any more." "That isn't really my business," Inohara said, feeling somewhat relieved none the less for having asked. "But I wanted to clear that subject. Now there is another matter. This second attempt at a child. Is the cure your only reason to have a child?" Akane and Ranma fidgeted uncomfortably. "You have to think this through carefully," she said emphatically. "I understand the hurry, but there is more than just the two of you involved in this." "There's the baby too, right?" Akane asked, embarrassed, but still a little angry. "So you've thought about it then?" Inohara asked. Akane and Ranma nodded. "All the time," Ranma said shakily. "Having a child is major decision," she said. "You had no choice before. But now, you have to consider school and the cost. If you look at it only as a way to solve your problem, all it will do is give you more problems. You're only seventeen, this is something big." Ranma was nodding throughout. "We'll think of something," Akane said confidently. "And we have a lot of friends willing to help us." "How do you feel about this, Ranma?" the doctor asked. Ranma remained quiet. She didn't really know what to say. It would be difficult. She didn't have a job, and was unlikely to get one in the neighborhood. She could teach martial arts, assuming she found people that would accept her as a sensai. While she was pregnant any sort of sparring would be out, but she didn't worry too much about losing her edge. For one thing she wanted the Art more than the Martial now. Besides, even a broken sword could cut. She was confident in her skills. It was her judgment that left Ranma worried. That is what had gotten her to every bad situation she could remember. Was she trying to have a kid just to go back to being a guy? She was starting to have trouble remembering what it was like. She didn't know if the curse was doing something, or if it was just so much time dealing with things that should have been the province of women only. Maybe it was that she didn't really trust Cologne, that this lock was probably permanent and there was no way to get things back to the way they were. What she did remember was being pestered day in and day out by the other boys at school about which of his fiancees he'd slept with. Either that or being lectured by her father for some disappointing failure to be manly or another. And finally her father had run when she had proven that whatever manliness she'd had was just illusion. She idly wondered why her mother hadn't commanded her to commit seppuku already. Then there was the fear. Not just the fear of the act involved, though that was very strong, but something else again. Every time she thought about having another child, thoughts of rushing to the hospital flashed through her mind. Would she make another mistake and find herself standing in the bathroom before dawn, wondering why she had bothered to get out of bed? Did she really think that she should have a child now? "Yes," she said finally. "I want a baby. I'm just afraid...that I'll mess up again." "Well," Inohara said after watching the play of emotions on Ranma's face. It really was easy to tell what she was feeling. "I'll have to help you make sure you don't. If that's your decision." "Yeah," Ranma said again, more firmly this time. She looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Doc." "That's my job," she said, before glancing back at the files. "I've never encountered such...odd situations before. Beyond your...affliction...there is 'chi channeling' situation. According to Dr. Tofu's notes here," she said, looking down at the paper. "The...'Shi Shi Hokodan' is inherently unhealthy." "I ain't doin' it," Ranma insisted. "Ever again." "Well that is not the only concern," she said, standing up and moving to the door. "I'd like to discuss these to see what I should be watching for." She looked out of her office and called Dr. Tofu over. As she was doing so, Akane leaned over to talk to Ranma. "You've shown a depression aura without calling the Shi Shi Hokodan, Ranma," Akane reminded her. Ranma glanced up and then down, staying silent. "Maybe Dr. Tofu knows a chi-technique to counter it." "Do you really think I should risk it," Ranma asked quietly. Akane would have answered but the doctors returned at that point. "I think we should start with what we were already talking about," Dr. Inohara said. "The Shi Shi Hokodan?" Ranma asked. "It ain't a problem." "The mere fact that you could summon it as easily as Nabiki described says it is," Dr. Tofu corrected. He glanced at Akane and back to Ranma. "And I think more has happened related to that technique than I'm being told." Ranma and Akane both started shuffling nervously. "I said I was feeling better," Ranma protested. "Ryouga gave it up." "Is he still as depressed as he used to be?" Tofu asked. Ranma shrugged. "Even if he isn't he should learn another chi technique." "Why?" Ranma asked. "We'll just not do it." Tofu shook his head. "Chi techniques become like a reflex, they start to manifest in your aura even if you're not deliberately using them," Tofu said. A look at Akane and Ranma's faces confirmed this was the case already. "You'll use it again if get into enough stress, and you won't even realize it until it's too late." Ranma paled and stared at Dr. Tofu wide-eyed as Akane tried to comfort her, though he was just as worried. "S...so what can I do then?" Ranma asked in a small voice. "I can't do anything about it." "You can always do something," Dr. Inohara countered, glancing toward Tofu for support. "I'd suggest channeling some other emotion," Dr. Tofu said. "Doc," Ranma said softly. "I can barely form a sputter with the Mouko Takabisha." Akane massaged her shoulders. "It's okay Ranma," he said. "You'll get it back eventually." Ranma sighed and looked to Akane doubtfully. "I wasn't going to suggest the Mouko Takabisha anyway," Tofu said. "I was going to suggest trying to channel an emotion like Love." Ranma scoffed at that. "I've tried that, Doc," Ranma countered. "You've channeled through that emotion already?" Dr. Tofu was definitely surprised, though he could clearly see Ranma nodding. "Ya can't attack with an emotion that ain't hostile," Ranma said. "It didn' work against Saffron anyway, the chi never left me in tha fight, an I had ta use the Soul of Ice techniques. All that power an' couldn't do nothing with it." Akane blinked at this and thought about herself floating away from her body and being called back by Ranma's cry. "Do you really need a technique to attack with right now?" Dr. Inohara asked. Ranma opened her mouth to answer and stopped, a thoughtful look on her face. Akane leaned over and whispered into Ranma's ear, saying something that brought a surprised and shocked look on her face. "Ya think I did that?" she asked, Akane shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "She's right, Ranma," Tofu said, mentally noting the exchange. "You need techniques for healing for now." "What you mean like shiatsu an' stuff?" Ranma asked. "There invaluable techniques in any case," Dr. Tofu said. "And it would seem to be therapeutic to learn such at the moment." "This ain't gonna give me any troubles with being pregnant," Ranma asked cautiously. "Is it?" Dr. Inohara looked to Dr. Tofu for an answer. "No, it wouldn't," he promised. "These techniques and their effects are well documented. And you won't be using them on yourself, and I doubt you'd want to be subjected to them from me." "Errr, how do ya plan to teach me then," Ranma asked, still very relieved that she wouldn't have Tofu poking her pressure points. She probably would have said no if it had come to that, even if it was Dr. Tofu doing it. "We can probably find someone to volunteer so I can show you the shiatsu," Dr. Tofu said. "Or you can watch me treat patients." Ranma glanced at his other doctor. "I'll look over everything beforehand to see if anything would pose a problem," she promised. She thought the other doctor was probably right, learning anything, especially how to heal, would probably be a good aid in repairing Ranma's life. "There's one more 'technique' I would like ask you about," Dr. Tofu said. Dr. Inohara shivered a little at the tone in his voice. "Have you had any trouble with the Neko-Ken recently?" Ranma winced at the name of the technique. Akane frowned and looked nervous, new fears of what effect this could have on that dreaded state emerging at the doctor's question. "Ain't been that many c...c..c...cats around," Ranma said. "I haven't seen one." "Nobody much understands how it works," Dr. Tofu said after a moment's thought. "So I can't give you much more advice than to watch out for it." Ranma nodded slowly. "I think that covers that for now," Dr. Inohara said, trying to relax from the strain of having to deal with a magically afflicted patient. "I have some literature for first time parents to give you, and the name of a few books that you should find helpful..." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma and Akane walked home, moving close together. Ranma appeared to be reading one of the brochures Dr. Inohara had given her, but her eyes seemed a little unfocused. She glanced to Akane. "Ya really think I did that?" she asked. "I think so," Akane said. "Yeah, you know on those TV shows where the doctors bring back someone after their heart stops? Maybe that's what you did with your yell. In fact I know that's why I came back." He nodded confidently. "Man," Ranma said quietly. "I didn't think I'd done nothing. Maybe...I guess the Doc has a point." They walked into the house and called out their welcome as they saw Nabiki reading a letter in the hallway. There was a hesitant expression on her face as she read the letter. "Something wrong?" Akane asked, frowning and wondering if that wasn't another attempt to terrorize Nabiki. "No, just from a college," she said, folding the letter up and slipping it in her pocket. "How'd the doctor's visit go?" "Good," Ranma said, eyeing where Nabiki had slipped the letter. "She ain't gonna drop me cause of...you know, the curse." ~Unlike certain parental figures,~ Nabiki and Akane were thinking to themselves. Though it wasn't the curse, per se, that had motivated Genma to abandon his child. "That's good," Nabiki nodded. "By the way, we’re fending for ourselves for food tonight." "Oh yeah," Akane said. "Dr. Tofu sort of told us he had a date with Kasumi today." "He told you?" Nabiki asked. "In intelligible Japanese?" "He said he had a meeting ta go to," Ranma said. "Then his glasses started fogging up, he didn't go berserk though." Akane had cautiously pulled her wife out of the way just to be on the safe side. "Ah," Nabiki said. "So he is getting better." Ranma and Akane both nodded as they passed the stares and could hear Kasumi shuffling around in her room just at the top of the stairs. "I'll start on dinner then," Ranma said, turning reluctantly away from Akane to head for the kitchen. There was no fear about leaving, not that Nabiki could pinpoint anyway. Ranma at this point simple preferred to be with Akane it seemed. "Any word on the case?" Akane asked Nabiki as Ranma left the room. His elder sister shrugged and looked nervous. "They think he might confess," Nabiki said. "So you might not have to testify then," Akane said. Nabiki nodded in a relieved way. "And he might in turn spill the beans on the rest of that group," she shivered. It probably wouldn't be long, a few short trials to excise this blot on Japanese society. They'd keep it quiet in the media as much as possible, just like they'd done with the trial, but it would get done. "Are you trying to shield Ranma from that?" "I didn't really think about it," Akane said, looking embarrassed. "You don't fight back in sparring do you," Nabiki said frowning slightly. Akane's embarrassment grew a little. "You can't and shouldn't protect Ranma from everything." "I just don't want him to be afraid of me," Akane said, softly glancing toward the kitchen to make sure Ranma wasn't in the room. "I probably hurt him as badly as that father of his." "This isn't like you losing your temper," Nabiki said. "And you know what it feels like to be treated like you need to be mollycoddled." Akane nodded. "Ranma is a lot better than you, in a spar, you aren't going seriously hurt her. In a fight, it's only ever been because she LET you." "I know that," Akane said. "But I keep seeing her cringe away from me. All of that talk about boys and I find that I'M the one becoming an abusive spouse. She trusts me now, completely trusts me." "And you apparently don't trust her to take care of herself," Nabiki said. Akane started to protest, but Nabiki cut her off. "You better do something to change this attitude soon, Akane. Today or tomorrow I'd say to be safe. Because the way you two or going, I'd say Ranma will be pregnant again before long, and then you won't have the chance for months." "I'll...try," Akane said. She remembered Kasumi giving somewhat the same advice. Nabiki, however, tended to lean more towards ultimatums than her other sister did. "Good," she said, nodding. Then a nervous look flashed in her eyes for a moment. "You haven't seen Ryouga recently, have you?" "No, sorry," Akane said. "Do you need to speak to him about anything?" "I've got decisions to make," Nabiki said, hand going to the pocket with the letter. "About college?" Akane asked, ignoring Nabiki's surprised expression. "And you want to talk to him first?" "How did you - ?" Nabiki started before noticing where she had her hands and grimacing. "What's the big deal, Nabiki," Akane asked. "Anybody even mentions college the last week and you get jumpy. I thought you just about had Tokyo University set." "So did I," Nabiki muttered, sitting down in the living room. She grimaced. "I think I've acquired some bad publicity. The only Japanese school that's accepted me is the community college, and I'm not settling for that...if I have a choice anyway." "Wait a minute," Akane said sitting across from her. "The only Japanese college, you said. You applied out of the country?" "I've thought about it for a while now," Nabiki said. "But now it looks like I'm being forced that way." She dug the letter out of her pocket and handed it to Akane. "Harvard? Full scholarship?" she gasped. Nabiki looked around the room to see if anybody had heard Akane. "That's in the United States." "That's right," Nabiki said dryly. "Now shout it some more so the rest of the city can hear you." "Oh," Akane said, embarrassed. She continued in a much softer voice. "Sorry, but I don't get it. What does this have to do with Ryouga?" A sudden gleam came into Akane's eyes. "Don't jump to any conclusions," Nabiki said. "I just...thought he may have been to the area before and...could tell me a little about it." Nabiki had the good grace not to add to the lame excuse by wincing. "Sure," Akane said, smirking at Nabiki's hostile look. "When do you need to answer by." "I have about a month," Nabiki said. "And I have a few other choices as well, but this seems to be the best." "He should show up before then," Akane assured her. "So are you going to ship him freight with the other pets?" Nabiki gave her sister a glare as Ranma came back from the kitchen with a towel. "Akane, shouldn't you be helping me?" Ranma asked. "I mean, you ain't going to get any better just eatin' it you know?" Nabiki silently thanked her sister-in-law for the unwitting save as Akane accepted the situation. "So, you'll be moving away?" Kasumi said, surprising Nabiki. She whirled around, her heart skipping a few beats. Even knowing that it was Kasumi's voice did not significantly reduce the nervousness she felt at that surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Nabiki could only stare for a few moments. It had been a while since she had seen her sister in anything other than that house dress. This evening gown that had come out of nowhere made her seem almost like an entirely new person. The fact that she had styled her hair to be a little more social didn't hurt either. That gown did seem familiar though. "I hope you don't mind me taking a few of my clothes back from your closet," Kasumi said. Nabiki almost winced. If her sisters kept retrieving borrowed clothes she wouldn't have much left. At least Akane was unlikely to ask for her dresses back. "It looks nice on you, Kasumi," Nabiki said. "Is Dr. Tofu going to be sporting a straight jacket?" "Nabiki," Kasumi said exasperated. "He seems to have calmed down a great deal since he left. Now, about you moving..." "It's not definite yet," Nabiki said. "I could always go to community college." Kasumi gave her one of those, "are you sure that's what you want" looks and crossed her arms. Nabiki didn't exactly know how Kasumi could achieve motherliness in that gown, but she somehow pulled it off wonderfully. "I suppose it depends on what you want," Kasumi said finally. "I want to go to Tokyo," Nabiki said. "But they don't seem to want me." She sounded irritated, and was wondering just what reason they had to deny her. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hibiki Hyunae stopped the cat outside the Kuno estate and looked up at the gates with more than a hint of distaste. It had been years since her sister-in-law had died and the Hibiki family had stopped being welcome at the place. Well, they had never really been welcome per se. They had just tended to outnumber those Kunos that disapproved of them being there, namely Kodachi's father. She shut the engine off and tapped the steering wheel in thought, before turning to look at her son. "Do you think she'll be home at this time of day?" she asked Ryouga. He shrugged, somewhat nervous about this, and also vaguely embarrassed. There was just something wrong with being driven around by his mother. People might get the idea he was incapable of getting anywhere on his own. "Unless she's doing something with Ranma and Akane," he said. "She should be home." His mother nodded and got out of the car, gesturing for Ryouga to do the same. Standing before the gates she looked around for a buzzer, or a gate guard or something. "Last time we visited, we just walked right in," Ryouga said. "Really?" she asked, sounding rather doubtful. "She doesn't have any live in staff," Ryouga said. "She hires out a maid service and stuff like that." "That doesn't mean...ahh, there it is," she brushed at some vines on the gate and revealed an old intercom. "If it still works that is." "I didn't know that was there," Ryouga said. "Doesn't look like anybody has used it for a while," his mother said, pushing the button. They waited a minute for an answer. "It's a big house, wait for it a moment." When there was still no answer she pushed the button again. "Maybe it doesn't work," Ryouga suggested. "As old as it is," his mother said. "Very, ah, wait a minute...that's probably her." Ryouga looked past the gate and sure enough, Kodachi was coming out of the estate and gliding purposefully to the front gate. She was dressed oddly, for Kodachi, in dirty work clothes of some sort. The dust and dirt stains on her knees were very apparent. "How did you find that abominable device?" Kodachi asked. "I specifically planted those vines to..." She stopped upon seeing Ryouga and his mother. "Excuse me, cousin," Kodachi said formally and cautiously. "But who is this?" "This is my mother," Ryouga said. Kodachi blinked and tensed up, looking over the woman cautiously. "Aunt Hyunae?" "That's right, Koda-chan," she answered. "Ryouga told me you were asking for family to come visit." "Yes..." Kodachi said hesitantly, trying to remember what she could about Ryouga's mother. "Things have been somewhat...hectic of late." "Let's talk about that inside," Hyunae suggested. She glanced over Kodachi's clothes for a moment. "Perhaps I can help you in your garden while we talk." Kodachi nodded quietly, and then glared at the buzzer, producing wire cutters and pliers. "After I arrange it so that I never hear 'Hawaii Five-Oh' in this house ever again," she growled. She had been planning on leaving the buzzer intact until she could find where the speakers were hidden, but patience wears thin and plans change. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Are you sure that you don't need anybody to go with you?" Kasumi asked Nabiki as her sister checked over her portfolio and her copy of her application for admission to Tokyo University. "I can handle this one on my own," Nabiki said. "And I'd rather not have either of you connected too much to me if this goes poorly." She glanced to Akane and Ranma with a forbidding expression. "What am I gonna do with college," Ranma asked. "I barely get by in school as it is." "I've seen your scores recently, Ranma," Nabiki said. "You might, just might have to re-take this year. Next year you'll be near the top of the class if you keep it up." "At least let us go with down there," Akane protested. "This is my problem," Nabiki said. "I can handle it on my own." She knew she shouldn't have told them about this problem. "Okay," Ranma said. "We won't go with you to the University." Everybody looked in surprise at Ranma for a moment as she turned to Akane. "Don't they have like some weird kinda theater downtown with a big screen or sumthin?" "Oh, yeah," Akane said, catching on. "The Imax, I was kind of wondering about that place." As Nabiki narrowed her eyes, Kasumi finished the suggestion. "Perhaps you could head downtown with Nabiki," Kasumi said. "And then meet her after she's done with her appointment you can have dinner or something." "I'm not getting out of this building alone," Nabiki said dryly. "Am I?" The faces of her extended family clearly said no. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma and Akane watched Nabiki silently as they entered back into the dojo. She had refused to comment on what had happened in her meeting other than to say that there was apparently no way that Tokyo University was going to let her attend classes there. "Tadaima," Nabiki called out, a definite note of irritation in her voice. "Oyasumi nasai," Kasumi called out. "Oh, we have guests." They wondered what she meant by that until they came into the living room to see Kodachi, Ryouga and some woman most of them couldn't recognize. "Ryouga," Nabiki said. "You got back." "What are you guys doing here," Akane asked as Ranma looked closer at the woman with them. "And who's with you?" "Err, Akane," Ryouga said nervously. "This is..." "Hey," Ranma said, cautiously. "Hibiki-san, what are you doing here?" "Excuse me, do I..." she stopped for a moment. "Wait, is that you Ranma?" "Yeah," Ranma said nervously. "Did Ryouga tell you...what's been going on?" Nabiki shuffled a little nervously with a scowl on her face. "Only that you've been through some hard times," the woman said. "Oh," Ranma said, relieved. Ryouga was more concerned with seeing Nabiki relax her temper. "Ummm, what brings you here?" "Kodachi's advertisement," she said, gesturing to the girl. "And then there was this girl that my son is 'not dating.'" Nabiki sighed in frustration. "Ryouga," Nabiki grumbled. "That rumor would die quicker if you didn't encourage it." "Weren't you wanting to talk to Ryouga about your college situation before any of us," Akane asked. Nabiki gave Akane a betrayed expression. "Uh, Akane, maybe it's time to get some training done," Ranma said as she saw that Nabiki looked about ready to explode. "Right, I'll be right there," Akane said. "Pleased to meet you Hibiki- san. Ask Ryouga about Charlotte." The other martial artist winced as Akane turned to follow her spouse. "I guess you must be pretty good at dodging by now," Nabiki sniped as Akane left the room. Akane almost turned around to give another comment. "Both of you need to behave," Kasumi interrupted. "We have guests." She gestured to the three people sitting there. Nabiki and Akane both had the grace to look embarrassed before Akane left for the dojo and Nabiki sat down across from Ryouga and his mother. "I apologize," Kasumi said. "I suppose that comment was Akane's attempt to cheer up the situation. Today has not been somewhat stressful." "Anything I can help with?" Kodachi asked. "If it’s a matter of money." "No," Nabiki said. "Money isn't going to help here. Thanks anyway, Koda-chan." "Koda-chan?" Hyunae repeated, amused. "She does that to everyone," Ryouga said. "Just wait." "Oh, what does she call you?" his mother asked. Nabiki and Ryouga fidgeted uncomfortably. "I believe 'Back-up'," Kasumi said. "Is the term she uses most often." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "You're watching my hands and feet," Ranma said, snapping a strike out. Akane barely managed to put up a block. "You gotta watch my shoulders an' hips." She opted for the easiest escape and backed off from Ranma. Ranma's head started shaking as soon as she took the first step. By the second step, Ranma had dropped low and swept Akane's feet out from under her. "Ya can't win by runnin' away," Ranma said, standing over her. "It's a last ditch effort, an' when you do it you gotta do it right, or yer really screwed." The expression on Ranma's face was a mix of fear, pain and frustration. Akane wasn't certain where the fear came in, but it had something to do with her. She herself was more than a little afraid that it was fear of her. The pain was easy to place. Ranma did not like attacking Akane, for any reason. Ranma was getting a little more used to the idea that she wasn't going to seriously hurt Akane, but she still didn't like to do it. In fact, Ranma still held off attacking her at the beginning of each spar. The frustration was more confusing than the fear. She didn't really understand it at all. She did know that Ranma did not really enjoy training with Akane. At the moment Ranma was looking at it as something she needed to do. Akane wanted him to enjoy it, not get more depressed. "Let's try another spar," Ranma said. "Then we gotta go over sidesteppin' again." "Right Ranma," Akane said as she stood up. ~What could she be frustrated about? I'm a lot better now than I was a few weeks ago. So she's teaching me a lot...~ She hesitated a moment. "Akane, you're not ready," Ranma said as she hesitated getting into position. She relaxed her guard after a moment. ~She couldn't really be that upset I won't attack her,~ Akane thought. "Akane, if you want to stop this," Ranma said quietly, staring down. "I...I understand..." ~I have to try this,~ Akane thought, getting into stance. "I'm ready, Ranma." Ranma looked up at her and sighed before returning to stance. "Okay," she said. "Let's do this." As usual, she held back a few moments, watching Akane before she attacked. ~Come on, Akane,~ the dark-haired girl was thinking. ~You used to do this all the time.~ Then Ranma was zipping forward. Most people would have balked just at the speed and suddenness of the charge, but Ranma had been training with Akane for over a month now. So she wasn't surprised at all. The fact that in a moment she would be under a rain of blows too constant to do anything at all encouraged her to instant action. ~What the-?~ Ranma thought as she noticed how Akane was moving. Her eyes started to widen as she realized something. Then Akane's fist snapped into her face. Ranma, caught off balance for once, stumbled back to the floor. She blinked, wide-eyed and wondered at the taste of blood in her mouth. She glanced up as Akane kneeled by her. "Oh, Ranma, I'm sorry," Akane said. "Are you okay? They told me to-" "Akane," Ranma said quietly. "Ranma, I'm sorry," she repeated. "I won't do it again, okay?" Akane was surprised as her spouse smiled at her. "So you know what mistakes you made?" Ranma asked calmly. "Umm, mistakes?" Akane said, surprised. "Look, Akane," Ranma said. "As unprepared as I was, I should still be lookin' at the back of my eyelids, not just takin' that little tumble." "You're not upset at all?" Akane asked nervously. Ranma stopped smiling for a moment. "Pain's part of martial arts, Akane," Ranma said. "You have to always be ready. I mean, look at this just now. You got a hit on me. If I had pulled that shit in a real fight, I'd be..." Ranma paused and closed her eyes and continued quietly. "I'd be outta the fight, an' then anything could happen." "It's okay Ranma," Akane said, seeing Ranma's eyes start to unfocus. She reached an arm around her and kissed the red head's forehead as was becoming her custom. "I'm fine," Ranma said quietly, and then repeated it more firmly. "I'm fine, it's just a hole I gotta fix." "It's a hole you only have against me," Akane said. Ranma shook her head. "If it's one place," Ranma said. "It'll show up somewhere else." "You're sure you're okay?" Akane asked again. "Yeah, I'm fine," Ranma reassured her, she looked into Akane's face and smiled. "Now let's try that again." "I love you," Akane said, brushing Ranma's chin lightly. "I love you, too," Ranma said, placing a light kiss on Akane's lips. Then she gave a quiet mischievous smile. "But you aren't gettin' outta this spar." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh my," Kasumi said as Ranma and Akane walked back into the room. Well, Ranma walked, Akane, as usual after training, was leaning on Ranma. "What happened?" "I got careless," Ranma said. "An' Akane called me on it." For once, they both seemed more relaxed after coming back from the dojo as well. Akane was wearing a guilty, apologetic expression on her face that, oddly enough, mirrored the one her spouse had worn when she first truly spared Akane. Kasumi and Nabiki gave her approving looks upon hearing that she had actually sparred against Ranma. "The bruise is already forming, Ranma," Kodachi pointed out, fidgeting and uncertain how to look at the situation. She knew that Akane's continued refusal to attack Ranma was beginning to wear the red-head thin. She also knew what Akane's temper was like, and she wasn't certain if this wasn't a path leading to trouble. "You should be more careful," Ryouga's mother said. "Or you could hurt each other." Hyunae frowned and thought about the situation. They were martial artists, and they seemed to have enjoyed the spar for the most part. She didn't know much about Akane's history, having had her information filtered through Ryouga while he was still obsessing over her, nor was she a hundred percent certain what the situation was. "That's why the training," Ranma said. "So we don't get hurt..." A word was left unsaid as the redhead helped Akane to the table. Ranma sat next to Akane rather than in her lap as had been usual, uncertain as to how Ryouga's mother would take it. Akane was only somewhat confused for a moment before she figured it out on her own. "Well," Kasumi said. "I guess we should begin the meal. Itadakimas." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Akane-kun looked down at Ranma. The redhead and snuggled up to him after their bedroom activities for the night. Now she was sleeping, and sleeping fairly soundly. The nightmares seemed to be fading off, and apparently Ranma trusted her as much in male form as in female form. He took a breath and carefully slipped out of the bed to make a trip for the furu and some hot water. Ranma might have trusted him, but she still preferred Akane to be a woman. A preference Akane had absolutely no problem with. Akane usually tried to make this trip quickly, Ranma's sleep was more prone to be uneasy when she was alone, but at the moment she was a little too sore from the sparring session. On thinking of that, Akane winced again. Ranma was developing an obvious black eye, and that fact bothered him. Ranma didn't seem to mind, she definitely enjoyed that last spar a lot more than she had been. Then again, Ranma used to let Akane hit her just whenever Akane felt like it. Akane shivered, perceiving the fine line he had to tread. ~Never outside training and sparring,~ Akane commanded herself. ~Never even joke about it outside of training.~ This wasn't about whether she thought Ranma could handle him or not. This was about Akane becoming something Akane did not like. Akane returned herself to her normal body and limped back to her and Ranma's room. Maybe the extra activity would cut down on how stiff she'd be tomorrow, but she didn't think she'd be that lucky. "Don't..." Ranma was muttering as Akane came back into the room. "don' wanna go back..." Akane was quickly back in the bed and holding Ranma. "Not a boy..." "Sssh," Akane whispered as she held the shaking red-head, until Ranma calmed down. "You're safe here." She didn't notice Kasumi closing the door quietly from the hallway. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "What kind of man among men are you..." the figure shouted as it tried to pull Ranma up from the ground. "Now you get back in there and train, boy!" "I don't wanna go back," Ranma shouted. "Who cares about want, boy?" the figure answered as it pulled harder. "They're waiting for you!" "I'm not a boy anymore!" Ranma protested, squinting her eyes closed. She was thinking of all those girls and boys down in the pit, with their cat's eyes, swishing tails, grasping hands, tongues and other things. She clung harder to the ground, shaking her head. The pulling suddenly stopped and she felt instead a soothing embrace, and heard Akane's voice. "Sssh," Akane said quietly. "You're safe here." Ranma cautiously relaxed her grip, waiting for the point in the dream where she was ripped out of Akane's hands and thrown in the pit again. The throw never came, and Ranma remained in Akane's arms until the dream faded to darkness. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Ranma, Akane," Sayuri said approaching the couple's lockers. "I wish to apologiz...Ranma! What happened to you?" Sayuri moved forward to look at the girl's prominent black eye. "Are you all right?" Ranma sighed, and frowned slightly as she collected her books from her locker. The people that would talk to her had been doing that since she had come on campus. Treating her as if she was some fragile thing that would come apart at any given moment. Ranma had to admit that a certain amount of that perception was true, but when it came to physical injury, she was still fine. "I'm fine," Ranma said, taking a step back. People crowding her was one of the things that she had never liked and could no longer tolerate. "I just got a little careless in training, that's all." She knew better than to put Akane's name in the situation at all. For one thing, she could still sense Akane's wincing whenever someone brought the subject up. For another, Ranma knew what the rumor mill would do with the information that Akane had given her that black eye. "You're okay then?" Sayuri asked, looking to Akane for confirmation as Ranma nodded. Akane scratched her head nervously and shrugged. "She's says she's fine," Akane said. "I'm fine," Ranma said firmly, taking another step away from Sayuri to Akane's side. "Did you want something?" "I just wanted to apologize," Sayuri said, uncertainly. "For how I acted before." "Yeah," Ranma said. "That's okay, ya didn't know." "I saw you fall apart," Sayuri said. "I should have..." "I said it's okay," Ranma interrupted. "Maybe it's better if we talk about something else," Akane said, turning to see an angry looking Ukyou coming their way. "Akane, can I speak to you a moment?" the chef said grimly. Sayuri swallowed nervously and backed away from the scene as Ranma stepped in front of Akane hands out. "It was a spar, Ukyou," Ranma protested quickly, guessing what her friend was upset about. "It was just a spar. I got careless, I got hit." "She DID hit you then," Ukyou snapped, glaring past Ranma at Akane. "I told you I'd be watching you, Akane." "Ukyou, I..." Akane started and couldn't finish. Ukyou frowned and looked from Ranma, urging her to back off, to the extremely guilty looking Akane. She gave Akane a quick once over and noted how stiffly the other girl held herself. "Fine," Ukyou decided finally, and everybody breathed a sigh of relief. "But if I here you hit him even once outside of training...I will make sure you feel it. I know your history, Akane." She leveled a glare at Akane and turned away from them. "Ukyou, come watch us, okay," Ranma said. "You'll see, there ain't nothing like that going on." Ukyou hesitated and thought for a moment. "Count on it, Sugar," Ukyou said, glaring at Akane again. "She'll calm down, right?" Sayuri asked. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "So, Akane," the speaker was sitting to the raven-haired girl's right. "What were you doing when you gave Ranma that eye?" Akane glanced at the door. Ranma had left to go to the restroom, so at least she wasn't there to hear it. "I was sparring," Akane said, she glanced toward Ukyou nervously. "Ranma left an opening I took it." "So what were you while you were 'sparring?'" the boy asked. "A man or a woman." "What are you talking about?" Akane asked, being deliberately dense. "Come on Akane," the boy said. "What other reason would you have to get cursed to turn into a guy." "Listen you little toad," Akane said, standing up and leaning over the boy. "I was sparring. I got a shot in. The reason I'm so sore today, is because Ranma thought I wasn't putting enough power in my hits and put me through the ropes to correct that. What we do and how we do it is none of your business! And why would you think a black eye would be part of that anyway!?" Akane huffed and sat back down, then swallowed as she noticed that all eyes were on her. Ukyou was frowning at her, though some of the inherent hostility was gone now. ~At least Ukyou doesn't look like she wants to kill me now,~ Akane thought. ~Maim maybe, but not kill.~ ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh Ranma," a girl said as she entered the restroom. "Oh dear, I'd heard you were hit, but I didn't realize it would be this bad." "This is nothing," Ranma said quietly, finishing washing her hands. "It'll be gone before I wake up tomorrow." It was already fading away actually. She watched the girl cautiously. "I thought Akane had more self-control," the girl said She approached Ranma, regardless of the fact that Ranma took a step back for each she took forward. Ranma stopped when she hit the wall, and the girl moved forward to get a closer look. "What could you have possibly done that would deserve this," the girl asked. She started to reach out. "Don't touch me," Ranma said warningly, and then slipped out from between the wall and the girl he was talking to. "I don't like to be crowded, okay?" "Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, honestly apologetic. "Of course you don't, and you're such a tiny little thing. I didn't mean to scare you." Ranma didn't bother to refute the claim. She didn't want to admit it, but that had scared her. "And I was sparring with Akane," Ranma said. "She was holdin' back, okay? I put her through more than this little tap." "I'm very certain it was just an accident," the girl said in a slow, patronizing manner. Ranma narrowed her eyes. "Akane hasn't even gotten mad at me for a while," Ranma said. "She didn't hit me like you think." "Well," the girl said. "Maybe once was an accident, I guess. But don't let yourself be a victim twice, okay?" "I never let myself be a victim once!" Ranma shouted. "It's not something you let yourself become!" She emphasized the word "let" each time. The red-head glared at the girl and then left the room, trying to keep the tears from escaping. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To varying degrees, the day continued like that. Akane receiving a mix of disapproval and curious grilling, and Ranma tending to be patronized. To make matters worse, it was mostly people they didn't know that felt like they could impose on the Saotome's privacy. Not everybody was insulting, and only a few seemed to be deliberately trying to push buttons. Still it was a very tiring day. "Sorry, Akane," Ranma said on the way home. "I didn't think there'd be much of a reaction." "It's not your fault," Akane said. "It's all those people digging around where they're not wanted." "It might be because I don't answer questions anymore," Nabiki said, shrugging apologetically. "What about Ukyou?" "I think by the fifth jerk she'd stopped thinking I was beating on Ranma," Akane said. "But she was rather intense there at first." "If Ukyou ever thought you were hurting me," Ranma said sadly. "You wouldn't have had a warning." For some reason that didn't make Akane feel better. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Tendo dojo," Kasumi said into the phone after picking it up. "Oh, Auntie Saotome." She glanced around and turned back to the phone. "Ranma and Akane are in the dojo," Kasumi said. "Auntie, I need to talk to you before you speak to Ranma. There was a problem..." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "A problem?" Nodoka repeated. She felt a sense of dread as she listened to Kasumi on the other end. "Oh kami..." "What happened?" Soun asked from the side, Nodoka covered the receiver and turned to Soun. "Ranma had to go to the hospital," she paused, listening to Kasumi. Nodoka gasped and covered her mouth in shock, blood flowing away from her face. "Ranma...lost the baby?" Soun's face paled now as well. He didn't know what this meant for Ranma's curse, or any chance for future children. "Is Ranma okay?" Nodoka asked shakily. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "She's as well as can be expected," Kasumi said. "Trying not to dwell on it." The amount of grief in Nodoka's voice eased some of Kasumi's misgivings about Ranma's mother. "Auntie, that's another thing," Kasumi said. "Ranma isn't...male anymore...no...no...this isn't a matter of Ranma's body." She frowned as the phone was silent for a moment. "I think it was everything...but...I would put a lot of the blame at your husband's feet." Kasumi waited for Nodoka to finish asking her question before beginning. "I think," Kasumi started. She looked around again. "Excuse me, I know that Genma's 'training' of your son was clearly abusive. Have you heard about the Neko-Ken yet?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "The Neko-Ken?" Nodoka asked, she saw Soun's expression and braced herself to listen to what Kasumi had to say. As Kasumi described the Neko-Ken training, Nodoka clutched tightly at her kimono, her expression a mixture of murderous and dismayed. "How old was he when this happened?" "He was six," Soun said. "We were told this story." "You knew about this!" Nodoka shouted at her traveling companion. "I can understand Kasumi not doing anything, she's still just a girl! But you!? You're an adult!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "He's not the one that let her infant son sign a seppuku pledge that he had no capability to understand," Kasumi snapped into the phone, trying to keep her voice down. Kasumi watched down the hallway for any sign of someone coming down to listen to her end of the conversation. She blinked as she caught sight of Nabiki sitting on the stairs and watching her. Her sister gave a signal to ignore her. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I was young," Nodoka said. "And I made a mistake. And I have been paying for it every day since." Nodoka straightened her back and firmed her mouth to listen to more. "Is that everything you have to tell me?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "You will not like this, Auntie," Kasumi warned. "But you have to understand the situation. Genma always referred to Ranma as 'boy'. I have rarely heard him use Ranma's name. Any mistake Ranma makes is a result of Ranma's incompetence. Any success is because of your husband's training. He insults Ranma constantly, any time Ranma does something Genma doesn't approve of he accuses him of being weak, or a girl, or both. He steals Ranma's food, uses her as a bargaining chip, and he used to wake her up by throwing her out a window into the koi pond." Kasumi slumped against the wall, checking with Nabiki who gave her an all-clear symbol. "I...I left it alone, Auntie," Kasumi said. "I...was afraid. How do you handle something like that, and Ranma didn't seem to be concerned about most of it. I decided...convinced myself, that it was legitimate training, and some of it perhaps is. And Auntie, Ranma knows her father had a lot of...poor ideas, I still don't think she would have reacted well to trying to take her father away." Kasumi nodded. "Before, no matter what," Kasumi said. "Genma always pressured Ranma to get through his difficulties no matter what. This time...this time he ran away. I think Ranma sees that as proof she's a failure, and with everything else...Auntie, she's lived through much of what a woman can experience in the last three months alone." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I see," Nodoka said sadly. "Has...Ranma told you that...he doesn't wish to be a man any longer?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I've heard her talking in her sleep," Kasumi said. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "You are not a psychiatrist, Kasumi," Nodoka said, wiping her eyes. "Your point is valid, but I will not give up on my son yet." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "And if I'm correct, Auntie?" Kasumi asked sharply. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Then my son is dead," Nodoka said softly. "And I'll endeavor to get to know my daughter. I did not wait ten years to see my...child's blood poured across the floor. Do you have any news for your father, Kasumi- chan? I think a need a moment to collect myself." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Nabiki is here, she can speak to Father," Kasumi said, ignoring Nabiki's gesturing. "I'll tell Akane and Ranma that you are on the phone. Hello, Father, yes, here's Nabiki." Kasumi carried the phone over to Nabiki and handed her the receiver. "Thanks sis," Nabiki said dryly. "Hello, Daddy, yes. Well, it's been...eventful." Kasumi sighed as she walked down the hallway towards the dojo, she was surprised not to hear the sound of Akane and Ranma sparring or running katas. She entered to see Ranma and Akane setting across from each other, apparently meditating. Kasumi approached cautiously and gasped as she noted a soft red aura around Ranma. The two blinked at the sound and looked up, Ranma smiled upon seeing Kasumi, but the smile faded as he noticed the expression on Kasumi's face. "Is something wrong, Kasumi?" Akane asked. "Ranma, what were you doing just now?" Kasumi asked. Ranma looked embarrassed and glanced up to the corner of the room. Akane gave Ranma a knowing smirk, to which she shrugged in embarrassment. "Doc Tofu said I should learn to channel a different emotion," Ranma said. "So I don't use the Shi Shi Hokodan by accident some time." "Oh," Kasumi said. "I guess if Dr. Tofu suggested it, that's not why I'm came though. Auntie Saotome and Father are on the phone." Ranma and Akane perked up at that, a nervous look in their eyes. "Did they find Pop?" Ranma asked. "No," Kasumi said. "They did not. But I believe your mother wants to talk to you, and Father will probably want to talk to you Akane." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Daddy," Nabiki said in a cross tone of voice. "The cast comes off in a couple of days. It'll be fine." Nabiki's head hung down in irritation. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "How did you break your collarbone," Soun asked through his tears. "Attacked?!! Who dared attack my babies." Nodoka idly wondered what Soun's demon-head technique accomplished through the phone. Then it deflated suddenly. "Oh, he's dead already," Soun said. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Can we not talk about that any more?" Nabiki asked. "It's over, it's done with. Daddy, I'll tell you everything about it when you get home, okay? You are coming home now, right?" Nabiki heard some chattering and looked back to see Ranma and her sisters approaching. "Akane and Ranma are coming to the phone," Nabiki said. "No, there hasn't been much in the way of good news recently. Are you sure? Akane will have to give her own bad news. You promise you're not going to overreact? Now you promised Daddy. Are you ready?" She didn't know why she was trying this, it hadn't worked before. "I'm having problems getting into Tokyo University. Daddy, you're overreacting. I still have other options," Nabiki waited for the question to be asked. "Harvard. It's in the United States. Daddy...Daddy...It's a really good school...really good. I have a full scholarship there. No I haven't given up on Tokyo yet. Ryouga's mother and this police officer I know are going to help me." Nabiki grumbled a little and rolled her eyes. "I'm not dating Ryouga," Nabiki protested. "I just sort of do things with him. And he helps me out when I need it. And...look, here's Akane..." She handed the phone to Akane. "Have fun sis." "Great, he's already crying," Akane sighed as she took the phone. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Akane, please tell me that everything is okay with you," Soun pleaded. He stopped for a moment at Akane's answer. "What do you mean you can't do that." Nodoka watched as Soun burst out into a fresh spate of tears. "Y...y...you're permanently cursed?" Soun gasped. "Soun," Nodoka said in a warning tone. He looked over and remembered that Nodoka was looking at the possibility of a child that had completely and totally changed mentally and physically. Something a little more severe than a basic Jusenkyo curse. "Is there any good news coming from home at all?" Soun asked. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Dr. Tofu is back in town," Akane said. "And Kasumi's been dating him. I'd say that's good news." Kasumi flushed bright red. "Akane," Kasumi said quietly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oooh, my baby girl is growing up and marrying a doctor," Soun declared. "Soun," Nodoka said. "Can you make an attempt not to cry please. Especially not for good news." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Ranma's training me," Akane continued, ignoring Kasumi's embarrassment. "I'm getting a lot better. He makes me run katas, spars a lot, balance exercises. Normal stuff, just a lot of it. No, he doesn't use those methods at all." ~What methods would those be,~ Ranma asked herself as the conversation continued. Ranma leaned in closer to Akane, partially to hear what was being said on the other line. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Akane," Nodoka said, holding the phone and glaring at the over- emotional Soun. "Your father is a little overwhelmed at the moment, can I speak to Ranma please?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, she's here," Akane said, she turned to look at Ranma. "Your mother wants to talk to you." Ranma hesitantly took the phone as Akane held her. "Hello, Mom?" Ranma said shakily. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Sssh," Nodoka said. "Kasumi already told me, I just want to know how you feel." She listened to Ranma talking on the other end. Ranma sounded a lot better than she had when Nodoka had left. She still sounded upset though. "I'm certain it wasn't your fault," Nodoka said. "I think I agree with Kasumi and Akane in this case. It happens to thousands of women every year, Ranma." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "We're trying again," Ranma said hesitantly, looking up at Akane. "Doc...Inohara, mom, not Tofu. She's my...gynecologist." Ranma squinted her eyes closed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Nodoka froze for a moment. "Go on, Ranma," Nodoka said finally. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Yeah," Ranma said. "Doc says I should be fine this time, and Doc Tofu said he'd teach me some shiatsu to make it easier. I...want to try, but..." she glanced up at Akane and around at her sisters. "What do I know about bein' a mother? I can't even talk right." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm sure you'll be a fine...parent," Nodoka said, nearly choking. "Just do your best, that's all you can do. And how is your relationship with Akane?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Akane's great," Ranma said. "She's gettin' good at the Art, an' she's helpin' me cook to. Err...no mom, she does okay in the kitchen. I cook most of the breakfasts an' Kasumi cooks most of the dinners, why? I...uh...wake up early a lot, an cookin' calms me down, like katas. An' this way I'm helpin' around the house and not just layin' about like...Pop would. Have you heard anything 'bout him?" She sounded a little annoyed, but a little desperate as well. Kasumi sighed at the question, and Nabiki shook her head. Akane rubbed Ranma's shoulders slightly, and the redhead looked up for a moment. "I don't know," Ranma said, shrugging. "He's a jerk, but I guess I miss him." She frowned. "How should I know where he went to, he never told me where we were goin' before, why should he now?" Ranma took a deep breath. "Sorry mom, today was just irritating." Ranma fidgeted a little and glanced hesitantly around at the other occupants of the room. "Some...people were asking me if I was okay to day," Ranma said. "I got a little bruised in a spar with Akane...it was a spar Mom, she found a hole in my defense and pointed it out...that's what's supposed to happen...you take Kendo doncha?" "No that's not what was irritating," Ranma said. "These people, they talked like I was a kid...an' they got close to me. I don't think they knew what they were doing." She said that looking directly at Akane. "It just got me...upset, so I'm jumpy, okay?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Nodoka frowned in thought as she continued talking to Ranma. Ranma wasn't using the feminine forms of speech, but the topics of discussion and the emotions backed up Kasumi's point. "You are teaching the Art now," Nodoka asked, hoping to encourage some other line of discussion. "Well, there has to be a first student. You mentioned that the local doctor was going to be teaching you shiatsu, but I don't see what...shiatsu is a martial art? I'm glad you're not letting yourself slip." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "The Art is what I'm good at, Mom," Ranma said. "An' I like it, I ain't gonna let myself slip. I just got more extra time 'cause I ain't fightin' all the time anymore." Ranma hesitated and looked at the clock for a moment. "Oh okay, yer comin' back? How long? Okay, see you then I guess, you wanna talk to anybody else? Okay, bye." "Is that it?" Akane asked as Ranma hung up the phone. "Are they coming back?" "Yeah," Ranma said. "They can't find Pop anywhere. He's being squirley as usual." Ranma stayed quiet for a moment before shrugging and shaking her head. "Ah, who needs 'im anyway." Ranma stepped away from Akane, still holding her hand, and started back towards the dojo. Nabiki shook her head as they left the room and turned to Kasumi. "Sometimes Ranma confuses me," Nabiki said. "How could anyone miss such a pathetic waste of life?" "He's the only father Ranma's known," Kasumi said simply. "I understand that," Nabiki said. "It's just that...I guess I just don't understand." "I am going to start dinner now," Kasumi said. "It should only be a short time before it is ready." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma tapped her pencil on the desk in front of her, thinking. She was aware of the watchful looks that Akane was directing her way, and turned momentarily to give Akane a reassuring smile. Then she turned back to the paper in front of her. ~Pop ain't comin' back,~ Ranma thought to herself. ~So what? I don't need 'im anyway.~ She jotted down some notes as the teacher lectured, but she wasn't entirely certain that the notes related to the lecture at all. There were other things that needed to be taken care of. She couldn't control her father, but she could control herself. She hoped so anyway. Ranma shook her head and tried to concentrate on the teacher's lecture. "Is something wrong here?" Ukyou asked after the class ended and they were all waiting for the next teacher to arrive. She glanced at Akane cautiously. "Nah, I was just thinkin' that's all," Ranma said quietly. "Thinking about what?" Ukyou asked. "Our parents are coming back in a couple of days," Akane said with mixed emotions. "Oh," Ukyou said, surprised. "Did they find Genma?" ~And is there anything left of him?~ Ukyou was finding her decision not to fight any longer strained lately. She frowned at that thought. Konatsu and Kasumi were right, it seemed she was starting to turn a little paranoid. "Nope," Ranma said, shaking her head. "Pop ain't comin' back." "Is that why you've been in a funk the last couple of days?" Ukyou asked. Ranma blinked and looked up to see the same question on Akane's face. "I said it before," Ranma protested. "What do I need 'im for? He's a jerk, an' a moron." "Right," Ukyou said. "And how's...training going?" Akane winced at that question. "It's going good," Ranma said. "Right Akane?" "I'm improving tremendously," Akane said. Ranma nodded but didn't add anything to it. "You still haven't come by to watch." "You haven't seen me at least," Ukyou said. She realized that she was doing the same hostile thing again, and sighed. "Sorry, things have been confusing for me recently." Then the teacher walked in and they had to return to their seats. Akane glanced to Ranma, who shrugged and shuffled in her seat. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Okay, are we ready?" Akane asked, not really needing the answer. The red-head in front of her nodded as she laid her hand over Akane's. They could feel it, coming and going. Giving, returning, growing as they embraced each other. Beyond Ranma's lingering hesitance and Akane's tenderness and patience there was the tangible sensation of a connection through which they exchanged they're love and care for each other. "Slower, Akane," Ranma said, firmly, but gently restraining Akane's hand so that it moved in a more regular pattern. "That's good," she said with a sigh of relief. If they had wanted, either could have manifested visible proof of their emotions through an aura. Neither did, it didn't seem necessary. They didn't need such proofs. "You're nervous about something," Akane said, as she went with the correction Ranma's hold became a touch again. Even the flow of chi that was exchanged was superfluous to their realization. Channeling their chi under the sway of such emotions had definite benefits for their health, easing small aches and pains. Revitalizing them. But it wasn't necessary either. "My appointment with Inohara is today," Ranma said. Akane nodded, she knew about that. And she guessed what was really bothering Ranma. "You'll be fine," Akane said, kissing the back of Ranma's head. Her hair was getting fairly long recently, a wild red mane that caught the light like fire. They knew each other well. They knew each other's flaws and strengths, hopes and fears. As Akane was afraid that she'd hurt Ranma, even by accident. They knew when the other wished to talk about something, and when they didn't. As Ranma didn't want to talk about her father. They knew about these things, and maybe they didn't always understand them, but they accepted them. "Maybe we'll have some good news for Mom and Tendo-san after today," Ranma suggested hopefully. There were times, like now, when they were close together and moving almost in synch. Times that they could almost feel what the other was thinking. "You really want to go through with this don't you," Akane whispered. "It isn't just a cure, you want to have a baby." She paused in her slicing and looked down at her instructor and wife. "Yeah," Ranma said, flushing slightly. "I said that already." "I think I knew it already," Akane said in response. Ranma took a breath, considering the possibility that this wouldn't remove the lock. "If..." "I love you," Akane whispered into her ear, encircling her in a firm, gentle embrace. "I'll always love you." Ranma smiled and crossed her arms over Akane's. "Thank you, Akane," Ranma said, leaning back into Akane and smiling warmly. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Notes: If you're wondering why I was sketchy about what was going on with (in alphabetical order) Kodachi, Konatsu/Ukyou, and Nabiki/Ryouga...its because I already have in mind possible sequels revolving around them (I already have a title for each set of characters)...I don't know if I'll have time to do it, but I'd like their story to be told in their story and Akane/Ranma's to be told in their's... Also, my goal in this story was to get Ranma and Akane into a level of emotional stability, I feel I have done that, and though there is a lot of story that I could write, I have a feeling most of it is predictable and at the point I am, I feel I'd have to force the writing and that never comes out well...there is a short epilogue that I will post after this, I skip the entire second pregnancy, but again...this story is about Ranma's recovery, not her pregnancy...that might show up in the background of the possible sequels (again, if I find time, I'm starting a new, full-time, contract job in a foreign country soon, time will be at a premium)...or someone else can do a side-story if they want (I hope they would pay the courtesy of showing me before they post it though.)...anyway...otherwise...this fic is complete...
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