"It will be interesting to see how Ranma deals with Asuka's breakdown," Nabiki commented. "And this is the episode where Rei s-self-destructs," Akane said, her voice cracking. "She died in the original story, but they activated another copy and told everyone she lived. That's not an option now. If she sacrifices herself this time, she really will be gone." "Oh my," Kasumi said. "You mean Ranma might lose one of the girls he loves? That's so sad. I don't know if I want to watch this episode." "He could lose both of them," Nabiki said somberly. "Asuka went off the deep end and retreated from the world after Rei sacrificed herself for Shinji. She just disconnected and became catatonic. I hate to see how she reacts if Ranma manages to save Rei this time when he didn't save her." "But he couldn't save her," Ukyo argued. "That bastard Gendo wouldn't let him." "It doesn't matter," Nabiki explained. "To Asuka it will be just another statement that she's worthless, not important enough to send Ranma out to help." "Aiya! Is too too sad," Shampoo said. (oO\O/Oo) "How did the sync testing go?" Misato asked Ritsuko as the blonde sat down with her coffee. "Not good, I'm afraid," Ritsuko said. "All of their scores are down, but Asuka's plunged to the point where I'm not sure she can even get her Eva to move. I've had to request another pilot. We can't depend on her anymore. She's allowing herself to be consumed by depression. It's as if the last angel destroyed the barriers in her mind that held all her demons at bay." "It's really sad," Misato said. "Ranma is trying so hard to reach out to her, but the harder he tries the further she just retreats." (oO\O/Oo) "Asuka?" Ranma said, stepping out on to the balcony where the girl was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Asuka didn't respond, just stared out across the skyline. Ranma reached out to her, but she flinched away from his touch. A wave of hurt passed through Ranma's eyes but it was quickly suppressed. Ranma took a seat beside the girl. "Asuka, I can't even begin to understand what that angel did to you," Ranma said softly. "All I know is that you're hurting real bad right now and I want to help. You can push me away all you want but it won't work. I love you and I'm not giving up on you no matter what. Rei and I...we need you Asuka-chan." "That's a lie," Asuka said bitterly. "Why would you need someone as worthless as I am? I probably can't even activate Unit 02 anymore." "You're not worthless, Asuka-chan," Ranma growled. "Stop thinking you are. You're very important to me and also to Rei." "What good am I to either of you if I can't pilot an Eva?" Asuka asked in disgust. "I know how you're feeling," Ranma said softly. "Back where I came from, there was this one time that the perverted old letch that calls himself the Grandmaster of our Ryu got pissed at me. He used a Moxibustion point on me that removed my strength. I was so weak that my strongest punch could barely be felt. I was at the mercy of my rivals and anyone else that chose to attack me. I felt as worthless and depressed as you do now and I asked one of my fiancées that same question you just asked; what good was I if I couldn't be a martial artist? She couldn't answer, and that hurt even worse." "Yeah, so what happened?" Asuka asked. "I guess she felt guilty about not being able to answer," Ranma sighed, "because it was one of the few times that she stepped up and helped me. She didn't let me give up. She told me that we would find a way to get my strength back and she reminded me of who I was. I learned a new technique that didn't require strength to perform. To this day it's one of my stronger techniques and I used it to beat the old letch and get the scroll that showed us how to counter the Moxibustion point." "Well, there is no scroll that will help me," Asuka said harshly. "Maybe not," Ranma said, "but I learned the answer to the question you asked. What good are you if you can't pilot an Eva? Asuka, you're a brilliant girl. You're not even 16 yet but you hold a college degree. Even if you never piloted an Eva again, you could do just about anything you wanted. And so what if you can't pilot? That's not why I love you. That's not why Rei loves you. We love you because of who you are, not what you do. You're just as beautiful, smart, and desirable now as you were when I met you; maybe even more so since you let go of the superior attitude you had then." "That's easy for you to say," Asuka argued. "How would you take it if you could never practice the art again?" "I'd probably be more depressed than you are right now," Ranma admitted. "But you know what? You and Rei wouldn't let me give up on life and Rei and I don't plan to let you give up either. Asuka-chan, you can get it back. Whatever that angel did to your head has knocked you off your center. I promise, all you have to do is find your center and you'll be back better than ever. This is just a bump in the road, Koi. It might take you some time to get past it, but as long as you never give up, you will win." "Easy for you to say," Asuka repeated somberly. "You're right," Ranma smiled. "It is easy for me to say...because I believe in you, Koi. I know you can do it. You just need a little time to sort things through. Use the meditation techniques I taught you. They'll help you find your center again." Ranma reached out and stroked Asuka's hair. He was pleased that this time she didn't flinch away. "And remember, Rei and I love you," Ranma said. "We need you. Not because of what you do, but who you are." (oO\O/Oo) "Where have you been?" Ritsuko demanded as Misato burst into the command center. "Sorry, I was detained," Misato said in an irritated tone. "Report!" "We have an angel floating in the sky above Tokyo 3," Hyuga said. "Field pattern is alternating between blue and orange." "What's that mean?" Misato asked Ritsuko. "I don't know," Ritsuko said, looking at the video image of the glowing, double helix-shaped torus hanging in the sky above them. "But I don't think this is its only shape." "Fine," Misato said. "I want Rei out there on point. Have Asuka ready to back her up." "Misato, Asuka will be lucky if she can get her Eva to move, as low as her sync rate is," Ritsuko said. "There's nothing I can do about it," Misato spat. "I don't have the authority to unfreeze Unit 01." "I do," Gendo said from above them. "Have Unit 01 removed from cryo-stasis and deploy it on point. Rei will back up the Third Child. Hold Unit 02 in reserve." (oO\O/Oo) Ranma sat in Unit 01 looking up into the sky at the angel. He gripped his progressive katana and waited for it to do something. Unit 00 stood some distance away armed with a naginata. "Damn, what's it waiting on, Rei?" Ranma complained. "I do not know," came Rei's dispassionate reply. "I do not think we have to wait much longer." As she said this, the angel began to glow and suddenly the torus was broken. The angel, now looking like a long, glowing snake, darted in toward Ranma with terrible speed. However, Ranma's lightning fast reflexes and agility bonus, courtesy of the Nekoken, allowed him to easily spin out of the way and land a counterstrike with the katana as the angel barreled past. "Damn," Ranma cursed, as he saw the katana pass right through the angel's body as if it were insubstantial. Unit 01 leaped into the air as the angel tried to hit him in the back. When he came down he drove the katana into the ground and began to form a Mouko Takabisha. Firing the ki/AT blast, he quickly discovered that he wasn't the only one too agile to hit as the angel easily avoided the blast while making another attack run on Ranma. It continued like this for several more passes until Ranma deployed his Nekoken claws. As the angel streaked by, Ranma swiped at it, catching it three-quarters of the way down its length. The claws cleanly severed the rear quarter of the angel's body, causing its glow to flicker momentarily. Unfortunately, a moment later the segments rejoined each other like it had never happened. Still, the attack had evidently hurt the angel because it paused as if rethinking its strategy. Suddenly it attacked again, only this time it didn't attack Ranma. It went after Rei. Rei was unprepared for the sudden switch in targets and would have been unable to avoid the swiftly moving angel anyway. She was an excellent pilot, but she just didn't have the preternatural reflexes and agility Ranma possessed, nor did she have the mastery over her Eva that Ranma did. All she could do was put up her AT field. The angel streaked in and slammed into the AT field. Much to everyone's dismay, it passed right through and struck Unit 00 squarely in the lower torso. Instead of causing damage though, vein-like ridges looking much like filliform corrosion began to spread from the impact site as the angel began to infect Unit 00 and its pilot. Rei writhed in her seat as the ridges began to appear on her as well. Suddenly she was somewhere else. She was standing on the bank of a pool. In the pool stood someone, or something that looked like her twin. "Who are you," Rei asked. "I am you," her mirror image replied. "You are not me," Rei disagreed. "Are you one of the beings we call angels?" "Join with me," her mirror image entreated. "I will not," Rei declined. "I want to give you something," the mirror image said. "Can you feel that? Can you feel the pain?" "Yes, I have felt this all my life," Rei said dispassionately. "It is called loneliness," the mirror image said. "I know what it is called," Rei said. "I don't have to feel it anymore." "You are referring to your relationship with the one called Ranma," the mirror image laughed. "What will happen when he is returned to where he came from? You will feel the pain once more." "No!" Rei denied. "If Ranma must return to his reality then I will still have Asuka." "The one that even now turns away from you?" the mirror image asked. "Without Ranma to hold you together do you really believe that the one called Asuka will stay with one like you? Join with me." "I will not," Rei negated. "You will," the mirror image laughed. "You must." Then Rei was back in the entry plug of Unit 00. The ridges now covered her body and began to creep onto her face. Rei began to despair. She could only think of one solution to destroy the angel and save Ranma and Asuka. Tears began to flow from her crimson eyes as she grabbed on to the angel to prevent its escape when she activated the self-destruct system. "Goodbye, Ranma," Rei said softly. "Goodbye, Asuka. I love you both." "Rei! Listen to me," Ranma shouted in alarm. "Don't you even think about triggering that self-destruct! Remember what I taught you! You have the angel right where you want it! It's trying to merge with you. That means its defenses are down. Use the technique we came up with! Don't you dare give up!" "I-I cannot," Rei said. "The angel is too strong." "Bullshit!" Ranma argued. "Concentrate, Rei! Feel the power inside you! Reverse what the angel is trying to do!" Rei closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt her ki, a warmth pooling just below her belly. She began to gather it and concentrate her power. Suddenly, it was no longer a gentle warmth. It was as if a switch had flipped or a match was thrown into a puddle of gasoline. Now her power was like a raging inferno inside her, building and intensifying as it spread throughout her body. What she didn't realize was that her efforts to gather and concentrate her power had awakened the dormant S2 organ within her and it began to amplify her ki many times over. Regardless of where the power was coming from, Rei seized on to it and began to force the corruption from her body. The vein-like ridges covering her began to glow then fade. Once her body was purged, Rei forced her power out into Unit 00. The ridges that had formed on the Eva likewise began to glow and fade. The angel realized that it was failing in its attack and tried to get away. It was too late though. Rei continued to force her power out into the angel itself before it could cut off the link it had been using in an effort to assimilate the Eva. The vein-like ridges now began to form on the angel as it writhed and thrashed to get free. It began to glow brighter and brighter until it shone like the sun. When the glow faded, it was gone. "Way to go, Rei!" Ranma cheered. "Are you okay?" "I am well," Rei said, smiling at her success, happy that she could remain with Ranma. (oO\O/Oo) "What just happened?" Misato asked. "Unit 00 just absorbed the angel," Ritsuko said in shock. "What is the status of Unit 00?" "There's no trace of the corruption, Ma'am," Maya said. "It's like Rei turned the tables on the angel. Instead of it corrupting her, she corrupted it and absorbed it into Unit 00's body." She continued to study the telemetry and suddenly gasped. "That's not all, Ma'am! The sensors are reporting that Unit 00 now has an S2 organ as well!" "Oh my god," Ritsuko gasped, completely floored by this development. "How is that possible?" (oO\O/Oo) Up on the command balcony, Gendo was scowling behind his steepled hands. His plans were falling apart before him. He hadn't missed Rei's expression of love to the Second and Third Child. That was unacceptable. Unfortunately, now there was little he could do about it. Replacing her was no longer an option. How could this situation have developed right under his nose without him knowing about it? He looked down into the command center and suddenly he had his answer. He glowered at the two women down there. Akagi and Katsuragi were responsible for this. There was no way he couldn't have known about it unless they were covering for the teens. The bitches were probably encouraging it the whole time. And Fuyutsuki; he was probably in on it too. He had been the one to destroy the clones, which left Gendo with no options in replacing Rei with another uncorrupted version. He was surrounded with traitors. They had been working against him the whole time. Ever since the Third Child had arrived things hadn't been in his control. The boy had somehow corrupted them all and turned them against him. And now there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. SEELE was now suspicious of him. He didn't have enough time to develop new tools to institute his plan. He would have to play the hand he was dealt and pray that events would give him his precious Yui back. Gendo realized that as much as he wanted to have the boy killed for threatening his plans, doing so would only serve to bring everything down around his ears. He still needed the boy and he could be used to assure Rei's cooperation. Others, however, had no such protection. Gendo scowled down at the two women that had hid this from him. They would pay for their disloyalty. (oO\O/Oo) "Things are not going according to the scenario," a monolith stated in a German accent. "Yes, now another Evangelion has acquired an S2 organ," another monolith said angrily. "Not only that, but the pilot somehow assimilated the angel," the German voice said. "Gendo Ikari is out of control," a third monolith spoke up. "We were unable to turn Fuyutsuki," said a monolith labeled SEELE 01 in the voice of chairman Keil. "We must find another cat's paw to use against Ikari." (oO\O/Oo) "Hey Doc," Ranma greeted as he entered Doctor Akagi's office. "Oh, hello, Ranma," Ritsuko said in a subdued tone as she stared at her monitor. "What's wrong?" Ranma asked. "You sound sad." "I just got off the phone with my Grandmother," Ritsuko said. "She told me that my cat died." "Aw, geez, that sucks," Ranma said sympathetically. "Is that your mom?" Ritsuko looked away from her monitor to see Ranma standing behind her. "Yes," Ritsuko answered. "And that's your father behind her." "And you off to the side there," Ranma said. "You were cute with dark hair." Ritsuko gave a sharp bitter laugh. "Dr. Akagi, we have to talk," Ranma said seriously. "What do you want to discuss, Ranma?" the blonde asked. "Not here," Ranma said his eyes darting to the security camera. "I'm very busy, Ranma," Ritsuko pointed out. "I'm aware of that, Dr. Akagi," Ranma said formally. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." "I see," Ritsuko said. She assumed it had something to do with his relationship with Rei. "Alright, I can spare a few minutes." "Come with me," Ranma said. "We'll take a little walk." Several minutes later, Ranma and Ritsuko were walking along the nature path in the geofront. Ranma stopped when they reached the garden that Kaji had planted. "Wait here a minute," Ranma instructed. Before she could reply, he vanished from sight. Several minutes later, he reappeared next to her startling her. "Sorry, Doc," Ranma said apologetically. "I had to take care of some watchers. Now we can talk." "What's so important that you dragged me out here?" Ritsuko asked. "You remember when I told you to watch your back around Gendo?" Ranma asked. "Yes," Ritsuko said. "Well, now you need to be really careful, Ritsuko," Ranma said grimly. "Now that the cat's out of the bag with Rei and I, things are gonna get ugly. Gendo is about to throw you to the wolves when SEELE comes after him. SEELE is going to try to turn you by telling you some nasty things about the relationship between Gendo and your mother." "Oh? And how do you know this?" Ritsuko asked. "I know a lot more than I let on. I know what Gendo is planning," Ranma said. "I also know that he used your mother, much like he used you." Ritsuko stiffened. How could Ranma know of her relationship with Gendo? "I'm sorry, Ritsuko," Ranma said sadly. "I know you've started to see Gendo for the bastard he is and you aren't especially loyal to him. I'm also sorry about what happened to your mother. I intend to make the bastard pay for what he's done, for all the people he's hurt. Both he and SEELE are wrong and I plan to take them both down." "Why are you telling me this? How can you know all this?" Ritsuko demanded. "I'm telling you this because I need your help," Ranma said. "When the shit hits the fan, we'll need all the help we can get." "We?" Ritsuko asked. "Rei, Asuka, Misato, and I," Ranma said. "I'm hoping that we'll have the support of the JSDF when the time comes as well. I need your help too. I'm taking a big chance here, but I consider you a friend and I think I can trust you to help us make the bastard pay for what he did to your mother. Am I wrong? Can I trust you?" "What if I say no?" Ritsuko said. "I won't be leaving here will I?" "I'm not a cold-blooded killer, Ritsuko," Ranma said sadly. "I won't hurt you, but if it turns out that I can't trust you, and I will know no matter what you say, I'll have to turn you over to JSDF Intelligence. I understand they are currently hosting Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki as well." "So that's what happened to him," Ritsuko smiled ruefully. "Yeah, it was SEELE that originally abducted him, but Kaji got him out," Ranma explained. "So what do you want me to do?" Ritsuko asked. "Gendo is going to send you to SEELE when they demand to see Rei," Ranma explained. "They are gonna tell you terrible things in order to make you angry and turn on him. They have no idea that you ain't been especially loyal to Gendo for some time. I want you to go along with them. Let them think they've turned you. But I need you to control your anger. We're gonna get the bastard, but we have to do it right if we wanna stop SEELE as well. When you get back, we'll talk more about what we're gonna do." "Alright, I'm in," Ritsuko agreed. "I still want to know how you know all this." "That," Ranma smirked, "is a secret." Ritsuko found herself pulling her face out of the dirt after a nasty face-fault. Ranma sweat-dropped and scratched the base of his pigtail in chagrin. "Are you okay, Doc?" Ranma asked. "That wasn't very nice, Ranma," Ritsuko said, spitting out a mouthful of dirt. "Um...sorry," Ranma said nervously. (oO\O/Oo) "Rei, how long has this been going on between you and the Third Child," Gendo interrogated the blue-haired girl standing before his desk. "Ranma and myself have been dating since before the arrival of the Second Child," Rei said dispassionately. "I see," Gendo said, fuming inside. "And why did you not tell me this?" "It was felt that you would disapprove of our relationship," Rei informed him succinctly. "So if you knew I would disapprove, then why did you proceed?" Gendo asked. "Because Ranma made me...happy," Rei said. "I see," Gendo said. "And if I ordered you not to see him anymore?" "I would disregard such orders," Rei said flatly. "I could prevent it, you know," Gendo pointed out. "I do not believe that is true," Rei said. "Ranma would not allow it and you could not stop him short of killing one or both of us which you will not do." "Are you so certain?" Gendo asked. "I am," Rei said. "We are both necessary to your plans. Without us, you cannot achieve your goals." Gendo glared at the girl. She, of all people, knew the truth of her words. He was impotent to threaten her though she was blatantly defying him to do so. "If that is all, Ranma is waiting for me," Rei said, turning and walking out without bothering to wait for his leave. Gendo sat silently at his desk for several minutes trying to master his anger. In the end, it was a futile effort and he surged to his feet and heaved his desk over in rage, scattering the few items that had been resting on it. (oO\O/Oo) Asuka was slowly improving. She was still depressed, but she was no longer retreating from those she loved. She was very subdued around others though. Currently she was with Ranma and Rei out on a double date with Toji and Hikari. Toji had just gotten his casts off and they had all gone out to celebrate. They had had no trouble getting into the classy steakhouse even without reservations, since Tokyo 3 had become virtually deserted of late as more and more people fled the constant attacks. "I really want to thank you, Asuka," Toji spoke up. "You saved my life. I know we haven't always been on good terms, but I want you to know, if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask." "That's right, Asuka," Hikari smiled. "You're a really great friend and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have my Toji." "Thanks," Asuka said, flashing a weak smile before going back to staring at her plate. "Hey, what's wrong?" Hikari asked, concerned for her friend. "Nothing," Asuka replied. "I'm just tired." Ranma put his arm around her and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "She's been having a hard time lately, but she's getting better," Ranma said. "Really? Anything we can help with?" Hikari asked. "No, I'll be fine, really. I just have to sort some stuff out, get my head on straight, you know," Asuka said. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here," Hikari offered. "Thanks," Asuka said, her smile having a bit more warmth in it this time. "So you guys wanna go play miniature golf after this?" Ranma asked. "Um...Ranma, the miniature golf course was destroyed months ago," Hikari sweat-dropped. "Oh...um...sorry," Ranma said sheepishly. "How about we visit the ice cream shop?" "Closed down," Toji said. "Between the attacks and the money they were hemorrhaging due to a certain ice cream scamming trio, the owner decided to open up somewhere safer than Tokyo 3." "No way!" Ranma said in horror. "No more ice cream?" "Well, you can still buy it at the market, but the shop is gone," Toji said. "That sucks," Ranma remarked bitterly. "Isn't there anything left to do around here?" "Not much," Hikari said. "I'm sure things will return once the attacks stop." "I guess," Ranma agreed. "I think the bowling alley is still running," Toji suggested. Ranma looked at him dryly. "Do you seriously wanna see what I do to a bowling alley?" Ranma asked. "Let me guess, you bowl a 300 every time," Toji deadpanned. "Pretty much," Ranma nodded. "I tried it once. Wasn't much of a challenge. I had a tougher time not damaging the equipment than I did knocking the pins down." "Why does this not surprise me?" Asuka asked, smiling for a change. "Hey, it's not my fault they don't build the stuff to withstand a 16lb ball moving at 100 miles an hour," Ranma said defensively. Hikari and Toji both sweat-dropped while Rei just sat there like it was nothing out of the ordinary. "I'd hate to see what you'd do with a baseball," Toji commented. "They wouldn't let me play after I threw the ball to the first basemen and it broke his hand inside the glove," Ranma said sheepishly. "I also broke a lot of bats until I figured out to infuse them with my ki." "Basketball?" Toji asked. "They let me play that, but it wasn't much of a challenge," Ranma said. "Nobody could keep up with my speed and I could slam-dunk from mid court. They also let me play soccer too. That was a little more challenging." "How about rugby?" Toji asked. "I played that for a while, but it got really boring," Ranma sighed. "They put me in at the beginning until we got a good lead in points and then I'd get benched for the rest of the game so the other players could have a chance to do something." Asuka rolled her eyes at this while Toji slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned. Hikari just blinked at him in dismay. (oO\O/Oo) "So did you have fun, Asuka-chan?" Ranma asked as they walked home, Rei clinging to one arm and Asuka on the other. "Yeah, you were right," Asuka said grudgingly. "It was nice." "I'm glad," Ranma smiled at her. "How about I give you both a nice, relaxing backrub when we get home?" "That would please me," Rei agreed. "You won't hear me turning that offer down," Asuka chimed in. "So how did the Commander react to the news that our Rei is no longer his little play toy?" "He was displeased," Rei reported. "However, he will not come between us at the present time. I informed him that any attempt to do so would result in...unpleasant consequences." "Whoa, way to go, Rei-chan," Asuka said, impressed to hear about Rei standing up to someone like that. "I'm proud of you, Rei-chan," Ranma chuckled. "But you both know that we gotta be extra careful now. We gotta watch out for each other or the bastard'll try to use one of us to control the others. I love you guys and I don't want anything to happen to you." The mood was slightly subdued after that. The trio continued home in silence, wordlessly enjoying each others company. (oO\O/Oo) "So, Ranma talked to you?" Misato asked Ritsuko. The blonde had just returned from her ordeal at the hands of SEELE. In spite of being prepared for it, Ritsuko was still seething and wracked with grief over what they had said to her. They had ruthlessly spelled out just how badly Gendo had used not only her, but her mother before her. "Yes, he talked to me," Ritsuko spat bitterly, taking a large swallow of her drink. "And he was right, about everything." "Yeah, it seems that way," Misato said, sipping her beer. "I don't know where he got his information, but everything he's told us is true. So you've decided to join the team?" "I want to take that bastard down," Ritsuko snarled. "For what he did to my mother, I want to pull the trigger myself." "I understand how you feel," Misato said. "I want them all to go down. My father would still be alive if it weren't for them. You'll probably have to get in line for a shot at Gendo though. I don't think there will be much left of him after Ranma gets through with him." "As long as the filthy, manipulating bastard gets what's coming to him," Ritsuko growled, taking another long pull of booze. "What you sow, so shall you reap," Misato said, holding up her beer. Ritsuko clinked her glass against the beer bottle and the pair drank a toast to Gendo and SEELE's downfall. (oO\O/Oo) Nabiki stopped the tape and shook her head in amazement. She couldn't believe this was the same Ranma that vanished from here barely a week ago. Not only did he seem to be masterminding a complex plan against expert manipulators, his handling of the situation with Asuka showed more sensitivity than she would have thought him capable of in her wildest dreams. "Why the hell did he let us treat him like we did if he's that capable?" Nabiki wondered out loud. "That's not so hard to figure out," Cologne grinned. "The simple fact is, he was so starved for acceptance, he was willing to forgive huge transgressions against him to get it. He never had a chance to have any normal friends before and since he came here, the attacks on him or those around him have isolated him from anyone but us. Normal people simply don't want to get pulled into the intense martial arts battles we experience regularly." "If he had treated me as nice as he does Asuka, I wouldn't have hit him so much," Akane complained. "Why would he, Akane?" Nabiki drawled. "You never gave him a chance." "What's that supposed to mean?" Akane demanded. "You're the one that offered him friendship, but as soon as you found out about the curse, you attacked him, calling him a pervert and a freak," Nabiki explained. "It's a wonder he came to care about you as much as he did. You can't expect him to be as compassionate toward you as he is to Asuka when you constantly go around insulting him and questioning his honor." "But...but..." Akane tried to argue but then just sighed. "At least he appreciated when I helped him with the weakness Moxibustion." "I hope you all appreciate the fact that if he returns, he probably won't put up with the shenanigans he ignored before," Cologne said, looking at each person in the room meaningfully, especially the fathers. "The boy will do as I tell him," Genma insisted. "Don't bet on it, Sugar," Ukyo snapped. "You'll probably be the first person he goes after." "And if he doesn't, then I will," Nodoka spoke up with iron in her voice. "If my son returns, Husband, you will no longer leave him to fix the problems you created. In fact, I intend to repudiate any and all engagements made on Ranma's behalf." "Ranma will marry Akane!" Genma bellowed. "It's a matter of honor!" "Don't try that foolishness with me, Husband," Nodoka hissed. "What of Miss Kuonji's honor? What of the honor of all the other families you engaged Ranma to? You have broken our family honor many times over when it suited you. You no longer have a right to claim any." "But Nodoka..." Genma started. "But nothing, Husband," Nodoka said. "Until you fix the mess you made, Ranma will not be obligated to marry anyone. I suggest you start thinking about how you're going to fix things." Nabiki smirked as she watched Genma begin to sweat under the weight of Nodoka's glare. "Oh my, I'm so glad that sweet Rei girl managed to survive," Kasumi said, causing everyone to blink as she expertly broke the tension with the apparent non sequitur. "Poor Ranma would have been so heartbroken if she had died."
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