Child Care
~Jingoro~
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ does not belong to me. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi so please don't sue me, as I have no money to give anyone. And even if I did... err... lets not get into that...
"" are used for talking '' are used for thinking ** are used for messages written on Genma's sign.
Chapter one: What! A baby?!
A strong breeze blows through the sky as the clouds open up. The rain comes down fast and furiously upon the poor people that happened to be underneath. A groan is heard coming from a man. As soon as the rain hits the groan turns into a growl, a very inhuman growl. A sigh escapes the from the man's companion, a sigh that started off in a low tone then became higher in pitch. Both are shrouded in darkness as the rain comes down fast. Then a small cry came from the companions back. Both turned around and spotted a little infant girl, looking to be maybe about a year old, sitting next to a lamppost crying. As they approached the girl they both entered the spotlight from the lamppost. A young girl with bright red hair, dressed in Chinese clothing, and a large panda looked at the young girl. In an instant the red haired girl walked up to the child and picked her up and held her close to her body to keep the child warm. The panda merely looked at the two with mild disinterest then whipped out a sign from his back. He then brought out a black marker with his other hand and started writing on the sign. After he finished he directed the message to the red haired girl.
* What do you think you're doing boy? We can't take her along with us. *
The girl looked at the panda angrily then started to yell at the panda.
"What the hell are you talking about?! We can't just leave her here! We have to at least try and find her family!" she yelled, which in turn caused the young child to cry even louder.
The girl quickly turned her attention to the child again and started to cradle the child as if she had been doing it her entire life. The panda merely looked on in awe as the child quieted down almost immediately. After a few seconds the panda wrote on another sign.
* Fine. We'll find shelter for now, then after the rain stops we find her family or get rid of her at the orphanage. Now come on boy. *
With that the two quickly ran to one of the local restaurants and sat down at one of the booths. As soon as the people saw the panda they backed away as far as they could. The three merely sat without paying any attention to anyone else. The girl yelled at one of the waiters.
"Hey! Can you bring me a kettle of hot water? It would be much appreciated!" she yelled at the waiters.
A tall scrawny looking waiter quickly ran into the kitchen and brought out a kettle filled with hot water. He quickly gave it to her then ran back to everyone else breathing hard and sweating bullets. The girl looked at the crowd of people with disinterest then glanced at the panda. With an understanding look they both got up and left the restaurant as the rain had ceased, being the kind that came quick, hit hard, then left just as quickly. The three quickly exited and the two jumped to the roofs, the girl carrying the child. Once there the girl set the child down and poured the hot water over her head and the panda's head. As soon as the hot water hit their heads they transformed. The red haired girl changed into a handsome young man with black hair while the panda transformed into an older man, bald with a bandanna over his head and glasses tied to his head. The girl just stared then started to giggle. The boy let out a sigh and picked the girl back up while the older man looked at him. The girl grabbed the boy's ponytail that hung over his shoulder and started to play with it, giggling the entire time. The man saw a look in the boy's eye that he had never seen before. He quickly put his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention.
"You shouldn't get so attached to her Ranma. We're not going to keep her."
"Yeah yeah, I know. But I mean, she was just abandoned," Ranma trailed off.
"We don't know that. She could have just gotten lost. Anyway we need to go see if she has a place to go. Come on."
With that the older man jumped down, landing with a practice grace. Ranma soon followed holding the girl close to him. The two quickly ran to the closest police station. As the two neared the station the older man slowed down, then stopped. Ranma looked at his father curiously.
"Uh, why don't you go in there? I mean, there's no point in me going in with you."
"Why?"
"Uh, no reason."
Ranma looked at him closely and realized what it was.
"You're afraid someone might recognize you and put you in jail! Well, what about me?! I've been going everywhere with you so if they knew you then they would obviously know me too!"
"Hmm...well, why don't you just put the baby on the steps of the police station then we can get out of here. That would work."
"Maybe... but what if she doesn't have anywhere to go? How 'bout we just take her with us and look for a family that we can trust to take care of her? That would work wouldn't it?"
The man looked at the girl in his son's arms. She was small yet not too small. Her hair was short and raven colored. He had noticed her eyes before; they had been large brown eyes. All in all, she was a very cute little girl, even more so when she was sleeping.
His father merely looked at the boy, then smiled.
"You know, I think it's about time we went and visited a friend of mine."
"Huh?"
"I think I might know a place where we can give her a home."
"Oh, ok. Where we headed then?"
"Nerima."
"Ok, that sounds good. How does that sound to you?" Ranma asked the little child in his arms.
The girl just made a funny face at Ranma and crinkled up her nose. Ranma looked at her and laughed. Genma looked at Ranma laughing and felt something inside of him twinge. It was one of the few times he had ever seen Ranma laugh outright in the ten long years they had spent training.
"Well then, I think it's about time to find a place to rest for the night. Bring uh... her along with us," Genma said momentarily forgetting that the child didn't have a name.
Ranma caught the slip and looked down at the child thoughtfully.
"We're going to have to give her a name. You know any good ones?"
Genma stood there thinking, as did Ranma. Both men concentrated trying to think of name. After maybe ten minutes of thinking Ranma shot his hand into the air.
"Sakura! How's that?" Ranma asked his father.
"Sakura... that's fine I guess," he responded.
They both looked at the little infant. The infant just sat there with a big smile on her face.
"How do you like that name? Do you like Sakura?" Ranma asked the infant expecting no answer.
The child's smile grew even bigger. Ranma looked down at the child and felt something tugging inside of him. Not really understanding what the feeling was he quickly pushed it away. Genma however, saw the look pass through Ranma's eyes for an instant. However, thinking he had not seen anything he let it go and turned his attention to the child.
'Hmm... this is just the chance I need to get Ranma to come with me to Tendo! But, should I tell him the real reason? I can always tell him later. I'm sure he won't mind, after all it is a matter of family honor!' Genma schemed in his head.
Then Genma looked at Ranma and motioned for him to follow him. As they were about to jump to the rooftops a car drove by, splashing a puddle of water on top of them. Sakura, having been shielded by Ranma's body was left dry. However, the other two were now wet and changed. The girl and the panda looked at each other and sighed. The two quickly jumped to the rooftops and roof hopped away with a small breeze blowing towards them. Sakura merely lay in Ranma's arms giggling into the wind. ***** It had been two weeks since they had departed from the town they had found Sakura. Since then a certain bond had been created between Ranma and Sakura. If Genma picked her up she would start to cry. As soon as Ranma cradled her in his arms she would quiet down and begin playing with his ponytail, which always happened to droop over his left shoulder. She had grown very attached to Ranma in the short period of time they had been together. Ranma had also become quite attached to the small child, as he was the one constantly around her and caring for her. For a child so young Sakura was extremely well behaved. Ranma would feed her, take care of her toiletries, and sleep with her at night.
Genma watched the boy take care of the child and wondered where he had picked up such skills. He realized as he looked into his eyes that he was a complete natural. It came to him like second nature. It made him feel good that he knew Ranma would be a good father. It also made him think about the way he had raised Ranma. Feelings of guilt and sorrow over all the lost experiences came flooding into his mind. That had been one of the reasons that Genma had allowed Ranma to take in the child. He had never given anything to him during the long training trip and he had regretted not being able to give him a normal childhood. Seeing Ranma so happy with the baby alleviated some of the guilt inside of him. However, he had realized that Ranma also needed to train. The boy was already well above even the best martial artists that he knew but he also knew the potential in the boy. There was so much more that the boy could become with the right training. As he watched the boy he called to him.
"Ranma! We need to get in some more training. I don't want you getting too relaxed. Put Sakura somewhere safe and lets have a couple rounds of sparring!"
"Alright pops! Let me put Sakura down!"
Ranma placed Sakura on a makeshift bed made out of hay, old cushioning, and other random materials he had bound together. As soon as he put her down he faced his father. As they looked at each other they suddenly realized the good mood that had been occurring between them. Ever since they had found Sakura they had not had a single argument between them. Genma had toned down on the insults considerably as had Ranma. With that thought the two entered a fighting stance with a smirk on their faces. However, the smirk wasn't of confidence or cockiness. It merely expressed their grudging respect for each other and that they really were happy with being with one another during the last ten years, even through all the troubles they had been through together.
Then the two flew at each other, fists flying trying to get in the first hit. Sakura merely sat and watched. If anyone had watched her they would have noticed her head moving back and forth trying to see what was going on. The first time Sakura had watched she had been frightened and had started crying. It had taken a few more times to get Sakura used to them sparring. The sparring session had, however, gone down a notch to make sure that they didn't go overboard and possibly endanger Sakura. Sure enough both Saotomes kept a close eye on Sakura throughout the match to make sure they knew were she was. Even though Genma wouldn't admit it out front he had grown quite attached to the little girl and truly did care for her as if she were family. Soon enough they finished their session and Ranma was back to playing with Sakura. Genma went back to watching the two interact with each other.
'The boy's been getting better, even with the little runt hanging around us. I think we're ready to go see Tendo now. I believe we're just a few blocks away,' Genma thought to himself.
"Boy! Let's get ready to go! We have a meeting with my friend that we have to get to!"
"Ok!"
With that the two got up and started on their way when the sky's opened up and let the rain's come down. The three were immediately soaked and transformed. Sakura giggled into the rain as she felt the change occur on Ranma. She snuggled up to Ranma's body and just lay there. Ranma and Genma merely sighed. They had both gotten used to their new bodies but didn't like them very much. Genma didn't find his alternate form too bad as it was fairly comfortable when camping outside and his strength increased immensely, even if his speed did lower a bit but not enough to overbalance the increase in strength. Ranma on the other hand lost some strength and gained a considerable amount of speed. The different forms had been difficult to adjust to during the first week. Both had had to relearn many basics as their different bodies reacted differently. Ranma accepted the curse a little better after they had discovered Sakura. Sakura had found the curses quite entertaining to watch and giggled each time it happened in front of her. The young girl also seemed to like Ranma's girl form slightly better than his normal form, as she had seen the girl form first. This in turn toned down Ranma's obsession with being the manliest he could be. However, Genma noticing this had started cracking insults about his manliness again. However, Ranma hadn't taken them nearly as bad as he had had before and this worried Genma for reasons unknown to Ranma. Finding his insults not working he had stopped them once again because he had found that constantly insulting the boy had gotten really old and he had also found that it didn't really motivate the boy like it use to. As he walked in silence he thought to himself to remember to think up new ways to motivate Ranma.
The trio trudged through the streets. People watched them walk by and whispered to each other. Ranma and Genma merely walked by already used to the whispers. Sakura just lay in Ranma's arms oblivious to the world around her. She had been getting restless before but Ranma had cradled her slowly causing her to fall asleep. As they walked along Genma looked at Ranma and Sakura and sighed/grunted. He decided to tell him even if it would probably destroy the momentary peace that had formed between them during the last week.
Making a quick decision he quickly pulled out a sign and started scribbling on it with his marker. Moments later he showed it to Ranma. Ranma stared at the sign trying to make out what it read when he finally grasped the message. However, instead of blowing up in his face he merely glared at Genma. Of course, the glare would have made any man of lesser material melt then evaporate into thin air. Surprisingly though Genma, who normally would have instantly melted then evaporated, held his ground and continued on the way. The sole reason was that this was one of the few things in his life that he held onto with absolute honor. Ranma looked up at the panda and sighed.
'Stupid old man! What the hell is he getting me into now?! Geez, if it wasn't for Sakura I would have beaten him into the ground. A fiancée?! What the hell! He told me we were just going along to meet his friends then he dumps this crap on me. Oh well, he did say it was a matter of family honor so I'll go along for now and see what the hell this is all about...' Ranma thought as he ran alongside his father with Sakura in his arms.
They finally reached a dojo with the name TENDO DOJO written on a board nailed to the side. They quickly made their way to the door and knocked on it a couple of times. Running could be heard from inside along with some fairly loud talking.
"Oooo! It must be Ranma!"
"Saotome my friend! We've been waiting!"
As soon as the door opened a young girl and an older man, presumably her father, appeared in front of Ranma and Genma. As soon as they saw the panda they turned around and ran back into the house. Ranma, Genma and Sakura followed close behind.
'Damn, I forgot that they might be scared of a panda. Oh well, might as well get this over with as soon as possible and hopefully we can leave soon,' Ranma thought as he entered the house. They were greeted with frightened looks and looks of anger.
"Daddy, this is your friend?" the eldest daughter yelled.
The older man furiously shook his head back and forth too stunned to say anything. "Oh, so this panda just decided to visit! Happens all the time!" the girl they had met at the door yelled.
Amidst the yelling little Sakura stirred in Ranma's arms then started crying. The three girls immediately stopped bickering at the sound of the little child. Ranma quickly shushed Sakura then slowly walked up to the four members of the Tendo household and bowed.
"Sorry about this. I'm Ranma Saotome and this is Sakura. Uh, the panda you see behind me is my father. I know I probably sound crazy but I'll explain as soon as someone can get me some hot water. Please trust me," Ranma asked in the best way he could think of.
The tallest girl shook herself from her shock and quickly went into the kitchen to retrieve some hot water while the remaining three slowly walked to the living room with the Ranma and company close behind. The girl with the hot water entered the room moments later. As soon as everyone was seated Ranma picked up the hot water.
"You might have noticed that I'm a girl at the moment," he started when the girl with the short hair interrupted him.
"What do you mean?! I thought you were supposed to be a guy! What's going on here daddy?"
"I don't know! I assumed that Genma had had a boy!" Mr. Tendo yelled.
Genma immediately whipped out a sign.
* I did have a boy! Just watch! *
With that he picked up the hot water and dumped half of it on Ranma. Everyone watched, as Ranma grew taller while his chest grew smaller. His hair also turned from the bright red color to a dark black. Sakura giggled as she watched the transformation again. Everyone else just sat in awe. Genma then poured the remaining hot water over his head. Everyone watched as another transformation took place, this time of panda Genma to human Genma. They all just sat there stunned when the older man broke the silence.
"What happened to you?!"
"Jusenkyo happened," Ranma said with an almost angry edge to his voice.
The man seemed to settle down almost immediately and put on a sad yet understanding face. The girls still stared at him incredulously.
"How tragic! Oh, the trials a martial artist must go through for the art!" Mr. Tendo cried, literally.
"What are you talking about? How does Jusenkyo explain anything?" the girl with the short hair asked getting quite frustrated.
"Jusenkyo... it's true horror has always been shrouded in mystery but now..."
~ Insert Jusenkyo explanation here... I'm sure most people know all about this and I don't have to go on explaining it. So on with the story! ~
"What do you mean "true horror"?" Ranma spat getting angrier when Sakura suddenly tugged at his pigtail.
Ranma's face immediately turned from anger to calm and then to an almost happy expression as he turned his attention to Sakura. Sakura merely giggled. The older man missed the change in attitude but the three girls noticed it immediately. The eldest immediately went up to Genma.
"You just went too far Mr. Saotome!"
"Yeah! Even for martial arts training!" the middle one yelled.
"What ever made you do something so dangerous?" the eldest yelled again.
This was when the infamous Chinese guidebook fell out of Genma's pockets.
"It's Chinese. A map... and guide book?" the eldest started.
"Something about training grounds" the middle one stated while reading the pamphlet.
"No wonder..." the eldest continued in a sad tone, "You can't read Chinese can you?!"
A prize ball appeared out of nowhere and exploded above Genma as he pointed his finger into the air.
"Correct!"
Ranma merely glared at him for a few seconds then turned his attention back to Sakura who was starting to get annoyed that she wasn't receiving all the attention. That was when the youngest one pointed her out.
"Well, what about the baby? Where did she come from?" she asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh, her name is Sakura. We found her abandoned about two weeks ago. We took her with us to see if we could find a family that could take care of her suitably. Uh, we were hoping that maybe you might be able to take care of her..." Ranma said.
"Wait a minute! Why didn't you just give her to the authorities or at least to an orphanage?" the middle girl asked.
Ranma and Genma both looked uncomfortable for a few seconds trying to think up a plausible reason. Genma looked at the other man looking for help. The other man quickly realized why having known him years before.
"That's none of our business Nabiki. Now then we have more important business to deal with right now. First of all, this curse... it's not permanent right? Cold water activates it and hot water reverses the effects, right?" he asked.
"Uh, that's right..." Ranma answered slightly confused at what this had to do with anything.
"Well then! Your problems aren't so terrible after all!" Mr. Tendo started then pointed to his three daughters who were all seated next to each other. "My daughter Kasumi. Nineteen. And Nabiki. Seventeen. And Akane. Sixteen. Pick the one you want. She's your fiancée."
"Oh he wants Akane!" the one named Kasumi quickly volunteered.
"Oh definitely!" Nabiki seconded.
"Eh?" Akane started confused at what was happening, "Why would I want to be engaged to-" when Sakura started crying again.
Akane looked at the girl again, this time took a closer look at the girl. She felt strangely drawn to the child. As she looked at the girl she looked into her eyes and saw a twinkle in them. As the two locked eyes Sakura stopped crying and then gazed at Akane before she stretch her arms out to Akane as if she wanted to be held by her. Ranma looked at Sakura confused for a second then looked at Akane.
"Uh... I think she wants to be with you. Huh. She usually doesn't like people to much..." Ranma started as he stood up to hand Sakura to Akane when the two fathers started to laugh.
"Look at that Tendo! Their already a couple!"
"I agree Saotome! Then it's settled! Akane will be your fiancée!"
"WHAT?!" both Ranma and Akane yelled.
Between the two yelling Sakura started crying. Ranma immediately turned all his attention back to Sakura and started making hushing sounds. Akane saw this and for once kept her mouth shut from any insult that might have made it's way into her mouth.
'Wow. He really is good with her. He's so... different from the boys at school. I bet it's just some kind of trick to throw us off. He better not try anything funny 'cause if he does I'll make sure he pays. Argh! I can't believe I'm being engaged to this guy though! But, maybe... it won't be so bad...' Akane tried to reason with herself as she watched Ranma calm Sakura down. 'He is really good with her though. And that girl... I felt so... I don't know... attached to.'
Kasumi sat and watched the interactions between Ranma and Sakura with a sudden interest.
'The way Ranma handles her is so gentle. He's going to be an excellent father when he grows up. He might actually be able to help Akane with her problems with boys her age. I do hope so,' Kasumi thought to herself. 'The child will be no problem to take care of it seems. She is very tranquil for a child her age and I do love children so much!'
Nabiki also sat and gazed at Ranma, however with a more calculating look then the other two.
'Ranma... what an enigma. One moment he seems like he's gonna blow his top then the next he becomes this gentle loving father figure. Add to that a sex-changing curse. What kind of person is he really? Father had better not of just engaged Akane to some kind of weirdo. He doesn't seem too different though, I mean I guess anyone would get mad over what just happened. He does seem more mature though, it could just be the child he has been taking care of. We'll just wait and see, but I warn you Saotome. And what was that about earlier. There's something up with his past that they're not telling us and father seems to know. Hurt anyone in my family and I will hurt you far worse Saotome,' Nabiki contemplated in her head already pushing Ranma away from her mentally.
As everyone just sat there Ranma suddenly got up with Sakura in his arms and walked outside.
"I'm going to go exercise a bit before I go to bed, ok? Uh, is it ok if I use the dojo?" Ranma asked.
"Huh? Sure. Go ahead my boy," Soun replied.
"Hey! Do you want to spar?" Akane asked getting up quickly.
Genma and Soun just looked on. Without saying a word they just smiled to each other. Akane completely missing this just ran after Ranma who had merely grunted an approval. Since she was already in her dogi they entered the dojo. Ranma set Sakura down and walked to the center of the dojo. Akane went up and faced him but asked him a question first.
"Uh, is it ok to just leave her there? Won't she get hurt?" she asked genuinely worried.
"Naw, she'll be fine. She likes to watch anyways."
"Ok, I guess,' Akane said with one last look at Sakura then turned back to face Ranma, 'Now don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl!" she yelled getting into a fighting stance.
Ranma recognized the stance and quickly assessed as much as he could about her. Her stance wasn't basic but it wasn't advanced either. It promoted attack over defense meaning that she probably was fairly strong and attacked all out. The stance also was limited in its ability to move quickly. He figured that her ability was above average but not spectacular. He quickly entered a different fighting stance promoting defense while also allowing quick movements. It was a fairly unbalanced stance that made him unpredictable.
Akane started off with a charge throwing all her power into her first punch, much as Ranma had anticipated. He merely ducked under the punch and lightly tapped her in the side. Being with Sakura day in and day out for two weeks had surprisingly given Ranma a bit more tact and social skills then he thought he had ever possessed. He had, in a flash of wisdom, understood that Akane had wanted him to take her seriously because she was insecure with her own training. Akane felt the blow, however light, and redoubled her efforts by throwing a hard axe kick down on the ducked Ranma. He quickly maneuvered out of the way and again tapped her lightly in places that were unguarded. Noticing Ranma behind her she spun around, surprisingly quickly delivering a back fist that would have hit him had Ranma been unaware of it. However, he had seen the move coming.
He quickly reassessed her and her skills. It seemed that when she was frustrated or angry that she became faster and stronger by quite a degree, much more so then most people. However, she also lost a lot of control and technique. She was telegraphing her moves from a mile away and Ranma could see them and dodge them before she knew what was happening. However, a credit to Akane, he realized that she had had an incredibly crude training. If she had gotten this far on her own then she could probably become a whole lot better then she was currently. While thinking all these things he dodged in and out of her techniques blocking some and delivering light taps where he saw openings.
Finally, Akane getting more and more frustrated with each miss put all the power she should could muster into her hand and let out a loud yell as she went into a suicide attack. Ranma merely jumped over the attack, which had enough power to go through the wall of the dojo, and tapped her lightly on the back. Akane collapsed on the ground panting for breath. Ranma extended his hand and Akane grasped it. He helped her up and looked back at Sakura who was giggling at them. Ranma looked at her confused yet warmly wondering what Sakura thought was so funny. He then looked back at Akane who was blushing bright red. He momentarily wondered why when he looked down at their linked hands. He quickly pulled back and started to stammer denials and apologies. Sakura just kept on giggling. Akane merely walked over to Sakura and picked her up. Akane knew that if Sakura had not been in the room she most likely would have slapped Ranma in the face but she had refrained from it because she had heard Sakura's giggling. She smiled at Sakura and made funny faces at her. Ranma merely looked on. He felt something inside of him but put it aside. Suddenly he had images of Akane and him at the park walking around with Sakura having a family picnic. He quickly cast the idea aside wondering where it had come from.
'Geez, I can't like her that much already! But she just looked so... so cute when she was playing with Sakura. But, well I guess it won't be so bad being engaged to her for now, even if she is a tomboy.'
Ranma walked up to the two with his hands behind his head. Sakura noticing her "father/mother" figure approaching stretched her arms out. Akane turned around and looked at Ranma then blushed a little.
"Uh, looks like she wants to go back to you."
"Uh, yeah. But you know, she usually doesn't like people that much. So y- you should feel special," Ranma stammered.
Akane smiled slightly. Ranma seeing her smile continued on his way. However, you have to realize, two weeks of being with a baby will not completely change ten years of constant foot in mouth disease.
"You know, uh... you fight pretty well. It must have been hard for you to do all that by yourself! I mean you being a girl and all..." he started when he saw Akane's face darken from the last part of what he said.
"What do you mean by "being a girl and all" huh?" Akane asked letting her temper take over again.
"Uh, nothing at all! I mean it must have been hard being a girl because... because..." Ranma stammered not able to find a feasible answer.
"Because why?!" Akane said getting louder.
Akane quickly maneuvered Sakura so that she was holding her with just her left hand and slapped Ranma with her free hand. That was when Sakura broke out crying. Akane quickly took Sakura in both arms and cradled her while glaring at Ranma. Sakura quickly quieted down. Akane, while giving Ranma the "look", started talking.
"You're lucky she's here or you would of gotten more then just a slap," Akane said momentarily forgetting that Ranma could easily dodge anything she threw at him if he wanted to. "I still can't see what she sees in you," she said as she gently gave her back to Ranma.
Akane then stormed out of the dojo fuming.
'And I thought that he might be different! Hah! Argh, I can't believe he said that! Oooo I'll show him!" Akane thought as she walked back into the house.
Ranma merely bit his tongue from saying anything that might make things worse. He looked down at Sakura who had started sleeping peacefully in his arms. He sighed realizing he had said something stupid, and then walked back to the house following Akane. Nabiki slowly got up from behind the door and followed the two back into the house as soon as they were out of sight. She had a smirk on her face as she walked.
'Looks like I might have been a little harsh on Ranma. He seems like a nice guy. We'll have to see though, but I think I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He does need to work on his social skills a lot though! Hahaha! It seems thing have become just a little more interesting in Nerima,'
With that Nabiki entered the house to find everyone getting ready to go to sleep. She quickly entered her room, as did everyone else. Ranma held Sakura in her arms and wondered what to do with her. Kasumi understanding went to Ranma.
"Do you want us to take Sakura off your hands now?" she asked in her pleasant voice.
"Uh, well, that is... she usually doesn't like to sleep alone. You see, we tried it the first night we found her and she wouldn't stop crying..." Ranma started.
"Well what did you do then?" Kasumi asked even though she realized what the answer must have been.
"Uh, well, I've let her sleep with me since then... in my cursed form that is..."
"Well, why don't you do what's most comfortable with you. I'm sure no one will mind if you still take care of her. I mean it is you whose been doing it for a while, right?"
"Yeah... ok. Thanks!" Ranma said then ran up the stairs carrying Sakura with him.
Kasumi merely looked at him and smiled.
'He really does love that child as if it were his own. I don't think even he realizes it yet. He's so cute,' Kasumi thought to herself.
Ranma quickly set Sakura, who was already asleep on his futon and went and changed into his cursed form and changed into his nightclothes. He noticed the door with the wooden duck hanging on the front. Kasumi came up just at that time and noticed Ranma looking at the door.
"That's Akane's room," Kasumi answered Ranma's unstated question.
"Huh? Oh, thanks..." Ranma said.
Kasumi quickly entered her room saying her goodnights. Ranma found himself just staring at Akane's door, then found himself knocking on it. Akane opened the door to find a rather nervous Ranma playing his pigtail. She stared at him with suspicion then asked what he wanted.
"What do you want?"
"Uh, well... I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to offend you or anything... its just... well... look I'm not really good at talking or nothing so... yeah... Uh... I'm really sorry," he quickly muttered then turned around and went to his room red faced.
Akane just stared at where Ranma was then giggled.
'Maybe he is different... we'll see...' she thought as she closed the door.
Another door closed at that moment. Nabiki sat down on her bed and smiled to herself.
'It seems that Saotome doesn't need too much help after all.'
As Ranma entered his room he sat down next to Sakura. Genma could already be heard snoring. He lay down next to Sakura and held her close to him. Having the baby near him made him feel things he had never known before. His eyes slowly closed, then he eventually fell asleep. As he slept dreams of happiness filled his mind and heart.
Author's notes: Let's see now. I revised this as best as I could. I tried to incorporate as much as I could from the reviews I received. I know I can't please everyone but I really do want to try. I hope this is better by at least a little bit. There will be problems so don't think this is just a stupid no nothing romance. I really do hope you enjoyed it and please R&R lots! And like always no flames please!
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ does not belong to me. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi so please don't sue me, as I have no money to give anyone. And even if I did... err... lets not get into that...
"" are used for talking '' are used for thinking ** are used for messages written on Genma's sign.
Chapter one: What! A baby?!
A strong breeze blows through the sky as the clouds open up. The rain comes down fast and furiously upon the poor people that happened to be underneath. A groan is heard coming from a man. As soon as the rain hits the groan turns into a growl, a very inhuman growl. A sigh escapes the from the man's companion, a sigh that started off in a low tone then became higher in pitch. Both are shrouded in darkness as the rain comes down fast. Then a small cry came from the companions back. Both turned around and spotted a little infant girl, looking to be maybe about a year old, sitting next to a lamppost crying. As they approached the girl they both entered the spotlight from the lamppost. A young girl with bright red hair, dressed in Chinese clothing, and a large panda looked at the young girl. In an instant the red haired girl walked up to the child and picked her up and held her close to her body to keep the child warm. The panda merely looked at the two with mild disinterest then whipped out a sign from his back. He then brought out a black marker with his other hand and started writing on the sign. After he finished he directed the message to the red haired girl.
* What do you think you're doing boy? We can't take her along with us. *
The girl looked at the panda angrily then started to yell at the panda.
"What the hell are you talking about?! We can't just leave her here! We have to at least try and find her family!" she yelled, which in turn caused the young child to cry even louder.
The girl quickly turned her attention to the child again and started to cradle the child as if she had been doing it her entire life. The panda merely looked on in awe as the child quieted down almost immediately. After a few seconds the panda wrote on another sign.
* Fine. We'll find shelter for now, then after the rain stops we find her family or get rid of her at the orphanage. Now come on boy. *
With that the two quickly ran to one of the local restaurants and sat down at one of the booths. As soon as the people saw the panda they backed away as far as they could. The three merely sat without paying any attention to anyone else. The girl yelled at one of the waiters.
"Hey! Can you bring me a kettle of hot water? It would be much appreciated!" she yelled at the waiters.
A tall scrawny looking waiter quickly ran into the kitchen and brought out a kettle filled with hot water. He quickly gave it to her then ran back to everyone else breathing hard and sweating bullets. The girl looked at the crowd of people with disinterest then glanced at the panda. With an understanding look they both got up and left the restaurant as the rain had ceased, being the kind that came quick, hit hard, then left just as quickly. The three quickly exited and the two jumped to the roofs, the girl carrying the child. Once there the girl set the child down and poured the hot water over her head and the panda's head. As soon as the hot water hit their heads they transformed. The red haired girl changed into a handsome young man with black hair while the panda transformed into an older man, bald with a bandanna over his head and glasses tied to his head. The girl just stared then started to giggle. The boy let out a sigh and picked the girl back up while the older man looked at him. The girl grabbed the boy's ponytail that hung over his shoulder and started to play with it, giggling the entire time. The man saw a look in the boy's eye that he had never seen before. He quickly put his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention.
"You shouldn't get so attached to her Ranma. We're not going to keep her."
"Yeah yeah, I know. But I mean, she was just abandoned," Ranma trailed off.
"We don't know that. She could have just gotten lost. Anyway we need to go see if she has a place to go. Come on."
With that the older man jumped down, landing with a practice grace. Ranma soon followed holding the girl close to him. The two quickly ran to the closest police station. As the two neared the station the older man slowed down, then stopped. Ranma looked at his father curiously.
"Uh, why don't you go in there? I mean, there's no point in me going in with you."
"Why?"
"Uh, no reason."
Ranma looked at him closely and realized what it was.
"You're afraid someone might recognize you and put you in jail! Well, what about me?! I've been going everywhere with you so if they knew you then they would obviously know me too!"
"Hmm...well, why don't you just put the baby on the steps of the police station then we can get out of here. That would work."
"Maybe... but what if she doesn't have anywhere to go? How 'bout we just take her with us and look for a family that we can trust to take care of her? That would work wouldn't it?"
The man looked at the girl in his son's arms. She was small yet not too small. Her hair was short and raven colored. He had noticed her eyes before; they had been large brown eyes. All in all, she was a very cute little girl, even more so when she was sleeping.
His father merely looked at the boy, then smiled.
"You know, I think it's about time we went and visited a friend of mine."
"Huh?"
"I think I might know a place where we can give her a home."
"Oh, ok. Where we headed then?"
"Nerima."
"Ok, that sounds good. How does that sound to you?" Ranma asked the little child in his arms.
The girl just made a funny face at Ranma and crinkled up her nose. Ranma looked at her and laughed. Genma looked at Ranma laughing and felt something inside of him twinge. It was one of the few times he had ever seen Ranma laugh outright in the ten long years they had spent training.
"Well then, I think it's about time to find a place to rest for the night. Bring uh... her along with us," Genma said momentarily forgetting that the child didn't have a name.
Ranma caught the slip and looked down at the child thoughtfully.
"We're going to have to give her a name. You know any good ones?"
Genma stood there thinking, as did Ranma. Both men concentrated trying to think of name. After maybe ten minutes of thinking Ranma shot his hand into the air.
"Sakura! How's that?" Ranma asked his father.
"Sakura... that's fine I guess," he responded.
They both looked at the little infant. The infant just sat there with a big smile on her face.
"How do you like that name? Do you like Sakura?" Ranma asked the infant expecting no answer.
The child's smile grew even bigger. Ranma looked down at the child and felt something tugging inside of him. Not really understanding what the feeling was he quickly pushed it away. Genma however, saw the look pass through Ranma's eyes for an instant. However, thinking he had not seen anything he let it go and turned his attention to the child.
'Hmm... this is just the chance I need to get Ranma to come with me to Tendo! But, should I tell him the real reason? I can always tell him later. I'm sure he won't mind, after all it is a matter of family honor!' Genma schemed in his head.
Then Genma looked at Ranma and motioned for him to follow him. As they were about to jump to the rooftops a car drove by, splashing a puddle of water on top of them. Sakura, having been shielded by Ranma's body was left dry. However, the other two were now wet and changed. The girl and the panda looked at each other and sighed. The two quickly jumped to the rooftops and roof hopped away with a small breeze blowing towards them. Sakura merely lay in Ranma's arms giggling into the wind. ***** It had been two weeks since they had departed from the town they had found Sakura. Since then a certain bond had been created between Ranma and Sakura. If Genma picked her up she would start to cry. As soon as Ranma cradled her in his arms she would quiet down and begin playing with his ponytail, which always happened to droop over his left shoulder. She had grown very attached to Ranma in the short period of time they had been together. Ranma had also become quite attached to the small child, as he was the one constantly around her and caring for her. For a child so young Sakura was extremely well behaved. Ranma would feed her, take care of her toiletries, and sleep with her at night.
Genma watched the boy take care of the child and wondered where he had picked up such skills. He realized as he looked into his eyes that he was a complete natural. It came to him like second nature. It made him feel good that he knew Ranma would be a good father. It also made him think about the way he had raised Ranma. Feelings of guilt and sorrow over all the lost experiences came flooding into his mind. That had been one of the reasons that Genma had allowed Ranma to take in the child. He had never given anything to him during the long training trip and he had regretted not being able to give him a normal childhood. Seeing Ranma so happy with the baby alleviated some of the guilt inside of him. However, he had realized that Ranma also needed to train. The boy was already well above even the best martial artists that he knew but he also knew the potential in the boy. There was so much more that the boy could become with the right training. As he watched the boy he called to him.
"Ranma! We need to get in some more training. I don't want you getting too relaxed. Put Sakura somewhere safe and lets have a couple rounds of sparring!"
"Alright pops! Let me put Sakura down!"
Ranma placed Sakura on a makeshift bed made out of hay, old cushioning, and other random materials he had bound together. As soon as he put her down he faced his father. As they looked at each other they suddenly realized the good mood that had been occurring between them. Ever since they had found Sakura they had not had a single argument between them. Genma had toned down on the insults considerably as had Ranma. With that thought the two entered a fighting stance with a smirk on their faces. However, the smirk wasn't of confidence or cockiness. It merely expressed their grudging respect for each other and that they really were happy with being with one another during the last ten years, even through all the troubles they had been through together.
Then the two flew at each other, fists flying trying to get in the first hit. Sakura merely sat and watched. If anyone had watched her they would have noticed her head moving back and forth trying to see what was going on. The first time Sakura had watched she had been frightened and had started crying. It had taken a few more times to get Sakura used to them sparring. The sparring session had, however, gone down a notch to make sure that they didn't go overboard and possibly endanger Sakura. Sure enough both Saotomes kept a close eye on Sakura throughout the match to make sure they knew were she was. Even though Genma wouldn't admit it out front he had grown quite attached to the little girl and truly did care for her as if she were family. Soon enough they finished their session and Ranma was back to playing with Sakura. Genma went back to watching the two interact with each other.
'The boy's been getting better, even with the little runt hanging around us. I think we're ready to go see Tendo now. I believe we're just a few blocks away,' Genma thought to himself.
"Boy! Let's get ready to go! We have a meeting with my friend that we have to get to!"
"Ok!"
With that the two got up and started on their way when the sky's opened up and let the rain's come down. The three were immediately soaked and transformed. Sakura giggled into the rain as she felt the change occur on Ranma. She snuggled up to Ranma's body and just lay there. Ranma and Genma merely sighed. They had both gotten used to their new bodies but didn't like them very much. Genma didn't find his alternate form too bad as it was fairly comfortable when camping outside and his strength increased immensely, even if his speed did lower a bit but not enough to overbalance the increase in strength. Ranma on the other hand lost some strength and gained a considerable amount of speed. The different forms had been difficult to adjust to during the first week. Both had had to relearn many basics as their different bodies reacted differently. Ranma accepted the curse a little better after they had discovered Sakura. Sakura had found the curses quite entertaining to watch and giggled each time it happened in front of her. The young girl also seemed to like Ranma's girl form slightly better than his normal form, as she had seen the girl form first. This in turn toned down Ranma's obsession with being the manliest he could be. However, Genma noticing this had started cracking insults about his manliness again. However, Ranma hadn't taken them nearly as bad as he had had before and this worried Genma for reasons unknown to Ranma. Finding his insults not working he had stopped them once again because he had found that constantly insulting the boy had gotten really old and he had also found that it didn't really motivate the boy like it use to. As he walked in silence he thought to himself to remember to think up new ways to motivate Ranma.
The trio trudged through the streets. People watched them walk by and whispered to each other. Ranma and Genma merely walked by already used to the whispers. Sakura just lay in Ranma's arms oblivious to the world around her. She had been getting restless before but Ranma had cradled her slowly causing her to fall asleep. As they walked along Genma looked at Ranma and Sakura and sighed/grunted. He decided to tell him even if it would probably destroy the momentary peace that had formed between them during the last week.
Making a quick decision he quickly pulled out a sign and started scribbling on it with his marker. Moments later he showed it to Ranma. Ranma stared at the sign trying to make out what it read when he finally grasped the message. However, instead of blowing up in his face he merely glared at Genma. Of course, the glare would have made any man of lesser material melt then evaporate into thin air. Surprisingly though Genma, who normally would have instantly melted then evaporated, held his ground and continued on the way. The sole reason was that this was one of the few things in his life that he held onto with absolute honor. Ranma looked up at the panda and sighed.
'Stupid old man! What the hell is he getting me into now?! Geez, if it wasn't for Sakura I would have beaten him into the ground. A fiancée?! What the hell! He told me we were just going along to meet his friends then he dumps this crap on me. Oh well, he did say it was a matter of family honor so I'll go along for now and see what the hell this is all about...' Ranma thought as he ran alongside his father with Sakura in his arms.
They finally reached a dojo with the name TENDO DOJO written on a board nailed to the side. They quickly made their way to the door and knocked on it a couple of times. Running could be heard from inside along with some fairly loud talking.
"Oooo! It must be Ranma!"
"Saotome my friend! We've been waiting!"
As soon as the door opened a young girl and an older man, presumably her father, appeared in front of Ranma and Genma. As soon as they saw the panda they turned around and ran back into the house. Ranma, Genma and Sakura followed close behind.
'Damn, I forgot that they might be scared of a panda. Oh well, might as well get this over with as soon as possible and hopefully we can leave soon,' Ranma thought as he entered the house. They were greeted with frightened looks and looks of anger.
"Daddy, this is your friend?" the eldest daughter yelled.
The older man furiously shook his head back and forth too stunned to say anything. "Oh, so this panda just decided to visit! Happens all the time!" the girl they had met at the door yelled.
Amidst the yelling little Sakura stirred in Ranma's arms then started crying. The three girls immediately stopped bickering at the sound of the little child. Ranma quickly shushed Sakura then slowly walked up to the four members of the Tendo household and bowed.
"Sorry about this. I'm Ranma Saotome and this is Sakura. Uh, the panda you see behind me is my father. I know I probably sound crazy but I'll explain as soon as someone can get me some hot water. Please trust me," Ranma asked in the best way he could think of.
The tallest girl shook herself from her shock and quickly went into the kitchen to retrieve some hot water while the remaining three slowly walked to the living room with the Ranma and company close behind. The girl with the hot water entered the room moments later. As soon as everyone was seated Ranma picked up the hot water.
"You might have noticed that I'm a girl at the moment," he started when the girl with the short hair interrupted him.
"What do you mean?! I thought you were supposed to be a guy! What's going on here daddy?"
"I don't know! I assumed that Genma had had a boy!" Mr. Tendo yelled.
Genma immediately whipped out a sign.
* I did have a boy! Just watch! *
With that he picked up the hot water and dumped half of it on Ranma. Everyone watched, as Ranma grew taller while his chest grew smaller. His hair also turned from the bright red color to a dark black. Sakura giggled as she watched the transformation again. Everyone else just sat in awe. Genma then poured the remaining hot water over his head. Everyone watched as another transformation took place, this time of panda Genma to human Genma. They all just sat there stunned when the older man broke the silence.
"What happened to you?!"
"Jusenkyo happened," Ranma said with an almost angry edge to his voice.
The man seemed to settle down almost immediately and put on a sad yet understanding face. The girls still stared at him incredulously.
"How tragic! Oh, the trials a martial artist must go through for the art!" Mr. Tendo cried, literally.
"What are you talking about? How does Jusenkyo explain anything?" the girl with the short hair asked getting quite frustrated.
"Jusenkyo... it's true horror has always been shrouded in mystery but now..."
~ Insert Jusenkyo explanation here... I'm sure most people know all about this and I don't have to go on explaining it. So on with the story! ~
"What do you mean "true horror"?" Ranma spat getting angrier when Sakura suddenly tugged at his pigtail.
Ranma's face immediately turned from anger to calm and then to an almost happy expression as he turned his attention to Sakura. Sakura merely giggled. The older man missed the change in attitude but the three girls noticed it immediately. The eldest immediately went up to Genma.
"You just went too far Mr. Saotome!"
"Yeah! Even for martial arts training!" the middle one yelled.
"What ever made you do something so dangerous?" the eldest yelled again.
This was when the infamous Chinese guidebook fell out of Genma's pockets.
"It's Chinese. A map... and guide book?" the eldest started.
"Something about training grounds" the middle one stated while reading the pamphlet.
"No wonder..." the eldest continued in a sad tone, "You can't read Chinese can you?!"
A prize ball appeared out of nowhere and exploded above Genma as he pointed his finger into the air.
"Correct!"
Ranma merely glared at him for a few seconds then turned his attention back to Sakura who was starting to get annoyed that she wasn't receiving all the attention. That was when the youngest one pointed her out.
"Well, what about the baby? Where did she come from?" she asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh, her name is Sakura. We found her abandoned about two weeks ago. We took her with us to see if we could find a family that could take care of her suitably. Uh, we were hoping that maybe you might be able to take care of her..." Ranma said.
"Wait a minute! Why didn't you just give her to the authorities or at least to an orphanage?" the middle girl asked.
Ranma and Genma both looked uncomfortable for a few seconds trying to think up a plausible reason. Genma looked at the other man looking for help. The other man quickly realized why having known him years before.
"That's none of our business Nabiki. Now then we have more important business to deal with right now. First of all, this curse... it's not permanent right? Cold water activates it and hot water reverses the effects, right?" he asked.
"Uh, that's right..." Ranma answered slightly confused at what this had to do with anything.
"Well then! Your problems aren't so terrible after all!" Mr. Tendo started then pointed to his three daughters who were all seated next to each other. "My daughter Kasumi. Nineteen. And Nabiki. Seventeen. And Akane. Sixteen. Pick the one you want. She's your fiancée."
"Oh he wants Akane!" the one named Kasumi quickly volunteered.
"Oh definitely!" Nabiki seconded.
"Eh?" Akane started confused at what was happening, "Why would I want to be engaged to-" when Sakura started crying again.
Akane looked at the girl again, this time took a closer look at the girl. She felt strangely drawn to the child. As she looked at the girl she looked into her eyes and saw a twinkle in them. As the two locked eyes Sakura stopped crying and then gazed at Akane before she stretch her arms out to Akane as if she wanted to be held by her. Ranma looked at Sakura confused for a second then looked at Akane.
"Uh... I think she wants to be with you. Huh. She usually doesn't like people to much..." Ranma started as he stood up to hand Sakura to Akane when the two fathers started to laugh.
"Look at that Tendo! Their already a couple!"
"I agree Saotome! Then it's settled! Akane will be your fiancée!"
"WHAT?!" both Ranma and Akane yelled.
Between the two yelling Sakura started crying. Ranma immediately turned all his attention back to Sakura and started making hushing sounds. Akane saw this and for once kept her mouth shut from any insult that might have made it's way into her mouth.
'Wow. He really is good with her. He's so... different from the boys at school. I bet it's just some kind of trick to throw us off. He better not try anything funny 'cause if he does I'll make sure he pays. Argh! I can't believe I'm being engaged to this guy though! But, maybe... it won't be so bad...' Akane tried to reason with herself as she watched Ranma calm Sakura down. 'He is really good with her though. And that girl... I felt so... I don't know... attached to.'
Kasumi sat and watched the interactions between Ranma and Sakura with a sudden interest.
'The way Ranma handles her is so gentle. He's going to be an excellent father when he grows up. He might actually be able to help Akane with her problems with boys her age. I do hope so,' Kasumi thought to herself. 'The child will be no problem to take care of it seems. She is very tranquil for a child her age and I do love children so much!'
Nabiki also sat and gazed at Ranma, however with a more calculating look then the other two.
'Ranma... what an enigma. One moment he seems like he's gonna blow his top then the next he becomes this gentle loving father figure. Add to that a sex-changing curse. What kind of person is he really? Father had better not of just engaged Akane to some kind of weirdo. He doesn't seem too different though, I mean I guess anyone would get mad over what just happened. He does seem more mature though, it could just be the child he has been taking care of. We'll just wait and see, but I warn you Saotome. And what was that about earlier. There's something up with his past that they're not telling us and father seems to know. Hurt anyone in my family and I will hurt you far worse Saotome,' Nabiki contemplated in her head already pushing Ranma away from her mentally.
As everyone just sat there Ranma suddenly got up with Sakura in his arms and walked outside.
"I'm going to go exercise a bit before I go to bed, ok? Uh, is it ok if I use the dojo?" Ranma asked.
"Huh? Sure. Go ahead my boy," Soun replied.
"Hey! Do you want to spar?" Akane asked getting up quickly.
Genma and Soun just looked on. Without saying a word they just smiled to each other. Akane completely missing this just ran after Ranma who had merely grunted an approval. Since she was already in her dogi they entered the dojo. Ranma set Sakura down and walked to the center of the dojo. Akane went up and faced him but asked him a question first.
"Uh, is it ok to just leave her there? Won't she get hurt?" she asked genuinely worried.
"Naw, she'll be fine. She likes to watch anyways."
"Ok, I guess,' Akane said with one last look at Sakura then turned back to face Ranma, 'Now don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl!" she yelled getting into a fighting stance.
Ranma recognized the stance and quickly assessed as much as he could about her. Her stance wasn't basic but it wasn't advanced either. It promoted attack over defense meaning that she probably was fairly strong and attacked all out. The stance also was limited in its ability to move quickly. He figured that her ability was above average but not spectacular. He quickly entered a different fighting stance promoting defense while also allowing quick movements. It was a fairly unbalanced stance that made him unpredictable.
Akane started off with a charge throwing all her power into her first punch, much as Ranma had anticipated. He merely ducked under the punch and lightly tapped her in the side. Being with Sakura day in and day out for two weeks had surprisingly given Ranma a bit more tact and social skills then he thought he had ever possessed. He had, in a flash of wisdom, understood that Akane had wanted him to take her seriously because she was insecure with her own training. Akane felt the blow, however light, and redoubled her efforts by throwing a hard axe kick down on the ducked Ranma. He quickly maneuvered out of the way and again tapped her lightly in places that were unguarded. Noticing Ranma behind her she spun around, surprisingly quickly delivering a back fist that would have hit him had Ranma been unaware of it. However, he had seen the move coming.
He quickly reassessed her and her skills. It seemed that when she was frustrated or angry that she became faster and stronger by quite a degree, much more so then most people. However, she also lost a lot of control and technique. She was telegraphing her moves from a mile away and Ranma could see them and dodge them before she knew what was happening. However, a credit to Akane, he realized that she had had an incredibly crude training. If she had gotten this far on her own then she could probably become a whole lot better then she was currently. While thinking all these things he dodged in and out of her techniques blocking some and delivering light taps where he saw openings.
Finally, Akane getting more and more frustrated with each miss put all the power she should could muster into her hand and let out a loud yell as she went into a suicide attack. Ranma merely jumped over the attack, which had enough power to go through the wall of the dojo, and tapped her lightly on the back. Akane collapsed on the ground panting for breath. Ranma extended his hand and Akane grasped it. He helped her up and looked back at Sakura who was giggling at them. Ranma looked at her confused yet warmly wondering what Sakura thought was so funny. He then looked back at Akane who was blushing bright red. He momentarily wondered why when he looked down at their linked hands. He quickly pulled back and started to stammer denials and apologies. Sakura just kept on giggling. Akane merely walked over to Sakura and picked her up. Akane knew that if Sakura had not been in the room she most likely would have slapped Ranma in the face but she had refrained from it because she had heard Sakura's giggling. She smiled at Sakura and made funny faces at her. Ranma merely looked on. He felt something inside of him but put it aside. Suddenly he had images of Akane and him at the park walking around with Sakura having a family picnic. He quickly cast the idea aside wondering where it had come from.
'Geez, I can't like her that much already! But she just looked so... so cute when she was playing with Sakura. But, well I guess it won't be so bad being engaged to her for now, even if she is a tomboy.'
Ranma walked up to the two with his hands behind his head. Sakura noticing her "father/mother" figure approaching stretched her arms out. Akane turned around and looked at Ranma then blushed a little.
"Uh, looks like she wants to go back to you."
"Uh, yeah. But you know, she usually doesn't like people that much. So y- you should feel special," Ranma stammered.
Akane smiled slightly. Ranma seeing her smile continued on his way. However, you have to realize, two weeks of being with a baby will not completely change ten years of constant foot in mouth disease.
"You know, uh... you fight pretty well. It must have been hard for you to do all that by yourself! I mean you being a girl and all..." he started when he saw Akane's face darken from the last part of what he said.
"What do you mean by "being a girl and all" huh?" Akane asked letting her temper take over again.
"Uh, nothing at all! I mean it must have been hard being a girl because... because..." Ranma stammered not able to find a feasible answer.
"Because why?!" Akane said getting louder.
Akane quickly maneuvered Sakura so that she was holding her with just her left hand and slapped Ranma with her free hand. That was when Sakura broke out crying. Akane quickly took Sakura in both arms and cradled her while glaring at Ranma. Sakura quickly quieted down. Akane, while giving Ranma the "look", started talking.
"You're lucky she's here or you would of gotten more then just a slap," Akane said momentarily forgetting that Ranma could easily dodge anything she threw at him if he wanted to. "I still can't see what she sees in you," she said as she gently gave her back to Ranma.
Akane then stormed out of the dojo fuming.
'And I thought that he might be different! Hah! Argh, I can't believe he said that! Oooo I'll show him!" Akane thought as she walked back into the house.
Ranma merely bit his tongue from saying anything that might make things worse. He looked down at Sakura who had started sleeping peacefully in his arms. He sighed realizing he had said something stupid, and then walked back to the house following Akane. Nabiki slowly got up from behind the door and followed the two back into the house as soon as they were out of sight. She had a smirk on her face as she walked.
'Looks like I might have been a little harsh on Ranma. He seems like a nice guy. We'll have to see though, but I think I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He does need to work on his social skills a lot though! Hahaha! It seems thing have become just a little more interesting in Nerima,'
With that Nabiki entered the house to find everyone getting ready to go to sleep. She quickly entered her room, as did everyone else. Ranma held Sakura in her arms and wondered what to do with her. Kasumi understanding went to Ranma.
"Do you want us to take Sakura off your hands now?" she asked in her pleasant voice.
"Uh, well, that is... she usually doesn't like to sleep alone. You see, we tried it the first night we found her and she wouldn't stop crying..." Ranma started.
"Well what did you do then?" Kasumi asked even though she realized what the answer must have been.
"Uh, well, I've let her sleep with me since then... in my cursed form that is..."
"Well, why don't you do what's most comfortable with you. I'm sure no one will mind if you still take care of her. I mean it is you whose been doing it for a while, right?"
"Yeah... ok. Thanks!" Ranma said then ran up the stairs carrying Sakura with him.
Kasumi merely looked at him and smiled.
'He really does love that child as if it were his own. I don't think even he realizes it yet. He's so cute,' Kasumi thought to herself.
Ranma quickly set Sakura, who was already asleep on his futon and went and changed into his cursed form and changed into his nightclothes. He noticed the door with the wooden duck hanging on the front. Kasumi came up just at that time and noticed Ranma looking at the door.
"That's Akane's room," Kasumi answered Ranma's unstated question.
"Huh? Oh, thanks..." Ranma said.
Kasumi quickly entered her room saying her goodnights. Ranma found himself just staring at Akane's door, then found himself knocking on it. Akane opened the door to find a rather nervous Ranma playing his pigtail. She stared at him with suspicion then asked what he wanted.
"What do you want?"
"Uh, well... I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to offend you or anything... its just... well... look I'm not really good at talking or nothing so... yeah... Uh... I'm really sorry," he quickly muttered then turned around and went to his room red faced.
Akane just stared at where Ranma was then giggled.
'Maybe he is different... we'll see...' she thought as she closed the door.
Another door closed at that moment. Nabiki sat down on her bed and smiled to herself.
'It seems that Saotome doesn't need too much help after all.'
As Ranma entered his room he sat down next to Sakura. Genma could already be heard snoring. He lay down next to Sakura and held her close to him. Having the baby near him made him feel things he had never known before. His eyes slowly closed, then he eventually fell asleep. As he slept dreams of happiness filled his mind and heart.
Author's notes: Let's see now. I revised this as best as I could. I tried to incorporate as much as I could from the reviews I received. I know I can't please everyone but I really do want to try. I hope this is better by at least a little bit. There will be problems so don't think this is just a stupid no nothing romance. I really do hope you enjoyed it and please R&R lots! And like always no flames please!