Searching

written by Shaun Garin

Disclaimer : I own nothing!

'Everyone, I have gone to find a place to stay. College is nearing and mother wishes for me to find a good location to apply to a good College. Don't come looking for me, you'll just be wasting your time. I will send a forwarding address when I find a place to stay. Ranma.'

Replaying the note he had written in his mind, Ranma headed nearer to the center of Nerima where the larger corporate buildings stood. Pulling a small address book out of his pocket, he flipped it open and scrolled to the N section. "Nerima... Natsume, Kyasaku... ah, here we go."

Ranma sighed as he wandered among the streets of Nerima, pausing every so often to reorient himself in the direction of the apartment that was at the end of his destination. Leaping up to the wall, he looked around and nodded to himself. Tucking the address book into his pocket, he ran across the rooftops nearest him, leapt to the next one and bounded up three flights of stairs towards an apartment building.

Dropping to the fifth floor from the rooftop, Ranma checked the house label that read Natsume, Kyasaku, Ryunosuke and Nuku Nuku. Knocking at the door, he waited for a few moments as the sound of bare feet could be heard behind the door. The door then opened and a brown haired kid looked up at Ranma curiously. "Hello?"

"Hey, you must be Ryunosuke," said Ranma, bending down to talk to him. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Can you get your dad for me?"

"Saotome? Ah! Ranma-kun!" Ryunosuke turned and called out loudly, "Papa! Saotome-kun is here!"

"Tell that lazy ass bastard that I'm not here!" rang out Kyasaku's voice.

Ranma laughed at that statement of his father. "Natsume-sensei! It's Ranma!"

"Ranma?" Natsume rounded the corner, still bearing stubble from unshaven spots on his face. "Ah, Ranma-kun! What brings you here?"

"It's a bit of a story. Can I come in?"

"Of course! Ryunosuke, get Ranma-kun something to drink. Ranma-kun, come in." Letting the martial artist in, Natsume slapped him on the back. "So, how's my favorite student? Keeping out of trouble?"

"Same as always," Ranma admitted. "Some of this, some of that. Ya know."

Natsume laughed and sat Ranma down at the kitchen table. "It's been a few years. So, what brings you into the center of Nerima?"

Ranma scratched the back of his head as he said, "Well, Mom wanted me to find some place to stay while I apply to a college. I decided to look up a few people I met on the training trip. I hope you don't mind me arriving so early in the day."

Natsume made a sound as he shook his head. "Of course not Ranma. Why the sudden change of address though?"

"Mom said my grades were slipping while I was in Nerima, amidst other things. I needed to keep things worked out so she wanted me to find a place to apply from." Ranma shrugged. "I would have gone to see Eiko a while ago, but she moved out a while ago to Graviton City."

"Ah yes. I should contact her parents and see how the girl is doing." Natsume then looked up as he heard a feminine voice call out, "Breakfast!" "Ah, that's Nuku Nuku now."

"Nuku Nuku? I wasn't aware you had a daughter," remarked Ranma, scratching his head and trying to remember something about the family.

As if on cue, a violet haired girl bounded into the room and exclaimed, "Hi! Papa-san, who is this?"

"Nuku Nuku, meet Ranma Saotome. He's a the son of a former friend of mine looking for a place to stay for college." Nuku Nuku took Ranma's hand and pumped it enthusiastically. Ranma winced at the strength she bore. It was like arm wrestling with Ryoga. "Nuku Nuku is a Cyborg," explained Natsume at Ranma's questioning glance. "It's a long and sorid story."

"I'll bet. I wouldn't want to impose or anything considering it's already such a small apartment," said Ranma. "I do that a lot with the Tendos."

"No imposition needed," replied Natsume. "There's a place you can study from in the high school I teach at. The Library there is well stocked and its quiet."

Just then, the sound of a heavy chopper could be heard in the distance and Natsume's expression dropped. "Oh drat. Well, we'd best get going for school. Nuku Nuku!"

"Hai, Papa-san!"

"Take Ryunosuke to school. Ranma and I will follow later." Natsume scrabbled around the tiny apartment, gathering his things and shrugging on his labcoat, only pausing to fish a cigarette out of his pocket and sticking that between his teeth.

Nuku Nuku went over and grabbed a bike that stood at the side of the wall and she and Ryunosuke tore off through the door, not bothering to open it first. Ranma looked at the door in consternation before Natsume grabbed his hand and dragged him through the door. "You'll understand soon enough," he promised.

"Kyasaku!" exclaimed a woman's voice as the chopper sound could be heard rather well in the background as it hovered close to the window. "Give up Ryunosuke to us and we'll let you pass!"

Natsume paused to give them the japanese red eye and he scrambled down the steps. Ranma looked at him blankly a moment before his eyes went big and he leapt off of the side of the cement railing five stories down. A moment later, dud missiles tore through the small apartment.

As Natsume got down to the stairs, he grabbed Ranma and shoved him into the nearby jeep. Starting the engine with a long practiced downshift and spin, he tore off towards the school.

Ranma looked at Natsume, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this typical of a first day at your class?"

Natsume could only laugh.

Ranma sat in the library as he scribbled some equations down on the pad of paper before him. It was relatively quiet in the library as he was able to concentrate.

After the Jusendo incident and the Wedding, things had become a little easier in the Tendos with the exception of the daily chaos. Nothing seemed to change that, and thus, his grades slipped even more. Normally Ranma would not have tried very hard, but when his mother sat him down a few weeks after the Failed Wedding, she showed him some things that normally didn't add up into his world view.

Education, is important. Martial Arts, while important, must come second to getting a license to teach.

Ranma always knew his dad was a hard taskmaster, but he never stopped to think that his training techniques were really dangerous. Excessively so, that would get students killed if they tried for it. Thus, the education.

As Ranma sighed and set to work on the algebra equations, he heard the sound of the chopper once more in the distance and sighed. "Great, what now?"

Getting up, he headed over to the window and peered through the grimy surface. The chopper was making its way up towards the roof of the school. Ranma sighed, sitting back down and tapped his pencil against the blank paper. "Maybe I should have taken up Oe's offer to travel with him," he grumbled as gunfire could be heard and a new girlish scream that vaguely sounded like "Prepare to die Nuku Nuku!" and the sound of energy weapons. He then shook his head. "Naw, Akane would never let me live it down traveling with a guy with a toilet fetish."

As the explosions ripped across the sky along with the screams of several women, Ranma growled and his pencil snapped in two. Getting up and stomping towards the window, he wrenched it open, stuck his head out and shouted, "HEY! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO STUDY HERE!"

The response from the two girls, whom Kyasaku would later tell were lackeys of his estranged wife, shot a missile at him. Ranma grumbled, aimed and a golden ball of energy coalesced in his hands. "Moko Takabisha!"

Golden light tore from his palm and the missile exploded in mid-air. He then slammed the window closed and stomped over to the desk. Picking up his ruined pencil, he took the end with the point and started to work on his math. "If tan equals..." A tremendous explosion ripped through the courtyard and Ranma threw down his pencil in disgust, the end penetrating the notebook pad. "That is IT!"

"Ah, I'm sorry you couldn't stay Ranma-kun," said Natsume apologetically. The two women, Arisa and Kyoko nodded, soot stained and apologetic in their expressions. Nuku Nuku was dangling Emi from her foot as the android had overheated once again, and Ryunosuke held his face in his hands.

Ranma shrugged easily as he said, "It's not you, it's just that it's too noisy here. Can't get any studying done really. S'not your fault."

"Where are you going now?" asked Ryunosuke. "It was rather cool when you blasted Poison Seven with those energy beams and I'm sure Nuku Nuku could enjoy a friend to fight with."

Ranma shook his head. "Naw, it's time for me to move on. I think I'm gonna head over to the Shinjuku District, look up Ryo Saeba an old friend of my pop."

"You mean the City Hunter?" Natsume asked, interested that Genma would have known the famous private detective.

"Yeah. Well, see ya." Ranma shouldered his pack and leapt to the roof and ran away.

Two days later...

Ranma shook his head as he walked away from Ryo's apartment, carrying a piece of paper with an address on it. "I figured that he was a pervert. Pops seemed to have a lecherous streak at times." Multiple encounters with his cursed form lead for a lot of poundings.

As he crossed the line into Juuban, a sudden rainstorm washed down, drenching Ranma. Brushing red bangs out of her eyes, she sighed as she walked towards a large temple shrine and bounded up the stairs. "Juuban Hino Temple." She walked over and knocked twice on the door.

The door opened up revealing a young teenage girl dressed in the red and white robes of a shrine maiden. "Hello," she said, eyeing the petite girl with her overly large pack. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Hino. Is he in here?"

The girl shook her head. "No, my grandpa is out on a trip to the Masaki Shrine. Who're you?"

"Saotome Ranma," she said. "A friend of your grandpas recommended me to this place. I'm looking for a place to stay so I can study for College exams."

"Oh, well, you can stay here." The girl allowed Ranma in and the redhead dropped her pack with an audible thud. "Oh geez, you're soaked! There's a bathroom down the hall."

"Thank you um..."

"Hino Rei. Call me Rei."

"Rei then," said Ranma. "Then just call me Ranma."

Rei raised an eyebrow at the lack of honorific but figured that the girl was rather open with her relationships. Going over to a closet, she pulled out a big towel and handed it to Ranma. "Here you go. I'm sure it'll be dryer than anything in your pack right now."

"Um, thanks." Ranma headed off towards the bathroom to dry off and Rei shook her head. What a boyish girl. Though..

Rei's eyes narrowed. There was something odd about the girl.

A quiet soak was all Ranma wanted. Really. But with people coming into the furo at all hours of the day back at the Tendos, it was near shy of impossible.

Sinking into the hot water, Ranma sighed to himself. "At least this place is quiet," he remarked to himself.

Suddenly the door opened. "Ranma-san, there's shampoo if you... need... it?"

Ranma found himself running again. Pausing to scoop up his stuff, he immediately ran away from the girl who was screaming, "Demon, demon!"

"Geez, lets see," said Ranma as he hopped the rooftops, struggling into his pants. "Maybe I'll go back to Shinjuku..."

After two hours and a quick battle with the Sailor Senshi which resulted in him hiding in a bathroom until they had quit looking for him, Ranma stepped out of the alleyway, checking around to see if there was anyone wanting his blood. Finding nothing, he sighed. "Finally. Now to find a place."

His stomach growled. "First, food."

Walking into a nearby bakery, he inhaled and a grin came over his face. "Smells great..."

The woman at the front counter smiled and nodded. "Welcome to Matsuda Bakery."

Ranma rolled the name around his head for a moment. "Matsuda... why does that sound familiar?"

The woman looked at him curiously and then blinked. "Well if it isn't Saotome-kun. Where's your thieving father?"

Ranma laughed as he tapped his head on the side. "Now I remember. Pops stole from here and I was stuck helping here for a while. How are you Mrs. Matsuda?"

Mie Matsuda shook her head. "Better. I trust your father isn't here?"

"Naw, it's back in Nerima. And I have money." Placing a few 1000 yen bills on the table, he said, "I need some food for tonight. Haven't eaten in days."

Mie nodded, glad for the younger Saotome's honesty. "I'll get Takato to bring your food down. Takato!"

"What is it mom?" asked a slender teenager who walked downstairs. He was also followed by a Dinosaur that was practically as tall as he was. "Guilmon, stay upstairs!"

Ranma blinked twice and then looked at Mie. "Mrs. Matsuda, your son is a Tamer."

"You've heard of us?" asked Takato. He then peered at the teenager and grinned. "Hey, Ranma-san! It's been what, four years?"

"Takato, good to see you." The pair shook hands and Ranma looked at Guilmon who scratched his ear. "So this is your digimon?"

"Yeah. Guilmon, say hello to Ranma-san. I met him when I was little."

Guilmon walked up and looked Ranma up and down. "You smell funny," he said. "You smell like girl and boy."

Ranma blinked in surprise and Takato poked Guilmon. "That's not very nice."

"So what brings you to Shinjuku?" asked Takato curiously as he loaded some bread onto a paper plate.

"Mom wants me to find a place to stay so I can study," replied Ranma as he bit into one of the sticky sweet bean buns. "It's been kind of unsuccessful."

"What about that cousin of yours? Saotome something..."

"Oh Kazuya," said Ranma as he swallowed. "Naw, I checked with him. He's got girls living with him right now."

"Oh... what about Hideki?" The pair had met Hideki four years ago when he and Takato had gone into the country. He was a bit of a perverted farmboy.

Ranma snickered. "He's here in Tokyo as well but when I checked on him, he's having his own troubles with a cute little robot girl of his own."

Takato shrugged. "Well, we can put you up for a while. I'm sure we can find a place for you later on."

Ranma nodded. "Thanks."

"I'm really sorry, Takato," said Ranma as he hefted his backpack. "I can't let you get involved in my problems."

"No problem," said Takato with a grin. "That was the most fun I had in ages. You sure you can't stay?"

"Nope. Now that I know that the fiancee brigade is looking for me, it's time to move on. Damnit I left a note saying what I was doing too!" Ranma sighed and looked at the street that had suffered some property damage when the fiancee brigade and half of Nerima's residents had tracked him down. Akane was missing from the group which meant she trusted him. A smile worked its way onto his face as he bade Takato goodbye and left via rooftop.

"C'mon Kitsune, I won't be a bother," said Ranma. "I'll stick myself in a room and study."

Kitsune Konno sighed as she leaned on her countertop. "I don't have the room. I know we're friends from childhood but I just don't have any room. Mutsume is living with me here in the tea house."

Ranma drooped. "I guess so. Damn, and I came out here for nothing."

"Why don't you try Hinata House?" asked Kitsune as she poured tea for the both of them. "I'm sure Keitaro would give you a place being that he's the owner of the land."

"There's a problem with that," said Ranma. "I got into a fight with Motoko a while ago. She walked in on me in the bath and things exploded from there."

Kitsune chuckled. The girl had mellowed a lot over the years but she was still excitable when someone saw her naked. "All right. Here, I'll give you an address of a friend I have. Don't worry, she's trustworthy."

"Oh great," said Ranma, rolling his eyes. Knowing his luck, the friend would hurt him right off the bat.

"Another shrine," said Ranma with a shake of his head. "I should just quit while I'm ahead."

Plodding up the stairs, Ranma knocked at the door. An elderly man opened it and looked the young man over ."Yes?"

"Hi, I'm a friend of Konno Mitsune," Ranma said, holding her business card out. "She said that you were expecting me?"

"Ah, Saotome-san, yes we are." The man let him in and said, "Welcome to the Higurashi Shrine."

"Oi, gramps!" came a loud voice from the kitchen. "Are you going to eat or what?"

"I'm coming, hold your horses!" exclaimed Grandfather Higurashi. "That's Kagome's husband."

Ranma blinked at that as he walked into the room. A white haired teenager was sitting at the table, looking over at the food hungrily. A black haired girl sat at the table, accompanied by a woman who looked similar to his mom and a younger boy. "Everyone, this is Saotome-san. Mitsune sent him."

"Hello, welcome to our home," said the older woman politely. "Please have a seat. We're beginning supper."

The golden haired boy glared at him. "You reek of magic," he growled menacingly.

"Inu-Yasha!" exclaimed the girl. "Sorry about that, Inu-Yasha just speaks his mind. I'm Kagome."

"And I'm Souta," said the younger boy. "Are you some kind of martial artist?"

"I am," said Ranma, serving himself some rice. "How could you tell?"

"You move too fluidly," said Souta. "Kinda like how Inu-Niichan moves."

Ranma looked at the white haired teen who humphed and his large ears twitched. He blinked at that. "Are you a c-c-c-cat demon?" he asked, stuttering over the hated word.

"Cat demon!" Inu-Yasha nearly shouted, standing up and disrupting the table. "I am not a cat, I'm a dog demon. A hanyou!"

Ranma nodded. Suddenly, he felt a warm object run over his leg and he looked down. His pupils dilated.

"Oh, this is the cat, Buyo!" exclaimed Souta. Ranma was out the door in a flash, screaming.

"Saotome-san!" exclaimed grandpa Higurashi.

"Oh dear," said Kagome. "He's got a fear of cats."

"Oh god, I can't keep this up," said Ranma, rubbing his forehead. "Okay, next stop."

The Higurashi's, apologizing for Buyo, had given him directions to another friend of the family. He soon found himself near Nekomi Tech after a train ride. Stopping a few people, he asked about the shrine which they pointed out.

"Hello?" called out Ranma, tapping on the door. The door opened and a young looking girl opened it. "Hi, um, the Higurashi's called about me?"

"Oh yes, come in," said the girl. "I am Belldandy. Welcome to the Morisato residence. It must have been quite a trip to come all the way out to Nekomi."

"Something like that," said Ranma. His stomach growled.

"Oh, lets get you something to eat," said Belldandy.

"Once again the Nerima Ward acts up," grumbled Ranma. He knew that since he left, the brigade and the suitors were on his tail for one reason or another. He just didn't expect them to appear at the house.

Half of the house sagged from the supports being destroyed. The other half was being held up by magic which Urd and Skuld, Belldandy's two sisters were casting. Keiichi Morisato was looking at the house in dismay. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing. "I should go."

"It's all right," said Belldandy. "Here, a packed lunch. And just so you know, you're a Force of Chaos."

Ranma nodded, taking the lunch. "Thank you. And I'll keep that in mind."

In the few short days of study before the insanity, Ranma had learned a bit about his nature. He was a chaotic hotspot which meant that crazy things occurred to him. How Belldandy knew, it was beyond him.

Picking up his backpack, Ranma headed off towards Domino City.

When Ryou Bakura opened the door, he was surprised to find Ranma standing there with a wide grin. "Ranma-san!" exclaimed Bakura. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story short, I need a place to stay to go to college and things keep happening in other places I tried. So I'm here." Ranma shrugged. "Is your father around?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, he's still in Egypt. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Water would be nice," said Ranma.

Looking over his own glass of tea, Ryou said, "So what happened?"

The pair spent a good hour laughing at Ranma's plight. When the laughter ended, Ryou shook his head and said, "Only you. Even as a kid, you were drawing trouble."

The pair had met when Bakura was staying in Hokkaido and Ranma met him on his ten year trip. Ranma met him trying to pick his wallet. Ryou had reprimanded him and the pair had become fast friends. They had met Eiko the same day.

"I'm trying to find a place," said Ranma. "Know anyone?"

"Well there's right here," said Ryou as he played with the rim of the glass. "And we're close to Graviton if you need to go to see Eiko."

"Right. Well, you know how my life is. Expect the insanity to occur in a few days."

Ryou took the melee rather well considering it occurred outside of his house. The brigade had caught up to him and the suitors weren't far behind. It was like a tornado hit. Ranma sighed. "They're down for the count I hope."

Ryou nodded, although privately he was laughing inwardly. "Come visit again, you hear me?"

"I will. Later Ryou."

"It figures that I wouldn't be able to find a place in Graviton," said Ranma to himself. Living with Eiko was a disaster zone waiting to happen. One super powered girl plus insane friends were enough to drive anyone batty. Fortunately the Nerima pack hadn't caught up yet.

Stopping at a payphone, Ranma dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Akane," said the voice from the other end.

"Ranma, hi," greeted Akane. "How's the hunting coming along?"

"Not too well," said Ranma, a note of annoyance in his voice. "The Nerima pack keep showing up or there's some kinda insane chaos already in the area. How's everyone?"

"Same as usual," said Akane. "Your mom is proud that you're trying so hard. Dad and Uncle Genma are fretting over our engagement as usual and Nabiki and Kasumi are working."

"Great. Whoops, gotta run. I think a building is going to explode and I'm standing too close to it. Later."

Dial Tone.

Akane smiled as she hung up. Nabiki looked at her sister and said, "So, is he coming home?"

"Not yet," said Akane. "He'll be back soon enough."

Nabiki chuckled.

Ranma walked along the side of the road when the screech of bicycle tires was heard. "Ranma-san!"

"Kentaro!" Ranma jogged up to the older man and shook hands. "How's the travels?"

"Not bad," said Kentaro Oe. "I was just working for a animation studio a little while ago. Hey, you want a lift?"

"Sure," said Ranma as he clambered onto the back of the bike. With a screech of tires, the pair was gone.

"Thanks for the lift," said Ranma as he got off the bike. Kentaro nodded and tipped his baseball cap.

"Check up with a friend of mine, Sonomi. She'll be more than happy to let you stay."

With that, Kentaro was gone.

After a few hours of wandering around, Ranma soon found the Daidouji household. He whistled. "Nice place."

Tapping the buzzer, a voice came through the intercom. "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome. I'm looking for Sonomi Daidouji?"

"Can you tell us your relationship with her?"

"I'm a friend of Kentaro Oe."

A pause. "Come in."

Ranma whistled as he followed the woman in the grey business suit through the hallways. "Nice place."

"Madam Daidouji is the owner of a vast toy company," the woman said, looking at the teenager. "She will see you now."

Pushing an oak paneled door open, Ranma stepped inside. A beautiful woman sat behind a large desk filling out forms. She stood as the bodyguard closed the door. "Hello," Sonomi said. "So you're Kentaro's friend."

"Yes ma'am," said Ranma politely. "He said you could help me?"

Sonomi smiled as she offered him some water. "Kentaro and I met when we were young. The only boy who could catch my interest. Other than my Nadeshiko," she said dreamily. "In any case, what is your request?"

"I'm merely looking for a place to stay to study," said Ranma as he sipped the water from the champagne flute. "My mom, Nodoka Saotome wants me to broaden my horizons."

"Oh, of course," said Sonomi. "We can put you into the east wing. It's the guest rooms."

"Thank you," said Ranma. "But before I accept, I must tell you that people might come to drag me back home."

"Whatever for? Are you a runaway?" asked Sonomi, confused.

"No, it's a long story." And Ranma told her his story which left Sonomi in giggles. When it was over, he added, "Now I've been bouncing from place to place trying to find some place to stay."

"Don't worry, my girls are capable of handling intruders," said Sonomi. "Come. We'll find you a place to stay in the wing."

Sonomi's bodyguards were amazing, Ranma reflected as he soaked in the large pool-sized bathroom. When Ranma had begun to stay there, the Nerima Attack Squad as he called them, had invaded the estate three times. All three times they were repelled.

Just then the door opened and Ranma jerked up to see a younger teenage girl walk in with a towel wrapped around herself. "Oh, hello," she greeted. "You must be Ranma-san. I have heard a lot about you."

She then stepped into the water and sunk down to her shoulders. "Ah, this feels great."

Ranma blinked twice. The girl giggled at his expression. "You look like a fish."

He closed his jaw. "Sorry, I never found a girl who would walk into the bathroom without clubbing me over the head."

"Quite all right," said the girl. "I'm Tomoyo. Tomoyo Daidouji."

Ranma made an erk sound. "You're Sonomi's daughter?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, this is a joint bath. There was no need for more than one since it was just me, mother and our bodyguards."

"But.. you're in a towel!"

"Oh?" asked Tomoyo. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in you."

'I should try... no, I gotta study. Study, study, study. And Akane would kill me.' Some of the tension drained out of Ranma. The girl was telling the truth from what he could tell. She was a beautiful girl to say the least and was completely disinterested in him unless he was a friend.

The pair soaked, content to stare up into the sky through the large windows.

"Ranma-san, this is my best friend Sakura-chan."

Ranma nodded politely as he shook hands with the teenage girl. She was beautiful as well with short light brown hair.

The girl looked at him and said, "You're magical, right?"

Ranma blinked, a gesture that was becoming a habit ."Huh? Magical?"

"I can feel chaotic magic flowing all over you," Sakura said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It must be hard, being so chaotic in life."

"Well, I try my best," said Ranma.

"I'm sure you will. You're destined for quite a life, Ranma-san." Sakura then slipped out of a serious mode and said, "Tomoyo-chan? Is that latest video ready?"

"Oh, of course it is!" said Tomoyo delightedly. "Come on, we'll watch it in my room."

Ranma followed the two bubbly girls with a confused expression. "Could... she see the future?" he wondered to himself before going into the room to watch movies.

Ranma lay on his bed that night, watching the stars from the overhead windows twinkle. "She could level a city," he wondered to himself.

Ranma didn't like to admit it, but there was people who were stronger than he was. Yoh had said as much during the first part of his journey. But the girl Sakura felt like a raging inferno even when not demonstrating magical prowess. She was also a dream precog which meant she had probably known about his arrival for some time.

Turning over in his bed, Ranma sighed and went to sleep.

"Thank you for your hospitality," said Ranma. "But I wasn't able to get into the college in the city."

"That's too bad," said Sonomi. "Make sure to keep in touch."

"I will. Goodbye Tomoyo, Sakura."

"Goodbye," said Sakura. "I'll see you in three months."

"Huh?" asked Ranma and then realized she had seen the future again. Aw well, he'd deal with it when it got to him. "Thanks. Later."

"Ranma-san?" called out Tomoyo. "Just remember that home is where your heart is."

Ranma gave them a thumbs up and left.

"I'm home," called out Ranma as he slid the door open.

Placing the backpack on the floor, he walked into the dining room and sat down at the table, earning surprised looks from everyone. "You're home already?" asked Akane.

"Yeah. I couldn't find a place," said Ranma with a shrug. "Looks like home is back where I belong."

Akane giggled and tapped him on the forehead. "Baa-ka," she said. "You are home."

"Yeah, I am. Um, Akane? Move two steps to the right."

Akane blinked but moved. "Sure."

"Ranma, prepare to DIE!"

"Arien!"

"Ranchan!"

"Saotome, die!"

"Die foul trickster!"

Ranma grinned and Akane shared it. "It's good to be home."