Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi, and I use these characters without permission.
Unexpected Consequences
By: Taiteki Kagato
"What do you want?"
A seemingly simple question, and yet, the complexities it embodied when employed by the people in Ranma's life took it to all new levels. Because, Ranma thought darkly, whenever he was asked such, the answer was never what he wanted.
"What do I want?"
A much more personal question, but one Ranma never really contemplated before. Not that he wasn't capable of thinking for or about himself. No, it was typically denied him because the 'I' was oft times replaced, be it by one of his Fiancée's, Honor, or Just about anything else that could influence his decision.
"What do I get?"
A much simpler question. Unfortunately, the answer wasn't as simple. At least, putting it into words. The most appropriate would be 'chaos.' But then, chaos consisted of everything. And nothing. His life, while chaotic, lacked some of the things that chaos was supposed to embody.
"What do I do?"
Ranma watched the stars appear from his vantage on the roof of the Tendo's home, and let his thoughts die down as the question faded into the young night sky. Once his head was clear, he sighed, knowing that his thoughts echoed his answer with startling accuracy. He will do nothing.
Leaping to the ground from his rooftop perch, Ranma Saotome silently slipped inside the home upon which he'd watched the sun sink below the horizon, and made his way to the room he shared with his father.
A little over a month ago, Ranma had defeated Saffron, Lord of Phoenix Mountain, and all-around spoiled, rotten self-proclaimed god. Ranma had recently downgraded his victory from Killing to Defeating, after rationalizing Saffron's bizarre nature. To kill, he decided, was to end the existence of one... and while he'd had nightmares and felt bad about it, Saffron was still alive, and therefore not killed, just defeated.
The incident at Jusendo, however, was followed by another fiasco that had affected the most prominent of Nerima's population. Ranma and Akane had attempted to get married. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who one asked) the wedding had diverted, averted, thwarted, and ruined, thanks to Ranma's Suitors and/or rivals.
Last week had heralded a return to Nerima's status quo. Not that the chaotic atmosphere was ever fully predictable, but it was apparent that things were, almost, back to 'normal.' The only major changes were, oddly enough, Mousse and Ukyo's total absence. Of all his rivals, Ranma mused, Mousse was the least likely to give up. And of all his Fiancées, Ukyo, Ucchan, was one of the most stubborn. Mousse's disappearance was written off by the inhabitants of the Tendo Dojo as most likely him been shipped back home after interrupting Shampoo at the failed wedding.
Ukyo, however, was still in town. Konatsu wouldn't let anyone in to see her, at her request, but he promised those who asked that, yes, the Okonomiyaki restaurant would be re-opening soon. Ranma had been intending to go over there but hadn't yet been able to. Ukyo's participation in the failed wedding may have been ill advised, and angering, but she was Ranma's oldest friend. He'd much rather Ukyo come around than Shampoo, whose exile had, to the Tendos and Saotomes, been a bit short.
Sliding into his futon, after changing into something more comfortable to sleep in, Ranma stared up at the ceiling above him, and thought about his most recent problem.
He'd woken up last Wednesday with a chill that had taken its time dissipating. Along with it had come a feeling if weakness and lethargy that took, like the chill, until noon to fully go away.
The next day, the same thing had happened, as with every day since then. Thankfully, he'd discovered that, despite how he felt, his strength was no different when feeling the odd morning ailment than when he was at his peak in the afternoon. Still, in two days, this anomalous morning sickness will have been going on for a full week, and despite it having no outward effect on his performance in the martial arts, it was disconcerting, and troubling. If it continued much longer, Ranma decided finally, he'd go see Cologne about it.
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Tuesday morning found Ranma flying out the window if the room he shared with his father.
"Damnit, old man! First time in weeks I get almost a full nights sleep, and you had to ruin it!" Ranma cried, twisting in the air so he'd land on his feet instead of his head.
"You've been slacking in your training, boy! If I can sneak up on you and chuck you out a window while you sleep, you've yet to become a tenth of the martial artist I am," Genma replied, landing in a crouch.
Ranma juked to the left, then launched a snap kick at Genma's leading knee, preparing to follow up with a jab. Genma jumped above the kick, twisted around the punch, and landed behind Ranma, grinning.
"You've gotten sloppy too, boy," he said matter-of-factly. Ranma grinned. Bringing his hands together to launch the Moko Takabisha he'd been charging. Genma, sensing the change in the atmosphere, braced himself for a physical attack, only realizing that his son wasn't going to launch a kick or a punch at the last second. Crossing his arms before him, he prepared to be knocked around by the ki blast he saw Ranma preparing. Both Ranma and Genma, however, were surprised by the gout of flame that launched from Ranma's outstretched hands, igniting Genma's gig.
Genma leapt into the koi pond, a blinking panda emerging from the waters a moment later.
"Boy," a sign appeared in the panda's hand, explaining, "apparently, we're going to have to..." The sign was turned around, revealing the rest of the message, "-talk about the definition of sparring."
Ranma, however, ignored the sign, his father the panda, and the rest of the world around him as he stared at his hands in shock. He'd been expecting the typical ball of ki that would launch his father into the koi pond with minimum fuss. Instead, he'd almost barbecued his father. Thankfully he'd not put much effort into it, intending to do little damage to the panda. Considering how long the stream of flame had flown, and how strong it had been, had he thrown everything into it, his father wouldn't have been much more than ashes in the wind.
Where had that come from? He'd never seen anything like it. Or had he? Paling slightly, Ranma remembered some of the powerful blasts he'd had to dodge on Jusendo. Blasts that had turned hard granite into molten rock that had flowed downhill with startling quickness.
Ranma made his way over to a rock where he sat down, still reflecting upon what he'd just done. Had he emulated Saffron's fire bursts? Or had he somehow duplicated them? Ranma winced slightly as he realized the only person who might know what was happening was Cologne. Although he might have been planning on seeing her if the odd morning ailment, he didn't particularly want to see Cologne. She may have been a knowledgeable teacher, and a voice of reason, but she also had her own motives, and Shampoo's recent return to active Ranma-chasing had made Ranma somewhat wary of the old ghoul again.
Still, this new development wasn't something he could ignore. If all his ki was similarly effected, there was no telling what he might do next time he employed one of his higher level special moves. Deciding to stop by the Nekohanten... as well as Ukyo's, Ranma stood up, and made his way into the house for breakfast.
Genma slipped into his place beside Ranma a few minutes later, just in time for Kasumi to emerge from the kitchen with breakfast. Glancing over at his father, Ranma winced slightly at the redness he saw of his fathers exposed skin, looking somewhat like full-body sunburn.
"Ranma, while I normally don't mind your learning new techniques, it isn't particularly nice to try them out on your father," Genma said, solemnly. Unfortunately, the seriousness of his voice was overshadowed by his actions, as he was trying to take Ranma's meal as he spoke.
"So, Saotome, learned a new technique," Nabiki asked, her eyes flashing slightly, "How much did it cost you to learn this one? A date with Shampoo?"
Akane's chopsticks snapped in her hands, but she refrained from doing anything more than shooting a glare at the stunned-looking Ranma. Soun however, began to get misty eyed.
"Cheating on your fiancée just to learn some technique," he said, before suddenly turning on Ranma, his eyes narrowed. "Just what were you thinking, boy? You weren't, were you? Of course not!"
Genma, not wanting to see one of his friends Demon-Head attacks so early, cleared his throat, before speaking up.
"Well, boy, to make up for your mistake, you can take Akane on a date. After all, she is your one true fiancée."
"Err," Ranma finally spoke up, " I can't. I have to..." he trailed off as he realized telling them he was going to the Nekohanten and the Ucchan's was probably a bad idea.
"-go somewhere." He concluded lamely. Akane's glare grew in intensity.
"Right. 'go somewhere,' huh? Like to see Shampoo? Honestly, Ranma, if you can't think up a good lie, don't try to be discreet," Akane said, making her way to the door.
"But it's not like that! I need to talk to Cologne, not see Shampoo."
"So you ARE going to see that Chinese bimbo!"
"No! Well.. I mean, if she's there, I'd see her, but not like, 'see' see her. Just... see... her..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the look on her face. It had gone from a scowl to a glare.
"Fine. You just spend all the time you want with Shampoo," Akane said, storming out the door.
"Ranma..." someone hissed behind him. Ranma turned, then leapt back from Soun's Demon-Head attack. The rest of the family had wisely vacated the room, leaving Ranma to fend for himself.
"W-w-waitaminute!" Ranma said, backing up slowly.
"You hurt my little girl," Soun said, his flat, emotionless voice making the demonic head somewhat more unreal and frightening.
"B-but!"
"School, boy. Go." Genma said, his voice coming from around the corner. Ranma nodded shakily, then darted out the door, snagging his bag on the way. When Ranma had left, Genme slipped back into the room, sitting down across from Soun with a slight smile on his face.
"Saotome," Soun growled, wiping the smile from Genma's face.
"Tendo," Genma replied, hoping his old friend was calming down.
"Your son," Soun said, softly. Genma nodded.
"Your daughter."
"Nabiki?" Soun called, after a moment. Said daughter stuck her head around the corner.
"Your problem," Nabiki quipped, before walking out the door. Soun sagged, and Genma looked towards the kitchen, inquisitively.
"Kasumi?" he ventured, finally.
"You're kidding," Soun replied, almost instantly. Genma nodded hastily, then looked out the window. Soun turned to stare out at the yard himself, and the two of them were silent for a couple minutes.
"We have to join the schools," Soun finally said.
"The schools will be joined, old friend," his companion said evenly.
"Saotome, have you forgotten why we're doing this?" Genma shuddered slightly before shaking his head.
"No, Tendo. I don't think anyone could forget... not... that."
"Agreed. But, have you bothered doing the math?" Soun said, his eyes narrowing.
"No, I assume we still have a nice bit of time before..." Genma trailed off as he noticed Soun's expression growing darker. Blinking, he asked quietly, "Soun?"
"TWELVE DAYS!" The Tendo patriarch shouted, the sheer magnitude of the shout almost knocking Genma over.
The volume of the shout, however, was nothing compared to the effect the words themselves had on Genma.
"Twelve... TWELVE!? That's IT? Ohgod, what am I going to do. What will Nodoka say? The boy! My... ME!? What about ME?" Genma started wheezing at this point, and Tendo nodded slowly, his face somewhat pale compared to Genma's fear-induced blush, noticeable even under his new burns.
"Twelve days, Saotome. We'd better get started."
"But... twelve... it's so soon..." Genma whined, staring at the ground. Soun's tears joined Genma's stare on the ground, and the two began quietly plotting their most elaborate plan yet to get their children wed.
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For Ranma, going to school was not the exercise in patience he wished it were. Patience demanded monotonous waiting, and while there was plenty of waiting, it wasn't always monotonous. At least, it wasn't entirely calm "nothing's going on" waiting.
As Kuno rambled on about the injustice of Ranma's engagement to Akane, and whatever else he hit upon this time around, Ranma waited impatiently, for the blowhard to shut up and come get his daily beating. Not that Ranma thought of them as such. To him, these morning fights were his way of giving the students a break from Kuno's mindless banter for at least a half a period.
A couple minutes and a quick victory later, Nabiki walked into the schoolyard, spotting the downed Kendoist immediately. Frowning at having missed the fight, she hoped her employees had managed to rake in what little winnings these morning fights brought, and wondered, idly, why anyone still bet on Kuno.
Turning to look back at the street from which she'd come, Nabiki scowled slightly, remembering the cause of her delay this morning. Most people in Nerima knew of Nabiki, if they didn't know her directly. Unfortunately, some of the populace was either ignorant of the monetary danger Nabiki Tendo posed, or somewhat untouchable to the young mercenary.
The interruption had proven to be the latter; Cologne, Amazonian Elder, Great-grandmother to Shampoo, and old ghoul to one Ranma Saotome. While Shampoo wasn't stupid, she sometimes lacked the foresight to consider the direct results of her actions. Nabiki, who didn't like to sugar coat things, would simply tell one that Shampoo "lived in her own little world," and she'd be right, pretty much.
Unfortunately, her great-grandmother, who Nabiki knew grew up in the same society Shampoo had, didn't live off in her own private fantasyland. Be it wit, cunning, or that much-vaunted 3000 years of Amazon Lore she bragged about so much, Cologne wasn't one with whom to mess with.
"Young miss Tendo, how lucky of me to have caught you on your way to the institution of higher learning," Cologne had said, appearing from a side street in an instant.
Nabiki had stifled the urge to crack a joke about it being an institution, and nodded before responding evenly, "Matriarch Cologne."
"No need to be so formal Miss Tendo," Cologne had responded, her eyes sparking as she referred to the middle daughter formally, "I've merely come to express my interest in the goings of this morning at your home." Nabiki slid into her typical Information Brokerage Persona, masking her surprise behind a thin, cold smile.
"Well, Matriarch, it was early, I doubt I can recall much..."
"Perhaps I could help you remember?" Cologne said, holding her staff out towards Nabiki's head. Whether or not she intended to poke her, or if there were some memory-restoring pressure point the Matriarch could use barely registered in Nabiki's mind. She simply frowned, and crossed her arms.
"Hardly the assistance I'd find myself appreciating. Hopefully you came prepared to... well, deal with me? Otherwise, I'll just be on my way." Nabiki made as if to resume walking to school, when suddenly she found herself holding a few small, but comforting yen.
"I felt ki, tainted with magic, flare up, Tendo Nabiki. Who's was it, and what happened?"
"Interesting choice of words..." Nabiki muttered, tucking the money away with respectable speed, "what you felt was, apparently, some new attack of Ranma's. He shot his father with some sort of fireball."
"A fireball? Most interesting. It seems Son-in-law has managed to emulate one of the Phoenix King's attacks. That Ranma managed to escape with his and Akane's life is... most impressive.
Nabiki merely nodded, before turning to look down the street, towards her destination. Glancing down at Cologne, she frowned, " will there be anything else, Matriarch Cologne? Or am I free to go about my business?"
"Go, young Tendo, but give Son-in-law a message for me." Nabiki's frown intensified.
"I'm nobody's messenger."
"Cologne handed Nabiki another small stack of bills, and turned to leave, "Tell him I'd like to speak with him as soon as possible. His ki is tainted, and it might be dangerous."
Cologne disappeared, and Nabiki stared after the gnarled figure for a moment before pocketing the money and continuing on her way. However, Cologne's final words worried her. Was Ranma in danger? Or was Ranma a danger?
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The school day ended, and the doors to Furinkan High opened, spewing forth all manner of bodies, boys and girls, the weak and the strong, and a teacher or two for good measure. Using a side exit that few people knew about, Nabiki walked briskly around the crowd towards the gate, where she could catch Ranma.
While she didn't particularly like the thought of Ranma going to see the Amazons, she had been paid to deliver a message, and Cologne's final comment had been enough to keep her somewhat worried throughout the day. Not that she'd let anyone else know she was concerned about her sister's fiancé, no, but if Ranma was a threat, then the threat should be neutralized, before it grew into a hazard. Nabiki's rationalizing was ended by a familiar voice rising above the din of the crowd.
"Fine then! See if I care!"
"Akane, wait! I.. Damnit. Stupid tomboy," Ranma muttered as Akane disappeared in the crowd. He could have shoved his way through the students and caught up with her easily enough, but he was stopped by two things. The knowledge that he had somewhere to go, and arriving via Akane's mallet wasn't the best way to show up... and the fact that someone was staring at him from the column where the gate attached to the fence.
Leaping towards Nabiki, Ranma cleared the crowd, and landed beside the middle Tendo with ease. Nabiki smirked at him.
"How nice of you to drop by," she said, causing Ranma to roll his eyes. He'd found that humorless the first time she'd said it. This was, what? The Seventeenth? Something like that.
"What's up, Nabiki? Did I cost you money by Defeating Kuno too quickly or something?" Nabiki feigned chest pains.
"Ranma, you wound me. Do you really think all I care about is money?"
Ranma snorted. "If I could get away with laughing in your face, I'd be rolling right now," he said, wondering what she wanted.
"My, he actually had a witty reply. Guess I'll have to jack my price up. Wouldn't want to soil my reputation."
Nabiki grinned at the wince Ranma made as he realized exactly how costly a battle of the wits was with Nabiki when she wanted something. Digging in his wallet for enough money to hopefully satisfy her, he pulled out a third of what he currently had. Nabiki smiled and grabbed his wallet, ignoring the proffered money, and quickly removing the contents. Then she handed the wallet back to him.
"Cologne things there's something wrong with your ki, and wants you to go see her," she said quickly, before walking away.
"But I was already going to see her! What the.. Gimme back my money!" Ranma cried, following her. Nabiki just shot Ranma an incredulous look, before continuing home.
Ranma stared at her departing back for a moment, wondering why he even bothered talking to Nabiki sometimes. Sighing at the unfairness of it all, he leapt to a roof, making his way towards Ucchan's Okonomiyaki Restaurant.
Whatever Cologne had to say about him, or his ki could wait while he found out where his friend had disappeared off to. That she still hadn't returned to school was enough to justify bumping her towards the top of his priorities list.
A few minutes later Ranma landed before the small restaurant, a slight feeling of unease making itself known in the pit of his stomach. Knocking on the door quickly, Ranma wondered if anyone was even home, considering the darkness that could be seen through the shuttered windows.
There, through the crack in the window, Ranma could see someone moving towards the door. Stepping back, he heard the lock disengage, and the door slid open to reveal... Konatsu.
"Err... Hiya, Konatsu. Is Ucchan in?"
"Ranma-Sama... I..." Konatsu started. Ranma took a second look at Konatsu and frowned. The ninja was pale, and looked exhausted. Quickly deciding on a course of action, Ranma pushed the male kunoichi back, until he fell into a booth near the grill. Kicking the door shut, behind him, Ranma turned and slid into the booth across from Konatsu, after grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen.
"What's going on? Where's Ukyo?" Ranma asked, setting the glass before the ninja.
"Ukyo-sama is... sleeping now. She's been down with a cold, and her fever just broke today." Ranma sighed in relief, then shot Konatsu a disapproving frown.
"And when was the last time you slept?" The ninja shrugged.
"I lost count. After a couple days, time just sort of blurs, you know?"
Ranma did know. He'd had to pull a few long days on the return trip from China, keeping an eye out for Shampoo. Looking at Konatsu, he nodded slightly to himself as he recognized some of the things he'd noticed after his fourth day awake. The bobbing head, the blood shot eyes..
"Konatsu, man... let's get you up to your bed," Ranma said, slipping out of the booth and pulling the ninja to his feet, towards the stairs.
"But I can't! Ukyo-sama still needs me!" Konatsu cried, moments before his legs gave out beneath him.
"Yeah, but you need your bed. I'll watch over Ukyo for you," Ranma replied, catching him and slipping under his arm so he could support the sleep-deprived guy up the stairs. Konatsu just sighed in response, a weak sound, and Ranma felt the weight on his shoulders increase as Konatsu began to slump.
"Promise..." the ninja slurred, the rest of the sentence fading to an undecipherable mumble.
"Yes, Konatsu, I promise." Ranma muttered, quietly. Making his way up the stairs, he found Konatsu's tiny room, and placed him gently on his bed, sighing at the way the ninja's room was decorated with pictures of Ukyo.
Slipping out of the room, he turned towards the end of the hall, knocking lightly on Ukyo's door. After a moment, he knocked again, a little louder.
"'natsu? That you?" Ranma heard Ukyo mumble.
"Err.. Ucchan, it's me. Can I come in?"
On the other side of the door, Ranma's voice tore away the remaining cobwebs in Ukyo's head quickly. Staring at the door, she was about to dismiss it as another fever-induced hallucination, when she realized she felt a lot better. Her nose was still clogged up, and she felt weak all over, but apparently her fever had broken.
"Ranchan? What... what are you doing here?" Ukyo asked, her heart speeding up. She felt torn with indecision. A part of her wanted to leap out of bed and tear open the door and... well, basically try that Amazonian Glomp Shampoo always employed. However, another part of her wanted to hide under the covers, the shame at realizing just what she'd done at the failed wedding causing her to shudder on her bed.
The decision was taken from her, however, as Ranma pulled the door open, slipping into the darkened room. Ukyo looked... well... pretty bad. She had bags under her eyes, her face was somewhat swollen, and she looked pale and weak.
"Oh, Ranchan... you shouldn't be in here. It's not..." she paused, reaching for the right word. 'safe?' 'healthy?' 'proper?' "-sanitary," she concluded, finally.
"I'll be fine. I was kinda worried about you, though."
"I'm... I'll be fine, Ran.. Ranma. I just... how could you be worried about me? After what I..." She trailed off, feeling tears begin to crawl down her cheek.
"Ahh.. Don't cry, Ucchan. I, uhh... It's no big deal, right?" Actually, depending on whom you asked, what she'd done was a big deal. Fortunately, for her, the bombs she'd thrown weren't as dangerous as they appeared. That, and the fact that Kodachi, Shampoo, and the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew had also helped destroy the wedding, shifted some of the blame from Ukyo's shoulders.
"Ranma, I... I'm sorry. I..." Her throat seized up, and she sobbed, once, feeling like crap, and knowing she looked just as bad, if not worse. Ranma sat down beside her on the bed, looking confused and unsure of himself, before finally putting an arm around her.
His confused expression grew worse when, instead of cheering Ukyo up, this made turned her sniffles (with an occasional sob) into all-out sobbing (with occasional sniffles). After a couple unsteady minutes, Ukyo began to calm down, and Ranma's pulled away enough to look at her, surprised he couldn't remember when his arm-around-the-shoulder had turned into an embrace.
"Ucchan, It's alright. I forgive you... and I'm sure that Akane will too."
"Oh, Ranma... I... I got that invitation, and was so scared I'd loose you, and then the next thing I knew I was throwing those bombs, and... and..." Hey eyes got watery again, and Ranma drew her into another hug, silencing her as she cried more tears.
"Ranma," Ukyo said, so quietly it was barely a whisper.
Ranma pulled back again, wondering how many more tears his shirt could absorb before his curse kicked in. While he didn't know much about girls, and didn't pretend to know anything about them, somehow, he knew that holding Ukyo had helped, and wasn't too worried about her taking the embrace any other way. Glancing at Ukyo's red-rimmed eyes, he blinked, waiting for her to say what she had to say.
"I... I'm..." she said, fighting her emotions to get the words out. Ranma frowned in concern, surprised to be going over this again.
"It's all right, Ucchan. I told you... Everything's fine."
"No, Ranma... Everything is a mess. And I'm a big part of it, whether I like it or not."
"Ucchan..."
"Ranma... I'm calling off our engagement," Ukyo said, quietly. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see Ranma's face, but she heard the breath he'd been holding fly out of his lungs like he'd just been kicked by Ryouga.
Hearing those words had certainly felt like a kick from Ryouga, too, as Ranma just stared into space, wondering how he should be feeling. He knew that his father would be pleased, and he should be happy to have one of his biggest problems dissipate like this.
On the other hand, however, this was Ukyo, Ucchan, his friend, his fiancée... and she was honor bound to marry him.
"Ukyo... what about your yatai.. Your honor?" Ranma said, a part of himself wondering why he was fighting her decision.
"I... the yatai is something we'll have to negotiate compensation for... and as for my honor..." she trailed off, staring at the floor coldly, "What little I have after my actions at the wedding..." She looked at him, her brown eyes gazing deep into his blue ones.
"I'd rather see you happy as your friend, than continue... fucking up your life, Ranchan." She said, evenly.
"Ucchan.." Ranma said, surprised at the intensity of her gaze as she'd spoken. Surprised, too, at the honesty and truth he'd seen in her eyes as she spoke those words.
"Ranma, I'd like to be your friend... but... I need some time alone... away from you, while I... get over you."
"Ucchan..." Ranma repeated, his brain beginning to overload.
"I... I need this from you, Ranma. Please. Come back in a week. Consider it your first step in making up for the stolen dowry, if you have to."
Ranma swallowed, then nodded slowly, standing up. "Bye, Ucchan..." he said, quietly, moving towards the door.
"Ranma?" Ukyo said, as he slid the door open. Turning, he saw her pointing towards her dresser, "There's some clean shirts in there. You've got... Your shirt's dirt," she said, softly. Ranma nodded, opening the top drawer and grabbing one of Ukyo's blue shirts, before sliding out the door. A moment later, it slid back open.
"Ahh, I'll return it to you as soon as I can. I promise."
"Ranma, change in the bathroom, and I'll return your shirt to you in a week." Ranma nodded sheepishly, and ducked out of the room. Ukyo listened as he went into the bathroom, changed quickly, then made his downstairs and out onto the street. When she heard the front door click shut, signifying that it had locked behind him, she sighed softly.
"One week, Ranchan," she whispered.
Then she rolled over, and quietly cried herself to sleep.
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"Saotome, that's sheer genius!"
"Well Tendo, what can I say?"
"I wonder why we didn't think of this sooner..." Soun said, staring off into space with a smile plastered to his face. Because if this, he didn't see Genma deflate somewhat.
"It's alright, good friend. We've thought of it now, and all we have to do is get it started. Just think, this is almost as good as my plan to do in the Master," Genma said, trying to bolster his pride a little more. Soun, however, turned an incredulous stare on the Saotome patriarch, before speaking.
"Ahem... As I recall, it was my plan that did the master in, Saotome."
"Nonsense, Tendo, It had to have been my idea."
"No, Saotome, there you're wrong. Your idea, I believe, involved some fishnet stockings, a roll of duct tape, and a rubber chicken," Soun explained, evenly. Genma frowned, realizing, belatedly, that his friend might just be correct. Time to steal back the conversation...
"I.. err.. Look behind you, Tendo! A Three-headed monkey!" Genma winced slightly as he realized just how lame that sounded, even to him. However, Soun turned to look, and when he realized he'd been duped, he turned to find a Panda playing in the yard with a large tire.
The sign sticking out of the ground nearby proclaimed "Ha! Can't argue with a cute cuddly panda!"
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The building density of Nerima made roof hopping a rather simple task for martial artists or Ranma's caliber. Whether or not, however, this was beneficial depended mostly on who you asked, and when. At the moment, Ranma found it the easiest way to get from point A to point B, the only drawback being the loss of time with which to contemplate Ukyo's startling decision.
Landing gracefully on the street outside the Nekohanten, the pigtailed youth straightened out his borrowed shirt, and opened the door, intent on entering.
"Nihao Airen!" Shampoo cried, flinging herself at Ranma the moment the door was out of the way, "Airen come to take Shampoo to date, yes?"
"Err.." Ranma said, articulately. A moment later, he elaborated, "I can't right now, Shampoo. Is the old ghoul in?"
"Airen here to see great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked, smiling as she hugged Ranma closer. Ranma faltered for a minute, then spotted a rather dejected looking Mousse feigning disinterest in the corner. Surprised that the blind martial artist hadn't been shipped off as previously speculated, Ranma tried eliciting a response to extract him from his current predicament.
"Mousse! Attack me, or something!" Ranma said, not quite willing to ask for help, but not wanting this new growth to get any more attached. Mousse sighed somewhat, then turned to him, frowning.
"Or something."
"What?" Ranma asked, unsure what Mousse meant.
"You asked for me to 'attack you, or something.' I've chosen the 'or something' option," Mouse said, calmly. His fists, clenched tightly at his side, however, showed how calm he actually was.
"Well.. Ah! Come on, man. Gimme a hand." Ranma said, squirming as Shampoo's own hands started roaming.
Mousse clapped slowly, each sharp staccato explosion conveying the sarcasm of the moment greatly. Ranma stared, nonplussed for a moment, before scowling. "Thanks for the help, duck-boy," he said, sharply. Dismissing the bespectacled practitioner of Hidden Weapons, Ranma was surprised when he heard Mousse speaking quietly to him.
"Saotome... I've left you alone since that fiasco you called a wedding, because I realized you had no intention of taking Shampoo from me. I also have held back after Jusendo," the mention of Jusendo made Ranma shudder slightly, "knowing that my chances against you in a fair match are exceedingly poor. If this is your way of showing thanks, by taunting me, then I can come to only one conclusion."
"Stupid Mousse stop silly talk. Airen is Airen. No can resist womens of Amazon tribe. Right Airen?" Shampoo asked, squeezing Ranma yet tighter.
"What..." Ranma gasped, straining to get out of Shampoos now choking grip, "conclusion?"
"That, son-in-law, is for Mousse to know, and for you to discover on your own," a familiar voice said from behind him. Ranma jumped out of Shampoo's grasp, landing across the room ready for a fight. Spying Cologne standing beside a confused Shampoo, he frowned, straightening up and crossing his arms.
"Don't DO that!" Ranma said.
"Do what?" Cologne asked innocently.
Ranma's frown turned into a scowl, "sneak up on me like that!"
Cologne stared at him questioningly for a moment, before speaking. "Like that, eh? Would you rather I do it," Cologne disappeared, and suddenly, Ranma heard her voice coming from behind him, "like this?"
Cologne backed out of the way of Ranma's kick, smiling to herself as she watched him drop the attack and take a deceptively defensive pose that looked anything but.
"Too slow, sonny-boy," Cologne taunted. Ranma closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he silently brought his temper in line. Feeling the Soul of Ice technique she'd taught him go into effect, Cologne waited for the question.
"You wanted to see me, old ghoul. Was this all you wanted? Because I've got better things to do," Ranma said, evenly. Cologne nodded slowly, glancing at Mousse for a second before returning her attention to Ranma.
"I can see you're closer to understanding Mousse than I thought, Son-in-law. Have a seat, and we can begin. Shampoo, There's a delivery for you to run on the pegboard."
"Send Mousse, Great-Grandmother. Airen is here!"
Ranma rolled his eyes as he slid into a booth. Cologne, however, put her staff down.
"No, Grand-daughter, I need you to run this one. Ranma will still be around when you return. I can guarantee you that," the matriarch stated, sliding into place across from Ranma. Shampoo sighed, and slipped into the back room, passing by a moment later with a delivery box in one hand as she left. When Cologne and Ranma were sure she'd ridden off, Cologne turned to Ranma, and their conversation started.
"So, old ghoul, what'd you want to talk to me about?"
"That can wait. First, I have to ask something I was disinclined to ask in front of Shampoo: Why are you wearing the Kuonji girl's shirt?"
Ranma blinked, glancing down at the blue shirt for a moment, before grinning sheepishly. Cologne's eyes narrowed, and Ranma spoke quickly, before she could jump to the wrong conclusion. "It's not like that! I had to borrow it, because mine got wet."
"That has never stopped you from simply drying it out in the past."
"Err... it wasn't water." Ranma said, slowly. He didn't really think Cologne needed to know about Ukyo's display.
"I see," Cologne said, her eyes half-lidded and menacing. Ranma groaned.
"It's. Not. Like. That, " he said, stressing each word. Cologne just waited for him to continue, and after a few seconds of staring at each other, Ranma sighed.
"Look, Cologne. Ukyo was upset about last week and called off the engagement. So it's not like that. It can't be. Okay?"
Cologne stared, nonplussed, then smiled lightly.
"An interesting development. I'll have to have Shampoo stop by to verify this, of course..." she said, softly.
"You will not! Ucchan has had... is having a really bad time, and I promised her a week away from me," Ranma said with a frown.
"Shampoo and I never made that promise, son-in-law," Cologne said. Ranma's frown deepened, and he thought about what to say. For a moment he considered challenging her, before realizing how slim his chances there were, even with his new attack. Finally, he decided to approach the situation as Nabiki would, trying to use Cologne's strategy against her.
"I didn't promise to marry Shampoo, either, but you don't care. Should I work as hard to stop you from harassing Ukyo for a week as you two have chased after me?" Cologne bristled, surprised and angered that Ranma had outmaneuvered her.
"Don't threaten m-" she was cut off as Ranma continued, his expression one of feigned disinterest, "-I'm sure Happosai has some spells or potions that would help."
Cologne paled, imaging what any of Happosai's spells would do to Shampoo, then nodded, her dark expression warning Ranma not to push it anymore.
"Very well, son-in-law. One week without any incursions or interruptions by myself or Shampoo, as long as you yourself stay away," Cologne said slowly, as Ranma nodded. A slight smile grew as she continued, "in return for a date with Shampoo of her choosing."
Ranma's nodding continued, until he realized just what Cologne had said. "What? No!"
"Too late son-in-law. Now, about this morning..."
Ranma wasn't particularly happy about that last development, but sighed, resigned to the inevitable, before speaking.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to come see you about it, myself. You see," he explained her the morning sparring session, and the odd sensations he'd been experiencing for the past week. When he was finished, Cologne had a concerned look on her face, and she examined Ranma on a level only top martial artists could. What she saw was shocking, to say the least.
"Son in law, what has happened to you?" She muttered to herself.
Ranma, hearing her, responded, not realizing it was a rhetorical question, "geeze, Cologne, I just told you what was going on. Weren't you paying attention?"
Cologne rapped him on the head softly, as she continued examining his aura for a moment more. Finally, she looked at him, and sighed.
"Honestly, Son-in-law, I don't know. I'll start looking into it immediately, but from what I can tell, something is altering your aura, your ki reserves, and your magic potential all at once. Whatever is doing it isn't going at it right now, but there's a noticeable change in your aura compared to the last time I got a good look at you."
"But why did it affect me this morning while I was fighting pops?"
"Have you faced any powerful adversaries since this started?" Cologne asked simply.
"No.. well... Kuno at school, but he's not really a threat," Ranma admitted, finally. Cologne nodded, looking at Mousse for a moment, before turning her gaze back on Ranma.
"I don't know what's happening, but whatever it is, it's altering you in a way I've never seen before. Try to avoid employing your ki in any fights unless you absolutely must... this morning is proof enough that this makes you more dangerous. At least, until we find a way to control it," Cologne explained, hopping towards the door.
Ranma, thinking about what she said, nodded slowly as he walked out the door. When he had rounded the corner at the end of the street, Cologne spun slowly, her gaze falling upon Mousse.
"And as for you, Mr. part-time... I think you'd better tell me what really happened at Jusendo."
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Instead of taking to the rooftops as he typically did to travel, he took his time, wandering the streets in the general direction of the Tendo Dojo. The walk home gave Ranma some time to think about what he'd learned from Cologne. He understood what she meant by his ki changing, that much was obvious. That his aura was changing was unsettling, but with his ki changing, it wasn't really hard to comprehend. After all, his aura was based somewhat upon his ki.
What bothered him was her reference to his "magic potential." The only magic potential he had was the potential to change into a girl with cold water, and back into a guy when doused with hot water. All other magic he'd had the pleasure of experiencing gave him a rather cynical outlook on magic in general, and any magical change in him, realized or potential, was unnerving, to say the least.
Sighing, as he realized the change itself was almost certainly magical, Ranma glanced up at the Tendo home, wincing as the setting sun reflected off a window and directly into his eyes. Making his way over the wall that surrounded the property, he quickly made his way inside, stopping only briefly to change his shoes.
Halfway up the stairs, however, he was halted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, he spotted both his parents and Mr. Tendo watching him. Smiling weakly at then, He took another step, before Mr. Tendo stopped him.
"Ranma, we need to talk," the brown gi-clad man stated, leaving no room for argument. Genma nodded, and Nodoka stood emotionlessly, watching him but saying/conveying nothing. Ranma nodded, making his way over to the table. Once he was seated, the three adults sat down on the other sides of the table, Genma to his left, Soun to his right, and Nodoka sitting across from him.
"Son, we've been... patient..." Genma started, doing his best to sound resigned and weary.
"Very patient," Soun interjected. Ranma frowned softly at that, but said nothing.
"We've been supportive of you," Genma continued, earning a slight snort from Ranma as he tried to contain his mirth.
"Very supportive," Soun said solemnly. Ranma's amusement faded as he realized how scripted this was starting to sound. He was about to say something, but the look Nodoka gave him from across the table made him shut his mouth hastily.
"We've given you time," Genma intoned, his eyes closed had his hand held above his head like he was reaching to the heavens for assistance. Ranma silently hoped the heavens would help him get to the point, soon, but refrained from saying so out loud.
"Very tim- Err..." Soun said, trailing off. His somber expression faded into one of confusion, then embarrassment, before he shifted slightly. Genma gave a muffled squeak, his face reddening slightly, and Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Get to the point, old man." Ranma said, trying to avoid look at his mother. She might not have wanted him to speak, but Genma's acting was beginning to wear his patience thin.
"Very well, son. The Agreement Soun and I made had a time limit, and the time for you to get married to Akane is drawing to a close..."
Ranma blinked at that, then blinked again. "A... A time limit?" Ranma asked, finally. Genma and Soun Nodded, and Nodoka glanced at the two men flanking her son, apparently just as surprised as Ranma.
"You've one week left, Ranma," Soun stated. Genma nodded this time, and Ranma frowned.
"But... why tell me now?" Ranma asked, finally. Nodoka spoke finally, glancing at the two men uncertainly before attempting to explain.
"Perhaps, son, it is because they felt you and Akane would've married by now. There was no point in holding a timer over your heads, along with the engagement."
Soun and Genma Nodded at Nodoka, then shot each other a tiny, almost imperceptible grin that soured Ranma's mood even more so. The two were up to something, and not only had they pulled him into it, they'd pulled Nodoka into it as well.
"Can't you two annul-" Ranma started after a moment of though. He was cut off by the three adults standing rapidly to tower around him. He squeaked, as Genma's clenched fist quivered beside his head as tears rolled down the elder Saotome Male's face from closed eyes. Nodoka was frowning deeply at him, her hand gripping the handle of the bundled Katana ready to pull it out at a moment's notice, and Soun looked to be preparing another Demon-Head attack.
Walking in the door, Nabiki saw the current activities, and wondered briefly if she should have been home to hear this from the beginning. Then she took a closer look at Ranma, and frowned.
"Nice shirt, Saotome. You and Ukyo have a good time making up?" She called out, slipping up the stairs. She didn't like the implications, but she wasn't going to jump to any conclusions, and she had probably helped shift the conversation the people around the table were having just enough to be able to slip into the room unnoticed. Then she ran into something.
"Oh, shiii-" she cried, falling back. When he landed on her back, feeling her head dangle over the top step, she sighed realizing she was not going to fall down the stairs as she originally worried. Wondering what she ran into, she shook her head to clear her vision, just in time to spy a foot descend to the step beside her head. Said foot was followed by the rest of Akane, until she could see the people gathered around the table.
Akane had been worried about Ranma (though she was loathe to admit it to anyone, including herself) and had leapt to the door when she heard her sister talking to him, only to pause when she heard all of what Nabiki'd had to say to her reluctant Fiancé. Her worry left her as the full implication of what Nabiki had meant hit her, and she barely noticed when Nabiki collided with her on her way down to see for herself.
When she reached the bottom of the staircase, and turned to look at Ranma, Akane realized just what Nabiki had meant she'd she spied the blue shirt her Fiancé was wearing.
"Making up, or making out?" She said, darkly, glaring at his back.
Ranma's chagrin grew as he heard Akane's hissed remark.
"Boy! Tell us it isn't true!" Genma cried, grabbing Ranma by his borrowed shirt and shaking him.
"Son, you've got a lot of explaining to do," Soun's Demon Head hissed.
Nodoka, however, was smiling somewhat, and had a dazed look on her face as she mused slowly, "Oh, my son is so manly... now he can take her as a mistress!"
Ranma blanched at that, and Soun's Demon Head fizzled to an expression of confusion, which he gave the likewise confused Genma. Genma shrugged, glancing at Akane, and Soun turned to look at his daughter, before jumping to the wrong conclusion.
"How dare you write my little girl off as nothing more than a mistress!" He howled. Genma and Ranma both ducked behind the couch, both unsure just whom the Tendo Patriarch was talking to.
"It's not like that! Lemmie explain!" Ranma cried from his defensive crouch behind the couch.
"Make it fast." Akane growled, having assumed a rather menacing position. While she couldn't employ the Demon Head attack, she had her own way of making her displeasure known, and, as Ranma peered over the couch for a moment, he saw the telltale glowing aura of anger surrounding her. Realizing they weren't going to let up, Ranma sat down on the floor, his back to the couch, and started talking.
"IwenttoseeUkyoandKonatsulookedprettybadsoIhelpedhimgettobedthenwenttoUkyo'sroom-" He said, not bothering much to breath, or space out his words. Unfortunately, Akane managed to catch all that, and before he could finish, "Ranma... I hate you!"
Ranma rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and spoke again.
"It's. Not. Like. That," he growled, annoyed that he'd had to be this forceful twice in one day to get his point across.
"Son, it's not a good idea to dally when explaining something this important," Nodoka said softly. She was at a loss as to what to do, and seeing her son put on trial as it was, she tried her best to get this over with fast, and with a minimum of bloodshed.
Ranma nodded, then spoke up, "Ukyo's called off the engagement. So you can quit with the jumping to conclusions, you stupid tomboy." Of course, after saying this, Ranma's posture dropped more as he realized he'd pointlessly tacked that comment on at the end to tease Akane.
Akane, however, was too surprised to fully realize what he'd said. At least, for a full second and a half. "Stupid tomboy?! So what'd you have to do to get her to drop the engagement? Sleep with the silly bitch?"
Ranma blanched at Akane's accusation, then frowned as she referred to Ukyo as a 'silly bitch.' Finally he stood up, tired of her one-track mind. "No," he said, coldly, glaring at her, Soun, and Genma, who'd emerged from the Kitchen with a bundle of food under his arm, "I did not."
Making his way towards the stairs, he passed a somewhat dazed looking Nabiki, nodding to her softly as he moved past her towards his room.
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Real quick Author's note, here: This fic is my first real attempt at writing things out on more detail. My previous fics all had an "outline-with-completed-dialogue" look that left the reader finished too quickly for my taste. Hopefully, this one will be more appealing and lengthy than my previous attempts.
Thanks to Nathan Huss (Wakoid2@aol.com) for pre-reading and offering commentary, as well as to Nidoking (Nidoking042@hotmail.com) for support and research.
Unexpected Consequences
By: Taiteki Kagato
"What do you want?"
A seemingly simple question, and yet, the complexities it embodied when employed by the people in Ranma's life took it to all new levels. Because, Ranma thought darkly, whenever he was asked such, the answer was never what he wanted.
"What do I want?"
A much more personal question, but one Ranma never really contemplated before. Not that he wasn't capable of thinking for or about himself. No, it was typically denied him because the 'I' was oft times replaced, be it by one of his Fiancée's, Honor, or Just about anything else that could influence his decision.
"What do I get?"
A much simpler question. Unfortunately, the answer wasn't as simple. At least, putting it into words. The most appropriate would be 'chaos.' But then, chaos consisted of everything. And nothing. His life, while chaotic, lacked some of the things that chaos was supposed to embody.
"What do I do?"
Ranma watched the stars appear from his vantage on the roof of the Tendo's home, and let his thoughts die down as the question faded into the young night sky. Once his head was clear, he sighed, knowing that his thoughts echoed his answer with startling accuracy. He will do nothing.
Leaping to the ground from his rooftop perch, Ranma Saotome silently slipped inside the home upon which he'd watched the sun sink below the horizon, and made his way to the room he shared with his father.
A little over a month ago, Ranma had defeated Saffron, Lord of Phoenix Mountain, and all-around spoiled, rotten self-proclaimed god. Ranma had recently downgraded his victory from Killing to Defeating, after rationalizing Saffron's bizarre nature. To kill, he decided, was to end the existence of one... and while he'd had nightmares and felt bad about it, Saffron was still alive, and therefore not killed, just defeated.
The incident at Jusendo, however, was followed by another fiasco that had affected the most prominent of Nerima's population. Ranma and Akane had attempted to get married. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who one asked) the wedding had diverted, averted, thwarted, and ruined, thanks to Ranma's Suitors and/or rivals.
Last week had heralded a return to Nerima's status quo. Not that the chaotic atmosphere was ever fully predictable, but it was apparent that things were, almost, back to 'normal.' The only major changes were, oddly enough, Mousse and Ukyo's total absence. Of all his rivals, Ranma mused, Mousse was the least likely to give up. And of all his Fiancées, Ukyo, Ucchan, was one of the most stubborn. Mousse's disappearance was written off by the inhabitants of the Tendo Dojo as most likely him been shipped back home after interrupting Shampoo at the failed wedding.
Ukyo, however, was still in town. Konatsu wouldn't let anyone in to see her, at her request, but he promised those who asked that, yes, the Okonomiyaki restaurant would be re-opening soon. Ranma had been intending to go over there but hadn't yet been able to. Ukyo's participation in the failed wedding may have been ill advised, and angering, but she was Ranma's oldest friend. He'd much rather Ukyo come around than Shampoo, whose exile had, to the Tendos and Saotomes, been a bit short.
Sliding into his futon, after changing into something more comfortable to sleep in, Ranma stared up at the ceiling above him, and thought about his most recent problem.
He'd woken up last Wednesday with a chill that had taken its time dissipating. Along with it had come a feeling if weakness and lethargy that took, like the chill, until noon to fully go away.
The next day, the same thing had happened, as with every day since then. Thankfully, he'd discovered that, despite how he felt, his strength was no different when feeling the odd morning ailment than when he was at his peak in the afternoon. Still, in two days, this anomalous morning sickness will have been going on for a full week, and despite it having no outward effect on his performance in the martial arts, it was disconcerting, and troubling. If it continued much longer, Ranma decided finally, he'd go see Cologne about it.
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Tuesday morning found Ranma flying out the window if the room he shared with his father.
"Damnit, old man! First time in weeks I get almost a full nights sleep, and you had to ruin it!" Ranma cried, twisting in the air so he'd land on his feet instead of his head.
"You've been slacking in your training, boy! If I can sneak up on you and chuck you out a window while you sleep, you've yet to become a tenth of the martial artist I am," Genma replied, landing in a crouch.
Ranma juked to the left, then launched a snap kick at Genma's leading knee, preparing to follow up with a jab. Genma jumped above the kick, twisted around the punch, and landed behind Ranma, grinning.
"You've gotten sloppy too, boy," he said matter-of-factly. Ranma grinned. Bringing his hands together to launch the Moko Takabisha he'd been charging. Genma, sensing the change in the atmosphere, braced himself for a physical attack, only realizing that his son wasn't going to launch a kick or a punch at the last second. Crossing his arms before him, he prepared to be knocked around by the ki blast he saw Ranma preparing. Both Ranma and Genma, however, were surprised by the gout of flame that launched from Ranma's outstretched hands, igniting Genma's gig.
Genma leapt into the koi pond, a blinking panda emerging from the waters a moment later.
"Boy," a sign appeared in the panda's hand, explaining, "apparently, we're going to have to..." The sign was turned around, revealing the rest of the message, "-talk about the definition of sparring."
Ranma, however, ignored the sign, his father the panda, and the rest of the world around him as he stared at his hands in shock. He'd been expecting the typical ball of ki that would launch his father into the koi pond with minimum fuss. Instead, he'd almost barbecued his father. Thankfully he'd not put much effort into it, intending to do little damage to the panda. Considering how long the stream of flame had flown, and how strong it had been, had he thrown everything into it, his father wouldn't have been much more than ashes in the wind.
Where had that come from? He'd never seen anything like it. Or had he? Paling slightly, Ranma remembered some of the powerful blasts he'd had to dodge on Jusendo. Blasts that had turned hard granite into molten rock that had flowed downhill with startling quickness.
Ranma made his way over to a rock where he sat down, still reflecting upon what he'd just done. Had he emulated Saffron's fire bursts? Or had he somehow duplicated them? Ranma winced slightly as he realized the only person who might know what was happening was Cologne. Although he might have been planning on seeing her if the odd morning ailment, he didn't particularly want to see Cologne. She may have been a knowledgeable teacher, and a voice of reason, but she also had her own motives, and Shampoo's recent return to active Ranma-chasing had made Ranma somewhat wary of the old ghoul again.
Still, this new development wasn't something he could ignore. If all his ki was similarly effected, there was no telling what he might do next time he employed one of his higher level special moves. Deciding to stop by the Nekohanten... as well as Ukyo's, Ranma stood up, and made his way into the house for breakfast.
Genma slipped into his place beside Ranma a few minutes later, just in time for Kasumi to emerge from the kitchen with breakfast. Glancing over at his father, Ranma winced slightly at the redness he saw of his fathers exposed skin, looking somewhat like full-body sunburn.
"Ranma, while I normally don't mind your learning new techniques, it isn't particularly nice to try them out on your father," Genma said, solemnly. Unfortunately, the seriousness of his voice was overshadowed by his actions, as he was trying to take Ranma's meal as he spoke.
"So, Saotome, learned a new technique," Nabiki asked, her eyes flashing slightly, "How much did it cost you to learn this one? A date with Shampoo?"
Akane's chopsticks snapped in her hands, but she refrained from doing anything more than shooting a glare at the stunned-looking Ranma. Soun however, began to get misty eyed.
"Cheating on your fiancée just to learn some technique," he said, before suddenly turning on Ranma, his eyes narrowed. "Just what were you thinking, boy? You weren't, were you? Of course not!"
Genma, not wanting to see one of his friends Demon-Head attacks so early, cleared his throat, before speaking up.
"Well, boy, to make up for your mistake, you can take Akane on a date. After all, she is your one true fiancée."
"Err," Ranma finally spoke up, " I can't. I have to..." he trailed off as he realized telling them he was going to the Nekohanten and the Ucchan's was probably a bad idea.
"-go somewhere." He concluded lamely. Akane's glare grew in intensity.
"Right. 'go somewhere,' huh? Like to see Shampoo? Honestly, Ranma, if you can't think up a good lie, don't try to be discreet," Akane said, making her way to the door.
"But it's not like that! I need to talk to Cologne, not see Shampoo."
"So you ARE going to see that Chinese bimbo!"
"No! Well.. I mean, if she's there, I'd see her, but not like, 'see' see her. Just... see... her..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the look on her face. It had gone from a scowl to a glare.
"Fine. You just spend all the time you want with Shampoo," Akane said, storming out the door.
"Ranma..." someone hissed behind him. Ranma turned, then leapt back from Soun's Demon-Head attack. The rest of the family had wisely vacated the room, leaving Ranma to fend for himself.
"W-w-waitaminute!" Ranma said, backing up slowly.
"You hurt my little girl," Soun said, his flat, emotionless voice making the demonic head somewhat more unreal and frightening.
"B-but!"
"School, boy. Go." Genma said, his voice coming from around the corner. Ranma nodded shakily, then darted out the door, snagging his bag on the way. When Ranma had left, Genme slipped back into the room, sitting down across from Soun with a slight smile on his face.
"Saotome," Soun growled, wiping the smile from Genma's face.
"Tendo," Genma replied, hoping his old friend was calming down.
"Your son," Soun said, softly. Genma nodded.
"Your daughter."
"Nabiki?" Soun called, after a moment. Said daughter stuck her head around the corner.
"Your problem," Nabiki quipped, before walking out the door. Soun sagged, and Genma looked towards the kitchen, inquisitively.
"Kasumi?" he ventured, finally.
"You're kidding," Soun replied, almost instantly. Genma nodded hastily, then looked out the window. Soun turned to stare out at the yard himself, and the two of them were silent for a couple minutes.
"We have to join the schools," Soun finally said.
"The schools will be joined, old friend," his companion said evenly.
"Saotome, have you forgotten why we're doing this?" Genma shuddered slightly before shaking his head.
"No, Tendo. I don't think anyone could forget... not... that."
"Agreed. But, have you bothered doing the math?" Soun said, his eyes narrowing.
"No, I assume we still have a nice bit of time before..." Genma trailed off as he noticed Soun's expression growing darker. Blinking, he asked quietly, "Soun?"
"TWELVE DAYS!" The Tendo patriarch shouted, the sheer magnitude of the shout almost knocking Genma over.
The volume of the shout, however, was nothing compared to the effect the words themselves had on Genma.
"Twelve... TWELVE!? That's IT? Ohgod, what am I going to do. What will Nodoka say? The boy! My... ME!? What about ME?" Genma started wheezing at this point, and Tendo nodded slowly, his face somewhat pale compared to Genma's fear-induced blush, noticeable even under his new burns.
"Twelve days, Saotome. We'd better get started."
"But... twelve... it's so soon..." Genma whined, staring at the ground. Soun's tears joined Genma's stare on the ground, and the two began quietly plotting their most elaborate plan yet to get their children wed.
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For Ranma, going to school was not the exercise in patience he wished it were. Patience demanded monotonous waiting, and while there was plenty of waiting, it wasn't always monotonous. At least, it wasn't entirely calm "nothing's going on" waiting.
As Kuno rambled on about the injustice of Ranma's engagement to Akane, and whatever else he hit upon this time around, Ranma waited impatiently, for the blowhard to shut up and come get his daily beating. Not that Ranma thought of them as such. To him, these morning fights were his way of giving the students a break from Kuno's mindless banter for at least a half a period.
A couple minutes and a quick victory later, Nabiki walked into the schoolyard, spotting the downed Kendoist immediately. Frowning at having missed the fight, she hoped her employees had managed to rake in what little winnings these morning fights brought, and wondered, idly, why anyone still bet on Kuno.
Turning to look back at the street from which she'd come, Nabiki scowled slightly, remembering the cause of her delay this morning. Most people in Nerima knew of Nabiki, if they didn't know her directly. Unfortunately, some of the populace was either ignorant of the monetary danger Nabiki Tendo posed, or somewhat untouchable to the young mercenary.
The interruption had proven to be the latter; Cologne, Amazonian Elder, Great-grandmother to Shampoo, and old ghoul to one Ranma Saotome. While Shampoo wasn't stupid, she sometimes lacked the foresight to consider the direct results of her actions. Nabiki, who didn't like to sugar coat things, would simply tell one that Shampoo "lived in her own little world," and she'd be right, pretty much.
Unfortunately, her great-grandmother, who Nabiki knew grew up in the same society Shampoo had, didn't live off in her own private fantasyland. Be it wit, cunning, or that much-vaunted 3000 years of Amazon Lore she bragged about so much, Cologne wasn't one with whom to mess with.
"Young miss Tendo, how lucky of me to have caught you on your way to the institution of higher learning," Cologne had said, appearing from a side street in an instant.
Nabiki had stifled the urge to crack a joke about it being an institution, and nodded before responding evenly, "Matriarch Cologne."
"No need to be so formal Miss Tendo," Cologne had responded, her eyes sparking as she referred to the middle daughter formally, "I've merely come to express my interest in the goings of this morning at your home." Nabiki slid into her typical Information Brokerage Persona, masking her surprise behind a thin, cold smile.
"Well, Matriarch, it was early, I doubt I can recall much..."
"Perhaps I could help you remember?" Cologne said, holding her staff out towards Nabiki's head. Whether or not she intended to poke her, or if there were some memory-restoring pressure point the Matriarch could use barely registered in Nabiki's mind. She simply frowned, and crossed her arms.
"Hardly the assistance I'd find myself appreciating. Hopefully you came prepared to... well, deal with me? Otherwise, I'll just be on my way." Nabiki made as if to resume walking to school, when suddenly she found herself holding a few small, but comforting yen.
"I felt ki, tainted with magic, flare up, Tendo Nabiki. Who's was it, and what happened?"
"Interesting choice of words..." Nabiki muttered, tucking the money away with respectable speed, "what you felt was, apparently, some new attack of Ranma's. He shot his father with some sort of fireball."
"A fireball? Most interesting. It seems Son-in-law has managed to emulate one of the Phoenix King's attacks. That Ranma managed to escape with his and Akane's life is... most impressive.
Nabiki merely nodded, before turning to look down the street, towards her destination. Glancing down at Cologne, she frowned, " will there be anything else, Matriarch Cologne? Or am I free to go about my business?"
"Go, young Tendo, but give Son-in-law a message for me." Nabiki's frown intensified.
"I'm nobody's messenger."
"Cologne handed Nabiki another small stack of bills, and turned to leave, "Tell him I'd like to speak with him as soon as possible. His ki is tainted, and it might be dangerous."
Cologne disappeared, and Nabiki stared after the gnarled figure for a moment before pocketing the money and continuing on her way. However, Cologne's final words worried her. Was Ranma in danger? Or was Ranma a danger?
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The school day ended, and the doors to Furinkan High opened, spewing forth all manner of bodies, boys and girls, the weak and the strong, and a teacher or two for good measure. Using a side exit that few people knew about, Nabiki walked briskly around the crowd towards the gate, where she could catch Ranma.
While she didn't particularly like the thought of Ranma going to see the Amazons, she had been paid to deliver a message, and Cologne's final comment had been enough to keep her somewhat worried throughout the day. Not that she'd let anyone else know she was concerned about her sister's fiancé, no, but if Ranma was a threat, then the threat should be neutralized, before it grew into a hazard. Nabiki's rationalizing was ended by a familiar voice rising above the din of the crowd.
"Fine then! See if I care!"
"Akane, wait! I.. Damnit. Stupid tomboy," Ranma muttered as Akane disappeared in the crowd. He could have shoved his way through the students and caught up with her easily enough, but he was stopped by two things. The knowledge that he had somewhere to go, and arriving via Akane's mallet wasn't the best way to show up... and the fact that someone was staring at him from the column where the gate attached to the fence.
Leaping towards Nabiki, Ranma cleared the crowd, and landed beside the middle Tendo with ease. Nabiki smirked at him.
"How nice of you to drop by," she said, causing Ranma to roll his eyes. He'd found that humorless the first time she'd said it. This was, what? The Seventeenth? Something like that.
"What's up, Nabiki? Did I cost you money by Defeating Kuno too quickly or something?" Nabiki feigned chest pains.
"Ranma, you wound me. Do you really think all I care about is money?"
Ranma snorted. "If I could get away with laughing in your face, I'd be rolling right now," he said, wondering what she wanted.
"My, he actually had a witty reply. Guess I'll have to jack my price up. Wouldn't want to soil my reputation."
Nabiki grinned at the wince Ranma made as he realized exactly how costly a battle of the wits was with Nabiki when she wanted something. Digging in his wallet for enough money to hopefully satisfy her, he pulled out a third of what he currently had. Nabiki smiled and grabbed his wallet, ignoring the proffered money, and quickly removing the contents. Then she handed the wallet back to him.
"Cologne things there's something wrong with your ki, and wants you to go see her," she said quickly, before walking away.
"But I was already going to see her! What the.. Gimme back my money!" Ranma cried, following her. Nabiki just shot Ranma an incredulous look, before continuing home.
Ranma stared at her departing back for a moment, wondering why he even bothered talking to Nabiki sometimes. Sighing at the unfairness of it all, he leapt to a roof, making his way towards Ucchan's Okonomiyaki Restaurant.
Whatever Cologne had to say about him, or his ki could wait while he found out where his friend had disappeared off to. That she still hadn't returned to school was enough to justify bumping her towards the top of his priorities list.
A few minutes later Ranma landed before the small restaurant, a slight feeling of unease making itself known in the pit of his stomach. Knocking on the door quickly, Ranma wondered if anyone was even home, considering the darkness that could be seen through the shuttered windows.
There, through the crack in the window, Ranma could see someone moving towards the door. Stepping back, he heard the lock disengage, and the door slid open to reveal... Konatsu.
"Err... Hiya, Konatsu. Is Ucchan in?"
"Ranma-Sama... I..." Konatsu started. Ranma took a second look at Konatsu and frowned. The ninja was pale, and looked exhausted. Quickly deciding on a course of action, Ranma pushed the male kunoichi back, until he fell into a booth near the grill. Kicking the door shut, behind him, Ranma turned and slid into the booth across from Konatsu, after grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen.
"What's going on? Where's Ukyo?" Ranma asked, setting the glass before the ninja.
"Ukyo-sama is... sleeping now. She's been down with a cold, and her fever just broke today." Ranma sighed in relief, then shot Konatsu a disapproving frown.
"And when was the last time you slept?" The ninja shrugged.
"I lost count. After a couple days, time just sort of blurs, you know?"
Ranma did know. He'd had to pull a few long days on the return trip from China, keeping an eye out for Shampoo. Looking at Konatsu, he nodded slightly to himself as he recognized some of the things he'd noticed after his fourth day awake. The bobbing head, the blood shot eyes..
"Konatsu, man... let's get you up to your bed," Ranma said, slipping out of the booth and pulling the ninja to his feet, towards the stairs.
"But I can't! Ukyo-sama still needs me!" Konatsu cried, moments before his legs gave out beneath him.
"Yeah, but you need your bed. I'll watch over Ukyo for you," Ranma replied, catching him and slipping under his arm so he could support the sleep-deprived guy up the stairs. Konatsu just sighed in response, a weak sound, and Ranma felt the weight on his shoulders increase as Konatsu began to slump.
"Promise..." the ninja slurred, the rest of the sentence fading to an undecipherable mumble.
"Yes, Konatsu, I promise." Ranma muttered, quietly. Making his way up the stairs, he found Konatsu's tiny room, and placed him gently on his bed, sighing at the way the ninja's room was decorated with pictures of Ukyo.
Slipping out of the room, he turned towards the end of the hall, knocking lightly on Ukyo's door. After a moment, he knocked again, a little louder.
"'natsu? That you?" Ranma heard Ukyo mumble.
"Err.. Ucchan, it's me. Can I come in?"
On the other side of the door, Ranma's voice tore away the remaining cobwebs in Ukyo's head quickly. Staring at the door, she was about to dismiss it as another fever-induced hallucination, when she realized she felt a lot better. Her nose was still clogged up, and she felt weak all over, but apparently her fever had broken.
"Ranchan? What... what are you doing here?" Ukyo asked, her heart speeding up. She felt torn with indecision. A part of her wanted to leap out of bed and tear open the door and... well, basically try that Amazonian Glomp Shampoo always employed. However, another part of her wanted to hide under the covers, the shame at realizing just what she'd done at the failed wedding causing her to shudder on her bed.
The decision was taken from her, however, as Ranma pulled the door open, slipping into the darkened room. Ukyo looked... well... pretty bad. She had bags under her eyes, her face was somewhat swollen, and she looked pale and weak.
"Oh, Ranchan... you shouldn't be in here. It's not..." she paused, reaching for the right word. 'safe?' 'healthy?' 'proper?' "-sanitary," she concluded, finally.
"I'll be fine. I was kinda worried about you, though."
"I'm... I'll be fine, Ran.. Ranma. I just... how could you be worried about me? After what I..." She trailed off, feeling tears begin to crawl down her cheek.
"Ahh.. Don't cry, Ucchan. I, uhh... It's no big deal, right?" Actually, depending on whom you asked, what she'd done was a big deal. Fortunately, for her, the bombs she'd thrown weren't as dangerous as they appeared. That, and the fact that Kodachi, Shampoo, and the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew had also helped destroy the wedding, shifted some of the blame from Ukyo's shoulders.
"Ranma, I... I'm sorry. I..." Her throat seized up, and she sobbed, once, feeling like crap, and knowing she looked just as bad, if not worse. Ranma sat down beside her on the bed, looking confused and unsure of himself, before finally putting an arm around her.
His confused expression grew worse when, instead of cheering Ukyo up, this made turned her sniffles (with an occasional sob) into all-out sobbing (with occasional sniffles). After a couple unsteady minutes, Ukyo began to calm down, and Ranma's pulled away enough to look at her, surprised he couldn't remember when his arm-around-the-shoulder had turned into an embrace.
"Ucchan, It's alright. I forgive you... and I'm sure that Akane will too."
"Oh, Ranma... I... I got that invitation, and was so scared I'd loose you, and then the next thing I knew I was throwing those bombs, and... and..." Hey eyes got watery again, and Ranma drew her into another hug, silencing her as she cried more tears.
"Ranma," Ukyo said, so quietly it was barely a whisper.
Ranma pulled back again, wondering how many more tears his shirt could absorb before his curse kicked in. While he didn't know much about girls, and didn't pretend to know anything about them, somehow, he knew that holding Ukyo had helped, and wasn't too worried about her taking the embrace any other way. Glancing at Ukyo's red-rimmed eyes, he blinked, waiting for her to say what she had to say.
"I... I'm..." she said, fighting her emotions to get the words out. Ranma frowned in concern, surprised to be going over this again.
"It's all right, Ucchan. I told you... Everything's fine."
"No, Ranma... Everything is a mess. And I'm a big part of it, whether I like it or not."
"Ucchan..."
"Ranma... I'm calling off our engagement," Ukyo said, quietly. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see Ranma's face, but she heard the breath he'd been holding fly out of his lungs like he'd just been kicked by Ryouga.
Hearing those words had certainly felt like a kick from Ryouga, too, as Ranma just stared into space, wondering how he should be feeling. He knew that his father would be pleased, and he should be happy to have one of his biggest problems dissipate like this.
On the other hand, however, this was Ukyo, Ucchan, his friend, his fiancée... and she was honor bound to marry him.
"Ukyo... what about your yatai.. Your honor?" Ranma said, a part of himself wondering why he was fighting her decision.
"I... the yatai is something we'll have to negotiate compensation for... and as for my honor..." she trailed off, staring at the floor coldly, "What little I have after my actions at the wedding..." She looked at him, her brown eyes gazing deep into his blue ones.
"I'd rather see you happy as your friend, than continue... fucking up your life, Ranchan." She said, evenly.
"Ucchan.." Ranma said, surprised at the intensity of her gaze as she'd spoken. Surprised, too, at the honesty and truth he'd seen in her eyes as she spoke those words.
"Ranma, I'd like to be your friend... but... I need some time alone... away from you, while I... get over you."
"Ucchan..." Ranma repeated, his brain beginning to overload.
"I... I need this from you, Ranma. Please. Come back in a week. Consider it your first step in making up for the stolen dowry, if you have to."
Ranma swallowed, then nodded slowly, standing up. "Bye, Ucchan..." he said, quietly, moving towards the door.
"Ranma?" Ukyo said, as he slid the door open. Turning, he saw her pointing towards her dresser, "There's some clean shirts in there. You've got... Your shirt's dirt," she said, softly. Ranma nodded, opening the top drawer and grabbing one of Ukyo's blue shirts, before sliding out the door. A moment later, it slid back open.
"Ahh, I'll return it to you as soon as I can. I promise."
"Ranma, change in the bathroom, and I'll return your shirt to you in a week." Ranma nodded sheepishly, and ducked out of the room. Ukyo listened as he went into the bathroom, changed quickly, then made his downstairs and out onto the street. When she heard the front door click shut, signifying that it had locked behind him, she sighed softly.
"One week, Ranchan," she whispered.
Then she rolled over, and quietly cried herself to sleep.
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"Saotome, that's sheer genius!"
"Well Tendo, what can I say?"
"I wonder why we didn't think of this sooner..." Soun said, staring off into space with a smile plastered to his face. Because if this, he didn't see Genma deflate somewhat.
"It's alright, good friend. We've thought of it now, and all we have to do is get it started. Just think, this is almost as good as my plan to do in the Master," Genma said, trying to bolster his pride a little more. Soun, however, turned an incredulous stare on the Saotome patriarch, before speaking.
"Ahem... As I recall, it was my plan that did the master in, Saotome."
"Nonsense, Tendo, It had to have been my idea."
"No, Saotome, there you're wrong. Your idea, I believe, involved some fishnet stockings, a roll of duct tape, and a rubber chicken," Soun explained, evenly. Genma frowned, realizing, belatedly, that his friend might just be correct. Time to steal back the conversation...
"I.. err.. Look behind you, Tendo! A Three-headed monkey!" Genma winced slightly as he realized just how lame that sounded, even to him. However, Soun turned to look, and when he realized he'd been duped, he turned to find a Panda playing in the yard with a large tire.
The sign sticking out of the ground nearby proclaimed "Ha! Can't argue with a cute cuddly panda!"
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The building density of Nerima made roof hopping a rather simple task for martial artists or Ranma's caliber. Whether or not, however, this was beneficial depended mostly on who you asked, and when. At the moment, Ranma found it the easiest way to get from point A to point B, the only drawback being the loss of time with which to contemplate Ukyo's startling decision.
Landing gracefully on the street outside the Nekohanten, the pigtailed youth straightened out his borrowed shirt, and opened the door, intent on entering.
"Nihao Airen!" Shampoo cried, flinging herself at Ranma the moment the door was out of the way, "Airen come to take Shampoo to date, yes?"
"Err.." Ranma said, articulately. A moment later, he elaborated, "I can't right now, Shampoo. Is the old ghoul in?"
"Airen here to see great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked, smiling as she hugged Ranma closer. Ranma faltered for a minute, then spotted a rather dejected looking Mousse feigning disinterest in the corner. Surprised that the blind martial artist hadn't been shipped off as previously speculated, Ranma tried eliciting a response to extract him from his current predicament.
"Mousse! Attack me, or something!" Ranma said, not quite willing to ask for help, but not wanting this new growth to get any more attached. Mousse sighed somewhat, then turned to him, frowning.
"Or something."
"What?" Ranma asked, unsure what Mousse meant.
"You asked for me to 'attack you, or something.' I've chosen the 'or something' option," Mouse said, calmly. His fists, clenched tightly at his side, however, showed how calm he actually was.
"Well.. Ah! Come on, man. Gimme a hand." Ranma said, squirming as Shampoo's own hands started roaming.
Mousse clapped slowly, each sharp staccato explosion conveying the sarcasm of the moment greatly. Ranma stared, nonplussed for a moment, before scowling. "Thanks for the help, duck-boy," he said, sharply. Dismissing the bespectacled practitioner of Hidden Weapons, Ranma was surprised when he heard Mousse speaking quietly to him.
"Saotome... I've left you alone since that fiasco you called a wedding, because I realized you had no intention of taking Shampoo from me. I also have held back after Jusendo," the mention of Jusendo made Ranma shudder slightly, "knowing that my chances against you in a fair match are exceedingly poor. If this is your way of showing thanks, by taunting me, then I can come to only one conclusion."
"Stupid Mousse stop silly talk. Airen is Airen. No can resist womens of Amazon tribe. Right Airen?" Shampoo asked, squeezing Ranma yet tighter.
"What..." Ranma gasped, straining to get out of Shampoos now choking grip, "conclusion?"
"That, son-in-law, is for Mousse to know, and for you to discover on your own," a familiar voice said from behind him. Ranma jumped out of Shampoo's grasp, landing across the room ready for a fight. Spying Cologne standing beside a confused Shampoo, he frowned, straightening up and crossing his arms.
"Don't DO that!" Ranma said.
"Do what?" Cologne asked innocently.
Ranma's frown turned into a scowl, "sneak up on me like that!"
Cologne stared at him questioningly for a moment, before speaking. "Like that, eh? Would you rather I do it," Cologne disappeared, and suddenly, Ranma heard her voice coming from behind him, "like this?"
Cologne backed out of the way of Ranma's kick, smiling to herself as she watched him drop the attack and take a deceptively defensive pose that looked anything but.
"Too slow, sonny-boy," Cologne taunted. Ranma closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he silently brought his temper in line. Feeling the Soul of Ice technique she'd taught him go into effect, Cologne waited for the question.
"You wanted to see me, old ghoul. Was this all you wanted? Because I've got better things to do," Ranma said, evenly. Cologne nodded slowly, glancing at Mousse for a second before returning her attention to Ranma.
"I can see you're closer to understanding Mousse than I thought, Son-in-law. Have a seat, and we can begin. Shampoo, There's a delivery for you to run on the pegboard."
"Send Mousse, Great-Grandmother. Airen is here!"
Ranma rolled his eyes as he slid into a booth. Cologne, however, put her staff down.
"No, Grand-daughter, I need you to run this one. Ranma will still be around when you return. I can guarantee you that," the matriarch stated, sliding into place across from Ranma. Shampoo sighed, and slipped into the back room, passing by a moment later with a delivery box in one hand as she left. When Cologne and Ranma were sure she'd ridden off, Cologne turned to Ranma, and their conversation started.
"So, old ghoul, what'd you want to talk to me about?"
"That can wait. First, I have to ask something I was disinclined to ask in front of Shampoo: Why are you wearing the Kuonji girl's shirt?"
Ranma blinked, glancing down at the blue shirt for a moment, before grinning sheepishly. Cologne's eyes narrowed, and Ranma spoke quickly, before she could jump to the wrong conclusion. "It's not like that! I had to borrow it, because mine got wet."
"That has never stopped you from simply drying it out in the past."
"Err... it wasn't water." Ranma said, slowly. He didn't really think Cologne needed to know about Ukyo's display.
"I see," Cologne said, her eyes half-lidded and menacing. Ranma groaned.
"It's. Not. Like. That, " he said, stressing each word. Cologne just waited for him to continue, and after a few seconds of staring at each other, Ranma sighed.
"Look, Cologne. Ukyo was upset about last week and called off the engagement. So it's not like that. It can't be. Okay?"
Cologne stared, nonplussed, then smiled lightly.
"An interesting development. I'll have to have Shampoo stop by to verify this, of course..." she said, softly.
"You will not! Ucchan has had... is having a really bad time, and I promised her a week away from me," Ranma said with a frown.
"Shampoo and I never made that promise, son-in-law," Cologne said. Ranma's frown deepened, and he thought about what to say. For a moment he considered challenging her, before realizing how slim his chances there were, even with his new attack. Finally, he decided to approach the situation as Nabiki would, trying to use Cologne's strategy against her.
"I didn't promise to marry Shampoo, either, but you don't care. Should I work as hard to stop you from harassing Ukyo for a week as you two have chased after me?" Cologne bristled, surprised and angered that Ranma had outmaneuvered her.
"Don't threaten m-" she was cut off as Ranma continued, his expression one of feigned disinterest, "-I'm sure Happosai has some spells or potions that would help."
Cologne paled, imaging what any of Happosai's spells would do to Shampoo, then nodded, her dark expression warning Ranma not to push it anymore.
"Very well, son-in-law. One week without any incursions or interruptions by myself or Shampoo, as long as you yourself stay away," Cologne said slowly, as Ranma nodded. A slight smile grew as she continued, "in return for a date with Shampoo of her choosing."
Ranma's nodding continued, until he realized just what Cologne had said. "What? No!"
"Too late son-in-law. Now, about this morning..."
Ranma wasn't particularly happy about that last development, but sighed, resigned to the inevitable, before speaking.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to come see you about it, myself. You see," he explained her the morning sparring session, and the odd sensations he'd been experiencing for the past week. When he was finished, Cologne had a concerned look on her face, and she examined Ranma on a level only top martial artists could. What she saw was shocking, to say the least.
"Son in law, what has happened to you?" She muttered to herself.
Ranma, hearing her, responded, not realizing it was a rhetorical question, "geeze, Cologne, I just told you what was going on. Weren't you paying attention?"
Cologne rapped him on the head softly, as she continued examining his aura for a moment more. Finally, she looked at him, and sighed.
"Honestly, Son-in-law, I don't know. I'll start looking into it immediately, but from what I can tell, something is altering your aura, your ki reserves, and your magic potential all at once. Whatever is doing it isn't going at it right now, but there's a noticeable change in your aura compared to the last time I got a good look at you."
"But why did it affect me this morning while I was fighting pops?"
"Have you faced any powerful adversaries since this started?" Cologne asked simply.
"No.. well... Kuno at school, but he's not really a threat," Ranma admitted, finally. Cologne nodded, looking at Mousse for a moment, before turning her gaze back on Ranma.
"I don't know what's happening, but whatever it is, it's altering you in a way I've never seen before. Try to avoid employing your ki in any fights unless you absolutely must... this morning is proof enough that this makes you more dangerous. At least, until we find a way to control it," Cologne explained, hopping towards the door.
Ranma, thinking about what she said, nodded slowly as he walked out the door. When he had rounded the corner at the end of the street, Cologne spun slowly, her gaze falling upon Mousse.
"And as for you, Mr. part-time... I think you'd better tell me what really happened at Jusendo."
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Instead of taking to the rooftops as he typically did to travel, he took his time, wandering the streets in the general direction of the Tendo Dojo. The walk home gave Ranma some time to think about what he'd learned from Cologne. He understood what she meant by his ki changing, that much was obvious. That his aura was changing was unsettling, but with his ki changing, it wasn't really hard to comprehend. After all, his aura was based somewhat upon his ki.
What bothered him was her reference to his "magic potential." The only magic potential he had was the potential to change into a girl with cold water, and back into a guy when doused with hot water. All other magic he'd had the pleasure of experiencing gave him a rather cynical outlook on magic in general, and any magical change in him, realized or potential, was unnerving, to say the least.
Sighing, as he realized the change itself was almost certainly magical, Ranma glanced up at the Tendo home, wincing as the setting sun reflected off a window and directly into his eyes. Making his way over the wall that surrounded the property, he quickly made his way inside, stopping only briefly to change his shoes.
Halfway up the stairs, however, he was halted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, he spotted both his parents and Mr. Tendo watching him. Smiling weakly at then, He took another step, before Mr. Tendo stopped him.
"Ranma, we need to talk," the brown gi-clad man stated, leaving no room for argument. Genma nodded, and Nodoka stood emotionlessly, watching him but saying/conveying nothing. Ranma nodded, making his way over to the table. Once he was seated, the three adults sat down on the other sides of the table, Genma to his left, Soun to his right, and Nodoka sitting across from him.
"Son, we've been... patient..." Genma started, doing his best to sound resigned and weary.
"Very patient," Soun interjected. Ranma frowned softly at that, but said nothing.
"We've been supportive of you," Genma continued, earning a slight snort from Ranma as he tried to contain his mirth.
"Very supportive," Soun said solemnly. Ranma's amusement faded as he realized how scripted this was starting to sound. He was about to say something, but the look Nodoka gave him from across the table made him shut his mouth hastily.
"We've given you time," Genma intoned, his eyes closed had his hand held above his head like he was reaching to the heavens for assistance. Ranma silently hoped the heavens would help him get to the point, soon, but refrained from saying so out loud.
"Very tim- Err..." Soun said, trailing off. His somber expression faded into one of confusion, then embarrassment, before he shifted slightly. Genma gave a muffled squeak, his face reddening slightly, and Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Get to the point, old man." Ranma said, trying to avoid look at his mother. She might not have wanted him to speak, but Genma's acting was beginning to wear his patience thin.
"Very well, son. The Agreement Soun and I made had a time limit, and the time for you to get married to Akane is drawing to a close..."
Ranma blinked at that, then blinked again. "A... A time limit?" Ranma asked, finally. Genma and Soun Nodded, and Nodoka glanced at the two men flanking her son, apparently just as surprised as Ranma.
"You've one week left, Ranma," Soun stated. Genma nodded this time, and Ranma frowned.
"But... why tell me now?" Ranma asked, finally. Nodoka spoke finally, glancing at the two men uncertainly before attempting to explain.
"Perhaps, son, it is because they felt you and Akane would've married by now. There was no point in holding a timer over your heads, along with the engagement."
Soun and Genma Nodded at Nodoka, then shot each other a tiny, almost imperceptible grin that soured Ranma's mood even more so. The two were up to something, and not only had they pulled him into it, they'd pulled Nodoka into it as well.
"Can't you two annul-" Ranma started after a moment of though. He was cut off by the three adults standing rapidly to tower around him. He squeaked, as Genma's clenched fist quivered beside his head as tears rolled down the elder Saotome Male's face from closed eyes. Nodoka was frowning deeply at him, her hand gripping the handle of the bundled Katana ready to pull it out at a moment's notice, and Soun looked to be preparing another Demon-Head attack.
Walking in the door, Nabiki saw the current activities, and wondered briefly if she should have been home to hear this from the beginning. Then she took a closer look at Ranma, and frowned.
"Nice shirt, Saotome. You and Ukyo have a good time making up?" She called out, slipping up the stairs. She didn't like the implications, but she wasn't going to jump to any conclusions, and she had probably helped shift the conversation the people around the table were having just enough to be able to slip into the room unnoticed. Then she ran into something.
"Oh, shiii-" she cried, falling back. When he landed on her back, feeling her head dangle over the top step, she sighed realizing she was not going to fall down the stairs as she originally worried. Wondering what she ran into, she shook her head to clear her vision, just in time to spy a foot descend to the step beside her head. Said foot was followed by the rest of Akane, until she could see the people gathered around the table.
Akane had been worried about Ranma (though she was loathe to admit it to anyone, including herself) and had leapt to the door when she heard her sister talking to him, only to pause when she heard all of what Nabiki'd had to say to her reluctant Fiancé. Her worry left her as the full implication of what Nabiki had meant hit her, and she barely noticed when Nabiki collided with her on her way down to see for herself.
When she reached the bottom of the staircase, and turned to look at Ranma, Akane realized just what Nabiki had meant she'd she spied the blue shirt her Fiancé was wearing.
"Making up, or making out?" She said, darkly, glaring at his back.
Ranma's chagrin grew as he heard Akane's hissed remark.
"Boy! Tell us it isn't true!" Genma cried, grabbing Ranma by his borrowed shirt and shaking him.
"Son, you've got a lot of explaining to do," Soun's Demon Head hissed.
Nodoka, however, was smiling somewhat, and had a dazed look on her face as she mused slowly, "Oh, my son is so manly... now he can take her as a mistress!"
Ranma blanched at that, and Soun's Demon Head fizzled to an expression of confusion, which he gave the likewise confused Genma. Genma shrugged, glancing at Akane, and Soun turned to look at his daughter, before jumping to the wrong conclusion.
"How dare you write my little girl off as nothing more than a mistress!" He howled. Genma and Ranma both ducked behind the couch, both unsure just whom the Tendo Patriarch was talking to.
"It's not like that! Lemmie explain!" Ranma cried from his defensive crouch behind the couch.
"Make it fast." Akane growled, having assumed a rather menacing position. While she couldn't employ the Demon Head attack, she had her own way of making her displeasure known, and, as Ranma peered over the couch for a moment, he saw the telltale glowing aura of anger surrounding her. Realizing they weren't going to let up, Ranma sat down on the floor, his back to the couch, and started talking.
"IwenttoseeUkyoandKonatsulookedprettybadsoIhelpedhimgettobedthenwenttoUkyo'sroom-" He said, not bothering much to breath, or space out his words. Unfortunately, Akane managed to catch all that, and before he could finish, "Ranma... I hate you!"
Ranma rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and spoke again.
"It's. Not. Like. That," he growled, annoyed that he'd had to be this forceful twice in one day to get his point across.
"Son, it's not a good idea to dally when explaining something this important," Nodoka said softly. She was at a loss as to what to do, and seeing her son put on trial as it was, she tried her best to get this over with fast, and with a minimum of bloodshed.
Ranma nodded, then spoke up, "Ukyo's called off the engagement. So you can quit with the jumping to conclusions, you stupid tomboy." Of course, after saying this, Ranma's posture dropped more as he realized he'd pointlessly tacked that comment on at the end to tease Akane.
Akane, however, was too surprised to fully realize what he'd said. At least, for a full second and a half. "Stupid tomboy?! So what'd you have to do to get her to drop the engagement? Sleep with the silly bitch?"
Ranma blanched at Akane's accusation, then frowned as she referred to Ukyo as a 'silly bitch.' Finally he stood up, tired of her one-track mind. "No," he said, coldly, glaring at her, Soun, and Genma, who'd emerged from the Kitchen with a bundle of food under his arm, "I did not."
Making his way towards the stairs, he passed a somewhat dazed looking Nabiki, nodding to her softly as he moved past her towards his room.
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Real quick Author's note, here: This fic is my first real attempt at writing things out on more detail. My previous fics all had an "outline-with-completed-dialogue" look that left the reader finished too quickly for my taste. Hopefully, this one will be more appealing and lengthy than my previous attempts.
Thanks to Nathan Huss (Wakoid2@aol.com) for pre-reading and offering commentary, as well as to Nidoking (Nidoking042@hotmail.com) for support and research.