Chapter 3: Plans, Decisions, and Unexpected Guests.

Ryoga, Mousse, and Ranma sat on the hard roof of the Tendo Dojo listening to their female counterparts chat as they added their own touches to the dojo's already brilliantly decorated exterior. The girls had been working for almost four hours nonstop, showing a gentle determination to everything they touched. It was definitely a joyous time, few had doubts things would ever be any other way. Everyone seemed happy, everyone except for the three boys.

With tense patience, Ryoga had quickly filled his counterparts in on the details Herb had provided in his short letter. The power Mint and Lime had displayed during their original appearance had been far above anything the boys had initially been able to handle. While defeated, the two animal-skinned boys had none-the-less established themselves as real threats. Unpredictable and somewhat naïve though they were, Ranma knew he couldn't count the Musk warriors out, not even after his recent training. Monsters stayed monsters no matter what and chances were good that they had progressed in power much the same as he had. While his motivation for strength came from his desire to survive, theirs came from revenge and bloodlust, emotions that were sometimes equal in their intensity.

"So their coming back for revenge," Ranma muttered, massaging his chin. "Well, why not! After everything that's happened lately, we should hardly be surprised."

"They wouldn't be coming back unless they really thought could beat us," Mousse observed. "Those two are taking this grudge way too far. It's been two years for crying out loud! Not to mention the fact that the duels had been fought honorably and fairly."

"Guys, we beat them once and I'm sure we can do it again! I for one am not about to let them ruin the wedding." Ryoga angrily smashed his fist into a roof tile, accidentally punching a small hole through the roof.

"H-hey! My roof!" a voice called up.

Ryoga blushed and put his hand behind his head. "Sorry about that, Mr. Tendo!"

Mousse brushed the awkward pause the followed from his mind. "I'll protect the ceremony with all my strength. We've suffered through too many hardships to let two nutcases ruin all our work."

"You two need to relax," Ranma muttered.

"There is another option," Ryoga spoke up. "It was Mousse and I who defeated them last time so logically we must be their targets. If we stayed away from the wedding there's no reason to think that they wouldn't stay away from the dojo. That way we could protect everyone by keeping the danger at a distance."

"No way in hell," Ranma spoke up decisively. "I won't have you two facing enemies who might be ten times stronger than before all on your own. This is what I've been training for. Call me pesemistic, but I had a feeling the 'fun' wasn't over yet. Besides, there's no reason they wouldn't want to deal with your friends and allies as well. After all, I was as much a part of that three-on-three brawl as you two were.

"If only we knew when they were going to arrive," Mousse said, wrinkling his brow as he fell into deep thought

"We'll just have to be vigilant," Ranma said, placing his head in his hands. That's one area where they have the absolute advantage. We just have to be ready to counter attack when the opportunity arises.

"My senses tell me they'll come tonight," Mousse declared with utter conviction.

"For some reason I don't see two genetically altered warriors taking the first flight to Narita," Ranma said dryly. "They'll come by boat if anything and avoid people as much as possible. There's no way they'll be here tonight. When it came to talking tough and spouting mystic nonsense, Mousse was top notch. Backing his claims up, however, was a different story much of the time. Strong as he could be, Mousse's "magical" abilities were nothing but a series of deadly parlor tricks.

"You may have a point," Mousse conceded. Though I almost wish they would come tonight. I'd like to settle this quickly rather than have it hang over our heads until they actually do show."

"Waiting for the decisive battle is absolutely nerve-wracking," Ranma said, looking at Ryoga. "Trust us, we know."

"Well, you can count on Shampoo and I to be ready. We've also been training and there's more than one new trick we have up our sleeves."

"Now we come to the big question of this meeting," Ryoga sighed, gesturing downward. "Ukyo thinks we should tell Akane but I'm just worried about ruining the moment for her. I mean, what if they don't come until after the wedding. She would have worried herself sick over it at the expense of the happiness she should have felt. Worse yet, for nothing."

Ranma thought about it for a moment, closing his eyes. The other boys watched him quietly. Whatever he decided, they would abide by. It was only fair considering Ranma and Akane had the most to lose out of the situation.

"I'll tell her," Ranma said, rubbing a hand across her face. "Later tonight when are alone. It has to be me. And listen guys, when they do show up you know the girls will want to fight. We don't have any grounds to stop them anymore, not since they've proven themselves as true martial artists, but cover them as much as possible. Don't let Mint and Lime get near them. If they can get Akane or Ukyo or any of the others as a hostage then we've already lost."

"Ryogggaaa! Ranmmmmaaa! Mousssseee! Time for lunchhhhh!" Ukyo called up to them. Problem put on the back burner for the moment at least, the three boys dashed off the roof, eager to rejoin their ladies.

The final decorations were all set up at last. The revamped dojo contained almost fifty chairs, just enough for all the guests to sit and denying room to any gatecrashers who might show up and ruin things, thereby eliminating the occurrences of the previous wedding attempt after Saffron's defeat. On top of that, Mousse and Shampoo had volunteered to play the part of perimeter patrol in case the Kuno siblings tried to get cute.

A red carpet was laid out in between the two sides of chairs, paving the way to a wooden alter and a new beginnings for the happy couple. Ribbons and congratulation signs littered the house and the yard in a spectacular fashion.

Walking home from Ranma's house after the final touches had been set, Ukyo sighed bowing her head as troubled thoughts held at bay all day entered her mind. Distressed signals rarely emanated from her usually happy demeanor and Ryoga's watchful eyes widened as she downright frowned.

"Ukyo, what's wrong?" Ryoga asked, touching her shoulder in concern.

Shivering, Ukyo wrapped her arms around herself and turned her head into the wind. The cool breeze whipped her long luscious hair behind her with angelic grace. "Despite my earlier confidence, I can't get Herb's letter out of my mind. What if Mint and Lime really do make it in time? They could ruin everything!"

Ryoga folded his hands behind his back and nodded his head. "We talked about it today while you were decorating. Ranma isn't convinced but Mousse is certain they'll strike tomorrow."

Ukyo clenched her eyes shut. "I hope he's wrong, I really do."

"We'll stop them just as we did everyone else that's come to do us harm," Ryoga said earnestly.

Ukyo nodded glumly. "Yes, but at what price?"

Ryoga quietly closed his mouth as he words slammed into his mind. That wasn't a question he even wanted to consider and yet, she brought up a good point. What if Mint and Lime were defeated at the cost of the wedding? That wasn't an even trade, at least not in his mind. If they attacked and the wedding was destroyed, the evil duo still won, at least in a sense. That scenario was not acceptable.

He turned to face forward. "Well it won't do us any good brooding over it. Let's keep our guard up but keep the preparations going as normal. Worrying about it all night will drive me crazy."

Smiling slightly, Ukyo fished for his hand and felt his warm protective grip. "You are so right Ryo-chan. Let's just take it one step at a time."

Ryoga took secret pride in managing to change her mood but a strong sense of foreboding still plagued him as it swam in the back of his mind like a vindictive shark. Sighing inside, he quietly scanned the surroundings as they walked home, keeping a vigilant watch.

"Everything will be fine, Ukyo. I promise."

He wished against fate that he could keep that promise.

Ranma sat on the roof of the dojo and heard the familiar sound of Akane moving the ladder against the tiles to climb up beside him. Dressed in a soft sweater to ward of the cool summer breeze after the warm afternoon, she fixed him with a warm smile and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Hey." Her eyes shined as she looked at him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She seemed so genuinely happy that Ranma couldn't meet her gaze. It broke his heart to have to drop such a terrible bombshell just a few days before their wedding. Picking up on the no so pleasant physical cues, she shifted to sit in front of him and took his head in her hands, gently forcing him to look her in the eye.

"What is it Ranma?"

"Akane, I… I'm afraid I have some bad news. Herb sent us a letter after we sent out wedding invitations. He wanted to let us know ahead of time that his two bodyguards went and turned traitor."

She didn't understand and her expression illustrated as much. "Look Akane," he continued. "Herb seems to think Mind and Lime are tracking us. They know the town where we all live and there's a chance they'll arrive in the next few days. Apparently they are stronger now, so the danger is real."

Akane leaned back and her face turned white. She began to shake her head slowly from side-to-side. "No. No, no no no no no!"

Ranma gripped her shoulders and shook her once to regain her attention. "Akane, I won't let them hurt your or anyone else. But I'm wondering if we shouldn't postpone the wedding."

Akane's eyes flashed with anger. "What? Again?!" Frustration bubbled over. "No! I don't want another distruption, not after all we've been through and especially not on account of two lunatics who may or may not even show up!"

"Are you sure?" he searched her eyes. She was clearly thinking with her heart and not her mind, but Ranma didn't have it in him to crush her dreams. Besides, she did have a point. There was no guarantee Mint and Lime would be there in time. With the honeymoon already booked for Kyoto, there was a chance they would be far away when Mint and Lime showed up. Ryoga and Mouse would have Ukyo, Shampoo, Cologne, and Soun, and Genma as well as a few others to help deal with the threat.

Of course this didn't sit well with Ranma. It would feel too much like running away from a fight. Even if the original grudge wasn't leveled against him, there was no way he would be ok with leaving his friends to face the coming dangers alone.

Still, there was the third possibility of Herb arriving in time to deal with his rouge guards. He articulated this Akane and settled her nerves to a degree. That would be the ideal situation. Herb was terrifyingly powerful and if he could put the two in their place without any of them needing to get involved than all the better.

"Alright Akane," he said. "The show will go on."

"Thank you," she whispered, kissing his hand.

He put on a brave face and smiled, but Ranma couldn't help but wonder if he was sparing her feelings now only to inadvertently crush them later. The strange sense of foreboding he'd felt right before Wraith's attack was back again and he wasn't about to ignore it again.

Kasumi hummed a happy tune on the way home from market. She often liked to cut through the local park on the way home to watch the ducks in the pond. As the hot afternoon cooled she watched with a smile as the neighborhood kids played a spirited game of soccer, working up an appetite before their parents called them home for dinner. Balancing the bags in both hands, she watched a bad kick send the ball skidding across the ground towards her. As the kids gestured for her to return it, she kicked the ball back to the group and continued on her way home.

The wedding was almost here and it was all the eldest sister could do to contain her enthusiasm. Rather than act resigned to it, Akane seemed ecstatic. Ranma, who had worried her with a glum attitude a month ago, seemed to have conquered whatever had been bothering him and completely come around to the idea as well.

In her mind they were too young to marry but she'd given up on protesting it further. Having seen the level of dedication towards one another since before Taro showed back up, she was now convinced that the pair would be absolutely fine. It wasn't as if they were moving out of the house. They still had two more years of school to finish and as long as an eye could be kept on the two of them, she had little reason for further worry.

"Oh, is that you Kasumi?"

Turning her head towards the voice on a nearby bench, the Tendo girl was greeted by a polite smile from the beautiful dark haired girl who had called her. The younger girl beside the first waved her hand energetically.

Kasumi's eyesbrows rose in surprise. "Oh! Natsumi and Kurumi! How are the two of you? It has been quite a while!"

Dressed in their tattered traveling gear and sacks that contained their meager belongings, both the girls looked quite a bit worse for the wear.

Natsumi, still smiling, bowed her head with embarrassment. "We did not expect to be back through Tokyo again so soon. But still, it is nice to run into you. A familiar face after traveling is always a welcomed sight."

"Where did you two end up going after you left the dojo?"

"North," Kurumi piped in. "We found jobs working as waitresses but um…" she pushed her two pointer fingers together as her voice trailed off.

Natsumi's pleasant expression turned angry. "What she means to say is that the landlord who offered the job and a place to sleep expected some 'extra' compensation, so we left and started out on our own again."

"Oh my! You poor dears."

"Please don't worry about us," Natsumi replied, recovering herself and waving her hands in front of her body. "We are survivors and we always get by. We'll try moving south and look for more work. We're just going to be camping in the woods tonight and be off first thing in the morning."

Kurumi's stomach growled and she put a hand behind her head, laughing it off.

Kasumi, while an optimist and a kind person, could tell genuine from a scam. The two unfortunate girls weren't looking for any of her food, they were merely being charitable. Judging from the uncertainty in her voice when she'd called out to Kasumi, it was clear that Natsumi clearly wasn't sure if she should have gotten her attention at all after the misunderstanding situation in the dojo that had led them to impose while believing Soun was their long lost father.

"Why don't the two of you come home with me tonight? We are having fish tonight and there is certainly enough for everyone."

While clearly tempted, Natsumi looked stricken. Seeing the drool on her sister's face, she pushed the girl's head down into a sitting bow to hide it. "You are very kind, but it would be absolutely out of place for us to impose again, especially after what happened last time."

Kasumi's smile persisted. "I insist."

Natsumi blushed, looking away. "Very well, if you insist. We will humbly accept. But please, allow us to carry those bags for you."

Arriving back to the house, everyone was in the living room watching tv or reading. A universal look of surprise greeted the three girls as they came into the living room and Natsumi and Kurumi immediately fell to their knees and bowed low, further adding to the awkwardness of the situation.

"I saw them in the park on the way home from dinner and I invited them for dinner."

"Please pardon us for intruding again," the elder sister said, embarrassed.

"You two aren't here to challenge us again for the right to carry on the dojo are you?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

"No, of course not!" Kurumi said, bowing lower until the front flap of her sailor styled school uniform touched the wooden floor. "I mean, I know we said that someday we would come back for a rematch but we hadn't planned on bothering any of you again. We were beat fair and square."

"Girls, please! No need to be so formal. We're all friends here," Soun said.

"Yes Fath-er, pardon me, Mr. Tendo." Natsumi visibly relaxed

gesturing for them to join them at the table while Kasumi finished preparing dinner. Kurumi obliged but Natsumi politely offered to go help Kasumi finish dinner.

The Saotome's and Tendo's made small talk and introduce the girl as Nadoka came in from making adjustments to the decorations in the dojo. Feeling comfortable due to the warm and hospitable environment, Natsumi closed her eyes and greeted the older woman. After introductions were made and Nadoka was brought up to speed, they proceeded to tell the girls all about the wedding, making sure to speak loudly enough for Natsumi to hear from the kitchen.

"You two are getting married?!" Kurumi's eyes widened and began to sparkle. "How romantic! Congratulations!"

"We would be honored if you could attend," Nadoka said with a gentle smile. "We have room for two more places."

The young girl shook her head. "Oh thank you very much but we don't have a home or a place to stay around here. Besides, we'll be leaving town first thing in the morning."

Nadoka exchanged a brief glance with Soun. "I'm very sorry to hear that. But at least you can enjoy dinner with us tonight."

"Thank you very much Mrs. Saotome! It smells really good!" Kurumi wiped away drool from her lips as the delicious kitchen aroma wafted past her nose.

Dinner came shortly thereafter and the family made small talk with the two guests as everyone dug in. Question about the wedding were fielded and it was clear the two girls wanted to know all the details. Having lived their entire lives on the road, it was more than likely true that they'd never stayed in one place for very long or even had romantic encounters of their own.

The only sad moment to the entire festivity was when Genma let slip that Happosai was dying when one of the girls asked where he was.

"Oh, I see. That is terribly tragic." Natsumi's expression betrayed a conflict of emotions and for good reason. Happosai had saved the girls from a bear attack when they had been children but he had also formulated the lie that had led them on a while goose chase for a father they'd never had for the next decade or so of their lives. Now, with the dream of being reunited with a family they'd never truly had shattered and dead, the only thing the girls could do was move on and try to find a job in order to survive.

Nadoka gently redirected the conversation after that and laughter and merriment erupted from around the table. Only Soun was reserved as he ate his food in silence, deep in thought.

At last dinner was done. Full and happy, the two orphans bowed low in thanks for the meal and prepared to see their way out. Just as they were heading for the door, Soun cleared his throat and stood up. "Girls, wait a minute, if you will."

Confused, they turned around to face him, gathering up the belongings they had piled up near the front door.

"Listen girls," Soun said. "I didn't like leaving things how it ended up last time. The facts are that the master of our school deceived you and made your lives very difficult. We owe you."

"Oh no sir," Natsumi shook her head adamantly. "We caused more than enough trouble last time. There is absolutely no debt to be repaid."

Soun cleared his throat. "I have three little girls who I love more than anything in the world." He looked at all three with affection before returning his gaze to Natsumi. "The most wonderful gift a father is bestowed with is a child and the how that child makes us feel. I may not be your father but I do care about both of you. I'll be damned if I'm just going to let you go off and survive in the wilds again."

Nadoka, who'd been hoping for this speech all throughout dinner, gave an uncharacteristic cheer. "Yes!"

The two girls stared wide-eyed as Soun continued. "I'm not talking about you two staying here temporarily. I'm offering you a permanent home for as long as you wish for it. Two beautiful young ladies like yourselves shouldn't be struggling just to survive."

The two girls looked at one another. Kurumi balled her hand up to her chest and meekly asked, "Do you mean it sir?"

"I do."

The younger girl began to cry and Natsumi fell to her knees in shock. Soun could tell that the girl wanted to accept the offer immediately but she still had her pride. She did not want to be given charity or a chance at a life built on a foundation of pity. Fortunately Soun was prepared for this.

"Natsumi, I have several conditions that you both must agree to meet in order for the offer to stand."

She wiped tears away from her eyes, touched at just how kindhearted and generous he was. "Yes sir?"

"First off, you two will attend school and gain an education. I'm not sure when the last time you both went was but I think it is safe to say you'll need some government assistance. We'll get you both enrolled in night remedial classes and caught up to speed. Second, you can help Kasumi with some of the chores around the house and the dojo. Consider it to be your chores for room and board. Oh, and please don't dote on me as much as you did last time."

Natsumi nodded at the reasonable requests. "Yes sir. What else?"

Soun had tried to maintain a stiff upper lip to dominate the conversation but seeing the two girls who had practically given up on hope and the chance for a normal life now crying with joy was enough to move him to tears as well. He thought of his wife and he knew that if she had still been alive, she would have supported this decision as well. The last time the girls had lived in the house the situation had been uncomfortable because he had known they were not his children even though they called him father. This time, he was ready and the offer was made of his own free will.

"The last condition," he said as his voice cracked and wavered, "is that you both call me father and consider yourselves to be part of our family."

All their reservations fell apart and Soun turned as both the girls fell into his arms, crying as they thanked him over and over again. Closing his eyes, he cried with them, hugging the two close as everyone watched the emotional scene with tears in their eyes as well. Even Ranma seemed to be affected and he reached for Akane's hand, giving it a squeeze as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But I told you before that we couldn't return until we were strong enough to carry on the Anything Goes School," Natsume said softly.

"It was always meant to be Ranma and Akane. That arrangement was made before they were born," Soun said. "Pride and honor are wonderful things but sometimes it's best to let people care about you. Besides, there will always be a place for you two in our school. You can count on that.

"This means…" Natsumi took a deep shuttering breath, trying to talk between sobs, "so much to us. Thank you father! Thank you!"

It was a long time before they had calmed down enough to talk again. Looking at each other's red, swollen faces, all they could do was laugh. The three Tendo sisters came to welcome the new additions to the family and hugs were passed around. Akane in particular was given a lot of attention by the two former homeless girls, no doubt because they wanted their former rival to understand that they cared about her too.

"All of our rooms are full right now," Soun said, pondering the situation while scratching his chin. "But we do have a small storage building beside the dojo. I know it isn't much, but I can clean it out tonight and make it livable until Master Happosai…"

His voice trailed off sadly and the girls shook their heads. "It will be perfect, thank you father. We really don't need a lot, really."

"Well, we'd better get to work. Genma, Ranma give me a hand."

Kurumi looked at the small tray lying next to the table and looked up at Soun. "Papa, would you mind if I took Happosai his dinner? He didn't come out of his room and I'm sure he's starving."

"We'll both do it," Natsumi interjected. "If you don't mind."

Soun nodded and Kurumi took the plate. As the girls left the room, Nadoka smiled in a motherly fashion. "Those two are wonderful young ladies. You did the right thing Soun."

"Let's leave them alone to make peace with the master," Soun said. "I think all three of them are about to gain some much needed closure. Come on men, we have work to do.

Happosai stirred, sitting up on his futon when he heard a light tap on the door. "Come on in Kasumi."

On most days he was left to rest in peace. Occasionally he came out to smoke his pipe or play a game of Shogi with Soun and Genma, but for the most part he rested quietly in his room until Kasumi brought him dinner.

He wasn't prepared for the two girls who stood in his doorway looking very uncomfortable. He raised a finger, starting to sweat. "It's you two!"

"Good evening, Master Happosai. We brought you dinner. It should still be warm." With care, Natsumi and Kurumi came in and knelt on the floor by his bed, placing the tray of food in front of him.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Soun has adopted us."

The old man smiled softly. "I'm so glad to hear that." His voice had gone from high and energetic the first time they met him to low and raspy.

In truth Natsumi hadn't quite known how she was going to react when she got the old man alone. She owed him a piece of her mind. But seeing him so feeble and pitiful she didn't have the heart and she just sighed, draping her long pony tail over one shoulder.

"Are you two… still upset about me pretending to be Soun?"

"No. Natsumi answered immediately. "Thanks to you, everything worked out in the end. What you did was wrong, deceitful, and hurtful, but it ended well. We were able to meet a wonderful family who extended their hearts to two traveling orphans. So, I suppose that I should thank you in a way."

"I'm told you two are strong. You even beat Ranma once. That is no small feat." Happosai tried to laugh but it came out as a raspy cough instead. He lay back down on his bed and Kurumi took it upon herself to help feed the man.

Happosai pointed at them with one shaking hand. "As thanks for your forgiveness and in recognition of your strength, I want to formally welcome you both into the Anything Goes School. I think you two will make fine additions. I will be gone soon and it warms my heart to know that the school will be left to those who truly care. You both may not be the chosen successors, but you can still play an important part in the school's history."

"We will," Natsumi vowed, bowing her head, swallowing the last of her anger. "All our lives we've only been able to depend on two things: each other and the martial arts. We've trained every single day and while we did indeed lose fairly, I think-"

Kurumi tapped her sister on the shoulder and brought a finger to her lips pointing. Looking down, Natsumi saw that Happosai had fallen asleep. Drawing a blanket up around the old man's shoulders, Natsumi signaled for them to go. Stepping outside the door and closing it quietly behind them, she released the last of her conflicting emotions and frustration as a long drawn out sigh. Peace followed and she shared a small knowing smile with her sister before they moved back down the hall towards the kitchen to deposit the tray and dishes.

Out in the hall, Nabiki was waiting for them. "Get a good night's rest girls! Tomorrow I'm going to take you two out shopping for some new clothes! How does that sound?"

"That's very kind of you, but… we don't have any money," Kurumi pulled out her pockets to show they were empty.

"Oh don't worry about that," Nabiki said with a wink. "I'll just put it on your tab and you can repay me later. For now, just relax and let us spoil you all a bit." Waving the middle daughter turned and walked out of the room, leaving her two new sisters looking bewildered.

"Should we should go help them?" Kurumi gestured to the noise going on in the backyard. "They are fixing us up a room to stay in, after all."

"Yes, it would be rude to stand by and not help."

Hand-in-hand, the two sisters went to help the men in the yard, stepping into their new lives as members of the Tendo family.