Observation

Disclaimer:Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

Ah, home from school. Time to check my surveillance tapes. I think I'll start with the dojo.

Ranma came back from his little training trip looking pale and pretty beat-up. Ryoga showed up the next morning just in time to catch the opening act of Ranma and Uncle Saotome's morning spar. Then the lost boy stepped in and really let Genma have it. Ryoga still wasn't quick enough to stop Ranma's stitches from getting torn. That was one nasty cut. Seems our little Ranma skipped out of the hospital early and Ryoga was so worried he managed to show up at the dojo only ten hours after Ranma.

And that was just the start of things getting interesting around here.

After Kasumi hauled Ranma off to the bathroom to check his stitches we heard some shouting from Ranma and P-Chan; that's all to be expected. But the loud, startled "Oh my!" from Kasumi was enough to bring us all running.

It was quite the picture. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe Kasumi knocked into the furo by Ranma and the pig's antics. What we did find was both Kasumi and Ryoga in a faint. Kasumi was cradled in Ranma's arms. Ryoga was in his birthday suit. Ranma was helplessly stammering something about his innocence.

Ranma really is wonderfully photogenic, in either form, especially when he's bashful. Kuno-baby would pay a bundle for a candid shot of a half-dressed Ranma-chan blushing and all uncertain.

Ryoga isn't bad either. I just don't have the same sort of market for shots of him. Too bad, if I had the right customers this shot could be worth a lot. I went ahead and took the shot. Who knows, maybe I could arrange a meeting between Ryoga and Kodachi. Kuno-baby has room in his heart for two, why wouldn't Kodachi be the same?

"So this is where Ryoga disappeared to, I wonder how he lost his clothes." Akane remarked. She made a point of carefully not looking at Ryoga while she draped a towel over him.

Denial and unrequited love are in a constant race for supremacy around here. Both emotions have reached epidemic proportions in Nerima since Ranma arrived. Lucky for me, one of them is a very profitable feeling. Denial, unfortunately, is fairly self-sustaining.

Since Ranma came home something new has been going on and I want to know what it is so I can work it into my calculations.

Hmm, nothing in the dojo. Let's move on to the roof. I hope they didn't talk under the bridge, the batteries in the equipment I set up out there keep going dead.

Here we go…

"Cut it out Ryoga, we're friends, f-i-e-n-d-s, friends not…" I think you had it right the second time, Ranma. "Look, you only kissed me 'cause I was in girl-form. You didn't mean it so pretend like it didn't happen."

And I don't even have Ryoga listed as a possibility in the Ranma-stakes. I put Kuno-baby in for laughs and suckers… I'd really clean up if Ranma ended up choosing someone no one bet on, but he's not going to go for a guy. Ranma had nightmares about Kuno's declaration of love. Kuno's a freak but he's not that bad.

People might bet on Ryoga. There are times when Ukyo is the favorite and Ranma sees her as 'just a friend'. Ranma does break-up Akane's dates with Ryoga by pretending to be Ryoga's fiancée, not by trying to make romantic with Akane… Could he really like the lost boy? Sure Ranma reacted badly to Sanzenin and Kuno's attentions at first, but he's gone on more dates with Kuno than with Shampoo, maybe he's getting used to being a girl part-time.

Calculating the odds on this one is going to be a nightmare.

"Kissing you, it wasn't like that." You're mumbling Pig-boy, that's not exactly a confidence inspiring declaration there.

"Then what was it like?"

"I don't know okay? Ranma, you've got no idea what it was like after you passed out. You told me I couldn't do anything except watch you die but did you think I'd just sit there and let it happen?"

What the hell? I guess that means Ryoga was just making noise every time he threatened to kill Ranma because he sounds damn serious now.

"How'd you get me to the hospital anyway?" Ranma sounds like he's trying to change the subject.

"It was about time that my curse came in handy. You take advantage of turning into a girl all the time."

"I do not. And what does your turning into P-Chan have to do with anything?"

"Not that curse stupid. I may not get where I intend to go but I travel fast. I just picked you up and ran. I almost didn't make it. Ranma you came so close to dying. You just kept getting paler and stiller. I started counting how many steps I took for every breath you took. When I got to ten and you still hadn't drawn a breath I could have flattened the mountain with one of my Shi Shi Hokodan blasts. Then your chest moved and I'd never been happier. You make me insane Ranma. I went to China because you made an off-hand remark about your dad looking for training grounds in China before you disappeared."

"Hey!" And a light goes on for Saotome. "I remember that. I told you to be on time because that was gonna be your last chance to beat me. I told you I never stayed anywhere long and Pop was showing signs of being ready to move on. Why the hell were you so mad at me? You knew I was leaving."

"Maybe I couldn't let you go like that. Everyone else would get tired of me when I couldn't find where I was supposed to be. You were an ass about it but when I eventually did show up you were always waiting for me. Except that last time."

"I told you I couldn't wait. It was your own fault."

"And I couldn't let you walk away… anymore than I could let you die on me this time. I triggered your curse because your girl-form is smaller. I thought it might not need as much blood. That bought me almost enough time to get you to hospital but Ranma you were dead when I ran through the doors. You weren't breathing; your heart wasn't beating. The doctors brought you back, but they said it might have been too long. I waited for days. I thought I'd killed you, then you opened your eyes and I was so happy I could have kissed you."

"You did, but you wouldn't have done it if I'd been in my real form."

It's not too hard to picture the scene. Under normal circumstances Hibiki is emotionally over-wrought. He's alone with a cute girl whose life he just happened to have saved. Sleeping beauty opens her eyes… Of course he kissed her, even if she is technically a he.

"You think anyone wants another Kuno? Chasing after Akane and my girl-half like an idiot?"

"Don't insult me, Ranma."

"I don't want another Ucchan either! What's so awful about being friends? Why do ya gotta want something I can't be?"

So this one is serious. I have standing arrangements with both Cologne and Ukyo where I keep them abreast of any new developments in the fiancée situation. They'll both pay good money to learn about the new contestant.

However, if I wait I'll have more time to figure out how best to profit from this development.

Ranma should be back to his normal, disgustingly healthy, self by the end of the week. I'll tell them then. If they don't take it well, he'll be in better shape to deal with it.