Love of a Cheetah

by Ryan Slicer

Three months after the failed wedding. Ranma was on a training journey and came back, now a woman appears on the Tendo's doorstep and is handing a bundle to Ranma. What could this bundle be?

4. Discussions and Past Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own either Ranma ½ or Gold Digger, all rights are reserved to their respective owners, Rumiko Takahashi and Fred Perry.

AN: Yes this is a new chapter. No it's not a teaser. With some of the reviews I've been getting, saying that there isn't any reason why such and such can't occur because of this. Well here's your 'taste' of why such and such can occur and some of what happened after the wedding. It will also give you the reason WHY Akane is acting like she was in the first three chapters.

And no, I wont explain here exactly what happened after the wedding, you'll get that information soon. I'm still working on it. If you want a brief rundown, go to my profile and click on the link at the bottom of it.

-X-X-X-

Love of a Cheetah – Chapter 4

-X-X-X-

Ranma-chan awoke to the sounds of a softly gurgling baby, along with the cooing of the two elder Tendo sisters. Looking around lazily from her laid-back position, she could see the two sisters near the foot of the bed playing gently with Nyoko. She almost slipped back into the arms of Morpheus when she suddenly recalled what had been occurring before finding herself waking up on Kasumi's bed. Lurching upright into a sitting position, she rapidly scanned the room for the presence of the Amazons or the fathers.

"It's okay, Ranma," Nabiki said, looking over to her and correctly guessing the cause of Ranma-chan's sudden return to wakefulness. "The Amazons returned to the Nekohanten and our baka fathers have likely run off to the nearest bar. No doubt bemoaning and whining about yet another failed attempt to 'unite the schools', while simultaneously trying to think of ways to keep your other fiancées from taking advantage of the new situation."

"Hmmm, speaking of 'fiancées', I wonder how that nice woman, Cousteau-san, is doing now that she's married the father of her child," Kasumi pondered aloud, before unintentionally answering a question Nabiki had often wondered about but had yet to put to Ranma. "She invited Ranma-kun to her wedding in Paris and even left him a plane ticket so he could attend, wasn't that nice of her?"

"So THAT'S how you were able to disappear on your 'training trip' and not leave a clue as to where you'd gone," Nabiki stated, looking at Ranma-chan accusingly. "No one, not even I, would have suspected you to FLY out of Japan. I am disappointed though, how could you even think of flying away to France and not take me with you?"

"Well... you see..." Ranma-chan nervously explained, almost fearful of what the middle sister would demand of her to make up for that particular oversight in her previous plans, having known of Nabiki's desire for world travel. Ranma-chan knew she owed Nabiki a stress-relieving night, in her current female-form no less, if that's what she desired. And thanks to some of Lisette's bridesmaids and a slight overindulgence of champagne after the wedding, Ranma-chan was finally willing and able to grant Nabiki unlimited access to BOTH of her forms. Unfortunately, with all that had been happening since her return from her 'trip' they simply hadn't had the time or energy to slip away together. And Nyoko's arrival had made that possibility even more remote.

"Out with it, Saotome," Nabiki growled softly, although she never ceased tickling Nyoko's tummy or raised her voice. "You know how much I want to see places like Paris."

"I'm sorry, Nabs," she finally sighed. "I needed to get away... alone. And not just to train, but to think about all the problems I've got and how to solve them... if they can even be solved. I'd been planning that 'training trip' for a while, but couldn't find a way to do it without havin' everyone chase after me and ruin the whole purpose behind goin' on it," Ranma-chan explained sadly, crawling down the length of the bed to her daughter and lifting her into her arms. Nyoko wiggled about a little, making herself comfortable, before looking up at her new mother and reaching up with one tiny hand to paw softly against her breast as if she knew she was sad. "Then Lisette showed up... and left that ticket... It was too good of an opportunity to pass up and required only a little adjustment to the plans I'd already made."

Kasumi leaned over and hugged the pseudo-girl, knowing that she was already under a great deal of stress and that the last thing she needed to think was that she would have to face all of her problems alone, which wasn't true. Stroking Ranma-chan's arm in a soothing manner, Kasumi lightly traced the fingers of her remaining hand along Nyoko's arm as well and found herself wishing that she could be this beautiful child's stepmother. Seeing Nabiki raise her hand to gently caress Ranma-chan's cheek and neck, she recalled how the two of them had been so open with each other, calmly discussing their lives and feelings, in the dojo when they'd thought no one could hear them, just the day prior to Cousteau-san's arrival. Kasumi also recalled that the only other person that Nabiki had ever been that open with had been their mother, and while it was true that Kasumi had taken up many of their late mother's duties and responsibilities and Nabiki had, in many ways, looked to her for comfort in that role... Nabiki had only rarely been as open with her. If Nabiki could do so with Ranma and Ranma with her, then perhaps the two should remain together. She only hoped that... there might be room in their lives for one other.

Nabiki knew that Ranma-chan was feeling extremely stressed at the moment, wondering if every day would be like the one she'd just gone through and wondering if her parents would continue to try to control every aspect of her life... and Nyoko's. Now that the redhead was a parent in her own right, she was trying to be the best parent that she could be for her child, under extremely trying circumstances. Nabiki could only hope that whoever Ranma-chan was getting her lessons from knew about her curse... and her feelings about that curse. Right now, however, Ranma-chan did not need any more stress added to what she was already dealing with. "Okay, Ranma, I'll let you off the hook... for now. But you owe me a trip to Paris. In the meantime, though, you can ask for our assistance in caring for Nyoko whenever you need it," the middle sister said with a smile, looking to her elder sister and receiving a nod of agreement. Just then, a knock came upon Kasumi's open bedroom door that brought all three young women's attention to the person standing in the doorway.

Nodoka Saotome stood there, steaming kettle in hand, as she stared back at them her face stern. The fact that she didn't seem to have her ever-present silk-wrapped katana in hand was cause for only a minor lessening of the room's tension. "I've come to speak with my SON," Nodoka stated, stressing the last and holding the kettle out. "Alone, if you two don't mind. In regards to matters dealing strictly with the SAOTOME family."

Ranma-chan looked at the two sisters first, wondering if they knew what her mother was wanting to talk about. Kasumi gave her a shrug at the unspoken question, while Nabiki leaned over and whispered into her ear, "She probably wants to talk about Nyoko and how she is to be raised. And by whom." Nabiki paused, then added, "She may also advise that you have no further contact with me, seeing as I dared to question her own qualifications as a mother... Let alone a good one."

Ranma-chan leaned back in slight surprise at that, looking into the face of her friend. And yet, she'd found herself asking the same questions in regards to Nodoka Saotome's abilities recently... and not liking the conclusions she'd been coming to. Giving Nabiki a nod of understanding, she carefully slid off the bed and adjusted Nyoko more comfortably in her arms.

Nodoka took notice that her child was intending to bring the baby with her, noting how she moved with the utmost care not to jostle the baby too much. Had she herself looked that caring for her child's comfort and welfare when she'd held Ranma in her own arms oh so long ago? Not willing to allow him out of her sight for the longest time, until her husband took him on that ill-fated training journey. "Leave the child, Son," Nodoka stated, her tone stern, while suppressing the emotions that had arisen. "Our... talk... will not take long, but we can do without any distractions it may cause."

Ranma-chan looked at her mother, slightly offended that she'd referred to Nyoko so... impersonally, as if she were an inanimate object rather than a living person. Still, did she want Nyoko to be in same room wherein a possible confrontation was about to occur? No, she did not want Nyoko present in such a potentially hostile environment, especially if things progressed as they had previously. Looking back at the two sisters, she walked over to them and smiled when, without any prompting, Nabiki reached up to gently accept Nyoko into her own arms. "Take care of her for me. Both of you?"

"Of course, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said gently, her tone soothing. "You need not even ask."

Ranma-chan nodded and, in an incredibly bold and impulsive moment for her, quickly leaned over to place a quick kiss on both sisters' cheeks, before turning about and striding over to her own mother. Taking the offered kettle, she poured just enough of its contents over her head to trigger the change back into his male form. Nodoka, without a word, handed him a small towel and quickly turned about, striding imperiously towards the guest room he shared with his father.

Ranma watched her walk away with a forlorn expression, somehow sensing that his mother had already made some decisions that would affect Nyoko and himself. And, as usual, had not even considered acquiring any input from those that her decisions would affect the most. Releasing a sigh, he quickly altered his expression, before looking back at the three on Kasumi's bed. "Be good for daddy," he instructed calmly, before breaking out into a grin and adding as a parting shot before ducking out of sight, "Oh and you behave yourself, too, Nyoko."

"Wha-..." Nabiki started, once she caught on to just what Ranma had said, while Kasumi tried to smother her snickers at Nabiki's disgruntled expression. "That boy's getting entirely too cheeky with his comments."

"Oh, I don't know," Kasumi giggled, "I can think of a time or two when you deserved a good spanking."

"Speaking from experience, Sis?" Nabiki asked with a knowing expression. "I've read some of those cheesy 'bodice ripper' novels of yours, too. Just how often have you fantasized about 'Daddy' Ranma, or should that be 'Master', taking you over his knee and spanking your bare bottom for being such a 'naughty' girl?"

Kasumi refused to answer that question, verbally, or meet her now smirking sister's gaze... but her intense blush spoke volumes.

----

Ryouga's eyes opened slowly to behold the ceiling of the Tendo's kitchen. Staring at the ceiling, he tried to reason out just how he'd come be lying on the floor looking at the ceiling in the first place. Obviously, he'd lost consciousness, somehow, but he couldn't immediately recall how. Let's see, he'd been in Kyoto... well, he'd been pretty sure it was Kyoto... he'd stepped around the corner of a building or something and everything had suddenly gotten dark, like during one of those solar eclipse things only much darker... hearing voices in the darkness, he'd cautiously moved towards them, only to realize that he'd somehow gotten into an extremely small room... feeling something before him, he pushed a bit and a door opened letting in light, which momentarily blinded him... he'd stepped out of the small room, while holding onto the door and, as his vision adjusted to the light, found himself looking into a pantry. How had he ended up in someone's pantry? Looking it over, he also couldn't determine how he could have possibly fit in such a small space to begin with. Then, he'd heard what sounded like Ranma's girl-voice calling his name from behind him... he'd turned around and... there had been Ranma-chan, her blouse lifted to expose her generous assets, and suckling upon one of the glorious orbs had been... A BABY?

Ryouga sat bolt upright in shock, then grabbed his nose and squeezed, hard, as the vision of Ranma-chan suckling a newborn babe played repeatedly before his mind's eye. Just how long had he actually been away from Nerima? Had Nabiki somehow gotten Ranma-chan pregnant? If the child had been Nabiki's, then shouldn't she have been the one feeding the baby? What did this mean for him? Was Nabiki going to call in her 'favor' and have him marry Ranma-chan, so they could claim him as the father? Would he have Ranma-chan for a wife and... Nabiki as a mistress, part-time co-husband?

A meaty thwack resounded throughout the Tendo kitchen as Ryouga belted himself in the face to dispel the images of himself in bed with a nude Ranma-chan and Nabiki. The LAST thing he needed right now was to faint again. Besides, despite his curse, Ranma was a GUY! Just because he had a drop-dead gorgeous female body and he'd had a baby didn't change that ironclad fact. Right? Right. Now if he could just convince the rest of his body of that fact...

Lurching to his feet, Ryouga realized that he needed to talk to either Ranma or Nabiki, preferably the former as he was already in WAY too deep with the latter. Stepping out of the kitchen and into the main room of the house, Ryouga looked around uncertainly. No one was around and he was more than a little uncertain about trying to explore the large house on his own. It wasn't that he couldn't do it; it was just that he didn't want to waste any time getting the answers to his question. Then, inspiration struck.

"Ranma Saotome! This is all your fault!" he yelled out. It probably wasn't true in this case, as Ryouga just couldn't imagine Ranma as WANTING to have a baby, but his yelling usually attracted the attention of anyone nearby and he didn't really know where Ranma or Nabiki were at the moment.

Right after he'd yelled, he heard the front door open and slam shut, followed by stomping footsteps. A moment later and Akane 'Hurricane' Tendo came storming into view from down the hall. Now, in the past, Akane's obvious state of displeasure would have given Ryouga yet another reason to be upset with Ranma, whether he'd actually done anything to the youngest Tendo or not, and spurred on another attack upon the Saotome heir. However, things were anything but normal at the moment, and as much as he'd like to visit with Akane, he really needed to find Ranma or Nabiki. There was also the fact that he knew Ranma was having difficulties with Akane and that whatever feelings Ranma had had for her, especially after the failed wedding, seemed to be waning, which translated into Ryouga becoming less eager to show Akane how protective of her he could be. As he turned to go, however, intending to leave the youngest Tendo alone to calm down, she caught sight of him and rushed forward to grab his arm.

"Ryouga! How nice of you to drop in," Akane said with a smile and immediately began leading him by the arm over to the low table in the center of the room, practically dragging him along in her wake when he didn't immediately move to follow. "What brings you by?"

"Um... Actually, I came looking for Ranma..." Ryouga knew he must have said the wrong thing, as Akane's left eye began to twitch warningly that he was treading on thin ice.

"What could you possibly want to see that pervert for, anyway? I thought you hated him?" Akane pushed as her brows furrowed angrily.

"Well, I... uh... need to ask him a favor." The Lost Boy started to sweat under the scrutinizing gaze of the dark-haired girl. "I was supposed to meet my mother at home and... well, Ranma remembers where I live and I was hoping that he could..."

Akane, however, was no longer listening as Ryouga continued to talk. 'Grrr... How dare that pervert try to make Ryouga BEG to lead him home to visit his mother. I'll show that pervert that not even that baby will save him from being punished as he deserves,' Akane fumed. It had been a long, frustrating, day for Akane, with everyone harassing her for information about the pervert and his bastard child, especially the girls that wanted to know if he was free to date with them now that Akane had loudly proclaimed their engagement null and void. Of course, he wasn't free to do so! Not as long as she was around to keep the pervert from despoiling and dishonoring other girls and getting them pregnant with his bastard children.

"I'm sure that pervert won't help you, Ryouga," Akane said, breaking into Ryouga's monologue about how his mother loved to bake cookies and other sweets for himself and Ranma back when they were attending junior high together. "He's far too busy messing around with his fiancées, and any other girl he can sweet talk into spreading her legs, to help you out. The coward even keeps that baby within arm's reach to protect himself from being properly punished, using it as a shield."

"Huh... What? You mean that baby's his?" Ryouga asked, watching her and hoping he could get even more information on the baby without having to pay Nabiki's outrageous prices.

"Of course it's his! Less than a week after the wedding fiasco, this gaijin whore came strutting in here, claiming she was pregnant and that Ranma was the father. I'll never forget the way she was dressed like one of those cheap streetwalkers you see in all the movies that take place in France, practically falling out of her clothes and all but throwing herself at the pervert's feet." Akane's face clearly displayed her disgust at the memory. It's funny, though, how one's memory of past events can be strongly influenced by one's preconceived notions and when a few overheard words are taken out of context.

Flashback

Akane stormed up the stairs towards her room, more than a little upset at recent events. Some gaijin floozy, dressed up like a French streetwalker and practically falling out of what little she was wearing, had come seeking Ranma, just like so many others. Naturally, she was a fiancée, of course. Why else would she come looking for the pervert? But the hussy hadn't even waited for all of the introductions to be made before asking to be alone with the pervert, to talk. 'Yeah, right,' Akane snorted in derision. 'More likely, she's just trying to get him alone to have her wicked way him... not that he'd do anything to stop her, of course.' Akane didn't like that thought, at all. 'He may be a worthless pervert, but he's MY worthless pervert! No one takes what is mine!' She silently fumed for a moment more, until her curiosity overwhelmed her, wanting to know what perverted things the two were doing to each other, so she could catch them in the act and dole out proper punishment for doing such perverted things in HER home.

Akane made her way down to the dojo as silently and stealthily as she could, which meant that Kasumi easily heard her from the kitchen. But since Akane wasn't angrily stomping her way about, Kasumi just went on with her preparation of some snacks for later that evening. Reaching the closed door to the dojo, Akane carefully placed her ear against it, struggling to hear what was taking place inside.

"...the father of my child... I also... wish for you to... seek me out for marriage..." Akane heard Lisette's muffled voice through the door, followed by Ranma's laughter. She pulled away from the door and shook her head, disbelieving what she'd heard.

"That couldn't be... She's pregnant? With Ranma's child?" Akane whispered aloud, before returning her ear to the door and listening intently.

"...going to... marry...?" Ranma asked.

"...can pleasure a woman... you would... been perfect..." Lisette laughed.

With that last bit of evidence, Akane quietly moved away from the door, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to make some sense of what she'd overheard. 'No. I can't lose him. He can't be the father... Can he?' Akane knew that if that Cousteau woman was speaking the truth, then Ranma must have been seeing her for quite some time in order to get her pregnant with his child. Even before their latest adventure to China. She ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door closed, jumping onto her bed and burying her face in her pillow, letting her tears soak into them.

She needed to get out. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand how she was feeling. Not her family, though. Even Kasumi wouldn't really understand. Her friends? They wouldn't mind, surely. They always supported her when it came to anything involving Ranma. Quickly, she gathered a few things and tossed them into an overnight bag. She'd sneak out of the house and call her friends from the payphone just down the street; surely, she could spend the night with one of them and talk about everything that had happened.

End Flashback

Akane continued to fume over her memories of those events. Obviously, that gaijin whore had discovered just how much trouble the perverted baka could be and dumped him like a bad habit once the baby had been born and her reputation was no longer in jeopardy. Probably a quickie divorce and she even saddled the baka with their kid. Which only aggravated things in Nerima, especially for Akane, if that morning's events had been any indication.

The Lost Boy sat at the table, watching a softly growling Akane carefully, knowing that if he was going to get the chance to talk to Ranma about what was going on he'd need to do so away from the others, especially Akane. Heck, he actually hoped that Nabiki would make an appearance as she could at least arrange a meeting with Ranma so they could talk and spar for a while... for a price, of course, but it was still better than being around an upset Akane.

----

Ranma slid the door shut behind him and then moved to sit opposite his mother in the center of the guest room that he and his father had been using for the last couple of years. He believed that he could handle this discussion with his mother just as Nabiki had taught him a little after the failed wedding. He did, however, take note that his mother's ever-present katana was once in evidence, lying on the floor beside her within easy reach.

"Ranma, the way you were behaving earlier did not meet with my idea of 'manliness'. I did not raise you to suckle a child at your own breast," Nodoka started, pausing to take in a deep breath and gather her wandering thoughts away from the middle Tendo daughter. "Nor did I raise you to not listen to your mother."

'It would have helped if you had raised me at all, 'Kaasan.' Ranma decided that he couldn't let her push HER idea of manliness upon him while he was raising Nyoko. "'Kaasan, I really don't think--"

"Son, it's not polite to interrupt someone who's talking," Nodoka interrupted admonishingly. "Now, where was I... Ah, yes." She quickly got herself back on track; the baby was the next item on the list to discuss with her son. "That was very rude to take the baby away from me as I knew she wasn't hungry. Are you trying to force that food onto the baby? You should have let me handle it," the Saotome matriarch stated, frowning at her son.

"'Kaasan, please. She was getting hungry and--" Ranma tried to explain once more that he would be taking care of Nyoko himself, before Nodoka once again interrupted him.

"Honestly, Son. How could you let that disrespectful child believe that you fear me, when you've done everything that I've asked. It's disgraceful that she's so independent and opinionated. She should be more like her sister, Kasumi." Nodoka clasped her hands together and looked upwards her eyes glistening, "Kasumi would give me lots of grandbabies if you married her. Or took her as a mistress, after you've married Akane."

Growing impatient at his mother's complete disregard for his own input in their discussion, Ranma once again tried to make her understand his own thoughts and ideas concerning the topic of discussion. "'Kaasan, I am not marrying Akane."

"Of course you are, dear. Now, I think that until you do marry Akane, and decide which of your other fiancées to take as your mistresses, I should adopt the baby into the Saotome Clan as your sister..." Nodoka smiled at the thought. Oh, Nyoko would make such a wonderful daughter, and she could finally teach a daughter how to be a 'proper' Japanese lady.

"No," Ranma growled lowly, his patience at an end.

"What was that?" Nodoka asked, her son's tone of voice snapping her out of her dreams of the future with her new daughter. Actually looking at her son now, she noticed that he was trembling slightly and surrounded by a dim glow... his battle aura.

"I said 'no'," Ranma growled out louder, feeling that he needed to protect his child from this woman. "You will NOT adopt her as YOUR daughter. You will NOT take her from me. And you will NOT force me into marrying that irrational and overly violent tomboy! I will raise MY daughter as I SWORE on my HONOR to do, as Nyoko's birth mother intended! And not you, nor anyone else will do that for me!"

Ranma rose to his feet, glaring down at the woman that claimed to be a mother, his mother, while struggling to keep his anger in check. Finally, as the seconds passed, he was able to rein in his anger, calming himself, as he came to a decision that had been forced upon him. Turning away from Nodoka, he strode over to where his backpack, still fully packed from his recent trip, was propped against the wall alongside his father's. He was about to lift his pack onto his back when a stray thought crossed his mind as his gaze lingered on his father's backpack. Settling his own pack back against the wall, Ranma opened up his father's backpack and quickly began going through its contents. There, at the very bottom of the pack and beneath a poorly made false bottom, he found his father's stash of martial arts scrolls and manuals. Not wanting to waste any time sorting through them, Ranma simply transferred every last scroll and manual to his own backpack and lifted it onto his back, before turning about and striding to the door of the room.

Ranma paused in the doorway, after sliding the door open, and spoke to the woman he had, until now, addressed as 'Mother', but did not look back at her. "Just so you'll know, I never feared you or that damned seppuku pledge. I feared 'disappointing' you, the woman I THOUGHT was my mother. Now... I don't care anymore whether you're disappointed or not, as you've clearly shown that you could care less for me as a person and only intend to use me to attain the things you want. Only your own wants and desires matter to you, with even Honor being nothing more than a tool to attain those goals and its interpretation held captive to your whims." Then, without hesitation, Ranma stepped out into the hallway and slid the door shut behind him.

For long minutes, Nodoka looked after her departed son, her own body trembling in anger now. How DARE he say those things to HER! She was his MOTHER! She only wished for what was in his best interest and to free him of the burdens of raising a child at such a young age. And he DEFIED her! What did it matter if, in some small way, she benefited from her plans for her child's future? She wanted her grandchildren brought up properly and she was going to make certain that it happened just as she'd planned. Obviously, Genma had erred in raising their son on his own, making him too susceptible to the manipulations of the middle Tendo daughter.

Nodoka's hand instinctively grasped the silk-wrapped bundle beside her, squeezing it comfortingly, as she contemplated the likely reasons for her son's defiance of her will. She had not missed the fact that her child had seemed to be much friendlier to Nabiki the last few times she'd seen them together, almost intimately so. Nodoka's eyes narrowed as she considered the possibilities that thought raised. Nabiki was a 'modern' girl, through and through, hardly what anyone could even slightly consider to be 'ladylike'. It wasn't beyond reason to assume that she was manipulating Ranma through the use of her body and sexual favors. Nodoka had no problems with her son bedding the girl, although Nabiki's obviously loose morals rendered her completely unsuitable as a prospective wife, unlike Akane who was properly withholding her favors until she was properly married, and if she hadn't used her wiles to coerce Ranma into defying his own mother... well, Nabiki wasn't even suitable for the position of mistress any longer.

There was actually little Nodoka could do to punish Nabiki for her transgressions, although she fully intended to make her displeasure known to Nabiki's father and demand that he keep that demonic little bitch away from her child. And despite her son's earlier words, she knew for a fact that he DID care for the youngest Tendo daughter, at least. Perhaps it was time to have a serious talk with her prospective daughter-in-law about her future and the means by which it can be brought about. The Saotome women had always ruled their families with an iron will and absolute control of their husbands, but... occasionally, a softer approach was called for. Nodoka had admired Akane's ability to keep her son in line, but it was time to change her tactics if she was to regain her influence over Ranma from her elder sister. And while it was preferred that the bride go to her wedding bed unsullied... it wasn't absolutely essential. Besides, Ranma and Akane were already all but married in fact, so there would be no loss of honor if Akane should bed her future husband before they actually married.

Yes, that would do nicely. Nodoka would work on Akane, get her past her naiveté and teach her the means by which she can reassert her dominance over her wayward child. One way or another, her son would obey her wishes, even if indirectly.

"You may have sunk your claws into my son, Nabiki Tendo," she softly growled. "But you haven't won yet, this battle is just beginning."

----

Nabiki sat on the edge of her elder sister's bed, watching Nyoko yawning sleepily as Kasumi gently stroked her hair. It had already been a long day, with the fathers all but physically attacking Ranma and Nyoko, Ukyo attempting to insinuate herself into the mix and gain Ranma's favor, Nodoka trying to enforce her ideas of manliness and gain control of Nyoko's upbringing, and there had also been the yelling match that she'd walked into upon her arrival home. To make matters worse, the day wasn't even nearly over. She shared one of her few genuine smiles with her elder sister, when Kasumi had her fingers grabbed by Nyoko as she moved her hand to stroke the child's arm.

"Do you think Ranma-kun will be alright?" Kasumi quietly asked, concerned that Ranma would take Nyoko and leave without any warning or means of remaining in contact.

Nabiki pondered that question, thinking of how Nodoka had wanted to speak with Ranma alone. In his male form, no less. 'She must still think of Ranma as two people, her 'manly' son and the 'shameful' curse,' she thought. "I have no doubt that Saotome-san is attempting to reassert her control over Ranma, gain control of Nyoko, and cast me in as poor a light as possible," she finally responded. "She'll probably even forbid him from having anything to do with me."

"Why would she want to keep Ranma away from you?" Kasumi asked, knowing that the two had become quite... intimate before his training journey. During the months Ranma was gone from their house, she had managed to pry a fair amount of information about the 'Wild Horse' out of her younger sibling, not least of which was that he more than lived up to his namesake, in all respects. Those details alone had been more than enough to garner her interest in a possible 'ride' herself, and Ranma's rapidly developing sense of maturity only made him all that much more attractive to her.

"Possibly because we're much alike in some respects," Nabiki responded with a shrug, climbing carefully off the bed so as to not disturb the nearly asleep Nyoko more than necessary. Moving over beside the 'Pack-N-Play' crib, she idly traced the edges, only now taking notice that the material was adorned with pictures of animals commonly associated with Africa. "We both need to feel in control of our environments, most especially the people we associate with. The differences lie in the amount of control, which for Saotome-san is total, and to what extent we'll compromise, which for her is none. The major difference between us is that she sees other people as merely 'tools' to accomplish her own ends and not as 'people' with their own hopes and dreams."

"But, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi hesitantly began, "haven't you been accused of being the same?"

"Almost daily," Nabiki responded with a smirk. "Although it's occurring less often as I move away from my former business dealings at Furinkan. Unlike Saotome-san, however, I never insisted on having 'total' control of others, merely enough to accomplish the task I needed performed. Nor did I ignore their own hopes and dreams simply to advance my own. With me, it's always been a matter of 'give and take', or 'fair trade' if you prefer. Granted, I'll take as much as I can get and if you're not clever enough to do the same, well... That's the business world. But I've never taken 'everything' a person had, or asked more of them than they could reasonably do or wouldn't do on their own under different circumstances."

Kasumi thought about that for a moment, before deciding to move on to a different topic. "Do you think Ranma-kun will raise Nyoko properly?" Kasumi asked, softly stroking the baby's hair.

"'Properly', Sis?" Nabiki grunted. "By whose definition? What can be considered 'proper' varies with both time and location, as well as person. I think what you're really asking is: will Ranma do a better job at raising Nyoko than his parents did with him? Or... Daddy did with us? Only time will provide that answer. But he already knows, from first-hand experience, what NOT to do in raising her."

"That's certainly true," Kasumi sighed, before looking up from Nyoko as her bedroom door opened to allow Ranma to quietly enter.

"Well?" Nabiki quietly asked, as Ranma removed his backpack and leaned it against the wall, before moving over to the portable crib and beginning to dismantle it.

"Nyoko and I can't stay here," Ranma stated simply, continuing to work.

"But, where will you go?" Kasumi asked, frowning worriedly.

"I don't know," Ranma replied, pausing in his task as Nabiki knelt down beside him and began massaging his tense shoulder muscles. "I just know I can't stay here, or Kaa--... the Saotome house."

Nabiki winced at that. She'd expected Nodoka to push Ranma hard to accept her own decisions and viewpoints as to how things should be, but she hadn't expected his mother to push so hard that Ranma would decide to break away from his own family and strike out on his own. She also suspected that with Ranma gone, Nodoka would turn her anger towards herself, likely through her father. "The talk went that well, huh?" she softly asked.

"Yeah, right," Ranma all but spat. "She talked and I was supposed to listen and obey. That's HER idea of a 'talk'! She didn't even want to hear anything I had to say about things. And what she said boiled down to: I was going to marry Akane, take Kasumi and the other girls as my 'mistresses', and SHE'D raise Nyoko as my SISTER! Oh, and she doesn't like you very much, Nabs."

"The sentiments are becoming mutual," Nabiki sighed, moving to help him pack up the crib. Then she recalled Ku Lon's parting message. "By the way, Cologne wanted to talk to you."

Ranma grunted. "Yeah, I'll bet. She probably guessed how things were likely to turn sour here and is going to use it to get me AND Nyoko into her tribe." Ranma sighed, wearily. "I like Shampoo, and only a completely blind idiot wouldn't be able to see how beautiful she is. But, I can't trust her and I refuse to be treated as a second-class citizen in her village. So there's no way I'm going along with that ol' ghoul's plans."

"I don't think she'll try to take Nyoko by force, Ranma," Nabiki said. "She'd have to kill you in that case, or risk bringing your wrath down upon her village. No, Nyoko's changed things as far as the Amazon's go. I'm guessing that since you're now the parent or 'guardian' of one of the 'Great Races', different Amazon Laws have come into play and she's having to adjust her plans."

"'Great Races'?" Ranma asked, securing the crib to his pack, before shouldering it.

"That's how she referred to Nyoko," Kasumi stated, carefully picking up Nyoko and rising from her bed to walk over to them. "She was most respectful in her tone and actions. She even bowed to Nyoko and Nabiki when asking for you to come see her."

"Heh, yeah. She even had Shampoo do the same," Nabiki chuckled, before turning serious once more. "In any case, you won't learn what she's up to by avoiding her and we may learn something useful in the process."

"Fine. We'll go see the Ol' Ghoul," Ranma sighed, already trying to plan for what he'd do after said meeting. Staying at the Nekohanten, even for the night, wasn't something he was willing to risk just yet. Ukyo's was a possibility, but he was afraid that she might take it the wrong way... as him making a choice. Shaking his head wearily, he held out his arms and Kasumi carefully passed Nyoko to him, with only a small bit of reluctance. He smiled softly down at Nyoko as she roused a bit, looked around, and snuggled more comfortably in his arms before going right back to sleep.

Nabiki grabbed up the small knapsack of Nyoko's things and the three of them silently stepped out of Kasumi's bedroom and into the hallway. Ranma hesitated only slightly as he passed the closed door to his former sleeping quarters, before releasing a silent sigh of remorse and moving on.

As the trio neared the bottom of the staircase, Akane stepped out to block their path, glaring up at Ranma. "Just where do you think you're going, Pervert?" she demanded, before noticing that Nabiki also had a small knapsack in hand. "And what have you done to my sister? How much did you say you'd pay her to take care of your little bastard? Or did you THREATEN her if she didn't help you with your worthless brat?" she growled, assuming a stance and preparing to rescue her sister.

"Akane!" Kasumi snapped, making her presence known, and jarring Akane out of her imminent attack. "Don't you DARE say such things about Nyoko! She isn't a bastard child, nor is she worthless, and you have no idea of how she came to be in Ranma's care!"

"Sure I do! He was seeing that gaijin whore the whole time he was stringing all of his 'fiancées' along and when he knocked her up with that brat she came looking for him and convinced him to marry her," Akane spat venomously. "Only after the brat was born she probably found out how much of a pervert and liar he really is, so she divorced him and kicked his ass out, forcing him to return here. Then she probably decided that it was genetic and rid herself of the brat as well."

Ranma could only stare at Akane in disbelief. How she could have twisted the facts in such a way, he had no idea. The fact remained, however, that he was no longer even willing to try to convince of her the truth. She never listened anyway. Shaking his head sadly, Ranma gently rocked Nyoko who'd been disturbed by the noise, and headed for the door.

Nabiki quickly stepped in front of her younger sister, when Akane made to stop Ranma from leaving, and glared at her with the icy-calm that had earned her the nickname of the 'Ice Queen'. "You're really a piece of work, Akane. Not only have you twisted the few facts you managed to acquire into something completely ludicrous, but also you managed to make them fit into your own little dream-world where Ranma's a lying, womanizing pervert and with yourself as the noble defender of all that is just and right. You and Kuno-baby truly deserve each other."

"He IS a lying, womanizing pervert!" Akane snarled and jabbed a finger in Nyoko's direction. "And the proof is right THERE! The Kami alone know how many other poor girls he's dishonored and gotten pregnant with his bastard offspring!"

SLAP

Akane's head had snapped to the side at the force of the blow to her cheek and, due to the unexpectedness of the blow, it took her a moment to reorient herself to turn and discover just who had struck her. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she found Kasumi standing there, scowling at her, and rubbing her now sore hand. "K-Kasumi?"

"I think we've all heard quite enough out of you, BABY Sister," Kasumi stated sternly. "If you had even bothered to ask any of us, instead of jumping to the wrong conclusions and making the facts fit those conclusions, we could have easily informed you of the truth and that Ranma is NOT related by blood to Nyoko. She is the LEGITIMATE daughter of a couple Ranma knew, now deceased and that Ranma intends to legally ADOPT. Nyoko's mother, as her DYING WISH, asked Ranma to raise Nyoko for them and he accepted that responsibility."

"But... that gaijin... after the wedding... she said she was pregnant... Ranma left with her..." Akane desperately stammered in her defense.

"That's the danger of eavesdropping, Akane," Nabiki stated coldly, as she and Kasumi donned their street shoes. "Especially when done from a distance and through a wall or something. You only hear PART of what's going on. Yes, Cousteau-san was pregnant, but Ranma was neither the father nor the man she intended to marry. She'd come here to make certain that Ranma would NOT seek her out for marriage, as arranged by his father. She was going to marry the man that had gotten her pregnant. And Ranma did not leave with her, as you would have known if you hadn't run off that night. He left on his training journey several hours after Cousteau-san had already gone."

"Where are you going, Kasumi?" Akane asked as her eldest sister moved to follow after Ranma.

"I find that I am need of a relaxing walk," Kasumi responded, without looking back. "You can prepare your own dinner this evening, as I think I'll eat out tonight."

"Same here," Nabiki agreed. "Really, Akane, I can't believe you at times. I told you that you were wrong in your conclusions about where Ranma had run off to after Cousteau-san's visit, as well as what Ranma had told me before he left. But did you listen to what I said? No."

"He lied to you," Akane accused. "And he's lied to Kasumi, turning you both against me. Why are you defending him?"

"I was there when Xeris, that's Nyoko's birth-mother, by the way, not Cousteau-san, DIED on our very doorstep after giving over her newborn daughter for Ranma to raise as his own," Nabiki stated coldly. "As for why I'm defending him... What should I do when someone I consider to be a friend is FALSELY accused and repeatedly insulted for things he hasn't done?"

"And since when was Ranma a 'friend' of yours, Nabiki?" Akane sneered.

"Unlike you, Akane, I don't reward being rescued by becoming jealous and envious of the skills of my rescuer," Nabiki stated. "Ranma rescued me from a bad situation and, no, I'm not going to tell you about it. Afterwards, I decided to find out just what made the 'Wild Horse of Nerima' tick and, in the process, found that I rather liked the person I was learning about. There's no doubt that he has a lot of rough edges, but there's far more beneath the surface that you've never bothered to even try and discover, Akane," Nabiki finished mysteriously.

"Oh, so you're wanting to be engaged to the perverted baka again, is that it?" Akane asked, disregarding everything Nabiki had just said. "Fine. He's all yours. Just don't come crawling back to me offering to sell the engagement. I'm not interested."

Nabiki just shook her head at Akane's utter stupidity; she and Soun were so much alike. Neither of the two had any control, at all, over their emotions and both lived in their own little worlds. Kasumi, also, often gave the impression of living in her own little world, but Nabiki knew from personal experience and careful observation that Kasumi was more aware of the world around her than she ever let on.

Ryouga, who had for once remained in the background listening in the hopes of gaining some useful information, finally stepped into view. He now knew where the baby had come from, if not exactly the reason Ranma-chan had been nursing said infant. And he also now understood why Akane had been in such a pissed-off mood. It was, yet again, another example of Akane jumping to the wrong conclusions and running with them, ignoring anything that might suggest that her conclusions were in error.

"Hello, Ryouga-kun," Nabiki said, taking note of his appearance. "I sincerely hope you're not here to issue Ranma a challenge of some kind. Now is not a good time and I would be extremely upset if you tried to force the issue."

"No, no," Ryouga vehemently shook his head in denial, cringing slightly under Nabiki's warning glare. "I, uh... I just needed Ranma's help getting home. My mother's going to be home soon and I haven't seen her in the longest time and... well, he knows where the house is..."

"I can walk you home, Ryouga-kun," Akane said, grabbing onto his arm. "I'm sure we can find it together. I remember most of the way there and I'm sure I'll remember more once we're in your neighborhood."

"Thanks, Akane, but... maybe another time," Ryouga said, shocking her by removing his arm from her grasp. "Ranma knows the way to my house and I also really need to talk to him about some other things along the way there." Ryouga looked over to Nabiki, hoping for a little charitable help in getting away from Akane without upsetting her further. To his immense relief, Nabiki's glare softened and she took his hand to lead him out to where the others were waiting.

"Oh my. Ryouga-kun, are you feeling better?" Kasumi asked, standing close beside Ranma as he cradled the baby in his arms.

"Yeah, Kasumi, much better," he responded, frowning slightly. Kasumi was standing unusually close to Ranma, even with the excuse of looking at the baby, almost pressing herself against him in fact. In the time since he'd last seen them, had Ranma somehow become intimate with Kasumi, as well as Nabiki? Sure, Ranma had indicated that he and Akane were on the verge of a major breakup, but was he stringing both of Akane's sisters along? They weren't fiancées, after all, despite that Akane had all but handed over her engagement to Ranma to Nabiki. What about Shampoo? Ukyo? Heck, even that nutcase, Kodachi? If Ranma wanted to 'relieve some stress', why couldn't he go to one of his other fiancées, instead of seducing the innocent and pure Kasumi with his vile and loathsome desires? Ryouga was jerked out of his thoughts as someone punched him in arm sufficiently hard enough to gain his attention. "What?" he growled out.

"I said, we have to stop by the Nekohanten for a while before I can take you home," Ranma repeated, turning about and beginning to walk off. "The Ol' Ghoul wanted to talk to me about Nyoko." Ranma had begun to worry as he'd noted Ryouga's temper rising, as Nabiki informed him of Ryouga's request for assistance to get home. Ryouga, nearly all of his rivals and such in fact, often attacked him without warning or apparent concern for innocent bystanders. That would have to change, if for no other reason than to ensure that Nyoko was never caught in the crossfire by accident. Ground rules for challenges and such would have to be laid out, explained to the concerned parties in question, and severe penalties established for violators. Ranma wasn't about to accept ANY excuse or supposed justification for an attack if it placed his daughter in jeopardy.

"Uh... sure," Ryouga nodded, wondering why Ranma's expression had turned so serious and... wrathful. "Mom's probably not even home yet. I just need to be there when she does show up. So there's no real rush."

"That's good, Ryouga-kun," Kasumi said taking his arm and leading him after Ranma and Nabiki. "So, tell me about your travels recently. Have seen anything interesting?"

Behind the departing teens, standing in the doorway to the Tendo home, Akane angrily fumed as she watched them all walking away, wondering how Ranma had managed to seemingly turn even Ryouga against her, just as he'd done with her sisters.

----

Ku Lon shook her head wearily as she watched her great-granddaughter moping about the cafe as if she had nothing left to live for. With the new addition to the Saotome family, even though the child wasn't a part of the Saotome bloodline, per se, she now possessed an even greater reason to ensure that the Saotome boy became a part of her family. A live 'werecheetah' and her son-in-law had one. Even among the Amazons, who prided themselves on their long history and detailed records of that history, true lycanthropes were considered as little more than exaggerated myths and legends, if not outright fabrications of the part of the ones who recorded the events wherein they supposedly played a role. But Ku Lon's family had kept their own records, recorded by the matriarch of the time, and any deceit or exaggeration was strictly prohibited. If the one recording the event in those books was not privy to certain information then that fact was noted, the writer was NOT to attempt to fabricate information she did not possess. Those histories were not recorded for the aggrandizement of the writer, nor for entertainment purposes, but for the needed transfer of crucial information from one matriarch to the next. And those very histories had stated, implicitly, that lycanthropes DID exist and went on to explain much more in regards to them.

Hearing yet another woeful sigh escape her great-granddaughter's lips, Ku Lon decided that it was time to inform Xian Pu of the new situation. "Xian Pu, quit moping about and come over here."

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Xian Pu responded half-heartedly, listlessly walking over to lean against the counter upon which Ku Lon was perched, none of her usual bubbly cheerfulness in evidence. Since leaving the Tendo-ke, Xian Pu had dwelled upon the blatant distrust her Airen had displayed toward her and Ku Lon, not even wanting them in the same room as his new daughter. "What is it that you wish to talk about, Great-grandmother?" she asked in their native dialect.

"You are to continue your pursuit of Ranma as your husband, after I've explained to him what his role is to be when caring for one of the Great Races," Ku Lon instructed, responding in kind.

"But, Great-grandmother, you saw how he reacted when you tried to go near the baby," Xian Pu responded. "He does not trust us to not bring harm to his child. He even trusts that mercenary Tendo girl, more than us... More than he trusts me..." Xian Pu trailed off sorrowfully.

"I know, child," Ku Lon agreed, releasing her own sorrowful sigh. "And sadly, I cannot blame Son-in-Law for that mistrust. I must apologize, Great-granddaughter. I've made far too many mistakes in our pursuit of your husband, given you less than wise advice and encouraged your pursuit in ways that did more harm than good. But, not all is lost, as of yet. You still have a chance to gain your husband's trust, even after all that has happened. If... you still wish to pursue him as your husband, that is? If not, I have been authorized by the Council to negotiate with him as a potential ally of the tribe."

Xian Pu jerked upright at that comment as if slapped. "What! But you couldn't have informed them yet of..." Xian Pu paused, gathering her thoughts back into some semblance of order. "What has happened, Great-grandmother, for them to give you such authorization?"

"Saffron," Ku Lon simply stated, before explaining further. "After Saffron was defeated, the Council of Elders came to the decision that Ranma was far too powerful to risk antagonizing further. It was agreed that you could continue your pursuit of him as your husband, but... no attempt was to be made to 'force' him to marry you or return to the village if you were successful. To that end, the 'Kiss of Death' and the 'Kiss of Marriage' no longer apply to Ranma. Not just in regards to you, but for all Amazons."

"Why was I not told of this sooner?" Xian Pu asked, truly upset with her elder. Without the protection afforded her by the Kiss of Marriage and her pursuit of Ranma as her husband, she was once again subject to potential marriage to another not of her choosing. Most especially... "Does Mu Tsu know of this?"

"No, he does not. Nor do I have any intention of so informing him. It is a matter of Council business and need only be discussed among those directly involved," Ku Lon stated, smirking. "I chose this time to inform you of their decision, because I intend to inform Ranma of his new status in our eyes when I see him next. All this truly means, child, is that you are no longer under any pressure to marry Ranma as soon as possible, and that you may now take all the time you need to earn his trust and love. Don't waste this chance, Xian Pu. Follow your heart and treat him as you would want to be treated, and you may yet gain him as your husband. At the very least, you could gain a lifelong friend and ally in times of need."

"And what of the other girls pursuing him? What of Nabiki Tendo? I am not so blind as to not see that she has already gained much of his trust and seeks even more," Xian Pu stated.

"Nor has it escaped my notice, child, that you have more than a passing interest in your own gender," Ku Lon pointed out sagely, causing Xian Pu to balk and flush. "It is nothing to be ashamed of, child, and quite advantageous considering your choice of prospective mate. But, have you considered the possibility that Tendo-san may actually share your own tastes? If she does have intentions of acquiring Ranma for herself, do you think she would only have an interest for one part of the whole? Or, that she could not find you of equal interest?"

Before Xian Pu could respond to her great-grandmother's thinly veiled comments, which weren't nearly as off the mark as some would believe, they were interrupted by the door chime signaling the arrival of patrons. Stepping through the entranceway came Ranma, the two elder Tendo sisters and the Hibiki boy. Xian Pu sighed longingly as she once again witnessed the trust her Airen had for the middle Tendo daughter as he passed his daughter into her arms, leaving himself free to deal with any perceived threats that might arise from the Amazons.

"Ol' Ghoul," Ranma began by way of greeting, watching her and Xian Pu warily. "I was told you wanted to talk."

"Of course, of course," Ku Lon responded, gesturing the group towards a convenient table. "About several things in fact." She knew that today's talk wouldn't be very long, and that the real meat of their discussion would take place once Theodore Diggers arrived, but that wouldn't be until the next day at the earliest. Despite her cordial demeanor, Ku Lon knew full well that this was one discussion that she dare not mess up, or she risked losing Ranma as a student altogether. While it was true that acquiring him into her family would be a major coupe due to his new 'werecheetah' daughter, Ranma himself stood to become yet another figure out of myth and legend... a Battlemage, an individual as skilled with the Magical Arts as they were in the Martial Arts. She was more than willing to share her student with the powerful Aura Mage, but she had no intentions of losing him altogether to another Art. It would be a crime of epic proportions and one that generations of future Amazons would be unlikely to ever forgive.

"So? What did you want to talk about?" Ranma asked, pulling out a chair from the table for Nabiki to sit upon, as Ryouga did the same for Kasumi, copying Ranma's surprising display of etiquette, before they took their own seats at the table. Again, Ryouga copied Ranma's actions, noting that he had shifted his chair about so that the table itself would not hinder him if he needed to move quickly.

"In just a moment, Son-in-... Ranma. First though, Xian Pu!" The purple-haired Amazon stepped forward. "Bring everyone a bowl of our House Special and our best tea."

"Yes, Great-grandmother," Xian Pu responded, as she looked longingly towards Nabiki holding the baby, her eyes moistening as she noted the distrustful look her Airen was giving her in return.

"Now, while we wait for the refreshments, could you tell me how you came to be that child's guardian?" Ku Lon asked, pulling out her pipe, but making no move to light it because of the baby's close proximity.

Ranma did so, leaving out a great deal, but getting the major points across.

"I see," Ku Lon stated once Ranma had finished. "Well then, the tale that I am about to weave for you is a legend that has been passed down through generations of Amazons, describing the Great Races that held the amazing power to take on the aspects of powerful beasts..."

"You mean like the Musk, correct?" Nabiki questioned, having heard of the fight between Herb and Ranma, and of how Herb, as well as his lackeys, Lime and Mint, had displayed more than a few animal-like traits in both their appearance and behavior.

Ku Lon chuckled and shook her head. "Please, child, the Musk Dynasty is a mere shadow of what the Great Races were like, seeking to emulate them by mixing their bloodlines with those of lesser creatures through the magic of Jusenkyo. No, the Great Races were far more than that. In fact, you're likely to be quite familiar with at least one of those races, seeing as they've become quite popular in the entertainment media in recent years, although little credence is given to their ever actually existing... werewolves."

"Lycanthropes," Ranma stated, surprising the Elder with his knowledge of the word.

"Correct. Although we Amazons choose to refer to them as the 'Great Races', of which there were at least five. Even to most Amazons the knowledge of the Great Races' existence has dwindled to little more than barely remembered myths and legends, as they were always highly selective to whom they revealed themselves." Ku Lon paused in her tale as Xian Pu rejoined them, distributing the bowls of ramen and tea, before carefully taking her own seat beside Ranma. She sighed forlornly as Ranma scooted his chair a bit closer to Nabiki, taking Nyoko from her so she could eat unhindered.

"Each of the Great Races had a unique gift, specific to their type," Ku Lon continued, once everyone had begun to enjoy the meal. "Werecheetahs were known for their exceptional speed, werewolves for their great strength, wererats for their uncanny stealth, weretigers for their tracking abilities and werejaguars for their exceptional hearing. While little else is remembered of their other abilities, we do know that they could change into other forms at will: a human-form, an animal-form of their type, and a mixture of the two."

Kasumi looked up from her bowl of ramen and tilted her head to the side in thought. "So, when Xeris came to our home... that was her mixed form?"

Ranma nodded as he shifted Nyoko into a better position so he could hold her and still eat, carefully. "Yes, that was her 'hybrid' form. Xeris told me once that it was the form they found most comfortable."

Ku Lon turned her gaze upon the Saotome youth and wondered just how much he really knew about Lycanthropes. He must have known the child's mother very well for her to have sought him out as she was dying. 'To think that the boy had lived among an entire village of Lycanthropes and wasn't bitten, even accidentally, is amazing,' she thought.

Xian Pu saw that Ranma was having a little difficulty trying to eat while holding the baby and tried to be helpful. "Airen want Xian Pu to hold baby while Airen eat, yes?" she asked, cursing herself for never bothering to improve her grasp of the Japanese language, only to receive suspicious looks from the Tendo sisters, as Ranma shifted his seat even closer to Nabiki.

"Um... Thanks just the same, Shampoo, but I'll be fine," Ranma responded, eliciting a sad frown from Xian Pu as she nodded in understanding.

"How much do you actually know about Nyoko's people, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, already knowing most of the answer. In the week since his return, she'd gathered from Ranma's roundabout way of explaining his trip that he'd actually spent most of his journey in the village of Nyoko's parents and had truly considered them good friends.

"Enough to know that Cologne's been accurate about their abilities, so far," Ranma replied, before turning back to Ku Lon. "What else do you know?"

"We know that they raise their offspring to use these forms to their advantage," Ku Lon stated. Then took a risk and stated a half-truth as fact, hoping to improve her chances of acquiring both Ranma and Nyoko into the tribe, by adding, "And that they were raised to be skilled warriors."

Ranma nodded thoughtfully as he recalled his talks with Xeris and Charon about their people and the way they lived. He knew that they had only recently called a halt to a long war with the werewolves and were hoping for a lasting peace to come about. However, their group had been led by an individual that, while also hoping for a lasting peace, planned for the possibility of betrayal. So while the majority of the werecheetahs had gone to the peace talks in Scotland, he had convinced a small group to remain behind and try to eke out an existence through the prolonged drought they'd been suffering under at their remote village. It wasn't until a few months before Ranma's arrival to their village that the drought had ended and their wells once again began to supply enough water for more than the hundred or so that had remained in the village. He did acknowledge that they were powerful fighters, but aside from their natural abilities, any acquired combative skills had been due to a matter of choice rather than any requirement. Still, if the Amazons had had any actual contact with lycanthropes in the past, it had most likely been with those that had been trained as warriors, as they were often the type most interested in travel and exploration. "I see," he eventually said. "And this is all that you know of them?"

"That and that we were to be most respectful of any that we should encounter, as they would make terrible enemies," Ku Lon replied.

"So... your 'laws' don't cover them?" Nabiki asked, scrambling to make sense of their earlier behavior in light of this.

"No more than anyone else," Ku Lon admitted. "As with most others, the majority of Amazons believe lycanthropes to be nothing more than myth and legend, stories to entertain children with."

"Then why have you stopped calling Ranma 'Son-in-Law'?" Kasumi asked before Nabiki could. "We assumed that Nyoko's heritage had something to do with that."

Ku Lon released a weary sigh and cast a sympathetic look towards her heir before responding. "Due to Ranma's defeat of Saffron... the Amazon Council of Elders has decided to void the Outsider Laws where he is concerned," she painfully admitted. "I would have informed you sooner, but you up and disappeared on that 'training trip' of yours. As you never consummated your marriage to my great-granddaughter... your marriage never happened. Nor can any other Amazon ever gain you as their spouse through the Outsider Laws, or force you into returning to our village against your will."

Ranma just sat there in disbelief for a moment, not quite certain of just how to take the news that Xian Pu was no longer his Amazon 'wife'. Looking over to see her reaction, he winced at seeing her bowed head, her long, lustrous hair concealing her face and even as he watched, he noted a teardrop fall.

"So what now?" Nabiki asked, still suspicious. "Are you intending to return to China?"

"Are you kidding?" Ku Lon cackled. "And give up all the excitement you children cause around here? Hardly. No, Xian Pu may no longer claim Ranma as her husband under Amazon Law, but that doesn't mean we're just going to pack up and go home. Besides, nothing says that she can't regain him as her husband in the future, only that she can no longer use the means that she's attempted in the past, which I might point out are those used on 'wayward' husbands... NOT potential ones."

"So, in other words, nothing's changed," Nabiki stated matter-of-factly. "She's still going to be after Ranma."

"If she wishes to do so, yes," Ku Lon acknowledged. "But without the pressures and restrictions our laws placed upon her previous actions. Now... she can pursue him for marriage with the same tactics and methods that you have been using so effectively, Tendo-san."

"Say what?" Ranma gasped.

"I have NOT been pursuing Ranma for marriage!" Nabiki stated vehemently. "We're just friends, that's all!"

"Yeah, right," Ryouga grunted.

"Quiet you!" Nabiki barked out, glaring at the Lost Boy.

"I never said that 'you' were pursuing him for 'marriage', child," Ku Lon chuckled. "Only that Xian Pu could do so, but by first becoming his friend, which you've just claimed success at achieving. You see, other than our laws concerning defeat by outsiders, even we Amazons know that friendship can often grow into love. And if not, then Xian Pu would still have a friend, as would Ranma. And you as well, if you'd like another friend, Tendo-san."

Nabiki snorted derisively, but made no other comment, as she didn't really have anything against Shampoo.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Ranma asked. "If not, I told Ryouga that I'd take him home to see his mother."

"As a matter of fact there is," Ku Lon answered. "You see, I arrived at the Dojo for an entirely different purpose, not having been made aware that you'd started your own little family, but then was sidetracked upon that discovery."

"So why did you come over there?"

"Well, I was rather curious as to when you began practicing magic, and from whom you were learning it?"

"WHAT!" Ryouga yelled, jumping to his feet and glaring at his rival. "Is that how you got into Nabiki's panties, you cast a spell on her? Have you done the same thing to Kasumi? What about Akane? I swear, if you've touched her, I--"

WHACK CRASH

"Quiet, boy! You're upsetting the baby!" Ku Lon ordered harshly, lowering her staff from sending the Lost Boy crashing into the wall, as Nyoko, awakened by the noise, wailed loudly before beginning to gnaw upon her fist.

Ranma almost began to growl at Ryouga, before taking notice that Nyoko was indicating that she was hungry again. He was beginning to think that was all she was going to do, sleep and eat. Oh yes, and soil her diapers, can't forget that. Kami, he'd never be able to forget that.

Nabiki, also noticing Nyoko's signal, held her arms out to Ranma. "Ranma, why don't you continue your discussion with Cologne and I'll take care of feeding Nyoko for you?"

"How much?" Ranma responded before he could catch himself and felt like a complete heel as he saw Nabiki wince.

"Let's just say you'll owe me one," Nabiki responded after a moment, then surprised them all by turning to address Xian Pu, who'd begun glaring at her after Ryouga's revelation. "Would you care to give me a hand, Shampoo? We could also have a little... chat, with just us girls."

"Nabs?" Ranma asked warily.

"It'll be okay, Ranma. If they were going to do anything at all, they'd have done it by now. Besides, I need to set a few things straight with Shampoo, thanks to the walking broadcast system."

"Okay, if you're sure..."

"I am," she said, turning back to face the others and indicating for Kasumi to join her and Xian Pu as they proceeded towards the kitchen area for some extra privacy. Nabiki paused, however, and turned back to address Ku Lon. "Elder... where's Mousse?"

"Locked up in his cage in his room," Ku Lon responded. "Mr. Part-Time was making a nuisance of himself, as usual, upon our return from the Dojo. Fear not, you will not be disturbed while tending to the child."

From where he was sitting, Ranma could easily see into the kitchen, and he kept a careful eye on the girls as Kasumi quickly prepared Nyoko's meal and Nabiki talked with Xian Pu. It was only when Xian Pu began undoing her top that he returned his attention to more immediate concerns, as Ryouga resumed his place at the table.

"One more stupid outburst like that one, Ryouga," Ranma warned, his voice low and serious, "and you can find your own damn way home!"

"Besides, boy, there's a large gap between 'practicing' magic and actually casting spells," Ku Lon added. "Although I am rather surprised that you, of all people, should be aware of how... intimate Ranma and Nabiki have become of late. I would have thought that they'd be more discrete about it."

"We were!" Ranma growled. "He stumbled up to me asking for directions when we... Never mind, it's none of your business anyway!"

"Not any longer, that's true," Ku Lon admitted. "Of course, it could become so again later on. You must admit, Ranma, that my great-granddaughter does have her charms."

Despite himself, Ranma's gaze involuntarily went back towards the kitchen area and... he got an eyeful of a topless Xian Pu holding the baby-bottle, while staring down in wonder as Nyoko suckled at her breast. Ku Lon was right, but Ranma would be damned if he'd give in to the old ghoul's obvious baiting of him.

"So," Ku Lon began once Ranma's attention was back with them, "who introduced you to that type of magic and how far have you progressed?"

"Nyoko's father, Charon," he responded. "He was a mage and thought that I might have a talent for magic. He also made me realize that I could either continue on as I have been, letting magic and those who use it influence my life to their own ends, or... I could learn magic myself and have at least some control over its influence. I might even be able to bring the Jusenkyo curse under control, eventually, if not get rid of it entirely. Charon even gave me some books to study, covering the basics of most types of magic. You probably sensed me experimenting a little with some of the things I've been learning."

"That I did," Ku Lon nodded. "If I'd known of your newfound interest, I would have offered to instruct you in Amazon Alchemy, as I've begun to do with Xian Pu. What you are apparently studying now, however, is a form of magic that I, sadly, am unable to perform or instruct you in. Any form of magic is inherently dangerous without proper instruction, Ranma. Not only to the one studying it, but also to those around him. So saying, I have taken the liberty of contacting an acquaintance of mine, a mage himself, that is highly skilled in the type of magic I sensed you playing around with. If he cannot instruct you, himself, then he can likely direct you to someone who can. With any luck at all, he should arrive here in the next day or so."

"I appreciate the help, Ol... Elder, but I'm not sure if I'll even still be in Tokyo by the time he arrives. I'm sure not going back to the Dojo, not with the tomboy as angry as she is," Ranma explained, rising to his feet as the girls returned to the table, Xian Pu smiling radiantly as she fed Nyoko from her bottle. He did notice that Xian Pu never took her eyes off Nyoko.

"So, you are no longer residing at the Dojo? Nor with your mother, I take it?" Ku Lon questioned, not greatly surprised by the news. "We have plenty of space here. And I'm certain that Xian Pu would be delighted to care for Nyoko while you're attending school."

"Airen no even need ask. Nyoko beautiful baby. It be Xian Pu's honor and pleasure to care for."

"I'm certain that Ranma will keep the offer in mind, Elder," Nabiki spoke up before Ranma said something stupid. The Amazons had been very accommodating, but Nabiki had no doubts that Ku Lon's plans to acquire Ranma, and now Nyoko as well, into her tribe remained intact. Only the methods of doing so had altered. "But we really must be going. We need to get Ryouga home to see his mother and I'll be helping Ranma in finding a new place to stay."

"Of course, child. The door is always open if ever you need a place to stay, Ranma," Ku Lon said, as the group rose to leave. Xian Pu was obviously reluctant to release Nyoko, but finally did so, transferring her gently into Kasumi's arms. As soon as the group had exited the cafe, Ku Lon turned to her great-granddaughter and hissed quietly, "I want you to follow them and find out where Son-in-Law is staying, so that we can keep an eye on him and the baby."

"Great-grandmother, I'm not certain that is such a good idea--" Xian Pu began, only to be interrupted.

"This is no time to argue, child. Something happened to Son-in-Law while he was gone, which set him onto the path of studying the mystical arts. And I'll be damned if I let him slip through my fingers because we are incapable of instructing him. Your husband is already the greatest martial artist of his generation and stands to become even greater with his study of the mystical arts, but I will not take the risk of his forsaking one for the other," Ku Lon stated seriously as she looked toward the door. She could not delay overmuch on reporting these new events to the Council and once her report arrived and was understood... Ranma may not have been subject to the Outsider Laws any longer, but that was no protection from acquiring him into the tribe through other means. The only reason Xian Pu had yet to receive competition for her Airen from other Amazon Warriors was because Ku Lon had managed to extract a six-month extension on Xian Pu's right to pursue him by other means without interference from others not already involved. Once that extension came to an end, though, and if Ranma was still available... "You are running out of time, child. In a little over two months, if Ranma is not married, other warriors from the village will be free to pursue him as a husband. He may no longer be held to the Outsider Laws, but there are other ways of acquiring a husband. Unfortunately, I fear that the two elder Tendo sisters may already have his heart and he may be unwilling to leave them. Nabiki, at least, has most certainly been sharing his bed. If you are to have any chance at all, you must keep track of where he is staying and, at the very least, become friends with the two elder sisters."

Xian Pu had not liked the revelation that her Airen had been having sexual relations with the mercenary Tendo sister, but the girl had confirmed the Lost Boy's accusations herself once they were in the kitchen area. She had gone on to explain that she was not seeking Xian Pu's Airen as her own husband, but that they had become friends and that she intended to look out for his best interests and those of Nyoko, as a friend. Xian Pu knew that her Airen had never truly trusted her, especially after the 'Kiss of Death' fiasco and all that she'd done since coming to Nerima, and her actions at the failed wedding certainly hadn't helped any. But if Nabiki, with all that she had done to Ranma, could regain enough of his trust to be considered a friend, not to mention share his bed, could Xian Pu not be able to do the same. Of course, her chances to do so would be even less if she didn't know where he was staying.

"I will go, Great-grandmother, but I will make no real effort to conceal my presence from Ranma or the others. Being caught spying upon them, would be a poor start to gaining their trust... as friends," Xian Pu finally stated.

-X-X-X-

A short train ride and a walk of several blocks brought the small group to the gate of the Hibiki residence. It appeared to be remarkably well maintained despite the Hibikis frequent prolonged absences, but Ryouga helpfully explained that his family paid a few of the neighbors to keep the place up for them. Stepping through the gate they were met by an exuberant Shirokuro, Ryouga's guide dog, who set about greeting her master home.

"Hey, Ryouga?" Ranma asked looking about the small yard. "What happened to Shirokuro's pups?"

"They were found good homes and adopted," Ryouga explained, frowning slightly as Shirokuro moved over to greet Ranma as if he too were a long absent Hibiki family member. This brought to mind the time Ranma pretended to be his little sister, Yoiko... Ryouga was beginning to work up a head of steam, when a nearby lawn sprinkler, set on a timer, suddenly started up and promptly activated his and Ranma's Jusenkyo curses. Surprisingly, neither of the Tendo sisters commented on the little black piglet that squirmed its way out of the clothes that had fallen atop it. Nabiki had known about Ryouga's curse, of course, but apparently so had Kasumi. Ryouga, or P-Chan as he was commonly known at the moment, let out a surprised "Bukui" as he was suddenly hoisted up by Ranma-chan who, after gathering up his discarded clothing, proceeded to lead the Tendo sisters into the Hibiki home, Shirokuro prancing along at her side.

"You know, Ryouga, this place isn't nearly as bad as I remember..." Ranma-chan started, looking about the interior of the house, before she was promptly bitten by said individual, followed by squeals and snorts of outrage as the black pig was flung into the living room. "Ite! What the hell was that for, Pork Butt! I ain't 'xactly got fond memories of the last time I was here, y'know! I still owe ya a good spankin' for the one ya gave me!" Ranma-chan growled heatedly.

"Now THAT is something I'd like to hear about," Nabiki spoke up, causing Ranma-chan to freeze up and blush in embarrassment, while Ryouga-buta snorted in amusement. Fortunately, Ranma-chan was saved, temporarily, from relating one of the most embarrassing moments of her life by Nyoko's sudden squeals, which drew everyone's attention to her. It seemed that she and Shirokuro had just made acquaintances with each other. Nyoko, held in Kasumi's arms, continued to squeal in delight as she extended her arms towards the equally curious canine. Ranma-chan held her breath as Kasumi knelt down and allowed the two to become better acquainted, only releasing said breath when it became apparent that Shirokuro was apparently well accustomed to the pawing and pulling of her ears by young children.

Feeling a nip at her heel, Ranma-chan jerked back, turning about to look down at Ryouga-buta, who began snorting and squealing and swinging his head towards the back of the house. "Okay, okay, I get the message," Ranma-chan responded, reaching down to pick up the porcine troublemaker and headed for the bathing room. "We'll get you changed back, sheesh. We can even hang around for a while and hopefully meet your mother."

It wasn't until she'd dropped a squealing P-Chan into the freshly filled furo, that Ranma-chan came to the realization that her growing 'intimacy' with Nabiki, and her experiences in Paris, had had some rather profound changes upon her. Looking over the nude form of Ryouga as he stood up in the furo, her gaze lingering on his crotch a bit longer than she would even admit to herself, Ranma-chan came to the realization that her thoughts at the moment had descended into decidedly sexual ones. What truly disturbed her, however, was that those thoughts, in regards to Ryouga no less, weren't disgusting her as much as they once would have. The memory of Kasumi's 'toy', and Nabiki's intentions of trying it out on her at some point, weren't helping her present thoughts either.

"Clean yourself up, Ryouga," she said as she quickly made for the exit. "Just call for Shirokuro when you're done."

Ryouga watched her leave, puzzled about what had caused her to flush in apparent embarrassment like that before pushing the thought aside. Grinning softly to himself, he sat down to enjoy a good long soak in his own furo for once... and he didn't have to share it with anyone. Least of all that jerk Ranma.

Outside in the hallway, a flushed Ranma-chan leaned back against the door and struggled to bring her thoughts under control. "I can't believe I was having thoughts of doing THAT with Ryouga," she muttered softly.

"Doing what with Ryouga?" Nabiki asked, coming down the hall and having obviously overheard Ranma-chan's mutterings.

"Nothing."

Nabiki was no one's fool, and after taking in Ranma-chan's still slightly flushed appearance, her obvious nervousness and that she was leaning against the door to what was apparently the furo, after taking P-Chan inside to be returned to human form...

"So," Nabiki began with a growing smirk, "thinking of making Ryouga one of your 'special' friends, Ranma-chan?"

"Damn it, Nabiki," Ranma-chan growled. "It's not funny. I'm a guy! Despite this body, I'm a guy! I shouldn't be thinkin' of other guys like that!"

Nabiki's smirk faded, replaced by concern and understanding.

"Ranma," she began, reaching out to touch the redhead's forehead, "you may be a guy up here, all the time. But that body is one-hundred-percent female, with all the hormones and instincts that come with it. The odds of your cursed form being a pure lesbian, on a genetic level, are likely too high to contemplate. So you're developing an interest in the male form, while in your girl body? So what? It does not mean that you have to act on those desires, or that you ever will." Nabiki's smirk then returned in force. "Just don't go losing your interest in me, in either form. Instead, look at this as an opportunity for us to become closer as friends."

"How's that?" Ranma-chan asked curiously.

"Well, considering my obvious interest in both of your forms, it's rather obvious that I'm more than a little bisexual in my tastes," Nabiki commented.

"Yeah... so?"

"So, do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone to go 'boy' watching AND 'girl' watching with?" Nabiki asked, huffing indignantly. "Being able to openly admire this or that boy's backside, but not being able to utter a word about that 'girl' over there being just as physically attractive?"

Ranma-chan knew that she was by no means an expert on how most societies operated, but she was quite familiar, thanks to her parents and Akane, on how people in general looked upon those with sexual interests in their own gender... not to mention those having an interest in BOTH genders. Ranma-chan grimaced as she realized that she was likely going to fall into the latter category... at least when female anyway.

"Must be pretty frustratin'," Ranma-chan commented.

"You can't imagine," Nabiki agreed, her smirk returning in force. "So... how big is he?"

"Huh?" Ranma-chan asked confused.

"Ryouga," Nabiki clarified, grinning lecherously. "How well endowed is he? Think he'd be any good in the sack?"

"Nabiki!" Ranma-chan whined/scolded and headed off the living room, blushing furiously.

"Aw, c'mon, Ranma," Nabiki whined as she followed after the petite redhead. "Enquiring minds want to know!"

----

A short time later, the four of them were once again gathered in the living room. Kasumi, after Ranma-chan had assured her that Ryouga wouldn't mind her making use of the kitchen, had prepared some tea for everyone and they were all enjoying a quiet moment in what had already been a hectic day. Kasumi and Nabiki were casually playing with Nyoko, while Ranma-chan and Ryouga were lounging together on the small couch.

"So," Ryouga began in a low growl, breaking the companionable silence that had held sway, "how long have you been using your 'magic' to get into girls' panties, Ranma? I know you have those two under some kind of spell, and Akane knows it too!"

Ranma-chan frowned, before turning and bopping him on the head. "Stuff it, P-Chan! I was kind enough to lead you home after that outburst of yours at Shampoo's; I don't want to have to kick you away from it just because you're too pig-headed to realize that I didn't do anything like that. And since when have you begun taking pointers from Kuno?"

"I am NOT taking 'pointers' from Kuno!" Ryouga growled, disgusted at the thought, but also realizing how much he'd sounded like the insane kendoist by accusing Ranma of using magic on others. Still... "But you admit that you're learning magic and you're just the type of guy that WOULD use it to get the girls to do whatever you wanted."

"Don't you mean that YOU'RE just the type?" Ranma-chan growled in return, her eyes narrowed. "I seem to recall several occasions in which YOU'VE attempted to use magic on Akane to get into HER panties..."

"I was NOT!" Ryouga snapped. "I was just trying to rescue her from YOU!"

"Yeah, right. Whatever," Ranma-chan snorted. "In any case, it's just like Cologne said, I've only just started to learn about magic. I can't even do the simplest of spells yet, let alone anything powerful enough to influence the actions of another person. Least of all, someone as strong-willed as Nabiki or Kasumi." Ranma-chan looked over to the Tendo sisters and smiled, seeing how much they were enjoying playing with Nyoko.

"Oh, so you're saying Akane is weak-willed, is that it? Akane's a wonderful woman and--"

"And what?" Ranma-chan snapped, cutting the Lost Boy off, irritated at him for once again twisting her words to suit his own perceptions of the world. "Sure, she's wonderful to you, nothing you do can ever be wrong. You saw how she was acting when I was leaving the Dojo. She was accusing me of sleeping with Nyoko's mother, among other women. And what were her accusations based on? I'll tell ya... her own insecurities of being a woman, her own distrust in guys, bits and pieces of an overheard conversation that she eavesdropped on, and her own pigheaded refusal to even consider that she might have reached a wrong conclusion." Ranma sighed wearily, pulling her legs up onto the couch and resting her chin upon her knees as she wrapped her arms about her legs. "No, it's over between Akane and me. So don't even talk to me about that violent tomboy. You want her, you can have her. After the things she said about Nyoko and, once again, so callously passing the engagement back over to Nabiki..."

Ryouga felt slightly ashamed at the thoughts he'd been harboring since they'd all left the Nekohanten. He'd known that Ranma had been having relationship problems with Akane, and he'd thrown it all back in Ranma's face with his knowledge of the intimate relationship Ranma was building with the middle Tendo sister. He chuckled internally at the absurdity of it all, wanting Akane to be free of Ranma, but then turning around and attempting to punish Ranma for doing exactly that, whether intentionally or not. He looked over at Nyoko and wondered what it would be like to be the father of a child himself. He certainly wouldn't stand for anyone saying anything bad about his own children, true or not, and desperately hoped that his Jusenkyo curse wouldn't become a dominant trait for his bloodline, as it would cause all kinds of pain and misery. The Hibiki directional curse was bad enough. Nyoko was certainly a cute baby and with those features, she didn't look anything at all like Ranma or Nabiki. And the only thing that would even suggest this 'Cousteau' woman, from the description he'd gotten from Akane, would be the blonde hair.

"I swear, Ranma," Nabiki muttered, sitting up and lifting Nyoko into her arms, turning to face the two on the couch. Not too surprisingly, Nyoko was once again gnawing on her fist. "She may not be your biological daughter, but I'd swear she had some Saotome genes in her ancestry somewhere. She certainly has your appetite." Both sisters giggled at the blushing redhead as Ranma-chan rose from the couch to see to her daughter's 'appetite'.

"Ha ha, very funny, Nabiki," Ranma-chan sighed, accepting Nyoko into her own arms as Nabiki held her up. Kasumi held out the knapsack containing Nyoko's things, but Ranma-chan hesitated as she reached for it. Looking back over to Ryouga, Ranma-chan decided to indulge in a little revenge, especially as from the feel of Nyoko's diaper she needed changing as well as feeding. "Ryouga-honey, would you be a dear and bring Nyoko's things into the kitchen for me?" she asked sweetly, not waiting for an answer before heading for the kitchen herself.

Ryouga blinked a few times, but finally rose from the couch to take the knapsack Kasumi held out to him and followed Ranma-chan into the kitchen. Nabiki and Kasumi exchanged glances at Ranma-chan's unusual behavior, but then both broke out in sinister grins as certain possibilities came to mind and they quietly followed after the two to see what mischief Ranma-chan intended.

A few moments later, a wild-eyed Ryouga rushed out of the kitchen, Nyoko's most recently soiled diaper in his hands and held as far away from his nose as he could get it, looking desperately about for somewhere to dispose of the biohazard-bomb he'd been handed before it exploded. Finally, in desperation, Ryouga simply rushed over to the front door, opened it, and threw the 'loaded' diaper as high and as far as he could, before bending over to rest his hands on his knees and begin taking in large gasps of much needed fresh air.

"Ryouga?" a puzzled feminine voice called.

"'Kaasan?"

----

Meanwhile, back in Nerima, a certain myopic duck had managed to make his escape from his confinement in the basement of the Nekohanten, return to human form, and was presently searching high and low for the love of his life. Despite the Amazon Matriarch's best intentions and thanks to the restaurant's ventilation ducting, Mu Tsu had managed to overhear parts of the conversations that had taken place in the dining area of the restaurant while he'd been confined.

The two main conclusions that Mu Tsu had drawn from what little he'd overheard were thus: First, Xian Pu was no longer married to Ranma Saotome and had never been married to him, which was much to Mu Tsu's liking. This first conclusion was, on the whole, correct. Second, Ranma Saotome was in the process of learning a type of magic the old mummy barely knew and, thanks to Ryouga's outburst, was intending to use this magical ability to enslave all the girls in his life into seeing to his perverse pleasures and had apparently already been successful in enslaving the middle Tendo daughter thereby getting her pregnant. This second conclusion was, needless to say, greatly in error, but it fit into Mu Tsu's worldview and did not challenge his personal beliefs so he was running with it.

It was this second, erroneous, conclusion that presently had Mu Tsu desperately searching all of Nerima for his beloved Xian Pu, frantic to find and protect her before Saotome could use his magic to enslave her to his will. The fact that Xian Pu was no longer present in Nerima was greatly hampering the young Amazon's search, however, and the fact that he'd been unable to locate Saotome or either of the two elder Tendo sisters only increased Mu Tsu's desperation and anxiety. So much so, in fact, that the young Amazon male finally turned to beseeching the Heavens for a sign as to where he could find his love and was promptly knocked ass over teakettle with a fully loaded soiled diaper to the face.

Whether or not this was an actual 'sign' from the gods would forever remain a mystery, as no deities ever stepped forward to take credit, but the end result was the same in any case. Instead of backtracking to where the offending and odorous projectile had originated and thereby, at least, ending up the general vicinity of the object of his desperate search... Mu Tsu rushed off to the nearest public bath, cursing Ranma Saotome, specifically, and the inconsiderate parents' of babies, in general, every step of the way there.

----

Atsuko Hibiki had never been accused of being a genius, but she was far from being considered unintelligent either. Still, she was a woman, a mother, and was well acquainted with the 'facts-of-life' and what those facts entailed, which included what a soiled diaper looked and smelled like. And her only son, whom she hadn't seen in over a year, had just hurled such an item off into the distance, which raised the question in her mind of just where her son had acquired a soiled diaper to begin with.

"'Kaasan?" Ryouga hesitantly called again, seeing his mother's gaze switch back and forth between himself and the general direction in which he'd hurled Nyoko's diaper, a small grin beginning to appear upon her broad face. It was the grin that was starting to make Ryouga Hibiki more than a little nervous, as it was the same one his mother always wore whenever she had the thoughts of him, girls, sex and grandchildren too closely together and interlinked.

Atsuko, meanwhile, had come to the realization that a freshly soiled diaper meant that there was a newborn baby nearby. Her son had been in possession of said diaper and had rushed out of their house; therefore, the baby must be inside the house. Her son would NOT have been in possession of such a diaper unless he had some kind of connection with the mother of said baby and shared some of the responsibility of caring for same. A year was more than enough time for her son to have met some girl and...

Ryouga paled as his mother's grin became manic.

"Uhm... 'Kaasan?" Ryouga tried again, but got no further as he was knocked to the ground by his mother's backpack, which she'd tossed to him before rushing into the house, giggling ecstatically.

----

"Oh, Kami," Nabiki chuckled from where she leaned against the kitchen wall, "that was hilarious. Ryouga's expression was priceless."

"He did seem rather... out of sorts, didn't he?" Kasumi added, a mirthful grin adorning her own face.

"Serves the baka right," Ranma-chan joined in with a grin as she finished securing a clean diaper about her daughter, before turning to check on the heating bottle of baby formula on the stove. "Even so, I thought his reaction was a bit extreme. I mean, he's the only guy I know who can actually 'eat' Akane's cooking and that often looks and smells worse than anything you'd find in a baby's diaper."

"Ranma!" Kasumi chided, softly. "That's not a nice thing to say. Even if it's true, you shouldn't say such things... aloud anyway."

"Sorry, Kasumi," Ranma-chan responded, securing the nipple to the baby bottle and, after checking that it was the correct temperature, undoing her blouse enough to expose one of her breasts. Lifting Nyoko into her arms, Ranma-chan applied a bit of the baby formula to her own exposed nipple before shifting her daughter closer, who promptly latched onto the nourishing morsel and began to nurse.

"Ranma, you really should try to coax her into accepting the bottle first," Nabiki said, smiling softly at the contented expression on Ranma-chan's face. "Otherwise, she'll always expect the 'real thing'."

"I know, Nabs," Ranma-chan sighed, smiling down at her suckling daughter, holding the baby bottle ready for when Nyoko became dissatisfied at obtaining nothing more than a taste of what she'd wanted. "But... this feels right. Natural. Even if she isn't actually getting anything out of me."

"Well, a woman's breasts are there for exactly that reason, Ranma," Kasumi supplied.

"Yeah, they're not just 'boy-magnets', after all," Nabiki chimed in.

"A 'breast-fed' baby is a happy baby!" a new voice added, causing the occupants of the kitchen to turn towards the entryway. Standing there was a woman who appeared to be in her late-thirties to early-forties, about Ryouga's height, with shoulder-length unruly black hair, the bangs of which were kept out of her expressive brown eyes with the application of a bright yellow bandanna tied about her head. She was a stout woman, without appearing fat or overly muscled, and fairly attractive with sun-bronzed skin and a reasonably good figure. Her clothing, which consisted of a sturdy work shirt, shorts and hiking boots all bore evidence of long use. While she didn't have a backpack with her, there was no doubt as to who this woman was as the Hibiki 'fangs' were clearly in evidence as she grinned broadly. This was clearly Ryouga's mother. "Breast-feeding also works wonders on the older men-folk, as well, dear. I'm sure my little Ryo-chan would enjoy it as much as that little one is," Atsuko added, before seeming to 'teleport' from the entryway to Ranma-chan's side, in the blink of an eye, to gaze adoringly down upon Nyoko.

"Huh?" Ranma-chan asked, confused at Mrs. Hibiki's comment. Then, gradually, understanding appeared in the redhead's widening eyes. "Now wait a--"

"Oh, come now, 'Ranko'," Nabiki interrupted, grinning mischievously and catching her sister's eye, before continuing. "Surely you wouldn't deny your 'husband' a taste of what his daughter so greatly enjoys?"

"Nabiki..." Ranma-chan began warningly.

"Oh my, yes," Kasumi jumped in on the fun. "Many of the other women I've talked to, who were lactating, are quite fond of relating how their own husbands tend to revert to almost baby-ish behavior when suckling from their breasts. You really should try it out with Ryouga-kun, Ranko."

"You too, Kasumi?" Ranma-chan asked plaintively, while Atsuko grinned broadly, her suspicions seemingly confirmed.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear," Atsuko said, giving her apparent 'daughter-in-law' a welcoming hug, being careful not to jostle her 'grandchild'. "I'm Ryo-chan's mother, Atsuko Hibiki. Welcome to the family, Daughter. You simply MUST tell me how you managed to get my son over his extreme shyness enough to produce that little cutie. I had to use about a pint of imported Jack Daniel's whiskey on Ryo-chan's father, myself. And what's my grandchild's name?"

Ranma-chan released a weary sigh. The last thing she wanted or needed were even more misunderstandings. "Nyoko. Her name's Nyoko," Ranma-chan said, coaxing her daughter onto the bottle of formula. "Hibiki-san, despite what you may think and despite what my friends are implying..."

"'Jack Daniel's'?" Nabiki asked, interrupting, one eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Atsuko responded, still gazing adoringly upon the baby. "As Ranko-chan can likely tell you, the Hibiki men are a bit... high-strung and, initially at least, extremely shy when it comes to being... intimate with girls. I found that a liberal amount of Jack Daniel's whiskey got Ryo-chan's father over the worst of it. Enough so, at least, for us to have our little Ryo-chan. Akira's not nearly so shy about sexual matters any longer and I've long since learned quite a few... techniques, to deal with him being so high-strung and prolong our lovemaking for quite a while. I'm sure Ranko would find them most useful to... 'enhance' her own pleasure when being intimate with her husband."

Ranma-chan's interest had been piqued at the mention of 'techniques', as had the interest of Nabiki and Kasumi, although each had different reasons for being interested. But Ranma-chan rapidly lost much of her own interest when she realized that Atsuko was intending for 'her' to use them with Ryouga. Speaking of whom...

"'Kaasan?" Ryouga called, stepping into the entryway to the kitchen, his mother's backpack in hand.

"Ryo-chan," Atsuko chided her son, walking over to him and retrieving her backpack, "why didn't you write and tell me that you'd gotten married to such a beautiful young girl and started a family? Have you told your father? What about your baby sister, does she know about this? And have you seen her lately?"

"Baby sister?" Ryouga blinked, his eyes darting momentarily to Ranma-chan.

"Baby sister?" repeated Ranma-chan, also recalling the time she'd pretended to be Ryouga's little sister.

"You mean to tell me, that he hasn't even told you about his own family?" Atsuko asked, more than a little shocked. "Granted, Yoiko was born with more than her own share of the family directional curse, but that's no reason to forget about her and not even mention her to his own wife."

"Yoiko..." Ranma-chan began, disbelievingly.

"...Hibiki?" Nabiki finished, recalling what little she'd heard about the time Ranma-chan had pretended to be Ryouga's little sister. Coincidence seemed to be stretching a bit thin here.

Atsuko sighed wearily. "Yoiko is Ryo-chan's younger sister by two years. As I said, she inherited more than her fair share of the family curse, so even I haven't seen her in a couple of years," Atsuko said sadly. "The last time she was actually home, that I know of, was back when Ryo-chan was able to attend junior high for quite a while. I even remember how she'd developed this HUGE crush over that boy you were always fighting with back then, Ryo-chan. What was his name, Ranma or something like that wasn't it?" she asked. Unnoticed by the others, Atsuko's eyes darted briefly towards her supposed 'daughter-in-law', before she continued, "She'd only met him that one time, but had convinced herself that HE was the boy she'd eventually marry. She was still looking for him when I last saw her."

"This ringing any bells, Ranma?" Nabiki quietly whispered to the redhead.

"I... I think so," Ranma-chan replied just as quietly, struggling to remember the time she'd attended junior high school with Ryouga. Had she met a girl named 'Yoiko'? Ryouga's little sister? Is that why she assumed that name when she pretended to be Ryouga's sister? Vaguely, the image of a young girl with blonde hair and stunning green eyes came to mind.

"Hibiki-san..." Ranma-chan began, "does Yoiko have 'blonde' hair?"

"And bright green eyes," Atsuko added, nodding. "She inherited her looks from her grandmother, who was an American."

"I think I recall meeting her once," Ranma-chan admitted, looking towards Ryouga, "years ago. I can't believe you'd forget your own sister, Ryouga."

"Uhm..." Ryouga said nervously, reluctant to admit that he HAD forgotten. If it wasn't for his own mother saying that he DID have a little sister, he still wouldn't believe it. And yet, his mother's description did bring to mind images of a hyper little girl that had seemed to pester him endlessly to find out everything he knew about Ranma.

"Ryo-chan, I left some groceries out front," Atsuko announced. "If you'll bring them inside, I'm certain Ranko and I can prepare a pleasant dinner for us all in short order."

Ryouga didn't argue, finding the task a handy excuse to vacate the room full of women, he merely turned about and called for Shirokuro. He didn't actually need to be led to the front of the house, but once he stepped outside... it would be nice to be led BACK into the house.

"I can help with dinner, if you'd like," Kasumi offered.

"Nonsense, dear," Atsuko politely refused. "You're a guest in our home and friends of my daughter-in-law. Speaking of which, Ranko-dear, would you be kind enough to introduce me to them?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Hibiki-san, this is Kasumi and Nabiki Tendo," she said indicating each in turn, "my friends. Kasumi, Nabiki, this is Atsuko Hibiki, Ryouga's mother."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Atsuko said, bowing to her guests.

"Hibiki-san," Ranma-chan said, getting the older woman's attention. "Despite what you've been led to believe, I am not your son's wife, nor is Nyoko his daughter. I'm sorry. I'm just a friend of Ryouga's. My name's Ranma Saotome."

"Oh, darn," Atsuko said, clearly disappointed, but not upset over the revelation. "I was so hoping he'd gotten over his shyness and started his own family." Atsuko then paused, looking Ranma-chan over carefully. "Hmm... I seem to remember another 'Ranma Saotome', but he was a boy? Jusenkyo?"

"Unfortunately," Ranma-chan sighed. "I take it Ryouga's told you about it?"

"The last time we met," Atsuko nodded. "I suspected that you were the Jusenkyo cursed boy he was going on and on about. You would have made such a lovely daughter-in-law, too."

Kasumi and Nabiki, both, expected to hear Ranma's usual denials about such a possibility and were suitably surprised when said denials didn't manifest.

"Thank you, Hibiki-san," Ranma-chan said politely. "But I'm not planning on marrying anyone, boy or girl, any time soon."

"What of the father of your child?" Atsuko asked. "Surely you don't intend to remain as an unwed mother? Or... are you actually the father?"

"It's a long story, Hibiki-san," Ranma-chan sighed.

"Well, seeing as I'm finally home, I certainly have the time to hear it," Atsuko stated with a grin. "And I've always enjoyed a good story."

And so, Ranma-chan once again related the story of how she'd come to be Nyoko's parent as they all went about the task of preparing that evening's dinner. Of course, this had led to the reasons for Ranma's 'training journey' to be explained and so on. In the end, with many additions and interruptions from the others, Ranma all but recounted her entire life's story. By the time she'd finished relating it all, it had grown quite late into the evening.

"Oh my, Nabiki and I really should be getting home," Kasumi stated, noting the lateness of the hour. "If we hurry, we should be able to catch the last..." Kasumi paused, remembering the reason they were at the Hibiki's to begin with. "Oh dear, where is Ranma-chan going to stay?"

"Don't worry about me, Kasumi," Ranma-chan spoke up, gently rocking a sleeping Nyoko. "I'll be okay. I've got my tent and other things, and there's a park just down the road I can stay the night in."

"I'll hear of no such thing!" Atsuko stated flatly. "If you are in need of a place to stay, then you may stay here. In fact, I suggest that you all stay for the night. It's much too late to be walking the streets at this hour, or riding the trains. We have plenty of room, after all. Kasumi and Nabiki can share Yoiko's room and, if you've no objections, you can sleep in Ryo-chan's room with him, or share my own room. But I will NOT allow you to take that baby out to sleep in some park when you don't have to."

Unable to adequately argue against such sentiments, and not all that willing to do so either, they all set about the task of preparing their rooms for the night.

-X-X-X-

Theodore Diggers watched his wife, Julia, as she strapped their children into their seats on the aircraft. This flight to Japan would be the longest trip they'd ever taken that didn't make use of his ability to teleport. It wasn't that he couldn't use the spell itself, but that he possessed no real familiarity with any location in Japan and without a clear mental image of the target location teleporting would be an unwarranted risk. If it had just been himself, he might have risked teleporting to save time, but he would never take such risks with his family. Taking his own seat and securing his seatbelt, he clasped his wife's hand gently within his own, once she'd taken her own seat. He wondered what news Ku Lon would have for him as he settled back into his seat, watching over his daughters, his biological daughter, Gina Babbette, and his adopted daughter, Britanny Elin.

Julia's own thoughts were in close harmony with her husband's, wondering what awaited them in the Land of the Rising Sun. "Theo, did Ku Lon say anything about what the surprise was?"

"No, dear," Theo said, shaking his head. "I was mentioning Britanny when she just stopped talking. Then she asked about her race." He rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease some of the tension he was feeling. "If this is what I think it is, we may have found a relative of Britanny's." Theo hoped that was the case.

The redheaded woman nodded in agreement, reaching over to calm Gina as the plane began to pull away from the terminal and move towards the runway. "I just hope this 'pupil' of hers won't ask for Britanny. I don't think I could give her up."

-X-X-X-

It was a little after midnight when Xian Pu-neko crawled through the slightly open window of Ryouga's bedroom. She'd followed the group to this house and had unobtrusively listened in on their conversations, waiting until they'd all gone to sleep before daring to enter the house itself, intending to check on the baby. Well, that's what she told herself anyway, but she still released a relieved sigh when she noted that her Airen was sleeping in the Lost Boy's room, rather than with the mercenary Tendo sister.

Jumping easily from the windowsill to the edge of the Pack-n-Play crib that had been set up in the room, she looked down upon the sleeping infant and released another sigh, this time of longing. Nyoko was such a beautiful baby and Xian Pu wanted more than anything to have one of her own, with Ranma as the father of said baby, naturally. Speaking of whom…

Turning about on the narrow lip of the crib, Xian Pu-neko eased into a comfortable sitting position, her tail dangling down into the crib to help maintain her balance. Ranma, still in girl-form, was sleeping in a futon beside the crib, and Xian Pu-neko took this opportunity to once again admire her Airen's beauty as she'd done many times since following him to Japan. She idly wondered how things might have gone differently if she'd given the petite redhead the 'Kiss of Sisterhood', instead of the 'Kiss of Death', on that day so long ago. Would Ranma have accepted a position within the tribe? Would they have become lovers by now? Xian Pu easily admitted now, if only to herself, that she'd allowed her injured pride to guide her actions on that day and that her actions had been in error. As had been many of her actions since, as well, she grudgingly admitted to herself. It was likely going to take a long time before her Airen trusted her enough to consider her as more than just an annoying acquaintance, but Xian Pu just couldn't imagine her life anymore without Ranma being a part of it.

Yank

Xian Pu-neko's eyes went wide, scrambling to maintain her position on the edge of the crib, as her tail was pulled on. It was a futile effort, however, her claws unable to gain a secure purchase on the aluminum tubing, as a second, harder, pull on her tail yanked her down into the crib with a soft thump. Righting herself, Xian Pu-neko hissed softly and turned about to face her assailant, prepared to give them a mauling that they would long remember... only to freeze upon seeing that it was Nyoko that had hold of her tail. Relaxing and sheathing her claws, Xian Pu-neko began batting gently against Nyoko's hands until she released her grip on her tail. Able to move now, Xian Pu-neko began purring softly, comfortingly, and began the task of trying to coax Nyoko back to sleep, nudging the child about with her head and paws.

"MeERK!" She had seen Nyoko beginning to reach for her and Xian Pu-neko had begun to gently dissuade the child. Then, in a surprising burst of unexpected speed, Xian Pu-neko found herself yanked down against Nyoko and held rather tightly with surprising strength. Try as she might, she just couldn't seem to get free of the baby's hold and she was more than a little unwilling to try harder as that would involved hurting Nyoko.

"So... I thought I saw you hanging around earlier."

"Mew?" Xian Pu-neko questioned, looking up to see a sleepy Ranma-chan peering over the edge of the crib. Immediately she tensed up and was about to begin shoving Nyoko further away when she noticed that Ranma-chan wasn't showing any of her usual fear reactions to the presence of a cat. "Miyah?" she questioned curiously, making a show of looking upon her own cat form and back up at her Airen.

Ranma-chan let out a sigh, one hand rising to brush through her hair. "No, I'm not afraid of you, or other cats, anymore. I'm not 'xactly cured of the Neko-ken, but... We'll talk about that later." Ranma-chan looked at the way Nyoko was nuzzling herself firmly against Xian Pu-neko's furry body and sighed softly. "Nyoko probably misses her mother's fur... something I can never give her..." She watched the two for a time, obviously in deep thought, before speaking again. "Look, Shampoo, promise me that you won't try anything... and I won't object to your being around Nyoko... or me. Okay?"

That didn't even require any thought on Xian Pu-neko's part, as she would never do anything that could harm a baby, and she wasn't about to do anything that could set her chances back of getting into her Airen's good graces again. Lifting her right forepaw, Xian Pu-neko let out a most solemn sounding, "Mew."

"Okay. We'll talk more in the morning," Ranma-chan said with a yawn, peering over her shoulder towards where Ryouga was softly snoring in his bed, dead to the world. Would she ever be able to sleep so heavily again, she wondered. Ever since Nyoko had come into her care, she had maintained a constant state of vigilance, even in her sleep, which was how the very soft 'thump' of Shampoo-neko's falling into the crib had woken her. Of course, with Ryouga's curse as a walking Blue Plate Special, that particular bed was likely the only place in the world that Ryouga felt he could truly relax his own guard. Ryouga had even, hesitantly, offered to let her use it, rather than the futon she was presently using, but she hadn't felt right about it, seeing as it was his bed and he so rarely got to use it himself. True, it was a rather 'sexist' offer, seeing that he'd probably only made it due to her being in her female form, but... he had made the offer, even knowing the truth of her real gender. At least he hadn't offered to 'share' the bed with her... she probably wouldn't have been able to get any sleep then, especially after her thoughts in the bathing room earlier that day.

Xian Pu-neko watched her Airen as she stared for an unusually long time at the sleeping Lost Boy, and she couldn't be certain due to her cat-form's lack of color vision, but it appeared as if her Airen may have blushed slightly for some reason before reclining back onto her futon and returning to sleep. Was there something going on between the two, she wondered worriedly. Her Airen was certainly spending a great deal of time in his cursed form lately, could it be affecting him? She, herself, had noted that her own cursed form tended to view other cats differently than she had before becoming cursed. She'd certainly never thought of finding this or that tom particularly 'handsome' until she'd been cursed, especially during those times when she was... fertile. It was one of her deepest, darkest secrets that she pursued Ranma so ruthlessly because she feared that she would eventually encounter a tom that she'd find exceptionally handsome and worthy enough for consideration... unless she were already 'mated'.

Pushing away such disturbing thoughts, Xian Pu-neko set about the task of making herself comfortable and getting some sleep. It wouldn't be the first time she'd sat 'baby watch', although it was the first time she'd done so as a cuddle toy, which fact she was strongly reminded of as Nyoko began sucking on one of her ears. It was going to be a long night, she sighed.

-X-X-X-

Endnotes: This is the first part of Chapter 04. Chapter 04-B will be out as soon as I can finish certian scenes.