A/N: This chapter takes place after Kasumi and Tofu are safely married. I'm still planning to tell that story, but it needs work - a lot of work. The story will end with the newly married couple leaving for their honeymoon. What happens immediately after they leave is covered here...

Chapter 4: 01/01/03 - Wednesday Evening: After the Wedding

Six individuals passed through the Tendo front gate slowly, but only four walked through. Ranma was carrying Tomo over his shoulder. Likewise, Mousse was carrying Soun over his shoulder. Akane was carrying Kasumi's wedding dress, Nabiki was carrying Tofu's tuxedo. All four walkers were still in their wedding finery, although the young men had taken off their bowties and opened their shirt collars. Tomo was no longer dressed in his kimono. Instead, the young Kitsune was in his usual winter clothes, but any fur sticking out of the clothes had a mildly burnt look to it and his face was very pale. Soun was still wearing his tuxedo and simply drunk out of his mind. All the walkers had bemused smiles on their silent faces and their clothing was marked with smudges of food here or there, left over after some sort of clean up.

Without a word, Nabiki unlocked the door to the house and everyone filed in. She hung up the tuxedo in the front hall closet and then took the wedding dress from Akane and hung that up too. Mousse started down the hall to Soun's bedroom and Nabiki followed him. Ranma started up the stairs followed by Akane.

Upstairs, Akane and Ranma entered Kasumi's and Tofu's new room and looked around. True to form, the new bride had straightened the room before she left to get married this morning. Akane walked over and pulled back the sheets. The bride and groom would not need this room for two weeks, so Tomo could make use of it. Ranma laid Tomo on the bed and Akane covered up the little Kitsune with sheets and blankets. Then she laid her hand on his forehead.

"He'll be all right," Ranma told her softly while smiling at her gesture. "Kitsunes are hardy creatures. They tend to bounce."

"I know," she replied just as softly. "Especially this one. But he's still a child and I sort of feel sorry for him."

"Yeah," Ranma said with light chuckle. "Even though I got caught with those peppers too, I think Shiran was a little rough with him. (1) Still, he'll be fine – Shiran wouldn't let anything permanent happen to him anyway. He's fond of his student even if he won't admit it." She nodded and the two left the room quietly to go back downstairs.

They found Mousse and Nabiki in the kitchen. Nabiki was putting on the kettle and Mousse was getting out tea. "Daddy's in bed with a bucket next to him," Nabiki said. "It might be a day or so before he wakes up. Mousse got the tux off of him, so at least we can return it tomorrow with the others."

Wordlessly, Ranma found some cookies and Akane got out tea cups and saucers. As the four finished preparing their snack, the bemused smiles crept back on their faces. When the tea was ready, Nabiki filled the cups and the four sat down. They all looked at their plates for a moment before Ranma said softly: "Banzai." All four almost fell out of their chairs as they started laughing hard.

"If I live to be two hundred years old," Mousse choked out between gasps. "I will never forget Inspector Ojima storming into the ballroom waving the Jolly Roger leading a platoon of cops shouting that!" They all laughed harder.

"Hey, he had to get those lunatics attention somehow," Nabiki choked out.

"We had something right out of Tolkien," Akane laughed. "The Battle of the Five Armies."

"At least they stuck to food and fists," Ranma said. "That had to be the Kitsunes' doing. They must have kept anyone from bringing weapons in. God, I haven't been in such a fight since the first time we to the Complex," he added with a glance at Akane. (2)

"You know, he warned us," Akane said as she got herself under control and picked up her tea. "Lord Jakaro said we 'might want to get the hell out of there', and we didn't listen."

Ranma added: "That's true. He made sure Kasumi and Tofu were gone and that no one followed them. Then he hung around afterwards until only the mercenaries and martial artists were left." Akane nodded her head.

"He even warned Tomo," Mousse put in. "He told him scores would be settled tonight. I guess he knew about the bottle of hot sauce."

"We *really* should have put two and two together," Nabiki said. "At least we got off relatively light. Hinako and I were considered non-combatants and only the martial artists and Kunoichi went after you three. Daddy was drunk, so no one bothered him."

"We should have known Lady Hoshi wasn't going to let the Bachelor Party slide," Mousse chuckled. (3)

Akane looked archly at Ranma and said: "I assumed the one who winked at me was Lady Noa."

Ranma smirked. "Yep," which was all he said to that. After he took a sip of tea, he added: "The mercenaries still consider us as apprentices, so we were off-limits. And the ninjas had no beef with us – they just wanted to get even with some one-upmanships the mercs had pulled over the last few weeks."

"Then there was the Kitsunes adding chaos wherever they could," Nabiki observed.

"Oh god," Akane said with a dramatic sigh as she slumped in her chair. "Their tricks caused all the alliances and groups to fall apart. Soon we had a big free-for-all. No one could tell who was who."

"Yeah, well don't be too hard on them," Mousse advised. "I'm sure they loved the chaos, but because of them, there were no serious injuries. At least when Tofu gets back, no one will have any regrets from the wedding."

"True..." Ranma acknowledged. "You know, I've never been arrested before," he laughed.

"Oh please," Nabiki told him. "Ojima did that to chase away the last of the posers hanging around. They thought that if he'd do that to you and you were underage, what he'd do to them would be infinitely worse."

Ranma smirked. "Yeah, I sort of figured that out – especially when he tossed me into the back of the police wagon and told me – or rather ordered me – to use the Umisen-ken to vanish."

"That's where you got to!" Akane exclaimed while giving him a (soft) dope-slap. "Ciren and I…." Akane stopped for a moment with a blank look. Then she dropped her forehead into her raised hand and sighed: "That's where you were when Ciren lead me astray to 'look' for you."

Nabiki clapped her hands mockingly. "Very good, sis. Ojima didn't feel like having you scream the house down – literally. Apparently, Ciren helped her boyfriend out. She knew Ranma wasn't it any real trouble I guess."

"Ah, there are my four little jailbirds," Nodoka chimed as she appeared in the doorway. She came forward and gently hugged Akane from behind as the young woman was closest to the door.

Akane lifted her left hand to squeeze one of Nodoka's hands, smiled, and said: "None of us went to jail."

"That's not what the rumors are around town," Nodoka said with a laugh. "I almost panicked except Sasuke promised me that you were all safe and sound – and not in jail."

"How did he…" Mousse started to ask and then stopped. "Never mind," he continued. "It's his job to know."

"More importantly," Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow. "How was he with you? And where did you go? I lost track of you after Kasumi and Tofu left."

Nodoka smirked at her son. "I went walking with a friend I met again at the wedding. Sasuke shadowed me." (4)

"And who is this friend?" Ranma asked. The eyebrow was still raised.

"Toshio Kuno. I believe you've met," Nodoka said archly. Ranma's face registered complete shock. Akane wasn't far behind. Mousse raised an eyebrow. Only Nabiki showed no overt reaction. "You'll likely meet again. But that's neither here nor there," Nodoka continued. She squeezed Akane's shoulder with one hand and tapped Ranma on the head with the other. They both seemed to return to the real world a little. Nodoka continued: "You four need to stay put for the rest of the evening. The police are spreading the rumor that they have arrested you lot, Ciren, Soun, Olaf,…" The four young people made noises of disbelief. Nodoka held up a hand to forestall the interruption and continued: "…Daran, Mausu, and Shizuka."

"None of which is true," Nabiki guessed.

Nodoka nodded her head. "Correct. I called to check on Shizuka. She and Hideo were settling into bed when the phone rang." She smiled and added: "At least, I hope they were just settling – I hate to think I interrupted something…. Daran is with Lady Hoshi and not in Nerima. Ciren is with Ojima and she's changed into her hunting leathers. Olaf is fine, but he wouldn't tell me where he was – just not in jail. He promised to stop by tomorrow. No one's heard from Mausu, but that's not unusual – if the others are not in jail, he's probably not in jail either."

"O.K., so why the rumors?" Mousse asked. Ranma and Akane were oddly quiet.

"Toshio thinks Ojima's had enough of the mercenaries," Nodoka answered. "So Ojima is spreading the rumors of a crack down now that the wedding is over. The ones who were just here for the wedding will take off. The others who need to stay here will keep a low profile for a bit; same with the martial artists."

"And the longer we stay put, the better the rumors will work," Nabiki concluded.

Nodoka nodded. "Things will start to unravel at sunrise once everyone sees that the jail is empty," she said. "But by then, the troublemakers will be gone." She yawned then. "Now, it's getting close to midnight and I'm beat. I'll see everyone tomorrow." She nodded to them and everyone said 'Goodnight' in response. Then she left to go upstairs.

Once she was gone, Nabiki said with a sly tone: "Toshio? Not Mr. Kuno? Oh my…" Both Ranma and Akane put their elbows on the table and buried their faces in their hands. They said nothing else.

"I've never met him," Mousse said. "What's he like?"

"Toshio Kuno is one of the richest men in Japan. He also has a healthy ranking among the world elite," Nabiki answered him. "He's a major 'behind-the-scenes" player in Nerima and holds most of the cards as far as politics goes. The police hate him, but the politicians and the townsfolk love him – or at least respect him anyway. As far as personality goes, he's very smooth and polite to his friends – and enemies. He has many enemies, but it's said he never takes them personally – he prefers to call them "opponents." He has the reputation of being loyal to those who are loyal to him. Rumors have it that the worst thing you can do is double-cross him though. Since the Summoning, he's taken an interest in Ranma – and Akane. He's been working to keep Tatewaki and Kodachi away from them." (5)

She smirked at the couple holding their heads and added: "Lately, there have been rumors that he's interested in a lady in Nerima. He re-opened the Nerima Kuno estate and moved there himself." The grin became absolutely evil. "Looks like we know who the lady is."

Ranma began banging his head on the table.

"Oh, come on!" Nabiki chided. "Do you really want her to have nothing else in her life but you and Akane?"

"We are never going to be free of the Kuno's…" Akane mumbled.

"Hey, Nodoka could do a lot worse," Nabiki told her seriously. "He's very sane, and probably knows everything about her – including her illness. He can see beneath the surface and beyond the persona she happens to project at any given time. If he's taken an interest in her, then he's taken an interest in the 'real' her. That's something that shouldn't be ignored."

Ranma stopped and held his head again. Nabiki and Mousse watched him for a minute before he lifted his head and gave a deep sigh. Finally, he rolled his eyes and stated: "At least it's not Pineapple Head."

Akane lifted her head in surprise. "You're not worried?" she asked him.

"Of course I'm worried, but can you see Mom diving into anything too serious right now?" he replied.

"Not until you're married," Nabiki sing-songed at him (and Akane).

"And even then, she not going too far," Mousse laughed. "She keeps dreaming of grandchildren." Akane groaned and slumped her shoulders at that.

"A married mother-in-law would be easier to deal with," Nabiki teased Akane. "At least she'd have to focus on her husband a little – not much, but a little."

"Well," Mousse said standing up. "I have tomorrow off, a new room to sleep in, and big brother is not around to wake me. I'm calling it a night." The other three wished him 'Good night', and he took his leave.

Nabiki poured herself another cup. Then she squinted her eyes as she searched Ranma face and said: "You seem to be taking Nodoka's news about Toshio a lot better than I thought." There was nothing mocking in her tone.

Ranma admitted: "I'm really not sure how I'm supposed to feel. I guess I'm a little jealous – O.K., a lot jealous – and I'll kill him if he hurts her…" He sighed again. "But she has to have a life too," he concluded as he straighten up and seemed to shake himself.

Nabiki looked sort of impressed; even as the wicked smirk returned. "Whoa…who are you and what have you done with Ranma?" she teased him. Akane just gave a wan little smile.

Ranma replied: "Blame Tofu. He's been pushing me to think about things like that – the drills on 'Feelings' wear me out more that the magic or fighting." He made choking gesture with his hands against his throat.

Now Akane perked up and laughed. "Oh poor baby…" Akane mocked with exaggerated sympathy as she sat back in her chair. "Not to mention he withholds fighting techniques until you do answer him," she added smugly.

Ranma threw her a dark look but then laughed and made a dismissive gesture. She stuck out her tongue at him.

Nabiki laughed. "You two are no fun anymore. You're way too sure of each other now," she smirked. Then she finished her tea and stood up. "I'm done. See you tomorrow." With that, she left the kitchen as the other two waved 'Good Night'.

Ranma looked at the clock and shook his head again, putting thoughts of Nodoka and Toshio behind him. That was problem for another day. He had other things he wanted to attend to. He pointed at the clock and said: "Let's clean up. Then I have something to show you."

Akane got up and gathered some dishes. "Oh really?" she teased him. "There's a leading statement if ever I heard one. And what might that be? You thinking of inviting me to your swinging bachelor pad and taking advantage of me now that my father is bombed out of his mind?"

He put on a thoughtful face. "It has some appeal," he admitted as he reached out to pinch her bottom.

She swung her hips away from him before he tagged her and placed the dishes on the counter. She looked over her shoulder coyly and mocked: "No huggy, no kissy until I get a wedding ring." She tapped her empty ring finger with the other hand.

He smiled slyly and slid up next to her. "And that has some appeal too," he said as one arm wrapped around her waist and he tapped her ring finger also.

Akane eyes widened slightly and her heart rose up in them. As she smiled at him, Ranma pulled her closer and kissed her. She turned to fully face him and he deepened the kiss. She drew closer in response. The kiss went on for some time.

Finally they broke apart. "Let's put this stuff away and go to the dojo. What I want to show you is there," he whispered quietly. She nodded and picked up the dishes again as he opened the dishwasher. Once everything was away, they checked the kitchen one more time and left the room.

Ranma took Akane's hand and led her down the side hallway past Soun's room to the side door. The couple could hear Akane's father snoring loudly. Once outside, they stopped briefly under the covered walkway between the two buildings to admire the new dojo. Toshio Kuno had generously settled with the Tendo family in order to buy their silence regarding Tatewaki's and Kodachi's part in the destruction of the dojo during the failed wedding. Because the Ono Clinic's attached residence was going to need extension renovations to support a family (and would take even longer to rework so to not disturb the Clinic itself), the Ono and Tendo families had decided that the new dojo would be upgraded so the two families could share the Tendo complex for a while. The new dojo included four bedrooms in the basement, a set of showers and toilets, more storage, a more usable attic, and modifications for future expansions. The heating in the building was also modernized to be more efficient.

"Why are the lights on like that?" she asked him. There was a soft light coming out of the main level dojo windows.

"Come see," he told her softly as he led her again.

They walked to the dojo and Ranma opened the main doors. Inside, the dojo was filled with a soft light that seemed to emanate from a single candle standing on the floor in the center of the room. The red candle was a meter and a half tall and was three times wider than Ranma's wrist. It was extensively decorated with raised runes in gold lettering. Just in front of the candle was a small cloth-covered table, about knee high. The entire candle was softly glowing red and somehow warmed the entire room. Throughout the room, something sparkled in the air just at the edge of vision. "Ranma? What is this?" Akane asked.

He smiled and guided her into the room. She closed the door behind her. As it closed, a soft tinkling noise sounded around them. "It's something Hideo lent me. It's called the Serenity Candle. It creates a safe zone about itself as long as it burns. Mousse lit the Candle for me when he went to bed."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and asked archly: "Why does it smell like one of the Romance candles?"

He chuckled and answered: "Because the Candle accepts little vials of fragrance and it's loaded with the same fragrance that's in the Romance candles. Smells nice, doesn't it?"

"Mmmm…" Akane agreed.

Ranma gently pulled her in front of him so they faced the Candle. He put his arms about her waist and held her as they watched the Candle glow. She laid her hands over his. The tinkling in the air from the Serenity Candle surrounded them. As they stood there, any tension and weariness in their bodies flowed away. She nestled back against him, very aware of the young man holding her. "Cheat," she giggled softly to him. "You didn't need an oversized Romance candle to get my attention."

He chuckled. "Actually, I don't," he answered back. "Even though smells like a Romance candle, that's not its magic. It really removes stress – physical, mental, or spiritual – and blocks worries. It also makes a safe zone like a Ward to prevent interruptions as long as it's lit. It's very useful to meditate or concentrate on something." Ranma's eyes twinkled as he added: "Or even allow two people to focus just on each other. I wasn't sure how the wedding would go and I wanted some guaranteed quality time."

"Clever," she said mockingly and giggled. "That's an awfully powerful candle. We could have used several times over the past two years."

"As I said, I borrowed it from Hideo and had to promise to be careful with it," he told her. "It's something he's worked on over the years. Somehow, he can re-build whatever is melted away, but I didn't ask how." He paused for a second and then added: "I did buy a Romance candle and then decided it wasn't a good idea." She looked at him quizzically, so he took a deep breath and continued: "The candle makes you extra considerate of your partner among other things."

She nodded and said: "Yes, but I don't think most people would see a problem there."

He rubbed the back of his neck (while still holding her with one arm) and seemed a little embarrassed – the Candle allowed his mind to work around his embarrassment though (something he counted on). "Normally, that's not an issue," he said. "But just after the Bachelor Party, we had a chat about limits and boundaries," She nodded her head. "And I told you I was very happy with what made you comfortable – and I am." She nodded again. "What I didn't tell you was that if you said you were happy to remove all boundaries, I'd be ecstatic," he confessed.

Her eyes widened and she said: "Oh…"

He quickly put two fingers on her lips and rushed on: "Akane, if we lived in the US, I'd want to be married to you NOW. I'd be trying to talk you into an elopement or at least into a proper ceremony as fast as we could. As far as I'm concerned, I'm ready. I love you and I want you. Over the last few months, everything has solidified for me. I'm done – you're it beyond any shadow of a doubt. How we work together, how we play together, even how we fight together…you're tied into me on so many levels, I can't imagine life any other way."

He took a deep breath and continued: "And I feel like an idiot for some of the things I use to say to you. 'Flat as a board'? The only thing flat about you is your stomach. 'Built like a brick house'? Only because you are 'stacked'. I still tease you that your 'broad enough', and you treat it as a joke, but to me you are broad enough – your hips are perfect. I find everything about you from your hair to your feet perfect. And your smile – oh god, your smile – Kasumi looked beautiful in her wedding gown, but when you smile, you are the most gorgeous woman in the world. You have her so completely beat it's not funny. You walk into the room and my body is at attention. You have *no idea* how much that use to throw me."

Akane looked at him with her mouth slightly open, so he bent down and gave her a quick kiss to close it. It worked, but now a sweet smile was quivering on her lips. He went on: "Even now, you're not really surprised. You're surprised that I confessed this to you, but you're not surprised that I feel this way about you. You know how I feel about you even though you like to be told every now and then. Inside, you know." She slowly nodded her head at him. He took a deep breath again and plunged on: "And that's the problem." She dropped her eyes and blushed as what he was trying to say struck home. He turned her to face him directly.

"You love me," he stated as he took both her hands. She nodded her head again still looking downward. "You'd do anything for me. If we went all the way tonight – if we made love – you'd be all right with it, but it's not your first choice – yet. But because you know how I feel, because you know what I want, because you're right on the edge yourself, it wouldn't take much to convince you – or for you to take it upon yourself, even if I never said a word." He reached into his jacket and pulled out the Romance candle. "Because of what you already know, all it would take is this." Her face was flaming now.

"Our whole courtship has been about choice. We decide, not our circumstances and definitely not our parents," he said softly. "I want to be your choice. When we make love, I want it to be your first choice – not something I talked you into, or something you felt you had to do to make me happy." He held the candle out to her. "This is my choice. I'm ready. And I can wait – as I said – happily. " He placed his other hand under her chin and gently lifted her face to look at him. "At least until our wedding night," he said with a grin. She pressed her lips into her own tight grin and the blush faded a little. "If you're ready before then, you can use this candle – you have my permission and you know what I want. But not tonight. Tonight we set the rules. Tonight's off limits." She nodded her head again while still looking at him and he started to withdraw his hand holding the candle.

Her hand shot out and snatched the candle away from him. "Mine!" she insisted mischievously with her cheeks still glowing somewhat.

He looked surprised for a moment, but the grin came back again. "Yours," he agreed softly. She moved forward to kiss him, but as she did, midnight bells began to toll in the distance.

Ranma put a finger to her lips again to stop her and whispered a command: "Listen."

"To what?" she asked quizzically.

"The bells. It's midnight. New Year's Day is done. Your sister's day is done. She's a married woman now. A new day has started and it could be anyone's day."

"What are you talking about?" she half-laughed.

"You'll see," he said. He let go of her and moved closer to the Candle. Ranma knelt down and pulled the cloth off of the small table. Under it was a CD player. Ranma placed the CD player on top of the small table. He stood up, held out his hand, and asked: "Great lady, may I have this dance?"

Akane looked bemused at him and took his hand. He took the Romance candle from her other hand and half-knelt to place it next to the CD player. He then hit 'Play' and a song began. Akane immediately recognized the intro and her eyes widened. "Oh Ranma!" she breathed at him. He pulled her to himself and they started to dance to the song. The intro repeated once and then the singer began:

"I know just how to whisper, and I know just how to cry;" (6)

Akane gave a little start as the singer was not the expected male voice. Instead, it was a very familiar female voice. She looked at Ranma in surprise and he grinned at her. "Nabiki says I can't carry a tune in a bucket when I'm male, but even she admits I do a nice job when I'm female," he told her.

Akane gave him a smile and said softly: "Yes, you do." She tucked her head under his chin and continued to dance with him. As the song built, so did the warm feeling in her veins. "Cheat," she thought to herself. "You know me too well." She made no effort to curb her feelings, letting it match the feelings so obvious in Ranma's voice and in Ranma himself as he held her. The Serenity Candle glowed in response to their feelings. Its light somehow blunted the effects of their hormones, keeping their thoughts clear. This clarity only made their Love resonate stronger, emphasizing its strength and filling them both with wonder. Just before the guitar cut loose, she looked up into Ranma's eyes. She still saw the passion hiding there that had mesmerized her once before, but even more, she saw the depth of his Love for her shining in them. She needed no prompting as she stretched up to kiss him and he ducked his head to meet her lips. They held each other tightly, never wanting to let go as they lost themselves in the kiss.

Eventually, the song ended. Sometime after that, they broke the kiss and just held each other again. When they, finally stopped and eased up a little, Akane said to him: "Let me go back to my room and I'll get my pajamas and a change of clothes."

"I already moved a set to my room with your running clothes, but we're not done here," he replied as he continued to hold her.

She smirked at him. "A little presumptuous, wouldn't you say? And what do we need to do here that can't be done in a nice warm bed?"

"This," he said dropping to one knee and taking her hand. Her eyes widened as he reached into an outside pocket. "Yesterday was your sister's day. Today, January 2nd, is your day – it's the day I ask you this…."

Akane eyes widened further and she began trembling despite the Serenity Candle. Ranma smiled again and pulled out a small box doing his best to control his own shaking (even with the aid of the Candle). He opened it to display a beautiful engagement ring. It consisted of a half-carat diamond surrounded by three smaller red rubies set in white gold on a gold band. Akane's eyes began tearing, and the Candle began glowing brighter as it tried to smooth out excessive emotions and allow for clear thought. Ranma spoke: "Akane Tendo, I love you more than I know how to say. I don't know if we were always destined to marry each other, and I don't care. I say we make our own destiny. I want you to be the one I face life with. I want you by my side forever. I want you and your love for me. I swear I'll do my best to be a good husband. I'll support you through your challenges in life. I'll stay by your side forever. Wherever we go, we go together. Please, Akane, please marry me!" Akane mouth popped opened and her trembling got worse.

The Serenity Candle forced Akane's mind to stay crystal clear and her thoughts began moving at blinding speed. "O.K.," she thought. "The Candle was a lovely gesture, but I know who I want. I've known for a long time now – I don't have to think about it! And I've had enough of peace and tranquility! This is my proposal and I'll scream and shout if I want! Bring on the Passion!" Akane dove forward at her fiancé and her Power reached out to the Candle. The Candle's light flared up and blew out as Ranma did his best to not lose the ring despite his fiancée rushing him. In the sudden darkness, there was the sound of two bodies colliding against each other, and then against the floor – hard. Akane cried out: "YES, YOU DUMMY!"

This was followed by the sound of a young man trying to catch his breath and laugh at the same time as his fiancée was smothering him in kisses….

A/N: Footnotes:

1) In Chapter 3 of the Bachelor Party ("The Bar"), Tomo played a prank on his Teacher, Shiran, a seven-tailed Kitsune. Ranma got caught in the prank as well. Feel free to read the story – while the story has a rating of "M", that particular chapter is more a "T" (or even "K").

2) Happened in "The Date".

3) Lady Hoshi and Lady Noa were introduced toward the end of "The Bachelor Party". Definitely "M" rated chapters. Lady Hoshi is the head of a Kunoichi (female ninjas) house in Tokyo. As far as "armies" go, I'm differentiating between Lady Hoshi's Kunoichi and the male ninjas who mostly work for Toshio Kuno. The mercenaries are Tofu's friends and were featured in "The Bachelor Party". The two remaining "armies" were the Nerima Martial Artists (see "To Serve and Protect in Nerima" for more about them) and Ojima's police officers.

4) Sasuke's job since "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome" has been to watch over the Tendo and Ono families. He really works for Toshio Kuno, the true head of the Kuno family and the elder brother of Principal Kuno.

5) The Summoning occurred at the end of "The Destruction of Ranma Saotome – Ignition."

6) As mentioned in an earlier chapter, the song is "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (written by Jim Steinman, 1983), first made famous by the Australian group Air Supply.

A/N: I think there's one more chapter left in this tale. Keep an eye open for "The Aftermath."