Ranma & Ukyo's Cupid

Chapter 9. Mother

The sun rose in Nerima, Dr. Tofu was up early as usual. But today was different from most days, today his patient was Ranma's mother.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as Nodoka woke up.

"I'm ready to see my son now." she said.

"Whoa there, we'll go see him. But first let me take a look at that injury." he said.

"I'm fine doctor, really." she assured him.

"Yeah, you look pretty good. I don't think you hit that pole very hard. But be more careful next time, okay?"

"Yes, I will. Please, take me to see my son now. I haven't seen him in years." she begged.

"Alright, alright. Let me get ready, and then we'll go." Tofu said.

XXX

"Hey Ukyo, make me some of those pancake things you told me about." Yuzuki said.

"Okay Yuzuki, but first I need to see if you have the right ingredients." she said.

Ukyo looked through Yuzuki's cabinets.

"Oh my God Yuzuki! You have some Count Chocula!" Ukyo exclaimed.

"Yeah... Um, I think that's been in there quite a while actually. You might not wanna eat it." Yuzuki replied.

Ukyo checked the expiration date. It read January 19, 2013. After throwing away half the items in the cabinet, Ukyo found the ingredients to make pancakes. Thankfully they weren't expired, but she was still missing one key ingredient.

"Hmmm, you don't have any maple syrup." Ukyo said.

"Well let's go get some!" Yuzuki exclaimed. She was really excited to try pancakes for the first time.

XXX

As usual, Ranma was up before Genma. He wanted to meet his mother, but if what Genma said about having to commit seppuku was true, he needed to figure out a plan. Plus, on top of all that, he needed to find a new place to stay.

"If only Ukyo hadn't lost her place." he thought. "Well, I can't stay at the Cat Café and I wouldn't dream of staying at the Kuno's. I guess I better go talk to Daisuke."

Ranma headed over to Daisuke's house. He had only been there once or twice. Daisuke's father worked out of town and he was an only child. His mother's name was Sakiko. Ranma walked up and rang the doorbell.

"Ding! Diddity ding! Diddity ding! Diddity ding dong!" the newly installed doorbell rang.

"Oh Ranma, it's you. Come on in. I'll go get Daisuke." Sakiko said upon answering the door.

Seeing someone else's mother made Ranma sad. He wanted to see his own, which reminded him of Akane, who had lost her mother at a young age.

"That must have hurt her so much." he thought.

"Get your sorry ass out of bed you lazy idiot!" Ranma heard from upstairs.

A groggy Daisuke came down still dressed in his pajamas, "Oh, hey Ranma. What's up?"

"Well," he started, "I kind of got kicked out of the Tendo's house."

"What!? How come?" Daisuke asked.

Ranma explained to them what happened.

"I'm glad to see you've started to take a healthy interest in females." Sakiko said. "Daisuke here hasn't brought home a single girl! I'm starting to worry he's gay."

"Mom!" Daisuke groaned.

"Oh, my poor boy. What ever happened to you?" she sobbed in an overly dramatic fashion. "If only you would take an interest in girls!"

"Come on Ranma, let's go up to my room. Away from her!" Daisuke said stomping up the stairs.

The walls in Daisuke's room were covered with posters of women in bikinis. He also had eleven lava lamps, each different colors. Daisuke sat down at his computer, quickly clicking off what he had been viewing earlier.

"What was that?" Ranma asked.

"Nothing! So, anyways, you need a place to crash for a couple of days pal?" he asked.

"Yeah, it would be a big help." Ranma replied.

"Fine, you can stay here." Daisuke told him.

"Really?" Ranma asked. "Thanks! You're a real pal."

"On one condition..." Daisuke added.

"And that would be?" Ranma asked with narrowed eyes.

"Change into a girl and pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my mom so she won't think I'm gay!" Daisuke begged.

"HELL NO! What the hell is wrong with you dude!?" Ranma shouted.

"Come on! You don't have to do anything! Just walk in with me so she'll see me with a girl. Please?" he begged again.

"Okay, but don't you DARE ask me to do anything further or I'll"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Daisuke said on the verge of weeping.

Ranma sighed, "Should've went to Hiroshi's house."

XXX

Tofu and Nodoka walked to the front door and rang the bell of the Tendo household.

"Coming!" Kasumi called as she came and opened the door.

"Oh, Dr. Tofu." she said.

At the sight of Kasumi, Tofu immediately began acting crazy and did the macarena dance.

"Dr. Tofu, who is your friend here?" she asked.

"This is the Queen of Sheba my dear goldfish." he answered, still doing the macarena.

"Um, what happened to him?" Nodoka asked.

Nabiki heard Kasumi say Tofu's name and knowing he would fall to pieces, ran to go defuse the situation.

"Please come in ma'am." she said, leading Nodoka into the house.

"I'm a little teapot short and stout." Tofu sang as he ran away.

"Goodbye. See you sometime soon Dr. Tofu." Kasumi said cheerfully as she waved to him.

She returned to the house where Akane, Nabiki, and their father were sitting.

"So tell us, who do we have the honor of welcoming as a guest in our house today?" Soun asked.

The woman bowed, "Thank you. My name is Nodoka. Nodoka Saotome. I'm Ranma Saotome's mother. I was told by the doctor that he lives here."

Everyone's eyes got big and a look of panic shot across their faces.

Soun cleared his throat, "Um well, yes. He did live here. Until..."

"You mean he isn't here!?" she interjected.

"Well no! No, that's not what I meant at all!" Soun assured her.

"So he does live here?" she asked relieved.

"Well, something like that." he answered.

"So where is he? Can I see him now? I haven't seen him since he was a baby." she asked excitedly.

Everyone exchanged looks with each other, unsure of what to do.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Where is my son?"

"Um, well you see." Soun said.

"He went on a training trip with his father!" Nabiki exclaimed, thinking quickly.

"Yes! That's it! They went on a training trip together." Soun agreed.

Nodoka frowned. "Oh I see. I so wanted to see him today."

The girls felt sorry for her, so they huddled together and made a plan.

"Let's split up and go look for Ranma." Kasumi said. The others agreed and they went out looking for him.

"We're going out now, bye father!" Nabiki called as they ran out the door.

"Girls, wait! I..." he called out, but they were already gone.

XXX

"Okay Ranma, just act like you're leaving to go get something in town. Then come back in your girl form and ask for me. Okay, that's all you've got to do." Daisuke said.

"You owe me big time for this and you best not ever tell anyone or else!" Ranma warned him.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed. Besides, it wouldn't look good for me either ya know." Daisuke reminded him.

So, Ranma feigned going into town and changed into a girl. He waited a little while then came back and rang the doorbell.

"Ding! Diddity ding! Diddity ding! Diddity ding dong!" said the doorbell.

"Coming!" Sakiko called.

"What a weird doorbell." Ranma thought.

When Daisuke's mother opened the door, her jaw dropped. A little redheaded bombshell was standing there.

"Can I see Daisuke please?" Ranma asked in a cutesy voice.

"Oh my goodness yes!" she exclaimed and ran full speed upstairs tripping and falling.

"Daisuke! Get your absolute best clothes on, brush your teeth and for God's sake, pluck those damn nose hairs! We have a special guest!" she yelled.

Ranma sighed, "How do I always end up in these kind of situations?"

Ranma waited a while, finally Daisuke came down dressed in a tux. Ranma wanted to groan but he needed a place to stay and he had agreed to do this. So, he put his best smile on and acted happy to see him.

"You two have fun now." Sakiko said.

"Well, since we're out, and we have to stay out a while, why don't we head to the park?" Daisuke suggested.

"Okay, but don't you dare tell anyone you're out with me on a date or anything! Got that?" Ranma warned.

"Don't worry, we'll probably just run into people from school anyways." Daisuke assured him.

XXX

"Where could Ranma be?" Akane wondered. She knew it would hurt to see him again, but she had to find him for his mother's sake. She, like the other Tendo sisters, couldn't bear the thought of a mother and child separated. Like they were.

Akane decided to go up into the woods where she knew Ranma liked to go. She found his usual spot but Ranma wasn't there, instead it was Genma.

"Oh, Mr. Saotome." she said.

"Hello Akane." he said glumly.

"Where's Ranma?" she asked.

"I don't know. He took off while I was sleeping. We're probably going to leave town soon." he replied.

"Oh no, you can't! Your wife, his mother, she came to the house looking for him today." Akane said.

"Yes, I'm aware." Genma replied.

"Well if you know, then why haven't you went to see her yet!?" Akane growled.

"Well you see, when I took Ranma away as a child, I promised I would turn him into a man among men. If I did not, Ranma and I were both to commit seppuku." Genma replied solemnly.

"You can't be serious." Akane groaned.

"Yes, and with Ranma a girl half the time and working at his job as a girl, wearing a skimpy outfit no less! We'll have to commit seppuku for sure!" Genma sobbed.

"But you can't just avoid her. Besides, I'm sure she won't make you commit seppuku." Akane said.

"Oh no, she's deadly serious about it." Genma warned.

Akane sighed and went back to searching for Ranma.

"Can he really be telling the truth? Seppuku?" she wondered.

XXX

"These are delicious! I love 'em!" Yuzuki exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Ukyo replied.

"And this maple syrup stuff. So good." Yuzuki said.

"I know, I'd never heard of it before. Apparently it's a popular breakfast item in America." Ukyo added.

"So, what are we doing today?" Ukyo asked.

"Let's go to the park!" Yuzuki suggested.

XXX

Akane met back up with Nabiki and Kasumi.

"Any sign of him?" Nabiki asked.

"No, not yet." Kasumi replied.

"I found Genma." Akane said.

"You did? Did he say where Ranma went?" Nabiki asked.

"He didn't know. But listen, he told me that he made a promise to Ranma's mom that if Ranma wasn't a man among men, he and Ranma would both commit seppuku!" Akane said.

"Well, Ranma is pretty manly if I do say so myself." Kasumi replied.

"Yeah, except for turning into a girl and working at a restaurant in a skimpy outfit that flashes his pink panties." Nabiki added.

"Surely she wouldn't make her own son kill himself." Kasumi asked, "Would she?"

"We've got to ask her." Akane said.

The three girls walked into the living room where Nodoka was. As soon as she saw them she rushed up to them.

"Is he back yet?" she asked hopefully.

They shook their heads and she frowned. Akane stepped forward and spoke to her.

"Mrs. Saotome, Mr. Saotome told me something. He said that if he didn't make Ranma a man among men, you'd force them to commit seppuku. Surely that's not true, is it?" she asked.

"Oh yes! Absolutely! I made a solemn promise and I intend to keep it no matter what! If Ranma isn't a man among men, him and Genma both die!" Nodoka assured her.

The Tendo girls exchanged shocked looks and then went into another room to talk.

"I can't believe she's serious about this!" Akane exclaimed.

"Oh no, what should we do?" Kasumi asked, very worried.

"Let's lie to her!" Nabiki suggested.

Akane and Kasumi glared at her.

"Hey, it was just an idea people!" she retorted.

XXX

Ranma and Daisuke were walking along in the park, when suddenly, they ran into Ukyo and Yuzuki.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Yuzuki asked.

"Just strollin' through the park hot stuff." Daisuke answered.

"Ukyo, I need to talk to you about something, alone." Ranma said.

"Sure, Ranchan. What's up?" she asked as they walked away from the other two.

"I got thrown out." he said.

"What!?" she exclaimed, "How come?"

"Nabiki saw us leave together. The whole family confronted me about it, so I just went ahead and told them the truth. Soun told me to either break up with you or leave. So I left." he said.

"Ranma." she said hugging him.

He didn't say anything, he just embraced her.

"What will you do now? Where will you stay?" she asked.

"Well I'm staying with Daisuke the next few days. After that, I have no idea. But I'll figure something out. So don't worry, okay?" he replied.

"How can I not worry?" she asked.

"Things will work out, they always do." he assured her.

Meanwhile, Sakiko was making dinner.

"Oh no. I'm all out of salt. I'll have to run into town and get some real quick." she said.

XXX

In the meantime, the Tendo girls had returned to searching for Ranma.

"Where could that boy be?" Nabiki wondered. She was really beginning to regret her decision to tell Akane she had seen Ranma and Ukyo together.

"Did I make the right decision?" she wondered.

Akane went to look for Ranma under the bridge. But he wasn't around.

"That's odd. This is one of his favorite spots." she thought.

Then she began to panic and wondered, "Surely he didn't leave town? But where would he go if he did?"

Dr. Tofu was just starting to calm down when Kasumi walked past him on her search for Ranma. As soon as he saw her, he went to pieces again. He ran into the nearest restaurant, yanked the table-cloth off, tied it around his neck like a cape and took off running yelling, "El Boquerone Hombre rides again!"

"That silly Tofu." Kasumi giggled.

XXX

Ranma, Ukyo, Yuzuki, and Daisuke were walking along chatting with each other, when they ran into Daisuke's mom Sakiko.

"Oh my! Daisuke, are you seeing all three of these lovely ladies!?" she asked excitedly.

"No!" both Ukyo and Yuzuki exclaimed.

"Oh, so just the redhead then?" she asked.

"Mom! Can you not embarrass me?" Daisuke groaned.

"Oh okay sweetie. I'll be on my way now. Have fun with your girlfriend." she said walking off.

"What the hell Ranma!?" Ukyo asked.

"Well..." he said, putting his hand behind his head and laughing.

"Well?" she asked again sternly.

"Well you see," Daisuke started, "I hadn't brought home a girl yet, and..."

"You went for the next best thing and chose Ranma!? You sicko!" Yuzuki interjected.

"NO!" he yelled then continued, "Now if I may FINISH! Since I hadn't brought a girl home, mom was worried I was gay, so..."

"Are you? It's okay if you are, I accept you." Yuzuki said.

Daisuke glared at her.

"Okay okay. I'll let you finish." she said.

"Ahem. Since I hadn't brought a girl home yet, my mom was worried I was gay and since Ranma needed a place to stay, I asked if he could pretend to be a girl asking me out so my mom would get off my back." he said.

"Why didn't you ask me? I'd have done it for you." Yuzuki said.

"Really?" Daisuke asked excitedly.

"Sure." she said. "As long as it was for pretend."

"Oh." he frowned, disappointed.

After walking together for a while they split up and went back home. As they were walking home, Ukyo turned to Yuzuki and said, "You like him, don't you?"

"What? Who?" she asked, flustered.

"Daisuke."

"Are you crazy!? No way I'd ever like that loser!" Yuzuki exclaimed.

"No, I can tell. You're not like me though, you're more like Akane." Ukyo said.

"You've totally lost it Ukyo. I have no feelings for him at all! None!"

"Whatever you say Yuzuki." she replied smiling.

As he and Ranma were walking home, Ranma turned to Daisuke and said, "You like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't stand a chance in hell with her. It's hopeless." he despaired.

Ranma wanted to give his friend some advice, but he couldn't think of any. Girls just seemed naturally attracted to him. Guys too, much to his dismay.

XXX

The Tendo girl trio met back up.

"No sign of him?" Nabiki asked.

"None." Akane frowned.

"I'm sorry Akane, I'm sure he'll turn up soon." Kasumi said.

"But what about Mrs. Saotome?" she asked.

"I think we should tell her the truth." Kasumi stated.

"But Kasumi, you heard what she said. She's serious about seppuku. We can't tell her the truth!" Nabiki exclaimed.

"Not about that, but about Ranma leaving. So she knows he no longer lives here." she answered.

The girls talked it over with their father and it was agreed. They would tell her about Ranma and Ukyo and that he was no longer staying there. Also, that they did not know his current whereabouts.

"Oh, I see." she said after they informed her. "I'm sorry to hear that my son conducted himself in such a manner, breaking his engagement. I should have known not to leave him solely in the hands of that Genma."

She got up to leave, turning and saying, "Well, thank you for your time and for telling me the truth. I'll continue my search now."

None of the Tendos were sure what to say to her, so they just let her go. Akane became even more determined to find Ranma.

"We need to get Ranma back." she declared. "Even if it's just so he can meet his mother."

XXX

The next morning came and it was back to school. It was a lonely walk for Akane. Nabiki was with her, but she missed Ranma.

"You don't know what you have until it's gone, eh sis?" she asked.

"I wish you hadn't said anything. I wouldn't mind him going for Ukyo, as long as... as long as he was still here with me. As long as he was with me I could fight for him." Akane said.

"I know, I'm sorry sis." Nabiki said hugging her tight.

"I know, thanks!" Akane replied hugging her back.

"And don't you dare tell anyone about me hugging you, got it?" Nabiki added.

"Right right, my lips are sealed. So don't worry." she assured her.

Meanwhile, Ukyo and Yuzuki were also on their way.

"Why don't you go talk to him today?" Ukyo suggested.

"Talk to who?" Yuzuki asked.

"You know, Daisuke." she replied.

"I told you, I'm not interested in that loser!" Yuzuki said angrily.

Ukyo smiled and they walked on. Meanwhile...

"Come on Ranma, we're gonna be late!" Daisuke said impatiently.

"Coming!" he yelled and ran down the stairs.

They barely made it to class as the bell rang.

"Damnit Ranma! Next time I'm leaving without you." Daisuke said.

"Sorry." he replied. Ranma had actually been late on purpose to avoid talking to anyone. Especially one person in particular, Akane.

During class, Akane kept staring at Ranma. Even though it hurt to look at him, she just couldn't stop. He tried to ignore her, it seemed like things were over between them. Over before they had really even began.

Ukyo stared at Ranma like she always did. But she also noticed Akane staring too. She didn't like it, but she wasn't worried about it too much. She hated that Ranma had been kicked out, but honestly it was very good for her because it got Ranma away from her strongest rival. She didn't worry about Shampoo or Kodachi, Ranma showed no interest in them. But he did show interest in Akane, even if only a little.

Daisuke stared at Yuzuki's butt. He didn't know it, but she was actually positioning herself just so that he could stare at her. The truth is she wanted him to stare, but she'd never admit that.

Ranma tried not to stare at anyone, but he did shoot glances at Ukyo every now and then. Yuka and Sayuri were watching Ranma and Akane carefully. Hiroshi stared at every girl.

Lunchtime came and everyone broke up into their little groups. Ukyo and Yuzuki, Akane with Yuka and Sayuri, Ranma with Hiroshi and Daisuke, and Gosunkugi with nobody.

"Come on, go talk to him!" Ukyo said.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! I have no interest in that loser!" Yuzuki told her.

Ukyo squinted her eyes at her, "I can tell that you try to get him to stare at you."

"What? But how?" she asked.

"I do the same thing with Ranma, so does Akane." Ukyo replied.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the school grounds.

"Akane, did something happen between you and Ranma?" Sayuri asked.

"No." Akane mumbled.

"You sure? You seem down." Yuka said.

"I don't want to talk about it." she said.

"I need to talk to Ranma about his mom." Akane thought. While he was talking with Hiroshi and Daisuke, she went to him and asked to talk to him alone.

"Hey, do you see what I see Ukyo?" Yuzuki asked.

"Uh oh, Akane's talking with Ranma alone. That can't be good. She must be trying to win him back." she said.

"Ranma, I..." Akane began. "Look, there's something important I need to tell you."

"What is it Akane?" he asked as his heart started pounding.

"Why do I feel this way?" he asked himself.

"Ranma, it's your mother. She came by our house yesterday looking for you. We went out looking for you but couldn't find you anywhere. She really wanted to see you."

"I know, but I can't. I know it seems cruel, but I have my reasons." he replied.

"I know Ranma. Mr. Saotome told me about the seppuku thing. But still, you could at least talk to her for a few moments, at least let her see you. Not everyone can see their mothers you know." she said as tears ran down her face.

"She's crying, she must really want him back bad." Yuka commented to Sayuri. Yuzuki said the same to Ukyo.

"Go Akane!" Sayuri cheered in her head.

What Ranma did next shocked the eavesdroppers and onlookers alike. He embraced Akane in a hug and held her. But before anyone could say anything, the bell rang and the mad dash to return to class on time began. Ukyo wasn't very happy with what she had just seen, Sayuri and Yuka were both excited about it. Akane couldn't be happy about it, she missed her mother too much. Ranma missed his mother too.

XXX

After school, Ukyo and Ranma walked to work together. Ukyo was hesitant to say anything to Ranma, but then finally asked him, "Ranma honey, what's the deal with you hugging Akane?"

"The other day my mother showed up. I haven't seen her since I was a baby. I don't even remember her." he said.

"Well go talk to her! I'm sure me and Konatsu can handle it today. We'll cover for you." she told him.

"Well you see, there's a problem. When my father took me away to go training, he promised her that he would make me a man among men. That, or we'd have to commit seppuku."

"I think you're incredibly manly Ranchan." she said.

"But I turn into a girl and am working a job as one." he said.

"Do you really think that she'd make her own son commit seppuku over a dumb curse?" Ukyo asked.

"I don't know. But I think so." he said solemnly.

Ukyo frowned, "I see. I don't know what to tell you then."

"Akane told me to go see her anyways, even if it's just for a few minutes. She lost her mother when she was very young, that's why she started crying and also why I hugged her." he said.

"Oh I see. I'm sorry Ranchan, I was jealous earlier but I shouldn't have been." Ukyo said.

Ranma stopped and hugged her. "It's okay Ucchan, I'd be jealous of you hugging someone too."

It was another hectic day at Okonomiyaki Miyaki's. The restaurant attracted a lot of wild characters with even wilder appetites.

"I'll have one with squid, turnips, and bull's testicles!" a man shouted.

"Bull's testicles! How gross!" Ukyo exclaimed in disgust.

"Is there anything you don't serve here Konatsu?" Ranma asked.

"Miyaki keeps around a jar of everything. You never know what a customer will want." Konatsu replied.

Ukyo jumped and tossed the squid, turnip, and bull testicle okonomiyaki. When she flung it, one of the testicles went flying off and landed on a woman's plate. The woman screamed at the top of her lungs and fainted. Her husband picked up her plate and flung it at the man who ordered the putrid okonomiyaki.

"You bastard! Do you kiss your wife after eating that crap!?" the husband exclaimed.

The other man replied by pulling down his pants and mooning him, to which the woman's husband replied by kicking him and knocking him to the ground.

"Yow!" the man hollered in pain.

The woman's husband then turned to Ukyo, "You! You were the one who threw it wrong! You're gonna pay!"

The man charged toward Ukyo, but then Ranma jumped in front of him and said, "One step closer toward her and I'll jam this jar of testicles straight down your throat you son of a bitch!"

"Ranma..." Ukyo gasped, shocked by his unusual display of aggression.

"I've never seen her like this!" Konatsu commented.

The angry man backed down and left with his tail tucked between his legs. Ranma turned toward the other man and shouted, "Get lost!"

The restaurant was silent after that, until Ukyo said, "Thanks Ranchan."

"You're welcome Ucchan. You know I'll protect you." he replied.

"Aww, how sweet you two are!" Konatsu said, causing them both to blush.

The rest of the day was uneventful, or at least as uneventful as it can get working at Okonomiyaki Miyaki's!

"Whew! Today was rough." Ukyo said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"You guys handled yourselves well today." Konatsu said.

"Isn't there something you can do about these rowdy customers?" Ranma asked.

"Sorry, Miyaki makes the rules here." Konatsu replied.

XXX

"Akane, your bangs are starting to get in your eyes. Would you like me to trim your hair for you?" asked Kasumi.

"No, I think I'll grow my hair back out." she replied.

Akane went upstairs and viewed herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Maybe Ranma will like it if my hair is long again. Maybe Nabiki can help me figure out another style too." she thought to herself smiling.

XXX

Nodoka walked down the street crestfallen, she had really hoped to find Ranma. As she was walking, she came to the construction site of a hot springs resort. Without paying attention, she accidentally moved the lever that controlled the water causing it to explode, shooting hot water everywhere. At just the precise time this was happening, Ranma was walking by the same construction site, and leapt into the air and caught her.

"I've got ya!" he said landing on the ground with her in his arms.

"Oh my! Thank you young man!" Nodoka said as he sat her back on her feet.

Nodoka stared at this young man, something about him seemed familiar. Ranma felt it too as he stared back.

"Young man, what is your name?" she asked.

"Its Ranma." he replied, "Ranma Saotome."

Nodoka's eyes grew very large and filled with tears. She grabbed him tight and squeezed.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he asked.

"Ranma, it's me! Your mother Nodoka! I've missed you so badly!" she exclaimed.

"Mother? Is it really you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, your father is Genma right?" she asked.

"Well, yeah." Ranma couldn't believe his father was actually married to such a beautiful woman. How did he pull it off?

"I can't believe I finally found you! We have so much to catch up on!" she said cheerfully.

"Oh no!" Ranma thought, "The curse! If she finds out... Seppuku!"

"What should I do!?" Ranma panicked as Nodoka took him by the hand and led him back to her house.

When they got to her home, she immediately began cooking dinner. "I hope you're hungry!"

"Wow!" thought Ranma when she brought the food to him, "Her cooking is fantastic! She's the only person I know of who cooks better than Kasumi! Maybe she could teach Akane to cook... NAH!"

"We have so much to catch up on! Tell me, how are your grades?" asked Nodoka.

"Uh oh." thought Ranma, "Well you know, they're..."

"You're not failing are you?" she asked sternly.

"Nope! I have straight D's!" bragged Ranma.

Nodoka fell over nearly fainting. Ranma rushed to grab her.

"Mom! What's wrong?"

"Such... terrible... grades..." she whispered, a large sweat drop appeared on Ranma's head.

After she recovered, Nodoka said, "Well, we will certainly have to work on those grades of yours! But I won't hold it against you. Its to be expected after all, having left you in Genma's hands."

"Sorry, but at least he did train me well in martial arts!" Ranma said.

"Yes, I would like to see your skills." Nodoka said enthusiastically.

"I really need to think of a way out of here, before something bad happens!" Ranma thought.

Ranma clasped his mother's hands and said, "Mother, I know it has been a long time, but I really need to go on one last training trip with father. Then we can catch up on everything."

With that, Ranma left, and he had only one thing on his mind. Going back to China.

XXX

All this talk of mothers reminded Ukyo of how long it had been since she had seen her own mother.

"How long has it been?" she wondered aloud on her way to Yuzuki's.

That night, Ukyo decided to write her mother a letter.

Dear mother,

How have you been? It's been a long time since I've talked to you or father. I've been doing a lot better recently, for the most part. Ranma finally asked me out, with a little help from Yuzuki of course! Things are going good between us, although I can tell Ranma isn't completely over Akane yet. But I've been dealing with that since the day I got here. I also won the Martial Arts Bouquet Catching Tournament!

The only bad news is that I lost my restaurant. I made a big mistake and wagered it in a contest against a competing okonomiyaki restaurant and lost. But now me and Ranma are working together at another restaurant so I don't mind it a whole lot, although there are some aspects of the restaurant's style that I could do without! Anyways, hope to hear from you soon. I miss you.

Love,

Ukyo

XXX