Author's Notes: I just realized some story/timeline inconsistencies in this chapter that surprisingly no one picked up on (or if they did, they didn't let me know). Here's the fixed version, as of May 16, 2009.

Chapter Eight

"Ranma! Where are you!" Akane's voice boomed throughout the Tendo home, causing a number of people to wince and cover their ears. Kasumi, as cheerful as ever, smiled as her youngest sisters came down the stairs fuming, and continued to set the lunch table.

"He's gone on a training trip, Akane-chan," Kasumi said as Akane sat down. "Don't you remember? You read his note, didn't you?"

"Right, that's why he went off and had to show up on TV with the Senshi!" Akane huffed in dismay. "I bet the pervert's just trying to get them to-"

"Or maybe Ranma-kun just ran across them needing help on his training trip," Nabiki commented as she came down the stairs.

Akane glared at her sister. "Like that pervert could actually help the Senshi, don't make me laugh. I bet you he's just using his training trip as an excuse to go grope other women, I swear he's worse than Happosai! I mean, why else would he go alone?!"

"Maybe, Akane-chan," Kasumi replied calmly, "because he didn't want the fathers to push you to come along, or them to come along, themselves. You do realize he said he probably wouldn't be back for a few weeks."

"You do know how that would've ended, right?" The middle Tendo daughter settled in at the table as Kasumi began serving lunch. Nabiki had been planning to tell Kasumi that Ranma had stopped by earlier, and that she might be meeting with him later that day, but with Akane there, that would have to wait. At least she'd managed to pass on all the information she'd managed to gather on the Senshi. Nabiki shuddered, it had cost her a small fortune to consolidate all that information on such short notice, but considering what Ranma seemed to believe they were up against, it would be an investment well worth it. Of course, just because he now had everything she could find out within a day, didn't mean that she would stop digging. She still didn't fully trust Setsuna, but Ranma had assured her that he'd met with Cologne earlier this morning and that they'd be working out a plan.

Lunch passed silently, with Akane still fuming about her fiancee's absence, but no one really took notice. Soun and Genma were surprisingly quiet, both of the elder Tendo sisters would have figured that they would have continued their crazy plans to retrieve Ranma and have him married to Akane from the day before.

"Soun, old friend," Genma finally said, "I've been thinking."

Didn't think you could, Nabiki thought to herself.

Without waiting for the Tendo patriarch to acknowledge him, Genma continued. "The whole situation with Ranma at this point is rather complicated, and after what happened a few months ago, he's been different. Maybe he should talk to Nodoka, she might be able to talk some sense into him, you know, get him to fulfill his duty and marry Akane."

"Hmm." Tendo Soun nodded thoughtfully. "You may be right, Genma. All of the pushing and shoving on our part hasn't worked so far, maybe his mother will be able to do something. Maybe if we tell her how dishonorable and deplorable he's been acting, in not marrying Akane. She'll be able to do something about it."

"You mean like cutting off his head, yes?" That, surprisingly, had come from Kasumi, who had beaten Nabiki to it by only a moment's hesitation. Both men looked up, surprised at the frosty tone in Kasumi's voice. Of course, to anyone else she merely sounded a little less cheerful than usual, but for the ever-unflappable Kasumi, that slight drop in tone indicated substantial displeasure. Nabiki smirked and decided to merely sit back and watch her older sister hand it to the two men. She knew Kasumi had been strongly opposed to the seppuku contract Genma had revealed; her will to keep Ranma alive was strong enough to actually bring her to convincingly lie to Nodoka every time the Saotome matriarch came around for a visit before she'd found out, and that took quite something, especially considering that Kasumi never lied.

Their father looked stunned for a moment, before replying. "No, Kasumi-chan, I'd never actually endanger Ranma-kun's life, but a talk with his mother might do him some good. He listens to her more than anyone else."

"And insinuating that Ranma-kun is acting dishonorably wouldn't?" Kasumi fixed a stare on her father.

"B-b-but no one would tell her that! All she'd do is talk some sense into him, get him to fulfill his honor-bound duty!" Soun protested.

"And we all know Ranma-kun's luck," Nabiki chimed in with a smirk. "Knowing his luck, someone's going to blurt it out by accident, or he's going to get attacked on purpose." She glanced at Akane meaningfully.

Kasumi nodded in agreement. "You do seem to have a tendency to accuse and hit Ranma-kun before thinking things through, Akane-chan."

"So? He makes me so mad sometimes, he deserves it!" Akane huffed. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Hmmm…think about it, Akane-chan," Nabiki commented from her side of the table. "He says something you don't like while he's talking to his mother, and you go smack him into the koi pond. Now, his mother can handle the transformation, but she doesn't need you telling her how much of a pervert he is – he gets enough of that crap from his father. Ranma can seriously handle everyone else, but you're the only one whose attacks he never dodges." Upon Akane's blank stare, Nabiki sighed and continued. "Ranma goes into koi pond, Ranko comes out, and you're yelling accusations. What do you think Auntie Nodoka is going to think then, hmm?"

"Are you saying I'm violent?"

"Actually, imouto-chan, I am." Nabiki held Akane's glare, and smirked. It'd take a lot more than that to intimidate her, after all. Knowing she'd lost the argument, Akane huffed and returned to eating.

Kasumi and Nabiki shared a glance, and the elder sister nodded ever so slightly. Nabiki chuckled and put down her chopsticks when she was done. "I'm going out to a friend's place today, and I'll probably be out late," she announced.

No one really paid any attention; it was Sunday, after all, and Akane wasn't the only one who frequently went out on her free days. A few minutes later, everyone had left the dining room except for Nabiki and Kasumi, when the older sister settled down across from Nabiki, who hadn't moved from her spot at the table.

"So, what's bothering you, Nabiki-chan?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Kasumi giggled. "Not really, but remember, I taught you. I know that expression."

"Good point." Nabiki sighed. "Ranma-kun's meeting up with the girls to train today."

"But that's good, isn't it?"

The younger of the two shrugged. "Under normal circumstances, yes. You know, he asked for my help. And he asked Cologne for help. That alone means that he's taking things very seriously. I haven't told anyone yet, but he stopped by earlier today, maybe two hours ago, asking me if I could help him find out as much as I could about the Senshi." Nabiki allowed herself a satisfied smirk. "Of course, I was a step ahead and had as much as I could compiled already, but what scares me, onee-chan, is the fact that some of them are supposed to be really, really powerful. One of them is rumored to be able to level entire cityblocks with ease, and if that's not enough against what we're going to be facing, then…"

"I think you're looking at it the wrong way, imouto-chan." Kasumi placed a calming hand on her sister's shoulder. Showing such worry was very unlike Nabiki, though Kasumi had guessed something about what Ranma had told her had been nagging her. Of course, she didn't have all the details, she only knew that Ranma was now involved in a struggle against something that even the famed Sailor Senshi had trouble dealing with. However, she had lived long enough with Ranma to know one thing about him, and that was that if the pigtailed martial artist put his mind to something, then there wasn't anything on the planet that could stop him.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that yes, the Senshi are most likely unbelievably powerful, however, from what Ranma told us last night, there is something that they're lacking, something that allows him to keep up with and surpass them, even. His skill." Kasumi smiled. "They are very strong, that is true, however, strength alone means nothing if you do not know how to apply it. That is the concept behind martial arts, right? That is why the Senshi need Ranma to help them, because he can show them how to use their powers better."

"Do you think he can do it?" Nabiki sighed. "I mean, I know he's really good and all, but from what that Setsuna woman tells me they're going up against someone who's bent on world domination – and actually prepared for total, all-out war." Ranma had given her a brief overview of the situation when he'd come to pick up the information on the Senshi, and what he'd told her hadn't been encouraging.

"Have you ever seen Ranma loose when it really counts?" Kasumi countered.

Nabiki thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, not realy. Sure, he's lost a few fights here and there, when he first meets a new opponent. But you're right, I've never seen him loose when it really mattered."

"Then there's your answer."

The sisters remained silent for a long moment, until Kasumi broke it again. "So, are you going to go see him later today?"

Nabiki nodded. "He said he's meeting with the Senshi at two," she glanced at her wristwatch. "I don't know how long it'll be, but I'm willing to bet he's going to go back to Cologne's afterward. They've got quite a bit of stuff to work out."

"So you'll meet him at the Neko-Hanten?"

"No, I think I'll go see how the training is going. If I leave now, I'll be able to make it to Juuban in an hour. I think I know where they're meeting, and you know the boy's hopeless when you leave him alone with a bunch of girls he doesn't consider family."

Kasumi pursed her lips. "I don't really think Ranma needs a chaperone, Nabiki. You know how honorable he is."

"True, but that won't save him from putting his foot in his mouth," Nabiki giggled. "Besides, I did promise to do my best to keep the others off his back. Might as well start the rumor mill right now, what do you think?"

Kasumi smiled mischievously. "What exactly did you have in mind, onee-chan?"

Nabiki smirked and leaned in close. "Well, Cologne will probably be able to keep Shampoo and Mousse in line, so the main problems are Kuno and Akane. Now, I had this idea…"


Akane hadn't exactly been in the best of moods ever since Ranma had up and left, leaving on a rather vague note that he would be gone on a training trip for a few weeks. So the pigtailed martial artist had only been missing since two days ago, and only since the afternoon, which wasn't really cause for concern. In fact, Akane hadn't even minded his absence, as it gave her some peace around the house. That is, until she had seen the newsfeed of a youma incursion in Juuban ward. That in itself wasn't anything new, after all Juuban was known to be a hub of extradimensional activity for some reason, and the Sailor Senshi had reached a status of some fame and notoriety that had spread throughout most of Tokyo. Akane slammed the door behind her as she entered her room, and sat down heavily on her bed.

No, what had Akane riled up was the fact that the newsfeed had shown the Senshi loosing rather badly to this new enemy, something Akane couldn't really understand. Ever since the Senshi had first showed up on the public radar a few years ago, she had been a fan of them, enamoured with the idea of a group of girls fighting for lofty ideals such as love and justice, and completely entranced with the power they so effortlessly wielded in the defense of Earth. The fact that they seemed so high above other "mortals" such as martial artists and other would-be defenders only added to her fascination with them, and the romance certainly was an allure of its own. Akane sighed dreamily as she thought of Tuxedo Kamen. While the man was more of a mystery than the rest of the Senshi – after all, he didn't appear to just any old battle, no, he only came when the ladies were in real, mortal danger – there was enough known about him that the public was aware that he was the bethrothed of Sailor Moon, and that apparently, he was tall, handsome, and chivalrous.

Not like that jerk that I'm supposed to marry, Akane snorted in disdain. She rather idolized the Senshi, for being what they were – public figures that were well-liked, powerful fighters, and loved and adored everywhere. I would love to be one of them. Fight for love and justice once, and show all these stupid boys what I'm made of. But even Akane was rooted in reality enough to realize that she wasn't even close to the Senshi in terms of raw power. They were people who could level buildings with a flick of their wrists, and send vile creatures running from them in abject terror with only a glare. In short, they were everything Akane had ever wanted to be.

The news broadcast of the battle the day before had shattered many of Akane's illusions. She had believed the Senshi to be invincible, able to overcome any threat that presented itself to them – after all, they appeared confident enough for it the few times reporters had managed to garner comments from them. Their magic was so powerful that collateral damage was almost always an issue; who would even think to stand against that kind of firepower? Then the TV had come on, Nabiki's urgent voice calling Kasumi from the kitchen. The eldest Tendo daughter had let out a horrified gasp that had attracted Akane, and she had come pounding down the stairs to the living room.

Only to promptly freeze in shock at the scene on the TV. The image was slightly blurred and shaky, the cameraman most likely shaking in terror at the scene before him. It was clear enough to see that three of the Senshi were pouring their attacks into a giant hole in the ground, to no avail. Akane couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen as the new youma tore through the Senshi's assault as if it were nothing more than a slight breeze, knocking them aside with frightening ease as it prepared to impale a figure in a red and white fuku. Akane wasn't scared of many things, and part of that was due to her overconfidence as a martial artist, as well as the fact that usually her rage overrode her fear. But watching as the youma mercilessly worked its way through the Senshi, Akane was afraid, because if the Senshi couldn't handle them, then nothing and no one could.

But then someone had come to the Senshi's rescue, and Akane had heaved a sigh of relief, because with the new arrival's help, they had managed to beat back the youma. She had been ecstatic to find out who the newcomer was, whether it was a new Senshi, because the camera had been too far away and too shaky to get a good look. Her heart sank when she saw a familiar whirlwind break out. There were only three people in Tokyo who could create a ki-tornado like that, and only two of them could actually do it – and she didn't think that it was Cologne. Akane hadn't stayed to watch the rest of the newsfeed, running up to her room instead where she had cried out her anger and frustration at having Ranma of all people defile her personal heroines.

She was disbelieving at first, trying to tell herself she'd imagined the fact that her fiancee had just single-handedly managed to save the Sailor Senshi, trying to ignore what it meant – that he'd made a public mockery out of them, that he'd presented them to the public as unable to do their duties. She'd thrown a tantrum, throwing things against the wall, wishing the pigtailed young man was there for her to pound on. Anger had slowly mixed with jealousy as she realized that Ranma now knew the Senshi, had met them, while she, Akane, their greatest fan, had never even caught a glimpse of them except on TV. She'd spilled her guts to P-chan, who had shown up sometime during her rage, only to disappear shortly thereafter, not that Akane really cared at that moment.

When she heard Nabiki come up the stairs, Akane rose from her bed, intent on asking her older sister to find Ranma for her – no matter what the price. The Saotome heir had a lot to answer for, in her mind, and his absence right around the time of the attack and his presence there were highly suspicious. Akane had gone through numerous theories, ranging from Ranma conspiring with the extra-dimensional invaders to set this up so he could infiltrate the Senshi, to Ranma being a jerk again and interfering with a fight that wasn't his. Ranma was gone, she didn't know why, and she would find out. One way or another. And then she'd give him a piece of her mind for running off on her and daring to interfere with the Senshi's battle.

"Come in," Nabiki replied to the knock on her door, and Akane stuck her head in. "What can I do for you, Akane-chan?" the middle sister asked with a knowing smirk.

"I want you to find me Ranma," Akane demanded as she fully entered. "I'll give you my entire allowance."

Nabiki appeared to think about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Now, Akane-chan, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why? Is it not enough money? I'll give you next week's allowance, too!"

"Because," Nabiki glared at her sister, "I have no idea where Ranma-kun is." It was a lie, of course. She had a pretty good idea where Ranma was at the moment, though she had no idea where he would be staying – she would have to ask him later.

Akane grinned. "But you can find out. You always find out, Nabiki. Come on, I'll give you all the money I have!"

"No, Akane, not this time."

"But why?" Akane growled. "That pervert is hanging out with the Sailor Senshi, I bet you he's all over them by now if I'm not there to control him! Please, Nabiki, you've gotta tell me where he is!"

"For who?"

"What?" Akane looked confused.

"For whose sake," the brunette elaborated. "For the Senshi's? For yours? You know I don't do things like that anymore, unless they're absolutely necessary, Akane. I haven't in a long time." Since Jusendo, in fact, Nabiki mentally added. The day Ranma had come home having saved her sister from death, the day she had realized that Ranma was family, the day he had killed a demi-god for her sister, she had begun re-evaluating her life. She owed the pigtailed martial artist at least that much for saving her sister.

"Well…" Akane didn't quite know how to reply to that.

"Did it ever occur to you, Akane-chan, to trust Ranma?" Nabiki prodded, "That maybe he knows what he's doing? That he's doing what he has to? That maybe he went on this training trip for a reason, and that maybe he actually is on that training trip, as opposed to chasing skirts?"

The youngest Tendo sister merely snorted in disgust. "Trust him? Are you kidding? Of course he's chasing skirts, you know him, Nabiki."

"Exactly, Akane. I know Ranma. Which is how I know he's not chasing girls."

"You know something." Akane glared at her sister suspiciously. "You know what he's up to, or where he is."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Nabiki replied loftily, shaking her head disdainfully.

"Since when have you ever trusted Ranma?" Akane countered. "You've never missed a chance to make money off of him, so either he's paid you for your silence because you know, or he's paid you to stay away from him." She crossed her arms in front of her chest victoriously. "Whatever he's paid you, it's not enough! I'll tell Kuno you know where his pigtailed girl is and he'll be paying you more than that pervert could ever afford."

The slap that snapped Akane's head around had a surprising amount of force behind it, and the youngest could only stare in shock as Nabiki stood before her, seemingly towering, as her eyes blazed with fury, and Akane could swear there was a battle-aura forming around her sister. "Listen, Akane," Nabiki hissed dangerously, "I know that I've done a lot of things to Ranma, including selling him out, but those days are over. I owe him a debt I can never repay for saving your life, and I swore to him and to myself that I'd turn my life around. Everyone at school has gotten it. Ranma has gotten it. Even Kuno has gotten the fact that I'm no longer a mercenary for hire. You seem to be the only one stuck in your own world!"

"But-but-"

"I promised Ranma I would not go after him, and he told me this is important. Unlike you, I trust his word, and if you had just an ounce of intelligence in your brain, then you would realize that the boy can't lie to save his life, nevermind the fact that he's much too honorable for his own good!"

"You've got to find him!" Akane cried, her own surprise and hurt over the slap and her sister's scorn turning into anger. "Like anyone believes you've changed, Nabiki, I bet the only thing that's changed is your prices!"

"I keep my word, Akane. I will not sell out Ranma-kun, and you're a fool if you believe otherwise."

"Daddy and Uncle Saotome aren't going to like that you're not going to help find Ranma," Akane noted gleefully, causing Nabiki to arch an eyebrow.

"Is that a threat?"

"And just think what Shampoo and Ukyo are going to say…and Kuno…hehehe…"

"Enough!" Nabiki snarled, the venom in her voice enough to cause Akane pause. "You won't get me to tell you or anyone else where Ranma is. What he's doing is important, too important to let you nitwits ruin it because you were so caught up in your bickering over him you couldn't see the big picture!"

"Tell me where he is!" Akane screamed, her hands twitching into fists as her own battle-aura erupted around her.

"Or what?" Nabiki glared back. "You'll hit me with your mallet like you do Ranma all the time?"

"I'll-"

"Wake up, Akane. The world doesn't revolve around you. We don't all exist to merely serve you, you know."

For a moment, Nabiki was tempted to close her eyes as her sister truly did look angry enough to strike her, but she forced herself to meet her angry glare with equal venom. It wouldn't do to back down now, to show Akane weakness – that, after all, had led to exacerbating her problems. No, her sister would have to realize there were lines she shouldn't cross, and by insulting all the progress Nabiki had been trying to make in turning her life around, she had crossed a very dangerous line. Her childish behavior couldn't go on any further, and Nabiki knew that Kasumi agreed. Unfortunately, Akane had been able to get away with too much for too long, and it would take a rather significant effort to turn her back into someone who wouldn't try and bully her way to what she wanted.

"Just you wait, I'll find him myself! I don't need you stupid help, anyway," Akane huffed as she stormed away, slamming the door behind her. Nabiki allowed herself a wince as she heard the door plaque with her name on it fall to the floor. With a sigh, she began implementing the plan she and Kasumi had worked out, and an evil grin spread across her face as she thought about it. She herself would be gone most of the day, and Kasumi had agreed to help, so the eldest would be out, as well – which left Akane to cook for the fathers. Nabiki cackled lowly…it wasn't as if the fathers didn't deserve it, after all, and she truly wished she could see their faces when they found out. It was bound to be highly amusing. For now, she had a plan to implement, and she also had to figure out a way to distract Akane.

I wonder if the Hentai Horde would still be interested, Nabiki mused absently.


The sight that greeted Nabiki when she finally walked around the back of Juuban's Hikawa Shrine wasn't quite what Nabiki had been expecting. To be honest, Nabiki didn't know just exactly what to expect when Ranma had said he would be training the Senshi, but she certainly hadn't been expecting four of them to be laying on the ground in near-unconsciousness, while Ranma was shouting expletives as the rest of the Senshi attempted to hit him. Cologne was nearby, watching the proceedings with obvious amusement, and the old woman was cackling madly on occasion. Whatever Nabiki had thought Ranma would be doing with the Senshi, well…it wasn't this.Whatever this was.

Cologne had noticed her arrival, and waved her over. Nabiki didn't really spare a thought as to why Cologne was hiding in the bushes that surrounded the yard, but obliged and walked over. "So…what's going on here?" she asked when she reached the Amazon elder.

The ancient woman cackled loudly when a near miss by one of the Senshi annihilated an unfortunate tree, then turned to explain. "They've been at this for the last hour or so. It appears son-in-law believes that the fastest way to train them, since they do have magically enhanced stamina, is non-stop fighting. I happen to agree with him, even if I don't necessarily think it's wise for him to take on all nine at the same time. But as you can see, he's doing rather well."

"And what about them?" Nabiki gestured towards the almost comatose Senshi that were laying on the grass away from the battle.

"Oh, those are the ones that went down already. He's holding back, otherwise all of them would be out for the count by now, but the point of the exercise is to help them improve, not beat them senseless." Cologne waved it off. "It actually started out as an evaluation." Ranma fired off a rapid series of ki blasts around him, causing dirt to fly up into the air around him. Using it as a smoke screen, he managed to land a vicious drop-kick against Sailor Venus, sending her tumbling. "Though I think he's putting on the show for my benefit, to give us both an idea of what they're capable of," the elder amended.

"An evaluation, eh?" Nabiki chuckled. "I suppose that is what it is for Ranma. I get the feeling that the girls are seeing it more as…torture."

Cologne cackled, and in the distance, Ranma managed to effectively remove Sailor Mars from the fight with a point-blank ki blast. The black-haired girl flew a few dozen paces before crashing to the ground. She didn't get back up. "I'd agree with you on that, however, if these girls think that this is bad, they will be in for a rather nasty surprise."

Nabiki nodded, believing it; Cologne wasn't the matriarch of the Joketsuzoku for nothing, and if their training methods for other techniques were even close to those for the Bakusai Tenketsu, then the Senshi were in for a world of hurt. They watched the remainder of the fight in silence, and Ranma made short work of the rest of the Senshi, leaving only himself and Setsuna standing on the field. They briefly spoke, then engaged each other, at a level the other Senshi weren't even close to matching, even with their transformation benefits. Ranma and Setsuna were both blurs of motion as they sought to penetrate each others defenses, the Senshi of time having given up on her long-range attacks and fighting hand-to-hand instead.

They picked up the pace when she waved her staff in an arc, creating a shimmering purple bubble around her, and the two onlookers watched as Ranma nodded appreciatively, then dove inside the bubble. The fighting lasted only a few minutes longer until Ranma dissipated the bubble with a savage yell and a flare of his battle-aura, only to catch the business end of Pluto's staff in the gut. The pigtailed martial artist flew backwards, flipping into a one-armed handstand, and righted himself, crouching low. Setsuna, similarly, had settled down into a ready stance, her staff angled protectively before her, but instead of attacking again, Ranma merely stood and nodded towards her. Setsuna released the transformation, and Nabiki took that as her cue to approach the pair, Cologne trailing behind her.

"Well, Ranma-kun, they certainly won't be able to say you cut them any slack," Nabiki commented with a sly grin as she got within hearing distance. The pigtailed martial artist chuckled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, we are kind of short on time, and I figured this was the best way to figure out where they stood."

Cologne grimaced as she took a look around at the tired and panting Senshi. "Which isn't much, I'm afraid. Despite their enhanced stamina, they seem to be tiring out rather quickly. And I assume they held back?"

"Yeah. I told them no overly powerful attacks, and nothing that could cause too much collateral damage," Ranma agreed. "I mainly just wanted to see how well they'd do in close quarters."

"Except for your friend here," Cologne nodded at Setsuna, "they didn't seem to be doing well at all in close quarters."

"The youngest did pretty well. Sailor Saturn, was it?" Ranma glanced at Setsuna, and the green-haired woman nodded in confirmation. "She's pretty decent with that polearm of hers, but again, she lacks the stamina and strength to wield it effectively."

Cologne bobbed her head in agreement. "I would suggest we begin with some very basic strength and stamina excercises…in their normal forms. The change should carry over through the transformation and the magic should amplify the existing qualities significantly. I suppose while I am working with you and Ryoga, Setsuna here can teach them the basics of unarmed combat, and when either of us takes over, we can go into more advanced techniques and combat arts."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Ranma concurred.

"That reminds me, have you thought of a way to bring young Ryoga over to explain the situation to him?"

Ranma frowned. "Well…not really, no. I figured I'd just wait till he shows up, then beat him into the ground and explain things to him while he's unable to get up."

"Oh, Ranma-kun," Nabiki sighed. "You do know that that makes it even less likely he'll listen to you?" The brunette ignored the other two women trying to restrain their laughter as she swung an arm over the martial artist's shoulders. "You have to approach matters diplomatically, in a way that won't make Ryoga angry, and yet at the same time incapacitate him enough to make him listen to you without attacking you."

"And uh…how do I do that?"

Nabiki smirked. "Simple. Tonight, Kasumi is helping me run a few…errands." Ranma didn't miss the mischievous glint in her eyes, and shuddered, worried for whoever would be on the receiving end of her plans. "And I, myself will be out, as well. I just happened to see P-chan around the yard earlier today, so I reckon that by dinnertime he'll have found his way to the bathroom. And since both Kasumi and I will be out…"

"Oyaji and your dad are gonna make Ryoga taste Akane's food," Ranma finished with an equally evil smirk. "Nabiki, you're a genius!"

"Thank you, thank you very much," the middle Tendo daughter drawled in a passable impersonation of Elvis. "So, I reckon you or Cologne can swing by after dinner and discreetly move Ryoga to someplace where you can talk undisturbed. In fact, I'd really rather recommend Cologne be there, just in case."

"I'll be there, too," Setsuna added. When the other three stared at her, she shrugged. "I can show them a few things, explain stuff. It might help."

"That reminds me," Ranma noted, "why are you here, Nabiki? I just stopped by this morning."

The brunette gave a mock bow with a flourish. "Because, Ranma-kun, as of this afternoon, you are a free man. With the exception of Ryoga, that is. Kasumi and I have begun taking steps to make sure the fathers are kept occupied, Kuno is incapacitated, and the various people asking for you at school know not to come after you, lest they face a fire-spitting, man-eating dragon." Nabiki grinned. "Kasumi came up with the last one, herself."

"Wha-" Ranma gaped.

"Unfortunately, I also have to warn you," Nabiki added with a wry smile. "Akane-chan seems rather adamant about finding you, especially when I refused to disclose your location to her. I reckon she might be showing up sooner or later." The girl sighed. "I'm sorry to say that she's still mostly stuck in her little fantasy where you're the evil guy, Ranma-kun, but there's nothing new there."

A groan from the sidelines drew their attention as a number of the Senshi began picking themselves off the ground. Ranma glanced over and shrugged. "Well, looks like they recovered. You want to get them started, Cologne?"

The elder grinned toothily. "Why, Ranma, I thought you'd never ask!"

Setsuna and Nabiki both shared a worried look, and the eldest Senshi let out worried sigh as the two martial artists stalked towards the Senshi and began rousing them with loud cries of "Up! Come on, get up and back to work!"

Venus actually whimpered. Setsuna was forced to agree, after seeing the devious glints in their eyes.