Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all associated licensers. The King of Fighters and it associated series are the property of SNK-Playmore and all associated licensers. This is not a work for profit. I claim no rights to the characters. This is a work of fiction.

Continuity for Ranma is mostly derived from the manga, with some of the anime sprinkled in for good measure. Continuity for the King of Fighters is a modified form of the current story, how that is should be explained in story, but I am willing to explain for those with further questions.

Enjoy!

Chapter 11

"You have to be kidding me!" Akane went and reached for an object to smack Ranma over the head with. It was okay, she had been holding back for quite a while now. She could indulge herself a little.

"Hey it's not like I wanted to keep it a secret from you forever! I just needed to work out some things first." Ranma raised his hands defensively. What did it always seem that his conversations with Akane spiraled out of control so quickly?

"Akane, you should really put down that lamp." Kasumi called out to her younger sister. "It was a gift from our Aunt Nojiko."

"Yeah Akane, use the lamp on the other side of room. It has a stainless steel base; it will be much more effective as a club." Nabiki was thoroughly enjoying herself. It had been far too long since the last full-scale flare up between her sister and Ranma.

"Stupid boy, how could you get yourself into this mess? How many times do you have to humiliate yourself before you get it through that thick head of yours that you are still a novice?" Genma grumbled.

Entering a martial arts tournament, after all that had happened recently? His son had already made a laughing stock out of himself once, and Musabetsu Kakutou by extension. As a parent Genma had to at least try to advise Ranma on the error of his ways. Too bad for both father and son that Genma was utterly unsuited for such a task in both intellect and temperament.

"Don't start on me Pops! You should be proud that your own flesh and blood has been invited to this tournament. It's apparently the biggest thing around for fighters!"

"Well then how come I've never been invited to one of these tournaments?" Genma fired back. "In fact I've never even heard about this 'King of Fighters' nonsense until you brought it up just now. It's all baloney! A bunch of showboats prostituting their skills for personal gain; no real martial artist would ever enter it."

"Personal gain? You have the gall to lecture me on that? Like you'd ever use your skills to benefit anything but your fat rump!"

"That's it boy! You have gone too far this time! I'll have to knock some sense back into you!"

"In your dreams!" Ranma said as he prepared to pummel the ever-loving snot out of Genma.

"Ahem." Akane cleared her throat. Both of the Saotome men looked towards her. They immediately noticed that she had taken up Nabiki's suggestion about using the lamp with the steel base.

"No wait Akane, don't do it!" Ranma was sweating profusely. He felt as if his life were flashing before his eyes.

"Yes, listen to the boy for once! Besides, I'm your future father-in-law! You can't strike your parents!"

Both Ranma and Genma began to fall back over the furniture wildly in an attempt to get away. Akane continued to stand there watching the two make complete fools out of themselves. While her face remained frozen in an expression of anger, inside she was laughing. This was a lot more fun than just beating them up, Akane just wished she had thought of this a long time ago, it would have saved a bundle in home repair bills.

"Can we please have some order here?" Soun cried out, almost on the verge of tears.

Ryoga and Mousse stood by impassively while this was all going on. When Ranma said that there was going to be a family meeting, they had already figured it going to be a bust. The best thing they could do was just stay out of it as much as possible and let their friend take the heat.

"How much longer do you think they'll fall for this?" whispered Ryoga, amused by Akane's bluff.

"Hard to say, the stupidity of a Saotome can never be underestimated." Mousse answered back.

"Are you two really planning on doing this?" Nabiki said as she slipped herself in between the two young men.

It seemed crazy to Nabiki. How could Ranma get himself involved with professional fighters again after what happened last time? Even more insane was the thought of people willingly following him into another such pummeling. Then again, Nabiki had never thought that highly of Ryoga or Mousse. As far as she was concerned, they were muscle-bound losers, who could barely survive on a daily basis, let alone plan for the future. Getting conned by Ranma was not so odd after all for those two.

"It's not something you would ever understand Nabiki." Ryoga replied, well aware of who he was dealing with. "You have no honor or warrior's pride."

"For once I can agree with Hibiki on something." Mousse adjusted his glasses as if to make himself look more intimidating to the Tendo girl. Nabiki was less than impressed.

"Well you two just keep on thinking that, right up until you both get knocked out by some guy Ranma picks a fight with. Unless, of course you have someone who could manage him…"

Ryoga cut her off. "Don't even start Nabiki; we're both wise to your game."

"Well fine, but don't say I never warned you." Nabiki huffed as she turned away. She would just have to try again later with Ranma. He was gullible enough, she was certain of it, and if all else failed, there was another option…

Meanwhile, Ranma and Genma had still not figured out that Akane had no intention of attacking them. Genma was about ready to soil his gi, while Ranma had been reduced to a pile of blubbering incoherence. Actually, If was getting rather boring for Akane; it was so unbalanced as to be unfair. She decided to end it all by walking up to Ranma.

"Please Akane! I… I can… can explain everything!"

Akane took one slow step after another. The room became very silent, and the intensity of the moment was so thick you could cut it with the proverbial knife. She finally reached her target and raised the lamp above her head with one arm. Ranma closed his eyes and hoped it would be over with quickly, and that he would heal in time for the tournament.

Flick. Akane's finger hit Ranma squarely between the eyebrows. Out of sheer shock Ranma fell back, his body cringing.

Akane huffed. "I swear, you never give me enough credit Ranma. This is why you should have been honest with me from the beginning!" She put the lamp down and walked back to her spot on the couch.

Nabiki was visibly disappointed. She had at least hoped to see some blood.

"Maybe we should wait until Auntie Nodoka arrives." Kasumi suggested. "She seems to be good at keeping discussions under control."

"I think you are right about that my daughter." Soun agreed. "I wonder what is taking her so long." He turned to Genma, still prone on the floor. "Saotome, when did you say your wife would be over?"

"I… never called her." Genma admitted. This was man talk after all, and there were other issues to consider as well.

Genma had been growing rather jealous of his wife's growing influence over their son recently. After all, she must have been the one who pushed Ranma to become more interested in studying at school. She was going to turn him into a woman far more thoroughly than any Jusenkyo curse ever could, even if she did not mean to, and Genma had to put a stop to it.

"You never called Auntie?" Kasumi suddenly gained a rather cold tone to her voice. Genma began to sweat rather profusely.

"If it's not one it's the other, eh Hibiki?" Mousse observed.

"I'll agree with you on that." Stuff like this made Ryoga glad his day-to-day involvement with the Tendo household was significantly less than it used to be, even if he still had a soft spot for Akane.

"Uh, what happened?" Ranma said as he regained his senses.

Oh yeah, Ryoga was definitely glad he had stopped hanging around this place…

Once Nodoka did arrive, things calmed down considerably. Ranma was able to explain things in an orderly manner without being interrupted. Things were going so well, that Mousse and Ryoga stepped outside the house, feeling that their presence was unnecessary at this time.

"I tell you, Ranma's mom is one tough customer. Even though she doesn't know anything about the martial arts, I bet she can keep just about anyone in line." Ryoga observed.

"Yes, I somewhat envy Saotome in that respect." Mousse affirmed.

Ryoga was suddenly overwhelmed by curiosity by that remark. "Hey, you never talk about your family. What are they like?"

"What business is it of yours Ryoga Hibiki? Do you think I need to spill all of my secrets to you?"

"It's not like that at all!" Ryoga snapped back defensively. "It's just that we're teammates now. I figured what was the harm of knowing?"

Mousse expression turned very dark, his eyes filled with emotion. "What if I told you my family was all dead? That I never knew them?"

"I'm sorry there pal," Ryoga timidly answered back, suddenly filled with remorse. "I never would have guessed."

"That's because… I'm lying." Mousse suddenly broke into a cruel smile. He began to laugh, partly at Ryoga's gullibility, but also because he was amused by his own prank. Nabiki Tendo was not the only person in Nerima who could pull off a convincing lie.

"What! You dirty bastard!" Ryoga raised his fists, as if he was prepared to strike. The nerve of this guy, playing him like that! Why the hell did Ranma even want someone like this to be their comrade?

"I am just playing with you Hibiki. You need to stop taking these things so literally, it clouds your mind. It's not at all fitting for a warrior."

"My definition of a warrior is clearly a lot different than yours."

"It is Hibiki." Mousse began to stare up at the night sky. "In my village we are trained to kill our enemy if necessary. You and Saotome are just playing children's games by comparison."

"If that's the case, then why haven't you beaten Ranma yet? Even a "child" like me has managed that a few times." Ryoga gloated as he gained the upper hand over the amazon. Served him right for being so damn smug!

"Don't think it will stay that way for long Hibiki." Mousse's face contorted into an ugly snarl. "I've been training relentlessly to defeat Saotome, developing many new techniques and testing new weapons, and one day soon, I will conquer him once and for all. You can see for yourself at the tournament. My opponents will become my guinea pigs, Ranma can see for himself what lies in store for him."

"And I thought I could be bitter." Ryoga said as he rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly. Is that what he sounded like when he used to obsess over beating up Ranma about stuff like lunch bread or being forcibly engaged to Akane? Ryoga could only think of how pitiful Mousse was. It was a lesson to the Lost Boy not to relapse into his old habits as well.

Ryoga was taken out of his thoughts as Mousse continued. "Even if we can somehow survive each other's company these next six weeks, there are other obstacles as well."

"Yeah, I agree. I was thinking you and Ranma don't know how to speak English, right? You have to learn at least a little bit of it if you plan on travelling out of Japan. There are other things as well, like finding living quarters and food. I wonder if Ranma has even thought of that yet."

"Learning a new language will not be very hard for me Hibiki." Mousse removed a booklet from his robes entitled 'English for Beginners'. "Remember, I learned your language in only a month's time. I can't imagine the language of those idiotic Americans being any more difficult."

Ryoga shook his head. "You may be right that you don't need any help, but I'll give you a piece of advice anyway. Whatever you think of their language, don't underestimate Americans. Remember the guy who beat Ranma was from there. Oh yeah, they didn't invent English either."

"I will keep that in mind." Mousse's tone however suggested he cared little either way. "Now, the only issue that really matters to me currently is how I am going to inform elder Cologne that I am not coming back to the Nekohanten for the foreseeable future."

"That's right," Ryoga said as he snapped his fingers, "So how do you plan on handling that?"

"No idea, I just want to get it over with. If that old bag wants to exile me from the tribe, there is very little I can do about it at this point. Still, short of her killing me on the spot, I can always find a way around any other punishment she can throw at me." Mousse did not make it very clear whether or not he thought that Cologne would actually kill him, but Ryoga felt uneasy that his companion could state something like that so plainly. It bordered on the macabre.

Mousse continued on without any outward change in his emotions. "At any rate, we should do it in the morning. A good night's rest always clears the head out."

"I agree… WAIT, what did you me by we?"

"Do you not remember what Saotome said to me this afternoon, Ryoga Hibiki? That I cannot allow you out of my sight? Or is your memory now as bad as your sense of direction?" Mousse's smirk deepened.

"Damn it, I really have to get back at Ranma for this one." Ryoga let out a deep breath. Mousse had not been kidding when he talked about surviving each other's company. At least Ryoga would be sleeping with a roof over his head for once. That would be a nice change.

"So students, in the run up to the Meiji Restoration, there was a political event that enraged the opinion of the Imperialist faction. Almost a hundred high-ranking officials were arrested and eight were executed. Does anyone know what that was? Anyone? How about you Mr. Satou?"

Satou, a beefy looking jock, struggled to find an answer. "Uh, well teacher, was it a riot?"

Mr. Midorikawa, the 11th grade History teacher at Furinkan high grimaced at his student's error. Honestly, did these kids even bother to read the assigned pages in the textbook last night?

"No Mr. Satou, it was not a riot. Would anyone else like to take a guess?" Silence, not all that surprising really. It looked like Midorikawa would have to choose another "volunteer" to take a guess. He scanned the room, and his eyes set upon one student who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Mr. Saotome, if I'm not interrupting you, could you answer my question."

Ranma came out of his daze, his mind still swimming with ideas on how he was going to plan his trip to the tournament. It took him a second to focus on his teacher's request.

"Yes, you were talking about the political repression leading up to the Meiji Restoration?"

"Yes Mr. Saotome, good to see you were following that much." Several girls in the class giggled from that remark.

Ranma collected his thoughts and gave off an answer. "That would be the Ansei Purge. It went on for two years before Naosuke Ii was assassinated at the Sakuradamon Gate outside of Edo."

The boy smiled as he finished. It was amazing he could still remember that after everything else that had happened last night. Really, schoolwork was a breeze when you actually paid attention to it. Why had he been sweating this stuff before?

Midorikawa had to break into a smile at how well Ranma had answered the question. He looked like some kind of delinquent, but clearly a keen mind lay beneath that unpolished exterior.

"Wonderful job Mr. Saotome, it's good to know that at least some of you here are taking advantage of your free education." Many students shuffled uncomfortably at their teacher's rebuke.

"Not bad Ranma." Hiroshi whispered to Ranma from behind him. "Of course, I could have gotten that without even having to think about it."

"You big fat liar." Daisuke challenged back. "I bet you don't even know who the heck Naosuke Ii was."

"Oh yeah? 500 yen says I do."

"You two!" Midorikawa pointed his finger at the pair. "Get out of the room and stop harassing the students who actually study things."

"Oh man." Hiroshi whimpered. "I never get a break. Ranma, help me!"

Ranma pressed a hand to his head. Hiroshi and Daisuke were good enough guys, but it was times like these that made him wonder why he hung around them in the first place. Couldn't they just get their act together already?

It was at this point that Ranma realized something. For the first time in recent memory, his life was pretty good. Not anywhere near perfect mind you. He would love to be free of his curse and marital engagements, and not have so many people roaming around for his blood all the time, but still… he could manage this.

Which brought up a dilemma he had not previously thought of; was he risking too much by entering the tournament? He had managed to build a fragile equilibrium into his life, and now he was going to risk it all by leaving Japan for a while and putting himself before the whole world in a competition filled with elite martial artists, many of whom presumably possessed the skills to beat him in an honest fight, at least if Ryo had been a sample of who was out there. The only way he could be ready to tangle with them in six weeks time was to utterly commit to training and expanding his techniques. That would put a huge burden on other aspects of his life. Sure, maybe he could balance his studying of both schoolwork and martial arts, but his social connections, such as they were, would suffer. He could focus on keeping the people in his life appeased while improving his fighting skills, but his grades might start to slip, and he had made a solemn oath not to let that happen. What to do?

There were really only two people he could ask for help on this stuff: Akane and Ucchan. Akane because Ranma generally trusted her judgment (outside of the kitchen of course), and Ucchan was his oldest friend, the one who might really "get" his dilemma.

Ranma turned his head slightly to the side to catch a glimpse at Akane. Throughout the whole scene in class, she had remained disturbingly silent. She must still be angry at him, that much was clear, but Ranma had no clear idea of how to mend fences with her. He had tried to do so after the meeting with his mother, but Akane had locked herself up in her room and did not come out until the morning. She had even gone though the trouble to not walk to school with him. As much as Ranma wanted to reach out to her, he was not sure when or if she would respond.

He had no choice then. He needed to talk to someone, so Ucchan it would be. Maybe he could sneak off during lunch to her restaurant and get some privacy… that sounded a whole lot dirtier than Ranma would have liked. He just prayed Akane did not get wind of his plans.

Maybe life was not as settled as Ranma had assumed.

"That is all you have to say?" The old woman stared down Mousse with the intensity of a lioness eyeing her prey; very impressive considering she was so much shorter than him.

"What more would you have me say Elder? I do not know how to make things clearer." That reply earned Mousse a quick blow to the head from Cologne's stick.

"Are you really abandoning our tribe Mousse?" Shampoo asked, doing as much as possible to control her voice and seem impartial to the news.

"Shampoo, my dear, I would never willingly abandon the tribe. I have simply made a decision, and now I await the Elder's approval. Whether she can understand what I am doing is another thing entirely." That earned Mousse another blow from Cologne.

Ryoga was following the conversation along as best as he could. It was not easy, since Chinese was never his best language, but he got the gist of it. Mousse was acting as insufferable as ever, even in a situation where his place in Amazon society was in the balance. Maybe he had taken one too many blows to the head over the years and lost his senses, that was the only rational explanation the other boy could think of. Either that or he had a really cunning plan he was about to put into motion.

"Stupid boy! You dare speak of me as if I am a senile fool." Cologne then whapped Mousse on the head with her stick again to reinforce her point. "I understand the situation just fine. You are a fool who does not know his place. I tried to be generous with you, to give you the time to grow and mature, but if this is how it will be I must take firmer action."

Ryoga eyes began to twitch as he grew ever more nervous about how the conversation was developing. He did not want to explain to Ranma that their presumptive teammate had been vaporized by a giant ki blast when the Amazon elder lost her temper. That was assuming Cologne let Ryoga leave at all, instead of disposing of him as an accomplice of the disgraced Mousse.

They really should have gone to the pig farm first. At least Ryoga could have said his last farewells to Akari.

Mousse remained unfazed by the danger he now confronted. What? Did everyone really believe he had come into this situation without a plan? Who did they think he was? Ranma? Perish the thought!

"Perhaps you misunderstand me elder? What I have done was not intended to offend you, for the actions I have undertaken were not for my own personal gain, but for the welfare of our tribe."

For once in her very long life, Cologne was caught off guard. What was this boy babbling about? She quickly turned her head towards Shampoo. Perhaps the child knew what Mousse was thinking? No, Shampoo's face betrayed her utter confusion.

"Explain yourself Mousse." The elder fired back at the boy. "And make it quick… for your sake."

"It's quite simple elder. I am fully aware of your wishes regarding Ranma Saotome joining our tribe. You believe his skills would be a boon for Amazon society, and I agree fully."

"But I also wish for him to marry Shampoo, and we both know well that this is incompatible with your own desires boy." Cologne struck her chin thoughtfully. Mousse was clearly angling for some sort of negotiation here, but for what exactly? Did he really think he could offer anything of value to her? Still, he was using his head for once, and the Amazon matriarch found that encouraging. She would allow him to make his case.

"Maybe you are right Elder, and Ranma will marry Shampoo. Maybe he won't, but one thing is clear, one of the reasons he is so reluctant to take up your generous offer is because he does not understand our society. He thinks that because our tribe defers to the leadership of women, that men are therefore second-class, and not given the full rights of warriors.

"Of course, we all know that is a misconception, and that men serve alongside women as equals in all areas of village life. I think that if Ranma was aware of that, much of his resistance to joining us would disappear."

Shampoo was starting to grow very angry with Mousse as he continued his explanation. Was he implying (if only indirectly) that her behavior had somehow convinced her beloved Ranma that Amazon society was misandrist? That there was a way for Ranma to join Amazon society without him having to marry her? It was absurd! Her great-grandmother would never take such ridiculous ideas seriously, would she?

Mousse continued on. "Now we have a great opportunity before us Elder. Ranma personally asked me to join his team. Does that not mean by extension that he wants the aid of Amazon society as a whole? For what am I if not a clear product of Amazon society?"

"Your word play is starting to annoy me boy." Cologne grumbled. "If you think that you are being clever, then you are dead wrong. Cut to the point or shut your mouth."

"Of course Elder, I was just going to do that." Mousse adjusted his glasses. "My argument is this: Ranma has accepted me as a comrade, and by extension he is now closer to joining our village than at any point previously. He needs our strength to win this tournament. He will be voluntarily separated from Akane Tendo for a long period. His mind will be open to… suggestions during the whole time. This is the critical moment."

Shampoo could not contain herself any longer. "Stupid duck boy! I know you want to marry me! Are you going to seriously suggest that you would encourage Ranma to choose me over you? You are an awful liar Mousse, and you should be ashamed of yourself!"

Mousse seemed unfazed by her accusations.

"Shampoo, I merely state that with my help, Ranma has a very good chance of accepting to join our village before this is all over. As I said earlier, he may marry you, he may not, and I would be a fool to make a promise like that. But what do we have to lose by trying? More direct schemes have failed. We can sort out the finer details later, but for now let us take what has been given to us!"

Mousse was very careful crouch his statements in terms such as we and us, for he knew that would appeal greatly to Cologne's sensibilities. At the end of the day, she always put the welfare of the village above any individual, even Shampoo's. It was a calculated risk on his part that the elder would accept the idea of Ranma coming to the village on terms other than that of marriage, but Mousse had a feeling she would agree to them; particularly if he did not leave out the possibility that Ranma could get married later. It was all just ambiguous enough to work.

Cologne closed her eyes for a few moments as she thought things over. This was a scam, certainly, but a well thought out one. Cologne was a trickster herself, and she could appreciate the effort that Mousse had put into this, and many of his points were not without merit. She could work with this, provided she made her own adjustments to the scheme; not that she would ever inform Mousse of her plans.

"Well then boy, I can see you are quite eager to help our tribe. I misjudged you Mousse. You have shown both wisdom and cunning on this matter. I approve of your plan."

Mousse could barely hold back his smile; his gambit had worked out beautifully. Ryoga practically collapsed to the floor, the tension draining out of his body. He could not believe what a close call that had been. Cologne could have just as easily rejected the offer outright and thrashed both of them for their insolence.

Shampoo however felt a very different reaction.

"Great-grandmother, how can you do this? You know this fool is trying to deceive us! He has no desire to help my Airen! Please Great-grandmother, don't let him…"

"Shampoo! Know your place child. You may be my blood, but I am still your elder, and my decision on this is final."

The younger amazon woman was forced to hold her tongue, but her displeasure was still palpable. Never in her life had she been so angry with Mousse, and that was saying quite a lot.

"If you will excuse us Elder, we must take our leave." Mousse said as he took a deep bow to Cologne. "My colleague and I must take our leave and train with Ranma. I will be sure to keep you informed of any important developments."

Soon after Mousse had left the Nekohanten, Shampoo confronted Cologne again.

"He is a liar Great-grandmother! I never thought I would say this, but I truly despise Mousse. Are you really going to let him get away with this? Despoiling the honor of our people with such transparent tricks?"

"Child, you really do not understand anything yet, least of all subtlety." Cologne chided. "I was fully aware of that boy's intentions, but I found it useful to play off of them to further our own goals. If you wish to ever become a leader amongst your people, you must learn to play this subtle game, no matter how distasteful you find it, and believe me when I say I did not enjoy that."

"So what will we do then?" Shampoo said, now feeling slightly better about the arrangement. "We can't very well allow Duck Boy to do as he pleases. What if he tries to bring harm upon my Airen?"

"The first thing we do is find out more about this tournament my child, and what it entails. I worry my son-in-law has gotten himself in over his head yet again. Secondly, we must make plans to travel to the site where the competition will take place… without Mousse knowing any of this."

"Yes Great-grandmother, I will assist you in any way I can." A wicked smile began to form on Shampoo's lips. She would show that fool Mousse a thing or two before this was all over! As for her beloved Ranma, the time was fast approaching for him to be joined with her in matrimony once and for all. On her honor as an Amazon warrior, Shampoo would make it so!

"What the hell were you thinking back there! Were you trying to get us both killed?" Now that he was clear of the imposing presence of Elder Cologne, Ryoga was free to make his feelings known to Mousse.

"If it bothered you so much Hibiki, then you should have acted on your reservations. You know, 'Speak out now, or forever hold your peace' or something like that."

"We're not talking about a wedding here you asshole!" Ryoga sighed. "Besides, you do realize the old granny saw right though your scheme? There's no way in hell she believed anything you said. I don't know what you think you accomplished by lying to her."

"Of course she knew I was lying, at least partly. I had anticipated that. In fact I was relying on it."

"Wait, what?" Ryoga was even more confused now then he had been back at the restaurant.

"Hibiki, you simply don't get it. I presented an idea to Cologne, one that was completely feasible in theory. Of course she knew that I would never actually do it for her, so now she will take it upon herself to complete it. That old hag loves this sort of intrigue, and the prize of getting Ranma was simply too much for her to resist."

Ryoga could only shake his head. "I hate this stuff. Just trying to make sense of it makes my head hurt." He adjusted the straps on his backpack as they continued their walk, his shoulders were killing him.

"It's not any of your business anyway Hibiki, and don't bother telling Ranma about it either. Even if he knew, it would make no difference. You can count on him to be reliably obstinate no matter what."

"So said the pot of the kettle." Ryoga mumbled under his breath.

"What was that Hibiki?"

"Nothing, I just want to be done with this crap already."

Yes, everything was going perfectly, Mousse thought. The elder thought she could turn things to her advantage, but it would fail miserably. She was incapable of planning things that far out ahead; Mousse had seen it himself several times already, and her inability to accept that flaw would undo her schemes every time. He had figured out her weakness, and now it was he who would come out on top. The tournament would be the first step, and at the end of the road, glory and Shampoo's hand in marriage would be his. Yes, there was no stopping it now…

Mousse was abruptly taken out of his thoughts as he slammed into a lamppost. He was so caught up in his thoughts he never saw it coming. It did not help that he had removed his glasses earlier as well.

"Why did Ranma ever want you on our team in the first place?" Ryoga said as his voice filled with distain. He still ended up helped Mousse up though. Who else was going to lead him back home?

"Welcome customer!" Konatsu bowed deeply as another person entered the shop. "We hope you enjoy our menu."

"Sound pretty tempting there Konatsu, but that's not why I'm here today."

The ninja raised his head at the sound of that familiar voice.

"Oh, it is you Mr. Ranma. Looking for the Mistress?"

"Yeah, if Ukyo is in I'd like to talk to her." Ranma was always a little freaked out by Konatsu. It was not because he was a cross dresser, he had gotten used to that a while back. It was more how unbendingly cheery and polite the ninja was. Ranma knew that the guy had a crush on Ukyo, and yet he treated Ranma fairly well regardless. One could not help but feel a little suspicious of that, knowing the general pattern of Ranma's life.

Konatsu nodded his head slightly as he replied. "She should be in at any moment Mr. Ranma. You know the Mistress likes to check up on the business at this time, when she is not presenting a gift to you that is." Ranma was almost certain he could hear a little bit a little bit of jealousy in those words.

Yes, there was much to be suspicious about when dealing with Konatsu.

"Can I take a seat somewhere?"

"Oh yes, anywhere is fine. Would you like me to get you something Mr. Ranma?"

"No, believe or not I don't really have much of an appetite today." Ranma patted his belly. In truth he was quite hungry, but when it came to his fiancées and food, sometimes he had to exhibit a little bit of discretion. Akane was already angry enough as it was.

"So Mr. Ranma how is school?" asked Konatsu as the other boy took his seat.

"Fine I guess."

"Are you any closer to making a decision about who you will marry?"

Ranma nearly fell out of his chair with that one. "Don't you think that's a little too personal a question?"

"Was it?" Konatsu's response was so ambiguous it was hard for Ranma to figure out if he was serious or not.

"So, uh business is good?" said the pigtailed boy as he tried his own attempt at small talk.

"Do you not think that is a little too personal a question?"

This was just getting stupid already. Ranma decided this passive-aggressive stuff was far worse than just being straight out attacked by his other rivals. Then something else occurred to him. Konatsu's behavior was different in some way.

"I just realized something, why aren't you describing everything you do anymore? I mean when I first met you couldn't take a note without making it sound like some sort of special ninja technique."

"Well actually…" Konatsu seemed very eager to explain that story when Ukyo chose at that moment to come through the door. Ranma quietly cursed. It seemed like he never got to find out any of those nagging mysteries that went on in his life. Like how did Ryoga wear all those bandanas on his head? How did his dad store all those signs on him when he was a panda? And where did Dr. Tofu disappear to? He was there one day, and the next thing you know his clinic was closed and…

"Oh, Ranchan!" Ukyo blurted out, clearly not expecting her friend to be waiting for her. She absentmindedly adjusted her hair, and patted down her clothes. If she had known Ranma was coming, she would have dressed far more femininely.

"Hey Ucchan, been a while." Ranma said a little glumly. He had to admit, he had not been all that good a friend to her lately. He had barely even acknowledged her at school with everything else going on in his life. It was no excuse though; he just hoped she did not carry a grudge over it.

"Why so sad Ranchan? Is there something you want to talk about?" Did he and Akane have a falling out again? Ukyo really did not want to hear him talk about the other girl. She liked Akane, but still, at the end of the day she was still a rival.

"Yeah, and it's sort of important, do you have a few minutes to spare?"

"Konatsu, serve any customers who come in. I'll be down to help you as so as I can."

"If you command, I shall do." The ninja bowed formally to his employer. Ukyo shrugged it off; she had long ago gotten use to Konatsu's excessive reverence for her. She motioned for Ranma to follow her to the back of the shop.

Ranma and Ukyo climbed the stairs to her small apartment above the shop. She pushed the key into the front door and unlocked it. She walked in and beckoned for Ranma to follow her. He was noticeably nervous and hesitated in doing so.

"What's the matter Ranchan? You said you wanted privacy."

"I didn't say that! I said I needed to talk to you for a few minutes alone."

"Now you're just parsing words." The chef pouted. "What do you think I'm going to do? Lock the door behind us and take advantage of you?"

Ranma scratched his head. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Jackass. Sometimes you really are impossible Ranchan. Fine I'll keep the door open the whole time if it makes you feel better."

"I appreciate that." With his friend's assurance, Ranma walked into the room. It was sparsely furnished and had a very plain but practical feel to it, very much in line with Ukyo's philosophy towards business and life.

"I have to say Ranchan; you've haven't been yourself lately, and I don't like it." Ukyo said as she took a seat on a chair in the corner. "You haven't talked to me much, and I hated how you sulked after losing that fight, among other things."

Ranma laughed a bit as he took his own seat. He could always count on Ukyo being dead honest with him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Ucchan. Seems like I've been saying that a lot lately, but it's just that so much stuff has happened in my life, I really didn't know how to cope with it."

Ukyo smiled at that statement. "Oh Ranchan, I could never stay angry at you. Plus, I have to say that you seem different from the last time I spoke to you."

"You think so?" Strange that Ucchan would say that, Ranma thought. He certainly did not feel any different, inside or out.

"Oh yeah, you have a more mature look to you. It's hard to put into words, but I'm really impressed by it."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to butter me up?"

"You jackass! Take a compliment for what it's worth!" She fumed a bit. Why did Ranma always make things so difficult?

"You're right Ucchan, I'm sorry… again."

"What did you really come all the way over here to talk about Ranchan? Is this about Ryoga, because I told that jackass to let it go and…"

"It's not like that at all. In fact, Ryoga and I just buried the hatchet the other day. Well, for a little while at least."

"No lie? That's impressive Ranchan. Like I said, you are becoming more mature. How did you do it?"

"That's the reason I'm here Ucchan. I want you to hear from me in person." Ukyo noticed Ranma removing something from his pocket. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a letter of some sort. "Take a look at this." He said as he walked over and handed her the paper.

Ukyo scanned over the letter. "A fighting tournament? The King of Fighters, I think I've heard of this one too. They use to show it on TV back when I lived in Osaka. Kyo Kusanagi, the guy who won the tournament for Japan was a native of our town."

"Right, and if you remember, I challenged him a few weeks ago in Odaiba. That's how I ended up fighting Ryo."

"The American who beat you up?" Ukyo interjected with a sly grin.

"Yes, the guy who beat me. He won't next time though, you can count on it."

"I'm just teasing you Ranchan. So you get mixed up with a former champion from this tournament, and now you're invited to it."

"And I had to form a team to do so. I convinced Ryoga to join me, Mousse too."

"Mousse? You sure about that choice Ranchan? That guy, he's, how do I put it? Well he's a bit of a bastard."

"I know, but he was the best choice I could think of."

Ukyo's eyebrow twitched from that snub. "Did you even consider me for a second?" She wished she had her giant spatula on her. Pity she left it back down in the shop.

Ranma waved his hands frantically. "Hey Ucchan, it's not like that at all. I did consider you. It's just, how would the other girls feel?"

"Am I always supposed to care about their feelings too? Sorry Ranchan, but you know where I stand on that."

"That's exactly what's been bothering me in the first place." Ranma sighed, despair starting to creep over him.

Ukyo's romantic jealousy was overridden by concern for her friend. "Look, Ranchan, I didn't mean to upset you…"

"It's not like that. It's just… for a while now I've felt stuck in a rut. You know I'd meet new people, go to new places, and learn new things, but from the day I set foot in Nerima, the rhythm of my life was frozen in place. I couldn't break out of it, no matter how hard I'd try."

"Ranchan…" Ukyo had no idea what to say. She thought she knew Ranma just about better than anybody, and yet here he was, spilling his guts out to her about stuff she never dreamed had been troubling him.

"I couldn't cure my Jusenkyo curse. I couldn't shake off any of the enemies I made. If I made one new friend, it was certain to piss off an old friend, and I always got the blame for what went down… always.

"I figured I could justify it. This was all part of being a man I said, keeping your honor intact. So my dad screwed me over again, what else was new. I put my foot in my mouth, what else was new. But after the whole wedding thing went down I could barely stand it anymore. I could see where my life was going to take me, every last step Ucchan, and I was scared out of my mind.

"Even now, I'm trying like crazy to improve myself, but I can't seem to find any balance. Want to be a good student? Well, can you do that and still be a martial artist? Not the way everyone around me acts. And my friends? If I'm not trying to stop them from killing me, then I'm stopping them from killing each other, which makes them want to kill me all over again."

"Maybe I should get you something to eat Ranchan. " Ukyo said nervously, she could see how agitated he was, and it unsettled her greatly. "I think you'll feel a whole lot more settled with a full stomach."

"No I'm fine." Ranma pulled his emotions back into himself. He could see that he was worrying Ukyo, and it was wrong of him to put her in that position. "I'm just saying, I think this tournament is what I need to move forward. When I fought Ryo, I learned that there was a huge world out there filled with guys who are all striving to be the best at martial arts just like me. If I'm ever going to make something of myself, I have to compete with them directly, show them I can beat them on their own terms. I just want to hear from someone else that I'm doing the right thing for once in my life."

"Ranchan… I believe in you." Ukyo screwed up her conviction. "I doubted you once too, but that was a horrible mistake! It's not just me either. A lot of people around here rely on you, even if they won't admit it. If you feel that this is something you need to do, then go for it! But please, don't ever fall into self-pity like that ever again, or I may have to beat the crap out of you." Was that enough? Would he accept that?

Ranma rose from his seat and walked over to her. Gently, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Ucchan." He said as he broke out into a great big smile. "A little bit of support… that was all I needed. I knew you'd understand, and you were so spirited about."

"Don't mention it." Ukyo had to try hard to restrain her blush, it failed.

"You know, you're a lot more feminine when get all rosy-cheeked like that." Ranma laughed.

"You ass! Do you always have to ruin the moment?" Ukyo rubbed her face absentmindedly. She wanted to sound angrier, but found she could not. Well, she did love the idiot, warts and all.

"I think we better get back to Furinkan. I have Math next and I don't want to be late for that."

"Why are you now so interested in that stuff Ranchan?" That had been bothering Ukyo for a few weeks now. Before that, you had to practically tie Ranma down to do schoolwork.

"Simple, I found out that it's all part of being a man too!" he beamed.

End Chapter

This was a tough chapter to write at first. I pride myself on having a plan before I write something out, but this one was pretty much done on the fly. It required a lot more editing than usual as a result, but in the end it came out pretty well. I just hope Mousse's scheme ends up making sense to other readers. It is extremely convoluted to say the least.

So what's the current status of the fic? Well Chapter 12 is done, and it is huge. Nearly three times the size of this last chapter, and very important to the plot to boot. It will be posted in two weeks. I know the updates are getting slightly less frequent, but I have to pace myself. I was sick this past week, and that cut down on my writing quite a bit. Still, Chapter 13 is developing very nicely, and soon after that I can get back to the fights again. Hooray!

King of Fighters XIII is debuting in Japan this coming week. You can be sure I'll be following development on that very closely.

Until next time, take care!