Another Rainy Day in Nerima
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form.
Author's Notes: firstly, to all who pointed out that Shampoo's father is alive and well in the manga; I was well aware of that fact, but he does so very little (I think his distressed cry when Shampoo gets her curse is the only line he speaks) that, coupled with the fact he is completely absent from the anime continuity, I felt free to make up my own rendition for Shampoo's family, seeing as how I custom-designed my own take on Joketsuzoku in an earlier chapter.
A part of me wants to make a big speech about this story, but that's probably better reserved for the final chapter (or the scrapheap). In short, I'm delighted that this story has been as well received as it has, I'm grateful to everyone who bothered to read my crazed ramblings, and if there's anything about this that has disappointed me, it's the fact that I still seem to be the only one writing Ranma/Natsume, or whoever- and that the only non Ranma/Akane pairing there seems to be on the first page now is Ranma/Ryoga… yech!
Chapter 19: Impulsive Decisions
It was mere chance that did it, solely probability that Ukyo was looking where she was at that point in time and thus able to see what couldn't be anything else other then the moxibustion chart fall out of Happosai's shirt as he lunged at Ranma in the general melee. Disbelief and anger that the old pervert would be foolish enough to bring something so valuable to a fight welled within her, part of her saying to leave this to Ranma- as he would surely be upset at her interfering with one of his fights, the other saying that she should run in and grab it before Happosai retrieved it- or, worse, Ranma created the Hiryu Shoten Ha and the winds ripped the ancient parchment to worthless shreds. It was the latter impulse that dominated, pushing her up and away from her position behind the portable grill she had brought along. She might have seen Akane rise to her feet and start forward as well, but she would never be able to confirm it. Whether it was because Ukyo was faster, or maybe Akane tripped in the scrum, it was the heir to the Kuonji School of Martial Arts Okonomiyaki who made it to the battlefield and triumphantly snatched up the chart.
"What's wrong, son-in-law? Finish the move!" Came the voice of the ancient Chinese woman Cologne. Well aware that it was unusual for Ranma to have taken so long to set off the tornado as it was, wondering if maybe it was her presence that had caused Ranma to delay, Ukyo hastily rammed the chart down the front of her shirt (idly thankful for her breast bindings, which would spare her the horrible sensation of having her breasts scratched all over by the old paper) and took off as fast as she could.
"Ya shouldn't oughta've ganged up on me!" Ranma cried, spurring Ukyo to run faster. "Hiryu Shoten Ha!" He screamed in triumph, Ukyo just managing to leap clear as the wind suddenly exploded into a full-fledged cyclone, the whirling outer winds catching her and hurling her aside like a plaything as the central vortex carried all of Ranma's enemies aloft. Pushing herself to her knees, she shook her head dazedly, then looked at what her fiancé had wrought.
"Wow." Was all she could think to say.
Ranma stared at the winds above him, unable to do anything but whistle in appreciation at the sight before the winds finally died down and he yelped as four shapes smashed back into the ground, leaving small craters. As though that was a signal, the students charged forwards with shovels, half digging a deep pit, the other half getting ready to unceremoniously shove them into the pit until Ranma whistled sharply, "Hold it for a minute!"
Stepping over the unconscious group, Ranma grabbed Happosai and stepped back, "Okay, go ahead." A cheer rose up from the students as they promptly buried the principal, Kuno, and Mousse right there and then as Ukyo walked over to Ranma who was currently trying without success to awaken the old pervert.
"Here Ranchan, let me help." Taking the pervert, Ukyo's hand whipped out and smashed Happosai across the face in a powerful slap before dropping the pervert to the ground as he groaned and clutched his cheek.
"Owie..." Happosai barely had time to blink as he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and staring into Ranma's furious eyes.
"Okay you old letch, where's the chart?" Happosai sighed before he reached into his gi...and paused with a look of fright on his face.
"It's here! I swear I put it in here! Where is it?" Ranma dropped Happosai in disbelief as the pervert began searching his clothing frantically, a horrible realization beginning to form in his mind.
"Ranchan? Could I talk to you for a moment?" Ranma nodded in a daze and walked over to where Ukyo was standing and was about to speak when Ukyo tugged her shirt, the article of clothing opening just enough to let Ranma get a glimpse of a roll of old paper. Ranma's eyes widened and he was about to shout when Ukyo put a finger to both her lips and his to shut him up.
Once sure he wouldn't blab within earshot of the frantic Happosai, Ukyo simply stated, "You owe me." Ranma nodded and stood back to watch Happosai work himself into a frenzied panic.
They both stood and watched Happosai panicking for a few moments, enjoying the sight of Nerima's most hated man upset and flustered to a never-before seen extent, then Ukyo tapped Ranma's shoulder and indicated they head somewhere more private, where they wouldn't risk Happosai realizing what had happened and stealing the chart back. After all, it wasn't as though such an act was beyond the old lecher. Once they were a safe distance away, though, Ranma wasted no time in turning to Ukyo, his eyes alight with hope, disbelief, and... dare she dream, a hint of admiration?
"How?" Was all he said, and Ukyo smiled.
"I saw it fall out of his vest while you were still completing the spiral for the Hiryu Shoten Ha- you were lucky I move as quick as I do, or it would have been ruined by the wind." She explained, reaching down her shirt and pulling out the chart.
Ranma immediately snatched it from her grip, pulling it open and staring at the diagram with delight. "Thanks, Ucchan! I owe you for this, I really owe you one!"
Ukyo quivered at his words; here was an opportunity too good to pass up! "Then you'll take me on a date?" She asked, though it was really more of a statement then a question.
"Eh?" Ranma asked, caught off balance.
"You say you owe me for getting you that chart, and I did close up my shop to go with you to Yumogi Valley." Ukyo pointed out. "I think the least you can do is meet me at my place tomorrow and come with me to the movies." She stopped speaking and waited; she wanted this, and she hoped that Ranma's sense of honor would compel him to at least repay his debt to her now, even if he wouldn't normally accept her offers. Ranma stared back at her for what felt like hours, and then nodded reluctantly.
"Alright. I'll be there. Now, I gotta go and show this to the old ghoul so I can get this damn moxa offa me!" With that he turned on his heel and ran off. Ukyo watched him go and smiled; it might not be willingly, but at least it was a date. Who knew? If she was lucky, maybe she could make this enjoyable enough that she could persuade him to agree to another...
At that, Ranma-Prime pulled back from the Eye. He had wondered if there were any timelines where his counterpart started to act better to Ukyo without first needing her to point out what a poor friend he was being, and this was what he had been shown. He wondered how this was answering his question, and then decided he might as well skip to their "date"- he figured it would probably be a total disaster, but he knew it was possible that it had gone all right.
Ukyo fidgeted nervously. Ranma had shown up, as he had promised, and they had gone to the movie theater like she wanted to… and nothing had gone wrong, which was why she was uneasy. There had been no begging/ranting Soun or Genma, no angry Akane, no vengeful Mousse or Happosai, not even an encounter with a wandering Ryoga. Ukyo knew that it was all-too-common for the various crazies in Ranma's life to interfere, so it was only natural that she was paranoid that they would show up and ruin this for her. She was so busy looking over her shoulder that she wasn't aware that Ranma had spoken to her at first.
"What was that, Ranchan?" She asked.
"Which movie do you wanna see?" He asked again. "I guess you'll want to see this one?" He asked glumly, indicating a typical romantic movie with his thumb. He probably couldn't have sounded less enthusiastic if he tried.
Ukyo thought it over; she would like to see something romantic, but he clearly wasn't too thrilled with the idea. There was also the fact that it would be the obvious choice, and so anyone who did show up here was bound to crash into that particular theater. She shook her head deliberately. "No, I don't think so. How about this movie?" She asked, indicating what looked like a science fiction OAV. Ranma looked surprised, but a lot more enthusiastic, and Ukyo mentally congratulated herself on thinking this through. This wasn't any great sacrifice, as, due to having pretended to be a boy for so many years, she had been exposed to science fiction and fantasy stories more intended for male audiences then female, and had grown to like such stories just as much as she did romance, magical girl, or otherwise typically "feminine" works.
Having agreed upon that movie, Ukyo paid for the tickets (Ranma not having enough- he, instead, paid for the snacks) and the duo entered the theater and took their seats. They sat in comfortable silence as they watched the movie, a fairly typical plotline revolving around alien invasion and giant mecha being used to combat the threat. It was saved from mediocrity by the characterization of the main characters, a teenaged mecha ace and his co-pilot/mechanic, a childhood friend whose deep crush was obvious to everyone but the object of her affections himself. Things only became clear to him when she sacrificed her life to save him towards the end of the movie, which ended up giving him the motivation to defeat the arch-villain and his "super mecha". While the relationship and fate of the main characters was rather unnerving to Ukyo, she found herself otherwise enjoying the film, and she was pleased to see Ranma seemed to feel the same way.
When the movie was over, they headed back to Ukyo's restaurant, Ukyo taking the opportunity to walk closer to Ranma, but not actually touching him just yet: she wanted him to be as open as possible to what she was about to suggest. "So, Ranchan, did you like that?"
"Yeah, actually. It was better then I thought it'd be, ta be honest." Ranma replied honestly.
"Not so bad, then? You wouldn't mind going on something like that again?" Ukyo pressed.
"…I guess not." Ranma admitted hesitantly.
"So you've got no real reasons not to come out with me again." Ukyo declared triumphantly.
Ranma stopped where he was and gave her a look, half startled, half wondering if she had all her screws fully tightened. Ukyo didn't hesitate, but launched straight into her explanation.
"Well, you had no complaints with how this turned out, and you just said you wouldn't mind going on something like that again, so what's stopping you from doing so?"
A few seconds of empty silence passed before he grudgingly admitted, "Nothing."
"Alright then!" Ukyo chirped brightly. "It's a deal! I'll tell you where to go tomorrow, okay? See you then, Ranchan!" Unable to help herself, she darted in and hugged him briefly, then turned and ran off, closing the remaining distance between where they were and her shop in record time, feeling happier now then she had felt in… well, since coming to Nerima.
"Well, looks like things are looking up for Ucchan. Wonder what she's going to pull out next?" Ranma-Prime leaned back slightly and watched as the mirror refocused again on another scene.
Ukyo could barely pay attention in class the next day, having been alternatively looking forward to getting Ranma to come with her on another date, more or less of his own free will, and trying to think up just what they'd do on said date. At first, she had wanted to do something normal, like go on a picnic, or maybe a boat ride or something like that, but reality had reared its head and she had forced such ideas aside, admittedly with reluctance. She was pretty sure that she was already pushing Ranma's comfort zone- the last thing she wanted, or needed, was to push too hard and cause him to lose his nerve and run. Beyond that, she was well aware of the risk she had taken simply going to the movies with Ranma- she had no intention of pushing her luck by trying something like that twice in a row. She could say "bye-bye" to any and all ground she had gained in Ranma's heart if her blasted rivals, or Ranma's rivals for that matter, made a mess out of their date.
It was thinking of them that had persuaded her to give the idea of having Ranma give her a sparring session- while not romantic as she'd like, it would ultimately be the most beneficial course of action. Firstly, it would make Ranma calmer, or rather less nervous, then it would if she, say, took him to a nice restaurant for a meal. Secondly, it would allow them to bond just as well, if not more, then a more conventional date would. She wondered if Ranma was doubtful of her own devotion to martial arts, and so she figured it could only help to prove to him that she was serious about them, unlike Akane "Hobbyist" Tendo. After all, how often had Ukyo seen Akane simply wandering around town, or spending time with those friends of hers? From her behavior, and Ranma's own words, it was clear that martial arts was something she slotted into the empty times of her life, not something she based her life around the way, say, Ranma or Ryoga did. Hell, Ukyo and Shampoo were of a similar mindset; while it was true that they spent a lot of time attending to business, they had to in order to survive.
The third reason was the simple fact that honing her skills would be crucial for when her enemies finally tried to interrupt her times with Ranma- the better she was, the better she'd be able to adequately punish them for doing so. The final reason was, simply, a matter of pride. Remembering her first duel with Ranma invariably began pleasantly, as she recalled how she had managed to legitimately threaten Ranma when it had begun... then the memory turned sour as she was forced to admit that she had done so only because Ranma had been interested in settling things peacefully at first, and that she had been the one forced to run off with her tail between her legs when Ranma began fighting back.
Having made up her mind, when the lunch bell finally rang, she wasted no time in heading for Ranma, managing to find him eating his lunch in the shade of a tree, alone as he tended to be- well, technically. Hiroshi and Daisuke were there, but they were seated a good distance away from Ranma and watching him somewhat warily. Ukyo wondered for a moment what the story behind that was, then dismissed it as being of no concern- it was Ranma who mattered to her.
"Ranchan!" She called as she approached.
Ranma looked up, and smiled at seeing Ukyo approaching, "Hey Ucchan, how's it going?" He ignored Daisuke and Hiroshi 'subtly' moving away as though expecting something to happen.
"Good, thanks. So, tell me, you know anywhere around here where we can get some good sparring done?" Ukyo asked lightly.
Ranma blinked slightly, "Sure, I know a few places. Why the sudden interest?"
"Remember what you agreed to yesterday? Well, I've been thinking about it all day, and I decided I want you to spar with me. We haven't done martial arts together since I first moved here, and I could really use a partner. It's hard to make any real progress when you're training by yourself, don't you think?" Ukyo replied, trying her hardest to appear totally at ease, having more or less practiced this speech in her head all morning.
Ranma's eyes glazed over for a fraction of a second, and then he nodded suddenly, "Oh right, nearly thought you weren't going to take me up on that. Yeah sure Ucchan, I'll spar with you. When do you want to start?"
"How about we meet at the gates when school's out? You show me the place you think would be best, and we'll go at it. I can afford to close up the shop for one afternoon." Ukyo suggested, deliberately ignoring the lecherous grins taken up by Ranma's two so-called friends as they made an innuendo out of her words.
Ranma shot a glare at the two before nodding, "Yeah sure, I'll see you at the gates then."
The day flew by in a blur for Ukyo, who couldn't wait to take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with Ranma, and even if it was only sparring then it would also help her improve her skills. Finally the bell rang for the end of the day and Ukyo was a blur as she headed for the gates to meet Ranma and found him waiting there. That was enough to make her pout a little, "No fair, how'd you get here before me?"
Ranma simply pointed, revealing an open window and prompting Ukyo to giggle in embarrassment, "Oh." She turned back to Ranma, "Okay, so where are we going?"
"I know a construction site nearby; high fences, surrounded by buildings, should be a good place to practice without anyone butting in. We just need to stay away from the scaffolding, but there's plenty of clear space." With that Ranma leapt up onto the wall of the school and jerked his head to signal Ukyo to follow him. "Come on, I'll race you there."
Ukyo quickly took off after the pigtailed teen as he turned and dashed off. "Hey, not so fast Ranchan!"
The pair headed through the streets and backstreets of Nerima while nimbly avoiding obstacles and moving above the hustle and bustle of normal city life until they reached the high pre-fab fence that surrounded the construction site of a new high-rise building and the two landed in an open area clear of the scaffolding and the large crane nearby as Ranma swept a hand out.
"What do you think Ucchan? Think we can spar here?"
Ukyo looked over the place with an intense eye, thinking back to her own days of training on the road in places like this. She then nodded decisively. "Looks perfect, Ranchan. Let's get to it!" She said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she lunged in the first punch- she trusted that Ranma would be able to dodge it, and also that she had control enough to pull its force back if she did manage to get the drop on him with the suddenness of her attack.
Ranma shifted slightly to avoid the attack and smiled, "Heh, careful Ucchan, someone might take advantage of that attack." He then simply grabbed Ukyo's arm and flipped her in a basic Judo throw and hopped back slightly as Ukyo recovered.
Ukyo simply grinned back and leapt back into the fray, leaving her main weapon on her back and out of her hands for the time being. She wouldn't gain that much skill with it against a non-wielder like Ranma, and if pressed she would admit that her basic hand-to-hand skills were her weakest point- whereas calling Ranma a master of such things would be rather an understatement.
Ranma dodged another punch and firmly tapped Ukyo in the ribs as he sidestepped, "You're over-extending yourself a little." He grabbed a roundhouse and flipped Ukyo over, "Also, you want to pivot on the ankle and then let the leg carry the momentum so you don't have to work as hard."
Ukyo did as she was told, thankful for the advice. She couldn't help a certain deep, nagging suspicion though... "Do you tell Akane stuff like this?" She asked, genuinely interested if that might be why someone who slacked off so much could retain a higher-then-normal level of skill, even if she couldn't keep the faint traces of hurt (which she mentally kicked herself for) out of her voice.
"Not really, if I tried this with Akane she'd try and send me to the moon. I just try and get her to try and focus past all that anger of hers and maybe actually get the clue that she needs to work on some of her technique...and her speed and accuracy. Half her punches and kicks are wasted cause they're not on target. Nah, this is different cause well, you know...we're friends and all that."
"...I see." Ukyo said at last, unthinkingly stopping dead as she processed the meaning of Ranma's words. Ranma unthinkingly flipped her onto her back while she was doing so, but she waved her apologetic fiancé away, unbothered by such a simple tumble and far more concerned with contemplating this turn of events. If she was deciphering those claims right, then for the first time ever, Ranma's "just friends" attitude towards her was actually helping her. She still had every intention of making him wake up and realize her love for him, but she would tolerate him thinking of her as a close friend for now, if it would help her get stronger. She pushed herself upright, took hold of her bearings, and then returned all of her attention to the sparring- this was the key to her future, and she intended to seize it with both hands.
"I'm not really seeing how this is answering my original question." Ranma-Prime pointed out, prompting the Eye to fast forward in order to prove its point.
Ukyo quietly leaned on the counter near her grill while watching the few customers she had before letting her mind wander on the slow day she was having and her thoughts soon drifted to Ranma.
Ukyo suppressed a giggle at how well everything was going between the two of them ever since she grabbed the chart and took him out on a date, it was as if whatever cold wall had been between them had melted away into nothing now! He was actually looking forward to her taking him out on a date now and interestingly enough he was starting to pay a bit more attention to her.
Ukyo idly bowed as a pair of customers thanked her for the service and quickly took the orders for another set of customers, expertly preparing the Okonomiyaki without even pausing in her musings. Oh it wasn't much really, just more small talk than usual, sitting with her more often on occasion without wanting free food and perhaps maybe asking for a little help with some school work without having to ask the ever-unpredictable Akane or get his wallet emptied by Nabiki.
Still, it was an improvement in her books and Ukyo was always looking for an improvement in her relationship with Ranma, and heck she was even improving in her hand-to-hand skills as well, so that was a definite plus.
But what got her curious was Akane. Thanking another customer and handing over the change, Ukyo realized that Akane had been unusually silent as of late, but Ranma waved off any questions she asked him, saying that she was just in a huff over something or another and Ukyo had just shrugged and moved on.
'Still though...they haven't really argued much lately. Heck, Ranchan spends so much time with me that I don't think Akane sees him unless its at the dojo.' Ukyo shrugged and resumed her work, 'Ah well, the way that brat hollers about not being Ranma's fiancee, she's probably enjoying the peace and quiet of Ranchan not being around her, I know he is.'
With that happy thought, Ukyo was ready for the sudden rush that prevented any other thought apart from doing business.
"Okay, now this is interesting, what happens from here?" The Eye obliged and showed lunchtime at Furinkan and the view focused in on a very nervous Ranma pacing near the lone tree as if pondering something to himself.
"Okay, get a grip Ranma! You can do this!" Ranma breath deeply and clenched his fists to stop his nervous shaking; dammi,t how the hell did Ukyo make this seem so damn easy? Still, he straightened slightly and walked over to Ukyo, putting a friendly and casual smile on his face as he mentally went through the lines in his head syllable by syllable so he didn't screw up.
Ukyo looked up and smiled, "Hey there Ranchan! Something up?" Ranma shook his head and took a seat across from the girl.
"Everything's fine Ucchan. Um listen...I was wondering if maybe you aren't busy, that maybe...you and me could go out somewhere today?" Ukyo froze and the nearby girls 'kyaa'-ed at the sight of Ranma Saotome actually asking a girl out on a date of his own volition, the other times didn't count to the school gossip column since it was Ukyo taking the initiative.
Ukyo finally recovered from the shock to see Ranma staring at her nervously, before she smiled warmly, "Of course Ranchan, I'd be delighted!" Internally the girl was doing backflips amidst streamers and a massive banner reading 'VICTORY!' in her head.
"Wait a minute, why have things been going so smoothly for them? Surely Akane figured out what was going on?" Ranma-Prime pointed out. The Eye obligingly showed him his counterpart and Ukyo, sitting under a tree in one of the many parks of Nerima, eating and talking lightheartedly. Ukyo kept looking around suspiciously, and Ranma-Prime decided that here was the point to fully immerse himself...
"What is it, Ucchan? You've been fidgetting for the last ten minutes." Ranma pointed out.
"I have the strangest feeling we're being watched." Ukyo admitted. "You wait here; I'm going to go and take a look."
"You sure?" Ranma asked.
"It's probably those gossipy girls from Furinkan, or, at most, it's Shampoo or Kodachi- and I know you'd prefer not to get caught up with them. With the training you and I have been doing together, I can handle either of them, no problems." Ukyo answered, gesturing in emphasis. Ranma looked doubtful, but remained where he was as Ukyo got up and headed into the trees, beginning to grumble to herself under her breath once she was certain she was out of even Ranma's ability to hear her. She was not going to be very happy with whoever it was trying to spoil her date. Stalking through the park as quietly as she could, she was not entirely surprised to find the culprit to be none other then Akane Tendo.
"So, it's you. I figured you'd show up sooner or later- honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long. Alright, so, what's it going to be?" Ukyo asked, brandishing her battle spatula and ready to fight.
Akane shook her head, "I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to see for myself."
"See what? That Ranma has stopped ignoring me and following you around like a dog on a leash?" Ukyo challenged, old resentment mingling with new fear and making her more hostile towards her primary rival then she normally was.
"That he likes you more than me. I didn't believe it when Nabiki told me, but then some of the other girls said he asked you out. So I had to see, I had to know."
"And now you're going to fight me over it, huh? Well, let's get it on!" Ukyo snapped, shifting her stance in preparation to spring.
Akane frowned, "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm not here to fight." She glanced over to where Ranma was, "The engagement's off, I'll tell him myself and I won't be changing my mind. You win." With that, she turned to walk away.
To say Ukyo was caught off balance would be like saying Ryoga had problems with directions. "Hey, wait, what's that all about?" She cried in confusion. "Are you saying you're just going to give up?"
Visible trembling, Akane was silent for a few long seconds, making Ukyo wonder if maybe she was going to attack after all. Instead, Akane merely turned back slightly, "Dammit, you won and I lost, so why can't you just accept that? You say I'm giving up, then fine: I'm giving up! I'm done, I'm through with all this, I'm not going to bother fighting for him anymore. You have him and I don't, so just accept it."
Ukyo stood there as Akane walked off, utterly silent before she shook her head and walked back to Ranma, trying to figure out what had just happened between the two girls before sitting down next to Ranma, who quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Hey, you okay Ucchan?" Ukyo blinked and then smiled with a shrug.
"I'm fine, just some nosy girls from school who said some perverted things, but I showed them!" Ranma shook his head and Ukyo smiled as the two resumed their date.
'This isn't so bad. Ah, who cares about what Akane was saying; I'll work it out later. Right now nothing can be better than this.' Ukyo turned to say something to Ranma when her eyes bugged out as she felt a set of lips, his lips, fasten onto hers and give her a brief, quick, oh-so-shy kiss. And just like that, Ukyo was staring at a blushing Ranma, her mind barely able to process what had happened.
'He kissed me... Ranma... kissed me. HE KISSED ME! YAHOO!' Ukyo smiled and latched onto Ranma in a glomp and hugged him tightly as he blushed with an embarrassed smile.
'I was wrong, it just got a whole lot better.'
At that, Ranma-Prime chose to pull out. "Well, I guess that's another happy ending." He murmured to himself, looking truly thoughtful. Listening idly to the dying patter of rain on the roof, he began looking over the contents of the store, taking in all of the arcane bric-a-brac that was scattered around. His gaze fell upon a shelf littered with brooches and rings and talismans of all sort, one in particular catching his attention.
"That looks a lot like that Reversal Jewel Shampoo and Cologne have. I wonder… magic mirror? Show me… show me what would have happened... if I had actually claimed that I loved Shampoo, during that mess with the Reversal Jewel." He asked the Eye.
The Eye glittered, and began to play images for him, images that were at once familiar to him and completely different…
Well, only one last chapter to go. As before, please let me know which of the current serials Gideon020 and I have up in the old brainbox should be the one to focus our attention on, otherwise there's no telling what one we'll pick. To refresh your memories, and the descriptions are in an earlier End Notes, the choices are:
Chasing The Rainbow (sequel to Another Rainy Day In Nerima)
Dark Whispers (a Ranma/Kodachi coupling, and a Ranma/Full Metal Panic crossover)
The Journey (a Ranma/Shampoo Alternate Universe set outside of Nerima)
Legends of Aeron (a Ranma/DND crossover involving Ranma, Ukyo and Shampoo)
Ranma's Rewind (a Ranma/Shampoo AU spin-off of Another Rainy Day)