Disclaimer: The usual, don't own jack, see him ov*click*- ok, I don't own these characters or settings.

PLEASE READ AN FIRST

AN: Hey there funny that this chapter only took two days. Anyway, let's get to talking about a few warnings and misconceptions I am admittedly guilty of causing with my poor handling of certain matters *looks at chapter one and cringes*. I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes. So let me say it here. I may not intend to write a story where Ranma and Akane are the final pairing, but I completely misrepresented her in chapter one of this story. Worse, I took it to a certain extreme in a later chapter with the "trauma" when I had Ranma suffering share deprivation and weakening her in all ways including the mind. So I handled things fairly poorly. I admit that. This chapter is going to contradict this misrepresentation. Honestly, I want to just go back and redo those segments of the story, but if I did that, I would end up rewriting the whole thing and likely never finish the story or move on to the other numerous stories I wish to write. So please accept that this as a bit of a retcon on the matter(in which the situations weren't as extreme or just extenuating circumstances) and an apology for my atrocious mishandling of Akane. That said, on with the fic! Hope you enjoy!

It was night, the goddess wifeys had come back. RED couldn't wait to look at the recording of the goddess wifeys' concert. She really missed some of the freedom she had before the she took up the job, but she did not regret it one bit. She was making more headway in her eternal search than she ever had before. True, she hadn't found love quite yet, but she was finding small bits of affection and friendship that was hard to find or maintain in her travels. Now she reclined back and considered what else needed to be attended to that night.

It was then that she heard a knocking at her door. She smiled as she called out," Come in!" to which the door opened to reveal her justice wifey," Ah, Wifey Nisa! You ok?"

Her justice wifey only sighed before replying," I'm fine. I just going over the information you asked me to get along with the report from the observer you asked for Lady Neptune."

"Oh, what were you able to pull up?" RED demanded excitedly. She needed this information dearly. Between the contract reveal and the reaction that morning, she had discovered her plans had not accounted for Wifey Neptune properly. To be more specific, she had focused too much on Wifey Ranma. The justice wifey, however, seemed uncomfortable.

"RED, I know you mean well. I even hope you convince Ranma to rethink her stance on staying, but…" Nisa began before she stopped to shake her head," This doesn't feel right. You have me sending out spies, RED! SPIES! This is wrong."

"And yet you still did it my dear wifey," RED smiled to the glare she was receiving. She was also thankful this office had silencing wards on it to prevent noise from leaving the room," You did it because you feel the same as I"

Wifey Nisa seemed a bit confused about this," What?"

"No wifey, even you could not be so dead set on justice to ignore love," RED pointed out," You went and ordered someone to keep a watch on Ranma all on your on. That was just as wrong," RED pointed out as she stood up to walk around her desk.

"But-" Wifey Nisa squawked out in alarm only to be cut off by a single finger pressed to her lips.

"Let's face it, wifey. We love them to one extent or another. Even if you want to hide behind justice, you need to admit it," RED spoke softly as she pulled the stunned wifey into a hug before whispering on," We need to do these things. Even if… I became hated after this, I need to do this. I am the seeker of love and, as far as I have ever known, anything is fair game in love."

The justice wifey soon broke out of her shock at these words as well as RED's hug. Her back against the door, she replied," L-look, take these- I gotta go."

That said, the now blushing wifey dropped a folder and dashed from RED's clutches. RED only shook her head at this," Still didn't have enough affection points," she bemoaned to herself as she knelt dow to pick up the report.

A little while later, she found what she had missed. The spy hadn't turned up anything, but there turned out to be some interesting articles buried on the net. The most recent of which were four years old. This coupled with some corroboration from some of the friends she made during her travels pointed to a little detail. Wifey Ranma stumbled into a love triangle with Wifey Neptune and Wifey Noire. She sighed as she wondered how to fix this.

Ranma was now leaving the Basilicom with Vert. She was curious on what kind of fun she would find that when she heard two voices call," Ranma!"

She stopped to look back to find Blanc and Noire standing side by side. It seemed a little odd to her that they both called out like. More strangely, she felt her heart swell at the call. The way they had called her had lacked the anger she was used to from someone yelling her name. It seemed filled with a familiar emotion. One that spoke of need.

As she considered this, the two women came running up to her and Vert. All the while, Vert smiled gently at the seen and uttered something that Ranma could barely hear. She decided ignore it since she figured it wasn't meant for her.

It was Noire who spoke up first," Ranma. Would you come with us? There's something we need to talk about."

Blanc nodded in agreement. The two of them were both blushing a soft pink. Ranma thought about it and didn't know what to say. She had made a promise to Vert, but her heart felt like it was sinking again at the thought of saying "no". Sure it might only be a few minutes, but Ranma felt that, if she went with them, she would find it harder to leave one of them. It was during this indecision that Vert spoke up," If it is what I think it is, could you two please wait until tonight?"

Blanc's blush quickly turned to an angry frown, complete with a dark aura, as she replied," Look here-"

Blanc cut off at finding a hand resting on her shoulder. She shot a glare to its owner, Noire looking seriously at Vert, who took control of the conversation," This about a few days ago. It's fairly important."

Vert smiled before shaking her head gently at this and speaking," That is the problem Noire. I also need to talk to Ranma about that. I never resolved the main issue. I would think you'd want Ranma to be better prepared."

"What's this about?!" Ranma demanded. The feelings from before were now buried in annoyance at being left out of whatever was going on.

"Trust me, it's best we talk about this. Though I would like to ask if you have been thinking about what I asked you two days ago?" Vert inquired gently to which she received a thoughtful look followed a sheepish nod. She should have known," Try and think about it for today. It's important we talk about it before you have your chat with these two-"

"I am not going to stay quiet Vert," Blanc spoke darkly," What is your game?"

Vert shook her head and decided best to disarm the fight that might break out. It was fun to relieve a little stress from time to time, but this simply was not one of those. This decided, she shifted a little to lower her height as she came face to face with her verbal sparring partner. Blanc became tense at this and seemed ready to strike until simply closed her eyes and smiled for a few seconds. She opened her eyes to find Blanc still a bit stiff, but the tension was gone as she looked in confusion. That's when Vert struck. Before anyone could react, she had the smaller goddess buried in her bosom and whipering something that only her captive could hear. The girl went completely limp as she handed her off to a confused Noire before taking an equally shocked Ranma's hand dragging her along in a mad dash saying," Hurry before her lights turn back on!"

Ranma quickly regained her senses and was keeping up as she yelled out," What the heck ya say to her!?"

Vert only giggled at this merrily. Ranma shook her head to this and gave a silent prayer for Noire's safety. She felt guilty about leaving the two of them, but a promise was a promise. It had nothing to do with fleeing a possible danger zone.

Noire was currently in a bit of a predicament. She had no idea what Vert had just pulled. The very idea that she would pull something like that was well… She thought about it for a moment and realized that maybe it wasn't so shocking. Now she was left wondering what kind of time bomb she had been left holding. She couldn't flee herself, or she would make herself a more viable target for dropping Blanc. Then again, she was probably a target already for being a witness. This realization brought Noire to a decision. Too bad she didn't have the time to act on it.

Blanc could not believe what had just been said. She couldn't even bring herself to except it had been said at first. This had led to her total shutdown. Now her mind was ramping back up and she found she had no choice but to accept that it was real. She- she… HOW DARE SHE! That bitch knows I l- Her first thought as she computed what had been said died as another struck home. Of course Vert knew she lo-likes Ranma. She wasn't in the market for just any one thing. Blanc was furious. She was not sporting a crimson blush. It had to be pure fury.

"Noire, what did you here?" Blanc asked quietly. She could now feel the hands holding her tremble.

"No-nothing! I swear!" Noire promised desperately.

"… I'll take your word for it. Now let me go so I can kill the bitch and we'll never talk of this again," Blanc spoke darkly as she changed to HDD. She almost immediately felt Noire's grasp go and hear a thud. She ignored this as she flew off. She had no actual intentions to commit deicide. She just needed to go somewhere to be alone for a bit and let off some steam.

It was a little later, Ranma and Vert had spent some time going from stall to stall and just enjoying the festivities. When asked if they should be hiding, Vert's reply was to simply laugh and assure Ranma that everything would be fine. Now they sat on a bench at the north edge of the city as they watched the various events while enjoying a break with some tea.

"Ranma, as much as it saddens me to interrupt our time together with this, I do believe we have some things to discuss," Vert broke the peaceful silence between the two. Not a total silence since there were the sounds of festivities surrounding them. Ranma sighed at having to let the moment pass, but she nodded in agreement since she was curious about what was going on. Vert smiled to her. She felt a gentle warmth from that smile, but she paid it no mind as her friend continued," With all the distractions from before, I doubt you've had much time to think about your father. So let's start there. Ranma, how much do you care about your father?"

"Hm, well of course I care about him. He's my pops," Ranma replied bluntly as she scratched at the base of her pigtail.

"I figured that dear, but I meant how much?" Vert clarified only to earn a blank stare to which she sighed," Ok, if your father was sick?"

"Well duh, I would worry!" Ranma declared.

"Good, and what if he was being attacked by someone?" Vert pressed.

Ranma snorted at this," depends how bad it was. I'd bail him out if it looked life threatening. Otherwise, he probably had it coming," she finished with a bit of irritation.

"And how much do you trust him?" Vert went on.

Ranma almost laughed at this," Not even half as far as Nabiki could throw him at this point."

Vert thought on that before asking," And was that different at some point?"

Ranma nodded and emphatically replied," Yeah, that was before getting' cursed and finding out about the multiple engagement contracts."

Vert considered how to phrase her next question," Hmmm, and who would you consider as just a friend?"

"Well, there's Ryouga, he's a pretty good guy. Good fights, and has some honor and dignity. One of the few who didn't try to beat me during when I was at my weakest… Then again, he has turned on me a few times, abused a certain promise, used a couple underhanded tricks, blames me for just about anything-" Ranma started listing off only to be interrupted by a hand on her shoulder.

"Ranma, that's more than enough. Tell me about someone you consider family besides your mother," Vert were a neutral mask. She was wincing inside as she recalled what she had read. There was no way she wanted to touch on the subject of Ranma's mother. Not that much had been mentioned. All she found mentioned in the book was mention of an agreement that was eventually fulfilled only to hang over their relation. As much as she wanted to know, she knew there had to be more to it and it could ruin this little "talk".

Ranma had to think on it for a moment before answering," well, I guess Ukyo, Nabiki, and Kasumi…"

"I only need one of them dear, let's focus on Ukyo," Vert cut in quickly. She had her suspicions.

"Well, I used to only think of her as a friend when we were kids. 'Course, back then I thought she was a boy… Pretty much she came back when I was in Nerima and she revealed we were engaged. Strangely, she was always the friendliest and helped me out a lot. I also trust her a good bit. Can still remember that sauce mess… I should have been honest from the start," Ranma admitted.

"Well Ranma, I think see the problem," Vert said. She was glad she had snuck in a few things that would be nostalgic to her pigtailed companion over the past few days. It had worked wonderfully to help Ranma better focus on what she needed for this little session," Ranma, would you say that you compare your feelings to others while using your father as a base?" Ranma looked at her for a moment in thought before shrugging," I think it's the case Ranma. Your relation with your father has been hurt by his actions. Now don't fret dear, I said hurt, not ruined or destroyed. You still care for him, but I'd say not as much as what other's would. You lack trust that he destroyed and you would only go so far as to save his life. Ryouga has clearly done something that bothers you greatly, but because you see some good qualities in him, you consider him a friend where as I and others would note him as an acquaintance."

Ranma stayed silent as she listened to this discussion unti she started to understand where it was going. She did not like it and said as much," Wait, Ukyo has always been a friend and is like a sister to me!"

"A friend, yes I would agree. In fact, I'd say she's a bright point in your life. Ranma, you were on good terms with your father when you first met her. She was your friend back then. When you met her again after so long, your relation with your father had already been hurt, but you found you still cared about her just as much. Though I think it might have been strained if she pushed the engagement bit. Wasn't it?" Vert explained what she felt was the key to the issue. Ranma's relations were based on association. This was true for most, but pair that with a lack of social interaction outside a very small group and personal misunderstandings could sprout up.

Ranma bit her lip in thought. She wanted to deny this, but she knew this was right. Ukyo had frayed on her nerves in her time in Nerima. It hurt when she abused her friendship to push for the engagement. Finally she nodded. It was at this moment that she almost jumped once more as she found herself in another hug from Vert. She felt the same warmth from the last time. She also found she didn't want to break it.

"It's alright dear. Now we're coming to the hardest part," Vert broke off. These words filtered down to Ranma as she considered them for a moment. Then she stiffened when she realized where Vert was going with this. She found she couldn't break from the embrace. Something in her didn't want to. Her struggles only brought her into a tighter embrace," You love Akane." Ranma suddenly froze at the declaration before looking up to Vert's smile as she was released," As a sister."

Nisa was currently on break. Not that justice ever rests, but she knew that she needed it after that morning. Just thinking about it caused her to bl- She shook herself out of it. RED was wrong, and as much as she wanted to deny it, she was guilty as well. After escaping, she quickly called off her minders. She couldn't believe what she had allowed herself to do. It was as she considered this while sitting at a small café, the missing official herself plopped down at her table.

"Gust wants to know what the crazy one's been doing while Gust has been… Negotiating certain arrangements," Ranma's bunny themed friend demanded. She looked quite crossed. Nisa slumped forward onto the table and sighed.

"You'll need to be more specific. I think I might be ready for the loony bin myself," Nisa bemoaned.

"Gust already has a report from your department," the small girl stated with a level glare," You have been instigating certain problems and abusing power. Spying on friends like that is not good. Gust will hear why after you tell Gust about The crazy one."

"She's been doing her job mostly. Well, except for when she asked about what you already know-" Nisa began explain.

"Gust only knows some of it. What was in the report and why did she ask for it?" the girl cut in shrewdly.

The former hero of justice sighed," There was some kind of scene yesterday morning involving Neptune. She ordered an investigation, and from what I saw, it was uncovered that Lady Neptune and Lady Noire likely have unresolved romantic feelings dating back to before ASIC even showed up."

"Gust sees…" Eden's advisor and accountant stated," Thing's have gone bonkers while Gust has been gone," Gust commented with furrowed brow," This does not sound good with the reports Gust got when checking in at security's secondary HQ on the way here… That can wait. Now tell Gust why you went along with this mess."

Ranma was feeling better now that she was conscious and fed. It had taken Vert an hour and a roaring stomach to realize what Ranma needed to pull through this. That had been a little bit ago and it was now the afternoon. As they walked along, Vert seemed to be considering something. Sadly, Ranma's attention was diverted when she walked into someone.

"Hey! Don't you wa-" The voice cut off when Ranma's eyes met those of Noire," Oh, er-"

The two of them remained silent for a moment with no idea what to say. Vert only shook her head at this mess and decided to help things along," You know, it's considered rude to gawk… Then again, I'm not too familiar with the rules when it's mutual. All the same, good afternoon Noire. Good to see you in one piece."

"You!" Noire yelled in anger," I don't know what you were thinking with that stunt, but Blanc was furious!"

"Oh really? Did she come hunt me in earnest, or did she fly out of Eden with a red face likely go monster slaying?" Vert sniped back.

"She- wait…" Noire started as she thought about what she had seen," Now that you mention it, fury doesn't do that to her."

Vert hummed in thought as Noire clearly started to come to a conclusion. Ranma simply had no idea what was going on," What do ya mean? She seemed as pissed off as Akane on occasion."

"Dear, that was more embarrassment than anger," Vert pointed out," Oh, I'm sure she tried to reason it or play it off as such, but let's just say I have a certain understanding when it comes to her," She giggled ," Moving on, I must say it's good timing on your part Noire. Would you mind calling up Blanc for a little meeting?"

"I could, but why do you need me to?" asked the Goddess of Lastation.

"Well, isn't it obvious? She really will be angry if I did it," Vert stated in a slightly haughty tone.

"Wait, I thought you said she wasn't furious," Noire questioned as she pulled out her phone, brow arched.

"Oh, that. She'll only be angry if it's me to call her right now," Vert explained.

"Uh, how do you know her so well? Ya always seem to be fighting," Ranma asked in confusion.

"Oh, that? Well, you do tend to learn things about people when you spend enough time arguing with them," Vert pointed out.

"Only Vert," Noire sighed as she called Blanc.

"Oh, and be sure to tell her I'll be there dear," Vert added," Otherwise she'll be mad at you and me."

"Only Vert," Noire grumbled as she heard they call pick up.

Blanc was… She couldn't decide if she was happy she would get to talk with Ranma or angry that Vert was going to be there. She sighed at the thought and let her anger go. Ranma was definitely more important. Plus, Vert can dream all she wanted, but she wasn't going to- to. Blanc's face went crimson red once more. She really hated how that woman seemed to know her so well. It even pissed her off knowing she used Noire as a go between in arranging the meeting. Blanc sighed again. Vert wasn't all that bad. She knew it. They could even be civil at times. At the heart of it all, she just couldn't get past her pain of envy. However, Blanc needed to for Ranma, and she was thankful Vert had been thoughtful enough to give her a chance. Ranma was the main focus of this meeting. It was with this thought that she met with the others at the entrance to Eden's Basilicom.

She nodded to them as she approached," It's good to see you Ranma, Noire… and Vert" she greeted the last in irritation.

Vert smiled at this and greeted her," I'm happy to see you come dear."

Ranma smiled at her and waved as Noire gave a short bow in acknowledgement. Blanc smiled a little and decided she was happier just to finally settle the matter with Ranma. She joined them as they made their way into the barrier improperly. She had to admit. This was probably the best place for a private discussion. If you don't go in as a group, you would be split up. This meant no one could simply follow them in here and spy… They'd just have to wait by the right entrance. At least it insured privacy within the barrier.

After walking in silence for about two minutes, the group stopped. Ranma then pulled out a blanket for them to sit on and Vert brought out a thermos of Tea for everyone. Once everyone was situated, Ranma couldn't wait any longer," Ok, so what's the deal!?"

It was now clear to everyone she was a nervous. Blanc chuckled at this," It's to settle a matter between you, me, and Noire."

Ranma seemed to be a bit more nervous now," Y-you mean-"

"That the three of you are in love," Vert stated simply as she took a sip from her tea.

"I am NOT KUNO!" Ranma screamed instantly, only to find Noire placing a reassuring hand on Ranma's shoulder before shooting Vert a glare.

"Ranma, that man was an ass who lusted after two women. He never tried to learn about them and only cared about claiming them," Blanc declared before drinking some tea. It was then she realized Vert had mixed a little something in. True didn't have normal bodies, but they would still feel the simulated experience unless it conflicted with their duties. She quickly looked to Vert who pointed to a second Thermos that had "Ranma" written on it before shaking her head and drinking more and smiling.

Ranma had been too distracted to catch this byplay as she continued to mumble on," Not Kuno not Kuno not Kuno," it was then the grip on her shoulder firmed and she was brought face to face with Noire.

"Ranma, did you feel this way when we first met?" She asked gently, to which Ranma shook her head," Then you're not this perverted jerk."

Ranma calmed down a little at this," What?"

Ranma felt a small hand grab her own as she reached for some tea. She turned to find Blanc staring at her for a moment. If she had looked past her, she'd see an empty tea cup, but she did hear Vert giggle. Ranma was thrown off by the staring. Not the she minded looking at Blanc. She was cute, but- Ranma would have tried to throw the thought out of her head with a good shake, but her attention was immediately centered on Blanc.

"You are in love, and I love you," was all she said as she pulled herself into an embrace under Ranma's arm and nodded off with her head leaning against her as she snuggled. Ranma was shocked.

While Ranma seemed to have gone catatonic for the moment, Noire got a suspicious look on her face as she picked up her own cup and sipped before spitting it out. She turned to Vert angrily to find she was smiling and taking a picture with her phone," Oh Blanc, you shouldn't have downed it so quickly. I added a little extra to yours," Vert sing songed quietly so as not to draw Ranma out of her current state too quickly. She noted Noire's glare," Dear, I needed something to take the edge off so to speak, and you two needed something to loosen you up or you two would be tiptoeing around the matter as long as you could."

"You still shouldn't have tricked her like that," Noire fired off angrily before taking a sip.

"Do you think she drinks tea that fast? She downed it on purpose," Vert replied admonishing her fellow goddess before giggling," I think she over estimated herself though."

"Wha?" Ranma finally made a sound as her brain came to terms with the cuteness currently attached to her. As much as she wanted to deny it, she enjoyed it and found herself pulling Blanc into a more comfortable position.

"I'd say you've come to terms with the fact you love us?" Noire questioned drawing Ranma's attention. She slowly nodded. There was a bit of guilt on her face as she did so," Good-"

"Because Noire loves you too," Vert spoke up with a Cheshire grin.

Ranma became horrified when she noted that Noire was blushing and nodding in slow agreement. It was the fiancé brigade all over again!

As Ranma became more horrified to Noire's confusion, Vert decided to step in yet again," Ranma, they're not going to fight over this. If you haven't noticed, these two have been very civil with each other."

Ranma didn't seem to believe her, Noire gulped and decided to take a plunge. She hugged Ranma from her unoccupied side and whispered," We agreed to let things go and to get along."

Vert looked on the scene with a smile before pulling out a set of tickets," Thank you for keeping me company today. I have my own event to check in on. Take these and spend some time together."

Later that night, Neptune joined a crowd for 5pb's concert. Unlike her and Nepgear's show last night, Vert was sponsoring the event and bringing in a celebrity for it. It didn't really bother Neptune all that much. Not like much else could really bother her. Something was wrong. It had been wrong since the convention. She was now becoming more aware of it as she spent her time alone that day. Yes alone, her sister was hanging out with the other candidates that day. Something about Blanc and Noire having something to take care of.

Well, it was probably for the better. She felt as if she was gaining some perspective with what was wrong. It was as if something had been manipulating her. She wasn't sure what it had been, but she knew she was getting better. She was almost back to her good ol' nep self.

As she was thinking about this and waiting for the concert to start, she noticed Nep Jr. in the crowd. She pushed her way through and found her sister and the other candidates. They were huddled around her sister's gear looking at something.

"What's up Jr.?" Neptune chimed as she pushed her way to her sister," Hey guys!"

It was when she noticed something odd. Nep Jr. and Uni were blushing and the twins were seemed to be happy about something. Her sister's expression changed to one of worry.

"Uh-well, we were just looking up somethings while we were waiting for the show-" Nep Jr. tried explain as she quickly tried to hide her little device. Neptune smiled. She smelled something juicy.

"Really, well that's good and all, buuut," She drew the last syllable out as she dashed past her sis and snatched the gear," Big sister has some super-vising to be doin'!"

"S-sisteeeer!" Nep Jr. cried as she desperately tried to grab her possession back. Neptune only laughed as she twirled out of reach and turned the screen back on. She immediately felt her heart drop and froze. It was too late for Nepgear to stop her sister. There on the gear was a picture sent by Vert showing three goddesses sharing hugs. One of them was her Nowa.

"Umm, sister-" Nepgear began timidly in worry. She had her suspicions about her sister and Noire. She did not think it would be good to show that to Neptune. Then she noticed her sister trembling.

Not too far away in the crowd, the three goddesses from a certain picture were enjoying their time together when they had a certain familiar laugh.

"Wow, she seems to be doing better," Ranma noted.

"… Well it is Neptune we're talking about," Blanc pointed out.

Noire only laughed nervously. She felt a twinge of guilt in her heart. Ranma wasn't the only one in their little group that loved two people…