Ranma belongs to Rumiko Sensei

X-Men belongs to Marvel Studios

Homo Superior

SUPER SPECIAL THANKS: Riniko and Mingyu burning that midnight oil to get this out. We did it guys!

Finale: Part Three

*** Final Day of the Fair ***

There were a lot of things Ranma was expecting when he woke up that morning. Just "chilling with his boys" as Evan would say, was one of them. Being asked by Wolverine to kiss his daughter was not.

"You want me to WHAT?!" Ranma openly gaped at the savage mutant, who looked extremely agitated. The man was in his yellow and black uniform, but with the mask off. He was one of the enforcers to make sure there were no troublemakers at the fair.

"I want you to kiss Laura," Wolverine pushed a rectangular black pouch into the pigtailed boy's hand. Behind the youth was Ororo's nephew and the tenacious Beak, who wore expressions that matched that of the pigtailed teen.

Ranma eyed the money pouch suspiciously. His first thought was that the Wolverine before him was a shape-shifter. Mystique was on the school grounds after all. Granted, she was here as the Headmistress of the Genosha University of Brotherhood, but she could have been up to no good. However, having been in close proximity to the hairy mutant before, his ki-signature proved that it was actually Wolverine. Which brought him to his next step. When unsure, call Jean.

"Errr, one sec. Lemme call a friend real fast," Ranma took out his phone and began to dial his friend/confidant only to have the phone slapped out of his hand.

"I'm in my right mind, Saotome," Wolverine glared at the boy, looking extremely offended, even as Evan caught the flying phone on reflex.

"But..But WHY?!" Ranma asked in confusion. He looked at the man, only to see him with his jaws clenched. It was a look that screamed "Wolverine messed up" somehow.

"Look, I'm not sure if you know, but Laura was…" Wolverine paused, trying to find the right words. The crowd, as if sensing the danger in the area, gave the group a wide berth.

"...conscripted to work in the kissing booth."

"Oh, yeah..." Ranma recalled. "I thought it was weird she signed up the day we got back. So she did get strong-armed into it, eh?"

Wolverine sighed, and was glad the boy understood. But now he had to explain how he had messed up.

"Well, when I found out… I hung around their booth to ensure no boys would dare to kiss her. The other version of me did the same."

Ranma blinked. He had been wondering where the other Wolverine went, the X-Men from the other reality only stayed that one day. Something about three phoenix's can only stablized for that day. Whatever that meant!

"I did not realize..." Wolverine now winced, as he had to do something he rarely wanted to do. Admit his mistake.

"I did not realize she actually would want to participate in that… activity."

"Sh-she does?" Ranma, Evan and Beak asked in such sync that the Cuckoos would have been jealous. The female version of Wolverine was well known as the tough girl.

"She's a lot like you, Saotome, and I don't mean that to sound disparaging." Wolverine held up a hand quickly to cut off the boy's protest.

"All her life she was trained to be the best, just like you. Her childhood was robbed from her, just like you. She turned out, despite the abuse heaped upon her, to have a good heart, just like you."

Ranma blushed at the usually grumpy mutant's praise, but saw that the man was not finished.

"That is why, in trying to integrate back into normal society, she can get easily caught up in the flow of other people," Wolverine made eye contact with the boy then. "Just like you."

Ranma suddenly realized what Wolverine meant. When he got back he was so desperate to fit in he took Akane's aggressive attacks as normal. In a desperate bid to fit in he just tried to appease everyone by letting them get away with walking all over him according to Jean. So while Laura would not have volunteered to work at the kissing booth by herself, just like how he would never have volunteered to be in that stupid Romeo and Juliet play. But once they were in, they would want to fit in.

"So… in other words, you and the other you scared all the boys away from her line, making her feel left out and as if something was wrong with her," Ranma locked eyes with Wolverine and saw the man looked even more ashamed.

"Am I right?"

"I did not consider her feelings..." Wolverine sighed and hung his head in shame.

"But why me though?" Ranma asked before he thumbed back to Evan and Beak. "Why not one of these guys or any other guy? I think I heard Laura and Julian had something a while back."

Wolverine's low, threatening growl made his thoughts known on Ranma's offer. His friends hid behind the pigtailed boy. Sure Laura was hot, but not worth dying over!

"Because, I..." Wolverine found it very difficult to say what he wanted to next but even his other version agreed.

"I- approve of you."

"What?" the three boys said in unison again, before looking at each other. It was Evan, however, who spoke up next.

"Wait a sec, Teach, you can't throw in another contender this late in the game!" Evan spoke up, almost indignantly, before he pointed at his hair.

SNIKT!

"Shut your mouth, Daniels!" Wolverine pointed his popped claws at the suddenly not-so-brave black boy before he turned back to the pigtailed boy.

"There is also the fact that I know you would respect her for her and not view her as something to fuck."

Ranma blinked at the savage mutant's vulgar euphemism, but he really had no interest in "fucking" Laura or anyone at the moment. Though he could freely admit she was attractive, especially in the future, which he got a glimpse of a while back.

"What makes you think she is still working at the booth after yesterday?"

Wolverine let out a sigh, half in relief and half in annoyance. At least Saotome seemed to be leaning in favor of cleaning up the old mutant's mess.

"Like you she is persistent, she will not quit until she gained something, even if she has to stand there looking out of place all day."

Ranma had passed by the booth yesterday with Teen Jean, and saw that some of the girls were giving guys pecks on the cheek, or lips. He had honestly blushed at such a display, but realized things were different now. Not to mention he wasn't innocent of such things as the adult version of Laura had given him a searing kiss. Then there was Jean's-

"Saotome?" Wolverine waved his hand in front of the pigtailed boy's face, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Huh, wha?" Ranma shook his head to forget the kisses. With the experience he now had, a quick peck on his cheek or even lips wasn't such a big deal. Not when compared to the tongue action he had received from adult Laura and Jean.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Good," Wolverine nodded as he handed Ranma the money pouch. "This should be payment enough."

Ranma opened the pouch and gawked with his friends at what they saw. "This- It's only twenty bucks a kiss!"

There was easily ten-thousand in the pouch with all the twenty dollar bills Ranma saw.

"Look I owe her for scaring away all of her profit yesterday," Wolverine growled at the way it sounded, but the girls and boys were getting paid for kissing people.

"So that should more than cover it. Hopefully, if they see you get a kiss it will show that she's approachable."

+++ Kissing Booth +++

Ranma spotted the lonely-looking girl who was leaning against the front of her booth. She was dressed in black jeans and a tight blue t-shirt that showed off her middrift. It was odd for him, seeing her in casual clothes. Next to her were Claire and Noriko, who had a pretty long line of guys each, Sofia, who had a longer line than both, and Veronica who had the longest line. He saw that the cat-girl spotted him, and he could have sworn that the fur on her face got darker as she shyly waved over to him. Being polite, he waved back, then looked down at the money-filled pouch and began to walk over to the forlorn-looking girl.

Laura maintained her cold demeanor, while inside she was mentally embarrassed. They knew something was wrong with her, that she wasn't right or normal like them. Even mutants avoided her. It made her feel… unpleasant. Her boothmates had told her it was okay, even though she was dragging down the booths' profits. She did not want their pitying looks at all. Which was why she was extremely surprised when a familiar pigtailed boy began to skip the other girls' lines and approach hers. She noticed several of the other girls was looking on in surprised at the boy who was slowly approaching her counter.

"So," Ranma felt the other guys stare on him. There were plenty of heads shaking, as if they pitied him. "Err… you still selling kisses?"

Laura blinked and nodded. She had trained with the pigtailed boy for the better part of a month, and in that month she felt zero sexual desire for her from him. It appeared his offer of friendship was genuine with no ulterior motives. Which now brings her to why he would even want her to kiss him. Why her? However, she was responsible for this booth and he was a customer.

"Yes," Laura said after a brief moment of hesitation. "That'll be twenty dollars."

"Here," the moment Ranma dumped the contents of the pouch he could feel the activity around him stop as they all looked at him in shock. Five large stacks of twenty-dollar bills would do that….

Laura blinked at the amount on her table. For a moment she wondered if Ranma realized that she was no longer a prostitute that worked for Zebra Daddy. Even as a prostitute she didn't bring in this much from one client. She looked at Ranma to see if this was some cruel joke about her past, only to see him looking very nervous and wondering if she would accept it. That, more than anything, made her feel relieved, but she was still confused by the amount…

"Why so much?" Laura looked at him curiously. That pile of money on her table was worth a lot of kisses.

"Umm," Ranma knew that Laura could sense deception thanks to her animal senses, so he decided to go with a truth.

"Cause it's worth it?"

Laura started at the pigtailed boy and felt a weird emotion inside of her. It confused her, but also made her feel very light on her feet.

"W-Well," Laura was puzzled as to why she stumbled over her words. "Umm, okay."

"Okay." Ranma echoed her as he twiddled with his thumbs.

Laura exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Okay."

"Oka-mmmmph!" Ranma eyes widened as Laura grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him. This was NOT a peck! In fact it was far past a peck, nor was it anything like what her future self gave him either. No, this kiss was… was very adult in nature, and not the Jean type of passionate while she was possessed by the Phoenix either. Laura broke the kiss for a bit, leaving an erotic, glistening string of saliva trailing between their mouths before she simply tilted her head at a different angle and kissed him even deeper.

If Ranma had been wiser and knew of Laura's background, he would have realized that this was a kiss that she had learned from her working girl days. It was a "fuck me" kiss. Unfortunately, Ranma did not know anything about that so he was not able to identify it. And Laura did not think too much about it either. Finally, she let him go after feeling satisfied that she completed her job, and saw her booth-mates looking at her.

"What?"

"W-What the hell was that?!" Noriko asked, pointing at the girl, as all the boys could only stare at Laura.

"A kiss?" Laura replied in confusion.

"But that kind of kiss?!" Noriko, aka Surge, shot back as her friends began to recover. She felt dirty for having seen it! That should be in pornos only!

"Was I not supposed to?" Laura frowned as she looked at the dazed pigtailed boy. Did she do something wrong.

"It's just a kiss."

"J-Just a kiss?" Noriko stammered as she experienced a sinking feeling. "W-Was that the type of kiss you were going to give to anyone that paid you?"

"Yes." Laura answered, not seeing where she went wrong. Surprisingly, the men in the other lines all looked at one another, before all of them began to form behind the pigtailed boy. The other girls' mouths opened at the sudden change.

"Move it, kid, me next!" A frat boy glared at the Asian punk who overpaid for the kiss. He gently nudged the boy away and came face-to-face with a closed sign.

"What?!"

"I hit my quota for both days," Laura pointed at the pile of money she was now gathering together as she nodded to her booth-mates. She kind of felt proud that she earned so much. Sure, it was from Ranma, but… it was especially meaningful with how the men were lined up for her now. That mean't she wasn't strange or weird at all!

So, with a soft smile on her face, she walked away from her booth, leaving behind a dazed pigtailed boy and a horde of lustful idiots.

*** The Dance ***

Ranma looked in the mirror at the suit bought for him by Jean. It was a gray suit with a short jacket, fitted for him to move around in. It kind of looked like an updated version of what he wore when he courted Shampoo during the Reversal Jewel incident. Except instead of a bow tie he had a loose-hanging tie.

"Lady-killer mode, on," Ranma grinned at the reflection in the mirror. He could freely admit he looked good. In fact, the only things ruining the image were Beak and Evan on either side of him, punching with all of their strength. Their strength was negligible, because he barely felt it.

"Would you guys mind? Seriously, cut it out already!"

"Shut up and take your beating like a man!" Evan shouted bitterly at his friend, as he was really punching Ranma with all of his strength. After what he saw happen with Laura, Ranma deserved to burn in hell! Unfortunately, hitting Ranma was like hitting a piece of iron, it was his fists that were hurting. But despite it all, there were just some things a man MUST do.

"That's right!" Beak was also helping his friend punch Ranma, his fists were already getting sore, so he gave one last punch to the side and leaned back on his bed. Bitter, he could only feel bitter. Why did Ranma get all the pretty girls? WHY?!

Ranma rolled his eyes as he straightened out his tie when he heard a knock on the door. He saw that Beak was not in any condition to help, as he was nursing his fists, so Ranma walked over to open the door and was stunned by who he saw.

"Myst?!"

Evan was in mid-punch, but even he stopped to stare at the girl. Beak too glanced from where he was sitting and was floored.

"Whoa, pretty..." the bird mutant whispered.

All Evan could do was let out a long wolf-whistle.

Ranma had to admit, the water-based girl was very pretty in her smooth, spaghetti-strap silk dress. Her hair was straight and long, looking perfectly immaculate. She didn't have on much makeup (not that he even knew if she could), but her face was pretty to begin with. Combined with her current style, it made her look very pretty.

"Embarrassing." Myst looked away shyly from the stares of her male friends. Thanks to Ranma's training she was able to keep all of her body formed, and change her shape a lot more.

Ranma smirked as he looked to the boys, then turned back to Myst. "How do we look?"

Myst glanced around at all three boys and ducked her head a bit. "Handsome."

"Oh, we are gonna beast it up at the dance!" Evan crowed. He was so hyped he finally stopped hitting Ranma over the Laura incident.

The foursome made their way to the auditorium and saw Professors Drake, Pryde and a brown hair man at the entrance. A flash nearly blinded the four as the brown hair man who introduced himself as Peter Parker, lowered his camera even as Professor Pryde gushed about how cute they looked.

Even from the outside, Ranma could feel the vibration of the music inside. He looked up and noted that it was a clear, star-studded sky. Ms. Storm was doing her best work! He gave a smart salute towards her general direction in respect.

The four entered, hearing the loud music become more pronounced as they looked around the crowded gym. Flashy decorations were everywhere. On the side wall were photos taken from the two-day fair of the entire event. At the front, by the dance floor, Dazzler was performing, much to everyone's delight. Unlike the rest of the time at the fair, everyone here was from the Xavier School or the Superhero community.

"Daddy!"

Ranma easily caught the winged mutant that dive-bombed him from above. The boy was in a small child-tuxedo with a penguin flap on the back.

"Cute." Myst eyes brightened upon seeing Saffron. That really meant she was gushing over the boy.

"Daddy! Mommy is dancing with the smelly man!" Saffron tattletale'd to his father. "Daddy, dance with Mommy!"

Ranma looked at the little boy in his arms before he looked out on on the dance floor, seeing that a lot of the adult X-Men was dancing quite energetically. Jean and Wolverine among them. They appeared to be having a good time, so he looked back down at the winged boy in his arms.

"Come on squirt, you're with me for now," Ranma grinned as he set the boy on his shoulder and walked further in.

"Okay, guys, I see the girl I'm gonna make the future-Mrs. Daniels, wish me luck!" Evan waved as he spotted a girl from the Genosha University of Brotherhood.

"There are you are, Beak!"

Ranma looked over to see a black girl with butterfly wings approaching them.

"Ah, Ranma, my girlfriend is calling me. Talk to you later!" Beak waved and left behind a stunned-looking Ranma.

"W-when did he get a girlfriend?!" Ranma looked to Myst, who looked back with a matching expression. Apparently, she had been in the dark too.

The trio made their way over to the punch and poured themselves some drinks. While Ranma drank his normally, Myst just stuck a finger in and the liquid inside her cup began to disappear. Ranma blinked as he felt a bit of a tingle on his scalp.

"Spiked." Myst's form momentarily looked a bit fuzzy before she reformed herself.

Ranma blinked and looked down in panic, as he had given Saffron a cup as well. To his surprise, the boy did not look any worse for wear.

"Does that mean I'm just a lightweight?!" Ranma muttered indignantly. Before he could try and challenge himself to handle more liquor, Professor LeBeau came over and quarantined it.

"Non of dis for the children, kay?" Gambit waggled a finger at the two teens before he made off with the bowl.

"Excuse me, are you Myst?"

Ranma and the girl turned around to see a boy, who appeared to be similar to Myst, floating. Although he was green and looked more like vapor clouds, and his feet weren't even fully formed.

"Yes." Myst responded as she looked at the boy questioningly. "Gas?"

"Yes! That's right!" The boy appeared to be able to talk more than Myst could, but Myst appeared to have greater control over her form.

"Genosha?" Myst guessed, as she clearly had never seen the boy before. He merely nodded. She had to admit he was pretty cute too.

"Name's Helio, but my friend calls me Harry," the boy, Helio seemed to change color before he stopped in embarrassment.

"Err, are you with your date?"

Ranma and Myst looked at each other in amusement before she answered. "Friend."

"Th-then, would you care to dance?" Heilo asked nervously, his arms were extended out. Ranma had to give the boy props for being so bold and forthcoming.

Myst blinked in surprise when she felt Ranma's hand on her back, pushing her forward towards the boy. She turned around and focused on his hand, which had a faint glow. When had he learned to do that?! Still, she admitted the gas based boy should be rewarded for his bravery.

"Yes."

"Yes!" Helio whooped, before looking embarrassed. Soon enough, the gas and water-based mutants made their way to the dance floor.

"Looks like it's just you and me, runt," Ranma looked down at Saffron who merely smiled. Ranma was reaching over to a nearby table for something to eat when he felt someone moving very deliberately toward them.

"Saffy!" a young boy cried out in joy.

"Frankie!" Saffron answered back with similar enthusiasm as he jumped off his father's back.

Ranma turned around and saw that his son was already rushing over to meet a blonde boy of similar age. A moment later, a tall, attractive blonde woman joined the group with a man who was, yet again, blonde. Finally a large orange rock-creature, in a suit and tie no less, made it's presence known.

"Benny! Johnny!" Saffron chirped happily as he hugged the leg of the blond man before he jumped into the orange rock-creature's arms. The rock-creature appeared to pet Saffron's head fondly and set him down gently.

Saffron then turned to the woman. "Auntie Susie!"

Ranma was surprised by how affectionate the little boy was to anyone outside of him and Jean. The woman picked him up and kissed his forehead lightly before setting him down. As if he just remembered where he was and who he was with, Saffron ran over to Ranma and pulled at his arm to come closer to the group.

"This is my daddy, Frankie!" Saffron introduced Ranma proudly. "He's the best fighter in the whole world!"

Ranma scratched his cheek in embarrassment at hearing the boy's boast, as "Frankie" looked up at Ranma in wide-eyed awe.

"Hey, little man," Ranma muttered before he knelt down and offered a hand to the little blond boy. The boy just seemed to shake Ranma's hand on autopilot, still looking at him in wonder. What did Saffron tell the boy anyway?! It was then Ranma noticed a little girl with the same blonde hair as the woman and Frankie, shyly hiding behind the rock-creature's leg.

"And who do we have here?"

The little girl's eyes widened at being spotted, and she blushed shyly as she looked over to Saffron. By this time, Ranma had a pretty good idea about who these people were and grinned.

"You must be Valeria."

The little girl's eyes widened even more, but she also looked very pleased he knew her. She then stood in front of Ranma and gave him a formal Japanese bow.

"Future-Father-in-law."

Ranma felt as if he had turned to stone, hearing the little girl say that in perfect Japanese no less. However, he was soon broken out of it as the Thing, Johnny Storm the Human Torch and Susan Storm burst out in laughter. That seemed to make the little girl more self-aware, and she went back to hiding behind the Thing's leg.

"And you must be Ranma Saotome," said Susan Storm. She was dressed in a casual white dress and greeted Ranma with a handshake.

"We've heard so much about you, both from Jean and Saffron."

"Errr, not all bad, I hope?" Ranma sweated as he shook the attractive woman's hand, her blue eyes twinkling.

"You can just call me Johnny," Johnny Storm said, as he too shook Ranma's hand before grinning.

"Also, just want to let you know, you are my own personal hero. I never scored with chicks that much older and hot when I was your ag-ouch! Susan!"

"Johnny!" Susan Storm admonished, before she looked back to the pigtailed boy. The boy was handsome, but much too young for Jean.

"And you can call me Ben," the Thing, aka Ben Grimm, extended his rock-like hand to the boy. Ranma shook it easily enough, but noted the man's strength. Which was very impressive.

"Swing by the Baxter Building sometime. You should show me a couple of those fancy kung-fu moves little Saffy tells me about."

"It'll be an honor," Ranma agreed with an easy smile.

"Ranma, there you are," a familiar voice got Ranma's attention as he turned and saw Sybil in a stunning gold dress. Her face looked flush, and she had an ever-present smile on her face. She looked over and acknowledged the Fantastic Four members with a nod.

"Care to dance?"

"What about your date?" Ranma asked, seeing the golden cat-girl with a wolf-like boy earlier.

"Don't worry about him. Besides, I wanted first crack at you," Sybil grinned as she extended her hand. "Come on!"

Ranma looked at the offered arm before he considered Saffron, who was engrossed with talking with Frankie.

"Go, I'll watch him for you," Susan giggled as she shooed Ranma away. The pigtailed boy took a look around, seeing Evan dancing with the Genosha girl and Beak dancing with his girlfriend. Even Myst was dancing with that Helio boy. Well, if his friends could do it, so can he.

With a confident grin he took Sybil's hand and let her lead him into the jam-packed crowd. The movements came easily for him, being a martial artist. It was just a rhythm you have to move yourself to, so as to match the music.

"Wow, you can dance, mister!" Sybil grinned in delight as she bumped against the pigtailed boy a few times much to his surprise.

"You know, I never thought the boy I was a guide for would become such a big man on campus!"

Ranma could not fault the girl for shouting. The bass reverberated extremely loud throughout the building. "Hardly! I think they still hate my guts!"

"Shhs!" Sybil smiled as she moved her body in a sexy manner. "After that performance with you and your friends yesterday, trust me, your image just got a huge boost!"

Ranma stopped dancing to gawk at the golden cat-girl, but she forced him to move a moment later. "No way!"

"Yep!" Sybil smiled even wilder with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You were also involved in a lot of X-Men-caliber events, not even the Elites could boast that! I'm proud to be counted among your friends!"

Ranma blinked at the girl and shook his head as he danced closer to her, matching her sleek movement with his masculine ones.

"It's me who's honored to have you giving me another chance. You smoothed out a lot of things for me, and helped me up here."

Ranma tapped his head to emphasize the point, and his cat-girl friend ducked her head a bit.

"W-Well, it's interesting, I don't mind it at all! I'm here to help you for as long as you need. Guide-promise!"

Sybil raised her right hand and put her left over her heart when she spotted her friend that had noticed the two dancing. With a grin, the cat-girl figured she should resolve yet another misunderstanding.

"Ronnie, over here!"

Ranma watched as the black cat-girl danced her way over to them. Before Ranma knew it he was dancing between the two cat-girls, thought the black one appeared to be nervous around him. Ranma could not be sure, but it seemed that Sybil was bumping him closer to Veronica for some reason.

"Hey." Ranma muttered lowly as he was practically on top of the black cat-mutant. He saw her ears perked up. Apparently she had great hearing.

Veronica danced a bit slower as the pigtailed boy got closer. She glared at her friend behind the boy. She knew what the girl was trying to do.

"...Hey..." she replied lamely.

Ranma matched the slow, awkward movement of his black-furred partner. "You seem uncomfortable...am I dancing wrong?"

"No!" Veronica responded immediately and gave him a look to try and force him to realize it had nothing to do with him.

"Oh, enough already!" Sybil was now on the other side of Veronica, sandwiching the girl between her and Ranma.

"Ranma, Veronica thinks-"

Veronica hissed loudly at her friend, causing Ranma to stare at the girl. For a second he froze, having expected his cat phobia to trigger, but the reaction turned out to be pure reflex.

"Well, if you don't want me to tell him you should do it yourself! Girl, it's been a year!" Sybil bumped her friend closer to the pigtailed boy and gave her a meaningful look.

"What is it?" Ranma asked, as he still moved enough to keep up appearances. The cat-girl before him was looking at the ground.

Veronica mumbled something quietly under her breath. Unfortunately Ranma did not hear it over the loud bass.

"She said she thinks you hate her!" Sybil returned a deadpan look, even as her friend glared at her.

"Hate you?" Ranma asked the black cat-girl in genuine confusion, who nodded weakly. "Where did you even get that idea? Wait, don't tell me, that thing on the first day of school?"

Veronica nodded again, not looking at the boy.

"Oh… OH!" Ranma looked over to Sybil. "She doesn't know?"

Sybil shook her head in confirmation. "It wasn't my place to tell her."

Ranma stopped completely, leaning in very close to the other cat-girl, who backed away as far as she could into her golden-furred friend. However, he did not want to advertise his issue to the entire school by shouting, so he got very close to her cat ears.

"That was my fault," Ranma saw the black ear tips flick around wildly, but kept his tone low.

"I have a condition that leaves blank spots in my memories. The long and short of it was I did not remember meeting Sybil, and I was just told she was a cat-girl. When I saw you, I thought you were her."

Veronica then looked up at him, her eyes shining curiously. "How?"

"Promise you keep what I'm about to tell you a secret?" Ranma locked his blue eyes with her golden ones. The girl looked surprised, but nodded softly. He then leaned in and told her everything important regarding the Cat-Fist, and when he was done he backed away as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Really?!" Veronica gawked at the pigtailed boy. That explained so much. That would also explain the cat-like feeling she got from him. It also stood to reason that the only reason why Cat-Ranma marked Sybil as his mate was because she was the only cat-girl around. Suddenly, she blushed as a thought occurred to her. Perhaps she would talk to Ms. Grey later about volunteering. Suddenly, things were looking up for her as she stared at the pigtailed teen she had a crush on.

"Let's dance!"

"Yeah!" Sybil laughed as the two girls began to dance dangerously closer to the bewildered boy. Now it was Ranma being sandwiched by the two. Ranma sweated under some of the single-guys death glares.

Eventually, after two songs, the two girls were whisked away by other men, leaving Ranma alone. He had to admit, that was pretty fun. He was able to match the girls' movements easily enough and for once, in the back of his mind, his cat-side was content as well.

"Alright! Everyone who's a couple or has someone in mind, even if you are single, grab someone," Dazzler cut in with a smirk. "It's time to switch it up for a little bit of romance."

Immediately, a soft melodious tune began to play, and the lighting that was once flashing and upbeat became soft and starry to match the mood.

"Well, that's my cue to leave," Ranma muttered, feeling that he did have a fun time but he did not have a dance partner for this. He looked over to see his three friends starting to slow dance. With that, he made his way off the dance floor. Or would have, had someone not called him back.

"Ranma."

The pigtailed boy turned to find his one-time fiancee dressed in a beautiful, navy-blue dress and had to gulp.

"A-Akane."

"Care for a dance?" Akane extend her hand, and for a moment he superimposed the image of the girl he had first met at the Tendo dojo onto the young woman in front of him.

"Shouldn't you be asking Icarus?" Ranma looked over to the red-winged boy who, to Ranma's surprise, merely smiled in his direction. Was he not jealous his girlfriend was asking another boy to a slow-dance?

"He's fine with it," Akane rolled her eyes. "Come on, it will give us a chance to talk."

Ranma looked down at the gloved hand and tentatively grasped it as he was lead back onto the dance floor. Akane then put his hands on her hip and shoulder as they danced to the slow song in silence. She said she wanted to talk, but neither of them were talking. Still, he could see Akane's eyes were closed and a content smile was on her face.

"Akane-"

"I always wanted to do this, you know" Akane interrupted the pigtailed boy. "But I'm pretty sure that we would have been attacked by your floozies eventually."

"Hey!" Ranma gripped Akane hip a bit tighter and glared at her. "I can't help what they do!"

Instead of the escalation that would normally follow, Akane merely giggled, much to Ranma's confusion.

"So, how have you been, Ranma?" Akane's soft brown eyes looked up at Ranma, searching out his blue ones. "It feels like forever since we spoke last."

Instead of answering, Ranma gave Akane a twirl before he reeled her back in and moved once more into a slower pace. He searched his ex-fiancée's face for signs of what she was really after. Why would she be concerned with his happiness?

"So, so?" Ranma asked, not willing to answer yet.

"Hmph." Akane replied playfully, instantly shocking Ranma. "Always making it difficult for me to read you."

"Wha?" Ranma stared at the girl who he once had feelings for, and she felt different. More… matured?

"Akane?"

"Idiot," Akane sighed as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck, getting his attention.

"I just like to know if you are doing okay... I mean, you went through so many things here, all because of our dads making you follow me, and in the end I'm with someone else while you have no one. I just feel bad about it."

Ranma blinked at the girl.

"Even Ryoga is happier now," Akane looked to her right, and Ranma followed her gaze. He saw the now rock-like boy dancing with his girlfriend, smiling down at her.

"Guess he won't be doing the Shi Shi Hokodan anymore," Ranma muttered as Akane rolled her eyes again.

"So… are you?" Akane asked tentatively. Her eyes taking in the detail of her ex-fiancee.

"Am I what?" Ranma looked back down at his first fiancee in confusion.

Akane exhaled a bit in frustration but clamped it down. "Are you...okay?"

Ranma had to think about it. Was he okay? The answer came surprisingly easy as he flashed her his cockiest smile.

"I'm fine, Akane. You don't have to worry about me."

Normally that smile would infuriate the girl. But now, in this moment, she found it endearing. Akane gave him a beatific smile in return.

"Then I'm glad. If you ever need anyone to talk to, or just a friend..." the girl trailed off, looking meaningfully at the pigtailed boy.

"Same to you too," Ranma muttered softly as he decided to do something he would never have done normally. He hugged the girl to him and said nothing for a few heartbeats.

"Icarus is a good guy."

"I know," Akane whispered softly before Ranma broke the hug, catching a bit of misting in his ex-fiancée's eyes.

"Mind if I cut in, Ms. Tendo?"

The two looked to see the Headmistress of the Xavier Institute looking expectantly at the two. Akane was envious of how beautiful the woman looked in her teal dress and the way her hair was permed. One day, she promised herself, she would be just as pretty.

"Not at all, Ms. Grey," Akane stepped away from her ex-fiancee. She gave him one last look before she went back over to her boyfriend.

"Teach," Ranma looked at the beautiful redheaded woman with a raised eyebrow. Using something taught in Professor LeBeau's sex-ed class, he deepened his voice to sound suave. "Care to dance, cheri?"

"Why, Mr. Saotome, I thought you would never ask," Jean giggled as she placed her hands on his shoulders as the two began to move slowly.

"Also, your cajun accent is terrible."

Ranma smirked before noticing envious stares from some of the guys on him, especially the wallflower ones. He could only inwardly sigh. It wasn't his fault!

"I trust things went well with Ms. Tendo?" Jean began, though she was surprised when Ranma matched her rhythm flawlessly.

"It went okay," Ranma appeared to be in deep thought about what happened between him and Akane. "I – I think we made peace with each other."

"That's good, isn't it?" Jean pried gently as she moved her body to become more in tune with Ranma. Needless to say, the phoenix inside of her was thrilled, as she could hear it's happy trilling in her head.

"You alright, teach?" Ranma looked up at his teacher, who appeared strained. "I saw a flash of...fire in your eyes a second ago."

Jean looked at the pigtailed boy. "You noticed that?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied lamely, as he looked away from the redhead. "Been noticing it ever since we came back from Apocalypse's place..."

"Wh-why didn't you tell me?" Jean looked down at the boy.

"Well, I mean… when I woke up things were awkward, and there was that whole… you know," Ranma blushed and looked away, making the redheaded woman blush too.

Jean wanted to go hide herself. Why Ranma of all people?! She didn't count his future-self, that was an alternate time line and, not to sound cruel, but that Future-Ranma's timeline had as much chance of happening as Rachel's.

"Ahem," Ranma cleared his throat, seeing the distressed look on his teacher's face. "For what's it worth, it wasn't bad… kind of nice actually. Can see why you attract so many guys."

Jean stared at the boy, who had a light blush himself. The two shared in their blushes before Jean decided this was not an appropriate topic. She went over to check on Ranma, not to hash out what happened between her body and Ranma.

"How about we just forget it ever happened?" Jean looked at the boy hopefully.

"Yeah, okay," Ranma agreed easily, as the two finished the slow-dance and continued on to the next one.

"So things are resolved between you and Akane?" Jean prodded softly.

"Yeah, I think so," Ranma grew contemplative as he twirled Jean around before holding her closer to him. "I called her violent, uncute and other names but… she's really is a nice girl. She was concerned about me, wanting to know if I was okay..."

Jean waited for Ranma to elaborate, but he never did. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and had to know his answer.

"Well… are you?"

"Hmm?" Ranma had been looking straight at his teacher's chest area, but not really. She was just taller than him with her high heels.

"Are you okay with how things turned out?" Jean asked again. For some reason it was really important for her to know his answer.

"Yeeeah," Ranma drawled out slowly before he locked his blue eyes with Jean's green ones. "Yeah I am, but I just realized I have you to thank for most of it."

Jean was at a loss for words at Ranma's sincere statement.

"If it wasn't for you taking me in and just… being so kind and understanding, I don't think I would have enjoyed my time here as much," Ranma replied honestly as he gave his teacher a genuine heartfelt smile.

"You were the one that fixed my cat problem, you were also there for me when things weren't right between me and Akane. It was all you, who looked out for me. Thank you Jean. For caring."

Jean blushed from the boy's intense stare and, for once, was glad he was not around her age or else she'd be in trouble. Real trouble.

"Ahem," Jean coughed before she looked around and saw a familiar face looking at them. "I think Myst wants a round with you."

Ranma turned his attention from his teacher's face to see Myst nearby with the gas boy.

"Mind?" Myst asked, looking between the two. That was Jean's perfect escape cue, as she broke from the dance and stepped away.

"Be my guest," Jean motioned for the girl, who nodded at her. Jean then made her escape, despite getting some resentful trills from the phoenix entity. It was downright berating her!

"Hold." Myst pointed to both of her hips and Ranma complied.

Unlike with Akane and Jean, the two danced in comfortable silence for an entire song.

"Fun." Myst broke the silence as the song neared it's end.

"Yeah, it was," Ranma agreed with the girl, before she rested her head on his chest. "Myst?"

"Happy." Myst whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. "Glad."

Ranma took his hands off the girl and synced up his ki with her signature. It required a lot of concentration, but with this he was able to really hug her, surprising her.

"Me too, Myst. Me too," Ranma grinned as he looked down at the blushing girl in his arms before he let her go. He was honestly proud that he made the girl blush.

With that, the song was finished and Ranma left the dance floor. He saw Jean talking with the Fantastic Four and Saffron. Akane made eye contact with him and smiled while Myst was glaring at him. He only smirked in reply. Still, there was so much noise here and he needed to think. Ranma made his way inconspicuously out of the building and into the night.

With a sigh, he sat on the steps on the backside of the building. That conversation with Akane rattled him more than he thought. In a way, it felt as if she was saying goodbye to him. And even though she was his ex-fiancee, he always thought sometime, somehow, they would get back together again. That it was all just a phase.

Jean had came along to distract him and lend an ear, but he wasn't quite ready to share it yet. He knew he would tell her eventually, he tells her everything, but not until he cleared his thoughts by himself. Ranma simply could not imagine that a single trip here changed everything so much. There was a whole new world out there, and Ranma would never admit it out loud, but he was kind of scared. Familiar faces were leaving him, off doing their own things while he stayed still.

Myst, Evan, Beak and the Cuckoos faces suddenly came to the forefront of his mind. He found himself reflecting on his relationships with all of them. Beak was a steadfast and loyal friend and good roommate, they had what Ranma thought he had with Ucchan before he found out Ucchan was a girl. Evan was someone who he could now honestly say was his best friend. Evan was… Evan was…. How did Evan put it? A "ride or die" friend. If there was a fight, Evan would be the first to jump in with no hesitation and take Ranma's side. If there was anything cool he would share it with Ranma. Case-in-point, the bikini pictures of all the X-Women. He never had a friend that never wanted anything in return. Just steadfast companionship.

Then there Myst, the first girl he met that showed that he could have girls as friends who did not want to kill or marry him. She was a novelty. She also wore her emotions on her sleeve. If she was happy, she would let them know. If she was angry she'd make sure you'd know it as well, but never violently.

Finally there were the Cuckoos-

"So this is where you've been hiding."

Ranma turned around to see Ryoga, in his rock form, looking at him from the doorway entrance. "I'm not dancing with you, P-Chan."

"Like hell am I asking you to!" Ryoga shouted angrily at his pigtailed rival. Ranma could always rile him up.

"What do you want?" Ranma turned back to look at the stars in contemplation.

"I-" Ryoga began, but cut himself off. It was Claire's idea for him to come out here, for some odd reason she thought Ranma was his friend. Upon retrospect, perhaps, his most bitter rival was one all this time.

"Claire noticed you didn't look like your usual self. She told me to go out and see if you are okay."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at that, he barely had any interaction with Claire Ferguson. "I wasn't aware she knew me well enough to know my moods."

Ryoga blushed at his slip up. "Look! Why are you even out here moping like a girl?!"

To the eternally lost boy's surprise, Ranma did not rise to the bait like normal. Granted, he didn't have as much interaction with Ranma in the past year compared to before, but he had gained so much more in Ranma's absence. Friends, mentors, a girlfriend, respect. All of this he had, and what did Ranma get? ICU visits after ICU visit, life-ending injuries. Not to mention the hatred of the entire school on the first day. Ryoga was sure only Ranma could bring forth such hatred. It was a stark contrast to before, as the pigtailed boy was very popular in Furinkan, both among girls and boys.

Here, however, he was hated and made an outcast. It wasn't until later when he saw Sybil that it made sense, but his irrational hatred for all-things-Ranma clouded his vision. In a way, he even owed Ranma for saving his life twice-over. Once at the Sentinel base, the second time during his imprisonment by Apocalypse.

"Ranma?"

"Hmm?" Ranma replied without looking back.

Ryoga was silent for a moment before he nodded to himself. "If… if you ever need someone to spar with, I'm available anytime. I might be like this, but I'm pretty sure I can still kick your ass."

"As if you ever did, bacon breath!" Ranma turned to give the rock-mutant a piece of his mind, but saw the boy heading back inside the gym.

"Hmph. Kick my ass, he wishes!"

Ranma grumbled a bit more, but realized that this was Ryoga's way of being kind. It was something he wouldn't have spotted before coming here. He looked at his hand, feeling that he had lost and gained something at the same time. But did what he had gained outweigh what he lost?

He suddenly heard footsteps behind him and grinned. Looks like he was gonna get a workout after all. Ranma stood up and got ready to taunt Ryoga like old times, only to have whatever he was going to say die in his throat. Before him stood a very pretty blonde girl wearing a pretty strapless white dress, her hair up in an elegant bun. Based on her ki signature, he instantly knew who she was…

"Celeste…"

The girl was looking at him with her usual bossy demeanor, hands on her hips, that he couldn't brush off. From anyone else Ranma might have caved in, but from this girl in particular he felt no qualms about retaliating. He wondered why that was sometimes.

"Ranma." Celeste suddenly became self conscious at the way the pigtailed boy was looking at her. She had to admit, dressed in the way he was, he looked roguishly handsome.

"Where are your sisters?" Ranma looked behind the girl. The triplets were usually not very far away from each other.

Celeste blushed a bit, as it was her sister's idea for her to come out here while they make sure she and Ranma were uninterrupted. She forcefully walked toward the pigtailed boy, which seemed to have taken him off guard.

"So, I saw you with that other Jean yesterday. Have fun?" At least it wasn't another redhead… Celeste did not count repeat offenders.

"Yeah," Ranma, seeing that it was just Celeste, sat back down to contemplate his life. "It was cool seeing her again."

To Ranma's surprise, the blonde sat down right next to him. In fact, she was so close that he could feel her legs touching his.

"Hey-"

"And that kiss with Laura earlier today, what was that about?" Celeste cut off Ranma's protest, and the boy actually looked away in embarrassment as his face reddened.

"All of the girls were talking about it."

Ranma could only groan into his hands. He looked up at the clear night sky and mouthed 'Why me?' As if the creators of the universe would give him an answer.

"H-How bad was it?"

"Laura was actually very complimentary of your technique," Celeste smirked as the boy squirmed. She was a bit annoyed at Laura, but the girl was a brunette so she got a soft pass.

Ranma groaned again in his hands.

"And then there were all of those girls that danced with you. Sybil and Veronica, Akane, Myst, even Ms. Grey," Celeste grinned even wider. "They must have felt like quite the princesses tonight, huh?"

"Why you-!" Ranma made to strangle the blonde, who actually bared her smooth neck as if daring him to do so. Only Celeste kept him on his toes. While most of the time he had the upper hand, the girl gave as good as she got in their battles of the wits.

"Argh, you!"

"Yes, me what?" Celeste eyes twinkled. Eventually, she relented and leaned over to hug her knees while looking at him.

Ranma sighed as he looked at the girl, then leaned his head back. He couldn't even think in peace thanks to this girl. Still the girl didn't say anything else, and he could admit it was nice to have her around.

"Hey, Ranma?" Celeste spoke up after a full minute passed.

"Hmm?" Ranma replied while enjoying the simplicity of her company.

"I like you."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself," Ranma replied honestly.

"No, I mean I like-like you. As a boy."

That got Ranma's attention, as he turned to look at the blonde girl next to him. He had expected her to be hiding her face, but she was facing him courageously, even while blushing madly.

"W-what? How? Why?!" Ranma stammered in confusion as he stared at the girl. She liked him? Liked him as a boy, not just a friend.

"I know! I don't know and...I know!" Celeste answered in order as she looked at him. "It just kind of happened… I didn't want to if it makes you feel any better."

It in fact, that made Ranma feel worse! "A-are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I know my own feelings, Ranma," the pretty blonde gave him a deadpan look.

Ranma waited for her to continue, but she remained silent.

"Well… um, what do you want to do about it?" Ranma tentatively asked the pretty blonde. He was growing more aware by the second of just how attractive the girl was to him.

"Well, do you even like me?" Celeste asked with a tilt of her head. "Or think you can like me?"

Ranma blinked at the question, and the answer came surprisingly easily. He quite enjoyed her company and their antagonistic relationship. As for if he could like her, he realized that it was very easy for him to do so. More than Irma and Phoebe, Celeste was the easiest for him to relate to.

"I- I think I ca-no, I do," Ranma mumbled in a tone filled with wonderment. When did this girl sneak so far into his thoughts? He was pretty sure he could have sensed a psychic intrusion by now.

That was the right answer, as Celeste suddenly broke out in a beautiful smile.

"Then… would you like to give it a shot?" She asked the boy shyly.

"Give what a shot?" Ranma blinked, trying to figure out her meaning. Then it hit him. "You want to be my fiancee?"

"No, you dumbass!" Celeste blushed red and pointed a finger at him. "I mean boyfriend and girlfriend! You are skipping WAY too many steps!"

Ranma waved his hands defensively. "Hey it's not my fault! I never...well, you know, had a relationship that WASN'T an engagement..."

Celeste rolled her eyes, as she knew his story by now. But he still left his answer vague. With Ranma, you had to be clear and concise.

"So do you?"

Ranma met the blonde girl's sapphire-blue eyes and realized that she wasn't asking for a commitment from him, just a chance. More surprisingly, he found himself wanting to try as well.

"Y-Yeah… I think I do."

"W-well, then I guess that makes it...official," Celeste stuttered from the shock of Ranma's acceptance. The boy was rough, and lacking in knowledge on so many levels. She had really expected him to try and opt out, while a small part of her had hoped for him to give it a shot. Now that he had accepted, she found herself with butterflies in her stomach.

"Yeah… I guess it is," Ranma blinked in amazement before he realized one very important fact. He turned and looked at the blonde. "You know what, I think you're my very first girlfriend."

Celeste opened her mouth to rebut Ranma's statement, only to realize she could not. He had engagements, sure, but all of it was arranged. All of it. She really was Ranma's first girlfriend….

"Wow… errr, no pressure huh…. Well, you're also my first boyfriend..."

"No way!" Ranma gaped at the fashionable blonde. " I see guys ask you out all the time."

"Doesn't mean I accepted," Celeste explained. Being triplets was great, but the guys thought they were all interchangeable. So while they might be smooth, their suitors often stumbled over identifying her and her sisters.

"No Ranma, you're the first."

"Heh. No pressure, right?" Ranma repeated Celeste own words back to her. The two sat in silence, just staring at each other in new found amazement when they heard Dazzler start up a new slow song. Just how long was the woman gonna kept up these slow-dances?!

"You owe me a dance, mister," Celeste told the boy, as she listened to the soft tune coming from the gym.

"Fine, let's go," Ranma got up and extended his hand to the girl, who accepted it gracefully. For the first time, he realized how small her hand really was. He didn't know why, but it kind of took him off-guard. Still, he was leading her into the gym when he felt her set her feet.

"What is it?"

"There are way too many people in there. We can hear the music out here, so… can we stay out here?" Celeste stammered through the entire explanation, but really, she just didn't want to go back in the gym where other potential rivals could be. It was so nice with just the two of them.

"Well, if you don't mind the setting," Ranma smiled and closed the distance between them. Unlike with his other dance-partners, the way they held each other was more personal. Intimate, some might even say, as they slow-danced under the star-filled sky.

"Hey, Ranma?" Celeste murmured from where she had her head on his chest.

"Hmm?" Ranma looked down at the girl, only to feel her lips on his a moment later. Unlike Jean's passionate kiss, Laura's naughty one, and Future-Laura's searing one, Celeste's kiss was shy and brave. It was tentative, but bold as she kissed him deeper. It was a kiss from a girl who had never done it before and was hoping to do it right.

Ranma wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss that mirrored her own attempt. He had never kissed anyone on his own, so he could only explore and experiment. After a full minute, the two teens broke apart with matching red faces.

"Wow." Ranma muttered.

"Yeah. You said it." Celeste agreed, before she looked up at him. "You know, I really am glad you came to the Xavier Institute."

Ranma felt his mouth twitch, before turning into a full-blown grin. After all of his self-reflection, everything he had gained and lost, it really came down to one thing. Was he happy here?

Yes. He was.

"So am I, Celeste. So am I."

THE END.

(Ending Song: Charlie Puth- How Long)

AN: It's OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Yesh! WOW! Just WOW! It's finally DONE! The journey is over the circle is COMPLETE! Homo Superior is a finished story. For those that stuck it out, good job guys! Give yourself a pat on the back! A moment of silence for those that move on from the Ranma fandom or I failed in not writing this story fast enough. As for why that song? I like it and the beat.

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Done.

So, what' next? While the story is over! I have always said this story was done in the style of comics, four issue arcs with one over reaching arc. So now that the arc is over, what occurs in comics after an 12 issue arc? An Annual! What is an annual? Just a extra tibit, it's not omakes. Cause that is coming later. It's just some story or stories depending on what people feel like.

So look forward to that.

It is my hope to hear back from you guys regarding this chapter truly as I put in a lot of well everything. So here's hoping! Thank you for those that review the last chapter! That was awesome and so much in such a short span of time!

As always C+C Welcomed, Reviews Appreciated!