CHAPTER 29

Last Days of The Tendo Dojo

"Honestly, Ranma," Akane grumbled. "What were you thinking? Or were you thinking? You can't attend school as a girl while bald..."

Ranma shrugged. "Don't know why not, really," she said. She was wearing new glasses that Miyuki had purchased for her - duplicates of her previous prescription. Ranma was grateful for them, but Akane thought that, in combination with the shaved head, Ranma looked less like a cute meganekko and more like a nerd or freak.

"You'd be the laughingstock of the school, for starters," Akane said. "Trust me, girls can be much more cruel about such things. A bad haircut is one thing, but bald? You're absolutely helpless! Why didn't you return earlier so we could take care of this last night?"

"I was kinda busy..." Ranma muttered.

It was Monday morning, and the two were on their way to school. They'd stopped partway there to knock on the door of the Cat Cafe II. The door opened and Cologne, balanced on her staff, stared out at them.

"Well," she said, "if it isn't Akane and the newest Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Good morning, girls. How may I be of service? If you're here for Shampoo, she's already left for school..."

"Morning, Cologne," Ranma said. "I'm… uh… nearly the newest master. Master in training, actually…."

"Master in training?" Cologne cackled loudly. "My, isn't that nice! And I'm sure Happy willingly crowned you with that title without a second thought…."

"I had to beat it out of him," Ranma replied darkly.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you," Cologne replied. "Mind you, he's taken a greater interest in you than he ever has in any other student. That's quite an accomplishment in itself. Come in, girls, come in." The Matriarch of the Amazon tribe bounced into the dining area. "I'll just go get that hair growth potion, shall I?"

"I keep telling Ranma that a girl shouldn't be attending school bald..." Akane's voice trailed off. "Wait a second. How did you know that was what we were here for?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Cologne replied. "You show up here on a Monday morning in your school uniforms, and Ranma's still bald? I'll just bet he was up late last night fighting with Happy over that title. Wait here, this will only take a few minutes."

Ranma and Akane sat at a table in the dining area while Cologne disappeared into the back rooms. Ranma ran a hand over her head. To tell the truth, she'd nearly forgotten about being bald these last two weeks. But for as long as Ranma could remember, she'd always had long hair. She'd been proud of her hair, too. Was that girlish? Her Father had often said so, but Genma had desperately wanted hair of his own again. Ranma had always put it down to jealousy. But she had been proud of her permed curls, and there was no denying that was anything other than girlish.

"Here we go," Cologne said, pogoing into the room. "One application of this and in five minutes your hair will be nice and long."

Cologne and Akane rubbed the lotion into Ranma's scalp. In moments Ranma's hair grew to an incredible length - it spilled out onto the floor. Cologne blinked in surprise.

"How strange," she said. "It shouldn't have grown much longer than to your waist. Is this a vestige of the Dragon's Whisker left, I wonder?"

Ranma shook her head. She was surprised at the drag she felt from this simple action - going from bald to ten feet of hair in thirty seconds was a very striking change. "The Dragon's Whisker never worked when I was a girl, remember?" Ranma said.

"Yes, I know," Cologne replied. "Still, there may be something lying dormant that's interfering with this potion. It's not supposed to be this effective. In any case, you're no longer bald." Cologne produced a pair of scissors. "How short did you want me to trim it, Child?"

"Not too short," Akane said. "You'll want to leave enough for the hair stylist to work with. Speaking of which, should I set up an appointment? I need to get mine restyled as well..."

"Actually," Ranma said, "would it be okay if you left it really long? Longer than Shampooo's hair, even?" Akane stared at Ranma as if she'd grown a second head. Ranma shrugged. "Why not? I'm supposed to be learning to be more feminine, right? Long hair's pretty girlish, right? I mean, I know guys like Mousse have really long hair, but... and anyway, when am I ever going to get the chance to wear it that long again?"

"Of course, Dear," Cologne replied. "I happen to think long hair looks very nice on a girl. How long did you want it, then?"

"Well," I don't want it dragging on the ground, of course," Ranma replied. "I was sorta thinking of a really long braid, like Hikaru in Magic Knights Rayearth..."

XXX

Kasumi Tendo ate breakfast with her father. Since his announcement of the night before, she'd been able to think of nothing else. Was her father serious? How could he possibly think of selling the dojo?

Soun Tendo seemed in good spirits for the first time since the death of his friend Genma Saotome. He ate his breakfast while reading the morning newspaper, just as he'd done for many years previously. This is what Kasumi wanted to see. She wanted things to return to normal. She wanted things to stay the same. She didn't want change. Yet she realized that change was inevitable. Nabiki had left, and would soon move even further away to attend college. She had a girlfriend now - not the boyfriend Kasumi would have liked, but a very nice girl all the same. Akane was also gone, and would not marry Ranma when she graduated. The chances of her returning to run the dojo seemed pretty remote, and if she had married Ranma and inherited the dojo, where would that have left Kasumi?

But selling the dojo? It was the last thing Kasumi wanted.

"Father," she said, "about what you said last night..."

Soun glanced over his paper at Kasumi. "Yes?"

"Do you really think this is the best course of action...?"

Soun nodded. "Yes, Kasumi, I do. This house has held our family together since Kimiko's death, but it's also held us back. It's prevented us from achieving our dreams. I think Akane and Nabiki both recognized that, and that's why they're already gone. Kasumi, my mind is made up. I will sell the dojo. It might be a painful move at first, but it will be for the best, you'll see."

"But Father," Kasumi said, "if you sell the house, where will you live?"

Soun set his paper down. "I'm going on a long journey," Soun said. "A training journey, maybe for several years. I'm a martial artist, Kasumi, but I've allowed myself to get soft over the years. But no more. I need to just forget... everything... for a while, anyway. Nabiki and Akane have moved on. I need to do that, too.

"With the money I get from selling this place, you can easily afford an apartment and school tuition," he said. "I won't be gone forever, Kasumi... you know I love you. I love all three of you."

"Oh, Father," Kasumi said, embracing him in a hug. "I love you too, of course. But I'm scared..."

"I know it's scary," Soun said. "I'm scared too, Daughter. But you don't know how far you can go if you don't take a leap into the unknown..."

"Possibly all the way to the bottom of the cliff, when you put it that way," Kasumi said quietly.

XXX

"Ranma," Miyuki said, "you changed back to a girl already!"

"Uh… yeah," Ranma replied. The two were eating lunch with their usual group of friends – Akane, Tomari, Kohana, Sachiko, Shampoo, and Ukyo. "I kinda had to. It's a girl's school, remember?"

"But I wanted to film when you changed," Miyuki whined. "You promised you'd let me do that!"

"Relax, Miyuki," Ranma said. "I haven't started using the magic soap again yet. I can transform for you tonight."

"Really? Promise?"

"Promise," Ranma said. "I'll just come over after school tonight, okay?"

"Awesome!"

"What about P.E. today?" Akane asked.

"What about it?"

"If you use the showers you'll need your soap."

"Ah, I'll just skip P.E. then," Ranma said. "I'll say I'm sick or something. Not like I need the exercise after a week of training under that Old Freak…."

"I finally got my film back from the Honda security forces," Miyuki said. "They edited part of it. I guess they don't want me running around with footage of their private army, or of Mr. Honda casting magic spells…."

"Naturally," Kohana said.

"Well, I can understand that. But I've got some of the demon fight, including where Yoriko saved me..."

Tomari said, "You really shouldn't go around telling people that Yoriko saved you. She still doesn't like you, you know."

"But she did save me," Miyuki replied. "Besides, Yoriko and I have more in common than you might suspect."

"And what does that mean?"

"Nothing much," Miyuki replied airily. "But we really do need to give her a special chapter in the manga."

"She only joined our group to train with Ranma," Tomari said. "She's not into the whole magical girl thing. You know that."

"I know nothing of the sort," Miyuki replied. "She saved me, so I'm going to put her in my manga. Besides, she makes a good magical girl. She's pretty good with a sword."

Tomari and Sachiko exchanged glances. They both knew that there was no changing Miyuki's mind once she'd settled on something.

"I'm just trying to warn you…." Tomari said.

"Warning duly noted," Miyuki said.

"Sis," said Kohana, "This time, I think Miyuki is right."

Tomari looked at her older sister. She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay then," she said.

"How's your story going, then?" Ranma asked.

"Never you mind!" Miyuki replied quickly. "It's supposed to be a secret between me, Tomari, and Sachiko. The rest of you will find out when we're ready."

XXX

"That's soooo cool! Can you do it again?"

Ranma was soaking wet. She stood in Miyuki's bathroom, clad only in shorts. Miyuki and her two friends - Tomari and Sachiko - were also there. Miyuki had her camera out.

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Five times isn't enough?"

"I just want to get one more shot," Miyuki said. "Please?"

"Sure, Miyuki," Ranma said. "Once more, and that's it." She stepped back into the bath and knelt down. Instantly Ranma was a guy. He stepped back out and dumped a bucket of cold water over himself. Ranma became a girl again.

"I could never get tired of watching that," Miyuki said.

"Well I'm tired of doing it," Ranma replied. "If you don't mind, I'm going to wash up with the magic soap so I'll stop transforming. Otherwise, it tends to happen when you least expect it...

Ranma soaked in the bath for fifteen minutes, alternately happy that she would no longer transform at random and irked at how normal and comfortable she felt as a girl. But then, she'd vowed to remain a girl for the next year and a half. After nearly two weeks spent training in the mountains, Ranma was under no illusion that her mother would consent to her becoming a guy again anytime soon, not even on her days off. She had better get used to it.

When she emerged from the bath, Miyuki had an outfit laid out for her to wear. It looked suspiciously like something Sakura Kinomoto might wear - a white dress with puffed sleeves and a cotton-candy underskirt & petticoat, pink bloomers, white silk stockings that came up over the knee, pink platform shoes, white gloves, and a pink choker. Ranma grimaced - but she'd been expecting something like this.

"Miyuki, what's this?" she called out.

"It's your uniform," Miyuki replied.

"My what?"

"An outfit I designed for you. I want to see if it fits."

"I didn't agree to dress up…."

"Well it's not like you can wear your school uniform," Miyuki replied. "Special clothing for special occasions, remember?"

Ranma emerged wearing the outfit. The three girls were sprawled on Miyuki's bed watching anime. "What special occasion is this?" Ranma asked.

"Just a trip downtown,' Miyuki said. "Oh, that looks really good, Ranma! Really cute!"

"Great," Ranma muttered. "I'm cute. Listen, Miyuki, I gotta study... I'm way behind. I don't got time to waste playing dress up or going shopping..."

"It's not shopping," Miyuki said. "It's going on patrol. And as for homework - we can help you with that! We'll make a deal: you help me out, and then Tomari will help you with your homework."

'I'll do what now?" Tomari interjected.

"Miyuki..." Ranma began.

"Please, Ranma?" Miyuki begged. "For me?"

XXX

"Mother," Ranma said at dinner that evening, "Did Pops ever send you a scroll in the mail, with instructions to destroy it?"

Nodoka Saotome frowned. "You know," she said, "I believe he did. Why do you ask?"

Ranma's eyes lit up. She tried hard to not reveal the excitement in her voice. "Did you destroy it?" she asked.

Nodoka stood. She went to a small writing desk and opened one of the drawers. She removed a scroll. "Nonsense, Ranma," she said. "Paper is valuable. I've been using it to make envelopes..."

Ranma grabbed the scroll eagerly. Akane's eyebrows raised. "What is it?" she asked.

Ranma said, "Quite possibly the final technique Pops will ever teach me..."

XXX

A week passed, and then another. Ranma settled back into a routine. She and Akane treated each other as sisters, and gradually it started to feel natural to think of Akane that way. Which is not to say that Ranma didn't find herself staring at Akane on occasion and feeling a deep sense of pain and loss, similar to what she felt when she thought of her father.

Ranma studied the Umisenken scroll. For weeks she was preoccupied with mastering the techniques. Akane wasn't sure of the details, but it involved a lot of sneaking around and the rapid transferring of items from one drawer to another. She had to banish Ranma from her side of the room on more than one occasion. At one point Ranma stole the very foundations from beneath the kitchen - but she put it back after. In the end, Ranma declared that she'd mastered as much of the scroll as she could - but like her father, she considered it a dangerous technique that should be kept a secret. She said that it was only half of what she needed to know - that the Yamasenken was the other half, that they complimented each other. She would teach no one else what she knew until she learned both styles, and perhaps not even then.

She returned the scroll to her mother to use for envelopes.

Ranma visited one of the Honda Estates - not the one where Kohana and Tomari lived, but yet another one where her Grandfather dwelled. It was, if anything, even bigger. Ranma's respect for the wealth and power of the Honda family grew. Here the patriarch of the clan, Mr. Tochigi Honda, taught Ranma the basics of how to properly create some basic Shinto ofuda and Buddhist sutras that could be used to banish basic demons. He stressed that to properly do these things one needed to be a priest or temple maiden, and offered to train Ranma as a miko at their family shrine on weekends. Ranma instantly agreed - any training from the old man was a good thing, and Rei Hino from Sailor Moon was a miko, after all. It was likely good training in how to be a proper girl, and the idea of throwing ofuda that could dispel venom, immobilize monsters, or possibly even explode certainly didn't hurt.

December came, and with it the first snow. As Ranma and Akane trudged to school through snow and ice, Ranma complained bitterly about having to wear a skirt in the cold.

"All I'm saying is, on days like today, I should be able to wear pants."

"Then you wouldn't be in uniform," Akane replied. "A dress is a part of the uniform."

"Never wore a uniform at Furinkhan," Ranma muttered.

"That was a public school, this is a private one," Akane explained patiently. "Furinkhan is ruled by a fruitcake in a Hawaiian shirt. St. Hebereke is ruled, at least in part, by your Mother. If you can't see the difference, then I don't know how to explain it to you."

Ranma had no direct reply to this. She continued to mutter to herself.

"Honestly," Akane said, "it's not such a big deal. I've had to deal with it my whole life, so I'm sure you can manage for one single winter."

"It's not just one winter," Ranma whined. "I'll have to do this next year, too."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Cry me a river, Ranma. I know you used to sleep outside on nights like this."

"Yeah, but then I had pants on," Ranma said. "This just sucks!"

Akane threw up her hands. "Wear some tights then!"

"I don't like tights."

"Stop being such a sissy, Ranma," Akane said irritably. "For all the hose and leggings and knee-high socks that you wear when Miyuki dresses you up, you'd think wearing tights would be no big deal."

"I can't concentrate when I'm wearing tights," Ranma said. "They bug me. It makes it hard to study, and I already scored way behind Nabiki on the last big tests..."

"Oh, now it affects your studying? That's a nice excuse. You know your grades slipped because you took two weeks off from school, so it's your own fault."

"But I was studying that whole time!" Ranma insisted.

"Studying weird martial arts, maybe."

"That's not true," Ranma said. "I read all my textbooks. You brought me class assignments, remember?"

"Sure, Ranma, but reading a little in between battles with Happosai is not like attending school all day, and you know it."

Ranma came to a halt. She looked about. They were standing in front the St. Hebereke gates, and there was no sign of anyone waiting to greet them.

"Where's Miyuki?" Ranma asked aloud.

"It's not like she's required to meet you here and give you a lunch," Akane said.

"Yeah," Ranma replied, "but she's always done it before..."

XXX

Miyuki flipped through page after page of finished manga art. Each was divided up into panels, with stylized drawings of some very familiar schoolgirls in conversation. At the moment it was anyone's guess what they were saying - the word balloons were blank - but Miyuki knew the script by heart. She and Tomari had written it.

"Wow, Sachiko, this is impressive!" She flipped to another page, in which a girl in glasses, who looked suspiciously like Ranma, transformed into a magical girl.

"I tried my best," Sachiko replied. "I'm sorry it's not any better. I'm really a better swordswoman than an artist..."

The two sat on Miyuki's bed. Miyuki had been preparing for school when Sachiko had dropped by with a thick folder containing the completed artwork. "Don't be modest," Miyuki said. "That's like Kobayashi saying he's not as good at weightlifting as he is at eating."

"Who's Kobayashi?" Sachiko asked.

"You know. The competitive eating guy." When Sachiko continued to stare at her blankly, Miyuki threw up her hands. "Goodness, Sachiko, don't you ever watch television?"

"Not if I can help it," Sachiko replied.

"Anyway, the point is, you're a goddess with a sword. Saying you're not as good an artist is... well, like Ichiro saying he's better at baseball than table tennis. I mean, he could say that even if he were in the top 10% of ping pong players in the world."

"Who's Ichiro?" Sachiko asked.

Miyuki stared at her. Sachiko smiled. "Just kidding," she said. "I've at least heard of Ichiro before..."

Miyuki went back to looking at the art. "This is soooo cool," she said. "Do you realize we're this close to being able to publish our own manga?"

"Has Tomari finished editing the script?" Sachiko asked.

Miyuki's face momentarily darkened. "We're still fighting over a few things," she said. "I don't know why she gets to be the editor..."

"Someone needs to keep you in check," said Sachiko. "Have you thought about what we're going to do with it? We could try to sell it at Comiket next summer..."

"Oh," Miyuki said, "I have much bigger plans than that..."

From the doorway, Miss Okomoto said, "How about your plans for attending school?"

Miyuki stared at Miss Okomoto. She glanced at the clock.

"Crap!" she exclaimed. "We're gonna be late!"

"I'll start the car," Miss Okomoto said. "If we hurry, you two just might make it."

XXX

Kasumi hummed happily to herself as she swept the walkway free of snow. It was a cold morning, but she enjoyed this time of year. It was the time of Christmas, a time of gift-giving and of staying warm and cozy inside, of hot pot dinners, of lighting candles, and of curling up with a good book and a cup of tea or spiced chai or cider after a hard day's work.

"Pardon me, Kasumi," her father said as he walked by carrying a giant tanuki statue. Kasumi paused. She watched as her father planted the statue in the middle of the yard then returned inside. A few moments later he emerged again, this time with a child's crib that had last been used when Akane was very small. It had been up in the attic for years, Kasumi knew.

"Father?" Kasumi asked. "What are you doing?

"It's called a yard sale!" Soun exclaimed, grinning. "A quaint foreign custom that I've decided to make use of. It's like a flea market, only you hold it in your own yard. I saw a documentary on the subject. Did you know that there are even web sites where you can advertise these things? A very helpful librarian showed me how to do it."

He entered the house again, and returned with a box full of old clothes.

"We have a great many things lying around that I'll soon have no use for," he said. "If I've ever had a use for them. We need to get rid of them somehow."

"A sale? Here in our yard? In the middle of winter?"

"Can't wait for spring," Soun said. "By the time spring comes, I'm hoping to be somewhere in central China. Or maybe Hokkaido."

"Oh, Father," Kasumi said. "This again? Are you really thinking of selling the house and dojo?"

"Not just thinking about it, Kasumi," said Soun. "I've already listed it for sale. In fact, I have a buyer coming to look at the place next week."

The broom fell from Kasumi's hands. It clattered on the cobblestone. Her hands went to her mouth. "Father! Tell me you didn't really do that."

"I'm afraid I did," Soun replied. He beamed. "Don't worry, Kasumi! All of this is for the better, just like we talked about two weeks ago! You'll see!"

XXX

At school between classes, Nabiki Tendo stared at her phone with a look of intense concentration. She tapped a few keys, and frowned.

Kaida glided across the room and slid into the next seat over. "What are you working on, Lover?" she asked.

Nabiki glanced up. "Nothing," she said.

"Obviously it's something," Kaida replied. "You're not the type of girl to waste time doing nothing."

Nabiki made a face. "Then it's nothing you'd be interested in, trust me," she said.

"Try me," Kaida replied. "I'm always interested in what my beautiful lover is doing."

"I was checking the Nikkei stock index, and trying to decide if I want to buy into Nippon Steel or Hitachi," Nabiki said. "Both stocks are down, and likely to rebound at some point, but I'm not sure they've bottomed out. Or maybe I should expand my horizons and invest in some China stock, that seems like a really good long-term strategy. I've been studying the Shanghai and Shenzen stock exchanges, but I'm not as familiar with Chinese companies as I am Japanese ones..."

Kaida's eyes glazed over faster than you could say "stock index". "Boring," she said.

"I did try to warn you," Nabiki replied tartly.

"But it shows what a smart girl my girl is," Kaida replied with a smile. "Ranma doesn't stand a chance in that silly challenge of yours."

"Knowing the stock market isn't going to get me better grades, Kaida," Nabiki replied. "But it will help me pay for college, I think."

"You're investing the allowance money I've given you?"

"Some of it," Nabiki admitted. "Quite a lot of it, really."

"Smart girl," Kaida said. "I'm sure Father would approve. Just spare me the details..."

Nabiki's phone rang. "Hello? Nabiki Tendo speaking," she said. "Oh, hello, Sis. What's up?" There was a long pause. "He's what?" Nabiki suddenly exclaimed. "He can't do that. Well, I mean he can, of course, but... He did? Already? No, I had no idea. When did this all start?" There was another long pause. "Sis," Nabiki said, "why didn't you tell Akane and I?"

"Okay. Okay Sis, just calm down. There's nothing you can do at the moment. I'll be over right after school - it's about an hour's ride by train, you know that. Longer because of the evening rush, I bet. But I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll try to talk some sense into him.

"I love you too Sis. No, I won't tell Akane just yet, but she deserves to know soon. See you tonight then. Bye."

Nabiki folded up her phone and put it away. She stared at Kaida, a shocked look on her face.

"Problems?" asked Kaida.

"Of a sort," said Nabiki. "Daddy is selling the dojo..."

XXX

Ranma was not happy. At least, Ranma said she wasn't happy. Inasmuch as Ranma desired to be the center of attention, one might argue that becoming Miyuki's personal dress-up doll and the focus of her magical-girl fantasies did secretly make Ranma happy. Also, given Ranma's determination to defeat Nabiki in their head-to-head "best girl student" contest, one might even argue that Ranma was also secretly happy, or at least, secretly not annoyed, to dress in ultra-feminine, ultra-girlish clothing,

Ranma complained, but she allowed Miyuki to do it anyway.

"Ancestors, Miyuki, when Sachiko said you were going to do this to me, I thought she was joking…."

"Nope," Sachiko replied. "Sorry, Saotome." Ranma wasn't the only victim of Miyuki's obsession. Sachiko was also dressed as a magical girl. Seeing the quiet, stoic swordswoman dressed in flounces and frills almost made up for the fact that Ranma was dressed similarly. For once, Tomari was nowhere to be found.

The three of them wandered the streets of downtown Tokyo, with Miyuki occasionally pausing to take pictures. They were, Miyuki assured them, on patrol.

"You're just lucky I didn't have much homework tonight," Ranma said. "What are we looking for, again?"

"Anything," Miyuki replied. "Thieves, rapists, murderers - youma - another snake demon. Just, you know, whatever might happen."

"Nothing's happening," Ranma said. "Probably because they're all too busy staring at Sachiko and I."

Miyuki pursed her lips. "I think," she said, "that probably this is how a patrol normally works. I mean, things can't happen every time you go on patrol, can they? Most likely in the anime shows they just skip over all the patrols where nothing interesting happened."

"Or they just made stuff up," Ranma replied. She glanced at Sachiko, who looked as ridiculous as she herself felt. "How long do you want us to do this, then?"

"Weeeell," said Miyuki, "we've been at it over an hour... that's probably long enough. I guess nobody's being possessed by youma tonight."

"Good guess," Ranma said.

"They sure make things seem easier in Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura," said Miyuki. "Tell you what. Act like you two are fighting each other. I'll take pictures. Ranma, pretend to attack Sachiko!"

Ranma frowned. "Aren't Sachiko and I on the same team?"

"I don't know," Miyuki said, "maybe she's mind possessed or something. Just do it!"

Sachiko drew her bokken. "Oh no!" she exclaimed in an extremely wooden voice. "I seem to have been possessed, and cannot tell friend from foe! Magical girl whom I do not recognize, prepare to die!"

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Ranma replied, squaring off against Sachiko. "Gods, when I agreed with Mom to live as a girl, I didn't know it would mean so much fighting in platform shoes…."

XXX

"I can't believe Father's really going through with this," Nabiki said. She stood in the yard of the home where she'd grown up. Kaida stood beside her. Kaida had graciously offered Nabiki a limo ride across town. Sometimes it didn't hurt to have such a rich girlfriend, Nabiki reflected.

Various objects were stacked around them, most with price tags attached. A few people were browsing through the merchandise despite the cold. Soun Tendo rushed about, trying to make as many deals as he could.

"He really is, I'm afraid," Kasumi replied. "He thinks it'll be for the best somehow. He wants to push me to go to university, and he wants to go on a training trip by himself..."

"Well," said Nabiki, "maybe he has a point. After all, you're a very smart girl, Kasumi. Your talents are kind of wasted maintaining a house with only one other occupant."

"That's not true at all, Nabiki," Kasumi said reproachfully.

"I'm sorry, Sis, but it is true," Nabiki replied. "With your mind you might well wind up with a doctorate. You'd be in a position to help a great many more people in that case, yes?"

Kasumi sighted. "But I haven't asked to become a doctor," she whispered.

"Then maybe you could meet some handsome guy who's going to become a doctor," Nabiki replied.

"They'd all be younger than me," Kasumi said. "Besides..." She let the sentence trial off, but it didn't need to be said. Nabiki knew that Kasumi still liked Dr. Tofu. But how long could you wait on a guy who abandons his practice and disappears without warning?

"Wait here," Nabiki said. "I'll go talk to him."

Nabiki crossed the yard, where Soun was just completing a sale for a large, empty wine cask. She paused when she saw the Tendo Dojo sign leaning against the wall of the dojo itself. There was a price tag on it. Even that?" she thought. Though she had to admit, if her father were really planning to go on a long training trip, then most of this stuff would be useless to him.

"Ah, Nabiki," Soun said. "Come to gloat at your old man?"

"Gloat?" Nabiki asked. "And why would I do that?"

Soun shrugged. "Gloating has always seemed your forte," he replied. "After all, I'm the one who helped get his friend killed and ruined Akane's engagement. I'm the one who has decided to sell the dojo and run away. I'm sure there are plenty of things you could gloat over."

"Daddy," Nabiki said, "you don't have to do this."

Soun Tendo looked at his middle daughter with a very sober expression. "I don't have to do anything, Nabiki. I could spend the rest of my life doing nothing. But I'm doing what I think is best, for both myself and Kasumi."

"That may be," Nabiki replied, "But it's not just your house and property you're selling. This is our home. It's the only one we've ever known, and you're taking it away from us."

"Sir," Soun called out to a man browsing the junk in the yard, "that is a fine set of samurai armor, 200 years old if it's a day and hardly touched by those chi blasts... if you have any questions, please ask!"

He turned to Nabiki. "You and Akane no longer need a home," he said. "At least, not this one. Kasumi doesn't, either, although she has a hard time imagining herself anywhere else..."

"Daddy, everyone needs a home to return to now and again..."

Soun shook his head. "Nabiki, I know you'll be attending university in the spring. You'll want to live on campus or share an apartment, or perhaps stay with Ukyo as you're doing now. The point is, you won't be coming back here to stay. Am I right?"

"Yes, but..."

"You're hoping to get into Tokyo University, aren't you?"

Nabiki shifted her feet. "Well, that's my plan at the moment, yes. They have a very good Law school..."

"You would make an excellent lawyer," Soun Tendo said. "Or if you go into business, you will excel at that too. And I know they will let you in if you apply, because you're such a smart girl, and because you will be a graduate of St. Hebereke. That is why you transferred there, is it not?"

Nabiki nodded. "Yes. It is."

"So then, when you've finished up your degree at Tokyo U. do you think you would just come back here to live? Won't you, by that point, be starting your career? You might even be married by that point." Soun took his daughter's hands. "Nabiki, I know how emotional it might be to sell the house you grew up in, but you don't need a home to come back to. And, if I may say so, it's a bit selfish to expect your older sister to spend the rest of her life here, looking after me, so that you can feel safe and comfortable on the very few occasions you do return home. It might be different if Kimiko were still alive, but she's not. I have to do what's best for the three of you. Kasumi is a very smart girl too, you know. She deserves the same chance at a career and new life as you do."

"I know," Nabiki replied. "But Father, is that what she really wants?"

"Kasumi doesn't know what she wants herself," Soun said. "I don't know what I want for myself, just yet. But I can see a future where I spend the rest of my life here in this home, alone save for the daughter who cares for me. I don't like that future, Nabiki."

Nabiki sighed. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Father," she said. "This is a hard thing to do... but you're absolutely right. Kasumi does deserve something more." She sighed. "Daddy, when did you become so wise?"

"I am your father," Soun said reproachfully.

"Yes, I know. But you haven't always been exactly decisive about things." She bowed more formally. "I'm sorry for having doubted you, Father."

Nabiki looked out across the yard. "Although I don't really know about holding a 'yard sale' in the middle of December," she said. Her gaze swept the yard and came to rest on the dojo. A sudden look appeared in her eyes.

"Daddy," she said. "If you sell this place, how long would it be before you have to vacate?"

"I'll be asking to stay through the end of the month," Soun replied. "That's the end of the calendar year. That way I can make a fresh start of things in the new year."

Nabiki nodded. "That gives me just enough time," she said.

"For what?"

"Daddy," Nabiki asked, "would you mind terribly if I held one last party here at the dojo?"

"A Christmas party?" her father asked.

"Actually," said Nabiki, "I had something a little different in mind..."

Nabiki strode into the kitchen, where Kaida was watching as Kasumi prepared dinner. Nabiki wrapped her arms around Kaida and kissed her. This did not elicit any reaction from Kasumi, so Nabiki kissed Kaida again and then drew back.

"I spoke to Daddy," she said.

"How did that go?" Kasumi asked.

"Sis, I hate to say this," Nabiki said, "but sometimes change is a good thing…."

Kasumi looked crestfallen. "Oh, Nabiki, not you too!"

"You probably should have called on the aid of someone who's more emotional, like Akane," Nabiki said. "You know me, Sis. I'm practical. What Daddy says makes a lot of sense."

"I know it does," Kasumi replied, "but don't I get a say in any of this?"

Nabiki reached out to take her sister's hands. "Sis, if we left the decision to you, you'd stay here forever. You wouldn't complain, and you'd say that you were perfectly happy…."

"I would be happy, Nabiki," Kasumi inserted.

"Yes," said Nabiki. "You always think of others first, don't you, Kasumi? You never consider what's best for you. If Tofu-Sensei had proposed to you instead of running away like a coward, you'd have turned him down anyway, wouldn't you? Because your duty was to father and the rest of us."

"Tofu-Sensei is no coward," Kasumi said reproachfully. "He's simply on a very long training mission…."

"The point is," said Nabiki, "I know how hard it is for you to lose this house. I know that it feels like our family is coming apart, when you worked so hard to keep it together after Mother's death. But change is inevitable, Kasumi. I'm still your sister. Akane and I still love you. Akane's even forgiven Daddy by now, as I'm sure you knew she would. Even if we no longer have this house, even if we're living in separate locations, we're still a family."

Kasumi gave Nabiki a hug. "I know that, Nabiki. Of course we're still a family. I just… have doubts about this whole thing. Father is doing this so suddenly, so rashly, so soon after the death of his friend and the end of his dream…. I fear that he may regret it all later."

"It's good of you to be concerned," Nabiki said. "That's just like you Kasumi. But what Daddy is doing is what he thinks is best for you. And this time I happen to agree with him.

"Don't worry, Sis," Nabiki said, "I'm here for you. With my help, you're going to Tokyo University."

Kasumi blinked in surprise. "Tokyo University?"

"That's right. They've got an excellent medical school, and I plan to attend there come Spring as well…."

XXX

Fighting Sachiko turned out to be a better workout than Ranma had anticipated. The girl was good. Ranma decided that, in spite of the flounces, ribbons and lace, she might be inclined to do this sort of thing again.

Eventually the two came to a halt, winded. "Wow!" Miyuki exclaimed. "That was fantastic!"

Sachiko bowed. "As I suspected," she said, "you are a worthy opponent, Saotome."

"You're pretty good yourself," Ranma replied.

"I have got some amazing video," Miyuki said. "Okay, that's definitely a wrap. Mission accomplished!"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "I thought your goal was to fight a youma?"

"My goal was to film you in action," Miyuki replied. "A youma would have been best, but you versus Sachiko was nearly as good."

"Good to know I rank nearly as high as a monster," Sachiko replied.

Miyuki glanced at Sachiko sideways. "What's this? Sarcasm from the stoic swordswoman? I think Tomari's starting to rub off on you, Sachiko."

Sachiko didn't reply. The girls headed back to Miyuki's house, with Miyuki providing most of the conversation. When they arrived, Tomari Honda was waiting in Miyuki's bedroom for them, along with someone else - Yoriko, the sullen yakuza girl.

Yoriko took one look at Ranma and Sachiko in their Sakura-inspired lolita dresses and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah, laugh it up," Ranma said sourly. "You're lucky she didn't rope you into this."

"Not happening," Yoriko said. "Not ever." She paused to look Ranma over. "Wow, Sensei, you look so... cute..." She broke out in laughter again.

Ranma began to remove the outfit, one layer at a time. "What are you doing here anyway, Yoriko?"

"Miyuki begged me to come over," Yoriko replied. "I had nothing better to do."

Miyuki went to her shelves of anime. "What do we want to watch tonight?" she asked. "How about Magical Princess Minky Momo? The second series, I mean."

"Kind of old, isn't it?" Tomari asked.

"It's a classic!" Miyuki replied. "What do you think, Yoriko?"

Ranma finished changing and flopped down on the bed. She opened a schoolbook. Her agreement with Miyuki meant that the younger girls would help her study, and her agreement with her mother was that, if she spent significant time at Miyuki's house, it would be to study. And despite being younger students, Miyuki and Sachiko and especially Tomari were smart girls and very helpful. Each had her own areas of expertise. Ranma had also rationalized that hanging out with other girls would help her in her quest to be more girl-like, although in Miyuki's case this mostly amounted to a lot of dress-up and watching magical girl anime.

Yoriko shrugged. "I don't care. You know that."

"Of course you don't," Miyuki replied. "That settles it, then: Minky Momo it is!"

XXX

As the limo drove back across town, Nabiki stared out at the dark. She was uncommonly quiet. Kaida finally said, ""You're a good sister, Nabiki."

"No, I'm a terrible sister," Nabiki said. "You don't know half of the things I've done. Kasumi is the nicest girl I've ever known, and here I am forcing her into something she didn't ask for and doesn't want."

Kaida leaned over and kissed Nabiki on the cheek. "I agree with you and your father," she said. "It's for her own good."

"I hope that's true," Nabiki replied. "Otherwise I'll have a lot to answer for."

"Are you going to tell Akane?" Kaida asked.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "About Daddy selling the house? No. She'll go berserk, I'm pretty sure. Kasumi may have told her already in any case, but if not then I don't want to be there when she does find out. My little sister smashes bricks as a hobby, remember."

Kaida laughed. "Akane would never hurt you."

"Not on purpose. no," Nabiki said.

XXX

"Exactly how long were you planning to hide this from me?"

Akane's ignorance of the sale had lasted most of the next day. In the afternoon between classes, she'd stormed into Nabiki's homeroom to confront her. As predicted, Akane was upset, but Nabiki didn't feel like admitting fault in anything.

"Hide what from you, pray tell?" Nabiki asked.

"Father is selling the dojo!" Akane blurted out.

"Oh yes. That."

"You knew about this two days ago!" Akane yelled.

"Only one day," Nabiki said. "In any case I was planning to tell you eventually; I wasn't hiding anything..."

"You could have told me right away!"

"Yes, I suppose I could have," said Nabiki, "But see, I knew you'd fly off the handle like this."

"Of course I'm flying off the handle!" Akane exclaimed. "We need to do something! Father can't do this!"

"No, Akane, we don't need to do something," replied Nabiki patiently. "And yes, Daddy can do this. He owns the property. He can do what he wants to with it."

"But… you don't understand. That was my heritage… the dojo was mine to inherit…."

Nabiki's mouth hardened into a thin line. Her voice became icy. "Oh, I see. So this is really all about you, is it?"

Akane was flustered. "No, it's not just about me... stop twisting my words around, Nabiki."

"I'm twisting nothing," Nabiki said. "I hate to be the one to break the news to you, Akane, but the dojo was only promised to whomever married Ranma. That could have been you, or it could have been me, or it could have been Kasumi. The dojo was as much ours to inherit as it was yours – if we were wed. That's never going to happen now, thanks to Daddy's blunder. There was no extra promise that you'd get the dojo in any case."

"But I'm the only one interested in martial arts!" Akane exclaimed. "You and Kasumi were never going to run it on your own, but I could have."

"So you're suggesting that you deserve to inherit the dojo - and the house with it, let's not forget - simply because you practice martial arts?"

Akane glared at her sister in frustration. "Well... I'm not saying I deserve it any more than anyone else... but what would you do with it, Nabiki? I'm the only one carrying on the family style..."

"And if you did inherit the dojo and the house, what would happen to Kasumi?"

"What do you mean?" Akane asked.

"Would she'd just stay there the rest of her life, and take care of you and Daddy and whoever you might happen to marry, if you got married?" Nabiki asked.

Akane frowned. "This isn't about Kasumi, Sis…"

"Yes it is," Nabiki said. "For the first time since Mother died, Father really is thinking about what's best for Kasumi. You and I are students at St. Hebereke now. Whether you realize it or not, that little fact gives us the keys to the future. With good grades, a St. Hebereke graduate can get into quite a few private colleges nearly automatically. What Mrs. Saotome has done for us is a gift Akane. You should appreciate that and not fail to take advantage of it. You and Ranma both.

"As for Kasumi... she was always a very good student, you know that. All of those books she used to borrow from Tofu-Sensei, that wasn't just an excuse to go see him. She read those books, and understood them. She could make something of her life, Akane – more than just a housewife, I mean. I realize that she's quite happy to do just that and only that, but she has the potential to be much more if she tries. She could be a doctor, and a good one. You know this.

"So Daddy is going to use the money from the sale of the house and dojo to send her to college. This might be her only chance to realize her potential. And it's not just about raising the money to send her through school - if Daddy kept the dojo, if he never moved out, then you know Kasumi would do nothing, either.

"I was against him selling the house when I first heard about it, Akane. But as you can see, it's really the best course of action. Don't let your feelings and emotions get in the way of seeing that."

XXX

At the end of the school day, Nabiki caught Ranma in the hallway.

"Got a minute, Saotome?" she asked.

Ranma glanced over her shoulder at Nabiki. High school girls streamed about them, headed for after-school clubs or home. Cold wind blew down the hallway from the open doors. "Ah... I'm sorta busy," Ranma said. "Miyuki wants me to go on patrol with her again."

Nabiki paused. "Patrol?"

"You know," Ranma said. "Dress up as a magical girl and walk around the neighborhood."

Nabiki narrowed her eyes. "And what does this accomplish?"

"Nothing," Ranma said. "But Miyuki's got this Tomoyo complex – you know, the girl in Card Captor Sakura? In the anime, Sakura is a magical girl, and Tomoyo is her friend who follows her around, provides her with costumes, and films everything she does."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "So you're providing photo opportunities for Miyuki then? And you go along with this willingly?"

Ranma made a face. "It's supposedly related to our club," she said. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"I was thinking about a new challenge," Nabiki said. "Do you have plans for Saturday night?"

"A challenge?" Ranma asked. "From you?"

"As in our who's a better girl student test, naturally," Nabiki said. "Remember, we have three head-to-head challenges? The first one was the haircut & style, remember?"

Ranma's hands went instantly to her hair. But of course, the permed hair was gone. Since returning to school, Ranma wore her hair like Hikaru Shidou from Magic Knights Rayearth - short on top, with a braid in back that hung well past her waist. It was longer even than Nabiki's - whose hair had remained very long ever since their last challenge.

"Oh yeah, that," Ranma said. "Okay then. What's the plan this time? Something harder than a hair cut, I hope."

"I hope so too," Nabiki replied. "As you know, Daddy is selling the Tendo dojo. I've always enjoyed when we had big parties there, like that Christmas party. So I want to use the Dojo one last time. before it's sold. I was thinking we could have a slumber party…."

"A slumber party?"

"A sleep over with all your friends," Nabiki said. "You know, it's something every high school girl should experience once in her life, and I'm quite sure you've never been to one."

"Oookaaay," Ranma said slowly. "But what's so hard about that?"

"Oh, you'll see," Nabiki replied enigmatically. "I have a few ideas for challenges between you and I. Of course, Kasumi and your Mother will have to be there too, since they're judges. I'll clear things with Daddy and your mother, and then - well, let's start the challenge with who designs the better invitations. We'll divide the list of girls up equally, and each of us sends out invitations to half of them. How's that?"

"I gotta design invitations?"

"Yes, Saotome," Nabiki said, "We're going to do this properly. And you aren't allowed to get help from anyone else - especially Miyuki. Whoever designs the nicest invitation gets a point. I'll come up with a number of other challenges for the evening, and the one with the most points when we're done wins. Got it?"

Ranma groaned. Design invitations to a party? She didn't have a clue how to go about that...

XXX

After school Akane Tendo headed out to the far side of St. Hebereke's campus. Here there was a small, corrugated shack that served as home for the Motor Club. Akane had been surprised there even was such a club, given that St. Hebereke was a private all-girl's school. But as it turned out, the club had several members.

Ranma and Akane had a lot of friends at St. Hebereke. But sometimes Akane felt alone in the crowd. Many of their friends were not specifically Akane's friends. Miyuki was focused entirely on Ranma. Sachiko and Tomari were nice girls, but they were Miyuki's friends. Kohana was clearly interested in Ranma's curse, while Yoriko was only interested in training under Ranma. Ukyo was always friendly, even more so since the end of Akane's engagement to Ranma, but she was always focused on her restaurant. She wasn't exactly Akane's friend, not in the way Yuka and Sayuri had been. Even Sayuri had spent more time with Ranma than Akane lately. As for Shampoo? Now that Akane wasn't a rival, Shampoo ignored her completely.

Rin and Akela were different. Both girls had gone out of their way to befriend Akane, and did things with her when Ranma was off playing dress up with Miyuki, as she was tonight. Despite her initial reservations, Akane had grown to like both girls quite a bit.

The weather was still cold. Ice crunched under her feet. There was a girl outside the shed with a short bob haircut. Akane paused for a moment, trying to remember the girl's name.

"Chiyo?" she asked. When the girl glanced at her, she added, "Is Rin here?"

Chiyo nodded. "She's working on her bike. Of course."

Akane slipped inside the shed. She watched Rin Tokudaiji work. The girl was like a master artisan, her movements smooth and economical. She clearly knew exactly what she was doing. It amazed Akane, who knew nothing of mechanics.

After a few minutes, she said, "You're really good at this aren't you?"

Rin glanced up. "Oh, Akane! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She paused to stare at her bike. "I ought to be good at it - I've been working on bikes since the age of five."

"Really?" Akane replied, impressed. "No wonder you're so good! That's a long time to practice anything."

"It's not that amazing," Rin said. "Pops is into racing. I learned from him. Besides, you've been practicing martial arts since you were five, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah. Earlier than that, even," Akane replied. "But that's just martial arts..."

"It's not just martial arts, any more than this is just mechanics," Rin said. "What you and Ranma and your other friends can do is pretty amazing. I mean, when it comes right down to it, all I can do is fix bikes…"

Well, it's impressive to me," Akane said.

Rin looked sideways at Akane. "You didn't come out here to talk about mechanics, did you?" she asked. "What's bothering you, Akane?"

Akane sat down on a stool. "It's Nabiki," she said. "She's got my head turned all around. She says I'm being selfish. I don't know, maybe I am."

"This is about your father selling the house and dojo?" Rin asked.

Akane was surprised. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Kaida mentioned it," said Rin. "She drove Nabiki over there yesterday."

"I wish she'd told me about it," Akane complained bitterly. "It seems like everyone knew about it before me."

Rin returned to working on her bike. "Not everyone," she said. "Just Nabiki and Kaida and me, I think. I don't know any of the details. Why are you upset? What did Nabiki say to you?"

"Oh," Akane said. "It's just… I thought that I'd get to inherit the dojo. I would have, if Ranma and I married. But I'm the only one among my sisters who practices the family style so I figured I'd get it anyway. It never occurred to me that Father might sell it.

"Nabiki said that I was being selfish, and that the money from the sale is going to pay Kasumi's way through college. She says that she and I will get into university more easily because of graduating from St. Hebereke… I don't know, she's probably right, and Kasumi deserves the chance to make something of her life, I agree with that… it's just…."

"You're still upset at losing your home."

"Yeah, I guess."

Rin began to clean up and put her tools away. "There's a helmet on the wall," she said. "Want to go riding?"

"Riding?"

"Sure," Rin said. "I need to test the bike anyway, and riding always helps me clear my head when I've too much on my mind."

Akane looked Rin over. She was wearing a one-piece coverall. Akane glanced down at herself, still clad in her school uniform.

"We can stop at your place so you can change," Rin said. "You can wear the clothes Akela and I got you."

XXX

Nabiki dumped a pile of books onto the Tendo kitchen counter then paused to breathe in the incredible aroma coming from the stove. "I need to come over more often," she said. "I miss your cooking, Kasumi."

Kasumi was staring at the books "My goodness!" she exclaimed. "What's all this?"

"These are the books you'll need to study for your entrance exams," Nabiki said. "I have some practice exams too for you to try out. Once you've taken one, we'll have a better idea of where to focus your studying."

"Nabiki, this must have cost you a lot of money…" Kasumi said.

"Yes," Nabiki replied bluntly. "Books are expensive. But don't worry about it."

Kasumi frowned. "That isn't like you, Nabiki. You were always so careful with your own money."

"Anything for my sister," Nabiki replied blithely. When Kasumi continued to stare at her, she added, "I have money these days, Sis. I've even done some investing…."

"Is this money from your girlfriend?"

Nabiki was impressed with how easily Kasumi said those words. "Yes, money from Kaida," she said. "Also money from my boss, Ukyo Kuonji. I do have a job now, remember? Even without Kaida's help, I'd be able to pay my bills. The money Kaida gives me is just extra."

"This is so overwhelming," Kasumi said. "I just don't know when I'll have time to study…."

"You'll have to find it," Nabiki said.. "Entrance exams are coming up. Just take it one step at a time and you'll do fine. You could study for an hour in the morning, and another hour in the evening, to start with. If you run into any problems or have any questions, just call me."

Nabiki grasped her sister's hands. "You can do this, Sis. Trust me."

XXX

The roads were mostly ice-free despite the cold. Akane was glad for that, because Rin rode her bike as she always did - full-throttle, leaning into the corners and pouring on the speed. It took Akane's breath away to ride with Rin, but the fear it induced was also like a drug. As with the best thrill rides, Akane was simultaneously terrified and wanted more.

Then another biker appeared and tried to pass them, and Rin really poured on the speed.

They raced up into the mountains, around sharp curves and hairpin turns, for nearly forty-five minutes. Finally they arrived in a small town where Rin pulled up in front of a small noodle shop. Rin dropped the kickstand and removed her helmet. "How's dinner sound?" she asked. "My treat."

"S-sure," Akane replied.

The other biker pulled up beside them. He took off his helmet, revealing the face of a handsome, clean-shaven man just a couple of years older than them. He had short black hair and was grinning. "Fast as ever, Tokudaiji," he said. "I could never beat you."

"You could if you'd just let me work on that engine of yours, Amano," Rin replied.

"No way," the man replied. "I do all my own engine work."

"Stubborn idiot," Rin said, without much rancor. "You ought to at least drop by sometime. I could teach you some tricks, if nothing else."

"Maybe," he conceded. "Who's your new girlfriend, Rin? She's really cute!"

"Girlfriend?" Rin laughed. "I wish! This is just a friend from school, Akane Tendo. Akane, this is Miu Amano. He's a bike racer, like me."

"So I gathered," Akane said. She extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Amano-san."

"The pleasure's all mine," he replied. "Mind if I join you two for dinner, then?"

Rin looked at Akane, who shrugged. "Sure," Rin said. "I don't mind."

Dinner was wonderful. Rin claimed this was one of the best noodle houses in a hundred miles, and Akane was willing to believe her. Miu sat across from them. He seemed like a nice guy, and very cheerful, but his presence altered the conversation. When Akane and Rin were talking about things at school, Miu was something of a third wheel, while when he and Rin began to talk about bikes and racing Akane was the outsider. He and Akane seemingly had little in common.

"So," Miu said, after Akane had explained her current problem, "you're mad at your sister for calling you selfish?"

"I... guess," Akane said. "Although really I think I'm just still upset that Dad's selling the dojo."

"I can understand," Miu said. "Father owns a racing shop, and I'm supposed to take it over one day. If he were to suddenly decide to sell it, I'd be pretty upset."

Rin said, "My impression of Nabiki is that she's a pretty smart girl, but a little selfish. Or rather, she used to be more selfish."
"I think that's it exactly," Akane replied. "In my mind, Nabiki has always been the selfish one. She was always the sister who manipulated others to her own ends, while never lifting a finger to help others. It's kind of a shock to think that I'm being more selfish than she is. I think... I think she's grown a lot in just the few months since we moved out. She's got a job - she's dating someone else... she's preparing for college. She's learning to manage her money. She's a lot wiser than I remember her ever being. I guess I'm afraid that I don't measure up. I haven't grown or changed at all."

"I don't believe that's true at all, Akane," Rin replied. "Even the simple fact that you can talk about your sister dating another girl shows you've changed. You're a much better martial artist than you were just a few months ago. You get along with Ranma much better. You're maturing too, Akane."

Akane smiled. "That's nice of you to say, Rin, but it doesn't feel that way to me. I'm still very selfish and childish inside. Nabiki made me see that. I've got a long ways to go..."

Miu kept looking at Akane. "You seem like a really nice girl, Akane," he said. "I can tell you're very thoughtful, so I'm sure you're just being hard on yourself."

"Thanks," Akane said. Even coming from a stranger, the words were good to hear.

"Are you really not in any relationship with Rin here?" Miu asked.

Akane was caught off guard by the question. "I... no, of course not. I mean, I'm not like Rin and her friends. I'm not interested in girls."

"That's great!" Miu grinned. Rin glared at him. "Oh, you know what I mean, Rin," he said. "At least a guy can dream, right? But I'm sure a girl as cute as Akane already has a boyfriend..."

Akane blinked. Was... was this guy trying to hit on her? "I... that is, I have a fian..." Her voice trailed off. Oh, that's right. I don't have a fiancee. I really am 'available'.

"I'm not really looking at the moment," Akane said.

"Then there's no one else," Miu said, grinning. "Hope springs eternal!"

"She just broke up with someone," Rin said in a warning tone. "Besides which..." she turned to Akane. "Look, I know now is not the right time to ask, Akane, but..."

"What?" asked Akane.

"You do know that Akela finds you really attractive?" Rin asked. "Me too, for that matter."

"Hey!" Miu said. "Right after warning me to back off?"

Akane's eyes widened. "Akela? Really? And.. you? You think of me that way, Rin?"

"You're a very special girl, Akane," Rin said. "I knew that the first time I meet you. And of course, you're very cute, as Miu pointed out. So of course I'm attracted to you."

Akane's face flushed crimson. "Look, Rin... I'm flattered, really, but..."

Rin laughed. "I was afraid that would be your answer. But I had to ask. Akela's been too afraid to do it."

"I'm sorry," Akane said. "You're all three really nice girls - well, you and Akela more than Kaida I think. But I'm just not interested in that kind of relationship with another girl."

Miu laughed. "Shot down in flames!" he said. "At least I can claim to have a sliver of hope..."

"Not interested in another girl... unless it's Ranma," Rin said. She glared a Miu.

"Yeah," Akane said, "unless it's Ranma."

Miu blinked in surprise. "Ranma?"

"But that," Akane said, "can never happen, now."

"You really loved Ranma, didn't you?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Akane replied. She stared into the distance. "I... I still do, sorta. I can't help it."

Miu's face fell. "Then the person you just broke up with was another girl?"

"No!" Akane exclaimed. "I mean... yes. Look, it's complicated..."

Miu held up his hands. "Okay, okay," he said. "It's none of my business. I'll stop prying. But you can't blame a guy for trying..."

XXX

"So you have to make invitations?" Miyuki said. "That's the challenge? That's easy!"

"That's only the first part of the challenge," Ranma said. She was, once again, at Miyuki's house, having spent another night with Sachiko 'on patrol'. As before, nothing in particular had occurred, but Ranma and Sachiko had again sparred for about an hour. Once again Tomari was waiting for them, and Yoriko as well for some reason.

"Anyway," Ranma said, "it's not easy. I've never done something like that before. Even the funeral invitations were designed by the temple..."

'Ranma," Miyuki said severely, "invitations to a funeral and invitations to a party are very different! Anyway, isn't your challenge about who's a better girl student? What's that got to do with designing invitations?"

"It could be argued," said Sachiko, "that such design work falls more into the realm of womanly pursuits than it does manly pursuits..."

"I don't believe that for a second," Miyuki replied. "Plenty of men are great artists and graphic designers, not to mention clothing designers, a pursuit near and dear to my own interests..."

"I did not say that I would argue such, only that some might," Sachiko said. "But I would certainly argue that Miss Nabiki Tendo is far more suited to such a task than Ranma here. Let us not forget, Ranma spent most of her life traveling the country and training under her father. She's probably never seen a party invitation."

"'Course I've seen them," Ranma replied. "They're like, cards with fancy gold letters on them and junk, right?"

Miyuki started at Ranma for a moment.

"Okay," she said. "Point taken, Sachichan. But that just means that Ranma needs help."

"I can't ask for help," Ranma said. "I hafta do it on my own."

"Oh, you will do it on your own," Miyuki said confidently. "That doesn't mean you can't be coached a little..."

"I dunno about that..." Ranma began.

Miyuki steered Ranma over to her desk and sat her down in front of the computer. "What Nabiki doesn't know can't hurt her," she said.

"I'm pretty sure she would know, though," Ranma replied.

"I'm just giving you advice of a non-specific nature," Miyuki said. "So, what's the theme?"

"Theme?"

"You've got to have a theme!" Miyuki exclaimed. "How about Christmas? It's not too far away, you know."

"Do I gotta sing?"

"Do you want to sing?" Miyuki asked.

"No," said Ranma.

"Then don't bring a karaoke machine," Miyuki said. "No, wait. Scratch that. You're trying to be more girly right? You should probably do whatever you don't want to do, just to be safe."

"So a karaoke machine is something a girl would bring?" Ranma asked.

"How would I know?" Miyuki replied. "I've never been to a sleep over like this before."

"That's not true," Tomari said. "Sachiko and I have slept over here before, and you've both stayed at my place..."

"You two don't count," Miyuki said. "This is a real sleep over, with a whole bunch of girls, right? Anyway, I'll bring a karaoke machine. Now, Ranma, I'm not helping you design an invitation. I'm just showing you how to use a computer. Right? So open up a browser and type 'party invitations' and then hit enter."

"Browser?" Ranma asked. She stared at the computer in confusion.

Miyuki stared at Ranma. "Don't tell me you've never used a computer before?"

"Um... no?"

"Honestly, Ranma, sometimes I think you were raised by wolves," Miyuki said. She placed Ranma's hand on the mouse and guided it. "See? Now click on this button for images, and... viola! Lots of examples of party invitations!"

Ranma stared at a page full of colorful images. There were flowers, and ribbons, and images of cute girls, and even pictures of wine corks and glasses filled with wine. There were pirate-themed party invitations, bowling party invitations, birthday invitations, Christmas and New Year's party invitations... the one thing most of them had in common was the word "party" in big, bright letters.

"I gotta design something like this?" Ranma squeaked.

"No. That's the beauty of it," Miyuki replied. "Just decide what sort of invitation you want, then find a print shop and have them do it for you..."

"Isn't that cheating?" Ranma asked.

"Do you truthfully think that Nabiki is going to do anything different?" Miyuki asked.

Ranma thought about this. "Nope," she said. "Okay, but I ain't got a lot of money..."

Miyuki frowned. "I suppose giving you money would be against the rules, too. But I bet we have some chores around the house that I could pay you to perform..."