Chapter 37 The Tendo Christmas Scramble
Ukyo and Konatsu walked into the darkened café, fresh from the Saotome's, both of them a bit bashful about their first night as an official couple. Finally, Ukyo said, briskly, "Nothing's really any different, Konatsu. We're just engaged now is all."
"I know, but somehow things do feel different," Konatsu argued.
"Tomorrow while I'm at school you can move the rest of your things upstairs," Ukyo said, "But I'm ready for bed."
Konatsu followed her up the stairs, and then to her surprise, picked her up and carried her through the door of the apartment. He chuckled at the expression on her face, and said, "I know, I'm jumping the gun a bit. But for some reason it seemed important to mark this occasion with something different."
Ukyo grinned at him and said, "I think I'm going to enjoy being swept off my feet like this." Then her smile dimmed a little as she said, "I guess I really should write my father and tell him about us. That way you can send it out with the mail in the morning."
"He'll be happy for us, won't he?" Konatsu asked, his eyes showing his concern.
"I think so," Ukyo replied.
Konatsu looked pensive for a moment and said, "Something else that we need to do is buy you an engagement ring. I want everyone to know that you're engaged." Then a thought struck him, and he set her down on the futon. "I'll be right back, I just remembered something," he said.
Ukyo watched as her fiancé ran out the door, and sighed. She found a sheet of paper and a pen and started trying to figure out what to write to her father. She chewed nervously on the pen as the words just simply refused to come to her. 'Oh come on, girl, this is what he's been waiting to get from you for the last several years. Just write down that you're engaged to Konatsu Saotome,' she thought to herself as she put pen to paper and wrote exactly that, after the appropriate set of salutations to her father.
After several minutes an out-of-breath, red-faced Konatsu ran back into the sitting room. Kneeling, he held out his hand and opened a small black box.
Ukyo gasped as she saw a solitaire diamond winking back at her in a white gold setting. "Where did you get this? It's perfect," she asked.
"This was my mother's ring. The one that my father gave to her when they got engaged. One of the few things I was able to hide from my stepmother," Konatsu replied, shyly, "So do you really like it?"
Ukyo nodded, not trusting in her suddenly dry mouth to be able to answer.
Konatsu reached for her hand and asked, "Ukyo, will you wear my mother's ring as a sign of our engagement? Though it would be too much to ask for it to actually fit."
Ukyo replied, "I would be honored to wear it, and if it doesn't fit, we can always get it resized."
Konatsu took the ring out of the box and slid it on the ring finger of her left hand. Amazingly, it wasn't too bad a fit, and looked like it would stay on until they could get it to a jeweler. Konatsu then bent down and lightly kissed the ring. He smiled through his tears and said, "Ukyo you don't know how much this means to me."
Ukyo pulled him to her and kissed him, a very passionate kiss, one that caused Konatsu to swoon. Ukyo sighed and looked at him fondly. "Oh, Konatsu, what am I going to do with you?" she asked.
Ukyo walked into the classroom and made her way over to Ranma and Akane, who were talking quietly to each other. "Hi guys," she said softly, as she sat down next to them.
"Hey yourself," Ranma said, "You're looking pretty happy." Ranma was right; there was an almost visible glow about the girl.
Ukyo blushed and then smiled, shyly. She replied, "Well, it's not every day a girl gets engaged, and I did get awakened very nicely this morning."
"Oh?" Akane asked, one eyebrow raised in a suggestive manner.
"Not like that," Ukyo replied, "Get your mind out of the gutter. Konatsu made me breakfast in bed, that's all."
"That wouldn't explain the glow," Ranma pointed out.
Ukyo got even redder and stammered, "Well, we did kiss."
"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of about doing that. Is there, Acchan?" Ranma said, "We do that all the time."
Akane swatted him on the shoulder and hissed, "Baka, she doesn't want to know about that!"
Ukyo giggled and said, "Don't worry about it, sugar. I figured that the two of you had at least kissed."
Akane rewarded her with a blush and then glanced down at Ukyo's hand. She realized that Ukyo was wearing a ring on her finger. "That's a gorgeous ring," she said quietly.
"Yeah, it was his mother's," Ukyo explained, "But when I saw it, it was perfect." The two of them oohed and ahed over their respective rings as they compared them.
"So are you really okay with all of this?" Akane asked, "This just seemed so sudden."
Ukyo smiled happily and replied, "Oddly enough, I think I am. He does love me after all and I think I can learn to love him." She frowned slightly for a moment and then said, "I sent a letter off to my father to let him know what's happened. I guess I'll hear from him by the end of the week."
"Ucchan, I'm just glad that the two of you got together, and not because it solves our little problem. I don't have to tell you that he's a really nice guy, one that's madly in love with you," Ranma said softly, "The two of you look good together." He grinned and said, "Whichever way the two of you are dressed."
Ukyo chuckled lightly and said, "Thanks, Ranchan. But it really was the only choice I could make after Father gave me the ultimatum that he did. I didn't tell you guys about it, but I got a letter from him that finally forced me to make a choice." She sighed and said, "One that hurt a boy that I liked."
Ranma exchanged looks with Akane and reached over and hugged Ukyo. He was quickly joined by Akane and they had a nice group hug. "Souta will get over it, he's broken a few hearts of his own," Akane said quietly, "Not that he was a real player, but he did date a few girls, some of them at the same time, last year, at least that's what Nabiki told me. It never got real messy, because he was usually able to leave them smiling, but at least one of the girls left school because she didn't want to see him."
"Thanks, but it still doesn't make me feel any better," Ukyo replied, "He still deserved better. If Father had given me a bit more time I could have stopped our relationship, whatever it was, and let him down easier. I really don't know how he'll react when he sees this ring."
"Ring?" Yuka asked, and then she squealed in excitement as she spotted the diamond on Ukyo's finger.
They looked up to see Yuka and Sayuri standing there gaping in astonishment. "I thought that Ranma was with Akane," Sayuri stammered.
"Hey, that's not my ring," Ranma said quickly.
"And you know I won't share," Akane said with a hard smile.
Ukyo glared at the two girls and said, "Konatsu and I are engaged. I asked him yesterday."
"Oooooh," Yuka and Sayuri said in unison. "That's so quick. I didn't even know that the two of you were dating," Yuka continued.
"We haven't had any real dates," Ukyo said, "But that'll change."
At that moment the teacher walked into the classroom and stood at her desk, waiting for the class to come to order. Quickly, everyone got to their desk and pulled their notebooks out, waiting for her to start the lesson.
Ukyo sighed unhappily as she saw Souta waiting for her at her locker. She knew that she needed to talk to him before he found out about her engagement through the rumor mill, but because of the snow on the ground, everyone had stayed inside for lunch and she hadn't been able to see him until now. From the unhappy look on his face, she figured that he already had heard something. "Hello, Souta, I hoped I would see you today," she said as she stopped at her locker and opened it to drop off her books that she didn't need for homework that evening.
Souta began to hug her, but Ukyo twisted away. "I told you that we were over," she said, not wanting to cause a scene. "Besides, what I need to talk to you about will probably change your mind anyway," she said. She took a deep breath and braced herself, but didn't get a chance to say anything.
Souta spotted the ring on her finger and his face froze. "So it is true, you are engaged to Ranma, after all," he hissed.
"NO, I'm not engaged to Ranma," Ukyo stammered.
"Then why are you wearing an engagement ring on your finger?" Souta growled as he grabbed her arm and pulled her hand up.
"Let go of me!" Ukyo exclaimed, trying to pull away.
"Let her go, Higurashi," Ranma ordered as he walked up with Akane, Yuka and Sayuri.
"Do you really think I'll let you take her from me?" Souta asked, his other hand clenched into a fist.
Ranma sighed heavily and said, "Ukyo is not yours, she is her own person. And I didn't take her at all. She's engaged to Konatsu. Mom did adopt him after all."
"That's right, sugar. I've started to fulfill the oath that I swore by asking Konatsu to marry me," Ukyo said, "And Ranma is right. I don't belong to anybody. Not you, not Konatsu, not any one. You don't own people."
Souta's face crumpled as he let go of Ukyo's arm, leaving red blotches on her skin from where he had clutched her. "I'm sorry for being such an idiot," he said, sadly.
"Souta, I never meant to hurt you. I thought I had made it clear though that I only liked you as a friend, and that we weren't going out anymore," Ukyo replied.
"Yeah, I guess you tried," Souta said, bitterly, "Just not very well. This isn't over yet," as he left, his head hanging down.
"Damn," Ukyo said softly.
Nodoka looked up from the grill where she was cooking several okonomiyakis for the regulars that straggled in mid afternoon after a difficult day at the office to see a non-descript man, wearing sun-glasses and a baseball cap, enter the café. "Welcome to Ucchan's," she said, "Take a seat and someone will be right with you."
The man nodded to show that he understood and walked over to a small table set against one of the walls of the main room. He looked around, and saw a well-kept restaurant, with most of the tables filled. He grinned as he saw that the stools around the grill were completely full, and the attractive woman wielding the spatula bantered with the men that were attempting to get her attention.
"Excuse me, sir," a pleasant voice asked, "Could I take your order?"
The man looked up and saw another attractive woman standing there, dressed in a formal kimono. He smiled at her and said, "I'd like the seafood special, and some miso soup. And if you have any beer, I'll take a bottle."
"We have Kirin and Sapporo. Which would you prefer?" the girl asked.
He grimaced for a moment and said, "Which do you have in a light beer?"
"Kirin, and that's on draft," the waitress replied.
"I'll take a glass of that then," he replied.
"Coming right up, then. If you need anything else, I'm Konatsu," the girl said. Konatsu turned and walked away. He was unaware of the frown on the face of the customer that he had just waited on.
'Hm, so why is Ukyo engaged to a girl?' the man wondered. His musings were interrupted by the waitress bringing out his bowl of soup and a glass of beer.
Placing them down on the table, Konatsu said, "Mom will have the special done in just a minute."
"The cook is your mother?" the man asked.
"Yes. That's my mom, Nodoka Saotome," the girl replied, politely, "She helps out while the owner, Ukyo, is at school."
'So that's Nodoka Saotome, hmmm, pretty enough, but I wonder what she sees in a worthless piece of trash like her husband,' the man thought. He took a sip of his beer while he watched at the woman made his special.
The bell tinkled as the door to the café opened and Ukyo walked in carrying her schoolbag. "Hello, Auntie," Ukyo called, "I'll be right down as soon as I change."
"That's fine, dear," Nodoka replied, "I've got things covered. Take your time."
Ukyo headed up the stairs to her apartment. Other than noticing that the restaurant was about two-thirds filled with customers, she was still concerned enough with her confrontation with Souta that nothing else registered.
Ukyo walked back downstairs after changing into her okonomiyaki seller's uniform, and pulling her hair into a tight pony-tail, so she looked like a bishonen male again. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Konatsu was waiting for her, with a happy smile on his face. The two of them came together in a brief hug, and then kissed. "How was school today, Ukyo?" Konatsu asked.
Ukyo chuckled and replied, "It went pretty good. All of the girls were envious of my ring, and for some reason half of them thought I was engaged to Ranma. But Akane and I quickly straightened them out."
"Why would they think you were engaged to him?" Konatsu asked.
"Because most of them knew that I was supposed to be married to a Saotome, and no one figured out that Auntie adopted you," Ukyo said, "It was really pretty funny. How's business been?"
"We've been full ever since Mom opened up. This is the first chance I've really had to take a breather since then," Konatsu replied.
"That's wonderful, I love it when the café is packed," Ukyo said happily. She turned to walk over to the grill to relieve Nodoka when her smile slipped as she saw the man sitting by himself at one of the tables. "Hello, Father," she said, "This is a pleasant surprise. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise, now would it?" Mr. Kuonji replied, calmly. He looked around and said, "This is a nice place. Business looks good. And I see that you are serving more than just okonomiyaki here."
"Well, Auntie Nodoka insisted that we do more than just okonomiyaki, and I have to admit with our cooking skills, it didn't make sense to limit the menu. We have a lot of regulars that come here, and they all seem to like it," Ukyo said.
"Have a seat, we need to talk," her father said, sternly.
Ukyo frowned slightly and then complied, walking over to the table and sitting opposite him. "You're looking a lot healthier than your letter led me to believe," she said, "So how are you really?"
"Some days are better than others," her father said with a shrug, "I'm glad to see you are doing so well here. I knew you could run a restaurant, it is in your blood."
"Thanks," Ukyo said, but then she frowned again and asked, "Why are you really here?"
"Is it too much to think that I might want to see my child and see how things are?" Kuoni asked.
"Well, since I haven't seen you in several years, I think the answer is yes," Ukyo replied, coolly, "Quit dancing around the subject and just tell me why you are here. I assume it's about the letter I sent to you."
Mr. Kuonji frowned and replied, "All right, I admit I came because of the letter you sent me. I wanted to find out about this Konatsu Saotome that you are engaged to. So, tell me, why are you engaged to a girl?"
"A girl?" Ukyo replied. Then she got a sheepish grin on her face and called, "Konatsu, could you come over here?"
Konatsu walked over, as Ukyo asked, "Father, what am I legally?"
"Well, you're registered as my son, why do you ask?" her father replied, puzzled.
"So legally I need to marry a girl, unless my status gets changed. So let me introduce you to my fiancée, Konatsu Saotome. Sugar, this is my father, Hikaru Kuonji," Ukyo said.
Konatsu's eyes widened slightly and then he bowed deeply.
A flash of irritation went across her father's face as he growled, "That didn't answer my question."
"Konatsu's real parents are dead. So Auntie Nodoka added Konatsu to the Saotome clan roster as her daughter. My fiancée was raised as a kunoichi," Ukyo replied, her eyes dancing with mirth, "But, Konatsu is actually a male, he is a genius kunoichi. But he's registered as a girl."
Kuonji's face fell in shock and then he chuckled. "So my daughter registered male is marrying a Saotome son registered female, only in Nerima," he finally said. He smirked and asked, "So who's wearing the wedding dress?"
"Oh, please, Ukyo can I? I've always wanted to wear a dress at my wedding?" Konatsu pleaded. He managed to keep a straight face for several moments and then began to giggle.
"There's plenty of time to worry about that. I'm not planning for the wedding to occur just yet. I still think I'm a little young," Ukyo replied. She smiled shyly and added, "I'd like to finish high school before I say I do."
"Kuonji-san, it has been a pleasure meeting you, but I need to get back to work. Mom can't handle the café by herself," Konatsu said.
"It is nice meeting you. I hope that during my visit here, I can learn some more about you," Mr. Kuonji said, "And by all means, we don't want to upset any customers."
Konatsu bowed once more and left to go wait on the tables.
"So why is he dressed as a waitress?" Kuonji asked, "Though he does make an attractive girl."
Ukyo grinned and said, "Well, for some reason, our business is better when I'm dressed like this, and slaving over the grill, and Konatsu dressed like that. I guess all of the men expect that they will be waited on by a female but want the food prepared by a male. It's really funny to watch him flirt with them; he does it so well. And the ones that know the truth have just as much fun as the ones who don't."
"Oh, so it's just a good business practice?" her father asked.
"Yes, though the fact that we both prefer to cross-dress doesn't hurt," Ukyo said with a straight face. She stood up and said, "We'll need to talk later after we close, if that's okay? I really need to get to the grill so Auntie can head home soon."
"That's fine, I need to check into my hotel, and take care of some business, anyway. I just wanted to see this place," her father said.
"Okay, I'll see you around eight, then," Ukyo said.
Her father nodded his head and watched his daughter walk over to the grill and talk to Nodoka Saotome. The older woman frowned slightly and looked over in his direction, her eyes narrowed in thought. Not to his surprise, once Ukyo started cooking, the older woman headed in his direction.
"Hello, Ukyo told me that you are her father, Hikaru Kuonji. I'm Nodoka Saotome, the wife of Genma Saotome, and the mother of Ranma and Konatsu. I'm happy to meet you," Nodoka said politely.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Saotome," Kuonji said, "And I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of your family. It's been a very long time since I last saw Genma and your son, Ranma."
"Yes, I understand they met you shortly after they started their training trip, so it must be over ten years since you've seen them. There have been many changes since that time," Nodoka said, "Some of which are difficult to believe." She looked up to see Ranma walk in, with Akane.
"Hey, Ranchan, looks like you could use some hot water," Ukyo said.
Ranma shrugged and replied, "Sure, it wouldn't hurt."
Nodoka smiled slightly and said, "And it looks like I have an opportunity to show you one of those changes." She raised her voice slightly and asked, "Ranma, what was it this time?"
The red-haired girl grinned at her mother and said, "I was showing off to Akane and fell into the canal. I should have known that the fence was loose right there."
"That's Ranma?" Kuonji asked in shock.
"Yes, that's my son and his fiancée Akane Tendo," Nodoka replied.
"But, that's a girl, and I definitely would have remembered red hair," Kuonji protested.
"Ranma, come over and greet Mr. Kuonji," Nodoka ordered.
Ranma's eyes grew wide and she looked over at Ukyo who flashed a grim smile. The two girls walked over and Ranma bowed. "It's been a long time since I saw you last, Mr. Kuonji. But you don't look like you've changed a lot," Ranma said, "This is my fiancée, Akane Tendo."
"How can you two be engaged, you're both girls," Mr. Kuonji said.
Ranma giggled and said, "I'm not really a girl. I'm a man among men, right Mom?"
"Not unless you come with extras that other guys don't have," Kuonji objected looking at the primary evidence that Ranma wasn't male.
"Father, would you please stop staring at Ranma's chest! That isn't very polite. Here, Ranchan, this might help," Ukyo said as she brought the hot water over.
"Thanks, Ucchan," Ranma said as she poured the water over her head.
Mr. Kuonji fainted as Ranma grew taller, got black hair, and was obviously no longer female.
"That went about as well as I expected," Ukyo said with a deep sigh.
Nodoka splashed Mr. Kuonji with some cold water, rousing him from his swoon.
"What happened?" Kuonji asked.
Ranma chuckled and replied, "You passed out when you saw me change."
Kuonji's eyes got big as he remembered what had happened. "But you were a girl before, weren't you?" he asked.
"Yep, I was," Ranma said, "Just a little something I picked up on my training trip, thanks to Pop."
Akane giggled for a moment and then asked, "That's a little bit of an understatement, wasn't it, Ranchan?" amazed that he could act so blasé about the whole thing.
"No use crying about spilt milk, is it Acchan? Anyway, to make a long story short, I picked up a water based curse in China that turns me into a girl, physically at least, when I get hit with cold water. As far as I know, there isn't a cure for it either," Ranma said, "Just be glad that Pop left Ukyo by the side of the road, or there's no telling what would have happened to her. The cursed springs just seem to want to get anyone who makes the mistake of going there, and the curse I got isn't the worst one out there."
Mr. Kuonji paled as the words registered, and he asked, "What do you mean, there are worse curses?"
Ranma shrugged and replied, "I stay human. Most of the springs that I know about give you an animal curse. Like the one Pop picked up, for instance. He turns into a panda. Not that you'd notice a difference, he still mostly just lays around and eats, regardless of which form he's in."
"Now Ranma, that's not a very polite thing to say about your father," Nodoka chided him.
"True, though," Akane said.
Ranma grinned at his girlfriend and then turned serious. "Mr. Kuonji, I want you to know that Akane and I are serious about our relationship. I don't know if you were aware of it, but her father and mine had promised that I would marry one of the Tendo girls. But we aren't getting married because of that promise; we're getting married because we love each other. I do care about your daughter, but I really didn't know she was a girl until she showed up in Nerima looking for me. She is my friend, just as she is Akane's friend," he said, "I hope you can accept that. The other thing that you need to know is that Konatsu loves your daughter. While he has his own issues, the two of them can work those out between them."
Akane chimed in and added, "You should be very proud of Ukyo; it's not just any girl her age who could run a café, and go to school, and make the friends that she has. She's a great girl, that I'm glad I can call friend, but I'm not the only one."
"I am proud of her," Mr. Kuonji replied, "But not because she built this restaurant. Any one can do that given enough time. What is important is that she has managed to get such loyal friends. Now, if the three of you will excuse me, I do need to check in at the hotel, and get some business done. It has been interesting meeting all three of you."
"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Kuonji," Nodoka said in response, "I hope we can get a chance to speak again while you are in Nerima."
Kuonji stood up, bowed to the three of them and headed out the door. In passing, he said, "Take care, child. I'll see you tonight and we can continue our reunion."
"Bye, Father. We'll be waiting for you," Ukyo replied.
Ukyo had just walked outside to take down the noren hanging above her door, signaling that the café was closed, when she saw her father heading toward her. "Right on time, Father. Have you eaten? Konatsu and I were just about to sit down for dinner," she said.
"I wouldn't mind something if it isn't too much trouble," Kuonji replied, as he followed her in and closed the door.
"Konatsu?" Ukyo called.
Konatsu stuck his head out the kitchen door and said, "Good evening, Kuonji-san. There's some of the yakitori left, a bit of tempura, and plenty of soup. What else do you want?"
"Might as well bring it all out," Ukyo said, "Bring dishes for all three of us."
"Tea to drink?" Konatsu asked.
Ukyo nodded her head. "That's sounds good for me," Ukyo replied, "I still have to do homework tonight."
"Coming right up," Konatsu said, cheerily. He disappeared back into the kitchen, and then shortly, he came back out carrying a large tray covered with dishes, and bowls, and a teapot with three cups. He walked over and set it down on one of the tables and said, "Let's eat."
Ukyo and Mr. Kuonji sat down, with Konatsu sitting down next to Ukyo. He quickly dished up the soup, and handed that around, and placed the rest in the middle of the table.
"I understand that you were adopted by the Saotome's," Mr. Kuonji began.
Konatsu frowned slightly and said, "Yes, but only after Ukyo, Ranma and Akane rescued me from my evil step-family. My family comes from a long line of kunoichi, but my mother died while I was very young. After a short time grieving his loss, my father married again, but then died a year or so after that, leaving me to the tender mercies of my stepmother and her daughters. I was raised as a kunoichi, and didn't discover that I was really male until I was rescued from them. After leaving my old family, Ukyo took me in as a worker here, but Mom took pity on me and added me to her roll. She is a wonderful woman."
"So that's why you still wear women's clothing," Kuonji said.
"I'm still more comfortable in them, but I usually change into a shirt and slacks after work," Konatsu said, "And I have been adding to my wardrobe, slowly."
"And it's not like I don't wear men's clothing a lot of the time, though I do have some dresses," Ukyo added in defense.
"I have to admit, I really didn't know what to expect when I came here, but you certainly are a surprise. And Ranma turning into a girl, that's a real shock," Kuonji said, shaking his head.
"My brother is a good person," Konatsu said strongly.
Kuonji waved that off, and said, "Not saying he isn't. That poor boy, I remember his father didn't have much use for girls, so I can't imagine what he's put Ranma through."
"Well, Ranma's life has been hard, from what he's told me, but on the other hand, now he's the grandmaster of the family school of martial arts, and he's madly in love with Akane," Konatsu said.
"He's also planning on giving me this building as a Christmas present," Ukyo said, softly, "As a way of giving me my dowry back."
Her father looked surprised at that news, and asked, "How can he afford to do that?"
Ukyo shrugged her shoulders and said, "From what Nabiki told me, he has put any money he could earn into paying off the mortgage. She and Auntie went in on buying the building, and Auntie doesn't take a salary for working here. So those two are taking the debt of honor as seriously as they can."
"I see," her father replied, thoughtfully. He frowned for a moment and then looked at Konatsu, who gazed steadily back at him. "Ranma says you're in love with Ukyo," Kuonji said.
Konatsu looked at Ukyo and his eyes grew soft. "She means everything to me, Kuonji-san. She is the first person that ever treated me kindly; at least that I can remember. She's a wonderful girl and I love her dearly," he said, softly, reaching for her hand.
Ukyo squeezed his hand, and added, "And I care a great deal for him. He is a good friend, and companion, and we have helped each other through some of our nightmares."
Kuonji frowned in concentration and then announced, "Well, after finding out about Ranma's curse, I don't believe he would have been a suitable match for you, Ukyo. And while Konatsu is different than I had hoped, I believe him when he says he loves you. My child, I believe that you have fulfilled your vow of honor in the best way that you could. As you are engaged to a Saotome, they also have acquitted themselves as honorably as they could. Though, I intend to have some words with Genma Saotome the next time I see him."
"Father, from what he said, you knew about the arrangement between the Saotomes and the Tendos. And it wasn't until you threw in the yatai as a dowry did he agree," Ukyo said, "Why would you have thought that he would have carried out his part of any agreement between the two of you if he was so willing to break the one with the Tendos?"
Mr. Kuonji scratched his head as he delayed answering the question. Finally, he asked, "Are you accusing me of something?"
"No, I just found it odd is all," Ukyo replied, "I hadn't questioned it up to now, but once I finally got to thinking about it, that suddenly struck me as strange. So, satisfy my curiosity, please."
"Uh, to be honest, I really don't remember what I was thinking then. You seemed to like young Ranma, and I thought that was the best thing for you, I suppose. The life of a traveling Okonomiyaki vendor, which is what I was then, didn't seem like a good thing for you," her father replied, "And there might have been some drinking involved, I suppose."
"Oh great, you mean I spent the last ten years of my life looking for revenge because you were drunk!" Ukyo exclaimed, "Father, I'm disappointed in you!"
Konatsu pulled her close to him in a tight hug, and said, softly, "But if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have met you, so please don't be too mad. For my sake, at least."
Ukyo leaned against him, still looking daggers at her father, and said, "You're good at this, Konatsu. I'm glad I met you, too. And I have Ranma back as a friend, so things aren't that bad. It's just that I would like to have lived a normal life, you know. I went a little crazy, I think, throwing myself into all of the training I did. And the teasing I got from everyone while I was a little girl got to me."
"If we have children then you'll know how not to treat them," Konatsu said, his cheeks heating up slightly at the thought of what it would require for them to have children.
"I'm still sitting right here, you know!" her father exclaimed.
Ukyo giggled and said, "I'm glad you approve of Konatsu, Father. How long are you staying?"
"Actually, I just came for the day, I have to be back at the office tomorrow," her father replied, "My only reason was to meet my future son-in-law, and give you my blessing. Just don't wait too long before you get married. I do want to be around to see that."
Kasumi woke from a blissful night's sleep, her mind still full of the odd dream that she had just had. She had been outside, somewhere in some snow-covered hills, the snow still gently falling around her. And then over the crest of one of the hills, she saw a sleigh being pulled by eight tiny reindeer nearing her. As it passed, she noticed a small gift-wrapped box lying on the ground in front of her. Picking it up, she noticed a small card that read 'Dear Kasumi, have a Merry Christmas, Santa.'
"How odd," Kasumi said.
"What's that, dear?" Tofu asked.
Kasumi looked at the calendar on the wall, and replied, "That's right, tonight is Christmas Eve."
Tofu looked at her and asked again, "What are you talking about?"
"Somebody told me to have a Christmas Eve party tonight, and I want all the family and our friends here," she replied.
"Who told you to have a party?" he asked, "I mean, it's just us here in the bedroom."
"Why, Santa Claus, of course," she replied, with a happy smile, wondering why her husband had to ask.
"Santa Claus!" Tofu exclaimed.
Kasumi looked at the clock and exclaimed, "Oh my, I need to get busy. So much to do, send out invitations, cook the food, decorate the house. Why am I still lazing about like this?" She hopped out of bed and quickly dressed.
"So what do I need to do?" Tofu asked.
"Your job is to help decorate the dojo, and then go pass out the invitations," she replied, as she gave him a quick peck on the lips in passing as she hurried out the door.
Nabiki was watching the financial reports, while her father and Genma were ensconced in front of their board playing one of their endless rounds of shogi. Once the reports were over, the station changed over to the weather report, and the attractive weathergirl predicted that there would be snow falling on Christmas Eve, replacing the beaten down snow from the weeks before, much of which had melted due to the bright sun, and the traffic.
Nabiki turned the television off and said, "I sure hope it snows, it would be great!"
Genma made his move, which astonished Soun. "There!" he exclaimed as he placed his piece down with a satisfying click.
"That's your move?" Soun asked, his eyebrows raised, "I didn't see that!" He turned to Nabiki and said, as he pondered his move, "Way back when I was a boy, no one in Japan even celebrated Christmas." He moved a piece and said, "Right, Saotome?"
"I didn't see that move coming, Tendo," Genma said, as he leaned over the board, "Our family has always been Buddhist. Why would we want to celebrate Christmas? That's a Christian holy day."
Kasumi opened the sliding door to the family room and asked, "Nabiki, have you seen Ranma or Akane?"
Nabiki replied, "They went out shopping first thing this morning and they're not home yet."
"Oh my, really?" Kasumi said in surprise, "Oh well, I hope every one will be hungry, because I will make a delicious Christmas dinner for tonight."
The two men raised their hands to the ceiling and shouted, "Hooray for Christmas! Hooray for Jesus Christ! Hooray for good food!"
Nabiki turned away with a look of utter disgust on her face.
Kasumi heard the sound of the wind pick up outside and turned and looked at the sky. The sky was darkening, with billowing clouds. "It looks like snow," she said.
Ranma and Akane were walking from store front to store front, browsing the contents of the windows, along with hundreds of other eager shoppers. Akane stopped in front of one window, and gazed at a small chest. "Ooh!" she squealed, "That's so pretty!"
Ranma looked at his watch and said, "Come on, Akane, we don't have time for this, I'm sure Kasumi is wondering where we are by now."
"Don't forget, we lost the bet. We have to do the family Christmas shopping," Akane said sweetly, "Why don't you relax and enjoy all of the Christmas decorations."
"Oh man, I hate shopping," Ranma grumbled.
"Hey, you never told me what you wanted for Christmas!" Akane exclaimed, "Do you dream about anything?"
"Hm, well, I don't remember you telling me what you want for Christmas, either," Ranma replied, with a grin.
"Oh, that's easy," Akane replied, clapping her hands together, "Let's see. I'd like that panda doll, hanky, a music box, those socks I saw earlier, a new handbag, a muffler, maybe some cards, and, ooh, that new hat!"
Ranma chuckled and asked, "That's all? You want all those things as gifts?" He teased her saying, "If I even buy half the things on your list, I'd be flat broke. Keep dreaming girl."
Akane giggled and said, "Then you should look for another job."
"Well, I obviously can't go shopping for you while you're with me, and this may take a while. Why don't you go home and I'll catch up," Ranma suggested.
"Don't forget, we have to decorate the tree. Don't take too long, will you?" Akane reminded him.
"I remember, Acchan. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?" Ranma replied.
Akane kissed his cheek and said, "You'd better. If I have to do the tree all by myself, you'll be sleeping in the doghouse."
"But we don't have a dog," Ranma replied, with a puzzled look on his face.
Akane walked into the hallway and set her packages down on the floor and then slipped off her shoes. "I'm home," she called out. As she walked toward the family room, Nabiki and Kasumi met her.
Kasumi asked, "Where's Ranma?"
"I don't know," Akane replied, "Out shopping still, I imagine."
"You two didn't have a fight, did you?" Nabiki asked.
"Nah, he just sent me home so he could shop for me," Akane answered, "You two ready to start decorating the tree?"
Nabiki replied, "Sure thing, sis."
"I had Father put the tree up in the dojo, Akane. That way there'd be more room for everything," Kasumi said.
"That's a great idea, Kasumi. Now that there are so many of us, the family room would just be too small," Akane said.
"Well, actually, I invited everyone to come for a special Christmas Eve party," Kasumi said.
"That sounds like fun," Akane said. The three girls linked arms and headed off to the dojo to place the decorations on the tree.
They spent the next several hours placing the balls, and the tinsel, and the lights on the tree. Nabiki climbed up onto the ladder and placed a five-pointed, gold star on the top of the tree. After she finished, she asked, "Akane, isn't Ranma kind of late? Shouldn't he be home by now?" She paused and then said accusingly, "Or is there something that happened between the two of you that made him want to stay away?"
"No, like I said before, he just needed to shop for my present, that's all. You're right though, he should have been home already," Akane replied.
"Well, I'm starting to get worried about him," Kasumi said, as she looked at the clock, "It's starting to get late. Look it's nearly two."
Soun said, from where he and Genma were supervising in the corner, "I'm sure Ranma will be home at any minute."
"Tendo's right. Don't worry about my boy," Genma said.
Soun made a move on the board and exclaimed, "Let's see you get out of that one, Saotome!"
"Take that!" Genma exclaimed as he moved.
"I guess I'd better go look for him," Akane said as she headed out the door.
Ranma started heading home from a long day of shopping for Akane, hoping that she would be happy with the gifts he had found. As he neared the park, he heard someone screaming in anger, with plenty of loud crashes accompanying the cries. Curious, he ran over and hopped onto the low wall, where he saw Kodachi throwing her clubs at the wall, screaming in anger.
"Hey," Ranma called softly, "I haven't seen you this angry since Akane was beating you at gymnastics."
Kodachi whirled and snarled, "Who asked you, smart ass?"
"What crawled up inside you and died?" Ranma asked.
Kodachi stared at him in disbelief for a moment and then began to chuckle. Finally, she said, "My father is crazy, you wouldn't understand."
"I'll see you your crazy father and raise you my idiot Pop," Ranma shot back.
"Uh, good point. We both have a wonderful parent, don't we?" Kodachi asked.
Ranma hopped down from the wall and walked over to her. "Seriously, what caused you to fly off the handle like that?" he asked.
"O-ooh, like I said, my crazy father. He found out I was dating Msu Tse and said I couldn't see him anymore," Kodachi replied, "He said that I was shaming our family name by being in love with a gaijan."
Ranma dropped his jaw in astonishment and then said, "This is from the guy who dresses up in bad Hawaiian beach wear, has a palm tree growing out of his head, and speaks with a horribly fake accent." He shook his head in amazement and then asked, "I assume that you're just ignoring him?"
"Of course I am. He's been gone for nearly four years, why should I care what he thinks? I just wish the family lawyer hadn't bailed him out from jail," Kodachi replied.
"Damn, he's out already?" Ranma asked, "Well, damn. I was hoping that we wouldn't see him for a while."
"And exactly how much did you have to do with him getting arrested in the first place?" Kodachi asked with a shrewd expression on her face.
Ranma chuckled and replied, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Kodachi. It was strictly a coincidence that all those people showed up." He tried and failed to look innocent.
"Please don't insult my intelligence, Ranma," Kodachi retorted, with a smile, "I know that you must have had your finger in the pie somehow."
"I may have called a few people," Ranma admitted, "But that's all I did." He frowned and said, "There was no excuse for him deserting the two of you. I figured that he needed to pay for that. No one hurts my friends without paying for it."
"Thanks for helping me calm down. Now all I have to do is figure out where I can meet my darling Msu Tse tonight. He was going to come to my house for Christmas Eve, but I'd rather not be around Father tonight," Kodachi said, despondently.
"Why don't you two come over to the Tendo's?" Ranma suggested, "There should be plenty of food, knowing Mom and Kasumi."
"Why thank you, Ranma, that was very generous of you," Kodachi replied, "We'll do that. I'll see you there, then." She walked over and hugged him lightly and then gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Ranma looked at her nervously and said, "Later, then."
"Oh, Ranma, I'm not chasing you any more. That was just a hug between friends," Kodachi teased.
Ranma chuckled weakly and replied, "I'm just not used to any one hugging me besides Akane, I guess. I'll see you and Mousse later." He headed off toward the house, only to stop in the park to think.
Akane ran down the street looking for Ranma. As she went past the park, she turned her head and saw him sitting there looking pensive. "Where have you been?" she asked, angrily, "I was getting worried about you. And you left us to do all of the decorating."
Ranma looked up, startled, and replied, "Sorry, Acchan."
"Don't you Acchan me!" Akane exclaimed, "I'm mad at you."
Ranma grimaced and said, "It took me longer than I thought to shop, and then I ran into Kodachi and talked to her for a little bit. Then I stopped by here to think and I guess I lost track of time. It is pretty late in the afternoon. I'm sorry I worried you." He jumped down from where he was sitting and walked over to her. He gave her his best puppy-dog look and asked, "Can you forgive me?"
Akane sighed and replied, "Of course I'll forgive you, baka. What were you thinking about?"
"Oh, just that I wanted my first Christmas with you to be special, I guess. And about everything else that's happened," Ranma replied, as he held out his hand for her. She smiled and took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. "And about how glad I am that things are better this time around between us and that we're together," he continued softly.
"Let's go home, then," Akane said.
Ranma blushed and said, "Well, I kind of wanted to give you your presents without everyone seeing us. I didn't get a chance to wrap them yet, but I was hoping that we could share this just the two of us."
"But your present is at home," Akane protested.
Ranma smiled gently and replied, "That's okay." He reached into the bag and said, "First, here's the panda doll, and a hanky. Oh yeah, here's the music box you wanted." He began to fill her arms with the presents that he pulled out of the sack. "And let's see. Here's a pair of yellow socks, with little black pigs on them, the one's you squealed so much over. This one took me some time, I forgot which purse you liked, but here, and some cards," he continued.
"You got me everything I asked for?" Akane asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Ranma chucked her chin gently and replied, "Pretty much. There's something else that I found that you didn't ask for, but yeah." He smiled at her and asked, "Are those happy tears?"
Akane nodded her head, too choked up to speak. Ranma took the presents back out of her arms and placed them back in the sack. She threw herself into his arms and began raining little kisses all over his face.
"I guess you liked the presents," Ranma said, with a smile. Then he noticed little white flakes falling from the sky, gently kissing the two of them as they melted in their hair. "Hey, look, it's snowing," he said gently.
"We should get back," Akane said, her cheeks tinted red.
Ranma replied, "I have one more thing to give you first." He reached into the bag and rooted around for a moment, a small frown appearing on his face for a moment until he finally relaxed. He pulled out a long, thin, black box, and handed it to her.
Akane opened the box to see a silver chain, with a heart-shaped pendant attached. In the center of the heart was a small sapphire, glinting back at her in the last of the evening sun. "Please, put it on me," she whispered.
Ranma took the chain, and placed it around her neck, and then fastened the clasp securely. The pendant fell just about the gentle swell of her breasts, and nestled there contentedly.
Akane turned back around to face him and asked, "How does it look?"
"Perfect," Ranma replied, his eyes lighting up as he saw how happy she was.
"This has been the best Christmas, ever!" Akane exclaimed as she threw her arms around Ranma and hugged him exuberantly.
Ranma gazed down at her fondly and said, "I think so too. Now, let's head on home before there's enough melted snow to change me." He picked up her presents with one arm and wrapped the other around her waist. Akane leaned into his body and they headed off to the house for the Christmas Eve feast.
She whispered, "The snow's kind of perfect right now."
"Yeah, just like you, my beautiful tomboy," he breathed.
Ranma and Akane headed down the hall, as Akane called, "We're home!"
"Akane, where were you?" Kasumi asked from the family room.
Nabiki growled, "You didn't help with the tree. You should be fined!"
Akane slid open the door to the family room and they stopped suddenly. There, crowded around the table, were most of their friends.
"You're late, boy," Genma growled.
"Akane, come inside," Soun said.
Nodoka asked, "Where have you been, you two? We've been waiting for you."
"I came Tendo-sama, Saotome-sama," Tatewaki said.
"Look, lots of your friends came today," Kasumi said with a smile.
Nabiki said, "It's a good thing we made plenty of food."
"I thought we'd have lots of guests," Kasumi said, "And besides, Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi brought some of the meal. So be nice, little sis."
"Hi, everybody," Akane said.
Ukyo smiled, and said, "We decided to spend Christmas Eve together. It was Kasumi's idea to invite us over."
Ranma smiled, remembering this scene the first time, and said, "I'm glad we can be together tonight. We all have things to be thankful for, Akane and I, Ukyo and Konatsu, Shampoo and Ryoga, Doc and Kasumi, and Kodachi and Mousse. So many of us found the one we want to spend the rest of our lives with."
"Well said," Tofu called, "Let's drink a toast to all of the couples here tonight."
"And then we can enjoy this wonderful meal that everyone has put together," Nodoka said.
Akane and Ranma sat down in the two open spaces at the table.
"After we finish our meal, the rest of the celebration is in the dojo," Soun said.
Kodachi smiled, and said, "And then we can exchange our gifts."
"That's a new necklace, isn't it Akane?" Nabiki asked suddenly.
Akane grinned and replied, "Why yes, as a matter of fact it is. Someone gave me my Christmas present early." Ranma blushed as Nabiki quickly looked at him.
"You've got good taste," Kasumi said.
"Yeah, I know," Ranma said as he gazed hungrily at Akane, who rewarded him with a quick kiss on his cheek.
Ranma sat down heavily into the chair on the stage, and said, "No way! Real guys don't sing karaoke. They look dumb, and I'm not going out there."
"Um," Akane said, "Well, we really need you. It wouldn't be right not to have a family act to start off the party." She looked down at the floor, digging her toe into the wood.
"What my sister is trying to tell you is that we don't need a guy up there with Kasumi, Akane and I," Nabiki said.
Ranma glared at Akane and exclaimed, "You want me to go out there and sing as a girl!"
"Please, Ranma, do it for me," Akane pleaded, with her eyes giving him that cute puppy dog look. Then she turned it up a notch as she pouted prettily.
"You ought to register that look as a deadly weapon, Acchan," Ranma said, with a heavy sigh. "Okay, I give, I'll sing with you. I suppose I need to go get changed now," he said.
"Thank you, Ranchan," Akane squealed as she plastered little kisses all over his face. She giggled prettily at the glassy expression on his face as he headed to their room. "I laid out a dress for you already," she called after him.
Nabiki peeked through the curtains and said, "It's almost time." They waited for a moment, and then the lights in the dojo grew dim, they saw the light from the spotlights appear on the curtain in front of them and then the curtain opened and the four girls saw the large crowd that awaited them.
Their friends all applauded as the curtains parted and they saw the girls standing there. Kasumi was dressed in a knee-length purple dress; Nabiki was stylish as always in a dark blue dress, with a string of pearls around her neck. Akane was in a short yellow dress; wearing the pendant that Ranma had given her earlier that day. Ranma was wearing an attractive green dress; with a string of pearls that Nabiki had lent her around her neck.
Tofu started the karaoke machine and the music began to play. As the words began to scroll across the screen, Akane began to sing, "You're kind to me, nothing more!"
Then the other three girls joined in, and they sang, "The sadness fills my heart, Love is always loneliness, into my arms. Aah!" As they sang they began to move to the music, stretching their left arm out as they sang the "Aah!" "Darling. Just for me, I'll wait for you."
Kasumi sang the next line, "I give you shivers in your heart."
"The romance beckoned by your fingertips, it's destiny for us to fall in love," they sang, then Kasumi picked up the next line by herself, and sang, "Tonight, isn't it wondrous? A car parked alongside a beach."
Then it was Nabiki's turn to shine as she sang in a surprisingly attractive voice, "The two are so close together but,"
Akane picked up there and sang, her voice filling the room, "They're kept apart by that invisible barrier,"
Then the girls came together and sang, voices blending one with another, "With tears overflowing, Fall in love, Darling just for you I won't hesitate!"
Ranma sang, her soprano voice soaring, "Get my heart a'throb,"
"The romance that begins in your eyes, I love more than any other, Catch my love!" the four girls sang, finishing the song. As the music died down, the crowd applauded feverishly.
The girls bowed and then Nabiki called out, "Hi everyone! Welcome to the Tendo Family Christmas Party! I hope you all have a great time!"
The crowd soon separated, as some sat down and ate some of the party foods that were scattered around the dojo, and others cleared a space and began to dance to the music playing on the stereo. Ranma sighed to herself as Tatewaki Kuno came to her and said, "Saotome-sama, I haven't seen you for a while, how have you been?"
"Quite well, actually," Ranma replied, "Though I have been terribly busy. And you?"
"I believe that I have not been better, though it is with sadness that I must say that my warped father has seen fit to grace us with his presence. Fortunately, I was able to prevent him from attempting to move into the Kuno family estate," Kuno replied. He frowned slightly and said, "If it wasn't for the shame of having him arrested and in jail, I should have left him there. But he is my father, to my everlasting shame, and I could not allow him to besmirch our honor."
"I understand, perfectly, Kuno. I know all about embarrassing fathers," Ranma said, with an enchanting laugh.
"It is good to see you in such high spirits, and may I say that I enjoyed the song. I have never seen such visions of loveliness as I did tonight when the curtain opened," Kuno said gallantly.
Akane walked up just in time to hear the last of that and joined in blushing with Ranma. "Thank you, Kuno," Akane said.
"Ah, the spirited Tendo-sama," Kuno said, "My heart is glad that the two of you are here. But where is your fiancé, the other Saotome-sama?"
"Oh, he's around somewhere, probably closer than you think," Ranma replied.
"Well, give him my best," Kuno said, "Oh, my counselor, Doctor Hojo, mentioned that he wanted to talk to the two of you this week about something. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I need to play overbearing big brother." Kuno set his sail, figuratively speaking, and bore down on Kodachi and Mousse, who must have been dancing too close to each other to suit his sensibility.
"You look very nice, tonight, Akane," Ranma said.
Akane giggled and said, "You look pretty sexy yourself, Ranma. Now go up and change, I want to dance with my fiancé, tonight."
"And just when I was getting comfortable with these heels," Ranma said, with a mock pout.
"Well, in that case, we can dance like this, except I get to lead," Akane said with a smirk.
"Sorry, I never learned how to dance backwards, and in heels," Ranma retorted, "I'll be right back." She kicked off her heels and ran out of the dojo.
The party was a complete success, and all of the guests had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After the gift exchange was over, however, they all began to make their way to their respective homes, leaving the extended Tendo and Saotome families to clean up the debris from the party. The fathers disappeared first, claiming that they were exhausted from all of the hard work they had done that day, ignoring the glares that they received from all of the female members. Once most of the mess had been taken care of, Kasumi shooed the rest of them out, so Ranma and Akane headed upstairs to the balcony outside her old room.
Kasumi found a small gift-wrapped box under the tree, one that somehow had been unnoticed during the exchange. When she picked it up, she saw that the card was addressed to her. She undid the bow, and pulled the lid off of the box. When she did so, she noticed that the box was empty except for some sparkling lights that began to rise from the box. Then she heard her husband call from outside, "Kasumi, come see this!" Kasumi left the dojo and walked over to Tofu who led her upstairs to the balcony.
Kasumi walked, followed by her husband and Nabiki. Ranma and Akane were gazing up into the sky, where they saw dozens of shooting stars piercing the night sky. Ranma had his arm around Akane's waist, and Akane was resting her head on his shoulder. "That looks like a good idea," Tofu said, as he placed his arm around his wife's waist.
"Make a wish," Kasumi said.
Tofu smiled and said, "My wishes have already come true."
Author's Notes: Thanks to all of you who are reading this story. As always, constructive criticisms and comments are welcomed and appreciated. For specific comments to some of the reviews, see below.
Wonderbee31: Souta will be an issue for a while. I think there is some jealous Konatsu coming up too, if Souta continues to pay attention to his woman. Tsubasa is still running though.
Mysterychild: You're another person who said that this story is as good as Krista Perry. Thank you. That is extremely high praise. I've read her Heart of Ice and that story is fabulous in my opinion.
Shinigami: That takes care of the principal? Surely you jest. I've just slowed him down some, though. Souta is going to be an issue, maybe not quite as bad as Kuno/Ryoga were about Ranma and Akane. In the manga, I only remember Akane and Ukyo. In the anime there was at least one more, Kaori I think. Yes, Picolet Chardin III will show up. I'm following the manga timeline, well more or less, with some of the anime and OAV showing up when appropriate. Taro will come, and Ryu Kumon. Ranma has some plans for them. Can you imagine Nodoka's reaction when Ryu tries to pretend he's Ranma?
G-man: Definitely intend to do the mirror story. I don't have that volume yet, though, it is later on, around vol 31 or 32 I think, so it won't show up for some time. Unless Happosai shows up again, I can't see any reason to do the splitting incense story.
Placeboshotgun: Genma has started slowly to redeem himself, after all he didn't help Happosai. But it will be a long slow road.
Xero Reflux: Yes, and yes. He has the Loud thief scrolls, so he and Ranma will end up teaching each other.
Cherryblossom-crystal: Nabiki and Kuno won't get together in this story. I have different pairings in mind for both of them.
Raver Styx: Thanks. And yes, it's sort of a conclusion. I agree, the principal is one of my least favorite characters. So I'll be keeping him more to the background, at least until I can bring in Miss Hinako. Then she can blast him to her heart's content.
Redgrrl: I am slowly building up my manga collection, so I have all of the second edition that Viz has published in English, and all of the anime. I have looked at the online summaries, and there are a few sites that have a translation of the manga that I use as source material to help with the plotlines.
CJN: Well, half Ukyo anyway. Souta will be pining over her for a while. I don't think he'll end up with anyone. Though his sister and her boyfriend may show up. I had a cute scene show up in my head that I may want to use.
Ss4-link: Armie? I don't remember that name. Akari will show up, I like the idea of a sumo-wrestling pig for some reason.
Dragonman 180: If Genma irritates Akane much more, probably. I thought I would try something different than the Ukyo gets adopted by Nodoka plan. That's been done, by me twice already, so when I realized that Konatsu could be adopted, voila! I'm not done with Principal Kuno, but he's not going to be as big a part of the story as he was in the manga/anime. He's too annoying, and too hard to write dialogue for.
Psycho King: Little Ukyo is growing up. Sniff. Yes, I know the principal is only slowed down, but I wanted to have Ranma play some mind games on him.
Innortal: Hm, hadn't thought of that. Of course, knowing Nabiki's luck, if she went to Jusenkyo she'd fall in the spring of drowned lottery winner, or something. Mousse will need to 'comfort' Kodachi now that her father has blown a gasket over him.
Firestorm2004: I'm sure I have a weird writing style. When I come up with an idea for a scene, I start writing it down, wherever I am. Then I have to figure out where in the plotline they fit. Right now I have scenes from chapters that are several weeks away sitting on my computer, but the next chapter hasn't really been started yet. As another example, the scene where Ukyo asks Konatsu to marry her has been written for about six weeks, though I have tweaked it several times to make sure it stays in continuity. This last chapter, I had the first third written, then the last third, and then went and wrote the middle.
Dennisud: Yes, Nabiki will find true happiness, eventually. Her prince just hasn't arrived yet.
Hououza: Ryu and Herb definitely will show up, as will Taro. About the only villains that won't come will be the Gambling King and probably Toma. I just didn't like those two.