Notice: If you are unhappy with this chapter for any reason, please return it along with a self addressed, stamped envelope for a full refund.

Sorry this took so long, I hope you find it was worth the wait.

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Chapter 54 - Epilogue 01

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"And that kids, was how I met your mothers, oh, and um, aunties too I suppose."

"But then, why's 'Sumi-mama younger than you, Papa?"

Ranma chuckled, rubbing Puma's head of black hair as he thought about how difficult it was cultivating the aging mushrooms. "That, my fuzzy little girl, is because 'someone' likes older men."

"Who do?" Little Carrot looked stumped.

"PAPA! Please don't mess up my hair!" Ranma chuckled as his cat-girl daughter tried to straighten her dark blue braid.

"I wanna younger boy when I grow up!" The child with the blue eyes and short brown hair stood up with her excited proclamation.

"Really Tenma-chan, why is that?" Ranma looked genuinely curious.

"Then all th' other girls'll be jealous!"

"Yer too bratty fer any boy!" Her older brother stuck his tongue out at her as his long black hair fell into his face, covering his brown eyes.

"KAZUMA!" The young boy dodged with a laugh as his little sister started swinging her fists and kicking at him.

"I think Ten-chan just wants ta be th' one doing th' bullyin'." A young girl with dark green hair tied into twin braids streaming down her back, pushed her glasses back up her nose as she watched the fight, hoping 'Aunty Kasumi' would allow her to help tend to their wounds when they were done.

Tenma's twin brother nodded. "I think yer right, Fuko-chan. Here, I brought ya some juice!" He brushed his dark-brown hair out of his face, hope sparkling in his bright blue eyes.

"Thanks, Kenma-kun. I'm glad Mommy let me stay over again today."

Wanting to prevent this from becoming a huge brawl with all of the children present, Ranma stepped in between them. "Hey now, save it for the dojo, kids. If you want to fight, we can have a proper match."

"But Daddy, Onii-chan started it!"

"No, you started it, I watched you throw the first punch. Your brother said something rude, but that does not give you the right to start hitting, you need to use your words first. Okay? Remember, the art is for defense."

"Yes, Daddy." Tenma hung her little head in shame.

"Okay then, you kids run along and play now."

"But we wanna hear more stories, Ran-ji-chan!" A little girl dressed in ninja garb looked up at her 'uncle'.

"Yeah, yer stories're much better 'an our parents'." The young boy in the chef outfit joined his younger sister in asking for more tales.

"Now, now, Yucchan, Natsuko-chan, we can talk more after lunch. You should go play with the others."

"Can Ah he'p wit' lunch?" Holding his little kote, the black haired young cook's blue eyes sparkled.

"Onii-chan, I don't want okonomiyaki again! Th' food's so much better here when you don't help!" Pulling on her own brown ponytail, the tiny kunoichi looked up at her brother with her wide, pleading brown eyes.

"Don't let Ma here ya say that!" Despite the offensive remark about his cooking, Yumio took it in stride, having gotten used to such insults from hi younger sister.

"Yeah, yeah, yer th' one that's gonna inherit th' family recipes. What'd I care? If Mama kicks meh out, I can come stay wit' Ranma-ji! Right?" The small girl jumped into her 'uncle's' arms.

"Well of course, but I know Ucchan would never do that! Besides, Konatsu-chan would not let anything happen to you either."

"Is Fuma-chan coming this time?" Nabiki's hopeful son tugged on Ranma's pants.

"No, Ryuki, aunty Kiima was too busy this time to make the trip."

"Aaw..."

"If you want to write a letter, we can send it to them, and you can say you are thinking about them."

"Ki-ki and Fuma, sittin' in a tree-..."

"SHUT-UP, Tatsuki! You shouldn't talk! You're not my REAL sister anyway!"

"Whoa! I don't want to hear that kind of talk! How would you feel if someone said that to you? What if I said that you were not my real nephew?"

"But ...y'are!"

"I know, but if I yelled that at you, it would not feel nice would it?"

"NO! You're our favorite Uncle! Don't make me leave!"

"I would never do that, I love all of you, you are 'all' part of my 'real' family, so I do not want to hear you saying anything that mean again, okay?"

"Okay, Ji-chan!"

"Most of us don't get to pick our families, but you two are family by choice. You are even more than family, you are 'nakama', and that is even better, okay?"

Ryuki and his adopted sister Tatsuki both bowed as they nodded in subdued agreement. "Yes, Ranma-ji-chan!"

"Good, now give your old Uncle a hug and go play." As they were hopping down, he slipped a small piece of candy into their hands, planning to put their extra energy to use when they started training in a while.

"Are you still doing okay out here, Anata?" Kasumi poked her head out through the back door.

"Oh, yeah, we are all having fun, aren't we kids?" They all looked over at the couple and cheered before resuming their games.

"I always knew that you would be a great father!"

"Aw, it's easy, and besides, Shampoo-chan'll be back from the meeting with Nabiki soon, so don't you worry about us and get to class." Ranma kissed her on the cheek before giving her a reassuring smile. "I know you will do great on your exams, we couldn't be more proud of you, the first Saotome to get a degree! Should we start calling you 'sensei' now?" He glanced over, making certain that Carrot was not getting into something again, he could be especially troublesome.

"Do not jinx me! I have not even passed yet, and then I will have to find a job, and-..."

Ranma put his hands on his unnerved wife's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Aisai, trust in yourself, I know I do. Once you graduate, Mom promised to take the kids and Mizaru for a bit, and the three of us can go on a second honeymoon, anywhere you want!"

"Oh my..."

A small boy, with a stripped bandanna, green shirt, and blue overalls, came running out of the house with a small metallic cylinder in his hands. "Look-it what I found! Look-it buzzes when I turn this part!"

Ranma ran over, quickly snatching the vibrator from the child's hands, replacing it with another shiny toy. "Sorry about that, Kobuto, that is one of Auntie Kasumi's toys, you can play with this one, okay?"

"What took so long, Kobuta? You get lost in the bathroom?" A young girl with long black hair teased the other boy.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, SUNE! I'm not a pig!"

"But, Tonji, you are so CUTE when you are angry!" Akane's daughter winked at him as she poked him and turned to run.

"Hey! Only my MOMMY can call me that!" The frustrated lost boy's little aura flared up as he fumed.

"Now, now, no fighting right here. What did I tell you before?"

"If we are going to fight, do it in the dojo!"

Looking over to where their neighbors' house used to be, Ranma hoped that they were still doing well with their child. "Good, now play nicely." Walking back over to his wife, Ranma discreetly handed the 'massager' back to Kasumi, who gasped as she realized what had happened. "I thought you had these put away?"

"Oh my, I must have forgotten to lock the drawer!"

"You said you were going to start keeping them all in the secret room, the kids are starting to get into everything, we need to be careful for a while."

"It just takes so long to get in there!" She winked as she stuck her tongue out at him before running back into the house to hide her toy.

Ranma sat back on the porch, almost happy she ran back inside, if only to give him an excuse to give her another 'good-bye kiss' before she left.

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"Shampoo-chan, how'd the meeting go?"

Shampoo hugged and kissed her husband in loving greeting. "There were no problems, Airen! We just needed to sign some papers for Nabiki, approve the employee reviews and pay raises, that sort of thing. But how about you, taking care of all of these kids by yourself?"

"We're all getting along just fine, aren't we?"

"Yeah!" Many of the children cheered their favorite uncle.

"Ranma-ji-chan even let us play horsey!" Natsuko bounced around in her excitement over the fun day.

"Wanna ride again!" Carrot was first to jump on Ranma's back.

"Okay kids, get in line."

Shampoo whispered into his ear, while slipping back into her old sing-song speech pattern for effect. "Aiyaaa... After kids go sleep, Shampoo want ride Airen too!"

"Hey kids, it looks like Aunty Shampoo wants to play too! ...PILE ON!"

"What? AIYAAA...!" Shampoo fell over as she was tackled by almost every child present, rolling onto her back as she started hugging them back.

"Tickle time!" Ranma grabbed one of her feet, and started lightly brushing the bottom of it with his fingertips.

Having trouble breathing, Shampoo could barely choke out the words as she giggled. "Make ...Airen ...pay ...later!" Her laughter exploded as the children redoubled their efforts, not wanting anyone to threaten their favorite uncle ...or father!

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Kasumi felt that she had done reasonably well on her exams for that day, though she was particularly concerned about a few questions that seemed as though they might have been trying to trick her. The house was much more quiet than she had expected considering how many children were staying with them during the days, it was as if Ranma was running a day-care center! She had grown a bit concerned until she had peeked into the new playroom they had built to see all of the children napping peacefully, and that only left one question. 'Where were the adults during all of this?'

Following their auras, she started to hear pained grunts as she tracked them to the bedroom. As Kasumi threw open the door to the master bedroom, their unintelligible voices grew louder and she saw her spouses doing exactly what she thought her ears had detected, with her husband behind their wife, and his hands resting on her curvaceous hips. "Oh my! Is this how you 'take care of the children'?"

"Well, it IS nap time..." Ranma smirked, but hesitated in his thrusting.

Shampoo lifted her face out of the pillow she had been using for support, turning to the side, her breathing rough, and her voice harsh. "...Is, taking break..."

Kasumi's right eyebrow rose as she looked down at them with a stern expression. "Without me?"

"We WERE thinking about you, my love." Ranma looked appropriately remorseful, though he did not slow his movements, in fact he might have even sped up a bit!

"Is true, we ...celebrating ...you passing test!" Shampoo was so caught up in her feelings of pleasure that her grasp on the language was failing.

Kasumi had to resist giggling at her wife's inability to speak when she would get too excited, but she did not want to lose her effect. "I have not passed yet."

"We have faith in you!"

"It looks as though you have something else, IN someone else at the moment, A-na-ta..." She let her voice drip with the sarcastic tone she had heard her sister use so many times before as she pulled out her whip. "Perhaps you would like to tell me exactly how any of this helps ME celebrate?"

"Is sorry, get ahead of self! Just want get done, before Onee-sama need turn!"

Before they realized it, Kasumi had removed her clothing, and was wearing a skimpy leather harness. "How about we see exactly how 'sorry' you are, what do you think?"

Both of them separated and moved almost instantly at the crack of the whip, bowing at Kasumi's feet. "Yes Mistress!"

As they began to 'service' their 'Queen', Shampoo turned to whisper to the Ranma, "Next time, Shampoo want to play the dominant one."

"Shhhh..."

"Did you have something to say?"

"No Mistress!" They both replied in unison!

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"Congratulations, Kasumi-'SENSE'I!" Ranma grinned as they looked up at the grade postings showing how well she had done on her exams.

"Thank you, Goshujin-sama." She had to fight to hold back the tears of happiness.

"We're all really proud of you!" Shampoo wanted to hug her from behind, but knew she would be embarrassed by it, so simply patted her on the shoulder.

"Even the kids have been asking if you will be their teacher soon."

"Oh my, I have not been hired anywhere, but I suppose that I can apply at their school first."

"Aiyaa! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Oh yes, I do believe-..." Kasumi's thoughts were interrupted as they heard someone's laughter approaching from behind them.

"Oh ho ho ho... Ranma-sama, is that you?"

Ranma let out a sigh as he resigned himself for the confrontation before turning around to face her. "Kodachi, it's been a while. Do you, go here?"

"Yes, it has been taking me a bit longer than it should for my degree, but I am happy with how things are going."

"Oh my, did something happen?"

"Well, I had to take about a year off when my Kobara was born, and once Sasuke had to return to my brother after the wedding-..."

"What, you got married?"

"No, Tacchi did." She stated matter-of-factly.

"What? Who'd marry that guy?"

"Dana-sama!"

"No, it is fine, many of us wonder much the same thing. In fact, I am doing a paper on the Florence Nightingale effect in response to that very event."

"What, you mean-...?"

"Yes, the private nurse we hired to care for the fool has decided to, stay on permanently, as it were, and I chose to leave them in peace."

"You mean, you are on your own?"

"Yes, it has been difficult to keep up with everything, even with my limited class loads, but I hope to finish my psychology degree soon." Kodachi remembered some of the things she had gone through since she had given-up any hope of marrying Ranma, and while there were a number of things she regretted, having her son was not one of them!

The three of them exchanged wide-eyed glances before Shampoo broke the slightly awkward silence. "If you need help with having time for more classes, we can take care of your son during the days."

"Are you kidding? You would do that, for me?"

"Yeah, it kind of feels like I'm watching everyone's kids anyway, what's one more?"

"Ranma-sama, you mean YOU are the one caring for the children?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"Not at all, it makes me ...very happy." On some level she imagined that would be almost as good as him being the father of her child, if he was helping to raise him. "What, would you need me to do?"

"I don't know, just drop the little guy off in the mornings once classes start again, or do you need one of us to meet you somewhere for a pick-up?"

"Why are you doing this for me? How much money do you require?"

"Hey, look, you've come a long way, I just want to see you keep getting better, besides, I'm sure the kids will love to have another playmate."

"Aiyaa! A couple of them do love to care for the younger kids."

"Oh my, that will be nice then, will it not?"

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As Ranma started to unload the children from the back of the car, Carrot jumped on his mother's back, and within moments, she had done the same to him. "You know, that make leaning into the car rather difficult."

"But is fun, ride back is nice, uki!" She squeezed him tightly from behind while Shampoo eyed them with a bit of a jealous expression.

She wanted to say something, but did not want to make a scene in front of the children, so settled for simply saying, "Go ahead and 'ride' Airen now, but I am taking the first turn when we get there."

Getting out of the driver's seat, Kasumi looked over at her co-wife with a grin. "That is what you think, Shampoo-chan. Is it not 'my' celebration?"

Seeing the look she was receiving, the young mother quickly became sedate. "Yes, Mistress!"

"So, you decided to come 'play' with us again, did you Hinako-senpai?" Kasumi teased the woman who had inspired her to become a teacher, or even go back to school in the first place.

Turning to make sure none of the children could hear her, she whispered her embarrassed reply. "Well, a woman has needs, and who else will have me?" It was not as if she could even get a divorce, her only option would be to have her husband declared dead, and that could cause other problems...

Not being able to resist, Ranma leaned in to whisper back at her. "Any normal guy'd be happy to 'have you', Hinako-chan."

"Oh, Onii-chan! You are so nice to me!" She batted her eyelashes at him as they locked up the car.

It took no small amount of effort to herd the children to the Tendo estate, but between them, they managed not to lose anyone. "Come on kids, let's go see Baba and Soun-jii-chan." No one expected much from Genma any longer, he simply did as Nodoka instructed, and nothing more.

They cheered as they waited for him to open the gate before running passed him and up to the door, with the adults following close behind. They quieted down as one of them knocked on the door, trying to be on their best behavior for their grandmother. Though, the woman who answered the door was almost as surprised as they were as she was bowled over the hoard of offspring. "AUNTIE AKANE!"

"Auntie Nodoka and Dad are in the dojo with Sune. Why don't you go ...'play' with them?" Akane glared at the newcomers, clearly not thrilled with their arrival. "Always knew you were a pervert. Just look at this!"

Ranma was feeling guilty, considering how many women were the mothers of his children, when Kasumi stepped on front of him. "Now, now, Akane-chan, there is no need to feel jealous, just because you were unable to seduce our darling."

"NO! I'm not! I'd never...!"

"Violent-One being a mother tells us a different story..." Shampoo stuck her tongue out at her former rival. "But I don't blame you for not wanting to admit it, Stupid Mousse is not near as manly as our Airen."

"What? No! It's not like that!"

Ranma chuckled as he watched the scene. "How many times did you believe me when I said that?"

"That's different!"

"Yeah, yeah... Tell Mom we said 'thanks for watching the kids', and give Mousse our condolences."

Her blind husband called out from within the house. "I heard that!"

Shampoo called back to her former stalker. "Sure didn't SEE it though, did you?" Mousse was happy they could not see him cringe.

"Just get out of here, you perverts!"

After plucking Carrot off of his mother, and handing him over to Akane, Ranma grinned. "Have fun with the kids, don't let them give you 'too' hard a time." Ignoring as his son climbed onto Akane's back, instinctively looking for parasites, he turned his attention back toward the four women who came with him. "Are you ladies ready to go then? Hakone is waiting for us!"

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After a long day of seeing the sights, the group got a number of stares as they checked into their hotel, not only for the general spectacle, but also having asked for the largest room they had available for all of them. "You've returned ...and you've brought 'friends'! Are you sure that one room is enough?" The okami winked at Kasumi who blushed in response.

"Oh my, no, I believe that would be too much for us!"

Upgrading their room on a night that was not busy was one thing, but giving them a free room on the weekend was not something the older woman could do. "Very well." She eyed the large luggage they had with them, and her back reminded her again of their last trip, and it showed in her tentative voice. "Did you need help with your ...'gear' this time?"

"Nah, don't worry, it's easier if I just get it myself." Handing one of the bags to the 'monkey-girl' on his back, he piled the rest of the suitcases on top of a rater large trunk before hefting it into his arms with ease, and completely undaunted by the fact that his face was totally blocked.

He followed their auras into the room before carefully setting down his burden, not wanting to damage the building, and then helped his passenger unload her own. "Okay, it's time to get down now, we are here."

Shampoo grinned as a depressed Akahihi climbed off of her airen, and as no sooner had she moved out of the way, then Shampoo had taken her place, nuzzling into his shoulder as she purred. "Told you."

Ranma just sighed at the inevitable, as Mizaru took that as a challenge, and hopped on Shampoo's back, ducking to keep from bumping her head. He shook his head at what his life had become, he might have put his foot down over the whole matter, if it were not such good strength training.

The okami's eyes widened as she watched their antics, wondering what kind of mess they may have to clean in the morning. "If there is nothing else that we can do for you for now, I will leave you to your ...business."

The old woman backed her way out of the room, unable to even blink until closing the door had broken visual contact, and even then she could not help but to stay and listen.

As soon as the door latched behind the woman, Kasumi's attitude drastically changed, and they saw a gleam in her eye. "Okay now, everyone behave!" As soon as the girls had climbed off of Ranma, and Hinako had stopped looking around the room, she cracked her whip. "The last one to be changed and ready will get ...punished."

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A nervous Hinako had fumbled with her buttons, preventing her from getting undressed before the others, resulting in her being the final one kneeling before Kasumi's leather booted feet. Pulling out a harness, she glared at the tardy member of their group. "You two, get our husband ready while I take care of this ...problem." She threw the leather restraints at the taller woman, instructing her to put it on and follow her.

"Now it is 'Shampoo's' turn, yes Airen?" Shifting back into her cuter 'childish' speech now that the group was alone, she nuzzled up to her husband, planting kisses all over his body, while doing her best to ignore the red-headed copy-cat, who did not want to be left out of the fun. Not to be caught off-guard, Shampoo jumped on top of him, pushing her friendly rival to the side as she locked lips with him and slid over his member with a sudden grunt, followed by her 'cooing' in pleasure.

At first the young woman played with herself while kissing them as she took a back-seat to her 'senpai', she knew that she was the lowest ranking female in their pack, but that did not mean that she wanted to be neglected either. She had learned a lot watching the others over the years since they had taken her in, and she knew what to do.

Shampoo was surprised by the tongue that began to probe her from behind, but she was far too caught up in the moment to protest, and soon it was helping her to reach new heights of pleasure. Once it entered her rectum, the other woman's hands started to reach around her to play with some of her other sensitive areas. It took almost no time at all for her to be racked with wave after wave of ecstasy crashing all around her.

Ranma had not seen his bouncing bride so 'active' in some time, and he wanted to respond in kind. He was so caught up in trying to please her, that he almost missed it as she passed-out on top of him, drool running down his chest.

"Uki, uki! 'Hihi-chan helped!" She proudly lifted the unconscious female off of her 'alpha', eager to take her turn. Turning back, she met with Ranma's lips.

"Yes, you certainly did."

"Kyaaaa!" She cried out in joy as he accepted her into his embrace. As their tongues tangled and her hands roamed over her own body, she used her feet to gently grasp him, and began to gently stroke, ecstatic that he seemed to be pleased.

"Whoa! You're really going to town! I didn't think even I was that flexible!"

"'Hihi-chan make happy! Uki! Uki!" She did not give him a chance to reply as she pressed their lips together again. Feeling that he was starting to leak and was getting slick from more than Shampoo's juices, she felt he was ready. She broke off the their embrace as turned around, while still trying to see his face. Plucking out her recently larger anal plug, she pointed at her bottom. "Give 'Hihi-chan you tail now, uki?"

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"Oh, Onii-chan! That-... That was wooooonderful!"

"Is true, Shampoo still no can walk..."

"Or talk." Ranma rolled over and kissed her on the lips to cut off any protest.

"You want to try some gum?" Hinako offered some of her personal supply.

"Will help?"

"Probably not, I just wanted to see if you could still chew."

"Would hit if could move..."

"Oh my, where is Mizaru-chan?" Her energy spent, Kasumi had returned to her typical, much more 'submissive' personality.

"Went outside, probably in the hot-spring." Ranma pointed toward the back door, but made no attempt to move.

"A long soak certainly sounds nice, does it not?" There was a hopeful longing in her voice, yet she made no further motion.

"Aiyaa, is true."

"What do you think we should do about it?" Hinako could barely even turn her head to look at the others.

"Fine, I get it." Figuring she had the most strength to hang on, he hefted Shampoo onto his back before cradling each of the others in one of his strong arms.

"Oh my, I like where you have your hand!" Kasumi squealed as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Ranma grinned as he squeezed their buttocks before heading back to the showers. As he exited the building, and into the open-air bathing area, he was surprised to see his excitable doppelganger had made a small furry friend. "Uki, uki...?" They both nodded before the squirrel jumped on her head, and she hopped onto Ranma's as he grunted under the sudden shift in weight.

"Mizaru-chan, what are you doing?" Ranma blew on it, to try to get her tail out of his face.

"Hikkaku-chan, is that you?" Kasumi looked up, sorry that she did not have any treats with her at that moment.

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Kodachi still felt as if she were dreaming, she had spent her entire vacation wondering if she had imagined the whole thing, and that she was going to show up on his doorstep only to have them call the authorities to take away the 'crazy woman' who was harassing them! Her mind raced as she went over every possible scenario she could think of for how her visit might go, she had even left extra early, in case she needed to find other arrangements before her first class of the day started. She barely even noticed her son messing up her hair as he rode on her shoulders.

As she rang the bell, she tensed up, preparing for anything, including having to protect her son from an attack. What she was not expecting was Ranma to answer the door, with two children on his shoulders, one in his arm, one clutching his leg, and that red-headed copy of him on his back! "Oh, hey, g'morning, Kodachi-chan, I didn't expect you this early. Come on in, you want some coffee, tea, how about some breakfast?"

"Ranma-sama?" She could not believe what she was seeing or hearing! Not only did she think she heard him call her '-chan', but there was just something about seeing a guy who was good with children that she found ...appealing.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, it can be a bit crazy in the mornings while I am getting the older ones ready for school. Just ignore the mess, I'll have it cleaned back up in no time."

"Oh, no, it is not a problem..." She found herself being dragged through the house, and into the dining room.

"Here, have a seat, and I'll go get you something, I was about to call everyone to the table anyway. Do you prefer coffee or tea?"

"Coffee?"

"Great, and how do you take it?"

"Black?"

"Of course you do..." Ranma grinned at her, something she expected she would never see again, as he helped the kids, including her own, into their places around the table before leaving so quickly she barely saw him move. She had never actually seen the inside of his house, and had it not had a clearly 'live-in' look due to the nature of children, it was quite nice, in some ways, almost nicer than her old mansion, though it was done in a western style. She had not seen such luxuries in years, living as she was on her small monthly stipend.

As the rest of his family started to file into the room, she was shocked to see Hinako joining them and looking as she had just awoken! Shampoo eyed her cautiously for a moment, but just smiled as she passed. Kasumi sat at the foot of the table, very near her, and actually spoke to her. "Ohayo-gozaimasu, Kodachi-chan. I am glad you could join us for breakfast."

"Really?"

"Of course, we have not been able to talk since all of that trouble happened, and I wanted to know how you were doing?"

"Things are ...progressing. I cannot really complain." 'Not after what I have done.'

"That is nice to hear. What about your studies?"

"Well, I should be able to get my masters soon, but it will be some time before I manage to get a doctorate. Though, I do not have to do that right away, I can start looking for work once I get this degree, and then I can keep taking night classes."

"But, won't that take much longer?"

"Yes, but my little Kobara-chan deserves a better life, and it means I will be able to start helping people that much sooner."

"What a lovely goal you have!" Any further discussion was cut off by Ranma entering the room, arms loaded down with plates of food as he started passing them out to everyone before giving them drinks.

"...And here is your coffee."

"Oh, thank you Ranma-sama, you are too kind."

"Aw, don't worry about it." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment before getting more serious for a moment. "Kobara here is going to be hanging out here with you guys, and I want you all to play nice together."

"Yes daddy!"

"Especially you Carrot." He looked down at the child sitting nearest to the newcomer, figuring the pair were closest in age, so would be spending the most time together anyway.

"Okay, promise!" The young child happily responded before digging back into his enormous breakfast.

Kodachi was starting to relax, glad that she had given herself the extra time that morning before she had to be at school. She absently started to pick at her food as she watched her son starting to chat with the energetic boy ...with a TAIL? 'That can't be 'real' could it?' She could not believe her eyes as it seemed to move with his mood, even gripping onto the chair he was in, so he could leave further forward to get more food!

"Carrot! How many time do I need to remind you that you do not lean over the table?"

"I don't know?"

Ranma just shook his head, as he rubbed his temples. "If you want something, ask one of us. If I catch you doing it again, not only will there be no dessert, but I will not let you train for a week! Do I make myself clear?"

His mood dampened, a subdued Carrot looked worried. "Yes Daddy..."

'Daddy? How many...? Wait a moment...' She looked around the room, starting to see the resemblance between Ranma and most of the children present, before she noticed that another one of them seemed to not only have a similarly moving tail, but a light layer of fur as well! If she had not already felt as though she were dreaming, she certainly did at that point. She was starting to wonder if she had taken too much of her sleeping powder after all...

Considering it was a room full of children, they ate in relative silence which gave the young woman plenty of time to notice something. "Kasumi Tendo, you truly deserve your reputation, this food is delightful!"

"Oh my no, I did not have time to prepare anything today, Goshujin-sama made all of this!" Her honest smile told her that she was not teasing her, but found it to be one more thing she was having a difficult time believing. It reminded her of being on an old television program called, the Twilight Zone.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Having enjoyed a more extravagant breakfast than she could remember in years, Kodachi watched as her son played with the 'monkey-boy', and was happy to see them getting along as the others continued their morning preparations. Still having some time before she needed to leave, and wanting to make certain that there were no problems, she continued to observe them in their morning routine.

She was amazed when she saw her son's new playmate showing off how strong he was, which was quite impressive for his size. At least with her son spending time here, he was likely to stay fit! There was a little playground set up between the house and their new dojo, which she did not remember seeing the last time she was there, though she had to admit, she had not seen much of the place, and was not particularly focused on it at the time.

She barely even noticed as things almost seemed to clean up after themselves as the children and women got themselves ready. She had not seen Ranma around in a while, and yet she got the feeling that he was all around her, as well as being completely indispensable to what was happening. Suddenly, he appeared before her, in a manner that would have made most ninja she knew green with envy, with a warm smile on his handsome features.

"Would you like some more coffee or anything, Kodachan?"

"What? Ranma-sama?" She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming, she was finding it incredibly strange for him to be so friendly with her, she had no idea how to react.

"I said, 'Would you like some more coffee', food, or maybe you would like to get in a good soak with the others before you have to leave?"

"Oh, oh dear, some more coffee would be lovely. It was very good."

"Thank you, I will be right back." She barely had time to blink as he vanished and returned with the pot in hand to refill her cup. "Are you certain you don't want to hop in before the kids start to get their baths? You don't want to go after them, trust me."

"Ranma-sama, are you certain that you are not just trying to get me to remove my clothing?"

"Of course not! I would never do that!" With less disappointment than she would have assumed, she got the response she had expected, at least it stung less than it had when he was younger. "Though I'm sure it's quite a sight to see."

She was left flatfooted as he winked at her before vanishing from the room, taking the coffeepot with him as he left.

Even her own dreams did not treat her that nicely of late, so she was fairly certain that she was awake, but she could not help but begin doubting her own sanity once again. "What is going on here?"

She had not expected an answer to her rhetorical question, but just then one of the taller boys walked up to her with an honest expression. "It is mommy bath time, while Daddy helps the little ones brush their teeth!"

"Then what are you doing out here?"

"I finished already!" The proud boy finished tying his braid and smiled up at her after bowing. "Good morning! I am 'Kazuma', by the way. It is very nice to meet you!"

"Hello Kazuma, I am 'Kodachi', Kobara's mother. It is a pleasure to meet such a polite young man, such as yourself."

"Thank you. Did you know you are a very pretty lady? I hope you visit again, but I have to finish getting ready for school now."

Blushing, she returned his smile. "Well, aren't you just the little charmer?" She nodded to him as he bowed to leave. She had considered taking them up on the offer of 'mommy bath time', it had been a long time since she had been in a non-public bath that was large enough to actually allow her to stretch out completely, but she was worried she might not like going back to her modest home after that.

As she watched the happy children running around, some playing, while others were getting ready for school, despite the oddities, she felt like this would be a good place for her own child, and the last of her concerns over his safety faded from her mind.

"Hey, come back here!" She looked up just in time to see a wet and naked toddler running passed her in the halls. "I'm gonna get you!"

Having stopped, he hid behind her, tail wrapping around her leg! "It's REAL!"

"Kyaaa!" As Ranma started forward, Carrot scampered up to clutch to her back, hiding within her hair.

"You get down from there now! How many times to we have to tell you not to climb on other people? Sorry about that, Kodachan."

Hearing the friendly nickname gave her pause, and made her forget about the naked child rubbing against the back of her head. "Oh, it is no problem, Ranma-sama."

"If you could just hold still for a moment..." As Ranma flinched Carrot leaped toward the ceiling, only to be surprised as Kodachi grabbed him by the waist, and handed him over to Ranma's waiting arms.

"Here you go, Ranma-sama."

"No fair, mommies never help Daddy!" The child struggled, his tail slapping her in the face as Ranma took him into his arms.

"Get back here and take your bath, you naughty little monkey! Sorry again, this little guy hates the water."

"Oh dear, is it something to do with one of those 'curses'?" She tried to whisper the last word, hoping to be discrete.

"Oh, no, this is natural. It's just a case of a bad boy, who doesn't like scrubbing clean! Isn't that right, Carrot?"

"Nooo baaath!" Struggle as he might, he could not break free of Ranma's firm grip.

"Sorry kid, but you're filthy. Come on Kodachan, we need to get you clean now too. Do you have time for me to wash your outfit, or should I dig you out something to wear until you get back?" He led her back into the changing room while ignoring the protesting progeny.

"I am afraid I do not have that much time left before classes start today."

"Okay, just give me a moment, and I will go find something for you. Once I get this guy washed, I will clean and refill the tub for you. Won't take too long." She watched him vanish into the furo with thwarted tyke.

"I guess you succeeded in getting me naked after all, Ranma-sama." Especially with the way he was acting, she was finding difficult not to want to flaunt the idea, but she remembered that he was happily married, doing her a huge favor, and had soundly rejected on many occasions.

She barely noticed any time passing before he returned with a sparkling child in hand. "There, now put on your clothes and then you can go play with your new friend, then we can go through all of this all over again."

"That was ...quick."

"Don't worry, I scoured it thoroughly, and the tub is filling now. Take your time, I won't peek, I promise. I will leave the dress here, I am sure I can whip-up something that will fit you well enough."

She bowed to him as he turned to leave. "Thank you, Ranma-sama." She didn't know how to tell him that she did not really mind if it was him, but she did not want to push the limits of his patience with her. Sighing as she watched him walking away and pining for what might have been, she stripped out of her clothing as she remembered what it had felt like to hold him in her arms.

Kodachi was stunned by the size of the bath while it did not rival the one she used to enjoy back at the mansion, it was far nicer than anything she had used other than the public baths in longer than she cared to recall. As she lathered herself, the shower-head sprayed her in several sensitive spots. "Oooooo..."

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Having lost herself in the pleasure of soaking, Kodachi almost fallen asleep in the furo when the door flew open and a child with maroon tinted hair burst in with a distressed look on his cute little face! Once she recovered from her disappointment over it not being Ranma, she belatedly realized where her hands were, and what they should not be doing at that moment.

"No Mommy, you were wrong, the pretty lady isn't beating any beavers in here! I don't see any kinds of animals at all! So what really made that noise?"

"NYANMA! GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT!" She ducked under the water as he looked up at her with a grin on his face before slowly leaving the room. It was only after she started to relax that she thought she saw cat ears on the kid...!

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In spite of the unusual interruption, Kodachi had enjoyed her sustained soaking, and felt quite refreshed as she saw the light spring dress that Ranma had left for her. She was surprised to see how well it fit her figure, almost as if it had been made just for her. As she finished collecting her things to leave, she heard voices coming from the hallway.

"Thank you Dana-sama, I know I can do it with your support!"

"I know you'll be the best teacher they ever had!"

"It's true, they don't deserve an instructor like Kasumi-airen."

"Do not worry Kasumi-chan, just be yourself and you will do great, I am positive."

"Thank you all, I could not have gotten to this point without all of you."

"It's okay Mommy!"

"We know you'll do good!"

"Ganbatte, 'Sumi-mama!"

Kodachi walked out in time to flinch as she saw Kasumi and Shampoo kissing him on the cheek and most of the kids hugging them. As each of them filled passed him, kissed or hugged them as he handed them a lunch box.

"Don't worry, I will help Kasumi-airen walk them to school, so you can handle the other stuff this morning."

"Thanks Shampoo-chan, I think I got the easy job this time. I will see you soon, right?"

"You know it, Airen." Shampoo was the only one who did not get a bento, so she was surprised to see one left as he handed one to Hinako while the others left.

"Why so glum, Hinako-chan?" Kodachi could not believe the familiarity between the two. She had heard rumors about them back in high school, and they had fought over him once, but she had thought that was all in the past.

"Sometimes it feels as though Furinkan got all of the delinquents in Tokyo this year." Her head sunk as her aura darkened a bit.

"Well, I am sure you can handle most anything that comes, we have been training together for a while now, but if you need anything, you know you can call me, okay?" She almost fell over as he hugged the taller woman, and kissed her on the cheek! "Especially the principal, the most delinquent one of all!"

"Thank you Onii-chan, things have been getting easier because of you."

"The least I can do for everything you did for us, especially Kasumi. But, you had better hurry, it would not due for the disciplinarian to be late." The embrace she received in parting was not only far more intimate, but surprising to the young woman, was he truly the lothario he had always been accused of being? Would that necessarily be a 'bad' thing for her?

"Kodachan, are you just going to keep standing there? I thought you had to get to class." His warm grin made her swoon before she hesitantly stepped forward.

"Yes, you are correct Ranma-sama, I 'do' need to hurry. Thank you." She bowed to him before she turned to get her shoes, unable to believe her eyes as she spun back to see him offering her the last lunchbox. "But ...why? How?"

"I expected both you and Kobara-kun, so I planned ahead."

"You did not have to do that, Ranma-sama."

"Well, we put you through quite a lot this morning, so take it as my ...'our' way of atoning for the trouble. I will have your outfit cleaned for you when you come back."

"Thank you, you are too kind..." She reluctantly accepted the bento, trying not to think of it as charity.

"I'd be happy to make one for you every day, if you would like, I make so many, it's really no trouble to make one more, and I do hope you will be joining us for breakfast as well, it's the most important meal of the day!"

She could not have refused his hopeful expression even if she had wanted to. "You really do not mind?"

"Don't worry, just go out there and do your best! What you are doing here, I'm proud of you. I hope you can keep it up, so if there's anything you need, let us know, okay?"

'Proud of her', when was the last time she had heard those words? Kodachi nodded as she stumbled toward the door, and started to fall.

"Are you okay?" She felt as though her heart was going to burst as his arms wrapped around her, protecting her from falling. Memories flooded back to her from when he first had carried her in his sturdy embrace, that feeling of warmth, his manly scent, and she wanted it to last, knowing that it could never be.

"Oh, yes, thank you Ranma-sama, I do not know what came over me." She felt him starting to loosen his grip and she acted without thinking, inspired by what she had already seen that morning, she leaned in, and quickly pressed her lips against his, fully expecting him to panic and kick her and her son out of his house, possibly even going as far as taking the dress back beforehand, and far too late for her to make other arrangements for the day.

What she did not expect was for him to instinctively lean into it, and even going as far as to stick his tongue into her mouth! Not wanting to awaken if she was dreaming, she returned it with every drop of passion she could muster, being the first time he had willingly kissed her!

After a few moments, she noticed his reaction change, and they quickly split apart. "Oh man, I'm sorry Kodachan! It was a reflex!"

"No, no, it was MY fault! Please, don't be mad!"

"Oh, I ain't mad!" His nervous laughter filled the hall as he blushed. "I just hope you aren't either..."

"How could I be?" 'It was a dream come true!'

After several embarrassed apologies and bows, she turned to leave with a skip in her step and a smile upon her sensitive lips. As she strolled out of the house in the best mood she could remember, she saw her son, the child and woman with tails, playing with a strange looking squirrel. She found that rather odd, but was far too satisfied about her morning to care.

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Kodachi had found it difficult to focus all day, every time she tried to concentrate on her classes, she would remember the kiss she had shared with Ranma that morning, and she would drift off on a cloud. Luckily for her, being the first day of the new semester, it was mostly orientations and introductions.

Making her way back to the Saotome estate, her mind continued to drift, feeling a bit guilty over having taken advantage of the situation that morning. She was glad that no one else was there to see it, she did not know how she would face the others if they knew, it was going to be hard enough as it was.

As she walked through the gate, things were far quieter than she would have expected considering how many children were supposed to be present. In fact, the entire neighborhood seemed more peaceful than anywhere she had ever been within the city. It was ...strange.

No sooner has she knocked on the door then it opened and Shampoo was behind it looking absolutely livid, lowing a glare at her that could have melted an ice burg. "So, you're finally here. I have been waiting on you!"

A nervous Kodachi jumped back, worried that she might have gotten Ranma in trouble. "Wha- What? Did you need something?"

"I know what you did this morning after the rest of us left!"

"How?"

"MY husband tells me everything! We do not have secrets from each other!"

"No, wait, it was an accident! I didn't mean it!"

"It was 'an accident'? What you slipped, tripped, and and stuck your tongue in my husband?"

"Um, well actually..."

"Do you really think that I would believe that?"

Kodachi was slowly backing away, she did not want to fight, but she did not want to leave without her son either. "I do not expect-..."

Her panic was interrupted as the other woman burst into laughter. "You should see your face! BWAHAHAHahahahaha!"

"What, so, you are really not angry?" She hesitantly stopped backing-up and looked at her curiously.

"It's just a kiss! Relax!" Shampoo was having trouble getting her chortles under control.

"Wait, really?"

"It's fine, I wanted to apologize to you for Nyanma this morning, you know how kids are..."

'Funny way of showing it...' "Yes, I suppose I do."

As she started toward the door, Shampoo blocked her way again, regaining her serious tone. "Ranma's not the father ...right?"

"What? NO! Of course not!" '...I should be so lucky.' "No, I went to a mixer with some of my classmates …it did not go well, I suppose, but I do not regret it."

"It's just too easy! Are you going to come inside?"

"Are you going to let me this time?"

"Of course, the kids are doing their homework, and dinner will be ready soon."

"Homework? You gave my son homework?"

Once again Shampoo laughed at her confused guest. "No, no, no, your boy is helping some of the others, including Akahihi!"

"Aka-who-who?"

"The one who looks like Ranma's cursed form."

"Oh yes, the woman with the tail?"

"It's not a real one, but yes."

"Wait, my son is helping that one?"

"Among others ...it's a long story. So, are you joining us for dinner, or do you have somewhere to be? Ranma is a wonderful cook, as you should be aware by now." She glanced down at the empty lunchbox.

"Um, yes, well..."

"You 'liked' it ...right?"

"Most definitely!"

"Do you have other plans?"

"Well, no..."

"Then what are you waiting for, a written invitation? We don't bite ...hard."

The memory of her morning kiss came flooding back as that thought sent shivers down her spine. Still not sure what to think, Kodachi followed Shampoo into the house in somewhat of a daze. As they walked through the halls, she started to hear voices coming from one of the rooms they passed.

"Oooo, thank you for the 'bonus', Goshujin-sama!"

"We'll be sure to work extra hard again next time too!"

"Anything for you, Goshujin-sama!"

"Thanks again for letting us work for you, this is so much more fun than the cafe!"

"It's fun to be telling other people what to do for a change!"

"And a whole lot less strange men try to grab us when working for you, Goshujin-sama!"

"Someone grabbed you? Who? I'll go take care of them right away!"

"No one we couldn't handle."

"There is someone I wish WOULD grab me..." She heard the tittering of several young women giggling.

"Well, if anyone ever molests you, and you can't 'handle it', you make sure to tell me, and it will never happen again, I promise you. No one does that to one of my friends ...without permission anyway."

As they got further away, the voices became less clear, but she could have sworn that she heard one of them say, "You always have my consent, Go-shu-jin-sa-ma..."

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It had been a fun day of playing with his new friend, the strange boy with a monkey's tail. Young Kobara could not even begin to keep up with the other lad, but he had not let that stop him from trying! Most of the kids in his usual day-care had always shunned him and made fun of his mother, calling her nasty names, but this boy did not care about any of that, he was just thrilled to have a playmate his own age while his siblings were at school, and once they got home he even found the others were happy to have his assistance.

It had astonished him that red-headed woman who had been playing with them all day had needed the most help, but he had to admit, she occasionally seemed to be lacking some general common sense, so he supposed he should not be too surprised. In many ways, she acted more like a kid than he did at times, but she certainly did not LOOK like a kid, and he was glad for that.

"Kiki, could ya help me with this one?"

"Oh sure, this is the kanji for eye, and this is the one for ear, see they're almost the same. Just remember the eye looks kind a' squishied!"

Seeing the other boy's grin as his sister turned away, Kobara wondered what might be happening, and as he moved closer, he saw something that concerned him. "'Scuse me, but you got those backwards. 'Eye' is the one with the straight sides."

She looked up from where she sat, clearly not ready to trust the younger newcomer over her own brother. "Ya sayin' my aniki was lyin' ta me again?"

"Or maybe just wrong." The look he received did not go over his head, but he chose to ignore it, being used to people not liking him. It was someone other than his mother who actually cared about what he said that was a unique experience.

"Really?" Just at that moment, Shampoo and Kodachi entered the room, and the trio looked over at them.

Kobara nodded their way. "Want to ask?"

The child walked over to the two young women, looking up with large eyes. "Oba-Poo?"

"Yes, Tatsuki?"

"Which is right?"

"It's this one."

A cross expression came over the cute face of the small child in the magical girl costume as she walked over and smacked her brother's head with her wand. "You are a poopy liar, and in the name of love and justice I will punish you, Kiki!"

"Did you lie to your sister again, Ryuki?"

"That twerp ain't my real sister anyway, I don't have one!"

Shampoo picked the boy up by his collar to look into his eyes. "You know how we feel about that kind of talk. Now, apologize to your sister, or no desert."

Seeing that her brother was being righteously punished, she quickly ran over to hug her savior, only to receive a look of death from her 'cousin' Tenma.

As Shampoo set the boy down, he glared over at Kobara, mouthing the words, 'this is your fault'.

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"No Carrot, you have to let Kobara-kun go. You can play together in the morning, and we can arrange a sleepover another day if you are good, okay?"

"But-..."

"No! Climb down off of the roof now, before I jump up there to get you! ...Ichi."

The two children looked around nervously.

"Ni."

Hesitating for a moment, they saw Ranma's mouth start to open a third time, they jumped down, as Kobara mentioned offhandedly. "I told you that was not a good place to hide, but it's okay, I'll be back again!"

Handing her son over to her, Ranma bowed as he help onto Carrot tightly. "Sorry about that, Kodachan."

"Are you all right, Kobara-chan?"

"Yes Mother, I am fine. There was no danger, just because I can't jump up there, doesn't mean I can't get down."

"Language!"

"I am sorry Mother, I will not use contractions."

"That is better." Shifting her gaze back toward the 'master of the home', with a bow. "I suppose everything is fine then. Thank you again, for everything, Ranma-sama."

"Hey, it's no problem... We'll see you for breakfast again then?"

"I do not wish to impose..."

"I told you, it's no trouble at all! We are happy to have you both." He felt the child in his arms excitedly nodding.

"What do you think, Kobara-chan?"

"Yes ...please?" She melted as she looked into his eyes.

"I suppose you will have to do far worse to get rid of us then." Kodachi blushed as she remembered some of the embarrassment she had suffered that day, but she had to admit, she did not want to give it up either. As she turned to leave, Kobara looked over her shoulder and waved to his new friend.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Carrot?" Ranma patiently smiled at the boy in his arms as he walked back into their house.

"Auntie Kiima's commin' again soon?"

"Yes, in the next week or two."

"...And Fuma-tan too?"

"Yes, Fuma-chan too."

"But ...is Mama gonna too?"

"Yes, Carrot. Now go to sleep." Ranma tucked the little guy into his bed before making sure the nightlight was on.

"Aaaawww... That guy's a big jerk! Why'd ya make that kid?"

Ranma blushed as he remembered one of their recent trips back to China during Kasumi's last long break from school before she really buckled down for her degree. "You will understand when you are older..."

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OMAKE E1

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Kodachi awoke with a start, feeling as though she were living through an earthquake. Looking around, she saw everything in her tiny home shaking and she immediately ran for her son's room, only to not find him in his bed! Starting to look under everything, she was quickly going beyond panic, and well into outright horror. "KOBARA! KOBARA-CHAN! WHERE ARE YOU? ...Pleeeease be okay."

Not seeing any trace of him anywhere in his room, she frantically started searching the rest of their little trailer home as the shaking continued to get worse, as did the scraping and grinding sounds coming from outside. She could not imagine what the news was going to say about this one, she had never felt anything like it. In her experience, earthquakes tended to go in waves, yet this one had been almost consistent, with very brief breaks.

When she got to the front of their abode, two things managed to filter through her panic that happened to strike her as important. The first was that she could see objects moving passed their residence at a slow but steady rate. The second was that she could hear her son's voice crying out from the roof! Without another thought, she opened a window and leapt through it, twisting her body in the air so she landed on top of the building in one fluid motion.

"That's it Carrot-kun! I can't believe you are 'actually' doing it!" Hearing his cheers and laughter, she spared a glance down to see his little friend, tied to a rope, dragging their dwelling!

"KOBARA!"

"MOTHER! I AM SORRY! I mean, 'That is it Carrot-dono! I cannot believe that you are actually doing it!' You are amazing!"

"That is NOT what I mean! What is happening here?"

"Ko-kun! ...We're! ...Almost! ...THERE!"

She almost fell off of the roof as the shaking suddenly stopped, and she looked around, realizing that they were no longer even in their neighborhood! "What have you boys done?"

"It is okay Mother, I disconnected all of the utilities."

"Well, that is good I suppose, but ...NO! THAT IS NOT THE POINT!"

"Please don't be mad, Kunoba-sama!" She glanced down to see the strange 'monkey-boy' on his knees, prostrating himself before her. "I just wanted ya ta be close by!"

Looking around more carefully, she realized that they were resting in the empty lot behind Ranma's property. "What the f-...?"

"What's going on out here? ...CARROT! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Just bringing new mommy and brother! No one live here anymore anyway!"

"Well, that IS true..."

"What do you mean?" Kodachi looked between them, wondering what was going through their minds.

"I mean, if you want, we could 'buy' this lot."

"WHAT? I mean, I was on a rental, but, how can you do that?"

"Well you know, the property values have dropped a bit lately anyway..."

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NOTES

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Well, this took so long I ended up breaking it up again, and there will be a second part out as soon as I can finish it. I got a bit too focused on certain characters this time, so I hope to give you a bit more time with each of them.

If you have any questions about the kids, or other characters, now is the time to ask! I will try to fill in any gaps in the next part.

So, come back one last time for, 'Gen19', or 'Sayonara Kofuku Sensei'!

kofuku 鼓腹 (n,vs) happiness; contentment