Chapter 51 Thawing of an Ice Queen

Ranma smiled faintly as he gazed around the family room. Dinner was somewhat strained after the events of the day, with his mother and Soun sitting tightlipped next to each other, the two of them still trying to avoid each other's eyes. 'I really, really, don't want to know what happened between them,' he thought. Kasumi and Tofu were more or less back to normal, though there was a lot more touching than they normally showed in public, and they continued to look a little warily at Nabiki when they thought she wasn't looking. Hinako was sitting in her normal spot, all but joined at the hip with Nabiki, though she had a slight frown on her face, instead of her normal cheery disposition. Finally, he finished his dinner, and said, breaking the strained silence, "Dinner was very good, Kasumi."

"Thank you, Ranma," Kasumi replied, "But Hinako and Auntie Nodoka did most of the cooking." A faint blush stained her cheeks, as she added, "I was a little too busy this afternoon, after all."

"Oh, sorry then, Hinako, Mom, you two did an excellent job," Ranma said. He stood up, and gathered his dishes and took them into the kitchen and placed them in the sink. Then he walked out and sat down on the steps outside, staring at the koi pond. He heard a faint footstep, and then Akane sat down next to him, and leaned her head on his shoulder. Ranma smiled once more, and slid his arm around her waist and pulled her in tight.

"A yen for your thoughts," Akane said, after a moment.

"Vastly overpaying," Ranma replied, "Just thinking about today is all. It was weird even for Nerima."

"Yeah, wasn't it though," Akane said, as she stared off into the distance.

"Can I join you?" Nabiki asked from behind them.

Akane replied, "Sure, sis."

Nabiki sat down on Ranma's other side, and nervously laid her head on his shoulder too. She shivered for a moment as she touched his shoulder.

"You aren't still affected, are you?" Ranma asked, worried.

"No, thankfully, just a little cold," Nabiki replied.

Ranma hesitated for a moment, and then wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her to him. Nabiki sighed happily and said, "This is nice. You're very warm. I bet Akane likes that at night."

"Yes he is, and yes I do. Just don't get too used to it, sis," Akane said, lightly.

"I won't, don't worry. I just need to decompress after everything that happened today," Nabiki said, "I mean, I lost count of how many times I, um, climaxed, and I'm still a bit, well, worried about how I'll behave." Her cheeks gained a rosy hue.

"This really isn't like you, Nabiki," Akane said, softly, "You're usually so reserved and in control."

"After today, I don't think that's possible anymore," Nabiki said, "I was anything but reserved and in control because of that damn wish."

"But that wasn't really you," Ranma said gently.

Nabiki smiled sadly and said, "I think some of it was me. Between you and Hinako, the Ice Queen role that I was playing was wearing pretty thin, and then today, that basically finished it off. I've held myself aloof, avoiding affection. I can't do that anymore, I enjoyed a lot of what I was feeling, and I want that back, some day. I'm just not sure how to find the right person. You two got lucky."

Ranma's eyes darkened for a moment, and then he said, softly, after checking to see who was around, "We almost didn't, little sis. You know that."

"Yeah, but it did happen," Akane said.

Ranma sighed and lightly kissed the top of her head, "And I can't be happier." He sighed deeply and said, tenderly, "Nabiki, you are a very attractive woman, and once you stop pushing people away, you'll find someone. You never did turn into the horrid Ice Queen bitch, not this time, so it'll be easier than you think. Just don't rush things, make sure you find Mr. Right, and not settle for Mr. Right Now, just because you get some urges that you want filled."

Nabiki chuckled and said, "That's pretty good advice, big brother, but how do I pull that off?"

"It's a good question, Nabiki," Ranma replied thoughtfully, "And I don't really have a good anwer. I mean, look at me, I found the perfect girl for me, but I literally had to go through hell to find her. Not a path that I would recommend to anyone. But she's most definitely worth it."

"And the right person is definitely worth waiting for, sis," Akane said, "Not that either of us has anyone else to compare to, mind you, but I've always been told that it's better with someone you love."

Ranma let out a small oof as suddenly Hinako dropped into his lap. He chuckled briefly and asked, "Getting comfortable, are we?"

Hinako giggled and said, "Very. This looked like a fun cuddle, and I wanted to join."

Ranma smiled contentedly. His eyes grew misty as he bent down and lightly kissed her hair.

"What was that smile for?" Akane asked quietly.

"Just thinking a little. Here I am, surrounded by three lovely girls, enjoying a nice spring evening, watching the sun go down. It really doesn't get much better than this. I mean, think about it, I have my best friend, lover and wife on one shoulder. On the other shoulder, I have an attractive woman, who's going to turn into a very nice person, though I hope she still keeps some of that edge that makes her the most dangerous person I know. And sitting in my lap, is a girl who will be a heartbreaker in another year or so, and I get to play overprotective big brother. Practice for when you and I have a daughter," Ranma replied.

"That's pretty deep, especially for you," Kasumi said as she knelt down behind him, and loosely hugged the three of them. He leaned back against her, blushing slightly as he realized where his head was nestled, as she said, "I heard some of what you were saying Ranma, and I agree with him, sis. Wait for the right person. I can't pretend to understand what you were feeling today, but you had a pretty rough introduction to sex because of that foolish boy. Don't let those urges control who you are. And, yes, I know that's easy for me to say, since I have someone to be with."

Nabiki sighed and replied, "I'll be good, don't worry. I have absolutely no intention of jumping the next guy I see. After all, I've seen you and Tofu together, and Ranma and Akane together, and I want that. Not some cheap fling, but a partner that will stand with me like you guys have. Neither one of you can see it, since you're too close. But Akane, Kasumi, you two have changed, very much for the better. Akane, you aren't the little girl that was angry with the world anymore, Ranma has helped you overcome that."

"She did most of that on her own, Nabiki, I just pointed out what it was doing to her," Ranma said quietly.

"That may be true, but she listened to you, no one else. And Kasumi, you're happier than I've ever seen you. And it's not just because you're married. It's because you've gotten out of the shell that we forced you into, the happy homemaker, and are beginning to live the life that you wanted before Mommy died," Nabiki said.

"You're a little too close to things yourself, sis. You are changing, too. Finally turning into the person you were before things went bad, before Mommy died and Daddy fell apart. We all grieved in different ways, I threw myself into keeping the house, you closed down and took over the finances, and Akane, well, she dove into martial arts," Kasumi said. She paused then, as she saw her father and Nodoka talking by the dojo.

"What's that all about?" Nabiki asked.

Ranma smirked and replied, "I expect that they're still trying to work out what happened between them today. I don't think either of them is very happy about it."

"I guess I should apologize for that," Nabiki said.

"Wasn't really your fault, Na-chan," Hinako said.

Ranma frowned and added, "She's right. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they are both lonely. Both of them lost their partners entirely too early, your mom through her death, and my Pop for disappearing with me. And there's probably a lot of guilt mixed in with it, because they probably enjoyed it. They'll work it out, eventually."

"But I still feel responsible," Nabiki said.

"Don't. I know how they felt. I mean, I was ready to push you to the floor and take you," Ranma said, blushing, but not worried about his embarrassment so much as worried about how she was feeling.

"It was a very powerful attraction, sis. Like, Ranma said, I was ready to do the deed with you myself," Akane said.

"Indeed," Kasumi said, a faint blush on her face, "I'm able to control myself better than all of you, Nabiki, and I wanted you this morning, and I definitely don't like girls that way. You effectively were a lust demon for all intents and purposes, with none of it under your control. So don't feel bad about any of it."

"They're all telling you the same thing, Na-chan," Hinako said in a small voice, "So the best thing to do is to just forget it ever happened."

"I'm still curious why you weren't affected," Kasumi said.

Hinako's eyes twinkled with mirth and retorted, "Who said I wasn't affected? You have no idea how hard it was not to react. But, Nabiki couldn't be left alone, not in the state she was in, so I just suppressed what I was feeling. After all, I've had years of practice at it. Remember, I yo-yoed back and forth between this body and an adult woman, so I had a lot of experience with yearnings that I couldn't do anything about." She grew serious for a second and said, "Na-chan, I'm so sorry about what happened. If I hadn't made that stupid bet, you wouldn't have gone through all of that."

"It's okay, Hi-chan," Nabiki crooned, "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Hinako asked, in a little girl voice.

Nabiki's eyes watered slightly and she sniffed, "Yeah, pretty sure."


Meanwhile, over by the dojo, Nodoka exclaimed, "Oh my son is so manly. Just look at him surrounded by all of those girls. I'm so proud of how he's turned out in spite of the example of his father."

"You should be very proud of him, Nodoka," Soun said, "He's a good man, one I would be proud to have as my son. Though that might have caused a problem with Akane. He treats my baby girl right, and she adores him." He hesitated for a moment and then took the plunge. "Nodoka, neither of us has anything to feel guilty about. We stopped before we betrayed any vows, and what we felt, what we acted on, wasn't really us," he said softly.

"There had to be something there for to have caused us to act like a pair of randy teenagers," Nodoka replied with a frown, still refusing to look at him.

Soun looked down at the ground and said, "How about too many years of loneliness, Nodoka? We both have been without a source of comfort, someone to love, for a very long time. I won't deny that I think you are a very attractive woman, because that would be lying, and I won't do that. But, what happened was nothing more than hormones getting a little out of control. You've been without your husband, and even though he is back, the two of you haven't been intimate, so I know that has got to be frustrating you. I know it was frustrating Genma, I swear every time we went somewhere, that was the biggest thing he had to complain about. Well, besides having an ungrateful child. So, while we may be a bit more familiar with each other than is strictly proper, nothing happened. Nor is it likely to in the future."

Nodoka preened slightly as she heard him say she was attractive. "So just accept that we got caught up in something that neither of us had any control over, and get on with our lives," she said, thinking it through. She nodded decisively and said, "I can accept that."

"Good," Soun said with a wry grin, "Because I would hate for our friendship to become strained, especially if it caused any problems for our children. It wouldn't be good for them to be caught in the middle if we had issues."

Nodoka smiled briefly. "True enough, he has burdens enough. I wouldn't want to cause them any problems." She giggled prettily for a moment and asked, "Did you see the look of horror on his face when we walked in?"


Ranma and Akane hopped down from the fence and held hands as they joined Nabiki. Nabiki simply shook her head at them and said, "That still amazes me that you two can do that."

"It just takes practice, Nabiki," Akane said.

"Aren't you afraid of someone seeing up your skirt?" Nabiki asked.

Ranma chuckled and said, "She's wearing shorts under her skirt, so there's really nothing to see, well, except for a cute pair of legs."

The three of them walked through the main gate of the high school and headed toward the stairs leading up to the front door. There they ran into Kodachi, who was pacing back and forth in front of the first step, obviously waiting for someone. Her face lit up when she saw the trio approach.

"What on earth did you do to my brother?" Kodachi asked, a look of amusement on her face, "First, he goes out on a date with Nabiki, and then Ranma-sama drags him off yesterday afternoon. When he got back, he locked himself in his room and refuses to come out."

"He did something that made me very angry," Nabiki replied, her tone neutral, and her face impassive.

"And he really doesn't want to face her when she is angry. We, uh, sort of suggested that she might remove certain body parts the next time she sees him," Akane added.

"That would probably explain it," Kodachi said, with a throaty chuckle, "Well, if nothing else, the house will be quieter."

"Don't forget guys, save me a place at lunch today," Nabiki reminded, "I need to go see some people before class." She pulled Ranma into a chaste hug, causing Kodachi to raise one eyebrow, since this was the first time she could recall Nabiki showing anyone affection.

"Okay, sis," Ranma said, returning the hug, "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I'm a big girl," Nabiki growled playfully.

Akane pulled her into a hug and said, softly, "It's just that we care, you know that."

Nabiki sighed, and asked, plaintively, "Are you two going to be like this for a while?"

"Probably, at least until you understand how we feel about you," Ranma said softly, "Like Acchan said, we care about you."

"I know, and well, thanks, it helps, you know," Nabiki said. She bounded up the stairs, feeling much better. With a jaunty wave, she disappeared through the doors.

"Okay," Kodachi said slowly, "Who was that girl, and what did you do with the real Nabiki?"

"Like we said, we had an interesting weekend," Akane began, "Let's just say that she's feeling a bit rocky right now, and wants some affection. We love her, so it's nice to finally be able to show her how we feel."

"My brother didn't try to do the same thing to her that he did to you, did he, Ranma-sama?" Kodachi asked quietly.

"Do ya really have to ask, Kodachi? You're a smart girl," Ranma said, coolly, "If he had tried that, do you really think he would be cowering in his bedroom?"

Kodachi frowned slightly and shook her head. "No, he would be in a drawer in the local morgue, what was left of him," she said finally, "You wouldn't have allowed him to get away with that."

Ranma laughed, mirthlessly, and said, "I wouldn't have needed to do anything, nor would either of us wanted to get between her and her vengeance. In her own way, Nabiki is much more dangerous than I am. And, yeah, if he had tried something like that, you'd be the last of the Kunos, unless of course, your children use your name."

"Ryoga, come on, the school this way," they heard Shampoo say, with a faint touch of exasperation in her voice. They turned to see her pulling her husband into the courtyard. Ukyo was right behind them, with her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

"Hey guys. I missed you this week. Where were you?" Ukyo asked.

"Oh, Ranma and I went on a training trip. We just got back yesterday, and with everything else, didn't get a chance to stop by," Akane replied.

"Looks like you had a good time," Ukyo said, clinically.

"Well, yeah we did," Ranma said, "Though we didn't spend all of our time doing martial arts."

"I can imagine," Kodachi said suggestively.

"I don't know, Ranma. I thought you said what we were doing was from the Martial Arts School of Dancing," Akane teased.

Shampoo gave Ryoga a piercing look and said, "Ranma take Akane dancing? Maybe Ryoga take notes."

"Gee thanks, buddy. I see you again for the first time in a week, and I'm suddenly in trouble. It's your fault," Ryoga said, then grinning.

"All work and no play makes Ranma a very dull boy," Ranma retorted, "I glad it was just the two of us. If Pop had been with us, he would have thought we were wasting time. I don't think there's a romantic bone in his body." He grinned at Ukyo and asked, "Is my brother treating you right, Ucchan?"

"Yeah, he is. We finally set a date for the wedding. We were thinking about the first weekend in May. If I remember the calendar right, we have a holiday on Friday, and then we're off that Saturday. So we were thinking of getting married Thursday after school, and taking a quick trip somewhere for the weekend," Ukyo said.

"That's great!" Akane squealed. Ranma asked a question with his eyes and she nodded.

"Hey, do you want to have the ceremony at the dojo?" Ranma asked.

"We wanted to talk to you about that, we just didn't get around to it. I need to talk to your Mom about helping with getting a priest that quickly," Ukyo said, "I just can't seem to get myself organized for some reason."

Ranma grinned and said, "I think that Mr. Tendo can find someone pretty quick."

The first bell rang, signaling that they had ten minutes before the class started at 8:30. "We'd better get going," Ranma said. They group ran up the stairs and headed toward their lockers so they could change into their uwabaki. There they found Yuka and Daisuke who had just put their shoes in their locker and put their indoor shoes on.

Yuka held up her left hand and announced, "Guess what? We're engaged!"

A loud "squee" sound came from all the girls. Ranma chuckled and said, "Finally got up the nerve to ask her, did you? About time is all I can say."

"Thanks, Ranma," Daisuke said as he watched all of the girls examine the ring.

"I guess it's safe to say you had a good break," Ranma continued.

Daisuke smiled happily and replied, "Yep, the best one yet. You guys are the first ones we've told, well, outside of our families, that is. And they're cool about it."

"We'd better get upstairs and find our homeroom, we can talk more at lunch," Akane said, "Is everyone in class 2b?"

Everyone nodded and they headed up the one flight of stairs that led to the second floor where all of the homerooms for juniors were situated. When they got to the room, they found Hiroshi already present, his head resting on his desk as he waited for class to start.

"Hey, Hiroshi, what are you doing?" Ranma asked, softly.

Hiroshi lifted his head up enough for Ranma to see his eyes and he said, "Nothing, just leave me alone." He put his head back down on the desk.

Ranma and Akane traded worried looks.


"Class, I am Miss Morisato," the young, dark-haired, teacher said, as she wrote her name up on the blackboard, "This is my first year here at Furinkan High School, and I am very excited to be here. I intend to get to know each and every one of you over the course of the first few weeks." The door opened and Sayuri slipped in. "You are late, young lady," the teacher said.

"I'm sorry, sensei, I have no excuse. It won't happen again," Sayuri said quickly, as she bowed slightly.

The teacher sighed and said, "Normally, I'd send you out to the hall for bucket duty, but since this is the first day, I'll let you off with just a warning. Find yourself a desk."

Sayuri glanced around the room, and saw only two empty desks. One was by Hiroshi, and the other was next to Ranma. She glared over at Hiroshi and walked over to sit in the desk by Ranma.

Ranma, Akane and the rest of their friends exchanged worried looks, as they watched as Hiroshi ignored Sayuri. The temperature of the room actually seemed to lower, as they watched the couple give each other the cold shoulder.

The teacher cleared her throat and continued her lecture. "As part of me getting to know you, when we get to the English lesson later on in the day, I will be assigning a three page essay where you will write a little bit about yourself."

At that announcement, the entire class groaned.

Miss Morisato smiled briefly, which made her look much younger than her years. Several of the boys were gazing dreamily at her. "Don't worry, it'll be due on a Monday, so you'll have plenty of time to work on it." She pulled out her class roster and began to call roll, "Before I start, I noticed that we seem to have two pairs of brothers and sisters in this room. I hope that you don't have problems sitting next to each other, since I want you all to arrange yourselves by last name." She looked up as she heard some giggling from a few of the girls. "Could I ask what is so amusing?" she asked, with a faint frown.

Akane raised her hand. At the teacher's nod, she asked, "Are you talking about Ranma and I, and Ryoga and Shampoo? If so, we aren't brother and sister. Ranma and I are married, as are Ryoga and Shampoo. Though, it's an understandable mistake."

The teacher blushed and said, "I did make an assumption when I saw your last name was the same. I apologize for that mistake." She hesitated for a moment and then said, "As I call your name, answer and then move to the next available seat." She began to call roll, and the classroom slowly rearranged themselves until everyone was sorted by surname. "Excellent, now, pull out your math books, and we will start learning pre-calculus."


The morning dragged along, even though the teacher was able to make the lessons interesting enough that Ranma was actually enjoying what he was learning, the obvious coolness between Hiroshi and Sayuri was definitely disturbing the wa of the classroom. There was so much tension between the two of them, especially since because of the accident of the their last names they were sitting in the same row, next to each other, that you could have cut it with a knife. Finally, the bell rang, and the morning class was over. "Okay, everyone, remember your homework assignments are due next Wednesday. Have a good lunch break and I'll see you back in here," the teacher said. The students filed out and down the stairs. As they headed outside, Sayuri walked over to Souta who promply put his arm around her. Hiroshi watched her for a moment and then walked off, his face miserable.

Ranma flicked his eyes over as he watched his friend stalk off, and then exchanged a look with Akane.

"I don't know what happened, either. I thought they were happy together," Akane replied to the unasked question. She reached over and held his hand, as they walked over to their tree and sat down with the rest of their entourage, minus Sayuri who was currently wrapped in an embrace by Souta, and Hiroshi who had disappeared around the corner. Nabiki wandered over through the crowd and sat down next to Ranma. They all opened up their bentos, except for Ukyo, who fired up her grill.

"Oh, good, some of your curry," Ranma said, as he saw what Kasumi had placed in his box.

"Nabiki, have you heard anything about that?" Akane asked, pointing at the newest couple.

"Not really. There's a few rumors floating around, but I don't traffic in rumors. I'll nose around and see what happened," her sister replied, "Better be quiet, here they come." Nabiki's clever eyes had just spotted Sayuri and Souta approaching the group.

Yuka jumped up and pulled Daisuke to his feet and approached Sayuri. "Hey, Sayuri, guess what Daisuke and I are engaged," she said.

"Ooh, that's a pretty ring, you have good taste in jewelry, Daisuke," Sayuri said, an odd look flashing across her face.

"Congratulations, you two," Souta added.

Sayuri asked, "Do you have room for us?"

Yuka frowned slightly and said, "Don't take this the wrong way, Sayuri. But Hiroshi is our friend, too, and well, right now we don't really want to be in the middle of whatever happened between the two of you."

Sayuri replied, her cheeks reddening, "We broke up at the beginning of break."

Daisuke said, "We kind of figured that out. It's going to be awkward for a while, though. None of us want to lose either of you as a friend, but right now it's a bit uncomfortable for us."

Yuka added quickly, "Please understand, we not turning you away. But maybe could you give us a few days. What ever happened between the two of you was so sudden, not that we're taking sides or anything."

Sayuri's eyes grew cold for a moment and then she said, "I'm going to miss you, Yuka. Let's go, Souta."

"It doesn't have to be like that, Sayuri. You're one of my best friends, but Hiroshi is one of Dai's. Please, understand. None of us want to lose either of you."

"She's right, Sayuri-chan," Souta said softly, "I should have realized how uncomfortable this would make them all feel. Give them the time they need, Hiroshi the time he needs to come to term with everything. I don't want you to lose their friendship, I'm not worth that."

"That's all we're asking for, Sayuri," Daisuke said, "Thank you, Souta, for saying that."

"I could never tell you no, Souta," Sayuri said.

Yuka looked a little wistful as Sayuri and Souta turned and walked off. Then she settled back down with her fiancé.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get to the important stuff. Like when's the wedding?" Akane asked.

"Not until we get out of school," Daisuke replied.

Akane and Ranma traded looks. Ranma chuckled, and said, "Good luck with that. That's what we started out planning, and look as us now."

Daisuke grinned and said, "I doubt somehow that I'm going to be kidnapped by some Chinese prince who wants to marry me."

"Good point," Ranma replied, as the rest of the group broke into laughter.

"When did you get engaged?" Ukyo asked

"A few days ago. Dai came over one evening and proposed. He was so nervous, it was so cute," Yuka replied, "He was so serious when he came over, I was so afraid that he was going to break up with me. But he got down on one knee, and asked me to do him the great honor to become his wife."

"Yeah, I had this great speech and everything, but I forgot it all when I saw how scared she was. Not to mention, how nervous I was about the whole thing. What if she'd said no?" Daisuke added.

"I know the feeling," Ranma said, a bit ruefully, as Akane laughed brightly.

Yuka pulled Daisuke to her and kissed his nose. "Not a chance in hell would that have happened," she said passionately.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that," Daisuke said with a grin.


The first opportunity that anyone had to talk to Hiroshi was during physical education. Daisuke pulled Ranma aside and said, "Let me go talk to him. Maybe I can cheer him up a little."

"Yeah, he's known you longer, and he's more likely to open up to you. Let him know that as far as we're concerned, he's still part of the group," Ranma said after a few seconds of thought.

Daisuke cornered his friend at one end of the building, where Hiroshi was busily feeling sorry for himself. "Hey, Hiroshi," Daisuke said, as he neared, "Wanted to talk to you for a moment."

"Hi, Daisuke," Hiroshi replied, his tone leaving no doubt that he wanted to be alone.

Daisuke sat down next to him and said, "I don't know if you heard, but Yuka and I are engaged."

A brief spark of something appeared in Hiroshi's eyes and an excuse for a smile showed up on his face. "That's great, tell her that I'm happy for the both of you," Hiroshi said, tonelessly.

Daisuke looked at him, his face showing his concern. "You want to talk about it to someone?" he asked finally.

"Talk about what?" Hiroshi replied.

"We've been friends for how long now?" Daisuke asked.

"Ever since second grade," Hiroshi replied, "You know that."

"So don't you think that I can tell when you're unhappy? I'm not sure what happened between you two, but you're taking it very hard. All of us are worried about you. I won't pry, but we're there for you when you're ready to talk, okay?" Daisuke said.

Hiroshi sat there for a minute, and then sighed heavily. "It just hurts, you know? I love her and I thought she loved me. But I blew it big time," he said finally, "And it's all because of that monster that attacked us the last week of school."

"Okay," Daisuke said, not understanding that at all, "You want to explain that?"

"When I saw him come at the four of us, I got scared," Hiroshi said.

"Yeah, but at least you did something," Daisuke said, "All I did was freeze. I was scared shitless. You at least jumped in front of Sayuri."

"Like that would have done any good," Hiroshi grumbled, "I don't know how to fight, and neither do you. Like Ranma said afterwards, the monster would have just killed us. And I got to thinking about that, even a couple of really bad nightmares. It got so bad, I could barely get any sleep."

"I can relate to that, I had nightmares of Yuka being killed," Daisuke said, "But what's that got to do with you and Sayuri?"

"I did something really stupid. I decided that being friends with Ranma and Akane was too dangerous. And then I told her that we needed to stop being friends with them," Hiroshi said, ashamedly.

"And she told you where you could put that idea, I guess," Daisuke said.

Hiroshi smiled ruefully, and replied, "Yep, and it went downhill from there. The next thing I knew we were screaming at each other, and she finally said we were through. I've spent the entire break feeling like a complete ass over the whole thing. That's part of the reason that I didn't sit with you guys at lunch. I'm so mad at myself for my stupidity. I let the best thing that ever happened to me slip through my hands, and I don't know how to get her back."

Daisuke grimaced and said, "I don't know that you can. Souta was sort of all over her at school today. When did they hook up?"

"Don't know, really," Hiroshi answered with a shrug. Then he said, a little bitterly, "Didn't take her long to find a replacement."

"Buck up, buddy. You're irreplaceable, when they made you they broke the mold," Daisuke said, punching him lightly in the arm.

"Yeah, but unfortunately I was still in it," Hiroshi quipped, causing the two of them to laugh.

"You gonna stay friends with Ranma and Akane?" Daisuke asked.

Hiroshi shrugged and said, "Yeah, it's not their fault some idiot comes after them all the time. If nothing else, I figured that out while I was moping around."

"Then, I expect to see you at lunch with us," Daisuke said, "Ranma and I are outnumbered otherwise."

"We're still outnumbered even when I'm there," Hiroshi said, puzzled.

"True, but it's not nearly as bad," Daisuke said.


Sayuri read the note that she had found in her locker once again. 'Sayuri – I need to talk to you. Please come up onto the roof after class for a few minutes, Hiroshi,' it read. She thought for a moment, wondering if she wanted to talk to him. What they had done to each other was still hurting her. 'I can't just ignore him, it'd be too awkward, especially since he's still friends with my friends,' she thought. Not even paying attention, she was already on the last flight of stairs. She paused, her hand on the doorknob to the roof access, and then sighed. Turning the knob, she opened the door and walked out.

"I was afraid that you weren't coming," Hiroshi said, with a note of relief in his voice.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Sayuri asked, a bit harsher than she intended.

To her surprise, Hiroshi knelt in front of her. "Sayuri, I am an idiot. There is no excuse for what I tried to do, other than to say I was scared that one of us could have gotten hurt. I had no right to tell you who you could or should be friends with, and I was very wrong in trying. All I can ask is that someday I'll earn your forgiveness," he said, his head bowed.

Silent tears running down her cheeks, Sayuri knelt down, and lifted his head up. "Hiroshi, I won't deny that what you said to me hurt. I'm not your property, and that's what telling me who my friends could be sounded like. I will not abandon my friends, just because sometimes things get a little crazy around them," she said softly.

Hiroshi closed his eyes and said, "I didn't mean it like that, I really didn't. It was just those damn nightmares that I had, where some horrid monster came at Ranma or Akane, and somehow you got hurt, or even killed. I couldn't bear to lose you, and now, because of my fears, I have."

Sayuri gasped, as she paled. "You didn't tell me why you wanted us to leave them, Hiroshi," she said.

"I really didn't get a chance to. You blew up at me, and then we were off to the races, without really having an opportunity to think about what the other person was saying. In fact, the only thing I remember is when you told me you were breaking up with me," Hiroshi whispered.

"I'm sorry about that," Sayuri said, "But it seemed like what needed to happen."

"I understand, sort of, but I miss you, I miss our friendship," Hiroshi said sadly, "But I'm not asking for us to get back together. I know you've moved on, though, it hurts that you were able to get over me that quickly and find another boyfriend." That last came out bitterly.

Sayuri had the decency to blush and said, "Souta just sort of happened."

Hiroshi sighed and said, "Just remember his reputation. He's supposed to be a bit of a player." He hesitated and said, "I'm gonna rejoin my friends for lunch tomorrow. Why don't you and Souta join us?"

"Yuka and Daisuke asked us not to. They didn't want to get caught in the middle of us," Sayuri replied.

"If we're friendly towards each other, they'll be cool," Hiroshi said, "And neither of us should lose our friends because of my stupidity."

Sayuri reached out and gently caressed his face. "It wasn't just your stupidity, Hiroshi. Some of this is my fault. I shouldn't have blown up as badly as I did," she said, "I still want to be friends with you."

"I'll be honest, it'll be real hard to see you with Souta, but we were friends before we started dating. There's no reason we can't be friends again," Hiroshi agreed.

Sayuri leaned over and rested her forehead on his. "I want that, Hiroshi," she said.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, I'm sure Souta is waiting for you," Hiroshi said.

"Yeah, I guess I'd better go," Sayuri said, just a touch reluctantly. She stood up, and brushed the dust off her skirt. Pulling Hiroshi up, she gave him one last chaste kiss, and turned and walked through the door.

Hiroshi stood there, successfully hiding his misery until the door closed behind her. He gave her a little time and then followed her downstairs.


Nabiki waited until Sayuri and Souta walked off, and then she stood by the door for a few minutes. Finally, Hiroshi appeared, his head hanging. "Hey, Hiroshi," she called softly, "Do you need a friend to talk to?"

Hiroshi looked up and replied, "I don't have any money, Nabiki Tendo."

Nabiki winced and said, "That's a little cold, Hiroshi. I thought we were friends."

"Not really, just schoolmates, and that just barely," Hiroshi said.

"Well, then, let's change that," Nabiki said, grabbing his arm, "We're going to get some ice cream."

"I told you I didn't have any money," Hiroshi said.

"Who said anything about you paying? I invited you, remember," Nabiki said.

Hiroshi halted in shock. He turned and asked, "Are you asking me out?"

Nabiki pondered that for a moment and grinned. "You know what, I guess I am, at that," she said.

"I'm not really ready to date any one yet," Hiroshi said, "Just to let you know. The wounds are too fresh."

"Don't worry your head over that, I'm not looking for a boyfriend, either," Nabiki replied, "Especially not with someone on the rebound from being kicked in the teeth by his girlfriend. I don't have any vested interest in what happened, unlike the rest of our circle. I don't know you as well as the rest of them do, and I'd like to change that," Nabiki said.

Hiroshi grinned suddenly and said, "Why the hell not? If a pretty girl asks me out, I'm really not foolish enough to turn her down."

"Now you're flirting with me," Nabiki said.

"Maybe a little," Hiroshi admitted, "But I was also telling the truth."

"So how are you feeling?" Nabiki asked.

"A little down," Hiroshi admitted, "And a little mad at myself."

"Why is that? I can understand being unhappy about breaking up with Sayuri, but why are you mad at yourself?" Nabiki asked.

"Because I tried to tell her who her friends should be. That was out of fear of her getting hurt," Hiroshi replied.

"Ouch, dumb move," Nabiki said, "I can see why that didn't go over well."

Hiroshi gave a rusty laugh and said, "That was an understatement if ever I heard one. I screwed up in epic proportions. You know, it would be nice if you girls came with a set of instructions. Or, better yet, a book. 'How to Treat Girls Right for Dummies.' Otherwise, how are we guys supposed to figure girls out?"

"That takes all the fun out of it," Nabiki replied, with a cheeky grin.

"Miss Tendo," Hiroshi began.

Nabiki put her finger to his lips and said, "It's Nabiki for my friends. And whether you realized it before or not, you are my friend."

Hiroshi embraced her, noting with pleasure that her head fit just below his chin. "This is really a side of you that has been hidden away," he said softly, "So why did you decide to open up like this?"

"I just got tired of the act," Nabiki said, "And I didn't like the way you appeared to be hurting. I can't pretend to know how you're feeling, Hiroshi. I've never broken up a relationship before. Hell, I've never been in one, so how can I know what's it's like to lose one." She looked up to gaze into his compassionate eyes. To her surprise, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Hiroshi kissed her cheek, where the tear had been and said, "That's a shame. A beautiful girl like you and no boyfriends. I don't understand."

Nabiki grinned for a moment, and said, "That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day." She pulled away and grabbed his hand, and said, "Come on, I hear some ice cream calling me."

The two of them hurried down the busy street and entered the ice cream parlor. They placed their order, and Nabiki paid for the banana split that she wanted, and the double dip chocolate cone that Hiroshi had ordered. They took their treats over to one of the booths, and slowly began to eat them.

"Do you want her back?" Nabiki asked, after they had eaten in silence for a while.

"If she'll have me, but I'll settle for being her friend if that's all I can have," Hiroshi replied.

"I'd start with that," Nabiki said, "Just be yourself, and try not to get visibly upset when she's with Souta."

Hiroshi sighed. "I just wish she hadn't started dating someone else so quickly," Hiroshi said. He shook his head and asked, "How could she move on that fast?"

"I honestly don't know," Nabiki replied, "Did you try to talk to her last week?"

"Yeah, several times, once I got my head out of my ass, anyway," Hiroshi replied, "But her mother wouldn't even let me talk to her on the phone."

"Hmm," Nabiki said, tapping her teeth while she thought about that. Finally, she said, "I guess she didn't want to give you another chance to hurt her baby girl."

"I suppose, that might be it. I had planned on talking to Sayuri first thing this morning, but I saw her walk into the school with Souta," Hiroshi said, "At least she talked to me this afternoon, and we were able to part as friends."

"Don't give up on her. Souta will move on sooner or later, and knowing him, it'll be sooner," Nabiki said, "Once that happens, give her a little time, and then see what happens."

"Do you really think she'll go out with me again?" Hiroshi asked, his eyes shining with hope for the first time that day.

Nabiki shrugged her shoulders. "I think she will. If she really feels for you the way it looked like she did, she's probably regretting what happened as much as you do," she said finally.

Hiroshi finished his ice cream, and glanced down at his watch. "Shit," he said, "Listen, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I really need to run. My mom is going to kill me for being late. Thanks for, well, thanks for everything, actually."

"Not a problem, Hiroshi," Nabiki replied, "I'll just stay here long enough to finish. You run on home, so you don't get into any more trouble."

Hiroshi stood up and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." He turned and walked out the door of the restaurant.

Nabiki sighed, as she touched the place where he had kissed her. 'Are you really wanting to get involved in this?' she thought, 'He's a nice kid, but he's definitely a kid. You're just a romantic at heart and you know it.' She smiled wryly and began to eat the remnants of her banana split. Finally she was done, so she gently patted her lips clean with her napkin, and rose from her seat. She headed out the door and then turned down the street to make her way home. She was about a third of the way home when she heard someone calling her name. She turned, and Sayuri was running after her. She stopped and waited.

"What are you playing at?" Sayuri hissed.

"Come again," Nabiki asked in bewilderment.

Sayuri glared at her and replied, "I saw you with Hiroshi this afternoon. What were you doing with him?"

"Why do you care? You broke up with him remember? He's a free man, now," Nabiki asked in return. 'Yeah, she wants him back,' she thought, 'This is for you, Hiroshi.'

Sayuri stammered and replied, "I just don't want to see him get hurt, that's all. You know, because it's only been a week since we broke up, and, well, I'm sure he's feeling pretty down about the whole thing. He shouldn't rush into a relationship too quickly."

Nabiki grinned toothily, and asked, "I would never hurt him, that is if we decide to have a romance. But, you're sort of being a little hypocritical, aren't you? Or wasn't that you who was hiding in one corner of the courtyard while Souta was checking to see if you still had your tonsils this afternoon by shoving his tongue down your throat?"

Sayuri blushed bright red and stammered, "Uh, well, yeah, I didn't know that anyone was watching."

Nabiki chuckled and said, "Sayuri, you should know better. I know everything that happens at school because it's my business to know."

Sayuri looked down at the ground and asked, "So what were you doing with Hiroshi?"

"Eating some ice cream. That always cheers me up when I'm down, and it looked like he could use a little pick-me-up," Nabiki replied, in a gentle voice, "And I thought he needed someone to talk to."

"What were you talking about?" Sayuri asked.

"Oddly enough, we were talking about you. He's hurting pretty badly," Nabiki replied.

"Well, if he was hurting so badly, why didn't he try to see me last week?" Sayuri snapped.

"He told me he tried, but your mother wouldn't let him talk to you," Nabiki replied.

Sayuri's face fell. "He tried to see me?" she said in a small voice, "But why would Mom not let me talk to him? She likes him, at least I thought she did."

"You'd have to ask her about that. Why'd you hook up with Souta? He's a nice enough guy, but he usually doesn't move that fast," Nabiki asked.

"He was over at the house for some reason, and asked me out. Mom basically shoved me out the door with him, saying she was tired of me moping, and that I needed to get on with my life," Sayuri replied.

"That's good advice, but well, just be careful, that's all I'm going to say. I don't want to see you get hurt," Nabiki said. 'Why did her mother push her at Souta,' Nabiki wondered.

"Souta would never hurt me," Sayuri said defensively, her hackles rising.

Nabiki put her hand on Sayuri's shoulder and stared her in the eyes. "Sayuri, you just went through a bad break-up with Hiroshi. That makes you very vulnerable right now. I agree, Souta isn't the kind of guy who would deliberately hurt you, either physically, or emotionally, but just for your sake, slow down a little," she said softly, "Don't rush into anything that you're not ready for."

"I'm not that kind of girl," Sayuri said, with a lot of affronted dignity. She twisted her shoulder so Nabiki's hand fell off.

Nabiki smiled sadly, and said, "I didn't say that you were."

Sayuri deflated and said, "I guess you're just being a concerned friend. And I'd be a fool to ignore what you're telling me. Thanks, Nabiki. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch, then, since it looks like you've joined our circle."

"Yeah, I have," Nabiki replied, "I don't really have friends in my year, so I thought I'd hang around with you guys. See ya." To Sayuri's surprise, Nabiki pulled her into a brief hug, and then walked off.

"Okay, who was that person? And what did they do to the real Nabiki?" Sayuri asked as she stared at the departing girl.


Ranma walked up the long flight of stairs, through the wooden archway onto the shrine ground proper. To one side of the house, he saw a huge tree, shading a significant chunk of the side yard, surrounded by a low fence. He walked up the path to the front door of the house and politely knocked on the door. After a few moments, an attractive middle-aged woman, wearing an apron, with just a hint of gray in her hair, appeared at the door.

"Mrs. Higurashi, I'm Ranma Saotome. I go to school with your son, Souta. I was wondering if he was here," Ranma said.

"Pleased to meet you, Saotome-kun," Mrs. Higurashi said, as she dusted off her hands with her apron, "Souta is probably out back by the shrine sweeping up the leaves. Let me change shoes, and I'll take you there."

"That's very kind of you," Ranma said, "But I can find my own way. I wouldn't want to take you away from what you are cooking."

"Oh, that's all right," the woman said, only to stop. "Kagome, you're home. When did you get back?" she asked.

"Just a few minutes ago, Mom," a girl said from behind Ranma. He turned to see a slightly familiar looking girl standing there, oddly enough carrying a bow, with a quiver of arrows over her right shoulder.

"Saotome-kun, this is my daughter Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi said, "She can take you to Souta."

"Sure, Mom," Kagome said cheerfully. She turned to Ranma and smiled, "Like she said, I'm Kagome Higurashi. Pleased to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome. I go to school with your brother," Ranma replied, taking an instant liking to the spirited woman in front of him.

"Come on then," Kagome said, "Let's go find my annoying little brother. He's around back talking to InuYasha."

"Oh, your friend is here too?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, "I'd better put some ramen on to cook then."

Kagome sighed to herself, and grabbed Ranma's hand and started pulling him around the side of the house. "What's with her? Do we have to have a child first before she calls him something other than my friend?" she said in a low voice that he was sure he wasn't supposed to hear. She looked up at his carefully schooled face and exclaimed, "Wow! You're aura is all messed up."

"Huh?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, that's right. You probably don't know. I'm a miko, or priestess, so I can sense auras, among other things. And yours is weird," she said excitedly.

"My name didn't mean anything to you? Your friend Eri had heard a little bit about me," Ranma replied, with a tired smile.

"Oh, wait. Souta said something about you being a shapeshifter," Kagome said, after a moment of thought.

"That's not completely accurate, Higurashi-san," Ranma said, "I just have a water-borne curse. When I get splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl." He shrugged, and added, "As far as I can tell, she's what I would look like if I had been born female."

"There's something else in your aura, something I just can't put my finger on," Kagome said, "And the name's Kagome, okay?"

They neared the small shrine, where Ranma saw two people standing. Souta was leaning on a broom, talking to a man about his height, with long, flowing silver hair, wearing a baseball cap. Suddenly, the man turned and sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed and he yelled, "Get away from my woman, cat demon!."

"Demon, what the hell does that mean?" Ranma asked, "I'm no demon." Then he caught the distinct smell of dog and his hackles raised. He stepped away from Kagome and hissed, "You're not human, what are you?"

"Your death!" the man yelled. He started running toward Ranma.

"No, InuYasha! That's no demon!" Souta screamed.

"SIT BOY!" Kagome yelled, and InuYasha crashed to the ground headfirst, his cap flying off, exposing two pointed ears sticking up through his hair.

"Why'd ya go and do that for?" InuYasha exclaimed.

"That's what's in your aura!" Kagome exclaimed, "I sensed cat."

"Oh, that," Ranma said flatly. He looked at the prone figure on the ground and snarled, "I'm fully human, moron. There's no demon in me."

"He's right, InuYasha, I sense no demonic aura in him," Kagome agreed.

"Then what did I sense?" InuYasha said as he pulled himself into a cross-legged sitting position.

"It's a long story," Ranma said dropping down into a squatting position. He rubbed the back of his neck, and stuck out his hand. "Name's Saotome, Ranma Saotome," he said.

InuYasha reddened slightly and shook his hand. "InuYasha is what I am called," he growled, "So spill it. Why do I smell cat?"

"Pop tried to teach me something called the Neko-ken when I was younger. It's supposed to be an unbeatable technique, but it was flawed. Basically, he would wrap me in food, and toss me into a pit of starving cats. Eventually, I snapped, and when I saw a cat, if I couldn't get away from it, I thought I was one. But the weird thing was, I got some abilities out of it. Like claws of ki, that kind of thing. Anyway, that's the way it stood until this year, when with the help of my wife I learned to control my fear. That allowed me to fully integrate the Neko-ken and keep it under control," Ranma replied.

"And I guess what really happened is you absorbed it into your aura," Kagome guessed.

"You're good," Ranma said in awe, "That's exactly what the old crone figured out. So what's his story? How'd you hook up with a dog demon for a friend?"

Kagome blushed and replied, "He's a bit more than a friend. But that's too long a story to tell. Especially when I need a long hot bath and I'm hungry to boot." She pulled InuYasha to his feet.

"Sorry, Saotome, I guess we kind of got off on the wrong foot," InuYasha said.

"Yeah, me too," Ranma said as he stood up. The other two wandered back to the house. Ranma heard Kagome say, "You really need to stop jumping to conclusions like that. What if you had hurt him?"

Ranma listened to them until they got out of earshot and then glanced over at Souta and said, "I actually came by to talk to you."

"Me, what did I do?" Souta asked.

Ranma frowned and said, "Nothing yet. It's just Sayuri and Hiroshi are friends of mine and I don't want them hurt. That's all."

"So are you telling me to back off from Sayrui?" Souta asked, bristling.

"Nah, nothing like that. Sayuri's free to make her own decisions. It's just that the two of them were dating and I thought, madly in love with each other. This breakup came out of the blue, and she's gonna be a little vulnerable right now," Ranma said.

Souta grimaced and replied, "I thought they had broken up longer ago than that. At least that's what her mother told me when I went over there to do some repairs for her."

Ranma had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Oh, duh, my mom knows her from school, and I've had to help Gramps keep the shrine repaired ever since I was old enough to help, so I've picked up some skills," Souta replied, to the unasked question on Ranma's face, "One day, when I was taking a break, she brought out some water and we got to talking. She mentioned that Sayuri was a little down, and suggested I take her out."

Ranma's face cleared up and he said, "Well, that makes sense, I guess. The only reason I came by was to ask you to keep it cool around Hiroshi. He's taking this pretty hard."

"Back off on the public display of affection around him, huh? I can do that. Hiroshi's a pretty decent guy," Souta said, "So I don't particularly want to make him any unhappier than he already is."

"Thanks. I'll see you at school tomorrow, I imagine," Ranma said.

"Yeah, probably. I guess we'll be joining you at lunch. Sayuri and Hiroshi talked after school, so I think some of the awkwardness might be gone between them now," Souta said.

"That's good. It wasn't very pretty in class today," Ranma said. He waved and headed down the path toward the street level far below.


"I'm home!" Sayuri cried as she took off her shoes and set them by the front door. She walked into the family room and found her mother watching television. She sighed as she counted the number of empty bottles lined up on the endtable.

"How was your day, dear?" her mother asked, tearing herself away from the show.

"It started out kind of awkward, but Hiroshi and I talked afterwards, and, well, I think we'll be fine," Sayuri replied, absently.

Her mother frowned briefly but said nothing.

"Oh, how could I forget the big news?" Sayuri exclaimed, slapping her head, "Yuka and Daisuke are engaged."

"I know," her mother said, "Word gets around. I hear that she's pregnant, that's why they're getting married."

Sayuri stared at her in disbelief, and exclaimed, "No she's not! They aren't even sleeping together."

"Still that's what I've heard," her mother insisted, "What are kids coming to these days?"

"Well, if she's pregnant, it's going to be a long pregnancy. From what I was told, they don't intend to get married until they are out of high school, and that's two years away. So whatever old biddy you heard that from is flat out wrong," Sayuri said.

"I'm sorry, dear, I just don't think those friends of yours are a good influence. I mean look at them all, what's his name Ranma and Akane Tendo got married, then your friend Ukyo has his girlfriend living with him. That crazy Kodachi Kuno ran off and married a gaigan. And that bimbo waitress is living in sin with her boyfriend," Mrs. Sato complained.

"Mom, you don't know anything about my friends. I thought you liked Yuka, and Akane? And Shampoo is married according to the laws of her tribe," Sayuri said, not comprehending what was happening.

"I'm seriously thinking of having you moved to another school, maybe that girl's school," her mother continued.

"MOM!" Sayuri exclaimed, "Those are my friends and I'm not turning my back on them. That's the argument I had with Hiroshi and why we broke up. He wanted us to pull back from them because of some of the crazy things that happen around them, and I refused." She frowned for a moment and then asked, "Speaking of Hiroshi, why didn't you tell me that he had called last week to apologize?"

"He didn't call," her mother replied, refusing to meet her eyes.

Sayuri said, coldly, "Don't lie to me. I know that he tried." Her eyes widened and then she said, "You didn't want me to get back with him, that's why you wouldn't tell me he called. And that's why you all but pushed me into Souta's arms the other day. How could you?"

Her mother snapped, "Don't take that tone of voice with me, young lady. I'm only looking out for what's best for you. I didn't want you to end up pregnant like Yuka. I can't believe her family. They're so traditional"

"MOM!" Sayuri screamed, "For the last time, Yuka is NOT pregnant. None of my friends are, married or otherwise. So for you to keep on going on like that just tells me that your friends are completely out of touch with what is going on in our lives. And do you really know anything about Souta? He's a nice guy, but there's some talk that some of the girls he dated went a lot farther than they intended."

"I just don't want you to do something that you might regret later," her mother said quickly, "I know the pressure girls your age can have. Especially if you've been in a relationship for a long time and some of your friends are experienced."

Sayuri closed her eyes to attempt to keep her calm. "Mom, I have no intention of having sex until I am married. And for your information, Hiroshi has never asked me to do anything like that," she said coolly, "He is always a perfect gentleman. Neither one of us wanted to do anything that might alter our future." 'Unlike someone I know,' she thought.

"I don't care, I don't want you hanging around with any of them any more," her mother said.

Sayuri snapped, "You won't tell me who my friends are, mother!"

"You don't talk to me like that! Go to your room and don't come out until I call you for dinner," her mother ordered.

Sayuri narrowed her eyes, and said, "Fine!" She turned and left the family room, and went to her room.


Mrs. Sato called, "Sayuri, dinner is ready. Come and eat." She waited for several minutes, and her daughter didn't come. "I'll be right back," she said to her husband, who grunted disinterestedly. With a sigh for what might have been, she walked down the hall to her daughter's room. The door was closed, so she knocked on it and said, "Sayuri, dear, dinner is ready." Hearing no answer, she opened the door, to a vacant room, with the window open, the curtains flapping in the breeze. She rushed to her daughter's closet to find most of her clothes were gone. On the floor, where the wind must have blown it, was an envelope. With trembling hands, she reached down and picked it up. She tore it open to read, 'Mom, I can't live like this. I'm leaving. I'll call in a few days to let you know I'm okay. Sayuri.' She fell to her knees and began to wail.

Her husband leisurely walked in and asked, "What's the problem? Why isn't dinner on the table?"

Mrs. Sato handed him the letter, and clutched her chest.

Her husband scanned it quickly and said, "Oh well, one less mouth to feed. Let's

eat."

"You don't give a damn about her, do you? You never did," Mrs. Sato cried, "That's my baby that left me."

"Well, you shouldn't have made her upset. Couldn't have been me, I never talk to her," Mr. Sato said, annoyed, "I'm starved, and the baseball game comes on in an hour. I'm supposed to meet some friends at the bar and watch it with them."

Mrs. Sato stood up, shakily, and walked back to the kitchen and brought out his dinner. "Go ahead and eat, I'm not hungry. I-I think I'll make some phone calls, see if I can find her," she said.

"Bring me a beer first," her husband growled.


Kasumi opened the door to find Yuka, Daisuke and Sayuri standing there, shivering slightly in the brisk April wind. "Come on in, everyone is in the family room," she said, kindly.

"Thanks, Kasumi," Yuka said, as they took their shoes off.

Daisuke followed the three women, carrying the two large suitcases that Sayuri had brought from her house.

"Just set them down at the foot of the stairs. We can take them up later," Kasumi said.

With a sigh of relief, Daisuke set his burden down, while the two girls put the smaller suitcases on top.

"Let's get some food into you three," Kasumi suggested.

Daisuke replied, "Yuka and I have already eaten, but Sayuri didn't get to Yuka's until they were done eating. We came right over when Akane said she could stay here for a while."

Kasumi smiled kindly and asked, "Some tea then, to warm you two up while we finish eating?"

"That would be wonderful," Yuka replied with a feeling of relief. The last hour was one she didn't wish to repeat. Sayuri showing up on her doorstep was fine, but once her parents had realized that she had left home, to everyone's surprise they had refused to let her stay. Fortunately Daisuke had been visiting to get to know his prospective in-laws better and had quickly taken charge. He had immediately called Akane and explained the situation. Almost before he had finished the story, she had told him to bring her over.

The party walked into the family room, where the extended clan was just finishing. "Find a place to sit, and I'll bring out some more food, and some tea," Kasumi said.

"Please, let me help, it's the least I can do," Sayuri said.

"Tonight, you're a guest, Sayuri. Just relax for tonight, this can't be easy on you," Akane said.

"Akane's right," Soun said, "Please be welcome in our home for as long as you need to stay."

Sayuri bowed deeply to Mr. Tendo and said, "Thank you, sir. This is most kind of you."

"Nonsense, it's the least we could do," he said kindly.

With a heavy sigh, Sayuri sat down next to Akane, who promptly pulled her into a hug. "Things will turn out fine, Sayuri, don't worry," Akane said.

Nabiki added, "She's right. You're with friends here. I can't believe in this day and age, your mother would try to control you like that."

"It's not just that, Nabiki, it was the fact that she just wouldn't listen. I mean, there's a rumor going around that Yuka is pregnant and that's why they're getting married," Sayuri said, "I told her that was preposterous. But she didn't care. Her friends told her that so it had to be true. And all of my married friends must be a bad influence on me, getting me interested in well, you know."

"Here's some soup and some grilled fish," Kasumi said carrying in a tray, "And there should still be some rice in the rice cooker. Ranma didn't eat it all for a change."

Ranma grinned and said, "Hey, I'm not Pop. Besides, I knew that she hadn't had a chance to eat yet."

"This looks delicious, Kasumi," Sayuri said as she began to eat.

"Yeah, she's about the best cook, though Mom gives her a good run for her money," Ranma said. He looked fondly at his wife, and added, "And you're getting there."

"Baka," Akane said, with a grin. She sobered for a moment and said, "This little girl is Hinako. She lives with us."

"Sayuri's staying in Akane's old room, right?" Ranma asked.

Kasumi replied, as she poured the tea, "Yes, we moved the rest of Hinako's things in with Nabiki. She hadn't used that bed, anyway."

Sayuri looked askance at Nabiki. Nabiki said, "Hinako had a lot of bad nightmares. When she's with me, she doesn't seem to have them."

"Oh, so you two aren't?" Yuka asked.

Hinako giggled as she leaned against Nabiki, and said, "No, we're just good friends. Neither of us swing that way. Though, she is cute."

Nabiki exclaimed, "Hi-chan! Just for that, I won't read to you tonight."

Hinako looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. "Please, pretty please, I'll be good," she begged.

"Just teasing, Hi-chan," Nabiki said, quickly, as she gave her a brief hug.

"This really isn't a side of you that I was expecting," Daisuke said, "Please don't take offense."

"None taken, Daisuke-kun. Let's just say that the persona that I portray at school is not me," Nabiki said.

"Well, I like this side of you," Yuka said.

"Hey, sis, should have done that sooner," Akane said.

"It's kind of hard not to have changed when I've got this cute girl hugging me all of the time," Nabiki said ruefully.

"Thank you very much," Hinako said, as she wrapped an arm around Nabiki's waist and leaned into her side.

"You're very welcome," Nabiki said, as she lightly ruffled her hair.

"More tea, anyone?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah, I'll take another cup, dear," Tofu said, holding out his teacup.

Sayuri pushed her empty bowls away and said, "Kasumi, please, would you teach me how to cook like this? Home EC won't ever get me this good."

"Certainly, Sayuri. It would be my pleasure," Kasumi replied.

Sayuri turned to Daisuke and Yuka. "Guys, thanks for helping me bring my stuff here. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Yuka shook her head good-naturedly and said, "Hey, that's what friends are for."

"I hope you don't get into any trouble over this," Sayuri continued.

Daisuke shrugged and said, "It'd be worth it. But, naw, my parents will be cool."

"My parents won't give me any trouble, they just couldn't get involved as traditional as they are," Yuka said.

"You'd better get her home," Sayuri said.

"She's right. It's not too late, but, I know I have homework still, and I bet you do too," Daisuke said.

Yuka hugged Sayuri and said, "Things will be better tomorrow."

Daisuke gave Sayuri an awkward hug, and said, "See ya." He turned to Kasumi and said, "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Any friend of Ranma, Akane or Nabiki is always welcome here," Soun said simply.

Kasumi stood up and showed them to the door.

"Tell you what, let's go get you settled in to your room," Ranma said. He stood up and then held out his hand. Akane took it and he pulled her to her feet. Sayuri sprang up and the three of them headed toward the stairs, where Ranma grabbed the two large suitcases, while Akane and Sayuri got the overnight case and her briefcase. They walked up the stairs, and down the L-shaped hallway to the last bedroom.

"That's nice," Ranma said, pointing with his chin.

Akane smiled to see the duck hanging on the door, reading, 'Sayuri.' "Kasumi is something else, isn't she?" she asked.

Tears streamed down Sayuri's face as she realized that everyone was considering her family.

"Hey, none of that, Sayuri," Ranma said, "I can't handle it when girls cry."

"Silly man, those are happy tears," Akane sniffed.

"I knew that," Ranma said, sheepishly, as he pushed the door open.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Sayuri said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Ranma placed the two suitcases by the closet. "There should be plenty of hangers in there," he said, "But if you need more, I think we've got a few empties, and I'll check with Kasumi and Nabiki."

"When you're settled, come to our room. We can help you finish your homework," Akane said.

"Just knock first, if the door is closed," Ranma said with a cheeky grin.

"Seriously, thanks you two. I really don't know what I would have done if you two hadn't taken me in," Sayuri said fervently.

Ranma traded a look with Akane and said, simply, "We're martial artists. Our duty is to help those who need help." He grinned, and added, "But we would have done it anyway, martial artist or not. YOU are our friend, and we will never turn our back on you if you need help."

Akane added, "I can't say it any better than that, Sayuri. You're a part of this family now, whether you wanted it or not. And you're welcome to stay here for as long as it takes for you to settle whatever issues you have with your parents."

"And if that's a lifetime, that's fine," Ranma said simply. He paused and suggested, "There's a couple of simple exercises that we can teach you that will help you keep your center. You might want to try them."

"Gonna turn me into a martial artist?" Sayuri asked with a grin.

"Only if you want to. No, I think what he was trying to say is that you've had several emotional shocks over the last week. And doing some of our simpler exercises, and meditation, will help you learn to relax and possibly cope with them," Akane replied.

Ranma grinned and said, "Do you want to let your parents know that you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll call them after I get unpacked. I don't really want Mom to worry, at least not about where I am," Sayuri replied after a moment of thought.

"Whatever else they are, they are still your parents," Ranma said, "Try not to push them away more than you have to."

"Ranma, I hate to ask this, but I really need my best girlfriends with me tonight," Sayuri said softly, "Could you?"

Ranma shared a look with Akane and replied, "Sure, Sayuri." He headed out the door to change.

Akane turned and said, "When you want to talk, you know you can come to me, right?"

"Thanks, not right now," Sayuri said quickly.

"You've got a lot of support with this group," Akane said, simply.

Sayuri actually chuckled and said, "Yeah, I've already talked to your sister and she gave me some good advice."

"Kasumi's like that," Akane said.

"Um, actually, I was referring to Nabiki," Sayuri retorted.


Author's Notes: Wow, this chapter puts me well over half a million words. Not too shabby for a pot bunny that wouldn't die. Thanks for all of the comments and constructive criticisms, as always they are welcomed and appreciated. For specific comments, see below:

majinbuu7985: Thanks for the suggestion, but I had come up with this idea. And I guess, this answers when I'm going to update. VBG Glad you enjoyed the chapter. My sides were hurting from the laughing I was doing writing it. Kaollu Su always asks what something is and if it is good to eat.

Wonderbee31: I certainly plan on doing something different with Genma this time. Hopefully, I can pull off a decent redemption scene.

Pkaceboshotgun: No, this won't have any more SounxNodoka, that was definitely an effect of the succubi that Nabiki had turned into. Besides, I already did that once in a different story. Timing-wise, Genma had been gone a few days, BTW, not that that matters to the point you were making.

G-man: I'll have to plead guilty for the one mistake, I haven't actually read the Saffron arc yet, so I had forgotten, (or never knew) that the Phoenix people were considered a myth. Oh well. As to the second, I'm pretty sure that it was a temple, I looked at both the manga episode and the anime and it sure looked like a Shinto temple that he walked into.

XeroRefluxStrike: Actually, Akari likes Ryoga because he knocked her sumo pig out with one blow. Her grandfather told her to marry someone who could do that. She didn't even know about his pig curse until much later.

Shinigami: Yep, a sex goddess. I bet no one saw that coming. Dai and Yuka are just engaged, but yeah, there may be something in the water. This is Nerima after all.

ZRO4825: Then I did what I set out to do. I wanted to bring in the wishing sword, and then voila, this idea came to me.

Hououza: Thank you. I hope that I can pull off a redeemed Genma. It'll mostly happen off screen as it were, when it does happen.

Celestial lelila: I had a lot of fun writing those scenes. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Moi, dragging out Nabiki's one true love. Never. Shinnosuke isn't exactly next, there are still a few months to go. Got a wedding to take care of with Ukyo and Konatsu first, and oh a few other things that need to happen. It is only April, after all.

Darth Hawk: Don't actually disagree. In order for Akari and Konatsu to have worked as love interests, the manga would have needed to be longer. I have to believe that the author intended to do that, but just ran out of time and/or interest

Ss4-link: No, Harry Potter won't be making an appearance in the story, well, not any more than his world has already. I just like slipping in those little references to other universes. Kind of my signature, I guess.

Dragon Man 180: Speaking of bad mental images. LOL