"Ayumi! Takeru! You must change into nicer dress! The guests will be arriving within the hour! I can't have you two running around in nothing but slacks and undershirts." Akane sighs loudly as she chases after her twin children, both four years old in age.
It had been just a little over five years since the gang split up. Sadly enough, there still wasn't much contact between them all. But the Tendo Dojo was slowly changing as everybody got older and more mature. Akane and Ranma had twins, a son named Takeru, and a daughter named Ayumi. They weren't too excited having twins, but at least there was nothing wrong with them at birth. Soun and Genma were a tad-bit too anxious for grandchildren. Kasumi was engaged, and Nabiki was working on it.
"They're just kids, Akane." Ranma says. "I don't think they'll mind."
"But I mind!" Akane replies. "Everybody will be here at about eleven. It's ten-thirty. We have all the stuff ready, we just need to get those two dressed."
Ranma sighs. "Okay…you go that way, I'll cut 'em off at the hall."
Akane and Ranma split up to retrieve their two meddlesome children. Takeru runs straight into Ranma, who picks him up by the waist and slings him over his shoulder. He pounds his fists against his father's back, pleading to be let go.
"Put me down, Pop!" Takeru squealed.
"You think you can take on your pop?" Ranma asked playfully to his son. "Maybe in the back yard later, but right now you gotta find your mom and get prettied up along with your sister."
Takeru moans. "Boys don't pretty up."
"Just go and find your mom." Ranma sets him down outside of the bedroom where Akane was already putting Ayumi into her dress.
The dress is finally pulled over the little girl's head, sending her black hair everywhere because of the static. Her brother laughs at her, only to get his hair rustled by his father. Akane wets down Ayumi's hair so she could pull some of it back into a braid down her back.
"Are there gonna be other kids too, Mom?" Ayumi asked.
Akane laughs. "I'm not sure."
"This isn't gonna be fun at all." Little Ayumi concludes. "I'm not gonna have anybody to play with besides Takeru."
"I won't have anybody besides you too, Ayumi." Takeru crosses his arms across his chest. He was done getting dressed up.
"Now, why don't you go and help Aunt Kasumi in the kitchen for a while." Akane pushes Ayumi out the door. "Takeru, you can go play with Grandpa."
"Oh, alright." The twins say and leave.
"It's going to be weird seeing everybody again, isn't it Ranma?" Akane asks. "Ukyou, Kodachi, Ryouga and Kuno."
"Yeah."
"Do you think Shampoo and Mousse got our invitation over in China?"
"Not sure. We'll find out though." Ranma replies. "I just wanna know what that sly-dog Ryouga is up to. He still hasn't defeated me."
"Well…"
"I mean without any secret techniques and stuff. Just fists and feet." Ranma starts to head down the stairs to the main room of the Dojo, Akane follows.
"I wonder if any of them ever got married as well?" Akane asks more of herself then of Ranma. "Children too."
"Not sure. We'll find out though." Ranma repeats shortly followed by the ringing of the doorbell. "Do you want me to get that?"
"Sure," Akane says. "I'll go help Kasumi and Ayumi in the kitchen."
"Okay." Ranma starts his way to the door, opens it when he arrives. "Ah! Ryouga! Long time no see. Come on in."
"Um, thanks." Ryouga says hesitantly and enters after taking off his shoes at the doorstep. "Am I the first one here?"
"Yup." Ranma replies. "So…have you got hitched yet?"
Ryouga smiles subtly. "I'm working on it."
"Ah, so you have a fiancée! You could have brought her." Ranma says.
"Well, actually…I don't even have a girlfriend. I'm working on it." Ryouga corrects.
"Oh, well, that's still good. I hope you've been training pretty hard, you still need to beat me." Ranma reminds his old friend.
"I'm ready any time!" Ryouga replies heavily.
"I'm ready to beat you too!" Little Takeru comes bounding into the doorway and throws a punch at Ryouga's leg.
Ranma blushes and grabs the back of Takeru's shirt and pulls him away. "Uh, Ryouga…this is my son Takeru."
"Son?" Ryouga says a little astonished.
Akane comes in next. "Ryouga!" She gives him a hug. "It's nice to see you again. Glad you could make it."
Ryouga was still a little stunned, especially after seeing Ayumi skip into view after her mother. He points at Ranma and then at the little girl. He puts a hand behind his head and laughs for a short second. "Hello Akane. Nice to see you too."
"Is everything working out good for you?" Akane asks.
"Yeah, it is. I've been training a lot." Ryouga replies.
A call came from outside the door. "Ohayou!" It was Ukyou. She comes in and sees Ryouga, then gives him a slap on the back. "Hello, Hibiki! Ranma honey, nice ta see ya. Same with you Akane. AH! Little ones!" She scowls and looks at the couple but tries to wipe it off her face, offering them a box. "I made some o-konomiyaki for you guys. I know it's not the freshest, but if this is a party you need good food."
Akane takes the box. "Thank you, Ukyou."
"Yup. No problem." Ukyou smiles and goes into the gathering room followed by Ryouga.
Over the course of the morning, Kuno and Kodachi showed up bearing more rose petals of both red and black. Neither of them had gotten married as well. It was a small group, but it was mainly all they invited. They just wanted close friends, not a circus. Shampoo and Mousse still haven't arrived yet, but around noon, there was another knock upon the door. The person didn't wait for someone to come along and open it, they opened it themselves and stuck their head in.
"Nihao?"
"Shampoo!" Akane says surprised as she goes to check the door. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up. Is Mousse with you?"
"No, Mousse not come with Shampoo." Shampoo replies. "But Shampoo have someone else she want Akane to meet."
Akane opens the door all the way to reveal a man in black Chinese robes that had white lining, belt and sleeves with hair so black, it shone almost blue. He bowed in front of Akane and she nervously bowed back.
"Akane, this is Zhijian. He Shampoo's husband." Shampoo announces.
Akane was somewhat shocked, but welcomed them both in. Even more shocking was the fact that they were followed by a little girl with magenta hair, tied back in a bun with little locks hanging in front of her ears and onto her chest. "Who is this, Shampoo?"
"Oh, Shampoo apologize. This is Shi-Ling. She daughter." Shampoo replies.
Shi-Ling turns to Akane and bows her head. "Nihao."
Akane smiles at Shampoo and congratulates her and Zhijian. "She's absolutely adorable. I hope she knows Japanese too so she can talk with the other children."
"Shi-Ling know Japanese." Shampoo says. "There other children?"
"Uh, yeah." Akane replies. "Ranma and I. There's Ayumi and Takeru."
"Congratulations." Zhijian says.
"Thank you." Akane grins, astounded by his deep voice.
Shampoo didn't say anything but turned and went to go and join the rest of the guest with her husband and daughter. Akane was going to go with them, if only there weren't another knock on the door. This time, it was Mousse. He stood next to an amazingly beautiful young woman with hair the color of the sea. She had brilliant red eyes that sparkled in the early afternoon light. Mousse greets Akane happily, as well as she.
"Akane, I'd like you to meet my wife, Mei." Mousse introduces.
"Nice to meet you." Mei smiles.
"Nice to meet you, too. Come in, both of you." Akane gestures. "Everyone else is here, they're in the big room where we had the Christmas party."
Mousse and Mei enter the Dojo. It was then Akane noticed a tiny hand clinging to Mei's Chinese outfit. It was a child, the other hand had its thumb in its mouth. Akane felt awkward not knowing if it was a boy or a girl. The child had forest green hair tied back in a pony tail low on its back with a maroon band. Tiny glasses were propped on its bangs and it had red eyes just like its mother. Plain white Chinese robes covered its chest while wearing dark blue pants and black slipper shoes.
"Who's the child?" Akane asks.
Mei picks the kid up and props it on her hip. "This is our son, Tiramisu. Forgive him, he's a little shy."
"That's perfectly fine. I just hope he'll get along with the other kids." Akane replies and leads them to the meeting room.
The reunion was officially started and everyone began talking to one another about their lives for the past five to six years. It was sort of awkward in a way, seeing everyone again, some with children. The kids were having what looked to be a good time. Playing tag and other games. Of course, there were only four.
"I'm surprised, Mousse." Came a comment from Ranma. "Of all people I'd think you'd marry Shampoo. But here you come with another, may I say beautiful, woman and a son. What ever happened to you and Shampoo?"
"Let's just leave it at it was one of the hardest things I've ever done." Mousse replies. "But I love Mei and my boy. I have no regrets."
"Have you seen much of each other when you went back to China?" Ranma asked.
"No, not really. I went on a training trip early after returning. That's when I met Mei, so I stayed with her village and hadn't seen Shampoo since." Mousse says. "And now that I see she's happy, so am I. Though, I do admit, I wouldn't have cared. I wasted too many years of my life pining over Shampoo. It was time I dropped her, so I did. Now I couldn't be happier."
"Whoa." Was all Ryouga could say.
Ryouga, Ranma, and Mousse take their tea cups and clink them all together as a cheers. "To the biggest hell trip we ever took. Being cured of the Jusenkyo Springs."
Ryouga downed his tea. "Sayonara P-chan!"
Mousse smiled to himself. "No more MuMu-Chan and being called duck-boy."
"No more boobs!" Ranma said a little too loud and the whole room erupts in laughter, some saying how he never changed. Yup, the whole gang was back.