Choices Made, Roads Taken
Chapter 15: Decision Points
What has happened before: Ranma, after getting out from under the "man among men" suicide pledge, has traveled to New York City with retired super hero Jeff Anderson. However, some of those left behind came after him. Winning a battle is one thing, but how can he win the war? What choices will Ranma make? Which roads will he take?
-----
Ranma pulled off his tie and hung up his suit jacket before plopping down on the futon couch. He really wasn't used to wearing such things, but had to admit he looked damn good in them. It couldn't believe it had been that easy. His marriage to Shampoo had been annulled. He'd have been happy with a divorce, but once the judge had heard the circumstances of the marriage, he'd dissolved the whole thing as if it had never happened. Even more importantly, Shampoo accepted that fact.
Jeff leaned into Ranma's bedroom through the open door and knocked on the frame. Ranma motioned him toward the other end of the couch and Jeff closed the door before sitting down. Ranma noticed he'd managed to ditch his tie and jacket too.
Ranma spoke first. "Well, at least one good thing happened cause I was here. I don't have to worry about Shampoo no more. And Kodachi can't bother anyone for awhile." It looked like Shampoo would be returning to Japan with the elder Kuno. But from what Ranma understood, Kodachi would be facing several charges if she were found competent to stand trial. Either way, she'd be in custody for _months_. Barring escape. Or bail. Or her father doing something. At least her brother had made it quite clear that he had no intention of doing anything that might result in Kodachi's release. Something about 'a continued gustatorial reprieve'.
Jeff thought about it for a second before responding. "I wouldn't be so sure about Shampoo. The annulment only applies to what's happened up until now. Defeat her again, and I'll bet she and Cologne consider the marriage back on. Maybe we'll get lucky and Benny will track her down first. I might just give him directions to the Cat Cafe. And a plane ticket. And bust him out of jail."
Ranma laughed at the thought. But it was nice to be down to only two fiancees. No Amazon wife and no deranged gymnast would be fiancee, even if it would most likely be a temporary situation, was an improvement. "Still leaves me with engagements to Akane and Ukyo. If I could figure out what to do about that, I could go home with, how you say... 'clear conscience'. No easy answers for that one."
"I could tell you what I think, but you'd have to promise to listen," Jeff said soberly. He knew that Ranma always kept his promises. With Ranma planning to return to Japan in time for Christmas, there were a lot of things Jeff wanted to say to the younger man. Things that Ranma probably didn't want to hear.
Ranma recognized the tone of voice and clinical expression as Jeff's 'serious' thing. It meant 'pay attention'. But after giving his word, he was surprised by Jeff's first statement.
"First off, what the hell do you see in Akane?"
"Hey!" Ranma interrupted loudly. The flash of anger in his eye was unmistakable.
"No yelling in the house!" Anne cried from beyond Ranma's bedroom door.
Ranma and Jeff both reflexively hollered back "Sorry!"
After a moment of mutual glaring, Jeff broke the lengthening silence. "I mean, Akane is kinda cute and she does have that killer smile, but unless she learns to control her temper and grows up, who needs her?"
"Who died and made you god?" Ranma clenched his fists hard enough to pop knuckles.
"You said you'd listen. So do it," Jeff answered calmly. After a brief pause in which Ranma did not lodge an objection, he continued, "Doesn't she get tired of being angry at you?"
Ranma remembered asking Akane a similar question once. "She is not always angry."
"Not always," Jeff admitted. "But way too often. She blames you for damn near everything. I know you care for her bu-"
"Who said I cared for that violent tomboy?"
"I did. If you want to lie to yourself about that, fine. Just don't lie to me about it because I've seen it with my own eyes."
Ranma opened his mouth to bring forth another denial, but nothing came out. Finally, he simply said, "Easy answer, huh?"
"Very easy answer Ranma. Why do you act like someone will kill you if you admit it?"
After a pause long enough for Jeff to think there wouldn't be answer, Ranma quietly said, "Not me."
Jeff understood what that implied. In a rare moment of empathy, he decided to switch to the other existing engagement. "All right, what don't you see in Ukyo then?"
That answer came a lot faster. "Jeff, there are times I still think of Uc-chan as a guy. It weirds me out to think that my best friend from when I was a kid is really a girl."
"Ranma, I assure you, she's not a guy. She's a young woman who got screwed over by your father and hers. She's cute, she can cook and as far as I can tell, she doesn't hit first and ask questions never."
"Give me some credit. I know Akane and Uc-chan better than you. It's not that easy." After a reflective pause, Ranma asked, "You really think Ukyo would be better for me than Akane?"
"Down the road? Yes. But if you absolutely, positively have to get married to someone right now, I think your best bet would be Kasumi. If she'll have you."
"Kasumi?" Ranma asked both puzzled and surprised.
"What's wrong with Kasumi?" Jeff asked in return.
Ranma thought briefly before stammering "Uh... nothing I guess. But even... I mean..." Ranma suddenly pulled himself together to finish with, "I don't think she's interested in me."
"You sure about that?" Jeff didn't want Ranma to write off Kasumi so quickly. Besides, an 'official' engagement to Kasumi would give Ranma the time he needed to really decide. Jeff didn't think any of Ranma's potential fiancees would be stupid enough to harm Kasumi. Not if they wanted to live afterwards.
Ranma slowly turned his head to the floor. "She deserves better," he said in a near whisper.
"Better than what?"
"Better than me. I mean, what could I offer her? What could I offer Kasumi... or Akane or Ukyo? I'm not ready to get married."
"I agree. You're not ready to get married. No big deal, you're only sixteen. Anyone who wants you to get married now doesn't give a damn about you."
'You take that back' almost made its way from Ranma's throat. Instead, he managed, "It's not like I ever got the choice Jeff."
"Then make it now. I heard you tell your mother that you wanted to come here to find some answers the night I kept her from chopping your head off."
"You heard that?"
"I've got good ears," Jeff replied offhandedly. "You also said that I could help."
"I did say that. But I can't even figure out what most of the questions are."
"Well I'll start then. What am I?" Jeff asked.
"What do you mean 'what are you'?" Ranma asked back.
"Seriously. What am I?"
"Jeff Anderson."
"No. That's who I am, not what I am. What am I?"
"Okay. You want to play game. You are superhero."
"Buzz, wrong answer. I stopped being a superhero. What am I?"
Ranma didn't like this game. "You are mutant."
"Correct. Now here's a tough question. What else am I?"
"..."
"What are you?" Jeff asked before Ranma could come up with an answer.
"Martial artist," Ranma replied instantly.
"You've always been a martial artist."
"I will always be martial artist," Ranma stated firmly. Despite his father's (and other's) insane training methods. Despite the rivalries and the enemies and the curses and the thousand and one other indignities that life threw at him. Despite it all, Ranma Saotome was a martial artist and knew it.
"And you're a damn good one. What else are you?"
"..."
"Ranma, 'mutant' is only a tiny part of what I am. In my life I've been a computer hacker, a computer programmer, a game designer, a superhero and a first aid instructor. For a living I'm now more of a precision machinist, a self taught aeronautical engineer and a behind the scenes good guy. Far more importantly, I'm a husband and a father. I'm not about to let 'mutant' be the only thing that defines me. To quote Heinlein, 'Specialization is for insects.' What are you besides a martial artist?"
Ranma remembered the ultimate weakness moxibustion. The joy he'd felt over the return of his strength overshadowed the fact that without it, he had... "Nothing."
"Buzz. Wrong answer. At least I hope it's the wrong answer, or we've completely wasted the last three months."
"Look Jeff, I'm feeling even dumber than normal right now. Could you quit playing games and say what you mean?"
"All right, no more games. Ranma, your life is, by far, more screwed up than mine ever was."
"Thank you for noticing," Ranma said sarcastically.
"Like an elephant in a powder blue tuxedo, it was impossible to miss." Ranma contemplated the visual image Jeff suggested. It was... odd. He gladly set it aside when Jeff continued, "This whole trip was so you could find out who 'Ranma Saotome: Person' is. I've met 'Ranma Saotome: Martial Artist' and I'll admit I'm impressed. But he just seems so... limited."
"Limited how?"
"You see _everything_ from a martial arts perspective. If it's martial arts, you can deal with it, no matter how strange it is otherwise."
It was an accurate description. "So?"
"It limits your options. A martial artist doesn't hit girls, which is fine. But someone trying to kill you isn't a girl, even if she's female. Sometimes you have to go beyond martial arts and just... fight. Even as a martial artist, you know the difference between a blow struck in anger and a blow struck in training. Both on the giving and receiving ends."
"It is not same thing."
"Exactly." Jeff got up from the couch strode across the room and opened the door. He leaned out and asked, "Anne, have I ever hit you?"
"Yes," she replied from the general direction of the kitchen.
"In anger?"
"Of course not. We're still married aren't we?" Anne asked rhetorically.
Jeff closed the door and returned to his end of the futon. "I rest my case. You've sparred with me, FreeFall and, if I use the term very loosely, Big Tex. But you only dodged Sunray and Akane told me you do the same thing to her way back when I first met her."
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement. "I am working on that. Sunray called me on it and she was right, but Pops always told me to not hit girls. It is not easy to change life long habit. But I really need to change. I can not be decent sensei if I am not willing to really work with my students. And some of my students are going to be girls."
"Fine. That's half of it. Here's the other half. Why do you let Akane hit you? I refuse to believe she magically gets good enough to hit you when she gets mad. Sure, she gets faster and stronger, but her accuracy goes to hell."
"When Akane is mad... easiest way for her to not be mad is to hit something. Most of the time, it is me she is mad at, so..."
"Ranma, if that's the only way Akane can deal with anger, she needs help. I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but she needs to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist or an anger management counselor or somebody."
"She's not that bad."
"She's bad enough. I mean, I like Akane, but I'd never let her babysit Lil' Bill."
"Why not? Akane gets along great with kids," Ranma said in defense of his fiancee.
"I don't trust her to keep her temper under control. I can watch out for myself. You can watch out for yourself. But considering how little it takes to set her off, I'm not about to leave someone who can't defend themselves with her."
"You don't know Akane like I do."
Jeff knew a brick wall when he hit his head against it. "Fine, you win. I'll drop it. Next question: Who is your worst enemy?"
A look of annoyance flashed across Ranma's face. "I know you don't like Ryoga, but he's my friend."
"Actually, I wasn't referring to Ryoga. I know you've got this whole 'macho buddy' thing going with him. I can accept that. Mind you, if you asked him if you two were friends, I bet he'd deny it."
Ranma snorted and said, "You're probably right. So who are you talking about?"
"Nabiki."
"What?!"
"Ryoga, Mousse, Kuno, even that Pantyhose guy you told me about, they're all physical threats. Which for you, aren't a problem. But Nabiki screws with your head and you've got no defense against that. How much money has she made from you? How many times has she blackmailed you? How many times has she sold information with no regard for who got hurt by it? Shampoo would never have come here if Nabiki hadn't sold her the post office box number."
"What about Kodachi and Kuno?" Ranma asked.
"Kodachi was gunning for me as much as she was chasing after you. I think she'd have shown up anyhow. Kuno? From what Shampoo said at court, she convinced Kuno to come. Either way..."
"... it goes back to Nabiki," Ranma finished.
Jeff nodded and said, "An enemy is someone who does you harm. I think Nabiki does you more harm than anybody, it's just not direct."
Ranma pondered Jeff's point before he asked, "So what should I do? I can't hit her."
"Are you sure? Knocking her out and leaving tied up on top of Tokyo Tower might be fun. Just don't break her nose." Jeff waited until Ranma stopped laughing be he continued, "Seriously though, blackmail is a very ugly business. Right now, you're out from under Nabiki. I strongly urge you to stay that way. Don't buy anything from her. Don't ask her for any favors. Nothing."
"You really don't like Nabiki," Ranma observed.
"I consider her your worst enemy for a reason Ranma."
The room fell silent. Ranma processed what Jeff had said. Jeff waited for him to do so. After a couple minutes, Jeff decided that ready or not, it was time to hit Ranma with his final point.
"Ranma, I know I've given you a lot to think about. But there's one more thing that I have to mention. Your biggest problem isn't your rivals. It isn't your fiancees or their relatives. It's much worse than that. It's your parents."
Unlike when Akane was mentioned, or even when he thought Jeff was talking about Ryoga, Ranma didn't object. He didn't question. He didn't make any defense at all. He simply said, "I know."
-----
"Well, for good or for bad, it's over. Ranma's flight left for Tokyo with him on it," Jeff said as he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it into the dirty clothes hamper.
Anne was already in bed wearing an old night shirt. She peeled back the blankets and motioned her husband to join her. "I wouldn't call it over. What he does when he gets home will make or break the whole trip."
Jeff slid into bed and pulled up the covers before turning to kiss his wife's cheek. "True enough. I think we did the best we could."
"There's only so much we could do in what? Three and a half months? Good thing Ranma has a gift for learning. When he feels like using it."
"No argument here. But whatever happens, I think he's a lot better prepared than when he showed up." With a glance, Jeff used his telekinesis to turn off the lights.
Anne replied with a noncommittal noise. There was moment of relative quiet. Only the random sounds of New York City could be heard in the darkened bedroom.
"So, you wanna fool around?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
END CHAPTER 15
Chapter 15: Decision Points
What has happened before: Ranma, after getting out from under the "man among men" suicide pledge, has traveled to New York City with retired super hero Jeff Anderson. However, some of those left behind came after him. Winning a battle is one thing, but how can he win the war? What choices will Ranma make? Which roads will he take?
-----
Ranma pulled off his tie and hung up his suit jacket before plopping down on the futon couch. He really wasn't used to wearing such things, but had to admit he looked damn good in them. It couldn't believe it had been that easy. His marriage to Shampoo had been annulled. He'd have been happy with a divorce, but once the judge had heard the circumstances of the marriage, he'd dissolved the whole thing as if it had never happened. Even more importantly, Shampoo accepted that fact.
Jeff leaned into Ranma's bedroom through the open door and knocked on the frame. Ranma motioned him toward the other end of the couch and Jeff closed the door before sitting down. Ranma noticed he'd managed to ditch his tie and jacket too.
Ranma spoke first. "Well, at least one good thing happened cause I was here. I don't have to worry about Shampoo no more. And Kodachi can't bother anyone for awhile." It looked like Shampoo would be returning to Japan with the elder Kuno. But from what Ranma understood, Kodachi would be facing several charges if she were found competent to stand trial. Either way, she'd be in custody for _months_. Barring escape. Or bail. Or her father doing something. At least her brother had made it quite clear that he had no intention of doing anything that might result in Kodachi's release. Something about 'a continued gustatorial reprieve'.
Jeff thought about it for a second before responding. "I wouldn't be so sure about Shampoo. The annulment only applies to what's happened up until now. Defeat her again, and I'll bet she and Cologne consider the marriage back on. Maybe we'll get lucky and Benny will track her down first. I might just give him directions to the Cat Cafe. And a plane ticket. And bust him out of jail."
Ranma laughed at the thought. But it was nice to be down to only two fiancees. No Amazon wife and no deranged gymnast would be fiancee, even if it would most likely be a temporary situation, was an improvement. "Still leaves me with engagements to Akane and Ukyo. If I could figure out what to do about that, I could go home with, how you say... 'clear conscience'. No easy answers for that one."
"I could tell you what I think, but you'd have to promise to listen," Jeff said soberly. He knew that Ranma always kept his promises. With Ranma planning to return to Japan in time for Christmas, there were a lot of things Jeff wanted to say to the younger man. Things that Ranma probably didn't want to hear.
Ranma recognized the tone of voice and clinical expression as Jeff's 'serious' thing. It meant 'pay attention'. But after giving his word, he was surprised by Jeff's first statement.
"First off, what the hell do you see in Akane?"
"Hey!" Ranma interrupted loudly. The flash of anger in his eye was unmistakable.
"No yelling in the house!" Anne cried from beyond Ranma's bedroom door.
Ranma and Jeff both reflexively hollered back "Sorry!"
After a moment of mutual glaring, Jeff broke the lengthening silence. "I mean, Akane is kinda cute and she does have that killer smile, but unless she learns to control her temper and grows up, who needs her?"
"Who died and made you god?" Ranma clenched his fists hard enough to pop knuckles.
"You said you'd listen. So do it," Jeff answered calmly. After a brief pause in which Ranma did not lodge an objection, he continued, "Doesn't she get tired of being angry at you?"
Ranma remembered asking Akane a similar question once. "She is not always angry."
"Not always," Jeff admitted. "But way too often. She blames you for damn near everything. I know you care for her bu-"
"Who said I cared for that violent tomboy?"
"I did. If you want to lie to yourself about that, fine. Just don't lie to me about it because I've seen it with my own eyes."
Ranma opened his mouth to bring forth another denial, but nothing came out. Finally, he simply said, "Easy answer, huh?"
"Very easy answer Ranma. Why do you act like someone will kill you if you admit it?"
After a pause long enough for Jeff to think there wouldn't be answer, Ranma quietly said, "Not me."
Jeff understood what that implied. In a rare moment of empathy, he decided to switch to the other existing engagement. "All right, what don't you see in Ukyo then?"
That answer came a lot faster. "Jeff, there are times I still think of Uc-chan as a guy. It weirds me out to think that my best friend from when I was a kid is really a girl."
"Ranma, I assure you, she's not a guy. She's a young woman who got screwed over by your father and hers. She's cute, she can cook and as far as I can tell, she doesn't hit first and ask questions never."
"Give me some credit. I know Akane and Uc-chan better than you. It's not that easy." After a reflective pause, Ranma asked, "You really think Ukyo would be better for me than Akane?"
"Down the road? Yes. But if you absolutely, positively have to get married to someone right now, I think your best bet would be Kasumi. If she'll have you."
"Kasumi?" Ranma asked both puzzled and surprised.
"What's wrong with Kasumi?" Jeff asked in return.
Ranma thought briefly before stammering "Uh... nothing I guess. But even... I mean..." Ranma suddenly pulled himself together to finish with, "I don't think she's interested in me."
"You sure about that?" Jeff didn't want Ranma to write off Kasumi so quickly. Besides, an 'official' engagement to Kasumi would give Ranma the time he needed to really decide. Jeff didn't think any of Ranma's potential fiancees would be stupid enough to harm Kasumi. Not if they wanted to live afterwards.
Ranma slowly turned his head to the floor. "She deserves better," he said in a near whisper.
"Better than what?"
"Better than me. I mean, what could I offer her? What could I offer Kasumi... or Akane or Ukyo? I'm not ready to get married."
"I agree. You're not ready to get married. No big deal, you're only sixteen. Anyone who wants you to get married now doesn't give a damn about you."
'You take that back' almost made its way from Ranma's throat. Instead, he managed, "It's not like I ever got the choice Jeff."
"Then make it now. I heard you tell your mother that you wanted to come here to find some answers the night I kept her from chopping your head off."
"You heard that?"
"I've got good ears," Jeff replied offhandedly. "You also said that I could help."
"I did say that. But I can't even figure out what most of the questions are."
"Well I'll start then. What am I?" Jeff asked.
"What do you mean 'what are you'?" Ranma asked back.
"Seriously. What am I?"
"Jeff Anderson."
"No. That's who I am, not what I am. What am I?"
"Okay. You want to play game. You are superhero."
"Buzz, wrong answer. I stopped being a superhero. What am I?"
Ranma didn't like this game. "You are mutant."
"Correct. Now here's a tough question. What else am I?"
"..."
"What are you?" Jeff asked before Ranma could come up with an answer.
"Martial artist," Ranma replied instantly.
"You've always been a martial artist."
"I will always be martial artist," Ranma stated firmly. Despite his father's (and other's) insane training methods. Despite the rivalries and the enemies and the curses and the thousand and one other indignities that life threw at him. Despite it all, Ranma Saotome was a martial artist and knew it.
"And you're a damn good one. What else are you?"
"..."
"Ranma, 'mutant' is only a tiny part of what I am. In my life I've been a computer hacker, a computer programmer, a game designer, a superhero and a first aid instructor. For a living I'm now more of a precision machinist, a self taught aeronautical engineer and a behind the scenes good guy. Far more importantly, I'm a husband and a father. I'm not about to let 'mutant' be the only thing that defines me. To quote Heinlein, 'Specialization is for insects.' What are you besides a martial artist?"
Ranma remembered the ultimate weakness moxibustion. The joy he'd felt over the return of his strength overshadowed the fact that without it, he had... "Nothing."
"Buzz. Wrong answer. At least I hope it's the wrong answer, or we've completely wasted the last three months."
"Look Jeff, I'm feeling even dumber than normal right now. Could you quit playing games and say what you mean?"
"All right, no more games. Ranma, your life is, by far, more screwed up than mine ever was."
"Thank you for noticing," Ranma said sarcastically.
"Like an elephant in a powder blue tuxedo, it was impossible to miss." Ranma contemplated the visual image Jeff suggested. It was... odd. He gladly set it aside when Jeff continued, "This whole trip was so you could find out who 'Ranma Saotome: Person' is. I've met 'Ranma Saotome: Martial Artist' and I'll admit I'm impressed. But he just seems so... limited."
"Limited how?"
"You see _everything_ from a martial arts perspective. If it's martial arts, you can deal with it, no matter how strange it is otherwise."
It was an accurate description. "So?"
"It limits your options. A martial artist doesn't hit girls, which is fine. But someone trying to kill you isn't a girl, even if she's female. Sometimes you have to go beyond martial arts and just... fight. Even as a martial artist, you know the difference between a blow struck in anger and a blow struck in training. Both on the giving and receiving ends."
"It is not same thing."
"Exactly." Jeff got up from the couch strode across the room and opened the door. He leaned out and asked, "Anne, have I ever hit you?"
"Yes," she replied from the general direction of the kitchen.
"In anger?"
"Of course not. We're still married aren't we?" Anne asked rhetorically.
Jeff closed the door and returned to his end of the futon. "I rest my case. You've sparred with me, FreeFall and, if I use the term very loosely, Big Tex. But you only dodged Sunray and Akane told me you do the same thing to her way back when I first met her."
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement. "I am working on that. Sunray called me on it and she was right, but Pops always told me to not hit girls. It is not easy to change life long habit. But I really need to change. I can not be decent sensei if I am not willing to really work with my students. And some of my students are going to be girls."
"Fine. That's half of it. Here's the other half. Why do you let Akane hit you? I refuse to believe she magically gets good enough to hit you when she gets mad. Sure, she gets faster and stronger, but her accuracy goes to hell."
"When Akane is mad... easiest way for her to not be mad is to hit something. Most of the time, it is me she is mad at, so..."
"Ranma, if that's the only way Akane can deal with anger, she needs help. I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but she needs to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist or an anger management counselor or somebody."
"She's not that bad."
"She's bad enough. I mean, I like Akane, but I'd never let her babysit Lil' Bill."
"Why not? Akane gets along great with kids," Ranma said in defense of his fiancee.
"I don't trust her to keep her temper under control. I can watch out for myself. You can watch out for yourself. But considering how little it takes to set her off, I'm not about to leave someone who can't defend themselves with her."
"You don't know Akane like I do."
Jeff knew a brick wall when he hit his head against it. "Fine, you win. I'll drop it. Next question: Who is your worst enemy?"
A look of annoyance flashed across Ranma's face. "I know you don't like Ryoga, but he's my friend."
"Actually, I wasn't referring to Ryoga. I know you've got this whole 'macho buddy' thing going with him. I can accept that. Mind you, if you asked him if you two were friends, I bet he'd deny it."
Ranma snorted and said, "You're probably right. So who are you talking about?"
"Nabiki."
"What?!"
"Ryoga, Mousse, Kuno, even that Pantyhose guy you told me about, they're all physical threats. Which for you, aren't a problem. But Nabiki screws with your head and you've got no defense against that. How much money has she made from you? How many times has she blackmailed you? How many times has she sold information with no regard for who got hurt by it? Shampoo would never have come here if Nabiki hadn't sold her the post office box number."
"What about Kodachi and Kuno?" Ranma asked.
"Kodachi was gunning for me as much as she was chasing after you. I think she'd have shown up anyhow. Kuno? From what Shampoo said at court, she convinced Kuno to come. Either way..."
"... it goes back to Nabiki," Ranma finished.
Jeff nodded and said, "An enemy is someone who does you harm. I think Nabiki does you more harm than anybody, it's just not direct."
Ranma pondered Jeff's point before he asked, "So what should I do? I can't hit her."
"Are you sure? Knocking her out and leaving tied up on top of Tokyo Tower might be fun. Just don't break her nose." Jeff waited until Ranma stopped laughing be he continued, "Seriously though, blackmail is a very ugly business. Right now, you're out from under Nabiki. I strongly urge you to stay that way. Don't buy anything from her. Don't ask her for any favors. Nothing."
"You really don't like Nabiki," Ranma observed.
"I consider her your worst enemy for a reason Ranma."
The room fell silent. Ranma processed what Jeff had said. Jeff waited for him to do so. After a couple minutes, Jeff decided that ready or not, it was time to hit Ranma with his final point.
"Ranma, I know I've given you a lot to think about. But there's one more thing that I have to mention. Your biggest problem isn't your rivals. It isn't your fiancees or their relatives. It's much worse than that. It's your parents."
Unlike when Akane was mentioned, or even when he thought Jeff was talking about Ryoga, Ranma didn't object. He didn't question. He didn't make any defense at all. He simply said, "I know."
-----
"Well, for good or for bad, it's over. Ranma's flight left for Tokyo with him on it," Jeff said as he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it into the dirty clothes hamper.
Anne was already in bed wearing an old night shirt. She peeled back the blankets and motioned her husband to join her. "I wouldn't call it over. What he does when he gets home will make or break the whole trip."
Jeff slid into bed and pulled up the covers before turning to kiss his wife's cheek. "True enough. I think we did the best we could."
"There's only so much we could do in what? Three and a half months? Good thing Ranma has a gift for learning. When he feels like using it."
"No argument here. But whatever happens, I think he's a lot better prepared than when he showed up." With a glance, Jeff used his telekinesis to turn off the lights.
Anne replied with a noncommittal noise. There was moment of relative quiet. Only the random sounds of New York City could be heard in the darkened bedroom.
"So, you wanna fool around?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
END CHAPTER 15