The next morning, Nori wakes up to the smell of breakfast cooking, and the spare futon neatly folded away. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she pays a visit to the bathroom with her clothes, before putting the bedroom away to reveal the living space.
As she's about to make her way into the tiny kitchen, there's a knock at her front door. Letting out a sigh, she turns around and looks through the peep hole. On the other side is a woman with grey hair, holding a clipboard and an ID. Behind her are a couple of heavy-set men. Putting the chain on the door, Nori opens it, "Hello?"
"Miss Sadow?" Nori nods and the woman raises her ID, "My name is Sahashi Takami, with MBI. I would like to speak with Miss Saotome Ranko, can I come in please?"
Nori looks dubiously at the two heavies behind the woman, so Takami adds, "Alone."
As Nori opens the door, she calls, "Ranko! You have a guest."
While Nori is closing the door after Takami entered, Ranma tosses two bowls of rice and pickles out of the kitchen, to land perfectly on the table. Nori turns around and bumps into Takami's back, before she, herself, stops to stare as a third, smaller, bowl lands at the table. However, when Ranma steps into the room she freezes at the site of Takami.
Just as she's about to bolt out a window, Takami calls, "Wait, I'm just here to talk. Really, you were the last Sekirei seen with Kusano, and I'm worried about her."
Ranma turns back from the window, "Really, after torturing her, you're worried?"
Takami shakes her head, "No, that's not what was happening. Take a seat, and once Miss Sadow has signed some paperwork, I'll explain."
Ranma looks nervously at the door, and out the windows, "Explain first."
Takami hands the clipboard over to Nori, "You'll need to sign that before I leave. First of all, I am the Head Researcher at MBI, Sahashi Takami. You were brought to MBI headquarters after Number 14 phoned in the termination of an unwinged Sekirei. We then took you to our medical facilities. That's where we discovered that you weren't on record as a Sekirei. As you were healing rather fast from the cracked skull that sent you unconscious, we chose to keep you sedated while we brought in more specialised equipment."
Ranma frowns, "That's all well and good, but it doesn't explain the excruciating pain that woke me up, or why you were torturing Kusano."
Takami slumps, "All Sekirei have a core, that we call their Tama. Without adjustments they are too strong and powerful to be around humans."
Ranma laughs, "You've been hanging around the wrong humans then. If they hadn't caught me off guard, and ganged up on me, I could have handled any of those girls without trouble. Hell, I don't think either of the two I met yesterday would have challenged anyone except Akane. They just don't have the training needed to challenge them."
Takami scoffs, "If that were true we'd have records about it, and it would be all over the internet."
Ranma cocks her head to one side, "Why? Most of the old masters live well away from any modern civilisation. And you'd never guess that they could knock down just about any skyscraper in the city with one or two punches."
"But there'd still be something on the internet."
"There probably is, but with everything that comes out at the cinema, would anyone believe it?"
Takami works her mouth to find the words to object, but finds herself unable to, instead, she lifts up an envelope, "Would you be able to give this to Kusano's Ashikabi, it's a phone and MBI credit card."
Ranma takes the envelope, and slips it up her sleeve while Takami goggles, "Well, if that's all, I need to be going. Thank you for your hospitality Sadow-san." With that Ranma executes a graceful backwards jump out of the window to the surprise of Nori, and the consternation of Takami, as she'd somehow got side tracked from what she wanted to ask.
On the way home, the envelope, with its phone and card, end up in a trash can.
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It's few days later, after a quiet weekend due to the confirmed sighting of Ranma outside Nermia, when Kasumi is voted to be the person to approach Ranma about her female form.
"Ranma, could I have a word?"
Ranma stops her kata and turns to face Kasumi, "Sure, what can I do for ya?"
"We have noticed that you have been a girl for almost a week now."
Ranma shrugs, "Yeh, what of it?"
"Your father and my sister are worried about the fact it doesn't seem to be bothering you."
Ranma cocks her head to one side, "What? Are they afraid I'm going girl?"
"I would imagine so."
Ranma shakes her head, "Na, it ain't that. It's just that this form doesn't feel wrong anymore. Whatever they did to me while I was unconscious changed something about this form, made it whole in some way. That an it's been quiet since I got back from wherever. I ain't seen Shampoo or Ryoga, and Kuno's just an annoyance."
"Oh my, I did have one other thing to ask you about."
"Oh?"
"Kusano, I don't feel it's right for her to be sleeping in the same room as two grown men."
Ranma looks down at herself, "I ain't exactly a man here."
"I can see that, but my point still stands."
Ranma looks out of the window to watch Kusano working on a flower bed by the Koi Pond, "I know, but she's so young. I can feel that she needs to be close when she sleeps, and I need to protect her ya know. It's also not like we have any other rooms here. I also don't want to take her to see Mum until I stop bleeding, she's doing better but she's still not ok with my curse."
Kasumi nods seriously, "I understand, however, that doesn't change how inappropriate it is."
Ranma thinks for a moment, "How about this, we kick pops out into your fathers room, and I promise to sleep as a girl."
"That, would not be appropriate."
"Less appropriate than Kusano sleeping in the same room as pops?"
The door to the dojo slams open, as both Soun and Genma try to squeeze through at the same time, "No son of mine is going to sleep as a girl!"
"You are engaged to Akane, it's inappropriate for you to be sleeping with another woman in your bed!"
Ranma looks up, "Oh look, practice. Kasumi, discuss it with the girls and let us know what you decide."
With that Ranma grabs the two men and throws them out the back door, away from Kusano, before leaping after them, a faint battle aura forming around her.
Kasumi sighs, "Come in Akane, you too Nabiki."
The two girls come through the door, "Sit!"
Obediently both girls sit on the floor, though Akane takes one longing look at the fight going on behind the dojo as she does so.
"Nabiki," Nabiki looks startled to be addressed directly, "Kusano is off limits. She is too young to handle the fallout of your schemes, do you understand?"
"What? I would never."
"I know you care about the family, but sometimes your antics leave unfortunate collateral damage. As such, you will ensure that Kusano is not involved in any of these antics. Am I clear?"
Nabiki swallows, "Very."
Kasumi smiles, "Good, with that out the way, what do you think of Ranma's suggestion?"
Akane scowls, "That pervert just wants to sleep with a girl."
"Now Akane, that's just unkind. Ranma did rescue her, and it has proven quite impossible to stop Kusano from joining Ranma in bed."
Nabiki looks alert, "What do you mean sis?"
"Surely you are aware that I set up a futon for her in my room?"
"I, uh, yeah." In truth, Nabiki has been avoiding Kasumi's room for the last few days, ever since she experienced being tied up by Kusano for being nosy, and as she had never had any cameras in her sister's room, this left her unaware of the changes inside.
"Well, Kusano thinks she's been sneaky when she leaves. Though she's much like Akane was at that age and can't help giggling."
"I was never like that!"
Kasumi just smiles sadly at Akane, as it's true that after their mother died, she stopped being like that, "That is beside the point at the moment. What of Kusano's sleeping arrangements?"
"Why don't we just move the panda in with Grandfather Happosai, after all, he is one of his disciples."
"That; is a very good idea, I will…" Kasumi cuts off as there's a loud splash followed by a childish scream of rage. As they all turn to look, they see a panda being wrapped up in plants as he's climbing out of the koi pond. Kusano is standing with her arms apart and her summer dress, one of Nabiki's old ones, plastered to her skin.
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As if Fate had been listening to Ranma and decided to screw with him, the quiet time comes to an end quite spectacularly.
Ranma and, despite Ranma's better judgement, Kusano, both get off the train at Nishi-Kokubunji Station in order to buy Kusano some clothes while they're waiting for the train to Ome to see his mother. As they leave the station a call of "Leave me alone you despicable louts! Forasmuch as I enjoy a brawl, thou art behaving in a most unseemly fashion!"
As Ranma looks up, a blond woman wearing a short white dress with a long black open front over dress jumps over the road from the station roof to the shops. Following her are the Sekirei that attacked Ranma over a week ago. Ranma looks up and then down at Kusano in indecision, indecision that is solved when Kusano holds up her arms to be carried. Swiftly picking her up, Ranma launches them up to the roof tops and takes up the chase. After all, a Martial Artists duty is to protect the weak, even when the weak might normally be able to defend themselves. It has absolutely nothing to do with wanting payback, honest.
They finally catch up when the person they were chasing runs out of roof, and the three Sekirei following her manage to surround her.
"…to fight, our Ashikabi just wants strong Sekirei."
"There is more chance of a snowball surviving a volcano than there is of me being willing to be winged by an over-evolved monkey."
Putting Kusano down on a nearby roof, Ranma leaps into the circle to stand behind the blond, "Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?"
#14 looks at him, "We're not supposed to attack humans or Ashikabi, so I'll give you one chance to leave."
"No, I don't think I will. Not after you put my sister in hospital a week ago."
"Then your sister shouldn't have tangled with us, last chance!"
"I don't think a boy like you has much to offer me, maybe I should take on one of the others. At least they're real women."
The blond says over her shoulder, "I don't need your help monkey brains."
"Hey, who said I was helping you, I want payback from the boy over there and his cheating friends."
#14 screeches, "I am not a boy!"
"You sure look like one, no hips, flat chest, wide shoulders. Yep boy, I bet if I checked I'd find you're tucking."
"Why you!" #14 leaps forward to attack with her scythe and Ranma deftly takes to the air, pushing of the haft as he launches a kick at her head. Behind him the other two leap in to attack the blond. As they do, she calls out "Get back you foul varmint, Water celebration!" and fires a jet of water at one of them while dodging the other.
Ranma's ability to pay attention to the other fight quickly dissolves as #14 attacks with sharp wild swings of her scythe, utilising the entire length of the haft and blade to good effect, for someone self taught. Though, the fact that Ranma won't stay at roof level is giving her fits. Finally, Ranma sees an opening and steps inside her guard and calls, "Kachū Tenshin!". #14 goes flying off the roof as hundreds of punches catch her in the torso within the span of a second.
Seeing their companion fall of the roof, one of the others disengages to collect #14 while the other one switches target to keep Ranma busy before.
As she does, the blond fires a water blast at her, sending Ranma's attacker off the roof in a different direction. Once the water dies down, a busty redhead wrings out her soaking top, "Whacha do that for? They were retreating!"
As Kusano starts to hop over to them, the blond pokes Ranma in the boob, "Doth my eyes deceive me? Pray monkey brain, by what are you known?"
"I'm Ranma Saotome, best martial artist in Nerima, who are you?"
"Number 9, Tuskiumi." She replies absently, her breathing starting to become heavier, "No, I refuse, I will not be winged by an over evolved monkey!"
With that last statement, she leaps off the roof.
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Across the city, a young man by the name of Sahashi Minato sits cradling his head with his back to the front door of his first floor apartment.
Behind him, he can hear the sound of the strange woman he woke up next to getting up. Wracking his brain, he tries to remember just how she ended up there.
He got his exam results, where he failed to get into Keio University for the second time, spoke to his mother and took the subway into Tokyo proper. There he got off at Ōimachi Station, and used the overground stairs to cross the train lines, taking a moment to catch some air. Then someone fell on him. Musubi, that's who she is.
"Mr Sahashi."
Minato scrabbles to his feet as he looks down the stairs at his portly landlord, "Uh, yes sir?"
"I heard voices earlier, I hope you remember I only rent to singles."
"Yes sir."
"If I fine that you've got anybody living with you…"
Minato bows, "I understand sir."
"Good." With that, the landlord turns and makes his way down the stairs.
As the Landlord rounds the corner at the bottom of the stairs, the front door to the apartment opens. Clutching his chest, Minato turns to face door, only to see that Musubi is now dressed.
"Oh, you're dressed."
Musubi clasps her hands together, completely oblivious about what that does to her breasts, "I am, thank you again Musubi." Her cheeks colour slightly when her stomach groans, "Um, I'm sorry, but I think I'm hungry."
"Oh, um, well, I'll just get dressed and we can go into Minato to get you something to eat."
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Ranma softly alights on the road outside his mother's home in Ome. As she lands, she lets Kusano down gently who immediately runs to the edge of the property to look at the park behind the home.
"Kuso, we're here to see my mother. You can look in the park afterwards."
Kusano runs back to Ranma, "Yes oneesan."
Ranma sighs as she climbs the couple of steps to the porch, before ringing the doorbell. It's only a couple of minutes before the door slides open to reveal her mother.
"Ranma, come on in. Would you like some hot water?"
Ranma plasters a smile on her face as she steps over the threshold, "Yes mother. Mother, I'd like you to meet Kusano."
Nodoka freezes mid-step, before turning around slowly, "Ranma dear, is this another fiancé?"
Ranma raises her hands as she shakes her head violently, "No, no, no."
Kusano smiles at Nodoka, "Ranma's my oneesan, and he's my Ashikabi too."
Nodoka's expression changes to one that's putting Ranma on edge, "Ranma, when were you going to tell me you have a sister."
Ranma face-faults, "Mum! It's not like that, I saved her from a lab when I was kidnapped."
"I'm sorry, I thought you just said you were kidnapped."
"Um, well, it's more like I got into a fight with three crazy chicks, and they managed to knock me out. You were there when I explained it. Um, do you have that hot water?"
Nodoka smiles, "Oh, yes, hot water. Right this way. Then we can have tea. Kusano-kun, do you know how to drink tea?"
Kusano shakes her head, "No Mrs Saotome."
"Call me mother. Then we shall do it properly. Ranma, would you set up the mats while I get the equipment."
Ranma sighs as he pours some warm water over his head.
After a long, uncomfortable, hour sitting seiza, while Nodoka instructs the two of them on the finer points of the tea ceremony. Nodoka smiles gently at Kusano, "Kusano-kun, what is an Ashikabi."
Before Ranma can indicate not to answer that question, Kusano has already started, "An Ashikabi is our destined one, the one that calls to our souls and makes us complete. My Ashikabi is so strong he already has three others looking to join his flock, and I'm sure that he will attract more."
Stars appear in Nodoka's eyes as she sighs dreamily, "My son is so manly. So, how did my son become your Ashikabi?"
"She rescued me from the pain, and then stopped being a Sekirei on the train, so I kissed him like this."
Kusano climbs onto Ranma and kisses him on the mouth, her emerald green wings appearing from her back as she does.
Nodoka clasps her hands against her chest, "Three others, grand babies."
