Dreamwalk With Me

A Ranma Nibun no Ichi FanFic by Anansi42

Disclaimer - This is a story based on characters created, owned and copyrighted by Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan Publishing, VIZ Communications, undisclosed persons kept in a secured location, Kitty Film, Fuji TV, and other associated parties.  I'm only borrowing them for a bit without permission.  This story is written expressly for entertainment purposes.

Day One

It was well before dawn when Genma awoke; in the futon next to his, Ranma still slept.  Genma looked over to his sleeping son in the pre-dawn gloom with a mischievous grin.

You'd think by now the boy would be awake before me:  I've certainly given him enough incentive to be an early riser.  Well, nothing for it but to get the bucket.

Tofu-sensei had told him once that teenagers needed their sleep more than at most other times of their life; but Genma just considered that a weakness to be exploited until Ranma finally learned to overcome it.  He quietly rose and made his way down to the furo. 

The boy shows promise but still has weaknesses:  his sleep habits are the least of these.  There is also his reluctance to uphold family honor and marry that Tendo girl - hell, ANY of his fiancées, I should have had such a problem at his age.  His problem with cats is a weakness, but too dangerous for me use to any advantage.  And there is his curse, of course.

Other than the obvious slight to his manhood, I don't see what the boy's real problem is about his curse:  at least he remains human.  A fur coat in summer; there's a curse for you.  And fleas.  Can't forget fleas.  Oh yeah, the boy has it easy.

Not that he'd agree, but that isn't too surprising.  Ranma is an ungrateful child.

The only real problem is the seppuku contract; but how could I have expected Jusenkyo?  Maybe I should have worded the contract differently, left it as 'make Ranma extraordinary' and skipped the 'man's man' line? 

Feh.

Nodoka probably wouldn't have believed I was serious about the contract if I had done that.

If the boy would just do what I tell him, marry the Tendo girl, take over their dojo, and start a family, maybe Nodoka would be distracted enough by grandchildren that she wouldn't have me honor that contract.  Maybe she'd even spare the boy's life, too.

-Sigh-

And maybe, just maybe, pigs will fly.

Taking the filled water bucket, Genma returned to the guest room he shared with his son.

The life of a martial artist is fraught with peril, and now it's time for me to face some peril of my own:  Ranma has never been much of a 'morning person'.

-Chuckle-

If the boy only knew the full extent of what the Master used to do to Soun and myself, he'd never complain about a mere bucket of cold water again.

SPLASH

Silence.

Genma peered at his son-turned-daughter with a frown.  Genma was wary, but not worried:  Ranma had suckered him a few times in the past by seeming not to wake to the water bucket.

Not even a twitch.

The boy's learning control, I'll give him that.

After waiting a couple of minutes, Ranma still hadn't moved.

Okay, break's over.  We're going to start burning daylight if he keeps this up.

Taking a wooden staff, Genma gingerly prodded Ranma on the futon (who was REALLY not a morning person); but didn't get any movement.

"Ranma, the joke's over!  Wake up, boy!"

Silence.

This may be serious.

Genma shook Ranma to wake her, but still got no response.

Oh, hell:  it is serious.

"Ranma!" Genma yelled.  My retirement!  I'll be in a bad way if anything happens to him.

"Oji-sama, is something wrong?"

Genma turned to see Kasumi in the guest room doorway.  "Ranma won't wake up; but I can't tell what's wrong."

Kasumi moved to onna-Ranma's other side and began checking the girl's vital signs.  Kasumi wasn't a doctor by any stretch, but reading Dr. Tofu's books had taught her a few things to look for in an emergency.  With all of the fighting that happened around the house, Kasumi reasoned that it was good to learn some first aid skills.

Kasumi's fingers quickly found Ranma's pulse on the girl's slender wrist.  Something felt… off… with Ranma, but at least there was a strong pulse.

Kasumi snatched the glasses from Genma's face; but he was too shocked by Ranma's condition to protest much.  Held to Ranma's mouth and nose, the glass lenses revealed that her breathing was regular and even.

A hand went to the girl's forehead.  No fever; just that strange feeling again.

Kasumi opened each of Ranma's eyes.  Even in the dim light of the room the girl's pupils contracted properly and evenly:  Kasumi sighed in relief at that.  No obvious brain damage, she thought.

Ranma seemed just to be asleep, except that she wouldn't wake up.

Ranma's physical responses seemed normal but something was still bothering Kasumi.  Kasumi's life had become one of quiet introspection after her mother's death; and it had made her sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, even sensitive to their very presence.  Whenever Ranma was around Kasumi could scarcely miss his presence, his aura:  a fiery, bright light in the room; but she could sense none of that now.

Oh my.

Kasumi looked at Genma, "Oji-sama, we need to call Tofu-sensei."

"Is it that serious?"

"We need him.  Now."

Kasumi's gentle but firm words prodded Genma like nothing even Master Happosai had ever done.  Reaching Dr. Tofu by phone, Genma quickly explained the situation.  Tofu agreed to come at once.

------

Nabiki met Dr. Tofu at the door when he arrived at the Tendo home.  Without a word, the middle Tendo daughter quickly escorted him up to Ranma's room.  Someone had applied hot water to Ranma in the hopes of waking him; but all it had done was to restore Ranma's male form.  He was otherwise no different, remaining motionless on the futon.

"Can someone tell me what happened to him?"  The rest of the family was in the room, and Tofu could see the worry on each of their faces; especially Kasumi's…

The room started to look fuzzy.

Uh oh.

"Ah-hahahaha-, Kasumi-san!  How surprising to see you--"

CRACK

Dr. Tofu's eyes refocused to see the elder Saotome glaring straight into his face.  The room still spun a bit from the force of Genma's slap.

"Be a love-struck idiot later.  Be a doctor now."

The doctor just blinked.  The entire side of his face stung.

Genma turned to look at the others in the room.  "Perhaps the doctor should be left to work in private?"  It was not a suggestion.

The others all rose and left:  Akane pausing for a moment before following the others into the hall.  As they exited, Dr. Tofu glanced at Kasumi…

CRACK

"Focus, Doctor!"  Genma pointed to his son, "You have a patient.  Treat him."  Genma's words brooked no debate.

I swear if my retirem… uh, son suffers because of this fool's inability to think straight around Kasumi I'll twist him into a balloon animal shape.  I've worked too hard on the boy for my plans to be ruined now.

Concentrating on the unconscious young man before him, the doctor repeated the same check for vital signs that Kasumi had made earlier.

Nothing seems physically wrong.

A quick check confirmed no bruising or swelling anywhere.

No obvious signs of injury.

Tofu soon noticed the problem with Ranma's ki.  Ranma's ki wasn't just low; it was actually draining away.  The most disturbing part was that, even with careful checking, the doctor couldn't find a clue about where it was going or why.

Working quickly, Dr. Tofu applied modulated pressure to some of Ranma's ki centers to allow him to passively draw energy from his surroundings; but this was only a temporary measure.  Still, he didn't dare do more until he could understand the situation.

Genma alone had remained in the room while the doctor worked.  He recognized some of what the doctor was doing, but not all.

"Isn't there anything more you can do for him?"

"Not until I know more about what is happening.  Ranma's ki is very low, and this is because it is being drawn out of him.  The real problem is that I can't find where his energy is going or what is causing the drain.  I've managed to lessen the overall loss; but without even a clue as to what caused this to Ranma, there's nothing else I can do."

"Will he be alright?"

"Provided that nothing changes, he can stay like this for up to a week, maybe ten days; but if the cause for Ranma's ki loss isn't found and stopped…" Dr. Tofu just shook his head.

"Where do we start?"

"First, I need to speak to the others."

Genma and Dr. Tofu found the Tendos, except Kasumi, waiting downstairs.  At Soun's suggestion, the eldest Tendo daughter was in the kitchen preparing tea for everyone.

Akane spoke first.  "How is he, Tofu-sensei?"

"Right now he's resting comfortably; but there is little else I can do until I learn more of how this happened."  He shifted to address everyone, "What did Ranma do yesterday?  I'm looking for something out of the ordinary."

Everyone shook their heads, coming up blank:  almost everything that happened to Ranma was unusual; but they couldn't think of something unusual for Ranma.

Akane suddenly looked up, "Well, there was lunch yesterday at the Cat Café."

A summer's day in Nerima is pretty nice, thought Ranma as he walked along the fence above the canal.  No school classes to waste valuable daylight.

No putting up with Kuno even being on the same block, much less in the same building.

Just shining sun, floating clouds, singing birds, carping fiancées…

Ranma turned around to look at the two girls following him on the sidewalk below.  Okay, some things aren't so nice about it.

Akane and Ukyo were walking, and arguing, on the sidewalk as they followed Ranma.  Ukyo was ranting about Akane's most recent foray into what the okonomiyaki chef charitably called 'extreme cuisine', while the Tendo daughter was being hard pressed to put the best spin on the situation.

"How did you even manage to do that?"

"I'm sorry!  I've never tried to cook okonomiyaki before."

"I don't mean that!  I don't even want to think about that for a moment.  It's bad enough that my shop could be out of commission for the rest of the day.  I just want to know how you got Konatsu to let you near my grill!"

"He was tired!  I offered to give him a five-minute break."

"How could all of that happen in five minutes?!"

"I'm sorry!  I never dreamed that the oil could catch fire like that!"

"It shouldn't have!!  How you managed to get cooking oil to burst into flame like that is something I don't even want to contemplate!  We're just lucky that the whole restaurant didn't go up in smoke!"

"And after all that hard work, Ranma didn't even try it!"

"I don't blame him!  I CAN'T blame him!  I know okonomiyaki and the thing that got pried off of my grill was not okonomiyaki!"

"So I didn't get the shape quite right.  It was still round."

"Round like a pancake is good.  Round like a ball shouldn't bepossible on a flat grill!"

"And I admit it was a little crisp; but only because it cooked so fast."

"Crisp is fine so long as it's just the outside!  The thing you cooked went way beyond crisp and into burnt!  It was as hard as a roofing tile, through and through!  You managed to make an okonomiyaki shot put in less than five minutes!"

"I still don't see why a HazMat team had to get involved."

"I'm not sure about that one either, Sugar, but the fire department insisted on it as soon as your name… came… up…  RANCHAN!!  My place being on fire isn't funny!!"

Ranma quickly got his snickering under control when he saw the glares both girls were giving him.

"So why are you tagging along with us anyway, Ukyo?" asked Akane.  "Shouldn't you be hanging around your place to help with the insurance report?"

"Konatsu can handle that; it'll teach him to be careful with who he lets cook.  Besides, after all that you did the least you can do is treat me to lunch."

"Ucchan's right, Akane, we owe her at least a lunch."

"You owe me a lot more than that, Ranchan, but right now I'll settle for lunch.  So where are we eating?"

"How's the Nekohanten grab you?"

"Sounds about as unwelcome as an Amazon Glomp, Ranchan; but I'm not going to pay so I'm not going to gripe.  Let's go!!" 

It was early afternoon when the three reached the Nekohanten, so they were able to avoid the lunch crowd.

"Nihao, Ranma!"  Shampoo called gaily when she saw who had entered the restaurant.  She was more subdued when she saw just who was with him, "Violent Girl.  Spatula Girl."

"Hey, Shampoo."

"Happy to see you too, Hon; you don't mind if I check out the competition?"

"Shampoo no mind.  Show Spatula Girl and Kitchen Destroyer what real food look like."

Akane and Ukyo both bristled at the Amazon's insult.

"Ranma?" asked Akane, icily, "Are you going to let her talk to us like that?"

"Hunh?" replied Ranma, distractedly looking up from a menu.  He was not to be deterred from truly important thoughts such as deciding if he should order the left half of the menu with a side order of the right, or maybe the other way around for variety's sake.

"Never mind him, Akane," said Ukyo, shaking her head.  "As soon as food comes into the picture Ranchan's brain pretty much shuts down."

Cologne came into the room, pogoing on her walking staff.  "Son-in-Law, I'm glad you're here today!  I have a new item for you to try."

Ranma wasn't listening.  "Okay, I'll have the-- OW!" he said, rubbing his head where Cologne had bopped him.

"Son-in-Law, I'll only let you order the entire menu for lunch when you marry Shampoo and not before!"

"Okay! Okay!  Sheesh, you don't have to be so touchy about it!"

"So what's the new item?" asked Ukyo.

"Tea."

There was a moment of silence before everyone spoke.

"What's new about tea?" "Everyone has tea." "I thought you already served tea."

Shampoo piped up, a little miffed, "Nekohanten do.  This special tea.  Herbal tea."

"We want to see how people like it.  I would prefer serving different varieties of tea to getting one of those carbonated drink dispensers."  Cologne added, wrinkling her nose in irritation at the mention of fizzy drinks.  Maybe she did, it was hard to tell.

"What's wrong with regular tea?" asked Akane.

"Nothing, but some of our customers have asked for greater variety."

Ukyo chimed in, "Well, if it's any good I may look into offering it at my place.  Maybe it'd be nice to have a range of tea to offer with all the options of my okonomiyaki."

"Nekohanten no have local supply.  Order from China."

"Granddaughter, you haven't eaten yet," Cologne noted.  "Would any of you mind if she joined your party for lunch?"

Ukyo and Akane both had looks that said, We'd DEFINITELY mind, thank you very much; but another voice cut in before they could say anything aloud.

"Yeah, sure." Ranma spoke without looking up from the menu.  All he'd heard was a question, not what it was, and thought that being agreeable might get him a better lunch. 

Shampoo sat across from Ranma and beamed while the other two girls glared daggers (or mallets, in Akane's case) at him.  Screened behind his menu, Ranma didn't notice the looks the girls were giving him, though he did pause to wonder if someone had been playing with the thermostat.

"Hibachan not need Shampoo's help?"

"Granddaughter, if I can't handle one table of four by myself I don't deserve to run a restaurant.  Besides, I can always get Mr. Part Time to help if I really need it."  She turned to address the rest of the group, "By the way, for trying the tea, your lunch is on the house."

Ranma brightened at that until Cologne added, "A normal lunch."  He sighed as he returned to studying the menu.  So many choices.

Lunch was surprisingly good.  Also surprisingly quiet.  The three girls had each silently decided not to bicker over Ranma, but it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway.  Ranma was too busy enjoying his ramen to notice much of anything else:  Cologne had compromised and served him a larger bowl.

Worthy of special note was the tea.  Everyone had expected something bitter or too fragrant or just simply awful.  Instead the tea was surprisingly light flavored and delicate, yet strong enough not to be overpowered by the spicy ramen.  It was definitely different; but very, very good.

Ukyo took a long sip from her cup and sighed, "That is excellent tea!  I'll have to find a supplier for my shop."

"Coming from a competitor in the restaurant business that is high praise.  Thank you, Ms. Kuonji."  Cologne said with a small bow.

"It's very good, Cologne-san!  Thank you for letting us try it."  Akane added.

"Not at all, Ms. Tendo.  I'm only making sure my customers are happy."

"That's definitely us, Cologne!" said Ranma.  "And the food was as good as always!"

"Just giving you a taste for good Chinese home cooking, Son-in-Law.  When you marry Shampoo, great food like this comes at every meal!"

"Shampoo happy to cook for Airen!"

Ranma just rolled his eyes, "Aw, c'mon you two!  I ain't ever gonna move to China!"

Cologne's eyes just twinkled, "You never know, Son-in-Law.  You never know."

------

After lunch the teen martial artists, minus Shampoo, wandered the streets to work off lunch.

"Well, that was weird."

"What was, Ranchan?"

"Lunch.  It was kind of… nice."

"Of course it was, baka" Akane replied.  "The ramen was good and that tea was something else."

"Gotta agree with you on the tea, Sugar" added Ukyo.  "That was great stuff!"

"That's not what I mean; it's that Shampoo didn't glomp me at all."

"You might have missed that, you pervert; but I didn't."

"I didn't mean it that way, tomboy!  I just wonder if she's up to something."

"I'm shocked you could think such a thing about Shampoo, Ranchan" Ukyo deadpanned.

"Yeah, Ranma," added Akane, equally serious; "the Amazons have a noble heritage spanning more than 3,000 years.  There's not a devious thought or sneaky trick to be found anywhere about them."

Ranma just STARED at them both.

The two girls managed to return the stare for a few seconds before breaking down in hysterics.

"I'm glad you two find this so funny," Ranma said, just a bit upset.  He started to walk away from the two giggling fiancées.

SPLASH

Giggling became full-blown laughter.

Ranma just sighed and turned to her right.  Sure enough, the culprit was an old woman gardening in her flowerbed, using a bucket and hose.  The woman looked up with surprise at the very annoyed (and equally damp) girl standing before her gate.

"Gomen nasai."  The woman bowed and went inside.

Ranma turned back to look at the two fiancées, who were now rolling on the sidewalk in laughter.

Ukyo picked herself up off the pavement, "No, Ranchan, THAT'S what I call funny!"

"Ucchan, this curse of mine isn't a joke!"

"But it just gets funnier every time I see it!" Ukyo returned to laughing.  "I need to get back to my place to see if I can maybe open for dinner, but thanks for lunch!  Ja!"

Ranma watched as Ukyo turned the corner and walked out of sight, still laughing.  At least someone's in a better mood than before lunch.

Ranma turned to look at Akane, who was also still laughing.  Akane kept on laughing until she finally noticed Ranma-chan's annoyed glare.  She contained herself, a bit.

"Sorry, Ranma; but this time it was funny."

"Whatever.  Let's get back to the house so I can get some hot water."  Ranma began walking.

Akane fell in behind the shorter girl, stifling her giggles as best she could.

When Akane finished her story, Dr. Tofu was looking thoughtful.

"So apart from this lunch, and tea, there was nothing strange?"

"Nothing strange for Ranma, no."

"Was Ranma involved in any fights yesterday?  I haven't found a sign of it; but his condition may be the result of an injury."

"Well, Ryoga showed up but their fight ended quickly when he and Ranma fell into the canal."

"Did Ryoga connect any good hits during the fight; especially blows to the head?"

"Not that I could see, and head blows aren't Ryoga's usual style.  Ryoga disappeared, so I couldn't ask him later."

"Returning to yesterday's lunch, did Ranma eat something different from the rest of you?"

"No.  In fact, all four of us ate the same thing, though Ranma was given a bigger serving."

"What about the tea?  Was Ranma served differently from the rest of you?"

"No.  The tea was poured from the same pot."

"Have you noticed anything unusual since yesterday's lunch?  Dizziness, weakness, anything?"

"Nothing."

"Have you spoken with Kuonji-san or Shampoo since yesterday?"

"No, Tofu-sensei.  Do you think they might have been affected the way Ranma has?"

"I don't know about that, since you don't seem to be affected.  For now I want to speak with Kuonji-san to see if she noticed anything different about yesterday.  This afternoon I'll go to the Cat Café to see what I can learn there as well."

"And Ranma?  What can we do for him?"

"I'll need Ranma moved to a place where he can be monitored.  I would suggest my clinic but, since there is nothing I can think to do to really help him, the hospital would be a better choice."

Nabiki rose, "I'll call for a taxi."

Kasumi, who had just returned from the kitchen, went upstairs, "I'll pack a bag with some of his things."

Tofu made a special effort to not look Kasumi's way, "Take him to Nerima General.  I know a few of the doctors there and they'll monitor Ranma without introducing too much western medicine.  If I could call there before I leave, they'll be expecting him."

------

As Dr. Tofu entered Ucchan's, he saw Konatsu at the grill.  The ninja was preparing the restaurant to open for lunch, humming a happy tune as he worked.

"Tofu-sensei!  Welcome to Ucchan's!"

"Hello, Konatsu-san.  How's business?"

Konatsu flinched, his good mood evaporating, "Last night we didn't have any.  Just after lunch we had some problems that forced us to turn away our dinner customers."

"What happened?"

Konatsu just looked sheepish, "I should never have taken a break."

Tofu wanted to speak with Konatsu more about that, but the ninja was obviously too embarrassed to continue.

"Well, sometimes things just happen."

"Maybe."  Konatsu paused, then shook his head, "Anyway, if you're here for lunch I can whip something up in a few minutes:  I'll just need to get the grill warmed up.  Or you could wait for Ukyo-sama to come out."

"I may order on my way out; but I actually came to speak with Kuonji-san.  Is she here?"

"She's in the office, finishing some paperwork.  It's this way Tofu-sensei; if you'll follow me."

Konatsu led the doctor to an office behind the kitchen.  He timidly knocked on the door.

"Konatsu," Ukyo's terse voice came through the door, "my grill better not be on fire again!"

"N-no, ma'am!  Tofu-sensei came to see you."

The door opened.  "Doc?  What brings you here?"

"Kuonji-san, I came to ask you about yesterday."

"It's Ukyo, Doc.  'Kuonji-san' was my father and I don't ever want to be confused with him.  Come into the office."

When Tofu had been seated and offered tea, Ukyo continued, "Yesterday here could have been worse:  at least no one tried to eat that horrible stuff before they carted it off!" she gave a little shudder.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about lunch yesterday at the Cat Café.  I understand you ate there with Ranma, Akane, and Shampoo."

"Yeah.  It was pretty good, too; sometimes I guess even I need a change from okonomiyaki."

"Was there anything unusual about the meal?"

"There was an herbal tea that the old mummy wanted us to try; good stuff, too.  I'm hoping to find where they ordered it and get some for my place."

"Nothing else?"

"Well, Shampoo was acting more like a normal person than usual; but she's probably doing it to snare Ranchan, trying to catch him unawares by being nice for a change."

"And afterward, did you feel any odd effects?"

"No.  Why, did the bimbo or the old ghoul try to poison us?"

"I don't think so, especially since Ranma seems to have been the only one affected:  I'm just eliminating possibilities.  Other than lunch, did you see anything strange with Ranma?"

"Yesterday I only saw him for lunch," Ukyo replied.  Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You said Ranma had been 'affected'.  What's happened to him?"

Tofu sighed, Me and my big mouth, "Ranma didn't wake up this morning and neither I nor the Tendos have been able to wake him.  He's not asleep, at least not a normal sleep, nor does he seem comatose; he's also not physically injured as far as I can tell.  I'm trying to learn what happened to him to know what treatment might be effective; but so far, I'm at a loss."

Ukyo was suddenly standing, actually lifting Dr. Tofu by his shirt, "But you're a doctor!  Something's broke with Ranchan!  Go fix it!  Make Ranchan better!"

Tofu's voice, constricted by his suddenly tight collar, sounded a bit hoarse, "Unless I know how he 'broke' I could do more harm than good by treating him."

Ukyo set the doctor down; but kept a tight grip on his collar.  "Where is he now?"

"The Tendos are moving him to Nerima General for observation.  He should be admitted by this afternoon."

Ukyo looked thunderstruck.  Of all the people who she thought might ever go to a hospital as a patient, Ranma wasn't anywhere on that list.

Ukyo let go of Tofu's shirt and collapsed into her chair, "The… hospital?  It's that bad?"

Tofu made his voice sound as soothing as he could, "It's more of a precaution and allows for Ranma to be monitored at all times.  I'm going to see him this afternoon, Ukyo-san, after he's been admitted.  Do you want me to call if there's any change?"

"No… I'll go to see him later.  Thank you."

"Will you be all right, Ukyo-san?"

"Yeah.  I'll just need a minute."

Tofu stood, "Call if you need anything."  He left the okonomiyaki chef in silence.

------

Konatsu waited until after the doctor had left before checking on Ukyo.  She was sitting, head hung low, in her office chair.

"Ukyo-sama, are you all right?"

Ukyo wiped her face with her hands and expelled a deep breath before answering.

"I'll be fine, Konatsu.  Hang the noren out front; we've got customers to feed."

Konatsu thought her haggard expression gave lie to her air of confidence; but only replied, "Yes, ma'am."

------

Early that afternoon Dr. Tofu stood in front of the Cat Café, debating whether to go in or not.  From what Akane and Ukyo had told him earlier the Chinese restaurant was probably where Ranma had gotten whatever had affected him; but he had no idea of what the boy could have received at the restaurant or how it had only affected him and not anyone else.  He hesitated to enter because of the respect he had for elder Cologne:  her knowledge of herbal medicine and pressure point therapy made her an invaluable resource for advice and consultation.  She was also a wise and clever woman whose advice in other areas had always been helpful.

He was afraid to accuse the elder, even by implication.  He was even more afraid of what he might find out if he did.  In the end it didn't matter as Shampoo rode up beside him on her delivery bicycle.

"Nihao, Tofu-sensei!"  Shampoo said with a happy smile.

"Good afternoon, Shampoo.  You are looking especially cheerful today."

Shampoo stretched after getting off her bike.  The afternoon's deliveries had been more work than she had realized.  "Shampoo feel happy today.  Have too wonderful dream last night.  Shampoo's sleep very happy!"

"I'm glad.  Is elder Cologne available?"

"Hibachan inside.  Shampoo tell her you come!"  Elder Cologne always seemed pleased to see the young doctor, which made Shampoo happy also.  She led Tofu into the dining area before going to find Cologne.

When Cologne, alone, returned to the dining room she and Dr. Tofu quickly got down to business.

"Elder, I apologize for asking this; but do you know anything about what has happened to Saotome Ranma?"

The wizened matriarch started in surprise.  "Son-in-Law?  What has happened to him?"

"Sometime yesterday or last night, something happened to him that either put him in a deep sleep or kept him in one.  He would not awaken this morning, even with outside stimuli."

"What are the symptoms?"

"No signs of physical trauma; in fact no physical indications at all of what happened to him.  On a metaphysical level, it's a different story.  Ranma's ki is somehow being drawn out from him; but I cannot tell what is causing the drain or to where the ki is being drawn."

"What have you done so far to help him?"

"I have stimulated Ranma's energy pathways to enhance his ability to draw ki from the surroundings.  I have also requested that he be taken to Nerima General Hospital for observation; the hospital has more precise methods for monitoring Ranma than are available in my clinic or the Tendo home."

Cologne nodded thoughtfully before speaking.  "I would not have done things differently, were I in your place."  She rose and began to pace in the dining room.  "No, Doctor, I believe we did nothing to cause Son-in-Law's current condition.  I also can think of nothing that would do what you have described."

"I beg forgiveness, Elder; but I have been told that you tried before to influence Ranma with potions, drugs, and herbs.  I must ask:  was there something different in Ranma's food or drink yesterday?"

"No, Doctor, Ranma ate and drank the same things as everyone at the table, including Shampoo."

Cologne stopped her pacing and fixed Tofu with a steady gaze.  "I will not lie to you, Dr. Tofu.  My granddaughter and I have done many things in an attempt to curb Ranma's resistance to Amazon law and bring him home with us to the Joketsuzoku; but we would never intentionally harm him.

"Ranma is a rare individual in this world.  Though male, he is a powerful warrior and fighter:  he is adaptable to new techniques and training, incorporating them into his own style where necessary - at times he has even invented techniques on the spot.  He is a brash young man; but is at heart a kind person, a thing that is currently something of a weakness for him.  The so-called other fiancées, Kuonji and Tendo, exploit Ranma's inherently gentle nature to interfere with Shampoo's rightful claim; but in time that compassion will only serve to enhance his qualities as a husband and father.

"In short, Ranma is far too valuable a resource for us to risk damaging.  I want Ranma in order to strengthen the village while Shampoo wants him for the usual reasons a woman would want a man; but we are not willing to pay too high a price to claim him.  If we did, we would likely end up with a broken man; useless to us."

"Elder, I do not agree with your treatment of men as mere objects to claim; but I hear your statements.  Again I apologize for any accusations I may have made."

"No apology is needed, Doctor.  If I were you, I would also suspect us; but let me assure you that what has happened to Ranma did not occur as the result of our plans.  In fact, Ranma's current state would work against our plans for him."

Tofu stood to go.  "Ranma should be admitted to the hospital by now.  I will need to see him and check on his condition."

"Ranma is your patient, Dr. Tofu; but would you mind if I examined him later?  My experience with reading a person's ch'i may allow me to detect something too subtle to have been noticed in your diagnosis."

"I had hoped you would make such a kind offer, Elder."

"It is no kindness, Doctor.  As I have explained, Ranma is simply too important for us to abandon."

------

After the doctor had left, Cologne was deep in thought.

This is not good.  Not good at all.

I wonder what has actually happened to Son-in-Law?  No matter Tofu's flattery and kind apologies, he does suspect us.

So would I in his place.  Tofu may be a man but not all men are foolish.

"Mousse!" she called out.  "We're closing early today.  Clean the restaurant and ready it for tomorrow's business.  Shampoo and I have something that needs doing."

------

It was a clear moonlit night, the moon shining bright enough to drown out the twinkling stars.  The moon shone full on Ranma and Xian Pu as, hand in hand, they took a path through the park.  The park was normally a popular spot, but this late at night they had the place all to themselves.  They wouldn't have noticed even if the park had been packed, having eyes only for each other.

"I still can't believe you can dance that well!"

"You can thank the time I faced a challenge from the school of Martial Arts Dance; but you're no slouch yourself."

"Amazons have a natural grace.  I thought you knew that."

"I just knew you had a natural grace."

"Flatterer."

"Did you want me to stop?"

Xian Pu answered with a giggle, "Never!"

They walked a little more before Xian Pu asked, "Martial Arts Dancing:  does that cover all forms of dance?"

"Almost.  About the only things it didn't include were country-western line dancing and something called 'Lord of the Dance'."

"You mean you wouldn't accept a challenge for them?"

"Hey!  Some things are just too strange for martial arts!"

"This from the man who, just last year, accepted a Martial Arts Dining challenge from Picolet?"

"So I should know better than anyone what a truly silly martial art looks like."  The two laughed for a moment.

"You and Picolet closed that restaurant down, you know."

"I think of it as just getting rid of the competition; besides, the sign said 'All You Can Eat', who were we to argue with that?"

Xian Pu just smiled at Ranma and shook her head.

"By the way, that was a wonderful dinner tonight, Xian Pu; even if you didn't cook it."

"It's my anniversary too, Ranma!  I deserve a night out."

"You deserve that and much more.  Turn around."

"Why?"

"Please."

Xian Pu did as she was asked, confusion written on her face.  She almost missed the glint of moonlight on a thin line of metal as it passed in front of her face and around her neck.  She could feel the cool metal of the necklace as it settled on her throat and the warmth of Ranma's fingers as he fastened the clasp behind her.  His breath tickled as he brushed her hair aside to kiss the back of her neck.

"Thank you for three wonderful years together."

"Thank you for sharing them with me."

Ranma settled his arms around her, "You look lovely in the moonlight, Xian Pu."

She turned around in his embrace to face him.  "You're not so bad yourself, Ranma."

After a long, leisurely kiss, they resumed walking through the park; stopping after a while in front of a small fountain.

A coin dropped into the water.  I wish this could last forever.

"What did you wish for?"

"That's a secret."

He smiled as he bent his head to kiss her again.

She tilted her head back to receive it.

"Granddaughter."

Why on earth would Ranma sound like Hibachan?

"GRANDDAUGHTER!"

------

Shampoo opened her eyes to a relatively less than welcome sight:  Cologne staring into her face from less than a foot away, shaking her awake.

Damn, right in the middle of a good part!

"Wake up, granddaughter.  I need your help with something."

Shampoo yawned and stretched, "Hai, Hibachan, how Shampoo help?"

"That new tea:  are there any side-effects or allergic reactions to it?  Something we may have missed?"

"Shampoo not think so.  Shampoo choose tea based on safety."

"Still, we need to review your books and notes to double-check.  It's very important."

Shampoo went to the shelf to begin pulling scrolls and books.  Why is Hibachan worried about side effects?  The tea should be absolutely safe, no matter who drinks it.

Has someone been hurt?

Is Ranma all right?

Together, the two Amazons began to read.

Two weeks ago

It was nighttime in Nerima, and Shampoo was in her room, reading. 

Cologne had lately been encouraging Shampoo to study her ch'i and use it to refine her martial arts skills.  Part of this was in response to Shampoo's own desire to learn advanced techniques such as the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken or Hiryu Shoten Ha, which Cologne had quickly taught Ranma but were proving more difficult for the young Amazon to master.  Another part of it was to address something Cologne had seen in Saotome Ranma:  the boy had a competitive streak wider than the Yangtze River.  With that in mind, one sure way to get Ranma's attention was to either best him in a match or to show him a technique he hadn't seen before.  Ranma wouldn't rest until he had either learned the technique or figured out how to beat it and the person using it.

Cologne's plan was to make Ranma interested in learning new techniques, but from Shampoo rather than from Cologne herself.  Cologne reasoned that the time spent together would break down some of Ranma's hesitation around Shampoo; maybe then he could start to treat her properly for a change.  That in turn could lead to something more… productive.

Shampoo wasn't comfortable fighting her Airen; but she admitted a need to get his attention.  Glomping Ranma was fun, but he didn't seem to enjoy it nearly as much as she did.  Spells and potions had worked only to a degree; since Ranma's strong will (something Cologne occasionally called 'cussedness') usually broke the hold magic would place on him.  The red string had almost worked, except for Stupid Girl's meddling.

Shampoo thought about the string for a moment.  The only reason that had worked at all was because Ranma did harbor feelings for her.  The violent girl's interference had allowed Ranma's bizarre reluctance to return and mask those feelings.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID Akane!!

A good Amazon would have defeated her competition without hesitation and without mercy.  If the rival was an outsider, such as Akane, this meant death.  Killing her should have been easy, the girl was strong but not very skilled, except for one problem:  it would change Ranma from a skittish fiancé into a determined enemy of the tribe.

Skittish:  that word suddenly stuck in Shampoo's mind.  It certainly fit Ranma's attitude around her but also brought to mind a yearling colt she had seen as a child, fresh from the plains and unwilling to take to a bit and bridle until one of the old men had come forth.  The warrior in charge of breaking and training horses had laughed in his face at the thought that some man could know her job better than she did; but laughter quickly turned into embarrassment and anger when the man, with a gentle voice and soft touch, slipped a bit, bridle, and even a practice saddle on the young horse in less than a day.  That horse still served the tribe, swiftly bearing messengers between the villages and carrying warriors to the yearly tournaments.

The man would have been killed for embarrassing a warrior if some of the matriarchs hadn't stepped in.  Upon consideration, the circle of matriarchs recognized that even a man could be right, on rare occasions, and pardoned him of the otherwise fatal offense of correcting a warrior in public.  The man was even appointed to the job of horse-breaker on the basis of his proven success.

Shampoo, like many of the other children, had asked how he worked his magic.  The man had smiled as he explained that no magic was involved, only coming to an understanding with the horse.  Once the horse and Amazon understood each other, it was that much easier for the horse to be shown how to do what was needed.  The horse would even do it willingly, cheerfully, at times.

Ranma certainly is like that wild horse, thought Shampoo, smiling a little at the Japanese pun.  Maybe if we could gain an understanding he would be more willing to do what I want him to do:  what I need him to do.  But how can I do that?

Hibachan's plan will get Ranma's attention, at least until he gets what he wants.  He'll gain a new technique while I'll be back to square one.  I have to do more than just get his attention:  I have to make him understand me.  Make him understand how important it is that he recognizes the importance of the Kiss of Marriage:  recognize that, law or no, I DO love him.

How can I get him to understand, really understand?

I cannot simply talk to him about this; he will just ignore me.  That was certainly true.  Other attempts to snare Ranma had left him wary of anything the Amazon might say, and there was the language barrier besides.

I will have to be crafty, but how?  Airen won't blindly fall into a trap, not anymore.  He is also on guard for Hibachan's Amazon mysticism:  he won't take potions or herbs if he sees them coming.

Potions.  Shampoo skimmed back in her book for something that she suddenly recalled.  Maybe that can still work with the right delivery; and if there's one thing I've learned to do by working in Japan, it's how to make deliveries.

It took a bit more reading, but she found what she was looking for.  Too excited by her discovery to consider sleep, Shampoo went down the hall to the bedroom she shared with her great-grandmother.  She had to know if this could work.

Gently, Shampoo tapped Cologne's hand, "Hibachan?"

The elder Amazon's eyes snapped open.  "Yes, granddaughter?  Is something the matter?"

"No, Hibachan, nothing wrong.  Shampoo find something in book.  Have idea but want ask if good idea or not."

Cologne quickly dressed and both women returned to where Shampoo had been studying.

"Shampoo sorry if wake Hibachan."

"Not at all, child; when you reach my age you'll find you scarcely need sleep at all.  What did you find?"

As Shampoo detailed her idea, Cologne began nodding with understanding and appreciation of her prodigy's plan.  The two remained in conversation for the rest of the night.

======