Just A Little Time Chapter 9 Moment in the Sun, a ranma fanfic

Just a Little Time
By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl
Continuing a Ranma ½ story kernel by Dark Oni

Those characters that are original and the story "Just a Little Time" are copyrighted ©2003-2004 ShoujoFiction dot com domain by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Original kernel copyrighted ©1998 by Dark Oni.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at ShoujoFiction dot com . Comments are welcomed.

Chapter 9 - Moment in the Sun

Ranma Saotome strained that night to ignore the incessant throbbing in his head. He lay awake for most of it trying to think of ways to combat the creature. To save Nabiki, Ukyo, and the others. The creature's love of water would make battling it even more difficult. Normally, he gained speed at the price of strength when he changed. Now, he doubted whether his cursed form would even stick around for a fight much less actively attack. She was just too naïve, too weak. He had tried to think of a way to garner more information from Cologne. The Amazon elder knew more than she was telling; he was sure of it. The real problem was that his mind kept wandering back to Akane.

Finally, he fell asleep only to be awakened up what seemed like a minute later by a boisterous child - Nabiki to be precise - jumping upon him. Kasumi stood nearby anxiously as if her kid sister had drug her into something she rather not to be involved in. The resulting melee roused his father as well. Genma laid the blame squarely on his son for his slumber being disturbed. Naturally, this translated into Genma tossing Ranma out of the second story window and into the backyard pond. "Whatcha you do that for?" the wet little redhead had screamed before mooning her father, something much easier to do because of the loose clothing.

And so Ranma sat at breakfast that morning, male, slightly damp, his head aching, and his mood lower than normal.

Akane tried smoothing the ruffled feathers. The eldest Tendo daughter was a little puzzled why Kasumi was reacting the way she was about her "accident". It had happened before. No one in the family, not even Nabiki, would likely tease her about it. She knew according to Dr. Tofu, the underlying cause was psychological. One possibility was subconsciously missing their departed mother. Akane couldn't blame her little sister. She deeply missed her too. Nabiki, on the other hand, having only been barely two at the time was too young and had no memory of their mother whatsoever.

Akane sighed internally as she saw a frown stamped on Ranma's face. She was having even less luck getting him out of his foul mood. Apparently, Nabiki saw the frown too because she remarked, "I don't know why you're mad, Ranma. It ain't like I gotcha with water or nothing. I didn't change ya this morning..." The youngster took on a puzzled look and continued to ramble, "But why did you change yesterday?"

"What's it to you, kid?" Ranma snapped with a scowl, "It happened, so just leave it!"

"You're not very nice," Nabiki pouted. Ranma grumbled, pushed himself up, and left the room. Akane was puzzled by this behavior as well. Both Ranma and Kasumi had been acting strange lately. This was not something to discuss in front of the children so she would just have to talk to him alone later.

"Finish up, girls," she said briskly. Getting up, she left them and went in search of her fiancé. She found him brooding alone in the kitchen. He was standing by the sink. "Ranma..."

"I know, Akane," he interrupted before she could begin her expected rant.

"You know it doesn't matter to me."

He turned around and regarded her in a way that surprised her. "It doesn't?"

"Of course not," Akane affirmed. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms about him. For some reason, he seemed to stiffen. Taken aback, she dropped her arms. "Do you think I'm going to scold you?"

"You usually do," Ranma grumbled.

"Honestly Ranma. That's not fair," she scolded him. 'That was a long time ago.' "I know your curse is a touchy subject and someday you'll beat it, but you shouldn't take it out on Nabiki. She's just a child. Scold her for what she did this morning but..."

"Okay, okay... I just don't wanna talk about it, okay Akane?" The pigtailed martial artist huffed, "It's not manly."

The young woman gave him a very cute smile. The type of smile that makes most men weak at the knees. It just made the young Saotome nervous. "I think you're very manly, Ranma-honey." She giggled playfully.

"Uh... Akane, are ya feeling okay?"

"Sure I am," Akane replied. He looked dubious. "You don't believe me?" 'That won't do,' she thought upon seeing her fiancé's stern face. He clearly doubted her. Reaching up, she drew his face closer and kissed him fully on the lips.

Ranma's terror at the prospect of being flattened by a huge mallet was consumed instead by intense surprise. He was just starting to get over that feeling when a very outraged and high-pitched voice broke in on the lovers. "HEY! AKANE, HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!" Nabiki shouted.

# # # # #

Kasumi still did not enjoy school that day, even though it wasn't as horrifying as the first day. She slogged through classes grudgingly only doing the minimum amount of work.

By mid-morning, she made her decision. The little girl wanted to seek her sister and her friends out at lunch but instead, she got pulled into a conversation with a group of girls her own age. Music class was again a complete disaster, mainly because she had to stand in the hall holding two buckets for most of the lesson. Again, Nabiki and her classmates wandered by on their way to someplace or other.

As she left the building that afternoon, she marched straight for Nabiki, Maki, and Yuriko who were chatting by the gate. "Listen, girls," Kasumi began, "I want you to show me where the monster attacked you."

"What?" Nabiki asked, "Why?"

"'Cuz I'm gonna settle this."

"Settle what, 'Sumi?" Maki asked.

"I'm gonna get the monster," Kasumi announced, "And I want YOUR help."

"But Ranma's..." Nabiki started.

"Ain't doing nothing!"

"We've been like this a long time," Maki muttered. It was getting harder to remember what being a teen was like.

"But we can't, 'Sumi. It's B-I-G!" Yuriko argued spreading her arms out wide to emphasize the fact. This startled the others.

"Yeah, we can," Kasumi countered confidently, "I'm heir, aren't I?"

"Um... What's an 'heir'?" Maki asked looking at her friends in confusion. Yuriko shrugged her shoulders.

The eight year old waved that off. "Look, me 'n' Nabiki 'n' Maki can do it without you if we gotta." Nabiki was looking doubtful about that statement. "Look, I don't wanna spend all my time in the hallway and I REALLY don't wanna... um... you know, like this morning... 'Sides, Daddy don't believe us."

"Yeah..." her sister conceded reluctantly, "But, Kasumi, Ranma said he would..."

"Has he?" Kasumi griped. She waited until the others shook their heads. "And anyways, he'll wanna stay here."

"What?" the trio of kindergarteners squawked.

"Nabiki saw him. He's got it made... Go on, tell 'em."

"He was kissing Akane!" Nabiki declared, her facing reddening with annoyance.

"Eew!" Yuriko remarked. Kissing a boy?

"Seriously?" Maki questioned. Her friend nodded. "Wow!"

"Sure, he's little in girl form but he's got it really good otherwise. Akane don't beat him up or nothing no more," Kasumi continued. "We gotta fix this ourselves. You know that Ranma only cares about three things: martial arts, food, and Akane."

"But we gots ta wait..." her sister interjected though not very forcefully. They were all feeling intimidated by the older girl.

"Fine, NABSY," Kasumi hissed. "I betcha Maki 'n' Yuri would show me. THEY don't wanna be little FOR-EV-ER." Her sister turned several shades of pink and sniffled as her eyes misted over with tears.

"We'll come!" Maki agreed. Yuriko appeared apprehensive but didn't offer any protests.

"Good, well come on. Let's leave the baby." With that, Kasumi turned and headed down the street. Maki and Yuriko followed looking back over their shoulders every few moments to their solitary friend. Nabiki gritted her teeth and stood there defiantly. But the further her friends and older sister got away, the less resolve she felt.

The littlest Tendo tried desperately not to cry. She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled loudly. Eventually, losing the battle, her will dissolved completely into a flood of tears.

'I don't want to be a baby!' Nabiki whined to herself, 'I'm a big girl!' After all, she was really seventeen, not five. If she went though, Ranma would be mad. ''N' Ranma said I'd get a spankin'...' She didn't want that, and if Ranma didn't spank her, then certainly Akane or her father would instead. 'But Maki 'N' Yuriko will tease me! And Kasumi...' The child rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose. 'She... She... yelled at me!' The youngster plopped herself down onto the ground and bawled.

# # # # #

Ranma Saotome grew a little concerned as he approached the elementary school. He could hear someone, a little girl, crying and it sounded like Nabiki. Seconds later, he discovered it was Nabiki, who was unsuccessfully being consoled by one of the teachers.

"Hey," he asked, trying to sound reassuring, "What happened?"

"RANMA!" Nabiki wailed and flung herself at the pigtailed teen.

"Are you okay, Nabiki?"

"'Sumi was mean to me!" she whined.

"She was?" He quickly looked around. "Where is Kasumi?" Ranma asked he felt his stomach sinking. The five year old continued to cry. Lifting the little girl up, he dug in his pocket for a handkerchief and put it to her nose. "Blow." When she didn't, he ordered more firmly, "Nabiki. Blow." She did so. "Now take a deep breath." She took one and hiccuped. "Deep breath." Again, the littlest Tendo complied. Snuffling but obviously calmer, she hugged Ranma who regarded the teacher.

"No idea," the teacher replied to the obvious question, "I found her just a minute before you showed up."

"Hmmm..." Ranma replied with a frown. "Nabiki?"

"Wha-What?" Nabiki answered in a throaty voice.

"Do you know where Kasumi and the others went?" Tears filled the child's eyes but she nodded. "Where Nabsy-cakes?"

"Fightin' the monster."

The martial artist smacked his forehead and gritted his teeth. He wanted to swear but wouldn't in front of a child.

"Monster?" the teacher asked.

"It's a big c-c-ca..." Ranma gulped and whispered, "Cat."

"Oh..."

"Where'd she go?" Ranma questioned his charge.

"Where it was 'fore, I think."

Taking on a grim look, he asked the youngster, "Ready for a little ride?"

Nabiki's eyes lit up. "YEAH!"

"Hang on then!" And with that, Ranma put the child on his shoulders and bounded away leaving the teacher more than a little stunned.

# # # # #

Maki gave Nabiki's older sister a wary look before turning her eyes over to her friend Yuriko who was practically clinging to her. She could feel the tension building in the pit of her stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She briefly wondered if Ranma had discovered them missing yet but shied away from that thought. 'How could Nabiki abandon us?' Maki wondered disloyally, 'Does she really like being five?' Maybe Kasumi had a point. Ranma was taking his sweet time. He should have beat up that monster by now. Nevertheless, that didn't mean Maki was in any hurry to meet up with it. There were worse things than being five years old. She also had serious doubts about Kasumi being as good as she claimed even if she was older than them.

"Is this it?" Kasumi demanded interrupting her thoughts.

Maki felt her mouth go dry. Yuriko hid behind her. She looked extremely unhappy at seeing the familiar stretch of road next to the canal where they had been attacked. Where things had changed so drastically for the three former high school juniors.

"It's not here, Kasumi," Maki observed, "Let's go back."

"Don't be silly, Maki. We ain't leaving yet," Kasumi remarked. "Let's see... Yeah... We gotta get it out into the open." The eight year old gave the duo a look that dared them to contradict her. "Come on," she commanded. She moved off down the street and closer to the spot.

"We're in SO much trouble," Maki breathed so that only Yuriko could hear.

Yuriko was thinking that exact same thing but she was just too frightened to voice it. She was also feeling very guilty about leaving her best friend. Her friend had been brave to stay behind. 'Nabiki's a good girl.' Which of course meant she was a bad girl. Nanami too had said she was bad. Could she be right? Yuriko hoped not. 'I want to go!' she cried to herself. She wished Maki would just leave, and then she could run back.

Walking down that same street, now in a much smaller body, was quite disconcerting. Each step they took towards the dreaded spot where they had been attacked made Maki feel more and more unsettled. She took a fleeting look around the area. Yes, something was watching them; she could feel its hideous eyes on her.

About halfway down the street, Yuriko suddenly stopped, nearly toppling her friend over in the process. The little girl stood stock-still, her eyes tightly shut. The sounds she heard were ominous. The air seemed to grow colder with every step. Kasumi peered down at the canal through the chain-link fence separating it from the road. Nothing was in evidence.

"Can we go now, Kasumi? Please?" Maki pleaded, not caring at this point how her voice sounded. 'I should've stayed with Nabiki.'

"Chill out, Maki. We just gotta get it out here," Kasumi reassured the younger girls. Pivoting, she shouted down to the canal, "Hey Big 'n' Ugly!"

'Just great!' Yuriko worried with a shudder, 'Really tick it off!' Suddenly, there was a crash from behind them. All three girls gave a screech of surprise. The two kindergarteners ran and clung to Kasumi for protection. In the fading light of sunset, they saw an old gray alley cat streak past them. 'If that happens again,' the smaller girl thought anxiously, 'I'll wet myself.' Her friend didn't look much better.

"Gee, it's only a kitty." Kasumi brushed her two frightened companions aside. The pair retreated. They held each other's hands tightly as they watched Kasumi sniff then turn back towards the canal. The young martial artist dropped into a combat stance then called, "I'm talking to you, Mr. Monster!" No response. She called out again, "Are you scared of a Tendo?" The only sounds were the trickling of water, the distant sounds of traffic, and the rustling of leaves. There was nothing, nothing except...

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THREE DOING?" The voice rang out like a gunshot. Yuriko screamed and ducked behind Maki. Maki gulped audibly.

'Ranma!' Yuriko supplied then his cargo. 'Nabiki!' With sudden overwhelming relief, she plopped herself down onto the ground and cried; her friend wasn't long in following.

Kasumi, her confidence vanishing like the morning mists, tried very hard not to cry. She couldn't cry, not in front of Maki and Yuriko, not after calling her own sister a baby.

Ranma sat Nabiki down and she ran over to her friends. The teen martial artist turned and gave Kasumi a stern look. "What do you think you are doing, Kasumi?"

"Getting the monster!" Kasumi retorted. She leapt quickly into a defensive stance in an attempt to impress her teacher.

"And what if Maki or Yuriko had gotten hurt?" The eight year old had no answer. He put his hands on his hips. "Do you know what its weaknesses are? Do you know what techniques the Amazons used to defeat it?"

"T-Tech... No," the little pigtailed brunette admitted, bowing her head.

The three five year old's quieted some. The still sniffled but didn't want to miss the older girl being chewed out. They also didn't want Ranma to think about what they had done.

"So you were going to fight it."

"Yes, I'm heir to Tendo Dojo," Kasumi pointed out although she didn't feel like one now.

"And what about the other monsters?"

"Other..." the three kindergartners squeaked, huddling together, and looking around.

"M-Monsters?" Kasumi finished, looking very small at that moment.

"Yeah, the..." Ranma trailed off looking grim. "So you're gonna risk yourself or Nabiki or her friends just to take on something you don't know nothing about? Some martial artist..."

"But I wanna be big!"

"So does Nabiki!" Ranma replied sternly. The youngsters giggled nervously at the look on Kasumi's face.

"BULLSHIT!" Kasumi shouted back, fists clenched.

"'Sumi said a bad word!" Nabiki squeaked, eyes wide. This was something even the grown Kasumi rarely did.

"Do you want a spanking, young lady?" Ranma thundered.

"You ain't my daddy!"

The teen walked over to the eight year old, bent down, and gave her a long look. "That's right, little Miss Tendo, but I'm just as responsible for you as Akane or your father. If it takes your dad spankin' ya to knock some sense into that stubborn skull of yours that you can't handle the monster, then fine." Kasumi's shoulders slumped and she looked at the ground miserably. "Now let's go home." Ranma in a tired voice heaved a sigh.

# # # # #

Soun Tendo gazed out his bedroom window and sighed. Ranma had placed Maki and Yuriko back into their parents' care and then had brought his children home. Ranma was in the dojo working out alone - no afternoon classes today - which was just as well given Ranma's mood. Akane was in the kitchen preparing supper. Nabiki was with Kasumi just as unhappy as if she was the one in hot water. And Kasumi was looking miserable. Both girls still wearing their school uniforms were silently waiting outside their father's bedroom.

Soun sat there trying to consider what he was going to do. Ranma had argued for leniency. Akane too had agreed saying that it was just stress and pointing out Kasumi's earlier bedwetting the previous night as proof. She suggested they should consult Dr. Tofu. He reluctantly dismissed their suggestions. In his opinion, the problem was more than just stress. Kasumi had placed others in danger. True, his eight year old daughter had always been adventurous and spirited. Soun appreciated those qualities in her just as he appreciated Akane's gentle touch. Kasumi though had recently become rash, disrespectful, and rebellious. None of which he was willing to tolerate.

Ranma indicated that he was willing to take Kasumi on for extra training but again, Soun declined. 'I place so much on him already.' It was good that the boy and his eldest would wed someday. Ranma taking on a role as second father with his two youngest only substantiated Akane's choice more in his mind and the wisdom of the pact he had made a decade ago with his friend Genma. The elder Tendo always felt a pang of guilt. His wife's untimely death had taken something out of him.

What Soun would not admit to either Ranma or Akane though, was the fact that Kasumi's actions didn't fit his image of an heir. He had given this serious consideration. The Tendo Dojo must have an heir after all. Akane had taken over the household chores after their mother's passing and Soun was unwilling to add to her burdens. Not that she had shown much interest in "The Art". Nabiki had been too young.

So it had fallen to little Kasumi. In the beginning, she had taken to it like a fish to water. She even got Nabiki interested. But things had changed. 'Perhaps, I've neglected the mental disciplines of The Art, emphasizing only the physical.' To put it another way: Kasumi had grown a little too big for her britches. It was one thing to claim to be heir to the Tendo Dojo. It was quite another to actually be heir. Her behavior today demonstrated a flaw in his teachings. Still, she's young and there was ample time to correct this.

After a few more minutes of thought, he walked over to his door and opened it. "Kasumi, come in here." His middle daughter did so; Nabiki trailed behind. "Nabiki," Soun said gently, "I wish to talk to your sister alone. Go and play." The youngster might not have left but her father didn't give her any choice. Once he was sure his youngest was gone, he stepped back into the room and closed the door.

He took Kasumi's hand, led her over to a chair, and sat down. She stood before him for a moment silently regarding him before asking softly, "Are you mad, Daddy?"

"Yes, Kasumi. I'm very disappointed in you." The pigtailed brunette's eyes filled with tears. "I thought you were a big girl."

"I am!"

"Not when you do such dangerous things. Nabiki's younger than you are but she stayed at school. I'm very proud of her for that." He would have said more but Kasumi launched into a flurry of reasoning. "ENOUGH!" he shouted midway through her second retelling of the story. "What you did was wrong, period."

There was a long pause and then Kasumi admitted softly, "I know, Daddy. Sorry."

"Well, I'm glad about that," the father remarked with some relief. "Now here's how we're going to handle it. Firstly, I will setup some extra training for you. Until it's complete, you aren't to attend the junior classes with Nabiki."

"But Daddy, I..."

"NO!" Soun snapped. "Secondly, you are change into your pajamas and head straight to bed after we're done here."

"Yes sir," the little girl replied.

"Finally, young lady, you've earned yourself a spanking."

Kasumi just stared at him in disbelief. 'A spanking?' she thought, 'No way.' She had spanked Akane occasionally when Akane was little but she couldn't remember ever getting one herself. 'And this is Daddy, not Ranma. 'N' I'm not Nabiki!' There was only one conclusion. "Stop joshing, Daddy!"

"I'm not."

"Bu-but y-you never..." By way of answer, Soun pulled her over his lap. 'NO! I'm not little! I'm nineteen!' It had to be a nightmare. The first swat took her completely by surprise. It was not until the third that Kasumi's brain truly registered what was occurring.

# # # # #

The late afternoon sun made the distant nimbus clouds appear even darker. The foot traffic was normal for that time of day in Nerima. Akane, walking beside Ranma after supper, glanced towards her future husband and lost a little of her smile.

In an effort to break the awkward silence and get the sometimes-girl to pay attention to her, Akane decided to remark on the weather. "Looks like it'll rain tomorrow." Ranma's reply was a grunt. "What's the matter, Ranma?" He glanced at her for a moment and then sighed.

"It's Nabiki. I just don't get her." The little girl's listlessness hadn't even been dispelled by Ranma changing forms. "She didn't want ice cream or anything, Akane."

"Is that all? Nabiki just thinks Kasumi's mad at her." Akane walked closer and assured him, "Dad'll cheer her up." Soun was determined to give Nabiki a special treat for being so good. 'I hope Father doesn't go overboard.'

"I don't think it'll work. Nabsy's set on being miserable," the teen martial artist figured. He shook his head and stared off into space. "I never thought Kasumi would act like that." She was so different for the reserved young woman he knew. After a moment, he sighed and looked towards the ground. "Sorry Akane."

"For what? You weren't the one to leave school on some imaginary monster hunt," Akane pointed out. "Don't worry, Ranma. Father will straighten Kasumi out."

"I feel like I messed up," the pigtailed martial artist grumbled more to himself than his companion.

"No, you didn't," she soothed, "And for Nabiki to do what she did means you made a big impression on her." 'Almost as big as the one you've made on me.' She slipped an arm about him and was happy when Ranma responded in kind. "Kasumi never really took to you but Father trusts you like his own son." She saw some of the strain leave his face and he smiled.

Ranma then said the oddest thing, "Ya know, Kasumi sorta reminds me of you."

While Akane was chewing on remark, she noticed something. "Ranma-honey?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't WE going for ice cream?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Then why are we headed towards Ucchan's?" Akane pointed down the street to where the sign for "Ukyo's Okonomiyaki Restaurant" hung.

"Force of habit I guess," Ranma answered, "I think with my stomach." As if on cue, it rumbled. "I could do with a snack."

"Good grief, Ranma!" his fiancée exclaimed, "You just had a supper large enough to feed the entire army of Japan!"

"I'm a growin' boy!" Ranma replied and patted his stomach, which growled.

Akane giggled and shook her head. "Well I guess it won't hurt and I want to check up on Ukyo." They continued until they came to the entrance and went in.

"RANMA!" was little Ukyo's happy greeting. She was wearing pajamas and holding a stuffed puppy by one ear. She was in Ryouga's arms. The sometimes-pig martial artist turned and smiled; something that made Ranma nervous.

"Hey, you two!" Ryouga greeted while walking over to them, "If you hang on a second, I'll put Ukyo to bed, and then, I can whip you up something to eat."

'Ryouga cook okonomiyaki?' The pigtailed teen wasn't so sure he wanted one but Akane didn't leave him much choice.

"We had supper already, Ryouga," she informed him, "But thank you anyway. Ranma will have one. He says he's starved!"

"Ranma!" Ukyo squealed more than a little plaintively as she reached out towards him. Grinning, he took her from his rival and gave her a large hug. Akane took the little girl next and started fussing over her.

"I'll get started then," Ryouga declared and set about making Ranma one of his favorites. Ranma, for his part, just stared in bewilderment.

"Let's go see if we can find a story," Akane mused and without even asking, carried the preschooler from the room. Ryouga smiled after her before turning back to the large grill.

"You are so lucky, Saotome," he remarked. "Akane's a wonderful girl."

"Y-Yeah... She is," Ranma admitted and then asked, "So Ryouga, when did you learn to cook okonomiyaki?"

The lost boy stared at him for a moment then explained, "Well, Ukyo's old man asked me to look after it for her, didn't he?" He shook his head. "I promised him as a martial artist that I'd keep it going until Ukyo was old enough. It was the least I could do to repay the debt I owed him." He sighed, served Ranma the finished okonomiyaki, and wiped the grill down.

Before Ranma could comment, Akane came back still carrying Ukyo and holding a storybook. "Ukyo says she wants this one, Ryouga," she giggled.

"Going to bed, kiddo?" Ranma asked. 'She's so cute.'

"No!" the four year old shook her head.

"Yes, you are, young lady," her guardian disagreed while taking the youngster from Akane, "You had a big day today."

"NO! Me going with Ranma. Goin' his house."

"Not tonight," Ryouga said while retrieving the youngster who hit him with the toy. "That's not nice, Ukyo."

"Poopy!" Ukyo pouted.

Ranma ate while Akane read the little girl the story. By the time it was over, the child was nearly asleep.

"We'll leave you to it, Ryouga," Akane declared putting the book down on the table. Ranma gave Ukyo a quick hug trying not to wake her and winked at his sometimes rival. The couple was just to the door when Ryouga called after them.

"Say Akane, would you babysit Ukyo for me Saturday?"

"Sure!" Akane replied with a grin. Ranma nodded and with that, they left.

# # # # #

The couple, having gotten their ice cream, was walking at a leisurely pace. Akane was happy to see that Ranma was paying more attention to her. 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' she mused as she placed her head lovingly against her fiancé's strong bicep.

"Akane?"

"Hmm?"

The young man stopped and glanced around as if expecting to be attacked. Looking more than a little hesitant, he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a serious look.

"What is it, Ranma?" the raven-haired girl wondered.

"I... I l-love you." The pigtailed teen tensed as if expecting a mallet to fall on him at any instant. Akane for her part giggled, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. He relaxed and after a few seconds returned the kiss. 'Okay, I can say it... But this isn't my Akane.' Once they broke apart, Ranma stared down at her. 'Akane helps me.' Maybe she could help him out with Kasumi.

The couple continued their walk and after a short time, spotted a figure they knew. "Hi Doc!"

Dr. Tofu, arms full of groceries, turned and grinned at the pair. "Go help him out, Ranma," Akane suggested. Her fiancé nodded and jogged up to the young physician.

"Man Doc, are you feedin' an army or something?"

"I'm afraid that I've been busy lately," Tofu explained while shifting some of the bags to one of his regular patients. "I haven't been shopping in awhile."

"Ah..."

"Hello, Dr. Tofu," Akane greeted, "Do you have a moment or two? We wanted to talk to you."

"Yes, come along to the clinic." As they started walking, he asked, "What's it about?" He looked them quickly over. Neither seemed in need of his services. "You two out for a walk?"

"Ice cream and a couple of errands," she replied then turning more serious, "I wanted to talk to you about Kasumi actually."

"Yeah Doc," Ranma piped in but then added, "It's been an interesting day."

"Really? Well let's wait until we're settled better and then we can talk." Ranma's stomach growled as if hungry. Akane stared in an open mouth fashioned as her fiancé turned red.

# # # # #

Sometime later, Dr. Tofu and the two teens sat in the clinic's waiting room. As they drank tea, Dr. Tofu had prepared, they discussed the day's events and Akane told the doctor about her concerns.

"I'm glad the girls weren't hurt," Dr. Tofu remarked and then grinned, "Kasumi has always been active, almost borderline ADHD."

"Hmm..." Akane didn't appear overly impressed by that remark.

"I just wish I could get her attention sometimes," Ranma commented. "It's okay with Nabiki but..." 'They're both so different.' He shrugged.

Dr. Tofu looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Hold on, Ranma, I might have just the thing for you." He left the waiting room and entered his office. A few moments later, he came back out carrying a small leather-bound volume. "This might help." He handed the book to the young martial artist.

Ranma took it, blinked, and said in a strained voice, "Practical Pressure Points for Partners?"

Dr. Tofu turned scarlet and stammered, "Sorry, my mistake. I got the wrong one." He began reaching for it to retrieve it but Akane delicately removed it from her fiancé's hands.

"I'd like to borrow it for a while if it's okay with you, Dr. Tofu." Ranma looked terrified by this point. Dr. Tofu looked a little distressed but nodded his approval. He then retreated into his office.

"Uh... A-Akane?" The feral smile he observed made the pigtailed youth inch away slightly from the girl.

After a moment, the doctor came back with a similar looking book and announced, "This is what I wanted to show you."

"Well that makes a little more sense," Ranma replied as he read the title, "Practical Pressure Points for Parents". He shook his head remembering the problems he had using them on his English teacher Miss Hinako. "But I ain't really into pressure points, Doc."

"I recommend 'Technique Number Five,'" Dr. Tofu stated simply.

# # # # #

The young couple stayed long enough to finish their tea before leaving. As they walked down the street toward their home, Ranma tried to figure out a way to get the book Akane was carrying away from her. 'Maybe I should use 'Number Five'.' He wasn't really interested in mastering all pressure points but a few of them wouldn't hurt. Dr. Tofu and Cologne certainly put them to good effect. His mind was so occupied that he nearly tripped when Akane stopped dead in her tracks. He turned around and regarded her in confusion.

"What's up?"

"Ranma, did you feel the ground shake?" Akane asked worriedly.

Ranma looked around but didn't see anything. "Nope."

"I'm sure I felt..." Akane stopped and this time Ranma felt it. He frowned. "Earthquake?" It felt off to him. All the animal sounds had stopped.

Then something told him to move fast. Never one to ignore his senses, Ranma scooped his fiancée up and leapt away to the nearest rooftop. Just then, the street exploded as a huge jet of water erupted into the air. And from the surface of said water waved glowing blue tentacles.

End of Chapter 9

Coming next in Chapter 10 - A New Paradigm