Chapter 13: Chaos Comes In Many Forms
"Oh, I'm glad you came. Don't worry I sent Shampoo out on an unusually long delivery." Cologne directed Ranma and Akane to sit at a table inside the Cat Café'. After everyone was seated inside the restaurant, Cologne started talking. "I'm really sorry for what my great granddaughter has done to you Akane. I'm hoping you'll be able to work through it though. Good thing you have Ranma around to help you coup." Cologne the reached inside her robes and pulled out a small box. She placed it on the table in front of them and opened it to reveal two gold rings. "These rings are capable of overriding the curses. In other words if your wearing them when your splashed with cold water you'll remain the same; male and female, not female and wolf." Cologne handed the box to them then bowed her head. "Please consider this an apology for everything I did."
Ranma and Akane looked to each other then to the rings. Both skeptical about the whole situation.
"How do we know these will really work?" asked Ranma as he fingered the larger of the bands.
"Put it on and pour cold water on yourself. You'll see." Suggested Cologne to the skeptical boy in front of her. She waited as Ranma put the ring on then walked into the kitchen. She waited and was pleasantly surprised when a soaked male Ranma returned and sat down at the table.
"Ok, they work." Mumbled Ranma miserably and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Now as for your curses in regard to the baby. Since you were in your natural forms at time of conception, there shouldn't be any problems. Still, I would like Akane to avoid changing as much as possible, just in case."
Akane nodded at her words then placed her ring on her finger. "Thank you Cologne, but we need to go, I have an appointment."
Cologne bid them farewell and Ranma and Akane walked down the street. Well sort of, Ranma was walking on top of a fence with his hands behind his head. "So what appointment do you have?"
"I called Dr. Tofu's office this morning so I'm going in today." Akane blushed as she spoke. "I need to make sure I'm really pregnant."
Ranma mouthed an 'oh' and continued on in silence.
Akane waited in Dr. Tofu's office with Ranma. Dr. Tofu entered a minute later with Akane's test results. He sat down and stared at them sternly. "Akane, I didn't even know you were sexually active." He saw her blush and he started to laugh. "Anyway, as for your results, you are defiantly pregnant; I assume Ranma is the father?" Akane nodded. "Ok well, I'll need to see you again in two months, ok."
"Ok." Akane murmured as she took the appointment card Dr. Tofu handed her.
After Akane and Ranma received many jokes from Dr. Tofu they left the office and headed for home.
Akane walked down the street silently staring at the appointment card. 'So I really am pregnant. That changes everything.'
"I guess we should think of the wedding next, and soon."
Akane looked up at Ranma as he walked next to her staring up at the clouds. She was actually surprised he still wanted to marry her. "So, you still want to get married! You don't think me a 'ruined' woman for getting pregnant before I'm married?"
Ranma stopped in his tracks and stared at her bewildered. "'Ruined?' If that's the case I'm the one that 'ruined' you and it's not like we TRIED to get you pregnant, it just happened a lot sooner than we planned."
They turned the corner onto their street and saw several kids playing with squirt guns. They tried to make a run for the gate but the kids were running and screaming and there were at least 7 of them.
SPLASH
Just 5 feet from being inside the gate and two children missed their targets. The group of kids apologized to the sopping wet couple and went back to playing. Ranma and Akane entered their yard and closed the gate behind them.
Akane started to laugh quietly. "Well at least we don't have to worry about hanging." Ranma agreed and laughed along with her.
They entered the house and found everyone relaxing in the living room.
"Some kids got us with squirt guns just outside." Answered Akane.
"But your still normal!" responded Nabiki.
"That's because Cologne-"Ranma was interrupted by his father flipping him into the pond.
"Boy, you skipped out on practice today." Shouted Genma from the porch.
Several gasps erupted as an angry male Ranma climbed from the pond and slowly strolled up to his dad. "Akane and I had an appointment." Stated Ranma through clenched teeth.
"You found a cure for the curse? Give it to me!" Ordered Genma without waiting for an explanation.
Without saying a word, Ranma grabbed his dad by the shoulders, flipped around and threw him into the pond. "It's because of these rings Cologne gave us!" shouted Ranma as a giant panda emerged in the pond holding a wooden sign with "?" on it. Ranma sighed out of frustration then went inside and retrieved a towel from the bathroom then took a seat at the table next to Akane.
Everyone sat at the table eager to hear about the rings. Genma was forced to listen from outside since wet animals weren't allowed inside and no one warmed him a kettle since they wanted to know what Cologne had said.
Akane started, "she said these rings can override the curses." She showed everyone her simple gold band on her right hand. "If we're hit with cold water we'll stay the same as long as we have these on."
Ranma cast his dad a sideways glance before adding, "And we're not sharing, so don't ask Pops." The panda had started pointing to himself when Ranma glared at him but stopped upon hearing the last comment.
"Oh ya, we stopped by Dr. Tofu's office on the way home. "Interjected Akane and subconsciously placed her hands on her still flat stomach. "Cologne was right, I am pregnant." Both Akane and Ranma were congratulated.
Nodoka and Kasumi decided to make a celebration dinner and headed for the kitchen.
"Can I help?" The whole room fell silent and still. After looking around the room, Akane looked back at Kasumi and Nodoka. "I'm to be a wife and mother soon. I want to learn to cook better. Please?"
Kasumi and Nodoka looked at each other and as if through telepathy came to a conclusion. Together they answered her, "come on then." Akane quickly scrambled to her feet and followed the women into the kitchen.
Ranma sat nervously staring after them. 'Well, she did manage rice while camping. Here's hoping!' They all went about watching TV to pass the time.
About an hour later Akane started to set the table and bring out the food. Ranma stared at each dish as it was brought out. Kasumi and Nodoka brought out the last two, set them on the table and took their seats, Akane did the same.
Ranma glanced over all the food. 'It all looks edible. I wonder which dish Akane made.' Apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing since they were skeptical about starting. "So what did you make Akane?"
"I'm not telling!" replied Akane with a very stern expression on her face.
"We thought it would be better to tell you after we ate, then you could guess." Winked Kasumi as she started to fill her plate. Everyone followed her.
Ranma filled his plate and eyed everything before eating it. The beef was normal; as was the sweet and sour pork and rice. The shrimp tempura on the other hand. "Hey Kasumi, did you do something different to the tempura?" Akane flinched at his question.
"No, why?"
"It's good. Different but good!" Ranma admitted and put another piece in his mouth. He was suddenly pushed over backwards, "Akane?" He looked over to see Akane hugging him around his chest.
"Thank you Ranma. I made the tempura." Akane leaned up and smiled down at a surprised Ranma. "I'm glad you like it. I worked really hard, but I did mess up 1 thing, but you like it."
"Ya well keep practicing." Ranma sat back up and proceeded to eat. "We can't live off tempura and rice alone you know."
"Hmmm." Akane nodded with a smile on her face and started eating too.
After a couple more days they all seemed to get into a new routine. Akane was practicing her cooking while Ranma was dragged into talk about running the dojo.
About 5 days sine Akane and Ranma had returned home there was a package delivered to Akane. On the small box was an even smaller note that read "Congratulations" Akane then opened the box to reveal a gold bracelet with a heart on it, a straight line down the center. "How pretty. I wonder who it's from." She looked at the box and card again for a name. There was none. Akane shrugged then put the bracelet on her left wrist. She then ran ton show Ranma.
"Ranma, look what someone sent me as a present!" Akane charged into the dojo, scaring Ranma. She then ran up to him, but the second she was 2 feet from him, Ranma was immediately thrown across the dojo into the far wall.
"What the?" hollered Ranma and Akane in unison.
Ranma stood and approached Akane with outstretched arms. Two feet away he felt his arm repelled. He continued to feel his way around for an opening and couldn't find one. "Follow me." Akane followed him without question.
They entered the house and saw everyone there. Ranma pointed for Akane to stand in the center of the room. Despite the many odd looks they were receiving, Ranma carried on. "Kasumi, hug Akane please."
"Uh, alright." Confused, Kasumi hugged her little sister without reprocutions. She then stood back and looked at them questioningly.
"Soun, mom, pops… please hug her too." They all did so and no problem. Ranma fell to his knees and punched the floor. "Damn it! Why can't we get close? What's changed?
"Son…what's going on?" asked Nodoka concerned.
"I'm not sure…Akane came in to show me something, now I can't get within 2 feet of her. You guys can, but I can't." Ranma started hitting the floor again. "Wait, what did you want to show me?" Ranma looked up toward Akane, hoping she had the answer.
Akane extended her left arm. "Um, just this bracelet someone sent me."
"Take it off" Ranma had said it very bluntly but he was getting desperate. 'She's to be my wife, how can I marry her if I can't get close to her?'
It took a moment for his words to sink in then she reached down and grabbed the chain. She had pulled so hard that her wrist hurt from where the chain dug in on the other side. "It's no use. It won't come off."
Ranma continued to kneel on the floor in a state of shock. "Who would do this?" he sat thinking for a while, occasionally glancing up into his fiancés' saddened brown eyes. 'Wait a minute.' His face filled with anger. "I may know who did this!"
