Chapter 9

"What? You have a problem?" demanded Ranmachan as she stared at the class, wiping her hands on the seat of her pants. "He's lucky I didn't kill him." she stated.

A purring from behind her caused Ranma to spin around. Instead of the evil monsters she expected, she saw her lover, in her cursed body. The two stared at each other for a moment. Then Ranmachan covered her nose and blushed, running from the room. Akane moved to follow but tripped on the ruins of her uniform and crashed through her desk. Irritated, she slashed down and sliced the dress off herself before running after her mate. Neither of them noticed the teacher cowering in the corner of the room, or the boys staring at them, drool leaking down their chins.

Nabiki stared as a girl with red hair ran by, wearing Ranma's clothes. She did a quick check and couldn't think of any student at Furinkan or any nearby school that had red hair, so she came to the impossible conclusion that somehow, the girl was Ranma.

The huge black and white cursed form of her sister passed by, running after the girl. Nabiki watched for a moment then started to chase after them. "Akane! Wait! You're not wearing any clothes!" she screamed at the fleeing pair. She didn't notice the arrival of the ambulance nor its departure as the paramedics brought what was left of Kuno Tatewaki to the nearest private hospital. After all, a noble of Kuno's line could not be expected to be treated at a common, public hospital with descendants of their former servants, could they? ********************************************************* Ranma ran into the changeroom, immediately looking for the showers. Seeing them, she tore off her clothes and adjusted the spray so that the stream would be hot enough to trigger the curse, but not too hot that she would be burned. Sensing a presence behind her, she spun not surprised to see Akane behind her. Remembering what the two of them had been doing in class and that they had almost done caused her to blush. Realizing that she was staring at Akane's naked body, she eeped and spun, one hand pinching her nostrils closed.

"Jeez, Akane. Don't sneak up an a guy like that." she stated, stepping into the shower. The hot water washed over her, changing her back into his natural body. "Why you in here anyway, this is the boy's locker room."

Akane didn't answer, simply stepping into the spray. She looked up at him, her brows krinkled in mock anger. "Well, what are you waiting for, baka?"

"What are you talking about, tomboy?" Ranma asked, sensing the teasing tone behind her harsh words.

Akane grinned and slipped her arms around his neck, pressing her naked body against his. "Aren't you going to finish what we started in class, lover?" she whispered into his ear, kissing it. She rubbed herself against him, feeling his reaction to her growing between them.

Ranma groaned as Akane pressed herself against him. "As much as I want to, this isn't the right time or place for this." He kissed her gently. "We need to dry off and get dressed." He crumpled under her pout. An idea came into his head. "Why don't we skip the rest of the day and go out?"

Akane thought for a moment, struggling to get control of her raging desire. Ranma's idea was a good one. A stray thought entered her head before she could form a reply. "But I don't have any clothes!" she exclaimed, blushing. "The only things I have here are my gym clothes."

The sound of a throat clearing caused them both turn, hands reaching to cover their private areas. "Excuse me, but if you two hentais don't want to be arrested for public indecency, I suggest you, Ranma, put your clothes on, and you Akane, " a bundle of cloth flew through the air and collided with Akane's chest. "Put these on. You can pay me later."

Akane smiled as Ranma eeped and leapt behind a half wall that separated the shower area from the changeroom. She turned off the spray with one hand, clasping the bundle of clothing to her chest with the other. "Thanks Nabiki." She said, stepping into the changeroom. She placed the clothes on a bench and grabbed a towel.

After drying herself she realized that Ranma was still cowering behind the partition. She walked over to it and looked over the barrier. She giggled as she saw her lover curled into a ball, doing his best to cover his private parts from view. She stopped giggling and glanced over to Nabiki who was craning her neck, trying to get a better look at Ranma. A surge of jealously struck her.

"Nabiki! Quit trying to peek at MY mate." She gritted her teeth and took a step towards her sister.

Nabiki recognized the look on her sisters face and started to back away. She reached out behind her and twisted the doorknob. "Sorry, imoutochan, but I have to get going. Remember, you only have a few more minutes before the gym class lets out and this room fills up. If you don't want to give them a show, you'll need to make a choice: You can chase after me to beat me up or you can get dressed."

Ranma poked his head over the half wall. "Well, that ruined the mood. Pass me a towel so I can dry off, well ya?"

Akane smiled. "If you think that this is over, you'd better think again, anata." She slipped the dress over her head, the material obstructing her view as Ranma dryed himself with a towel. Once her head popped through the openeing, she saw that Ranma had already dressed and was waiting for her. "We're still going out, right?" she asked as he reached out a hand for her.

Ranma squeezed her small hand and pulled her to his side. He draped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Sure. Where do you want to go? I don't know Nerima at all. What is there to do here?"

Akane thought for a moment. "Well, we could go see a movie or take a walk in the park. If neither of those seem interesting, we could hop a train and go into Tokyo. Maybe visit a theme park or tournament of some kind. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of martial arts exhibition or tournament going on in Juuban. The only thing is, it's all the way on the other side of the city. We wouldn't be able to get back until very late and the trains stop running at 1:00am."

"Than let's make it a two day trip." Ranma suggested. "We'll go see a movie, then hop the train to Juuban. We can check out the exhibition and spend the night there and come back tomorrow afternoon."

Akane's smile widdened. "That sounds great. We'll need to stop at home and pick up a few things, not to mention letting Kasumi know where we'll be and to see if she minds taking care of Makoran overnight." Her smile faltered when she spoke her daughter's name. "I hope she'll be okay. I've never been away from her overnight before."

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Ranma stated. "Our daughter is not going to be some whiney girl. She's going to be a strong, beautiful tomboy like her mother." Ranma ducked as Akane swung half-heartedly. He stuck out his tongue and dodged another swing. Laughing, he ran from the room, being chased by a fiercly scowling Akane. ********************************************************* Chapter 10

Kasumi hummed gently to herself as she folded the laundry she had just finished washing. A gurgle behind her caused her to smile and turn her head. She watched Makoran playing happily with some of her baby toys. The baby swiped at a rubber mouse with her claws, giggling happily as it spun and bounced around her playpen.

She sighed and turned back to the laundry, of which there was very little to do. She had already finished the majority earlier that day, and now there was not much left for her to do until Akane and Ranma returned from school. Nabiki had already phoned to say she was going shopping, so she would not be back until dinner time. Otousan and Saotomesan were playing Shogi by the garden. All she had to do was watch Makoran.

Not that she really minded that task. Makoran was a darling little girl and very well behaved. She was several months ahead of most children her age. She could already crawl and sometimes climbed out of her crib. She always climbed right back into the crib. Like Ranma, she was a very physical person and enjoyed the physical activity of the climb more than making a mess. She would sometimes take a toy out of the toy chest and carry it into the crib in her teeth.

One night, puzzled by how different toys were getting into the crib after they put her to sleep, Kasumi and Akane had asked Nabiki to set up a camera in the room to tape what happened over night. They had all been amazed as they watched the seven month old wake up without a noise. She had turned onto her stomach and shakily gotten on all fours.

From there, she scampered over to the bars of the crib and grapsed them with her hands. Using them, she pulled herself upright and with the help of her claws, was able to climb out of the crib by grasping the top bar and pulling herself up while using her little feet to push against the bars. She balanced on the bar before tipping over onto the floor.

Like a cat, she turned herself in the air to land on all fours, still having not uttered a sound. She made her way over to the toychest, a little purr starting in her tiny chest. She reached up and pushed the lid of the chest off. Then grabbing the edge, she again pulled herself upright.

She peered over the edge of the chest, her back to the camera. One tiny hand reached into the neat pile and pulled out a rubber mouse that Nabiki had purchased as a joke. Purring happily, Makoran let go of the edge and stood on her own feet for a few seconds, her tail allowing her to balance. Her legs, however, soon gave out and she fell onto her bottom.

Now her face could be seen by the camera and there was an unmistakable grin on her face. She gently bit the mouse's tail, and turned onto her stomach. From that position, she was able to crawl back to the crib.

The climb in was even more amazing then the escape. Makoran was able to reach up and grasp the bottom edge of the mattress and using her feet to push against the leg of the crib, she pulled herself up. Once she was holding the bars with her hands and her feet were steady on the matress between some of the bars, she reached up with a hand and grabbed the top bar again. She pulled herself up and onto the bar, this time leaping down into the crib. Throughout it all, the mouse was clutched between her teeth and she was purring loudly.

A noise from the front door startled Kasumi out of her fond remembrance and brought her back to the present. She took another quick glance at Makoran before gliding into the greeting room, where she was suprised to see Ranma and Akane slipping into their indoor shoes and tossing their school bags into the closet.

"Konnbawa, Imoutochan, Ranmakun. You're certainly home early. Did they cancel school again, Akane?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

Akane shrugged and grabbed Ranma's hand, moving towards the shoji that lead to the area Kasumi usually did the laundry on nice days. Akane knew that Kasumi would put out the playpen for Makoran. She sketched a quick greeting to Kasumi as she passed, hardly aware of her presence. At the moment all she was interested in was seeing her baby. After all, she was going away for a few days and she wanted to say goodbye and get a last hug and kiss from her beautiful little girl.

"Nah. Akane and I just decided to leave early because some of the people were botherin' us." Ranma stated as he was partly dragged through the room. "We decided to take a break and leave for a few days till things calm down."

"Oh my. Where will you be going?" Kasumi asked as she glided after her sister and soon-to-be brother in law.

It was Akane who answered. She dropped Ranma's hand and picked up a mewling Makoran, who had started fussing when she heard her mother's voice. "We're going to go into Tokyo for two days. Do you remember that tournament I mentioned I wanted to see? We're going to go watch that."

"But where will you stay?" Kasumi asked, concern touching her voice.

Akane spun Makoran around causing the girl to chortle with glee. Ranma went over and started making faces, which caused Makoran to giggle louder than ever.

"We're going to get a hotel room. More than likely at that place we stayed when we were little and Okaachan took us to see a traditional kabuki performance." Akane stated as she passed Makoran to Ranma, who started doing an airplane imitation.

Kasumi's eyebrow rose slightly. "How will you be able to afford such an expensive hotel? Daddy hasn't had a student in years."

"I'm paying." Ranma answered. He held Makoran cradled in one arm and used the other to poke at her ticklish spots. Makoran countered by swiping at his hand with her tiny claws. Ranma grinned and glanced up at Kasumi. "Actually, Pops's the one payin'. He just don't know it yet."

Kasumi smiled at the young man. 'Ranma's going to be a wonderful father.' she thought to herself. 'It's obvious how much he loves Makoran and Akane.' "Are you sure he'll have enough to cover two nights, oniisan? If not, I can always give you some from the family account." she offered gently. She already knew that Ranma's pride was very touchy and that he might very well resent the implacation that he could not care for his family. Which is why she mentioned that the money would come from the family account. She was showing him that she considered him family, even though he and Akane were not officially married.

Ranma considered it for a moment. While his first instinct was to refuse and to refuse loudly, he was not certain if his father had had time to hide his stash or not. Kasumi's offer was generous, but her own words earlier about the lack of business from the dojo worried him. He did not wish to take money that they would need at a later date.

"Thank you for the offer, Kasumi-oneechan. But I am unsure if it would be wise to take money from the family's coffers. I know for certain that I can cover one night in the hotel, meals, train fare, and other expenses of that nature. If I can not acquire the remaining amount, than I will accept your offer. But only on the condition that I am allowed to make reparations at my earliest opportunity." He stated formally, bowing deeply as he finished. It would have been impressive if he was not holding Makoran in one arm. With him holding her it was even more impressive. The baby purred and giggled as she found herself horizontal to the ground, staring sideways at her mother.

Kasumi nodded. That was a fair solution. "Than I also accept your request, oniisan. If you are unable to pay for both nights, than the family will pay for the second. You will pay for the meals, and for train fare. However, I will also give you some money of my own and ask that you purchase a few things for me. It would save me a trip into Tokyo and allow me to remain here, where I will be able to look after Makoran for you and Akane."

"Oh thank you oneechan!" Akane exclaimed. "I hated to have to ask you that. I realize how selfish we've all been, relying on you to take care of us since Mother died. You've giving up your own life to take care of us and I know how unfair that was and how kind and generous it was for you to do. And I promise that I will start to take more responsibility for myself and Makoran. She's old enough now, at least in one way, to put into a local daycare. That will allow you to get out some. And Ranma and I will start to do our own duties and chores." Akane wiped a tear from her eye. "It's time I start caring for my family on my own."

Kasumi felt her eyes watering. 'Imoutochan is growing up.' she thought to herself, discreetly wiping her eyes. "It's been my pleasure, imoutochan. You've made me so proud. If mother were here, I have no doubt that she would be as proud of the woman you've become as I am."

Akane lifted Makoran out of Ranma's grasp and held her close to her heart. "A lot of that is because of you, oneechan. And I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you've sacrificed for us. But we're old enough to care for ourselves enough now, and otousan has Saotome-san to stay with him. It's past time for you to start taking care of yourself and to try and find your own family. Now that Ranma is here, we can take care of Makoran. That's part of the reason we're going. We need a few days alone to iron things out between us and to get to know each other again before we can really start to take control of our own lives." ********************************************************* A young man trudged through a dark forest. He was wearing dark brown canvas pants and a yellow and black shirt. His black hair was kept out of his eyes by a bandana with the same spotted pattern as his shirt. On his back he carried a grossly overloaded hiking pack. In his hand, he carried a bamboo umbrella, which he used to clear his path of vines and other obstacles.

His face was set in a scowl, as though he was in pain or angry beyond reason. A jaguar leapt out from the bush at him and he casually knocked it aside, not pausing in his march. The wild cat tried again, only to be sent flying away from it's prey as the young man swatted it into the air with the umbrella.

Throughout his journey, only one thought, one desire, kept him putting one foot in front of the other. Revenge. Revenge against the person who had ruined his life. Revenge against all those who were responsible for his miserable existence.

"Saotome Ranma! Tendo Akane!" the boy screamed into the forest. "I will destroy your happiness!" His fist lashed out and connected with a tree, causing the trunk to turn to dust under his immense strength.

A finger tapped him on the shoulder and the boy turned, not surprised to see that the forest was gone and that he was now standing in the middle of a more civilized park. Beyond the trees, he could make out incredibly tall buildings of steel and glass. He studied the person before him.

"Is something wrong, officer?" he asked in perfect English. He thought he was speaking Japanese. He thought he was in Japan. He hoped he was in Japan. He was wrong.

The police officer looked the boy up and down. "Yeah. You just destroyed public property, kid. I'm going to have to take you in."

The dark-haired youth tilted his head and squinted at the officer. "Okay. But first can I ask you something?"

His hand resting on the handle of his pistol, the officer nodded. "Sure kid. What is it?"

"Just where the hell am I now?" he shouted. Behind him, the setting sun briefly spotlighted the Statue in the harbor as it proudly held up a torch.

********************************************************* "Are you sure you packed enough, imoutochan?" Kasumi asked as she watched her sister and her lover prepare to leave.

Akane's face scrunched up in thought. "Yes. We aren't going for long and we're only going to see a movie and go to the tournament. If we're very lucky, maybe they'll have an opening and we can get in the tournament."

"Don't know why you'd wanna take part in some silly tournament, Akane." Ranma stated as he placed his bag next to Akane's suitcase. "Most of the ones I've seen have been pretty dull. I ain't seen anyone who could do half of what you can."

"That might be true, Ranma, but being in a tournament is an excellent way to promote the dojo. Or do you have something else in mind to support a family?" Akane asked, jiggling Makoran in her arms.

Ranma scratched his head. "I never thought of it that way. So, what you're sayin', is that if we fight in this tournament and others, that when we win, people will want to come train under us?"

"It's like you said, anata. Most people can't do what we can simply because they don't know it's possible. When we show them what we can do, they'll come to us to learn how to do it themselves. The more tournaments we enter and do well at, the better for us." Akane's eyes lit up. "This is the biggest of the tournaments. It's a freestyle, anything goes mix."

"What's that all mean?"

"It means that it's not limited by styles. At most tournaments, the disciplines don't fight each other because the organisors are trying to see who the best at that style is. So kendoists fight only kendoists, karate against karate, kempo against kempo and so on. But at this one, they are trying to see who the best martial artist is by mixing the styles without hindering anyone."

"But what if a kendoist is facing off against akido? Does he have to go without a sword?"

"No. That's what makes this different. If a person is used to fighting in one style, and that style is a weapons form, than they are allowed to use their weapon."

Ranma began to see some interesting opportunities with this tournament. If he, no if they, could secure spots, it would be an amazing chance to train against many different styles at once. Lately, his father had been sticking to kempo and akido. It would be good to see how he would match up against, say, a dan level kickboxer or karate champion. Maybe there would be some exotic martial arts like capeore or Thai boxing.

Akane saw the light in Ranma's eyes grow at the thought of facing off against highly skilled opponents of various disciplines. She gave Kasumi a small grin of triumph. She knew her lover very well. She knew that the idea of pitting his vast skills against an array of highly skilled fighters of different styles would ignite his competitive spirit.

"Akane, do you think they'll have a couple of slots open?" he asked.

Kasumi smiled. She had called the organization committee while Ranma bathed. "They had a few cancellations. One of the schools that was competing suffered an illness and only 2 of the 8 members are able to compete. I asked if they would be able to find two spaces for students of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu. When they heard that, they became very excitted and almost demanded that you attend. There are a few things you'll have to sign when you get there, but you will be competing, if you want."

"That's great! Akane, your sister's a genius." Ranma picked her up and swung her around, giving her and Makoran little kisses as he did. He put them down gently. "I hope that there's some good fighters there. If those guys at school are anything to judge by, I'd go soft very quickly staying here." He looked down at his family. He noticed that Akane's face had become frozen and that her eyes were watering. "But you know, it would be worth it if it meant never leaving you and Makoran again."

Akane smiled tenderly at her lover. "Thank you, Ranma. That means a lot to me."

Ranma started fiddling with his pigtail with one hand while he picked up the bags with the other. "Huh. It ain't nothing." he stated.

Kasumi, who had listened to them quietly, smiled gently at her sister and new brother. "Akane, you and Ranma should be leaving soon. You don't want to miss your train."

Akane glanced at the clock. "Kasumi-oneechan is right, Ranma. We need to leave." She kissed Makoran's forehead and rubbed cheeks with her. Ranma came over and kissed his daughter. Akane passed the little girl over to Kasumi. Makoran, knowing only that her mother and father were leaving her starting to whimper slightly.

Akane's eyes watered as she listened to her little girl. She started to reach for her, but Ranma beat her to it.

"Don't worry Makoran. We'll be back very soon." he stated, looking her in her cat's eyes. "Mommy and I are going to be back very soon. When we get back, we'll start you with a few light exercises. Would you like that? Huh? But you have to be a big strong girl for Daddy and not cry, okay?"."

Akane almost scolded Ranma for his words, wanting to tell him that Makoran was still too young to know what he was saying, but Makoran's little face had scrunched up while he was speaking, as though she was struggling to understand what her father was telling her. Akane mini-sweatdropped when Makoran's face broke into a huge smile and she nodded and purred. She facefaulted a few seconds later when Makoran spoke for the first time.

"Hai, otouhan. Beibei." Makoran giggled happily, waving her tiny hands at her parents.

Ranma and Kasumi also looked surprised. Akane immediately reached for her, babbling about staying with her and seeing what else her beautiful, genius daughter could do. A sense of pride she didn't know she had started to fill her.

Ranma glanced at Kasumi over her head and raised an eyebrow. Kasumi grinned and nodded, handing him an envolope containing some money and a list of things she wanted them to get while they were in Tokyo.

Ranma grabbed her hand and started pulling her out the door, ignoring her protests that she had to stay with her little girl. Kasumi, still smiling closed the door behind them.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?" Kasumi grinned at the little girl squirming in her hands. "A smart little girl like you deserves a reward. Now. What should the reward be? I know. Would you like to go to the park?"

Makoran looked up and her, her lips pulling up so high, they exposed the two little fangs that had started to grow not too long before. Her squirming became frantic with joy as she tried to escape from her aunt and head out the door. *********************************************************