A/N: One source told me that in Japan, "uncle" is a reference to simply any older man you respect, not just a relative. So in the spirit of being nominally correct, while I've never seen the anime and have no idea what some of the characters call one another, I'll have Ranma call Tendo Soun that. 3
3
The Tendo dojo looked exactly the way it was before he left, but Ranma still needed to be on a tree to have an even better overview. Actually, he was mulling over what to say about Akane. Preoccupied with his own feelings, he hadn't thought about this at all on his way home. Uncle had sent him out to fetch Akane because he thought she was running away from home. The good news was, she wasn't. The bad news was, she was still away and now living with some other guy.
Uncle would be less than pleased. The legacy of the dojo was secure with the engagement of Ranma and Akane, but now that Akane no longer lived there, it was not so anymore. Unless, of course, he became engaged to either Kasumi or Nabiki instead. The thought of marrying the latter gave him a chill. He remembered the time he and Akane had a big fight, during which he temporarily became Nabiki's fiancé.
"Now I really got to get out of here," he muttered.
"What's wrong, my son?"
The voice that suddenly interrupted his thoughts was like a thunder in his head. Surprised, he instinctively jumped off and landed himself safe on the ground. He looked up to find Happosai.
"Jiji." Ranma scowled. "Still alive, eh?"
'I heard that Akane has run away." Happosai's eyes brimmed with tears. "And she was my favorite, too." And without wasting another second, he hopped off the branch and swung a bucket of cold water.
Ranma, who was in one of his worse moods, dodged the bucket, grabbed it by the handle, and threw it back at Happosai smack in the face.
"I was just trying to help," the old pervert sobbed.
"How's that going to help!" Ranma gritted his teeth. "You little—" You don't even know what the problem is.
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard Kasumi's voice from behind him, "What is the commotion?"
Nabiki's followed after. "Geez, just when I decide to start my homework, too."
Ranma froze. He had thought to sneak silently into the house, but he had been caught before he even did the crime. Happosai took the chance to swing another bucket of cold water and flew towards Ranma's chest. Ranma, now a girl and wet and highly irritated, grab him by the head and kicked him into the sky. "You dirty old man!"
Kasumi covered her mouth with one hand. "Why, it's Ranma."
"Figures," Nabiki chimed in.
Ranma smiled nervously and walked quickly into the house, trying to avoid any conversation, but Nabiki, sensing something was wrong and eager to blackmail him over it, trailed right behind him. "Where's Akane, Ranma? You didn't find her?"
"Oh, I find her all right."
"And?"
He refused to elaborate, and they continued to walk ridiculously fast around the house. Nabiki's glare showed more suspicion now than ever. Finally, upon finding his father—in his panda form—lying about in front of the television, he told her, "I'll tell you after we take a bath. Come with me, Oyaji."
Nabiki was certain he would never voluntarily come to her and confess the whole truth, but she decided to let it slip this time.
-tbc-