sorry this one was so long getting out, i was on vacation, the others will be out earlier. And i still haven't heard any suggustions for how i should end this yet...

Next Evening

"Ahh, Ranma-chan" Kasumi smiled and rubbed the little girls head as she handed over a whisk, "are you going to help your onee-chan Kasumi cook dinner?"

"Uh-huh" Ranko's head nodded vigorously, "what can I do?"

"Well, you can toss a salad that would help me quite a bit actually."

"Okay Kasumi, let me have it." Kasumi placed a large bowl between Ranko's waiting hands. The small girl sat right on the floor and began quickly flipping the dish, dropping a good portion of lettuce onto the floor. Akane flipped the stir-fry in the wok and managed to keep one side frozen while one side burned. The doorbell rang out and Kasumi looked to the door.

"Akane, can you get that?" Kasumi's hands moved so fast to prepare dinner it looked vaguely like the chestnut fist technique.

"I'm busy with my stir-fry!"

Kasumi glanced at the throbbing dish, "I think it's better off without you…"

Ranko giggled gently as Akane stormed off to the door. An abrupt slam against the wall and a surprised exclamation showed someone unexpected had shown. Akane walked back into the kitchen followed by mousse. He flipped his glasses off his forehead onto his nose and trained his eyes on Ranko.

"Ahh, you must be Ranma's little sister, Ranko right?" Mousse pulled his hand into his sleeve and pulled out a thick manga book, "Here's a gift from your uncle Mousse."

The little girls waiting hands grabbed the comic and smiled broadly at him, "Thanks uncle Mousse!" Ranko pulled herself up and ran to show her present to everyone.

"That was very sweet of you Mousse. I had half expected you to attack Ranma while he was like this."

"No, while I am glad I get shampoo to myself I feel for your loss and hope things work out."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Akane and Mousse turned to see Ryoga standing in the doorway, his eyes switched from throwing daggers at to gazing lovingly as his sights switched from Mousse to Akane, "Things usually find ways of balancing out, isn't that right, lover?" Ryouga's arms wrapped around her and both embraced in a kiss. Ryoga brought himself up after a minute and continued, "I have to talk with Mousse for a sec. I'll be right back." He walked past Mousse and grabbed his long hair, pulling him into a spare room.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" hissed out a pissed off Ryoga.

"I had to see if you were telling the truth" Mousse whispered, "This isn't a joke or a drunken delusion? Ranma is a little girl now, right?"

"Yes, but your sure you understand the importance of shoving it, right?"

"Hell no, I'm telling Shampoo and getting married!" Ryouga's fist found it's way to Mousse's face.

"If you tell anyone about Ranma's condition or in how he became as such, the next words you say will be muffled by your own ass…"

"Or… I could just blackmail you into doing what I say so I won't tell Akane."

"You tell anyone about Ranma and Shampoo will restore Ranma's memories. Then we're both screwed!"

"How am I screwed? Shampoo wouldn't marry a toddler."

"Cologne's lived for three hundred years, chances are she knows hoe to age him quickly."

"guhh… good point. Fine, my lips are sealed."

Mousse and Ryoga stepped out of the spare room laughing and smiling. Ranko ran up to Mousse and grabbed onto his robes.

"Do you have anything else?" her eyes twinkled as he held out her hands.

"Ranma-chan!" Akane scolded, "Learn some manners! Mousse is a guest in this house and will be treated with respect!"

"It's alright Akane." Mousse smiled gently and reached into his sleeves again, "I was going to give this to you after dinner, but if you want it now." Ranko grabbed the box of candy from his hand and poured the candy balls into her mouth, "Uhh, Ranko? Those were 'Red Hots'…" Her eyes watered and face turned red as she spit out the spicy candy and ran to the fridge. Ranko ripped out a carton of juice and downed it right there.

MIDNIGHT

Ranko's insides ached and swelled when she woke up that night. She had to use the bathroom, fast. She stepped gingerly around her dad and made her way to the door. The room stretched out in front of her and began to shift. Newly bought toys turned into walls and moved in front, blocking her entrance. After continuous shifting a maze stood in front of the small girl.

Ranko swallowed deep and stepped inside, long transparent walls blocked her off as she hit a dead end. Turning back to find the right path Ranko clenched her legs and tried to suppress the need to go. After 10 minutes of searching her door finally stood in front of her, she stood on her toes to successfully turn the knob.

Ranko considered yelling for Akane but the adults had been drinking that night for reasons the small girl could not comprehend. The hallway shadows transformed into tunnels and walls as Ranko started to look for the bathroom door. Her bladder was full to bursting from the juice and milk she drank to wash out Mousses 'Red Hots'. Red-faced Ranko squeezed her legs tighter together and waddled down the hallway, shadows tightened as she waddled around the holes and tunnels into the dark. After several minutes of searching a door came into view, she sighed with relief and began to walk toward the door. Quickly walls slid into place, shutting her off and forming a dead end. She groaned and turned into a wall behind her, she had been boxed in!

Ranko's hands traced the walls and found no opening. Groin muscles ached with effort to hold back a flood and the walls of Ranko's cage began to close. She could hold back no more and screamed out.

"AKANE!" Ranko's desperate wail brought the house awake and Akane raced down the stairs into the dark hallway, bumping into Kasumi. Both girls raced to find Ranko sitting in the dark, her face was red and was crying, her knees tucked to her chin.

"Ranma-chan" gulped Akane in a worried voice, "is something wrong…" she was cut off as her bare foot stepped into a puddle on the floor.

NEXT AFTERNOON

Ryoga's house was filled with rotten and entirely decomposed food as the young man looked for lunch. He had finally decided on a two-year-old case of ichi-ban noodles because it was the freshest thing in his pantry. While eating the hard- uncooked noodles his doorbell rang. This was odd because both his parents and he never really told anyone where they lived because chances are they weren't home.

Akane walked in followed by a small red-faced Ranko wore a pair of light blue shorts and a light purple shirt. Oddly reminiscent of when Ranma had posed as Yoiko her hair had been put in two braids, she complained as she hid behind Akane.

"Aaakkaannneee!" Ranko tugged lightly on Akane's arm, "I don't wanna! Last night wasn't my fault!"

"I know Ranma-chan." Akane picked up the small girl and cradled her against her body while talking in a soothing tone, "but you've got to learn how to tell direction, unless you want a replay of me and Kasumi giving you a bath?"

"NO!"

"Good, because I don't want to have to mop up after you again!"

Ranko's face got redder as looked at the ground and touched to front of her pants, "Why are we here?"

"Ryoga's somehow stopped being lost, we are going to how and I am going to thank him profusely, okay?"

"Okay…" Ranko looked dejected and followed Akane wordlessly into the kitchen. Ryoga's eyes lit up as he saw Akane.

"My sweet!" Ryoga embraced her and whispered into her ear, "you came to see me! We're all alone in this big house and-and." He cut off as he saw Ranko, "you brought the kid…"

"Ranko wants to take you up on your offer for lessons Ryoga-kun."

Ryoga's eyes closed and he sighed.

"Of course that's why you're here! Ranko, go into the backyard and wait for a sec."

Ranko nodded and Akane pushed her towards the backdoor. When they were alone Ryoga slid his arms around Akane's waist.

"Was Ranko the only reason you came?" his face came closer to hers as he waited.

"Maybe Ryoga…" her lips caressed his as they hugged deeply, "maybe I'll show my appreciation later."

"Ryoga!" a cry came out from the backyard, "are you coming?"

"Yeah, hold on! Sorry Akane, duty calls."

"s'alright honey, I'll make lunch for my man while you help her."

"Ryoga swallowed deeply as he made his way outside, "hey Ranko, has Akane's cooking gotten any better?"

"Well she took a cooking class at the learning annex."

"Any good?"

"Her food stopped developing the ability to form rational thought…"

"hmm. How is that affecting the already living food fighting for domination of the fridge?"

"The carrot militia and the string bean battalion are taking hits for re-enforcements."

"Okay, how's my bet on the poultry resistance?"

"Their currently arguing for support from the stew empire"

"Good, good. Enough of the food front, how are you getting lost?"

"Everything I see turns into a part of a maze, then I'm trapped."

"Ok, I went through that too. Hold on a sec."

Ryoga retrieved several long tables from his basement and set them in a narrow hallway with a sharp turn into another hallway to the left.

"Walk through it and I'll give you directions."

"Okay Ryoga."

Ranko walked down the lane and began weaving back and forth, stopping then weaving back.

"Ranko, what are you doing?"

"Trying not to get lost."

"Too late. C'mon, it's a straight line."

"You've gotten lost in a straight line."

"I got over it. Now look down the hall. Good, now close your eyes and walk forward."

Ranko's eyes shut as she took tiny steps to the first curve when she opened her eyes.

"Ryoga! I'm more lost than I was before! I'm boxed in!"

"You're not, there's another walkway to the left."

"No!" Ranko looked all around and saw nothing, "there's no entrance, no nothing here!"

"Concentrate on all the walls at one time."

Ranko focused hard on the wall directly in front of her, no change occurred before she moved to the next one on the left. A small spot appeared and opened into a window into the hall.

"Ryoga, I can see through one wall!"

"It's the fake one, step through it Ranko."

The small girl closed her eyes and walked into the wall in front of her. As she passed through the other walls became more transparent until they didn't exist at all. Ranko ran through the second hall with tears in her eyes.

"I made it through without getting lost. I made it! I made it! I'm cured!" The small girl jumped to Ryoga's neck and hugged deeply, "Thank you Ryoga, you're always so nice to me."

Ryoga's heart screamed out in pain as the thought of what he had done to Ranma rose at the sweet words. He tried to pry the little girl off.

"Ranko, I was just helping, now get off."

"No No No, you're the best, I love you!"

"Stop saying that! Get off!"

Akane walked out holding a tray of rice balls. She smiled watching the two wrestle and spoke out.

"Okay Ranma-chan" Akane placed the tray on the patio table, "Your too strong for Ryoga, come to get some food."

"Akane! Ryoga fixed me! I won't get lost now!"

"Already! Ryoga, you are so good to us. Why don't you come back and have lunch at our house, Kasumi's cooking fish."

Ryoga's heart and conscience screamed at him, "That'd be great Akane."

The rice balls were eaten and vomited out once they were found to actually have been cooked with vinegar. As Ryoga and Akane stepped out the door Ranko stepped in the opposite direction.

"What?" Ranko looked around, "Not fair! I thought you cured me!"

"Damn, I cured one way" Ryoga looked at the little girl with pity, "I thought that it would be the only one. Ranko, I'm sorry you have the same type of direction problem as me. Every time you cure one type, a different type will take over. I am so sorry."

"I-I can never be fixed…" Ranko's eyes began to tear and her body began to pulse as she tried to hold back sobs, "That's not fair… why? What did I do for this to happen…" Tears streaked down her face as Akane bent down to hold her to her body.

"Sometimes it happens to the best of people Ranko." 'and sometimes good things happen to the most evil' he thought silently in his head as his heart almost snapped looking at Ranko crying as he had when he got old enough to realize he could never be normal. Akane set Ranko down and Ryoga grabbed her tiny hand.

"C'mon, we'll stop for ice cream on the way home. My treat." His eyes glanced with pity, "That'll make you feel better, and then we can talk about a training schedule for you."

Ranko wiped her eyes with her free arm and seized Akane's hand. She walked between them as they walked towards the subway. Ryoga reveled in happiness when someone mentioned how much Akane and he looked like newlyweds.