"Where do you want to go, Mom?" Ranma asked as the two of them

left the house.

Nodoka smiled, and then decided to tease her son a bit. "I thought

we'd go downtown and have dinner, and then do some shopping. You have

enough boys' clothing for now, and I would like to see my daughter dressed

in something better, and acting less like a tomboy."

*Yep, my subconscious is really acting up. No way would Mom smile

like that and say that I'm her daughter. Guess I must be feeling guilty

over the way I treated Mom when I was Ranko, and the fact that I ended up

'stealing' the daughter she never had when I finally revealed myself to

her. Well, might as well play along. If I remember this, it may make a

good scenario for our role-playing games.* Ranma thought to himself. "Can

you give me a few minutes then, Mom? I need to go and change."

Nodoka blinked at that, especially when Ranma rushed back in the

house. Ranma was definitely not acting like himself. She had at least

expected some kind of denials that he wasn't her daughter, not her son

rushing back in the house to get changed. Of course, it could be that he

was tired of denying that he was a girl every day, or he could be doing

something to test her resolve. How could Ranma test her by changing into

nicer clothing was the thought she had.

When Ranma came back down wearing an outfit that Nodoka thought

she'd never see on him again, she was shocked. Ranma's hair was down from

the pigtail, and redone into a nice ponytail, a small hat on her head,

black leggings, mini-skirt, blouse, and vest. She was carrying a small

purse, and got a small bottle of water out of the refrigerator. "I'm

ready to go, Mom. Hope we can get more outfits like this one."

Nodoka blinked slowly and decided to play along. Laying her hand

across the girls' shoulder she said, "Of course, daughter. That's much

better than what you were wearing before, and I'm glad that you are

dropping the tomboy look. It's definitely time you grew up."

Ranma smiled as she led the way out of the house, *Well, if I had

any doubts before, this ruins them. Mom wanting me as a daughter is

crazy, and since she seems to want me as one, might as well have fun with

it. If I can force the circumstances of the dream the right way, maybe I

can become that 'magical girl' character I'm working on, and get some idea

for monsters or something.*

Nodoka looked on in wonder from behind Ranma. Maybe she was right

and it was the curse that was affecting Ranma. She had felt the bra

strap, knowing that her son hated wearing those, even if she needed it at

times. Well, maybe it was time to test that theory out, and she had just

the store to visit to do so. If her son refused to have anything to do

with girls, perhaps it was time to see if her daughter had any problems

with...

Sexual Endeavours

Part Two:

What's Good for the Gander...

A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2

Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Soun,

Tendo Kasumi, Tendo Nabiki, Kuonji Ukyou, Hibiki Ryouga, P-chan, Shampoo,

Shan Pu, Mousse, Mu Si, Cologne, Ke Lun, Kuno Tatewaki, Kuno Kodachi,

Tofu-Sensei, and Hinako Sensei are copyright 1987, 2001 by Takahashi

Rumiko.

Publishing rights: Japan by Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo

Hong Kong by Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.

North America by Viz Inc.

Written by Ichinohei Hitomi

Akane sat at the table, hardly moving, and wondering what,

exactly, happened at school. It was like an unbelievable dream, a good

one where her fiancé, Ranma, was a smart, brilliant man with a mind that

rivalled others. There was one problem with the dream theory, however.

Akane knew that she had been awake for the surprising show.

No one had mentioned it. They were scared to since it might mean

that they would be brought into this weirdness, but it had obviously

unnerved them. No one was willing to admit to that fear, or try to stop

Ranma if he suddenly turned violent. *That wasn't Ranma. It couldn't

have been Ranma. Ranma would have tried almost anything to sleep in class

or goof off in some manner, not pay attention to the teachers.

That...that person was extremely well prepared, giving speeches, knowing

mathematics far beyond anything we've been thought, and being fluent in

English. Ranma doesn't know English! He hardly knows Japanese, and is

much less fluent in Chinese, which is a hell of a lot closer to our

language. Could that have been an impostor?*

She frowned slightly, still trying to think out everything. *It

started on the way to school, without Shampoo showing up. Next Kuno was

missing, and it's unlikely he would miss a chance to see me or his

'pigtailed girl'. Then Ukyou was nice, not even mentioning the engagement

as she usually does, although at the time I assumed it was because of fear

of the unknown. Ranma then starts acting as if he was a Juku student

instead of his usual 'All I Need To Know Is Martial Arts' attitude. It's

as though someone replaced Ranma with a copy, but a flawed one which

thought too much and is too intelligent. He has to be an impostor, but if

this person is an impostor, where is the real Ranma?*

*Perhaps the better question to ask is who could have replaced

Ranma with this...person.* Akane thought as she began to build a list of

names in her head which included Shampoo, Cologne, Happousai, or any

number of others. Of course, it included Kodachi and excluded Tatewaki,

but then again, Kodachi was the intelligent one.

"I've been hearing weird things about Ranma since after school,

Akane. Want to tell me what it is about, and who the new challenger is?"

Nabiki drawled as she came to sit at the table.

Akane gasped and blinked rapidly. She was so caught up in

thinking of what may have happened that she never noticed her sister come

home. "The person who was in class wasn't Ranma, at least I don't think

so. It had to be an impostor of some kind."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow, "Someone who could impersonate Ranma?

Do you know how unlikely that sounds?"

"I know what it sounds like, Nabiki," Akane continued, "But how

else can you explain Ranma knowing English, Mathematics, giving well

thought out speeches, and not fighting."

Akane's eyes widened, "Not fighting...That person didn't get into

one fight today, he didn't insult me, he didn't even make a wrong,

pigheaded, or condescending comment to anyone all day!"

Nabiki spit out her tea. Ranma, not stick his foot in his mouth

at least once for the entire day? "Akane, that's impossible. Ranma may

be an upstanding young man, but he's a thoughtless, slightly idiotic,

upstanding young man."

"Nabiki, I need you to find out if Ranma has been kidnapped, and

if he has, who did it. If that was Ranma, it wasn't the Ranma we know and

it could just be some passing weirdness. If it wasn't Ranma, then we need

to go rescue him."

Nabiki frowned. It seems some of the rumours were true, at least

of a Ranma that was acting extremely odd from what everyone knew about

him. First his mother wants to know about Ranma's seeming inability to

have a normal male mind concerning sex. Now Akane thinks Ranma is too

kind, considerate, and intelligent to be himself. The next thing she knew

people would be telling her that the big lug had more potential to earn an

income than her! "I'll look into it, for free. If this isn't Ranma, then

my biggest source of income has flown out the window, and I want him

back."

Akane smiled, "Let's see if he's in his room."

"She's not home, Akane." Kasumi said as she came into the room

with some more tea. "She got dressed and went out with her mother for

diner and to go shopping."

Both of Soun's younger daughters boggled at this thought. Ranma,

willing to go shopping with his mother? The man who hated to be in any

store longer than five minutes?

"What was she wearing?" Asked Nabiki slowly.

"Oh, that nice mini-skirt outfit Aunt Nodoka bought for her a

while back. You know the one Akane, it was when you both outgrew your

bra's and had to look for new ones."

Akane gasped upon breathing in tea the wrong way, and looked at

Nabiki, "I don't think I'll be around for supper this evening."

Nabiki nodded slightly, "Neither will I. There is something that I

need to do."

Both girls tried to be casual about it, but as soon as they got to

the street they started running. Ranma, going with his mother dressed as

a girl? It had to be an impostor, or a magical clone, or something. It

might even have been a case of some demon possessing the boy, and they had

to find out.

Kasumi blinked as she picked up the teacups her sisters left

behind, "I hope that wasn't because of something I said."

***

Mousse was grumbling from the roof of the Nekohanten. He had

learned, from observation, that Ranma was not one to annoy past a certain

point. Of course, if he had known what Ranma was able to do, that he was

able to defeat a Pheonix by killing it's body, then he would never have

originally challenged him. Ranma was power incarnate.

He thought back to seeing a human, one who did not have any Divine

Lineage, Dragon Blood, or Pheonix Infusion, take on an immortal who was

considered a God and win. There were other 'Pheonix', the lesser birds

who did not have the powers of rebirth, but for one to take on a being who

could incinerate the planet and win was beyond comprehension. In an

earlier age, Saotome Ranma would have been considered a God, or a

Demi-God, such as Herakles had been.

To have been fighting such power in his pursuit of Shan Pu...

Shuddering would have been too easy to contemplate.

Looking down at the street, he stared, took off his glasses,

cleaned them, put them back on, and stared again.

He was seeing things. He had to have been. Perhaps it was time

to see an eye doctor in this country, get some new glasses or perhaps

those contact lenses he had heard about, if they did not interfere with

his curse. Yes, a new lighter, and much more flattering pair of glasses

would be the best thing he could do for himself, instead of these that

were provided by those Canadian aid workers. Perhaps that way illusions,

such as what he saw below, could be forever banished.

After all, he knew of Genma's 'Man Among Men' promise and what it

would mean, so there was no way that he was seeing Ranma, of all people,

female, dressed as a very modern young girl in a miniskirt, with his

mother, who would more than likely take his head if he appeared that way.

Dropping into the alley behind the Nekohanten, Mousse looked at

the building. *No, not tonight. I can't put up with the usual crap to

prove myself to a woman who has no idea what love really is. Stupid laws.

They're so damned outdated and illogical. Why can't those hidebound old

women become a part of this century. I've got to get away for a while,

anywhere to forget what's been happening. The bar would be the best place

to go for now.*

The young Master of Hidden Weapons left, expecting to spend a few

thousand, perhaps as much as one hundred thousand, yen on a good tasting

liquor, with as high an alcohol content as was possible.

***

Ryouga looked at the sign in front of him, blinked, checked the

GPS unit once more, and sighed.

"Figures," he muttered, depressed. "When I want to find Akari's,

I end up at the Dojo. Even this technological wonder can't help my sense

of direction."

Ryouga opened the gate and went in, deciding that since he was in

the neighbourhood, he might as well stop by and say hello. Maybe Ranma

could help him figure out what was wrong, since he bought the unit.

Perhaps he input the wrong co-ordinates or something, since he and Ranma

had gone around writing down all the places Ryouga considered important,

such as his home, the Dojo, Akari's, and the school. Ryouga confirmed the

co-ordinates himself, so it was the only explanation.

He knocked on the door frame before entering, "Hello, is anyone

home?"

Kasumi came out of the kitchen, "Oh, hello Ryouga-kun, no one is

home at the moment, but if you would like to wait, I can prepare some

tea."

Ryouga smiled. Kasumi was always so nice to everyone, to the

point where people thought that she was absolutely clueless to what

happened around her. Of course, having spent so much time around the

Dojo, he knew differently, "Thank-you Kasumi, I would appreciate that."

While he was waiting, he decided to look at the co-ordinate on the

GPS and compare it to the written co-ordinates he had. The co-ordinates

for Akari's matched, so he looked at the unit, wondering if it could be

broken. Since there was no obvious damage, he tried inputting other

co-ordinates, such as Ukyou's or the Nekohanten. All of them said that he

had arrived.

"The Deities must hate me." Ryouga said as he looked at the unit

which had been his hope of actually getting places. "Either that, or

someone, somewhere, is trying to tell me something."

"What was that Ryouga-kun?"

Ryouga clutched at his chest for a second. Damn she was quiet

when she wanted to be. "Nothing Kasumi, do you know where Ranma went?"

Kasumi smiled pleasantly, "Ranma-chan went out with her mother,

they should be back after their shopping trip, since both of them were

talking about getting some new outfits so she wouldn't be much of a tomboy

anymore."

Ryouga sipped his tea slowly, trying not to panic. His sense of

direction really did it this time, he was in another universe, one without

the GPS satellites in orbit. It was the only explanation for Ranma going

shopping with _HER_ mother in order to become less of a tomboy...

***

If it had been in character, Ranma would have laughed long and

loud at the sight of the store her mother wanted to shop in. Ok, she was

only thinking of putting in something like this, although it was a little

bit perverted, but for her dreams to pursue this. Well, she was used to

unusual dreams, and it may also give her some ideas for the second, hidden

story, not that she would tell the others until it was ready for the final

compile.

Shaking her head a little, and desperately keeping a smile from

her face, Ranma followed her mother into the most unusual store she would

ever go into.

"Ranma-chan, now that you are a young woman, I think it's time we

get you something for when you get married, and to help you out when your

husband ignores you." Nodoka said, a small smile on her lips. If she was

wrong about her daughter, her sons deception would be exposed. Either

way, she would get what she wanted in the end. Grandchildren.

"Mother," Ranma began, "Are you sure we should go in there with so

many people around?"

"Are you afraid of going in Ranma?"

Ok, how to play this, the bold, full of life woman who thinks

nothing of sex, or the shy, demure, girl who her mother would be shocked

if she went in willingly. Well, her character was supposed to be a nice

girl, so..."Well, a little bit. I mean the classes at school were

embarrassing, and to enter so brazenly...It's unseemly for a young woman."

Nodoka blinked, then blinked again. Ranma, her child, admitting

fear? "It will be all right. Besides, it's better than coming in here

with your boyfriend."

Ranma giggled, "I suppose you're right, Mom. I can just imagine

what he'd think of me."

Nodoka was slightly shocked at that admission. *Perhaps I should

think of changing the engagement, if I can find the boy that my daughter

likes. Otherwise, I could just open it up and see which boy...person, can

win my daughters heart. It may not be wise to engage her to the first boy

that catches her eye.*

***

Around the corner from the store, both Akane's and Nabiki's eyes

were wide open in shock. They still couldn't believe what they heard, and

it was obvious that Ranma's mother believed that she was a girl. Still,

Ranma, their Ranma, _HAD_ _A_ _BOYFRIEND_!?!?!

"I want his name Nabiki. I want to know who the pervert is that

is taking advantage of _MY_ Ranma-chan!" Akane growled out. "Forget the

impostor bit, if Ranma is thinking of having a boyfriend, it has to be

some kind of magic potion or something. Like the time Ryouga wanted

Ranma, or perhaps like Kuno's wishing sword. Either way, I _will_ _kill_

the pervert, and you're going to help me!"

Nabiki could only nod, although she didn't really hear what she

was agreeing to. *Masaka! It has to be the curse, or Ranma's father

really screwed up his mind. Given what his father put him through, it's

probably the later. What kind of horror, or hell, did he put his child

through? Could he have molested Ranma in some way to cause this and his

girl form is really part of a separate personality?*

"I'm going to find the pervert. Let's see. The possibilities are

Happousai, Kuno, Ryouga, that damned kissing pervert who skates, the guys

who tried to marry Ranma, or perhaps someone new. I don't care how long

it takes, I'll kill him for trying to take _MY_ Ranma away from me."

Akane continued to grumble, wanting more than anything to see what Ranma

was up to in that sex shop.

Nabiki shook her head to clear it. She had to find out exactly

what was happening, not only for Nodoka's sake, or Ranma's, but for the

peace of Nerima. If this was learned, by anyone, the whole district could

go up in flames as angry fiancés tried to interrogate innocent boys. If

that happened, all bets were off as far as the government was concerned.

If Akane learned of...

Nabiki winced, as she finally heard what Akane was saying.

*Perhaps the best thing to hope for is some damage control...*

***

Ranma looked around, and kept her eyes shinning as though she was

a five year old in a candy store. She had seen most of this stuff before,

hell, thanks to Nabiki's picture sessions, she had more lingerie and

intimate apparel than most girls. The first rack she went to were of some

delicate sets of almost see through intimates, and decided to play her

role to the hilt. "Mom, can I have a few of these?"

"Well, daughter, we'll look those over after we see what's in this

cabinet." Nodoka replied, indicating a display case.

Ranma looked at what was inside and almost lost control. "Those

are...large, Mom. Are they sculptures of some kind?"

"No dear, they are meant to be used by a girl when her husband is

away."

Ranma looked again, "Are you sure? I mean, the size of those, I

don't think they'd fit."

Nodoka's eyebrows raised. Admittedly she pointed out devices that

were very large, but for her daughter to even indicate that they were too

large told her that she was no longer a virgin. She'd definitely have to

look for the boy Ranma wanted to marry, "Well, our bodies can accommodate

more than you would think daughter. How about I choose one for you to use

whenever you are feeling a bit needy?"

"Ok," Ranma replied, indicating the rear of the store. "I want to

see what's back there."

Curious herself, Nodoka followed her daughter, and saw what was in

back. Well, if her daughter was a lady, she wouldn't want any of this.

In fact, it would limit the number of men that her daughter could find as

a mate.

Ranma looked on at all of the leather armour hanging on the walls.

Chest plates, skirts, face masks, just what a magical girl needed. In

fact, she could use this as a place where magical girls went to get their

uniforms and costumes made! "Mom, can I get some of this?"

Nodoka almost fainted at hearing those words. "O..of course, dear.

We just need to make sure they fit correctly."

Ranma wasted little time in cornering a salesperson, and striping

down to her panties and bra in order to get a custom made set of armour.

Looking around, she began to get some ideas of what she wanted, such as

that one piece bit of armour that would be something like a swimsuit, the

boots would be a nice addition, but without those thin, high heels, maybe

some lower, wider heels, and a wider area for her toes, and a split

leather skirt would be good. Soon, she was in full discussion with the

sales person about what she wanted, and the possibilities involved, such

as gloves, mask, whips, chains, etc.

Nodoka just stood there, until she decided to head back to the

outer section of the store, going towards the magazine racks. *Books. I

need books and information on this...lifestyle my daughter has chosen.

Maybe then I can figure out which one of the boys she knows likes her like

this, and I can set a meeting with his parents. To imagine, my daughter

likes to control men like that! At least this way she won't make the same

mistakes I did with Genma.*

***

Ukyou was worried. Not that was anything new, considering she ran

her own business, went to school, participated in various adventures, and

was beginning to get an idea of what life could be like when she married

Ranma. Then again, she wasn't usually worried about the man she loved,

since he was so buff, and tight, and looked so...

She faded off into a small fantasy, one that had become more

frequent in the past few weeks. While she had originally been fantasizing

about Ranma as a husband, taking care of the children as she made money,

or less often, sharing the lifestyle of a travelling chef, recent events

had her thinking along the lines of how he'd be in bed, or if Ranma's girl

form would scream when...extremely excited. While Ukyou did think of

Ranma as a boy, some of the time, she had easily recognized that being

legally male, and Ranma's penchant for water, that having a wife would

actually be a good thing. And it provided so many wonderful and

entertaining possibilities as well.

Shaking off her thoughts, at least on how well she could satisfy

her eventual wife in bed, Ukyou started to think about what happened at

school. While Ranma was her friend, and hopefully, her life mate, the

life he led was stranger than most in Japan could ever hope to match, and

what happened today was, to her, an indicator that Ranma was just about

ready to leave Nerima, possibly for good. Being the only one who actually

listened to Ranma most of the time, barring her fits of jealousy, she

already knew Ranma was hiding a lot.

Like most, she had assumed that Ranma was hiding his fighting

prowess, and using all of the battles with Happousai, Cologne, Kuno,

Ryouga, and the rest as a way of improving his martial arts. Then again,

Ranma's mind was like a high end government computer, dedicated only to

battle. She had probably been the only one in English to notice that

Ranma had given a definition that was not in their standard translation

dictionary, and it wasn't until computer class that she managed to read

the definition in the rear of the programming manual. Ranma wasn't really

hiding his abilities in battle, although that seemed to be a good excuse,

he was hiding his abilities in being a very good student.

Thinking about it a lot, it made more sense than most people would

imagine.

First, Ranma's life with his father hardly concentrated on

academics, especially with his travelling all the time. English, being

recognized as one of the International languages important to know, he

would naturally have picked it up. Passing grades in English would be

impossible, unless he was hiding how good he was, and being able to read

in many languages would be an asset, especially since many of the more

unusual techniques were written in various languages, including codes that

were designed only for use by people who knew that school of the art.

This being the case, Ranma would be very familiar with cryptography, and

cryptographic notation, and thus mathematics. To understand situations no

matter where he travelled in the world, a good understanding of geography

and sociology would be required. For people not to have realized that

Ranma would have been held back by several grades if he wasn't very

intelligent meant he had done a significant amount of acting, and knew

people better than anyone else would believe. *But why keep the

engagements up in the air?"

Thinking about that for a little while, she realized that Ranma

was keeping the engagements floating for two good reasons. The first

being honour, not his honour, but everyone else's. If he chose a fiancé

out of the many people after him, then Ranma would be ruining the honour

of others. She remembered Ranma telling her about how the famous 'eating'

competition had happened, and what it had meant for others.

The second reason she could figure out was because he was not

ready to get married yet.

Ranma did not go out on dates, in fact he avoided them, trying not

to hurt others feelings. The only times she knew of that Ranma had agreed

to dating had been because someone had dangled a possible 'cure' in front

of his face. However, it made little sense since Ranma used his female

form just as often as his male form, and was also comfortable with it.

Most of the time, he seemed to be looking for cure for the others than for

himself.

*If Ranma is ready to go somewhere else, the best thing I can do

is talk to Aunt Saotome, and ask her to send Ranma, as a girl, to a

private school where she can become a scientist or teacher. Hell, Ranma

could probably pass the Juken easily at the moment, so it would probably

be a matter of polishing her skills at a good private school. A good

private _boarding_ school, with me being her room mate. That way, I can

get her to relax a bit, not have to push the engagement so much, and

eventually seduce my future wife! It's the perfect plan!*

***

Nodoka paid for everything that Ranma wanted, from the barely

there sleep wear, to the leather outfits which would have to be picked up

at a later date. She had also included several items for her daughter

that she had also picked up, such as what they were looking at before, and

several books for herself. From what she had already read, it could be

any number of the boys that she knew of. *That Tatewaki boy seems to be a

likely candidate since he likes to be hurt by Ranma, thinking it's her way

of showing love. Then again, Ryouga-kun is also a likely possibility,

since he does like fighting Ranma a lot, and that he also tried to get her

by magic. Mu Si could also be a possibility because of his culture, and

the fact that he loses so often, although Ukyou-chan's waitress may be a

possibility because she enjoys being a very submissive young lady instead

of a boy. And it may be someone I don't know about.*

"Mom, are you ok?" Ranma asked, as she looked at her mother.

"Yes, Ranma-chan. Why do you ask?" Nodoka replied while looking

at her daughter with new understanding.

"Because you looked spaced out for a moment." Ranma said. "Is

there something wrong?"

"No dear, I was just thinking about how you would look in your new

leather outfit."

"Yeah! It's great isn't it?" Ranma exclaimed enthusiastically as

she started towards the door. "Who would have guessed they dressed people

in those costumes? Now I know where to get what ever I want when I need

to fight anybody!"

Nodoka almost fell on her face at that statement. *I'm going to

have to make sure I find that boy who took my baby's virginity, and have

him marry her, or open up the competition to anyone who can get her to the

alter. I am _not_ going to have a daughter that wants to greet every

person she meets in _that_ outfit, especially in public. It's already bad

enough that she had a specific idea of what she wanted, Ranma will not be

a girl of loose morals!*

***

Akane glared as she watched Ranma leave the store, several bags in

her hand, as well as those bags in Aunt Nodoka's hand. She already knew

that Ranma's mother was a bit of a pervert, especially with her trying to

get Ranma to 'peek' into girls windows. For her to have brought Ranma

here, was just more proof that she needed to get him out of her hands.

*After I find that pervert who's trying to steal Ranma, I am making _sure_

we move and Aunt Nodoka is far away from us. A private boarding school

will do, and then I can show Ranma how a person shows love, in the

_proper_ way. I will _not_ have _my_ fiancé lusting after boys!*

"Akane, calm down and think for a little while. You can't just go

around trying to kill every boy you meet. We have to be cautious and

careful, and then get the boy and talk to him. It will be a lot worse if

you just go off and try to kill him for something that he probably has no

idea about." Nabiki stated while laying a hand on her sisters shoulder.

"Ranma could just have had a hard knock to the head, or it could be

her...his way of coping with the curse."

Akane grunted, and tried to think rationally about it. "You're

right Nabiki, I'll keep my cool, and since you know more about being

sneaky, I'll let you find the pervert. Just let me know who it is, and

help me come up with a way to keep Ranma for myself."

It was the best she could hope for, for now. "I promise little

sister. I will find the boy Ranma's been seeing, and I will tell you who

he is."

Akane however, was thinking a little bit differently. She had

promised not to go after the perverts who could be the ones after Ranma,

but she did not promise not to tell Shampoo and Ukyou. Nor did she

promise not to tell Kodachi, if she could convince her that 'the pig

tailed girl' and Ranma were one and the same. *If I can't confront the

pervert, and beat him up, I'm sure the others would only be too glad to do

so. They may be competition, but they are the _proper_ competition,

unlike any of those pervert boys!*

"Let's go home Akane, I don't think it would be a good idea to be

following her like this, she may get suspicious." Nabiki said while

sighing in relief. With Akane agreeing to let her handle the situation,

things were not as desperate as they might get. She was not willing to

see Nerima's death toll take a sudden sharp climb while her little sister

'investigated' matters herself.

***

In a nearby mansion, a phone rang, and the man sitting at the desk

answered it. When he heard what his informant told him, he knew that, at

least for the next few weeks, his actions and those who were closest to

him, had to change. In a way, the call was not unexpected, given the

confusion in Nerima, but he had hoped his hobbies would last a little

while longer. Pressing a button, he turned to the revealed monitors along

one wall, and searched for the various occupants of the estate. Finding

the people he wanted, he summoned them to his office, despite their

protests.

Yes, someone was out there, dangerous to him and the people he

knew. He did have his suspicions, especially given the way people were

talking. However, now was not the time for what could easily be handled

later. He had time, and that was to his advantage.

***

Ryouga was still smiling, and drinking more tea. Tempting as it

was to run away, as far away as he could get, he knew he couldn't risk it.

If he had, somehow, ended up in another world, then this place was the

only possibility of getting home. Given that, he was unsurprised as Ranma

walked in, looking very pretty. He was not, however, prepared for what

was about to happen.

"Ryouga-kun! You're back! Where were you? Have you eaten? Any

new adventures to talk about?" Ranma exclaimed cutely and

enthusiastically.

Ryouga laughed a bit nervously, "Hi Ranma-chan. You're as bubbly

as ever."

Ranma was having fun with this dream. Ryouga being a friend,

without their usual sparing was something that could be said to have never

happened. Now, how to make this really fun. "At least you're back in

time for our date tomorrow!"

Nodoka raised an eyebrow at this, and narrowed her eyes at the

boy. *Is he the one?*

Ryouga laughed a little more nervously. Kami! In this world he

was Ranma's boyfriend, and from the look Nodoka was giving him, one who

still had to prove himself! "Well, I did try to make it back as fast as

possible, Ranma-chan."

Giggling, more as a way of stopping herself from bursting out

laughing, Ranma gestured to her bags, "I was just shopping, and I've got

to show you what we bought. Wait until you see them on me!"

At this point Nodoka stepped in. Ryouga was definitely suspect in

having sex with her daughter. "Perhaps after your date tomorrow dear.

Right now, I need to talk with Ryouga for a little while. Go and put away

your new clothes and items, and I'll talk with you later."

"Ok, mom." Well, at least her subconscious wasn't being that

perverted. Her mother stepped in at exactly the right time to prevent

everything becoming x-rated.

Ryouga nervously watched Ranma leave the room, and then gulped at

the contained fury on Nodoka's face. "Ehhhh, what do you want to talk

about, Saotome-sama?"

"Walk with me for a while, young man. I believe we have much to

discuss." Nodoka said coldly.

Gulping, Ryouga followed Nodoka out of the house, and hoped that

she was not going to take his life. What kind of cad was the Ryouga of

this universe?

"Ryouga-kun, I need to know if you love my daughter." Nodoka

stated, as they walked out of the gate.

"I...Well...She is a good friend, and I do enjoy being with her.

I'm just not sure we're ready for marriage as of yet," he stated

nervously, "We're still in school, and well, I need to find out if I can

take care of her properly."

Nodoka nodded, it seemed the boy was honourable enough, and was

looking towards the future. "So, will I have to search for you, or will

my daughter be disappointed when you fail to show up _again_."

Ryouga gulped hard. This was not going the way he wanted, and he

was definitely not enjoying this confrontation. His counterpart sounded

like he had disappointed his girlfriend several times, and her mother was

getting tired of it. In a way, it was a not so subtle warning that if her

daughter was not satisfied in every way possible, then he would face her

wrath, probably at the end of her katana. If this is what the Genma in

his universe had to face, then it was no wonder he took off with Ranma for

over ten years. She was scary! "Ahhh...I was thinking of staying at the

dojo for the night, that way I can be ready. The problem is I don't

really have a formal outfit to wear in order to take her out tomorrow."

"Well, we'll just have to solve that problem. Of course, I'll

expect you to take her out to a nice place for dinner, and to show her a

good time. Just not _TOO_ good a time." Nodoka stated, looking the boy

in the eye. "When we get back, you are _going_ to be on your best

behaviour, is that clear Ryouga-kun?"

Ryouga gulped again. Ok, not in every way possible. Then again,

avoiding the possibility of having sex with Ranma was fine with him, even

if this Ranma was a girl and sexually active with his counterpart, which

was likely given the stare he was getting. "Perfectly, Saotome-sama."

***

*Oh shit!* Nabiki thought to herself, as she looked at Akane who

was glowing with a very bright aura. *If Ryouga is dating Ranma, he'll be

killed if Akane gets a hold of him.*

*I'll kill him. I'll make him sorry he ever came here. He'll

look nice skinned, and after I make sure that he painfully loses what all

perverts seem to think with. To think that I thought Ryouga was a nice

guy, but it seems he _still_ hasn't given up on getting Ranma for

himself.* The youngest Tendo seethed.

"Calm down Akane, you know how things tend to get blown out of

proportion around here. With how Aunt Saotome was reacting, it's possible

she just jumped to conclusions and trapped him into it. After all, when

has he ever gone after a girl without having a major case of nerves!"

Nabiki said nervously, not willing to see the damage the eventual fight

would cause. "I'll find out for sure, just keep calm.

"I'll keep calm, Nabiki," Akane stated, letting her aura flare

out. *But as soon as I tell the others, it will be open season on Hibiki,

and he's going to wish that he never tried to get Ranma by Magic, just

like last time. The best part is, there is no way this can be blamed on

me when the others kill him.*

To Be Continued...