Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, or anything else you may recognize. Not a dime is being made of this story and is for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!

A/N: First I gotta thank everyone who sent in ideas or offered to be a co-writer. I heartily appreciate it. Right now I have someone who's writing up chapter 10, I dunno if they wanna do anything after that. So, if there's a spot open after that I'll email those of you who asked and see if you're still interested. As a bunch of people obviously want more NWC I decided to make a pure NWC chapter. Again, thanks everyone, without all your suggestions and offers this story might've died.

Chapter 9

Nerima-ku, Tokyo-ke, Japan

"Nabiki, I'm going to take a book back to Dr. Tofu along with some lunch, will you bring this tray of tea to father and Uncle Saotome for me," Kasumi asked hoping that Nabiki wouldn't refuse. Ever since Ranma had left she had been doing her best to avoid the Saotome patriarch, who jumped bail, and unfortunately with her responsibilities it wasn't going well.

"Sure sis," Nabiki replied wearily from her spot at the table surrounded by ledgers. After what had happened three months ago Nabiki had been doing her level best to keep the roof over their heads and things weren't going well. She had managed to sell off the last of her pictures of Ranma two weeks ago and tax time was coming up. If she didn't find a way to bring in money quick they were looking at troubled times. It was times like this that she wondered how much she could get for a panda at the zoo.

"Thank you," Kasumi replied before slipping on her shoes and practically bolting out the door. Well, as fast as she could while still looking like a perfect housewife. It wouldn't due to have the neighbors talking about them more than they already were. The last three months were troubled times indeed, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. Crime was on the rise in the area, and there were rumors of the Yakuza solidifying their position in Nerima once again. Ranma had done a good job driving them out before, but it appears as though without him around to keep the thugs in check they were making up for lost time.

Maybe I should have returned this book sooner, Kasumi thought fretfully, I don't want Ono mad at me for taking so long after all, but I'm so nervous to face him after what I did to Ranma. Kasumi had, in fact, tried several times to make the trip to see Dr. Tofu, but never quite made it through the front door. She had been in love with him for so long that she wasn't sure how he would treat her now. He was always so amusing to her in the past with his antics, but with as good of a friend he was of Ranma's there was no telling how he would act around her now. After mentally bracing herself one last time she slid open the front door and walked in hoping that things wouldn't go too badly.

"Dr. Tofu, I've come to return the book I've borrowed and I've brought you some lunch," Kasumi called out hesitantly.

"Tendo-san, thank you for returning my book," Tofu replied as he walked into the room rigidly. Anyone who looked at him could tell that he was trying very hard to maintain control of his actions. Whether it be to keep from going crazy as he usually did or to keep from slapping her was anyone's guess. Taking only the book from her he turned his back and headed straight for his office assuming there was no other business since she looked perfectly healthy.

"Dr. Tofu, is there something wrong?" Kasumi's question stopped him in mid-step just before he reached the door. Without turning around he decided to answer her question, in a way.

"Tendo-san, do you remember our conversation when you originally asked to start borrowing my medical books," he asked tersely.

"Why yes, of course…oh my," Kasumi said as she suddenly realized what appeared to be the problem.

Flashback

A 17 year old Kasumi was sitting across from a slightly younger looking Dr. Tofu who appeared to be in some kind of pain.

"Now Kasumi, why do you want to borrow my medical texts," Tofu asked curiously.

"I've always dreamed of being a nurse or a doctor and being able to help people. We aren't able to afford to send me to college at this point so I want to do as much study as I can before I am able to enter," Kasumi replied with a kind smile that made Tofu appear to grit his teeth as if he was grinding tacks into his rear, which he was.

"That's very admirable of you Kasumi," Tofu replied once he was able to talk again, "But before I agree there are a couple things I need you to promise."

"Like what Dr. Tofu?"

"First, and don't take this the wrong way, since the information in these texts can be used to harm people as much as help them I need you to swear that you'll never use what you learn to harm an innocent person," Tofu told her sternly.

"Of course, I promise that I would never use medical knowledge to harm someone," Kasumi replied as if it were a given, and to everyone who knew Kasumi, it pretty much was.

"I knew that wouldn't be a problem, but I needed to hear it first," Tofu told her warmly before becoming stern again, "I always need you to promise to use what you learn to help those you can, even if it is to keep them alive or stable enough until I or another doctor can help them."

"Oh my, I would never think about not helping an injured person, of course, I promise to do everything in my power to help those that I can with what I learn," Kasumi swore emphatically.

End flashback

"I seem to recall a young man requesting your aide when he was grievously wounded four or five months back and you refusing to help him, even if that help were to get him to me," Tofu said coldly, "You cannot pick and choose who you help as a doctor or a nurse. Everyone must be helped within the best of your ability."

"I know what I did was wrong, and I will not make excuses for my actions," Kasumi replied eyes downcast, "Do…do you know where he is?"

"So you and your family can make his life even worse," Tofu asked harshly still with his back facing her. As long as he didn't look at her it was easier to keep his mind clear.

"N-no, I want to apologize for what I did to him," Kasumi stuttered.

"Even if I knew I wouldn't say, if you were to find him the rest of your family, not to mention the other loons around her, wouldn't be far behind," Tofu told her calmly, but with no warmth in his voice. "I would appreciate it if you left, and inform your family that I will no longer be able to be their doctor. They will be able to seek help at the nearest hospital like everyone else, but unless it is a chiropractic emergency then I will not be able to help. Should an emergency arise your family can use emergency services just like everyone else.

"As it is, I shouldn't have allowed your family to get by on just my physicals alone. I am by no means an internal doctor and what I am able to treat is limited. I also will not do favors for people that torture innocent human beings."

"Th…thank you for your help in the past Dr. Tofu, and I will relay your message to my family," Kasumi told him with tears brimming in her eyes. She knew right from the beginning of the conversation that not only was he angry about her treatment of Ranma, but she had lost his trust when she broke her promise to him to treat everyone to the best of her abilities. With tears streaking down her cheeks she left the office and made her solemn journey back to the dojo thinking over how to relay this message to her family. With everything swirling around her mind it didn't take her long to reach the gates and make her way inside.

"Father, Nabiki, Akane," she called out as she made her way inside towards the dining room, "Will you please come to the dining room for a moment?" Once everyone was gathered she decided to break the news. She knew Nabiki would take the news hard, only because Tofu gave them a discount, and Akane would take it hard due to the crush she used to have on the doctor.

"What is it sis," Nabiki asked from her place at the table. She appeared to still be going over the books as if hoping for some error that would grant them more money.

"I will tell you when everyone gets here," Kasumi replied before taking a spot next to Nabiki and silently waiting for the other two. It didn't take long for her father and Akane to arrive, unfortunately Soun was accompanied by Genma, as per usual.

"Kasumi, what news do you have for us," Soun asked jovially. He had been told, for a fee of course, that Kasumi had been to see Dr. Tofu. He was assuming, and quite in error, that Kasumi had either become engaged or was at least now dating the young doctor.

"Did Tofu finally propose," Genma asked stupidly, well in everyone else's opinion but Soun's, as anyone could tell by looking at her face it wasn't good news.

"N-no, I'm afraid it is not good news," Kasumi said hesitantly, "Dr. Tofu asked me to inform everyone that he will no longer be treating our family unless we have a chiropractic emergency. He suggested for any other emergencies we use emergency service, and that we contact a regular physician to see to the rest of our needs."

"Why would Dr. Tofu say something like that," Nabiki asked, although she had a pretty good idea of why.

"I bet it's all that baka's fault," Akane exclaimed angrily, to which most everyone else nodded, except for Kasumi and Nabiki.

"We have no one to blame but ourselves," Kasumi told her sternly, scaring everyone in the room, including Nabiki. "Dr. Tofu was…upset at our treatment of Ranma, especially when most of his injuries were directly or indirectly caused by a member of this household."

"I knew it, it is the baka's fault," Akane yelled triumphantly.

"NO!" Kasumi's shout stopped everyone cold. They hadn't heard her scream since before their mother had passed away, so needless to say, it came as quite a shock to everyone.

"What were his exact words," Nabiki asked curiously. She didn't feel much shame for her past actions, she did what she had to do to keep a roof over their heads.

"He said that he would not do favors for people who tortured innocent human beings," Kasumi replied quietly. Soun was still in too much shock from the yell to respond or even cry, and Genma looked downright confused as to who they supposedly tortured. Akane looked livid at the accusation and Nabiki snorted at the description of their treatment of Ranma.

"How can that be torture," Nabiki asked with amusement.

"Do any of you know what a typical day was for Ranma," Kasumi asked in place of answering directly.

"Get woken up, eat half our food, pick on Ryoga, sleep through morning classes, flirt with his floozies at lunch, sleep through the afternoon classes, flirt with his floozies after school, eat half our food at supper, workout in the dojo and then go to bed," Akane answered snidely. Nabiki rolled her eyes at Akane's description but didn't make any corrections.

"Would you like to hear what he described to me as his typical day," she asked and then went on before they could answer negatively, "Either thrown out a second story window or have a bucket of ice water dumped on him in the morning, eat breakfast while trying to keep from angering Akane (which never worked), attempt to dodge all water on the way to school as well as fiancées and rivals, fight Kuno just to get in the school, catch up on missed sleep through classes, fight off fiancées and rivals at lunch while attempting to keep the peace with Akane, catch up on the rest of his sleep during the afternoon, dodge or fight fiancees and rivals just to get here so he can practice, eat what food his father doesn't steal from him, practice in the dojo, try to keep Ryoga from going in Akane's room via P-chan, and deal with crazy rivals in the middle of the night every night as they like to attack while he's sleeping, and finally turn in around 4 am. And that's not including the days Grandfather Happosai was here when Ranma'd have to patrol to keep Grandfather from stealing."

"Bah, that doesn't sound so tough to deal with," Akane snorted.

"Oh my, did I forget to mention being malleted halfway across Nerima several times a day for stopping thieves," Kasumi asked obliviously making everyone sweatdrop.

"What do you mean stopping thieves," Nabiki asked.

"You haven't heard," Kasumi asked shocked, "Ranma was the one who kept the Yakuza out of town and dealt with the low class thieves. When he wasn't here, at school, or on a training trip he was usually stopping anywhere from a purse snatcher to a bank robber."

"And you believe the stories that pervert told you," Akane asked in disbelief.

"Oh my, is the chief of police of pervert? He seemed like a gentlemen to me," Kasumi said thoughtfully.

"Wait, you heard this from Chief Yamanaka? When did he stop by and tell you this," Nabiki asked in shock. She didn't like not knowing things and the police chief stopping by and telling Kasumi things Ranma of all people had done for the city was hard to believe.

"It had to have been 8 months ago, he stopped by to offer Ranma a position I believe he said. With all the work Ranma had done he had earned an honorary one as it was," Kasumi explained.

"Wait, wait, wait," Nabiki said waving her arms. This was almost too much for her to take in, but she needed the full story, "Chief Yamanaka came to our house to offer Ranma a job? In what department? And why did you treat Ranma the way you did knowing this?"

"I believe he said that Ranma could either be a patrol officer or an instructor to bring up the unarmed fighting techniques of the police force," Kasumi replied hesitating before continuing as to the why, "Even, even knowing all the good he did, and hearing his side of the story, I still believed Akane's word over his when she said he was flirting with his other fiancées. I felt he was stringing them all along so I felt the need to punish him in some way."

"That doesn't make sense though, even with denying him hot water and the occasional meal, which is no worse then Genma did, why would he leave," Nabiki asked, knowing the answer, but felt that the rest of the family needed to hear it.

"Akane, do you remember the day four months ago when you said Ranma was flirting with Shampoo and you decided to punish him when everyone else joined in," Kasumi asked. Akane's malicious smile was more than proof enough that she remembered, and remembered fondly at that. "When Ranma returned home I was still in the entryway after greeting Akane home and he pleaded for help. He looked like death warmed over, and…and," tears started falling down her face at this point and she continued with a sob, "I told him not to track more blood into the house and to go see Dr. Tofu if he needed help. I found out the night he left that he was nearly killed that day and I (sob) just turned my back on him." Soun fainted at this point from shock overload and Genma looked like it was no skin of his nose, he was actually wondering why he was there. Akane's smile waned a little but didn't leave, and Nabiki looked just at sad, if not more so, then she was when she initially heard the story.

"He's just a worthless son, if he wasn't he would've married Akane like he should have," Genma spouted off forgetting that Soun had fallen unconscious and couldn't back him up.

"What son is that," Nodoka asked with a sigh as she walked in. she hadn't heard the whole thing, just Genma's comment.

"Ranma of course," Nabiki said, as if it were obvious.

"There is no Ranma Saotome on the clan register and there never has been," Nodoka told them sadly which overloaded Nabiki's mind and she froze from shock as her father did earlier.

"What do you mean Auntie," Kasumi asked confused as she attempted to wipe her eyes.

"Genma and I found Ranma when he was a baby and passed him off as our own. I lost my own child at birth several months before and nobody knew. So we took him on as our own," Nodoka explained emotionlessly. She now felt guilty about her treatment of Ranma, as she had been doing as suggested and looked into her husband's activities on the training trip. It wasn't a pretty sight. She hadn't been back here since she had had her husband arrested and now that she knew for sure he was here she was going to make sure to report it to the authorities.

"So my engagement…" Akane asked hopefully.

"Was never real," Nodoka finished for her. You could practically see Akane glow with happiness at that. Unbeknownst to the people at the table a small ninja and a white and purple cat slunk off at hearing this news.

"I've been wondering about that for a while now," Nabiki mused as she came out of her stupor.

"What do you mean," Akane asked curiously.

"I went after Ranma the night he left only to hear his conversation with Auntie, when he mentioned that he wasn't a Saotome I was shocked, but it made sense in an odd way. Since then I've been wondering where he came from," Nabiki explained.

"Why didn't you tell us," Soun demanded before crying waterfalls about how his daughter was a money grubber when she replied, "You never paid to find out all I knew about Ranma, unlike the Amazons."

All in all, things had changed quite a bit in Nerima since Ranma left, all except Ryoga getting perpetually lost that is.