Disclaimer: I do not own either Ranma or Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi has that honour. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

Kazuhiko sighed as he approached the restaurant owned by Ukyo Kuonji. According to Ranma, Ukyo's okonomiyaki was incredible but that was pretty much the only thing he had to say about that girl that was positive. He had explained to his uncle that he didn't want to lose the friendship he had built with the girl as a child but the way things were going, he didn't feel as though he had a choice but to let her go entirely.

Kazuhiko was also wary of the girls' animosity towards Akane. It was obvious to all of them that Ranma had claimed Akane as his, whether he had admitted to himself or her yet. His body language and attitude to those around her was telling enough. His inner Inu had claimed Akane and it wouldn't be willing to let her go.

Ranma had told the three of them how violent Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi could become when he turned them down, usually turning on Akane, blaming her for Ranma's constant rebuffs. If they went to attack Akane now, things would end badly for all of them.

Their father had said that they were not to engage unless absolutely necessary and while the three of them were keeping their eyes on the main players, they hadn't worked out how they were going to get around when Ranma and Akane were at school.

He walked into Ucchan's hearing the slight tinkling of the bell the door closed behind him and he looked around the small restaurant. There were two other people there, chatting quietly to each other while they worked their way through their okonomiyaki.

"Welcome to Ucchan's," he turned from his musings, seeing a teenage girl with long brown hair and a giant spatula across her back in front of her. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Tea, please," Kazuhiko smiled, knowing the girl for who she was. She looked unassuming but from what Ranma and Akane had told them, Hiko knew that she was not to be underestimated. He had heard that the spatula she wore was used as a weapon and quite adeptly as he had heard it.

Not that it would stand a chance against Ranma now.

He had to smirk at the thought. That she was here, completely content – at least, she appeared that way – told him that she didn't know he was back at the dojo. He hadn't heard anything from Izumi or Masaru so he had to assume that the others hadn't either.

She brought him out the tea he had ordered before taking his okonomiyaki order. He was pleased that she was in full view as she cooked. He subtly watched her out of the corner of his eye as he sat there, having purposely seated himself so she was in his direct line of sight.

It didn't take long for her to bring out his order and he had to admit, Ranma had been right. She was a fantastic cook. Unfortunately, that didn't redeem her in the hanyou's eyes. Her pursuit of Ranma was enough to turn him off her, her attitude towards Ranma and her dismissal of his refusal to marry her grated on Kazuhiko.

He started slightly as the door slammed open and a teenage girl with purple hair stormed into the restaurant, looking upset at something.

"You knew!" She screeched out at the chef who looked just as confused as the customers. "You knew Airen back!"

Airen? Kazuhiko wondered before closing his eyes. "Masaru?" He whispered, ducking his head slightly so that his lips moving couldn't be seen.

"Hi, Hiko," his younger brother responded from outside the shop. "Seems they know nephew's back."

"Yeah," he whispered watching the two girls in front of him.

"Ranma-honey is back?" Ukyo's eyes lit up as Shampoo fumed, although the change in her posture showed that she realised Ukyo hadn't known Ranma was back. How Shampoo had found out, he wasn't sure but the cat – or rather dog – was out of the bag.

"Back two days now," she still glowered at the chef who immediately turned the stoves off and practically ran out of the shop. Kazuhiko watched her go before slowly getting up, leaving the payment for the meal on the table and following. Masaru wasn't in direct sight but he could see that Ukyo was quickly retreating from view. He blinked, his invisible ears creasing as Shampoo flew past him on her bike, quickly catching up to Ukyo.

"Methinks we should meet up with Izumi," Kazuhiko suggested as Masaru walked over to him. The two of them looked at each other before walking down the road, keeping an eye and an ear out for the people around before taking off at a run, quickly becoming blurs to the regular human eye.

"Izumi," Masaru called out as they approached the dojo, joining her in the tree she was currently sat in. "We got incoming."

"Well, this should be fun," Izumi grinned and Kazuhiko had to smile at the image of their father he saw in his older sister in that moment as they continued their watch on the Tendo dojo, knowing the shitstorm that was about to come.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Rubbing the bridge of his nose as he walked down the vast hallways from the meeting hall with the old codgers that made up Sesshomaru's council, Inuyasha let out a sigh of frustration. He didn't know how many more of those he could handle before he just said, "fuck it" and used Tessaiga on all of the old farts.

Unfortunately, as Sesshomaru and Rin had not had a male pup, he was still the heir to the Western Lands. Considering Rin had had a difficult pregnancy and had nearly not made it through the labour, Sesshomaru would be hesitant to have another pup. If they didn't have a son, Inuyasha would remain as heir.

He sighed gently, stopping outside the door that led to his and Kagome's quarters. He smiled, hearing his mate shuffling on the bed.

He opened the door, walking into the rooms and closing it quietly behind him, hoping that she was in a good mood. While she may be human, she was still a miko and one that could be downright scary when she was pissed.

She rolled over to face him, a smile forming on her lips as she saw him standing there in his formal dress, clothes he hated mind you. He would much rather be in his fire-rat but with the changing times, their clothing had to change too. Not too much considering they were holed up within the Western Fortress which could not be found unless you were guided or knew where it was.

"Hello, love," Inuyasha whispered softly, walking over and sitting down on the side of the bed, his hand running over her swollen belly. It would not be long before she gave birth to their fourth pup. She had told him, under no uncertain terms that this would be the last. He agreed without any hesitation. Their first three were enough of a handful and this one had not been planned at all. If she had been, they would have waited until Masaru was a little older than he was, what with only being sixty-four, he was still very much a pup.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked, his hand still gently rubbing her belly while he looked down at his mate in awe at what he body was doing.

"Well, little lady hasn't made mama sick today, so better than yesterday." She grinned and Inuyasha smiled. He rested an ear against Kagome's sizeable bump, smiling as he heard the sound of his pup's heartbeat going strong. The two of them had been extremely happy when they had been able to discern the scent and find out that Kagome was expecting another female pup. It was something that made Izumi happy and the boys grumble, not wanting another sister.

"Have you decided which name you like best?" Kagome asked and Inuyasha smiled, nodding. They had decided that since Kagome had named Masaru – while Izumi and Kazuhiko had been picked by the both of them together – Inuyasha would get to decide the name of their last pup. "Well?"

"Honoka," he whispered and Kagome grinned.

Honoka . . .

Ranma gasped, sitting up as he snapped out of the restless sleep he had been engulfed in. He rubbed his head, wondering what the hell had just run through his mind. He pulled his knees up, resting his elbows on his knees, he worked to get his breathing under control. He glanced towards his father, seeing the panda passed out and snoring next to him. He rolled his eyes as he stood up, walking over to the window and sliding it open, leaning out into the warm night.

He climbed out of the window and nimbly jumped onto the roof, sitting up and watching the night sky. He lay back, resting his hands underneath his head. He tried to sort out what he had just seen in his mind. Why would he have been dreaming about Kagome expecting Honoka? And why would it have been from Inuyasha's perspective rather than watching it like an observer. It was as though he was Inuyasha.

Unless . . . unless it had been a memory. Inuyasha had had to infuse his youkai into Ranma to pull Ranma's youki from where it had been buried within his blood. Maybe that connection had left something lingering in Ranma's mind.

He would need to ask Inuyasha and Kagome about it.

He ended up thinking about it for over an hour before heading back inside and drifting off again. Thankfully, there were no more dreams and other than a repeat from the last few days, Ranma slept undisturbed.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Ranma walked down the stairs, feeling a little off, slightly sluggish as he sat down at the table. Akane gave him a concerned look but he shook his head, indicating that he would be fine. He resolved to meditate during the day and practise his kata. Akane had also asked him for help refining her stances and he readily agreed. Since they had been at the shrine, Akane had been more willing to ask for help and accept criticism from Ranma when he did aid her.

Nobody else seemed to notice that he was slightly off throughout breakfast before making his way to the bathroom, sinking down into the furo. He couldn't keep his mind off the dream he had had during the night before. Why had he dreamt of Kagome expecting Honoka? Could it be because he was a direct descendant from her? Could it be that Inuyasha's youki had left some memories in Ranma's blood when it had pulled his own youki back into the forefront?

He had to ask Inuyasha about it.

Feeling better after his soak, he stood up, stretching out before drying himself off and getting dressed. He made his way down to the dojo seeing Akane already stretching out. He smiled to himself as he watched her, seeing how focused she had become recently. She had been determined before but since they had been at the shrine, there was a new level to her. She was taking herself more seriously and that pleased Ranma. She hadn't had anyone properly train her for years, her father giving up after their mother had died. That hadn't been fair to Akane and that had been one of the reasons Ranma wasn't too fond of Soun Tendo. He wanted the two of them to take over the school but he hadn't even bothered to continue to train his daughter, too caught up in himself to bother.

It was the same reason Kasumi had had to take over the household. It hadn't been fair to them and Ranma had a slight animosity towards the older man. While he was grateful for the lodgings since they had come to Nerima, he couldn't change the way he felt about the man.

The two teens worked together, Ranma helping Akane when he felt she needed it but she was improving greatly on her own.

"Oh, Ran-ma," his invisible ear twitched as he heard Izumi call out her voice playful as she practically sang his name. "You're about to have com-pa-ny." Why did she sound so amused by this?

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he stood straight, drawing Akane's attention. "What is it?"

"Izumi," he said softly. "Telling me we have visitors."

"Really?" Akane groaned and he nodded.

"She sounds far to amused by this." He grumbled hearing the other two laughing as well. "And Hiko and Mas are with her as well."

Akane thought for a moment. "Where are they coming from?"

She saw Ranma's head tilt slightly as he listened to the response, unsurprised the Inu's had heard her question. "Ucchan's."

"Go," she gestured towards the door and he raised his eyebrows at her, surprised. "I'll cover for you."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I don't want to see what could happen if things go the way they normally do." She sighed and he understood. "You're still acclimating to being back in Nerima. Your senses are still on overload from everything we've been sheltered from at the shrine. It's too soon to deal with them."

"But Aka-"

"Just go!" She pointed towards the door and Ranma held up his hands, backing out of the door and quickly leaving the dojo. He located where the other hanyou's were, finding them in a tree not too far away. He leapt up, joining Kazuhiko on his branch, ignoring his uncle's smirk.

"You got a spitfire there," he chuckled and Ranma rolled his eyes as he settled on the branch.

"Tell me about it." He murmured, his eyes and ears falling on the dojo. He tensed as he saw Shampoo and Ukyo sneak in over the back wall, obviously aware that they would not be allowed into the Tendo household.

Akane however was ready for them, waiting at the door of the dojo, trusting mallet in hand. Ranma felt his invisible ears flatten against his hair at the sight of the thing. Even though she hadn't used it against him since the time she had whacked him, leading him to his new family and promised that she would never use it against him again, the thing still set him on edge.

He knew the damage she could cause with it.

"Where, Airen?" Shampoo demanded, stopping in front of Akane, her stance ready for a fight and Ranma felt his muscles tense at the threat. Kazuhiko placed a hand on Ranma's arm, shaking his head. He was ready to intercept the younger hanyou if necessary. If something happened between the girls, he knew Ranma would flip his shit and that would not be pretty.

Izumi glanced at the two of them, the muscles in her legs tensing, ready to aid her brother if need be.

"Ranma's not here," Akane responded calmly, leaning against the mallet, raising an eyebrow. "Kasumi sent him into town for some groceries. He won't be back for a while."

Ranma smirked at the lie that fell so easily from Akane's lips. He should have felt slightly guilty that she had pretty much learned that for him but he really didn't. Not when it meant that he didn't have to deal with the two of them.

Akane had been right. He wouldn't have been able to deal with them. His hearing alone would have caused him issues with Shampoo's shrill tone when she yelled, flinging herself at him and Ukyo's persistence at calling him "honey". She had been right to tell him to get lost for the moment.

"You okay?" Hiko whispered softly and he "hmm'ed" in response, his attention fully on what was unfolding in front of him. Shampoo and Ukyo were not happy with Akane's response and were getting riled up.

"Look, once again, the two of you are trespassing! You're not wanted here! When are you going to get that through your thick heads?" Akane was getting angry and Ranma let out a harsh breath through his nose, not noticing Kazuhiko edging closer to him as he watched what was happening below. "You're not welcome here!"

"Then why doesn't Ranma-honey tell us that, hmm?" Ukyo sounded smug and Ranma growled softly.

"Because Ranma sees you as a friend, Ukyo. He doesn't want to lose that friendship with you." Akane voice had softened as she answered the girl. "If you don't let this whole fiancée thing go, you're going to lose him completely. He doesn't want to be told who he has to get married to. He doesn't want to get married because he feels like he has to. Like everyone else, he wants to get married because he wants to and he wants to choose when and who he gets married to. Ranma didn't make that promise and he didn't break it. His father did. Just like he did with mine. None of this is Ranma's fault and it's not fair that you force what you want on him. To do so, makes you no better than his father."

"Just trying to get me out of the way so you can have him, huh?" She crossed her arms but Ranma could see her hand itching towards her spatula and he let out another growl.

"Like I said, Ranma didn't have a choice what his father did and I didn't have a choice in what my father did." Akane shrugged, gripping her mallet once again. She had also noticed the twitch of Ukyo's fingers. "If all he wants his friendship, then that's what I'll take. And you should extend the same courtesy, Ukyo. Otherwise, like I said, you're gonna lose Ranma forever."

Ukyo's hand relaxed as she listened to Akane. Ranma was surprised that she was actually listening to her. He would have expected Ukyo to argue more but then again, a lot had surprised him over the last few weeks.

"Hm, Airen don't want Spatula girl or nasty-pervert girl," Shampoo sniffed and Akane glared at her.

"What is it gonna take you to realise that Ranma doesn't want you, Shampoo? The only times Ranma has ever shown any interest in you is when you've given him some kind of potion. You have to drug him to get him to pay you any attention," Akane's grip tightened on her mallet as she took in the Amazon in front of her. She knew that Shampoo was a formidable opponent but she didn't care. With Ukyo, Ranma saw her as a friend and he didn't want to lose that with her and Akane could understand that. He had moved around so much as a child, having a friend was something that was rare for him. Of course, Genma had to ruin it because of his stomach but that was purely Genma. He had no concern for others around him.

Akane could understand that he wanted to keep Ukyo as a friend. She had been his first friend and she understood the importance of that.

"Ranma is not an Amazon and your tribal laws have nothing to do with him. Apart from the fact that you knocked yourself out with your own weapon!" Akane fumed, noticing that Shampoo started to turn red at Akane's words. "You have no right to try and force Ranma to do anything he doesn't want to. He's told you no but you refuse to listen! And believe me, there is no way you will be getting him to go to China with you."

"Airen has to go," Shampoo turned her nose up, not heeding Akane's words. "Is tribal law."

Akane's head dropped into her hand as she gave up with the Amazon. Maybe she would introduce Shampoo to Izumi. See how she liked facing off with an Inu.

"Get off my property." Akane propped her mallet on her shoulder, walking towards the house, a ballsy move as it put her back to the two intruders.

"Want to see Airen!" Shampoo demanded once again before Kasumi flung the side door open, glaring at the two girls in front of her.

"As Akane has said, Ranma is not here. I sent him into town. Now, I would like for you to leave. If you wish to come back, use the front gate," she glared at the two of them and they glared right back. Akane stopped next to her. While Ukyo and Shampoo had no qualms about attacking Akane, Kasumi wasn't a martial artist. No matter how much they wanted to go for Akane, the honour they both held would not allow them to risk an innocent person getting hurt. They would leave for now. Ranma would be back at some point and he couldn't avoid them forever.

Ukyo smirked because she had class with him and he couldn't hide from her there.

"Kasumi, how did yo-"

"The window is open," Kasumi gestured towards the window closest to the dojo and Akane noticed that it was wide open. "I heard you saying that I had sent Ranma into town for groceries. Though I'm wondering why you covered for him rather than let him deal with them himself."

Akane sighed, knowing that Ranma would be able to hear everything she was about to say. Damn his new ears. She gestured for Kasumi to sit down, sliding the door closed, checking that no one else was around. "Ranma and I talked a lot while we were away." She said softly and Kasumi tilted her head slightly, intrigued. "He explained to me how fighting with them makes him feel. That's how I knew how he felt towards Ukyo. He doesn't want to lose her as a friend but if she doesn't stop he's going to have to. He admitted that its really been stressing him out and we've been back barely a day. I know that I haven't made it easy for him and I guess it's kinda my way of trying to make it up to him a little. I know I won't be able to keep them away from him but if I can provide just a little reprieve, that's better than nothing, right."

Kasumi ran her fingers through her little sister's hair, smiling softly at her. "I'm surprised that Ranma let you do that for him."

"Well, he didn't have a choice," she patted the mallet and Kasumi's eyebrows shot up. "I wouldn't have hit him with it but he didn't know that." She smirked and Kasumi could see that her sister had changed while she had been away.

"Where is he?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's hanging around somewhere." Akane smirked, knowing that he was definitely within hearing distance, although for an Inu-hanyou that could be anywhere within half a mile or so. "Probably waiting for the coast to be clear."

Kasumi gave her sister another smile before standing and walking back into the house. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed the change in her sister. Akane had started to change before she and Ranma had left on their trip but in the short time they had been home she had noticed a real change in both of them.

Their fathers hadn't noticed it but the two of them had become closer over their trip. They hid it well but Kasumi had picked up on the subtleties between the teenagers. It seemed that what she had said to hers and Ranma's father was correct. They didn't need their kind of encouragement.

Ranma made sure that the coast was clear of all crazy "fiancée's" before bidding farewell Izumi – Kazuhiko and Masaru having taken off over their respective quarries – and jumping down from the tree. He walked over to where Akane was sitting, taking a seat beside her.

"Thank you, Akane," he said softly and she smiled at him.

"Don't mention it." She giggled. "So, did they have to restrain you?"

"Hiko had a tight grip, I'll tell you that much," he murmured, rubbing his arm. Though it didn't hurt and there was no mark, the memory of Kazuhiko having to hold him in his tight grip worried Ranma. Was he that much of a risk? He had hoped not but apparently his uncle didn't agree.

Akane and Ranma sat there for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Akane knew that she had to make her own decision. What she had said was true. If all she could have from Ranma was friendship then she would take it but she had learned to Kagome that Ranma's behaviour towards her indicated that he had other feelings towards her and it would be up to her whether she accepted his advances.

She also worried about what would happen at school when they went back. They would no doubt be faced with the hentai horde and Kuno. She knew that Izumi was hanging around so she would see if she could speak to her without Ranma finding out.

Ranma had remembered that Inuyasha and Kagome were expecting him to go to the Autumn Gathering that was happening in just over a month. He didn't know how he was going to get around that one. They had explained that because of who he was he had to attend and that it would last for a week as it always did. He had to try and come up with something to tell everyone as to why he wasn't going to be around.

He also wouldn't be allowed to bring Akane. As the two of them weren't mated and she as she was human, she wouldn't be permitted. Kagome had enquired with Sesshomaru but he had been stern about that. While she would be a good grounding tool as it were for Ranma, there would be too much risk. There would no doubt be youkai there that would seek to take advantage of the young hanyou and attempt to force their daughters on him. They had tried with Inuyasha and Kagome's children and Sesshomaru's own pup. Inuyasha had stated point blank that he would not allow that to happen to Ranma and Sesshomaru had made it known that no advances were to be made on the youngest Inu. That he was still a pup and any advances would be seen as an affront to the brothers.

"Are you okay?" Akane asked and Ranma snapped out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess so." He sighed and Akane nodded. "Thinking about the Autumn Gathering."

"What about it?" Akane pulled her knees up and rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"What I'm gonna say."

"I dunno," she hadn't thought about it beyond that she couldn't go with him. She understood that he had to go. She didn't like it but she understood.

"My secret's not gonna stay secret too much longer, is it?" He sighed and Akane shrugged, unable to give him a proper answer. She didn't know. She had no doubt that he could come up with a story. Whether it would be believable or not was a different question but Ranma always managed to get himself out of sticky situations.

He sighed to himself before standing up and turning towards the house. "Thank you again, Akane."

"You're welcome, Ranma," she said softly as he walked into the house. She looked around quickly, waiting until he was further away. "Izumi." Her voice was barely more than a whisper but the female hanyou was by her side in a moment. "I need to talk to you." Izumi nodded, holding out her hand before lifting Akane up with ease and the two of them disappeared in a moment.

~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~I~R~

Ranma had panicked momentarily when he realised that Akane was gone, scenting another youkai around. It had taken less than a second to identify Izumi's scent before he relaxed. Akane probably needed to talk about some girly stuff and didn't want Ranma overhearing.

He shuddered lightly, not wanting to know.

He stopped as he heard shuffling in Akane's room, knowing that Akane was not in there. Their fathers had gone to the bathhouse and Nabiki was out with friends, enjoying one of the last days of summer. Kasumi was in the kitchen doing whatever it was that Kasumi did all day. I swear, how she managed to cook so much, Ranma never knew but her cooking was amazing so he wasn't going to complain.

He opened the door to Akane's room, a familiar scent washing over him. A growl formed in his throat, planning on dealing with him once and for all.

He gripped the doorframe, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, wanting to get a lock on where the dirty little pig was. He opened his eyes, his gaze narrowing down beside Akane's desk. He dashed towards the desk, hearing the squeal from the pig and grabbing him before he could make a getaway. He gripped the squealing pig by the neck and not just the bandana. He had learned that lesson the hard way, having had the tiny thing slip out of the material. Grabbing Ryoga in both hands, he marched towards the bathroom and he somehow managed to flip the sign to occupied with the pig in his hands before he started to fill the furo with hot water.

Once it was half filled he threw the squealing pig in, glaring at the sputtering teen boy that appeared in the tub before him.

"Ranma, I'll-"

"You know what you're gonna do, Ryoga?" Ranma snarled, hearing the growl in his voice as his new vocal chords went to work. "You're gonna leave and you're not gonna come back. Not as Ryoga, not as P-Chan, neither. Or else, I'm gonna have a barbeque."

"What are you talking about?" Ryoga smirked as he sat there, finding something in Ranma's words amusing. "I've been training while I've been searching for you. I will defeat you, Ranma." He stood up with his last words, his complete nakedness clearly not registering in his mind. Ranma was slightly disturbed by this. "And besides, Akane loves P-Chan. I doubt she'd want him to disappear."

Another growl ripped from Ranma and Ryoga's eyes widened at the sound, echoing off of the tiled walls of the bathroom.

Any thought that Ranma had had of concealing his new true form from Ryoga was thrown to the wind with his words against Akane. While he may have felt loyal to the words he had spoken when he'd thought Ryoga was a dog but he wasn't going to sit back and allow him to take advantage of Akane anymore. He had been wrong to let it go on for so long as it was but his instincts were screaming to rid himself of the pest in front of him.

He gripped the ring on his finger, sliding it off and watching Ryoga's eyes widen as he took in Ranma's appearance. He knew that the change in his eyes, the ears and the colours in his hair, the claws that tipped his fingers were noticed by the young man. He snarled, his canines showing and Ryoga stepped backwards, slipping and landing on his backside in the furo as Ranma walked up to him.

He grabbed Ryoga around the throat, his claws digging into his flesh slightly. Not hard enough to break skin but enough to make a point.

"You . . . will stay away from Akane," Ranma growled, the low rumble coming from his chest rather than his throat. "If I catch a hint of your scent around the dojo after today, I will destroy you. Understood?"

Ryoga nodded as much as he could, his mind still trying to wrap around the fact that Ranma was now something completely different. There was no way that he could be completely human. Not looking like that. He would need to get some answers.

But first he had to get away from him!

Ranma let him go and Ryoga moved with a speed he didn't realise he had in him, miraculously managing to find his way out of the house without making a wrong turn. He would chalk it up to being completely freaking out.

Ranma sighed as he slid the ring back on, shaking his head as he let the water out. He wondered what Ryoga would do with the knowledge he now had. He wouldn't worry about it.

It wasn't as though it would say secret forever, after all.