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

Inuyasha sighed as he once again felt the youki of Kouga within the shrine limits. At least he was alone this time and Ranma wasn't here. He didn't need Kouga going off while Ranma was here. The kid was still getting used to his enhanced senses and was still skittish. Kouga was brash and loud and wouldn't be good for Ranma to handle right now.

Maybe in a few months he would let Ranma loose but for the moment he wanted the ookami away from his descendant.

He walked out of the front of the house, waiting for Kouga to breach the steps. Kouga's human appearance wasn't too different from his youkai appearance. His eye and hair colour were common among the human populace. All that needed to be hidden with Kouga were his tell-tale fangs, claws and his pointed ears.

Being the middle of the day, there were visitors to the shrine so neither of them could behave how they normally would.

Inuyasha nodded towards the house as Kouga approached turning and heading into the house. He didn't need to know that the ookami was following him. Even if he hadn't been able to feel his youki behind him, he knew the youkai wanted answers and he wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity.

"Don't need to ask why you're here," Inuyasha closed the door behind Kouga, watching as the other youkai slipped his shoes off, raising his eyebrows at Inuyasha, earning himself a smirk.

Kouga had been to the shrine before and knew where the main sitting room was. Inuyasha made some tea for the two of them as the ookami settled onto one of the cushions provided. Inuyasha placed the tray on the table, settling in his usual seat while Kouga sat opposite to him. He wouldn't sit to Inuyasha's right, knowing that that was Kagome's seat and he would have been able to scent Ranma on the one to his left, this cushion having become the young hanyou's usual seat. Inuyasha didn't want his young (as he saw him) pup too far from him. Having Ranma back at the dojo, when everything inside him was screaming to grab him and bring him back to the shrine or hide him away in the fortress, was driving his instincts insane.

"First I want to apologise for Saburou's behaviour the last time we were here." Kouga admitted and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him. An apology was not something Kouga gave lightly. "He was not instructed to attack you or your family."

"I understand that," Inuyasha's ears flattened slightly, thinking back to the moment Izumi had appeared, the ookami tight in her grip. "But that does not negate the fact that had Izumi not appeared when she did, he may have attempted to attack the pup. And you know what that would have led to, Kouga."

"I can assure you, he has been punished." Kouga growled, looking extremely unhappy with the thought. "Ayame thought that I was being too extreme with him but I assured her that it was necessary. She still wasn't happy even after I explained what had almost happened but she accepted it. She's not my biggest fan at the moment."

Inuyasha had to smirk at the thought. He had been in the same boat when it came to discipline of the pups when they had gotten out of hand. Kagome had not agreed with some of his methods as they were growing up, even after both he and Sesshomaru had assured her that it was necessary and usual behaviour for Inu's. Inuyasha didn't ask what punishment he had given Saburou. Behaviours within each youkai species and clans were their own and kept within their respective breeds.

Inuyasha poured the tea, deeming it brewed enough for the two of them, handing a cup to Kouga. He couldn't help but be amused by the thought that if, five hundred years ago, if someone had to told him that he would one day be sitting, civilly drinking tea with Kouga, he would have lopped their head off with Tessaiga while laughing hysterically at the absurdity.

"So, you found him, then?" Kouga asked, setting his cup down and levelling his gaze on Inuyasha. "The pup."

"Yeah, we did." Inuyasha laced his fingers in front of him, resting his elbows on the table. He pressed his lips against his fingers, letting out a sigh. "We should never have had to go looking for him."

"What happened to him?" Kouga kept his voice level, having seen Inuyasha's protectiveness over his pups more than once.

"His father took him when he was two years old." Inuyasha murmured softly. "It was during the week of the Autumn Gathering. When we got back they were just . . . gone. Travelled around, martial arts training, never settling for too long. Practically impossible to find. I came across him by chance. He'd been hurt and was down by the canal. I knew by his scent that it was him."

"How did he take being told that he was actually hanyou?"

"How do you think?" Inuyasha snorted, taking a drink of his tea. "He freaked out."

"But he came back."

"Yeah, he did." Inuyasha nodded, smiling to himself, remembering how pleased he had been when Ranma had turned up at the door after he had run off. He remembered thinking that it might have been too much for the teen after everything he had already been through.

"And he made the change."

Inuyasha nodded again, taking another sip of tea. "He's still adjusting and was still very instinctual when you turned up the first time, which was not appreciated, thank you very much." Kouga smirked and shrugged, taking a drink. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "He was unpredictable and skittish. He still is to be honest."

"Then where is he?" Kouga queried, knowing that Inuyasha wouldn't willingly let the pup out of his sight. When Izumi had been born, the Inu's had been fiercely protective and Kouga hadn't understood the level of defensiveness they had had around her. Sure, the ookami were protective of their own pups but he had never seen anything like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru has been at that moment. It wasn't until a few weeks after she had been born that Kouga had learned that she was the first Inu pup born since Inuyasha himself.

They had been the same with Kazuhiko, Masaru and Honoka and Kouga remembered what they had been like when they had had to leave Honoka, to save her life. He had never seen such devastation.

"Unfortunately, had to send him back home. He's still in school, which I'm not too pleased about and there would have been questions if he hadn't returned. In the eyes of the human world, he's still under the guardianship of his father." Inuyasha looked Kouga in the eye. "Again, something I'm not too pleased about."

"How come? Surely being with his parent would be the best for him."

"Usually, yes," Inuyasha sighed, running a hand through his hair. "However, Genma is not what I would call a suitable parent. Ranma can handle him now but when he was younger . . . If I'd come across them when Ranma was younger then . . . well, let's put it this way, Ranma would be safely tucked away in the fortress right now, human or hanyou."

"I don't doubt that for a moment," Kouga smirked, knowing that the Inu-hanyou in front of him was completely serious. He could see that the hanyou restraining himself when it came to scooping the pup up and whisking him away to the fortress as it was. The humans wouldn't find them and by the time he'd be old enough to leave, any of the humans that would have been looking for him would be long gone. "How old is the pup, anyway?"

"Sixteen," Inuyasha sighed and Kouga's eyes bugged slightly. Having been around the Inu's when Inuyasha and Kagome had had their pups, he knew that usually they were still infants at that age. "It's only because he grew up human that he looks how he is. Youkai are going to assume that he's older and I gotta figure out how to get around that."

"I think pretty much everyone knows what happened. And that you've been looking for the missing pup for over a decade." Kouga shrugged as Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "It won't take long for news that you've found him to travel. Especially now that he's out there."

"I'm just glad I've got Izumi on him at the moment." Inuyasha sighed running a hand through his hair.

Kouga shivered a little, having been on the end of the hanyou's eldest pup's wrath before. "She'll look out for the kid. His scent's gonna be out there now. But . . . you gotta remember, it's gonna be the scent of an adolescent. And it's gonna stay that way for a long time."

Inuyasha sighed again, nodding before taking a sip of his tea. "You have a point there. I just . . . don't wanna let him out of my sight, ya know."

"I hear ya," Kouga studied the hanyou for a moment, seeing that Inuyasha was struggling with letting the teenager be so far away. His instincts had to be screaming at him right now. Kouga knew that in the human world, sixteen was almost an adult but then again, humans lived such fleeting lives, so short they were over in practically a blink for youkai. Inuyasha would have a long time for the pup to mature. "How do you reckon he's gonna age?"

"I have no idea," Inuyasha leaned back, shaking his head. "Nothing like this has ever been seen before. Sesshomaru thinks that he's not going to age until he reaches the equivalent in Inu age for his human maturity but . . . I don't know. I hope he's right but we'll just have to wait and see."

"So how come you're not a fan of the father?" Kouga finished his tea, pouring himself another cup, no pretext of being a guest lingering.

Inuyasha let out a growl that caused Kouga to pause momentarily and blink at him in surprise. He hadn't heard a sound like that come out of the hanyou in a long time. "Other than taking his child away from his mother at two years old? When Ranma was six his father put him through Neko-ken."

Kouga froze, his eyebrow's shooting up. He hadn't heard of the Neko-ken being used on humans for over a century.

"And the human is still alive?" Kouga sniffed, pissed on behalf of the hanyou. While there may be a lingering rivalry between the two, they had made their peace and their antagonising was (mostly) good natured between the two of them. Kouga could understand how Inuyasha was pissed at the pup's father after hearing that and wondered how Inuyasha hadn't torn the human's head off.

"Only because he means something to Ranma," Inuyasha grumbled, taking a sip of his own tea. "If that wasn't the case, he would have been dealt with when I first found out."

Kouga nodded but didn't say anything for a moment, seeing the barely controlled rage of the Inu in front of him. He had learned (the hard way) that when Inuyasha was that angry, you had to let him be until he calmed down. Or you were Kagome or one of his pups. They were the only ones that could get through to him.

"If you need me to get any of my pack to watch out for him, let me know." Kouga offered and Inuyasha nodded in thanks.

It had taken then a few years and both settling down for them to bury the hatchet. Winding each other up was still something they did for amusement but it lacked the bite it had previously. Of course, the fact that Kouga was happily mated to Ayame helped a lot with that but the fact that the two of them had matured in their own rights and helped each other out over the centuries had gone a long way.

Inuyasha had managed to help Kouga and his pack out in the aftermath of Nagasaki when the bomb had hit. While they hadn't lost any members from the nuclear weapon, it had been a close call and there had been some injuries. Thankfully, being youkai, they didn't have to worry about radiation or the like but it had still been a worrying time. There had been many pups with them when the bomb had hit. Inuyasha had seen to it that they had safe haven in the fortress to recover and ensure the pack was okay before moving on.

That had only been the latest of the courtesies extended between the two youkai.

Sesshomaru knew of and approved of the alliance, able to see advantages in the continued co-operation between the two. He was not about to stand in the way of the two of them.

"To be honest, the stories I've heard from him and Akane, he may well need it." Inuyasha chuckled, shaking his head.

"Akane?"

"The human girl who was here the last time," Kouga thought back, an image of a teenage girl with short hair popping into his mind. She, other than Kagome, had been the only human around so that must have been who Inuyasha was talking about. "She's been there for Ranma since the beginning. Kind of his confidant, as it were. She came here with him to help him. I have a feeling he'll probably want her for his mate before too long." Kouga's eyebrows shot up and Inuyasha shrugged. "Before a few weeks ago, Ranma was a human teenage boy. No doubt those hormones are still running rampant through him. He might not be an adult in the eyes of a youkai but who's to say what the hell his body is telling him."

"True." Kouga nodded. While ookami were not as protective as Inu were over their pups, the pack did not allow any advances towards their pups for mating until they were a certain age. Kouga eyed Inuyasha for a moment, wondering how the hanyou was going to handle the Autumn Gathering with Ranma there. There was no doubt that there would be advances and offers for his hand. Inuyasha's eyes darkened when Kouga mentioned this to him which confused Kouga a little.

"Ranma will be the one to choose who he mates. I will not be the one to decide that for him." Inuyasha went on to explain the situation with the fiancée's to Kouga and the youkai was extremely confused and concerned about the younger hanyou with every word that came out of the Inu's mouth. "I currently have Hiko and Mas watching the chef and the Amazon and Izumi watching Ranma, so we're covered for now."

"Offer's still open," Kouga advised and Inuyasha nodded in understanding. He had no doubt the offer would be taken up at some point but for the moment they had their bases covered.

"Of it becomes too much or I feel like there's a threat to him there, I'll be pulling him out of that dojo to where I know he's safe."

"He won't like that,"

"He won't have a choice," Inuyasha looked towards Kouga who nodded, understanding what it was like dealing with unruly and confrontational pups from the perspective of both pack leader and father.

"He confronted you yet?" Kouga asked, helping himself to another cup of tea. If he had been told that he would eventually be living inside and not constantly migrating from cave to cave, he would never have believed them. Yes, the ookami still had their annual migrations as instinct dictated but they had actual homes to live in and not just caves.

"Yup," Inuyasha passed him his cup and Kouga filled it for him, passing it back, "we knew it was coming. He knows his place now."

Kouga nodded, understanding. Even though the two of them would still vehemently deny it till they ran out of breath, they were extremely alike in their personalities. Kagome and Akane had reasoned that that was most likely why they clashed so often. Of course, this idea had been thrown around when their respective mates had been occupied elsewhere.

Inuyasha sighed before looking out the window his instincts telling him to leave the shrine and grab Ranma from the dojo. He had to trust the teen and tamper his instincts down though. Ranma knew himself well enough to know when he couldn't handle any more and would call for help when he needed it. It was going to be hard for the Inu's, knowing that he was only sixteen but had the mind and body of a hanyou that should be in his two hundred's.

Inuyasha knew that it wouldn't only be him with his instincts and mind at war over that conundrum.

They would just have to wait and see.

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

Ranma sighed as he walked into the main house, looking around and seeing no one there. He could hear Kasumi in the kitchen, as always, humming as she puttered around, probably getting started on some of the dishes for the next day. He could never understand how someone loved cooking as much as she did.

Or maybe it was just something she enjoyed doing because she was good at it.

He had yet to find someone as masterful in the kitchen as Kasumi.

He couldn't tell where his father and Soun were. Probably out causing some kind of havoc in one of the bars in the ward or causing a ruckus at the bathhouse as usual.

Nabiki he knew was out with some of her friends, for once not trying to swindle money out of him or someone else in the house. He had no doubt she was doing it to some poor unsuspecting soul but hey, if it kept her out of his pockets, he had no inclinations to get in her way.

Thankfully Happosai was nowhere to be seen. He had been inconsolable since he had found out that Ranma's female side no longer existed. Ranma had lost count of the amount of times the diminutive martial artist had dumped water over him in the last three days since he had first discovered the new truth. Hopefully, he had gotten the hint by now.

He could hear Akane in her room, the gentle creaking of the floorboards in her room belying her movements above him. He knew that it wouldn't be discernible to human ears but his advanced hearing picked it up without issues.

He looked out of the doorway, seeing the red of the sky as the sun went down, his forehead creasing slightly as he noticed the colours weren't as vibrant as usual, shaking his head, wondering if the stress of being back at the shrine was getting to him.

He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

He closed the door against the slight breeze coming through, latching it as he thought about having to go back to school in a few days. He had ventured into town once or twice, still finding the sounds and smells of everyday life in the Nerima ward overbearing but sticking it out nonetheless. Inuyasha had said that it would take time for his senses to adapt to the everyday human world and he had to hope with exposure the trips would become easier.

He sighed again as he walked through the house, ascending the stairs towards the room he shared with his father, stumbling slightly as a forceful shiver made its way through him. He felt his senses dull. His hearing diminished, the colours of the house seeming dull compared to moments before, his sense of smell almost gone. His breathing sped up as he panicked for a moment, his brain trying to catch up with what had happened before he blinked in realisation.

He was human again.

He practically ran up the rest of the stairs, stopping outside Akane's room, looking at the innocent yellow duck with her name on it, knocking in what he hoped was a calm way before belatedly realising he was starting to panic slightly.

She opened the door, her face forming into a frown as she took in Ranma in front of her.

"What's wrong?" She glanced down the hallway, noting that there was no one around before grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. She knew that they would get in trouble if he was found in her room but the look on his face made her realise, she didn't care.

"It's happened," he said softly and she felt her brow furrow in confusion. The two of them sat on the floor as Ranma tried to steady himself. It had only been a short time since he had become a hanyou but he had become used to what that had entailed.

His breathing increased as he pulled off the concealment ring and Akane gasped, looking to the window quickly, realising the curtains were open and should anyone look in at that moment they would see Ranma in hanyou form. Except, when she looked back at him, she realised that there was no change. The ring was in his hand but he still looked the same.

"You're human," she whispered and he nodded. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he answered softly, looking down at the ring. The ring which hid away who he was now to the rest of the world but in that moment, was completely useless. "I mean, I don't feel different to how I did when I was human but . . . it's still weird."

"You've become used to your new senses. It's only natural that you would feel strange when that changes." Ranma nodded at her words, running a hand through his hair. He slid the ring back on, knowing that he would need its concealment once his hanyou powers and features came back. "Hang on a moment," Akane walked to the window, looking out at the night sky. "It's the night of the new moon." She turned to look at the human-again Ranma whose eyes widened slightly. "The night Inuyasha mentioned." He nodded, standing up again.

"I need to call Inuyasha," Akane nodded, watching as he walked out of the door and back downstairs. She hoped that no one was around to notice that he had come out of her bedroom, knowing they would both be in trouble if they had.

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

Kagome watched Inuyasha as he talked on the phone, knowing that it was Ranma on the other end. She looked towards her three human children, seeing the grumpy looks the three of them sported. They, much like their father, hated the night of the new moon, feeling their youkai side bleeding away, if only temporarily. They were vulnerable and they hated it. It was the only night she now truly worried about her children. They were strong enough to look after themselves. Masaru was still considered a pup, an adolescent at most and would be for another forty years or so but he could still hold his own, as he had had to a few times. The only reason Inuyasha let him out of his sight was because he was always with his siblings or under the watchful eye of his uncle.

If that hadn't been the case, then he would have been at the shrine with his parents.

"Ranma's human," Inuyasha said softly, sitting down next to Kagome, his long black hair pooling around him.

"How's he doing?" Izumi asked, looking slightly worried.

"A little disoriented but he seems okay." Inuyasha said softly, recognising his daughter's worry. "He'll be okay. You gotta remember, he was human for sixteen years. He's used to how he feels now. He's not like us, only human for a night a month. He's an accomplished and strong martial artist even when he's human. He'll be okay."

"You're not worried about him," Inuyasha looked towards Kazuhiko and Masaru, who looked so much like their mother when human. All three of them did. When she was in hanyou form, Izumi was the spitting image of her father but when she was human, she looked exactly like her mother, which always made Inuyasha smile.

"Of course I am," Inuyasha countered and Izumi's brow furrowed a little at the contradiction. "But I also know that this is what Ranma knows. It's not foreign to him like it is to us. We were all born with our hanyou abilities, strengths and senses and its disorienting to say the least when we lose them like we do. Ranma doesn't have that. He said that while it was a little disorienting at first, it wasn't as bad as he thought it was gonna be. And he has Akane there. He'll be fine."

Izumi smirked at the mention of Akane and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You think they're gonna get their act together."

"I hope they figure something out," Kagome whispered softly, leaning against Inuyasha. "It's only going to end badly otherwise."

Inuyasha could only nod as he willed the night to progress as quickly as possible.

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

Ranma glanced at Akane as they walked towards the school. They had been back at the shrine for a week and the day had dawned that they had to walk back to the dreaded building. Ranma had started up his habit of walking along the fence tops, trying to get Akane to join him, rolling his eyes as she protested, claiming that people would look up her skirt, still arguing when he suggested wearing something underneath.

Akane had to admit, she was slightly pleased that he was falling into old habits. One thing she had been worried about when he had undergone his transformation was that they would lose some of what made him Ranma. She smiled to herself as she thought about how he was essentially himself but a hanyou instead of human.

She had to admit, she had been a little worried about him on the night of the new moon. They had spent it together on the roof, both laying there curled up in sleeping bags as they waited for the sun to rise. She had just been dozing off as the first light of the sun had been lighting the sky, her eyes snapping open as she had felt a pulse of energy coming from Ranma, who had sat up straight. He had taken off the ring as he seemed to pulse again and Akane watched in amazement as his hanyou features reappeared.

She had blinked in surprise when his ears had disappeared, the dog ears she had become used to while at the shrine, appearing on top of his head, the tiny spots of silver appearing pink in the dawn. He had looked down at her with such a look of relief that she had wrapped her arms around him, thankful that it had only been for one night.

And now they knew when it was, they could prepare for it.

Ranma sighed as the school came into sight, seeing the hentai crowd forming as they always did before school let out.

"Hey Akane," he jumped down and walked next to her as they approached the school gates.

"Yeah," she turned to look at him, slightly worried about how he would react.

"Mind if I try something? I really don't wanna deal with these guys," he sighed and she looked between them and him. She could practically see his ears flattened onto his head even through the concealment spell.

"Uh, okay," she said unsurely, letting out a squeal as he grabbed her, spinning her onto his back, ensuring that her skirt was tucked underneath his arms and wouldn't fly up before setting off at a sprint but not towards the gate. He aimed for the wall, launching himself up and landing lightly before his powerful legs launched the both of them over the entire crowd and he landed deftly in front of the doors to the school, leaving the boys crowded in front of them confused.

"Ranma Saotome!" The two of them looked at each other, Akane still on Ranma's back, as they heard Kuno's voice not too far away. Ranma turned, seeing Kuno's bokken about a foot away from his face. He released Akane and she slid off his back, ensuring her skirts covered everything they were supposed to as she stood slightly behind Ranma. "Unhand the beauteous Akane and the pig-tailed girl at once!"

"Uh," Ranma looked at Akane, who shrugged wondering if Kuno could actually see that Akane was no longer on Ranma's back and they knew not to even bother with the reference towards Ranma's female form. Kuno was oblivious to the fact that they had been one and the same and they had no intentions of informing him of the truth.

Ranma saw the moment Kuno made to make a move against him. He raised an eyebrow at Akane who gave him a go-ahead gesture.

Seeing Kuno readying to make his ever-predictable strike, Ranma quickly got inside his guard and drove a knuckle into his temple, too quick for anyone to see anything other than Ranma stepping away and Kuno toppling over unconscious. Ranma turned away and walked with Akane into the school, leaving everyone standing there, wondering what had happened.

Everyone other than a suspicious Nabiki whose eagle eyes had picked up a speed Ranma hadn't had before. He had been fast, yes, but there had been something different about him since he'd gotten back from his and Akane's trip.

She would need to keep an eye on him.

But what she wasn't aware of was the set of amber eyes keeping an eye on her. Izumi's eyes narrowed as she studied the middle Tendo child. She had heard how nosey the girl could be and that she would stop at nothing to get the information she wanted. She also wasn't too pleased with the fact that she had sold the completely unimpressive Kuno photographs of her nephew while he had been in his cursed form.

Yes, the female Inu's opinion of the human was low indeed.

"Hey, sis," she turned to see Masaru settling on the branch next to her, her eyebrow raising.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ukyo Is in Ranma's class," she nodded in understanding and the two of them made their way to a perch where they would be able to see the class clearly. "That was an impressive move he made this morning."

"Hmm," she nodded keeping an eye out for Ranma and Akane. "Lets just hope it wasn't too out of the ordinary."

"From what I've heard 'ordinary' would be ploughing straight through them rather than avoiding them all completely." Masaru chuckled and Izumi smirked. "He made the better decision. He headed off his instincts before they could be tested."

"That's true," Izumi shifted, settling into a new position. "Who knows what could have happened if they had taken them on."

The Inu siblings looked towards each other, wondering what was in store for them as the day progressed. They had been made aware that Ranma's life was interesting but now they both had a front row seat.

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

Ryoga wandered through Nerima, his mind elsewhere as he thought back to the previous week in the bathroom of the Tendo dojo.

Demon!

He had come to that conclusion not long after he had stopped running, his heart slowing down and his breathing becoming less harsh. He had started walking again paying no attention to where he had been going. Not that it mattered anyway. He would only end up lost once more.

He couldn't shake the image of Ranma in the bathroom. His eyes. His fangs (far more impressive than Ryoga's which he hated to admit, even to himself). The change in the colour of his hair. The new ears and the claws that tipped his fingers where there had been nails before. There had also been a shift in his aura. There was something different about it. Something that Ryoga hadn't been able to put his finger on before it had suddenly clicked in his mind.

Demon.

He had to be.

Ryoga stopped, causing an angry yell from a woman that had been walking behind him, falling on deaf ears. He looked around to see that he had come to the Nekohanten and wandered inside.

"Welcome to Neko- oh, is you lost boy," Ryoga frowned at Shampoo's words as he sat down. "You want drink?"

"Uh, yeah," she nodded and turned towards the kitchen and he had to wonder why he'd come in here.

"Ah, Ryoga," he heard the raspy voice of Cologne as she hopped towards him on her staff. He had to wonder how she did that without toppling over but also reasoned that he probably wouldn't get a straight answer. "What brings you to our little café?"

He shrugged, not really having a reason for coming inside other than it was somewhere he knew and if he was somewhere he knew then he wasn't lost. Which was a novelty for him.

"You see Airen, yes?" Shampoo asked, placing a cup of tea in front of him, looking at him expectantly.

"Uh," it took him a moment to realise that she was talking about Ranma and he felt himself go pale at the reminder of the amber eyes, claws and fangs he had seen on the other martial artist.

"Shampoo," Cologne noticed the change in Ryoga immediately, her interest in what had the young man so spooked so quickly piqued, "I need you to pick up some things from the market. There's a list in the kitchens."

"Yes, Grandmother," Shampoo sighed, walking solemnly into the kitchens and out the backdoor of the café.

It hadn't been a complete ruse. There were some things that Cologne needed from the market. They weren't urgent but she needed Shampoo out of the way for a little while. Based on his reaction, she could see that Ryoga's last interaction with Ranma hadn't been their usual insults and fisticuffs. Something had scared the boy in front of her and she had a feeling it had to do with Ranma.

"What happened, boy?" She stood in front of him, balancing on her staff as she always did, watching him closely.

"What do you mean?" he whimpered, turning his head to look at her.

"Something happened between you and Ranma," she leaned towards him and he whimpered again. "I want to know what it was."

She stared at him for a moment and he tried to match her gaze before he broke down and told her exactly what had happened. He told her about being in Akane's room as P-chan – to which he got a disapproving look. While she was not a fan of Akane (seeing her as an obstacle to Shampoo and Ranma being together) Ryoga deceiving the girl was not something she approved of. He told her about Ranma coming into the room, grabbing him and he paused before telling her about what had happened after that. She had no reaction as he described the change that happened to Ranma in the bathroom. She didn't flinch as he described his eyes, the claws and fangs and his ears.

"Hmmm," Cologne watched Ryoga as he finished, the panicked look in his eye as he waited for her to probably laugh or call him crazy.

"What?"

"It seems we have youkai in Nerima."