A metafiction by Brian Randall
Disclaimer: Original source is Ranma 1/2, which is the property and creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Her paints, my easel, and the brush is borrowed without permission (hence this disclaimer) from Kenko and Chris Jones, as this metafic is inspired by 'Fair Warning' and 'The Tomboy Solution'.
Note: Fans of the above fics will probably not enjoy the effects of this one. Consider yourselves warned. Divergence. You'll know it when you see it.
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-0-
"Why am I watching this?" Akane asked, annoyed at the time taken away from her studies to go to the airport.
"Hush," her father said insistently. "This is for your own safety."
"How?" she asked, glancing to Genma, at her father's side.
The bald man was dressed in a brown business suit with a nondescript fedora. Soun was dressed the same, and Happosai was -- thankfully -- not in sight. Akane didn't want to know what his plans were at the moment.
Bad enough her father only drilled her in the most basic forms of the art, and Genma continually droned on about the simple tenets of the school's philosophy. Between the two of them, she felt continual reminders of her mistake, and Happosai's own commentary wasn't terribly pleasant to hear, either.
Though the aged master did at least compare her favorably to Ranma, assuring her that the boy had his own share of flaws.
That was a lesson on pride, though, because he was also quick to point out that Ranma hadn't nearly crippled anyone when Akane agreed. This set off another bout of Genma's 'virtues of a proper martial artist', and when it had finally ended, the man adjusted his spectacles and said it was time to go to the airport.
"How?" she asked again, crossing her arms over her chest. She hadn't even had time to change out of her St. Hebereke's uniform. Though, she had to admit, it allowed for more maneuverability than her Furinkan uniform had.
"There," Genma said in satisfaction, pointing across the terminal. The room was very large, and filled with people, most of them on their way to some gate, a few uniformed security guards patrolling and offering directions to the lost. There were also flight attendants, pilots, and what appeared to be a grade-school class on a field trip.
Akane looked past all of those, and found Ranma across the way. Her heart skipped a beat, and she must have made some noise of surprise, because her father's hand settled on her shoulder. She shook her head quickly; Ranma was taking a flight? Where? He'd always taken the train before.
Ahead of Ranma were Cologne and Mousse. Akane swallowed. Ranma was carrying a small cage, though it was a plastic shell, concealing whatever was within. Could it be, she wondered, a cat? Ranma was going back to China with Shampoo?
"I really screwed up," she groaned.
"Yes, but this should clear things up a bit," Genma assured her. "Watch."
Akane swallowed, and the trio vanished through a gate. Not long after, there was the muffled din of a fight, though a brief one. Then a loudly protesting quack, and silence. Akane blinked, surprised to see a nearby luggage conveyer bearing the same cage that Ranma had been handling upwards, and deeper into the terminal.
It turned briefly, before vanishing, and she spotted a dazed-looking duck within. Not a cat. And that meant...
"Ranma's not leaving!" she said in relief. "He just sent Mousse away!"
"Exactly. Mousse would have been furious if he found out that you had attacked Shampoo. He was giving my son some problems as it was," Genma explained. "Now, nothing is perfect, but you've been listening to us for a while, so bear with me a little longer. This, too, is part of your path to becoming a martial artist."
"And we've argued about it long and hard," her father added, turning to face her. Akane nodded, peeking around the men for another glimpse of Ranma, reassured when he and the old woman headed towards an exit, instead of boarding a flight away.
"But we can't afford to let our school be split."
Akane stopped looking for Ranma and stared at Genma sharply. "What? You're not going to try to get me to marry Ranma, are you?" she demanded.
Genma and her father exchanged a glance before her father coughed quietly. "You see, Akane-chan," Soun began carefully, "you've made things harder, but not impossible. You and Ranma-kun might still be wed."
"Much, much more difficult," Genma agreed with a grimace. "But we talked it over with the master, and he, of course, talked to Cologne about it."
"And Ranma?" she pressed.
The men exchanged another glance.
"This is where things are tricky," Genma warned. "Ranma is my student, and the heir to the Saotome side of the school. You're still the most suitable heir for your side of the school. The master told Cologne that, uh, well... He said it wasn't fair for Cologne to take away his most promising student and heir."
Akane shifted her shoulders and frowned, not liking the way that her questions had been dismissed. "But what about Ranma? He's not... He's not planning on abandoning the school, is he?"
"Do you expect him to teach martial arts in your dojo as things stand?" Genma asked critically. "I'm not about to relinquish my own control of the school -- not after establishing the Umi-sen-ken and the Yama-sen-ken--"
"And I'm not about to relinquish the dojo I struggled to build," her father countered quickly, shooting his friend a stern look. Genma met it, swallowing the rest of his statement before Soun had interrupted him, and Akane blinked at the sense of an old argument between the two that had never been perfectly settled.
"And I guess you two couldn't come to an agreement," she said, unsurprised.
"Wrong," they said together.
"Aside from engaging me to Ranma. And now that this has happened, you're both desperate to do whatever you can to get us married, right?"
Soun nodded, and Genma looked uncomfortable ... but nodded a moment later. "I don't think that can happen," she sighed, shaking her head. "I doubt Ranma can forgive me. M...maybe Kasumi. Or Nabiki."
"Cologne said it had to be you," Soun said with a shrug. "So we're to train you. Once, um, Ranma-kun's finished tending to things and isn't under any obligation to those other girls, Cologne agreed that she would allow Ranma to choose to return to you, if he wanted."
Akane blinked. "What?" she asked, disbelieving. "That..." Her mind raced. Was there still a chance after all? "No, no. That'll never work. I mean, what about Ukyou, and Kodachi? You two didn't think this through at all!"
"We've got time," Soun said with a shrug. "You apologized to Shampoo, why not the others?"
"Are you two stupid? That won't work!"
"Are you so sure? We can't know if we don't try, and I don't want to let our schools die out here."
"And you," she said, rounding on Genma, narrowing her eyes. "What else was in that bargain?"
"If Ranma doesn't accept you, then Cologne will allow Ranma to teach you everything he's learned to complete the schools," Genma said with a shrug. "So we'll become stronger either way. I'd rather have all of that knowledge forever united in a single school... But if that's the closest we can come, then that's what we'll settle for."
"So, will you do it, Akane-chan?" Soun asked seriously. "Think about it. Ranma-kun sent Mousse away because he might have been a danger to you. That tells me you still have a chance."
"But only a chance," Genma warned, before she could reply. "You have to understand ... the training to bring my boy back will be hard, possibly merciless. I won't lie to you. You'll need to grow quite a bit, and the challenges will be unforgiving. You'll be training with me, and I won't go easy on you like your father did."
"Hey!" the man protested.
Akane ignored him, studying Ranma's father. His features seemed to have hardened since the last time she'd actually looked at him, granting him a stoic, unshakable air. Somehow, though, he looked anxious and unhappy, behind his mask. "Do you want me to?" she asked.
"That's not the important question here, Akane-chan," he replied with a shake of his head. "Do you want to take this path?"
"I..." She swallowed and bowed her head, thinking. "I do," she admitted quietly. "I really l...like that... I want to, yes. But I don't think I have a chance."
"We have more than a chance," Soun said proudly. "Yes, it might take some work, but we can see that it gets done!"
"How?"
Genma released a long, echoing sigh. "With our secret weapon," he said, finally. "I didn't want to have to do this."
"W...what is it?"
"Akane-chan, I think it's time for us to formally meet with my wife."
-1-
Ukyou's schedule had shifted abruptly. As a businesswoman, she had paid particularly close attention to when she did what, allowing enough time to both attend classes and maintain her business. Now that she had been hospitalized, she wasn't able to go to school or work.
She worried that she wouldn't be able to recover from the extended downtime at her work, but found Ranma's company a soothing balm. For the rest of the time, though she slept a lot, Kodachi was an excellent conversationalist, and Ukyou found herself liking the other girl. They were rivals for Ranma's affection, but friends otherwise.
The other girl's good humor made it hard for Ukyou to be too dispirited, and when Ranma studied with them, it was even easy to get along. Admittedly, all discussions had carefully avoided the question of who Ranma was going to marry, an issue that Ukyou knew loomed large. Oh, they had at least until everyone recovered, but Ukyou found herself guiltily hoping that Kodachi's recovery took a full year, just so she could be guaranteed that much more of Ranma's time.
But then, she reasoned, Ranma would be spending that much more time with Kodachi, and if she could get to liking Kodachi, Ranma could, too, and that meant...
She sighed, puffing out her cheeks. "I know that sound," Kodachi murmured from her bed.
"I guess," Ukyou admitted with a nervous chuckle. "Is Ranchan running late?"
"Perhaps there was an issue at the Neko-Hanten," Kodachi suggested. "Should we go there and see?"
This elicited a snort from Ukyou. "Yeah, right. I'll just hobble along and push your bed. Won't we be a sorry sight? Two of Nerima's best..." She trailed off. "I wonder where this puts us, now that I think about it."
"As somewhat less than we were, I'd imagine," Kodachi replied dryly. "Though, as in all things, I'd also expect ... above Tendo Akane."
"Yeah," Ukyou agreed, grimacing again.
"Heya!" Ranma exclaimed, throwing the door open and striding to the foot of Kodachi's bed with a wide grin. "How are you two doin'?"
Shampoo followed behind Ranma, carrying the bag of school supplies. Ukyou could do her own homework, but Shampoo had to help Kodachi, since the largely immobilized girl had trouble writing with only one free hand. Though, from what Ukyou could tell, Shampoo's written Japanese was getting much better.
Shampoo's bruises had almost completely faded, too, probably to be gone within a day or two. Ukyou felt a sudden pang of jealousy, but quickly suppressed it, turning to look at Ranma.
Her stomach filled with butterflies at the radiant grin he was still giving off.
"I'm doing much better now," Kodachi replied with a bright smile that was just shy of being a smirk. "Seeing you so filled with joy at me ... why, it makes this all seem worth it."
Shampoo snorted. "Ranma did a big chore today," she offered.
"Not that I don't mind seein' you two," he added quickly. "Kodachi, you're looking better every day. And Ucchan..." He trailed off and approached her, taking her chin in his hand and turning her face to examine the bandage there. After a moment he'd removed the dressing, which always made her heart skip a beat. She wanted to cry when he frowned at what he saw, but forced herself to remain as expressionless as possible.
"Good," he said after a moment, nodding judiciously. "From what Cologne said, I think there might be a tiny scar ... but I bet you'll only even be able to tell up close."
She fought to keep down another emotion at that, but couldn't help grinning. Before, a wide smile would have aggravated the wound, but it had healed enough that she barely even felt it now.
Shampoo got out the day's homework and books while Ranma cleaned and dressed the wound, which was simultaneously one of the best and worst parts of Ukyou's day. She wasn't sure how to feel about Shampoo helping Ranma by providing clean bandages ... but ultimately she realized she couldn't really complain. After all, the animosity between the three of them was, if not gone, carefully locked away.
"There," he said when he was finished, nodding. "Man, you wouldn't believe the crazy herbal stuff you can do," he added, glancing over to Kodachi and retreating a few steps to put himself comfortably into her field of view.
"I would," Shampoo said, pulling up chairs for herself and Ranma. Her seat was at Kodachi's side, so she could turn the pages of various books, and Kodachi could supervise whatever Shampoo wrote down. Ranma sat at the foot of her bed, looking at the stack of books and paper Shampoo handed him with dismay. "Airen, something wrong?"
"Aw... Somehow, I thought I wouldn't have to worry about homework today," he sighed.
"Why not?" Ukyou asked, frowning. "I mean, it's a school day, so there's homework, right?"
"I think I know," Kodachi offered. "Ranma-sama, tell me ... what was your great errand today?"
Ranma grinned again. "Finally got to send Mousse packin'," he said cheerfully. "Cologne and me sent him back to China. He won't be botherin' me for ... well, probably a week at least!"
"Well, that seems laudable," Kodachi said sagely. Ukyou gave a half-shrug, nodding her agreement. "Who is Mousse, precisely?"
"Stupid pest," Shampoo asserted. "But he hopefully stay gone forever. More than just one week."
"I'd be happy with just a week," Ranma said sourly. "Aw, man... Can we start with math today? That's my worst subject, so I wanna make sure I take care of it, first."
"Sure," Ukyou said agreeably, sorting through the books at her bedside. "Boy, Ranchan, it sure is great seeing you applying yourself. I bet you're going to get the best marks in the class!"
"Only if I'm really lucky," he said wryly, shaking his head. "But I'm studyin' a ton more with Cologne and Tofu-sensei, too. At least the Shiatsu stuff is easy. But these herbs... Whew. So much to keep track of. And then I gotta help out at the restaurant, prolly even more now that Mousse is gone. It was always easier back at..." He shook his head abruptly, his expression shifting from wistful to solemn. "Anyway. Let's take a crack at this math, huh?"
"Of course," Kodachi replied, when Ukyou's voice stuck, and Shampoo stared at the floor in dismay. "A turn of subject may presage a turn of heart."
"Huh?"
Ukyou bit her lip, shooting Kodachi a soft smile that the other girl wouldn't be able to see. She was having a hard time seeing the former gymnast as a hated rival.
-2-
Tofu finished flipping through the last of the reports and released a sigh, nodding. Ranma sat opposite him, fiddling anxiously with a pen, spinning it around between his fingers and then tossing it into the air. "It's all okay?" Ranma asked anxiously.
"What do you think?" the doctor asked.
"W...well," Ranma began hesitantly, eyeing the stack of papers. "I dunno. I've learned a lot about making tea for headaches and upset stomachs, and medicine for bruises and cuts, but a ... shattered hip is kinda..." He hesitated, and then blurted out, "I dunno, sensei! It's too much for me to figure out! I can't read all that stuff!"
He slumped, staring at the floor. "An', anyway, I wanna say Ucchan's fine, so she'll be okay to go home. But I dunno if I should, because me wantin' her to be okay don't mean it's really that way."
"Well, that's fine," Tofu said agreeably. "It's important to me to know that you realize your own limitations before you take that young lady into your care."
"Huh?"
"You view medicine very differently from martial arts, and I'm glad for that," Tofu added, smiling. "I know you don't know enough to judge accurately. I just wanted to see if you'd guess, or if you'd admit that you didn't know. I'm proud of you."
"Why?" Ranma asked, scratching his head. "I mean, this ain't me. If it were me, I'd say, 'It's nothin', and then try and get outta the hospital. But this is Ucchan. I owe it to her to make sure she's okay, 'cause I promised her."
Tofu chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, never mind," he sighed. "What's important is that, as I said before, your heart seems to me to be in the right place. Well, Ukyou is somewhat headstrong, much like you are."
"What's that mean?" Ranma asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, just that ... I think she's okay to be released. But I also think you're going to need to keep a close eye on her to make sure that she doesn't push herself too hard." The doctor slid the papers across the desk, putting them in a folder. "So while Ukyou's hip is mostly set, she'll need to be careful with it. This means that she isn't allowed to walk anywhere without using crutches; I'd prefer a wheelchair, but I suspect that she wouldn't stand for that."
"I'm pretty sure she would," Ranma replied with a smirk.
Tofu blinked twice before he caught the joke and snickered. "Now, now. Seriously, Ranma, I want you to make sure she spends most of the next week, at least, being very careful with that hip. So no heavy lifting -- no lifting at all, if you can help it. If she's going to work, which I expect she will, try and keep her sitting down as much as possible."
The boy nodded thoughtfully. "Got it," he agreed. "So I should make sure she doesn't try and take those stairs by herself or anything, either, right?"
"Absolutely. She'd best move downstairs until she's more recovered. Since she's going to be released from the hospital, I want you to bring her back here for regular follow-ups. Also, I'm going to prescribe her two pills. One is going to be a calcium supplement. Cologne may suggest an herbal alternative, and that's fine. But I'm also going to prescribe antibiotics, which you need to make sure she takes; we can't afford to let her get any sort of infection."
"Got it," Ranma said with a nod. "Anything else?"
"That's it, Ranma. Take good care of her."
"I can promise you that, Tofu-sensei."
-3-
Being released from the hospital was quite possibly the best day of Ukyou's life. That Ranma was there with her, standing ready to catch her if she stumbled, made it better. It took a bit of work, and she found herself discomfited by how slowly she was forced to hobble, but after losing two weeks -- Two weeks! -- to healing as much as she had, she doubted her finances would allow for a cab.
She said farewell to Kodachi, but only was able to make it to the lobby of the hospital before needing to stop and catch her breath. "Oh," she groaned, leaning on the crutches she'd been given, trying to avoid stressing her hip. "This is going to take forever! I just wanted to take a shower and sleep in my own bed tonight!"
Ranma winced, then asked, "Um ... Ucchan, can I help?"
"Of course," she said agreeably. Ranma moved to stand to one side of her, then gathered her into his arms, careful not to jostle her wounded hip. "Aah!" she yelped, surprised by his suddenness, and blushing fiercely. "Um..."
"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly. "Should I set you down?"
"N...no," she managed quickly, her blush intensifying. She shifted the crutches to the same hand, trying to hold them out of Ranma's way. "I just wasn't expecting ... um..."
He smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry about it," he said gently. "We'll be back at your place in no time. Ready?"
She nodded shyly, glancing to one side, where Shampoo watched with an unreadable expression, holding the bag of supplies that she carried as Ranma's self-appointed nurse.
True to Ranma's word, the trip back to her restaurant took almost no time at all. Shampoo unlocked and opened the door, and then Ranma strode in, carrying her upstairs and to her room. Ukyou blushed again, unable to avoid thinking about the American tradition of newlyweds.
"You okay?" Ranma asked, as Shampoo rolled out her futon. He set her down carefully atop it, and pressed a hand against her forehead. "You feel kind of warm."
"I...I'm fine," she managed, her heart skipping a beat. "Um. But I wanted to take a shower first."
Ranma frowned at that. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I think you'd be better off taking a bath, so you could sit down."
Shampoo nodded her agreement, and Ukyou bit her lip. "But ... I don't have a bath here, just a small shower."
"Well..." Ranma hesitated. "I guess I could get some cold water, and take you to a bathhouse..."
"But, well, I mean, you'd get to see me naked!" Ukyou protested half-heartedly. Ranma winced, and she added, "Though, I guess hot water would be everywhere, so it would only be fair-- I mean, um..." She trailed off into silence, studying the floor intently to hide the blush she was certain Ranma could feel the heat of.
"I have idea," the self-proclaimed nurse chirped, smiling suddenly. "Big bath at Neko-Hanten. We take Ukyou there, and I help!"
"Sure," Ranma said with a shrug. "That's only a block or two away, and I left my stuff there anyway. Okay. You ready, Ucchan?"
"Okay," she agreed, as Ranma picked her up again. This time she left her crutches on the floor and leaned into her fiancee's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as Shampoo opened the window and hopped outside. He followed, and far too quickly they reached the Neko-Hanten, where he set her down gently in the bathroom, before nervously vanishing.
"Darn," she muttered, watching him leave. With a sigh, she began pulling at her clothes, surprised when Shampoo started stripping her own clothes off. "What are you..." She trailed off with a shrug. It wouldn't be the first time she'd bathed with Shampoo. They'd done it at the hot springs during their race, too.
"I help," the Chinese girl offered. "Also, keep Airen from seeing too much naked Ukyou."
Ukyou blushed crimson at that, finally working her way out of the hospital gown she'd been wearing. More traditional clothes might be difficult to work with, considering how awkward her hip still was. "Oh," she said quietly. "Um ... Shampoo... Can I ask you a question about that?"
"Of course," Shampoo said, filling a bucket with warm water and setting it by Ukyou, sliding a bar of soap and a washcloth over a second later. "About Airen, yes?"
"Y...yeah," she agreed. "Um ... we can't fight for him, but... Well, what do we do now?" After lathering up her washcloth she glanced up at Shampoo, who was carefully keeping her broken arm dry, still trying to wash herself. "Oh, sheesh. We're a sorry pair. Come here so I can scrub your back."
Snorting, the Chinese girl did as instructed, leaning forward slightly and putting her hair up into a bun, though Ukyou needed to help when one of Shampoo's hands alone wasn't up to the task. "I not sure," the girl admitted quietly. "Is complicated now. But you is right; no more fighting. I want Ukyou-girl and Kodachi-girl to be Airen's friends."
"So that you can have him to yourself?" Ukyou asked critically, scrubbing Shampoo's arm near the cast, careful not to get it wet. "Well, that's my plan too."
"Is a good plan," Shampoo said quietly. "Is best plan I has, anyway."
They were quiet for a minute, until Ukyou finished scrubbing. Then she rose, walked behind Ukyou, and carefully began returning the favor. "Thanks," Ukyou said, pulling her hair over her shoulder, then splashing herself with some of the warm water. While Shampoo scrubbed, she washed her hair. "Okay," she said after a moment, "well... Let's try something new about that, huh?"
"Something new?" Shampoo asked, working the sudsy washcloth down Ukyou's back, pressing only gently near her injured side. "What that?"
"When ... Akane beat us, she tried to make everyone take back what they had with Ranchan. I mean, she did, right? She said she wanted me to give up on the formal engagement." She swallowed suddenly. "And ... I promised I would. Ranchan said it didn't matter, but..."
"I too," the other girl answered briskly. "But Airen say, 'No matter, challenge again when you better'. So I not worried."
"Well... Okay, that's exactly it. And, anyway, there's nothing that says you can't like him. Or go after him. You just don't have a ... you know ... tie or obligation. And I guess unless I push things, I don't either. But I don't want to push things."
"What Akane say and do doesn't matter," Shampoo returned, tossing the washcloth away and rinsing herself off with a bucket. A moment later, Ukyou closed her eyes when water sluiced down over her own head. "Not to Airen," she added, softly.
"Y...yeah, that's exactly it," Ukyou said, nodding slightly. She squealed in alarm when Shampoo wrapped an arm around her and hefted her easily, but without jostling her hip. Her alarm faded when the Chinese girl set her in the furo, pausing for a moment before climbing in next to her. "Um ... thanks."
"Is no problem," Shampoo said with a smile. "I think I see. So, because Airen already feels tied to I and Ukyou, not pressure him, and let him choose on his own?"
"That's it," Ukyou agreed. "That's what I was thinking of. I mean ... we're not like Akane. We won't make that mistake."
"Again."
Ukyou winced, but nodded. "Right. So anyway. Why don't we try not reminding him about, um, being engaged or obligated to us? I think he already feels pretty bad just trying to take care of us. So ... no more pressure on him."
"Not want to let him slip away, though."
"We wouldn't. I mean ... he's going to be around us all the time now, isn't he? I know it might be hard for you to trust me, since he'll be staying with me now ... but you can come over all the time. When we go to visit Kodachi, you can join us when we study. And it sounds like he's going to be here a lot to learn from Cologne, anyway."
Shampoo considered, while Ukyou swallowed nervously. She desperately wanted Ranma to marry her ... but she also knew that as much as things had changed, he still needed time and space to get over Akane. Would Shampoo understand that Ukyou was giving up what she thought was a guarantee of snaring Ranma to share her time with him? But then ... she didn't want to get Ranma like that. It felt too much like the time she'd used fake tears to try and manipulate him.
"Okay," Shampoo decided abruptly. "Obstacles is for killing. Is Joketsuzoku way. But that not make Airen happy, so Shampoo ignore it for him. Can do this, too." She seemed to want to say more for a moment, then shook her head. "Ukyou-girl, if you going to be Airen's friend, even if Airen doesn't marry ... we be friends, too? That maybe make it easier?"
Ukyou nodded happily. "I'd like to try that," she agreed.
"Now, how we deal with Kodachi-girl?"
"W...well, I already made a truce with her," Ukyou admitted, blushing slightly.
Shampoo smirked. "I thought so," she said. "What conditions?"
Ukyou explained, "Basically, the deal is that no one makes a move on Ranchan until we're all better. We'll all try and get along until then."
Shampoo nodded thoughtfully. "I agree too. I asked, and Great-grandmother says is probably good idea."
"She did?"
"I think she has something planned," Shampoo began, before shaking her head suddenly. "It will be okay, I think. If we is only friends... Well." She shrugged.
Ukyou nodded slowly, relaxing a little bit and enjoying a soak in the warm water.
-4-
After Ukyou had fallen asleep in the bath, Shampoo had carefully removed her from the water, dressed her in a pair of the Chinese girl's pajamas, and then called Ranma in. After a moment of panic at seeing Shampoo still naked -- he did wonder about that -- he moved Ukyou to Shampoo's bed long enough to take a bath himself.
Ukyou hadn't woken up by then, so he carried the girl back to her own place with Shampoo, who insisted on helping. He managed to rouse Ukyou long enough to take her medication, along with an herbal tea Cologne had suggested, then walked Shampoo back home. Once there, she said goodbye, but handed him a takeout box, with instructions that he save it for breakfast.
Humming to himself, and tired after the full day, Ranma smiled up at the starless city sky. "Things could be worse," he mused aloud, just before his father appeared from the darkness. "Uh ... Pop?"
"Boy," Genma returned, nodding. "Congratulations on dealing with Mousse. How is ... everything going?"
"Pretty good so far," Ranma said with a shrug. "Come on. I gotta get back to Ucchan's; we can talk there."
"Why not here?" Genma asked, falling into step beside his son when Ranma continued walking.
"'Cause I gotta keep an eye on Ucchan," Ranma said with a shrug. "If she wakes up in the middle of the night and needs to go to the bathroom or somethin', I'll have to carry her down the stairs. Tofu-sensei said she should sleep on the ground floor, but I figured for her first night back she'd want her own room."
"Fair enough." There was a moment of companionable silence, until they reached Ukyou's restaurant. After checking in on the slumbering girl, Ranma went back downstairs to sit at the counter with his father.
"So, what's this all about?"
"Boy ... there is something I want to warn you about."
"What is it?" Ranma asked, tensing. "Akane beat someone else up?"
"What? Of course not! The dougi is gone. No, no... Look. The unity of the school--"
"Don't tell me you're backing out on what you said," Ranma growled. "We can't do that!"
"I'm not," Genma said stiffly. "But the unity of the schools is important."
"And I'm not marryin' Akane -- I can't let anyone think that what she did was okay. Hells, even Happi was on her case for it."
"Still is," Genma agreed. "But even the master agrees that it's a shame to let you go from the school."
"I'm not leaving the school," Ranma said indignantly. "What the hell gave you that idea?"
"The fact that you're not studying martial arts?" Genma asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're studying medicine. Shiatsu. Herbalism."
"W...well... Those are things that would help the school," Ranma protested. "And, 'sides, I kinda gotta do it anyway. If Akane hadn't hurt the girls so bad..." He trailed off and shrugged.
"Of course," Genma said doubtfully. "But if you stay with the school, I'm worried that you'll lose your edge. Studying medicine and shiatsu is fine, but it's not going to let you practice enough -- especially the way things are now. Then it will become even more difficult to unite the schools, because how can you claim to be a skilled martial artist?"
"Why isn't the old freak in on this conversation?" Ranma asked, suddenly suspicious. "What's goin' on, Pop?"
"We've made a deal," Genma said with a shrug. "Cologne agreed to it. Tendo and I will train Akane. If she earns your trust within the time it takes the other girls to heal, then you'll marry her and unite the schools. So you can practice with her, while those other girls are healing."
"You're a moron," Ranma said after an extended pause. "A total moron, Pop. That just ain't happening."
"Is it? Akane got Shampoo to forgive her. If she gets Ukyou and Kodachi to forgive her, too, is it that impossible?"
"Hell yes! It ain't happening -- and if it were, as soon as I went back to Akane, the Kuno family would sue the Tendos. Did you forget about that deal?"
"No," Genma said quietly. "Nothing is perfect. There will be challenges to overcome. But the schools can still be united! If Cologne can agree, with the pride of her tribe behind her, why can't someone who owns," he gestured vaguely to the room around him, "this? Or someone who's so wealthy it makes no difference?"
"Pop," Ranma hissed, "you're really startin' to piss me off. You're just forgetting about what happened? Pretending it ain't a problem?"
"I'm not," Genma snapped, shooting his son a sharp look. "But I'm thinking about the survival of the school, something that should outlive both of us. Not wounds which can heal. And with you on the job, I'm confident that the girls will be just fine. So. Will you agree to give Akane this chance? Until you are done taking care of them?"
"Did you hit your head? Are you crazy?"
"Admit it, Boy. You still like the idea of being able to marry Akane," Genma pressed. "You would have started a fight with me by now if I was wrong."
"I..." Ranma trailed off, swallowing uncomfortably and staring up at the ceiling, wondering at his father's words. "It ain't happening," he said after a moment. "It won't work. There's no chance."
"Then surely you don't see a problem with agreeing to let her fail," Genma insisted. "She can learn from the experience, and if nothing else, you can still work together to keep the schools as close as possible until the next generation can unite them, can't you?"
"Is it that important to you?" he asked dully.
"Can you say it's not that important to you?" Genma countered.
Ranma stared wordlessly until he had to look away from his father's gaze. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll give her a chance, because... Oh, hell. It ain't gonna work. But whatever. She's got the same chance as anyone else."
Genma smiled and nodded. "Good," he said, sighing. "Aside from which, won't you want to make sure that she's learned her lesson? Maybe take a hand in helping me train her?"
"I dunno," Ranma said doubtfully. "I don't got that much free time anymore. So Akane's going to have to figure out how to okay it with the other girls first. Now go away, I've got enough to deal with."
"Fine, fine... Rest well, Boy. And good luck."
"Yeah, whatever," Ranma mumbled, watching the man leave.
Once he was alone, he hung his head and sighed. "Just when things were gettin' better," he groaned. "What the hell."
-5-
Ukyou stared at the ceiling of her room, considering the overheard conversation. She wasn't happy to have heard what she had ... but it did make some things clearer. Akane should have been out of the running. If Genma and Soun -- and maybe Akane, too -- thought that things were otherwise, things could get very difficult for the Tendo girl.
Aside from which, how did she expect Ukyou to forgive her?
She restlessly wished she could roll onto her side, but refrained, mindful of her hip. She needed advice. She needed help.
She needed a friend.
She brightened suddenly, realizing that she had two of them, not even counting Ranma.
Any plan from Genma and Soun was going to run into unexpected complications, if they thought things were going to be that simple. She just needed to figure out how to make sure that it didn't bother Ranma.
Thinking that, she allowed herself to drift back to sleep again, dreaming of Ranma and her friends.
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