After Ranma Part 3
By Mike Cervantes

Tendou Dojo, mid-morning

It was the weekend. Up until now, Akane considered the weekend to be ripe for something insane to happen. Perhaps a martial artist would come to challenge Ranma, or Ranma's suitors would make an attempt to capture Ranma…Ranma…Ranma was gone now, so nothing like that would ever happen.

Akane hummed lightly as she walked down the steps. Kasumi looked behind her from the garden, where she was hanging bedsheets. "Well, you're in a pleasant mood today." Akane nodded affirmatively. Though she felt a little guilty about it, she was beginning to enjoy her weekends again. "I'm going to Ucchan's to see Ryouga. I won't be back by lunch."

"That's okay, Akane, have a good time!" Kasumi smiled. Akane walked towards the front steps, practically skipping towards the front gate. Kasumi went back to fanning out the sheets when Nabiki dashed past her, in a hurry as well. "I'll be gone a long time, sis. Don't wait up."

"Um, I won't." Kasumi said, peeking through the sheet towards the front gate. "I wonder what she's up to." Even though Nabiki was always a schemer, she hadn't been up to anything since Ranma had left. Or was she? It was hard to tell.

Kasumi sighed. She knew that Happosai was gone by the fact the morning's laundry had been left untouched. Without her sisters, the only ones left in the house were her father, Genma and Nodoka. Her father had been distant since he had been working to repair the dojo wall, and Genma had his wife to take are of anything he needed. "I guess I could go pay a visit to Tofu-sensei."

Kunou Manor, mid-morning

Tatewaki Kunou sat at the breakfast table with a lobster bib around his neck, a fork and knife in each hand and a look of trepidation on his face. Kodachi had taken the liberty of fixing him an american breakfast, which likely meant he'd be spending the afternoon asleep or paralyzed while she had the run of the town, possibly searching for Ranma.

"Come on brother," Kodachi pleaded, leaning halfway over the table, her chin halfway in the bacon and eggs. "Just have one little bite."

Kunou shuddered. While he knew of her treachery, his chivalrous nature would not allow him to deny a meal given to him by a lady, even if that 'lady' was the cruelest little sister in all of human history. "I….um, I've developed a slight stomachache."

"Then you should eat, it will help your stomach settle." Kodachi crooned. Kunou gave a whimper and scooped a bit of egg onto his fork. That is when Sasuke barged in. "Master Kunou, Nabiki Tendou is here to see you."

"Oh, thank goodness! I mean…yes, send her to the parlor. I will be there shortly. Oh, and dispose of this." Kunou handed the plate to his servant and stood to walk away, a disappointed Kodachi leering at the small ninja with contempt and slitering away. Sasuke looked down at the plate, and licked his lips.

~~~

Kunou sat neatly in his velvet chair and crossed one leg over another. Nabiki sat in a chair in the exact same style with her legs apart and her arms on each arm. "Nabiki Tendou, to what do I owe the honor of this little visit?"

"Ditch the pleasantries, Kunou-chan," Nabiki stung "This is business. Where is the Principal?" Nabiki learned a long time ago not to refer to him as 'Principal Kunou.' That would only make Tatewaki grow resentful and unwilling to speak.

"He's in a staff meeting…" Kunou said idly, pretending to ignore the obvious. "Rumor has it he's planning on firing Ninomiya-sensei, now that the school is so well-disciplined."

Nabiki nodded in understanding. "I hoped to explain this to the both of you, but I'm afraid I only have you to work with: Some of my clients are concerned that now that Ranma is no longer at Furinkan, either you or him are planning on staging a power play. Nobody wants to be hurt, Kunou-chan, so if you're planning something I want to know right now."

"Bah," Kunou leaned back and put a hand over his mouth. "What concern is it of me is the worries of weaklings forced to pay you protection money? For that matter, what is it of yours? It's a bit more ironic that the money you pay turned out not to help them in the slightest."

"Ironic, yes, but it is still bad business." Nabiki raised her head, giving him a hard look. "What have you planned? What has HE planned?"

Kunou closed his eyes and smiled greedily. "I will tell you, but only because it is already too late. The principal has already put things in place behind the scenes, and I am prepared to make things official."

"We'll see about that," Nabiki hissed. "Go on."

"For the past three weeks Ranma has been absent, he has been working to have Furinkan High removed from the school board and made into a private school. Come Monday morning, he will have free license to impose whatever rules he wants on the students, and without Ninomiya-sensei he may do so without her sense of justice interfering."

Nabiki felt a chill. The idea of the school being reined over by that palm tree-headed madman was a horrid thought. "And you?"

"As the most powerful remaining martial artist, I will be his enforcer. Once the students are made to obey, I will again be the highest student authority in all of Furinkan, with both Akane Tendou and the pig-tailed goddess as my queens."

"That's insane." Nabiki spat. "You know he's lying to you. There is no way he can promise you Akane…"

"You're right, he can't." Kunou chortled. "Our courtship will only be regulated on the campus at first, but she will come to care for me in time, and the pigtailed goddess will of course be all to glad to accept me after Ranma's hold over her is dispelled."

"Kunou…" Nabiki shook her head. "The pigtailed girl IS Ranma…"

"Yes, yes, you've stated it a million times, but Ranma cannot keep her, wherever he is."

Nabiki put a hand on her forehead. "Okay, Kunou-chan. You had better sit tight. This is going to take for-ev-er…."

Ucchans, mid-day

"So, how have you two been getting along?" Akane said with a grin.

Ukyou growled a little, or was it just the sizzle of her grill, as she deftly flipped another okonomiyaki. "It's been terrible! Akane, I hope you've never had Ryouga as a house guest."

"Hmm," Akane thought. "I might have…It's been so long I can barely remember."

"Hasn't it?" Ukyou lifted her head up, deep in thought. "It has been a while."
"Yeah…" Akane and Ukyou looked upwards, looking as though they were both reminiscing. Then Akane's face suddenly turned sour. "How come I can barely remember any of it?"

"Because it's always been that crazy; I don't remember sharing many moments with you when we weren't fighting over Ranma. I'm sure Shampoo felt the same way." Ukyou yelped and rapidly flipped the okonomiyaki. "Don't burn, don't burn…"

"Yeah, that is why she did what she did yesterday." Akane said to herself. "Have you seen her?"

Ukyou shook her had. "Mousse either. I'm not even certain he made good on his promise to leave."

"He probably did. A martial artist doesn't like to break many promises, unless it's Ranma." Ryouga said as he entered from a room to the side. He'd obviously just finished a workout. He was dressed in a yellow tank top and had a towel wrapped around his neck. Ukyou almost instantly tensed up when she felt him approach her.

"Don't come in here dressed like that, jackass! You're going to stink up my whole kitchen."

Ryouga casually looked over her shoulder at the okonomiyaki and carelessly said. "Did you just burn that?"

Akane looked on with a frown as Ukyou savagely clobbered Ryouga with her spatula, a lightly blackened okonomiyaki on a plate in front of her.

Kunou Manor, late evening

Nabiki could see the sun coming down in the window as she finished a very long and elaborate explanation, including pictures and videos, proving to Kunou that Ranma and the pigtailed girl is were once the same person. By the end of it, she was sitting in the same cross-legged pose as she did when she arrived, though her hair was messed up and her eyes were weary. By the end of it, Nabiki wasn't sure she'd gotten through to him. He was merely sitting with the same flummoxed expression on his face, staring back at her.

After a prolonged amount of silence, Kunou gave a guttural groan. "All this time...the man I considered most my rival, and the woman who's ground I worshiped…the same person."

"Enlightenment doesn't look very good on you Kunou-chan." Nabiki sighed, putting a hand on her forehead. "So, what do you intend to do now?"

Kunou was silent again. Nabiki feared he was going to simply become stunned once again. Thankfully he spoke. "What have I done….? I gave away everything that I ever cared for to that madman for….for some ludicrous fantasy, and, and you-you suggest I should have any idea what to do now! I'm ruined! That is what I am! This is the end of Tatewaki Kunou!" Kunou had his hands on either side of his ears and he shook his head back and fourth. He looked very much in danger of losing his marbles unless Nabiki did something. She stood and grabbed him, pulling him into an embrace. Kunou, naturally not wanting to do anything to hurt Nabiki calmed down, though he shook all over.

Nabiki pulled him away. Despite her moment of warmness, her look was as stern as ever. "Are you done?"

Kunou nodded.

"It's too late to try to stop the Principal before it starts. We have no choice but to fight him. From now on, you're working for me. Get the kendo club together and meet us early tomorrow morning in front of the school."

Kunou nodded once in understanding. Nabiki stood and began to make her way out of the room. Kunou tilted his head towards her and asked "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call in a few favors." Nabiki left the study, followed by Kunou, who was returning to his room. From the other side of the study, the doors slowly creaked open from where Kodachi had been peeking in.

Ucchan's late evening.

Akane walked out into the night sky and stretched out her arms. "I had a nice time today. Thank you for everything Ukyou."

"No problem, Akane," Ukyou said sweetly, waving her hand at the young Tendou daughter. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Akane leaned to one side and said. "Goodnight Ryouga. I'll come back and visit again later." Ryouga sat on the floor in front of the restaurant, covered in bandages from Ukyou's exuberant attack. He didn't say anything. Perhaps the one thing that was hurt the most was his pride.

Ukyou watched Akane walk down the street, laughing as Dr. Tofu zoomed past in the opposite direction. "I guess Kasumi is heading home too." Ukyou slid the door to her restaurant shut, and walked by Ryouga saying. "Oh come on, how long are you going to sulk?"

"I'm not sulking." Ryouga growled. Ukyou grinned to herself, thinking that Ranma would have acted the same way. As Ukyou began to clean the kitchen, the front door slid open. "Sorry we're closed." Ukyou said with her back turned, but then she tilted her head behind her back to see who it was.

"Nabiki?"

End of Part 3