Chasing the Rainbow
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form.
Author's Notes: I was surprised and delighted at the positive reception I had to the points I made Ranma raise for Genma; they've actually kind of stuck out for me pretty much since I first read up on the manga backstory and got the actual details about the girls (my very first exposure to Ranma ½, not counting a VHS of I think the first season that I saw in a video rental shop and never picked up, was the 16th volume of the Viz manga version) and I was always surprised that even in those few stories where Ranma didn't marry a Tendo (or even in some where he did), they were never mentioned before.
I sincerely did try to avoid bashing Akane; making it clear she didn't lash out until she finally had been taunted too much, Ranma noting that she is in her own right a talented fighter (she's just not the bigshot she, or many of her fans, seems to think she is), and bringing up stuff that really is accurate – in manga and anime alike, after Ranma, Soun and Genma grab the Happo Fire-Burst Scroll, Akane does say that Ranma "could have just explained" himself, despite having beaten him over the head with a boulder beforehand, and Ranma does sarcastically ask since when she started listening to him if he does explain.
I'm a little surprised nobody picked up on the intercontinuity gag, though. In the manga, Akane really is willing to not only suspect Ranma is capable of rape (Hypnotic Mushrooms arc), but also to casually accuse him of this to his face and then ignore him when he gets indignant (Hinkao's Introduction arc). It's not the only reason why I think people who say "Akane's nicer in the manga" are either not remembering correctly or just full of it, but it is one of them.
Chapter 16: Trouble at the Tendo Dojo: Two Strange Girls Arrive
Ukyo growled and muttered to herself as she stormed towards the Tendo Dojo. "Of all the nerve... miserable little, when I get my hands on 'em... Ranchan will help me, he's got too - wait, what the hell are you doing here?" She barked this last part as she approached the gate to the Tendo estate, angrily glaring at her long-term rival in love and business.
"That what Shampoo want to ask - you try sneak around Shampoo's back? Get date with Ranma? Shampoo have too-too bad day to put up with that, truce or no truce!" The lavender-haired Chinese warrior snapped.
"Gesh, what rammed a spike up your ass?" Ukyo demanded.
"Shampoo been robbed, that what! Have to give customers apologies and money back." The Joketsuzoku growled at her.
At that, Ukyo blinked. "Wait... don't tell me those bastards got you too!"
"Ukyo get attacked by food thieves as well?" Shampoo questioned, hostility evaporating.
"Jackasses made a hit and run on my restaurant - snatched the food right off the grill! What about you? Get hit on a delivery?" Ukyo asked, genuinely curious.
"No, Mousse get robbed while hurrying to make delivery. He offer to take last one of day so could close shop sooner; he want to go on date with girl he know." Shampoo explained.
Ukyo stared at her with an expression of equal parts shock and awe. "Where did you find a brainwasher that strong?" She breathed.
Shampoo looked insulted. "Why you say that like it Shampoo's fault? Shampoo not wash brains!"
"Oh yeah?" Ukyo snarked. "And what about the Reversal Jewel, hmm?"
"Oh, yes, Shampoo brainwash own self on purpose. Gee, how Ukyo realise Shampoo's cunning, wicked plan?" Shampoo rolled her eyes, the sarcasm thick enough to make a sandwich out of it.
"And what about the Red Thread of Fate?" Ukyo pointed out.
"Like you no would use it yourself!" Shampoo snapped. "Besides, thread just make Ranma's feelings mirror Shampoo's own feelings. Mirror perfectly, in fact, Shampoo just realise." She added, trailing off thoughtfully.
"Whatever. Are we going to go inside and get Ranma onto this, or just stand around like idiots?" Ukyo asked. Truth be told, Shampoo had right on the mark when she had declared Ukyo would have been just as willing to buy the Red Thread of Fate if she had been the one to meet that weirdo salesman.
Akane knew she probably shouldn't go into the living room; she was still irritated at those vicious lies that Ranma had thrown at her the other day, and she didn't know if she could stand speaking to him just yet - not until he apologized, at least. That was one of the reasons she had been so willing to accept Sayuri's invitation go out on a little trip - Akane was really supposed to be finishing her packing. However, her curiosity was never really something she had been able to resist, and so she entered. What she found, though, was not exactly pleasant.
"What are they doing here?" She asked her father, refusing to give either Ranma or those two bimbos the recognition of looking at them.
"Apparently, there's been a string of food thefts in the area, and these girls were just here to ask for our assistance. Naturally, you and Ranma will go out together and put a swift stop to this." Soun declared sagely.
"What? But I've got plans with my friends!" Akane protested.
"Yeah, let her go. I can handle these thieves on my own, Akane." Ranma declared.
"Just what is that?" Akane snapped. "I'm not some sort of baby who needs you to fight my battles for me, Ranma!"
"Don't go putting words in my mouth." Ranma bit back. "All I was saying is that I can handle this myself."
"Yeah, Ranma's the only help we need. You run off and play with your little friends, 'kay?" Ukyo chirped with poisoned sweetness.
Either Shampoo couldn't see the way Akane was twitching, or her vindictiveness overwhelmed her common sense. "Akane just get in the way, anyway." She added.
That was the last straw. Akane immediately grabbed a cup of cold water that was on the table and dashed its contents into the faces of Ranma and Shampoo. As the Chinese Amazon had been leaning against Ranma's shoulder, the result was that Ranma ended up with a cat on her shoulder. Naturally, Ranma screamed in gutwrenching terror and took off as fast as she can... straight into the wall, smashing clean through it and collapsing unconscious in a spray of debris on the sideway beyond. Akane smirked, even as Ukyo got up and made a show of popping her shoulders and neck.
"Ya know, Akane...? Sometimes, yer a real bitch." Ukyo said, her tone matter of fact and pleasant as you please. As Akane tried to recover from shock and plough straight into rage, Ukyo trotted over to the unconscious duo, hoisted them onto her shoulders, and took off.
"Hmph! Serves him right the jerk!" Spinning around to Soun and Genma, who was shaking his head slightly though the girl didn't notice, Akane quickly made her decision.
"I'll show him who's in the way! I'm going to go and get those food thieves myself!" She marched out of the room, and seconds later came back to grab the phone.
"Right, gotta call Sayuri to tell her I can't come!"
Genma shook his head again with a groan as Soun suddenly found the floorboards very interesting.
Ranma regained consciousness to the sound of women shouting. All in all, there were certainly better things to wake up to.
"What spatula girl thinking? Spatula girl some kind of pervert? Pretend to be boy so long start to like other girls!" Shampoo bellowed in equal parts irritation and embarrassment.
"It's not my fault!" Ukyo roared back, defensive and just as embarrassed. "I thought your clothes would come back - Ranma-honey's do!"
"Ranma just change sexes! Get little smaller, but still human! Shampoo turn into cat - not magical girl! Jusenkyo not work that way, pervert!"
Ranma felt he had a good grasp of what the problem was, and was very relieved he hadn't drawn attention to himself just yet. Keeping his head firmly face down on the (unlit, thankfully) grill and his eyes clenched shut, he risked a comment. "Are you girls decent yet?"
"Ranma, you up!" Shampoo yelled happily.
"Put the clothes on, ya savage!"
"You really think Shampoo fit into those little things?"
"It's better than walking around stark naked!"
At that, the shouting stopped and Ranma could hear the sounds of Shampoo grumbling, but getting dressed. Finally, Ranma dared to open his eyes and lift his head.
Somehow, Shampoo had managed to fit into Ukyo's clothes… but, since Ukyo had a more androgynous figure, and usually bound her chest before getting dressed, the visual effect was very… different. The Chinese girl's wider hips made it look like she had been poured into Ukyo's spare pants, and the shirt showed off a very attractive view of Shampoo's mid-riff thanks to the differences in height and chest. And, of course, Shampoo had kept several top buttons undone for either her own comfort or simply to show off… probably both, considering the way the buttons were straining.
Ranma promptly fought a nosebleed that would have made Ryoga look like an amateur.
"I appreciate the lift and the change, girls, but... why did you bring me here?" Ranma asked, sincerely curious. He made no mention of why Ukyo had restored Shampoo as well, figuring it was a subject better left dropped.
"Who better to ask about current events than you Ran-chan?" Ukyo said sweetly, "After all, I figured that you might have seen something about food thieves in that weirdo mirror of yours last week but forgot to tell us right?" Shampoo blinked as she remembered and nodded with a partial glare at Ranma.
"Yeah, Ranma should warn us about too-too sneaky food thieves!"
"You remembered that?" Ranma asked unthinkingly. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. Well... I gotta admit, you guessed right. I know who robbed you girls, and I know what they want, and why they're here." Ranma halted there, an expression like he was chewing glass on his face, and then finally admitted, "In fact, I... I need your help with them."
Ukyo and Shampoo looked puzzled, "Help?" They said simultaneously.
The two automatically glared at each other, before Ukyo spoke up. "Sure, we'll help Ran-chan, who are these jackasses and how do we kick their asses?"
Shampoo nodded in agreement.
Ranma quickly held up his hand. "That's not what I meant - these girls ain't our enemies. They're gonna help us, matter of fact, even if they don't know how."
Shampoo held up a hand. "Shampoo confused, how we get sneaky food-thieves to help us? And how Ranma know that they are girls?"
Ranma held back a sigh. "Time travel hurts my head, just trust me that I know what I know, alright? The girls who attacked you are Natsume and Kurumi. Kurumi's the younger, and she's got this huge appetite; that's why they steal food. They're wandering martial artists, orphans, they travel all over Japan training and fighting to become the best martial artists they can."
Ukyo and Shampoo nodded; they both could understand that, and going hungry was a constant foe in any martial artist's career. Ukyo looked thoughtful.
"So they're just passing through then? Grab something to eat and something for the road and off they go right?"
"If it was that simple, I probably wouldn't be getting involved. No, they've got a motive that I figure we can turn into our advantage. See, they aren't just practicing martial arts for survival, they want to become the best they can so they can inherit a martial arts dojo from their father, who sent them out on their own to get stronger when they were young." Ranma explained.
Shampoo tilted her head curiously, "Who's their father?"
Ranma stretched idly. "Well... they think their father is... Soun Tendo."
The two girls couldn't help but start laughing. Ukyo was the first to recover, "Soun Tendo? Mister Waterfall himself? I think they'll be a little disappointed when they see what he's like now."
Shampoo nodded, before a realization made her stop cold. "Wait one minute! If sneaky food thieves are Tendos, that mean they may marry Ranma!"
Ukyo's laughter ended with a shock. "What! I get this far just to help bring in more competition! The nutjob and Miss Kitty here are bad enough!"
"At least Shampoo not think curse make her magical girl." Shampoo groused.
"They ain't Soun's daughters and I ain't gonna marry 'em!" Ranma quickly interjected. "This is one of Happosai's tricks come back to haunt us, that's what it is."
Ukyo calmed down at that. "Wonderful; how is it that the old bastard can get around so much?" She paled suddenly. "Oh kami; please let him not be the father."
"Eyech! Don't even say such things!" Ranma gagged. "No, this is more like Hinako than anything. Basically, Happosai found them when they wandering the mountains as really little girls - saved them from a wild animal or something. They were helpless and alone, so he taught them Anything Goes. Then, for his own sick reasons, he tells them he's Soun Tendo, their father, and that they need to go and travel Japan in order to become the best martial artists they can. When they've proven they're masters of 'Women's Anything Goes', they're to take over the Tendo Dojo." He explained.
There was a moment of silence before the two girls looked murderous, Shampoo looking contemplatively at a set of knives. "Happosai go too-too far; telling girls he their father."
Ukyo nodded. "Yeah! Well, he's not going to get away with that! So, how do you want us to help, Ran-chan?"
"Y'see, this actually helps us. Those two aren't really Soun's daughters, but right now you two 'n' me are the only ones who know that. Sooner or later, they're bound to find the Tendo Dojo, and if they move in, that means old man Tendo will be too busy adjusting to their presence to even think about interfering with us. Besides that, we may be able to use them as an excuse to hold off the whole 'Saotome/Tendo arrangement' think... not sure how." Ranma conceded.
"But, anyway," He added. "If we keep the knowledge of the truth to ourselves - moreso, if we actually support them in their claims, they going to make a perfect shield. The Tendo Dojo will be in chaos - do you really think Soun's going to just accept them without some arguments? My old man and his real girls will buy it without question, but he knows they aren't really his. And do you really think Akane's going to just sit back and let her position as dojo heir be taken? She's already steamed over how just about all of us can handle her like a rookie if we want to; she's not going to just sit back and let these strangers come out of nowhere, show off how much better than her they are, and try and usurp her title. And with them all distracted, and the goodwill we earn with Natsume & Kurumi by helping them get accepted as Soun's daughters, well... who's going to really notice when we finally sort ourselves out, much less complain about it?" Ranma finished, grinning wickedly.
Ukyo nodded with a smile, "Well now; that sounds like a plan I can get behind."
Shampoo bounced eagerly, momentarily distracting both of the other teens, if maybe for different reasons. "Yes! Is too-too perfect!"
"So, what do you need us to do?" Ukyo asked.
"Basically? Just don't let anyone else know that you and I know they're not really Tendos. I'm not saying you should be their best friends or anything, but if you think you can do or say something that'll help 'em with their goals to be accepted as Soun's heirs, well, go for it." Ranma declared. He rolled a shoulder and then shook his head. "Right, I better get over to the Kunos - tell Kodachi about this."
"What!" Both girls complained.
"Don't look at me like that! She's in on this whole affair too, or have you forgotten?" Ranma questioned, quirking an eyebrow at them. The two girls looked sullen, but backed down. Ranma gave them his most enticing grin and walked out, swiftly leaping onto the roofs for quicker travel to his destination.
The trip to the Kuno mansion was uneventful, it was the arrival that made Ranma stop and stare at the scene before him as he landed on the wall surrounding the estate.
On one side, he could see the ninja staff attacking a giant mutant plant that was trying to consume the mansion. From the other side, he could hear a chorus of barking and hooting. When he looked, there was Kuno, parading in front of some winged monkeys...in kendo uniforms.
"Ah, master Ranma, how good to see you today."
Ranma blinked and glanced down to spot Sasuke standing next to him with a casually blank expression on his face. "Uh hey Sasuke, you know what all this is?"
Sasuke looked out at the mansion and the scenes below and turned back to Ranma with a smile. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean; this is just a normal day at the mansion."
Ranma stared at Sasuke, then looked back over to the plant vs. ninjas battle. One ninja had gotten a flamethrower from... somewhere... and turned it on with a mocking call of "Need a light?" and a surge of maniacal laughter. He turned back to Sasuke. "Completely normal?" He asked, deadpan.
"Yes indeed it is." Sasuke replied lightly.
Ranma nearly facefaulted. "Sasuke, there's a giant mutant plant and an army of monkeys and you don't find anything weird about that?"
The ninja's response was simply to splash Ranma in the face and reply to the spluttering girl, "Compared to what you bring to this district? Yes."
Ranma grimly wiped the water off of her face and scowled at the midget ninja. "I don't suppose you have hot water on you?"
Sasuke indicated the house, "I'll take you to the kitchen. I assume you're here to speak with Mistress Kodachi?"
"Yes, I am." Ranma replied, a little more at ease with the promise of regaining her natural form. "Is she here?" She asked.
Sasuke nodded, "In her private training room, she wanted to get away from the sound of Master Tatewaki training his new recruits." A loud chorus of apes hooting and shrieking followed the statement.
"Are those things going to be a problem? Or should I expect that they'll sooner carry him off to Oz than follow him to school?" Ranma questioned, curious despite herself. At Sasuke's incredulous stare, she fidgeted nervously. "What? I was a kid, it was raining, and the theater my pop chose to hide from the storm in was playing it!" She declared defensively.
Sasuke stared for a moment longer, before shaking his head, "Amazing...Anyway, its unlikely they'll carry him off, while Master Tatewaki thinks of himself some manner of general or shogun, they think of him more as a walking, talking, bombastic idol. Its less military discipline than it is a form of worship for them." Another chorus of hoots and shrieks and Sasuke shook his head, "Some of the staff are taking bets on whether or not his next set of recruits will be Goombas or Koopas."
Ranma simply stared at the diminutive retainer. Then, at last, she couldn't keep quiet. "...Where do they think he'd get them?" She demanded.
Sasuke, for his part, simply pointed at an old, nearly ancient well whose stones were a shade of bright green, "We keep hearing certain sounds coming from that well and its essentially indestructible. It's only a matter of time before Master Tatewaki decides to investigate personally." He paused for a moment; "Thankfully we have a contingency plan in place for that kind of lunacy."
Ranma stared nervously at the well. "...You mean this place has more magic than just those blow-up instrument things and those Cards of the Beast? ...And how the hell could you plan for something like that, anyway?" She added in afterthought.
Sasuke stopped and the look in his eyes made Ranma's blood chill just slightly, "That situation is the tamest one we have planned for. There are many secrets to the Kuno Mansion, and some of them make your curse look like a cheap sideshow. And all of them could see people hurt or killed if not properly controlled or contained. Believe me, there is a reason why the staff are all ninjas and it isn't just the money."
He indicated a locked set of double doors set into the ground, hidden behind a lovingly maintained rose hedge, "If the well is the tamest, what is buried behind those doors is the most dangerous, that's all I can say about it. Anyway, let's get to the kitchen; we should be able to catch Mistress Kodachi just as she's finishing up." With that he opened the doors and led Ranma inside the mansion.
The Kuno mansion had never really been high on Ranma's list of comfortable places, but Sasuke's words had given it an added hint of chill as Ranma walked through the chambers to the training ground. Some might have expected Ranma to just barge in; after all, Kodachi was one of his fiancées and was always quite happy to see him. However, that wasn't Ranma's way at the best of times (unless he got particularly angry), and when the person he wanted to see was performing some martial arts training, well, discretion was all the more called for. His father had many, many faults when it came to honorable and courteous behavior, but he had drilled some basic protocols into Ranma's head. First and foremost, it was a terrible insult, and potentially dangerous, to disrupt somebody's training.
Besides, spying on them while they trained could give you an advantage later.
So it was that Ranma crept as quietly as he could into the training room, watching silently as Kodachi finished her routine. To his great surprise, it was not Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics that Kodachi was engaged in. Instead, she was, to his surprise, wielding a sword like her brother - specifically, a short sword, or "kodachi", in either hand. The center of the arena was a common training dummy, which Kodachi was circling, using a movement technique that Ranma hadn't seen before. She flowed like water, slipping effortlessly and gracefully from point to point, constantly and, as far as even he could tell, randomly varying the speed with which she moved, at one point like quicksilver, at another slower than Ranma would have thought useful in a fight. Suddenly, Kodachi exploded into motion, almost materializing in front of the dummy and spinning around three times at high speed. The motion caused her kodachi, which Ranma had noticed was being held in a backhand grip, to bite deeply into the dummy's chest, carving six vicious gashes neatly above each other and almost completely covering its ribs. She ground to a stop after the third revelation, panting softly, and wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
Ranma couldn't have stopped himself for Happosai dropping dead right that instant. "Impressive." He stated, the feeling quite genuine.
Kodachi started, spinning to spot Ranma and blushed at her state of disarray, "Ranma-sama! I didn't hear you come in."
"That's kind of the point. But... what were you doing? I knew you for a master of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, but since when are swords something other than your brother's fixation?" Ranma asked.
"These?" At Ranma nod she explained, "They're family heirlooms, apparently a Kuno was part of the Oniwaban and inherited the twin kodachi techniques from the leader, who had no heir of his own to pass them on to. My brother may prefer the romantic illusion of the samurai, but these have more reality and it is considered an honor to wield them, considering their history and the blood on them. Not only that, I need to be able to practice an art other than Rythmic Gymnastics, not just for novelty's sake, but also because of the stresses of the sport."
Ranma looked respectful at the mention of the Oniwaban; his schooling in other areas might be a little... eclectic... but his father had made sure Ranma had an unmatched education in the areas of martial arts and their users. The Oniwaban had been a powerful group of ninjas loyal to the Edo Shogunate before the Meijii revolution toppled that government. However, Kodachi's mention of the "stresses" of rythmic gymnastics flew right over his head, and his body language made his confusion quite obvious.
Kodachi smiled slightly, "Martial Arts Rythmic Gymnastics may seem combative, but that is nothing compared to the actual sport of Rythmic Gymnastics itself; days of relentless practice of routines, exercises to maintain flexibility, a carefully planned diet, along with the willpower to compete under intense pressure and observation. One mistake can cost you a title and you would be surprised how young a Rythmic Gymnast is considered to be at their peak."
She expertly did a backflip and landed on her toetips before casually going through some cool down exercises, a maid appearing out of nowhere to sheath the blades, "I once saw a fellow competitor who was so skilled with the ribbon she could catch a balloon out of the air and bring it back to down to earth before the contest started, do you know what place she got in the competition for her routine?"
Ranma shook his head.
"Fourth. I was able to secure Second Place myself. The Okinawan competitor was in very good form that month."
Cooldown completed, Kodachi approached Ranma, "But while I'm delighted you came to see me, was there any particular reason?"
Ranma wracked his brains; what had he come here for again? Then he remembered. "Oh, yeah, I need to tell you about these two new girls that should be moving into the Tendo Dojo soon." He said, pounding a fist in his palm in amusement at remembering.
"Oh?" An eyebrow rose regally, "Did your father or mister Tendo manage to secure some students at last?"
"Not... quite." Ranma conceded. "You know of Happosai?" He asked.
Kodachi's expression darkened slightly. "One can never forget."
"Well, these two girls - they're sisters, Natsume's the elder, Kurumi's the younger - they met Happosai when they were little kids. They were orphans, and he saved their lives somehow. He taught them martial arts... then he told them they were *his* daughters, he was Soun Tendo, and he was gonna leave 'em to become the masters of 'Women's Anything Goes' and he'd let them inherit the Tendo Dojo when they proved they were good enough." Ranma explained.
Kodachi shook her head, "The man's perversity knows no mortal boundaries. I shudder to think what will happen when Tendo-san manages to prove that they aren't his children."
"That's... actually more or less why I'm here. I've already talked to Ucchan and Shampoo about it, and we figure it's actually in our favor to make sure that nobody finds out they ain't really Mr. Tendo's kids."
"Oh?" Kodachi was intrigued now, "And how do you propose we go about this?"
Ranma shrugged. "Honestly? Haven't really thought of that. Just keeping our mouths shut that we know who they really are, which even those two don't, should be good enough."
Kodachi nodded, "Easily done."
Kodachi then blinked as if remembering something, "Oh yes, I was planning on having Sasuke deliver a message, but since you're here, could I trouble you for a little outing sometime during the week?"
Ranma nodded, "Sure, I think I can do that." He made a note to make sure it wasn't on any day he planned to take out Shampoo or Ukyo, "Right, I'll just make my out, nice seeing you Kodachi."
"A moment Ranma." Kodachi turned as another ninja appeared and whispered something to her, prompting a nod as she turned to Sasuke, the ninja vanishing like a mirage, "Sasuke, please show Ranma-sama the way out through Side Hall B4 please." Sasuke nodded but Ranma was confused now.
"What's wrong with the main hall?" The sound of raucous hooting, shrieking and the familar voice of Kuno apparently answered his question.
"Get back here! Stay in line, don't break formation! Stay in line I said!"
Kodachi shook her head. "Feeding time for brother's dear army."
Ranma said nothing further as Sasuke showed him an alternate exit.
As Ranma left the Kuno estate, he began to talk to himself unthinkingly. "Well, that's that taken care of. Now, I just need to find those two... but first, I'm going back to the dojo to grab a bite to eat - I'm hungry."
When he did reach the Tendo compound and leapt over the wall, however...
"You know, Akane, most people, when they say they're going to catch some thieves, would turn them in to the police after catching them, not bring them home like a pair of strays." Nabiki snarked.
"Oh, back off, Nabiki. They're harmless, they didn't mean to steal in the first place." Akane snapped back. Spotting Ranma on the other side of the koi pond, staring in disbelief at the two girls eating (one like a wild animal, the other more demurely) the food that Kasumi was dishing up, she grinned triumphantly. "Oh, hello, Ranma! Meet Natsume and Kurumi."
All Ranma could do was think to himself, 'Well, I guess that's that taken care of...'
Here we are at last. Sorry for the delays, real life gets in the way sometimes. And apologies for the cheap leadup, but trust us, they'll get to shine as the stars of the next chapter… which will also be spelling the end of the last vestiges of the status quo.
Also, while we do have the ending set up, I mentioned the possibility of a "harem ending" some chapters back, an alternative ending where rather than marrying one girl, Ranma's three fiancées decide that they can live with sharing him. Given that this would be more of a "special extra" than anything, I decided to ask people: do you want us to write that alternative ending? If yes, just leave a review saying so.