A/N: Whoa, it took me forever to update! +Starts to sweat as all the angry readers approach with torches and pitchforks+ Heh heh, oops…+Quickly runs away+
Adopted
Chapter 2
"Interesting," Yunshin mumbled, scrutinizing the school building before him. "It's big enough, but how's the criteria?" He scribbled something in the notebook he had been carrying around, shaking his head and muttering something about "wacko principles".
Ranma just watched from a few feet away, acting unconcerned. This kid was a complete weirdo. Shortly after the Tendo dinner he had refused all questions and excused himself from the table. He left his pack in Akane's room before heading back out the door. Ranma had almost as quickly been pushed out the door after him. But he didn't need any more encouragement than that. He rushed after Yunshin, demanding he explain how he knew Akane. Yunshin ignored him the whole way.
He'd followed Yunshin all the way to Furinkan High. All along the way Yunshin had scribbled things in his little notebook, criticizing everything they passed aloud. Now they were here, at the high school, and Ranma still couldn't get one sentence out of the kid that made any sense at all.
"Ranma?" Yunshin said again, breaking Ranma's train of thought.
"Huh?"
"I said 'is there anyway into the building'?" Yunshin put his hands on his hips, annoyed. Ranma had to do a double take. For a minute there, with the moon rising behind him, Ranma could have sworn he'd seen a miniature-boy-version Akane. Mus' a been a trick of the lights, Ranma thought.
"Huh, why would you want to go into that smelly old building? You're not even in high school yet." Ranma put his hands behind his head.
"Not yet, but in 4 years I will be, and I'd like to check out the surrounding areas and the schools before I make any major decisions," Yunshin sighed, exasperated, as if he were talking with a small child.
Ranma tskd. This kid was talking like an adult! Like an educated, rich, stuck-up adult!
"Look here, kid," Ranma flicked Yunshin's forehead. "If you think you're stayin' at the dojo, think again. Especially if you're not gonna tell us nothin' about Akane."
Yunshin shrugged his shoulders. "All right, as soon as I'm finished here I'll stop by to get my things." He turned back to try and decide how to get to the top of roof. He looked at Ranma out of the corner of his eye. "Don't worry, I know the way back, you can leave now."
"I'm not goin' nowhere until you tell me what you know about Akane." Ranma hoisted Yunshin up by the back of his shirt.
"All right, I suppose that's fair enough." Yunshin stuck his hand out, palm up. "I'll make you a deal: every time you do something for me, I'll tell you something."
"What?" Ranma cried, outraged. "No way, I ain't making no stupid deal! How about you tell me all you know, or I'll give you a ride to the other side of Tokyo, by air, free of charge?"
"Well, I suppose you could do that, too, but then you'd still not know anything about Akane."
Yunshin returned Ranma's glare calmly. Ranma growled before tucking Yunshin under one arm and after a hop-and-a-skip they were standing on the roof of Furinkan. He not-too-gently dumped Yunshin on his rear when they landed.
"Wow!" Yunshin exclaimed, seeing the view. He flipped open his notebook and scribbled something, grinning ear to ear. "I might just come here, for the view alone."
"Huh," Ranma crossed his arms. "Well? What about your end of the bargain?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes," He tapped his pencil against his lips, thinking. "Let's see, I suppose the most appropriate detail at the moment is that Akane is safe."
Ranma waited. "And?"
" 'And' what? That's you're detail."
Ranma twitched. He grabbed Yunshin by the front of his shirt and whapped him on the top of the head. "That's it? 'She's safe'? Well, obviously, if she's comin' home! Tell me something else!"
Yunshin rubbed the top of his head. "No way! A deals a deal, and that was your end of it!"
"Grr, you little punk, you cheated!" Ranma shook him up and down.
Yunshin elbowed Ranma on the top of the head. "I did not! Besides, throwing me onto the roof hardly counts as 'doing something for me'. Ever heard of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'?"
"Ever heard of 'a crappy detail for a bruise'?" Ranma pulled back a fist.
"Wow, Ranma, how poetic of you!" Yunshin said sarcastically, his eyes widening in mock awe.
"Shut up, you-"
"You know, by simply getting me down from here, you'll get another fact."
Ranma paused, mid hit. "Why you sneaky little devil…" He hopped over the railing again, dragging Yunshin by his shirt. "All right, you, tell me when Akane's coming back."
Yunshin coughed and clutched at his throat, where his collar was choking him. Ranma dropped him on the ground.
"Geez, do you always treat children this way? Hmph." Yunshin dusted himself off. "What day is it?"
"Monday."
"Well, then, if she makes good time, I'd say she can make it as early as the middle of next week." Yunshin shrugged and turned around, walking back toward the gates.
Ranma looked after him for a moment. Thoughts were suddenly swarming in his head. He wanted to run home and tell the rest of the family, so that they could get everything ready for her to come home. He felt nervous, wondering what he would say to her when she got here, wondering what she would think of him now, after all this time.
"Oi!" Yunshin cried from the gates. "You coming?"
"Uh, yeah." Ranma ran after Yunshin.
"What's the matter with you?" Yunshin asked.
"Nothing." Ranma said.
Yunshin looked at Ranma's face surprised. Then he threw back his head and chuckled. "You sap." He said.
Ranma touched his cheek, wondering what he was talking about, and jerked. He was smiling, a real, happy smile for the first time in what seemed like forever. With the realization his smile just broadened.
"What should we do?" Kasumi asked, putting a hand to her cheek.
"We can't very well kick him out, can we?" Genma added.
"No, no, that wouldn't be right. We'll let him stay, until he's ready to tell us all about Akane." Soun nodded at his own suggestion.
"But how do we know the boy isn't lying to us?" Genma asked.
"Erm…"
Nabiki stepped into the conversation. "I say we let him hang out for a bit. We'll let him cozy up, and then we'll pounce. He might be lying, but he obviously knows who Akane is, so there might be some useful information in that little head of his."
Soun and Genma nodded eagerly.
"What an ingenious daughter you have, Tendo!" Genma laughed.
"She gets it from the best, Saotome!" Soun laughed along with him.
"Oh, please. It was simply logic." Nabiki rolled her eyes at her pathetic family.
Kasumi didn't pay attention to any of them. She turned to the young martial artist sitting in the corner. "What do you think, Ranma?"
The rest of the group sobered up and watched him as well.
Ranma had been watching Akane's bedroom door ever since Yunshin had disappeared behind it. Yunshin had insisted on sleeping in her room and—after a little bit of 'gentle rough-housing' with Ranma—had won his keep. Ranma now turned to look at the rest of the people in the room.
He thought for a minute before saying with finality, "He'll stay."
Soun and Genma erupted in cheers as Nabiki stood, pulling her palm pilot out of her pocket and walking out of the room. Kasumi quickly hushed their fathers and shooed them off to bed. She cleared the table and turned off all the lights downstairs. When she was finished, she gently kneeled in front of Ranma, who hadn't moved an inch.
"Ranma," she put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, surprised she was still there. She looked as if she wanted to say something but Ranma beat her to it.
"It's ok," he reassured her. "It's goin' to be ok, now." He patted her hand, smiled, and went off to his room.
Kasumi sat, unmoving. "Y-yes," She smiled softly to herself. "Everything will be ok, now."
"Hey, sunshine, time to wake up," Nabiki said, leaning against the doorframe. Ranma didn't move under his blanket. She sighed before kneeling next to the sleeping boy. "Hello? Anybody at home?" She asked, rapping on his head. He didn't move. She sighed again. "You know, for every extra minute it takes for me to wake you up, it'll cost you another hundred yen."
The blanket was thrown across the room and Ranma was quickly scrambling to find some clothes. Nabiki nodded in satisfaction and left him to it, disappearing out the door.
Walking in a tired daze, Ranma went downstairs to the dining room where everyone was already eating breakfast. Yunshin was again sitting in Akane's seat, watching Ranma with an amused smile as he slumped into his own spot.
"Good morning, Ranma!" Kasumi placed a bowl of steaming rice in front of him.
"Mofnin!" Ranma mumbled through a mouth already full of food. When he had finished, he realized it must have been still rather early because no one was rushing him out of the house for school. So, instead, he calmly sat and waited for the others to be finished.
As Kasumi started to clear the plates, Yunshin cleared his throat. Immediately, everyone's attention was on him. Yunshin pulled out a pouch that had been sitting next to him.
"I have something I thought you all might like to see," Yunshin said opening the pouch and pulling out the contents. It was a pile of photos, and he set them down with a thwack in the center of the table. Nabiki started to reach for the stack before the top picture stopped her. It was a picture of a girl with short black hair and a white Gi, grinning at the camera. Nabiki picked it up slowly.
"Go ahead," Yunshin encouraged, spreading the rest of the pictures across the tabletop.
Ranma picked up the one closest to him. It was of Akane, and she was at the bottom of a very large dog-pile, her face red with laughter. Children of different ages climbed on top of her, all of them grinning. He identified one of the kids as Yunshin. He picked up another picture, this one of Akane and a small baby.
Ranma glanced at the other pictures, on the table and in the others' hands. All of them had children in them, all of them always smiling at Akane or the camera. He spotted a picture that looked a little different. This one was of an old man with a long gray beard, with children gathered all around him, listening to him tell a story.
Nabiki broke the emotional silence. "Wait a minute…I know this place!" She showed the picture she was holding to everyone else. It was of a small hut, high in the mountains. In front of the hut was the old man again, standing next to Akane. All around them were children, laughing and waving at the camera. Next to the hut was a sign that said "Nishao Orphanage".
Kasumi gasped and Soun started.
"Isn't that where-?" Kasumi started.
Soun nodded. "Yes. We visited that orphanage back when your mother was still alive, because of the festival in Nishao village. But why would Akane be there?"
"She showed up last summer," Yunshin piped up. "She had been looking for sensei, for some scrolls of his or something, but ended up staying instead."
"You were an orphan there?" Kasumi asked worriedly.
Yunshin shrugged and gave a small smile. "All of my life." Kasumi hurried around the table to put an arm around him.
Nabiki suddenly stood up, pulling her palm pilot out.
"It won't do any good," Yunshin said. "She's not there anymore." Nabiki glared angrily before slumping into her chair again.
"Is that why you came here, then, son?" Genma asked Yunshin. "Were you looking for Akane?"
Yunshin shook his head. "No, I was with her when I decided to come here. She had to go a different way, and so we split up."
"Did you really?" Soun asked, inching closer. "Do you know where she is now? Is she near by?"
Yunshin shook his head, and Soun sunk back, looking defeated. Kasumi looked at the clock.
"Ranma, if you don't hurry you're going to be late for school." She told him. Ranma glanced up at the clock.
"Shoot!" He hopped up and raced to the door.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Yunshin tsked, leaning against the frame of the door as Ranma pulled on his shoes. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Uh, no?"
"I gave you information. You owe me."
Ranma paused for a second. "What?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing big, I just want you to take me to school with you." Yunshin shrugged.
"No way!"
"Ok. Then I'll just take those pictures back." Yunshin held his hand out for the one still in Ranma's hand. He held it tighter.
"Fine, but I'm not gonna help ya. With anything." Ranma stressed, grabbing his backpack. "See if you can keep up." He leapt out the door and down the street. Heh, stupid brat, he thought, looking back. "What the—?"
Yunshin was only a few feet behind him. The kid's better than I thought. Ranma smirked. Let's see how MUCH better. Ranma sped up, hopping to a fence and then across the rooftops. After a few minutes her turned back. Yunshin wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Ha!" Ranma said, jumping back to the main road. Ranma heard laughing nearby.
"Hurry up, Ranma!" Yunshin shouted from a fence across the street. "Or you might loose me!" Yunshin sped off again.
"Oh, yeah?" Ranma grinned, running after him.
Ukyo walked along the street, sighing. Ranma hadn't been in his usual place. Heck, even Shampoo hadn't been there this morning! "That hussy," Ukyo growled. "What has she done to Ran-chan?" She stopped in the middle of crushing a light pole with her bare hands as she saw the very man in her thoughts run by. "Ran-chan!" She was about to call out to him when she froze. He was happily running along the fence, smiling. He was happily running along the fence, smiling. Happy. SMILING. Ukyo's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my…" She ran after them, the school gates just ahead.
"Ranma Saotome, who is this?" The teacher asked when Ranma—early for once—got to the classroom, Yunshin breathing heavy beside him. Ukyo came up just behind them a few seconds later.
"Erm, this is…" Ranma scratched the back of his neck.
Yunshin stepped forward, bowing to the class. "I am Yunshin Hikawa, I am staying at the Tendo Dojo, and I have permission to come to school with Ranma today."
The teacher and class looked surprised at such a young boy's respect. The teacher nodded. "Um, yes, well then, you can stay." Ranma and Ukyo sat in their regular seats and a chair was brought for Yunshin so he could sit next to Ranma.
The first class was uneventful.
Well, almost.
Minutes before the bell rang, the door slammed open. In stormed the new faculty advisor…Tatewaki Kuno.
"Saotome, what is the meaning of this?" Kuno demanded, holding the attendance papers in his hand. "This says you have a child with you. A CHILD. Who do you think you are, bringing unauthorized students who should be at their own school to such a place as this?" He pulled his bokken out. "To the detention room, now, or I will smite thee to the ground. Now, Saotome-scum, or you shall feel the wrath of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High! Bow before me, you—"
"My, my. Thunder of Furinkan High, you say? You must be Kuno."
Ranma did a double take from Yunshin's empty seat and back to Yunshin who was crouching on the teacher's desk. He had his notebook out, and was scribbling something down as he watched Kuno.
"Erm, yes, I am Tatewaki Kuno. And, you are?" Kuno looked at Yunshin curiously.
Yunshin extended a hand. "I am Yunshin Hikawa. I am staying at the Tendo Dojo. I have heard much about you, Kuno-sempai."
Kuno blinked. "Sempai?" He smirked running a hand through his hair. "Yes, well, many men come from near and far when they hear the mighty name of the Kuno family. Might I ask, young man, how you know of my goodly deeds?"
Ranma rolled his eyes as roses danced around behind Kuno, singing, "We love you Kuno!" He was saved from more pain as the bell rang and the stampeding class quickly smothered the sparkling petals flat.
"Very well, young man, I have decided!" Kuno wrapped an arm around Yunshin's shoulder. "I shall take you on as my apprentice! You shall become as my son!"
"Say what?" Ranma pulled himself off the floor and snatched Yunshin from Kuno's arms. "No way Yunshin's gonna be your apprentice, Kuno!"
"Oh? Doth the great sorcerer Saotome claim the boy for himself? Very well, I accept your challenge. Whoever shall win this duel shall keep the boy to raise for himself, and—"
Bam!
Yunshin clicked more led from his pencil as Ranma lowered his fist.
"Akane was right about him. Note to self: Kuno is a freak, steer clear." Yunshin walked out the door as he wrote, Ranma following behind.
"Hey, Ranma, who's the kid?" Daisuke asked, running up to him.
"Kinda cute little dude, where'd you get him?" Hiroshi asked as Yunshin pretended not to notice them.
Ranma shrugged. "Showed up on my front doorstep."
"Man, I swear. The Dojo is like a cursed lost puppy finder." Daisuke said.
"Lost puppy finder?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's, like, the only place in town where people just randomly show up from all places in the world." Hiroshi laughed.
"Old man Tendo's just to kind to throw 'em all out. Don't you agree, Ranma?" Daisuke elbowed Ranma in the rib teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah, get outta here, ya losers." Ranma rolled his eyes as they ran off laughing.
"Are those your friends?" Yunshin asked, scribbling something else as he watched the two boys whistle at a girl walking by.
"Hmm? Yeah..."
"Interesting…" Yunshin wrote things down left and right through each of Ranma's classes. Ranma watched him as he watched others do weird things. Every once in a while he would try to peek at what Yunshin was writing, but all he could catch was graphite and upside down letters.
"What do you keep writing down in there?" Ranma finally asked him at lunch.
"Everything and anything I might need to know," Yunshin replied casually. "For example; did you know that Oni Giri, a girl from class A-3, has been betrothed to the boy who sits next to you in your history class?"
Ukyo, Daisuke, and Hiroshi leaned closer.
"Are you serious?"
Yunshin nodded. "But Oni is in denial. She loves him, but doesn't want to admit it, so she's been dating two different guys from the university just to spite her betrothed. He just found out last week and there was some sort of argument. But it seems he's planning to patch it up with roses and a candle light dinner."
They stared at him.
"How do you know all that?" Ukyo asked him.
Yunshin shrugged. "I just listen and watch."
"You got anything about me in there?" Hiroshi asked, trying to get a look at the notebook.
"You want the good news or the bad news first?" Yunshin asked him while flipping back a few pages.
Hiroshi grinned. "Hit me with the good news."
"The good news is that a girl in your homeroom is planning on asking you out."
"Seriously? All right!" Hiroshi just about jumped up and down in happiness.
"The bad news is that she has an extremely possessive boyfriend, who also happens to be none other than your best friend."
Hiroshi froze as Daisuke eyed him.
"You hitting on my girlfriend, Hiroshi, old buddy, old pal?" Daisuke said icily, putting a death grip on Hiroshi's shoulder.
"N-no, I swear, I haven't ever flirted with her on purpose! It was all her! She came on to me!"
"You're DEAD!" Daisuke lunged for Hiroshi's throat as he chased him across the schoolyard.
Yunshin snickered. Ranma shook his head and Ukyo just ignored them.
"So what do you have on me, sugar?" She asked Yunshin.
"Nothing that you don't already know. But I can tell you your future."
"Oh, really?" Ukyo she shared a smile with Ranma who smirked.
"Yep." They waited as he cleared his throat. "You will be engaged in an unwanted training exercise if you do not escape your educational cage before the clock rings."
"You talkin' in metaphors, now, eh, kiddo?" Ranma rubbed his knuckles on the top of Yunshin's head.
"That wasn't a metaphor, but, yes, it makes the whole experience much more fun." Yunshin grinned. "Although it seems that your chance has just escaped because your personal trainer for your 'unwanted training exercise' has just arrived."
Ukyo blinked at him, puzzled, when, on que as always, a bike bell rang.
"Nihao, Ranma! Shampoo heard you brought new student to schools, so she brought you a too-too delicious lunch, just for you and your special friend!" She wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck, shoving a sizzling bowl of noodles just under his nose. For a split second Ranma almost reached up to grab it, before he noticed the tinny fish swimming around in the broth.
"Uh, no thanks, Shampoo, I'm not hungry."
"Oh, please, Ranma! Is good for you!"
"He said he didn't want it, you bimbo!" Ukyo pulled her giant spatula from her back and flung the bowl across the yard.
"Spatula girl, you go too far!" Shampoo hopped in front of Ranma, her aura glowing purple.
"Whoa," Yunshin elbowed Ranma in the ribs. "Two girls fighting over you? Ranma, you got the life."
"Quick," Ranma turned, motioning for Yunshin to follow. "Let's get out of here before more people show up." Yunshin tugged on his sleeve before he could move any further.
"Who dared to throw this fowl bowl of noodles upon the head of the mighty Kuno?"
"Too late," Ranma groaned, turning to look at what Yunshin was pointing at.
"They're her noodles!" Ukyo thrust her finger in Shampoo's face.
"Very well, since you are a fairly attractive young woman, if ye defeat me in combat I shall forgive you and I shall allow you to date with me!" Kuno leveled his bokken in a scoffing Shampoo's face.
"How dare you speak that way to my Shampoo?"
Ranma smacked himself in the forehead as Yunshin watched in awe. "Oh no…"
Kuno barely dodged a flurry of spears and chains before Mouse landed on the ground next to him.
"Hoo-tah! Who be makin' a ruckus on de big Kahuna's school ground?"
"I give up." Ranma groaned and slumped to the ground. Yunshin poked him.
"Now, now, little wahine, you know bett'a than that!" The principle tsked at Ukyo. "You hav'in ta be punished for makin' a fight on the big Kahuna's prop'a'ty!"
"What? I didn't start this!" Ukyo cried indignantly, waving her spatula around.
"Ooh, ya? Den who be statin' it?" The principle snapped his hair clippers threateningly.
Ukyo looked at the principle, who looked at Mouse, who looked at Kuno, who looked at Shampoo, who looked at Ukyo, who glared back at Shampoo, who looked around frantically before settling her eyes on Ranma.
"I shoulda known, ya." The ground of martial artists advanced on Ranma who scooted back rapidly.
"What? How is it my fault? I didn't even do anything!"
"Wait a minute!"
The group stopped to look back at Ukyo.
"He's right, it isn't his fault! Because Shampoo never would have come if she hadn't known that Yunshin was here!" Ukyo explained. Yunshin watched curiously as Ranma made 'no, stop!' signs in Ukyo's direction. "And Ranma wouldn't have brought him to school except—"
Ranma lunged forward to try and stop her. "No, Ukyo, wait, don't!"
"—except that Yunshin knows about Akane!" Ukyo finished, a soft hush coming over the fighters and audience at the last few words.
"Akane?"
"He knows about Akane?"
"He should tell us!"
"Yeah!"
"Uh…" Yunshin watched as the martial artists and surrounding students begin to advance on him. Ranma grabbed the boy and hopped to the nearest fence.
"Run!" Ranma sprinted over the fence and down the street.
"Waaah!" Yunshin screamed as he looked behind and saw the entire student body hopping the fence and racing after them. "Run faster, Ranma, faster!"
"I'm goin' I'm goin'!"
The city of Nerima watched as an ominous dust cloud surpassed the speed limit as it rushed through town. The cops didn't even bother chasing after it when they saw a young man in a red shirt at the front of the group.
The following sounds sprung from the cloud:
"Where is violent spatula girl? Shampoo fight her!"
"Hoo-tah! My bes' student tis comin' back to her lovin' Kahuna!"
"I must stop my darling Shampoo from fighting Akane Tendo, for if she loses, Saotome shall have her forever!"
"Don't worry, Ranma honey, I'll help ya fight off all these people! But you have to slow down first so I can catch up to you!"
"I shall win the fair heart of Akane Tendo by taking her young friend as my apprentice! Then when she returns home, she shall woo me, for she shall be impressed by my abilities to care for such a child!"
"Oh, ho, ho, ho! So, the devilish Akane returns eh? I shall prepare something special for her! Oh, ho, ho!"
"Akane! Yay, she's coming home!"
"Like you care, you don't even know her!"
"Yes I do, she's my best friend!"
"Since when?"
"Since that time that we were both in Nepal and she rescued a man named Dr. Jones! Then Dr. Jones took me and Akane to Egypt with him and we helped him battle mummies and snakes so he could find an old ark!"
"What? That never happened!"
"Yes it did! You just don't remember because some guy named Vadar hypnotized you, and he took you away on a space ship! Where do you think you got that glowing laser sword thing?"
"But that wasn't Akane with you, that was Kagome!"
"It was?"
"Yeah! Remember? And then her dumb white dog came to get her? And he was all mutated, so he had the face of a human? What did she call him…oh! Inuyasha!"
"Oh, yeah, that's right! So what are we doing here?"
"Beats me."
"Let's get out of here and get some ice cream."
"Ok."
That's how it went as the ominous cloud passed through Nerima…
"Talk to me," Nabiki demanded after answering the phone.
"Um, yes, ma'am," the man on the other side paused for a minute. "Well, Nabiki, it seems we have something for you."
Nabiki stood from her computer, rolling her eyes. The screen flicked between all different pictures of Akane at the orphanage that Nabiki had just scanned for analysis. "What is it? It better be worth my time."
"Y-yes, don't worry, I'm absolutely sure it is. It's about your sister."
"If it's about the orphanage, I already know."
"Well, actually, there's more to it. I'm sending you the web page now, it should be in your inbox."
Nabiki turned to the computer again and brought up the Internet. "What's the info?"
"It's a legal document. It was just published from the Tokyo Government Office about ten minutes ago. It's very interesting. You're definitely going to want to take a look at it."
Nabiki opened the file and scanned through the first page. It was a bunch of crap about some legal background information on Akane. The second page was the same, but the third was more interesting. At the very top there was a seal with the initials O.L.A.J.—The Organization of Legal Adoption in Japan. Nabiki stared at the page. She scanned through it. It was a bunch of rules about parenthood and about the social and academic ability of Akane. The next page was more rules, this time it mostly talked about a trial period where the children would stay with the parent, while watched by the government to make sure they were being taken care of properly. Nabiki flipped to the next page. It was all about single parenting and about whether or not Akane would be able to financially support the children until they were able to support themselves.
The last paragraph on the last page read:
The Government of Tokyo and The Organization of Legal Adoption in Japan hereby puts in the care of Akane Tendo the lives of three children. She will be put in a trial period, visited regularly by an agent from the office. The agent will interview Akane Tendo and the children. If the agent and Government find Akane Tendo unsuitable for caring for these three children, they will be taken from her and put in a foster home until Akane Tendo can reclaim them, or until a more appropriate home can be found. Until then, the tree children will take upon them the name of Tendo. This contract is binding, and cannot be withdrawn for any reason other than that which opposes the law or should Akane Tendo wish to marry, in which case the Government will request another conference with Akane Tendo and her future spouse, to discuss the future of the children.
Beneath the paragraph was the signature of the senator of the Tokyo Government building. Next to his was Akane's neat cursive signature. Just below hers were the scrawled names of three more people, all with the last name Tendo.
Nabiki leaned back in her chair and eyebrows raised high. "Well, well, sis, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Ranma and Yunshin finally lost the crowd after Yunshin pulled down a circus tent as they ran past, and Jasmine, the residing elephant, turned into a big black monster and attacked all the people in the crowd mercilessly, at the orders of her owner, some ring-master named 'Lichee'.
"So…wheeze…that happens…all the time?" Yunshin gasped for air as he and Ranma sat against an alley wall where they were hiding.
"Kiddo…huff…you have NO idea…"
A/N: So, uh, there it is. They didn't really get very much done in this chapter, but you know…at least I updated, right? Heh heh…ok…Ahem. So, anyway, if you don't get the part about the people in the cloud, then to bad! But if you do get it, then, just know that I was really bored when I wrote that part, ok? OK? You'd better, or I'll skin you all alive! Mwahaha!