Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Ranma stuff.

Chapter 20

Ranma awoke feeling dampness on his cheek, and a weight on his head. This wasn't all that unusual as he slowly felt around and confirmed his suspicions that Mirei had rolled over and was resting her head on his, and drooling lightly onto him, it would be cute if it wasn't also kinda disgusting. He'd tried to extract himself from this before, but once his warm head was gone she was going to wake up, so he wasn't surprised when she started to rub her eyes and look up at him as he moved her down to his pillow. What was surprising as that she seemed to just roll over and close her eyes, apparently yesterday had really worn her out.

Seeing the sun just rising through the window and feeling like a snack, Ranma decided to make his way down and wait for her to eventually get up and probably come find him. Leaving the room quietly, he headed down to the kitchen to see what he could find, only to see Lufa was there at the table, a cup of coffee and some large book open in front of her. She was wearing her pajama's, along with a sweatshirt and some slippers, the chill morning air coming in from an open window making Ranma regret not grabbing something else to put on.

"You're up early…" He said as he entered.

"Couldn't get back to sleep, figured some light reading would be nice, maybe join you and Mirei for a walk." She replied with a smile as she looked up at him.

"Ah, well she's still out, apparently even her battery can run low." He said as he passed by her, noticing her light reading was some sort of medical textbook. Rummaging around in the pantry and fridge, he found they'd finished everything from last nights dinner, and so settled on just some toast, strawberry jam too as it always tasted better when he was in his girl form for some reason. Taking his plate back out he sat down opposite of her.

"How's your internship going? Haven't seen much of you since school got out." Ranma said before taking a large bite.

Lufa felt relief that Ranma not only started the conversation, but even remarked about their lack of contact the last few weeks, she was starting to feel forgotten after yesterday when he barely spent anytime with her or Shampoo. "Its...going okay. Not many injuries beyond some minor cuts/sprains/headaches until you all got back. So I've been helping with some research projects, though that's mostly been taking samples, running some test and recording the results, pretty boring stuff since they won't actually tell me what all it's for." She said, sighing a little as she was getting a little bored the last week when they were all out on the mountain and there was only Ukyo and Konatsu sometimes around to share a meal, if they weren't out looking at potential restaurant places. Ranma nodded still chewing on his food and wondering how that might just kill him with boredom if he'd had to do it.

"You have any plans for today, or will the little princess be ordering you about?" Lufa said with a smirk as she put her bookmark in place and closed the book, then stretched her arms.

"Kite this morning while I can still touch the sand, then maybe back to town, though I'm not allowed to be alone with Mirei this time according to my mom even though I'm broke now, then just going to see what happens in the afternoon before dinner and we pack up and head back on the bus." He said with a shrug, before tossing the last piece of toast in his mouth.

Lufa pondered how she might use any of that to her advantage, but was interrupted by a question from Ranma she hadn't expected from him at all.

"Do you think Lotion's going to have to go back to the village since she's got Akane now, or did no one tell her grandma…Most...Moist...uh, what was her name again?" Ranma asked, stumbling over the elder's name.

"Moqizher , though I believe you kept calling her Moisturizer and she's not entirely happy about that. Lotion hasn't given up on you, she's just being respectful of Akane's jealousy issues by just flirting with boys, not boys that also turn into red haired babes that make Akane incredibly self conscious…" Lufa said with a bit of annoyance, having had to listen to Lotion whine about how her girlfriend won't let her even work on the mission she's been given.

"Jealousy issues? I thought Akane just hated my guts still cause of the whole thing with Sachiko." Ranma replied, confused as he thought of how he'd seen Akane glaring at him at times when he hadn't even said anything to her the whole day.

"That's Lotion's problem, I suggest talking with her about it, just not with Akane around if you want to actually have a discussion." Lufa said, not only tired of the topic but wanting to get Ranma back to thinking about the girl in front of him. Unfortunately the pitter-patter of tiny feet coming down the stairs came through in the lull of conversation and they both looked over to find Mirei in her pajamas looking around before spotting them and heading over to Ranma.

"Kite Time?" She asked before letting out a large yawn and stretch.

Ranma looked outside and saw the sun just beginning to finally pass the horizon, though a gust of wind reminded him it wasn't warm out just yet. "Sure, I'll go get us some clothes, and we can change in the bathroom so grandma can still sleep." He told her, getting up from the table and heading upstairs while Mirei wandered around the table to see what Lufa was reading.

"Eww Coffee!" Mirei said after climbing up next to Lufa and finding herself right next to the cup.

Lufa smiled as she thought how she'd been an early riser too as a child, only to now feel like she needed a cup or two just to function if woken up early. After moving the cup to the other side, she started to explain the book she was reading, this one discussing the circulatory system of the human body. Mirei was surprised to learn that all the little lines she could see in her wrist and places where actually tiny tubes carrying blood, spending the time waiting for Ranma looking all over herself and then asking Lufa if something was or wasn't a "vine".

"Alright Mirei, let's go get changed." Ranma said as he reached the bottom of the stairs, holding a bundle of clothes in his arms.

"I'll join you." Lufa said standing up, causing Ranma's eyes to bug out a bit. "For the kite flying…" She said as she realized why he got all nervous.

"Oh, okay, sure." Ranma said breathing a sigh of relief before picking Mirei up and heading to the bathroom.

Lufa debated just staying in her current outfit, it was warm enough, and she wouldn't risk waking the others and having to share Ranma, but changed her mind as she didn't want sand all over her comfy pajamas. Taking Ranma's idea though, she snuck back into the bedroom and just took a change of clothes, before heading to the bathroom to change once Ranma and Mirei were finished.

Making their way down to the beach, she was glad she'd gone for comfortable over attractive, as the luke-warm wind this morning was gusting enough to make it chilly. A T-shirt covered by her sweater along with a pair of work out tights and jeans was doing an admirable job of keeping her warm, and kept her legs and hips looking quite attractive she thought. Ranma had just picked out some sweats also, while Mirei had one of her shirts and overalls along with her jacket.

She amused herself watching Ranma try and read the instructions on the panda kite, only for them to be blown away when Mirei tried to snatch them and look at them herself. Ranma looked more and more confused at how exactly the string and kite were supposed to be attached as it seemed knotted and just shaking it hadn't helped. Deciding to rescue her prince from the angry child dragon, she stepped in and took it from him and began to unravel enough of the nylon string that she could see the simple handle where the string was bundled had been wrung around the kite for packaging, and need to be run under the connection points once to fully remove the knot.

"Alright, Mirei, get up on your daddies shoulders and hold onto the panda, then start walking the direction the wind's blowing." She told them, starting to let more string out from the handle.

"Okay Luda!" Mirei said before starting to climb Ranma who had to scramble to pick her up and put her safely on his shoulders.

After marching about thirty feet away, she told them to stop and wait for a gust of wind before throwing the kite up into the air. It took a few attempts, but soon enough the Panda was air born and Mirei was streaking back towards Lufa wanting to hold the handle with the string. Once Lufa got her to hold with both her hands, Mirei was running back and forth with the kite laughing loud and shrilly as it bobbed and followed.

"Thanks, I don't think I could of gotten it off the ground myself." Ranma says as he comes up along side her, his eyes watching his daughter zoom around manically.

'I'll add it to your tab' Lufa thought as she looked at Ranma. Even in his girl form, she could tell how different he was from his time in the village as a care free youth, truly ignorant about what adulthood would bring. Ranma stood next to her now though with a relaxed smile, which she knew underneath was a bundle of worry ready to burst forth if Mirei tripped, or let go of the kite. He was always on edge now, in some small way or another, which made any moves she could think of difficult to plan thoroughly. 'Planning things through has been holding me back entirely too much…' she thought sourly, before a small idea popped into her brain. Reaching over and having to bend down slightly, she grasped hold of Ranma's right hand with her left.

Ranma didn't pull back, but gave her a questioning look. She slowly spun around so her back was to Mirei and lowered herself down to whisper in his ear, his face looking worried as he started to recognize that smile of hers as one usually used by Shampoo when she was being entirely too forward.

"I'm curious Ranma, if you can tell which one it is, just by touch…" She whispered, before quickly moving his hand up under her sweater and shirt, and directly onto her bosom, for while their swimsuits might have been checked, no one had bothered to check their regular apparel. She had to admit, Ranma's face was priceless as his brain seemed to breakdown, though his hand seemed to be controlled by something else as it not only gave a small squeeze, but very slightly caressed the fabric, causing her to give out an unexpected short moan.

Ranma for his part was dealing with a brain that was fragmented and sending in sporadic reports at best. He'd gotten a report that yes, his hand was where it was believed to be, another that he needed to remember to breath at some point in the next minute, and an unhelpful one that it was page 14's article in question, though he had managed to get his other hand over his mouth before it actually answered. His eye's hadn't managed to move or focus from Lufa's shoulder, and the less he thought about anything lower than her neck the better. Lufa's moan though sent an icy shiver down through his spine to the very end, where it then burst out through every inch of his body, causing one of his own and he found himself unable to feel anything below his knees and slid down onto them, his grip on Lufa bringing her down with him so they were both awkwardly balanced against each other less they topple over.

Against her her own desires, but worried Ranma ripping his hand back might cause more problems, Lufa gently slides his hand down to her waist, but keeping it grasped gently with their fingers entwined. 'That was...something.' Was the first thought she managed to put together in her mind, her eye's blinking as she tried to rationalize what had just happened, waiting for Ranma to say something.

"Laaa...Luu…" Ranma tried to say, feeling his vocals not responding to anything as he wanted, like most of his body. Closing his eyes he tried to just think of the ocean, taking deep breaths and blocking out the hand holding his, that had put his hand…

Lufa was almost knocked over when Ranma used his free hand to slap himself so hard it knocked him over. Looking over at Mirei, who hadn't seemed to notice, she then looked down at the small red head who was sporting a shiner of a hand print and wondered how the hell they would explain this.

"Ranma?" She asked with a mix of shock and concern.

Ranma opened his mouth awkwardly, before wiggling his jaw around a bit and then sitting up. "Ouch." he replied.

"What was that for?" She asked in shock.

"Had to...get my brain to shut up." He replied, wiggling his jaw around to make sure it was okay.

"Oh, so you figured out which one it was?" She said, giving him a smirk, knowing she was right as he proceeded to blush and break eye contact. "It's one of my favorites." She added while standing up and helping pull him up too.

Ranma grumbled something in response, but she didn't pick out what exactly. He turned his attention back to Mirei, and seeing her a bit far away called out for her to stay closer, causing the girl to coming running back closer to their area. He spent a minute or so just watching Mirei, though Lufa could feel his hand sometimes tightening the grip, she wasn't quite sure he realized he was still holding on.

With a look she could only consider cute and pouting, he asked her. "What the hell was that Lufa…"

"I've been a bit bored, thought I could use something...thrilling...daring, and quite...a rush." She replied a bit too honestly. Ranma tried to move his right hand, only then realizing they were still together. Quickly breaking free he brought both hands up to cover his eyes and cheeks, she guessed to try and hide the blush that was now almost covering his body and she could see some goose bumps along his arm.

"Whhh...why though!" He asked pleadingly.

"Humm….I guess cause...I wanted to." She said looking out over the ocean, a strange serene feeling emanating from it. "Though it could be I missed you."

"But...you can't just…" He argued, a few pitches higher than normal.

"You know...for you and Sachiko to be the only two in the group who aren't virgins, you're both terribly embarressed prudes now." She said, finding herself unable to stop from laughing at the irony.

Ranma didn't have anything to say about that, but gave her a disapproving scowl before they were interrupted by Mirei as she came over and put her hands up, both still holding on to the kite's handle.

"Up UP!" She demanded, which Ranma happily obliged.

"Now Run!" Mirei demanded.

"Mirei...did you just get tired and want me to run around for you." Ranma groaned, knowing exactly what was in store for him.

"Run!" He heard from above in an impatient tone.

"Go have fun, I'm going to head back and see about some real breakfast, and another cup of coffee." Lufa said before turning to head back. 'And a cold shower.' she thought as she remembered the feeling of his hand touching her. The sounds of Mirei yelling for jumps, and to go faster coming from behind as she made her way back towards their accommodations.

# # #

Ryoga awoke to the sound of a rooster, a feeling of being lost sending a panic through his body that had him sitting upright in the bed as he sucked in a large breath and his brain finally caught up and reminded him he was staying at his mom's parents farm in the countryside. Slowly getting out of bed and getting dressed he went over the end of last night after he'd managed to get a shirt back on, and the guest had seemingly calmed down a bit. He'd mostly just awkwardly accepted thanks and declined offers to hang out as he was going to be heading back this afternoon anyway. His cousin had made him agree to get picked up this morning so she could "show him around the non-boring parts" as she'd stated, so he figured he should help out some until she arrived.

Mai seemed quite giddy as he came out to the living room, his grandfather already seated with the paper. She served him a platter of food that honestly was approaching too much for even him and Ranma, before sitting down and beginning on her own meal.

"Did you sleep well?" Mai asked before blowing gently on a piece of fish that was still sizzling.

"Yea, I barely remember my head hitting the pillow." He replied with a small yawn.

"Things got a bit excited last night, what with that pig getting out, I hope you don't hold it against any of the girls though." She said giving him a gentle smile.

"Ah...no, it was...strange, but uh…" Ryoga struggled to find words that could describe being grabbed and fondled by a bunch of woman while his shirt and arms were held over his head but ended up just blushing profusely and looking down at his plate.

"Like a discount beef sale…" His grandfather muttered through his paper, earning him a kick to his shin under the table from Mai.

"Do you have any plans today?" Mai quickly asked over Aki's painful grunts.

"Rin said she'd come pick me up to show me around, sometime this morning. I figured I could help with some chores until then." Ryoga replied with a shrug.

"Ah, Minori must be driving then, and that girl doesn't even begin to get out of bed before lunch if she can help it…" Mai said with a roll of her eyes. "Well finish up and then you can help your grandfather, plenty of chores around to keep you busy."

Ryoga nodded and finished his meal, following Mai into the kitchen with the dirty dishes, pausing as he turned to leave. He wanted to ask, even though he was sure he knew the answer. "Did mom…" He said, unable to finish the sentence, but the meaning hanging in the air between him and Mai, who's face barely cracked as she simply pulled him into a hug.

"Not yet dear…" She said softly, before squeezing him and quickly turning around and focusing on the dishes while Ryoga went to put on his boots and find Aki who'd disappeared from the table.

# # #

That cold shower hadn't really done much for Ranma he thought as he walked with the group into the town. He was trying to focus on anything but what had happened with Lufa earlier but she'd gone and sat right across from him at the table during breakfast, causing him to look flushed and Shampoo and others to give him questioning looks. He'd played it off as just being out in the cold air that morning with Mirei before gobbling down the food and running to the bath.

He'd hoped to just stick with Mirei mostly and use her as a buffer but it seemed Saki had come along with them this time, and she was happily carrying the girl on her shoulders, listening to all the things she wanted that Ranma hadn't gotten for her yesterday. This had prompted Sachiko to stick close to Saki to hopefully prevent another event where the little girl was spoiled. This unfortunately left Ranma by himself and allowed for Shampoo and Lufa to quickly take up position at his sides, with Akane and Lotion just in front. He tried to listen to what they were saying while keeping his eyes focused on Mirei.

"What are your plans?" Shampoo asked as she tried to stop her hand from fidgeting, wanting to hold Ranma's but knowing it would just mean Lufa holding his other, and possibly upsetting Sachiko.

"I need to find some souvenirs for the guys, but I'm kinda drained from yesterday, so I gotta find something cheap." Ranma said as he tried to think of what he might get for his friends.

Shampoo nodded, thinking of the various places she and Lufa had already looked at yesterday and crossed off a few of the flashier ones. If things went well, she might even be able to treat him to some ice cream like she'd hoped to yesterday before Mirei had dragged him off without them noticing.

Lufa though was seriously wishing she could just walk over and join Nabiki and Kasumi, as she was feeling far to jumpy around Ranma and could use sometime to cool her head, but that would mean leaving him with just Shampoo, which wasn't something she was going to let happen, so instead she tried to think of various diseases, their symptoms, and how to treat them as a way to keep her mind occupied and not at all thinking what it might of feel like if it had been his larger male hand caressing... 'Damn it!' Lufa cursed internally as her brain decided to betray her.

The town itself was slightly less crowded on Sunday they found, not having to squeeze through the crowds like yesterday. Shampoo and Lufa managed to peel Ranma off from the main group quickly, as an antique store was the first thing on the main shopping street. They spent most of their time there pointing out a bunch of the obvious fakes though, showing Ranma the poor Chinese grammar used on them and the signs of modern print techniques vs the actual hand crafted items they had in abundance back in the village. Ranma for his part tried to keep up with their Chinese, realizing he really hadn't been using it much the last month as he focused on passing his English class.

The next two stores were mostly too girly for him with mostly beauty products or little matching Chotchkies used on school bags. A poster, painting, art store also didn't really hold much promise as Ranma realized he didn't really know what his friends would like that he could either afford, or buy in the presence of girls. Though passing by a pork bun stall he was for some reason faintly reminded of Ryoga.

"Ranma, come look!" Shampoo shouted across the latest store selling a variety of things for tourist, beckoning him over to her.

"What did ya find?" Ranma asked as he found her looking over a display case of pins, necklaces, and rings.

"Right there, it Shirokuro!" She said happily, pointing at a group of pins that were about two inches in diameter, of various dogs and cats.

Ranma was a bit shocked how close it was, the dog was the same if not a close breed, and the stark checker board pattern was immediately recognizable. He looked around for one that might be close to Splat, or even Checkers less distinct coat, but no luck here. "Wow, that's great! One gift down!" He said with a relieved smile, Shampoo giving him a look of satisfaction that she'd been able to find the first one while Lufa rolled her eyes at her from across the store. After purchasing the pin they left the store to keep looking.

"Ranma, how about here, I show you what I want to bring…" Shampoo said sultrily, watching as he became embarrassed as he realized it was a swimsuit store.

"Ah...no, it...wouldn't be right, I mean...there are other girls, and you know…" Ranma fumbled for excuses as he REALLY didn't want to add those kinds of images to his already frazzled brains imagination.

"Come on, plenty of more places to look." Lufa said, not even bothering to look at the store front.

Shampoo gave Ranma a pout before continuing on the walk, but she watched Lufa closely. 'Why she no tease also' She wondered, figuring they might have even gotten him inside if they teamed up. As she thought back though, Lufa kept separating from them the moment they entered stores, and hadn't been chatty at all, just responding to things here and there all morning. Lufa was also staying almost a full step ahead of them, instead of at Ranma's side. 'Something happen this morning…' Shampoo confirmed to herself, but the question was what, and how could she find out from Ranma.

# # #

The sound of the gravel crunching under the vehicle was soon followed by a loud shout of "RYOOOOGA!" coming from Rin out the front passenger window of the small brown four door sedan that looked to have seen better days as it was covered in dents, scrapes, and the rear bumper looked to have some duct tape being used to hold it barely in place, as it wobbled independently of the frame. Ryoga waved from where he was near the feed barn, before putting the gloves and broom he'd been using to clean it up some away and then headed over.

"You're earlier than grandma said you'd be." He said as he got close enough to not have to shout.

"Not without a lot of work on my part, took me an hour to get Minori in the car, and that's a good time for her." Rin said, giving the older girl an eye roll, getting some grumbling from the older girl in return as she drank from a travel mug. "Go grab a towel, and throw on a swimsuit or a pair of shorts, gonna take you to the river, which just about makes living out here worth it. Afterwards we'll hit up the only Ramen shop in town, but it uses local ingredients so it's super delicious."

The drive to the river was mostly quiet besides his cousin pointing out some local landmarks and asking about when he needed to be back to catch the train. The swimsuit he had found while digging through the old clothes was too small, so he had ended up with a pair of black shorts that he still wished were slightly baggier, but at least didn't threaten to rip if he wanted to swim in them. After only about fifteen minutes, they turned off the paved road onto a well worn dirt road, that lead to a small parking area and a make shift trail lead off into the trees.

"I guess the nice weather today means it will be busy." Minori said as she got out and looked at the six other cars in the parking area, which was already over half full.

"Is it usually busy?" Ryoga asked.

"Hot days mostly, lot of the old house's don't have any AC, so families come here to cool down." Minori said while grabbing a bag out of the trunk, along with Rin.

Ryoga found himself following the two down a skinny trail that twisted and turned for a good five or so minutes before he heard the river, and another few minutes before he could see it. Walking into the shady clearing where the tree's provided ample shade and the moss mostly cushioned the rocky ground, he saw multiple groups had setup little picnic blankets and some chairs, along with bags and coolers. He followed his cousin till they reached a tree of their own and they set down their bags, then promptly pulled off their shirts and pants, revealing a simple modest black bikini for Minori, and a bright and colorful tie-dye one piece for Rin, causing him to turn around and blush.

"Well well, looks like I got myself one bashful cousin, eh Minori?" Rin said with a chuckle as she saw Ryoga's ears turn red. "Come on, take your shirt off, unless your planning to be soaking in it the rest of the day."

Rin and Minori though both couldn't help but stare as Ryoga lifted his arms and got his shirt off, his well defined abs and pecs were slightly sweaty from the work earlier and the heat. Rin had to remind herself a few times that they were cousins, while Minori felt she was going to need to get her boyfriend working out more. Both quickly looked away as though the foliage was somehow quite interesting once Ryoga had finished and could see them again.

Making their way to the river, Ryoga saw that the up stream part was a large slow pool like area that was a bit deeper than the rest, with the middle area they were now standing being narrow and rockey, and most of the kids were near the downstream are where a large slab of rock had been worn down to a smooth surface and then a drop off of a few feet into another larger pool, practically a slide for the smaller kids, while some older kids slid down on their feet and were jumping and doing cannon balls. From the looks of it, they were the oldest of the non-adults here at the moment.

Rin lead them up to the large pool area where she dipped her toe in and then wiggled her hand in a so-so manner to Minori before stepping in further. Following in after her he could feel the cool water gently sliding over his toes, a sharp but nice contrast to the air which was starting to heat up as they got closer to noon. Before they got too far in though, Rin sat down in the water with her back to the currant and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath in a way Ryoga imagined she'd done many times before.

"Come on, nothing better after doing chores or taking exams than having a soak and letting the river carry your worries away." She said to Ryoga while keeping her eyes closed.

Finding a spot next to her, he lowered himself down, just his head resting above the water, Minori doing the same on the other side of her friend. Ryoga had to agree, it had been probably a year since he'd last bathed in a river somewhere in China. Letting the sun warm your face, while the sounds of the river, birds, and children playing had a way of just pulling tension out of you.

"I guess he does have a pretty cute smile." Rin said with a laugh to Minori who he found was just returning his cousins comment with a raised eyebrow while keeping her eyes closed and enjoying the moment. "Don't worry, Minori doesn't bite, she's got a boyfriend in the main town."

"Yea, I'd worry about your cousin, she's been hard up for anyone for so long…" Minori said with a smirk, causing Rin to send a wave of water her way while Ryoga got a worried look on his face.

"Eww, he's my cousin!" Rin said as she sent another wave only to get one in return as the two girls started laughing and splashing each other. Ryoga feeling some relief that it was just some teasing comment before the two decided to turn on him and begin soaking him.

"Hey! What's th" He tried to say before getting a face full of water and deciding he'd need to retaliate. Dropping down into the water so he was almost submerged, he swept his hands into a large wave towards the two, only to realize he'd put a bit too much force into it and ended up bowling them both over with a three foot wave. The two girls looked a bit stunned as he began to try and apologize, only to hear from the shore a child call out "THAT WAS AWESOME! DO IT TOO ME!" as the young boy came running towards him, drawing the attention of many other kids too see what was going on.

For about fifteen minutes Ryoga sent waves at the kids as they asked for bigger and bigger ones, though he tried to keep it to about what he'd done before to prevent any injuries. Even Rin and Minori joined in and everyone was having a great time when suddenly a deep oinking was heard coming from upstream. As it go closer Ryoga could hear the sounds of branches breaking, and other things hitting the ground with heavy thuds. To both his amazement and horror, a truly giant pig came crashing out of the woods and was heading right for the them.

"Aw crap...not her." Rin said groaning with a hand to her forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll stop it!" Ryoga yelled back as he leapt out of the water to get in the way.

"Wait Ryoga! Don't…" Rin's warning though came too late, as Ryoga was already charging at the Pig which seemed to smile at the challenge. The smile though was quickly replaced by surprise though as the pig found itself lifted off its feet by the human it was charging and then spun around and flung down the river upstream like a skipping stone, bouncing off the water three times before crashing into some trees and falling unconscious.

"Aw shit…" Rin muttered as she made her way over to Ryoga who was watching to see if the pig would get back up.

"I think we'll be okay, probably won't bother us anymore." Ryoga said giving his cousin a thumbs up before he saw her scowl.

"You better hope his owner doesn't show up…" Rin says as she gives him a shake of her head.

"Owner? That thing isn't wild?" Ryoga said in disbelief.

"No, that was Katsunishiki, Akari's prized pet." Rin says.

"PET?!"

"Akari's...a bit different, really REALLY loves pigs, her family raises Sumo pigs. The Unryu's also don't get along with grandpa." She was able to explain before the sound of a bike bell was heard coming from the direction the pig had. "Ah crap...not her too."

Ryoga watched as a girl with long black hair wearing a plaid skirt and white shirt rode towards them calling out the pigs name as if looking for him. As she got to the river and saw everyone looking at her, and then at Ryoga who she seemed to just brush aside she saw Rin and moved closer.

"Rin, have you seen my darling little Katsunishiki, we were going to have a swim but he seems to have gotten overly excited and lost." Akari said with a tone one would use for servants.

"Nope, haven't seen that tub of lard, probably out on the road trying to fight a car, again." Rin said dismissively, hoping the crazy girl would leave quickly.

"Mister! Can you teach me to throw a pig like that!" A young boy ran up asking Ryoga and pointing to where the pig had landed. Rin cursed internally at the innocence of children.

Turning to look, Akari saw her pet still unconscious and screamed, dropping her bike and running up and across the river, getting thoroughly soaked in the process to reach her pet. The crowd watched as she seemed to look over the large pig while babbling to it, before stroking its head gently as it began to awake. Katsunishiki soon stood back up, looking slightly confused at to what had happened until looking back at the crowd and seeing Ryoga, snorting angrily and would of gone charging if Akari wasn't there. Quickly jumping up onto the pig, Akari rode him back to the group, an upset look on her face.

"What happened! Did you set some sort of trap for my baby Rin!" Akari angrily accused.

"I didn't d" She started to yell back before being cut off.

"I'm sorry, I threw him because I thought he was wild and going to attack everyone when he came charging out of the woods." Ryoga said giving a bow.

Akari finally looked over Ryoga a bit more closely, he did look quite strong, but Katsunishiki was over nine hundred pounds at his last matches weigh in, this boy couldn't have stopped him from charging. "Impossible, a boy like you couldn't begin to do such a thing." She said chiding him.

"It's true! He went all "Huhp! SPIN! Huck! And then the piggy went Splash splash splash KABOOM!" The young boy from before said giving an animated retelling to the brief fight, the other kids laughing and re-enacting parts excitedly.

A worried look came over Akari's face. "Katsunishiki...is that boy telling the truth?" She asked the pig, drawing odd looks from everyone else, who's eyes got even wider when the pig seemed to blush and nod in response. Akari's face seemed to drain to a pasty white as she began to mutter. "No...no no no no no...never…" Quickly dismounting, she rushed over to Ryoga before dragging him by the ear away from the crowd.

"Who are you!" She demanded in a harsh whisper.

"Ryoga, Ryoga Hibiki." He answered.

"Hibiki? I don't know a family around here by that." She questioned.

"My mom is the daughter of Aki and Mai Okimoto." He explained, her face scrunching up as he heard the last name and it looked like she was holding in some word similar to the time Ranma had stubbed his toe in front of Mirei.

"You need to get out of town." She said once regaining her composure.

"I leave tonight actually, but why?" He asked with a confused look.

"Because once my idiot grandfather finds out about this, he's going to try and get us hitched as soon as possible, or kill you." She explained with a look that reminded him of when Kofumi was having a bad day.

"Marriage!" Ryoga squeaked out in shock.

"Or Death."

"Why?!"

"Because he's a senile old asshole who's trying to run my life like it was the warring states period. Kept trying to setup engagements even when my parents were alive, but thankfully mom shot all that down, when they passed though, I told him I wouldn't marry anyone who couldn't defeat Katsunishiki. I've had to deal with a few challengers, and later just challenged others to make it look like I was trying, they were all a joke, but its kept gramps at bay. Now you stupidly do this, AND you're an Okimoto...well, maybe that will just put him in his grave and I can live in peace." She said, an evil looking smile forming on her face.

"He can't just…" Ryoga began to argue before she stuck a finger in his face.

"He will, he's the mayor of this stupid village and has friends in the main city's town hall, he'll probably forge some stuff and before you know it, it will all be signed and dated." She exclaimed.

"But couldn't we just get it canceled, you know, find a lawyer?" Ryoga asked.

"He already thought of that, if I get a divorce, he'll sell the farm...and all my...my...my pigs, even Katsunishiki." She says, her voice cracking as she thinks of what would happen to them. "So I need you to disappear, and maybe I can just convince him it was some rumor or something and this will all go back to me waiting for the old fart to die and I can be free."

"Okay...well I'm already leaving later this afternoon, so no problem there." Ryoga said with a shrug and a feeling that the country side was full of really weird girls, even by his standards. Akari seemed to wish it was immediate from the look she gave him, but simply nodded and returned back to her pig and bike, reprimanding the pig for running off like that as she headed over to a tree and stripped off her shirt and skirt to hang up and revealing a one piece that was covered in small black piglets.

"What did she say to you?" Rin asked as Ryoga returned back to her and Minori.

"I don't really get it, but it seems her grandfathers forcing her to marry who ever defeats her pig, and if she tries to get out of it, he's threatened to sell their farm and her pigs. She thinks if I leave though, she can convince him this was all a rumor." Ryoga said scratching his head as he tried to make sense of it.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard...which means its probably true knowing grandpa Unryuu." Rin said quietly. "I always thought her challenging guys to fight her pig was to just bully them, I didn't realize she was interested in them, she chased off most of the guys from school."

"She doesn't want to marry anyone, says she's trying to just outlast her grandpa so she can be free of his stupid idea. The challenges were just to keep up appearances." Ryoga replied.

"Damn I can't wait to get out of this village, it can't be crazy like this back in Tokyo can it." Minori lamented.

"Uuuhhhh…." Ryoga replied as he tried to process how much stuff he'd been through in the last few months with Ranma. "This kinda stuff is pretty average honestly." He told her, getting two doubtful looks in return.

"Name one thing weirder than a girl who has to marry who ever beats her giant sumo pig?" Minori says flatly.

# # #

"Saki…" Sachiko said, looking on in complete disbelief and wishing she could add some words that weren't safe around Mirei to her statement. "You're worse than Ranma…" She finished, looking at the woman how had Mirei on her shoulders, who was currently holding both, a bag of cotton candy and a large lollipop that was the size of the girls head. The reason Mirei was on her shoulders though, was because of the numerous bags Saki was holding.

"Wrong, I'm better, I got WAY more stuff than that broke boy could dream of." Saki said as if she had just trampled the competition, and probably would of flashed a V if both her hands weren't full.

"How did you even manage to get ALL this, it's been…" Sachiko takes a look at her watch, "22 minutes!"

"Ninja powers!" Mirei shouted, holding up the lollipop. Which finally broke Mako and Achika who had to lean up against the store wall as they lost themselves to laughter while Sachiko silently cursed every deity she could think of.

Finally giving a sigh and feeling defeated, Sachiko decides to just let it go until they got back, maybe Nodoka could do something about her own sister. "What even did you buy…" She asked.

"Well, they had the cutest clothing store and Mirei just looks good in everything, but she wouldn't try on any of the dresses until I found they had MATCHING ones for bigger sizes, you know like older siblings or moms. So of course, I had to get a matching one for "Magical Daddy" so she'd go along with it." Saki said happily as she shoved one of the bags into Sachiko's hands.

"There's no way you're getting Ranma into any of these…" Sachiko said as she looked in and saw more frills, pastels, and some cute embroidered yellow chicks than even she felt comfortable with.

"Ah, but I have a secret weapon…" She replied, freeing a hand enough to snap in front of Mirei.

Mirei looked forward and concentrated hard as she tried to remember the words. "I want to wear matting dresseses daddy." She said in an over the top cutesy way, even giving a rough version of puppy dog eyes.

"You're...you're just evil." Was all Sachiko could say in response as she worried about her daughters future and the influences around her as she looked back at her friends, who were now on the ground, laughing and drawing the attention of everyone.

# # #

Ranma was for the first time since the trip had started, eager to return to the training, if only to have a chance of wiping that smirk off of Saki's face. Weaponizing children had to be against international law, and having them cause psychological damage had to be even worse. The fact the whole group had gone along with parading him around and snapping pictures of each and every outfit was just the cherry on top of the most degrading afternoon of his life.

There were two bright spots during all of it though, that Mirei was loving it, tried everything on, and seemed to completely forget about how she always refuses dresses, and that Saki had gotten a few matching ones for Sachiko too, much to her embarrassment though Ranma thought she looked adorable with Mirei. After what felt like an eternity though they had finally run out of new outfits, and Mirei crashed while trying to sort them in their room and was finally having a nap she probably needed a few hours ago, allowing him to change back into a light shirt and some shorts.

"Aww...you should of stayed in the one with the chicks, it was just soooo cute!" Saki said as he came back down into the dining area, earning her a glare. "Where's Mirei though, I wanted to do her hair and get some more pictures."

"She's finally crashed, probably running purely off all that sugar you gave her for the last hour." He replied. "Where's everyone else?"

"Well, with the show over, they headed out to the beach one last time before we all have to pack up. I'll wait here in case Mirei wakes up if you want to join them." She replied.

Ranma made his way down the beach, slowly and careful not to step too deep into the now scorching sand. Finally making it to a parasol no one was using and unrolling his towel to have a rest. He watched the volleyball game, or well, what one might consider volleyball only because that was the ball being used, while the aerial acrobatics and crazy martial artist made it look like some combat sport as the girls attempted to bean each other more than score a point he felt.

'Just three more weeks…' he told himself as he looked at the hot sand that was keeping him from doing much more than sit there. Thinking about it, he wasn't really more than just annoyed with his curse at this point, except during his period but he'd found out pretty much all the girls hated that too. If anything it was the issue of clothing, the curse's tendency to pop up at the worst times, and dealing with boys who didn't know, or just didn't care and leered or tried to hit on him. He had to admit that doing all the training this summer had really helped, his coordination was stronger and he flowed through his movements with less second guessing, though he was still finding his attacks were off because of the lack of reach.

At some point during his introspective thoughts he must of dozed off, as the next thing he saw was Shampoo's face hovering over him, her hair dangling down and tickling his face. Blinking as his eyes got used to the sunlight, he saw her begin to smile as she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss which made his eyes shoot open and he quickly looked around to see who had seen it. Oddly though, no one else was around at the moment, the beach looking almost barren.

"Wakey wakey Ra—N-Ma" Shampoo said playfully before giggling cutely, drawing his attention back to the fact she was crouching over him and her chest was just inches away and still only held back by her bikini.

"Shhhh...Shampoo...what are you doing! Where's everyone?" Ranma asked as he tried to slide up and out from under her, only for her to put her hand above his shoulder, locking him in place while the other seemed to have roamed to his lower to her back.

"They packing, mom said let you sleep, but I volunteer come get you now." She said with a sly grin as her hand on his back slid down and slipped inside his shorts, gripping the firm muscular rear and turning Ranma almost as red as his hair. "Shampoo though want some cuddle time...see how you and Lufa did something this morning…" She said sweetly, with a demanding tone.

Ranma's brain was flip flopping between arousal, fright, and embarrassment as he struggled to keep himself from either shoving her off and running, or grabbing and holding onto her. Wishing he had some technique that might allow him to keep his emotions in check and think logically. Before he could even distract himself though with what such a technique might entail, Shampoo gently nuzzled into his neck and give him a gentle bite, eliciting a startled squeak and setting off his brains flight defense.

Shampoo though simply gave him a devilsh smile as his eyes looked around, only to realize in a that it was hot sand all around as he began to panic at having no escape path. Looking around he realized he didn't see his flip flops where he had left them either at the base of the towel, and Shampoo seemed very calm, and very...confident...maybe?

"Shampoo...where are my flip flops?" He asked cautiously, her face lighting up and the edges of her lips seemed to turn upwards making the smile almost...sinister.

"Oh...why they are right there, wind must of blown them…" She said innocently, pointing to a dune where they were sticking up, just outside of his normal jumping distance...which he suspected wasn't just chance.

"Could...you go get them for me?" He asked, already knowing the answer as the purple haired girl seemed to tighten her grip like a snake constricting around its pray.

"Sure...but first, Shampoo want know, want know what Lufa and you do this morning…" Her voice still sweet, but he'd heard this exact tone before, usually when she was about two seconds from getting into a fight with someone in the village.

Ranma looked around again for any escape, maybe a grassy dune, some other forgotten shoes, maybe even a shirt he could tie around one foot and hop back on. There was nothing though, Shampoo had obviuosly been through in planning this ambush. Looking back at her, he saw she quite proud of herself, confidence pouring from her as she relaxed her arm and slid down to rest it on her elbow, while the hand began to gently rub Ranma's earlobe.

"We uh...we were flying Mirei's kite…" He answered.

"And?"

"And….talking…"

"AND?"

"she…sheputmyhandonherbra" Ranma sputtered out quickly.

"Huh? Slower." Shampoo demanded, unable to keep up with his rapid Japanese, the fingers playing with his earlobe squeezing down in a threatening manner but not quite hurting yet.

"She...she put my hand...on her...bra." Ranma said breaking eye contact and looking down at his own lap.

Shampoo didn't say anything and Ranma wasn't willing to look back up, so for a short bit of time there was nothing but the sound of the wind and ocean between the two. After some waves had crashed and receded, Ranma felt Shampoo sit up but still didn't look up. When he felt her hand take hold of his hand though, he looked and then quickly had to look away, while pulling his hand back quickly. This was because her top was no long on and her face made his stomach nearly heeve.

"Shampoo...you...you don't have to do that." Ranma said weakly.

"Shampoo…" She started before shaking her head vigorously to get her thoughts under control. "I want too." she answered.

"But, you looked...scared…" Shampoo heard just barely over the ocean.

"Shampoo no scared!" Shampoo instantly retorted, but Ranma could tell it was more of a reflex for his friend to say that.

"Shampoo...please...p. your top back on." Ranma pleaded.

Shampoo reached for her top, but as she held it in her hands a worried look played across her face.

"Ranma...why you no touch Sham...me." She asked as her grip tightened on the clothing. "You think Shampoo ugly, or you just no want Shampoo?"

"Shampoo…" Ranma said as he chanced a look at her lap, seeing the top still in her hands he quickly turned away. "You're...you're my best friend. I...I don't want you forcing yourself to do this just cause Lufa did it out of no where…" He told her, a feeling of regret at having caused his friend so do something like this because he'd let his guard down.

"Ranma I want you to touch me! I been trying since we in village! You just too too...unknowing." Shampoo said with some frustration, at both Ranma's behavior and her inability to find the right word in Japanese.

"I...I know that now. But I know a lot of things now I didn't know before." Ranma says, leaving Shampoo silent in surprise that Ranma had actually thought about some of the things she'd done like sneak into his bath or walk into his room in a towel to try and get him to show some interest.

"But I know doing...this kinda stuff, ain't right unless we're like...really together, and a bunch of the girls who shared their stories at the parenting support group thought they were. Some of their stories really piss me off, guys that just do what ever they can and then leave. I'm not gonna be like those jerks, so it's better I don't do nothing right now, it ain't fair to anyone." Ranma could feel his heart rate increase thinking back to some of the sessions, Sachiko even having to tell him to calm down before he started glowing.

"How we not together? We live together in village, I follow you here, I tell you I love you, even promise Sachiko I follow her, and she not even AMAZON!" Shampoo frustratingly shouts at him as tears begin to well up in her eyes.

Ranma's voice wavered as he tried to speak, he could some how hear the tear drops falling from Shampoo's face and landing on her hands still clutching the top. He wanted to comfort her, tell a joke, maybe give a silly challenge, something to distract from all of this. But the pit in his stomach was growing, and he knew if he couldn't get around the subject, he'd best just straight through. "I...I don't even know how to love someone!" Ranma got out finally.

"Yesterday, Mirei told me she loved me, so easily and simply. It absolutely floored me though, every part of me was screaming and crying, it was wonderful, and I realized later that I'd never felt that way before. Because of my stupid pops, only thing close has been when I learned new stuff, but just for a moment, because then he'd expect me to learn the next thing, and the next thing. This morning with Mirei, I could feel it, she still loved me, even if I didn't do something new, or give her something, she was just happy to be with me." He continued. Shampoo wiping some tears as she listened.

"But I can't see how I can do that for anyone. I'm always causing trouble, screw things up, breaking stuff, or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I got too many problems and dragging others into them just feels selfish, like why should they have to deal with my crazy family, or my education, or my future when I'm sure you all's got plenty of issues too. I worry telling someone I love them ain't no better than one of pop's schemes, cause I don't even know if I'm being honest or it's just my stupid brain and hormones." Ranma said, subconsciously pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around them.

Shampoo sat still, tears still coming down slowly, she felt like such a heel now, but still had some of her own fire inside, fighting to demand Ranma give her want she wants. Slowly though, she refastened her top, before scooting over and pulling Ranma into a hug, glad that he was so tiny in his female form. She could tell he was fighting not to cry, his eyes blinking rapidly to try and hold in the moisture. Ranma seemed to relax into the hug after she didn't make any other move, his hands quickly moving to wipe his eyes.

Shampoo continued to hold Ranma, while she tried to process all the things he'd just told her, and how many beatings a certain panda was due for them. Frustration was really the main thing she was feeling, at Ranma for being unable to say or do what she desperately wanted from him, but also at the other girls, making things more complicated for the two of them. Regret was there too, thinking that if she could of gotten Ranma into a relationship in China, actually staked a claim on him, she'd just be dealing with a step-child more than a possible suitor with a much better claim then she had. But, the thing that was really eating at her, making her hold Ranma just a bit tighter, was the doubt in her own ability to love like him, doubt that she even knew why she was chasing after him for so long and she really didn't have a reassuring answer for herself.

A strong gust was what finally seemed to knock the two from their inner thoughts, Ranma embarrassingly unwrapping himself from Shampoo before standing up. Shampoo got up and retrieved his sandals, then helped pick up the parasol to take along with them back to the building while Ranma rolled up the towel. Ranma didn't say anything, but after a few steps walking ahead, he slowed down and reached out a hand, which Shampoo took after a moment of surprise, and they walked back together, both looking a little worried, both feeling quite unsure of what they were going to do next.

# # #

Ryoga had sat on the train for over two hours, his stomach feeling sick not because of food, but because of the letter in his bag he'd been given as he stepped onto the train by Mai. It didn't have anything written on the outside, but he knew who had written it, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He did know he wasn't going to read it on the train, he couldn't possibly keep it together and it would make everyone uncomfortable. So he sat there, occasionally eyeing the bag in the seat next to him, and wishing his heart wouldn't beat so hard, and his breathing would become easier.

He tried to think more about what he was going to do when he got back to Nerima, he'd called Yuko before heading to the train station, and let her know he'd be in around 9pm, and while he wasn't happy she was going to be out late alone, she didn't give him much of an option and said she'd meet him when he arrived. They didn't have any plans, maybe a late night meal as he didn't think he'd be able to eat on the train, then walk her home, where ever that was exactly, he'd not had a reason to visit it yet.

He worried about what Sachiko had told him before the training had started, that Yuko liked him, and he'd just kinda felt...worried. He liked walking with her, and Hachiko was like a calmer more reserved Mirei, but they'd barely done much more than that due to school and then his summer being eaten up by all the training. 'Ryoga you idiot, you can't have a girlfriend, you're a homeless martial artist with a dad in jail, mom…, and basically just living off your best friends family.' he told himself glumly. 'Unless she wants to go live out where my grandparents are, there's nothing I can offer her.'

Looking up at the clock at the front of the train cabin, he saw he still had another two hours to go and once again looked at his bag, before sighing and looking back out the window wishing he had a way to speed up time.

# # #

Shampoo was grateful that she had her own set of seats on the bus ride back to Nerima, being in no mood to deal with small talk or someone noticing how off she felt after her moment with Ranma. 'Be patient, let him come to you, don't scare him…' Her grandmothers words rang through her head as she grimaced once again as she thought about how she'd so impulsively tried to force him to grope her. Even worse was that he felt guilty even thinking of doing that, and was worried about her instead. As she stared out the window, she wondered if having the ability to shoot laser beams out of her eyes and destroy the mountain in the distance might make her feel even one bit better, but she doubted it would.

Lufa on the other hand was quite happy with herself and telling Nabiki proudly if also very quietly near the back of the bus. Ranma had obviously enjoyed the little bit of contact they'd had, and she was sure if she could just get some time alone with him, preferably when he's male, she could possibly get him to come out of his shell and start a real relationship, with some real passion. Nabiki nodded along at the younger girls scheming, it reminded her of junior high when she'd been thinking of the best ways to get boys to spend their money on her. But she was also watching Ranma, who seemed to be putting on a face over his obvious dour mood, though why that was had far to many possible answers.

Sachiko sat happily looking out the window, while her friends talked about some band she'd never heard of. She thought about how nervous she was when they'd been on this bus just two nights ago, and now she felt stronger than she had in years. Her hand roamed gently over her shirt, tracing the scar that was beneath it, and she didn't feel a touch of anxiety, or get a shiver down her back. It didn't even give her an image of her shitty moms, yelling now, but instead, of Ranma's cute embarrassed face. Eventually she'd tell her friends about some of what happened on the beach, they'd tried to bring it up subtly the night before but she'd shot it down immediately, it was far to fresh and unreal in her mind, but trying to hide it forever wasn't healthy, and in their own way they'd helped bring it all about.

Ranma wished he could of sat alone for a while, but was currently surrounded. Mirei had woken up cranky and demanding he wear a dress so she could wear the matching one, and no one could get her to just wear it herself. So not only was he surrounded, he was in a white with green polka dot dress trying to keep Mirei seated, while she seemed to just want to sit with everyone and show off her dress while others took pictures with their small portable cameras. Even Kofumi was gushing over her being a little cutie by the time he finally got her seated again and reading a story with him which finally ended the photo session. Unfortunately because of Mirei's nap, she was up the whole ride back and full of questions and demands for more stories.

# # #

Stepping off the train, Ryoga looked around the platform before realizing only people with tickets would be there, and headed for the exit. Coming down the escalator to the ground floor, he spotted Yuko sitting there in a blue dress with a grayish light sweater that looked well worn, holding Hachiko who was sleep on her shoulder. She gave him a smile and a small wave once she saw him and he waved back as he headed over.

"Is it okay to be out so late with her?" Ryoga asked worried as he saw the sleeping child.

"She wouldn't let me go unless I took her, she wanted to see you too." Yuko said softly, brushing some of the girls hair out of her face.

"Oh...uh...what should we do?" He asked

Yuko had a slight pause in her motions, subtle enough most people might even miss it before she answered. "Are you hungry?" She asked.

'Starving...but we can't possibly eat with Hachiko sleeping' he thought. "No, I had some food on the train." He replied.

Again she had a slight erratic movement, this time like a nervous jump that she seemed to turn into her adjusting her hold on Hachiko so she could stand up. Ryoga noticed now the bag she usually had, stuff for Hachiko he figured was stuff well beyond normal was by the side of the bench. "Well, lets just walk then, you can tell me about what you've been up to." Yuko said as she started slowly to reach for it before he quickly stepped over and scooped it up. She gave her thanks for the help but then quickly turned towards the exit to the street.

Ryoga kept pace with her, and once they made it to the street, she turned in the direction that he knew would take him home atleast. He told her about the training being exhausting, the adventures on the mountain and Ranma going cat. She said if it was anyone but him and Sachiko's group she wouldn't believe any of it. He was just starting to tell her of the long journey to his grandparents when they reached the corner of the Saotome compound and its large walls.

"Uhm...I should walk you home, its very late." He said, worrying that she might really try to go home so late holding Hachiko the whole way, and with such a heavy bag for her. He saw the contentedness in her face as they'd walked just drain away, replaced with what he could only place as fear, making his heart beat begin to race.

"Actually...could...could Hachiko and I stay here...my mom's..." Yuko said, staring at her feet, her voice wavering before simply giving up on her.

"Uhm...I...I have to ask...it's not my decision…" Ryoga said cautiously his hand shaking a bit as he reached down to hold her hand and head towards the gate. Ryoga punched in the key code twice, the first time his hand shaking too much. Worry about what could possibly have happened as Yuko never talked about her mom, beyond saying she'd need to get back because of her.

He asked her to wait in the entrance to the main house as he went to go look for preferably Saki who he figured couldn't say no to Hachiko. Instead, he found Kofumi sitting in the kitchen with a report of some sort in front of her that didn't look to agree with her, sipping some tea. At first she didn't seem to pay him much mind beyond a "Welcome back", but when he didn't move she looked up at him and immediately frowned.

"What's...wrong?" She asked slowly, with a little concentration she could see his aura oozing various shades of yellow and a tinge of purple around his feet.

"Yu...Yu, Yu…" Ryoga stammered.

"Me, Me, Me." Kofumi replied, giving him an impatient look.

"Yuko." He finally blurted out a bit loud before taking a breath. "Yuko and Hachiko...would like to stay tonight, something happened with her mom." He bowed instinctively, so deep his head almost struck the floor.

Ryoga could hear her moving slightly, and if he could have seen, it was because she had reached to her side, only to realize what ever it was she had wanted wasn't there anymore. "Humph...normally I am chasing the boys out of the house away from my daughters…" She muttered to herself. "Is she here?" Kofumi asked.

"Yes, in the entry way…" He replied to the ground, now feeling stupid and not sure when he was suppose to come back up from the bow.

"Stay here." Kofumi said as she got down from the chair and began to make her way to the entrance. "Straighten up for goodness sake's." she said as she turned the corner to leave the kitchen.

Ryoga waited only a minute or two, before his name was called by Kofumi. Yuko's eyes were slightly red and she was rubbing them, but she had a smile on her face. Before Ryoga could say anything though, he was sent to the linen closet to get sheets, pillows, and blankets, as they would need to make up another guestroom, Ukyo and Konatsu being in the ones they usually keep ready. After about ten minutes he had the last room on the second floor ready and headed back to the kitchen to let them know.

"RYOGA!" Hachiko cried at seeing him come in, though it was a very sleepy cry and the girl didn't do much besides put her hands up from her sitting position in Yuko's lap.

"Hi Hachiko, your room is all ready." He replied with a smile, getting just a giggle out of the little girl.

"Thank you Ryoga, why don't you go get yourself ready, and I'll help them get settled in." Kofumi said, in a soft tone which struck him as unusual from her usual stoic self. Yuko gave him a nod when he shot her a questioning look so he did as he was told and headed up to change and brush his teeth.

When he finished, he walked over to check on Yuko but there was some talking going on and he didn't want to be found eavesdropping, so he headed to his room instead of interrupting. He waited for the sound of a door to open, but as he went to go check, Kofumi was already in front of his door, and simply shook his head at him. Laying in his bed again, he wondered what had happened to Yuko's mom, was she sick, injured, or a number of other things. For Yuko to want to stay away at such a late time of night, with Hachiko in tow struck him as incredibly strange. He worried about what might have happened before, if she didn't have a place. Eventually, all the worrying lead him to a restless sleep, and kept the thought of the letter in his unpacked bag out of mind.

# # #