Disclaimer: You know what it is, I own nothing. Rumiko Takahashi owns Ranma.. Warner Bro's owns characters that may or may not pop up occasionally.. let's see.. Nobuhiro Watsuki owns Kenshin and any references. Johan Liebert belongs to Naoki Urasawa, I haven't decided how strongly I'll feature him. He's kind of a tricky character. There may also be references to the Harry Potter world by J.K. Rowling.
And as a warning, the inclusion of Johan Liebert does mean that this fic will get very dark sometimes.
The next couple of weeks were very pleasant for the couple, who indeed was now a real couple.
That is to say that for the couple in question it was pleasant, most others would have tapped out and begged for mercy from their schedule.
Ranma started training Akane in Wing Chun in preparation for meeting Elder Fei Loong, who was now training Ranma in several Joketsuzoku techniques. Reluctantly Ranma was learning the hidden weapons technique.
While he still preferred not to use weapons, thinking of the tournament he was now preparing for he figured they might come in handy at some point.
In case he hadn't already been training enough his mother had also decided that Ranma and Akane needed to be trained in her families Kendo styles.
In the mornings they would wake up and Ranma would train Akane for a couple of hours, after a snack they would go to his mothers house and train with her. Then the old man would challenge them and get his ass handed to him properly.
Having the next couple hours free they would usually go find some food and then a nice spot to be away from everybody else.
The evening hours Ranma went to the Cat Cafe to train in martial arts and survival techniques.
The Elder Loong had appeared joyous at learning that Ranma would be competing in such a tournament and had taken it upon himself to train Ranma in every way possible.
Shampoo, in a move that surprised everybody. Got over the loss of her pursuit of Ranma rather quickly.
Grudgingly she was spending time with Mousse now, although as the days went by her reluctance appeared to be more for show than any real distaste.
Shampoo wasn't the only one displaying surprising behavior. Nabiki had stopped all sales of lewd pictures of Akane and Ranma, although she would still sell tasteful pictures. A girl had to make sacrifices, but she still needed to survive.
Granted that Nabiki, being the shrewd business woman she was, was doing far more than merely surviving.
She had enough money put away to put most of the family through college, pay for marriages, and then some.
Her ambitions ran deep, she wanted Tendo to someday be a household name.
She looked over the blueprints on her desk.
The Tendo dojo would have to be the first step of course. It was already established, with that she could branch out.
The old lady next door had passed away, and Nabiki, although saddened at the passing. Had been quick to buy out the property since the woman had no surviving family in Japan. Her grandchildren had moved to a tropical island long ago.
The plan was to make a door in the wall leading to the old woman's house. The house itself would be torn down and in it's place a dojo would be built.
The blueprints were for a huge dojo, since the property was pretty large Nabiki had plenty or room to work with.
It would be three stories tall and fashioned in the same style as a zen Buddhist temple with a classical Japanese garden design.
She was very happy now that so many people owed her favors. Aside from supplies, the job would be practically free. Even the supplies wouldn't be very expensive for her.
Ranma and her had sat with the family and discussed the tournament. At which time Nabiki had brought up her dojo plans. After some initial disagreements, everyone was on board with Nabiki's plans as they seemed not only well thought out, but very profitable.
Ranma and Akane were on their knees in front of Nodoka. She had three bundles wrapped in cloth in her arms which she set on a table next to her.
She sat on her knees in front of them and grabbed two of the bundles, which the teens know were katanas.
"Ours is a blade that protects." She began, repeating the words they had said everyday now as part of their dedication motto.
"A sword," she continued "is a weapon. The reason it was made was to kill others. Our family has shed more than it's share of blood."
She tossed the bundles to the teens.
"Our style is a combination of what was once two styles. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and Kamiya Kasshin-ryu"
At a nod from Nodoka they both unwrapped the bundles, pulling out sheathed katanas.
"Draw your blades." Nodoka said.
As they drew their blades she continued. "My great-great-great grandfather started using the style of sword our family has used ever since."
Both now looking at their swords noticed the blade was on the inside of the curve.
"The sword for protecting others." She said "Use them to protect our family, and anyone you meet that truly needs help. That is the way of our family."
She smiled at the teens as they admired their new katanas. She'd spared no expense, these were the highest caliber blade anyone could get in Japan.
The smith was a an artist, practically legendary and sought out by many.
"Please stay for a while today, have some tea with me and Genma."
"I'm home!" It was as if her saying his name had summoned him.
In the weeks since the wedding, since Nodoka had moved Genma out of the Tendo house. She'd taken no excuses. She forced Genma to get a job, and now he was working as a bodyguard for a local politician who was cracking down on the Yakuza.
Most days Genma would get a break for a few hours during the day while the man was conducting office work. His office, being a government building, was very well guarded and therefor Genma wasn't necessary.
"Back here pops!" Ranma called out.
The old man joined them a couple minutes later, with a cup of tea.
As the rest of them conversed he tried to sip on his tea.
He appeared agitated. He got up and paced around. He turned around and looked at Ranma.
"Boy!" He shouted, startling Ranma out of the conversation he'd been in. "Come spar with me!"
Ranma hopped up, about to accept the challenge.
Then he bowed to his father, and said. "We can spar in a minute pops. First I want ya to spar with Akane."
"All this training with women must be making your mind soft boy!" He said with distaste, "I can't spar with a weak wom..."
He didn't finish his sentence, as in the time he'd been saying it, Nodoka had closed the distance and had the family blade, out and unsheathed, an inch away from his face.
Nobody had even seen her move, except Ranma.
Genma stared at the blade for a moment and gulped, "On second thought," he said, now looking back at Ranma and Akane, "I would love to spar with Akane."
A few minutes later, Ranma and Nodoka were seated on the back porch facing the garden. In the garden Akane and Genma stood facing each other. Akane now taking up Ranma's usual relaxed stance.
"Anything but weapons Akane." Ranma shouted from the side.
Akane nodded once, concentrating, she was going to have to work hard to prove the old man wrong on his assessment of 'weak girls'.
After facing off for a moment, both sprang into motion. Genma launched an attack, going into the Saotome air based style.
Genma smiled to himself, this would be over in an instant, confident his kick would make impact with her head.
In a move resembling a baseball player sliding into the home plate, Akane slid under his attack, shooting her hand out at the last moment she caught the old man's foot.
Genma, surprised by the move, almost went face-first into the ground. However at the last moment he planted his hand on the ground and kicked his foot free from Akane's hand and launched himself into the air just on time to avoid Akane's next kick.
He came down elbow first, aimed at Akane's stomach, she rolled away from the attack just on time.
A moment later they both stood facing each other again.
The girl had improved, Genma thought, but she was way too slow to beat him.
Now taking her more seriously he launched an attack again, this time going faster, the speed he usually reserved for stronger, and faster, opponents, such as Ranma.
As expected, she wasn't fast enough to keep up with his increased speed. He landed three solid kicks on her, the third one hitting her in the solar plexus, launching her back a few feet.
She staggered for a moment, then shook her head to clear it, and stood facing Genma again.
"Akane!" Ranma's voice called from the side. "Take them off!"
Genma was confused.
His confusion turned into surprise, and his eyes widened as Akane, now grinning, reached under her uniform and started stripping off weighted cloths she was wearing underneath.
She took off several, tossing them into a neat pile, which all sounded heavy as they landed on the ground.
Akane's hair, which had been growing and was now shoulder length again, swirled around her face in the breeze as she smiled. She moved her body a little bit to get used to not having the weights on.
Genma, seeing her not paying attention, attacked again. Anything goes after all didn't mean that you wait for your opponent to be paying attention.
If he would have hit her he probably would have finished the match right there.
She hadn't even been paying attention to him. She didn't notice him till the last moment, but as his fist passed through the spot where she was, he understood his son's abilities to teach a willing student.
To Akane, everything slowed down at that last moment for just a second. But it was enough.
In a very Ranma-like move. She'd launched herself high into the air. Having not taken the weights off for the past couple weeks at any time, made her go into the air far higher than she'd expected. Ranma had made her train every day over and over till she could finally jump on the Tendo rooftop from the yard.
That was with the weights on.
She was high enough she saw Genma look down, expecting her to use the sliding move again. She saw him look up, and as her fist came in contact with his face, his eyes widened with surprise.
"Ooof!" The old man was knocked back a few feet this time as his nose burst open spurting blood.
"I think we'll call that a draw for now." Said Ranma, with pride in his voice.
"But Ranma," Said Akane.
"No buts," Ranma replied, using his teaching voice. "It may not have seemed like it, but pops was holding back some. That'll teach him to hold back a little less next time he spars with you."
Akane glared at him for a moment, then she sighed, she knew he was right. "Hai sensei."
"My son." Nodoka gushed proudly, "how amazingly manly of you to be able to train your students so well." Ranma blushed at this, and Akane smiled at him.
The old man, grumbling in-comprehensively, left the room to stop the bleeding and clean himself up, he would have to go back to work soon. In his mind he went over the battle over and over that day. He too was very proud of the progress his son had made with Akane, knowing first hand how different she'd been a mere few weeks ago.
His mom calling him 'manly' had gotten him thinking about something manly he should do now. They'd decided to go for ice cream.
He reached out and took Akane's hand in his gently, she looked back at him. She was surprised, but had a smile on her face.
"Let's go to Ucchans."
Her face darkened, things were going so perfectly and now he wanted to go visit his 'cute' fiancee? She almost let go of his hand to tell him to go by himself if he wanted to spend time with his cute fiancee, when Ranma spoke again.
"I want to tell her about.." Ranma gulped and held up their linked hands. "U.. U.. Us."
Akane's anger vanished, and she felt ashamed of herself for jumping to conclusions.
He was holding her hand after all, why did she think he was going to run off to Ukyo? Akane shook her head slightly disappointed in herself for her own insecurities.
Ranma saw the head shake and took it for disapproval. "Look if ya want to keep it secret it's okay with me."
"NO!" Akane said with surprising force,"I.. I mean, no." She looked up with a smile to his face. "I was just jealous when you said her name, I'm being silly. Let's go tell her."
Holding hands still, they continued walking to Ukyo's
"How have you been doing it?"
Akane's question took him by surprise.
"Whatcha mean tomboy?"
She ignored the teasing nickname, "You haven't changed into a girl once this week, or last for that matter."
"Oh that." Said Ranma
"Yes that." Akane replied cheekily.
"Elder Cologne received a recipe book in the mail." He explained. "In it was a recipe to make a new kind of soap the Joketsuzoku tribe has discovered which helps prevent transformations. She has us each help in making batches of the stuff." He wrinkled his nose as he thought about it, "It stinks up the whole room when you make it, fortunately a batch makes like a hundred bars of soap. That's enough to last a few months. Next time it's my turn to learn the recipe, this time Shampoo had to learn it."
Ranma suddenly thought about something. "Oh yeah, Elder Fei Loong says it's time for him to start working with you tomorrow night."
They continued the discussion till they reached the restaurant.
They'd chosen the perfect time, the lunch crowd had left, and Ukyo was just finishing the cleanup when they walked in.
"Hi hon," She said turning around and smiling at them "be with ya in a moment."
She tried to hide her expression, but their linked hands settled on her like a ton of bricks. She felt her heart sink into her stomach and knew she wasn't going to like this visit.
She'd closed up the shop. After an hour of talking, some yelling, some crying. The couple and Ukyo gotten everything in the open.
Ukyo still loved Ranma, and it hurt he didn't love her the same way. Although, he said he did love her. Only that it was as a brother would love a sister.
She'd explained how when they were kids he'd thought she was a boy, how being on the road and alone with his father all the time he'd always wished for a sibling. Ukyo had become that from the moment they'd met.
Now that Ranma understood love better he was able to admit it for what it was.
But, she thought bitterly, she was only a sister. Not his one and only.
She'd wanted to fight Akane, but she knew it would do no good.
Ranma had finally given her an offer extended by Nodoka and Nabiki to right the wrongs committed to her by Genma.
She would be adopted into Nodoka's line, and Nabiki would help her expand and increase her profits tenfold if she agreed.
She would need time to think about everything.
She needed time away from everything and everyone.
At the end she had grudgingly agreed to not interfere in the couples relationship, unless of course Akane did something bad to Ranma.
For now it looked like the couple was doing very well, they'd even left her restaurant together, holding hands again.
But, she needed time away. She had a spot in the woods that her father had left her. She put a temporarily closed sign on her door and left with a heavy backpack.
Some philosophers have said that to truly find yourself, you must first find yourself completely lost. Other philosophers dismiss this idea as complete rubbish, countering that only with order in your life can you ever truly find yourself. There is yet another class of philosopher that says both the other types of philosophers are full of shit. Their idea being that in order for one to truly find themselves, they needed to follow their own path be it orderly or chaotic.
Ryoga didn't really understand the philosophy, or particularly care for that matter, he was just mad that he was lost. Again.
The most distressing part of being lost wasn't that he was lost though. He was lost all the damn time, and was kind of used to it at this point. No, what confused, irritated, baffled, and had him scratching his head furiously was that he'd had no clue how the hell he'd gotten to be where he was.
The room was filled with soft, warm, ambient light. Everything appeared to be made out of wood. A log cabin of some sort?
Sometimes, completely unintentionally. And without even knowing it, we find ourselves exactly where we need to be.
"Hi hon'" Came the familiar voice.
Thank you very much for reading.. Please R&R...
Sorry for the sort chapter, it's been a hectic week and I haven't had much time. I should get more this week though. Enjoy!