Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it harsh. So, be warned.

Premise: This was going to be a Ranma/ Love Hina mid-story crossup, with Nodoka as the Aoyama sister's aunt. Ranma was to arrive just after the arc in the MANGA of Love Hina where Kanako and Keitaro have their big conflict over his promise, Naru runs off, etc. It's near the end of the series, but not THE end. Critical to this was the damage done to Hinata's Annex, which in the (lost) chapter 2, Ranma would have been contracted to affect repairs on after some time to settle and learn at a temple. Yes, the reappearance of my infamous Onmyodo!Ranma again. Thus, meeting Kanako… But my hard drives (all three) blew up and so I scrapped it.

—

The Long View

The whispers were growing, Ranma noted with a frown as he sat on the roof of Furinkan High School. Louder, and more numerous. Currently the school itself was quiet, classes being on hiatus for a break, and thanks to that, it proved a good place to go and get away from things. Get away from most of the people around, and the noise they caused to carry on the air.

No matter how far he went, though, some things followed. That feeling of being trapped in a steel web of obligation, responsibility. Knowing that there were only so many ways out of it, that he could imagine, and all of them boiled down to the same thing – running away. He could make a decision this or that way, but no matter which he chose, someone was hurt. It really hit home that he and his father were different, in how he and Genma viewed those situations. To Ranma, all the entanglements were more than just problems, they were people too. Genma's opinion, however, reminded him of the Amazons. They didn't matter, and if they stood in the way, well! Just knock them down and go on!

It wasn't so easy, when one of the 'problems' was Ucchan. When one of them was Xian Pu, who of all the people he knew, understood the complicated dance that was martial arts and honor, and where one ended and the other began. It wasn't easy when it was Akane he was being pushed toward, but it was Akane who kept pushing him away.

Pushing those thoughts away, Ranma looked for his center, for the quiet that used to dwell in his heart. But the wind continued to blow, and with it came the voices, even if they were distant. Ever since Saffron, something had felt... off. Ranma tried to place it, but the best way he could explain it was that it felt like a limb waking up, only he didn't seem attached to it. Right now, it felt like figurative pins and needles – his awareness of it was growing, and it hurt. It made him wonder what it would be like, when that limb as he thought of it, fully 'woke up'."

A familiar voice tugged at his attention, and Ranma worked through the whispering cacophony to focus on it. "...anma? He's not here?" A pause. "Then, I suppose if you see him in the next hour, let him know I want to speak with him. It is somewhat urgent."

What did his mother want? Heaving a sigh, Ranma started on his way back home, hoping to catch the woman before she left.

–

"So, you're taking him there?"

"It is the logical thing for us to do. My sister in Kyoto was an idealistic fool, but paid enough for her mistakes to balance any karma against her line. Her daughters need not do the same." A small, thick, ceramic cup was lifted, a sip taken. "This is quickly becoming a family matter that I can no longer ignore. Eishun's foolish love of politics, his daughter hidden away in ignorance of her lineage, and my poor nieces. One, who would be a grand head of the school but who gave it up for her husband, and the other supposedly lazing away at a resort inn." The cup was set down with a muffled thump. "I must act. Blood demands it."

A pipe was lit, and sweet, cloying smoke hazed the small room. "Truly distressing. Why have you waited so long?"

An unladylike snort was the immediate reply. "Timing. He has been waiting a long time for this as well, expecting me to come to him for an answer or plan. As if I would be able to do anything with my honor still stained. But his overconfidence in his supposedly grand plan makes him obvious. Exposed. A little nudge, and my son will see things as they are, and then we'll both be free of this lingering dishonor."

"Overconfidence is a rather common trait," the pipe-bearer replied pointedly, causing the hand with the tea to pause. "Be careful you don't fall into that same trap. But I agree – this has gone on long enough. Just remember why no one has been able to touch him, yet."

"He is crafty, and devious," the tea resumed its slow trek. "But only human. His mistakes were recorded, and we know them now. It's time for his heir to eclipse him, I think."

This time, the pipe paused. "So. You will make him into a hunter?"

The rustle of a kimono being adjusted sounded, before the answer came. "He will have plenty of reason."

"Nn," the reply admitted positively. "So he will. And what of his name, that you bear? What of your family?"

"I'll be... severing my ties to that tonight, with any luck. My eldest niece has assured me that she would welcome me back once the stain on my honor has been removed." A musical laugh escaped the woman. "She is such a lovely girl, though her sister needs quite a bit of work."

"So I've heard," the wizened voice grunted, a faint note of annoyance present. "And the various entanglements?"

The silky whisper of a blade being unsheathed slightly, before being slid home replied. "There is no knot that cannot be undone, either by understanding, patience, or the proper application of force. I'll let them have a chance at doing things easily. If they pass, then I'll make some examples."

Laughter met that answer. "You've grown bloodthirsty. It's a good look for you."

"It does match my hair, does it not?"

–

Ranma stepped into the dojo, running a hand along the wall, the corner, the doorway as he did so. The wood was smooth, clean, unmarked by time and wear. It was all new – well, mostly new. A few weeks prior it had been rebuilt from the complete ruin it had been rendered into, with a lot of help from those that caused that initial damage. Ranma let his mind wander back to that day, where he'd nearly gotten married, frowning severely. So many things had been wrong with that day. So many things could have been made worse had it not gone as it did.

"I'm glad you came to speak with me, son."

Broken from his depressing thoughts nearly before they began, Ranma looked up and nodded once to his mother, noting how the woman sat in the middle of the floor apparently at ease. "Sounded important. What's up?"

Nodoka let a wry grin bend her lips. "So blunt, as always. Yes, son, I consider it important," she replied, closing her eyes. "I wished to speak to you about the future – more specifically, your future."

Blinking in confusion, Ranma sat near the older woman, "What do you mean?"

"I know your father had poor opinions of a great number of things outside of the Art," Nodoka continued, folding her hands into her sleeves. "Education being high on the list. However, I do not share his views on such a thing," she pointed out, opening a single eye. "Recently, I spoke with your teacher, Hinako Ninomiya."

Ranma paled, looking away anxiously. "Ah, yeah. You see-"

The woman held up a hand, stopping her son's stumbling explanation before it truly began. "She had much to say, but the gist was that she was impressed with your progress this last year."

Mouth working silently, the pigtailed martial artist floundered for a moment. "Uh. She is?"

"Quite," Nodoka replied. "In fact, she referred to your improvement this last year as nearly miraculous. I'm curious, however," the woman mused, smiling slightly as she looked out the window. "Why did you wait so long to show your keen mind?"

"It wasn't like that," the young man muttered, looking peevish. "I'm not dumb. I just never got a chance to really settle down and focus. And, well, like you said earlier. Pops isn't much for anything outside the Art, or his schemes."

Nodoka nodded quietly, returning a serene gaze to her son. "So. I suppose then, that you've considered college?"

Wincing, Ranma shook his head. "I... no. It's never really seemed like an option. Not with everything that's been going on..."

Humming, the young man's mother shook her head slowly. "I was concerned about that. Though, I do have a solution, if you're willing to solve a few of your problems easily."

Eyes narrowing, Ranma considered those words before hesitantly asking, "How? Easy is never really good, for me. Just saying."

Chuckling quietly into her sleeve, the woman nodded. "So I've seen. But, this truly has been weighing on my mind, since I want you to succeed at life, wherever it takes you."

"Honestly thought it was taking me right here," Ranma muttered, though loud enough to be heard.

Nodoka smiled as she considered the sleeve of her kimono wryly. "True. Though, perhaps not so much anymore. This weekend I would like you to accompany me to Tokyo. I would like for you to see the University I attended, and see if it is somewhere you would like to try for as well."

Ranma stared at his mother, her meaning obvious. "Y-You went to Todai? But-"

"Why do I live nearly like a hermit?" His mother asked with a secretive smile. "Because I'm simple, in my needs. And I do work," she added with another quiet chuckle. "I just do so infrequently."

"I... I didn't know. I wish I did," Ranma muttered, looking stricken. "There's a lot I still don't know about you. Kinda makes me sad."

Nodoka smiled radiantly at her son. "We shall remedy some of that distance and lack this weekend then."

Smiling slightly in return, Ranma nodded. "I'd like that."

"As would I," the woman noted, her happy expression falling away slightly. "I'm hesitant to bring up the next question, so please don't get angry or assume anything. Can you do that?" Seeing Ranma's hesitant nod, the woman took a stilling breath. "Are there any women in your life, those with engagements or other ties to you, that you look on romantically?"

Though the topic was often one that made Ranma react in a knee-jerk fashion, he kept his head cool, and actually gave it some thought. "I wish I could say Akane, but..."

"But with her lack of trust, and the already strained situation, you cannot, can you?" Her only reply was a slight shake of the young man's head. "Alright. Thank you for telling me," she stated with a reassuring smile. "The main reason I ask, is because it has become clear to me that Akane Tendo is... unsuitable as a wife for you."

Ranma stared, before leaning backwards in mild shock, "What? What are you talking about?" What was with this sudden change in direction? It had been nearly impossible to dissuade everyone from another wedding, for all of nearly two years now, but suddenly it was all over with? "But... Pops and Tendo. What about the schools?"

"Your father's ambition to join the schools is a joke," a new voice intruded, causing the young man to spin around, finally sighting the diminutive figure in the rafters. "One I hope you've not bought into."

His argument around Akane momentarily forgotten, Ranma stared at the old man. "Happosai? What are you doing here?"

"I asked him to come," Nodoka chimed in, offering the wizened old man a brief nod. "I sought clarification on the terms of your father's agreement, as it was based on the branch schools of grandmaster Happosai's own Art. His opinion has been most... enlightening."

Looking between what were easily two of the the three most dangerous influences on his continued life, Ranma swallowed thickly. "Er, how so?"

The old man hopped down nimbly from his place above them, settling next to Ranma's mother. Shortly after, he spoke, steering the conversation into the direction he desired. "Tell me, Ranma, what is there of the Tendo-ryū that you don't already have significant mastery of? I'll answer for you – nothing. After my imprisonment, Soun did nothing to advance his own school beyond what I taught him. In fact, it seems he's forgotten more than he practices.

"Your father on the other hand, did advance the school, or at least tried to," the old man groused, shaking his head. "Though he sealed the most advanced aspects of his work. That aside though, something had nagged at my mind for a while now. Tell me, what did he do, during your training trip while you worked with various masters, monks, and practitioners of other Arts?"

Fidgeting under the grandmaster's intense scrutiny, mirrored by his mother's own, Ranma looked away as he spoke. "Mostly... nothing. He'd leave me there and wander off, or do something else."

Nodoka smiled grimly, continuing to steer the conversation, "Why do you think that is?"

"Dunno," Ranma replied with a shrug. "He could always keep up with me, no matter what I learned though. I guess he just didn't need to learn..." blinking, the young man's contemplative expression became a frown. "Wait..."

"Ah, so you're getting it," Happosai muttered, tapping his pipe against his palm. "He didn't need to learn those things, because I already taught them to him. He could have instructed you nearly as thoroughly from any dojo in Japan. Though, I admit there are certain benefits to training trips, I think however that those weren't on Genma's mind."

His own mind racing, Ranma recalled all the things that could have been avoided, had he just stayed home and learned with his father. Topping the list was his curse, shortly followed by his engagements, and all the rivals they seemed to attract. Fist clenched until his knuckles whitened, Ranma bowed his head and tried to get his anger under control. "...I see."

"Not yet. Not completely," Happosai countered. "The biggest thing those two fools did wrong was assume just because they got me drunk and tossed me into a cave, that they had the right to call themselves masters of my Art. That was something I never gave them."

A cold weight of dread settled in Ranma's stomach at the old man's words. He knew well enough that for traditional schools of martial arts, assuming mastery like that was one of the greatest insults there was. It would be like strolling into a college and demanding a degree, just because you took a few of the classes and felt you knew the material. It went against everything he stood for, as a martial artist, believing that effort and work were truer ideas than shortcuts and crutches like magical artifacts. That became a huge sticking point between himself and Akane, when it came to the enchanted dōgi from Monkey Mountain Temple.

That said, Ranma wasn't against using underhanded or tricky methods to win when it mattered, but claiming the boosts and benefits of things like the enchanted armor as your own skill and ability went against all he stood for. There was a huge distinction between using such a thing as a tool, and being used by the idea it gave as something else.

Though, that did bring up another question to the young martial artist, "Wait, so why didn't you do anything when you came back? It was obvious they set up their own schools based on yours, why not disband them?" Wincing, Ranma paled at his own query, his mouth working faster than his mind. "N-Not that I want that!"

Happosai chuckled, lighting his pipe. "Honestly? I let those two buffoons continue their little farce for your sake."

"Me?"

"You've got more potential in one arm than Soun's shown since I took him on," the old man stated flatly. "And as for your father, I've seen the morning spars. Even if he resorted to his supposed sealed methods, you've already developed counters, or can use them against him and would win easily." Happosai's expression soured slightly. "Above that, you have Amazon tricks as well, that he lacks. You understand the heart of the school. Adaptability."

Nodoka chimed in at this point. "I still don't understand, master Happosai, why it is that he took Ranma away for so long. Do you know? It seems so... accessory, as you explained it earlier."

"Ah, No-chan, I've wondered that myself," the old man muttered, shaking his head. Ranma was a bit perturbed by the old man's familiarity with his mother of all people, but knew better than to say anything, with the kind of conversation they were having. He wanted to see where it was going more than he felt the need to defend his mother's honor, when she herself seemed unaffected. "Tell me, Ranma... was Jusenkyo a planned stop for your trip?"

"Well, yeah. He had a book on it and everything," the young man replied, scratching his head as he tried to recall any discussions he and his father had about their plans, as they traveled. There weren't many points that Genma talked about where they were planning to go, but a lot of times he did have times in mind it seemed. Not a schedule really, but he always seemed rushed. "Not sure if it was planned from the start, though."

Humming quietly, Nodoka raised a hand, to tap at her chin. "I recall him saying that China was a final goal, but nothing specific."

"Wait. Yeah, his postcard to the Tendo mentioned that it was the last planned stop that he'd discussed with Soun," Ranma recalled, slapping a fist into his hand. "So, he had it in mind, at least from the beginning."

Happosai nodded with a frown. "Then the question is, why did he go? I would think he would have heeded the warnings there-"

"Pops doesn't know Chinese, though," Ranma blurted out.

"Says who?" The old man countered. "Half the things I taught him were from scrolls out of China. His source materials for the Senkens I know were based of scrolls I allowed him to steal, thinking he was being crafty and devious. Those were in Chinese as well." Relighting his pipe as it had burned down, Happosai frowned, "I would wager that most of Ono's materials he worked with briefly were as well, considering he used Japanese and Chinese methods."

Nodoka went very, very still. "Are you saying, master, that my husband intentionally took my son to be cursed?"

Happosai shook his head slowly. "I can't say for certain. The man knew my weakness for the fairer sex early on. I wouldn't put it past him to use his son this way, considering how often it seems he's do so, in other fashions.

"It would make sense, however," he continued, addressing Nodoka, oblivious or uncaring at how Ranma's posture had changed from anxiety from when he arrived to barely contained fury. "He gets the boy cursed as a way to counter me, and pushes the Saotome-Tendo marriage to ensure his retirement." Snorting, the old man shook his head with a disgusted look. "In fact, the curse could have ensured that if Soun only had sons, that they could still continue their plans. That's the only excuse he could have had for his drive to join the schools after seeing Tendo's poor advancement over those years he was gone. It makes me think he didn't care what the man did – only what he could offer."

"For his side, Tendo gets a superb teacher, in the way of Ranma, under his dojo. He retains ownership, but now doesn't have to do any work," the red haired older woman murmured, nodding. "That was likely my husband's offer on the agreement. As obviously the Art has nothing to do with the engagement, as things stand."

The old man nodded sagely. "I recall Tendo saying that the other daughters would serve as well. Obviously the Art was, if anything, an excuse, rather than the goal."

"But," Nodoka frowned, glancing to her irate son briefly, "why would he endanger his plan, with the other engagements?"

"Think, woman!" Happosai growled, shaking his head. "What better motivation is there, to cause a man or woman to fight, than love or lust? Recall Troy, offhand? No, the best training to be had is from another martial artist, and with a constant and consistent supply of rivals, Ranma would never need to go elsewhere to train again." Laughing suddenly, the old man slapped the floor. "Ha! They'd go and learn new techniques, just to bring to him to learn, in fact! Ingenious, if maddening. This way, once he put down roots, the boy would never have need to travel or seek out new teachers, to learn more of the Art. People would come to him."

Ranma, having heard enough, stood suddenly and began marching for the door. "Son?" Blinking for a moment at her child's rude behavior, Nodoka paled once she noted his mood, from the ki flickering in faint wisps off his body. "Ranma, don't to anything rash-"

"Gonna kill that old bastard," the young man snarled over his shoulder, slamming the dojo's sliding door back so hard that it splintered in the frame. "He's a dead man!"

Once the sound of Ranma's pursuit grew distant, Nodoka abandoned her semblance of concerned worry. "He'll be able to track him?"

"Easily," the grandmaster replied, tapping out his pipe so he could replace it in his robe. "I know the boy, and he knows Genma's most powerful tricks. He'd have found a counter for the Umisenken as soon as he realized the fat fool could use it against him."

Humming, Nodoka didn't look convinced. "Why would he suspect Genma to do so?" Happosai turned an incredulous stare back at the woman, who smiled cattily at him suddenly. "Please, master. I know you implied as much to him. You have as much staked in him as I do."

Happosai grunted in annoyance. "You're too canny for your own good, No-chan. Lets go find the boy, before he finishes the fat fool off."

Smiling unpleasantly, the woman nodded. "No, we can't have that. Not before I have a few words of my own with my dear husband."

–

As Ranma had expected, somehow Genma managed to get wind that he was unhappy with him, and made himself scarce. He had a few ways to counter that, but with his anger burning through him like molten metal in his veins, the young martial artist discarded subtlety, instead pausing on a rooftop a few blocks beyond the Tendo home. He'd dashed from the dojo hearing Nabiki say that his father had left, but now that his initial anger had cooled somewhat, the martial artist considered the source and frowned. Letting his ki flow free for a moment, he let it gather currents of wind about him as he paused, casting his eyes about. Standing tall with his clothing dancing about in the currents, he focused on the sound of that wind, the whispering that lurked just underneath.

"Where is he...?"

Almost eagerly, the murmuring whispers began describing the place Genma was hiding, and with a smirk, Ranma turned around and sped back to the dojo. Rather than announce himself, the pigtailed youth sped full-tilt through the yard, snapping a kick at supposedly empty air near the tree in the Tendo back yard.

With a pained grunt, Genma appeared mid-flight before impacting the nearby wall, cracking stone and plaster. Recovering quickly, the bald elder Saotome engaged his son, knowing full-well that he had no chance to outrun him. "Ungrateful boy! Attacking your father for no reason!"

The man's jibe washed over Ranma, who had drenched his emotions in the Soul of Ice the moment he began his attack. Meeting his father in midair, Ranma countered an arcing overhead smash by turning his torso to the side, then swinging above the extended arm. With the aerial high ground now in his favor, Ranma hammered at his father's guard mercilessly, each blocked strike pushing the older man closer to the ground, while he reinforced his superior position.

A meter before he touched down, Genma abandoned his guarding posture, taking advantage of Ranma's frenzied assault to set up a counter, catching and throwing the young man across the lawn and into the ever-present koi pond. The tactic was sound, as Ranma would need a moment to adjust his – now her – clothing, giving the older martial artist an opportunity to recoup. "Sloppy, boy. Should have seen that coming!"

"I did," came the quiet reply, though it wasn't from the pond. Spinning, but too slow, Genma took three of the five strikes from a now female Ranma's Haku Dato Shin Shō, the ki-reinforced impacts to his spine dizzying the older man for critical moments. Not one to simply wait for the next blow, Genma ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding a kick that cleaved the air where his head had just been.

His frown became a scowl, considering the power and techniques Ranma was using. "...something on your mind, boy?" Recovered from his own sealed-style's sneak attack, Genma countered with a braced kick, his hands against the ground while his sandal-clad feet rocketed for the now-redhead's chin.

"..." Ranma's eyes narrowed, as she ducked to the side, avoiding the strong blow. She countered by striking at the exposed joints with knife-hand attacks, a tactic the martial artist almost never employed, as it could cause permanent harm. Caught by surprise, Genma had no time to defend or dodge and took the hits against his ankle and knee with a heavy grunt, flipping backwards gingerly to inspect the damage.

He almost collapsed where he landed, as his left ankle buckled under him. "What the hell, boy! What's gotten into you?"

Foregoing any kind of response, Ranma dashed in again, dropping all pretense of holding back. Surprised and worried now, Genma could do nothing but defend as his son's blue eyes stared out at him like chipped ice, as the cursed boy's female form brutalized him every time there was a chink in his defense, slowly dismantling him.

A knee to the inner thigh, cramping and slowing that leg.

Knife-hand strike to the wrist, numbing and inflaming the tendons for that hand, making it refuse to respond.

An elbow-strike to the ear, upsetting his balance and forcing him to gain distance or be open for a finishing blow.

Genma managed to gain that distance with a rolling dive, and a kick-off from the ground. Landing steadily despite being on one foot, the man dropped his own internal limits with a dire scowl. Though it was weak, the vacuum blade howled in towards Ranma's position, while he worked to restore critical functions to his limbs with pressure points. He'd suffer the more for it later, but right now he had a child to teach respect to. The blade would cut, but not cripple at that strength.

He did not expect Ranma to fall into a Ba Gua stance, rotating her arms wildly while slipping to the side of the blade, coaxing it around her body in a half circle before sending it screaming back at him, larger and vastly more lethal. Stunned, Genma would have lost his arm to the blade had he not managed to sheathe it in a second forming blade just in time to deflect the impact with explosive result.

Collapsing air pressure destabilized from the two threw the man like a phantom punch in the back, rolling him across the ground. Seeing his trajectory and the redheaded form of his cursed child waiting for him, Genma abandoned all pretense of their fight being a simple spar, using a modified Shichū Rakuchi Sei to kick the girl's legs out from under her. He immediately capitalized on her sudden lack of balance, rolling up and behind the redhead to catch her arm and put her into the Kaichū Hōju Satsu's submission hold with the limb twisted behind her, and his weakened leg's knee planted in her back. Seeing he had the advantage, Genma wrenched at the girl's arm, getting her attention, "What's the meaning of this, boy? Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Shameful! Going to such means just to prove you still need training!"

"I don't need anything from you," Ranma spat, screaming at herself mentally over her lack of any kind of material to use for the break-out maneuver needed to counter the Yamasenken's submission hold. "Lying bastard," she snarled, purposefully jerking her shoulder out of socket while breaking the hold with an abbreviated half-hop that forced the man to release her, or receive a rising, spinning knee to the face.

"Itachigime Tobu Kanshō," Ranma announced in a pained voice. "Tiger-shark leaping the reef."

Stunned that Ranma would use such a sacrifice move, much less be able to create a new counter to one of the Yamasenken's maneuvers on the fly, Genma hopped back to avoid the kick that snapped through where his head had been. Hoping to end the fight quickly, the older martial artist produced a length of rope, charging it and his voice with ki. "Son, this ends now!"

Ranma stood by in a ready stance while ignoring the ki-laced, booming call of the balding martial artist before her. With one arm, she'd be at a disadvantage, but not much of one. Genma was after all still dealing with a nearly broken ankle, and a mostly disabled hand. Those were the thoughts she was mulling over, as the Yamasenken's initial 'move', the commanding demand washed over her like so much light drizzle, as her resolve proved significantly stronger. Prepared for when her father sent the rope in a twisting, tangling mass her way, Ranma considered the technique with something verging on disdain. Consciously, she was disappointed in her father for relying on methods he said were too deadly to utilize outside of life-or-death situations in their fight so far. However, considering she wasn't pulling any punches and how her father had been witness to the defeat of Saffron, Ranma had to admit maybe it was warranted. Below that, her body sang with the combat, thrilling at using higher techniques, grander Arts in a fight. Saffron had been the last challenge, and even then she'd not utilized the Senkens.

But, weren't these supposedly the height of the Saotome school? What did it mean, that she could counter them without even using the opposing forms? Frowning, she bled off ki into the air, whipping her hands in a wide, circular deflective pattern, forcing Genma's Kinshi Kinbaku Shō to fail miserably as the binding rope lost all its momentum against a sudden flurry of ki-enhanced wind.

Seeing the technique a second time, Genma's lip curled. "Boy! What kind of silly style is that," he goaded, hoping to glean something from the prideful youth about this new and unknown method. "You look like an idiot, flailing about like that!"

Unaffected, Ranma crouched, his ki flaring for a moment before dying off suddenly. Genma blinked, before smirking. "Burn yourself out? Fooli-gauckt!"

Her left hand, opened into a knife-edged strike, chambered back from its position as Ranma withdrew from her father's back, the afterimage she'd left dissolving into nothing in the same moment. Falling to the ground, Genma groaned from the nearly crippling strike to the base of his skull, rolling over to better regain his breath and equilibrium. Once the world stopped spinning, the sudden pressure against his throat caused the rotund man to still and look up.

Ranma glared down at her father, her foot poised against his throat, muscles tense. "Did you do it on purpose?"

Sucking air into his lungs greedily once pressure was let up on his throat, Genma coughed. "What? Do what on purpose?"

"Get me cursed!" She screamed down at the man, ignoring the gathering Tendo family, the daughters standing wide-eyed at Ranma's viciousness. Soun looked half-inclined to help his old friend, half terrified of the violence Ranma seemed intent on. Ranma ignored them, the coming rain above, and the two figures making their lazy way out of the dojo. "I want to hear it from your lying, cowardly, honorless thief's lips," she snarled, reaching down, her hand alight with sickeningly roiling dark ki, that looked more like oil-sheen colored flame.

Before that hand made contact, Ranma was pushed back and away from the downed and panicked man, as Happosai darted between them. "Soul of Ice, Ranma. Find it again, and put that weapon away," he advised grimly, while the redhead stared at him with blank and uncomprehending eyes.

Beside her, Nodoka stood, one hand snaking out to Ranma's uninjured shoulder. "Calm down," she asked quietly, not waiting for the girl to release her impulsive ki. Wrapping her in a hug, she felt the redhead stiffen for a moment, then relax. "Shh... it's alright. I'm here."

The fist of her working arm closed and opened in impulsive motions, till Ranma relaxed and began to quietly sob into her mother's shoulder. "I can't... can't stay here."

"We'll go somewhere else," Nodoka soothed, smiling slightly. Catching the eyes of a terse-lipped Akane, her own sharpened, causing the girl's advance to halt. "Go to this address," she offered quietly, handing the cursed youth a business card under the cover of their closeness. "Ask for Mayu. She'll get you a room. I'll be by later to help with your shoulder." Nodding, Ranma wiped at her bloodied nose, bouncing up to the Tendo home's roof before making her way to the east.

Once her child was gone, Nodoka turned and addressed the gathered Tendo family. "I require Ranma's possessions – and don't bother with tending to Genma," she declared, as Kasumi moved to fulfill her request. Her words had the opposite effect on Soun, stalling the man as he moved to the fallen Saotome's side. "Master?"

"The moxibustion is in place," the old man stated, smiling grimly while replacing his pipe. Genma's subsequent whimper and attempt to rise to his feet failed him. "Don't bother, fool. You have a reckoning to attend. We can't have you skipping it in your usual cowardice, can we?"

"But, Master-"

"Quiet, fool!" Happosai snapped at a suddenly cowering Soun Tendo. Sniffing derisively, the old man turned his back to the man. "This doesn't concern you. It's, as you like to crow about, a matter of family honor. So stay out of it!" Wincing, the elder Tendo backed off, sweating profusely as he saw his friend bound and hauled off by his master, to some unknown destination.

Akane stared at the proceedings with wide eyes, totally lost. "Um, Auntie Saotome," she swallowed and backed up a step at the woman's sharp glare. "What's going on...?"

The older woman let her eyes travel across the yard, and the with it, the three daughters and father gathered there. Resolve hardened in her chest, recalling all she'd endured, to get to this point. It wasn't a lie to say she'd hoped Ranma would have fallen in love and fulfilled the agreement between the Tendo and Saotome family. She would have liked for any of the fiancees, or those that followed after her son to capture his heart. But that was the problem. None had. She could directly attribute this to the heavy-handed methods her fool of a husband had taken, pushing Ranma into something neither he nor his supposed bride-to-be were ready for.

Push teenagers. Despite having her child torn away from her for years, even she wasn't that stupid.

Of course Ranma and Akane had rebelled. Of course they denied their feelings, denied any kind of forward movement. This wasn't the same world they grew up in, that they'd had their lives molded for. No matter how hard they could have tried, it wouldn't be the same. Just placing honor and obligation over a child could only do so much – and much of that would be damage. Such was evident with how wary Ranma continued to be of her, thanks to that damned pact she had agreed to.

One more nail in Genma's coffin.

She wasn't blameless in it. Nodoka knew that, and held no illusions, not anymore, but who could have foreseen Jusenkyo? Who could have understood how truly canny Genma was? That pledge had been a divisive force beyond anything she could have comprehended, and it made the perfect barrier between Ranma and herself.

Which, she had come to understand, was the point. Not the document, or the pledge itself – hah! Like Genma would ever endanger his own neck. He'd no more abide by the contract than she would have actually pushed Ranma to do so. But... it was there, and what it represented pushed her son away from her. She had been working hard to negate its influence, to undo the damage, but it would take time. Time without Genma.

Bringing herself back from her thoughts, Nodoka regarded the Tendos with an impassive gaze. "I would thank you for caring for my son and husband these nearly three years, and for allowing me to reside here briefly," she began, bowing formally. "Ranma and I will be moving to a new home soon, however." She observed the reactions of those present, quietly reinforcing her belief that not only was she doing what was best for her estranged family as a whole, but also Ranma. If the calculating and furtive look on the middle daughter, the panicked desperation on Soun, and Akane's muted anger and worry were any indication, her actions came late, if anything.

Soun voiced his own tired and wholly expected argument, much to no one's surprise. "But... the engagement! Ranma must stay here, with Akane!"

Nodoka met his eyes, making the man flinch at the ice in them. "No," she stated with no little finality. "He will return with me, to my ancestral home in Ise," the woman explained. "From there, I leave him to his own decisions – something a few of those who have had a hand in Ranma's life should have done for some time!"

The Tendo patron rocked back on heels at the woman's ire, wisely saying nothing. It was Nabiki that rose up in his place, a speculative look on her face. "And what of the engagement?"

"Again, I'll leave Ranma to make his own decision," Nodoka replied flatly, directing her gaze to the middle daughter. "It has been made abundantly clear that attempting to force Ranma's hand in anything only results in... difficulty."

"That's all well and good to say," the mercenary girl pointed out, "but there's still the matter of family honor-"

"A subject you'd do well to leave alone," Ranma's mother snapped, startling Nabiki out of her spiel. "I know who and what you are, Nabiki Tendo, and what precisely your honor entails. Do not attempt to press me."

Lips thinned to a fine line, the middle daughter let her arguments go, seeing that she didn't have the upper hand in this. Ultimately, the agreement between the two families depended on acceptance between their parents, and it was clear that currently, Nodoka was the only one that mattered. She didn't know what was going on with Genma, but this was clearly showing itself to be a paradigm shift in Nodoka's favor.

Though Nabiki held no overt fondness for the Saotome heir, she did enjoy her boosted income from her ability to profit from the chaos he caused. With him in Ise, the best she could do was sell the information, and judging by Nodoka's cross look in her direction, the woman knew who to come to, were that to happen.

The real issue currently with why she was worried about the situation was that her funds were running low. With it becoming clear who had sold the information leading to both the destruction of the Saotome home and the Tendo dojo, the adults had cracked down on her, and forced her to fund the repairs out of her hard-earned profits. With both structures now rebuilt, she found herself woefully short on money, and the prospect of Ranma simply disappearing made her more than a little edgy.

Akane, seeing the trend, kept her thoughts to herself. She was upset that Ranma would lose control against his father like that, but really, very little that had gone on was her business. That was, until Nodoka started dismissing the engagement and taking Ranma away suddenly. The very real possibility of her fiance being pulled out of her life scared her.

It also made her angry. What had she worked and fought so long against the other fiancees for, if it all came down to this? Before she had a chance to say anything, however, Nodoka was gone, leaving out the gate probably to meet up with Ranma wherever she'd been sent. "Dad... what just happened?"

"I'm not sure, Akane." Soun murmured, looking troubled. "But perhaps tomorrow we can find out more."

"You mean I can find out more," Nabiki muttered, waving back over her shoulder as she made her way inside. "I'll see, but no promises."

–

Ranma woke from her small nap to the sound of her mother hushing her, and smoothing out her hair. "Not that I mind seeing 'Ranko', but was there something wrong with changing back?"

Sleep-addled, Ranma yawned and stretched, "Didn't want to scare that Mayu lady, suddenly being someone else," the martial artist muttered before thinking, eyes going wide. "Er, I can change back, I mean-"

"Shh," Nodoka soothed, settling the currently young woman back where she'd jolted up from. "It's fine, I was just curious it if had something to do with your shoulder. Speaking of which," the woman said, raising a brow. "Did you do that on your own, before I got here?"

Ranma nodded, wincing in memory at resetting her own shoulder once she'd arrived. Having no idea how long her mother would take to arrive, she'd figured it best to deal with it quickly, before it swelled anymore than it had. Afterward, she'd just been so tired... all the stress of the fight with Genma, all the things she'd been mulling over from talking with Happosai and her mother. It was just too much. She'd curled up on the couch that was in the room and fallen asleep within minutes. "I guess I was a little worn out..."

"Understandable," Nodoka murmured, settling back into the couch herself with a sigh. "I'd... I want you to understand that, though I gave birth to a son, and despite that wretched contract, I don't care about what gender you spend time as," she hesitantly explained, staring at her hands where they lay in her lap.

Puzzled, Ranma stared at the woman. "But... all that talk about being manly...?"

Ranma's mother winced slightly at the reminder, despite knowing well that all the damage that had been done couldn't be smoothed over in a day, or a single conversation. "That will take some time to explain," she offered wearily. "But, for now at least just... don't worry about it. That's in the past. You are my child – that's all I need."

Vastly unsettled, Ranma nodded. Unconsciously, she backed away from the woman she called mother, wondering if this was an aspect of her personality that would stay, or if it would disappear causing more chaos later. Knowing her life, the redhead assumed the worst, and tried not to let the little spark of hope take root in her chest. "If you say so," she lied gamely, a sickly smile on her lips.

Nodoka read the girl easily, flinching from what she saw. "As you say," she offered back simply, with a sigh. "I'm going to sleep in the adjoining room, so you have some privacy. If you need anything, Mayu will answer if you call."

"Um, I was wondering actually," Ranma asked, before the older woman could move across the room fully. "This is a pretty nice place. What's with that, and Mayu? She seems like a maid or something."

Smiling at the attempt at conversation and the safer topic, Nodoka nodded. "She is. She's a servant employed by my family. I have recently... made amends over some past errors." Gesturing to the room they were in, one of a number in the home, she continued, "This house is one of the properties they maintain."

Ranma blinked at that. "Um, why weren't you...?"
"Living here?" The older woman finished for her child, getting a tentative nod in reply. "As I said, there were some difficulties to work out first. This is somewhat of a traveling lodge, for when they visit the Kantō region."

The redhead boggled at that. "Man. Makes me think of the Kunos," she muttered before realizing what she'd said. "Er, that is..."

Nodoka merely chuckled. "The Konoe family is very well-off," she explained. "There's nothing wrong with that, or with knowing it. I don't much ascribe to a wealthy lifestyle, however, so I'm not surprised that you weren't aware of this side of your family's history. Not with Genma's talent in oversight," she muttered darkly.

"That is neither here nor there, however." Nodoka declared with a quiet clap of her hands. "Tomorrow I'll try to answer your questions as best I can, and we can talk some more about the future."

"Um, sure," Ranma offered back hesitantly, afraid to hope what was going on wasn't a dream. Moving to the futon laid out for her, she forgot to shift genders, despite her mother's presence.

For her part, Nodoka waited till she was certain that Ranma was asleep, before taking up her ever-present katana, slipping out of her window into the early night's gloom.

–

AN: Chapter 2 was so good too. Oh well.