"So she just left? Without asking for anything?" Nabiki asked as they walked, deep in thought.

Ranma was walking next to her, hands clasped behind her head. She was wearing a loose blouse and pair of slacks that Nabiki had decided were gender-neutral enough to be mentally comfortable as well as mindful of the girl's bruised and battered body. Ryouga was next to Ranma, the stiffness of his gait betraying how sore he must obviously be, even if he was stoically refusing to complain. She had found an old sweatshirt in Ranma's drawer that looked like it had never been touched, and was probably too big for him, though it seemed to fit Ryouga fine. The pants were a pair of Ranma's old, loose training slacks - worn but serviceable - and wouldn't be missed if Ryouga didn't give them back.

"Yeah. Just wanted to 'make sure we were doing okay'. Tried to sell me a line about having 'my best interests at heart'," Ranma scoffed. "I get enough of that bullcrap from Pops."

"Probably an excuse to gather info. Plus there are appearances she's concerned with. She probably had to verify you were actually in the hospital to get the Principal to back off on trying to disqualify you," Nabiki said. She was thinking about her own encounter with Himura and trying to piece together a better understanding of the girl.

"Don't tell me you think she actually did me a favor!" Ranma asked skeptically.

"No, of course not," Nabiki waved that off, still thinking. "Just conflicting objectives. The Principal wants you beaten and humiliated so he can chalk up a 'win' and force you to acknowledge it. Himura wants you to be her secret weapon so she can blow out the Volleyball competition and win the Championship. She doesn't get anything if you get disqualified."

"I heard she's got some ties to the Yakuza, too?" Ryouga said. "I wonder why they're interested in all this?"

"I don't think they are. Not this specifically, anyway." Nabiki said. "It's more a case where they've decided that I'm Himura's rival and they want to see how she handles taking me down and winning the 'prize'."

Ranma scowled. "You know, that's probably the most insulting thing about all of this. I'm just the prize. She goes to all the trouble to force me into acceptin' her challenge and she won't even respect me as a rival!"

"It's a different kind of playing field, Ranma," Nabiki said. "It's more like chess. You're the King, the most important piece on the board, and at the same time you're the Queen, the most powerful piece on the board. The game is over if you get captured or we manage to exhaust her attempts to capture you. She's playing in the games so she's a piece on the board herself, but she's also the one moving all of the pawns around on her side."

"And now she knows about Ryouga and the fiance cover story," Ranma sighed. "She seemed real interested in that."

"Hard to tell if it's something she actually thinks she can use or not," Nabiki muttered. "Himura likes to let you know when she knows one of your secrets, whether it actually gives her leverage or not. It makes people nervous and paranoid."

"But you like to do that too, don't you?" Ryouga pointed out.

"Yes, of course I do. It works," Nabiki replied. She gave him a smirk. "How else am I going to keep a bunch of of martial artists - any one of whom could wreck a building with a flick of their finger - in line?"

Ranma scowled. "Why can't you mercenary types fight fair?"

"Oh, it's entirely fair, Ranma. It's just a different game with different rules. Now this…" she cupped Ranma's chin and, before the redhead could protest, leaned in and kissed her on the lips - holding the kiss just a long enough to get past the initial stiffness of surprise then pulling away just as Ranma started to respond, "... is cheating."

"I… uh…" Ranma stammered, suddenly going red and ducking her head. "... M-mebbe a little cheating is okay…"

Nabiki looked up, and noticed Ryouga was blushing as well and seeming to look at anything but the two of them. "Just as long as it's cheating, and not cheating, Ranma," Nabiki added, giving Ryouga a meaningful look. "Your dance card is full."

Ranma and Ryouga suddenly exchanged a worried glance.

"I-I-I don't know what you're implying!" Ryouga laughed in that nervous, manic way.

"We wouldn't ever… It's not like that, Nabiki!" Ranma frantically waved her arms, her face now as red as her hair.

Nabiki shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, no, you and 'Ryo' are fine. Like I told you before, I just want pictures. Guy-guy preferred, but I'll accept whatever."

"Nabiki!" Ranma balled up her fists though she was still absolutely glowing red with embarrassment. Ryouga had simply stopped responding, his brain having decided that it had had enough for the day and switching off to leave him standing, slack-jawed, staring at nothing.

Ranma noticed Ryouga was gone for the day. She grabbed his arm and dragged him, unresisting, to catch up. "Great! Now you broke him!"

"Well, that's his problem, isn't it?" Nabiki smirked over her shoulder at them. "He's going to have to get used to it at some point. If I can't extort people, I need to have my fun somehow!"

Ranma snorted. "You shouldn't joke about stuff like that!"

"Who was joking? I'm dead serious."

"Auuugh!"

Nabiki chuckled and continued to walk. Akane takes this WAY too seriously. If anything ever ACTUALLY happened between those two they'd combust from the awkward.

Ranma and Ryouga were still stewing in mortified silence by the time they reached the front door of the Hibiki residence.

The house looked considerably more lived in now, with the flower beds at relieved of some of their overgrowth and the lawn trimmed. The mailbox had been emptied of its accumulation of old mail, and the walkway had been swept.

"Your Mom has been busy," Ranma said.

"I gave her a call to let her know we were coming," Nabiki added. "She wasn't terribly happy to get the news second-hand but I explained you were still kind of loopy on the pain meds. Which was true enough at the time based on what Ranma told me. She might be suspicious if you act too coherent so… Just act natural?" Nabiki smirked at the last bit.

"Funny," Ryouga muttered as he walked up to the door. He noticed the doorframe had been cleaned as well as he knocked.

The door opened to reveal Mrs. Hibiki. She was still wearing her black checkered yellow scarf, but she her clothes were less road worn and newer-looking. "Ryouga!" She darted forward and hugged him.

"Augh… the stitches! Watch the stitches, Mom!" Ryouga squawked, though from his smile it was clear he wasn't too concerned. She quickly released him, looking a little sheepish. She peered over his shoulder. "Your back…?"

"It'll be fine in a few days," Ryouga said. "I'm just a little stiff, that's all."

"Yes, well, I'll be wanting a second opinion on that," She said sternly, then smiled, holding him by the shoulders. "You're too much like your grandfather! Never complaining about all the bumps and bruises and aches and pains. I was always so worried you'd hurt yourself and not tell us as a child." She let him go and turned to Ranma, giving her a swift and unexpected hug as well. She released the reeling redhead and gave her a cursory look over, her careful eye noting all of the fading bruises and healing scrapes on her face and arms. "I get the feeling you're almost as bad, young lady! I hope, at least, I can trust you two to tattle on each other if one of you is hurting and won't say anything?" She stepped back and put her hands on her hips but she wasn't able to maintain her stern demeanor. "I am so glad you are both safe!" Impulsively, she gave them each another quick hug.

Finally, she noticed Nabiki. "Oh! Oh I'm sorry dear, I've been rude!"

Nabiki smiled. "Not at all, ma'am. I'm Nabiki Tendo. We spoke on the phone earlier?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" She bowed. "Thank you so much for looking after my son and his…" the corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "... rival. I understand your family has been looking after Ranma here for some time? Oh, but this isn't the place to talk, come in, come in!" She stepped back and waved them through the door.

Bemused, Nabiki accepted the invitation, followed by Ranma and Ryouga, both of whom were subdued, unaccustomed to such overt displays of parental affection.

Nabiki noticed the older woman had a spool of twine on a loop on her belt, and as she walked back inside, she was reeling the string in. The line stretched into the house, through the living room, and appeared to stretch back into what she assumed was the kitchen in the back.

She's literally tied herself to the house to avoid getting lost, Nabiki realized. She wondered what that was like - to be unable to find your way in your own home?

"The neighbors have been tremendously helpful," Mrs. Hibiki said as she lead them into the living room with it's large, western-style couch. "They moved in three years ago and didn't think anyone lived here. I had to tell them we were away overseas. True enough… I think." She motioned them to sit. "They don't have any children of their own. They were happy to pick up some groceries for me, so the fridge is stocked up for once. And I finally got the gas back on. Let me go make you all some tea." She followed her string back into the kitchen. "You would not believe all the static they gave me over the account. I'll have to talk to your father about putting it in my name so we can avoid that hassle in the future.

Ryouga winced. Nabiki briefly wondered why a parental disagreement over which name was on the bills would be cause for discomfort but that was quickly supplanted by a much more interesting mystery. Ranma had almost immediately responded to the subtle cue and had gently taken the Lost Boy's hand.

Well then, what's this? Nabiki masked her reaction and quietly analyzed what she was seeing. Ranma was gauging Ryouga's emotional state and responding to it, but that wasn't entirely unexpected as Ryouga's emotions had proven they could be volatile in the worst ways possible. But this response had been subtle, automatic and damn near unconscious on her part; like it was a practised reflex.

And sure enough, Ryouga was responding - the tension in his shoulder muscles and face easing and his eyes flicking to her. There was even a small smile on his face though it vanished quickly as she released his hand.

It was about as profoundly out of character for Ranma and Ryouga's relationship as she could imagine. Even when they were playing up the role for the benefit of others, there was a consistency to their awkward attempts to mimic the behaviour of a couple that reflected their usual rivalry and friendship; brash, loud, obvious, clumsy and overreactive.

This had been subtle, empathetic and unconscious - even intimate. It was something that simply hadn't been there two days ago.

Nabiki wished she could pull Ranma aside and get the story of what had actually happened from her, but for now she simply observed.

Mrs. Hibiki returned with a tray and set it down on the western-style coffee table. There was the usual teapot and four cups as well as a plate of cookies. "I know you both must be famished, what with hospital food being the way it is. Hopefully this will tide you over until dinner… will you and Ms. Tendo be staying, Ranma?"

"Call me Nabiki, please," Nabiki smiled again. "I'll leave that to Ranma, though I should give Kasumi a call if we're staying."

Ranma ducked her head guiltily. "I… really should get home. I know the Tendos and my parents are worried about me."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed at the mention of Ranma's parents. It was unconscious, reflexive, a momentary twinge of distaste and cynicism about the likelihood of either of Ranma's parents showing any significant concern about Ranma when their own interests weren't involved. She could feel herself doing even as she tried to catch herself. In that same moment, she noticed Ryouga's mom watching her and she saw the same thing.

Their eyes met and she saw the older woman relax subtly, as though she had seen something which confirmed a suspicion.

She doesn't approve of Ranma's parents either, Nabiki realized. She was checking to see how I reacted to that comment too. I wonder what Ranma told her about them? The need to grill Ranma for some answers was becoming all the more urgent.

"I understand," Mrs. Hibiki nodded. "But don't think you're off the hook! There is no expiry on a Hibiki promise! Some night you have to let me cook for you. Both of you." She glanced at Nabiki and gave her a subtle wink.

She's sharp, Nabiki realized. She would need to be careful around her. But then again she might also be a useful ally, especially if Himura started to sniff around.

"There is a favor I was hoping I could ask before I let you go, however." She sat down and started to pour tea for them. "Unless Ryouga has asked already?" She glanced at her son who's sheepish look was sufficient reply. "Well, that's understandable - you two had quite the ordeal, didn't you?" She sighed. "It may have been presumptuous of me, but after discussing it with Ryouga, I decided it would be best to enroll him at Furinkan."

"That's… why I was there yesterday. I was looking for Ranma," Ryouga said, rubbing the back of his head. "I was… uh… I was hoping…"

"Would you be so kind as to walk my son to school in the mornings?" Mrs. Hibiki clasped her hands. "An education is so important and it's terrible he's missed out. I know he's worked hard to keep up but… one can only do so much on their own. Plus… he really should be with others his own age. You helped him before in Middle School, so…"

"We'd be happy to," Nabiki said quickly. "Ryouga is a good friend to my family. Me or my sister would be happy to help even if Ranma has other commitments."

Ryouga blanched a little at the mention of Akane and Ranma at least had the sense to look guilty.

"Oh, is he?" Mrs. Hibiki sighed, closing her eyes in relief. "It is so reassuring to know Ryo has friends to rely on. You understand his 'problem', I assume?"

"Oh, yes," Nabiki gave Ryouga a stern look. "We know all about Ryouga's curse."

"Good. It's an imposition, I know, especially to ask of a girl I barely know and a family I don't know. But… this is more important than pride." She bowed slightly. "Thank you Ms. Tendo. Nabiki."

Nabiki inclined her head in return. "We take in a lot of strays at the Tendo dojo. It wouldn't do to turn away one of Ranma's close friends, would it?" She picked up the cup of tea. "In fact, it would be good if Ryouga stayed in closer touch with us. Ranma was counting on him to help with her volleyball team's training. Perhaps we could borrow him a few nights a week?"

"I don't see why not!" Mrs. Hibiki beamed. "It would be good for him to get involved and meet people. I know how hard that can be when transferring to a new school mid-stream like this." She noticed her son's mortified expression. She reached over and patted his knee. "I'm sure in time you'll find a club of your own to join, Ryo. it might be a little embarrassing to be surrounded by a bunch of girls like this, but being helpful to others is really the best way to make friends."

"I… yeah…" Ryouga laughed nervously.

000

Ranma sipped her tea. Mrs. Hibiki was currently regaling Nabiki with stories of Ryouga's childhood, much to Ryouga's chagrin, and Nabiki was laughing and joking pleasantly and seemed quite enthralled with the conversation.

It made Ranma wonder if she had imagined that searching look Nabiki had given her. Ryouga's mother had mentioned his father again in that casual way, maintaining the fiction that he was alive and well and due home any time. Ryouga knew it was for her own benefit, to help her maintain whatever mental gymnastics she was doing to try and keep her directional curse manageable. But it had hurt him; she had seen him flinch and without thinking she had squeezed his hand and sent him a brief reassurance through the link.

There was a pretty good chance Nabiki had caught it but she had no idea what the Middle Tendo was thinking. Nabiki wasn't prone to getting the wrong idea like Akane but she also wasn't the sort to just dismiss what she saw.

Ranma wished she had talked to Nabiki about the whole matter with Ryouga before, but there simply hadn't been time. It didn't help that Ranma wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it all herself. The events of the last 48 hours had completely changed her relationship with Ryouga, probably irrevocably.

It would have been nice to get some time to breathe in all this, She thought glumly. A week or two alone in the woods, away from everyone? Not like that's an option. And now I'm gonna be seeing Ryo… RYOUGA… every day? I need some time AWAY from him to sort this out. Being around him is just gonna be more… CONFUSING.

"Well… I should let both of you get home before it gets too dark out," Mrs. Hibiki said, glancing out the window. She sighed and put her teacup down. "It is so easy to lose track of time when you have company over. I would dearly love it if you would come again, Nabiki. And please extend the same invitation to the rest of your family. I am in need of resocializing myself after all this time!" She started packing up the tray as Nabiki gathered her things.

"Ranma, would you mind helping me in the kitchen for a moment?" she asked, straightening with the tray balanced on one hand, and her guide string in the other.

"Hmm? Uh, sure…" Ranma stood up. She felt Nabiki's eyes on the back of her head as they walked to the kitchen. On the way, Mrs. Hibiki drew the slack in her string back onto the spool at her hip. In the kitchen, Ranma could see she had tied it to the stove.

Mrs. Hibiki put the tray down. "Just put some wrap on the leftover cookies if you could, dear? Leave them out and I'll put them away later." She busied herself with emptying and rinsing the teapot.

Ranma wondered why that required her help but did as asked, fishing out the plastic wrap and covering the plate of cookies.

"Ranma," Mrs. Hibiki said, almost casually, "Is everything alright at home?"

"I… uh… well, yeah. The Tendos are great, and…"

"I don't mean the Tendos, dear. I mean at home." She turned, folding her hands in front of her. "Please forgive me. I have been gone for a long time, and my social graces are not quite… 'copacetic' would be the term my husband would use, I think." She smiled. "I know that my own family is less than perfect and I have a lot to answer for as Ryo's mother. But… I…" She sighed and fidgeted. "I can see Nabiki is quite fiercely protective of you. And… I see some of my fears confirmed in her eyes. I know you trust the Tendos. I just want you to know that… if you ever need a place to go… You are welcome here; at any time, no matter the circumstances. You are Ryouga's Anchor, so you are family." She finished and took a deep breath. "There. It is always awkward to say things like that."

"I…" Ranma suddenly felt small, for some reason. Guilty. Sure, her father was bad, but… "It's okay, Mrs. Hibiki. I'm fine. And home is fine too! I'm… I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea about…"

She put a hand on her shoulder, smiled and shook her head. Somehow that simple gesture had the power to silence Ranma. "No need, dear. I will say and think no more on it. But just remember, Hibiki promises have no expiry."

"I… okay…" Ranma felt off-balance for some reason. "But… you don't have to worry. I mean, I can take care of myself!"

She nodded. "I know. But remember that people aren't meant to be self-contained. Even if we can see to all our own needs, we always need someone else. Don't be alone if you don't need to be." She squeezed lightly, then let go of Ranma's shoulder. "Now let's get you back to your Nabiki so she can stop glaring at my kitchen and driving herself crazy wondering what we're talking about, hmm?"

Ranma followed her back out, careful to step over the twine Mrs. Hibiki was trailing behind her. Nabiki was, in fact, staring intently at the entrance to the kitchen, her school bag over her shoulder.

"Thank you for coming, both of you. And thank you especially, Nabiki for helping out Ryo." Mrs. Hibiki bowed. "I will have those borrowed clothes washed and pressed for you on Monday. Do be careful on the walk home?"

"We will. Thank you for the tea." Nabiki bowed and Ranma followed suit, remembering her manners at the last minute.

Ranma glanced at Ryouga, seeing that he looked as unbalanced as she felt. He probably had to sit there with Nabiki glaring past him the whole time, she thought. He caught her gaze, and they exchanged a sympathetic look.

"Don't forget the doctor's instructions, Ryo," Ranma said to him. "And we've got an appointment with him next Saturday after school."

He nodded. "Right. See you Monday, I guess."

She nodded and followed Nabiki out the door into the cool evening air.

The sun was just setting, casting long shadows as it dipped down between the skyscrapers of Tokyo. They walked along the road in silence for a bit, though Ranma knew it was just a matter of time before one of them broached the subject. She decided it might as well be her.

"I've… got a lot to tell you about what's been going on," Ranma said quietly.

"Yes. You do," Nabiki replied. She didn't look at her; just kept walking, eyes straight ahead.

"It's nothing bad, honest!" Ranma said, feeling a writhing uncertainty in her gut. "It's got nothing to do with Himura, or the Fiancees, or… or… Well, it's just…"

She stopped and turned on the redhead, glaring at her. "No, Ranma, it's not 'just' anything! You can't keep stuff like this from me right now because Himura will make it part of her game! And she is at least as good at finding your dirty laundry as I was, maybe better." She ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated. "If there's something going on between you and Ryouga…"

"There's nothing going on!" Ranma said hotly.

Nabiki stared at her a moment then folded her arms. "If there is something going on between you and Ryo, no matter what it is, then you need to tell me."

Ranma winced. She shook her head. "You're just like Akane… If you'd just listen…!"

Nabiki remained silent. She stayed silent as Ranma trailed off. After a few more moments, she raised an eyebrow.

"I…" Ranma's face flushed. She realized that she had never known what to say after that part. No one had given her the chance. "Okay… Okay. It's…it's not what you think. It's a lot weirder than that. It's got to do with Ryouga's curse. Not the Jusenkyo one, the family one."

Nabiki raised both eyebrows then held up a finger. "On second thought, Ranma… I think I could use a cup of tea. I know a quiet place we can talk without inviting any awkward questions. Let's continue this conversation there."

Ranma gave her a skeptical look. "Are there any tea shops even open at this time of day?"

Nabiki cracked a smile, her ever-knowing smirk. "I have a feeling this one is."

000

"So… this is free?" Ranma asked skeptically as the odd man in the woman's kimono poured the steaming liquid into her cup.

"Of course!" Jiro smiled his big, toothy smile. "Just let me know if I guess your variety correctly." He frowned a bit. "I admit, for the first time, I feel a bit torn with this one. But I'm sure that - at least for right now - this is your blend."

"I mean… tea is tea, right?" Ranma gave Nabiki an uncertain look but she simply sipped casually from her own cup.

"You would be surprised. Honestly, you would!" Jiro said cheerfully, unfazed by Ranma's dismissiveness. "But… that is always for the customer to judge, yes? All I ask is if you let me know afterwards."

Ranma shrugged. "Sure. I just don't think I'm the sort to have a 'brand', y'know?" She picked up the teacup, sniffed it curiously, then took a sip.

Her eyes widened. The taste was very floral, with a delicate sweetness to it. It was light, almost playful, and refreshing. It had none of the bitterness or weight of the usual green or black teas she'd had. The flavor was complex. She took another sip, and another… and each time it was a little different. Before she knew it she had drained her cup.

"Well… I would call that a resounding 'maybe'?" Jiro beamed and refilled Ranma's cup. "Malawi White. You have excellent taste, my dear. I will leave you two alone for a while then. Call if you need anything."

Nabiki smirked. "We never need to with you, Jiro. The cup is always full when we want it to be." She held own cup up.

"As it should be." Jiro folded his hands into his kimono sleeves and bowed, gliding smoothly away.

"That…" Ranma regarded her teacup, a little nonplussed. "That was odd. I mean, not really even a blip compared to the stuff I deal with sometimes, but…" She looked around. "Is… it okay to talk about this stuff here?"

"I believe this may be the most private place in all of Japan," Nabiki replied. "Just a hunch, of course. But it's served us well so far." She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "All right, so… what is going on, Saotome?"

Ranma took another sip of her tea. It was a weird thought that her tastebuds had chosen something that seemed to be so high class. "Okay… so… Ryouga's lack of a sense of direction? It… well, it's probably closer to an actual curse. There's a smart Doctor at the hospital still trying to figure it all out for us, but it's ki based, I think… or at least ki affects it. So normally this would mean that any member of the Hibiki family would be totally lost their entire lives, doomed to wander forever. Except… they can pick one person to be what they call an 'Anchor'. Kinda like… that one person they can always find, even if they don't know how. It's gotta be someone important to 'em… it takes a lot of emotion to make the link - though the link doesn't necessarily go both ways - and they can only do it once."

Nabiki considered a moment. She closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea and sighed. "So, Ryouga linked with you." She opened her eyes a moment later, looking dissatisfied. "Why you, though? I'd have figured he'd link to Akane."

"He thought he had too," Ranma said. "Or… at least he convinced himself he had. But he did it before he ever met her, when we were having our bread feud. I don't even think he really knew he did it. He just got so focused on tracking me down that it kinda… happened."

Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling 'it kinda happened' is going to pop up a lot in this story?"

Ranma blushed and sulked a bit. "Look, if you're gonna make jokes…!"

"No, no…" Nabiki reached out and patted her arm. "I'm sorry. Go on; so he linked to you because of your rivalry. That can happen?"

Ranma nodded. "Mrs. Hibiki says there have been times - and it usually sucks because it's a permanent thing. So if they pick someone they hate, they're doomed to keep finding them over and over."

"Good thing Ryouga doesn't hate you then," Nabiki said quietly. Her eyes were searching, as if she were checking for a response.

"He did," Ranma said. "Or… I dunno, I thought he did. He was angry, for sure. Now he's just… confused." She trailed off, realizing she was going to need to explain those sorts of insights. "I'll… that'll make more sense in a minute, trust me." She took a breath, trying to organize her thoughts. "So… I didn't even know about any of this until recently. Mrs. Hibiki told me. It didn't seem like this link was anything more than a homing signal or something for him. At least not until he tried that Shi shi hokodan."

"Something changed?" Nabiki asked, listening intently.

"Yeah. I think it was because I was trying to push through it to get to him. It… opened the link up. I started being able to feel the emotions that were fuelling it all. It was…" She shook her head. "It was overwhelming. It was killing him. I think it woulda killed me if I had been in it any longer. I managed to get him clear of the blast but we got pretty torn up."

"But the link stayed open?"

Ranma nodded. "Now, anytime I touch him I can... not really see but sense his emotional… color, I guess? Shape? It doesn't really match up to anything real-world. And he can sense mine." She fidgeted a bit. "He was kinda out of it and I was worried he'd slip and blow a hole in the hospital or something if he got upset. So I… started to use the link to… well… send good emotions to him. And it kinda worked."

Nabiki nodded. She steepled her fingers, resting her elbows on the table, and listened carefully.

"There was this doctor who saw Ryouga before. He wanted to do an MRI on him the last time he was there, and… well, since we were back… why not, right? So we did. And that's when we found out that what I was doing to keep Ryouga… well, happy… was also fixing his curse."

"Hold on," Nabiki said, holding up a finger. "Are you telling me you fixed Ryouga's sense of direction?"

Ranma shook her head. "Not for good. It… uhh… The Doctor called it a treatment. It suppresses the direction curse for a while, but it comes back. We figured… 'Hey, if a little of it fixes it for a little while, maybe a lot…?'"

Nabiki sighed. "So you tried to dump a lot of emotion into Ryouga all at once. I'm guessing that went poorly."

Ranma nodded. "Not like you'd think. Not, like, Shi shi hokodan. Ryouga was actually fine. It messed me up." She shook her head. "There was… some kind of… backwash I guess? And it got in deep in my head and stirred up…" She took a deep breath. "I almost went into the Neko-ken."

"I'd call that 'poorly', yes," Nabiki shuddered.

"Ryouga kept me from going all the way under but I was… it was awake." She shuddered. "I couldn't stand being alone in my own head for a while. And the link was wide open. So… so I just held on. And so did he. For… for a few hours."

Nabiki was quiet a moment. "So… how much can you read from each other now?"

Ranma shook her head. "Not a lot yet. Feelings. I think when the Neko-ken almost popped Ryouga got some images too. But… we had to kind of figure out what we were sensing actually meant. Like learning to read." She she slumped a bit. "I think we realized after a bit we were each learning way more about another person than we ought to know. But ever after we finally let go… I'm like… attuned to his feelings, you know? And I just respond without thinking."

"And what he feels towards you now is… confusion," Nabiki said softly.

"I think so," Ranma nodded. "There's flashes of annoyance, sometimes embarrassment… a few other things I don't know how to read yet." She felt a little heat rise in her cheeks, not really knowing why.

"And how do you feel about him?" She asked in that same low tone.

"I… He's Ryouga, you know? He's…" She struggled to articulate what really didn't have words. "I don't know… I mean, I know how I should feel, but… everything is all… mixed up, and… and I've been a girl for way too long and… "

"In other words… confused." Nabiki finished.

"I'm a guy!" Ranma said sharply, though her anger faded quickly. "I just wanna go home, take a hot bath and be away from him so this'll all settle down and I can figure it out," she finished miserably.

Nabiki reached out and clasped her hand. Ranma looked up in surprise.

"Ranma… it's okay to be confused. This is…" She shook her head. "You've managed to combine biological and gender issues that no one has ever had to experience with a level of emotional intimacy shared with someone else that's straight out of a science fiction novel."

"That makes me feel loads better, thanks Nabiki," Ranma muttered.

"When you decide to take every relationship option in a dating sim all at once, you get a little sass, Ranma Saotome," Nabiki replied saucily. "Look, what I'm trying to say is… thank you for telling me about this. And… It's okay. Whatever you end up feeling when this all settles out, that's okay too. But I can't read your emotions, so… I need you to tell me, okay?"

"You seem to read me pretty well," Ranma said.

"I'm a good guesser. But that's all it really is," Nabiki insisted.

Ranma turned her teacup on the saucer, pushing the handle with her finger. "I don't want to feel confused about Ryouga. I really don't want to feel confused about Ryouga. I'd be happier if this was a love potion or some kinda cursed ring or some other magical thingie because with those at least you know what it is you're feeling, even if it's horrifying. This is just… it's…"

"Real?" Nabiki asked.

Ranma squeezed her eyes shut. "I'd rather not use that word for it. I'm probably going to go home, turn back into a guy, snap back to normal and throw myself off a bridge."

"And if you don't, you can get me my picture," Nabiki replied.

"I can't believe you're still on that," Ranma muttered.

"I'm deadly serious, Ranma. If I have to massage Ryouga into this mess, I want my yaoi photoshoot."

"Don't… don't say 'massage Ryouga' please…"

Jiro glided back into view, having having gotten right up to Ranma without the redhead ever perceiving him, yet without the start that normally accompanied that sort of thing. The odd man managed somehow to be the opposite of threatening. "I do hope I'm not interrupting but there is one more tradition I have, if you'll indulge me?" He held up a large, flat box. "I always ask first time customers to pick themselves out a teacup that I can use to serve them if and when they come back." He winked. "Just a way to reassure them I really do remember them."

Nabiki nodded and held up her teacup. Ranma realized that her cup was different than the plain white one she had been drinking from; It was covered in an artful minimalist depiction of what looked like a beach.

"That's… not really necessary," Ranma said as she looked inside the box at the plethora of cups. She'd just pick one at random and…

She stopped. She caught a brief glimpse of something on one of the cups. She reached in, searching carefully, and drew out a cup. It was sturdy, unlike Nabiki's delicate, western-styled teacup - something Ranma would probably pack for a training journey. But its surface had been carefully and lovingly painted with a depiction of a multitude of pools that had what looked like sticks or poles rising up out of them. It was abstract enough that it could have been intended to be several things but, to Ranma's eye, there was only one thing it could be.

"Jusenkyo," she breathed, turning it over in her hand.

Jiro smiled, and picked the box back up. "It will be clean and ready for you the next time you visit. Whenever that is." Jiro accepted the cup back from Ranma and bowed, quietly retreating to whatever parts of the tea shop he vanished into.

Ranma tried to watch him go but at some point she simply lost track of him, despite the shop being devoid of other patrons. "How does he do that?" She asked softly.

"Professionalism," Nabiki quipped, draining her cup.

000

"We're home!"

Kasumi started at the announcement, not having heard the door open. She slipped with the knife she was using to cut the vegetables, narrowly avoiding nicking herself and dropped the knife to the floor.

"Kasumi, are you okay?" Akane darted in to check as Kasumi cradled her hand.

"I'm fine… I… could you wash the knife for me, Akane?" Kasumi forced a smile and stepped out of the kitchen to greet whomever had just come in.

It was hard to keep the mask on at the moment.

What she saw didn't make it much better. Nabiki was there, with that slightly distant look she wore when she was pondering a complex problem - a look she had been wearing a lot lately. Behind her was Ranma - a haggard, battered Ranma, her hair in disarray and an unsettled expression on her face, like she, too, was doing some heavy thinking.

Kasumi decided the mask could go to hell for once. Without a word she walked up to Ranma and gave her a hug.

"K-Kasumi?" Ranma yelped, surprised.

"I'm sorry, Ranma, I was just worried," Kasumi said, though she held on for another few moments before releasing her. She smiled at the girl and managed to get her mask of back into place, but she allowed her genuine concern and relief to show through.

"You must be tired and you definitely look like you could use a bath. The furo is free. If you need help in there, I'm sure Akane would be happy to join you." Kasumi knew allowing them to bathe together was definitely improper but Ranma's injuries took priority. She was also fairly certain they already had bathed together and propriety was wearing thin as of late anyway.

Ranma shook her head quickly. "I can manage, Kasumi. But thank you. I could really really use a good long soak though. Call me when dinner is ready?"

"Of course," Kasumi nodded. "You've had a rough week, haven't you?"

"You don't know the half of it," Ranma said, the exhaustion creeping into her voice. She slipped past the eldest Tendo and down the hallway towards the bathing area.

Kasumi watched her go. That's what scares me, Ranma. She took a breath and then turned to Nabiki, who she noticed was also watching Ranma with a pensive look.

"Nabiki… we need to talk."

000

The sensation of the change hitting was nothing short of glorious.

His wounds stung from the warm water, his aches briefly reminded him of their presence, but the sense of relief at finally being able to return to his true form and escape all of the strangeness that came from being a girl was so tangible as to almost be a physical thing.

He sighed, refilling the bucket with warm water and dumping it over his head again before pulling at his loose hair to separate the strands and let the water rinse away as much as it could. It was fortunate that he didn't need the dragon whisker anymore.

He picked up a bottle of shampoo and started to work on washing a couple of days and an explosion's worth of grime and dirt from his hair. He focused on the washing and nothing else for the time being, letting his mind slip into a kind of zen-like focus.

Once he was satisfied he was clean, he slipped into the warm tub. His cuts and scrapes stung a little but then the soothing warmth eased the pain away. He sighed and allowed himself to face the fact that his triumphant return to his male form hadn't really changed anything.

It wasn't a pressure point or a magic ladle that was forcing him to be a girl these days. It was life. It was like the world was conspiring to force him to choose to be a girl, using his own willpower and stubbornness against him. But it wasn't content with just the physical form, either.

Certain memories were affected by which form he was in. If the experience was intensely linked to being a guy or a girl, then when he remembered it in the other form, there was an odd aura of detachment to it. It was a good way to compartmentalize some of the more… questionable things he had done as a girl. But now? So many of his memories had that odd quality to them.

It kinda made sense in some cases. Being… aroused as a girl didn't map over when he was a guy and vice versa so the memories of those moments from one form got a bit… abstract when remembered in the other. There had only been a very few notable times that had happened before the weekend trip with Nabiki. The most prominent and disturbing had been when Mikado Sanzenin had kissed his girl side.

It had been repulsive but it was repulsive for different reasons depending on which form he was in. It was the first time his girl and guy sides had reacted differently to the same thing and it had contributed greatly to his resulting freakout. But it had been a relatively isolated thing.

Now his memory was littered with disconnects. Not just the kisses - sometimes very ordinary things - reactions to things that didn't match up with his guy side. Minute, momentary things, like the taste of ice cream or the reaction to a story one of the girls told her his girl side was more and more noticeably processing all these things in a different way.

Which lead to the current problem: Ryouga Hibiki was all kinds of abstract.

To be fair, there was some of that with the girls too. Both his sides were attracted to them but he was noticing it was in different ways. Ukyou had been the most noticeable difference after that kiss in the hallway. But it had been manageable because both sides had at least agreed 'Cute girl = Good'.

But now?

It was at least reassuring to know he wasn't attracted to Ryouga as a guy. But… it just cinched the fact that his girl side very definitely was.

I just need to avoid him. Or make sure I'm a guy when he's around. Give myself a chance to… to get it out of my system, he thought, sinking lower into the water. Maybe work on patching things up between him and Akari so he doesn't… LOOK at me that way. He rubbed his hand self-consciously. And I should avoid touching him.

It's not going to be that simple.

It ABSOLUTELY is! Ranma retorted to the small voice in his head. He briefly wondered why his mental devil's advocate suddenly sounded like his girl side. I mean what other option is there? It's not like he's into guys either so how could it possibly work? Not like I could just be a girl for him!

Why not?

Because! Because… I'd have to be a guy some of the time! He thumped the back of his head against the wall, trying to rattle the voice out.

So? Who says you have to sleep with him as a guy? You know how you figured it would go with Akane, when you thought she was strictly into guys. You already had it planned out. You were even looking at the prices on electric kettles so you could keep one by the bed, just in case!

THAT'S DIFFERENT! He squeezed his eyes shut. I was trying to get cured so I could AVOID that, because… because she deserved better! Because…

That wasn't what she wanted, though. Getting cured would have been a disaster.

That's Akane! Ryouga isn't the same… we know that for a fact! He was starting to wish that something would happen to distract him; perhaps Shampoo might ambush him in the bath or Akane could run in and mallet him, or even Mousse could jump through the window to challenge him… something.

A glass of water is a lot easier to keep beside the bed.

I am NOT thinking about this. He started humming to himself to try and drown it out. I don't WANT to think about this! YOU just want me to think about this because YOU'RE the one who wants to play his fiancee!

I'm YOU, dumbass! It's still you even if you're thinking with a different brain! And you're just freaking out because you don't want to admit that once you get past all of the girl-brain stuff you STILL care about him!

Guys aren't supposed to care about…!

About what? About anyone else unless there's babymaking involved? What about Sayuri and Yuka and Riko and Rin? ESPECIALLY Rin. They care about YOU, but they don't wanna go anywhere near the horizontal mambo with you! Rin thinks of you as a GIRL!

That's different! That's because they're girls! Ranma felt himself edging towards something dangerous in his mind. And guys… and guys aren't…

000

"Dad, why was Ucchan running after the cart?" Ranma asked, chewing on a slightly overdone okonomiyaki. It was the last of the batter than had been stored in the cart and despite it being the Kuonji recipe, Genma wasn't able to prepare it nearly as well.

"That's not anything you need to concern yourself with, boy," Genma growled quietly. He continued to root through the yattai for anything valuable, though they had already stripped the cart of most of the sellable goods it had contained.

"Maybe we can ask him to make us more stuff for the cart?" Ranma said, finishing off his meal.

Genma sighed and closed the compartment door. "Ranma, I need you to forget about Ukyou."

"But why?" Ranma said, "Ucchan is my friend! He's fun to spar with, an' he cooks good, an'..."

"Ranma!" Genma said sharply, standing up and to loom over the boy. Ranma shrank back a bit.

"Listen to me," Genma said sternly. "There are no such thing as 'friends', Ranma. Not for you. You can't afford to allow yourself to become attached to anyone." He knelt in front of him, his expression softening. "Everyone in this world wants something from you, Ranma. Especially you. You're special. They want to take that specialness for themselves. Dilute it. They fool you, to make you care about them, just so they can take from you. You can't let them. A true man amongst men doesn't need anyone. You can fool them all you want, play around, make them think you care, but you must keep your heart hard and pure."

"B-but…" Ranma looked at the ground. "But Ucchan and I made this sauce and I gotta come back in ten years and see…"

"No!" Genma said angrily. As the boy recoiled he relented a bit. "No, Ranma. You can never see Ucchan again. You have a destiny and Ukyou can't be part of it. Trust me, boy, I know what's best. Leave friendships and feelings for the little girls. You are a man and it's time you started to act like one!" He paused and reached up and took a lock of Ranma's hair between his thumb and forefinger. A scowl crossed his face. "We'll have to find something better to use on your hair. This is already washing out." His face became sour, like whenever Ranma did something that was going to cost him money. "Come on, I need to do something with it before anyone sees it like this. Then we're going to train! If you've enough idle energy to waste it on worrying about others, then obviously you need a reminder that you should worry about yourself and the Art more!"

That was the last Ranma saw of the yattai, and the last time Ukyou was ever mentioned.

000

Ranma shuddered. Another thing he had forgotten about. He couldn't clearly remember what happened after but the sick, cold feeling told him that he learned not to talk about Ukyou or friends the hard way.

He closed his eyes. The old man was an idiot, but… he had taught Ranma everything. Ranma owed him for all the sacrifices he made raising him and as much as he might be selfish and shortsighted… was Ranma really willing to just dismiss something Genma had worked so hard to instill into him? Wasn't it arrogant of him to just ignore it because he didn't like it or it was inconvenient?

Ryouga needs you.

Ranma winced.

He needed you before, too. Are you gonna let the old man drag you away again, like he always does? You know where that leads.

Pops… wants the best for me. He means well…! Ranma struggled weakly against the traitorous thoughts.

When has he ever delivered?

I… a good son is supposed to be grateful… WOULD be grateful for all he's done!

When is the only time he EVER says you're a good son?

When I do what he wants.

And is that what you are? Meek and obedient?

No!

So? What are you gonna do?

Alright. I'll stick by Ryouga. I mean, he's done the same for me, right? Regardless what Pops says, friends do that, right? It doesn't mean I care about him THAT WAY, okay?

Okay.

So… that's it? He realized he was breathing hard and had clenched his jaw. He forced himself to relax and settle back into the water. No more confusion about Ryouga, right?

You tell me.

000

"I'm guessing from how off-balance you are that the meeting with Nodoka didn't go well?" Nabiki said as Kasumi poured her a cup of tea. Akane sat across from her, shooting worried glances down the hall in the direction of the furo.

"Is it that obvious?" Kasumi sighed, sitting down with her own cup, a little more heavily than with her typical grace. For Kasumi it was basically the equivalent of flopping.

"Only because we know you so well," Akane reassured her. "So… you couldn't get the omiai postponed?"

Kasumi shook her head. "No. In fact, when I said that Ranma might not be able to attend she seemed almost… happy. In fact, she told me she didn't feel it was really necessary for him to be present."

"What!? How can you have an omiai without the groom!?" Nabiki protested.

"She feels that since Ranma is already well-acquainted with the girls, an introduction phase isn't necessary," Kasumi said. She was fidgeting, which told Nabiki that there was something more wrong.

"Shouldn't Ranma be there to have input on it, though?" Akane said. "I mean… part of the omiai is to make sure they least like each other!"

"And Dad and Mr. Saotome really paid a lot of attention to that for yours," Nabiki said dryly.

"Auntie Saotome seemed to feel… Ranma might choose... incorrectly if it were left to his own preferences," Kasumi said at last, her voice quiet and flat.

Nabiki scowled. "'Incorrectly' meaning me."

"She feels that the best choice to be Ranma's wife would be a martial artist like him. She feels the… sacrifices you would have to make to support him…" Kasumi continued quietly.

"You know what? I'm sick of other people deciding what sacrifices me or Ranma do or don't have to make!" Nabiki growled. "How does she know? It's not like Ranma is anything like Genma or liable to do things the same way! He hasn't even decided for himself what he wants to do! But if anyone is in a position to help him apply that potential of his…!"

Kasumi held up a hand. "Nabiki, I'm not arguing that." She gave her sister a weak smile. "You have been unquestionably good for Ranma. And… somewhat ironically, all of his relationships." She spared a glance to Akane. "But Auntie… but Nodoka does not see it that way. And she has a very specific plan for Ranma's future… and that is the problem."

Akane put a hand on Kasumi's arm. "Kasumi? What is it? What's wrong?"

Kasumi took a breath. "She… Nodoka… has decided that once she has made the selection, Ranma will be married immediately. She seems to expect this will happen with some haste. As well as… She wishes for Ranma to father a child as soon as possible. At which point… At which point he and his wife will leave on a training journey of… indeterminate length and leave the child to be raised by Genma and Nodoka."

"What… like… babysit?" Akane said nervously but she could already see in Kasumi's downcast eyes and the increasing incoherent outrage building in Nabiki's that this wasn't the case.

"To be raised as their own," Kasumi clarified. "She… she sees it as a reward… compensation for having to give up Ranma all those years ago."

"So that's what this is all about," Nabiki said tightly. She was tapping her finger on the table with nervous energy and shaking with barely suppressed fury. "That's why the sudden urgency to fix the engagement issue. That's why the insistence on a wife who's a martial artist. That's why Ranma gets no say. Because Mother Saotome has baby rabies."

"Nabiki… I do think it's more complex than that…" Kasumi cautioned.

Nabiki was in full rant mode and wasn't listening. "I wonder if she saw a baby at the mall and thought 'You know what? That son of mine is all old and ugly now and I really feel I got gypped on the 'cute stroller phase' of his life. I should trade him in on a new baby!"

"Why would she think any of Ranma's fiancees would be okay with that?" Akane asked, horrified.

"Because she did it so why not?" Nabiki threw her hands up in the air. She got up and started pacing, chewing her thumb as she started muttering under her breath.

"Nabiki, sit down and calm down," Kasumi said sternly.

"You can't expect me to be okay with…" Nabiki started, but Kasumi cut her off with an uncharacteristic glare.

"No, I do not expect you to be okay with this. In fact I would be very disturbed if you were!" Kasumi stared her sister down as she slowly sank back into her seat, wide-eyed at Kasumi's sudden authoritative tone.

"However," Kasumi continued, more gently, "the situation is delicate and surrendering to your outrage isn't going to help. Nodoka sees this as a matter of manliness. The definition of that has always been left up to her and I expect she will more than likely misuse that authority to get Ranma to acquiesce to her wishes. That places not only Ranma's life on the line but his father's as well."

"Which means it's more than just his honor at stake," Nabiki said slowly, getting her temper under control as she started to process things tactically. "It's also the life of his father, so he's not likely to skip out on the contract even if we could convince him his honor isn't worth his life."

"He should just leave the stupid old panda to it," Akane growled softly.

"Akane?" Nabiki blinked, surprised at the venom in her sister's tone.

"Genma doesn't deserve Ranma's concern. He's a rotten father and this is his contract. He had no right to drag a… a baby into it!" She folded her arms. "Besides… we all know Genma would never actually go through with it! He doesn't have the honor needed to pay his bar tab, much less commit seppuku!"

"Ranma believes otherwise and that's all that matters in this case," Kasumi cautioned her.

Nabiki considered a moment. "The root of the problem is that Nodoka is the one defining what 'manly' means and there's no set condition of the contract to be fulfilled successfully… just that if Ranma ever fails to meet her standard of what a 'man amongst men' is, the seppuku clause kicks in."

"Do we actually know that for sure?" Akane asked. She glanced at the both of them. "I mean, I don't think any of us have ever gotten more than a brief glance at it, have we?"

Kasumi shook her head. "Nodoka carries it with her at all times."

"Do you think Genma might have a copy of it?" Nabiki asked Akane.

Akane considered. "I… don't know. But he keeps a lot of random stuff in his pack."

"It might be worth a look. Even if he doesn't we might get some better idea of the scope of it… a letter or something…" Nabiki glanced at Kasumi. "He didn't happen to leave his pack here, did he?"

A small, uncharacteristically sly smile appeared on Kasumi's face. "He may have asked me to look after it for him… just in case he and Father need to go off on an 'emergency training mission'. Apparently Nodoka has been objecting to his sneaking off while there is work to do." She took a sip of her tea. "Of course it would be improper for me to tell you it's in the hall closet upstairs just outside of Ranma's room, hidden underneath the spare blankets so that Nodoka doesn't find it here."

Nabiki smirked. "Why Kasumi… you're beginning to make me think being sneaky might actually run in the family!"

"I haven't the foggiest notion what you mean, Nabiki," Kasumi sipped her tea.

Nabiki beamed. "I'm so proud…"

"C'mon, let's go check it out. We don't know when he and Dad will be back." Akane stood up and motioned Nabiki to follow. "We… probably shouldn't tell Ranma, either."

"Agreed. Not until we find something worthwhile." Nabiki followed her as they headed up the stairs and down the hall towards the guest room and the linen closet at the end.

"So… Your opinion of Genma Saotome has taken a nosedive," Nabiki noted as Akane opened the closet and started digging through the pile of blankets and sheets.

Akane tossed a blanket aside with a little more force than absolutely necessary, found the pack and hauled it out. "The man is odious, self-centered, self-important, chauvinistic, and heartless." They dragged the pack into Akane's room and closed the door behind them. Akane dumped it on the floor in disgust, as if touching it had soiled her hands. Given how old, worn and stained it was, the unclean feeling might not have been entirely psychosomatic.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow and undid the straps holding the top closed. "He really didn't hold back in the training, did he? You have to admit, though, it was effective."

Akane sat down on the floor, crossing her legs and her arms in a pose that was unintentionally very reminiscent of Ranma's signature sulk. "Yeah it was effective, because otherwise it would have killed me. It was like… teaching someone to read by giving them a book and then burning them with a hot brand until they managed to get through the first chapter."

Nabiki looked at her sister as she fished out a couple of old pairs of old, stained, once-white training gis and set them aside. "You could have always called it off if it was that bad."

"I could have… but I wanted to beat him," she said. She got a distant look in her eyes, not unlike the one Kasumi had shown when she had made her revelations about Nodoka. "And… And he kept telling me at what age he'd put Ranma through the same training - 11 years old for this, 7 for that… and all of this 'training' was basically torture. At that age, Ranma wouldn't have had the option to just stop. He wouldn't have had anywhere to go. So… I kept at it."

"So you got good so you could dish it back out. I can see how bullying as a form of training might work for someone determined like you, but most people it'd just break their spirit. Ranma is pretty incredible for simply surviving that much less coming out halfway sane." She fished out a few miscellaneous items from the pack. "Ugh… how old is this toothbrush? And what is this, hair dye? Why on earth would he have hair dye? That's some seriously wishful thinking there, Genma Saotome!"

"Might have been from before he lost it all - that bottle looks like it's been in there a while." Akane peered in herself and pulled out a bundle of old maps. She unfolded one to study it. "Wow, look at this…" She opened it up fully and laid it out on the floor. "He's got routes mapped all over the place. Think this was the one he and Ranma took?"

Nabiki looked over at the mess of drawn lines and illegible notes. "The maps are certainly old enough, but I wouldn't have figured Genma for planning things out that far in advance." She frowned then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small camera. "Keep searching, I just want to get a few snaps of these for later. Might be educational to actually figure out where Ranma and Genma have been."

Akane continued digging as her sister started taking pictures of the maps, one by one. The pack was almost empty now. Akane frowned and lifted it up, patting it. It felt too heavy still to be empty. She reached back in and started to feel around inside and finally found a concealed flap hiding a zipper. She opened it up and pulled out a bundle of papers tied up with a string.

"Oooh, was that the lovely sound of paydirt being struck that I just heard?" Nabiki looked up and grinned, plunking back down as Akane started to untie the bundle.

"It was in a hidden compartment so safe to say it's got things Genma doesn't want anyone else to see." Akane started to parcel out the papers. There was a wide assortment, from ancient looking parchments to faded but relatively modern sheets, to a whole pile of letters.

Nabiki started to pluck items from the pile. The first was a sheet of notes, but in some sort of cryptic shorthand that she couldn't make sense of. She put that aside and picked up an envelope, before hearing Akane gasp.

"I found it…" Akane said softly, her tone like that of someone who had seen a ghost.

"The contract?"

"No…" Akane held up a worn, dog-eared training manual. The faded title of it read 'Neko Ken'

Nabiki scowled. "He would still have that. Keep it. Might have something useful in there to help us get Ranma over the cat phobia later and I don't want him having that thing." She started setting aside papers and snapping pictures of them before putting them in the discard pile. "Let me know if you find anything else obviously bad." Nabiki could see most of the papers so far were training notes of some sort but they all seemed to reference other things, many of which weren't present. She did find a few referencing the Neko-ken. "Hey Akane, anything in your training involve being tied in in a mud pit?"

"Yeah, why?"

Nabiki handed her the sheet after taking a picture. "Seems he got the idea after Ranma escaped one of his 'sessions' of Neko-ken training."

"'Boy got out of pit again. Bindings on arms too loose, got one free. Might be good training later. Going to try tighter bindings, weights on lid for pit. Maybe tuna this time?'" Akane read. "How many times did he put Ranma in that pit?!"

Nabiki found another page close to the previous one. "More than once. Here's another one. "'Having trouble finding enough cats. Might have to postpone. Possible to use something else?' … and then he's got an outline of that hornet's nest training he had Ranma do."

"You mean he did this over and over while they travelled?" Akane asked, snatching the paper out of Nabiki's hand and reading it.

"Until Ranma finally snapped and it got too dangerous. He just said 'spring of Ranma's sixth year'." She continued to fish out papers and photograph them, promising herself she would go over the copies with a fine tooth comb later. She picked up an envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She opened it to find a handwritten letter.

"'Dear Genma, I hope this letter finds you and Ranma well. I received your last letter and I am glad to hear Ranma's training is progressing well. Yadda yadda yadda…'" She skimmed through it. "Whole lot of daily minutiae stuff. Nodoka must have been bored out of her mind. Nothing useful, though."

"I… wouldn't say that," Akane said, staring at the back of the sheet of paper.

Nabiki frowned at her sister's reaction then flipped over the letter.

"'I, Genma Saotome, do solemnly swear that I will train my son, Ranma Saotome, to be a man amongst men…?'" Her eyes widened.

The paper the letter was written on was a copy of the Seppuku contract. It was a rough, smudgey copy, the kind you'd get from the ancient, overworked photocopiers at a public library or school. Some of it was hard to read due to the poor quality of the copy, but it was definitely a copy of the original, down to the handprints all over the bottom right quarter.

"She wrote the letter on a copy of the contract? Hold on…" Nabiki opened another letter, ignoring the contents for the moment and flipping it over. Sure enough, it was another poor quality photocopy of the seppuku contract. "She was using these as stationery?!"

"No wonder Genma was so certain she was deadly serious about enforcing the contract and didn't even try and weasel his way out of it…" Akane opened another letter, finding another copy of the contract. "... She never let him forget it."

"Swinging that katana about didn't hurt either. Just a little yandere, Auntie Nodoka?" Nabiki scoffed. She looked through a few more letters to find the clearest copy of the contract and took a picture of it. "Honestly… you really have to work at it to be this screwed up."

"Could just as easily have been our family," Akane said quietly. "I mean… Dad and Genma were like brothers, right? Training with Happosai and getting into all the trouble Happosai gets them into now."

"I guess Mom was what made the difference between settling down as a Martial Arts instructor with your own dojo and wandering Asia for 14 years psychologically scarring your infant son," Nabiki said, then pause and winced. "I just made Nodoka's argument for her, didn't I?"

"Grandma didn't make the choice for Dad," Akane asserted.

"Yeah… but…" Nabiki paused, staring at another handwritten note, more recent, where Nodoka was talking about anticipating the return of her husband and child. "What if there's a kernel of truth to it? That the one Ranma chooses might not be the right one for him? What if it's just as important that he marry someone who will support and guide him like Mom did Dad?"

"Well… if that's true…" Akane plucked the letter from her grasp and turned it over, revealing the Seppuku contract, "do you think the person who wrote this, or the person who fully intends to enforce this, are the right ones to decide that? If Nodoka Saotome was the 'wrong choice' for Genma, then she's absolutely the wrong choice to pick who's right for Ranma!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Today seems to be my day for being proud of my sisters." She reached out and ruffled Akane's hair, then went back to laying out the rest of what they found in the pack on her bed and snapping pictures. She intended to have a complete record of everything that was in it.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, knowing they were pushing their luck as far as time went. "Let's get it all packed back in." She started gathering up the papers back into a bundle.

"Not going to go over the contract now?" Akane asked.

"''I, Genma Saotome, do solemnly swear that I will train my son, Ranma Saotome, to be a man amongst men. Should I fail, my son and I will commit Seppuku,'" Nabiki recited glibly. "I've got it memorized. It's so open-ended that twenty years down the road Nodoka could claim that because the sky is blue Genma failed. I don't think the answer is in there. But these letters and fragments of Genma's journal might have something. If I can find someplace where Nodoka or Genma actually define what fulfilling the contract means I can probably do something with it. I'll need to get this film developed and go over it for a few hours so we'll worry about all this after the omiai." Nabiki started tying the bundle back up. "Once we get this put away, you can help me practise being 'proper and traditional' with a straight face."

000

Dressed in a formal kimono, Nodoka knelt on the floor of the dojo as she awaited the arrival of the applicants to marry her son. To her right and slightly behind her sat Genma, looking sullen and uncomfortable. He had not worn a formal kimono in many years and the old one she had found in his closet was a bit tight after the years of training journeys had added stoutness to his frame. She also knew he and Soun had commiserated together over what they viewed as a betrayal of their dream to unite the schools.

I am sorry, my husband. I have supported you as best I can through this ordeal of years, but now your task is done and I must support my son now. She smiled a bit… despite his objections, here Genma was, supporting her now, and she appreciated it. Her faith in him had not been misplaced. After all, their goal was the same, was it not?

To her left sat Ranma. He was quiet as well but it was more contemplative. He bore the countenance of someone pondering matters of great weight. That was good. That was as it should be. A man amongst men should be stern, serious and thoughtful, and concern himself with matters of great import.

That left the smaller details to her and in this one arena she would take the lead. It had a reassuring synergy to it; all of them working towards Ranma's great future.

By the Dojo doors, Kasumi waited for her to give the signal. When she finally felt that she was prepared, she looked up and nodded to the younger woman. "I am ready. You may send them in now, Kasumi. Thank you."

Kasumi returned the nod and opened the doors to step outside.

Soun and his daughters were first, as was their right as the oldest engagement, and as the ones who were hosting the omiai. She was pleased to see Akane there on his right arm, head bowed and beautifully dressed. The girl was radiant when she gave but a little attention to it and Nodoka's heart still panged a bit. It was so tempting to simply ignore matters and embrace the girl as her chosen daughter. She saw so much of herself in Akane, and the girl had a fire and drive that Nodoka lacked. Yet that same fire had very nearly driven her and Ranma apart irrevocably.

On his left was Nabiki. It was regrettable to Nodoka that the girl had chosen this path. But like Akane, her head was bowed, her posture was properly demure and she had assumed the illusion of propriety and tradition almost flawlessly. But Nodoka knew it for the artifice it was; Nabiki was a creature of the modern world.

Still… her determination and drive are admirable, as is her devotion to Ranma. Nodoka glanced back at her son, seeing his eyes track both girls as Soun led them to sit in front of them. She has the self-control and discipline Akane lacks. And… there is no question she has entranced my son in a way the others have not. Perhaps… perhaps that is enough for me to reconsider my position? She returned her attention to both girls and smiled as Soun took his place on the sidelines.

"I present my daughters Akane and Nabiki," Soun said. "Both wish to be considered for marriage to your son Ranma as fulfillment of our family contract and to unite the schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

Nodoka nodded. "Thank you, Soun." She addressed Akane and Nabiki. "You may present your rirekisho, if you have prepared them." Nodoka did not really expect either girl to have gone to such lengths but formality required that she ask.

Nodoka was therefore a bit surprised with both girls quietly placed folders on the table.

Nodoka accepted the documents and opened them. They were both extremely well thought out packages, providing basic history, vital statistics, employment prospects… in short, everything a good rirekisho should include. The thoroughness and attention to detail made her think of Nabiki immediately, but both documents were equally well prepared. It was as if…

Did Nabiki prepare Akane's rirekisho for her? She studied the girls. Both wore schooled expressions of neutrality. Normally one could be excused for thinking them unrelated but at the moment it was unmistakable that they were sisters. Even though it throws away an advantage and damages her chances? She considered. Perhaps she is merely here to support her sister?

She skimmed the information again. She was finding it difficult to think of questions for the girls, until she realized that the information had been carefully tailored to address what she would be looking for in a fiancee for her son. Knowledge Nabiki did not have, but Akane, with all the time they had spent together speaking of such things, didThey helped each other? I see. They are working together to strengthen the Tendo claim! They are sacrificing their own personal gain for the good of the family. She smiled and nodded, suitably impressed. Very good. I have underestimated you both.

"You have both prepared for this well," Nodoka said, acknowledging them both in turn with a nod. "As I know Akane well I have no further questions for her right now but I would ask Nabiki a few, if I may?"

Nabiki met her gaze then bowed her head respectfully. "I would be happy to answer any questions you have, Saotome-san."

Good. Respectful, but not overly deferential. Nodoka continued to be impressed. However there was one hurdle Nabiki had yet to overcome. "There is the matter of how you will support my son in his efforts to perfect the Anything Goes art. How Akane will accomplish this is obvious as she herself is a practitioner and heir to the Tendo school. You yourself have elected to not train in the Art. How do you plan to support my son?"

Nabiki took a breath. "With respect, Saotome-san… while I have not trained in the martial side of the Art, the Art is very much the root of the Tendo family and I have lived with it my whole life." She met her gaze again. "I see the Art not merely as a series of techniques to defeat an opponent physically but a philosophy which can be applied to any aspect of life. It is one which I have successfully employed throughout my life, and which Ranma and I have been working together to adapt to other things. He is currently adapting it for use in organized sports to work within the traditional rules of the sport rather than using specialized 'martial arts' rules and we have both been using it to apply to social situations and business transactions. I understand as well that my sister has begun to adapt those same techniques to aid her in improving her domestic skills such as cooking. I believe that I can help Ranma further expand this, to bring the Art into modern, everyday life and to give 'Martial Arts as a Way of Life' a new, more inclusive meaning."

Nodoka simply stared.

She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. While she knew Nabiki had little respect or love for her, the sheer audacity and ambition of the girl was astounding. She has redefined the Art itself to turn her disadvantage into an advantage… which, true to her word, is at the very CORE of the Anything Goes philosophy! I did not expect this from her at all. It would still require I accept her… rather RADICAL reinterpretation of the Art but her argument is compelling.

"Nabiki Tendo. I realize you and I do not often see eye-to-eye, especially in matters pertaining to my son and, in all honesty, I had expected to dismiss your claim out of hand in favor of your sister. However," she placed her hands on Nabiki's folder. "Your observation of tradition when required, your attention to detail and the obvious thoughtfulness you have applied to my concerns and our expectations for my son's future have impressed me greatly. You present… a radical choice; one that proposes a revolution of the Art rather than the evolution we had planned on. Such a concept proposes tremendous risks…"

"I prefer to see them as challenges, Saotome-san," Nabiki added softly.

Nodoka stopped short. While the interruption was poor form, the point was devastatingly and perfectly timed. "... And a true practitioner of the Art must accept all challenges." Nodoka allowed herself a chuckle. "You are making your point by applying the very techniques you have proposed, aren't you? I am forced to re-evaluate my position." She gave Nabiki a nod. "Very well. I accept your claim alongside Akane's. Well fought."

Nabiki smiled. The girl was definitely modulating her responses, but there was a fierceness in her eyes. She and Akane both bowed respectfully, stood and walked over to sit on either side of their father.

And there goes my first easy elimination. Will they all present their claims so well? I wonder… She nodded to Kasumi to send the next in.

Ukyou Kuonji was next, as the second oldest claim. While Nodoka favored the Tendo claim, she had to admit that Ukyou was certainly not a bad choice on the surface. The girl entered, accompanied by another girl her age, a willowy dark haired girl who had assumed the role of handmaiden perfectly. Again Nodoka found herself surprised as she had expected Ukyou to be unescorted.

Ukyou herself was the image of loveliness, with her long brown hair perfectly trimmed and straight. Nodoka had heard some talk of the girl's lack of femininity but that was quite obviously wrong for she doubted the girl before her could ever be mistaken for a male. With such a pair working her restaurant it was no wonder it was rumored to be so popular!

The two stepped forward and bowed.

"I am Konatsu Kenzan, formerly of the Red Hot Tea House Kunoichi, retainer to the Kuonji family. I present to you Ukyou Kuonji-sama who wishes to be wed to Ranma Saotome in fulfillment of the contract between her father and Genma Saotome."

Nodoka swallowed her surprise. She had not considered the Kuonji family to be well-established enough for such things! "Very well. You may present your rirekisho if you have one."

Ukyou smoothly knelt before her and presented a folder.

Nodoka opened it and found herself confused once more. Again, it was expertly done, with that same attention to detail and careful focus on Nodoka's own specific preferences and concerns. She shot a bewildered look at Nabiki and Akane but both girls were keeping their expressions carefully neutral.

They helped the Kuonji girl as well!? Why would they do that? Nodoka flipped through the folder, now thoroughly at a loss. Again, most of her basic concerns were answered within the file, robbing her of easy questions and carefully filling any obvious holes in Ukyou's claim.

She cleared her throat. "Kuonji-san, thank you for coming. I understand you run your own business and this keeps you quite busy most of the time."

"Yes, Saotome-san," Ukyou nodded. "It has been quite challenging and rewarding operating my own business."

"It is, and to have accomplished such a thing at your age speaks of great drive and ambition. I also understand you have an Art of your own you pursue and you seek to become the greatest Okonomiyaki Chef in Japan, correct?"

"Yes, Saotome-san."

Nodoka took a breath, centering herself. Ukyou was surprising her as well, but she would need to be ruthless in order to narrow the field. "Then would you truly be satisfied giving up these things in order to support my son in his own pursuits? Or would you expect him to sacrifice his own path for the sake of yours?"

Nodoka expected stammering, hesitation, perhaps even denials or emotion. She got none of these things.

Ukyou's eyes were clear and her manner calm. "Actually, none of that would be necessary. In fact, Ranma's path and mine are complimentary. I understand you want him to graduate high school. By the time we've both done this my restaurant will be self-sufficient and under the management of my retainer, Konatsu. I expect Ranma will be going on training journeys to perfect his Art and this suits me as I would seek to do so as well. Not only will the income from my restaurant provide financial support to us, but my skills are best suited to making a living on the road. With a simple yattai, I can easily support us both wherever Ranma's journey might take us and my own Art can contribute skills and techniques to the Anything Goes style." She closed her eyes. "And, with due respect, Genma Saotome has already accepted the dowry for my engagement to Ranma. I am willing to forgive that matter on behalf of my family but I do believe I am entitled to equal consideration because of it."

Nodoka was rocked back on her heels. Her concerns had all been deflected with the same calm confidence! Her gaze flicked to Nabiki for a moment. Did she and Nabiki prepare for this beforehand? Again my most obvious objections are turned to strengthen the case! Kasumi had said that the fiancees had come to a truce of sorts but I hardly expected this!

"I… can find no flaw in your argument, Kuonji-san… Ukyou. Despite your claim being predated by the Tendo claim, the fact the dowry was accepted and the unexpected thoughtfulness and preparation you have outlined for supporting my son's future more than outweigh that disadvantage. I can find no reason to dismiss your claim out of hand. You will have the due consideration you seek."

Ukyou bowed. "Thank you, Saotome-san." She stood smoothly and walked over to her retainer's side, sitting to Nabiki's left. Nodoka noticed that both Akane and Nabiki watched her and Akane's mask of control had slipped somewhat, betraying a supportive smile.

Are they conspiring to make my choice more difficult?! Nodoka boggled. At least the next case would be easy to counter. While the Chinese girl's enthusiastic and determined pursuit of her son was a gratifying testament to his manliness, her claim was weak and hearing it out now was merely a formality. She nodded to Kasumi to usher in the next group.

Nodoka had thought perhaps the Chinese girl would adhere to her own culture rather than respect Japanese traditions and make her task even easier by showing up inappropriately garbed (As she understood was her wont). Instead, the lavender hair girl stepped into the dojo as perfectly groomed and traditionally Japanese as the others. She suddenly recognized her movements and posture to be an almost perfect mimic of that of the Kuonichi girl, though they lacked the ease of familiarity Konatsu had displayed. In retrospect, all of them showed signs they'd been coached by Ukyou's retainer, further suggesting a baffling collusion between them.

Shampoo's Great-grandmother stepped forward, forgoing her usual habit of hopping about on her staff like a pogo stick. She lead her granddaughter forward and they both bowed. "I am Khu Long, Elder of the Joketsuzoku tribe, from the Byankala Mountains. I present to you my Great-granddaughter and heir, Xian Pu, who wishes to be married to Ranma Saotome in accordance with Joketsuzoku law."

Nodoka felt a cold ball form in the pit of her stomach. Had Nabiki coached them as well? How could she possibly strengthen their claim to match the others!? "Very well, you may present your rirekisho if you have one."

Cologne made her way to the sidelines as Shampoo knelt and presented what Nodoka had been dreading; another folder, identical to all the others. Inside was an expertly tailored package of information. They had even included copies of their legal documentation, from work visas to the business license for their restaurant, proving it was all quite legitimate and legally airtight. All of her obvious, easy questions addressed and resolved.

Nodoka could feel a migraine coming on. "Shampoo-san… I apologize for not quite being able to pronounce your name correctly."

"Is of no concern, Saotome-san," Shampoo said, smiling. "Japanese pronunciation is like familiar nickname. Sh… I do not mind it."

"I notice your Japanese is… somewhat flawed," Nodoka said, catching the girl correcting herself.

Shampoo nodded, surprisingly unperturbed by the observation. "Yes. I am working to correct, with help of Ai… Ranma. I have enrolled at Furinkan to further work on my skills."

"And you don't feel your lack of language skills is a matter of concern?"

Shampoo's smile shifted, a flicker of a smirk that told Nodoka she had stumbled into a trap. "Perhaps, but Japanese is Sham… my sixth language, after Persian, Greek, Latin, Cantonese and Mandarin. Takes time to learn. But I feel that it should not hamper me overmuch as Ranma travelled through China without learning any of our languages in a similar time. Way of speaking is… more of an affectation now."

Nodoka could tell the whole delivery was rehearsed, which meant the objection had been predicted and now not only been expertly shot down but turned into an advantage for the girl. She was beginning to recognize some of the signatures of Nabiki's style and realized she was still demonstrating her Art, now via proxy.

"I… yes… That does make sense," Nodoka took a deep breath. This was not going as well as she had hoped. "I do understand that you intend to return with Ranma to China and your village. You understand that would not be acceptable, don't you?"

Again, Shampoo was unfazed. "On contrary. Understand Saotome-san wishes to ensure son becomes strongest martial artist, yes? Most powerful techniques Ranma possess currently given to him by Joketsuzoku. Many more available to him once he marry into tribe. China home to many more challenges and ancient knowledge and techniques than Japan, as well as many skilled trainers and opponents. Sha… my family will run Nekohanten, providing home and income in Japan so can easily travel back and forth. Ranma have much larger range to journey and train as well as many many willing pupils with Joketsuzoku. Children be born with dual citizenship, travel and training even easier, be raised steeped in more traditional kenpo ways in village and learn ways of world in Japan."

Nodoka gaped at her, then dropped her eyes, looking over the rirekisho. This was maddening! Every avenue she had to pare down her list of choices was being expertly parried and the decision was only becoming more impossible by the second! "There still remains the matter of the engagement. It was not agreed upon by myself, Ranma or my husband, so…"

"Actually, matter is matter of Joketsuzoku law. Ranma issue formal challenge according to accepted forms, Shampoo accept and Ranma win. Law clear on matter," Shampoo interrupted.

"But this is not your village, this is Japan and Japanese laws apply here," Nodoka said, standing her ground.

"Incident happen in China, however," Shampoo replied, still cool and composed.

"Ranma was not aware of the law when he made the challenge nor was he male at the time. I believe that you gave him the Kiss of Death, not the Kiss of Marriage, before you arrived in Japan, did you not?"

Shampoo looked down. "Is true, Shampoo gave incorrect kiss, due to lack of understanding of nature of curse. But law applies to the reality of the challenge, not perception, and ignorance of law is not acceptable defense in either China or Japan. Elders of village have punished Shampoo accordingly and have ruled Kiss give on Joketsuzoku lands as Kiss of Marriage. In lieu of pursuing extradition proceedings, Shampoo ask merely to be considered as candidate for marriage."

Extradition…! Nodoka's head reeled. She did not know if Japan had an extradition treaty with China but the matter of honor was clear regardless; Martial Artists must abide by the conditions of the challenge. As the challengers, the onus was on them to determine what those were. The fact that the matter appeared to have legal teeth simply made it more clear that she could not simply set the claim aside without due consideration. "It… appears I can find no reason to object further to your claim, Shampoo-san. Given the circumstances, your request for consideration is entirely fair and what you offer is exactly the kind of support which would secure my son's future. Again…" She shot a glance at Nabiki. The girl's mask did not so much as waver.

"Thank you, Saotome-san," Shampoo said with a smile. She stood and walked over to settle with her great grandmother on Akane's right.

I was supposed to quickly reduce the number of fiancees and yet all I've managed is to officially confirm them! I had thought that only Akane and Ukyou would be serious contenders, but now the matter is completely muddled! She looked again at Nabiki. And this was YOUR doing, wasn't it Nabiki? Why? She sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. Perhaps this last one, at least, would be straightforward. She motioned for Kasumi to show the girl in.

Kodachi Kuno immediately dispelled that notion. The girl was dressed in a more elaborate, but fully traditional kimono, suitable for a bride in waiting. She was flanked on her right by a short, stocky little man in a shinobi's dogi.

Her bearing and countenance were nothing less than stunning. The girl was not only demure but had an air of nobility and refinement that the other girls had lacked. There was a serenity in her expression and her movements had a dancer's grace. She displayed all of the ease Konatsu had shown, speaking of long experience with tradition. She looked as if she had stepped out of an old painting.

"My name is Sasuke Sayogakura, retainer to the family Kuno," the little man man in the suit said with an solemn air. "I present my lady, Kodachi Kuno, daughter of Tatsuyuki Kuno, sister of Tatewaki Kuno, who has been promised to be wed to Ranma Saotome."

"Very well. You may present your rirekisho if…"

The retainer hobbled forward and produced an absolutely massive leather-bound tome and dropped it on the table with a grunt. The table creaked dangerously under the weight.

"... you have one…" Nodoka finished. She tentatively opened the book as Kodachi took her position across from her.

"I present myself for your approval, Saotome-sama," Kodachi said, bowing formally.

The book was apparently a professionally published account of the girl's life and included full color pictures and illustrations. It was hundreds of pages long and printed on very heavy, glossy stock. Nodoka spent a few awkward moments skimming through its pages.

"If there is something specific you wish to know, you will find there is a full index at the back," Kodachi supplied helpfully.

Nodoka nodded and continued her examination. While it lacked the concise focus of Nabiki's carefully groomed rirekisho, the account in the book was nonetheless impressive, outlining achievements, family lineage, holdings, family history and testimonials. From what she could glean from a brief scan, the Kuno family was of unquestionably noble blood, traced back to at least three prominent samurai clans and had close ties with innumerable figures of wealth, nobility and political power. The family also had a long and illustrious martial arts history and was considered the root of several prominent kendo styles.

"Your credentials are… rather impressive," Nodoka admitted finally. "I can see you have put a great deal of effort into preparing for this."

"I have been eager to make your acquaintance for some time, Mother," Kodachi said to her, her eyes bright and sparkling. She blushed and covered her mouth. "I mean… Saotome-sama. Please, forgive my presumption. I have been anticipating this day in my mind and… I have not had someone to call 'mother' in so very long."

Nodoka smiled. She had to admit it did feel nice to be called that. "That's quite alright, dear. Now… I see you are quite devoted to my son."

"I would do anything for my Darling Ranma," Kodachi said solemnly. "There would be no sacrifice too great for him. This effort is but barely a trifle."

Nodoka blinked, hearing her own words from the girl. "I appreciate that and it brings me great joy to know my son's manliness has drawn so many to flock to him."

"In truth, he is a paragon of manliness that none can match," Kodachi said earnestly. "I fear even my noble brother struggles to contest him that."

Nodoka smiled again, then her face fell. "That too makes me happy to hear. However, as genuine as your affection for my son may be, there is no formal agreement between the Saotome and Kuno houses."

Kodachi smiled. She snapped her fingers and her manservant handed her a rolled up parchment which she unrolled. "Actually, some time ago, your husband, Genma Saotome, signed this agreement with my family." She pointed to her husband's unmistakable signature. "It has also been signed by my brother in his capacity as acting head of the Kuno family and fully notarized."

"WHAT!?" Ranma yelped and darted forward to look over his mother's shoulder. Everyone else in the dojo was staring in shock.

Everyone except Genma who was trying very quietly to leave.

"I… see…" Nodoka gaped at the evidence before her. "When was this…?"

"Don't you remember darling?" Kodachi smiled up at Ranma. "It was during that unpleasantness with the Tendo finances last year." She smiled at Nodoka. "As much as the Tendo claim is contrary to mine, I couldn't well allow my darling future husband to suffer malnourishment! So I ensured there was ample food and provided a small stipend for your husband to contribute to his and Ranma's room and board here…"

"A… stipend," Soun said, taking interest himself as he scooted over. "How much is this stipend?"

"Oh, a pittance - a mere 500,000 yen or so a month. He assured me every bit of it was going towards his son and the upkeep of the Tendo Dojo. The checks are cashed quite promptly. I do hope it's sufficient? I can double it if it's required."

Soun twitched. "No… no… that's quite alright. I will just need to… discuss the matter with Saotome."

"I see… so… this document was signed in exchange?" Nodoka said carefully.

"Oh, not at all. This would hardly be an acceptable dowry!" Kodachi said, aghast. "This was signed in exchange for the dojo and fitness center that I had constructed downtown for Ranma's use. You remember that, don't you Ranma? Your father was kind enough to sign the documentation for you, though I did absolutely insist it be in Ranma's name, not his, as he suggested. We have been placing the operating proceeds in trust for your family, to be signed over once you formally take possession."

"Oh… my…" Nodoka felt a sinking sensation. Of all of the agreements, her husband had signed formal, legal documentation on this! "You… do understand there are others who have a claim to my son's hand, don't you?"

"Mom, you can't seriously be…" Ranma started to protest.

"Nodoka, you can't possibly…!" Soun sputtered at the same time

"Ranma, sit down!" Nodoka didn't look at him. She was tired of the appalling lack of restraint. She glared at Soun. "You too! If you wish to remain at this omiai, you will conduct yourself with a measure of decorum! Now, Ranma… this girl has gone to great lengths for this and has been promised the same as all the others. She is due her consideration… allow me to consider."

"I…" Ranma looked like he was about to protest again but Nodoka merely slowly turned and looked at him. The coldness in her stare drove him back down to his seat.

Nodoka took a deep breath. "As I was saying… Marriage to my son is a… contentious issue, you understand."

"I do," Kodachi bowed her head. "A mother is the final judge of what is best for her son, is she not? To that end I submit myself for your approval, with no further stipulations beyond that I be considered fairly." She closed her eyes. "I have absolute confidence that I am the one who can shepherd Ranma to the greatness for which he is destined. I humbly ask for the chance."

Again, Nodoka was impressed. And this time, WITHOUT coaching from Nabiki Tendo! She thought, feeling a bit soured by the whole matter now. She did not appreciate manipulation and, though the motive was incomprehensible to her, she knew Nabiki Tendo was manipulating her. At least Kodachi seemed honest and earnest, though there was still the matter of whether she could support her son. "I presume financial matters are of no concern, given your family's reputation. However, my son is not destined for the lap of luxury nor idle wealth. He has a destiny to perfect his Art. How do you propose you will support him in this?"

Kodachi smiled, snapped her fingers again, and her manservant produced for her a rolled tube of paper, which she spread out on the table. It was a world map. "Ranma will need to travel far and wide in order to add knowledge and techniques to his school and to test them against worthy opponents. I have taken the liberty of sending investigators around the globe to track down the most skillful martial artists, to verify rumours of ancient training grounds or techniques and to acquire any training manuals or documentation being sold or otherwise available for procurement. This is what they have found in their preliminary survey. I have also marked the nearest airports accepting international flights and I have a private jet available for Ranma's personal use whenever he desires. It is currently waiting for him at Tokyo International Airport, if you would care to take a jaunt?"

Nodoka looked over the map. It was crowded with notes, flagged locations and travel routes. Multiple reference to other maps suggested that each area had its own more in-depth documentation. Nodoka began to wonder about the possibilities with such resources at Ranma's disposal. "And… what of your own ambitions? Your own Art?"

"With all due respect, Saotome-sama… My only purpose is to see my Darling Ranma succeed. No other ambition comes close," Kodachi said. "I would see the Saotome family flourish and join the Kuno family once more on the pillars of the nobility to which a family of samurai heritage is entitled! It is a cause I am willing and able to devote my life to wholeheartedly, as well as the happiness of my Darling Ranma."

Nodoka nodded. "I see." Total devotion to my son, the resources and prestige of a noble family… and a legally binding agreement. "Given the weight of evidence and your commitment to this, I cannot in good conscience dismiss your claim." She smiled at Kodachi. "I will give you your chance, Kuno-san."

Kodachi broke out into tears, which she demurely dabbed at with a handkerchief. "Forgive me, Mo… Saotome-sama… I have… I have struggled and hoped and prayed for so long to hear just those words." She reached out and clasped Nodoka's hands. "You will not regret this. No matter the outcome, I will honor your kindness a thousandfold, you have my vow!"

Nodoka smiled back, feeling her heart soften towards the girl. She gently patted her on the head. "I know you will, dear. You have done well. Now, go compose yourself and relax. There will be refreshments served and time to talk about the next meeting and how to resolve this little conundrum of ours."

Kodachi bowed, stood and glided elegantly over to the opposite side of the room as the others, along with her manservant, settling onto the cushion he set for her.

"Well, then…" Nodoka said, taking a deep breath. "It seems… the fiancee count is now five. I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"

000

In the kitchen, Kasumi busied herself silently with the preparation of lunch for the gathering while Nodoka sat at the table in the family room, sternly lecturing her husband. Soun sat at the table with them, a vacant expression on his face as though he had lost the will to live. Nabiki, Akane, Shampoo and Ukyou clustered together by the koi pond and Kodachi sat under a tree some distance away as she gave orders to Sasuke.

"Well, that could have gone better!" Ukyou hissed. "What are we supposed to do about Kodachi!?"

"Crazy girl not threat before, just nuisance. Now…?" Shampoo looked over her shoulder. "Could take care of quietly…"

"Easy, girls," Nabiki held up a hand to try and calm them. "That went better than you think. Nodoka was planning to eliminate some of us from the running. The fact that we all made it through means she's been forced to decide we're all acceptable. That's huge."

"I don't know. She considers Kodachi acceptable too," Akane muttered.

"Kodachi is rich. That makes you acceptable in a lot of people's books," Nabiki replied. "But we're in a position to offer something Kodachi can't and wouldn't even if she could."

Shampoo smirked. "Manly man have four fiancees. Manlier man have four wives, yes?"

"Exactly. And the fact she didn't immediately eliminate Shampoo over going back to China means it's an option she might accept, which means we have alternatives to dealing with the Himura problem," Nabiki grinned. "We just have to broach the subject with her the right way and at the right time, and we've got a deal Nodoka can't refuse!"

"Do my ears deceive me?" A dry croak came from about knee level. They looked down to see Cologne standing there with a bemused expression. "Am I to understand that you are actually advocating for Son-in-law to return with us to China?"

"I'm advocating for all of us to return to China, and only after the Nekohanten and Ucchan's are self-sufficient," Nabiki clarified. She kept the confident facade in place but she felt a pang of dread at dealing with Cologne after their last encounter.

"I admit I am impressed, Nabiki Tendo," She said, hopping up on her staff. "It is not many people who can lie to my face and get away with it."

"And I'm not one of them," Nabiki said confidently. "Nothing I said was untrue."

"You said you had no interest in son-in-law."

"At the time that was true. I had resolved to fix his issues so he could pick one of his other fiancees. It wasn't until later that Akane convinced me to throw my hat back in."

"Hnnh. And you expect me to believe you are not manipulating my great granddaughter for your own ends now that your motivations are somewhat less altruistic?"

"Why would I need to? My actions are perfectly in line with the best interests of the Amazons."

"Our 'best interests' are to return to China with son-in-law with as little fuss as possible. You are requiring rather considerable compromises to that…"

"Compromises that aren't actually compromises because, rather than netting a single martial artist of Shampoo's calibre or better, you net three - which was your goal all along when you instructed Shampoo to give the Kiss of Sisterhood to Akane and Ukyou and fast-tracked their qualification. This has been your best-case scenario since the moment you realized your great granddaughter fancied my little sister. You just haven't had any way to actually accomplish it until I came along to make it all work, which I did instead of just jumping a plane with Ranma and disappearing into the American midwest."

"Which was your plan B. I found the plane tickets in your room. I opted not to 'wake you up so you could watch me kill you in your sleep' at that point, as you put it. You do have a tendency to dramatics when you are excited, child."

"And you aren't prone to being accommodating when it doesn't suit your purposes, yet you've been perfectly accommodating to us. Even suspiciously forthcoming which tells me that helping us get what we want is not only getting you everything you want, but you figure you're getting one hell of a bargain. Either that, or you know as well as I do that this is your only chance in hell of Ranma willingly going back to China and fathering that new generation of Amazons you are so desperate for, much less get two more top tier martial artists to join the tribe in the bargain. So perhaps we should talk about you sweetening the deal a little?"

Cologne regarded her for a few more moments with that inscrutable wrinkled mask, then broke out into creaking laughter. "Oh you are a treat, Nabiki Tendo! I had no idea I would enjoy your antics this much. But, there is a misconception on your part."

"Oh?" Nabiki crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You presume I am satisfied with securing three skilled in the Art. I demand four." With that she hopped up on her staff and, before Nabiki could react, planted a kiss on her forehead.

Nabiki blinked, her hand reflexively moving up to the spot though she refrained from touching.

"As a blooded Joketsuzoku warrior and matriarch and elder of the tribe, I name you Sister and blood of my blood. To prove your worth to your sisters, I declare a Challenge, and it is thus:" Her face cracked into a crooked grin. "Succeed, Nabiki Tendo. Win Ranma by whatever means you see fit and by whatever arrangement. I have seen your Art today and deem it worthy of the Joketsuzoku."

Nabiki blinked. "That easy, huh?"

"Oh, nothing about this is going to be easy, child," Cologne chuckled. "You have opted for perhaps the most impossible route through all of this."

"How impossible the route is doesn't matter if it's the only one," Nabiki replied.

"It's hardly the only one. But… I think at this point it is the only one you would accept." Cologne cocked her head. "Determination matched with a refusal to compromise can make for history's greatest fools, or its greatest conquerors. Merely seeing which you will become makes supporting you worthwhile." She hopped off her staff and used it to tap Nabiki soundly on the shin, hard enough to make her wince. "Though we are going to need to do something about your training. Even if your strengths are in more subtle forms of conflict, it does not do to have a Joketsuzoku who cannot fight."

"Ranma has agreed to train me," Nabiki said, though she remembered that they had only ever had the one session.

"And I'm sure he will in time, but for now Son-in-law has his hands full. I will see to your training personally." Cologne smiled again.

Nabiki swallowed nervously. Of all of Cologne's implied threats, that was the one that concerned her most.

"Well, that should be fun," Ukyou said with a smirk. "But, onto more pressing issues… has anyone seen Ranchan?"

000

"AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"

Ranma squatted under the bridge, pulling at his hair and rocking slightly on the embankment. "Five! Five! And one of them is Kodachi! Pops actually did sell me to the Kunos!" He closed his eyes tightly. "I'm going to school as a girl, I'm engaged to five girls, four of 'em want to marry me at the same time and the fifth is the yandere poster girl! I've got another girl who wants to make me her servant, my Mother is gonna pick who I marry and none of this has anything to do with Martial Arts!" He started to giggle softly. "This is a dream! It's just a dream. That's it! I had some leftovers for a midnight snack that were slightly off and now I'm just having a bananas dream! I bet I don't even turn into a girl in real life! I've just been out cold since before Jusenkyo! I've been in a coma for a couple of years! Yeah, that's it! Gotta be!" He shuddered. "Oh god, now being in a coma is preferable to my life..."

He dropped his hands to his sides and slumped, looking into the water. "Nabiki said she was going to calm things down. Mom said she was going to calm things down. But everything just keeps getting more and more nuts!" He chuckled but there was a hysterical edge to it. "It might not even be that bad if I wasn't stuck between Mom with her Seppuku contract and Himura and her threats to send me to jail for being a pervert."

He tried to find some serenity in the flowing water, watching as the ripples distorted his reflection. "I wonder if it could actually work? I mean… it's insane, right? Even for us." He picked up a rock and threw it, skipping it across the river's surface. "No, what's insane is that Akane was the one who tried to sell me on it first. How did I go from getting malleted for looking crosswise at her or any other girl to her trying to seduce me in the bath and suggesting I hop in bed with her and three other girls? Not at the same time, of course…" He paused. "I… well, I never actually asked about that, did I?" A rather pleasant, utterly hentai mental image passed through his mind and he quickly squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay, NO. Shut down that idea fast, Saotome. You'd never survive the beating from that one. Or worse… they could think it's a good idea and kill you that way. I mean, Shampoo alone… Augh, stop!" He beat the heels of his hands into his temples a few times. "Ugh, I'm turning into the pervert Akane used to accuse me of being!"

He sighed. "Still… it'd be nice though, right? To just be together and not fight?" He lay back and folded his hands behind his head. "Kinda wish I hadn't run now. It would be nice to talk to them all together like they are. Just… to see what it feels like."

"I can't talk to them now, though. Not after I ran out like that. But I need to talk to someone… someone other than myself, I mean." He sighed again. "Ucchan, Nabiki, Akane… heck, even Shampoo would've been good… but they're all part of this. Mousse? Like he needs even more reasons to try and kick my ass. 'Hey, Mousse, wanna help me smooth things over so I can be in a group marriage with Shampoo? It's cool, my Mom likes her!'... yeah… Hiroshi and Daisuke? They'll be paragons of empathy I'm sure. One of these days those jerks are gonna come to me with romantic problems and I'm gonna laugh… Sayuri and the girls? No, no, no, that'd be weird… Do they even know about any of this? Don't wanna think how Rin would react…" He huffed in frustration and stared at the underside of the bridge for a while.

"No," He said to no one in particular.

He closed his eyes quietly and tried to relax, to clear his mind.

"I'm not doing that. I said I was gonna take some time away and, if I went, I'd have to go as a girl which would just make this even more awkward."

Silence.

"Nope. Not happening."

000

Ryouga had been enjoying his Sunday. Ranma had been right. Extended contact had made the effects of the treatment last longer and, although he could feel the effects fading, he'd had an amazing day just exploring his own house. He had found things he had lost when he was a little kid… heck, there was even a room he hadn't been able to find for years that he finally tracked down. And it was amazing to have a mental picture of how the inside of his house related to the outside.

And no, he apparently did not have a garage. He hoped whoever did own the garage would take good care of their electric teakettle.

It had all been a nice distraction from thinking too much about how he had gotten this brief respite from directionlessness. Getting a certain redhead off his mind was exactly what he needed to restore his equilibrium and get back to normal.

Which is why he was less than pleased when he answered a knock at his front door (He still knew where that was!) to find the damp, somewhat dishevelled redheaded source of both his newfound sense of direction and newfound emotional equilibrium problems standing there.

They both just stood there for a moment, as the awkward silence stretched out.

Ryouga knew this was a bad idea. He could already tell. This was something he didn't need right now. Ranma knew that. There was no shame in acting on that. I'll just close the door. I'll just close the door, and…

"Hi, Ryouga," she finally said softly.

God damnit. Ryouga sighed in defeat and stepped back, silently motioning for her to come inside.

She had a sheepish expression, her blue eyes peeking out at him from under damp crimson bangs. Rather than being all girly, she was just wearing her usual red chinese shirt and loose black training pants. For once she wasn't actually trying to be cute, she just was.

Ryouga knew that being aware of that - much less so acutely - was probably bad for his sanity. "So what brings you here, Saotome? Akane realize you're a jerk and kick you out of the Tendo's place?" He walked inside and hopped over the back of the couch to sprawl heavily onto one side of it. He didn't spare her another glance.

"That I could deal with," Ranma said. She hopped over the back of the couch as well and landed relatively close to him. There was a respectable amount of space between them but Ryouga subtly scooted a few inches further away for good measure. "Where's your Mom?"

"Out back, gardening. I think she's also chatting with the neighbors," Ryouga replied nonchalantly.

Ranma clasped her hands in her lap and hunched over to stare at the floor. "Mom went ahead with her omiai thing. She was gonna cut down the number of 'official' fiancees I've got from three to two - or hopefully just one."

Ryouga glanced at her then went back to looking elsewhere. "She cut the one you actually wanted to be with and now you're regretting not saying anything?"

"I now have five fiancees."

Ryouga turned and gaped at her. He snickered, which turned into giggles, which turned into a guffaw and finally into full-on uncontrollable laughter.

Ranma glared at him. "Thank you so much for your supportiveness, Ryouga."

Ryouga took a few more moments to recover and struggled to get his giggling fit under control. "If… If you wanted support why… why the hell… ~snerk~ why the hell did you come here!?"

Ranma glared at him a few moments more. Then the anger faded from her face and she looked at the floor again and hunched over even more. "Because… because I don't have anyone else I can talk to about this."

Ryouga's laughter faded fast, very quickly replaced with guilt and a not insignificant amount of panic. Oh crap, she's serious! "L-look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…!"

"Yeah, this was a mistake. Sorry to bother you." Ranma put her hand on the back of the couch and turned away from him, vaulting over the back again.

"No, wait!" Ryouga lurched out of his seat and made a wild grab. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing or what his plan was or even why he was doing it. Ranma being there was bad. Ranma being in close proximity was worse. And all of it because it could lead to the third thing which, as his hand landed on hers, he realized he had just made happen.

Both of them gasped softly as the link opened in the instant that Ryouga's hand covered hers. Ryouga felt the rush of emotion from her, his mind already sorting the colors and shapes. Fear, anxiety, loneliness…

I need to let go of her hand!

Their eyes locked. Her gaze had the slight lack of focus he was sure his did as she sorted through everything she was getting from him. His hand twitched. He could feel her emotions shift. Embarrassment, confusion… relief? More anxiety…

Let go of her hand dumbass!

Was her face closer? More 'warm' emotions now. The initial feelings were cycling into the background now as something more immediate supplanted them. More anxiety? No, that was more… anticipation, maybe. He couldn't move his hand. It wasn't paralyzed but he couldn't seem to muster the will to move it. Tension and uncertainty, definitely. Conflict. Impatience? Something else started to emerge, new emotions that were very warm colors.

LET GO OF HER HAND!

Ryouga finally found the will to jerk his hand back, overcoming the strange paralysis that had gripped him. He realized they were a lot closer to each other than when they had started as both of them had leaned forward. They were still a good foot apart but it remained disconcerting.

They didn't immediately jump back, the normal reflex to such situations. There wasn't really any point. This was way outside the realm of 'embarrassing misunderstanding'. 'Embarrassing understanding' was probably a better term for it.

Ryouga turned away from her, crossed his arms and slumped onto the couch. He closed his eyes and spent a few breaths worth of time in silence trying to center himself. It's fine. It's fine! Just tell her to go. She'll understand. Just say 'Maybe now's not a good time, Ranma.'

He heard her settle onto the couch next to him. He could see her in his mind's eye. That acute hyperawareness that came with the link was lingering and he could see her as plainly as if his eyes were open, curled up small on the couch, her hands in her lap. He heard a rustle and knew she had pulled her legs up and was hugging her knees as she stared at the far wall.

Ryouga clenched his jaw. She had seen. He knew she had seen it. It was right there, on the surface, she'd have to have been blind not to see it. And in a minute she would say something and make it real and if he could just hold that off for a few moments… Just tell her you need a minute. Tell her you're going to go make some tea. Tell her you hear your Mom calling you. SAY SOMETHING! Quick, before… before she…!

"I didn't know," Ranma said softly.

DAMNIT! He let go of the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and slumped back in the padding, squeezing his eyes closed more tightly.

"Why didn't you say something?" She asked, again in that small voice.

He desperately wanted her to be loud and brash and obnoxious - to laugh and ridicule - to protest - to make a stupid joke, something - anything other than this!

"What did you want me to say?" He asked finally, not looking at her. "It's not like I'm the only one. I'm not even the only one who also knows about the curse."

"Yeah, well, most of them see me as a person about as much as they do the ecchi posters they have on their bedroom doors. You're not like that."

"You don't know that. You haven't seen my bedroom lately."

"... Was that an invitation?"

"What!? No!"

"Sorry! That was… sorry…" Ranma fidgeted next to him, wincing. "I was just trying to make a joke… I just…" She hugged her knees tighter. "I was… I was thinking about this last night."

Ryouga finally looked at her, wide-eyed. "About this!?"

Ranma winced again. "Not this! Not the… the poster… thing…" She blushed and buried her face. "... Maybe a little about the poster thing."

Ryouga covered his face with his hand. "Ranma, you're engaged to a girl. You're engaged to five girls. Last time I checked you've told at least two of them that you love them…"

"I do!"

"Yeah, I know," Ryouga muttered. "The only reason you're still breathing right now is because anytime you say Nabiki or Akane's name your whole emotional… whatever goes nuts. I'm still not sure I can forgive you for not having to deal with being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way or even having to choose between the ones you love!" Ryouga let his hand slide away, his jaw muscles tensing. "You've got more than any person deserves to have, ever, and you're doing shit like this!?"

"I know. I know..." Ranma said. "Do you think I want to feel this way?"

"I don't know, Ranma. You keep saying that, but here you are! As a girl, no less!" Ryouga threw up his hands in exasperation. "You can't seem to ever let things lie! God damnit Ranma, you're a guy!"

"Not right now I'm not!" She said hotly, clenching her fist and glaring at him.

"You don't get to just pick and choose like that! That's not how it works, Ranma!" Ryouga growled back.

"It is for me!"

The silence after that was deafening.

Ranma seemed intent on curling up tight enough to collapse herself into nonexistence. What was visible of her was nearly the same shade of red as her shirt.

Ryouga was just staring dumbly. He opened his mouth to say something, realized he had absolutely nothing and closed his mouth again.

"Still wish you had my curse, Ryouga?" She mumbled, muffled by her arms and legs. "You've never forgotten that you weren't a pig, I bet."

"You mean that time you hit your head and thought you were a girl?" Ryouga said nervously. "I don't think that really counts Ranma…"

"No!" She raised her head. Her eyes were red rimmed and glistening, like she was trying very hard to hold back tears. "You think any of this would be like that if it was that simple? It happens every day. More now that I'm spending so much time as a girl and it gets worse the longer I live with the curse! I'll just be doing whatever it is that I'm doing and I just… forget. Forget that… that this isn't really me! That this isn't right! I zone out and, just for a second, I can't remember which I originally was anymore!"

Ryouga swallowed, trying to comprehend that. Being P-chan did change stuff… but not to that degree! He had never been in danger of losing himself like that.

She shuddered and looked away. "Some days… I'm not even so sure if that would be so bad… That if I can't find a cure then maybe it would be better to just get locked as a girl rather than be stuck in-between like this." She rested her chin on her knees. "Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"No…" Ryouga admitted softly.

Ranma huddled a little tighter into her ball until she saw a hand extended towards her in the corner of her vision. She turned her head, staring at the offered hand uncomprehendingly.

"... But I could… If you want to show me. If that'll help," Ryouga finished.

Ranma looked up at him then down at his hand again. She slowly uncurled herself from her ball, eyes on his hand the whole time. She reached towards it finally, hesitated, then looked at him one last time, seeking confirmation.

Ryouga nodded trying to show more confidence than he was really feeling. Not that it would matter in a second or two.

She paused for a final half second then her hand snatched his and held on.

Ryouga closed his eyes and tried to relax, to put aside his own feelings for a moment and just try to see what she was seeing.

It was more chaotic than before. Confusion shot through with fear, shame, all encircling and binding other, warmer emotions.

Normally that was it. He never 'looked' too closely but this time he needed to understand, so he focused a little harder. Part of him didn't want to… part of him was really worried about how deep this link could go and if by pushing it he was changing the nature of it irrevocably.

For now, just impressions were enough to resolve the emotions a little further. A wish for acceptance… a fear of rejection… guilt was still complex, tied to multiple things at the same time, which all seemed to 'pull' in mutually exclusive directions. Some of those things ran very deep. Being a girl was all snarled up in the mess. Not just with the curse… buried in the knot were fears of involuntarily changes, of losing herself to something invasive… and below those were the curiosities. An odd sense of being comfortable… of conflict about her identity and a longing for peace… shame about things she didn't know about being female… or about being male. In fact, the shame was worse on that side because of the sense that these were things she should know, lacking the excuse of the curse.

Very deep but part of the foundation was a fear… of being found out? Of being an imposter. This was strong for both sides…

There was a disconnect for some of the feelings, like they didn't quite make sense in context. He realized that there was a schism, a divide between how things were felt by the male side and the female side. Not as dramatic as a split, but more like something one had experienced while drunk and remembered afterwards when sober again.

Ryouga retreated. He was getting too close to actual memories with that and he didn't want to cross that line. There was also a disconcerting sense he was getting very close to things referring to himself and this wasn't how he wanted to learn those things.

Her emotions were evening out now, the chaos calming. It was still there but muted. He wondered why until he realized it was the same as with the fear dredged up by their close call with the Neko-ken.

She doesn't want to be alone with it. He had been boggled by the mess of Ranma's emotions and the sheer impossibility of dealing with them all, but… maybe that wasn't the point?

"Ranma Saotome, you are the most messed-up person in all of Nerima," Ryouga said finally. He squeezed her hand gently to blunt any sting even though he was sure she would see what he meant regardless.

"You should talk," she murmured. She had relaxed, her eyes closed, almost meditative.

"I should. I don't like the competition," Ryouga replied. "You're… uhhhh… how deep are you looking?" He suddenly felt nervous.

She smiled. "You're worried I'm going to find something embarrassing. That's kinda cute," she said softly, not opening her eyes.

Ryouga flushed. He opened his mouth to protest that he didn't want to hear that from her when he felt a flicker from her through the link. Desire for acceptance. Does… she want me to just let that slide? He pondered that for a moment. She just let slip probably her darkest secret to me. She wants to know if I'm… okay with it? If… I'll accept her… as a girl?

Ryouga realized this was a rabbit hole, dark and deep and with no idea where it led. If he let this slide, he was going to lose his fight to maintain his mental image of Ranma Saotome and was going to have to redefine it from scratch. All of that comforting certainty, that safe place to vent his anger, the core purpose that he had used to push himself through the most difficult trials of his life was going be taken off life support and allowed to die at last, and he was going to have to face some absolutely terrifying possibilities and a whole lot of unknowns.

All you have to do is say 'I don't want to hear that from you, Saotome.' You can even say it playfully. She'll pass it off as a joke. That's all it'll take. She won't even get mad. Just say it and hang on to some shred of sanity!

He gently, timidly gave her hand a squeeze.

A whole lot of fear unravelled from that. Not quite disappearing, but receding, and drawing back from other feelings it had been strangling. And a new feeling that took a minute for him to identify because he hadn't felt it from her in all the time since the link had started acting as a bridge.

She felt safe.

"You don't have to worry," she said finally. "I'm just kind of… listening to the surface. When you calm down it's kind of relaxing. When you calm down." She cracked an eye open and smirked at him. "Which isn't all that often."

"You didn't come here to talk about my problems, though," He replied. "So… tell me about the omiai."

"Nothing you can really do about it."

"Doesn't matter. I still want to hear it."

She smiled and he felt a warm surge from that… and it was hard to tell if it was from the link or from within himself. She started talking, laying out the events of the day, colored by flickers of emotion through the link.

At some point - he didn't remember when - she shifted her hand and wove her fingers with his.

000

So… yeah, people who don't like RanxRyo stuff are probably not going to like me much after this.

I appreciate all of you who aren't fans of some of the themes I'm exploring with this, but are sticking with me anyway. I can't promise the story will always go comfortable places, but… I CAN promise I will write it to the best of my ability.

And yes, I intend to try and give Kodachi a fair shake too, as far as characterizations and motivations. And eventually Tatewaki will return.

And for those who are new from AO3? Congrats making it this far! There will be cookies at the finish line.