Ryouga's dreams had been a bit… strange as of late. A disproportionate number of them had involved a certain redhead. His recollection of them typically faded quickly, so he was spared any more than a faint disquiet about their actual content by the time he had to deal with the redhead in question in real life, but it wasn't unusual for him to wake up and need a moment to remember where he was and why she wasn't there.

So it was forgivable that when he was shaken awake one morning and he opened his eyes, it didn't seem at all odd that Ranma was there smiling down at him.

"Morning, Ryo!" she said. She seemed excited about something. "Time to get up!"

"Mnnn…" he groaned. "... thought it was...your turn to feed Sachiko…Didja go back in time an' forget again?"

Ranma cocked her head. "Sachiko? Who's Sachiko?"

Ryouga turned over onto his side. "Tell the… mnnnn… the guy who turns into a bear… to go to hell…"

Ranma shook him harder. "Ryouga, come on. Even I'm not this hard to wake up!"

Ryouga snorted. "Wha…? Your violin is in the hall, sweetie…" he mumbled, smiling at her.

"Sweetie!?" Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Ryouga, I dunno who you're dreaming about, but you'd better wake up now before I tell Akari about 'Sachiko'!"

Ryouga rolled back over, blinked, and then finally gained enough awareness to separate reality from the dream he had admittedly been enjoying rather thoroughly. His eyes widened and he scrambled backwards in the bed and immediately struck his skull against the headboard. "What are you doing in my room?!"

"Waking you up, dumbass." She had been on her hands and knees on his bed, and now she straightened up and smoothed out her skirt. She was dressed in her school uniform, as usual, though her hair was unbound and brushed out.

Ryouga grabbed the sheet and pulled it up, mindful he was only wearing boxers at the moment. "Why!? And what did you tell my Mom to get her to let you up here while I was sleeping?!"

"I didn't." Ranma thumbed towards the open window. "She was busy outside so I let myself in."

Ryouga clapped a hand over his eyes and slowly counted to thirty. Yelling or murdering the redhead would make noise that Mom would hear. Calm… slow… deep breaths… Kill Ranma AFTER. "Do you have any idea of how awkward it would be if she came in now and caught you in here like this?" he asked in a low, tight growl. He let his hand drop so he could glare at her. "She thinks you're a girl! And that I like you!"

Ranma shrugged. "We'll just tell her I already have a boyfriend. Say it's Ukyou. She's dressed as a boy when we come by every morning and I don't think she'd mind posing as one for your Mom to take some of the heat off."

"Yeah, great plan. Except I've been home for a couple of weeks now and I actually talk to my mother and I've already told her about Ukyou! And that she's a girl that dresses up as a boy out of habit," Ryouga said, frustrated.

Ranma smirked and waggled her eyebrows. "Then we tell her Ucchan is my boyfriend anyway and let her draw her own conclusions. Ucchan won't mind. It's pretty much the truth, after all."

"Or you could go back out the window quietly and without being seen and you can tell me why you had to wake me up so urgently on the way to school," Ryouga countered.

"I can't wait that long!" Ranma bounced on her toes. "I gotta talk to someone or I'll explode!"

"Or I could just let that happen and take a bit of extra time this morning cleaning up your bits," Ryouga said darkly.

"Come on, Ryo! Please?" She gave him an imploring look.

"Ranma, you have four fiancees. Any one of whom would be happy to sit rapt while you talk about pretty much anything," Ryouga rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced at the alarm clock. "... Oh holy crap, are you serious...? Do you even sleep Ranma!?"

"I can't talk to them! It's about them!" Ranma sat back down on the side of his bed and leaned towards him. "C'mon, Ryo, I'm begging you!"

The pose, combined with the imploring look, combined with the phrasing edged way too close to recent dream territory for him and he inched back again a bit. "Okay, okay! Can I at least get dressed first?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine!" She leaned back away and crossed her arms, pouting.

"Ummm… get out?" Ryouga said, motioning towards the window.

"Why? You ain't got anything I haven't seen before," She said, then added in a more thoughtful tone, "... literally, actually - and with me girl-side too. I'm surprised we haven't gotten into more trouble with that…"

Ryouga groaned. If having Ranma in his room was a dangerous situation, actually changing clothes would be a temptation the Fates would not be able to resist. Not that he'd entertain the idea regardless, not with that dream still fresh in his mind. "Okay, alright, you win! Tell me what you're so worked up about, then you can take a hike and let me get up in peace!" He paused, cocking his head. "Did something bad happen?"

Ranma grinned and turned back to face him. "No, no! It's all been good! Really good! I just… I needed someone to gush to about it, y'know? Normally I'd go to Ucchan, but part of it is about Ucchan, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable talking to Sayuri and the girls about this stuff yet, and I obviously can't talk to Hiroshi or Daisuke about it because… hello? They're Hiroshi and Daisuke..."

"Holy cow, did you eat a whole bag of coffee beans this morning?" Ryouga shook his head.

"Nope! Haven't actually had breakfast yet. Think I could get some here? Ukyou was still doing morning prep when I went out the door. I'll go back out and come in through the front door properly, promise!" Ranma was babbling a mile a minute. It would have been almost endearing at a more humane hour.

"Fine, fine…" Ryouga said, just wanting her to spit it out. "Gush already."

Ranma immediately flopped back on the bed, her arms spread out as she sighed. "I don't even know where to start…!"

"... Right. Plan B it is, I'll hide the body for now and dig the grave after school." Ryouga cocked his fist back.

Ranma squealed and crossed her arms over her face. "Okay, okay! I'll talk!" She giggled and peeked past her arms at him.

"Geez you're girly today!" Ryouga huffed and sat back against the headboard, crossing his arms.

"Am I?" She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Who cares, I'm in a good mood!" She sat up.

"So the dates are going well?" Ryouga asked, raising an eyebrow at how easily she shrugged off what once would have guaranteed a fight.

"It's gonna work, Ryo," she beamed. "For the first time, I can really see it working! I went on a date with Shampoo and… and we talked… I met her Greek grandparents…"

"Hold on, Greek Grandparents?" Ryouga held up a hand.

"Nice people - they lost their kids so they kinda adopted Shampoo, unofficially, and apparently she's got this whole life I know nuthin' about except now I do, and… and…" She blushed, "She and Nabiki…"

Ryouga shook his head frantically. "I don't need details, Ra…" He trailed off, his eyes widening. "She and Nabiki?!"

"Yup." Ranma waggled her eyebrows, grinning.

"Gah!" Ryouga covered his eyes. "Please… please don't make that expression while talking about your fiancees ever again. Especially while you're a girl!" He sighed. "... Congratulations, I guess? You're now guilty of at least one of the things Kuno hates and envies you for."

Ranma deflated a little. "C'mon, Ryo, don't be like that… This is… I didn't think this was ever gonna happen!"

Ryouga lowered his hand to peer at the girl. "... Seriously?!"

"Not without it blowing something else up so bad that it completely ruined it, or… or I'd screw up somehow, or...!" She flopped back on the bed again. "It's like… it was this big, looming thing that I was all twisted up and terrified of, and then when it finally happened…" She closed her eyes and sighed. "It was nice… it was wonderful, but that's just because it was with Nabiki and Shampoo. It wasn't anything like what I was expecting or afraid of."

Ryouga sighed and folded his arms again. "Well… good, I guess. I… uhh… hope the rest of the dates go as well?" He peered at her curiously. "I'm… I'm guessing you and Ukyou…"

"Yeah…" Ranma said softly, her expression getting more thoughtful. "I… that kind of altered my universe…"

"Better not let Nabiki or Shampoo hear you say that," Ryouga snorted.

Ranma closed her eyes. "Not like that, jerk." She took a deep breath. "When we… I was…" she paused, unsure how to explain. "I've been a girl since yesterday."

"What has that got to do with…" Ryouga started then trailed off. "Oh… Oh." Ryouga swallowed, mustering all of his willpower to avoid visualizing that. There was a good chance he wouldn't survive the blood loss the resultant imagery could cause. "W-well… I mean, if… if Ukyou is okay with it that way…"

"That's not it, Ryo…" Ranma rolled onto her side. Her hair fell about her face, framing her blue eyes as she looked at him. "I've been a girl. Up here." She tapped her head.

"Is… that bad?" Ryouga asked. "I mean… that happens sometimes anyway, right?"

She sat up, scooted closer and shook her head. Ryouga felt a slight twinge of panic as he realised how close she was to him on his bed.

"Here," she held out her hand. "That's part of why I wanted to see you. I was thinking you might be able to help me figure out what's going on in my own head?"

"I'm not your therapist, Ranma," Ryouga said, though he reluctantly took her hand. "Is it that bad?"

She shook her head again. "No! I mean…" She smiled. "I feel better than I have in a long time. I don't feel like I'm fighting myself anymore. I-I like this. I just feel… different."

Ryouga nodded, closed his eyes and tried to focus on the swirl of her emotions. There were definitely brighter colors now, currents and eddies mixing in cascading ripples of pastel. The sense of being comfortable with herself was no longer buried, but was nearer the surface, and the dark streaks of shame and fear he had sensed before were mostly gone. There were still a few, of course. Also the emotions he associated with her male side seemed less pronounced, though those he could see were generally much calmer and brighter as well. He opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"Well?" she asked. She chewed on her lower lip in a way that was unexpectedly adorable. It occurred to him that her lips seemed shinier. Lip gloss? THAT'S a step!

"Well… you got laid. What do you expect?" Ryouga tried to tug his hand away. "You're all happy-float-glowing from it. Pretty sure that's normal. You're definitely not as stressed out."

She smiled, but she held onto his hand. "Hey, hey, hey… Lemme listen a bit, okay?"

Ryouga looked away and blushed. "Ranma, I would really rather not be sitting here in my underwear in my bed and holding hands with you when my mother is liable to come in to wake me up for school any minute!"

"You've been grumpy and I wanna make sure you're okay," Ranma said back. "You never tell me anything so at least let me make sure it's not all darkness and despair in there again, okay?" She closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard.

Ryouga sighed in tired exasperation. "Ranma…" he said, but he didn't protest further. This is torture…

"Wow, this is actually a lot brighter than I thought," Ranma said. "It's not the muck anymore at least, but… wow… it's all churning. Chaotic. Dark mixed with lighter colors though… Oh… It's Akari, isn't it?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Or… someone else? You didn't meet another girl at school, did you? Is that who 'Sachiko' is?"

Ryouga groaned and let his head thunk back against the wall. "No, there's no girl. Sachiko is…" He sighed. "I was having a dream and Sachiko is… well in the dream anyway… She was my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Ranma's eyes widened. "What, you were dreaming about future domestic bliss?"

Ryouga sighed. "I guess? It's kind of muddled and there was this jackass who turned into a bear who kept on attacking us and we couldn't find this violin… I don't know why there was a violin… and my wife kept on swapping places with her past self and…" He shrugged. The imagery had already faded. "It's kinda gone now."

She grinned. "That actually sounds kinda cool. Weird, but cool. 'Sachiko', huh? That's a pretty name." She stretched before leaning back against the headboard. "So who was Mrs. Hibiki?"

"I don't remember," Ryouga lied. "It's kinda hazy."

"Does Akari play violin?"

Ryouga snorted. "Nobody I know plays violin. I honestly have no clue where the violin came from - just that it was very important and she was going to be upset if we didn't find it."

Ranma chuckled. "Geez, even in your dreams you can't help but get in trouble with girls." She closed her eyes and considered a moment. "Getting lost in time though… that would suck."

"There were alternate timelines too, I think? She tried to explain it to me but it sounded like gibberish. It probably was gibberish." He realised that she was leaning against his shoulder and her head was nodding. "Hey… hey! Don't fall asleep in here!"

"Why not? You don't hafta be up for 'nother hour…" She yawned and gestured lazily at the alarm clock.

Because you're in my bed! "Because… you'll be all groggy at school if you nap now." He took a breath. Okay, just get her to change back to a guy and that'll fix this. "Tell you what, I'll loan you some clothes, we can get you some hot water and then we'll spar a bit. Mebbe clear up the curse thing with Mom once and for all."

"No can do," Ranma mumbled. "Used th' waterproof soap this morning. Gotta game... need to be ready in case the Pineapple-head tries anything again. Gonna be a girl 'till Friday." Her head dropped against his shoulder.

"If you fall asleep, I swear, I'll tell Ukyou you slept in my bed," Ryouga bluffed.

"She'd kill you, not me." Ranma cracked an eye open and grinned.

"You're right," Ryouga said. "She'd just maim you, so she could nurse you back to health after you'd learned your lesson."

Ranma made a face but she was awake now. "Don't make my fiancee sound like such a yandere!"

"Then get out of my bed!" Ryouga growled. He rolled his eyes as she continued to hesitate. "Fine! Give me fifteen minutes to get dressed and cleaned up and then ring the doorbell and I'll get you breakfast."

"Deal!"

000

"Well, Tatewaki, I think we are all rather astounded by your physical recovery. Physiologically speaking, we have no further reason to keep you here." The Psychiatrist sighed and put aside her clipboard. "That being said, I still have reservations about releasing you to your family, given their… resistance to the treatment of your imbalance."

Imbalance, Tatewaki thought. It was the word Dr. Kamiya had chosen to use for it, referring to the chemical imbalance in his brain, but it was just a timid way of saying Madness. "I am aware, doctor. But unlike previous times, decisions regarding treatment are now my own and not my father's. I… feel I must see if I can reconcile that with my family or not now, before any plans for my future are made."

She looked doubtful for a moment but nodded. "I understand. Understand, though, that normally this would not even be an option. Your father has already proven himself to be disruptive to your treatment, and interfered with countless other psychiatric professionals who have attempted to treat you. I must stress that limiting your contact with him is vital to your recovery. And it is recovery, Tatewaki. Please know that. Your condition is, and always has been, entirely treatable."

Tatewaki held up the bottle of small white pills, examining them through the clear orange plastic. "So long as I hold tight to my 'sanity', yes?" He chuckled softly. "I do not think the bard who first penned that turn of phrase could have envisioned such a corporeal manifestation of it."

"If he interferes with your medication or attempts to co-opt your treatment again... even once…" The psychiatrist began.

Tatewaki closed his hand around the bottle. "No fear, doctor. I have been asleep for far too long." He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he smiled at her. "I intend to hold tight this time. I am no longer the boy he can bully or oppress into compliance. If there is strife, I will call you and I will find other arrangements."

"I'll need you to check in at least once a week," she said. "More if you feel you need it. That's in addition to your support group meetings. I also recommend that you find a new family doctor. I'm afraid your current physician has a somewhat… questionable reputation. I believe that's why your father chose him."

"I will," Tatewaki nodded, tucking the bottle into his pocket. He stood smoothly.

"And don't wait until the last minute to refill your prescription!" She stood and held out her hand to him. "I want you to be one of my success stories, Tatewaki."

He took the hand and shook it warmly. "I will endeavor to make you proud, Doctor."

000

Pride was perhaps the furthest thing from Tatewaki's mind when he said those words, of course. The doctor had cautioned him that depression could be a side-effect of the medication. That thought was almost amusing. A side effect! Like it would be abnormal somehow to come out of a years-long haze to discover you had become a raving madman.

Like father, like son, he thought bitterly. The doctor had told him that such things were often hereditary and that his father's problems were likely similar and could be similarly treated. As if the prideful buffoon would ever tolerate the indignity of the notion that his sanity came from a tiny white pill.

"You look tired, brother dear," Kodachi said as she led him from the hospital to the car. She was quite obviously annoyed by the chore of having to pick him up. Their father had refused, of course, reiterating his objections to Tatewaki's treatment. Tatewaki strongly suspected his father may have been hoping to just leave him there permanently.

"It's been a long few weeks," Tatewaki said. He looked her over, trying to reconcile the young, seemingly normal girl who walked next to him with the twisted, bizarre recollections of his sister from his time of confusion. "You look well. How are things with you?"

She looked up at him, surprised. Evidently this was not something he typically asked her. "W-well, if you must know… I am now engaged to marry my darling Ranma!" She played with her ponytail as a demure blush graced her cheeks. "His mother approves of me and I believe the rest of the omiai is merely a formality."

Ranma Saotome. That was a name that was prominent in his mind, drawing forth dim recollections of rage, frustration and maniacal glee. He shuddered, loathe to think about what injustices he had visited upon his junior in his delusion. "Congratulations. I… fear that my recollections of Ranma are suspect at the moment, but I do recall he was a tremendously talented martial artist."

He tried to imagine Kodachi in a wedding dress and failed. Instead, all that would come to him were his clearest memories of her; of the young girl who always came to dinner filthy from playing in her garden, or talking excitedly about some exotic flower or plant that she had coaxed into blooming for her. Sometimes she would even bring a blossom to show him.

"You don't seem excited, dear brother. You don't approve? This would clear the way for you to woo your beloved Akane Tendo, after all," she said sourly.

Tatewaki sighed. "No, I… no…" He shook his head. "I am happy for you sister. I just… I am having trouble imagining you being a woman already. I have missed so much of your growing up already."

Her expression softened, her confusion evident. "But… you have been there, brother."

He shook his head again. "No, I haven't, Dachi. I have languished indulgently in fevered fantasy." His hand went into his pocket, closing around the bottle. "As for Akane Tendo… I have wronged her and her sisters grievously. If half of what I remember doing is fact and not just the hallucinations of a mad waking dream then… I scarcely know how to make amends to her, much less court her."

Kodachi scowled. She stopped and turned to face him. "You are many things, dear brother, and many of them have been detestable, but I will not have you be this! I will not have you devalue and deny all you have done with your head down and your eyes on the dirt!" She made an effort to let the surge of anger pass. "Yes, you have been a mad fool. But you have always been there when I needed you - even when father wouldn't or couldn't. And one thing you always taught me, no matter how we clashed, was to keep my head up, my back straight, and my eyes forward. You are a Kuno, not some mewling sycophant!"

He blinked in surprise at the fierceness in her voice and straightened his posture almost reflexively. "Yes… of course," he said. "I am sorry, Dachi."

"You haven't called me 'Dachi' in…" she said softly, then shook her head. "No, nevermind. It is time to get you home, brother." She walked to the limo where one of the many servants whose name he had never bothered to learn opened the door for them.

He glanced back at the hospital one last time. I do not wish to return here. He scowled. I do not wish to live my life huddled in sanctuaries or addled by my own demons. I WILL find my way this time. He stepped into the car and let the closing door block it from view.

000

Nabiki stretched, working out the kinks in her muscles. She didn't know if Cologne had started going easier on her or if she was somehow getting accustomed to her training or if it was the massage Shampoo had given her, but her usual crippled morning gait had been replaced with just a few aches and a little soreness.

She glanced back to see Shampoo walking beside Akane, whispering something in her ear that caused them both to giggle. She smiled, glad to see them getting along without needing some crisis or Ranma to drag them together. She could also see Shampoo was getting more artful with putting Akane at ease with physical contact. The Amazon had been on remarkably good behaviour that night. Nabiki's chat with her about her sister's hangups had helped, though she suspected Shampoo was just easing into seducing her as more of a soft sell.

You should probably just give up, little sister, Nabiki thought, bemused as she noticed a slight blush color Akane's cheeks when Shampoo leaned close. Shampoo had gotten more skillful with 'innocent' or 'accidental' touches that managed to skirt the line and slip under Akane's radar. A brush of the fingertips here, an accidental bump there, letting her weight rest against Akane, little touches that lasted just a second too long. It was all starting to have an effect as Akane's complexes and hang ups about physical intimacy gradually crumbled under Shampoo's careful stoking of Akane's long-repressed passions. Nabiki had a little internal wager on whether Shampoo was going to get her way or end up unleashing something even the hedonistic Amazon wasn't prepared for. Her money was on the latter and she planned to be a safe distance when it happened. Perhaps America…

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Just once, a text message. She fished it out and tapped the screen.

Your request is being considered. We will be in further contact during your free period. Be alone once it starts and we can continue our conversation.

Alibaba

There was no sending number or any other information, which should have been impossible as her phone was set not to accept messages or calls from unknown numbers. Nabiki blinked then thumbed the screen off and pocketed the phone.

It wasn't that she didn't want to know more but she knew that staring at her phone was pointless and would draw attention. She sighed, not liking how often she was getting pulled aside for these secret meetings with shadowy figures.

At least it's not some big guy in a nondescript sedan, she thought. But it did remind her that she had several things in the air that she needed to attend to, as pleasant as recent distractions had been. Her eyes fell on Rin, who had been uncharacteristically subdued, walking at the edge of the cluster formed by the volleyball team. She quickened her pace to draw even with her.

"Hey Rin? Everything okay?" she asked. It wasn't entirely an empty gesture as anything that brought the normally chipper girl down was a cause for concern even if she wasn't part of the inner circle of emotional train wrecks Nabiki was trying to keep from bursting into flames.

"Hmmm?" Rin looked up then blinked and rubbed her eyes as if she were just waking up. "Oh! No, no… I'm just tired. I didn't sleep so well."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Nervous about the game today?"

Rin shook her head. "Mnnn. Not really. It's just… I suppose I'm still a little upset at someone. I don't think he understands or cares, though, so it's silly. I'll be fine by game time." She smiled up at her. "Thank you for asking, though. We don't get to talk much! Are you doing okay? I know you have a lot going on with… with..." she ducked her head, blushing a little. "... things."

It was tough to not like Rin though she was hardly the sort Nabiki would have socialized with normally. "Surprisingly well for the moment," she replied with a smile. "We're starting to learn to balance things." She shrugged. "I… guess it must seem strange to the rest of you."

Rin cocked her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully, as if seriously considering the question. "Well… It's different, I guess? I never had a boyfriend so I'm learning a lot from watching you guys and… um, others." She blushed again. Nabiki could tell there was a story there. "But… It feels like you're all happy? You all smile a lot more, especially you. So… strange doesn't really matter, does it?" she continued thoughtfully. "Dad used to tell me there were all sorts of families that he met at the Olympics. He kept in touch with some of them, like my Uncle Otto. He's was an Olympic runner. He and his husband come and visit us at Christmastime. He and my Dad cheered each other on during the Olympics. Uncle Otto had a lot of problems because back then, marriages between men weren't recognized, so Uncle Stefan… that's Uncle Otto's husband... couldn't stay with him in the Olympic village and there were a lot of people who were mean to Otto because they didn't understand, or thought who he loved was a bad thing just because. Dad said he didn't find out about Uncle Stefan until he and Otto were already friends so he had to decide if he wanted to keep his friend or keep thinking what his friend was doing was bad. He decided that it made Otto happy and it made Stefan happy and it didn't hurt anyone and they were better, stronger people together, so he decided to stop thinking it was a bad thing. He taught me that's how I should decide whether something is good or bad. It's not about whether it's something I want." She looked at Nabiki. "So… no. It's not strange. You're just a family. Your family is different than mine and it's different from the one I'll maybe have someday. But your family feels like it's a good one, so I like it."

Nabiki regarded the girl evenly, surprised. "Your Dad sounds like a pretty remarkable guy."

Rin beamed. "I think so! But I'm probably biased? Still…" She glanced at Ranma, who was walking ahead of them having an animated conversation with Ryouga. "... I guess I like to think I'm biased because he's awesome. He manages to have time for me even with me having so many siblings."

"Two sisters, two brothers, right?" Nabiki said, plucking the detail from the file she had browsed about the girl at the start of this whole mess.

"R-right! I didn't think anyone outside of the team knew about that," Rin said sheepishly.

"I have my ways," Nabiki said with a smirk. "But you don't talk about yourself much. I hope I'm not prying?"

"Oh n-no!" Rin shook her head emphatically. "I just… I prefer listening, you know? Most of you have stories that are so much more interesting than mine!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Your Father is an Olympic gold medalist, you're a prodigy at volleyball on practically the same level as Ranma is at Martial Arts and you have a Olympian German Uncle. You have me beat pretty handily. But it isn't exactly a competition, you know." She patted Rin's shoulder. "I'm guessing it's just easier to let others talk?"

Rin fidgeted a bit. "W-well…" She sighed. "I-I stammer, a-and, I say things that people think are strange… and I have trouble putting words together with… with the things I know." She smiled weakly. "Senpai has actually helped me a lot with that. She and I have talked a few times. And now you!" Her smile brightened and Nabiki felt the Rin Headpat Urge rising.

Nabiki suddenly didn't feel so sanguine about her plan. At least, not in the original form. Rin was someone that even the Ice Queen of old wouldn't have felt right manipulating. It's still a good idea - I could just ASK, but… the more Rin knows, the more of a burden it is. "Rin, I have an idea for something sneaky."

"I-is it something really mean?" Rin asked nervously.

Nabiki shook her head with a reassuring smile. "No… actually it helps out some people who have kind of gotten a raw deal. It just so happens that helping them might also strip Himura of an unfair advantage. I was wondering… your Dad taught you to play, right? Has he ever coached before?"

"He used to, but he hasn't had much luck finding a coaching job since he was injured," Rin said.

"He was injured?"

"Mnn. He landed badly during a game and tore a tendon in his leg. He couldn't really play competitively after that." Rin got a sad, far-off look in her eyes. "Mom said he should get into coaching, but Dad always said that since she was earning enough to support us he thought that maybe it was a sign he should settle down and focus on raising us. I still think he'd like to, though."

"Well, then… maybe this can work out well for everyone," Nabiki said said, her smirk widening as she felt the pieces click into place. Everyone but Himura!

000

Nabiki followed the instructions from the odd text message and ducked out during her free period to make her way to the utility shed. She honestly doubted whoever it was would actually know for certain, but with all the surveillance Principal Kuno tended to favor, who could know for sure? Best to comply to the best of her ability until she knew more.

She slipped inside the shed and leaned back against the door, fishing out her phone. She didn't have to wait long - it started buzzing almost immediately.

"Nabiki Tendo," she answered.

"We've heard you're in a conflict with Himura Tanaka, granddaughter of Nobu Tanaka," said a voice, heavily filtered and distorted. "And that you're looking for assistance to compete with her technological edge."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you're responding to the request put out by my associates?"

"We became aware of it, though we've not contacted them. We felt it better to deal directly with the source."

"Seems awfully high end for a conflict between a couple of high schoolers," Nabiki noted dryly. "So either you're a poser using a voice mod you downloaded online or you want something - or both, I suppose."

"We know Nobu's associate has contacted you already and that you're aware your contest with Himura has considerably higher stakes," the voice said. "But I respect your skepticism. Before we continue, allow us to present a demonstration to prove that we're capable of what we promise. If you step outside of that shed, you should be able to see a large animated billboard if you look across the soccer field."

Nabiki shrugged, muted her phone, tucked it into her pocket and stepped out of the shed. She looked across the field and spotted the distant billboard. It was currently displaying an ad for toothpaste, with a smiling woman who was showing a lot of teeth.

Just for an instant, the image flickered to be replaced with another image. It didn't last more than a half second - a blink-and-you-miss-it flicker that depicted a black and white top hat and mask with the left eye alight in flame.

Nabiki ducked back into the shed, her eyes wide. She fished out her phone again. "That's who you are!? No one's heard anything about you since Masayoshi Shido's trial!"

"So you've heard of us. Good. That makes this easier. We've had to keep a much lower profile since then, so we would appreciate if you kept this knowledge to yourself. You may refer to us as 'Alibaba' if you must." The voice sounded somewhat amused, even through the filtering.

"All right… You've officially impressed me," Nabiki said. "And worried me. What do the likes of you need with someone like me?"

"You're uniquely positioned," the voice replied. "Tanaka Pharmaceuticals was a large backer of Masayoshi Shido and has been involved in a number of other dealings going back decades. All of our work exposing Shido will be pointless if the infrastructure that allowed him to rise to power remains intact. We need to gather information on this infrastructure and our usual methods won't suffice. But your 'contest' with Himura provides a unique opportunity."

Nabiki closed her eyes and let the back of her head thunk against the door. This is exactly the direction I didn't want to go! She lifted the phone to her ear. "You want me to win so that the 'conversation' I was promised happens."

"Exactly. It's impossible to tell what Nobu might be thinking as far as you are concerned but the potential is something we can't pass up. So we're willing to take a gamble on you, Ms. Tendo. Tell us what you need to win and we'll make it happen."

"And in exchange you want me to rat out the Yakuza," she scowled. "That doesn't sound like a very equitable deal to me. That's a lot of risk to put myself in just to win a few volleyball games that we can win easily without your help."

"You don't honestly believe this will end with the game, win or lose, do you?" The tone of amusement was still there. "Himura will be out for vengeance either way and Nobu's taken an interest in you. You're MARKED, no matter what you do. Getting the information to take down Tanaka Pharmaceuticals is in your best interests as well. Unless you really ARE intent on joining the Yakuza?"

"I'm not really interested in taking orders or following someone else's rules," Nabiki said, her eyes narrowing. "Including yours. And if you haven't noticed, I have some very powerful friends."

"We're aware of that. As are the Yakuza. They'd have no trouble sacrificing a few thugs to see how many bullets your friends can dodge. I don't think you'd be as eager to wager their lives. We're not interested in controlling you, Nabiki. Just a partnership. We have a common interest." Alibaba replied. "There's an app installed on your phone. If you want to talk, just open it and press 'Ok' and we'll be in touch shortly after. Take some time to think it over. We'll do everything we can to minimize the risk to you - you have our word."

Nabiki checked her phone. A new icon had appeared on the home screen. It looked like a cat face, somewhat cartoonish, really, and there was no name.

"I'll take your offer under advisement," Nabiki said curtly and ended the call. She sighed, stuffed the phone back into her pocket and leaned against the door. Another thing I'm probably going to keep from Ranma and the others to avoid worrying them. I used to LIKE having secrets… now they're starting to make me sick.

000

Mousse did not have good vision as a human - this much was true. However Jusenkyo had seen fit to grant him a curse that, in many ways, was more of a boon.

As a duck, his vision was perfect.

That, in addition to flight, made it a form Mousse found he regretted very little. Secreting a small thermos of hot water in his feathers was almost child's play with his hidden weapons technique, which allowed him far more freedom to change at will than most Jusenkyo sufferers. He found it liberating to be able to soar so far above his earthly travails.

But today his thoughts kept him tethered to the ground. He circled over Furinkan High, riding the thermal currents between the sun-warmed asphalt and the cool grassy fields in a lazy spiral that kept him aloft almost without effort. He could maintain this all day if he wished, and today he thought that he just might.

He watched the lavender-haired object of his obsession walk through the gates, accompanied by the rest of 'The Harem' as Nabiki Tendo had so flippantly dubbed it. Ranma Saotome himself (or herself, as was the case currently), was just behind them, talking to Ryouga Hibiki of all people, followed by the girls from the volleyball team and a couple of others. Mousse was startled to see Ryouga in the group and wondered what kind of madness had possessed Hibiki that would cause him to accept Ranma Saotome's mad arrangements without so much as a squawk of protest. The Lost Boy seemed remarkably calm, even compared to his best behavior, and what was stranger still, he seemed to be paying little or no attention to Akane Tendo. In fact, all of his attention was focussed squarely on…

Has Saotome's depravity extended that far? Mousse thought with disgust as he watched the redhead and the Lost Boy talking and laughing together in a way he had never observed them behaving before. Seducing his former rival, and in front of Shampoo no less! His gaze moved back to his lavender-haired goddess, expecting to see her seething with righteous rage at how her 'Airen' carried on.

But Shampoo seemed herself to be entirely preoccupied with Akane Tendo. The musical sound of her laughter, mixed with Akane's, drifted up to him even here.

Is Xian Pu happy?

His wingbeats faltered for a moment. He recovered quickly, using it as an excuse to tear his gaze from his beloved as he worked to regain his balance and a little altitude. Unfortunately, it was not enough to distract him from the question.

Is Xian Pu happy?

The answer was obvious. He had known Shampoo all his life. He had made her the focus of it, the very core of everything he was or did. For all that he feigned blindness to her contempt for him, he was painfully aware of it, just as he was aware of something beneath it - something kinder and more forgiving. The Reversal Jewel had been proof enough of that. She cared for him more than she would admit. She must! That certainty had been all that had kept him going.

Is Xian Pu happy?

She would never be happy as a slave! his heart cried, the image of that wretched collar filling his mind. That's why he had refused to use the power of the egg of the Phoenix Tribe to enslave her, even if doing so would have given him everything he had ever wanted. That's how he knew this whole situation was depraved and that his precious Shampoo was being exploited!

Is Xian Pu happy?

But he already knew that for a lie. Shampoo would never submit to someone trying to force her. Even under the influence of the egg she had found small ways to resist. She would strain and claw and pull at any shackles placed upon her. But… he knew just as well that she would willingly give herself over just as utterly to someone she felt was worthy. That was what he had always aspired to be for her and yet never could be. How cruel was it that not only had Shampoo found such worthiness in an admittedly superior martial artist like Ranma Saotome, but also in an utterly ordinary, soft and weak girl?

Is Xian Pu happy?

Of course the answer was obvious. Shampoo had never smiled like she did now. She had never laughed as she did now. In the village, her eyes had been cold and her laugh scornful. She had always been on guard, careful never to show weakness to those around her. But here, no one knew or cared about her legacy and, in the company of the one who had already bested her, she could pursue her heart's desires away from the judging eyes of her peers.

Of course she's happy, he thought miserably. She has never been happier in her life. And everything and everyone that makes her happy is HERE.

He felt a mix of shame and envy; shame that he could not find any joy in her happiness, and envy of it. Not of Ranma Saotome or Nabiki Tendo, but envy of Shampoo and the happiness she had found.

It wasn't as if he had never laughed that way. The group below and their merry companionship reminded him of better days with the circus - easy camaraderie, mirth and joy even amidst all of the hard work and the sense of belonging to something bigger. He remembered a smiling face surrounded by curls the color of sakura blossoms and green eyes that seemed always to be on him.

I was happy, he thought. It was strange that he only recognized it as such now, when he was at his lowest. It was only with the perspective of misery that he could look back and say 'That's what it was. That's what happiness felt like'.

The smile on the lovely face in his memory faded, the emerald eyes growing cold and hard, tears leaving silver trails down her cheeks.

Had he stolen that happiness, not just from himself, but from her as well? All for the sake of a more familiar misery and a pointless devotion?

Young Mi… his head drooped. Had he just trodden on another's heart as his had been trodden on? If he knew his goal was unattainable - if he merely lingered through some vain hope of understanding why… what right did he have to deny that to another - especially someone he had once claimed to care about? What should he do?

He caught the glint of gold out of the corner of his eye. He banked, scanning, and caught sight of Rin, nearly invisible as she walked beside Nabiki. Her shy and unassuming demeanor usually let her fade into the background around others. She had only come to his attention because the sun had caught her hair, though he didn't know why he should have noticed it so keenly.

Still, he felt oddly better for having seen her. He flapped his wings and left the thermals for a moment to get a better vantage.

Rin understands this, he thought, remembering her insight. She had been right after all. Maybe she would help guide me? He considered, taking to the thermals once more to gain altitude. She was mad at me last I saw her… frustrated. But… I have very little to lose. I'll ask her to forgive me. At the very least, I can tell her that now I understand what she was trying to say.

For some reason that thought made him feel a little better too, and he found himself thinking about the sunset despite it being early morning.

000

Rin took a deep breath closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She was leaning against the wall outside of the change room, still wearing her track suit. She knew the rest of the team was inside waiting for her but she wanted some solitude for once.

It usually wasn't this hard for her. Volleyball was easy after all. It was what she did to get her mind off of all the other stuff going on. But the talk that morning with Nabiki about relationships had just refreshed the problem that had kept her up half the night.

I shouldn't think badly of Mu Tsu for it all, she thought. Relationships are complex, right? I-I'm sure it's all much more than it sounds.

It didn't change the fact it had greatly altered her perception of the Chinese martial artist. Her sparkling image of him, mysterious and cool, was now tainted with selfishness and a frightening lack of empathy. He had seemed so cold to the idea of Young Mi's obvious suffering.

Is that what you're really like, Mu Tsu? she wondered.

She heard footsteps in the hall and raised her head. Her eyes widened as she spotted the white robe and long black hair.

Mousse was reading room numbers carefully, as he had to get close to make them out. He appeared to be looking for something but he was obviously unfamiliar with the school.. It was fairly clear he hadn't seen her yet and it would be easy enough for her to duck into the girl's changeroom without him noticing. She could just put this off until there was a better time…

She sighed. And that's what I'm mad at him for, isn't it? She looked up and called out to him. "Hello, Mr. Mu Tsu."

He raised his head, turning to locate the source of her voice. "Ah! Rin!" He hurried toward her, adjusting his glasses. "I've been looking for you!"

Rin giggled in spite of herself at that. "Maybe you should have been listening instead?"

"Hmm?" he blinked. "Oh! Yes… that would make sense." He nodded to himself. "Do you have a few minutes before your game?"

Rin sighed. "A few." She turned to face him fully. "Mr. Mu Tsu, I want to apol…"

He immediately bent almost double in front of her; so abruptly, in fact, that it caused her to skip back half a step.

"Yiiiii?!"

"Please accept my humble apologies!" Mousse said, looking back up. "You were upset with me before. I was curt with you when you were only trying to help. I am sorry."

Rin searched his face for a moment, sighed and shook her head. "I… that wasn't why I was upset, Mr. Mu Tsu…" She turned to gaze at the change room door. "I-I should probably go…"

"She is happy."

Rin froze. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him.

"Your question. 'Is Xian Pu happy?'" he said quietly. "She has been happy here. Happier than in the village. Ranma Saotome…" He clenched his fist. "... Is a part of that. Even if she never caught him, she was happier here chasing him. She found friends and adventure." He looked down. "I… did not. I have been… envious of her. Resentful, even."

Rin's eyes widened.

Mousse took a deep breath. "Single-mindedness is often quietly admired in my village, even if the common wisdom warns against it. Both Shampoo and I are guilty of it, but where Shampoo has learned to broaden her horizons, compromise, and find companionship and joy in her journey… I have not. And I am finding myself at a point where my destination is unreachable, and… I have little idea what to do. I am… in need of a guide." He folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe and bowed again. "You are the only one I can think of to ask for help."

Rin hiccuped softly, otherwise continuing to stare silently.

Mousse reached out and took her hands. "Please!"

Rin hiccuped again, her face went red and her mouth worked soundlessly. Eventually she managed to babble a bit, but in the end she just let out one long, quiet squeak.

The change room door opened and Yuka poked her head out. "Hey, Rin? You coming in to get ready? Sayuri wants to go over the stra…" She noticed Mousse, currently still holding Rin's hands in what seemed like a very emotional moment. "... Oh!"

Rin's head jerked around to look at Yuka. She hiccuped a few more times, went even redder, and then her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the floor. Mousse moved quickly and managed to catch her and keep her from hitting her head.

Sayuri poked her head out the door next to Yuka. She took in the scene, blinked, then scrowled.

"God damnit! Would you people stop breaking the Rin!?"

000

Mousse stood against the wall and fidgeted uncertainly and wished he had studied more of the tricks in the vanishing acts. Being able to disappear right now would certainly make him feel a lot less awkward.

Firstly, he was in the girl's changing room. Respecting women's spaces as practically sacred ground was something that was drilled into him growing up, so just being here felt like near sacrilege. Secondly, he could feel Ranma Saotome's gaze burning into him and for once the mental gymnastics necessary to deny Ranma the moral high ground eluded him. And thirdly, he was keenly aware that the girl lying passed out on the bench was his fault, though he still wasn't entirely sure how. He had just come to ask a question!

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked. He knew it was a lame question - none of them were healers any more than he was.

"I think so," Sayuri said, putting a damp cloth on Rin's forehead.

Rin stirred and cracked her eyes open. "Did I miss the game?" she mumbled, looking suddenly concerned.

"You were only out a couple of minutes," Sayuri reassured her. "You okay to play?"

"Mnn!" Rin nodded then glanced over in Mousse's direction. She blushed hard and looked away. "M-Mr. Mu Tsu… I-I'm really s-sorry…"

"No, it's my fault," Mousse said quickly, mindful that Ranma's glare was getting intense enough to cause actual physical sensation. "I didn't mean to fluster you so. I… appreciate your hearing me out."

In the corner of his eye he noticed the other girls were exchanging glances.

"Should… we give you guys some time alone?" Riko asked sheepishly.

"Absolutely not," Ranma growled.

Mousse gave the redhead a surprised look.

"I-it's not like that!" Rin said quickly, waving her hands. "M-Mr. Mu Tsu w-was just… just asking for help with his… his…" she trailed off, eyes moving to him as she silently asked for help.

"With my fiancee," Mousse said finally.

Dead silence.

"Technically… my ex-fiancee," he clarified quietly.

Still silence.

Ranma recovered first. She folded her hands behind her back and sauntered out in front of him. The grin on her face was infuriatingly smug. "Sooooooo… Mousse… Eternally devoted Mousse… The guy who punctuates his sentences with 'My darling Shampoo' and/or various cracks at me for being a casanova, a two-timer or an 'enemy of women'..." She leaned in close to him. "... Who's yer side girl, then? Stumble upon some long-lost tribe of Norse-descended Chinese Vikings and catch the eye of some six foot tall blonde shieldmaiden named Hilda?"

Mousse narrowed his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Saotome! What kind of idiotic concept is a 'Chinese Viking'?" He sighed, frustrated. "She… we met in the circus. She was the ringmaster's daughter. That's all you need to know. The rest is personal."

"I-I don't know how much help I can be with it…" Rin said timidly. "B-but I'm willing to try."

Sayuri looked up at there was a knock at the door leading to the gym. "Looks like we're on. Yuka, go tell them we need five minutes?" She looked at Mousse. "Got the answer you needed? Good. Scram. Ranma? Help Mousse to scram. Rin? Get dressed and get your game face on."

"C'mon, duck boy," Ranma grabbed Mousse's elbow. Mousse started to protest but he felt a sudden warning pinch on a pressure point, so he kept his mouth shut and followed along.

The redhead led him outside and closed the door carefully behind her. She sighed, took a breath and then slammed him casually back against the far row of lockers.

"Saotome, what... !?" Mousse growled and snapped his claws out from his sleeves. He hadn't come for a fight, but if she wanted one…!

"I'm only going to say this once, Mousse," Ranma replied tightly. "Rin is like a little sister to me. She's a sweet girl and she's not got a thick skin like us. And for whatever reason, she's sweet on you." She gripped the handful of his robe more tightly. "Now, if you gotta break her heart? Do it. If you wanna try and make her happy? You got my blessing. But I swear, if you string her along, use her and then toss her aside? They will never find all of the pieces of you. Clear?"

"So in other words…" Mousse said coldly, jerking her hand away from his robe. "... Don't be you. I think that much I can manage." He brushed off the front of his robe and walked away, feeling Ranma's glare burning into his back the whole way.

000

"Point, Furinkan!"

"Well, it seems the 'B' Team has hit their stride," Sanae noted sourly. She was seated with the rest of the 'main' Furinkan Volleyball team watching the so called 'Buster Corps' play. The teamwork issues from the previous game had all but evaporated. Ranma and Rin were both in rare form, making the opposing team practically dive for cover every time either of them got anywhere near the ball, and the rest of the team had stepped up their game impressively. Sayuri herself had scored four aces.

"If we have to play against them with them playing like that, it's gonna be ugly," Mineko said, crossing her arms.

"Don't think we can beat them, Mineko?" Himura asked. Unlike the rest of them, she was relaxed, and seemed almost amused by the display of skill.

"W-well…" Mineko said nervously. "N-no! Of course we'd win! It's just…" She glanced back at the court as The Buster Corp scored again. "It'd be a rough slog. Their offense is insane."

Himura chuckled. "I imagine it would be." She stood and walked over to the girl. "But you're looking at the situation far too simply, my dear." She patted her cheek. "Only fools throw themselves at an opponent's full strength. Besides, the games are just a formality. Trust me, Mineko. Watch, learn and don't worry so much." She beamed at her. "Now, I have some business to attend to outside. Umeko? Omi? Would you come with me, please?"

"Not going to stay to watch the whole match?" Mineko asked, concerned.

Himura shrugged. "It seems all but over already. Be sure to congratulate Sayuri on my behalf, would you? I wouldn't want her to think that we're not interested in her adorable little accomplishments." She turned and walked towards the gym exit, flanked by Omi and Umeko.

Himura took a deep breath as they slipped out into the evening air. The gymnasium could get somewhat stifling with so many people crammed inside and The Buster Corp were certainly drawing attention and crowds. She spotted Hana waiting for her. The girl had sulked at every game since Himura had ordered her to let Nabiki have the betting pools.

Hana, perhaps it is time to give you an object lesson in how much worse things could be than a little lost gambling revenue, hmm? She beckoned for the girl to come over. "I hear our little troublemaker is wanting to talk with me again?"

Hana nodded. "I tried to tell her to make an appointment to see you like everyone else, but she's been threatening to run in there and tell the whole school 'everything'."

Himura sighed and nodded. "She's already had a chat with the Principal. I really had hoped to avoid this unpleasantness. Where is she, then?"

"I'm right here," Tomoko stepped out of the shadows where she had been standing. Her fists were clenched and she had an angry look in her eyes. She glanced at Umeko. "And don't even think about siccing your bodyguards on me!"

Himura shook her head sadly and stepped forward. "Tomoko… Tomoko, Tomoko, Tomoko… You should know by now that I don't do that sort of thing."

"I know exactly what sorts of things you do!" Tomoko growled. "I've already told the Principal everything! It's over Himura! You should have let me back on the volleyball team when you had the chance!"

Himura sighed heavily. "Tomoko… If there is one thing I cannot abide, it's a liar." She gestured to Hana who handed her a small envelope. "You didn't tell the Principal everything." She tossed the envelope at Tomoko's feet.

Tomoko regarded it suspiciously but knelt to pick it up, her eyes never leaving Himura. She tore it open and withdrew a handful of pictures.

She nearly dropped them when she saw what they were.

Ahh… THAT'S the moment. Himura smiled, savoring that instant of realization. She walked up to the stunned girl. "I had a chat with the Principal too, Tomoko. And I gave him copies of these. Another set of copies was sent to your parents - they should have received them by now, I think."

"Y-you…" Tomoko trembled, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Fraternization of this sort is expressly forbidden by school rules, Tomoko," Himura clucked her tongue. "Dating middle-aged businessmen for money and gifts… I'm sure most of the people who knew you thought you were a higher class girl than that. I know the Principal was quite concerned and I imagine your parents will be too. Of course…" She grinned as she leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. "... We both knew differently, didn't we?"

"You told me to!" Tomoko snarled, her expression shifting to one of rage. "You made me!"

"I did no such thing," Himura said. "I merely said that due to continual school repairs, the budget for the team meant we had to do without a lot of the usual amenities and that any assistance the team members could render would be appreciated. I know that sometime later someone approached you and suggested this as a way to make money. Had I known at the time… well, my players' personal lives are none of my business. It's interesting that you went on many more of these dates than were necessary to pay for your share. You actually have quite the reputation in Shinjuku I hear."

"That's a lie!" Tomoko said, crushing the pictures in her fist. "You made me! You said I had to do that to stay on the team! You… you…!"

"But that's not the story you will tell," Himura purred softly. She snapped her fingers and Hana passed her another envelope. "The Principal will arrange a meeting with your parents and he will recommend suspending you, pending transfer to another school. You will accept this generous offer. Otherwise a second envelope will be sent to your parents and the School Board." She held up the envelope in front of her. "Can you guess what's in this one?"

Tomoko's eyes widened with horror. "No… no…" She whimpered. "You didn't… you couldn't…!"

"It's one of the services offered by those sorts of motels," Himura said, smiling. "There's also a video… the fidelity is quite good, I hear, though naturally I haven't seen it myself. Mr. Matsuda requested a copy himself. What did you think all those mirrors were there for, dear? They're all one-way."

Tomoko sank to her knees, staring sightlessly. "No… no… no…"

"I trust you understand the situation, Tomoko-chan?" Himura said brightly. She tossed the second envelope to the ground in front of her. "Speaking of which, Mr. Matsuda is interested in a second meeting. It might be a good opportunity for you to accommodate him."

That snapped Tomoko out of her reverie. She shuddered, staring in horrified disgust at Himura. "How… how?! How can you do this to people?!"

Himura smiled gently and dropped to one knee in front of her. "My poor little Tomoko. Don't you understand? This was all you were meant for. You were already headed this way when I found you. I just gave you a chance to dream a little." She clucked her tongue. "You knew that… you knew you were never going to be a professional athlete or an Olympian. Your grades are average at best and your parents are nobodies. I was happy to let you dream a little, though." She reached out and gently grasped the girl's chin. "But you bit the hand that fed you and so now reality has to return. It's out of my hands."

Tears were running down Tomoko's cheeks. "N-no… I… I just wanted… I just wanted to play…"

"Shhhhh… shhhh…" Himura cooed. "I know. We all want things we can't have, sweetheart. It's best you learn this now. I'm doing you a favor with this; please remember that. In spite of all of this, I only want what's best for you." She stood smoothly and turned, pausing one last time. "Consider Mr. Matsuda's invitation, please? He is quite influential among my grandfather's associates. I'm sure that if he is pleased with your work, I can find you more pleasant venues for you to use your talents. Don't call, though… I'm sure he'll let me know."

She walked away without a backward glance.

000

After the game, it was unilaterally agreed that the group would go to the Tendo Dojo to celebrate. Kasumi had already prepared a big meal and Riko and Hiroshi had teamed up to come up with a selection of the best 'so bad they're good' movies they could find.

"I'm just saying you should go sit by Rin for a change!" Yuka said. "Like… for the night."

"I thought you didn't want me hitting on her?" Daisuke said.

"I don't!" Yuka retorted. "But she needs some more confidence with boys! So…"

"... Besides, she's practically Ranma's little sister now! They don't have medical terminology to properly describe the damage Ranma'd do to me if I so much as touched her!" Daisuke protested.

"If you touch her you'll be dead before Ranma gets the chance!" Yuka growled, cracking her knuckles. "Don't touch her! Never touch her! Just… Do all the normal boy things without actually making her think you'll touch her."

"So… you want me to schmooze her without actually schmoozing her?" Daisuke shook his head, confused.

"Now you're just making it sound sleezy!"

"It is sleezy! You're trying to pimp me out to her Friend Zone!"

"They do realize we're here and can hear this whole conversation, right?" Akane asked, pillowing her cheek on her fist as she leaned on the table.

"Shhhh… This is all we got until they get the TV set up," Ukyou replied, snagging a cracker to munch on.

"Is getting good, too." Shampoo added, taking a cracker for herself.

"I would like to die, please," Rin said, her face buried in her arms. The few visible parts of her face burned a bright red from embarrassment.

Nabiki stood up from the table and quietly walked out the doors and into the yard. As amusing as Yuka and Daisuke's relationship was, right now she had an excellent chance to satisfy some of her curiosity.

Ranma and Ryouga were out by the pond, talking quietly. It was odd how two Jusenkyo sufferers seemed to gravitate towards the only large source of cold water. She wondered if it was some subconscious defiance thing - an attempt to prove they didn't fear the water. That, or maybe they just really liked koi.

Still, she had been waiting for a chance to catch the two of them alone together.

"Hey, you two," she greeted them as she walked up.

"Oh, h-hey Nabiki," Ryouga said. "I'll get out of your way…"

She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down and sat in the grass next to him, opposite Ranma. The positioning was intentional; She didn't want either of them skittering off on her. Ryouga was the skittish one so she'd keep him between her and Ranma, at least until she got them to hear her out.

Ranma gave her a confused look but shrugged. "You wanted to talk or something, Nabiki?" The redhead asked. There was a note if disappointment in her voice as she recognized Nabiki wasn't there for cuddles.

Nabiki smirked. "Yeah. Nothing bad," she reassured them. "I just wanted a chance to talk quietly. I was curious about your link."

"Uhhh…" Both of them suddenly looked wary, and unconsciously leaned away from her.

Nabiki chuckled. "And you immediately assume I plan something nefarious with it? I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or take that as a compliment." She winked. "No, I'm just… curious. Maybe a little envious? I wanted to know more about it."

"Hasn't Ranma told you about it already?" Ryouga asked, still sounding a little nervous.

"She's told me of it. Shapes that aren't shapes, colors that aren't colors. That sort of stuff," Nabiki said. "I'm guessing that the very nature of it is highly subjective. She pulled her knees up to her chest and cocked her head at them both. "But I know you guys. You're never content to just leave something to do with martial arts. You have to have figured out more about how it works? How it happened?" She looked away, feeling uncharacteristically shy. "How… maybe to reproduce it?"

"Reproduce it?!" Ryouga gaped at her. "You wanna be in someone else's head?"

"Not just anyone, Ryouga," Nabiki said. Her eyes flicked over to Ranma, who blushed a bit. "But… I'm curious… even if it was just a look," she sighed. "I'm honestly jealous of you two. You've come up with an entirely new way to communicate."

Ranma sighed. "Yeah… one that's uncomfortably intimate," she gave Ryouga an apologetic look, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "It's not like we can turn it off, either. Any time bare skin meets bare skin or we get in close proximity? Boom."

"I thought you could control it?" Nabiki asked. "Ranma says things like how she 'doesn't look too deep' or something?"

Ryouga blushed and stared intently at the pond.

"It's not quite like that," he mumbled. "It's more like… You know how when you're somewhere and people near you are having a conversation? You hear it all the same but you can choose whether you actually listen or not? Like that. It's all there."

"And… we've kinda had to figure out what we're perceiving from context," Ranma added. "Most of what we're sensing is still gibberish. Like… it's a language we don't speak yet, and we're picking up words and phrases and stuff through matching it up with what we observe."

"You're teaching each other your own Heart's Language - that no one else can hear but you," Nabiki murmured. "Have either of you got any idea how ridiculously romantic that concept is?"

Both of them got wide-eyed, looked at each other, then quickly looked away, blushing.

"Damnit Nabiki…" Ranma muttered.

"Sorry, sorry!" Nabiki said quickly. "I'm not here to tease you two, honest!" She couldn't help but smirk, however. You two are ADORABLE. She mentally adjusted the odds on the internal bet she was running with herself and continued. "But… you see why I might be curious about something like that?" She smiled at Ranma, who blushed deeper, but smiled back this time.

"A-actually…" Ranma started. "I have kinda been thinking about it. Y'know, based on all the gobbledygook the two Docs have been spouting at each other." She looked at Nabiki. "I guess I prolly ought to give you a crash course in how Ki works." She stood up, hopped over the pond and squatted down on Nabiki's right, taking her hand.

"Now, everything living has Ki. It's life energy," Ranma began. "High level martial artists learn to use it to make themselves lighter, stronger, faster, more durable…"

"... And toss big, gaudy balls of energy?" Nabiki added.

"... Yeah, in rare cases. But that's real power intensive and actually pretty wasteful. Unless you're part dragon like Herb, it's basically a last resort kinda thing. But anyway, you can use it less dramatically for all kinds of stuff. You can even extend it into nonliving objects like Ryouga does for his Iron Cloth technique to make it sharp and durable like steel. But… you can't do it with another living thing. Well, you can, but… Here..." She took Nabiki's hand between hers. She closed her eyes and concentrated until Nabiki could feel an odd pressure squeezing her hand.

"Feel that?" Ranma asked. When Nabiki nodded, she let up. "That's my ki trying to enter your hand. But it can't because your ki repels it. If I pushed harder I could probably force through since your ki isn't very strong yet but it would hurt a lot. That's why ki healing is so tricky; you gotta either have someone with almost no ki or use some tricks to sneak past that resistance. Only specialists like Doc Tofu can get anywhere with that stuff."

"Okay?" Nabiki felt like this should make sense, but it didn't, quite.

"So, Ki is also fueled by emotions. Sorta… generated by 'em, I guess? That's why when you try to use Ki for something big, like a ki blast, you gotta focus on one strong emotion and put everything into it. So, the reason me'n Ryouga can sense each other's emotions is because our Ki doesn't repel."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "And Ryouga's family link did that?"

Ryouga nodded but at the same time Ranma shook her head.

"No?" Ryouga blinked. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

Ranma turned to look at him. "Doncha get it, Ryo? Your Mom never talked about anything like this. This is new! What I think is… is your link is a tether, like the kind you use when you throw your ki infused bandannas. It made a connection but if we'd been in sync like that our ki blasts woulda just gone right through each other." She grinned. "It was the Shi Shi Hokodan that did it. A huge amount of heavy ki, pressing down and forcing that link open. I think that pushed us into… a resonance of some kind. Brought our auras into alignment so that ki can pass between us more or less freely. And with it, emotions." Ranma's grin grew, visibly proud of her theory.

"So… we'd just need to find a different way to bring auras into alignment like that, without the link," Ryouga said thoughtfully.

"... Or the suicidal depression," Ranma added, leaning over Nabiki to poke at his shoulder.

"Don't know anything that does what the link does, though," Ryouga admitted after a minute of thought.

Ranma scratched her head. "Maybe… we could piggyback using the link? Like… if we held her hand between ours, close enough so the link effect happens between us through her hand, then exchange ki?"

Nabiki's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between them "You mean you could actually do it!?"

"Woah woah woah!" Ryouga held up a hand. "No way! If we did that she'd end up linked to both of us! And her ki would probably snap back to normal in a minute or two at most!"

"Yeah… maintaining it would be the trick…" Ranma considered. "It'd probably just last a minute or two."

"But… It would work, right?" Nabiki said, grinning. "Can we try?"

"You seem awful fired up for this…" Ranma said skeptically.

"Do you have any idea how much I've always wanted to be able to read people's minds?!" Nabiki said, beaming. "It's my favourite superpower!"

Ranma sighed. "Okay, for one? It's not reading minds. It's sensing Ki and I'm not even sure it'll work for you if you're not trained enough. What you'll 'see' is ki that corresponds to emotions maybe. Second? It's not a superpower, it martial arts. And third…"

"Third, it isn't people you're reading. It's us," Ryouga said bluntly. "I have enough trouble with her in my head sometimes." He gestured towards Ranma.

"Only sometimes, 'Ryo'?" Nabiki asked coyly, earning a blush and a sheepish look away from the lost boy. Gotcha! she thought. She scooted a little closer to him, put a hand on his shoulder and gave him her best puppy-dog-eyes pleading look. "Please, Ryouga? I just want to see what it's like. Just for a minute. I won't pry, even if I can."

Ryouga's eyes widened as his well-oiled chivalrous instincts kicked in. Or it might just have been a hormonal reaction to a pretty girl. Nabiki was never entirely sure though she found the latter to be somewhat more appealing as it meant she was pretty enough to turn the normally stoic Lost Boy's head. "I… uhh… Ranma?" he said in a slight panic.

Ranma sighed knelt closer as well. "Might as well just give it to her, Ryo. When she gets like this she doesn't take 'no' for an answer."

Ryouga deflated. He grumbled and held out his hand, palm up.

Nabiki grinned and put her hand in his. She noticed his hand was quite large, the palm rough and calloused. Casually she wove her fingers with his.

Ryouga's eyes widened and he blushed. "H-hey…! " he squeaked.

Now why did I never play with Ryouga like this before? Nabiki thought with a smirk. Boys are so much more fun when they get flustered! "We need to have a good connection, right, Ryo?" she asked innocently.

Ranma slapped her hand on top of Nabiki's. "Don't mess with him like that, Nabiki! He'll get all flustered and screw this up or something!" Ranma huffed. Nabiki could tell when Ranma was getting jealously possessive.

But jealously possessive of WHOM? she thought. Even if this didn't work, she was getting a lot of insight into the both of them. And she was finding she was enjoying being in the middle for once.

Akane gave up a good thing! "Boys, boys, no need to fight over little old me," she drawled.

She waited until Ryouga started to protest then very gently started stroking his hand with her thumb. Just a little, an almost imperceptible pressure, but it was enough to watch his protest die with a strangled whimper.

Ranma was a little more wise to her ways. "You're being evil, Nabiki. I can see it in your eyes. You've got that glint you normally only get when there's money involved."

She leaned back against the redhead a bit and gave her a winning smile. "You love Evil Nabiki."

"I have to. It's the only Nabiki there is!" Ranma replied with a smirk of her own. "Okay Ryo, we should probably do this before she ends up swindling you out of your mother or something."

"She is pretty nice," Nabiki admitted. "Kasumi would be able to take a vacation from being the mother figure role around here…"

"Don't even joke about that," Ryouga muttered. "That just gives me the mental image of my Mom and your Dad…"

"Okay, okay, point taken!" Nabiki said quickly.

"Right then, just concentrate, Ryouga," Ranma said. "Like we did for the Doc… just a little bit extra, though. Don't wanna drill a hole in her hand."

"... That can happen?" Nabiki asked, suddenly nervous.

Ranma smirked and murmured in her ear. "Well, we don't know yet, Ms. Guinea Pig, but thanks for helping us find out before the Doc had to resort to a paid volunteer or somethin'."

"Now you're just being cruel!" Nabiki sniffed.

Ryouga sighed heavily. "Will you two hush? I'm trying to concentrate here!"

Nabiki shut her mouth and closed her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be concentrating on, or even if she was supposed to be concentrating, but she tried regardless.

"Okay… I'm starting to get something…" Ranma said. At the same time, Nabiki started to feel an ache in her hand. Almost like a sharp pain but somehow not localized to one spot, which made absolutely zero sense.

"Yeah… Almost…" Ryouga said, and she felt the sensation increase.

Nabiki chewed her lower lip, not sure if she should speak up, or say 'Ow', or something, until she felt a hot rush as something tore. Her fingers twitched as her hand went numb, then throbbed, and then the pins and needles started.

"Woah, there you are!" Ranma said. "Okay, Nabiki, are you get… oh!"

The exclamation was because it - whatever it was - had started to work. Nabiki gasped as she suddenly became dimly aware of shapes and colors… though not any she had names for. She wasn't seeing them, exactly, but she was aware of them. She sucked in another breath and opened her eyes.

"I see it. Sense it. Whatever!" She broke out into a wide smile as she felt the colors brighten a little and the shapes became just a touch more distinct. Perceiving them was almost like remembering a shape or a color; a picture in her mind, yet not. There were two distinct sources. One was reserved and withdrawn but the other was reaching out towards her.

"I can feel that…" she said, looking over her shoulder at the redhead. Ranma smiled at her, and she felt those slender fingers curl over her hand. There was something like red gold flowing through and around her. Nabiki leaned against her a little more. She could bathe in that feeling all day. That… that's love, isn't it? she thought. It was amazing how much there was!

She could feel a few tendrils going past her, though, to the other presence. Reassurance? She followed them, curious. Ryouga's emotions weren't as dark or has heavy as she had anticipated, though there was a deep, swirling core to it all. Not as black as she had thought it would be. There were even a few much brighter emotions there. Particularly nearest Ranma's.

You naughty boy, Ryouga! I see that! she smirked. Still, there was a fascinating deep stillness in him. "You're a lot less depressed that I thought, Ryo," she said softly, giving him a smile.

There was a surge of color from him. Embarrassment? Self-consciousness? Were emotions supposed to be cute? It was certainly incongruous to the growling, 'Ranma, Prepare to Die!' image Ryouga tried so hard to maintain. She giggled and curiously reached out for them.

Ryouga gasped softly.

Nabiki cocked her head. "You felt that?"

"A… A little." Ryouga admitted. "I… I just wasn't expecting… I mean… You said you weren't going to look…"

"I won't look deep," Nabiki amended. "But… Not like I get many chances to see someone else's feelings, right?" She closed her eyes. She could definitely see what they had been saying, though, about how intimate the whole situation was. She was suddenly conscious that they were likely able to see just as much of her, and swallowed. "Mnnn… Everything is just kinda… out there, isn't it?"

"Toldja," Ranma replied.

Nabiki's brow furrowed as the ache in her hand deepened and the sensation of their emotions began to fade. "Hey, what gives?"

"Your ki is starting to reassert itself," Ryouga said. She could feel him withdraw as the link started to fade out. "Can't keep it up much more than that without risking hurting you."

"But… I wasn't done…" Nabiki whined, slumping a little. She could feel the absence of that red-gold warmth behind her keenly and she shivered. Who'd have thought being inside my own head would feel so… lonely?

Ranma wrapped an arm around her in a hug. "Kinda intense, isn't it?" she said sympathetically. At the same time Ryouga released her hand.

Nabiki sighed and leaned back into the embrace, closing her eyes. Her hand tingled like she had been sitting on it, her fingers thick and numb. She shook it to try and restore circulation.

Ryouga coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well… I guess you got your wish now, huh?"

"Yeah… I guess so," Nabiki said, a little sadly. She took a deep breath and relaxed, rubbing her hand. Finally, she cracked open an eye. "Now… next wish. Make it last longer."

"What?!" Ryouga squeaked.

"You heard me. You can't just cut someone off after just one of something like that!" She folded her arms.

"Nabiki, be reasonable…" Ranma sighed. "Think about what you're asking! Ryo's going to have enough trouble managing to find a normal stable relationship with a girl just being linked to me. What happens if he ends up linked to you too?"

Nabiki glanced over her shoulder at Ranma, quirking an eyebrow. "My god, you are dense sometimes, Ranma," she huffed. Fine… FINE. Don't push. Don't PUSH. "All right, all right. Just… let me know if you figure out anything else, okay?"

"Err… yeah…" Ryouga wore a dubious expression.

She felt a mischievous urge. "Thank you Ryo!" she said, leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.

She didn't wait for the explosion but shifted her weight and stood smoothly while Ryouga was frozen and Ranma was spluttering. "I'm gonna go see how they're coming along with the movie. Come be sociable at some point you two, hmmm?" She started walking towards the dojo.

Ranma recovered faster than she had anticipated. She felt a hand grasp her upper arm, the grip gentle but firm and as unbreakable as iron manacles. She had to move faster as Ranma started dragging her past the Dojo to the far side of the building.

Once they were out of sight, Ranma released her. "Okay, what the hell was that!?" Ranma hissed. Her blue eyes stood out like glowing gems in the gathering darkness, from the light reflected in them.

"Thanking Ryouga," Nabiki said nonchalantly. She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, but why did you kiss him!?" Ranma demanded.

"Because he's cute when he's flustered," Nabiki said, then her expression grew more serious as she fixed the redhead with a firm stare of her own. "... And you think so too."

Ranma's eyes widened and she took a reflexive step back. "W-wha…?! No I… Nabiki, where would you get…!?"

Nabiki narrowed her eyes at the redhead. "We were just linked, and you're going to lie to me, Saotome?" she said, a note of tired exasperation entering her voice.

"I've been linked to Ryouga for a coupla weeks now, and even I don't know what most of it means. Don't try and tell me you've figured me all out from a coupla minutes," Ranma shot back.

"I didn't need the link, Ranma! I…" she stopped herself. "... No, I'm not going to fight about this. I'm sorry, I stepped over a line to provoke you because I'm frustrated." She sighed heavily, closed her eyes and folded her arms more tightly across her chest.

"Frustrated?" Ranma cocked her head.

"I'm good at reading other people's feelings, Ranma. Not so good at my own, admittedly. But for doing what I do - have done most of my life - being able to see the divide between what people say they're feeling and what everything else they do says they're feeling has always been a huge part of it. I always used to look out for the ones where what they said they felt often didn't match with my read on them." She shook her head. "You almost never matched up. That's why you were my favorite mark. The thing is… you always believed what you said, too. You were never lying about your feelings, you just honestly didn't know. You're better now… a lot better, but… there are still things where I see that disconnect. Your parents were one of those things, and you scared me really bad over that. Ryouga is another."

Ranma stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Nabiki, I'm not… are you worried that…?"

Nabiki smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not afraid it'll be bad like that. I like Ryouga. Getting this glimpse into his head was actually reassuring. It's part of why I wanted to do it so badly." She slipped her arms around the redhead's waist and pulled her in close for a hug, cuddling her for comfort, something Ranma didn't resist. "I just… well, I consider a lot of possibilities. Akane was in denial a long time and it hurt her - and it nearly cost her you - the one perfect person who was the solution to… well, all of her problems. She wouldn't pull, you wouldn't push, and nothing we could do short of outing Akane would have made you see you were each the solution the other was searching for. I just don't want to go through all that again."

Ranma sighed and slipped her arms around Nabiki's neck. "You're smart, Nabiki… but you don't know everything. Akane wasn't the solution to all my problems. You were." She smiled. "And Akane… as much as I love her and as much as I know she loves me... she's getting more from being with Ucchan and bein' rivals with Ryo than she ever got from me. I was in the way. And even Shampoo… she needed something more than just me. We were all kinda in our own ways before you straightened us out."

"That's… kinda terrifying…" Nabiki admitted. The concept put her a little too close to the center of her mental corkboard of The Madness.

Ranma rested her head on Nabiki's shoulders. "As for Ryo…"

"... I notice you're not even correcting yourself on the pet name," Nabiki noted wryly.

Ranma scowled. "It's a nickname. Guys give each other nicknames! Geez…" She huffed and was quiet for a moment. More timidly, she started speaking again. "My feelings around Ryo are… kinda complex, an' they're all snarled up with… with whatever it is going on in my head now. I'm not…" Ranma's arms tightened around her neck. "... I'm not ready to sort them out yet. There's too much other stuff weighing on me."

"But you still rely on him. Anytime you're not with one of us or your team you're with him," Nabiki said gently. "... Or you're in trouble. Honestly given the choice and recent events, I'd rather you be with him."

Ranma winced. "That… I…" she sighed. "I think this 'anchor' stuff works both ways. Or… maybe it's different on my side, but… That's what he is. And… I'm aware of all this stuff between him an' me. An' I know it could go in a direction I'm really not ready for. And that's why it would really make me feel better if he'd just patch stuff up with Akari an' stop… stop… Y'know..."

"Ranma… saying you're 'not ready' raises a question," Nabiki said, gently running fingers through her hair. "Is there a point you think you would be ready?"

Ranma was silent. Nabiki didn't push, getting the feeling Ranma had reached the limit of what she was comfortable discussing.

"... You serious about the link stuff?" Ranma finally asked. "Or was that just to see if you were right about things between me an' Ryo?"

"I'm deadly serious, Ranma," Nabiki said firmly. "If you can find a way to make that last longer, or even make it stick…" She hugged the redhead a little tighter. "It would have made all of this stuff we've gone through so far so much easier."

"Just gotta figure out how to make it work without Ryo, then," Ranma murmured.

"Mnnn," Nabiki replied noncommittally.

"Nabiki," Ranma raised her head.

"Mnnn."

"Nabiki," Ranma said again. "Don't scheme."

"I mean… I can imagine worse things than being emotionally bonded to a cute, brooding, lonely guy…" Nabiki said off-handedly.

"Aren't you the one who has been complaining about how hard this harem business is to make work as it is!?"

"Shush, dear, I'm fantasizing about your boyfriend."

"That's it, I'm telling Akane," Ranma suddenly released her and danced back a step or two.

"Don't you dare!" Nabiki made a swipe for the redhead, which she dodged easily. "She'd kill me if she found out about any of this! And you!"

"Nope. She'd just maim me," the redhead said cheerfully. "But you're right, she'd definitely kill you. Hey Akane…!"

"Come back here!" Nabiki lunged for Ranma agan which became a chase around the yard. By the time Nabiki actually caught up with the giggling redhead, they had both forgotten what the chase was about.

000

The next morning found a surprise waiting for them at the gates of Furinkan, in the person of one Kodachi Kuno. The self-styled Black Rose was standing squarely in the middle of the entryway, arms crossed and eyes closed as she waited for them.

Ranma could feel the girls behind her bristle but she held a hand up. Mebbe I can defuse this without a fight? She stepped forward tentatively. "Umm… hey, Kodachi? What's up?"

Kodachi cracked an eye open and smiled. "Ah, Ran, a pleasure to see you this morning. You have been quite busy as of late! I've noticed your time has been rather monopolized by…" she shot a nasty glance at the group of girls behind Ranma, "Peasant concerns. I do so abhor such dramatics as this but I require your presence after school for dinner and I felt it necessary to be properly positioned to address any..." another nasty look... "Objections."

Akane glared right back and cracked her knuckles.

"Oh! Uh…" Ranma looked behind her sheepishly. She knew that Thursday night was supposed to be her date with Akane. "I… uhh… I'd love to, Kodachi…"

"Wonderful!" Kodachi clapped her hands. "I'll have the limo swing by to pick us up after class, then!"

"... but I have a date!" Ranma said quickly, before realizing the rabbit hole she had just dug for herself. It occurred to her suddenly that she had set herself up to have to answer the next logical question and she seriously doubted that Kodachi would be so understanding about the situation. Ooops?

Kodachi raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask that very question… but then her eyes fell on Ryouga, standing near the periphery of the group. "... Ah. Of course, your Fiance. Ryouga, wasn't it?" She cocked her head as if trying to place his face. "Well then, there isn't a problem! You shall have your date at the Kuno Manor! Allow me to entertain you! As your betrothed, what I want to discuss involves him as well, of course."

Ryouga's eyes widened and he gave Ranma a terrified look.

Crap crap crap! "I'd… uh… we'd love to, but… uhh…" Ranma laughed nervously. Damage control! Damage control! "... We… uh… we have reservations?"

Kodachi chuckled. "Nonsense. The chefs at the Kuno estate are far superior to any working at any restaurant in the Tokyo area. If there's a deposit I'll happily reimburse you. Would 50,000 yen cover it?"

"Wou… buh…" Ranma's brain briefly slipped out of gear at the figure casually tossed out. "I-I'm… that's not necessary, really, we just…"

"Oh think nothing of it!" Kodachi said brightly. "Then it's a date! I'll see you both after school. Don't worry about dressing up, we'll keep this casual." She turned to leave then added over her shoulder. "Oh, and you may wish to take that Tendo girl to a vet. She's showing all the signs of being quite rabid."

Ranma nodded, then reached out an arm to catch the collar of Akane's blouse before the youngest Tendo could rush her.

"Let me go, Ranma!" Akane growled.

"Calm down, little sister," Nabiki put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "As… satisfying as letting you beat Kodachi into paste would be, it's a bad idea with the omiai still up in the air."

"But tonight was my night!" Akane struggled a bit then slumped, frustrated tears forming in her eyes. "This isn't fair…"

Nabiki took Akane by the shoulders and turned her sister to look at her. "You can have your date on Friday night, okay?"

Akane's eyes widened. "But Nabiki… that's your date night!"

"It's like Kasumi said - to make this work needs flexibility more than rigid rules, right?" Nabiki said with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I already got a couple of dates in."

"Wait… you want me and Ranma to actually go!?" Ryouga came up beside them, looking aghast. "To the Kuno Estate!?"

"I get that the Kunos are bad news…" Sayuri said, coming up even with them along with the rest. "But is there some reason why going to their Estate is so much worse than, say, dinner in a restaurant?"

Ryouga got a haunted look on his face. "It's a maze of madness, pain and humiliation," he said in a tormented whisper.

"A long, straight hallway is that for you, Ryouga," Yuka quipped.

"No, no… he's pretty much on the ball with this one," Ranma said, swallowing.

"The Kuno's idea of 'home security' is to make their home a maze full of deathtraps," Akane explained.

"Like… electrified fences, armed guards…?" Sayuri asked, seeking clarification.

"Like a Bond villain," Akane supplied. "Giant washing machines, giant electrified rat traps…"

"Minefields, poison dart traps…" Shampoo added helpfully, coming up beside them.

"... And a giant man-eating alligator named 'Mr Green Turtle," Ranma finished.

"Last I heard Kuno was talking about getting some sharks to add to the mix," Nabiki said. "He was grumbling about how the laser beams were on back order, though."

"Okay so, in other words, more crazy martial artist nonsense and never ever go there. Got it." Yuka said.

"That's actually a pretty good rule for martial artists, too!" Ryouga said. "Why are we going there again? Why would she even invite Ranma? I thought she hated Ranma's girl side?"

"Long story. Basically I kinda convinced her brother than I was male Ranma's sister. Kodachi got the story from him, and since I wasn't a rival for her 'Darling Ranma' anymore, she decided to kiss up to me to try and get some advantage in the omiai." She sighed. "Then the cover story got… complicated."

"Complicated how?" Ryouga asked, a worried note in his voice.

Ranma took a deep breath. "I'm currently the illegitimate child of Genma Saotome and some Irish woman he met while on the road, whom Nodoka Saotome refuses to acknowledge. My parents won't even allow me to have my own name, forcing me to use Ranma's, so Kodachi named me 'Ran' using the character for 'Orchid' rather than 'Wild'. She feels bad for me and wants to make me a part of the Kuno family, and thinks I'm engaged to you. She thinks I'm abused and deprived at home and that's why I don't know most of the girl-side stuff and so she's decided once she and Ranma are married she's gonna teach me how to be ladylike."

Ryouga blinked.

"To be fair, that's cooler than your actual backstory, Ranma," Yuka said. "And more believable."

"Maybe Senpai could cultivate an Irish accent!" Rin piped in.

"Not a good idea," Yuka shook her head. "Red hair, blue eyes, short, busty, athletic, tsundere personality, tomboy and an Irish accent? She'd overrun her fetish checklist allowance."

"What happens if you do that?" Rin asked in a hushed tone.

"Fanboys start exploding. Blood pressure goes too high. *Boom*," Yuka gestured expansively. "Like big overfilled meat balloons."

"Ewwwwwwww!" Rin hid behind Sayuri. "S-seriously?!"

Ranma massaged the bridge of her nose. "Why am I friends with you guys again?"

"Okay…" Ryouga scratched the back of his head. "So why am I going?"

"Because it's a good way to keep tabs on Kodachi and find out her side of the omiai so we don't end up getting blindsided by a shotgun wedding. Again," Nabiki said.

"None of that sounds like anything that is even remotely my problem," Ryouga said, folding his arms.

"Don't be a jackass, Ryouga," Ukyou growled.

"Pig boy should help out! Mess is partly Pig boy's fault, after all!" Shampoo added, standing next to Ukyou.

Ryouga scowled. "Hey, helping is one thing, but that place is full of water traps. And it's also full of things that a little black piglet is less than a mouthful for! This is Ranma's thing, there's no reason I need to…"

Ranma felt a touch on her shoulder. She turned slightly as Nabiki came up beside her and whispered in her ear.

"Ask him nicely," Nabiki said, then straightened and winked.

Ranma gave her a skeptical look, then shrugged.

"Hey, Ryo… I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd really feel better not going into that place alone," Ranma said sheepishly. "I can loan you the waterproof soap bar before gym so you can shower with it - that way you don't gotta worry about the water traps."

Ryouga ground to a halt. He looked away, suddenly seeming uncertain. "Uhh… well… I mean…"

"Please?" Ranma pleaded. She didn't even need to fake it this time; the Kuno Manor was an eleven out of ten on the creep factor for her and she truly and honestly did not want to be there alone and at the mercy of Kodachi or any other Kunos who happened to be at home.

"Okay, okay…" Ryouga held up his hands. "I'll come, just…" he looked away from her awkwardly. "I'll come."

Ranma sighed in relief and smiled at him. "Thank you, Ryouga! This means a lot. I owe you for this!"

"You owe me several," he muttered, glancing at her before looking away again. "We… uh… we should get to class." He started off walking towards the school building.

"Huh. That never used to work with him," Ranma said. She honestly did feel relieved he had agreed to come. "I guess I just needed to be more honest?"

"Yes, I'm sure that's why," Nabiki said cryptically.

Ranma gave Nabiki a skeptical look then shrugged and took off after Ryouga to ensure that he didn't get lost.

Akane came up beside Nabiki as the others passed them. "You're plotting."

"I am not. I am as innocent and pure as the newly driven snow," Nabiki replied.

"Don't plot." Akane growled. Her expression softened. "Look, about the date…"

"Akane, it's fine," Nabiki waved her off.

"No, it's not," Akane insisted. "And… I've got an idea… umm… a compromise, I guess?"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening…"

000

When lunch time rolled around, Akane surprisingly co-opted both Ranma and Ryouga, citing a need to blow off some steam from the frustration at Kodachi's messing up her plans.

"I hope you're not planning to use me as a Kodachi-proxy, Tendo," Ryouga said. Akane had wanted a spar so Ranma could evaluate her form and train her better.

"Oh no. I have more than enough reasons to hit you as it is, Hibiki." She grinned, settling into her stance. "But today I'm more interested in getting better so when I do fight Kodachi, she'll need someone to explain what hit her after the fight!"

Ryouga shrugged, keeping his arms crossed. "I won't go so easy on you, then," he said, and simply waited.

Akane glared. She flexed her legs to lower her center of gravity then darted forward, putting on a burst of speed in hopes of catching him off-guard. She went low and to the left, hoping that either he'd fail to dodge or that she could dart past and get a side kick in at his back.

He did neither. Instead, he reached out, snagged her wrist and yanked, using her momentum to pull her off balance and then tossed her to the side almost casually.

She landed heavily, rolled and bounced back up onto her feet.

"Don't telegraph your moves so much," Ryouga said, crossing his arms again.

"You're trying too hard for a one-hit KO, Akane," Ranma added. "That's never gonna work on a guy like Ryouga. This is an endurance fight; you gotta wear him down and focus on taking as few hits as possible."

Akane grit her teeth but closed her eyes, took a deep breath and centered herself before nodding. Cooking is just Martial Arts. Martial Arts is just Cooking. Be patient, pay attention to the steps like Ukyou taught you. She realized there was some irony in being mindful of her instruction with Ukyou on cooking while training in martial arts, as it was Ukyou that had originally referenced martial arts training when teaching her to cook. But cooking had been where those lessons had been most recently reinforced, and to the most dramatic effect. Watch what they're doing. Analyze… He's watching my eyes to see where I'm going to strike. Linger too long on a spot and that's where he will expect an attack.

She opened her eyes again. She locked eyes with Ryouga and waited until he gave a subtle nod. This was a spar after all, not just an opportunity for her to vent her frustrations.

She darted in again. It looked very much like she was trying the same move but she shifted her weight and the instant he went for the intercept and throw again, she pivoted away, feinting into an elbow to the face. Ryouga blocked that with a hand, but it got her close enough to drop down for a leg sweep that forced him to hop back and away.

Ryouga dropped into a proper stance this time as he did so, with a grin on his face. "Good," he nodded slightly. "Nice feint."

Akane grinned back. She was starting to feel more charitable towards Ryouga ever since she figured out he was subtly guiding her. He was still being chivalrous but he was treating her as a person and fellow martial artist rather than a porcelain doll on a pedestal. Still being deferential to a girl despite your protests, Ryouga? She smirked. I wonder… let's see if a page from Ranma's playbook works? "You know, I think I like you a lot better like this than being the lovestruck dope, Ryouga," she said with a smile. "You're actually kinda noble when you get down to it."

Ryouga blinked. "I… am?" His stance slipped as a slight blush colored his cheeks.

Wide open! Akane thought with triumph as she darted in, keeping low and driving an uppercut into his chin that lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling onto his back. She put all her force into it, feeling her knuckles actually pop from the impact.

The blow would have KO'd just about anyone else Akane had ever fought, but he flipped casually back onto his feet and rubbed his chin with a scowl.

"That was dirty," Ryouga said, glowering at her.

"Seriously?!" Akane rubbed her fist, her hand sore from the blow. "I put everything I had into that one!"

"Toldja one-hit KO's don't work on him," Ranma said with a smirk.

"And don't think that trick'll work again, Tendo," Ryouga sneered.

"Oh please, Ryouga," Ranma scoffed. "You and I both know she could bat her eyes at you right now while your jaw still stings and you'd step right into it again. I should know, I did it to you myself enough times."

Ryouga blushed and glared at the redhead. "Th-that was different!"

"Unlike Ranma though, I don't like winning that way," Akane said. "I'd rather do it through skill and strength."

"Hey, deception is a skill!" Ranma protested. "But… you got a point. Don't think it'd work on anyone but Ryo here." She grinned. "He's got a definite weak spot when it comes to Tendo females."

"Ranma, don't help," Ryouga said tightly.

Akane straightened, raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh?"

"Yeah, apparently Nabiki can do it to him too," Ranma said. "One 'Please, Ryouga?' and he melts like an ice cube in the oven."

"Ranma, I swear to god…" Ryouga growled threateningly.

Akane put her hands on her hips. "Ryouga! Don't you dare develop a 'thing' for my sister!"

"I'm not…! Auuugh!" Ryouga threw up his hands. "Fine. Fine. I'm done!" He walked over to the bench near where they had been sparring and grabbed one of the towels they had laid out.

"Awww… C'mon Ryo, we didn't mean it like that!" Ranma trotted over to him quickly. "Look, we're not serious… Akane and I go back and forth like this all the time." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…"

Akane raised an eyebrow. An apology? Just like that, huh, Ranma? She felt a surge of jealousy again but wrestled it down. Watch what they're doing. Analyze… she thought.

Ryouga sighed and the tension drained out of his shoulders. "... No, it's okay," Ryouga replied, then resumed toweling off his face. "I'm being oversensitive."

Akane raised an eyebrow. Since when could Ranma just… DEFUSE him like that!? She walked up quietly. "Ummm… Ryouga? I'm sorry too. I didn't mean anything by it. I mean…" she chuckled. "It's not like you'd actually be interested in someone like Nabiki…"

Ryouga got a nasty smirk. "Hmm? Oh… actually, I think I totally could go for Nabiki."

"What!?" Ranma and Akane yelped in unison.

Ryouga slung the towel over his shoulder nonchalantly. "Oh, definitely. Sexiest Tendo sister by far. I just don't like it being implied I'm soft or anything."

"HOW DARE Y-" Akane roared, then stopped as she noticed something in his eyes. Her own eyes widened and her glare redoubled. "You're trying to make me mad!"

"See? I can do it too," Ryouga said, tossing the towel aside. "What's the matter? You can dish it out but you can't take it? I thought you and Ranma went back and forth like this 'all the time'?" He dropped into a ready stance. "Besides… It kinda irks me that after everything you think you have any say in who I develop an interest in!"

Akane's vision filled with red. "I get a say because she's my sister!" She charged him, throwing a brutal combo of punches and kicks that actually successfully forced him to step back a pace.

He blocked a strike and bound her arm a moment. "You know, Kasumi is really pretty too…"

"RRRRRAAAAUGH!" She kneed him in the gut hard enough to double even him over, freed her arm then brought her hands down in a two-fisted hammerblow to his back. He didn't drop like expected, so she danced back before he could counter.

"Better," Ryouga said. "Gotta get you good and mad before I even feel those hits. Now… you wanna make me eat my words? You better learn to control it!"

"I'll show you control!"

Ranma backed away as both of them started to glow, their auras flickering into the visible spectrum. "Uh oh…"

000

In other news, practise for the soccer team has been cancelled until the soccer field can be re-turfed. Students are requested to avoid the area until the broken water main has been repaired. Additionally, the Facilities Maintenance department has decided to shift their fundraising bake sale from bi-monthly to monthly, and will be kicking it off this Saturday…

"I guess that's one way to get an excuse to use the showers," Ranma muttered. She was drenched, her school uniform dripping and her hair bedraggled. She had a cross-looking P-chan in her arms sitting on top of a pile of Ryouga's clothes.

"How was I supposed to know the pipe was that close to the surface?" Akane huffed, also soaking wet.

"Maybe not create giant craters in the soccer field either way?" Ranma suggested.

"You're one to talk!" Akane groused. She glanced at P-chan and scowled. "You know… now I get why you found me carrying him around like that so infuriating."

"Be nice. If we made him walk he'd take forever to get there on his stubby little legs and he'd just get lost along the way anyway," Ranma said. "Besides, as far as the rest of the school knows he's still your pet piglet. You don't wanna look like you're abusin' a helpless animal, do you?"

"I'm weighing my options," Akane growled. "Depends if he keeps looking so insufferably smug."

"I think that's just how pigs look," Ranma said.

"Bwee," P-chan commented.

"You don't get to say anything right now," Akane said. "Keep quiet or I'll tell Nabiki what you said!"

"Don't bother, Akane. Nabiki'd take it as a compliment and probably get all flirty with him just to mess with you," Ranma said sagely.

Akane scowled. "... I'm tempted to do it anyway, just to see her kill him through blood loss."

"Could you not complicate this relationship situation any more than it already is?" Ranma grumbled.

"Me!?" Akane laughed in disbelief. "Ranma, have you seen yourself lately?!"

"What?" Ranma frowned at her in confusion. "What'd I do now?"

"You seriously expect me to believe you somehow haven't noticed how much your relationship with Ryouga has changed?" Akane put her hands on her hips.

"Not this again…" Ranma sighed, sparing a hand to rub her temples. "Akane…"

"Don't try and tell me everything is normal, Ranma!" Akane continued. "I'm not stupid!"

"I know, okay?!" Ranma shouted back, exasperated. Akane shrank back a bit, eyes wide. Even Ryouga reared back a bit, eyeing the redhead nervously.

Ranma closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. "I haven't talked about it because you keep blowing up over it! Yeah, stuff between me and Ryouga is different. We nearly died together. That changes stuff. You of all people should know that." She opened her eyes and gave Akane a stern look.

Akane's gaze dropped guiltily.

"Ryo and I useta be friends in middle school. I know it didn't sound like it, but we were." She resumed walking. "Yeah, we'd fight over the bread, but… me an' pops did that all the time. I thought it was just something friends did. I didn't know any better. But he was also the only guy I could relate to in the whole school. Useta walk him home every day because he'd get lost. I know we talked a lot… don't remember what about. Pointless stuff, mostly. I always thought our banter was just that. I didn't know I was hurting him with all the things I said. I always liked him… I mean, him'n Ucchan were the only real friends I had ever had."

Akane's expression softened. "Ranma… You never said anything about this before..."

P-chan bwee'd softly, looking up at the redhead.

"I didn't remember most of it," Ranma said. "It's like with Ucchan; Once we moved on I just kinda blotted it out because Pops said a 'man amongst men' didn't need friends and remembering just… made it harder. I did that with a lot of stuff - anything Pops said wasn't 'manly' or was a 'distraction from the Art'." She glanced down at herself. "I guess now that I'm… I'm embracing this side of myself, it's opened me up to remembering more of it."

They reached the change rooms. Ranma opened the men's side door, depositing P-chan and the pile of clothes inside. She put Ryouga's school bag down next to them. "Hope you gotta change of clothes in there, buddy." She reached into her own bag and pulled out a small plastic case that contained the precious bar of waterproofing soap. "Here's the soap. Don't forget to use it." She stepped back out and closed the door behind her then headed for the girl's side.

"It's kinda weird not feeling like I can go in there anymore," Ranma admitted as they walked into the locker area. "Guess I've sorta normalized being a girl at school." She started stripping off her clothes in a businesslike fashion, hanging her uniform on one of the hooks along the wall in the hope that it would dry.

"Are you… okay with that?" Akane asked tentatively.

Ranma paused, ironically in the middle of unhooking her bra. "I… think so. I mean… the earth didn't open up and swallow me when I stopped fighting it." She finished taking off her underthings and walked to the shower. "I'm still kinda all over the place on being comfortable with it… What I wanna be at any given moment doesn't always line up so good with what I have to be. I think it'll be easier when this stupid challenge is done and I can just… come to school as whatever I feel like."

Akane followed her into the shower. "You mean you might still come to school as a girl sometimes?"

Ranma shrugged. "Yeah? I mean, everyone here already knows about it, so why not?" She turned on the hot water, adjusting the temperature before stepping into the stream.

Akane noticed she didn't change, despite the water being plenty warm. "Ranma…!"

"Used the soap yesterday before the game, just in case Principal Coco-Nuts tried to get me with hot water again. I won't be able to change back until tomorrow sometime." She sighed, loosing her hair from the pigtail and running her fingers through it.

Akane swallowed. Female Ranma showering was one of her guilty fantasies and something she hadn't really expected to get to see without the water being so cold as to put the kibosh on any sort of romantic overtures.

I shouldn't… I shouldn't… it's perverted and we're at school and someone could walk in and Ryouga is right across the hall and… and she's being open and vulnerable with me… She closed her eyes, realizing that was a big part of what was turning her on about the situation.

Ranma hummed softly as she rolled her head back, eyes closed, almost purring. "You know… it's weird how hot water feels different as a girl. I guess my skin is more sensitive like this?" Her back was arched, water running in rivulets down her body, following her curves and drawing the eye to them. She glanced over her shoulder at Akane. "You gonna shower too?"

Akane's eyes widened a bit. The part of her brain that was worried about propriety, about getting caught and about being perceived as a pervert was quickly dogpiled, bound, gagged and stuffed in a box to be mailed off to Tunisia. She stepped into the stall behind Ranma and slipped her arms around her, pressing up behind.

"Eeep?!" Ranma froze as she felt Akane come up behind her. "Akane what are you doing!?" she hissed. "Someone might see!"

"So they'll see," Akane murmured and kissed the spot between the redhead's neck and shoulder. "We're saving hot water this way. It's the responsible thing to do, right?" She felt a small thrill at the soft moan this elicited from the redhead.

"Y-you want to do this here? Now?" Ranma asked nervously, though she didn't resist as Akane's hand dipped lower. "W-we're only supposed to rinse off… Ryouga will be waiting outside…"

"Let him wait."

000

Ryouga was waiting for them outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He was wearing his usual yellow shirt and black pants, which seemed to have benefitted from his mother's mending and laundry skills.

"Uh… hey Ryo." Ranma said sheepishly. She had left her hair unbound and switched to jeans, t-shirt and sweatshirt (sized for her girl side) which she had stashed away for after games. Akane was behind her, wearing a spare volleyball team tracksuit they had found.

Ryouga held up a hand in nonchalant greeting.

"Uhm… sorry we took so long…" Ranma added.

"We missed the start of last period," Ryouga said. "By a lot."

Ranma hung her head. "... I know."

"Sorry Ryo?" Akane said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Ryouga cracked an eye open to regard her cooly. He closed it again and turned his head away a bit. "No one came through here, if you were wondering."

Ranma cocked her head curiously. "Why would we…?"

Ryouga sighed. "You… weren't quiet."

Both girls flushed a deep, deep crimson. "Oh," they said in unison.

"I would have left, but… I can't afford to get lost right now," he muttered. He sighed again and pushed off the wall. "We… should probably just go. School's almost over."

The two girls flanked him, subdued, as they started walking.

"I'm… uhhh… impressed, actually," Ranma said timidly. "I woulda… expected you to be passed out on the floor in a puddle of blood if we were that… ummm… obvious…"

Ryouga hung his head a bit. "I've started carrying a couple of boxes of tissue in my bag. I managed to keep it under control. Used up most of a box, though. Tossed it before you got out."

"I thought you looked a little pale. Whichever class cleans out the wastebaskets around here is probably going to get a bit of a shock," Ranma said wryly.

"I'm really sorry, Ryouga!" Akane said. "I… It was a spur of the moment thing!"

He held up a hand, waving her off. "It's… it's fine. I… well, by this point it's pretty obvious that… uhh.. That that happens…" He blushed. "I was just worried that someone would come along and catch you."

"That would have been awkward…" Akane huddled down a bit more, jamming her hands into her pockets. "Not that this isn't."

They continued walking in silence. The hallways were oppressively empty and quiet, most active classes at this time of day on other floors.

"That was cruel of me, wasn't it?" Akane said softly. "Even if you're over me and you and Ranma are just friends… rubbing your face in it like that…"

"Akane… Nobody ever really 'gets over' someone like you," Ryouga said, giving her a sad smile. "Maybe my feelings for you have matured a little but I'll always have them. And… right now you're happy and in love. As long as that's true, I don't need any apologies."

Akane's eyes widened. "R-Ryouga…"

"Maybe I'll head home on my own today," he said, walking to the door and pushing it open. He turned back, framed by the bright light of the afternoon outside, saluted them with two fingers, then slipped outside.

Akane watched the door close, hands clasped over her heart, eyes wide as the wind from outside ruffled her hair.

Next to her, Ranma stood, arms crossed, foot tapping the floor and an annoyed expression on her face. She grit her teeth as the door finally clicked shut.

"OI! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, RYOUGA?! WE'VE GOT A DINNER DATE TONIGHT!i"

000

"You did not need to shout that loud enough for the entire school to hear, Ranma," Ryouga grumbled, sitting on the steps, flanked by a sulking redhead and a bemused Tendo.

"Shut up," Ranma growled. "If you hadn't tried to be all cool and dramatic I wouldn't have had to yell after you!"

"You could have phrased it better, Ranma," Akane chided. "You're just going to make it harder to dispel the rumor that you and Ryouga are an item."

Ranma hunched her shoulders. "You also shut up, Akane. I don't need you an' Ryo ganging up on me."

"We're not ganging up on you, Ranma," Akane said, still bemused. She got up and sat down between Ranma and Ryouga, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Ranma blushed and slouched a little more, but started to relax.

"This is better, though…" Akane said. "I kinda missed the three of us together, you know? I mean, I know it's my fault and everything, and… I honestly do like being your rival, Ryouga, even if you're not really taking it seriously, but… I liked the times when the three of us got along, even if they were short." She put her other arm around Ryouga's waist and gave both of them a grin. "I missed having my boys."

Ranma scoffed. "We're not your 'boys', Akane."

Ryouga gave the redhead a skeptical look. "Yeah, we are."

Ranma looked up at him, opened her mouth to protest then sighed and slumped further. "... Yeah, we are."

Akane giggled lightly. "That's better." She kissed Ranma on the cheek. "I know I've been crazy jealous lately. I'm sorry. I promise to try and keep my temper under control."

"Just promise to try and listen to us before you make a judgement?" Ranma said. "I mean… Sometimes we do screw up, but we're not trying to hurt you, honest."

"There usually is a good explanation." Ryouga said.

Akane looked at him, smiled and nodded. Then she cocked her head. "So… Why is my sister teasing you, Ryouga? That usually means she wants something. What was she trying to get from you?"

Ryouga's eyes widened. "Uhhhh… There's a good explanation…" he said nervously, giving Ranma a panicked look.

"Y-yeah! A really good explanation!" Ranma echoed as she desperately tried to think of one that didn't involve telling Akane about the link. If Akane finds out… she'll think it's another Koi Rod thing and freak out!

"Yesssss…" Akane frowned. "And I'd like to hear it…"

"So would I!"

Ranma and Ryouga both jumped and squeaked in unison, turning to see Nabiki there, leaning against the side of the building. She had that smirk on her face that typically accompanied a hefty bill.

"Nabiki! I… uhh… we were just… Umm…" Ryouga stammered. "Akane wanted to know…"

"Oh, I heard." Nabiki grinned. She sauntered up and in one smooth motion plopped herself down in the Lost Boy's lap.

Ryouga immediately locked up like he had turned to stone. Ranma and Akane gaped at her.

"Truth is, I was just looking into seeing if Amazon law will let me keep a male concubine or two." Nabiki wrapped her arms around Ryouga's neck and hugged him, grinning at her sister. "If it does, do you think I should keep him? I mean, you already trained him so well…"

Akane's eyes were wide with astonishment, which quickly became rage. She stood up, clenching her fists. "I don't believe you, Nabiki! How can you be so shameless!? You shouldn't torment poor Ryouga like that!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are we back to 'Poor Ryouga' now? I thought you didn't want your little P-chan anymore?"

"Ugh! You're so unbelievable!" Akane stomped. "Fine. I'm walking home with Shampoo and Ukyou before Kodachi shows up. You can walk home alone for all I care!" She huffed, lifted her nose into the air, turned and marched away.

Nabiki watched her go. "Well… That's going to make things a bit awkward for a while," she said nonchalantly.

Ranma sighed in relief. "Thanks Nabiki, you really saved us."

"I know. Telling little sister about the Link will need to be done carefully, and probably with lots of chocolate and apology gifts. Depends on what we find out about it. Plus, I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to share your little trick just yet." She turned a bit on Ryouga's lap, grinning at Ranma. "You two still owe me, though."

Ranma sighed. This was liable to be expensive.

"C-Could you get off my lap, Nabiki?" Ryouga whimpered. He was holding one of his bandanas to his nose. "Please?"

Nabiki smirked. "Awww… A nosebleed for me, Ryo?" She wriggled just a bit. "I'll get up, but first let me make something clear: You two are my boys now. Akane dumped you both. She gets you back on loan, but you belong to me." She poked Ryouga's nose.

"Nabiki, you can't claim Ryouga, he's got a girlfriend!" Ranma protested.

"I'm… sure she just means as a minion, like Hiroshi or Daisuke… right?" Ryouga said nervously.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "I haven't decided yet. Like I said, I've still gotta check Amazon law."

"Nabiki!" Ranma protested.

Nabiki hopped up off Ryouga's lap and giggled. "Oh don't worry, Ranma. I'll be good. At least… as good as the situation calls for." She winked. "Now, I'd better get lost before a certain crazed gymnast takes my head off with a ribbon and see what I can do to defuse my sister. Have fun tonight!" She waved and turned, trotting off towards the gate.

Ryouga seemed to slump as his previously tense muscles all went slack. He looked almost like he had been drained by Ms. Hinako.

Ranma sighed and leaned back against the steps. "I think we're in trouble, Ryo…"

"Your girlfriends are going to kill me, Ranma…"

000

Thankfully, Kodachi was in one of her less manic moods and seemed content on the limo ride to the estate to just chatter about minor things without requiring Ranma or Ryouga to input much more than the occasional noise to indicate they were listening.

The two of them kept close together, looking nervously around the grounds as they walked towards the imposing main doors of the estate.

"Ummm… So… is this… y'know… safe?" Ranma asked, trying to remember where she had run into traps before. The grounds looked totally different. Apparently they had been completely re-landscaped since she had been there last.

"Hmmm? Why of course!" Kodachi gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"W-well… Your… uh… 'security system' is kinda infamous…" Ranma said sheepishly.

Kodachi laughed in her disturbing way. "Oh, that? Those are only for intruders. The staff all know that you're guests and are welcome, and the trapdoors and tripwires have been disarmed. Just be sure to not go wandering off."

Ryouga swallowed hard.

Ranma noticed. "Ryouga… If there was ever a time I could totally understand you wanting to hold my hand…" She murmured to him.

He didn't let her finish, grasping her hand tightly.

Good. Now I get to deal with Kodachi's craziness AND the general madness of the House of Kuno, PLUS have Ryouga and me in each other's heads. This can't POSSIBLY end in disaster. Ranma thought sourly. I can't think of a single thing that could make this situation worse.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Kodachi said. "My dear brother is home from the hospital. I told him you and your fiancee were coming and he seemed quite eager to congratulate you both on your impending nuptials!"

Ranma and Ryouga both stopped dead in their tracks.

"You were thinking 'This can't possibly get any worse', weren't you?" Ryouga murmured under his breath at her.

"Yeah, yeah actually I was. This one is on me," Ranma admitted.

"No, I did it too," Ryouga replied. He swallowed hard again.

Ranma glanced at his shirt. Oh no… "Ryouga, is that the shirt…"

"Metal weights sewn in," Ryouga confirmed. He tapped the spot over his heart with a finger and there was a slight 'clink'. "And I used the waterproofing soap, so… no escaping as P-chan this time."

Ranma blanched. She remembered Kuno's nearly uncontrollable lightning attack and how the kendoist had very nearly stopped Ryouga's heart with it. She felt a surge of fear and protectiveness she normally only associated with Akane or Nabiki, and gripped his hand tighter. "Stay close to me. I'm not going to let him hurt you."

Ryouga shook his head. "Ranma, you don't want to be touching me if he pulls out the lightning again…"

"Stay close to me," she growled. "I'll put him back in the hospital if I have to, but he's not hurting you!"

She felt a surge of what felt like surprise from him and… something else? Not quite embarrassment. He studied her a moment, then his own grip tightened reassuringly. "I'll stay close."

She relaxed a little, feeling a bit better. She still had to think of a way to deal with Kuno, though.

Kodachi noticed them not following and turned. "Well, are you coming?"

We'll just have to wing it and see how it goes. Maybe if he tries to use it indoors it'll mess up like it did at the school and we'll get a chance to run for it. She took a deep breath and started walking, leading Ryouga along with her.

Kodachi led them inside. The halls were high and wide. The upper floors of the manor were classical Edo Castle style, though Ranma knew down below were twisted labyrinths, modern deathtraps and European medieval-style stone dungeons. Servants were actually visible this time around, gliding about silently as they made preparations for dinner. They passed a large hall, where what looked like a veritable feast was being laid out. The smells of roasted meats, grilled seafood and vegetables and other delicacies wafted to her nose, momentarily soothing her disquiet as her hunger made itself known with a loud grumble from her tummy.

Kodachi smiled. "Well… someone apparently has an appetite! Though that is another thing I suppose we shall have to work on. Such noises are hardly ladylike."

"It's not like I can help it," Ranma protested, putting her free hand on her belly.

"More regular mealtimes and a better diet will subdue such things," Kodachi lectured wisely. "I have had mine tailored by dieticians especially for my metabolism, and we will see about doing the same for you, though…" She glanced at them and sighed. "I suppose we will have to make it a budget plan. But for now, while we wait for them to prepare, my brother would like to speak to you."

Ranma stopped again. "Ummm… Kodachi, are you sure that's a good idea?" She unconsciously moved closer to Ryouga's side. "Last time he saw Ryo they got in a fight, and… Y'know, I'd hate it if we wrecked your house… again…"

Koachi sighed. "While I can't make promises about my brother's behaviour, you are my guests, and if he decides to become rowdy, I shall deal with him personally." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Truth be told, he has been… different since he returned from the hospital."

"Different how?" Ranma asked nervously.

Kodachi looked pensive. "Different… in a way he has not been in… in a very long time. Not since before…" She shook her head. "It is a family matter, no business of yours, and it would be unseemly for me to discuss my brother's… medical concerns behind his back. Ask him yourself if you wish. In fact…" She hesitated, then gave Ranma a genuine look of concern. "... In fact I would implore you do so. I… I wish… an objective viewpoint on the matter. It is part of why I asked you here today. Among… other concerns."

Ranma cocked her head. "Is everything okay, Kodachi?"

Kodachi sighed and shook her head. "We can discuss it at dinner. For now, I ask that you fulfill my brother's request to speak with you. I will be close by if you need me."

She led them to a large set of sliding doors. She opened them and stepped inside. The room was large and lit by a number of skylights to give it an open, airy feel without being exposed to the elements. Most of the room was taken up by a large indoor rock garden, the sand meticulously combed around a number of large boulders. At the end of a stone footpath through the middle was the largest, and atop it, sitting in a meditative pose, was Tatewaki Kuno. He was wearing a lighter-colored uwagi than was his norm, almost white.

"Brother, dear," Kodachi called out. "Your precious pig-tailed goddess is here."

Tatewaki opened his eyes and his gaze shifted towards the door until he spotted them. His eyes widened as he saw Ranma, then narrowed when he saw Ryouga, and an expression something like pain crossed his face. He stood smoothly and hopped down from his rock to walk towards them.

"Be ready, just in case," Ranma said quietly to Ryouga. "Don't let go of my hand - can't have you getting lost in a place like this!"

Tatewaki stopped a few feet from them. His expression was unreadable, but Ranma knew how quickly his demeanor could change. Surprisingly, however, he bowed.

"My memory of the last few… years is somewhat suspect but I am aware I have wronged you both grievously in the recent past. I have no excuse for my behaviour and I wish to make amends in whatever manner you deem appropriate."

Ranma blinked. "Say what," she said flatly.

Tatewaki straightened and took a deep breath. "Allow me a moment to explain myself. It is likely of no surprise to you that the Kuno family is… blighted." His jaw tightened. "We have been afflicted with madness of varying degrees going back generations. This has ranged from mere eccentricities to… well, you are acquainted with my father, yes?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange plastic pill bottle, the kind prescriptions came in. "This madness is wholly treatable by modern medicine, but for many years my family has eschewed such remedies as a shameful admission of our weakness. As a boy, I was the first Kuno to be properly diagnosed and treated and I was the first Kuno to have a choice." He held up the pills, looking at them. "At my father's urging, I chose madness. And others, like yourselves, have paid the price ever since."

"So… wait… you're medicated now?" Ranma asked skeptically. "And we're supposed to believe you're a totally different person?"

Tatewaki shook his head. "Medicated, yes. A totally different person? No, of course not. I am now merely willing to accept responsibility for my actions, past and future." He smiled weakly. "I imagine trusting me is difficult and I do not blame you. I know that I will need to prove much through my actions rather than my words, but… I was hoping you could at least help me to understand the scope of my wrongs. My recollections during my times of… imbalance are fanciful at best." His gaze moved to Ryouga. "For instance, in my fevered imaginings I had struck you down with a bolt of lightning that I wielded as if it were a sword and that you exploded into a cloud of steam, using magic to escape my righteous wrath. That I attacked you I do not doubt, but I imagine the circumstances were considerably less fanciful. I… understand you were found later and taken to the hospital." He bowed his head. "I beg your forgiveness and ask what reparations I might make?"

Ryouga blinked. "I… uhh…" He rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't… a lot of stuff happened that day, actually. You're not the only guy who's flown off the handle and started a fight in Nerima…"

"What others do is irrelevant. A misdeed is a misdeed," Tatewaki said. "I will reflect on this for a proper apology. For now, I am relieved you are well." His eyes glanced down to their hands, still clasped. A small flicker of a smile crossed his face, sad, wistful. "And I see that the affection you have for each other that so enraged me remains unharmed by my rampage."

The both blushed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed, though they didn't let go.

"Which leads me to the greater part of my crimes," Tatewaki continued, his gaze shifting to Ranma. He regarded her for a moment, studying her as if fascinated. "I… am struck anew at your beauty, I must admit. I apologize for that, for I know now that my advances were unwelcome and unwanted, but…" his voice grew slightly hoarse… "I… had thought what I remembered of you was merely delusional embellishment - that someone such as you could not truly exist as I had remembered. To see you now… I can understand why I believed you a creature of fae and divinity." He trailed off a bit, his gaze intense before he shook his head. "I… apologize. I should not go on so in the presence of your beloved." He took a deep breath. "My sister has told me much. Far more than I had bothered to learn in my addled state, apparently. I understand that you go by the name of 'Ran', yes?"

Ranma nodded dumbly. She was entirely uncertain how to reconcile this Kuno who was talking with her now with the raving madman she had last seen casting lightning bolts around like a vengeful Greek god.

"She has told me you have some… difficulties with your family and that due to the circumstances of your birth they do not support or acknowledge you. She has offered you the support of House Kuno. I would like to second that support. Though I understand fully if you would prefer I not be involved in the matter." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I have also… secured the materials of a questionable nature that I had stockpiled of both you and Akane Tendo. I will destroy them at your request, or turn them over if you prefer to pursue this invasion of privacy legally."

"Legally…?!" Ranma boggled. "Uhh… no, no, that's alright. Just burn 'em or something. We don't wanna sueyou or anything. You weren't that bad!"

He smiled weakly again. "That's reassuring to hear you say, though… I find the evidence against me distressing. This is not how the samurai I idealized would behave." He nodded. "I will have the servants destroy the material involving yourself at once. I will need to speak to Akane Tendo separately on her wishes. Though…" he swallowed, "That is a conversation I dread. I… had hoped that should my apology to you go well, you might be able to offer some insights on how…" He trailed off.

"How to not end up right back in the hospital?" Ranma asked.

"I would deserve no less, but such things do nothing to amend the damages I have wrought." Tatewaki admitted. "I would like to speak with her before returning to school. Is the… 'challenge' I issued still being observed?"

"No, she finally managed to shame it outta most of them and beat it outta the rest," Ranma said, feeling a twinge of pride at Akane's accomplishment.

Tatewaki sagged in relief. "Thank God. I had feared…" He closed his eyes. "For that alone I am unsure how to ever properly make amends. I am astonished it took her as long as she did to hospitalize me."

"Well… you're pretty tough," Ranma said, smiling a little. "She wasn't exactly holding back for your sake."

"There was another, a girl… or a boy?" He frowned. "My memory is replete with nonsense about magical transformations. But… Ukyou Kuonji. I remember striking them. Are they well?"

"She is, yeah," Ranma said.

"She," Tatewaki nodded. "I remember…" He blinked. "No, nevermind, it is no business of mine."

"They're a couple, yeah," Ranma said again. It was a bit of an omission but she wanted to flag Akane as unavailable as firmly as she could while Kuno was being so uncharacteristically reasonable. There was no telling how long it would last.

Tatewaki winced. "Then I have imposed where I am profoundly unwanted by my very nature. Thank you. This… gives me some idea of how to approach the problem." He gripped the pill bottle more tightly then slipped it back into his pocket. "One last inquiry… her sister, Nabiki."

Ranma cocked her head. "Nabiki? Why? I don't think you did anything bad to her…"

Tatewaki chuckled bitterly. "Oh yes I did," he said softly. "But I imagine that is an old wound for her. But… is she well?" He clasped his hands, fidgeting in a most Un-Kuno-like manner. "Is… is she happy? I know… at least I remember that she was engaged to your brother, but… well, had my sister not explained that situation to me I would have believed it madness as well."

Ranma paused. She considered a moment. "I think maybe you should ask her yourself…" Ranma said carefully. "... Tachi."

He looked surprised at that, then she saw the spark of understanding in his eyes. "I… will do that," he said finally. "Thank you. I would hope to speak to your brother as well. I have many fences to mend with him if he is soon to marry my sister, after all."

Ranma chuckled nervously. "Aheh… yeah… "

Tatewaki took a deep breath, looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Again… thank you. I will leave you to your dinner, then."

"You're not eating with us?" Ranma asked, then mentally kicked herself for tempting fate.

He smiled wanly. "I would think it would be awkward. There will be time for socialization perhaps when I have proven my convictions to be more than words, at least unto myself. I will take a walk and think. You have given me sufficient food for thought that I feel little need to fill my belly as well." He nodded to them both in turn. "Enjoy your evening."

"Uh… thanks…" Ranma said. She and Ryouga stepped aside as Tatewaki walked past them and down the hallway the way they had come.

"That was… new," Ryouga said finally.

"The transformation is startling, I admit," Kodachi said, walking over to them where she had been waiting. She looked down the hallway, watching her brother's retreating form. "I am saddened to see his fire so dimmed with regret, but… It is good to have back the brother I had growing up."

"I always thought you hated his guts," Ranma admitted sheepishly.

"I hated what he had become - the ridiculous caricature that had taken his place - and that I still relied on him so dearly despite his obvious madness." She sighed. "Had I known the solution was so simple… Though I suppose this will give him the resolve to keep his sanity closer this time." She motioned for them to follow her as she walked back towards the banquet hall.

"Uhh… Out of curiosity you aren't… ummm…" Ranma asked timidly.

Kodachi shot her a glare, then her expression softened. "I am aware of how I am perceived, Ran. The solution to my problems is unfortunately not to be found in a little white pill." She sighed. "I am sure my therapist could show you a list of diagnoses the length of my arm about what is wrong with me, but it is nothing so simple or treatable as a chemical imbalance in the brain. Not that father would tolerate such a thing after fighting Tatewaki so long about his own."

"Yeah, well…" Ranma muttered. "I haven't exactly had good experiences with your Dad, either."

"Having been attending his school for a brief time, I better understand your dislike of him," Kodachi admitted. "He… was not always like this." She looked down.

Ranma felt a pang of sympathy. Something familiar in Kodachi's expression. "It… kinda sucks when family isn't there for you, huh?" She put a hand on Kodachi's shoulder.

Kodachi glanced at her and smiled. One of those rare, genuine smiles that had started appearing. "I think that's why I have grown to like you, Ran. That is something that you of all people would understand." She patted the hand on her shoulder and continued on. "It is actually concerns about your family I wanted to talk about. But… after the main course, at least."

000

Nabiki had to jog a bit to catch up to Akane and the others but, with all her training at the Nekohanten, such a run wasn't even leaving her out of breath anymore.

"Akane, wait up!"

Akane stopped. Nabiki could see her sister's back tense as she heard those words and winced. Ouch, she's still mad. I think I hit a nerve or two back there.

"You can stand to jog a little to catch up," Akane said, and resumed walking. Her chin was held high as Nabiki came even with her and fell into step beside her.

"Akane, come on. You honestly can't be jealous of me and Ryouga," Nabiki said.

"Why not?" Akane sniffed. "He's still my friend, and I know he's sensitive, and I don't like you teasing him like that any more than Ranma!" She folded her arms.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Oh come off it, sis! How many times did you run into his arms or gush on about how reliable he was or what a great guy he was? Specifically while Ranma was there? At least when I tease Ryouga I'm doing it to tease Ryouga."

Akane's haughty expression fell away and her gaze dropped. "I know I haven't been a good friend to him. I… I'm trying to do better." She glared at Nabiki. "And you should too! Don't taunt him like that!"

Nabiki smirked and folded her hands behind the back of her head as she walked. "It's only taunting if it's something he can't have…" she said off-handedly.

"Nabiki!" Akane yelped, aghast.

"What? This Tendo still likes boys, y'know," She waggled her eyebrows.

"You're engaged! To his best friend no less!" Akane said, eyes wide.

"What about our little situation says 'monogamy' to you, Akane?" Nabiki asked.

Akane blushed. "Th-that… That's 'Fiancee's Tea' stuff!" she sputtered. "Ryouga isn't part of any of that!"

"That's probably just a matter of formality," Nabiki noted dryly.

"Nabiki! You keep on getting on my case about accusing Ranma and Ryouga of doing something untoward… how can you turn around and…" Akane started, outraged.

"Because I wasn't on your case about accusing them, I was on your case about being irrationally jealous about it!" Nabiki shot back, glaring at her. "That's poison for this relationship, sis, even if it's directed at someone outside of the group! How long did it take you to figure out which way you swung, huh? How much longer after that were you in denial about it?"

Akane blinked, then blushed. "Y-you think that Ranma is…?"

"Let's see. A gender curse that hit just at the apex of puberty, overbearing parents obsessed with hyper-masculine behaviour while at the same time repressing and isolating him like they are absolutely terrified of him interacting with people in a normal way for any length of time, his best friend is a girl, his gender identity is increasingly fluid, and a near death experience with a male rival with whom he has enough emotional tension to hang a bridge from? Yeah, I'd say the deck is pretty firmly stacked against him not even being curious." Nabiki held up a finger. "And if she's going to be curious, I'd rather it be with someone Ranma trusts. If I counted the number of guys on that list on one hand I wouldn't have enough to make a fist."

Akane looked down at the ground, twiddling her fingers. "Y-yeah, but… Wait, how do you know Ranma trusts Ryouga?"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You really think Ranma would honor his promise to keep Ryouga's secret if he didn't trust you with him? You, the most important thing in the world to Ranma? You think he'd tolerate P-chan for a single second, no matter how mad it made you, if he thought there was any chance of Ryouga hurting you or taking advantage of you?"

"I…" Akane seemed stunned. "... I didn't think of that." She slumped a little more. "... Now I feel worse about the whole situation with P-chan…"

"Have a little faith, sis," Nabiki said. "Ranma loves you. Even when you fought or broke up. Even when you frustrated the hell out of him. You're the one he always dove off a cliff to catch, even if he had no idea how to land it. His relationships with other people don't change any of that."

"He loves you too, Nabiki," Akane said, straightening a little. "You keep talking like you're not the most important person in his life right now."

Nabiki blushed a little in spite of herself. She remembered the sea of red-gold emotion that had enfolded her during her too-brief experience in the link and smiled. "... Yeah, he does. I don't know if I'm the most important…"

Akane nudged her in the ribs. "Stop. False modesty isn't your thing." She sighed. "So… If that's true… why are you teasing Ryouga?"

"So if something does happen I can get in on it," Nabiki deadpanned.

"Nabiki!"

"What? He's cute," Nabiki said nonchalantly. "If he wasn't dirt poor and a pile of issues I probably would have nabbed him for myself when you and Ranma were dating."

"I don't believe you!" Akane said, though her expression was more bemused than outraged.

"I still might have if you hadn't claimed him so early on!" Nabiki gave her a sidelong glance.

Akane blinked. "Wha…? Claimed!?"

"Oh please. You knew he was completely head-over-heels in love with you. Any time he was at the table, you were sitting next to him. Any time you had a problem, you went to him. You like him, even if boys aren't really your thing. That much was obvious. I figured you were planning on keeping them both and were just wrestling with your own hangups." She smirked. "Or did I read you and 'your boys' all wrong?"

Akane scowled. "Not all of us are perverts like you, Nabiki!"

"I heard some interesting sounds coming from the girl's change room that say different," Nabiki waggled her eyebrows.

"Eep," Akane ducked her head and blushed. "Y-you… you…"

"Heard that? Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss!" Nabiki chortled. "I came looking for you three when you vanished after making the soccer field a disaster area. Poor Ryouga was standing watch outside the changeroom trying to stuff tissue in his ears and his nose at the same time. And you're on my case for taunting him? I put out some 'Wet floor' signs on the stairwells to get people to use the ones on the other side. You're welcome." She chuckled. "I'm pretty daring, but even I wouldn't dream of doing it in the girl's showers! I didn't even know you guys had gotten to that stage yet!"

Akane's blush deepened and she hunched her shoulders like she wanted to disappear.

Nabiki's eyes widened. "... Oh my. That was…" She covered her mouth, snorting. "Oh my god Akane, you seductress!"

"You're never going to let me live this down, are you," Akane whimpered and held her school bag over her head to hide her face.

"Oh no, no, no, I approve of this! I think I could learn from you!" Nabiki grinned.

Akane peeked out from her bag. "We really are perverts, aren't we?" she said, abashed.

"I think the deck was stacked against us in that regard," Nabiki said. "Given what we now know about Dad's younger years, I think it might be a family trait. Might as well have fun with it before we end up old and boring like him."

"If it's a family trait, what does that mean for Kasumi?" Akane put her bookbag down.

Nabiki shrugged. "Either she's got a secret life she's somehow kept from us where she blows off steam, or she's so repressed that unless her first time is with a literal superhuman she's going to kill them when she finally uncorks it all."

"Nabiki…! I'm sure when she finally gets together with Doc Tofu…" Akane began chiding her.

"Oh, not a chance, sugar," Ukyou sidled up beside Akane, startling her. "The Doc is a great guy, but… His blood pressure spikes if she's in the same room as him. There's just no way."

"Doctor Tofu not survive being with Tendo womans," Shampoo appeared suddenly on Nabiki's left. "Not have fort… fort… not have what needed to survive night."

"Trust us, we know from personal experience," Ukyou winked.

Akane and Nabiki both blushed and looked at the ground.

"I think our girlfriends are calling us out," Nabiki said in aside to Akane.

Riko popped up beside Shampoo. Apparently the entire conversation had been heard by most of the group. "So, just out of curiosity, when you say 'girlfriends', do you mean girlfriends, or girlfriends? Beca-*mmmmph?!*"

Yuka had snuck up beside Riko and put an arm around her head, put her hand over her mouth and dragged her away to the other side of the street in a headlock.

"Riko, we do not inquire about such things," Daisuke said sagely as he followed them. "To peer too deeply into the Nerima Relationship Hypercube is to invite madness."

"Just look at the Kunos." Hiroshi added, following behind. "They used to be normal, upstanding citizens who donated to charity and volunteered at soup kitchens. Then they met Ranma Saotome. *Boom!* Bokkens and black roses everywhere."

"Really?" Rin asked, fascinated.

"No, not really. The Kunos were always nuts." Sayuri sighed, following up the rear. "... They're right about the rest of it, though."

Akane and Nabiki looked at each other.

"Mmmmmaaaaybe next time we should have these little 'heart to hearts' in a less public place?" Akane said sheepishly.

000

The meal was ridiculously lavish, with enough food for ten people. Naturally Ranma was starving, but she dipped into her Martial Arts Dining training to allow her to eat her fill without looking like she was stuffing her face. After all, Kodachi seemed to expect a certain decorum.

Kodachi, more used to such abundance, ate at a more sedate pace. "Do try the quail eggs, dear. They're quite good." She seemed to enjoy showing off for the two of them.

"You're actually a good cook yourself, right Kodachi?" Ranma said, remembering (barely) not to talk with her mouth full.

"It's a skill I have," Kodachi admitted demurely. "Though I prefer to reserve it for my family and… eventually… my darling Ranma. Cooking myself gives me an opportunity to ensure a quiet night."

"Ah… so that's why you keep putting sleeping powder in food - out of habit," Ranma said. "You're used to zonking out your Dad and Brother."

Kodachi laughed. "Hence my thought that having a more formal dinner would put your minds at ease." She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and swirled the wine in her glass. "But perhaps now I should bring up the topic I wished to discuss. You may be unaware but I have had my agents monitoring your family for some time…"

"You had Sasuke spying at the omiai. We know." Ranma said.

Kodachi frowned. "Yes… well… I shall have to have a chat with Sasuke about that later. Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

There was a puff of smoke and the diminutive ninja was next to her chair, bowing and scraping. "Yes, Mistress Kodachi! I'm sorry, Mistress Kodachi! It won't happen again, Mistress Kodachi!"

"Go easy on him," Ranma sighed. "We told him he could stay. I mean, he's your retainer - he's allowed to be there for these things."

Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm… I will take that under consideration then. Sasuke? Redeem yourself. Repeat for me what you overheard."

"Yes, Mistress Kodachi." Sasuke bowed again then pushed himself up into a kneeling position. "Young Master Ranma had a conversation with his mother before the omiai began and you had arrived, Mistress. Lady Nodoka explained to the young Master what would be expected of him after the wedding. It was… very specific and comprehensive, covering…" He swallowed. "... Well, covering most of his life, in fact. It seems Master Ranma's mother has thought out his future in considerable detail."

"That isn't the information I wished, Sasuke," Kodachi growled warningly.

"Y-yes Mistress!" He bowed again. "Please forgive me, I was getting to that! There were two things of particular note. Firstly, Lady Nodoka was of the expectation that Ranma would… would surrender any children he had with his future bride - Which shall undoubtably be Mistress Kodachi - to his mother and father to raise while… while he and his wife would embark upon a perpetual training journey. There was some concern on Master Ranma's part that… his mother intended to raise them as her own and that he would not be allowed any part in their lives until they were in their teens."

Ryouga shot Ranma a startled look.

"Which is utterly unacceptable!" Kodachi said sharply. "I would not have my future children deprived of my darling Ranma's guidance and love! Certainly not to be raised by that idiot father of his!" She took a breath and steadied herself. "But there was another matter that concerned me far more. Sasuke?"

"Y-yes… When… when the young Master balked… his mother mentioned seppuku… and a contract… Something that seemed to greatly unnerve Master Ranma."

"Yes. This," Kodachi said. She turned to Ranma. "Can you explain this for me?"

Ranma closed her eyes and sighed. "Yeah… yeah I can," she said quietly. "When Pops wanted to take m-Ranma on a training journey when he was only two years old, Ma objected. So… he made it a point of honor. He made a contract with her that if, after 14 years, he returned and he had not succeeded in making Ranma a 'man amongst men', he and Ranma would commit seppuku."

Kodachi blinked. "I can see this for her husband, but how can she hold this binding to Ranma if he was just a child and could not agree?"

Ranma slumped a little more. "He… He pretended it was fingerpainting, and got Ranma to put his handprint on it."

Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "And… she holds this as valid? And given how truly manly my darling Ranma is… does she not hold the contract as fulfilled?"

Ranma shook her head. "No. She has declared that he must always uphold the contract to her standards. Which means… following her plan for his life."

Kodachi narrowed her eyes. "And… do you believe her capable of demanding the contract be fulfilled, should she not be satisfied?"

Ranma swallowed. She remembered that awful moment when she had seen something dark and hateful flicker behind her mother's eyes, how the mask had slipped when her mother's plans for the future were in any way questioned. "... Yes. Yes, I think that she is."

She felt a hand on hers and a sense of overriding concern, and turned to see Ryouga staring at her, wearing a horrified expression.

"... Unacceptable," Kodachi said finally. She stared at her wine glass, her brow furrowed, then finally flung it across the room in a fury. "Unacceptable!"

Ranma winced as the sound of breaking glass echoed through the chamber.

"I will not have my future life… or that of the progeny of House Kuno dictated to me!" Kodachi said. "And I will not stand by as my darling Ranma's life is held hostage to do it!" She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She clenched her hand into a fist, then relaxed it as she slowly regained control. "I apologize for my outburst. I… had hoped Nodoka Saotome was different. She has such charmingly traditional views. But… it seems she is no different from my own mother in regards to her children." She turned her gaze to Ran. "Thank you… If you had not reached out to me, I might not have known of this. I will need to take measures to ensure that contract is never ever called in."

"Kodachi…" Ranma's eyes widened. "... Please tell me you won't do anything drastic to Mom!"

Kodachi raised an eyebrow. "I will do what is necessary to protect my darling Ranma. What form that takes will depend on her, and is none of your concern."

"Ranma is very protective of his mother," Ryouga interjected. "If you hurt her, he'll hate you for it…" he glanced at Ranma, "... no matter what she's threatened to do to him."

Kodachi considered a moment, a sad expression crossing her face. "Then let him hate me," she said softly. "Better to remain true to my own heart and fearless then allow fear of possible consequences control me." She chuckled softly, uncharacteristically quiet. "Listen to me… I am sounding more like my brother every day…"

"Perhaps, instead, you should listen to your dear Brother?" a voice said from the doorway. "For he would tell you such extreme measures are unnecessary."

They all looked over to the large double doors of the banquet hall to see Tatewaki standing there with his arms folded.

Kodachi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Brother, dear?" she asked, a warning tone in her voice.

Tatewaki walked forward with his eyes closed, a contemplative look on his face. "Tell me… this 'contract' that Ranma Saotome is bound to… how has he agreed to its precepts?"

"Heh… Pops got him to put his handprint on it when he was two," Ranma said, watching Tatewaki warily.

"This was explained to Ranma? He understood the matter at such a young age?" Tatewaki opened an eye and regarded her curiously.

Ranma blushed and looked away, feeling oddly like a student who's teacher had just called her out. "I… n-no, he… he thought it was fingerpainting. He had no idea the contract even existed until he came to Nerima and Pops told him."

"I see," Tatewaki said, closing his eyes again and resuming his walk. "And at any point has Ranma given his oath to this pledge, either by word or pen? Or has it been merely assumed he is bound by it?"

Ranma blinked. "I… he's never… I mean, I didn't think it was a choice…"

"A debt of honor cannot be compelled, not even by a parent. Honor is and must be a matter of personal choice. It must be accepted," Tatewaki said sternly. "A child not even out of swaddling clothes cannot make such a choice."

"It's… it's considered a matter of family honor," Ranma said quietly.

"Oh?" Tatewaki opened an eye again. "And the Saotome Clan is honorable, is it? With its multitude of conflicting marriage agreements and its sham of an omiai?" he huffed. "Addled though I may have been, what I have learned in the last two days is more than enough to doubt that."

"H-hey!" Ranma pushed her chair back and got up, glaring at the kendoist. "As the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes…"

Tatewaki waved his hand, cutting her off. "This is no challenge. These are not matters in question, these are matters which directly affect the honor of my household. At the very least, would you claim that Genma Saotome has acted honorably? In his abuse of pledges of honor; in his acts of thievery; in his treatment of you, his own child?"

"I…" Ranma stepped back a bit, taken aback by Kuno's argument. "W-well… no, maybe not…"

"There is no reason to defend the honor of one who will not uphold it," Tatewaki said. "It is a man's obligation to teach his children moral standards through the model of his own behavior. Has Genma Saotome done this consistently?"

"I…" Ranma trailed off again. She backed into the chair and stopped.

"Then he has not upheld Bushido. The agreement he made with his wife is his own and it was on his own honor that he staked Ranma's participation in committing seppuku. Ranma's personal honor is not bound to the agreement, because he has not agreed to it. The only way Ranma is bound is to uphold his father's honor, as a dutiful son. But… with his father's honor in such a state, one doubts there is anything left to uphold."

Ranma simply stared at him.

Tatewaki saw her expression, a momentary flicker of pain across his features again, then looked away. "I… apologize. I fear I am applying my own insights into my conflict with my father over my own medical care to your situation and I may be unfairly judging your family as a result."

"Your own conflict…?" Ryouga asked, moving up beside Ranma, unconsciously putting a hand on her shoulder.

"My father does not simply disapprove of my… reliance on contrivances such as these to maintain my sanity." Tatewaki fished out the bottle of pills. "He has forbidden it. As the head of the House Kuno this would normally be entirely within his right but the consequences of accepting his doctrine have already proven to be dire and the source of much shame for me. I have… spent much of my time in the hospital exploring the complexities of Bushido to find a solution." He gripped the bottle then put it back in his pocket. "Fortunately, my father's own abdication of his responsibilities has made my struggle easier. He no longer is the head of the House, as that title and responsibility fell to me when he was declared unfit and was sent to America to recover. It is merely as my father that I must deal with him and his unreasonable demands. Admittedly, Ranma does not have such an advantage."

"So… what would be the honorable thing?" Ranma asked nervously. Part of her didn't want the answer. Part of her couldn't believe she was asking Kuno for it.

Tatewaki considered. "Their authority over Ranma remains that of his parents and nothing more. Writing up a document stating otherwise does not arbitrarily enhance that authority. They cannot compel Ranma to commit seppuku, nor would it stain his honor to refuse. Loyalty is but one precept of Bushido. Rectitude overrides it. Justice must be supreme for honor to be served and from how this agreement has been imposed and manipulated, to say nothing of the costs Ranma's death would incur on those to whom he has been obligated…" He shook his head. "The decision must ultimately be Ranma's, based on what his soul tells him of right and wrong. But I fear he would be forced to disown his family and end the Saotome line. Though I believe it would be the honorable choice in this matter, it would require he live as a Ronin."

"That's… a hard choice," Ranma said quietly. While being a Ronin hardly had the same meaning today as it had in feudal times, it was still a personal mark. "So… the choice is which dishonor does he want to live with then?"

Tatewaki bowed his head sadly. "I fear his family would leave him little choice should they decide to enforce the contract. To use a matter of honor to compel and control both Ranma's future wife and his unborn children crosses the line into injustice and cannot be borne either way."

Ranma shuddered. "They're not taking away my kids…"

Tastewaki blinked. "Am I to understand they wish to compel you to surrender your own children as well?"

"Absolutely not," Kodachi interrupted. She stood and walked over to Ranma, gripping her by the shoulders. "Ran…"

Ranma shook her head. "No, I mean…" She sighed. "No, I won't let that happen. I won't… I won't…" She felt something bubble up from deep within her, something from that dark place in her own mind she didn't dare look.

"I won't let them do this to anyone else!"

000

After some cajoling, Tatewaki was convinced to stay for dessert. The transformation in him remained startling; He was thoughtful, well-mannered and even charming, his usual overblown posturing and bluster modulated into a kind of self-aware confidence and self-assuredness. Ranma noticed that Kodachi was still a little uncertain about him as well.

Amazing how much of a difference a small thing makes, she thought. He remembers being 'Tachi' though… I wonder how Nabiki will react to that?

She yawned unconsciously, blinking a bit as she realized she had been asked a question, but hadn't actually been able to make sense of it.

"Oh! My apologies, I seem to have been prattling on," Tatewaki said, looking up at a large grandfather clock at the edge of the room. "I lost track of the time."

"It has been a while since I have enjoyed a meal this much, Brother. I think this once you can be forgiven." Kodachi smiled. It was a warmer smile that Ranma remembered Kodachi having. Both of the Kuno siblings had been surprising her all night.

"Yeah, though… I feel I finally get what you're talking about when you call me 'peasant'," Ryouga admitted. "I couldn't follow half of that conversation."

"Nonsense. I was actually pleasantly surprised that your French was as good as it is," Kodachi said.

"Where did you pick that up?" Ranma asked, curious. It had been bizarre to see Kodachi slip into a few phrases in a foreign language and then watch as Ryouga went right along with it without skipping a beat in the same language.

"I… Didn't even realize it was French to be honest. I just ended up in this small town somewhere while I was wandering and I stuck around a few months to work enough to try and save up some travel money. That was the language they spoke and I just picked it up after a while." Ryouga rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"There is no way I'm believing you ended up in France on your way to the Tendo Dojo," Ranma said skeptically.

"Actually, from the inflection he's using, I'd say the dialect is more Quebecois," Kodachi replied. Seeing Ranma's look she amended. "... French Canadian."

"Okay, that's worse!" Ranma poked him in the chest. "There is no way… Wait, didn't your Mom say something about you and an American girl?"

"Anna? No, I'm pretty sure she's from Hokkaido. They all speak english in Hokkaido, right?" Ryouga replied, confused.

"... No?"

"Oh… ummm… Maybe it wasn't Hokkaido then…"

Ranma laughed and smacked her forehead with the hell of her hand. "How do you end up on the wrong continent?!"

"I don't know!" Ryouga threw his hands up in the air then sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Perhaps to avoid a lengthy journey home, the two of you should stay the night here then?" Tatewaki said. "I can have guest quarters prepared. I believe it's been some time since we used them…"

Ranma and Ryouga blanched.

"You're… not referring to the dungeon, are you?" Ranma asked in a worried tone.

Tatewaki blinked. "Dungeon? There…" His eyes widened, then he covered them with his hand. "Sister, please tell me I didn't…?"

"Almost two years ago, brother dear," Kodachi said off handedly. "You spent quite a lot of time getting them properly atmospheric."

Tatewaki groaned. "I… apologize if any of that was inflicted on you. I thought that was… nevermind. Proper guest quarters, I mean. The ones for visiting dignitaries."

"Ah yes. They haven't been used in some time, but I know the staff has been keeping them up regardless," Kodachi nodded.

"You don't need to go to any trouble…" Ranma said hurriedly. The idea of spending the night at the Kuno Manor was perhaps a little less terrifying with these new, less-crazy Kunos around, but it was still not somewhere she felt exactly safe.

"Nonsense!" Kodachi said. "We haven't had guests in… I don't remember how long! This will be a nice change. Plus, it will be nice to have someone to talk to on the ride to school."

"Uh… quick question… does your Dad…?" Ranma asked nervously. They hadn't seen the Principal, thankfully, but it was a large castle.

"Father lives at the school," Kodachi said dryly.

"He visits occasionally but I believe he prefers to be somewhere over which he has uncontested control," Tatewaki added, unable to keep a sneer out of his voice.

"You are quite safe from him here," Kodachi finished, giving Ranma a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I am well aware of how he has been treating you and my darling Ranma and he is very aware of my displeasure with him over it."

Ranma giggled in spite of herself. "Yes, I kinda caught the tail end of your conversation with him."

"Is that the one where she tossed him out of a third story window?" Ryouga asked.

"And landed on him, yes," Ranma nodded.

Tatewaki looked back and forth between them, as if uncertain if they were serious. "It… seems I have missed a considerable amount."

000

The room was in an older wing of the Kuno Estate, far removed from the current 'security measures', and harkening back to grander days for the family. The style was a bit dated but it certainly seemed comfortable enough, with a large attached private bathroom with furo and a balcony overlooking the grounds. There was only one flaw Ryouga could find with the room and it was a rather glaring one.

"Ummm… Kodachi, there's only one bed…" Ryouga said, glancing around the room.

Kodachi had a knowing smirk on her face. "Yes, imagine that? Well… I'm sure you and your fiancee will behave. Not that anyone would know, I'm told the soundproofing in this wing is quite good. Just leave your clothes outside of the door and the staff will see they are laundered and returned by morning." She gave Ranma a wink and turned, walking away before either of them could raise any further objections.

"I… think she thinks she's doing us a favor…" Ranma said self consciously as she stepped inside the room.

Ryouga sighed and looked around. There were a couple of chairs, but no couch. Still, it looked like he could scrounge up some cushions and some pillows from the bed. "I'll take the floor."

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Ryouga, please don't pull that chivalrous bullcrap with me?"

"What you want the floor?" Ryouga raised an eyebrow.

Ranma shook her head. "Nah. We just share the bed."

Ryouga's eyes widened as she walked over to the admittedly enormous bed. "Wait, what!?"

"Oh come on, we've shared a tent before, right? This thing is literally twice the size of your tent." She sat down on the corner of it. "This is… what, King size plus?"

"The situation was different then!" Ryouga protested.

Ranma crossed her arms and gave him a bemused look. "What, the one where I was zonked out of my brain on love magic from that stupid fishing rod and trying to be your ideal wife?"

"I… "Ryouga blushed, remembering waking up to find her in his tent. His current opinion of the redhead was coloring that memory somewhat differently than it had been before. "Yes. That was a stupid magic rod!"

"Yeah, and you didn't do anything then, and I'm not magically in love with you now, so what's the problem?" Ranma smirked.

The problem isn't YOU, Ranma! Ryouga thought. "It's… it's not proper?"

"'Proper' is a line I kinda crossed over a long time ago," Ranma said. "Look, I went through this with Nabiki when we were on vacation together, so I'll tell you what she told me when we had to share a room; 'You'll sleep in a bed like a normal person. I trust you.'" She gave him a lopsided grin.

Ryouga winced. "Are you sure using an example involving you and Nabiki is the best choice?"

Ranma smacked her forehead. "Ryouga, do you want to have sex with me?"

"What?! No!" Ryouga felt a rising surge of panic.

"Then don't!" She shot him an annoyed glare. "There, crisis averted. Now I'm tired. Can you do whatever else you need to do to get this out of your system quickly so I can get some sleep?"

Ryouga ducked his head, ashamed, and walked over to the bed. He walked around to the other side of the huge bed and found a neatly folded pile of clothes. "Oh, hey… I guess they set out pajamas for us." He picked up the top bundle, finding it to be a set of men's pajamas. The fabric was fine silk and it was probably the softest thing he had ever touched.

"Oh, cool!" Ranma scrambled over to her side. She raised a skeptical eyebrow as she unfolded a silk nightgown. It wasn't exactly revealing or girly but it was very feminine. "Awww, man… Trade?"

"Not a chance, Saotome," Ryouga smirked, picking up his pajamas and heading for the bathroom door. "I'm sure you'll look very ladylike in it. Just yell when you're done changing."

"Again with the chivalry?" Ranma groused, watching him as he made his way into the bathroom. "It's not like you got anything I haven't seen, Ryouga! We've bathed together, ya twit!"

Ryouga slid the door closed behind him. This isn't for YOU, Ranma. He sighed, leaned against the door and closed his eyes. It was true he had seen Ranma naked before - in both forms, yet. But he hadn't really been seeing her. He slapped his own cheeks. All right, get control of yourself, Hibiki! Just because she LOOKS like a cute girl doesn't mean she IS one! Even if SHE thinks she is sometimes… He winced at the last part, realizing it severely undermined his argument. He started stripping off his clothes, walking over to the sink and splashing himself in the face with cold water. At least I can do this without changing, thanks to the soap.

He paused. No, wait…! Without the soap I could have just changed forms, and none of this would have been a problem! He pulled at his hair. AUUUGH! I'm an idiot!

"Ryouga, you okay in there? I'm done changing if that's why you're still in there," Ranma called from the other room.

And because of the soap Ranma can't change either! We're trapped! Trapped in the worst possible bodies to be in together! He started giggling maniacally as he realized how easily his situation could have been avoided. No, no… He took a deep breath and resumed pulling on the pajamas. They were supremely comfortable, in a nice shade of green with a dragon embroidered in gold. They were a bit large, obviously made for a gentleman who was taller and with more girth than him, requiring he pull the drawstrings on the pants tight and double knot them. Get a hold of yourself. See? I look stupid, so I bet Ranma does as well. It'll be Ranma in a shapeless silk pillowcase and you won't even be able to tell the difference between boy or girl except by the hair color. Now take a breath, be a man, and go out there and stop being silly!

He did just that and slid the door open.

Ranma was sitting on the bed, half-lounging, really. Her nightdress was green silk as well, long enough to reach her ankles but very sheer and light, falling across her body and accentuating her curves rather than hiding them, with cutout panels of lace over the hips up to the bodice enhancing the effect. The bodice itself was a deep v-neck, revealing a considerable amount of cleavage, supported by spaghetti straps. She wore a long-sleeved robe made of the same translucent lace over it, lightly draped and slipping off one shoulder. Her brilliant red hair fell across and just past her shoulders, cascading in careless waves and complimenting the deep green perfectly.

She smiled at him. "Well? How do I look?"

Ryouga slammed the door shut so fast and hard it nearly broke.

"Oh come on! It can't be THAT bad, can it?" Ranma said through the door, sounding annoyed.

Yes! Yes that is about as bad as that could get! Ryouga thought in a state of panic.

There was silence from the other side of the door for a few moments, then, more quietly. "... I look ridiculous, don't I?"

Ack…! Suddenly Ryouga's instincts were in conflict as the desire to not see a girl - even Ranma - in such an outfit and in such a situation fighting with the urge to protect her self image and not to allow her to think she was in any way unattractive.

The latter won. He slid the door open again. "No! No, it's…" He swallowed as he saw her once more. "... It's the opposite. You… you look like a girl."

She gave him a bemused look. "I am a girl, dumbass."

Ryouga winced. He could suddenly understand what Ranma was talking about when she said she forgot sometimes that she was really a guy, because right now he was having that problem. "No… I mean…" He swallowed, not sure what to say without giving some kind of offense or looking stupid. He finally decided there simply wasn't one so he just gave up and told the truth. "You're gorgeous."

Ryouga wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting. His instincts told him it couldn't possibly end well saying something so boldly. She would get mad, loudly reassert her manhood, make fun of him, something

She blushed, quite fetchingly and look away self-consciously. "L-look, I told you you don't gotta try and be chivalrous to try and protect my feelings or nothin'..."

Ryouga shook his head. "No… Ranma… I… That was one of the hardest admissions I've ever had to make!" He clenched his fists. "I'm trying to be honest here!"

Her eyes widened and the blush spread. She sat up and folded her hands in her lap. "O-okay, now you're going overboard…"

"You look like… like a princess on the cover of a fantasy novel, and I say that fully expecting you to get mad at me and punch me in the face," Ryouga said seriously. "You… like being complimented as a girl?"

She huffed. "I've always been proud of my looks as a girl! I-it's not like that's new!" She glanced at him again shyly. "You look… you… Well, you look like a dork."

He held up his hands, the overlong sleeves completely covering them. "Yeah, I know" He replied with a heavy sigh.

She giggled. Ryouga felt a bit better, as the tension seemed to ease a little. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Well, thank heaven for dorky PJs.

"Nabiki's right, though. You are cute when you're flustered." Ranma added.

Ryouga froze. Nope. Dorky PJs aren't gonna save me. He turned slowly to stare at her.

"What?" Ranma said, noticing his stare.

"Ranma, you just called a guy cute," Ryouga said, keeping his voice even, his tone serious.

"I called you cute before, remember?" Ranma said, her tone getting quiet. She got that look on her face that she got when she was dealing with difficult feelings.

"I figured… that was… just about my personality," Ryouga said nervously.

Ranma was silent. The void in the conversation stretched into awkwardness, until Ryouga opened his mouth to tell her to forget about it, that he understood, that it didn't matter.

"We're… we're being honest right now… right?" she asked timidly, beating him to the punch.

"I…" Ryouga's mouth felt dry. He knew it would probably be a really good idea to be looking at the floor, or the ceiling, or anywhere but into her eyes right now, but he couldn't seem to manage it. There was something hypnotic about them. "I… guess so…"

"Th-then… I'm being honest," she said.

Ryouga realized he was leaning towards her. He might not have noticed, but the bed was so wide that his balance had actually shifted, and he had nearly fallen over. The start it gave him was enough to break eye contact and break the spell. When he looked up again, she was looking away shyly.

If… if the bed had been a little smaller… Ryouga thought, then quickly shut down that line of speculation as he found that he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be smaller or if he was glad that it was big enough to keep them safely separated.

He cleared his throat. "Uhh… we should get some sleep… y'know, because… school…" he said weakly. She nodded, so he carefully lifted the covers on his side of the bed and slipped under them while staying as far over on his side as possible. He lay on his side, facing away from her.

"Ryouga?"

Ryouga rolled onto his back, and looked over at her. She was rolled onto her side, watching him.

He swallowed, looking up towards the ceiling before he got caught gazing into her eyes again. "Yeah?"

"What do you figure your future will be like?" she asked softly.

"My future? What do you mean?" Ryouga looked at her again, confused.

"I mean… not plans, really, but… Dreams, I guess? What sort of future are you dreaming of? What does it look like? What are you doing?" She looked pensive.

"I…" He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure I've got much in the way of that…"

"Yes you do!" she said crossly. "You were having a dream about it! You even have a name for your future daughter!" She sighed and settled her head onto her pillow. "I'm not talking about who you're gonna marry or the names of kids really, but… You always seemed to have an idea what you wanted your life to be." She smiled. "Lemme guess; On a farm, lots of kids, that sorta thing?"

Ryouga made a face. "It's… it's not like that. To be honest… I'm not really a big fan of farms. They're not bad, but… When you turn into livestock yourself, they start to seem a lot less benevolent." He sighed. "I always sorta imagined… a big house. Not on the farm, but somewhere with neighbors… a community… something I could be a part of. I… usually imagine something like the Tendo Dojo. That used to be because Akane was a big part of those dreams, but lately… well… I guess it's the first place that's really felt like 'home' since Dad died. A warm place that I can always find my way back to, full of family and surrounded by friends is what I always imagine. The good dreams, anyway."

"That sounds nice…" Ranma said quietly. "I… never really thought about it. My whole life was always so full of worrying about where my next meal was coming from that I never really spent much thought on the future. Even after I came to the Tendo Dojo, I didn't think much past the next challenge. Even when it came to Akane and me… I just couldn't envision it. Everyone else has… well, not always plans but… some dream about the future. But nothing really seemed real for me past tomorrow." She closed her eyes. "I didn't think it was important… not until Mom told me what my future was going to be. I felt so… so betrayed. Not because what she's got planned for me is so bad, but… because I didn't even get a chance to think of something on my own."

"Ranma?" Ryouga could hear the note of emotion in her voice. He considered reaching out and taking her hand.

She rolled onto her back. "I… am gonna have kids someday. That's such a weird thought for me. Like… I know it was a thing but… I never really expected it to apply to me, you know?" She smiled. "My whole life I've just accepted stuff as it came, but… For once I like the idea of wondering what something far off might be like."

Ryouga was quiet, thinking about that. His own dreams for the future had usually been indistinct, unlikely… pipe dreams. But… they had been comforting. "So… what are your kids gonna be like, Ranma?

"Mmm?" she mumbled sleepily. "... Dunno. Gonna hafta start imagining, right?" She sighed. "... A girl first, I think… Just 'cause… I might steal the name 'Sachiko' for her…"

"What?! You can't do that!" Ryouga protested good naturedly. "Don't I get a say?"

"Mnnn-nnh…" Ranma murmured. "Nope… I'm her mother… s'my choice…"

"Ranma, you jerk, you can't just…" Ryouga started, then trailed off. "Wait… mother?!" He turned to look at her but the redhead had already rolled onto her side facing away from him and her breathing was slow and deep, obviously already asleep.

000

I referenced several different Ranma/Ryouga fanfics in Ryouga's dream! See if you can name them all!

I also kinda fired a shot across the bow of 'Girl Days', but I think that's just because it was never finished :P

Thank YOU all for sticking with me thus far. I'm getting closer to the Endgame in what I have written so far, even if the editing and proofreading is lagging behind it by several chapters, so I think I can safely assure you that THIS fic WILL be finished.